Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

Out of all the residents in Storybroooke, Jefferson's curse was the worst. Not only was he sent to Storybrooke, but he still had all his memories. He remembered who he was, his Grace and their old home, everything. Every second of the day he's forced to remember Grace and the life he lost, as well as having this new life imprinted in his brain. It's like two lives that are battling for dominance in his mind.

He's sitting in his living room with a cup of tea in his hand, but his mind is far too troubled to focus on his tea. He's thinking about the tea parties he used to have with Grace and the force of the memory is causing him to tremble. His hand is shaking so violently that it causes the hot tea to slosh out and burn his skin. Soon the memory become too much for him to handle and with a loud scream he throws the delicate china cup at the wall, causing it to shatter and stain the wall with the brown liquid it was holding.

Almost immediately he hears hurried footsteps and a moment later the owner of the footsteps, a girl named Fiona, comes stumbling to a stop at the door. She's always been a clumsy girl.

"Are you alright? I heard you scream." she says, her voice set in a worried tone. Of course she's worried, she's always worried.

"I'm fine." he snaps at her. He has yet to move off the couch to clean up the mess he caused but he finds that she has already beaten him to it. She quickly grabs a small towel from the kitchen then begins wiping away the tea from the wall.

"Why did you get upset?" she asks him quietly. She's finished wiping away the tea and is now gathering the broken china pieces into the towel.

"For the same reason I do every other time." he says angrily and stands, kicking some stray pillows out of his way while he goes to the kitchen. Fiona follows after him and tosses the broken pieces of china in the garbage. He looks out the window and sees that his garden is looking as pristine and perfect as always which means her job is done for the day. He glances back at the girl who was, as always, covered in dirt. Her jeans were even ripped from the thorns on the rose bushes.

"You're done for the day. You can leave now." he says and snatches the towel out of her grubby hands. She looks at the floor as red fills her cheeks.

"I just wanted to help you..." she says softly.

Jefferson feels momentarily guilty for treating her so harshly, but then his guilt is dissolved when he remembers just how horrible his life is now. He'd even take Wonderland over this!

"I thank you for it but that's not your job, is it? So you can leave now," he says angrily. She hesitates and Jefferson's anger explodes. "Leave now!" he shouts at her. The girl jumps and practically runs away from him and a moment later he hears the door slam.

Jefferson wanders back to his couch and collapses on to the couch. Grace won't be home for another hour so he simply curls up and closes his eyes; allowing the memories of his past life to take over his mind.

* * *

_Today; the memories are about Fiona._

_In Storybrooke, she works as Jefferson's personal gardener, due to the fact he has an enormous garden in the back of his mansion. She spends most of her time in the garden because it takes her hours to go through the entire thing. It doesn't bother her though because she often prefers the being in nature compared to being trapped indoors. Jefferson blames that on her other life, back home in their own world. Back home her true name was not Fiona, it was Preziosa. She was a princess of a small land. Jefferson had heard rumors about her family. He had heard that her mother, the queen, was a kind and beautiful woman who was fair to her subjects. The king, however, was supposedly mean, ugly and insane. One day to everyone's dismay, the queen died and the deranged king decided to marry Preziosa, his own daughter because he deemed her to be the only woman who could match his deceased wife's beauty. _

_So the terrified Preziosa ran away from her home. _

_Her father sent his soldiers to bring her back but before they could find her, Preizosa found an elderly woman who gave her a piece of wood. She encouraged Preziosa to bite the wood because it would save her. So she did and found herself to be turned into a bear. An actual bear. The elderly woman who had given her the stick was actually an enchantress. So Preziosa escaped her father, but one day she was captured by a strange, cruel man and she was far too gentle to fight back and the man sold her to a gypsy. Of course she was still in bear from at the time because she was frightened that if she were to turn back into a human, she'd be brought back to her father. So the gypsy would bring her to different fairs and markets and she would carry children around on her back, like she was a horse instead of a bear. _

_It was at a market that Jefferson himself first met the she-bear. He found it odd that a bear would be gentle enough to allow children to ride on its back, and he also found it odd that the bear carried a piece of wood in its mouth. However he had greater matters on his mind with Grace and selling mushrooms to give the subject too much thought. _

_The sky was just beginning to turn dark when Jefferson and Grace pack up and begin to head home for the day. As they were leaving, Grace grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to a stop. She was looking at the bear, who was chained to a post while the gypsy went to the tavern to drink her problems away. _

_"Papa, that bear is trapped..." she says quietly. _

_"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. Sorry, love." he says as he scoops up the little girl. As gentle as the bear may have seemed before, there's not telling what it would do to a little girl like Grace and there was no way he would ever put her in any sort of danger. So he carries her home, and soon the bear has completely been erased from his mind. _

_When they return to the market a few days later, the bear is nowhere to be seen. But on their way home through the woods, Grace points out something very unusual. _

_"Papa, look!" she whispers excitedly and points to the river. There sits a young woman with long, dark hair. She has water cupped in her raised hands and she lets it trickle over her hair and she messages it in with her fingers. Sitting beside her is a piece of wood with teeth marks in it. It's then that Grace steps on a stick, causing it to snap. The girl jumps and looks at them, her eyes wild with fright. She grabs the piece of wood and jumps in the river, running through the water quickly to get to the other side. Grace begins running after her before Jefferson could grab her. By the time they reach the riverbank, the girl is gone. In her place is a black bear._

* * *

Jefferson hadn't expected Fiona to come back the next day. But she did. She arrived around 10am, with a few scones from Granny's in a paper bag. He was gazing through his telescope when he heard her knock. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole and is rather surprised to see the familiar dark-haired girl. He opens the door and she immediately thrusts the paper bag into his hands.

"Don't yell at me again please," she says quietly as she shoves the bag harder against his hands. He chews on his bottom lip and he knows he should apologize for his outburst yesterday.

"I won't... I, ugh, I'm sorry for yesterday-"

"It's fine. I'm heading to the back, enjoy your scones. I also got you strawberry jam, I know you like it." she says and quickly makes her way to the back of the house. He opens the bag and glances in. She did get strawberry jam. He forgot she knew he liked it.

He makes his way back to the kitchen and flicks on the kettle while he grabs a place. Grace has already left for school two hours ago, so he had another long day of waiting for her to come home.

While he spreads the jam over his scone, he glances out the large window and sees Fiona kneeling amongst the rose bushes. He takes in her appearance; ratty blue jeans, a large oversized and stained grey shirt and black sneakers that look like they're about to come apart at the seams. Her wild hair is pulled into an attempt at a braid, but he knows it'll come apart soon. That's one of the things he's noticed about her is that her hair simply cannot hold in a braid.

The loud whistling of the kettle soon fills the air, so he collects a bag of tea and plops it into the pot and then fills it with boiling water. While he waits for it to steep, he munches on his scones. They're good, still warm and the jam practically melts over them. However, a sudden memory hits him so hard that the scone falls from his now shaking hand. He remembers eating strawberries with Grace when she was small, and her little mouth would get covered in the red juice. She'd look up at him with her brown eyes sparkling and her mouth set in a grin. How he loved it when she did that.

A sudden rumble of thunder causes him to once again come painfully back to reality. His eyes travel back to the window and he sees a few drops of rain- but then with another loud rumble of thunder a downpour erupts.

"Shit," he mutters. He stands and collects his plate and drops it into the sink and begins to pour his tea. The rain makes it difficult to see Grace through the telescope, which bothers him immensely. He hopes she brought her rain coat to school.

He pours himself some tea before settling in his favorite chair with a book. His mansion came with a fully stocked bookshelf, but they were all from this world and were strange and unfamiliar to him. He can't afford to complain because he knows he has no other option for entertainment, so he grabs a book by the name of the "Princess Bride" and sits down, preparing to waste away several hours before his Grace come home.

It is about two hours later when he finally tears his eyes away from the pages. His teacup has long since been drained and he finds himself craving some more. He stands and stretches his sore muscles, frowning when he hears cracks coming from his elbows and knees. He grabs his tea-cup and heads to the kitchen and turns on the burner so the teapot will begin to heat up.

He looks out the window and finds that it is still raining out. He notices that the delicate flowers in his garden are beginning to bend under the weight of the water on their petals.

It's only then does he remember Fiona, who was in the garden. He looks back up and doesn't see her beside the rose bushes so he can only guess that she has run to the shed. He could let her stay there... But he knows the shed leaks and she's already been out there for a long time. So he grabs an umbrella and makes his way outside. He walks through the wet grass, shivering as the moisture makes it's way through his shoes. He finally reaches the shed and pushes the door open and finds his suspicions to be confirmed. Fiona sits huddled on an old work bench with her arms shoved inside her large shirt. She looks up at him with a look of pure surprise. He rolls his eyes.

"Stop staring at me and come here," he sighs. The girl jumps up and quickly goes to him, huddling her shaking body against his. He doesn't offer much body warmth but it's better than nothing. The two begin walking back to the mansion silently with Fiona still pressed to Jefferson's side.

Once they get back inside, Jefferson instructs Fiona to make herself some tea while he gets blankets from the upstairs bedroom. He grabs a fluffy quilt and makes his way back downstairs.

"Come to the living room," he calls out as he reaches the end of the stairs. He makes his way to the room, grabs his book and flops on the couch. The cushions let out a whistle of air as his weight settles on to them. Fiona enters a moment later, with two cups of tea in her hands. She makes her way to the couch and carefully sets the tea on the coffee table before settling on to the couch herself. He tosses the quilt over her tiny frame and she pulls it close, relishing the immediate heat.

"Thank you," she says quietly, peering at him from over the quilt.

"You're welcome." he answers and grabs his tea. He takes a long sip and the liquid warms his body. She reaches forward and takes her tea in her hands, letting the heat of the cup warm her chilled hands.

"Why are you being so kind today?" she asks him but immediately looks regretful and opens her mouth to apologize, but Jefferson raises his hand as a sign to stop.

"Do you normally think I'm mean?" he asks her.

"Not mean... Just... Annoyed. Sad maybe. I think you're a lot of things," she admits.

Jefferson turns and fully looks at his gardener, who's now practically hidden under the quilt. Some of the residents of Storybrooke have become completely different people than who they were. Some of them have become meaner, others kinder and others quieter. But she has stayed the same. She's still Preziosa, the frightened she-bear who is too gentle and too quiet for her own good.

