Title: But You Can Save Me From Madness, Part Seven
Pairing: Regina/Ruby
Rating: R
Length: 6, 500
Summary: Ruby needs an escape and Regina's house has been empty for a long time.
"Well, from what I can see, you have a perfectly healthy three month old fetus here. Strong heartbeat and," the ultrasound technician moves the wand, "if you look here, you can see the head."
"Look at that little face," Whale says from behind Ruby, who is laying back and staring at the screen in wonder. "So everything looks good?"
"Well, you could stand to put on a little weight," she replies from her chair, putting a little more gel on Ruby's stomach, "the baby would more than appreciate it, but it seems to be a normal height, the arms and legs are perfectly formed. Have you already felt it kick?"
"I've felt it moving. I think it had hiccups the other day. Is that something to be worried about?" Ruby asks, still looking at the black and white images on the screen as the ultrasound makes out the baby's form.
"Perfectly normal, you're little buddy is just testing out those lungs and trying out breathing."
"There's no mutations at all? Because I have… changed when I didn't know."
"Well, I can't say I've ever treated any kind of shapeshifter before, but they were born in spades back home with no problem – you yourself being a perfect example of that. It doesn't seem to hurt the fetus in any way." The technician stands up with a smile and wipes her stomach clean. "We'll be able to tell the gender in a few months, but we'll schedule you for another ultrasound before then. And I will print you out some pictures."
She leaves the three of them in the room and Ruby sits up, swinging her legs over the edge of her seat. Regina's hand is still holding hers, a small smile on her face.
"All good news," Whale says, stepping forward from his spot leaning against the wall. He presses a kiss to each of their cheeks. "Congratulations on your weird magic baby."
He leaves with a smile and Ruby steps off the bed, Regina helping her into her coat. Ruby shakes her head, swallowing the small swell of emotion in her throat.
"It's okay."
"It's okay," Regina responds grasping Ruby's face and pulling her head close to kiss her. "But we have to fatten you up. And maybe get some sleep. It's been about two and a half weeks now."
"And have sex. I miss sex."
Regina laughs and lets go of her face as the technician walks back in with their pictures.
"I'm so happy for you. You know, if you're happy, I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you to–"
"Mary Margaret. You don't have to worry about it."
"Well, if this your choice–"
"Mary Margaret," Ruby says, reaching across the table to grab her hand, "just be happy and shut up about the rest."
Mary Margaret laughs and shakes her head. "I'm gonna be an aunt."
"Congratulations?"
"You're going to be a mom," she says with a smile so wide Ruby's sure it must hurt. "You're going to such a good mother, Ruby. You are."
"That remains to be seen," Ruby replies, looking at the sleeping baby in the stroller next to their booth. "I'm still so worried about changing. I'm worried about going on runs."
"Well, a: Granny told you it was fine, and b: that's not going to be an issue for long. You'll be waddling same as me come five months."
"That's so reassuring, thank you so much, dearest friend."
"You don't get to bitch, you haven't had any morning sickness. Or night sickness. Or day sickness. I was lucky this one got any nourishment at all, really." She reaches over to run her hand over the mass of dark hair on her son's head.
"God, he looks like his dad," Ruby states.
"I know, it weirds me out sometimes." She smiles as Adam kicks in his sleep, his small hands occasionally flexing. "So when are you going to tell Henry?"
"This weekend. I feel bad about it, keeping him in the dark. I think Regina wants to get at least a few days rest because she expects a bad reaction."
"She must be so happy, though."
"She is. I almost think she tries not to show it a lot because she thinks I'll realize she would have been devastated if I hadn't gone through with it." Ruby takes a sip of her water a sighs. "I miss caffeine. And wine. God, I miss wine."
"Half a year, you baby."
"Seems like a lifetime." She shifts and her hand goes to her stomach, the one that is definitely starting to balloon much to her chagrin. "It keeps hiccupping. Wakes me up at night."
