Beauty in the Breakdown (2/3)
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown
Author: dj_rocca
Word Count: 2,822
Rating: PG13 (language, medical drug use)
Characters/Pairings: Ruby Lucas, Mr. Gold, Archie Hopper, Pongo, Red, Jiminy
Disclaimer: I do not own "Once Upon A Time", this contains spoilers up to "Red Handed"
Summary: Ever since that moment in the woods, Ruby's life has changed, she thinks she's going crazy, and only one person in town can give her the answer.
~2~
When Ruby awoke, she felt odd; she was not used to being medicated. She stretched and then realized one, big, glaring realization. She was not home in bed. She was not in town. She was in the woods. It was the middle of the night and the moon was high, lighting the woods around her. And all she could do was scream, but when she realized how stupid she must appear (though no one was around) she stopped. All she wanted to do was to get the hell away from there. She found herself running, running as hard and as fast as she could towards the sounds of the road.
“Ruby?” came a heavily accented voice, she gasped and whirled around, to see Mr. Gold coming towards her, “What are you doing out here my dear, what’s wrong?”
“I-I-I don’t know, I woke up and I was here…please…tell me you have your car near?” she asked, she was almost ashamed that tears were stinging her eyes.
Mr. Gold gently grasped on to her elbow and lead her to his car that was parked nearby. He opened the door for her and she climbed in quickly. She looked to her hands and realized she was shaking, as he climbed in he looked to her, face full of concern.
His hand grasped hers, stroking her knuckles, “Ruby, what’s wrong?” he asked again.
She looked up at him, “I found a heart out here! God only knows what else is out here! Fuck, next time I might find Kathryn Nolan’s head for all I know!” she snapped.
Gold moved his hand from hers up to her face, “Shh, calm down,” he soothed, “Easy now,” his voice was such a warm purr despite herself she found herself relaxing. “Let me take you home.”
“No,” she found herself blurting out, “No. I need to see Archie,” she said, she couldn’t get through the night without talking to him. She needed to confide in him, she needed to be told she was not crazy.
Gold gave her a glance, “Going to drop in or would you like to call him first?” he asked, eying her state of clothes or her body, she couldn’t tell and didn’t care.
“Give me your phone,” she stated, which made a smile appear on his lips.
He reached into his pocket, handing the phone to her, “There’s my girl,” he said with a firm nod.
She scrolled through his contacts and found Archie, and allowed his hand to rest on her knee. She never minded his attention, and as the phone rang loud in her ear, she inhaled deeply. Like in the woods, when she could smell the heart within the earth or David Nolan nearby, she could smell things she never noticed before. For some reason, Gold smelled…like gold, there was a distinct scent of the precious metal and there was something else…something she couldn’t place.
“Hello?” Archie’s voice was thick and deep with sleep, it almost didn’t sound like him.
She took a breath, “Archie, it’s me,”
“Ruby? Ruby, what’s wrong? Why are you calling me from Mr. Gold’s phone?” he sounded more awake, alarmed and focused.
Her eyes darted to Gold, who gave her another nod and squeezed her knee, “I…I woke up in the woods…I’m…I’m…” she swallowed, it was hard to admit this aloud, especially in the presence of Mr. Gold, someone she idolized for power and strength. But she had to say it, she had to get it out, “I’m scared. Can I please come over, I need to talk to you.”
“Yes, of course, by all means,” he said immediately.
“Thank you,” she said, hanging up, she hung her head, then felt Gold capture her face once more.
She could smell him close to her face, his hot breath on her cheek, “You will be alright, Pet. I promise you, don’t be frightened.”
Ruby found this oddly comforting and the strength of his tone, “I’ll try,” she breathed, he left the briefest kiss on her cheek.
“Good, now let me get you to Doctor Hopper,” he said, as he started the car.
She gave him a small smile, “My hero.”
He laughed at her words, “I’m no hero, my dear, but I cannot deny a beautiful damsel in her time of need.”
“I hate being so helpless,” she said, his eyes darted from the empty road to her.
