Ruby falls to her knees, gathering Regina into her arms and burying her face in her chest. It takes her a moment to realise that the howls echoing around the room are coming from her. She rocks back and forth, cradling Regina's limp body. A hand touches her shoulder and she flinches, letting out a growl.
"Ruby…" Mary Margaret begins, her voice choked. "We won't let this be in vain, I promise. We-we'll get back to Storybrooke, just like she wanted us to. And we will defeat-"
A demented cackling fills the air and Ruby whips her head around to see the Wicked Witch enter through the window on her broomstick. Instinctively, she pulls Regina closer, protecting her. Zelena pours something green into the cauldron before landing, leaning her broom against it.
"Zelena," David yells, drawing his sword and charging at the witch. She holds up a hand and freezes his feet in place.
"Not now, handsome," she says, her attention on the women. "Did you really think you could enact Rumple's Dark Curse and I wouldn't know about it?"
"It doesn't matter," Mary Margaret tells her, moving to David as he struggles to move his legs, but they're stuck fast. "It's done now and you can't stop it."
"No, but I ca-" Zelena stops talking, her eyes landing on her sister's prone body. "Is she…" Her eyes light up with green fire. "Oh, you idiots!"
Ruby smiles through her tears. "You won't ever get her heart now, Zelena," she grits out. "It belongs to me."
The Witch seems to collect herself, and she returns Ruby's smile. "Is that so? We'll see about that." And before Ruby can react, Zelena strides forward and plunges her hand into Ruby's chest, wrenching her heart out.
"Ruby!" Mary Margaret screams, but Zelena doesn't even look in her direction, merely freezes her to the spot the same as David.
"Crush it," Ruby says, hugging Regina closer. "See if I care. We've won. You've lost. Killing me won't change anything."
"On the contrary, dear," Zelena spits, glancing uneasily at the billowing purple cloud starting to creep out of the cauldron. "I'm not planning to take a trip to your quaint little town without my baby sis. She might be a weak, sentimental fool, but she's the most interesting of all of you."
Ruby's brow creases. "Then wh-what are you…"
Zelena holds up Ruby's heart, red and vibrant and beating. Ruby frowns; there's a crack running right through the middle of her heart that wasn't there previously.
"Oh my," Zelena says, with a smile. "Looks like you're heartbroken, darling. Let's see what we can do about that, shall we?" Placing both hands on Ruby's heart, using the weakness caused by the crack, she breaks it in half. Ruby jerks forward at the pain, landing half on top of Regina. She pushes back up onto her knees, a hand covering her chest.
"Just crush it," she grinds out. The cloud is spilling over the side of the cauldron now. But instead of the blinding pain she expects from her heart disintegrating, Zelena does something she never expected. She puts her heart back in. Or, half of it, at least. The other half she plunges into Regina's chest. Ruby inhales deeply as Zelena's hand withdraws; her heart is beating wildly. She scrambles over to Regina and places a shaking hand on her chest...there's a beat!
She looks up at Zelena, who is getting back on her broom. "Wh-why would you…"
"Like I said, Storybrooke would be no fun without my little sis. And she's rather crucial to a few of my plans." She lifts into the air. "Enjoy the forgetting potion I added to your curse, by the way. Good luck stopping me when you have no idea who I am! Goodbye my pretties!" And she's gone. Mary Margaret and David stumble forward, released from her spell and come to kneel by Ruby.
"Is she…" Mary Margaret asks, placing her hand on Regina's cheek.
"I don't know," Ruby says, watching Regina's face for any sign of life. "She has a heartbeat."
"She has half of your heart," David says. "Is that even possible?"
"Love makes anything possible," Mary Margaret whispers.
They all jump in fright when Regina inhales sharply. Ruby lets out a sob of relief and Mary Margaret covers her mouth as Regina's eyes flutter open. The Queen frowns.
"Ruby? Wh-what's happening?" she asks. "Did it not work?"
David and Ruby help Regina to sit up and Ruby nods at the purple smoke now flowing across the stone floor. "Oh, it worked alright," she says, grinning through her tears. "And you're okay. We're all okay. We're going home."
"But...h-how?" Regina asks, leaning into Ruby's arms as the smoke creeps closer. Mary Margaret and David embrace before being swallowed up. Ruby turns and closes her eyes, placing a kiss on Regina's forehead.
"Shhhhh," she soothes. "Stop by the diner for a coffee and I'll tell you everything."
The purple cloud surrounds them.
Storybrooke, Maine
Something's wrong. That's been her overriding feeling since she woke up this morning. Well, obviously something is wrong, because the last clear memory she has is of watching Emma and Henry drive away, and then Regina casting a spell. And yet, she woke up in her own bed at the B&B, even if it felt wrong to be there.
