I dedicate this story to Amanda. She loved this series as i did and frequently would complain that Telltale kept making other games then focusing on, "the best game ever." Its only fitting that i started writing this before i lost her and I finally competed it after she was gone. She was my Snow and me, just a lost little wolf, too big and bad for a world without her in it.
D Wire,
He watched the small light glow softly as he slowly took a deep intake of breath, his lungs slowly filling warming him to the core. He waited for a moment, closing his eyes and leaning back further in his chair as he tried to relax. It didn't work. He released his held breath watching as smoke slowly rose from his mouth and floated away from him. He took in another breath this time through his nose, hoping it would be gone, but it was still there. He could smell the stale and dry tobacco of the huff and puff between his lips and the stench of the room around him but it was still there, gently gracing the edges of his senses, not quite there but not undetectable. It wasn't working. He could still smell her.
There was a time when he had found her scent welcoming, had even enjoyed the encounters he had had with its owner, no matter how brief, but today just like every day since the Crooked Man's death, had filled him with something he was having a hard time placing.
How had things gotten this way he asked himself over and over again and could only come to one conclusion. It was the choices, no matter how routine, no matter how harmless, that had led him to this point and oddly enough it was the one decision that hadn't been a choice at all to him that came back to haunt him.
She looked at him differently and if it had been, so simple as avoiding her glance to alleviate this pain it would have been unproblematic but even now, amongst the filth and clutter he called home. In all his isolation, he could still detect her stench. It ran through the building of the woodland luxury apartments and assaulted his senses to the very point that she might as well have been standing before him.
He could see it in his mind, that strong presence she seemed to radiate from her being as she leaned over her work, the dark raven black hair that hung to either side relaxing at the new found freedom from the typical bun it had been tied into, Her crystal blue eyes ever serious browsing through document after document as she fought to find a way to make things better but her physical expressions were a stark contrast to her actual feelings. He could always sense the small bit of anxiety welling up inside her and he knew she was thinking of him
Normally such things were inconsequential to him and he hardly cared what others thought but with her since the day they had first met it had been different.
He could still remember everything down to the smallest detail. The brisk could wind ruffling through his fur. The breath increasing in pace till his heart slammed inside him like drums, even the way each singular blade of grass shifted around his paws and in between each knuckle. He could feel the moon hanging high above him and had shown fully with a rustic gleam that's tint echoed with a promise of blood to come.
He moved swiftly through the night easily slaughtering the Adversary's forces, his powerful jaws shredding the frail bodies into nothing but dust as he made his way through tent after tent. He felt the fear, the terror of each foe as he hunted them down one by one as they tried so desperately to hide themselves from him, stuffing their reeking bodies into whatever space could hold them.
He couldn't help but chuckle slightly whenever they would let out a sigh of relief as their breaths released after moments of pure terror as they tried desperately to hide their presence from him. Just when they thought they were alone, just when it seemed like they had dodged certain death he would snatch them up ripping them to shreds, pieces of them flying everywhere. In this onslaught against the enemy was how he had first met Snow White.
She was the first to react out of the many prisoners that had been rounded up by the Advisary's forces and had done so in a display that had been as much of a surprise to him today as it was back then. She picked up a sword from the nearest body and drew the steel against him.
He remembered laughing at this barely twenty year old woman with one solid piece of iron between him, her, and so many others.
"Stay Back," she had gasped, less of a plea and more of a demand as her knuckles and fingers grew white as she tightened her grip on the hilt of the sword.
To this day he didn't know what drew him to do so but in the first time in many long years since he had dealt with the young girl in the red hood and her knight in shabby armor, he spoke.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he boomed but he watched as something unexpected happened. She didn't move, didn't even flinch as she stood perfectly between him, the small red head, and the group of people behind her.
"I must taste of you and the other," he had said to the woman before him his eyes never leaving her fierce gaze. "So I know that you are not one of them."
He had expected defiance even resentment but was shocked as she placed her arm out before him. His eyes widened but soon snapped out of his stupor as he moved forward and placed his razor sharp teeth on either edge of her skin. His jaws gently flexed so that either canine barely pierced her flawless, porcelain skin and the smallest, most minute amount of dark crimson blood ran across his tongue and through such a small thing he had latched on.
