A/N Longest chapter yet. Fitting for the finale... Yes sadly, this is the last chapter.

The next four days after their picnic Emma didn't go over six hours without seeing Ruby.

She was sure if it was was anyone else it would bother her, but it wasn't anyone else. It was Ruby, and she could never get enough of Ruby.

They spent almost an entire night that Ruby was supposed to close the diner sitting in a booth together just talking. Well talking and the more than occasional or accidental foot brush.

Emma actually felt like she was falling in love with this woman all over again.

It had a rather large 'but' though. That but being that every time they parted, every time they kissed, there seem to be this disappointment about it.

At first Emma had written it off as her just getting her hopes up for the curse to break. The more she was around Ruby though, the more she fell in love with her anew. The more she realized that if Ruby never recovered her memories of the relationship they'd use to have. That she would be okay with that.

This added factor led Emma to believe that maybe it wasn't her that was being disappointed every time.

For three more days Emma tried to ignore it. It was easy when she was Ruby. It was easy to ignore the world when she was with Ruby. When she wasn't with her it wasn't, and even occasionally Ruby would make a remark, a tiny statement that would send Emma over the edge. To sit there and stew over it.

It wasn't that she didn't love Ruby, she feared, it was because Ruby didn't love her.

Emma didn't need a pep talk from Snow to know what to do, or advice from David. Although it may have helped. Really Emma was just stubborn, and her resentment was growing, and maybe she'd had a drink or two.

When she got to the diner it was late, and it was raining. Emma knew the scene well, and really she thought you had to be much older to get hit with that aching nostalgia more than twenty times a week.

She wished there wasn't that bell above the door that clanged loudly announcing your arrival. If it hadn't maybe she could have stood there a bit longer, while Ruby hurried to finish wiping off the table she was at. Without glancing at her telling her she'd be with her a moment.

She just wanted to take in this all to familiar moment of Ruby in that waitress's uniform Emma had always had a love hate relationship with. If she could freeze moments in time she'd freeze the way that Ruby's worn out features shifted into that magnificent smile of hers when she turned to find the customer waiting at the door was Emma.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you." The brunette greeted, still grinning as she crossed the small dining area to meet Emma at the door.

When she leaned into a kiss Emma almost wanted to pull out of the way, but couldn't force herself to. She jumped the tiniest bit when a hand met her behind in a playful squeeze.

The small, flirty, action caused Emma to start thinking if this was the right answer to this problem- that now seemed since she was with Ruby to be much much larger in her head.

Ruby's lips twitched down when she pulled away into a small frown though, and Emma took the moment to reassure herself mentally.

"What's wrong?" The brunette asked, looking so fully into Emma that even with her mental preparation she felt her resolve waver.

"I don't, I don't think..." Emma swallowed and felt the alcohol that she had more than maybe drunken, her liquid courage, making that pressure she had always fought building behind her eyes. "You're not doing this for me."

Ruby's brows came together in confusion, and she seemed to suddenly realize Emma's serious mood. "What? I'm not... I'm doing this for us." The taller woman released her grip on Emma with one hand, keeping the other on her waist. She gestured between them as she spoke.

"It seem- It's like- You're just being with me to remember." Emma tried to shrug Ruby's hand off of her. The waitress however wouldn't let go, some insane fear telling her that if she did, she would be letting go of Emma forever.

"Of course that's a motive, but Emma I want to remember being with you!"

At what sounded like a confession that she was right Emma took a breath. Which sounded harsh and rough in her emotion raw throat. She turned her head to the side, attempting to blink away the moisture growing in her eyes, instead the action sent a drop of it loose, sliding down her cheek.

It caught the light, and Ruby leaned forward, attempting to brush the drop of moisture away. The blonde flinched away at the action, frowning deeply.

"I don't think this is working." Emma pulled herself finally from Ruby's grasp. Feeling like she was dragging herself away from a warm fire and into the frostbitten winter night.

"Emma. I don't know what I'm doing wrong." The waitress's own voice broke, and she looked at the bell, above the door. It was a worn copper and reflecting the lights, the edges of it blurred in her tear filled eyes. "Nothing here feels real anymore. I feel like I'm losing my mind, and you're the only solid ground I have. Are you really going to blame me for wanting that to stop?"

Emma honestly couldn't look at her anymore. She more than anything just wanted to be that solid ground. To hold her hand through this craziness. She had always been too stubborn for her own good though, and it was again getting the better of her.

"I just can't do this if you're always looking for something else, Ruby." Emma sounded just... broken. She didn't turn back to look at Ruby as she left. She was sure if she did she wouldn't be able to leave.

The bell jingling as the door closed never sounded so menacing. Ruby watched the blonde until she disappeared into her bug. She just stood there for a while, until she couldn't stand there anymore. Then

she slid to the ground, still watching the rather beat up yellow car.

