A/N I hope to keep up this pace of updating, but if I don't do not fret, I already have this whole story planned out, it's just the act of writing the chapters out. Now, enjoy.

"I know where you're going."

Emma nearly jumped out of her skin as she closed the door only to find Charming standing behind it. Arms crossed with a knowing look on his face.

It took two months. Two months for Emma and Snow to find their way back to Storybrooke. Through a rabbit hole. With Mulan and Aurora. That however is a tale for another time.

There were three things on Emma's mind when she returned. She needed to see Henry. She needed to see Ruby. Also she would love to take a shower. A real shower, not a bath in a freezing stream, or a bucket of hot water.

So after hugging Henry for about an hour, in which she took turns filling in the holes of Snow's and Mulan's retelling of the story. Aurora pretty much just sat on a stool at the bar blocking off the kitchen with owl eyes taking in the oddities of this world. She had then taken her shower, and retold all of the 'exciting' parts of their adventure to Henry until he fell asleep and she carried him to his room.

What a stupid thing had nearly brought her to tears. She never thought she could miss him this much.

Well obviously after those two things were over she would want to get to the one thing on her list that hadn't yet fulfilled been.

However, it turned out she wasn't being quite as sneaky as she thought slipping out of the apartment. Which ended in the expectant, and amused, look James was currently giving her.

"I, just, I, needed some air." Emma placed her hands on her hips, in some desperate attempt to look nonchalant. Her excuse sounded very lame even to her own ears.

"Look, Emma, there's something you really need to know." Charming's amused attitude seemed to flush right out of him.

"What? I thought we covered the basics in there." The blonde pointed behind her at the doorway she had just come out of with her thumb.

"It's something I didn't want to say in front of Snow..., or Mulan and Aurora..."

"Shouldn't they know everything that's happening... I mean isn't everyone kind of looking to you and Snow for guidance?" Emma shifted, this 'private' stuff was making her uncomfortable.

"Emma, I wasn't sure if you wanted Snow to here this... Well..., here it not from you... I, I know about you and Ruby." Charming let the words fall out plain and unveiled. Eyes scanning Emma's face for her reaction.

"What are you-" Emma instantly went to denial, but the look on Charming's face told her it was pointless. "She told you?"

"Yeah, she didn't want to.. She was kind of at the end of her rope."

"So, what are you here to tell me not to go over there or something. I get it's late, but I don't think she'll mind. I'd think you'd get it loverboy." Emma leaned against the rail of the staircase half-grinning in an attempt to make light of the conversation.

Her heart however was in her throat. At the moment she realized that she had just inadvertently come out to her father. She didn't think that was something she'd ever do.

"No, Emma. There's something you need know about Ruby." Charming moved forward, just slightly toward her. One hand lifting off of his arm to reach towards the wide-eyed blonde. He saw one thing plain on her face, one thing that could be recognized if you'd known anyone ever truly in love.

"Did something happen to her. Is she okay? If it was Whale..." She nearly growled the last part as worried went to killer, and Charming had no doubt in his mind that if someone had harmed Red that Emma would be more than sounding killer.

"No one did anything to her it was..." Charming placed the hand he had reached for Emma with against the wall. It was an accident, even if he blamed himself. He had gone into this strongly, but now the thought of telling Emma. No, the thought of telling his daughter, that the person she loved didn't remember them falling in love with her. That she didn't remember loving her. It made him sick to his stomach.

"What, what happened? Dammit David! You can't tell me all worried that something happened to her and then not tell me what? I'll, like, go crazy..." Emma pressed her arm to her eyes, feeling her tears make the fabric of her sleeve moist.

Two months of worrying what Ruby was going through. Wishing she could be there with her through the chaos that was obviously going to come. Now those weeks of worrying silently were becoming too much at the idea that something had happened to Ruby while she wasn't there.

"Emma." The blonde felt the prince's strong hands on her shoulder. She pulled her arms away from her eyes, glad that she had no make up to smear. Sure this guy was her father, but she didn't know him too well. Definitely not enough to break down in front of him.

"Henry and I explained the boundary. How we can't leave or you'll loose your memory... You'll forget your loved ones." Charming's words didn't seem to take long to sink in.

"No, no, she couldn't. She can't." There goes no breaking down. Emma wasn't one for sobbing, but her knees did feel like they would give, and the tears were sliding freely down her cheeks to her chin. Also breathing had become quite a chore.

