"Anything you want to do is okay with me, Belle, but... are you sure? I mean, we're talking about the woman who locked you away, alone, for three decades."
The librarian smiled sadly in response, a passionate distance in her eyes. "And before I met you, I was in love with a man who'd imprisoned me, and lied on top of it. Forgiveness is something I'm... kind of good at."
Ruby smiled admiringly at her girlfriend, touching her hand affectionately and squeezing it apologetically before walking briskly across the bar to the kitchen counter. Armed anew with two very particular customers' desserts, she said to Belle as she passed, "Well, I'll ask them. But you might want to pull your ex up on speed dial: if she starts anything, Gold might be the only one who can resuscitate me."
She grinned wryly over her shoulder as Belle sighed, amused and excitedly nervous, sipping her iced tea and enjoying watching Red from this angle, her shirt riding up her torso slightly as she bent to put the deserts down on the table with grace.
For her own part, Ruby was excited by the idea: her close friendship with the blonde had been awkward since she had gotten caught up in a bit of bravado and asked her how she could fuck someone so evil. She'd apologized and the blonde had accepted, and hell, if Belle forgave the woman and even Snow was being cordial, surely Ruby herself could try to embrace to former Queen.
She lingered at their table, which had moments before been ringing with laughter, after setting down Emma's pumpkin pie with extra ice cream and Regina's slice of strawberry cheesecake.
Regina cocked an eyebrow at her. "Everything has been lovely, Ms. Lucas. Is there something else?" She said this in a tone that was clearly forced into being that of a mild commentary, but no one missed the translation: I'm being cordial because Emma wants me to and because I am trying to change; but this was only lovely until you started hovering and interrupting our time together. Are you deliberately trying my patience, dear?
Ruby shifted on one leg, for once unsure how to proceed. "What's up, Rubes?" Emma asked, touching Regina's knee under the table in acknowledgment that even though everyone had heard the real meaning of her question loud and clear, she was trying terribly - adorably - hard.
"Well, Belle and I are going to girls' night at the club tomorrow..." Emma raised her eyebrows expectantly as her friend trailed off. Regina's foot began to tap impatiently.
"Fascinating as your social life undoubtedly is, what exactly is your point, Ms. Lucas?"
Well, at least she said "fascinating" instead of "curseable", the waitress thought ruefully.
Emma swiped her spoon through some pie, ice cream, and a solid blob of Regina's cheesecake and slipped the heady combination of tastes, textures, and temperatures into her mouth.
Oddly rallied by Emma's utter casualness, Ruby tried again. "Do you two want to come with us? A double date?"
Emma paused in her orgasmic sliding of food across her tonight as Regina's eyes flashed dangerously. "We are not dating," she insisted, causing the bottom to drop out of Emma's stomach.
Ruby didn't miss a beat. She gave Regina her most winning smile. "Then what would you call the fact that half your cheesecake just disappeared into Emma's mouth?"
The accused woman shifted her eyes guiltily, but she was still terrified. She'd thought she and Regina were past the former mayor's stage of denial (which had hurt and frustrated Emma and even irritated Snow).
Regina regarded Emma with a surprisingly intense affection, considering what she had just claimed. "By all means, finish the dessert you worked so hard to convince me to get for myself, dear," she said happily, ignoring Ruby as she playfully nudged her plate towards Emma, who merely gazed at her, nonplussed.
The former mayor looked back up at the bemused waitress, her tone more frosted. "Not that it's any of your business, but Emma and I are beyond dating, Ms. Lucas. Emma is my partner for life and the other mother of my son, and I won't have the likes of you cheapening what we have." Emma glowed in relief and joy at Regina's utterly unnecessary - and utterly adorable - defensiveness.
Ruby glanced at emma for help, taking in her full-mouthed happiness with slight desperation. Emma gulped a huge mass of dessert down, shuddering slightly from the brain freeze. She put her hand lightly on Regina's. "We can be together forever and still go on dates, babe," she chided gently. "You wanna go?"
Regina regarded her lover gratefully, knowing that Emma was the only one to understand her fear of impermanence that she associated with the word "dating," her terror at appearing weak or uncertain, as someone's option rather than their passionate and only desire. On top of which socializing with people who used to be her (cursed) subjects was... daunting. In a glance, Emma showed her that she understood all this, supported her. An odd mixture of gratitude and grief flooded Regina's face as she looked back at Ruby.
"Are you sure your girlfriend wants to socialize with... me?" she finished in an uncharacteristically (to anyone other than Emma and Henry) small voice.
The three women turned back to Belle, who was perched on her bar stool and staring unabashedly. She gave a cheery wave, to which Red and Emma responded in kind, Regina replying with a forced but genuine smile and curt nod.
Red turned back to Regina and nodded brightly. "Mmhmm! She suggested it!"
Regina turned to her lover just as she was spooning out some more of Regina's cheesecake. She laughed lightly. "Would you like to go, Em?" Ruby marveled at the casual reverence she heard in Regina's tone when she addressed Emma. How much changes in a few months... The blonde nodded happily, her mouth too full to speak.
Regina smiled unguardedly, allowing Ruby to see her happiness. "Then we'd love to, Ms. - " She felt Emma's eyes on her and changed her address. " - Ruby. Thank you. I'm sure you and Emma will be in touch with the details?"
The wolf woman was surprised by how utterly happy their acceptance made her. She almost skipped in place. She nodded again, seeing Emma mirroring her smile. "Do you want me to bring you another cheesecake?" she asked Regina conspiratorially.
"That won't be necessary, Ruby, thank you," Regina answered with a flutter of a wink as she casually reached across the table and drew Emma's pumpkin pie and ice cream towards her. She dug in with dignified relish as Emma tried futilely to win her dessert back.
Belle almost applauded as Ruby walked away from the table, shaking her head and grinning broadly. She wondered vaguely how Snow would feel about this double date. Maybe she'd text her about it, just to get on her nerves (a favorite hobby of hers). No, telling her to her face would have a much more picturesque and satisfying effect.
All the Storybrooke women who loved women were certainly in for an interesting girls' night...