Hope Lingers
Oct. 31st, 2022 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apachefirecatTitle: Hope Lingers
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Emma, Ruby, Henry
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Ruby finally gets to ask Emma why she did it.
Word Count: 1,373
Written For: FFFC October Amnesty: r11.16: Hope
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She gazes into her hot cocoa, slowly stirring the cinnamon into the milky chocolate. She can scarcely believe what's become of her life in just the last few weeks. It seems impossible -- not just her son's claims but the mere fact that he is in her life now after all these many years. His father has been gone since before he was born. Yet here Henry is. Here is her baby at long, long last.
Emma sniffles and realizes, suddenly, that she's near tears. She swiftly dabs at her eyes, hoping nobody's going to notice only to almost instantly feel eyes upon her. There's something strange about Ruby's gaze. It almost feels like she's being scoped out by a criminal, but she knows better. Granny's granddaughter is no thief. She may be a bit... loose in her ways, but she's certainly no thief! She's also not on any drugs. Although it's only been a few weeks, Emma's already getting to know these townspeople. She's already getting to know the town.
She's... Is it possible that, after all these years of searching, she's finally finding a home? Before she can delve into that thought any deeper, she feels a presence beside her, a shadow almost towering over her. "I have to ask you something," Ruby says bluntly.
Emma leans back in her seat and gazes up at the younger, sultrier woman. "Okay," she slowly answers though not without a twinge of nervousness. "Shoot." She knows now that the girl's worked up the courage to actually talk one-on-one with her again, she won't mince words and will ask the question straight. That's another thing about Storybrooke's perhaps wildest woman: She's bold and forthright with her opinions, not hiding anything even when she's on the clock. Even when she knows her grandmother's standing behind her and is going to be ticked off by whatever it is she's got to say.
"Why?"
The question takes Emma by surprise. Her eyelashes flutter instinctively as she tilts her head back in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Why did you come here? I mean, I know Henry went to get you and everything, but why stay? Nobody's making you. So what if he's your son? He's Regina now. You can't compete with that. I don't care if it's a child or a man; wealth is going to win out every time."
"We'll see about that," Emma mutters, reaching for her keys.
"But still, why? Why give it all up for a kid you didn't want in the first place?" Her question brings Emma up short. She prattles on, perhaps noticing her sudden stiffness, perhaps not. "I mean, I don't blame you for not wanting him. Nobody's wants to get saddled with a kid. It's just that most people think they can't avoid it once pregnant. They can't avoid it if they want to be with a man, you know, and everybody's got an itch -- "
"I didn't know I wanted him."
"What?"
Blinking as the realization dawns on her, Emma repeats again, "I didn't know I wanted him."
"Why do you want him?" Ruby asks. It's clear she could never imagine having a child, but then, she's not the only one. Emma had pretended to be pregnant so many times over the years, always as a guise, but when she'd actually been able to have a baby... She'd been terrified, and the thought of keeping him, no matter how small or precious or needful he was, had absolutely been out of the question. She had never even really entertained the thought, especially not but not only because she'd had to give birth to him behind bars.
"Children aren't for everyone," she mutters.
"You're dang straight they're not! I wouldn't give up my life! Let me tell you: If I ever get out of this place, I am not coming back! I don't care what the price is! I don't care who I have to fuck, or not fuck; I am not coming back!" Her bracelets on the wrist currently propping on her hip jangle as if punctuating her words. "You couldn't pay me to come back, not even with all the world's wealth!"
"I guess wealth doesn't always win out," Emma says, looking up at her with a sly smile.
"So why?" Ruby asks again. "Why stay for the munchkin? You had it all! Why give it up?"
"I... didn't have it all." Emma's voice grows quieter as her mind drifts back to her stay in New York and how lonely she'd been. She had come very close to crying herself to sleep most nights. The loneliness she had felt her entire life had been eating away at her yet she'd been unable to allow herself to connect with anyone, not any neighbor or boyfriend, until she'd come here. She'd even chosen a career that she could work alone, without the assistance of even one colleague.
Of course, Ruby can't understand. She doubts she's ever been alone. Emma's heard whispers that Ruby had come from a large family, though no one seems able to remember what happened to the rest of the Lucas brood. "You wouldn't understand me."
"Try me."
"I was lonely."
"But you were in the city! You were in New York!"
"And I was completely alone!"
