Title: Cupid and Cuffs
Summary: Valentine's Day hadn't gone to plan for most of Storybrooke. Why should the next day be any different for Ruby and Mr. Gold?
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 1x12
Pairing/Characters: Ruby/Mr. Gold, Emma, mentions others
Word Count: 2072
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: I can't claim I enjoyed the majority of 1x12's canon, so I'm choosing to substitute a bit of it with my own.
While Ruby had been thrilled for Ashley and Sean the night before, there was a slight selfish part of her that hated how their Girls Night Out had gotten broken up. First Ashley had accepted Sean's marriage proposal and they had left the bar. Then Mary Margaret and left and, she guessed, had run into David Nolan because when she texted her later Mary hadn't been in the best of moods. She did admire her for walking away from him though. She was fairly certain she wouldn't have had the will to if in her same position.
Meanwhile the only other person she could think of enjoying spending Valentine's Day night with had been more distant than usual for the last few days. She hadn't wanted to think about why, so she hadn't let herself. And now, as she had overheard, he had managed to get himself arrested by Sheriff Swan. How did one even go about arresting the most powerful man in town? Getting him into handcuffs was one thing, arrested was quite another... She couldn't imagine it.
But she did have an idea.
"Ruby?" Emma asked when she saw the younger woman walk into the station in what Emma guessed to be one of the girl's slightly more conservative outfits the next morning. At least if her heels had been under six inches and her tight top hadn't been revealing the top of her red lace bra.
She glanced to the only occupied cell and met Mr. Gold's eyes for a moment. "Hi," she told Emma when she glanced back to her. "I thought you might be hungry," she told her as she sat down the box of donuts she had brought with her from the bakery down the street from the diner.
"Is there something you want?" Emma asked her, curious as to what could have brought this on. She wondered for a moment if she used to do this for Graham.
"There is," Ruby confessed. "I was kind of thinking maybe you could eat those in another room?"
That time Emma glanced back to the cell. Then back to Ruby. She brought her voice down before asking, "Is this about your rent? Because I'm sure Mr. Gold can wait another day or two to accept it."
"I do need to talk to him," she admitted. "But not about that."
Mr. Gold listened, curious himself as to why Ruby was there. He guessed she had wanted to see for herself if the rumor was true.
"And you're sure it can't wait?" Emma sighed.
Ruby reached into her bra and pulled out a roll of cash, her pants having been less than accommodating for such an amount. Or barely even her keys. "Not unless you've decided to award him bail."
Confused didn't begin to describe Emma's reaction to that. But then she guessed Ruby and he must have had some sort of deal worked out given that the bed and breakfast clearly didn't receive many visitors. Initially she had figured the diner made up for that. But now she wondered if there wasn't more to it, more which she would have been happier to never know.
"You don't have to do this, dear. You need that more than I do," Mr. Gold told her, deciding to let the women know he had heard their conversation. The station was hardly vast enough for him to have not.
"I know," Ruby told him. "But I came to offer you a deal and this is part of it."
"A deal, you say? In that case you have my attention," he replied as he turned more towards the bars in an attempt to face her. He knew her grandmother had warned her many a time from making deals with him, not that that had ever stopped her in the past. But lately she had been much more subtle about it. Clearly there would be nothing subtle about this if she succeeded in whatever it was she had in mind. Even if she swore him to secrecy he was sure Granny would find out sooner or later. Knowing the woman, it would likely be sooner.
"I never said I would agree to this," Emma broke in, glancing between them.
"Then could we get a few minutes alone?" Ruby asked her.
"You want to be alone with him?" Emma asked in reply, unsure why Ruby would want to be alone with him.
"There are bear claws in there, if you're interested," Ruby replied with a point to the donuts box.
Ruby was officially bribing her with clichéd pastries. Emma was certain something was up then, but that time she dared not ask for fear of getting the answer she didn't want to hear. Instead, she only told them that they had two minutes and left, with the box.
"So what is this deal you have in mind, Pet?" Gold asked her, his voice low as Ruby was right up to the bars. If nothing else this too certainly brought back memories.
"If Emma was going to let you bail yourself out, you'd already be home. Since she isn't, I'm willing to help. Only thing is, if I do, that wipes Granny and me out for rent for the next two months. So in exchange for posting your bail, assuming Emma lets me, I would only ask for a pass this month and next for Granny and me without any accruing interest."
Mr. Gold thought about it. "Are you sure that is all you would ask for?"
"It's fair, isn't it? You would get out of here, and that pass could be your show of gratitude."
"And how do you plan to keep your granny from finding out about this little deal of ours, should I accept it?"
