First of all, thank you for the prompt! It's great.

Second of all, I somehow managed to get slightly confused as to whether to refer to 'Red' as Ruby or Red. So now Emma refers to her as 'Ruby' and I refer to her as 'Red'. There is a reason for that (now part of my Red Swan headcanon). Maybe I'll write a mini fic to explain later. Also, I went for the whole 'Wolves mate for life' option (Much like Dyson's storyline in Lost Girl) and that's why Red's 'wolf' is tame around Snow.

I realise this ends on an angsty note but I might continue it. I guess it depends on what you guys think. Basically what I'm asking is… Angsty ending or happy ending?

"Ruby?" Emma yelled, banging frantically on the bathroom door. She could hear things clattering around in the room, the occasional yelp of pain sounding from her girlfriend "Rubes, open the door!" she waited for a moment but there was no sound apart from the loud clattering of things hitting the floor. "Ruby, so help me God if you don't open this door I'm going to kick it dow…" she trailed off as the door sprang open to reveal Red standing there with a wild expression on her face. Emma took a wary step back. "R-Ruby?"

Red ignored Emma and merely barged past her, heading for the front door.

"RUBY!" Emma yelled, rushing after her. She wasn't sure but she had a suspicion as to what was happening. On her way out of the door she grabbed her cell phone from the table and quickly scrolled through her phone book. Finding the number she was looking for, she pressed the dial button and lifted the phone to her ear as she raced down the stairs after her girlfriend. Ruby was faster than usual but she still wasn't as fast as Emma who easily kept up with her.

"Granny?" Emma panted into the phone as she veered onto the street. She almost tripped over thanks to the speed she was travelling at but she managed to stay on her feet. "Something's wrong with Ru…Red. I think it's the full moon. She doesn't have her cloak."

"I'm on my way." Granny stated hurriedly.

Without another word, Emma slipped her phone back into her pocket and picked up her pace. Ahead of her, Red suddenly stumbled and dropped to her knees in the middle of the road. Emma skidded to a halt a couple of feet away from her girlfriend.

"Ruby?" she called out cautiously as she watched Red brace her hands on the ground. She was about to approach when Red began to transform in front of her eyes. In a blink, Emma's girlfriend was gone, replaced by a savage wolf. A wolf which quickly turned on Emma when she stumbled back in shock.

Emma barely had time to realise with a hint of panic that there was nobody in the immediate vicinity before the wolf charged at her and that panic turned to utter terror. She stumbled back a few steps but the wolf leapt at her, knocking her to the ground. Emma felt the wind being knocked out of her with a whoosh as she landed solidly on her back, the wolf's paws pinning her shoulders to the ground.

"Ruby, stop!" Emma yelled, frantically pushing against the snarling wolf's muzzle with one hand in an attempt to keep it away from her face while she used the other to push at its strong chest "RUBY, IT'S ME. IT'S EMMA!" the animal showed no sign of recognition and Emma whimpered as it got dangerously close to snapping at her. In a last ditch attempt she resorted to using Red's real name. "RED, STOP IT!"

The wolf growled and irritably knocked Emma's hand away from it's muzzle. Emma saw the savage bite coming and squeezed her eyes shut in preparation.

"RED!"

The familiar loud voice echoed commandingly around the street and Emma cracked an eye open when she didn't feel her jugular being ripped from her throat. The wolf was still atop her, it's paws pressing her down into the ground but it's attention was focused on something else entirely.

"Red, here." The commanding voice repeated. The wolf instantly got off Emma and padded across the street.

Emma painfully leaned up on her elbows in time to see the wolf come to a stop in front of Snow and tentatively lick her hand. "The hell…?"

"Good girl." Much to Emma's disbelief Snow praised the wolf and stroked a gentle hand over the top of its head. Granny who was standing a safe distance away didn't seem at all surprised by the action or the fact that the wild creature was suddenly acting like a domesticated dog.

Emma got to her feet and carefully advanced on the duo only for the wolf to turn and growl at her. She stopped short.

"Red, no." Snow chastised, causing the wolf to turn back to her. It stared at her for a moment before lying down at her feet.

"Snow, the cloak." Granny reminded her.

"Oh, right." Snow hurriedly threw the cloak over the wolf. A few seconds passed before it shimmered slightly and the form underneath it changed shape. Assuming it was safe Emma carefully advanced and assisted Snow in helping a drowsy Red off the ground.

"What the hell was that?" she asked Snow, wrapping an arm around Red's waist to steady her. Unsteady from the change, Red threw her arm over Emma's shoulders and leaned heavily on her.

"Maybe you should ask Red." Snow answered, pointedly avoiding Emma's gaze.

XXX

Emma walked into the living room with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and carefully set it on the table in front of Ruby.

Red, she mentally corrected herself with a frown. She shook the disturbing implications of the thought off and forced herself to focus on the girl sitting on the couch. "How's your head?"

"It's fine." Red answered, unconsciously reaching up to touch the small bump on her head. She winced and quickly lowered her hand back to her lap. "It only hurts a little bit."

