Julie Wendell

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this is a spin – off from La Lisboa's original "Thicker than Water."

Justin called her about two weeks before he planned to visit. "Hi son," she greeted him. "You're still coming, right?" Julie Wendell couldn't wait to see her son again. She really hoped he wasn't calling because he had to cancel his trip.

"Of course I'm still coming, Mom," Justin replied. "Champ and I are getting all set."

Julie smiled at the idea of seeing Justin's dog again as well. She knew Champ was supposed to be a service dog, but the furry creature was so adorable. Julie didn't see any harm in giving the dog a few extra treats while they were here. After all, they only came to see her once a year. Why not make it special for Champ, too? "That sounds wonderful, Justin," she told him.

"Actually, Mom…I called because I'm planning on bringing someone else with me, too."

"Oh. Who is that?" Now that was surprising.

"Her name is Ruby," Justin replied. "I met her at the park. She's great with dogs," Her son's voice became excited as he talked. "I can even let her play with Champ, Mom." Well, this young woman must be quite good with dogs, and someone Justin trusted a lot. Her son rarely let anyone play with his dog. He was always worried people would play too rough or otherwise confuse his special companion. I've been…dating her, I guess you would say, for the past three months."

Her son had found a young woman? And she wanted to meet his mother? Wonderful! Julie had been worried after what happened between her and her ex – husband (especially considering Justin believed he was the cause of their divorce), that Justin would never want to be involved in a relationship. Justin had a few dates in the past. But never a serious relationship. Certainly not serious enough to bring the girl home. This "Ruby" must be special. "That's great, Justin," she told her son on the phone. "I'll make sure I have everything ready for all three of you, then."

OOOOOOOOO

Julie spent the next couple of weeks making sure everything was all set. She bought some bones for Champ and some food for nice dinners for the rest of them. Julie even decided to buy a bottle of wine for the three of them to share. She also made sure the couch was all set for someone to spend the night. (Even if Justin and his girlfriend were sleeping together, which she couldn't be sure of, she didn't want them doing it in her house.)

OOOOOOOOOOO

Julie decided Ruby looked like a nice girl for her son. She had very long, dark brown hair and bright brown eyes that sparkled when she talked about things she liked. Those things included dogs, especially Champ, and Justin. She even tolerated Julie and her son when they started to get into one of their arguments about his father. Julie hoped her son hung onto this girl.

In fact, the next evening, as dinner cooked, Julie decided to get out all the pictures she had of Justin. Ruby would enjoy seeing them and getting to know Justin better, she was sure. Justin wasn't too thrilled about this idea, but he didn't stop her, either. Julie was right. This girl was important to Justin. Ruby seemed to enjoy the pictures, just as Julie had thought, although she looked a little unhappy when she looked at a picture of Justin and his father. Well, that was kind of complicated. But overall, Ruby seemed to have a good time.

Thank you for reading. Please give me a review if you have the time.

Here's a response.

Fangirl: Glad you liked my explanation on how the Curse created the fake personalities and how it related to Red's experience with Mr. Jenison. As for Kristen, we probably won't see her again, but I'm sure she'll be fine eventually. She represents several women who I assume crush on the new bartender.

Personally, I don't find Killian/Collin ugly, but I think David/Josh is better looking. (I'm not sure whether that's because I liked David better in the beginning or not.) But I do know that a lot of fans think Killian/Collin is the most attractive man on the show. (Especially with his accent.) So, I figured in a world outside of Storybrooke (in Storybrooke, everyone in the show knows he only has eyes for Emma), he would get a lot of women interested in him. Kristen is just one of those.