Here's the next chapter! Hope you like, this one really show's Rose's growth and guess whom comes back. Enjoy!
A few weeks had passed since Belle went to the hospital. Adam and Colette went to see her as much as possible, Rose was forbidden to go. Everyone was in agreement she was too young and would be too much for her to visit. On her and Belle's end. The little girl kept to herself for the first few days after mother was gone. Without her mommy, Rose didn't know how to not be afraid of her daddy, and the rest of the family, which is all she had now. No one she truly did know, and trust was there to talk her through it this time.
Before Adam went to bed every night, he would always check on Belle and Rose to make sure they were all right. Nothing changed, even with Belle away. Peeking into his daughter's bedroom looking to see if she was asleep. To his surprise, the little girl woke up at the sound of the door opening, relaxing again at the sight of her father. At least she was not completely petrified of him anymore. It was still way past her bedtime.
"Rose, what are you doing up sweetheart? It's very late."
"I can't sleep."
"Why not?" Rose didn't answer him. "Rose, you can tell me anything. I promise, you can trust me." Belle always advised not to push her, but he wouldn't be able handle weeks of her barley speaking without Belle. He needed to take his own approach.
"Mommy use to all say a poem to me before I went to bed. I cannot sleep without the poem." Adam's heart shattered at her answer. Seeing a child without a mother was painful. He watched his own son go through it, and hared to see his daughter next in line. Maybe he could think of another alternative.
"What was the poem?"
"Sleep Well."
Then his heart was instantly repaired again. Belle knew he use say that poem to Balefire when he was little, and occasionally older if he ever was nervous or could not sleep. Now hear was this poem being passed on his one child to the next, by his Belle.
"Well it just so happens, I know that poem myself as well." Adam told the girl.
"You do?" It perked Rose's spirits and interest making Adam chuckle.
"Yes. It's an old poem from Scotland, the place across the ocean I said I was from. I use to say that poem to your big brother when he was your age. That's how I believe your mother came up of saying the poem to you. She knew I said it to him." He wasn't sure how his daughter would respond to the next part of his sentence. "If you like, I would be happy to say the poem to you to help you fall asleep."
She thought about it for a second, her eyes looking up as if waiting for the answer to come down upon her. Rose replied, "Yes please."
It was the answer Adam wanted to have. He laid himself on the bed next to Rose, and almost in instinct she curled herself next to him. He had forgot what it felt to have child curled up next to him, looking to him for security and comfort. It hadn't been since his boy was that small. He put his arms around her little body, reciting the poem from his homeland.
"Sleep weel, my bairnie, sleep.
The lang, lang shadows creep,
The fairies play on the munelicht brae
An' the stars are on the deep.
The auld wife sits her lane
Ayont the cauld hearth-stane,
An' the win' comes doon wi' an eerie croon
To hush my bonny wean.
The bogie man's awa',
The dancers rise an fa'
An' the howlet's cry frae the bour-tree high
Comes through the mossy shaw.
Sleep weel, my bairnie, sleep.
The lang, lang shadows creep,
The fairies play on the munelicht brae
An' the stars are on the deep."
Rose was still awake when Adam finished the poem, her eyes were gradually beginning to close, falling a sleeping completely. It was different than her mommy said it, but still pretty, fulfilling its purpose. She looked backup at her daddy saying, "Thank you daddy."
He heard her say thank you for before, and aware she understood he was her daddy. This was but this was the first time Rose said thanks to him out loud, addressing him as daddy. She did it all on her own, without Belle even being there to help. He was proud of his daughter. Meaning more to him than she could possibly understand.
"You're welcome Rose. Now you get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her on the forehead leaving her for the evening.
Colette took Rose to the store with her one morning, bringing back ingredients for the two of them to make cupcakes. Wendy waited for them back home and joined in the activity.
"Wow, you're really good at that." Colette noticed her breaking up the eggs.
"I did it before in room." Said Rose.
"Hmm, you did? Wow." She knew she shouldn't be asking this, but Colette waited for so long, and felt Rose was comfortable enough to ask. "What else did you do there."
"Lots of stuff. Sometimes I miss it." Rose's voice grew melancholy thinking back to her first home. It was the first time she really told anyone that.
