Warning: Redbeauty is heavy in this chapter.
Thank you Fiend89 for editing!
Down in the mines, the dwarves have been working for odd hours of the day and night. Trying to look for fairy dust, but has yet to find anything. Or come close to it, but they weren't going to stop.
"Pickaxes down, brothers! First round at Granny's is on me," Happy tells the boys. They were need of a break. It's been twenty-eight years since the last they worked in the mines, and weren't use to the hard labor.
Everyone except Grumpy put their pickaxes down and join Happy in taking a break.
"Come on, Grumpy. We're going to miss happy hour," Doc tries to convince Grumpy to join them.
"Granny's running a two-for-one special on mead," Happy adds.
"Just cause it's called happy hour, Happy, don't mean you got to be there," Grumpy rolls his eyes. "We got work to do."
"But you're tired. We all are. A break could help," Happy argues, pointing out their exhaustion.
"Charming asked us to mine for dust – fairy dust. To help bring Snow and Emma back home. And that's what I'm going to do."
Not bothering to argue any longer, Grumpy continues to hack at the wall with his axe, until suddenly, he breaks through the wall and falls through into another cavern.
"Grumpy? Grumpy?!"
Charming comes racing to the mines when he got the call. Along with him is Henry and Mother Superior, Blue. He enters the mine and encounters Happy.
"Where is he?" Charming demands.
Happy guides them to where Grumpy fell through the wall. Looking through the hole, he sees Grumpy and several of the other dwarves, along with hundreds of diamonds lining the walls and ceiling of the mine.
"Are those…" Henry asks, not believing that he was seeing.
"Diamonds. They're back. The magic brought them back," Blue smiles at what her eyes sees.
"You mean, the kind that become fairy dust?" Henry asks curiously.
"Indeed. We just need to refine them – grind them up," Blue answers. Looking at Charming, "do you still have what remains of Jefferson's hat?"
Charming nods his head.
"Keep it safe. Because, by this time tomorrow, we'll have enough magic dust to make it work again."
"So, Snow and Emma…" Henry starts to say, hope rising in his heart.
"That's right, kid. We're bringing 'em home," Charming answers with a huge smile on his face. He can't wait to have Snow back in his arms and finally have his family together.
They all went to celebrate the great news of their queen and savior coming home. Round of drinks being were passed around and people were merrily drunk.
"To the dwarves!" Charming shouts.
Everyone cheers. Everyone relax from the hard work of finally finding fairy dust. Soon Snow and Emma will be rescue.
Red watches her friends as she leans against off the counter. She wasn't in the mood to celebrate, not when she can feel her wolf crawl underneath her skin. Wolftime was near.
"A mouse."
"What? Where?" Red snaps her attention to the floor, looking for the rodent.
"No. I meant me. I was a mouse. My name was Gus. I lived in Cinderella's pantry, I ate cheese, I gnawed on wood, but I preferred the cheese," Billy explains himself, admitting to his true identity.
"And, why are you telling me this?" Red questions, raising an eyebrow.
Billy scratches his head, "uh, we haven't had a chance to talk since things…changed. I just wanted you to know who I was… Back home."
"Uh, can I, um, still call you Billy?"
"You can call me whatever you want, as long as you let me buy you a drink after your shift. I already know Ruby. I want the chance to meet Red."
Red opens her mouth but closes it, not sure what to say. "Um..."
Feeling an arm wrap around her waist and pull her body close to their body. Red looks down to find Belle staring at the guy dryly. "She can't. We have plans."
Red smiles as her girlfriend's jealousy. She likes this possessive side in the short brunette. "That's right, um… It's my girl's night."
Billy looks between the two lovely ladies, sensing that he was unwanted. "Okay. Um…" Billy exits, seeing he had no chance with the hazel eye beauty.
"Thank you," Red thanks her lover. Her mind was elsewhere, she couldn't find the words to turn the man down.
"You are my woman, and I don't want anyone thinking that they can have you," Belle smiled sweetly up at Red.
"I can see the headlines now. Extra, extra, bookworm attacks a male with her big words and knowledge. He is in critical care, stay tune," Red jokes.
