A/N: So, I may have made a mistake in choosing Ruby for Jacob's role because she is VERY VERY likable to me lol but at the same time, I'm glad because this way I can actually enjoy and get through part 2 without being annoyed by Jacob's constant whining. I will write Ruby a little differently as you will be able to tell from some of the dialogue. As much as I love Ruby, I'm sorry RedQueen fans, but I am SwanQueen all the way. I hope you all enjoy this update.
Happy reading! :)
The smell of a freshly cooked lasagna hit Henry as he arrived home that afternoon. "Regina?" He called out, removing his jacket & hanging it by the door.
"I'm in here, dad!"
Henry followed the sound of his daughter's voice coming from the kitchen. His brows furrowed in surprise to see her setting up two glasses along the table. The lasagna is steaming in the center. "Hey, sweetheart…"
"You're just in time. Dinner's ready."
Henry's expression relaxed as he took his usual seat at the table. He held up his glass, allowing Regina to serve him some soda. "Did you just get home?" He asked, his eyes watching her carefully.
"Three hours ago," said Regina, serving a slice on her father's plate. "I was with Ruby."
Henry's eyes looked as surprised as he sounded, "Ruby?"
Regina nods, taking her seat at the table, reaching for her soda to take a sip.
"Well… that's different."
Regina looks up quizzically.
"No, no- a good different." Henry lifted his hand, answering quickly. "Ruby's a good girl." He chews on a piece of lasagna.
Regina nods, slowly chewing through a piece, "Yeah, she is." She couldn't even believe it herself, how refreshing it was to spend time with Ruby today.
"So, what did you two do?" Asked Henry, taking a drink of his soda.
Regina shrugged, "We just hung out. I helped her work on some stuff in her garage. She really knows her way around tools."
Henry nods, "Yeah, Eugenia has mentioned that. Maybe I should go to Ruby the next time my cruiser breaks down." He pops another piece of lasagna in his mouth.
Regina released a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair, dropping her pen along her school book. She moved out of bed, walked toward her desk and opened up her laptop. No email response from Lily. Shutting her laptop, Regina looked to her window which always remained open and couldn't help but think of Emma.
She checked her stereo again, hoping that her CD would be in there- wishing this was all just a bad dream- but it was to no avail. Her CD was gone. Emma was gone, and even Lily seemed to be gone.
And it only seemed that every single night she went to sleep, Regina's screams were becoming worse. Just like her dreams.
Henry burst into his daughter's bedroom, carefully shaking her awake, "Hey, sweetheart, it's okay. Hey," he holds his hands up once Regina jerks away. "It's me. It's dad. It's dad."
Regina's breathing is rapid, her eyes wide, evidence of tears are visible along her eyes.
Henry sighed, his hand gently caressing his daughter's hair. "Boy, that dream catcher Ruby gave you is really starting to work, huh?" He said sarcastically.
Regina looks to the dream catcher that hangs along the headboard of her bed.
"You know, Gina…" Henry breathes, trying to collect the right words. "When your mom left me and took you with her…" he paused, "I was devastated. I couldn't picture a life without you in it. I loved your mother, don't get me wrong, but, you- you're the love of my life." The corner of his lips tilt into a tiny smile. "It took me a long time but I finally was able to cope. What I'm trying to say, Regina, is that people come and go. Boys, girls…"
"Dad-" Regina shook her head.
"No," Henry held up his hand. "Hear me out. Please." He waits. "I get that she was your first girlfriend. But, sweetheart, you're a beautiful girl. You'll find someone, anyone who will make you feel alive again. Maybe- maybe not now, but give it time. Now, Ruby… she seems to make you forget things… for a while, right?"
Regina nods.
"Well, that's a start." Henry smiles, pulling up the covers as Regina settles back into bed. He leans down, placing a kiss along the top of her head. "I love you." He whispers, shutting her bedroom door on the way out.
"You want another slice?" Ruby held the last slice of pizza in the air.
Regina shook her head. "I'm good," she walked around Ruby, watching her scarf down the last slice. "Did you miss breakfast or something? You ate almost the entire thing."
