I'm so sorry for not updating for over a year, but this year's been a roller-coaster for me. I was busy with my school projects but got done early around mid-April, and while I was getting back in the groove of writing, my Dad had his first stroke and was hospitalized for four days; I was depressed and didn't feel like writing for a while. I also had some complications on getting my degree since the administrators at my college decided to take the one class I need to graduate and replace it with another class, I tried apply for that class in the summer but it got cancelled due to lack of people; thankfully my teacher helped me out and I was able to get my bachelor's degree. I had finished writing this chapter back in early August while me and my parents were vacationing in Florida, but I got distracted with meeting one of my uncles and my grandmother for the first time (I never saw them because of some family drama), and then after we got back, I got sprung into looking at houses in Arkansas and we've been driving back and forth to look at them; we haven't found a house yet, but we're still looking. We also spent Thanksgiving in Florida with my uncle, his girlfriend, and my grandma and now things are winding down for me to start writing again.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling and I hope this chapter makes up for my absence; and thank you all for still sticking with me. I started reading the comic series of the game so I changed my writing style a bit; the comics has a nice flow compared to the game, but I'm still going to use my choices.

Chapter XIII: Jane Doe

After finishing his cigarette, Bigby found Snow waiting for him outside of his office. The bitterness from earlier was gone, but her expression was neutral.

"I called Dr. Swineheart to escort Ruby back to Knights of Malta. Her juniper fever wasn't too noticeable but I didn't want to take any chances. She didn't look too happy about it." She stated and then looked at him tentatively.

"So… did everything go alright?" He knew that she was concerned about the old woman and maybe curious about why she went to see her former nemesis.

"She's worried about Red. She said that she's been taking on graveyard-shift kind of jobs and has been approached by a couple of thugs."

"The Tweedles?" She asked with a surprised expression.

"Them too, but the ones that worry her call themselves Mar and Dor."

"Mar and Dor? I never heard those names..." She mused as she tried to recall any Fables with those names. "Bigby, don't you think that they're just some Mundies? I mean Red does socialize with them." She stated with worry.

"I still need to check it out, but I need to talk to T.J. and see what he knows, then examine the body before I do anything else." He said neutrally. After what happened earlier, he didn't want to argue with Snow again. Thankfully, she agreed with him.

"Well let me warn you that he's pretty shaken up from last night, so try not to be too… you know…" She trailed off.

"Myself?" He stated impassively as they entered the Business Office. Before she could answer, he heard Toad whisper "Mirror, erase! Vanish!" and then rustling. Bigby quickened his pace and saw Toad covering the mirror with a sheet. He had a good idea what that frog was up to.

"Toad, who were you spying on?" He said sternly as he crossed his arms.

"No one." The frog stated firmly as he stepped away from the mirror. Bigby knew he was lying but Snow stepped in before he could say anything else.

"Are you ready to talk to Mr. Wolf T.J.?" She asked gently with a smile and he nodded while sniffing. Bigby could smell the fear from the kid and knew that it was because of what he witnessed or the Big Bad Wolf in front of him; there were some Fable kids in the community and all of them were afraid of him. He knelt down to his level,

"It's okay kid. Just start from the beginning." He said gently as the young toad rubbed his small webbed hands together.

"I go swimming at night sometimes, in the river… I wasn't doing anything bad, I promise…" He stated adamantly but his voice quivered.

"Go on." Bigby coaxed.

"I was… under the big blocks and I heard noisy feet. I'm s'posed to stay underwater when that happens. But that's when I saw… I saw the lady!" He cried. "She fell in… but she didn't have her head on! I was so scared that she was gonna drag me down to the dark parts too, 'cause she had rocks on her feet."

"The cinderblocks tied on her ankles." Snow softly noted.

"Was there anything else T.J.?" He asked.

"Umm… is it true that you know when people are lying?" T.J. trembled. Bigby could tell from the question that he was hiding something, so he took a gentle approach instead of confrontation.

