*~*Collaboration Between Ghost Shadow, YoshiSkittlez, Tanderbolt, Major Ursa, and Guardian Angel Haruki*~*
Lying facedown on a smooth tile floor, Edric slowly raised his head up off the ground, looking around him with keen interest. Perhaps sometime during the trip he had lost consciousness, he wasn't sure. It had been so long...so, so long since he had journeyed through the Looking Glass. Wondering how the others would fare for their first trip, Edric rose to his feet, a wide, Cheshire-like grin appearing on his face as he realized where he was....only to falter as he realized *where* he was.
"Oh...." was all he mustered to say as he scampered about, looking for the others. "Up! Get up, get up!" He whispered harshly, his tone sharp and commanding. "We're not safe here, we have to get out of here, now." He added, looking around frantically for any sign of guards, or worse.
Snow felt dizzy stepping through the portal, and closed her eyes to alleviate the nausea. She opened them when she heard Henry's voice. The sights were bizarre to her, but she couldn't look at them for long because she turned her eyes to her friend. She tried to calm him down, only he knew what to do next. "Henry, Henry, where are we? Where should we go?"
Killian shakily stood up from the floor after hearing Henry whisper harshly. It felt like he was going through another hang-over and he winced. He looked around, knowing full well where he was, but he looked very confused as he did. He looked to Henry and Snow and he whispered "Anywhere but in plain sight, I'm guessing,"
A few moments after stepping out of the portal, Jill wobbled to the nearest corner of whatever room they had all landed in, dropped to her knees and vomited up whatever she had foraged for and eaten the night previously. After some additional heaving, she wiped her mouth on some of her leathers, she looks around and mutters a few things incoherently as if looking for something. Not finding it, apparently, she abruptly opens the door loudly and leaves through.
The new room had only the mirror, and that ridiculous number of candles. Reminded him of the box of candles he bought for that charity, though such things seemed so...beneath him now. This was far from the truth, and keeping this understanding would also keep him 'human', in some sense though he didn't understood how, himself. Knox stepped into it, and was immediately feeling better about his situation, seeing as the smoke thick aura of darkness was already thinning out...but it gave way to his notice of the fact he, himself, had no shadow attached to him. Ah, that's right, shadows couldn't grow they own. Frowning to himself, this only served to depress him even just slightest, just one more thing to set him apart from humans.
Brushing that aside, the shadow man really hadn't paid much attention to the girl giving their position away with her loud door opening, and instead he dropped two bottle of wine out from the dark ceilings. Catching them in each hand, he examined them for any damages, "Shaken, but unbroken." Holding them up so Snow could see, "I've been nice. We can open them both once you get me to Storybrooke." Dropping them into a flickering shadow, Knox crossed his arms and gestured with his chin, "'Edric', I though you were going to lead the way?" There was a distinct feeling of...well...'fools rush in where angels fear to tread'...staring at the door Jill just fled through.
Edric's expression twitched slightly as he saw Jill's most....disgusting entrance. First-comers couldn't be expected to take their first trip unheeded.
"Stay quiet!" He hissed to his companions, wincing sharply as Jill quite loudly left the room. "We....are in the Queen of Heart's castle. The most dangerous place in Wonderland." He added, explaining where his fears had come from.
Boredly, silently, Knox pulled out his spare leather gloves. Putting them on, he held his hands behind a larger candle and flame, making shadow puppets in the candlelight. First a duck, then a deer...a dog with a fluffy tail and sharp teeth, then a serpentine dragon moving fluidly, and lastly a feathery pheonix flying against some wind. Some of the flames of the smaller candles flickered at his movement, but the shadow man paid no mind as he waited.
Killian heard Edric and he raised his eyebrows in concern. He hissed in clear worry, trying to keep quiet, "Then what are we standing here for?! Let's go!" He looked to Edric expecting him to lead the way.
Snow also looked at Edric, giving him a look that seemed to say "You're supposed to know what to do, now do it" She was careful not to make any more noise, and also made note of all the entrances and exits of the room.
