Making their way out West to the church, Regina eased her foot off of the gas, cruising down the road, passing dead bodies and a few broken down cars. Regina pretty much knew the route to the church by heart now, they were about forty-five minutes into the drive now.
Kristoff was driving the bus a few feet behind them with Mulan and Phillip, wheels turning across the pavement smoothly; and Graham and Jefferson were in Kristoff's truck riding behind it. So far they hadn't seen any signs of the machine breaking down.
"I think three of them to a cell would be better." Ruby argued.
"These kids have barely had any space to call their own for the last year. Why do you want to crowd them?" Regina shook her head.
"Some prisons would normally have 3 inmates to a room." Ruby shrugged.
"Yes and some even had 4, which was no way to live in such a tight space. Human beings aren't supposed to live that way. Sadly the hard truth is that the prison system was flawed." Regina shook her head gripping the wheel. "Keeping them 2 to a cell is what we'll do, we already have more than enough available cells in D block."
"Alright." Ruby sighed. "Yeah you're right that works."
"If anything we will ask them if having three to a room is what they want to do. I believe Dorothy mentioned a few of them are actually siblings."
"They all lost their parents?" Ruby frowned.
"Either they were separated from them or...that, yes." Regina sighed.
Ruby nodded and looked out to the trees watching the little chunks of snow as they passed by.
"So...Dorothy asked about you the last time I was at the church." Regina smirked
"Really?!" Ruby turned in her sit.
Regina looked over to her but kept her eyes on the road, an amused grin on her lips as she chuckled.
"She asked if you were alright, how you were doing..." Regina listed. "If you had anyone in your life, you know, that you were with."
"No she-. Seriously?! Regina! She did not ask you that." Ruby gaped.
"Why would I lie to you?" Regina laughed.
"I don't know. Mess with me for almost getting Emma killed." Ruby joked and shrugged.
Regina gave her a look as if she were saying 'Really?' and Ruby shrugged again.
"I am not lying to you Ruby. And if I wanted to do something like that for what happened it would not be something as simple as crushing your hopes over your little schoolgirl crush on Ms. Gale." Regina rolled her eyes and huffed.
"You said you weren't mad!" Ruby groaned.
"I never said I wasn't mad... I said wasn't going to yell at you. And I didn't! I yelled at Emma...thinking back on it now I should have probably hit you over the head with something. Emma is too important to me." Regina clenched her jaw. "You are all important to me, and you could have died."
Ruby sighed and sagged against her sit. She already knew they would have died or been taken away if Emma hadn't done anything; it was all her fault and she couldn't stop seeing that maniacs face every time she closed her eyes.
"She did ask about you Ruby." Regina spoke up after a minute. "I don't think you noticed it but she kept looking at you pretty much the whole time we were out in the road that day. And then again when we were in the church."
"...she was?" Ruby looked up out at the road and over to Regina timidly.
"Yes! For some sort of relationships expert you aren't very good at this sort of stuff." Regina chuckled.
"Any relationship I've had has never lasted more than 6 months, and I've never had an actual one with a woman just one night flings." Ruby sighed.
"Dorothy seems like a good woman, very strong, she's definitely a leader... and nurturing too. She really cares about those kids I can tell, she told me she was a school teacher before things ended." Regina revealed.
"Meanwhile, I was just an immature waitress that drank and partied all the time. I always fuck things up Regina, a lot of my relationships ended because I'm a fuck up." Ruby brooded. "She doesn't need somebody like me."
"Ruby." Regina sighed. "You need to stop beating yourself up over what happened. You are...an amazing woman, and you definitely have matured in the time I've known you!...It's not about needing someone like you in her life...if she wants you and you want her then you should try...Just be yourself around her, don't try to be someone you're not. We are living in a literal apocalypse, allow yourself a chance to be happy. That's what I did, and I'm glad I did."
Ruby looked at Regina and absorbed everything she was telling her.
"You really think Dorothy and I could work? Like you really see us together?" Ruby asked.
"I can, but it doesn't matter what I think. Just don't stress it too much Ruby...really get to know her first. You two may have a whole lot in common...you never know." Regina shrugged.
"...Where you ever in a relationship before Emma?" Ruby questioned.
"What happened with Mallory is what you'd consider a fling I thought we could be more than that but I put too much faith in that situation...but other than that...just one very...serious relationship. I-...I was married to a woman for 5 years." Regina admitted. "Her name was Danielle."
Ruby tried to keep her face as neutral as possible but her eyebrows rose a little, she noticed Regina used 'was' and not 'is'.