Ruby pouts. She even taps her foot on the porcelain floor. "You can't tell me you didn't have a man! Girl, look at you! You should've been able to have your pick!"
Emma lifts her chin and turns her eyes to meet Ruby's. "Sure, I could have a man, but I only ever let myself have one-night stands. Something tells me you can relate to my reasons for that." That part, she knows, Ruby can understand.
"I mean, yeah, I get that. No ties. But you didn't have any friends?"
"I was an orphan, and no, I don't have any friends."
"Well, you do now," Ruby says and tops off the mug Emma hadn't even realized she'd emptied while they had been talking. She blinks in surprise as Ruby sashays away, meeting the tall, dark-haired man who had just entered the diner. The girl's seen with another man every night, and Emma suddenly understands why. She isn't looking for connections, for actual relationships, like Emma has longed for. She's looking for temporary connections, people who won't hold her down or back when she finally gets the chance to get out of this place.
Emma realizes, suddenly, that she's staring at the stools that she and Henry usually occupy every morning at the bar. "Hope," she whispers softly, remembering the way he looked at her this morning with those big, brown eyes of his shining so brightly. Hope. He had given her hope even back to that very day he'd shown up on her doorstep after she'd just made that wish on her birthday candle. He gave her hope not that she could escape anything but rather that she could run to someone, someones even. He gave her hope that she no longer had to be alone in this world and maybe, just maybe, she could have family and friends, people who wouldn't hurt her. She snorts. That certainly doesn't include Regina!
But there is Henry. And Mary Margaret. And Granny and Ruby. And Archie. There's even Graham. Yes, Emma realizes suddenly, she does actually have friends now. Friends and family, even if the latter is only one little boy who dreams and thoughts are way broader than for what anyone in this little town, or the world at large for that matter, is prepared. Her Henry's a smart one, and he's hers. He is her son, regardless of whether or not she has to share him with Regina. And she gets to spend a few moments each morning in this diner with him.
Emma smiles. She finishes her hot chocolate and leaves, leaving behind a heart for Ruby on the dollar bill awaiting her at the table. She hopes the hope she's found, the love she's found, can be contagious. She hopes Ruby finds what she's looking for, including a man who can finally satisfy her every desire, keep her happy, and maybe, just maybe, get her out of Storybrooke too.
The End
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Emma, Ruby, Henry
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Ruby finally gets to ask Emma why she did it.
Word Count: 1,373
Written For: FFFC October Amnesty: r11.16: Hope
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She gazes into her hot cocoa, slowly stirring the cinnamon into the milky chocolate. She can scarcely believe what's become of her life in just the last few weeks. It seems impossible -- not just her son's claims but the mere fact that he is in her life now after all these many years. His father has been gone since before he was born. Yet here Henry is. Here is her baby at long, long last.
Emma sniffles and realizes, suddenly, that she's near tears. She swiftly dabs at her eyes, hoping nobody's going to notice only to almost instantly feel eyes upon her. There's something strange about Ruby's gaze. It almost feels like she's being scoped out by a criminal, but she knows better. Granny's granddaughter is no thief. She may be a bit... loose in her ways, but she's certainly no thief! She's also not on any drugs. Although it's only been a few weeks, Emma's already getting to know these townspeople. She's already getting to know the town.
She's... Is it possible that, after all these years of searching, she's finally finding a home? Before she can delve into that thought any deeper, she feels a presence beside her, a shadow almost towering over her. "I have to ask you something," Ruby says bluntly.
Emma leans back in her seat and gazes up at the younger, sultrier woman. "Okay," she slowly answers though not without a twinge of nervousness. "Shoot." She knows now that the girl's worked up the courage to actually talk one-on-one with her again, she won't mince words and will ask the question straight. That's another thing about Storybrooke's perhaps wildest woman: She's bold and forthright with her opinions, not hiding anything even when she's on the clock. Even when she knows her grandmother's standing behind her and is going to be ticked off by whatever it is she's got to say.
"Why?"
The question takes Emma by surprise. Her eyelashes flutter instinctively as she tilts her head back in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Why did you come here? I mean, I know Henry went to get you and everything, but why stay? Nobody's making you. So what if he's your son? He's Regina now. You can't compete with that. I don't care if it's a child or a man; wealth is going to win out every time."
"We'll see about that," Emma mutters, reaching for her keys.
