This chapter contains more violence than the rest of them. I had to do it in order to get to show Ruby and Whale's relationship completely. Thank you for reading and reviews are very very welcomed.

"Don't you think it's too soon to go back?" Regina asked as she watched Ruby getting dressed. "You haven't let your arm heal."
"You can heal it with your magic, right?"
"I can, but that's not the point."
"Please, Regina. Just use your magic for something good and heal my arm. I want to go back to work, I have to go back to work."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to be the weak little wolf that didn't know how to protect herself."
"No one thinks that, Ruby."
"Just do this for me, please."

Regina took a deep breath before using her magic on Ruby's cut. Slowly a ray of purple light shone over her arm and the wound that had been there the last two days was finally gone. For the first time in a really long time, she had used her magic to do something good and that felt great. She was proud of herself for all the things she had done to help Ruby. And deep down inside herself, she knew she wanted Henry to know everything she had done; she wanted her son to be proud of her for the first time in his life.

"Thank you, Madame Mayor."
"You're very welcome, dear."
"Still no feelings for me?"
"I don't want to hurt you but no, no feelings for you." Regina said as she kissed Ruby's cheek. "Just look at me as your savior, not your lover."
"Lover sounds much better than savior. Plus it would make one hell of a story. The Evil Queen rescues the wolf from her abusive boyfriend and together they live happily ever after."
"I don't know if you've noticed, Miss Lucas, but I am not the kind of person who gets the happily ever after in her life."
"You could." Ruby caressed Regina's cheek with her thumb and felt a weird excitement run through her veins; she wanted to kiss Regina. "Maybe rescuing me is your happily ever after."
"I doubt it." She looked at the younger woman and knew that, even though she would never admit it, she had feelings for her. "You deserve a happily ever after, but that's not with me. I'm the Evil Queen and you are Snow White's best friend."
"Who said we can't break the rules?"
"There are no rules, Ruby. That's just how life works. Good people marry good people, bad people live alone for the rest of their lives."
"You really think that about yourself?"
"It's just the truth. After all, I am the Evil Queen."

Ruby couldn't focus at work and she knew there were two reasons for that. Number one was that she was afraid Whale would walk into the diner any minute and do something to harm her. He had been calling her every two minutes for the past day and she hadn't returned his calls. She was afraid of what he might do if he found out she had been staying at Regina's; she knew how much Whale hated Regina. Number two was the fact that all she wanted to do was kiss Regina. Since her first night staying at the Mayor's house, when they had been cuddling, she knew inside herself that, no matter what happened next in her life, she wanted to be with Regina. She knew how broken Regina was and at this point in her life, she was broken too. Two broken people could make a great match if they helped each other. All she wanted to do was help the Evil Queen.

Regina was working on some town paperwork when the door of her office was opened. She wasn't expecting any visitors, no one ever wanted to see her, and a tiny light of hope appeared in her heart when she thought Henry might be the one walking into her office. But when she looked up from her desk, she saw David Nolan standing in front of her. She didn't understand why Prince Charming wanted to see her, they were obviously not friends. His visit surprised her a lot.

"To what do I owe this charming surprise?" Regina asked playing with her words.
"I want to talk to you about Ruby." David sat across from her. "I know she's been staying at your house."
"And that is really none of your business, dear."
"I know and I know what you might think of me right now. Pretty sure it's the same I think about myself. I was so stupid and didn't protect Ruby."
"Oh I agree, but I would use a word a bit stronger than stupid to describe you right now."
"Look, we've never gotten along but I believe that now we can fight for Ruby together."
"I don't plan on doing anything with you, Mr. Nolan."
"Regina, I want to help her as much as you do."
"Oh really? Because I helped Ruby as soon as I saw what had happened to her, but you didn't. From what I was told, you've seen her hurt and full of bruises for a long time but you and your stupid little wife didn't do anything to protect her. I'm really glad I don't have you as my friend."
"I was an idiot because I thought that she was strong enough to defend herself but now that I see how badly he has hurt her, I understand that I should have done something."
"You were a jerk, David!" She stood up to file some papers and avoided looking at him; she was so mad at him. "You saw a woman who has always fought to defend you and your wife, you saw how hurt she was, you saw all the pain that was going through her body and still you did nothing. You and your wife, you always say how you fight for the good things, this time you didn't and that is disgusting."
"I am here offering my help now, Regina. I want to help Ruby and I know I can do it if you help me."
"I am not doing anything with you. Now I am the one who is protecting Miss Lucas and I can do that on my own. If she came to me that night, it's because she trusted I could help her. And she knew I wouldn't turn my back at her when she needed me the most."
David stood up and walked closer to Regina, he didn't want her to know how intimidated he felt by her presence. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do, but you should know that if you need my help to protect Ruby, I'm here."
"I don't need your help, I've never needed your help for anything."
"Well, maybe this time we can do something together to protect a person we both care about."
"You have no idea who I care or don't care about."
"I know you are the Evil Queen and you're coming out of your comfort zone to protect someone that in the past was against you. That tells me that, even if you won't admit it, you care about Ruby. I know you would never let anything happen to her, I can see it in your eyes."

