Prompt: Red Swan. Breaking the curse.
Emma enters Granny's to find Ruby and Henry on either side of a booth towards the back of the diner, their heads pressed together as they look at something on the table between them. It makes for a cute sight, Emma has to admit, so she waits a few seconds before making her presence known.
"What are you two up to?" She asks finally, approaching the table.
Both heads snap up and look sufficiently guilty at being caught. Emma glances down to the table to find Henry's book lying open on its surface.
"Hey Emma." Henry smiles at her. "Ruby was just trying to help me with Operation Cobra."
Emma raises an eyebrow at the waitress, who just smiles sheepishly. "The kid looked like he could use some help."
"Uh huh." Emma smirks. "And what have you two managed to come up with?"
"We think we figured out how to break the curse!" Henry says in a hushed voice, excitement bursting through.
"Oh really? And how are we supposed to break the curse?"
"It's simple really." Ruby grins up at her. "In fact, I can't believe you didn't think of it, Emma."
Emma frowns at that. "What is it?"
Ruby and Henry exchange a glance before he gives her a little nod. "True love's kiss." She proclaims with a smile.
"True love's kiss?" Emma sounds skeptical.
"Hey, if it worked for Snow White and Prince Charming, not to mention Sleeping Beauty and her prince, who's to say it won't work this time?" Ruby defends.
"And who exactly is it that needs to kiss their true love to break the curse?"
"You, duh!" Henry exclaims. "You're the savior."
"Me, huh?" Emma looks between them again before she reaches down and grabs Ruby's hand, pulling her up to a standing position and then pressing her lips to the waitress' red ones.
The kiss lasts for a decent amount of time, but besides Ruby swaying slightly and Henry looking away in mock embarrassment, nothing else happens. "Sorry kid, looks like there's no curse after all. Or if there is, it isn't true love's kiss that's gonna break it."
Ruby's eyes go wide as she looks at Emma, a huge smile spreading across her face. "That was true love's kiss?"
"Well, I thought so." Emma replies, her eyes searching Ruby's even while she tries to keep up her bravado.
Ruby shakes her head and pulls Emma back to her for another longer, more passionate kiss. "That," she smirks when they pull away, "was true love's kiss."
Henry looks outside, searching for any sign of a change within the town, but there isn't one. He looks back at Emma and Ruby, who are both still holding onto each other, just staring into one another's eyes, and then glances back down at his book. True love's kiss apparently isn't going to work this time, so it's back to the drawing board again.