ᴇᴠᴇʀy ɪɴᴄʜ ᴀ qᴜᴇᴇɴ

HUNTER & SCARLET: A PLAYLIST

Hunter searched for patterns in the ceiling in a way of distracting himself from the feelings he ought to be discovering instead, but he wasn’t ready to confront them. He didn’t want them in the first place, he hadn’t asked for this and neither did she, but he couldn’t even be sure if she was going through the same circus act in her head, so it was safer not to say anything. Ignore it until it goes away, that was his usual way of dealing with things, but the only problem as a Fable was that things never really tended to go away or change. A chuckle befell his lips at her words and he shifted their hands slightly so that a couple of his fingers could intertwine with hers.

“I don’t know what I was going to say,” He admitted, having come there on a whim that he could not explain. “Probably call you a bitch and yell enough to have the neighbours call the cops.” He shrugged, seeing that option as perfectly viable since it had happened before. “I don’t know why I came here.” He muttered after a moment’s pause. “I don’t know why I stayed.” He also didn’t know why he was putting himself on the line right now and showing her his vulnerability, but he didn’t like it at all so he turned his head away and attempted to retract his hand as the same feeling that had him yell at her to leave him alone came creeping back in as it always did.

It was a new territory, to lay next to him with clothes on and no intentions to take them off. Her body was aching out of exhaustion and while she enjoyed pleasure mixed with pain, this wasn’t the type of pain she sought from him. She always told herself that she only wanted one thing from him, all she needed from him was bruises after a violent argument and equally violent sex. It was all he was good for but that moment in the shower caused a chain reaction with too much for her to handle. Her need for him, that had been purely sexual, had shifted without giving her the chance to prevent it. It was why she had stomped over to him after her jail visit and why she wasn’t shouting at him now. Something was changing.

Hunter’s gaze fell to his hand as he felt Scarlet’s encompass it, as if he was checking if it was real. It was not something he was used to, he was not sure how to receive such a gesture especially from her who, most of the time, was either insulting him or being fucked by him. Despite his confusion his hand didn’t move, he stayed still and quiet even as she squeezed him. There wasn’t even a part of him that wanted to pull away from her, only the voice in his head that questioned it all which he chose to ignore.

Her words ignited the age-old hatred that burned inside of him for the Wolf, the embers of which were burning low as of late. It did not take a genius to figure out whom she was talking about and he scowled at the thought of it, turning his head away in anger. “He won’t get away with it.” He muttered through gritted teeth, unable to even look at her since he couldn’t bear the image of it. But something told him to fight back against the anger bubbling in his stomach that made him want to rip Wolf’s throat out right then, something in him simply said stay. A moment passed before he moved, laying himself next to her and looking up at the ceiling with his hand still in hers. “You’re alright now.” He wasn’t sure what the sentiment meant, whether it meant that she would be fine because of their ability to heal so quickly or if he was offering himself as a crutch for her support. Either way he was trying, which was more than could be said for most of the things he did.

It was easy to see the anger on his features and unlike the last time when his anger had flared up at the sight of her bruised neck, it didn’t take her by surprise. From the scowl to the gritted teeth, both things she had seen numerous times before but that had been confusing the first time it wasn’t directed at her but rather at someone else for her sake. She still didn’t understand it or at least she told herself so. If she wanted to, she would have to open something deep inside that she had never felt nor seen, both sounded equally terrifying. If only she knew that it was bleeding out by itself.

Hunter wasn’t able to recall how long he had sat in that chair, but he had barely moved since he’d arrived. If he left and she found out he wouldn’t hear the end of it, and he anticipated the same reaction if he stayed. Either way he couldn’t win, so staying seemed like the most logical option. At least she wouldn’t have been able to fight him straight away if she was mad, he had that advantage. Also the fact that he couldn’t even bear to look away from her, but he was pushing that thought aside. 

He was drifting in and out of a terrible, restless doze when he heard the soft sounds of her waking, and immediately his eyes were open and on her. He stayed quiet, wondering if somehow she could hear the pounding of his heart against his ribs in anticipation, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. It was a better reaction than he’d expected. “Fuck you.” He responded, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. A few moments passed before he spoke again, unsure of what he was supposed to do or say in this situation. Now that she was awake he realised it would have been easier to have left her there like he had done when she was in jail. “Some bastard got to kill you before I had the chance.” Although his words were tough, his actions contradicted them as he moved to perch on the edge of the bed. This was strange, there was no explanation for what was happening, just that it was.

