The ride home was a disappointing one. Cat and Ruby sat in silence as they smoked their cigarettes, and Ruby was at the wheel. The only sound was the quiet sizzling of the ember as they each took a drag. Night had fallen a couple hours ago, so all that could be seen in front of Ruby's headlights was a dark and empty road in the woods. Cat didn't know where Ruby's house was, but she enjoyed the peaceful ride in the moonlit woods compared to the events of that day.
"You know, it does get better." Ruby started, and gave Cat a reassuring glance. "I mean, sure, you're the first new person we've ever had in this town, but that doesn't mean that you'll never be part of our family."
Cat sighed in defeat, she knew that Ruby was right, but she couldn't get over the fact that she has been treated like an outsider. That's all she will ever be in this town, and no amount of hard work or kindness could change that easily. She wanted these people to accept her, she wanted to have a real home, but so far, that has been proven more difficult than she thought. She only hoped that, eventually, she could call these people her family.
When they finally arrived at Ruby's house, which was also Cat's new home, her hopes raised a little. The small cottage was surrounded by woods, a humble escape from the ravages of society. Flower, vines, and even year-round Christmas lights adorned the house. The round stones, varying in size, were set into the walls of her home like an ancient promise of new beginnings. Even in the moonlight, the house still glowed like a lantern, giving off a hue that gave comfort and resolution. It looked like it only had four rooms, with two huge windows on each side of the house. The roof was made of slate tiles, nothing too impressive, but meant to give the cottage a charming look.
"Ruby..This is beautiful. How could you ever afford something like this?" Cat asked, astonishment taking over her voice.
"It's not much. I pay rent to my Granny, so I get a little leeway. She wanted me out of her house, you know?" Ruby chuckled. "It's also a lot cheaper because it's on the outskirts of Storybrooke, and it's the only piece of land that Mr. Gold doesn't own."
Cat grimaced at the sound of his name, her memories of the day flooding back to her. Ruby seemed to notice, and quickly brought her attention back to the house.
"There's plenty of room, I have a spare bedroom, but we'll have to share a bathroom. I hope you can handle that." Ruby winked, and Cat chuckled slightly. She knew that Ruby's hospitality was already too kind, and she thought it was funny that Ruby acted as if none of it was any trouble. They both stepped out of the car, and stepped through the short iron gate at the front of the yard. Slowly, they walked up the stone path to the front porch that ran along the front of the house. They lit another cigarette for themselves, and Cat breathed deeply at the feeling of the smoke in her lungs. She knew that it was a bad habit, but she didn't want to quit, and wouldn't quit as long as Ruby continued. They stood in silence for a couple minutes, taking drags off of their cigarettes and taking in the scenery around them. Although it was dark, the full moon still lit up the front yard with a white, pale light, as if it was still daytime. Everything seemed like it was in its place, with Ruby's car in the driveway, the grass slightly overgrown, and a birdbath next to a large oak tree that dominated the lot.
"So, tell me what happened with you. What did you do to get in such a rut? I mean, you would think that your friends would step in and help." Ruby inquired, leaning on the fence of the front porch and eyeing her with a curious look.
Cat sighed. "Well I guess that's where you come in, isn't it? You're really my only friend." Cat gave Ruby a grateful look, and Ruby smiled. "I lost most of my friend, mostly due to the fact that I had no money, and I kept borrowing money from them. When I couldn't pay them back, they left me. I know I deserved it, but I feel like they just stopped caring about me altogether, as if I was rotten to the core."
Another minute of silence, and more cigarette hits. Ruby seemed to contemplate what she had said, as if she was thinking that Cat would continue to mooch off of her instead of getting back on her feet. Cat realized that what she had said probably made Ruby uncomfortable, and took a step closer to her friend.
"I've changed. I mean, not by much, but enough to be able to support myself, and pay back the ones who have given me so much, including you, Ruby." Cat said, not wanting to ruin her friendship at an early stage. Ruby tilted her head slightly, and eventually gave Cat a nod.
"I trust you. I know that doesn't matter much, but I just wanted to give you that." Ruby said.
Cat smiled, and Ruby returned the look. "Trust is the best thing you could ever give me." Cat said.
