I don't own these characters. Disney/ABC does.
3: Turn Inward
Dorothy's life had never been ordinary. In fact, the past couple of years had been the closest she ever came to normal and that was while she was dating a werewolf. Actually, damn near married to said werewolf considering how domestic they were, even though they had not taken any vows. There was no rush to do so. Besides, Ruby considered them mates and as a werewolf, that pretty much meant they were married in Ruby's mind. Dorothy went with it because she was definitely kinda in love with that woman.
Dorothy had a home, granted it was in her girlfriend's grandmother's B&B, but it was better than when she was a wandering witch hunter and often slept in the woods. Now, she stopped bad guys she was certain were bad and not just based on their lifestyle choices. Hell, she was in a family with witches. Somehow, these were not the things keeping her from being ordinary right now. No, it was something much more unsuspecting.
Dorothy's eyes went down to her phone, checking on a text thread between her girlfriend and their (maybe?) best friend, Belle. This was what kept life from being ordinary. Belle. She liked Belle. Maybe not as much as Ruby did, but she was not sure anyone could like Belle as much as Ruby did. And she was not sure if Ruby understood how much she liked Belle.
Glancing up from her desk, Dorothy was going to ask Emma about it, but Emma seemed to be going through her own crisis. Emma sat at the spare desk in the bullpen, which was basically her desk because she did not often use her private office, and was just staring into the abyss, eyes locked on the top of the table.
"Is the boss okay?" Dorothy asked David.
David shrugged. "I've been trying to get her to talk to me. She won't say, but she's shell-shocked."
"Should we call Regina? I mean, it won't be good if we get a serious call and she's like that," Mulan pointed out.
"That's quite true." David picked up the phone and called the mayor.
"Has she been like that for a while and we just never noticed?" Dorothy asked Mulan.
Mulan shook her head. "No, she was okay when she came in. She sat down and we started working and then you pointed out that she is not okay."
Okay, it was good to note her observational skills still existed. Of course, that just meant she was probably right about Ruby. It did not bother her in a way it probably should. Her girlfriend had feelings for her best friend right in front of Dorothy's face and she did not actually mind. Ruby did not treat her any differently with Belle in the picture than before Belle was there. And, Belle needed them, both of them. Ruby understood that and included Dorothy in caring for Belle, which should have been weird, but was not. In fact, Dorothy liked taking care of Belle.
"According to Regina, Emma's been like this on and off since last night when Regina and Henry started filling out college applications," David reported.
"College applications?" Mulan echoed and glanced at Dorothy, who shrugged. They were both only vaguely familiar with the concept of university in this world.
"It's Henry's last year of high school, so once he graduates, he'll go off to college to study… whatever he wants to study and possibly have a career in." David blew out a breath. "Time has gone by so fast. He goes to college next year and it seems like he wants to try to go out of state."
Mulan's brow furrowed. "He will be away then?"
David nodded. "Yup. Out of the house. Emma's having a little trouble turning that over in her head apparently. I think it's just hitting her."
"What's just hitting her?" Dorothy asked.
"Her son is growing up, becoming an adult," Mulan answered.
"She has twins to worry about," Dorothy said. Emma should be too busy with her now toddler twins to worry over Henry being on the verge of adulthood.
Mulan shook her head. "Children don't replace the other child."
Dorothy nodded, even though she did not totally understand. Should Emma not be proud to have raised Henry properly and good enough to where he felt he could live on his own for college? But, what do I know about appropriate reactions with people? Mulan seemed to know people. Maybe she could talk to Mulan about this. After all, it was not like her relationships with Ruby and Belle were specific to this world.
She waited for them to do their morning rounds. Thankfully, it was her day to be with Mulan. Emma probably needed to talk to her dad anyway, as she still did not look okay. It was chilly outside, but it did not bother her yet. Mulan was a little more bundled up, even though they were in the car.
"You think Emma's going to be okay?" Dorothy asked from the passenger seat. Unfortunately, it was Mulan's turn to drive.
"She'll have to be. No matter what, Henry's going to grow up," Mulan answered.
Dorothy nodded. "You considered settling down? Having kids?"
"I would like to. I would like the right partner to do that with. It's become a little difficult to sort through people since we have fans." Mulan wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, it's kinda weird, right?" Dorothy was used to being liked because of what she did. Most people did not like nor trust witches, so they were always happy when Dorothy eliminated one, but not to the extent of the people of Storybrooke. She knew the minor celebrity had to do more with David and Emma, and even Regina, more than her and Mulan, but it was there and it was weird.
"I am certainly not used to being celebrated for just doing the right thing. Sometimes, I like it and other times…" Mulan just made a face.
"I know exactly what you mean." It was nice to be appreciated, but it was also creepy to be lauded. The only one out of them that seemed comfortable with it was David.
"What about you? Have you considered a family?"
"It hasn't come up with me and Ruby much. I mean, we've talked about it a little. I could see myself having a family with Ruby. I'm not sure if she'd want to."
Mulan pursed her lips as she slowly turned a corner. "Because of the werewolf thing?"
Dorothy nodded. "Yeah, she sees it more as a curse than anything else and she's not sure if she wants to pass that along to another generation. I think if we prepared a child for it, they'd be able to handle it eventually and until they can handle it themselves, we'd be there."
"She doesn't see it that way."
Dorothy shrugged. "Well, she lived it, so it'll take more convincing. I think we need to be together a little longer before we circle back to that conversation. She might change her mind now that we're around a lot of cute kids and we have magic users who can advise on how to handle things."
Mulan glanced at her. "Sounds like you've actually thought about it a lot."
Dorothy ran her hand through her hair. "Okay, maybe more than I considered now that I'm saying it out loud. We're pretty much mated, even though she's a beta."
"Is that weird for you? To mark her and not have it stick?"
Dorothy shook her head. "Not really. I don't mind. I didn't go into this relationship expecting to have that, so it doesn't bother me. Besides, the werewolf thing has her acknowledge us as mates in a different way, but it still balances out."
"She sees you as a mate, but you still haven't really discussed this kids thing with her?" Mulan's lip twitched. She clearly had thoughts.
Dorothy would get those opinions later. This was her chance for what she wanted. "I think I have another obstacle to overcome before that anyway."
Mulan arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What's wrong? You and Ruby always seem so happy."
"Oh, we are. I love that crazy lady with all my heart and I'm pretty sure she loves me." Dorothy never doubted Ruby.
"Seems that way and you said she sees you as her mate. So, what's the obstacle? Granny not letting you move out to your own place?"
Dorothy laughed. "We have no desire to move out. But, no, I think Ruby is in love with someone else, though."
Mulan tapped the steering wheel. "Belle."
Dorothy leaned against the door and focused out of the side window for a moment. "It's almost obvious, isn't it?"
"She dotes on Belle a lot more than she does anyone else and much more than one would do a friend, or even a family member. She is more physically affectionate with Belle than anyone else, too, except maybe the children. But, are you not in love with Belle as well?" The question was curious, not accusatory. There was no malice or judgment.
Dorothy blinked, not expecting that. "You think so?"
"It seems so. You also dote on Belle, very similar to how you dote on Ruby."
"I never thought about it." It honestly did not occur to her that she might be in love with Belle as well. At least that helped her understand how Ruby possibly missed that she was in love with Belle. "I just sort of wanna take care of her how I take care of Ruby and how she seems to need to be taken care of. I'm mostly following Ruby's lead." Or so she thought. Or maybe it started out that way and now she was just doing what was habit.
"To the letter, huh?" Mulan asked with a smile.
Dorothy scratched her forehead. "I really hadn't realized."
"Well, you probably haven't thought about it, too occupied over the fact that Ruby is in love with Belle."
"You're very nonchalant about this."
Mulan shrugged. "I'm used to it at this point. I think we all are."
"Fair." No one made a big deal about it whenever they were around family. But, then again, none of them ever treated anyone's relationship — romantic or otherwise — as a big deal. It was almost an unspoken rule or maybe just their family culture that allowed them all to be themselves without judgment. "Should I do something about it?"
"That I don't know. You all seem content right now."
"Things are very nice."
"Maybe don't rock the boat?" That was not very convincing.
"You don't sound like you really believe that."
