Ruby had taken the guest room to get ready before their date that night. Her face was finally bruises free, which made her feel happy about herself, and her cheekbones didn't cause her any kind of pain when she talked or ate. She had chosen a short red dress, which meant she didn't need to wear a bra, and amazingly tall black heels. All she wanted was for that night to be special for Regina. She had put a lot of thought into their date and believed that was the only chance to prove the Mayor that she cared deeply about her. Ruby wasn't the kind of girl to get nervous about a date, but for the first time in her life she felt nothing but nervous.

Regina was getting dressed in the master bedroom. She had taken an hour long bath relaxing between bubbles, candles and her favorite music. A tight black dress was resting on her bed as she put on her silky thong and picked out red high heels to go with her outfit. Clothes were really important to her; she believed what you wore represented you and tonight she wanted to look elegant and classy but sexy at the same time. Never before had she been on a date with another woman. Like the wolf used to say, there's always a first time for everything.

"You've gone crazy, Regina." She said out loud as she looked at her reflection on the mirror.

In that moment, she thought about Daniel and about what he would have thought. She knew he would have never believed the fact that she was going out with another woman, someone who used to be her enemy. But then again, she would have never been in that house getting ready to go out on a date with a woman if Daniel were alive. She liked to believe he would have been happy for her. He had been the one to tell her to love again when Whale had brought him back to life for a few hours. Daniel had let her go, approving of her moving on, but she was the one who had such a hard time letting go of the past. She held onto her old life for way too long and it was time, on that night, to let go of everything that was holding her back. Her mother was dead, her father was dead, her fiancé was dead and her son barely spoke to her, she needed someone to share her life with and Ruby was the one knocking on her door asking for permission to spend their lives together. Tonight, Regina was ready to let Ruby in.

"Wow! You look beautiful." Ruby said as she saw Regina walking down the stairs. "Absolutely beautiful."
"Thank you, dear." Regina flashed her sexy smile. "I wonder if you have clothes that aren't red."
"Hey!"
"I'm just kidding, wolf." She looked at her. "You look perfect."
"Thank you. Shall we go?"
"Are you driving?"
"If you give me the keys to your Mercedes, yes."
"You can have them."

It was the first time Regina allowed anyone but her to drive her precious car. Maybe it was true and there were first times for everything. None of them talked on the way to the restaurant. Ruby was going through everything she had planned on her mind, she wanted everything to work out properly and end up being perfect. Regina kept thinking about what people would say if they saw her walking into a restaurant on a date with Ruby. It was the first time they went out on public as a "couple". They weren't officially a couple yet, but Ruby was expecting that after that date she would finally be able to call Regina her girlfriend.

"Are you sure this is the right restaurant? It looks…closed."
"That's because it's closed."
"Then how are we going to have dinner here?"
"We have the restaurant all to ourselves, Regina."
"We do?"
"Yes. I figured you wouldn't want to be seen with me in public when we aren't actually a couple…yet. So I called the owner, who likes to sleep with my grandma, and he said it was okay to have it just for ourselves tonight."
"I can't believe you did that for me, Ruby."
"I told you I care about you and what you feel. You deserve a special night without having to worry about what others may say."

Without thinking about it Regina kissed Ruby softly. It was the first kiss they've ever shared and it felt right. It wasn't a passionate kiss but it was a sweet kiss that proved both women care about each other. Regina had been fighting her feelings for a really long time and she was tired of it. She wanted to be with Ruby. She wanted to feel loved again. She wanted to have someone to come home to. She wanted to have someone to give her love to. Ruby was that someone. Ruby was the only person, in the last months, who had cared about her even when she was in her darkest place. Ruby had been the one to call her when she found out about Cora's death. That was it; Ruby was the one person Regina wanted to spend her life with. Daniel had been her first love, but Ruby was her true love and she wouldn't let her get away.

"That…that was nice." Ruby smiled.
"Just nice?"
"You know what I mean. It was the first time you kissed me."
"And it won't be the last, wolf."

They sat at the table going over the menu trying to figure out what they would have for dinner. Their legs brushed against each other's from time to time and that made them realize that it was a real date. That for the first time they were acting like a couple. Ruby's confident had grown stronger after the kiss Regina had given her in the car. Now the wolf believed that she actually had a great chance to end up being Regina's girlfriend.

