Chapter Two: False Arrests, Apple Picking, and Believing
When the door finally swung shut again as the Mayor left, Andy couldn't help but start laughing as Emma's forehead smacked into the now closed door.
"Oh man Emma... I didn't know if what I just watched was a two way threat and diss or the 'Heavy Metal' version of flirting..." Andy hiccuped out, holding her gut as she tried to calm her laughing fit.
Emma slowly turned to her friend with a wicked smirk and an amused gleam in her eye as she sat her mug on a nearby table, "Oh really now..."
Andy barely had enough time to squeal out a 'Emma, don't' before the blonde nearly flew across the room and started tickling the brunette mercilessly.
As the Emma tickled her 'kid sis', she didn't think twice when someone knocked, to yell out a 'come on in' as Andy kept squealing with laughter as she tried and failed at dodging Emma's wiggling fingers.
When Ruby walked inside the apartment as allowed, she was about to tell the two women about the Diner being open like Granny asked her to, until she caught sight of the extremely amusing situation in front of her. Clearing her throat, she tried again.
"Ah... Granny sent me up here to tell the two of you that the Diner is open, and Lacey won't quit asking me questions about the 'new people'" Ruby said, letting out a laugh of her own when Emma kept tickling Andy, even as she looked over her shoulder to answer.
"Alright, thanks! We never caught your name though?" Asked the confused blonde as she lightly placed a knee on Andy's gut and kept tickling her with her left hand, as she stuck out her right hand to greet the other brunette.
"Oh! I'm Ruby Lucas." The brunette said, grinning even wider when Andy started begging for mercy as she and Emma shook hands.
When Emma backed away from Andy, finally allowing her to calm down from the one way tickle fight, the younger brunette took calming breaths, even as she kept letting out a small burst of giggles after two or three breaths.
Glaring playfully up at Emma as she sat up, Andy pointed at her and hissed out, "This isn't over Swan... I know your weakness!"
Emma just smirked and gestured to the other brunette in the room, "Andy, this is Ruby Lucas. Ruby, this is my little sister in all but blood, Andromeda Swan."
Andy leapt off the bed and shared a vigorous handshake with the other brunette, "Hi! Nice to meet you!"
Seeing them next to each other, Emma nearly choked on her coffee. 'Oh my god...' She thought, 'they could be twins...'
When the two brunettes turned to Emma who finally did start coughing up her coffee a little, Andy darted forward and patted her back, "Man old woman, try to keep your airways clear, you'll live longer."
Receiving Emma's narrow eyed stare, Andy darted to stand behind Ruby and peaked over her shoulder, narrowing her own eyes when Emma started laughing at Andy's antics.
Emma and Andy were sitting at the Diner's meal bar, Emma was reading the morning paper as Andy devoured a plate of three cinnamon pancakes, hash browns, and four sausage links.
"God..." Andy groaned as she paused to take a drink of her nearby milk, "I haven't had food this good in forever."
Emma grinned as she watched her friend continue to practically inhale her food, and was going to take a bite of the apple the Mayor gave her, when Ruby sat a mug of something in front of her.
Andy, being in her own little world, barely registered the fact that Emma patted her back, saying something about Andy staying here and Emma walking Henry to school. Once she nodded, Emma patted her back again before leaving the Diner with Henry.
Having already paid for her meal and now resting her chin on her arms, Andy let out a yawn, feeling truly happy and full for the first time in a long time.
Hearing a throat clear, Andy just tilted her head to look behind her on her left side to see a blue eyed, shorter woman gesturing to the seat next to her.
Giving the woman a soft smile and a nod, Andy slowly sat up as she stretched, letting out a big yawn as she did so.
"Hi," the woman muttered, shyly looking at Andy as she stretched a hand out, "I'm Lacey French."
Shaking the woman's hand, Andy couldn't help but smile happily at the woman, "Hello there Lacey, I'm Andromeda Swan, but most people call me Andy. Easier to remember." She finished with a shrug.
Lacey bit her lip for a moment before asking, "Could I call you Andromeda? It's just that... it's a very nice name."
Andy grinned as she slowly nodded her head, "Sure, to be honest, you're the first person who actually asked to call me by my full name after I introduced myself as normally being called Andy."
When Lacey gave a dimpled grin in response to hearing that, Andy couldn't help but puff up a little and feel proud of herself for some odd reason.
"So," Lacey shyly started, "Ruby tells me that you and... Emma?" She paused, asking if she got the name right, and when Andy nodded she continued, "Recently decided to stay in town for at least a week, and I thought that I should introduce myself to the 'mysterious' new visitors." The blue eyed woman finished saying, having allowed her eyes to go wide with sarcasm for a mere second when she said mysterious.
"Well, Ruby is correct, we are staying at least a week... but something tells me we'll be here for a while yet..." Andy drawled out as she stared into space for a moment, truly having the feeling but not knowing if that's a good or bad thing yet.
