Night Butterfly Chapter 1: July, 22 - Monday, an orange is the new black fanfic

A/N: Hi all! Here's a new series (it's gonna be a long one!) that we're super excited about. We've spent a lot of time planning this one out, and hopefully you will all like it as much as we do. We've got a lot of different things in the works for you all, so keep your eyes peeled.

Feedback is always welcome, especially on longer stories. It helps us out tremendously when we know what you're questions and thoughts are on the things we write. We can't always fill every request into the main plot if it conflicts with something already in the works, but we will try and work in as much of your ideas, concerns, questions etc. as we can.

Finally, there's a lot of Russian in here because Red is dramatic! Some of it is from Google translate, while others are phrases we found online that are Russian insults etc. To make this a little easier to read you'll find the Russian in italics, followed by the English translation in brackets directly after. Hope this helps!

XOXOXO

Red walked out of the kitchen with a tray of pastila that she had just taken out of the oven. She inhaled the sweet scent deeply and smiled in pride of her work. She greeted a young couple and their daughter who were still trying to decide on what they wanted. Humming to herself, she slid the back of the case open and began adding her latest delectable treat.

Once she'd put them in the case on display, she took a moment to breathe. Looking around the shop, she smiled with pride. Arms crossed over her chest, she couldn't help but compare the bustling crowd of the present to the small skeleton of a shop they had opened over a decade ago. After their first 7 years, the building next door had been vacated. They took out a loan and bought the space. A few months later and it was nearly doubled in size.

Instead of the three crowded in tables, they now had ten. Groceries had originally been the primary source of their income, but soon Red's cooking was the real draw. Now the majority of their business was focused on her baked goods, soups, and lunch dishes. They had come so far but were still just getting by. Red knew that one day their shop would be a true success and support their family in much more comfortable ways.

Yuri had just been born when they had first opened, and no longer were they content with just getting by. Red wanted a better life for her children than their cold childhood back in Russia. She didn't regret her own past-it had made her strong and who she was today, but it held deep wounds of pain and heartache as well. She didn't want that life for her child. She would teach him strength, but America would provide him with opportunities and freedom that their homeland didn't.

Cocking her head in curiosity she watched as a young woman, with overly straightened strawberry blonde hair, enter the shop. Why these girls felt the need to style their hair to such extravagance was beyond her. Unconsciously she reached a hand up to her own drab locks and wondered what someone who knew what they were doing would do with her hair.

While it was none of her business, more than once she had wanted to go over and tell those men exactly what she thought of their intentions. The wandering hands and lingering eyes left little doubt what they were thinking. The young woman was lovely, and she could see their appeal, but they disgusted her. The girl was an enigma. She didn't understand how someone could be comfortable in that lifestyle. She didn't consider herself a prude, but sex for her had always been about connecting with someone.

Red's eyes widened as she watched Timur, the newest member of Ganya's group, yank her down by her arm so that he could whisper in her ear. She saw the wince of pain, followed by the flash of disgust on the girl's face. It was only an instant before the mask was back in place and her laughter rang through the room. Red didn't like this, not at all. The girl glanced around the shop to see if anyone was watching, and Red quickly lifted the lid on one of the soup warmers and stirred it while discreetly watching. She watched as money switched hands and the young woman slipped it into her bra. Her entire posture changed, and Red could tell that despite the willing transaction the young woman wanted nothing to do with him.

Ganya grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her closer a little too roughly. With a hand on her waist he said something that made her tense, but nod. Her eyes turned downward as his hand moved to the inside of her thigh. It wasn't obvious to the rest of the patrons, but from where Red watched she saw more than she wanted to. The table ruptured into laughter, and the girl looked back at the man who had given her the money. It wasn't fear that Red saw in her eyes, but disgust and repulsion.

Timur rose to his feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the back wall. Putting the pieces together, Red quickly rushed over to the back exit that housed the bathroom. They only had one unisex bathroom. The shop was really too small to have two, and despite their growth, they couldn't afford an addition. They were more stable than they had been, but things were still tight. Too tight. She snatched up the out of order sign from the broom closet and shoved the mop cart in view.