Mulan shook her head. "I don't. This seems like something you all should talk about as it could mean changes in your relationship and I think that's best, but I don't want to tell you to do that and then things go wrong. I don't want to give you advice that might ruin a good thing for you."
Dorothy nodded. "I appreciate that. You're both right and reliable."
"I do my best, which I guess I can say for all of us."
"You think you can give Emma advice? This issue might get worse as the school year goes on." School had only just started and who knew what other things Henry would do to show he was about to be an adult.
Mulan laughed. "I hope her father can handle that one. I can only look at this from the child's perspective and my father was not pleased that I ran off and joined the army, even if it was to save him. But, that's how I know parents just struggle with children growing up in general. No idea how to make that better."
"Well, it's good to know you're not as perfect as your fans want us to believe." Dorothy grinned.
Mulan gave a mocking sneer. "Are you still mad about them thinking I'm the muscle of the group?"
"How can you be the muscle? Have they not seen my biceps? I could bench press two of you!" It was just a little insulting. Dorothy worked hard to get her body the way it was.
Mulan rolled her eyes. "No one is arguing that you're not strong. They just happen to think I'm the one to call when you need walls broken down."
Dorothy groaned. "That makes no sense. Stop reminding me of that." It was bad enough they had a fanbase, but then the fanbase split into subgroups that did not make sense, like the ones who thought Mulan was stronger than she was.
Mulan chuckled, but let the subject drop. They managed to stay focused on their rounds after that, even got a chance to stop a mugging. Some of these damned Lost Boys were such a menace.
-8-8-8-8-
Dorothy packed up her desk as Ruby and Belle came to get her from the station, as they did every day since Belle returned to their lives. It was nice, but now that Mulan pointed out she had feelings for Belle, things seemed different. She glanced at Mulan, who greeted both Ruby and Belle with a hug each.
"How are you doing, Mulan?" Belle asked.
"Pretty good. When do you want to meet up and finish our show?" Mulan countered.
"Tomorrow should be good. I have to leave these two alone sometimes." Belle smiled, pointing to Ruby and then Dorothy.
"She doesn't, but it's probably healthier for her to spread the love." Ruby put her hands together and then slowly spread them apart.
"Probably," Mulan agreed, as if she did not know. While not everyone in the family knew about Belle's depressive episode, among those who did know, they also knew who knew. They liked to make each other aware and just watch out for Belle, just in case. So, she had her tea with Regina and she had television shows with Mulan. Sometimes, Fenrir popped up and went for walks with Belle, but that just might be because he liked walking around with at least one of them now.
Ruby looked around. "Emma left already?" Emma and David were gone.
"Yeah, she wasn't having a good day," Dorothy replied.
Ruby scoffed. "Oh, I know it. I've seen her struggling with him being a senior when they're in the diner together. Me and Lily are going to try to take her out drinking this weekend. Anybody else want to join?"
"You can't solve everything by drinking," Dorothy said.
"No, but you can put it off pretty good. You coming?" Ruby pressed herself to Dorothy's side and kissed her cheek.
"How can I resist an invitation like that?" Dorothy replied.
Belle turned to Mulan. "If you don't go with them, we can do our show. I haven't felt like drinking much lately."
"It's a date," Mulan said, possibly on purpose. Before Dorothy could help herself, she glared at Mulan. And Ruby growled at Mulan. It was low, but it happened. Mulan chuckled.
"You already proved your point, you know?" Dorothy said.
Mulan shrugged. "Just wanted to confirm. Something for you to think about. At least you're not alone and you understand things a little better."
Ruby arched an eyebrow and turned to Dorothy. "What's going on?"
Dorothy shook her head. "Nothing for the moment. Mulan just helped me figure something out and was driving home her point."
Ruby regarded Mulan. "Don't get too much like Emma."
"I won't. I'll see you all later. I should get to the gym." Mulan taught a women's self-defense class after work. She waved and was off.
With Mulan gone, Dorothy left with Ruby and Belle. Dorothy walked just behind them, as she had a habit of doing. She knew it was the alpha in her. She wanted to protect them, in case something caught them by surprise. It was ridiculous since Ruby was a werewolf, but Ruby accepted this from her, so she did not change her behavior.
Belle never seemed to comment on Dorothy's alpha mannerisms. From the subtle smell that wafted off Belle, she was definitely an omega. It was possible she was not affected by Dorothy's alpha-ness, not affected by Dorothy. That was a little disheartening now that Dorothy knew she had feelings for Belle. It was possible Belle only had eyes for Ruby.
"Babe, you okay?" Ruby asked.
"Hmm?" Dorothy replied.
"You okay? It's usually at this point in the trip home that you tell us about some crazy story that happened today," Ruby said.
"Oh." Dorothy looked at Ruby and Belle. Both looked at her, expectedly. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry. I'm kinda in my head right now. Today wasn't really crazy like other days. We just had some Lost Boys causing trouble. They're not gonna be happy until Emma really starts to let us arrest them."
"I guess they're banking on Emma never getting there," Ruby said.
Dorothy nodded. "I think they are. She relates to them too much and because of that, she thinks they just need a chance. She might have to accept that some of them will refuse the chance."
"That's sad since Emma and Regina are going through so much to help not just them, but there's always gonna be kids that might fall through the cracks. I just hope Emma keeps wanting to help them." Ruby let out a long sigh.
Dorothy nodded. Things would always fall through the cracks, maybe, like this whole operation. She just wanted to help Ruby in getting Belle on her feet and now here they were in a love triangle? Was it a love triangle? It felt more like a mess. She scratched the top of her head. Maybe don't think about it right now.
They got home and Dorothy just wanted to take a hot shower, wash away her thoughts. This was so much less consuming when she thought it was just Ruby who had feelings for Belle. That felt like a problem she could solve. This was just a mess. How the hell did I let this happen?
The hot spray of the shower held no answers. Dorothy searched her mind, trying to pinpoint when or where this could have happened. Nothing stood out in her mind. It seemed like they had been living a perfectly ordinary, mundane life — minus the usual Storybrooke shenanigans. When had she started doting on Belle as she did with Ruby? When had she gone from simply helping a friend who needed it to something more? The answers would not come to her. With a sigh, she washed up and turned off the water.
Getting out of the shower, Dorothy dressed in shorts and a tight, tank top, like she always did in the apartment. Of course, now, thanks to things being on her mind, she could not help wondering. Was she showing off? Did she want Belle to notice her, even subconsciously? No, this is how I am at home. I should be comfortable in my home.
Dorothy blew out a breath and went to the kitchen, wanting to have a beer to hopefully relax her tired mind. Belle was in there, cooking dinner, as she often did now. Dorothy should be used to the sight, but in the light of her revelation, there was a rumble in her gut. Down, alpha.
"What are you making?" Dorothy asked, needing to get back to normal. If she acted like everything was fine, surely eventually everything would be fine. She opened the fridge and grabbed a beer bottle.
"Ruby really wanted steak bites. It's all she talked about today. That good for you?" Belle asked, already preparing the meat.
Dorothy opened the beer and took a long drink. "Fine. You know I never complain about dinner." As long as she did not have to cook dinner, she was fine. She did not like cooking after a long day at work. Ruby and Belle did not seem to mind, which she was grateful for.
"You seem tired. Are you sure today was all right?" Belle asked, squinting at her, studying her.
Dorothy blew out a breath. "Yeah, just a lot on my mind."
Belle offered her a small smile and it made her insides melt. "Anything you want to talk about? I would love to be there for you like you have been for me."
Dorothy shook her head and drank more beer. Oh, wait, maybe this isn't the solution right now. Yet, she took another pull. "It's a jumbled mess right now. Maybe once I get it sorted." Should she talk about this with Belle? Maybe with Ruby first. Then, once she and Ruby figured out where to go from there, they could talk about it with Belle. But, what do I even say?
This was too much for Dorothy, who liked to view herself as pretty simple. Point her at a bad guy, she would run through said bad guy. Other than that, she ate, slept, and enjoyed her girlfriend, family, and friends. This thing with having feelings for a second person while still being very certain she loved her girlfriend was too much, especially since that second person was her friend/family. This was so weird. Hopefully, more beer was the solution.
The night was quiet, even after Ruby finished with her shower and filled the air with her day. She was not as energetic as she usually was. They settled in for their time on the couch, where they always watched a couple of movies. Dorothy put her arm around Ruby and pulled her close. Belle leaned against Ruby as always.