"I was supposed to be the one to pay you today anyway and I could offer to be the one to pay you again next month. She'd be none the wiser. Maybe she'd hear from a little bird that I caught up with you at your shop after Emma let you out to pay you today. She wouldn't need to know more than that. And I'm sure with enough bear claws we could also manage to keep Emma from telling her."
That part Emma heard as she peered around the corner, taking a bite of one of the bear claws. She didn't like that Ruby seemed to be trying to get physically closer to him, but the only thing that kept her from interrupting was that Gold wasn't on his feet. And so far they didn't seem to be touching one another. Part of her may have also been curious to see some of this play out.
"Alright then, Ruby. I'm willing to accept your offer. But, if there's anything else you would like to add to the pot, now would be the time."
"Okay," she agreed. "I post your bail, Granny and I get a pass for this month and next, she never hears about this from either of us. And, last but not least, you make last night up to me."
He smirked, only having been reminded when he caught David buying those cards. "Last night?"
"Valentine's Day."
"As I recall you mentioned that you would be spending time with your friends last night."
"Yeah," she scoffed. "One friend who I got to watch get engaged, another who has the will of a saint and me who was left buzzed, alone and all dressed up with nowhere to go but home because you were here."
Emma almost choked on her bear claw that time.
Smiling, he told Ruby, "My dear, we have a deal."
"Okay, your two minutes are up!" Emma called as she left the box on a table and started walking back over to the pair. She couldn't take it anymore.
"So what do you say, Sheriff? Can we get out of here now?" Ruby asked as she extended her hand with the cash in it. She guessed it might not be enough to actually cover his bail, but she had a feeling Emma would take pity on her. Graham never would have because of Regina. Emma was supposedly her friend and it was hardly every day, or even every month that she did this.
"You can. Mr. Gold on the other hand..."
"Okay," Ruby nodded as she tucked the cash back into her bra. Then she looked back to Mr. Gold. "I guess I'll just have to come back at every break I get and after work and before work. But first, before I go," Ruby went on before she curled her hands around the bars to steady herself as she bent at her knees to be eye level with him. "Happy Day After Valentine's Day."
With that she reached through the bars with one hand and pulled him gently to her to kiss him as best she could through the steel. Emma, admittedly, was a little horrified. She was even more horrified when she realized all too quickly that there was tongue involved with that kiss and neither seemed to be pulling away.
"Ruby!" Emma called, desperate for that scene to end. When she had the younger woman's attention, even if her hand was still in Gold's hair, she stated, "If you're hoping that I'll let you post his bail just so I never, ever have to see anything like that here again -"
"Can't blame a girl for tryin'. But these bars will take some getting used to. Tell me, Sheriff, you don't have to be married to get conjugal visits here, do you? Because practically no one in town is and that seems a little unfair, considering."
Mr. Gold tried not to laugh, but that slight hue of green coloring Emma's features was a welcome sight after all these hours in that cell. These past several minutes had certainly been entertaining at least.
"Or, maybe you could tell me what I'd have to do to get the cell next to his," Ruby continued. "Set a few things on fire? Or some B&E of my own? I hear Regina's estate is nice this time of day."
"Fine," Emma sighed. If it had been anyone but Ruby she would have figured they were bluffing. But even in her few months of having known Ruby she knew this was one thing, possibly the main thing, she didn't kid about. The sexuality she wore on her sleeve was no joke and for whatever reason she clearly wanted Mr. Gold out of jail. And Emma was just desperate enough in that moment to grant her that wish.
"Here you go," Ruby grinned once she had stood, handing over the cash. As she did quite enjoy getting her way, she couldn't help but be satisfied with herself.
Emma pocketed it, the irony not lost on her that it would still eventually end up in Gold's hands and unlocked the cell door, letting Mr. Gold join Ruby's side. Though she did add, "Consider this your one and only warning. Next time it'll take a lot more than Ruby to get you out of here."
"Oh, I'm sure this warning will be the only one I'll need," he assured her with a smile, certain he still had more than one ace up his sleeve. Truth be told he could have even gotten Regina to get him out if he had wanted to, but he couldn't claim to mind Ruby's plan. He wasn't particularly hurting for cash so giving Ruby and Granny a pass wouldn't be so bad. And the rest, well, he had no complaints there either.
Ruby was right. He did have a night to make up for, perhaps in more ways than one. She had been there, she had been the one who was unafraid and she had come through for him today. She had also asked for, really, very little in return. As they were finally on their way to his home, Mr. Gold considered that maybe by Ruby's side was where he belonged after all. No games but those they enjoyed. No tricks but those that often found them naked and exhausted. She never seemed to hate who or what he was, or tried to change anything about him. Even now, as she smiled at him again, he decided he could get used to this. He would only have to allow himself to.
The End