Chapter 15: Hat trick
Emma, Rose and Mr. Gold arrived at the station and found Henry reading his book. When he saw them approaching, he smiled and congratulated them on their plan. The three adults looked at each other in confusion.
"And what plan's that, Henry?" Asked Mr. Gold.
Henry hesitated for a moment and looked down. Mr. Gold sighed and left to see Mary-Margaret. Emma and Rose looked at Henry with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry. I thought Mr. Gold was in on it, now that he's Miss Blanchard's lawyer." He explained.
The two friends looked at each other again and asked about this supposed plan.
"The escape plan." He said like it was obvious.
Before they could ask any questions, Mr. Gold called out to them. Once they reached the room, they saw Mary-Margaret's cell empty. Emma asked Henry if he had done something, but the boy denied it, saying that he found the cell empty when he got there.
"Oh, come on!" Rose said with a huff. "I told her not to be reckless. How could she be so stupid?"
"Rose, what do you know?" Asked Emma.
"This morning, I had a feeling that she was hesitant about something. I told her not to be reckless." Rose explained, and then run a hand through her hair with a sigh. "I never expected her to do something like this."
Henry looked at them in confusion. He thought that Mary-Margaret escaping wasn't such a bad idea. His mother was after her, and she didn't play by the rules. Emma saw the look on Henry's face and sighed.
"Henry, she's a fugitive now. Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not – she's screwed. I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing.
"The arraignment's at eight A.M." Rose reminded her. "Make sure she is here before that."
All of them knew that Regina would be there at 8 sharp to watch Mary-Margaret be convicted. Emma nodded and grabbed her jacket. Henry asked what he could do, but Emma just told him to go home and left. Rose put a hand on Henry's shoulder.
"Come on. I'll bring you home." Henry nodded but was disappointed that he couldn't help.
Rose looked at Mr. Gold and the man shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know how to cheer up the boy. Rose thought for a moment and smiled.
"You need to be home, Henry." The kid looked at her. "Your job is to make sure that your mother doesn't leave the house until the morning. We can't have her knowing about Mary-Margaret's disappearance. Can we?"
Henry smiled and nodded. Once Rose had dropped Henry at his house, Regina thanked her for doing it and invited her in for a drink.
"Thank you, but this has been a very long day and I just want to go home and sleep." Said Rose shaking her head with a soft smile.
"Ah yes. This entire thing with Miss Blanchard. It's affecting Henry too. I hope it gets resolved very soon." She said with a smile. "Have a good night, Rose."
A young girl was crouching behind a tree in the woods, when suddenly someone grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. The girl screamed until she heard the voice of the person holding her.
"Woah there, Grace. You have quite the set of lungs." Said Rose Red with a laugh.
She set the girl on the ground. Grace turned around and hugged tightly the woman.
"Aunt Rose! I missed you!"
Rose looked around but couldn't find the girl's father. She looked at Grace with a raised eyebrow. The girl had now a frown on her face.
"He's at home. The Queen was there. He told me to hide and that he would get me once she left."
Rose nodded and extended her hand to Grace. The girl took it with a smile and both started to make their way to the house. Once close enough to see it, Rose signaled Grace to hide. She approached the house carefully and saw Regina get on her carriage and leave. She turned to Grace and nodded, and both went to the little house.
"Grace, I told you to hide in the woods." Said Jefferson looking at his daughter in concern.
"That was my fault." Said Rose making Jefferson look at her with a surprised look. "I found her in the woods and I took her here. Don't worry she didn't see us."
Rose turned to grace and took something from her bag. She gave it to Grace with a smile and the girl looked at it in wonder.
"In the last place I've been, they have these pillows." Rose pointed at the embroidery. "This symbol is supposed to keep away nightmares and bring good dreams. Why don't you go put it on your bed?"
Grace nodded and left to go to her bed with a big smile on her face.
"Thank you for that. Grace is always happy with every trinket you bring her." Said Jefferson with a soft smile looking at where her daughter's bed was.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Princess Rose Red?" He asked her turning to look at her and giving a deep bow.
"If you insist on calling me that, I will have to hurt you." Said Rose with a glare.
"And I believe you, my friend." He said with a chuckle.
"I just came to give Grace the pillow." She said with a soft smile, but then frowned. "Jeff, tell me you are not considering working for Regina?"
Jefferson sighed and looked at the redhead. He shook his head and look at the direction of his daughter once again. Rose nodded.
"If she is asking for your services, you know it won't end well for you. Be careful."
Jefferson nodded. He knew that working with the Queen always had consequences. He wouldn't accept her offer any time soon. Then, Grace came to join them. She asked Rose if she was going to stay for dinner. Rose shook her head with a smile.
"Sorry, kiddo. I have to leave again." Grace frowned at that. "But I promise to come back soon."
Rose ruffled Grace's hair and the girl whined and started to straighten her hair right away. Jefferson smiled at the interaction. He was grateful that Rose had been there for Grace, even if it had been for short visits once or twice a year, while he worked. Yes, Jefferson considered Rose Red a good friend.
