STORYBROOKE, Maine

"Rebekah?"

She blinked and looked over to Mr. Gold as they stood in the home they were remodeling. It was early. Too early. It wasn't even eight in the morning and Rebekah and the crew had been called there for at least an hour ago to start with the remodeling process. All the walls were painted and the only thing left to do was arrange of the furniture Rebekah had picked out for the home. "I'm sorry , " Rebekah said in embarrassment. She hadn't been paying attention to what her boss was saying ; it was nearly impossible with her mind buzzing a mile per minute. There was something about this house that felt so... familiar. It felt like home. A home. Not her home. There was no way in hell she could ever afford a place like this.

"I was commenting on the curtains." Mr. Gold pointed over to the windows in the living room. Her eyes followed his hand movement and looked at the large windows. "What do you envision here?" he asked.

She inhaled deeply as she thought of what color scheme would go with the style of home. But for some odd reason, Rebekah felt as though the home didn't need curtains. The view was lovely and the sunlight through the windows made the home even brighter. And it was far enough into the woods that she doubted anyone would be able to peep a look inside and invade the home owner's privacy. Perhaps the curtains should be a very light color, almost see-through (if Mr. Gold continued to insist on having curtains set up in the home). She walked over to the windows only to stop, her hand gripping onto the back of the couch to support herself as she closed her eyes tightly.

Velvet.

She saw curtains in her mind but they were not in this house. It was in a room...a large room that...wasn't a room. Large curtains all over the room with -

"Rebekah?"

The sound of Mr. Gold's cane hitting the ground as he made his was towards the pregnant woman made her snap out of her little trance. Rebekah opened her eyes and took in a deep breath before she let go of the couch. "I'm okay," she told him. Rebekah heard the concern in his voice - which was rare because not once had Rebekah ever seen Mr. Gold show concern for anyone other than himself. Well, at least not genuine concern. "Just a little dizzy."

"Perhaps we should get you something to eat," Mr. Gold suggested as he moved to stand in front of her. "Are you hungry?"

She gave into a half smile. "Always," Rebekah said with a little huff of a laugh. She had a cereal bar and plain piece of toast as she ran out of Regina's home this morning, so Rebekah really wouldn't object to eating a little bit more. Henry had yelled at her when he saw what she was eating, saying that she needed to eat more than that, but Rebekah was already running late and it was the only thing she could eat other than one of the red apples Regina had sitting in a bowl on the kitchen counter.

Mr. Gold nodded his head and called one of the workers in the house to come downstairs. A short, heavy-set man came down the stairs, a little out of breath, before walking over to Rebekah and Mr. Gold.

"What can I do for you Mr. Gold?" he asked.

The short man looked eager to please. He wore a thick, tan work jacket and a red sweater underneath to keep warm on this chilly day. (Rebekah was very thankful for the continued cold weather because she could get away with wearing large sweater to hide her baby bump from the town without question). The short man had a thick brown beard with a red knitted hat placed on the top of his head.

Mr. Gold told the man to get Rebekah some food and he stammered a bit while looking around the house for any kind of food laying around. "I uh," he scratched at his beard. "I'm sure one of the men here might have something extra they packed in their lunches for Miss Rebekah to eat."

"From town, Willy , " Mr. Gold said in irritation. That was the Mr. Gold Rebekah was familiar with. "Preferably Granny's diner." He huffed in annoyance when Willy nodded his head numerous times but never asked Rebekah for her order. So, Mr. Gold looked to her after letting out a dramatic sigh. "Why don't you go into town with the man. He seems incapable of doing anything right today."

Rebekah looked over at the short man and watched as his face fell and he cast his eyes down to the ground in shame. "I think you're doing a wonderful job, Willy," Rebekah told the man causing him to look up in surprise. She smiled when she saw his cheeks go red and a grin stretched across his face. "And I would love to accompany him into town," Rebekah added. Willy hurried back upstairs to grab his things and Rebekah turned to face Mr. Gold. "Would it kill you to show a little bit of kindness to the crew?" she asked him.

"Possibly," he said with a crooked grin causing Rebekah to roll her eyes in amusement and give into another snort. When she looked back to Mr. Gold, his face had gone serious. "You have to learn that when you're the boss of a group of people you can't be their friend. Because if they think you're their friend, it's easier for them to take advantage of you. That's a weakness, Miss Mills. And when you're in charge, you must never show weakness."

Rebekah huffed out a laugh at his dramatics. "You sound like an old school gangster from the 20's." Mr. Gold actually chuckled at her words as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his wallet to get some money out for Rebekah. "Mr. Gold, I can pay for my own food."

"Yes, I know you can." Mr. Gold handed her the money anyway. "I'm the one signing your paychecks, but this isn't for you," he informed her. "Bring me back a coffee."