"Just wait for the kicks. Beckham over here would start every morning at four and go until David left for work."
"So daddy issues begin in the womb then?"
"The medical breakthrough of the century."
They're sitting in the living room, eating dessert at the coffee table while they took their seat on the floor. The fire and hot chocolate combined with the light dusting of snow outside was their welcome to December.
"Real or plastic tree?" Ruby asks, running the bite of pie she's already scooped up through the dollop of whipped cream on top.
"Real," both of the Mills reply.
Ruby laughs and moves to sit on her knees so she can reach her hot chocolate.
"Santa, real or not?"
"Graham ruined it for me by accident," Henry says, his own plate already clean.
"That was a fun December," Regina mumbles into her mug. She glances at Ruby and they share a look, then she clears her throat and looks at her son. "Henry, we have something to tell you."
"Okay…"
Ruby takes a small breath as Regina searches for the words. "I'm… going be to having a baby. There was, um, this potion that your mom made and I drank it because I'm an idiot and it ended up–"
Henry springs up from his spot, throwing himself around Ruby. "I'm going to have a brother."
Ruby laughs, wrapping her arms around the boy, smiling a little at the touched look on Regina's face from across the table. "Or a sister," Regina adds.
"When are you going to know? Is it kicking?" He drops to the ground so he can press a hand to the barely protruding stomach.
"Well I can feel it moving, but your mother hasn't had any luck."
"You're happy then?" Regina asks.
"Of course I am. Will it be a werewolf too?"
"Well, we won't find that out for quite a while," Ruby replies as her hand rests on Henry's head. "But if it turns out to be anything like it's big brother, I'll be happy."
"Does this mean you're going to stop showing me how to hunt and track?"
"Nah, we can still go out. I just might be a little slower in the next few months."
Each full moon passes painfully slow for Ruby, despite Granny's insistence that she just change and enjoy herself while she was still small enough to be able to run as the wolf. She doesn't though, she's far too paranoid, but the winter weather combined with Whale's insistence that she starts to relax more has her crawling up the walls.
Regina remains eerily calm, even when Ruby starts pacing back and forth across their bedroom.
"You're working yourself up," she comments from the bed, "not calming yourself down."
"I feel like my skin is crawling."
"Well, that's enough crystal meth for you."
"You're not helping."
Regina takes a breath and sets down her book. "Come here. Come here," she demands until Ruby joins her on the bed, laying on her back so Regina can take her favorite position pressed against her side with her hand on Ruby's stomach. "Run your mouth if you're so desperate."
Ruby laughs a little. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Hmm…" Her hand moves back and forth slowly. "Are you excited yet? I thought you'd be nesting by now."
"I will answer that if you answer my question." Regina raises her eyebrows but nods. "I… don't know. It feels like it hasn't hit me yet. I feel her move–"
"Her?" Regina interjects, her hand stilling.
"Yeah, I think so," Ruby laughs, looking down. "We'll find out next week, but… my money would be on she-wolf."
Regina smiles as her thumb starts moving back and forth. "We'll have to start decorating soon."
"Can't you just magic up the room?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Regina replies with a nudge against Ruby's shoulder. "So, what did you want to ask me?"
Ruby turns to face Regina, readjusting her pillow against the headboard. "Will you tell me how you would have felt if I hadn't kept her?"
"It was your decision–"
"Regina."
"Okay. I would have been very sad. Happy?"
"Well, not really."
Regina smiles and kisses her softly. "I can't wait to add to this dysfunctional little family with you."
"My jeans don't fit."
"Well, that's bound to happen when you're five months pregnant. And usually when you buy your pants a size too small as it is, but you got away with that for years," Regina responds as she rubs lotion onto her hands.
"Nothing fits," Ruby whines as she pulls out the clothes in her drawer.
"Well, you are wearing clothes right now."
"We're going for dinner and I have nothing to wear."
"And you're not ready."