She wipes a cloth across the counter in the diner and sighs; the spell must have gone wrong and that's why they're still in Storybrooke. It's the only answer. The few patrons who've come by for coffee, or just to be with people, have expressed similar experiences. Storybrooke was supposed to have been wiped off the map. And yet, here she is, with an apron on and a coffee pot in her hand. Just like usual. While everything seems pretty normal in the small town, Ruby can't rule out a catastrophic reason for them still being here.
The bell above the door signals a new arrival and she looks over to greet whoever it is. She frowns. It's a man she doesn't know. He's tall and handsome, though his face is lined with worry. Her eyes drop to the small boy he's leading by the hand. The munchkin appears unaffected by his father's worry, and is smiling from ear to ear. Ruby can't help but smile too; the kid is pretty much fifty percent dimples.
"Can I help you?" Ruby asks. "I haven't seen you in here before."
"No," the man confirms, bending to hoist the boy into his arms. "I have never frequented your...establishment before now. In fact...I'm not sure where I am."
Ruby places her rag on the counter and smiles. "You're in Storybrooke," she tells the newcomer. "Where do you come from?"
"Nottingham," the man tells her, openly. "The last thing I remember is bedding down for the night with my boy in Sherwood Forest. When we awoke, we were in unfamiliar woods. I left my men there while I scouted ahead."
"Wait, Sherwood Forest?" Ruby asks. "Like Robin Hood?"
"Ah, I see my reputation has preceded me," Robin says with a bashful smile. He holds out a hand. "Robin of Locksley. Or, as you say, Robin Hood."
She takes his offered hand and shakes it. "Ruby," she says. "Well, Red. Riding Hood. In the other world, that was my name."
"Perhaps we are related?" Robin suggests with a wink. His smile fades. "What do you mean, 'the other world'?"
Ruby sighs. "It's a long story," she says. "Why don't you sit at a table and I'll bring you some food and we'll talk?" Most likely Mary Margaret and David will want to speak to him as well. And the Mayor.
"Miss Ruby, I have no money to pay you," Robin tells her, with a glance at his son. She waves away his concern.
"Don't worry about it," she tells him. "I'll bet you didn't eat in the woods, and this little one looks like he could do with some pancakes."
The boy lifts his head from where it rests against his father's. "What's a pancake?" he asks, his eyes round with wonder.
"Oh boy, are you in for a treat!" Ruby exclaims with a wide smile. "What's your name?"
"Roland," the boy tells her, grinning in response.
"Well, Roland," Ruby says. "Why don't you and your daddy go sit down and I'll bring you some of these mysterious pancakes, huh?"
"Come on, Papa!" Roland urges, wriggling to be put down. Robin smiles and places his son back on his feet, allowing him to tug him away from the counter.
"Thank you, Miss Ruby," he says, earnestly. "I won't forget your hospitality."
"No problem," Ruby says. "I'll come talk to you in a little while."
She scribbles down an order for pancakes, and adds on some bacon and eggs for Robin, along with a coffee. As she's sliding the order through to the kitchen, the bell sounds again and she turns around. Her heart leaps into her throat at the sight of Mary Margaret and David walking in. Her friend is very pregnant, and looks like she's about to give birth at any second. Yep, something definitely went screwy with that spell.
"Something's wrong," Mary Margaret murmurs urgently once she reaches the counter.
"You're not kidding," Ruby agrees, eyes focussed on her very swollen belly.
"Not that I'm not thrilled that I'm apparently having a baby," Mary Margaret says, hands straying to her stomach and cradling the protruding bump. "But I'd like to know how I got pregnant?"
Ruby can't help herself. "Well, see, what usually happens is that, when a man and a woman love each other very mu-"
"Ruby!" David snaps, rubbing his face with his hands; he look incredibly tense. "Now is not the time for jokes. We have no memories. Again."
"And I suppose you'll find a way to place the blame on me for this one, too, correct?" Regina's dulcet tones interrupt their conversation.
Ruby looks up as the Mayor approaches, dressed impeccably in a pantsuit as usual. For some reason, Ruby's heart starts to speed up. She frowns. It's been a while since Regina's presence had that effect on her.
"If the shoe fits," David mutters.
Regina sends a glare in his direction and then glances down at Mary Margaret's belly. "When did you get fat?"
Mary Margaret rolls her eyes before turning to look at her former stepmother, somewhat disapprovingly. "I'm pregnant."
"Well, I hope it turns out better than the last one," Regina says, dismissively.
There's a twitch of a smirk on Regina's lips, and Ruby's protectiveness of her friends flares up. She leans on the counter, shifting Regina's attention to her. "Can I get you something Madam Mayor?"
Regina appraises Ruby and raises a brow. "Honestly, Ms Lucas, I've been coming here for quite some time, do youreally need me to repeat my coffee order day after day?"
Ruby doesn't react to the condescension in the other woman's voice, even if it makes her bristle internally.
