Meanwhile, Belle was sitting at a counter seat in Granny's Diner, where Ruby placed another iced tea in front of her. She looked up and smiled. "Thank you," she politely said.
"Are you okay? That's your third iced tea this morning. Wouldn't wanna have to call you a cab," Ruby said, taking the seat in the booth opposite Belle.
Belle shook her head. "No, I... I've never had it iced before. It's- it's delicious."
"I haven't seen you in here before."
"Well, I-, uh, I've been a kept woman until recently."
"Let me guess. Bad breakup?"
"I think I may be headed there."
"And do you have a place to stay? Any family here?"
"Uh, I'm- I'm not sure. I'm still looking. But I'm on my own for now. I think anyway."
"If with that person doesn't really work out, I could ask Granny about a room here."
"Really? Thanks. Uh..." Belle said, not knowing Ruby's name.
"Ruby."
"Belle. What I really need, though, is- is a life, a job."
"Well, uh, what do you like to do?"
"I- I do love books."
"The library. It's been closed forever, but, uh, things are changing now. Maybe they need a librarian."
Afterwards, Belle went straight to the Storybrooke Library. Her conversation with Ruby still hot in her mind. A librarian. Maybe she could be a librarian? Walking up to the door, she pulled on the door handle. Locked. She stepped closer to the windows and peered through the slits between the boards of the boarded-up doors. She couldn't see much, other than the odd shelf of books. She looked at them so hard that she didn't see – or hear – anyone come up behind her.
"Excuse me? Miss?" William Smee asked.
Belle jumped and turned around. "You startled me," she exclaimed, putting her hand to her chest.
"I- I was just wondering if you had any spare change?" Smee asked her.
"Oh, no, sorry. I- I don't have any money."
Smee turned around. "What- what about a friend? Are you meeting anyone here?"
"Uh, no. Why?"
"I just wanted to make sure," Smee said, pulling Belle closer to him and placed a hand over her mouth.
Meanwhile, Mr Gold and the Professor arrived at Mary Margaret and David's apartment. Knocking, they waited for the door to open. Which it did, and David was standing in front of them.
"May we have a word?" Mr Gold began. He looked down at David's belt and saw the sheriff's badge on it. "Sheriff?" He questioned, pointing to the badge.
"Could be acting sheriff?" The Professor suggested. "Filling in for his daughter." He turned his head to David. "May we come in?"
David sighed. "And I'm already late on another busy day cleaning up the mess you made."
"My apologies," Mr Gold apologised as he stepped forward, so David couldn't shut the door. "That was a moment of poor judgment on my part." He walked even more forward and entered the apartment and turned around. "And it's not lost on me that I'm here now to ask for your help."
David turned around. "Well, then it shouldn't be lost on you when I say no."
"Hear me out first. I'm here to report a missing person," Mr Gold replied, handing the flyer over to David, who sighed as he took the brochure and read it over. "She left my home early this morning. Her name is Belle."
David looked up at Mr Gold. Thoughts racing through his head as he remembered an earlier conversation from the Enchanted Forest. "Back in our land, you mentioned you loved someone once. Is-"
"Yes."
"You also said she died."
"Or, so Regina told us," the Professor remarked.
Shutting the door, David walked over to where Mr Gold and the Professor were. "Well, anyway, why don't you just use the tracking spell you gave me to find Jefferson?" David asked.
"It only works if you have something the person owned. I don't."
"How can you be sure she's gone missing and not run away?"
"We can't," The Professor answered. "I just want to make sure everything works out. Belle ... she brings out the best in him. And I can see that he's trying."
Mr Gold looked up. "Look, the inhabitants here are less sympathetic to my plight. But you?" He pointed one of his fingers at David. "You're in the rather unique position to understand what I'm going through." Mr Gold took a breath. "Will you help me?"
Moments later, the Professor was standing on Main Street with Mr Gold as they watched David talk to an inhabitant of Storybrooke. Once David let the man on his way, he walked back over the street, back to the other two.
"Do you remember turning a butcher into a pig?" David asked Mr Gold.
"Can't say that I do. Why?" Mr Gold asked.
"Well, he does. And apparently, it was his father," David said, shoving the flyer back to Mr Gold, and began walking. "I'm beginning to understand why nobody wants to help you."
"Moving on," the Professor said as he walked with David. "Has he seen Belle?"
"Afraid not," David said.
"Okay, so what's next?" Mr Gold asked.
