STORYBROOKE, Maine

"You're in a bad mood," Henry said as he finished the last of his milkshake, a chocolate mustache forming above his lip. Rebekah looked up from her own milkshake and raised her brow. The look she gave Henry must have been humorous because the boy started grinning. "You have some milkshake on your nose," he told her, chuckling now as he pointed.

Rebekah huffed out a laugh and wiped at her nose with her napkin. "Gone?" she asked Henry. He nodded and dug into their shared basket of French fries. Rebekah took one too, looking at Henry as she took a bite. "I'm sorry my mood is so sour, buddy," Rebekah said after swallowing.

"It's okay, Auntie Bex," Henry said with a shrug.

"No, it's not," she disagreed. "In fact, I owe you another milkshake."

Henry's eyes widened in excitement and his grin covered most of his face. Rebekah laughed and made eye contact with Ruby who made her way over to their booth. "You want the check?" she asked.

"Actually," Rebekah said dramatically to make Henry laugh. "Two more milkshakes, please?"

Ruby raised her brow at Rebekah in amusement. "Big spender," she teased before leaving to get their milkshakes.

"Is it because you miss Graham?" Henry asked with a mouthful of French fries.

"Hm?" Rebekah focused on him.

"Your bad mood. Is it because you miss Graham?"

She sighed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. "Yes." It was partially true. But she was also in a bad mood because of Jefferson. Rebekah had tried to ignore the flash of hurt in his eyes after she was such a bitch to him – he didn't deserve it. Not after he had taken care of her for two weeks. She hadn't even thanked him for that.

But he was so damn confusing! Was he or wasn't he interested in her? Rebekah refused to play games – she was twenty-seven years old, not a teenager. If he liked her, he should tell her. A whisper in the back of her mind told her that she could do the same, too. Why not just tell him you like him?

Right, because that was so simple! He had flat out told her that he wanted to be with someone else. Some mystery woman whose name he had yet to say but was the one he wanted to be with. Rebekah would just be embarrassing herself if she told him how she felt. Rebekah had never handled rejection well, so not only would she be embarrassed but her heart would be crushed, too.

Because she did have feelings for Jefferson. Ones that she couldn't quite explain. But the point was, she had feelings and they were intense. And if Jefferson didn't return those feelings, she must have really read all the signals wrong.

Ruby brought over the milkshakes and set them down on the table. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Ruby asked, motioning for Rebekah to follow her.

Rebekah scooted out of the booth, telling Henry that she'd be back and not to eat all the French fries. "What's up?" she asked once she was finally away from Henry and at the counter with Ruby.

"What's up?" Ruby said dramatically. "You have been MIA since Graham's funeral and your cryptic I'm staying with a friend texts you were sending us all are complete BS. Because I know all your friends and none of them said you were staying with them." She huffed, slapping a rag on the counter so she would appear to be working. Rebekah looked past Ruby and saw Granny sticking her head out of the door only to quickly duck back into the kitchen when Rebekah caught her.

Rebekah sighed when she looked around the diner and saw that most of the patrons were watching the two of them talk only to look away when Rebekah looked at them. "Look, it's not a big deal. And I'm back now, okay? So, the whole town can stop gossiping like a bunch of old ladies and worry about something else," she said loudly enough for the whole diner to hear.

"Mary-Margaret thinks you were staying with that hermit guy who lives in the woods," Ruby said as she wiped down the counters. "Is that true?"

"Is that Regina asking, or you?" Rebekah said, her tone icy.

Ruby set down the rag and narrowed her eyes at Rebekah. "You know damn well that I am not one of your sister's spies. And neither is Mary-Margaret, if that's what you're going to ask next."

"I know, I'm sorry." Rebekah sighed, leaning across the counter to grab Ruby's hand. "I know you're one of the few people I can trust." Ruby smiled a little, but Rebekah could tell that she was worried. "And yes, I was staying with Jefferson," she said in a whisper. "But that's over and I'm back."

Ruby leaned in closer. "I didn't know anything was on." She smirked.

"It never was and it never will be. He doesn't want me."

Ruby gaped at that. "Are you kidding me?" She scoffed. Rebekah shook her head and Ruby's eyes looked like they would bug out of their sockets. "Well then the rumors about him are true – he is crazy!"

The appropriate response would have probably been to laugh. But Rebekah felt instantly protective of Jefferson in that moment. "He's not crazy!" she snapped at Ruby who blinked in surprise at her outburst.

The scar. It had to be why she was reacting the way she was. The scar that looked like a rope burn around his neck – that's why she didn't like it when Ruby had called him crazy. Rationally, Rebekah knew that Ruby was only calling him crazy for not wanting her, but Rebekah did not want people thinking that Jefferson was crazy. If he had done something that might have caused that rope burn on his neck, she didn't want him to ever do it again because the town people were gossiping about him and calling him crazy. As hurt and confused by him as she was, Rebekah still wanted him safe. From himself.

"I'm sorry," Rebekah sighed, dropping her head down in embarrassment.

"You really liked him, didn't you?" Ruby said in a sad tone.

Rebekah looked up at her and nodded her head. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry." Ruby apologized. "Not just for calling him crazy but...because you don't deserve to be hurt like this. And if he can't see how absolutely amazing you are, maybe he's not the guy for you?"