Ruby smirked, standing up to admire her work on one of the finished motorcycles. It was bright red with shiny new parts. Nothing compared to how it looked once Regina bought it.
"Wow," Regina breathed, smiling. "You sure worked fast."
"I'll admit, I get a little obsessive when it comes to fixing things." Ruby flicked her wrist, flipping the wrench along the air and catching it. "Once I commit to a project, I just have to finish it."
"You're amazing, Ruby." Said Regina.
Ruby looked into Regina's eyes, locking them. "Regina, if I told you that I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?"
"I would say that that's really too bad, and that we would have to find something else to do together."
Ruby's smile grew, her eyes positively marveling, "So, you really like spending that much time with me?" She asks.
Regina nods, "Very much. Yes."
"Does that mean you'll still come around even after we're done?" Ruby asks.
"If that's okay," Regina shrugs. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of your homework and other stuff, though."
Ruby chuckles, "Besides homework… Gina, you are my other stuff."
Regina couldn't help but blush at that compliment, trying her best to hide it. She must have been successful because Ruby didn't comment on the pink color of her cheeks. "Well, what about your other friends? Quill and Embry. Won't they miss you?"
Ruby's smile is gone as she shakes her head, "No. No, they… they like other things now-a-days." she admits. It's been weeks since she last saw them.
"Such as?"
Ruby shrugs, tucking her hands inside of her short shorts as she leans against the finished motorcycle. "Hell if I know. They like hanging out with Graham Humbert," she rolls her eyes. "They say he's some kind of big brother figure. It's like they all of a sudden idolize him."
There's a small smile playing on Regina's lips, "It sounds like you're a little jealous."
Ruby snorts, "Yeah. Right. The day I'm jealous of someone like Graham Humbert, will be the day you have my permission to shoot me."
Regina chuckles. "Hey, come on," she nudges Ruby's shoe with her own. "Graham doesn't seem like such a terrible guy. I mean, he did find me."
Ruby nods, "And I'll forever thank him for that. We were all worried about you, Regina."
Regina frowns. "I know.
"Can I ask you a question?" Ruby waits. "What happened out there in those woods? Why were you there? Why alone?" She always wondered.
"I… If you don't mind, I would rather not talk about that."
"Okay," Ruby shrugs. "Well, if you ever do want to talk about it… just know that I have all the time in the world to listen." She smiles.
"Hey, don't change the subject." Regina smiled a little. "What's going on with you and Graham? Do you have some kind of rivalry with him or something?"
"No," Ruby shakes her head, turning her attention to Regina's bike as she nods. "So, what time will you be over tomorrow to see the finishing product on your bike?"
"School tomorrow, remember? But Friday after school, you can count on it."
"Great. It's a date, then." Ruby grins.
"My dad said it was bigger than a bear, so it couldn't have been a bear." Said Robin.
"No way," Ella snorts. "There's no way anything can be that huge."
"You're totally making that up, Robin." said Zelena.
"On my life, that's what my dad's been saying!" Robin swore. His eyes looked to Regina as she joined them at their table for lunch. "Regina, your dad hasn't told you anything, has he?"
"About what?"
"Forks being overrun by huge bears."
"That's crazy, Robin! It's not even bear season." Said Mulan.
Regina shakes her head, "He hasn't said anything." She chews on a french fry.
"Look, my dad knows what he saw, okay? And I'm telling you, this thing was massive."
Zelena snorts, "Okay."
Robin rolls his eyes at Zelena, deciding to give his attention to Regina. "So, Gina… I- I was thinking of catching a movie this weekend. Would you want to go? I mean, you have to get out of the house, right? How about Friday?" He grins.
Zelena's eyes look at Robin as they roll.
"Um… I'm sort of doing something with my friend Ruby on Friday."
"Oh." Robin frowns, his shoulders deflating.
"But, how about Saturday?" At Regina's request, Robin's blue eyes shine brighter than before. "Would you all like to join Robin and me for a movie weekend?" She turns to everyone.
Robin's smile disappears quicker than it had appeared, hoping to have had an official date with Regina.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Zelena perks up.
