"Are you going to talk to me?" Red asked, walking up beside Bigby as he stalked down the street with a cigarette in his mouth. Apparently he had decided to forgo a taxi and walk in the fresh air. He didn't seem tired, but Red sure did and she was getting fed up with his silent treatment.

"Fine, then at least hear me out." She let out a nervous sigh as she started playing with her hair.

"What I told you in your office is true… I forgave you. It's not just about the Compact, because that's just a piece of paper, and it's not just about forgiving you for my own peace of mind. Through the years, I heard about you doing anything you could to mess with the Adversary's men. It got me to thinking that maybe you weren't so bad. I tried to find you, you know… maybe you were avoiding me back then too."

"You shouldn't have tried to find me," he finally replied. "I tried to eat you, Red."

"But you didn't and I'm still alive today."

"Red, I can't-"

"I see how hard you try everyday for this town and how all these shit heads don't appreciate that. It's always 'good for nothing Wolf' or 'fucking B-dubs'-"

"I guess that one was Jack," he muttered.

"-but here I am trying to tell you I forgive you and appreciate what you do and you shoot me down! Does my forgiveness really mean so little?"

No, it didn't. Actually, it meant the world to him to know that she forgave him. It was bliss, but just the possibility that he could hurt her even worse than he did before was gut wrenching. He had lost control with Tweedle Dum, how did he know he wouldn't with her?

Couldn't she see that he was trying to protect her? He just needed to get things back to how they used to be. With him silently watching over as she got on with her life.

"Red, I'm trying to-"

"Sheriff? Miss Red?" called a dapper british voice as they passed the Open Arms Hotel and came up to the old Pudding & Pie.

A tall gaunt man looking to be in his early forties approached Red with a slimy grin on his face. He grabbed her hand, pressing it gently to his lips, ignoring the warning growl from the man beside him.

"Didn't think I'd ever see you with this brute 'ere, love."

"Who the fuck are you?" Bigby growled, flicking the cigarette in the strange man's direction.

"Why Sheriff, it pains me to know that you don't recognize my voice, mate."

Bigby stepped up to the man who was at least two inches taller than him, eyes narrowing as he searched his face for any distinguishing features. There were none, but Bigby picked up the faint aroma of pond scum.

"Toad? Finally got a glamour, hm?"

"O' course. You think I'd be down here from the Farm without one?"

"But…" Red stepped up to both men. "I thought Snow wasn't budging on the Farm issue."

"Well she did," Toad grasped the opening of his old suit jacket. It looked like he had that for ages. "Been callin' 'er up ever since we were sent up there, begged 'er to let me and me boy back. She agreed a couple days ago, but we needed to get glamoured right away with the money you gave us. Never touched it in three years. Kind of hard to buy anythin' at the farm."

"I wanna know why she agreed in the first place." Bigby asked.

"One o' my new partners pulled some strings. Said she needed my business expertise." Toad shrugged. "Anyway, found out me job as landlord has been taken up by Mrs. Cratchit's boy, Tim. Can't blame him. I been away for three years already."

"So," Bigby looked behind him to see Clever Hans with a broom. "What's with all this?"

"Oh, well I needed a new job if I was gonna stay here. Bumped into Nerissa on the way."

"Nerissa?" Red walked past the two into the Pudding & Pie, smiling as she saw Nerissa at the counter with a mop in her hands.

"Red?" She ran toward her, swiftly bringing the girl into a hug. She hadn't seen Red since the Homelands and feared - much like everyone else - that she had died. "When did you get here?"

"Decades ago," she said. "I didn't know you were working here until everything came out about the case… I-I'm sorry I didn't come by."

"Don't worry," Nerissa gave her one last squeeze before pulling away and looked at Bigby who was just now entering the building. "You know, you were right. He really isn't as bad as we thought."

"Nerissa," he nodded.

"Sorry for disappearing on you like that, Sheriff," she gave him a weak smile.

"So what is this? You guys reopening?" he asked.

A woman with streaks of white through her black hair came in from the main room with a cash box in her hands. "Yes actually."

"Who are you?" Red asked.

"I'm Livia," she held her hand out for Red and then for Bigby to shake. "I was Georgie's accountant and occasional call girl, and I'm the one who persuaded Miss White to bring Toad back." She set the box on the counter next to Nerissa.

"Nerissa here has made a pretty penny working out of town, Hans worked at another club in Midtown and I work at the Open Arms Hotel - all of that should be enough for us to open up this place."

"So, all of this to open up a new strip joint."

"Please, Bigby, we're opening up a restaurant." Nerissa placed the mop in a bucket and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's what… Lily and Faith would have wanted."

"We're naming it 'Liv 'n' Toad's'," added Hans.

"With a name like that, you won't be getting any customers," Bigby muttered.

"Name's still in development," Toad shrugged. "We ain't breakin' any rules, gov, so why are you 'ere?"

"A witness thought he saw somethin' fishy," Bigby planted another cigarette in his mouth. "You'd probably call me too if you saw people pokin' around a dead Fable's place of business."

"Thank you for the concern Sheriff, but as you can see, everything is above board. I went to Miss White weeks ago to fill out the necessary paperwork… she knows about this," Livia assured.

"Just had to check it out," he lit the cigarette and placed the lighter in his trench coat pocket. "All of you have a good day."

Bigby had left through the door. Red was about to follow him, but was stopped by Nerissa calming hand resting on her shoulder.

"Are you and Bigby...?" she trailed off.

"What?"

"Just," she whispered. "The way that you looked at him. That longing type of look."

"Wow." Red brought her hands to her cheeks, feeling the warmth radiating off of them. "Am I that obvious?"

