Dashing Rose: A Finding You Always Vignette
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Chapter: Reunited
A few more days passed after her encounter with Mr. Hyde and he told her of Jekyll's sabotage. Her time was spent with both of them, as she searched for a portal with Hyde and then hid their work from Jekyll so he could not sabotage it. She found Hyde to be far more easy to be around than Jekyll. He was always the perfect gentleman to her and even had a sense of humor, which surprised her.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jekyll became worse. His eyes always followed her and he always found a reason to touch her. He made Rose's skin crawl, but even she could never predict how far he would go, until one unfortunate day in his lab.
She worked diligently, crushing the herbs in the bowl, as he had asked of her and resisted the urge to shiver when he insisted on watching her.
"I believe that should be good enough," she said, as she handed the bowl to him and their hands brushed.
"Yes...this will do quite nicely," Jekyll leered, as he could no longer resist and surprised her when he grabbed her and forced his lips onto hers. Her eyes widened in surprise and she pulled away.
"Doctor…" she protested, but he pulled her back and smothered her lips again.
"No…" she cried, as she pulled away, but he was stronger than she imagined. She screamed, as he forced her down onto the table, after swiping the contents away.
"Stop...please…" she pleaded tearfully, as he put his hands on her and forced his kiss on her again.
"We belong together, Rose...please, this is right! You must feel it too," he pleaded, as he found the ties on her dress. She screamed and grabbed a beaker just in her reach, before breaking it over his head. He held his head in pain and blood dripped down his face, as she ran toward the door. But she found it locked from the outside and pounded on it.
"There is no escaping, Rose," Jekyll warned, as he held up a key and then produced a syringe.
"What are you going to do?" she asked fearfully.
"Oh this won't hurt you...it will just relax you. It will help you see that we belong together...and how much I can love you," he replied, as his eyes were dark with madness and lust.
"Henry please...this isn't love! Fandral is my husband...and I must find him!" she pleaded.
"FORGET HIM!" Jekyll screamed, frightening her further, as she tugged on the handle of the door. But as she felt a pin prick, as he injected her with whatever concoction he had decided to use to take out the fight in her. Tears slipped down her cheeks, as she felt woozy and he caught her, before she could fall. He lay her down on a cot in the corner of the room and hovered over her. Finally...he was going to have what he wanted. Her vision blurred and she could barely move.
"Please...don't do this…" she begged.
"Shh...everything will be fine, you'll see," he assured, as he started to unzip her dress. But that's when there was a sharp pain in his head. He pulled back and held his head in agony.
"Not now…" he pleaded, but Hyde fought his way out and looked upon what the doctor had done in horror.
"Rose...ROSE!" he cried, as he cradled her in his arms.
"Hyde…" she whimpered tearfully.
"You...you stopped him," she cried in relief and he hugged her close.
"Oh Rose...I am so sorry," he said. She started to sob almost uncontrollably then.
"I'm never going to see Fandral again...and next time Jekyll surfaces…" she cried, thinking about what he had almost done and how he might succeed next time.
"No...he will not touch you again," Hyde said, as he found the antidote to the drug he had given her and administered it. A few moments later, Rose's head cleared and she hugged him tightly.
"You saved me…" she choked out.
"And I can soon reunite you with your Fandral…" he said. Her eyes widened.
"How?" she asked.
"I managed to open a portal during my last attempt. I couldn't hold it open long enough to send you through, so I did the next best thing and brought the bear here," Hyde revealed.
"Fandral is here?" she exclaimed. He nodded.
"Jekyll surfaced though and stopped me from telling you. Fandral is still cursed and Jekyll sent some hunters after him. But if we can get there first, you can break his curse," Hyde said. She beamed at him and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug and tried to ignore his breaking heart. He loved her too...but he was not like Jekyll and knew that loving her meant letting her go.
"Let's go…" she suggested, as they hurriedly left the compound together…
~*~
The muscles in her legs burned in protest, as she and Hyde ran beyond the marketplace and into the vast woods surrounding the asylum. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing was ragged, but she would not stop, for the life of her beloved hung in the balance. Hyde pulled her along, as he could run much faster and cover greater lengths with his longer legs. She heard a ferocious roar in the distance and the sound of arrows thwacking into what she could only hope were trees.
They finally reached the next clearing, where three hunters had a monstrous looking bear cornered.
"STOP!" Rose pleaded, as they threaded their arrows again. But she was ignored. Hyde stepped forward.
"You will call off your arrows now," he ordered.
"You may rule the asylum, warden, but out here...this is our domain," one of them spat in return. Hyde advanced and the man shot an arrow, which was easily caught by the former and broken in half like nothing.
"If you do not want to find yourselves locked up in my asylum, then you will stand down," he growled. The three of them backed away, as Rose cautiously approached the bear.
