A/N: The first scene is told from Mary Margaret's point of view. The rest of them are told from either Belle's or Ruby's.
It was the nicest day it had been all month. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue-grey and the subtle wind was blowing ever so tranquilly. Mary Margaret was taking a walk by the harbor by herself, since her husband had taken Henry to a movie and Emma was still working. She enjoyed being able to do something like this by herself every once in a while, to clear her mind and contemplate.
She was about to turn around and head back home when she spotted her close friend Ruby sitting alone at the edge of the pier. She was wearing her light grey hood up and her slouched back hinted that she was feeling less than lively. Mary Margaret frowned and began to walk towards the young woman.
"Ruby?"
Ruby turned around and saw her friend advancing toward her with a concerned expression on her face.
"Oh, hey Mary Margaret. What are you doing here?"
"I was taking a walk and I saw you sitting here alone. Ruby, are you okay?"
"No, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She certainly didn't appear fine. Her face was slightly red and stained with tears. She had definitely been crying recently and Mary Margaret was determined to help.
"Ruby, you're crying!"
"I'm not," she put her hand to her cheek and dabbed her skin to demonstrate, "see? No tears. I'm fine."
Mary Margaret sighed and sat down next to her on the edge of the pier. Ruby was staring into the distance with a wistful look. Her sorrow-filled eyes gazed in no particular direction.
"I can tell you're upset. You don't have to pretend you aren't," Ruby didn't respond, instead she looked down at their feet and sucked in her cheeks. "Okay, what if I guess? If I guess right, you have to tell me what's wrong. How about that?"
"Sure, whatever." she mumbled.
"Okay… is it something that happened at the diner?" Ruby shook her head.
"Does it have anything to do with the wolf?" Again, the woman denied.
"Did Granny say something?" No, once again.
"Is this about a guy?"
"No," Ruby chuckled meekly, "not exactly."
Thinking hard, Mary Margaret tried to recall what Ruby cared about most. She cared about her job. And Granny. And her friends.
"Is it about Belle?"
Silence. Ruby gritted her teeth and sighed.
"It's about Belle, isn't it?" The woman gave a small nod and looked away from Mary Margaret. The light breeze blowing through her long dark hair made the moment seem so dramatic, as if she were trapped by inescapable misery.
"Well, you know what? Everything's going to be just fine; we're still trying to find a way to get her memory back. She's learning everybody's name pretty quickly, actually. And Gold is going to take care of her."
Ruby didn't say anything, but did appear even more distressed at the last sentence. She inhaled deeply and silently let the air out. Her lip began to tremble, and it was clear that she was holding back and trying not to make a scene.
"Ruby?"
A tear began to fall down the woman's cheek. Mary Margaret suddenly understood why her friend was so distressed. She recalled how Ruby would often gaze at Belle in the diner, and look away whenever she was caught. She remembered how disgruntled she would get when Mr. Gold came into the diner, especially with Belle, and how she always disappeared when they walked in together. It was clear now. She had always suspected something, but never really pondered the possibility.
"Ruby, are you in love with Belle?"
And in that moment, Ruby broke down and buried her face in her hands. Mary Margaret scooted closer and wrapped her arms around her heartbroken friend. The waves crashed calmly, and there was an eerie and somber silence. They sat quietly with Ruby crying and Mary Margaret comforting her for several minutes.
The moment was interrupted by a familiar Australian voice coming a few feet behind the two women.
"Are you crying, Ruby?" Belle advanced and sat on the upset woman's other side, "What's wrong?"
Ruby almost choked on her tears and started to stand up and back away from the scene.
"I- I should be going. Granny is probably looking for me."
"Wait, Ruby!" It was too late. She was already racing away. Belle furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Did she say what was wrong?" Belle questioned. Mary Margaret hesitated and then shook her head, pretending to be unaware of why Ruby was so distressed.
"Did I do something? She left as soon as I got here."
"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong, Belle."
"Was it something that I did before I lost my memory?" Belle wondered, ignoring Mary Margaret's previous statement.
"Belle, you've done nothing wrong, okay?" With a pat on her back, the short-haired woman rose and decided to search for Ruby.