Jefferson brought Emma to a room full of top hats. He told her how he knew about the curse. Emma obviously didn't believe him. She asked him why he was spying on her.
"Because, for the last twenty-eight years, I've been stuck in this house. Day after day, always the same. Until one night, you, in your little yellow bug, roll into town, and the clock ticks, and things start to change." He told her.
"And then" He chuckled. "Then Rose appears too. And of course, she is your friend." Emma frowned at that. "You see… I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Emma. You're special. You brought something precious to Storybrooke, magic."
Emma thought he was insane, but he just told her that she was the one crazy for not believing. He sat her down and told her to get the hat to work. Emma was confused, but he wasn't going to go against someone with a gun that had Mary-Margaret tied up.
"How do you know Rose?" She asked while looking at the hat.
"I knew her as Princess Rose Red. A good friend." He said with a far off look. "I should have listened to her."
"In my experience, you should always listen to Rose." Said Emma. "Not that I believe for a moment that she is Snow White's sister." She muttered under her breath
Jefferson saw the two women leave his house. He wouldn't have really shot Emma. She was Rose's friend, and although she might not remember him he could still remember the first time he saw the young princess. She had taken care of Grace. She had been a good friend. He wouldn't hurt those she cared about. He might have been mad, but he wasn't heartless. And he knew that if something happened to them, once Rose got her memories back she would make him pay, friend or not.
"Tell me again why I'm here?" Jefferson asked twirling his hat in his hands.
"Well, dearie. I brought someone for you to meet." Said the Dark One. "Come out, darling."
From the trees came out a young woman, not older than 14, looking around as if expecting an attack. Jefferson could understand the girl's behavior. He may deal with Rumpelstiltskin, but he still was unnerved by the imp. Then he took a good look of the girl. Short dark red hair and eyes of different color. One forest green and one a honey color. He knew of only one person that matched the description.
"What would Princess Rose Red want with a humble hatter like me?" He said with a smirk and deep bow.
The young princess frowned and kicked the man on the shin. The man straightened immediately and grabbed his leg.
"Don't call me that." Was the only thing she said, while glaring at him.
"Didn't I tell you, that she is feisty?" Rumpelstiltskin said with a laugh. "Our darling princess here needs to travel to find information. And I thought who better to take her to another realm than you?"
"Okay." Jefferson sighed. "The rules are simple. The same amount of people that come in have to come out. Once there, we don't get separated. Is that clear?"
The redhead nodded with a determined face. Rumpelstiltskin let out a laugh.
"Don't worry, darling. I trust that he will keep you safe." He said while looking at Jefferson intently.
"What kind of information are you looking for?" He asked the girl.
"Magical beings." Again, that was the only thing she said.
"Okay then. I have an idea of where to begin." He said throwing the hat to the floor making it spin.
The hat got bigger and it seemed that the magic from it was trying to pull them in. Jefferson looked at the young princess and extended his hand.
"Ready for an adventure?"
Rose looked at the hand and grinned.
"You bet." And she jumped into the hat by herself.
Jefferson looked at Rumpelstiltskin with a raised eyebrow.
"I told you. She is feisty." He laughed.
After dropping Henry home, Rose was walking to the apartment when Mr. Gold appeared around the corner.
"I thought I would walk you home." He said offering her his arm.
Rose smiled and took it. The walk was quiet and soon they reached the apartment. Mr. Gold turned to say goodbye to Rose and saw that the woman had a frown on her face. That made a frown appear on his own face. He raised his hand and brushed his fingers on her cheek. That startled Rose, and made her jump slightly.
"Don't worry so much about them. I'm sure Miss Swan will find Miss Blanchard in time. And if not, I'll think of something." He had a small smirk on his face. "I always fulfill my deals."
Rose smiled and nodded her head. She had to trust Emma, and she knew that Mr. Gold was resourceful enough to buy them time. She really needed to sleep. She normally wouldn't have been this worried and pessimistic. She shook her head.
"You are right. I have to trust Emma and I have to trust you. I'm just not used to not doing something to help."
"You have helped. You made young Henry feel useful. And unless you are a lawyer, a cop or a judge, there is nothing much for you to do. Now, go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day."
He kissed her hand and saw her go into the building. He would make sure that Mary-Margaret would be found innocent one way or another. His deal with Rose had priority over all the others. His little firebird always had priority.
AN: Hello again everyone!
I got some more reviews and as always, I'm very happy to see that you are liking the story so far.
Don't worry. Belle will not interfere in Rumple and Rose's relationship, at least not in a negative way. I can't picture Belle doing something like that, she's too goody-goody.
It has been hinted in the story that Rose has some kind of powers and magic. The fact that she can hear people and that she can hear a certain whistle from anywhere are clear signs that Rose is more than she seems.
I try to keep true to the characters. Make them react to Rose in a way that is not too much OOC. I also try to keep Rose as an antihero, good but not excessively so. She can see that the world is not as simple as good or bad. She is good, but will sometimes take an action that characters like Snow White would have a hard time doing.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story :)