He had always wondered why his mother cared so much for his father, The North Wind, could never grasp why she still wanted to be with him even after he had left him and his siblings when he was still a pup but now it was different.
No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did he could still sense her. The almost endless amount of Huff and Puffs he continued to smoke every second of every day succeeded to block out the everyday and average amount of distractions that living in this city brought a beast like him but when it came to her, she seemed to bombard his senses like she took priory over everything else. She was the first thing he felt when he woke up and was the last thing he sensed before he slept.
How idiotic this would seem to anyone else. The Big Bad Wolf had fallen for the fairest of them all. He couldn't help but let a small smile form on his face as he let out a low gravely chuckle. It would have been funnier if he didn't feel so pathetic about it.
He reached for the cold glass next to him condensation having gathered and begun to drip after nearly half an hour of neglect. He took a large swallow downing the liquid and finishing its contents.
It wasn't working. He could still feel it and while before her presence to his senses had been but a mere distraction at best had now graduated to the equivalent of that sound you would hear in the dead of night just as you would barely reached the threshold of unconsciousness, only to snap you wide awake.
He wished he had never met her.
And all this had occurred due to one thing, a decision but again like he had stated before to anyone who would have cared to ask, wasn't even a choice or hadn't seemed like one at the time.
He had killed Tweedledum Dum. Not out of pride or even for the satisfaction of the kill, like he would have in the old days. He had done it for her, the same woman who had stared him down so many years ago and only for her preservation even at his own death. Because that was what he had been facing. Death.
He could still feel every buck shot that had entered him that day that had forced him to the ground sending spurt after spurt of flesh blood flying out about him. He had closed his eyes for what he had thought to have been the last time but he heard it, her voice softly whispering.
"Bigby…"
It drove the energy back into his body as he slowly stood up his anger quickly taking over only one thought in his mind. That if he died here and now without stopping the three people before him that they would kill her. It was this thought that gave him the strength to move forward awakening that ancient strength inside of him that he had fought to hold back for years.
He rushed forward throwing a heavy dumpster their way knocking the Tweedle's off balance and halting their fire. He smacked Dum's gun out of his face dodging a blast from the barrel as he grabbed him and repeatedly bashed him against the wall, each strike becoming more and more powerful. It wasn't till he felt a fresh scatter of buck shot that he threw Dum to the ground and lunged at Dee, picking the oaf off of his feet and throwing him across the alley and towards Bloody Marry
He felt Dum's presence and knew he had to end it before Snow or anyone else got hurt. He slapped the shotgun out of his hand and plunged his claws back into his chest, shoving him against the wall as he lifted him up higher.
"Fuck… You…," Dum groaned through gritted teeth but was cut off as the beast before him wrapped his claws around either side of his throat.
He pulled quickly ripping out Dum's entire neck and dropped him to the floor, blood running out from the body and slowly collected at his feet.
It was the sharp intake of breath behind him that forced him to stop. He didn't have to turn around. He could sense her emotions from here, Fear. He turned his gaze towards Snow, his eye's locking with hers, confirming what he had already known. She was afraid and that fear weighed, hit him harder than anything else that night…
Not even the bullet to the back he received shortly after.
…
And that's how it had been ever since.
Before, Bigby had never cared if he was thought of as a monster, that fear helped him get the job done but since his encounter with Faith and his close workings with Snow he had changed. Collin had been right.
"Life is easier with friends, Bigby, and we live a long fuckin' time. I know you like this whole Lone Wolf thing you got going for yourself, but I've seen the way you look at Snow."
But none of that changed what was happening now. Snow was avoiding him and when the time came when they were forced to see each other for work he could still feel that fear and distrust resonating from her. Even now he could sense it in the confines of his room. He couldn't do this anymore just sitting here and wallowing any more so he dropped his cigarette to the floor, rubbing it out as he ground his shoe against what was left of the tobacco.
He needed some fresh air.
He didn't even bother locking up the apartment as he walked out of the apartment. Each step echoed through the hallways of the Woodlands Luxury apartments as he made his way towards the elevator. He thumbed the button and waited till the doors opened revealing both Beauty and Beast inside.
He watched as they both took a sharp intake of breath and he couldn't help but shake his head and smile. They nervously moved past him as he walked between the two a small smirk on his face.
