A/N:
First I want all of you to stop whatever the hell you're doing and give yourself a freakin' hand. A pat on the back even, if you can reach! Look in the mirror and repeat "I am awesome for giving BountyRai encouragement, and my prize is more story." Thank you. Seriously, I get excited like a wee girl every time I see a review.
Second I truly believe in my heart that Ruby has the ability to get anyone to do anything. The fact that Belle is sweet and impressionable, to me, makes this next bit believable. So enjoy it.
"Ruby I'm not comfortable doing this."
"Well that's sort of the POINT honey. You drink a little; you get less afraid to do things. I do it all the time. Here you are! My homemade liquid courage! I call it 'Ruby juice'." Ruby pulled a bottle of something blue out of her jacket and set it on the sink. "Asking for him to leave you alone won't be that scary after my special mix. I mean he'll be mad but at least you won't be all afraid about it…"
"Ruby! That's huge!" Belle said grabbing the bottle. "I didn't even eat breakfast yet, it'll go straight to my head!"
Ruby grabbed a water glass and filled it with ice. "Don't' get all 'peer pressure' on me. Come on honey, it's the only way you'll be less of a coward. Do you really think you can stand another moment of his sloppy 'love me Belle I'm so lonely waaaah' kisses?" She grabbed the bottle from Belle and pulled the cork out with her teeth. "Sorry. You know I tell it how it is."
Belle sighed. "Am I really doing this? You're such a terrible influence."
"You better, he's squirming out there waiting for you. Now drink it up before Ron see's you. I swear that cook is more gossipy than I am and that's saying a whole lot."
Belle sipped the glass Ruby had politely shoved in her hand. She coughed. "What is IN this?"
"Lots of liquor…lotssa and lotssa liquor." Ruby swigged from the bottle briefly and wiped her mouth. She peered out the door. "Down it! It's mostly ice."
Belle hesitated. In one swoop she began to drink it down. She felt the burning enflame her throat all the way into her stomach. She instantly felt light headed. "Oh Ruby…I don't know if I can do this. I need at least a minute before I go out there."
"Try not to stumble, K?" Ruby laughed. Belle's head felt slightly cloudy but her spirits had lifted somewhat.
I do feel braver…
Mr. Gold didn't have a paper this morning. Belle walked up to his table and smiled.
"Hey Mr. Gold, I mean…Hello." Belle tittered nervously.
"Good, uh…" Mr. Gold stopped himself and turned towards her.
"Do you want…um…decaff…?" Belle closed her eyes trying to remember her lines.
"What's wrong with you?" He stood up in front of her and leaned in. She stepped back as he sniffed her. "Have you been…drinking?"
"I have something I need to tell you." Belle whispered as she put down the pots. She grabbed his jacket.
"What is it?" Mr. Gold said cautiously. He steadied her movement by grabbing her waist.
"Ummm….." Belle said looking at the ceiling. Mr. Gold searched the floor frustrated.
"Ruby, I'm taking Belle home. She's intoxicated."
Ruby opened her mouth looking worried. She could see her plan was backfiring. "Uhhhh nooo she's not…"
"No need to cover for her Ruby. I'll pay her wages."
Mr. Gold grabbed Belle and reached for her things hanging on a peg.
"No! Wait-I-I'm not going anywhere with you!" Belle shook off his grasp feeling her courage mount. She grabbed her jacket out of his hand. The diner's activity ceased at the scene.
"Um, Hey Mr. Gold, just throwing this out there… but you two can talk in the back if you wanted…"Ruby bit her lip pointing to the door.
Mr. Gold dragged Belle out of sight towards the back of the diner. "Stop this foolishness." He warned.
"I know what I want from you." Belle said ignoring him. "And you have to give it to me."
Mr. Gold straightened himself. "Anything."
"You have to leave me alone. No kissing. No morning hellos. None of it." Belle said starring straight into his eyes.
He didn't speak. He started to but nothing came out. He turned away from her.
"You scare me Mr. Gold. You are not a nice man." Belle's voice shook under the pressure.
"Don't you understand that I would have given everything to you?" Mr. Gold boomed furiously. Belle cowered out of the way. "This is not what was supposed to happen!"
"What…do you mean supposed to-"
"You were in love with me! It was going to be different here-" Mr. Gold shouted in her face. She closed her eyes expecting him to get violent.