David saw how Regina's eyes didn't look as hard as they always did. There was softness in them that he had only seen when the Mayor spoke to her son. She would never admit it, but he knew that there was something special between her and Ruby. The woman he knew back at home, would have never done such a thing to protect someone she considered her enemy, but then again he felt like he didn't really know this woman. After Cora's death and after they found out Snow's heart was darkening, Regina had stayed away from them and only saw them when she wanted to meet with Henry. She was, in a way, behaving and now she was protecting one of their friends. Charming believed Regina was capable of good things if she let the tiny sparkle of goodness in her heart shine out to the world.

"Is there anything else I could do for you, dear?"
"Just call me if you need help handling Whale. I know you have magic and you are a strong woman, but he is an abusive man and I would hate to know that he has hurt both you and Ruby. Don't do anything stupid."
"You do not have to worry about me, Prince Charming. I'm a big girl and know how to take care of myself." She looked directly into his eyes challenging him to say something else. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my paperwork."
"Of course. You know where to find me, if you need help."

As the door shut behind David, Regina could feel the anger inside of her growing and growing. How dare he walk into his office to tell her he was now available to help Ruby? He had never done a single thing to protect her and now he was saying he had been an idiot, with what she agreed, and should have done something else. Of course he should have done something else; he should have protected Ruby when he had the chance. But she was not going to fall for his charming personality; she would not run to him asking for help. She knew she could protect Ruby on her own, she didn't need anyone else.

Whale was so pissed his whole body was shaking and he knew it was really bad because not even the large bottle of vodka was helping him calm down. Ruby hadn't returned any of his calls and she hadn't slept home in two nights. He knew he had hurt her badly when he saw the blood running through her cheek but he understood she deserved it. And now, whenever he found her, he would make her pay for leaving him all this time. She had no idea who she was messing with and he would show her as soon as he found her. Rumors reached his ears that she had been staying at Regina's house; he wanted to smack the hell out of Ruby for staying at the house of someone he really hated. Oh god he just wanted to put his hands on her and let her know he was the boss. As he drove around town, his blurry vision barely allowing to see straight, he saw, or at least thought he did, Ruby working at the diner. That was his chance, it was his moment to go get her and show her who he really was.

"Ruby!" He yelled as he stumbled into the diner.

She panicked as soon as she saw him walking through that door. Granny wasn't working today and Regina was probably at her office, which meant none of them could help her get away from him. Her wolf nose told her he had been drinking more than ever, which meant she wouldn't be able to talk to him and keep him from hurting her. She just wished she could disappear and be at Regina's house.

"Whale there's no need to yell, I'm here." She walked up to him and dragged him to the back of the diner. "You are going to scare the costumers, so please keep your voice down."
"Why haven't you returned any of my calls?"
"I've been busy. I was going to call you later when I was done with my shift."
"You are lying to me!"
"I'm not, please don't yell."
"You've been staying at Regina's and you know how much I hate her!"