She frowned, not wanting to believe Ruby's words.

"What are you doing tonight?" Ruby asked Rebekah.

"Probably nothing. I might swing by Mary-Margaret and Emma's place to apologize for the disappearing act, but other than that, I don't really have plans."

"Well, now you do. You're going on a double date with me tonight."

Rebekah had to laugh at that. "Yeah. Sure I am."

"You are!"

"Ruby, come on!" Rebekah complained. "The last thing I want to do is go on a date, let alone a double date!" she emphasized. "I just want to go home and watch a Tom Hanks movie and eat ice cream or some stereotypical 'woe is me' stuff."

"Nope!" Ruby pulled out her phone and began to text someone. "You're going on a double date with me and Billy and his friend Eric."

"Eric?" Rebekah echoed back the name. "The guy who works at the docks?"

"Mhm." Ruby nodded her head.

Rebekah sighed but shrugged her shoulders. "Fine – but if he still smells like fish, I have the right to leave immediately." Ruby laughed. "Text me all the details," Rebekah said as Granny came over.

"Guess what, Granny? Rebekah just agreed to go on a double date with me and Billy," Ruby said with a smirk directed at her friend. Rebekah glared in return knowing that the whole diner now knew about the double date.

"Oh, is that so?" Granny said with a big smile, her eyes drifting to Rebekah. "And who is the lucky man?"

"Eric!" Ruby answered in a giddy tone as she bounced happily. Granny chuckled and walked away, leaving the young women and headed back to the kitchen.

"Oh my God, Ruby – why not just shout it from the town square?" Rebekah playfully glared before she walked away from the two of them and back over to Henry.

"You're going on a date?" Henry asked when Rebekah sat back down.

"Apparently," Rebekah answered only to have Henry frown. "What's up?" she asked, worry in her tone.

He forced a smile and shook his head. "Nothing," Henry replied. She gave him a look of disbelief and Henry let out a long sigh. "It's just...curse stuff." Rebekah repressed the need to groan in irritation or to remind Henry that he had said he was done with all this curse business. "Who are you going on a date with?"

Rebekah answered Henry's question. "Eric," she told him. "He has a stand down at the docks."

"Oh!" Henry said happily. Apparently, he was onboard now. "Okay! Cool!"

"Oh, so now you approve?" Rebekah said in amusement. "Is Eric my One True Love in your storybook?" She smirked.

"No." Henry frowned. "That's why it's a good thing. That way if you guys kiss, you won't break the curse and Regina won't hurt you."

She frowned but didn't say anything. Henry went back to devouring his second milkshake and eating all of the fries and Rebekah sat across from him in worry. Why did he believe that Regina was so evil? Why did he think that Regina had killed Graham and that she would ever hurt her younger sister? Her family. Sure, Rebekah and Regina weren't as close as some sisters, but Rebekah never thought Regina would ever hurt her.

How could Henry think that?

Rebekah pushed her thoughts aside and grabbed a French fry, dipping it into her milkshake and watching as Henry smiled, mimicking her move. She smiled sadly at him and continued to drink her milkshake. Rebekah loved Henry with all of her heart; but she was starting to worry about him and this 'curse' nonsense.

She needed to have a talk with Emma.

_________________________________

Word around town was that her little sister had a date.

And not with Jefferson.

Regina smirked, leaning back in her chair.

Today was a good day. First; she got to fire Emma from her deputy duties, and now, Rebekah was pulling away from Jefferson. It was enough to make her giggle with glee. After Jefferson had threatened her the night Graham had died, Regina had been plotting on a way to destroy that man.

Regina knew there was no chance that True Love's kiss between Rebekah and Jefferson would break the curse – she had made sure that it wouldn't happen by using some of Rebekah's blood to create the curse. A kiss between the two would not cause the town to remember – but Regina still did not want Rebekah anywhere near Jefferson.

She was looking out for her sister - truly, Regina knew just how mad the 'Mad Hatter' had become while in Wonderland – truth be told; Rebekah went a little mad as well those three years she was held in captivity. But Jefferson was a ticking time bomb and soon Rebekah would see that side of him.

"You seem to be in an awfully cheerful mood," Sidney said as he sat across from Regina in her office.

Regina sat up, pressing her hand against her desk. "Things are finally getting back to normal, Sidney." She smirked. He raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Without a job for Ms. Swan, she will be forced to move out of Storybrooke and away from my family."

Sidney smiled at Regina, but they were rudely interrupted when the door to her office swung open and Jefferson stood on the other side. Regina repressed her need to laugh and looked to Sidney Glass. "I'll see you in the morning to finalize everything."

Sidney nodded, placing his hat back on his head as he got up and walked towards the door. Jefferson shoved past the man as he walked into the office. "What game are you playing now, Regina?" He seethed. Regina waited until Sidney shut the door to bring her attention back to her brother-in-law.

"Jefferson, what ever are you talking about?" she replied with a smirk. Regina laughed as his nostrils flared and she could see the volcano of anger waiting to erupt.

"What did you say to Rebekah?" Jefferson demanded an answer.

Regina moved to sit at her desk now, propping her high heels up on the mahogany desk and leaned back, tilting her head as she looked at Jefferson. "Trouble in paradise?"

"I told you to stop interfering." Jefferson stalked forward.

