The Crimson Rose {Once Upon A Time}(Swanqueen)

Chapter Three: The Date

Henry was the first to run up to Granny's Diner to open the door. He was excited about eating there with his family. He opened it like a gentleman, letting the women in first. He definitely took after his blonde mother as Emma let her mother and Regina enter first. Emma was about to let Henry in, but her son insisted that Emma enter before him.

"Thank you kid." Emma beamed affectionately, sharing a look of pride with Regina. "You certainly raised him well." She gave the beautiful brunette a compliment.

Regina smiled happily. "I did the best I could, under these circumstances." She gave Henry a look, telling him with that look alone that even Emma agreed with her tactics of raising him.

Henry looked at both of his mothers, surprised that Regina had not scared Emma off yet. He'd had seen his mother treat people badly in the past for the smallest things. Obviously something had happened since he had brought Emma there, the previous day. Regina did not get along well with people. She was the Evil Queen for crying out loud! But then again, he really did not need to judge her. Regina treated him well and loved him well. It was easy for her to do this since he was also her son. The book had told Henry how to find Emma. He had read her story in there too. But it did hot reveal everything to him just yet. Maybe he just wasn't ready for the whole truth yet because he still had some growing up to do.

They found a booth in the back and slid in. Regina pulled Emma to sit next to her and Henry sat with Maleficent, right across from Emma. Maleficent noticed and had a little knowing smirk on her face. It was so obvious that Emma affected Regina in ways others could never be able to. It used to be something Maleficent herself could do with Regina. But she noticed that the way her old friend was looking at her daughter was also not the same way as she looked at the older dragon before. It was different this time. Emma and Regina just clicked. Maleficent just wanted her daughter to be happy. If Regina made her happy, she wasn't going to get in the way of her happiness. She could see from the way Regina was looking at her daughter, that this was an emotion that her friend never shared with her. She was happy for Emma. But she would have a talk with Regina about her intentions with Emma later. She looked at her grandson and proceeded to get to know him better.

Ruby eyed their booth with interest. She was surprised to see that the Mayor was very friendly with that newcomer, Emma. She sniffed the air and could tell that the older blonde was Emma's mother and they were both alike. Her grandmother poked her, reminding her that she had a job to do. Ruby jumped slightly and sighed as she moved over to the group. She had always liked Henry though. The boy never gave her any problems. She walked up to them and asked, "What can I get for you guys?" She smiled at Henry, using him as her focal point to make her more comfortable in the presence of these women. Regina made her nervous at times, but she had always tried to stay away from her bad side. Ever since Henry had brought Emma there, her wolf had sensed his birth mother's darkness and that alone was what made her uneasy. But now her uneasiness had doubled when the older blonde showed up. The wolf inside her insisted that there was something familiar about the older woman.

Henry smiled easily and told Ruby what he wanted for his breakfast. Regina gave her order next and then it was Emma's turn.

Emma smiled at Ruby. She could see that the wolf-girl was nervous. "Ruby chill. You're acting like we're going to eat you or something. I know I'm new here. But I promise we're not here to make trouble with you." She smiled, sharing a look with Regina before continuing. "Our son thinks of you as his friend. That's good enough for me." She winked at her in a friendly manner. She then told Ruby what she wanted for breakfast.

Ruby gave Emma a small smile, but finally relaxed a bit more. She decided maybe she needed to get to know them better. "Sorry, sometimes my wolf senses are off kilter."