Full Circle, A RedQueen Story

by FoxoftheDesert

An AU full length story written in honor of Red Queen Week 2015. It is the day before the curse hits and Red is desperate to find something, an item that will later remind her of what really matters in life and of the price she's willing to pay to protect it. In doing so, both she and Regina will learn that life is a circle that has very strange ways of coming back together.

3. Green Means Go

Standard Disclaimer: The characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing their strings for a while, so don't sue me please! Please point out any errors in grammar or spelling privately and I will correct them.

Chapter 3 – Green Means Go

28 years later

Pushing through the doors of Granny's Diner, Regina strode in with a purpose behind her steps. As she passed the threshold of the door, she swept her eyes about the busy restaurant to seek out a certain waitress with whom she had business. This was an impromptu trip born of necessity. If it were up to Regina, she would have chosen to let things be, but since Emma Swan arrived in Storybrooke, everything was in flux, the chess pieces were on the move once more, and Regina's moves were limited.

After she had been witness to a couple of worrying exchanges between Ruby and her newest bosom buddy, the very same Emma Swan whose purpose in life was to be a thorn in Regina's side, she had decided that enough was enough. Her hand had been forced. It was finally time to put an end to her self-imposed misery.

In searching for Ruby, Regina's eyes landed on the table the bothersome blonde interloper frequented and to her dismay, she found that Emma was not alone. Faltering slightly, Regina had to catch herself in order to prevent an audible gasp from escaping her lips. There, sitting prettily across from the newly elected Sheriff was Ruby Lucas, her Red, laughing and smiling more happily than at any time since the curse took effect. To any other bystanders, the friendly familiarity that appeared to exist between the two women seemed innocent on the surface, but Regina was no ordinary observer. Having been so intimately acquainted with Red, she was familiar with the differences in the girl when her flirting was harmless and when it was not. And although Ruby was not quite Red, Regina had been on the receiving end of her advances enough times that she felt confident in her analysis of the situation, which was worrisome to say the least. The flirtatious smile that Ruby was currently wearing was not isolated but rather accompanied by a subtle worrying of her plump bottom lip and a glint in her eyes which indicated a vested interest in the woman she was sitting across from. Ruby seriously considered Emma to be a potential partner.

Stricken in place and with disbelieving, crestfallen eyes, Regina was powerless to move as the two women continued to converse, completely wrapped up in one another so that their bodies were subconsciously gravitating toward one another. Only the barrier of the table seemed to be preventing them from consummating their burgeoning attraction.

Growing distressed, Regina watched Ruby lean over the table and grin, and it wasn't just a normal grin, but the radiant one which made her bottom lip turn ever-so-slightly askew in a way that Regina loved. The luminescence of that smile told her how close to Ruby's heart Emma had penetrated. And then Ruby extended her hand out to touch Emma's and said something which made both women laugh. As if caught in the web Ruby was spinning, Emma leaned in as well and then turned her hand up to capture Ruby's with an effervescent grin of her own in place. The exchange officially disturbed Regina to the point of sickness.

Before coming to the diner, she'd been uncertain as to whether or not she had a legitimate cause for alarm seeing that it was widely acknowledged that Ruby Lucas was a notorious vixen who had quite the reputation in the love department (though Regina was never brave enough to find out whether these rumors were true; among other things, she felt as if it was invading Red's privacy, which the woman was owed for how she had given to Regina and how little she had received in return). As such, Regina somewhat expected to see casual flirtation from her, and though it was never pleasant to witness, over the years she had grown tolerant of that kind of thing because she could write it off as Ruby being Ruby. For whatever reason, it was just part of her cursed personality. But from the alluring smiles Ruby was currently wielding at Emma to the frequent physical contact she seemed to be seeking out, nothing was casual in this case. To make matters worse, the advances obviously not unwelcome. By the way the supposed Savior was eagerly reciprocating, it seemed as if her attraction to Ruby was as potent as Ruby's was to her.

Regina didn't have to be an expert at calculus for that math to add up. If things were allowed to progress naturally, there would be no stopping the two from falling into bed with one another, or even worse, from falling in love. Neither were scenarios that Regina was willing to endure, even at the potential cost that intervening might incur. For 28 years, she had held her peace and restrained her desires where Red was concerned, and rather admirably she might add, although she had wanted nothing more than to barge into the diner that first day of the curse and strike up a relationship with Red's cursed self. For a multitude of reasons, she had kept her distance, but that didn't mean it was easy.

Over the years, Regina had lost count of how many times she'd talked herself into approaching Ruby, wanting more than anything to take whatever form of the woman she loved she could get, only to chicken out in the end. With each failure she would have to coolly explain away the off-schedule visit and the rude staring to a very confused waitress. It was as if there was something physically stopping her from uttering the words she wanted – perhaps, she rationalized, a subconscious desire to protect the curse.

