Author's Note: Sorry for a big gap in between updating this story. My internet connection is terrible where I am for the Christmas holidays! I'll do my best to fix the problem. Also, I love the response so far - it's so positive! Thanks for all your reviews!
"Where did they even go?" Leroy asked as Granny placed a plate of sandwiches.
"Rumple seemed to have a pretty good idea" Belle piped up from her seat at the counter with a sad tone to her voice. "But he didn't actually say so."
"Well with everyone on board that ship, I'm sure they'll get Henry back in no time and come back." Ruby spoke, giving Belle a pat on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen.
Eve sat in the corner of the diner alone in a booth, listening to all of them. It was difficult to watch someone else be comforted for Rumple's absence when Eve was in a difficult situation of her own. Being perfectly subtle about it, she kept glancing in Belle's direction as she contemplated how exactly she was supposed to take care of her. Should she possibly introduce herself and befriend her while Rumple was gone? Or was she supposed to give up her life for a while to live in the shadows as Belle continued on with her everyday life?
"I think your coffee's gone cold"
Eve snapped out of her train of thought and cursed herself for not noticing Archie's approach. He slid into the seat opposite her and placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her.
"Thanks" Eve murmured quietly, giving Archie a small smile.
"How have you been? I haven't seen you around in the last couple of days."
"Oh, you know...Just busying myself with the treehouse. I actually made time to get myself a job."
"Oh really?" Archie beamed. "That's great news! What is it?"
Eve's mind searched for an answer, and then her eyes landed on Belle for the hundredth time. "Day care."
"Really?" Archie sank back in his seat. "I never would have guessed..."
"It's just temporary actually" She continued quickly, looking down at her coffee nervously. "It's not my dream job but until I find something else, Day care wasn't the worst option."
"Well good for you Eve" Archie replied, appearing completely convinced.
"Thanks...So if you don't see me hanging around town as much, that's probably why."
"I'll keep it in mind" He smiled. "Just be sure to make time for us, okay?"
Eve flashed him a convincing smile. "Of course."
Archie glanced at his watch. "Oooh, I should probably get back to the office. I'll see you later"
He began to slide out of the booth, but he paused suddenly and leaned over the table. "Oh and Eve...If you need to make another appointment..."
Eve glanced around the diner before looking back at Archie. "...I'll let you know. Thanks Archie. I'll see you soon."
She watched her friend leave the diner with a small feeling of happiness. Archie somehow always had a calming effect on her, which she only remembered every time they said goodbye to each other. But being distracted by Archie's departure caused Eve to miss Belle leaving her chair and making her way over to Eve's booth.
"Hi...It's Eve, isn't it?" Belle asked, tilting her head to the side with a polite smile on her face.
"Um..." Eve took a millisecond to compose herself. "Yes, I'm Eve. And you're Belle, correct?"
"Do you mind if I had a seat?"
Eve thought about using an excuse, but thought the better of it. "Sure, by all means."
She watched Belle take her seat, and noticed that the girl looked as stressed about Rumple as Eve felt.
"What can I do for you, Belle?" Eve asked quickly to avoid an awkward silence.
"Well, the thing is..." Belle paused, looking for the right wording. "I was wondering if you could explain to me how you and Rumplestilskin know each other?"
Eve frowned, surprised by the question. "We...Why do you ask?"
"Well, I know he's spoken with you before..." Belle replied apologetically. "And I was wondering if he spoke to you before he left? If you know where they went?"
Eve's shoulders relaxed. "No, I'm sorry. He didn't. He didn't tell me anything."
Belle gave Eve a sad smile as she nodded to herself, clearly disappointed. "Well, thanks for your help all the same. I won't bother you any longer."
"Wait, Belle?" Eve spoke up as Belle was about to walk away from the booth. "If you need any help in the shop while Rumple's – Rumplestilskin is away, let me know. I've been looking for a job anyways so if you wanted an extra hand, I'm around."
Belle gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks Eve. I'll keep it in mind. I'll see you around."
Eve was an idiot. She hadn't thought this through at all. And if Rumplestilskin heard about this; he was probably going to kill her.
Appearing down the side of the pawn shop, Eve paced back and forth for a few moments as she tried to decide how she was going to play this out. Belle had taken up Eve's careless offer much sooner than she had guessed, and it was only then that Eve realised how badly this could end. Taking a deep breath, Eve stepped into the shop; cringing at the sound of the bell ringing as if to seal her fate.
"Eve, is that you?" Belle's voice came from beyond the curtain.
"It's me!" Eve called back.
An echo of high heels sounded Belle's approach through the golden curtains as she greeted Eve with a gleaming smile.
"Thanks for coming by, Eve!" She continued to beam.
Eve tried, and miserably failed to match her genuine joy with a single smile. "It's not a problem. So what can I do for you today?"
