Dinner went by quickly. A little too quickly, for Ruby's liking. Thankfully, though, Regina didn't seem too keen on leaving right away, so Ruby cleared away their dirty dishes (by herself, citing a number of reasons why she wouldn't allow Regina to help her, much to Regina's dismay) and poured more wine, and then she and Regina moved to the living room couch to continue their conversation.

"So, what I'm gathering from all this talk of heroics and badassery, is that you really, really enjoy your job," Regina said, a hint of teasing etched into her voice as she settled onto the couch beside Ruby.

Ruby laughed softly. "Uh, yeah, pretty much," she agreed, shifting and turning a little toward Regina, bending her knees and curling her legs up under her to get comfortable. "I don't know. Growing up, I didn't have any idea what I wanted to be. Most kids were talking about being lawyers and doctors and cops and I was just sort of there, the perpetual daydreamer that was always too caught up in my own flights of fancy to give any real thought to what I actually wanted to do with my life. And then I grew up, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, all those kids talking about being cops weren't so crazy after all. I still don't really know what got me interested in it. It was just like, I woke up one day and decided that's what I wanted to do, so I did it, and I don't regret it in the least," she explained.

"Wow. That sounds like a pretty spontaneous way to pick a career," Regina said. She took a sip of her wine, and added, "It suits you though."

"You think so?"

"Mm. It does. I had never realized it until you rushed into City Hall to rescue me from certain death. The hero thing works for you. You wear the badge well."

"Hah, well, thank you. I think."

"Oh, it was definitely a compliment, dear."

Ruby smiled. "So, what made you wanna run for official office?" she asked, lifting her glass and swirling its contents before taking a drink.

"Well, that decision was nowhere near as spontaneous as yours, I'm sad to say. My father was big into politics, and growing up as daddy's little girl, I was always involved in that with him. He never had any desire to run for public office himself, but he'd take me to all the debates and elections and things like that. It was fun and exciting and I got to meet all these amazing, wonderful, smart people, but I remember thinking, 'Gosh, why are all these politicians men? What's up with that?' I decided I wanted to change that, so as I got older, I got more and more involved in the political scene, worked my way up through the ranks, and ended up here."

As Regina told her story, Ruby noticed that she'd gotten a bit more animated, letting her words flow freely and her body language change. The younger woman found herself leaning in, hanging on every word, obviously so if the way Regina looked at her when she stopped talking was any indication.

"So, small-town mayor... was that your original goal or did you just... find yourself here by chance?" Ruby asked, shifting a little more and accidentally brushing her hand against Regina's jean-clad knee.

Regina shivered at the touch, and hoped Ruby hadn't noticed. "Um, well, to be honest, this wasn't what I had in mind when I decided I wanted to be a leader. I had pictured some grand high-rise office in New York or somewhere equally as fantastic, but my duty has always been to this place. The little quaint town that I grew up in, that my father raised me in. I may get annoyed with her sometimes, but Storybrooke will always have a piece of my heart, and I will always work hard to keep her safe and running smoothly," she replied.

"That's why you're so fierce all the time," Ruby said, nodding to herself as if she'd just come to some great understanding. "You protect this place like it's your baby. And hell on anyone who tries to bring harm to it, or get in your way of doing your job."

"Yes, actually, that's quite right."

"I see your point. I can see wanting to stand up for something that means so much to you. I've definitely done my fair share of fighting to keep things I love close, and please don't take this the wrong way when I say it, but... you can be a fierce protector and a kind and caring person at the same time, you know. I'm not saying that you're not. I just mean that, it's okay to open up sometimes. You don't always have to be on the defensive."

For a moment, Ruby was afraid that she'd offended Regina, because the other woman tensed a little, her grip around her wine glass tightening just slightly, but then she relaxed again and her face softened. She looked up into sparkling hazel eyes and saw that Ruby truly meant no harm with her words. She was merely trying to tell Regina something, and it sounded quite a bit like she wanted to get to know her better.