"But still, why? Why give it all up for a kid you didn't want in the first place?" Her question brings Emma up short. She prattles on, perhaps noticing her sudden stiffness, perhaps not. "I mean, I don't blame you for not wanting him. Nobody's wants to get saddled with a kid. It's just that most people think they can't avoid it once pregnant. They can't avoid it if they want to be with a man, you know, and everybody's got an itch -- "
"I didn't know I wanted him."
"What?"
Blinking as the realization dawns on her, Emma repeats again, "I didn't know I wanted him."
"Why do you want him?" Ruby asks. It's clear she could never imagine having a child, but then, she's not the only one. Emma had pretended to be pregnant so many times over the years, always as a guise, but when she'd actually been able to have a baby... She'd been terrified, and the thought of keeping him, no matter how small or precious or needful he was, had absolutely been out of the question. She had never even really entertained the thought, especially not but not only because she'd had to give birth to him behind bars.
"Children aren't for everyone," she mutters.
"You're dang straight they're not! I wouldn't give up my life! Let me tell you: If I ever get out of this place, I am not coming back! I don't care what the price is! I don't care who I have to fuck, or not fuck; I am not coming back!" Her bracelets on the wrist currently propping on her hip jangle as if punctuating her words. "You couldn't pay me to come back, not even with all the world's wealth!"
"I guess wealth doesn't always win out," Emma says, looking up at her with a sly smile.
"So why?" Ruby asks again. "Why stay for the munchkin? You had it all! Why give it up?"
"I... didn't have it all." Emma's voice grows quieter as her mind drifts back to her stay in New York and how lonely she'd been. She had come very close to crying herself to sleep most nights. The loneliness she had felt her entire life had been eating away at her yet she'd been unable to allow herself to connect with anyone, not any neighbor or boyfriend, until she'd come here. She'd even chosen a career that she could work alone, without the assistance of even one colleague.
Of course, Ruby can't understand. She doubts she's ever been alone. Emma's heard whispers that Ruby had come from a large family, though no one seems able to remember what happened to the rest of the Lucas brood. "You wouldn't understand me."
"Try me."
"I was lonely."
"But you were in the city! You were in New York!"
"And I was completely alone!"
Ruby pouts. She even taps her foot on the porcelain floor. "You can't tell me you didn't have a man! Girl, look at you! You should've been able to have your pick!"
Emma lifts her chin and turns her eyes to meet Ruby's. "Sure, I could have a man, but I only ever let myself have one-night stands. Something tells me you can relate to my reasons for that." That part, she knows, Ruby can understand.
"I mean, yeah, I get that. No ties. But you didn't have any friends?"
"I was an orphan, and no, I don't have any friends."
"Well, you do now," Ruby says and tops off the mug Emma hadn't even realized she'd emptied while they had been talking. She blinks in surprise as Ruby sashays away, meeting the tall, dark-haired man who had just entered the diner. The girl's seen with another man every night, and Emma suddenly understands why. She isn't looking for connections, for actual relationships, like Emma has longed for. She's looking for temporary connections, people who won't hold her down or back when she finally gets the chance to get out of this place.
Emma realizes, suddenly, that she's staring at the stools that she and Henry usually occupy every morning at the bar. "Hope," she whispers softly, remembering the way he looked at her this morning with those big, brown eyes of his shining so brightly. Hope. He had given her hope even back to that very day he'd shown up on her doorstep after she'd just made that wish on her birthday candle. He gave her hope not that she could escape anything but rather that she could run to someone, someones even. He gave her hope that she no longer had to be alone in this world and maybe, just maybe, she could have family and friends, people who wouldn't hurt her. She snorts. That certainly doesn't include Regina!
But there is Henry. And Mary Margaret. And Granny and Ruby. And Archie. There's even Graham. Yes, Emma realizes suddenly, she does actually have friends now. Friends and family, even if the latter is only one little boy who dreams and thoughts are way broader than for what anyone in this little town, or the world at large for that matter, is prepared. Her Henry's a smart one, and he's hers. He is her son, regardless of whether or not she has to share him with Regina. And she gets to spend a few moments each morning in this diner with him.
Emma smiles. She finishes her hot chocolate and leaves, leaving behind a heart for Ruby on the dollar bill awaiting her at the table. She hopes the hope she's found, the love she's found, can be contagious. She hopes Ruby finds what she's looking for, including a man who can finally satisfy her every desire, keep her happy, and maybe, just maybe, get her out of Storybrooke too.
The End
