8. Wolf's Time

For the first time, Ruby was meeting the days leading up to Wolf's Time with some measure of excitement. In the Enchanted Forest, there was always a layer of fear as people boarded up their homes and tried desperately to protect their livestock. As she grew older she hated Wolf's Time for creating that fear and forcing her to be confined in the house. Even after she learned what she was and gained control of it, Ruby was never really excited for Wolf's Time. There were too many other things going on; Wolf's Time usually just ended up being a means to an end, a way for her to use the wolf to fight and protect her friends.

Then came the first time in Storybrooke. It was a strange thing, knowing in one way it hadn't been that long since the last Wolf's Time, but also knowing it'd been years. Then there was the concern with how magic worked in this land. Ruby was so full of uncertainty and fear that it'd been easy to believe she'd been responsible for Billy's death.

But now, finally, she was looking forward to it. She had her control back and she would be spending the evening with Victor. Ruby was admittedly nervous about him seeing her as the wolf, but in a way she also looked forward to showing him. They trusted each other with their secrets and darker sides, and this was just one more layer of trust.

Ruby got off work early so she could head into the woods before it got dark. She wore the cloak and could feel eyes on her all the way to the woods. They were probably relieved to see her remove herself from the town; despite assurances from David and Snow, the majority of the townspeople didn't trust Ruby to control herself once she shifted into the wolf.

Victor hadn't arrived yet so Ruby settled down to sit and enjoy the quiet of the forest. Her heightened senses let her hear the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze, smell the sharpness of the soil and fungus growing on the nearby trees. She hated how sometimes her friends turned her into a bloodhound, but if she didn't have these senses, she wouldn't have been able to find Victor in time.

As if her thoughts summoned him, Victor was coming toward her location. Another useful thing about her senses: she sensed him coming long before she saw him. He smelled like chemicals, aftershave, a bit of cologne and not a single trace of alcohol. Ruby noted how he hadn't smelled like alcohol since she saved him from jumping. There were other familiar smells that puzzled her, but she turned her attention away from that and on him.

"Hey," he greeted her. "Sorry if I kept you waiting." Her pulse picked up as she observed him. He chose not to wear a suit again, this time going for a dark T-shirt and jeans. Somehow the look made him look sexier than his suit. Probably because it was so different from his normal attire. He had a bag slung over one shoulder.

"I wasn't waiting that long," she assured him.

"I wanted to ask you something: is it okay if I sketch you while you're the wolf?"

"I..." She'd seen his talent and couldn't help feeling a little flattered that he would want to draw her. Would he make notes like he did with the horse? Somehow she doubted it was going to be purely analytical, but she also knew Victor wouldn't be able to completely avoid it. He was a scientist, after all.

"Yeah," she responded at last. "That's okay." They exchanged smiles. "So what's in the bag?"

For answer, he set the bag down and started unpacking it. He brought a blanket, a thermos and two cups, containers with food and his sketchpad with pencils. "In case you agreed," he told her when he pulled out the sketchpad.

"You brought food?"

"Yeah." He smiled; Ruby loved that look on his face, and how much more often she was seeing it lately. "I thought you might be hungry when it's over. It's nowhere near as good as the cooking at Granny's, but-"

"Wait. You cooked?"

"Sure. It's just measuring ingredients and combining them, applying heat... like chemistry." Ruby hadn't thought about it like that, but she was now looking forward to trying the food. She leaned into him, wanting to get a kiss in before Wolf's Time began.

His lips parted for her and she took the invitation, tasting him and winding her fingers through his hair. Ruby was hungry for him and this time his outfit didn't have as many buttons. One hand left his hair to glide down his chest. She heard him gasp and smiled, moving her lips from his mouth to his jaw and neck. Ruby breathed him in; she never noticed how appealing his smell was before.

"Liza?" His voice was a little strained. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should wait. At least until Wolf's Time is over."

Ruby paused, quickly dropping her hands away when she realized one was pushing up his shirt. She never acted this way during Wolf's Time with Peter. Was it because she had control of the wolf now, or was it Victor specifically? Either way, he was right: they should wait.

She slipped away from him, taking off her cloak so she could shift. Running in wolf form for the rest of the night would be a good outlet for her energy. She was still highly aware of Victor, of course, and circled his way far more than necessary. She didn't do anything too aggressive, though, and she found herself human again just in time for sunrise.

"Morning," Victor greeted her, flashing a smile. "Coffee?"

"Thanks." With anyone else, Ruby would be surprised they were treating all this so normally. But it probably was normal to Victor. She sipped her coffee and watched the growing light peek through the trees. Feeling Victor next to her, Ruby was feeling like this was all normal, too.

"You want to see the sketches I did?" Victor asked.

"Sure." Ruby never got to see herself in wolf form and was curious on how Victor depicted her. He opened his sketchpad to show her. As expected, there was a sketch of the wolf mid-run with detailed notes. There were a few others: the wolf leaping at a bird, the wolf pausing with its ears flicked forward, the wolf stretched out on the ground... There was no denying the size and power of the creature, but something about the sketches gave off respect rather than fear.

"I'm getting to be a real fan of your work," she commented, handing back the sketchpad.

"Glad someone is," he responded with a touch of a smile. "Maybe you'll be a fan of my cooking, too, if you're hungry."

"I could eat," she assured him, and happily dug in.