"Are you mad at me?" she asks him quietly.

"No. Now no more questions or I'll put you back into the shed," he replies. Fiona closes her mouth tightly and looks away from him. Jefferson lets out a small sigh and grabs his book, using it as a shield to hide his face from her.

Jefferson can't deny the fact that she's right, he's not kind to her, at least not often. Jefferson can't exactly explain why he's often rude and cruel to Fiona. Perhaps it's because he finds her childlike innocence too much like Grace. Perhaps it's because he hates that she can't remember who she really is, so it's a constant reminder that he's alone in this world. Or maybe it's because he's too scared to allow himself to care for another person other than Grace. He only allowed himself to do that once, with Grace's mother. And what happened with that woman left him feeling broken and unwanted. He doesn't want to feel like that ever again. So he will only allow himself to care about Grace and no one else.

Or at least, that's what he's going to try to do.

_**Hi readers :) tell me if you like this! I may continue it if you guys like it :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hi guys :) so I've decided to write this chapter! Now, just warning you, this chapter deals with adult subject matter. Nothing is graphically described but rape and beating is mentioned. Now enough of me talking, please enjoy reading! _**

Jefferson's eyes slowly open, the pain of his headache making him immediately regretting his decision. He feels gross, his skin feels so hot and his head feels like someone is pounding on it with an iron hammer. He wonders how he managed to get so sick, then he remembers the night of drinking he had. He looks down to see the now empty bottle of Scotch and the reason of his illness becomes abundantly clear: a brutal hangover. He glances at the alarm clock beside his bed and the red numbers make him lurch out of bed. It's 11:42am, well past 8am, when Grace usually gets the bus. He's always up to see her, everyday, but today he slept through it. How the hell could he do that!?

He groans and buries his face into the pillow. He drank last night because he felt like shit, per usual, and he found a bottle of alcohol in one of the cupboards. So he drank himself into oblivion and found that it worked. He passed out and for a few blessed hours, he was able to slip away and dream about a time when he was happy back in his home in his real life. But then it came to an end when he woke up, as it always did.

There's no point in getting up now so he might as well just stay in bed for the rest of the day. However, soon the need for water and food drive him from his soft bed and down to the kitchen. He almost tumbles down the stairs in the process, the splitting headache making him shaky. He finally reaches the kitchen, surprisingly unscathed, and turns on the kettle. He then fills up a glass of water and raises it to his lips, letting the cold liquid sooth the hot skin on his lips. He swallows almost half the glass in hopes it would rid himself of this headache. Steam is begging to rise from the kettle and he can hear the water bubble as it heats up. He grabs a cup from the cupboard and places it on the counter, throwing a tea bag in as well. While he waits for the kettle to finish boiling, he grabs an apple from the fridge and takes a big bite out of it. It's old now and has that woody taste, but he remembers how he would worry about where Grace's next meal would come from, so he gladly eats the apple. The kettle begins whistling and Jefferson pours his tea, hoping this would help his headache because the water seems to be doing no good.

As he sips the steaming drink, he scans the backyard looking for Fiona. He hasn't heard any signs of her and he doesn't see her anywhere. That's very unusual. She's never ever missed a day of work, even when she's been sick and looked to be on deaths doorstep. She's never missed a day.

He goes to the porch and slides on his shoes and goes outside. It's nice today, not too hot and not too cold, but the sunlight immediately makes his hand fly to cover his eyes.

"Fuck," he mutters to himself as he trudges through the expansive yard in search of his gardener. Normally, he would never use such language but his hangover is getting the better of him.

He searches through his entire garden and in the shed, which takes him well over an hour, but no sign of her anywhere. He's not exactly worried, but he's definitely surprised that she didn't show up. She lives in a little house not too far up the road... He could go up and check on her. It would waste away the rest of the day until Grace gets home. So he draws his jacket a little tighter around his body, he was still in his clothes from yesterday but it didn't really bother him, and made his way back to the front of the house and up the path. He walks as quickly as he can and it doesn't take him long to reach the cottage. Her yard is covered in flowers of all different shapes and colors. He sees roses, phlox, lilacs and Butterfly bushes and other things he doesn't know the name of. Her yard is beautiful and bright with all the plants inhabiting it. He walks through them, careful not to step on anything. He reaches the door and knocks once. He hears the shuffle of feet and the door opens, but only a crack. The only thing he can see belonging to Fiona is a quarter of her face.

"Oh, hi... I'm sorry I didn't come in today. I'm not feeling well," she says quietly. Her voice sounds coarse, like she's been crying. He raises and eyebrow and tries his best to examine her from the bit he can see, but she soon hides even that behind the door.

"What's wrong?" he asks her. He looks suspicious and his hand is resting over the doorknob, as if he plans to push it open. She presses more of her weight against the door, hoping to keep him out.

"Nothing is wrong," she answers him and begins to close the door, but his hand quickly slams against it and she stumbles back.

"Don't lie to me. Let me in right now," he snaps.

"No! Go away please!" she cries and throws her weight against the door in attempt to close it, but he's a hell of a lot stronger than she is and she stands no chance against him.

"Fiona... Please, let me help." he sighs. Fiona stops pushing against the door and she finds her whole body shaking. She knows how mean he can be, but maybe he's actually becoming kinder. She steps back, allowing the door to swing open. Jefferson steps in and examines the small woman. He notices something that definitely looks off... But he can't be sure what it is because she's in a shadow.

"Step into the light," he instructs. She swallows hard before eventually walking towards a window where the sunlight is streaming in. The light reveals something that makes Jefferson cringe; her body is covered in bruises. Her lip is split, her right eye is completely swollen and the skin has turned black. Another cut is on her cheek and a dark blue bruise lies under it. Her shirt has fallen down her shoulder which has revealed multiple bruises. She has her left leg bent and her ankle looks to be swollen, possibly sprained.

"Who did this to you?" he snarls as he walks towards her. She immediately jumps back, pressing herself into a corner. She looks terrified of him. He comes to a halt at the sight of her.

"I... I fell," she says quietly.

"I don't believe you-"

"I fall all the time! You see me do it!" she cries.

"Calm down, Fiona. Those bruises are made by hands and those cuts on your face is by a ring. Believe me I've seen things like this before, don't try to lie to me and tell me otherwise." he says softly. Fiona's trembling and has her arms crossed over her chest and more tears are making their way down her cheeks.

"How did you know that someone did this?" she asks him, looking up at him with watery eyes.

Jefferson chews on his bottom lip because he can't give her a legitimate answer. Back in his real home, before he had Grace, he had a bit of a rough life. Of course he had his hat, but sometimes he would wind up at some bar and he had seen more than one brutal bar fight. And that's how he came to know bruises. Sometimes he'd even get them on his own body after he would get in a fight with some drunken idiot. But he can't possibly tell that to Fiona because she still has no recollection of that past life, so he says the first thing that pops into his head. "My brother used to fight a lot."

Her eyebrows pop up. "I didn't know you had a brother," she says. Jefferson didn't lie, he did have a brother but he died when he was only 14 because he fell into a well and drowned. It's not something he tells a lot of people.

"I don't talk about him much. But now's not the time for that. This man, did he only beat you or did he...?" Jefferson trails off, not wanting to say the word. Rape is a harsh, ugly word that he doesn't like to associate with. But Fiona's physical response gives him a clear answer... Yes. Her head snaps sideways, her hand flies to cover her mouth and more tears soon stream down her face and her body begins shaking again. Jefferson groans and rubs his face with his hands.

"Shit, Fiona..." he mutters.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't want to at all but I was on my way home yesterday and he just came out of nowhere and I-"

"Shh, it's ok. I know you didn't want it. Believe me that much was clear. But why didn't you come to me?" he asks her.

"I didn't think you'd care..." she says quietly, looking up at him with now bloodshot eyes. Jefferson feels a sudden guilt upon hearing her words.

"I do care. You must think I'm a monster," he says quietly. Fiona quickly shakes her head which causes even more tears to fall.

"No I don't! I swear, it's just-"

Jefferson holds up his hand and she stops talking. He doesn't look angry or mad, he actually looks understanding. "I'm not exactly a nice guy, I know that. But l can't have you stay here by yourself, not with some creep around here. Pack somethings and you can come stay at my house until... You feel better. Maybe we should go the police though-"

"No! Please no! I don't want anyone to know!" she screams at him.

"You might be sick-"

"Please! Please don't make me go there... I don't want them to see me like this." she tells him. The girl looks so miserable that Jefferson doesn't have the heart to argue. So he simply nods and sends the girl to pack her things. While she does that, he wanders around her house. It's simple, with no large or fancy furnishings. A few paintings of flowers and trees with some small woodland creatures. It's starting to make him uncomfortable how much this girl likes the wood.

"What are you doing?"

Her sudden voice makes him jump and almost tumble over the coffee table. Fiona's lips break into a smile, which he's glad to see even if he was the reason for it. He straightens himself up and nods.

"You ready?" he asks.

"I guess as ready as I can be considering the situation," she responds. He goes to the door and opens it, waiting for her to follow. They walk in silence down the path and along the road, but he can see her growing increasingly anxious as they walk. He can only guess it's because of what happened. She looks like she's about to burst into tears all over again, so Jefferson does the only thing he can think of; quickly wrap his left arm around her shoulders and pull her close. She's caught off guard at the sudden contact and stumbles into his side.

"It's ok, Fiona. You're not alone this time." he says softly. She's still shaking but she breathes in and out slowly and nods.

It doesn't take them to far to get back to the house. Once their, Jefferson takes her to the room she can stay in. It's on the top floor and it has dark purple walls, with a large bed with pale blue sheets. There's a chair and a bookcase, along with a small bathroom attached to it. Fiona hesitantly walks into it, letting her hand run across the silk of the sheets.

"Is this okay?" Jefferson asks her.

"It's perfect, thank you." she replies.

Jefferson stands there rather awkwardly for a moment before he finally speaks again. "Well, I'm going to go make some lunch. You can get settled and don't bother with the garden today, it can survive for one day." he tells her and then quickly leaves. Partially due to the awkwardness but also because he is now once again fully aware of his headache, which hadn't really left him but the shock of the events had managed to make him forget about it for a while. But now it has hit him like a brick wall and he runs down to the kitchen for more water and maybe some sort of pill he could take to get rid of this damn pain.

