Alt. Ending To "How It All Began"

Our Choice

The car ride was silent as ruby looked out the window, watching the streets of New York go by, racing past just like her mind raced in her head. Why had T come back after all those years? Why was she so angry with him? She hadn't really been in love with him. She had just been desperate for someone anyone to love her or even just give her the time of day. He had. And then he had left.
They arrived at their favorite place to eat, a little Italian place across from the park and they were quickly seated and ruby prayed that cuphead, her ever curious boy, wouldn't ask any questions about T.
"Mom?" Cuphead said after a while.
Ruby resisted a flinch and instead smiled at him. "Yes baby?"
"Who was that man?" He asked.
God just couldn't let anything be simple for her could he? Ruby felt like a deer in headlights again as she sat there, trying desperately to think of something to say quickly before Lucifer could...
"What man, son?" Lucifer asked and ruby sighed.
"When I went to get mom she was yelling at a guy who... who kinda looked like mugs and me..."
"Mugs and I. Watch your grammar cuppy." Ruby corrected as Lucifer turned to her.
"Ruby was T...?"
"Shut it Lucifer. I don't wanna talk about it..." Ruby said, glaring at him over her wine glass before taking a long sip of the bitter drink.
"T? Mom who was he? Was that our....father?" Cuphead asked, taking his brothers hand under the table.
"Lucifer is your father. You know that cuphead." Ruby said quickly.
"No! You told me that he raised us but he didn't father us. You told me our father was someone else. Was that him?" Cuphead said, clearly getting upset.
Ruby sighed and rubbed her eyes. Why were teenagers so persistent? "Yes..." she whispered.
Mugman looked shocked while cuphead just looked angry. "We're you ever gonna tell us if I hadn't said something?"
"No... no I wasnt."
"Mom!" Cuphead said, starting to yell but Mugman took his shoulder and the two locked eyes in silence for a minute before cuphead seemed to relax.
"Mom that's not ok. Why wouldn't you tell us about him?" Mugman asked.
"Because he doesn't deserve to get to know you boys. He's trouble. nothing but trouble." Ruby insisted.
"But that's not your call mom. It's our choice if we should get to know him or not." Mugs retorted gently.
Lucifer slipped an arm around ruby, "honey. They're right. They're smart kids and can make this choice for themselves." He said trying to calm ruby down, seeing the anguish in her eyes.
Ruby looked between the boys and Lucifer for a moment before sighing and leaning back in her seat. "You wanna meet him? Fine. I'll see what I can do." She assured before finishing off her wine.
Dinner was silent after that and when it was time to head home ruby took a separate cab back to the hotel and made her way up to the front desk where Piroetta sat working on some paper work with her daughter lounging behind her with a book looking utterly bored.
"Ruby! I thought you and the boss left hours ago." She said noticing ruby approach.
Ruby smiled and shook her head. "We did. I came back because I need the room number of a Green T. Cup."
"Oh! Of course. Let me see." She opened the guest book and started flipping through the pages and smiled when she placed her finger on the name, having found the room number. "Looks like it's gonna be room 342 up on the third floor boss."
Ruby nodded and turned to head to the elevator, thanking her friend as she went.
She stood outside the door for the longest time, debating on if she should just lie to the boys and say he wanted nothing to do with them...but she knew that would blow up in her face and she knocked.
"Coming! One second!" T called from inside as she head him clamor for the door and he opened it after a moment, his smile falling into a confused look on his face. "Ruby? Wh-what are you doing here?" He asked, holding a towel up on his hip and she blushed looking away. Bad timing.
"I uh..." she sighed. "The boys want to meet you." She said bitterly.
"They do!? You... you told them about me?"
She nodded. "Much to my dismay cuphead is just as stubborn as I am. Wouldn't drop the subject. And my husband is an idiot who just fed the fire..."
T smiled a small smile. "You really hate me huh?"
She rubbed her eyes. "Honestly I don't know. I hate that you left but it's not like you're the worst person I've ever met. And you're not the first person to leave me. I honestly think I'm just angry I let myself give in to you when I should have known better. I don't regret my son's but if I could change how I got them I would." She explained, her cheeks red and her arms folded across her chest.
T reached out to brush some hair from her face but she snagged his wrist.
"Do not touch me." She warned in a low hiss.
He nodded slowly and when she let his hand go he dropped it back to his side.
"Meet the boys in the lounge tomorrow at 12. Ask the host for the Prince's table." She turned to walk away to go make the reservation in the books.
"Princes?" T asked from behind her.
"Of course. I got back with my ex. They're the Princes of Hell." She said, smirking over her should, "guess that makes me the queen." She winked at him before sauntering away, having seen the dread seep into his eyes.