Title: But You Can Save Me From Madness, Part Three
Pairing: Regina/Ruby
Rating: R
Length: 6, 740
Summary: Ruby needs an escape and Regina's house has been empty for a long time.


Ruby had forgotten how much she enjoys sex. Her former reputation had definitely been worth it in her past life, though she was pickier than people made her out to be. Two different guys and one girl in twenty-eight years seems reasonable to her. And Red hadn't exactly found the time to meet a guy after the trauma of her first relationship.

Ruby used to hate this particular style of sex, feeling suffocated when she was underneath someone, powerless and at his or her whim. But Ruby doesn't mind it now, appreciating the safe feeling of being surrounded by someone, Whale's five o'clock shadow brushing against her cheek and neck while he moves on top of her. Her legs wrap around his hips under the blankets while her hands sift through his blonde hair.

To his credit, Whale is pretty decent in bed. And when they finish he treats it lightly, telling her she's more than welcome to stay. She does, turning to lay her head on his chest, listening while his heartbeat slows to normal. Whale doesn't need any more incentive than that, wrapping his arm around her shoulders while his free hand reaches to pull the blankets to their correct position.

When they wake up, it's as easy as it had been the first night she spent at Regina's. They eat breakfast and have coffee and talk. When they go to redress, he stops her from unbuttoning the blue dress shirt she had stolen from him to eat in.

"You should keep that. Don't girls like to do that? Keep shirts and mementos from guys?"

"From their boyfriends," Ruby corrects as she reaches for her tight jeans.

"Well, I'm your… guy-friend. Keep it. Looks better on you anyway, I can't pull off that particular shade of blue anyway. It clashes with my beautiful eyes too much."

She laughs and does the one button back up before pulling on her pants. The shirt fits better than the one she has from Graham, tucking into her jeans without much hassle. She loosens the cuffs so she can roll the sleeves up and steps into her shoes, grabbing her leftover shirt before kissing Whale's cheek and leaving.

Ruby nearly laughs at the expression on Granny's face, but she manages to hold it together long enough to drop her shirt in the laundry room and grab an apron. Mary Margaret comes in as soon as she emerges again and smiles, but moves to the farthest booth as David follows behind her. Of course, seeing as Ruby is the only one working, Mary Margaret's plan is slightly flawed.

"What can I get you?" She asks as she approaches, a fresh pot of coffee in her hands. She fills each cup as she pretends not to notice the signals Mary Margaret is clearly giving David.

"Just bacon and eggs for me," the former queen says tightly.

"Me too," David says immediately, following with a hesitant look on his face, "Look, Ruby…"

"It's forgotten," she says simply, her expression genuine but not quite bright. David just nods and Ruby turns around so she can quickly write up their order and hand it to the kitchen. She's about to turn back to engage in some sort of meaningful conversation when Regina walks in, wrapped in her black coat.

"Coffee?" Ruby offers somewhat meekly.

"To go," Regina nods as she stands at the counter. Ruby fills her cup, stirring in the cream and sugar before topping it with a lid. "Thank you."

"See you for dinner tonight?" She asks quietly as she rings up the order in the till, getting Regina her change.

"Seven?" Ruby nods and Regina retreats. "See you then."


Ruby doesn't shower when she returns home, despite a probable need for one. Instead she strips down and changes into a sports bra and yoga pants and begins a rigorous workout. Her favorite invention in this world is definitely the ability to bring music wherever you go, whenever you need it. Thousands and thousands of songs you can take anywhere. Ruby, like most in the town, is just starting to catch up with the truly modern music in the world, like Adele and that song that girl sings about calling her… maybe. Ruby loves it, gets lost in it for hours until Regina opens her door at a quarter to eight.

"Sorry I'm late," she intones blandly as Ruby removes her headphones, "Though it doesn't seem like you noticed. We have guest for dinner. And there was something left on the doorstep from the flower shop."

Regina reveals the wrapped bouquet, handing it to Ruby and grabbing a vase from one of the slim tables in the hall, heading towards the bathroom. Ruby tears at the paper, revealing red tulips and a card she can't help but laugh at.

"Gem of my life.

V. W."

She has to hand it to Whale, he writes his own cards and even seems to pick out his own flowers – the tulips are vibrant and fresh and beautiful. Ruby can't remember the last time she had gotten flowers. She slips the card into the pocket of the hoodie she had thrown on at Regina's arrival, and gladly accepts the now water-filled vase from the older woman.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes to shower. Don't bother getting done up or anything, it's just Henry."

