108Wolfsbane
" And he simply let you go?"
" Yep."
" Just...that way? You can go, bye."
" Yep."
" But...why?"
Ruby shrugged, keeping stirring her tea. It was cold by now. Belle put a hand on hers, stopping the movement.
" Oh. Sorry. I don't know! But he said that I am his. That was creepy. And annoying. And... Ugh!" she cringed.
Belle frowned. Ruby watched her face, listening to herself. With relief she found out that she didn't want to bang her friend anymore. The wolf had finally focused on someone, apparently.
" Well, Rumple is coming here, maybe he knows what it means."
" I hope. If he doesn't, then who can?"
Belle gave her a reassuring smile, rubbing her hand. " My books!" she exclaimed. " If he knows nothing about it, I'll make some researches. I have a full library to go over with a fine toothcomb!" she enthusiastically said, sipping then from her cup.
Ruby snorted shaking her head. " Only you can be so exited to make researches." " I bet that even Rapunzel would be. Oh, wait, you could ask her too! You said that she understood that you... Well, that there are other werewolves in Storybrooke, and that she knows how to deal with you, so maybe she's well informed. Perhaps she knows what to do."
" Mh, maybe. I'll try..." The door suddenly opened, and three step sounds came to Ruby's ears. She turned and watched Rumplestiltskin walk by, politely greeting Granny on the way to their table.
" Miss Lucas, glad to see you again." he said to Red, smiling while putting his attention on Belle, who had stood up and leaned a hand on his chest. They quickly kissed, and then both of them sat down.
Ruby smiled to the man. " Hi. Do you know anything about Steven?"
Rumplestiltskin gave a little chuckle. " Straight to the point, Miss Lucas, I appreciate it! No useless and insincere preambles."
Ruby smirked, and he sneered at her before continuing. " Good then. Steven is the elder of the three brothers. He's the leader of the pack, not because of his age, but because of his strength. Many times the brothers have fought for the leadership, and he has always won. He's a dominant, vindictive bastard."
" Rumple!" Belle cheerfully slapped his arm, and he softly laughed at the thing.
" What? He is."
" So should I be worried that he said that I'm "his"?" Ruby asked, unable to hide the worrying on her face. If Steven was really that strong, she had no chances to defeat him in a fight. She was totally out of practice with fighting, especially in a wolf's form. Plus, she wasn't that dominant.
She never wished for power.
Rumplestiltskin locked gaze with her, a serious expression to harden his features.
" In which context did he said it?"
" I... I was in the woods, and he appeared out of nowhere saying " female, you smell like you wanna fuck me, you're mine, ask your wolf if you don't believe me"... Dammit, I said it loud.
Sorry."
Rumple held a smile. " No problem. I see it must be irritating to feel defenseless." A glimpse of something dark passed through his eyes. Belle crossed her fingers with his on the table, and anything dark on his face immediately faded away.
" I'm not defenseless!" Red grumbled.
The Dark One widely smiled. " Indeed, yet I bet you felt that way with Steven."
Ruby swallowed hard and nodded glancing down. " I think I hate him."
Rumple bursted into laughter. " I think you're just angry for him having shown you your weakness. Anybody would be it."
Red sighed, clenching her teeth. He was damn right, and she hated it. When she locked again gaze with him, a sympathetic smile was curving the Dark One's lips. " So, what do you think? Am I
"his"?" she asked showing all of her rage. Rumplestiltskin sneered.
" You know, dearie, the Three Little Pigs use to play a game when a "female" is around: they wait until she's alone, kidnap her, and then they release her in the forest to hunt her. The first one who finds her owns her, and he has to protect her from his brothers until he convinces her to... accomplish his will. In the meantime, the other two can do anything to impede it from happening. Even kill the girl. So, dearie, after all, you shouldn't worry for being Steven's, and yet, yes, you should even be quite terrorized."
Ruby was speechless. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be real. Were they actually playing with her, with her life? How could they be so pervert?
" ... can we do? There must be something we can do to help her!" Belle was almost crying, grabbing Rumplestiltskin's right arm as a child. He glanced at her, but his attention was on the werewolf.
" I made a deal with them, once. I can never hurt them or help someone to do it. It was their only request, the smartest one someone has ever asked me. I must admit that Finnegan is quite genial in his own way."
