I had this chapter finished last night, but I was a little hesitant about some of the content in the latter half of the chapter. I rewrote a large chunk, and I needed my beta's thumbs up! I hope that this chapter finally addresses some of the concerns I've been hearing from you guys. Let me know what you think! Reviews keep me informed on your thoughts! Enjoy!

Ruby giggled into her glass of wine. "I know Friday nights are usually date nights, but I can definitely get used to Friday night girl's night here, Regina!"

"Is that so?" Regina teased lightly.

"Definitely. It's cleaner, about a thousand times classier, the drinks are always on the house, and I'm not getting felt up by every drunk dock worker from here to China!"

Regina made a face, clearly showing her distaste for the idea of a drunken man getting handsy with her. Both women were in the study, seated across from each other on the lounges, a chessboard between them on the coffee table. A bottle of wine was open nearby, which Ruby helped herself to periodically. Regina had tea.

"Rooks can't move through other pieces, dear. Only knights can jump over other pieces," Regina corrected gently.

"Man, there are a lot of rules to this game! No wonder it's usually only played by intellectuals."

"As with all things in life, it merely takes practice and patience."

Ruby took another sip of wine. "Yeah, but I can practice breathing fire my whole life, but that doesn't mean I'll ever be good at it."

A secret smile tugged the mayor's mouth as she murmured into her mug, "Breathing fire isn't so difficult for some in this town..."

"What was that? I didn't catch it."

"Oh, I only said that some things come more naturally to some than to others."

Ruby frowned at the board, scratching her long neck in concentration. "Well, clearly chess comes naturally to you, and not to me," she stated as she moved one of her pawns, only to have the mayor quickly claim it with her bishop. "See?"

"Nonsense. Firstly, this is only your first game. Few people are rarely extraordinary at something that they try for the first time. Unless they're a savant, but that is the exception. Secondly, I was positively dreadful at chess when I first learned."

"Seriously?"

The older woman nodded, calculating the different moves she could make in the game. "I had my first lesson when I was eight. My mother... She was determined to climb the social and political ladders. Chess is a game of strategy, knowing and predicting your opponent's every move. Good lessons in politics and war. This," she gestured to the board. "Was never just a game for me."

"Jesus. Your mother put all that on you? When you were only eight?"

"It was...a different time, and she was quite the traditionalist, in the worst sense. I didn't have a mind for strategy and patterns, though my tutor tried to point them out to me. Every time I lost, Mother would rap my knuckles with a switch." Regina's left hand unconsciously moved to massage away the memory of bruised, inflamed knuckles on her other hand.

Ruby stared, open-mouthed, and unable to say a single word. Regina shifted nervously, needing to break the tension that had settled in the air. "You're going to catch flies, dear."

The waitress snapped her lips together, still staring at her hostess wordlessly. When Regina finally did properly catch her attention, she coughed and quickly took a large gulp of wine.

"If...If I see any flies in your house, I'll be astonished." Thanks to the young woman's playful banter, the tension quickly eased out of the room, leaving both women where they were before Regina brought up her mother.

"It always seems that people assume a clean house is a pest-free home, but I can assure you it's not really true."

"Are you serious?"

The mayor smiled softly before saying, "I believe the term you would use is hella?"

Ruby brought her hands to her mouth, gasping in surprise. "Oh my fucking God! You just said hella!" she squealed through her fingers.

"I thought you might appreciate that. As I was saying, I have a clean house, yes, but you wouldn't believe how many spiders and other little bugs I've relocated over the years. I've also removed several mice from my abode. Not very hygienic, especially with a child around," she casually remarked, moving one of her bishops.

"Relocated?" Ruby refilled her glass, peering down at the board, trying to see a way to gain the upper hand in the game - or at least trick Regina into giving up one of her pieces. "You don't just squish them?"

"Usually, no. Especially the spiders." The mayor took one of Ruby's rooks.

"Ew, why? Spiders are gross and creepy! And I thought you said you were going to go easy on me!"

Regina chuckled, thinking about how ironic it was that a werewolf was afraid of spiders. "I said I would go easy on you, dear. That doesn't mean I will let you win. As for why do I save the spiders? They eat other, less-desirable insects. Mosquitoes, flies, et cetera."

