She starred open mouthed at the boy across the table who had just sat down. Will Scarlet. Why did he feel this strange need to keep introducing himself?! It wasn't as if their first encounter was forgettable! Though maybe it had been for him!
"I…I know who you are and…yes…yes, I do mind if you sit there!" she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest at the unexpected surprise and frustration that boiled too easily to the surface. She wasn't quite sure what it was about this man that set her teeth on edge like this. The fact that she'd only ever seen him twice and those times were to break into her library, drunk no less, and to attempt to make a pass at her, or if it was just his clashing bold personality that sent her reeling every time. Like now! Why on earth was he-
"On the contrary," he remarked quickly, leaning closer over the table toward her and making her sit back farther. "You know my name…don' mean you know who I am!"
"You broke into my library," she pointed out. "Drunk!" Did she really need to know anything else?
Scarlet opened his mouth, but just sat there for a few minutes like that, saying nothing. It was as if he didn't expect her to remember and that was just downright irritating! How would she ever forget something like that? "Alrigh', I'll give you tha'," he responded after a few moments. "Aye, you caugh' me. I broke into your library. Bu' jus' because you know i' was me don' mean you know why! Or who I am!"
No it didn't. But she knew already that she didn't like him. Not one bit! First of all, what did he mean that she'd caught him?! He'd been stupid and drunk and fallen into her lap. He'd been too drunk that morning to even wake up and answer questions much less try to run away. And second of all she really, really, didn't want to know why he had broken in…but she hated the fact that she really did want to know in the end.
She let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. She knew better than anyone that curiosity could kill the cat. What was she on now, her fourth life? Her fifth? Did it really matter? "Fine," she grumbled. "Why did you break into my library?"
He looked her over for a second and cocked his eye brow at her with a condescending and secretive look that made her want to pick up her things and go back to work. She didn't need this! But finally, after a moment he leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know…" he sighed, "I don' think you are quite ready to know that jus' ye'!" She clenched her jaw in anger. Then why had he brought it up? "And anyway, that's no' the question you should be starting with…"
The question she should start with. He wanted to begin with the other one then. Did it really matter? It did. It really did matter to her for some strange reason she couldn't even begin to fathom…and she was furious with herself for taking the bait again.
"Then just tell me who you are," she snapped back at him, doing her best to keep her voice quiet in the diner. Why did she feel like every eye was on the pair of them right now?
"Like I said," he muttered leaning in closer again, "I'm Will Scarle'. And yes…I broke into your library. Bu', more importan' than tha'...I'm the only person 'ere righ' now who knows exactly wha' if feels like to be you."
If she thought her heart had been racing before she was wrong because now it was absolutely flying out of control. He'd stolen the breath from her lungs and forced her to close her shocked mouth as she tried to get her mind to think of what to say next. She hadn't expected words like that. But they seemed to put things in a new light. Instead of being harassed in a loud and crowded diner why did she suddenly feel like the two of them were alone? Why could she feel every breath, hear every beat of her heart after his pronouncement? Did the idea that someone could see through her fake facade terrify her that much?
No. Of course not. It was because...because...because he irritated her! Yes, that was it. He'd already tried sweet talk with her once before, now he was just coming at it from a different place now that Rumple was gone. He didn't know what she was going through. No one did. She swallowed hard but the lump in her throat just wouldn't go away and spoke around it...no matter how painful it was. "I doubt that," she managed to whisper.
"Do you?" he piqued without surprise. "Well, I can' exactly say I'm shocked to 'ear i'. Not after what I know 'bou' you."
"You know nothing about me," she practically growled through gritted teeth. She couldn't help it. There were tears in her eyes, she felt surrounded, attacked! She felt like he'd slashed her open and she was struggling to keep her blood in her veins where it belonged. If he really knew what it was like to be her, he'd stop this, because he'd know that she wasn't capable of getting up and leaving right now.
"Beg to differ," he commented quickly. "You're untrusting. Again, no' something I can blame you for…but you'll get it back…eventually."
"And how would you know that?" she challenged.
"Well I already tol' you didn' I?" he questioned. "I'm the only one 'ere who knows wha' it's like to be you."
She shook her head. Her blood was finally flowing, sensation was coming back into her legs and she was done with this conversation. She had to be. Now. So she turned and grabbed the bag at her side and began to scoot out of the booth. "You don't know anything about me," she repeated under her breath. But before she could get up he slapped his hand down over her wrist, gently, but with enough force to lock her into the booth and prevent her from leaving. Her blood turned so cool at the touch she shivered.
