"Oh, no! Oh fuck! Stop it! Stop it!"
The young brunette buries her face into the blonde's chest as the latter laughs huskily.
"Um, Ruby... You're kind of... Could you get off me?"
The waitress shakes her head, remaining safely pressed into the comforting warmth of the Sheriff. Emma rolls her eyes, shuffling back awkwardly and pushing the younger woman away with a giggle.
"You're such a goof!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! Just because I don't want to watch some guy get his face cut off! Why the hell would anyone do that?! And look! Look! What's she doing now!... Wait, she's not going to... No... No way... Oh fuck! Gross!"
The waitress covers her eyes with a groan as the blonde simply guides a heaped spoonful of Cherry Garcia into her mouth and raises an eyebrow at the latest scene of bloodshed to grace the screen. Deeming it safe to lower her hands from the lack of tortured cries, Ruby regards Emma curiously before returning her attention to the movie; her heartbeat frantic.
"Why do you watch this stuff!?"
"It's a good movie."
"Well... It's better than the one we watched the other week... At least there's no shoving of sharp objects into places they have no business being shoved!"
"...It's not the end of the movie yet..."
The Sheriff grins cattily at the apprehensive glance the waitress throws her, inwardly wishing the younger woman would quit leaning quite so close; Ruby's shoulder pressed firmly into her ribs as the brunette leans companionably against her and hugs her legs up onto her lap. Sighing, she uses her spoon to point to the case which rests on the table, speaking through a mouthful of creamy dessert which detracts slightly from her purposeful scholarly tone.
"No, Miss Lucas, the Devil's Rejects is of a much higher caliber than Cannibal Holocaust, I can assure you. Just look at the lighting, the filming, the superior acting. The direction is beautifully done and- oh! I like this part, look at that arterial spray!"
Rolling her eyes, the brunette gives the Sheriff an amiable jab in the shoulder, absentmindedly twisting pale curls around her finger as she continues to watch the movie with an occasional grimace.
"You know, she kind of looks like you."
"Who?"
"Baby."
"You think so?"
"Well, older, but yeah."
"Hmm, good to know I have options for the future! She's a lot prettier than I am."
"Nah, not really, and also she's a serial killer, Emma, could we maybe focus on that being the problem in the comparison."
"Oh, right, yeah, sorry... Probably not the best role model."
"You think!?"
"Whatever, her boots are cool."
"Yes, because that's something you're in desperate need of; more boots..."
"You want to be wearing ice cream? Keep talking!"
Ruby shrieks as the blonde accosts her with a newly loaded spoon, batting her arm away as the older woman chuckles huskily. Throwing Emma a murderous glare, she tosses back her hair as the movie's protagonists dig into a similar frozen treat on the screen.
She had been keen to come and see the blonde; a little shaken by the intensity of the conversation overheard in the Diner, and more than a little curious as to what Emma's reaction to being caught out would be. She had sent the Sheriff a text while cleaning up after lunch, asking if the older woman wanted to hang out for the evening. When this had gone unanswered for several hours, her stomach had started to knot itself nervously; worried that she had perhaps ruined their friendship with her brazen admission to knowing the truth. At around five o'clock her phone had hummed quietly in her pocket however, and she had been relieved to receive one of Emma's typically curt texts.
Fine. Bring Provisions. No health stuff. E
The coldness of the message hadn't really thrown her; used to the blonde's nihilistic tendencies with the written word. Still, as she had stood outside the Sheriff's apartment with a paper bag bearing ice cream and beer- a sure way to get back on the older woman's good side!- she had wondered how Emma would react to her earlier antics. To her surprise, the blonde had pulled open the door with a grin; taking her coat amiably enough before beckoning her over to the sofa with the friendly request that she join her in watching what she had referred to as 'only one of the best movies ever!'.
Now, as the bloodshed finally draws to a close, she studies the Sheriff intently out of the corner of her eye as the blonde nibbles at the pink mush on her spoon appreciatively; eyes glued to the screen and nodding her head slightly to the beat of the music accompanying the final scene. Waiting for the credits to roll, Ruby clears her throat and pushes herself away from the blonde so that she sits with her back pressed against the armrest of the sofa, her long legs still resting lightly in the latter's lap.
"So..."
"So what?"
The waitress rolls her eyes with bemusement, drinking in the sudden defensive rigidness to Emma's posture as the blonde pointedly remains transfixed on the screen as though her life depends on discerning who acted as key grip for the movie.