“You are not helpless, you have your strength but you’ve been through a deep trauma, you will rise above it and come out the strong vivacious woman I know you are,” he said.
She grinned, chuckling softly, “Flattery will get you everywhere. But if I wasn’t so fucked up right now, it would almost get you into bed.”
“Oh? Almost?” he asked, an impish grin on his lips.
“Yup, just almost,” she retorted.
Gold laughed, “You’re such a tease.”
“Yeah, and you love it. It’s our game, but I’m too tired to play right now,” she told him, looking down at her pajamas, stifling a sudden yawn.
He gave a quick nod, “I know, dear, just talk to Doctor Hopper, I want you well soon. As much as it pains me to say, he is a good, honest man that will do you good.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, stretching, “What were you doing in the woods? Hiding bodies?”
He chuckled, “Never you mind,” he said as he pulled up to Archie’s home.
The lights were on in the living room and the kitchen and Pongo was watching from the bay window. Together they climbed the porch; he knocked lightly, given the time. His hand went to the small of her back as she heard Pongo leave the window, his nails clashing on the hardwood floor inside. She heard Archie rushing, telling Pongo to back up as he opened the door. He seemed relieved to see her, and part of her sighed, that hopeless romantic she tucked away deep inside.
“Take care of my girl, Doctor Hopper,” Mr. Gold said, his voice was light but Ruby heard something more, it sounded like an order.
Archie nodded, “Naturally, it’s my job. Ruby, please come in,” he stepped aside and motioned for her to enter his home.
Ruby shot Gold a thankful look, and he nuzzled close to her ear, “Be a good girl, now.” he murmured hotly in her ear, his accent made her shiver and mildly aroused her.
“No promises,” she whispered back with a wink, he chuckled and headed down the stairs.
She watched him drive off, before stepping into Archie’s home. As she crossed the threshold, she immediately caught her reflection in a mirror on the wall. She let out a horrified gasp, she looked a wreck. The bags under her eyes were so dark they were almost purple, looking like she’d been punched in the face. Her skin was pale, to the point she thought she was glowing. Her hair was a tangled mess, she looked to him, face burning with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry I’m such a mess, I-“
“Shh, Ruby, shh, that doesn’t matter to me. You know that, my concern is with that is troubling you. First, would you like some tea? Warm milk?”
“Nothing stronger?” she asked,
He shook his head, “Not for you. I’ve been regretting giving you the prescription and now my fears are realized. The worst thing I could do right now is to let you drink on top of it.”
She reached out, almost uncertainly, which struck something within her. It was Archie, he was a friend of her for years, she never got this nervous around him and it wasn’t just in the fear he would think she was crazy. “I know, Archie, I know.” She placed her hand on his forearm, his shirt was so soft on her palm, and suddenly her stomach swam. Every scent, every light, everything in her head seemed to be throbbing.
His arms quickly shot out, bracing her, he carefully led her into his living room and sat her down on his couch. “Dim the lights please? Maybe some ice water? I don’t feel good,” she warned, slowly laying down, her body suddenly so sore.
She heard him rush off as she closed her eyes. Without opening them she could feel Pongo sitting there, staring at her, his panting in her ear. As she made a low noise, he let out a whimper, then his wet tongue lapped at her cheek. She squeaked and blindly groped for the dog, who happily nuzzled her hand.
“Keeping an eye on her, Pongo?” Archie asked as he returned, the overhead light clicking off and a soft, small lamp atop a bookshelf clicked on. “Such a good boy,” he praised his faithful dog, who wagged his tail hard in glee. She heard Archie set the water down on a coaster on the coffee table within arm’s reach. For the second time, he placed a cool rag upon her head, attempting to help her ease her.
“Archie?”
“Yes?”
She found herself sighing, “What time is it?”
He cleared his throat, “About 2:30 in the morning.”
She sat up, her head swam and she tried not to gag, “I’m so sorry,” she apologized.
