Chapter 36: The Evil Queen/Second star to the right
Emma and Henry were in the yellow bug doing a stake out at Granny's. Waiting until Neal and Tamara left, so they could investigate her. Henry figured out that there was a bean that could take them back to the Enchanted Forest. He was excited to start a new life with his parents, but before Emma could correct him, they saw the couple leave the Inn.
Suddenly there was a knock on the car window that made the two jump and almost spill their drinks. They saw that it was Rose, trying not to laugh about their reaction. Henry lowered his window.
"You sent me a message saying that you needed help?" Asked Rose holding up her phone with a grin.
Emma rolled her eyes and nodded. They got out of the car and made their way to Tamara and Neil's room. Emma was working on the lock and Henry was again talking about his parents being together. Emma looked at Rose with a frowned and sighed. As much as she told him that wasn't going to happen, he didn't listen. Emma finally got the door open and Rose put a hand on Henry's shoulder.
"How about we keep a look-out?" She said taking him to the corner of the hallway.
Emma told them to kick the door if one of them was back. And while she was looking through the room, Henry decided to speak with Rose and see if she truly didn't remember anything.
"So, Aunt Rose." The redhead turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Is it true you don't remember me? Or anything that happened during all the time you and my mom have been here?"
"Seems like it." Said Rose shrugging her shoulders.
"So, if we left to go to the Enchanted Forest. Would you come too?"
"Is this Enchanted Forest, the other world where I supposedly had another life?" Henry nodded eagerly. "I don't know. If there was a way to come back, then probably yes. I'm an adventurer, so exploring a new magical world is an opportunity that I can't pass up."
Henry's face light up in excitement, but before he could say more, Neal turned around the corner. He asked Henry what he was doing there, and then turned to Rose. When he saw her, he froze for a moment. He was about to say something, but then Henry kicked the door, a little too obviously. That snapped Neal out of his trance and figured out what was going on.
After seeing that there was nothing in the room, Emma, Henry and Rose left.
"So…" Said Rose looking at Emma with a grin. "That was Neal?"
"Oh, shut up!" Said Emma rolling her eyes.
They went back to the apartment and had some ice cream. Henry said that he believed Emma about Tamara. He also said that afterwards they all could go back to the Enchanted Forest. At that Emma turned to Rose in panic, but saw the redhead shrug her shoulders.
"I told him that if there was a way to come back, I might go." She winked at Henry
"You are the best Aunt Rose." He said in excitement and high-fived her.
"Then this means you are staying?" Asked Emma.
"At least until you don't need me around any more." She told her with a smile.
Snow White had helped a woman that was about to be executed by the Evil Queen's guards. She took her to her temporary hideout and healed her wound. She told her about how once a stranger had helped her without knowing who she was, and that was an important reason for her behavior.
She tended to the woman's wounds and a couple of days later, they had to leave because patrols were close by. While walking through the forest, the two discussed if the Queen could change, go back to being how she was before.
"You don't think it's too late for her?" Asked the woman hopefully.
"Oh, I don't think it's too late for anyone." She said with conviction. "Plus, my sister always believed that if she had changed in the first place, she could always change back. She tends to be right all the time."
The woman smiled with tears in her eyes. They talked a bit more about second chances, but their conversation stopped suddenly when they reached a cabin. And next to it were the bodies of the villagers that had helped Snow White. The princess realized the woman she helped was really Regina when she talked about the horse story, when she hadn't told her it was the Queen.
The next morning, Neal got out of bed when he heard a commotion outside. Through the window he saw his father standing over a man on the ground, with a woman trying to pull him back. He quickly went down and heard the woman try to make his father stop.
"Rumpel, stop!" Belle said pulling his arm. "It's not his fault!"
"Oh, but it is. If he truly was a good doctor, he could have brought her memories back. After all, wasn't science better than magic?" He said with anger.
He was about to kick the doctor in the face, when he was pulled back by Neal. Dr. Whale took the opportunity to leave. Neal was telling Gold how he hadn't really changed. He told him how he hadn't even bothered to meet Tamara. And Gold threw in his face how he still had feelings for Emma.
