STORYBROOKE, Maine

Mr. Gold walked down the long hall with Emma Swan, spotting the sheriff's son sitting against a wall with his story book laid out in his lap. The second that Emma saw Henry, the woman's footsteps picked up and soon enough, Mr. Gold was left hobbling on his cane behind her.

"Henry," Emma addressed the boy. "What are you doing here?"

Henry looked over to Emma and smiled. "I came to congratulate you."

Emma was already standing in front of the boy by the time Mr. Gold made it to her side. "For what?" she asked in amusement.

"Your genius plan!" Henry continued to grin.

"And what plan is that, Henry?" Mr. Gold asked as Emma crossed her arms over her chest while looking down at Henry in confusion. Henry blinked, looking back and forth between Mr. Gold and his mother, the older man took the hint and pressed weight down on his cane to move away from the two. "Right," he said before leaving the two alone. But he didn't go too far. He stayed hidden away but in earshot to listen in on the conversation.

"I'm sorry, I thought Mr. Gold was in on it , " Henry said to his mother quietly.

"In on what?"

"The escape plan."

Mr. Gold quickly turned and headed to the holding cells to find that Mary-Margaret was no longer in her cell, the door left wide open and it was now clear that the fugitive was on the run. He smirked. "Sheriff, could you join me, please?" he called out.

His back was facing the entrance but Mr. Gold was sure that when Emma Swan came into the room, her eyes were wide in shock. "She's gone," he said once he sensed he was no longer alone in the room.

"Henry -- what did you do?!" Emma said, hurrying past Mr. Gold to the cell Mary-Margaret had been kept.

"Nothing!" Henry said and when Mr. Gold looked over his shoulder, he saw the young boy had his hands up in the air, trying to show a sign of innocence. "She was gone when I got here."

"Her arraignment is tomorrow. If she's not there..."

"She's a fugitive," Emma stopped him from saying anything further. "Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not, she's screwed!" Emma spun around and walked past Mr. Gold and Henry, panic in her eyes. "I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing."

"Oh, you mean Regina?" Mr. Gold said as he watched Emma step inside the Sheriff's private office.

"The arraignment is at 8:00 AM. I'm sure she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory." Emma said back as she shoved things into her bag.

"You have until 8:00 AM then," Mr. Gold said the obvious.

"Uh, what about me?" Henry asked. "How can I help?"

"Go home," Emma instructed her son.

"Emma," Henry began to argue. "If she leaves Storybrooke..."

"Not now, Henry," Emma interrupted him and moved him to leave with her. "Come on," she told him.

Mr. Gold took a few steps to follow after them. "Ms. Swan, I know time is of the essence, but if Ms. Blanchard doesn't return, her future is in jeopardy. And if you're caught helping her, so is yours." Emma looked over to Mr. Gold, standing still in that moment.

"I don't care," she told him. "I'd rather lose my job than my friend."

She didn't say anything else and once she was gone, Mr. Gold smiled before looking over his shoulder at the empty holding cell. He gave into a little chuckle, wondering how Mary-Margaret managed to escape.

_________________________________

Emma could hardly focus on the road in front of her as she drove around the edge of Storybrooke, looking to the side of the road every so often to see if Mary-Margaret was anywhere near the woods. I have to find her, Emma thought in a panic as she looked on to the left side of the road while turning the corner that would lead her into the woods. Mary-Margaret was familiar with these woods. In fact, Rebekah now lived in these woods. The two were close friends, perhaps Mary-Margaret went to her for shelter. No, Emma shook her head at that thought, Rebekah would have called; she would have convinced Mary-Margaret to go back and... Emma's eyes widened as she saw the silhouette of a man right in her path. Swerving out of the way just in time, Emma looked over her shoulder to see the man falling down the small hill near the road. She slammed down on her breaks and quickly got out of the car, running over to where he had fallen.

"I'm so sorry!" Emma yelled as she watched him lift himself up back onto the street. "Are you okay?" she asked, trying to help the man up the rest of the way, listening to him wince in pain as he tried to move.

"Uh, I-I think so." He chuckled a little, walking with a limp now.

"Are you sure?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm not used to sharing the road with cars so late." The man said this looking down the road and then back to where Emma was standing in front of him. She watched as he looked her over. "You're the sheriff, aren't you?" he asked.

She didn't recognize him. But she gave him a nod of her head. "Yeah," she answered.

"What brings you out here in the middle of the night?" he asked.

Emma swallowed hard. No one could know that Mary-Margaret was on the run. She did not know this man and there was no way she was going to tell a stranger the truth. "Oh, nothing to worry about," she told him, trying to brush it off. "I'm...just looking for a lost dog."

The man smiled. "Well, I hope you find it."

Emma smiled, too. "Thank you." The man turned and started heading in the direction away from her and Emma frowned as he continued to limp. "Oh, you are hurt!"

"No." He shook his head, turning only slightly to face her. "I just twisted my ankle, I think," he said while looking down at his foot before looking back to her and chuckled. "I live just a mile down the road." He nudged his head in the direction in which he was heading. "I'll make it okay."

She shook her head, feeling incredibly guilty. Emma had been so focused on trying to find Mary-Margaret that she nearly ran this man over. It was the least she could do. And as desperate as she was to find her friend, a hit and run was not something she wanted on her conscience. "I insist."

The man chuckled again and shrugged his shoulders. "Thank you," he said, accepting her offer. Emma took a step forward when the man held out his hand for hers to shake. "I'm Jefferson."

"Emma," she said with a smile as she took his hand, giving it a quick shake before they headed to her car.

Jefferson, she thought as she started up her car again. Why does that name sound familiar?

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

His lungs ached as he pushed his feet down harder against the dirt, the cold air rough against his skin as he ran as fast as he could. Finding a large enough tree to hide behind, he could finally take in a much needed gulp of air while peeking around the side. When he saw no one had followed him, he sat down on the trunk of the tree and exhaled deeply.

"Papa, I found you!"

Jefferson chuckled, hearing his daughter's voice coming from behind the tree. He pushed himself up off the trunk and moved out from behind the tree and looked down to Grace as she climbed up the small hill. "You certainly did." He chuckled with a grin, holding out his hand for Grace to take hold of and in a swift move, pulled the young girl over to where he was standing. "You must be part bloodhound, my dear Grace."

Grace giggled as she held onto her father, hands moving to rest on his shoulders as he crouched down to be eye-level with the girl. "Now it's my turn to hide and you seek." She grinned down at him.

He sighed. "I'm afraid playtime's over," Jefferson told his daughter causing her to look down at the ground in disappointment. "Though, you can still use that nose of yours," he teased while pressing his thumb against her little button of a nose, "to hunt mushrooms." He smiled. "Enough to sell at the market tomorrow," he said, still a little breathless from running. "Do you think you can do that?" Jefferson asked Grace.

She was smiling once again and nodding her head.

Jefferson smiled lovingly at his daughter before inhaling air as he pushed up off his knees and grabbed his daughter's hand. "Ready or not, here we come!" he said and pulled her as they ran again.

They had only been living in this small village for the last six months. His only way of being able to afford a small cottage to share with his daughter was by picking mushrooms and selling them to the market -- something his parents had to do when he was young. Jefferson had sworn he'd never end up like his parents, so desperate for an income that they dug into the dirt from sunrise 'til sunset hoping to find the rare mushrooms that brought in the most coin. But he no longer had money to his name.

He had nothing but Grace and that small cottage he managed to sway the owners to sell. The cottage had previously belonged to the owners' daughter and her husband but once the two saved enough money to move into the city, they left the place vacant, leaving the parents to look after the home. Jefferson wasn't proud that he had used his daughter to help sway them to sell him the house for a cheap price but the only thing he had left to his name was the small amount of gold Victor had given him two years prior when it was finally safe enough to come back to the Enchanted Forest.

Two years since...

Jefferson shook his thoughts away and focused on the sound of his daughter's laughter as they walked up the little hill that would lead them to their village. The sound of horses whinnying caused him to stop abruptly, grabbing onto Grace's hand tightly when he saw a black carriage parked in front of his cottage with the Evil Queen's sigil on the flags being held up behind the carriage by her dark knights. He swallowed hard, knowing there was no point in running.

Regina had what she wanted -- she already took -- he inhaled deeply and tried to shake those thoughts away once again.

"Who's carriage is that?" Grace asked.

Jefferson sighed. "The Queen's," he answered.

His daughter looked up at him, but not in horror. She had hope in her eyes. "Has she returned Mama?" She asked, gripping onto Jefferson's hand tightly.

Jefferson clenched his jaw before bending down to be eye-level with Grace. "Listen carefully," he said only to have Grace look away from him, his hand moving to her face to get her to look him in the eyes. "I want you to stay hidden in the woods," he ordered her. Grace frowned and Jefferson forced a smile, "like our game...and I'm going to find out what she's doing here."

