I do not own Once nor any of it's characters.
Belle felt a little like Rapunzel. She was trapped in her room by her father, who wouldn't allow her to leave without his permission. He was her Mother Gothel, a dictator in the guise of a loving parent.
She gazed out the bedroom window that looked onto the harbor. If she leaned onto the broken fire-escape and looked to her left she could see the clock tower. She's been in here for a little over two hours, but it might as well have been two days.
Archie had spoken about the library to her father after their appointment. Her father said he needed time to think about it. Archie said that was progress, but Belle thought it was just a polite way to say no.
She stepped away from the window and flopped face-down onto her bed. Belle was 24 years-old, and father was still in control of her life. She wasn't a little kid anymore. She let out an exasperated sigh, and buried her head in a pillow.
She wanted to explore the world, be a hero like in her books. She wanted to see what was beyond the town line. She wanted to see France and Tokyo. Greece and Russia.
But right about now, she would take just outside her apartment.
Right on cue, her bedroom burst open with a loud bang.
"Is that you, Prince Charming?" Belle called, her face still hidden by her pillow.
"Sorry, sweetie, but I don't swing that way," a gentle voice answered.
Belle ripped the pillow off her head. A petite, blonde girl sat at the foot of her bed.
"Faye!" Belle exclaimed, and threw herself at her friend. Faye laughed and wrapped her arms around Belle.
"I've came to rescue you. I'm no Prince though." Faye gave Belle a sly grin.
Belle pulled back. "How'd you know I was here?"
"Ruby texted me saying that you were back in town. She suggested that we go do a little shopping after her shift is over." Faye looked at her phone. "Which is now. So let's go, Sleeping Beauty."
"I wasn't sleeping!"
Faye rolled her eyes. "Right. Now put on some real clothes that aren't pajamas and meet me downstairs in five. Oh and I already talked it over with your dad. Chop chop!" Faye jumped off Belle's bed, and practically flew out the room.
"These are sweat pants!" Belle called after her. "Not pajamas!"
Belle got ready in 4 minutes. She grabbed her purse, but something on her bed made her pause. There were flecks of glitter on the quilt where Faye was sitting. Belle smiled. Faye was a craft goddess and left behind a trail a glitter wherever she went, no matter how long it's been since she touched a bottle.
Belle swept the glitter into her hand and carefully put it in the trash, making sure not to leave any on the carpet.
She was downstairs in 4 minutes 52 seconds.
Ruby was already waiting for them in front of Modern Fashions, three to-go cups on hand.
"Two iced coffees and one iced tea." Ruby announced, distributing the drinks. "It is iced tea right?" She asked Belle, a way to make sure it was Belle, not Lacey.
Belle gave her a smile. "Iced tea is perfect."
Ruby visibly relaxed. "Okay, good."
"Geez, Ruby," Faye said. "You'd think you'd know your friend's order by now. You're a terrible waitress." She bumped her hip against Ruby's, who retaliated by sticking out her tongue.
Belle laughed. "Alright, ladies, we're not in high school anymore. You guys should really get some better comebacks."
Faye linked her arm through Belle's. "We can now that the smart one of the group is back." She laid her head on Belle's shoulder. "I missed you."
Belle kissed her blonde head. "I missed you too, Tink."
Faye's eyes lit up at her old nickname. When Belle met her for the first time, she remarked how similar Faye looked to Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. The name had stuck all through high school.
"Heads up, lovebirds coming this way," Ruby said dryly.
Belle disentangled herself from Faye and looked where Ruby was staring. Coming straight towards them was David, holding the hand of a pretty short-haired brunette.
"Ruby!" The woman said, a big smile on her face. When the couple reached them, the woman gave Ruby a hug. A quick pulse of jealousy went through Belle's body. She quickly pushed it aside.
David gave Belle a smile that oozed charm. "Hello again. How are you?"
"I'm much better, thank you. You?"
"I'm great." He put an arm around his companion. "Belle, this is my wife, Mary-Margaret."
"Wife?" Belle did some calculations in her head. She first heard of David about a year ago. At that time, he was a John Doe. When he woke up, some of the younger nurses would talk about the handsome and very single patient. That means David and Mary-Margaret met, dated and married in less than a year. Belle blinked in disbelief that anyone could fall in love that quickly.
"We're newlyweds," he explained then gave his wife a small kiss.
Mary-Margaret gave Belle a smile. "We met when I volunteered at the hospital."
David took over the story, which was obviously told often. "She read to me when I was in my coma. One day she squeezed my hand, and I woke up."
"And we knew instantly it was meant to be. True love." Mary-Margaret finished, and kissed David sweetly.
Oh barf.
