Red Riding Hood

"When there's something I want, I'm good at tracking it down."

Red Riding Hood, commonly known as Red, is one of the main characters of Once Upon a Time. Once a young, free-spirited girl who lived in a small village in the fairytale land, along with her grandmother, Red was unknowingly plagued by a curse that transformed her into a wolf with every full moon. She discovered who she really is when she meet Snow White who later became her bestfriend. However, Red was preserved in her human form by her enchanted red cloak, until she managed to finally control her wolf side. After the enactment of the Dark Curse, Red became trapped in Storybrooke, Maine as Ruby, a rebellious girl of loose morals who works at Granny's Diner.

Before the Curse
"He wasn't the wolf..."

- Snow White

After being let go by the Huntsman, Snow White finds herself taking shelter in Widow Lucas' chicken shed. Red discovers her there and invites her to come back to Granny's with her. Snow tells her that she was taking shelter after hearing the howls of a wolf in the night. While stopping at the well, Snow uncovers the site of a massacre. Red reveals that it is wolfstime, a time of the month when the moon is full and the wolf hunts. At a town meeting, Granny shows the villagers the scars of her first encounter with a similar wolf 60 years before. She warns the crowd that the wolf is truly evil and that the only thing people can do is hide until wolfstime is over. While chatting about Peter, Red's love, Snow learns that Red feels trapped like a rat in a cage. Granny has always been overprotective and Red feels Granny disapproves of Peter. Seeking to prove herself, Red comes up with a plan to kill the wolf while it slumbers in the daylight. Red and Snow track the beast but are shocked to find that the wolf's prints take a human form and lead back towards Granny's house... and specifically Red's window. Red and Snow become convinced that the wolf is Peter and Red tells him what she has found. Peter begs her to tie him up in chains in order to protect everyone from his murderous hunger. Red does as he asks and promises to stay with him through the night until wolfstime is over. Back at Granny's, Snow is pretending to be asleep with Red's cloak around her in order to fool Granny. Granny discovers the truths and tells Snow that Peter is not the wolf, but Red is. Snow learns that Red's cloak was designed by a wizard and helps to stop Red from turning into the wolf. Red has no memory of being the wolf and Granny has kept it from her all these years. They race to rescue Peter, but are too late to save him. Granny shoots the wolf with a silver tipped arrow and Red transforms back into human form. As the realization of what she has done sinks in, Red is left devastated, and a hunting party descends on them. Granny orders Red and Snow to leave quickly.

Red and Snow manage to avoid both the hunting party and the Queen's guards, each looking for one of them. When Red notices her magic cloak has a tear, she worries it might no longer work, and urges Snow to run off and find shelter. Snow obliges, but not before agreeing to meet her in the morning so they can go and find a cabin in the woods to live in. The following morning, Red is delighted to learn that her cloak still works, but it is soon stolen by someone named Quinn, who she later learns is also a werewolf. Quinn leads Red to his pack, with the promise of making her overcome her shame of being a wolf and her fear of not being able to control the beast within, and there Red meets Anita, who turns out to be none other than her mother. Red learns that Granny took her from Anita when she was very young, not wanting her to know the truth about her wolf side. Anita explains that she and her pack have learnt to control the wolf and no longer have to live in shame because of their primal side. Anita teaches Red to control the wolf, and she is finally able to. However, when Snow White appears in their hideout, Quinn attacks her, mistaking her for a hunter. Red rushes to protect her friend, explaining that she is innocent, and Anita demands that Quinn let her go. Red is then forced to explain the truth to Snow, and adds, with sorrow, that she can't join her in that cabin they talked about, for she has found her mother and people just like her. Snow sympathizes and they bid farewell... but then Quinn is fatally wounded by an arrow, fired by a henchman of the Queen. The guards enter their hideout and are rapidly taken out by the pack, but a grieving Anita blames Snow for Quinn's death and asks that Red kill her. Red is unwilling to, and Anita prepares to do it herself, having Snow tied up against a pillar and transforming into a wolf to eat her. However, Red transforms into a wolf as well and lunges herself at Anita, causing her to be accidentally impaled. Red mourns her mother's death, all the while justifying her actions by saying she's not a murderer. Later, after Anita's been buried in the woods, Snow and Red agree to stay together and go find that cabin in the woods, with Red content over the fact that Snow is the first person who's let her know it's alright to be both the human and the wolf.

