I must say, that, by this point, travelg has given me so many ideas and advice that I have to give credit where it is due. :) Thanks for all the great ideas. ;) -Andi
Rose:
It only took three days for her to sneak out again.
And when she did, she knew it wasn't going to be good. She could feel that something was wrong.
And when she arrived at the docks, her suspicions were confirmed.
They were gone.
They'd left her.
She was alone again.
Inside of her, a fury coiled. No! They were supposed to take her with them! She was supposed to help them break this curse Henry told her about! She was supposed to find her Mama and Papa, and her little sister Lacey. She was!
And she would. She didn't care. This was the final straw. She couldn't handle all the betrayal. She was going to find her family.
She headed back to the apartment quickly, knowing she had to pack a bag. She was so wound in her thoughts that she ran into someone. A girl.
Alice. From the mental asylum.
Alice smiled hesitantly at her.
"Thank you. For the heads up," Alice said quietly before turning down an alley.
"Wait!" Rose called. She hurried behind the girl, watching as a rabbit appeared out of nowhere.
"Where are you going?" Rose called out. She couldn't feel anything. Except a sense that told her to turn around and run. Alice spun around, eyes wide that the girl was still following her. A man appeared out of nowhere as well.
"Alice! We have to go!" he urged.
"We're going to Wonderland," Alice told Rose quietly.
Rose's eyes widened. And despite the bad feeling that was rising inside of her, Rose leapt after them.
"Take me with you," Rose begged. Alice hesitated.
"We can't," she said, glancing up at the man. The man nodded. Rose shook her head.
"I have magic! Take me with you! Please!" she begged.
"We're late," the rabbit urged. Rose held back her shock. Alice shook her head and jumped through the portal. As did the man and the rabbit.
And Rose.
Lacey:
She snuck back in her room before Mal even realized she was gone. Thank God. Lacey didn't think she could handle any more of Mal's meanness at the moment.
She'd found her mother.
She didn't care what Emma said to discourage her. It was her mother. It had to be. Graham saw it. Why didn't Emma?
Lacey wouldn't tell her, but Emma's opinion really mattered to her. She'd spent years with no motherly influence in that group home, and Emma was the first woman to actually pay her any attention. Then, when she came here to Storybrooke, she'd lost that. Mal didn't want her. Mal didn't want a child. Mal didn't like her. Mal liked the idea of having a child. That's all Lacey was to her.
An idea.
That cut. It really did. And now Lacey knew. Belle was her mother. Belle could be her mother.
But would Belle be her mother? Would Belle treat her like a mother ought to? Or would Belle be just like Mal?
Belle couldn't be like Mal. She just couldn't be. Lacey didn't understand why Belle was disliked by people. Belle seemed nice. Belle even helped her break into an ice cream shop! That's more than nice!
And she was getting Belle together with Mr. Gold.
Mr. Gold.
Lacey didn't know what to think of him. She really didn't. Belle had mistaken her for his daughter when Lacey had first met Belle. And then Graham had as well. Maybe there was something there.
But the book didn't mention children. At all. The book mentioned Rumplestiltskin having a son he lost, long ago. It mentioned Belle and Rumplestiltskin falling in love and Rumplestiltskin casting Belle out.
What had to happen for Belle to have a baby? Could Belle have had her? Lacey needed to look up more on the matter soon.
Maybe Belle did have Lacey. But what of Rose? And Bae? Or Neal? Lacey was confused when it came to her older brother. Half the people called him Neal, but she knew he was Bae. That's what Rose always insisted on her calling him. Bae. And his name was Bae in the storybook.
Maybe the storybook got things a bit wrong.
"Lacey! I've got a council meeting. I don't have time to prepare supper. There's money on the table. Run straight there, eat, and come straight back," Mal called from downstairs. Lacey's heart sank at the words.
Sure, she hated Mal. Sure, she wanted to go to Granny's and hang out with all the cool people there.
