TWs: Lot of violent fighting, and implied slavery

Bigby slid the large metal door open. The last thing he was expecting to see when he got the Cut Above was a pretty much-abandoned shop with a hidden lab out the back.

"What is this place?"

"I told you, Bigby. I don't know. They muscled me out! I swear, I don't know anything more. I haven't been back here when it was like this," The owner, Johann, explained with teary eyes.

Bigby looked around the room. There were shelves filled with different ingredients that kinda reminded him of the Tweddles' basement, along with a large chalkboard hung on one of the walls with a warning light next to it.

"This business...it's all I've ever had. I guess that's why I stuck around when they took it-" Johann tried to defend himself.

"These lights, Johann...did you warn them I was here?"

"I had to!" Johann shouted. "You come in here, making trouble for me...but you only give a shit now 'cause the Crooked Man stepped on your toes or something. Where were you when they took this place from me? It hasn't been easy for me."

"Well, I'm here now. And I'm gonna sort this all out," Bigby told him as he walked to the table and picked up a box. Inside were two familiar-looking glamour tubes. "So this is what Beast was delivering."

Bigby looked over the table. It wasn't great to look at. Especially considering the mystery jars and chains attached to the floor in front of it. Fables making glamors while shackled up. Bigby felt a disturbed feeling go down his spine.

He moved over to the chalkboard. There were a bunch of tallies that looked completely random at first glance. Bigby slid the board across, which revealed a whole list of Fables on a second board behind it. "Shit. Is everybody on here? You know anything about this?"

Johann shook his head for what seemed to be the tenth time that day. "I-I-I don't know...a lot of Fables out there need a lotta things."

Bigby turned around to look at Johann, but spotted something right behind on the floor. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a coat; what's the big deal about some dirty-" Johann said as Bigby picked the dark purple coat off the floor.

"Looks like Crane's," Bigby said as he started digging through the pockets. "It's seen some abuse. I'm sure he handled it just fine."

The first pocket held a large roll of cash. That was not surprising, considering everything they had found out recently. It was the second pocket that made Bigby growl in annoyance. The creep had gone to the effort once again to steal that same picture of Sunny at some point.

The third pocket somewhat made up for it. Bigby felt something cool as he reached inside. A small yet triumphant smirk appeared on his face as he looked at the shining bit of glass.

"There you are."

While out on her own mission, Sunny was having much worse luck than Bigby. She found herself stuck talking with Jack as she investigated the pawnshop.

"I dunno,"

"Do you know anything, Jack?"

"Well, I do know-" Jack smirked.

"Don't," Sunny held a hand out towards him as she kept looking over the shop cases. "It was rhetorical."

Sunny kept looking around the pawnshop. It didn't seem like there was much notable stuff. Mostly bits and bobs of little consequence. However, she couldn't help giving the Headless Horseman statue on the counter a dirty look.

"Who owns something this tacky?" Sunny said mostly to herself.

"Some who rhymes with brane," Jack joked.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, um... I dunno," Jack said as he remembered who he was talking to.

As Jack continued to stutter away, Sunny's eyes landed on a little paper sign sitting in front of an empty spot. RECENT ACQUISITION!

Sunny took a closer look. A tag right next to it read 'Cleaving Axe. Previous owner: The Woodsman. Ensorcelled by Druids'.

"I thought you said you'd never take something like this," Sunny gestured to the case.

"Uh...um, what? I--I don--I don't...um" Jack laughed nervously.

"Why lie to me, Jack?" Sunny stared at him in annoyance. "Unless Toad's little comment earlier was right?"

"Okay, c'mon, sweetheart, that wasn't-"

"Tell me what happened. Who took it?"

"I don't know anything about that," Jack said. Making Sunny's frown deepen. "I don't. Really."

Sunny moved behind the counter and got in Jack's face.

"I mean, I don't work every day, so... And even when I do work, I just try and keep my head down."

"Just tell me the truth. What happened to the axe?"

"It was Mary, she took it, okay. That's all I know!"

"Of course. That bitch..." Sunny looked away to think for a moment but then snapped back around to Jack. "Anything else you wanna share?"

Jack seemed a little surprised for a moment but shook it off quickly. "Listen, she sometimes comes in to pick up shit. Sometimes it's for her... Sometimes it's for the Crooked Man. But I'm smart enough to not ask questions, alright?"

"And you don't have any ideas where she might have taken it?"

"You think I'm crazy enough to ask her that? I'm not sticking my foot in that lawnmower, thank you."

Sunny let out a groan. "Great, that's just great."

"Hey, don't try going and pinning this shit on me, by the way. It's Jersey who's the one who's into this stuff! He's one of the Crooked Man's boys, okay? And it'd be great if he was here to tell you all this, but he's not, so just-"

The sound of someone shouting caused the both of them to look towards the door.

