"Emma!" Ruby called, yanking the back door to the diner open. "Emma!" She looked both ways and didn't see the blonde. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to catch the faint scent Emma left behind. Once she captured the scent Ruby took off to the right letting the door slam behind her. When she finally caught up with her she grabbed Emma by the arm and spun her around. "Emma where is she."
"Where is who Rubes?" Emma asked, blatantly not making eye contact.
"Don't play games with me Emma. You know who."
"I don't know. Okay, I don't know." she sighed trying to yank her arm out of Ruby's grasp. Ruby let go of Emma's arms and pushed her against the brick wall by her shoulders.
"It's funny. You're a really bad liar."
"Ruby, I don't know where she is." Emma groaned, trying to roll her shoulders, but Ruby just held on tighter.
"Em, please." Ruby's voice dropped to a whisper as she dropped her head to Emma's shoulder. "Just, please tell me where Regina is. I know she made you promise not to tell me. But I need to know. I need to be with her Emma."
Emma sighed and placed her hand on the back of Ruby's head. "She's in the mines Ruby. She's giving us more time. More time to make it out of here."
Ruby looked up, tears fresh in her eyes, "But, that means..."
"She'll be gone with Storybrooke. Yes." Emma whispered, grabbing Ruby's hand. They stood for a moment before Ruby pulled away and started running down the alley.
"Ruby!" Emma called, getting ready to run after her.
Ruby stopped and turned around, "Don't worry about me Emma. I need to be with Regina, just, tell Granny I love her. Don't worry about me." she called before sprinting off again.
As soon as she got into the mines it hit her like a train. Her senses were overwhelmed by the sheer power of the magic down here, the smell alone brought tears to her eyes. She thought about calling for Regina but Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to hear her. Her best chance was to just go deeper and hope to pick up on Regina's scent through the musty smell of magic.
It felt like she had been walking for hours, she knew it had only been minutes but the longer it took her to find Regina the less time she had with her before they both went down with Storybrooke. She knelt on the ground and put her head in her hands. She couldn't let Regina die alone, she couldn't die without Regina. Regina was her person. The person she wanted to tell everything to, the person she wanted to walk hand in hand with through the woods, the person she wanted to take on cheesy dates, the person she wanted to bake cookies and have flour fights with. Regina was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She loved this woman with all her heart, she spent every waking moment thinking about her so why on Earth couldn't she find her. She knows Regina's scent better than anyone's. Ruby sat in the dirt and laid her head on the wall of rock behind her, banging her head a couple of times.
In the midst of her self-loathing she caught it. The smell of lavender body wash and vanilla candles, mixed with the smell of papers from the office, and apples with just a hint of Ruby herself intertwined. It was faint but she had it, and she wasn't going to lose it. As she pushed herself off the wall she couldn't help but yell out Regina's name, she was close. As she ran the smell of Regina got stronger as well as the intensity of the magic. She turned the corner and her heart stopped.
"Regina."
The raven haired woman looked up from the gem, tears in her eyes, the pain evident on her face.
"Ruby, no."
"Regina what are you doing." Ruby said, reaching out towards her.
"Get away Ruby! Go!" Regina yelled not looking away from her.
Ruby walked quickly to her lover, stepping behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Yelling at me won't work. You know that." she chuckled resting her head against the side of Regina's. "C'mon baby, stop this. What are you doing." She whispered in her ear moving her hands down to Regina's wrists.
"If I stop, you'll die Ruby. I-I need you to live."
Ruby turned Regina's face toward hers, and kissed the vein on her forehead. "What's living if I don't have you." She said quietly, holding Regina's head to her lips. "Hmm? I couldn't do it Regina. I couldn't live without you."
"Ruby." Regina whimpered, a tear finally slipping down her cheek. "I love you. I love you so damn much it hurts."
"I know baby. I love you too." Ruby moved her eyes to Regina's and wiped the tear off her cheek. "That's why I'm not leaving you. Okay? Don't fight me on this."