Belle laughs out loud but became serious. "Well, I couldn't help noticing you aren't joining the celebrations."
Belle may not know Red's close relationship with Snow, seeing that she was Rumpelstiltskin's prisoner. But she heard that Red and Snow were very close, helped each other back home.
Red looks away. "It's… It's complicated."
"You can tell me anything," Belle turns Red's face back to face hers. "There is nothing that is going to change my mind about you."
Red didn't think she could fall more in love. Belle never saw her differently, didn't care that she turns into a wolf. She loved completely. Fur or not.
Taking a deep breath, she calms her rapid pulsing heart. "Tonight's the first full moon since the curse broke. It's the first night of Wolftime."
"I thought you figured out how to control the wolf in you ages ago?"
"Yeah. But, thanks to the curse, I haven't turned in twenty-eight years. I might be rusty. I can't let what happened last time – what happened to Peter – happen to anyone else," Red explains. She refuses to have any harm come to Belle. Not by her hands. She may turn into a monster if so.
"What about your red hood? That could keep you from turning."
"If I had it. I've looked everywhere. I even went to Gold. It's not in town. I don't think it came over with the curse," Red points out, not happy with the situation. She even asked Regina to enchant another robe but Regina was just now controlling the magic and was afraid it wouldn't work. "And I'm not chancing it."
"What are you going to do?" Belle was afraid to ask.
"Lock myself up."
Slowly the celebrating party was dying done. Charming was sitting in a booth, looking into a cup of cocoa with cinnamon coated on top. Just when he thought that once the curse broke, his family will never separate again, but not even twenty-four hours together, they were ripped apart again.
"Congratulations, Sheriff. Quite a celebration," a voice snaps his attention up.
Seeing King George sit across from him in the booth, Charming narrows his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"You may have taken care of me in the old world, but, in this one, we get another go at each other," King George states, looking darkly at the twin of his boy.
"Whenever you're ready," Charming dares the older king.
"It's a big moment for you, isn't it?" King George asks, and seeing a questioning look in the wannabe's prince. "On your way to getting your family back," King George explains behind his question.
Charming smiles. "Ah… Yeah, it must be hard for you. You know, watching good win."
King George lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head. "Good? So sure of yourself. But I know the truth. You're still just a shepherd pretending to be a prince. You weren't fit to run the kingdom, and you sure as hell aren't fit to run this town."
Charming shrugs, he knew who he was and who he isn't. "I think the people of Storybrooke might disagree with you."
King George leans over, staring coldly at Charming. "I'm going to see to it that they see things my way. That they see you for who you really are. By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd killed me when you had the chance."
Charming ignores the threat. He wasn't afraid what the king would throw at him. Compare to Regina, he was barely a threat. "The people of this town know who I really am. And they've seen me defeat you before. So, if you want to try to take me down, they'll see it again."
In the back of the diner, Granny is welding a cage of sorts out of one of the walk-in freezers when Charming comes walking in.
"What the hell is this?" Charming demands.
"We're making a cage," Red answers, coming out of the freezer with packages of lasagnas in her arms. "Know anybody who might want thirty-eight frozen lasagnas?" Red asks.
Charming raises an eyebrow, complete confused. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I know. Nobody would believe it if you told them my lasagna was frozen," Granny was doing the last touches to the freezer.
"No. Why are you building a cage?" Charming questions.
"Tonight's the first full moon since the curse broke. It's the first night of Wolftime," Red replies simply.
Charming tilts his head. "I thought you figured out how to control the wolf in you a long time ago?" He was sure he saw Red run into battle, changing into the wolf, fighting on their side.
"It's been twenty-eight years. I'm not sure I can and I'm not taking any chances," Red answers.
He looks over to Belle who was clearly not happy about this arrangement. "I've tried talking her out of it but she won't listen. Save your breath Charming."
"I'm not taking a chance," Red repeats herself like for the hundredth time to her girlfriend. "I've killed a lot of men because I couldn't control the wolf. I'm not putting the town at risk, especially you."