“No, no need to apologize. I feel I’m responsible for this. So please, Ruby, talk to me. Let it all out,” he told her.
Compelled by his kindness, she found herself blurting everything out. “Ever since I found David in the woods, all my senses have been going haywire. I dream of organs, of blood, of red cloaks. And…and…in some dreams, I’m tearing people apart. Ripping them into pieces, and eating them. Archie, I dream of eating people! Somedays I wake up and I swear I can taste flesh on my tongue and it doesn’t disgust me! There’s something wrong with me!” she sobbed, under the rag, thankful it was there to obscure her face.
“Ruby,” he whispered, in awe of everything she just let out, “Ruby, we have two ways to take dreams. Freud believed they were a form of wish fulfillment, a way to satisfy your unconscious urges or conflicts that are too upsetting to deal with consciously. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, the activation-synthesis theory says that dreams are meaningless and random products of REM sleep.”
“Well yeah, but you’re the Doctor, it’s up to your clinical choice to pick which side this is. I’m going out of my mind,” she said, she was no longer crying and she rolled her eyes at herself because she sounded so whiney.
He was quiet; she could feel his eyes on her. “I think your mind is trying to work through your trauma. I do not thing you’re crazy.”
She let out a small laugh, “Are you just saying that because you like me?” she had to ask, she had to know.
“Excuse me?” he asked immediately.
Ruby lowered the cloth from her face, blinking a few times to clear her vision; she let her eyes meet his tired face. “Why else would you see me at this time of the morning? Why would you give me pills when you don’t believe in them?”
“Ruby, I’m doing this because you are my patient. You are having severe anxiety and night terrors due to your trauma. I’m trying to help you,” he insisted.
She merely made a noise, needing to speak freely about everything to him, “You don’t have to be ashamed if you like me. I mean, most guys in town would give their right arm to have one night with me. I’ve always thought that you were one too.”
He blushed and took on a flustered look, “That is not why we are here. We’re trying to help you become stable, isn’t that what you want?”
“Right now, honestly, I have no idea what I fucking want. I’m a mess,” she groaned, putting the cloth back over her face.
He sighed, “Ruby, right now you need to try to overcome your trauma, in hopes your fear will go away. Mostly because if you haven’t noticed, Storybrooke is surrounded by woods, you can’t avoid them.”
“Well since you’re into all sorts of therapies it seems, can’t we try the aversion one? Go throw me in the woods? I think I could handle it better with you…”
Archie couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s immersion therapy,” he corrected, then the wet cloth handed right in his face.
“You knew what I meant,” Ruby said, she immediately leaned over, pulling the rag off of his face, messing his hair and glasses. “Sorry.” She said sheepishly.
He merely took off his glasses and combed his hair back, “You’re forgiven,” he muttered as he cleaned off his glasses. “But if you would like to try it, we can begin in the morning.”
Ruby found herself yawning as she nodded, “That sounds like a good idea, I kinda feel better now. Thank you, Archie. I mean that, I…I…just, thanks,” she said, as she snuggled down on the couch.
She heard him stand, then return, pulling a blanket over her, “You’re welcome,” he said, then looked to Pongo who was once again sitting level with Ruby’s face. “Be a good boy and watch over her,” he told his dog, to his surprised woofed at his words. He watched as the dog leaned in close, placed his nose to the side of Ruby’s face, snuffling against her skin. A smile lit her face and she giggled, her hand darted out and patted his head.
“Night Pongo,” she said, and then looked up at Archie, “Good night, Archie. Sweet dreams,” she said.
“Sleep well, Ruby, I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he told her, and then the room went dark.
As Ruby lay there, she heard him walk each step, sighing softly as he shrugged out of his clothes. She heard him redress, then sit on his bed. From there, he sat for a while; she could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. Finally he laid down, she listened to his heartbeat. It no longer bothered her how clearly she could hear everything, in fact listening to his heart, almost as if she were next to him comforted her. As his breathing slowed as he began to fall asleep, she found herself becoming drowsy and slipped into sleep.
