Title: Of Angels and Sinners
Chapter Two: One Sweet Day
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Yvie, Tristan, Graham, Emma, Mary Margaret, Belle, Ruby, Whale, Regina, Leah & Hubert Humbert, Felipe, Talia & Stefan Phillips, & Regina; Yvie/Tristan & Emma/Graham
Summary: A death rocks Storybrooke and brings our lovers closer together.
Warnings: [whispers] they make loooooooove
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: Yunno, I knew I shipped Aurora and Graham romantically, but the level of feels I have about them being bonded on a sibling level because of my Graham and Phillip as brothers headcanon is just a big surprise. I knew they existed, but not on this magnitude. They'd be the greatest bromance to ever bromance, ja feel? Basically, everyone falls in love with 'Rora and if it's not romantically, they just want to wrap her up in a blanket and protect her, yunno. Anyway, enjoy, lovelies.

Tears stung her cheeks. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten home or who had wrapped her up in her mother's old quilt, but Yvaine sat huddled in front of her old wood burning stove, cold as ice, too cried out to do anything but stare into the flames.

It was late, far later than Yvie usually found herself out, but her job interview at Belle's Book Nook had gone on for longer than expected. She'd gotten the job, almost on the spot, and then she and Belle began to catch up and before either of them knew it, it was dark out. They shared a small pie at the bakery next door before leaving one another on the street, each headed back to their respected homes: Yvie to the industrial loft and Belle to her small apartment over her shop.

Yvie was excited to have the job. Not only did she want to make sure she contributed to the household equally (she'd been damn good at taking care of herself up until now and she planned to keep doing it) but it would be nice to have something to do. Belle had been trying for years to re-open the library and recently, out of the blue, Mr. Gold had pledged his support to help her do just that (Yvie suspected that the letch had his eye on Belle but her friend would never believe it). Since Belle would be busy with the hard work that would need to go into not only getting it open but keeping it running, Yvie would basically be running things, a challenge she was eager to take on.

The sirens rang as she approached her building. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as an ambulance and fire truck raced down the street, past her, and then…

"She's been like this for hours, I don't know what to do…I've been trying to go back and forth but…"

"No, Emma needs you. Who's with her now?"

"Ruby, not that she's much help. We all loved him, but they're taking it-"

"No, it's understandable. Go. I'm home now."

"I'm sorry I call-"

"No. Jefferson understands. It's a Tuesday; he can handle the bar alone."

She felt a hand on her shoulder; Mary Margaret. She wanted to say something, to thank her, but she suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion once more and the tears returned.

She ran, faster than she knew she was capable of. The moment she realized where they were headed, her feet began going on their own. The sinking feeling in her gut told her that this was bad and that she needed to be there. He was her family, whether anyone wanted to admit to it or not. And somehow, she knew it was him, she just knew.

"Yvie, say something," he whispered as he knelt in front of her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You're scaring-" She threw her arms around him and began to sob once more, quietly.

"Someone get her off of him, now!"

She wasn't sure what she'd expected to do when she burst into the sheriff's station but all she could do was freeze. Emma lay over Graham, desperately pushing her hands on his chest, sobbing, and screaming for him to breathe. It took both of the firemen to pry her away from him so Dr. Whale could move in and attempt to revive him.

Yvie's heart fell.

"No," she whispered. Graham was young, how could he be…

"I told you! He just…collapsed!" Emma was rambling. Despite her own pain, Yvaine knew she had to shove it away; Emma needed someone right now and being interrogated wasn't going to help anything.

"Graham's dead," she whispered. She blinked and realized she was on the bathroom floor. She hazily recalled calling Mary Margaret so they could get Emma home. Once Whale declared that there was nothing to do, the deputy sheriff completely broke down. Yvaine had never seen anything more heartbreaking in her entire life and then…

The moment Emma was no longer her burden to carry; it was her turn to be crushed under the weight of her grief. She'd cried so hard she'd made herself sick.

