Sorry it's taken a while for this update. I've been emotionally unwell, and that left me lacking in the motivation department. Again, thank you all SO much for reading my story! I love you all! Enjoy!

Ruby pulled up next to Emma's bug, clenching her jaw tightly. She knew that whatever was going to happen between them was going to be awkward and relatively uncomfortable. She knew that both of them were headstrong, bullheaded even, and their determination and kindness made them a lot alike. As such, they grew to call each other friends in a surprisingly short amount of time, considering how guarded the blonde was.

They had never fought before, and that left Ruby completely in the dark as how to make amends with her friend. Not to mention, Emma wasn't in the best state of mind when they last spoke, so she had no idea if that would affect the blonde's decisions regarding Ruby.

She huffed out a sigh, rubbing her fingers together because the heat was rapidly leaving her car. Storybrooke had woken up to a fine dusting of snow that morning, and out where Emma was staying it looked simply stunning. Every branch, stone, and blade of grass glittered with the thin layer of powder while the still-unfrozen lake sparkled merrily in the mid-day sun. At least her chances of finding Emma unconscious in a puddle looked to be extremely small.

Ruby took another deep breath and exited the car. She walked around the side of the cabin, still half-expecting to round the corner and end up looking down the barrel of the blonde's pistol. However, she saw the unmistakable, red leather jacket Emma always wore down by the water's edge.

She watched silently as the blonde stooped, picking up a stone, and throwing it across the water, skipping it five times. Well, she was walking, and skipping rocks didn't seem to be too hostile or self-destructive. Perhaps she was finally pulling herself together.

Ruby steeled herself again, and walked casually over to where Emma was leaning on her cane, apparently just watching the ripples undulate across the lake's surface. She made no attempt to dampen her footfalls, and Emma visibly stiffened at the sound of her approach. When she turned her head, green eyes widened in surprise.

"Ruby?" Emma breathed.

"Hey," she offered sheepishly. "Is this a bad time?"

The blonde shrugged non-committaly. "It's not like I've got a schedule or anything out here."

"I know...you just seemed a little startled." Ruby didn't know what to say, but at least Emma was not drunk, and she wasn't yelling or belligerent either.

"Rubes, I'm in hiding. I'm not supposed to get visitors, so yeah, I'm always a little surprised." Emma rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I actually thought you might be Regina..."

"Disappointed?"

"No...I guess I just see her more than I see you these days." The air grew thick between them.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked tentatively. Emma shrugged again. "Em, I came here to apologize."

The blonde's brow furrowed in confusion. "Apologize? To me? How come?"

"'Cause I was such an ass to you. You really needed support, and instead, I just kicked sand in your eyes. You didn't have anyone in your corner, save for me...and I walked away. It wasn't cool," the waitress said, not making eye contact.

A sideways smile crept along pale lips, and Emma's eyes softened. "It's me who should be apologizing, Rubes." Emma nervously ran her free hand through her hair. "Listen, you were in my corner, and I abused all of the help you were offering. You were trying to make sure that I was okay, and you had no intention of turning me in or anything. What did I do? I got shitfaced beyond all reason, and threw your help in your face.

"I deserved to have you walk out on me. Was I pissed that you told Regina where I was? Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I thought you had betrayed me to someone I could have sworn you hated. To be honest..." Emma's cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of pink. "Your actions were really good for me."

"Seriously? How?"

"Well...you kinda shit-kicked me into actually doing something about myself, and," The blonde's cheeks flushed even more. "I think it was actually a good idea that you sent Regina out here." Emma kicked a stone into the water.

"Whoa! Hold the phone! You what?"

"I know, I know! It's crazy! But...it's true." Emma looked away, and Ruby caught the hint of shame on her face before it was out of view.

"Well, can we talk about it inside, preferably before we freeze our nipples off?" The brunette rubbed her arms for emphasis, and the other woman looked up at her. "I mean, not that I have any say in inviting myself into the shack. Unless...are we good?"

