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. However, Red was preserved in her human form by her enchantd 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
After fleeing from the Huntsman, Snow White finds herself taking shelter in Widow Lucas’s 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 ago. 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 beast’s prints take a human form and lead back towards Granny’s house to 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 Wolfs Time 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 realisation of what she has done sinks in, Red is left devastated. As a hunting party descends on them, Granny orders Red and Snow to leave quickly.

During his quest to find Snow White, Prince Charming finds himself at the home of Red and Widow Lucas just as King George's soldiers arrive. Red and Charming quickly flee the scene. King George's soldiers quickly catch up to them. Red tells Charming to find Snow and carry on, as she uses the power of the full moon to transform herself into the wolf in order to defeat the soldiers and allow time for Charming to escape.

After Charming is captured by Regina, Red, Widow Lucas, the fairies, Snow and the seven Dwarfs team together to save him and reunite him with Snow. Red is shown in full control of her wolf form, as they are succesful in taking the castle but unsuccesful in saving Charming as he has been trapped in a mirror. Shortly thereafter, Red discovers Snow White unconscious in a field and believe she is dead. Red, along with the dwarves place Snow in a glass coffin. Later on, Red is present along with Widow Lucas at a meeting of the war council, who discuss how is best to deal with Regina's curse.

Season 1
Shortly after arriving into town, Emma Swan 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.

Season 2
After the curse is broken, Red shares a reunion with Granny and Snow before the group go to Regina's house to save her from the angry mob of people who want revenge. They manage to stop the angry mob, spearheaded by Dr. Whale, from killing Regina but lock her up at the Sheriff's station. When Rumplestiltskin unleashes the Wraith on Storybrooke, Emma asks Red to look after Henry as she finds a way to get rid of the monster. After Emma and Snow are transported to Fairytale Land, Red takes Henry into the mayor's office, only to find Regina on the verge of murdering Charming. Red then rushes to the aid of Charming as Regina unleashes him from the vines.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.