Emma Swan got distracted for the umpteenth time that day, trying with all her might to focus on the paperwork she had to do. When she ran to be Sherriff, she had no idea how much red tape she had to cut through. It was crazy. Most of it was paperwork she just had to sign, but her eyes lost focus and soon she was continuously signing her name on everything, without even looking. When Ruby noticed the glazed look in Emma's eyes—and the fact that she was writing on the desk—she decided to figure out what the hell had been up with the sherriff lately.

Something was definitely going on. Emma had refused to go out to the bar the past two weeks in a row, and she seemed more distant than usual, like she had something on her mind. Ruby decided to find out what that was. She used to direct approach.

"Emma, you're ruining your desk. What the hell has been going on with you lately?"

Emma's head snapped up, as if she was waking from a glorious dream, and her eyes focused on Ruby, then the pen in her hand, and then the ink blots staining the wooden desk in front of her.

"Shit! How did that happen?"

"You tell me. Answer my question."

"What?"

Ruby grimaced. This was worse than she thought. "Why haven't you gone to the bar with me in a while? Why are you all of a sudden becoming a recluse?"

Emma frowned. "I don't know what you mean. I've just been busy—"

"What, signing papers?" Ruby smirked. "Come on, Emma, I like to think I know you better than that. Something has happened." Ruby stopped. "Was it—was it that night when the mayor came to the bar? Did she do something?"

Emma's face got slightly redder, and she started to stutter. Bingo. Ruby smiled to herself.

"I—I—no, it wasn't the mayor. Aside from being an annoying bitch, she hasn't done anything. I um…I think your shift is over, Ruby—you are free to go."

Ruby nodded. She just had to figure out what her boss—her friend—was hiding. She prided herself in being able to read people's facial and body expressions, and Emma was obviously in denial about something. It was also clear that Emma was getting uncomfortable. Ruby just had no idea why. A plan was already forming in her mind, though, about how to get more information on the subject. She straightened up, ready to leave.

"Okay, Emma. But just so you know, I'm here if you want to talk. You have friends here; you don't need to hide."

With that, Ruby left the office, on a mission.

She reached Mary Margaret's apartment at 4:15 pm. It was a Wednesday, so the teacher was probably just getting back from school. Ruby walked up the steps, knowing that the brunette would be surprised to see her. She steeled herself and knocked on the door.

Being a school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard had to deal with noise all day. Noisy kids, noisy parents complaining about how their kids should be given better grades, other teachers complaining about how the children did not know how to behave…and at the end of the day, she would just be dying to go home and curl up with a good book, trying to block all the bad things that had happened that day. So she did exactly that-or at least attempted to.

She had decided on reading Jane Eyre because it was one of her favorite classics. She loved the story and related on some level to Jane. She settled comfortably on her couch and was just about to start in on the book when she heard a knock at her door.

It was Ruby Lucas. Mary Margaret couldn't conceal her surprise, it seemed. Ruby just smiled and asked if she could come in, and before she knew it, Mary Margaret was sitting across from her, smiling awkwardly and wondering why Ruby had just shown up.

"I'm here because…because I want to talk to you about Emma. Has she seemed out of it lately?"

Mary Margaret thought for a second. Now that Ruby mentioned it, Emma had been kind of tired lately. Wanting to stay in her room, not wanting to do much. She had just assumed it was because being Sherriff was a tiresome job, and that she spent most of her time sleeping.

"Um, yeah, I guess. I haven't asked her about it though."

"Yeah, well, if you had, you wouldn't have gotten anywhere. She is being pretty secretive."

Mary Margaret frowned. "I don't see how that is any different from the Emma we both know and love."

Ruby laughed. "I guess you are right. It's just that…she usually is more outgoing, and the funny thing is…I think I know what's eating her." Ruby donned a mischievous smirk as she began to tell Mary Margaret what she remembered the last time Emma had gone to Errol's and the mayor had shown up.

"Emma and I had gone out, and she promised me she'd make sure that if I got drunk, she would keep me safe, you know, be my designated driver. Only when the Mayor showed up at the bar, she and I both started boozing it up, I guess because we didn't know how else to deal with Regina being there. I ended up getting pretty smashed and almost punched the DJ—and that's all I remember. From what I can deduce, though, something happened between her and the mayor that night."

Mary Margaret listened to Ruby's story. She couldn't help thinking that Ruby was jumping to far too many conclusions. "Why was the Mayor at the bar?" Mary Margaret couldn't quite picture that uptight prudish woman doing anything for fun.

"She said she was there on business."

"Of course she was."

"Look, I know it sounds fantastic, but I have a really strong hunch, and usually my hunches aren't wrong."

Mary Margaret nodded, looking wistfully at her book, begging to be read. She shook her head. Emma's happiness was more important. Finding out why Emma had been distracted at work and was slowly shutting everyone out of her life was Mary Margaret's first priority.

"So, what is your plan?"

Dinner at the Mills residence was served without fail every day at 7:15 pm, and Regina allowed one snack at 4:30 to tide her son over until then. She only made exceptions if she was late from work, or if Henry invited Emma Swan over, which he didn't do often, thankfully. The last time he had, it had been incredibly awkward, and had ended with the Sherriff storming out of her house.