"Count us in!" Ella smiles, cuddling next to Mulan, who had officially become her girlfriend.
"Great! I'll invite my friend Ruby, too. I know she'd love to go with us." Regina smiles.
"Super," Robin murmurs under his breath.
Friday, Regina stared in awe at her newly restored bike. It was black, and so much better looking than when she bought it. "Ruby, you are truly the best." She grinned, watching as Ruby brought down the bike with ease from the back of her truck.
Ruby chuckled, "If I was truly smart, I would have dragged out on building these bikes so fast."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, now that we are officially done you won't want to come around anymore." Ruby felt saddened by the idea.
"Hey, that's not true." Regina nudged her. "I'll still come around."
Ruby smiled, "You promise?"
Echoed laughter distracted Regina from hers and Ruby's conversation. "What is that?" She asked, walking along the side of the road. A group of boys were laughing and horsing around along a cliff, when one of them dived off. "Oh, my God! Ruby, did you see that?"
Ruby's laugh fills the air, "Relax, Gina. They're just cliff diving."
"Cliff diving?" Regina looks over to Ruby.
"Yeah, we do it all the time. That's Graham and his gang."
Regina's brown eyes are wide, "You've done this?" She motions with her thumb, throwing it over her shoulder.
"Sure," Ruby shrugs. "It's scary as hell but it's a total rush."
"A rush?" Regina turns to the group, watching as another boy easily jumps off.
"Yeah," Ruby's facing forward onto the group of boys in the distance. "They used to jump off the second cliff, which is lower, but now they like to challenge themselves. See who's tougher, I guess." She rolls her eyes.
"I didn't know Graham had a gang."
"Yeah. They aren't bad, but I don't know… Most of them- especially Embry- they follow him like a group of lost puppies. It's pathetic. They like to think of themselves as 'the protectors' of Forks," her eyes roll once more. "My grandmother and others appointed him to be like their leader. So anything that goes on in Forks, Graham has to report it back to the elders." She shrugs.
Regina's brow furrows, "I didn't know your grandmother was on the town council."
"Yeah," Ruby breathed. "She took over after my grandfather died, and she's been head ever since." She chuckled, "Her dream is that I too, someday, become a… leader," she does air quotes as she smirks.
"What, like Graham or better?" Regina smirks.
Ruby's smirk widens, "Better, of course." She snorts, facing forward again. Regina notices how quickly her smile vanishes. "But I don't know. To be honest, I've never pictured myself leading anybody. Graham takes pride in it, though. Sometimes, it's a little annoying to tell you the truth. Everyone on the council- especially my grandmother- look up to him. As if Graham could do no wrong. He's twenty and didn't even go to college, yet I skip a day of homework and I have to hear a mouthful from granny." She shakes her head.
Regina watches how angry Ruby looks, never having recall when she ever saw her angry. "Why does Graham upset you so much?"
"Is it that obvious?" Ruby smirks a little once Regina nods. Her smirk leaves her lips as she faces forward again, "Graham is a good guy, I guess. Maybe a little too perfect. I just hate how he looks at me sometimes. As if he's… waiting for me or something. Embry keeps trying to convince me to join their gang but," she shakes her head. "I don't know."
"Has Graham said anything to you?" Regina asks.
"No. But his eyes say it all." Ruby's voice trembles a little, it sends chills up Regina's spine.
"Does your grandmother know about this?"
"Yeah," Ruby nods. "And she's the first one telling me not to 'fight against my density,'" she rolls her eyes.
"You shouldn't feel forced to join anything you don't want to, Ruby." Regina shakes her head. "You should just avoid him."
"I try," Ruby murmurs. "But no matter how much I shake him…" She shakes her head. Her eyes lighten as they look at Regina, her smile is instantly back. "Anyway, what do you say we forget about Graham and his disciples and just test out your bike, huh?"
Regina smiles. "Okay."
"Alright, mount up, Mills!" Ruby grins as she stands in front of the bike. She waits for Regina to settle along the seat to reach for her hands, placing them along the handles. "Okay… Brake," she places her left hand along Regina's right. "Clutch," her right hand lands on Regina's left.
