Hey, it's been awhile. Things have been crazy. This isn't a super eventful chapter, but it will hopefully convince you that I haven't totally abandoned this forever. There will be more soon.
Regina swirled her cheap wine around in her glass, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Emma tuck into a burger as if she hadn't eaten a whole dinner just an hour beforehand. She looked up as Ruby slid into the booth with a cold beer. "Closed already?" She asked, looking around at the empty diner, surprised because she hadn't even noticed.
"Yeah, no one else was around, so I decided a few minutes early wouldn't hurt." She smiled awkwardly, "The dwarves like to come in two minutes before close and order whole meals."
Regina smiled again and let Ruby figure out when to stop talking. "So, how do you feel?" Out of the corner of her eye, she knew Emma had stopped chewing and was waiting for the answer.
Ruby picked at the torn edge of the label on her bottle and shrugged thoughtfully, "Well, I'm not sore or anything... there's no bruising. I'm kind of surprised." She laughed, "It didn't feel, at the time, like it would go away as quickly as it has. The- the sensation, you know."
Emma snorted faux-sarcastically, picking her burger back up, "that's because you got off easy, Rubes."
Regina cut the blonde a look, "No, you did not get off easy, Ruby. It was your first time experiencing something like that and you took it well. Now, when I asked how you're feeling, I meant emotionally..." she paused, thinking she should explain, "there wasn't a lot of time for me to really make sure you were okay because of some extenuating circumstances." She sipped her wine, settling into the conversation more comfortably.
"Oh, well, I..." Ruby hadn't expected to be asked that. No one ever really checked on her emotional well-being.
"No pressure, Ruby." Regina said gently.
"No, I- I just wasn't expecting that question. I mean, I was prepared to answer it, but I imagined I would bring it up myself."
Regina nodded and stole a fry off the sheriff's plate, ignoring the look she got in return. Emma wasn't great at sharing her food, but Regina always got away with sneaking a bite.
"I guess... I feel okay, actually. You really made me feel secure during the whole thing, you know? Like, I felt like there was a purpose and it wasn't just that I had stolen something from a friend of yours... you made me feel like you cared about me." She looked at her hands as they fiddled absentmindedly with the torn label and suddenly, she gulped half of her beer down.
Regina bit back a chuckle and Emma laughed out loud until she received a pointed elbow to the ribs.
"No, really. It felt like you were doing it because stealing the magic bean was dangerous for me, and not just because I stole it. There's a difference, I guess, is what I'm saying."
Regina nodded, "There is. Now, I did end up spanking you to save you from whatever Gold's brand of justice would have been, however-" she paused, noticing the obvious effect that specific word had on the atmosphere in their little corner of the empty diner, " I had thought about it way before I even spoke to him. We have always been friends, Red... okay, well, not always, but for a long time we have been... family, really. I take care of my family and I don't want to see you put yourself in harm's way. That is unacceptable to me. Obviously, I don't go around doing that to everyone, but you seemed like you needed it."
Emma was focused on her lover. It amazed her, still, that the mayor could be so blunt and straightforward, even about personal things. Also, she was just way too sexy, like, all the time.
"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I appreciate that, Regina." Ruby responded honestly.
The mayor laughed out loud and nudged the sheriff, "See, that's how it's done."
Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Hell no."
"I know it sounds funny, but, I haven't had that kind of security before and for me, it was a positive experience as much as a negative one."
Regina cleared her throat, "Ruby, Emma and I haven't really had a chance to speak about it, but I think if you ever needed to have that feeling again, you could come to us and we could discuss working it out. Would that be good?"
Emma wiped her mouth quickly and interjected, "Don't agree to that, Ruby."
"Emma." The tone was light, but warning.
"Don't do it."
"Emma."
"It's a trap."
Regina laid a hand on the blonde's thigh and gave it a squeeze.
"You'll never get away with anything again! Run! I'll distract her!" She flicked some of her ice water at the mayor.
"Oh, you're going to pay." Regina swore, wiping the droplets from her face.
Ruby started laughing, "Thanks, Emma. I think, maybe I might take you guys up on that someday, though."