Belle just crosses her arms over her chest and glare at her lover, choosing not to speak on the matter anymore. It wasn't getting her anywhere. Red's mind was made up and there was no way of changing it.
"Red, I know you. I trust you. Snow trusted you. Wolftime or not, you won't hurt anyone tonight," Charming tries to change Red's mind.
Red wasn't going to change her mind. "Maybe. But I can't afford to take any chances." She walks over to Belle and gives her one last kiss before the day is over. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Belle returns the kiss and watch Red enter the freezer and Granny closes the door behind her.
The next morning, Granny enters the diner. She mutters to herself in surprise not seeing the stubborn blue eyed brunette checking on Red. It took a lot of convincing to kick Belle out of the diner in the first place. Granny heads to the back to wake Red.
Walking into the freezer, Granny freezes in place. Scratch marks line cover the wall and door. And there is no Red to be found.
"Red?!" Granny calls out. This couldn't be happening. Their worst fears is coming true and just like they feared. Red couldn't control the wolf and it got freed...
Rushing to a phone, Granny calls for help. They had to find Red before someone else finds her. She just hopes that nothing happened.
Regina was surprised to get a call from Charming. They have been slowly making progress of working with each other. With their history, the progress is much slower than she would've hoped but she can't blame the young prince. She can't tolerate him most of the time anyways.
So when she got a call to come over to watch over Henry, she jumped on the opportunity. She wasn't going to pass up more time with her son. It was difficult to have time to teach Henry anything when Charming wants her away from him.
She sits on a chair near the bed reading a spell book as she takes quick glances over the little boy's body, watching him sleep. Tracing Henry's skin with her thumb as she holds his hand, she flips the page.
The hand she was holding all of sudden twitch, gaining her attention. Snapping her eyes at her sleeping son, her eyes widen as she watch him shake underneath the bed covers. Sweat starts to drip down his face and his eyes tighten.
Throwing the book aside, she gets to her feet. Leaning over the bed, she gently cups his face and tries to wake him. "Henry? Henry, wake up. It's okay. It's okay. You're okay."
Henry snaps awake with a start, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily. His hazel eyes meet familiar dark brown eyes. "Wh-what are you doing here? Where's Charming?" Henry asks, confused why his mom was at Snow's apartment.
She runs her fingers through Henry's hair, trying to calm the boy down. "He got an emergency call this morning, and he asked me to look after you. He told me you've been having nightmares. It's okay. You can-" Regina touches Henry's hand to try to comfort him
At the contact, Henry recoils in pain. "Ah!"
Snapping her eyes to his hand, she lifts it up, inspecting it. Her eyes widen at the burn running up the side of it. "Is that a burn?" Regina question.
How was that possible? It's just a nightmare, a dream. Dreams, no matter how scary or how realistic they feel, they shouldn't leave scars like that. And only one person will know the answer to her question. And she really didn't want to deal with him but she has to for Henry's sake. She can't just stand by and do nothing.
Charming, Belle and Granny search for Red in the forest. Granny uses her senses to follow her granddaughter's scent, leading them to where Red was. "This way. Over here."
They find Red asleep on the ground. Belle rushes over, gently waking up the brunette. "Red. Red, wake up."
Slowly opening her eyes, her vision is a bit blurry. Blinking the fuzzy vision away, she finds Belle, Granny, and Charming staring down at her.
"Hey," Belle gives Red a reassuring smile, glad to see Red is fine.
She feels the grass underneath, hearing birds chirping all around her, and sees trees. Red snaps up, "where am I? What happened?"
"You're in the forest. You must've fallen asleep here last night," Charming answers.
Red shakes her head, "I-I don't understand. You put me in that cage. You locked me up." She looks at each face, daring them to explain it to her.
"The freezer was torn to shreds when I came to check in on you this morning," Granny tells her granddaughter.
Red looks down to the ground, trying to think back. She can't remember a thing. How was she going to stop the wolf from controlling her again tonight? What if she killed someone last night... So many questions were running through her head.
"Red. Red, it's alright," Belle tries to comfort her lover. She can see the guilt and the gears churning away. "Everything is going to be alright."
