It was the middle of the afternoon, but since it was a weekday the streets were fairly empty. Nevertheless, Rose fiddled with the charm bracelet Mr. Gold had given her when she left the house. After her run in with Gaston, or Derek Moore, she wasn't completely comfortable going out on her own, but being trapped in one place again had driven her quickly stir-crazy.

Mr. Gold had invited her to come to the shop with him during the day, but Rose declined. It was hardly a matter of needing alone time: she felt guilty. Living in his home, eating his food, depending on him so completely; she was not going to be baggage that followed him wherever he went, even if she did feel safer, even happier when he was near.

Still, once he was gone it would descend on her almost before the door had closed: the feeling of being trapped. Gaston was out there. The Queen was out there. Maybe many people from her old kingdom as well. There was no telling what they would do to her now, no telling what they might try to do to Mr. Gold. Rose knew that he could take care of himself, but still had trouble linking the awesome power of the dark one to her now soft spoken gentleman.

The soft ticks of the grandfather clock grew in her awareness like thunderclaps, the containment setting her teeth on edge and clenching her fists. No escape. Nowhere to run. Completely alone.

Rose thought to use some of her old habits as a distraction, but Mr. Gold was not nearly so cooperative as he had been at dark castle. He'd come home from the shop to find her vigorously cleaning and nearly lost his temper.

"What do you think you are doing?" His tone was calm, calculated – dangerous.

His frustration had startled her. "I didn't break anything."

"You are NOT the maid. You are the lady of this house, and per the doctor's orders you are still recovering."

The way he said "lady of this house" had made her blush all the way to her hairline, but his aggravation made it difficult to respond. "There's so little I can do for you…"

"I beg to differ," he placed his cane in front of him as though giving an edict. "You can rest. You can heal. You can read. You can relax and enjoy my gifts like a proper princess."

The thought of being here alone, still and quiet made her fingers tremble. "I don't think I can do that. I've never been a proper princess, if you remember."

Usually her reminders of dark castle made him more amiable, but today he pressed on, "Bored already are you?"

"No!" she exclaimed, but as she did she dropped her dust cloth. Stooping to pick it up, she continued, "Well, not with you. I love being with you."

She had meant it honestly, and that at least seemed to diffuse him a bit. A small smile softened Gold's expression, and he stepped forward, taking the cloth from her fidgeting hands. "Then what is it?"

Sighing heavily, Rose searched for the right words. How to explain without sounding needy, or insane, or making him guilty for not spending every waking moment with her? Was there a way to do it and still be honest?

Biting her lip, she took her best shot, "It's just…hard now. Not being able to leave I mean. Knowing that you can't go out because they're all waiting out there…"

Gold's face was incredulous, "My dear, whatever made you think you couldn't leave?"

Unnerved by his obliviousness, her words tumbled out over one another despite the careful choosing. "Well how am I supposed to with Derek and Regina, and heaven knows who else I might run into? Not to mention the fact that if I did run into someone and have another episode they'd call an ambulance and cart me back to the mental ward. Sheriff Swann said herself she's out of options. But I can't just follow you around every minute like a desperate shut in. You've already done so much and I can't do one single thing in return and-"

With a light laugh, Mr. Gold placed a finger over her lips. She stopped the torrent of words but gave him a pointed look, challenging him to refute her.

He took a moment to grab her gaze with his own, taking his fingers from her lips to the side of her face. She still studied his eyes when she could, searched there often to make sure the same Rumplestiltskin was underneath. The golden brown was so different, but she was quickly taking a liking to it. He always was quite talented at finding ways to distract, that at least was the same.

Smile in place, he spoke gently, "You still don't believe I can protect you, do you?"

Rose cast her eyes down and studied the floor shamefaced. It wasn't that she underestimated him, it was that he underestimated her enemies. It was her own fault – she still hadn't told him everything, probably never would. Gold would either burden himself with it or give in to his anger, and Rose didn't want to be the one responsible for drawing out his dark side. But she hadn't thought her lack of trust was so obvious.

"I am more than happy to earn your faith. But with this particular dilemma, I may have a more ready solution."

Rose couldn't help it, she looked up at him hopefully. His smile widened as he made his way to the back room, her following a pace behind. This was where Gold kept new merchandise to appraise, determining what went to the shop, what went to auction, and what went straight to the bin. Rose gnawed her lip again as he swung the door open and stood still, taking it in.

After a moment he turned back to her, his face deadpan. "You've been busy today I see."

Rose tried to shrug it off, not wanted to annoy him further. "Just a little tidying, nothing much."

He looked back at his room and sighed, shaking his head lightly. "However am I supposed to find anything?"

