Chapter 17

Apparently, getting drunk as a skunk with your long lost father so that you could both feel open enough to talk about the past is not very conducive for a productive next day. But, it made for some great bonding time, and by the time Regina came by the shop (which Rumplestiltskin had closed for the day) to pick me up, some point just past midnight, I had a fairly good idea of the man my father was. Not a good man by any means, but someone who had learned from his past mistakes, and would do anything to protect the people he loved, myself now included on that list.

He was wickedly intelligent as well, and I found that the intricacies of the Mage governmental system fascinated him. Eventually, my limited knowledge ran dry, and I promised him that I would get him in touch with China for a better understanding of the legal and governmental system that had been created after the War of Sanctuaries.

Regina, for her part, hadn't complained about coming to pick me up late at night, and had instead fed me apple pastries until I no longer felt quite so ill and tucked me into bed with a kiss on the forehead.

Had I been more aware at the time, I would have noticed her pulling the piece of paper holding that stupid little poem out from my coat pocket, her eyes skimming over the words with a concerned furrow in her brow.

When I woke up, Regina was no longer in the house, and it was late in the day. I made my way out of bed, stumbling my way down to the kitchen where a note from my mother lay. I will be out all day and possibly evening. Please pick up groceries if you have time. Love, mother.

I huffed out a sigh, feeling strangely domestic as I got on my bike to ride to the grocery store a few minutes later, especially after the rush of hunting down my nephew the other day. I suppose not every day can be a wild adventure, even in Storybrooke, I conceded to myself as I rumbled through town and into the grey parking lot of the only grocery store in town. Some days nothing particularly interesting will happen at all.

As I swung off my bike and headed into the store, I went through the messages that I had missed from the night before and this morning. Neal wanted me to meet his fiancée, who I had just barely missed the day before, for dinner tonight which I gladly agreed to, provided we ate somewhere that wasn't Granny's. As good as her food was, I was desperately in need of something that wasn't diner food.

Skulduggery had texted me as well, letting me know that there had been another delay in getting out here. Apparently, the American Sanctuary had been very upset to learn that an Irish operative had gotten to Maine without their knowledge, especially one who had been very involved in the most recent war. Were it not for the very real threat of another (slightly more minor) war, Skulduggery told me, he would have been in town by now, letting Fletcher bother me with his incessant questions about my biological family.

I wrote back quickly as I grabbed a basket, letting Skulduggery know that I had already commissioned a specialty pair of headphones for him that would only block out the teleporter's voice, intended to be a Christmas gift, but that I was reconsidering, as a muzzle might be more effective in the long term.

I smiled down at my phone, barely paying attention to where I was going, and thus barely avoiding crashing into the Brunette werewolf that I had spent several hours with two days previous tracking down my errant nephew.

"Oh." I sputtered out, having not expected to see Ruby any time soon, especially not in this context. "Hi." She blinked back at me, startled as well.

"Hey." She finally said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. We stood in awkward silence for a moment before she broke it with a curious question. "What is your coat made of?" I glanced down at the material, unable to answer before Ruby barreled on nervously. "I just, I can see well, like really well, because of the whole, you know, werewolf thing, and at first I thought it might be leather, but it's very clearly not, and honestly it's been driving me up the wall all week, and-" I cut her off, taking pity on her.

"I'm not entirely sure." I responded, smiling at the faint blush that dusted her cheeks. "I've a friend who makes specialty clothing, it keeps me from getting too hurt. I never really checked with him, but I can text him if you'd like…?" Ruby grinned, perking up as I spoke.

"So it's enchanted?"

I frowned in thought. "Sort of, I suppose."

"I have something similar." My eyebrows raised in surprise at that, and Ruby rolled her eyes good naturedly in response. "Ok, not exactly like that, but pretty similar. I have this cloak that keeps me from transforming on full moons."

"Interesting." I muttered, rubbing a hand over my chin. "So the cloak itself acts as a shield from the moon and its effects? Or does it just offset the particular effect the moon has on you?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment. "Same difference I suppose." She picked a can of something off of the shelf, looking it over for a moment before dropping it into her cart. I frowned slightly, following the taller woman down the aisle.

"Well, if it was just offsetting the effect of the moon on you, that is to say lycanthrope, that's one thing. But if the cloak stops any type of transformation caused by the moon for the wearer, werewolf or not, then that would make the cloak significantly more powerful, and far more valuable."

"I've never really considered that." Ruby said, glancing at me from the corner of her eye for a moment before continuing on. "But it would make sense if it could stop more than turning all wolfy, there was this woman who stole it once a few years back…"

And we continued on that way, picking our way through the grocery store, collecting groceries and talking, at first just about the mechanics of our enchanted clothing, but then about other things, like music, and vintage cars, which we found we both had a passion for. I pulled out my phone at one point to show Ruby the beauty that was Skulduggery's Bentley, smiling widely at the excited gleam that lit up her eyes as she fired off several questions about the upkeep and mechanics of the car, which I answered gladly.

By the time we finally checked out, I felt like I had known Ruby for years, so, of course, it felt natural to offer to walk her and her massive pile of groceries to her car, and help load them into her Grandmother's car. On the way there, I admired the soft lines of her back, her hair blowing softly in the wind, and her eyes glinting in the late afternoon sun as she turned her head back to talk to me. I blushed slightly, turning my focus back to the task at hand, and missing the way Ruby tracked my movement with her sharp eyes.

One moment I was helping to load the last of Ruby's groceries into the backseat of her car, the next I was being spun around, and my head was being tilted to look up into the softest brown eyes I'd ever seen. I was so lost in her gaze that when Ruby's warm lips swooped down to meet mine I was immediately caught off guard, and she drew back nervously after I remained unresponsive for a moment or two. "Sorry, I just-" This time, I surprised her, pulling her head down for our lips to meet in a nearly violent clash. After a moment of surprise, she responded in kind, head tilting properly down to meet me, and her hands snaking around to clutch my hips.

We must have moved, because I found myself pushed against the cool exterior of Ruby's car, my fingers becoming tangled in her long brown hair. She pulled back panting lightly, my breath similarly gone. I watched her for a moment, beautiful in her disheveled state, and grinned up at her.

"Wanna take this to somewhere a little more private?" I whispered against her skin, mouth finding its way across her collarbone, and up her neck. She leaned into me, groaning softly when I detached myself. "Or, we can keep making out in this parking lot in broad daylight like a couple of high schoolers. Up to you Red." At that Ruby's eyes snapped open, and she looked self-consciously around.

She glanced back at me, taking a moment to fix my coat from where she had tried to rip it off my body, before nodding. "Yeah." She said, clearing her throat roughly. "Private is probably good. Does your place work? My Granny can be quite…nosey." I nodded, running a quick hand through my hair, and trying to ignore the breathless quality of her voice in that moment.

"Regina should be out for a few more hours." I responded, glancing at her swollen lips. "And I intend to make use of as much of that time as possible." And with that, unable to resist any longer, I pulled the taller woman in for one last kiss for the road.