Once in the kitchen he downs another glass of water along with some red pill called "Advil". Hopefully that does the trick. He begins rummaging through his fridge for some sort of food. He finds eggs, and settles for scrambled eggs and toast. He's never been a creative cook.

Once the eggs have been scrambled, the toast buttered and the tea has steeped, he takes a plate back up for Fiona. But as he nears her room, he hears more sobbing. Shit, maybe this is more than he bargained for. He uses his elbow to knock on the door and the sobs immediately stop. The door opens a moment later and Jefferson walks in. Fiona's hair is wet and she's wearing an enormous grey sweater and large black pants. She's still shaking.

"I'm sorry you heard me," she says quietly.

"You've been through a traumatic event. You have every reason to cry." he tells her as he lays the plate of food and cup of tea on the side table. Fiona has taken a seat on the bed and has her arms wrapped around her legs and her long hair is covering her body. He can see the droplets of water from her hair that now stain her sweater, causing icy shivers to ripple through her.

"Why did this happen to me...?" she says, so quietly he barely heard her. Before he responds, he gets up and takes a spare blanket from the closet and drapes it over her small frame. Then he takes his fingers and uses them to tilt her chin upwards so she's looking him in the eyes when he answers her.

"Not all fairy tales are good and the same goes for life, kid. It's not all butterflies and rainbows."


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a week and a half since Fiona had moved into his mansion. The bruises are starting to fade, her lip is starting to scab and her eye isn't so swollen anymore. Jefferson knows that, despite the physical evidence is disappearing, the emotional damage is still catastrophic. She cries... A lot. He'll see her in the garden and she'll suddenly stop what she's doing and her hand will fly to her mouth and he will see her shoulders begin to tremble. He debates going out and trying to talk with her but sometimes he wonders if male companionship is really the best thing for her at the moment. Sometimes, when they'll both be inside after the long day, he'll accidentally brush up against her hip and she'll jump about five feet in the air. However, the worst are the nightmares she has. It's usually around 2am and he can hear a small scream than muffled sobs. It's getting really bad.

"Maybe you should go talk to someone," he suggests as she places a cup of tea in front of him. She quickly scurries back to the kitchen, shaking her head vigorously.

"I don't want anyone else to know. Please, Jefferson." she begs and looks at him, her eyes mimicking her begs. Jefferson can only sigh and run his hands through his hair. He then stands and begins walking to his telescope.

"Fine. Do whatever you want, Fiona. But this isn't healthy." he says. She doesn't answer him and instead quickly runs into the backyard. He hears the door slam.

He looks into the telescope and sees Grace walking out of her house. Her hair is up in a ponytail and she's giggling at something her "father" has said to her. Jefferson feels his anger rise. It should be him making her laugh. Soon Grace boards her bus, waving a final time to the man who was waiting on the sidewalk. He goes back into his house and Grace is driven away to school for the long six hours.

Jefferson sighs and flops down on the couch. Another long day of doing nothing while he waits for Grace to come back home.

He has finished _The Princess Bride _and has moved on to something called _Harry Potter_. This has magic in it, which he obviously approves of. He's on page 30 when he hears a scream. This is a different sounding scream. It's not the one she makes when she's snapped out of a nightmare. This is a generally terrified, blood curdling scream. The book falls to the ground as he sprints out of the living room, through the kitchen and then throws himself out the door. That's when he sees her, curled up in the cold grass and the disgusting looking man on top of her. He has a fistful of her long hair and his mouth glued to her ear. Jefferson finds himself beside them in a second, the mans collar in his hand and he feels himself toss the man like a rag doll. He lands with a groan and Jefferson can smell the alcohol off him.

Fiona has stopped crying. And now she has her shovel in her hands. It almost happens in slow motion and Jefferson tires to grab her arm, but he is just a second too late. She raises the shovel and brings it down so hard on the mans head that Jefferson hears a crack and soon blood seeps from his hairline.

Jefferson is frozen at the sight of the innocent girl bashing the mans head with shovel. She gets one more hit in before Jefferson comes to his senses and grabs her arms, knocking the shovel out of her grasp. She looks at him with her angry bloodshot eyes and yells at him.

"No! Let me-"

"If you do this, you're throwing your life away! You'll get caught and not him! Fiona, it isn't worth it," he says calmly, trying his best to soothe the furious girl. But she is far from calm.

"He hurt me!" she screams at him.

"Hurting him back won't make it any better. Believe me, I know. If you do this you will regret it forever." he says. She stops struggling and begins trembling. No tears come out. There are no more tears left to shed.

"Go inside, I'll take care of him." he says softly. She nods and staggers inside. He looks back at the man, and suddenly something dawns on him that makes him sick to his stomach. The man is Fiona, well technically Preziosa's, father. The insane King who wanted to marry his own daughter.

The man groans and pushes himself up. One of his eyes is squeezed shut, probably from Fiona's shovel. He sees Jefferson and immediately crawls backwards, pure fear in his eyes.

"Get up." Jefferson snarls at the man.

He does as instructed and scrambles to his feet. Jefferson nudges his back with the shovel, making him walk towards the woods behind the mansion's garden. They walk for a good half an hour before Jefferson tugs the man to a stop. There's a layer of filth and dirt on his jacket.

"Don't you ever come back here again," Jefferson says, his voice was so low and cold that the man shudders. He gives the man a final shove before turning around and beginning to walk back.

"She enjoyed it, you know!" the man shouts. Jefferson comes to a stop and glances back.

"What did you say?" Jefferson snarls.

"She enjoyed it. She's a little whore. And I'll my way with her again. I'll have my way with all the girls here. Even the little ones. Do you know what I did to that girl, huh? Do you? I can tell you. And I can assure you that she loved it-"

The man doesn't finish his sentence. Jefferson has swung around, bring his shovel with it. It hits the deranged man in the head and he slumps to the ground. Jefferson bashes his head in, completely ignoring the advice he had given to Fiona a mere hour before. When this disgusting piece of filth started talking about young girls, Jefferson was seeing red. When the thought about this scum touching Grace, he's thrown over the edge.

When he eventually stops beating the man, the shovel is covered with blood and the deranged king is no more.

* * *

He stumbles back to his house. He's covered in blood and he knows he'll have to explain this to Fiona. He buried the body and has plans to destroy the shovel before anyone else can ever find it.

He finally returns to his house and finds Fiona waiting in the kitchen for him. She gasps and nearly tumbles off the counter when she sees him. She shakes her head and covers her eyes with her hands.

"You told me-"

"Forget what I told you. He said things to me that would've made you throw up. The world is better off without that piece of shit in it." he snaps. She suddenly jumps off the counter and slaps him so hard he stumbles.

"What the hell was that for?!" he shouts at her.

"This was my responsibility! This was my problem! You didn't have anything to do with it! I should have been the one to do that to him! Why didn't you just let me do it!?" she screams at him. Jefferson grabs her arms and pins them to the counter, staring at her with a vicious look on his face.

"I didn't let you do it because you're too good. You're innocent and pure but I'm not. If you had killed him, you wouldn't have been able to live with yourself. But I'm not good and certainly not pure! So I could do this for you. You should be thanking me, not hitting me." he snaps. She sinks to the floor and puts her head on her knees. More bruises are forming on her arms.

"You shouldn't have done that for me, Jefferson." she says softly.

"Well it's done now. And don't ever hit me again," he says and then quickly walks out of the kitchen. He makes his way up the washroom and quickly turns on the shower. He rips off his soiled clothing and throws them into a heap on the floor. He steps into the scalding shower and rubs his face vigorously, wiping off the blood that had splattered across his cheeks. He looks at the drain and sees the red swirling around before being sucked into the black circle. He groans and leans forwards, resting his head against the glass panel as the realization of his actions hit him.

He's just killed someone.


	4. Chapter 4

When Jefferson eventually crawls out of the shower, it's nearly two hours later. His skin is raw and tingling, but he barely notices. After a while the hot water ran out and he was left standing under icy jets of cold water. But even that didn't drive him from the shower for another half an hour after the water turned to ice.

He wraps a towel around his waist and makes his way to his large bedroom. The red blankets of his bed are strewn every which way, half of them tumble off the bed and on to the floor. He still had the blinds closed and his dark burgundy walls are only lit by a small lamp beside his bed. He sits on his bed and breathes in and out several times, trying to stay calm. He's never directly killed anyone before. He's never been like Regina or Rumpelstiltskin. They're monsters; he's not. He's not one of them-

Or he wasn't... Now he is. He's no better than them.

A hears a hesitant knock on the door, which shakes him out of his thoughts. He glances at the door, feeling annoyed. Fiona was the reason he killed the man... It's her fault-

No. No it's not. She didn't ask for that scum to rape her. She didn't ask for Jefferson to kill him. He knows he can't blame her anymore. So he decides to let her in.

"Come in," he says quietly. The door cracks open and Fiona peeks in, but immediately hides behind the door again when she sees that he's in nothing but a towel. He snorts and leans back.

"Don't like what you see?" he calls out.

"What? Um, no, wait I mean, um, I-"

"Oh Christ just come in," he snaps. The door opens and she steps in, her arms crossed across her chest. She looks at him and forces herself to smile.

"Thank you... For what you did. Maybe I can stop having nightmares now," she says, chuckling softly after she speaks. "And maybe I can go back to my house too."

"You don't have to go," Jefferson says softly. Fiona looks at him with a quizzical expression and red fills Jefferson's cheeks.

"Um, I just meant... Ok, neither of us really have any friends so it's basically just you and me, girl." he admits. Fiona smiles again, and it looks genuine.

"Thank you again. I'll go make dinner," she tells him. She turns to leave, but then she turns back around. Jefferson opens his mouth to ask her why she did such a thing, but then she walks towards him, leans down and presses her lips softly to his cheek. To say he was caught off guard is an understatement.

"Why did you do that?" he asks. He takes note that her lips are soft.

"I never kissed anyone before he..." she trails off and shudders at the memory. "I just wanted to know what it was like." she adds quietly, looking ashamed.

Jefferson looks at her, his brows drawn together. "You've never been with anyone before?" he asks.

She looks embarrassed and shakes her head and quickly runs out the door. Jefferson sighs and rubs his neck. He can clearly feel the bump of his scar. Once again he finds himself thinking about his old life, back home with Grace. He would do anything to be back in their little cottage with a small fire in the fireplace and her lovely laughter filling the small home.