Upon landing in Storybrooke, it hadn't taken longer than an hour for the heady feelings of her parting from Red to be overshadowed by the joy that filled her blackened heart at seeing Snow so miserable. In that moment, she'd realized that her earlier supposition that she could have her cake and eat it too was false. Her desire to keep Red with her was, indeed, implausible, and she had just been influenced by the unexpected awareness that she had developed real feelings for Red. Those same real feelings were, it turned out, a legitimate threat to the curse, and in light of that, Regina immediately quashed any thoughts she harbored of seeking Red out in this new world. She had sacrificed far too much to cast the curse for it to end so soon. That rationalization, while convoluted, lent her the strength required to walk away from her lover for good, relegating what they'd shared to memory, just as she had originally planned to do.

However, that ability to justify her decision didn't help the situation of being in such close proximity to Red while unable and/or unwilling to have her. Sometimes it was maddening to be close enough to smell the perfume she preferred as Ruby, close enough that if she so desired, she could reach out and touch her face or kiss her lips as she leaned over to take Regina's order. But like the coward she was, she was too afraid to act on those impulses, which left for some lonely, miserable nights.

With no other alternative to sate her sexual appetites, she eventually resorted to Graham, falling into old habits for the sake of convenience because he was both familiar and pliable. Still, rather than forcing his compliance, Regina chose to seduce him the old fashioned way this time, for to her great displeasure, she found that the thought of using his heart to control him had become unpalatable. Having felt what it was like to be loved and desired for her own inherent value, Regina could no longer stomach taking advantage of the kindhearted hunstman in the way she once had. The affair with Graham did not last very long, however. After only a couple of months of empty sex, Regina ended things. Graham was not enough to satisfy her for one all-important reason: he wasn't Red.

Even another world away and when she was no longer herself, Red was still exerting her influence over Regina, having changed the formerly hateful and vindictive woman on such a fundamental level that it took years for her to come to grips with who she had become. In the wake of Red's inherent goodness, those unsavory behaviors that once might have seemed appealing to Regina began to lack their former luster or to seem distasteful to such a degree that she was growing unable to properly appreciate the ultimate victory she had so dearly won. It was not at all how things were supposed to be.

Watching her enemies wallow in misery was not as satisfying as Regina had imagined it to be when she was wallowing in her own, having freely chosen to severe herself from Red. It was all so tragically ironic. Instead of being exultant in triumph, she was now stuck in the curse and had been ripped away from the person she loved just like all the other pitiable saps in Storybrooke, and the more time passed, the more Regina felt as if she were shackled in a prison of her own construction. And then, as if to add insult to injury, Red's cursed personality only added to Regina's torment.

Being the Mayor of a town as small and insular as Storybrooke meant that she was privy to information that others were not. Unfortunately, this meant that she was well aware of the rumors going around town regarding Ruby. The drunken slut of Storybrooke, that's what they called her in many of them. Stories that were various colors of disgusting circulated back to Regina, such as those of Ruby's penchant for drinking herself into a stupor once a month and taking the first person home with her that caught her eye. Another awful one described the girl's impressive flexibility in bed in startling detail, while others spoke of sordid midnight rendezvous with complete strangers in the alleyway behind The Rabbit Hole.

Where those rumors were concerned, Regina had done the only thing she felt she could, which was to ignore them wholesale. But looking back now, if those stories had any veracity to them – and with 28 years of such behavior to account for – there was no telling just how many sexcapades and one night stands Ruby had indulged herself in while cursed. Regina hoped that they were just the idle imaginings of those unworthy of breathing the same air as Red, because otherwise, she couldn't have coped.

On most days, she was able to cling to what little hope remained in her heart in order to dismiss those rumors as absurd. The nature of the Curse also helped to ease her mind, for it was designed to take away happy endings, and while it did just that and also was responsible for exaggerating the unsavory aspects of a persons character, it did not fundamentally alter a person. Heroes that became villains under the curse did so because they were already selfish, or prejudicial, or violent, or misogynistic. The only reason those attributes were not seen when in full control of themselves was that they merely hid their proclivities well or admirably overcame them while free to choose for themselves. So while Red might have been many things such as temperamental, hot-headed, opinionated, and stubborn, Regina couldn't bring herself to believe she had it in her to be so promiscuous.

For the most part though, Regina's dismissal of the rumors was for a much more selfish reason: she simply couldn't stomach the thought of Red giving herself away to any other person who was not her. It made Regina physically ill to think of other men or women touching what belonged to her in such an intimate way, and had she actually given credence to the rumors, she would have either snapped long ago and went on a rampage or she would have completely lost her resolve to stay away from Red.

And so, wanting desperately to preserve her own sanity, she wrote off the rumors as absurd and refused to even consider them. Like an ostrich, she chose to bury her head in the sand rather than seek the truth, hoping for the best but fearing the worst. It was an untenable position that wreaked havoc on her already volatile temper, but at least it allowed her to sleep at night.

There were those occasional nights, however, in which she was kept up, wide awake and staring at the ceiling, unable to rest due to the whirling torment of her mind. On those nights, the vulgar nature of the rumors ate away at her until she felt like one giant exposed nerve. It was hard to sleep at night wondering whether or not the precious, innocent young woman she had never stopped loving was out somewhere having drunken sex with a random stranger. Regina's restlessness on those nights was made even worse by the fact that she was literally powerless to stop it, since both the curse and her own pride had handcuffed her from acting on her feelings for Red. It was, she supposed, a fitting punishment for what she had done.

