Disclaimer: Let's get right to the story. just let me say that i don't own OUAT
This stort is set after the curse is lifted and ruby learns how to control the wolf. It is also set right after OUAT in wonderland
Ruby ran. She didn't want to stop. Ever. She jumped over fallen trees and her tongue hung out of her mouth. Wind whipped through her glossy black fur. The fresh scent of the moist forest filled her nose and she welcomed the feeling of twigs snapping under her paws. She howled as loud as she could and the moon glistened down on her messy fur. Ruby moved her lips to reveal a smile decorated with sharp fangs. She saw a flash of red fabric and a sudden pain ripped through her body. It felt like every bone in her body broke and reformed, she could feel her teeth shrink as her thick fur retreated into her skin. Ruby looked as the magic in her blood red hood pulsed gold and ceased to glow.
"Get up wolf!" a voice grumbled. Ruby followed a pair of boots up to the menacing face of an old man.
"How did you get my hood?" Ruby said through a clenched jaw as she staggered to her feet. A smug look was plastered across the man's face.
"I needn't answer your questions girl. Follow me." He said firmly grabbing Ruby by the arm and dragging her along beside him. Ruby struggled against the gloved hand. While she did, her Hood snagged on a branch and pulled her backwards. The moon was gone by now and There was no point in taking the hood. Spencer untied it and left it snagged, despite Ruby's desperate attempts to return for her beloved hood, Spencer pulled her along.
"Oh… don't struggle. It's no use."
"People will notice I'm missing, David, he'll come for me."
"David?" He scoffed, "My ungrateful son? He doesn't even know where you are!"
"He will find me." Ruby growled.
"NO"
"He will, Spencer, clearly you don't know your own son." She said as Spencer knotted a rope around her wrists in front of her and another between her teeth. He kicked her so she was leaning on the cold concreate wall. Ruby clutched her stomach and curled up on the floor. Spencer repeated his previous statement and began throwing blows to her sides and forehead with his chunky black boot. Ruby screamed in pain as the man brought his boot down several more times before he finally turned and clomped up the stairs.
"Snow, I'm telling you, it's not like her. She would've been back by now. Ask Granny. Snow, Ruby wouldn't stay away this long."
"David, she is just being a teenager." Snow reassured David.
"Dad, its fine. Listen to Snow."
"Emma, please, help my Ruby. Oh, I just know something is wrong." Granny cried grasping Emma's arm. Emma nodded and Granny pulled her into a hug. Emma looked at David to tell him to prepare for their upcoming mystery. David nodded to his daughter and grabbed the keys to the sheriff's car.
Ruby's lower lip quivered and slowly, she touched her head. It didn't hurt much anymore but she screamed anyway. She needed to get out. She needed to get somewhere safe.
"Granny…" she cried as she fell asleep.
"GET UP!" Ruby jumped. Spencer was standing at the top of the staircase. The door was partially open so she could see the inside of the house she was in. The walls where white, at least they used to be. Dirt and leaves where scattered across the floor so that told her she was somewhere in the forest.
"Did you hear me girl? I said stand up!" Ruby stared at him with wide eyes. She was afraid her would yell again or hit her so she slowly made her way to her feet. Spencer pulled a gun from his long jacket and Ruby dared to ask him a question as she raised her hands above her head.
"Why are you doing this? David already foiled you plan!"
"Stupid girl. I want him to reveal his true colors to the town so they see who he really is. A murderer."
"You want him to kill you?"
"Yes. It was all working until you made him stop! He needs to be more like his brother." Spencer demanded, slapping Ruby over the head and pointing the dreadful weapon at her head.
"Please. Don't." She said. Spencer cocked the gun.
"I do what I want in this house!" Spencer shot Ruby's leg and she collapsed from the agonizing pain and a terrifying scream escaped her lips. Spencer's face showed no emotion as Ruby watched him stomped back upstairs.
"David, over here." Emma said, she was standing next to a fallen tree. Ruby's hood was snagged badly on a dead branch. David pulled it down, luckily, it didn't tear. He sighed, glad he didn't rip it.
"This is her's alright."
"Who else do we know with a red hood?" Emma said, she was frustrated with her father. He glared at her and she returned the mean look. Davin shrugged it off and stuffed the hood in his back-pack.
"Now do you believe me Emma?" David asked, worry popped up all over his face.