Andy shook her head once before turning her attention back to Lacey, the two of them quickly ended up somehow debating books, of all things.
An unknown amount of time passed before Andy's cell phone went off, and hearing Emma's ringer, she excused herself before turning her attention to the fuming blonde on the other line.
"Hey Em, what's..." Lacey heard Andy pause as the younger woman's jaw dropped, "You're kidding?" Andy asked Emma, eyes narrowing with retribution.
Quickly standing up and grabbing her leather jacket, Andy finished her call with Emma, promising to show up in a minute to help with whatever Emma was going to do.
Pausing before she left the Diner, Andy turned back to Lacey, "It was really nice meeting you, and I'd love it if we could continue our book debate later, I just need to go bail out my foster sister before I end up deciding to have a throw-down with the Mayor."
Lacey grinned and nodded happily, "Sure, that sounds good to me. Talk to you later!"
Andy nodded and beamed at the woman before running out of the Diner, waving over her shoulder when Ruby called out her own 'Bye' to the rushing woman.
Feeling someone lean on the bar table in front of her, Lacey looked forward and locked eyes with her fiance, Ruby.
Seeing the grin, she asked with narrowed eyes, "What? We were just having a lively debate about books?"
"Exactly." Ruby muttered with her grin still firmly in place, stealing a quick kiss before going back to work, earning a soft laugh and eye roll from Lacey.
Leaving Marco's tool shop, Andy grinned as she carried the rented chainsaw, "So... are we gonna to go do what I think we're gonna do?"
Emma locked eyes with her, smirking wickedly as she answered, "Probably... We're going to go pick some apples."
Andy let out a laugh as she gleefully followed Emma as they snuck into the grassy area near the Mayor's own office window, grinning as she handed Emma the gas chainsaw.
"Okay," Emma said, looking at a grinning Andy, "pick a branch, any branch."
Gasping lightly and placing a hand over her heart, Andy acted happily surprised, before turning and staring at the tree with determination.
Glancing from the Mayor's window towards the tree, Andy gave Emma an utterly wicked grin as she pointed at a low branch that would leave Emma and the falling branch very much in clear view of the Mayor's window.
Emma rolled her eyes, giving her own wicked grin to Andy as she started the motor in one cord pull, revving it right before she started cutting off the branch.
Andy, who was watching for the Mayor, caught sight of the rage filled eyes before the Mayor disappeared from the window.
"Oh ho... the Drama Queen is on her way..." She sung out to Emma, turning back to her blonde friend as the last bit of the tree branch was cut off, causing it to hit the ground.
"By the way, amazing form when you started cutting that tree branch off." Andy said, clapping lightly as Emma gave her a slight head bow, revved the engine twice, before letting it cut off.
Seeing Regina nearly flying as she stormed out into the grassy area, Andy beamed at Emma, who met the Mayor toe to toe, slightly snorting when she told the Mayor they were 'picking apples'.
As Emma started walking away, calling out that it was Regina's 'Move', Andy gave her foster sister a high five as she followed, bumping shoulders with the blonde she felt so proud of.
Returning to the Inn to shower, Andy stretched and yawned as she let Emma talk with Granny, feeling ready to drop onto the nearest bed and pass out. Hearing something about having to have the room key back, Andy's back stiffened as she looked between Granny and Emma, eyebrows furrowed.
When Granny awkwardly left, and Emma turned around, looking more than a little pissed off, Andy knew what had happened. Growling she shoved what little she did have out, back into her back, zipped both bike backpack and her duffle bag up and put them on her back as Emma quickly packed her own duffle bag and slung it on as well.
"Come on Andy." Emma sighed lowly, tilting her head towards the door as she grabbed her nearby leather jacket.
Andy was still growling lowly as she stomped down the stairs and right out the door without even glancing at anyone, Emma paused to give Granny an apologetic shrug before she followed after her younger friend.
"I don't care how big of a crush you have on her, Emma," Andy said, throwing her duffle bag into the back seat of the now booted bug, "I'm gonna get a one up on her. Yep, while you go talk to her at her office, I'm gonna buy a freakin house, and we're gonna stay here for Henry and because I might actually like it here. We can argue later over who gets what room, but just watch me." She finished hissing out, grabbing her wallet and jacket as she turned on her heel and stormed towards Mr. Gold's shop, hearing from a local that he is probably the best bet to find a house.
Emma just sighed, knowing that there was nothing going to stop her friend as she rolled her eyes. Smiling softly for a moment, Emma shrugged thinking, 'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... living here...'
After talking with the increasingly creepy Mr. Gold, Andy glanced at the paper she had in her hands, towards the apparently only available house in Storybrooke.
The brunette sighed, seeing the major work the house would need, but grinning when she checked the paper again, seeing that Gold already had the foundation checked, and since it was solid, Andy looked up again with a gleam in her eye.
