Ruby stopped reading her biology book and raised her head when a cold breeze of air came in due to the opening of the diner's door, an instant smile appeared on her face when she saw her favourite costumer walk in: Emma's little brother, Oliver.

"Ollie!," the girl exclaimed and walked towards him, "How is my big boy?"

He didn't reply, but hugged his sister's best friend tightly.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Emma said with a smile and took her four-year old brother on her arms.

"Babysitting?"

Emma nodded. "Alex has a piano concert and last time Ollie went to one, well..."

"He proved he was your brother?" Ruby asked with a smile on her face.

Proving he was her brother didn't even start with what Oliver had done. First, he wouldn't stop blabbing when the other kids played the piano, none of them could concentrate with the noise that Ollie was making; then when it was Alex's turn he started screaming "Lexie! Lexie!". And just when David and Mary Margaret believed their toddler couldn't do anything worse, he ran off during the Choir's last song and decided to play the drums just because Emma plays the drum set they had at home.

"August is with his cousin and Graham in our regular booth," Ruby commented, snapping Emma out of her thoughts. "I'll bring your usual in a second,"

Emma nodded and walked towards her friends and the newbie. Her friends and Emma always sat at the corner booth, the only one big enough for them to fit. Graham was sitting in a regular chair and August and his cousin were sitting almost in the couch's corner. She didn't feel comfortable having Oliver with her; she knew that Graham and August loved the kid as their own brother, but somehow she didn't trust the outsider enough to have him around her brother.

"Ollie!" Graham greeted Oliver and the kid jumped from Emma's arms into Graham's lap. They had an unexplainable bromance. "Came to hang out with your best buddy, huh?" he asked the kid. Then he looked at Emma, who had just taken a sit next to August. "Oh, you brought your sister," Graham looked at Emma with a smile on his face, "Hi, you,"

"Hi, yourself," the blonde replied with a smile and took her phone out to check if she had any message, she didn't. Regina was supposed to moved back from Massachusetts today and Emma could barely hide her excitement. After putting her phone away she raised her gaze to find the new guy staring at her. It made her feel uncomfortable, his gaze was almost intimidating.

"I don't think we have met, love," he said. He had a sexy accent, great.

"I'm not your love," Emma replied, "And I know who you are, Killian Jones, August's cousin," he raised an eyebrow, "Why did you come to Storybrooke? I heard interesting things about your rebellious past?"

"Please call me Killy, lov - I mean, Emma Swan," Killian smirked. She was a little bit taken back by the fact he knew her name. "Oh, yes. You are not the only one that listens to gossips. Is it true that you are in probation because you blew that kid's locker up? I wonder, where will you go if you get expelled?,"

Emma was about to reply when Ruby placed a burger and a chocolate milkshake in front of her and a basket of french fries in front of Ollie. The toddler reached for the drink and started sipping the content "Hey, it's ok if you steal my friends, but you do not steal my food too!" the blonde faked to be annoyed at her brother, she smiled when the kid giggled. "What do we say to Ruby?"

"You da best, Rubes," Ollie grinned at Ruby. He was such a flirt already, Emma would have to buy a gun in order to protect him from all the girls, and some boys too, once he grew older.

"Aren't you the cutest?!" Ruby squished his cheeks and then kissed his forehead.

"Do I also get a kiss if I say something that you are the best?" August asked right away with a smirk on his face.

Ruby blushed a little bit but no one noticed except Emma because the waitress stayed cool, "You'll need to say something better," she replied, placing a hand on her hip.

"What if I ask you to go with me to the Homecoming Dance?"

"That might do," the girl nodded and went away to serve other costumers.

"She didn't answer," August pointed out as he watched her leave, "Anyway, what are you and the little man up to?" he asked Emma.

"We are going to the 'cade,"

"Emma is taking you to the arcade?" Graham asked and the kid nodded with a huge smile. "Emma," he then addressed to her in a reproaching tone "Your mother told you not to take Oliver to the arcade after last time,"

Last time Emma took Oliver to the arcade she was playing table hockey against Archie and her brother wandered off without saying anything. Emma thought someone had kidnapped him, she even called her father, who brought two deputies. They searched everywhere for the kid but didn't find him. Mary Margaret panicked, Alex thought they wouldn't find a lifeless body next to the docks. At the end they found Oliver asleep next to the vending machines. But that had been at least five months ago. Emma and Oliver were both grounded and learned their lessons; now Emma knew that she couldn't leave Oliver out of her sight and he knew that he couldn't go anywhere without the grown up that was on charge.