"...You're a widow?...You never told us-, well me that..."
"We got married when we were pretty young...18 years old out in the middle of no where, with wedding bands and no marriage license. Not many people knew." Regina sighed.
"...What happened?" Ruby asked.
"Danielle...she died in a car accident when I was 23. So a long time ago." Regina nodded along.
"Did you...have any children with her?"
"No. We wanted to get married as soon as we could though after high school...and I think I rushed into it so fast because my mother was trying to keep us apart...but then she died. So we got married and just too much was going on so we decided it was best to wait until I was completely finished with my degree to have a baby...we waited...we moved away, bought this nice house and we started trying for a baby...but Danielle died that same year...she was a few weeks pregnant actually."
"...I'm sorry, Regina." Ruby frowned.
"It's alright...I've been at peace with it for a long time now."
"So you had been single for what? Over 10 years?" Ruby questioned.
"I just buried myself in my work, I got to travel a lot too...Uh I met Mallory during that time at a work related event and we'd meet up every so often after that...But then Zelena had Robyn and she didn't want to be alone so I...stopped leaving as much and stayed around to help her out. I made her, Robyn and my father my main priorities."
"Does Emma know any of this?..."
Regina sighed and gripped the wheel as they passed another biter, nipping at the inside of her cheek.
"About Danielle? No...not yet. It just...hasn't come up. I hadn't even spoken of her in years, I was a bit of a wreck after she died. I'm at peace with it now but I wasn't for a long time." Regina admitted. "I know I should tell her though...and I will."
Ruby shook her head slowly in understanding, looking out to the road. A comfortable silence settled over them as Regina continued to drive.
"Are you going to have a baby with Emma?" Ruby asked after a few minutes.
Regina placed her hand on the trucks gear shift and chuckled passively at Ruby's question. Regina wanted children, for sure, a child with Emma Swan, of course, however things were hard enough as is already living in the apocalypse. Emma has Henry who is already a handful but now Regina has him too and he is more than enough, she just got them she wasn't hoping for a baby right now.
"Not any time soon, Ruby. I would want that...eventually."
"...Henry's really cute. Now a baby between you and Emma would be extremely cute...But then you'd have to worry about diapers and formula." Ruby continued just looking at the trees.
"Emma still breastfeeds Henry." Regina mentioned. "She's starting to ween him off though."
"Oh...yeah her boobs don't look as big as they were."
"Have you been looking at her boobs?" Regina arched her brow.
"Not like staring at them intensely, just in passing. I do it to everyone." Ruby shrugged. "But that solves that then...I'm glad no one at the prison has wound up pregnant yet...giving birth is scary..." Ruby then gasped. "Wait! If you and Emma have a baby will you name them after me?!"
Regina snorted and laughed out loud, giving her an amused side eye, pressing her foot on the gas and shaking her head.
Sitting on the steps of the church, Dorothy smiled as she looked out, watching her dog Toto jump around and play with Robyn and some of the younger kids and jump in what bit of snow was left on the ground. Hearing the doors open behind her, she didn't turn around but heard the persons heels hitting the boards.
Feeling a body sit down right next to her on the step above her, Dorothy turned her head to the side and saw that it was just Jackson. He had a stiff look on his face, same as he always does, his eyes shifting back and forth as he watched the kids play with Toto.
"Hey Jack." Dorothy greeted him.
Jackson sighed and switched his gaze down to her, giving her a small sided grin.
"Hey, Ms. Gale." He tipped his head to her.
"You insist on calling me Ms. Gale. I've told you, Dorothy is fine Jackson." Dorothy chuckled and turned back around.
"You aren't having lessons today with the children?" Jackson asked.
"No." Dorothy sighed. "I think this whole thing about moving over to the prison has just been affecting everyone's nerves...they needed an afternoon to just relax."
"Regina and her people have been gone for 4 days now." Jackson tsked. "I'm starting to believe there is no bus, maybe even no prison to go to."
"They brought us food...twice and then blankets. They have to be getting it from someplace." Dorothy argued.
"You really think she cares about anyone here besides her family? If she could have, I'm sure she would've just taken them and never come back at all." Jackson scuffed.
"There's no need to be so negative, Jackson." Dorothy frowned and turned to look at him. "It was an option for Zelena to take Robyn and leave with her sister days ago. But she didn't she chose to stay here with us. If there isn't a bus then there just isn't a bus, I'm sure Regina and her people would be working on a different way to get us all over there."
Across the way, running around in circles from the kids, Toto suddenly stopped and his ears perked up. Panting hard and turning his little head towards the road, Toto started barking and weaving left and right on his front paws before he took off down the road.