"Jersey, don't-don't give me that shit," The familiar gravelly voice of the Woodsman shouted. "What the fuck is the point of havin' a system if you're just gonna-"

"It's not my fuckin' system," Another voice that must have been Jersey told them.

The two walked in. Sunny was quick to jump over to the corner so that she was out of their eye lines.

"Who closed the fucking gate? Jack?" The newcomer yelled as he lifted up the security gate that Jack had closed while Sunny had been looking around. "If you love your axe so fuckin' much, why'd you pawn it in the first fuckin' place, huh?"

"I didn't pawn it, asshole. It was stolen from my apartment. And Gren said that he saw it here. Now tell me where it is right fuckin' now," Woody shouted back.

Sunny was a little surprised that Gren was still talking to Woody. But then again, the guy was pretty out of it the night he found out about Woody and Lily. Maybe he really didn't remember, or maybe he was just trying to piss Woody off.

"I think while tempers are running high...we should keep demands to a minimum. Okay?" Jersey rolled his eyes.

"Hiya, fellas," Sunny said as she stepped out from her hiding spot.

Jersey made a disgruntled noise. "Oh great, this bitch."

"What are you doing here?" Woody said in disbelief.

Before she could answer, Jersey turned to Jack. "Is his axe even here?"

"Nope. It isn't," Jack confirmed.

"Just like I said, it's not here. Happy?" Jersey grumbled at Woody, then looked at Sunny with an equally mean look. "I got shit to do, so whatever you're here for, make it snappy."

"Uh...she wanted to know where-" Jack started to say.

"Actually, you know what, I don't care what she wants," Jersey interrupted as he started to walk away.

Woody grabbed his shoulder. "We're not finished yet."

"Yes. We are," Jersey smacked his hand away.

"You work with the Crooked Man," Sunny stepped out in front of Woody. "If you want me out, you're gonna have to answer some questions first."

"How's the hand? Bloody Mary leaves a bit of a sting, don't she?" Jersey smirked.

Sunny grabbed her arm in a vain attempt to stop it from shaking.

"Jack, did you know that as of this very morning, The deputy has gotten a crash course from Crooked Man's obedience school for wayward fucking creatures?" Jersey laughed at Sunny as Jack inched closer to the door.

"She's already passed her first class. You see... she and Sheriff had who they stupidly thought was the murderer...been chasing him for fuckin' days, right? But the Crooked Man snapped his bony fingers, and the little weed here handed him over just...like...that."

"I'm, uh, just gonna, uh...let you two...you know," Jack said before ducking under the gate and speeding out the door.

"The Crooked Man appreciated that," Jersey added.

Sunny just stared him down. It was clear he was planning on being difficult. She tried to think of how else to go about this before Woody started yelling again.

"Are you kidding me?! It was here," Woody gestured to the empty case Sunny had looked at earlier. "It was right fuckin' here! What'd you do with it?"

"How the fuck do I know?"

Woody grabbed him by the collar. "Listen, you bald little dipshit, you're gonna-"

Jersey processed to punch Woody in the stomach. Causing him to stumble back.

"You piece of shit." Woody hit him right back. A fight started soon after. Forcing Sunny to retain one of them. She ended up pushing Jersey away but wondered for a moment if she was better off just leaving.

Sunny gave Jesey a defiant look as he let out another huff. "Still looking for whoever killed them hookers, or are you done chasing your tail?"

"Where's my axe!? Who'd you give it to!" Woody demanded.

"Trust me...you do not want to go there," Sunny warned him. Not wanting the situation to escalate further.

"And what if I do?" Jersey challenged.

"Would you just back off! I just want what's mine. My axe." Woody told Sunny. Making her give him a side eye.

"You talk big, but I don't think you got the stones to back it up," Jersey said before punching Sunny in the stomach.

Sunny couldn't help but recoil. She backed away as she held her stomach in pain.

"Look at you. Nothing without your little guard dog to protect you."

Sunny snapped over to him. Spinning him around, wrapping an arm around his elbows to restrain him. It seems to be going well until Woody grabbed Sunny by the shoulders and threw her towards one of the display cases.

"What the hell are you doing? This is my fucking fight!"

"Would you please just-" Sunny started to shout.

"You got a lotta nerve, half br-" Woody's insult got cut off by a green flash.

Sunny looked on in surprise as the balding ginger man transformed into a tall, skeleton-like creature.

"Oh shit-" Sunny started to say as Woody charged towards him. Only to get smacked to the floor.

"What did I tell you, shithead!" Jersey yelled as he started beating the other Fable.

In an adrenaline-fueled moment of overconfidence, Sunny took a running kick at Jersey. To her own surprise, she somehow managed to fling over over the counter and into a metal cabinet.

"Aww, protecting the bald bastard...too bad you couldn't protect those whores," Jesey snarled as he stood up. "Go on, try to stop me!"