"But," Grace started to protest but Jefferson shook his head.

"It'll be fine, Grace." He promised her, waiting until his daughter scurried off into the woods to hide. Jefferson inhaled and exhaled deeply before he found the courage to walk over to his cottage.

He was made aware that all charges against him for stealing Rebekah away from the Queen had been dropped when Rumpelstiltskin came to the Land Without Color with a pardon, signed by Regina herself, granting him and his daughter permission to move back to the Enchanted Forest. Jefferson had given the paper back to Mr. Gold and refused. But the imp warned him that by refusing the gift, it would only anger the Queen and that the last time he angered the Queen, she took his true love away from him.

Jefferson swore to himself that he would never return to the Enchanted Forest unless he found a way to get Rebekah back, but Grace spoke so much about how she missed the colors of their old home and Jefferson couldn't deny her that. Grace was so much like her mother, Jefferson never being able to say no to either of them. She had her mother's eyes, her smile, the dimples in her cheeks. Everything about Grace reminded Jefferson of Rebekah save for the color of her hair. The young girl inheriting his color instead of the dark brown that Rebekah had.

Still has, Jefferson told himself. She's alive.

Once he reached the cottage, Jefferson walked past the guards who watched his every move. Two years of jumping village to village just to be safe and Regina still managed to track them down. He shouldn't have underestimated her.

But...what if Grace was right? What if Regina was finally returning Rebekah? The ache in his chest told him that there wasn't a chance, but hope never faded away which was why he hadn't grabbed Grace's hand and ran with her to find another village to live in to hide away from the Queen.

Jefferson opened the door to his cottage and found Regina standing in the middle of the room looking around at the little he had. Her head turned in his direction when Jefferson made his presence known.

She smirked, looking him up and down as he shut the door behind him. "I'd like to say you're looking well, Jefferson, but I'd be lying," Regina mocked him. "Poverty doesn't suit you."

He rolled his eyes and set the basket of mushrooms down on the window-sill. "What are you doing here, Regina?" Jefferson asked, back facing her. "You pardoned me of my crimes, remember?"

"Can't a loving aunt visit her only niece?" Regina said in a sickly sweet voice. Jefferson turned to face her and narrowed his eyes at her. The evil woman laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, you know me so well, Jefferson." He gave her a very obviously fake smile, wanting to get this encounter over with. "I have a job for you." Regina finally got to the point.

"I don't do that anymore."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, I heard you hung up your hat. Why? You could have hopped from realm to realm instead of staying in the Land Without Color but instead you chose to stay there until I pardoned you. Why?" He walked backwards to the wall, standing on the opposite side of the room from Regina as she grabbed one of Grace's dolls, stroking it's hair. It took every ounce of self restraint not to kill Regina the second she touched his daughter's doll.

"The hat is the whole reason Grace lost her mother. I don't want her to lose her father, too." He leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest.

Regina laughed at his words. "No." She drew out the word. "The reason Grace lost her mother was because you took her from me in the first place. It has nothing to do with the hat but if you need a reason to not blame yourself for your wife's imprisonment, go ahead and keep clinging to that silly little lie."

He clenched his jaw, not wanting to let Regina get to him.

The hat was how he met Rebekah, how he managed to rescue her, how they managed to stay on the run and hidden from Regina as long as they did. But Regina still found him and now he was without the love of his life and Grace was growing up without her mother. That hat had brought him nothing but misery. He should burn it right now in front of Regina. But he held onto it because of his damn hope that someday Regina would return Rebekah to him and that they'd jump to a new realm with their daughter and live a life far away from the Evil Queen and once again he would know happiness.

Regina sighed and looked over to the basket of mushrooms and chuckled. "I see you're now foraging for fungus. Oh how the mighty have fallen." Jefferson shrugged his shoulders, pursing his lips at Regina. "What kind of future does your daughter have with you... here ," s he said with disgust while motioning around the cottage. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Do this one last favor for me."

"-I'm not doing anything for you." He glared, pushing off the wall and making his way over to her.

"Even if doing this favor will give her the life she deserves?" Regina questioned.

Jefferson kept his arms folded over his chest, now standing right in front of Regina. "That's why I'm staying," he informed her. "You don't abandon family. That's what she deserves." He walked past Regina. "Now please leave."

Regina laughed loudly at that. "Really?" she said back to him, turning to follow after where Jefferson was now standing. "You're lecturing me about not abandoning family when you're the reason my sister left me in the first place?" Her lips curled into a wicked smirk. He ignored her, which only seemed to anger Regina further. " - All I need is your special skills to get me somewhere," she said once she realized Jefferson would not budge on his answer. "Somewhere you've been before...with Rebekah." She drew out her name. "Do it and I can change your life." She handed him a piece of paper.

Jefferson inhaled deeply in annoyance before taking the paper from Regina, looking down at the map for Wonderland. He huffed, "What business could you possibly have there?"

"Something of mine was taken and found it's way over there," Regina told him. "I want it back."

"I want my wife back," Jefferson stated. "But you won't let that happen so...you can't always get what you want. Find someone else to get it." He handed the map back to Regina.

She smiled, taking the map back from Jefferson. "I see." Regina smirked. "Hard living has strengthened your resolve." She turned away from him. "I'm sorry I couldn't convince you. But I understand. There's nothing more important than family...which is why having to tell Rebekah your answer will be so hard. She was looking forward to seeing her family again."

Jefferson felt his heart drop but before he could go after her, Regina had disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. He felt his hands shaking as he tried to steady his breathing.That was your chance -- it was your chance to get her back and you ruined it! He yelled at himself internally before he grabbed the basket of fungus and threw it across the room in a fit.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

This was probably the nicest house Emma had seen while in Storybrooke. No, not house; mansion. Jefferson seemed to be doing quite well for himself out in the woods. Emma pulled up into his driveway, taking in the large home with wide eyes once the car came to a stop and they both got out of the car.

"Wow," she remarked. "This is your house?" She looked over to Jefferson who was hobbling out of the car. "It looks more like a hotel!" Emma exclaimed. "You must have a huge family."

He tensed at her words, Emma noticed. "Nope." Jefferson said, looking away from her and over to his house. "It's just me." He pushed his hand down on the hood of Emma's car and stepped onto the stairs, only to wobble a bit causing Emma to frown.

"Here, wait," Emma said, turning off her engine and locking up her car before hurrying over to help Jefferson up the steps to his home. He smiled, thanking her for the help and even offered help of his own: inviting Emma in for a warm cup of a tea and a look at the maps he had of the entire town's landscape, wanting to help her find the lost dog.

Emma leaned against the fireplace, wanting to keep warm on this chilly night as she waited for Jefferson to return. The house was as beautiful on the inside as it was the outside, her eyes taking in everything in the room. Beautiful white furniture, magnificent paintings hanging on the wall. Whoever had decorated Jefferson's house truly knew how to make the room desirable. Emma nearly forgot why she was even standing in the room until Jefferson returned with a tray of tea and the maps of the town. "Here we go," he said as he placed the tray on the marble table.

"This is kind of you, Jefferson," she said as she took the tea cup from him after he poured the warm liquid into the porcelain cup. "I appreciate you helping me with the maps."

"It's no problem." He smiled, grabbing the maps. "I'm a bit of an amateur cartographer; mapping the area is a hobby." Jefferson walked over to the grand piano in the room and laid out the map on top of the surface. "I'm hopeful that this will help you track down your dog."

"Wow," Emma said as she looked down at the detail of the map while sipping her tea.

Jefferson stepped a bit away from Emma to let her work on her own but asked, "What's his name?"

Oh, yeah. Dogs have names, Emma thought as she tried to rack her brain for a name idea. "Spot," she decided on, causing Jefferson to smile when he looked back at her.

"Cute." He chuckled.

Emma looked back to the map and began to study it, leaning against the grand piano. "Well, Route 6 runs the boundary of the forest, so," she said, finger tracing the lines, taking another gulp of tea. It was delicious and she could have sworn she had had it before. Perhaps it was something she had ordered at Granny's. "If I just follow that I should..." She blinked hard, feeling incredibly dizzy in that moment, hand gripping onto the piano for support. Things were starting to feel hazy, "I should be able to..." The room was spinning. This wasn't just because she was tired. No this was...something else.

"Is something wrong?" Jefferson asked from behind her.

"I'm just, uh." She tried to stand still to stop the spinning from continuing. "Feeling a little..." Her hand let go of the grand piano, teacup nearly slipping from her grip onto the floor as she fell backwards, only to feel a pair of arms wrap around her middle to stop her from falling as well.

"Let me help you," she heard mumbled behind her.

"Dizzy," Emma said, panting now, starting to panic.

It was Jefferson who was holding her. He was able to pull her all the way to his couch without any trouble. But his leg, Emma thought hazily as he began to speak. "Let's just lie you down here," he said, setting her down on the couch. "There you go." Her fingers lazily continued to hold onto the tea cup's handle as she was put down on the couch, her body trying to fight against lying down as Jefferson continued to speak. "Let me get you some air."