Emma's face softened into a gentle smile. "Yeah, Rubes. I think we're good."

"You look good," the waitress commented over a steaming mug of instant coffee.

"Thanks, it's amazing how little changes make big impacts. You know...getting puke out of my hair, showering, brushing my teeth...the little things," Emma smirked.

"I meant, like, your injuries. Your face looks almost normal," Ruby said, cocking her head in observation.

Emma reached up and rubbed her face, the sensation of smooth skin still foreign to her fingers. "Yeah, it was kinda sudden. Like, those scratches just hung around forever. It was like they didn't want to heal or something, and then I wake up the other morning...poof! They were gone! Well, they were peeling like motherfuckers, but it was all healthy skin underneath."

"It was the same thing with Regina," Ruby tired to say casually, but her voice wavered, unsure if the mayor was a good or bad topic to broach. She busied herself with her coffee.

"Seriously?"

"Legit, man. She's all looking like a ghoul on a bad day for weeks now, right? Bam, she looks all shiny and new again. I mean, there's still some bruising and stuff." Emma frowned down at her mug. "But most of the swelling's gone."

"I really did a number on her, didn't I?" the blonde mumbled quietly.

"That's an understatement, but yeah, Em. You really did." Ruby leaned back in her chair, never taking her eyes off of her friend. "What's the deal with you two anyway?"

"Psh! You think I know? I don't have a fucking clue, Rubes. She comes out here on some kind of power trip, but she was lying about pretty much everything she said that day. So that confused the fuck outta me, which didn't help. I was pretty fucked up at the time.

"And then she comes out here again, but in the middle of the fucking night! What was that all about? But I was sitting on the porch steps since I couldn't sleep, and I saw her come round the cabin. The moment I saw her, she froze, and then kinda ran.

"I'm not gonna lie...I was curious. So I sneak up to where she was, but Regina was having some kind of major panic attack or something. And when I tried to talk to her, she didn't think I was even real. So, I try and tell her that, right? Of course, she doesn't believe me, but she tries to touch me to prove I'm not real. And this is where it gets really weird.

"She touches my face, right? And the moment she does...Jesus..." Emma ran her hand through her curls again.

"What? Dude, what? You have to tell me! Don't leave me hanging," Ruby implored.

"Everything felt...warm," she finished, her eyes sparkling.

"You've lost me, Em."

"I know you've felt how cold I am." The brunette nodded in the affirmative. "Nothing seems to shake it. It doesn't matter how many layers I put on, or how long I sit in front of the fire. I'm still cold as fuck, but when Regina touched me...I felt like I had been wrapped in a blanket whose warmth soaked right down to my bones."

"And it only happened when Regina touched you?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you wanna try, go for it." Emma leaned forward over the table for Ruby. The waitress reached her hand out, and cupped the blonde's frigid cheek.

"Anything?"

"Nope, nothing. I still feel like a popsicle." She pulled away.

"Weird... Anything else happen that night?"

Emma bit her lip. "Yeah...after she touched me, she realized that I was actually real, and freaked the fuck out."

"Can you blame her?" Ruby asked, and Emma shrugged.

"I guess not, but she did come to me in the first place...so I d'know. Anyway, she made a run for her car, and I followed. Not closely or anything, I just wanted to..."

"Wanted to what?"

"I...I don't really know. I wanted to see her? Or not see her go? I don't know what was going on in my head, but I followed her. And I saw her leaning on her car, and she was crying and stuff. I saw her keys on the ground, so I picked them up for her. I let her know that she could leave right then and there if she wanted."

"Something tells me that she stayed?" Ruby predicted with a saucy arch to her brow.

"Well...I tried to apologize, like any decent human being should."

"Tried?"

"Yeah, but she wouldn't let me! And so I tried to figure out why, and then we started fighting again." Emma caught the look on her friend's face. "Verbally!" she rushed to clarify. "Not physically, but we got into it again, and it was a hot mess. I get really frustrated, and I...started crying."