"Yeah, I can sense when people aren't telling me the truth. It makes my job a little easier." He stated and then the young toad shifted his gaze from him to the floor,

"Well, I… I didn't stay underwater the whole time." He admitted meekly. "I was so scared."

"What?" Toad rebuked. "You know that you're supposed to stay under or else bad things will happen. The rules are there for a reason!"

"Easy, Toad." Bigby placed his hand on Toad to keep him from approaching the kid.

"Nobody saw me." T.J. continued. "But I heard someone and they said, 'stop laughing at me.'"

"Did you recognize the voice?" Snow asked but he vehemently shook his head.

"No! I went back under and stayed there as long as I could, and when I came back I was alone, and I ran all the way home!" T.J. was in tears and his father, who was no longer angry, hugged and comforted him.

"Can I please go home?" He whimpered. The sheriff knew that there was no point in questioning him further: the kid told all he could.

"Okay, you can go. You did a good job, T.J." Bigby thanked as he patted the young frog's shoulder. As Toad led his son away, the sheriff thought he saw T.J. smile at him.

"That went about as well as I expected." Snow sighed with a small frown as Bigby stood back up and got out his Huff 'n' Puffs,

T.J.'s statement didn't provide any leads on who the killer was. He pondered while lighting his cigarette. But it did tell me that there was more than one person was involved in dumping the body. Unless he's some kind of fuckin' nut that talks to himself…

He was about to take another puff of his cigarette when he heard the door open and instantly got a whiff of scent of algae, grime, sweat, and rotted flesh. He turned toward the scent and saw David coming into the Business Office. His sandy-blond hair and blue business suit was in disarray and Bigby could tell he'd been drenched several hours ago.

"What the hell happen to you?"

"You're the seventh person to ask me that." David grimly joked at him.

"He was helping me in retrieving the body, I told you that." Snow interjected and Bigby instantly realized that he actually went in the water to get the body.

"You could've gotten one of the witches to help ya. It would've been helluva lot easier." He stated as he took another puff.

"For some reason they couldn't, they said that something was blocking their magic. I had dive down, cut the ropes off, haul the poor girl back to the surface, and carry her back here and let me tell you, it was no easy task. We were lucky that we didn't have any encounters with Mundies." He stated as he shifted the folder in his hand.

"What's that you have there?" Snow pointed at the file in his hand. David opened it and showed her the contents.

"This is what I wanted to talk to you earlier about. It's a list of the transitions that Bluebeard puts into the government. On his way back from vacation, he called me up and told me to go over some of the paperwork and this one here," He pulled another paper to show her, "is the government financial records of what is actually being put in. Comparing these two here shows that are apparently several hundreds of dollars unaccounted for. If this had been going on, there could be hundreds of thousands of dollars missing."

Bigby looked over Snow's shoulder, while trying very hard to ignore her sweet scent, and all he saw was a bunch of numbers and familiar names who worked for the government and the Woodlands building.

"Shouldn't you take that up with Bluebeard? You are his accountant." He said as he moved away from Snow and took another drag.

"If he ever got wind of this, he'll go on a rampage and I'll be the first to face his wrath since I've been handling with his money. I've seen the handiwork he's done on Dee, and I have a good idea that it'd be ten times worse for me. I want to get enough evidence on who's been embezzling before telling him."

The sheriff understood: The guy was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew fully well that's what Bluebeard would do if he found out, and that could become a major obstacle to the investigation.

"It'd be the best thing." Bigby agreed as he flicked the ash, but Snow didn't look too convinced.

"It's not something we can hide from him. I'll admit that he's my least favorite Fable, but he has the right to know what's going with his money."

"Think about it Snow," Bigby reasoned, "If he thinks someone is stealing from him, he'll forcibly put a stop on the murder investigations and make us focus our time and resources on him. Meanwhile, the killer is still out there and will deliver us another dead Fable." He could see the wheels turning in her head.

"You're right." She wasn't happy about it, but she knew that they were right.