Somehow, though, Regina managed to slog through the 28 years of relentless torture that defined her self-imposed exile from Red. Mostly, the only thing that enabled her to endure was Henry. When she adopted him, he became a source of unobstructed light in her life, one that revitalized her and refocused her and allowed her to move past the general loneliness she lived in without Red to warm her bed and her heart. It was Henry that gave Regina a new purpose.

Throwing herself wholly into becoming a mother, she found an outlet with which to distract herself from pining over what she couldn't have, and for nearly 10 years, it worked. Her life as Henry's mom was as full as it could possibly be minus that glaring and ever-present Red-shaped hole in it. But then Henry learned he was adopted and everything changed. It all happened so quickly, almost as if overnight he withdrew his affection from the mother who had raised him. Soon enough he ran away from home and brought Emma back to town with him.

In dealing with the fallout of Emma's arrival, Regina was left bereft of her only anchor and was floating helplessly out to sea. She was adrift with no one to rescue her. Not only was she having to endure the loss of her son to Emma on a day-by-day basis but she was losing Red to the insufferable woman as well. Feeling as if her control were being ripped away from her and as if all of those things were conspiring together to against her, Regina was left feeling like she was about to drown under the tsunami sized tides of her anger and jealousy, for while losing Red to the curse and losing Henry to the circumstances of his birth had broken her heart, the thought of losing them both at the same time to the same woman was threatening to send her spiraling into an abyss of darkness from which she might never escape.

Cursing the prophesied Savior, Regina quickly tamped down on her rampaging emotions. Ever since the woman had arrived, the curse was starting to come unraveled. Her power over the town seemed to be perpetually teetering on the precipice of failure, she was losing influence over people, and her leverage was disappearing with every righteous act the 'Savior' performed. Pretty soon, if things did not change, she would not have an office left to occupy or perhaps even a head on her shoulders. And while that was bad, what was happening with Henry and Ruby only added coals to the fire. Storybrooke was supposed to be Regina's happy ending, but that storybook ending was coming apart at the seams, fraying one thread at a time until only a ragged and useless cord of fibers remained, all because of Emma Swan. Regina had never hated anyone as much as she hated Snow White but Emma was certainly giving her mother a run for her money.

Still, Regina was not so consumed by her vengeance that she didn't recognize that all of this was her own fault, especially what was currently happening with Red. That particular wound had been completely avoidable. Before casting the curse, Regina had thought herself generous by providing her lover with closeness to her grandmother and freedom to express herself as she pleased. She hadn't realized that Red was willing to forsake everything because she loved Regina. Foolishly, Regina had believed her mother when she was told that no one could ever love her in that way.

It was only Red's visit on the night before the curse hit that made her aware that her mother's assertions were as false as her own conceptions as to what was really going on between herself and her werewolf lover. Red had really and truly loved her but Regina squandered that love on revenge. Because of that, even though she'd spent the past 28 thoroughly enjoying the misery her curse was inflicting upon her enemies on a day-to-day basis, she still went home alone most nights and curled up with her cold, comfortless pillow, wishing for all the world that Red was there beside her. For the most part, she was able to shake off such emotions with the light of dawn, dismissing her lapses as the workings of a weak mind. But on those rare occasions her heart made itself heard, Regina regretted ever letting go of Red.

She hadn't been lying to Red in those last moments together, for had she possessed the power, she would have changed things. Sadly, that power had been beyond her, Rumplestiltskin having seen to that. She had only ever been the vehicle through which he enacted the Curse of his making. She had been so blinded by her hatred of Snow that she never questioned why he offered her such a tantalzing method of exacting her vengeance. Now, she could clearly see that he had needed her. Without Belle, Rumple had nothing to sacrifice to cast the curse, but Regina did. He had probably thought she would kill Red, but he hadn't reckoned on her willpower to restrain her heart from growing so attached to Red that the girl took the place of Regina's father in her heart.

But no matter how implicit Rumple was in manipulating Regina, she still carried most of the blame. Casting the curse was her mistake, not his, and the ever-present pain she lived in for so long afterward was the just price she had to pay for it. Still, if she wanted the curse to continue (which to her great shame, she did), she was going to have to continue to endure it to some degree.

But her willingness to suffer for the sake of her so-called happy ending had reached the outer edge of its limits. She'd lived with the loneliness, the despair, and the tawdry rumors without acting, but there was no way in hell she was about to allow Emma Swan – the person who was prophesied to break the curse and who was stealing Regina's son away – to have what belonged to her. In order to make that happen, she was going to have to make yet another sacrifice. She just hoped that it didn't wind up blowing up in her face like the last one did.

Thundering over to the table, Regina slammed her hands into the tabletop, causing the silverware to clatter on the plates resting there. Both Ruby and Emma jumped in shock, looking up with startled eyes. She smirked smugly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

"What the hell, Regina?" Emma shouted angrily, moving out of her seat to step in front of Regina while Ruby remained seated with her hands clasped together between bare thighs. Her green eyes watched the showdown like a deer caught in headlights. "What's your problem? Did something crawl up your ass and die or something?"