"Not so fast!" Regina held up one finger at him. He stilled. "As much as I'd love to take credit for whatever falling out the two of you seem to have had, I haven't spoken to Rebekah since Graham's funeral when I tried to convince her to come stay with me and Henry. So, whatever happened that was so bad that Rebekah is going on a date tonight, that's your doing. Though, I'd be lying if I said I am not thoroughly enjoying this." She chuckled darkly.

"You didn't say anything?"

"Not a single thing," Regina answered back. Jefferson narrowed his eyes at Regina who could see that he was trying to see if she was lying. His jaw squared and she smirked, knowing that he knew it was the truth. "So...what did you do?" she said with an arched brow. "Did you finally let the Mad Hatter come out and show Rebekah just how truly crazy you are?"

"Go to Hell, Regina," Jefferson said as he turned his back to her.

"Looks like you're already in it, Jefferson!" she said loudly as he walked towards the door, "Are you saying you want me to spend more time with me? Truly, I'm touched!" Her office door slammed and Regina laughed loudly.

Emma would be gone soon, Rebekah was pulling away from Jefferson, and Snow White and Prince Charming were not having a happily ever after. Things were finally going to go back to how they were. And Regina was absolutely thrilled.

If she couldn't have a happy ending, no one could! And she would make sure that everyone would be just as miserable as she had been.

_________________________________

"You don't eat fish?!" Eric said in disbelief.

Rebekah looked at Ruby who was giving her a cheeky smile and then went back to paying attention to her date. "Uh," she drew out the word. "No, I don't."

"You live in Maine!"

She forced a smile and moved her food around her plate. Rebekah hadn't known that they were going to be eating at an all seafood restaurant; though, that should have been a given seeing as the restaurant was located on the docks. "I just...I've never enjoyed the texture of fish." Rebekah spoke honestly. "Or...smell."

Eric made an awkward face and Rebekah instantly flushed in embarrassment. "You must really not be having a good time sitting next to me than."

"Oh, God." She groaned. "No, you don't smell like fish!" Rebekah pressed her hand to his arm to try and assure him while moving in her chair a bit to face him.

He laughed. "Most of the time I do," Eric told her, "if I'm being honest."

Rebekah dipped her head, still a bit mortified that she had said such a thing. "I'm so sorry. That was just...so rude."

She gasped in surprise when Eric moved his finger under her chin and forced her head back up so he could look her in the eyes. "Rebekah, I'm not offended," he tried to assure her.

Rebekah looked into his blue eyes, wishing in that moment that they belonged to someone else. She felt her chest tighten at that thought. Give it a rest! She mentally screamed at herself, He doesn't want you! But Rebekah couldn't help but still want him. That was the problem. And looking into Eric's eyes and feeling absolutely no connection to them was not making it any easier.

When she would look into Jefferson's blue eyes, she felt something for him. Something strong and confusing and at times overwhelming. But when she looked into Eric's eyes, all she felt was longing for a man that didn't even want to be with her. And that only left her feeling hurt and embarrassed.

"Someone seems to be making a love connection," Ruby said, interrupting Rebekah's thoughts. Eric's finger dropped from under her chin when she quickly pulled away from him.

"Could'a been if you hadn't interrupted them," Billy said in a chuckle as he plopped a piece of bread in his mouth.

No, it couldn't have been.

Her phone buzzed in her purse and Rebekah felt relief, glad for the distraction. She took her phone out of her purse and looked at the screen.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (7:25 PM): Come outside

She frowned at the text from the unknown number.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (7:25 PM): Please, Bex

Rebekah looked around the restaurant until her eyes landed at the front window where she could see that Jefferson outside of the restaurant with his hands shoved into his coat pockets and scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Who was it?" Eric asked causing Rebekah to look away from the window and back to her date. He motioned to her phone and Rebekah put it back in her purse and out of view from anyone who might try and read the texts.

"Henry," she quickly lied. "He's upset so I'm going to step outside and call him really quick."

Eric nodded his head and smiled, but it looked a little forced. "Of course."

"Rebekah, I'm sure he's fine," Ruby said, eyes wide as she tried to make a point, "–you can swing by the house after the date."

Rebekah opened her mouth but Eric cut her off. "No, honestly, Rebekah, you should call him. I think that it's great that you and your nephew are so close. I don't mind."

She looked back at Ruby who gave a quick shake of her head, lips pressed in a thin line and eyes still wide, trying to tell her not to take the call. Rebekah rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior and got up, bringing her purse with her. "I'll be only a few moments, I promise." Rebekah said, "Thank you for being so understanding, Eric." She pressed her hand to his shoulder once he was standing and the man moved his hand around her wrist and smiled up at her.

"Just...don't ditch me or anything," he teased. "I'll end up stuck with these two for the rest of dinner."

Rebekah laughed for the first time during the date. "I won't," she promised.

She hurried outside and found Jefferson standing a bit away from the restaurant and walked over to where he was. Her heels clicked against the wood of the docks and Rebekah wrapped her arms over her chest at the drastic change in weather. "What do you want?" she asked in a dry tone.

"You're on a date?" Jefferson asked, brows raised as if he were demanding some sort of answer from her – or that he even deserved one.

Rebekah let out a huff of a laugh and shook her head. "What does it matter to you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her and Rebekah raised her brow, waiting for him to answer.

