The sun had not yet risen. Red's wolf lay on her bed in the inn. Regina stood over the unconscious wolf. Henry stood next to her holding her hand. She opened her spell book and looked to him. He nodded. He asked her to promise she wouldn't use magic but he would allow her to make exceptions.
Henry watched as his mother spoke in a language he didn't understand. Her eyes glowed bright purple. She bent down so that she was eye level with wolf. She breathed slowly across the pages of her spell book and a small white cloud formed. It surrounded the wolf and slowly faded away. They watched as the wolf slowly transformed back into Ruby.
She was still unconscious. Her wrist was mangled and bleeding. There was a deep gash on the left side of her forehead. Regina instinctively pulled Henry into her shielding his eyes.
He pried her fingers apart, "We should get the others." Regina opened the door, revealing a crowded hallway. Belle was the first one in. Snow and Charming were very close behind. Emma trailed several steps behind the others.
She stepped up to Henry who still had Regina's arm around him. She knelt down next to him, "I need you to stay with your other mom for at least another night." She stood up and mouthed thank you to Regina. Regina nodded. Their cease fire was in full swing though neither of them expected it to last.
Regina and Henry started to exit. As they did, she stopped at Snow's side. "We can settle this debt at a later date," she said with a devilish grin. Snow hated owing the Queen anything but this was their only option.
Belle knelt down to Ruby's side softly stroking her cheek, "We need to get her to a doctor."
"No," Snow said. "She wouldn't want that. She heals very fast during wolfstime."
Belle had been doing a lot of medical reading in her spare time. "A blow of that impact could cause-" Her non-professional opinion was interrupted once again by Snow.
"No doctors," She said sternly. She crossed to the opposite side of the bed. "She'll pull through this." She looked back to Belle, "We just have to believe." The tone in her voice was solemn. They simultaneously sat down on their respective sides of the bed.
Belle started to clean out the wound on her forehead. As she washed the wounds she couldn't help but expect Snow to tell her she was doing it wrong. To say how much more experience she has had with Red. Belle glanced to look at Snow, she noticed the tears slowly forming in Snow's eyes.
Charming crossed to Snow and placed a hand on her shoulder. He handed her some bandages. Charming bent down to kiss snow's forehead and said, "We should try and get some sleep, to be well rested. Red will need us to stay with her tonight. An injured wolf will need even more help. "
Snow nodded; she wasn't moving. "I'm going …. Come home when you can," Charming added. She pulled him in for a soft kiss but remained seated. He pulled away and walked to the door. He glanced back as if he had something to say, but said nothing and continued down the hallway.
Emma watched this exchange quietly from the corner. She sat in the chair as her eyes grew heavy, watching her mother and Belle bandage Red's wounds. There were no words exchanged between them. The sun had risen and the room had an orange glow. Before Emma completely shut her eyes, she knew what was coming.
Red had been running for hours. The sound of footsteps had tapered off, though there was still some echoing in the distance. She was covered in blood. None of it was hers. She remembered attacking a village. Luckily she hadn't killed anyone. The wolf did however destroy their entire supply of food for the year. Out of breath, she collapsed under a tree.
Red hadn't grown the courage to tell Snow how she felt. The day she got the closest was the day Snow met Charming. It didn't take much, just the look in Snow's eyes. Red knew that she was in love, and she had lost her. She was heartbroken and a heart broken wolf was inconsolable.
This had been the most violent wolfstime she'd had since she met Snow, and it was the first she spent without Snow's company. They hadn't spoken since Snow told her of her deep feelings for Charming. She was willing to force herself to forget him so that he could be happy. Red knew that was true love because she would do the same for Snow.
A blue light fluttered by and landed on her shoulder. When the fairy came into focus she said, "If true love is the most powerful force that ever existed, then unrequited love is certainly the most dangerous."
"What? Who are you?" Red asked wiping tears from her eyes. Red had never encountered a fairy before. She had heard many tales of their power, especially from the dwarves.
"It can turn even the greatest men into monsters," Blue added. "You're not the only one who's ever felt the sting of rejection. If you continue down this path, you will hurt the ones you're closest to."
"Snow is the only person that ever made me feel comfortable being me. I'm lost without her. Can you make it stop?" Red whimpered. She had always buried her deepest desires into the wolf. These feelings were strong; the type of love that makes a person crazy and irrational. This was the last thing she or the wolf needed. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Can you take my love away? Can you make me forget?"
The blue fairy touched the side of her face lightly and said, "Love this deep cannot be forgotten, cannot be destroyed." She fluttered about, repositioning herself so that she was staring Red in the eyes. "But you can let someone else carry that burden. You won't forget the way you felt, but the heartbreak will be gone."
A magic cloud appeared in front of them. Amidst the haze, Red saw the face of Prince James. "Charming, why? He already loves her. Why would he need my love?" Red asked. She stood up. She didn't like the idea.