"What about your super artistic abilities?" Ruby asked, changing the subject.
"Well, you see, talent is a valuable aspect of someone's personality, and it means a lot to be talented in society, but not so much in the economy. I guess people don't really appreciate your work until you're dead." Cat said, sighing at the thought and at the memory of her past failings. "No one would buy any of my paintings, no one would book be for a show to play my cello, and I got a nasty case of writer's block. Not that writing fanfiction would have helped my situation much, anyways."
"Is that around the time that you came to Storybrooke?" Ruby asked, and Cat nodded.
"Yeah, I guess I was looking for inspiration. Besides, my phony job set me up to the task anyways. I don't really know what they wanted out of this town." Cat eyed the woods curiously, as if she would find her answers in the tree lines.
"You know, they say that there's magic in Storybrooke." Ruby said, mocking a mysterious voice, and giggling at Cat's confused look. "Not that it's true, but some people want to believe anything, especially for publicity. Maybe that's what your boss was seeking, money and fame."
"Well then he definitely won't find it here." Cat said, and they both laughed.
Eventually, they ran out of cigarettes to smoke, and they finally opened the stained glass door to the house. When Cat stepped inside and to the right, into the living room, she was blown back by the interior design. The inside of the house closely resembled the outside, simple yet possessing a vintage style. Two sofas lined the windows, and they both had an intriguing floral design on its fabric. They reminded her of the Victorian ages, although she never lived in anything close to Victorian. The small in-tables that were beside each couch were made of polished wood, with legs that swept down and curled in an intricate spiral at their feet. On top of these tables stood old oil lanterns that had been modified to use electricity, which gave the room even more of an ancient atmosphere. Cat had never thought that Ruby had such good taste.
"Ruby, how could you possibly afford all of this antique furniture?" Cat asked, eyes wide and searching the contents of the living room.
"I didn't buy any of it. My Granny had everything in storage. Neither of us really know where any of this came from, it's always just been there." Ruby's eyes, once again, darted back and forth, as if a memory in the back of her mind was trying to manifest itself.
"Everything is amazing." Cat smiled. She adored all of the bookshelves lining the walls and their contents, never expecting Ruby to have such a creative, classy, and genius personality under her normal behavior. She never had any real friends that she could share her ideas with, and she was glad that she had discovered Ruby to be such an inspiration.
Ruby smiled. "Thank you. Unfortunately, the spare bedroom won't be ready until your stuff gets here from Boston. Do you want to sleep on the couch tonight? Or if you want, you could take my bed."
"I'll take the couch." Cat said, not wanting to take advantage of the situation. "Are you heading off to bed?"
"I will here pretty soon, but I thought we could have a glass of wine first." Ruby winked, and flew into the kitchen, leaving Cat in the living room to marvel at Ruby's possessions. Everything was so elegant, catching her attention at the smallest reflection of warm light from the lanterns. At the time, she could only imagine how beautiful all of the antique treasures looked in the sunlight.
When Ruby returned, she was carrying two crystal glasses, as well as a bottle of cheap red wine under her arm.
"Shall we?" she said, and Cat chuckled, taking one glass from her. After they had their wine poured and they had settled down on the couches, they began to talk of their past, progressively growing more tired from the day's work.
"I had always thought that talent would get me far in life. But it's only brought me suffering." Cat droned, leaning her head back with a sigh.
"I can relate.." Ruby trailed off.
"What are you good at?" Cat asked, curious about Ruby's past after discovering her real personality.
"Finding things," she said. "I wanted to be a detective, but there's not really any schools for criminal justice around here, and my Granny would never let me leave. I guess that I had hoped that I wouldn't need to go to school to do what I love, but I've never been more wrong. So now, I'm stuck working the early shift at Granny's." Ruby sighed, and Cat sat up, reaching across the in-table to put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. For the next two hours, they talked of their past. Ruby spoke of her boring life at Granny's, and Cat spoke of her life of destitution.
The clock was approaching four in the morning, and their bottle of wine was nearly empty. Although neither of them had work in the morning, they were utterly exhausted. Ruby finally decided to wander into her own bed, leaving Cat on the couch with her head swimming. She lay back on the pillows, slowly drifting into a happy sleep that was eagerly welcomed.