"Alright...come with me, stay quiet, don't look at or touch anything....Don't breathe too loud." Leaving them with these sparse, if strange directions, Edric slowly crept towards the now-open door Jill had previously burst through, making a 'come on' motion with his hand to the rest of the group as he left the mirror room, entering a long, immaculate hallway. Like the rest of the castle, it seemed sparsely decorated, the only decorations to be found being the occasional end table, suit of decorative armor, or candleabra. Blood-red curtains bordered each window, matching the black-and-red tile floor, patterned into hearts every few steps.
Edric's lip twitched as not-so-fond memories of this castle entered his mind, but a look out the window seemed to calm him. Were one to look out and see the surrounding wilderness, they'd say it was a fever dream mixed with a bad LSD trip. Everything seemed bright...too bright, as though colors were amplified times two. The skies were a teal blue, void of everything but a few clouds shaped into odd forms, some even appearing to be interacting with each other. Giant toy jacks floated about, encased in bubbles. Stranger still was the way all the wildlife seemed to be bigger than it should have been. Flowers stood at least twice as tall as Knox, and appeared to be moving on their own accord, though it was impossible to hear what any of them were saying. Tall blades of grass stood like dense forests, leading into God knows where, as any and all directional signs were muddled and mixed together so that one couldn't tell if they were going left, right up, or down.
The hallway in the castle seemed to stretch on some time until coming to a four-way intersection, seemingly endless hallways spanning on all sides. Though there appeared to be no guards patrolling the halls, one could swear the portraits that appeared randomly on the wall would change their expression, or turn to look at these strangers in the castle.
"Get it to work. Get it to work. Get it. Work. To. Work to get... GET IT TO WORK!"
The otherwise soundless corridors echoed the soft mumblings of a male, pinpointed not too much further down the hall if you listened close enough. Although his words were almost incoherent, there was a clear sound of distress behind them, as though he were going through a great deal to speak.
Killian heard the words echoing down the corridor, and he commented with a smirk on his face "Someone must be having a lot of trouble over there. I feel bad for the unlucky lady,"
"You know, your assumption of this _worst possible scenerio_ first and foremost, above all other possibilities is leading me to believe you experience this regularly yourself?" Knox quietly remarked back, as easily as if he were talking about the weather.
Standing by, leaning against the wall beside a display suit of armour...the shadow man's sensibilities were telling him it would probably be wise to destroy the suit of armour, less misfortune of all that could go wrong possibly driving it to be enchanted by magic and attack them...right. Less paranoid, less paranoid please...gods, the Sun, the stars, and the moon be damned.
"Shh shh shh!" Edric hissed, too tense to laugh at Killian's jape. "I know that voice..." He added on in a tone that sounded as if it was more directed to himself than to anyone else.
"No...it can't be." He commented, slowly following the voice until approaching a single door, strangely unlocked.
"Oi! It's bad form to be intruding on a vulnerable couple!" Killian hissed at Henry, continuing his jape.
Turning the latch, Edric slowly opened the door, in case anything undesirable was on the other side. Until he caught glimpse of the sole resident of the room......"Jefferson."
The room was large, and would have looked much larger if it weren't filled with so much clutter. From floor to ceiling in almost every area were stacks upong stacks of items; which upon further investigation were nothing but hats. Hats! Mountains high of various shapes, sizes, color... all hand made by the lone figure sitting in the center of the room. Needle in hand with one eye squinted closed, the Hatter furiously threaded the top hat in his hand that took on a striking resemblance to the hat on his own head. The purple bags under his eyes were heavy, as if he hadn't slept for days, the stubble on his face and stringy hair from under his hat indicating that he hadn't been properly washed or groomed in some time. He paid the group no mind, however, his opened eye solely on the hat in front of him repeating over and over,
"Get it to work! Get it to work! Work. Work! Get it to work!"
"Well, we at least have good fortune to run into him right here. I think that indicates that we are not in the worst possible circumstances" Snow said, shooting a glance in Knox's direction.
Eyes flicking over to where Snow stood, an eyebrow raised for a fraction of a moment before the shade realised what she was talking about, "Oh, for the love of--please sense the mood a little better, I was merely poking fun at the blacksmith's expense."