"Wasn't it awfully small?" Wendy chimed in asking her own questions now.
"Mm-hmm. It went every direction; all the way to the end. It was never finished; and mommy was always there." Her voice grew sad again. "But it was small in wardrobe."
"What did you do in wardrobe?" Wendy wondered.
"Sleep. When Gaston came." It was unnoticed to the child the look the women had thinking of Gaston, what Belle had to be put through because of that man; and the way Rose had to be shut away to keep safe from him. Admired though how Belle went the lengths she did to keep her daughter safe. "I want to see mommy."
"Yeah, I know sweetie. She's um… she just needs to be on her own for a little a while." Colette explained.
The girls, still focusing on their task until Adam came into the kitchen, noticed he was home. "Hello girls."
"Hi daddy." She went up giving him a small hug. "We're making cupcakes."
"I can see that." He laughed seeing the obvious. "Are you a good baker?"
"She's very good. Knows how crack the eggs and stir all by herself." Colette stated.
"Well that's amazing. Do you think you can take a break? I have a surprise for you and Neal is waiting for us there."
"What's the surprise?"
"Well you will have come with me to find out."
"We're still not done baking daddy."
"Rose you can go with your daddy. I can stay here and work on the cupcakes. They will be ready when you come back." Wendy offered.
"Can grandma come?" Asked Rose.
"That's up to her." Said Mr. Gold looking to Colette.
"Of course. I'd be happy to tag along." She smiled happy to receive the invitation.
The three of them then drove along, getting closer to the destination, Adam requested Rose close her eyes. Neal waited outside for them and when Rose opened her eyes, her mouth turned into a wide o shape, at the sign of a dog shelter.
"Am I getting a puppy?" Rose asked beginning to jump up and down.
"Not just any puppy, your dog Lucky, I believe he's in there somewhere." Adam told her.
"Which one is he?"
"Well that's for you to decided, he was in your imagination. Whichever puppy you believe is Lucky. It'll be him."
She jumped into her father's arms being picked up arms wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you daddy!" She joyfully said kissing him on the cheek.
It took about thirty minutes, looking through all the dogs in the shelter, when Rose took an interest in the Cairn terrier puppies, and picked the one she believed to be Lucky. Bringing her home Rose spent the entire night with the puppy, Adam went with them for a walk, Rose played fetch in the backyard with, and cuddled together until they both fell asleep in next each other on the couch.
A few days later, Rose had been doing some serious thinking recently and was ready to move forward with her idea. She knocked on the door to her father's studies, hearing him say she could come in.
"Hey Rose. Is everything alright?"
"Yes daddy. I just wanted to ask for the scissors."
"Okay, what for?"
"For cutting my hair."
Hearing those words made Adam really pay attention. In the amount of time Rose had been home, she never wanted anyone to touch her hair. She valued it so much, believing all her strength was kept in her lengthy hair.
"Do you really want to do that?"
"I want to send it to mommy."
Adam was getting confused. There were many reasons why someone would want to get their haircut, but to send to someone, he didn't understand. "How come?"
"She needs my strong more than me, so I want to send it to her." Rose told of her plan. "Or you could take it to her."
It touched Adam greatly to hear this from Rose. It was the sweetest thing, to try and give someone strength from themselves. If he could find a way to give Belle strength on his own he would have. Strength from their daughter would be the perfect thing to bring her home.
"I could help you, if you like?"
"Yes please."
"Okay, okay. Let's do this right. I have been wanting to cut that hair for a very long time." His daughter had no idea how long.
To keep Rose from getting scared, Adam asked Colette to go with him when they got her haircut. She sat on a horse, anticipating for the snipping of her hair.
"It's okay Rose, you don't need to be scared."
"Yeah, your father and I will be here the entire time and the hairdresser knows what he's doing."
"Absolutely. I have been doing this for years."
"Do you think this will work?" Rose asked her father and grandmother. "Can my strong be mommy's strong too?"
The child's query was legitimate expressing fear and uncertainty. Colette spoke first. "Of course we all help each other stay strong. You, your parents, me, your brother, we help each other through don't we?"
It made since the little girl and was in dismay how right her grandmother was. "I guess we do."