She scoffed when he wouldn't answer her so she answered his question; "Yes, I am on a date."

"Why?"

Rebekah's eyes widened, head tilted to the side as her hands set defiantly on her waist. "Are you kidding me?" He shook his head and Rebekah laughed in disbelief. "You told me that you don't want me, Jefferson, and now you're mad that I'm on a date?"

"Bex..."

"No. Don't 'Bex' me!" She let her anger get the best of her. "You – you humiliated me!" She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "And I should have never come to your place after Graham died!" She watched his pained expression and tried to remain strong. She had a lot to say to him. "I liked you, Jefferson and I stupidly thought that you liked me, too, but apparently I made that all up or took it wrong – you don't like me. You don't want to be with me so you don't get to come here and act all huffy that I'm on a date with someone who actually wants to be with me!"

Rebekah was letting it all out. Maybe it was because she was still feeling the anger from losing Graham but mostly it was because she was so embarrassed by what he had said to her that night when she showed up to his house like a damn fool!

"I didn't mean what I said. I was just trying to push you away so you wouldn't get hurt!" Jefferson said quickly.

"That's the problem, Jefferson!" Rebekah countered back. "I don't want to be with someone who pushes me away. I want to be with someone who actually wants to be with me and tells me that much! I want to be with someone who shares their life with me and isn't a complete freaking mystery! I want to be with-"

Rebekah didn't get the chance to finish. Jefferson had invaded her space and moved his fingers under her chin, lifting it so that she could meet him in a kiss.

And it felt like the world was spinning underneath her and her heart was beating so fast and loudly that it was all she could hear in that moment. Everything was slow and fast at the same time and she knew that didn't make sense but that's how it felt. Because with Jefferson's lips moving with her own and his tongue sneaking in her mouth causing her to let out a little gasp that was silenced by a more feverish kiss – the world felt new and bright and colorful. Rebekah's hands gripped the back of his jacket to steady herself when he finally pulled away, both of them breathing hard.

She looked up at his kiss swollen lips and listened to the sound of her heart beating loudly in her ears.

"Did you bring your car?" Rebekah asked, not even hearing her own words. Jefferson smiled and nodded. "Good. Stay right here. I'll be right back." He grinned now, surging forward and kissing her again. She pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him away a little bit. "Jefferson," she whined, "we can't get out of here unless I go back inside and come up with a plausible excuse to leave." He chuckled and bit down on his lower lip and Rebekah shook her head while rolling her eyes, letting out a little groan. "Don't leave without me," she whispered before standing on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before hurrying away from him to head back into the restaurant.

Was this real? Did that actually really happen? Was she really about to ditch her date to take Jefferson back to her place?

Yup.

_________________________________

Jefferson woke up, feeling completely rested. He could feel the tickle of Rebekah's breathing against his chest and smiled. He ran his fingers through her hair and felt her lips form into a smile against his skin. "Good morning," he whispered, his other hand trailing down her arm.

"Good indeed," Rebekah said causing Jefferson to laugh. She moved forward a bit, lifting her chin as she smiled. "How'd you sleep?" she asked, pursing her lips out and Jefferson had to laugh, knowing exactly what she wanted.

He moved forward and pressed his lips to hers. "Good," he murmured. She chuckled and gave him a quick peck before she got up, grabbing Jefferson shirt off the ground and putting it on. Jefferson bit down on his lower lip as he smiled.

"Do you want some tea?" Rebekah asked over her shoulder as she walked towards the bedroom door.

"Yeah," he said, getting out of the bed quickly and pulled on his pants to chase after her. Rebekah let out a squeal when he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him and pressed kisses against her neck. "But I'm making it," he whispered.

Rebekah wiggled out of his hold and turned to face him. "You don't like the way I make my tea?" She raised her brow in a challenge.

He grinned, moving his face closer to hers and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "I love your tea." Jefferson whispered, "But I'm doting on you today," he said as he picked her up by the waist and moved her out of his way.

Rebekah didn't argue, she just followed him into the kitchen. He filled the kettle and put it on the stove to heat up and then looked back at Rebekah who was leaning against the counter. He frowned upon seeing her expression. She looked worried, unsure, confused.

"You okay?" he asked, walking over to where she stood in the kitchen.

She nodded, faking a smile. Jefferson raised his brows at her, letting her know that he was well aware that she was lying. Rebekah huffed and looked down at the ground. "You meant all those things you said last night...right?" she said in a quiet voice as she slowly looked back up at him. "This wasn't just because you're lonely or miss that other woman or..."

"Bex." He stopped her, moving to stand in front of her and used his fingers to push her brown hair behind her ears. Her green eyes watched him carefully as he said; "You're the woman." Jefferson watched as she looked at him in confusion and he quickly added, "That I want. Just you."

She nodded, eyes going down to the ground again. "Are you sure? Because if you're not and you're just going to go back to pushing me away again, just tell me now so I can prepare myself for the hurt." He moved his fingers under her chin and moved her head up so she could look into his eyes. He watched as her eyes grew soft and she let out a happy sigh. Rebekah then frowned again, probably remembering what they were discussing.

"I want to be with you, Rebekah Mills," he told her.