Emma nodded silently and took a seat on the other end of the couch. Red's brow furrowed at the unusual distance between them. Usually Emma would have been pressed snuggly against her side but the blonde had been acting strangely ever since they'd gotten home fifteen minutes or so ago. She had hardly spoken and she'd been adamantly avoiding Red's gaze. Red glanced sidelong at Emma to see that she was staring into space, worrying her lip between her teeth.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked, unable to ignore Emma's mood any longer.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, without looking in Red's direction.

"That's what I mean." Red frowned at the avoidance of her question and tightened the Red cloak around herself. "You won't look at me and you're hardly talking."

"Nothing's wrong." Emma lied. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Red argued, utterly confused as to why Emma was so stubbornly refusing to tell the truth. "Em, if something's bothering you just tell me. Maybe I can help."

Emma stayed silent for a long moment before she took a deep breath. "Why did you listen to Mary Margaret instead of me?"

"Oh." Red mentally kicked herself for not realising that the evening's earlier events were the cause of Emma's strange behaviour. Of course she would be confused about everything that had happened. "It's-it's complicated."

"I don't see what's 'complicated' about it." Emma retorted, a hint of anger creeping into her voice for the first time. "You were ready to savage me but you acted like an obedient puppy towards her."

Red swallowed against the lump in her throat at the mere prospect of hurting her girlfriend "I can't help it. I'm not me when I'm the wolf."

"Then why did you act that way towards her?" Emma asked, finally meeting Ruby's eyes. "If the wolf isn't you, why did you react like that when Mary Margaret showed up? And how did she know you wouldn't attack her?"

"Because it's happened before." Red answered reluctantly. "She knew I wouldn't attack her because I've turned before without hurting her."

"But you attacked me." Emma murmured, fighting back the pain and betrayal rising in her chest. "You didn't seem to have any problem with hurting me."

Red cringed at the sound of Emma's wounded voice. She was aware that her answers would only cause the blonde more pain but she couldn't exactly lie. Emma would know right away. "It's different with Snow. We have…Emma, can we please just not talk about this?"

"No." Emma shook her head resolutely. "What do you have with…her that you don't have with me? Is she some kind of wolf whisperer or something?"

Red took a moment to consider how to phrase what she was about to say before she began to explain. "It's more like she has part of me. That's why I could never hurt her as the wolf."

"Part of you?" Emma echoed in confusion. "What do you mean? What kind of part?"

"We…" Red paused, her stomach knotting uncomfortably with worry. There was no way she could avoid saying what she'd been trying to suggest. "Snow was my first."

"Your fi…? Oh!" Emma jolted in shock. "Oh my God. You had sex with my…?"

"No, no, no." Red shook her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks at the thought. "No. I mean she was my first love. My first real love, that is."

Emma turned her gaze to the ground and fell silent for a few minutes as she processed the information. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"Emma…"

"Ruby, just answer the question." Emma practically barked out, her voice catching with emotion.

Red momentarily considered denying the accusation but again she was reminded that Emma would be able to tell that she was lying.

"Yes." She finally whispered. A choked sort of sob sounded from Emma and Red hurried to explain. "A part of me will always love Snow but I love you now."

Emma laughed tearfully and stood up from the couch. "You're in love with my mom. That's…that's messed up even by my standards."

"Emma." Red too stood up and took a step towards the blonde. "It's not like that."

"It's exactly like that." Emma argued with a shake of her head. She turned and stared at Red through teary eyes "Wolves mate for life, right?"

"Well yes but…"

"And since the wolf is part of you that means you're always going to be in love with her." Emma continued, her voice thick with emotion "Instead of me."

"Don't say that." Red pleaded. She stepped forward to grasp Emma's hands as if the touch would ground her. "You know that I love you."

"I know that Ruby loved me." Emma corrected painfully. "But you're not Ruby, are you? You're not Ruby in love with me, you're Red in love with…Snow."

Red inhaled sharply at the defeated accusation, tears flooding her own eyes. "I'm still Ruby. Now I'm just Red too. Emma you have to believe me, I don't want Snow. I want you."

"I wish I could believe that." Emma murmured, pulling her hands away from Red's. "I-I think you should leave Ru…Red."

"Emma, please don't do this." Red pleaded desperately. "Please, I'll…I'll fix it!"

"You can't fix how you feel."

"Emma…"

"On second thought, maybe you should stay here. I'll leave." Emma offered, dashing tears from her cheeks. "Staying here is going to be way too awkward now that I know about…" she trailed off awkwardly. After a moment of silence she shook her head and turned to walk towards the front door, trying as hard as she could to contain her rising emotions.

"Emma, don't go." Red said, her vision blurring with tears as she followed Emma to the door. Emma picked up her red leather jacket from the hook and in an act of sheer desperation Red grabbed it tightly. "This is your home. You have nowhere else to go."

"Regina owes me." Emma responded, giving a sharp tug to the jacket.

If anything, the comment only caused Red to grip the jacket tighter and the first hint of anger filled her eyes. "Regina? Emma, you're not staying with her."

Emma tried again to prise her jacket from Red's fingers but she held tight. "Fine…keep it." Emma said, letting go of the jacket in her hands. Desperate to get away before her emotions overpowered her, she yanked the door open and stormed out.

"Emma!" Red called after her. Emma quickly disappeared around the corner and Red grabbed onto the doorframe as her knees buckled. Tears spilling from her eyes, she hugged Emma's jacket tightly to her chest.

TBC. Possibly.