"Huh. Regina Mills: Savior of spiders, ruthless at chess!" Ruby held her wine up in a toast to her friend. Glass and mug clinked together.

"You think I'm ruthless at chess? Check."

"Does that mean I lose? And yes, I do."

"It means your king is vulnerable to my knight here. You lose when I say checkmate."

"See? You are ruthless!" She saved her king by taking Regina's knight, a move the elder brunette had planned, setting up her next play on the white king.

"You say ruthless. I say...calculated?" She took the waitress' queen.

Ruby groaned loudly. "No, I say you're cheating, Madame Mayor!"

"Cheating? Some games, the stakes are high enough where cheating becomes worth it. But this? My dear, I play hard, but fair."

"Pshhhh! You're cheating by getting me drunk, and using your superior knowledge! You have an unfair advantage!" She nudged a pawn forward.

"I simply opened the bottle, dear. It was you who decided to drink half of it."

Ruby shrugged. "You got me there. But...it's really good wine. Kinda hard to resist."

Regina cocked an eyebrow, her sly smile sliding into place. "Perhaps I planned it that way? Checkmate."

The waitress threw her hands up in defeat. "Ruthless," she grumbled under her breath, and Regina's smile widened.

"You think I'm ruthless at chess. Well, you haven't seen just how vicious I am at Sorry!"

"How many times has Henry walked from the noble game board, licking his wounds?"

"I didn't raise my son to take defeat like a kicked dog, dear. He gives as good as he gets. There were nights where I was surprised we weren't throwing things. We got so competitive, I thought the board was going to catch on fire with the heat of our glares." Regina smiled fondly at the memories.

"Dang! Sounds intense! So, what you're trying to say is... I can't beat you at chess, and I definitely can't beat Henry at Sorry?"

"Not a chance, dear. Although, you might be able to beat me at Sorry."

Ruby beamed at the other woman. "I think I know what we're doing next Friday!"

"I daresay you do. Would you like to play another round?"

"Noooo. I am too tipsy to play more. I'll only play if you get on my level."

Regina started to clear the board. "I still can't do that, dear."

The younger brunette shifted a little in her seat. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I see no reason why not." The mayor kept her focus on the chess set, standing up to place it back on the bookshelf in the study where it usually sat.

"It's been like...a week? Have...have you seen her?" Regina paused, her arm raised, hand still resting on the wooden box where she slid it into place on the shelf.

"Shouldn't you know the answer to that? You're the only other one who sees her." Regina's tone was quiet and strained, and she remained rooted to the floor in front of the bookshelf.

Ruby cleared her throat nervously. "Actually...no. I visited her, like, two days after you did, and she freaked the fuck out at me."

Regina whipped her head around too fast, the bruises in her tender neck screaming their displeasure at her, and she let out a soft hiss. "What?"

"Legit. She's still throwing her pity party, which, let's be honest here, is getting kinda old."

Regina walked back to the lounge, sitting down and fixing the waitress with a steady gaze. "This sounds like something you have been wanting to get off your chest, dear. Please, you have listened to me. I owe you the same."

Ruby shrugged, too tipsy to care. "It was...gross. She hasn't showered; she's still swimming in piles of puke, and get this! It's really rich. She tried to blame me for her shitty state of being!"

"I don't see how that was your fault."

"Well, it depends on how you look at it, really. She was pretty shitfaced right?"

"To say the least."

"Emma didn't take any booze with her when she booked it out of town. And that crappy shack sure didn't come with any complementary alcohol."

Regina frowned. "You? You brought her alcohol?"

Ruby flushed. "I did. But, it's like you said to me five minutes ago! You gave me the wine, but I chose to drink..." she squinted at the bottle. "Four and half glasses. I could have had one, or two. It was my choice, not yours."

"Indeed, but I don't think we can apply that kind of logic to her actions any more. She's...no longer in a rational state of mind."

"No kiddin'. Seriously, Regina, what do you even see in her anyway? I mean, I know she's hot and all...when she's showered, but-"

"I beg your pardon?" the mayor asked harshly.

"What? I just wanna know where you're coming from!" she stated as casually as one might comment on another's outfit.

"Where I am coming from? I am coming from anger, disgust and something so unholy that it has no name!"

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or maybe Ruby was entirely too fed up with everyone's shit to care, or maybe she simply could no long deny what was clear to her eyes. "Yeah, I know all of that. You also have the hots for her, though."