"Galina!" Timur greeted with a tight but pleasant smile. "How are you?" It was evident that he was frustrated in the timing of this encounter, but he couldn't simply push their meeting to the side. Red and Dmitri might depend on Ganya's interest in their shop, but Ganya had enough respect for the couple that he would be upset if Timur were rude to them. He didn't tolerate nonsense.

"Fine," she answered. "Just fine. And you? How is your Zoya?" she asked, wondering if a mention of his wife might weigh on his conscience. It was meant as a slap to the face, but she had kept her tone crisp and even-a voice she had mastered. She had a volatile temper, and while she had trouble containing it, she was getting better at stopping it from creeping into her voice. When everything you said sounded sarcastic and judgmental, you could get away with speaking your mind freely.

"She's well, visiting her sister for the weekend. I'll tell her you said hello," he nodded. He moved to walk forward, but she didn't clear the path. He dipped his head, understanding that they weren't finished talking.

"Mmm," Red hummed in response. "It's good to spend time with family. I'm sure she's having a very pleasant time." His wife is out of town and yet he needs to use my bathroom to fuck around on her? That's not happening. Red's eyes drifted to the woman next to him, but she was careful not to look too long.

Noticing Red's glances, he stiffened and cleared his throat. His hand dropped from around her shoulders to her lower back. He looked over at the table of men behind him, before explaining. "How rude of me, this is my niece," he said, stumbling through the lie. "Natalya," he introduced awkwardly.

"Swapping family members?" Red teased trying to stall. "Trading out your wife for your niece?" she hopped, once more, that the double meaning of her words landed as one more wound to his conscience.

Swallowing hard, Timur forced out a laugh. "No. No. Natalya is my brother's daughter," he explained.

Red looked at him in feigned surprise and interest. "I didn't know you had a brother. Does he live here?"

"Back in Russia. Natalya is here looking for work. We're hoping she can get a visa." The lies spilled from his tongue with confident ease. The more he talked, the more comfortable he seemed to get.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Natalya," Red said, positive that was not the girl's actual name. "I'm Galina, but most people call me Red." She knew Russian when she saw it, and this girl was definitely not. She started to reach out to shake her hand but hesitated. The girl just nodded her head in acknowledgment. "If you need anything. Let me know," she added. "Ganya has been a patron of ours since we opened. Any friends of his..." she trailed off, unable to talk about him much longer without getting sick. "Maybe we could work something out here if you're interested. The summer's get busy and we could definitely use a third pair of hands. How long is your visa?"

Red knew that there was no visa and that it was doubtful that she was legitimately looking for work, but she couldn't resist offering. What if the girl was looking for something else? Would Ganya even consider letting her go? Red was under no delusion that she had much freedom. Ganya liked to be in control.

Ganya had always been polite to Red, taking the time to ask about her day and make light conversation with her. He would bring the boys small treats from time-to-time as well. All the same, she knew how powerful he was, and what he was capable of. The man was dangerous, and she tread carefully when it came to him-not a talent she had much practice in.

"I was just showing her where the bathroom was," Timur said, pointing behind Red. His voice sounded strained and far too eager. Turning his head, he looked at the girl, and a faint smirk twitched upon his lips.

Red nodded. "Oh no," she said, managing to sound apologetic. "Unfortunately, it's out of order. You would think grown adults would know how much toilet paper they actually need, stupid fuckers, it's all clogged up. The water box has been running as well, so I've called the plumber, but he can't get out until later this afternoon. Ridiculous yes? I've been telling Dmitri for some time now that we needed to have it looked at, but all I get in response is 'I'll get to it.'"

"Oh, I see," Timur answered. "Well, that's alright. We were about to head out anyways. It was good to see you, Galina." They turned away from Red and headed out. She watched as his hands gripped the young woman's biceps tightly. Her delicate skin would probably bruise under his grip-little blue and gray fingertips upon her skin. Red couldn't help but wonder if she'd made a mistake. If something were to happen... at least in the shop, she would have seen it. She chewed on the inside corner of her mouth as she watched them stop by Ganya's table and then leave.