"Fandral…" she uttered.
"That wench is crazy!" one of the hunter's exclaimed, capturing the bear's attention, as it growled.
"The next word any of you utter will be your last if you speak again," Hyde threatened, silencing them.
"Fandral...please…" Rose pleaded. The bear looked at her intently and slowly sat back on his haunches. She smiled.
"Yes Fandral...it's me," she said softly. She heard Hyde grimace behind her and hold her head.
"Rose...you must break the curse. Hurry…" he pleaded, as Jekyll started to fight his way out. She turned back and saw the bear gazing at her with a tenderness.
"You'll need this...to escape back to your land! I...acquired it for you," Hyde bit out, as he struggled to get the words out and tossed the ornate looking key at her feet. She picked it up and looked back at the bear, just as Jekyll emerged.
"No...kill it!" he ordered, as the hunters raised their bows. But Rose's lips touched the bear's nose and a wave of rainbow magic exploded forth from them. There was a blinding flash then, as the bear morphed into a humanoid form, breaking the curse on Fandral and returning him to his true state.
"Rose…" he breathed. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Fandral…" she squeaked, as he took her in his arms again at last.
"No...Rose, we belong together!" Jekyll pleaded. She looked at him with fear and tears in her eyes, as she clung to her beloved.
"Rose...who is this?" Fandral asked.
"He is someone I thought was a friend...but turned out to be a monster," she answered.
"Hyde is the monster! He's turned you against me, please Rose!" Jekyll pleaded, as he stepped toward them. In a move that was almost faster than the eye could see, Fandral brandished his sword and kept the doctor at bay. But the look in Jekyll's eyes was pure madness.
"Shoot him!" the doctor ordered the hunters. They raised their bows, but Fandral expertly blocked all the arrows with his sword.
"You'll have to do better than that against an Asgardian, gents," Fandral commented, as Rose used the key Hyde had given her and a glowing doorway appeared.
"My love…" she called, as he took her hand and they fled through the door, leaving the crazed doctor behind. Jekyll let out a cry of anguish and frustration.
The door opened and deposited them back in their homeland and Rose nearly collapsed in relief against her husband.
"Oh Rose…" he uttered, as he swept her into his arms and spun her around.
"You saved me...again!" he exclaimed, but noticed the haunted look in her eyes.
"I've missed you…" she cried brokenly, as he held her tightly.
"Oh my angel...what has happened? Who was that man? Did he hurt you?" Fandral asked, with an edge in his voice at the last question. If that bespectacled man had hurt her, then he would use that key to return and avenge his beloved.
"No...he tried. It's a long story, but I'm fine," she assured him, but he didn't look convinced.
"Please my love...I finally have you back and that is all I need," she promised, as he pulled her close again.
"I want you to tell me everything that has happened," he said, as he cupped her beautiful face in his hands.
"There will be no bottling your feelings on this...I'm here now. You saved me and I shall save you from the emotional turmoil that I sense in you, my darling Rose," he added. A few tears slipped down her cheeks and she relished his embrace, almost wondering if she was dreaming. The last few months without him had been excruciating, especially the cold nights. But that was over now and she knew that everything she had gone through was worth it for him. And now she could take comfort in him.
"I will tell you everything...but right now I just want you to hold me and kiss me," she requested and he gladly obliged, as he held her flush against him and kissed her with wanton passion.
"And I want to find a quiet place to camp for the night under the stars and then I want my husband to make love to me," she added desperately when their lips parted. And she wasn't surprised when he swept her into his arms like she weighed nothing and carried her off into the forest.
~*~
"Sire!" Sire!" Sir Hiss cried, as he slithered into the Throne room and saw his King lounging about the Throne, making a servant feed him grapes.
"Ugh...what is it, Hiss?" he asked. Things had been blissful for him since he had finally gotten rid of his troublesome niece and her Asgardian lover. His army was forcing the villages into submission one by one, Rose Red was lost in another world, and he had just received word from one of his battalions that they were closing in on the beast. Fandral would soon be dead.
"Sire...I have news from the front lines," Hiss said.
"Is it that Asgardian brute? Is he dead finally? Did they bring me the bear head?" he questioned rapidly.
"I...I am afraid not, sire," Sir Hiss stammered.
"Well, then what!?" he demanded to know.
"I...I am afraid Zorro helped the bear through a portal to the...Land of Untold Stories," Hiss said and winced, as his King exploded in rage.
"WHAT!?" he cried.
"I'm afraid so, sire. Rose Red and Fandral, in his human form, were spotted coming through a portal," Hiss reported and John proceeded to throw a giant tantrum.
"Find them! I want them dead! This is my Kingdom! Mine!" he cried, as he collapsed in his Throne and began sucking his thumb. It was clear that King John's time on the Throne would soon come to an end...