I spent my day off from the diner with Snow. She wanted to get in some target practice and I didn't mind brushing up on my own aim with the cross bow. Her mind seemed to run on one track these days: getting back to the Enchanted Forest, setting Emma up as some sort of folk-hero Saviour Princess, bringing things back to the way they were.

"Won't you miss some of the stuff here?" this was a question I constantly asked myself.

"Like what?" Snow snorted, taking dead aim on the center of her target.

""Like, I don't know…the internet? Lady Gaga? Using a band aid instead of some gross poultice for a paper cut? I don't know. I might be like, a multi-dimensional kind of lady. Maybe I'll just spend my summers in the enchanted forest." I remembered the deep winters in my home village and shuddered. The thought of spending seven months tending a fire and stitching clothes made me shudder.

"Ruby, its not going to be that simple.: " We can't just leave the beanstalk growing after we go back. For one thing, it would be really hard for the outside world to miss a giant tower in the sky."

" As soon as we get to the top…" she looked at me, debating whether or not to confide something clearly huge in me. Because I am me- her best friend, and also a giant walking journal for all of Storybrooke-she took a step closer and started whispering. "We're going to burn it."

My eyebrows went way, way up. "Wow. Okay. That'll make the news."

"It will mean We can't take the chance that Regina will follow us up."

I didn't say anything, but of course the first thing I thought of was Henry. For the last decade I'd thought of him as Regina's kid and I still sort of did. Even if he was infatuated with Emma and swordplay these days…surely he'd miss Regina? And I was damn sure Regina wouldn't give him up without a fight.

"You'd come with us, now that you know that, right?" Snow looked at me. She was too kind to pressure me, but I could tell she was holding her breath.

"If that's my choice, then of course, I'll always go with you." My voice didn't waver. She squeezed my hand with a smile spreading across her face. I felt weird though. When I raised my crossbow the arrow missed the target by a long shot.

I saw Emma that night, as I walked down the stairs from Snow's place. She was clearly on her way up, the end of a long day, her face clouded.

"Oh hey." I waved a little. "Earth to Emma. You look lost in thought."

"Hey." She smiled at me. "Just tired. Snow said you'd be over today, I was hoping you'd stick around for dinner?"

"I wish, but I promised I'd do the night shift again at Granny's…" part of me wanted to just keep walking, but I'm just too much of a girl scout to know when to keep my mouth shut. "By the way, Regina asked me the other night to say thanks for the drink."

"Oh." Emma tried not to look interested and failed. "What exactly did she say?"

"She said 'thanks, from a frenemy' And that she owes you one."

Emma smiled, a small, sweet smile. "Frenemy. Huh." She tilted her head. "Well, I'll probably be at Granny's tonight around nine. Who knows, tell her if she comes in I'm definitely going to call that bluff."

Was that…did I have to say that to Regina? Was that the implication? Better not to even ask, I told myself, and with another wave trotted down the stairs.

I found myself watching the clock with a knot in my stomach after Regina strolled in at 8:15. Typically, we get a customer in and out in about 20 minutes. Regina ordered just a tea, and I worried I wouldn't be able to keep her around that long. I brought her coffee first, as though I'd forgotten, and when she (gently- when she wants to, she can make her voice like a piece of silk) reminded me she'd asked for tea, I brought her the wrong kind.

"I'm sorry, is it a full moon?" she asked with one eyebrow up, which made me sort of furious. It's basically like if someone asks you if you're on your period. "I thought I asked for Earl Grey… Twice."

"Whoops. I'll be right back with the Earl Grey-"

"You know what, I'm sure this-" she looked at the bag "'Razzleberry'…will be just fine."

I went back behind the counter and lost myself in filling orders with a leaden conscience. I knew Emma had wanted me to tell Regina she'd be there at nine. But I also did not want to get involved with Snow's daughter smoothing things over with her Evil Stepmother. It was just too many criss-crossing royalties to navigate on top of orders. Not that there were a ton of those coming in. The crowd was dying down, people trickling out. Just a few couples in the booths up front, and Belle quietly reading at the counter. Can I still call her Belle? She's Belle, even if she doesn't know it. And she's able to look after herself now, even if she has to see Archie every day for attempts to unlock her memories with "regression therapy".

Eventually Regina waltzed up to the counter at 8:50 with a handful of crisp bills, trying ot catch my eye as I wiped down the countertop.

"You know what…" I looked frantically around me for some excuse to stall. "You should really try the pecan pie I just took out of the oven. There's something about it when it's really warm- Belle? Regina? What do you say to a slice on the house?"

"I'm more of an apple filling person." Regina was buttoning up her coat. "But thanks."

"You know, I think Emma should be here in a few minutes, maybe I should put a piece aside for her, she loves pecan pie." I said, like a total idiot, with all the subtlety of a fire alarm as usual, putting a plate in front of Belle and taking Regina's money to my till. I saw, in my peripheral vision, Regina sit on one of the stools.

"Oh?" Regina looked at the dessert. "You know, Henry's asked me to make pecan pie for him before. I don't suppose you'd part with the recipe?"

I have a partner in stalling now. I can feel it, when I lock eyes with Regina, I can tell from how calm she is, and how INTERESTED she is in this recipe all of a sudden. How many eggs? What kind of pecans? She doesn't care. Nothing I say is registering. Like me, she's burning down the minutes, waiting, hoping, praying Emma is on time.

The door clangs at 9:01 and Emma walks in, shaking the cold off her shoulders. Her eyes rest on Regina and her face lights up. She's Snow's daughter. She can't hide that glow when it fills her. She puts a hand on her hip and cocks her head at Regina.

"I'm thirsty." She says. Regina crosses her arms.

"Good, because after tasting the kind of gasoline you guzzle I've decided it's time you learned something about wines." She looks at me, hiding her excitement behind stiff raised eyebrows. "Ruby, if you don't mind, could you bring over a glass of merlot, a glass of pinot noir, and a glass of cabernet to the back booth?"

"You mean where you just were?" I mumble. "Sure!"

Regina turns and stalks over to the back corner, Emma follows Regina with her eyes for just an instant before following right after her. Belle turns to me with one eyebrow up.

"They're cute. They have a son together, don't they?"

"Yeah." I lean against the counter, almost shaking with relief, and then realize what Belle means. "Except not like that! They're not- they're not together."

"Divorced?" Belle says in a whisper.

"No…no they were never- I mean, I don't even know if either of them are even…"

"Oh, they are." Belle nods, sweeping up a bite of pie. "Trust me. I don't mean to pry and hey, I've never met either of them before but…" she pauses and we both hear their laughter float from the back booth. I set out three glasses and fill them to the half point, frowning.

"Look, in Maine gay marriage is legal and I'm truly proud of that : but for completely different, separate reasons, those two absolutely can NOT…EVER…" I cross my arms and lean against the counter. "Trust me when I say… it's complicated."

"When the attraction is that strong, it has a way of simplifying things." Belle says, her cheeks pink. "I'm sorry to be so gossipy. I'm just so eager to have something to talk about. This town is sort of closed off to strangers."

"You're not a stranger." I manage, and take the three glasses to the back booth.

To be Continued...