Chapter 19: A land without magic

Rose entered the hospital just as Dr. Whale was looking Henry over. Emma went to Henry's bag to find something, anything that could help and Rose went to her side.

"What happened?" She asked looking worriedly at Henry.

"He just collapsed. The doctor doesn't know why. It's almost like… magic." She said and picked up Henry's book.

Emma spaced out for a moment and Rose couldn't get her attention. She only snapped out of it when Regina came into the room asking about Henry. Emma grabbed Regina's arm and dragged her into a supply closet. Rose looked at them with a frown but decided to stay with Henry.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Rose asked Dr. Whale.

"No." He said shaking his head. "The priority now is to get him stable, and then we will run tests to see what has caused this."

"Okay. If there's anything you need, please let me know." She said with a frown taking a step back to let them work.

"I appreciate you being this calm. Not like the mothers." He said taking a quick look at the supply closet's closed door.

Rose turned to look at it too and frowned. Everyone could hear the noises that clearly indicated that the two women were fighting. Rose could understand that this was a stressful situation, but this was not the time to fight.

After a while, Emma and Regina came out and were about to leave when Emma turned to Rose with a frown.

"We'll be right back. We think we can find something to help Henry. Would you stay with him?"

Rose nodded and wished them luck. She turned to look at Henry, and she could only think how did this happen?

Rose Red was running through the forest, she could hear him near. David was somewhere in those woods, and she was going to find him. Her sister was not dead, and true love's kiss would be able to bring her back. She had to find him, even if this was the Infinite Forest.

She followed his sound, until they run into each other. Literally. They were on the floor groaning, until they realized who the other was.

"Rose! What are you doing here? Where's Snow?" He asked frantically looking around.

"She's not here." She shook her head. "Listen to me. She is under some kind of curse. Only you can save her."

"True love's kiss." He said understanding what she meant. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. The others must have moved her since I left." Charming frowned at that. "But I know someone that can help."

David looked at her confused, but then he looked concerned when he realized who she meant.

"Rose, are you sure? I admit he is our best shot, but his help always comes with a price."

Rose just nodded and turned to look around the forest.

"Rumpelstiltskin! Get your ass here right now!" She yelled at the top of her lung.

"No need to shout, darling." David and Rose turned around to see Rumpelstiltskin sitting on a fallen tree. "I always come when you call. So, you are looking for a way to reach Snow White. I can help with that."

Rumple showed the David's mother's ring. Charming looked at his pouch and asked how he did that.

"The same way I get everything I want – magic. The same magic that allows me to do this." He said throwing the ring in the air and catching it again. "This ring is now enchanted. The closer you get to Snow White, the brighter it will glow. Interested?"

The Dark One wanted to make a deal in exchange for the ring, but David wasn't hearing it and attacked him. They started to fight each other, while Rose looked at them in annoyance with her arms crossed.

She had had enough of the testosterone, and threw her daggers at them. They ended up in a tree less than an inch away from each man's face.

"Are you done?" She said angrily. "We don't have time to waste. David, he won't give you the ring unless you make a deal, so suck it up. And Rumple, don't be an ass about it. Just get this over with, so we can save Snow."

Rumpelstiltskin looked at her with a smirk and laughed, his little firebird was as temperamental as ever. David looked at her with wide eyes. He knew she was strong, but at the moment he was really scared that Rose would kill him or worst. The look in her eyes was murderous.

The Dark One took out a vial with a glowing liquid. He told David that it was the most powerful magic in the world, true love. Charming asked him what he knew about love and the imp frowned.

"Well, not so much as you believe to know, perhaps, but not so little as you might think." He said with a quick glance at Rose, who was sitting in the fallen tree that Rumpelstiltskin had been on before.

"You love her?" David asked in a whisper seeing the look.

"She's a flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness." He said.

"She deserves better than you." Said David in anger, he felt protective of whom he already considered a sister. "She is going to be targeted by being with you."

"Oh, I know. That's the thing about true love, dearie. It can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world. The only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs." He looked over at Rose, who smiled at him. "Don't worry about her. I won't let anything happen to her."

David looked at him suspiciously, trying to see if the imp was lying. But for once, he could see sincerity in his eyes. David nodded and asked him what he wanted him to do. Rumpelstiltskin told him to hide the vial inside the belly of a beast.

Rose was sitting beside Henry reading to him from his book, when Emma came in. She smiled at her friend and stood up.

"Dr. Whale managed to stabilize him, but they still don't know what's wrong." Emma frowned and nodded. "I'll give you two some privacy."

