"Blue ovaries?" Sue asked, peering Emily's computer.

"Say what?!"

"It was in your search history when I started typing in Blue Fairy. What's that, some kind of medical disease?"

"Apparently not." Emily said, slurping some coffee. She and Sue were working on an episode with several scenes between Mary Margaret and Emma at the Skripton diner, the unofficial hub of OUAT production. She had been sort of vague on details all day, her mind traveling back to the dreamlike interludes between her and Ramona all this week and her own desperate urge to find Ramona right now and ask her what she was getting out of making her suffer like this. For four nights straight she had gone down on her knees, both literally and figuratively, in the bedroom to make Ramona happy. Not that she didn't enjoy it- a lot- but she felt like Ramona was possibly trying to break a blood vessel in her brain. Ramona, on the other hand, had never been happier, more buoyant, or easier to work with. She even made a huge pan of lasagna the other night…before clearing the table, sitting on top of it, uncrossing her legs and inviting Emily to have some dessert.

Just the thought made Emily ache to get home. She had her dream job, but unfortunately it was conflicting with having her dream woman waiting at home for her.

And they still hadn't gone on their date. But that was tonight. Which is why she kept checking the clock at Abuelo's Diner.

"I think I might ask my boyfriend to take a few weeks off work and stay with me. I'm so lonely up here. How're things with Ramona?"

"Um…really nice. She's a great roommate, actually."

"I figured…I mean, you're even wearing her shirt."

Emily looked down in horror, realizing the slippery blue shirt she picked off the floor of the laundry room after giving Ramona a quickie on the washing machine was the same one Ramona had teasingly unbuttoned while making her stand, arms at her sides, almost sweating with restraint.

"Oh, hahaha, how sharp of you to notice." Emily said, coloring. "Yeah she's got pretty great style…"

"Not your style though, really." Sue had a raised eyebrow. In her own sweet little way she was pretty nosy.

"We might be going on a date tonight." Emily finally admitted. "Does that shock or upset you, Sue?"

"Are you kidding?" Sue whispered. "Tell me where y'all are going and I'm going to come and bring binoculars. I always KNEW you guys had a thing going on."


Emily hurried back to the house at lunch and picked up her backpack. She'd talked with Sue and Sue was totally cool with her getting ready to pick up Ramona at her place, like a classic date…one where the two parties involved weren't already living, working, and screwing each other.

She hadn't exactly packed any hot looks when she put her clothes together for Vancouver, just her staples: tight jeans, black motorcycle jackets, red t-shirts. Luckily the costume department intern who styled Ruby (who was roughly her size) was bringing in a duffel bag full of rejected out fits for Ruby that she could wear tonight.

"I'll warn you, these outfits were rejected as being too racy."

"Too racy for Ruby?" Emily said as the small guy unzipped the bag.

"But luckily you can totally pull them off." He said, holding up a sparkly red wiggle dress with a giant black bow over the top.

"Um…that's a little bit much, what else have we got…"

You are whipped. Her brain said. You are running around putting on a damn dress for a woman who has made you her personal sex slave. Emily put her hands on her hips and looked across at the intern, sizing him up. "You know, these are great and thanks so much for bringing them…but do you have like…a suit back at your place by any chance?"


Ramona answered the door in a simple black v-neck dress, her make up impeccable. She had never looked better to Emily, because she as aware that make up was for her. That sexy dress had been chosen with her in mind. Ramona's eyebrows flew up as she took in Emily from head to toe. The slim-fitting black suit and white blouse, which created a deep v over her collar bones, somehow seemed to really suit the teetering high heels she was wearing (as carefully as possible.)

"I was excited about seeing you in a dress, but this is pretty exciting in and of itself." Ramona eyed the deep v of the unbuttoned dress shirt as Emily grinned and shrugged.

"You like?"

"It's quite dashing."Ramona nodded, taking Emily's offered hand and following her to the bug. "So, to Abuelo's?"

"Even better." Emily said.

Skipdon was a ten minute drive from a ferry ride out to a forested island on the outskirts of the Canadian/American border. They had reservations waiting after a 30 minute ferry ride. Emily had asked for VIP seats in the Captain's Lounge, and as they walked in they noticed all the rows of red velvet seats were empty. Settling next to each other in a pair of seats, Emily looked around, chattering as she sometimes did when seized with nerves. "So now we just have the ferry ride to the island, that'll take about thirty minutes, I don't know what we'll do until we get there but -" Emily was in the middle of saying when Ramona's hand grabbed her chin and pressed her lips to hers.

"I love this. Thank you." Ramona said softly. "You want to make out for thirty minutes?"

Emily answered by pulling up the arm rest between them and drawing Ramona into her arms.