"Eloquent as always," was Regina's remark, her lips curled up in disgust at Emma's crass language. "As a matter of fact, I'm here about Henry."

That put Emma even more on the offensive. She leaned threateningly into Regina's personal space, completely unafraid. Emma's fearlessness was perhaps the only thing Regina admired about the woman.

"What about him?" the Savior asked, her mouth set into a hard line. "Here to chastise me for spending time with him at his castle? Or maybe for letting him eat a damn cheeseburger?"

Regina sighed and clenched her eyes shut, counting to ten in her head. "Nothing of the sort," she eventually replied after opening her eyes. "Actually, I'm here to extend an olive branch, as it were." At Emma's disbelieving look, Regina motioned apologetically with her hand. "Look, I know I've been aggressive with you where my son is concerned..."

"Ya don't say, lady," was Emma's cutting interjection.

Regina ignored the dig. "But you've got to understand, he's all I've had for the past 10 years. I can be a very controlling person. It's something I'm working on."

Again, Emma cut in, scoffing. "You have a real talent for understatement, Regina. A real talent."

"That may be so," Regina said, the words strained through her teeth due to her aggravation, "but perhaps if you'd listen, I could get to the point."

Emma gestured at Regina to continue, not bothering to look the least bit repentant. Regina had just opened up her mouth to speak when Ruby cut in.

"Okay," she drawled, her big eyes looking anxiously between the two powerful women who were very publicly facing off with each other. "That's my queue to get back to work. I'll leave you guys to talk privately."

Ruby then began to slide out of the booth and was starting to stand up when her words finally registered to Regina.

"Sit your ass back down, Miss Lucas," she commanded, her annoyance with Emma having colored her words to Ruby. She winced a bit at her tone but was nonetheless satisfied by the results: Ruby slid back into her seat like a dog with its tail between its legs (pun intended), wearing a wounded expression in much the same vein.

"Hey, don't talk to her that way," Emma objected, her brows furled in offense.

Regina held her hands up and looked down apologetically at Ruby. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for, so I apologize." Ruby nodded her acceptance but did not reply. "I only meant to keep you from leaving. I have something to ask you, so I would very much like for you to stay, Miss Lucas., that is if you are willing to accommodate me despite my boorishness."

Looking caught between fear and intrigue, Ruby nodded a second time, causing the chain of her necklace to rattle. Glancing down, Regina caught sight of the ametite pendant she'd gifted to Red resting alluringly in her cleavage. Her breath caught at what its presence implied.

Perhaps if she'd believed in fate, she might be tempted to think it was trying to send her a signal, but Regina did not subscribe to such things. People made their own decisions and carved their own paths. Destiny was a bunch of hocus pocus meant to excuse the actions or the lack thereof of the weak minded. Fate, she firmly believed, was whatever a person made of it. Still, she couldn't deny how startling it was to see Ruby wearing the necklace. In the 28 years that the Curse had persisted, Regina could not recall ever having witnessed her wear it before. So however much she did not believe, maybe, just maybe, there was something to that fate thing after all...

Not more than a moment later, Emma cleared her throat loudly, jolting Regina back to reality. Looking back down at Ruby, she saw the waitress biting her bottom lip invitingly, having clearly noticed Regina's staring and seeming to have enjoyed the attention tremendously. Regina filed that information away, along with her desire to kiss those tantalizingly full lips she'd dreamt of for so long. It had been far too long since she had tasted Red on her tongue and she aching for a sample.

"I can do that," Ruby then answered, smiling hesitantly as she absentmindedly grasped the pendant and rolled it between her fingers. "I have a few minutes left on my break." She glanced up at Emma. "That okay with you, Em?"

"Sure," Emma sighed, hard eyes still fixed on Regina.

Regina gritted her teeth. The way Ruby was looking up at Emma as if needing the woman's permission to speak with her had her nearly ready to claw Emma's eyes out. Red was an alpha, she was not supposed behaved like some common lapdog begging for her mistress's attention. Even back in the Enchanted Forest when Red would willingly submit herself to Regina, she always maintained the part of herself that was dangerous, dominant, and powerful. Though different in nature, Red was the only woman who equaled Regina in strength of will and in raw power, so to see her – as Ruby – degrade herself in such a way was repulsive. If this was part of the curse, then perhaps Regina had underestimated its efficacy, and if that was true, perhaps all of those rumors she'd so easily dismissed were not rumors after all.

Shaking her head weakly, she banished such troubling thoughts to the back of her mind and looked to her cursed paramour once more. She then offered a smile that she hoped would put Ruby at ease. "Thank you, Miss Lucas." The smile Ruby gave her back told Regina that it worked, which made her feel warm all over.

"So," Emma cut in again, drawing Regina's attention away from Ruby, "what is this so-called olive branch you were referring to."

"Well, I have to begin by admitting something that I'd rather not," she began, not bothering to hide how hard this was for her. The sentence did its job in piquing Emma's interest, though. "I have come to realize that despite my best efforts, Henry loves you, and while that hurts me, I am willing to consider the possibility that there may be room in his life for more than just me."

"How magnanimous," Emma sarcastically commented, earning her an eye roll.

"Stop being childish, Miss Swan, and take what I'm offering," Regina tersely responded.