"Okay…"
"Gas," Ruby gently moves Regina's right thumb over to a red switch. "You got it?"
"Yeah," Regina nods.
"Alright, turn it on. Let's hear this baby purr."
Regina flicks the red button with a flick of her thumb, hearing the engine roar to life. She smiles as Ruby does.
"Alright… now slowly… release the clutch." Ruby instructs, taking a few steps back.
Regina readies herself when she sees the silhouette of a familiar hand, followed by a pair of golden eyes staring down at her. "Regina… stop."
Ruby's eyes look wide. She jerks back as Regina makes the bike jerk forward, the engine roaring louder. "Whoa! Easy, Gina… Are you alright?"
The corner of Regina's lip tilts a little, "I'm fine," she breathes. "I'm going again."
Ruby chuckled, "Okay, maybe we should call it a day, huh? Try some other time."
Regina shakes her head, and before Ruby knows it, the engine is roaring louder, and Regina is riding along the dirt road much, much faster.
Emma's silhouette reappears as Regina drives on, again and again that her eyes can't look away. A smile begins forming along her lips that feels real until her hands lose control of the handles.
Ruby watches in horror as Regina's bike swerves from side to side, uncontrollably. "Hit the break!" She shouts.
The right fingers of Regina's hand squeeze suddenly on the break, causing the bike to swerve and slide along its side, throwing her off like a raging bull. Regina feels her body land and roll hard along the ground, her head impacting itself along a rock.
"Gina!" Ruby sprints in Regina's direction, kneeling by her side. "What the hell are you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Regina grunts as she sits up.
"You're bleeding, Gina," Ruby's eyes are deadly focused on the red trail running along Regina's hairline, to the side of her face.
And just as Ruby voiced the evidence of blood along Regina's head, Regina felt the sting of her cut. "Oh…" She feels for the cut, feeling the sting intensify. "Ouch. I'm really sorry, Ruby."
Ruby's brow furrowed, "You're apologizing for bleeding?" Her head tilts.
For a moment, Regina had forgotten who she was with. The silhouette of Emma living rent free in her mind. "Yeah… I guess I am." She chuckled at her own stupidity.
Ruby chuckles, "It's just blood, Gina. It's no big deal. Here," she rips a piece of her sleeveless shirt along the hem right off to wipe the blood from Regina's face. "Hold that there."
Regina holds the cloth along her cut, putting pressure on it.
"Come on. We have to get you some medical attention." Ruby holds Regina's arm, helping her to her feet.
"No," Regina shakes her head. "Please, don't."
"Gina, you're going to need stitches. You could have a concussion."
"I'm fine-" Regina promised, even though she didn't really mean it.
"I'm not letting you bleed out and have your father shoot me because I couldn't take better care of you. Now, come on. I'll drive." Ruby holds Regina close by her waist and guides her toward her truck.
"But, wait, what about the bikes?" Regina asks.
"Don't worry about them, I'll come back for them later." Said Ruby, holding the passenger door open for Regina to climb right in.
"Alright," Ruby shuts off the engine to Regina's truck, only her red bike is strapped to the back of it, after Ruby insisted on hiding it from Henry in her garage and repairing the road burns caused by the accident. "Back safe and sound… almost." She smiles.
Regina smiles, "I'm really sorry I ruined today."
Ruby shakes her head, "Gina, you couldn't possibly ruin anything. I'll admit, it wasn't the ending I pictured to our day together, but… It was still perfect for me." Her blue eyes held something within them that made Regina blush a little.
Regina fights back a smile, "Yeah… It was fun. And you definitely have to take me cliff diving one of these days."
"No way. Out of the question, Gina."
"Why not? You did it."
Ruby scoffs, "Yeah, and I'm a stupid kid. You're eighteen. Practically your own woman… you should be smarter than me. Not stupid."
Regina rolls her eyes, "I'm not that older than you, Ruby. I want to try it. Look, we'll jump together, okay? Please?"
Ruby sighs, shaking her head. She couldn't say no to Regina. "Fine. But, we jump off the second cliff," she warns, holding up her pointer finger in warning, her eyes glaring into Regina's. "Deal?"