"Are we going to talk about it?"
"...Why?"
"Well, because you're my friend... And you're dating the goddamn Mayor!"
"We're not 'dating'."
"And she's terrifying..."
"Sometimes."
"And she's... Well... I didn't know you even... You know..."
"Didn't what? Go on?"
"She's a woman."
"Your powers of observation are simply extraordinary. What do you want? A fucking cookie?"
"Emma..."
The blonde sighs, finally twisting in her seat to regard the waitress moodily.
"I don't know, alright? I don't know what you want me to tell you... I don't have much of a clue on all of this myself... How did you even find out?"
"I came by the station yesterday and saw you two sitting outside."
"Oh."
"But... I mean... Ok, look. I don't get it, I'll tell you that right now... The woman scares the shit out of me and I doubt I'm alone."
"She's not like that if you get to know her."
"Hey, I'm not saying she is! I just... I'm just surprised is all... After everything you two have been through, you know?"
"You and me both, Ruby."
The brunette lets out a sigh of relief as green eyes look back at her in confusion. Confusion she can take. She can understand. She's just relieved the blonde doesn't seem angry with her. Shuffling a little closer, she offers the Sheriff a kind smile, proceeding carefully.
"You said yourself though that you were happy?"
"...I am."
"Well then... I guess it doesn't matter if you can't make sense of some stuff."
"... No."
Emma offers up her own crooked grin, brushing distractedly at her cheek; completely bewildered and wondering why in the hell her eyes are watering. Letting out a small, pained huff of air as the brunette launches forward and encircles her waist, she sniffs awkwardly, clearing her throat as the younger woman's hair tickles her nose.
"Could you... Could you not do that?"
Ruby pulls back sheepishly, her bright eyes wretchedly kind as she smiles at the Sheriff, causing the blonde to cast her own eyes down to her lap.
"You can't tell anyone, ok?"
"I won't... But..."
"But what?"
Suddenly the Sheriff's tone is hard, laced with panic as she glances up at the brunette sternly.
"But what, Ruby?"
"Look, don't freak out, ok, but when I was working earlier, Gold was at the Diner and he called Regina over when she was walking past... I didn't hear everything, but... I think he kind of knew something... And I'm guessing by the look on your face right now, you had a suspicion he might?... He was trying to get Regina to admit to what was going on... He said he saw your car outside her house and that he believed you were there because... Well... You were seeing her for 'non-business' reasons... Umm... He was telling her something about a deal, but I don't really know about any of that... He just seemed to be stirring the shit..."
"Fuck!"
"I, uh, I kind of stepped in a bit..."
"You what?"
"Well... After teasing you this morning I was pretty sure that I was right about you and the Mayor... Personally, I find Regina to be nothing but bad news, but, as you said, I don't know her all that well... I just saw it as two people having an argument and one was beginning to make things a little too threatening... I simply went over and asked her if she was ok."
"...I bet she loved that."
"Ha, nope! I explained I meant ok in general... After having been out with you when you received the distress call the other night on your police radio..."
"On my what?"
"You know, that piece of technology you were told to have with you at all times when you started the job that you use as a paper weight?"
"Ruby..."
"I just told her I presumed it must have been something serious if she was calling you, given that you two don't like each other... I assured her I meant no offence..."
"You... But you weren't with me when Henry called...?"
"No shit, Sherlock! I'm guessing he didn't call the damn radio either!"
"But... Regina knows that..."
"Yes, but Gold doesn't!"
"You... Oh my god..."
"Whatever Gold thinks he knows... I'd guess he's having second thoughts right about now."
"You... Are incredible..."
Ruby lets out a pleasant yelp as the blonde suddenly throws herself at her, giggling as she wraps her arms tightly around the Sheriff's slim form. Smirking into blonde curls, she adopts a high pitched crow of delight, her eyes sparkling with good humor.
"Oh my god! Is Emma Swan hugging me?!"
"Shut up."
The Sheriff mumbles into the brunette's shoulder before pushing herself briskly away and sniffing with an ill-attempted air of disinterest. Letting out a small noise as her emotions continue to overwhelm her, she pushes back her hair as she regards the waitress in disbelief.
"I... I can't believe you did that..."
Ruby smiles, shuffling round so that she sits beside the blonde and throwing an arm companionably around skinny shoulders.
"I can't believe you cooked dinner for the fucking Mayor!"
