A/N: Hello, dearies! Hope you liked the last chapter. I pray this one doesn't disappoint! Also, just as a general note, I warned you that the bar is loosely "How I Met Your Mother" based, and you all may want to know that I'm a die hard Swarkles shipper, have been for 7 years, so yes I cameo'd Robin and Barney in this. Loves to you all, xoxo!

CHAPTER 6

"You push me, I don't have the strength to resist or control you"-Never Gonna Leave this Bed, Maroon 5

Belle watches him walk out of the bar with tears in her eyes. She has no idea why she's crying, she's just so overcome with emotion and nothing is making sense. She's happy, but she's also terrified and worried and unsure. In one night, all her dreams had come true and yet the entire foundation of her life has come apart. Mr. Gold has always been the one thing she can count on, and now she doesn't know what's going to happen with him, and it's terrifying.

She runs her hand through her tangled hair and sighs. This is all too much. She needs help. She needs someone to talk to.

And who better than Ruby? Belle fumbles around with her phone for what feels like ten minutes before finally getting Ruby's number punched in. She answers right away.

"Hello," she chirps. That's a good sign. At least she's still awake.

"Hey, Ruby," Belle says, struggling to keep her voice steady, "um, how was your date with Archie?"

"Good…" Ruby drawls, "But something tells me that isn't what this phone call is about."

Belle laughs nervously. "Yeah. Uh, could you come down to Pongo's?"

"Now?" Ruby asks, like it's a crazy question.

"Yeah. And maybe bring Archie along? He's a therapist, right?"

"Oh dear God, Belle, what did you do!" Ruby demands, and Belle can just picture her throwing her hands in the air.

"I don't know," Belle says softly, her voice cracking a little.

Hearing that sends Ruby into best-friend-to-the-rescue mode. "I'll be there in twenty. And I'll have Archie with me," she assures her.

Belle nods quickly. "Mmmkay. Thank you, Ruby."

"Of course."

Belle snaps her phone shut slowly before walking around the tables in the bar and over to the booth where the blond-suit-wearing man and his friends sit every day. She slides into the booth and lays her head down on the table.

She breathes slowly and softly against the hard wood and tries to clear her head, a task that proves to be nearly impossible. Every time she closes her eyes, she just sees him. She sees the way he's always looked at her, something she hadn't noticed until now. She sees the expression he has every time he walks into the bar, like he's seeing something truly amazing. She can still feel a tingling sensation on her lips and a soreness between her legs.

This…this whole idea is completely new to her. She's never been in love. Not really. She'd convinced herself she was in love before, but it's obvious now that she wasn't really. She'd never felt this. This insane joy and fear and overwhelming emotion. It's the most wonderful and amazing thing she's and she has no idea how to deal with it besides sitting with her head down on a table with tears leaking from her eyes.

She thinks of the two people who sit here each day. The looks they give each other, the obvious jealousy when one of them shows up with someone else on their arm. The way she'd seen him comforting her one night, her crying into his shoulder and him telling her how awesome she is.

And playing all those scenes through her mind, Belle realizes that she feels bad for them. They're never willing to admit their feelings. They'll be dodging the idea of being together for far too long before they realize they're in love with each other. Belle is lucky. Not only has she found someone she's completely, ridiculously in love with, but she also knows it. She knows that Gold is her perfect other half, just like those two people who sit here every day, but Belle isn't scared of it. She's crazed and freaking out a little, but she's definitely not scared of loving him.

She's thinking way too much, so doing what any other sensible person would do, she goes over to the bar, picks up the chipped glass from the floor (which is probably unsanitary but she's beyond caring), and fills it with the oldest scotch she can find. August will have her head for this later, but she's not going to bother thinking about that piece of shit at this point. She walks over to the booth and sits in the same spot, taking a long sip of the caramel colored liquid.

She hears the little bell above the door ring and her eyes dark upward. It's Ruby and Archie, both looking at her worriedly.

Belle stands up and smoothes out her jeans. "Hey," she says, practically swallowing the word.

Ruby just looks at her. "Hello, Belle," Archie says.

Belle walks closer to the bar. "Can I get you guys something to drink?" she asks, "You might need it later."

"That's be nice," Ruby says, reaching for her purse.

Belle grabs two glasses and the bottle of scotch. "Put your money away, Ruby. I'm the one who dragged you guys out here at midnight," she says, pouring them each a glass and handing it to them over the bar.

The three of them walk over to the booth where Belle's scotch had been sitting alone. Belle slides in on one slide, Ruby and Archie go to the other. Ruby narrows her eyes. "Okay, Belle, let's hear it. After all, it was nearly impossible to get here, so it better have been for a good reason.

Belle sighs. "It's…it's Mr. Gold," she says softly.

Ruby's eyebrows shoot up. "What!"

"He came here tonight."

Ruby tilts her head back and forth as if this information is of no use to her. "Well that doesn't surprise me. He's here every night you are."

"Yes, but…he was here and…we were talking and then…I guess I just got caught up in the moment because…"

Her face must be beet red because Ruby's jaw dangles and she says "No," in a gaspy voice.

Belle swallows hard and nods. "Yeah," she says shortly before putting her hands down on the table. "I don't know what to do. I have so many thoughts and emotions and I just don't know how to take any of this. I just can't stop thinking about it…I can't stop thinking about him. What does that mean?"

Ruby smiles and gives her a little laugh. "It means you're in love," she states, looking up at Archie as she does so.

Belle sighs and bites her lower lip. "Well I could have gathered that much," she mutters, looking away.

Ruby laughs at her. "Well what's the problem then?"

"The problem is that I'm not supposed to be in love with him because I have no way of knowing if he feels the same way about me. I need analysis or something," Belle gestures to Archie, "So analyze."

Archie starts to say something but Ruby shushes him and gives Belle a 'you're a total idiot' look. "You have no way of knowing whether or not he loves you? Belle. He comes here every freaking day to see you. He had sex with you. Trust me, if those aren't two dead giveaways I don't know what is."

"I know, I know. But how do I know that's what it means. I'm worried about it, Ruby."

Archie puts his hands down on the table. "Belle," he says, "Can you think of a single reason why he wouldn't feel for you the way you feel for him?"

Belle takes a sip of her drink. "Yeah. For one, I latched onto him like a puppy, and for two he's never told me otherwise."

"Those have got to be the two stupidest reasons I've ever-"

Archie shushes Ruby before she can finish her sentence. "It's obvious to me that you're perfectly willing to admit how you feel, but why is it hard for you to see that he loves you just as much as you love him?"

"Probably more than that," Ruby interjects, "Have you seen the way he looks at her?"

Belle blushes and looks away. "Maybe it's because…no one else ever has. No one else was ever willing to be with me in an honest way. And now that I've found someone I want that with, I'm just looking for a reason for it not to be real."

Archie nods and smiles. "Well let me assure you, Belle. It's real."

"How do you know that?"

Ruby does a combination snap-point at Belle. "You know what, we'll prove it. When he shows up on Monday, you'll know. You'll know that he doesn't want to let you go."

Archie nods. "Exactly. Trust me, Belle. When you meet the right person, you know it." He looks directly into Ruby's and she stares back.

"Yeah, you do," Ruby murmurs.