Chapter Summary

She should be terrified, after seeing what she did. It says something she'd rather not think about that instead, she feels protected. Canon-Divergent/AU

Notes

Well. I did say I'd potentially write about what happened to the burglars…felt like I should keep that promise. Just remember, Ruby's a very light sleeper at the best of times, hah.
TW: Violence, Gore, Murder

Ruby was used to hearing odd noises at night. The creaking of floor boards, the groans of a settling foundation, the shattering of glass…..

Wait.

That last one was very out of place, her eyes snapping open as she listened in carefully. Perhaps it was her mystery housemate dropping something in the kitchen- that would be harmless, nothing to worry about.

Then she hears the sound of wood as it's pushed to a breaking limit, and she knows this isn't harmless.

Throwing off her blankets, she doesn't even think of calling the police- it's unlikely they'd arrive anytime soon, if they even came at all. Instead, Ruby does the first thing she can think of- she slips down the hall to Brahms's room, scooping the doll up into her arms.

"I know it's against the rules, doudou, but we need to leave for a bit. It won't be safe to stay for now." She's barely speaking above a whisper, hesitating as she moves to one of the inner walls before knocking three times.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but we need to go. Someone's breaking in and I doubt that they have good intentions." Her voice is a little louder, in hopes of being understood.

There comes no answer, no way to be certain. Regardless, she can't stick around to find out, carefully moving to the door to check the hall.

Her plan is to get to the closest exit and out into the woods- she should, hopefully, be able to hide out there with Brahms if she's not spotted or heard.

She failed to account for the fact that in an old house, there's bound to be creaky stairs.

It wasn't the stairs that got her caught, not really.

It was her decision when she heard the intruders call attention to the creaking sound to simply bolt down the rest and head for the front door that was. The moment her feet hit the hardwood, they slid out from under her, and she was barely able to grab the banister in time to keep from falling.

The delay allowed them to catch up to her, one quickly grabbing her arm and yanking her close enough to grab a fistful of her hair- a downside to her braid, she realizes belatedly- while the other one yanks Brahms from her.

She clenched her teeth in defiance of their questions, spitting out an answer deeming the doll to be a sentimental item and nothing more, when they demanded to know why she was trying to leave with it.

At the very least, it wouldn't prompt them to take it.

Unfortunately, neither seemed to believe her, the burglar holding the doll having tossed it in the air, seemingly enjoying the flash of panic in her eyes before he barely caught its leg.

Not long after giving a look to his companion, the man walked off, only for the second one to follow, yanking her hair hard enough to cause her to lose her balance. The slippery socks deny her purchase as she's dragged abruptly down the hall.

Clearly she was going with them for now, whether or not she wanted to.

Ruby nearly laughs when they demand that she tell them where the valuables are, having searched most of the downstairs area and ending up in the billiards room.

How was she to know? Ruby wasn't the owner, she was the hired help. If there were valuable items currently at the house, they were hidden from her too.

They didn't like that, nor did they enjoy her white lie about being a house sitter and maid. The man with a grip on Ruby's hair attempted to yank her to her feet, only to end up with a fistful of torn-out hair and her tie, shaking the strands off to try and grab her arm instead.

Ruby barely registers the stinging of her scalp and the man's bruising grip before the other burglar grows angry, and she only has a moment to register what he's planning.

A shout of No! barely leaves her lips, and the man pulls back, throwing the doll to the ground beside her.

The porcelain head shatters.

Of all the things he could have done- this is the thing that makes it feel like she's been stabbed in the heart.

There isn't time to process what had happened, though. Barely a moment later, the walls themselves seem to shake, banging sound reverberating along a path, starting upstairs and moving downward. Overhead, the house lights begin flickering moments before the banging stops, the final sounds coming directly from behind the mirror.

Ever-so-foolishly, the burglar standing above her directs the other to the mirror- time seems to slow as the man approaches, all but pressing his face to the glass… and then it explodes.

The man holding her arm lets her go in shock, and Ruby takes the chance to scramble away, grabbing a pool cue to use in case he comes after her. It's not the sturdiest, and she knows it likely won't do much damage, but holding it makes her feel just a little safer.

What happens next conjures memories of spirits being trapped in mirrors- after all, much like a spirit, the man she's grown aware of emerges from the walls, a mask hiding his expression and a pipe from somewhere in the walls in his hands.

The thought crosses her mind that somewhere, there might be flooding-which leads to rot and mold, and all kinds of badness. But hopefully not.

She's sure he's smarter than that.

The first burglar is already downed, glass in his face and throat from his proximity to the mirror. All the figure had to do was rip one of the neck pieces out, the burglar gurgling on his own blood.

Ruby springs back when the burglar closest to her realizes what's happening, barely managing to escape his reach as she raises the pool cue in a swing. Doing so has the unintended effect of allowing the taller man to sneak up on him, whacking him brutally across the head with the pipe and knocking him to the ground.

But the man from the mirror doesn't stop there.

He doesn't stop swinging the pipe until the criminal's head is a mess of shattered bone and splattered brain matter, conjuring the mental image of ground beef.

And then, he looks at her, blood strewn across his mask and chest, strong hands dipped in crimson.

But even then, Ruby is not scared. She gently sets the pool cue down, never letting her eyes leave those of the man who saved her, as he advances.

"...Brahms?"