"A double shot, non-fat latte to go," she enunciates slowly. "Extra hot."
When Ruby doesn't move quick enough for her liking, Regina straightens, drawing herself up to her full height and looking down her nose at Ruby. "Are you waiting for the beans to be imported from Kenya? Do make it quick, dear. I have a town to run after all."
Someone clearing their throat interrupts their stand-off, and all four of them turn to look at Robin.
"I do apologise for interrupting," he begins. "But I'm afraid Roland has made quite a mess of your table. He has discovered your little bags of sweet crystals and has spilt a number of them in his haste to eat their contents."
Ruby glances over at the table to see Roland ripping into their sugar sachets and devouring the contents. "Oh, wow," she whistles. "I don't envy you. He's gonna be bouncing off the ceiling in a little while."
Robin's eyes widen. "They are magic?" he asks. "They give one powers of levitation?"
"In a manner of speaking," Ruby says, with a grin. She picks up the rag she'd been wiping the counter with and holds it out to him. "Here. Use this."
Reaching for it, he smiles. "Thank you."
A sharp gasp draws all their gazes back to the Mayor. Regina's eyes are locked on Robin's arm. Ruby glances at it. There's a distinctive tattoo of a lion on the inside of his forearm, but nothing out of the ordinary. Robin nods awkwardly at Ruby and heads back to join his son at their table.
"Regina," Mary Margaret prompts. "Is everything okay?"
Brought out of her stupor, Regina blinks. "What? Of course everything isn't okay," she hisses. "We're not supposed to even be here, and now Ms Lucas is feeding people we've never even seen before. How can it be okay?"
"He's Robin Hood," Ruby explains. "He woke up in the woods today. No memory of how he got there. Like us."
"He's an outsider, Ms Lucas," Regina snaps. "And we don't know if we can trust him."
"I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, Madam Mayor," Ruby says, getting more annoyed at Regina's attitude. She turns to her friends. "Maybe you guys could have breakfast with him? He has no clue where he is."
"Oh! Of course!" Mary Margaret says. "We'll talk to him. And then we can all talk later...at the Town Hall. We need a town meeting."
"I'm the Mayor," Regina puts in. "I decide when and if there will be a town meeting."
Mary Margaret rolls her eyes. "Then just let us know when you decide to hold one. I'd suggest sooner rather than later. People are worried." She turns on her heel and heads over to join Robin, sliding into the booth next to Roland and introducing herself.
David sighs. "Just bring over our usuals, will you, Ruby?" And he trudges after his wife.
Ruby starts to make Regina's coffee. She glances at the Mayor, who's looking at Robin strangely.
"Do you know him?" Ruby asks, suddenly. "It kinda seemed like you recognised him or something."
"Of course I don't know him," Regina replies, though Ruby notices a slight flush on her cheeks as she says the words. "How would I know someone who sleeps in the woods?"
"Sorry, I forgot you don't associate with us mere peasants," Ruby snits, pouring the coffee into a to-go cup. She turns and places it on the counter. "Seventy-five cents, thank you," she says stiffly.
Regina goes into her wallet and pulls out a dollar bill, slapping it on the counter and picking up her cup. "Keep the change," she says. "I'm all out of doggy treats."
"Wow, that's original," Ruby says, scooping up the money. Regina turns to leave, but hesitates and slowly pivots back to face Ruby. She moves to the counter and lowers her voice.
"I'd be careful about trusting people so easily, Ms Lucas," she says. "We are in a vulnerable position at the moment and you cannot just open your doors to the first handsome man who smiles at you."
Ruby clenches her jaw at the accusation, but remains calm. "Well, I'm a pretty good judge of character, Madam Mayor. And my gut tells me that he's no threat."
Regina shakes her head. "Fine. Continue to listen to your intestines. See how far that gets you in life. I cannot afford that luxury. I have to make judgements based on sound evidence. And right now, all we know is that he is the only stranger in town. Which means we don't trust him."
Sighing, Ruby shrugs. "That's up to you, Regina. But I can't see a kid go hungry. So if I inadvertently cause an apocalypse with my pancakes, then I'm sorry."
For a second, she thinks Regina's going to smile, but almost immediately the softness of her mouth disappears into a firm line. "That heart of yours is going to get you into trouble one day, Ms Lucas. Mark my words." She starts to walk away.
"Probably," Ruby calls after her. "But I'll take my chances."
"Yes, I imagine you will," Regina says, and with a shake of her head, she leaves. Ruby stands still for a moment, looking at the door. She lifts a hand to her chest, absentmindedly. Her heart is slowing down. Was it beating that way the whole time Regina was in? She frowns.
"Order's up!" The yell from the kitchen distracts her from her reverie and she sighs as she moves to pick up Robin and Roland's plates.
Life in Storybrooke goes on.