"Are you all right?" Dorothy asked, mouth close to Ruby's ear.
Ruby let out a little moan. "Yeah. Why?"
"You're just more subdued than usual. Anything I can do?"
"Tell me what's troubling you." Ruby rubbed her thigh, trying to coax the words out of her. Too bad she did not know how to say it.
"Ah." Dorothy nodded. Of course it would be her mood affecting Ruby. "As soon as I can put it into words."
Ruby squinted at her. "It's weird for you to be so in your head."
"I know. I'm sorry." She kissed the top of Ruby's head.
"Don't be sorry. I just want you to be okay. I love you, you know?" Ruby grinned at her.
"Yes. I know." She smiled back. She never doubted that, never would, but that did not change this new thing.
Dorothy tried to focus on holding Ruby, but with all the quiet and stillness, things just got worse. The smell of dinner cleared out of the apartment and now Dorothy was aware of a scent that had always been there — Belle. It was a sweet tang in the air, like a glaze. It made her rub the roof of her mouth with her tongue.
This was different from Ruby's scent in such a noticeable way. Ruby was a beta, so she did not have a strong scent, but Dorothy could always get a whiff if she focused. Ruby's scent was a comfort while Belle's scent was a stimulus. Ruby's smell made her want to melt while Belle's made her want to act. Belle's scent did not make her want Belle more than Ruby, but she should not be noticing Belle's smell like this. This is so damn weird. What was she supposed to do with any of this damn information?
Ruby looked at her again and all she could do was offer what felt like a sad smile. Ruby whined and nuzzled her. Dorothy sighed and just held Ruby tighter.
-8-8-8-8-
Dorothy's first instinct to talk to someone when she could not talk to Ruby was Emma. They had become close in the Sheriff's station, but it was becoming increasingly clear Emma was not okay and would not be okay until Henry showed he was fine being in college. Emma seemed all right, but she was not focused and it made her weird if she did not have to snap to action, which was one of the reasons they tried to keep her busy in the office. So, she and Dorothy were in the station's small gym in the basement, hitting the heavy bag.
"Emma, you think at any point you might be attracted to someone along with Regina?" Dorothy asked as she held the heavy bag and Emma hit the bag.
Emma scoffed. "So, she can set them and me on fire?" She got in some good punches. She definitely knew how to throw down if they managed to get into a fist fight.
Dorothy chuckled. "Good point. Well, how would you feel if Regina liked someone else?"
Emma hit the bag a little harder, enough to push Dorothy back. Dorothy understood the sentiment. She thought that was how she would feel if Ruby liked someone else, but she did not count on Ruby still clearly loving her and them both having feelings for the same person.
"Is this about Ruby liking Belle? Or Belle liking Ruby? We could always hook Belle up with someone," Emma said.
Dorothy frowned. "No, not that."
"Mulan already hangs out with her lot," Emma continued.
Dorothy swallowed a growl. "Mulan's not interested in her like that." Completely true. "And this isn't about finding Belle a date."
"You sure? I bet I could find someone." And this seemed to take over Emma's brain, possibly as a distraction from what bothered her. Unfortunately, it did not help Dorothy.
They got called out before Dorothy could try to get Emma back on track. Several manticores had escaped the zoo. Days like this were ones that made Dorothy doubt anything was real. Because why would anything — be it god, nature, or the universe — design a beast shaped like a lion, the size of a bear, with the tail and venom of a scorpion, three rows of teeth, and the ability to glare like a damn human? And why did the zoo have six of them? Did they really need six manticores when it was clear they could not figure out how to keep them in their area?
"Why do our regular animals never escape?" Emma wondered aloud as she shot one of the manticores. Despite having magic, Emma's first response when met with magic was to shoot it. She swore she just wanted to see if it would work one day. So far, no. The gun shot only pissed off the manticore as it often did with most magical creatures.
"Because you've always wanted to chase a rhino?" Dorothy countered, sword in hand. A manticore roared at her. She stepped forward.
"I think I would prefer that to a giant lion-scorpion." Mulan had her sword in hand and already had a manticore rethinking his life choices in deciding to take a stroll down Main Street.
David ducked a tail and avoided being poisoned. "They're called manticores, Mulan. Come on. Show the animals some love and respect."
"You mean the animal you're about to stab in the face, Dad?" Emma laughed and then they had to get serious as Emma almost had her head knocked off by a mighty paw. She cracked her knuckles. It was magic time.
Dorothy thought they would have this done fairly quickly, but the two extra manticores drew things out. They also did not want to kill the creatures. They were just doing what was in their nature. Unfortunately, their nature happened to be sting prey, eat prey. But, every single time it seemed like they had things figured out, those extra two manticores made things difficult again.
"You know there's going to be video of this," Emma said as a tail barb went through her jacket, tearing bits of it. She glanced over at the shops on Main Street and, sure enough, there were people, watching and recording.
"Then, let's get it together," Dorothy replied as she grabbed the front legs of a manticore and yanked them out from under the animal. It hit its chin on the pavement.
"Now, you're just showing off. We all know you're the muscle," David joked before going to strike the manticore in front of him. It caught his sword in its jaw, which was fine. Emma came in and actually punched it in the face. David did not look impressed. "Can you do something where I don't have to explain to your mother or your mate why you lost your hand?" Valid concern.
The four members of the Sheriff's department got things under control by the time Regina, Zelena, and Maleficent showed up to help with magic. Ruby also showed up as backup. Ruby tried to occupy one of the manticores as the witches shackled one each. Dorothy fell to Ruby's side to make sure she was all right. As soon as she was by Ruby, Ruby turned sharply to her and she had to block the manticore's tail with her sword.
"Careful," Dorothy said. Since when was Ruby so careless in a fight?
"You're one to talk," Ruby hissed.
Dorothy was not sure what Ruby meant, but quickly found out. Regina chained the manticore in front of Dorothy and Ruby was on her instantly. She yanked off Dorothy's heavy jacket and frowned.
"So, you're just going to pretend you're not cut?" Ruby huffed.
Dorothy blinked and looked down at her side. She was, in fact, cut. She had a deep wound on her side, blood pouring out of her, soaking her jeans and the leggings underneath. She looked at Ruby with wide eyes.
Dorothy gasped. "I didn't realize."
Ruby scoffed. "That you damn near got gutted? Here you go being macho again."
"I didn't! I wasn't!" Dorothy sputtered. She was used to getting in trouble when she was hurt. That was how Ruby dealt with worry over Dorothy. She turned to her coworkers to back her up. Emma was too busy being scolded by Regina to be of any help. David actually looked away. Mulan shrugged. Why did she like them again?
"I've got it. Can't have you bleed out in front of your adoring fans." Maleficent rushed over to Dorothy and healed her wound. It took longer than Dorothy expected magic to take and they were both sweating when Maleficent was done, but Dorothy seemed intact. "All better, but that seemed pretty bad. You were probably in shock."
Dorothy blew out a breath. "I really didn't feel a thing." She had no idea when she got wounded.
"Take the rest of the day off," Emma immediately said.
Ruby glared at Dorothy, daring her to argue. She did not and allowed Ruby to pull her away from the rest of the group. She was not surprised they ended up at home.
"Clothes off," Ruby ordered.
"This would be a lot hotter if you weren't pissed with me," Dorothy pointed out.
"You're being reckless. You don't have to be that," Ruby replied.
"It was the heat of the moment. I didn't even realize I got hurt. I'm sorry." There was not much else she could say. She just had to let Ruby's concern run its course.
"Clothes off. You're relaxing for the rest of the day," Ruby said with no room for argument, like this was a punishment.
Dorothy blew out a breath. "You'll run me a bath?" She shrugged off her tattered coat. She would ask Regina to repair it later.
"You have to take a shower first. But, I want to see the wound and make sure Maleficent patched you up good. None of our magic users are the best healers, after all," Ruby pointed out.
That was true, so Dorothy stripped off her blood-stained shirt and displayed her side. Ruby bent down, nose almost touching her skin. Her breath on Dorothy's skin made Dorothy shiver.
"No," Ruby said in a stern tone.
"Sorry. You know what you do to me when you're this close," Dorothy replied.
Ruby placed a gentle, wet kiss to her side. "Well, you appear to be fine, so I'll excuse it. But, I'm not doing anything with you until we're sure." So unfair.
