She felt out of place at the school. Leaning against her car. Hands shoved in her back pockets looking for Henry. Why did they have to all be wearing the same thing? Ruby leaned onto the toes of her boots. Looking around the swarm of children for the kid.
She caught a couple of the parents there to get their kids watching her. She knew what a lot of them thought about her. But she didn't care. She had Emma, and now this growing she didn't even know what to call it with Henry. She kept looking for him.
"Ruby!" That little still small voice called from behind her. He had hoisted himself up onto his toes, leaning against the top of her car watching her from behind. It startled Ruby, normally she'd notice someone coming from behind long before now. She blamed it on her intent focus on the crowd of kids in front of her, and the noise. It still, unsettled her.
"Hey kid, let's go Emma's waiting for us at the station." Henry ducked into the car next to Ruby. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to let you ride in the front seat." Ruby gave the ten year old a pointed look.
"I ride in the front in my mom's car." He replied, lifting his chin confidently. Ruby swallowed the question that instantly popped into her head. Which mom. Unsure if it was an appropriate question.
"Well then it's okay. But if I get in trouble." She turned to him as they pulled to a stop on their way out of the parking lot. "You're getting in trouble too." Henry nodded, smiling slightly at Ruby's attempt to intimidate him.
"What's this?" He asked, moving forward in his seat to the extent of his seat belt to touch the glass wolf dangling around her rear view mirror.
"My good luck charm." Ruby answered, watching Henry out of the corner of her eye as she navigated the streets to the sheriff's station. Never had she thought that this is what she would be doing with her day off.
Henry caught the charm after a moment of fumbling and gave it a long look. Something in his eyes that Ruby had seen in Emma's on occasion. That deep thinking look, then soon after, that sudden break through look of realization. Ruby tried to push away the fact that Emma sometimes made that same face in the bedroom from her brain.
"What's going on in that weird brain of yours?" Ruby asked shutting the car off after pulling into a parking space in front of the station. Henry was still staring at the charm like it was some miraculous thing.
"Nothing." He replied a little to quickly. Sweeping his bag up from his feet, and almost falling out of the door in his rush to see Emma.
Ruby knew a bit about Henry's 'operation cobra.' He was as she knew reluctant to tell anyone too much about it. But that look, she had noticed it on occasion. Then she was wondering just who she was in Henry's little Fairy Tale world.
XxXxXxX
Emma looked up from her desk when she heard the squeak of sneakers, and was greeted by a round smiling face. He barely managed to skid to a stop and not slam into her desk. Gripping the edge tight.
Ruby came in behind him, that winning smile on her face. How excited Henry got to see Emma was adorable enough to make anyone smile. Although Emma was pretty sure she knew the reason for Ruby's smile.
"Hey kid." She scribbled something on a paper. "How was school?" Emma sometimes felt really awkward when Henry was just there. Sure she should take what time she got with Henry and do what she could with it. But times like now, when she was almost sure that Regina said she could see him just because she knew she had work to do.
"Fine." He shrugged.
She dug around in the drawer of her desk. "I'm guessing you want your book?" She dropped the key into his palm, as he nodded.
"Thanks." He jumped on his toes running to it. They had been keeping the book here lately per Henry's request. Regina, he said, had been looking around his room. Emma didn't doubt that, although she did doubt it was for the book. So the book had taken residence back up in it's drawer.
Ruby took advantage of Henry's momentary distraction, and leaned over the sheriff's desk to kiss her girlfriend on the top of her blonde head. Emma looked up at her through her lashes, biting her lip to fight down a smile.
Neither noticed Henry watching the exchange with a small grin. The boy did believe all the problems in their town could be solved with true love.
XxXxXxX
"So who am I?" Henry looked up at Ruby from his book. She was leaning over the desk currently most used by Henry like now on those days that he was here.
"What?" He asked. Raising one of his eyebrows, and Ruby grinned. The look was kind of adorable on his young little face.
"Last time you were here you were telling me about..." Ruby paused and lowered her voice, humoring Henry more than anything. "The curse." Henry gave her a look.
"You don't have to whisper. Emma knows everything." Ruby deflated. She wasn't much good with kids. Even if she did love Henry, he was a great kid. She just wasn't sure how she was supposed to act about this curse business.
"Okay. But afterward, I was wondering if you figured out who I was." The brunette asked. Glancing to Emma who seemed to have noticed her awkwardness and was smiling unsympathetically.
"Oh.." Henry paused. Looking down at the pages of the storybook with a frown of thought.
"Tell her. You told me you knew." Emma piped up. Carrying the folder full of papers she had been working on. Bracing herself against the back of the chair Ruby sat in. Leaning forward, to rest her chin on top of her girlfriend's head while looking Henry in the eye. She was just so used to displaying her affection to Ruby in these kinds of ways. That she didn't think twice about doing it in front of Henry.
"Little Red Riding Hood." Henry replied with that confidence he only seemed to have about his beliefs in the curse. Ruby's jaw had almost comically fell.
"Seriously?" She asked after a moment of recuperating. "Seriously?" She turned to look at the blonde behind her. "Is this because of my wardrobe?" She asked. "I was hoping for something bad ass..." She trailed off frowning.
"But she is!" Henry gave a little squeak. Flipping through the pages of his book to the story.
"With the basket?" Ruby arched her brows, and watched him searching the page numbers.
"Well not really." Emma broke in. "The stories in there aren't necessarily the originals." The blonde leaned against the back of the chair wrapping her arms around Ruby from behind.
"Yes they are." Henry defended his book.
"Little Red Riding Hood is the big bad wolf." Emma whispered in Ruby's ear, and she chased off a shiver at the breath tickling her neck.
"Is?" Ruby gave her a confused look.
"Emma you ruined it!" Henry groaned.
"Hey if it's her story shouldn't she know it?" Emma asked raising an eyebrow. Henry attempted to send the blonde a glare. Which she returned.
"I think you're picking up on her bad habits." Ruby looked between the two, and ended up with Emma's glare directed at her. "Like that. It looks cute on him." Emma's glare turned into a raised eyebrow disbelieving look. "It's cute on you too." She whispered before turning her attention quickly back to Henry. "So I'm a wolf?"
"A werewolf." Henry replied importantly. "Granny was too." He added, starting to get excited. After a few more questions exchanged between them Henry plunged into explaining Ruby's story to her. Which Ruby surprised herself by actually listening to.
"Henry." Both of the brunette's eyes went wide, and Henry scrambled to hide the big storybook away in it's drawer before his mother rounded the corner and was walking in. "Miss Swan, I'm sorry I'm early I got out of that meeting earlier- Oh I didn't know you would be here." The mayor's lip curled in a sort of snarl of disgust when she noticed the waitress seated across from her son.
Her dislike for the girl had skyrocketed when word of her relationship with the sheriff had reached her. It didn't help her terms with said sheriff either.
"Hello Madam Mayor." Ruby beat down her own disgust, and gave the mayor a smile.
"Yes.. Well Henry, get your coat, and tell Miss Swan goodbye." Henry snatched his coat from the back of his chair. Before giving his mother a look and Ruby could swear it was only to spite the mayor, wrapped his arms around her neck, and mumbled.
"Bye Ruby. See you next week?" The brunette couldn't help but smile, not the forced one of before but one of her real as, Emma called them, gigavolt smiles.
"Hopefully."