Yay, Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 2 2! Read! Review! Be merry!
"Guess who's back, back, back, back again, again, again. Ronnie's back, back, back, tell a friend, friend, friend." Ruby sang, tipsy off her two margaritas.
"We get it, Rubes!" Emma covered her ears sticking her tongue out.
"I feel like a kid again!" Snow shouted gleefully, having joined them after work. Snow looked like her usual delicate self, her cheeks extra rosy from her buzz. Her hands were in Veronica's hair, braiding her long thick locks so they could be wavy instead of her usual straight hair the next morning.
"So, Ron, did you really bite Mr. Gold?" Emma was flat on her back getting her toes painted by Ruby, which, now that she thought of it, seemed like a terrible idea due to her current drunken state.
"Oh my god, no." She gagged as she sat up to put in The Conjuring. "I merely refused to call him by his actual name and then hit his arm pretty bad when the bastard grabbed my wrist."
"So I see all that LA turned you into a thug." Snow giggled, patting the top of Veronica's head as she sat back down in-between her legs.
"Nooooo! Gurl, quit playin'." She mocked a gang banger accent and the girls erupted into laughter. The movie had started and what seemed terrifying at first was soon forgotten as they drank more and more and somehow ended up being taught boxing moves by Veronica and Emma. It was around 2am when the girls started slur/singing "Let's get down to business! To defeat! The Huns! HYUAAAH." And astonishingly, by 2:30 am they were all passed out. Somehow, Veronica thought groggily, she hadn't even made it to her own bed on her first stay because it was taken hostage by Emma and Ruby. Veronica was sprawled across the small love seat and Snow was on the rug, drink still in her hand.
The next morning the sun shined brighter than anything that they have ever seen before and Ruby fake cried into her pillow while Snow real cried for a little.
"The suuuuuuuun!" Veronica made a hissing noise and stumbled off the chair. The Lorde T-shirt that she had been wearing was somehow halfway twisted around her body and her hair was gathered in a knot at the side of her head.
"Mom." She muttered as she threw herself on Snow.
"I'm not your mom!" Snow groaned trying to cover her eyes.
"Mooooom why did you let us drink so much?" Ruby piped up.
"Ma…help me…" Emma fake fainted and despite the massive hangovers they managed a small laugh only to wince in pain.
"I declare breakfast." Veronica ordered.
"You can't just say breakfast and expect anything to happen." Emma said doing her best imitation of Oscar from The Office.
"I didn't say it, I declared it!" Veronica smiled at her friends. Even with her head pounding as if tiny little men were having a bar fight in her forehead, she was happy to be home with her friends who could quote The Office religiously.
Begrudgingly, they took turns using the restroom to at least become presentable. Veronica tossed hoodies and t-shirts at everyone, choosing a light grey Nike hoodie with a loose fighting white tank top, and pulling on her black skinny jeans with holes at the knees. She tossed her hair into a neater ponytail and peered at herself in the mirror.
Great. First official day back and I'm hungover and maybe still drunk and I look like I've been dragged around the streets of Storybrooke, she thought. Normally, she didn't look half bad. She never saw herself as exceptionally pretty and always thought it was her personality that attracted people. She had big deep chocolate colored eyes that always had a mischievous glint in it, and thick lashes. She pierced her nose when she moved out to LA so that gave her a little bit of an edge, and she had her stud gleaming on her left side. She had a full pouty bottom lip and a small little mouth and when she smiled her eyes crinkled up with glee. At first glance she looked intimidating with her permanent "bitch face" but her smile changed that. Okay, remember to smile today. She reminded herself. She had dark hair that was about mid back length and always straight. She usually had it tousled some way or another or had it cascading over one shoulder. She was only 5 foot 2 but she was strong and lean, years of running and boxing changing her baby fat into lean muscle, all the while still appearing soft with curves. She turned in the mirror once more and glanced at her back side. She had a toned bottom and shapely legs she was proud
to have and her breasts were a nice 36 C cup. Overall, she was proud of what she had accomplished for herself. Years of being scared and confused drove her to the gym or trails and she ran through every hardship until her legs turned to jello.
