She wanted to apologize to Ruby, she’s pretty sure the lovely waitress, who had inavertedly managed to make her twin brother’s heart beating faster and faster until it resembled a hummingbird, had her own shit to worry about.
❝ —But where’s the justice in that?! ❞ Ava had leaned slightly into Ruby’s…was it a hug? Probably.
(Ava was touch starved, had been for years, but she hadn’t told anyone about that one either.)
Where’s the justice in that, she asked again. Why did Snow still hang with the Usurper?! The Usurper was the one that ruined all their lives! And they - Snow and Charming - just…expected everyone in town to push their feelings on the matter down, down, down and just deal with it?! They expected to pat her on the back every time the former mayor didn’t murder somebody?! What kind of half assed bullshit reasoning was that!? Ava shook her head, mumbling that she hoped they - Snow and Charming - knew that she was very disappointed in them. Where was the justice for her victims?!
(Not me, she added, but my brother and father. You and your grandmother. Emma. Henry especially. Snow and Charming. Abigail and her husband. Ariel. Thomas and Ella. Belle. The people who needed it the most.)
❝I have, but everyone’s gonna flock to him now and who helps him when he helps us? Nah, I’ll be fine in due time. Eventually. ‘Cause if I were to go, things’d go well for a few weeks and then I’d lie. A lot. Tell him what he’d want to hear. Y’know, I wanted to leave. Wanted to start anew somewhere else, pretend Storybrooke and it’s inhabitants aren’t real. Don’t y’worry, I’ve been talked out of it. But I figured that I might as well tell ya everything now that I’m talkin’. —I’m always here to listen to you too, Ruby. I promise.❞
When Ava leant into her hug, she gave herself permission to fully embrace the girl.
It was terribly heartbreaking to see someone so young, plagued by all of these
thoughts and feelings, and Red wasn’t going to leave her on her own in the woods
to her thoughts. Even if it meant missing her afternoon shift.
❝ I guess everyone isn’t out for justice any longer. Killing her isn’t going to bring
the people she killed back, nothing will. Is us killing her really going to solve anything
when it comes to what happened? I chose to just move on and start a-fresh.
Besides, we’re all victims in this matter. Regina included. And Henry doesn’t deserve
to loose his mother. ❞
She bit her lip in thought trying to not say the wrong words, but she knew she was
right. As much as justice would have been nice and well-deserved for Regina, she
couldn’t hurt Henry like that. Hopefully the Evil Queen stayed nice for as long as she
possibly could.
❝ You have a point, but I think Doctor Hopper has enough people to talk to if he
needs to. You’re not a burden on him. If anything he is probably worrying about not
talking to him any longer; because he knows how hurt you are, and doesn’t want you
to feel lost or like you have to run away. You know he would blame himself for not
being able to help you. He would appreciate you talking to him. ❞