But at the same time, she yearned for Mal to spend time with her. Mal was her parent, according to all the papers Mal said she signed. And Lacey wished for a parent's love.
Maybe, if Mal had acted like a mother to her, Lacey wouldn't be so desperate to find her real parents.
She shouted downstairs an ok. The door closed. Mal was gone. No hugs. No kisses. Lacey had even tried calling Mal Mom sometimes, but it just always felt so wrong. She'd tried it again the other day, at the Sheriff's station, but it felt worse than it usually did, to say it in front of Belle.
She grabbed the book, ready to head to the diner even though it was only around three in the afternoon. Ruby would let her hang out there, she was sure. And she had a lot of thinking to do.
Lacey grabbed the money off the table, taking off out the door as soon as she slipped her shoes back on. Her jacket was still upstairs, but she didn't feel like running up and getting it. It wasn't too terribly chilly outside.
She thought.
She arrived at the diner shivering. She slid into a booth, pulling the book out. Was it possible that something was wrong with the book? That it wasn't accurate?
No. It had to be accurate. She knew it was. Mary Margaret had given it to her at the beginning of the school year, and Lacey had immediately recognized people she knew from the drawings. And it made so much sense.
But at the same time, it didn't. Regina wasn't evil. But whenever Lacey had confronted her, Lacey had realized that Regina thought she was. Regina was cursed too, but she didn't know it. Regina's curse was that she thought she was the one to cast the curse, and had to remember it. Because if Regina had cast the curse, Lacey was sure she would have been living with Regina instead of Mal.
She almost wished that were the case. Regina was lonely, and seemed like she would make a good mother. Mal wasn't lonely, nor did she really care much about…well, anyone.
"You seem rather focused on that book. What is it?" a voice asked. Lacey's head jerked up to see the stranger from earlier. There was a boy with him. A boy who looked maybe two years older than her. He beamed at her. And slid into the booth next to her.
"Hi! I'm Henry! My friend and I just got to town!" he said with a large grin. The stranger slid into the booth across from her, eyes scanning her opened book quickly.
"I'm Lacey. I've lived here the last five years with my adopted mother, the mayor," Lacey told him. The boy's eyes widened even more.
"We're going to be the best of friends!" Henry promised.
"Why did you come to town? No one ever comes here," Lacey asked, knowing in her mind that the question sounded rather rude, but she couldn't help it. She was dying to know. Henry looked up at the stranger, his eyes sparkling.
"August said my birth mother was here," Henry said, his voice low. Lacey's eyes widened. She glanced Henry over, trying to think. Who did he resemble? Was there someone in town he looked like? Who would have had a baby and given him up?
"Do you have any information on her?" Lacey asked. Henry nodded eagerly. He glanced at the man he had called August. August nodded slightly.
"Her name's Regina Mills," Henry whispered.
Glass shattered behind them. Lacey spun in her seat. Sure enough, Regina Mills had been at the booth getting food to go. She had just picked up a glass of water, Lacey assumed, when she heard Henry's not so quiet whisper. Regina spun around, eyes wide.
At the sight of him, her eyes only widened even more and she took off running.
"Regina doesn't have any children," Lacey said quietly.
"Yes she does! She's my mom!" Henry protested. Lacey shook her head.
"She doesn't have a husband. And Mal says she can't have kids," Lacey said, but she wasn't so sure. The boy did resemble Regina, she had to admit.
She had a second mission. She was going to unite Henry and Regina.
But first, she had to get her mother.
August:
Shit. She had the wrong book.
August was so blown away by that fact that he allowed Henry to tell Lacey his birth mother's name. It was part of the plan, but not that early on.
Therefore, it was really bad when she just so happened to overhear it.
But all of that paled in comparison. She had the wrong book.
He had spent ages typing the story, getting it just right, making sure he had all the facts. Everything was accurate in the story. And it told how to break the curse. But from the one page he saw, he could tell someone had screwed with the book. Redid it. Replaced it with a different copy.