"Not to them, but you're talking to a girl who has learned to take a critical eye to everything."

"I… I have to go Nerissa, but-" she fished in her dress pockets for a piece of paper. Nerissa provided her with a pen, having already written down her number while Red was searching.

"Thanks." Red wrote down her number and handed it to the former-mermaid. "I'll call you… okay?"

"Okay." Nerissa watched as the girl ran out of the door to catch up with the Sheriff.

"'Ey, chop chop. We gotta get everythin' in order if we wanna open up in two weeks," Toad yelled.

Nerissa rolled her eyes, grabbing the mop once more. A Homelands themed restaurant was what she, Lily, and Faith had talked about, but she was just hoping to own it herself. "Well, I suppose I won't have to worry about my head anymore."

"Bigby, wait up!"

He didn't turn around but he did stop in order for her to catch up.

She leaned over the sidewalk with her hands on her thighs. "My feet are killing me…"

Bigby walked to the side of the road, lazily waving his arm in front of him to hail a taxi.

"What are you doing?" Red asked.

"What does it look like?"

A taxi stopped right in front of him. He opened the door for Red and climbed in as she settled into the driver's passenger side.

"Where to?" asked the taxi driver.

"The Woodland Apartments on Bullfinch and Andersen."

"No problem, man."

"Well," Red leaned back in her seat. "That was anticlimactic."

"It's all in a day's work. Bein' Sheriff isn't exactly a glamorous job." Bigby took a long drag of his cigarette in hopes of dulling her scent - of course that didn't work. "It's not always as exciting as the Crooked Man case."

"I suppose not." Red chewed at her lip while looking out the window. "What do we do next."

"I," he emphasized, "Have to talk to Snow and see if what Livia said is true. Don't you have to go to work or something?"

"Or something…" she grinned. "It's my day off."

"Of course."

The rest of the trip was spent in awkward silence with both parties in the back of the taxi cab looking off into different directions. The driver wasn't blind to the tension between the two, but as soon as he was going to say something, he had realized that they were already at the destination.

"You two good?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks." He paid the driver before crawling out of the taxi.

The two found themselves at the Business Office door after another awkward and silent elevator ride. Bigby took one look at her before opening the door, freezing in place once he beheld the sight in front of him.

"Well I'll be damned…"

"Wha-" Red pushed past him, also freezing once she had seen what Bigby was looking at.

Before them was Snow White - prim, proper, regal Snow White - grasping Flycather's orange jumpsuit and kissing him senseless.

"The hell?" Red squeaked.

"Oh," Snow White jumped away quickly, revealing Flycatcher's goofy grin and lipstick covered face. "M-Mr. Wolf… M-Miss Riding Hood." She pulled on her rumpled white jacket, smoothing the wrinkles and fixed her blouse.

"Please, I just saw you sucking face with my friend so I think first names are in order." Red smirked as Snow blushed a dark shade of red.

"W-what could I do for you two?"

Bigby stood frozen for a bit before looking between a dazed Flycatcher and a decidedly embarrassed Snow before chuckling under his breath. "If this is a bad time-"

"No, no…" Snow turned to Flycatcher whispering something in his ear.

"Of course Miss White," he smiled and headed out the door. If anyone was really paying attention, they would note the slight skip in his step.

"What was it you needed?"

"We just got back from Georgie's old place. A woman named Livia claims to own it now."

"Oh, yes. Livia Hulda. Here's her file with the paperwork…"

As Snow led Bigby to the files, Red had snuck out of the Business Office to find Flycatcher. She just had to know how he and Snow happened. However, when she walked out, he was already gone. She was about to walk to the lobby when a hand sprang forth from Bigby's office across the hall, pulling her into the tiny room.

"What the-"

She was sat forcefully on a chair and blinked, adjusting to the light that had just been flicked on.

"Welcome to "Chez Bigby"!" oinked Colin in a French accent that wasn't half bad.

"What?"

"Shall we get you a bottle of our finest pinot noir and caviar… they're absolutely divine!" Jack, face still wrapped in bandages, brought a bottle of cheap wine to her face and a... fish shaped egg?

"What the hell are you two doing?"

"You like Bigby, right?" Colin asked. "We're just here to help ya."

Red glared at Jack. She knew that it was likely him that told Colin about her feelings for the Sheriff. However, maybe having them help wasn't such a bad idea. Bigby was a tough cookie to crack - she needed all the help she could get.

"Whatever…" Red drummed her fingers on Bigby's desk. "You got any soda? I don't drink alcohol."

"Jack, get ze mademoiselle ze soda, por favor."

"Si!"

Not really proud of this one either, but I have a lot of time this week so why not post. You could tell I got kind of lazy with descriptions - I like writing dialogue. I just wanted to get this one posted before playing TWAU... I'm making him freak everyone out by being silent.

Livia was an unused character in The Wolf Among Us but she does show up in the "Next on..." segment after "Faith". First time I saw her though, I thought "She looks like an accountant." On the wikia she's listed as a prostitute so why can't she be both.

I wasn't sure which Fable she was in, but after extensive searching through my Grimm's Fairytale book, I chose Mother Hulda about an old woman living at the bottom of a well. She rewards the girl who is not lazy with gold and sends her back to her step-mother. The step-mother sends her biological child down but her child is lazy and gets rewarded by Mother Hulda with a kettle of tar all over her. I thought it would be fitting for a business woman who values hardwork.

I don't know if I like Toad's reasoning for coming back and Nerissa just seems out of place. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them in the future.

And I'm sorry if Bigby sounds like a broken record. He just really doesn't want to hurt her, man!

And, last thing, props to anyone who can guess the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt reference.