Rebekah raised her brow up at him. The money he handed her was far more than what a single cup of coffee would cost. But if he wanted to be proud, she'd let him. It didn't mean she wasn't going to give him a little sass though. "Am I your secretary now?" Rebekah challenged him. "I thought my days of running out to grab someone coffee were over?"

Mr. Gold didn't respond, he only laughed.

Rebekah sat in the car with Willy as they drove back into town. "I didn't even know there was a house out here," he commented as he sat in the driver side of his pickup truck. "I mean, other than that nutter's house."

She visibly flinched at his words and Willy noticed.

"You okay?" he asked. But it wasn't concern she heard in his tone. It was a little bit of fear, almost as if he was terrified that something bad might happen to her on his watch.

"I'm fine," Rebekah lied. "Just tired."

Willy continued on to talk about his apartment on the docks and how it was his favorite thing in the world to wake up to the smell of the sea each morning. He told her about his dream to earn enough money to buy some sort of fishing boat and finally set sail.

"Sounds like quite the adventure," Rebekah commented.

Her phone dinged and Rebekah moved forward a bit to grab it out of her purse only to wince slightly. Her little bump was very tender to the touch. The slightest brush against her stomach could cause an ache and she'd be sore for a few hours afterwards. Rebekah forced herself not to cradle her belly and instead continued to lean down to grab her purse on the floor of the pickup truck.

"Your ribs still bothering' you?" Willy asked.

She nodded her head and pulled her phone out of her purse. It was a message from Henry.

Did you know that your baby is the size of a peach right now?

Rebekah chuckled a little and held out her hand, picturing herself holding a peach to envision just how little her baby truly was.

She had her fourteen week check up in a few hours and Rebekah was anxiously waiting as the minutes ticked away. It was her first solo appointment. When Rebekah told Regina that she wanted to go to the appointment by herself, her older sister grew irritated, saying that she didn't want Rebekah to go to her doctor appointments alone. But Rebekah had to remind Regina that she was going to be doing the parenting alone. She had to learn to step out on her own two feet without relying on the help of others.

And after spending a few weeks cooped up in Regina's guest room, throwing herself a pity party, Rebekah realized that she needed to be independent again. The youngest Mills sister had always loved being independent! Living in her tiny apartment all by herself had felt so freeing. And she wanted that feeling back in her life again. Freedom and independence. That's what she needed again.

Which was also why Rebekah was looking at places to rent. Nothing too big. She just needed two bedrooms. One for her and one for her baby.

Jefferson's baby, Rebekah heard the whisper of a reminder in her head.

Rebekah wanted to go see him again. She wanted to talk to him - she wanted him to explain himself and his actions! But she wasn't on his list of people he was allowing to visit him. Damn the man. Damn him for doing this to her, and damn him for the fact that Rebekah still stupidly missed him. Damn him for the fact that whenever her belly started to ache, she longed to feel his hands glide over the bump to soothe the pain. Damn him for leaving her still wanting him, for still...loving him.

Rebekah loathed herself for the fact that she couldn't let him go. That no matter how hard she tried to push him out of her heart, it just wouldn't let her. It was as if Jefferson was permanently etched into her heart and soul. Rebekah tried to fight it, tried to ignore the way her heart ached when she'd lay in bed at night without feeling his arms wrapped around her middle, or feel the tickle of his warm breath against her neck as he slept peacefully next to her. She missed him. More and more each day and it left her feeling crazy.

How was it possible to miss a man who had hurt you so badly? He had betrayed her, broken her heart, wrecked her soul. And she still missed him. What was it about Jefferson that was so hard to get over? Rebekah didn't even know if anything they shared was real or just part of his scheme to get back at Regina.

It was real, she heard a whisper in the back of her head. It still is.

By the time they pulled into Granny's, Rebekah felt as though her stomach was growling as loudly as the engine of the truck. She got out of the truck, leaving Willy to fend for himself, and rushed inside the diner, grabbing a couple of pastries to snack on while ordering her food and of course, Mr. Gold's single order of coffee. Granny looked at her oddly while taking down her order, eyes narrowed and brows pinched together as Rebekah listed off each item while simultaneously nibbling at her pastry.

"It's for the crew," Rebekah lied, not wanting Granny to get too suspicious as to why she was ordering so much food.

Mary-Margaret was in the diner sipping her coffee and looking out the door. Rebekah had seen her when she first walked into the diner and gave her a little wave before putting in the order for 'the crew,' aka herself, but she hadn't gone and said hello. But now her interests were piqued at seeing the own look in Mary-Margaret's eyes as she stared out the window.

Rebekah moved to stand next to her friend, leaning over a bit to see where Mary-Margaret was looking.

Emma Swan was speaking to this mysterious stranger that everyone in town was gossiping about. Rebekah prayed that they continued to gossip about him so no one would notice her growing belly. Regina had taken a particular interest in the newest Storybrooke resident. She had even gone as far as to have Emma investigate him.

