Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or the characters.

Blinking against the rising sun, Belle stepped out into the hotel parking lot the morning after Ruby's first concert of the tour. She pulled her suitcase along behind her as she walked over to the tour buses, stopping to stand beside Emma.

"You'll be on the main bus with Ruby and me," Emma told her, taking the suitcase and handing it to one of the roadies who were stowing the luggage under the bus. "Just to warn you, Ruby is annoyingly energetic in the morning."

Belle shrugged, shifting her purse further up onto her shoulder. "I'm a morning person myself."

"God, I hate you now," Emma said, taking another long pull from the coffee cup in her hand. "I'll probably be sitting at the back of the bus and trying to nap for the next few hours until it's a reasonable time to be awake."

"Oh no you won't, Miss Grumpy," Ruby leaned out an open window on the bus, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and lips her trademark red. "You said we would go over the set list for tonight's show while we drove."

"Can't that wait until I'm actually awake?" Emma asked. "Why don't you talk more with Belle during the drive, I'm sure she has more questions." Emma gave Belle a pleading look.

"I was hoping I could get some comments about how you feel after kicking off the tour last night," Belle admitted, walking with Emma to the door of the bus. She sat down in the plush seat facing Ruby's, already pulling out her notebook and pen. When she looked up again, Ruby's bright brown eyes were already trained on her.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Ruby asked.

Belle nodded. "You were incredible. How do you find the energy to give that kind of show every night?"

Ruby sighed, leaning back in her seat. "And here I was hoping we could have a normal conversation before jumping into the interview."

"I am on this tour to work," Belle replied. "I can't exactly ignore my job."

"I'm not asking you to," Ruby replied. "But I would like to see you a bit more relaxed. Don't throw questions at me like talk show hosts and writers usually do. We can just talk, and you can put whatever you want in your articles."

"Are you sure you want to give me that much free reign?" Belle asked, setting down her pen. "I'm not sure Emma would approve."

"Emma's my manager, not my keeper," she said flippantly. "Besides, I doubt you'd print anything too inappropriate or damaging to my career." Ruby leaned forward again. "So, what did you really think about the show?"

"I really don't understand how you have enough energy to give that kind of show," Belle repeated. "You were singing and dancing all over the stage. I don't think I've ever seen someone who seemed as alive as you did."

"It's all about loving what you do," Ruby replied. "When I get on the stage and the music starts, I, like, feel it in my soul. The beat of the drums and bass go through me and it feels like my blood has turned into the music. It's the best feeling in the world."

"I can see how you write some of your songs," Belle commented. "You have quite the way with words."

Ruby grinned. "Maybe when I'm done singing I'll get a job as a writer."

"Then I'll be out of a job," Belle laughed. "You will take over the writing world."

"I don't think so," Ruby replied. "I really don't have the attention span. That's one of the things I like about music. It's always changing and there is always something new to try."

"What would you like to try? Are you thinking about changing your sound?" the journalist asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe, I'd like to try to write a few softer things, maybe a ballad or two. As much as I enjoy the dance music I have recorded so far, I feel like it is really giving people a very one-sided view of me. I'm much more than just another party pop princess and I don't think people realize that."

"What other sides of you would you like your listeners to see?" Belle tucked a loose strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear, watching the other brunette think.

"I'd like them to see the part of me that is not as sure of me as I usually seem," Ruby replied. "My songs are all about being a strong woman who doesn't give a damn about anything but having fun and feeling good, but that isn't who I am most of the time. I mean, half the time I'm worried that people are going to get sick of my music and I'll end up a has-been on late night music documentaries. That's not even to mention how I've been unable to keep a romantic relationship going for more than six months in my entire life or really know what else I can do with my life other than make music," Ruby laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump my issues into your lap."

Belle shook her head. "It's alright. I've been told that I'm a good listener."

Ruby shook her head, ponytail swaying. "Tell me more about you. Did you always want to be a journalist?"

"Actually, I wanted to write novels," Belle replied, lips quirking up into a little smile. "I was going to write great coming-of-age stories and make the New York Times Bestsellers list by the time I was twenty-five."

"So why are you following a spoiled pop star on a cross-country tour?" Ruby joked.

Belle shrugged. "Life happened. I went to university and got a degree in journalism and then realized that rent can't be paid in partially written manuscripts and plot ideas. Writing regularly for a magazine pays the bills."

"Do you still write for fun?" Ruby asked, pulling on a strand of her own hair.

"Occasionally," Belle admitted. "I'm almost halfway through one story, but I'm not sure how much I like it. I don't think it's very good."

"What's it about?" Ruby tilted her head, watching Belle intently.

"A young woman going through her life and realizing how many doors have already closed around her and recognizing that where she once saw unlimited possibilities, now she just sees a future that slowly is getting duller and duller," Belle replied.

"That sounds like a bit of a downer," Ruby said. "Is there any chance that it will end happily?"

"I don't know," Belle answered honestly. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Well, when you figure out the ending, let me know," Ruby said with a smile. "I'd like to know how things end up for her."

The bus door closed and the engine started up as Belle smiled back at Ruby across the table. Ruby looked out the window as the bus began to move, her eyes flicking back to Belle as a bright grin spread across her narrow face. "Do you know the license plate game?"

"I may have played it with my parents a few times as a child," Belle admitted. "But I haven't played since then."

Ruby leaned in towards Belle. "Then I'll go easy on you. Let's go with the alphabet version first. Whoever gets all the letters first gets taken out for drinks by the loser."

"Deal," Belle laughed, leaning towards the window to look for the license plates on passing cars.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I just had mid-terms for the semester, which means classes are getting intense and my stress levels are getting high. I will try to update more quickly this time! (For the record, reviews are excellent writing motivation)