Summary: Belle is stuck in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend and Ruby is desperate to get her out of it. For several reasons. AU, no magic. Red Beauty.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

So I just had this idea that I needed to get out of my system. This is going to be super-short, more of a three-shot rather than an actual story. Comments are greatly appreciated.

DESPERATION

CHAPTER ONE

The phone buzzed on Ruby's nightstand and she grasped for it immediately. She only knew one person who would call at this hour and it was never good news.

"Belle, are you okay?" She asked as soon as the phone was at her ear.

On the other end there was a sniffle and Ruby's heart deep sank in her chest. Not again. The girl on the other end took a deep breath and tried to control her voice.

"It's not that bad, I just-"

"Did he hit you again?" Ruby tried to keep her voice even or better yet comforting, but the hatred she felt for Belle's boyfriend had become so intense over the past months that she could barely settle for even. She felt like she might just burst from the sensation of her blood boiling in her veins.

The other end was quiet for a couple of seconds before she finally admitted: "Yes."

Ruby's grip on the iPhone in her hand tightened. She found herself toying – for the hundred and seventh time – with the thought of visiting the man with a baseball bat one of the days, when Belle went off to the library. She had played this scenario in her head so many times. She was not violent by nature, but this man just brought it up in her. Or rather what he did to her best friend brought it up in her. Her best friend who she loved so much she could barely stand it sometimes.

Belle exhaled a ragged breath at the other end.

"He just had a really rough day and I broke one of the porcelain cups that his mother got him, and-"

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?" Ruby interrupted.

"No of course not, but…" Ruby imagined Belle shaking her head at herself and biting her bottom lip out of insecurity. She did that whenever her voice sounded like this and she had no idea what that motion did to Ruby. Belle was an odd girl, because she could seem so insecure about certain things and about others she was confident like no other. Like her conviction that everyone has good in them. She saw something in Gold once and she brought out in daylight at one point, but whatever tiny shred of humanity this imp might have had, was gone now.

"But what, Belle?"

"He's just not been himself lately. Ever since his son died he just… his loses his patience so fast."

"His son died six months ago. And it's still not an acceptable excuse for being so cruel to you."

"He's not cruel to me."

"Belle, listen for God's sake! He hits you! He treats you like a maid. When is the last time he said a kind word to you?"

"He did just a few days ago. I cooked his favorite meal and he was really sweet and gentle all evenin'. It's just been so difficult for him, losin' Neal in the war. It brings out so many bad memories for him."

Ruby bit down on her own bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing in spite. Of course everyone would understand why someone would be sad after losing their son in the war. Especially if that person himself is a war veteran with countless scars left from it. Both physical and mental. He almost crushed his foot at one point, which was why he was sent home. Belle had told her the whole story. She had even seen him a couple of times still walking around with that cane. The problem was that the cane couldn't conceal the mental scars. Ruby was convinced that something inside the head of this man had been broken ever since he returned from the war and when his son died it snapped in two, leaving a deranged maniac to walk in his limping steps.

Belle had also told that he became a lawyer after the war. A good one, judging from the rain of jewelry that fell on Belle in his many attempts to buy her forgiveness. They call him Rumpelstiltskin, because of the mean deals he strikes with his opponents.

And none of that excuses beating Belle.

"Belle, no matter how difficult it is for him, it's still no excuse!"

"I know…" She sniffled one more time and the sound made Ruby feel like there was an invisible metal hand clutching her heart and squeezing it mercilessly.

"Then you have to do something. You have to report him."

"No!" Belle gasped. "I can't. Don't even say that, he would be so mad."

"That's exactly it, Belle. You can't live your life according to what makes him mad or not. You have to stand up to him or get out. And I'll be with you every step of the way, you know that. I will stand up in any court of law and tell them that this man will be the death of you. I mean it."

"Please don't say that", she whispered on the other end. Her voice was shaky like the tears were just inches from spilling over the edge.

