"We're here."

Sebastian had his eyes set on her, but Rose was too busy staring ahead.

The thicket ahead of them had cleared out, and the most breathtaking view froze Rose in place. A wild mountain brook bubbled down, surrounded on all sides by thick, green trees. Not just any trees, though. Plump, red apples hung from every branch, and Rose couldn't help but wonder how the trees didn't keel over under their weight. In the grass underneath, fat, fuzzy looking rabbits hopped around, not having one single care in the world. Amongst it all, by the babbling brook, under an apple tree with low hanging branches, sat a red and white picnic blanket, complete with multiple covered wicker baskets atop it.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, stepping forward, too afraid to be loud. She didn't want to scare the rabbits away.

"Just because we're not going out for our honeymoon doesn't mean we shouldn't get to enjoy," Sebastian said, his voice equally soft.

Rose turned around, the corners of her eyes dewy. "I–I don't know what to say," she whispered, looking up at him. "Did you do all this?"

"I had some help. The owner of this orchard is an old friend. He helped me set it up."

"God, Sebastian, I'm so sorry. This must've been so much—"

Sebastian put a finger on her lips. Rose's eyes widened, the surprise of it all immediately shutting her up. He dropped the finger quickly enough, but Rose stood there looking a bit dumbfounded. She could still feel the warmth of his finger on her lip.

"It wasn't. I mean it. I just love picnicking here, and needed an excuse to come. Entirely selfish reasons, I promise," he said. Noticing a smile tug at her lips, he continued. "And if you like it... that's just a bonus for you. Either way, I'll be dragging you up up here every couple of months."

"I wouldn't mind being dragged up here," Rose said, making Sebastian crack a toothy smile. They stood there for a while, quietly, as the forest carried on around them with its muted music. The leaves rustled, the bunnies hopped. Apples fell down every now and then with soft thumps, and far away, songbirds twittered away, singing of tales unknown.

Rose hadn't noticed Sebastian's dimple before.

It popped up on his left cheek every time he smiled. There was a hint of it there now, and it almost made her want to reach out and touch it.

"Want to head to the picnic?" he asked quickly, breaking her out of the spell.

"Yeah. Yes. That'd be nice," she mumbled, hastily walking to the picnic blanket. Sebastian followed, and soon they were sat around the baskets, facing each other. Sebastian got to opening them, and Rose watched. Out came two crystal glasses and a bottle of fruit wine, followed by multiple cold cut sandwiches, cupcakes, pies, and rolls. She helped him lay out the plates, before he brandished and ornate little knife.

"For murder," Rose noted.

"For the apples," Sebastian corrected, getting up. "Want to help me pluck them?"

"Yes please," Rose said, getting up quickly. He picked up two empty baskets, handing her one.

"Have you ever been apple-picking before?" he asked as they walked towards the trees.

"No, but... I do vaguely remember this orange orchard we went to."

"Yeah?"

Rose worried her bottom lip for a minute, before continuing. "This was a long time ago... I must have been, what, three? Four? This was before..." she stopped, but watched realisation dawn on Sebastian's face. It was no secret – nothing was, not in their world. But it still felt strange talking about it.

"Rose, you don't have to–"

"No, no. It's fine. It was such a long time ago." She paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "This was. before the Beaumonts adopted me."

Sebastian knew. Everyone knew. But that didn't make it feel like it was any less of a confession. Sebastian reached out and silently squeezed her hand.

"My birth parents weren't exactly well off," Rose continued, pressing the nail of her thumb into the handle of the wicker basket. "So it wasn't fancy. It was crowded, and I think there was a limit on the number of oranges we were allowed to pick. But... yeah. I've seen some pictures from that day. We all looked pretty happy."

Sebastian reached out, over her head, and effortlessly plucked an apple. He dropped the fruit into her basket. "There's a limit here, too. You're allowed two hundred and forty-three apples. Two hundred and forty-two, now."

Rose cracked a smile. That was definitely one way to respond. She liked it. The usual pity that people piled on her whenever this came up always felt so unauthentic. Practiced. She responded by going up on her tippy toes, plucking the lowest hanging apple off the branch with a considerable amount of effort. Sebastian had made it look much easier. "Two forty-one now?"

Sebastian looked at her. "Do you miss them?" he asked, sounding both concerned, and a little bit uncertain.

"I don't think I remember enough to miss," Rose muttered, looking away to pluck another apple. "Sometimes I wonder if the things that I do remember are even real, or just figments of my imagination. I might just have seen the pictures, and made it all up in my mind — Jesus," Rose cut herself off, letting go of the apple that still remained stubbornly stuck to the tree.

Sebastian chuckled softly. "Need a hand with that?"

Rose nodded, ducking her head. Almost immediately, she regretted her decision. She had assumed he'd just pluck the apple for her. Instead, his hands were suddenly on her waist, and before she could comprehend what was happening, her feet were swinging in air.

"Sebastian!" she screamed, her face flaming red, too scared to wiggle too much, lest they both come crashing down.

"You said you wanted a hand," he explained innocently.

"You know that's not what I meant!"

She could feel Sebastian's laugh rumbling against her back. "Come on, just pluck the apple. It'll be easier from this height."

Muttering obscenities under her breath, Rose nevertheless reached out, wrapping her fingers around the apple. And, annoyed as it made her, Sebastian had been right. One sharp tug, and the apple was in her hand.

"There," Sebastian grinned, gently placing her back on her feet. "Was that so bad?" Rose was quiet, so he continued. "And about what you were saying earlier... there are some people who think all of this is in our heads, you know? They think you're the only person in this entire universe, and everything is in your head. Your memories, the people in your life, even the ground beneath your feet. It's all just in here," he tapped the side of his head.

"That's... horrifying," Rose muttered, frowning.

"What I'm trying to say is," Sebastian paused, gathering his thoughts. "I don't think we should get hung up on what's real and what isn't. Eventually, that's just bound to push you towards existentialism fuelled insanity. You have your memories of them, and of orange orchards. They're yours. They're real enough."

Rose stopped fiddling with the apple she had just plucked, and started walking, meandering through the orchard as she talked to him. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"It does suck, though. To be in a situation like that," he added, following in step with her.

"More confusing than sucky, really. On one hand, I've never felt like I've truly belonged with the Beaumonts. But on the other... I do thrive in this life. I can't imagine living any other way. That's kind of monstrous, don't you think? I should be sad. I should keep trying to keep my parents' memories alive. Instead, I revel in this. I've become a Beaumont."

"Come on, Rose," Sebastian stopped walking, and turned around to face her. "Monstrous? You were a baby. In a messed up situation. You adapted. You grew up with the Beaumonts, so of course you're close to them, and of course you're used to that lifestyle. It is essentially the only way you've ever lived. How could you imagine living any way else?"

Rose was silent for a long time. Finally, she nodded. Then, in what she hoped would be a smooth transition, she pointed to the picnic blanket. "Want to eat?"

-🥀-

A/N: It's almost New Year!! Which sounds absolutely insane, I still feel like we just stepped off 2023. But here we are. How was this year for you all?

The last four days of the year pretty much sum up how my year went. I had a TON of pizza four days back. Now, little tidbit of information about me: I'm both lactose and gluten intolerant. So you can imagine how fun the following few days were. And here I am, four regret filled days later, craving pizza again. Hopefully you had a healthier year filled with better decision making than me!

Anyway, here's to 2025, hope you have a truly wonderful new year ahead 🥂

Lots of Love,
Mimia <3