Something had happened. The plan hadn't gone as it must've. Belle had told him the entire plan. But this wasn't it.
Maleficent.
It had to have to do with her. He had scoped out the town ahead of time. Mal was the mayor. He didn't think she was supposed to be, but he only had slight memories to go by.
She must've intercepted the package. She must've found the book, redid it, and planted it. So everything Lacey believed about the curse would benefit her. This wasn't good. Not at all.
He had to start working on a second copy of the original. If he could even remember the entire thing.
Wait.
He didn't have to.
He had had two copies made. The first he had shipped off to Storybrooke, to the school, where he figured Snow White would give it to Lacey when she got to Snow White's grade. The other, he'd hidden in Rose's room. For Rose to have a copy of.
He assumed she'd never found it. After all, if she had, she would've known much more than what she knew.
He had to go back to Manhattan and get the book from Bae's apartment. And plant it with Lacey. She was the key to breaking this curse. And until that happened, Rose couldn't come here. If she came there, it would alert Maleficent that something was up. And they weren't about to do that. Mal, if everything worked, couldn't be alerted to what was going on.
"Henry, I need to run back to Manhattan. Do you want to stay here?" August asked. Henry nodded enthusiastically.
"But who will I stay with?" Henry asked. Lacey looked excited.
"I know who he can stay with!" she said excitedly. She lurched to her feet, one arm holding the book and the other hand dragging Henry behind her. August followed her as she scampered into a Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. Mr. Gold? Huh.
Funny, considering Bae had given them the last name of Gold. It was also funny that Lacey's hair was just like Rose's. He wondered how many people knew of that. And he wondered if Lacey had any magic like her sister did.
The door was shoved open. Inside, August was assaulted by the sight of Belle arguing with Rumplestiltskin. Belle looked exactly like she had to him when he was a boy. Rumplestiltskin looked…different, he guessed. The man had a cane.
And both were shouting.
Belle was in man's clothing. Rumplestiltskin was holding up girls clothing.
"You will not work for me wearing that!" the man, who August was sure was the Mr. Gold who owned the pawn shop, shouted.
"I will wear whatever the HELL I want to wear," Belle shot back angrily.
"But I liked your other clothes," Lacey piped up. Causing both adults to turn around, slightly shamefaced. Until they noticed the strangers. Belle's whole demeanor shifted. Mr. Gold's did as well, but his was to intimidate, and hers was to welcome.
"Belle! Can you do me a favor?" she asked excitedly. Henry's eyes were wide. He hadn't schooled his reactions yet, it appeared. August pinched him slightly, causing him to lose the shocked expression and replace it with a curious expression.
"What do you need, kid?" Belle asked, throwing the clothes Mr. Gold had thrust into her hands back at him before making her way to them. She bent down so she was eye level with Lacey.
"This is my new friend, Henry. His uncle and him just got to town," Lacey said. Uncle? What the hell? But it was better than just saying friend.
"His uncle August has to leave town to go back to get something," Lacey continued. August took that as his cue to start talking.
"I rode a motorcycle here with him. I shouldn't be gone more than two, three days tops. I can't leave him alone at the inn, and he doesn't want to ride back and forth if he doesn't have to," August explained smoothly. Belle's eyebrows lifted. She stood, leaning against the counter.
"And you would what? Leave him alone with a stranger?" Belle asked. August shrugged.
"Who said you were a stranger?" he said conversationally. But his glance at Mr. Gold threw him.
Mr. Gold recognized Henry. That much was obvious. But he was trying to figure out just who he was. Was it that hard? Whatever. Mr. Gold remembered. That was what he could tell.
"I could keep the boy," Mr. Gold remarked offhandedly. August recognized it. Mr. Gold wanted to know what had been going on.