"Which is?"

Regina sighed again, frustrated beyond her limit for the day. She needed to just get on with this conversation so that she could be rid of Emma's annoying presence and focus on what she had really come here for.

"An offer," Regina explained, her tone as patient as she could manage at the moment.

"What kind of an offer?"

"My God, do you ever just stop and listen?" Regina exploded, causing Emma to move back a step, her eyes like saucers. "I'm trying to tell you!"

"Okay, okay," Emma soothed, her hands out in front of her in a mollifying gesture. "I get it. Sorry. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Taking a deep breath, Regina pinched her nose for a second and then returned her focus to Emma, a fake smile firmly in place. "I would not object to you spending a bit more structured time with my son, so long as it is with the understanding that it will be according to my stipulations."

Despite the unexpected offer, Emma remained dubious. "Depends on the stipulations," she said. "Look, I get that he's your son, Regina – legally that is. I didn't come here to upset that particular apple cart." Regina held back a snort at the unwittingly appropriate pun. "I just wanted to know that he was safe and loved. Up 'til now, you've gone out of your way to make me question whether that's true or not on both accounts. So, would I like to spend time with him? Absolutely. But I'm not about to dismiss what you've done to earn my suspicion."

"Thus my offer," said Regina, cocking her head to the side. She schooled her features to hide her reaction at the accusatory tone. "My only stipulation is that you recognize your place in his life. I am his mother. I love him and I would do anything to protect him. I'm not perfect and I never will be, so sometimes I get overzealous in my attempts, but I have only ever wanted what was best for Henry. If we can agree on that, then I think it might be possible for us to come to some sort of an arrangement."

Emma looked genuinely surprised by Regina's statement, which was not at all unexpected. The Savior had been right before that Regina had done little to garner her trust. There was just something about Emma that had rubbed her the wrong way from the moment she met the woman, standing on her porch in her awfully garish red leather jacket with her bouncing blonde Disney curls, pouty lips, and ridiculously well-sculpted cheeks. Having such a negative initial reaction lead Regina to instantly distrust Emma, not that she wouldn't have anyway seeing as she was Henry's biological mother and had the power to make Regina's life miserable. She supposed that could account for at least some of her animosity toward Emma but not all of it. No, some of it was just Regina being Regina: always and forever her own worst enemy.

Looking back, she could see now that Emma's arrival had started her spiraling back to that woman she used to be before she met Red, a woman who was unhinged and out of control. Regina didn't want to be that person anymore. She wanted to be a better person. She was not so naive as to believe she could get back to the girl who had fallen in love with a stable boy and rescued a princess in distress, but she at least somewhat believed that happiness was possible for her. Red had proven that it was possible back in the Enchanted Forest and Henry further reinforced it in this much improved world they were living in. It made Regina feel like the worlds slowest learner. After 28 years of creeping revelation, she had finally accepted that her happy ending was much simpler than she'd imagined, for she desired only two things in her life now: to be Henry's mother and to love Red. Everything else paled in comparison to those objectives, her revenge included.

So, if she had to set aside her pride to get there, she was willing to do so as long as Emma was willing to do the same. And besides that, a battle between them would only leave Henry caught helplessly in the middle, which was the last thing Regina wanted for her son. She didn't want to turn into her own mother, rather she wanted to be the kind of mother she had always wanted, one who put her child before her own selfish desires. This was a first step in that direction and didn't they say that the first step is always the hardest? Well, Regina certainly hoped it was so, because this was painfully difficult.

"Are you being serious?" Emma eventually asked, half-disbelieving but half-hopeful.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Regina noticed Ruby staring up at her in open awe, as if she were seeing Regina in an entirely different light. It was the first time Ruby had looked at her in that way since she was Red and they were together in the Enchanted Forest. Though Regina restrained the reaction, she felt like preening under such admiration from the woman she still loved.

"I am," Regina answered Emma, giving a firm nod. "And as a gesture of good faith, I would not be opposed to Henry spending the day with you this Saturday, if that is convenient for you."

Emma spluttered in her tentative excitement. "Y-Yeah...th-that's more than convenient. I would love to spend some time with him. What time can I pick him up?"

Regina smiled, feeling strange inside. She had done something nice for someone who she had considered an enemy, exposing herself in the worst of ways in the process. Yet somehow she felt good about herself, like she had done the right thing, which was so confusingly pleasant that she didn't know what to make of it.

"I want to at least have breakfast with him," she replied. "So you may pick him up any time you wish after 10 am. Just have him back home by 11."

Emma frowned now, her growing smile disappearing in an instant. "Only an hour?"

Regina looked confused until she replayed her words in her mind. "No," she corrected, "in the evening."

Now, Emma look flabbergasted. Regina could see suspicion set back in as her green eyes narrowed.

"Wait, I get him all day? Where is this coming from? A day ago, you couldn't wait to destroy my reputation and drive me out of town just to get me away from Henry. Now all of the sudden you're offering me an entire day alone with him? What gives?"

