Necessary Talks (Belle POV)

“Did I hear that right? You don’t think she’s a complete moron? High praise, coming from someone who thinks herself the smartest person in every room.” Olivia’s voice echoed with amusement behind her. Belle turned around to see the lady of monsters, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded.

Belle shot her a sharp glare. “As the ‘leader’ here, her ego needs checking.” She replied defensively.

“I would be more concerned about your ego. It’s a miracle you can fit your head through the door.” Olivia joked.

Belle chuckled softly, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned back to her woodcarving, a hobby she’d picked up a few years ago to help her relax.

She was working on a small sculpture of a wolf, having been inspired by the pet wolf Skylar kept around the castle, who was surprisingly friendly.

A few seconds of silence passed before Olivia spoke up again. “’Not a complete idiot’ is high praise from you. You respect her.” Olivia said. It wasn’t a question.

“Don’t tell her that.” Belle joked, deflecting.

“Why? Afraid you’ll have to be **** with them?” Olivia jabbed playfully.

That one hit a little close to home. Belle again said nothing.

Olivia walked through the door and sat down in the chair opposite her. ”When are you going to admit that you like her?” Olivia asked.

Without looking up from her carving, Belle replied. “I respect her. There’s a difference.”

“Well you smile all the time around her, fighting and training with us. You seem to enjoy yourself a lot.” Olivia pointed out jokingly.

“You can enjoy yourself without liking the people you’re with.” Belle said evenly. The air between them shifted. The mood was no longer jovial. Olivia knew she wasn’t joking.

"Why have you not joined the guild yet?" Olivia asked, a nervous note in her tone.

Belle knew what Olivia was nervous about, and she knew she had to confirm her fears. This had gone on for long enough. It was time to put it to bed. "Because I'm not sticking around." She replied, without looking at the older woman.

Olivia sighed at that. "Why?" The lady of monsters asked.

“Why do you care?" Belle shot back.

"Because I care about you." Olivia said.

"Really? Do you really?" Belle said, finally putting down her carving and looking at the older woman, crossing her arms.

"You spent 4 years avoiding me, shunning me, being pissed off at me after everything that happened, and you think we can just be friends again? That we're just okay now?" She unloaded.

"But I thought-" Olivia started, but Belle cut her off.

"I don't care what you thought. After what you did, it's gonna take a lot more than a single fucking conversation and fighting some monsters together, for us to be okay." Belle stated firmly.

She had to put this to rest. She couldn’t allow it to happen again.

Olivia groaned. "Why do you have to be so...!" She exclaimed, but was unable to finish her sentence.

"Difficult? Were you gonna call me difficult again? For the millionth time?" Belle reminded her. Her blood was boiling, her heart was pounding with hurt and heartbreak never properly healed.

She could feel her body heating up. Her fists clenched on the table in front of her. She made no move to hide her anger.

"Yes, difficult!" Olivia snapped.

"Because I'm human! People don't always act the way you want them to! We aren't all little mini versions of you!" Belle hurled back.

Olivia groaned as she heard that, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You are so stupidly selfish." Olivia sighed.

Belle nearly laughed at that. "I'm doing my part. I'm fighting with them, I'm working with them, I'm being civil enough with you. I'm putting aside my feelings for the sake of the mission. I tell you I don't wanna stick around, and you call me selfish?" Belle scoffed, lying through her teeth.

Whatever. It didn’t matter that she was lying about her feelings. The mission came first, that part wasn’t a lie.

Olivia sighed and made a visible effort to calm herself down a bit. "I apologise, that was uncalled for." She said.

"You're damn right it was." Belle grumbled. "I don't know why it matters so much to you anyway. You didn't give it a second thought 4 years ago." Shit. She wasn’t supposed to say that.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Olivia asked defensively.

Belle sighed and shook her head, turning away from her former friend. "Nothing." She said.

"No, what?" Olivia pressed.

"Nothing!" Belle insisted.

"We cannot fix this if we do not talk." Olivia said.

"What if I don't want to fix this?" Belle asked, turning back to look the older woman in her eyes.

Olivia recoiled. "What?" She asked.

"You heard me." Belle stated firmly, meeting Olivia's gaze unflinchingly.

"But you said....? Didn't you?" The lady of monsters stuttered, looking genuinely hurt.

Belle felt a small pang of regret in her chest at hurting Olivia, but she knew she had to stick to her guns. She couldn’t let herself…..not again…. "I told you I wasn't sticking around. Did you think I was kidding?" She asked.