"4 out of 10" Ruby teased as she saw her checking herself out in the mirror.
"Sorry, I was trying to see if I had changed at all spending one night in Storybrooke so far. The damage is done." She pointed to her unruly hair.
The girls walked to Granny's and slid into a table in the back, far from customers and the sunlight.
"I feel crusty." Ruby rubbed her temples and Snow sat beside her, face in the laminated menu.
"Crusty..?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Crusty."
"Someone's still drunk." Veronica muttered.
"You're still drunk." Ruby observed.
"Dude I think I am what the hell did you guys do to me? Corrupting me, I see." Veronica joked.
"Oh don't you play innocent now, who was it that downed half a bottle of Fireball during Senior Prom?" Ruby narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Rubes that was you. You also made out with Billy." Snow pointed out, now twisting the pepper shakers with her index finger.
"Ahh. Sweet, sweet, Billy" Emma heaved a sigh and the ladies all took a moment to appreciate Billy, the incredibly cute mechanic.
"So what's the deal, is it possible that he has gotten cuter since I've left?" Veronica asked hopefully.
"Oh yes." Snow nodded forcefully. "Studly."
"I might just have to pay our little friend a visit." Veronica grinned to a chorus of Ooooooos from the girls and she saw Ruby's cheeks heat up and her jaw clenched.
"I called dibs!" Ruby finally blurted, looking relieved to let it be known to her friends. "Besides, Veronica haven't you had your fill of cute guys out in California?"
"Ugh, don't even get me started. There were a few fine specimens here and there but the biggest waste of time was my boyfriend Marcus. Fucker cheated on me."
"WOAH!" they all shouted, shocked that someone could do her wrong and get away with it.
"You chopped his dick off and performed voodoo with it right?" Ruby asked, leaning forward excitedly as if Veronica was going to demonstrate with said member.
"I broke up with him in a pizzeria, "She's the Man" style." She told them, excluding the fact that she broke up with him months after he had done the deed. She was too embarrassed for her friends to know that she was so weak and lonely that she clung to this imbecile for the longest time, faking her happiness.
They ate their breakfast catching up and telling stories. Veronica thanked them for not hating her after her left and for welcoming back so easily. As they said their goodbyes, she promised to tell them the full story later. Emma went off to work, Snow went off to run some errands, and ruby went out to go do whatever Ruby's did in their free time.
Veronica decided to do a little exploring before heading back, feeling somewhat recovered after her delicious French toast and eggs from the diner. She walked along the sidewalk observing everyone. So many people looked the exactly the same and it was hard for her to believe that time had gone by. She passed her old high school and small little stores she would go into once she was properly dressed. She passed by Gold's Pawnshop and snuck a look inside but his lair seemed empty. She briefly entertained the idea of going inside to infuriate him some more but practiced extraordinary self-restraint.
"Morning, dearie." She groaned as she heard his voice a mere inches from behind her ear.
"Hey. You're just in time to help me find a rock to throw at this asshole's pawn shop. Heard he's a real winner." She scratched her head and fixed her sunglasses that were perched on her nose. She was too tired to try and engage in an argument with him and started walking away.
"Did you start a rumor that my first name was Barry?" He expressively waved his hand as if asking her "what the fuck?" but he was far too proper to stoop to such language.
"What?"
"Some child at the school bus said he heard my first name was Barry. The day that you happen to be back from god knows where."
"Has the whole town been talking about it?'
"Yes."
Veronica smirked. She had been here less than 24 hours and the town was convinced his name was Barry.
"Perhaps I did." She shrugged.
"You've been here less than a day." His jaw clenching.
"Uh-huh."
"And you have the town calling me Barry."
"Yup."
His face was red with anger and he looked like he was at a loss for words. She figured he never had anyone questioning his word and she knew he had the town bending at his wall. No one was ever brave enough to stand up to him but then again, maybe she was just a little dense.
