Title: Rose-Red

Premise: This takes place sometime after Emma becomes sheriff and is set in the first season. Late one night she receives a phone call from the mayor who tells her that a teen is vandalizing her home, but it's not just any delinquent, it's the child Regina gave up many years ago.

Fairytale Land, 43 Years Prior to The Curse

"You know my mother was a redhead," King Leopold muttered ecstatically to one of the guards as he leaned over the basinet where a baby was swaddled in pink silk blanket with only her face peaking out of it. There was a tuff of red hair on her slightly reddish face, the doctors had reassured him that the reddish tint of her skin tone would fade in a couple of weeks. He also told him that the baby's mother would soon to grow out of the depression she'd seem to sink herself into but day by day, the queen was locked away in her bed chamber, and day by day his hope dwindled.

"She is a beautiful child your majesty just as beautiful as her sister." The guard said with a smile as he noticed the recently turned thirteen-year-old Snow White bound the stairs into the royal nursery. She smiled sweetly at the guard as she skipped towards the basinet, tenderly placing a kiss to the baby's forehead as she did every morning before she went to greet her father.

"How is Regina?" Snow inquired.

The king frowned slightly, "she is still the same. But I am hoping you and her daughter will help to mend the sadness she feels in her heart."

"I am sure father. We must have faith." Snow said smiling.

King Leopold wasn't quite sure what he did to deserve such a compassionate child but he knew he owed it to his late wife Eva's influence. She was truly the fairest of them all. She taught Snow well.

"Have you decided on a name?" Snow asked her eyes beaming.

King Leopold grinned, "you know that must not be announced until the royal concurrence before she is blessed by the gods of this land…..it is bad luck child…..," and he glanced a the guard who bowed his head and ducked out of the nursery, "but Rose-Red shall be the name of this child."

"Rose-Red?" Snow said, "because of her red hair?"

"Do you not like it?"

"I love it, it suits her."

Present Day, Storybrooke

"Hello?" Emma asked wearily on the phone trying to attempt to stop yawning.

It was well past midnight and she wasn't quite sure why she'd forced herself to stay in the police station. Storybrooke fell to slumber at ten o'clock almost as if there was some sort of unspoken curfew. Granny's diner closed, Mr. Gold's shop closed, the local supermarket and the veterinarian store. Small towns, she presumed.

"Sleeping on the job?" questioned a voice she knew all too well.

"Regina." Emma stated, "what do you want?"

"My house has been degraded by a delinquent….,"

Emma rested her face on her hand, "all right….I'll be right over to file a report-

"No I know who did it,"

"You saw them?"

"Well no."

"Then just your testimony is not going to suffice Regina….who do you think it was?"

"Her name is Rowan Harkin,"

Emma dug around the contents of her draw before coming across a pen and piece of paper before scribbling the name onto it. Rowan? It sounded as it could have been a last name rather than a first name.

"I'll be right over."

Fairytale Land, Fruit of a Poisonous Tree

The kingdom moved in a sluggish pace. Everyone from the high merchants to the lowly peasants of the far reaches of the kingdom hung their head in grievance for the loss of their beloved King Leopold. Hushed whispers told a story of a genie killing him with that of a poisonous snake but it was only a rumor. No one could confirm it. People cried out when they spoke of his poor daughters, Snow and Rosie, to have their father ripped away from them. To be left with the coldhearted woman they were forced to bow down and bestow as their queen.

Inside of the castle preparations were being made for the funeral. Grim faces were plastered onto every guard and every servant as they hurriedly went from chamber to chamber to check upon the princesses. In the smallest bed chamber located in the far northern tower, sat Rosie upon the edge of her bed, Snow sat behind her gently running a brush through her sister's tangles of reddish hair.

"You have so many knots," Snow sighed as the brush became caught and she had to tug forcefully on it to get it to move, she winced slightly when her sister let out an yelp of pain, "dear child how long has it been since you've brushed it?"

Rosie frowned drawing her eyebrows together as she pondered the question. She rested her head on her hand and placed her other hand on her chin and began to rub it.

"Oh yes I remember…..the night of daddy's birthday!" she proclaimed.

She had yet to be told of her father's death. The lie of King Leopold going out to the far reaches of the Kingdom had subdued her questions as to where her father had gone. She was blissfully ignorant of the grieving atmosphere of the castle. Snow made sure to keep to her own chamber when she wept. The last thing she had ever wanted was to see Rosie cry. It was always such a horrible sight to bear.

