"Belle, you need to get out of this apartment." Ruby was pacing in front of her nervously like a caged animal. But she continued to sit on the couch watching her go back and forth. "Have some fun!"
She had left the apartment. In fact, these last few days had been some of the busiest in her life! Or at least the busiest in this land. Ruby had taken her to the bank, she'd opened an account and was learning about checks and money, how to support herself. Ruby had also showed her around town a bit and finally taken her to the grocery store and special shops for clothes. They'd done that a lot. She'd gotten a paycheck almost right away from the town, which Ruby told her was unusual but she had no doubt that he was the one behind it. With that first paycheck Ruby had taken her to clothing store after clothing store. They'd gotten everything: shoes, under things, skirts, dresses, jewelry, make-up, even strange items for the bathroom Ruby call hair dryer and curling iron.
And she had also been spending a lot of her time in the library as well. She wanted it to be open sometime in the near future, but there was just so much to learn and put together before that could happen. So she read. Every spare minute she had she read! She'd find one author she liked and devour all of their books before moving on to find something else. She figured if she was going to be a librarian in this land, she needed to know about the books and writers here so that she could do the job properly. But, after years of being closed off, the majority of the work wasn't anything new to her. All she did day after day, was clean and read in between the sweeping and dusting. In all honesty, she'd be happy to stay in and read more from the latest author she'd found, Jules Verne.
So, yes, in her mind she had left the apartment! But she knew Ruby wouldn't agree with her opinion on the matter. They both knew there was something more holding her back, from going out and "having fun". And they both knew what it was. If she was honest with herself, she was nervous that if she spent too much time outside, she might run into him. And she just wasn't ready to see him alone again. Eventually she'd have to. But not yet.
"I'm just not ready," she told Ruby honestly. Her friend knew the situation, knew what she had been through and what she was going through. She'd stayed by her side anyway, knowing that one wrong move and she very well might upset the worst person to make angry in town. In her mind, Ruby was either fearless or unaware of the danger she'd placed herself in just by being her friend.
Suddenly the girl stopped pacing at her admission and sat down next to her on the couch. "Belle," she reached across and grabbed her hand between her own, a comforting gesture. "No one will expect you to be ready. Whether or not they know what is going on, I doubt anyone is going to ever look at you like that ever again, trust me no one wants to upset Mr. Gold," she muttered almost sarcastically. "But that doesn't mean that you have to stay up here and sulk, or punish yourself! You wanted to have a life, so come out and have a life," she encouraged in a stern but sympathetic voice.
"The dwarves have discovered fairy dust, this is a good thing! Come celebrate with us! I'll be there the whole time, it's just a couple of drinks, and then you can come right back here," she released her hand and curled up tighter on the other end of the couch. "Please, I...I can't spend a lot of time out tonight and, to be honest...I could really use a friend right now."
She looked over at Ruby and saw something she hadn't noticed before. There was something dark behind her eyes, it was just a glimmer, but there was sadness there...and fear! She knew that expression, she'd lived with it every day for a long time. She was hiding a secret of some kind. She felt a stab of guilt as she looked over at her. Had she had that look the entire time she'd been here and she just hadn't noticed?!
"Ruby," she asked with a suspicious inflexion in her voice. "What's going on? Really?"
Ruby only shook her head. "Nothing," she smiled, another expert at hiding her emotions, "I could just use someone there that I know, a friend, you know since Mary Margaret..."
Her heart twisted in her chest as she glanced over at Ruby. Sometimes she was so consumed with thoughts of Rumpelstiltskin that she forgot what was right in front of her. Ruby been having a hard time with Mary Margaret and Emma missing. Though she didn't know the women personally, Ruby had told her so many stories in their time together that sometimes she felt like she did. They were Ruby's friends, just as Ruby was a friend to her, now. She had taken her in when she had nowhere to go, she'd helped her adjust to the world outside of his house, and most importantly she didn't judge her or look at her strangely like everyone else around town seemed to after word of who she was and where she'd been since the curse broke had gotten out. Her association with Rumpelstiltskin was almost as bad as being him in a lot of their eyes. Ruby was offering her a lifeline, something to do, a way to meet some new people. And if Ruby needed her, then she owed it to her to be there for her. If Ruby needed friendly company then she would be friendly company tonight, Rumpelstiltskin aside. So, after a few moments she nodded and went to change clothes.
She came out of the room in one of the new dresses that she and Ruby had bought at the woman's store across the street from Granny's and the pair of them walked down the street to the diner. But she couldn't help but steal a glance across the street to his shop before they left, curious if he was still there, if she might catch a glimpse of him leaving for the day, as she so often did from the window that looked out over his shop. Almost always she ended up ducking out of the way as he glanced regrettably in her direction as well. But not tonight. Tonight Ruby had come over and now she saw that the lights were off. He wasn't in town any more. He was alone. And she had missed him.
