Emma sat at the counter in the Diner laughing with Ariel. She had just finished telling the story of when Ruby face planted going down the aisle of the movie theatre when they were thirteen. Ariel had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. Ruby looked unamused.

"I could have broken my neck, you know." she stated, playful anger lacing her voice.

Emma blew out a breath and waved her hand. "But, you didn't." She turned to Ariel. "We waited to start laughing until we knew she was okay."

Ariel wiped under her eyes as her laughter slowed. "That was an amazing story." She looked at Ruby, pouting are the unamused expression on her face. She reached out, touching her cheek. "Aw, don't look like that."

"It really hurt…" she whined.

Ariel chuckled lightly. "Here." She pushed herself upward, pressing a small kiss to Ruby's lips. She moved back and smiled. "Better?"

Ruby smiled back. "Much."

Ariel hovered closely to her for a moment, licking her lips before she spoke. "I'll be back in a second." She kissed her softly again before hopping off her stool and walking toward the bathroom.

Ruby watched Ariel leave until Emma cleared her throat loudly to get her attention. When Ruby turned to face her, she saw Belle staring at her from the doorway. Ruby felt like the world had suddenly stopped. Voices grew distant. All that she could see, all that mattered, was Belle standing there, looking at her.

It was the first time Ruby had seen Belle since her date with Ariel. Every attempt she had made to see her or talk to her was immediately dismissed. It hurt her deeply not to know why. She wanted to walk over to her and ask, but Belle broke their contact and walked away.

She slid into the seat across from Killian. She smiled at him, but Ruby could tell it was forced. That wasn't Belle's real smile. She knew Belle's real smile. It was beautiful and she missed it.

"She's still not talking to you?" Emma asked, cutting into her thoughts.

Ruby frowned and shook her head. "I just want to know what I did to piss her off." she said, gathering Ariel's dishes. She looked at Emma expectantly. "Do you know?"

Emma stumbled over several responses before lowering her head with a sigh. "No…" She was getting so tired of lying to both of them.

Ruby's face saddened. "This sucks…" she muttered as she turned to take put Ariel's plates in the window.

Emma glanced over her shoulder at Belle, silently willing the woman to look at her. Belle looked over at her, forcing another smile. Emma's eyes widened as she motioned her head in Ruby's direction. Belle's eyes squinted slightly as she shook her head and returned her attention to Killian. Emma sighed roughly and turned away just as Ariel rejoined them.

"I've got to get back to work." Ariel stated, sadly.

Ruby leaned into the counter, pouting adorably at her. "Okay…" she responded, a hopefully smile crossing her lips. "I'll see you tonight?"

Ariel returned her smile. "Of course." She leaned in, kissing her goodbye. She turned to Emma, touching her arm. "It was nice chatting with you, Emma."

"You too." Emma responded as she and Ruby watched Ariel exiting the diner. Emma turned her attention back to Ruby. "She's sweet."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Very.."

Emma took the last sip from her drink. "Do you like her?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going with this, Sheriff?" she teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I just…" She sighed. "I just think maybe you should slow it down a bit."

"Emma…"

"Ruby, you may like this woman, but can you honestly see yourself giving her a hundred percent of you?"

Ruby exhaled heavily, shrugging her shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe."

Emma flashed her a knowing look. "Ruby."

"Emma, just look over there." Ruby pointed toward Belle and Killian. "She's got a boyfriend. She's always had a boyfriend. I'm just her friend… Hell, I don't even know if I'm that anymore." She picked up Emma's plates. "Maybe it's time I come to terms with that and just move on." She walked away, pushing open the kitchen door roughly, and walked inside.

Emma growled frustrated. She had the key to every vault. To all they needed to be happy and she was getting sick and tired of not being able to use it. The truth was getting harder and harder to keep. She vowed, that no matter what she had to do, Belle and Ruby would tell each other everything….


Belle returned to her shop after lunch. The memory of Ruby's face at the Diner knotted her stomach. She wanted so badly just to talk to her, but she couldn't. She was too over run with emotions to not say something stupid.

The door closed and she turned to face Killian. "Thank you for lunch, Killian." she said, smiling at him as he stepped closer to her. "It was very kind of you."