"Regina."
The woman in question walks over to her and presses a kiss to her forehead before walking out the door. "Little black dress, dear. There's a reason they were invented."
Granny's already in the kitchen when they arrive, throwing anyone out who tries to enter, leaving them to sit in the living room with the rest of the gang. Whale is smiling as if he has a secret, which he does as of ten this morning, but he remains silent on their news. Henry is on the floor playing with Hank, the ten week-old beagle Charming and Mary Margaret had adopted from a breeder in a nearby town.
"This so isn't fair," Mary Margaret greets Ruby with a mournful sigh, "I was a whale at five months and you've barely got a bump."
"Just because you can't tell doesn't mean my waistband can't," Ruby replies. "Granny says we pop in between six and seven in our family."
"Poor you. So you two are taking Henry home tonight?"
"And tomorrow he's helping Regina paint," she nods, watching the two on the floor. Regina loves animals; Ruby doesn't know why she doesn't get a pet. The irony hits her a second too late. "How's the puppy with Adam?"
"Really good, actually. It's the toys issue we have to sort out. He's a good dog though. David says that Almanac is calling for an unseasonably warm January, so I think he wants to take you out hunting one more time."
"Hmm…" Ruby considers, hands clasped together at the bottom of her stomach. "Maybe during the full moon. Might as well try changing once and god knows I won't be able to sleep on the ground. But if there's a nice weekend, that'd be great. I think Henry's dying for some time away from chats about the baby."
They share their confirmed news at dinner, much to everyone's delight. Mary Margaret laments that she always wanted a girl, earning an eye roll from Emma, and Granny gets this small smile that Ruby's not sure she recognizes. The two end up staying longer than they meant to, so late into the night that Henry ends up asleep on the ground with Hank, getting hauled to the guest room by his grandfather. Regina smiles at the small baby in her hands, Adam with his permanent Charming pout having taken center stage once again.
She returns the child to his mother's arms and excuses herself, and Ruby finds herself slipping out the hall unnoticed to follow her. She doesn't know why, but she's stalking out Regina's scent. She catches her leaning over Henry's bed, running a hand through his hair. Ruby doesn't make a sound, but within a moment Regina is standing and turning to face her.
"I forgot about you and babies," Regina breathes as she brushes past her and into the bathroom, where she stands with the door open until Ruby follows her in. She closes the door and leans back against it, ducking her head from Ruby's kisses until the taller woman grabs her head and holds it still. "It's going to be a fun first couple of years."
"If you're lucky," Ruby replies against her lips, smiling against Regina's mouth in between warm, heady kisses. Despite attempted protests her hand makes it underneath the waistband of Regina's tailored slacks, teeth bearing down on Regina's lower lip in a last minute effort to rouse a noise from her, but to no avail. Her punishment for the onslaught.
Mary Margaret approaches slowly down the hall, but Regina remains stubbornly silent, eyebrows knitted together and jaw slack, even as her fingers press into her. She pulls on the back of Regina's head until her neck is shown to her.
"Ruby? You snuck off, we had no idea where you went."
"Fine Mary Margaret," she replies cheerily, Regina's nails gripping the underside of her arms. "Just got a little dizzy."
"Do you need anything?"
Ruby's hand twists but Regina doesn't so much as gasp, though her nails begin to draw blood. "Nope, all good." Mary Margaret leaves and for a long moment Regina stares at her, waiting for her next move. "They'll be expecting me."
"Don't you dare," Regina hisses.
Ruby disengages so she can wash her hands in the sink, brushing past Regina, who has finally been reduced to panting, at the door and continuing down the hall. For some reason she expects the woman to return to the group agitated and impatient, but Ruby forgets that Regina Mills is a consummate actress, who joins up with them with a warm smile and makes excuses to stay as late as they can.
"You're not going to sleep tonight," Ruby states as they walk down the front path of The Charming's yard.
"Is that a promise?"