Yes, she thought, moving to place her teacup on the table. Air good. She blinked, watching as Jefferson walked away and she paused, noticing now that he was walking perfectly fine compared to how he was moments earlier. "Your limp," she mumbled.

He stopped walking and looked back at her. "Oh." He huffed. "That." He smiled, walking back over to Emma in amusement. Emma looked up at him, still blinking as he stood in front of her now, looking down at her. "I guess you caught me." He smiled.

The tea cup fell from her fingers as Emma's panic began to rise. "Who are you?" She asked, trying to stop herself from falling back onto the couch. But she wasn't strong enough and the last thing she saw was this man smiling down at her before she passed out completely.

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

It had been two weeks since Regina had come to see him. It took everything in Jefferson to be able to leave his house after what he had done. He had a chance to get Rebekah back and he ruined it. Why the hell couldn't Regina have lead with that? If he knew there was even a chance of rescuing Rebekah again -- of Grace being reunited with her mother -- he wouldn't have said no! But in the padron Regina had sent him, she wrote that Rebekah would never be returned -- that he would never see her again and if he tried to rescue her, he and his daughter would be jailed.

"The toy cart!" Grace said excitedly, the first genuine smile she gave since she returned to the cottage once the carriage had left and she saw that her mother wasn't there waiting for her. Jefferson let go of her hand and let her run forward and over to the toys as he followed after her at his own pace. He didn't want to be here, but Grace had been so solemn and he wanted nothing more than to make her smile.

Jefferson walked over to where she was, the little girl holding onto a stuffed white rabbit happily, hugging it to her chest. "Wouldn't this make the perfect guest for our tea parties, Papa?" Grace looked up to her father with a wide grin. He looked down at the bunny and smiled. "Can I have him, please?"

He sighed while smiling. Of course he couldn't say no to her. Jefferson looked away from Grace and over to the old gypsy woman whom the booth belonged to. "Excuse me, how much for the rabbit?" he asked.

"That costs one silver," the woman said and Jefferson grabbed at his satchel, desperately digging through it to see if he had gotten any silver coins from selling his mushrooms. But he had none. All he had were a few coppers. Surely, he could haggle the old gypsy for the toy. He looked back up at the woman and gave her a hopeful smile. "Would you take it for 8 coppers?" he asked. "It's...all I have."

"Oh, you are a good father." The gypsy looked to Jefferson. "Your last coppers for you little girl's happiness, aye?" Jefferson smiled down at Grace, thankful the gypsy understood.

"Thank you," he said handing over the bag of copper.

"Oh. I did not say I accept," the woman said back. "Alas, I cannot take less than one silver." He looked down at Grace who looked down at the stuffed bunny sadly. "The economy." The gypsy huffed as she looked down at Grace, taking the bunny back from her. The woman looked back to Jefferson. "You understand."

He stood there, feeling yet again like a failure of a father.

"Make up your mind!" A man said from behind Jefferson . A crowd of children and their parents forming behind he and Grace. "Come on! Let's go!"

"It's okay, Papa," Grace said sweetly, taking his hand while looking up to him. "Come on, people are waiting."

No, he thought, seeing his daughter try to hide her disappointment. But he knew her well enough to know just how sad she was. She needed this bunny because he couldn't give her her mother ; he had to give her the bunny. He owed her that much. Jefferson shook his head and looked back to the gypsy. "I will not take no for an answer," he said as he held out the bag of copper towards her again.

"Papa, please," Grace said, still tugging at his hand. "I don't need it."

His heart ached watching his daughter try to comfort him. She deserved so much more than he could give her. She deserved that damn bunny. She deserved her mother! But he was helpless, a poor man, a no one. Jefferson moved his hand behind Grace's head and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Come on, sweetie." He said softly, glaring at the gypsy before leaving the toy stand.

This wasn't fair.

Grace didn't deserve this.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

Emma's eyes slowly opened, the feeling of something dry in her mouth causing her to groan in discomfort, stretching a little only to find her hands were bound together. Feet too, she realized while looking to see that the room she was in was empty.

He had drugged her. The man had drugged her tea and tied her up like a hog. Hell no, Emma thought, looking around for a way to get free. She looked down at the ground and spotted the tea cup she had dropped before passing out completely still lying on the ground below her. Emma moved her head up, nudging against the red pillow by her head to try and knock it down onto the ground where the cup was.

It landed right on top of the teacup and Emma sat herself up, pressing down hard on the pillow, breaking the cup while muffling the noise of the shattered porcelain. Emma looked away, making sure the man hadn't heard and after a few moments without him returning to check on the noise; Emma dropped to the ground with her back facing the broken pieces of the cup so she could grab at it. Emma tore through the duct tape, managing to free her hands before she removed that gag that was keeping her quiet. The next thing she quickly worked on was the tape around the ankles of her boots.

Emma quickly looked around again before heading towards the nearest window, trying as best as she could to open it quietly. But they were all locked. Emma walked over to where there was a telescope placed in front of one of the windows, squinting as she bent down to look through it only to see it was directed right at the Sheriff's station. The holding cells to be exact.

He's been...watching me the whole time, Emma thought, stepping away from the telescope and quickly looking towards the door that led to a room right next to where she was when she heard the sound of scraping coming from inside of it. She snuck over, quietly and slowly opened the door to see that the man was inside the room sharpening a pair of scissors over and over again, seemingly whispering to himself the entire time.

This man wasn't sane -- there was something wrong with him.

Emma needed to get out.

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

"Easy . " Jefferson could practically hear his wife saying as he used a n old pair of pliers to stitch together the jacket for the stuffed bunny he had made for Grace. It might not have been the one the gypsy was selling , but she was getting the damn bunny! "Don't let your hands shake too much or you'll rip the stitch." He smiled, looking down at the toy while the whisper of his wife's voice played in his head. The bunny was made of different pieces of fabric from Jefferson's tunics, leaving him now with only two to wear. But it didn't matter. Because when he placed the bunny down in front of Grace, she smiled up at him. "I know it's not the same as you wanted," Jefferson said with a little frown.

"I love it, Papa!" she said happily, admiring the toy. "Thank you."

Jefferson smiled, watching as Grace poured imaginary tea for their newest guest. The sound of the teapot clattering made his heart beat faster, thinking of the way her mother never was able to pour a cup of tea without clinking the kettle into the cup.

"Mmm," Grace said with a smile as she pretended to drink the tea. "This is really good." She looked down to another one of her toys, petting its head. "Don't you think so, Mr. Tortoise?" He pressed his lips together, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him as he wished so badly Rebekah could be here with them to see what a sweet, caring, thoughtful little girl Grace had grown to be.

"Papa?" He looked back to Grace when she called his name. "Do you like your tea?" she asked.

He inhaled sharply when he realized what he had to do. "Grace," he looked to his daughter, "I need you to go to the neighbors' for the rest of the day. There's work I have to do."

Grace frowned at his words. "Can't I come with you?" she asked. "I like being with you in the forest."

He looked at her sadly. "I'm not going to the forest, sweetie," he told her.

She gave him a worried look. "This has to do with the Queen's visit...doesn't it?" Grace asked. Perceptive like her mother, too, Jefferson thought. "Whatever she wants you to do -- don't do it!" Grace begged her father.

He hadn't told her what the Queen was offering; he only told her that the Queen offered him money.

"Grace," Jefferson said as he got up from the small chair. "I have to." He walked over to her, pressing his hand down on her head. "I want you to have what you need." He moved to crouch in front of her, hand moving to cup her cheek.

"All I need is you, Papa," Grace told him. "Please stay."

Jefferson frowned. "Come here," he said and Grace moved to wrap her arms around his neck, allowing him to pick her up. "I know." He hugged onto her tightly, his thumb rubbing against her back as he carried her out of the area they always had their tea parties. "I'm sorry, baby...I have to go," Jefferson said while setting her back down on the ground next to the front door.

"Just promise me you'll come back!" Grace pleaded while Jefferson grabbed her cloak. "You have to promise!"

"Of course." Jefferson promised her, wrapping her cloak around her arms to keep her warm.

"For our tea party," Grace said while Jefferson tied the string of her cloak tightly to keep it from falling off her small shoulders. "Promise?"

Never miss a tea party, Rebekah had cried out before she was taken. "I promise," Jefferson told her, holding onto her shoulders while crouching a bit to look her in the eyes, a reflection of her mother staring back at him. "I won't miss it for the world." He swore, pressing his lips to her forehead for a long moment before finally pulling away from her and sending her on her way. The door creaked as Jefferson opened it and Grace looked back at him one more time. "Go." He urged her in a soft voice. The little girl nodded her head and walked out the door with Jefferson fussing with her hair while she walked away.

