Ruby opened the diner the following morning. She did not get very much sleep the night before. Her mind was buzzing with reasons - conspiracy theories more like - pertaining to what she discovered regarding the mayor and Emma Swan.
It started out with her trying to convince herself that it was all coincidence. Regina was the mayor; therefore, many duties fell to her. Of course she was tired. Running a town couldn't be easy. Not to mention, lots of women smell like roses. It was a popular, feminine scent.
Then again, Regina never smelled like roses. Never. She usually smelled more like apples due to the ungodly amount of those things she ate. Ruby wasn't particularly close to the older woman, but she had never seen her look that run down. Regina was always collected and always sharp. The woman she saw the day before didn't even come close.
That was when the crazy ideas started. Maybe she took flowers to Emma because she felt bad for the woman? Feeling bad for someone would imply the ability to pity, and Regina did not pity a single living soul on the planet - except Henry, of course.
Perhaps the gesture was meant to try and win back Henry? Maybe, if she showed that she had some small measure of compassion within her, especially for the boy's birthmother, he would forgive her? Well, that sounded a little more likely, but why give the flowers in secret then? If she wanted Henry to know, she would have made a very public display of it.
What if those flowers were meant to be some kind of parting gift? The juiciest gossip flying around the town was that it was Regina who had somehow managed to poison the sheriff, but it didn't kill her like she intended. Perhaps this was some morbid thing that the secretive mayor did. What if she was plotting to finish off the woman the whole town knew she hated so much? After all, she never left a job unfinished. It might explain her visits in the dead of night.
Then the craziest thing Ruby had yet to come up with crossed her mind: Could Regina be Emma's lover? Henry wouldn't stop babbling about needing a kiss to wake his mother. How could she be? They hated each other, didn't they? Yet, it wasn't that uncommon for love to start out as hatred and loathing. It would explain the flowers, and why Regina smelled like them. It would also explain the reasons for her visiting only in the very early hours of the morning. Knowing the mayor, Ruby suspected the brunette wouldn't want anyone knowing of her affections, especially for the sheriff.
Ruby burst out laughing to herself. Regina in love with Emma? Not likely! The mayor couldn't even stand the sight of Emma and her unmistakable red jacket. Every word they exchanged dripped with hatred topped with venom. There was no love, no tenderness, and definitely no room for any of that to grow. The only things they had in common were Henry and their mutual contempt for each other.
But Ruby was Ruby. She couldn't help her curiosity, and she couldn't stand leaving it un-sated. So when Henry walked in early that morning before the start of school with Mary Margaret in tow, she acted on her instincts.
"Henry! Why don't you come and sit at the counter here!" She patted a spot in front of one of the stools, smiling widely at the boy.
"I see someone's awake," Mary Margaret yawned.
"Coffee?" The woman nodded a 'yes.' "Oh, Henry, I've got something that I want to talk to you about."
"Really? What is it?"
"Well," she said sliding a hot cup of joe in front of the teacher. "It's kind of a secret," she said with as much mystery as possible. She also turned her eyes to the other woman, trying to convey a message.
"Ruby..." Mary Margaret said with warning.
"Don't worry, it's nothing inappropriate."
"I guess I'll go fix my hair then," she responded, plucking the coffee off of the counter to take to the bathroom with her.
"What was that all about?" Henry eyed her curiously.
"Okay, so you know all that stuff you told me that Dr Whale told you yesterday?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I've come up with some theories. But," she said, trying to hold back his excitement. "I don't have anything solid yet. So, I'm not going to tell you until I have some more proof, 'kay?"
"Can't you give me a clue?"
"It might have something to do with your mom's True Love."
The boy's whole face lit up like all of Christmas in one glowing expression. "Seriously?! Do you know who he is! Now you've got to tell me more!"
"No, I don't. I don't really know who it is. I've got more digging to do."
"You'll tell me when you find out more, right?"
"Duh!"
"Oh! Can we give it a code name? Like Operation Love?"
Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Nah, too obvious anyway."
"Operation Kiss?"
"Nah, still too obvious. Oh! I know! How about Operation Brush?"
Henry looked at her like she went crazy. "Operation Brush? Why Brush?"
"Well, 'cause a brush is kinda like a light kiss, like a peck. But the word is innocent enough that others won't be able to figure out what we're up to." She winked at him.
"Hey, that's pretty good. Okay, Operation Brush it is. I'm going to get Ms Blanchard."
Ruby sauntered on into Moe French's flower shop. It was cute little place, but the assault on the girl's sensitive nose threatened to give her an instant headache. The florist looked up from a binder he was leafing through.
"Afternoon, Ruby. Can I help you?"
"I hope so. I'd like to ask you about some flowers you might have sold recently?"
He slumped a little, looking slightly exasperated. "Look, I'm sorry that not every single bloom is completely fresh! I can't personally inspect all of 'em. If you're looking for a refund-"
"I'm not," she said simply.
"Oh...My apologies, I just uh... Anyway, how can I help you?"
"Did someone buy a bouquet of red roses with one sunflower in the center?"
