Hand in Hand
He could feel it coming, it was like all his senses has been heightened, the air around his seemed to sizzle, a great darkness was heading towards him, towards everyone, only for Rumplestiltskin he hoped that there would be a glimmer of light amongst it.
All of his years planning this had come down to this point, the point where he and along with everyone else would be transported to a different world, a world without magic where in twenty eight years the saviour, a product of the truest and purest love would break the curse brining back their memories, letting him be free to search for his son.
Rumple had heard the guards speak of the dark purple smoke that had been spotted tumbling over the hills. Regina had done as he'd planned, she'd taken her father's heart and enacted the curse. Everything was falling into place.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls, Rumple took a step closer to the cage he was being held in, one that kept him from having any use of his powers. This had all been part of the plan, he was exactly where he needed to be.
"Who go's there?" Asked one of the guards as a dark figure came out of the shadows.
"The curse is almost upon us" came a familiar voice, one that Rumple had been expecting, something that hadn't been part of the original plan but he'd managed to make a few changes. "Don't you want to spend your last moments alone with your family and friends?" the cloaked person asked again.
The two guards looked to one another, that did sound appealing and now one would know that they left the dark one alone unattended for the last moments before the curse hit, also it wouldn't matter if Rumple escaped there was nothing he could do. The guards nodded before moving away down the dungeon, intent to find their loved ones soon.
Now alone Rumple spoke to the women in the shadows "Come out into the light Dearie, I wish to see you" he informed them.
There came a light laugh before the women stepped out, dressed in her signature blue and gold floral cloak, she pushed back the hood to reveal her soft brown curls. She had many names from many different people, the dark one's whore, the lady of the dark castle just being some, but to him she was Belle, his beautiful wife.
"Belle" he almost squeaked his arms going through the spiky bars.
"Rumple" she spoke softly taking one his hands and kissing the palm of his scaly skin and then brought his hand to her cheek, both wanting to share a real kiss but new that it was impossible without Rumple giving up his powers which neither of them wanted.
"I brought her to see you one last time" Belle spoke after a moment, moving her cloak to show their three month old baby being held in Belle's other arm. She moved to place the child in her father's arms which were still through the bars
"Oh Rose" Rumple sighed, feeling his daughter once again in his arms, "She's gotten bigger since I saw her last" he admired the baby, his usual dark, soulless eyes melting into soft brown puddles as he looked at their child, at their product of true love.
"We've both missed you so much" Belle told him, it was true, he'd been in prison for the last one and a half months, since then the castle had been too large and empty, she felt like the other half of her was missing.
"And I've missed you too" Rumple nodded pressing a quick kiss to Rose's forehead. She was the perfect mix of her parents, soft brown curls of her mothers, her mother's grace but her father's browny golden eyes and his ears, something he'd giggled to himself about when Belle had noticed how similar his and the child ears where.
There came a loud crack in the air above them, "The curse is nearly upon us, is everything set up?" Rumple asked Belle, his voice hurried as was the scenario.
"Yes it is" Belle nodded, her blue eyes becoming watery as she thought about what she had to do.
"Everything will be okay" Rumple tried to assure her "I've seen the future, we'll be together again, she and Emma will save us" he added.
Rumple pressed another kiss to Rose's forehead "I love you, no matter what, be good like your mother, don't be consumed by darkness" he whispered in a hushed tone, secretly like a prayer.
He passed the baby carefully to Belle, "I love you my Belle" he told her.
"I love you Rumple" Belle took his hand and squeezed it tightly before letting go and disappearing with Rose into the darkness, using the few spells she'd learnt to transport herself and the child back to the Dark Castle, their home.
Once home Belle carried Rose through the house, up the winding staircase to where her nursery was. Belle had decorated the walls with hand painted roses against yellow, the crib had been painted the same yellow with one or two spindles with gold spun around it made by Rumple, the rose that Rumple had given Belle surprisingly still stood proud and tall in a vase by the large window that looked out on to the garden.
Now though in the corner there sat the second of two magical wardrobes, the other Emma would be put in as she was the saviour, Rose would help her come to Storybrooke, that was at least what Rumple had foretold to her.
Belle opened up the wardrobe doors and shakily placed Rose inside, she pressed a kiss to her baby's forehead then picked up a necklace that Rumple had made Belle, it was simple, a silver spinning wheel nestled on a golden chain that he'd made and told her it was enchanted with a spell to protect her and now Belle hoped that it would protect their daughter.
She put it carefully around the baby's neck before whispering "Always be Selfless brave and true, don't let anyone else decide your fate but you"
Belle took a breath to stop her heart from breaking "Your Mama and Papa will always love you Rose", the beauty then walked over to the never dying rose and put it beside the baby in the wardrobe before softly closing the doors, hoping to see her beautiful baby girl one day.
After a few moments Belle opened the wardrobe doors once again, she sighed with relief when she found no baby inside, "She made it" Belle almost laughed as she fell to her knees just as the large window behind her shattered into a million pieces and the curse ripped Belle from all that she knew.
28 years later…
Rose Spinner and Emma Swan had been best friends since they'd been found side by side one the edge of a motor way. Of course Emma had been adopted a couple of times but always ended back in foster care where Rose seemed to always stay.
When they'd become eighteen Emma had gone a little AWOL and ended up getting herself pregnant and in prison. After her short stint inside Rose had offered to let Emma live with her in the small but reasonably cheap apartment and of course the blond couldn't have said no.
Now almost ten years later Emma and Rose still lived in Boston, Emma was a bails bonds women meanwhile Rose was a cleaner or caretaker for different houses and often worked weird shifts.
The fact that neither of them knew much about their parents wasn't something they really spoke about, it wasn't that Rose didn't want to talk about it because she did, she really wanted to know who her parents, why she'd been left with nothing but a spinning wheel necklace witch she wore every day and a rose that would never die.
It was Emma, she never wanted to talk about how she felt about her parents and wanted even less to hear what Rose thought or how she felt. After twenty eight years it seemed that both women were content with never knowing where they came from.
She unlocked the front door of their small apartment and walked in "Hey Emma" Rose called carefully balancing the cupcake she'd gotten Emma for her birthday in one hand while trying to close the door behind her with the other "If you've brought a guy home again can you at least make sure he's dressed before you try to sneak him out of the apartment" she called, reminding her friend of what had happened the last time she'd had to work late.
Rose walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks, there was a ten year old standing in the small kitchen drinking juice straight from the bottle. "Hi" the ten year old gave her a toothy grin.
"Uh hi" Rose looked at Henry like she was going mad.
"I'm Henry" the little boy offered the older women his hand.
"I'm Rose" she shook his hand, "What are you doing here?" she asked in a low whisper.
"I'm here to see my mum" Henry explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And your mum is…." Rose trailed off, she was confused was this kid lost? He certainly wasn't her kid.
"Me apparently" Emma walked into the kitchen, her red leather jacket on, car keys in hand "I'm taking him back to…." The blond turned to face Henry "Where did you say you were from kid?"
"Storybrooke Maine" Henry grinned at both women.
"Maine, that's a long journey, why don't I go with you?" Rose suggested. She always wanted to go on an adventure, just like in a book.
"Cool, I can show you my book on the way" Henry said excitedly.
"I love books" Rose grinned. Her love for books was something that Emma couldn't understand. Rose had once gone to a twenty four hour store to buy the next instalment of a book at one in the morning. It seemed Rose owned more books than items of clothing.
"Fine but both of you have to sit in the back, I don't wanna hear you jabbering about books all the way to Maine" Emma all but growled before the small party of three walked out of the apartment and squished into Emma's yellow bug.