Regina leaves without another word and Ruby promptly obeys, setting the vase down on her dresser and having a quick, hot shower before redressing – exchanging Whale's shirt for one of her own. She heads downstairs with her hair still partially damp, smiling at Henry as she settles into the empty spot at the table in between him and his mother.

"How's it going?" She asks casually, because she has spent a fair amount of time with this kid now and has known him his whole life. Ruby reaches for her wine before her ham, despite feeling both weary and starved. "In high school yet?"

"You know I'm not."

"Right, right. How's your new teacher?" She can feel Regina watching her carefully in her peripheral, but she keeps her gaze on Henry as she begins on her scalloped potatoes.

"She's good but she doesn't spend enough time on English. We've only read two books this whole year." Henry, much like his mother, is good with people, though in a different way. A natural easiness with someone, no matter who, or what, they were – a born and bred politician.

"Just read on your own and ask Belle any questions, she'd love it."

"She should start a book club," Regina remarks casually from her end of the table, wine glass still in her hand, meal untouched. "I'm sure a lot of other students would join."

"I'll talk to her about it," Ruby offers. Again, the meal goes by more easily than Ruby could have imagined, but she can't help but notice that Regina had barely touched her meal the entire night. Still, they end up all sitting in the living room, the conversation surprisingly cheerful, even on Regina's end.

"So what's it like being the wolf?"

"Pretty awesome," Ruby replies, earning a laugh from Regina who was sitting on the couch with Henry, running a hand through his hair.

"You're pretty much a superhero without the wolf thing anyway. Super speed and strength."

"I keep hoping that I'll learn to fly one day so I can take this Superman guy out for good." She shouldn't have had another glass of wine. Both of the Mills' are laughing though.

"Why did you move in with my mom?" Henry asks bluntly but not unkindly.

"I… I guess I needed a change. Your mom was nice enough to help me out with that." Ruby eyes Regina over the rim of her glass, taking another long drink. "She's pretty cool like that."

"So are you going to stay long?"

Regina's staring blankly at Ruby despite the desperate look for help clearly written on her face – as if she asked the question herself and is waiting patiently for a response.

"As long as she'll let me, I guess."

Henry turns his head up, still leaning against his mother's side, waiting for a remark. "Well, I'll give you a trial run, but I've never been great with pets."

Ruby scoffs and throws a pillow at her and Regina laughs, catching it without spilling a drop. The night is easy and nice and downright lovely up until Henry has to leave. Ruby walks with them to meet Emma at the door, leaning against the wall as she watches Regina bend down to hug her son tightly. Emma gives Ruby a small wave, which Ruby returns, and before long the door is closed and she's left alone with Regina.

"The worst pain imaginable," she quotes as Regina turns to walk up the stairs, stopping immediately at her own echoed words. "Every day."

"Every day," Regina parrots without emotion, staring at Ruby as if she really was waiting for an answer to something she hadn't asked. Ruby pushes off from the wall until she's standing a foot away from Regina, hands slipped into her back pockets. "Whale?"

Ruby nods and looks down, laughing a little. "I wouldn't give him a bad recommendation."

Regina smiles and turns to walk up the stairs, hand carefully gliding along the rails. "I'm going to have a bath and go to bed. Thank you for the company at dinner."

"Thank you for dinner," Ruby offers lamely in reply, watching as Regina ascends the stairs and disappears in the hall. She walks up to her own room, the aches in her muscles finally settling in now that there was nothing to distract her from the vicious three hour workout she had earlier that evening.

Collapsing on her bed, Ruby sighs and stretches her arms above her head, listening as the tub on the other side of the house finishes filling with water. She grabs whatever book she had left on her bedside table and continues reading, propped up against the headboard, tired but alert.

Two hours pass and Ruby has made a considerable dent in her book, but she still finds herself unable to sleep despite her exhaustion. She considers going for a run, but her muscles immediately protest when she rises from her bed. Instead, Ruby walks down the hall quietly and quickly, stopping at Regina's door and listening. She expects to hear a command to come in, but Regina seems fast asleep.

She slips in unnoticed, heading towards the unoccupied side of the bed, debating internally for a long time until she finally settles under the comforter, but not the sheets (her compromise for the situation). She turns to face Regina's back, listening to her quietly breathe in and out. It doesn't take her long to fall asleep.