" What... what happens to the girl who accomplishes his will?" Red could barely ask, feeling her eyes filled with tears. She saw no escape, she felt lost. Three strong, male, big werewolves against her, a waitress. She was dead.
" I don't know, dearie, I'm sorry. But you could ask him. He won't hurt you from now on, you can be sure. Robert and Finnegan are the ones that you must fear. If you see them, I suggest you to run away as fast as you can."
" And if I never do it? What happens then?"
Rumplestilskin gave her a deadly look. " On the next full moon you'll be their dinner."
Steven leaned against the wall, his eyes closed for the effort of hearing her voice over the others in the diner, a slight smile between his beard. The female was uselessly trying to find a way to escape from him. Silly. His brothers were just on the other side of the road, and she wanted to run away from him. Fortunately the man was making her reason, or he'd lose her. And he never lost.
Regina huffed putting the umpteenth pile of papers together and then in the dark-grey binder. She lifted it with an irritated puff and put it in the archive, slamming then the metallic door. " I shouldn't even be here..." she mumbled, sighing. But Belle's total ineptitude was astounding. The office was a disaster! Yet she was a librarian, she thought that she was a tidy person! She was evidently wrong, however. Regina went there with the only purpose to talk to her, and instead she had passed the last two hours trying to put the empty office in order, and still the results weren't exactly satisfying, partly because of the total chaos Miss French had left the place in, partly because, she had to admit it, she was distracted. The town had to be run by someone who was up to it, so not Belle, it was evident, but nowadays that office meant nothing to her. Snow was selfdestructing, she didn't need to be more powerful than her anymore. She just wanted to spend time with her son. And with her. Shaya's face was pleasingly haunting her mind, suddenly appearing while she was writing a note, putting the thousandth paper in the folder, or opening a letter. She was always there, as a reassuring, warming presence. And, sometimes, she couldn't help but feel that intense, burning desire for her, and it totally blew her mind. In her whole life, she had never felt that sensation for a woman, never! But still, as those deep blue eyes blinked in her mind, she just wanted to go home and smash her against the damn white wall and rip her clothes off. But, no, she had to do Miss French's job. Regina clenched her teeth. Her gaze flew around in the empty office, falling on the clock on the wall. Almost half past ten. She gave the clock a devilish smile. In less than two hours she'd have been free. She had to eat anyway, didn't she?
" Wolfsbane!" Belle screamed, making everyone startle in the library.
" What?" Archie asked locking gaze with her and settling his glasses on his nose. He closed the book he was reading and went next to her, glancing at the book she was holding.
" She can kill them with it! Wolfsbane." Belle repeated with a wild smile on her face.
" It's... It's poisonous, as long as I..."
" Yyyeees! Exactly! And it kills werewolves!" She suddenly closed the book and run away screaming " Follow me, Archie!"
The therapist, though a little confused, left the book on the table and ran out of the library to reach the girl.
" Belle, where are we going?" he screamed. She was a few meters away from him, but she ran faster than he did, so she was quickly distancing even more.
" Snow's!"
" Couldn't... Couldn't we take the car?" he panted.
" Nope! This way's quicker!"
Someone furiously knocked at her door. Snow ran and fastly opened it, but there wasn't her husband in front of her. Belle rushed inside her apartment blabbing about plants and werewolves, and the sweated, panting psychiatrist awkwardly smiled at her, adjusting the glasses on his nose. " Hey, Snow, is it all fine?" he asked frowning, still standing outside the apartment. Snow White weakly nodded while glancing down. She had to clear her throat before speaking.
" Yes, but I was... Going out, so you two should..." she muttered. Belle suddenly stopped talking.
She went back, approached the other woman and tried to look her in the eyes without success, as
Snow was obstinately looking at the floor.
" Whoa, hey, what happened?" The librarian tried to lean a hand on her shoulder, but Snow avoided her, swallowing hard then.
" Get out." she almost growled.
Archie and Belle shared a perplexed gaze. Snow's irritation grew a little more. She opened more the door and waved her hand as to show them the way out. Belle hesitantly walked out the door, and, before she could say a word, Snow slammed it.
She then leaned on it, listening to their muted voices. She could breath again only when she heard their steps fade away with the distance. Burning tears wept her face again while the desperation of the absolute nothing that she was feeling filled again her mind, crunching her stomach.
" Shaya? I'm home." Regina said out loud while shutting the door behind her. The sound of the TV came to her ears as a lonely answer. She left her jacket on a peg and walked in the living room. Shaya was on the sofa, totally concentrated on the TV, the remote in her hand.