"No. It's not. I don't remember anything from last night. This is exactly what I was afraid of," Red snaps at Belle. "What if I did something? Did I do something last night?"
"Red, all we know is that you broke out and ran through the woods. There's no reason to assume the worst," Charming points out, hoping it'll give his friend some peace of mind.
Charming's phone begins to vibrate. Excusing himself, he answers it. He listens to the other person on the other line. "Sheriff. Yeah. Okay. I'll be right there."
"What is it?" Red asks. She is still deputy.
"Somebody left their car double-parked in front of the cannery. I got to go check it out on our way back into town," Charming answers. He places a hand on his friend's shoulder, "hey. Relax. Everything's going to be okay."
Arriving at the docks, they find Billy's tow truck. Telling Granny and Belle to stay behind, that it was police work, there was no point of for them to come along.
"That's Billy's truck," Red points out.
"Great. Who do I call to tow a tow truck?" Charming question. He only knows one person who tows and it happens to be right in front of him. Red was more advance than he was when it came being a sheriff. Looking over to Red, he narrows his eyes, "What is it, Red? What's wrong?" Charming asks in worry seeing a sudden shift in Red's stance.
"I smell blood," Red states, as the scent fills her nostril. She rushes forward, after the scent and freezes. Billy's torso was underneath the truck.
"Oh damn," Charming curses at seeing half of the man's body.
Red forces herself to walk away over to a dumpster, finding Billy's lower half sticking out. Seeing the condition, Red knew it was her.
"What the hell happen?" Charming asked no one in particular.
"It was the wolf! It was me!" tears fall down Red's face. 'She's a monster' she thinks to herself as she drops her to her knees.
Regina had Henry to show his burnt hand to Rumpelstiltskin. She won't admit it, but her old teacher had more knowledge than she can ever hope to gain. He had years on top of years of experience. The only person who can come close to compare is Belle, but Belle only knows only so much about magic.
Seeing the wounded hand, Rumpelstiltskin inspects it "Oh, yes. You were quite right to call me."
"So y-you can help?" Henry asks, not sure if he should completely trust the dark wizard. "It was just a dream."
"Well, what you're describing is certainly not a dream," Rumpel replies.
"Then, what was it?" Regina demanded. It was bad enough that she doesn't have Emma back and has no idea how she's doing back in her land. Now having Henry getting hurt from just a dream, she can't deal with more stress.
"A side effect," Rumpelstiltskn points out. "You know, it's remarkable you'd cast a curse you know so little about."
Regina shrugs, she knew how naive she was. She wished she paid more attention and now she was paying the price but that will change. She'll become more aware of her actions was the only thing she can do now. "My victims are not supposed to wake up. That's why I certainly never cared what happened to them after. …Until now."
Rumpelstiltskin places a kit of potions on the table. He opens it, beginning to prepare a potion. He carefully drips the various liquids into a pendant attached to a chain. "When people fall under a sleeping curse, the soul travels to a Netherworld, where it resides until awoken. Now, this world is between life and death, and it's very real. However, even when the curse is broken, sometimes, in sleep, the victims find their way back to that world. Victims like you," Rumpelstiltskin explains to the small boy.
"This other world is tormenting my son every time he sleeps. I want you to give him something that will keep him from going there," Regina commands her old teacher. She'll pay whatever price or deal to keep her son from getting harmed any further.
"Well, I'm afraid that's not possible. I can, however, give you something that will allow him to control his actions whilst in that world. And once one controls something, one no longer need fear it," Rumpelstiltskin explains as he holds up the finished product. A necklace.
"A necklace?" Henry looks at the necklace, skeptically, that was going to give him control over the flames?
Rumpelstiltskin nods his head, "you wear this while you're sleeping. Once you control the journey, fear will stop. And then, you can come and go as you please." He extends the necklace to Henry but Regina stops him from taking it.
"Everything comes at a price with you. What do you want for this?" She'll pay it, no matter what it was. She'll do anything to protect her son from harm.
"For a house call? You couldn't afford it. But this is for Henry. This one's on me." He hands the necklace to Henry who takes it.
