Hey again, I'm not sure if people are actually enjoying the story or not as I've not yet had any reviews, but I'm very pleased with it, so I am going to keep uploading it anyway! Thank you if you've followed or favourited the story, it gives me some hope!

...

It was the usual routine on a normal day. Paige was home from school, sat at the table with her homework while Rose stood in the kitchen preparing dinner and Jefferson watched from his house, gaze set on the young girl as she frowned at the paper in front of her.

Then, with a magical gust of wind, it all changed.

The knife in Rose's hand fell to the floor with a loud clatter. She gasped as if the breath had been knocked out of her as memories came flooding in to her mind. In the dining room, Paige dropped her pen and grasped her head, tears springing to her eyes as she remembered her papa. She let out a loud cry of hurt and Rose rushed into the room to scoop the trembling child into her arms as she began to sob.

"Papa." She whimpered continuously as Rose rocked her.

Jefferson could only watch helplessly as his daughter was comforted by Rose, overwhelming guilt and fear freezing him to the spot. He wanted to run over and reveal himself, but the shame of leaving her held him in place. He was her papa, yet he was too afraid that she would hate him despite the fact he could see her lips forming his name. He didn't deserve her, and he knew that. 28 years he'd prayed for this moment, screamed for it until his voice was hoarse and his tear ducts dried up, yet now it was here, he couldn't bring himself to go to his daughter. He turned away from the telescope, leaving the house to get as far away as he could.

Rose held her daughter until she finally stilled, but didn't want to let her go, afraid she would run to find her father the moment she did. Now she had her memories, she knew exactly who 'papa' was and exactly who the girl she held was, but she couldn't let herself accept it, couldn't face losing the only family she had left.

"Are you okay sweetie?" she asked gently.

A tiny nod before Rose was forced to let her go. Those doe eyes she loved so much looked up at her, conflicting emotions shining in them. For a moment, they simply stared at each other as if they were strangers. Just as Rose's heart was about to break, a small pair of arm wrapped round her neck.

"Please don't leave me mama."

The simple request threatened to shatter her and she once more engulfed her daughter in an embrace. Her own tears finally began to fall as she hugged the slender trembling body. Eventually, she pulled away and brushed away the tears on the child's face, but she wouldn't look at her. Rose softly took her chin.

"Grace, look at me."

Grace looked up at her with surprise etched on her features.

"You know who I am?" she asked.

Rose smiled gently and nodded.

"I do. I lived in the same part of the forest as you and your papa. I know that he is Jefferson, and you are Grace."

Grace could see the sadness in Rose's eyes and reached up to touch a hand against her cheek.

"And you're my mama." She said with sincerity.

Rose kissed Grace's head and stroked her hair.

"And you, my sweet, darling girl, will always be my daughter. Whether you're Paige or Grace, you're mine."

…..

Later that evening, after Rose had been to speak with some of the other residents and Grace had looked briefly for her papa, the pair were curled up on one of their sofas. A warm blanket was draped over them and Grace had settled herself in Rose's lap. Her head rested on Roses' shoulder as Rose played with her soft hair. Truth be told, Rose was exhausted and could tell Grace was in the same condition.

"Mama?" Grace said, breaking Rose's thoughts.

"What is it sweetheart?" Rose asked.

"Who are you? I mean, back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Rose took a deep breath and held her daughter tighter. Her tale was not a pleasant one and she knew it would make Grace sad, but she also knew the soft hearted ten year-old needed to know, to understand just why she couldn't bare to lose her.

"I have to warn you, it's not a happy story. If it gets too sad, you have to tell me to stop."

Grace looked up at her mother with a warm smile and reached down to take her hand.

"It's okay mama. It doesn't matter how bad it was because you have me now."

Blinking back tears, Rose kissed her head and rested her cheek against the silky strands of hair.

"That I do sweetheart. Now, it all started before I was born…"

The Enchanted Forest, 25 years before the curse.

"You stupid woman! How many times did I tell you I did NOT want children!? I can barely afford to feed us, let alone a child!"

"I'm so sorry Dorian! I don't know how it was possible, I was so careful!"

Dorian sneered at his wife, loathing in his gaze.

"Is it even mine?" he asked, voice laced with venom.

She turned a betrayed gaze to him, horrified he could even ask her such a question.

"Dorian, you are my husband, the only man I have ever been with! I would never do such a thing!"

He growled, pushing her to one side as he reached for his cloak.

"I'm going to the town. Don't wait up for me."

Eliza did wait for him, but he didn't return that night, or the night after. Concerned, she walked to the neighbour's house to see if they had seen him. Clarisse would know. Her best friend knew everything and if she didn't, her ten-year-old son Jefferson would. The boy was a sharp as a knife, and Eliza knew it was likely to get him into trouble if he didn't learn to apply his mind properly.

"I'm so sorry Eliza, I haven't heard a thing about him. Have you spoken to the guards?"

Eliza shook her head no. quite honestly, she was too afraid of them to ask. However, by the end of the fifth night, she had no choice and walked to the guardhouse. From the expression on his face, she knew the news was bad and could only sink to the floor as they calmly informed her she no longer had a husband; he'd thrown himself from the bridge out of town in a drunken stupor.