Some time later, after they've separated yet again, Snow White runs into Red while hunting for food. They seem to have an agreement that Red bring her supplies to get by every month, and she is honoring that agreement. When Snow can't believe it's been a month already, Red jokingly says Snow has taken the solitude well, but Snow assures her friend it is what she wanted, to be alone. Red explains that Charming will be marrying Abigail in two days time. Snow wishes for there to be a way she can get him out of her head. Seeming slightly unnerved and reluctant, Red tells Snow of a way she could forget Charming. She tells her of "whispers of a man who can achieve even the most unholy of requests". Ready to see him, Snow asks for his name - and Red leads her to Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One. Later, after Snow is forced to tell Charming she doesn't love him - by the evil King George - Charming reaches the shack that Snow White was previously at and he starts to call out for her. There is no response so he gets off his horse, continuing to shout. Red Riding Hood suddenly emerges from some bushes holding a basket. She tells the prince that Snow is gone as she never returned after she left for her journey to find him. Charming determinedly says that he will find Snow as he will always find her. Moved by the prince's loyalty and bravery, Red smiles. He states he will convince Snow they belong together and he will fight for their love. Red explains that there won't be much of a fight because Snow wants to be with him more than anything. Charming asks Red not to mock him and he tells her what Snow said to him. However, Red explains Snow left to break up the wedding because she loves him. Charming then realizes that King George forced Snow to change her mind on the way. With that, King George and his men gallop towards Red and Charming, wanting his head. Charming gets on his horse with Red and then they both escape, narrowly avoiding arrows that are being fired at them. ("7:15 A.M."/"What Happened to Frederick")

A flaming arrow flies through the air and then begins to lose its trajectory, dropping to the ground towards a make-shift camp Prince Charming and Red Riding Hood have set up, having been on the run for a while now. The arrow heads straight for Red, but the prince notices it so tell her to look out before deflecting it with his sword. King George's men soon arrive on their horses and with their bows. Charming says they need to move because they've been found. They run to the horse as the guards open fire. Charming jumps on and offers Red a hand, but she tells him to go, stating she'll take care of them. The prince refuses to leave her, but she tells him to find Snow because that's all that matters. As she steps away from him, he asks what she's going to do, so she looks up to the skies and at a full moon that is emerging from the clouds. "I'm giving you a head start" she says as she removes her magical red cloak. Realizing what she's doing, Charming quickly rides away with his horse. Red watches him ride off and her eyes glow with a golden shine. She then turns around to the guards who are approaching her and then she begins to also run at them in her human form. Suddenly, she transforms into her wolf form and then pounces onto the guards, who scream in fear as she viciously attacks them. As the prince rides away, he hears Red howl in her wolf form, taking his attention from a wanted sign for Snow White that's nailed to a tree.

After Charming is imprisoned by the loathsome King George, Snow White and her troupe set out to rescue him, including Red, Granny, and the seven dwarfs. Red is sent to check out the perimeter and find the whereabouts and condition of the prince, and comes back - with the blood of someone on her chin - to report that even though the prince is still alive, she heard word that the Queen is also there. Snow realizes that Regina knew she'd come for the prince, and that it's a trap, but it doesn't matter at this point, she needs to go to him. She tells her friends that she'll understand if they want to give up, but they all reject this. They all get set, and Red questions why the Queen is doing this. Snow explains that she destroyed Regina's happiness, and now she wants to destroy hers. Snow finally makes it to the castle, with the help of her friends, but once she gets to the dungeons she learns that Charming isn't really there, but merely an enchanted mirror showing his reflection. Regina asks to meet with Snow at the stables, and she obliges. There, Regina tells her the truth about Daniel, the stable boy, and hands her a poisoned apple to bite on willingly. When she does, she will fall under a sleeping curse, and her prince will live. Snow does just this, and Red and the others are horrified to discover her lifeless body, knowing that their friend sacrificed herself for the prince, and for all of them.

After Snow is awakened by true love's kiss, Red Riding Hood is running speedily through the forest and into a tent where Charming, Snow and others resign, plotting battle. "We have to move camp, they're coming for us." Red tells them, "No! We can't run! We promised we'd take the kingdom back and we can't do that with our tails between out legs!... No offense." he tells them, apologizing for insulting Red, the werewolf. Red warns them that they cannot stay where they are because of the opposing side's new general, Snow asks who he is and Red explains that they say he strikes like a monster at the heart of the sea, you never see him coming and you never survive. "We'll see about that." Charming says, "How close is his army?" Snow asks, concerned. An arrow flies in and stabs the table. "I'd say pretty close." Charming notes. He nods at the others and he and two men draw their swords and go to attack George's army, "We should split up, divide them." Snow suggests, Charming agrees and sends Red off in one direction, his men in another, before pushing Snow away so he can fight.

