After three days went by without any word or sign from Bigby, Helen was ready to explode.

Out of desperation, Helen called up Blue and headed to the Business Office, her mind spinning as she walked.

Blue had guessed wrong and now he would have to fix it. She wasn't sure how. Maybe something public, which would also be very personally satisfying after all of this...

The slow elevator was both familiar and torture. It reminded her of Bigby and it was taking too damn long. The doors finally opened and she walked straight into the very man she had been obsessing over.

"Hello," Bigby said, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

"Hey..." She wished she had something better to say but she had been completely caught off guard. The doors closed behind her and he was still here, watching her closely with his amber eyes.

"I haven't seen you in a while," she fumbled.

"Yeah..." he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. He was reminded of just how gorgeous she was, between the abundance of freckles and her bright blue eyes. "Listen... I shouldn't have yelled at you. I overreacted."

Helen's heart leapt. "I understand," she replied, watching him unwind somewhat as she said it. She leaned back against the wall, feeling herself relax in kind.

Bigby leaned his shoulder against the wall close beside her, and she turned her face up to him, so close her hair brushed his cheek.

"You've been missed," Helen pressed.

He met her eyes and wondered if he had been wrong about her and Blue.

"That's an easy fix," he replied, leaning into her subconsciously. Her shoulder was pressed into his chest and their faces were very close indeed.

She smiled at him and his heart raced. "Then I'm relying on you to fix it, Sheriff."

He could hear her pulse pounding and could smell the excitement rolling off of her. It suddenly struck him that she had not been reacting to Blue before. What had she said, when he had noticed her excitement...? "Maybe I like sulking."

Helen could not make out his expression, though he was watching her intently. "What is it?"

Bigby opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that he had realized something, but was cut off.

"Helen!" Blue called from further up the hallway.

She felt Bigby move away from her, and turned to Blue, staring daggers.

"Have you reconsidered my offer?" he continued, ignoring the ugly look she gave him.

"I'll see you around," Bigby said, hitting the elevator button and not meeting her eyes.

She wanted to say something to reassure him, but not with Boy Blue standing there staring at them.

The moment Blue shut the Business Office door she turned on him. "Could you possibly have worse timing?"

"I hope not. That took some effort."

"You asshole!"

He simply grinned back at her. "You are far more devious than you let on. Your appearance here to meet privately with me after all that drama a few days ago... What on earth will the wolf among us be thinking now?"

"I was coming here to get you to fix this! He hasn't talked to me in three days!"

"He will now. And if he doesn't, I will absolutely fix this, as you put it. I promise."


"Look what the wolf dragged in!" Helen called as Bigby strolled into the bar the next evening.

"Very clever," he replied dryly, but with a small smile. He felt a little queasy which was certainly out of character for him.

Even Helen could tell he was nervous by the way he kept clenching his hands and then unclenching them.

"Something on your mind?"

"I have two questions for you."

He watched her lean forward across the bar, playfully lowering her voice, her off the shoulder shirt hanging open invitingly. "You show up for the first time in almost a week to quiz me? Surely you can do better than that."

His hands clenched into fists.

"Indulge me," he replied, meeting her eyes and lowering his voice to match hers.

His tone sent a delightful chill through her. She would be more than happy to do exactly that...

"Fine," she said. "But..." She pulled a bottle of vodka from it's shelf and glasses that she set in front of each of them. She poured out two shots. "You have to earn it, Bigby."

"Glad to," he replied. They both tossed back their shots and she watched him, tense and waiting.

"Question one: do you remember what day it is Saturday?"

She refilled their shots and they both drank again. She rolled her eyes. "Remembrance Day."

Bigby smiled at the attitude. "Not a fan?"

"As you well know, I do not have a whole lot to mourn the loss of." She deliberately crossed her wrists in front of her, tattoos gleaming.

Maybe it was the shots combined or not having eaten since he saw Helen walk off with Blue or maybe it wasn't, but Bigby ran his fingertips across her wrists, bringing out goosebumps on her skin.

When he pulled his hands away, Helen refilled again and again they drank.

"Question two..."

Helen could easily tell he was leading up to something and had more than some idea what that would be. She willed herself to stay still, to wait for him to say it.

"Distaste for everything this represents aside, would you go with me? To the ball?"

For the final time, she poured out shots and they drank. Maybe not the best idea to do this buzzed, but it seemed to be helping. She lowered her gaze, looking up at him through long lashes.

