Ruby Lucas

Ruby laughed. “I’m sure Pongo gives great advice,” she agreed. “And it’s not his fault if you leave food on the counters where he can reach it! Do you have any idea how gross dog food smells compared to real food?” she asked, feeling the need to defend Pongo, albeit playfully. “It’s probably hard enough to resist when you’re standing there, but when you walk away and leave it unattended? Way too tempting.” 

Steve took the meat gratefully, nibbling on it as he watched Red. “I think I’m already perking up. I’m…” He hesitated. “I’m afraid of what I did while shifting, though. I hope I didn’t hurt anyone.” He had no memories of what had happened during his wolfstime, and although he hadn’t woken up with blood on him, that didn’t mean anything.

Red let out a soft, relieved sigh. He was starting to open up to her and that meant that they could start making progress. “You didn’t,” she said confidently. “Wolf nose, remember? All you did was run through the forest in a panic. You didn’t even hurt an animal. There was no scent of blood on you when I found you and... believe me, if there was, I would’ve smelled it.” She thought back to her own early days as a wolf and the hunters she had slaughtered. While she knew that it had been at least partially in self defense, the sheer brutality of it told her that she had enjoyed murdering people who were simply trying to keep their people safe. Their deaths weighed heavily on her conscience and she was determined to make sure that Steve never had to deal with that sort of guilt. 

“Thanks,” Ruby said, relieved. It was nice to know that Regina wasn’t planning on letting everyone know that Ruby was a potential danger to the whole town. While she now had full control over her wolf form, there would always be people who would think of her as a monster. Which, she supposed, Regina would know first hand. Maybe the two of them had a lot more in common than Ruby had ever considered. “Breakfast sounds great, then. Can I help you with it? I know I’m just a waitress but I can hold my own in a kitchen, even if you just need me to stay out of your way.” 

Natasha was relieved when Ruby took her hand. That was definitely progress, and hopefully, Ruby could get used to a normal level of human physical contact again. She guided Ruby slowly out into the hallway, keeping herself at Ruby’s side protectively. “You’re welcome. This is a big step, so I’m glad you took it.”

Emma chuckled, “Yeah i think i know how drinking games work Rubes, I’ve been around the block ya know.” she teased, grabbing up her plate as she sat down so she could stuff the delicious food in her mouth. she hadn’t ate since that afternoon anyway. “Start with Vodka, onto Tequila then Whiskey if we’re still going?” She switched on the tv with her free hand and hit the controller to switch on the Wii U.

“This one’s different--winner drinks, not loser. It evens things out.” Ruby picked up her own sandwich, glad that she had planned ahead. “Sounds perfect. But I’m pretty sure that I’ll end up drinking most of the vodka since I am the reigning champ,” she said with a confident smirk. “Your ass is mine, Swan.” 

With a frown Regina raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m not some idiotic novice, Miss Lucas. I’m perfectly capable of poofing you exactly wherever you want to go. But if you’d prefer me to give you a ride in my car later, I can do that too. Right now I have to make breakfast for Henry before he leaves for school. Would you like to join us?”

Ruby blinked in surprise. Not only was the mayor being kind but she was inviting her to breakfast? “Um, not that food doesn’t sound amazing right now but wouldn’t it be weird if I had breakfast with you guys while wearing borrowed clothes?” Though Henry was still really young, she didn’t want him to think the wrong thing. And she especially didn’t want the rest of the town to know--they’d probably accuse Regina of trying to corrupt her or something. 

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep a small grin off her lips before she retorted with “prepping is the reason i always win those wet tshirt contests,” and sticking her tongue out. Emma grabbed the bag, practically drooling over its contents as much as Ruby’s outfit. “they say the way to the heart is through the stomach and you’re a pretty good cook.” she chuckled, heading into the kitchen to grab plates and some water just in case. “Like hell are you kicking my ass, you’re going down Rubes.” she said as she came back into the room, setting the plates down on the coffee table.

“I bet you do,” Ruby laughed. “And hey, they’re just sandwiches. You should see what I can do with a proper kitchen and some motivation.” She laughed and flopped down on the couch. Tonight was going to be excellent. “You remember my rules, right? Winner takes a shot or a drink or whatever we decide. You’ll catch on quickly.” 

