Belle was looking for volunteers everywhere, even under the rocks it seemed. Since they had lost Mary Margaret and David, they had lost their visible faces, and a lot people had lost hope. They were testing every worker and former pilot that they had and Henry had even brought some new people, but they were seriously understaffed. And of course, most of the workers and volunteers weren't going to qualify - Belle would be lucky if she got two or three decent couples that day.

Killian Jones eyed her dangerously. He was a good pilot, one of the best, but his grief for his brother and his desire for revenge against her husband. He'd been a good soldier, but had become much more darker after Milah died. Still, if they found someone for him... No. That was impossible. Thanks to her husband, Killian had only one hand now, and as skilled as he was Belle doubted he would be as good as he was one-handed.

But he was looking around with such determination... Rumple wasn't going to like it, if they had to fight together. Wy was everything so complicated?

While Belle was looking for more people, Ruby was going to section 15, a place she thought was deserted. But it was her birthday that day and Victor had told her that he had a surprise, so she went gladly. They had become friends, the scientist and her, since that fateful day when she saved his life. Sometimes they just commented the Jaegers and gossiped, other times they got deeper and talked about the nightmares that haunted them at night.

They had grown close, maybe excessively so. They talked, they laughed, sometimes cried, they spent a lot of time together while the rest of them were out, or training whatever people who save the world do. They'd become important for each other - been there in hard times and harder ones. so she was really excited to see what was that surprise he had for her. It was something bigger than she could have ever imagined.

It was the coolest Jaeger she had ever seen. Bright red, with small black and brown parts. One of the arms ended in metallic claws and the other had a huge crossbow in it. Ruby felt that she was in some way seeing herself in giant robot form. Like a translation of herself. There was something about it, something in its forms, something in the way the robot looked at the world that somehow reflected the both sides of who she was, the one everyone saw and the more dangerous one she kept hidden.

"Happy birthday, Ruby!"

Ruby didn't answer, still taking in that metallic monster in front of her.

"Do you like it?"

"Victor... you built a Jaeger for me?"

"Yeah, well you told me that you were going to try and when I heard that the tests coincided with your birthday, I thought that maybe I could fix an old one from the storage, change it a bit so it would suit you."

Ruby circled the whole thing, still not believing.

"Does it have a name?"

"Well, it's for you, so you can pick the name." Victor said, uncertain. What if she didn't like it? She hadn't said she liked it. Maybe she hated it. "But I've been calling it Red Wolf. You... you like it?"
She threw herself into the arms of the scientist, pulling him in a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a while and Victor smiled. Apparently, she did like it.

"This is the single nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. It's really lovely, Victor."

And then his smile grew even bigger and he started explaining the sciency bits of the robot to her. How the claws worked and how they had some neurotoxic poison thingy. How it had a pannel that gave it an energy boost with the moonlight.

"I thought if you were going to the field, it was best to have a Jaeger that... understood you."

"I'm just going to try, you know? There's no guarantee that I'll find someone compatible."

"Im sure you will, birthday girl."

She looked at the robot again.

"This is the best birthday present ever." She said. "Now you've ruined me for all the rest of presents today."

"I'm not even sorry." He smiled.

And that was the moment. The moment when Ruby realised she was in love with that man. What a stupid feeling.

Emma woke up feeling extremely energetic and ready to fight. She wanted fights one on one, she wanted to do all those memory and coordination games, she wanted to beat all those newbies how it was done. Teach them a lesson, remind them how it was done. Maybe punch some noses. Yes, it was gonna be Emma-time in Storybrooke.

She looked around for th guy from the previous night but couldn't find him. She hadn't even known if he would try again but he'd seemed interesting. Anyways, time to kick some ass.

She went there and shone, just like she hoped she would. There was only one problem.

IT.

WAS.

SO.

FUCKING.

EASY.

She could take down people in mere minutes and none of them offered any challenge. It was almost... boring. She should have known. She was an experienced pilots with many years of experience and some of these people were just workers trying the tests "just in case". The difference was too big.

Mildly disappointed, she went to lunch with Henry who told her some gossip. Apparently, his mother, who has some kind of big authority in there had tried out too and had been found compatible with a fugitive thief they'd been harbouring. Go figure. Also, Mr. Gold was strangely absent from the try-outs (which was really strange according to Henry as he was usually very present - everywhere) and it was Ruby's birthday.

