A Rose by Any Other Name

The forest had become dark as of late, the rule of Regina was strong. The threat she had made at Snow White's wedding forever hung over everyone's heads. Some didn't believe that she would go through with it, but Queen Aurora did and it bothered her because of the new development. Placing her hand on the small bump, if the rumors were true then Snow was also with child.

Hearing the sound of boots, Aurora turned from the window that would be the baby's room when she was old enough to have one. Looking into the eyes of her husband, she took the hand that he extended to her. “The carriage is ready. We leave now for Snow White's palace.”

“Do they know we are coming early?”

“I sent a trusted messenger,” Phillip told her as they intertwined their fingers as they walked down the halls as they made their way to the courtyard. “We could not send advanced notice. It is becoming harder to tell who we can trust these days.”

“If it isn't Maleficient then it's Regina,” Aurora sighed. “The darkness is not where a child should be raised.”

“Do not worry,” Phillip said. “We shall figure out how to get rid of the darkness and in doing so we will watch as our daughter grows up and falls in love.”

“Daughter?”

“Yes, daughter,” he smiled. “I just know that is what we shall have first. Then we will have a son.”

“Oh Phillip,” Aurora said looking into his eyes. “We have not even had this child yet. Don't you think we should wait until she is with us before planning any more?”

“We didn't exactly plan her, did we?” he asked, a grin upon his face. “But you agree that it will be a girl.”

“I had a dream,” Aurora told him. “A dream of the day she was born. And the day she married, but nothing in between.”

Walking outside, Phillip saw that their bags were already strapped in and the driver of the carriage and the guards were ready to depart on the journey. Helping his wife into the carriage, Phillip got in after her. He normally did not like to ride inside the carriage, but since his wife was coming on the journey, there was no way that he would leave her alone in the carriage.

“So this dream you had,” Phillip said as the carriage jolted to a start. “Was it like the dream me?”

Laughing, Aurora shook her head at him. “No, I could see nothing in-between her birth and the day she was to wed. We weren't there Phillip.”

“Sometimes a dream can change,” Phillip said. “But I do believe that we shall have to come up with names for our daughter.”

“And what if my dreams are wrong?” Aurora questioned him. “What if the man in my dreams is our son?”

“What does your heart tell you?” Phillip asked, looking into her eyes.

“It tells me that,” Aurora stopped mid-sentence when the carriage came to an abrupt stop. “Why have we stopped?”

“Stay here.”

Opening the carriage door, Phillip jumped down before closing the door after him. Walking towards the front of the carriage, he smiled seeing his friend there.

“James, what are you doing here?” he asked approaching the man. “We were just coming to see you.”

“Yes, we received your message,” James said. “I wanted to make sure that nothing happened along your journey.”

“You are too kind my friend.”

Walking back to the carriage, Phillip opened the door and climbed inside and left the door open. “Phillip what-”

“Hello Aurora.”

“James,” she smiled in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“It seems that our friend wanted to make sure that we arrived safely.”

“How is Snow?” Aurora asked as James sat across from her and Phillip.

Once the carriage door was closed, Aurora intertwined her fingers with her husband's as the carriage moved onward.

“She is well,” James smiled. “And she looks forward to your visit for she has something to share with you.”

“Aurora was telling me about a dream she had.”

“I told you about the dream,” Aurora said. “I was telling you that my heart believes that it will be a girl.”

“You are pregnant?” James asked.

Moving her cloak away from her stomach, Aurora placed her free hand on the small swell of her belly. “Phillip believes it to be a girl.”

“She had a dream of the baby's birth and the day of her wedding.”

“But nothing in-between.”

“And you think this has to do with the curse Regina mentioned at the wedding?” James asked.

“The dream doesn't make sense.”

“Nothing makes sense.”

“Some things do,” James told her. “Love makes sense and friendship. For all that happens we do know that our friendship will only get stronger.”

“Our friendships have become more.” Phillip said with a smile.

“A family.” Aurora smiled.

Her blue eyes snapped open, but there was no one around. Lifting hand to her face, she noticed the needles in her arm. Taking a deep breath, she pulled them out. Slipping out of the bed, she saw her overnight bag that had been in her car. Grabbing it, she walked into the bathroom. Changing into the clothes from her bag, Rosalie walked out of the bathroom and out of the hospital.

Not knowing where her car was or where Emma was, she started walking. There was no destination in mind, just to walk. When she had been walking for sometime, Rosalie found herself on a park bench. There were a few kids playing, but she wasn't really paying attention to them. Her thoughts were consumed by the memories that plagued her dreams while she slept.

“There are people looking for you.”

Turning her head, Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. “If they look hard enough, they'll find what they're looking for. But only if it wants to be found.”

“Wise words.”

“Emma should know better than to leave my clothes in my hospital room with me alone. I don't do hospitals.”

“When Prince Charming woke up from his coma he walked out of the hospital.”