The gate rattled.
Cat's eyes immediately shot open, and she froze in her place on the couch. The noise ceased, and she was left in silence. She had always had an over-active imagination, but she couldn't help but think that her mind was not tricking her. She slowly sat up, looking around the room in horror. The couch she was laying on was against the window that faced out of the front of the house, and she knew that if she peeked out, she would be able to see the gate. Before she did, she tip-toed over to the fireplace and grabbed an iron poker, weathered with rust and burn marks. She knew that this would do the trick if she needed to use it. As her eyes darted around the room, they eventually adjusted to the darkness, and she could quickly make her way to the window. She could see the moonlight shining down on the curtains, and it was much easier to see outside than if there was no moon. She put her knees up on the couch, slowly drawing back the curtain, only a sliver, in order to see outside.
A dark figure stood near the gate. It was not tall, nor was it large. The figure was slim, but not even the moonlight could distinguish its features. Cat stood still, not wanting to catch its eye if she moved too fast. She knew that she should wake up Ruby, but she was scared that, if she did, she would be putting Ruby in unnecessary danger. If Ruby got hurt, Cat wouldn't be able to live with it. She had to go out there by herself before whoever this was came into the house. Unfortunately, she was still dressed in her uniform, and her only defense was her large combat boots sitting on the floor. She was exposed, her legs bare and she had hardly any pockets to hide a weapon in. She slowly slipped on her boots, crept into the kitchen, and grabbed a kitchen knife. She shoved it into the straps of her right boot, preparing herself for a fight that would save her friend. She clutched the iron poker as she looked through the stained glass of the front door. The figure was still there, but had moved closer to the house, an obvious limp in its step. It sneaked around, poking at the birdbath and the bushes.
Cat clenched her muscles, clenched her teeth, and turned the doorknob. The knob squeaked loudly, and Cat squeezed her eyes shut out of nervousness. As she squinted one eye open, she noticed that the figure had stopped, and was facing the front door with what seemed like menace. Her breath caught in her throat, her hand still on the doorknob, and she waited for several seconds. The silhouette turned on its heels and started to make its way back to the gate. Cat would not let this slip by. She knew that if she didn't do anything, it was only likely to happen again. With a sense on finality, her grip tightened on the poker, she flung the door open, and ran down the steps with slow speed, raising the weapon over her head to strike the intruder. She was drawing closer to him, the space between them was closing slowly, and she only wished that she could run faster. As she came closer to the gate, she noticed that the figure had stopped in its tracks with its back to her. She could now clearly see his features in the moonlight, and identified him as a slim man with hair that nearly reached the collar of his suit.
A suit, Cat thought to herself as she stomped towards him, who would be wandering around in the woods at this hour…in a suit?
The man turned around quickly, raising a long stick in the air, ready to strike her down. His hair swept around his face, with streaks of grey…
And a hint of gold. She thought.
"Wait!" she yelled, throwing down her weapon and throwing up her hands in surrender. Gold was now facing her, and his dark eyes were gleaming with the devil. Her throat croaked in terror. However, before she could speak again, the golden head of his cane came crashing down on her temple, and she slumped to the ground.
She looks rather pretty, Gold thought, when she wasn't fuming with anger at him. Gold brushed off his suit, although it didn't have any dirt on it. He knew that the slight commotion would wake her roommate, and he had to leave soon. However, he had to finish what he came for, because he knew that this would be his only chance to set foot on this lonely property. He reached inside of his coat, cringing slightly at the bruise forming on the young woman's head, and pulled out a red envelope. He thought about leaving it on Catherina's unconscious body, but he realized that it would only give Ruby a reason to blame him for her injury. Although it was true, maybe she would convince herself that she had dreamt the entire scene. So instead, he struggled up the steps, supporting himself with the cane, and quietly set the envelope in the mailbox.