"Plus, you have to go back to work."
Ruby glanced at the door, like she did not want to leave. "Yeah, Granny definitely needs the help." She would never leave her grandmother in the lurch and that was one of the things Dorothy loved about her. "Take your shower, though, and I'll get your bath stuff ready, so you can have a hot bath after."
Dorothy nodded and took a shower, scrubbing the fight away. She was sore already, but the hot water helped. When she got out of the shower, she grabbed her phone and texted her fellow deputies in their "Sheriff" thread to find out how they were. Ruby rushed her out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and with her phone in her hand. The bathroom door closed behind her and she found herself staring at Belle.
"Thank goodness you're all right!" Belle threw her arms around Dorothy's neck.
Dorothy stiffened. A towel was not enough between them as her nose filled with Belle's scent. "Um… yeah…" She blew out a breath, trying hard not to inhale and get another whiff of Belle's sweet aroma. "How'd you know what happened?"
"Ruby called me! She was so upset!"
Dorothy winced. "Yeah, I know." It was not a shock now that she thought about it for Ruby to call Belle, needing someone to vent to. Of course she would vent to her best friend, who knew Dorothy as well as Ruby almost and who would definitely be on Ruby's side.
Belle looked at her, deep in the eye. "She scolded you, huh?"
Dorothy looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. "Kinda." It was embarrassing. Here she was the muscle of the Sheriff's department getting reprimanded for doing her job by her girlfriend… and probably her maybe-girlfriend. No, don't even think like that.
Belle put her hands on Dorothy's biceps and caressed her heated skin with gentle fingertips. "She just did that because she was worried."
Dorothy gulped. Innocent touch. Keep calm. It's fine. "I know." She caressed the top of Belle's head and offered her a soft smile. "It's nice to have people who care about me." It really was.
Belle smiled back, eyes still boring into Dorothy. "I know the feeling."
Dorothy's heart thumped and her throat went dry. She was saved from saying anything as Ruby stepped out of the bathroom. Ruby paused and stared at them for a moment. Dorothy swallowed hard. How did this look? Was it fine? Oh, god, am I releasing pheromones?! Belle did not seem affected and Ruby did not seem upset or curious. Okay, calm down. You're not doing anything wrong. Then, why did she feel like she might pass out? Or that she should apologize?
Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Belle, I told you she was okay."
"I know!" Belle stepped out of the embrace, as if this was all normal. "I just wanted to see for myself. I was so scared when you said she got hurt." She grabbed Ruby's hand.
Ruby nodded. "I know the feeling. My heart was in my throat." She turned sad eyes to Dorothy. "I'm sorry if I was curt with you."
Dorothy waved it off. "I know how you feel and what was happening. I mean, it was a lot of blood and the cuts were deep."
"Yeah, but I shouldn't get angry with you for being hurt." Ruby came to her and wrapped her in a hug around her waist.
Dorothy rested her cheek in Ruby's hair for a moment. "It's okay. I know how you are. Besides, you think if you're mad at me, then I can't die because I can't die with you mad at me."
"You better not." Ruby squeezed her extra tight to let her know the trouble she would be in if she dared die on Ruby. "You know I mate for life and you've agreed to that, so we have to be together for the rest of my life."
Dorothy chuckled, rubbing the small of Ruby's back, earning a little whimper. "Got it. But, if you keep holding me like this, you're gonna make me a liar."
Ruby relaxed against her and kissed her neck. "Fine."
"I'm going to go get in the bath now."
"Make sure you get a good soak in. I'll try to come back soon. I just don't want Granny to get overwhelmed. She's going to try to get another waitress to come in, so I can leave early," Ruby explained.
Dorothy nodded, kissed Ruby farewell, and went into the bathroom. A bubble bath was drawn in the clawfoot bathtub. A candle was lit on the sink and the wireless speaker awaited her to put on some relaxing music to go with her bath. Dropping her towel, she sank into the water. It was the perfect amount of hot and caressed her sore body.
Sounds of Ruby and Belle talking reached Dorothy's ears, but she did not want to worry about that right now. She put her music on, leaned back onto a rolled up towel, and closed her eyes.
She was not sure if she fell asleep, but by the time she opened her eyes, she was ready to get out of the tub. The water was cold and the bubbles were almost gone. The water was a rainbow, so Ruby had put a bath bomb in, which explained why things felt so good.
Dorothy checked her phone. There were several texts checking up on her. She assured everyone she was fine and then let the water out of the bath. She got dressed in shorts and a tank top and laid down on the couch, finding the apartment empty. But, that did not last long.
The door opened. At first, she figured it was Ruby coming to check on her and make sure she took it easy. But, then the smell hit her. She sat up to see Belle with a tote bag slung over her shoulder.
"You're back." Dorothy stood up, ready to go help Belle with the bag.
"Yeah." Belle motioned for her to sit. "Stay on the couch. Relax. Granny couldn't get someone to come in for Ruby and you know Ruby wouldn't leave her grandmother shorthanded."
"Nope. One of the reasons I love her." Dorothy took a step toward Belle, but a sharp look made her sit back down.
Belle smiled and nodded. "So, I told her I'd keep an eye on you until she got off work. I brought lunch. Oh, and Regina baked a pie for you. She also wanted you to know the rest of the Sheriff's department is also on bed rest, so it's not just you. They're all sore and exhausted."
That was reassuring. After all, Dorothy took pride in being the muscle, so she did not want to seem like the weak link. "I'll have to thank Regina for the pie."
Belle hummed as she moved about the kitchen and then made her way over to the couch. She had two containers in hand and flatware. She put the food down, fetched a beer and two bottles of water, and then sat on the couch. Dorothy had to move her feet to make room for Belle and then just watched Belle to see what was next.
Belle opened all of the drinks. She then popped open one container and put the fork in it, handing it to Dorothy. Dorothy smiled her thanks and dug into her food — orange chicken, vegetable fried rice, and broccoli. Ruby probably made this herself.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Dorothy said in a low voice.
Belle opened her food. "You don't have to keep apologizing. We know your job is dangerous. Our lives are dangerous. I was just so relieved you were all right. I'm also happy Ruby asked me to come sit with you."
"Yeah?" Dorothy's heart thumped. And, maybe her nose deceived her, but it damn sure smelled like Belle released a bit of pheromones. Nothing sexual, but something meant to calm an alpha — Dorothy — down. It worked.
Belle rubbed her shoulder for a moment. "Of course. I want to make sure you're all right. I'm just sad Ruby can't be here, too. She wants to pamper you so much."
Dorothy smiled. "Yeah, the comfort food kinda gave it away." Orange chicken was one of the first foods she fell in love with since coming to this land. Ruby always got it for her or sometimes made it for her when she felt like Dorothy needed a pick-me-up.
"I want to pamper you, too, if you don't mind."
Dorothy blinked. "You do?" Does she feel the same about me? For some reason, it seemed insane. Why would Belle care about her when Belle already had Ruby and cared about Ruby? And, yes, the question was stupid, but it still made more sense to her than Belle actually having feelings for her as well.
Belle nodded. "You always take such good care of me. So, I brought some books over that I know you'd like. You can read through those if you want. If not, I also have an audiobook subscription I could share with you."
"Oh, yeah. I'd love that, but I think I'd like to see the regular books first."
The way Belle's face lit up made Dorothy's heart thump hard once more. Do I always feel like this when her face looks like that? She felt like she did, but she never noticed. How did I never notice?
To avoid getting lost in her head, Dorothy ate. Belle followed suit. When they finished, Belle cut her some pie and presented her with several books. She grabbed one she wanted to start and as she ate her pie, Belle began reading it to her. Somehow, her head ended up in Belle's lap and the sound of Belle's voice lulled her to sleep.
-8-8-8-8-
Dorothy could hear low conversation, but the words did not make it through her fuzzy brain yet. Turning, she realized she was in someone's lap. Ruby? No, Belle! With a yelp, she sat up quickly and all the talking stopped.
"You okay?" Ruby asked, face very close to Dorothy's face.
Dorothy blinked, finding her legs in Ruby's lap. "Um… yeah." She put her hand in her hair and scratched her scalp. "Fine. I think."
"You were sleep for a while," Belle said and she rubbed Dorothy's back.