He was handsome, a nice face with wide eyes that seemed to pop out when he was speaking. But Rebekah doubted that Regina's interest in the man were merely physical or romantic - she was just nosey. Rebekah ripped off a piece of her pastry and popped it in her mouth. "Have you met him?" she asked Mary-Margaret. The woman shook her head and drank more coffee as Emma walked into the diner, heading in their direction.

"Who was that?" Mary-Margaret asked Emma as the blonde sat down. It appeared that Mary-Margaret hadn't been privy to the latest gossip circling Storybrooke. Rebekah had a feeling that her dear friend was harboring quite the secret as well and that said secret took up most of her time. Rebekah would never bring it up to her friend though because Mary-Margaret might ask questions about Rebekah in return that she just was not ready to answer.

"I don't know yet," Emma answered. She looked to Rebekah and smiled. "Hey Bex."

She didn't flinch. Hearing people refer to her as 'Bex' didn't cause the ache in her heart as much as it did in the beginning. Rebekah smiled and took a seat on the chair between Emma and Mary-Margaret and continued to nibble at her pastry.

"Yet," Mary-Margaret emphasized. "So...you're going to find out?" she questioned.

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's nothing."

That made Rebekah snort. "'Nothing' with you means something," Mary-Margaret voiced what Rebekah was thinking. "Because if it were nothing we wouldn't be talking about it." Spot on.

"I'm sorry," Emma leaned forward. "I thought you called me here to talk about you."

Well, there goes the end of that conversation.

Mary-Margaret looked sick to her stomach after Emma spoke and Rebekah could see how nervous she was. "Yeah, but talking about you is easier right now."

Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked to her friend. "What's going on?" Rebekah asked.

Mary-Margaret began to look around the diner, her eyes briefly landing on Rebekah before finally looking down at her plate, muttering the words, "It's nothing."

It seemed like whatever was going on with Mary-Margaret, she did not want Rebekah knowing about which was odd. And to Rebekah, it felt a bit hurtful. Since when did we start keeping secrets from each other?

Oh, Rebekah thought as she felt a little flutter in her stomach, her stomach begging for food. She was keeping a pretty big secret from Mary-Margaret herself.

It didn't matter. Rebekah already had a feeling that this secret Mary-Margaret was keeping had everything to do with David Nolan and the little morning ritual they had of sitting just one table away from the other while smiling at the other while they ate their meals at Granny's diner for the last week or two.

"I, uh," Rebekah stammered as she got up from her seat and gathered her pastries with a napkin she swiped from their table. "I'll go."

"No!" Mary-Margaret said, her face showing nothing but guilt. "No, stay!"

"It's fine." Rebekah smiled down at her friend. "I'm sure my order is going to be ready any minute now."

Mary-Margaret grabbed Rebekah's wrist and yanked her back down to sit. "Look," she whispered, looking around the room. "Emma, do you remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?"

Yup, it was the David thing.

Rebekah hadn't broached the subject out of respect for Mary-Margaret and not wanting to accuse her of doing something that might offend her friend even though she was obviously doing it.

"Yes," Emma whispered back.

Mary-Margaret made a guilty face. "I didn't."

"Yeah, I know."

Mary-Margaret's head shot up in shock. "You do? How?!" she asked.

"Because I'm the sheriff ," Emma said, her voice no longer a whisper but still quiet enough that nobody around them would hear. "And you are a lovesick school teacher. Covering your tracks is not exactly your strong suit."

"Well, I've been," Mary-Margaret's voice raised in volume only to have Rebekah and Emma give her a look causing their friend to lower her voice again. " Discreet ," she said more quietly.

"Two teacups in the sink," Emma said. "New perfume, late nights, plunging necklines." Rebekah had to snort at that while eating more of her snack. "It was not hard to connect the dots."

Mary-Margaret looked down at her chest. "Plunging?"

Rebekah chuckled and nodded her head. "You've always been a top button girl, Mary-Margaret," she said causing Emma to nod her head in agreement.

Mary-Margaret sighed with a frown before looking at Rebekah. "Wait - did you know, too?"

Rebekah shrugged. "I had a hunch."

"Why didn't either of you say anything?"

"We all have our secrets," Rebekah muttered under her breath. Emma looked at Rebekah while she ate her pastries (correction; stuffing her face with her pastries) for a long minute before looking back to Mary-Margaret.

She sighed slightly. "I'm not your mother," Emma said with a smile.

"No," Mary-Margaret said and then smiled. "According to Henry, I'm yours."

"I just figured," Emma looked to Rebekah for a moment before directing her words at Mary-Margaret, "that you would let me know when it was time." The blonde woman's eyes drifted back to Rebekah's briefly before looking back to Mary-Margaret. "And I'm assuming it's time."

Mary-Margaret swallowed some of her coffee before breaking the big news. "He's telling Kathryn."

"Wow," Rebekah said in shock.

"Everything?" Emma asked.