Running her tongue over her teeth, she fights against snorting back at the imp. Always down casting her aside as if she was just a piece of meat. Just like her damn mother. She can never please anyone.
But damn that all. She'll find a way to be powerful once more. She'll be able to protect those she loves and help those who need it. She's learning a lot more than when she was younger to become a witch. Finding new spells and silently practicing them without magic.
She won't be useless anymore.
"It had to be something else, Red," Charming tries to calm the shape shifter.
"No, I did this! We both know it," Red growls, her eyes dangerously flashing yellow.
Charming wasn't going to believe that Red would've committed this murder. "No. A few months ago, everyone thought Mary Margaret was guilty of murder. She needed someone to believe in her. I didn't do that. I am not going to make the same mistake with you!"
Snow stayed by her side when Red was learning how to control the wolf, so can he.
"Snow didn't kill anyone," Red points out. "I have."
"We know who you really are, Red. Even if you've lost sight of it," Belle jumps in, hoping to convince her girlfriend she isn't a beast.
"It doesn't change the fact that I am going to turn again tonight, and somebody else could get hurt," Red snaps.
Belle knew better than be hurt at Red's words but she can't help but feel hurt. It was like whatever she said was just twisted and thrown back at her.
"Maybe this isn't the place to have this discussion," Granny changes the subject.
"It's okay. I'll protect her," Charming promises the older woman.
Red shakes her head. "No! Lock me up. If the freezer couldn't hold me, maybe a jail cell will. I don't need to be protected from other people, Charming. Other people need to be protected from me."
"You aren't a monster, Red!" Belle points out angrily. If it takes a yelling contest to get through Red's thick stubborn mind, then so be it.
"I killed Billy. A mouse!" Red yells back.
"You want to be locked up, than fine!" Belle walks back to the cop car. Red wasn't a common pet that you could just lock up. Red is human. The thought of treating Red like a common animal just makes her blood boil. And she won't have any part of it.
Closing the jail cell, Charming pockets the key, for safe keeping. "You'll be safe in here tonight."
"Thank you, Charming," Red smiles sadly.
"Thank me in the morning. By then, I'll have found whoever really killed Billy," Charming states. He doesn't believe for a second that it was Red's doing.
"You already have. That thing. That she-wolf," King George comes in, speaking with venom.
Eyes hardening, Charming glares at the king. "Get out. Whatever issues you have with me, don't involve her. There's no proof Red had anything to do with what happened," Charming defends his friend.
"It seems to me, that you're allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment," King George gets in Charming's space.
"Leave him alone," Red snarls at the older king. She forgot how much she hated this asshole back in their land.
"Protecting your friend at the peril of everyone else. I knew you'd slip up, shepherd. It was only a matter of time," King George states.
"What do you want?" Charming asks. The sooner he can get rid of the king, the fast he can find out who really killed Billy.
King George leans close to Charming's ear. "Justice." His eyes look over to Red, who is behind bars. "Hand that over to me, and let the town decide her fate."
"Never," Charming replied sternly. "I know exactly what kind of justice you have in mind. It's not going to happen." If King George wants to get back at him, he'll come straight at him. Not using his friend to do so. It just proved how desperate the king was to make him pay.
"This town is bigger than you think. I start telling people who you're putting their lives in danger to protect your own interests. You'll have a mutiny on your hands," King George tells the young prince.
"Yeah, we'll see. You want her, you have to go through me," Charming crosses his arms over his chest, not backing off.
King George smirks evilly, "I look forward to that."
At the library Red, Charming, Regina, and Belle have gathered to protect and secure Red. They don't trust the king as far as they could throw him.
"These should work," Regina passes over a pair of magical set of shackles. "As promise, they are enchanted."
"Thanks," Red smiles at the former Evil Queen. They have become closer friends over the past couple of days. It was part of the deal and its end up bringing Red and Regina closer. Red sees Regina as Regina, no longer the Evil Queen. It was Regina who helped her give Belle the library, opening it to the town. How she did it, Red didn't ask, she was just thankful.
"Anything else, you know where you can find me," Regina states before leaving. "Stay safe."