She smiled as she looked up at him. "And I want to be with you Jefferson..." Rebekah paused and then let out a laugh, "I don't think I've ever asked you what your last name is."

"Williams."

It was the first name that came to his mind; William. His first true friend. The man with whom he had portal jumped and traveled the realms stealing treasures. William Coulter. Daniel Coulter's older brother. Daniel Coulter; the first man that Regina had ever loved. The only man.

Back in the Enchanted Forest; Jefferson had no last name. His parents never had one – it wasn't uncommon in the place he grew up in. His parents were mushroom sellers, something he had become after Rebekah was taken and she had told him to run with Grace so that Regina wouldn't find them.

Only the important upper-class families had last names. The others were only known as what they could contribute. Jefferson had hated that life. So, when he first met William after coming into possession with The Hat and saw a new way to live, Jefferson swore he'd never return home.

And he never did.

William had become his family. And later; Rebekah, who gave him a daughter. So, his last name in Storybrooke would pay tribute to the man who taught him the thieving ways of life and how to make a name for himself. Without William's help, Jefferson would have never been on Rumpelstiltskin's radar which meant he would have sent some other thief to steal Rebekah away from Regina. Without William, Jefferson would have never met his True Love.

"Jefferson Williams." Rebekah said his name slowly as she smiled. "Suits you."

He grinned, licking at his lips and leaned forward. But before he could kiss her again, there was a pounding at Rebekah's front door. He chuckled as Rebekah groaned while moving forward to press her forehead to his chest, clearly frustrated by the interruption.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"Open the door, Rebekah!"

She looked up at Jefferson and sighed. "It's Ruby. She's probably here to scream at me for bailing last night."

"Go on." He used his head to motion towards the door. "I'll be in here."

Rebekah stood up on her tip toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before hurrying over to the door. He winced when he realized that she was still wearing his t-shirt but in the end couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"Morning Ruby."

"Don't you 'morning Ruby' me! Not after that little stint you pulled last night. You go outside to call Henry and then come back in looking all hot and bothered and say you have to go and –" Jefferson didn't hear Ruby say anything else, just listened as she let out an angry gasp. "You are wearing a mans shirt!" Ruby hissed and Jefferson had to repress the need to laugh. "And you totally have the morning-after-sex glow!"

"Ruby!" Rebekah hissed.

"I mean, it's about time – I mean, for as long as I've known you I don't think you've had sex in that entire time period. If you did, it was obviously bad."

"Oh my God, Ruby, stop." He smiled as Rebekah laughed. He could picture her cheeks a shade of pink as she grew embarrassed by Ruby harassing her.

No, the least you can do is tell me who you ditched Eric for last night! He really liked you!"

The tea kettle went off and Jefferson, on autopilot, took it off the burner, silencing the noise.

"Oh my God...is he still here?"

"Ruby, stop! Stop! I will see you later, okay?"

"Fine!" Ruby huffed. "But you owe me some details."

"Yeah, yeah. Goodbye, Ruby." The door closed and when Rebekah came back into the room, she playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously?"

He chuckled, shrugging innocently. "I didn't think," he said in all honesty. "I hear a tea kettle go off, I take it off the stove so I don't burn the house down." Rebekah laughed as she hid her face in her hands, walking over to Jefferson who pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Bex." He chuckled.

"I'm going to have to avoid Ruby for a while," Rebekah said, moving her hands away from her face and pressed her cheek against Jefferson's chest. "At least until some other town gossip happens and is good enough for Ruby to forget about us."

Us.

It made his heart thud against his chest and Jefferson knew that Rebekah could feel it from the way she was now chuckling. She moved her hand to his chest and patted at it. "I'm going to go shower but I expect some toast and jam before I'm out."

He laughed. "What about the tea?" Jefferson asked, watching her walk away.

"Water is already too cold now, you'll have to make a new batch." She hollered over her shoulder before disappearing from his sight.

Jefferson smiled and dumped the water down her sink, shaking his head that even in this world, Rebekah was still extremely particular about how she drank her tea.

God, he loved her so much.

_________________________________

Regina had called Rebekah over for some big announcement that she was making. She really didn't want to go, but Regina had said that it was important. And that they needed to catch up. Rebekah had decided not to tell Regina about Jefferson – her older sister meddled too much for Rebekah's liking and she did not want Regina doing anything to ruin what she and Jefferson had.

But when Rebekah walked into Regina's office, she really wasn't expecting a full-on press conference.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes," Regina spouted off as the cameras flash died down. The newspaper staff was all here, including the photographers. And standing behind Regina was Sidney Gold. The town's biggest suck up to Regina. "That's why Sidney Glass is my choice for post of Sheriff."

What?

"This man has put the needs of Storybrooke above his own for as long as any of us can remember as Chief Editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Please welcome your new sheriff."

What?!

But before Regina could pin the badge on Sidney, Emma came walking into the room.

"Hang on a second!" Emma said causing the crowd to look back at her.

"Oh, Ms. Swan, this is not appropriate," Regina said only to have Emma start to walk forward and defend herself.

"The only thing not appropriate is this ceremony. She does not have the power to appoint him," Emma let the room know.

"The town charter clearly states, 'The mayor shall appoint-"

"-A candidate!" Emma cut her off. "You can appoint a candidate. It calls for an election."

"The term candidate is applied loosely," Regina said.