"Deal." Regina grins.
"That's gonna leave a scar," Ruby reaches out, her thumb hovering over Regina's stitches along her hairline. Her eyes move down to Regina's, noticing them locked on her own. "What? Why are you looking at me that way?"
Regina had never noticed before how beautiful Ruby actually was. Or how blue her eyes were. She felt the need to comment on that fact. "You're just… you're sort of beautiful."
Ruby's cheeks turn a shade of pink, a little sideways smirk forms along her lips, "Are you sure you don't have a concussion?" She laughs along with Regina, "Seriously, Gina, how hard did you hit your head?"
Regina chuckled, "Pretty hard, it seems."
"Yeah, I'll say," Ruby releases another rich laugh.
"So, listen… I know learning to ride a bike is off limits for me at the moment, but I was hoping we could still do something together. Tomorrow, maybe."
Ruby's blue eyes sparkle at the thought, "Sure. Just say the word and I'm there. What did you have in mind?"
"I'm meeting up with some friends in Port Angeles tomorrow night. We're all planning on watching this action movie that just released. I asked them if it was okay if you joined us and they didn't mind."
As much as Ruby preferred to be alone with Regina, she didn't care who tagged along, as long as she got to sit next to her. "Count me in." She smiled. "We can drive up together, if you'd like."
Regina smiles, "Sounds like a plan. I'll pick you up. I insist."
"Well, if you insist."
Movie night didn't go as expected, for either Robin or Ruby. Nor for Regina. But she was glad Ruby decided to stay, even if she had to buy her ticket for her. She didn't mind.
Ruby leaned along the brick wall, her eyes trained on Robin's. "So you like action movies?" She asked him, sounding uninterested in her own question toward him.
"Not really," Robin shook his head. "But it's what Regina wants to see, so…"
"Right," Ruby murmurs, chuckling after.
"I'm sorry to ask, but are you even old enough to see this movie?"
"Not really. But Gina's buying my ticket, so," Ruby nods toward Regina, her eyes never leaving Robin.
"Oh, yeah. Right." Robin shifted along his feet. "Y- you know, she prefers to be called Regina." A nervous chuckle escapes him. The look in Ruby's eyes frightened him. Not that he would admit that out loud to her or Regina.
Regina walks up to Ruby and Robin, two tickets in hand. "So, Zelena called. She got grounded so she isn't coming. And Ella got sick with a stomach bug so Mulan is taking care of her."
"Well, I'm staying." Robin puffed out his chest. "If you are."
Ruby resists the urge to roll her eyes, instead she flashes a pearly white smile over to Regina. "I'm staying, too. You spent money on that ticket for me, I gotta get its worth."
There was a wave of awkwardness in the air, but Regina fought through it, smiling in Ruby's direction before she walked into the movie theater, followed by Ruby and then Robin. Each of them seeing each other as the third wheel between them and Regina.
Robin and Ruby, each, wanted to sit beside Regina, leaving the middle seat between them free for her to sit in. Out of the corner of her eye, Regina could spot Ruby and Robin's hands, casually resting along the arm rest with their palms facing upward. She knew what they both hoped for, but there was no way hand holding was even lingering in Regina's mind.
It was perfect enough that this movie didn't have any kissing scenes involved. At least not yet.
Suddenly, Robin became pale, his hand landing flatly along his stomach as he grunted, causing the couple sitting before him to glare over their shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Regina whispered.
"Yeah… I'm fine." Robin tried for a weak smile. "I'm-" he grunted again, leaning forward before leaping out of his chair and running out of the theater.
Ruby rolled her eyes as she watched Regina run after him before she sprinted out of her chair to run behind Regina.
"Poor Robin," said Regina, walking alongside Ruby.
Ruby can't help but chuckle in response, "Please. That guy's as soft as a marshmallow, Gina. You know, you really should set your standards a little too high when it comes to dating. You should definitely keep a lookout for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes the weaker vomit." She grins.