"Well, I didn't mean to keep you two from the murder investigations. Bluebeard 'graciously' allowed me to go and get cleaned up, since he wasn't too pleased with my appearance and odor, and among other things." He mumbled that last phrase to himself. Bigby was glad too for the smell was starting to get to him; the East River wasn't exactly the cleanest river.

"I wanted to use that time to tell you about this and I appreciate you hearing me out. I wish you luck on bringing the killer to justice. Now if you excuse me, I've got a date with a hot shower. Miss White, Mr. Wolf." He smiled at them, particularly at Snow Bigby noted, and she smiled as he left the Business Office. Despite him smelling a bit unpleasant, she didn't cringed.

"Now that's over with, let's check out the body." He said as he exhaled the smoke. First these two murders occur and Red being stalked, and now there's someone embezzling the government; he wondered how Fabletown got this bad.

"Great… let's get on it." Snow's expression became grave. Even through the tobacco, he could smell her anxiety increasing. The sheriff badly wanted to comfort her, but her words of rejection replayed in his mind so he kept his distance.

At least examining Miss Jane Doe will keep me occupied. He grimly thought as he stomped out his cigarette and followed Snow White.

Deep within the Witching Well Chamber, the decapitated corpse of the glamoured Snow White lied on a stone table and the lanterns on the surrounding columns illuminated the area, while the rest of the chamber was in darkness.

When Bigby and Snow approached the area, they found Bufkin fidgeting on the edge of the stone table; he was not too happy about being alone with the body for hours. The monkey commented on how he was too sober for this and flew out of the chamber, leaving only the sheriff and Crane's assistant with the dead Fable.

As he gazed upon the victim for the second time today, he scolded himself for believing that she was the real Snow. The thing about glamours was that while it changed the user's appearance, it can't hide their scent. Besides decay, the head smelled like drugs, sex, lilies, and evergreens; very different from Snow's wintry and mild-floral scent. If he had listened to his senses, he wouldn't have to go through that emotional shit. He then got a whiff of Snow's sorrow and looked at her.

"My God," She exclaimed softly as she looked in horror at her duplicate. "I didn't realize how much she looked like me…"

"Are you gonna be okay? You don't have to stay." He said concernedly.

"I want to stay." She said determinedly as she crossed her arms, indicating that she's not going anywhere so he let her be.

Bigby did a quick scope of the corpse: She had died the same way that Faith did and was tied to cinderblocks so that she wouldn't float. He felt that these women were connected because of their cause of death, but he didn't know what the link was; he knew that he'll find it once he discovered this woman's identity.

"So what are we looking for?" Snow asked.

"Anything suspicious or that can identify her." He stated as he examined the head. He checked her mouth and didn't find the ribbon stuffed in her mouth like in Faith's murder. He suddenly had a thought,

"Did Swineheart ever get back to you about Faith?"

"No. He said he wanted to run more tests."

"Hmm." He nodded as he set the head back down, but then his eyes caught something purple wedged in her chignon. He removed it from the ebony hair and saw that it was some kind of flower.

"What is that?" Snow asked.

Bigby took a small whiff: it was faint, but he recognized the fragrance. A wave of nostalgia passed through him, but only for a fleeting moment.

"It's lilac." He stated as he placed the flower on the stone table.

"How did it get there?"

"She might've gotten it in her hair during a struggle." He estimated. He then glanced at the brooch on the blazer and picked it up. It was bended into a circle with the ends crossed over to each other.

"I don't have a brooch like that." Snow stated as she took the brooch from him and examined it.

"Bigby, if she was glamoured to look like me, shouldn't it conceal this brooch? And look, her blazer is different than mine." She pointed out the buttons. "There are four buttons and they're square. The witches know what they're doing and wouldn't be this sloppy, hence why their glamours are so expensive. You think someone is selling black-market glamours?

"I don't know, maybe." He shrugged and then mentally sighed; they still didn't know who the victim was and to find out he needed to be a bit more invasive.