"Granny's. We can see who else you terrorized there."
"Look, uh, can I ask you a question about you and Mary Margaret?" Mr Gold asked, catching up to both David and the Professor. "H- how- how does that work?"
David turned around. "Are you asking dating advice?"
Mr Gold was silent before looking over at David. "Of course not, no."
David sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Honesty. That's how we did it. Hard work and being honest with one another."
"Well, I don't lie."
"There's a difference between literal truth and honesty of the heart. Nothing taught me that more than this curse."
When they got to Granny's, they moved over to the counter, where Ruby was working. David handed her the flyer, and she read it over. The picture did seem like the person that she had met earlier. She knew it was the same person. "'Belle', huh?" She asked, looking up at the three from the flyer. "Sorry. Doesn't ring a bell." She handed the flyer back to David.
The Professor leaned across the counter and cupped Ruby's hands in his, staring straight at her. The two had shared quite some adventures between them. He hoped that she would help him, just as how he had helped her. "Ruby. If you know anything about Belle, you need to tell us. You can trust me. You've always had done so."
Ruby took one of her hands out of his and stroke his cheek. She thought about what he had said and of their adventures together. "Oh, I know I can trust you. Sometimes I wonder if I should..." she said, licking her lips and stared straight at him, "...but it's him I don't trust." She pointed at Mr Gold.
"Don't worry, Ruby. He won't do anything stupid."
"Ok. Well, she was in earlier. She was looking for a job. I pointed her in the direction of the library," Ruby admitted.
"Well, do you think she went there?" Mr Gold asked, stepping closer to the counter.
"Don't know. But when you find her, give her this. She left it in her booth," Ruby said, pulling out a jacket from under the counter and gave it to them.
"That's mine," Mr Gold said, reaching for the coat. "She didn't have anything for the cold."
Ruby looked over at Mr Gold, then back at the Professor and David. "You sure you'll watch out for her?"
"Of course," the Professor answered.
"I think … I think I can find her," Ruby remarked. "Lately, since things changed, I've been, uh, a little more sensitive to odours," Ruby said.
"What, you can smell her?" Mr Gold asked.
"I guess it's 'cause of the wolf thing," Ruby answered, taking back the coat. She brought the jacket to her nose and took a deep whiff of it as she picked up Belle's scent.
Once her scent had been picked up, Ruby led Mr Gold, David, the Professor out of the diner and along Main Street. They walked for a few metres before stopping outside a shop. Surrounded by plants. She looked around and began sniffing the air.
"What's wrong?" David asked.
"I had her, but I lost her trail," Ruby said before sneezing. "Oh. It must be the flowers. I can't track her anymore. I'm sorry."
The Professor looked around. "Well...you did lead us to her father's shop..." he said as the group entered the flower shop.
They walked over to the counter when Moe came out to greet them. "You again?! Out," he demanded at Mr Gold. "This is a private establishment. You're not welcome."
Mr Gold didn't listen. "Where's Belle?" Mr Gold asked.
"I won't let anything happen to her, Moe," David said.
"We're just worried," Ruby said.
"Don't be," Moe told the group. "She's safe. So you can stop looking."
"So, you know where she is?" the Professor asked, tilting his head softly.
"If I could just have the chance to talk to her ..." Mr Gold began, but he was cut off by Moe.
"You want to destroy Belle like you destroy everything else. Well, I won't let that happen."
Mr Gold leaned closer to Moe. "What have you done with her?"
"There's only one way to get her away from you."
"What have you done with her?" Mr Gold asked again, giving Moe a forceful shove.
"I have to make her forget about you, no matter the cost. Even if it means she forgets me, too."
Everyone stared at Moe is shock, and Mr Gold took a breath. "He's sending her across the town line."
David walked over to behind Moe and began pushing and leading him out of the shop. "Where are you sending Belle across? You know we have patrols on the Storybrooke line to make sure no one crosses accidentally. So how are you planning to pull it off?" David asked.
Arriving at the Game of Thorns van, Mr Gold pushed Moe against it, his back making a loud thud as it hit the van's wall. "Where?!" He asked angrily, his cane beginning to push into Moe's throat. "Where are you sending her across? Tell me where!"
David pushed off Mr Gold. "Stop it! You're gonna kill him." He looked at the backs of Moe's hands. They were covered in black dust. Coal dust. You've been down in the mines. The tunnels. They lead out-of-town." And they all climbed aboard the van.