"I never doubted you, I just thought Ruby was being, well, you know, a teenager."
"She would never let this out of her sight. It is her most prized position."
"I know, Ruby is my friend, too." David smiled. It was hard to given the situation but he had to show his daughter gratitude for helping him. Emma made it hard to bond so he was grateful for her presence. Emma nodded to him and they continued their search. It was silent except for the occasional cry of a faraway bird.
"Listen," Emma said mysteriously.
"I don- David was cut off by a scream. He nodded to Emma who pulled her gun. She heard someone else fire a gun and she dropped hers. She was breathing deeply and David looked at her. A bullet was on the ground. David swept his arms under Emma just as she fell. Blood seeped through her shirt.
"Emma, no!" He shouted.
"Oh, yes!" David turned, without leaving contact with his injured daughter.
"Spencer!" He muttered angrily.
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Do it, Charming!"
"D…dad?" Emma strained to say. David turned back to Emma, tears in his eyes and more streaming down his face.
"Don't."
"Oh stop! Stop getting in the way of my plans!" Spencer pulled out his gun again and rapidly shot at Emma. Most missed, only two pierced her leg.
"Ahhhhhh." She shouted, digging her fingers into David's arms.
"You're going to be fine Emma."
"No, dad go find Ruby, It's too late for me, she could be fine."
"The wolf girl?" Spencer said with confidence and pride in his voice,
"What did you do to her?" David yelled, spitting in his face as he lifted the man up by his shirt.
"Stop!"
"Snow?" David dropped Spencer.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm- I, Snow." David hugged Snow. That is when she saw Emma laying weakly on the musty dirt.
"EMMA!" Snow ripped away from her love and rushed to Emma's side.
"Mom. I'm fine… really." With each breath Emma felt herself slipping away.
"Snow, you need to take Emma and get out of here." Snow nodded and she and David helped Emma up and to sling her arm around Snow.
"David," Snow said turning back around, "If I leave, promise me you won't hurt him for personal reasons. Promise me, promise Emma."
"I promise." Snow smiled and patted his hand. As soon as they were out of earshot, Spencer grinned.
"You'll never find her!" David punched the man on the head and he passed out. David sighed and continued his search
Snow slammed open the hospital doors. Emma was slipping from her grasp.
"Dr. Whale!" She yelled, tumbling onto the floor.
"Mary Margret! What happened?" Dr. Whale said.
"My name is Snow now and it's Emma. She- she was shot, in the woods. L-last night while she was searching for Ruby."
"Ah, what a shame. You know, Ruby going missing. And Emma, too, of course." He said flatly while disinfecting the wound.
"Good news, she will be fine." Snow sighed and clutched her chest.
"Thank goodness."
David jumped when he heard twigs snapping behind him. He whipped out his pistol and pointed it in the direction of the sound.
"If you came back to gloat about what you did to my daughter, I will shoot you like you did to her!"
"David! Don't shoot, it's me."
"Snow? Oh my, I'm sorry. I thought you were Spencer! How's Emma?"
"She's fine. She'll live. The doctor said she will make a full recovery."
"That's amazing." He said relieved, hugging Snow tightly.
Ruby fearfully pulled a thin sheet over her nose as she heard someone fiddling with the lock on the door. She erupted into a fit of coughing and even though she tried to stop, it proved useless. She tightly tied a shred of the sheet around her bleeding leg and expected the worst. Luckily before the person could come in, the world around her spun wildly and her eyes rolled back into her head. Everything was black.
"Ruby? Ruby!" David violently shook the girl's battered body.
"Aahg, if I wasn't already dead, you sure pushed me to it." The girl tried to joke. David showed her a worried smile and helped her to her feet. A sudden pain surged through her leg causing her to call out.
"David, it hurts."
"You took a shot! Spencer shot you?" Ruby nodded slowly, her breathing was labored and her eyes were squeezed shut.
"It's okay Ruby. You'll be fine, but we got to get out of here." Again Ruby nodded and she put her arm around David and he helped her out of the house. Once they were outside, David looked around and pressed himself and Ruby against the wall of the house.
"Coast is clear. Ruby, do you think you can make a run to the forest?"
"I-I don't know David."
"Ahh. Get on my back." He sighed before his face lit up and a mischievous grin took over him.
"What!"
"Get on my back." His eyes where wide and Ruby was confused.