Regina is gone when she wakes up, actually gone because Ruby has slept until noon. She blindly rises from the bed and walks through the hall and down the stairs, finding the coffee ready to brew and a note telling her there was a plate in the refrigerator for her.

She heats up the pancakes, moving at a lethargic pace as she waits for the coffee. When she finally gets a cup, she wakes up and finishes her meal quickly. She dresses for work, but decides to take a drive around town as she waits for her shift to start. She doesn't mean to go by the school, but she ends up at a stop sign with Mary Margaret waving her over from the grass where her students are settled.

She parks the car around the corner and walks over, smiling a little nervously. Large groups of children are not her forte. Still, Mary Margaret implores her to sit.

"I'm sure you guys know Ruby, right?" The children nearly step over each other to agree, and Ruby smiles, settling in and sitting on her shins, nervously playing with the keys in her hand. Mary Margaret turns to her and informs her of their situation, "We're talking about the other land."

"Well, what can I do to help you?" Ruby asks as she glances down at the xeroxed copies of maps of their former homeland.

"I've been telling them how far I travelled, but I need some help filling in the gaps. Thankfully, you were with me every step of the way," Mary Margaret replies warmly, looking at Ruby with her bright blue eyes.

"Not every step," Ruby reminds her before adding with a wink to the class, "just the ones that mattered."

They spend a half an hour discussing their routes, the traps they fell for, the ones they outsmarted, how they survived. It's somewhat invigorating for Ruby to retell her history with Snow, and she finds herself sad when the final bell of the day rings. The kids rush inside to get their things but Mary Margaret lingers, a permanent smile having taken over her face.

"That was great. You should come again. I get a ton of questions about Red, you know," she adds, motioning for Ruby to follow her inside the building and to her class, where Mary Margaret grabs her coat and purse. Henry meets them on the stone steps, rising as they come out the main doors to the school.

"I heard you were here today. Why don't you talk to my class?" He asks as they descend the stairs.

"It wouldn't be half as interesting without Snow White there. I was just the sidekick." She flicks him in the shoulder, but guides him across the lawn to her car. "Come on, I'll treat you and your grandmother to a hot chocolate."

"That gets less and less funny the more people say it," Mary Margaret laments as she follows behind. When they arrive at the diner they meet up with Ashley, who is waiting for Sean, now her husband, to get off work. Mary Margaret immediately begins to coo over the baby, swaying her back and forth when the blonde hands her over.

Henry sits at the counter, his backpack falling to the floor by his feet. "Why do girls freak out over babies?"

Ruby laughs and wraps an apron around her waist before she tends to the promised drinks. "It's a hormone thing. They make us crazy."

"Do you want one?"

"Nah. I like being able to pass them back when they start crying." She steams the milk and squints through the haze as she watches Emma walk through the door, talking politely with Regina. "Your moms are getting along a lot better lately."

"It's weird when you say 'my moms'. But they are so that's cool. I think Emma trusts my mom more now that you live with her."

Ruby glances up as both Regina and Emma become sidetracked by the baby, then turns to Henry, grabbing the whipped cream and cinnamon shaker and passing them over after finishing Mary Margaret's so he could add his own.

"What about David and Mary Margaret? Are they still fighting about... me and her being friends?" She feels somewhat guilty trying to extort information from a child by distracting him with whipped cream, but no one ever talks about her and Regina's situation when Ruby was within hearing distance.

"A little. I think they want to invite you back over for dinner though."

Emma is awkwardly backing away from the baby and asks Ruby to make another hot chocolate as she takes the whipped cream can from her son. "That kid is growing like a weed."

"So is yours," Ruby comments with her back turned.

"Nah, I think he's done. You're good with staying that height, right, kid?" Henry sticks his tongue out but doesn't comment on account of the tower of whipped cream he's eating away at with a spoon.

Mary Margaret joins them with a wistful sigh, leaving Regina to talk with Ashley, who was nervous but allows Regina to hold the baby nonetheless. They're talking about parenting things that frankly bore the hell out of Ruby so she tunes out and gives Emma her hot chocolate.

"I miss babies. People in this town need to have more babies," Mary Margaret sighs as she blows on her steaming cup.

"Speak for yourself," Emma replies, shaking on the cinnamon.

"I am."

"Not true," Regina says as she approaches, Ashley having returned to the arduous process of trying to make her daughter eat something. "I agree with the more babies movement."

