I'm so sorry this took so long, a bout of flu and a lot of work impaired my ability to write for a while, but I hope you all enjoy this final little instalment of "Till Death Do Us Part"
David pulled the door open and, before he even had a chance to greet her, Red ran across the room to engulf Snow in a rib-crushing hug,
"Hi Red," Snow said quietly.
"Hi Red? Hi Red! That's it?" Red asked, pulling back to look at her friend. "Snow, I can't believe you'd. . .gods Snow!"
She saw tears slipping down Snow's cheeks and immediately hugged her again. "Hey, hey, don't cry Frosty," Red said, making use of the age old nickname in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sorry I just. . .I was just so scared. You're my best friend Snow, I can't lose you!"
"I know, I'm so sorry Red."
"No, I'm sorry! I knew you were guilty about Cora but I never realised. . .I should have realised."
"No Red, no. You shouldn't have realised anything. It's not your responsibility to be there all the time when I'm sad or to try and make me happy."
"I'm your best friend Snow! Of course it's my responsibility to make you happy!"
"Red. . ."
"No, I'm going to take my responsibilities as your friend far more seriously from now on," Ruby promised, as a grin lit up her face. "Come for a drink with me tomorrow night!"
Snow stared at her in disbelief. "A drink? No Red, I am so not in the mood."
"Exactly, that's why you should come out. You can't hide away in here forever. Come out and we'll drink and dance and chat and you'll feel much better, you'll see. Emma can come too," Red added brightly, turning to face her.
"I'm not taking my daughter drinking!" Snow said quickly.
Emma glared at her mother. "I'm twenty-eight, I've been legal to drink for a decade. I don't need my mother's permission."
"Don't be such a bore Snow! We can if if Ella can come too, it'll be great!"
"And what about Henry?" Snow asked.
"David can babysit, stop trying to get out of it," Red insisted.
"She's right Snow," David said. "I think a night out with your friends will do you good."
"Yeah, you should go and have fun Grandma!" Henry added. "Gramps and I will be fine."
Snow sighed and, realising that everyone was adamant that she should go, she decided that it would be much easier to just concede. Red and Ella had always done wonders for making her feel better so she thought that maybe they could do it again.
"Fine, I'll come with you."
Red grinned gleefully. "Great!"
Emma smiled at Ruby's enthusiasm, hoping that the woman was right and that a night out might cheer her mother up. "Come on kid," she said to Henry. "Time for bed. See you tomorrow Ruby."
Red waved as Emma and Henry disappeared up the stairs, followed closely by David, who knew that the two women would want to talk alone.
"She still calls me Ruby," Red noticed, turning back to her friend as they sat down on the bed.
Snow nodded. "She still calls me Mary Margaret, its easier for her. If I'd grown up thinking that you were just a character from a storybook I'd find it weird to call you Little Red Riding Hood too."
Red walloped Snow with a pillow as the other woman laughed.
"Shut up! You know only Granny calls me that and it's horrendous nickname."
"Aw, I think it's cute Little Red. . ." The rest of Snow's response was muffled both by the pillow that smacked her in the face again and by her laughter.
"I can't believe you bullied me into going out with you tomorrow."
Red put down the pillow and looked at Snow seriously. "I know, but trust me. I know what this is like, this guilt. You can't let it consume you. It's hard but you have to move forwards. You were always there for me, to help me move on and I'm going to do the same for you. I love you Snow."
"I love you too," Snow wrapped her arms around Red and they hugged each other tightly. "And thank you. Thank you for everything."
Red grinned and hugged Snow even tighter. "That's what friends are for Frosty."
Snow smiled through her tears as she thought about everything Red had said. She was right. The guilt wasn't going to go away but it was time to move forward and start living again. Snow's smile widened as she realised that, despite all she had done, with her arms around her best friend and her family upstairs, she truly had something to live for.