Regina chuckled, "Yeah, I'll try to keep a lookout for that. But, I feel bad for him, I think he might've caught that stomach bug from Ella-" she feels something warm along her hand, realizing it was Ruby's own hand, slipping her fingers into hers. Her other hand, warmly falling along her waist, attempting to pull her in.
She was surprised how warm Ruby actually was.
Ruby instantly frowned as soon as Regina pulled away, "What, I can't hold your hand?"
"No," Regina shook her head as she chuckled, "Of course, you can. It's just…" hey eyes looked up into Ruby's. "I think it might mean something more to you than it does to me."
Ruby drew in a deep breath, her eyes looking around as if searching for the right words. "Gina, let me ask you a question," she continues. "I mean, you like me, right?"
Regina nods, unable to deny it to herself. Ruby was no Emma. No one would ever be Emma. But she did feel a closeness to Ruby that surprised her. Maybe she was mistaking it as something else, but until Regina found out the answer to that, she didn't see any harm in being around Ruby.
"And you think, I'm sort of… beautiful." Ruby grins, her cheeks rosy pink. "I mean, you like me better than that weak little man puking his guts out in the bathroom, right?"
Regina fights back a chuckle, "Yeah, I do."
"And… you like me better than… any other girl you've ever met?" There's hope in Ruby's blue eyes as she waits for an answer that she doesn't get. "Look, you liking me is all I need to know. And I promise you that I can be annoyingly persistent."
"Ruby…" Regina placed a single hand along Ruby's stomach, halting the brunette's attempt to try and hold her again. "Don't do this." She whispers, "I'm just… I'm never going to change. I'm like a broken car that can't be fixed."
Suddenly, Ruby's friendly and hopeful demeanor vanished into something more grim, "It's still her, isn't it?"
"Ruby…"
"You don't have to talk about it, Gina." Ruby's serene voice was back to how Regina knew it. "But I ask that you don't get mad at me for wanting to be around you all the time, okay? Because I warn you, I'm not giving up. I have loads of time."
Regina sighed, "Ruby… you really shouldn't waste your time with me. I'm nothing but damaged goods."
Ruby tested her luck by reaching for Regina's hand one more time, her heart beating so fast once Regina didn't pull away. "As long as you like me being around you, then that's what I want to do." She whispers.
"I can't imagine not liking being with you."
Ruby grins, "I can live with that."
"Just don't expect more. Please." Regina warned.
"That's my problem, isn't it?" Ruby's brow furrows as her eyes catch sight of, "That's an interesting scar…" she murmurs.
Regina looks down, immediately covering up the bite mark along her forearm with the sleeve of her jacket.
"How did that happen?" Ruby asks.
"I don't remember…" She lied.
Ruby's finger runs along the bite mark, "It's cold," she murmurs. Her eyes look into Regina's as if seeking the answer behind them.
The door to the bathroom flew open, startling Regina apart from Ruby. Robin came out of the bathroom paler than he had previously turned, drenched in sweat. "Um… I think I'm gonna call it a night. Go home."
Ruby snorts, "What, was the movie too much for you?"
Robin glared in Ruby's direction, despite his weakened state, "I was feeling sick before the movie, alright?"
"Why didn't you say something?" Asked Regina.
"I was hoping it would pass."
Ruby snorts, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
Robin's glare hardened, "Okay, what is your problem?"
"Maybe you are my problem," Ruby takes an abrupt step. "Feeling sick? Then, maybe you need to go to a hospital." She takes two giant steps toward Robin that make him step back. "Do you want me to put you in the hospital?" She snaps.
"Whoa, hey- Ruby-" Regina steps before Ruby, her hands landing along her stomach to stop her. "Calm down…" her voice trails off until she speaks again. "Ruby, you're… you're really burning up."
Ruby's breathing turns rapid, "Gina, I don't know what's happening to me," she murmurs, her words trembling on their way out.
"Are you alright? Maybe I should drive you home." Said Regina.
"No, I'm not feeling so well… I'm- I'm gonna go." Said Ruby, her eyes lost as she walked backward.
"Ruby," Regina called out.
Ruby rushed out before Regina could stop her.
Robin snorted, "Geez, I swear this town is surrounded by freaks."