"Galina," Dmitri yelled from behind the counter. She looked up at him and saw him raise his hands towards the line that was building. She nodded and made her way back towards the kitchen. After quickly washing her hands, Red began helping prepare and pass out orders. The rest of the afternoon went by in a rush, lunch time always did.

They had been lucky in location. The area had been almost abandoned when they had first opened up. There were a few stores nearby, but not much else. Slowly over their first year, the area blossomed back to life. She and Dmitri knew it was a risk, but it was the only place they could afford. With the flat above the shop, it was the only way they could manage to run a business and have someplace of their own to live.

Dmitri finished ringing up groceries for the last few customers currently in the shop. They had bounced around the idea of expanding their inventory beyond dry goods, but financially it wasn't the right time. Currently, they were able to turn a profit, but new ventures cost money to start up and success to maintain. Today had been a profitable afternoon for sure and that brought them one step closer.

As the crowd began to ease, Red moved to the back. The evening would be slow, but they always had a small crowd looking for a quick dinner or dessert to take home. There was always work to be done. It was comforting to her. Hard work gave you value and purpose. She had worked hard all her life and knew the value it brought to her life.

Most of her childhood had been spent farming. They'd grown vegetables and some fruit for themselves, but the biggest crop was sunflowers. They sold well, and that was all that mattered. They were a poor family, and in those days, everything helped. They'd kept livestock as well-mostly sheep and goats, but they had also raised chicken. The eggs brought in a big profit, but it was the birds themselves that brought in a high profit. One would think that they ate well, but most of their crops were to sell and trade.

Once a year Red's father would kill a chicken for them, it was tradition. Each year he would tell them about his family's secret, going back hundreds of years. Chickens were powerful creatures, and when you ate them, you absorbed that power. Now once a year, Red made the same meal for her boys and told them the story. Dmitri thought it was stupid, but Red knew that even if it was nonsense, belief was a powerful thing and with that belief came the magic.

"Well, we have some time to breath," Dmitri said, entering the kitchen and pulling her out of her daze. "What's wrong with the bathrooms? Do I need to call a plumber?" he asked, coming up beside her. He looked around the kitchen as he spoke and frowned.

He had great plans for improvements, but Red liked her kitchen the way it was. He had tried to convince her it would be more efficient his way, but she insisted that it was hers, and she would do with it what she liked. The only battle he had won was the stainless-steel dishwasher. Truthfully, he hadn't even won the battle, he'd surprised her with it for her birthday.

Shaking her head, Red cursed under her breath. She'd forgotten that she had left the sign up. "The bathrooms are fine," she said gruffly. You can put the sign away. The mop is out too if you want to do something useful; the bathroom needs a good scrubbing. Moving around the room, she began to make a new batch of dough.

Maybe he could get Yuri to clean the bathroom for him. A little cash worked miracles on his oldest son. "Why did you put the sign up then?" Dmitri asked, confused by his wife's strange ways. Red often did things he didn't understand, but he had learned that answers were not something she gave freely.

Red turned to face him-hands on her hips. "Because. I won't have those men fucking their whores in my bathroom." Turning back to her dough, she roughly worked her hands through it. She didn't even know what she was making but it kept her from strangling her husband. Busy hands are happy hands, she thought. It was a stupid sentiment, but she knew from experience that it worked with her boys. Busy hands aren't murderous hands, she corrected herself-changing the sentiment to something more appropriate.

Eyes opening wide, Dmitri stumbled through words, trying to feign shock. "What are you talking about?" He knew what Ganya and his men were doing with the woman. He was the only one who hadn't. The group mocked him for his faithfulness to Red-all except Ganya. He said that the only person who might be as equally feared as himself was Galina. Fiery and spirited he'd called her with an amused chuckle. He pressed his hands to the counter and leaned forward, trying to catch her gaze.

"Get your dirty hands off my counter," Red growled. "Don't act like you didn't know. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" She shook her head in disgust. "I don't want that in my shop," she warned. "Eti otvratitel'nyye lyudi dumayut, chto oni mogut delat' vse, chto khotyat, gde by oni ni zakhoteli. Ublyúdok. [These disgusting men think that they can do whatever they want, wherever they want. Motherfuckers.]."

