The Weirdest Christmas

Fandom: OUAT

Pairing Regina Mills/Ruby Lucas (Red Queen)

Rating: T (there may be a swear in here or two. Can't remember ha).

Summary: Ruby wants to share Christmas with a certain lonely someone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing connected to this television show or these characters. I just have writers block on my originals and writing Red Queen is my muse.

A/N I had some formatting issues midway through. I hope I fixed them all, but my apologies if I didn't. Please let me know.

This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. (Warning: I have an odd addiction to comma's.)

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Regina's smile remained as she went to the kitchen to start making chocolate chip cookies. It had been entertaining to rattle Ruby Lucas, a woman who always appeared to be sexually uninhibited, though Regina now knew that wasn't even close to the truth. She wondered if Ruby knew just how close she came to being kissed.

Regina let out a small sigh as she thought about Ruby's broad toothy smile and those tempting lips so close. It had been so long. She was alone and Ruby was alone; maybe… no, she wasn't going down that road again. As Ruby had said, perhaps she too was destined to be alone. It was safer that way. For everybody.

Her good mood began to deteriorate as the dark thoughts that were never far from the surface began to break through. As she mixed the ingredients, she remembered that she had bought the chocolate chips with the hopes of making cookies with Henry but in the end, he had forgotten her. In his eyes, he only had one mother.

Tears stung her eyes and she was about to throw the cookie dough in the garbage, tell Ruby to go home and take a bottle of scotch up to her bedroom, when she sensed a warm presence directly behind her. Almost immediately, the depressed tension left her body only to be replaced by a much more desirable one.

"Back so soon?" she asked, any trace of her thoughts lacking from her voice.

"I shouldn't have left," Ruby sighed knowingly as she shifted to stand beside Regina, turning to lean back against the counter. "Are you okay?"

Regina looked at Ruby, prepared to tell her uninvited guests that her feelings were private and had she seen even a hint of pity in the dark eyes watching her, she would have demanded Ruby leave, but all she saw was understanding and her defenses cracked just a little.

"Well aside from the fact that I'm making cookies for a woman I barely know instead of my son, who's decided he'd rather spend Christmas with the woman who gave him up, things are just great."

Ruby cringed at the dejected slump of the formidable woman's shoulder. Not giving a damn if it earned her a slap, Ruby carefully reached out and covered Regina's hand once again.

"I'm sorry that I'm not Henry," she said quietly, "but I am here and I really want to share Christmas with you. If you'll let me."

Regina swallowed, so many emotions swirling violently inside of her so she did what she usually did when her feelings threatened to overwhelm her. She spun around and before Ruby could even blink, Regina's hands were in her hair and she was kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

Ruby was so startled she couldn't move for all of a half a second. Then the feel of soft lips pressed desperately against hers and fingers gripping tightly at her scalp had her nearly collapsing on the spot. Her hands flew to Regina's hips and yanked the former Mayor against her.

Regina gasped as Ruby wrested control from her almost immediately and Ruby wasted no time slipping her tongue between parted lips while her hands slid slowly up Regina's back, holding her tight yet with a gentleness that would have alarmed Regina had she not been so pleasantly distracted. Ruby 'Red' Lucas certainly knew how to kiss.

For her part, Ruby was trying very hard to maintain some semblance of control. Just knowing that the perfect body pressed so closely to hers, the perpetually smirking lips that were moving so hotly against hers and the warm silky tongue currently caressing her own, belonged to the sexiest woman in this world or any other was almost enough to release her inner wolf. As it was, a low growl escaped her throat, breaking the erotic haze Ruby had fallen under and she pulled back, humiliated and afraid she'd frightened Regina.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly as she stepped away, her hand instantly reaching for the counter for support.

Regina stiffened, assuming that Ruby had remembered who it was she'd been kissing and now regretted it. She would not feel rejected by that. "I'm sure you are Miss Lucas," she returned, pleased by the indifferent tone in her voice.

Ruby rolled her eyes. Drama Queen, she thought fondly. "Sheathe your claws kitten," Ruby teased, and fighting not to laugh outright at the outraged glare she received for that one. "I'm not apologizing for the kiss. I'm apologizing for growling at you."

Regina could count on one finger how many people could call her kitten and live to tell about it, but something about this strange beauty in her kitchen was curbing her natural instincts. Unexpectedly, the sound of Ruby's laughter and the woman's lack of fear had Regina's lips twitching in amusement.

"I do admire your courage. I'll give you that," she acknowledged as she finished placing the cookies on the cookie sheet and sliding the two pans into the oven. She turned around and her heart nearly stopped as she saw Ruby sucking on her finger.

"Keep your fingers out of the cookie dough," she rasped, fighting not to take the digit in question and clean it herself.

Ruby saw the predatory flash in Regina's eyes as she'd caught her pilfering the raw cookie dough and she froze, hoping desperately that the former Queen planned to follow up on the promise in the heated gaze. Thrilled to discover she could affect the always controlled woman, Ruby resumed licking the cookie dough from her finger, not removing her eyes from Regina.

"But it's so very good," she whispered suggestively.

Regina's throat tightened. "And very, very bad for me," she managed.

Ruby was extremely tempted to skip the innuendo, knowing instinctively that the skin of Regina's neck would taste far better than the best cookies in the world, however she could see her host was feeling skittish and she wasn't about to risk ruining whatever was developing between them.