"It's not easy for me," Regina started, tracing the rim of her glass with her index finger, "letting my guard down and letting people close. I haven't had very many people I've felt comfortable enough with to do that, so it's difficult. I feel like, in order to be taken seriously, I have to be this certain type of person, and so I've molded myself into that. Over the years I've fashioned myself into who I thought I needed to be in order to run this town. I had a little help along the way, but ultimately, it was I, myself, who created this persona. The Evil Queen, so to speak, who rules over her constituents with an iron hand."

Ruby nodded. "That makes sense. Women in politics are still a bit of a rare thing, so I get that you'd feel the need to shape yourself up into the no-nonsense, bitch on wheels that everyone loves to hate," she said, smirking to show that she was still teasing a bit, and so that Regina wouldn't slap the hell out of her for saying such a thing. "But you don't always have to be like that. I mean, I'm not trying to tell you what to be or how to act. I know I hardly even know you. I just think you can be both, ya know? Fierce and hard-working and willing to do what it takes to run this town, and kind and caring and attentive enough to relate to and understand the people who call this their home as well."

"Do you really think that that's possible?" Regina asked, dropping her eyes down to her own lap for a brief moment before catching Ruby's gaze again.

The younger woman nodded. "Oh, yes, definitely. You've sort of proven it to me tonight," she said, smiling softly.

Regina didn't know what possessed her to lean forward then, but she did, slowly until her lips just brushed against Ruby's in the lightest of kisses. She felt Ruby shift slightly against her, and then the younger woman brought her hand up, brushing Regina's hair back from her face and caressing her cheek as she deepened the kiss. Regina sighed into Ruby's mouth and melted into her touch, leaning closer and closer. Until she heard her glass clink against Ruby's. The sound was like a bucket of ice water for both of them, and they pulled away from each other quickly.

"I'm so sorry," Regina said, scrambling back on the couch. "I don't know what got into me."

Ruby reached out and closed her fingers around Regina's wrist, keeping her from moving back any farther. "Hey, it's okay. I-I wasn't offended or anything. In case you didn't notice, I kissed you back," she said, a crooked and totally endearing smile firmly in place. "Unless, of course, you didn't really want to kiss me in the first place."

"No. No, I-I did. I just-that may have been a little inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?"

"I'm the mayor and you're the deputy. I shouldn't have to remind you why that's not proper."

"Office politics or some bullshit like that."

"Yes, some bullshit like that," Regina affirmed, frowning.

"So, there's a rule against this?" Ruby asked, bringing Regina's hand up and placing a kiss to her knuckles. When Regina closed her eyes and nodded, Ruby added, "Get rid of it then. You can do that, you know. You do kind of run this place."

"Ruby," Regina breathed, forcing her eyes open, "you know I can't do that."

Ruby's face fell. "Are you sure? Because I was quite enjoying where this was going, just so you know."

"I'm sure, and I'm also fairly certain that I shouldn't have even come here tonight. None of this is appropriate, at all," Regina said, as she turned away from Ruby and pulled her hand from the other woman's grasp. "I should go," she added, setting her wine glass down on the table and pushing herself to her feet.

Ruby stood abruptly. "Please don't go. Come on. We were having a great time. Can't we just... go back to that?"

Regina shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, but I have to leave."

Ruby watched quietly as Regina grabbed up her blazer, shrugged into it, and then rushed for the door. Regina took one last look at Ruby before she yanked open the door and stepped out.

"Regina, wait," Ruby called out, but it was too late. The door slammed shut and Regina was gone. "I really like you," Ruby muttered into the empty space around her.

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, wondering how things had gotten so out of hand when they had been going so well before. And then she remembered. Regina had kissed her. Regina Mills had kissed her. Not the other way around, and no, Ruby hadn't imagined it. She could still feel the tingling where Regina's lips had pressed against her own. It had felt too good, too right, for Ruby to just ignore it.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she vowed that she wouldn't let this go. She'd seen far too much of the real Regina to just turn a blind eye now. No, she wouldn't just let it go, rules and consequences be damned.