"Night…," he said with a small chuckle as the doors closed in front of him, separating him from the two.
…
The elevator hitched and slowed as it came to a steady stop. The doors slowly parted and he began his slow trudge
He looked at the blank spot on the directory board where his room number was and the empty space where his name should have been.
He let out a deep sigh. It had fallen again. It had become a part of his routine, a continuous cycle just like everything else in his life.
He wanted something different. He didn't know what just yet but knew that things could not continue the way they were. Maybe that was what made him drop the thin piece of paper with his name on it, watched it slowly slip through his fingers as it delicately sailed to the floor.
He was tired of the continuous cycle and walked through the doors in search of something new.
…
He wandered the streets walking slowly as he pulled another cigarette from the small box and lit up. The journey for something new was under way and the irony was that in his journey for something different he found himself in front of the Trip Trap.
How many times had he come here before? He remembered a quote from Albert Einstein. Something about expecting different outcome from the same experiment being insanity. Maybe he was crazy then.
He walked through the door and as with most cases the crowd seemed to freeze. He felt their eyes on him burning a hole in him as they watched, waiting for something.
"I'm just here for a drink…"
The patrons quickly returned to what they were doing as he made his way towards the front of the bar.
"Whiskey… Double…"
"Looks like you are coming to the party late…"
He looked next to him his eyes gracing the dark haired woman next to him. She a plain black dress her pale porcelain like skin glowed eerily as her eyes shown jade as if enhanced by some deep force.
"Maleficent…," he said with a small nod as he took a small gulp from the drink in front of him.
"How is the night treating you," she asked tossing back what was left of the glass in her hand. "Still gathering a crowd I see."
"I don't control how they act."
She laughed. "Oh of course not… another drink please,"she yelped.
"Of course, Ma am," the bartender said his hands shaking nervously as he poured the drink. Maleficent looked at him with a playful smile. The Bartender moved quickly put the drink down and walked away.
She laughed. "You see that, I don't control how they feel but its still my fault…," she said her smile slowly leaving. "Hell got the damn sheriff next to me and they're still afraid I'll hurt them, doesn't matter how much good I do."
"I know..."
Her gaze circled her glass as she wished the drink making small circles as its contents swirled about.
"When did we become the good guys Bigby," She asked him her dark hair parting to either sides as she took another drink from her glass. "I mean I am now a thirteenth floor witch and you… You're the Sheriff. "When did things get so fucked that the Big Bad Wolf needed to be the peace keeper and Maleficent the "mistress of evil"," she snorted trying not to laugh. "Was a good witch."
He felt anger rush through him momentarily as he gulped down what was left of his glass. "Double," he said without drifting his gaze away.
The bartender filled it up right away without question.
"Not to put you down and all. I guess the point is that this is the beauty of this place. The royals lost their "happily ever afters" and the people like you and me, we finally have a choice to have more… to be… more. We get to be happy for once."
"Are you happy," he asked.
"I could be, with a little company…," She said slightly and a small bit of longing and desire shown in her eyes. He noticed the way the sleeve of her dress hung to one side, the small hitch in her breathe, he literally could smell the attraction and knew that it was primal and hungry.
Bigby sat for a second staring at the glass till he stood up swallowing what was left of the contents and slamming the fragile container back down. He placed sixty bucks on the table and waked away before speaking. "The change goes to pay for her bill."
She looked shocked and slightly disappointed then she stopped and laughed. Malefficent smiled, "When did you experience true love, wolf…."
He froze for a moment and sent a lone anger filled eye towards her. "Never…"
"You can't lie to a witch, darling. We always know."
…
He walked home the slight bit of alcohol he had consumed buzzing in his mind but soon that too went away. Damn Mundy's kept his recovery too high. Why did he have such a resilience? With snow he understood. She was everywhere, just had a movie made if his knowledge served correct. But him? What was he? He was sure he was the per-modern day equivalent of a pedophile. Don't talk to strangers or the Big Bad Wolf will snatch you up…
And what was she… Work hard and someday your prince will come. The whole concept made him want to gag. Like some handsome prince charming would come in and sweep the damsels off their feet. Issue was they never told you that it was always the same guy. He had met Prince Charming and he was a prick… and that was putting it lightly.
