A/N: So I have been working on this like non stop for the past couple of months. I got the idea in my head and it kind of took off. I was looking at the prompt (Detective and doctor team up for murder mystery) for my one shot collection, "Left Unsaid", but it soon took on multiple chapters and then a beast all its own. I am actually quite happy with it. Its my first big AU. I didn't think that I would have as much fun as I did on this thing. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it... except without the frustrations of writer's block. Enjoy and I hope you will honor me with a review. Happy reading!

Summary: An evil had come to the quiet town of Storybrooke. Detective Ruby Lucas, trying to make up for sins of her youth, teams up with the quiet Doctor Archibald Hopper to capture the most brutal killer in Storybrooke history.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ruby, Archie or any of the characters presented in Once Upon A Time or the idea of Storybrooke. I just like to play in the play box every once in a while and it seems like Ruby and Archie are just too fun to work with. So, please no sue.

The Game's Slaves

By Ana the Romantic

Prologue:

The smoke that came from the car's engine made the air thick. The full moon high in the sky was the only light on the lone country back road where a crumpled car sat wrapped around a large tree. The moonlight barely shone through the smoke to uncover the scene of the crash. The sharp red sports car was reduced to a beautiful disaster wrapped around a large redwood. A single passenger sat in the driver's seat and motionlessly looked out the front windshield into oblivion.

Boots hit and slid across the dark pavement toward the car, unsure of what they would find. She felt the tears choke in her throat as she tried to call out to him, but no sound cut through the cold, Maine air. With a stumble to the car, her hands wrapped around the car's door frame, bent out in an odd angle. She gasped and then sobbed at the sight of the young man, his chest torn open by some of the glass of the windshield.

She shook her head as she stepped back from the car finally finding a squeak of a voice, "No…"

"It's your fault," the corpse suddenly spoke and turned his still lifeless eyes toward her, "You killed me… killed me."

"Oh God… I am so sorry, Peter," she whispered again and clenched her eyes shut, "I am so sorry…"

Ruby Lucas shot up in bed and gasped at the ringtone of her cell phone off to the side on the nightstand. She took a second to gather her breath before she tumbled to the side and reached for her phone. Her dog picked up her head and whined at her and her sudden movements. The large wolfdog yawned and watched her owner's movements closely.

Ruby sighed and shook her head at her pet, "I'm okay, Perdi. Go back to sleep."

Perdita whined again and then put her head back down on the large bed that she had made of old blankets.

"Lucas," she murmured into the phone and ran a hand through her hair.

"Good morning to you too, partner," a cheerful voice filtered through the phone line.

"Mary, what time is it?" she wiped at her eyes and turned to her own clock which read two-forty. Ruby grumbled as Mary knew better than to answer, "I just fell asleep an hour ago. I have been up all night doing those reports, you know this."

"I know, I was hoping you were still up."

"What's going on?" Ruby pushed herself from the bed and popped her back with a stretch.

"We got a call for a lead."

"From who?" Ruby was immediately awake and threw on her jeans and her dark tank top over them. With a swift grab, she threw on her red leather jacket, "An informant?"

"You can call him that," Mary huffed into the phone, "It's Eigh."

"You talking about Steven 'Stealthy' Eigh?!" she nearly yelled into the phone, "Don't tell me he got the lead before us."

"Maybe. He was calling in a tip, talking near nonsense when the phone went dead. We think that he may have stumbled a bit too far into the investigation and may be another victim."

"Not if we can help it," Ruby frowned and locked her door behind her, "I am heading out. Where am I meeting you?"

"Let's get to him fast," Mary agreed and sounded like she was getting into her own car, "Warehouse on Shore and East End."

"I'll be there in five," she clipped out and hung up. She growled as she reached her red mustang. She pushed the engine to turn over and floored it out of the parking spot in the front, "If that stupid private eye got his ass in trouble… I've told him to get his nose out of it."

Doctor Archibald Hopper stood in front of the large bars with his assistant at his side. She smiled at his nervousness and handed him the top file that she had prepped for him.

"I don't know what you get so nervous about," she giggled lightly as they waited for the clearance to see the prisoner, "He has been nothing but a gentleman to the both of us."

"He was convicted of murdering his wife, Belle," Archie reminded her and patted at the tie that was securely under his sweater vest, "We are strangers compared to her. Just think what he could do."

"You said so yourself that it was a break with reality and that it was genuinely manslaughter when he killed his wife. He had just caught her with another man and he was under duress of rage," she reasoned back, "This is the last chance to see if he was hiding anything. If he has, he will stay in… if not…"

"Then he is a free man that has served his time," Archie nodded and looked up only when the bars opened and they both walked down the hall and into a small interrogation room, led by one of the many prison guards.

On the other side of the table sat a man with the air of a millionaire, "Good evening, Doctor Hopper."

"Mister Gold," Archie greeted with a nod and sat down the file on the table as he took his seat.

Gold suddenly flicked his eyes to the pretty brunette behind Archie and smirked, "Miss French, how are you doing this fine evening?"

"Just fine, Mister Gold," she replied with an easy smile.

"So we are to discuss the terms of your upcoming release…" Archie breathed out.

"Or continued incarceration," Gold added on.

"Mister Gold, you killed your wife, that's for certain," Archie nodded and took another deep breath, "But you did so after extreme anger and hurt clouded your actions. For that you have paid your price to society."

"And then some," Gold nodded and looked up, "I lost my son, you know this. Now, he is to be raised by people I don't even know… in New York of all places."

"Once you have established yourself once more, you will have a chance to see your son again."

"After he turns eighteen. My parental rights have been disintegrated since the trial end," Gold continued again and looked at the astonished psychiatrist. He smirked and leaned forward in an almost taunting way, "I have read some enlightening law books."