She takes a seat next to Mary Margaret and for the next half hour there's peace amongst their family as they talk about the maps they had been looking at that day, Mary Margaret pulling out her copy that's marked with numerous things she has added herself, mostly about her journeys across the vast land. Regina comments on her father's estate, and she discusses it with Henry, Mary Margaret even commenting herself.

She had even begun explaining their route the time she and Emma were sucked back when David arrives, fresh from work. Mary Margaret freezes suddenly and the tension rises. Ruby can feel the hair on the back of her neck standing and she shakes herself to try and relieve the feeling of stress she's picking up on from nearly everyone in the room.

"I came to pick you up," David states simply not looking at anyone other than his wife.

Mary Margaret, to her valiant credit, just smiles in return and attempts to brush it off. "We'd better get going. You smell like a barn." She turns back to the counter and gathers her things. "I'll see you all later."

Ruby can feel that David is aware of her as he walks out to his pick up, clearly avoiding speaking while she could hear them. The old truck starts with a roar and as soon as they're out of sight, Emma stands from her stool.

"We should get going too, I guess."

They leave but not before Henry hugs his mother. When they're gone, Regina laughs at Ruby's expression. "Progress is progress," she says simply before dropping a bill and following them.


Dinner goes by without much comment, Regina isn't eating much as she looks over papers in a folder she has next to her plate. There's nothing rude about Regina's conduct, she speaks when she has something to say and engages in any conversation Ruby starts, giving her full attention to the other woman when addressing or being addressed.

Ruby wants to talk about the fact that they had slept together in the most literal sense, but Regina has said nothing to give away the very idea that it's on her mind at all. So Ruby remains quiet until she can't hold it in any longer, blurting it out at their ten o'clock meeting.

"I'm sorry if I weirded you out last night. I couldn't sleep and… I… I don't know. I sleep better when someone else is there. I think it's the wolf thing. Pack mentality." She's blushing the same color as her dark red wine, but she manages to keep herself from performing any other nervous tics. "I'm sorry."

"Here I thought you were a lone wolf," Regina remarks dryly, gaze unwavering as always.

"Not by choice," Ruby states with little emotion.

"I thought you were sleeping quite well here."

"I was," the brunette insists quietly from her seat. "Last night I couldn't though… the night before was another story."

"So he wore you out, huh?" Regina takes a drink, but Ruby can see the smile on her face.

"I think it just reminded me that I missed that. I missed sleeping with Snow." She winces at her choice of words. "You know, actually sleeping with her. When we were on the run and it was just the two of us."

"She managed to make quite a few friends," Regina dictates cryptically, uncrossing one knee just to cross the other.

"I just had a really fun time. She was so… hopeless," Ruby laughs, looking down at her lap. "And sweet. But really, really hopeless at first. I mean, when she ran away from your huntsman, she ran up a mountain. Up! Up a snowy, freezing cold goddamn mountain. Her survival instincts were questionable to say the least."

Regina manages to laugh quietly, but Ruby can see the guilt in her eyes.

"But she caught on. Quickly. She helped me through the worst time of my life without having known me for more than a day. She was so willing to help me get back on my feet in the middle of a snowy forest, on the run from two sets of people – the guards after her and my village after me. But she stayed with me. And she learned. To shoot, to spear, to cook, to make a shelter – everything." Ruby's smile won't die down, remaining bright on her lips. "She's a survivor."

"You're telling me," Regina breathes and Ruby laughs again, though this time in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I guess you know more than anyone."

"She was a good kid. That's why I couldn't manage to do anything for so long, until I knew she could at least defend herself. The anger… it kept growing, but I couldn't lay a hand on her. Sometimes it was like she really was my daughter." Regina's index finger taps against her glass. "She was a cute kid. A princess who didn't know how pretty she really was. How loved she was by the people. They loved me too, though."

"From what I can tell, other than your terrible need for vengeance that led to a whole land being transported to another universe, you were a good ruler to your people." Ruby smiles. "You still are."

Regina squints at her for a long moment before replying, "That was a good change of subject. You should be in politics."

"You caught me, you crafty bitch," the brunette sighs as she takes a sip of her wine, Regina laughing across the room. "I'm going to stick with the wolf thing. It seems like my best defense."

"Natural politician," Regina begins immediately, draining what's left in her glass before continuing, "And, I suppose it's a valid weird wolf point. People already have the wrong impression about you staying here though."