"I-I don't-"
"You want me to leave you alone, Belle? Fine. Don't expect me to be there when things get scary. Don't expect protection when someone wants to take your innocence, to take advantage of you-"
"You're scaring me" Belle started crying. Mr. Gold held her face in his hands and shook her. She put up her hands on his as he forced her to gaze on him.
"You think that Storybrook is normal? Oh it's not." He whispered intensely. "There are a many things waiting in the dark to taste your blood and tear you limb-from-limb. I am the ONLY one looking after you. Just ask your friend Ruby. And now you'll be all alone. Just like you wanted. Good luck keeping your head when things go 'bump' in the night, Miss Belle. You'll be wreathing in your own fear and I won't be around to stop it." Mr. Gold sneered as he released her and limped his way out the door. Belle felt her knees give out in time to sit on a chair. She wept.
"I mean, it wasn't…like so bad…" Ruby rubbed Belles shoulders trying to calm her down. "…want some more Ruby juice?"
Belle sobbed. "I feel like such an idiot."
"Well I shouldn't have made your drink so strong. But…you were brave and stood up for yourself. It's over, he won't be bothering you anymore."
"He said people wanted to hurt me!"
"That's a lie. He just wanted to scare you into wanting his sorry ass." Ruby bent down to her level.
"My head hurts."
"Go home, Belle. You had a traumatic day."
"What if he comes back tomorrow?" Belle sniffed putting on her jacket.
"Well I guess I've gotta fill in for you there. But I'm not kissing him." Ruby blehed making Belle laugh. "It was a good while it lasted. I know how to take care of him, sweetie." She took the order pad from Belle. "Try to go home and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Good morning Mr. Gold. How are you today?" Ruby's tone was less than stellar.
"I'm fine, Ruby. Thank you."
"Would you like regular or decaff?" Ruby made her voice all nasally.
"Decaff." The paper folded to look at her. "Is Belle here today?" He asked plainly.
"Uhhhh thought you were supposed to be leaving her alone?" Ruby poured the cup of coffee in his mug.
"I can still ask about her." Mr. Gold demanded impatiently.
"You scared her pretty bad yesterday."
"She had every right to be scared."
"You're not going to make me kiss you, are you?" Ruby grimaced.
"…No."
"Hmm." Ruby walked away. She picked up a couple plates in the back. "Be careful. He's out there."
Belle wiped the back of her head with her hand. "It was so terrible. Just the way he looked at me. Like I was making the biggest mistake ever…"
"He's one morbid little man." Ruby raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry about it. That's one thing he's good for- he's always kept his promises."
Belle got up from the chair and grabbed her order pad. She walked out the door trying not to glance to her right she walked on the floor to get an order.
"Belle…hey…" Gaston reached out from the wall nearly knocking her over.
"Gaston?" Belle acknowledged shifting her body towards him. "What, um, what are you doing here?"
"I uh…wanted to apologize for not finding you at the festival." Gaston put his hands in his pockets and gave a sorry looking shrug. "I know you were expecting me to be there…and I wasn't. So I wanted to make it up to you, you know, take you out?"
Belle smiled weakly as she played with the tile with her shoe. "Yeah..?"
"Yeah." Gaston smiled his perfect way. He held out his hand towards her and she unknowingly gave it to him. He rubbed her hand with his thumb gently. "I know this perfect Italian place…Barcelini's…"
"That's just around the corner…" Belle's voice cracked.
"Say 7 p.m.? Tomorrow night?"
"Sounds perfect." Belle responded reminding herself of every romance fantasy she ever read.
"Great." Gaston let go of her hand. They shared a moment of mutual flirtiness as he sashayed out the door.
Ruby grabbed Belle's arms as she jumped up and down squealing. "I can't believe he asked you out!"
"Thanks Ruby." Belle laughed at the insult.
"You know what I mean. And you gotta come by to my place tonight to grab a smoking hot dress to wear.
"I think I have something-"
"Oh, Oh no!" Ruby put her hand on her hip. "You think you have something but lemme tell you, you don't have notthin. The somethings I've got in my closet? Makes a man sweat."
"I am not going to my first date naked."
"I'm shocked. I have much more class than that." Ruby put her hand to her chest to overdramatize her hurt. "But I do have a dress that will make him see stars."
"Are the stars my boobs?"
"How'd you guess?" Ruby tapped Belle's nose with her finger. "It's so cute that you know me."
"Are you sure I don't look desperate?" Belle came out in a sapphire blue fitted corseted dress complete with black heels.
