5. Perspective

Despite it postponing his date with Liza, Victor was pleased to have the hospital bustling again. His staff could be uneasy around him all they liked; he still remained the only person in the entire town who was an actual doctor. No amount of cursed memories could substitute real experience. It did annoy him a little that they all still referred to him as "Doctor Whale", but maybe that was easier for them than using his real name. Anyway, he never really had a problem with people calling him whatever they wanted.

Victor was just glad that in his rampage, the giant managed to not hit the hospital. So far all of the admitted injuries weren't too severe, but still, Victor liked having his equipment intact just in case.

Unsurprisingly, Greg Mendel popped his head out to investigate the commotion. Victor wished he could just send the guy on his way, but no doctor would release a patient so soon after surgery. After gently ushuring Mendel back into his room, Victor decided this was a good time to check in on his other patients.

"Is everything all right, Doctor Frankenstein?" Belle asked him.

"Yeah, just a giant tearing through the town. David and Mary Margaret took care of it."

When Liza told him that Belle was being sedated, he was furious. He would've turned the nurse responsible over to Gold right then if the man hadn't been out of town. It was even worse when he discovered the psych ward and the fact that Belle had been in his hospital throughout the curse without his knowledge. The giant's rampage was a welcome distraction from the emotions that realization brought up.

"Anything I can do to help?" Belle wondered.

"Sure. You can help admit patients. If the injury is bad enough, grab a nurse." She nodded and headed off. She seemed happy to do something active. It wasn't much, but giving her that was all Victor could think to do for her at the moment.

Every time someone new came through the doors, Victor eagerly looked to see if it was Liza. He wasn't expecting her to be among the injured, but he did think she would be there helping them through the door. So far she hadn't appeared and he knew that meant she was running around town. Probably checking for people buried under debris.

A part of him didn't want to leave when his shift ended. But then he thought of Liza and decided a break was in order. Process of elimination brought him to the diner. She was there, of course, along with a few patrons taking advantage of the food. She caught his eyes and lit up, pushing her way through to greet him.

"Long day?" he guessed.

"Nah, I'd say this is pretty standard stuff." She reached out to squeeze his hand. "You get used to it, being the best friend of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"And I thought the Lollipop Guild was bad," he remarked. She thought he was making a joke; he would have to tell her that story later. Hopefully during their date in his lab. "Are you busy right now?" he wondered.

Liza pursed her lips, scanning the diner. "I can steal away for a while," she decided. Victor brightened and, hands linked, the two left the diner.

The town just finished repairing itself after the wraith attacks and now it was wrecked again. It could probably be easily resolved by magic, but that always came with a price. Better to not risk the quick fix biting them in the ass.

"How's your lab going?" Liza asked him after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Just about done. This whole giant thing delayed me a little."

"You get used to that, too," she assured him. "Things will calm down once we stop Regina."

"I know what it's like to want desperately for your parent's approval," he mentioned, "and being willing to do what it took to get it. I don't think you should all be so focused on stopping her. It might just make things worse."

"Weren't you the one leading an angry mob to kill her after the curse broke?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And I get the irony of that. But the point still stands. You and I know better than anyone what it's like to be seen as the monster." Liza knew from experience how quickly this town could turn on someone. Victor could see the memory flicker in her eyes.

"You're right," she agreed. "When I met my mother, I thought I finally found somewhere I belonged. She helped me control the wolf... but she also wanted me to be something I wasn't. You and me, we chose to be ourselves despite our parents. Regina probably feels like she doesn't have that choice." She let out a surprised breath, shaking her head. "I never expected to relate to Regina."

"Yeah, well..." Victor squeezed her hand affectionately. "We monsters have a different perspective." He paused their walk so she could focus on his words. "You and I have both done terrible things, and all we needed was someone who could see all of it and still accept us. To help us not feel alone." He hadn't realized he was drawing closer to her until she lifted her head up and their foreheads touched.

The way Liza looked at him made his heart race. He caught strands of her hair, carefully tucking them behind her ear. Victor tried to imagine the color of her eyes.

"Monster to monster," she murmured, drawing closer. Her mouth pressed against his with a hand sliding through his hair to keep him in place. Victor rested his hand on the small of her back as he returned the kiss.

Surprisingly, they were allowed the moment of happiness.