"Galina," Dmitri pleaded. "What do you want me to do, huh? Tell Ganya he can't come back? You know what that man would do to us. Not to mention, he could call in the..." Dmitri's mouth froze open, and she could see him struggle to find words.

Red took angry steps towards him. "Call in what?" she said, deadly venom in her voice. Dmitri didn't answer, which told her everything. "Call in your loan?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "You fucking stupid little man. Gde ty rodilsya cherez zadnitsu tvoyey materi? [Where you born through your mother's ass?] Why would you take money from him? Is there something wrong with your brain?"

"I've almost paid him back," Dmitri promised. "I swear. I wouldn't have even borrowed if there was another option. Galyna, I did it for us. "

"Another option," she mocked. "Ganya shouldn't have been an option in the first place. Vy deystvitel'no znayete, kak vse isportit'. Zaymite den'gi u togo cheloveka, kogda u vas yest' dva malen'kikh mal'chika doma [You really know how to fuck things up. Borrowing money from that man when you have two small boys at home]." Her words echoed loudly through the kitchen and she saw her husband's eyes dart to the dishwasher he had recently purchased.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Red began to laugh. "That's what this is about? You took money to buy that toy of yours? Yobanyi karas' [Fucking moron]. That piece of shit was the big necessity?" She shook her head and went back to kneading the bread, needing something to focus her anger on.

"We've done well. I promise, this will be over soon," Dmitri implored, moving closer to her. "If you would only use it you would see how great it is."

Red just laughed darkly. "Over soon. What part of this do you not understand? With men like that it is never over. You would have been better off selling your soul to the devil. Why didn't I listen to my mother? Ona predupredila menya, chto ty vsegda budesh' rebenkom, chto ty tol'ko prinesosh' razocharovaniye i serdtse bolit [She warned me that you would always be a child that you would only bring disappointment and heartache]" Red said with a sigh. While supportive of her choice, Red's mother had never liked him. A pang of guilt and pain hit her chest as the memory of her brother came to mind.

"You're no prize either," Dmitri snapped. He knew he would regret that, but he'd already committed. "You work all day-bossing everyone about like you're some Tsarina. You belittle me in front of those men. Then at night, it's more work with the boys. You never take any time for me-for us. Ty skuchnaya zhenshchina, kotoraya delayet menya odinokim [You are a boring woman who makes me lonely]. All work with you."

Dmitri stood in silence hoping that she would calm down. He knew he'd made a mistake in his words, but it was too late to take them back. "You want me to think about the boys? I always do, but maybe you should think about our marriage."

Red barked out a bitter laugh. She turned to face him and scorn radiated from her being. "You stay out at night drinking with those men. You don't help me with the boys-and don't even get me started on Yuri. You let that boy run wild and avoid his responsibilities. The mouth on him now. I will not let him grow up to be like those men."

"It's not like that," Dmitri tried to defend. "I am just showing Ganya that he can trust us-that we're on his side. They could do amazing things for us." The truth was that he wanted to impress them for selfish reasons. He had always been the guy they kept around to make fun of. He was their errand boy, the butt of their jokes, and the man they knew they could count on to serve them."

Ignoring his defenses, Red continued her speech. "You come home half drunk at two in the morning and expect sex when I have to be back up at four? Don't you think I miss sex? I'll tell you, I've been missing it since we got together. If you think you're wowing me with your skills, you are sadly mistaken. It's time for you to grow up Dmitri; if not for yourself or me then for our boys. You are a father goddamit-act like it!"

"What do you know?" Dmitri said, waving off her words.

Red looked up at him. "I need you to go away now before you say anything else that you'll regret. We have two boys to think about and I'm trying very hard to make sure they have two parents, but trust me, my restraint will not last much longer." She could kill him. It didn't even matter that he called her frigid-if he had anything worth the effort she could understand, but her husband lacked any real excitement in the bedroom. It was astounding that they had children at all.

XOXOXO

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As always, thanks for reading!