It was strange that Scarlet had just woken up from a broken neck and all she could think of was Hunter. Perhaps she could chalk it up that he was there for her to see, but it wasn’t why. She knew him, they rarely put things into words, but she knew him. She knew that he could have come over for arguments and sex, and that when he realised that he couldn’t have either he would have left. But he was there, he had been sitting there waiting for her to wake up. He had looked after her in a way no one ever had before. It was the smallest of gestures yet it meant more than she could put into words, not that she ever would.

Over a week had passed since Hunter’s last encounter with Scarlet. The time had gone slowly, painfully even, and although he should have expected it he never thought she would actually leave and stay away like he told her to. The past was repeating itself; he had pushed Scarlet away the same way he did with Snow, all because he had no idea how to handle the fact that she made him feel things that he didn’t understand. The Huntsman was a revered fighter, but he lacked the courage to accept his vulnerabilities and the fact that he was capable of emotions, and deep ones at that.

He was not going to make the same mistake twice; letting her go was no longer an option. With no clue what he was going to say and ignoring the fact that Scarlet would disapprove, Hunter made his way to The Woodlands. He stood outside the building for some time, pacing back and forth as he kept convincing himself to leave them arguing that he ought to follow through with his intentions if he was any kind of man. In a moment of brazenness, Hunter held his breath as he entered the building and headed straight for her apartment with no time or care to acknowledge anyone else.

As he reached the door the adrenaline kicked in - or were they nerves? - and he knocked heavily on the door. No answer. He tried again, harder this time, and a sigh fell from his lips at the silence. He figured she was probably watching him through the keyhole, laughing at his pathetic attempt to come crawling back with his tail between his legs, and just the thought of it irritated him. “Open the fucking door before I kick it in.” He threatened, with every intention of following through. He thudded his fist against the wood in anger at her lack of response, and took a step back. “You better fucking move.” The warning came mere seconds before he exerted most of his strength in a powerful kick that knocked the door in. He hadn’t used enough force to knock it off the hinges, just enough to let her know he meant business.

But there she was.

In a heap on the floor with limp limbs and barely any life to her, Scarlet somehow found a way to draw yet another emotion from the Huntsman - fear for her life. It was difficult to tell exactly what had happened or how long she had been there but it was clear she was out cold and had been left here by someone else. Pushing his worry aside, Hunter used his wits to quickly check the apartment for the culprit, but after finding nothing he simply returned to her and scooped up her unresponsive body. He couldn’t just leave her there. 

He carried her into her bedroom and placed her on the bed, taking a few steps back and simply looking at her. How could someone comatose make him feel so many things? He hated her for it all the more, but he couldn’t leave now. He glanced about the room for somewhere to sit and, upon finding nothing, ventured into the living room where he lifted one of the chairs from its clearly well-thought-out spot and carried it into the bedroom with ease where he dropped it near the door and sat himself down. He would wait, he decided, until she woke up. No matter how long it took.

Scarlet didn’t wake right away and at first she only felt the ache throughout her body, it felt heavy and exhausted. She didn’t know why, she couldn’t recall what had happened but it was clear that she wasn’t waking up from a good night’s sleep. It was going to come back to her but she didn’t have the energy to think it through at the moment. Later, as always, she would retrace every little step and dissect them to know how to proceed from there. But right now she could only focus on her body. Her throat felt like sandpaper and she struggled to open her eyelids but eventually she gathered enough strength, staring up at the familiar ceiling of her bedroom and she found comfort in it. By that point she hadn’t thought of where she was, but at least it was her own home. It was a good sign but it also made her heart thud harder against her rib cage. If that hadn’t been her first thought, then what else had she missed? 

While the two of them had never properly be introduced before Maggie wasn’t naive or ignorant enough to believe that the supposed queen wouldn’t try to play her games with her. There was no special treatment to be afforded. So it didn’t surprise her that she’s made a target but rather the subject that Scarlet is trying to wield as a weapon. The best defence seemed to be denial, feigned misunderstanding even though there was only one person whose image had jumped to mind as soon as the woman had uttered her words. “Who doesn’t?” The words come out light and neutral, hiding the way it sent her thoughts spiralling.