Regina's eyes flashed dangerously. "You best tread carefully, Miss Lucas."

"We're back to Miss Lucas now? Nope, I'm not gonna take it."

"And I can throw you out of my house at any time!"

Ruby chuckled. "Seriously, Regina? How many times are we gonna do this? Every time I bring up a hard truth, you get pissed as hell, and try to run away. You're starting to resemble our friend, Blondie McBarfFace."

"Don't you dare compare me to her!" Regina spat viciously.

"Oh, right! Because you two are sooooooo different! Because you're both such headstrong, determined, passionate, easily-frustrated, take-shit-from-none, step aside for no man, sly, stubborn women! For two people who are so very different, you've got a lot in common," the young brunette pointed out hotly.

"Having common traits does not make us akin to one another!"

"Didn't someone say that opposites attract?"

"A statement that is commonly false!"

"Regina... How many times do I have to bring up those flowers?" Ruby asked evenly. The mayor opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. "Uh-huh. That's what I thought. Regina, I was there in the room with you. We both know what I saw."

The older woman seemed to visibly deflate in front of her guest. Her shoulders slumped, and her head fell into her hands. She completely ignored that the pressure on her swollen cheek, despite the pain arcing through her flesh. Her eyes stung with hot tears, but she managed to force them back.

"What's wrong with me?" she mumbled into her palms.

"I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

Regina lifted her head up, peering at Ruby from under thick lashes. "What's wrong with me?"

Ruby's lips parted in surprise. She was used to seeing the other woman in various states of emotional distress, but she still couldn't get over how much she resembled a scared little girl in those moments; so unlike the powerful, confident politician she knew her to be. Furthermore, she couldn't tell where Regina was coming from on this one.

"What do you mean? I don't get it," she asked, hoping for more clarity.

"And you think I do, Ruby? You've seen what she did to me!" Regina clawed at the collar of her turtleneck, roughly yanking it down. Ruby flinched and averted her eyes. "Look at them! Look at the marks! Look!"

Ruby nervously licked her lips before bringing her eyes up to peer at the dark, horizontal slashes of purple, red, yellow, and green adorning the mayor's slender neck. Her mouth went dry, and she turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut. Unfortunately, the image was already branded to the insides of her eyelids, and she felt all of the blood leave her face.

"You have the luxury of closing your eyes, dear...of walking away from this. I don't, and what's worse is...you're right."

Ruby's eyes snapped to attention, the woman hardly believing what she heard. "Right? About what?"

"I am so very tired, Ruby. Tired of the pain, tired of running, tired of using all of my energy on anger and denial. You..." The older brunette bit her lip in frustration. "What I tell you now, under no circumstances does it leave this room."

"I would be dead if I ever thought to betray your trust, Regina. Tonight is no different for me," Ruby responded earnestly.

Regina clenched her fists, taking a deep breath. "You were right, Ruby. I...I do care for her. And I am positively nauseated every time I think about the fact that, after everything Emma has done to me, after all the pain she's caused not only me, but Henry as well, that I still manage to harbor an attraction to her. Rather, more like an attraction to the woman that I thought she was." She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes.

"Why do you like her still? Even after all that shit that happened?"

Regina opened her eyes, focusing them on her guest in a sorrowful, almost pleading stare. "Emma hurt me. Badly. However...she's not the only villain in this story, dear."

"I don't follow."

"Please, Ruby. Trust me when I say that there is a time and a place for the full story, but tonight is not it. Just...just know that Emma had her reasons for lashing out at me as she did."

"Did...did you do something?" A hint of fear crossed her eyes.

"In our game of cat and mouse, my dear, there was rarely anything done between us that was unprovoked. I will leave it at that, and beg you not to pry further."

"I've got half a bottle of wine swirling around my brain, Regina. It's kinda hard to fight my curiosity right now. She went at you really fucking hard. You must have done something major!"

"I did. And, as you can see, I am paying the price for it." No good deed goes unpunished, either she thought to herself. I woke the sheriff with my own lips, and this is what I get in return.

"Did you-"

"Ruby. Not tonight," Regina said wearily.

"So... What was going on with you and her in the hospital?"

The mayor paused, trying to decide how to answer that. "I had...a change in perspective."