Belle launched into a detailed explanation of how she wanted to create an item record for the store, as Rumple didn't seem to possess one. This was a task that required a lot of caution and it was clearly dangerous, as both women were all too aware of the risks Rumple had taken to possess certain items within the shop. Once Belle was finished explaining, Eve took a moment to summarise the information in her mind.
"I can do that." Eve answered, sounding slightly unsure as she studied Belle's face.
Belle frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Why are you trusting me with this job? You're asking me to practically comb through this shop; through Mr Gold's collection. For one thing, it's probably going to be dangerous – which I have no problem with – and secondly, there's a good chance I'll stumble onto a few items that are invaluable and probably extremely powerful."
"I still don't understand the confusion?" Belle admitted.
"You don't know me, Belle. We're acquaintances, and yet you're willing to put this level of trust in me. I don't understand your logic – no offence, of course."
Belle smiled, finally understanding as she nodded to herself. "You're dead right, Eve. I don't know you very well, and from what I've heard; very little of Storybrooke can say different. However, from the little I've seen of you, you don't appear to…share the same feelings as most of the town does towards Rumple. You're less likely to betray me, or Rumple, or the shop than the majority of this town."
It was Eve's turn to nod in understanding. Belle was smarter than she thought.
"Plus, Rumple mentioned you before he left to find Henry with the others."
Eve's heart skipped a beat. "What did he say to you?"
"Not much. Just something about asking for your help if I really needed it."
Eve's startled expression melted away. "I see…Well, em, I guess I'll get started; shall I?"
Eve spent the next few days working on shop inventory. There were countless items that she nor Belle could identify, let alone decide if they were dangerous or not and therefore, many things were never even removed from their cabinets. However, there were several items that Eve recognised from the time she spent training with Rumple back home and when Belle would admit that she was clueless, Eve had to make up a reason why she knew about an item that Rumple didn't. Belle didn't seem to notice Eve's extra bit of knowledge, or so Eve thought until fourth day.
"Okay, that's it!" Belle dropped the inventory book onto the counter with a firm thud.
"Problem?" Eve asked calmly, although she was panicking internally.
"Yes" Belle asked curtly, but then her expression softened. "I'm starting to think that you're not being honest with me."
"About?" Eve replied innocently.
"About…Well a lot of things actually. Mainly about how you know more about some of these items than I do!"
Eve was starting to seriously regret her decision to help Belle in the shop. "What does it matter if I have knowledge that you don't?"
"It doesn't" Belle answered quickly. "It matters to me, however, that you're lying about everything concerning Rumplestilskin."
"You're just paranoid Belle. I get it. He's been gone for days now, and we all know that wherever they've gone is a dangerous place that even he'll be challenged by."
"I'm not a fool, Eve. You're even using tactics that Rumple himself uses when he's trying to cover up a lie!" Belle was getting angry again.
Eve remained calm as she stood to her feet and walked through to the main part of the shop.
"Where are you going?" Belle half-yelled as she followed Eve out of the back.
"This was a bad idea. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accepted the job offer." Eve looked over her shoulder.
"Is this your way of admitting that you're not being honest with me about Rumple?"
"Take it up with him if he…" Eve trailed off for a moment. "When he gets back, you can ask him. Until then, I'll stay away."
She began walking towards the door, but as she turned the handle she looked back at Belle.
"Despite everything, you can still come to me for any help if you need it. That's something that neither Rumple nor I have lied about."
Before Belle could stop her, Eve was out the door and had disappeared as soon as she was out of Belle's eyeshot.
Eve wasn't sure what to do that evening after running out of Rumple's shop to escape Belle's accusations, so she found herself wandering around town just so she was at least close enough to Belle if the sky began to fall, or some other form of danger. As she strolled around the town in circles, Eve thought about all of the things she was going to say to Rumple when he got back. She tried to guess how he would take to her story but she couldn't predict a smooth outcome so she tried to just focus on the main points she needed to tell him.
Eve was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was surprised to find herself strolling towards the pawn shop, where she found Belle sitting on the steps outside crying. Without hesitation, Eve approached her with an expression of kind concern.
"Belle?"
Belle's bright blue eyes were pink and puffy as she stared up at Eve, clearly embarrassed for being caught in such a state.
"Eve…I'm sorry. I-I was just out here for some fresh air and…and…"
Belle was clearly struggling to explain herself, so Eve did her a favour and interrupted the feeble attempt by holding out her hand.
"C'mon. If you want fresh air, we can go somewhere much nicer than the sidewalk."
Belle blinked up at Eve before taking her hand and allowed herself to be pulled up to her feet. Eve immediately linked arms with Belle and they were soon walking into the park just as dusk was starting to settle through the sky in shades of pink, grey and orange. Neither of them spoke until Eve built a cool demeanour and gathered the courage to make the first move.