And Henry would automatically slip up and share about Rose. He really needed to tell the boy to keep that a secret. And with Mr. Gold, he wouldn't.
"Mr. Gold, I've been inside of your house. It is not suitable for a kid. He can stay with me," Belle announced. Mr. Gold shot her an annoyed glare.
"Dearie, you only made it as far as the living room. The upstairs is in better condition. Of that, I assure you," he said.
"I don't care. I have the room for him and my apartment is much better suited for a kid," Belle said.
"I'm sure it is," Mr. Gold retorted. Belle's whole expression shifted at that moment. She spun around fiercely, stomping over to him until she was right in his face.
"You know absolutely nothing about me, Mr. Gold! I am not a prostitute, despite what you seem to think! You have no right degrading me every chance you get. I do not appreciate it, and will not deal with it. The next time you say something like that to, I'll beat you with your own blasted cane!" Belle shouted at him, furious. Mr. Gold looked momentarily shocked but smoothed it away quickly. Lacey looked awe-inspired.
"I must say, Miss French, that you are the first person to ever make that threat," he said. Belle huffed, obviously not pleased.
"Henry, darling, I'm sure your uncle wants to leave as soon as possible. If you could gather your things and meet me here in an hour? August, I'm afraid I don't have a cell phone. If you could leave your cell phone number with me, I'll keep a copy of it with me and I'll have the Sheriff also keep it. I would look up the sheriff's number though. So you can call him if you need to get ahold of me," Belle said.
August was momentarily lost.
"The Sheriff?" August asked. Belle nodded with a sly smile.
"Yeah. I spend a good deal of time at the station under threat of prostitution. Lacey's mother isn't all that fond of me," Belle said.
"No. I'd assume she wasn't," August mused, ignoring the pointed look Mr. Gold gave him.
"We'll meet you back here," August finally said.
He waited until they were back at the room to talk to Henry. And when they were, he made sure the door was locked.
"Henry, you can't tell Mr. Gold, Belle, or Lacey about Rose and Bae. In fact, don't tell anyone," August commanded. Henry looked confused.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because it would just confuse things. We need to focus on getting this curse broken. Once the curse is broken, we'll mention Rose," August said. Henry frowned but nodded in agreement, albeit it being a reluctant agreement.
And to think. That was the easy part.
When he finally arrived back in Manhattan, he went straight to Bae's apartment. It was midday; he figured Rose would be at school and Bae at work.
He was wrong.
He was halfway through picking the lock when the door swung open. Shit. Bae was standing there, eyes wide, furious when they landed on August.
"What the hell are you doing here? Where is she?" Bae shouted. August was confused. How did he know about Lacey being where he was?
"Excuse me?" August asked smoothly.
"My sister. Rose. You took her, didn't you?" Bae asked. August drew blank.
"Rose?" August asked dumbly. Bae grabbed his arm roughly and shoved him inside the apartment.
"Yes. Rose. My sister. The only one I have left. Where is she?" Bae repeated, furious.
"I didn't take Rose. We took off. All of us. She isn't with any of us," August said. And he knew it was true. Hook and Milah left before he did. The day Bae came to them. And August left a day or so later.
But if that was the case, where was Rose?
Bae's cell phone began to ring loudly. Bae cursed and opened it.
"Yes honey?" he said automatically. His face started to lose color.
"No, when I saw her she was her usual self. I made sure she was locked up good before I left," Bae said into the phone. He nodded a few times before a rushed goodbye.
"Shit. She mentioned a rabbit. And….shit. Shit," Bae cursed, pacing the room anxiously.
"Where's Rose?" August tried. It seemed like Bae had deduced her location.
"I don't know. She snuck out. I thought she's left with you. But….Wendy says Alice escaped the mental asylum…a hole was blown through the wall….if Rose saw Alice, she could've followed her…"
"Followed her where? Who's Alice?" August tried. Bae looked up, appearing completely torn apart.
