Ruby glared at the little corner table, where Neal, Hook, and Emma sat, laughing uproariously at something on Neal's phone. Two weeks had gone by since the… incident, and Hook still hadn't called to apologize.

So she didn't tell him she was a werewolf. Big. Fucking. Deal. After all, he didn't tell her that he was, like, a billion years old!

She lugged the heavy sugar bag onto the counter: it thudded on the counter, making Belle and Tink shoot her angry looks as their coffee cups rattled from the impact, and dripped.

"Sorry," she muttered, preparing to refill her damn sugar containers again. She looked up as Hook let out a particularly loud laugh,and buried his head in Neal's shoulder, Emma bending over the table as she shook with laughter. Ruby curled her lip.

She didn't know what happened last week, but suddenly, Neal, Hook, and Emma were like the Three Cabelleros again, and Hook had gone back to pretty much ignoring her. And he came into the diner every day. And he had the nerve to ignore her?

It was bad enough she had to watch him sit with Belle every day; but to see him sitting with Emma again? That was torture. It was like, he was rubbing it in her face how much he was ignoring her.

"No, why do I have to ask her?" she heard Tink hiss at Belle. "It's your wedding—"

"Vow renewal."

"Okay, whatever it is, it's not mine."

Belle's voice took on a threatening edge. "Maybe I'll ask Neal. Maybe I'll sit down and join him right now. And then who knows what will come up—"

"All right, all right!" Tink said hastily. Ruby immediately engrossed herself in unscrewing a particularly stubborn cap, trying to look as though she hadn't been eavesdropping ten seconds earlier. "Hey, Ruby," Tink called, leaning across the counter.

"You need a refill?" she asked, looking up innocently.

"No, uh…" Tink glanced at Belle, who frowned and nudged her impatiently. "All right!" Tink snapped, and turned back to Ruby. "Belle needs me to ask you if Granny would be willing to cater her wed—ow! Vow renewal." She winced, rubbing her leg where Belle had kicked her.

"Yeah, we do catering," Ruby said absently, watching as Emma pulled a magazine out of her bag and took out a pen. "Talk to Granny to schedule it." Neal and Hook had sobered some, and were now looking over Emma's shoulder at the magazine—both of them looking far too interested for Ruby's comfort. She suddenly realized she needed to clean the windows in that corner.

"…can't decide on a Halloween costume," Emma was saying as Ruby walked purposefully to the windows, brandishing a cloth and a bottle of Windex. "I was thinking about 'sexy policewoman'—"

"Yes," Hook said instantly. Ruby made a noise of disgust, which he apparently didn't hear.

"Hold on, sparky," Emma said, a slight frown on her face she went through the magazine. Ruby squinted, watching their reflection in the window as carefully as a sniper. "I also kinda like the 'sexy cowgirl'."

"I don't know," Neal said. "This isn't a decision you should rush. We should consider all the options carefully."

"I agree," Hook said immediately. "Heed his words, Emma. He's very wise."

Ruby rolled her eyes so much, her contact lens almost popped out.

"How about that 'sexy nurse' one?" Neal suggested, turning back a few pages. Hook's eyes widened.

"Bloody hell," he breathed. "Neal, quick—run me over with your car. I need to go to the hospital."

"I'll do it," Ruby muttered darkly, as she vigorously wiped the already-clean window.

"But there's also 'sexy French maid'," Emma said, flipping to another page. "What do you guys think of—?"

"YES."

Ruby turned around incredulously: Hook and Neal stood perfectly still, their eyes wide as they gaped unashamedly at the page. "Could you guys not be so disgusting?" she snapped. "It's a diner, people are eating."

Emma frowned at her. "Ruby," she said reprovingly, "it isn't nice to eavesdrop."

Ruby's mouth opened slightly. "But it's okay for you to talk about sexy French maid costumes in front of my boyfriend?"

"Not your boyfriend," Hook mumbled, still staring at the picture in awe. Ruby's eyebrows shot up, disappearing further into her bangs when Emma said, "Maybe I should get this one."

"That's a good idea," Neal said, nodding clumsily. Hook murmured his agreement, also bobbing his head up and down.

Ruby slit her eyes at him vehemently. "I need to talk to you," she said, dropping her cleaning supplies to the floor.

"But—sexy French maid!" he protested as she pulled him by the arm to the other side of the diner. Belle and Tink watched with mild interest as she dragged Hook to the back and into the pantry. She slammed the door shut and whirled around, glaring as she folded her arms tightly across her chest. He stared back, looking rather annoyed.

"Well?" he said, raising his eyebrows. Ruby inhaled deeply, trying to suppress the urge smack him senseless.

"What does that mean, 'not your boyfriend'?" she hissed. "And why—why—would you say that in front of Emma? Are you trying to tell me something? Are you trying to break up with me? What's the deal, here? What's going on with us?"

"We're sitting in a pantry, as far as I know," Hook said, glancing around the cramped space.