"Snow, I need to… undress her." He stated hesitantly and saw her flinched. "Are you…"

"It's alright. Its just part of the job." She cut him off briskly and looked off to the side. "Just get it over with."

With her consent, he unbuttoned and removed her blazer and blouse but left her bra and skirt on. Unlike the conservative attire, the undergarment was sheer white with lace trimming and floral embroidery.

"That's another thing that makes her different. I don't have lingerie quite that racy." She noted as she held the blazer and blouse, unaware that her blunt words made him blush.

Why the hell did she have to go and say that! He groaned as tried to shake the image of Snow in lingerie. While refocusing, he noted track marks and a strange mark on her right breast, hidden by the lace.

"Come on Bigby, focus. That blushing is not helping your 'tough guy' appearance." She scolded and then looked shocked when he started pulling the cup down,

"What the hell are—?!" She exclaimed but stopped when she saw the mark. It was a circle with a curved diagonal line and carved into the flesh post-mortem. Bigby has seen this mark before.

"That explains why David had to go scuba diving. This symbol nullifies any magic directed toward it."

"So whoever killed her wanted to make sure that she would never be found?"

"Yep." He nodded as he let go of the lingerie and then pointed to the victim's inner arm.

"And it looks like she's been addicted to Mundy drugs, based on the track marks here. Given that and her choice of foundation garments, I think it's a safe bet what this girl did for a living." He deduced that the link between Faith and Jane Doe was they were prostitutes. He also realized that the reason she was glamoured as Snow was because she was ordered by a client, but he wasn't going to tell Snow that.

"You're saying she's a prostitute? But why would she be glamoured to look like me? That doesn't—" She stopped short in realization and started to look ill, "Oh God… I think I'm going to be sick."

Bigby wished he could take away her pain but he couldn't: she will never reciprocate his feelings. He also felt bad for the victim: she was forced to be glamoured as Snow because some sick bastard was sexually obsessed with the real one and also killed because the killer thought she was the real one. He vowed that he wasn't going to let that piece of shit get away with this.

When I get my hands on that bastard, I'm gonna bash his skull in. He angrily thought and then he got a whiff of a familiar and obnoxious cologne.

"What have you found out?" Crane asked as he walked toward them. He looked at Snow for an answer but she still looked pale, so Bigby answered in her place,

"She was hooked on Mundy drugs and also a prostitute like Faith."

"What?" He gasped and then his face cringed in disgust at the sight of the dead woman. Bigby scowled at his lack of empathy. Snow then called for his attention and handed him something from the woman's blazer. It looked like a wooden tube with some kind of obscure image in the middle. He could tell it was magic and then shook it by his ear, hearing something rattling inside.

"Be careful! Who knows what kind of black magic is in that." Crane exclaimed, but Bigby ignored him.

"Only one way to find out." He stated as he fiddled with the movable rings on the tube, which made a picture of a white deer with the right combination. The cap popped opened and he dumped the contents in his hand.

"It's your hair Snow, and a photo of you." He stated as he showed it to her. He had no clue how all this was taken without her knowing it.

"I don't remember anyone taking this." She cringed as she took the photo that was of her working at her desk.

"Who would do this?—"

Suddenly a green glow illuminated the chamber and everyone shielded their eyes from the blinding light. Bigby glanced and saw that the corpse was transforming: her skin became grey, her body fleshy, a floral tattoo appeared on her right ankle, and horns appeared on her head and neck.

"Oh for the love of… It's a troll!" Crane exclaimed in disgust while Snow gasped. Bigby however was neutral but still surprised at Jane Doe's identity. To him, it didn't matter if she was a troll or a former princess, no Fable deserved to die like she did.

"Calm down Crane, it's not like you haven't see a troll before."

"I have, unfortunately." He sneered with his arms crossed. "In my opinion, we should've left them all back in the Homelands."

"You're real sympathetic. I bet they love to hear that." Bigby commented sarcastically.

"Watch you tone with me Sheriff. I'm still the mayor of this community." He warned but Bigby just scoffed at him: Crane was nothing but all bark and no bite.

