"Your friend is looking over here at us again," Dorothy pointed out.

Knowing she was referring to Emma, Ruby quickly glanced over but didn't see where Emma was paying any attention to them. In fact she had her head down, staring more at her hot chocolate than anything going on in the diner.

"I'm not sure who I should be more concerned about," Ruby said. "You for thinking Emma is stalking us or her if she actually is."

"First off all I never said she was stalking us, only that she seems to watch us whenever we are together. Secondly, I think you should ask her about it," Dorothy said. "You said you two were friends and I don't know, maybe the idea of you dating a woman is bothersome to her."

"Emma is one of the most accepting people I know," Ruby insisted. "I promise you she isn't bothered by me dating a woman."

"Then maybe she is bothered by you dating a woman that is not you."

Ruby had been leaning over the counter in front of her girlfriend but now she leaned back. "What?"

"I'm telling you, there is something about you and I that has attracted her attention. I think you should talk to her."

"Ok, I will talk to her, but not now while we're in the middle of the diner," Ruby said. "Later, I promise. And I promise you, she isn't upset with me dating a woman and she isn't upset that I'm not dating her. She has been in this funk since returning from the Underworld. She's bummed you know. I mean she went all that way to get Hook back and she leaves empty handed."

Dorothy looked over at Emma, who did seem depressed, and then turned back to Ruby. "Maybe she just needs a friend. You and I have been spending a lot of time together."

"And I plan to spend more time with you," Ruby smiled. "But I'll talk to her.

It was four more days before Ruby found the time to talk to Emma. She had purposely waited some in order to find a time when Emma would be home alone so they wouldn't be interrupted. While she didn't think that Dorothy was correct in that Emma didn't approve of their relationship or perhaps wanted to be in a relationship with her, she did think it was time to find out what was wrong with Emma. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed it, hell, there was practically a running competition in town between who was more depressed – Emma or Regina.

The Underworld had been rough for both ladies and both ended up without their respective men when it was all said and done.

Ruby hadn't even seen Regina in weeks. The word around town was that she had pretty much been seen at work or otherwise not at all.

She wasn't about to poke her nose in Regina's business but Emma was fair game in her mind.

Knocking on the door, she hoped this conversation didn't turn out to be uncomfortable.

It took several knocks before Emma was opening the door.

"Ruby?" Emma said. "Is something wrong?"

"Does something have to be wrong for me to come visit a friend?"

"No. It's just … come on in."

Emma stepped aside for Ruby to enter and they ended up sitting on the couch in the main room. There was an open beer on the coffee table in front of them but from the looks of it, Emma hadn't drunk very much. Ruby noticed the television wasn't on there weren't any books or anything out which made her wonder what Emma had been doing before she arrived – if she was doing anything.

"How are things, with Dorothy I mean?" Emma asked.

"Good," Ruby said, unable to keep the smile from her face whenever she thought of Dorothy. "Really good. I can't remember being this happy."

Emma reached for her beer. "That's great. I'm happy for you," she said, taking a drink. "I mean you found your true love and that's not something everyone gets to do. You should feel very lucky and make sure you tell Dorothy you love her like every day so she knows it too."

Ruby grabbed the bottle of beer out of Emma's hand before she could take another drink and put it down on the table. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" Emma asked. "What did I do? I just said I was happy for you and Dorothy, is something wrong with that?"

"There is nothing wrong with that, what I am trying to figure out is what is wrong with you. Don't take this the wrong way, but did Hook really mean that much to you?"

"What does he have to do with this?"

"Ever since you got back you have been walking around this town like someone has been repeatedly kicking your puppy," Ruby said. "I'm sorry he chose to stay behind with this brother, but it was his choice. It wasn't a reflection of you or your relationship with him, it was about him. Like everything else in his life."

Emma remained quiet and Ruby thought she may have been a little too harsh. She wanted her friend to snap out of whatever this funk was that she was mired in.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said when Emma still wasn't talking.