"Ms. Dorothy!"
"Toto come back!" Robyn yelled
"Where are you going?!"
"Stop!"
Dorothy's head turned as she saw Toto zooming off and dodging the kids and seeing them chase after him a little before they stopped. Standing up and stepping off of the steps, Dorothy walked down to stand by the younger kids and watch ToTo run further down the road, hearing his tiny barks.
"ToTo!" Dorothy yelled out for him.
The dog heard her voice and stopped abruptly to look back at her, but his head turned back toward the road and he took off again.
"Damnit!" Dorothy groaned.
Starting off into a little jog and going after the dog, she only got a few steps in before she saw ToTo stop and just bark at the entrance. A truck turned right onto the road and Dorothy stopped, seeing the familiar vehicle and it's driver.
Regina turned down the road and quickly stopped seeing that ToTo was in the middle of it. Still barking and yipping, ToTo turned in circles before taking off towards the truck and standing up in his back legs to place his front paws up on the passenger door of the truck.
Ruby rolled her window down to poke her head out and look down at the little grey and black fur ball. Chuckling at the way his little wagged, Ruby looked down the road to see Dorothy standing there looking down at them. Quickly opening the door, Ruby called for ToTo to jump in.
After stepping back and turning in another circle, ToTo barked and rushed up to the open door, letting Ruby pull him in. Regina reached over and scratched behind his ears as he turned and wiggled in Ruby lap, turning towards the dash he put his front paws on and barked at Dorothy down the road.
Chuckling Regina eased her foot on the gas as the bus finally pulled up and started to turn behind the truck. Down the road, Dorothy's mouth gaped open a bit before she smiled and looked back to Jackson on the stairs. Jackson arched his brow at her still sitting down on the steps, but looked to kids as he heard and saw them start to cheer and jump around.
Hearing all the commotion from inside, Zelena stood up from one of the benches, walking towards the church doors followed by everyone else who was also inside hiding away from the cool air. Opening the doors to reveal the Robyn and the other kids, laughing and running down the dirt road.
"Where on earth are they going?" Zelena walked out and stood behind Jackson on the steps.
"I believe your sister and her team are back." Jackson hmphed, seeing some of the kids jumping and twisting in the air. "And I do believe we are leaving this church today."
"They're all so excited." Ruby chuckled smiling looking out at the kids in front of the truck.
ToTo was still barking out, his little tail wagging as he looked out to see all the kids jumping with joy. A few of the boys ran down to run up with the bus, waving at Kristoff, Mulan, and Philip inside the bus.
Mulan looked out the window at them and laughed out, waving back to them, Kristoff chuckled looking at them and honked the horn.
"I guess all that cranking was worth it seeing them like this." Mulan sighed and grinned.
Regina honked smiling, seeing Zelena on the steps of the church as they pulled up to the front, the bus bouncing on it wheels behind them, and Graham and Jefferson followed with a few of the boys who'd run down cheering in the bed of the truck.
"Auntie Gina!"
Regina chuckled and turned the truck off, when Robyn reached up to pull the door open and throw herself in Regina's hold as she was stepping out.
"Are we leaving the church today?! I can go to the library now?!" Robyn asked excitedly bouncing up and down, wrapping her arms around Regina's neck.
"Yes bebita!" Regina chuckled and quickly kissed her cheek. "For the last week my team and members from the group have been working hard. They all made this possible."
Regina held her firmly in one arm to reach out and close the door to the truck. Stepping around the front and opening her arm out to, welcome Zelena into a loving embrace. Zelena smiled and hugged her tight, sighing and laying her head down on Regina's shoulder.
"They really got it to work! We get to leave!...Can we do something nice for them, Auntie?" Robyn looked over her shoulder to look back at the bus.
"I was thinking the same thing, bebita. I'm sure we can think of something nice to do to say thank you." Regina nodded her head and rubbed her arm up and down Zelena's back.
Ruby went to get out of the truck and she felt her nerves spike up, seeing Dorothy walking her way. A firm hold on ToTo, Ruby stepped out and hit the door with her hip to close it. ToTo barked and stretched up to lick Ruby's face, which made her start chuckling pulling him back.
"ToTo!" Dorothy groaned. "I'm sorry, Ruby."
Ruby just smiled trying to hide her nervousness and rubbed along ToTo's back.
"It's alright. I've always liked dogs. He's a really cute pup." Ruby brushed it off and went to hand him over to her. "Here you go."