Regina pressed her lips in an involuntary smile and crossed her arms while observing the warrior.
" Shaya."
" Mh?" the blonde muttered, big eyes fixed on the device.
Regina frowned. Seriously?
The former queen stepped forward, moving beside the sofa. Shaya barely glanced at her. She instead pointed at the TV with a finger.
" W-why do you keep those sprites in that box? I tried to free them, but that glass impeded me to, and they can't even hear me... And what is this?" she asked with her eyes wide opened, showing her the remote. " If I push these soft things, it makes them disappear, and appear others, different ones. It makes the realms change! W-what is this, Regina?"
The brunette had to make a great effort to not burst into laughter. She instead sat beside the other woman and took the remote from her hands.
" Those are not sprites, dear." she explained, shutting the tv off. " Those are people, just like us. They're actors, they play a part in a show, and someone films them, which means that they have a device that captures images, as a painter would do, but many images, one after the other, so that they become a movie. It's like the projection of a memory. You know, when you remember about something, and you see it happening in your mind? Well, that is similar, just it happens in that box, which is called television, TV. Is it clear?"
Shaya was still staring at her, wide-eyed. She nodded, but then pointed at the remote with a nod.
" I guess. And that one?"
" This is the remote control. There are many channels, that are not realms, but just... Hufff, this is hard... Let's say that it's like when you close a book and open another. It's shows you a different story, but you can even go back and watch the previous one."
" Uh." Shaya alternated glances between Regina and the TV. In the end she sighed, leaning on the back of the sofa. " I think I understood. Yet it is weird." she murmured, evidently still thinking about it.
Regina sympathetically smiled at her. " I know, but, don't worry, you'll get used to such things.
You just need time to learn."
Shaya gazed at her, giving her a little smile. " I feel stupid. I'm used to know more than the others do. Here I know nothing."
Regina dropped the remote and took her hand, rubbing it with her thumb, smiling to the woman she knew she loved. " I thought you were a curious person."
" I am, but the amount of things that I have to learn..." the warrior shrugged, sighing in resignation.
Regina shook her head with a smile, plucked up her courage and moved. She quickly turned towards Rapunzel, lifted her left leg and put it beyond the woman, the right one on her other side. She felt her dress lift over her thighs during the movement. Her hands were at the sides of Shaya's amazed face, laid on the back of the sofa. Regina leaned forward, above Rapunzel's face, her hair cornering them as dark curtains.
" Regina..." the warrior whispered, her hands shyly touching her waist, sending light shivers through her skin, under the dress. The brunette slightly smiled locking gaze with her, and put her forefinger on her lips. " Shush." she whispered, slowly sliding her finger down over Shaya's chin, then on the soft skin of her throat, feeling her shiver under her body. She continued, sliding over her chest, slowing down while passing between her breasts, and finally stopping against the first button of the skirt. Regina undid it, then passed to the second, slightly touching the bare skin under the fabric, feeling her heartbeat accelerate with Shaya's.
The warrior's hands lowered on her hips, then slipped on her thighs, at first over the fabric, then sliding under it.
Regina's breath accelerated as she also let her hands really touch Shaya's body, rubbing against her thin waist, following the soft lines of her tensed abdominals, up towards her chest when the blonde suddenly kissed her, making her moan in surprise, grabbing her buttocks when she did and so making Regina moan again.
The brunette lifted her hands, finally reaching the silky skin of Shaya's breasts, cupping them in her hands, felling the wonderful softness of their weight, and the beautiful toughness of her nipples.
The warrior gave an almost desperate groan and kissed her harder, now pulling Regina's panties, stretching them while she made them slid across her thighs.
Shaya's hand was going back over her inner thigh, making her tense and shiver, when the doorbell rang.
The women paralyzed, breaking the kiss, locking gaze.
The doorbell rang again.
Regina leaned her forehead against Shaya's with an exasperated sigh, shutting her eyes.
" Go away, son of a bitch, go away..." she whispered, making Shaya stifle a laughter.
The doorbell rang again, twice, and four knocks added to its annoying sound.
" Rapunzel are you in?"
Miss French's voice invaded the house even though the door was closed. Regina opened her eyes, one eyebrow arched. She was really beginning to hate that woman.
" Is there something I should know?" she asked, pretending to be suspicious.