He knows that if he thinks about this for any longer, he'll go insane or start screaming and breaking things. So he stands quickly, rubbing himself dry and then changing into loose-fitting grey pants and a soft black shirt. He runs the towel over his hair, letting it soak up the droplets of icy water.

He tosses the towel on the floor before making his way downstairs to the kitchen. He finds Fiona by the stove. She's making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. She glances at him quickly but then returns her full attention back to the food.

"It'll be ready soon," she tells him.

"We can eat in the living room tonight. We can put on a movie too?" he suggests. She nods and smiles at him.

"That would be nice," she agrees.

He goes to the living room and looks through the expansive collection of DVDs that's harbored near the giant TV. He's never really bothered with watching the movies, because he's often been busy reading or trying to make his hats. He leans down and examines them, looking for something that catches his eye. And then he sees Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He plucks it out of the shelf and pops it into the machine.

Fiona joins him moments later with two plates in her hands. She hands him a plate, with a sandwich and a little bowl of soup balanced on it. He nods his thanks and begins eating as she settles on the couch beside him. As they watch the movie, he has to suppress his groans as the representation of Snow is totally butchered. Snow whistling while she works? Dear God.

The movie is half over when Fiona finishes eating and lays her plate on the coffee table. She seems interested by the movie, smiling at the little birds who flutter across the screen. Jefferson catches himself staring at his companion. He feels guilty that she has had no intimate contact with anyone besides that disgusting creature who defiled her. He sits up and, despite his better judgement, leans forward. This will either go over well or end up with him getting a porcelain plate smashed over his head.

"Is it true what you said?" he says. The sudden sound of his voice causes her to jolt.

"What?" she answers, looking at him with those big dark eyes.

"That you've never been with anyone?" he clarifies.

She chews on her bottom lip and nods, looking away. "That's why I kissed you," she says quietly.

"That wasn't a real kiss," he responds. His hand goes to her face and he turns her towards him. His lips are a mere inch away from hers. He looks in her eyes, trying to see if she was nervous, which was clearly obvious. "Would you like a real one?" he asks quietly.

And amazingly, she nods. So he leans forwards and his lips meet hers. When he was with Grace's mother, their kisses harsh, greedy and rough. However, with Fiona, the kiss is so gentle that he finds himself not wishing for the rough harshness of Grace's mothers lips. The kiss, for him, makes him forget he has killed someone and for her, it allows her to forget for one moment the cruelty she endured.

When they pull away from each other, Jefferson rests his forehead against hers.

"That was a real kiss."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Okay, so hi to my lovely readers :) thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. On a completely random note, while I was writing this I was listening to Lily's theme from the Harry Potter soundtrack and oh man the tears were flowing so that may be why this chapter is a little more cheesy/fluffy than usual. Enjoy xo**_

Jefferson leans down and gazes into the telescope. He sees little Grace is happily jumping up and down because her fake parents have just gotten her a puppy. It looks more like a huge ball of fluff rather than an actual dog, but Grace seems to absolutely adore the thing. She's hugging it so tightly and it's licking her entire face. She's smiling and laughing so much that Jefferson begins to feel awful. Maybe she's better off with those people...

Anger begins to boil through his blood. His fist begins clenching and trembling, and he grabs the telescope and sends it flying to the other side of the room. He doesn't know if Fiona will hear him, frankly he doesn't give a damn if she does. After the kiss, she's barely spoken to him. Did it really fucking scare her so much that he did that?! His anger rises some more as he thinks about the girl ignoring him.

"Fuck!" he roars and begins throwing or punching anything he can get his hands on. Soon the living room is completely trashed. His hand slams into the intricate mirror, shattering the beautiful glass and slicing through his skin. Blood begins to flow freely from his hand but it doesn't stop him. He grabs the mirror and slams it on the floor, breaking any of the remaining glass. He's screaming and grabbing his hair, practically tearing it out of his scalp.

"Jefferson, what's wrong!?" Fiona shouts at him. He didn't even notice her come in.

"She's my child! Mine! She's not theirs! SHE BELONGS WITH ME!" He screams. The girl presses herself into the corner of the room, her dark eyes wild with fear of the crazed man before her. He's talking complete nonsense because he doesn't have a child, or at least she doesn't know he has one. She still can't remember anything of their life back in the Enchanted Forest.

"She's mine, mine, mine!" he screams to himself over and over. He rubs his hands against his face, completely forgetting he's bleeding. Blood is smeared across his pale face and Fiona gasps.

"Jefferson, stop please! You're scaring me!" she screams at him. He looks at her and snarls, his anger for her still strong. He walks towards her, ready to yell at her; to release all his anger at her. But Fiona will not allow herself to be hurt again. Her small fist balls up and she throws her arm back, and then punches him hard in the face. He stumbles and falls against the wall. His hand comes up to touch his jaw, where she had hit him. Luckily, the punch had made him snap out of his rage and now he just stares at the girl in front of him. She's not crying or trembling. She's standing straight and rigid, staring right back at him.

"I was hurt once. I won't be hurt again. Now do you want to tell me exactly what the hell is going on!?" she asks him.

Jefferson can't tell her what's going on because she doesn't remember anything from their old life. If he were to tell her something like this "Oh yeah I have a daughter but she was taken away from me by the bitch Evil queen who's now our mayor and you can actually turn into a bear too."He'd end up with another punch in the face. And despite her size, she has a pretty strong punch. So Jefferson does what he does best; lie.

"I'm sorry but I have these fits that make me go crazy for a bit. I didn't want to tell you before now. I'm just going to go-"

"Nope, you're not. Your hand is bleeding really badly and we need to get it bandaged." She says. She reaches forwards and grabs his sleeve and leads him to the bathroom. She first cleans the cut, then wraps a bandage around it before pinning it tightly. He nods a thanks before disappearing into his hat room, in hopes he could finally make something to take him home. He just wants to go home. Why can't he just go home...

"Jefferson?" a quiet voice asks from the doorway.

"What?" he snaps, not bothering to look at her.

"I'm going to go get coffee at Granny's. Would you like something?" she asks him, her voice still quiet and soft.

"You're just going to leave me, aren't you?" he says harshly. He's sure she's just going to run home and stay there, far away from him.

Fiona sighs deeply before answering. "No, Jefferson. I will never leave you." she says. Their tones are so different; his harsh and hers soft.

He finally glances over his shoulder and sees her. Her wild hair hangs it tangled waves down her back and her enormous grey shirt reaches her thighs. The bruises have disappeared and her skin is back to it's normal color. She's finally starting to look like she once did. He looks back at the hat in his hands before speaking to her once again.

"I'm not okay, Fiona." he whispers. For once he's finally telling her the truth. He's not okay at all. Tears begin to sting his eyes but he angrily blinks them away before they can make their way down his face. Fiona has walked up to him and she places one of her hands on his shoulder.

"That's something you and me have in common. And that's why I promise I won't leave at least not until you want me to." she replies.

"Please Not yet. Not yet," he says repeats. He has one hand on his forehead and his body is hunched. Truthfully, he has gotten used to the company she brings. The little things like sharing meals, talking about his favorite book or simply sitting in her company while she gardens. He's become to not only grow used to it; but come to enjoy it.

He swings off his stool so quickly that Fiona stumbles. And in another second he has his arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulls her into him. She's so small that her face is nestled into his chest, but neither of them care. Her arms wrap around his chest and he rests his chin on the top of her head and tightens his grip on her.

Maybe they're a lot more reliant on each other than they thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Jefferson sews the last seam of his newest hat. It's made of black felt and a large red ribbon. He takes a deep breath before laying it down on the glass table.

"Please work," he says softly before lifting the hat up and throwing it across the room, praying that a portal will open. The hat spins several times but then it just crashes to the ground.

Jefferson groans and leans back in his chair. He grabs his scissors and hurls them across the room and the managed to get them lodged into the mirror, which shatters and falls to the floor. Usually he'd destroy everything in sight but today he's trying to stay calm. It's not good for his house and he and Fiona have to spend hours cleaning which is not the most enjoyable activity.

He stands up and stretches, wincing as he hears cracks. He's been sitting in that chair, working on his hat, for hours and his muscles are so sore that he practically limps up to his room. It's pitch black outside and Jefferson guesses it's well past midnight. He walks up the stairs and tries to be as quiet as possible so he doesn't wake Fiona, who he assumes is in her room. He hobbles to his room and pulls off his clothes and changes into a pair of baggy sweatpants and a soft grey shirt, then he makes his way to the attached bathroom and brushes his teeth. As he does he looks at his reflection in the mirror but the man staring back at him is a total stranger. Dark shadows under his eyes, pale waxy skin and stubble on his chin. He groans and leans his head against the mirror.

Fucking hell he hates this world.

He returns to his room and is about to climb into bed when he hears a weird noise. It's not a scream but it's definitely not a happy noise. It must be coming from Fiona's room. She hasn't had any bad nightmares lately, but sometimes she has an occasional bad dream. He hears another whimper from her room and Jefferson sighs and then makes his way over to her room. He taps on the door and waits for a response. Nothing comes but another whimper. He opens the door and peers in, finding Fiona curled up on the bed. He walks in and finds a surprise; a piece of wood is in her hands. Just like the one she used back in the Enchanted Forest to turn into a bear. He leans forward and examines the wood, but then Fiona's eyes fly open. She screams and scrambles to the other side of the bed, but ends up falling off the bed. Jefferson squints and tries not to burst out laughing at her clumsiness.

"You okay?" he asks, still trying not to laugh. Fiona sits up and glares at him from over the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine thanks. Why are you here?" she asks him. Jefferson sits on the bed and grabs the piece of wood and examines it. It's soft, smoothed from years of use and covered in teeth marks. It definitely belonged to Preziosa.

"I heard you have a bad dream. Where did you find this?" he asks her and gestures to the wood. Fiona sits on the bed and wraps her arms around her legs, looking at him with tired eyes.

"I just found it today in the yard. I just liked it..." she says shamefully.

"No need to be embarrassed. You're talking to a man who makes a lot of hats," Jefferson laughs and looks at her, and is pleasantly surprised to find her smiling too. She has a nice smile.

"Why do you make so many hats anyway?" Fiona asks him. Jefferson bites his lip and tries to think of a quick response.

