It takes some persuading to get him to come with her, but in the end what settles Tom's decision is the rumbling of his stomach. Ruby had been unsuccessfully trying to persuade him to come along with her to meet Granny, thinking perhaps she might have a few answers as to why Tom had been unceremoniously dropped into the Enchanted Forest via a portal that, for all intents and purposes, should never have existed in the first place. Tom had refused at first, apparently reluctant to leave the spot (perhaps he thought if he stayed where he was, he would eventually find his way back home). Upon hearing the growl of hunger, Ruby had smirked at him as he felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, looking down to glare at his stomach as if cursing himself for his own hunger. "You know," she had said, grinning cheekily at him. "My Granny might be able to help you out—maybe figure out a way to get back to your own land. And she's a really good cook. If you were interested."

Now, she finds herself leading him through the forest, making sure to tread lightly and keeping her eyes always alert, ready to ward off any attack that might come. Regina's patrols have been more frequent than ever these days, her desperation to find Snow White becoming more and more apparent each day. It's been several days since Ruby herself has seen her friend, and she can only hope that Snow has continued to stay several steps ahead of her stepmother…

"How much farther?" Tom asks, his voice seeming impossibly loud in the otherwise silent forest. Ruby nearly jumps out of her skin, immediately whirling around and clapping her hand over Tom's mouth to silence him.

"Shut up!" she hisses. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

Tom only stares at her, his eyes confused and somewhat irritated, no doubt, with her behavior. Ruby waits several minutes, ears straining for even the slightest hint of a sound or a footstep. Finally, she releases him, but stays close enough to whisper in his ear. "If you want to keep your head," she says, her voice low and breathy. "Then you're going to have to keep your mouth shut."

"Are we hiding from someone?"

Ruby nods almost imperceptibly. "The Queen," she whispers back, feeling no further explanation is needed.

"You're on the run from your Queen?"

"I'm not. My friend, her stepdaughter, is. The Queen would do anything to find her, and these days, it seems like she doesn't differentiate much between the one she's after and the people who are dumb enough to stand in her way."

Tom nods now, although he still looks unsure. Ruby studies him a long moment before finally turning away, preparing to continue their trek to Granny's house. "If we're supposed to be hiding," she hears him ask in that lilting voice of his, still far too loud, "Then why are you wearing that ridiculous bright cape?"

Ruby blusters. "That's none of your business," she says, turning to face him, but Tom has frozen in place. His eyes are now wide as saucers, and he's staring almost cross-eyed at a place directly in front of them. Ruby turns, almost knowing what it is before she sees it—the bolt of a crossbow pointed directly between Tom's eyes.

"Ah," she says, her voice calm. "Tom Branson, I'd like you to meet my grandmother."