"More of an active threat." Regina laughs, breath coming out in visible puffs in the December air. She holds the passenger door open for Ruby and then steps around to her seat. "We should go away. After we get settled with the baby."
"A vacation?" Ruby nods as Regina turns the ignition and cranks the heat. "Well, I wouldn't object to that."
"Where do you want to go?" Ruby asks.
"It's your idea."
"I'm not original. I'll say Boston or something."
Regina laughs and begins the drive to their home. "Paris?"
"Paris?"
"Paris."
"Do you speak French?"
"Not a word."
Ruby smiles and runs her hand over her stomach. "Well, then Paris it is. For whatever reason."
"Why do you need a reason? It's Paris."
The weather does warm up, thankfully around wolfstime because Regina has nearly had her breaking point of cooped up with Ruby in the house. She's still a little nervous about changing, but by the time they're sitting at the lake, patiently waiting for their lines to stir, she's more than relaxed, laying back in the sun, Hank's small head using her calf as a pillow.
"So will the baby be magic like me and my moms?"
"You know, I've never thought about it. I was always too worried about the wolf thing." Ruby shifts to awkwardly sit up, something that's getting harder and harder to do with each passing day. "I guess so. I mean it was made with a potion after all."
Charming returns from the forest, a clutch of rabbits hanging from his belt, hanging them up from the line they have running between the trees. When he finishes he joins them at the side of the water, slipping in behind Ruby until she laughs and leans back against his chest.
"Mary Margaret couldn't get comfortable around this time."
"Well, she's not the only one." Ruby shifts as he adjusts his legs on each side of her. "Weigh in here – what are the chances this baby is gonna be magic?"
David lets out a low whistle. "Here we were worried about the wolf thing. Probably a pretty good chance. So, good luck with that."
They go to sleep early because of their early arrival, so Ruby finds herself wandering the forest before it even gets truly dark. It's colder now that the sun is gone, but she manages without a jacket until she hears the howls way off in the distance.
She notices an immediate change as she shifts onto four feet, the extra weight; the immediate need to lie down. She speeds through the trees until she finds the den, the wolves welcoming her back with quiet indifference after months of seclusion from them. Ruby sleeps well into the day, waking as her human self in a pit of sleeping animals and finding herself walking through a half mile of forest before she finds Charming showing Henry how to gut a fish.
"Good morning," he calls out with a cheeky grin. She's never wanted a coffee more in her life. "How was your night?"
"Good. I slept the whole time." She squints and looks out at the lake, the surface as reflective as a mirror in the bright light. Ruby reaches out to tuck the tag back into Henry's shirt as she finally steps up to them. "How's cutting off fish heads?"
"Fine," Henry replies with a shrug.
"Well, if this is no problem for you, you better get used to a world full of babysitting."
At dinnertime Henry runs off to find more kindling for the fire with the puppy, leaving the two adults stretched out by the calm lake, Ruby leaning back on her hands and Charming flat on his back. Suddenly Ruby can't wait for the spring, thinking about the endless weekends she could spend out here with Henry.
"How are things with Regina?"
"Good. She wants to plan a getaway after the baby is born. Have you guys ever thought about travelling?" She glances over and watches him shake his head, hands clasped underneath it. "You guys should come with us. Regina wants to plan a vacation away in France."
"Lavish."
"It would be fun, don't you think?" She asks as she mirrors his position, head turned towards her former king. "To explore this world?"
David smiles and looks over at her, blue eyes still bright in the darkening light. "It would be. It's so easy here, to travel the world. It would take years in our land."
Ruby laughs, gaze dropping a little bit. She's about to respond when something catches her off guard. "Snow."
"Sorry?" He asks with a chuckle.
"It's snowing." It was, the light flakes blowing in from the dark clouds in the east. Before Henry returns, they're packed up, and Ruby has to promise him for an hour straight that evening that she'll take him out to make up their weekend as soon as she can. Charming helps her into the truck, laughing as the wolves howl in the distance, the moon now high above their heads.