She tossed a half-hearted glare at him, but a smile she couldn't contain undermined the effort. He wasn't angry, just teasing her. It took him only a moment to find what he was looking for among the neat, orderly, categorized and labeled rows of items. Snatching it off the jewelry tree, he'd turned and presented it to her with a flourish worthy of Rumplestiltskin.

Rose studied the little charm bracelet dangling from his fingers, unsure of what response she was meant to have. A single charm clung to the delicate gold cord: a set of drama masks. How would this help?

"I don't understand," she offered honestly.

"Of course not dearie, I haven't explained it to you." He touched the charm lightly with his index finger, and it shimmered purple before it faded back to its metallic luster. "This is an enchanted charm. One that will allow you to go anywhere you like without being recognized, not even by those who know you well."

The question jumped off her tongue before she even thought about it, "What about you?!"

Scoffing, he answered, "I can hardly fool myself with my own magic. I'd be exempt of course."

She tried to mask her relief. "But it will work on everyone else? Even Regina?"

Gold's eyes took on that dangerous gleam at the mention of her name, "Especially Regina. But mind, it is delicate magic. If you want someone to recognize you, all you have to say is, 'Do you remember me?' Once you've done this, that person will be immune to the charm from then on, so you must be sure."

A smile broke out on her face and she reached for the bracelet excitedly. He drew it back just out her grasp, making her look back at him questioningly.

"It appears I'm spoiling you already. This is not a gift. I expect something in return."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose smiled at him playfully, "What's it to be, oh powerful dark one? I don't have anything you haven't given me. You keep asking for favors and you'll destroy their market value."

With a flick of his wrist, he produced another charm, this one a small gold star. "This charm will allow me to find you, wherever you are. If you want the masks, you must wear this charm as well - whenever you leave the house." Gold's face was serious now as he extended his other hand to shake on the terms.

Rose studied him for a moment, as though considering. Really she was toying with him. She guessed correctly that he was worried his request would annoy her, and maybe someday it might. For today, it made her feel that much more secure – no one could take her where Gold couldn't find her again.

After a moment, she brushed his hand aside. His shoulders sagged and he took a deep breath, preparing to argue. Before he could, she closed the distance between them, planting a grateful kiss on his cheek. "It's a deal." To her great satisfaction, he had blushed just the tiniest bit.

The first few days Rose had only ventured out onto the grounds and down the sidewalk a little ways. The open space still made her nervous, but now that she knew she could leave, her anxiety was tremendously lessened.

Her first big trip was to her counseling session with Archie that week. She'd told Gold over dinner that she was going to ask if she could start looking for work. His enthusiastic reaction had both pleased her and concerned her at the same time. Maybe he was just looking forward to a little more time to himself…or maybe she was starting to bore him? Gold would have said she was being silly, but every now and again small things would make her think there was somewhere he wanted to be, something he wished he was doing. He was a busy man after all.

She refused to dwell on it, focusing instead on how nice it would be to have something different to tell him each day. Archie had scheduled her for Monday, a day when Gold's shop was closed. Though he was home, Gold knew it was important to Rose to be able to do this on her own. He'd seen her to the door, wished her luck, and told her he would see her in an hour.

Rose held tightly to her charm bracelet, trying to draw confidence from it as she made her way down the street. It was a cold day, and she wrapped her pale grey wool coat tightly around her to keep out the chill. As she got closer to town, other people started appearing on the street. Squaring off her shoulders, she marched past them, never making eye contact. She tried hard to believe in the charm, but she still found herself waiting to hear her name called out, the spotlight to land on her. She felt like a fugitive.

It was the last thing Rose had expected, to see a friendly face. But sure enough, wrapped up in her white coat with a beanie covering her black hair, Rose's friend from the clothing store made her way down the street. Rose almost called out to her, relieved to have an ally nearby, but quickly realized this was the perfect chance to test her new magic.

With great effort, Rose held her head high. As Snow passed, she looked up and offered a casual smile, but no trace of recognition dawned. They passed each other. Sighing in relief, Rose relaxed for the rest of the journey.

Once outside Archie's door, she slipped the bracelet from her wrist, tucking it securely inide her purse. She had barely entered hiss office before Pongo jumped up, nearly knocking her backward. Archie swatted his nose with a newspaper, but Rose just laughed and scratched the shamefaced pup behind the ears. Pongo was maybe the only person in the whole world who seemed to think she was durable; she would never dissuade him from his opinion.

Archie ushered her inside and Rose took her accustomed seat in the chair by the window. As always, he offered her something to eat or drink. Today, she accepted a glass of water. The minor progress was not lost on her counselor, but he didn't comment.

"So how are things going? Anything special you wanted to discuss this week?"