Mary-Margaret nodded. "Everything."

"Rebekah!" Granny shouted.

Rebekah looked to the counter to see the three bags of food she had ordered. "I gotta get going. I'll call you later," she directed to Mary-Margaret. "Later, Emma." She avoided the blonde's eyes. Rebekah had a feeling that Emma was getting closer to learning her secret and she just wasn't ready for more people to know.

"Sure got a lot of food," Emma commented. Rebekah felt her stomach drop, ready to come up with another lie as she tried to shove her remaining pastries in her purse. "Is Gold having you run errands for the crew now?" She asked as Granny handed Rebekah Mr. Gold's cup of coffee.

"Yeah!" Rebekah said quickly. It was the same lie she told Granny. "It's like I'm working for Regina again." She forced a chuckle and headed to the counter.

"Here, I'll help you." Emma got up and walked over to the counter as well.

"No, it's okay -- I've got it." Rebekah moved to grab the bags but struggled to do so with her purse in one hand and Mr. Gold's coffee in the other. Emma gave Rebekah a look and she knew that the blonde woman was not going to take no for an answer. "Okay." She drew out the word as she gave up on grabbing the bags.

"I'll be back in a second, Emma told Mary-Margaret.

Rebekah swallowed hard as they walked over to Willy's pickup truck. The short man was nowhere in sight and Rebekah wished she had asked the man to come into the diner with her so that he could help carry out the bags (but then her lie of getting food for the whole work crew would be busted). "Thanks," Rebekah told Emma as she helped put the bags in the truck. The blonde turned back to face Rebekah once she was done and crossed her arms over her chest while she stood in the way of the passenger side door, keeping Rebekah from escaping inside the safety of the pickup truck where she could lock the doors to avoid an interrogation from Emma.

The woman really was good at her job-- too good -- because from the way Emma was looking at her, Rebekah knew that the blonde had used her investigator skills and was well aware of the fact that Rebekah was pregnant. She huffed in frustration and shook her head. "Henry told you, didn't he?"

Emma chuckled in amusement. "Henry told me what?" she asked innocently.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Emma!" She huffed again.

Emma smiled. "Henry didn't have to tell me. You're forgetting that I was once in your situation." Her eyes drifted down to Rebekah hidden belly. "Completely different situation, but...I know the signs. The mood swings, the increased appetite." She chuckled as she motioned to the bags of food. "But mostly the baggy clothes to hide your bump." She grabbed Rebekah's sweater and pulled it a little. "Does your sister know?"

Rebekah sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah."

"And since you thought Henry told me, I'm safe in assuming that he knows too?"

She nodded her head again. "Ashley does too." Rebekah folded her arms over her chest. "You guys have friggin' mom super powers." Emma raised her brows at Rebekah's statement. She explained. "Y'know, the whole being able to detect when someone is knocked up without them telling you."

Emma laughed at her words and shook her head. "I didn't know that was a super power." Rebekah smiled at Emma's reaction. But once Emma's laughter died down, Rebekah saw that Emma was shifting on her feet, rocking back and forth on the heels of her boots.

Great. She knew what was coming next.

"Do you mind me asking," Emma started to say.

Rebekah cut her off, knowing what she was going to ask. "Just some guy I met a while back. He's not in the picture anymore." She tried to shrug it off.

Emma frowned, somehow sensing that Rebekah was heartbroken over the father of her baby. But she didn't push the subject and for that, Rebekah was grateful. "Sucks," she commented. "I know that one of the reasons why I gave Henry up for adoption was because I was afraid to do it alone."

Rebekah frowned now. "I'm not alone," she said quietly.

"Bex," Emma said softly. "You haven't told your best friend you're pregnant." She whispered the word. "Until the people who love you the most in the world know, I'm sorry, but you're alone. I mean, you have Henry , but he's just a kid. And Regina, don't even get me started," Emma said with a groan. Rebekah looked down at her belly, moving her hand to rest on top of the bump as Emma's words sank in. The blonde surprised Rebekah by placing her hand on top of hers. "But you won't be," she assured her friend. "Because when people find out, you know that they'll rally around you. I didn't have that. I had no one. But this town is your family. They'll never let you go through this alone."

It made Rebekah think...the whole town would rally around her, she didn't doubt that. But there was only one person she wanted by her side during this time.

Jefferson.

Her mind was made up.

She was going to go see him again.

Rebekah had called her sister after returning to the work site and asked if she still wanted to go to the doctor appointment with her (a way to sweeten her sister up before asking her request). But Regina was already in a foul mood over a spat she had with Kathryn, so it shocked Rebekah when her older sister didn't overreact at her request. She had at least expected Regina to sigh dramatically or roll her eyes when Rebekah asked to go see Jefferson, but she hadn't.

"Are you sure you want to go through that, Rebekah?" she had replied calmly as they drove to Rebekah's doctor appointment. "He," she whispered the word so that Henry wouldn't hear, "hurt you very badly." She reminded her younger sister.