Sighing for the third time, Regina clasped her hands together at her waist. Accustomed to hiding the truth from even herself, she found herself in the unenviable position of doing something utterly distasteful: she was going to have to be honest with Emma. Sure, she could have lied, but that would have gotten her nowhere fast. For starters, Emma was a walking lie detector and would know if she was being dishonest, but also, she was just plain tired of lying. She was tired of lying to Emma, to Henry, to Red, and most importantly she was tired of lying to herself.

"Your suspicion is warranted," she began, "but I assure you, my offer is without ulterior motive where you are concerned. Something came to my attention that...woke me up, I suppose you could say. While I recognize that my former approach with you was to my own detriment, I have also come to realize that most importantly, it is to Henry's as well. Should I continue this pointless war with you, I may very well lose him, which is something I'm unwilling to do. I've already lost enough in my life. I don't want to lose my son as well and I'm only pushing him further away by keeping him from you."

"Wow, you really mean that," Emma breathed, having read no deceit in Regina's explanation. She straightened suddenly as a bright smile overcame her features. "Well, in that case, I'll take you up on your offer." Her face turned serious once more. "But don't think I've forgotten the past few weeks. There are no blank slates in life, Regina."

"I realize that and I wouldn't expect that of you," Regina replied. "But...seeing as that is decided, might I have that moment alone with Miss Lucas now?"

Again, Emma's eyes narrowed and it looked like she wanted to say something but refrained for the sake of keeping the unexpected accord they had forged.

"Okay," she said, then looked down at Ruby. "I'll call you later, okay Rubes?"

"Sure," Ruby replied, still gazing at Regina in that awestruck manner that made Regina's stomach flutter.

With a very strange look on her face, Emma harrumphed, nodded once to Regina and then turned on her heel to leave. Once the new Sheriff was clear of the doors, Regina gestured toward the vacated booth.

"May I sit?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Of course." Her eyes followed Regina as she slid into the booth, and the feeling of being so closely watched was not at all uncomfortable, rather the opposite. Regina could feel the familiar draw to Red resurfacing at an ever increasing pace, like a cord being reeled back in, and she knew Ruby felt it too. The heat of the girl's gaze was proof enough of that. "So," Ruby continued once Regina was situated, "what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Clasping her hands in her lap, Regina worried her lip. "Well, I suppose there's no sense in beating around the bush," she then said, her face showing both hesitation and anticipation in equal measures. "I know you've been getting close to our illustrious Sheriff, and I suppose watching that from the sidelines has made me curious as to whether you are seeing anyone in an official capacity."

Ruby's expression shifted into perplexity at the wildly unanticipated question, though she still sat up straighter with marked interest in her eyes. "I'm not," she said evenly, "though I'm not quite sure why you're curious. You never seemed to notice me much before."

That hurt. Looking abashed, Regina placed her elbows on the table and dropped her head into her hands.

"This is harder than I anticipated," she lamented, though she recognized she had no one to blame but herself. As uncomfortable as it was, she was going to have to be the one to put herself on the line. If she had to live through a bit of angsty awkwardness and embarrassment, so be it. It was the least she owed to Red after what she had done to them both by casting the curse.

To Regina's relief, Ruby did not respond immediately, instead choosing to wait patiently and with captive attention for Regina's elaboration. Her eyes were brimming with a hopefulness that was too long absent. Regina couldn't know it, but as Ruby waited, it was with crossed fingers at the cautious anticipation that her poor luck might finally be changing at last.

After Regina raised her head, she smiled wryly at Ruby. "I'm very rusty at this," she admitted, "and I know this might seem out of left field, but I was hoping you had noticed my rather frequent visits to the Diner. Granny's cooking is delicious, dear, but it's not that good."

Ruby got the gist of what Regina was getting at but needed to hear her say what she meant plainly, lest she risk being crushed. "So why come then?"

"For you," Regina replied bluntly, eyeing Ruby with unconcealed interest. It was nearly overwhelming to be so close to Red again after so many years apart. Up this close, Regina could see the flecks of blue she knew to reside in those brilliant green eyes, and she could make out the subtle lines in the muscles of those oh-so-kissable lips.

"Me?" Ruby asked, batting her eyes as she played the ingenue.

Some of Red was poking out beneath her Ruby suit, and to Regina it was equal parts exhilarating and frightening. It was exciting because she knew Ruby would not resist her advances for long, if at all, but scary because clearly the curse was much weaker than she had realized. Yet somehow, Regina was not as concerned as should have been about the integrity of her so-called happy ending. Interacting with Ruby in such a way, seeing Red come alive in her, made the loss of the curse seem almost tolerable. Almost.

"Mmhmm," Regina answered, punctuating the sound with a blatant leer. "Surely you must be aware of your allure. I can't be the first to be smitten by it. I may be Mayor, dear, and older than you, but I'm not blind. You are by far the most attractive person in this town and I would wager that there are few others in much larger ones who could compete with your beauty."

Counter to Regina's expectations, Ruby seemed to deflate, which made her heart lurch. Had she misstepped so badly? Most people enjoyed being flattered in a such a way, Red certainly had, so she didn't understand the wounded look on Ruby's face. She did not have to wait long for an explanation, though.

