Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 6

For a couple of weeks after she had learned that her son had passed in utero, Ruby fell into a deep depression. She rarely left the house, she hardly ate anything that she liked anymore and it felt as if her entire world had shattered. She couldn't bear to tell all of Storybrooke what happened. So, it was just between the two people she cared about most. Graham and Belle.

One day after her shift at the library, Belle stopped by Ruby and Graham's apartment with Hazel in hopes of cheering up her expectant friend. When Ruby answered the door, Belle was taken aback by the sight of her best friend crying into the personalized grey minky blanket with Lucas' name on it that she had given her as a present.

"Ruby, I'm so sorry about Lucas" Belle said as she stepped through the front door while holding a passed out Hazel in her arms. Hearing Belle say her son's name made Ruby believe that none of what she had heard was true. Even though it wasn't the healthiest thing to assume, deep down she thought there could be hope.

Ruby thought back to the day she and Graham found out that they were expecting a boy and a girl. Ruby immediately started thinking of names for both of them without Graham's help. He was stuck at work with Emma fighting off Cruella de Vil and her pack of wildly aggressive pit bulls while Ruby was at home in the living room looking through baby books to find the best names for her children; which proved to be easier said than done.

Just as Ruby began to consider giving up, she decided to give Belle a call and see whether or not she could help her through the dilemma. Belle arrived ten minutes after receiving Ruby's message and they went straight down to business. There was an endless sea of names to choose from and Ruby loved them all. But she just didn't know which one was the one she loved best. After all, a name is something that would stick with the child for their entire life and say something about who they were.

Belle decided that in order to give Ruby some inspiration, she would explain how she and Gold chose Hazel's name. They both wanted to give their daughter a name with a strong meaning; something that would aid her in tough times when she got older. But nothing that was too out of the ordinary and something that wasn't common. They had come up with the name Hazel Felicity a few weeks before she was born and they instantly fell in love with it when they learned it meant "firm like the tree" and "good fortune"; which they took to mean that she would always remember her roots and have a passion for providing for others who were not as fortunate.

Ruby attempted to use Belle technique and sure enough, it worked. They came up with Lucas Graham together. Since marrying Graham, Ruby had changed her surname from Lucas to Humbert and when she found out they were expecting a baby, she immediately wanted the baby to have some part of her name. It worked out perfectly when she learned from the baby book that the name Lucas meant "light"; and of course, Graham, in honor of the greatest man she knew.

~X~

"Do you have a name for your daughter?" Belle asked as she comforted a stirring Hazel who was beginning to wake up from her nap.

"I have a pretty good idea. But I'm keeping it a surprise" Ruby winked.

"Hey, I have to go use the bathroom. Could you watch Hazel for a minute?" Belle asked.

"Sure" Ruby responded.

Belle and Ruby had been friends for so long that it wasn't hard for one to know when the other needed a distraction from the pain they experienced. As Ruby sat Hazel in her lap, the precious baby girl reached up and gently stroked Ruby's nose. A small but nonetheless visible tear ran down the corner of Ruby's left eye as a rush of maternal instinct began to overwhelm her due to her being Hazel's godmother and an expectant mother herself.

Belle had returned from the bathroom not too long after Ruby and Hazel really began to interact that day. She smiled widely as her heart filled with the utmost joy at the sight of her daughter and her best friend bonding over a copy of the original story of Little Red Riding Hood; a gift from Ruby the day Hazel was blessed during an intimate ceremony by the well, the very same place Belle and Mr. Gold exchanged their wedding vows.

As Belle continued to watch Hazel and Ruby interact, she couldn't help but notice that Ruby appeared to be hugging Hazel extra tight and whispering something in her ear. Once she was finished, she started to cry. Upon seeing this, Belle decided it was time to cheer Ruby up in a way she knew to be very effective.

"Hey, she didn't give you any trouble did she?" Belle asked as she approached the couch with one hand behind her back.

"No, not at all. We just finished reading this world's version of my story and lets just say I don't agree with it at all" Ruby chuckled.

"Well, I have something for you" Belle responded as she revealed a white and yellow chevron gift bag from behind her back and placed it in front of Ruby. In the process, she also took hold of her daughter so Ruby could open the gift with no interruptions.

Ruby felt a mix of emotions as she removed all of the tissue paper from the bag and discovered a red fleece baby blanket with red silk trim on the border. Belle advise that when Ruby's daughter was born, this might be useful at night; especially during wolves time. She also assured her expectant friend that there was no magic involved to make this blanket except for the fact that it was given to her by someone of great importance to her so it was guaranteed to work.

"Thank you. I know my daughter will never go anywhere without this" Ruby replied as she and Belle engaged in a loving embrace.

As they continued to enjoy each other's company that day, Ruby knew that she had definitely chosen the perfect name for her daughter. All that was left to do was convince Graham to believe the same.