The rest of the night was a blur. Mary Margaret must have gotten her home because here she was, with Tristan attending to her.

"I know, Mary Margaret called me…are you…you haven't spoken in hours. You were sick…" Worry etched his features and she leaned forward to embrace him. She didn't want to be the source of any pain for him, especially not when he clearly cared for her just as much as she cared for him.

"Thank you, for looking after me."

"I'll always be here to look after you," he promised as he held her close. "Do you have the energy for a shower? Or a bath? We should get you cleaned up and put to bed. And if you can stomach food I can go next door. Mary Margaret refuses to leave Emma and Ruby's bedside, so Granny is there, making breakfast."

"What time is it?" Yvie interrupted.

"A little after five, I think? We've all lost track of time-"

"Whale…any word on what happened?"

Tristan pulled away and placed a hand on her cheek as he looked her over, as if trying to decipher whether she was ready to hear how her friend had died.

"It's still early, but it looks like a heart attack," he whispered.

"Bullshit! He was only in his thirties. Healthy men his age don't just have heart attacks!"

A pained expression crossed his features.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You tell me now!"

Tristan rubbed his face with a sigh.

"Emma's been…look; she's not in her right mind, okay? Apparently they were…well, it doesn't matter, but she's convinced Regina killed him somehow. Victor says it was the shock; he gave her a mild sedative. He says in the morning, after some sleep, she'll be more clearheaded."

Somehow, Yvaine didn't think Emma was wrong.

"And Ruby?"

Yvaine wasn't sure what had bonded Ruby and Graham, other than a mutual love for the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, but for as long as she could remember, the two of them had been as thick as thieves. If Emma, who had known him for only a few weeks, was in such a state over losing him then she couldn't imagine how Ruby was faring. The two of them were friends; they didn't always get on for Ruby was far more adventurous than she, so she felt a sting of guilt for allowing herself to lose herself in her grief when she was still needed elsewhere.

"She's coping; I think she's focusing on Emma to keep her mind off of it. Don't worry; she has her Granny and Mary Margaret. Just let me take care of you, okay?"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Neglecting her own needs wouldn't do anyone any good. She cleaned up, skipped breakfast, peeked in on her friends, and then allowed Tristan to tuck her into bed. She knew sleep would not come easy, it never had for her and when it did it was accompanied by nightmares, so she allowed Tristan to make a run to the pharmacy for something to help her sleep. It didn't do much to curb her nightmares but she managed a few hours of a sleep that day.

"I hate that it took a man's death to get you to finally show her some respect," Tristan hissed as Ruby downed another glass of Scotch. She rolled her eyes and motioned for Yvie to join them on the sofa.

"Don't you listen to him, love, I've always liked you. I just needed to push him to finally make a move. This one, let me tell you, has held a torch for year-"

"You're drunk," Tristan scolded as he took her glass.

"Oh, shut up before I tell her about the time you screamed her name during-"

"RUBY!"

Yvaine's cheeks burned. She knew all about their past and while it didn't bother her, knowing that he really had stayed away from her 'for her own good' as he put it was a bit too much to handle. She wasn't used to anyone truly desiring her, let alone putting her first.

"There better be more where that came from."

The trio looked up to find Emma leaning in the doorway, looking as though she were ready to fall over. She hadn't been eating or sleeping and alcohol was probably the last thing she needed but Tristan poured her a glass anyway.

"To Graham," he toasted. Yvie met his eyes and her heart swelled. Graham had confided in her once that Tristan was the best man he'd ever met. People in this town treated him like a pariah. His father had been…well, they didn't speak of him, but they all assumed he was a chip off the old block. The sheriff had never had a single issue with Tristan aside from a few bar fights that had begun only when Tristan was defending some poor girl from some drunk asshole. There wasn't a violent bone in his body but he refused to allow men like his father to take advantage of anyone and Graham respected that. She could see now that it was a mutual respect. Her pseudo big brother and her lover weren't friends but if Graham had lived, she liked to believe they could be.

