It was immediately clear what had happened to anyone involved in Bigby and Helen's daily lives.

Helen was silent unless she was required to speak, her usual quips and sarcasm stilled in the loss of her favorite customer.

It was so blatant that one afternoon Dr. Swineheart tried to be as sympathetic as he was able, until Jill intervened.

Helen let her head drop into her hands after the doctor had left. "Thank you," she sighed, heavily. "I thought he was going to talk himself into corner and end up propositioning me."

"This is not unheard of," Jill said with disgust.

"He's a good doctor. He's saved Bigby more times..." She trailed off.

"Speaking of," Jill said cautiously, "what happened to our sheriff?"

"I could not care less," Helen replied acidly.

"I don't think that's true."

Helen dug the heels of her palms into her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

"Snow buried him under work and he didn't even think of me. I'm not even on his mind."

"He's not allowed to forget?" Jill asked, bracing herself inwardly.

"I never forget him, no matter how hard I have tried. It seems all too easy for him to forget me, over and over and over."

Jill nodded and twined her fingers in Helen's. He certainly did have a history of forgetting in the worst ways.

Angrier than ever and far more reclusive, Bigby was putting a lot of effort into avoiding other Fables.

Each day, he entered his office, shut the door, and would speak to only two or three people.

Blue counted himself lucky to be among this small number of people. He resisted asking about what had happened for an entire week before he just could not take it any more.

Bigby could sense the question coming and fought the urge to shout at him preemptively.

"How's Helen?" Blue ventured, blatantly ignoring the look Bigby was giving him.

"I do not know and I do not care."

"Really?"

Bigby's look darkened even further and he pulled out what felt like his hundredth cigarette. "She told me I'm like every other man." It still hurt, even repeating her words. "I haven't talked to her since."

"That's harsh."

Bigby nodded.

"What did you do to make her say that?"

A low growl rumbled from the sheriff but Blue stood his ground.

"I was with her once too, Bigby. She doesn't just say things like that. We both know better."

Not making eye contact, he finally replied after full minutes of silence. "I asked her why she should be a priority."

"The hell you did!" Blue exploded. "Why would you say that?"

"She called me a lapdog!" Bigby shouted back.

"Have you truly never felt that way?!" Blue pushed. "We both know what this office is like! Snow knew that once too!"

He was not going to have this conversation, one he had been trying so very hard to ignore.

"I need a drink," Bigby finally managed, storming out of his office.

Bigby headed to the Trip Trap, half hoping to go unnoticed and half hoping for a fight. If Grendel decided to take issue with him being there...

But the bar was empty and Holly knew full well why he was there. It made him furious that everyone knew, but what could be done? They were a small community, for better or for worse.

He downed one beer and called for a second.

Blue's words ate at him, swirling together with his own memories.

Snow had scorned him for refusing to burn down Auntie Greenleaf's tree and had insisted that he needed to "take her office" seriously, demanding authority she had no claim to. After, he could hardly catch a moment with her until Helen had come into the picture.

Snow demanded his complete obedience, always the threat of his expulsion hanging over him. He was forced to serve unquestioningly and what was that if not the very definition of a lapdog?

And this bar... this was not the Mortar and Pestle. He missed that bar.

He missed Helen.

He threw a few bills on the bar and pushed out into the cooling night, following his nose back to her.

Helen finished closing out the register and was heading to lock the door when a familiar silhouette appeared on the other side. She stepped back and Bigby entered for the first time in a week.

She walked away from him, putting the bar between them and leaning against it to watch him.

"Bigby..."

"I've been thinking," he interrupted.

"Don't hurt yourself," she half teased and his mouth quirked in a momentary smirk.

"My job as sheriff has been all I have had for hundreds of years. In all that time, there have been no women and few friends. I was brought to this world to be this town's sheriff, and there are those who would have me gone in a breath were it in their control."

"Bigby, I owe you an -" Helen started, her heart twisting at this confession. He was allowed to forget; she hadn't been very fair to him.

"Let me finish," he interrupted, his voice deepening as he locked his gaze with hers. Helen felt her pulse begin to race; Bigby watched her face and neck flush and felt his breath hitch in response.

"This has been my only redemption," he continued "But you..."

His eyes never left hers as he moved to her side of the bar. Helen followed him with her eyes, turning her body to face him as he stopped a hairsbreadth from her. Bigby could scent her and his stomach twisted as Helen leaned into his hard, muscled body, holding his intense gaze.

"I am an animal. I am a creature. I am a wolf. Everyone fears and despises me. I've eaten men and women and children and grandmothers and when Fables look at me they see their lost and their dead. But you…"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly to him, and felt her warm hand on his face as her other brushed hair from his eyes. Her lips were parted, waiting, and her pupils were enormous.

"You let me in. You know me and you take me as I am. You're not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."

He had more he could say, but she cut him off with a fierce kiss, her lips crashing onto his. Neither held anything back as she once again wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her up the stairs in the bar to the apartment above.

Mere moments and breaths later found them both in Helen's bed.

"Bigby..." she breathed as his lips grazed over every inch of her skin.

"Yes?"

"I love you. I always have."

His lips met her ferociously as they both tore away what little remained of their clothes.

"As have I, little beautiful one."

She pulled him to her, guiding him inside her. They fit as perfectly as if they had been made for one another, their breaths and sighs and moans wrecking the silence throughout all the hours of the night.

The End!