After the good guys take down King George and take over his kingdom, the Evil Queen is finally captured, and her powers temporarily taken from her. The royal council meets to discuss what to do with her, and Jiminy Cricket says that he believes the Queen may never change, and thus they need to suspense justice. The attendants throw suggestions around, and when Granny suggests that they banish her to another realm, Jiminy replies that it would be unconscionable to condemn another realm to the same pain they've endured, and Red agrees with him, saying that the Queen is their problem and they must deal with her themselves. Charming decides that the Queen must be executed, and excuses the council. Later, Red attends the Queen's execution, but Snow White prevents it from actually happening, much to everyone's surprise.

Once the kingdom is safely taken over by Snow White and Prince Charming, their royal wedding is held at their castle, a wedding that Red attends. However, the Evil Queen shows up and announces to everyone that she will destroy their happy endings. The royal council meets, which includes Red and Granny, among many others, to come up with a plan. The Blue Fairy tells them of the enchanted tree that can be used to protect the savior from the curse if fashioned into a vessel, but warns them that only one person can go in it. Eventually, the curse hits, and the residents of the fairytale land are sent to Storybrooke, Maine.

Early Life
"Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we are but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget."

After the Dark Curse hits, Red Riding Hood becomes trapped in the town of Storybrooke, Maine with the new identity of Ruby, a waitress of loose morals who works at her Granny's Diner. On the very first day of the curse, Mayor Regina Mills, otherwise known as the Evil Queen, strolls through town to see Granny and Ruby arguing outside the diner, the latter moaning due to the fact that she has to work the early shift and doesn't want to. Regina smiles as she sees this, regarding this as Red's unhappy ending. The next day, she walks by and sees the same, Ruby and Granny arguing about shifts, and the next day, the same again. Eventually, Regina grows bored of this repetition, and the many others.

Season 1
"I sort of found someone in myself that was more than I expected."

Shortly after arriving into Storybrooke, Emma Swan, the savior, makes her way to a local resting place, Granny's Bed & Breakfast. When she enters, she overhears Granny herself arguing with her granddaughter, Ruby, about how she was out some night and is now going out again. Ruby tells her grandmother that she should had moved to Boston, and Granny ironically apologizes over her heart attack interfering with her plans to sleep her way through the Eastern seaboard. Ruby is the counterpart of Red Riding Hood, and Granny is Red's grandmother. Emma calls out for their attention, and says she'd like a room. Both women are surprised, and Granny asks Emma what view she'd like. Granny then asks what her name is, and she tells her it's Emma Swan. A male voice behind her then repeats the name "Emma"... she turns around to find the man - the counterpart of Rumplestiltskin. He tells her Emma is a lovely name. She thanks him. Granny then hands him a wad of cash, telling him 'it's all here'. He takes it, thanking her, and then says "Enjoy your stay... Emma." He then leaves. Emma asks who that was, and Ruby says, behind her, that it was Mr. Gold, who 'owns this place'. Emma asks if she means the inn, and Granny tells her he owns the town.

The first morning after the tower clock starts working again and time unfreezes, Granny heads to her diner, bringing with her the bread of the day, as her granddaughter Ruby puts up the sign. Ruby smiles at her grandma, but then looks disgruntled once she's walked by. Sheriff Graham makes his way to the establishment as well. Later, Emma is at the diner reading the latest edition of the local newspaper, whilst eating one of the Mayor's apples, and Ruby gives her a hot cocoa, complete with cinnamon on the whipped cream. Emma, surprised, thanks her but adds that she did not order it. "Yeah, I know.", Ruby says, "You have an admirer." Emma turns around and notices Sheriff Graham sitting in a booth. She gets up, picks up the drink and walks over to him. However, it turns out Henry offered her the cocoa.

Mary Margaret is sitting at a table in Granny's Diner with Dr. Whale sitting opposite her. "So, where were we?", he asks his date, "Something about you wanting fifteen kids?". Mary Margaret explains that she meant she had fifteen kids in her class, and he'll be meeting them the following day when they come to his hospital to volunteer. Ruby walks past them and begins to clean a table in low-cut shorts and a crop-top, and Dr. Whale begins to ogle her, diverting his gaze from his date. "Oh, yeah, that is a really good program." he says, distracted by Ruby's body. Mary Margaret goes on to say that she obviously doesn't want fifteen kids of her own, stating that she does want kids but not that many, as well as marriage and true love, while Whale continues to check the waitress out, completely ignoring Mary Margaret. "But that of course is...", Mary Margaret looks at where Whale is gazing and realizes he's objectifying Ruby, who walks past, "...completely innapropriate for me to discuss on a first date.", she finishes. Whale asks what she said and Mary Margaret hastily asks Ruby for the check.