Rebekah looked over her shoulder to where Henry sat in the back of the car listening to music on an old cassette deck player, blissfully unaware of what his adoptive mother and aunt were discussing. Rebekah looked back to Regina and nodded her head. "I...I just want to know why," she said with a sigh. "But apparently I'm not on the list of people Jefferson is allowing to visit him so I thought...maybe we can go together?"

After she asked the question, Rebekah began to rub at her temple when she felt a splitting headache begin to form in the very back of her head and her eyes began to go a little hazy for a moment, making it hard for her to concentrate on anything except for the sound of bells ringing in her ears. No, not bells ringing. It sounded more like shrieking. In that moment, it felt as if her body was screaming at her that going to visit Jefferson was a very bad idea.

But she needed answers. Rebekah needed to know if at any point in their 'relationship' had Jefferson truly cared about her. Or was it all just a big show to get back at Regina for breaking his heart?

It felt real. What they had felt so incredibly real. She had seen it in the way his blue eyes captured hers, almost as if he was peering into her soul. She felt it in the way he touched her, felt it in the way his mouth moved so perfectly with her own. Everything about him was so familiar and comfortable, even simply falling asleep in Jefferson's arms felt like... home.

Ever since Rebekah could remember -- she felt lost. But when she was with Jefferson, she didn't feel so lost anymore. She felt a belonging that she couldn't understand.

They hadn't been together long. That's what Regina kept telling her. You two weren't even together that long, Rebekah, she would say over and over again, urging her younger sister to move forward with her life.

Yeah, well we were together long enough to make a baby, Rebekah thought bitterly whenever her older sister brought up the subject again.

Because it didn't matter how long they had been together, Rebekah had ended up falling in love with Jefferson and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't let go of that.

Not without proper closure , that's what she kept telling herself. But part of her wondered if it was even possible to let go of her love for Jefferson. Even if he ever gave her an explanation for his actions, would it make her heart stop aching for his touch? Would she be able to move on from him and find love elsewhere? No, a little voice whispered.

Perhaps she was doomed to love him for the rest of her life.

Not doomed, the voice inside her head said. Blessed.

Blessed? Getting pregnant by a man who was trying to get back at your older sister is a blessing? No. It's not, Rebekah thought bitterly.

She felt something in her stomach flutter, almost as if her body was arguing with her.

You'll love him forever. You promised.

"Rebekah?" Regina said her sister's name before she could really comprehend what the little voice in the back of her head had said.

"Hm?" Rebekah looked over to Regina, dropping her hand from her temple and letting it relax on her leg. "What?" The headache was starting to go away but she could still feel a dull thud against the back of her head.

"I asked if you were okay..." Regina looked at her with worried eyes.

"Just a little headache," she told her older sister. Rebekah then turned a bit in her seat and focused on Regina. "What do you think?" she asked, bringing their previous conversation back up. "Will you go with me to see him?"

Thud, thud, thud.

Regina sighed and for a long moment, the car was completely silent. "Okay," Regina agreed. "I will go with you. But I am not leaving you alone with him - not even for a second. I don't care how medicated they have him - I do not trust him not to hurt you."

Rebekah blinked at her words. "Jefferson would never hurt me."

Regina gave her a skeptical look. "Really?"

He had hurt her emotionally - but never physically. "He's never laid a hand on me and I don't believe he ever would; especially while I'm pregnant with his child." Her tone was sharp.

"Your child," Regina corrected Rebekah. "Do not hold onto hope that someday you and Jefferson will be a happy little family . H e used you. The man is sick in the head and I want him nowhere near my future niece or nephew."

Rebekah's hand moved up to her neck, her finger drawing a line across it exactly where the rope burns were that Jefferson had on his neck. He's not sick in the head, the little voice said.

"Rebekah," Regina moved her hand to grab ahold of Rebekah's, breaking her away from her thoughts. "Everything that man says is a calculated lie. He only cares about himself and his ridiculous need for revenge after I broke his heart."

"I," Rebekah began to say but stopped. She moved her hand to caress her bump. "I just need to look him in the eyes one more time so I can move on."

Regina smiled at that. "Well, you won't be alone."

Alone. It reminded her of what Emma had said to her earlier.

She didn't want to be alone.

Which was why she wanted to see Jefferson.

_________________________________

When the large male nurse escorted him into the community area, Jefferson had been confused. He watched the clock on the wall religiously to learn every person's shift changes and their routines. And he knew that it was not time for his visit to the community area. That wasn't for another two hours. Why was he being taken there? He had been studying this place since he was finally allowed out of his room, planning his escape. It was the same schedule every single day, but today was different. He knew everyone's schedule, not just his or the staff. He also knew each patient's daily routines. He knew when they were given their medication and when they had their appointments with Dr. Hopper. He knew it all.

