She pulls up to the curb and grins when she sees Henry's face light up. He runs over and yanks the door open, Emma following at a more leisurely pace.

"You brought the Camaro!" He's already in the passenger seat, clicking his seatbelt into place.

"Told you I would, didn't I?" she says with a wink.

He winds the window down when he realises that his mother is standing there, probably waiting to say goodbye to him.

"Where's the fire, kid?" Emma says, bending to lean her arms on the car door.

"Sorry mom, it's just that I hardly ever get to ride in the Camaro," he explains. "And it's so cool."

"Regina calls it 'the deathtrap'," Ruby elaborates. "Which it definitely isn't," she hurries to assure Henry's other mother. "It just doesn't have German engineering and crumple zones and...whatever other criteria Regina researched when she bought that lame SUV she wants me to drive."

"How come she let you bring it today?" Henry asks.

Ruby laughs. "Do you think I need your mother's permission to take my car out for a spin?"

"Yes." Ruby narrows her eyes at Henry and Emma's perfectly synchronised response.

"Yeah...well, she's at work, and she'll still be at work by the time we get home. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Emma shakes her head. "Okay, not sure I should be supporting this…"

"Mom, Ruby's been driving this car as long as you've been alive," Henry says, putting a hand on her arm. "I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing."

"Can't argue with his logic or my unblemished driving record," Ruby says, flashing Emma a grin. It falls into a frown as she looks at Henry. "But saying it like that makes me feel ancient."

"Fine," Emma concedes. "Drive safe. But if Regina finds out about this, I know nothing."

"Deal," Henry says at the same time as Ruby coughs the word 'coward' into her fist. Emma chuckles as she stands up and taps the roof of the car. "See you tomorrow."

Ruby shoots Henry a grin. "Let's go!" She guns the engine a little more than necessary before pulling away at a sensible speed. She glances over to take in his wide smile. She loves these moments that she gets to spend with him. His life isn't without its complications and adding a third mother figure to the mix had initially been the cause of Regina's reluctance to tell him about her relationship with Ruby. She was persuaded by Emma, of all people, that if the boy could cope with the fact that all of his relatives are fairy tale characters, he could handle a same-sex relationship. Which had turned out to be absolutely true. He barely raised an eyebrow when they finally sat him down to tell him. Which is more than could be said for Regina, who was as close to panicking as Ruby has ever seen her. A fact she now denies. Ruby knows that the real reason for her nerves was a deep-rooted fear of losing her son, so she doesn't tease her about this revised version of history.

They pass a pleasant hour, winding in and out of Storybrooke's streets, stopping off for frozen yoghurt at Elsa's Ice Emporium. As they make the final turn onto Mifflin Street, Ruby looks over and smiles at the contentment on Henry's face.

"So, am I the coolest stepmom you ever had or what?" she asks, tickling him lightly.

"You're the only stepmom I've ever had. So, yeah, you're the coolest."

"That's what I thought," she says with a nod. The mayoral mansion looms into view and it's not quite as empty as Ruby thought it would be. Regina is kneeling by the flowerbed, clipping at her prized blooms. "Oh, shit." Just as she opens her mouth to apologise, Henry beats her to it.

"I heard nothing."

Ruby grins. "You're my favourite."

"Favourite what?"

"Exactly," Ruby says, distracted.

Regina catches her eye as she pulls into the driveway behind the black Mercedes. She offers the other woman a bright smile and gets a raised eyebrow in return. Henry's already out of the car and on his way to greet his mother. Regina stands and takes off the thick gardening gloves, dropping them onto the lawn as Henry reaches her. Ruby hangs back a little, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"You're home early," Henry comments as he accepts a kiss on the forehead.

"Yes, well, my final meeting was cancelled and I thought I'd take the opportunity to finish a little earlier than usual," Regina tells him, running a hand through his hair and looking at Ruby. "Did you two have fun on your drive?"

"We got frozen yoghurt," Henry says.

"Before dinner?" Regina says, with a smile. "What am I going to do with the pair of you?"

"He's a teenage boy and I'm a werewolf," Ruby puts in. "I wouldn't worry about us spoiling our appetites."

"That's true," Regina agrees before returning her attention to Henry once more. "Homework?"

"A little reading for English. And math," he says, wrinkling his nose. "I might need some help."

"Of course," Regina says. "Go get started and I'll be in soon."

"'Kay," he says, turning to Ruby as he leaves. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime kiddo," she tells him with a wink. He grins and heads into the house. Ruby slinks up to Regina, slipping an arm around her waist.

"You should've called," she says, brushing a kiss on her cheek. "We'd have picked you up."

"Nonsense." Regina turns so that she's fully facing Ruby, draping her arms around the taller woman's neck. "I know you enjoy your time together. I wouldn't want to intrude on that."