Emma is at Granny's Diner as Ruby serves her cocoa. After an encounter with Regina, Emma spills it all over herself and Ruby helps her clean up, directing her to the laundry room. Later on, Ruby, Henry and Emma discuss the disappearance of Ashley Boyd, a close friend of Ruby's, as the latter's car is being dropped off by a tow truck. When the car is dropped abrubtly on the ground, Ruby tells Billy, the truck driver, that he almost shattered her wolf charm. During the conversation, Ruby defends her friend telling Emma that she is trying to turn her life around. Ruby then tells Emma where she can find Ashley's ex-boyfriend, Sean Herman. After Emma discovers that Ashley sold her baby, she returns to Ruby to find out where she is. Emma discovers that Ruby sent them to Sean's to give Ashley a head start. Ruby tells her that she was only trying to help her. Eventually, Ruby tells Emma that Ashley left half an hour earlier for Boston.

When Emma is appointed deputy sheriff of Storybrooke - yet another sign that things are changing - the old abandoned mines of the town collapsing, causing an earthquake. Ruby asks if the large hole is a crater, to which Marco tells her that there used to be a series of tunnels undereath the site. Henry becomes curious, thinking that something might be down there that his mother, the Mayor, doesn't want anyone to see, and enters the mines, followed by Dr. Hopper, and the two become sealed in following another earth tremble. Ruby and other townspeople gather around the mines to try and rescue the pair trapped inside, or just witness the unfolding of events, and eventually Ruby herself becomes of assistance when she uses Billy's tow truck to remove a lid off of an air shaft, so that Emma can go in and get Henry, which she does, successfully. Ruby and the rest commemorate, and she takes the opportunity to have a drink with Billy that night.

Sheriff Graham is seen playing darts at the local diner one night, while Ruby tends to the few customers present, including Sidney Glass. Sidney bets Graham that he can't repeat his good shot, and the sheriff downs a drink served to him by Ruby and does just this, much to Sidney's surprise and the waitress' delight. Emma then comes out of the bathroom and is surprised to see Graham. "Emma.", Ruby says, "What can I get you?". Emma says "Nothing." and starts to walk off, past Graham, and the sheriff lunges another dart at the front door's frame, almost hitting her. Emma is startled, and scolds him for nearly hitting her, to which he responds that he never misses, and he then walks after her once she leaves the diner.

A short while after Emma saves Mayor Mills from a fire in her house, a crowd is gathered outside. As Emma talks with Ruby, Granny, Archie and Mary Margaret, Henry asks a fireman if Emma really saved Regina's life. Nearby, Regina is sat on a gurney breathing into an oxygen mask, feeling fine, she takes it off. Sidney approaches her and takes a picture of her for the news, however this angers Regina as it means he is basically throwing the election to Emma, making her seem like a hero. Over in the group that Emma is talking to, Mary Margaret asks if Emma really saved Regina. Henry runs up to them saying she did, announcing that the fireman told him. Ruby calls Emma a hero and then Mary Margaret says they should find out if there is a picture of the rescue. Granny suggests making campaign posters, something Archie thinks is a great idea. They all then run off to discuss their plans, leaving Henry and Emma. After a debate in which Emma runs for the position of sheriff against Sidney Glass, Emma sits at the diner, alone, drinking. When she finishes, Ruby asks if she'd like another, to which she replies "Oh, hell yes". Henry shows up and whispers to Emma, as Ruby serves them drinks, that he shouldn't have given up on "Operation Cobra".

Mary Margaret starts heading over to Granny's Diner every morning at 7:15 A.M. to hopefully run into David Nolan. One morning, he heads to the counter and collects two coffees off Ruby, one cream and sugar, one black. He thanks her and pays her, as she collects the money with a sultry smile on her face. Mary Margaret watches him in a love sick gaze for a short while, but goes back to reading her book when he turns around. Some other morning, after Mary Margaret's decided to stop going back to the diner at the same hour every day just to see David, she is served her coffee by Ruby and thanks her... and then David shows up at the same time anyway.