"He does love her. That's the only way this will work," Blue said. "Your love can only strengthen his and your wolf won't feel the pain of loving someone who doesn't love her back."
"And Snow will be happy," Red said. That was the most important part. Red could die feeling empty if she knew that much was true.
"There is one drawback. If you give away part of your love, "Blue paused."It will be impossible for anyone to ever love you truly or completely. Because your love will never be whole"
She couldn't fathom feeling this way about anyone other than Snow. As long as Snow was happy and Red knew she wouldn't hurt anyone; she was content. Red nodded at the fairy and she waved her wand. The change settled in slowly and Red was at peace.
Emma and Ruby let out a simultaneous gasp and jolted awake. Belle and Snow both leaned in to give Red a hug. Their shoulders collided causing them to glare at one another.
Emma jumped out of her chair. "You have got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. Snow and Belle looked to her utterly surprised. Emma's confusion had reached a breaking point. She and Red were going to talk this out and do it now. Emma's eyes were locked on Red's.
"Can you give me a minute alone with Emma?" Red asked them. She was in a great deal of pain and it was hard for her to get those words out. "There are few things we need to discuss." Without a word the others left the room.
"You never even told her how you felt," Emma said. "It doesn't sound like you. You wouldn't take the coward's way out." She was pacing back and forth in the small room.
Red hadn't expected that to be Emma's initial reaction."I was a different person then, afraid of who I was and of what I could become. I had lost the only person who let me be me and who wasn't afraid. Do you know what it's like to live in fear of what happens when people find out the truth about you?"
Emma knew that was rhetorical.
Red inhaled deeply, "Letting your mother, the only person I've ever loved, be with her one true love-"
"I'm gonna have to stop you right there," Emma said. "You're wrong for two reasons."
"Excuse me?" Red said defensively.
"First, you should have told her, all those years ago. You have no way of knowing you're not her true love. "
"For 28 years, I served Mary Margaret coffee each morning before she would go to school; for 28 years we spent every morning together. She never once showed an interest in me. Many, many others in town made passes at me but not your mom." Red said with a slight laugh.
Emma hadn't spent much time thinking about the routine they were all stuck in before the curse was broken. Red continued, "Then one day you arrived and things started to become clear. Charming and Snow belong together. They've endured so much. They will always find each other."
"They endured most of it after you'd given your love of my mother to my father. We have no way of knowing-"
Red cut her off, "Emma Swan, you are the living embodiment of true love. When I look at you, I know you're his child. The love in your heart is theirs not mine. I have no doubt that I made the right decision all those years ago," Ruby said. "True love doesn't hide."
Emma stood and walked to the end of the bed, "Which brings me to my second point. My mother is not the only person you've ever been in love with."
Red's brow furrowed, but she knew that to be true. Her feelings for Belle were growing stronger every day. "Let's say that's true; the blue fairy told me no one would ever love me back. Not truly, anyway."
Emma leaned in, locking eyes with Ruby. "Last night, I watched Belle throw herself at a panther in order to protect you. Henry's the only person I would put myself in that kind of danger for," Emma retorted. "The blue fairy was wrong."
"Panther?" Red asked looking down at her wrist. "Was Belle hurt? Is it still out there?" She attempted to sit up. She wanted to make sure Belle was ok.
"She's fine," Emma said with a slight smile as she gentle pushed Ruby back into bed. "It took an arrow in the eye."
"Sounds like Snow's handy work," Red said with a slight grin.
Emma opened the door to the hallway. Snow and Belle were nowhere to be found. They must have gone downstairs. Emma started to head out the door.
"Wait, where are you going?" Ruby asked.
"To see a fairy," Emma responded as she exited the room.
The warm sun coming through the window felt good on Ruby's skin. It helped her heal. She glanced at her wounds and couldn't imagine all of the events of last night. There was a gentle knock on the door.
"Hey- Snow," Red said groggily. "Where's Belle?"
"Good morning to you, too," Snow said with a smile, though there was a bit of bitterness in her voice. "She's grabbing you breakfast."
Red nodded and smiled. Snow sat down on the bed next to her and examined her arm. Snow was worried. There was still another night of the full moon. "What's going on with your wolf, Red?" Snow asked as she scouted closer to her on the bed. "I've never seen you have this many problems. Emma said you were digging holes in the forest. "
She shrugged. "Also, apparently I got into a fight with a panther last night," Red stated with a slight laugh as she raised her wounded arm.
"Emma told you?" Snow laughed. She touched her forehead examining that wound. It was healing faster than her arm.
Red winced at the touch and nodded. "She also told me you killed it. You were always an excellent shot."
Snow took her wounded hand in her hands, "I'll always protect you."
Red smiled, knowing that fact. "I didn't know there were panthers in this part of Maine." She said with another laugh.
"Learn something new every day." She let out a sigh. "So you and Belle are close, huh?" Snow said reluctantly.
Before Red could responded her nostrils flared and filled with the scent of bacon. Snow could tell from the look in her eyes that she had detected someone's presence; Belle was down the hallway.
