The Wicked Witch of the West | Bigby Wolf Love Story

The Business Office

     While the Woodlands is an apartment building to some Fables. To the rest, it houses the Business Office and, less importantly, the Security Office. The latter is a tiny, closet-like room for the sheriff to work out of and the Business Office is more of a fancy term for the complaints box, but it spans a much larger area—not even fully explored yet. It's also a courthouse, execution chamber and mayor's office all rolled into one.

     Tap, tap, tap, tap fills the narrow hallway of the second floor as Bigby and I move towards the Business Office. Against the left wall is a line of Fables. All of them wearing frowns like they've been standing here for hours, which they probably have.

     As we walk past, a gruff voice calls out, "What are you—blind?" Gren—a beige skinned man with black hair, several ear piercings and a scar running horizontally across the right side of his face, steps out from the line. "I've been standing here for a half hour already. You two get to just walk in? Must be nice being the sheriff... do whatever the fuck you like."

     Gren then turns a slightly less pissed off—almost bordering on contemptuous—glare towards me. "And whoever too." Bigby ignores the man and places his hand on the small of my back to lead me through the door.

     As we step into the room I immediately notice two figures arguing from across a desk. A tall, thin man with a hunch and balding head leans over the wood furniture to get in the women's face. He has the closest thing he can muster to a snarl slapped on. Though the only thing that makes him even remotely intimidating is his height, but it doesn't do much.

     "I see Ichabod's in a good mood," I mutter, gesturing with my head to the tall man. "I told you not to call Snow before we left for Swineheart."

     "I have to. And it's Snow's job to tell Crane," Bigby says as he starts towards the pair. "Unfortunately."

     The woman Ichabod's yelling at has black hair, an off-white suit jacket and a jean skirt. The look on her pale face is stern, but you can see the annoyance in her eyes and the downward twitch of her brow.

     "The last thing I need with Mayor Cole away is a hysteria. Do you understand me?" Crane snaps.

     "Yes," the woman, Snow White, says to her boss. "Of course I do, but—"

     "You are to blame for this unpleasantness, Miss Snow!"

     "I brought you this news as soon as I could!"

     "Instead of trying to assign blame, maybe we should figure out how to catch the fucker who did this," Bigby says.

     "Oh, says the man who is the most to blame for this catastrophe!" Crane scoffs as he turns to the sheriff with a glare. "You need to get a handle on this situation quickly, and quietly. The last thing we need is all of Fabletown knowing there's a killer amongst us. Snow."

     "Yes... sir?" the woman asks, adding the last part through her teeth.

     "Call Vivian right this minute and let her know I'm coming in early for my... massage."

     "I will."

     Ichabod looks around his desk for a moment before bursting into another tantrum. "Where is the bottle of wine you were to purchase? Oh, bother. Forget it. Can't do anything right." The tall man starts to walk away, but as he passes Bigby, he gives him another glare. "Do your job, sheriff... or we'll find someone who can."

     Ichabod quickly scuttles away from the scruffy and much stronger man.

     "You know what?" Bigby says as he starts towards the skinny coward.