"I know tha' I've watched ya walk in and ou' of 'ere for the las' three weeks and you've barely spoken to anyone, at leas' anyone tha' isn' an old woman who brings your meals," he responded quickly. "I know that you haven' once noticed the guy that robbed ya was sitting just one table away, watchin ya. And I know tha' look. Tha' distant look you have in your eyes now, jus' before I sat down. I recognize the pain you wear on your sleeves when ya think no one's lookin'. The way you try to pretend everything is all righ' when nuthin' is and the world ya know is fallin' to pieces. Like now…"
She could feel her body shaking. She didn't want any of what he'd said to be true. But it was. And it scared her. She wasn't even sure Neal had been able to see that far into her. "What do you want?" she questioned weakly. She felt like she was under a microscope, being examined close up and the only thing she wanted was to give him whatever he wanted so that she could leave and he would go away forever. This must have been what it felt like, to truly have the mask pried off against a persons will. It didn't feel all that great from this perspective and suddenly she regretted doing it with her husband.
Scarlett released her arm. "It's no' wha' I wan'," he assured her. "It's wha' you wan'. I'm a friend. I used to live in town but with Robin Hood's unscheduled departure I've taken up residence in the woods with my fellow merry men-don' look at me funny, I didn' choose the name. Bu', when you are ready to know more, when you are ready to know the answer to your first question...give me a call. Day or nigh'-"
"Why?" she breathed, a tear rolling over her cheek as she finally looked at him. He was sympathetic. But it wasn't like Granny's sympathy or even David's. It was different. A different kind she had yet to encounter. It was terrifying. But also comforting in a way she hadn't felt in the last month. "Why are you doing this?"
Scarlett released her arm and sat back in the booth, looking like a wounded animal…probably the way that she looked right about now. "I already told ya. I know wha' it's like to be you. It's called common courtesy, maybe you've 'eard of i'."
He was the only one that knew what it was like to be her. She understood finally, what he was telling her, why he'd said it just that way. If he was the only one in town that knew what it was like to be her, that meant that she was the only one that knew what it meant to be like him. And if he felt half of what she did then he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, just how much living hurt every day. If he was as much like her as he claimed.
"'Ere," she watched as he dug into the pocket of his black leather jacket and pulled out a receipt from the diner. Scrawled on the back of it was a phone number. "For when you're ready," he muttered, then quickly pushed himself up and out of booth, saluted Granny, and left out the door.
She couldn't meet Granny's eyes though she could feel her staring at her over her glasses from across the room. She felt like she could feel everyone in the diner staring at her. So she ignored him, she did her best to shut them out of her small world and stared at the number, feeling strangely reminiscent of that time nearly a year ago when she'd sat down across from Neal and given him her own number, telling him to call her any time he needed a friend.
A friend.
She could use a friend now.
Neal, he was great, but...he was gone. Going to a grave, imagining conversations with him in her head, it wouldn't help this feeling that she had. His ghost just wasn't real. And that meant that if she needed a friend then Neal, as much as it pained her to admit it, wasn't the best option. In fact he wasn't even really an option. And neither was Ruby. Archie, Granny, the Charmings, the people she'd once called her family…she wasn't sure they were the type of friend she needed right now. She didn't want to need anyone, in fact. She didn't want to be examined or judged, she didn't want to be patronized or babied. She wanted...him. Still. Always and forever part of her heart would want him. But she'd seen to it that it was no longer an option and where she went from here...that was a mystery to her.
But nevertheless, her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she found herself pocketing the number before she left.
Just in case.
So, Ruby's departure from Storybrooke in 5x09 actually played quite well into this story line. Belle is alone. No more Ruby is putting stress on her and the question I'm getting most often right now is why Mary Margaret is gone which is contributing to this. Mary Margaret is gone because it's in David's character? Confused? I aim to confuse. When I write Moments I'm not just looking to make people in character when they are on the page but constantly. When David last saw Belle...she was a little crazy. Remember she'd just sent her husband over the town line and was baking cookies...totally done on purpose. She also told him that because of that she wanted her space and no one to hold her hand. Mary Margaret I think probably would want to reach out to her, I imagine David encourages her to give Belle her space. So she has. She's given her space and sent the kids to her because she didn't know what else to do. But don't worry, Mary Margaret will come to her senses in a few chapters and things will be better, but still not great. And in the meantime we're going to find Will Scarlett is going to fill a hole for her in a very unexpected way. I'll explain a little bit more about him and the kind of relationship they will have later though. Now is just not the time!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Grace5231973, Valerie3956, Fox24, Raizen Yusuke, Rumbellefan, Deweymay, Ladybugsmomma, and Skitzoeinhoven for your reviews on the last chapter. Your support is always appreciated! Peace and Happy Reading!