"Alice. Of Wonderland. She was locked up for believing it was all true. And now she's gone…security cameras had a bunny appear from nowhere along with a man. And take her out. They could've taken Rose to Wonderland…" Bae moaned.
"Wonderland?" August asked.
"Isn't there magic in Wonderland?" August asked quickly. Bae glanced up, confused.
"I don't know. I know nothing of Wonderland. I didn't even know it existed…but it shouldn't surprise me…" he drifted off.
"No. It shouldn't. Henry? He's been in Neverland for the last eight years," August said. This tore Bae's haunted gaze upward.
"And how was it?" Bae asked.
"Horrible. Nothing like the stories," August confirmed, watching the horror grow.
"If Neverland is nothing like the stories, what would Wonderland be like? Wonderland never had the best story attached to it. I can't imagine how awful it would be," Bae said.
"In this story you speak of. Was there magic in Wonderland?" August persisted.
"I think so. Maybe. Why?" Bae asked, confused and distraught.
"Because Rose? She has a lot of magic. Magic she can't completely harness. Imagine what'll happen if those powers grow suddenly," August said.
"Magic? There is no magic here though," Bae argued. August let out a humorless laugh.
"No. There ought not be any. But Rose? She still has some. Her magic was so powerful that some of it carried over," August said.
And Bae's face paled.
"Is that how she always knew when I would be back? Where I was? Everything?" Bae asked, but August could see the realization in his eyes even as he was naming each thing.
"We have to get her back!" Bae all but shouted. August quickly pushed him back down on the couch.
"Calm down. We can't. Not yet. First, we have to break a curse," August said. Bae's head shot up.
"Not the curse talk again," he all but moaned. August shook his head.
"Look. Once the curse is broken, they will help you get Rose back. She can handle herself," August said soothingly.
Only after Bae was calm did he start getting suspicious.
"Why are you here, then, if you don't know anything about Rose?" Bae asked. August walked down the hall to where he knew Rose's room was.
It was still there, under an obviously loose floorboard in her closet. August sighed. She hadn't explored like he had thought she would.
He dusted the book off, flipping through the pages. It was all there. The correct story.
"What's that? And why is it in Rose's room?" Bae asked.
"It's a book I wrote. Your story. And how the story continued. I had a copy of it sent to the cursed town, but it was tampered with. I need it to get the ball rolling to have the curse broken," August explained.
"How the story continues?" Bae asked. It was the only warning August got before Bae had lunged at him, pulling the book from his startled arms. He started flipping through it, stopping when it landed on the page with a picture of him and his siblings falling through the hole. He sat down, book locked in his arms.
August was torn between struggling to get the book back before any damage was done and letting him just read it. The decision was made for him when Bae turned the page. Too far to stop.
August sighed, sinking down into a chair as he watched Bae devour the rest of the story. It didn't take long. When he was finished, he closed the book, looking up.
"They were trying to find us?" Bae asked hesitantly. August nodded.
"All the time," he admitted.
"Who are you? You're from our world. I know that much. But I have next to no memories of that world," Bae explained.
"Neither did Emma, when she came through," August said.
It was the wrong thing to say.
Bae's face paled. He started flipping back through the book. August dove for it but missed.
"I knew Emma. God. I knew I knew her. I knew it! And you convinced me to leave her!" Bae choked. August shook his head.
"Her and Henry are vital to breaking the curse. That's all I was given," August said. Bae's head shot up.
"You're Pinocchio," he said flatly. He shook his head, laughing bitterly.
"I let go the best thing that happened in my life, outside of my siblings, because Pinocchio told me to?" he asked, more to himself than to August. Then his eyes focused back in on August.
"And because of that, I lost Lacey too. Did you have something to do with that?" he asked angrily. August shook his head vehemently.
But he did.
But he wasn't about to tell Bae that. That would not have been a wise decision.