Dorothy had to fight down the urge to purr. But, then Ruby arched an eyebrow at her. Shit, am I letting loose some pheromones? I can't keep doing this! Even if she was not releasing a noticeable amount where Belle could smell it, Ruby definitely could. She had to do something about this before things really got out of hand.
"Guess that fight was harder than I thought," Dorothy said and then she stood up. What was she about to do? She was not sure, but she had to get away from both of them right now. "I need to go see something."
Ruby's brow furrowed. "What?"
"I just…" Dorothy pointed to the door and walked out of the apartment. Where the hell am I going? She was not dressed to leave the B&B and she did not have her cell phone. There was no way in hell she would go back into the apartment right now.
She needed to talk to someone about this, but who? Well, there was only one person she could go to right now and she was not sure if she should. After all, Ruby was her granddaughter. But, it was not like Dorothy or even Ruby cheated. It was just… this was a mess. She went to Granny's apartment and knocked on the door.
"Come in, child. I'm watching my shows," Granny called.
The door was unlocked, as usual, and Dorothy stepped inside. "You know you can pause the show." Even she knew that and she just got here… well, it was a couple of years now, but still.
"And you know the door is open."
Dorothy shrugged. "Fair." She blew out a breath. "Can I talk to you about something?"
"Looks like I'll have to pause the show anyway," Granny said from her recliner. She had some knitting in her lap, which she stopped working on. She grabbed the remote and paused the show while Dorothy sat down on the couch right next to the recliner.
"I'll just jump right into this," Dorothy said, clutching the side of the sofa. "Have you noticed me and Ruby with Belle?"
Granny arched an eyebrow. "Noticed in what way?"
"Uh… the feelings?"
Granny snorted. "Who hasn't noticed those? So, what's wrong?"
Dorothy rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, we hadn't noticed those. I mean, I noticed with Ruby, but I don't think she knows, and I didn't know about me until recently and even then it had to be pointed out. It's… well, it's a mess."
Granny's facial expression did not change. She was the picture of patience. "Is it? Do you not love Ruby anymore?"
Dorothy laughed. "I love her with all my heart and I know she still loves me."
Granny nodded. "That's a good thing to know. It's also easy to see. Is there a problem then?"
"Should I tell Ruby about being attracted to Belle?"
Granny tilted her head. "That she is or that you are?"
Dorothy shrugged. "Now, that I don't know. Either or. Maybe just me. She might figure her feelings out if I confess mine. I just don't want to mess up my relationship with Ruby or either of our relationships with Belle."
Granny nodded. "I doubt anything negative will happen."
Blowing out a breath, Dorothy rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "I'm not so sure. We only just got Belle back to being comfortable with us after she confessed to having feelings for Ruby a few months ago. We're good now. I don't want to rock the boat."
"If you're as good as you think you are, this won't rock the boat."
Dorothy frowned. That was true enough. But, still, she did not want to take that chance. "How come you're not mad at me for this?"
Granny snorted. "If I was going to be mad at anyone in this situation, I'd start with Ruby. I know you've been very supportive of her friendship with Belle. You haven't flinched through the rumors. Never once asked Ruby to tone it down a little. You've been the type of partner so many need and deserve."
Dorothy resisted the urge to preen from the praise. "Don't be mad at Ruby, though."
Granny waved that off. "I'm not. That fool girl never knows what she's getting into until she's neck deep. Right now, she's waist deep with Belle. I know her heart was in the right place and she didn't hurt either of you, so it's fine."
Dorothy nodded. "So, you're not mad at all?"
"Nope. Not even surprised at this point. You three are inseparable. Doesn't Belle spend the night with you two often?"
Dorothy stammered. She did not think anyone noticed. "Only a few times and she sleeps on the couch. She gets lonely at home."
"You don't have to justify it to me, but you're going to have to address it with them at some point. It's obviously bothering you if you're here talking to me about it."
Dorothy hid her face in her hands, trying to block out the world. It did not work, so she faced Granny once more. "I feel bad… I think. Like I have an amazing girlfriend, why would I have feelings for someone else?"
"Because your girlfriend does. It's funny that you're not questioning Ruby's feelings for Belle, just your own."
"Yeah, I get that, but I dunno…" Dorothy blew out a breath. "It's weird. I kinda accept Ruby's feelings for Belle, like Belle might as well be my girlfriend's girlfriend. But, I don't think that for me, like maybe in my head Belle is Ruby's." She was not sure what it was. It did not feel like that was it, though.
"I think you need to talk about this with Ruby and then both Ruby and Belle. First off, you're the only one out of you three who's realized you're all in a…" Granny paused and tapped her chin. "I'm not sure what the term is for this kinda thing. A couple's two, but there's three of you, so like a trio. A threesome isn't the right thing, I know."
Dorothy's eyes went wide. "No. I'm not that kind of girl or alpha."
"Ah." Granny nodded. "I think that's the problem. You feel like this goes against who you are as a person. Nothing about this makes you a bad person. It's not immoral to have feelings for someone."
"Intellectually, I know that. I mean, I don't hold it against Ruby." Dorothy scratched her head.
"From the outside, you watched it happen with Ruby and you think Ruby has this huge capacity for love, so it's easier to deal with. It's also easier to deal with things for other people than yourself, which is one of the reasons you're a hero. All you deputies deal with outside things better than inside, including Mulan."
Dorothy's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"Yes, it's one of the things that make you all tick. You have a number of things working on you right now, but all you really need to think about is that the three of you are already together. You just haven't physically acted on your feelings, but all of you are there for each other emotionally and you all support each other. You have every mark of a relationship except the physical affection, and even that's blurry with you."
Dorothy stiffened. "We haven't!"
Granny rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about sex or even kissing, at least not on the lips. But, I know Ruby and Belle do cheek kisses all the time. Belle kisses you on the cheek often. She hugs you as much as she hugs Ruby. You stand as close to Bell as you do with Ruby. It's there. You might as well give it a try."
That made sense, felt right, but Dorothy still could not bring herself to just accept it. "You sure?"
"As sure as I am about anything else."
Dorothy was silent and looked away. It really did seem like the thing to do, but inside she was still jumbled up about it. "I have to think about it."
Granny let loose a loud scoff. "Of course you do. This isn't something you should rush into, even though you're already stuck deep in the briar patch."
Dorothy chuckled, shaking her head. "Thanks a lot."
Granny smiled. "You take good care of my granddaughter. Someone needs to take good care of you, even though you already have two people doing that."
Dorothy blushed. "Um…"
Granny snorted. "Don't be embarrassed. You're lucky to find love once. You might have hit the jackpot twice with two women who adore you. People will be envious of you. Hell, they are, which is why they spread those dumb rumors."
"I'm not worried about that."
"Oh, believe me, I know just from watching you ignore all the other rumors going around. You're special, Dorothy, and I'm happy Ruby has you." Granny leaned over and patted her knee. "I know she's in good hands whenever I leave."
"Don't leave any time soon."
"I don't plan on it. Too many of you lot need mothering and wisdom." Granny said it like a grouch, but her door was always open to them, literally.
Dorothy laughed, but she moved over to Granny and hugged her. "Thank you so much for being here for me."
Granny hugged her back, giving her an extra squeeze as if to let her know everything would be all right. "I promise you, it's my pleasure. I'm happy to see that girl settle down with someone like you. I think you two balance each other out, but adding Belle to that mix won't shake things up since she's already in the balance with you."
"I hope you're right."
Granny just patted her on the back. Dorothy let out a long exhale and then took the long walk back to her apartment. The door was open, as it often was. Belle was gone and Ruby stood a few feet away, as if she had been waiting for Dorothy. Ruby's fingers fidgeted in front of her before she shoved her hands behind her back.
"I'm sorry if I've been annoying you, babe," Ruby said.
"It's not that," Dorothy replied, stepping into Ruby's space. She cupped Ruby's face and caressed her cheek. "I'm fine with you worrying about me. I appreciate it. I'm just out of sorts right now. My head's scrambled." She used one hand to make a circle motion with her finger around her ear.
"You want to talk about it?" Ruby moved her hands, as if she wanted to embrace Dorothy, but stopped herself.
Dorothy pulled her into a hug, burying her nose in Ruby's hair. She inhaled loud enough for Ruby to clearly hear it. Ruby relaxed against her.