Rose took a deep breath and tried to cooperate. "Well, I've been incident free for two weeks now."

"Excellent." Archie nodded as he acknowledged the achievement, but didn't overemphasize the importance. The goal was not to "incident free", but rather to actually be well.

"And Mr. Gold is still being kind to me. I think he still worries that I'm fragile, and I still worry about being a burden," Rose continued with what was really on her mind, what she most wanted to ask about. "So I was thinking maybe I would start job hunting again this coming week."

Archie's eyebrows knit together. "I didn't realize you were looking for employment."

Rose nodded her head enthusiastically. "I know I'm not qualified for anything terribly prestigious, but I thought I could surely find something. I thought maybe I'd try at the restaurant first, see if they have any openings."

Archie took a sip of his coffee and then set it on the table. "I know Ruby who works up there. It's a lot of long hours, lots of people around all the time. She has to deal with some pushy types, but she loves it. It suits her. What attracted you to it? Have you ever worked waitstaff before?"

"No, not really. It just seemed like a good idea, a good place to start. What kind of pushy types?" Rose twisted her fingers in her lap, suspicious of his response.

"Well Ruby's a pretty girl, and some men do like to hit on waitresses, that kind of thing. Then there are customers who confuse waiters with servants, want everything now, now, now and scream if they don't get it. Nothing too out of the ordinary," he paused and considered for a moment, "I guess the hardest part for me would be being around so many people all the time. Don't get me wrong, I like people. I'm just more of a one-on-one, small group kind of guy. Public gets me a little rattled. But Ruby thrives on it. Very outgoing."

Rose sighed and slumped in her chair. "You don't think I could do it, do you?"

Archie shook his head, "I didn't say that. And you didn't ask my opinion. What made you think I didn't approve?"

"You're using Ruby as an example of a person who would like it and be good at it. I'm not like Ruby."

Archie raised his eyebrows at her quick catch. Rose could never tell whether she liked his 'psychological' side. "How so?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she admitted, "I'm not great at being around a lot of people."

"Why not?"

Clenching her fists and trying not to be irritable, she answered more sharply than she intended, "Because I go crazy and scare everyone and then they try to lock me up."

Archie sat still a moment, giving her a moment to think about what she'd said. "Rose, I wasn't trying to tell you what to think. I'm trying to gauge how you really feel. And you sound like you're not really all that confident yet. So why do you want to push yourself? Why right now? Is it a money issue?"

Utterly defeated, Rose only shook her head.

Archie smiled, "Don't lock me out just because you don't like my answer. We don't have to avoid an issue over a difference in opinion I hope. If this is a goal for you, I would like to help you get started. You just like to move faster than me most of the time."

Realizing that she must seem sulky, she straightened up and smiled back apologetically, "I know. Thank you for being patient with me. It's just that…I don't know if everyone will be so patient."

"Who's everyone?"

Rose gave him a pointed look. Archie leaned back with a chuckle. "Careful. A look like that could kill. All right, I'll read between the lines. You're worried that Mr. Gold might get fed up with taking care of you before you can actually get better. So you're understandably eager to have some concrete progress you can point to. Is that what you meant?"

She shook her head and laughed at his astuteness. "You know Archie, sometimes you make me feel terribly unsophisticated. It would have been enough for me that you knew I was talking about him."

Archie put one hand to his chest, his good-natured smile still in place. "My deepest apologies. I know this may come as a surprise, but I do have some experience in reading people."

"Imagine that."

"In all seriousness Rose…you are actually one of the more sophisticated people I've ever worked with. That's one of the reasons I keep slowing you down. I know it's frustrating, but your thoughts are so intricate. Pulling one string can affect a thousand different strands. I can't predict how those strands will change, I don't think anyone can. But the best I can do is to encourage you not to make a decision until you feel confident about it."

Knitting her eyebrows together, she answered hopelessly, "But that can take forever."

Archie laughed, "Not forever. Just far longer than you would like; far shorter than I would recommend."

Just then, Pongo jumped up again, putting his front paws in Rose's lap. Archie let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm going to stop bringing you if you can't control yourself."

Rose giggled and scratched him behind the ears again. "Don't you listen to that mean ol' grasshopper. You're perfect just the way you are. I'm happy to see you too."

"You're spoiling him you know."

Rose stuck her chin in the air, grinning mischievously, "Of course."

All of the sudden, Archie face lit up. "You know, that's not actually a bad idea." Rose cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Do you think you might like to have a pet of your own?"

Looking at Pongo in alarm, she replied at once, "I couldn't possibly take your dog!"

Archie laughed, "No no, not Pongo. You're welcome to visit him any time but I've gotten attached to the big goof. We do have an animal shelter/SPCA on the edge of Storybrooke, you could go there and find one that suits you."