She tried to keep her back to the wall to avoid someone catching her from behind.
"Do you want to handle approaching this, Henry? I think you know him better than I do, let me know what you want to do."
Edric remained silent, his expression could only be described as horrified. *This* was what became of Jefferson...all this time.
Not even bothering to look at his companions, Edric slowly walked forward, his leather shoes echoing off the stone walls as he moved closer and closer to the one man he could call a trusted friend.
"Oh no...this is my fault. I should have acted sooner..." Edric muttered to himself as he maneuvered around the mountain of hats that were piled to the ceiling. "Jefferson? Jefferson, it's me...Edric." Taking a moment to look back at the group before focusing on the Mad Hatter once again, Edric inclined his head down to see the man who was so normally filled with swagger and wit reduced to little more than a mumbling wreck, lost in his own mind.
Killian picked up a hat and he asked "All of that commotion was over a bunch of hats?" He then shrugged and commented again, continuing his joke, "Whatever gets him excited, I guess," before just dropping the hat to the ground. He looked to the door in case someone came near the room.
"I can't... it won't..." Threading the hat mercilessly in his hand, Jefferson didn't even so much as flinch as Edric approached. His eyes, now both open and wide in a crazed, glossed over look staring only at the hat he was desperately trying to do... something with.
"Get it to work!" With a frustrated cry, Jefferson threw the hat from his grip and shot both hands to his head, knocking off the top hat on his head to pull at the roots of his dark brown curls and began to rock back and forth in his cross-legged position, head hanging low and eyes shut tightly. "Can't get it to work... it won't work... it won't work..."
Edric's mouth had formed into a thin line as he watched the display in front of him. It was one thing to torture someone, to kill them; but it was another thing entirely to strip them down into little more than a hollow shell of their former selves.
"What has she done to you?" Edric asked quietly, though it was unknown if such an inquery was directed towards Jefferson or towards himself. "Jefferson...look at me. Please." Edric requested in a serious tone, his mouth twitching on occasion though his general expression remained blank as a stone.
His rocking seemed to slow, but before Edric could even blink Jefferson had hopped up onto his knees, hands closing around the front of Edric's shirt pulling it tight. His eyes, wide, confused and lost looked up to Edric, almost pleading for him to do something.
"It can't work. I can't make it work. You can't make it work... can't be here... no... Grace... Grace can't be here. Edric.. Little Rabbit... Lost. Gone. THE QUEEN!" He released his tight hold on Edric's shirt and slumped back down on his knees, his hands now shaky trying to hold onto his head but unable to find it. "Go away. I have to make it work!" Scrambling over onto all fours, Jefferson moved over to a pile of fabric and started to pull some out, frantically searching for the scissors that were right in front of him.
Edric's mind raced as Jefferson rambled on to him: about his daughter, about the Queen, about...Alice; before seeming to lose any semblance of rationality once more.
Edric attempted to place a hand on the Hatter's shoulder, as if trying to keep him seated without applying any true force. "It won't work...none of these have the magic required, it's impossible." He confessed quietly, hoping to not send his old friend on another rave.
"Impossible... impossible... get it to work, that was the task. Not impossible. Need to get out!" Jefferson replied, still on his hands and knees not at all seeming to have noticed Henry's hand on his shoulder. Finally, Jefferson found the scissors and sat back down, cross legged and pulled a square of fabric into his lap and began to cut into it.
Hook looked outside of the room, and he looked back to Edric as he pointed out, "Hey, cat. Maybe we should keep moving. Especially since you were all worked up about getting caught for being here,"
Snow said "I wonder what could've happened to him, is this kind of thing normal in this realm? If it is, then I think we have made a mistake by coming. I hope we can get him well enough eventually, but if the queen is as dangerous as you say, we should get out of here as soon as we can."
"Hush up!" Edric commanded sharply as he turned to look at both Killian and Snow, a venomous edge to his tone as he spoke. "This man....is our key out of here." Standing up and turning to face his companions, Edric expanded, "Jefferson and I have known each other for years...even after I left Wonderland to the Enchanted Forest. He's....my best friend. I don't know what they did to him, but I'm not leaving this place without him." He finished soberly, looking between Killian and Snow for any reaction.