Ruby laughed. “He’s unhappy that I said he sneaks. I meant that no one thinks that you might overhear them, Pongo,” she corrected as she leaned forward and rubbed him affectionately on the head. “He’s a lot smarter than people give him credit for,” she told Archie. 

Steve nodded. “I’ll see how that goes when I get my strength up again. Right now, I want to focus on finding my friend.” He didn’t like to think of finding Bucky as “hunting.” They were tracking him, not hunting. Hunting implied that Bucky was their prey.

She stood and removed another hunk of meat from the rabbit. Red handed it to him, knowing that he needed it a lot more than she did. Besides, the rest of the rabbit would be done roasting in a few more minutes. “You should feel better after you get a solid meal,” she assured him. “Usually I’m starving when I shift back.” 

Natasha nodded, standing up. She offered her hand to Ruby to help keep her steady and give her an anchor. “You can hold onto me if you want. I’ll keep at your side the whole time, and you’ll be fine.”

Ruby took the offered hand hesitantly but nearly sagged in relief at the comfort of it. It had been far too long since she had shared a gentle touch and she couldn’t help but smile . “Thank you,” she said, trying to keep herself as calm as possible. 

Emma had rearranged her living room, the sofa was pushed closer to the TV with a load of cushions thrown over the floor, two bowls of popcorn (the only food she actually had in the house) on the coffee table along with the bottles of alcohol and some glasses. Pretty good set up, she grinned to herself, grabbing the controllers off their charging station before she ran to answer the door. Emma may have loved her skinny jeans but she’d changed into a pair of small shorts and a very see through tank top, even though she knew Ruby would look like a million bucks when she turned up. She’d pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail to keep it a little tamed. “You know i’m the only one here right?” She teased as she held open the door for the brunette.

Ruby let her gaze slide down Emma’s long, bare legs and she grinned flirtatiously. “Hey, I’m not the one who looks like she’s prepping for a wet t-shirt contest,” Ruby teased as she handed Emma the bag of food. “I brought sandwiches--turkey, not grilled cheese. Plus whatever else I found that looked good.” She squeezed past Emma inside and nodded her approval at the setup. “Ready to get your ass handed to you, Sheriff?” 

“I bet you do,” he realized, glancing down at the canine. It was odd to think that they had about the same strength of smell, but Ruby was right. “Maybe he can help you get used to it,” he joked lightly. He’d practically forgotten about the tension from earlier now that they’d moved on. It was almost like Red had forgiven him, despite not actually uttering the words. “How well can you communicate with Pongo?” he asked suddenly. Because sometimes, she seemed to know what Pongo was thinking better than Archie himself. He knew it had something to do with her being a werewolf, but he was still curious as to how far that went.

She laughed at his joke as well, amused at the thought of the dalmatian giving her pointers. Ruby considered his question seriously since she hadn’t thought much of it before now. “I don’t know. I can talk to him and he can tell me things but we don’t speak.” She grinned up at Archie. “I bet Pongo knows everything that goes on around here. He’s always sneaking around. Isn’t that right Pongo?” 

Natasha nodded, glad that she had made at least a little progress with Ruby. She gave Ruby a reassuring, faint smile. “Maybe back and forth in the hallway, at first? Is that okay?” It was unlikely anyone else but Natasha would be around, and Ruby wouldn’t be at risk of hurting someone.

Ruby bit her lip, considering the offer. “Maybe... maybe just the hallway,” she said. She stood quickly before she could change her mind. She tried to keep her nerves at bay but it felt like she was trying to fix a cracked windshield with a bandaid; it might hold for a moment or two but sooner or later it was going to shatter. 

Ruby dropped the blanket and picked up the hoodie, slipping it on gratefully before examining the jeans to decide which would suit her best. “Much better,” she said with a happy sigh. She felt much warmer already. “You’re going to poof me back home without even looking?” she asked, a little skeptical. “No thanks, Madam Mayor. What if you poofed me into a wall!”