Valentine's Day arrives, and new mother Ashley Boyd has the blues because her boyfriend has to work on that night. Ruby suggests that the gals all get together for a girls' night out, one Emma dismisses because she is not in a festive mood. That night, at a local bar, while Ashley drowns her sorrow in vodka, Ruby points her in the direction of a random group of attractive men, but Ashley isn't interested, because of Sean. Ruby comments that they're not married and he isn't there; Ashley tells her that he's working, to which Ruby replies, "He's always working. Have fun moping.", before heading over to talk to the strangers. However, Ruby then witnesses with delight as, later that night, Sean shows up at the bar with flowers for Ashley... and an engagement ring. He proposes, and the maid gleefully accepts. Ruby is excited and moved.

Outside Granny's Diner, August pulls up on the side of the road on his motorcycle and waits there. Emma, who is being observed by Granny and Ruby, asks if he is going to come inside for the drink he wanted. He tells her he does want the drink, but he didn't say at Granny's. He tells Emma to "hop on" She asks if he wants her to get on the bike, so he mockingly tells her that is what "hop on" means. Emma suggests going somewhere that she can drive, so August suggests Emma stop controlling everything and take a leap of faith. Emma rolls her eyes. August states she owes him a drink so tells him to hop on. He tells her he knows a good watering hole. Emma seems reluctant, so Granny, who is watching from afar, jokingly tells Emma if she doesn't go she can take her place. August gets a helmet ready and Emma finally agrees to get on the bike. She sits down, wrapping her arms around August and the two drive away, with Granny smiling at them both.

Ruby is seen working at the counter of Granny's Diner one morning, tending to her customers, when Mary Margaret Blanchard comes in, hoping to recruit people to help sell the nuns' candles at the Miners Day fair. However, everyone ignores her, including the waitress, most of them because of her recent liaison with David Nolan, which ended in his wife, Kathryn Nolan, being cheated on and the revelation of the affair being made public, resulting, in turn, in Mary Margaret being dubbed the 'town harlot'. The elementary school teacher is then forced to leave the diner in shame.

At Granny's Diner, Ruby is flirting with August; she tells him about how she has never been outisde of Storybrooke, as Granny calls her name persistantly. After constant ignoration by Ruby, Granny shouts at Ruby and tells her to stop flirting. Finally, Ruby goes to meet Granny at the counter and the elderly lady tells her that she wants her to start working nights. Ruby immediately refuses and a fight escalates between the two, eventually leading to Ruby quitting her job at the diner. Mary Margaret offers her a place to stay, and Henry looks up jobs for her online at the sheriff's station. Ruby answers the non-emergency line at the station, which Emma overhears. Impressed, Emma offers Ruby a job at the station, which she accepts. Ruby then leaves to get lunch for Emma. Later, Ruby enters the diner and boasts of her new job to Granny, who is unfazed by the revelation. Ruby returns to the station and accompanies Emma and Mary Margaret to the woods, helping to find David Nolan. Searching through the woods, Ruby hears David, though Emma does not. Ruby takes off into the woods. Emma finds her standing over a bleeding and unconscious David. They manage to wake him up; however, he has a mild case of amnesia. As Emma takes David to the hospital, she asks Ruby to go to the Toll Bridge, to see if there is anything of importance there. There, she finds a small jewelry box. Ruby opens the box, and is horrified by its contents: a human heart. Later on, Granny tells Ruby that she was giving her a hard time because she wants Ruby to someday own the diner. Ruby is ecstatic and takes her old job back, having had enough of excitement.

After Mary Margaret Blanchard is accused of having murdered Kathryn Nolan, following Ruby's discovery of a human heart next to the Toll Bridge, Henry Mills is frustrated, especially seeing as how the evidence keeps piling up against his favorite teacher, following the discovery of a hunting knife in her bedroom. At Granny's Diner, Henry is seen looking depressed, while Ruby prepares a special hot cocoa for him, complete with cinnamon on the whipped cream. She gives him a cheery fist bump on the arm, and he smiles at her. August W. Booth then comes in to talk to the young man, and eventually asks for a water. Ruby puts down a glass of water before the author and he continues his revealing conversation with Henry.

Emma meets August as he is leaving Granny's Diner to apologize to him for thinking that he had ratted her out to Regina, when it fact Sidney had. August accepts her apology, and immediately afterwards, Ruby's screams are heard and they run in her direction. They find the waitress walking in the opposite direction of the back alley of the diner, shaking and unstable. Hardly able to talk, Ruby tells them there is somebody in the alley. Emma goes around to the parking lot in the back of the diner, while August comforts Ruby. There is a body laying face down on the ground. Emma leans down to turn the body over, revealing a conscious and very alive Kathryn Nolan.

