POV: Belle
He's never coming back.
That thought alone runs through my mind at least once a day since I made my husband leave Storybrooke. It's been two weeks and I feel like my heart has been breaking ever since. It's my fault alone, no one else is to blame. Once again I find myself sitting at Granny's in the booth that he and I had our first date but that's my own secret because no one else seems to know the reason why I sit here and I would rather keep it that way.
The first week I boarded myself inside my now lonely, lifeless house. Ruby and Henry came by the first couple of days, knocking on the door trying to get me outside. I couldn't bring myself to face anyone and thankfully after a few days they both stopped trying. I don't know how long I cried or if I did at all. That whole week was nothing but a hazy blur filled with a hollowness that threatened to engulf me whole if I let it.
I'll never see him again.
Slowly I pulled myself together and I vowed to myself that I would not let myself stop living. It was pointless to cry over someone that was gone forever. Even if I knew deep down in my heart of hearts I would never stop loving him I knew that I had to at least try to piece my broken heart back together. And even if I never found love again at least I can say that I tried.
So here I am at Granny's same booth just as every day. Ruby brings me my regular ice tea. I smile brightly and thank her. Ruby returned the smile and went back to work. I love Ruby she's my closest friend here but sometimes she only took things at face value. She figured that I was already over Rumple because I was back to my usual pleasant self on the outside but on the inside I was still crying and yelling in pain, not that I would ever admit that to her. That would normally be something I would share with…Rumple.
It's all my fault.
"Earth to Belle!" Ruby called through my thoughts, waving a hand in front of my face. Blinking a few times I turned to her to see that she was giving me a worrying look.
"Are you okay?" She asked gently.
"I'm fine. Just lost in thought I guess." I smiled, every bit of it forced but she didn't need to know that.
"Well I was going to let you know that Mr. Scarlet over there at that table has been stealing glances at you. Why don't you go talk to him?" She smirked. My brain went blank at what she said. I didn't even know what to say to her. A lump was forming in my throat and tears were burning my eyes. Looking back at my ice tea, I gathered my thoughts and blinked back my tears.
Stop crying.
Shaking my head, I took a few deep drinks of my tea and somehow was able to smile at Ruby. She was still standing beside me, smirking innocently having no idea the hell she was putting me through but I found myself saying okay and walking over to Will Scarlet.
"This seat taken?" I asked shyly, barely able to keep the damn smile on my face. He looked my way and gave me an easy grin.
"Nope and I would welcome the company of such a beautiful woman." I wanted to run away and cling to Rumple's pillow and cry my eyes out but I made myself stay strong, I had to let him go at least a little bit. Taking the seat next to Will I found that he was an easy person to talk to but I couldn't help but wish that I was with Rumple.
A few weeks passed. The talks between Will and I were becoming easier to stomach but I still felt like my heart was bleeding. He was actually able to really make me smile and laugh which was quite a feat.
My heart is still hurting.
Every morning Will would bring a coffee to me at the shop and we would banter back and forth. It became our regular routine and just for a little while my thoughts of Rumple were silenced but they were always in the front of my mind. One morning though he came in somber and serious.
"Belle I need to ask you something." He said. I looked at him surprised but put the book down that I was reading and gave him my full attention.
"Yes?"
"Would you go on a date with me?" I felt my breath leave me and a hollowness took over my heart but I plastered on a face smile and nodded. He grinned at me and took my hands into his.
"Really Belle?" He asked.
"Yes." I whispered. I hoped I sounded happier then what I really felt and it seemed I did because his smile never fell.
"Okay. Well what do you say Granny's tonight at eight?"
"Sounds good to me." I said still feeling nothing.
That night I arrived at Granny's and saw that Will was waiting for me outside at the entrance. He held the door for me and ushered me inside, ever the gentleman but I couldn't help but think about a certain other man that would have done the same thing for me.
He's gone. So stop thinking about him.
"Here we are my lady." Will gestured to a booth right behind the one where Rumple and I had our own date. Grinning at him I sat down looked through the menu even though I already knew what I was going to get. Honestly the only reason I took so long looking at it was because some part of me wanted to imagine that I was here with someone else and that was easy when you didn't see the person sitting across from you.
This is isn't fair to Will.
"What can I get you?" Ruby asked. I ordered my usual burger, fries and ice tea. Will got the lasagna with a coke. For a few moments neither of us spoke and I sincerely didn't want to be the first to talk. Thankfully our drinks arrived but that didn't really help with our nonexistence conversation.