"I've got to go. I have to get back. If you try following me, you will screw it up. The curse didn't go as planned. Maleficent altered it. And if you so much as step foot in town, you or Rose, it'll never be broken. And you'll never see Lacey again," August promised.
Bae looked completely broken.
"Fine. But I want to know the moment the curse is broken. And I'll be damned if you do not talk to my worthless father and MAKE him bring Rose back the instant he has his memories," Bae threatened.
"I'll tell him and make him the moment the curse is broken," August amended discreetly, hoping the worked up Bae wouldn't notice.
He didn't.
"God. I have to report her missing. And Wendy? What the hell am I going to tell Wendy?" Bae was murmuring to himself. August took the book back gently and headed out of the apartment.
He had one more stop to make before heading back to Storybrooke.
Belle:
As soon as she could get away from Mr. Gold, cash in hand, she ran Henry to the diner with her. It was late, much past supper time, but she figured the boy was hungry.
She was still in Graham's clothes, which turned out to be perfect. In the diner was Mal. Yelling at Lacey, who was eating while trying to ignore her mother. Belle sighed, pulling Henry to the bar.
"Can we get some food still?" Belle asked Ruby. Ruby smiled and nodded at her, taking Henry's order cheerfully.
"You! Are you the reason Lacey's just now eating?" Mal had directed her anger to Belle. As usual. Belle turned slowly on the seat, regarding Mal. Mal's eyes were instantly taking in Graham's clothing on her. And the eyes narrowed.
"Why, Madame Mayor, I've been working for Mr. Gold since I got out of jail. Haven't even seen Lacey in…awhile. Henry here's a witness," Belle said, gesturing towards Henry. Henry didn't look happy to be meeting Mal. He regarded her as if she were something vile that a cat had thrown up.
"She was with me," Henry confirmed before going back to the soda Ruby had just given him. Mal didn't look happy to see him.
"Just where did you come from?" Mal asked maliciously.
"Probably my mother and father. But who knows?" Henry said absently. Mal momentarily looked blindsided.
"Excuse me?" Mal said. Belle noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Ruby was cleaning the same portion of counter rather intently. She was listening in too.
"Well, from what I've been told, when a mommy and daddy love each other they share a bed and nine months later, a baby is born. So I guess I came from a mommy and a daddy. And a bed," Henry said. To say that Mal looked startled was an understatement. Lacey looked positively curious. It appeared that Mal hadn't given her the birds and the bees talk yet.
"Do you need more details? I was told that was the basic, but my uncle told me that it also involves something called sex and that's when…" Henry stopped when Belle's hand covered his mouth. As much as she would LOVE to see Mal's face when a twelve year old tried explaining sex to her, she didn't want Lacey to learn that way.
But Belle figured she would be learning real fast, if the curious look on her face was something to judge by.
"Henry, that's not polite to talk about," Belle chided him. Mal seemed to be getting her wit back.
"Why is that, I wonder, Miss French? After all, of all people you should be the one the most open regarding sex," Mal said lowly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Belle asked, releasing her hand over Henry's mouth. She glanced over at Lacey, who looked both intrigued and worried. Mal noticed her look and laughed.
"Miss French, I would appreciate it if you would stay away from my daughter. Lacey, darling, Miss French does a lot of bad things with all the men in town. For money," Mal told Lacey.
"Making babies is bad?" Lacey asked, tilting her head sideways.
"It is if you're not married. And Miss French is not married. And she tries it with a lot of people," Mal told the girl.
"I do not!" Belle retorted sharply. Mal waved her off.
"Everyone has to lose their heroes sometime, Miss French. Now come on, Lacey. It's time to go home," Mal said as she drug a confused Lacey after her.
"Are you really the town slut?" Henry asked, his voice louder than Belle would have preferred. A snort was heard on Henry's other side. Belle glanced up. Leroy. The town drunk.
"You got that right," Leroy muttered into his drink.
