Ruby ran until her legs ached, her heels discarded long ago. The rain came down harder and harder, but she felt like her body was on fire, more wolf than woman as blinding panic took control.

I love you… I always have, and always will.

The words played over and over until she finally came to a stop, gasping for breath with hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Her lungs burned and her eyes stung and her feet throbbed and she wanted to take it all back.

The wooden dock under her blistered feet told her she'd ended up at the pier. The waves that beat against the shore matched the blood that pounded in her ears. Ruby tried to take deep, even breaths to stave off the shuddering sobs that threatened to take over.

All she could see was Archie's body lying in his office, an image that needed no imagination, along with his gravestone lined up with the others: her mother, Peter, Graham, Billy…

Her body had told her what her mind could not as she panicked at the words.

I. Love. You.

"No! No, no, no!" Ruby screamed into the wind. She was drenched through, water pooling along her back and down her sides, but she felt like she was burning. "You can't have him!" She sank to her knees, all of a sudden exhausted as she collapsed on the rough boardwalk, her hands clenched in her lap as she hunched over.

Everything had been so peaceful, so perfect this evening. Nothing felt more natural than Archie's arms around her as he hummed into her ear. The worst part was how her heart soared as he said those three words—right before her body froze and told her to run.

"It's not fair!" Ruby yelled again, as if whoever had caused the storm had also cursed any chance she had at happiness—at love. "It's not fair," she said more quietly, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Ruby!" That voice. There was no hint of hurt, no chastisement at how she abandoned him—that voice was only filled with worry. Ruby knew without turning around that it was Archie, with his sweet-and-earthy meadow scent, and a little part of her heart lifted.

Ruby said nothing, but kept her eyes forward as the rain fell down on them both with only the dim light of a nearby street lamp to see by.

"Rose," his voice was closer and warmer—as if filled with relief with a search ended, a beloved found. He stood about a metre behind her—just close enough to be heard—and Ruby melted to hear that name fall from his lips.

"I—I'm sorry," Archie said, almost yelling over the rain, and Ruby felt her heart ache as tears welled up anew at the fact that he was apologizing. "I thought—I thought we were on the same page. I didn't mean to rush you. But if this is too fast, or if this isn't what you want, then…" He trailed off, like a punch to her stomach to think of what came next. "Th-then, I'll leave you alone."

No! No, don't ever leave me. Ruby bit her lip until she tasted the metallic hint of blood. She willed herself to stay silent. She couldn't trust herself to do anything more.

"You are an amazing woman, and I'm so glad we've been able to spend this time together." Ruby heard him come closer and she felt the pressure of something across her shoulders.

His jacket.

Ruby kept her gaze forward into the darkness as she folded her arms over herself and dug her nails into the covering. Better to be alone than to have him buried under six feet of earth. Alone either way.

"Alright, then," Archie said after what seemed like an eternity. He started to walk away, the pat-pat-pat of his footsteps fading in the rain, and Ruby couldn't bear it any longer.

"Wait!" she burst out. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to decide if silence or speech was worse. The footsteps stopped.

Ruby shot up, forgetting the jacket that slumped to the ground, and turned around to finally face him. Her heart broke at the sight of the redhead in the fluorescent light with his shirt soaked through, his hair flat against his head and his glasses fogged up so that he had to squint to see her as the rain dripped over his every surface.

Her vision blurred with hot tears that streamed over her face, mixed with the cool rain. She couldn't bear the thought of him thinking that she didn't want him. The words hung thick on her tongue, and she so desperately wanted to tell him how much she longed for him—how much he meant to her.

"I c-can't do it again," she sputtered. "I can't do to you what I've done to so many others." The words fumbled out, loud and harsh, before she could stop them. "To Peter, and Graham, and Billy, and my mother…"

Archie's expression relaxed slightly and his look of hurt and confusion turned to curiosity—to concern. Ruby wanted to tell him everything, but she refused to put him in danger. And yet—he looked adorable with his shirt clinging to his body, and his eyes that searched hers for answers. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms and beg for forgiveness, to cover every inch of him in kisses and tell him what she so desperately wanted to say, and what he so desperately wanted to hear.

