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ghostisclearfandom: once upon a time
ship: emma swan/ruby lucas
rating: teen
additional info: time travel
words: 500
notes: for the prompt 'emma/ruby: deep in the woods, another fate'
— original post date: 09/30/2019
“Oh, shit.”
Emma picks herself up off the ground—brushes the snow off her jacket.
Five minutes of peace in Storybrooke is too much to ask apparently, because last she'd checked—before the whole “falling through the air” thing—she'd been at Granny's eating dinner with Ruby.
Now she's standing on the edge of the woods, in the middle of who knows where.
Fantastic.
“Excuse me.”
Emma spins—surprised and relieved at the same, which almost feels like a headache.
Or maybe she just has a headache.
“Ruby!”
She goes to take a step forward—freezes when Ruby steps back.
Emma says, “What's going on?”
At the same time Ruby's asks, “Who're you?”
.
So.
Not just who knows where, but who knows when.
And, okay, maybe Ruby's fantasy garb should've been a tip-off, but considering the circumstances she figures a little disorientation is understandable.
Emma's explained everything she knows to Ruby, which is easy since it can be summed up in about three sentences and a lot of question marks.
She did have to be weirdly vague though, according to all the time travel she's seen in movies. So, she's not surprised that Ruby's still skeptical.
“You know me, from the future then?”
Emma nods, looking ahead while Ruby walks in front of her, backwards through the forest like she's got the tree branches memorized or something.
She's quiet for a moment and Emma watches her expression shift.
“How old is the me you know? That your clothes are so...odd?”
It almost makes Emma laugh.
“It's complicated.”
Ruby turns around, soft sound of confusion leaving a cloud in the cold air.
.
They reach the cottage and Emma stays in the chicken coop while Ruby sneaks some less noticeable, more weather appropriate, clothes out to her.
“Are you sure you don't want to stay?”
Emma smiles, misses the Ruby sitting across the booth from her back in Storybrooke.
“Thanks, and I appreciate it, but I've really gotta figure out how to get back.”
Ruby looks behind Emma, back into the woods and the cold, and winces.
“It can't wait the night?”
There's a second where Emma almost says yes.
She shakes her head—doesn't want to chance running into Mary Margaret or anyone else.
This time travel stuff is enough to wrap her head around without having to think about how she could affect someone else's timeline or whatever the hell.
“I've kind of got an important first date to get back to.”
Emma struggles to hide her smile and Ruby holds back the question Emma can see she's dying to ask.
“Good luck then,” she says, “And I guess I'll see you around...?”
Ruby's angling for her name, and Emma throws all the complicated time travel bullshit out the window.
“Emma.”
“Emma.” Ruby smiles, “Goodbye.”
Hearing it from Ruby's mouth is comforting, familiar.
The next time this Ruby sees her—in Storybrooke, after Emma's first arrival, before the curse has broken—she won't remember any of this at all.
ship: emma swan/ruby lucas
rating: teen
additional info: time travel
words: 500
notes: for the prompt 'emma/ruby: deep in the woods, another fate'
— original post date: 09/30/2019
“Oh, shit.”
Emma picks herself up off the ground—brushes the snow off her jacket.
Five minutes of peace in Storybrooke is too much to ask apparently, because last she'd checked—before the whole “falling through the air” thing—she'd been at Granny's eating dinner with Ruby.
Now she's standing on the edge of the woods, in the middle of who knows where.
Fantastic.
“Excuse me.”
Emma spins—surprised and relieved at the same, which almost feels like a headache.
Or maybe she just has a headache.
“Ruby!”
She goes to take a step forward—freezes when Ruby steps back.
Emma says, “What's going on?”
At the same time Ruby's asks, “Who're you?”
.
So.
Not just who knows where, but who knows when.
And, okay, maybe Ruby's fantasy garb should've been a tip-off, but considering the circumstances she figures a little disorientation is understandable.
Emma's explained everything she knows to Ruby, which is easy since it can be summed up in about three sentences and a lot of question marks.
She did have to be weirdly vague though, according to all the time travel she's seen in movies. So, she's not surprised that Ruby's still skeptical.
“You know me, from the future then?”
Emma nods, looking ahead while Ruby walks in front of her, backwards through the forest like she's got the tree branches memorized or something.
She's quiet for a moment and Emma watches her expression shift.
“How old is the me you know? That your clothes are so...odd?”
It almost makes Emma laugh.
“It's complicated.”
Ruby turns around, soft sound of confusion leaving a cloud in the cold air.
.
They reach the cottage and Emma stays in the chicken coop while Ruby sneaks some less noticeable, more weather appropriate, clothes out to her.
“Are you sure you don't want to stay?”
Emma smiles, misses the Ruby sitting across the booth from her back in Storybrooke.
“Thanks, and I appreciate it, but I've really gotta figure out how to get back.”
Ruby looks behind Emma, back into the woods and the cold, and winces.
“It can't wait the night?”
There's a second where Emma almost says yes.
She shakes her head—doesn't want to chance running into Mary Margaret or anyone else.
This time travel stuff is enough to wrap her head around without having to think about how she could affect someone else's timeline or whatever the hell.
“I've kind of got an important first date to get back to.”
Emma struggles to hide her smile and Ruby holds back the question Emma can see she's dying to ask.
“Good luck then,” she says, “And I guess I'll see you around...?”
Ruby's angling for her name, and Emma throws all the complicated time travel bullshit out the window.
“Emma.”
“Emma.” Ruby smiles, “Goodbye.”
Hearing it from Ruby's mouth is comforting, familiar.
The next time this Ruby sees her—in Storybrooke, after Emma's first arrival, before the curse has broken—she won't remember any of this at all.