"Ah... It's just a habit." He says quickly. Fiona shrugs and doesn't push the answer.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" he asks her.

Fiona doesn't want to answer him. Her bad dream, for once, wasn't about the man who raped her. It was about Jefferson. She dreamt he was lost in the woods and he was crying... It was just a sad dream. But she sure as hell doesn't want to tell him that her dream was about him so she just makes up a lie.

"I dreamt about a drowned puppy." she says bluntly.

Jefferson raises his eyebrows and nods slowly. "That's... Um, sad." he tells her. She nods and takes the wood back from his hands. She rolls it over, relishing the smoothness of the wood. it relaxes her.

"I'm going to go to bed now, okay? But if you have another nightmare feel free to wake me up if you want to talk." he says. Fiona nods and smiles. He makes his way back to his room and crawls into his soft silk sheets. He glances at the blaring red numbers on the clock; it reads 2:42am. He'll need to be up by 7:40 to catch Grace before she gets on the bus. He closes his eyes and nestles deeper into the pillow and in moments he's asleep. However, it seems like a mere moment later when he's awoken from his sleep by a horrible nightmare. He dreamt that Grace was killed by Regina and that she made him watch his own daughters slaughter. He rolls out of bed and lands on the floor on his hands and knees. He's shaking and trembling, large tears rolling down his face. He can't get the horrible images out of his head and he begins sobbing uncontrollably and hysterically. He's still on his hands and knees when he feels her arms around him and hears her voice in his ear.

"It's okay. Calm down, it was just a nightmare." Fiona whispers as she hugs him tightly. He slumps against her chest, still trembling. Usually it's the other way around; him comforting her.

They don't move for nearly half an hour until Jefferson stops shaking. Fiona begins to stand up, but his hand grabs her and he stares at her with large, pleading eyes. "Don't leave... I need you." he chokes out. Fiona smiles and simply gestures for the bed. He climbs in and practically drops on the mattress. Fiona climbs in behind him and covers them both with a blanket. She has one arm draped over his shoulder and he's gripping her hand so tightly it hurts. But she doesn't tell him that, instead she moves closer until her body is pressed against his.

"I need you too." she whispers.

"I know," he responds and his grip on her hand tightens even more.


	7. Chapter 7

Jefferson grew to rely on Fiona more and more. When he would have his panic attacks, she would be right there to hold him. Mostly it was hugs, sometimes it was kisses. Only small ones, mere pecks, but they helped too. It made him feel loved again. And, when needed, he returned the actions.

It was all alright... Until the curse was broken.

Fiona was standing in the kitchen when it hit her. She was holding a cup of tea, but then her memories came flooding back and the mug slipped out of her hands and it exploded on the floor. Her mouth is open and she's staring at the counter. Jefferson was reading in the living room when he heard the crash and he jumped off the couch and went running over to her. She's trembling.

"Ugh... Fiona?" he asks carefully.

Her head snaps up and she stares at him with wild eyes. "You're the Mad Hatter. You're... I'm Preziosa! I remember everything!" she confesses. Her eyes are still wide and wild, and her hands are in her hair. She looks amazed. But then she looks at him and her face crumbles.

"That man who hurt me... He was my..." she can't bring herself to say it. She can't bring herself to say it was her father who had hurt her.

Jefferson frowns and nods. "Yes it was," he admits.

"You knew!?" Fiona says loudly.

Jefferson looks at her and nods again. Fiona gasps and grabs her hair once again. "You knew this entire time and didn't tell me!?" she screams at him.

"Did you really think you would have believed me? Oh, Fiona, you're actually a princess who turns into a bear and your father was crazy and wanted to marry you but in this world he just raped you and by the way my own story is in the fucking bookshelf." he says angrily and points to the bookshelf, where Alice in Wonderland is held.

"You knew everything this entire time, didn't you? You knew exactly who I was, who we all were!" she yells at him. She's angry now, angry he didn't tell her, angry that she is here and not home. She's just angry.

"Yes I did, but once again if I had tried to tell you, you wouldn't have believed me!" he yells back. He won't deal with any of this bullshit from her. It's not his fault!

"We need to go to town, I need to find Snow and the Prince." Fiona says and begins to make her way to the door. '

"I need to find Grace," Jefferson says. He always thought she would hate him for leaving, but he can't bear being away from his child anymore. Even if she doesn't hate her, he still needs to just see her and explain himself.

Fiona's standing at the door, her hand hovering over the knob. She looks back at Jefferson with a sad expression. "Is this it? You're going to find Grace and I will find my old friends... But-"

"For now, this is it. We need to figure out our old lives, Fiona. Everything is different now." he tells her. Fiona opens the door, but doesn't leave. Instead she runs to him and presses a kiss to his lips. This one isn't soft or gentle; it's fierce and passionate. Jefferson grabs the side of her face and pulls her closer. When they eventually pull away, Fiona hugs him.

"It doesn't have to be different." she whispers but then she runs out the door.

Jefferson reaches up and touches his lips. That was a kiss he hasn't experienced since Grace's mother. He begins walking outside to find his daughter. If she forgives him, he can bring her home again. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a She-bear with them too.


	8. Chapter 8

_**So this is it! Thanks so much to those of you who have literally commented on every single one of my chapters, you guys have motivated me to continue this and I just hope that this ending is satisfactory and you guys enjoy xo**_

Jefferson watches Grace run off her bus, her glossy blond hair bouncing off her shoulders. She's giggling because of something her friend has said. He's half hidden behind a telephone pole because he's so nervous. He's about to step out and call her name, but she suddenly looks backwards and their eyes meet. Grace freezes and stares at him with her mouth hanging open. Her brown eyes are so wide she reminds him of a deer.

"Grace...?" he says softly as he steps out from behind the pole.

"Daddy?!" she exclaims. Then her mouth breaks into a grin and she begins running towards him. In another moment she's in his arms and everything he's wanted is back in his life. Her arms are wrapped around his neck and her face is nestled into the crook of her neck. She smells nice, like strawberries. Like home.

"I missed you. I thought you would never come back for me," she says. He can feel wetness on his neck and he realizes she's crying. He immediately pulls back and he holds her by the shoulders and stares at his little girl who as tears in her eyes. He quickly wipes away the tears on her cheeks.

"Don't cry, baby. I love you and I will always come back to you. Always." he tells her firmly. Grace smiles so largely that it looks like the smile will simply fly off her face.

Jefferson's life is finally complete again.

* * *

He has her hand gripped tightly in his as they make their way back to his house. The people who had Grace understood why he took her back, because she was his after all. Grace even was able to bring her puppy, the little fluff ball named Rufus, home too. Grace was telling him all about her school and her friends and Jefferson was gladly listening silently. However, Rufus soon begin growling and the two humans come to a stop.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Grace asks as she kneels and rubs his forehead. Jefferson glances around and quickly finds the source of the dogs anger; a black bear standing on the forest line. His paternal instincts quick in and he quickly grabs Grace and pushes her behind him. The bears eyes widen and then he notices that there is a piece of wood in its mouth and he releases a relieved sigh.

The bear drops the piece of wood and Jefferson sees it morph back into Fiona, who's left on the ground on her hands and knees.

"Mother Superior gave me my magic back, but I forgot how sickening it is to turn for the first time." Fiona groans and eventually looks up, forcing a smile when she sees Grace who's poking her head around Jefferson's torso. Grace in turns smiles at her too.

"Grace, this is my friend Fiona. She does this weird thing where she turns into a bear," Jefferson jokes as he gestures to the girl who was finally able to pull herself up off the ground. Fiona smiles at the little girl and extends her hand and Grace quickly shakes it.

"I should leave you two to get settled. I'll see you later," Fiona says. She glances at Jefferson one last time before beginning to walk back to her own small cottage. It seems like years since she's been in there.

* * *

Grace and Jefferson quickly settled back into their place as family members. Jefferson would get up and make breakfast, Grace would make her bed and eat then go to school. She would come home and do her homework, then she and Jefferson would go on one of their adventures. They stayed away from the problems of the town and kept mostly to themselves. Fiona started working in the gardens again and soon she and Grace became fast friends. And soon Jefferson found himself to be craving for the three of them to be together... Like an actual family. His idea is solidified when Grace says she wants Fiona to stay with them too.

So one day he decides to do something about it.

When Grace leaves for school, he makes his way to the garden. Fiona is sitting besides the daisies, trying her best to pull out a stubborn weed that is choking out the beautiful white flower. She finally manages to rip out the huge weed, which is almost as thick as a carrot. Her actions cause a flurry of dirt to fly up and Jefferson has to duck to avoid it. Fiona looks up and giggles.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." she says as she tosses the weed into a pile of dead leaves. Jefferson sits beside her and observes her muddy clothes and skin; as she always is. She's smiling at him now.

"I want you to move back in with us," Jefferson tells her quietly.

"And why is that?" she says as she brushes a piece of hair back behind her ear. Jefferson catches her hand and holds it tightly.

"Because I need you. Because you helped me when no one else did and you never gave up on me even though you had bountiful opportunities to do it," He says. She's not looking at him but instead is focusing on the flowers. "And I know that you love me." he says softly. And he knows it's true. He's seen her little looks, the way she would kiss him for a little too long sometimes, the way she would hug him like he was her lifeline.

Fiona's hand is slack in his. She still stares at her flowers when speaks. "I do love you. But you don't want me around Grace... I'm broken, Jefferson. I'm tainted and a mess..." she says and quickly snatches her hand out of his and wraps her arms around her legs.

"Look at me, Fiona," he says quietly. When she doesn't turn to face him, he slips his hand under her chin and turns it for her. Her eyes are dark and wild, as always. "You've been hurt but you're not broken. And I love you." he finally admits. She stares at him but eventually smiles and throws her arms around his neck.

They were both completely broken and sad before they eventually decided to let each other in. They saved each other. Fiona saved Jefferson from going completely insane and he saved her from her sadness. And now, for once, they can have the family that Jefferson has always wanted and the one that Fiona deserved. When they told Grace that they were together, she nearly exploded with happiness at the idea of finally having a mother. She, of course, adored her father more than life itself but a girl always wants a mother in their life. And within the next few years, Grace also got a little sister named Violet, after her favorite flower.