"So your interest in me is physical then?" Ruby replied, her voice and eyes equally dulled as though laced with a sadness that seemed to originate from deep inside her heart. It was a heartbreaking look, one that had Regina regretting her choice of words. "Can't say I haven't had that before. But it's fine, I'm used to it by now."

From the way Ruby talked, it sounded like no one had ever expressed an interest in her beyond the beauty of her face or what pleasure her body could provide, which was a sad commentary on the populace of Storybrooke. Couldn't they see what the girl had to offer? She supposed not. How could they when they were as blinded by the curse as Ruby was, for the young woman could not even recognize her own worth and seemed to be resigned to her fate as a pretty thing for people to look at or as a toy for them to play with, get their pleasure from, and then discard without a second thought. That, as well as the tacit confirmation that the rumors of Ruby's many indiscretions were true, sickened Regina.

Rather than let that derail her from her purpose, she stuffed down her reaction, though she was unable to completely smother her curiosity. Perhaps, as she had oft considered, Red's situation was written into the curse as some sort of backdoor revenge by Rumplestiltskin on his wayward pupil – a last laugh as it were to stain her victory. But whether that was true or not did not change Regina's complicity.

As such, shouldn't this be counted as part of my punishment? she thought, to suffer secondhand through Red's indignities, all because I was too cowardly to set aside my pride and too entrenched in my lust for vengeance do anything about it. And yet, wasn't it also part of her penance to convince Ruby that she was indeed worthy of love, that she had so much more to offer besides being a warm body to occupy someone's bed, that she was amazing and strong and so very deserving of happiness?

From that moment on, Regina swore to herself that things were going to change. There would be no more drunken one night stands for Ruby, no more uncaring and lust-driven suitors whose sole desire was to get into her pants. There would be no more lonely nights where she felt so despondent she was reduced to pouring her heart and soul out into the blackness of night, desperate for relief from her sadness as she howled at the moon via bitter tears and anguished screams.

Even though Regina had kept her distance from Red as she had sworn to herself she would, she was all too aware of how Ruby climbed to the top of the clock tower once a month when the full moon was waning (being the highest point in town, it was also closest to the moon) only to vent her sorrows where no one could hear her. Ruby's sadness on those nights was so thick as to be tangible. Over the course of the curse, Regina had spent far too many nights propped up against the library in the alleyway, listening to her lover's cries, fighting back her own tears to varying degrees of success as Ruby mourned for what she didn't even know she'd lost.

Looking back now, Regina was certain it was that soul crushing sadness that fueled Ruby's promiscuity, if only because she had once utilized the same outlet for her own depression. Sex was a quick and dirty fix, a temporary balm that allowed her brain to turn off from the noise of her constant agony if only for a little while. And even though Regina usually felt disgusted afterward, it was the only thing that worked, the only thing that gave her a measure of relief. As such, her carnal appetites only grew. Fueled by desperation to be rid of her torment, for a time she became reckless with her body, and if it had once been that way for her, she could not imagine what it was like for Red, who was inherently a more sexual being than Regina.

For Red, the wolf drove her to heights of passion that a normal person could not reach. When Regina took the werewolf as her lover, that insatiable libido had been an unexpected boon that she'd quite thoroughly availed herself of. But in Storybrooke things were different. The wolf had been confined to Ruby's body for 28 years now, unable to run and incapable of breaking free even for a moment from the cage the curse had placed her in. Sex may have been the only adequate way for the wolf to express herself without ripping her companion soul apart. And while knowing this helped Regina to understand Ruby's supposedly wanton behavior, that understanding did not make it any easier to reconcile herself with reality, for with every rumor that ran through her mind, her discontent grew, as did her hatred of both herself and the individuals who had dared to touch what belonged to her. But now, Regina had a rare and precious chance to set things right, to for Red what Red had done for her, which was mend her broken heart.

Gathering her courage, Regina caught Ruby's eyes, demanding, no...fervently pleading that the hurt young woman would listen and believe her.

"It's not just that," she said insistently, leaning over the table to extend out her hand – an offer that startled the wounded looking waitress. It was a bold gesture but Regina couldn't abide for another moment the thought that Ruby believed all she wanted was a meaningless fling. For a long moment, her hand sat untouched on the table, but just as she was about to withdraw it with keen disappointment, Ruby reached out to slide her hand over Regina's proffered one.

When contact was made, both women's eyes fixated on their joined appendages, watching with rapt fascination as their fingers tangled as though designed to fit together, mutually arrested by the emotions elicited by the simple feeling of skin on skin. Regina's heart began to race. She could sense the stares of the Diner's patrons on her and Ruby's linked hands but tuned them out. To hell with the plebeiansof Storybooke, she thought, let them think what they want.

"It's not just that," she again stated, echoing for emphasis as she turned longing eyes up to catch Ruby's, which were wide with wonder at what was happening. "You fascinate me. I feel drawn to you. I have since the day I first set foot in this diner. Can you deny you feel it, too?"

To Regina's delight, Ruby shook her head.

