Alice
Red walked into the hospital and set two coffees on the desk as Victor straightened up in his chair. "Coffees six and seven," she said.
"Thank you," he replied, his shoulders sagging with relief. He took a coffee and started chugging it. When he finished, he crumpled the Styrofoam cup and started on the next one.
"Good God, Victor. How much coffee do you need?" Red asked jokingly.
He finished the second coffee, threw the cup away and said, "What I really need is sleep."
"Can't you take time off?"
"I'm not supposed to examine the body, but they want me on hand anyway, and the Charming family is getting into one of their debates about what to do with it, afraid it'll jeopardize the town by its very presence. As if Mr. Mendell isn't enough."
"Well, since you're not allowed to examine the body, do you want to talk some more while we wait?"
"Of course." They walked back to his office, and she took a seat on the sofa. he sat on the chair at his desk, crossed his legs, and leaned back. "I haven't had much time, but when I did, I thought about what you said, especially about starting over. Magic and science was a bit too heady for me today." He made a nervous chuckle, and she smiled. "If you'll let me, I'd like the chance to start over with you."
"What do you call that night on the pier?"
"Oh."
"Hey, it's okay. I'm glad you're taking your chance."
"I'm trying to."
"That's good."
Victor studied Red for a second and then said, "You know, the first color I ever saw was red."
"What kind of world are you from?" she asked, smirking and putting on a face of disbelief at the same time.
"It's a lot like here, but it's black and white and always storming, or I always thought it stormed. Lightning every night."
"You're serious?"
"I'm serious."
"Was Rumpelstiltskin wearing red or something?"
"A red cloak."
"Oh." She smiled. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Does he always dress that strangely?"
"He used to, before the curse, or so I heard."
"So he's famous...in your land."
"Infamous, more like, but yeah. I think you get the idea." Victor nodded, and Red asked, "Was color strange to get used to, if your land was made of black and white?"
"Actually at first it was jarring, but I'm surprised at how quickly I got used to it."
"Cool."
He smiled. "I like it."
She laughed and glanced down. When she looked up again, she asked, "Do you think I'll like your land?"
"Maybe. I could show you around, if you like. If we ever get the chance, of course."
"I think that'd be fun."
He cracked a smile, and the phone on his desk beeped. A voice asked, "Dr. Whale?"
"Yes?" he replied, leaning forward.
"There's a Mrs. Mendell here. She wants to check her husband out and return him to her care."
"I'll be right out." He hung up and looked at Red. "It's Alice."
"What do we do?" she asked.
"I'll allow Mr. Mendell to be checked out-I have no reason to keep him here-but I'll refer the couple to the Bed and Breakfast. I trust there you or someone we can trust will keep an eye on them."
"If I'm not gonna be here to talk to, do you at least want some more coffee?"
"Just don't slip me anything. I don't want to be Mickie Finn'd or anything."
She laughed. "Come on, you trust me, don't you?"
He stood and walked to the door. "I guess I'd better not keep her waiting." He faced her again and added with perfect seriousness, "Yes, I trust you." He turned and walked out of the office.
OUAT
D glanced at the title of the paper and returned to the section she was reading. Besides herself, the only other soul she'd seen out and about was an elderly woman who introduced herself as Widow Lucas, and by then it was ten thirty at night. Then the Mendells walked in with someone she vaguely recognized. The strange woman walked over to her and asked in a whisper, "Do you know those two?"
"Yep," D replied.
"Do you side with them?" D looked up, momentarily surprised. She started to laugh, but she calmed herself down as soon as she realized the other woman was serious. "Takin' that as a no. Can you help me watch them?"
"The Mendells? Hell, I'll bug them, stalk them, cyber-stalk them, whatever you want. All for free."
She smiled. "Thank you."
D smiled in return. "I never did get your name."
"Red."
"Little Red Riding Hood?"
"And the werewolf."
"No surprise there."
"Who are you?"
"D. D Gale, from Kansas."
Red extended her hand, and D shook it. "Thanks again."
"Sure thing."
"Excuse me," Alice said. "Could you show us to our room."
"Yes, of course," Red replied. "This way, please," she said to the Mendells. Greg and Alice nodded. D mentally crossed her fingers behind her back. They ascended the stairs with D following by leaning on the guard rail instead of the crutches. Alice glanced at Greg, who nodded, and she slipped a metal bar out of her sleeve, and D grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and slammed her into the wall. Greg grabbed the fallen metal bar and struck D in the head with it. She tumbled end over end down the stairs. "D," Red called, pushing her way toward the fallen outsider.
Greg turned to her and moved to hit her across the head, as well. Red grabbed the bar, wrenched it out of his hand, pushed him aside and ran down the stairs to where D had fallen. "D, come on, talk to me." She started to shake but remembered Victor advising against it. "Granny," she called over her shoulder. When she looked back again, Greg was coming at her. She gripped the bar even tighter and moved from a squat to a fighting crouch. She looked from D to Greg and back and forth several times.
"She shouldn't have gotten in the way," Greg said.
Granny appeared behind Red, loaded crossbow in hand. "Red, call the cops. Call Whale. Call somebody," she said. "I'll handle this."
Red fished out her phone and called Victor's number. "Yes?" he said.
"Doctor, I've got a problem," Red replied.
"What sort of problem?"
"It's this girl from Kansas, the one with the broken leg."
"Ah, Miss Gale. Do tell me what happened to her."
"Alice pushed her down the stairs. She's unconscious."
"I'm on my way." Red hung up and returned her phone to her pocket. She relayed Victor's words to Granny and looked at Greg and Alice, now standing side by side.
"Is there even a doctor in this town?" Alice asked. "Oh, shit, there is." Red dove for Alice, ready to knock her unconscious or beat her out of her misery, whichever came last. Greg punched her, and she struck him with the crowbar. He came at her again, and Granny fired. Red turned and used Greg as a human shield. The arrow landed in his side, in his lower torso. She hoped it wasn't fatal as she turned to Alice and bashed her face with the metal bar. Alice staggered to the other wall, a hand on her temple. Red couldn't help shooting a glance at the door. Alice clocked her in the nose, and Red responded with a bite faster than Alice could pull back. "Ow, what the hell, bitch?"
"You're damn right," Red replied.
"Honestly, I think she much prefers werewolf," Victor said from the foot of the stairs. He squatted beside D, his elbows resting on his knees. He stood and walked around the medics surrounding her. "She did eat her boyfriend. I'm not sure you want to pick a fight with her. I'd be careful if I were you."
"That a threat?" Alice asked.
"Here's a threat, missy," Red snapped. "Come near any of us again and I'll gut you alive. That goes double for him," she gestured to the doctor, "and me," she gestured to herself. "Got it?" Alice nodded, and Red turned to Greg. "Same goes for you, buster." Greg nodded more vigorously than his wife and started to back up the stairs, one hand in the air in a gesture of surrender and the other over his wound. Red nodded approvingly and turned to Victor. "Take care of her, alright?"
"I will," Victor replied. He turned back to the medics, who'd strapped D to a gurney, and asked after her.
"She'll be fine," a nurse said.
"Excellent."
Red turned to the stairway to find that Alice were already at the head of the stairs. She barked, watched for her reaction, and walked back down the stairs. "Not bad," Granny said to her.
"Thanks," Red replied.
"I'll still watch that young fellow, though."
"I know. I know."