Jersey jumped back over the counter and towards Sunny. She sidestepped him and jabbed a now thorn-covered hand across his side.

"Enough! Just stop!" Sunny shouted at him.

That just seemed to make Jersey angrier. He jumped back up and tackled Sunny to the floor. She desperately tried to hold him back as he attempted to bite at her head. She'd have most likely been dead if it were for the vines digging into Jesey's deer skull.

As Jersey took another bite at her, Sunny grabbed at one of his antlers. The vines wrapped around it in a vice grip. Before she could even process this, Jersey pulled away and accidentally ripped his own antler off.

Jersey made a painful, inhuman sound as he stumbled back. Screaming several curses at Sunny before charging at her again.

Before he could reach her, Sunny pointed the antler forward. Making Jesay stab himself in the stomach. He let out another screech before ripping the antler out of Sunny's hand (along with the vines tangled around it) and throwing it across the room.

Jersey then grabbed by the neck and slammed her into the counter. She felt a little dazed for a moment but quickly started kicking at Jersey in an attempt to get him to drop her.

"Hey, assholes. I found her," Woody said suddenly. Swinging the missing axe at Jersey's head.

Woody was knocked to the floor, and Jesery stumbled around for a bit. Jersey just kept screaming in frustration as he did so. Sunny looked around and grabbed the same horseman statue she had seen earlier. Dropping it on Jersey with a thud.

The stone broke apart on impact, and Jersey collapsed to the floor. Woody got up and tried to dislodge the axe from the side of Jersey's head.

Sunny slumped over in exhaustion as Woody pulled the axe free. Woody held the axe over Jersey's neck and looked at Sunny.

"The Magic Mirror's missing shard," Sunny said as she took deep breaths. "Do you have any idea where it could be?"

"You don't know anything...about anything, do you? What do you have? Nothin'. That useless bitch, Snow White, and a broken fuckin' mirror... No fuckin' friends. And no clue about who is really runnin' this town."

Sunny shook her head in disbelief. "Alright! Where's the Crooked Man, then? How can I find him?"

"You can't find the Crooked Man. No one can." Jersey told her. "There's no address, no place...he lives in the bends and forks of tree roots...behind the sun...in the...shadows."

"That's not a real answer."

"The door to his house...it bounces around. Never in one spot. You'll never find it. Even Crane had to use the Magic Mirror..."

"Okay, that's Crane's way...how do you contact him?"

"I don't. He uses couriers for everything. Ravens, goblins, the fuckin' Tweedles...whatever. I go in when I'm taken there. It doesn't matter what you fuckin' do; you're not gonna get him. You wanna knock on his fuckin' door and see what happens? Fine. Crane had the Mirror. Bloody Mary had Crane. So take your fucking wrecking crew act to the butcher shop."

Sunny stared at him as he crawled across the floor. She didn't want it to be like this. She had always been taught to find non-violent ways to end conflicts. As much as she disliked him, she couldn't help the ugly feeling building in her stomach at the thought of being the one who did this to him.

"Now leave me so I can find some aspirin," Jersey sighed.

"Why just tell me this?"

"I'm tryin' to make a point, weed. You can have all the information you fuckin' want. It's not gonna help you when the time comes. And that time...it's a-comin'. You got what you want; now get the fuck outta here."

Sunny and Woody started walking towards the door before Jersey added one last thing to his little speech. "Those girls are still dead...and there's nothin' you can do to bring them back. And I don't know what they did, but I do know this... If they're dead, it's 'cause the Crooked Man wanted them dead. That's all it takes."

Sunny left without another word. Frowning to herself as she walked to the curb and started trying to hail a taxi.

"Got a smoke?" Woody asked suddenly.

Sunny reached inside Bigby's jacket and wasn't surprised to find a pack in there. She couldn't bring herself to care and just flicked one at Woody.

"Thanks. Shitty brand," Woody commented.

"So I've heard," Sunny rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna lie. I was having trouble deciding which one of you to hit with this thing." Woody said as he gestured with the axe.

"... Why?" Sunny narrowed her eyes at him.

"Payback for the other night," Woody clarified.

Sunny suddenly remembered that she had, in fact, swung that same axe into the back of Woody's skull quite recently. "Oh fuck, right."

They stood there awkwardly until a taxi pulled up.

"Jersey was wrong, you know," Woody told her as she got in the cab.

"About what?" Sunny asked in confusion.

"About those girls. There is somethin' you can do about it. You can get the fucker who did it. Ain't that the plan?"

Sunny couldn't think of what to say. He simply nodded her head at him. Sunny watched for a moment as he started to walk away.

"Woody?"

"Yeah,"

"Are you gonna be alright?"

Woody let out an unsure grunt and kept walking. Sunny sat back in the taxi and let out a sigh.

was so close to having Sunny call Mary a cunt. Supporting women's wrongs, you know