"I'll talk about it as soon as I come to terms with it. It's nothing bad, I don't think, anyway," Dorothy replied.
Ruby gave her a squeeze. "I hate it when stuff bothers you. You always work so hard for everyone. I want your life to be easy."
"You make it easy, so don't worry about it." Dorothy gave her a peck on the lips.
Ruby smiled. "So, can I still spoil you?"
Dorothy chuckled. "I guess. What did you have in mind?"
"Just you, me, and our bed." Ruby smirked.
Dorothy caressed her cheek again. "To cuddle, yes. Anything else will have to wait. I'm so sore."
Ruby snickered. "Fine, but you owe me."
"How do I owe you if this was meant for me?"
"Don't ask relevant questions."
Dorothy shrugged and allowed Ruby to lead her to their bed. They stripped down without saying anything and laid down. She let Ruby hold her, resting her head against Ruby's bare breast. Ruby kissed her forehead.
"You're spoiling me," Ruby said.
Dorothy smiled. "Your happiness makes me happy." She draped her arm over Ruby's torso, stroking her side with her thumb.
"I know the feeling." Ruby sighed into her hair. "Where did you go when you left?"
"Talked to Granny. She helped set me straight."
Ruby snorted. "I hope not."
Dorothy chuckled. "You know what I mean. She helped me make some sense of the stuff in my head. It's not as jumbled as it was. I just need to figure out what to do next."
"Talk to me?"
"You're on the list. But, not right now. Right now, just hold me and let me lie here." Dorothy tucked her head under Ruby's chin, burying her nose in Ruby's neck. Because she was a werewolf, Ruby actually had scent glands, not quite like an omega, but enough for Dorothy. Ruby's scent never failed to relax her.
"I can do that." Ruby gave her a little squeeze. There was silence for a long while.
"Did you ask Belle to leave?" Dorothy asked.
"She thought maybe she ran you off, like she babied you too much," Ruby replied.
"No. She didn't even really do anything."
"She got you to go to sleep, so there's that accomplishment," Ruby said with a snicker, but the sound died down quickly. "Are you… um… Is she around too much? Like, do you need alone time or something?"
Dorothy shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. I'm not bothered by Belle at all."
"Just checking. I know you still have to deal with the rumors going around that we're having an affair."
Dorothy snorted. "It's not like you'd be doing it behind my back if you were."
Ruby laughed. "No, that'd definitely be right in front of your face. With your permission, of course."
"I'd give you my blessing, you know." Maybe this would be the thing to get Ruby to realize her feelings for Belle and let her understand she could try to build something with Belle if she wanted.
"I don't doubt that. You already take great care of both of us. I guess it wouldn't be an affair. It'd just be us." Ruby snickered again. Guess it did not hit her yet.
"Yeah, just be us." It would just be them, would it not? This was a relationship already. They just did not kiss with Belle, and she wanted to kiss Belle. She wanted to do more than kiss Belle. How was she supposed to navigate this and it not be awkward? She drifted off to sleep before she could figure it out.
-8-8-8-8-
It was getting colder as winter was coming upon them. Dorothy was still getting used to the Maine winter, so while autumn was not bad, this cold nipped at Dorothy's bones. She was more bundled up than everyone else in the Sheriff's station, but if Emma kept talking, she would be heated enough to never need a coat again.
"I tried to get Belle to go on a date with Jimmy Hawkins and she wouldn't even meet up with him. I thought they'd be a good match. He's all about adventures and stuff like her. Plus, he's a good guy," Emma said.
Jim was a good guy. He would probably be a good match for Belle. Dorothy would have to restrain herself from punching him in the face next time she saw him.
"If you keep trying to push guys in her face, Ruby's going to bite your face off," Mulan pointed out. She glanced at Dorothy, but did not say anything.
Emma snorted. "I just think she should try to get back in the dating game. I don't want her to be traumatized by Gold like I was from Neal."
Mulan squinted. "The situations are rather different, are they not?"
Emma threw her hands up. "Yeah, they are, but she could still be traumatized and shy to get back into the dating game. I think that's why she's sticking so close to Ruby and Dorothy."
David, of all people, laughed. "You think that's why?"
Dorothy stared at him. What the hell did he know? David met her eye and shrugged. Was it really that obvious?
"Emma, are you okay?" Dorothy asked. If David noticed something was up with her, Ruby, and Belle, then Emma had to know.
Emma nodded. "I'm fine. It's just Mulan won't let me try to matchmake for her anymore."
Mulan cut her eyes to Emma. "Because you're bad at it. Very bad at it."
"Maui's a hero."
"And insufferable. If Moana wasn't there to save me, I'd still be stuck listening to him telling me every single feat he's done in full detail." Mulan gagged.
"But, meeting him let you meet Moana and you've been on a date with her. You liked her. So, you're welcome," Emma said with a grin.
Mulan glared at her. "Regina's right. You're not as funny as you think you are."
Emma just grinned more. Was she serious about these hook-ups? It did not seem that way. But, it was unsettling that she might try it as a joke and still get lucky. Dorothy's stomach twisted, to the point where she almost threw up. She had to do something. But, what?
She had not figured out what she might say or do with the Belle situation when Ruby and Belle came to pick her up. The way her heart leaped at the sight of them, she knew her first move. She had to say something. She would start with Ruby and then go from there.
They had a typical night, dinner and some television, and then eventually walked Belle home. It was a pain to part with her. Was it always like that? Probably.
"Hey, did you know Emma's been trying to get Belle to date?" Dorothy asked Ruby as they started back to their apartment.
Ruby laughed. "I don't know if I'd call it that. Emma acts like she's trying it, but she's also introducing Belle to people who are either already in relationships or intent on getting on Belle's nerves."
"What if she's serious? How do you feel about that?"
Ruby scowled, which was a little hard to see in the dark and she had her scarf up to her chin. "Belle can date."
"I'm not saying she can't. I'm asking how you'd feel about it if she did."
"What does it matter? I want Belle to be happy."
Dorothy nodded. "Me, too, but I wouldn't like it if she started dating."
Ruby stared at her as if she were mad. "What? Why? You just said you want Belle to be happy."
"I do, but… well, she's happy with us, right?" Dorothy said and then could not breathe. Her chest hurt as the implication hung in the air between them, strangling her. Hopefully, Ruby would get it and Dorothy would not have to dig even deeper. She might pass out if she had to do more.
"Well, of course, she is. I mean, we're, like, her best friends." Ruby laughed, but it sounded a little off.
Oh, she would have to say more. Her chest burned, needing air. She flexed her jaw to get her mouth to work. "Are we?"
Ruby squeezed her hand. "Of course we are." A little wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. "Are you okay? I mean, you like Belle, right?"
"Yes!" Maybe too much. "I like Belle, probably as much as you like Belle, and I think she likes us just as much." That should be enough, right? It had to be. Dorothy was lightheaded.
Ruby scowled. "Then, why don't you want her to date?"
Dorothy growled. "Because she's already dating. She's in a whole relationship."
Ruby gasped, eyes wide and everything. "With who? Why didn't she tell us? Well, why didn't she tell me since you obviously know it all!" She actually sounded upset, like Dorothy should not be privileged to Belle information before she was.
Dorothy took a deep breath, but her chest still hurt, crushed. "It's not like that. Ruby, just take a moment and think about how you feel about Belle."
"She's my best friend. What does that have to do with anything?" Ruby's voice was curt and impatient.
"Ruby," Dorothy sighed, staring into Ruby's eyes. "Because you know how she feels about you and how you feel about her."
Ruby glared at her and ripped away from her hand. "What are you trying to say? You think I'm in love with Belle? I'm in love with you!" She snarled, eyes ablaze.
"I know that," Dorothy said, calm and collected.
The glare grew hotter and her breath, now visible, hung in the air between them. "Then, why would you imply otherwise?"
Dorothy held up her hands. "I didn't."
"You're being ridiculous!" Ruby's shoulders seemed to get wider.
"How am I being ridiculous? Why are you so worked up?"
"Because you think I have feelings for my best friend when I love my freaking girlfriend!" And now she was taller. Dorothy grabbed at her hand again, holding it with both of hers, hoping it would soothe whatever hurt she caused in Ruby.
"Ruby, you have to calm down." Dorothy was not sure she had ever seen Ruby involuntarily transform without a full moon.