But his focus lately had been on the staff. The nurse at the front always had three cups of tea. One in the morning, one with lunch, and one before her shift ended. She'd leave her desk to go make her tea and come back fifteen minutes later with a large mug in her hand and a spoon she used to stir the liquid; the sound of the silverware clanking against the cup always echoed into Jefferson's room.

The largest male nurse, who was currently escorting him to the community area, took smoke breaks every hour and fifteen minutes down in the basement where Jefferson knew there was a small abandoned room that led to the tunnels underneath Storybrooke. Jefferson would watch everyday as the large man would lean against the front desk where the older nurse worked and the two would flirt for a while before she'd hand him over the security badge that was locked away in the first drawer of her desk. The woman always gave the male nurse a wink whenever she would hand it to him and the nurse would call her pet names before he left each time. Sweetheart, Dollface, Sugar, Beautiful,Gorgeous . It was obnoxious. But Jefferson now knew where the security badge was. The only problem was that it was always locked and the key to open it was kept in the older nurse's uniform. For the last week, Jefferson had been going over plans on how he could lift the key off of her without the woman noticing.

Jefferson had noticed that the large male nurse often took two smoke breaks during the hour if the patients were being difficult. If Jefferson could cause some sort of big distraction, the guard would get stressed out and would need a cigarette break. Jefferson just needed to time it around when the older woman went to grab her afternoon cup of tea. But you still need the key to get into the drawer, he mentally cursed at himself.

He could convince one of the other patients to swipe it from her and when chaos broke out in the community area and all the nurses were distracted, Jefferson could sneak to the front desk with the key and get the security badge. Yes, that would work better.

No one knew the town as well as Jefferson. He could sneak around without getting detected for weeks before Regina would eventually give up her search for him. Jefferson had all the town's blueprints and knew the tunnels very well. If he was desperate, he could even hide out in said tunnels for a while before grabbing Rebekah and getting the hell out of Storybrooke.

We'll come back for Grace after the curse is broken, Jefferson swore to himself. He knew that their daughter would be safe with her cursed parents while her actual parents were away and even though the thought of leaving Grace behind killed him, he needed to get Rebekah and their unborn child far away from Regina before the evil woman did something that couldn't be taken back.

If Regina did anything to harm his and Rebekah's unborn child he would --- his mind stopped working when he was finally inside the community area and saw that it was completely empty. No, not empty. Someone was standing by the window near the area where the nurses dispensed the patients medication. And not just someone. Rebekah.

He took in a shaky breath when he saw her, his heart hammering in his chest. She was here! This was real! Rebekah was standing just a few feet away from him. He felt like his heart might burst out of his chest in that moment and he began to pick up his speed only to come to a halt when Regina stepped out from around the corner.

Dammit. Goddammit!

The last time he had seen her, Jefferson had pretended to be medicated to the point of barely any consciousness. But... Rebekah, she was here and she needed to know the truth! Rebekah needed to know that Regina was a liar and that the evil woman had him locked away in this hell-hole so that Rebekah wouldn't learn the truth. He needed to be alone with his wife!

Regina looked over at him with a smirk upon seeing him come to a full stop, her now knowing that he was alert and well at the moment and that he probably had been for quite some time now. "Go ahead and stay in the room, Nurse Shawn," Regina told the male nurse.

At the sound of her sister's voice, Rebekah turned around to look at Jefferson. He heard her breathing hitch as her eyes locked with his. Tears were already forming in her green eyes and Jefferson felt like he was going to be sick. Because he had caused the hurt . W ell, Regina made Rebekah believe that he caused the heartbreak she was feeling in that moment. But Rebekah was still hurting over him. And it killed him.

"Bex," he whispered his wife's name, ignoring Regina when she walked over to Rebekah and grabbed her by the arm, a show of faux-protection of her little sister.

Rebekah closed her mouth and pressed her lips into a tight line as she continued to look at Jefferson. She made a move to step forward but Regina pulled her back. Rebekah looked back at Regina and gave her a stern look and after a moment, Regina let go of her sister's arm.

Rebekah walked over to Jefferson slowly until she was standing right in front of him. She blinked and Jefferson watched as a tear rolled down her cheek. "So this, " she sniffled as she motioned between the two of them, "it was all just revenge?" Her voice rasped.

"No!" Jefferson said. "God, no!" He tried to continue on but Rebekah cut him off.

"You charmed me." She glared. "You sparked my interest, you weasled your way into my heart, screwed me and got me pregnant. Made me fall in love with you!" Rebekah's voice rose and Jefferson felt his heart ache in his chest at the way more tears fell from her eyes, her tone so broken and defeated. "And it was all to get back at Regina for breaking your heart?!"

"Bex, no!" Jefferson said, but before he could tell her the truth, Rebekah did something he hadn't expected and he had to move his hand to his now aching cheek, red with the mark of Rebekah's handprint after she slapped him.