Red swirled around her, a small voice chirped at her through a gramophone. Wings, the flutter of wings were directly in her ear. His tiny voice begging her as she felt the wolf rise beneath her skin, she could feel it’s only desire start to consume her. Feed. Control, he begged, control it, the bloodshed had to stop, it had to. For her sake and for his, she couldn’t keep letting the wolf take over, she fell to her knees.
“Help me, Jiminy,” she begged, “Help me.”
The small voice in her ear, that familiar small voice, “Red, focus, just focus. Focus on my voice and everything will be ok…”
Ruby woke up with a start, but it wasn’t with fear, it was with familiarity. When she sat up, rubbing her face with her hands, she inhaled deeply. The scent of coffee was strong in the air, the shower was running and Pongo was apparently eating. She could hear his bowl scraping along the hardwood floor in the kitchen. She chuckled, climbing off the couch to stretch, joints cracking in various parts of her body. She was definitely not used to sleeping on one.
She headed into the kitchen and poured herself a cup, pleased it was the perfect strength. She grinned, knowing that he must have made that just for her, since he didn’t drink coffee, just tea with two lemon and one sugar. She rooted through the cabinets, finding a cup, his teabags and sugar. By the time he entered the kitchen, she held out the cup to him.
“Good morning,” she chirped.
Archie smiled, “Good morning,” he took the cup, lifting it to her, “Thank you.”
She fought the urge to hug him, she wasn’t used to this kindness from a man and the only way she knew how to repay one was with sex. Given his refusal in the early morning hours to even admit he had feelings for her, she didn’t want to push him. She let her hand rest on his instead, continuing to smile. He looked from her hand, to her face, and seemed so conflicted. She let go and began to sip on her coffee.
“Would it be ok if we just went after this, if I’m going to be out in the woods again, I’d rather do it in these clothes since I’m already dirty,” she said, gesturing down to her pajamas.
He nodded, “If that’s what you want,” he told her.
She quickly drained her cup; she set it in the sink and whirled to face him. “Let’s do this.”
---
To Be Continued
---
Author: dj_rocca
Word Count: 2,822
Rating: PG13 (language, medical drug use)
Characters/Pairings: Ruby Lucas, Mr. Gold, Archie Hopper, Pongo, Red, Jiminy
Disclaimer: I do not own "Once Upon A Time", this contains spoilers up to "Red Handed"
Summary: Ever since that moment in the woods, Ruby's life has changed, she thinks she's going crazy, and only one person in town can give her the answer.
~2~
When Ruby awoke, she felt odd; she was not used to being medicated. She stretched and then realized one, big, glaring realization. She was not home in bed. She was not in town. She was in the woods. It was the middle of the night and the moon was high, lighting the woods around her. And all she could do was scream, but when she realized how stupid she must appear (though no one was around) she stopped. All she wanted to do was to get the hell away from there. She found herself running, running as hard and as fast as she could towards the sounds of the road.
“Ruby?” came a heavily accented voice, she gasped and whirled around, to see Mr. Gold coming towards her, “What are you doing out here my dear, what’s wrong?”
“I-I-I don’t know, I woke up and I was here…please…tell me you have your car near?” she asked, she was almost ashamed that tears were stinging her eyes.
Mr. Gold gently grasped on to her elbow and lead her to his car that was parked nearby. He opened the door for her and she climbed in quickly. She looked to her hands and realized she was shaking, as he climbed in he looked to her, face full of concern.
His hand grasped hers, stroking her knuckles, “Ruby, what’s wrong?” he asked again.
She looked up at him, “I found a heart out here! God only knows what else is out here! Fuck, next time I might find Kathryn Nolan’s head for all I know!” she snapped.
Gold moved his hand from hers up to her face, “Shh, calm down,” he soothed, “Easy now,” his voice was such a warm purr despite herself she found herself relaxing. “Let me take you home.”
“No,” she found herself blurting out, “No. I need to see Archie,” she said, she couldn’t get through the night without talking to him. She needed to confide in him, she needed to be told she was not crazy.