"No, you have to stop talking nonsense! Belle is just my friend!" Ruby burst out of her clothes as her muscles bulked up and fur sprouted.
"Ruby!" Dorothy tried to pull Ruby close, but Ruby tore away from her and took off. Ruby disappeared into the night and Dorothy sucked her teeth.
Okay, so Dorothy was not expecting that reaction. Taking out her phone, she called Emma. "Um… so, Ruby's in wolf form, not by choice, and out on the town."
"But, it's not a full moon," Emma replied, voice sleepy.
"I know." Dorothy rubbed her forehead. "She got really upset and just changed on her own, but she didn't mean to."
Emma sighed. "You call Granny. I'll get Regina. We'll meet you where you are."
Dorothy grunted and hung up. She called Granny while jogging to the B&B to pick up Granny. Then, she called Belle. This was not the type of information to deliver through text.
"What do you mean she transformed by accident without the full moon?" Belle gasped.
"Exactly what I said. She's running around in full wolf mode after transforming because of pure emotion. We're going to go look for her," Dorothy replied.
"I'm coming!"
"Belle—" Dorothy tried to object.
"I said I'm coming!"
"Fine. Tell Emma and Regina to pick you up. They'll be using magic," Dorothy said. "I'm getting Granny. See you in a moment." She hung up as Granny met her outside. She had her crossbow with her. It seemed more like a security blanket than anything right now.
"What happened?" Granny asked.
Dorothy flinched and rubbed the back of her neck. "She got upset when I suggested she might have feelings for her best friend."
"Wow, didn't think you had it in you from the way you've put it off," Granny said.
"I wouldn't have said anything if I knew she was going to do this!" Dorothy threw her hands up.
"It'll be fine. We'll find her and fix this," Granny said.
"Yes, we will," Regina said as she appeared with Emma, Belle, Zelena, Maleficent, and Mulan.
"No Tink?" Dorothy asked. All magic users would have been nice. "Or Fenrir?" Another wolf would have also been helpful.
"Tink's found a second home at the Spotted Hyena and also discovered the bar," Zelena replied.
"I didn't know fairies could get drunk," Emma said. She was not alone in that.
"Fenrir is doing whatever he does when I'm not keeping an eye on him," Maleficent answered.
"Who's with the kids? Lily?" Dorothy asked.
"My mom and dad. We have no idea where Lily is," Emma replied.
That made sense. "Okay, well, Ruby took off toward the park. I'm not sure where she might go in her wolf form like this, though. Usually, when she's involuntarily a wolf, she likes to stay chained up, just in case," Dorothy explained.
"We'll do a locator spell and go from there," Maleficent said.
Finding Ruby was pretty easy with the spell, but she was deep in the woods and that was always dangerous with magic. The town border was iffy in the woods. Magic was always iffy in the woods. Sometimes, there could be a surge of magic, like a strong wind of power, or there could be magical dead spots where magic did not work at all.
Ruby snarled, hiding behind some thick brush. Regina illuminated the area and Ruby tried to get out of the light. She was faster than Dorothy had ever seen. They made a circle, trying to keep track of her and stay close in case she attacked.
"Shit," Emma whispered what they all felt. They lost track of Ruby.
"I could just turn into a dragon. Dragon trumps werewolf," Maleficent pointed out.
"You think she'll acknowledge that in her wolf form? You'd have to eat her," Regina replied.
"Look, she's a predator in predator mode. She'll attack the weakest of us, which we all know is Belle," Zelena said. "No offense."
Belle curled her upper lip. "I want to say none taken, but I feel pretty offended considering I'm the one who knows how to turn her back."
"She's got you there," Emma said.
"I hope she bites your throat out before we turn her back," Zelena snapped.
Before Emma could comment, Ruby struck. She went right for Dorothy. Again, she was faster than Dorothy expected. She did not know what hit her until she was on the ground and Ruby snapped at her, a dripping maw of sharp canine teeth. She tried in vain to push Ruby off of her. A crossbow bolt whizzing by her did not make Ruby flinch. Tree branches snatched Ruby off of Dorothy and gave Dorothy enough time to scramble to her feet. Foaming at the mouth, Ruby ripped herself from the magical snare and disappeared into the darkness again.
"Trouble in paradise there, weak link?" Zelena smirked.
"Shut up," Dorothy snapped. It made sense that Ruby would go after her since she was the one who pissed Ruby off.
"We could just use you as bait now that we know who she wants," Zelena said.
"Hmm…" Regina obviously considered it.
"We're not doing that," Emma said.
"It was just an idea," Regina insisted.
"Good to know which family members consider me the worm of the relationship," Dorothy said, even though the idea was not that bad. Ruby wanted her, so she would give Ruby her until everyone else could do what they did — save the day.
Bushes rustled and Dorothy braced herself, but the hit did not come for her. Ruby went for Belle this time. Belle screamed and Dorothy acted without thinking, full on tackling Ruby, which did nothing. Ruby in full wolf form was a powerhouse.
"Dorothy, grab Belle!" Regina ordered.
"My hands are kinda full right now!" Dorothy growled.
"Well, then I guess you just want to be trapped in a cage with your angry werewolf girlfriend," Regina replied.
Dorothy scowled, but she could not do much. If she moved an inch, who knew what Ruby might do to Belle. Ruby would never be able to live with herself if she injured Belle and she damn sure would not allow Ruby to live through another tragedy of devouring someone she loved. Next thing Dorothy knew, Mulan was by her side, trying to shove Ruby away. Then, came Emma, who almost always forgot she had magic and liked to get her hands physically dirty. They were enough to move Ruby and get her attention.
Ruby snapped at them, grazing Dorothy's forearm with her teeth. Then, Ruby lifted up and was locked in an invisible case. Belle jumped to her feet and went into her pocket. She held up a vial.
"Do we just have to splash her with it?" Maleficent asked.
"According to the books, it has to go in her mouth," Belle replied.
"Because of course," Regina deadpanned.
"Gimme." Dorothy took the vial from Belle, opened it, and then turned to Zelena. "Ready to see me get my arm torn off?"
"I won't let you forget it," Zelena replied with a cackle.
"All right, witches. Let her go," Dorothy said and she took a deep breath. This was crazy, but this was the right crowd to be crazy with.
She heard teeth suck and then Ruby dropped. She shot at Dorothy and Dorothy met her, shoving her hand at Ruby's snarling maw. Sharp teeth sank in just below the elbow, going in deep with frightening ease. She might actually lose this arm, not knowing how fast the elixir was meant to work. She held in a wince as blood soaked her coat sleeve and oozed down her arm. Emma and Mulan were on Ruby again, trying to force her off of Dorothy.
"Remind me to make a brick house joke about Ruby later," Emma grunted.
"Remind me to call you all noble idiots when this is done," Regina said and then all three of them vanished, reappearing behind Regina and Zelena.
Dorothy found herself dizzy, as she often did when being teleported, or maybe it was the blood loss from her arm. Ruby turned to them, took one step, and fell out on her face. She let out a pathetic whine and eyes closed. Dorothy rushed to her side, even though she did not change back.
"Is she okay?" Dorothy asked.
"Yes, the potion just takes time," Belle replied.
"Why did you even have that at the ready?" There was no way Belle had time to make that potion or even research that potion.
"Ruby asked me a long time ago to find something to help her in case she ever got out during the full moon. It's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since," Belle explained.
"Is she going to turn back?" Dorothy asked.
"It'll take a few minutes, but she should," Belle answered.
"Shall we get out of the freezing cold woods, then? If I wanted to hang out in the wilderness, I'd have stayed in Oz," Zelena remarked.
"You really just want someone to say something, don't you?" Emma asked with a frown.
Zelena smirked and they all vanished only to appear in Ruby and Dorothy's suite. It was a bit cramped with so many people, but Dorothy sighed in relief as she saw Ruby lying on the couch. Dorothy rushed to cover Ruby with a blanket. As soon as she was done, Regina grabbed Dorothy's arm and healed her wound.
"Thanks," Dorothy said.
"Thank me by finding out what made this happen and ensuring we don't have to deal with it again," Regina replied.
Dorothy nodded and then it was just her, Ruby, Granny, and Belle. Ruby slowly changed back and Dorothy was able to breathe again. Granny dropped into the nearest chair, crossbow falling to her feet.