One day Jefferson sits on the couch with Fiona beside him. He's reading while she drinks her tea, like they did so long ago. Grace is on the floor with baby Violet beside her. The baby has Jefferson's bright blue eyes and black hair, but Fiona's dainty features. Jefferson glances at the woman beside him, who's grinning at her daughters.

"I'm glad you stayed with me," he says quietly. She turns to him and then leans forwards and kisses his cheek.

"I am too." she whispers. Grace has Violet settled in the playpen and has now jumped on to her father, curling up and hugging him tightly. He hugs her back and breathes in her familiar, strawberry scent. He wonders how a mere few years ago his life was so horrible but now everything is okay in the world.

* * *

Not all fairy tales are good, and the stories of the Mad Hatter and Preziosa the She-Bear are proof of that. The Mad Hatter was supposed to be trapped in Wonderland making hats for eternity and Preziosa was supposed to always be in a constant battle with her father and spend her life running and hiding. However, they managed to beat their dark fates and chose to make their own happy ending.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Guess I'm not done after all! Hey again guys! So I guess this has turned into a bit of an AU. Hope you all like it! **_

"Papa! Mama! Wake up!" Grace screams at her two sleeping parents as she jumps on the large bed. Violet is in her arms, the baby giggling hysterically as her sister jumps. Fiona groans and pulls her pillow over her head.

"Your kids. You get up." she mumbles at Jefferson, who is now awake and moaning too.

"It's not even seven-thirty on a Saturday, Grace..." he moans and pulls the blanket up over his face.

"You promised to take me and Vi out for breakfast at Granny's," Grace says as she drops to her knees. Jefferson pulls the blanket down over one of his eyes, and the sight that greets him is his daughters pouting face, which of course he can never say no to. His lips crack into a smile and he caves.

"Alright, give me ten minutes and then we'll go." he says. Grace squeals and jumps off the bed with Violet still in her arms and then runs out of the room. Jefferson reaches over and pushes the pillow off Fiona, who opens one eye and smirks at him.

"You can never say no," she tells him.

"I like to keep my promises." he responds and leans down and kisses her head before rolling off the bed and making his way to the washroom.

* * *

Sure to his word, he was downstairs, somewhat presentable, and ready to take his kids to Granny's for breakfast. Granny's does make the best waffles, if you didn't know. Grace has braided Violet's dark hair to match her own, making them look even more like sisters. Jefferson can't help but smile at the sight of his two lovely girls. He scoops Violet up in his right arm, grabs Grace with his left and the begin out the door. He glances back just in time to see Fiona leaning against a doorway, smiling at them. Her hair is in a tousled mess and she's wearing one of Jefferson's old shirts which is clearly enormous on her, but Jefferson can't help but smile at her too. His little lover, always messy and unkempt but still perfect to him.

He and his kids begin walking down the familiar pathway to town. None of them have really been keeping up with what has gone on in town, mainly because they have Violet and they're still so thrilled to be a family again. However, Jefferson is starting to think that they should try to leave this place. Neither he nor Fiona ever want to go back to the enchanted forest, not after all the pain and hurt that happened there. Grace never appeared to want to go either. But he never feels entirely safe in Storybrooke either. There's always the chance of Regina casting another curse, which looms over them like a dark cloud.

Jefferson is so lost in his thoughts he doesn't realize that Grace has tugged him to a stop and is now looking at him with a quizzical expression.

"Papa, we're here now." she says and points to Granny's. Jefferson nods and mumbles an apology and walks in with her. They sit and order and Grace chatters away as usual, but Jefferson still finds himself thinking about leaving this small town. Eventually, once Grace has finished her story about one of her classmates breaking a window, Jefferson finally asks her.

"Darling, would you be okay with us moving? Somewhere far away from Storybrooke. I know you have a lot of friends here, but Fiona and I are thinking that it might be best for us to move on. What do you say?" he asks her. He gulps and bites his lip, worried at how she might react.

Grace takes a moment to process the idea. She knows they can't go back to the enchanted forest, she's finally come to terms with that. Maybe moving isn't such a bad thing after all.

"We'll still be together right? All four of us?" she asks him. Her father smiles and nods. "Then I guess it will be okay." she agrees.

Jefferson grins and leans across the table to plant a kiss on his daughters forehead. However, if only he knew that soon all the joy he was feeling would come crashing down, because there was someone who was listening to this entire conversation. Someone who has listened to the family for a long, long time. And she's not about to let them slip out of her grasp so easily.

* * *

Once Grace and Violet have had their fill of pancakes, they make their way back home. Jefferson is far happier this time and he and Grace exchange jokes and Violet giggles at the sound of her father and sister. However, once they reach the front door, Jefferson begins to feel uneasy. The door is open, just slightly but still open. Fiona never leaves the door unlocked, let alone open, ever since what happened with the deranged king. Jefferson tightens his grip on Violet and Grace, then pushes the door open. The wooden floor creaks under the weight of him, and then he hears a strangled cry.

"Don't come in!" Fiona screams, but then there's a sound of skin hitting skin and a thud. Jefferson runs into the living room and the sight in front of him makes his heart stop and everything go red.

"Mama!" Grace cries, but Jefferson quickly shoves her behind him.

Fiona is lying on the floor, blood seeping out of her nose and ear. Her wrists are bound by wire and it cuts her skin. Standing over her is a woman, with blond hair and pale, sickly green eyes. She grins at Jefferson and tilts her head, and Jefferson can't help but notice she's strangely familiar.

"Hello, Mad Hatter. Long time no see. Do you remember me? Well, I'm sure you don't. It was a very long time ago that we saw each other isn't it. I'm Princess Ludovine." she says with that grin still plastered on her face. It's only then does he remember her. The evil princess, who wants nothing more than money and who can change herself into a serpent. He's met her once before, when they were doing a trade. He never wanted to meet the power thirsty woman again.

Ludovine stands up, resting one of her feet on Fiona's sagged shoulders. She looks at Jefferson and crosses her arms. "Now, I overheard you talking to your little girl about leaving, but you see I simply can't have that. I need you to make a portal for me so I can return to the enchanted forest. And I need you to do it now, otherwise I will kill your family to motivate you. Starting off with this one," she says and gestures to Fiona who's still unconscious. "And believe me darling, I also have friends who could do a far more brutal job than I ever could. Now, what will it be? Will you make me a portal?" she asks him, staring at him with those disgusting green eyes.

Jefferson looks down at Fiona, whose eyes flutter open. She looks at him with a heartbroken expression on her face and shakes her head, but Ludovine digs her sharp heel even deeper into her skin and Fiona whimpers. Seeing Fiona be hurt and beaten once again, feeling Grace sob into his back and having Violet stare at Ludovine with a look of pure terror on her face, one a child should never have, Jefferson's answer become clear.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey guys :) so obviously this doesn't exactly follow the exact timeline of OUaT, but I hope you guys don't hate it :( Regina, Emma, Snow and Price Charming are all together (probably not for long...) but yeah I hope you enjoy reading :)**_

His fingers bled on the dark purple fabric. His vision is beginning to swim in front of his eyes and his fingers have gone numb, causing his stitches to become clumsy and uneven. He can't remember how long he's been at this, trying desperately to make a hat that will get Ludovine to the Enchanted Forest. But like always, nothing works. The magic is simply gone.

Jefferson's fingers are trembling and it cause the needle to be plunged into his already bloody index finger. He inhales sharply and is forced to stop and yanks the needle out. He's so exhausted and his entire body aches, but he can't stop. He has to protect his family.

* * *

Fiona sits on the floor with Grace and Violet huddled into her side. She has her ear pressed to the wall and she can hear Jeffersons' rapid breaths and moans. He has been in his hat room for nearly three days, working vigorously, but she knows he has barely any strength left. She can hear every gasp and can practically feel his exhaustion. She looks up at Ludovine, who is pacing the floor of the living room. Each day she grows increasingly anxious, and it's beginning to show vividly on her face. She had hoped to have been in the Enchanted Forest by now, but obviously her plans are failing. Jefferson has no way to make a portal for her.

"Let me see him... Please." Fiona asks quietly. Ludovine snaps her head towards her and bars her teeth, like a wild animal.

"Not until he makes me a portal!" she yells in response.

"I told you he can't! At least not yet. He's exhausted. Please, let me see him just for a few minutes. I beg you." Fiona says. Ludovine kneels down and glares at the She-Bear with her pale, yellow-green eyes.

"For five minutes only," Ludovine hisses and grabs Fiona by the shoulder and yanks her up. The children squeal, but Fiona hushes them before she's shoved into the hat room. The sight that greets her is terrifying. Jefferson's skin has turned into a pale, waxy color and the bags under his eyes are purple. There are long, fresh cuts on his cheeks from Ludovine's nails. It happened yesterday, when she had grown so angry that he hadn't made a portal and had used her long nails to her advantage. Fiona runs to him and grabs his hands, forcing him to stop sewing. He looks at her with his tired, bloodshot eyes and tries to argue.

"No, I have to finish-"

"Stop, love. Just stop." She whispers. He can only nod before he slumps off the stool and crashes on to the floor. Fiona has her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and cradles his head against her chest.

"I can't do this," he whispers.

"I know." she responds. She leans down and kisses his lips, but he's too weak to do much besides touch her face with his bleeding hand.

"I think I can get us out of this," she tells him.

"How?" he asks. His eyes are beginning to slide shut and she just holds him close before whispering her answer.

"Because I have magic."

* * *

When Ludovine pounds on the door, screaming that time's up, Fiona leaves Jefferson sleeping on the ground. She opens the door but quickly closes it once she's out, so the evil blonde can't see the exhausted man on the floor.

"I need to talk to you," Fiona whispers. Ludovine glares at her, but eventually nods so Fiona continues. "He won't be able to make you a portal."

A look of pure anger sweeps across Ludovine's face. "Then I'll need to kill you all because if Regina finds out I'm here than I'm dead. She hates me. You better say goodbye to your kids, Fiona-"

"No, wait!" Fiona screams and grabs her arm. "I have a solution. I can get you to the Enchanted Forest. But only on one condition, you let my family go. I can have you at the Enchanted Forest before anyone would have time to come back here and find you. But if you kill us all, than I guarantee you someone will find you and bring you to Regina."

Ludovine is quivering with anger but she knows she'll have to trust the girl. "Fine," she spits. Fiona rushes forwards and embraces her girls. Before Ludovine grabs her, Fiona whispers in Grace's ear.