After Ruby finds Kathryn Nolan alive, her friend Mary Margaret is acquitted from the ongoing accusations against her, and thus the townspeople throw her a "welcome home" party to commemorate her innocence, and Ruby is in attendance, along with Billy and Granny, and many others. Mary Margaret wonders why all these people came to welcome her home, to which Emma comments that she has a lot of friends... and the teacher is forced to reply that it didn't seem that way the day before. When Henry gives her a card from his entire class, Ruby smiles.

One night, Regina is has a terrifying nightmare in which the people of Storybrooke become aware of their past selves and seek vengeance against her. Ruby is a part of the dream, and ties her to an apple tree in the middle of the road, out on the town, along with Archie. Regina begs to be let go, to which Ruby replies that they won't, not after what she's done to them. Eventually, Ruby and the others watch as Emma proceeds to behead Regina. The mayor and former queen awakens from her horrid dream, shaken.

When the Dark Curse is finally lifted by Emma Swan's kiss of true love, planted on her beloved and presumably deceased biological son, Henry Mills - who had fallen victim to a sleeping curse, waves of magic spread through Storybrooke, Maine, and its residents, hit by them, are finally able to remember their true identities and past. Ruby and her grandmother are seen walking in front of the diner when they are hit by said waves, and are able to remember their pasts as Red Riding Hood and Widow Lucas, at last.

Season 2
"The mob wants a wolf, I'm gonna give them one."

After the curse is broken, Ruby/Red shares a reunion with Granny and Snow, delighted to remember her past. She wonders what is going to happen now, seeing as how they didn't make it back to the fairytale land, and soon afterwards their group is forced to rush over to Regina's house to protect her from an angry mob of people who want revenge... or maybe protect those people themselves from the Queen. Ruby is then asked to look after Henry so that Emma and her newfound parents can have a talk with Mr. Gold, about why he brought magic into town. After the Wraith comes to Storybrooke to kill Regina and Emma and Mary Margaret are sucked into the same portal the creature was, Ruby shows up with Henry at the mayor's office, just in time to stop her from killing David out of anger. Ruby rushes to the prince's aid, and the three of them then walk out of the hall, leaving Regina.

Ruby puts herself in charge of damage control after the curse is lifted and after the Wraith wrecks the town. She offers guidance to the victims, and, along with everyone else, wonders what the course of action will be from now on, and what their leader, Prince Charming, plans on doing. Ruby attends a town meeting at the Mayor's office, where David is expected to present his plan, but Regina shows up instead, provoking an uproar, looking for her son, Henry, who agrees to go with her, just so long as she doesn't harm anyone else. Ruby watches with concern as the Evil Queen walks away with the child, closing the doors behind them. She then tells Charming that everyone wants to leave town because of Regina, distracting him from his pursuit to find Jefferson and get him to help out, and then she and David rush to the borders of the city, preventing the people from crossing over, for if they do they will lose their memories of their past selves and become solely their cursed selves. David finally gives an unprepared speech to keep them in Storybrooke, much to Ruby's contentment.

Ruby serves three iced teas in a row to a new customer she's never seen around before, the lovely Belle. The two become instant friends as Ruby offers her some support following her potential "bad break-up", and points her in the direction of the local library when the young woman claims to be in need of a job, and that she loves books. Belle heads there, only to be kidnapped by a henchman of her father's. When Mr. Gold and David set out to find her, they come to Granny's Diner, and Ruby pretends not to know who Belle is, worrying for her safety because of Gold. However, once she sees that Gold actually does care for Belle, and that David will look out for her, she agrees to help them find her, by sniffing the coat she wore and tracking down the scent... because ever since the curse was broken she's been feeling sensitive to odors, due to her wolf side. Her tracking sense brings them to the local flower shop, operated by Belle's father, and they realize he's behind her appearance. They then head for the mines, having concluded he plans on sending her across the town border to get her to forget Rumplestiltskin, and arrive just in the nick of time to save her from losing her memory. Later, Ruby gets Belle to try out even more new things, and hands her a gift someone's left for her: the key to the library.