"To Graham," she whispered, wondering how she was going to live in a world without him in it.

Yvaine sat with Emma in the final row, they were the cast-offs. Felipe's mother, Leah, the old hag, had tried to forbid her from attending altogether. Whether that old bitch liked it or not, Graham was more her family than he was theirs, and it was might rich of her to suddenly pretend as if he mattered. She'd spent his entire life reminding him that he was nothing more than a bastard, a painful reminder that her husband couldn't keep it in his pants.

Then there was Regina…

She didn't even want to think about her.

Their presence being 'inappropriate' was the most…

She sighed. Regina wasn't worth her anger.

Yvie gave Emma's hand a small squeeze. Emma glanced up and gave her a sad smile. They were in this together. Graham was the brother she'd always wanted and he'd loved Emma and Emma had loved him and to hell with everyone else.

Besides, she didn't want to sit there and make pleasantries with his 'family'. She was here to say good-bye to him, just like Emma was.

Yvie caught sight of Felipe, who turned his head at that very moment. His eyes were red and she swallowed hard. Despite their differences, he'd always loved his brother, bastard or not. She gave him a small nod, to let him know she felt his pain.

She turned her attention to Hubert, who sat stone-faced at his son's side. She recalled a time when her family and his were united and her heart ached.

"I declare thee knighted!" Yvaine tapped both Graham and Felipe on the shoulders with a stick, her make-shift sword. Graham was far too old to be playing these games, but they amused her, and he loved her more than he loved his entire family put together.

"My, lady!" Felipe declared as he reached for her hand. "May I have this dance!"

"I do believe the eldest brother gets once first," she huffed.

"Yvaine, don't be silly. Graham isn't Felipe's brother, he's simply his father's son, and his existence is disrespectful."

Yvaine huffed and opened her mouth to tell her off. She was only seven but she already had a mouth on her.

"Oh, Leah, must you speak to the boy this way?" Yvaine felt pride course through her. Her mother was a ray of sunlight in the darkest day. She was the most majestic creature to walk this earth.

"Talia, if you like the boy so much, why don't you take him home with you?" She snapped.

Talia rolled her eyes and watched as her husband's best friend's wife left the room before kneeling in front of Graham.

"You're worth a hundred of her, darling. None of this is your fault; do not let her jealousy and pettiness taint your good heart."

Her mother had always wanted a son and sometimes, when Yvaine fantasized what her life would have been like had her parents not died in that terrible accident, only days later, that they would have whisked Graham away from his father and his jealous wife and taken him in as her own and she would have had him with her always. There had been a time when she thought Felipe was the love of her life but the love she'd felt for him paled in comparison to how much she'd love Graham. After her parent's deaths he and the nuns were the only family she had left.

Her father's best friend forgot her existence until his son, her childhood friend, had begun to court her, but Graham, he'd never forgotten.

"Tristan? I'm home," she called as she dumped her things on the couch. She was usually far more orderly but she was beat. She'd deposited Emma off across the hall after Emma insisted that she wanted to be alone. Mary Margaret, Ruby, and Belle had been welcome at the wake and as much as she didn't want to be alone, there was nowhere else in town to go without being reminded that she wasn't welcome anywhere today.

One asshole broke your heart and suddenly your entire existence became inappropriate.

She hoped Tristan was home, she was always welcome with him.

"Up here, love," he called from the overhead loft.

Yvaine climbed the stairs and found him fiddling with his guitar. After she'd moved in with the very few possessions she owned he'd made sure to make her feel at home. The loft had been where he'd always worked on his music but he'd rearranged things so she had a small corner with an armchair and table where she could watch him or do her reading. And downstairs he'd given her most of the small living space and built shelves for her books.