"I think your friends miss you."
The last month of her pregnancy has Ruby wound tighter than she's ever been before. She's huge, which she hates, the weather is gorgeous but, again, she's huge so going anywhere is hassle. Regina is abnormally patient, though sometimes Ruby swears she catches her grinding her teeth when she thinks Ruby isn't looking.
She's happy though, happier than Ruby has ever seen Regina. She's overly affectionate, probably in an attempt to balance out Ruby's own constant impatient mood. Ruby doesn't mind though, especially when Regina takes her leave from work, spending the days lounging in bed with the very pregnant woman because it's the only place she can get comfortable.
"Did you ever think you'd end up with a woman?" Ruby asks from her spot resting in Regina's lap, stretched out on her back across the bed.
"Well, you're the first I've been with, so no."
"Really?"
"Don't act so surprised," Regina replies, turning the page of her book before hand resumes its position of sifting through Ruby's hair. "It's a small town."
"Well, it certainly didn't seem like the first time you've been with a girl." Regina smirks but says nothing as she shifts the novel in her hand to look at the next page. "You know you want to know."
"I'm a little afraid of the answer, to be honest."
"You definitely won't like it." This catches Regina's attention, the book in her hand being set aside with a deep breath. "Are you ready?"
"Just get on with it."
"Well, it was more recent than you might think."
"I'm literally not thinking anything right now."
Ruby smoothes her hands over her bulging stomach, unable to keep the grin off her face. "Miss Swan."
Regina groans and shoves Ruby's head off her lap. "Please tell me you're joking." When Ruby does nothing but laugh she lifts herself off the bed. "Why? Why?"
"She was the first new person I'd seen in almost thirty years!" Ruby defends herself, shifting to sit back against the headboard. "Also, I was loaded."
"What a surprise."
"I feel like you're a little jealous right now." Regina rolls her eyes across the room. "But are you jealous of Emma or me?"
"I do not want to sleep with Emma Swan, thank you."
"This really bothers you, doesn't it?" Ruby laughs from the bed, hands moving to feel small kicks from within her. "Your magic wolf child thinks it's hilarious."
"Oh, sure, when you're trying to score points, she's my magic wolf child." Nonetheless Regina sits on the bed again, brushing Ruby's hands aside to feel the movements. "What did Mary Margaret say about this after the curse broke?"
"She didn't want details when it first happened, she definitely hasn't asked about it since." She moves the pillow behind her back and sighs. "It was totally not Emma's first time with another girl."
"That does not surprise me in the least."
"Can we cut this thing out yet? She wants out, I want her out, get her out."
"Two weeks," Regina replies, patting the top of her stomach. "Think you can wait?"
"Honestly?"
"No."
"Then, yes, I can wait."
The older woman stretches up to kiss her. "You don't like talking about it, but we should probably start thinking of names sometime soon."
"You can't name something before you meet it," Ruby says in return, holding Regina's face close.
"Well, like I've said before, you most definitely can."
"So you knew what you would name a boy, what was your plan if you had ended up adopting a girl?"
"Look through a name book?"
"That's original." Regina laughs and kisses her again. "Want to name this one after your mother?"
"Want to name it after yours?"
"No."
"I'm glad we've come to an agreement then." Ruby smiles and tugs on Regina's collar until she relents and lies on the bed again, pressed against Ruby's side. "Pick one from a novel you like. Have Belle come up with a list. She's still mad you won't let her throw you a baby shower."
"As fun as being surrounded by a room full of skinny women sounds right now, I think I can wait. Forever."
A week and a half passes by in total peace as Ruby accepts the fact that there's little more she can do but wait patiently for her scheduled c-section date. It's the middle of the night when she feels it, a weird signal to her brain that has her eyes opening immediately when it happens. She shakes Regina's wrist until the sleeping woman wakes up.