"Find Snow White and Prince Charming. They'll know what to do. I love you."

Fiona is yanked away from children and Grace cries out and tries to grab her hand. Fiona smiles at her, trying to show that everything is okay. Ludovine has gone into the hat room and has kicked Jefferson to wake him up. He groans and rolls over on his hands and knees.

"You're not needed anymore, darling." Ludovine snarls and grabs him by the collar and pulls him to his feet. She begins shoving him towards the door. He tries to speak but can only turn around and see Fiona standing against the wall. She mouths "I love you" before Ludovine throws him out the door, with Violet and Grace behind him.

He tries to open the door, but Grace grabs his hand and leans forwards to whisper in his ear. "Mommy told me what to do."

* * *

Fiona breathes in and out slowly as the blonde princess begins circling her like a predator. Her hair is tousled and she looks dangerous.

"Now bring me to the Enchanted Forest." she hisses.

Fiona doesn't answer, but simply looks at the ground. Ludovine walks up to her. "Didn't you hear me?" she snaps. Fiona, again, doesn't answer. Ludovine slaps her across the face and Fiona tumbles to the ground.

"Bring me to the forest!" Ludovine screams. Fiona curls up in a ball and still doesn't answer her. Ludovine kicks her so she rolls on her back. Ludovine drops to her knees and sits on Fiona's chest, her hands pinning down the girls shoulders.

"Answer me!" she screams at the She-Bear. Fiona only tightens her lips. Ludovine snarls and brings her nails down over Fiona's right eye. The girl screams at the sudden pain on her face. Ludovine is quivering, but there is one thing she doesn't know about Fiona. Her magic. Fiona manages to arch her back and then snap forwards, so her head comes in contact with the blonde's nose. She hears a crunch and Ludovine cries out and staggers back. Fiona slips out from under her and runs towards a bookshelf, where her wood lies. She hasn't needed it in a while, but she's glad she put it somewhere close. Ludovine is running towards her, but it's too late. The wood is in Fiona's teeth, and soon she has turned into the black bear. The blonde woman's mouth pops open in surprise as she stumbles backwards. The bear growls at her and uses its large front paw to slice the woman's chest. Ludovine screams out and falls to the floor.

However, there's something else Fiona doesn't know... That Ludovine can change into a serpent. And she chooses that moment to do that. Her body quivers and then she shrinks into a long, shiny green snake. She hisses at the bear and the venom seeps from her fangs. The bear tries it's best to avoid the snakes fangs, but it's simply too quick and it manages to latch on to Fiona's right paw and sinks it's teeth deep into the skin. The bear roars, and the wood slips from her mouth which changes her back into human form. The snake is still attached to her right leg and Fiona screams again.

However, there is suddenly a loud bang and the front door swing open. Jefferson runs in, with Snow White, Prince Charming, a blonde woman and the Evil Queen herself behind him. The snake releases Fiona's leg and turns around, fear suddenly obvious in its eyes. The Evil Queen grins at the snake, but doesn't offer any words before conjuring a fire-ball and sending it towards the serpent. The snake is consumed with flames within moments.

Fiona is gasping on the floor, the magic tainted venom from the serpent making it's way quickly through her body. It's like nothing she's ever experienced before. Her vision is beginning to go dark and she can feel her limbs shaking and spasming. Jefferson is beside her, but his words are coming out like a jumbled mess to her.

The Mad Hatter looks up at Regina, a look of pure desperation in his eyes.

"Help her please!" he screams. Prince Charming, Snow and the blonde woman- Emma- is on the other side of Fiona, trying to grab her shaking limbs. The Queen tries to think of something, anything, to help the girl but her thoughts are cut short as she hears a scream from Snow White. Fiona has begun to foam at her mouth... And soon she can't breathe.


	11. Chapter 11

Jefferson grabs Fiona's shaking shoulders and looks desperately at Prince Charming who looks just as lost as he does.

"What do we do?!" The blonde woman screams at Regina who has been simply staring at Fiona's shaking body.

"Why are you asking me?" Regina fires back and stands there with an angry look on her face.

"You know the most about magic! There has to be something you can do!" The blonde replies and looks down at the girl under her hands.

"Regina, please!" Jefferson shouts and stares at her with glistening blue eyes.

"I... I don't know what to do!" Regina finally says and throws up her hands in frustration and begins backing away from the group, like she always does. She's always pulling herself away and trying to hide from people. Snow White eventually stands up and begins running over to Regina.

"It's a poison! You've handled poisons before! You just need to stop it from getting to the heart. I think we both know what you need to do." Snow says in a calm voice, as she searches Regina's face for any sign of emotion. A flicker moves through Regina's eyes and she shoves Snow out of the way. She goes forward and kneels down, then reaches her hand into Fiona's chest. Jefferson hand lurches forwards, but Regina smacks it away.

"You need to trust me." she says. Then she rips out Fiona's heart.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Jefferson shouts at Regina, who holds Fiona's beating heart in her right hand.

"If the poison reached her heart than she would have died anyway! This gives us some more time to at least get her to the hospital. We can try to figure out what to do there," Regina says and stands up, gesturing for the Prince, the blonde and Jefferson to get Fiona. Jefferson, whose body is still weakened from the non-stop work he had to for the past three days, slides his arms under her legs but the Prince reaches over and stops him.

"Let me." he says softly and quickly puts his one hand under her knees and the other on her back and lifts her up with one swift movement. Jefferson pulls himself up, trying to ignore the pain in his joints and the overwhelming exhaustion he's feeling. Regina, instead of rushing to the doors like the others, has hesitated and walks over to Jefferson. As always, she wears a look of superiority and an air of cockiness about her, but when she reaches Jeffersons' side, the look of superiority falls. She starts talking to him in a low tone.

"I... I am sor-"

"Don't say anything, Regina. None of this would've happened had it not been for you!" Jefferson says angrily. Regina's eyebrows shoot up and she stands back, crossing her arms over chest.

"How is this in any way my fault?!" she asks him.

"Well, for one, you cursed all of us and sent us to this place. It was you that Ludovine was trying to run from. It's always you, Regina." Jefferson says and then begins pulling himself to the door.

"I saved the girl's life!" Regina shouts after him.

Jefferson stops and glances over his shoulder at the beautiful, Evil Queen. "You ripped her heart out. Is that really saving her or will she just become one of the cold monsters that she's afraid of?" he asks before leaving.

Regina is left alone, with Fiona's beating heart still in her hand. It's getting weaker, she can feel that. She wonders how long it will take for it to stop beating.

* * *

Jefferson sits in the waiting room in the hospital, with Grace under his arm. Snow White has Violet in her arms, she even managed to get the baby to fall asleep. Grace has her ears covered because the screaming and fighting of Regina, Dr. Whale and the blonde woman, Emma, can easily be heard through the thin walls. None of them can agree on a solution for the poison traveling through Fiona's system. Prince Charming has been watching Grace and Jefferson and eventually goes into the room and hushes the three fighting adults.

It's almost two hours later when they finally emerge from the room. Emma looks drained, so does Prince Charming. They have almost identical expressions on their faces; clearly father and daughter. Dr. Whale sighs and removes his gloves and looks at Jefferson.

"You can go in... I think we've managed to stabilize the poison. Hopefully it will stay that way." Whale tells him.

"How did you do it?" Jefferson asks.

"Magic," Whale says and rolls his eyes. Everyone is very aware that Whale has started to hate magic with a fiery passion.

Grace has jumped off the chair and has run to the room where Fiona is. Jefferson jumps up to catch up with her, but as he reaches the room he sees a nurse. For a moment he doesn't realize who he's looking at, but then it hits him like a brick wall. He comes to an abrupt stop and stares at her. The nurse flicks her blonde hair off her shoulder and then finally catches his gaze. Her mouth drops open and her eyes widen.

"Jefferson!?" she says.

"Alice." he responds.

Alice... Grace's mother.

_**Hey guys :) so just a little disclaimer! This Alice is not the Alice from the show "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland." My version of Alice will be older, probably in her late twenties. I'll explain everything in the later chapters ;) hope you liked the chapter!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**HI guys :) so the parts in italics signify them being in the past. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think. Also, on a random note, I kind of imagine Alice looking like Perrie Edwards from Little Mix. Don't really know why, just did. She sees Alice-y to me. Okay, enjoy! **_

Jefferson could do nothing but stare at Alice. Everything was starting to come back to him, the time the first met, the tea parties... Everything. Alice had arrived in Wonderland for the first time when she was a mere child. Jefferson was young as well, a teenager, who had just started using his hat as a portal. He was with the March Hare for a cup of tea when Alice wandered in. She was a cute, curious little girl with bright blue eyes and tangled blonde hair that seemed to wild and messy for such a little thing. She stayed for a cup of tea, but as quickly as she came she left again. After that, Jefferson never thought about her.

He also did not return to Wonderland for some time. Well, at least not for in their time, in their time it was nearly twelve years before he returned. And when he did, he got a shock. Alice had returned as well, a mere few weeks before he did. When he saw Alice, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. She was nineteen now, her blonde hair was grown well past her shoulders and she had grown into a beautiful woman. Jefferson was completely caught off guard... And Alice was pleasantly surprised. She approached him with a flirtatious smile and invited him to the small cottage where she was staying.

Alice had never been with a man before, and she was growing rather desperate for it. After a few drinks, she had kissed him. Then she pulled him to the bedroom.

* * *

"How are you... I've never seen you until-" Jefferson begins to say, but becomes too lost to finish his sentence. Alice has approached him and seems too shocked to say anything. He forgot how terrifying he must look, with the cuts on his face and dark shadows under his eyes.

"Papa?"

Alice jumps and looks at Grace. Her blue eyes scan the child, the child she gave up, and she absent-mindedly reaches for Grace, but Jefferson grabs her wrist and stops her. She looks at him with a confused expression, but Jefferson merely shakes his head.

"She doesn't know you," he says quietly.

"We need to talk, now, Jefferson. She's my-"

"Not now... We're... I... Can't." Jefferson says. He grabs Grace's hand and staggers into the hospital room, too tired to think about what to do with Alice suddenly reappearing in their lives.

"Mama!" Grace cries and runs to the hospital bed. Fiona is curled up in the bed, but awake and grins at Grace. She slides over and allows Grace to get into bed beside her, and the two curl up together. Fiona looks up at Jefferson, but instead of smiling she looks concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asks him.