"No, it's not," Emma all but snarled. Rebekah felt the tension in the air grow thick. "It requires a vote. And guess what, Madam Mayor? I'm running."

"Fine. So is Sidney," Regina decided.

Apparently, Sidney wasn't so sure. "I am?" he said in confusion. Regina snapped her head to look at him. Rebekah didn't need to see the face Regina was giving Sidney – she had seen it enough while working for Regina. It was her, 'shut up and go along with this!' look that many people feared. "I am." Sidney was one of those people.

Regina looked back at Emma. "With my full support." She looked around the room and smiled. "I guess we'll learn a little something about the will of the people."

Emma didn't stand down. She didn't even look intimidated. "I guess we will."

When everyone left and it was just Regina, Rebekah, and Sidney, Regina paced around the room in anger. "Did you tell her about this?!" she snapped at Rebekah.

"I didn't even know that this," she motioned to Sidney, "-was happening. And for the record, you know that the job belongs to Emma. She was Graham's deputy."

Regina let out a dry laugh and shook her head. "Oh, I should have known you'd be on her side!" she said in a hiss. "You are always choosing someone else over me!"

Rebekah blinked in surprised. "Are you joking?" she asked. "My whole life I have done what you have told me to do –"

"Oh really? So, I told you to befriend Emma? I told you to quit your job with me and work for Mr. Gold. I told you to abandon your family to go live with that lunatic Jefferson!?"

Regina actually sounded...hurt. And Rebekah probably should have felt guilty for causing the hurt, but she was tired of it all. Rebekah was tired of not having her own life. "Look," she pressed her hands together. "I'm sorry that I was gone for the last two weeks and I'm sorry that you're upset about my new job, but I am not apologizing to you for being friends with Henry's birth mother. She is important to him so she should be important to you, too! But you're too busy trying to ruin any chance at them having a relationship that you can't see that she's a decent person and just how much Henry cares about her."

"Get out of my office!" Regina yelled, her voice rough and thick. Rebekah sighed and turned to leave. "And don't try and turn to me when everything in your life starts to fall apart, Rebekah!" Regina continued to shout as Rebekah was out of the office and walking down the hall.

When she was out of the building, Emma was waiting outside leaning against her car. "Quite the ambush," Rebekah said with a little smirk.

Emma chuckled. "A heads up to the press conference would have been nice."

"Yeah, I would have liked that, too," Rebekah agreed. "When Regina called saying she had a big announcement, I didn't know that it was for the whole town – or, the Daily Mirror." She moved forward and stood next to Emma, leaning against her car as well.

"She pissed?"

"At me or you?" Rebekah chuckled, "Either way, the answer is yes." Emma raised her brow, probably curious as to why Regina was pissed at Rebekah. "She has this absurd idea in her head that I always choose someone else over her – which is insane. Because for most of my life I have done whatever Regina has asked me to do but...I'm just done." She shrugged, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'm done with her telling me what to do, how to act, who I can spend my time with. I'm just over it all."

Emma smiled, pressing her hand to Rebekah's shoulders. "Good for you."

Rebekah smiled and turned to face Emma. "Need help with your campaign?"

Emma laughed. "Absolutely! But I'm meeting Henry at the diner for dinner. Wanna come?"

"Uh," Rebekah bit down on her lower lip. Jefferson was still at her apartment. They had spent the entire morning together and most of the afternoon until Regina called – but they had also planned on spending the night together again. Even though they spent the night a couple times already today. "I actually have plans in a bit but...tomorrow?"

"Of course." Emma pushed herself off her car and walked around the yellow Volkswagen Beetle. "Talk to you later, Bex."

Rebekah smiled, the name now giving her comfort instead of leaving her feeling upset.

She headed back to her apartment and while walking down the hallway on her floor, she inhaled a devilishly amazing smell and followed after it. "Yay!" she said quietly when she realized the smell was coming from her apartment. Rebekah unlocked her door and walked into her apartment. "It smells so good in here!" she said as she hung her jacket up on the coat rack.

She heard Jefferson laughing from the kitchen and headed in that direction. Rebekah found him at the stove and smiled, watching as he cooked. She moved behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle as she rested the side of her face against the back of his shirt

"What are you making?" Rebekah asked, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder before moving to stand next to him, trying to see exactly what he was cooking. It was a pasta dish.

"Well, since you have no food in your house, I had to work with what little you did have," Jefferson said with a smirk and Rebekah elbowed him in his side. "It's just a garlic parmesan pasta dish," Jefferson told her.

"Well, it smells amazing," she told him as she walked over to grab two bowls and two forks. He served them, and instead of making them tea, Jefferson had a wine sitting out for them. Rebekah looked at the wine and then back to Jefferson with an amused grin. "You do realize that I've had that wine for...ever?" Rebekah said with a laugh, not being able to recall when she had gotten it.

He smiled, licking at his lower lip. "Well, I guess it has aged well."

Rebekah remembered finding the wine outside her door as a gift that she had assumed had been from Mary-Margaret or Graham – but she never got around to opening it. But she couldn't remember when she had found it. When she looked back up at Jefferson, he was grinning at her. "What?" she said, her cheeks flushing.

