A/N: Welcome back, I am thrilled to hear you like it! This chapter is a Christmas gift for the ever-awesome Kedi who always helps me out when I'm stuck or just need to rant, nothing could help more! I hope you will all enjoy it and that you have a very Merry Christmas, my fellow Red Crickets!
She recognized him from twenty yards. The red hair and tweed suit stood out among the banker types milling around him. Next to him was an older man, with the dark eyes and sweeping gestures of a southern European. Also, enveloped in an air of irritation and a very expensive suit, was Rumford Gold.
"The guy in tweed? He is cute!" Emma whispered as she almost pushed Ruby forward. She had no idea why all her friends insisted on being there, or why they had to make the fake wedding into such a big deal. Mary Margaret had claimed they needed the dress, the old the new, borrowed and blue – "because this marriage needs more luck than normal". Belle had insisted she needed three bridesmaids at a civil service because they would support her and Emma because she thought it would look more real that way.
So now she was wearing a simple white cocktail dress, had three bridesmaids and was about to marry a man she had met twice. She felt slightly better seeing he had a small entourage as well and clutched her small bouquet of red roses closer to her chest. Reaching the other group Emma nudged her again and the "Hi," she managed sounded like a squeak. Any second now, she thought, any second the police were going to turn up and send her off to jail. Hopefully it'd be Canadian jail.
"Ruby. You look beautiful." He smiled and her anxiety calmed. He just seemed to have an aura of calm around him that embraced you when you were close. Maybe that was why he and Gold were friends, the neurotic businessman could certainly use some peace of mind.
"Thank you. You look very nice too." Emma cleared her throat and Ruby stopped staring at him, enjoying the soothed nerves of his presence. "Oh, right. These are my friends, Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard. You've already met Belle."
"Miss Swan. Miss Blanchard. It's a pleasure to meet you both." He shook their hands and Ruby saw the meeting of two kind souls in M.M and Archie. Emma didn't seem to fall under his spell however and she leaned forward to whisper something in his ear when they shook hands. Ruby was pretty sure it was a similar threat to the one all dates received when they came to pick any of Emma's friends up for a date. Although under the circumstances it was probably a slightly abridged version. Archie seemed to pass Emma's test as it looked like he promised something and then smiled genuinely. Then he turned back to her.
"Ruby, this is my best friend, Marco DiPino."
"It's nice to meet you." The man winked at her and bent to kiss her hand in a movement that seemed so natural it took the weirdness right out of it.
"The pleasure is all mine, signorina. Or should that be signora?"
"Should we get started?" Gold's brogue cut through the pleasantries and Ruby remembered why they were all out on the steps to City Hall.
o.O.o
Remembering it afterwards she was surprised any life changing moment could seem so short. She recalled his deep voice, calmly promising himself to he until "death do us part" and the reassuring warmth of his arm against hers. She remembered his hand squeezing hers, helping her so she'd been able to say her vows without a quiver in her voice. He'd said his and hearing the traditional words spoken in his deep voice, the serious timbre in it, she'd almost believed them herself for a moment. Then they had been pronounced husband and wife and the justice allowed for Archie to kiss the bride. Her. She'd sensed a second's hesitation before he'd turned towards her, his face serious as he bent and gently placed his lips over hers. His were dry and warm, light against hers. Then almost before it had started he withdrew and her three friends applauded. With a grin Ruby had tossed the bouquet over her head and giggled as Emma jumped out of the way and Mary Margaret dove for it (even though her fiancé James had already proposed).
They'd parted on the steps of City Hall and after promising to send her her mail, Archie and Marco set off while Gold returned to his office. Belle, MM and Emma all insisted they'd go celebrate her "wedding night" in style and Ruby let herself be led off to a night of prosecco and bad karaoke. Sending a last look at her "husband" over her shoulder Ruby shook off the feeling she was going the wrong way.
The next few weeks life began returning to normal, the only change the narrow gold band on her left hand. She had decided to wear it all the time to not lapse and forget her new civil status. It wasn't too bad to be married, it meant less creeps hit on her at the Diner. On the downside it also affected her tips. But she could live with it because she was still together with her friends in their cozy apartment, able to talk to them, see them every day because of it. It made her send a grateful thought now and then to the man who'd made it possible.
o.O.o
"They're coming to see it? Us?" Hearing the tone in Ruby's voice Belle stopped on the way from the kitchen, a bowl of chips in her arms. "But how…"
Emma emerged from the shower, her hair still wet and twisted into a bun to be out of her face while it dried. She sidled up to Belle and stole a chip.