The whole gang gathers at Granny's Diner to commemorate the discovery of diamonds in the local mines, and Ruby is flirted with by Billy, the tow truck driver, who tells her that his former self was a mouse named Gus who lived in Cinderella's pantry. Billy hopes to get to know Red a little better, but the latter is reluctant to go out with him that night because it's the first night of full moon since the curse was lifted, and she worries that she might transform into a wolf and be unable to control it, a fear that she keeps from her new friend Belle. Despite David's encouragement that she will be fine, the wolf breaks loose that night and Ruby is found unconscious in the woods, unable to remember the night before. In addition to that, Billy's body is found torn in two, and Ruby worries that she did that to him. Albert Spencer - formerly King George - rallies the townspeople against Ruby and against David, who's protecting her, in his own little attempt to get revenge on Prince Charming. However, David and Granny are able to figure out that Billy was murdered by George and not Ruby, and they arrive in time to protect Red's wolf form from the angry mob and the King, who plans to shoot her. David reveals the truth to everyone, and manages to reach out to Red, and use her magic cloak to turn her back to her human form. With this, Ruby is able to regain control of her wolf form. However, George gets his revenge anyway, by throwing Jefferson's hat, which they were gonna use to bring Emma and Mary Margaret back home, into a fire. Ruby reassures David, however, that they will find another way, before disposing of her cloak and running wildly into the night, as a wolf.

Ruby is called over to the mines by Leroy, who's alarmed over the fact that the diamonds are all gone. Ruby rushes to the pawn shop, where Henry is reading to David, and tells him what happened. The dwarfs theorize that Regina and Mr. Gold took the magic from the diamonds, and Henry worries that they aren't trying to help Mary Margaret and Emma after all. He and Ruby rush to where they are, next to the well that contains the waters of Lake Nostos, and realize that they want to kill whoever comes through the portal. Ruby tries to do something about it, but she is almost immediately knocked unconscious when Gold lunges her through the air with a single wave of his hand. Henry, however, is able to persuade his mother to lift Gold's spell from the well, and Emma and Snow make it through just fine. Ruby then wakes up and takes them all to the pawn shop, where Snow awakens Charming with true love's kiss, and all's well that ends well. Ruby suggests that they all have dinner at Granny's, on her, and they all leave the store together, happily.

Ruby is excited to be back in the companion of her best friend, Snow White, when the latter attends the homecoming party hosted for her and Emma at Granny's Diner. The following day, Ruby is out jogging when she notices Regina having an argument with Dr. Hopper. She cuts in, asking if everything is alright, and Regina tells her to go because they're having a private discussion. Archie lets on that it's alright, and the waitress leaves. That night, she spots Regina walking into Archie's building, and is annoyed to see her. The following morning, Ruby is alarmed when Pongo shows up at the diner and she can sense that something is wrong. Ruby and Emma follow the dalmatian into its owner's office, and find his lifeless body on the floor. When Emma wonders who could be behind this, Ruby claims that she thinks she knows. With Ruby's testimonies, David and Emma question Regina, as all the evidence of the attack seems to lead to her. Little do they know, Archie is very much alive, and the responsible party for the attack was Cora, in the guise of Regina.

Ruby attends the funeral of Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper, who has allegedly been murdered by Regina. The residents of Storybrooke who knew and loved him as either Archie or Jiminy gather together to pay him their final respects, whilst Mary Margaret delivers a lovely eulogy dedicated to the deceased. There, Ruby is comforted by her new friend, Belle. During the wake, which is hosted at the Charmings' apartment, Grumpy speaks up on behalf of all the dwarfs, claiming that they'd all like to go back home, to the fairytale land they left behind. Emma and Mary Margaret try to explain to him that the land has changed and is dangerous, and that they fought long and hard to get back to their town, but Grumpy points out that, other than the fact that Regina killed Archie and therefore the town isn't very safe, they're a bit homesick. He also adds that, should an outsider come to town and face the sight of fairytale characters, they could get in trouble. Ruby sides with them, adding that if people were to witness a girl who could transform into a wolf, they might not be welcoming, like the people back in their land weren't.

Ruby is at the hospital with the Charmings when they are inspecting the phone of the outsider that crashed into town, they discover that he is completely normal. Mr. Gold tells them that Greg, the outsider, saw him throw some magic as he crashed, so they better hope he dies. The group contemplate allowing Greg to succumb to his injuries but it is decided that they can worry about the fate of the town after saving a life and they tell Dr. Whale to prep for surgery. Mary Margaret later exclaims that her nerves cannot take it anymore and she asks if the surgery is nearly complete, however, it is soon discovered that Dr. Whale is not in the hospital. Ruby takes the doctor's lab coat and tries to sniff him out, she sets out to track him down and eventually finds him standing on the edge of a bridge. Whale tells Ruby not to come near him but the waitress zooms towards him when he jumps, grabbing him by the neckline and pulling him back up, saving his life. The two of them sit on the edge of the bridge together and Whale voices his woes over people thinking of a monster when they hear Frankenstein and Ruby admits to him that she is a monster - being a werewolf that ate her boyfriend. Ruby states that Regina thought that she was punishing them by taking away their identities but underestimated how much crap they wanted to forget. Whale agrees before Ruby convinces him to return to the hospital where he performs surgery on Greg, who is is said to make a full recovery.

