I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of things going on but I'm getting back on track.

Here's my present to y'all and thank you for sticking by this story; y'all favoring/following/reviewing the story means a lot to me. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Man, could I use a cigarette… Bigby grumbled but he ignored his urge for he knew that it would further irritate the company next to him. He glanced at Snow White's beautiful but disdained expression. Since their conversation in the lobby, the air between them was uneasy and he felt that the ride up to the second floor took ages.

Everything was going topsy-turvy on him. Less than 24 hours ago, he'd found Snow's decapitated head placed on the Woodlands front door and now here she was alive and well…

His mind was still reeling in the events that happened ten minutes ago…

Snow White's cold blue eyes glared at the chaotic scene before her and all four men stared at her in disbelief.

Despite being the fact the Bluebeard had his arm pinned to his neck, Bigby could only focus on the woman before him: the woman he fell for when he first smelt her in that prison camp; the woman he truly believed was murdered last night…

He then felt his heart beat a thousand miles per hour and had the animalistic urge to kiss her blood-red lips and unleash his centuries-long feelings for her, but her heated expression kept him at bay.

"Well, is anyone going to tell me why this man here is all bloodied?" She asked demandingly as she placed her hands on her hips. Neither of the men answered due to the shock and she sighed in frustration.

"Mr. Wolf, I need you to come with me." She said firmly but Bigby didn't move from his spot.

"Now…" She said in a cold tone that made him cringed and then walked out.

Bigby knew that this wasn't good for Snow never addressed him so formally unless she believed he did something wrong, which he knew didn't in this case. He roughly pushed Bluebeard off of him and gave the wealthy Fable a glare before following her.

Snow never looked at him as they made their way through the corridor, but Bigby could feel the tension growing thicker by the second. He wanted to say something, but he knew that anything he said would only enraged her further whenever she was like this, so he waited for her to speak first.

"What the hell was going on down there Bigby?" She asked sternly once they reached the front lobby, "Abusing a prisoner like that… I thought you could control yourself."

"I didn't lay a hand on him." Bigby admitted and hid the fact that her words stung him, "I wanted to do things the right way but Bluebeard had other ideas. I tried to stop him Snow."

She was silent but her eyes were still narrowed at him, her expression told him that she didn't believe him and that made his heart drop. Bigby then sighed and looked at her with concern,

"I thought you were dead…"

"And that makes it okay, for someone to get beaten up over?" She harshly countered. He didn't say anything and Snow just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"I hope it was worth your time." She said aloofly without looking at him and headed for the elevator.

"You really scared us." He firmly said to her as they waited, "If we'd just known you weren't actually dead—"

"I was working on this case." She cut him off coolly. He shouldn't be frustrated with her, but he couldn't help it. The thought of losing her was more than he could bear.

She then explained that after he left for the Trip Trap, she got a call from Toad saying that TJ found a headless female body that could possibly be Faith's. She also explained that David had helped her since he was the only at the Business Office, and together they had retrieved the body and brought Toad and his son here to be questioned.

"I still should've been there Snow." He stated gruffly as he followed her into the elevator. He didn't mean to come out that way, but he was upset with himself because his emotions. If he'd kept himself in check, he wouldn't have been interrogated by the Mundy police and still done his job.

"Well you weren't here to take care of it so I did." She stated firmly as she held the doors for him, "Look, all I want to do is get to the bottom of this."

He silently agreed wither her as the doors closed, trapping him and Snow in an elevator filled with tension…

The ding of the elevator snapped Bigby back to reality. When he stepped out of the elevator, he noticed that Snow didn't move from her spot. He could smell the anxiousness coming off her and saw that she was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize that they were on the second floor.

"Snow?" He gently called out her name and she looked up at him with eyes full of sadness and worry, and his heart felt heavy.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he held the elevator doors so that he wouldn't be able to touch her. Despite her cold remarks from earlier, he still deeply cared for her.

"I just feel like… I just…" She started but fumbled with her words. He'd let go of the doors as she walked out of the elevator, her hands clutching herself. With a deep breath, she turned toward him,

"I feel responsible in a way. She looked just like me. And maybe that's why she was killed." She said fearfully. He knew that Snow was uneasy because of two dead Fables, but for a Fable glamoured to look like her really unnerved her. Hell, he probably be unnerved too if he saw a dead Fable that was glamoured to look like him.

"Snow, it's not your fault." He reassured.

"Maybe… but still, it can't just be a coincidence." She said unconvinced.