"That's very sweet," Belle responded.
And it was. Maybe a bit too much. Ruby had a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, like she heard the story way too many times. Faye had a skeptical look on her face.
"Mary-Margaret is Emma's sister," David told Belle.
"Really?" Faye asked. "Emma Swan?"
It was a bit hard to believe. Mary-Margaret and Emma were like night and day. Mary-Margaret was dark haired with a sweet smile. Emma was blonde who's smiles were hard to come by. But Belle could see the similarities, especially the chin.
"Speaking of Emma, we should go," Mary-Margaret said. "We promised her we'd get her some food and she gets grumpy when she's hungry."
The groups exchanged goodbyes and nice to meet yous. Ruby and Mary shared another hug, and that jealousy flashed by again. As the couple were walking away, Faye scrunched her nose. "Promise me if I start acting like that, you'll kill me."
The girls laughed, and made their way into Modern Fashions. Ruby grabbed Belle's arm before she could enter the shop.
"Belle, you're not jealous are you?" The other girl asked nervously. "It's just that I was the only one here and Mary-Margaret and I just bonded when she and Emma moved to town."
Belle squeezed her friend's arm. "I get it. It's okay."
Ruby smiled in relief, and gave Belle a hug. They walked into the store to join Faye, who was looking at a green sundress.
"More green, Faye?" Belle teased. Her wardrobe consisted of mostly green. Emerald, jade, grass.
"I can't help it! I look good in it." Faye put the hanger over her head, and posed in front of a mirror.
"Are you trying to look good for a particular person?" Belle asked her, while rifling through a rack of blouses. She really needed some new clothes.
Faye smirked. "Maybe. We'll see."
"Who is it?" Ruby asked her. She was admiring some jewelry in a glass case, specifically a necklace with a wolf pendant.
"Some sailor."
"Okay, what's with the sailors? How come they're all gorgeous?" Ruby wondered aloud. "First Ariel and now you. I'm getting a bit jealous."
"Ariel's dating someone?" Belle asked.
Ruby nodded. "Eric. He's like a prince, he's so nice."
"Eric's not even a sailor! He's a fisherman," Faye said, which made Ruby roll her eyes. "My guy, however, is a sailor. A devilishly handsome one too."
"So, you're dating him?" Belle tried on a burgundy peplum jacket.
Faye laughed loudly. "Date? Maybe a night. Or a weekend if he's lucky." She shot Belle a wink.
"And you wonder why the nuns didn't want you," Ruby muttered, which made Belle giggle.
Faye gave Ruby the stink eye. "You guys should meet him. He's a bit of a jerk but his eyes are gorgeous. Even his name is gorgeous. Killian Jones." Faye swooned. "Doesn't that sound like a superhero's name?"
Belle froze, Faye's lover's name echoing in her mind. "Do I know him? The name sounds familiar."
Faye bit her lip in thought. "I don't think so. He's new around here."
You don't know him, Belle.
Belle didn't question it further. She didn't know a lot of people. "Ruby, have you been seeing anyone?"
Ruby scoffed. "Uh, no. There was a guy, Billy, but it didn't work out."
"She's holding out for a certain doctor," Faye said, waggling her eyebrows.
Ruby ignored her. "Belle, you should get a nice man."
Belle blushed, and shook her head. "Uh, no. I don't think so."
Faye came over to stand beside Ruby. "You're exactly right, Ruby. Anyone in mind?"
While they thought, Belle looked out the storefront window. It just so happened Mr. Gold was walking by, a serious expression on his face.
"Oh my god!" Ruby gasped.
Belle's cheeks reddened even more. "What?"
"Gold. You and Mr. Gold," Ruby hissed his name. Faye gasped.
"Ruby!" Belle exclaimed. "No! He's my boss. Was my boss." She corrected herself.
"Then why are you turning so red?" Faye challenged her.
"Because this is a ridiculous conversation," Belle snapped.
Ruby and Faye wore matching smirks. "Whatever you say, Belle," Faye said.
Belle turned away from them to look at a pile of sweaters. It was ridiculous. Sure, Mr. Gold was handsome, for an older guy. She couldn't say she never looked at him when he wore a nice suit and smelt good.
The memory of him kissing her forehead flashed by in her mind. And him stroking her hair. But who knew if that even happened? She was drunk and upset. It was a figment of an over-active imagination.
Plus, she could never date anyone. Not with Lacey around.
No one could ever love her.
AN: After a serious case of writer's block, this is the best I could do. Mostly fluff, but I love writing friendships. OUAT focuses so much on romance, the friendships get lost in the mix. Anyway, enjoy and don't be afraid to leave criticism and suggestions.