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 Well this turned out far longer than I'd planned and went in directions I hadn't expected. I hope it wound up making sense. The characters are somewhat OOC. Regina herself is a bit softer than I usually prefer, but for some reason, I wanted her to let her guard down, just this once, without appearing overly weak. Hoped that came across This is a one-shot. Now that it's finished I can get back to my Red Queen Tale.

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

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To an outsider, it looked like a fairytale Christmas Eve party. Literally. Everyone from Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs to Cinderella and the Blue Fairy were gathered at Granny's for Christmas Eve holiday party before they headed to the town square for the tree lighting festivities. There was lots of good food and laughter and young Henry Mills was having the time of his life.

"This is the best Christmas ever!" Henry exclaimed happily, as he wrapped his arms around the woman he'd been glued to all day.

Emma Swan laughed at her son and squeezed him tight. "I think it's all the sugar," she teased, the joy of spending her very first Christmas with a family evident in the childlike enthusiasm that accompanied everything she did.

"No it isn't," Henry protested as he shoved another chocolate chip cookie in his mouth. "It's because the curse is broken, good won and this is my first real family Christmas."

"Well, get used to it kid," David told his grandson as he ruffled the boys hair. "Good will always win and we'll have tons more of these family Christmas's.

"Yeah and as your grandparents, it's our job to spoil you rotten," Snow added as she wrapped an arm around her Charming's waist, love and true happiness shining on her face.

Ruby Lucas had been watching the new, if odd, little family with a fond smile. She was truly happy that her best friend finally had her prince, her daughter and now a grandson, but for the last hour, she kept thinking something was wrong and Henry's words made her realize what…or who was glaringly absent.

"I'm glad you're having fun Henry," she said with a gentle smile, "but doesn't it seem like something's missing?" She knew that Henry had absorbed and believed every single word in that story book that Snow had given him, but had been hoping he'd eventually come to learn that what you read isn't always the whole truth. Apparently, he hadn't, and having grandparents and a savior who played into their own stories hadn't helped.

"I don't think so," Henry answered her with confusion as he looked around the crowded diner and his new extended family. "Well, maybe Santa," he added, drawing a laugh from Emma, Snow and David and a sigh from Ruby.

"What is it Ruby?" Snow asked with concern.

"You really don't know?" Ruby asked looking from one puzzled face to another. "Henry, you say this is your first family Christmas, but who have you spent the last ten with?"

It took far longer than it should have for the embarrassed expressions to cross Henry and his 'new family's' faces.

"Oh shit. Regina," Emma said horrified. "I didn't even think…"

"We didn't either," Snow acknowledged with embarrassment, "but It would have been uncomfortable," Snow told her, even if she did look a bit guilty.

"And she's still the Evil Queen," Henry added with the innocence of a kid who only knows black and white.

"No," Ruby corrected gently. "In that book of yours, she's the "Evil Queen". In real life she's Regina Mills, the woman who raised and loved you for ten years," Ruby said sadly and then shook her head. "You know what? This is so not my business and I'm not really in the Christmas mood anyway I'll see you guys later."

"Red, wait a second," Snow called after her best friend and caught up with her just as the waitress had grabbed her cloak.

"This is about more than not inviting Regina to a private party. You've been…distant ever since Emma and I got back. Talk to me," she urged her friend.

"I don't really have anything to say. Merry Christmas Snow," Ruby said and then left knowing exactly where she was headed.

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"Miss Lucas?"

Ruby noticed the way Regina's always vigilant gaze searched the yard as if expecting a return of the angry mob and that just darkened her mood.

"It's just me, Madame Mayor," she assured the woman carefully, a nervous smile lifting her lips.

Regina's eyes turned to the woman shivering on her front porch. When she'd opened the door, Ruby Lucas hadn't even come close to making the list of possible visitors. "I'm no longer Mayor, as you well know. So what brings 'just you' to my house on Christmas Eve? Aren't you supposed to be at Granny's with…?" Her heart flipped painfully as a thought occurred to her.

"Is it Henry?" She asked anxiously. "Did something happen?"

