Note: Again I do not own OUAT or its characters. I am just a fan.
It had now been more than two weeks since Emma had stormed out of her office and in that time the few times they saw each other they had stuck to two topics of conversation – Henry and city business.
Regina had gone back to using more formal titles – Miss Swan or Sheriff Swan.
But they lived in a small town and it was impossible for Regina not to hear things. For instance, Emma had been gone two Saturdays ago for nearly the whole day out with Hook on his boat. Or the night she gone out with one of Robin's band – Regina had yet to bother learning all their names – and the two had actually been seen dancing together at the Rabbit Hole.
It was her latest excursion into the dating world that had Regina staring at her desk instead of working like she was supposed to. Emma had been seen on a picnic with Ruby, and from Regina's secretary had said, it was anything but a simple friends lunch.
She didn't even know why her secretary had told her. It as none of her business who Miss Swan chose to go out with. One would think that she would at least not let the whole town know her business, Regina thought, after all they had a son.
And like she had told Emma, she didn't care if a man chose to be with a man – it was none of her concern.
She looked back at her incomplete paperwork, reminding herself once again that it was none of her concern.
Ruby had to smile at Emma who was currently asleep on her couch. She had now been on four "dates" with the woman where Emma had spent most of her time talking about various aspects of Regina. This last one was the worse as Emma drank a little too much, mostly out of anger that she was getting no reaction out of Regina whatsoever.
Her friend was certainly in love with the mayor. It was cute, Ruby thought, even if it was Regina.
She had made the mistake on the first date of asking Emma what she saw in the former queen. That was 90 minutes of life Ruby would never get back. Not to mention the 15 minutes Emma spent on describing Regina's well-toned calf muscles.
Emma started to stir and Ruby was there to offer her a bottle of water to help with the hydration process. Emma sat up and Ruby took a seat next to her.
"You were kind of drunk last night when I offered you a piece of advice, so I am going to say it again. I get that you and Henry have this adorable little plan to get Regina to see that you and her could have something special. But maybe if you were just direct with her, ask her out on a date, then you might actually move a step closer to what you want. It's been a month now and all the fake dates with me and anyone else you can talk into it aren't making a difference."
"It's not like I didn't think about that from the very beginning, but … I don't know. I needed to see if she would be accepting of the idea of dating a woman first, and that didn't go well."
"Do you think she's into women, yes or no?"
"Yes."
"Do you think she's into you, yes or no?"
Pause. "Yes, but the problem is I don't think she sees the two things as being connected. I mean I know she appreciates the female form, I've seen her admiring a few when people weren't looking. But I think she thought we were developing into co-parents, friends even, but not potential …"
"Mutual sex slaves?"
Emma cracked her first smile of the day. "Maybe you are right. Maybe I should be straight forward with her."
"That's my girl. Now get up, go home, shower because you smell like a bar and go see your woman. Besides I got to get down to work and I don't want you sleeping on my couch all day."
"Always full of love and support, Rubes,"
"You know it."
Emma put on her shoes and walked down with Ruby, who lived above the diner anyway. She figured she would get a coffee to go and head home.
"You know you have to give me all the hot details when you finally bed Madame Mayor," Ruby said.
"I'm not telling you that kind of stuff."
"Oh please, don't act like you aren't going to run and tell me the moment you get the chance. I bet she is screamer. Probably likes to talk dirty."
Emma laughed as they came out into the diner and stopped as she saw Regina there. The other woman had looked up as Emma came through the door. That door led to only place – the boarding house apartments where Emma most certainly did not live, but Ruby did.
Regina turned and left the diner, despite Granny calling out to her that she forgot her coffee.
Emma rushed out after her, but Regina had gotten into her car and drove off already. She had seen the look of disbelief and yes hurt in Regina's eyes when she looked at Emma coming down.
"Damn it," Emma cursed.