"Okay, so she's a troll and a prostitute, but we still don't have a name." Snow stated while getting the men back on track. Bigby then remembered the owner of the Trip Trap,

"Maybe Holly knows. She's a troll so she might know." He suggested. At those words, Snow's face had fallen.

"Oh no. " She gasped. "It's Lily, Holly's sister. She reported her missing several days ago but I… I guess just slipped through the cracks." Her musk told him that she felt guilty and he felt the same way. If they had done something then she wouldn't be dead.

"Well, Holly can know that we found her… " He sighed as he wasn't looking forward to this; he already trashed her bar and now he has to tell her that her sister was dead.

"Come on." Snow said to him as she started walking out but Crane stood in her path.

"I'm afraid that it's not a good idea for you to be out there. Someone murdered this… woman… thinking it was you. You'd be risking your life."

"This was my fault that this happened. I'm the one who took in the case and let it slip. I need to take responsibility and offer my condolences." Snow firmly argued. Bigby sympathized with her, but her safety came first.

"As much as I hate to admit, he's right. You're staying here, Snow." He stated while she glared at him coldly.

"And do nothing like I always do?" She disputed.

"I told you earlier that you needed to lie low. If the killer saw you and realized that you ain't dead, he'll go after you. I'm sorry, but this is for your own good Snow." He firmly reasoned and then walked out of the Witching Well Chamber. He never looked back at her, but he could smell her anger and frustration rising.

"Son of a bitch!" She cursed softly. He didn't know if she was cursing at the situation or at him. Many people called him that despite the fact he literally was one. He was starting to feel guilty about his decision, but reminded himself that making her stay was best for her, even if she would hate him for it.

When Bigby stepped out of the Woodlands, a familiar sweet scent stood out to him instead of the stink of New York City. It was Red's scent mixed with flour, spices, and sugar.

He looked across the street and saw her serving a customer at Hood's Goodies. She was dressed in light jeans, a buttoned red blouse, and a black apron with the logo, and her ponytail was pulled back instead of over her shoulder.

He hadn't seen her since he fought Gren at the Trip Trap last night. He hadn't thought about it much because of the 'Glamoured-Snow' affair and going back to it, he remembered Red's frightened expression. Her coat hid her musk but he saw how scared she was, and he felt guilty for exposing his feral side to her.

As he dug out for his cigarettes, he also unintentionally pulled out the photo of Red that he confiscated from Tweedle Dee earlier. Based on what Dee said and Ruby's concerns, he felt that her welfare maybe at risk.

When the guy left, Bigby stuffed the photo and cigarettes back in his pocket and made his way to the bakery. He then groaned in irritation as he saw an annoying Fable sitting on the counter chatting with Red, black fur fluffed up and white-tipped tail flicking.

"Puss…" He grumbled as he opened the door, their conversation ceased as the bell chimed.

"A Mundy could've seen you and blown our cover. What are you doing here?" He glared at the cat as he came up the counter.

"Well nice to see ya too, Biggy." The feline remarked and then his green eyes looked him over. "You look like you've been through the wringer, can't blame ya since you've been held hostage by the NYPD."

He quizzically glanced at Red and she shrugged her shoulders in response. He needed to get rid of that cat so he can talk to her. Suddenly an idea hit him.

"You got that right. I've also got a lot shit that needs to be done today and one of them is sending a talking cat to The Farm." He smirked; it wasn't a lie for it was part of his job to take non-glamoured Fables into custody, but he didn't receive any order to get Puss immediately. He knew that mentioning those two words would make the cat hightail it, and that's exactly what happened.

"Annnd that's my cue to scat. Later Red, we'll talk about that 'ride' another time." He crooned as Bigby raised an eyebrow at him. The feline quickly jumped off the counter and headed for the door. With one big push, Puss ran out like a bat out of hell.

"The hell was that about?" He jabbed his thumb at the door.

"That was his way of asking me out." She chuckled as she dusted her apron and leaned her elbows on the counter.