It wasn't as if she expected him to still be here. Or that she thought he would have gone to this celebration even if they were together. She knew that he was about as social as she felt right now. The thought of him sitting at home, by himself, or worse over in his shop because he didn't want to go home to an empty house broke her heart. They hadn't been separated that long but she already missed him more than she thought she would. It was good for her, she knew, to be gone. She should be exploring this world but being separated from a person's true love was wrong and most of the time she just felt too depressed to do anything but focus on the library below the small apartment. They needed a better way to do this. Not seeing each other at all was just not as rewarding as she had hoped it would be.
The diner was crowded, but not in its normal way. Instead of looking like it was packed for dinner it looked like there was a party going on. There were people at the tables eating but there was also a large group of people wandering around the open room talking to their friends and family members. Everyone seemed to have a mug of ale, or, as Ruby called it here, beer, but their smiles had nothing to do with any alcoholic stupor she'd ever seen. Ruby stood there and crossed her arms over her chest, there was a smile on her face as well but hers...it was different from the others. She was happy, she knew, but the smile was forced. She didn't expect that. What was going on?!
"Are you okay?" she asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
Ruby smiled and gave a nervous little nod. "Soon enough," she answered mysteriously. "Let's see, you already know David," she said pointing to the man that had come to her rescue that day at the mine. She hadn't met him before but she knew him as Mary Margaret's husband through Rumple and Ruby's stories, Emma's father...even if the curse did make him look more like he was only old enough to be her brother. "Archie over there is Jiminy Cricket. Mother Superior is the Blue Fairy," her jaw dropped in astonishment as she pointed out a woman dressed in blue, a woman she'd only every seen once before in her life. She was the fairy that had freed her when Rumple took the baby. Blue. She hadn't been upset or depressed. Blue was her name. She made a motion to go over and thank the woman but Ruby held her back. "And of course the dwarves they're-"
"Belle!" she glanced over at the familiar voice that had called her name and her eyes widened.
"Dreamy!" she called back stunned at the sudden reappearance of the dwarf!
But suddenly Dreamy didn't look happy to see her. In fact, his face seemed to have fallen instantly at the name. "It's Grumpy now. Leroy here," he added in what sounded like a dark grumble. Ruby gave her arm a squeeze and said something about grabbing them a couple of beers. She nodded absent-mindedly and continued to look at the dwarf standing in front of her.
"Grumpy?" she asked timidly, wondering what could cause such a drastic name change, especially given the prospect of what was going on in his life the last time that she had seen him.
He shuffled his feet awkwardly at the question. "It's a long story," he informed her, ignoring the question in her voice. "How about you?!" he asked eagerly. "I don't think I've seen you around town before. Where have you been hiding since the curse broke?"
Suddenly she understood the reaction that Grumpy had given her perfectly. Hadn't he heard the rumors spreading around town? She wished he had, because she wasn't ready to explain to others what had happened to her yet in her own words. "It's a long story," she responded after a while. They exchanged a smile, acknowledging their shared reluctance of sharing their pasts and what had happened to them after their brief meeting.
"Leroy!" someone called him and he turned his back on her responding to the voice. Wringing her hands awkwardly she walked to the other side of the counter where Ruby was working on getting beers refilled.
She smiled gently when she came over and placed a mug of the beer on the counter before her.
"Where's Granny?" she asked, looking around for the woman that had become just as familiar to her as Ruby had over the last few days. She'd been wrong about her, initially thinking that she was a woman not to be trifled with...well, she wasn't wrong, but the woman's hard exterior was countered by a soft interior. She'd had her over to dinner a few times, almost always gave her food for free whenever she came into the diner with Ruby, and seemed genuinely happy that they'd become friends. She'd never admit it, but Granny took care of her as if she was her granddaughter...and she respected her, maybe even loved her, just as much as she had her Grandmother in their land.
"Oh, she's lurking," Ruby explained, "getting some...things, together. How do you know Leroy?" she asked looking between her and the beer she was pouring into a mug. It was a harmless question, so why did she feel like she'd just used it to change the subject of their conversation?
"Ruby, what-"
"Friends!" David's voice suddenly called out over the voices of the crowd, cutting her off and causing everyone's eyes to turn and look at him with all the respect and honor due to royalty but not necessarily a Sheriff. Even she moved closer to the group. "It's because of the hard work of the dwarves down in those mines that we found fairy dust. It's because of them that Mary Margaret and Emma, my family, have the chance to come home again soon! We are one step closer to having them back to where they belong. And to that I can only say one thing...Thank you," he muttered with genuine appreciation. He paused for a moment, looking down into his mug like he was trying to contain his happy emotions, but then raised his mug to the ceiling. "To the dwarves!" he shouted. Everyone shouted joyfully and raised their mugs together with him. Ruby beamed at the news. She knew that she was looking forward to getting her best friend back, just as much as David was looking forward to getting his family back, just as much as she was looking forward to the day when she got the other half of her soul back.
