2 | Ruby

The shower at Granny's sputtered hot water for the first few minutes before the spray completely turned ice cold. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as Mary Margaret quickly scrubbed the grime and sweat that have accumulated from the past couple of days since she had arrived in the small town. After David had taken care of the paperwork in the hospital, saving her from that handsy Doctor Whale, her prince charming – as she nicknamed him much to his amusement – took the liberty of taking her to the inn himself, introducing her to Granny who was the warmest host, and giving her one last warning to stay out of trouble.

The only thing that disappointed Mary Margaret was that he never left her his number.

You know, in case of an emergency.

After wrapping herself with a robe, Mary Margaret gingerly stepped out of the bathroom before nearly jumping out of her skin at the sight of a young woman placing some clothes onto her bed. The woman was wearing the skimpiest waitress outfit she had ever seen, had her hair thrown up in two pigtails, and had lined her eyes with thick eyeliner. She was chewing gum when she looked up at her, looking surprised by her entrance as well.

"Oh! Hello. Granny told me to bring these out for you. If you need more, just let me know," she told Mary Margaret with a bright smile before extending her hand. "I'm Ruby, the innkeeper's granddaughter."

Mary Margaret gave her a tight smile before shaking her hand. "Hello, Ruby."

"And I know you've just gotten out of the hospital," she continued to say before turning around to get something. "So instead of you going down to the diner, I brought up some of Granny's homemade lasagna and a couple of brownies. And if you want some company, yours truly just ended her shift."

The one thing Mary Margaret had trouble doing growing up was making friends. Being the daughter of a rich man did have its consequences, and one of them was the abundance of fake friends. People were more often than not seeking the perks of being her friend rather than just… being her friend. Her bodyguards, who were just as fiercely protective of her as her late father was, would dissuade her in order to prevent her from getting hurt. But it only isolated her even more.

So, when Mary Margaret heard what Ruby said, with her unusually large grin and the smell of great food, she found it hard to say no. Not only was the girl a great conversationalist, she also had a great sense of humor and stunning wit. She covered the topics of her childhood, her long string of ex-lovers, and her apprehensions about taking over the bed and breakfast once Granny retires. Mary Margaret's plan of having no attachments simply went down the drain as she snorted out her laughter when they reached the topic of Doctor Whale.

"Ugh. Doctor Whale is creepy. That man would flirt with anything that may potentially have estrogen in it."

Ruby was chewing her brownie solemnly before adding, "I hope Doctor Whale wasn't the only man you met since you've arrived because that would be tragic."

Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks at the thought of the deputy. "Well."

"Oh, my God!" Ruby squealed, smacking her leg. "Who is it? Spill. I want to hear everything."

Mary Margaret then proceeded to tell her everything David Nolan has done for her for the past couple of days, and her new friend couldn't contain herself as the story progressed. "Maybe he's just doing his job, and I'm looking too far into it," she finished before finishing the last of her brownie.

"That or he totally has the hots for you," Ruby teased. Mary Margaret just gave her a glance before the brunette suddenly grabbed her arm. "I suddenly had the most insane idea."

"I see that," Mary Margaret laughed. "If it involves David Nolan, count me out."

Ruby's eyes were wild when she asked, "Do you trust me with your hair?"

Mary Margaret's hand instinctively went up to her head. "Why? What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing! It's just that… you have such a pretty face, and your hair is hiding it."

Mary Margaret ran her fingers through the long tresses wistfully. "I've never shortened it before."

Ruby caught her look before backing away slightly, "No pressure. It's just an idea. It was insane. I'm sorry."

Mary Margaret then thought about the reason she was in town, and the idea of changing her look would definitely be an advantage for her. The idea of parting with her long hair was terrifying to say the least, but things in her life have been changing so quickly that an additional one couldn't possibly hurt. Slowly, a smile lighted up her face as she made her decision, and Ruby's expression brightened at the sight.

"Let's do it."

The amount of hair on the floor was unsettling for Mary Margaret, and she was further agitated with the fact that Ruby had turned her chair away from the mirror so she had no idea what was going on. She cringed again at the sound of another snip, making her hairdresser sigh, "Move one more time, and I won't be sorry for ruining your hair."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mary Margaret said. "It's never been this short before. I'm just nervous."

"Don't be. You look gorgeous."

After a couple more snips, Ruby placed the scissors and comb away and proceeded to dry her hair. During those couple of minutes, it took everything in Mary Margaret to keep herself seated and not look at herself in the mirror. When Ruby finished, Mary Margaret still had her eyes closed and made her new friend laugh. "I don't know about you, but I think I did a pretty good job."

"Really?"

Ruby gestured towards the mirror behind her. "See for yourself."

Mary Margaret took a deep breath before turning slightly to look at her reflection. All of the air in her lungs whooshed out as she took in her new appearance. Her hair ended just slightly below her ears and fell down in soft waves, and there were wispy bangs above her eyebrows that framed her face beautifully. She didn't know how long she stared at herself in the mirror until she heard Ruby's nervous voice.

"Is it okay?"

Mary Margaret whispered. "I look just like my mother."

Ruby's grin faltered. "And that is a good thing, right?"

Mary Margaret's vision was blurred because of her tears as she let out a shaky laugh. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Ruby's relief was evident on her face. "I'm glad you like it – oh!" Mary Margaret pulled her into a tight hug. "And we are hugging. All right then."