"That long?" Snow whispered.

"When is he coming back?" Rosie questioned.

Snow bite down on her lip. I will not cry she told herself. I will not cry. Tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes blurring her vision slightly as she forced a smile upon her face.

"Rosie, he isn't coming back," The child blinked incomprehensively at her.

"Why?"

Snow heaved in a deep breathe taking the brush out of her sister's hair and placing it on the bedside table. She took Rosie's shoulders and gently turned the girl so she was now facing her and she clasped her hands over one of her tiny ones. Rose stared bright eyed at her.

"Do you remember that filly we used to have in the stables?"

"Fawn?"

"Yes Fawn…..do you remember the day you went out to the stables and you found that Fawn wasn't moving at all?" she nodded, "daddy told you that Fawn had died? And we buried her out in the courtyard and said our goodbyes?"

"Yes but Snow what's Fawn got to do with Daddy?"

Snow sniffled and the tears began to dribble down her cheeks, "Daddy has died."

Storybrooke, Present Day-(Early Morning, Sheriff's Office)

Rowan Harkin was a pretty girl. Her short crimson colored hair was tussled into messy neat waves that came to just below her ears and her eyes a dark brown framed by long eyelashes were two glaring orbs sending daggers at Regina. How Regina was able to ignore the glaring eyes boring into her, it was beyond Emma.

"Miss. Harkin if convicted you can be in a lot of trouble."

Rowan rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat. She attempted at some decency as she tugged at the edge of her leather skirt which was slowly inching it's way up her ivory colored legs.

"Guess I'll just have my mother bail me out." She spat at Regina hoisting herself up.

"Mother?" Emma questioned raising an eyebrow at Regina's back and then at the girl.

She raised one of her eyebrows, "I'm surprised no one's blabbed it to you Ms. Swan…..seeing as the whole town was questioning why the mayor would adopt a child whilst giving her own up."

Regina turned at this moment. A blank expression plastered onto her face, "I do not have to explain myself to you," she said through clenched teeth, "you have a good home. A loving family, what do you see in me?"

"You're mymother!" Rowan cried.

At that moment a dark haired plump woman came running into the sheriff's office. She sighed in relief upon the sight of Rowan.

"Thank you for finding her Officer Swan….Dale and I have been worried all night," the woman said as she marched towards Rowan placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. She flinched away as if the woman had burnt her.

"Uhm she was caught vandalizing Miss. Mill's home she's not free to go just-

"I'm not pressing charges."

"Thank you Madam Mayor….," the woman replied curtly before clasping her pudgy hands onto Rowan's and pulling the girl up, "c'mon you're coming home now."

Just as Rowan was nearly out of the office she called over her shoulder, "yes thanks Mom!"

The door slammed shut leaving Emma and Regina alone again. The silence was thick and tense as the pair stood there. Emma wasn't really quite sure what to say or do. Regina took her coat off the deputy's desk and shrugged it over her shoulders not carrying for the buttons and such. A indifferent mask was on her dark features. She walked out of the office not saying a word to Emma.

Mary-Margaret's Apartment

"Rowan has always been troubled," Mary-Margaret said, "rebellious and refusal of listening to any kind of authority," she took a very long sip of her hot coco, "Millie and Dale own the supermarket. Sweet people, and very loving parents. They tried their very best to keep the whispers away from her but it's a small town and gossip travels fast. And kids aren't always the best at keeping secrets and she found out. At first everything seemed to be okay for her. But then Regina adopted Henry and she's spent every year since finding ways to make life difficult for Regina and for Henry-

"Henry?!" Emma questioned.

Mary-Margaret blinked slightly, "she was the one who told Henry he was adopted….and I think she may have been the one to ignite his thinking in believing that Regina was evil even before Henry thought her to be the Evil Queen," Mary-Margaret sighed, "she's a good kid. Just confused. And hurt. She feels as though she wasn't good enough for Regina that she was given away because she didn't warrant enough love from her."

"Who is she in Henry's book?" Emma inquired a bitterness to her tone.

"Rose-Red," Mary-Margaret answered, "the daughter of the Evil Queen and Snow White's sister….well half-sister."

"A huh."

A/N: So what do you think? Please review. I only own Rowan Harkin. Just so you know both Rowan and Harkin mean red I kind of thought it was a play on words, Rose-Red, Rowan Harkin.