"(Y/n)!"

(Y/n) halted, hesitantly turning her head around to see none other than... Penelope? What was she doing here? Was she just strolling by and happened to see her? This explanation didn't make sense considering (Y/n) was sure Penelope didn't live in this neighbourhood. Not only had (Y/n) never seen her around here but it was also obvious from the way Penelope dressed and behaved herself that she wasn't part of the working class. Plus, (Y/n) could vaguely remember Penelope mentioning that she lived in one of the wealthy districts of the city.

So really, Penelope had absolutely no reason for being on this side of the city. In fact, she looked awfully out of place with her perfect blond hair, manicured nails and high fashion light pink dress. Penelope stuck out like a sore thumb against the grey and dull background of the working class district.

"Penelope?" (Y/n) murmured, momentarily forgetting all about her current attempt at escaping both Jasper and Tobias. Something about Penelope's presence here felt off, unnatural, and somehow, (Y/n) had a feeling this wasn't going to pan out well for her.

I have to keep going. She thought, only for lacerating pain to slash through her chest at her first attempt to crawl away. A whimper fell from her lips, Penelope's signal to close the gap between them.

"Are you alright?" Penelope frantically kneeled down next to her, concern carved on her features as she hastily searched (Y/n)'s body for injuries. "What happened to you? You're all bruised up!"

(Y/n) didn't have time to answer before a bloodied cough escaped her, crimson liquid tainting the corners of her lips. A sight that only increased Penelope's concern and her own. Whilst (Y/n) wasn't a genius when it came to the human body, she did know that coughing up blood wasn't good news. At all.

"Do you have a broken rib?" Penelope asked, eyes roving up and down (Y/n)'s form as if to scan the state of her bones through the fabric of her clothes. "We need to get you to the doct-"

"It's fine, Pen." Came a masculine voice that (Y/n) knew all too well, and her heart leapt to the pit of her stomach as Jasper approached the two of them, followed by a dozen of guards. "I'll handle it from here."

No, no, no, no, no-

At this sentence, (Y/n) tried yet again to drag herself away from Jasper's approaching form, another fit of cough rocking through her at the strain exerted on her broken rib.

"(Y/n), please!" Penelope grabbed her arms, keeping her from moving any further. "You're injuring yourself! We're not going to hurt you!"

"Let me go!" Another cough from (Y/n) and another tear through her chest, her heart pumping loudly in her chest as Jasper crouched down beside her with a tender smile, completely ignoring Penelope in the process.

"I-I can't do that, my love. You need medical care and the city is too dangerous for you." Jasper said gently, his voice low and gentle. It would have been reassuring if not for the situation (Y/n) currently found herself in. "You'll be alright, okay? A-And I promise you won't be in the shelter for long! I'll come get you as soon as you're healed. You know I can't stand to be away from you. You'll be back in my arms in no time."

Penelope turned her head around, unable to watch as Jasper extended his hand to gently cup (Y/n)'s cheek. Not watching didn't stop her blood from boiling in her veins and her stomach from churning in on itself in raw disgust though.

Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn't stabbed Jasper to death with her heels yet. The mere thought of him touching her Darling had Penelope's fingers shaking from rage, so to have Jasper touching (Y/n) right in front of her eyes with his filthy hands? Penelope could barely hold herself back from actually killing him. Best friends be damned.

The only thing that held Penelope back from actually ending her rival was the bitter reminder that she would never be able to make (Y/n) hers if she was sent to jail for murdering the mayor's son.

Patience is a virtue, Penny. She thought to herself, exhaling shakily in a poor attempt at blowing some steam. Patience is a virtue.

Admittedly, Penelope had never been the patient type, but for (Y/n)? She would wait a lifetime, that was just how much she loved her Darling.

(Y/n) let out a trembling whimper as Jasper hoisted her up and carried her in his arms, tears running down her cheeks and sobs wracking through her. Penelope couldn't bear to see her (Y/n) like this, so helpless and scared. Each of (Y/n)'s cry for Jasper to let her go had Penelope's heart chattering in her chest.

If things had been up to Penelope, (Y/n) wouldn't have been taken to the Uninfected Shelter, a cold and soulless place where she didn't belong. No, Penelope would have taken (Y/n) back home, taken care of her. She would have reassured (Y/n) that everything was fine and that she was safe in her arms. Unfortunately, Penelope didn't have much of a say in this, and all she could do was watch as Jasper took her Darling away from her.

For the first time in her life, Penelope didn't have a clever plan up her sleeve, no way to manipulate or gaslight her way out of this situation. And being so helpless stung. The frustration nested thick at the back of Penelope's throat as she watched Jasper get in a car with her (Y/n), knowing there was nothing she could do about it.

Jasper wouldn't have (Y/n) for long though. Penelope would make damn sure of it. She wouldn't let Jasper get away with this, and one day (Y/n) would be hers.

She had to be patient, to play her cards right. There was no way for her to be with (Y/n) now, not with all the Uninfected laws and Jasper around, but Penelope would find a way to get rid of both issues. Soon.

So with a heavy heart and a mind screaming at her to kill Jasper, Penelope let him take the love of her life to the Uninfected Shelter.

It's temporary. It's just temporary. Penelope bit down a scream of frustration as a silent tear rolled down her cheek.



































Penelope heaved a tired sigh as she stared at the seemingly never ending pile of paperwork sitting on her desk, stretching her arms up above her head and groaning at the satisfying pop of her sore joints. She had been locked up in her office for hours, and she couldn't wait to leave this room and clear her mind of all the exhaustion she had accumulated during the day.

