Roni

Chapter Twenty One

"Emma!" Belle exclaims as she rounds her giant desk to greet the sheriff.

Her tiny hands grip Emma's upper arms as she pulls her into an awkward hug. Emma, the one who really never feels comfortable with physical contact unless it's with her family, lightly pats Belle's back, but quickly pulls apart. She's just not a very affectionate person, before Regina became Roni, she thinks they only hugged one time.

"What are you doing back? Did you guys break the curse already? One month, that must be some record time," Belle giggles as she peers up at Emma, full of wonderment.

"No," the blonde shakes her head in defeat, "Regina has her memories back which is great, but the curse is still set into place. I actually had some things to take care of at home."

Belle pouts out her bottom lip and furrows her eyebrows in concern for her friend. "Is everything alright with Killian? I know Ella went with your mother to Seattle."

"Yes, Ella is in Hyperion Heights with Regina and Snow." Emma pauses, shifting anxiously between her feet. "Actually Killian and I, um...are separating..."

"Oh Emma, I'm so sorry-"

"It's alright, but that's not why I came here," she quickly cuts her friend off and changes the subject because her divorce is the last thing she wants to discuss right about now.

"Oh, um of course," Belle gestures with her hand for Emma to continue, waiting patiently.

"So, when I spoke to you on the phone not too long ago, you informed me that you have spoken to Rumple lately?" Emma fishes around the topic just to make sure that she has her information straight.

"Yes. He's been gone..." she pauses as she silently counts the time he's been away, "eight months now..." she confirms, even surprising herself. "He didn't contact me for awhile though. I believe it was after the curse was cast. He explained that he knew the curse was coming and made a potion to preserve his memories."

"I knew he was awake," Emma growls under her breath.

"He's been calling more frequently now to speak with Gideon. He assured us he should be home soon. I completely understand him wanting to bring Henry home."

Emma nods along, feeling grateful that she at least understands. "I just don't understand why he hasn't tried to work with me or tell me at least that he's awake. I feel like he's working against us."

"Maybe someone is threatening him or our family."

"I suppose," Emma trails off and decides she can dig into that at a later period. "Hey, did you find out anything about that information I sent you?"

"Yes, actually." Belle strolls behind her desk while Emma leans across the top, anxious about what information she may have. Belle pulls out a stack of old books, dropping them on top of the counter with a heavy thump. "Here are all the Cinderella stories. Now, I didn't find a Perla in any of the modern stories. Funny thing is..." Belle reaches under the counter and pulls out a DVD of the original Disney Cinderella movie. "...Perla is actually a name of a mouse in the cartoon." She chuckles to herself while shaking her head at the silly idea while Emma remains silent, listening to her explanation intently. "So, I did some more digging. Turns out the Cinderella from a Spanish decent had a Perla in her story." Belle pulls out an old, beat up book covered in dust. She flips through some pages as she continues on. "I haven't spoken or read anything in Spanish in awhile, but I was able to pick up on what I needed to know. Perla," she stops on a page and flips the book around so Emma can see the pages better. "...was a maid that worked for the family before they forced Cinderella to take over her duties. They kept Perla around for other jobs around the house. It was never confirmed, but the story made it seem as though one of the sisters and Perla had feelings for each other."