"You know, you haven't changed one bit. For a second, I thought you might have. I started to think, maybe you were worth my time. I guess I was wrong" He said turning to leave, but not before Gold reminded him that he was still there. "For Henry. Not you. As far as I'm concerned, you can stay the hell away from both of us. Oh, and if I were you lady, I wouldn't bother with him either. He won't change."
After he left, Gold turned to go to his shop, and Belle followed him. Shortly after they arrived, so did David and Mary-Margaret. They told him about Regina's disappearance. He was saying how it wasn't his problem, when David reminded him that he still owed him a favor. He turned to look at Belle, who nodded encouragingly.
"I'm sure I can whip up something to find Regina." He sighed while looking through the cabinets. "But tell me, why do the Charmings want to help the Evil Queen?"
Mary-Margaret told him how she owed Regina for what she did to Cora. Gold gave them a flask with one of Regina's tears, and he took one from Mary-Margaret. He told them how the potion worked and that they were even.
"We must hurry." Said David going to the door. "If Emma and Rose find her before we find Regina, it could turn bad."
Gold paused at that. Belle was also surprised by that.
"Wait!" Said Belle making the couple stop at the door. "I thought Rose was leaving today?"
"That was the plan." Nodded Mary-Margaret with a small smile. "But she decided to stay to help Emma investigate Tamara."
With that they left and Belle turned to Mr. Gold.
"She's still here. You still have time Rumpel." She said with a big smile.
At the beach, Neal was making jokes about Tamara taking Regina, while sneaking glances at Rose.
"What?" Asked Rose irritated.
"Sorry. It's just that you look a lot like someone I knew a long time ago." He said with a frown.
"Well, get in line. Everyone in this town says the same." Said Rose in a grumble.
Neal shook his head and made yet another joke about Regina being in a sandcastle. Soon, the conversation turned into an argument about something that should have been said between Neal and Emma a long time ago. Rose was standing there awkwardly, trying to distance herself from the conversation. Then Tamara appeared running. Emma made a comment about Regina being missing and Tamara offered to help. Once she left, they resumed their discussion.
"I'm just going to be over there." Said Rose pointing down the beach.
After a while, Emma came to Rose's side. She asked her in a whisper what she thought of Tamara.
"Well, you were right. There is something off about her." Said Rose with a frown.
After a call from David, Emma, Neal and Rose were inside the cannery. Emma took out her gun and told Neal and Rose to stay behind her. Rose snorted and took out her own gun. Emma gave her a look.
"Come on. You said we were going after someone dangerous. You really think I would come without protection?"
They found David and Mary-Margaret, and decided to split up. David told them to block the exits, as they had found Regina and Greg Mendel had gotten away. Emma told Rose to go ahead while she and Neal closed the hallway. Tamara jumped Emma and took her gun. Rose came around the corner and pointed her gun at Tamara. But before she could take the shot, Neal got in the way.
Neal and Tamara started talking about how she had been lying to him from the beginning. Rose was telling Neal to move, so she could take her down. In the end Tamara shot Neal on the side. Emma jumped her and they began fighting. Rose went to Neal's side and was checking his injury.
Tamara threw a magic bean on the floor and fled. The portal opened and Neal ended hanging over it, with Emma and Rose grabbing his hands. Neal wanted them to let go, but the two women weren't listening. They told him that he would die with his injury if he didn't get treatment.
"There may be a chance that this portal goes to a horrible place." He turned to look at Rose. "Believe me, if you go back, he will kill for real this time."
Then he and Emma finally confessed their feelings, but in the end Neal fell in the portal. Emma was in shock, so Rose got her back to the apartment. There they found David, Mary-Margaret and Blue standing around the bed where Regina lay unconscious.
David was trying to comfort Emma, and Mary-Margaret was talking with Rose while tending to Regina. Rose told her what happened, what Neal said to both of them. Mary-Margaret wasn't surprised about Emma and Neal's feelings for each other. But what he said to Rose bothered her. Neil thought someone wanted Rose dead. He even implied that they had tried to do so before. Was it possible that Neal had known Rose in their other lives?
Once Regina woke, she told them about the trigger. And all of them knew that now it was a race against the clock.
AN: This chapter is rather short, but we are getting to the point where it gets interesting again.
By now you should have figured out what happened to Rose before the curse took effect, or at least have an idea of who may be responsible.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story! :)