"You obviously don't know the boob-to-leg ratio theory." Ruby turned over on her stomach on her bed as Belle looked at herself in the mirror. "You either show a lot of boob, or a lot of leg. Never both. Your hem is to your knee. Those tits are out of this world. He's gonna love it!" Ruby grinned ear to ear.
"Ruby why couldn't you be a man? Seriously would save me a lot of trouble."
"If I were a man I'd trap you in my house." Ruby jumped up on her bed and made beast paws out of her hands. Belle giggled and swooned playfully. "Forcing you to be my maid and my prisoner of love!" Ruby roared.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Belle laughed on her way out of Ruby's bedroom. Ruby threw a stuffed animal at Belle.
"And you better kiss him! Get some of that Mr. Gold taste out of your mouth!"
Belle nervously walked into the restaurant's entrance. The lights were dim and she could see the whole place was practically upholstered red. There was dark wood accents and soft piano music. Looking around at the other patrons she became increasingly overjoyed at Ruby's wardrobe help. Whatever she was thinking of wearing would have been far too informal.
"Madam is alone tonight?" A well paid hostess gleamed a smile at Belle, breaking her observations.
"Oh, no- actually I was waiting for someone." Belle politely replied wondering if she looked like the dining alone type.
"What is your name, Miss?" The hostess continued.
"Belle-"
"Ohhhhh you are here with Sir Gaston?" The hostess looked a lot friendlier rather suddenly.
"Yes…"
"Please, Madam Belle, come with me…" The hostess flowed her arm in the air revealing the way into a rather fancy portion of the restaurant. Belle carefully followed her paying attention to her steps the way all heel-clad women do.
"Sir Gaston called 5 minutes ago to say he will be late, I'm afraid." The hostess sighed concerned. "But he had arranged for you to sit here…with these."
Belle gawked at the table. A whole bouquet of roses was sitting in the middle of the place sets. She could see a tiny card affixed to the vase. "Please enjoy your time here and make yourself comfortable. He said he will be here in 10 minutes more." The hostess pulled out Belle's chair and she sat in dumbfounded admiration. This was turning out to be one hell of a first date.
The hostess nodded to excuse herself and she was left with the flowers. Belle reached over and grabbed the card. The scribble on it read one carefully cursive word. "Sorry."
Belle blushed. She pushed the card to her heart and smiled. Looking around she wondered if any of these rich people were jealous of the silly waitress with the roses. Her smile faded.
"What…" She got up from her seat feeling her blood start to boil. Heat began to flare up from her neck as she hovered over a table in the corner of the room. "What are you doing here?" Belle demanded in a hushed urgency trying not to attract attention.
"…Eating?" Mr. Gold pointed to a half cut ravioli.
"You can't eat here! This is my date!"
"Oh I can. In fact, I was 15 minutes ago." Mr. Gold examined Belles wardrobe. Particularly the chest.
"But-but I have roses!" Belle pleaded.
"That boy isn't who you think he is. If you want to know the truth."
"No, I don't want to know the truth- I was perfectly happy living my own perfect lie with my perfect dress and my perfect roses with my perfect date before you came here to ruin it!" Belle retorted hotly.
"For someone who's only request of me was to leave them alone deary, you're off to a perfectly terrible start." Mr. Gold smugly reminded her. "Breadstick?" He pointed the round mini loaf at her.
"Urghhhhhh!" Belle stomped rather unladylike and turned to go back to her table. She couldn't believe how dramatic a shift her luck was.
Just ignore him. Just pretend he doesn't exist. She kept telling herself turning her chair so her back was facing Mr. Gold.
"Are you alright? Did I come off too strong?" Gaston peered from behind the bouquet looking as beautiful as ever in a dress suit.
"What? Oh! No not at all they're beautiful!" Belle said touching them lightly, remembering her lady voice.
"You just looked so upset-" Gaston sat down in front of her.
"Oh…no, it's not you. I was just thinking of someone." Belle said brightly as she picked up a menu. "And now I'm not." She said scanning unfamiliar Italian words.
"I hope you don't mind the atmosphere. I just really wanted to convince you that I'm not some promise-breaking jerk who doesn't know how to treat a woman." Gaston said earnestly before sipping some water. "By the way you should try the ravioli, it's excellent."
"I hate ravioli." She said quickly through a smile.
"Oh, meatballs then." Gaston recovered charmingly. "So I heard a very interesting story about you."
Belle shyly took a sip of her own water. "Was it a good one?"
"It was shocking to be honest." Gaston's eyes flashed as his flowing hair was brushed to the side.
"Please tell me, I'm dying to know how interesting I am." Belle laughed leaning in.