Killian gestured towards Jefferson with an open palm, and he asked Edric skeptically, "Is he even going to listen to you? Let alone, does he even want to leave this place?" In all honesty, to Killian, it didn't look like Jefferson was going to be leaving any time soon.
"Oh, he wants to leave. I know Jefferson...never one to be locked up by anyone. Besides..." kneeling down again to speak to Jefferson directly, Edric continued, "I know where Grace is."
The scissors dropped from Jefferson's calloused hands and into the fabric draped over his lap. He kept his head up, staring out straight in front of him at the piles of hats as if they were bay windows with the most glorious view.
"Grace... my Grace?" Jefferson shut his eyes tightly, a single tear being pushed from his eyelid and fell down into his lap. Opening his eyes after a short pause, Jefferson turned his head to look back at Edric, tears filling his eyes as awareness finally began to slip into his consciousness.
"Edric? You're... really here?"
Smiling softly as Edric saw his friend slowly but surely regained awareness, he simply said, "Hello, old friend."
Closing his eyes for another moment, Jefferson pushed himself up from the ground and stood at his full height. Opening his eyes back up he cleared his throat and brushed off his frock a bit awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other until finally, Jefferson opened up his arms and pulled Edric into a tight hug, face burried into his friend's shoulder, sobbing and holding onto Edric as if he would suddenly disappear.
"Edric!" Jefferson managed to choke out in a strangled gasp and hugged his friend to him tighter still.
Edric let out a heavy, somewhat shaky sigh, accepting his friend's hug as he let out his grief. "I'm so sorry, Jefferson...if I'd have known. I'd have come sooner." He tried to plead, make a case for himself. How else could you excuse leaving your friend to suffer at the hands of the Queen of Hearts for five years.
"R-Regina... she lied to me..." Jefferson began to explain, eventually easing up on his hold on Edric and took a step back to keep a respectable distance between the two of them. "S-she had be bring her here and then... left with someone else... took my hat. She has Grace... The Queen, she... tasked me with making another..." Jefferson lamely gestured to the multitude of hats decorating the large room. "I can't get them to work."
"Come with us, we're getting you out of here." Edric offered sympathetically, quickly looking behind him to make sure the group was still alone. "We're on a little quest you see, have to find Alice....then we're going to a World Without Magic...that's where Grace is." Edric informed with a reassuring smile.
"Alice... Little Rabbit..." Jefferson raised his hand to rub at his eyes, the dark bags underneth them giving way to the fact that he hadn't slept in quite some time. "Grace..." Lowering his hand, Jefferson closed his eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. "Little Rabbit is gone, Edric. All I have left is Grace. But... you know where she is? How is she? Has she asked about me?"
"She's fine...last I checked. Everyone in this Land was affected by Regina's Curse, got false lives and memories...she's safe, and relatively happy. I'm sure she's missing you right now." Edric reassured with a soft smile.
At this Jefferson could only nod once, his thoughts and worries neither confirmed nor denied on Grace and only further confused with Alice. Looking past Edric's shoulder The Hatter caught his first sight of the others, realizing now that he and Edric were not alone. Eyes widening and a grin worthy of Edric's Cat form as his eyes came across Snow. Arms extending out, maintaining his grin he pushed past Edric as if he were no longer there and approached Snow, pulling her into a hug and lifting her small frame off of the ground a few inches.
"Snow! My darling Snow! And in Wonderland of all places!"
"I've been wanting to bring her here for awhile. I figured sibling kidnapping and lives in peril was the best time to do so." Edric commented with a smirk, planting his hands in his trouser pants pockets.
Snow hugged him enthusiatically, but eased up rather soon, she didn't want to wait for too long. She said "This was a time when we had to come, not when we wanted to come. Edric's been a friend for years, and I never let friends down. I'm sorry we can't stay longer, but if what Edric's said about The Queen of Hearts is correct, we'll have to get going very soon. We'll have plenty of time to catch up on the way, and I'm very glad to have someone I can trust with us."