Dorothy took him from her and her fingertips brushed at Ruby's wrist as she grabbed him. Ruby felt a shiver through her and her heart was beating so loud in her ears she feared the other woman could hear it.
"Are you ok?" Dorothy asked adjusting Toto in her arms. "Regina and your team, kinda told us what happened last week with that man."
Ruby's chest rose as she let out a deep sigh. "Uh I-I am yeah...my arm doesn't hurt as much. And the bruise on my face is pretty much gone now...Just still working on my mental state, you know."
Dorothy was looking directly at her cheek now, and Ruby saw her eyes moving along as she was mapping out the frame of her face like she was trying to read her.
"Well...that's good to hear...I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Sometimes I think this was just the perfect opportunity for people to show their true selfs." Dorothy sighed and frowned. "You shouldn't have had to put your life on the line like that."
"Some days are better than others. Some people are just worse than others." Ruby shrugged.
Dorothy gave her a little sad smile and turned when a little kid ran up to them.
"Ms. Dorothy, Jackson said that we could take the board games we found in the back of the church to the prison with us." He smiled.
"Yes! Anything and everything we can take we will bring with us." Dorothy smiled back at him.
Nodding his head enthusiastically, he ran back off towards the church, followed by all the other kids as they went to go pack up their things.
Turning around and walking towards Regina as she was speaking to Kristoff, Dorothy smiled, letting ToTo down and laughed wrapping her arms around Regina to embrace her from the side. Regina let out a little "whoa", hunching her shoulders up and looked to her left to see Dorothy hugging her.
"Hello Dorothy." Regina chuckled and brought her arms up to wrap them around the woman.
"I was beginning to think we wouldn't see you for a while." Dorothy chuckled.
"I know, I apologize for being away for so long. We were all working to get the bus up and running." Regina patted her back.
"And you did it! Like actually did it! How?" Dorothy stepped back and looked over hr shoulder at the bus.
"The grace of God." Regina sighed looking over at it to. "And a whole lotta walnuts." she chuckled.
Kristoff groaned next to them and Regina laughed out loud, they had cracked and washed so many walnuts.
"You should go and pack your things too, I want to have you all settled back at the prison before it gets too dark." Regina looked back at Dorothy. "I've asked Granny Lucas to prepare a nice dinner, celebrate finally getting everyone there and as a thanks to everyone who worked so hard."
"We'll have to find a way to thank everyone." Dorothy nodded.
Regina agreed and watched her walk away towards the prison.
"Come on, there's a tool shed in the back. We can take any supplies we find back there." Regina nodded her head towards the back and started to walk off, Kristoff clapped his hands together and followed her around to the back.
Grunting as he loaded a box in the back of the bus, Kristoff pushed the box in and stepped back dusting off this hands and then his shirt.
"Alright. Is that everything?" Kristoff let out a heavy breath putting his hands on his hips.
Jackson walked over with the giant crate of cans they'd had in one hand and put in as well, he held his axe over his shoulder in the other hand. Stepping back he let out deep breath and stood right in front of Kristoff. Kristoff smiled at him but Jackson kept his face tight, his lips in a straight line as his looked at the almost equally tall man, gripping the handle of his axe tighter in his hand. Kristoff's eyes quickly switched back and forth, and he sucked his teeth clapping his hands in front of him, shuffling on his feet.
"Are you driving the bus?" Jackson's deep voice rang out.
"Uuh I was." Kristoff looked down into the back of the bus. "But you can?...if you wanna do that."
"I was a bus driver. Retired...before this whole shit show." Jackson revealed. "Buses, Trucks, Vans." he listed.
"Ah! Then you probably know how to work all the switches up there better than I do." Kristoff chuckled and took the keys from his pocket, tossing them over to the older man holding the axe.
Jackson caught the keys and twirled them between his fingers, looking up at Kristoff he gave him a simple nod and walked around him to head to the front. Kristoff sighed and chuckled, bringing his arm back to close the door and lock the handle down.
Stepping back he, patted the door twice and walked off towards his truck where Jefferson was standing near the door and Graham was inside sitting down with his foot propped up.
"Give me my keys, dingus, I'm driving." Kristoff snapped his fingers at Jefferson.
"Wha-? I thought you were driving the bus?" Jefferson sucked his teeth.
"The big guy is gonna drive, that's better too I'm sure the kids trust him to drive." Kristoff shrugged and snapped his fingers again. "Come on. Gimme. Now."
Jefferson smirked and threw the keys up and caught them, Kristoff sighed and reached for them as he tossed them up again and then again, but he didn't catch them. Jefferson jumped up and caught them over his head, pushing Kristoff to the side as he took off.