"Don't worry. It's the curse. You're not really a slut," Henry reassured her. Leroy choked on his drink next to him.
"Henry, let's just eat and get back to the house, okay?" Belle asked him, uncomfortable. Granny chose that moment to come out with Henry's food. She sat it down in front of Henry.
"Where's the man you came to town with? You two left but didn't bother checking out," Granny said suspiciously.
"He had to go home and get a few things. He'll be back," Henry promised. Granny's eyes fell on Belle.
"Is he your son?" Granny asked, almost rudely.
"I'm twelve!" Henry protested. Still Granny watched Belle.
"No. I'm only twenty-two," Belle tried.
"Still. You showed up from nowhere, four years ago. How are we supposed to know where you came from? Especially with your current…occupation," Granny said disdainfully. Belle felt furious at the accusations, but she also felt Henry's eyes on her.
She shoved the fury down, burying it.
"Mrs. Lucas, I apologize. I do have a past, but it does not involve any children. As far as I know, I do not have any children," Belle said.
That was the wrong thing to say.
"As far as you know?" Granny zeroed in on those words.
"I have a touch of amnesia. Lost quite a few years of my life to it," Belle said, trying to keep it sounding light. No one in town knew about that. Except her father. And she didn't speak to him anymore.
Granny took her words and left her alone. Henry ate his food in silence, doing so quickly, much to Belle's delight.
She even had to carry Henry half of the way back to the apartment when he got so sleepy he was stumbling. And the boy was heavy. Especially on Belle's now weak ankle.
Still, somehow she got him up the stairs and into her apartment.
She was lying when she told Gold her apartment was more kid friendly. There was one bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen attached to the living room. She tucked Henry into her bed, neatening up the room quickly as she did. She changed her own clothes and dropped the boy's backpack next to the bed before showering off two days' worth of grime.
She needed to head into the bar. She had missed two nights of work. But just as before, she couldn't find any desire to go in.
Now she at least had an excuse. Henry. She couldn't just leave him alone in her apartment, could she? Mal would have a field day with that one.
Yeah. That's why she couldn't go to work. Perfect. It's not like she could get fired or anything. She was paid under the table, depending on how much business she made for the bar.
She sat down on the couch in an oversized shirt and underclothes, thinking about the boy in the other room. Despite how he acted today, Belle could tell he was hurting. He was missing someone. His parents? Belle hadn't heard anything about his parents, but if he was staying with his Uncle, then something had more than likely happened to his parents.
The poor thing. He must be hurting desperately inside. He needed someone to protect him. To help him. To be a mother to him. She wanted to be a mother to him.
The thoughts in Belle's mind made her uncomfortable. Where did they come from? She didn't have a motherly bone in her body. She was no one's mother. She wasn't even a good role model. She wouldn't know how to take care of kid, even if she took classes and read how to books for dummies.
All she would do would be screw up any kid even more than what they already were.
But still, her mind wandered back to poor Henry. She shouldn't be forming attachments, but she already was. She knew immediately that she would even feed him rather than herself if it came down to that.
Ok. Now that was extreme. Where were these thoughts coming from? She knew she was poor, but wasn't that poor. Especially not with Mr. Gold's money.
Belle stood and made her way to the kitchen, reaching for her emergency alcohol. She was needing some of it right now.
Anything to numb these odd feelings she shouldn't be feeling, thoughts she had no right to think.
After all, she didn't need to be weak. She was strong, independent.
And most of all, she was no one's mother. No one relied on her.
No one but herself.
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How was it? Longer, so you're welcome! Haha. I hope you guys like this. I was going to go back to Rose before finishing up this chapter, but I felt like I had given enough for the time being.
What do you think of Rose ending up in Wonderland? Of Henry's sex enlightenment to Mal? Of Belle's attempt to drown out her true feelings?
And I just outlined up to chapter 30 (having difficulties at that point! haha), so let's see where this story goes. :)
Review?!
Andi