Gold gave her a glance, “Going to drop in or would you like to call him first?” he asked, eying her state of clothes or her body, she couldn’t tell and didn’t care.
“Give me your phone,” she stated, which made a smile appear on his lips.
He reached into his pocket, handing the phone to her, “There’s my girl,” he said with a firm nod.
She scrolled through his contacts and found Archie, and allowed his hand to rest on her knee. She never minded his attention, and as the phone rang loud in her ear, she inhaled deeply. Like in the woods, when she could smell the heart within the earth or David Nolan nearby, she could smell things she never noticed before. For some reason, Gold smelled…like gold, there was a distinct scent of the precious metal and there was something else…something she couldn’t place.
“Hello?” Archie’s voice was thick and deep with sleep, it almost didn’t sound like him.
She took a breath, “Archie, it’s me,”
“Ruby? Ruby, what’s wrong? Why are you calling me from Mr. Gold’s phone?” he sounded more awake, alarmed and focused.
Her eyes darted to Gold, who gave her another nod and squeezed her knee, “I…I woke up in the woods…I’m…I’m…” she swallowed, it was hard to admit this aloud, especially in the presence of Mr. Gold, someone she idolized for power and strength. But she had to say it, she had to get it out, “I’m scared. Can I please come over, I need to talk to you.”
“Yes, of course, by all means,” he said immediately.
“Thank you,” she said, hanging up, she hung her head, then felt Gold capture her face once more.
She could smell him close to her face, his hot breath on her cheek, “You will be alright, Pet. I promise you, don’t be frightened.”
Ruby found this oddly comforting and the strength of his tone, “I’ll try,” she breathed, he left the briefest kiss on her cheek.
“Good, now let me get you to Doctor Hopper,” he said, as he started the car.
She gave him a small smile, “My hero.”
He laughed at her words, “I’m no hero, my dear, but I cannot deny a beautiful damsel in her time of need.”
“I hate being so helpless,” she said, his eyes darted from the empty road to her.
“You are not helpless, you have your strength but you’ve been through a deep trauma, you will rise above it and come out the strong vivacious woman I know you are,” he said.
She grinned, chuckling softly, “Flattery will get you everywhere. But if I wasn’t so fucked up right now, it would almost get you into bed.”
“Oh? Almost?” he asked, an impish grin on his lips.
“Yup, just almost,” she retorted.
Gold laughed, “You’re such a tease.”
“Yeah, and you love it. It’s our game, but I’m too tired to play right now,” she told him, looking down at her pajamas, stifling a sudden yawn.
He gave a quick nod, “I know, dear, just talk to Doctor Hopper, I want you well soon. As much as it pains me to say, he is a good, honest man that will do you good.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, stretching, “What were you doing in the woods? Hiding bodies?”
He chuckled, “Never you mind,” he said as he pulled up to Archie’s home.
The lights were on in the living room and the kitchen and Pongo was watching from the bay window. Together they climbed the porch; he knocked lightly, given the time. His hand went to the small of her back as she heard Pongo leave the window, his nails clashing on the hardwood floor inside. She heard Archie rushing, telling Pongo to back up as he opened the door. He seemed relieved to see her, and part of her sighed, that hopeless romantic she tucked away deep inside.
“Take care of my girl, Doctor Hopper,” Mr. Gold said, his voice was light but Ruby heard something more, it sounded like an order.
Archie nodded, “Naturally, it’s my job. Ruby, please come in,” he stepped aside and motioned for her to enter his home.
Ruby shot Gold a thankful look, and he nuzzled close to her ear, “Be a good girl, now.” he murmured hotly in her ear, his accent made her shiver and mildly aroused her.
“No promises,” she whispered back with a wink, he chuckled and headed down the stairs.