"What's up?" Belle nodded down the hall where Ruby was still on the phone.
"No, of course. Yes, I realize that." Twisting the cord of their ancient home phone around her fingers as MM came out of her room and joined them.
"What are we doing?" She took a chip and Emma whispered,
"Eavesdropping on Ruby's call."
"Is it a boy?"
"Could be," Emma took another chip. "Whatever it is, it's not good."
"Okay, yes. Bye, then." Ruby hung up and turned to face her three friends who stood, wide-eyed and munching chips.
"What's going on, Ruby?"
"It was Archie…He's heard from Immigration. They're coming to "our" apartment. To see we're living there, together. Ask us lots of questions about one another things only a partner would know and then an interview down at their office and…And what am I going to do?" MM responded as she was prone to by giving Ruby a hug, Belle wrinkled her forehead in thought and Emma just said,
"Get to know the man, I guess," before popping another chip in her mouth.
o.O.o
Hoisting her bags higher, Ruby squeezed into the small elevator. She almost missed the fact that a small woman was standing in there already, almost hitting her in the head with a big duffel bag.
"Oh, sorry."
"Not to worry, dear. Do you live in the building?" The woman blinked suspiciously behind thick glasses.
"N…Yes, well, I've been…away." The woman's demeanor changed in an instant.
"Oh, you must be Mrs. Hopper!" Ruby tried to picture herself as a Mrs. Hopper and failed.
"Yes. Mrs. Hopper. That's me."
"It's lovely to finally meet you. We simply adore your husband here in the building. Tell me, how was…was it Antarctica? It must've been dreadfully cold."
"Antarctica?" Ruby's voice slid into falsetto at the last syllable.
"Yes, your husband said you were there to…photograph the penguins? You'll have to show us sometime. It sounds simply fascinating. Now me, I could never go somewhere just like that, leave home and Manny, of course, that's my husband, and Albert, that's my cat and Leonard, our parakeet. I simply have to stay at home. Fraidy-cat, Manny calls me but I simply-Oh, here we are, my floor. Well, my best to Archie and welcome home, Mrs. Hopper." Then the door shut and Ruby was alone again as the elevator shuddered upwards.
"…Thank you."
After she'd reached the apartment she and Archie just sat on the two armchairs facing each other, silently, each buried in their own thoughts.
"So," Ruby said at length. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" Archie took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Well, as I see it, we have two options. Either we admit we're not married, I pay a massive fine and move away from here and you…get sent back to Canada."
"I'm not so great with that option."
"Then we'll have to convincingly pass for a couple when the inspection arrives and then attend an interview, answering all manner of questions about each other a couple would know." Ruby drew a deep breath and looked around the room. It was a tad quietly done for her tastes but comfortable with its muted shades of greens and browns, perfectly suiting the man in front of her.
"Okay."
"Okay." Then the silence fell again, neither knowing where to start.
o.O.o
Having woken from their stupor, Ruby had dug out the list of questions Belle had found they were likely to be asked and with it moved into the small kitchen. Armed with pens, notepads and tea they'd started.
"Okay, an easy one first. When's your birthday?"
"August 20th, 1982."
"Right," he looked a bit shocked as he wrote it neatly in the top right corner of his notepad.
"And you? When's your birthday?"
"February 12th…1964." He looked a bit embarrassed and she figured he thought he was too old for her. Doing a quick calculation in her head she disagreed. He certainly didn't look his age either.
"Happy belated birthday, then." It was April, but closer in time than hers.
"Thank you." He ran a hand through his hair and seemed to settle down. "Okay, where were you born?" And so the day continued. Questions, answers, clarifications, explanations. At dinnertime she had filled ten pages of the notebook with basic facts about Archie Hopper. She knew the name of his parents, where he'd been born, the name of his high school. Knew the school mascot had been a wombat, though the school had no connection to Australia that anyone knew of. She very much doubted the immigration services would care but they kept getting sidetracked by talking, finding unexpected common ground in being from small towns, enjoying live music and loving dogs. The dark had fallen outside of the kitchen windows and the remains of their quick dinner had been tidied away. Ruby stood and stretched, her back a bit stiff from sitting all day.
"Do you want to go sit on the roof?" she asked impulsively. Archie looked up from his notes.
"It's freezing. And dark."