"I can carry you to the forest, once we are there I can call Mar- Snow and she'll come pick us up."
"What about Emma? Didn't she come with you?"
"Emma was shot. Are you going to get on my back or not?"
"Emma was shot, too!" Ruby almost yelled, "This is all my fault. If I hadn't. David? What did I do?"
"Ruby, calm down it's not your fault, Emma chose to come, and Spencer shot her. You didn't do anything."
"That is why I feel so bad, so guilty, I didn't do anything."
"Ruby, we really need to get you to the hospital!"
"What?" Ruby looked down, he leg was red from all of the blood and she couldn't feel it anymore.
"Let's go!" she said jumping onto David and he sprinted into the woods. He ran until a root caught his foot, causing the two to fall onto the leafy ground of the forest.
"Come on Snow, pick up!" Ruby's enhanced hearing helped her listen in on David's conversation with Snow.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Snow it's me, David. I've got Ruby, we are by the side of the road. Or we will be in a minute. Meet us there."
"Oh thank goodness you two are alright. Are either of you hurt?"
"I'm fine Ruby was shot on the leg, she claims that she can't feel it anymore and it also seems that Spencer beat her pretty bad."
"Should I get an ambulance?"
"Only if the Hospital can spare one."
"Okay, good luck."
"Oh my god! Ruby?" Ruby was out cold and she was burning up.
"David! What happened?"
"Okay, Snow, you'll need to meet us in the woods, Ruby isn't going anywhere. I can try to get her closer to the road. Snow, hurry."
"What happened? Henry, call an ambulance, tell them to meet us here then I will give them instructions of where to go."
"She passed out, I don't want to move her, it could be worse than I thought."
"Is she breathing?" Snow asked. No answer.
"David. Is. She. Breathing?"
"I-I think so. Yeah."
"Try to wake her up."
"Snow, I've already tried that!"
"Calm down. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to stay calm, okay. Do it for Ruby."
"Thanks Snow. Get here soon."
"Okay, bye.
"Bye." David said dully and he ended the call. He rolled Ruby off of her side and brushed her dark brown hair out of her face.
"We will save you Ruby, I will save you." David stood there for a moment and watched her chest rise and fall. Suddenly, it stopped. She wasn't breathing anymore. He checked for a pulse, a light beating pushed against his fingers. David sighed, she was still alive, but not for long. He pressed his lips over her mouth and nose and breathed out as hard as he could. He attempted this again and again. He heard sirens. He tried it one more time. Ruby lurched forward, her back arched off the ground and coughs erupting from her lungs. David put his hand on her back and coaxed her out of her temporary trance.
"David?" she asked drowsily.
"I-I don't feel so well. My stomach, it hurts." Ruby groaned and leaned over onto David's lap. He felt her head again.
"Ruby you're burning up!" David exclaimed. Ruby was asleep.
"Ruby, Ruby wake up, don't sleep."
"I…m not." Ruby sounded drunk.
"Oh Ruby…" David stroked her head, "You are delirious."
"No I-I'm not. Peter?" Ruby reached out to her side and grabbed the air.
"David! David? Where are you?"
"Help! Over here! Snow!" David yelled to Snow. She appeared moments later with two paramedics behind her with a gurney.
"Oh thank god, Ruby!" Granny pushed past Snow and the paramedics to where Ruby lay on the ground.
"My poor, sweet, Ruby." She cooed, Granny tried to see the gunshot wound but the ambulance nurses didn't let her.
"She'll be fine Granny, she is a strong girl." Granny nodded and David welcomed her into his open arms.
"She is covered with bruises and scratches, I want you to find out what that monster did to her!"
"I promise, Spencer will be locked up and submitted for questioning."
"Grandpa? Grandpa, what happened! Where's my mom?" David turned to see Henry standing by a tree. He glared at Snow.
"You didn't get someone to watch Henry?" He said grabbing her arm.
"Grandma? Grandpa?"
"Just a second Henry!" David held up a finger. He pulled the boy to his side in the ambulance. Henry gasped.
"Will she be okay?" Henry's mouth hung open and confusion was in his eyes. David nodded and held the little boy's quivering hand.
"She'll be fine." Granny looked at David thankfully as she, too, climbed into the cramped ambulance.
"Thank you." She said solemnly.
"It's my job as sheriff."
"No, you did more than you had to, you protected her. That is why I'm thanking you, just take the compliment, David."