She watched him drive off, before stepping into Archie’s home. As she crossed the threshold, she immediately caught her reflection in a mirror on the wall. She let out a horrified gasp, she looked a wreck. The bags under her eyes were so dark they were almost purple, looking like she’d been punched in the face. Her skin was pale, to the point she thought she was glowing. Her hair was a tangled mess, she looked to him, face burning with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry I’m such a mess, I-“
“Shh, Ruby, shh, that doesn’t matter to me. You know that, my concern is with that is troubling you. First, would you like some tea? Warm milk?”
“Nothing stronger?” she asked,
He shook his head, “Not for you. I’ve been regretting giving you the prescription and now my fears are realized. The worst thing I could do right now is to let you drink on top of it.”
She reached out, almost uncertainly, which struck something within her. It was Archie, he was a friend of her for years, she never got this nervous around him and it wasn’t just in the fear he would think she was crazy. “I know, Archie, I know.” She placed her hand on his forearm, his shirt was so soft on her palm, and suddenly her stomach swam. Every scent, every light, everything in her head seemed to be throbbing.
His arms quickly shot out, bracing her, he carefully led her into his living room and sat her down on his couch. “Dim the lights please? Maybe some ice water? I don’t feel good,” she warned, slowly laying down, her body suddenly so sore.
She heard him rush off as she closed her eyes. Without opening them she could feel Pongo sitting there, staring at her, his panting in her ear. As she made a low noise, he let out a whimper, then his wet tongue lapped at her cheek. She squeaked and blindly groped for the dog, who happily nuzzled her hand.
“Keeping an eye on her, Pongo?” Archie asked as he returned, the overhead light clicking off and a soft, small lamp atop a bookshelf clicked on. “Such a good boy,” he praised his faithful dog, who wagged his tail hard in glee. She heard Archie set the water down on a coaster on the coffee table within arm’s reach. For the second time, he placed a cool rag upon her head, attempting to help her ease her.
“Archie?”
“Yes?”
She found herself sighing, “What time is it?”
He cleared his throat, “About 2:30 in the morning.”
She sat up, her head swam and she tried not to gag, “I’m so sorry,” she apologized.
“No, no need to apologize. I feel I’m responsible for this. So please, Ruby, talk to me. Let it all out,” he told her.
Compelled by his kindness, she found herself blurting everything out. “Ever since I found David in the woods, all my senses have been going haywire. I dream of organs, of blood, of red cloaks. And…and…in some dreams, I’m tearing people apart. Ripping them into pieces, and eating them. Archie, I dream of eating people! Somedays I wake up and I swear I can taste flesh on my tongue and it doesn’t disgust me! There’s something wrong with me!” she sobbed, under the rag, thankful it was there to obscure her face.
“Ruby,” he whispered, in awe of everything she just let out, “Ruby, we have two ways to take dreams. Freud believed they were a form of wish fulfillment, a way to satisfy your unconscious urges or conflicts that are too upsetting to deal with consciously. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, the activation-synthesis theory says that dreams are meaningless and random products of REM sleep.”
“Well yeah, but you’re the Doctor, it’s up to your clinical choice to pick which side this is. I’m going out of my mind,” she said, she was no longer crying and she rolled her eyes at herself because she sounded so whiney.
He was quiet; she could feel his eyes on her. “I think your mind is trying to work through your trauma. I do not thing you’re crazy.”
She let out a small laugh, “Are you just saying that because you like me?” she had to ask, she had to know.
“Excuse me?” he asked immediately.
Ruby lowered the cloth from her face, blinking a few times to clear her vision; she let her eyes meet his tired face. “Why else would you see me at this time of the morning? Why would you give me pills when you don’t believe in them?”
“Ruby, I’m doing this because you are my patient. You are having severe anxiety and night terrors due to your trauma. I’m trying to help you,” he insisted.
She merely made a noise, needing to speak freely about everything to him, “You don’t have to be ashamed if you like me. I mean, most guys in town would give their right arm to have one night with me. I’ve always thought that you were one too.”
He blushed and took on a flustered look, “That is not why we are here. We’re trying to help you become stable, isn’t that what you want?”
“Right now, honestly, I have no idea what I fucking want. I’m a mess,” she groaned, putting the cloth back over her face.