Shaya burst into a contained laughter.
" Gimme a minute!" she yelled before answering." Aye, you should know that I'm irremediably attracted to Belle, so I invited her in your house in order to fuck her in your bed, making her scream my name so loud that I wouldn't have had to invent a ridicule excuse in the awkward situation that would have derived from your coming back home earlier, finding so my face between the librarian's thighs." Shaya said giving her a cheeky grin.
The amusement that the former queen was feeling was somehow mixed with a hint of jealousy, although she knew that Shaya was just kidding, that she would have never betrayed her. Regina gnashed and took her face in her hand, pressing her finger against the fair skin.
" I'm gonna kill you." she snarled before giving her a quick kiss, causing her chuckle. Regina moved and stood up, straightening her clothes. She had to find a distraction, or she'd have just begun undressing the warrior again.
The blonde was buttoning up again her skirt while walking towards the door. Regina followed her, tidying her hair. When Shaya opened the door, she was still doing up the last button.
" Hi, Belle." she muttered, finally locking gaze with the girl.
The librarian looked at her, then at Regina, who gave her a tight smile, then at Rapunzel again.
" Did I interrupt something?" she awkwardly asked.
Regina stepped forward, standing beside the blonde. " Indeed, Miss French. " she said in irritation before that Shaya could answer. Regina saw her glance at her in astonishment, but Belle's wild blushing had caught the brunette's attention.
" Oh, ehm, I'm sorry, but I need help."
" What happened?" Rapunzel instantly asked. Regina innerly smiled, wondering if there was someone she wouldn't immediately help.
" It's about Red, she's in peril. Do you know about the Three Little Pigs?"
Regina felt the blood flush away from her face. Of course she knew. She knew every single danger of her kingdom, and those three werewolves most surely were one of them. She turned to watch Shaya, and she met her worried gaze.
" I don't." she said." But, judging from your faces, they're a not so pleasing company."
Regina sighed while moving to let Belle in. She locked the door as she entered the mansion.
" They're fierce beasts. Three brothers, werewolves, concerned only with their struggle for power. A pack of three leaders. I sincerely don't know how they're still alive." the brunette explained, alternating her gaze between the two women.
Belle nodded. " Have you ever met them?"
Regina swallowed glancing down. Their memory still made her shiver. She had shown no fear with them, but inside she had been terrorized by the trio. " Yes. We made a deal, an allegiance."
Shaya's right eyebrow lifted. " You?"
Regina held a smile. " I had no choice. The Slayer was hunting them, so they found refuge in my forest. When my soldiers found them, they massacred them, and then they introduced in my palace. We fought, but I was alone, and they... Well, they're the Three Little Pigs. Despite the name, they could destroy an entire army in one evening. They threatened to massacre the whole people, and obviously to kill me, an my father. I even thought about it. I mean, if they'd killed everyone, even Snow White would have died, but I wouldn't have been there to see it. Plus, I didn't want them to massacre the people, and more than anyone my father." Regina had to pause, overwhelmed by his memory, by what she had done to him. Shaya's fingers crossed with hers, washing away a bit of the pain she was feeling, making her able to continue. She gave her a grateful, tensed smile, then went on. " They were strong, almost invincible. Almost. They couldn't kill the Slayer, as she was protected by magic, a spell that impeded them to harm her. So they needed a witch. I offered them my protection and a part of the forest in exchange for their promise that no harm would have been done to me, my father or any inhabitant of my kingdom. They accepted, and that's the only reason why I'm still alive." she concluded with a bitter smile. She hated to feel helpless.
Belle was green on her face. She looked about to vomit. " Well, Steven, the older one, is now protecting Ruby from his brothers, and it's okay because he's the stronger one, but he'll protect her only until the next full moon. Then they'll kill her, if she doesn't... mate with him. Or so Rumple said, but I'm afraid that they'll kill her the same, even if she does. "
" Who was this Slayer?" Shaya asked to Regina, as ignoring Belle. Her stare was icy, sharp, as if she was planning to kill someone. She probably was.
Regina sneered. " Who is. Do you really think that I'd have killed my only possibility to survive to an attack of them? I just imprisoned her." " Is she here?" Belle astonishingly asked.
" Yes." Regina grinned.
" Who is she?" Rapunzel asked again.
Regina locked gaze with her. " Her name's Cruella. Cruella de Vil."