Archie took another step closer, his heart racing as a million emotions flooded over him. Ruby's eyes were filled with fear, not rejection or disgust. Her mouth opened like she wanted to say something, and Archie wordlessly pleaded with her to continue.

"I-I can't risk putting you in danger," she finally said so gently that he had to strain to hear her.

"But I'm not in any danger. I trust you, as the wolf." It took all his strength to keep his voice calm, despite the surprise that hit him at her words. He thought she had conquered these anxieties already—or had she been dealing with them by herself? He tried to fight the hurt that washed over him and focus on what she actually said.

"No—it's not that." Ruby shook her head. "It's just—no matter what I do, the people I love always get hurt. It's like I truly am cursed, even if it's not by my own hand."

Archie felt his heart lift at the words "the people I love" and he willed himself to ignore the hope that came with them. "I'm right here," he said firmly as he took another step closer so that she was within arms' reach. "Nothing is going to hurt me."

Ruby squinted at him as more tears welled up. "But you don't know that," she almost whispered.

"No," Archie said slowly. "But you don't know that anything will. Those other people died in different circumstances, because of different decisions—not because you are cursed." He tried to keep his voice steady as his eyes met hers, though his pulse raced. He inched closer towards her and took her hands in his. "And yes, Storybrooke can be a dangerous place, as well as the Enchanted Forest." Ruby's eyes softened as they held his gaze. "But—but I think we're stronger together, not apart." Archie swallowed, his mouth dry despite the rain that fell across his lips. "If that's what you want." Those words felt physically painful to say, as if he could willfully prevent another rejection if he just stayed silent.

Ruby squeezed his hands—a flicker of hope. "I want that so much."

Archie's eyes widened and he thought his heart would burst at the declaration. Still, he fought to remain calm. "Y-you do?"

She gave a small smile and he felt like he had been given the moon. She still looked gorgeous as they stood there in the rain, completely soaked. Her black dress clung to her waist, with strands of dark hair streaked across her cheeks, and her eyes began to brighten. "It's not that I don't love you," she said as she took another step forward, their hands clasped, eyes searching his with her face so close. "It's that I love you too much."

Archie stood dumbfounded for a moment. I love you too much. Then, his heart raced as he took her face in his hands and kissed her violently, a release of heartache and longing and the deepest love that poured out of him. Ruby kissed him back, equally as forceful as her fists grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, desperate to make up for the hurt she had caused as she closed any space between them.

As they finally pulled apart with foggy, heavy breaths, Archie gasped, "Don't ever make me walk away from you." He realized he no longer had to yell over the rain that fell more gently than before.

Ruby could see now that Archie had been crying, with red eyes and wet trails down his cheeks that were not from the rain, and she shook her head violently as her heart ached and soared at the same time. "Don't ever make me bury you again," she pleaded back.

Archie let out a hiccup of laugh as he shook his head, still unsure if she was real as he stroked the back of her neck and felt her grip on his shirt. "Don't you know? Crickets are lucky."

Ruby beamed back at him as she gave a little stamp of her foot. The warmth that flooded through her as he flashed her his smile that crinkled his eyes made her feel like he really did have some supernatural power over death. Her eyes softened as if she was about to cry.

Archie hands slid from around her neck to cup her face. "Hey," he murmured. "I promise I will never leave you." He pressed gentle kisses to her eyelids as mascara ran down her beautiful face. "Never," he said with each kiss. "Never," he said, kissing her nose. His eyes met hers for a brief moment as he stroked her cheeks. "Never," he murmured as he kissed her with every fibre of his being to promise that—completely and utterly—he was hers.

With hearts over the moon, wrapped in each other's arms, neither Ruby nor Archie were aware that the rain had stopped as if it had already washed them anew. Perhaps happy endings could be found in Storybrooke after all.

THE END.

Author's note: And there it is—my first ever, completed story, and the first part of Ruby and Archie's story complete. Thank you so much for reading! You have no idea how much I appreciate your comments every chapter, and I'd love to hear your reactions to this last one. It ended up changing quite a bit from what I initially planned, but I figured if you can't go all-out, rom-com indulgent in a fanfic about your OTP that's not even canon... then what's the point? :D Stay tuned for more fics about Ruby and Archie!