Tonight, Henry hardly spoke to her, which was not much of a change, but Regina thought he seemed more thoughtful than usual. That made her more uncomfortable, because it felt like he was scrutinizing her. The past two weeks had been hard anyway, what with Regina going out of her way to avoid the other mother of her child. There was nothing going on between her and Sherriff Swan. There never would be, because they were just too different. Emma Swan had stolen Henry from her—at least, had stolen his affections, and that cut her too deep. She could not bring herself to admit that the reason she had been avoiding Emma Swan was because their kiss felt a little too real. It had been wonderful, really.

And Regina was not used to things being wonderful. It scared her to think that if she took a risk and actually felt something, she would just end up getting hurt. That's what had happened with Daniel. Regina was not sure she could take another heart break like that. So she pretended nothing had happened, and so far things were going great, aside from the fact that her son seemed to notice the changes.

"Mom," Henry said, pulling her out of her ruminations, "Is it okay if I invite Emma over for dinner on Friday?"

Regina raised her eyebrows. Her son was actually asking permission. "I think it would be best if you and she just had dinner together. I am afraid I won't be available that evening."

"Why not?"

"I have a meeting…at the—" Regina couldn't bring herself lie to her son. "I just think it would be best if Emma and I don't spend time together."

Henry was too smart. "Why? You never wanted to avoid her before. Did she say something to you to make you mad at her? I mean, more mad?"

Regina shook her head. "No, I just…I don't want to fight her."

Henry wasn't convinced. "Mom, no offense, but I thought that's what you loved to do."

"Not if it hurts you."

Henry smiled. "You mean that?" He sounded surprised, which cut Regina to the core. The fact that her son could never fathom how much she loved him, how much she felt for him—it left her feeling empty and alone.

"Yes, Henry, of course I mean it."

"Then invite her to dinner and show me that you won't fight with her." Henry almost smirked, knowing he had her.

Regina sighed, getting up from the table to clear the dishes. Her son was a sneaky little monster sometimes.

That Friday, Emma Swan showed up at Regina's doorstep at 7 o'clock sharp, bearing a bottle of wine and a pan of brownies. She had been utterly surprised that the Mayor had called her; they hadn't spoken for two weeks, since the…incident, so she immediately expected that the mayor was planning something awful. The clipped tones in Regina's voice had revealed nothing, however, just mere tolerance. It was sad, really. They had decided to avoid each other, becoming strangers, even though there was the blaring reality that THEY SHARED A CHILD. Enemies didn't do that, did they?

Mary Margaret had made the brownies, saying that it was polite to show up at the host's house with a side dish. Before Emma could make a smart comment about how she didn't give a fuck about being polite with Regina, Mary Margaret practically pushed her out the door, saying she didn't want her to be late. Emma cleared her throat, ringing the doorbell to the gargantuan house, waiting with baited breath. Henry answered the door, barreling into her arms, and she would be lying if she said it didn't knock the wind out of her a little bit.

The meal was pleasant, albeit quiet, because it seemed like Emma and Regina were having a contest as to who could ignore each other the longest. Emma tried to focus on Henry, but soon his ramblings about how he beat Nicholas at chess and how Hulk was the best superhero on the planet got old, and Emma found herself sneaking glances at Regina, who had plastered a cold look on her face, determined to just eat. The Mayor was so infuriating. It was driving Emma crazy. If this kept up, she would probably have to be institutionalized. Soon, Henry left the table to go do his homework, and the awkward silence that had been staying at a low hum throughout the evening became deafening. Emma cleared her throat and offered to help with the dishes, just to be polite.

The silence ensued for another ten minutes, until Emma couldn't take it anymore.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" God, she sounded so needy. Emma cringed. She had never been the clingy type. What was this woman doing to her?

Regina had the audacity to play it off with her typical Ice Queen act. "I don't understand what you mean, Sherriff," she said, her voice silky and sickly sweet.

Emma almost threw a dish on the floor. "Yes you do. You kissed me two weeks ago, remember? You kissed me, and then you ran away. You drove off before we had the chance to talk—"

"Talk about what?" Regina fairly barked. "About how we should go on a date, and get to know each other, and live a happily ever after?" Regina laughed mirthlessly. "Those don't exist, Miss Swan. Not here."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I know. I didn't mean that. I know relationships are hard. I just figured that we could sort this out, for Henry's sake. I don't want to have to avoid you for the rest of the time that I am here, and I hope to be here for a while."

"Really?" Regina didn't know how to react to this new piece of information. "You mean—you plan to stay?"

"Yes." Emma looked up, almost shyly. "I don't want to leave Henry." Emma sighed. "Or you."

Henry turned on his walkie talkie, trying to keep his voice down. He had been sitting at the top of the stairs, straining his ears to hear what was going on in the kitchen. When he heard the last thing Emma said, he knew that the plan that he had concocted with Mary Margaret and Ruby had finally fallen through. He nearly yelled in joy, and now said over the walkie:

"Mission accomplished. I repeat, mission accomplished."

Across town, Mary Margaret heard the news, and gave a sigh of relief.