"Of course. I was hoping you would ask."


Bigby was standing still outside the Woodlands, leaning against a tree in the shadows. Helen had asked him not to meet her at her apartment, to just let her meet her at the Woodlands. He was half afraid this was some symptom of her not wanting to be seen with him, but he had agreed.

As he waited his fists were clenched tight and jammed in his pockets. At least if he stood very still, newcomers to the ball would not notice him. No one would know if he had been stood up. They would simply assume it was business as usual.

Then a familiar face passed through the gates and his mood lifted instantly. He stepped out of the shadows to greet her.

Helen reached him and could not take her eyes off of him. "You shaved," she breathed, gently resting a hand along his jawline.

He leaned slightly into her touch. "Enjoy it while it lasts. It'll all grow back before this thing is over."

Helen had to admit she was touched by the gesture. He looked very striking in a suit, clean-shaved with his hair combed back from his face. And the look he was giving her made her want to blush and throw herself at him all at once.

"You look... stunning," Bigby finally managed. She had always worn her hair braided, but tonight it hung in loose curls down her back, which drew further attention to the structure of her dress: a very low neckline with straps low on her shoulders and a slit midway up her thigh. The deep teal brought out her eyes and pale skin, and Bigby realized he had never seen her legs before and very much wanted to see more of them.

He forced his eyes back to hers and offered her his arm; she accepted and they entered the Woodlands Building.

Helen was intensely aware of the eyes on her as they walked through the lobby and entered the elevator. And while this made her want to shrink into nothing, Bigby seemed more and more pleased.

After they entered the fifteenth floor, Bigby lead her out onto the dance floor, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"You should know I don't know how to dance," she murmured to him.

"Neither do I," he replied, earning a laugh from her.

"Fables are staring," Helen murmured, now looking more amused by this.

Bigby leaned forward, his cheek resting against hers and his lips brushing her ear. "My mother once gave me some sage advice. Would you like to hear it?"

Helen nodded, pressing even closer to him.

"Fuck them all."

She laughed aloud, earning even more stares, but it no longer mattered.

Through the evening, they remained at the edges of the ball. They were their own isolated pair, but neither could have cared less. They were caught in each other's orbit, and were here for no one but each other.

The few times he had been called away to deal with Fabletown issues, Helen had moved to a balcony, clearly uninterested in engaging with anyone else. And from the moment he returned, she was not able to take her eyes off of him.

Bigby found he could not resist her skin, always maintaining contact, with a hand on her back or arm or waist, and he knew for a fact that she was not displeased by this. As the evening wore on, she moved closer and closer, as if being pulled toward him, until they found themselves sitting on a plush bench under an awning, his arms around her and her head on his shoulder.

Snow had been trying to speak with Bigby throughout the ball, now realizing what she was giving up by rejecting him. But they were completely inextricable, always together and clearly basking in the glow of their mutual affection.

They passed by her as they were leaving and Snow stopped him outright.

"Bigby, I need to speak with you."

He had known Snow for so long it was obvious this was personal. Possibly she was feeling the sting of letting something slip past her. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Helen stop walking and turn to watch them.

"Sorry, Snow. I've got other matters to attend to. I'll see you around."

They left with his arm gently wrapped around her waist, Snow watching in distress.


"Well, sheriff," Helen grinned, stopping outside of the Mortar and Pestle. "That was not a complete waste of an evening."

"I am glad it was less horrible than anticipated," he replied, also smiling.

"You were right..." she said sounding half awed as her eyes roamed his face. Her hand again reached up to hold his jaw, resting her other hand on his chest. "It's all grown in."

He wanted to say something clever, to make her laugh again, but he was so distracted by her face so close to his and her hands on him. He slipped his arms around her, wrapping her up and drawing her even closer to him. They were pressed so tightly together Helen melted into the heat of his body.

She tilted her face to his. He began to lower his lips towards hers...

A mundy cab drove by and honked, the driver jeering from within. Bigby let out a hollow laugh and moved away from her, now seemingly self-conscious.

"Sometimes I make the mistake of forgetting we still in fact live in New York," Helen joked awkwardly.

He nodded, unable to think of a recovery. "I had a good time. First good time at that thing in more years than I can count."

"Me too," she replied, catching his hand, trying to reestablish the moment before.

Before he could question his judgement, he raised her hand to his lips.

"I'll see you soon, Helen. I promise."

She smiled, and watching his retreating form until he rounded the corner.