"Things haven't been easy, have they?"
Belle sniffled. "I'm sorry about earlier Eve! I guess I've just been struggling a bit since Rumple left…"
"Don't mention it, Belle. I understand how you feel, so you really don't need to apologise to me."
A silence fell between them after that as Belle tried to compose herself while Eve struggled to ask a million questions. Their arms were no longer linked and eventually Belle was looking better so Eve asked the first question.
"You care about Rumplestilskin then?"
Belle gave Eve a strained smile. "He's the most important thing to me in this world."
Eve internally screamed. She felt the same way sometimes, and hearing the words come from another woman was painful to listen to. However, she then realised that Belle was feeling a similar pain to how Eve had been feeling since she woke up in Storybrooke. She couldn't be with Rumple, and it was awful. Suddenly, Eve's need to properly reunite with Rumple – fill him in on what they shared in the Enchanted Forest – it dissolved into a feeling of guilt and doubt.
"So you're happy being with him?"
Belle gave her an odd look. "Well…yes, of course?"
Eve nodded to herself. "And…And do you think Rumplestilskin is happy?"
Belle bit her lip, but then began grinning sheepishly. "I believe he is…I've seen him at some of his lowest points, and these days I feel like I'm witnessing his highest."
Eve felt like crying there and then, but she fought back the tears and kept her composure instead. That was all she needed to hear to change her mind entirely. It wasn't going to be easy, but Eve's goal was no longer getting back Rumple. She realised that her priority was keeping Rumple happy – which might have sounded sad in some ways, but Eve didn't have anything else in her life that felt as real as Rumple did.
Saving the two from another awkward silence, Eve's phone buzzed and she answered a call from Archie. Despite the hunt for Henry, the town were having celebrating Greg and Tamara's failure to destroy them all. Once she was off the phone, Eve started steering Belle back into town.
"Where are we going?"
"I think you need a drink after all of that" Eve replied. "There's a group gathering in the Rabbit Hole to celebrate the whole town being saved."
Belle didn't argue and within minutes, the pair of them were entering the tavern to be greeted by a range of townspeople. Belle was caught by the dwarves and Eve spotted Archie waiting by the bar.
"Hey, you made it!" Archie greeted her.
"I'm surprised there are celebrations…considering there's a rescue party searching for Henry right now…" Eve murmured in his ear.
Archie smiled sadly. "A few of us feel the same way but…we did nearly perish a couple of weeks ago. It was time we gave ourselves an evening to be thankful for it."
Eve shrugged her shoulders in response, glancing over in Belle's direction as she did so. Archie picked up on it immediately.
"Something bothering you?"
Eve looked away quickly. "Nope. Not at all. I'm okay."
Archie gave Eve a surprisingly sassy look. "What's going on between you and Belle?"
"Belle? Nothing's going on! I…I just helped her run Mr. Gold's shop for a few days…"
"Really? How did you get into a situation like that? I thought you weren't friendly with Belle."
"I'm not – or at least I wasn't…It just sort of happened. And plus, I was a big help to her." Eve explained, paranoid that anyone else could hear their conversation.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude." Archie replied earnestly. "I just couldn't make the connection. It's not like you were doing Mr Gold the favour…"
Archie meant it as a joke, but Eve's composure wasn't strong enough and Archie saw the change in her expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but Eve stopped him – pretending like nothing was happening in that moment.
"Anyways, I think I'm just going to find Ruby before I head off. I'll see you soon, Archie."
Eve heard Archie murmur her name as she walked away, but she pretended not to hear him and she kept walking. She scanned the room for Ruby, but when she couldn't spot her, Eve simply left the bar after one last look at Belle.
As soon as Eve stepped out, she shivered. The night had brought cold temperatures and Eve was in nothing but a thin leather jacket and a black t-shirt. The streets were empty as more and more people were heading to the Rabbit Hole, so Eve was walking alone with nothing but the sound of her boots hitting the pavement. That is, until she heard footsteps coming up behind her.
"Eve!" Archie's voice called out.
Reluctantly, Eve turned around with a smile on her face as Archie skidded to a halt and nearly keeled over as he tried to catch his breath.
"Was the party that boring once I left, Archie?!" Eve joked half-heartedly.
"Eve…I…You…Can we please talk?" He breathed.
"We can talk tomorrow" Eve replied, keeping her cool. She turned her back and started walking away. "Enjoy the rest of the party Archie!"
"I figured it out you know!" Archie called out.
Eve's step faltered and she turned her head to the side. "What?"
"Who you talked about…I think I finally know who it is."
Eve threw Archie a look of warning. "If you want to talk, we'll talk. But not anywhere outside of your office."
Archie stared at Eve for a few minutes. "Okay, let's go."