"The Queen?" Jefferson asked, letting Snow back down and stepping back to put a respectible amount of distance between them again. "No one has seen The Queen for a few years now..."
Looking past Snow for a moment, Jefferson then caught a good look at the other companions that had accompanied Edric and Snow to Cora's castle. Drawing his face back in a sort of grimace, the veins in his neck protruding some in his hesitance he took another step back taking in the shadowed appearance of a very tall man near the corner of the room. "Who is he?" Jefferson asked skeptically, taking another step backwards for good measure before looking towards Killian giving him a less surprised look, though still held his confusion.
Standing by with his arms crossed, the security guard cast a longside glance to the others as the man before them addressed them one by one, before taking notice that it was now his own turn. "Knox." Saying this quickly, he realised a name...that name, his name, it just seemed so hopelessly meaningless to 'who' exactly he was. But that wasn't important at the moment.
Rubbing his chin with the back of his hand thoughtfully, "Shouldn’t we get out of here? I mean we, afterall, are in the dead center...the heart of enemy territory." With a saying 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread' being the most applicable prior to their entrance into the mirror portal, what could be said about lingering here?
"Listen, it doesn't matter where we go...we're under threat anywhere here. The Queen's regime has spread throughout the entire realm." Edric explained to Knox in a voice that was less-than-polite.
"We need to get Jefferson out of here, then we need to find Alice. Then we can find a way back to Storybrooke." Edric added on, this time speaking to the entire group.
"But, the....shade, is right. We have to get a move on."
"Edric, Alice is- My hat!" Jefferson exclaimed after scratching his chin for a moment of contemplation. In his excitement, he crossed back over to Edric, holding him by the lapels of his shirt and shook his friend a few times. "Regina had it last, took it and left me for The Queen. If she still has it..." His eyes widened a bit, remembering that Regina was no longer at her castle, but an entirely new world. Releasing Edric from his tight hold, Jefferson took a step back, eyes wide with his mouth parted slightly. "Please tell me she didn't take it with her... otherwise I'm afraid we're stuck here for a bit longer than just tea time..." He took another step back, glancing between Knox, Killian, Edric and Snow again, then made a wide, sweeping gesture with his arms as though he were just now realizing he had missed something important. "How did you get here anyway?"
Killian had been listening to the discussion, while keeping an eye out for any of the guards that may arrest them. When Jefferson asked as to how they got here, and he answered "We came here through a mirror. We can use that to leave this bloody place,"
After another moment of internal diliberation, ignoring the interaction amongst the others, Knox commented, "Shouldn't we have someone stay and secure the mirror...no. More to the point, shouldn't we secure the mirror?"
Killian rolled his eyes at the shade and pointed out, "Stay with the mirror? That's an easy way to get captured. So long as none of us get caught, nothing should happen to that mirror," He then looked at Edric and added "Unless the cat thinks otherwise..."
Raising a brow, but more interested in leaning toward some candlelight to play with shadow puppets, "Hence my 'more to the point' question of securing the mirror. And captured? For you, perhaps...perhaps not? If Edric is right and we're not safe anywhere, it's not a question of where we can be safe, but how quick we can get out when the time's right."
An immaculate shadow of a dove taking flight, done just with his two hands, Knox finally turned from the candle and back to the group again. Crossing his arms again, breathing out a short sigh, the darkness of his had thinned out greatly already...but it was evident he was looking in Edric's direction, "Less talking is the solution. Come on and lead the way. We've been waiting minutes...a same number of minutes it takes to successfully torture a prisoner of war, burn an innocent woman, murder young and old alike...we're wasting time. I can grab the mirror on our way out."
Snow frowned at Knox's words. "I see you're your usual cheery self, Knox. Even with a magical curse, I don't see how anyone could've thought that we were married, but now's not the time for that. I think we should get some advice from Jefferson before deciding on a course of action, he knows this place better than we do. I would like to get back to Storybrooke, I can't leave my husband and my people alone for too long. Hopefully they'll do something productive in my absence, like maybe getting rid of Regina."
"I doubt that's going to be possible, given that magic's now returned to Storybrooke...she'll have just as much power, if not more, than she did before. Unless Rumpelstiltskin gets bored and deals with her for us." Edric replied dryly.