Once Regina left, Red turns to Belle. "Thanks for letting me hide here. The Sheriff's station isn't safe." She can feel the anger towards her from Belle. Belle wasn't happy with Red blaming herself. So she's thankful that she's still by her side.
"I love you, of course I'm going to help keep you safe," Belle replies. "I'm not losing you because of the idiots in this town."
"The crowd's six blocks from here," Granny tells the group as she entered the library.
"The only way we're going to get the mob to stand down, is if we prove Red had nothing to do with Billy's death," Charming plans. Pointing at Granny, "I'm going to need your help. If the mob comes this way, call us. Come on." Granny and Charming exit the library living the love birds alone.
They stare at each other, looking and melting into each others eyes. And it's Red who breaks the moment. "You need to leave. The moon's going to be up soon." The time was ticking and though she trusts Regina's word, she's still not taking that chance. Not with Belle.
"Will the chains hold?" Belle asks, pointing at the shackles. She doesn't question Regina's collection of objects she brought over from their land but you can never be too careful. Especially if magic is unpredictable.
Red shrugs, "hopefully."
"Then, I'm staying. Think of it as girls' night. A date." Noticing the change in the brunette, Belle looks at her lover in concern. "What's wrong?"
"I know Charming wants to believe the best, but I've killed before, and I'll do it again. Everyone in this town is right to be afraid of me," Red answers, looking down to her feet. The blue eyes were too much for her hazel eyes to look into them.
"I'm not."
"You should be."
Cupping Red's face, she lifts the head up, forcing hazel eyes to connect with her blue eyes. She can see the worry in her lover's orbs. She sees how much the moon is scaring her. She wished she met Red when she first started to learn how to control the beast.
"No matter what you might done in your past, it doesn't matter to me. I will always know you aren't the beast."
Red believes what Belle was telling her. She believed her when they first met and still believes her now. "Maybe. Maybe, you're right. But the town's right, too. I am a monster. And that's why I need to make sure I don't ever hurt anyone again." She doesn't think she'll survive if she kills Belle by her hands when she is out of her control.
Standing so close to Belle, she looks down at the beautiful woman. Her true love. Letting Belle's scent fill her nostril, it clouds her senses and brain. She just has to make it this night and one more and everyone will be safe until next month. She has to find a way to control once more. She hopes Regina figures out the enchantment that was used on the hood.
Pulling Belle to her lips, she pours everything she feels into the kiss. Lingering against Belle's lips when she pulls away, catching her breath. Red closes the shackles around Belle's wrist.
Belle looks down, feeling the cold chains around her wrist. She snaps her eyes back up to Red. "Wh-What are you doing?" She can't believe her own girlfriend just locked her up, imprisoning her. After what she went through, Red should know how much she never wanted to be imprisoned again.
Red hopes and pray Belle sees how sorry she is for doing this to her. She knew that Belle hated being locked up and never wanted to feel like that again. And being her lover, putting in a place she never wanted to feel or be, made her feel guilty. She damn deserve to feel regret, especially how she promised she'll never feel trapped.
"I can't let you stop me. The mob wants a wolf, I'm going to give them one. I need to pay for all I've done." Red goes to leave. She doesn't look back, knowing if she does, she'll change her mind.
"And they'll kill you!" Belle calls out behind the brunette.
"Isn't that what I deserve?"
Granny and Charming goes off to prove Red's innocence and to find the true killer. Granny sniffs Billy's jacket to pick up an odor. Being bitten has its perks at times.
Sniffing the air, she picks up on the man's smell. "This way," Granny leads them to a parked car. Smelling the air once more, she points at the trunk, "The trunk."
Charming pops the trunk, revealing Red's hood and a hatchet in the spare tire compartment. "The wolf didn't kill Billy," Charming knew that this piece of evidence proves Red's innocence.
"Red's hood?" Granny questions, confused why the enchanted fabric was in a trunk.
"So she'd be forced to change back into a wolf. So whoever killed Billy could pin the murder on her," Charming answers.
"Who would want to hurt my Red?"