"We just have to find out who did this and why she was glamoured to look like you." He reasoned and she nodded in agreement. Whether this woman was killed because she looked like Snow or a completely different reason, he didn't know. But this woman's death only further increased the pressure to find the killer. Bigby's worst fear was that this killer would target the real Snow or even Red…

"In the meantime, I think you should lay low for a while—" He started as be began walking toward the Business Office, but an angry Snow stood in front of him and cut him off,

"And what? I just sit around twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the Big Bad Wolf to solve all my problems?" She said cynically, "I'm part of this investigation as much as you and I'll be damned if I'm going back to being Crane's errand girl."

"That's not what I meant." He stated and was starting to get frustrated with her. He understood her feelings and wanted continue working with her, but he wanted her safe at the same time. She was about to say something but he cut her off,

"You are part of this investigation and I want your help more than anyone, but I just want you to be careful. I almost lost you—"

"I'm not yours to lose!" She exclaimed harshly and he felt like his heart was butchered by a knife. Deep down, he knew that she would never have the same feelings that he had for her; but for centuries, he kept telling himself that she would one day return those feelings.

Snow White's harsh rejection brought him to a reality he wanted to avoid.

"Snow, I—"

DING!

The sound of the elevator indirectly changed the subject between the wolf and the former queen.

Bigby turned and saw an elderly woman with a bloodwood cane walking toward them. A silk burgundy scarf was wrapped around her head and neck, her silver hair was peeking out, and had on over-sized sunglasses with deep-red frames. She wore a red, long-sleeved buttoned-up shirt with reddish paisleys, khaki pants, and red backless, low-heeled shoes; she also wore a gold wedding band and a necklace with a fang.

That necklace and her overbearing perfume that smelled like a garden party was a clear indicator to Bigby that she was no doubt Ruby Hood: Red's grandma from the Red Riding Hood story.

Unlike the Mundy version of the tale, Bigby didn't eat grandma before Red Riding Hood for he wanted Red to be his first human prey and he planned on eating grandma later (he has no idea where the Mundies got the idea that he dressed up in grandma's nightgown to trick Red); unfortunately, he did not expect grandma to put up a helluva fight and managed to knock a fang off of him before. He grew another one, but Ruby kept that fang as a reminder of that day.

Red and Ruby were both good-natured women who were adventurous, nature-loving, and had a stubborn streak. But there was a big difference when it came to Bigby for Red was friendly with him, while Ruby was antagonistic toward him...

"Ruby! I thought you were at Knights of Malta?" Snow said in surprised when she saw the elder woman. Bigby knew that Ruby still had Juniper Fever for he can see faint splotches of blue on her aging hands and face, which were covered in make-up. Based on the fact that she didn't carry a purse and was slightly sweaty, he believed that she walked several blocks from the hospital to here in this muggy heat.

"Well, good afternoon to you Miss Snow." The elder Fable greeted pleasantly as she took off her sunglasses and placed them on her shirt neckline,

"I would've called but there wasn't a phone in my room. Plus I know how busy this place can be, so I thought I would drop by."

All the time she spoke, Ruby was solely focused on Snow and deliberately ignoring Bigby.

"You know you're not supposed to leave the hospital without Swineheart's permission."

"I just came to see the Sheriff is all." Ruby calmly replied and that's when she finally acknowledged the wolf with a glare from her wrinkled, green eyes.

Bigby had to do a double take on her statement: He was the last person Ruby would ever come to for help, so for her to ask for his assistance means something potentially bad was happening to her or Red.

"I'm sorry," Snow said with concern, "but we're in the middle of an investigation. Whatever problems you have, it's going to have to wait."

"I understand. I'll just wait." The older woman said as she made her way to Bigby's office door and stood by it, and he knew that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Bigby, we don't have time for this." Snow said in a low voice so that Ruby couldn't hear, "TJ is waiting to talk to us and we still have to examine the body."

"She came all the way here to talk to me and given our past history, I'm her least favorite person so it must be important. Besides, I can't just kick her out." He countered. Behind all that God-awful perfume, he could smell how worried she was and wanted to help her.

"I don't want to turn her away either, but this investigation comes first." Snow argued, "If we don't find out who's been killing these women, another Fable could be dead."

Bigby pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration; he knew Snow was right. With the death of the unknown woman from last night and Faith from the night before, there could be a good chance that the Woodlands may have another head placed there tonight. But he felt he was right too, for his job was to help all Fables and keep them safe, whether they hated or feared him.

"Look Snow, I'm gonna hear the old girl out. It won't even take five minutes." He answered but apparently she didn't look happy with his decision,

"Bigby, I know you're doing this because of Red. But you need set your priorities straight; you can't do everything." She then sighed, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

He watched as Snow went into the Business Office. She was the only one who knew that he wanted to make things right for Red Riding Hood and her grandma, but there was more to that. Yes he'll admit (to himself) that he has special feelings for Red, but he was also guilty for what he had done to Ruby, a woman who didn't deserve to fight him for her life, just because he was hungry…

Bigby shook the thoughts from his head and made his way toward the old woman.