"Time to go," she announces, sitting up from the bed calmly. She wishes she had gotten a full night's sleep at the very least, but she'll take this over a six-week recovery time from surgery. It's easier than she thought, to make it down a towering staircase while in labor, but her speed has Regina rushing to keep up.
She calls Whale in the car, sighing as she informs Regina that they would be best off picking him up rather than waiting for him to arrive at the hospital. She frowns as she watches Whale approach, a distinct smell coming off his shirt as he slides into the backseat and does up his dress clothes.
"Why do you smell like Belle's perfume?" Ruby asks as Regina speeds off into the street, a contraction catching her off guard.
"She's staying over."
"Whale. You didn't."
"Calm down," he says from the backseat, pressing two fingers to the side of her neck and staring at his watch. "She and her boyfriend got in a fight, I found her at the Rabbit. Told her she could stay at my place since she was looking for a new apartment. How far apart are your contractions?"
"Five minutes," she breathes through gritted teeth. "And I'm so sure you just offered her your spare room."
"Well, I did because an annoying patient of mine went into labor before I could open a bottle of wine."
"Can we skip the gossip until after she has the baby?" Regina asks from the driver's seat as she pulls into the hospital parking lot. Whale rushes off to get a wheelchair as Regina helps Ruby out of the car. "Ready?"
"No, but she is."
Ruby's in labor for five painfully slow hours but it ends up being more than worth it when she hears the cries at the exact moment the clock turns to six. By seven she's holding her daughter in her now-quiet hospital room, exhausted but content.
"Have you picked a name?" Regina asks quietly, fingers brushing over the dark, downy hair on top of the baby's head. She's tall and relatively skinny for the inches she already has on her, with long fingers and toes. Occasionally ahe lets out a quiet noise every now and then from her position lying in Ruby's arms. "She looks like you, it's only fair if you name her."
"I thought I'd know when I saw her." She leans back against the pillows propped up behind her. "I need coffee. And a shower."
"I'll help you with the first right now, but how you're going to accomplish the second after pushing a baby out of you is beyond me." Regina kisses her forehead and then their daughter's before she gets up to leave the room.
Ruby sits in the dawn-dimmed room and stares at the little girl, desperately wishing for a name to jump to her head. She's so wrapped up in staring at her child that she doesn't notice Gold's presence at the doorway for a long time, jumping a little and resting her child in her lap as he approaches with a box in his hand.
"I wanted to be the first to offer you congratulations, Miss Lucas. That's a beautiful little girl you have there." He steps around to the side of her bed, resting the garment box on the edge of the mattress. "I thought you would enjoy a small nostalgic token."
She eyes him for a moment before returning her daughter to small hospital basket to her left before she grabs the package, pulling on the end of the string wrapped around it until the bow gave way and she could open the top. Ruby smiles a little at the sight inside; her dress and gloves and boots from the other world filling the box to the rim.
"Gold… I don't know what to say." Her fingers brush over the intricate stitching on the hem of the bodice.
"Best not to say anything until I confess something, dear." He shifts under the weight of her returned gaze. "Belle already knows, before you say anything… and I don't expect she'll forgive me anytime soon. I gave you a potion a few months ago under the pretense that it would end your unborn child's life. What I didn't tell you was that it would have taken your own as well."
Ruby blinks and fights the urge to check for snakes hidden in amongst the package she's just received. "You tried to kill me?" He nods curtly. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"
"I would have thought that you soldiers realized long ago that so very little of this has anything to do with you," he replies causing her blood to boil.
"What the hell is your problem?" Ruby hisses. "In the room where my child was born an hour ago?" Gold at least has the courtesy to look contrite. "Get out. Now."
He leaves immediately and Ruby is left scrambling to collect herself again as she hears a group of people descend through the halls towards her room. Her friends are surrounding her and the bed in an instant, moving to allow Regina through to sit by her bed and hand Ruby her coffee.