There was little interest from her in giving Scarlet any sort of satisfaction so while she desperately wanted to put her relationship with Wolf under the microscope for a better chance at self preservation, instead she found herself only offering up clipped words. It was easier to focus on the implication that she couldn’t keep herself safe instead of the light that had been shone into her private life. “I’m perfectly capable of that myself.” Settling her stance slightly to seem more at ease, she couldn’t quite help the way her jaw tightened before she answered. “I protect everyone I work with and they’d do the same. We’re a team.”

Scarlet wasn’t particularly poisonous at the moment because she felt no need to but she wasn’t going to sit back and be threatened, or warned as she dressed it up to be, by someone she couldn’t care less for. She smiled in response to Maggie’s answer but shrugged shortly after. “You used plural — officers — but there is only one that I have ‘played my little games’ with,” she let out a content sigh, “and if you felt the need to warn me, then perhaps you should’ve let him warn you. Although I do like the compliment — your urgent need to visit me means that he’s falling apart. He didn’t want to confirm it earlier, so thank you.”

Her hazel eyes studied the other but it was rather lazy, she had already found what button to push for now and there was no need to find another today. “I never said you weren’t.” She was bored now, eyes falling to her hands where she studied her nails. It would’ve been both foolish and rude to underestimate another woman, she had no doubt Maggie was strong and capable. Perhaps even an equal match. “A team is only as strong as its leader and yours isn’t doing so well at the moment. Perhaps I’ll send him a ‘get better soon’ card tomorrow.”

When there’s a plan, there’s always a fifty percent chance it’s not going to go as expected. That night, Wolf set out to defy all odds because there was only one way this encounter was going to end: Scarlet motionless on the floor. The moment he realized she had messed with Maggie, in whatever way she saw fit, Wolf only had one thing on his mind and that was making sure Scarlet paid for what she had done. He had thrown out every logic way of dealing with it and he went with the more instinctive one. And if he had taken a step back he’d understand there was an underlying reason why he was so willing to throw everything out the window. 

The moment Scarlet opened the door, all chances of him letting his anger subside had disappeared. His dark eyes were set on her. She was clueless about what awaited her —- for once, in one-on-one interaction, she didn’t know how the whole thing was going to end. Wolf loved it, not because of the power it gave him but because of the power it gave him over her. Surprised really was the best tactic. Though, either way, if they were to fight, he would end up getting the upper hand. 

There was so much he could say, even being Wolf, he could get his point across. Tell her how she was going to regret the little game she played with him every time she spoke. Instead, he only had one thing in mind. It was funny. If no one had been home, then maybe he would see just how impulsive he was being —- unfortunately for Scarlet, she had a great sense of opportunity and Wolf had too much anger inside of him to just walk away. 

He grabbed her neck and made sure his grip was tight enough to make her experience it the way she deserved. Walking inside her apartment, pushing her through the front door and into the hallway of her apartment. He let his hands stay in her neck for as long as he could hold off the inevitable. “Stay away from her.” His voice was dark, heavy with intent and he wasn’t going to hold back on how rough his whole demeanor was. His eyes never left hers, never broke contact and that’s how he wanted it to be —- he wanted her to feel the calm before the storm, realize what he wanted to do before he did it. He wanted her to feel like she had lost all control. 

And then, without hesitation, he put his free hand on her cheek and with his full force, twisted his hands in opposite ways —– and SNAP. That sound sent a wave of relief through Wolf’s body and, for a moment, he even forgot out to breathe. There was complete and utter silence after the heavy and loud thud of Scarlet’s body hitting the floor. It was done and Wolf had no regrets about feeling the bones of her neck cracking, all because of him. 

If there was a way, Wolf would keep snapping Scarlet’s neck until she begged him to kill her. 

Wolf turned on his heels and left, closing the door behind him and walking away like he hadn’t just snapped someone’s neck. 

Scarlet would have normally spoken by now, poisonous thoughts rolling off her tongue, but she didn’t want to. She could but she assumed that he needed to say something and the quicker she let him, the faster he would leave her alone. She would let him accuse her of something if he needed to or threaten her if he felt like it would help him sleep at night. Nothing he could say would affect her because he didn’t have that power over her. It was the difference between the two, Scarlet had long ago learned that words could only do harm if you let them. She didn’t care for strangers nor their opinions, she knew who she was and she had accepted it. If someone let her in to do damage, they had no one to blame but themselves. She wasn’t responsible for others weaknesses.