She'd wrapped her arms around her legs in a tight embrace. She felt like if she got small enough there wouldn't be enough room to feel hollow.

That was how Granny found her as she came out front to lock up.

–

"Ruby, obviously she doesn't see that she threw a good thing away." Granny sat comforting her granddaughter as she lay on her bed, face down in her pillow trying to muffle the sobs that just kept raising in volume.

"It's my fault." Ruby managed, before burying herself deeper into the pillow. Assuming the guilt made her feel about ten times worse.

"Now how can you say that? She's the one that ended it with you right?" The old woman crossed her arms, looking defiantly at the young woman whose crying had subsided just a bit. Ruby lifted her head wondering where the comforting hand on her back had gone, and also longing for it.

Granny's features which had been set into a stern frown had shifted into one of pity at the shape her granddaughter was in.

Her makeup smudged, half gone, and the other half wiped all around her face. The apples of her cheeks splotched with red. Her nose had obviously started running some time ago. When Granny had found her nearly half an hour after Emma had left and asked her what was wrong she had started crying and it had just kept getting worse since.

"Yeah, but, but if I hadn't been trying so hard. If I'd just let myself fall for her for her and not some other reason. Then it wouldn't have happened." Ruby hiccuped through her explanation, her grandmother rolled her eyes at her.

"Maybe you are better off without her." The much older woman suggested, leaning to the bed side table within reach of the bed for a handful of tissues. With which she attempted to wipe the mess of makeup from her granddaughter's face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Let me do it." Ruby grabbed the wad of tissues from the innkeeper, attempting to avoid getting poked in the eye.

"Not my fault you wear so much makeup I can't even tell you have a real face." Granny jabbed, toning her usual bite down do to the rather tender situation. She didn't want her to start crying again.

"She's not bad. She's actually really sweet, just puts on this brave face for everyone. 'Cause she's scared of feelings..., like you."

Granny 'hmphed' at that, moving over so that Ruby could sit up properly.

"She's really great, and she cares about Henry so much... Under different circumstances I think she would have made such a great mom..., and she cares about me..." The brunette took a shaky breath wishing to stop the tears before they started.

"I just I can't imagine after we tried..., and we fit. I just loved being around her..., and if I would just let go of this hope... This hope of us kissing breaking this curse on me. Then I could be so happy with her. Maybe what we have isn't true love..., but whatever we have I like it, I love it."

"Do you know what it sounds like?" Ruby looked to her grandmother, who was giving her this just all over loving look.

"What?" She sounded a bit worried, and Granny couldn't blame her with the fierceness she'd always protected her from a love life.

"Sounds like you already do love her." The bed creaked as Granny stood. "And it sounds like you just want to be with her... Doesn't matter what was in the past."

"But how do I tell her that?" The brunette asked, sounding more like Red then Granny had heard her since her accident.

"Listen to your heart or something sappy like that. Don't ask me, I'm the one who's scared of feelings not you." The old woman smirked and Ruby couldn't help but smile back.

"But not tonight, you look like you got mauled by a bear while you were stumbling home from a night of drinking alone." Granny observed.

–

The next morning Ruby had off work, and she was ready to set thing straight with Emma. No giving her time to cool off. No she was doing this now.

She first went to Storybrooke's one and only flower shop. Where the owner glared at her the entire time she looked for just the right flowers, and while she payed, and while she left. Honestly she didn't want to know why.

Finding Emma was the hard part. Harder than choosing which flowers to get. Flowers for Emma..., that was quite a chore.

She finally decided to just call Mary Margaret and ask her. She hadn't talk to her friend much except for in passing since her unfortunate border crossing. She didn't want someone who'd practically been her best friend being so awkward around her.

From the short conversation with the schoolteacher she learned that Emma had taken a patrol of the border in Archie's place. Mary Margaret then explained to Ruby where that patrol was, and paused, not yet saying goodbye. Ruby got the impression she had something else to say.

"And Ruby..." She started the connection crackling for a second as Ruby turned down a road leading into the woods. "... Good luck, I know how hard headed Emma can be."

The waitress didn't know how much her friend knew, but the encouragement made her heart swell. After all this was her daughter she was going to talk to, right?

"Thanks."

In the woods finding Emma was easy. She entered right where the road met the leaf mold covered ground. She walked about four feet from the neon orange spray painted line. Following something that sounded entirely too weird to Ruby, but she followed Emma's scent. It followed the border about the same distance away as Ruby was, and stopped in some place, becoming stronger in others. It was so odd, yet felt so familiar. Like she had been able to do this her whole life, but she had never really realized it.

Being near the border made her on edge. She didn't even want to know what would happen if she crossed again.

She found Emma a little less than three minutes from the road. The sheriff was walking the same direction as her, and Ruby felt nervousness bubbling up in her stomach at the sight of her. In those skinny skinny jeans, and her to the knee boots. The worn leather jacket that she knew from cuddling up to it two nights ago was creamy and so soft to the touch.