Rose pondered this, trying to squelch the pigtailed girl inside who jumped up and down at the thought of a new furry friend. "Why do you suggest it?"

"Well think about it – a pet would require you to set up a routine, to be accountable. Also, they tend to be good therapy for those dealing with post trauma and they don't run out of patience. All in all, I think calm companion might be just the thing you need to get you on the road to more confidence, and eventually," he gave her a meaningful look to emphasize the word, "a job."

They had realized they'd gone over time when there was a knock at the door. Archie had apologized to both her and the family waiting outside, a father with his golden haired daughter and shy son, before Rose had taken her leave. Now she had the walk back home to consider the option he'd given her.

The truth was Rose would love a pet no matter what – and if it would please Archie, all the better. He couldn't have prescribed a better milestone towards her goal. It would be nice to have another heartbeat with her throughout the day. She did love Mr. Gold's company, but her feelings around him were sometimes a jittery jumble. It had been a long time since she'd had just a friend.

Rose stopped dead in her path as she realized…she would have to ask Gold. Just as quickly, despair settled on her. A pet? In Mr. Gold's house? With Mr. Gold's nice things? After everything he had already given her, how could she possibly ask for a pet?

Not only that, but any time an animal was adjusting to a new environment, there were bound to be "accidents". How did she suppose he would handle finding his expensive oriental rug soiled, or his expensive furniture chewed? How would his nice suits hold up to the onslaught of fur when the seasons changed? Or worse yet, what would he do if he found his magical items strewn across the floor, partially devoured?

Rose felt like throwing her hands up – asking for a pet was out of the question. Which meant Archie would be displeased, which meant no job, which meant Gold would get tired of her, which meant the end of everything. Why couldn't she just get well?

Taking a breath, she spoke to herself sternly, "You are being absolutely ridiculous. You will get well when you decide to get well. You knew it wouldn't be easy, and you knew you would have to make some hard choices. You will stay calm and think it through. You can do this."

Rose spotted a bench on the sidewalk and took a moment to sit down. She could hardly go back to Gold in this humor. She started listing off the facts in her head. The basic question was one of pleasing Archie or Mr. Gold. For now, that was obvious: she would not ask Mr. Gold for pet, not now anyway. The remaining problem was long term – the best way to please Mr. Gold moving forward was for her to get well. The best way to get well was to please Archie. It was a conundrum.

Absently, she fingered her charm bracelet. Was he watching? Could he use the bracelet to see her, or just know where she was? She should probably ask about that. He was so good at making deals, she always forgot to ask these things up front. She fervently hoped he didn't see her fuming on her bench.

Suddenly Rose remembered something – the last time she had felt this way. It was when her father had told her she should marry Gaston. She didn't know him yet, for all she knew he may have been her one true love, yet the news had left her frustrated, torn between who she should please.

That gave her resolve. If she had been stronger then, this whole mess might have been avoided. She wasn't exactly strong now, but virtues followed practice. If she wanted to get stronger, she had to start acting the part. For now, Mr. Gold and Archie could take a backseat. She didn't need their permission to make a decision. She would certainly consider them and their advice, but this was her life, her choice. And what she wanted was a job.

That realization made her feel better, but now she was left with what kind of job. Obviously she had limited qualifications in this place, so being a teacher or librarian was not an option. That being said, Archie was right about the waitressing job: it didn't suit her. The noise, the commotion, the people - it would be foolish to set herself up for failure when she was still shaky on her feet. She needed something low key, calm – just a part time job to get out of the house a bit at a place that wouldn't ask too many questions about her medical history.

That left her back on the bench, out of ideas, but not quite as deflated. There was no rush, after all. She could go home and do research on the businesses in Storybrooke. Maybe something would jump out.

Rose had just stood up to go when the best, most perfect idea hit her: what about the animal shelter? They tended to be low paying and short on funds, but money wasn't really the issue. She would be working with animals, setting up an accountable routine like Archie said, just sidestepping her way into a job. Even Gold would be proud of that negotiation. Also, Belle had grown up in a small farming village, so she had some experience with raising animals. If only they needed some help!

Rose pulled the small slip of paper out of her purse with the address Archie had given her. She wasn't sure how to get there, but Mr. Gold could point her in the right direction. But if everything worked out, wouldn't this be a perfect surprise?

Filled with excitement, she jumped up and went into the nearest business: "Granny's Bed and Breakfast". An older woman sat behind the counter, painstakingly arranging room keys on a board. She looked up with sharp eyes when the bell on the door rang.

"Excuse me," Rose began shyly, "but could you tell me how to get to this address?"