"Hook." Ruby was not even slightly amused. He met her eyes reluctantly, wincing as the force of her glare hit him.

"Oh, God, I don't know!" he said exasperatedly. "There was a sexy French maid in front of me, do you honestly think I was paying attention to what I was saying?"

She wasn't sure whether to find that comforting or not. "So… where does that leave us?"

Hook raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Where do you think it leaves us?"

She deliberated for a few minutes, studying him as he fiddled with a loose string. "I think it leaves us at you being hung up on Emma or sexy French maid or whoever it is you've been ignoring me for…." Ruby took a deep breath, summoning all her reserves of maturity. "And me forgiving you for it, because I know what it's like to feel like that."

Hook looked up, blinking a few times. "Wait, you're not mad?"

"I'm not happy," she said tensely. "But I get it. I went through the same thing with Jason… and Graham… and Bradley Cooper…"

Hook frowned. "You're right, that is annoying."

Someone rapped on the pantry door. "Ruby!" Granny's voice called out snappishly. "Ruby, what are you doing in there?"

"Ugh!" Ruby yanked the door open. Granny stood there with folded arms and pursed lips, her beady eyes squinting through her spectacles. "What?"

"What are you doing in here?" Granny repeated. She made a move to walk past her, but Ruby blocked her by putting her hands on either side of the doorway.

"Nothing," she said, trying to sound casual. "I'm just… doing inventory."

"Ruby," Granny frowned, trying to get past her. "Why are you…?" She trailed off as her eyes fell on Hook. Her mouth opened, and she staggered, whipping her head back to her granddaughter accusingly. "RUBY—!"

"Oh, honestly!" Hook snapped, getting up to walk to the door. He stopped at the doorway and gave Granny a disgusted look. "You have a filthy mind."

Granny stared after him as swept out the door, then whirled back to Ruby furiously. Ruby put out a cautious hand.

"Now don't get mad—"

"Ruby Lucas, get your skinny ass back out there and finish your shift," Granny hissed in quiet fury. Ruby groaned, tilting her head back.

"Granny, I swear, we were just talking—"

"Finish. Your. Shift." Granny glared at her. "And Mr. Gold and Belle are waiting for you to go over their reception menu with them, so hurry up." She stood still as Ruby made a frustrated noise and pushed past her. "And smile!"

Ruby pulled her lips back in a sarcastic smile and stalked to the counter, where Gold and Belle were sitting, murmuring as they frowned at a menu.

"Hey. Granny said you guys needed some help," Ruby said, leaning her elbows on the counter. Belle closed her eyes at the sound of her voice, but Gold looked up with a smile.

"Afternoon, Ruby," he said pleasantly. "We were just trying to decide between chicken parmesan and lasagna for the entree."

"Isn't it, like, the same thing?" Ruby asked, lifting her eyebrows. Gold looked scandalized.

"Chicken parmesan and lasagna, the same thing?" he said. "Are you mad, woman?"

"I think we should do the chicken," Belle said, looking rather grumpy. "People always bring food to these things, and Regina's going to want to bring lasagna. I don't want there to be two lasagnas."

"Just tell people not to bring stuff," Ruby suggested in a bored voice. "Problem solved."

"That would be rude," Gold said, shifting uncomfortably. "I-I don't want to be rude."

"Then get chicken."

"But I like lasagna," he whined.

"Regina will bring lasagna," Belle said through clenched teeth. "We should get chicken."

"But Belle…"

"Rumple, you said I could decide everything," she said heatedly. "The dress, the venue, the flowers—"

"And those are all fine, I don't care about any of those," Gold said. "But I have to eat the food, I should get a say in what I'm putting in my mouth."

Belle put her head in hands, speaking in a muffled voice. "Rumple, so help me God…"

Ruby's attention wandered as they started a muttered argument. Her eyes travelled back to the little corner table, where Emma and the guys were still looking through her Halloween magazine. Ruby's shoulders tensed and she felt her temper rise again….but then, as if he could feel her eyes on him, Hook looked up and offered her a cautious smile.

Surprised, she smiled back. He turned back to the magazine, joining in a discussion on the merits of sexy policewoman over sexy nurse, but this time Ruby didn't mind as much.

Her smile twitched as Emma turned to another page and Hook wiggled his eyebrows, grinning widely.

"'Sexy pirate wench'. I like it."

"No, no, no," Neal said immediately, reaching over and turning the page. "Come on, dude, I thought we agreed on 'sexy French maid'."

"I do love 'sexy French maid'," he mused, rubbing his thumb thoughtfully against his mouth.

"I still like 'sexy policewoman'," Emma said, turning back.

"But you're 'sexy policewoman' every day," Neal pointed out. Emma smiled and swatted his arm.

"Neal," she said admonishingly, though she sounded rather pleased. Ruby pursed her lips, feeling her temper rise again.

I wonder how she'd feel about going as 'sexy murder victim', she thought to herself bitterly.

I can't make up my mind about RedHook. I can't help it, they make me laugh with how horrible they are together.