Chapter 2

NOTE: People were interested in seeing me continue this so I decided to do just that. There might be one or two chapters after this. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'm open to them. And I always love to receive reviews.

Strange a thought as it seemed, Storybrooke was his home. At least for now. And he wasn't so sure what he would have to go back to if the magic beans worked and he was allowed to return to his land.

The memories of his old life were all of work. He had lived for nothing else but to perfect his work and bring honor and glory to his family, to make the name Frankenstein stand for greatness. And instead, for all his efforts, he had only brought shame and destruction.

It had been a mercy that he had forgotten all this pain for twenty-eight years, that he had been allowed to start a new life and to fill it with the things he had missed out on back home. He still had his work but it did not consume him completely. He had finally used his skills as a doctor to help people and to save lives. Perhaps not in the prolific way that he had always dreamed of but at least, no one else was dying because of him. But that mercy was at an end and they were now all forced to face the failures of their past.

A large part of him wished that the beans would never grow, that the townspeople would be forced to stay in Storybrooke for a longer time. He knew it was selfish to think so and didn't dare voice his wishes, especially when he saw how everyone else was looking forward to going home. But being here, living his simple life, and spending time with her were all the things he needed to be happy right now. And he didn't want to lose everything again.

"It's because they still believe they have something to go home to," he thought grimly, "whereas there was never much for me there anyway."

"Hey. You okay?"

The doctor's thoughts were interrupted by the dark-haired diner waitress. Ruby held a pot of coffee in front of him and also looked at him in concern. Lately, he was becoming even more thoughtful and reserved and she worried about him.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile and pushed his empty coffee cup towards her for a refill.

"I'm fine," he said, though not very convincingly, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"When don't you?" Ruby teased lightly, "But make sure you're not working too hard, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Leroy and his fellow dwarves. They had just come back from a shift on the bean fields and were eager to have some of Granny's excellent meals. Ruby went to serve them and chatted with the dwarves a little on the progress of their planting. They were all very cheerful and hopeful about the fruits of their labor. Even Leroy managed to smile as he discussed their work.

From his seat, Whale listened to the conversation with a heavy heart. It seemed that things were already put in motion that could no longer be undone. The beans would send them home soon.

After talking some more with the dwarves, Ruby returned to her place by Viktor's side and she immediately noticed the grave expression on his face and she then surmised that this was a result of the bean discussion. She now recalled that he had grown more pensive ever since they had had that conversation about the magic beans bringing them home.

And after some thought about his situation based on the many conversations they had had since that day on the docks, she realized that he was one of the few people who weren't looking forward to returning to his world. There must have really been a lot of crap he wanted to forget, she thought sadly.

"Hey," she said gently, "I know there's some stuff you probably never want to go back to. But if we're given this chance to return to our worlds, maybe you can finally sort everything out, finish what you've started so that you can move on to something better."

Whale looked at her gravely and nodded. He appreciated her sympathy and encouragement but there was more to his dilemma than simply facing his old demons. He didn't want to leave Storybrooke because he wasn't sure that he would ever see her again. But he didn't dare tell her that because he wasn't sure she felt the same way. He didn't want to spoil the joy she felt at the prospect of going home. And yet, now that it seemed like time was running out for them, that soon they would have to leave Storybrooke, he felt that he needed to know.

"Would you," he began nervously, "would you have me go back?"

He didn't dare ask "Would you miss me if I left?" but he knew that she was a smart woman and she would probably pick up on it.

Ruby was taken aback by the question. She didn't expect to have any bearing on his decision to return to his land and it was only then that she began to seriously consider what would happen if he chose to do that. They would part ways, each to his or her world. And considering how difficult it was to find passage to any magical realm, there was a serious chance that once they left, they would never see each other again.

"And how would you feel about that?" a voice inside her whispered. Ruby could not answer immediately, although she felt a strange pang in her chest. She looked at Viktor more seriously and struggled to formulate a good reply. For all her words of advice, when it came to her own feelings, she was tongue-tied.

But she saw that he was waiting anxiously for her to say something.

"I," she began hesitantly before finally saying, "I would want you to do whatever made you happy."

But before Viktor could properly react to this, Ruby was called away, much to her relief, leaving the doctor to ponder on what she had just said.