Jefferson snorts before sitting on the foot of the bed. "Are you really asking me that? After everything we've been through over the past few days?" he says. He glances at the small woman and tries his best to smile, but his exhaustion is really starting to catch up with him and he's beginning to feel dizzy.

Snow chooses that moment to come in, Violet still asleep in her arms. Jefferson holds his arms out for the girl, and Snow hands her over. She looks troubled and glances back to the door.

"That woman you were talking to, she's getting pretty angry. Who is she?" Snow asks quietly, so only he can hear.

He just looks up at her and shakes his head and whispers "Another time," as a response. Snow nods, smiles one last time than makes her way back out. Grace has fallen asleep beside Fiona, and the she-bear grabs Jefferson's hand.

"You need to sleep, go home-"

"Not a chance," he mumbles. He leans forwards, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. It was the closest part of her body to him, despite the fact it's an odd part to kiss. He then pulls himself of the bed and staggers over to the vinyl, swamp green chair in the corner of the room and drops in it. He can't think of what to do with Alice now. Fiona's alive and his children are safe, that's the most important thing now. He'll figure everything else out tomorrow. He closes his eyes and asleep within a moment.

* * *

_Alice looks at her newborn baby, a crippling fear starting to creep through her. She can't possibly support this child... She was planning to go back to her world in a few months, she can't bring a baby back with her. She's still only a child herself! She knows she has only one choice; to give the baby to Jefferson. She orignally said he couldn't be anywhere near the baby, because Alice had blamed him for getting her pregnant in the first place. But she has no other choice... She has to give the little girl to her father._

_She knows Jefferson is still in Wonderland because his business transaction with a certain White Rabbit wasn't over yet. That night, she pulls a cloak on and puts the baby in a basket. She walks quickly through the path and is happy to see that the talking flowers are asleep. She eventually reaches the cottage where Jefferson is staying. She lays her daughter on the doorstep, but before leaving she takes one last look at the sleeping child. She's so beautiful in the moonlight... is this really the best thing to do? She runs her finger over the baby's chin. Will she look like me or him? Will she be kind-hearted and good or mean?_

_A million thoughts race through Alice's mind, but then the baby stirs under her touch. Alice makes a spur of the moment decision; to leave her here. She presses a kiss on her daughter's forehead, knocks once on the door then runs into the trees. She doesn't look back. She can't. What's done is done._


	13. Chapter 13

_**This is it :) thanks for sticking with this guys! Hope you enjoy xo**_

Grace is the first one to wake up the next morning. She sees her papa asleep in the chair and she smiles because she could see how exhausted he was, and she knew how desperately he needed rest. Beside her, Fiona is asleep with Violet by her head. Violet's little hand is sprawled out on her mothers face, and her other hand was before on Grace's face because the three of them slept in the hospital bed last night.

Grace slips out of the bed silently, careful not to wake any of her family members. She sneaks out of the room in hopes to find something to eat. It is still early, only around 6am. There's not many people in the waiting room, only a few tired nurses and a janitor. Grace begins looking for signs to lead her to the cafeteria, but soon she finds herself to be a little lost.

"Do you know we're you're going?"

Grace jumps and turns around to see a blonde woman behind her. The woman is wearing nurse's clothes, and she is smiling at Grace.

"Um, no, I was just looking for the cafeteria." Grace answers quietly. Papa always warned her about talking to strangers, so she's a littler nervous around this woman.

"Well it's on the other side of the building, silly." The woman laughs and Grace feels her cheeks fill with red. The woman only laughs more and gestures to the hallway.

"Here, I'll show you where the cafeteria is." The woman says, but Grace shakes her head and looks down at the floor because she just realized something.

"I don't have any money with me." She says.

"Oh, that's fine! It'll be my treat!" The woman says. Grace looks up at her, knowing she should say no but she's very hungry, so she simply smiles and nods. The blonde woman holds out her hand and Grace takes it, and the two begin down the hallway to the cafeteria.

* * *

Fiona is the next to wake. She sits up and stretches her arm, but it's only then she realizes she's sore... Very sore. Her limbs feel heavy and her head is foggy. She'll take this though, compared to the awful pain she went through when she was initially bitten by Ludovine. Violet stirs in her arms and Fiona smiles at the beautiful little girl but then her happiness turns to horror when she realizes something horrible; her other beautiful little girl is gone. Grace was sleeping beside her last night and now she isn't in the bed.

Fiona gets up, but immediately becomes dizzy. Her body is still not fully recovered, but she can manage. She's still in a hospital gown, but her clothes from yesterday were folded under the bed. She changes into the frayed white tank top and torn black leggings, evidence from her fight with Ludovine which makes her shudder. She glances at Jefferson, who's finally asleep and knows far better than to wake him, so she scoops Violet up into her arms and staggers out of the hospital room to find Grace.

* * *

Grace sits beside the woman, Alice her name is, and munches on the potato chips Alice bought for her. Alice is smiling at her, but so much so Grace is starting to become uncomfortable. She finishes the last of the chips and quickly stands up.

"Thank you, but I need to go back now-"

"No, stay please!" Alice says and grabs Grace's wrist. Grace tries to squirm out of her grip, but it's tight and strong. She's about to call out for papa, but then another voice calls out.

"Grace!"

Both she and Alice jump and look up to find Fiona standing in the doorway, looking as angry as the Evil Queen usually looks. Alice let go of Grace, who in turn runs to Fiona. The She-Bear wraps her arm around the girls shoulders and holds her tightly.

"Who are you?" Fiona asks.

Alice rolls her eyes and stands up suddenly, knocking the chair down with a loud clatter. "Jefferson hasn't told you yet?! Well, that's a shocker! But then again he is one for keeping secrets." She screeches at them. Her voice is so loud that it wakes Violet up, and the baby begins to cry. Fiona tries her best to hush the girl, but Grace gas grabbed her free hand and begins pulling her out the door in a desperate attempt to get away from Alice.

"Please, mama, let's go! I don't like her."Grace says with a desperate look on her face.

"I know, sweetheart. We'll go," Fiona answers and they quickly begin running down the steely grey hallway.

* * *

The loud sound of the door slamming makes Jefferson eye's shoot open. He jumps in his chair, nearly sliding off. Fiona has her back to the door and Grace has Violet in her arms and is huddling by the bed. Fiona looks at Jefferson and despite her haggard appearance, he can clearly see the anger in her eyes.

"What haven't you told me!?" she shouts.

"What are you talking about!?" he responds as he gets off the chair.

"That woman, Jefferson! The blonde one who was with Grace! Who is she?!" Fiona says angrily.

"She was with Grace?!" Jefferson has reached her now and they're standing chest to chest. Well, chest to head because Fiona is too short to reach him.

"Yes now tell me who it is!" She shouts. Short or not, she still makes Jefferson want to hide in the corner with her angry voice.

"It's... Grace's mother." He admits.

"You told me a long time ago that she was gone," Fiona says quietly. She glances at Grace who is staring at her father with wide eyes.

"She's my mother?" she asks, clutching Violet tighter.

"Biologically yes. She left when you were an infant though," Jefferson responds softly. He walks over to Grace and kneels down in front of her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "I'm sorry I never told you." he adds.

Grace smiles and shakes her head. "I have my mama now. She may not be my real mama, but she's still mine." Grace says. Fiona grins, as does Jefferson. However, he knows that he'll have to talk to Alice. He'll have to resolve this situation.

He looks at Fiona and, as always, she seems to know what he's thinking. They tuck Violet and Grace back into the hospital bed and then the two of them go out to the corridor, where they find Alice sitting on a vinyl chair. Her head is in her hands, her blond hair loose of its bun and now hang in greasy waves around her face. She hears them coming and glances up. Her blue eyes are red, her skin is washed out by the harsh lighting.

"I want to get to know her." Is all she says.

Jefferson presses his lips together and the anger begins to show on his face. Before he says something harsh, Fiona puts her small hand on his arm. He looks at her and she shakes her head and whispers "Let me."

She turns to Alice and tries her best to smile. "You can see her once a week, but you have to understand that she's ours. She has a life with us and it's a good one. Please don't try and take that away from her." She says. Alice opens her mouth to argue, but a scathing glare from Jefferson silences her. Alice realizes that she sealed her decision when she gave Grace away, so once a week will have to be enough.

"Okay," Alice says and then gets up. Her shift is long over and she wants to go home. "I guess I'll call you later to figure everything out." she adds then walks briskly out of the hospital.

Jefferson sighs and looks down at Fiona who's leaning into his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her shoulders and she presses her face into his chest. "I want to go home now," she mumbles.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea."

* * *

Dr. Whale released Fiona from hospital a few hours later. Regina had to put her heart back in her chest, which was a bit of an awkward situation. Needless to say, none of the family had ever been so happy to be back in the house. Despite the evidence of Ludovine still left, they choose to ignore it and just go to bed. None of them are truly rested from the night before so they're all eager for sleep. Before they go to sleep, Jefferson bathes Violet while Fiona helps Grace with combing the knots out of her blonde hair and making sure her face is washed and her teeth brushed.

Fiona leads Grace to her frilly pink bed and tucks her in. Fiona dims the lamp and smooths Grace's hair before giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, sweetheart." she whispers.

"I love you too mama." Grace says with a wide grin on her face. Fiona kisses her head one last time before leaving and heading to her shared room with Jefferson. He's already lying on the bed as he already tucked the baby in. He's shirt is off and he's changed into black pajama bottoms. Fiona doesn't bother changing into pajamas, instead just rips her shirt and leggings off and climbs on top of him in her underwear. He smirks and begins sliding his hands over her legs, working his way up to her chest. When he eventually reaches her chest, his hand hovers over her heart.

"Did you feel different without it?" he asks quietly.

She puts her hand on his face and kisses him before answering. "A little, but you made me feel like it was still there." she says.

Jefferson intertwines his hand with hers and then pushes her down, so she's under him and he's lying on her. "I love you, Preziosa." he tells her.

"And I love you, Mad Hatter. Forever." she replies. He kisses her fiercely and she closes her eyes and allows him to take her to paradise.

_Despite everything going against them, the Mad Hatter and the She-Bear still managed to save each other. Perhaps fate was always on their side in the end. _

_**Fin**_


End file.