"How could you do that?" she whispered, lower lip trembling. "I fell in love with you and none of it was real."

"It's real!" He stepped forward but the male nurse grabbed him roughly by the arm to keep him from reaching Rebekah. "Bex, God, you have to listen to me. I have never been in a relationship with Regina, she's a liar! She's just saying anything to keep us away from each other because she couldn't risk the curse getting broken!"

Rebekah blinked again and took a step back. "Curse?" she whispered.

"Yes!" Jefferson told her. "The curse Regina put on everyone in Storybrooke - the one Henry goes on about. It's real and so are we! We're married!" She looked at him as more tears filled her eyes, but they no longer showed heartbreak. Just sadness and pity. "Dammit, Bex, I know this makes me sound crazy but I'm not . Grace! Do you remember Grace? I know you do deep down inside." Jefferson could see Regina making her way over to where they stood. "I am her father and you ..."

"Rebekah, I warned you." Regina said as she moved to wrap her arm around Rebekah's shoulder. "He's not right in the head right now. It's clear to me that he hasn't been taking his medicine."

"Rebekah, don't listen to her!" Jefferson moved forward to grab his wife away from Regina only to be pulled back roughly by the male nurse.

"I want to go," Rebekah whispered.

Something inside Jefferson snapped and he began to fight against the male. "Rebekah - please! Remember!" He yelled as more nurses and security began to run into the room to try and subdue him. "I love you, Bex! Remember!" He watched her step forward, hand reaching out for him only to have Regina pull her back. Jefferson felt a sharp prick on his neck and suddenly his body felt heavy. "Bex," he mumbled out before his legs went out from under him and his body dropped against the floor.

The last thing he remembered seeing was Rebekah sobbing, moving herself into Regina's arms for comfort, and that evil bitch smirking down at Jefferson. I won, Regina mouthed right before everything went dark.

_________________________________

Out of everyone in town to tell Rebekah what had happened, it was Mr. Gold that broke the news about Kathryn Nolan slapping Mary-Margaret across the face at school, letting everyone know that the woman was having an affair with her husband. Rebekah had been shocked - not about the affair, she was well aware of that - but about Kathryn publicly shaming Mary-Margaret. Yes, she did an awful thing. But Mary-Margaret was in love with David and love made people do incredibly stupid things. Rebekah knew that better than anyone.

Her visit with Jefferson left her devastated, crushed, broken. This man whom she loved, a man who was the father of her child, was sick. Mentally. Jefferson believed what Henry did - that they were all cursed somehow. He had it in his head that they were married. Who knows, maybe it was all just an act to gain her sympathy for his actions. But...his eyes. They were so desperate and Rebekah couldn't stop her own body from moving forward to try and touch him. If it weren't for Regina pulling her back, Rebekah probably would have latched onto Jefferson and not let go. It was ridiculous. Perhaps it was just her hormones.

Or maybe she was crazy, too.

The only words in her head as she watched Jefferson fall to the ground after being tranquilized was get him out, get him out, get him out, get him out! Rebekah wanted him out of that awful place desperately. Rationally, she knew it was the safest place for him to be but...there was still a part of her that screamed for her to get him the hell out of there. To break him out of the mental institution and hide him away somewhere to keep him safe.

He was the father of her child - of course she felt the need to protect him. That was normal...right?

Father. Rebekah remembered Jefferson saying the words. I am her father, he said after asking her if she remembered 'Grace , ' but who was Grace? And then another memory flashed in her head of the night of the debate when Emma became Sheriff. He had asked her to come to his house that night but she declined, saying that she had promised to take Henry and Paige to the movies. Rebekah remembered the way his eyes flashed with guilt and sadness when she said the name Paige. Paige Grace ? D o you know the Grace family?

His hands had dropped from her waist and his entire facial expression changed. Yeah, he had told her. She saw in his eyes that he was starting to pull away from her, but she hadn't understood why. Did it have to do with Paige Grace?

I am her father, that's what Jefferson had said about this 'Grace'...did he mean Paige Grace? Rebekah knew that Paige's parents were much older than her but sometimes people had children late in their life it didn't mean that...it didn't mean that Jefferson was actually Paige's family and that the Grace family adopted her.

"I need to ask you a favor," Rebekah cut Mr. Gold off as they stood in his antique shop, looking over the different area rugs he had. The man turned a bit to look at Rebekah in surprise. She had only been half-listening to him gossiping about Mary-Margaret and David Nolan. The last thing she remembered was that someone had written 'TRAMP' on Mary-Margaret's car, but that was it.

"Depends on the favor," Mr. Gold said with a chuckle.

She didn't have time to banter with him. "You know everyone in this town's business better than anyone else - even my sister." His brows furrowed at her statement but Rebekah continued on. "I want to know everything about the Grace family." Mr. Gold blinked in surprise a couple of times.

"Anything in particular?"