Without thinking about it, Whale grabbed a frying pan that was near him and hit Ruby on the head with it. He could see blood running down her forehead, but that didn't stop him from smacking her head against the floor. He wanted to make sure she was unconscious. Quickly he picked her up and threw her onto his shoulder; like that, he walked out through the back of the diner and got her into his car. He wasn't thinking straight and he had no idea what to do with the woman that he had just hit. As he drove away from the diner, he finished the vodka bottle and by then he couldn't really see where he was driving through. He wasn't panicking but he was worried someone would catch him with an unconscious Ruby on the backseat. As fast as he could, he drove to the hospital and once he was there, he dragged her body to the further area, where he had brought Daniel back to life.

When Ruby woke up, she felt an excruciating pain on her head and she immediately realized she was tied to a chair. She wanted to cry but she knew that would show weakness and she didn't want to give him that. She didn't want him to know how he had broken her. Whale was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was probably out buying more alcohol, and she didn't recognize the room in which she was being held captive. Oh how she wished Regina could help her right now. No one would know she was missing, not until Granny called for her or Regina went to pick her up at the diner. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew it was still daytime so she was stuck there for a couple of hours until someone finally realized she was missing.

"Whale, let me go." She said softly as soon as he walked back into the room. "We can go home and pretend this never happened."
"Do you think I'm that stupid?!"
"I don't think you are stupid. I think you love me and you have a weird way of showing it."
"I don't want to hurt you, Ruby, but you keep asking for it."
"I didn't ask for this!" Ruby yelled as the tears started rolling down her face. "Do you seriously think I want to be punched every night? You hit me with a frying pan and you think I wanted that?"
"You misbehave and I have to teach you how to behave properly."
"I don't misbehave, Whale. I didn't go back to your house because you cut my forehead and my arm. I stayed away from you because I don't want to get hurt anymore."
"I don't hurt you, I love you. I'm just teaching you that life is hard."
"You are fucking crazy!"
"Shut up, bitch!"

Ruby wasn't fast enough to move her face and he had been able to slap her, once again. She could feel the soreness of her lip and she knew she would need stitches on her head thanks to the way he had hit her back at the diner. Before she could react, he was punching her on the face and she could no longer feel any pain. She felt herself giving up as his hand hit her over and over again. There was nothing she could do to move away from him and it hurt her to know that no one would find out she was there. For a moment she thought she was going to die if he kept hitting her and a tiny part of her wished she could die right there. But when she was losing all her hope, she heard Regina's voice in her head telling her that she would protect her. It was stupid to think the Mayor could save her, but it was the only thing that kept her going.

"Madame Mayor." Regina said as she answered her phone.
"Regina…" Granny said between sobs, "Ruby is missing."
"What do you mean she's missing?"
"She's not at the diner and when I walked to the back to see if I could find her, I saw blood on the floor. I think he took her."
"I'm on my way to the diner, do not move just in case she goes back."
"Hurry up!"
"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Regina felt her hands shaking as she drove, as fast as her old Mercedes allowed her to, to the diner. She tried to think of all the places Whale could take Ruby but nothing came to her mind. Now she felt guilty because she hadn't called her during the morning or hadn't gone to the diner to check on her. Ruby was a strong woman, but she had promised to protect her and she had failed. She had to find her as soon as possible…before something terrible happened to her. As she parked outside the diner, something came to her mind. She had to call David and ask for his help; she hated that idea but she had to find Ruby quickly.

"Hello?"
"David, it's Regina."
"What can I do for you?"
"He has taken Ruby. She's missing and Granny saw blood on the diner's floor."
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm outside the dinner about to meet with Granny."
"I will meet you two there. We will find her, Regina."
"Thank you."
"I told you I would help you. Our differences don't matter anymore; we are in this together to help Ruby. And I'm sorry I wasn't able to help her earlier."
"Just help me find her right now, that's all I'm asking of you. I will handle Whale on my own."
"I will help you find her, don't worry."

Whale saw how Ruby passed from consciousness to unconsciousness every two seconds. She had a black eye and blood coming out of her mouth. He had really hurt her this time and that made him feel like he had finally showed her who was the boss. As he looked at her, he knew she was about to pass out.

He grabbed her face with his hands and whispered in her ear, "You are not leaving me. Not ever, you weak wolf."