He sighed, “Ruby, right now you need to try to overcome your trauma, in hopes your fear will go away. Mostly because if you haven’t noticed, Storybrooke is surrounded by woods, you can’t avoid them.”
“Well since you’re into all sorts of therapies it seems, can’t we try the aversion one? Go throw me in the woods? I think I could handle it better with you…”
Archie couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s immersion therapy,” he corrected, then the wet cloth handed right in his face.
“You knew what I meant,” Ruby said, she immediately leaned over, pulling the rag off of his face, messing his hair and glasses. “Sorry.” She said sheepishly.
He merely took off his glasses and combed his hair back, “You’re forgiven,” he muttered as he cleaned off his glasses. “But if you would like to try it, we can begin in the morning.”
Ruby found herself yawning as she nodded, “That sounds like a good idea, I kinda feel better now. Thank you, Archie. I mean that, I…I…just, thanks,” she said, as she snuggled down on the couch.
She heard him stand, then return, pulling a blanket over her, “You’re welcome,” he said, then looked to Pongo who was once again sitting level with Ruby’s face. “Be a good boy and watch over her,” he told his dog, to his surprised woofed at his words. He watched as the dog leaned in close, placed his nose to the side of Ruby’s face, snuffling against her skin. A smile lit her face and she giggled, her hand darted out and patted his head.
“Night Pongo,” she said, and then looked up at Archie, “Good night, Archie. Sweet dreams,” she said.
“Sleep well, Ruby, I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he told her, and then the room went dark.
As Ruby lay there, she heard him walk each step, sighing softly as he shrugged out of his clothes. She heard him redress, then sit on his bed. From there, he sat for a while; she could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. Finally he laid down, she listened to his heartbeat. It no longer bothered her how clearly she could hear everything, in fact listening to his heart, almost as if she were next to him comforted her. As his breathing slowed as he began to fall asleep, she found herself becoming drowsy and slipped into sleep.
Red swirled around her, a small voice chirped at her through a gramophone. Wings, the flutter of wings were directly in her ear. His tiny voice begging her as she felt the wolf rise beneath her skin, she could feel it’s only desire start to consume her. Feed. Control, he begged, control it, the bloodshed had to stop, it had to. For her sake and for his, she couldn’t keep letting the wolf take over, she fell to her knees.
“Help me, Jiminy,” she begged, “Help me.”
The small voice in her ear, that familiar small voice, “Red, focus, just focus. Focus on my voice and everything will be ok…”
Ruby woke up with a start, but it wasn’t with fear, it was with familiarity. When she sat up, rubbing her face with her hands, she inhaled deeply. The scent of coffee was strong in the air, the shower was running and Pongo was apparently eating. She could hear his bowl scraping along the hardwood floor in the kitchen. She chuckled, climbing off the couch to stretch, joints cracking in various parts of her body. She was definitely not used to sleeping on one.
She headed into the kitchen and poured herself a cup, pleased it was the perfect strength. She grinned, knowing that he must have made that just for her, since he didn’t drink coffee, just tea with two lemon and one sugar. She rooted through the cabinets, finding a cup, his teabags and sugar. By the time he entered the kitchen, she held out the cup to him.
“Good morning,” she chirped.
Archie smiled, “Good morning,” he took the cup, lifting it to her, “Thank you.”
She fought the urge to hug him, she wasn’t used to this kindness from a man and the only way she knew how to repay one was with sex. Given his refusal in the early morning hours to even admit he had feelings for her, she didn’t want to push him. She let her hand rest on his instead, continuing to smile. He looked from her hand, to her face, and seemed so conflicted. She let go and began to sip on her coffee.
“Would it be ok if we just went after this, if I’m going to be out in the woods again, I’d rather do it in these clothes since I’m already dirty,” she said, gesturing down to her pajamas.
He nodded, “If that’s what you want,” he told her.
She quickly drained her cup; she set it in the sink and whirled to face him. “Let’s do this.”
---
To Be Continued
---