It took almost a year, but eventually, they came for her and threw her out of her home because she couldn't afford to live there. She tried to beg and plead, stating that her five-month old daughter needed a home, but the guards had no time or patience for her. For a while, Clarisse and her husband Roland allowed her to stay with them, but Eliza knew it was only a short-term solution. Eliza found a job as a tavern wench, and quickly fell into a downward spiral that had her staying out all night with strange men, too exhausted in the day to take care of her daughter. Eventually, she was able to scrape enough money together to purchase a new house, but it meant moving into the forest and away from their friends. With only a few belongings, she said goodbye to her best friend, wished Jefferson all the best and left with her daughter in tow.

...

She grew up in a hovel, constantly beaten and abused by her mother and her nightly visitors. By the time she was thirteen, they'd turned their attention to her and though she avoided it for a year, she was eventually pinned down and used like her mother, who died two years later of a disease bought on from her life as a lady of the night. Afraid when the guards arrived to evict her as they had done her mother all those years ago, the fifteen year old ran deeper into the forest for shelter, stopping inside a cave deep within the darkness of the trees. Tired, scared and freezing, she huddled in the corner and fell into an uneasy sleep. She woke the next morning, the sunlight streaming into the entrance and a warm air blowing on her face. Her eyes opened and she bit back a scream as the bear standing over her peered down at her. She wanted to run, but knew it would catch her long before she could reach safety. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but suddenly the creature looked behind itself and grunted. Her eyes strayed over to see another bear entering , a fish in its mouth. The fish was dropped at her feet and nudged towards her. It was then she realised there was a warmth pressed against her side. She glanced over, seeing a small cub curled up against her. It was then she realised the small family was trying to help her.

A month passed when she started feeling sick. All day, every day it was the same and she was horror stricken when she realised exactly what it was causing the sudden illness. She'd never been so scared in her life and that night, she curled up against her family's side and cried herself to sleep. it was a blessing when she woke with severe pains a week later, the blood staining her dress confirming her hope. She was still heartbroken at the life she'd lost, but she knew there was no way she could have provided for the child. For a week, she mourned and every night, the smallest bear she simply called Cub, would curl up with her and lick at her tears as mama and papa bear gave each other worried glances.

Ten years passed with her bear family and she stayed with them as they moved from cave to cave, protecting them from hunters. She grew into a strong, beautiful woman with golden curls cascading down her back. She knew she was feisty and as the hunters found out, she had a mean temper to go with it. The last man unfortunate enough to attack Cub had found himself missing an ear and bleeding from a hole in his head by the time she was finished with him. She didn't miss civilian life all that much, even if there were times she missed conversations with other people.

They moved to a new part of the forest, close to the house she shared with her mother when she began seeing him. Vaguely, she recognised his deep blue eyes, but the memory was so fuzzy, she knew she must have been very young when she knew him. At first, he was with another woman, then for a while he was alone, until suddenly, a small child began walking with him, helping him pick mushrooms she had no doubt were sold at the market. She wanted to talk to them, but fear stopped her. Instead, she followed them to the market one afternoon, where she learned their names. Jefferson, the widowed mushroom seller and his little girl, Grace. When the day began to end, she made her way home, ready to tell her family about the trip, but what awaited her was something out of a horror story.

Stepping into the cave, she fought back the bile as her feet sloshed in something wet and slippery. When she eventually reached the bodies of the three bears who had so lovingly watched over and protected her all those years, she couldn't hold it back any longer. The contents of her stomach spilled out on the floor, her tears following. She ran out of the cave and through the forest, not realising she had strayed into the road until a grand carriage had to ground to a halt before it hit her. The horses startled and she bit back a scream. The door flung open and out stepped the most stunning woman she'd ever met. Everything about her screamed regal and she immediately straightened up.

"My dear girl, are you hurt?" the woman asked, seeing the blood staining her clothes a deep ruby red.

She was wary, the sincerity of the words not reaching the woman's eyes. In fact, there was a cruelty there that had her backing away until a large man walked over, a bloody axe in hand.

"The bears have been taken care of your majesty."

A wave of anguish washed over her and with an enraged scream, she launched herself at the woman, her hand connecting with a smooth cheek, leaving a bloodied hand print behind. The guards reacted quickly and roughly grabbed her.

"How dare you attack your queen!" one of them shouted.

Rage overwhelmed her, leaving her uncaring of the consequences as she spat out her words.

"She is no queen of mine and my family is dead because of her!" she cried out.

The queen calmly moved towards her, her eyes blazing with rage.

"What is your name, peasant?" she ground out.

She held her ground, holding her head high in a silent display of defiance.

"You will be executed either way. Now talk! What. Is. Your. Name?"

Her lip began trembling as fresh hot tears began to fall. Seeing the queen smirk made her jerk forward, a globule of spit landing in the face she wanted nothing more than to break.

"My name, murderer, is Goldilocks."

A sniffle broke Rose from her tale and she looked down to see Grace was silently crying against her, her shirt wet from the ten year-old's tears.

"Hey, hey, shush now. It's okay."

"I can't believe the queen did that to the bears when they were so loving!"

Touched by the compassion in her daughter's heart, Rose squeezed her tighter. The pain from her past was as bad as ever, but in some ways, she could cope now she had something so good to focus on. She knew that once Jefferson arrived he was likely to want Grace back, but Rose hoped she could persuade him to let her still be in Grace's life. If he said no, she didn't know what she would do.