David made a joke with Leroy, which pulled her out of her thoughts. But as everyone laughed she sought out Ruby and watched as her false smile dulled again and she took her tray to pick up some of the dishes off one of the other tables.
Something was wrong. She knew that much. She might not have known her long but she could tell when there was something wrong with her. She should be happy but it was like there was something going on, some thought in the back of her mind that kept dragging her down. She was about to walk over to Ruby when the woman suddenly jumped and looked at the area around her feet. "What?! Where?!" she exclaimed. Belle was almost to her when she realized there was a man talking to her. He'd been standing beside a wall and she hadn't seen him before. She stopped and hung back, not meaning to listen in, but unable to help it in a small room of people that didn't seem to want to talk with her.
"I meant me," he said pointing to himself, "I was a mouse." He sighed, "My name was Gus, I lived in Cinderella's pantry, I ate cheese, and gnawed on wood...but I preferred cheese." Ruby beamed again, only this time the smile was more one of confusion than happiness, although she could see the blush creeping up into her neck. She knew looks like that, she hadn't had one herself since the time in the castle but she remembered the random facts, the small blushes, the feelings that came with wanting to be with someone when there seemed like there was no reason for it. She missed that feeling, but was happy Ruby could have it.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked with a shake of her head.
"I-we haven't had a chance to talk since things changed," he explained roughly, nervously looking for the right words. "I just wanted you to know who I was...back home," he added quickly, as if it wasn't completely obvious. Obviously he wasn't a mouse here. She smirked at his words and found herself thinking how nice it must be to meet a man who disclosed information readily rather than having to drag it out under pressure. She was excited for Ruby. Maybe this would make her feel better, whatever the problem, maybe this would be enough to take her mind off of it.
"I...can I...still call you Billy?" she asked with a nervous little giggle.
"You can call me whatever you want," he answered "as long as you let me buy you a drink after your shift?" he asked kindly. She expected Ruby to say yes right away, or agree now, telling him she wasn't working, but instead she said nothing, just looked overwhelmed at the offer. "I already know Ruby," Billy continued in her silence. "I want the chance to meet Red."
She was quiet for a while, and she couldn't understand why she wasn't responding to such a sweet and kind offer, but then she remembered her words from earlier: she couldn't spend a lot of time out tonight. Why? "Um..." Ruby stuttered, and she could hear the torture in just that small sound. She liked him, she wanted to go with him, desperately it seemed...but she couldn't. And she looked like she regretted it. She hadn't wanted to tell her what was wrong and it appeared it would be the same with Billy, but she didn't want to risk hurting his feelings. "Tonight's actually not great..." she attempted to explain. She set her drink down and turned back to Ruby. She needed a friend and since Mary Margaret wasn't here...she knew exactly how she could help with this problem. Besides, she owed her. "Because-"
"We, uh, we have, uh, plans!" she lied wrapping a supportive arm around her. It hadn't been the smoothest lie she'd ever told, but he didn't need details and it gave Ruby the excuse she had so badly needed.
"That's right, um, it's girl's night!" Ruby said happily. "And I'm bringing the cheese...which has nothing to do with you being a mouse! It has to do with..." she looked over at her for help and she offered a confused glance, not knowing how she was going to undo that little mix up. "The wine," she finished less than confidently.
"Okay, um...maybe next time," Billy said sadly before walking away, his shoulders slumped with disappointment.
"Thank you," Ruby offered as soon as he rounded the corner.
"I can spot a girl in trouble," she explained, how many times had she been cornered by Gaston that way at a ball or in a hallway and wished someone would have come to her aid, given her some excuse not to be around him? Although that was a completely different situation, Ruby liked Billy, she could see it, so what was going on in her life that she needed the excuse in the first place?! Why couldn't she stay out late tonight?! "He, he seems really nice," she added, hoping she would maybe tell her what was really going on tonight.
But Ruby only glanced up at the clock and her smile of gratefulness faded into a look of fear. "It's complicated," she stated before walking away again.
So according to my calendar this is 5-6 days after the events of 2x04 (depending on how you look at it). Those days account for activities in Stroybrooke and in the Enchanted Forest for 2x05-2x06. Why didn't I write any of those chapters in? Eh...maybe I will some day, but for now I thought we'd had just enough "Belle explores things" chapters from the previous arc and what she's learned in the last few days could be easily summed up in only a few short paragraphs so...I don't know, maybe in the future I'll put one or two in there, but for now this is as it stands. Also, those days that Belle is learning about town, I figured they'd be pretty boring. I mean, she wanted a life true but I don't think she's the woman to say "I just kinda sorta broke up with my one true love so lets party!" Thus why this chapter is really the first time she's meeting everyone. I figured this little party was a great time for introductions and to bring Dreamy back.
Thank you to Grace5231973 and Magicklibra for your awesome reviews! I'm glad that you liked the final bit of 2x04 and were pleased with it. Peace and Happy Reading!