He walked through the front door of the Wood Land luxury apartments walking past the security guard who seemed to be asleep just like he always was.
Bigby thumbed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive. His gaze drifted down His name visable on the piece of paper from the office board. The elevator finally dinged, the doors opening as he shuffled inside resting his back against the wall.
He leaned his head back, closing his eyes the small smirk still on his face but soon it began to disappear. 'No,' he thought his eyes bursting wide open as he rushed forward and continuously rammed the third floor button in a desperate attempt to avoid what he knew was coming. The elevator doors stopped closing forcing him to cough out an inaudible, "fuck…" as they parted again.
She was wearing her darker suit, the same one she had worn just after he had gotten hurt.
She barely noticed him at first, her face buried deep into the stack of papers but once she started to move forward she looked up her eyes locking briefly on his. He saw it flash subtly before her eyes that bit of shock, even though she was fairly good at keeping her physical expressions in check.
"Evening Bigby…"
Most people wouldn't have been able to tell there was anything wrong with her but he could feel it resonating off of her. Worry, nervousness, even disappointment, he felt it all.
"Snow," he said giving a small nod. Her perfume washed over him and he squinted under the pressure. He thumbed the ground button again. He prayed the stupid machine would hurry up and wondered why he hadn't taken the stairs.
It was too much her scent her feelings he was drowning under them, he was suffocating. He reached into his pocket pulling out the box of huff and puffs and opened it. He stared at the empty space inside the box and cursed crumpling the box in his hand.
"You OK?"
Her voice was soft, soothing, it brought calm momentarily to his mind for just a second.
"I'm fine, just out of smokes."
"Well I have these," she said digging through her bag and pulling out a small box of cigarettes. "You left them in my office after the magic mirror incident."
He couldn't help but smile taking the pack and drawing a cigarette from it. He placed the small rolled bundle of tobacco between his lips and held it there savoring the taste.
"You're not going to light up?"
"We are in an elevator."
She smiled slightly. "Then how about we go outside."
He shot her a strange look.
He walked along beside her the two of them heading out to the roof not before she dropped off her folders.
He breathed for a second lighting the cigar between his lips. As they both looked out at the night sky.
"You know it's funny but I like that smell…," She said in a slight daze but quickly pulled herself from it. "Not the tobacco I mean but… When we were working together during those awful murder cases, I used to always smell those on you. And… the truth was I liked it… I felt safe…"
He looked softly at her, conflicted
"Why did you want me to do this job Snow," he said calmly between breaths as he waited for a response. Time seemed to stretch on as he sat there.
"Do you remember when we first met," she asked him plainly.
"Of course…"
"You saved us…," she whispered. "We had been captured and we would have died if you hadn't done what you did."
She looked towards him waiting for a response.
"Not how I remember it… You saved them not me," he said. Exhaling and watching as a small puff of smoke drifted through the night. "you didn't need me then, sure don't need me for this job. Someone else could have done it, someone better, someone people aren't afraid of."
"When we first met I was still a child but I knew what danger I was facing. That you could have easily killed everyone… but you didn't," she said a small smile growing ever wider as she stuck out her hand towards him.
He knew what she wanted and passed her the cigarette between his fingers.
"You do things I can't… things I don't agree with even though they were necessary. Like how you killed Dum," she said not looking him in the eyes. "Just tell me what were you thinking, why?" She waited for the longest time and just when she was about to turn away convinced she wouldn't get an answer he spoke.
"I thought I was going to die," Bigby said a small scowl on his face. "And if I didn't stop them you would too. I couldn't let you die, these Fables need you, you are the only one in this town who cares and tries to help everyone. Without you we'd all be lost."
She gazed up at him shocked for a moment but regained her composure.
She took the small thing between her lips and drew in a short breath, inhaling the fumes and releasing it just as quickly. "You're not as bad as everyone says you are, Bigby," She said giving the bud back to him. "Not as bad as you let yourself believe…" She walked away, leaving the Big Bad Wolf sitting there in complete silence.
He couldn't help but smile. 'Maybe I'm not,' he allowed himself to think before dropping the cigarette to the floor and snuffing out the flame beneath his heel.