Snow stood slowly; she suddenly felt unwanted, "I'm going to head home. Is there anything you need?"
Red shook her head; and Snow exited, giving a slight nod to Belle as they passed each other in the doorway.
"Hey beautiful," Red said with a smile that instantly made Belle blush.
Belle sat a tray of food on top of Red and helped her sit up. "I thought you could use some nourishment," Belle said as she sat down next to her. Ruby glanced to her hand covered in bandages and attempted to hold the knife. Belle gently took the knife from her and cut the food into small pieces. Red was able to use her good hand to eat the smaller bits.
"So last night was eventful," Red said knowing it was an understatement. Belle nodded. "Emma told me you put yourself in danger to try and save me." Ruby placed her wounded hand on Belle's, "Thank you."
"I didn't do anything," Belle said as she looked down. "Snow's the one that saved the day. She's the one you should be thanking." Belle gently rubbed Ruby's hand.
"Did I do much damage to the library?" Red asked.
"Honestly, I don't know," Belle admitted. "There's probably some water damage." Belle recalled the busted front door. There was quite a bit of repair that she would have to do but she didn't want to burden Ruby with those details now.
"You haven't been back yet?" Red said. She knew that the library meant a lot to her. Books are Belle's favorite thing in the world, and that place was a sanctuary for her.
"I didn't want to leave you," Belle said. She swallowed hard. "The library and the things in it can be replaced. There is only one you."
Red pulled Belle on top of her with her good hand. Belle let out a surprised gasp of air. The tray of food landed on the floor with a crash. Belle kissed her softly trying to avoid impact with the injuries. Red didn't seem to mind the pain and aggressively pulled Belle in for a long kiss. Her wounded arm wrapped around Belle's back as her other caressed her face.
Belle pulled away and gently kissed the side of her neck down to her collarbone. Ruby let out an animalistic grunt as she forcefully switched their positions and rested on her elbow. Her good hand traveled over along Belle's curves playfully teasing. Belle arched as the touch tickled and she giggled slightly. Ruby kissed her again, nibbling on her lower lip before settling in for a deep passionate kiss.
Ruby's hand found its way under Belle's shirt. Ruby felt warm all over, as she touched her bare skin gently. Belle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted this with every part of her being, but she pushed Red's hand away.
"I'm sorry," Red found herself saying once again. She brushed the hair off her face and sat up.
Belle sat up and leaned into her. She kissed Ruby's shoulder, "I just, I need to know that I'm the one you want… the only one."
Red swallowed hard and placed her arms around Belle. As she stared into the eyes of the beautiful girl that made her heart flutter, she knew there was no other option. She had to tell her the truth, all of it.
Charming pounded on the door of the blue fairy's home. He turned to Emma; there was anger in his tone, "Part of me has always known." He took a deep breath and slammed his fist into the door again. "I had the same dreams you described. I guess I'd always excused them as part of my unconscious fantasies or something."
"Gross," Emma said with a sneer. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I just-"
"No. This affects me just as much as it does Red," he added. Charming had to know he would be enough for Snow without Red's love in him. He was angry with Red for allowing this to happen and angry with himself for not knowing the difference.
Mother Superior opened the door with smile, "David and Emma, What do I owe this pleasure? Come to discuss Henry's school performance?"
"You know exactly why we've come here, Blue" Charming said staring in her eyes. He was inches away from her face.
Blue nodded and gestured them into her home. "But it can't be done. Her happily ever after is deeply entwined with yours. The repercussions of removing the love could be deadly."
"She's in love with someone else," Emma added.
"Not likely," Blue crossed to Emma, staring her in the eyes. "If she had fallen for another, her wolf would feel lost and would be searching for the love she buried in you. It would grow restless. This wolfstime has been peaceful."
Charming and Emma looked to one another. Blue knew what those looks implied.
Blue said confidently. "That person will never love not completely."
"I've heard that line," Emma said. "You said it to her in the forest, and I've seen the way Belle looks at her. You were wrong."
"It's not possible. It won't last. It can't."
"This stops now," Charming shouted. "Red has been through enough. You will take her love of Snow from me. You must."
Blue shock her head, "I will not."
"Why did you do it in the first place?" Emma asked. "There surely had to be another way to keep Red's wolf calm. Why was this the best option?"
"Where do you think we would be now if Snow would have eventually reciprocated Red's love all those years ago? The savior would have never been born. Someone had to ensure we would be able to break the curse."
"What?" Emma asked as she raised her voice. She looked to Charming who was practically shaking with anger.
"You will tell us what we need to know," Charming said through gritted teeth as he slammed her against the wall. His arm pressed against her throat. "Tell us how to undo all of this. We will endure the consequences."
"Fine," Blue said with cough to clear her throat. Charming took a step back. "This won't be easy. Not only could it kill you Charming, but… It could result in the most violent full moon any of us will encounter." She then explained to them step by step what they must do.