He watched from the doorway as Grace ran towards the well where their neighbors were gathering water. When he saw that Grace was safe, Jefferson walked back into the cottage and pulled off an old blanket from a chest that held something precious inside. He unlocked it, pulling out the case that held the hat and walked over to the middle of the cottage and set it down on the center of the ground.

He was going to the evil Queen's castle and after this favor, he was bringing back his wife. Nothing was going to stop him.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

Emma quietly closed the door to the room in which the man was sharpening his scissors, making sure not to make a sound before walking down the long hallway so that she could escape. She sighed in relief when she was halfway away from the door only to freeze at the sound of the floor creaking underneath her when she had taken her last step.Get out! Her conscious screamed at her causing Emma to quietly run to the nearest door in the hallway to hide away in. There were so many doors -- it was like a damn maze trying to find a way to escape.

Emma opened the door, backing into the room while keeping an eye on the hallway to make sure she wasn't being followed. Once she was inside, she slowly started to close the door only to stop when she heard the sound of her name being called. Her head snapped over in the direction of where the muffled voice came from to find Mary-Margaret tied to a chair, gagged just as Emma had been moments earlier. "Help me!" Her friend cried, her words still muffled by the scarf keeping her quiet.

Mary-Margaret whimpered as Emma hurried forward, "What is going on?!" She whispered, bending down to remove the gag from Mary-Margaret's mouth.

"Emma! Thank God!" she cried.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, working on untying her feet next.

"I was in the woods trying to get away," Mary-Margaret whispered. "And all of a sudden he appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me," she cried and then asked, "Why are you here?"

Emma managed to untie her legs, looking back up to Mary-Margaret. "I've been trying to find you. You escaped, remember?" she whispered. Mary-Margaret gave her a guilty look as Emma untied her hands. "How did you get out?" Emma asked once Mary-Margaret was free, getting off the ground and now standing with her back facing the door, ready for them to make their escape.

"There was a key," Mary-Margaret told Emma. "In my cell -- under my pillow. Someone put it there." She got up from her chair and walked over to Emma.

"Who?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. I'd like to know just as much as you," she said as Emma opened the door, peeking down the hallway. "Emma, wait -- the guy who took me..."

"We need to leave," Emma said, pulling at Mary-Margaret's hand.

"No, Emma -- he's..."

"Shh!" Emma hissed, pulling Mary-Margaret into the hall. He won't catch us, she wanted to assure Mary-Margaret. They were going to get out of this. Slowly, Mary-Margaret and Emma looked down the hall towards the room where Emma had last seen the man in, seeing that the door was still closed. She sighed in relief and tugged onto Mary-Margaret's hand but they both froze when they heard the sound of a gun cocking.

"I see you found Spot ," he mocked as he looked to Emma.

"I've already called for backup," Emma said, moving herself in front of Mary-Margaret. "They'll be here any second."

"You haven't called anybody." He kept the gun pointed at her, giving her a bored expression. "For the same reason you didn't tell me about her ." He motioned with the gun over to Mary-Margaret. "You don't want anybody to know you're here, which means nobody does." Emma glared at him as his face grew hard. "So, now tie her back up."

He led them back into the room Mary-Margaret had been in and Emma did as he told her.

"Why are you doing this, Jefferson?" Mary-Margaret asked the man causing Emma to look between the two.

"You know him?" she asked.

Mary-Margaret nodded slowly. "Emma...he's..." She closed her eyes and looked down at her hands that Emma was now binding together. "Jefferson is the father of Rebekah's baby."

"What?" Emma looked away from Mary-Margaret and over to Jefferson who had his hand pressed again the doorway for support.

Jefferson glared at Mary-Margaret.

Emma shook her head. "What is this? Your telescope -- you've been watching me. Why? Is this some sort of revenge on Rebekah? Waiting for the best moment to strike by stalking us all?"

He closed his eyes and shook her head. "Don't," he said through gritted teeth. Jefferson walked forward and grabbed Emma by the arm. "I need you to do something for me." His grip tightened as he yanked her with him out of the room. Emma watched from the hallway as Jefferson shut the door, trapping Mary-Margaret inside as she cried out for Emma.

She felt helpless. This man; Jefferson , he was insane. Completely mad.

He's the father? Emma thought, No wonder Rebekah was keeping it a secret.

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

When Jefferson arrived at the Queen's palace, he was greeted with an onslaught of guards waiting to escort him to the evil woman. He walked down the halls, eyes scanning each room in hopes of somehow catching a glance at his wife. But he knew better than to think that Regina would keep her out in the open where he might be able to grab her and run.

He stepped into the large area Regina was standing in, his hand gripping tightly to the case carrying the hat, making sure to keep it close to him.

"Jefferson," she smiled, turning around to face him. "So good to see you looking more like yourself. I assume you're here because you've reconsidered my offer?"

He closed his eyes before looking back at Regina. "I want your guarantee that if I do what you ask, you will let me leave with Rebekah and return home to our daughter. You won't ever come after us again. You'll let us live in peace."

Regina grinned. "You have my word."

"And I want to see her...before." Jefferson added.

Regina raised her brow in amusement. "No."

"It's part of the deal," he said through gritted teeth. "I want to see my wife. Now ."

Regina rolled her eyes and walked over to where a large mirror was hanging on the wall. "Mirror," she called out as she stood in front of it. A man's face formed in the mirror instead of Regina's reflection. "Show me my sister."

"No," Jefferson argued, gripping tightly onto the bag. "I want to see her."

Regina snapped her head over her shoulder to look at him. "This is the only way I am allowing you to see her until we return with what I want." Regina glared. "It's this...or not at all."

He swallowed hard.

Jefferson wanted to see her, to hear her voice, to physically be in the same room with her and touch her once again. But if this was the only way he could see her until after they returned...he'd agree.

"Fine."

The man's face disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Jefferson walked forward, now standing next to Regina in front of the mirror and waited for his wife to appear. He felt bile rise in his throat as the mirror showed him Rebekah. His wife seemed to be kept in the same room she was once trapped in before he had rescued her all those years ago. The only difference was the pieces of papers scattered all over the floor -- sketches, hundreds and hundreds of drawings of him. Of Grace, of them together. And there was Rebekah, hunched on the ground drawing furiously. The mirror showed him a closer reflection of his wife, the sketch she was drawing and the bruised and bloody fingers that tried to perfect the angle of his jaw. He felt tears form in his eyes when the mirror now changed to a reflection of her face, dark bags under her red, puffy eyes. Face dirty, streaks of tear stains on her cheeks, once long flowing dark brown hair in a tangled mess. He held his breath when Rebekah slowly threw her head back, letting out a long scream that he could hear not only through the mirror, but all through the halls.

A tear fell and he quickly wiped it away as her reflection disappeared but the screaming still rung in his ear. "You're a monster." He looked to Regina.

"Open the box, Jefferson." She glared.

He inhaled deeply and set the box down, crouching down to pull the hat out of it once the box was open. He stood up, the hat now held in his hands.

Regina chuckled. "I do so like a man who dresses for the occasion," she said as Jefferson walked forward with the hat. He glared, setting the hat down between where they stood, spinning it before taking a step back, warning Regina to do so as well. He should have let her get sucked into the hat and be trapped in the room with all the doors for all of eternity, but there were too many guards in the room that would kill him and Grace would be without a mother and father if that happened.

The room filled with smoke and Jefferson felt his chest tighten at the sound it made, remembering the feel of Rebekah's hand clasped around his, the smile playing on her lips before saying the word; together . The portal lay open right in front of them and Jefferson shouted over the noise. "After you," he told Regina.

She looked at him, giving him a wicked grin. "Together."

He had to stop himself from pushing her in and fleeing. How dare she, Jefferson thought before grabbing Regina's arm tightly, refusing the hand she offered him and dragged her along with him as he jumped into the portal. She had no right to use the words Rebekah always said -- she had no right to even be breathing!

If there was any way to kill Regina without risking his wife's life, God, help the evil woman. He'd do so without hesitation.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

"I don't know what you think you're doing," Emma said while struggling to break free of Jefferson's hold causing him to push her forward and into the room where he kept all of his supplies and failed attempts at 'the hat' kept in shelves all over the walls. "But if you hurt my friend, I swear I will make you regret it! I don't care if you're the father of Rebecca's baby or not," she threatened.

Jefferson rolled his eyes as he shut the door. "Hurt her?" he repeated. "I'm saving her life." He walked forward, Emma taking steps backwards each time he stepped forward.

"How do you figure that?"

"Don't play stupid." He shook his head. "We both know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke."

"What are you talking about?"

"The curse," Jefferson said simply.

Emma stopped walking backwards, looking up at Jefferson. "What curse?" she whispered.

"The one keeping us all trapped," Jefferson said. He then glared down at her. "All except you," he spat out.

"Have you been reading Henry's book?" Emma questioned him.

"Henry?" He chuckled. "Which one? The Queen's father or the son she named after him?"