Her hair still a little rumpled from their teeny-bopper make out session, Ramona was aglow in the restaurant, for once completely approving. "This place is divine. And French food is my favorite. How did you guess?"

"I just went for the most expensive one." Emily said sheepishly, pulling out a chair for her. "You act sort of high society, so. Where does that come from, anyway? Is your dad a diplomat or something?"

"My father passed away a few years ago, but he was an accountant." Ramona blinked, putting her hands in her lap.

"And your mom?"

"Ah yes, mother…" Ramona shook her head. "She sculpted me into quite the little debutante."

"Were you?" Emily laughed. "A debutante?"

"Yes." Ramona's face was inexpressive.

"Wait, really?"

"Mmm hmm." Ramona set her glass down heavily and looked around for a waiter. "Cotillions, coming out, riding lessons, the whole nine yards. She would have probably sent me to finishing school if she'd lived." A dark shadow passed over her face. "And your parents?"

"Orphan." Emily shrugged simply. "Just like Emma, but without the fairy tale ending. I went from foster home to foster home until I was 18. When I was 19 I enrolled in community college and then transferred to university and went on to meet Eddie and Adam."

"And between 18 and 19?" Ramona asked knowledgably.

"I made money." Emily said a little uncomfortably, shifting in her chair but staying honest at all costs. She'd learned to be open about her past. "I, you know, I sold a little pot. I worked with club promoters trying to get hot ladies to the clubs which meant dealing a little coke too. I crashed at a few shelters. I saved up, basically, until I got arrested for this one thing that went really bad. I had quite the case worker. He told me if I enrolled in community college he'd keep me out of jail, it was a first offense and everything. So I enrolled." She shrugged, not daring to meet Ramona's eyes.

"That's very commendable, that you were able to turn things around." Ramona said softly. "A lot of people aren't strong enough to do that."

"Thanks." Emily said, and a waiter briefly interrupted them. When he left, Emily leaned back in.

"So tell me about your daughter."

"You'll get to meet her soon. She's coming Monday morning, 8 am sharp."

"Ah yes, that's right. And she's starting college so she's what…18?"

"17. She skipped a grade so she started college a little early." Ramona frankly glowed at the statement.

"And her dad?"

Ramona shrugged, taking a gulp of the wine that had just arrived.

"Is he…in the picture?" Emily probed.

"He's not in the picture." Ramona said tensely.

"Cool. So, you guys like, divorced but friendly, bad divorce…" her words trailed off. "or did he- did he pass away? I'm so sorry-"

"He's very much alive." Ramona snapped. "But he's not a 'dad' to Gwen and never will be if I have anything to say about it." She started nervously wringing her napkin under the table. "Are you satisfied? Or do you want to keep interrogating me?"

"I'm not-" Emily gulped. "I wasn't trying to-"

"It's fine. Just drop it." Ramona emptied her wineglass.

"So, Gwen." Emily said, trying to change the subject. "That's a beautiful name."

"Can we talk about ANYTHING besides my family?" Ramona snapped.

Emily crossed her arms and stared across the table. She had planned long and hard to make this a special dinner but her efforts clearly did not go far with Ramona. Ramona stared back at her, stonily, as the waiter came and laid their entrees on the table.

They continued to eat in stony silence.

"I'm sorry I snapped about you saying Gwen is a beautiful name." Ramona said after the waiter cleared their plates. The word sorry seemed awkward for her to say, her fists rested on either side of her plate.

"Yeah, if ever there was a safe topic I thought it would be flattering a parent's name choices, but apparently you got some buyer's remorse with that one-"

"My mother chose Gwen's name, I didn't." Ramona sighed deeply. "Look, it's complicated. I don't want tonight to be complicated. It's all been so lovely and sweet and I don't want to ruin it all explaining myself, you understand? I just want to be-" her eyes were remote. "I want to keep being this version of myself with you and when you find out all the dirty little parts of my past I won't be that person anymore."

"I told you about my life. I mean, I'm the last person who's going to judge anything, Ramona."

"I just, I can't-"

"You want to be in control of how I see you." Emily sighed. "You like your control, lady, you really do."

Ramona's cheeks burned.

"Tonight isn't supposed to be complicated." Emily continued. "It's a first date for crying out loud. I'm not here to destroy you. I just want to show you a good time."

"I don't even know if I CAN have a good time anymore." Ramona laughed throatily.

"I've noticed you enjoying yourself once or twice in recent memory."

Ramona looked at her, her eyes suddenly burning, and Emily felt a toe travel up her leg.

"You said dinner and dancing." Ramona said. "Let's go dancing."

"I know just the place." Emily winked, unable to repress the sudden thrill that ran through her.