Regina nodded and let Ruby hold her from behind, silently giving her the strength she needed to continue.
"Ruby."
"Yeah."
"Right pocket of my coat. Reach in it."
"Why?"
"Just, do it."
She felt Ruby moving her hand around, when her hand stilled she knew Ruby had grabbed it. "Pull it out Ruby."
"Regina is this what I think it is."
"You'll know once you pull it out." Regina chuckled, straining against the pain. Ruby placed a kiss on her neck and pulled her hand out of her pocket. Ruby stilled, stroking the smooth velvet with her thumb. "Open it." Regina commanded softly, turning her head to see Ruby's face.
Tears welled up in Regina's eyes as Ruby looked from the ring to her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"I've been carrying that around with me for two months now. I wanted to find the perfect way to ask you. I know this isn't ideal, but I just want to see how beautiful you look with that ring on."
Ruby closed her mouth and looked Regina in the eyes. "Ask me."
"What?"
"Ask me."
Regina took a breath and closed her eyes before leaning her head on Ruby's. "Ruby Lucas, you are my world, my stars, my universe even. I didn't think I would ever love or be loved again. But you somehow found a way to get through my defenses. When I'm around you I feel lightheaded, as if I have too much air. Yet at the same time you leave me breathless. You help hold me together when I'm falling to pieces. And you deal with my being a massive bitch. I have no idea what I would do without you. So marry me Ruby Lucas."
Ruby choked out a sob and slid the ring on her finger before grasping Regina's face. "Yes, yes yes. I love you so much Regina. So much." She leaned forward and captured Regina's lips with hers. Their lips sliding together easily, both of them putting everything they had into their kiss. Like it was their last goodbye. Ruby sensed the magic around them getting stronger before the crackling became louder and louder. The two women did not pull away from each other but instead Ruby held Regina tighter, nipping her lovers lip and soothing it with her tongue. It was seconds before everything stopped and Regina fell to the ground. Ruby went with her, catching her head before it hit the ground.
"Baby." Ruby whispered, kneeling by Regina's head.
A moment later Regina groaned, reaching up towards Ruby.
"Regina! What, what is it. What can I do."
"You're, you're on my hair." Regina said, trying to suppress a smile.
Ruby laughed and smacked her on the arm before pulling her to her feet, letting Regina put most of her weight on her. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry dear." Regina smiled, pressing a kiss to Ruby's nose. "I won't do it again. I promise." She grabbed Ruby's hand kissing the new ring on her finger. Ruby blushed and looked at her feet.
"Regina, the diamond."
"What about it." Regina said, looking down next to Ruby's foot. She nudged the now ashy and cracked diamond with her boot.
"Is it, dead?"
Regina laughed and wrapped her arm tighter around her lover's shoulders. "It can't do anymore harm." she said, stepping on the diamond with her heel, crushing it.
"How did it-what, how did it happen?" Ruby asked, starting to help Regina walk towards the exit to the mine.
"How did it not kill us?" Regina asked grimacing as she walked. Ruby nodded gripping Regina's arm. "I'm going to say it was true love's kiss."
Ruby stopped abruptly. "True love's kiss?"
"Yes Ruby. When we kissed, I-I felt it. I felt it moving through my body and it gave me the strength to actually stop the fail safe."
"You felt 'it'. What's 'it'"
Regina shrugged, pulling Ruby to help her walk again. "Your love."
"My love." Ruby smiled.
"Yes, dear. Your love." Regina smiled back. "Now come on. We have wedding plans to make."
Ruby squealed excitedly and kissed the scar on Regina's upper lip. "Yes we do wifey."
Thank you to all who read/review this. It really means a lot to me. I'm trying to get back into writing, so if anyone has any requests message me and I'll see what I can do. No promises though, just trying to get the writing train moving again. And once again, thank you all.