Isobella sat at the diner savouring an iced tea, her third one in the last hour. She'd not been in Granny's Diner very often, it was outside her social sphere, but she had met the scantily clad waitress Ruby at her husband's offices once, and had struck up an unlikely acquaintance that was now turning into friendship. Truthfully she felt she had nowhere else to go, and Ruby was turning out to be a better friend than Regina. She listened, rather than offering constant unwanted advice. "So you finally did it, huh?" Ruby smiled at the life that was starting to shine on Isobella's face, recalling their first meeting and the despondency that showed through Isobella's features. "Yup". Isobella replied, uncharacteristically laconic. It wasn't that she regretted her decision, but this was so final. Still, it's for the best, she reminded herself. "Well, you know you can stay here for as long as you want. Granny won't mind. Oh, and we're having a girl's night tonight. Me, Emma, Mary Margaret. You should join us. It'll be fun. Take your mind off things". Isobella had done nothing but think since leaving. Gold wasn't a bad husband by any stretch of the imagination. Just distant. It's just that she felt stifled. Like her life wasn't her own. It was planned out for her. Wake up. Alone. Husband already gone out, check diary. Breakfast / lunch with Regina. Evening charity event / town social event with husband & play dutiful wife or dinner alone whilst husband works late at office. Go to bed. Alone. She didn't mind routine as such, but was this really the routine life she wanted for herself? Almost like she was trapped in the life of a middle aged woman who had long ago given up on life. Leaving her husband made her feel like her life was returning.
Of course, her father Maurice Epine, owner of the local paper, would not be happy. He just wanted her to be married. It was the respectable thing for her to do. Isobella had no doubts that he would put aside his misgivings shortly though and begin trying to set her up with one of his protégés. Prime suspect number one would be her father's favourite. Gaston; Gareth Ashton. Former Quarterback for their college's football team. He was an arrogant, conceited boy and these traits had only increased over the years. He'd started shortening his name to 'Gaston' and removing the 'h' in a vain effort to sound more...exotic, more interesting. He was harmless enough but prior to Isobella's marriage had been the bane of her existence due to the fact that Maurice was always trying to engineer a romance between her and Gaston. A romance that would never go anywhere. Gaston was just a boy, and for all his faults her husband was a man. Maurice had decided that Isobella should take a career in journalism when she left school. It wasn't so bad; she enjoyed writing after all, but the constant attempts to set her up had worn her down. In a fit of rebellion, and avarice as Gold was offering higher wages, she'd left and taken a weekend and evening job in Mr Gold's shop as he had advertised for a shop assistant. Everyone was surprised at this, he was the town monster, but she'd never been afraid of him, despite his reputation. And then she fell in love, they fell in love. She'd give anything to feel that thrill again.
"You coming?" Ruby called to Isobella. It was her break, and she was going to source out some 'girl night friendly' clothing for Isobella. Isobella had only taken what she could carry that night, just a few changes of clothes. She knew she could rely on her husband not to take any revenge on the remainder of her belongings. Assuming he noticed that she was gone.
As Isobella ascended the stairs to the entrance to the B & B through the back of the diner, Mr Gold walked in through the entrance and approached the eponymous Granny. "Isobella is staying at the B& B, I understand" he stated. Granny nodded, unwilling to say anything to enhance his dissatisfaction with his life and hence increase her rent. "Would you mind passing this to her please". He asked, and gave her a plain box. "Of course Mr Gold. Was there anything else you wanted" Granny asked curtly. She didn't like to sound impolite but wanted him out of her diner. He was bad for business. Luckily the feeling was mutual and he had no desire to spend any more time than was strictly necessary in the diner. Whilst Mr Gold was used to being scrutinised and labelled by the Storybrooke community at large he had no wish to parade around town needlessly. "That will be all, thank you" he scowled, leaving her in peace with the small box. She eyed it suspiciously whilst grimacing. Whatever was in there she had no desire to find out. With Gold's warped mind it could be anything in there.
Girl's night in full swing, and Isobella's separation from Gold thoroughly dissected and examined, they found another subject to discuss. "C'mon Mary Margaret! Dish the dirt. We wanna hear all the details!" Mary Margaret Blanchard blushed. She had told her friends about her relationship with David Nolan but felt so uncomfortable discussing it. "There's nothing to tell, really" She insisted. "He was going to tell Kathryn, but it just wasn't the right time" Mary Margaret continued. "When is it ever going to be the right time?" Ruby asked, helping herself to another slice of pizza and glass of rose. "When Regina leaves town" Emma shot in. "Do you really think Regina cares that much? It's nothing to do with her. She'll offer Kathryn platitudes and then get back to enjoying making everyone else miserable!" Ruby replied, knocking back nearly half the glass of rose. "Yes, and her target for the day would be me. I really don't know why she hates me so much. I must have really hurt her in a previous life". Mary Margaret offered ruefully as she eyed the last slice of pepperoni and ham longingly, making her play for it before Ruby could interject. "No one is that bad" insisted Emma. "Regina is" Isobella advised boldly, feeling traitorous but fully justified. "She has spent the last...I don't know how long...insisting I stay in an unhappy marriage. There was nothing in it for her, but no matter how much I made it clear I wanted to leave, she insisted I stay. And the worst thing is I listened, and I don't know why I listened to her. I knew what I wanted but I did what Regina wanted instead. Must have been mad..." Isobella took another sip of rose. She wasn't a big drinker usually but, well, she'd made some seismic changes to her life so why not include this one? Girls night isn't so bad she thought hazily as the alcohol made its mark on her, glad that the focus was on someone else's problems. I like discussing other people's love lives she realised as her head leaned back on the pillow and her eyes closed, letting the quiet tones of the movie playing on Ruby's TV and the talk of the girls fade out gently. "She's out cold!" Ruby laughed, glancing at her friend's head falling back and the glass of rose she had been holding fall beside her. "Aw, throw this over her" Mary Margaret handed Ruby a throw off the sofa, and Emma got another bottle of wine.
She stood at the door. The room before her sat in darkness but as she walked in a fire at the far end of the room sprung into life, casting shadows to dance by the walls. She could feel a hot breath in the darkness ghosting against her throat before it receded. A voice then spoke from the gloom. 'It's forever, dearie!' Belle could not see who spoke, save for a pair of eyes gleaming from the darkness. 'I agreed to that' Belle replied softly, but she didn't know why. She didn't understand what the voice was referring to. 'Where am I?' she asked. 'How you've forgotten your home so quickly Dearie' the voice replied sharply. 'You who swore you were happy here. All lies' the voice spat out spitefully. Belle stood her ground, refusing to respond to the accusation in his words. 'Who are you?' she asked, unable to move any further into the room. The voice chuckled mirthlessly. 'You know me dearie. You know my name. You knew it so well you screamed it out once. I'll make you scream my name again' the voice replied, a figure shrouded in the darkness leaning forward. She could now make out fingers. Long, thin fingers. She inexplicably wanted those fingers over her, and inside her. 'I don't know who you are' Belle insisted. 'Say my name' the voice spat back. 'Say it! Say it! SAY IT!'