A wave of protectiveness surged through Charming, that he was extremely surprised by. He cupped her cheek rather loosely in one hand. Giving her plenty of space to pull away.

"Emma, she did."

The blonde set her jaw and tried to do the very simple task of breathing. The disgusting amount of snot that had appeared as her emotions took over her making that pretty hard. "How did it happen?"

"Em-" The former shepherd started, brushing away the tears he could reach with his thumb. His voice filled with that condescending tone people gave very sick people that they didn't want to give their prognosis. Emma cut him off however before he could even deny her.

"No, tell me. I want to know... Did she do it.., on purpose?" Charming felt his self freeze up. He couldn't tell her the whole truth. Emma seemed as close to the same edge that Red was less than a week ago. He however couldn't lie to her.

"It was an accident." Emma let out a long breath of relief, she didn't know what she would do if she'd pushed Ruby to that.

"I can't believe... I can't believe, after, all this to break the curse... She's forgotten, falling in, she's forgotten..., everything.."

–

Emma knew this feeling. Emma was old friends with this feeling.

Despair.

It was the thing that made you not want to get out of bed in the morning. The feeling that made you stare into coffee too long. That feeling that made you gag at people that were happy. That feeling that made you wander around aimlessly just thinking. When honestly, you have nothing to think about.

So after a bit of wandering around the sheriff's station and feeling useless, Emma made her way to get a grilled cheese. Grilled cheese and a bit of masochism.

Well, maybe it was more that she wanted to see for herself Ruby's amnesia. However that in it's self was painful. Watching the brunette place the mug of cocoa in front of her, with that sassy smirk, and assurance that her grilled cheese would be out in a few minutes.

She almost wanted to talk to her, but she was unsure if she could remain in control of her emotions if she did. So she just gave her a smile back, and too big of a tip.

It was almost worse that Ruby did remember her. She remembered her as an acquaintance. The girl that had caused a stir in their sleepy town. The one that someone had ordered a cocoa with cinnamon for. Much more than that however. Well it was just a blur, and the more she tried to think about it, remember any details about her, the more things slipped away.

The deja vu Emma was feeling about this particular situation only increased when Henry slid next to her in the booth. That crooked little grin on his face as he asked, "what are you doing?" The kid looked between Emma, whose eyes had snapped down to the mug between her hands, and the only waitress currently on duty.

"Drinking, what's it look like?" Emma teased in replied. She was able to force smile on her face in time to cover the despair that felt like it may consume her.

"What's it look like?" Henry asked, lifting himself up so he was easily eye to eye with Emma. He had cocked one eyebrow up in a look that Emma had heard made him look just like her. From that cocky position it was obvious he had not been fooled.

"It looks like you're here to watch Ruby, like you did for months before the curse broke." Emma opened her mouth to reply, and most likely deny the statement. Henry however placed a finger to her lips, and kept going. "I knew about you guys. I knew before she did that you were in love okay. So stop sitting here moping and break the curse on her so that we can all be happy, like we were supposed to be when the curse broke."

Again Emma opened her mouth to reply, only to snap it closed again when the topic of their conversation came approaching with her grilled cheese. The brunette placed it on the table, leaning over it in that way that could get Emma rather worked up. When it was directed at her, or someone else.

"Anything else I can get for you?" She rose an eyebrow, and Emma deeply missed the mischievous twinkle that she used to be able to find in her eyes at that statement. Like there was something Ruby knew she could get for her.

"Ye-" Henry started to say something, and Emma instantly cut him off, sure that whatever he said was not going to end well.

"No, we're fine."

"Alright then, enjoy." Ruby looked between the two with a smile. Not her big showy grin, but the actually amused one. Emma watched the brunette slip back behind the counter, and couldn't help the way her eyes slid down her. She'd been starved for this woman for the past two months, and now she was so close, yet she couldn't have her.

"How exactly am I magically supposed to just break that curse?" Emma demanded, with a hand flying in the general direction of the brunette. She had no reason to be mocking Henry's knowledge of these things. The kid was the only one who had figured out the curse.

"True loves kiss." Henry replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

A/N I would absolutely love your reviews, and in them tell me if you would like me to post my upwards of 20 little Red Swan one-shots I have posted on another site here so you can read and review them.