"Is this conversation over because I would like to retire to my quarters, your highness." She rolled her eyes at him not in the least bit terrified. They had gained a small crowd hovering around them. All not looking directly at them but close enough to hear the ordeal. She saw Leroy, whom she has known for years but never knew what his profession actually was. She saw Archie, and his dog Pongo both looking worried and a few other faces she couldn't place names to.
"Say my name." He ordered menacingly, inching closer to insanity.
"Barry."
"ARRRRGH." He slammed his cane into the pavement in anguish.
"Jesus Christ." She laughed, turning to the crowd around them. "Stop calling him Barry." She tore off her sunglasses and a few people gasped. There were hushed whispers and wary glances into her direction as if she were a powerful sorceress exacting her revenge on the poor townsfolk.
"You're the Girl Who…"
"Yeah, well I'm back now." She was growing increasingly annoyed, began to see why Gold was so angry all the time. These were not the type of people to talk to early in the morning. She saw him walk into his Pawn shop and followed him.
"Get out." He motioned towards the door way.
"No."
"I'm starting to think a greater being sent you here just to give me headaches."
"The greater being wants me to buy a lamp instead, how much is this?" She picked up a blue ceramic lamp that seemed to change colors with every moment.
"If I let you have it for free will you call me by my name so I cannot have a hernia?"
"Wow. So charitable."
"Don't get that rumor spreading either, dearie, I won't stand for it."
"Alright. I'll play nice today and just know that it is causing me deep pain. Gold."
He glanced up at her and a small smile tugged on his lips.
"You're infuriating." He leaned against the counter in his tailored suit. She thought he would fit in perfectly with the men she occasionally encountered in areas such as Beverly Hills. Older men in their Armani suits and foreign cars with their blonde bimbos gracing their arms.
"And you're slightly handsome when you aren't trying to fight me."
His eyes widened as she caught him off guard and he quickly composed himself.
"I haven't even tried one bit, dearie. Saving you the trouble of being swept off your feet." He smirked.
"It would be entertaining to see you try. Thanks for the lamp." She exited the shop before things started to get weird and she started thinking about jumping him in the back room or something. She wasn't quite sure if she was flirting or not but the way they argued and jested came naturally and she was glad to have a man to spar with.
Gold watched her exit his shop and he wrinkled his face in confusion. The girl was absolutely and utterly annoying and infuriating. And captivating. She had been here less than a day and she had the town at her feet, whether from curiosity or disgust, but she had them. She also looked nice from behind, he thought watching her saunter down the street. He had to admit, she was a pretty little thing, but her tongue was what intrigued him. She just did not give two shits.
He remembered her only slightly. He knew her and her three friends were always up to something when they were in high school, and they were well liked because they remained sweet and hard-working girls aside from the mischief. It wasn't until after she left that he heard her name. He just knew her as the dark one of the group, her Hispanic background evident in her caramel skin color. Now her name was tainted because she chose to do what everyone secretly wished to do. No one ever leaves Storybrooke and young veronica must have been the first person to permanently leave in over a decade. People liked routine and the comforts of a small town and he could see how for someone like her with her academics jumped at the opportunity to leave. He chuckled, thinking that if perhaps she had not kept the ordeal a secret until not showing up at the local college, she could have avoided all of this. Yet, he knew better than anyone that people had reasons for things that they may not want to release until a later date. He vowed to continue to make her life as agonizing as humanly possible during her stay.
Veronica threw herself on the bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. Her mind wandered to Gold and she couldn't tell if the look in his eyes was amusement or annoyance. Embarrassingly enough, she happened to have a slight thing for older men and when he wasn't being a total prick his Scottish accent was incredibly sexy. She deemed him a fun toy to torment and drifted off to sleep.
When she awoke it was already evening and her stomach growled loud enough to startle her. She hopped into the shower hoping to rid herself of her sweat and grime from an intense nap session and she slipped into dark jeans, a cream V-neck, a burgundy scarf and an olive jacket. She slipped on her brown boots and applied her make up, swiping her long lashes upwards and drawing on her usual slight cat eye-eyeliner.