Her eyes stared back at him, the rage visible in his, but she didn’t move a muscle until she was forced to. His hand wrapped around her throat and her hand rose to snake its way around his wrist but he was using more strength than the last time and she had no chance. Either she gave him the satisfaction to see her struggle and let the fear she felt within bleed out on her features or she remained emotionless. She would always choose the latter. Her heart had begun to pound hard against her rib cage and it was getting harder and harder to breathe yet she refused to show any trace of panic in her eyes. It would give the monster more than he deserved.

Stay away from her.

It was sad that he hadn’t learned by now, that to provoke her would only make matters worse no matter the retaliation. She was defenceless in that very moment but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t made a severe mistake. But that was who he was, wasn’t it? He reacted, let emotions control him while she refused to even have any. Perhaps one day he would learn if he was lucky enough to have the time before she broke every little piece of him. It made her smile even though she knew what was going to happen next. But she would heal and he would still be a monster.

It was the last thing on her mind before he snapped her neck and she was dropped to the floor.

TIME: Late night LOCATION: The Woodlands STATUS: Closed, @queencfheart​

As he made his way to the upper floors, two steps at a time, Wolf knew that what he was about to do was not something he should do. And yet, there he was, walking down the hall. Whoever looked at him, he appeared calm, collected —- when on the inside he was searing with burning anger, fists curled up so tightly his fingernails were not too far from drawing blood. Wolf wanted to kill Scarlet and it was all because of Maggie. 

Wolf couldn’t erase the sight of Maggie from his mind, how off she seemed to be after talking to Scarlet. He knew all too well and ruthless the Queen was, so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. His mind was seeing nothing but the woman’s suffering at his hands and he was feeling alive just at the thought of it. He knew it was impossible to kill her but whatever he was about to do would be the next best thing. 

Wolf wanted to kick her door down but he knew that would only draw too much attention, so he kept things quiet — as quiet as his angry body could. Three knocks on her door. The loud bangs echoed through the hall. All he had to do was wait. 

It was late and she hadn’t been in the best mood these last few days which seemed fair regardless if she knew it had only been a matter of time. She was ready to snap at anyone or anything at any given moment, so the last thing she wanted was to see anyone, let alone speak with them. She wanted to read and eat ice cream in peace. She wanted to walk around in her pyjamas in the comfort of her own home. Uncontrollable rage was stupid, no way to tell what would happen and she didn’t work in that way, she was calculated in all her anger. It was how she could control a situation. So she wanted to be alone while the rage subsided. 

Naturally the universe had other plans and when the knocks echoed throughout her apartment, she violently slammed the book shut and tossed it aside. No one visited her because she didn’t let them. It was her home, the only place she could breathe. She made her way over to the door, unlocking it with the intention of shooing whoever it was away. But when she saw Wolf, all she did was sigh and roll her eyes. Obsession wasn’t a pretty thing, then again, neither was he.

“Can I help you, sheriff?”

Scarlet’s eyes were burning their way onto his skin and onto his mind and Wolf hated it. Who should he hate more —- her, for saying the truth, or himself for letting her words get to him? “There’s nothing to see, Scarlet.” There was plenty to see but he’d rather be caught dead than admitting the effects of her words out loud. It was sad, really, knowing that he had crumbled so easily and it was all his fault. Whatever feelings her words were almost triggering inside of him, yet again, they got replaced by annoyance, frustration and something else burning in his chest. It’s not hard to guess if the head doesn’t have a body. “Don’t you ever shut the fuck up?” Every time she spoke, Wolf wanted to grab her neck again but this time, finish the job or just make it quick, just for himself. It was almost melodic, the imaginary sound of her neck snapping underneath his hands. Wolf scoffed, shaking his head at Scarlet’s delusional imagery. “You don’t want to find out how big his head is.” It was weird, talking about a part of himself like it wasn’t there, always lurking and ready to come out when he wanted it to. 