"You're just cute when you're trying to figure something out." Jefferson said to her as he poured her a glass of the wine. She playfully glared at him but gladly accepted the wine, bringing the glass to her lips and taking a sip. She closed her eyes happily at the taste. It was so familiar, but she knew she had never had it before. "You like it?" he asked.

Rebekah swallowed. "Yes," she smiled, taking another sip. "But I should probably eat or else tonight is just going to be you taking care of a drunk me."

That made Jefferson laugh loudly and Rebekah couldn't help but laugh as well. They ate their meal and Jefferson talked about how he had gotten his mansion, saying that he had made some investments over the years.

"Must have been some good investments," Rebekah comment as she twirled her pasta.

"No...they weren't worth it," she heard Jefferson mumble softly under his breath. Rebekah looked up to ask him what he meant by that, but her attention was taken elsewhere when the sound of multiple sirens filled her apartment. Rebekah got out of her seat and walked over to the window in her living room, seeing a cloud of smoke coming from her sister's office.

"Oh my God," she gasped, leaving the window and running towards her front door.

"Whoa, Bex–" Jefferson got out of his seat and followed after her. "What's going on?"

"There's a fire at my sister's old office. I have to go make sure she's okay." Jefferson grabbed her wrist gently causing her to pause and look at him. She frowned, "I'm sorry...I just have to make sure she's not hurt."

He nodded, taking in a shaky breath before pulling her in for a long kiss. "Be careful," he whispered as he let her go.

Rebekah knew she didn't want to leave him. She knew that more than anything she wanted him to come with her, but they were keeping their relationship under the radar so they could just enjoy each other before the whole town put their noses in their business.

Rebekah ran the entire way to her sister's office and got there to find that Emma had been the one to pull Regina from the fire.

"Emma!" Rebekah ran forward, seeing Henry's birth-mother first. "Are you okay?" She was standing with Mary-Margaret, Ruby, Granny, and Dr. Hopper.

Emma nodded and then was taken back when Rebekah pulled her into a hug. She coughed while laughing, hugging Rebekah back. In that moment, Rebekah saw that just a little bit away, Regina was watching the whole exchange, the look of anger and betrayal written on her face. She sighed, letting go of Emma and walked over to her big sister.

"You okay?" Rebekah asked, watching as her sister continued to glare at her once she was standing by the ambulance.

"Like you care," Regina spat out at Rebekah.

"Regina, I do care," Rebekah said, her voice tired, her entire being tired from constantly having to assure her sister that - even though she was a total bitch – she loved her. They were family and family didn't give up on each other. "I ran all the way from my apartment, I was so worried."

"Yeah, I could see just how worried you were for me while you were hugging Emma," Regina said causing Rebekah to press her fingers to her temple in frustration, trying to rub out a headache that would always form whenever she had to deal with Regina for too long. "Leave, Rebekah. I don't want you here, and it's obvious that you'd rather be somewhere else."

"Regina-"

"Leave! Go be around people who can actually stand to be around you!"

It hurt. It really did. But Rebekah was used to her sister constantly trying to tear her down with harsh words. Regina was just the way she was. That would never change. So, inhaling deeply, Rebekah walked away from her older sister and went back to her apartment where she knew Jefferson and a bottle of wine were waiting for her.

Maybe Henry was right in thinking that Regina was some sort of Evil Queen.

There were times that Rebekah genuinely wondered if her sister even had a heart.

Tonight, Rebekah settled on the thought that; no, she has no heart.

_________________________________

"That looked awkward."

Rebekah had been watching the entire exchange between Mary-Margaret and David and things certainly looked tense and, well, awkward. It probably made Mary-Margaret feel even more awkward having Rebekah point it out, but she couldn't help it.

"Shut it," Mary-Margaret said back, grabbing the posters Rebekah was in charge of handing out. "Just because you've been chipper all morning doesn't mean we all have to be."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Okay." Rebekah raised her hands in surrender. "I won't say anything else," she said with a smile and went back to handing out posters. When she looked back over at her friend, Mary-Margaret was looking at her suspiciously. "What?"

"How was your date with Eric?" she asked, raising her brows.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure Ruby told you all about it so just ask the question, Mary-Margaret." She smirked at her friend.

Mary-Margaret shrugged innocently causing Rebekah to laugh. "So...who was the mystery man in your apartment the other morning?" She pressed, "Come on! Tell me, I'm your best friend – I have earned these rights!"

Rebekah knew that if she could trust anybody to keep a secret, it was Mary-Margaret. She knew that no matter the threat Regina would make, Mary-Margaret would keep Rebekah's secrets like her own. Her job could be on the line, her home, anything and Mary-Margaret would still choose her friendship with Rebekah over it all. It's the reason Rebekah trusted her more than anyone.

So, she pulled Mary-Margaret a bit away from the crowd so that no one could listen in on the conversation. "This stays between you and me. No Emma, no Ruby, no one."

"It's Jefferson, isn't it?"

Rebekah's mouth hung open slightly. "How did you even know?"

"Oh, please, Rebekah. That day at the diner? Or that fact that after Graham died you were staying with a friend that no one in town knew about." Mary-Margaret then added, "Not to mention how upset you were after Regina threatened to keep Henry from you if you continued to even talk to him. Rebekah, you've had a secret little crush on him for a while; it's a bit obvious."

"Secret yet obvious?" Rebekah couldn't help but laugh.