Emma couldn't help asking the kid about the story of her mystery visitor from the previous night.

"The Jones brothers, yeah, they fought when I was a kid."

"You're still a kid."

"You know what I mean. But Killian was with Gold's ex and things got pretty ugly. Then Killian's brother Liam died poisoned by something and some time later Milah died too and Killian blamed Gold, cried for vengeance. Things have been pretty tense and Killian became almost a recluse. He's nice, even if likes cheating and you know, he's a bit shady."

"But you trust him."

(And Emma trusted this kid's judgement, even if she'd only known him for a couple of days. More than she could explain.)

"More than gold, yeah."

Then they went over to the birthday girl - one of the very few people she remembered of the men and women she fought. She was fierce and motivated, but her lack of experience was obvious. Still, she put up a decent fight.

"Hey, I'm Emma. Sorry about before, I didn't know it was your birthday."

"Don't be. You are another level, lady. The legendary Saviour. It was an honour to have my ass kicked by you. And besides, I kicked some ass too, so it was nice."
"I wish everyone took it that well." Emma said, trying to ignore the dirty looks she'd been getting all day. Apparently, she'd hurt some prides.

Henry gave Ruby some chocolates as a gift and she told them about the Red Wolf, how it had a lot features based on her and repeating just how cool and sciency it was.

"That's some grand romantic gesture." Emma said.

"He took what I don't like about myself and made it cool weapons on an even cooler robot. And made sure he got it ready for my birthday. Who does that?"

A man in love, Emma thought. Graham liked them too, the romantic gestures, even if she hadn't reciprocated all that much. Even Neal, at the start, so long ago that she hardly remembered anymore. And he'd managed to spoil that and shatter her idea of love, her ability to trust. But this woman right there, it sounded like she had something important: not just a partner who loved her, but a partner who admired her.

"Sounds like a keeper."

"Oh, Ruby and Victor are not together." Henry clarified. "They're just friends. Friends who are so in love with each other it's ridiculous, but won't do anything about it."

She punched him the shoulder.

"That's not true! Well, maybe a little bit... But I... he isn't..." Emma interrupted her, amused.

"That man built a giant robot for you. In your honor. I think he doesn't feel the same way is out of the question."

"They're not together because he doesn't think he deserves her and she is afraid of hurting him. But you are hurting yourselves more by not admiting, I think."

"Hey! That's not... We aren't... We're just friends, okay? Nothing wrong with being friends with a good-looking man who makes robots for his friends."

"Whatever you say, Red."

Ruby thought about Henry said, though, and how painfully accurate that was. The first part, at least. She was afraid of hurting Victor if things progressed. Afraid of him ending up like... No. Best not to think about that. It was her birthday.

"When did you get so wise, kid?" She said, trying to change the subject.

They parted ways soon after, Ruby leaving to enjoy the rest of her birthday with friends. Although there weren't many of them left.

There was a racket on the main hall and Emma and Henry went there to check it out.

There were voices talking, voices fighting, that were getting clearer as they approached. Emma recognised one of them, one that had sounded soft and husky yesterday but it forceful and angry now. The man from the Jolly Roger.

"If I am so useless then why won't let me try, huh?"

"You're a liability. You'd use the Jaeger to get revenge on me, on all of us for the people you lost. You're a criminal, Jones, you may have been someone but now you're nothing but scum."

"And what are you exactly, Crocodile?" Killian said, narrowing his eyes and getting way too close to the other man.

Gold seemed about to murder someone when Belle stepped in and got in the middle of them, throwing a sharp look at her husband.

"We've talked about this."

"He wants to pilot! He'll poison the whole program!"

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea." Belle said, despite herself. She didn't like Jones, not one bit, but he was a former pilot and they could use all the help they got. She took her husband aside and silently talked to him. Explained that the tests had been quite disastrous, and that they needed more people. That Killian could be a chance at a new team - something they so desperately needed. And that he probably wasn't able to pilot now, with one hand only.

"All right, you can try. But make one move that I don't like and you're out."

Killian half-smiled, victorious and spoke to the crowd that had formed around them.

"Now, who of you brave soldiers is brave enough to challenge to a duel?"

Emma smiled and took two steps forward.

"Ah, Swan. I was hoping it'd be you."

A/N: Hope you liked! Any comments/opinions?

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