"Gotta get the keys first! If you wanna drive!" Jefferson laughed and ran around the truck.
Kristoff growled at his childish behavior and quickly moved to try and catch the smaller more agile man.
"Jefferson!"
"Hahahaha! Come on ice man! You don't want the keys."
"Give me the damn keys! You Jackass!"
"Regina can we ride back with you?" Zelena asked as everyone was climbing into the bus.
After making sure no one had to walk away into the woods to do their business, Dorothy started to load everyone on.
"Of course! I didn't want to just assume you'd want to ride with me." Regina grinned and looked down to Robyn. "If you want to ride in the bus with your friends, I understand." she ran her hand over the girls light brown waves.
"No I wanna ride with you, I miss you." Robyn smiled up at her and wrapped her arms around the taller woman's leg.
"I missed you too, my love. Alrighty then! Let's get back on the road then." Regina smiled and hauled Robyn up in her hands making the child giggle as she turned with her in her arms.
They looted the church for any and every possible thing they could before finally piling into the vehicles and turning them around to drive back down the dirt road.
In Regina's truck, Regina of course was driving, with Mulan in the passenger seat and Zelena, Robyn, and Ruby sat in the back. Kristoff managed to tackled Jefferson into the side of the truck to yank the keys from him, not before he hand to wrestle him on the dirty ground for them though.
Everyone around them found it extremely funny though, Graham didn't get out to assist but just stuck his head out if the window and laughed. Over in Kristoff's truck, Kristoff drove, with Philip in the passenger seat and Jefferson and Graham cuddled together in the back seat.
Jackson operated the bus just fine with every sitting comfortable in the seats. Dorothy and all the adults took the seats to the back, allowing the kids to take all of the front ones, only a few were able to get a seat themselves.
"Auntie Gina, you know what I miss the most?" Robyn spoke up from the middle back seat leaning forward placing her elbows down on the middle console.
"What's would that be, dear?" Regina grinned, quickly glancing over at the little one.
"Your lasagna!" Robyn smiled cheekily.
Zelena hummed in agreement from the back seat and Regina chuckled taking her right hand off the wheel and placing her elbow down in front of Robyn, her hand hovering over the gear shift.
"I miss that too, bebita. Especially making it with you." Regina smiled.
"Yeah! I miss helping you too! And our aprons! We left them at the house. I wonder if they are still there?" Robyn frowned.
"She's been talking about it for days now." Zelena rubbed her daughters back.
"You cooked? And made lasagna?" Mulan asked and chuckled.
"You wore an apron?" Ruby snickered.
"Someone had too, if my father didn't I did. Zelena isn't the best in kitchen." Regina teased and smirked looking back at Zelena in the rear view mirror.
"I won't even try to deny that claim. I am a terrible cook." Zelena laughed. "Regina's lasagna is the absolute best though."
"Auntie Gina, is the best cook! And our aprons were cool! She made lasagna, Oh! Your gooey cookies! and your Apple pie! And your strudels! I miss those too." Robyn pouted.
"Apple Pie! Those actually all sound really good right now." Ruby groaned and rubbed her growling stomach.
"Stupid end of the world." Robyn mumbled.
"Is that it?" Robyn put both hands down on the middle console and leaned forward to peer out of the front window. "Woah!"
Mulan looked over to the little girl and smiled, Regina chuckled and nodded her as they pulled up to the gates of the prison just as the sun was beginning to set through the clouds.
"This place is actually real." Dorothy gaped out looking at the fences and the prison.
The kids and everyone else all had similar looks on their faces, well except for Jackson.
"Ms. Dorothy! They have horses!" One of the 9 year olds said from the front.
Dorothy looked out laughed a little in disbelief and relief, sinking down into her seat next to her Aunt Em, who had a joyful smile spread across her face.
"The lord heard our prayers!" Aunt Em smiled brightly and kissed the back of her hand.
Peter and Felix got up from a bench out in the courtyard and ran to open the gates once they saw them coming down the road. Pulling the first gate open, Felix chuckled at all the open mouth stares that passed by him in the first truck and then the bus. He waved at the kids going and a few of them waved back. Peter did the same after opening the second gate.
Regina pulled up as far as she could into the courtyard, followed by the bus that stopped near a few benches and Kristoff pulled in to park next to Regina's truck.
"You've been here this whole time, Regina?" Zelena looked up at the prison building in awe glowing from the sunset.
"We have." Regina nodded as she put the truck in park turning in the seat at kissing Robyn on the forehead. "And now you're here."
"Come on let's go introduce you to everyone."