Emma glared. "Henry -- the mayor's adopted kid. Rebekah's nephew."

His jaw ticked at Rebekah's name causing him to shut his eyes tightly. "Henry and his book of stories." He opened his eyes again and looked back down at Emma. "The ones that you choose to ignore." He huffed in annoyance. "Maybe if you knew what I know, you wouldn't ."

Emma chose to ignore his words. Not surprising. "Why have you been spying on me?"

Why have you been spying on me? Why have you been spying on me? Why have you been spying on me? Why have you been spying on me? Rebekah. Rebekah. Rebekah.

Jefferson shook his head hard and walked past Emma, walking backwards and pointed the gun at the back of her head for a brief moment before dropping it down to his side. "Because for the last twenty-eight years, I've been stuck in this house," he told her. "Day after day, always the same until one night you in your little yellow Bug roll into town." He raised his gun again, walking around the table while pointing it at Emma. "And the clock ticks and things start to change."

Emma continued to watch him and he saw the look in her eyes. She thought he was just as mad as everyone else believed.

She wants nothing to do with you, Jefferson! She thinks you're mad! She said so herself! Regina's words echoed in his head. Rebekah is terrified of you and doesn't want you anywhere near her child.

Terrified of you.

Terrified.

Terrified.

She wants nothing to do with you!

Jefferson shook his head again, wanting to beat the words out of his head with the gun but instead glared over at Emma. "You see," he clenched his jaw before continuing on, sighing once relaxing it. "I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Emma." He kept his eyes glued on her. "You're special. You brought something precious to Storybrooke -- magic."

Emma looked at him sadly and shook her head. "You're insane."

Rebekah is terrified of you.

He blinked rapidly, trying to fight off the voices, eyes stringing. "Because I speak the truth?" he said, nostrils flaring in anger.

"Because you're talking about magic."

He shook his head. "I'm talking about what I've seen," he whispered. "Perhaps you're the one that's mad."

"Really?" Emma said as he walked around the table to where she stood.

"What's crazier than seeing and not believing?" He stood in front of her, invading the space between the two of them "Because that's exactly what you've been doing since you got to our little hamlet." He glared, looking down at Emma as she looked up at him. "Open your eyes," he demanded. "Look around. Wake up. Isn't it about time?"

She didn't listen to him. "What do you want?" Emma asked him slowly.

He felt his eyes sting again, the thought of Emma making a hat with her magic and him being able to escape this world with Rebekah and Grace. "I want you to get it to work." He grabbed her by the back her neck and pushed her down into the seat next to the table.

She gave into a grunt, tensing as he kept his hand around the back of her neck. "You want me to make what work?"

Jefferson glanced to the hat he had been making with the supplies Mr. Gold had given him and then moved forward, lips moving right behind Emma's ear and whispered. "You're the only one that can do this," he told her. Jefferson closed his eyes, the sensation of Emma hair against his cheek causing him to flashback to morning waking up with his face buried against Rebekah's hair, the feel of it, the smell of it, the color. Jefferson pulled away when his eyes opened and was met with Emma's blonde locks, moving his head to hover over Emma's until he pressed his chin down roughly on the top of her blonde hair. "And you're going to get it to work," he said, making sure her eyes were in the direction of the hat.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

She'll never forgive you.

You're insane.

You're insane.

_________________________________

WONDERLAND

After entering the hat and leading Regina to the door that would take them to Wonderland, Jefferson shutting her up when she tried to pay him a compliment; reminding her that he wasn't doing this to relive the past with her, but to get his wife back.

Jefferson told her the rules, making it clear that they needed to stick together, the rules of the hat were different. He and Rebekah were able to use the hat and jump realm to realm because of their True Love bond and always were able to get out -- even without the other. But Regina was not his True Love and the rules about how the same amount of people that go through the door have to come back applied. No more, no less, he had told her. It was the hats rule, not his. Otherwise he would leave Regina in Wonderland to rot.

Jefferson walked up the path where the large caterpillar sat on top of the mushroom, smiling when he saw Jefferson but then looked over to Regina curiously, the smell of his smoke creating a stench around them. "Who are you?" he asked, puffing out smoke with each word that blew right in Jefferson's face, the next one landing in Regina's as the caterpillar chuckled, falling back down onto the mushroom. He was too intoxicated on the smoke to even remember seeing Jefferson here, he knew that he was in no harm.

"I hate Wonderland," Jefferson said in a groan before walking forward while Regina continued to look around.

It was a long walk to where they needed to go -- one which he had no plans to speak to Regina during. But she still tried to get him to talk nonetheless.

"I always wondered why you were willing to risk your life to steal my sister away," Regina said, strolling along behind Jefferson. "I suppose she's beautiful, but why take that risk?"

He rolled his eyes, not bothering answering.

"Though, I don't believe you ever saw Rebekah. Perhaps it was something else," she said while plucking a piece of leaf on the trail, moving to stand in front of Jefferson causing him to stand in place. She smiled offering him the leaf she just picked only to have him swat her hand away from him. Regina glared. "Who employed you to take her?" she questioned.

He shoved past her and continued on walking.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" She questioned. "The Queen of Hearts?" Regina was at Jefferson's side now, "Snow White?"

He felt his jaw tick and Regina started to laugh. "Oh, she would."

"Shut up," Jefferson told her. "You talk louder than my ears can handle and if anyone else hears you, you'll get to ask the Queen of Hearts herself if she was the one who employed me to take Rebekah."

Regina rolled her eyes at his comment. "Please," she chuckled darkly. "The moment I said Snow White you gave yourself away. What did she offer you? Clearly you never handed Rebekah over, so what was it? What made you risk your life to steal Rebekah away. What was it all worth to you?" He didn't answer. "Come now, Jefferson, we have quite the journey, we might as well fill it with you giving me the answer I seek."

"Why does it matter to you?" Jefferson said, twisting his head to look over at Regina. "You have Rebekah. You got her back. You won."

"I did. Didn't I?" Regina grinned. "But before I let you leave with her. I want to know who is responsible for you taking her in the first place so that they will pay for their crimes. So, tell me it was Snow White, Jefferson. I already know it was."

He shook his head. "You still blame Snow White for Daniel's death when you should have blamed your mother the whole time," Jefferson said, continuing walking. "She was a child; she didn't know any better."

Regina scoffed at his words. "You would try and protect her -- just like Rebekah tried. It's what got her locked away in the first place!" She seethed. "That ungrateful little brat tried to warn the people of what I had done but I locked her away before she could even step foot outside the castle. I'll keep her locked away even longer if you don't tell me that it was Snow White."

He stopped walking, moving to stand in front of her. "We made a deal." Jefferson reminded her.

"Tell me," she demanded.

Jefferson inhaled deeply but gave her the answer she wanted. "Snow White caught me stealing from the crown jewels and promised to spare me if I took Rebekah and brought her back to their palace."

"So why did you keep her?"

Jefferson continued to glare at Regina. "I was stealing the jewels from Snow White's castle to pay off a debt to Rumpelstiltskin. When I told him what happened, we struck a new deal. I grab Rebekah but instead of taking her to Snow White and Prince Charming's castle, I give her to him."

Regina raised her brow at his confession. "And yet you didn't. Why?"

He swallowed hard and looked away from Regina. "I fell for her."

Regina laughed and continued on with their journey. "I already knew all of this," she told him. "I got Rebekah to tell me that tale after a month of having her tortured with dreams."

Jefferson closed his eyes, standing in place to try and calm himself down. He couldn't kill her. Not yet. He needed her in order to get Rebekah back.

But after...that was a different story.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

"Make one like that," Jefferson ordered after tossing fabric to Emma, pointing to the failed hat in front of her.

"You want me to make a hat?" she said slowly. "You don't have enough?"

He rolled his eyes at her snark. "Well, none of them work, do they?" He moved to stand on the other side of the table. "Or else you wouldn't be here. Now make the hat and get it to work." He sat down in the chair across from her.

Emma held up a small sewing needle, looking at it in confusion. "I don't," she began to say, but Jefferson stopped her, knowing what she was about to say.

"You have magic. You can do it."

Emma looked away from him, noticing the tray of tea in the room, next looking back at the hats, her mind putting all the pieces together. "The hats," she said. "The tea....your psychotic behavior." She looked back over to him. "You think you're the Mad Hatter."

He looked away from her, shifting in his seat. "My name is Jefferson," he corrected her.

"Okay." Emma set down the scissors. "You've clearly glommed on to my kid, Henry's thing." She set down the fabric next, moving forward in her seat. "They're just stories. The Mad Hatter is in 'Alice and Wonderland.' A book. A book I actually read!"

"Stories." Jefferson said the word bitterly. "Stories?" he repeated again, now looking to Emma. "What's a story?" he asked. "When you were in high school, did you learn about the Civil War?"

"Yeah, of course," she said, sounding annoyed and exhausted.