"And what did you say?" He smirked as he crossed his arms. He knew that she wasn't interested in the cat, but he wanted to hear what she said.

"That I only allow neutered animals in my bed. But what I didn't tell him was that there was someone who was an exception to that rule…" She smiled coyly as she looked at him. His nose got a whiff at her arousal and blushed for the second time today. She world generally flirt with him but without that red coat of hers, it was like she was naked to him.

Red's face flushed when she noticed his, and then she straightened up while awkwardly changing the subject,

"So, what brings you here? Not that I'm complaining, but it's just that you usually don't come here at this time of day. If it's about Woody, I haven't seen him since the… incident last night."

His face fell as he averted his gaze from her to the German baked goods in the display case, and she looked at him with worry.

"At the bar… I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I lost it." He admitted uneasily as he scratched the back of his head and placed his free hand on the counter. To his shock, she placed her small hand on top of his large one.

"It's okay Bigby." She reassured. "You did what you had to do because you were cornered. When forced into that position it's either fight or die. It's a feeling I know all too well. I'll admit that I was frightened a bit, but I'm just glad that things didn't get worse."

Her genuine words and her tender eyes made his heartbeat skip. He wanted to tell her that he would've ripped Gren's arm off, the one he used to harm her, but he decided not to. Snow would've reprimanded him if she'd been there, but Red understood him because she was more attuned to her instincts; of course that was because he had regrettably put her through that.

Bigby could never comprehend why Red Riding Hood would care for the Big Bad Wolf that ate her, but her kindness was one of the things why he loved her…

"Hey…" Her voice was soft and sad, but it snapped him out of his thoughts as he gazed upon the woman before him, and realized that her hand was within his and stroked the top with her thumb.

"I… heard about Snow and how she was… killed." She then looked away him. "I knew how close you were with her and I'm sorry for the loss. I didn't like her, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone…" Her grief was genuine, but then he realized that she thought the glamoured Snow was the real one.

"It's not Snow." He corrected, never moving his hand.

"What?" She looked at him dumbfounded. She subconsciously moved her hand away, much to his displeasure, as she straightened her posture.

"It's Lily."

"Lily…?" She mused as her eyes looked off to the side, and then realization hit her.

"Do you mean Lily, as in Holly's sister?" She looked at him earnestly.

"Yeah, she was glamoured as Snow when she was murdered." He stated somberly.

"My God… first Faith and now Lily…" She softly gasped as she covered her pink lips with her hand.

"Red, did you know her?" He asked firmly. He knew Red's moods very well and when she's like this, she can emotionally shut down. If he got her talking and thinking, she won't be able to.

"No…" She shook her head. "I only met her a few times but I knew that she had a drug problem and was estranged from Holly." Bigby noticed that her scent was much more distraught with Lily's death than with Faith's. It was strange that she was more upset over someone she didn't know very well than her friend's death, but he figured that her distraught was because of the two homicides.

"She was also friends with Faith." She admitted.

"Friends?"

"Yes," She nodded. "I've seen them together one time so my guess is that they're friends. I'd imagine that being in that lifestyle it's easier to talk to someone in the same situation. I tried to get Faith to talk about it one time, but she kept saying 'these lips are sealed'."

Bigby took her account in consideration. It would make sense for prostitutes to be friends and support each other in this dangerous lifestyle. Lily had to been killed while she was on the clock, so maybe the other girls who work with her might know who she left with; but he needed to find out where Lily was working at first. Red then shifted her body and crossed her arms,

"So I'm guessing Lily glamoured herself as Snow had something to do with her prostituting?"

"Yep."

"Does Snow know?" She asked while looking at him tentatively and he nodded.

"God, I can't imagine how she feels." She sighed melancholically. "When I came here, I was told that this was a safe place for Fables who escaped the Adversary. When did our safe haven get so fucked up?"

He asked that same question to himself earlier, but he didn't know how to answer it. He then remembered about what her grandmother said earlier,

She'll likely listen to you than me…

"You hear that your grandma check herself out?"