"We'll wear clothes. And the streetlights will be on, it will be pretty. Please?" And so Ruby found herself wearing Archie's large winter coat, a scarf wrapped around her throat, the soft wool warm against her cheek and a glass of wine in her hand. Next to her Archie was similarly outfitted to combat the early spring night chill and after he had agreed it was a pretty awesome idea he had settled back with his wine, his eyes trained on somewhere in the distance. Suddenly something small and wistful turned in Ruby's chest. For a brief moment she wanted it to be real, that they were sitting on the roof of their shared apartment, enjoying the quiet before going inside to fall asleep next to each other in the cozy bedroom. She shook her head to clear it, she'd only known him three days in total, she shouldn't even dream of a Someday with him. They barely knew each other.
He was just so…different from all the men she'd known. He was so kind and thoughtful, his first thought always someone other than himself. He listened when she spoke, was always interested in her view, asked for it and didn't simply agree to get on her good side. He treated her as an equal in all ways but he had pulled out her chair for her, stood when she did and didn't let his eyes linger anywhere but her eyes. He was so attractive with his eyes that seemed to shine from within, making her feel warm inside when she met his gaze. His shoulders under his tweed jacket looked like they could help you carry any weight and made her want to curl up next to him, rest her head on them and let someone close for once. His hands were beautiful, large and gentle and she wanted them to slide over her skin, hold her hand, cup the back of her neck as he kissed her.
Putting down her glass of wine as she had clearly had enough Ruby huddled inside the coat.
"Cold? Want to go inside?"
"No, just a bit longer. It's nice out here." She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees.
"It is. I should use the space more. I just don't really know what to do to make it more…homey."
"I could help you with that." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She fought the blush and told herself she hadn't offered to make a home with him, just a friend helping out to pick lawn furniture and potted plants. "I mean, I think we're going to stay friends after this?" He smiled so the corners of his eyes wrinkled and she felt her heart beat on her ribcage like a knocking fist.
"I think it would be hard not to after sharing an experience like this." Debating for a moment if she should, she gave in and shared her thought.
"It scares me. There's so much at stake and not just for you, or even for just you and me. My friends, yours, my grandmother. So many people could get hurt by this."
"I know. It frightens me too."
"It does?"
"Of course. But your friends and family would be hurting if you left as well. You should always fight for what's right, as long as the price is not too high." He tilted his head. "Is it? Too high?" Feeling a calm settle over her again she relaxed.
"No. No the stakes are high but I'd say this fight is worth it." She sent him a sideways glance. "Besides being married to you isn't all bad."
"No? High praise indeed." She laughed - he was funny too. Darn it all. How was she going to focus on getting to know generally everything about him when she wanted to stop at every little detail and scrutinize it, learn his every feature by heart?
"It is from me. I'm a very strict husband critic. So far you're the only one even close to passing." When he chuckled she felt ridiculous joy over managing to make him laugh and knew it was high time she went inside, away from the romance of the dark night air and the million little streetlights, like stars on the ground. Away from where she felt her heart turning towards him, opening like a flower following the sun.
o.O.o
The next morning Ruby felt that her equilibrium was somewhat restored, away from the intimacy of darkness and warmth, shared fears and laughter. Having found breakfast and coffee made for her when she got up she had readily volunteered to load the dishwasher after they were done. Suddenly, as she fiddled a cup in place she realized they had forgotten something really important.
"Pictures!" Archie looked up from his cheat sheet about Ruby at her outburst.
"Pardon?"
"Pictures, we don't have any pictures! All couples have pictures." He set down the cup he was holding.
"You're right. But what should we do about it? We don't have time to Photoshop anything." Ruby frowned and started counting on her fingers.
"There're so many things too. I guess there ought to be Christmas pictures, Thanksgiving, New Years. A birthday…A picnic or barbeque, vacations."
"…Right. Well, that is certainly true but I meant more how are we going to manage that?"
"I need to make a call."
Two hours later Belle, Emma and MM appeared, heavily laden with bags and boxes.
"What's all this?" Archie asked as he opened the door. Emma hoisted her bag higher as she walked past him.
"Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving decorations."
"Summer clothes, winter clothes, occasion clothes." Belle added as she followed, a large bag on wheels pulled after her.
"Food, vacation stuff and general props." MM added as she maneuvered two large paper bags through the door.
"Wow," Emma set down her box and looked around. "I'd marry a troll for this apartment." Archie cleared his throat and smiled.
"I guess I was just lucky." He sent Ruby a glance and too busy smiling at him Ruby didn't notice her friends making faces at each other, all approvingly grinning, and MM laid a hand to her heart and sighed. Then the ever-practical Emma spoke,
"Well, I think we should start with the ones we need the daylight for." Ruby and Archie looked away from each other.