The mayor nodded and swatted the sheriff's hands off her, "Good. You just let us know and we will-"
A sharp rap on the window distracted them all.
"Hi, Mary Margaret!" Ruby shouted through the glass at the woman who had her arms crossed over her chest.
"Are you fucking serious?!" The mayor muttered under her breath, "Don't let her in, Ruby." She ordered.
"Regina! That is my mother!" Emma protested with mock horror.
"She's a massive pain in the ass." The mayor retorted.
"Well, it's about time you had one of those." The blonde laughed, ignoring the glare she got back.
Regina wrapped an arm around her waist possessively as Ruby went to unlock the door, "I have one right here."
"That's not what I meant, Your highness." Emma huffed playfully, poking the mayor in the side.
"I know what you meant, silly. Just- no."
They watched Mary Margaret Blanchard stomp into the restaurant angrily and steam toward their table. Her face was not as white as snow, in fact, it was more like, angry, boiled-lobster-red.
She slammed her purse on the table and pointed a finger at the two women while a perplexed Ruby sidled past her to resume her seat in the booth.
"I get it. You think I'm annoying and crazy." She spat. "But all I know is you're running around playing dominatrix with people while I watch Henry for hours a day!"
Regina sighed, "Snow, I can understand why it seems that way, but -"
"No! You're a bully!" Mary Margaret fumed, lifting her purse and slamming it down on the table again. Unfortunately, Regina's wine glass became a victim, which in turn, made her white, satin blouse a victim as well.
Emma watched Regina's eyes go dark and she nudged the mayor out of the booth. Then she grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her along to the back room. "She was about to tell us she needed some space." She whispered as they walked.
They closed the door and collapsed on the loveseat in the office, "so is your mom gonna be alive when we go out there?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "I love her, but she makes the worse possible decisions she can make sometimes. It's really weird. I mean, she's worse than I am."
"Does Regina ever get tired of being in charge?" The tall bartender asked after a few minutes. They could hear words being exchanged and angry voices. Mostly Snow's.
"I think she does like, once in a blue moon." Emma replied, staring up at the dingy ceiling, "but honestly, she's just being herself. It's not an act she puts on. She's in charge because she just is... she's as in control when she's taking a bath by herself as she is when she's addressing the whole town."
"Makes sense." Ruby answered quietly.
Out in the dining area, Regina dabbed her ruined blouse with a wet napkin while Snow continued to butch and moan.
"You have no respect for anyone! You walk around town doing whatever you want. And who cares? As long as Henry is taken care of, what does it matter who gets inconvenienced?! Oh, important Regina Mills." She lifted her hand again to point, accidentally jabbing Regina in the chest, she went with it, "Queen of the land. Mayor of-"
Regina cut her off, snatching the offensive finger and twisting it, causing the younger woman to gasp and pull away. She advanced on Snow, backing her up to the bar, "You want to see a bully?" She growled, "it's been a long, long time since I was a bully, Snow White." She dripped snow's hand in disgust, "You know as well as I do that there's nothing wrong with my relationship with your daughter, or the amount of time I spend with Henry, who, by the way, you keep trying to drop off early because you cannot stand not knowing what we are up to in our own fucking home. You aren't worried about what I'm doing to her. You're just annoyed you're not privy to it. You're angry because I have all these things with her that you can't have. Maybe it's because of the rocky past you and I have..."
Mary Margaret shifted her weight from side to side, beginning to regret her brash behavior. "No, I-"
"Emma is a consenting adult with whom I share a child. We have a life together. You are not welcome to encroach upon that. You have already helped yourself to more information than you should have, and you found out something private that you were never meant to know. This is the last time I will tell you so nicely to Mind. Your. Own. Business. I'm not joking about this."
Snow shut her mouth and nodded, thankful that Regina had taken a step back to allow her a way out.
"And if you are going to continue spending time with your grandson, I would suggest you respect the terms and timelines we have agreed upon. If you need to make changes, you have both our numbers." Regina called after the retreating woman. Part of her felt bad.
She sighed and grabbed her blazer before calling to Emma. She was ready to go to bed.
What do you think? Did it go well with Ruby? Was Regina too harsh with Snow? Let me know.