"Of course we do sweetheart." Adam talked next. "Everyone has their own strength, and they can be strong in a special way. When you stand together with people you care about, you can be even stronger."
Hearing her daddy's point as well, made the child even surer. "Yeah your right. Okay, I'm ready." The little girl told her hairdresser.
The stylist counted to three, cutting off the portion of her hair in a ponytail, showing it to Rose, then she felt behind her head, really sensing how much it was gone. He then styled it in shape and turned her into the mirror, showing what it looked like. Rose liked it, saying it made her look grownup.
To celebrate the new haircut, Adam and Colette took her out dinner inviting Neal and Wendy, expressing like in the new haircut as well. Followed by down the street for ice cream, and took Rose to her first movie meeting Emma, Regina, their husbands their kids, and Emma's parents at the theater. Rose whished her mommy could have been there to experience it with her, but it was still the best day she ever had.
Everyone was parting their separate ways; Neal and Wendy back to their apartment, they had talked with Adam earlier saying it was time for them go back. He understood, and would be getting the rest of there things in the morning. Colette would still stay with Adam, Emma's parents back to their loft, and Emma, Killian, Robin, Regina and the kids back to their homes. Rose wanted to say one thing before they left.
"I love you all, my family."
It was the first time she ever said that to them. No one knew when Rose would ever say it, or mean it when she did. It seemed longer than it was, but Rose was finally comfortable with them. She felt safe, and happy with her family. It was the biggest step forward anyone had seen with Rose.
The only response they could give her was. "We love you too Rose." Adam spoke and everyone followed his example saying they loved her as well.
Rose inside reading a book, when her father announced Roland and Liam were at the house to play. They went outside, pretending Lucky was imprisoned by Roland, and Liam and Rose had to rescue him. As they were fighting with the wooden swords, someone was watching through the window, unknown to the kids until someone knocked to get their attention.
It was Rose's mother Belle. She waved out to the kids, and Rose didn't know what think seeing her. She was back. her mommy was back! Without even thinking about it, she just ran up Belle, being picked up in the biggest hug she ever endured.
They sat up in Rose's for, using the bracelet making set, saying nothing for the first few minutes. What were they suppose to say? There time apart affected them both. What Belle did trying to leave this world when Rose still needed her was pained her daughter, and she missed weeks of her daughter growing. Both had learned a lot over being separated.
"I'm sorry Rose." It was the only thing Belle could think of say to her.
"It's okay. Just don't it again." Rose had understood her mother was sick and needed help. Belle needed her to know she couldn't let herself get that sick, sick to where she would do something like that again.
"I promise." Belle meant it. She wouldn't do it again. Belle wouldn't miss out any more of her child's life. She could always make it back for Rose.
"Are you better now?"
"Yeah I'm starting to be." It was going to be a while for Belle was truly back to her old self, if she would ever be back to her old self. The only thing she was sure of was she was taking steps in the right direction, all because of her rosebud. "Hey Rose. Want to show you something." Belle reached into her bag, pulling out a plastic bag with the chunk of Rose's hair in the ponytail she had cut off. "When your daddy and grandma brought this to me… I knew I could get better. You saved me, again." The whole irony was it was suppose to be the other way. That was what pained Belle, her daughter always saving her. It made tears come to her eyes, saying. "I'm not a good enough mommy."
"But your mommy."
Belle looked back up her daughter. Laughing at her comment. "I am." Rose nodded back. "I am." Rose was right. No parent ever feels they're good enough for their kid. It didn't matter, Belle didn't need to perfect; perfect did not exist. If it did the world would be grossly boring. She just needed be what she was. Rose's mom.
"I'm going to play with Roland and Liam. They're my friends. We're all playing with my dog Lucky."
Belle smiled and laughed again. She had friends. Two great friends, Belle couldn't have picked better. Rose got her dog Lucky like she always wanted. This was the life Belle always wanted Rose. "Okay." She ran her hands through Rose's new shorter hair, really liking the new haircut. Giving her one last hug before letting Rose go back out into the world.
Well this more so a light hearted chapter, but we did by far see Rose grow as well as Belle. Next chapter, well as famous writer T.S. Elliot said We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. You'll see what that means next chapter. Review, follow, and favorite!