Chapter 2

"Granny, can I grab – "

"Two grilled cheese's, got it," Granny nodded at Hook.

"Thanks, love," Hook smiled.

Granny rolled her eyes. She supposed she could see what Emma was attracted to, once you got over all the villainous years and the hook. The young couple seemed happy; it was nice. The sheriff deserved that.

The town had seemed surprisingly quiet though since their new visitors had arrived. The lack of monsters and curses was somewhat eerie.

"Hey, Granny, you spoken to Ruby lately?" Emma asked, leaning on the counter, having disentangled herself from Hook for the moment.

"Not since last week," Granny replied as she wiped the counter, "She checks in every week or so. She's back next week though, if she can tear herself away from the streets of New York."

Emma nodded, "Yeah… so she doesn't know about… our new visitors?"

Granny frowned, "No, she doesn't. I figured I'd just fill her in when she arrived. For now, everything seems…quiet, I didn't want to worry her unnecessarily."

"Right," Emma nodded slowly, deep in thought.

Perhaps she was wrong about the quiet, Granny thought as she studied the sheriff.

"Is there something I need to know?" Granny asked, putting her cloth down.

Emma sighed, "It's just, I don't know these guys deals or anything but in the Disney movie…"

"Oh, god," Granny huffed under her breath.

"Yeah, yeah I know, they're not always accurate," Emma smiled, "But Cruella kinda like… killed dogs and made coats out of them. It was really sick and I just thought you guys… Well, I mean don't tell Ruby I called her a dog, I know she hates that, but wolves… " she shrugged, "I thought it was worth mentioning, that's all."

Granny handed over the grilled cheese, "She does wear that ridiculous coat," she thought, "I'll talk to Ruby next time she checks in. Don't tell her I said this, but I really do miss that girl."

Emma grinned, "Yeah, I bet you do. Thanks, Granny."

Ruby woke up with a start, sitting upright as she caught her breath. She kept thinking things couldn't possibly get worse, then she'd have the nightmares and then she'd wake up, still in this awful place. It didn't help she'd woken up to find that cow had taken her red cloak; the only thing she found comfort in in this shitty cell.

She'd tried early on to scream for Granny, praying against all hope that she would hear her. Granny still had her wolf-hearing but it was fading. Besides, Cruella had just knocked her out with…whatever that weird, green mist was. She didn't like that stuff. It freaked her out. From the myths she'd heard, she could only control animals, but being a Halfling, Ruby figured she must be vulnerable, even in human form.

She was starting to lose track of time, there were no windows down here. Everything was merging into one. It felt as though it had been weeks, but realistically, it must have only been days. She could barely sleep on the hard stone floor and when she did, she was haunted by images of wolves being hunted and skinned. Images of Cruella parading her new wolf-skin coat around. Worse, the images of a wolf tearing out that horrible woman's throat.

The air felt stale. It was always cold. If she was honest, she was scared. Like really scared. But she wasn't going to let that bitch see that.

It had happened before; when she'd been running through the Enchanted Forest and been cornered by a hunting party. It wasn't the full moon but she was terrified and surrounded. She'd just wanted to escape, for the hunters to leave her alone. Before she knew it, she'd turned into the snarling wolf and ripped her attackers to shreds.

Now, she had managed to break apart this cell meant for the weakness of humans. But getting up the stairs, she was met with a hard steel door that no amount of clawing and ripping and snapping could break through. She tried, she really tried. Then she heard footsteps; heels, her capturer. She couldn't stay in wolf form with that witch approaching. She calmed herself down the best she could and transformed.

"Ah, someone has been having a play," Cruella smirked in amusement.

Ruby lay amidst the broken cell and in moments, it had been magically reformed around her.

Ruby knew she had to buy herself all the time she could and so she told the wolf itching at her insides to calm down. It was okay. Someone would come.

"Hungry, wolf?" she slid a dog-bowl through the bars.

Ruby flicked her eyes up, "Don't you own any other clothes?" she was sick of seeing that stupid coat, screaming at her. Mocking her; this is what you're going to become. You're going to die and for what? A noble cause? No, a sick fashion statement.

Cruella smiled wickedly, "Well, why do you think I've captured myself a wolf?"

Ruby pushed the bowl of food back towards the bars with her foot roughly.

"The manners of a dog," Cruella rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a dog," Ruby growled, "I'm a human. You're a goddamn monster."

The smile never left Cruella's face, "Oh, darling I'm a monster?" she mocked, "Well, now, didn't I hear rumour that you killed someone? A boy, I believe, a childhood friend? Perhaps a lover?"

Ruby tried to keep her face neutral but she was human and it took her a moment to compose herself. That was enough to satisfy Cruella.

"I'll leave that for you," Cruella gestured to the bowl of food casually, "You'll get hungry. You can't transform if you die of starvation, darling."

Ruby glared at her back as she walked away. Then she switched her gaze to the bowl of food. She could smell it. Her stomach rumbled loudly and her mouth began to water. On hands and knee's she crawled over to the food. Diced steak. Rare. Just the way she liked it. Her stomach rumbled again.

She picked it up. She placed it on the outside of the bars and pushed it as far away as she could, out of her own reach. She wasn't going to give that woman the satisfaction. She wasn't broken. Not yet.