"I heard you have a very special relationship with Mr. Gold." Gaston smoothly remarked.
Belle suddenly felt her heart drop. "What?"
"That you got Ruby's necklace back from Mr. Gold…for a fairly reduced price." Gaston continued to look into Belle's eyes.
"Who told you that?" Belle said feeling the corners of her mouth weaken from the strained smile.
"Someone. Either way I was just thinking I would be really grateful…" Gaston reached out and touched Belle's hand. "If you could do the same for me."
Belle retracted her hand looking at Gaston in disbelief. "You want me to get something back from Mr. Gold for you? Is that why you asked me here?"
"Belle please you're making a scene." Gaston hushed her embarrassed.
"Gaston, are you pretending to like me?" Belle's heart began to pound as she felt the pit of her stomach whirl. She leaned back in the chair trying to get a hold of her bearings.
"Look- I really need my gun back. I spent all this money it's the least you can do for me." Gaston frowned folding his arms.
"I can't believe this is happening." Belle got up from the table feeling her eyes water. Overwhelming disappointment started to flood her senses as she grabbed her purse.
"Look can we at least talk about this? Where are you going?" At this point most of the dinner patrons were looking at their direction in hushed silence excited that they got a show with their dinner.
"Home! I can't believe I thought someone as-as-as you could ever want me! You're a superficial- just a jerk!" Belle felt shamed tears rolling down her cheeks. Her whole world went into slow motion as she made her way out the door. The hostess smiled as she got the door for Belle to leave.
"Girl, you can't get a break." Ruby frowned astounded at Belle's tale. Belle shook her head upset.
"I honestly thought he cared about me. How could I have been so stupid? I looked like a total fool."
"He's the fool. I mean you were doing everything right. I'm so sorry he tried to take advantage of you." Ruby hugged Belle. "Besides, with a body like yours and a dress like that there's only one explanation why he didn't want you for real. He's probably gay." Ruby rubbed her back. Belle laughed.
"Urgh and you wouldn't believe who was there to see the whole thing."
"Who?"
Belle gave Ruby a stern look.
"Oh my god! What a little stalker!" Ruby stuck out her tongue. "We need to put a GPS tracking device on him or something, or one of those shock doggie collars-"
"I need to move out of this town." Belle said putting red lipstick on getting ready for her shift.
"Psht that'll be the day. Believe me I've tried. This place is a curse. No one can ever leave." Ruby said sharing the mirror as she licked down a strand of hair.
"Ruby, customers!" Ron the cook impatiently yelled.
Ruby picked up two coffee pots and made her way to the floor.
"Good morning, Mr. Gold. How are you today?"
"Fine, Ruby. Thank you."
"Regular or decaff?" Ruby sighed.
"Regular." Mr. Gold put down his paper as Ruby poured. "Belle left her flowers at the restaurant. I took the liberty to return them." Mr. Gold pulled out the bouquet of roses on the seat next to him and lightly set them on the table. Ruby gawked.
"You seriously took those? That was given to her under false love pretenses."
"She seemed to like them a lot at the time." Mr. Gold shrugged casually.
"I'm not sure how she'll react to a bouquet of flowers representing the lies which led to her broken heart- but hey I'll give them to her and tell her they're from you. That'll make her less depressed." Ruby put down the pots on his table and grabbed the flowers without bothering to hear what Mr. Gold was planning to say. She pushed the door open with her butt dragging the roses in. "Special delivery from you-know-who."
"What?" Belle grabbed the bouquet from Ruby.
"Yeah Mr. Gold must have wrestled Gaston to the ground and beat him senseless so he could bring them back to you today." Ruby surmised. "Happy violence day." Ruby took a flower from the bunch and tore the top of it off so she could put the flower in Belle's hair. "Have to admit though." She said smiling as she entangled the rose behind Belle's ear. "It's kind of sweet. Almost like he's human."
Belle grinned smelling the rest of the roses. "It does kind of make me feel better. Imagining Mr. Gold hit Gaston over and over with his cane."
"That's the spirit." Ruby grinned.
Belle grabbed her pen and walked out the door touching the rose in her hair. She looked to her right and saw Mr. Gold's stoney face glance at her. Belle smiled and mouthed Thank you. Mr. Gold looked away.
"Ruby's sick. You gotta take her tables." Ron shrugged putting up two dishes.
"Well I can't take them all-" Belle started.
"Until Ruby's sweet perfectly formed round ass can make it in here you gotta make do."