"They do. I'm sorry about that," she says honestly, all the while wondering in the back of her head how Regina could remain so composed after a bottle and a half of wine. "But that probably won't ever change."

"It won't," Regina agrees courteously, "and I'd hate for you to not feel comfortable here."

Ruby stares at her for at least a minute before she can find her voice. "You want to sleep with me?"

"I didn't even notice last night, I probably won't tonight." Regina's voice drops to a certain drawl sometimes, something that's seductive and dangerous and it immediately sets Ruby on edge for some reason. "But if it were to get out-"

"It won't, I promise-"

"Your friends would probably lynch me and tell my son that I decided to go home or something equally as creative as that." Regina's warm brown eyes have taken on a sharp look and Ruby finds herself speechless and nodding in reply. "Your room is your room. The rest of the house is as open to you as it is. Now, I'm going to change for bed. I'll see you."

Ruby waits until she slowly nurses the rest of her wine into oblivion before she stands to walk to her room. No matter where she leaves a dish or glass, they always vanish before she wakes, returned to their proper place in the cupboard completely spotless. She changes into sweatpants and Whale's shirt; feeling like the reminder of her recent encounter would keep her mind off a new one.

She walks into Regina's room with a fake bravado, immediately beelining for the side of the bed she slept on the night before. Regina's reading from the same folder she had at dinner.

"What is that anyway?" Ruby inquires, staring up at the ceiling.

"Book orders for your friend. She's cast a large net here."

"I think she just did that so you'd weed out the excess and settle for the ones she really wants." Ruby yawns and rolls onto her left side, facing away from the woman beside her. "That's why she puts the good ones on the first few pages."

"Clever little brat," she hears Regina mumble as she divides the stack in two and tosses the bottom half onto her nightstand while leaving the rest in the folder. She turns off her lamp, bringing them into darkness as she settles under the covers. "Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Regina."


A week goes by without interruption to Ruby's new routine. Wake up, shower as Regina prepares breakfast, do the dishes as Regina gets ready, head to work or to the school or to Whale's office to hang out, return home for dinner, read or listen to music or workout at night, have a glass of wine with Regina, and then settle into bed next to the woman on her queen-sized bed without any further comment about it.

On Friday, a particularly warm and sunny day, Mary Margaret walks into the diner with a bright smile on her face. She invites Ruby to dinner, saying she had already cleared it with Whale, and begging her to agree. Ruby gives herself time for a little consideration, Mary Margaret looking up from her plate with puppy dog eyes whenever she passes by.

"Fine," she eventually acquiesces, smiling as Mary Margaret immediately jumps to her feet and hugs her.

"It'll be great. I promise. Nothing like last time."

Ruby arrives at Whale's apartment at ten minutes to seven, and as soon as he enters the car he begins laughing. For two blocks, he continues until he finally catches his breath. "I can't believe you wore my shirt."

"I thought you'd appreciate the gesture," she chimes, earning an even harder laugh from her counterpart as she pulls onto the long street that had the Charming residence at the end of it. "How was your day?"

"Not too bad. Kids came in for their visit the patient thing, so I couldn't drink. Davey better not be stingy tonight." Whale straightens his tie in the mirror, glancing over only briefly. "How about you? How's life in Casa de Mills?"

"It's been… perfectly fine. I like it. I feel bad though, Regina won't accept any rent or money for groceries or anything. I'm thinking about sneaking her bills and paying them behind her back."

"A master plan if I ever heard one."

"Shut up," she replies, punching his shoulder as she speeds through the empty streets.

"How's your book babe friend? Still hung up on Gold."

"Unfortunately."

"I swear there's not a single woman in this whole town," his smile turns into a smirk, "other than you and your roommate, of course."

"Can't charm Emma into meeting your demands?"

"Not worth the time."

"Rude," she accuses as she pulls up to the curb in front of Mary Margaret's house. They're both without jackets on the warm spring night, but are welcomed in just as briskly as they were before. It's the same crowd as it had been on their previous dinner, but they're all immediately sent to the dining room table to eat before Mary Margaret gets them their drinks. She keeps the whiskey in the dining room, on a hutch close behind Whale for convenience.

The conversation is less strained, though Whale and David both hit their drinks just as hard. Ruby can feel the former king and mayor watching her with idle curiosity, but he says nothing throughout the meal. Whale and Mary Margaret are good about keeping the conversation flowing until dessert.