She walked into a small café named Raven's and was amazed by the décor. It was small and fairly dim, the light coming from a string of tealights strung all around the restaurant. At the entrance, there were two large sofas, one a muted green and the other teal, both looking warm and inviting. AS she ventured further into the restaurant there were and assortment of tables adorned with flowers and trinkets. She picked up what looked like a thimble only to be met with a drawling voice.
"Looks like I've caught a pretty bird." She turned to be faced with a slim man wearing a dark purple vest with various swirls across it and black leather pants paired with combat boots. He took his top hat off (yes, a top hat) and stooped into a bow.
"Jefferson, owner of this humble abode." He announced and before she had a chance to speak he pushed her into a chair and she plopped down.
"Veronica," She introduced herself, "Hungry girl very interested in your humble abode." And she smiled up at him. There was an eccentric air about him and she loved that. She loved anything outside of the norm and she couldn't wait to see what she had in store for her with his company.
"Yes! But before we get any further what type of bird are you exactly, darling?" He asked himself and tapped his chin in concentration. He circled her and she entertained him but standing up and spinning in a slow circle. He clapped gleefully.
"What a sweetheart, I LOVE that you humor me!" He enthused.
"Honestly, I never really thought of myself as a bird, I was fonder of cats."
"CATS?!"
"Yes. What's wrong with cats, I adore them!" She narrowed her brown eyes, wondering what kind of creature could hate the adorable little things.
"My poor Millie was eaten by a cat."
"Millie..?"
"My finch."
"Terribly sorry."
Jefferson waved his hand and took a deep sigh.
"I like you Veronica, even if you do dance with the cats. Anything you want tonight is on the house!" He thrust his hand out and she took it happily, shaking it heartily.
She settled for a grilled chicken and hummus sandwich with sweet potato fries and a blood orange lemonade. She pat her belly and looked up at him and made a crying face.
"That was beautiful. No sandwich can even shine a light on this one. I am forever in your debt." She sat back and listened to the music which was of course, amazing. Some of the songs she was familiar with and she wondered how Jefferson even managed to set up a playlist so awesome in this little town.
"The power of YouTube, baby." He danced by her, reading her thoughts as he balanced a tray of beverages and waltzed over to a table of high school kids.
"So, you've been here two days and the town can't stop talking about you. Those kids even asked if you were the girl who dueled with Gold." He raised an eyebrow questioningly as he slid into the seat next to her. He looked at her with his deep puppy dog eyes and she launched into an explanation.
"HA!" he barked, "Barry. That's hilarious. But why are you writing you death wish, I haven't even been able to take you out yet?" He mused.
"I've dealt with way too many jerks like him and spending 5 years in a huge city and then coming back to this small town who answers to one man is incredulous. He doesn't scare me, he can give me all he's got and I'll throw it right back at him. Hopefully the town starts doing the same."
"Be careful. I know that sparring between the two of you is fun and games now but he IS dangerous. He can make you disappear if he wanted and not a trace would lead back to him." Jefferson snapped his fingers quickly into the air in front of her face, jolting her for a moment. The lights were dim and he had a halo illuminating him as he talked. "Gotta admire him for that, he is a man of many skills and is always ten steps ahead. I'd be lying if I didn't say that it brings me great joy to hear you trip him up a little." They shared a smirk and continued to talk amicably a little more. He shared with her gossip, both old and new and she told him of her adventures on the sunny coast. She bid him farewell promising to be back soon. She also gave him her cell number and told him she is definitely taking him on that offer for a night out.
Veronica hummed to herself and milled about, watching the couples and teenagers wandering the streets, blissfully happy. Her heart ached a little at the sight of a pretty blonde and her dashing date as they held hands and he spun her into a kiss. They looked to be no older than 17. She was jealous of them, she realized. They were so untroubled and she could imagine that their biggest argument was about which ice cream flavor to get. She stared at them pressing kisses to each other's faces when she heard a sharp crack in the alley. Curious as she was, she slinked in to investigate. She held her breath as she saw two men under the dim light of a lamppost.
The larger of the two men was actually crumpled to the ground, bracing his arms up around his face waiting for contact. The smaller man was dressed impeccably and had brown shoulder length hair tinged with grey and a gold tipped cane.