"What's wrong? I mean…I know…come here." He held his hand out for her and she took it, feeling silly, She didn't know why she was crying, it had nothing to do with Graham this time, it was just…Tristan. He was wonderful and she wasn't sure she deserved it. She was just some orphan girl; she had nothing to offer him but her heart. And she found herself saying as much as he pulled her into his lap.

"That's all I need," he whispered into her hair as she clutched him against her.

"Stop." She couldn't handle him being this nice, it would hurt more when he left her. Everyone she loved left her; her parents, Felipe, even Graham. She wasn't meant to be happy.

"No."

Tristan pulled away and brushed her wet cheek with his thumb.

"I'm not going to stop showing you how much I love you because some asshole didn't know a good thing when he had it. He may have treated you like shit but I will never do that. You're a treasure and I intent to cherish you and eventually, you're going to learn to let me love you properly."

She blinked in surprise.

"You love me?"

He cupped her cheek with both hands.

"Of course I do," he replied as he leaned in to claim her lips with his own.

"Why," she asked, before their lips could make contact. He rested his forehead against hers and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Because, to me you are perfect."

She wasn't sure what broke her; that he meant it or that she believed him. She pressed a wet kiss to his lips as tears began to spill.

"I love you, too," she whispered. She didn't care if it was too soon for this; it was too early for them to be living together, and they'd slept together far too quickly, but fuck everyone else, as Ruby would say. He'd loved her from afar for years and she loved easily and there was nothing wrong with that. She'd rather love easily than not be capable of love at all.

Tristan deepened the kiss and she wrapped herself around him. She broke the kiss moments later and met his eyes.

"Make love to me," she commanded. She didn't want to go back to grieving. Graham had reminded her that her time could come at any time. She didn't want to go on not living. So much of her life had been spent being sheltered and protected and she realized now that she'd wasted it. She didn't want to waste it anymore. She wanted to feel joy and to cherish every moment and to enjoy her life because once it was over, she wouldn't get another chance at it.

"As you wish." Tristan tucked one arm underneath her knees before lifting her into his arms. He stood and moved to the small armchair and she shook her head.

"No, I don't want you to fuck me, we've done plenty of that," she took hold of his collar to make sure she had his full attention. "I want you to take me to bed and make love to me." There was a difference. She'd had sex plenty of times and while there had been real feelings involved, it was nothing more than fucking. She wanted him to show her how much he loved her through his actions, just once. No sex games, no power plays, just the two of them succumbing to their love for one another.

She didn't have to speak another word, he understood. She didn't want to know if he'd made love to another woman, it didn't matter to her, but she wanted him to know that no one had ever bothered to make love to her, so he would grasp the importance of her request.

"I've never," she began.

"Me either."

"Even with all of your lovers," she inquired, teasingly.

"None of them were you."

And it wasn't even a line, which made her love him more.

Yvaine pulled his face to hers and kissed him with every ounce of love she could muster as he laid her back on the mattress.

Tristan took his time, something he'd done before, but this time it was different. There was no frenzy, nothing new to explore. He retraced all of the places he'd been dozens of time but this time he tread over them with a care she'd never felt before.

She was a goddess laid upon an alter and his mouth was the tool in which he used to worship her.

"Tristan…please," she begged when she could not take his torment any longer. She felt ready to explode. Every time she felt herself nearing release he would pull away and press his lips to hers and whisper how he loved her, until she forgot all about needing an orgasm, and then his hands and lips would start their adulation all over again.

She needed him inside of her, he'd more than proved his love to her, and she was eager to show him how much she loved him in return, but first she needed to come. To hell with romance, he could fuck her like a common whore at this point and she'd consider their deal fulfilled.

"No, you wanted me to make love to you, remember?" He pressed his lips to her neck and she moaned as her arms went around his shoulders.

"Yes, but you can finish, darling. This has been brilliant, but-"

He pressed his lips to hers and she let out a muffled cry of annoyance into his mouth. She was never going to deny him another orgasm in his life, this was pure torture. Tristan moved his lips to her breasts and she arched her back for more contact. She cried out in relief as he kissed his way down her belly and then between her thighs.