Belle is seen sitting in the hospital watching Exposé on the television when Ruby walks in and switches it off in order to talk to her friend, despite Belle not recognizing her after falling over the town line and forgetting her fairytale self. Ruby gives Belle a basket of her possessions, including a book which she thinks she might enjoy reading, telling her that she was a regular customer at Granny's Diner, where Ruby works. Belle doesn't seem to remember, but soon brings up the topic of magic, saying that she saw Mr. Gold heal her arm in an instant after she was shot by Hook. Ruby tries to deny this, but Belle exclaims that she knows what she saw, the former then addresses Belle by her name but she demands that Ruby stop calling her this, wondering why everybody keeps on doing so. Ruby continues to try and calm Belle down to the point where a nurse has to sedate her. Greg Mendell then walks in, partially hearing the conversation. The waitress asks him how he is and he says that he's recovering but that he wishes the process would speed up so that he can head home. Ruby agrees, saying that she wouldn't want to keep him held up in their "quiet little town" and proceeding to leave.

After Rumplestiltskin is stabbed by Captain Hook when in New York City, Neal, Gold's son, offers to take his father, Emma and Henry back to Storybrooke, where they can find a magical cure for the poison of the hook used to stab Rumple, by sailing them on Hook's ship, which he knows how to do. After a small while at sea, they soon arrive, and are met at the town docks by David and Mary Margaret, who are accompanied by Ruby. Mary Margaret, David, Emma and Neal all escort Mr. Gold to his pawn shop to find a cure to his poison and to stop Cora, who Mary Margaret has plans to murder. To keep him out of the crossfire of all of this fighting, Ruby offers to watch Henry for a while, and Emma is thankful. Once the heroes leave, Ruby takes Henry and keeps him safe whilst the fighting takes place, which ultimately leads to the death of Cora.

When Henry meets his father, Neal, at Granny's Diner, it is Ruby who serves the kid an ice cream sundae with "extra everything". Henry immediately sees through this as a bribe from Neal. She is next seen serving Greg Mendell, who asks for his food to be served to-go as he's about to go on a hike, Ruby obliges. Later, when Henry runs away after hearing his family contemplate killing Regina, who's becoming an ever growing threat, it is Ruby who tell David, Emma and Neal that she saw the kid heading for the old mines. She leads them there where they discover a box that was full of dynamite, however, some of the explosives have gone missing. They deduce that Henry stole some but it is Neal who deciphers why - that Henry wants the blow up the town well to get rid of magic once and for all, thinking that this act will do so as it is the well where magic originated from in the town. They go there to head him off and Henry's plan is ultimately thwarted.

Origins
The character of Ruby/Red Riding Hood comes from the titular protagonist of the popular fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood", also known as "Little Red Cap" or simply "Red Riding Hood". The story was first published by French author Charles Perrault, and its origins can be traced to versions from various European countries and more than likely preceding the 17th century, of which several exist, some significantly different from the currently known, Grimms-inspired version. It was told by French peasants in the 14th century as well as in Italy, where a number of versions exist. The general story tells the story of a little girl, known as Little Red Riding Hood because of the red hooded cape/cloak, or cap, she wears. Little Red travels through the woods to deliver food to her sick grandmother, and on her way she is intercepted by a mean wolf, who plans to eat her. The girl naïvely tells him where she is going, and the wolf suggests that she pick up some flowers and/or points her in the direction of a longer path, all so that he can go to her grandmother's house, where he either eats her or hides her in the closet, and pose as the girl's granny, wearing the old woman's clothes and lying down on her bed. The girl notices her grandmother's strange and asks her/it several questions, before being eaten by the wolf or chased through the woods. A lumberjack/hunter typically comes to the girl's rescue, but the endings vary according to the versions told. In Once Upon a Time, Red is a young adult woman, as opposed to a little girl, and, being a werewolf, she also embodies the role of the bad wolf. Her friendship with Snow White also mirrors the fairy tale of "Snow-White and Rose-Red".

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.