Ruby sat at her desk, absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair around her finger as she pretended to read the file that was in front of her. In reality, she'd just read the same paragraph-the very first one-at least five times. She was getting nowhere, not with the way her mind kept wandering.

It had been three days since she'd visited the mayor. Two since she'd gone back to work. And try as she might, she still couldn't quite wrap her head around her conversation with Regina. She was fairly certain she was making too big of a deal out of it, reading way too much into it, but her gut feeling was that she wasn't.

Regina had sort of opened up to her that day, expressed concern for her well-being, worry where Ruby was more than sure there should have been none. That said something, didn't it? That was the question that had plagued Ruby since the moment she left the mayor's house. What did it mean that Regina had been concerned about Ruby when she made it fairly obvious on multiple occasions that she couldn't care less about anyone else? Was it just the fact that Ruby had saved her life, and so now she felt she owed the younger woman something? Somehow, Ruby didn't think that was it.

It felt different. Much different from the way Graham and Emma showed concern. Different even from how her granny had showed concern for her, when she was still around.

Ruby sighed and shook her head. She focused her eyes on the file in front of her and re-read the first paragraph for the umpteenth time, and groaned in frustration when her thoughts got the better of her again.

"Something bothering you?" Graham asked, watching Ruby closely from where he sat at his own desk.

"I can't focus," Ruby answered simply.

"Ah. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you went to see the mayor the other day?"

Ruby's head snapped up and she turned her eyes on Graham. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on," Graham said, getting out of his chair and walking around to Ruby's desk. He perched on the edge. "I told you she was worried about you. You went to see her, and you haven't been the same ever since. What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"You're lying. Your eye twitched."

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Did you talk to her?" Graham asked. "Did she even thank you?"

"Yes, I did, and yeah, she thanked me," Ruby replied.

"So, what's the problem, then? Did she say something else?"

"No. She just-I don't know. She told me that she was worried about me, and that she wanted to come by the hospital to check on me, but she didn't know how to deal with her feelings, basically, so she didn't."

Graham's eyes widened in surprise. "Her feelings? Regina Mills has feelings?"

Ruby swatted his arm. "Yes, apparently."

"Feelings about you," Graham said knowingly.

"No. Yes. I don't know."

"Well, apparently, yes, because she doesn't show concern for anyone who isn't herself. I don't think it has anything to do with you saving her life either. Or, not just that, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, leaning back in her chair.

Graham shrugged. "Maybe she likes you," he suggested off-hand.

"What?" Ruby's mouth fell open and her eyes widened considerably. "You can't be serious."

"I can, actually. And you didn't see the look on her face that first time she came in here asking about you. She looked like someone had just kidnapped her puppy or something. It was pretty frightening."

"You have lost your mind, Humbert. Lost it."

Graham chuckled and shook his head. "No, I haven't, and you know it," he said. "But hey, I'm just a cop. What do I know?" he added, as he moved back to his own desk.

Ruby was quiet for a moment, and then she said, "She made me an offer."

Graham perked up at that. "What kind of offer?"

"Not that kind of offer. She just-she told me that if I needed anything, I shouldn't hesitate to call her. And if I thought of a way for her to better thank me, I should let her know," Ruby explained.

"That sounds like that kind of offer to me," Graham teased.

"It wasn't. I just-I wish she hadn't said it, ya know? I wish she'd have just thanked me and sent me on my way. Not alluded to feelings and stuff and get me all twisted up."

"You're all twisted up over the mayor? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it's you who likes her." When Ruby didn't say anything to that, Graham's eyes widened. "Oh, my god. You do, don't you?"

"What? No. No, I don't," Ruby denied, shaking her head and trying to force her attention back to the open file on her desk. Anything that wasn't Graham's eyes boring into her, reading her so well.

"You don't, huh? Then why did you run into that burning building to save her?" Graham questioned.

"I was doing my job." The lie came easier and easier.

"You shouldn't have even been there. Emma and I were on call. It was your day off, Rube. You should have been at home sleeping, and instead you were the first on the scene. You were already at City Hall, weren't you? That night? You went to see her, didn't you?"