Last night Ruby had attempted to plan what she was going to say, but now she couldn't remember much of any of it.

Words from the heart aren't planned. She thought hopefully, and jogged the last few yards between them.

"Emma." She called, not wanting to startle the blonde. She was almost eerily silent on the wood floor, and her attempt at not startling her startled the so-called savior.

"Jesus!" Emma exclaimed, half looking over her shoulder, before snapping her eyes back to the woods in front of her. "Ruby, I don't think it's best for us to talk right now."

"No." Ruby grabbed a leather covered arm, and halted the blonde. Turning her to face her, still a respectable distance from the bright line.

"No?" Emma asked in reply. The sour look on her face outweighed by the humor in her voice.

"You dump on me that I forgot this relationship we had. Then we try to have a new one, and it's great. You're great... I'm the happiest I think I've ever been for a few days. Then you end it because I want this curse on me to break in some magical true loves kiss." Ruby set her shoulders back and sighed. This was definitely not how she was planning on starting their conversation, but once she had started she didn't think she could stop..

"Listen... Rubes, I just..., I think we-" The sheriff started to explain herself. Shifting on the spot, really not wanting another emotional confrontation. She however was cut off before she could really start.

"Emma, I am falling in love with you. Maybe I've already fallen. It's scary, I'd think that you would know that. I still don't know you as well as you'd think people in love should know each other. But I don't think they ever do. Maybe I was looking for a reason to hide behind for this way I'm feeling, I don't know. I just know I want to be with you. No matter what. I don't care if you have to tell me our first love story."

The younger woman tilted her head to find Emma's baby blues. She had just pretty much poured her heart out. She just wanted Emma to look at her.

"Did you get me flowers?" Emma asked, there was an undertone of awe in her voice, and as she finally looked up from the bouquet and found Ruby's eyes she was smiling.

"...yes." The brunette held up the colorful daisies to her former lover almost like a peace offering.

"No one's ever gotten me flowers before." The shorter woman was blushing now, and Ruby almost knew she was evading her and her plain as day emotions.

"If only I could scold my pre-curse self." Ruby grinned, and it didn't hurt. It didn't fill her with an ache to think she may never be that person again. She took a step closer to the blonde. Flowers still held as an offering. "I'm honestly surprised no one ever has."

Emma leaned in to smell the daisies, eyes closed against the bright colors. She put one hand out to touch Ruby's forearm, almost summoning her closer. The plastic around the bouquet crinkled, sounding wholly unnatural out here in the middle of everything nature.

"I guess I don't come off as the flower type."

"Everyone's the flower type." Emma took another step forward, and the comfortable distance between them became very comfortable.

Ruby held the flowers off slightly to the side by her right knee. Emma rested a hand on the junction of her once lover's shoulder and neck, pulling her forward by it. She paused extremely close to Ruby's face, taking in every perfect detail.

The kiss felt clean, and simple. Honest, with no second intentions. Just a kiss between to women in love.

Emma attempted to pull away, only to have Ruby grip the back of her neck, and pull her in closer. The attitude of the kiss quickly changing from one of slow innocence, sweet making up and love. To one of hunger and longing, the need Emma had felt for those two months in fairy tale land seemed built into the kiss. Only it wasn't coming from her.

"Emma!" The brunette gasped as the broke. Eyes shining, she wrapped her arms around the blonde, the bouquet of flowers pressing against her back somewhere over her shoulder. She pushed herself into the crook of Emma's neck, a place she had months ago found she had loved. Breathing in her scent. "Oh my god, I love you." Her words just seemed to be a wild attempt at explaining what she was feeling.

"Rubes, what's going on are you... Did-" The blue eyed woman's words were once again cut off, but this time by a kiss. A kiss full of greedy lips and love.

"I remember. I remember everything... Us, and my... my life." Ruby's face was lit up entirely by her smile, and Emma couldn't help kissing her again.

Even if she would have easily lived her life, and loved Ruby without her remembering... She was overjoyed to have her Ruby back. Especially if it was putting that look on her face.

"What did we do different?" Emma all but giggled, only Ruby, and that smile, could make Emma Swan giggle.

"True love. You loved me for me, the me I was at that moment, I loved you for you."The brunette's smile grew, if possible as she explained. Sounding wondering and somewhere up in the clouds.

"I guess it's a lot harder than your mom and dad make it seem." Emma pulled a face at Ruby speaking of Snow and David being her parents. The face she didn't pull off very well, because she was still smiling like a lunatic.

"You realize that you're going to have to get to know Red now too?" Ruby asked, sliding the hand from Emma's cheek in to her blonde locks, unable to get enough of her.

"You mean I'm going to fall in love with you a third time?"

A/N I hope you loved it, and thank you all for reading. Review and tell me how much you loved the chapter, or a previous chapter, or the whole thing!