"Seriously? That's what you're going with?" the young woman raised her own eyebrow in skepticism.

Regina ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "It's difficult to explain. Seeing her there... It was different, and alarming. She wasn't pushing all of my buttons, and we weren't fighting for Henry, and..."

"And? And what?"

"I...could talk to her. She was the only person I felt able to share my most intimate thoughts and feelings with in those moments. I felt a connection that wasn't there before. And in her coma...she wasn't demanding. She didn't ask questions like everyone else did. Emma didn't judge me, she didn't look at me with disdain, she...she didn't run, Ruby."

"That's-"

"The most pathetic and bizarre thing you've ever heard?"

"I was gonna say oddly touching, but whatever pops your toast."

"It's more than just being able to vent to her."

"Isn't it always more than just a few things?"

"Indeed. When I went to that cabin... I found a broken woman, a jaded, empty husk of who Emma Swan used to be. If I am being honest with myself, which, it would seem, that tonight is the night for such a thing, I felt pity for her. Pity. For my attacker."

"You did?"

"You didn't?"

"I stopped feeling pity for her when she made it clear how wrapped up in herself she was."

"Yet, all she has is herself, Ruby. She's alone in her head. By the time I had arrived at the cabin, I had had three separate panic attacks. I felt humiliated and powerless, because I was terrified of the woman who laid her hands upon me in such a vicious manner.

"I had every intention of going there to make her suffer. Not physically, no. I felt no need to stoop to her level. And I made a promise to you, dear. I wanted Emma to see the harm she caused. She did. I made sure of that. When I walked through that door, though, the only objective that was on my mind was making Emma Swan suffer.

"It didn't occur to me that she was already suffering. She beat me to it, figuratively speaking. My anger was already in control, though, and I was determined to at least add to her pain. I tried, and of course we argued. But...by the time I left, I knew that I had accomplished nothing. Hurting her more didn't make me feel better. Her agony brought me no joy, and on top of it all... I still couldn't hate her."

"Wow... That's-"

"Disgusting? It's like I have some horrific case of Stockholm Syndrome."

Ruby shrugged a little. "Not exactly..."

"How so?"

"You've got a crush on Emma, Storybrooke's sheriff. The woman stinking up her barfshack? That's not her. Plus, you liked her before she went batshit crazy and went all Conan the Barbarian on you. That exempts you from the whole Stockholm thing, right?"

"Even so, I feel filthy and ashamed for having even the smallest amount of affection for her."

"Do you think you'll ever forgive her?"

"I...don't know. It's hard to say after having seen her only once since..."

"Understandable."

"Why me, Ruby?" Regina asked in a quiet voice. The waitress shot her a questioning look. "I...I thought that you were on Emma's side."

The younger brunette smiled softly. "I'm gonna have to do this a lot, aren't I? Explain why I'm friends with you. Yes, I am close with Em, but that doesn't mean that I can't also be friends with you. You reached out, and I was glad to help. Being friends with Emma doesn't require that I have to hate you and vice versa."

"Why not before? Why didn't you...?"

"You never reached out to anyone. Besides, let's face it, if I had tried to be friendly with you before all of this, would you have accepted my offer of friendship?"

"No..."

"Again, intuition. And that's cool with me. I'm glad that we're friends now."

"As am I, dear."

"Wow, that was an intense share. What do you say to another game of chess? Loser buys the winner a dessert from Granny's?"

Regina wasn't blind to the abrupt change in topic, but she wasn't entirely averse to it either. Ruby was right; it had been another heavy evening between them, and perhaps a break was in order. The older brunette smiled, getting up from the lounge to go the bookcase.

"I hope you're ready to buy me dessert, dear."

"Nuh-uh! No way! I'm totally beating you this time," she challenged while they set up their pieces.

"Your move, Miss Lucas," Regina said, her mischievous smile back in place.

That was fun, right? Find me on Tumblr and we'll have a chat! I don't bite! Writers-Dilemma. tumblr. com and please find my incredible beta, Jasmine! She's snarky, fun, and cool to know! Plus she came up with barfshack, not me :P Find her at obligatory-regal-name. tumblr. com ONE MORE THING! I'm coming up on 400 reviews - you guys are the bee's knees - and the 400th reviewer will get to request a one-shot!