Mary Margaret laughed again when they pulled away before she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, I don't know why I'm crying. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Ruby assured her kindly. "It's okay to be emotional every now and then."

Afterwards, after a long argument about helping out to which she lost, Mary Margaret found herself sitting on her bed and watching Ruby sweep the hair off the floor. Mary Margaret then thought about everything that Ruby had done for her during the first few hours they've known each other and realized that she owed her a bit of information about herself.

"You've done so much for me, and you haven't the slightest clue who I am," Mary Margaret started, watching her reaction.

Ruby looked up before giving her a faint smile. "Considering how you got here, I can guess that your life hasn't been the easiest. You don't have to feel pressured about telling me your life story just because I've told you mine. Just know that, if you need someone to help you out, you have me."

Mary Margaret gave her a watery smile and nodded. She watched her sweep the rest of the hair onto the dustpan before she told her, "I'm not staying."

Ruby looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not staying here for long."

"Oh," Ruby murmured, looking crestfallen. "I see."

Mary Margaret bit her lower lip. "There's something I still have to take care of back home."

Her friend nodded. "It's okay. I understand."

There was an awkward silence before Mary Margaret added, "But while I am here, you call me Snow."

Ruby's expression brightened with a smile, much to her relief. "It's nice to meet you, Snow."

Mary Margaret was sitting alone at the bar at Granny's later that evening, sipping her iced tea, when a man dressed in a suit sat down beside her and cleared his throat to get her attention. She had to have a double take to recognize Doctor Whale in what seemed like a very old suit that had been kept at the back of his closet for quite some time and an obscene amount of hair gel that had the power to flatten the hair of maybe fifty more men. His cologne was quite overpowering as well.

The doctor gave her a sly smile. "Hello."

"Doctor Whale," she greeted curtly. "Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"I do have a life outside that place, you know," he chuckled. There was an uncomfortable silence between them before he broke it with, "You cut your hair."

"I did."

He was smiling before he asked, "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to go out some time. I'd love to get to know you more. Are you free Friday night?"

Ruby warned her about him, saying that she should stay away as much as possible. It was a well-known fact among the residents of Storybrooke that the good doctor's ultimate goal in life was to sleep with every single woman the town had to offer. He was said to be a proud man, arrogant about the fact that he got his medical degree in a well-known university and had practiced in the city before settling down in Storybrooke.

"I might not even be here on Friday night."

He looked surprised. "Oh, you're not staying?"

"No, just passing by."

"Okay, then how about tomorrow night?"

She bit the inside of her cheek before answering, "Sorry, but no."

"Come on," Whale chuckled. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."

"I told you, I'm not interested," she answered before turning in her stool then hopping down.

Whale followed her to the coat rack. "Well, at least just tell me your name."

"My name is Snow. Didn't you see that in the paperwork?" she muttered as she wrapped Ruby's scarf around her neck.

Whale barked out a laugh as they exited the diner. "Please. Do you really think I'll believe that your name is Snow?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret said, stopping in front of him. "And while you're at it, can you please stop following me?"

"Not until you agree to go out with me."

"This is harassment."

"One date."

She was fuming. "What part of no do you not understand?"

Whale was about to respond when a new voice interrupted him. "I believe the lady said no, Doctor Whale."

The sight of David awakened all of the dormant butterflies in her stomach. She didn't think it was possible but he was able to appear more handsome than she remembered. He was wearing a long dark coat and was carrying some groceries. Whale looked annoyed before turning around to face the deputy.

"Pretty sure we were having a private conversation, Nolan."

"Pretty sure if you had it your way, you two would be halfway back to your place right now, Whale."

Mary Margaret had to purse her lips together to hide her grin.

Whale's look became murderous. "Why don't you mind your own business, deputy? Wouldn't Mommy worry about you being out so late?"

David gave him a calm smile despite the playground insult. "She doesn't mind me breaking my curfew every now and then. Besides, I just want to make sure Snow here feels safe in our town. Does she?"

He tilted his head slightly to look at her, and Mary Margaret felt like melting into goo. "Y – yes, I'm fine."

"See, she's fine," Whale shot back.

"Actually, I…" the two men turned to look at her expectantly, and she suddenly forgot what she was supposed to say. She cleared her throat. "I need to speak with David about something, Doctor Whale. Do you mind?"

The doctor's face turned into a scowl while the deputy grinned in delight. "I'll leave you two to it then," Whale said tightly before walking towards the entrance of the diner. When the diner's door closed, the two turned to look at each other before letting out a laugh.

"Thank you for saving me," Mary Margaret smiled up at him.

David adjusted the groceries in his arm. "No problem at all. I like the hair."

She smiled, feeling heat rising up to her cheeks. "Oh, thanks. Ruby did it for me."

"It suits you," he told her. "Have you settled in properly?"

"Yeah. I don't think I've thanked you properly for everything you've done for me since I've arrived."

"Oh," David smiled, looking shy. "It's nothing. I'm just doing my job."

Her smile faltered. "Right."

He must have caught that because he quickly explained, "I mean, yes, I was doing my job, but - you know - I still would've helped even if it weren't."

She teased him. "No one's that kind."

"I am," he told her with a wink. Mary Margaret tried not to swoon at the sight. "Well, goodnight then. If you need anything…"

"You'll find me?" she asked coyly, making him grin.

"I'll find you."

Author's Note: Thank you for your kind reviews!