"Want a drink?" Dorothy asked.
"The strongest thing you have right now," Granny replied.
Dorothy nodded. "I was shocked you shot that bolt at her." She went into the kitchen.
"I had to do something to get her off of you. I wasn't trying to hit her, just get her attention long enough for someone to get her off of you," Granny explained.
"I figured." Dorothy poured them all some whiskey. She passed Granny a glass and then had to press the drink into Belle's hand. She had to hold Belle's hand until she realized the glass was there. "Thanks for being ready for this."
Belle blew out a breath. "What happened? Why did she change?"
"It's something I have to talk about with her," Dorothy answered and Belle nodded, just accepting that.
Ruby groaned from the couch. "What happened?"
Dorothy stepped over to Ruby and gave her a sip of whiskey. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got flattened by a truck. I'm so sore," Ruby said.
"But all right?" Granny asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Ruby answered.
Granny sighed and finished her drink. "Then I can go back to bed." She stood up. "I'll see you three in the morning. Well, later in the morning. Goodnight." And with that, she left.
Ruby sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. "We have to talk, huh?"
"In the morning," Dorothy answered. "For now, let's get you in the bed. Belle, should we make up the couch for you?"
"Yes, please," Belle answered.
Ruby got up from the sofa and Dorothy grabbed Belle's usual bedding. Everyone just went to bed. Ruby put on pajamas and laid next to Dorothy. Dorothy kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you," Ruby whispered. Oh, so she was fully aware if what happened.
"We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?" Dorothy replied.
Ruby nodded. They did not fall asleep for a long time, though. Dorothy could not help wondering how Belle fared on the couch, but she dared not check. Exhaustion eventually grabbed her into a tense sleep.
-8-8-8-8-
When Dorothy woke up, the sun was just rising and Ruby was staring at her. She adjusted herself, sitting up a little. Ruby remained draped on her chest.
"I'm still sorry," Ruby said.
"I know you are." Dorothy caressed her cheek. "I kinda dropped a bomb on you and I didn't want to do that. I was just kinda upset, too."
Ruby pressed her face into Dorothy's palm. "Because… because I have those feelings?"
"No, because I have those feelings."
Ruby blinked and pulled away slightly. "What?"
"I didn't realize it until Mulan pointed it out. I didn't want to do that to you because I know it's shocking, but I was so mad that Emma was trying to set her up…" Dorothy blew out a breath.
Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. "Emma's not serious. This is just a way to distract herself when there's not an emergency or one of the kids isn't around."
Dorothy shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I was still upset. I didn't want to do you like that, but I wanted you to be in my corner. I wanted validation."
Ruby took a deep breath. "I told you I had a crush on her a long time ago and I thought it went away, but I guess it's just been growing since we got closer. I didn't think anything of it because I still love you. My feelings for you haven't changed or dimmed or anything."
"I get that. I'm the same. It's just you and… well, her now. You coexist." Dorothy pressed her hands together to show what she meant.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I just… I kinda get why she felt guilty. She didn't want this."
"We'll worry about that when we talk to her."
Ruby gawked at her. "Talk to her?"
"Oh, you just wanna pine with her close by? I think we owe it to her. She told us, so we should tell her."
Ruby sighed, shoulders dropping. "I guess you're right. How did this get so complicated?"
Dorothy gave her a squeeze. "You've taught me loving someone is actually very simple and I think we've proven that. Nothing really has to change."
Ruby was quiet for a long moment. "No, I guess it doesn't."
"If everything goes right, you actually get to add more hugging, kisses, and such to this. That's nice, right?" Dorothy kissed her forehead again.
Ruby smiled and cuddled closer. "Yeah, I like hugs and kisses as much as anybody else." She was quiet for a long moment again. "I'm really sorry I hurt you last night."
Dorothy snorted. "It's nothing. I know how you are when you turn involuntarily." She held up her arm and flexed. "See? All good. Don't even got cool scars." Regina had done a very good job on her arm.
Ruby sniffled. "Please, don't joke about it."
Dorothy sighed. "I'm sorry you got so upset that you turned."
"Yeah, I shouldn't have been that mad. Maybe I was just scared." Ruby scrubbed her face with her hands. "I have to apologize to her as well."
"That you do, but I'm sure she'll take it as well as I have. She cares about you so damn much Ruby."
"Yeah, should we get up so I can get this out of the way?"
"I'll start on breakfast, but I doubt Emma will let me go into work today, so I'll also take care of some chores and stuff," Dorothy replied.
"How about you just hold me for a little while?" Ruby asked.
"Anytime." Dorothy pulled Ruby as close as possible. Ruby slung a leg over Dorothy's thighs. Dorothy kissed her forehead again. "You okay?"
"I will be. This is a lot. I never thought I'd have to deal with something like this. I mean, I love you so much, so it never entered my mind I could fall for someone else. I've never been in love with more than one person at a time. I'm really glad I still have all my love for you." Ruby gave her a squeeze.
"Me, too. And, I'm actually happy to share this with you," Dorothy replied.
"You're always just happy to go along with whatever I want."
Dorothy shrugged. "Well, your happiness makes me happy." She hoped that was always true.
"Same."
They laid there in silence for a while. When they got up, Dorothy went to make breakfast while Ruby took a shower. Belle was up, her bedding away, and she made their small table for breakfast. She was quiet.
"You okay?" Dorothy asked, stepping close to Belle. She could practically smell the anxiety pouring off Belle.
"She's okay, right?" Belle glanced at the bathroom door.
Dorothy wasted no time engulfing Belle in a hug to comfort her. "She's fine. I'm sure she'll be ready to talk when we sit down to eat."
Belle embraced her back and tucked her head into Dorothy's shoulder. "I was so scared when you called last night and then worried when you explained why she changed."
"Me, too, but she's okay now." Dorothy stepped away. "Let me get breakfast before it burns."
Belle nodded and gave her a small, sad smile. Dorothy went back to breakfast. There was French toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and sausage waiting by the time Ruby got out of the shower. They all sat down at the table.
"So, Belle, let me just start my apology now," Ruby said.
Belle held up one hand, palm facing Ruby. "You don't have to."
"No, I do have to. While I couldn't control myself last night, I'm aware of what I did and I'm sorry I hurt you. I never want to hurt you," Ruby said.
Belle reached across the table and grabbed Ruby's hand. "I was scared for you more than anything else. I don't ever want you to be so upset that you can't control your change like during the full moon."
"Yeah, about that…" Ruby blew out a breath and then shoved almost a full piece of French toast in her mouth. She did not attempt to talk again until she thoroughly chewed and swallowed. "After walking you home last night, me and Dorothy talked and I had a hard revelation."
"Oh?" Belle leaned forward a little, like she did not want to miss what Ruby was going to say.
"Yeah." Ruby took a deep breath and then reached for Dorothy's hand. She held Dorothy's hand tight and Ruby gave her hand a squeeze before locking eyes with Belle. "I have feelings for you, Belle."
Belle gasped, pulling back, letting go of Ruby's other hand. "No, Ruby! You have this great thing with Dorothy."
Dorothy smiled. "It's okay. I kinda have feelings for you, too."
Belle's body jumped. "Excuse me?" She squinted at them, as if they sprouted extra heads right before her very eyes.
"We both have feelings for you and you deserve to know. You've been open with us about your feelings, so now we're returning the favor," Ruby stated.
Belle nodded, but like she did not understand. "And now what?"
Dorothy chuckled. "Well, would you consider properly dating us?" Ruby gawked at her. "What?" Dorothy shrugged. "We might as well make it official."
Ruby sighed. "You're right." She smiled at Belle. "Yeah, would you consider properly dating us?"
Belle licked her lips. "And what would that look like, all three of us dating?"
"It'd look like this." Dorothy motioned around the table.
"And maybe a few more lunches with Dorothy," Ruby added, blowing Dorothy a kiss.
"I'd like that," Dorothy agreed. She sometimes avoided lunch with Ruby because she did not want to cut into that time Ruby had with Belle.
Belle blushed. "I'd like that as well."
"Also, you know, kisses, cuddling, the whole nine yards," Dorothy said.
Belle smiled, wide and true, even though a blush still stained her cheeks. "Yeah, I'd like that, too." And with that, they were official.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: what they look like now that they've all acknowledged their feelings.