"I know Killian choosing to stay behind wasn't about me," Emma said. "I didn't get it at first but I do get it. If anything I feel like I should feel more about it, but I don't. He and I – our relationship would never have worked out. I don't even know what I was thinking exactly when I thought it would. He wasn't what I wanted in the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Ruby could see the sadness practically flowing from Emma which made her doubt what Emma had said. If she knew that Killian wasn't the one for her, why was she acting like she had lost the "one."

"Clearly something has got you down. If it's not Killian, what is it?"

Emma shrugged for an answer.

Ruby sighed, "We're friends Emma, whatever it is, you can tell me, I won't judge."

Emma picked up the beer again and took a massive drink. She gave Ruby yet another shrug. "It'll pass. I mean I just came back from hell, don't I deserve some time."

"Of course you do," Ruby said, deciding not to bother to tell her that it had been nearly three months already. "I'm just worried about you is all."

"I appreciate it, but I'm good." She drank the rest of her beer and stood up. "I'm good."

Emma began to head toward the kitchen to throw away the empty bottle and Ruby stood up as well.

"You know Dorothy doesn't know you that well, or at all really, but she was is the one who asked me to come speak to you."

Emma turned back toward her, "why?"

"It's kind of funny actually," Ruby said. "She thought you had been staring at us – me and her when we are together – and at first she thought that maybe you were against her and I being together – you know that you might be opposed to a same-sex relationship."

"That's ridiculous," Emma said.

"I told her that was the case. It was only slightly less crazy than her other theory."

"What was her other theory?"

"It was laughable quite frankly. Like I said, she doesn't know that you that well, but she thought maybe you kept looking at us because you were upset because you wanted to be with me."

Emma started laughing, which set Ruby off laughing.

"I told her there was no way that you were into me," Ruby said, still laughing. "You aren't are you?"

"No, I'm not. Sorry if that offends your ego," Emma said, giving her first real smile.

"It doesn't but thanks for checking."

Ruby followed Emma into the kitchen as she threw away her bottle.

"You know, Dorothy wasn't exactly wrong. You have been sort of looking in our direction lately."

"Am I not allowed to look at a friend who is obviously happy? Someone in this town should be."

There was a hint of bitterness in the last statement.

"I think there are a lot of people in this town who are happy," Ruby said. "Life isn't perfect, but collectively I think we're doing alright."

"Yeah, tell that to Regina."

Ruby cocked her head to the side, studying Emma for a moment before speaking. Regina had lost Robin in all of this and while it was in no way Emma's fault, Ruby now wondered if Regina blamed Emma. "Have you spoken to Regina much since you got back?"

"No. I mean I have but it is mostly about you know when to pick up Henry and stuff like that."

"Is she shutting you out like she is everyone else?"

That got Emma's attention. "What do you mean shutting everyone else out?"

"Regina has been MIA for weeks. She goes to work and meetings, but she hasn't been in the diner in I can't tell you how long and from what I hear she hasn't been much of anywhere outside of work. I think we all assumed she is tore up over Robin."

"I imagine she is," Emma said. "After all, I promised her a happy ending and I failed to deliver."

"Emma, it's not your fault," Ruby said. "If she's avoiding you because she can't see that, well, then to hell with her."

"Isn't it? My fault, I mean. I'm the one who had to go all Savior like and make a promise to bring her a happy ending and now she ain't got nothing. And she's not avoiding me, I'm avoiding her."

"Why?"

"I can't imagine she would want to see me anyway."

….

Ruby returned home to Dorothy who was reading a book on the couch.

"How did it go?"

"Oddly," Ruby said, sitting down next to her. "I think you might have been right. Emma has been looking at us with a bit of jealousy."

Dorothy put down the book. "You mean she wants to be with you."

"No, not jealousy like that. More like she wants what we have – a happy ending. And I think I know who she would like that happy ending to be with. Unfortunately I don't think she has a clue that she's even in love."

"Who is she in love with?"

"Regina."