Ruby felt her head spin and her stomach lurch. "Oh, god," she muttered, leaning forward and dropping her head to her desk. She sighed at how good the cold metal felt on her burning cheek.

"Ruby," Graham said, his voice soft, "it's okay, you know. You can talk to me."

"No, I can't," Ruby mumbled, shaking her head. "I can't. I can't even."

"You have a crush on the mayor," Graham picked, grinning when Ruby shot him the finger. "I knew it. I freaking knew it. Ever since you escorted her to that gala last month. You're so into her."

"You are such a fucking girl, you know that?" Ruby asked, clearly annoyed. She lifted her head and glared at the man across from her.

"What? Come on, I'm your friend. We're supposed to talk about these things."

"No, we're not. This conversation is officially over."

"Uh-uh. Not until you tell me how you were the first one on the scene when the fire took place. Unless you tell me you're the one who set it, I'm going to have to go with my original theory-that you were going to talk to the mayor."

"Ugh, fine. Yes, okay? I was. I went to," Ruby paused, realizing how loud she had gotten and bringing her voice down a notch, "I went to ask her out."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. God, I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

"No, you're not. Well, maybe a little. I mean, it is the mayor we're talking about here."

"You suck, you know that?"

"So, you like her. Big deal," Graham went on, like Ruby hadn't even said anything. "What are you going to do about it? That should be the real question here."

"Yeah, ya think?" Ruby shot back, rolling her eyes again.

"Maybe that could be your repayment," Graham suggested. "Ask her out or something. Tell her you won't take no for an answer, and if she really wants to be nice and show her gratitude, she'll agree."

"Isn't that sort of like... blackmail or something? 'I saved your life, now you have to go on a date with me, or else.'"

Graham shrugged. "That's not the point. The point is, you've got a favor to call in, and the mayor promised to make good on it. Go for it."

Ruby groaned. "You think I should? I mean, this sort of feels like I'm crossing a line here. What if this means nothing? What is she does just feel guilty for landing me in the hospital? What if I make an ass out of myself?" she asks.

"Hey, it's a first date. You're not asking her to marry you. Calm down. Just ask her out, and if she says yes, see how it goes. You're usually a pretty good judge of people. If you have a good time, you'll know whether or not it's cool to ask her out again. Hell, maybe she'll ask you out, if things go well," Graham said.

Ruby nodded slowly. "You know what? You're right. Yeah. I'm gonna go for it," she said, reaching over the desk for her phone.

"That's my girl," Graham said, smiling as he stood. "I'll go and let you have some privacy. Let me know how it goes."

Ruby watched him leave before she flipped open her phone and pressed the mayor's speed dial button. Regina answered on the second ring and Ruby felt her heart leap up into her throat.

"Uh, Mayor Mills, hi, it's me," Ruby said, cursing herself internally for sounding so stupid. "Uh, it's Ruby."

"Hello, Deputy. What can I do for you?" Regina said, and Ruby could almost hear the smile in her voice.

"I was hoping I could-I, um-is that offer you made me the other day still on the table? I mean, when you-"

"Yes, it is," Regina answered coolly, cutting off the deputy's nervous babbling.

"Great. Good."

"I take it you've thought of something you'd like me to do for you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I-I was wondering if-would you maybe like to have dinner with me?" Ruby asked, blushing furiously and thanking the Gods that no one else was around to see her acting like a nerve-stricken teenager.

The line went silent and Ruby's heart dropped. It was almost too much. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for the coming rejection, but then something funny happened.

"I would love to," Regina answered, after a few moments.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief.

"Although, I'm not sure how that benefits you. You taking me to dinner doesn't exactly help me to repay you for what you've done for me," Regina continued.

"It does. It does help, I mean," Ruby assured.

"Very well, then," Regina said. "I'm free tomorrow evening, if that's good for you."

"Yeah, I actually have the day off tomorrow, so that's perfect. I'll pick you up at around seven?"

"I'll be ready."

"Okay."

"Have a good afternoon, Deputy," Regina said, and Ruby muttered a quick 'goodbye' before the line went dead.