"Someone has to Belle." Ruby knew that Belle didn't have that many people in her life to tell her things like this. She wasn't sure if her voice was pleading or firm, but she hoped for the latter. She hoped to God that Belle would see reason some day and stop trying to fix this broken man, before he did any fatal damage. She had seen some of the bruises on her arms from his hands or the ones on her legs from the cane. Belle always said he only struck with the wooden end, not the golden knob on top. Like that was supposed to be comforting.

"I just believe he can change. He was a good man once, He can become that again." Ruby sighed, expecting just this answer.

"Will you at least promise me to think about what I said?"

"Yeah, I'll think about it", she agreed.

"Do you want me to come over?" Ruby asked, kicking herself internally for sounding so hopeful. Just to be close to Belle made everything feel just slightly better, but she always had to be careful at times like these. Belle was so fragile, whenever Rumpelstiltskin did something like this.

"No, it's okay, I think I'll better go to bed and get some rest. He'll be home soon anyway."

"He didn't go off to buy booze or something, did he?"

"Not every veteran drinks, Ruby", she said in a chiding voice. It sounded like she was feeling a little better. Ruby didn't though, because these conversations never solved anything. They mostly served to let Belle get her frustrations and sorrows out, but they never got any further. With anything.

"I would never treat you like this, you know", Ruby said, knowing that she shouldn't.

There was a pained sigh at the other end. "Ruby…"

"I know, I know, we've talked about this", she cut the girl off. They had, many times. Ruby was sure that Belle didn't know exactly to what extend Ruby's feelings for her went, but she knew enough. And more than once she had had to turn Ruby down with the facts that she 'didn't feel that way about her' or 'she was in a committed relationship'. The latter didn't feel like a good excuse, considering whom she had that relationship with. Even so, Ruby had forced herself in the direction of letting go a long time ago. She was still on the road to getting there. And it still hurt every time she was reminded, so she gave it up for now. "I'm just saying."

"I know", Belle said and Ruby could picture her smiling that little, crooked smile with just the right side of her mouth. Ruby had been staring at that mouth way too many times. "I think I'll go to sleep now. I'm really sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't. And don't apologize, I told you that you can call any time you want."

"Thanks Ruby. Good night."

"'Night Belle. Sleep tight."

Ruby pulled her phone from her ear and fell back on her pillow. She always felt so emotionally drained after conversations like this. She never knew whether to cry or scream or throw something. One thing she always did was to send along a little prayer that the next call she got wasn't the hospital telling her that the maniac went one step too far this time. Then she would definitely get her baseball bat, to hell with the law.

In the other end of the town Belle put down her phone on the table behind her and looked out the window at the dark sky. The tears had dried on her cheeks now. She always felt a little better after talking to Ruby. She hated to upset her though and Ruby was always upset when she told her about him. She knew that Ruby had a point, but she really did think if she could just wait it out, someday the light would return to his eyes.

Rumpelstiltskin. She really despised that nickname. It was so cruel, yet he insisted on going by that these days. She settled for a shorter version, because she couldn't bring herself to call him by the name of an evil wizard from a story. He wasn't evil, he was just in pain and he had problems from the war. Who was she to abandon him in a time like this? She had to stick it out.

This had become her main reason to shy away from Ruby's advances. At first she had been horrified that her friend felt that way about her, but as time passed she settled into the fact. She had been trying to avoid all conversation of it, but for some time now she had to admit to herself that she was seeing Ruby differently. The tall, beautiful girl, who had always been just her friend, had planted a thought in her head. A 'what if' thought that slowly grew in the back of her mind. She noticed things about her. Like how much light her green eyes held whenever she laughed or the grace with which she moved. The warmth of her embrace. How good it felt to be around her.

A few times she had come closed to admitting this, but the same thought always struck her in the critical moment: She was with Rumple. She couldn't abandon him. And she felt it would be too cruel of her to admit her growing adoration for Ruby, without being able to do anything about it. So she kept it to herself. Now the hurt voice hidden behind a high spirited façade was echoing in her ears. She hated that she was causing Ruby pain, but she felt trapped. She just had to wait it out and hope for the best. Hope Rumple would start to make process in his grief.