"Well," she muttered to herself as she nodded lightly, "it might need a lot work before we could move in, but... I can see this working..."
Turning on her heel and heading back over to her bike, Andy decided to show Emma, talk with her about how much work will be needed for the house before she gave Gold any definite answers, and tell her about her ideas on how it could be done.
Hopping on her bike and kick starting it, Andy couldn't help but glance back over at the barely more than a foundation extremely large house possibility and grin. Facing forward again, the brunette roared out into the road and tore towards where Emma's bug was booted, excited at the possibilities.
Andy followed Emma up to Mary Margaret's apartment room (Emma filled her in on who Henry's teacher is), and after Emma knocked and there was no immediate answer, she playfully shoulder checked the blonde.
Stumbling, Emma narrowed her eyes at her younger friend before tackling Andy to the floor as they started to scuffle.
Hearing the door swing open, both women freeze, Emma holding Andy in a headlock as the brunette stood on her feet with her back bent, lifting Emma clean off the ground.
Seeing the amusement flare up on Mary Margaret's face, Emma let go of Andy and cleared her throat as Andy straightened up and patted her jacket to knock off any loose dirt she had when Emma tackled her.
As Emma paid Mary Margaret back the bail money, Andy lent up against the wall across from the door, scuffing her shoes awkwardly against the carpet under them.
Hearing MM (Andy decided that saying the woman's full name over and over again became too much) invite them inside, both blonde and brunette perked up and walked in, sitting at the table that MM gestured them to as she walked into the nearby kitchen.
Glancing over at Emma, Andy poked her friend sharply on the ribs, smirking when Emma grunted and rubbed her side, glaring at her.
Slowly, Emma let a wicked smirk pull across her face as she gently placed a hand on her friends arm and patted her softly, earning a look of confusion from Andy.
Unknown to both of them, MM was watching the two, amused at their playful nature as she waited for Emma's true response for being poked.
Emma let her smirk widen into a grin as she suddenly pushed with all she had and shoved Andy clean out of her seat, laughing when her friend literally just slid out of the chair and ended up sitting in the floor, blinking with confusion.
Mary Margaret slapped hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter at their antics, before grabbing the small tray of three cinnamon hot chocolates and heading to the table as Andy sat back down in the chair she was just in.
With her eyes still narrowed at Emma, Andy leaned over and whispered, "This may be funny now, but remember Emma..." She paused for dramatic effect, "I know where you're sleeping tonight."
Emma abruptly stopped laughing and looked at her friend wearily, having a bad feeling that Andy is going to start a prank war.
MM placed a mug in front of both women and one at her seat, before returning to the kitchen for a plate of cookies, trying to hide her grin at their teasing.
Reaching forward, both Emma and Andy take a sip of their hot chocolate, Andy glancing at Emma, wondering why everyone she met who adored hot chocolate, liked it with cinnamon.
She shrugged and kept sipping happily as Emma questioned MM about it, having liked it when Emma had her try it years ago.
With her focus on her hot chocolate and memories of her and Emma growing up, she didn't hear the conversation going on until Emma mentioned them working on the house Andy was going to buy.
Looking up and seeing MM's surprised grin and hearing something about them staying, and if how Emma didn't care about Henry, who will protect him, caused Andy to sigh and chug down the last of her drink, saying thanks to MM for the both of them right before Emma grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the apartment with determination.
Andy waited patiently outside the building that housed Archie's practice, quietly whistling a slow tune she knew as she waited for Emma.
"Aunt Andy!" She heard Henry yell out as he sprinted from the building straight to her, slamming into her for a hug.
"Hey there lil man!" She crooned at him, running a hand through his hair as he clung to her, "What's shakin?"
Henry let out a giggle as he looked up at her in awe and asked, "Ma told me about how you two plan on fixing up that broken down house and moving in to it, is that true?"
Andy smirked as she pulled a bent envelope from her jacket, sharing an amused glance with Emma who had appeared from the building as well, "I don't know lil man. I mean, sure I paid for a house, and did all the paperwork Gold handed me... but that doesn't mean I bought it, right Emma?"
Emma rolled her eyes and grinned as Henry let out a near girly squeal as he tightened his grip on Andy's waist, snickering when she heard Andy grunt from the unexpected force.
"So," Andy drawled out as she walked next to Emma, Henry quickly joining to standing between them, "think Marco would help finding out what trees on the property would be good to use in rebuilding the house?"
Henry, still grinning, nodded rapidly as he started hopping around the two women and started repeating 'They're staying!' over and over again.
Unknown to them, Gold caught sight of the small group, and smirked as he took a detour to the small grass area near the Mayor's building, ready to gleefully rub in the fact that he sold them a lot for a house.
Because after all, it's not everyday you get to one-up the Evil Queen...