Charming walks over to the driver's side and smashes the window, opening the door. Grabbing hold of the registration, at seeing the name, Charming snarls. "This isn't about Red. It's about me. Spencer," Charming shows the information at Granny.
"King George?"
"He needed a reason to wrestle power away from me, so he created one," Charming explains. He couldn't believe that King George would stoop this low. Once again, it just proves how much King George hated him and wants him to suffer for crossing him. That he would frame his friend of murder.
A howl echoes throughout the nightly sky at a distance.
Eyes widen and full of concern, "she's out."
"The mob. They're going to kill her," Charming worries.
The two follow the direction of the howl and run as fast their legs can take them. Praying they reach Red before the mob did.
King George and his mob have now gathered outside of the library. Searching for Red, they hear a wolf's howl. "She's close!"
Leading the mob to an alley, they find Red hiding behind a dumpster. Smirking evilly, "there you are." He draws his gun, pointing to shoot the wolf. Just as he places his finger on the trigger, about to pull it out, he suddenly drops the gun in pain. "What the hell?" King George turns around to come to face with Regina.
"Language, King George," Regina tsks, unimpressed of the king's manners.
"Regina? What are you doing here?"
"To stop you doing a foolish thing," Regina answers as she walks in front of the man, putting herself between the king and the wolf.
"I'm protecting our town from the likes of this monster," George defends himself.
"You are making false accusations. We both know that Red didn't kill that man," Regina says dryly, sounding completely bored with the subject. "It was you.
"Like you are any better," George points out.
"You are right but at least I didn't stoop this low to bring someone down," Regina replies. "We are the monsters, not her."
"Is the Evil Queen going soft?"
"Because I won't let you shoot a poor innocent bystander?" Regina raises an eyebrow in challenge.
"She murdered a man," George answers, riling up the mob.
Regina looks at the mob, staring at each person in the crowd, "you question your prince?"
"We will not stand by waiting for the beast to kill us," someone states within the crowd.
"Even though she's innocent?" Regina asks out loud. "It was he who's framing the wolf of murder."
"Why should be take your word against his?" someone ask.
"If I prove to you she's not a monster, will you leave her in peace?" Regina question back. She just have to stale time for Granny and Charming to come find them, giving them time to find proof they need.
"Prove it."
She nods and turns around, carefully taking step closer to the wolf. Keeping eye contact, her hands stand front of her. "Red? I know you're in there, so listen to me. It was this idiot of a king, not you. Don't let him trick you into thinking you're a monster."
The wolf growls in answer.
Regina smiles, more determined. She takes another careful step, not breaking eye contact. "Prove to these people who you aren't the beast. That you can control the wolf and be one with it instead of against it."
Though she wasn't afraid to go against the wolf and she was just buying time for Charming and Granny. She can't help but question why she was standing between the wolf and the angry mob. Why she was willing to protect the young brunette.
"I know you can control the wolf, Red, because you are no monster," Regina continues to talk to the animal, hoping the wolf understood her words. Here hands were inches from the wolf, "I am the monster. I'm the cold-hearted bitch that killed for the hell of it. That's not you. And never will be you if you don't let your fear control you."
The wolf growls as it sit, transforming back into a human. Red stretches out her body, cracking the cramped bones. She stares at her human skin, "you saved me..."
Regina shakes her head, "no. You saved yourself. I just reminded you of what you already knew."
Red smiles at the former Evil Queen, about to reply back, until a sickening laugh snaps their attention.
"Isn't that sweet," King George snorts, pointing the gun at the two women. About to shoot, once again, he drops the gun at the sudden pain.
"The next one is going between your eyes," Granny growls, daring the man to try anything.
"Red!" Charming pushes through the crowd, jogging over to the two brunettes.
"Thank you for finally showing your presences," Regina sarcastically says. "Your timing couldn't be any better.
"Came as fast as we could," Charming answers. "Red?" shocked seeing Red not a wolf.
"Regina helped me gain control again," Red explains.
"How?" Charming looks over to the witch.
Regina rolls her eyes, "not by magic if that's what you were thinking."
Charming lifts his hands in defense and was to remark back but Granny cuts him off. "It doesn't matter when King George is on the run."