"This dinner is great." Regina said between bites. "Is he really sleeping with Granny?"
"Oh yes!" Ruby laughed. "You all just like to believe that Granny is a badass with a crossbow but she is much more than that. She's a woman with needs."
"Did she make you say that?"
"Yeah, she had the whole speech prepared for me in case anybody else found out."
Regina laughed and brushed her leg against Ruby's once again. "You are lucky to have her."
"And she thinks I'm lucky to have you."
"She does?"
"Yes. She kept telling me how you were the only one who had been there for me when I needed help and how none of my "friends" were there for me. She is really mad at Snow and when I told her about Daniel, she called Snow and gave her a little talk."
"Now I love your Granny even more."
"Good, now we just need you to love me."
"Who said I didn't already?"
Ruby's eyes filled up with sparkles as she heard Regina. "Do you?"
"You'll have to stick around and figure it out."
"That's all I want. To stick around."

After dinner, both women sat on a bench in the mini patio just outside the restaurant. No one could be there since it was still part of the restaurant so they would be alone. Ruby took Regina's hand and they intertwined their fingers as they looked up to the sky. There were a few stars visible and they were all shinning just for them. The night was going great and both felt good about where their relationship was going.

"I've never been with another woman before." Regina said without looking away from the sky and without realizing Ruby had her eyes on her. "You are the first."
"Does it bother you? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?"
"At first it did. I was raised one way, completely different from the lives we live nowadays. Back then women married only men and if you liked any different you were an outcast, a weirdo." She took a deep breath. "That's how I felt when I realized I had feelings for you. I knew it wasn't right. Like, how could a woman have feelings for another woman? But then I understood love is love and it doesn't matter who you fall in love as long as you take care of each other and respect one and other."
"You aren't a weirdo just for having feelings for another woman, Regina."
"I know that now. But you have to understand, I was raised to be a Queen, to marry a King." She looked at the younger woman. "How did Granny take it when you started dating other women?"
"Granny isn't the typical grandma and we don't have typical lives. I am a wolf, already different from the rest of the world. Granny understood my feelings and made me feel like there was nothing wrong. Because in reality there is nothing wrong with it. You are who you are and you love who you love, it doesn't matter what others think."
"You make me feel like it's right even when my mind keeps telling me it isn't."
Ruby placed her hand on Regina's chest right where her heart was beating. "This is the only organ in your body that can tell you who you love. No one else, not even your brain, can tell you who to love. You are free to have feelings for whoever your heart falls for."
"Thank you, Ruby."
"You're very welcome, Regina."

As they drove back home, Regina kept thinking about their previous conversation. She had been terrified of falling for another woman and Ruby had pushed all those fears away. The wolf was a strong confident woman that made the people around her feel better about themselves. She realized how big of an impact Granny had been on the younger woman's live and how supportive she had been; Regina wished she had had someone like Granny in her life. Yes, her father had been good to her, but he never showed how much he loved her because he was afraid of what his wife might do. She didn't want to feel like that when it came to loving Ruby. She wanted to feel free to show her feelings and emotions.

"I had a lovely time tonight, Regina. Thank you for letting me take you out."
"No, thank you for taking me out. I had a really good time." Regina said as she took her high heels off and sat on the couch. "It was the first time I could have an honest conversation with someone."
"I believe if we are going to have a relationship, we need to be honest with each other. We need to be able to trust the other in order for this to work."
"Good thing I already trust you."

As Ruby saw Regina's figure in the darkness, she became aware of how much she actually loved The Evil Queen. Regina had opened up to her earlier, letting her know about her feelings and trusting her with a part of her life that she had never shared with anyone before. No matter what happened in their lives, whether they ended up together or not, Ruby would always be there to support Regina and let her know that there was nothing wrong with being who she was.

"Can I ask you something, Regina?"
"Of course, wolf."
"It may sound kind of childish, but I feel it is the right thing to do."
"Go ahead."
"Would you like to be my girlfriend?"
"I would love to."

And just like that, after a wonderful date, The Evil Queen became the wolf's girlfriend.