10

First Curse, Storybrooke:

Regina waltzed into Grannies, the sun had been down for hours and it was well past what might be considered the 'dinner rush'. She considered the room while deciding where to sit before moving to a small booth and placing her briefcase down on the bench before working on slinking out of her knee-length jacket.

"Let me help you," a gentle voice said a hand slid the coat down Regina's shoulders before hanging it up on the nearby peg. "It's nice to see you, Madame Mayor."

"Ruby," She regarded as she smoothed out her maroon coloured dress, not missing how the young waitress' eyes followed her hands across her body. "How are you doing this evening." She moved to sit down and look up at the girl.

"Bored out of my fucking mind." Ruby sighed as she slid the menu in front of the mayor. "Grannie went up to bed and left me working until close on my birthday."

"That's tragic," the older women said softly.

Ruby shrugged, "What can I get for you to drink?"

"Can you bring me a coffee and the bottle of that whiskey I like and you don't let the pions drink." Ruby nodded as she moved back to the bar, "Two glasses dear."

Ruby brought the items back and Regina quickly swiped the bottle and poured a measure in each glass, "Sit with me."

"I shouldn't, I'm working and… You're the mayor and I'm technically underage." Ruby stammered.

"Sit." Regina encouraged with a tone that left Ruby thinking she had no choice. The waitress sat and looked at the mayor. "Happy Birthday, Ruby." she pushed the drink towards the girl. "Where I'm from the age of 21 wasn't the legal age." She muttered, thinking of back home in the Enchanted Forest.

"Not like I haven't had a drink before," Ruby mumbled before taking the shot back. "I wanted to go to out to the rabbit hole tonight, but I guess now I'm not." She sighed, letting Regina poured her another. "Are you hungry, Madame Mayor?"

"I'm okay for now, Ms Lucas." She sighed as she watched the girl. "I understand how lonely to be by yourself on your day of birth, but I'm sure you and your little friends will do something soon."

"We will see," She shrugged, sipping her drink. "I'm sure they're already hooking up and drunk."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Regina regarded the girl and sipped her coffee. "You're turning what? 20?"

"Something like that." Ruby smirked, "19, actually."

"Well, now I shouldn't have given you that drink." Regina chuckled as she watched the waitress pound back her third shot before winking at the mayor.

"I won't tell if you don't." The girl headed back to the bar and went about her nightly work and minding the customers who had entered.

It was early in the morning, she had just finished talking to Robyn her niece. She had found out the girl indeed had her memories back but had been threatened by Belfry and Ivy that bad things would continue to happen to Alice if she came back. So she was nervous to come home even now. Regina understood since she was basically doing the same thing with Henry and Ruby, but her guilt ran deeper since they were both in front of her. She had crept into the spare room and woken the sleeping teen up and handed her the phone and left so Robyn and Alice could talk in private and her niece could explain why she couldn't come back yet. The former mayor-turned bartender headed back to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee, with a generous helping of whiskey, before grabbing her phone.

Good morning beautiful, come over to my place after you wake up and I'll make you breakfast and introduce you to my sister.

After sending a message to Ruby she moved to start preparing breakfast for everyone in the apartment. She carefully grabbed the flour, butter and other ingredients she should need for a pie crust and moved to start crafting a pie crust for a quiche. She needed something, anything to keep her mind off what was currently going on around her. Cooking always helped back in storybrooke… and the whiskey seemed to always help Roni… so maybe the combination of both would help the hybrid she had come to be.

A fist rapped on the door and Regina looked up with a cock of her head just as she finished beating the egg mixture. Ruby had a key… Why wouldn't she be using it? She wondered as she tilted and she whipped off her hands on the towel tucked into her pocket. She moved towards the door and peeked through the viewing hole. It was Rose… but it looked like Ruby. Her hair was down in thick, soft waves and Regina could see a red and black plaid shirt covering her shoulders. She carefully opened the door and let her eyes look at the girl. Black leggings, black boots and that red plaid. "Ruby," Regina exhaled in a near whisper.

"Yeah," the now seemingly awake woman replied curtly. "Would you care to inform me why the fuck I woke up as a whole other person yet AGAIN?" she said in a terse voice. "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit, Regina?"

"How? How are you awake right now?" She asked, "How is this possible, no one here is awake but me and...fucking Ivy. I'm going to throttle that little fool."

"I'm going to throttle you! How could you do this to me again!" Ruby exclaimed as she pushed her way into the apartment. "You know how fucked up this stuff is and you let me blindly go about my life here? A fake life at that! What kinda messed up game where you playing with me anyway? Needed yourself a lap dog, as you'd say?"

"It's not like that… it's never been like that. I was asleep too. I was Roni when we met and when I woke up? I didn't know how to wake you up, or honestly, I didn't want you to have to go through this all again. I wanted you to be happy for a little bit longer."

"That's bullshit and selfish Regina," Ruby yelled, "You wanted to control me."

"Nothing of the sort! I wanted to protect you."

"Well, nothing like a little lover's quarrel to wake up to in the morn." Zelena chuckled as she walked out of the bartenders' bedroom.