Dessert itself, however, turns into a different story when Mary Margaret dares to bring up the topic of Ruby's lodging.

"So, Ruby, when are you moving out of Regina's? There's an opening at the loft, you know." Charming remains focused on the peach cobbler on his plate, so it seems like an innocent enough question for Ruby to answer.

"I'm not sure I will. Not for the foreseeable future anyway." Ruby smiles and spins her fork on her plate. "I'll stay as long as she'll let me."

"Are you kidding me?" David asks suddenly.

Before she can reply, Mary Margaret interjects. "David. He didn't mean to make it sound like that."

Ruby stops before her mouth can form a word and stares across the table at her best friend. "What do you mean?"

Mary Margaret stares back with an identical look of confusion. "Well, you aren't really going to… live there, are you? I'd like to think I've come pretty far in forgiving Regina, but I would never live with her."

Whale's hand comes up to rest on the back of Ruby's chair as he ignores his dessert. "Rent-free living is hard to pass up," he adds in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

"It has nothing to do about money and you know that," David fumes as if Ruby had said it herself. "You can't possibly live with the woman who stole your life away."

"You mean the one who gave me a new one that I liked even more? I thank her, actually," she throws back casually.

"Thank her? For what, ripping apart our lives? For making us give up our daughter?"

"You chose to do that and no one else," Ruby snaps.

"Ruby…" The brunette turns her attention to the ebony haired woman across from her again. "You can't possibly believe us losing our child was for the best. Emma didn't have a home growing up because we had to make that decision."

Emma, the subject in question, takes a long drink and avoids any eye contact while her son sits by totally enrapt in the conversation.

"And Henry wouldn't be here if she hadn't. Sometimes it's the whole picture you have to look at. No offense, Emma. But I grew up without parents, too. And I had twenty-eight years where I didn't have to remember that I killed the boy I wanted to spend my life with. I had a new life where ghosts didn't haunt me." Ruby stands from the table, Whale sighing and sliding out of his seat as she does. "Well, this was fun. We'll try again next month and see if anything changes."

"Red…" The look on Mary Margaret's face almost makes Ruby reconsider her plan, but she steps around the table anyway and heads towards the door. She and Whale drive in silence until they pull to a stop in front of his apartment building.

"So… same time next month?"

She can't help but laugh, though her hands still clench the steering wheel. "Please tell me I'm not in the wrong."

"You're not in the wrong."

"But neither are they."

Whale nods and looks over at her. "Neither are they."

"This is so shitty," she sighs, finally relaxing back into the seat. She returns his gaze and smiles, not needing to verbalize the relief she feels at his presence. He knows, and smiles in return.

"Nightcap?"

Ruby laughs again, taking a deep breath before she nods and shuts off the engine.


She doesn't stay this time, accepting the kiss on the cheek from Whale at his doorway and insisting that he didn't send flowers. He laughs and waits until the elevator closes before he returns into his apartment.

Ruby drives slowly back to her home, and walks up the staircase even slower. When she enters the bedroom, Regina is asleep on her stomach, facing in towards the bed. She walks around to her side and undoes her jeans, kicking away her socks. Sliding onto the bed, she slowly lets out a breath as she faces Regina, who looks so young as she sleeps serenely in the moonlight.

When she wakes up, Regina is still in bed and is staring at her. Ruby is alert at once, holding her breath. Regina says nothing, however, she only stares for a moment and then turns to step off the bed, dressed in nothing but a black slip. She heads for the hallway, but Ruby speeds to cut her off, stopping her until they stand face-to-face.

"Did you have a good night?"

"No."

Regina eyes her up for a moment. "Did you have fun?"

"How can you understand me so well when I barely know a thing about you?" Ruby breathes, her face imploring and confused. "How can you know what I need before I say a word?"

"Because I know you, Ruby." Regina sets her jaw and stands straight and suddenly Ruby feels small, shaking her enough that she leans back against the railing, allowing Regina to pass if she chose to. She doesn't though; she turns so they were in the same position as before. "I know you like no one else ever will because we're two sides to the same coin, and unless you understand that, you'll never understand me. Your friends are going to tell you that this is a lie and that you're nothing like me, and you're not in some ways, but you know better. You're a smart girl."

Ruby's eyes close and she feels Regina step closer, her hands resting on the bannister on either side of Ruby's hips. "Tell me why you came here, Ruby."

Ruby's eyes open. Regina is intimidating and inviting and her body is melting against Ruby's, all soft curves and sleep-warmed skin. "Because you know me."