"Listen Belle. I know you really don't want to be. At least not with me." Will told me straight to the point. I looked up from my tea that I was staring at.
"What? Of course I want to be here Will. If I didn't want to be here I would have told you no." I told him, looking at him confused. He smirked at me and shook his head.
"Okay. Let me rephrase. You pushed yourself to be here when I know that you would rather be here with your true love." He told me gently. I felt the smile I was trying so hard to keep on my face finally slip away and stared at him.
"And how do you know this?" I asked sounding hollow.
"Because I'm in the same boat. The red queen, Anastasia, she's my true love. I thought I had changed her to be a better person. I was blinded by my love because she banished me from Wonder Land. And believe me when I say this Belle that I wish more than anything that I was here with her." The look in his eyes reminded me of someone. Looking out the window I realized the look in his eyes were the same as mine. He had that same hollowed, pained look that only losing your true love could cause.
He understands.
Reaching over I gently put my hand on top of his and gave him a weak real smile but it was real none the less. After that our date surprising lightened up and we enjoyed the rest of the evening. It was also that night that we shared our first kiss outside my house. It was nice but I could not stop myself from thinking that Rumple was a better kisser. I didn't feel bad about that thought because I knew that Will was most likely thinking about Anastasia. That's how our strange relationship started.
It was an easy going and it wasn't going anywhere beyond kissing. Rumple was still the first and last thing I thought about and my broken heart was nothing more than a dull ache. But it still wasn't enough for neither Will nor I. We still missed our true loves. Looking into some of Rumple's old spell books I found a potion that would be able to help hopefully.
"Did you bring some of her hair?" I asked Will when he came to the back of the shop where I was just finishing up the potion.
"Yes but are you sure this will work?" He asked.
"It's worth a try." I told him without looking up from what I was doing. Taking a jacket of Rumple's I plucked a single hair and put it in one of the two vials.
"Put her hair into his one and then we drink." I explained. He nodded and did as I told him. Both vials turned to a light violet color and according to the book that meant it was ready. Gently picking up the one that I put Rumple's hair in I gave it to Will and I took the other.
"Bottoms up." He joked, trying to break the tension. Drinking it in one gulp I grimaced it tasted like a mixture between rotten eggs and strawberries.
"Anastasia?" Will whispered. Looking at him I saw Rumple looking back at me. Tears sprang to my eyes.
"Rumple?" He rushed over to me and kissed me deeply. I had missed him so much. He pulled back and smiled at me.
"It worked didn't it?" Rumple asked in Will's voice.
This isn't the real Rumple.
"Yes, the potion worked." I smiled back. Gently pulling away from him I walked over to the nearest mirror and saw myself looking back. With this potion it only affected the people that drank it. The person who drinks it sees the person of the hair that they added to the potion. And everyone else is none the wiser. We look like our normal selves.
"How long will this last Belle?" Rumple-Will asked.
"For a few days, a week if we're lucky." I explained. Turning back to Will, I had to remind myself that this wasn't really Rumple no matter how much he looked like him. "Remember Will, we did this so we could see our loves but under any circumstances do we anything beyond kissing. For the time being." I added.
"I know I remember." He added. Once again he kissed me but it wasn't the way the real Rumple would kiss me but it was the best I could get so I would take it. Smiling up at him I walked around him to the front of the shop to lock up. Rumple-Will was right behind. Walking over to a mobile that was hanging in the front window I glanced over at Rumple.
"What are you grinning about?" I asked, not able to keep myself from smiling.
"I was just thinking of how much you look like her." He whispered and kissed me once again. Stepping away from the window I looked around and sighed.
"What is it Belle?" He asked gently. Turning around I leaned into Rumple's-Will's embrace and let a few tears fall.
"I wish he was here Will. I still love him and I can't seem to stop myself." I whimpered.
"I know Belle. I know." His voice broke at the end and I felt a few tears land on the top of my head. He really did understand where I was coming from. Will missed his true love as much as I'm missing mine. And together maybe we could grow stronger but for the moment we let each other hold onto our true loves that weren't really there, no matter how much we wish they were.
Hello to anyone and everyone. Just for the record I am completely against Scarlet Beauty, I will ship Rumbelle until the ship sinks. I still believe in them but like always something has to get in the way of their happily ever after. This is just my idea of how Belle could have moved on so quickly and Will too for that matter. So I hoped that you all enjoyed this and I might turn this into more than a one-shot but I'm not sure, let me know what you people think. Thanks for reading and all reviews are welcomed! :)