"I disagree,” she stated simply followed by a nonchalant shrug. They both knew better and while she was certain he would never give her the satisfaction of putting it into words, she knew that her words had been sharp enough to pierce through. It would only snowball from here, that was the beauty of it. Her work was done for now, he would take care of the rest for her. “Someone has to talk, you’re certainly not asking any questions.” She pointed out, hands rose to gesture around the room to indicate that the interrogation, if it could be called that, wasn’t going anywhere. She disregarded the mention of the true wolf for now, she was tired and had other things to sort out in her head before she would continue down that path. How strange it all was, he was the one with teeth yet she was the one going for the throat. “I have given you access to my alibi, I informed you that it is a coincidence that she was beheaded. Perhaps you might want to try out another route? You should consider that someone might want you to look my way so you won’t look their way — and now that I’ve done your job for you, may we end this pathetic attempt of an interrogation?”

If there was one thing that Maggie had gotten good at over the years in spite of her impulsiveness it was self preservation. It could be argued that perhaps she took it a step too far with how religiously she kept people at arms length but it came in useful every now and again for seeing people the way they truly were. She was neither stupid nor naive enough to believe that just because Scarlet was behind bars she wasn’t a threat and so while the brunette had an air of confidence that only came with the upper hand she wasn’t about to give anything more than necessary away. “Warn.” The lightness to her tone contrasted with the steely, determined glint in her eyes even while a vague smile rested on her lips. “I’m not here to patronise or lecture you, I think we both know you’re smart enough to know what’s going on but I am here to warn you that if you interfere with this investigation in any way - including playing your little games with the officers on the case - then I promise I will make life very difficult for you.”

It was sad that this is what Fabletown had to put their trust in, their safety. They were all so full of emotions and no one ever seemed to be able to compartmentalise any of them. So easy to push over the edge. They were children with ranks they didn’t deserve. Scarlet’s brows rose as she listened to Maggie, a smile barely noticeable at the corners of her lips. There was only one officer that she was playing a game with. If someone was willing to go out of their way and throw professionalism aside, it only meant one thing. She had a new toy. 

“He doesn’t know you’re here, does he?” She asked, head tilting to the side as hazel eyes studied Maggie. “Of course not, he would have told you that it isn’t wise. He would have attempted to keep you safe.” Unlike Maggie, Scarlet didn’t have to tell anyone that she would make their life difficult. It was already there, vowed into her words. “He would protect you like you’re trying to protect him right now.”

In the rolling hills and soaring castles of his Homeland, Puss had purred his way into regal company on the regular. The rich and powerful of Fabletown were, ultimately, cut from the same cloth. Well, silk and mink, as it were. He knew them, their types. And so, whenever he visited the Queen of Hearts, he did as he’d always done, when visiting with royalty: brought presents. It seemed to have worked out wonderfully fine, so far. Théo had slipped through Allure’s doors precisely on time, smiling at the sales clerk, a full bouquet in crisp, richly red paper sheltered in the crook of his arm. This was a centuries-old routine, now. The top-up. At the telltale click of her majesty’s heels, he turned, beamed, and bowed. Excellently. He’d had plenty of practice. It would be unwise - which Théo was not - to note that cats, in fact, were dragged nowhere; leave that to things that enjoyed being kept on leashes. But. Didn’t she have his, tightly in hand? A leash as long as her glamours lasted, and remained affordable. So he smiled, graciously. “Your highness, please.” Théo presented those roses with a little flourish. They truly were beautiful - special order, of course. The velvety white petals bled to a rich scarlet at the edges, curling and nodding against starry sprigs of jasmine, warmly sweet to smell. “Drag. As if I don’t look forward to our appointments.” Not a lie. Not entirely, purely true, perhaps - but what was, even in fairy tales? 

It was the wrong title to use and her jaw clenched as it rang almost sharp in her ears. Technically she had no title anymore but if someone was going to use one, they were going to use the right one. It wasn’t necessary by any means but she wouldn’t let it slide. She rarely let anything slide. Her eyes flickered down to the roses before she accepted them, leaning in a little to inhale the lovely smell that would be pleasant in her office. She did adore flowers after all, but not even the special roses could  “Am I a princess, Théo?” She looked up at him over the flowers, no smile in sight. She had no intention to elaborate because she wanted him to retrace to find his own mistake. It was ridiculous of her, to let ‘your highness’ irk her but it did. Scarlet had always been a dramatic woman after all.