"She's beautiful," Mary Margaret coos as David lifts the child from her spot, kneeling to allow the still half-asleep Henry a better look at his new sister. "God, Ruby, she's your spitting image."
"Where does she get blue eyes from?" Henry asks as she stares up at Charming. "I mean, Ruby's are like green and blue, but her eyes are like dark."
"They'll stay like that for a few months," Emma responds through a yawn, running her hand over her son's shoulders. "They'll probably change before she six months old."
"Have you picked a name yet?" Granny asks as she pulls out a tray of food she's brought from the diner, insisting Ruby eat while it's still hot.
"Not yet."
"It sounds like she's saying something," Henry adds after the baby lets out a discomforted cry as she's passed to Mary Margaret's waiting arms. "Eff."
"Well, it's nice of her to start censoring herself at such an early age," Ruby mumbles around a mouth full of pancakes, her appetite already returning to normal. "She's not getting a name that starts with F. No Fionas in this family."
"Well, Effy's already got a nickname for life, better work around it," Regina responds, taking a long drink of her coffee and opening her arm to welcome Henry pressing against her side, resting his head on her shoulder. "Who brought you your dress?"
"Oh. Um, Gold did."
"Does he have all our clothes, because I'd love to get a few of those dresses back," Mary Margaret says in a quiet voice as she bounces the child in her arms softly.
"I don't know. You could ask." She doesn't bring up his confession; she won't until she talks to Belle. Still she can appreciate the gift. "A little cruel now that there's no way it'll fit."
They take Elizabeth home after a few days rest in the hospital, Ruby already feeling like her old self by the time they enter the large house. Effy is good, she sleeps constantly and eats well, they couldn't ask for a better newborn.
"Her hair has already grown," Ruby comments as she sets the car seat down on the bed, pulling the sleeping from her spot without problem and setting her in the bassinet they have set up by Regina's side. "Definitely yours. Dark and straight."
"Here I was hoping she'd have your Disney curls." Ruby laughs as Regina drops her bag to the floor and walks over to her, kissing her soundly and pushing her until she's sitting on the bed. "Welcome home."
"Want to join me in the shower?" She asks as she settles her hands on Regina's hips, holding her close.
"I was going to cook you a full breakfast since your appetite seems to have returned full force."
"Mimosas?"
Regina laughs and pats her shoulders before she turns to leave the room. "I'll see what I can do."
She takes Henry out as soon as she can, desperate not only to show the kid that he wasn't in second place because of a new baby, but also to get out of the house and into the forest again as the spring weather brought it back to life. So she leaves Regina with her grandmother and takes him out one Saturday afternoon.
"Okay… shoot." Henry throws the old stuffed animal into the air, the latest of Hank's victims, just for Ruby to shoot it down as soon as she got a good sight on it.
"How did you get so good at that?" Henry asks as his grandparents' beagle trots off to retrieve his former toy.
"I don't know. Hunting, I suppose. You get used to not second guessing yourself." Ruby wipes her brow as the warm afternoon sun beats down on them, making the air thick and heavy. "But there's a lot you have to think about. Speed, weight, exits. Deer are easy; it's boars you had to worry about back home. Never knew when they'd turn around and try and catch you on one of those tusks." She runs a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I wish I could take you back there for a day. Just to let you see one thing you've read about. You would have loved living there."
"Could you make me a werewolf?" He asks, making her heart stop.
"No. Henry, no… I can't do that."
"Effy's going to be one, isn't she?"
Ruby sighs and leans down as Hank approaches with the toy and wooden arrow, dropping them at her feet. "Probably. But that couldn't be helped. The only thing that would make that not happen would have been for me to not have her at all."
Henry is quiet for a long time, playing with the feathered end of one of the arrows stuck in the ground. "I know what potion made her."
"Oh?" Ruby asks, running her hand down Hank's back.
"It was true love."