"And yes," she continued, "I'm attracted to you but not just to your impressive physique and astoundingly pretty face. I'm captivated to the bright young woman who somehow manages to always have a smile on her face even when her day has been absolute rubbish, and who makes my coffee every morning just the way I like it without having to be asked because she remembers those kinds of things and is thoughtful and kind in that way. I'm fascinated by the amazing person who endures her grandmother's legendary temper day after day to work a thankless job for relatively bad pay, all because she's loyal and so full of love that she puts everyone else ahead of herself. I see you for who you are, Ruby, and you are incredible to me. I'm just sorry it took me so long to say it."

It was the best speech Regina had ever given, she thought, semi-astounded that she had actually expressed herself in such an eloquent way. She was sure Ruby was equally shocked judging by the girl's expression, though that shock was by no means negative, for in rapid fashion a deep blush painted her porcelain cheeks – staining them the color of her namesake – which then spread down to cover the elegant length of her neck. She ducked her head under the weight of Regina's praise.

"I...I..." she began, starting and halting several times while trying to formulate a response.

Still clutching Ruby's hand, Regina leaned over the table to tip the girl's chin up with her free index finger. She smiled gently at the suddenly shy waitress when her face was unveiled from her curtain of brown hair. "Now, now. No need to be shy. I've only told the truth."

"Sorry," Ruby apologized, blushing more deeply. "I can't help it. I never thought I'd ever hear anyone tell me something like that and actually mean it, not to mention it being you. I mean, you're such an intimidating person and not in a bad way at all. It's just...you're a single mom who raised an awesome kid all by herself, and a powerful woman who runs this town like a well oiled machine, and you're just...God, you say I'm pretty, but you're gorgeous. Like, you walk into a room and I can't breathe because you're so freakin' hot kind of gorgeous, and I've had a crush on you for the longest, though I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you might feel the same way. 'Cause look at me, I'm just a poor waitress who looks like a bad hybrid between a goth and a hooker, and you're just...well, you: elegant, sophisticated, perfect...all the things I'm not and never will be. And I'm also a bumbling idiot, and I'm sorry...again."

Regina couldn't contain the incandescent grin that formed across her features. "My God, you really are adorable." She also couldn't quite believe she had called anyone adorable but if any fit the description it was Ruby...Red...Ruby/Red. In that way, the curse had changed very little and Regina was very glad of it. She had always secretly loved the adorable part of Red that made her insides melt in an altogether pleasant way.

Clenching her eyes shut, Ruby groaned as her already red face turned nearly crimson. "Oh, God...kill me now."

"Well, I hope he doesn't," Regina purred, "because that would be a damn shame. I had such plans for us on Saturday."

That did the trick. Ruby's eyes shot open and she looked at Regina with such eagerness that Regina was almost wishing it was Saturday already.

"You do?"

"Oh, yes, dear," Regina confirmed, drawing her thumb over the smooth back of Ruby's hand. It pleased her to see the girl shiver at the gesture. The anticipation of having Red in her arms, in her bed, and her in life again was so sweet that Regina was almost salivating. "That is, if you are amenable to a date with me."

"I..." Ruby responded, gaping like a fish. Regina grinned at her floundering, enjoying the effect she was having. It had been a long time since Red reacted in such a way with her; it was almost like they were back at the beginning all over again when Red was making such endearingly naive overtures and expressing awe upon them being reciprocated. "Really? You want to go on a date? With me? Are you sure?"

Regina chuckled, not even a little annoyed. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

"Well, then, I accept," Ruby replied, a grin of her own stretching comfortably across her face, just like it belonged there. Red's smile had always been so beautiful to Regina that she thought it should be a crime for the girl to ever be sad. And at that moment, she wanted to be the person who put those smiles on Red's face for the rest of time, because it felt so damn good that she never wanted to lose the feeling.

"Can you be to my house by 7 pm?"

"Ooo," Ruby drawled, "I get to pick you up and everything? Wow."

"You're not picking me up, dear," Regina said, her smile turning a bit more sultry. "I'm inviting you over. I thought I'd cook us a nice dinner so that we can enjoy ourselves without the added social pressure. Though I am Mayor, I am a private woman, so I'd like to keep things relatively discreet for the time being." She glanced around the diner and glared at a few of the patrons who were still staring. They reacted by turning away with fear in their eyes, which pleased Regina immensely. "Besides, I love to cook and I think you'll find me to be of comparable skill to your grandmother in that department. What comes after...well, that's entirely up to you."

Turning her head, Ruby's eyes widened as her breathing picked up, and despite her effort at concealment, Regina could hear her silent exclamation of, "Oh, God, she's going to cook for me? And after? Is this really happening?"

Chuckling again, Regina squeezed Ruby's hand to draw her attention. "I assure you, Ruby, this is really happening. So what do you say? Can I expect to see you at 7 on Saturday?"

Still breathing a bit heavily, Ruby managed to reply, "I'll be there."

"Splendid!" Regina smiled and then released Ruby's hand after one last squeeze. She then slid from the booth and stood, grabbing her purse and scarf in the process. "Don't be late, dear, and please do not feel the need to dress up. Wear something comfortable. You've no need to impress me. I am already," she exaggerated a leer so inappropriately amorous that Ruby blushed for a third time and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, "suitably impressed."

Nodding, the girl gulped audibly. Simply adorable, Regina thought once more as she turned to depart the diner. She couldn't wait for Saturday.