Mary-Margaret playfully narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Rebekah looked down at the ground, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "It's more than a secret little crush now." She looked back at Mary-Margaret. "I like him...a lot. And," she took in a quick breath knowing that what she was about to say wasn't possible but said it anyway. "I know it sounds crazy but...when we kissed...it felt so familiar. Like I've kissed him a hundred times already. It was like...coming home."

Mary-Margaret smiled softly. "Sounds like you've fallen pretty hard."

Rebekah nodded her head in agreement. "Which is why I can't have anyone in the town finding out about this. Which means I have to find a guy willing to say he spent the night at my place so Ruby will back off a bit."

Mary-Margaret pursed her lips and then smiled. "Dr. Whale."

"No!"

"It's perfect!"

"No, it is not perfect!"

Jefferson had told her that he had pushed her away after he had seen Dr. Whale kiss her. He was afraid of getting hurt and for some reason continued to say that he didn't want her hurt. But, seeing her kiss another man had really hurt him. So, Jefferson thought pushing her away was the only option.

"Well, you can't say it was Eric. Everyone already knows that you blew him off," Mary-Margaret reminded Rebekah.

"Yeah," Rebekah said in embarrassment. "I really do need to apologize to him."

"You really should," Mary-Margaret agreed. "But you also need to find some cover story so that Regina doesn't find out about you and Jefferson and keep Henry from you."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "I really don't care what Regina thinks anymore. She can't keep Henry from me if he wants to see me. What is she going to do? Lock him in his room for the rest of his life?"

Someone yelled that the debate would be starting soon and Rebekah and Mary-Margaret went their separate ways. When Rebekah walked up the steps to the town hall she heard someone whispering her name. She smiled, recognizing the voice. Rebekah watched as people walked past her to get into the building and once there was no one left outside, she hurried down the stairs and headed in the direction of where the voice came from.

"Jefferson?" she whispered once she was in the alley next to town hall. She let out a yelp when a pair of arms grabbed her from behind and then laughed when Jefferson moved his hand to cover her mouth. She felt his breath against her neck as he chuckled. He dropped his hand and spun her to face him. "What are you doing here?" Rebekah whispered as Jefferson settled his hands on her hips, moving them both in a little swaying motion.

He smiled and shrugged innocently.

Rebekah grinned while kinking her brow. "Jefferson Williams...did you miss me?"

Jefferson took in a shaky breath, his face becoming more serious. "You have no idea, Bex."

She frowned, moving her hand to his face, caressing his cheek. "You okay?" Rebekah asked him.

He nodded his head, moving to press his forehead to hers. "Come to my place tonight?"

Rebekah let out a whine and stuck out her lower lip before answering. "I can't. I promised Emma that I'd go to her victory celebration and then after that I'm taking Henry and Paige to the movies."

"Grace?"

"Yeah, Paige Grace." Rebekah said and then raised his brow. "Do you know the Grace family?"

He swallowed hard, dropping his hands for her waist. "Yeah."

Rebekah dropped her hand from his face and gripped onto his coat, tugging him closer to her. "You should come. I mean, you'd have to sneak into the theater after the movie starts but this whole sneaking around thing is kinda hot." She smirked but Jefferson pulled away.

"I can't," he told her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sorry."

Rebekah closed her eyes, exhaling as she shook her head. "You're doing it." She bit down on her lower lip to keep her anger at bay. "You're pushing me away." Rebekah opened her eyes when she heard him sigh sadly. "Why now, Jefferson? Did you just want to get me in bed a couple times and then throw me away – because you said that you wanted to be with me."

He moved forward, hands out of his pockets and resting on her cheeks now. "I do. God, you don't know how badly I want to be with you, Bex," Jefferson said, his tone raspy.

"Then stop trying to push me away!" Rebekah raised her voice. "Stop coming up with excuses in your head why we shouldn't be together because I am risking a lot by being with you but to me, you're worth the risks!" She closed her eyes, pulling away from him. "If this isn't real...tell me now. Because I deserve better than to be strung along."

She opened her eyes and looked up at Jefferson. He was frowning, eyes watery. It made Rebekah's heart ache. "It's real, Bex," he whispered before slowly pulling to her to him. "It is real." Jefferson pressed his lips to hers and again left Rebekah feeling like they had done this hundreds of times before but that she would never tire of it. When he pulled away, Rebekah licked at her lips and then looked back up at him. "Have fun tonight. I'll stop by your place tomorrow."

"Promise?"

Jefferson smiled, kissing her forehead. "I promise."

Emma won the election. After giving her speech where she stood up against Mr. Gold for causing the fire, the whole town knew who the right person for Sheriff was. The town celebrated Emma's victory and their new sheriff. But Rebekah couldn't help but feel like her stomach was in knots for the simple fact that Graham wasn't there with them.

Emma seemed to see that and took a seat next to Rebekah. "I miss him, too."

Rebekah let out a little laugh, wiping away a tear. "He'd be so proud of you, Emma."

Emma smiled. "I hope so."

That night, Emma joined Rebekah in taking Henry and Paige to the movies and afterwards went back to Granny's for some chocolate shakes.

She would have loved to end the night in Jefferson's arms. But she wouldn't trade her night with Emma, Henry, and Paige for anything.

Everything was starting to feel...right.