"How?" he asked next. "Did you read it about it, perchance, in a book? How is that any less real than any other books?"

Emma closed her eyes, pressing her hand to her forehead. "History books are based on history ," she told him.

"And story books are based on what? Imagination? Where does that come from?" He narrowed his eyes at Emma. "It has to come from somewhere." He shook his head in annoyance when Emma looked away from him. "You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic." Emma sighed, looking at him like he was crazy. He pointed his gun to her and then the hat. "Now get it to work," he ordered.

"Here's the thing, Jefferson." Emma then motioned around the room. "This is it. This is the real world."

"A real world," Jefferson corrected her. He moved forward in anger, pressing his hands down onto the table as he looked at Emma. "How arrogant are you to think yours is the only one? There are infinite more. You have to open your mind. They touch one another, pressing up in a long line of lands. I've been to them. As has Bex. Each just as real as the last, all have their own rules. Some have magic, some don't. Some need magic...like this one. And that's where you come in." He grabbed a pair of scissors and pointed them at Emma. "You and your friend are not leaving here until you make my hat!" he said, words rough and shaky. "Until you get it to work." He handed the scissors back to her before sitting back down in his chair.

Emma looked at him for a long moment. "You're saying that Rebekah...she's been to these lands with you?" She asked, grabbing the pair of scissors and began to cut through the fabric.

He swallowed hard, not even realizing that he had mentioned Rebekah. "Get it to work," he ordered again.

"And then what?" she asked.

He sighed, looking way from Emma. "Then I grab my family and I go home."

_________________________________

WONDERLAND

Jefferson stood in front of the maze next to Regina. "You want to go in there?" He questioned once more.

"What I want is a short walk through," Regina answered.

He chuckled, "A short walk. "You know who this belongs to."

Regina spun to face Jefferson and glared, looking over his shoulder at the archway behind him with a heart of red roses at the center. "The Queen of Hearts." She scoffed. "She's not one for subtlety."

"She's your mother."

"And your mother-in-law."

"You're taking a huge risk in doing this, Regina. You know better than anyone what she does to anyone who crosses her!"

"Indeed." She walked forward but Jefferson did not follow. Regina turned back and looked to where he stood. "You can't leave Wonderland without me. Two go through -- two go back," she said loudly but Jefferson only crossed his arms over his chest. Regina smirked, walking closer to him. "You're not gonna let the Queen of Hearts keep your from getting your wife back, are you? That was our deal -- you help me and I give you Rebekah back and the two of you can live happily ever after in your in shack of a home." Jefferson looked away from Regina, swallowing hard before he un-crossed his arms and let them drop to his side in defeat. "That's what I thought." Regina smirked and walked forward only to have Jefferson yank her back by the arm.

"Wait," he warned her. Jefferson bent down and grabbed a stick from one of the bushes. He looked to Regina before throwing it in the direction she had just been heading. The hedges formed a hand and grabbed at the stick before it could drop, the piece of wood disappearing into the green. "Stay away from the walls," Jefferson told Regina.

"I've got a better idea," Regina told him, stepping forward and lifting her hand. "The walls should stay away from me!" Fire was released from Regina's palm, the flames flying in the direction of the hedges in front of them and a clear path was created for them to walk right through.

Jefferson huffed in frustration but grabbed onto Regina's arm again and pulled her with him to where what she wanted was located. A short walk compared to what they would have taken if Regina hadn't destroyed the maze keeping them away from it.

They stood in front of a large tomb and Regina lifted her hand again, the locks on the door clanking as they were magically unlocked, the door opening on its own. Regina walked inside the room that was full of shelves. Something he had seen once before when Regina took him to the room where Cora kept all of the hearts she had ripped out.

Jefferson looked away from Regina and over to the entrance they had gone through to make sure no one was coming after them. If she hurried, they could make it out before anyone was even on their trail.

When she came out, she held the box in her hand.

"Okay?" Jefferson pressed his hands to his hips. "You got what you need." He motioned towards the exit. "Shall we?"

Guards appeared just as they started walking towards the entrance. "Trespassers! Halt!" They demanded and Jefferson spun in the opposite direction while still keeping a tight grip on Regina's arm, pulling her along with him and the two ran from the guards and through the maze.

The hedges around them began to close and soon enough the guards had them surrounded. Regina raised her hand and the man in armor flew into the hedges, the green sucking them inside as a guard swung his sword at Jefferson, just narrowly missing him giving Jefferson the chance to shove him into more of the hedges, watching as it swallowed him whole.

They ran, more guards chasing after them. "Stop!" they yelled. "Don't let them get away!" Jefferson and Regina got to the entrance before they could grab them, the evil Queen using her magic to lock the guards inside the maze.

She laughed but Jefferson grabbed her arm again and ran.

They ran for what felt like hours before they finally were back at the mushroom. "The looking glass!" Jefferson shouted, panting loudly from their run. He slid down the small hill only to look back and see Regina stopped on the hill, looking behind to where they guards were surely coming. "What are you doing? We can't stop now!" he yelled. "We gotta get out of here!"

"There's something I need to do first," Regina said, bending towards the mushroom and picking off a small piece of it. "A little snack," she said after grabbing it and walked past Jefferson towards the looking glass.

"Are you mad?" he asked her. "Do you know what the food here does?"

"I'm well aware," Regina said in front of Jefferson now as he looked back to make sure they were still safe.

At the sound creaking, Jefferson turned around to see Regina bent over the now open box she had stolen. He watched as she placed the piece of mushroom in the box and took a step back. Purple smoke appeared in front of them and a older man appeared. Jefferson's eyes widened, recognizing the man.

Henry Mills, the evil Queen's father -- Rebekah's father. Jefferson's father-in-law. The man his wife had wanted so badly to walk her down the aisle. He was there -- right in front of them, standing right in front of the looking glass.

"Oh, daddy!" Regina cried as she ran to him, opening her arms for an embrace that her father gladly accepted, holding onto her tightly.

"This is what you wanted?!" Jefferson asked in anger. "Your father?"

Regina let go of her father and looked back at Jefferson. "The Queen of Hearts has always seen me as a threat, you know that," she reminded him. "She wanted some leverage. I'm sure you've heard the story. I got that leverage back."

The sound of the guards approaching rapidly caused Jefferson to realize in horror what was happening.

"The Queen's soldiers. We must hurry," Henry Mills told his daughter.

Jefferson shook his head. "You know only two can go through the hat!" he spat out. "Which is why you didn't tell me you were getting your father. The deal we made...you were never going to go through with it!"

"Making you believe the deal was real was the only way to make sure you'd help me." Regina told Jefferson, still holding onto her father's hand.

Jefferson lunged forward, ready to push Regina out of the way and pull Henry Mills through the looking glass. He couldn't leave Rebekah's father here, but he could leave Regina. But before he could grab her, his legs began to sink into the pathway, keeping him trapped in place." He grunted, screaming out for Regina as she and Henry moved to stand in front of the looking glass. "Wait! Wait!" He caused Regina to stop. "Grace...she's waiting for me." Please, Regina, he thought -- don't do this to your niece, don't make her an orphan , "I promised her I'd be home for tea," he said, eyes filling with tears as he tried to plead with Regina.

Regina spun around in anger. "A promise which you have now broken!" she spat out. He looked at her in horror, knowing in that moment there was no way he was leaving Wonderland. "If you truly cared for your daughter you never would've left her in the first place! You're as bad as your wife! "

He shook his head, tears now falling.

Regina glared at him. "You were right, Jefferson," she told him, putting on the mask of the evil Queen. "You don't abandon family."

Regina grabbed her father's hand as they walked through the looking glass. "No!" Jefferson shouted. "We had a deal!" he screamed. "You free her and send her to Grace!" He screamed until his throat was raw, Regina and her father no longer in this realm. "Please," he whispered.

By the time the footsteps of the guards approached, Jefferson had gone completely numb, defeat washing over him. The only thing keeping him from standing was the ground keeping him stuck in place.

"Take him to the Queen!" a man said from behind Jefferson and after pulling him roughly, the guards dragged him away from the looking glass.

He put up no fight to stop him.

When they finally reached the Queen of Hearts palace, Jefferson had finally managed to start walking on his own again. The Queen's face was covered by a red piece of fabric and a man stood by her side, along with a whole group of people to watch him be sentenced.

He could hear the sound of whispering and when he looked away from the group surrounding him and over to the Queen, the man next to her was listening to the whispers through a device hidden behind the sheet of fabric, one end for the Queen and the other placed against his ear.

The man stood up straight after nodding briefly and looked to Jefferson. "Her Majesty says she knows you're responsible for helping to steal from her."

Jefferson shook his head, "The Queen -- she tricked me."

The Queen of Hearts stomped her foot and the man next to her interrupted Jefferson. "That woman's name is Regina," he shouted. "There's only one Queen -- the Queen of Hearts." He bowed down to her.