"Most of the best things in life are," Ruby said with a gentle smile. "So. Wanna go help put up the decorations?"

Regina was grateful for the change in subject and realized that Ruby Lucas was far more layered than she'd always assumed. "For a guest you're awfully pushy," she sighed.

"I know right?" Rube agreed happily.

Regina shook her head. "Let me clean up and I'll join you in a few moments. "

"Better yet, I'll help. We'll be done faster and then maybe the cookies will be done."

Regina wondered what was wrong with her that she simply nodded and made room for Ruby at the sink.

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The dishes done and two dozen cookies later, Regina and Ruby had finished putting up some of the decorations Ruby had brought in. It wasn't much, just some garland around the fireplace, snow globes and nutcrackers that Regina had collected over the years. Ruby had also found some lights that she'd strung around the former Mayor's extravagant desk, smirking at the offended huff that came from the other woman.

As she placed the last nutcracker on the mantle, Regina had to admit the few decorations that they put out did brighten her spirit a little bit. She turned and smiled at Ruby who was looking exceedingly pleased with herself.

"You realize that since this was your idea, you also get to take it all down," Regina stated.

"If that means you're going to let me come back then I'm fine with that," Ruby said more seriously than she'd intended. She didn't want this to be a one-time thing.

Regina 's throat tightened the sincerity of Ruby's statement. "Unless you've learned magic, than I guess you'll have to come back," she hoped her voice sounded as casual as she intended.

"It's too bad we don't have a tree though," Ruby said looking around. "Oh wait…"

Before Regina could question her, Ruby had run back outside. Within five minutes, she was back, looking painfully adorable with her dark hair powdered with snow and cheeks red from the cold. However, it was the excited smile and the way she was proudly holding out a scrawny little branch from one of the nearby evergreen trees that finally melted the Evil Queen's heart.

"That, I presume, is our tree?" Regina inquired, one eyebrow lifted and an amused smile on her lips.

Ruby's smile faded. "Well, I know it's not much but…" she was silenced by one of Regina's fingers being placed against her lips.

"It's perfect," she whispered, her breath hitching as Ruby's tongue flicked daringly against her finger.

"Do you have a vase or something I can put this in?" Ruby asked, her voice trembling.

Regina pulled herself away from Ruby before she forgot herself completely and went to retrieve a vase.

Ruby stood where Regina left her, legs shaking and tongue still tingling from the taste of the perplexing woman's finger. Finally, Regina returned looking as composed as ever, though the trembling of her hands when she held out the vase didn't go unnoticed.

"Thanks," Ruby muttered. She placed the bright green branch into the vase and placed it on a nearby table. In the box she'd brought in, she found a lovely green snowflake shaped doily that she wrapped around the vase. And placed a few strands of tinsel over the sad little makeshift tree.

"Well, that didn't turn out like I'd hoped," Ruby said somewhat disappointedly.

Regina wouldn't be able to explain it if her life depended on it. She was in her home with the best friend of the woman who'd ruined her life, her pristine study cluttered with mismatched decorations and topped off by probably the most pathetic excuse for a tree she'd ever seen and she wasn't snapping at the waitress for destroying her house and ruining her evening. Instead, she found herself approaching Ruby and placing a hand on her face.

"It looks beautiful," she said honestly.

"Sorry I don't have a present for you to put under it," Ruby smiled sheepishly, her stomach flipping wildly at the sensation of Regina's warm soft hand on her cheek.

Regina smiled sadly and removed her hand. "I was going to ignore these next two days. It was too empty and too painful without Henry," she said, for the one and only time willing to let herself express her feelings to someone even as she hoped she wouldn't come to regret it. "Your being here has been present enough."

Ruby felt tears sting her eyes, knowing just how difficult it had to have been for the proud woman to say those words and she wished Emma and Henry and the whole damned town could see Regina Mills as she was seeing her now. "I saw in the TV guide that the Year Without a Santa Clause is on. Want to watch?"

Regina let out a watery chuckle, grateful for the younger woman's ability to lighten her mood. "If it will prevent a tantrum than I suppose we can do that. But if you mention this to anyone I'll turn that hideous car of yours into a pumpkin."

Ruby snorted. "Yes ma'am," she said, snapping a salute.

Regina sighed but the smile on her face was something Ruby would remember in her dreams for some time to come.

They settled on the couch and turned on the television, Ruby having grabbed the plate of cookies and placing them on the coffee table. Regina stiffened when Ruby cuddled up next to her. She most definitely was not a cuddler but it as if she was physically incapable of pushing the astonishingly innocent woman away from her.

Would it really be that bad…this one night…to let herself actually feel something? When Ruby's hand fell onto her thigh, she decided that no…no it wouldn't. Silently apologizing to Henry, Regina flicked her wrist and two steaming cups of hot chocolate appeared on the coffee table…on coasters naturally.

"Neat," Ruby muttered happily as the Christmas classic played on the television. "What else can you do?"

Regina smirked, placing her hand over Ruby's and twining their fingers together. "Maybe one of these days I'll show you," she whispered hotly into Ruby's ear, chucking at the little whimper she produced. "Now be quiet, my favorite character is coming on."

Ruby laughed, hardly surprised that the Heat Miser was Regina's favorite Christmas character. Caught up in the mood she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Regina's jaw before laying her head on her shoulder thinking this was the weirdest and most unexpectedly awesome Christmas she'd ever had.

The End.