Title: Belle's Choice
Author: Lauren (restlesswritings)
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Belle, Red Riding Hood
Pairing: Rumple/Belle
Word Count: 542
Rating: PG-13 (references to criminal activity and infidelity)
Summary: Belle hires Ruby to investigate her husband.
Notes: Written for ladiesbingo round 6 (card here) with the prompt 'Detective AU.'

Belle sat in the reception area of the detective agency. She was nervous, and it showed in the way she kept bouncing her leg up and down. The silence was broken when the receptionist spoke to her. “Belle Gold?” she said with a kind smile. “You can go into the office now.”

Belle did as the receptionist instructed. Behind the desk sat a pretty brunette with red streaks in her hair. The sign on her desk said Ruby Lucas. When Belle had first looked into hiring a private detective, she’d been expecting to end up with a middle-aged man who talked like a character in a Dashiell Hammett novel. She was pleasantly surprised to learn about Red Hood Investigations, where the sole detective was a woman. She figured a woman would better be able to understand what she was going through.

“Take a seat” said the detective, gesturing to one of the two chairs across from her. “And we can talk about why you came in today.”

Belle sat down in the chair. Then she bit her lip. “This is hard to say” she began.

Ruby leaned forward in her chair. “Let’s get one thing clear” she said. “Whatever you say in this room is between just the two of us.”

That helped Belle relax a bit. Not much, but enough to get what was on her mind out in the open. “I think my husband is cheating on me” she said finally.

Ruby scrawled something on the notepad in front of her. “And you want me to find out if your suspicions are correct?” she asked. If she was surprised, her face didn’t indicate it. Belle wondered how many cases like this she got in a year. Probably a lot.

“Yes…” said Belle, although her voice didn’t sound certain.

“Are you sure about that?” Ruby asked. “Because once you know the truth, there’s no way to forget about it.”

Belle considered that for a moment. She could see the temptation in letting the whole thing go and chalking it up to her imagination. It would make living with her husband easier. But she needed to know. Finally, she nodded her head. “Yes. I have to know the truth.”

“Okay” said Ruby. “I’ll just need a bit more information and then I’ll get started.”

---

After two weeks, Belle received a call from Ruby’s receptionist. She scheduled an appointment for the next day. That night, Belle hardly slept a wink. Whatever she found out the next day, it would change her life. Either she would find out her husband was nothing less than faithful and could move forward confident in her marriage. Or she would find out he was cheating on her and she’d have to make a hard choice.

As soon as she got to the agency, the receptionist ushered her into the inner office. When Belle and Ruby were alone again, the detective said “Before I tell you what I found, I’m going to ask you again if you are certain about this.”

Belle nodded again. “I’m positive.”

Ruby sighed. “Okay” she began. “Well, the good news is I’m confident your husband is not cheating on you” she said.

Belle breathed a sigh of relief. But then she realized that there must be some bad news, as well. “What else is there?” she asked.

“The bad news is that I’ve discovered your husband is involved with the local mob” said Ruby.

Belle’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right?” She couldn’t picture her husband being involved with the mob. He didn’t even like actions movies, because he found them too violent.

Ruby shook her head. “I wish I was” she said. “But I’m not the police, and I stand by my promise that whatever I found would be between you and me.” She grabbed a thick file off of her desk. “This is everything I found out during my investigation. It's up to you what happens next. You can either take this to the police...or you can burn it and never speak of it.” She handed the file to Belle.

Belle glanced at the file. Whatever happened now was her choice. After a moment’s indecision, she made up her mind.