"Yes, of course," he said. "My apologies. Now, please..."

The Queen began to whisper again, stopping Jefferson from finishing. "Her Majesty wishes to know how you got to this world. How did you come to Wonderland again?"

Jefferson looked to the man and then to the Queen. "If I tell you...will you let me go home to my daughter?" he asked.

The man chuckled and Jefferson heard the Queen whisper; Off with his head.

Jefferson's eyes widened as the executioner stalked over to him with the axe in his hand. "No!" he breathed out. Jefferson closed his eyes just as the blade swung at his neck. The sound of a thud caused him to open his eyes, the feeling of weightlessness causing him to look down at the ground only to find his headless body underneath him. He gasped in shock. "I'm...I'm alive. I'm alive!" He continued to pant, panic rising.

"If you wish your body back, then answer. How did you get here again?" The man standing next to the Queen asked Jefferson.

"The--the--the hat! My hat! We used my hat!"

"Where's the hat now?"

"She took it!" he said in a quick breath. "Regina!"

"If all you require to travel to your homeland is this magic hat, then surely, you can make another."

"I can't!" he whispered. "A hat without magic is just a hat! It won't work!"

"Then there's your task! Get it to work."

Jefferson blinked, tears filling his eyes. The Queen stood up and removed the fabric covering her face. "Tick-tock, son-in-law." Cora grinned. "Or you'll never see Rebekah and your daughter again."

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

Jefferson's leg bounced as Emma struggled to make the hat, his face forming into a scowl the longer she took.

"I can't make it work!" The woman threw down the hat and stood up in anger. "What you're asking me is impossible!"

Jefferson banged his head against the chair facing backwards which he was still sitting in. "No!" He yelled, standing up from the chair and grabbed the hat. "It has to be! If it's not -- I'm never going home." His voice shook. "I'll be cursed to live in this house forever."

"What is so cursed about your life?!" Emma yelled at him. "Look at this place. It's beautiful! It doesn't seem cursed to me!"

Jefferson walked away and moved to where his telescope stood. "It's cursed because like everyone who lives here, what I love has been ripped from me!"

Emma blinked, tilting her head as she looked to Jefferson. "What are you talking about? Rebekah?" He glared at her, tears filling his eyes. "She's pregnant with your child! How has she been ripped away from you?"

Jefferson shook his head. "It's..." He pointed over to the telescope and motioned for Emma to come forward. "Take a look." He told her, breathing heavily.

Emma moved forward, bending down to look where the telescope was pointing.

"Her name is Grace," Jefferson said when Emma looked up from the telescope. "Here it's Paige ." He sneered. "But it's Grace. My Grace." Jefferson glared at Emma. "Do you have any idea what it's like to watch her day in and day out... happy, with a new family ? With a new mother? A new father ?" He looked out the window towards the town hidden away behind the woods, only able to be seen from his house with his telescope. But he could picture it now. Grace with her false family, all gathered together happily.

"You think she's your daughter?" Emma whispered. She flinched when he quickly snapped his head in her direction.

"I don't think," he said back. "I know." Jefferson whispered , "I remember." He walked backwards and away from Emma. "She has no idea who I am, our life together, where we come from. But I do. That's my curse," he said, chuckling bitterly.

"To remember?"

"What good is this house, these things, if I can't share it with them?"

Emma tilted her head again, the look of pity in her eyes. "Them?"

He glared but didn't answer her question. Emma shook her head and walked over to Jefferson. "If you really think she's your daughter, why don't you reach out to her? Why don't you tell her?"

Jefferson invaded Emma's space again. "And destroy her reality?" He shook his head. "I'm trapped by knowledge. How cruel do you think I am? You'd think that I'd inflict that awareness on my family?" He inhaled, trying to fight back his tears of anger. "It's hard enough to live in a land where you don't belong, but knowing it, holding conflicting realities in your head..." He smiled, looking down at Emma. "It'll drive you mad."

"That's why you want me to make the hat work, isn't it?" she questioned him. "You just want to take Grace home." She whispered, "To your world."

He swallowed hard. I want my family back, Jefferson thought.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

She'll never forgive you.

Rebekah is terrified of you and doesn't want you anywhere near her child.

Terrified of you.

Terrified of you.

"It's the one world where my family can be together...where they'll remember who I am."

Emma took in a shaky breath. "Is Rebekah part of your family in this world?" He glared, eye twitching as he looked down at her. Jefferson yet again refused to answer. Emma sighed, "I know what it's like to be separated from your kid...from your family..." She turned away from Jefferson and walked back over to the window where the telescope was placed and bent down to look through it again.

"Yeah, you do, don't you?" Jefferson said, following after her.

"It can make you feel like you're losing your mind," Emma said, still looking through the telescope as Jefferson pinched at the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not losing my mind," he told her in anger. "I'm not crazy. This is real."

Emma looked over at him. "Maybe," she agreed. "Maybe it is."

He took in a shaky breath, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders at the thought that he was finally getting through to Emma. "You believe?" He asked her, tone hopeful.

"If what you say is true...that woman on the other room is my mother," she said, voice breaking. "And I want to believe that more than anything in the world." She whispered while shrugging her shoulders, "So...maybe you're right. Maybe I need to open myself up more. Maybe if I want magic, I have to start believing."

He nodded his head, breathing hard through his nose. She believes me, he thought, she believes me and she'll get Rebekah to believe and I can get my family back. Jefferson looked down at the ground and whispered, "So you're gonna help me?" His eyes moved back to look at her. "You can get it to work?"

"I can try." She smiled.

He let out a sigh of relief and took a step backwards, turning to walk over to the table so that he could get the supplies set up for her again. But as he grabbed the hat and made his way back over to Emma, something heavy swung at the side of his head, knocking him down onto the ground.

"Crazy son of a bitch!" Emma said as she dropped the telescope and grabbed the gun from the back of his pants and ran out of the room.

She thought she knocked him unconscious. She didn't. She only pissed him off.

Jefferson pushed himself off the ground, feeling blood dripping down his forehead and grabbed the hat off of the ground as well. She thinks I 'm crazy, he thought as he placed the hat on top of his head. I'll show her crazy.

He ran after where Emma had gone, Mary-Margaret screaming for Emma to look out as he charged at the blonde woman, knocking her down to the ground and away from her mother. He grabbed at Emma's foot, pulling her back when she tried to reach for the gun, grabbing her by her hair causing her to yelp. Her elbow swung back and knocked into his face, causing him to stumble backwards. But it wasn't enough time for Emma to escape. Jefferson moved on top of her and pushed her down by the shoulders, only to have her hands grab at the scarf around his neck, revealing his scar. In a fit of anger when he heard her gasp, Jefferson picked Emma up off the ground and threw her, grabbing her gun before she could and aiming it at her after cocking it.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

Rebekah will never forgive you for this.

It's too late, Jefferson thought as he quickly bent down to grab his hat and placed it back on the top of his head. He grinned, craning his neck for Emma to see more clearly. "Off with his head," he told her.

Something smashed into his back, right above his kidneys causing him to fall forward a bit, stumbling to turn and face his assaulter. Mary-Margaret held onto one of his croquet mallets and jammed her foot into his stomach, sending him flying out of the window from the second story of his home.

Rebekah, he thought before hitting the ground. I'm sorry.

_________________________________

Mary-Margaret and Emma stood outside of the mansion in front of the hat, looking down into it together. The dark-haired woman picked up the hat, dusting away the glass that was lodged into it. She took in a shaky breath, looking down at the ground to see that there was blood on the broken shards of glass as well.

"There's no sign of him anywhere," Emma said, looking around.

"Emma!" Mary-Margaret said in a panic. "I'm pretty sure we just killed the father of Rebekah's unborn child!" She began to hyperventilate.

"Hey, hey." Emma grabbed a hold of Mary-Margaret's shoulders. "Breathe, okay? If we killed him he would be laying in front of us. He's probably fine." Emma took the hat from her roommate. "Hey, by the way, have you been taking kickboxing and not telling me?" She asked, trying not to think about the fact that yes, they might have just killed the father of their friend's unborn child. Emma would have to scour the woods later to see if there was any sign of him...or his body once she got Mary-Margaret back to the station before her arraignment.

"I have no idea where that came from," Mary-Margaret told Emma as she continued to look around. They looked around the house, both sighing in relief when they spotted Emma's car hidden away in the back. Emma held up her car keys with a smile once she managed to get into the car. Mary-Margaret frowned at her, realizing now what had to be done. "So," Mary-Margaret said once Emma was next to her. "Sheriff, I guess you'll be taking me back now."

Emma looked to her car and then back to Mary-Margaret. "Here," she said, tossing the keys to her. "Go."

Mary-Margaret caught the keys, looking up at Emma with wide eyes. "You want me to run?"

"No," Emma said honestly. "But it's your choice. Just know something. Running ain't easy. I've done my share of it and once you go there no stopping--"

"Emma, everyone thinks I killed Kathryn."

