She felt hazy; not normal but yet at the same time like she could stay in this state forever. There, lying beside her on the green grass was Belle, with a smile on her face and turquoise eyes looking lovingly into her own. They lay in the sun, but under a tree, in a perfect state of bliss. The warmth wrapped round them at the perfect temperature, and a cool breeze played with their long hair. The tips of Belle's tresses brushed Red's cheek and she blushed at the thought of how happy it made her. Red closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Belle link her delicate fingers through her own. Red squeezed her secret love's hand gently, tracing the lines of her hand with the tip of her finger. Eyes still closed, Red brought Belle's hand to her lips and kissed it once then opened one eye, inviting a response. Quickly, Belle surprised Red by rolling on top of her, maintaining their linked hands. Red opened her other eye to fully sink into her love's ocean eyes.
"My turn," Belle whispered, and leaned in close.
And then Red woke up.
Alone, in her bed at 2:54am according to the clock beside her. Red sat up straight, reeling slightly from her most wonderful dream with Belle yet. Reliving the dream the most beautiful woman in the world as far as Red was concerned lying next to her, in that perfect state…feeling more alone than ever, Red sat up in her bed, pulled her knees up to her chest, and then, hugging her lonely self, Red cried for the heaven she had just lost.
"Why can't we just be together?" she whispered brokenly to herself, tears blurring the vision of her dark room, making her voice quiver. "Why can't we just be happy?"
Lying back down in defeat, burrowing under her covers, Red let down her guard and wept for the first time since she had fallen for Belle; Beauty. Beautiful Belle. Red pressed her duvet to her mouth, failing to muffle the heart-wrenching sobs echoing through her room. And Belle, tears silently streaming down her beautiful face, stood in the hall next to the crack in Red's bedroom door, wondering what to do next. It wasn't Belle that was hurting Red; it was the mere fact that they could not possibly be together, else Rumpelstiltskin would surely destroy not just their relationship, but both of them too; Red out of jealousy, and Belle out of the pain of betrayal. So struggling to keep quiet enough to escape Red's wolf hearing, Belle fled back to her bedroom and fell on her bed, identical to her lover, drowning in tears and the despair of their situation. The two women forbidden by fate, cried for their outlawed love. Belle was quicker to sleep once more, but Red, slowly emerging from beneath her duvet, gazing sadly out her blurred window, took much longer; the dream still lingered in her memory. But time passed and as fatigue took over the sobs faded to snuffles, and Red, feeling more miserable than ever finally fell back to sleep, hoping with all her heart she would return to her paradise.