CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN – In the very back corner of the Library (Past Belle's Point of View)
Disclaimer: *The book referenced here is "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. We do not own it.*
Belle was still back in her corner on the upper floor of the library, trying to focus on the words on the page, which were starting to finally become clear after being blurred by her tears. Reading was the only thing she could do at this point after seeing him, and as always she found solace in between the pages of a book.
"I looked at my love: that feeling which was my master's – which he had created; it shivered in my heart, like a shivering child in a cold cradle; sickness and anguish had seized it; it could not seek Mr. Rochester's arms – it could not derive warmth from his breast. Oh, never more could it turn to him; for faith was blighted – confidence destroyed!"
It was a book she had begun reading back in Storybrooke and was glad to find it here. She supposed her future-self had taken some of the contents of the Storybrooke Public Library with her when she returned to the Enchanted Forest. It was just comforting to have something familiar right now, and at this point she related to the heroine all too well.
She had tried her best to block out the commotion at the front of the library, ignoring him as best she could as he threatened Killian. If the girl in her book could be strong enough to forsake the man she loved for her own morals, then she could too.
Although, she had to smile to herself when Leif asked to court Kendra. She still believed in love, and being the hopeless romantic she always had been, it was wonderful to hear another's love story start to come true.
She then joyfully reflected her own daughter's success in love, and hoped that her path towards true happiness would come easily. I'll start reading fairytales to her as soon as she's born, and that way she'll know where to start.
She thought about what she would do once she got back to her own time. With a baby on the way, she had to think about her daughter as well. What should she do now?
I'll go back and live with my father, she thought. It's been a while already since I last saw him, and he'll want to be there to help raise her since her father is gone. I'll just keep my job at the library, and find someone else to help keep up the shop. Maybe Henry is old enough now to run it on his own, since honestly it's too hard for me to go back there. She hoped she would remember at least these plans, since she was absolutely certain she would have Regina erase her memories once she returned to Storybrooke.
She whispered quietly to herself "Colette is my only concern now. I'll pour all my love into her, and soon I'll forget about him." She repeated this a few times quietly to herself, wiped away the last few tears that had spilled onto her cheeks, and returned to her book.