“Prince Charming as in Emma's father.”

“Yes.”

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“Well my name here is Graham and I was the sheriff before Emma,” he said. “But in my world I was a huntsman. I was the huntsman that Regina sent to kill Snow White.”

“But you didn't kill her. And she took your heart.”

“The Evil Queen has no compassion,” Graham stated. “Snow White did nothing wrong in my opinion. She has been on the receiving end of a woman who felt like she was betrayed because of a little girl was tricked into giving up a secret.”

“I guess while I was asleep I was dreaming,” Rosalie confessed. “The only thing was my dreams weren't dreams they were memories.”

“From your life?”

“No,” she said shaking her head. “They weren't my memories.”

“They were your parents,” the young boy from the night she arrived into the town said as he sat next to Graham. “The memories belonged to your parents. Prince Charming and I found a memory spell the night Emma and Graham found you.”

“A memory spell?” Rosalie asked, not believing in what he was saying.

“We never noticed it until we were looking at it that night,” he said. “And we showed Emma and so I guess she thought it was worth a try. So do you believe us now?”

“Henry, right?” Rosalie asked, trying to remember his name. When he nodded his head, she smiled. “I've been through a lot in my years, but one thing I stopped counting on when I was young was dreams. Dreams don't mean anything, they just hurt because the dreams you hold onto will turn to hope and when nothing comes of it, it turns into disappointment. That was the lesson I learned when I was younger than you.”

“Emma believes.”

“Believes in what?” Rosalie asked. “That she's a character from a book? If she wants to believe then fine and dandy, but I can't.”

Getting up from the bench, she started walking again. Her mind was swimming with so much information that she couldn't decide what it was that she needed to do. She wanted to know what it was that Emma truly believed because Rosalie had a hard time believing in any of the stuff she had been told. Finding herself in front of Granny's Inn, she let out a sigh. One thing was for sure, she needed some sleep and that was not going to happen in a hospital bed. Letting out the sigh she hadn't realized she was holding in, Rosalie walked into the Inn.

Smiling at the woman, she returned the gesture. “Can I help you?”

“I was hoping that you have a room available?”

“Sure thing!” she said happily. “Name?”

“Collins, Rosalie.”

Looking up at the woman, she handed Rosalie the key to a room up stairs. “Welcome to Storybrook.”

“Thank you.”

Walking up the stairs, Rosalie found the right door that the key went into. Walking inside, she closed and locked the door before tossing the ring onto the table that was against the wall. Moving over to the window, she moved the curtain aside and looked outside. A small town that reminded her of her last foster home before she quit the system. The system that moved her every two years for as long as she could remember. Shaking her head, she moved away from the window and headed to the bed. Sitting down, she took off her boots before grabbing the elastic hair tie that had kept her hair in the messy bun and shook her hair out before laying on the bed. Closing her eyes, she hoped that Emma wouldn't come looking for her, but she knew the chances of that were slim especially since her son had talked to her along with that Graham guy.

It was hours later when there was a knock on the door. Stretching as she got off the bed, she headed to the door. Unlocking the door she opened it and moved back to allow the person who was knocking to come inside.

“Did you just wake up?”

“Constant knocking on the door tends to wake someone that is sleeping.”

“I'm sorry, but I really do need to talk to you,” Emma said. “Do you wanna go for a walk?”

“Honestly Emma,” Rosalie sighed as she sat down on the bed with the headboard against her back. “I'm tired of walking and just tired. My head is all sorts of messed up right now.”

“Your head?” she asked sitting on the bed next to her friend. “Headache?”

“Dreams that don't belong to me,” Rosalie told her. “Your son, Henry says they are the memory of my parents or something.”

“Yeah, Graham mentioned that he found you and was talking to you before Henry showed up. Sorry about that.”

“Sorry about what?” Rosalie asked. “Because saying your sorry and not meaning it is just as bad as saying it and not knowing why you are saying it.”

“I'm sorry that I left Boston and had my stuff shipped out here without telling you. I should have known that you would get worried.”

“I did worry Emma!” Rosalie said raising her voice slightly. “And then you call me out of the blue wanting your blanket and then get me out here to tell me that I'm part of some fairy tale life. A little much.”

“I have something else to apologize for,” Emma said as she looked at her friend after taking a deep breath. “I shouldn't have kept your blanket when you told me to get rid of it. But I knew it was the only thing of your parents that you had and I couldn't get rid of mine, so I didn't want you to get of yours as well.”

“Possessions don't mean all that much to me Emma,” Rosalie said as she raised her hand to her head and started rubbing it. “You have been there for me for so long that when I couldn't get a hold of you, I got a worried.”

“And I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I really am, but the things I've learned since being here has opened my eyes so much.”

“Like being part of a fairy tale.”

Emma laughed. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but everything is true.”

“You found your parents,” Rosalie stated. “If I'm part of this fairy tale, where are my parents at?”