"Aww, Emma! You were crying?"

"Again, actually. I was crying earlier when I was listening to her having her panic attack, 'cause I felt so fucking guilty. We kinda argued again after that, 'cause I said something stupid as usual. But then, it wasn't long before I realized we were kind of just talking, and then she said something that blew my mind."

"Did she say that she wants to fuck your sweet, blonde brains out?" the brunette quipped playfully. Emma blushed and averted her eyes, rubbing at the back of her neck again. "Ooooooooo!" Ruby practically yelled across the table. "You wanna fuck Regina!" she sing-songed.

"No! I don't want to have sex with Regina! Calm your tits, Rubes. I just...haven't gotten laid in a long ass time, okay? I get a little...pent up." Emma's face began to resemble a tomato, because she was blushing so hard.

Ruby smirked knowingly. "Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, Blondie. I'll bring you a vibrator next time."

Emma choked on the sip of coffee she was taking. "No! No fucking way! Regina drops in on me at the weirdest times. I don't need her walking in on me while I'm six inches deep in a vibrator. I'll live without, 'kay?"

"Fine, you can suffer while you fantasize about her fine ass and perfect, olive skin. Your loss."

Emma rolled her eyes. "From the way you talk about her, I'd say you're the one with the crush, Ruby."

"Nah, she's hot and all, and I do admire the female form, I'm pretty much into guys. You've at least gotta admit that the woman's hot!"

"Christ, Ruby! You're like a dog after a bone, and you don't fucking quit!"

"Nope, but seriously. What did she tell you that blew your mind?"

"She...she told me that she wants to give me a chance to fix this," Emma replied quietly, sobering immediately.

"I know that this should come as a surprise to me, but I thought as much." the waitress said as if it were no big deal.

"What? How?"

"Why do you think I'm here, Em? We've all kind of massively misjudged her. She told me that if she could learn to forgive, so could I. She wanted me to make amends with you! She's...she's actually really kind and caring. I just don't know why she doesn't show it."

A deep scowl darkened the blonde's face. "I don't know if we've misjudged her all that much, Ruby. Why do you think I'm here? Why do you think I went after her in the first place?" Emma shot back, and the brunette looked wary of the older woman's sudden change in mood.

"I didn't want to ask. I didn't think you'd want to talk about it until you were ready," she said softly.

"I attacked Regina, because she fucking poisoned me." Emma sighed and covered her eyes with her left hand. "I was trying to leave Storybrooke."

"You what?" the brunette said in alarm.

Emma's shoulders sagged. "I thought...I thought I was hurting Henry more than I was helping him. I thought he was paying the price more often than not in my feud with Regina. I figured that if I just left...he'd be better off."

"Emma..."

"I know, okay!" she snapped. "So I went to tell Regina that I was going to leave town, and that Henry was all hers. Well, she gave me this turnover she made as a snack for the road. I thought that we were just parting on better terms than before.

"So, I'm packing at the apartment, and Henry comes in like a little tornado. He was trying to convince me to stay, and it was fucking breaking my heart. Then, he sees the turnover that Regina gave me. Well, he still believes in the Curse, and told me that his mom poisoned it.

"He made a grab for it when I told him that it was nonsense, but I was faster. We were both distraught, and I just wanted to prove to him that Regina and I wouldn't ever be allies or anything, but we knew how to bow out gracefully, right? So I take a bite of it, and boom...coma."

"Wow, are you serious?" Ruby said slowly.

"No joke, and she practically admitted to it the first time she came here."

"That's...that's fucking crazy, Emma. Are you going to do something about it?"

The blonde sighed heavily. "What's there to do, Rubes? Look what happened the first time I tried to make her pay for it... I'm a wanted criminal, we're both fucked up, Henry hates me...It's gotta end somewhere, right? It's like what Regina told me a little while ago...hasn't there been enough hurt already? She's offered me the chance to fix this, and that's what I'm gonna put all of myself into. It's time to start moving forward, right?"