"Shit." She muttered and then spoke up, "Hey! Get off of him!" In that second both of the men paused and she made eye contact with Gold. The fallen man scrambled up and sprinted past her, causing her to stumble. Before she could catch herself, a steady arm held her up.
"Stay out of my business, dearie." He threatened and dropped her arm as if she were on fire, wiping his palms against his pants.
"No." She grimaced, feeling a bruise from where the man's elbow hit her side.
"Is that the only word you know?"
"No, but it is one of my favorite."
"Listen, I tried to be patient with you but I am slowly losing it. Stay out of my business or I will run you out of this town before you have a chance to blink."
"You can't fucking do that to people, what the hell is wrong with you? What, was he late with the rent? Did he accidentally look at you?" She yelled, nostrils flaring.
He inched close enough that their chests were touching. He reached up and tucked a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear. She didn't flinch or move but from the way her pupils widened he could tell he had her in his trap. She was exquisite angry. He liked her furious and slightly out of breath and he could tell that inside that pretty little head her brain was whirling, preparing for anything. She may have thought she was a hunter but she was stuck in his trap. He opened his mouth slowly as if pondering his next words.
"Actually, dearie. He called me Barry. Thank yourself for that one." He motioned to the blood stains on the floor and faster than he imagined possible she had him against the wall, her arm at his throat and his cane on the floor. She kicked it out of the way and it sailed into the darkness.
"I'm terrified, dearie, I really am. Now what are you going to do? Kill me?" He didn't look the least bit phased and she dropped her arm and looked at her hands as if astounded that she just threw this man up the wall. She wanted to wipe the smirk off his face but instead stalked out into the sidewalk without another word. A strong arm grabbed her around the waist and she yelped as she felt herself being pulled back.
Gold had her pulled close to him and he stifled a groan as she panted close to his ear and he felt her pressed against his groin as he held her. When she didn't fight to move, he leaned into her neck, speaking so his breath brushed up against her pounding pulse point.
"You are the most fun I've had in months." His Scottish brogue twisting her insides.
Her heart fluttered and she almost forgot that he had just beaten the living daylights out of a man and she almost succumbed to him, his voice sounding endearing and playful. No, she thought, I'm just another item for his collection.
He was still holding her around her waist when she came to her senses.
"Stay out of my way. I don't want to even see a glimpse of you for the duration of my stay. I'll give Granny the rest of the money and you can pick it up from her. Goodbye, Mr. Gold." She stated with no emotion.
"Veronica…" He spoke to her like a concerned parent.
"Don't."
She took deep breaths as she left him standing half concealed in the dark alley, he looked on stoically as she walked away. There hasn't been a single man in her life that hasn't tried to hurt her or use her for their benefit, save for her beloved Dr. Sweeten. The boys of her youth were horned up immature assholes, the men she saw in LA were douchey, and Marcus, whom she thought she loved, ripped her heart out and she allowed him to. Now, she comes back to dreary Storybrooke looking for an escape and it's merely been two days and she is feeling stirrings for a sociopathic, conniving, and entitled beast. She laughed darkly, wondering if she was so lonely and desperate for love that she would settle for the unstable pawn broker with a limp.
She arrived back to her temporary home and tossed her olive green jacket and leather bag onto the nearest chair. She slumped down in her bed, flicking her boots off one by one. Veronica rubbed her temples and let out a deep sigh. Why couldn't she go somewhere and not cause destruction? She was still musing changing her name to Hurricane Veronica while watching "Friends" re-runs when there was a knock at her door.
"It's open." She called. Her eyes widened slightly thinking that an axe murderer could possibly be at her front door and she just gladly invited him in when Emma stepped in hesitantly.
"Hey" Emma looked visibly uncomfortable and Veronica sat up.
"Em? What's wrong?"
Emma took a breath and wouldn't look her in the eye while she pulled a pair of handcuffs from her back and walking over to Veronica.
"Ron, I'm so sorry."
"What?!" Veronica's eyes bulged out of her head demanding answers.
"You're under arrest for suspected involvement in the murder of Lumir Warwick."
Ahhhh! Crazy, right?