"Can't say that I have. And I've had no requests for anything like that either. Someone place an order that didn't get through?"
"Nah. That's all that I needed. Have a good day!"
If it was Regina, she wouldn't have left a trail that easy to follow. The mayor did have a decent talent with plants. She probably cut those flowers from her own garden. The silly thought of looking through to see if she could find freshly-severed stems filtered through her brain. That was the worst idea she had all day. Trespassing, especially on the mayor's property, wouldn't be a very good plan at all. Maybe she could have Henry do it? That would give away too much.
Time to have a look at those flowers herself. She immediately set out for the hospital. When she arrived in the small waiting area outside of Emma's tiny room, she saw David sitting in the chair, puzzling over the newspaper crossword. He looked up at her approach and smiled.
"David. I thought you were working at the animal shelter?"
"I have the afternoon off."
"Keeping our sheriff company then?"
"It would seem so. Mary Margaret says that Henry doesn't want her left alone. I'm just doing my part, for him."
"Uh-huh, suuure you are," she teased, knowing that he was really doing it for the teacher he was so fond of. "Listen, can I have a moment with Emma? Like, total privacy?"
"Sure, no problem." He stood up and walked away. He was always so kind and obliging.
Ruby entered the space, walking over to the blonde first. "Look, I don't know what's going on right now, but for Henry's sake, I'm going to figure it out, Em. I promise." She set her hand on top of the sheriff's, but withdrew it quickly. She forgot just how cold it was, and it made her skin crawl.
Coming back to her task at hand, she walked over to the table with all of the cards, gifts and bouquets. It took zero time to locate the one she was seeking. Though smaller than all the other pieces, it stood out. Mary Margaret was right; whoever picked out that ensemble did have good taste. Someone like Regina? The woman who always looked sharp and had a house decorated so perfectly that it would make Martha Stewart cry.
She stuck her nose in the blooms. It was definitely the same smell as what clung to the mayor. She found that not all roses carried the same scent, and this one was unusually strong. She ran her nose along the length of the stems, hoping to catch a hint of perfume or lotion that might have stayed behind. Nothing.
So, the flowers were kind of a bust. Ruby had one more plan in mind. She was going to see if anyone came by late that night. However, this time, she wasn't going to be caught in the waiting area. This time, Ruby was going to wait in the back corner of the room, like a wolf stalking its prey.
She felt absolutely ridiculous. She had dressed herself all in black to 'look more stealthy.' She looked more like a robber than a ninja. Things like that never stopped her, though. She crept into the room at about 1:30 in the morning.
Why was she sneaking? No one was there. Maybe it was the ridiculous outfit in combination with her plan that made her feel more like she was in a bad movie. Acting like she was a super-spy of some kind helped keep her already-tired mind active. She hid in the corner, sliding her back down the wall until she hit the floor. No point in standing the whole time. Dr Whale said these weird blips in Emma's brain didn't usually start until 2:30 anyway.
She sat, and waited. The lights were dim, and the steady beat of the heart monitor became oddly soothing. Ruby had been standing all day, and sleuthing was hard work. Her brain was tired from milling around all those theories and not getting enough sleep the night before. Her eyelids felt an awful lot like lead. The dark was like a warm, soothing blanket, and it became a little too irresistible.
A soft clicking tugged at the edge of her consciousness. Then, the delicate, rhythmic tapping of heels that she knew too well began invading her dream about racing through the woods. Her butt ached and it felt like her foot had fallen asleep. Ruby's eyes snapped open, remembering where she was and why she was there.
Her vision adjusted to the dim light, and she saw a figure standing over Emma. It was a figure that Ruby would know anywhere. The woman was thin, taller than she appeared thanks to her stilettos, and the short, mussed locks of hair framing her head. The velvety, yet spicy aroma of apples flowed throughout the stuffy hospital air.
Regina Mills was standing beside Emma's bed. Ruby remained completely still, ignoring the protests of her sore, cold rear. Revealing her presence right away would do no good. She needed to see what the mayor was up to.
The older woman stood there, almost like statue and stared down at the blonde below her. She didn't move. She didn't speak. She stood, gazing for what felt like an eternity. Then, as though someone had flipped a switch, the mayor set down her purse and lowered herself into the chair next to the bed. Ruby held her breath, waiting so see what would follow.
Regina slowly, tenderly picked up Emma's hand and placed it between her own, wincing at the cold. And then Ruby heard it. The steady beating of Emma's heart jumped, almost doubling in speed. Her eyes widened. What did that even mean? She chose to remain hidden.
Regina rose from her chair after holding the sheriff's hand for a long time. When she let go, the blonde's heart rate slowed again. The waitress expected the other woman to move to the opposite side of the bed and give the same treatment to Emma's neglected hand, but that's not what happened.
Regina's delicate hand rose to cup Emma's face. What Ruby saw next shocked her more than the entire scenario did already. A thin thumb moved to run over the sheriff's lips, as one would do to a lover. The moment her finger came in contact with those lips, the other woman's heart monitor started pulsing even faster than before, and Ruby couldn't stop the very audible gasp that tumbled from her own mouth.