Ruby felt a bit guilty for not knowing that would be Regina's first assumption. "Oh no. I'm sorry. Henry's fine. I didn't know you knew about Granny's," Ruby said feeling even more guilty. It was bad enough thinking that Regina just hadn't been invited , but knowing that Regina was well aware of the snub made her feel even worse.

"Henry called yesterday and told me about the 'grown up' party he was going to and then his plans to go downtown," Regina replied tonelessly, trying to shove down the sense of rejection that filled her.

"Oh," Ruby stared at her feet, trying to find something somewhat intelligent to say.

"So…" she prodded impatiently.

Ruby was relieved and somewhat hopeful that the extremely standoffish woman hadn't slammed the door in her face but still began to doubt her decision.

"I didn't... can I come in?"

Regina's natural instinct was to offer a resounding 'no' and send the uninvited woman running for her life, but as she looked at the woman standing almost forlornly on her doorstep, she was disturbed to discover she couldn't bring herself to do it. The perpetually cheerful waitress was looking quite bedraggled, not to mention decidedly cold, wearing only her cloak over her jeans and sweater. She looked behind her guest and didn't see any trace of the worn red Camaro.

"Did you walk here?" She asked incredulously. It wasn't a long walk from Granny's, but the temperature was dropping quickly and the snow was picking up.

"Yeah. My car was blocked in and I didn't want to wait for David to move his truck."

"I see," Regina lied. Despite her better judgment, Regina stepped aside and gestured for Ruby to enter.

Ruby sighed blissfully as the warmth began to sting her frozen cheeks.

"I just made a fresh pot of coffee. Please wait in the study while I go prepare a tray," Regina ordered as she took Ruby's cloak.

Ruby wanted to snicker at the way the woman could make an offer sound like a royal command but she wasn't about to risk getting thrown back out into the cold. "Thank you," she said meeting Regina's steady gaze, finding the dark eyes almost hypnotic.

"Yes well…" Regina prevaricated, not comfortable with gratitude of any kind. "I'll be right back."

Ruby smirked, feeling unreasonably proud of the fact she'd manage to silence the woman who excelled at having the last word. Still, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the very sweet view of slender hips swaying seductively before heading to the study feeling considerably warmer.

She had just taken a seat when her cell phone rang. "Hey Emma," she greeted after checking the caller ID.

"Hey. What happened?"

Ruby sighed at the concern in her friend's voice. "Nothing,"

"Nothing? You make us all feel bad about not inviting Regina and then just leave. That's hardly nothing."

"Is that what this is about? You want to yell at me for upsetting everybody?" Ruby felt her temper slipping.

"No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure you're okay and tell you we're headed over to the town square in about an hour. We'll try to save you some hot chocolate."

"Sorry Em. I'm fine," she said her anger easing at the excited sound of Emma's voice. "And I'm not going to the tree lightening."

"Why not? This is my first one and I want all my friends to be there."

Ruby noticed Emma didn't say 'family' and she suspected it was going to take the blonde some time to get used to the idea that she finally had one. "I've got plans already," she explained.

"Oh, a hot date?" Emma teased.

It's hot alright,Ruby thought, her lips lifting in a private leer. "I'm at Regina's," she answered.

"Regina's? Why?"

Ruby clenched her teeth wondering if these people would ever get it. "Because her family decided he didn't want to spend the evening with her."

"Oh," Emma said and the guilt was clear inher voice. "I could always convince him to…"

"Do you really think that Regina Mills of all people would be happy, knowing her own son had to be convinced to spend time with her?"

"She doesn't have to know."

Ruby snorted. "Emma, Henry's a good kid, but he's only ten. He can't hide his emotions worth a shit."

"Yeah," Emma laughed proudly. " So you're really not going to come? Granny was looking for you."

Ruby felt her own guilt that this would be the first Christmas since coming to Storybrooke that she hadn't spent it with her grandmother, but the older woman had looked so happy looking after Snow and flirting blatantly with Marco. "Yeah. I'm good here. Tell Granny I'll see her tomorrow. Goodnight Emma."

"Night Rubes."

Ruby hung up knowing that she was going to have a lot of questions to answer later, but tonight she was going to let herself enjoy this rare opportunity.

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