"No but I thought at least....at least you would care." Olivia trailed off.

Belle had to hold herself back from screaming. She wanted to shout and yell to the whole world what her true feelings were. But that had been back then. Before.

Instead, she said nothing. She just stared at her former friend. The seconds of silence ticked away agonisingly.

"Then why are you still here?" Olivia's voice became cold, judgemental. She failed at sounding dispassionate.

"You know why. The mission comes first." Belle replied simply.

Olivia nodded, her expression livid. "Fuck you Annabelle." Olivia said.

Belle said nothing. A cold hand closed around her heart. Outwardly, she showed no reaction.

"I'm trying to put the past behind us, and you're just throwing it all away!" Olivia exclaimed in frustration.

Belle bit her tongue hard to keep herself from screaming again. She would not let Olivia know. She said nothing. More silence, stretching between them like an endless gulf of cold.

"You are so frustrating! First you say you want to give it a shot being friends again, now you're pushing me away! What is your problem?" Olivia ranted.

Belle said nothing. She remained silent, letting her lack of words speak for her. She didn't trust herself to speak at that moment.

"Say something!" Olivia shouted angrily, desperately.

But Belle said nothing.

Olivia half groaned, half screamed at Belle’s lack of a reaction. She started pacing around the room, her heavy footfalls the only sound in the room.

As the seconds turned into minutes, Belle felt obligated to try to calm her former friend down. She gathered her thoughts. “I’m trying to-”

“Does Gemma know?” Olivia cut her off, spinning on her heels to face her.

“What?” Belle asked.

“Does she know that you are not sticking around?” The lady of monsters pressed. “Have you even apologised for taking Gemma to the woodshed like you did that night?”

The scarlet witch paused, a pang of guilt rising up in her. She did respect Gemma. She hadn’t been lying about that. The girl probably deserved better than what Belle was giving her. She shook her head.

“Tell her. She deserves to know that. It is a pity. I believe she was starting to like you. As was I.” Olivia said coldly. She turned and started to walk for the door.

“Wait, I-” Belle started.

Olivia groaned and turned around again. “What manner of manipulation are you going to pull now, to paint yourself as the victim?” Olivia sneered.

Belle couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Oh just fucking stop it! I hate it when you get like this, and it only ever happens with me! I don’t see you talking to Skylar or Gemma that way!”

Olivia looked taken aback at her outburst, but Belle was nowhere near done.

“You get so pissed off when I don’t do what you want me to, and you act like I’m some kind of freaking monster! I’m not you! We’re different people! Grow the hell up and stop acting like you’re above me!” She lashed out.

Olivia scoffed again. “Like you can talk. The lecture you gave Gemma that night was a performance. You set up that situation to stroke your ego and rub her mistake in her face.” Olivia replied derisively.

Belle let out a frustrated growl. “Because I was right, and she needed to see it.” She said through gritted teeth.

“You could have called her beforehand and let her know. You could have fixed it yourself. You could have sat down with her and had a conversation. Instead, you shoved it in her face in the most blunt and mean fashion possible, like you always do. You did it to me back then, and you are doing it to her now. You have not changed a bit.” Olivia said angrily.

“Neither have you! You had just as much contempt for me back then!” Belle snapped back.

Olivia recoiled at that. “I never had contempt for you!” She insisted.

“Then why do you always act like you do? The scoffing, the sneering, the dismissiveness in your voice. And you say you care, pretend like you do, and then when something goes wrong, you show yourself for who you really are: a condescending jerk who can’t take criticism or the idea that she might be wrong!” Belle ranted.

Olivia folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Better than an arrogant idiot with too much power.” She said mockingly.

“There it is again! You can’t just say that you were wrong, you always have to belittle the people around you!” Belle shouted.

“Neither can you! That’s why I left!” Olivia yelled.

“I LOVED YOU!” Belle screamed in pure frustration.

They both fell silent. She screwed her eyes shut. She couldn’t look at Olivia. It was out in the open now.

“What?” Olivia asked, all traces of anger gone from her voice.

The dam burst forth and her feelings fell out of her. “I loved you and it killed me when you left. I don’t…I don’t want that again…” Belle admitted, keeping her eyes closed. She didn’t want to see Olivia’s reaction.

More silence between them. Then she heard retreating footsteps, and the sound of her bedroom door gently closing.

Belle opened her eyes to see the room empty. She collapsed onto her bed, putting her head in her hands, and finally let herself fall apart, crying from the jumble of pent up emotion.