He took her hands in his. "Let's go into your office and have a chat." he requested, ushering her to go first.

Belle look at him, concerned. "Okay…." she agreed, slowly as she lead them into the office. She sat down on the couch, her hands playing nervously with the fabric on her skirt.

Killian exhaled deeply, wiping his hands on his pants before joining her on the couch. He leaned back against the cushions, shifting for a moment. "Are you still not speaking to Ruby?" he inquired, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Belle nodded in response. Her eyes still focused on her hands.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Sometimes Ruby makes bad relationship choices." she responded, softly.

"This is about Ariel?"

Belle nodded.

"You don't think she's right for Ruby?"

Belle shook her head.

"Do you know someone who is?"

"I do…" Belle confessed, before she could stop herself.

Killian shifted again so he was facing her. "Then why don't you just tell her?"

Belle leaned back against the couch with a heavy sigh. Her focus remained straight ahead. "Then I would have to explain why I felt that way." she admitted. "And I'm afraid I'll say something I shouldn't."

Killian watched her for a moment. He dropped his head, running his hand over his forehead. He couldn't believe he was about to ask her this, but he had to know. "Belle, do you love her?"

Her attention turned to him quickly. "Of course I do. She's my best friend." She knew that's not the answer he was looking for. She just hoped it was.

"Let me rephrase my question." He inched closer, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you in love with her?"

Belle stared back. Her mind raced with a thousand things she could say. She could tell him that was a ridiculous question. She could tell him he's gone mad for even assuming such a thing. She finally settled on a response and opened her mouth to give it.

"Yes…." she confessed, ducking her head and closing her eyes. "I always have been."

"Why haven't you told her?"

"I was going to… a long time ago."

"What happened that changed your mind?"

Belle couldn't believe she was actually going to tell this story. Emma was the only one who knew the truth about that night. She had never told another person, but maybe it was time she did. Lifting some of the pressure around her heart would help ease her constant pain.

She shifted so she was facing him. She took in a deep breath before speaking. "When had just graduated high school and there was this huge party at my exes house…" she explained before pausing briefly due to loss of nerve.

Her hands intertwined nervously with each other. Killian reached out, taking her hand in his. His thumb caressed the back of her hand comforting her. She smiled shyly at him and continued.

"Ruby was leaving for New York the next day and I needed her to know how I truly felt before she left." She swallowed hard, surprised at how suddenly dry her throat had become. "And, I was so nervous, I started to drink. I wasn't a big drinker then and I went a little overboard."

Killian chuckled deeply, giving her hands an encouraging squeeze.

"I ended up in the upstairs bathroom about to loose everything I had eaten that day and, then, she walked in." Belle felt her heart race as the memory became more clear. "And, she took care of me, like she always did. And, before I could stop myself, I kissed her…"

"Did she pull away?"

Belle shook her head and smiled. "She kissed me back and I thought… Maybe… Maybe she loves me too.." Her smile suddenly faded. "But, then, she pulled away… the look on her face…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "When she scrambled to her feet… I knew I had made a mistake… She left so quickly.." She held back the tears threatening to fall. "The next day, when she came to say goodbye, she asked me if I remembered anything and I said no."

"Why didn't you just tell her the truth?"

"I was afraid she would reject me." The tears started to fall. "I love her so much. I couldn't… I just couldn't handle it if she had… so I let her go.."

Killian pulled her into a tight hug, her tears staining his shoulder. "I don't think she would have rejected you. I think she was just scared the night you kissed her. It was unexpected."

"You know, for someone who just found out his girlfriend is in love with another woman, you're very comforting." she joked through her tears.

Killian smiled as he rubbed her back. "Well, I can't blame you." He leaned back, his finger resting under her chin as he looked into her blue eyes. "You have excellent taste."

Belle laughed and it felt good. It felt good to talk about this with someone new. To get a different perspective. Emma seemed uncomfortable when she told her. Like there was something she wanted to say, but couldn't.

"I think you should tell her." he stated, wiping her cheeks. "You might be surprised by the outcome."

"I don't know, Killian.." She shifted and leaned back into the couch. "What if Ariel is right for her? What if I've missed my chance? So much time has passed…"

"Well, you won't know until you try.."