"I figured as much, eventually."
"What did it taste like?"
"Grapes."
"Yeah, I guessed it would." She laughs and straightens, adjusting the bow in her arms. "Why did Belle and Mr. Gold break up?"
"I guess they just didn't want to be together anymore. You're not worried that's going to happen with me and your mom, right?"
"No, you guys seem okay."
Ruby readies her bow with another arrow and aims for the target on the far side of the clearing, the arrow smacking into the tree right next to the center dot.
"Good," she breathes. "I don't think you'll have to ever worry about that."
She sends Effy to her great-grandmother's the exact day she returns to her pre-baby weight simply so she and Regina can go to bed as soon as they finish dinner. It's a good distraction from their first night away from their child. Regina seems impervious to time or stress, even somewhat excited to sleep through the night for the first time in three months, though she asks for constant breaks.
"You and babies," she mumbles into Ruby's ear over the desperate pants that fill the room.
"Don't stop."
"You're doing all the work," Regina reminds, though her hand picks up as much speed as it can, cramped between their two bodies. Ruby gasps into her neck, her hips bucking to meet Regina's ministrations. She nearly collapses on top of Regina as her gasps escalate, but she has enough courtesy to roll away before giving Regina the satisfaction of being able to complain about her weight.
"It's been building up for twelve weeks." Regina laughs from across the pillow. "You know, I think she has your eyes. I bet you they're going to be same brown in a few months."
"You're just saying that because she's a mini-you already. Not that I mind." Regina stretches out on the bed and pulls Ruby close. "I heard your friend went on a date with Whale."
"Really? Now that is interesting. I didn't think they had anything in common."
"She's young and pretty and he's a good-looking single doctor, I don't think they need much else to talk about this early on." Ruby smiles and kisses her. "Are you gonna be cooling it with the work outs now? It wasn't terrible watching you exercise all day."
"It keeps me busy. I might go back to work on the weekends now that you're just going back four days a week. I miss being around Granny all day, honestly."
"That's sweet."
"Don't tell her. She'd never let me live it down."
"Of course." Regina smiles at her as the sun begins to set outside, casting them in an orange glow. "What do you want to do now that you've achieved your goal?"
Regina's never taken her to her little maze beneath the cemetery but Ruby's in awe of it as the older woman leads her through the tunnels. Regina helped her into her dress before they left the house, the clothes fitting Ruby like a second skin even after all this time, the underground lair or whatever giving her flashbacks of Red's life.
They end up in a small round room that has wardrobes covering the walls, the doors flying open as Regina arrives. Ruby steps from behind her, running her hands over the different fabrics of dresses that once belonged to The Evil Queen.
"I didn't think you'd like roleplaying."
"It's definitely not roleplaying, I just miss dressing up." Ruby stops in front of a navy gown, pulling it from its hanger as the memory hits her. "This one."
"So you're picking the dress I first met you in, but this definitely isn't roleplaying?"
"Well, I'm not wearing the dress I first met you in, now am I?" Regina shakes her head, but with a wave of her hand the dress disappears from Ruby's hands and in an instant Regina is standing in it in front of a mirror, dressed and looking like a different woman in all her former glory. "You look gorgeous."
"Armani could take some notes," Regina drawls as she smoothes the rich fabric, eyes drawing up as Ruby steps behind her in the mirror. "So this definitely isn't roleplaying, but I'd bet any money you want me to tell you to kneel before your queen right now."
"It's a weird image," is all Ruby can come up with as she stares at their forms in the mirror. She runs her hand along the soft material, almost surprised to see the image she barely recognizes do the same in the glass. "Find a way to take me back home for a day and I'll dress up as anything you want."
Regina laughs as Ruby's hand covers her own. "As tempting as that sounds, if I could do that then it would have been done a long time ago."
Ruby turns the woman around, smiling as Regina lifts her chin to meet her gaze. "I think we can make do for now."