Rebekah nodded. "Paige. I want to know if she was adopted. Someone said something today that..." She looked down at her hands and shook her head. "It might sound mad but I have to know the truth. I want to know if Paige Grace was adopted.

Mr. Gold turned a bit, his cane hitting against the floor as he walked over to the register. "And if she was adopted?"

Rebekah followed after him. "I want to know who the father is."

"Not the mother?" Mr. Gold said once he was facing her again.

She shook her head. "I just need to know who her father is so I'll know if what I was told was true or not."

Mr. Gold nodded his head slowly and then a smile formed on his lips. "I'll look into it."

"Thank you. I owe you one." Rebekah told him. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to head out so that I can check up on Mary-Margaret."

"Of course," he smiled. "But don't forget to eat something," Mr. Gold reminded her. "You can't be skipping meals - you want that baby of yours growing nice and strong."

Rebekah chuckled. "Why are you only nice to me, Mr. Gold?" She asked him.

He laughed at her words. "I don't know." Mr. Gold replied. "Perhaps I see something in you. A bit of...greatness." He decided on the word.

She laughed at that. "Greatness?" Rebekah said back to him. "I don't see any greatness in me...perhaps weakness." She joked with a little chuckle.

Mr. Gold shook his head, a serious expression on his face now. "You're much more powerful than you give yourself credit for, Rebekah."

She smiled softly at him. It was kind of him to say that but it was hard to believe. "Thank you."

"Goodnight, Rebekah."

"Goodnight, Mr. Gold."

_________________________________

"I just got her out of bed," Emma said in a little whisper as she let Rebekah into the apartment. Mary-Margaret was nowhere to be seen, but when Rebekah walked farther into the apartment, she saw that her friend was sitting at the kitchen counter nursing a glass of wine. "I'm glad you were smart and brought food," she commented as she grabbed the bags from Granny's diner. They walked into the kitchen. "Rebekah came by, Mary-Margaret," Emma said but Mary-Margaret didn't look over at them. "And she brought food."

Rebekah frowned when Mary-Margaret still refused to look over at them. "I also bought a chocolate shake for you but I ended up drinking it on the way over," she decided to say. It was now or never - and why not just rip off the band-aid. "They weren't lying when they said pregnancy increases your appetite."

That caused Mary-Margaret's head to snap in Rebekah's direction. "What did you say?"

Rebekah took in a deep breath. Emma looked between the two and cleared her throat. "I'm going to um, go...someplace else," the blonde woman said before leaving the kitchen. Rebekah expected Emma to go up to the loft - but instead, she walked out the front door and into the hallway.

"You're pregnant?" Mary-Margaret got up and walked over to Rebekah.

She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah." Rebekah lifted her sweater to show her growing belly.

"Oh my god," Mary-Margaret gasped. "How far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks," Rebekah told her as she pulled her sweater down.

Mary-Margaret's eyes widened. "Jefferson's?"

Rebekah had thought she threw Mary-Margaret off the Jefferson Trail but apparently she had known the person Rebekah had been sneaking around with was truly Jefferson.

"He's not in the picture anymore," Rebekah told her. "Apparently he only started something up with me to get back at Regina."

"What?" Mary-Margaret squeaked out in shock.

"They were together in the past. When she told him she wanted to have a kid, he refused. But Regina wanted a baby, so she adopted Henry. Broke his heart," Rebekah said, trying not to sound too bitter. "So, he wanted to get back at her and used me to do it."

Mary-Margaret shook her head in anger. "What an awful man!"

Rebekah bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from defending Jefferson. "I should have known from the start. He always brought up another woman he had loved. And when he started pushing me away...I should have just let him, I guess."

No, you did the right thing, a voice told her.

"I guess we have pretty crappy taste in guys," Mary-Margaret said with a frown. "I'm sorry you're going through this, Bex."

Rebekah blinked, taken back by Mary-Margaret using the name. It was the first time she ever used it. So far it had only been Henry, Jefferson, Paige, and Emma. It left her with an odd feeling. Odd...but familiar.

"I'm sorry, too." Rebekah moved her hand to rest on Mary-Margaret's shoulder. "The whole Kathryn thing...that must have been awful."

Mary-Margaret told Rebekah everything that had happened and when Emma finally came back inside, they ate the food that Rebekah had brought over. But when Emma began to clean up, Rebekah pulled Mary-Margaret aside and asked to keep the paternity of her unborn child a secret. She didn't tell her friend that Jefferson was in a mental hospital or the crazy thing he had said to her, only that she didn't want anyone to know that he was the father.

Mary-Margaret understood and swore to Rebekah that she'd never tell a soul.

It wasn't as hard as Rebekah thought it would be to tell Mary-Margaret (and she had even told her who the father was!). Perhaps telling the rest of her friends would be just as easy.

The number of people who knew about this pregnancy was growing rapidly. Why not just let everyone know?