Down.

Emma took a deep, steadying breath. Some loose hairs tickled her face, hanging in her eyes as she held herself an inch off the ground, her arms corded like steel cable. Her hands were pressed flat against the ground, bracing herself as she fought against gravity.

Up.

Emma grunted as she pushed herself upwards, letting out a measured breath. She'd been at this for an hour now and a delicious burn was working it's way through her shoulders down to her forearms. Sweat traced the line from her temple to her chin.

Down.

Another breath-

Up.

Exhale.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down-

"Are you finished yet?"

The sudden voice, loud in her ears after silence, made her sweaty palms slip and her elbows buckle. Her knee reflexively touched down on the gym mat to keep her from planting face down.

"Damn it Ruby." Emma said, turning to face the other woman. "I was working-"

"Emma, you're doing push ups in an empty jail cell at the police station on a Friday night." Ruby's voice was flat, and the look she was giving Emma said that she was far from impressed.

"So?" Emma wasn't defensive. She wasn't. So when she got up and strode to her desk where a towel and bottle of water were sitting, she totally wasn't evading her friend.

"Honey, the fact you don't find that strange says a lot about you." Ruby sighed the sigh reserved for friends of the hopeless.

"It's not like there's a lot of things to do on a Friday in Storeybrook anyway." Emma shrugged. "And I like working out. Not all of us can look as good as you without trying you know."

Ruby preened a little at that. "That's true. Well, the mayor can, but whatever."

Regina again. Strange how the mayor always managed to sneak into Emma's conversations. She was irritating like that. Strangely, though, Regina had been getting less and less antagonistic lately and had even started to tentatively include her in things besides Henry. Not that she had anything against her kid or was complaining about spending time with him or anything, but… it was a little weird. In a good way.

"You do know why our uptight mayor is being a little less- well, uptight, right?"

Emma grimaced a little; if she was speaking aloud to herself, she should probably get out more. Talking to herself wasn't going to impress Regina with her stability and ability to take care of Henry.

She also tended to ramble.

"Uh, no?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. It escaped her how Emma could create gossip as easily as breathing, yet be so out of the loop and oblivious that it was almost endearing.

"Just keep wearing those tank tops sweetie."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

For someone who had given birth to her kid at sixteen, Emma was kinda clueless at this, wasn't she? "Mayor Mills appreciates your arms." The waitress gave Emma's quivering shoulders a long look.

They were kind of perfect.

Emma just felt confused. "W-why-?" What the hell did her arms have to do with anything? Was this about the push up thing?

"Look, Emma." Ruby perched herself on the Sheriff's desk. "I'm not saying anything. Just that the mayor appreciates the way her sheriff holster's her guns, that's all." She tapped her biceps and winked.

And suddenly, Emma got it.

Oh.

"I'm just gonna let you process that." Ruby smirked. Then she was gone, and Emma was tempted to throw a curse at her friend's back. She couldn't just waltz into the station, mess with Emma's head, and then walk out!

But still…

Emma, contemplative now, turned back to her exercise mat. Surely a few more push ups wouldn't hurt…