"Right. Belle, do you have a list?" Belle smiled,
"Always. Let's start with what I like to call "Summer Picnic". The boys should be here any moment."
"The boys?" Archie asked and MM looked back from where she was peeking into the orangery.
"My fiancé - James, Belle's Rum, Emma's boyfriend Graham, our friend Jefferson and Jeff's boyfriend Percy. We thought that'd make the party more believable."
"Should that many people really be involved?"
"They all love Ruby, they're happy to be in some pictures to allow her to stay here. Did I hear there was a terrace as well?" MM wandered off towards the kitchen.
"Don't worry. They'll all be discreet." Ruby promised as she joined him.
"Of course, I'm sure. I just don't know them."
"I do."
"Then I'll trust you." Then he followed her friends and left Ruby to her own galloping heartbeat.
o.O.o
"This is almost too easy." Emma flicked through the pictures on the screen of her digital camera. Snapping candid shots of Ruby and Archie standing over by the grill, talking animatedly and laughing, unaware of their surroundings it didn't seem a great leap of imagination to think that they were in love and the task had turned out to be an easier job than expected. The three friends had no trouble spotting classic signs of mutual attraction or catching them on film. Ruby kept leaning forward as if she was trying to catch what Archie was saying, laying her hand on his arm, his shoulder. Archie's eyes never left Ruby's face, his stance always open as if to welcome her to come closer.
"Did you say they're not actually together?" Jefferson sidled up behind her and Emma smiled. In honor of the day Jeff was dressed in a burgundy vest, purple cravat and a shirt with billowing sleeves. A velvet smoking jacket in the same hue as the cravat finished off the look.
"Nope. They just met. We're betting how long before they actually go for it. Want in?"
"Absolutely. What's taken?"
"The pool is when they first kiss. My bet is any moment now. MM's got after the house visit on Monday, Belle, the pessimist, says Wednesday after their interview at Immigration Services. James didn't want to bet, Rum's got tomorrow and Graham is deluded enough to think it won't happen."
"I'm the last in? I am disappointed in you, Swan. But as my bet is still not taken I forgive you. I know it's going to be at ten forty-five tonight."
"You want to make it that specific?"
"I do. Prepare to lose, Swan. Big time."
"Dream on. That's way too late. Look at that, if they lean any closer they will be kissing."
"You would maybe be kissing by now but I am a keen observer of people. Archie's much too shy. He's not going to go for it here. You'll see. Now, where has my boyfriend gone off to?"
"I think he said he was going to go call and make reservations at the Rainbow Room for this evening when we go dancing."
"Right, he's so practical. It's terribly useful. I'll go see if he needs anything." Emma smiled as Jefferson ambled off. The match between him and Percy Whale was unlikely but somehow when you saw them together, ever so sweet. The practical, sometimes curt Doctor Percy Whale and the wealthy, eccentric force of chaos that was Jefferson Madden. Turning her attention back to Ruby and Archie she cheered inwardly. The two of them had their heads bent, intently talking. She was so going to win this bet.
o.O.o
Managing to sneak away for the two minutes her friends were taking down the Thanksgiving decorations to replace them with Christmas ones that she wouldn't be missed, Ruby ducked into the bedroom. Finding Archie already in there, she closed the door.
"Hi." He looked up from where he was sitting in the armchair.
"Hi."
"Long day. Picnic, barbeque, Thanksgiving, about to be Christmas, dinner and dancing tonight."
"A year in a day."
"Feels like it. I'm so tired already."
"Have a seat, relax a little while." Looking around she saw all that was left was the bed and politely she sat at the foot end. She didn't want to sit anywhere she knew he actually slept. Where his skin had touched the sheets, where the warmth of his body had rested, where the scent of him had seeped in. The warm, liquid feelings she'd felt at first yesterday had gained hold in her stomach and wouldn't give in or release. All day they had pulled towards him, as if she had a hook and line connecting her to him, always tugged closer, feeling his presence, his moves almost as if he were part of her. It was unnerving and kept her on edge.
"Do you have a big sweater I could wear? I think if it was really Christmas, and we were really married, that's what I'd want to wear." She thought the tips of his ears went a bit red but it could have just been a trick of the light.
"Ah, certainly." He got up and pulled out a drawer in the dresser. A whiff of sandalwood and cedar rose in the air and she wondered if she'd gone completely mad as she for a moment wanted to shrink herself enough to fit into the drawer, just cuddle in and smell his jumpers. And they, she thought as he stepped closer and handed her the sweater, did not small half as good as he did.