"Well, I guess it would've been a little awkward for me and Henry to drink beer and whistle at girls if you'd been there," Ruby says with a nod.

"So that's why you took the deathtrap, is it?" Regina muses, a smile tugging at her lips. "To pick up girls?"

"Chicks dig that car." Ruby bumps her nose against Regina's. "Including you. I recall some very interesting afternoons in the woods in that car."

"All I recall is how cramped the backseat is," Regina murmurs, her brow creasing at the memory.

"Remember when my foot got caught in the headrest?" Ruby asks, brushing Regina's hair aside and placing a kiss on her neck.

A laugh bubbles up from Regina's chest. "Vividly," she confirms. "It was quite a spectacle."

Pulling back, Ruby looks at Regina with narrowed eyes. "You laughed a little too hard for my liking, now that I come to think of it."

"'Regina! I'm stuck. I can't get it out!'" Regina's amusement at the memory is contagious, but Ruby keeps up the offended front.

"You were no help. You were all 'What do you expect me to do about it, Ms Lucas? It's not as if I can say abracadabra and it will magically be released.'" Ruby shakes her head. "You must've thought you were hilarious with all your little inside jokes, huh?"

"I had to amuse myself somehow, dear," Regina says, running her knuckles over Ruby's jaw before cupping it and looking into her eyes. "Besides, I'm certain that incidents such as that one were a large part of why I fell in love with you."

Hearing Regina say those words never gets old, but Ruby knows not to get too sentimental. "Because I'm an enormous klutz and not at all suave?" she asks, swaying their hips together as she links her hands at the bottom of Regina's back.

"Yes." The answer earns her a swat on the behind and she relents. "And because you're open and real and silly and funny."

"And," Ruby leans in close, letting her whisper brush Regina's lips. "Because you dig my car."

With a majestic eyeroll, Regina concedes. "Fine, I dig your car."

"Ha!" Ruby plants a kiss on Regina's lips. "I knew it!"

"Your skirts didn't hurt either."

Ruby frowns. "Don't spoil it now." She tugs Regina closer. "Maybe when Henry goes to Emma's this weekend, we can take a spin for old time's sake?"

"Perhaps," Regina says, toying with Ruby's collar. "But we're taking the SUV."

Ruby lets out an undignified gasp. "I'm not having sex in an SUV!"

"Why not?" Regina asks, confused. "It's far more spacious."

"It's just…" Ruby searches for a word. "It's too...middle-aged. And suburban."

"Well, you are in your fif-"

"Do not finish that sentence," Ruby warns and Regina laughs.

"We'll discuss this further after I've helped Henry with his math homework," she says, dislodging herself from Ruby's arms. She stoops to pick up her gardening tools. Pausing for a moment, she snips off a deep red rose, twirling it between her fingers and bringing it to her nose. Then she holds it out for Ruby to take. "Here."

Ruby's grin grows as she accepts the offering. "Awwww, shucks."

"Well, since your idea of romance includes invitations to make love in uncomfortable locations, I thought one of us should attempt the more traditional route." Regina punctuates her sentence with an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm romantic," Ruby protests. "I brought you breakfast in bed last Sunday."

"Presenting me with a can of whipped cream and your naked body is not the same thing as breakfast in bed," Regina says, though her dilated pupils and smirk betray her. Ruby opens her mouth to respond but Regina puts a finger over her lips. "And do not make a sexual innuendo about 'eating'."

Smiling, Ruby places a kiss on the finger covering her lips. "Go get your math on with Henry," she says. "I'll make dinner. And I will make it romantic as hell."

"With Henry?" Regina raises an eyebrow. "As suggestions go, that's only slightly more romantic than woodland car sex."

"You queens are so demanding," Ruby says, clicking her tongue as she follows Regina into the house. The older woman chuckles softly, setting her gloves down on the kitchen counter and turning to face Ruby again.

"Your...unique approach to romance managed to win me over in the first place," she says, tilting her head to the side. "I'm perfectly happy with our level of romance."

"Me too," Ruby says, quickly. "And besides, making fun of sickeningly romantic couples is one of our favourite things to do. If we turned into one, we wouldn't be able to mock them."

"That's reason enough for me," Regina agrees with a smile.

"You sure? You don't think we should have an 'I will always find you' thing?" Ruby presses. Without warning, she darts towards Regina and sweeps her into an embrace, bending her backwards and hovering over her like a romantic hero in an old movie. "Regina...I will always... love staring at your ass."

Regina laughs and slaps her shoulder. "And I will always...scratch your ears when you've been a good girl."

Ruby snaps her teeth, playfully. "Bitch."

"That's literally you, dear" Regina counters.

Ruby stands up straight, bringing Regina with her. "Yeah, we're totally fine with the romance thing."

"Unquestionably," Regina's eyes drift to Ruby's lips and Ruby is only too happy to oblige her with a kiss.