"I'm surprised that you took time out of your busy schedule to hear me out." She stated cynically. Despite being about a head short than him, Ruby wasn't afraid to talk back to him.

"I'm just full of surprises." He smirked; he was used to her skepticism toward him, "I'd figured that whatever you have to say will be quick, because I bet that you have better things to do than talk to me."

"For once I agree with you Wolf." The old woman said and he saw the tension from her ease up a little.

Bigby felt a sense of Déjà vu with Ruby in his office. During the 17th century, she used to live and work in the Woodlands, but she quit in the 1940s and hasn't been back here since. She was kind of like his secretary for she organized his paperwork and her attitude toward him was the still the same, but she was depressed and hardly ever left the building; since Red came back to her life, he noticed that she was happier and put some effort in her appearance.

He watched as the elder Fable shifted in the chair in front of his desk and coughed slightly.

"Can I get you some water or coffee?" He asked thoughtfully.

"I don't need your pity Wolf." She sneered as she placed her hands on the crook of her cane.

"Alright..." He ignored her attitude and went straight into business mode, "What did you want to talk about?"

"…It's about my granddaughter…" She admitted which confirmed Bigby's suspicions, but he let Ruby continue,

"You're probably gonna think I'm an overprotective grandparent… but whenever I have to be hospitalized, Rouge has to take on a second job. In the past, she's had jobs where she's worked the graveyard shift and that never concerned me before…"

"But…" He coaxed at her.

"But lately, there have been two men coming around for her, and they are very seedy-looking men."

Red had told Bigby that the Tweedles have been questioning her about Faith, and then he found a photo of Red in her nightgown in Dee's wallet. His instincts told him that those two have stalking her and he didn't know why, but he was going to find out.

"I don't think you've noticed Wolf," Ruby continued with worry, "but our neighborhood is suffering. I've seen girls becoming strumpets just to survive… I hate for her to resort to sleeping with men just to pay the bills, she doesn't deserve that kind of life."

He's known that some Fables have been struggling and he shared her concern.

"Don't worry, she's not." He reassured and she looked him confusingly.

"How do you—" He cut her off by tapping the side of his nose, gesturing about his heightened sense of smell. She then groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose,

"Uhh… I don't know whether to be relieved or disgusted." She mumbled to herself. He was surprised that she didn't scream him, but he quickly changed the subject before she got the chance to,

"Yesterday, Red told me that Tweedle Dee and Dum have been questioning her. Are those the two you were referring to?" He asked.

"No—I mean, yes they've come to our bakery, questioning us about a friend of ours, Faith, and I don't like the looks of them, but those aren't the men I was referring to. These men were very distinctive looking: One had long brownish hair in a ponytail, very thin, and had a crazed look in his eye; the other was a tall, black man with burn scars on his face. I heard them call themselves 'Mar' and 'Dor', though I doubt it's their real name."

Mar and Dor… Bigby thought. There was something familiar about those names, but he couldn't just place their faces…

"I'll look into it." He said, his mind still trying to place faces on those names.

"You know, I hear that all the time around here but it never gets done." Ruby said firmly as she stood up,

"I made the walk here to see you personally because I think my granddaughter is in trouble. I'd tried asking her about it but she denies it. She always tries to solve her problems herself and doesn't want to burden anyone with it, that's how she is…

"I've noticed that she seems fond of you, heaven knows why… but she'll likely listen to you than me." Her expression then softened,

"I love her more than I loathe you, and I'm just giving you a warning right now: If you won't do something about it, then Iwill." She said determinedly before walking to the door.

"I promise you that nothing bad will happen to Red." He vowed as he came around his desk and Ruby looked at him with shock,

"I'll keep her safe."

Ruby was still speechless at his statement and after minute, she regained composure.

"I'll hold you on that." She said sternly before leaving his office. It was quick, but he swore he saw a smirk from the old lady's face.

Bigby took out his Huff 'n' Puffs and lit one up, figuring he could have a quick smoke before he talked to TJ and examine the imposter Snow's body.

This whole day had been bittersweet for him; while he was elated that Snow was alive, her rejection toward him broke his heart. And while Ruby always had a bitter affiliation toward him, the fact that she came to him out of concern for Red somehow lifted his spirits.

Don't get used to it old man. He told himself as he took another puff.

So Ruby finally makes appearance. I wanted my version of Red's grandma to be different than the typical knitting, old-fashioned grandma. She's been there and done that. I drew her but I have to color it and make a bio for her.

This chapter was hard because I was trying to keep Bigby in character in regard to his feelings for Snow and it was difficult because I couldn't understand why Bigby would have feelings for her when she was nothing but cold to him.

Red returns in the next chapter and Puss will be in too so stay tuned!