"Nothing will happen to him, Graham," Emma rolled her eyes, "It's just going to be Ollie and me," she said "And the zombies we'll kill, right kid?"

"Yes!" Ollie stood up and raised an arm "Kill zombies!" he yelled a little bit too loud and some costumers turned their faces to see what was all the noise about.

"Shh, Ollie," his sister giggled, "Granny will kick you out,"

"Nah, she'll just make you do community service," a familiar female voice commented. Emma turned her head to see Mulan smiling at her. "Is it true that they made you clean the desks?"

"You have no idea how many chewing gums people glue under them," Emma replied making a face, "It is disgusting."

Mulan sat next to Killian, who slipped his arm over Mulan's shoulders. Emma tried to ignored the sensation that had built up at her chest and grinned at his stupidity, he probably didn't know that he was barking at the wrong tree. Then, to Emma's surprise Mulan asked Killian if he had ordered for her.

"Yes," he replied. "Ruby should bring it in no time, matey," Emma noticed that he hadn't referred to Mulan as 'love' but as 'mate', the blonde wondered if he knew something, but decided to stay quiet. It was none of her business. Even if she was completely puzzled by the whole situation. Mulan was never comfortable around strangers nor men, and Killian was definitely on both groups. Unless he was not a stranger to her.

Ruby brought Mulan's food and sat next to Emma to have her lunch break.

"So, Ruby," August said after a while. "Homecoming?"

"Sure," the girl replied, trying to hide her excitement by playing with Ollie. "But you need to wear a red tie because my dress is red and we need to match,"

"That reminds me," Graham turned to Emma, "We still on, right?" the blonde nodded. Emma and Graham usually went together to the all the parties and they always had a great time. "You also want to go on matching colours?" he asked, not very thrilled by the idea.

Emma smiled. "No, that's just Ruby being Ruby," she replied. Truth was that Ruby wanted to match with August because she had a crush on him. But Emma had no crush on Graham, they were going as friends, so they didn't have to match. "Just don't go in shorts like last year, ok?" the blonde added recalling the previous homecoming party. It had been almost embarrassing.

"Oh, costumers," Ruby commented when she saw two people entering the diner. Not just two people: Neal and a girl. Probably his weekend's conquest. "Em, Mu, would you help me with these plates?" she asked her two friends, pointing at the dishes on their table.

Both girls nodded and they followed Ruby's orders while the real waitress went to take Neal's order. Emma and Mulan had helped Ruby multiple times. Specially if Anita, Ruby's mom, was sick or during a national holiday because they always had too many costumers. So the two girls were almost experts at cleaning the tables.

"Isn't she hot?" Mulan asked staring at the girl sitting next to Neal. Like him, she was wearing the Andersen Academy uniform, so she was probably a bitch "Her name is Tamara, she's an exchange student or something,"

"Are you going to ask her to go to the dance with you?," Emma asked staring at the dark-skinned girl. Mulan lowered her gaze. Then Emma realised why, and it made her heart ache: the so-called Tamara was holding hands with Regina's step-brother. Eww, she thought. Another person her gut told her she would hate. If this girl was dating Neal, Mulan was definitely too good for her.

"I already have a date," Mulan replied after a while.

"Uu," the blonde poked the asian girl, "Who? Who?"

"Not telling,"

"Why not?"

Mulan stared at the booth were August, Graham and Killian were entertaining the toddler with a sad smile. "It's a surprise," she said.

"Arg, common!" the blonde said gently hitting the counter. "That's not fair,"

Mulan smirked at her. "Patience, Emma, patience,"

Patience. Mulan wanted Emma to be patient when she had just told the blonde girl that she had a date for the homecoming dance? Mulan never had dates for anything. Even before she decided to finally come out as a lesbian, she never had fake boyfriends.

The blonde shook her head at her friend and turned on her heels to go and get her brother. "Come on, Ollie," she said walking towards the table, "Is time to kill some zombies,"

Oliver waved goodbye at the boys before grabbing his sister's hands, and then they both walked out of the diner.