He turned around and climbed down the steps, avoiding Catherina in the middle of the pathway, and slipped through the front gate. He was curious to see what this mysterious place contained, considering the fact that he owned everything else but this piece of land. He wanted to stay and look around, but he knew that, if Catherina should wake up, any plans of possible redemption would be wasted. He slumped down into his black Cadillac, both tired at the time of night and regretful for hurting her. He had told himself many years ago that he would never harm a woman again, for fear of bringing himself, and others, more pain and suffering. He had to gain her trust, and her forgiveness for his previous actions was the first step. Perhaps the contents in the envelope would allow him a path into her life when she read it. Although he was doubtful, he reassured myself that, if she was indeed a good person, then she would allow him a second chance, and his thoughts, once again, became overly confident and arrogant. He knew that he could accomplish it, because he needed her complete trust in order to fulfill the task that he had waited so long to carry out.
He cringed at the thought, and settled for starting the car. It was approaching dawn, and if Ruby had stirred in her sleep during the encounter, she would be awake soon, and searching for Catherina. He pulled away from the house rather quickly, his tires disturbing a rather large amount of gravel, creating a shower of pebbles and noise. As he rounded the corner into the dark woods, and he was no longer visible from the house, he stole a glance in his rearview mirror. Ruby was crouched over Catherina's body, slapping her cheeks and yelling in her face. Ruby searched the yard frantically, and Gold chuckled when she did not see anything. He continued driving back home to the books that aided him in his pursuit, and hopefully, towards his future.
Cat awoke with a start, head pounding, and taking in a breath of air as if it was her first. She quickly sat up and searched her surroundings, forgetting that she was in Storybrooke, and sighed in relief when she realized that she was still on the couch in her new home. The morning light made the room and its contents glisten with the primary colors, and the air smelled of the pine trees that surrounded them. Cat stood up and stretched, wincing slightly at the pain in her temple, and she surmised that she had hit her head on the in-table during the night. She heard clattering from the kitchen, and slowly wandered in to find Ruby setting out ingredients for breakfast; eggs and balls of dough for biscuits.
"Hey." Cat mumbled contently, but she was cut off from her next sentence by the look of horror and relief in Ruby's eyes.
"Cat! Do you know what time it is?!" Ruby squealed, and set her hands of Cat's shoulders.
"Uh.. Nine?"
"It's past noon!" Ruby exclaimed. "I thought you had gone into a coma, and I was planning on taking you to the hospital!"
"Why would you do that?" Cat said in surprise, confused by Ruby's panicked tone. She didn't mean to sleep in so late, but she expected Ruby to cut her a little bit of slack on the first day. After all, neither of them were working that day.
"I found you unconscious in the front lawn with a big lump on your head, Cat. You must have been attacked by an animal." Ruby's voice had calmed down slightly, but she started to grip Cat's shoulders even harder.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rubes. I mean, I remember having a nightmare, but I swear I didn't leave that couch all night." Cat said stubbornly.
"Go look in the mirror." Ruby said curtly. Cat obliged, and strode to the mirror that hung horizontally in the front hallway. She was blown back in shock when she saw her reflection. On her right temple was a large bruise that was purple, black, and throbbing. Cat gasped, and suddenly became much more aware of the pain in her head.
"Do you believe me now?" Ruby yelled from the kitchen. "You were either sleepwalking, or you really pissed off some kind of critter."
Cat shuddered, remembering her nightmare, and suddenly realizing that it may have been true. Cat ran out of the front door and into the front yard, frantically searching for a clue that her dream was in fact a reality. She saw nothing, only green grass, flowers, and the elegant birdbath. Ruby was standing at the front door, a concerned look on her face. Cat knew that Ruby wanted to take her to the hospital, but she was too frightened to leave the house without knowing the truth.
"Cat, we need to go." Ruby sighed, leaning against the front of the house by the mailbox. Ruby thought that Cat could be delirious after being attacked as well as the change in setting from a big city to a rural area. It was then that Cat saw the flash of red protruding from the mailbox. She ran up the steps and ripped the envelope from the mailbox, pushing Ruby aside as she opened it and removed the contents. Inside was a single slip of manila paper that read:
1711 Lamar Blvd.
Saturday night, 7:00 pm
See you for dinner, Catherina.
That was the moment that she realized that, unfortunately, none of the events from the previous night were a fiction of her mind.
