Red sighed as she looked out at the ballroom floor before her. She tried to think of any excuse she could to not make her grand entrance inside where everyone was waiting for her. She could pretend that she was sick, Snow would hopefully understand. She internally cursed as she remembered that this was all Snow's fault in the first place.

She knew that Snow was only trying to help, but it didn't mean she liked this ball any more. Snow had decided that since she had found true love, it was her responsibility to find Red a love of her own. Red had tried hard to protest, but Snow believed that she was lonely. To be fair, Red was lonely, but she didn't think that a fancy ball filled with potential suitors was the answer to her problems.

Yet here she was, standing out side the ballroom clad in a far too tight red dress unable to say no to Snow. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room and felt extremely uncomfortable as several eyes fell on her. Looking around the room, she saw both men and women staring at her. She forced a smile on her face as Snow and Charming walked towards her.

"You look nice," Snow said, giving her a once-over.

Red replied, "Thanks." She grimaced as the others in the room continued to stare at her. "How long do I have to do this for?"

Snow frowned at the question. "As long as it takes." Red just glared at her and Snow conceded, "Just stay for an hour please. If you're not having fun after that, you can leave."

Knowing that she couldn't argue with that, Red replied, "Alright."

Snow got the room's attention and called out, "Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to our little ball. Please enjoy yourselves and I hope you have a night to remember." She looked pointedly at Red, who scowled back as the band started to play.

Red made her way to the center of the floor where an attractive blonde-haired gentleman immediately asked for a dance. She hesitated before agreeing, allowing him to lead. They had polite conversation as they danced, but Red found it hard to pay attention. The man seemed nice, but there was no spark between them otherwise. The song ended and Red thanked the man before moving on.

As she went to the table stocked with wine, she picked up a glass and downed it quickly. "Not having fun?" An unfamiliar, but beautiful voice asked behind her.

She whipped around to find herself face to face with the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Her face flushed as she locked eyes with the girl, noting how blue her eyes were and how gorgeous her smile was. Red said, "Balls aren't really my thing."

The girl raised a perfect eyebrow at her. "Aren't you the guest of honor?"

"Not by choice," Red admitted. She gestured over to Snow who was slow dancing with Charming in the center of the floor while a couple of her potential suitors, including the man that she had danced with, had partnered up on the dance floor. She turned to the girl next to her. "My friend thought it was a good idea."

Laughing slightly, the girl replied, "I'm not too fond of balls myself. Do you want to go for a walk?"

Red was tempted to say yes, she remembered her promise to Snow that she would stay for an hour. Surely, it would be okay if she left early with another suitor. "Sure," she said quickly.

They left the ballroom and Red held out her hand to the girl. "I know a place where we can go."

The girl took her hand and Red led her up to her favorite balcony in the castle. She felt her heart pounding as they walked through the castle. "I didn't catch your name," Red said, realizing that she didn't know what to call the girl.

"Belle," the girl replied quickly.

Red smiled, thinking about how the name suited her. "It's nice to meet you, Belle." They reached the balcony, and Red enjoyed the feeling of the fresh air against her flushed cheeks. "Thank you for coming to my rescue back there."

Belle smiled back at her. "I can always spot a girl in trouble." She sat down on the edge of the balcony and Red sat next to her. "So, why did your friend force you into a ball that you clearly didn't want to be at."

"She means well," Red replied quickly. "She felt I was lonely and decided that I needed to find someone like she did."

Belle bit her lip, as though she was contemplating something. "Do you want to?" She asked after a couple of moments.

Red was confused by the question. "Do I want to what?"

"Find someone," Belle clarified.

She paused as she thought about it. Though she knew that deep down she would want to find a love of her own, her mind flashed back to Peter. "I can't."

Belle looked confused. "Why not?" She then added, "If it's because feel like you're being pressured, I get that." She scowled. "My father has me engaged to a man that I can't stand."

"That sounds awful," Red replied quickly. Her heart sank like a stone as she processed that it meant that Belle wasn't available. "Why did you come here if you're engaged?"

Belle sighed. "Unlike my father, I believe in falling in love before you get married. I was hoping that if I came to the ball, I would meet someone, fall in love, and convince my father to call off the wedding."

"I'm sorry," Red replied. "I hope you find the right person."

Belle gaped at her and then her face broke out into a smile. "I think I already have."

Red sputtered as she realized that Belle was referring to her. "You don't want me."

"And why is that?" Belle said, frowning towards her.

Before she could stop herself, Red blurted out. "I'm a wolf." Upon Belle's blank stare, she elaborated, "I turn into a wolf during the full moon."

Belle's eyes widened in surprised, but she didn't look frightened. "Doesn't bother me," she said, "In fact, it makes you more attractive."

Red flushed as red as her dress. "I ate my boyfriend," she said, wondering why Belle wasn't frightened of her.

"Did you mean to?" Belle asked, though she once again looked surprised.

She shook her head as the images of what was left of Peter flashed through her mind. "No."

Belle grabbed her hand. "Is that why you think you can't find love?" Red nodded. "Listen to me, Red. We only just met and I can see that you're a good person. Snow can see it too. So, why can't you?"

Red gulped as she tried to find an argument. "I am a monster," she said, "You deserve better than me."

"You're not a monster," Belle replied quickly. "You're kind and beautiful and I already want to get to know you more." Red scowled as she felt her resolve breaking. "If you truly don't want this, than I'll back off."

Red quickly replied, "I do want this."

Belle grinned. "Can I interest you in meeting me for tea tomorrow?"

"Yes," Red answered, nodding. "Thank you for spending the evening with me."

Belle smiled. "I enjoyed your company." They looked at each other as though daring the other to make the first move.

"There you are," Snow's voice interrupted the silence as she stepped out of the balcony. She noticed Belle and her eyes lit up in excitement. "Am I interrupting something?"

Belle slid off the balcony and walked towards Snow. "I was actually just leaving," she said. She curtsied and added, "Thank you for the wonderful ball." Belle turned back to Red and said. "Goodnight, Red. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"Goodbye," Red replied, blushing. Belle walked away and Red was annoyed that Snow was giving her a grin of satisfaction. "What?"

Snow simply declared, "I knew this would work." Red scowled at her over satisfied grin, but she couldn't complain. After all, she knew that she would be forever indebted to Snow if things worked out with Belle. Hopefully, both Snow and Belle were right and she deserved a second chance at love. For the first time in years, Red was looking forward to finding out.