"Mary-Margaret, you have to believe me. You have to trust me! I know it seems impossible, but I can get you out of this!" she swore.

Mary-Margaret frowned and looked to Emma. "Why is it so important to you what happens to me?"

Really? Emma thought. "Because when Regina framed me, and you bailed me out , I asked you why and you said you trusted me. And then when I wanted to leave Storybrooke 'cause I thought it was best for Henry, you told me I needed to stay because that was the best for him , " s he said, trying not to cry. "And I realized, all my life , I've been alone...walls up." Her words broke. "Nobody's ever been there for me except you. And I can't lose that. I cannot lose my family."

Mary-Margaret smiled softly at Emma. "Family?" she said back in a whisper.

Emma closed her eyes in embarrassment for opening up finally. "Friends," she corrected herself. "Whatever. You know what I mean." She finally looked back to Mary-Margaret. "Would you rather face this together or alone?"

It took her a moment, but Mary-Margaret handed the keys back to Emma, grabbing onto her hand when Emma moved to take them and gave her hand a squeeze.

Emma smiled at Mary-Margaret, continuing to hold her head. But the sound of the town clock ringing caused them both to look over their shoulders at the town far below them as the sun began to rise. "The arraignment," Emma said, trying to remain calm. "Regina." If they didn't get to the station before Regina did, they were both screwed.

Somehow, with fate on their side, they made it to the station before Regina did. Mr. Gold was waiting for them and Emma pulled the man aside after Mary-Margaret was locked back in the cell and told him about what had happened. About Jefferson kidnapping Mary-Margaret -- about him spiking the tea he offered, his psychotic behavior. But more importantly, how the man had fallen two stories to the ground and somehow disappeared by the time they looked out the window to see the damage.

"We have to tell Rebekah what happened," Emma told Gold who shook his head at her words.

"No."

"No?" She whispered and shook her own head. "The man is certified crazy! And for all I know, he's out there in the woods! He thinks that Henry's school friend Paige is his daughter and I'm pretty sure he thinks that Rebekah is her mother!" she whispered in a hiss. "She needs to know -- she's in danger!"

Mr. Gold shook his head again. "Leave Jefferson to me. Rebekah cannot know."

"Why not?" Emma argued.

"Rebekah has preeclampsia." Mr. Gold told Emma causing her eyes to widen. She shook her head. This early? Emma thought to herself. "She's already at risk for losing her child as it is; telling her that the father of her child kidnapped her two best friends will crush her and that baby will die." Emma blinked, taking in a deep breath. She didn't want Rebekah to lose the baby. But Jefferson was dangerous. "Ms. Swan, I will make sure that Rebekah is safe," he tried to assure her. "But until she is at a point in her pregnancy where it is safe to share this information with her without risking the life of her unborn child, this information can only stay between the two of us and Mary-Margaret."

Emma blew air out her nose as she closed her eyes. "Fine," she agreed. "But I swear to God, if anything happens to her."

"Nothing will happen to her," Mr. Gold said. "She's safe."

_________________________________

The loud thud that came from just outside her front door caused Rebekah to jolt awake, the blanket that had been wrapped around the lower half of her body falling to the floor as she sat up, peering around the the corner of the room to where the front door was. Rebekah didn't move at first, but at the sound of loud groaning, she hopped off her couch and hurried over to her front door. Rebekah unlocked the deadbolt and swung open the door, eyes wide in fear when she saw Jefferson crumpled up on the ground, blood not just dripping from his head, but his arms, legs, and torso. His shirt was sliced up and Rebekah quickly got down on her knees to try and roll him over so that she could examine him better.

"Jefferson?" She whispered, taking his face in her hands as she looked at the bruise forming below his left eyes and the gash on his forehead. "Oh God," she said when he let out a long groan before slowly opening his eyes to look up at her.

"I'm sorry," Jefferson mumbled. "I'm so sorry, Bex."

Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at him, her thumb stroking at his cheek as his own tears were being shed. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay," Rebekah said again, trying to sit him up a bit. "Come on, you need to help me, Jefferson. I need to get you to the hospital."

"No!" he said clearly, hands reaching out to grip onto her wrists tightly as she tried to help him up. "No -- don't take me back there."

Had he escaped? Rebekah wondered, seeing how scared Jefferson was . Of course he escaped ; what other explanation would there be for him to be here right now, broken and bloody? She chastised herself.

"I won't take you back there," Rebekah promised, brushing his hair away from his face.

"Promise?" His lower lip shook.

She nodded her head, more tears falling. "I promise," she swore. "But I need to get you inside and upstairs so I can clean you up, okay?"

Jefferson sighed and nodded his head slowly, eyes shutting momentarily before be pushed down on the ground with his right hand, wincing as Rebekah helped pull him up the rest of the way. She took in a deep breath, trying to keep calm in the situation.

Don't get yourself worked up, Rebekah told herself. It's not good for the baby.

Somehow, she managed to get him all the way upstairs and into her bathroom where she helped lower him down onto the floor, resting his head under a few towels she had hastily grabbed on her way into the room. Rebekah ran the ones that weren't placed under his head under the faucet in her tub. Once they were wet, she moved down to the floor and moved Jefferson's head off the towels. She scooted forward so that his head could rest easily in her lap as she gently pressed the towel down on his wounds, trying to clean away as much of the blood as she possibly could without having to drag him into the tub herself.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked him once he was cleaned up a bit, head still resting in her lap as his arms were wrapped tightly around her leg. The sound of his shallow breathing as he murmured something unintelligible caused Rebekah to worry even more. He needs help ; he needs a doctor! She yelled at herself internally. You can't let him die!

Dr. Whale was in Regina's hold; if she called him in for a house visit to fix Jefferson up, Rebekah had no doubt that her older sister would find out.

The only other doctor she knew was Jane.

Rebekah trusted the woman but she didn't know what her OBGYN could possibly do to fix Jefferson up.

But she had no other options.

"Jefferson." She said his name softly, fingers running through his hair. "I'm going to go you some tea, okay?"

He didn't say anything, just continued to breathe in shallow breaths. Rebekah felt tears well in her eyes again and she did something unexpected. She bent down and and pressed her lips to his as her tears rolled onto his cheek. Jefferson held onto her leg tightly as she kissed him, finger pressing down hard into her skin as he tried to move up a bit to return the kiss.

But Rebekah pulled away before he could. Because if he started to kiss her back, Rebekah knew she'd forgive him for everything he had done without even demanding an explanation. She moved the towels back under Jefferson's head and pushed herself up off the ground.

"I love you so much, Bex," Jefferson whispered as she walked out of the bathroom, tears were still rolling down her cheeks as Rebekah had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from telling him just how much she loved him, too.

She softly shut the door behind herself and carefully made her way down the stairs, knowing she already put a lot of stress on her body. Rebekah went into her living room where her phone was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch that she had been sleeping on and quickly dialed Jane's mobile, not wanting to use the hospital line.

"Hello?"

"I need your help," Rebekah told her.

"Rebekah -- are you okay? Did something happen?"

"It's not me," she said, looking behind her and over to the staircase that would lead her back upstairs to Jefferson. "I need you to come to my house with medical supplies but you can't tell anyone, Jane."

The woman sighed, "I...I can't," she told her. "If you're hurt, you need to come into the hospital. I can't treat you at your house."

"It's not me !" Rebekah stressed again. "It's the father of my child and he's hurt really bad and if Regina finds out he's here , she'll lock him away again and I can't lose him again, Jane!" she cried out. "I can't!"

"Okay, okay," Jane said. "I'm heading over now ," s he told Rebekah. "Just try and remain as calm as you can and I'll be there soon . You're at the house out in the woods that Mr. Gold was renovating with you, yes?"

"Yes," Rebekah answered. Jane had called and checked in on her the day before and Rebekah had told her doctor about her new change of address, telling the woman that she'd need to fill out new forms at the hospital so that they'd have her current information. Jane had done it all for her, telling her to stay off her feet and that she'd submit all of her new information in the computers. Rebekah had been grateful then, but now Jane was doing something even bigger for her. "Thank you, Jane."

"I'll see you in a bit," she promised.

Rebekah checked the front door to make sure that it was still unlocked, wanting it to be easy for Jane to get it. She hadn't even closed it properly. She headed back upstairs and found that Jefferson was still lying on her bathroom floor. Rebekah moved to sit down next to him again, lifting his head to rest in her lap once more. "It's going to be okay, Jefferson," she whispered.

"We're home," he said in a drowsy tone. "Bex...we're home."

She ran her fingers through his hair, listening as her breathing started to sound regular again and listened to him murmur to himself as he held on to her leg. "I'm so sorry, Bex. Please don't leave me again," he said clearly.

"I won't," she whispered, pressing her lips just above the now cleaned cut on his forehead. "I promise."