𝑶𝑪𝑬𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 - Rumplestiltskin [1]

TWENTY EIGHT

28|DRINKING

"Bella?" Mary Margaret said quietly as she peaked her head into the woman's dark room. "Do you want some pancakes?"

"No, thank you." Bella mumbled back, burying her head further into her pillow. She had no tears left to cry, her pillow soaked from her fragile emotions. Mary Margaret sighed, hating seeing her oldest friend this way. She shut the door behind her as she entered the woman room and crawled into the bed, holding on to the sobbing girl. "Why did I even think that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't like what everyone wanted me he was like."

"Because you love him, you pushed the red flags aside and opened yourself up to him." The teacher stroked her hair soothingly, her heart breaking at the sound of her crying. "But at least you broke it off now before you got in too deeply."

"Everyone in Storybrooke thinks we are engaged." She chuckled through the tears, wiping away the salty liquid with the back of her hand. "I'm going to be the town's gossip. 'Young naive girl realises the truth about the grumpy old man'."

"He is quite old." Mary laughed, thinking about the obvious age difference between Bella and Mr. Gold. "Its what, like twenty years? Thirty?"

"I'm twenty five so it's only fourteen years." Bella said with an awkward smile, not once thinking that the age difference was an issue.

"You always did prefer old, mature men with a good income and lots of experience." She winked at her roommate before rolling out the bed. "Now get up, you need to make up for that wasted time with pancakes."

"I can't believe I'm still a virgin." Bella grumbled as she followed Mary Margaret out her room, pulling her jumper closer to her as she was greeted by an awkward Emma. "Don't say it."

"You want some whiskey?" Emma offered, lifting up the half empty whiskey bottle as they all sat around the wooden table.

"Never mind, do say it! Yes, please!" The dark haired woman smiled for the first time since the sudden break up, completely forgetting about Mr. Gold as Emma poured whiskey into her orange juice.

~•~

"Who was that?" Bella questioned while sipping her coffee, careful not to burn her tongue. Her and Mary Margaret were sat in Granny's waiting for Emma when they witnessed her short exchange with a new stranger.

"I don't know yet." Emma answered truthfully while sliding into the booth beside the exhausted woman.

"Yet. So you're going to find out?" Mary Margaret picked up on, glancing at their roommate curiously.

"It's nothing." She waved it off but the two women were not convinced.

"Nothing with you means something." Bella smirked over her mug before putting it down to eat her bacon buttery.

"Because if it were nothing, we wouldn't be talking about it." Mary added with a light tone, knowing she was spot on.

"I'm sorry, I thought you called me here to talk about you." Emma changed the subject, leaning in as she directed her words at the awkward teacher.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here on my break." Bella agreed, suddenly remembering why she was getting a free meal.

"Yeah, but talking about you is easier right now." Mary Margaret said awkwardly while not blinking.

"What is it? What's going on?" Both roommates where worried now about the usually happy woman.

"Remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?" She whispered, leaving in so the two women could hear her.

"Yes." They whisper replied, suddenly knowing what she was going to say.

"I didn't." Mary Margaret sounded regretful, indicating something had happened between the pair.

"Yeah. I know." Emma smiled knowingly while Bella nodded in agreement.

"You do? How?"

"Because I'm sheriff and you're a lovesick school teacher." The blonde woman replied slightly louder but still in a lowered voice so people would not listen in. "Covering your tracks is not exactly your strong suit."

"I've been discreet." Mary said loudly before hushing her voice again as Bella laughed at her reaction. She had quickly found out from her late finishes and seeing her roommate coming home late and happy. "Discreet."

"Two tea cups in the sink. New perfume. Late nights, plunging neck lines." Bella listed while laughing quietly. "It was not hard to connect the dots."

"Plunging?"

"When I met you, you were a top button kind of girl." Emma added causing the woman to sigh in defeat.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mary Margaret asked defensively, wondering why the pair were so quiet about the situation.

"I'm not your mother." The blonde chuckled.

"No. According to Henry, I'm yours."

"And I was just friends with Snow White, nothing special." Bella gestured to the teacher.

"I just figured that you would let us know when it was time." Emma continued reassuringly to her friend. "I'm assuming it's time?"

"He's telling Kathryn." Mary Margaret revealed causing Bella to choke on her coffee, spitting it across the table where nobody was luckily sitting.

"Bloody cheese puff!" She gasped, coughing as she tried to breathe normally. "I was not expecting that."

"Everything?" Someone slapped her back, their attempt at calming the woman down.

"Everything." Mary confirmed. Emma and Bella stared at her with shock while Ruby ran over to clean up the mess, knowing better than to ask about it with the serious looks in all their eyes.