Regina isn't soft when she kisses Ruby, she's demanding and rough, just like Ruby imagined her to be, just like Red fantasized she'd be. Ruby's hands grasp her shoulders and bring her closer, even as one of Regina's moves from the bannister to brush past Whale's shirt and slide beneath her underwear.

If her heartbeat hadn't been beating in her ears and if her lungs hadn't been so desperate for breath that she gasped between each kiss, she would have heard it – the arrival of people walking up the pavement to the front door. The banging of someone's fist against the wood has her bolting down the hall to Regina's open bedroom door, disheveled and gasping. She and Regina share a brief moment of shock across the hall before Charming's foot opens the door with a loud crack and bang.

Regina composes herself and walks calmly down the stairs as he calls for her name. Ruby dares herself to walk back to where she had just stood so she could hear the small group of people she could pick out by their individual scents – David, Mary Margaret, Emma, and Archie. She's relatively surprised she doesn't smell the scent of baking, but Granny seems to have opted out of this occasion.

"Can I help you?" Regina asks as the sound of David's steps climbing into the foyer are heard echoing through the house.

"What have you done to her?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ruby hears the sound of a skin meeting skin, a slap that's followed by the gasps and objections of the three other people at the door. Ruby's heart is in her throat and she's paralyzed for a moment, but when she hears the sound of David's gold band clinking against the metal of his gun, she's down the stairs in an instance, grasping David's wrist so tightly that she can hear the bones fracture before the gun falls to the floor.

"Ruby, let him go," Regina whispers behind her back.

Ruby, in turn, loosens her grasp but doesn't let go of her hold completely as she meets the eyes of each intruder, so they know she's talking to all of them when she eventually speaks to David.

"If anyone harms a hair on Regina's head, I will hunt them down myself." She can hear her own breath coming out as small puffs while David strains in front of her. She lets the blonde man go, but remains standing where she is, between him and Regina.

"Ruby," Mary Margaret starts as Archie rushes forward to pull David back down the stairs and out of the manor. She and Emma remain in the doorway, Emma wide-eyed and Mary Margaret heartbroken.

"I mean it. She's my friend. She's taken me into her home. She's done everything she could possibly do to earn your respect back, but if you're not willing to ever give it then let's stop the façade completely, okay?"

Mary Margaret doesn't say anything else, just turns to follow her husband. Emma stands in spot for a moment before she slowly walks up the stairs to retrieve David's handgun. She gives Ruby a look, not quite of acceptance or otherwise, just one that tells her that it'll blow over in time.

She's left standing with Regina as the broken door is closed. Before anything can be said, Ruby turns on foot and walks calmly up the stairs. She changes into her jogging outfit and runs out the door with her headphones on before she can hear what Regina is doing.

Ruby runs all day, until the moon begins to rise. Tomorrow she can change and forget about everything as the wolf, but tonight she's stuck as herself. She walks home in the dark, muscles again protesting at the harsh workout inflicted on them without notice.

She can hear the sounds of a bath in the far corner of the house and she follows it blindly. Like a dog returning to its owner, she finds herself kneeling in front of the bathtub as Regina soaks in the murky water. Her face is relaxed if not friendly, despite the darkened bruise on her left cheek.

"A badge of honor," she declares somewhat sardonically, but Ruby knows it's the truth. She'll wear the bruise proudly for anyone who wishes to see it.

Ruby reaches over to softly brush the back of her finger against the discolored skin. "You could heal it away."

"I'm aware." Ruby sits back down and Regina smiles warmly, lifting her hand from the water to watch the droplets fall from her fingers back into the tub. "I'll be in shortly."

The brunette nods and stands from her position, heading back out into the hallway and towards her room. She flexes her hand as she walks, unable to get rid of the feeling of bones crushing beneath her fingers. No matter how hard she ran and how much she hurt, the feeling had stayed with her the entire day. Ruby changes quickly, and applies some extra deodorant for consideration before she follows the same trek back.

She's in the bed alone for a long time as Regina goes through her nightly routine, not coming out of the bathroom until her hair is blow-dried and her skin is soft from lotion. Regina settles into bed as if Ruby isn't there, turning off her light and settling in on her back, mirroring Ruby's position.

She doesn't move, however, when Ruby turns to rest her head on her shoulder, sliding her hand across Regina's silk-covered stomach and grasping her hip.

"Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Regina."