"Where did he go?" Charming asks, looking around to find George wasn't anywhere to be found.
Red smells the air, "I know where he is." Looking at Regina, she is silently asking for another favor from the witch.
"I'll free Belle." Regina starts heading out of the alley, heading towards the library.
"Let's go," Charming runs into his car, Red right behind him.
At the beach, Red and Charming find King George standing next to a fire, staring down into the flames as if it's the answer to all of his prayers.
"You think you can hide from a wolf?" Red questions the king. How dumb can he be to think he could run away?
"I wasn't trying to hide," George replies.
"You killed an innocent man," Charming glares at the older man.
"He was a mouse," King George shrugs, like it didn't matter.
"He was better than you'll ever be," Red growls.
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is vengeance, making you pay for you did to me," George speaks. "I just want to see the look on your face when you realize something."
"And what's that?" Charming asks, confused of what the king was talking about.
"That you're never going to see your wife, or your daughter, again."
"What are you talking about?" Fear can be heard in Charming's voice.
"You really should be more cautious with something so valuable," George pulls out Jefferson's hat and tosses it into the fire.
"No!" Charming rushes over to the fire, hoping to save the accessory
"It doesn't matter how much fairy dust you gather, or how much you rally the town behind you. Your family's gone."
Blood boil, seeing only red, Charming punches George in the face, knocking the king to the ground. Pulling his gun and points it down, his finger itches to release the trigger.
"Charming, don't," Red places a hand on the prince's shoulder.
"I told you – you should've killed me when you had the chance," George smirks, knowing he has won this round.
Cursing to himself, Charming lowers his arm. "Damn you."
"We will find another way," Regina promises, hoping her words would calm the prince. "You'll be together with Emma and Snow soon. Just not by the hat."
"Travel between worlds is as hard as it comes. Fairy dust on its own isn't enough. It took an entire curse to get us here in the first place. Without the hat…" Charming trails off, not wanting to say it out loud, afraid of admitting the worst.
"You think I don't know that?" Regina snaps angrily. "But it's not the only way. There has to be another way and I'm going to find it. I will do everything in my power to bring them back, Charming."
"What if you can't?" Charming voices his worst concern. He and Regina has finally been getting along. It's not a huge improvement but it's a slow progress. Slowly he's starting to trust her. Starting believe that she's trying to change, but he doesn't dare bring down his wall.
Regina understood where Charming was coming from. Afraid that they will never be able to bring back Emma and Snow. That they were stuck back in their home land with no way back. She fears it too. Never seeing Emma again drilled a huge hole in her heart. Whoever said that distance and time apart makes the heart fonder should be slapped.
"I'll pay whatever price to bring them back," Regina whispers in promis. Emma was worth it. All the pain and suffering. She's worth it. "Together we will bring them back."
"Together."
Red carefully walks in the library, afraid of confronting Belle. She knew Belle will be piss.
"I see you can control the wolf."
Red swallows and faces her lover. Piss was an understatement. And she couldn't think of a word to describe how angry Belle glared at her.
"I'm sorry," Red quickly apologizes.
"You are sorry?" Belle asks angrily. "For chaining me or not believing in yourself?"
"For both," Red answers. "But mostly for chaining you. I know how much you never wanted to be imprisoned or locked up against your will and I did just that. Your own girlfriend, someone who you trust and love. Someone you never expected to ever do that to you."
"Why would you do it than?"
Red can see the hurt in her lover's blue eyes. How much pain filled the crystal blue eyes that stare at her, wanting answers. "Because I wanted to protect you from me."
"You know that I don't care if you turn into a wolf," Belle argues. "I want you to be free to run when it comes wolftime."
"I know you don't care but I care if I killed you because I can't control myself," Red spits back.
"That's because you don't believe in yourself, Red. If you just believe, you would have been in control," Belle points out. "But no. You let fear take control."
What Belle was saying was saying was true. That no matter how she twists this conversation, Belle win this argument. "I know. And I'm sorry."
"Promise me that we will work out it together, no matter the problem."
"Promise."