"Yeah. She walked all the way to the Woodlands and was escorted back. I got quite an earful from Dr. Swineheart and Nurse Sprat. What did she want?" She cocked her head.

"She came to see me 'cause she's worried about you, and with good reason. Said something about you being approached by thugs named Mar and Dor."

Her eyes widened when he said those names, indicating to him that she knew them, but she tightened her lips. Instead of confronting her about those names, he continued,

"I also confiscated this from when I interrogated Dee." He pulled out the photo and handed it to her, blushing and averting his eyes away.

"How…?" She trailed off as she looked at the crinkled photo of her in her lacy, red negligée. She shook her head in disbelief and tried to ask him about the photo, but nothing coherent was coming out.

Bigby then went around the counter so that he could be physically close to her. Getting into someone's personal space while questioning them was often a tactic he'd used; it was meant to put fear or irritate them to get answers, but he'd figure it would soothe Red in her case.

"Red if you're in trouble, you need to tell me. Remember that you wanted us to be closer and lend each other an ear. If you're being threatened, I can help you." He said sincerely as he looked into her conflicted green eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed as she put the photo in her pocket and then solemnly looked at him,

"Listen, the people I work with don't take too kindly on those who quit. I'm trying to get out of that job, but it's a slow process." She then smiled sadly at him. "I really appreciate your concern Bigby, but there will be repercussions if you tried to help me and I don't want anybody hurt."

Her musk told him that there was truth in her words, but her statement was vague and he knew she was hiding something.

"I dug myself into this hole, and I can get myself out of it. I'll be fine." She stated adamantly.

Why do I fall for the stubborn women? He wondered irritatingly. Both Red and Snow were strong-willed women and while he loved that trait in them, it sometimes annoyed the living hell out of him because they prefer to do things themselves rather than accept his help.

"You're obviously not fine if you have to pussyfoot around." He called her out and her eyes became fierce, but he wasn't intimidated. "I'm worried about you and with all this shit going on, the last thing I want is to find your head at the Woodlands. I don't want—" He stopped himself from saying those words, but Red wasn't going to let it go.

"You don't want what? Tell me Bigby." She coaxed gently. Her eyes had softened as she looked at him concernedly.

…She seems fond of you…

Looking at Red, he couldn't deny his attraction and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. The gesture surprised her but she didn't flinch at his touch, instead she closed her eyes and relished it. His heart skipped at her acceptance.

Ah, the hell with it. He thought.

"I don't want to lose you…" He softly admitted but omitted saying 'either'. With Snow's rejection from that phrase, he was expecting Red would say something similar to that but he was stunned when she placed his caressing hand on her cheek.

"But you won't…" Red looked at him tenderly. Her words bubbled up the intimate feelings he had for her and the scent of her love, desire, and happiness dominated every other smell to his senses. He felt wave nostalgia from long ago; back when it was just him and her and none of that Adversary shit.

Against his better judgement, Bigby gripped her waist and pulled her to his body. He felt her arms wrap around his back and her face bury into his shoulder, sighing contently. It was quite ironic that Red Riding Hood was nestled lovingly in the Big Bad Wolf's arms, but he didn't care.

Red then shifted in his arms but instead of pulling away from him, she placed her hands on his unshaven jaw and pulled him into a kiss. His body froze and stared at her in disbelief while her eyes were closed. Bigby's heart hammered when he noted that she tasted exactly how she smelled, and the way she kissed was shy and unsure but full of desire. She then broke the kiss and looked at him with sadness in her eyes, probably due to his lack of response, and then started to pull away from him.

That shook him out of a daze and Bigby instinctively pulled her hips against his hardness and melded her lips against his, without hesitation. The kiss held centuries of hunger for her and the wild nature within him emerged. Red was shocked of his aggressive kiss, but she returned it with equal passion.

He knew that he had a job to do, but he selfishly wanted to forget everything and only focus on the woman kissing him for a minute.

Just one minute…