Archie's one eyebrow lifted and then he turned to look at his assistance, "Yes, it is amazing what you can find when you have the right resources."

Belle smiled at both men and bowed her head slightly, "Well, onward."

"Is there anything that you want to add to this?" Archie asked as he turned back to him.

"You know my feelings on the whole proceedings of this, Hopper," Gold sneered, "I have voiced them a few times over."

"All right, just…" Archie hesitated and looked the tall man in the eyes, "… don't give me any reason to keep you here or to put you back in when you're out."

"Oh, believe me," Gold sighed out, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Ruby pulled up the warehouse with Mary Blanchard at the front. She climbed out of her mustang and gave Mary a confused look, "Where are the black and whites?"

"We didn't want to bring too much attention to the building if they are still here. They aren't too far away should we need back up. I have a small radio on me and they are on call," Mary said and un-holstered her weapon, "You ready to find ourselves a murderer?"

"Am I ever," she nodded and took out her own weapon from her waist holster, "Let's get this over with."

The two partners entered the warehouse and searched step by step, room by room of the rather large, but so far empty building. Ruby nodded up at Mary as she led the way and she covered behind her. Toward the middle of the largest room, they saw a single light nearly spotlighting a still form on the floor of the warehouse. Ruby hissed quietly at Mary as she took a step toward the downed man. Mary looked back and Ruby shook her head and pulled her back into the shadows.

"What does that look like to you?" Ruby nodded to the large light that was on right over the body.

"The only light in this entire room," Mary said in a rush, "Red, that man may need help. That may be Eigh. I can't just sit here and pounder over lights."

"Think, Snow!" she hissed and pulled at her friend and partner's arm, using her nickname, "That is a spotlight and if the murderer is in here, they have killed at least two people. With that record, I doubt that they have no regrets about killing a target from afar."

"As we still discuss this, he is dying!" Mary tore her arm from Ruby's grasp and started to run toward the man and kept low to the ground.

"Snow! Damn it!" Ruby frowned and kept her eyes and ears open for any movement or clicks that others would overlook. The room was tall and had plenty of ledges to hide in. Ruby followed behind Mary a bit slower and took a long sniff of the air. She stopped after a second and could nearly taste the gun powder in the air. Whoever this was, they were close. Really close. A click registered in the emptiness of the warehouse and Ruby's head snapped up to see a shadow move in one of the rafters not too far from Mary and the prone figure. Ruby aimed and shot right above the head of the intruder, "Above you!"

Mary gasped and covered the man under her own body to protect him. She looked up quickly and then tried to pull at the prone figure below her. She tugged at his arm, but he wouldn't move. A look back and she confirmed that it was indeed the private eye that was trying to follow the case just as carefully as they were. His eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, his pupils dilated though he was looking directly into the light. She pushed him over to check his pulse and discovered she didn't have to. Though there was no blood, there was a large whole where his heart would have been, empty. Just like the other victims. With a shake of her head she cursed him. Steven "Stealthy" Eigh was dead. He got too close with not enough experience to save his poor backside.

"Snow!" Ruby roared at her and she looked up in time to feel the hit of a bullet to her center abdomen. She screamed out of shock more than anything else. She fell back and then began to scoot backwards and for more cover from the overhead position that the shooter had on her. She backed up against a far wall as she heard Ruby start to shoot back. The shots went back and forth for a few rounds before the shadow above them began to move.

"Red!" Mary yelled out into the building, her voice now echoing. She didn't hear or see her partner and that really scared her with how accurate that shot was at her.

"I'm fine," a voice called back to her, "Are you okay?"

"Vest stopped it," she replied and held at her middle. Vest might have stopped the most of the damage, but it still hurt like hell. She coughed a bit and tried to find out where the suspect was, "Where are they? Did you get them?"

"No, I didn't," Ruby answered a started to come closer to her. Mary shifted a little more to get comfortable and saw Ruby come around the corner, still vigilant on the overhangs over them, "What happened to Stealthy?"

"He's gone," she nodded sadly, "He must have got something good on them, whoever they are."

"Did they take it?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Yeah, his heart is gone too," Mary nodded.

"Damn it," she sat down next to Mary, her gun still drawn, "I told him to keep his head down."

"You knew even then that he wouldn't," Mary smile a little through her pain and looked at her friend.

"Yeah… I guess I did," Ruby smiled back at her.

Mary's smile suddenly dropped and she reached for Ruby. She pulled her forward as a gunshot echoed through Ruby's eardrums. She felt the ringing in her head, but still fell on her back, shooting the boxes behind her where the shot came from. The suspect fled and this time she saw a large shadow flee out the door and into the night.

"Shit!" Ruby shifted to get up, but then noticed the blood splatter on the boxes next to her. Ruby checked herself and didn't find any new holes, and then it dawned on her. She looked behind her where Mary was laying back on the ground with blood around her head, "No! Snow!"

She leaned over her friend and shifted off her jacket to press it against the bullet wound on her head. Mary's eyes drifted closed and opened in an effort to stay conscious.

"…Red?"

"It's okay, stay awake, Snow," she reminded her and reached into her friend's jacket for the radio, "We have a Nine-Eleven! Officer down, need of immediate medical assistance. Suspect has fled! I repeat, Nine- Eleven! Officer down!"

The radio blasted to life as confirmation was heard and more voices began to dispatch other officers and paramedics.

"They are on their way, Snow," Ruby looked down at her friend, "They're coming; I promise… just stay with me."

"R-red…" she stuttered and her eyes began to shut on their own.

"Mary Blanchard, you listen to me!" she growled down at her friend, "You will not leave me alone out here! You're strong, you can make it! Open your eyes!"

She leaned over her friend as she tried to wake her up, "Don't you dare leave me… not you too…"