Seasons Of Love

Onyx

A/N - Another adorable request from TheK1ghtNurs3ry (tried to tag and then it just didn't appear so...) 

Rose had had her little black Jellycat dragon, Onyx, from the moment she was born. Reece and Marjorie brought it with them to meet their niece in the hospital. Since they knew Autumn and Winter both favored a dark, mysterious aesthetic; they thought it was the perfect toy for their child. And they were right. From the first moment she'd set eyes on it, Onyx was Rose's favorite toy. It was the only one of her stuffed animals that was guaranteed to calm her down. Even when she was far too young to actually hold it, if Onyx wasn't at least in her cot with her she would not sleep. When she got a little older she would spend hours just running her hand over the toy, fascinated by the change in texture between its soft body and scratchy iridescent ears.

Now that she was older Onyx went everywhere with Rose. He was a part of every tea party, got his own plate at dinner, and was included in every family dance party. Winter and Autumn worried at first about being "those parents" by letting Rose bring her own toys to nursery. But after one very unsettled day in the toddler room they just gave in. It was easier for everyone if Rose had her dragon. And it wasn't like she ever put him down anyway.

It had been an incredibly full day for the Fortune-Knights. They'd promised to look after little Carly for a few hours after nursery so that Marjorie and Reece could start their Christmas shopping, so as soon as the work day was over they took the girls to the playground for a few hours before a stop at the shops to pick up bits to make their favorite dinner. By the time they were home and fed it was time for Carly to go home and for Rose to get ready for bed. But right as she started up the stairs she realized that Onyx was nowhere to be found. 

"Mama! Papa!" She turned around to face her parents, her eyes clouded with tears as her bottom lip trembled. "Onyx?"

Everyone had been so distracted by the fun they were having that no one had noticed the dragon was missing until now. Winter and Autumn locked eyes, silently discussing when exactly the last time they'd seen the toy was as their little girl grew more distraught by the second. Autumn scooped her daughter into her arms and held her close, her hand running up and down her back as she spoke.

"I'm sure he's here somewhere, little love."

"Yes, Bug! He's probably just playing hide and seek." Winter smiled at his daughter who calmed down just slightly. There had been plenty of times that Winter would put Onyx on high shelves or in the fridge so he could "hide" from Rose. It was one of her favorite games. "And as you know I am an excellent seeker. Onyx will be found in no time!"

"Promise Papa?"

"Promise."

Winter placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead before Autumn took her upstairs for her bath. The second his girls were out of view Winter began his frantic search for the toy. He knew that Rose would not be sleeping until it was found, so he was determined to find it. He pulled the cushions off the couch, shook out every blanket he could find, and emptied all the toy boxes out onto the floor in hopes of locating the dragon. If anyone had come into the house at that moment, they probably would have thought they had been robbed as the normally tidy house became messier and messier. Every room was searched a minimum of three times as Winter crawled around on the floor to look under desks and chairs. Every room, every bag, even the car was searched but the dragon was gone.

After putting the room back as best he could, Winter sent a quick text to Autumn telling her that he was going out and would be back as quickly as he could. As soon as the text was read he raced out of the house and sped to the playground. He knew it was unlikely he'd find the dragon there, it had been hours since they left, but he had to check. The look on Rose's face when she realized Onyx was gone broke his heart. He couldn't stand the thought of her being that sad for even a second longer. When he reached the park Winter combed every inch of the equipment, crawling through tunnels and checking every slide to no avail.