She was ready to weep for joy by the time his mouth made contact with her dripping wet cunt. He'd touched every inch of her except the one place she needed him most and his tongue was heavenly, which she made evident by tainting the lord's name in a filthy prayer. She was glad the nuns could not see her take the lord's name in such vanity, for they would surely condemn her to hell right this moment.

It was a good thing the church believed in forgiveness, because she was going to need it after tonight.

"I love you," Yvaine cried as she came, close to sobbing from relief. She felt tears on her cheeks and brushed them away. She'd been crying for days, at this point they were nothing more than a nuisance.

Tristan moved atop her and pressed his weight on her as he kissed away the few tears on her face. He ran a hand through her hair before kissing her once more.

"I love you…I don't think I've ever loved anyone else in my entire life."

"Don't say that." Surely he had loved someone.

"I never knew my mother, my father didn't deserve love, and I've never been with a woman long enough. I've spent my life pushing away anyone who could ever love me, until you came along, my stubborn little lark."

She smiled and leaned up to press her mouth to his.

"Well, as happy as I am to be your first, let's get you to finding some friends when we're done here," she teased. Sure, he had the mysterious Jefferson who seldom left his mansion, his drinking buddies Whale and Ruby, but he needed to branch out some more. She couldn't be the only thing he loved in this entire world. She hoped that allowing him to open his heart would lead to him finding other people to open up to, so everyone could see what an amazing man he was and love him too.

"Speaking of," he whispered as he kissed her once more. She smirked against his lips and sat up, pushing on his chest until he was on his back and she was on top. She was done being made love to, now it was her turn.

Three hours, two orgasms, and one blowjob later, Yvaine lay on her back, trying to remember how to breathe.

"That was…" she began.

"We should not fuck more often," he finished. She glanced over to find him watching her with a sly grin and she slapped his chest playfully.

"Don't make fun of me."

"I would never," he pulled her onto his chest and covered her face with kisses. She chuckled and squirmed in his arms until he stopped. She kissed him quickly before resting her elbows on his chest and watching him for a moment.

"I really do love you, you know."

"Oh, I think we've established that." He toyed with her hair for a moment. "And I love you, too," he added.

"Really? I had no clue," she replied with a smile. Tristan placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her close.

She couldn't even muster the energy to feel guilty for being so happy in this moment. To hell with mourning, Graham would want her to feel joy not pain.

"I thought I heard you two having a good time in here earlier. Now, as you can clearly see, Felipe, dear, the lady is currently engaged in activities that are far better than conversing with you."

Yvaine almost fell out of bed in her scramble to cover herself up as quickly as possible. When she looked up Felipe was nowhere to be seen but Ruby stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"Sorry, he wouldn't leave and the door was unlocked. I must say, though, this building has excellent sound-proofing, I only came in because he'd been out there for fifteen minutes and showed no signs of leaving but…nice. I'll leave you kids to it, then. Just remember to lock this next time." She gave them a wink before locking the door from the inside and disappearing out the door. The door clicked shut and she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Think he'll finally get the hint," Tristan asked and she buried her face in his neck and began laughing uncontrollably.

"If he doesn't, then there's no hope for him," she said finally, through tears. She hiccupped and fought off more laughter. She was more amused by the moment of shock and then appreciation on Ruby's face than by any embarrassment her ex-boyfriend may have felt. It served him right to see her happy and moving on with someone who was worthy of her.

"I'm going to get dressed and grab something at the diner, I don't know about you, but I'm famished."

Yvaine snuggled under the covers with a small yawn.

"Yes, French fries and a grilled cheese sound amazing."

He kissed her quickly as he threw on his jacket.

"I'll be right back; don't miss me too much while I'm gone."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. For the first time in a long time, she believed things were going to be alright.