Belle scrunched her nose not wanting to hear more. She looked through the glass window and knew she had to do the hard thing. Serve Mr. Gold.
She bravely picked up the two pots and made her way towards the table.
"Good Morning, Mr. Gold. How are you?" Belle plastered a fake smile so bad it reminded her of the hostess.
"…" Mr. Gold kept reading his paper.
"Regular or decaff, Mr. Gold?"
"…" He turned a page. It all felt two familiar.
"Um…if you don't respond…" Belle said gulping. "I-I might just choose for you…"
"…"
"O-okay then…" Belle poured the regular into his cup. "If…If you don't want regular…uh just don't drink that." Belle grabbed another glass off another table. She put it in front of Mr. Gold. "And if you do want decaff…" She poured the glass. "You can drink…uh…this one."
"…"
"Mr…Mr. Gold?" Belle put the pots down on a neighboring surface.
"…"
"I know you tried to warn me about Gaston…that you were looking after me. Even when you said you wouldn't."
"…"
"I just…" Belle reached out and folded the top of the paper down. Mr. Gold looked up at her not seeming particularly interested. "wanted…" Belle leaned down. Before she could stop herself or realize what she was doing she felt her mouth make contact with his. She lightly sucked on his lower lip allowing her breath to become quicker before breaking the contact. She opened her eyes and found that he was still closing his.
"Gasp! Oh no she did-n't!" Belle looked behind her to see Ron the cook dial on his cell phone. She shook her head ignoring him. Looking back at Mr. Gold she bit her own lip nervously hoping that her passions weren't a huge mistake.
"I don't know what angle you're coming from Miss Belle." Mr. Gold wiped his mouth. "But you can rest assured that won't work on me. I no longer want you, deary." He sharply put his paper back up closing their eye contact. It made Belle jump. She couldn't seem to close her mouth in disbelief.
"I…I was j-just trying…" Belle stuttered. She rubbed her arm regretting the moment. The paper didn't move. She picked up the coffee pots and wondered if she was going to get a tip.
"Ruby's not in again today." Ron the cook informed Belle. "She won't answer my calls to gossip either." Ron the cook widened his eyes. "Not about you of course, uh-"
"It's okay, Ron." Belle said more concerned about Ruby.
"You're gonna have to take on a couple more tables again." Ron apologized.
Belle put on her red lipstick hoping it would make her feel better. She grabbed her coffee pots and made her way out on the floor.
"Good Morning, Mr. Gold. How are you?"
"Ruby isn't here again?" Mr. Gold asked simply through the paper curtain.
Belle shifted nervously. "Yeah…uh…don't know what's wrong."
"I would look into that."
"Well…I was going to."
"Regular."
Belle poured into the cup obediently.
"I would look into it sooner rather than later." Mr. Gold stressed.
Belle cocked her head to the side. "Is there something you know…that you're not telling me?"
Mr. Gold folded down his paper. "I would leave right now. To check on her."
Belle felt her heart start to pound as she put the coffee pots down and started to walk out the door.
"Hey- Hey! BELLE! Where ya goin'?" She could hear Ron the cook call after her. Belle ignored him as she ran towards Ruby's place.
Her fast walk suddenly turned into running as she whipped past a corner. She ran into the little building Gran and Ruby lived in and made her way up the stairs.
"Ruby?" Belle called hoping her door wasn't locked. "Ruby it's Belle!" She found her door and pushed it open with tremendous force. Ruby was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. Her makeup was run all down her face from crying. She had an oldness to her clothes and her hair was messed up. She put her hands over her head.
"Ruby…what happened?" Belle said to her gently as she walked across the room reaching for her.
"Belle he's coming after me-" Ruby sniffed starting to tremble.
Belle reached down to hug her friend. "Who is coming after you, Ruby?"
"Mr. Gold is just going to let him kill me-" Ruby cried. Belle looked to Ruby's left and saw a large photo. There was something on it. She picked it up and saw that it was a recent photo of Ruby. The substance on the photo made Belle's mouth dry. The red substance across it spelled out "NEXT."
"I haven't been keeping up with Mr. Gold's payment…so he won't protect me anymore!"
Belle finally understood why Ruby wasn't at work. "I'm not going to let him get you." Belle said scooping Ruby into her arms. "I'm going to make another deal with Mr. Gold. One that will make sure you'll never have to worry for your life."
Ruby sobbed helplessly against Belle.
A/N: Okay it's like 2am. Next chapter is alllllllll drama drama drama I promise.