Rose left them and went to the waiting room; on her way out she saw Regina and smiled softly at the woman. Rose might not have liked what Regina had done to her friends, but she knew she must have been feeling horrible.

After a while, Rose saw Emma and Regina leave again and frowned. Then she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned around and saw a man smiling at her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hello?"

"Ah, sorry. You don't know me, but I'm an acquaintance of Regina. She asked me to give you this in thanks for having stayed with Henry today." He said with a smile handing her a small bag. "Oh, and Mr. Gold said that he wanted to see you. So you could tell him about Henry."

"Okay. Thank you, for this and the message." Said Rose with a smile while holding the small bag up.

She turned and was going to leave when Mary-Margaret arrived. The two women talked for a while and Rose left the hospital, while Mary-Margaret went to take her place at Henry's bedside.

Jefferson watched Rose leave with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Rose. But Grace comes first."

Rose was near the pawn shop, when she remembered the bag and opened it. Inside was half of an apple turnover. She grinned at it. She loved desserts with apples, and it seemed that Regina knew about it. She took it out of the bag and entered the shop.

Mr. Gold looked up at the bell and was surprised to see Rose. He expected her to stay at the hospital with Henry until he was okay. Then he saw her take a bite of some kind of pastry and frowned.

"Hello, darling. Who gave you that?" He asked with some fear in his voice.

Rose looked at him and smiled with a mouth full of the sweet treat.

"Regina. I didn't know she knew how much I like this…"

Rose wasn't able to finish the sentence because she fell to the ground unconscious. Mr. Gold approached her quickly and shook her.

"Rose? Rose?"

But he got no response. He carried her to the back room and laid her on the bed he had there. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips kissing it softly. He stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you. Emma can break Henry's curse because neither of them were affected by the Dark Curse, but we are different, darling. The only way I can save you is to bring back magic. Don't worry. I'll be back very soon."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly. Then he stood up and a snarl appeared on his face.

"Once you are back, the Queen will know once and for all not to mess with me."

Rose Red and Rumpelstiltskin were waiting for David to finish his task.

"What has Maleficent done to you?" Asked Rose curiously.

"Oh, she has done nothing to me. This is something that won't be relevant for quite some time." He smirked.

They both turned to the castle when they heard glass breaking and a figure jumping into the lake. After a while, David emerged and asked for the ring. Rumple gave it to him, but before he could leave, he gave him new clothes.

"Now, you're ready for your big moment." David frowned and asked why he helped. "I'm a fan of true love, dearie. And, more importantly, what it creates."

David nodded uncertainty and mounted his horse. He turned to Rose and told her to hop on, so they could go find Snow. Rose shook her head and smile.

"I have my own ride."

She whistled and in a moment there was the sound of hooves approaching. David looked around and saw a palomino horse coming out of the forest and stop beside Rose. The redhead patted the horse's neck and started to stroke him and whisper sweet nothings to him. She mounted the horse and grinned at David.

"This is Strider. He has been with me for a long time and has seen a lot." She turned her horse to the forest and looked at David expectantly. "Well… lead the way."

Following the glowing of the ring, they arrived at the glass coffin where the dwarfs had put Snow. David approached them and told them to let him say goodbye. Once he gave her a true love's kiss, a gush of magic passed through them and Snow opened her eyes. Rose smiled and turned to Grumpy with a smug face.

"I told you she was alive."

Grumpy grunted in response but smiled at the redhead.

Mr. Gold was at the well and threw the vial with the true love magic in it. He watched the purple smoke start to rise with a serious face and turned around. He went straight to his shop, to the back room where Rose was.

Once the smoke had passed through Storybrooke, Mr. Gold leaned down and kissed Rose. Just like with Emma and Henry, a gust of wind surged through the store with the broken curse. Mr. Gold looked at Rose expectantly, waiting for her to wake up. Once Rose opened her eyes, she looked around and sat up. She had a confused look on her face.

"My little firebird. You are okay." Mr. Gold said with a smile and tears in his eyes.

Rose looked at him in confusion and frowned.

"That's new. Why are you calling me that?"

Mr. Gold frowned and looked at Rose with a little panic.

"Don't you remember me?"

"Yes." Rose nodded. "You are Mr. Gold. What I don't remember is how I ended up in this bed." She said curiously.

Then Rose gasped and stood up quickly.

"Henry!" She turned to Mr. Gold with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry to leave so suddenly but I have to go and see how Henry is doing."

With those words Rose kissed his cheek and left the store. Mr. Gold looked after her in pain. Why? Why didn't she remember? The curse was broken, her memories had to have been restored.

28 years and a broken curse later, and his little firebird was still lost to him. What could have gone wrong?