Gods, who knew taking after Jasper would be such a piece of work?

Penelope had been used to heavy workloads and late nights back in Law School, but this had all been a piece of cake compared to being mayor of the Infected city.

Nothing could have prepared her for that. For the towering stacks of paperwork, the constant weight of responsibilities and the perpetual exhaustion.

Not like Penelope had ever been interested in becoming the city's mayor in the first place, far from it. On the contrary, she used to dream of being a stay at home wife. Of spending her days baking and cooking for her Darling, of welcoming them after a hard day at work with the comforting scent of fresh bread floating through their house and a kiss on the cheek.

She had made so many plans and had spent so many hours fantasising about her future life with her Darling. A peaceful existence away from the city, with a cute little cottage, a flower-filled garden and some bunnies to tend to. Days spent in her Darling's arms or the other way around, baking and reading or just cuddling...

This had been her deepest desire, along with having children of her own.

Unfortunately though, things hadn't played out quite the way Penelope had imagined them too, they rarely did. She had dreamed of sharing her life with Jasper, but had ended up killing him to get her hands on her real Darling who had been (Y/n) from the start. Then she had also dreamed of having a quiet life away from the city, but had instead ended up as mayor of the city.

The old Penelope would have been devastated at the prospect of not getting what she had always wished for. But at the end of the day, none of her old dreams mattered anymore, because nothing was more precious to Penelope than the knowledge that (Y/n) was finally hers. Nothing compared to having her other half by her side for the rest of their lives. Nothing compared to the blissful feeling of sharing a warm meal with her wife after work, or to falling asleep with (Y/n) safely locked in her arms every night.

So yes, this wasn't exactly the life Penelope had dreamt of, but it was the life she had and the life she wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Giving up on her cottagecore dream and backstabbing her best friend had all been worth it. Because (Y/n) made it all worth it.

No hesitation and no regrets.

"Honey?" Penelope called as she approached (Y/n) who was patiently waiting for her in the garden, dolled up in a pretty (f/c) dress that complimented her (s/c) complexion and bathed in a silver moonlit glow. It was a sight that never failed to steal the air out of Penelope's lungs. "Sorry, I didn't make you wait too much, did I?"

"No." (Y/n) answered quietly, voice flat and devoid of emotions, her eyes fixated on something only she could see, in the far distance of her mind.

This didn't bother Penelope though, she was used to it by now. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen (Y/n) smile or heard her laugh, couldn't remember the last time (Y/n)'s eyes had been bright and full of life. The (Y/n) sitting in front of her lacked the sparkle that the (Y/n) she had first met possessed, she looked exhausted and drained beyond repair. And whilst Penelope would have liked for her Darling to remain happy and lively, she would rather have (Y/n) emotionless than not have her at all.

(Y/n)'s depressive and traumatised state didn't make Penelope love her any less. She knew her Darling had gone through a lot, from being forced to marry Jasper, to becoming a widow, to then finally being back in Penelope's arms... It had probably all been too much for her poor (Y/n) to handle.

Which was why Penelope was determined, more so than ever, to protect (Y/n) from anyone that would dare fantasise about taking her away from her Darling. No one could love (Y/n) the way Penelope did, no one could take care of (Y/n) better than she did and no one could ever dream of stealing (Y/n) away from her again.

(Y/n) was hers to love and care for, whether she was depressed or back to her old happy self didn't matter to Penelope. (Y/n) was hers. Her Darling, her soulmate, her other half.

And those who tried to steal (Y/n) from her? They would have hell to pay.

Penelope's eyes strayed to a man in uniform, standing a few feet away from them to watch out for threats. A satisfied smile curved her lips as he met her gaze and fear spread over his features.

From the looks of it, the poor man had learnt his lesson, it was almost funny how intent he was on putting his remaining eye anywhere other than on (Y/n). Too bad it had taken Penelope gouging one of his eyes out for him to understand that (Y/n) wasn't for him to look at.

"Good evening Wyatt!" Penelope greeted him with a smile, rejoicing in the way he flinched at her voice. "You didn't get distracted by (Y/n)'s beauty this time, did you?"

The man shook his head, too fear stricken to voice out an answer, and Penelope offered him a satisfied grin, leaning towards him and taking his chin in her perfectly manicured fingers. Wyatt remained paralysed, a whimper falling from his lips as Penelope's nails dug into his skin and drew blood.

"Good, because you know what happens if I find you staring at her again, right?" Penelope asked, the sharpened glare she shot Wyatt a stark contrast to the sweet smile on her lips. "Last time I was merciful enough to let you live. But I'm not a very patient lady, you see?"

"I-I understand." Wyatt finally managed, now visibly shaking in his uniform boots. "This won't happen again, lady Penelope."

"Perfect!" Penelope beamed, before finally turning around and prancing over to her beloved.

All the while, (Y/n) remained none the wiser, too lost in her own head to focus on the world around her. Not that she would have been able to do anything for the poor man anyways. She too had learnt not to get too friendly with the other people living in the manor, the last time she had tried would forever remain engraved in her mind, a blood tainted image she couldn't forget.

Her personal maid, a kind and sweet girl whom Penelope had engaged to take care of (Y/n) during the day, writhed on the floor, coughing up blood on the carpet with her eyes rolled to the back of her head and foam bubbling at the corners of her mouth.

"Don't worry Sweets, no one will take you away from me anymore." Penelope smiled reassuringly, her pink eyes a twisted mix of love and madness. "I'll make sure of it."