"Well, I should change for the next scene." For a split second he didn't seem to catch her meaning, before his eyes widened slightly.
"Right, sorry. I'll go see that they've set the stage right." This time the tips of his ears were definitely red and she hugged the sweater closer as he left.
o.O.o
Dressed in leggings, big socks and his sweater she should have looked ridiculous. Or in the case of stunning women like Ruby, maybe dialed down to cute. But to him she somehow looked outrageously attractive and he had to try really hard not to notice how her breasts rose against the soft, touchable fabric. Try not to think of how her scent would cling to the wool to mix with his own. How it would carry notes of them both. He had to look away from how the edge of it brushed just under her shapely butt when she reached for one of the Christmas decorations high in the window. Cursing his coloring and knowing from how warm they felt, the tips of his ears were red, he tried to focus instead on where Jefferson Madden was enthusiastically using a can of glitter to spray-paint the plastic horse wearing twigs on its head to make it pass for a Christmas reindeer. Next to him Percy Whale was critically angling his head.
"It looks like a gay donkey at the Pride Parade with a pair of clothes hangers on his head."
"You're just jealous cause you lack all artistic talent."
"That must be it, this…thing here is certainly proof of astounding talent." He smiled and shrugged. "Though I have no artistic talent myself, this is true. I have other skills." Jefferson sent him a slanted smile from over his shoulder, his voice deepening as he said,
"Oh, I'm well aware of your other…skills." Archie looked away, feeling his ears grow red again. He seemed to be out far out of his element today. On a normal Friday at this time in the afternoon he would be thinking of heading home from the office soon, call it an early day, just going through one more file. Then the phone would probably ring and he would probably find himself there for another couple of hours. After that he would go home, walk Pongo, read for a bit and go to bed early. Whereas today he found himself in his kitchen, with people all around him, voices chatting and laughing. Food was being made; music was playing from somewhere and in the middle of it, like a center of light all others were growing from, was Ruby. She was laughing at something Emma had said where she was placing cookies that had (with the quick help of some ready bought frosting) been turned into Christmas cookies. It seemed others lacked some artistic talent too as Emma's cookies all resembled leering beavers (not, in fact snowmen, as she claimed them to be). But Ruby was putting them in a pretty pattern as she talked with Emma, her dangling bauble earrings that had been dug up from somewhere swinging gaily from her ears.
It all looked so…homey, he realized. The way he imagined it would be if you didn't spend your formative years on the road in the back of a beat up trailer. Christmas had once meant more people out in the malls and on the streets – more pockets to pick. More caring, more giving and more generosity in the air made for easier pickings in tricking money from people in various "charity" schemes. And on the darker side, colder nights, and a stark comparison between his life and that he saw in other children as they got more and more excited the closer the holiday came.
Seeing the group of friends together in his kitchen made him realize part of what that expectation in their eyes had been. Everyone together, in one place, talking and enjoying spending time together. And this wasn't even real Christmas. But was this what it would be like, he wondered. If he had a family. If he had Ruby in his life. Would all holidays be like this, full of life and laughter? They could, he figured, as he watched her place the pretty platter of cookies on the table and nod in approval. Pushing the sleeves of his overlarge jumper higher on her arms he saw a smile tugging at the corner of her lips and though he would like to deny it, he felt his heart beat hard against his chest. Everything she did seemed to bring fun and life, laughter and light. She just put everyone at ease, always there when she was needed, knowing as if by instinct what was missing. It was just a hand on a shoulder, a look, a smile. But it was always just right and both as a psychiatrist and as a person he admired someone who could understand others so well. And that it was appreciated he could tell from the eight people currently crammed into his kitchen, happy to pretend that it was Christmas and that their best friend was married to someone obviously too old for her. Too boring. Too traditional. Too everything, in short. The return to reality form the short laps into imagination that the farce was somehow real, he hauled himself back with a cold dose of bitterness. He was aware of what and who he was, he was happy with it, had come to terms with it. But something in Ruby Lucas had woken a wish to be something else, something more. To be someone different. Someone who could have her. Deserve her. Shaking his head, he scolded himself. He was a middle-aged man obviously infatuated with a pretty face. He had thought himself immune to such trivial triggers such as age but every time he looked at her and his heart sped up he had to face the fact that she affected him. Lying to yourself was to little avail when proof to the contrary was always thrown in your face. Getting up from the table he decided he needed some fresh air to go with the cold reality and left the warm, homey kitchen.
A/N: Hope you liked it!