"But yes, Jefferson, we need your help getting out of here...once we're in the Wonderland Wilds, we can work on finding Alice." He added.
Shaking his head no with enough vigor that made his mop of brown hair toss about, Jefferson threw up his hands in the air in defeat. "And I was the one locked up for five years." He said out loud to no one in particular, letting his eyes look up to the vaulted ceiling above them before turning his attention back to Edric. "If we can find my hat, then I will help you back to Storybrooke; if that is where my Grace is, then I wish to do so as quickly as possible, but Edric, Alice. Is. Dead!"
At this, Edric looked at Jefferson with an initially blank expression...then, his expression split into a wide grin, "Oh, that's what we both thought, you and I, but no...she's still alive, I've seen her...that's why we're all here in the first place! We're going to find her!" Edric boisterously replied, his grin not fading.
Jefferson opened up his mouth, a small sound coming out though was unable to form it into the words he was looking for, his mind completely drawing a blank for a moment. "I- what?" He managed after a few moments. "How? You were there! You saw the whole thing! You-"
"No...no, I didn't see the whole thing." Edric replied, his voice suddenly becoming quite heavy as he let out a sigh. "I ran...played the role of the coward...which was exactly what Rumpelstiltskin wanted. He...plucked her from the chopping block and kept her hidden away, wanted to make sure there was nothing for me to hold onto...turn me into a tool for his own uses." Edric finished, now looking very guilty.
Balling up his fists, Jefferson turned and kicked over a pile of hats, sending them flying in various ways as he let out a frustrated shout.
"Of course he did! That Imp has his hand in everything! And Little Rabbit... she... we thought... for years now I thought..." Glaring over at a second pile of hats he had made over the last five years, he instead attempted to control his breathing, though nostrils still flaring and turned back to Edric. "Where do we find her?"
"I don't know where to look. But, I know how to find out." Edric replied, waiting a moment before speaking again, "I need you to fall asleep." Edric ordered soberly, nodding slowly to accompany his words.
"You know she always had a knack for dreams. That's how we'll find her!" He added with a bit of gusto.
Looking back at his friend, Jefferson blinked... twice. Using his arms while he spoke for emhpasis, he swooped his arms around so that his pointer fingers were pointed at Edric before bringing them back for his thumbs to point back at himself.
"You... want me to fall asleep...?" He asked, though sounding more like a statement than a question, ending his question by putting his palms together and pretending to use his hands as a pillow with his head tilted a bit to the side. Closing his eyes for a moment, looking as though he were praying for patience, he opened his eyes back up to look at Edric. "We are from Wonderland and I think this is the strangest thing you have asked me to do." Looking over at the others, mainly Snow, he nodded his head a couple times. "Alright, we gotta get out of here first though. Even though no one has seen The Queen of Hearts for a while now, her guards are still lurking about. We gotta be quiet, so step where I step; and do what I do."
Jefferson stood stock still for a few moments, as if he had forgotten that he had named himself leader for a moment and they were waiting on his command. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline, a quiet 'oh' coming from his lips as he then suddenly remembered and with a long gait began heading towards the doors in which the small group had come in.
Edric heaved a sigh and followed behind, both him and Jefferson looking like some strange circus duo in their odd mannerisms and dress. "You know I'm serious, we can find her in our dreams...at least theoretically." Edric spoke up, mouth twitching slightly.
Snow followed, doing her best to keep quiet. She did have a question to ask Edric as they went. "So, if worst comes to worst, does it matter how a person gets to sleep? Because if things get dicy, say Jefferson isn't on our side after all, maybe we could give him a good knock on the head. I trust him, but it has been several years, you never know what he might be doing now."
Edric remained unusually quiet, but fixed Snow with a glare that delivered his reaction far better than words could. "There are three people I wholeheartedly trust...he is one of them." Edric finally replied, his tone implying that it was the final word on the matter.
Killian listened quietly to the conversation Edric and Jefferson had about finding Alice. He couldn't help but let out an amused scoff at how the Hatter named himself leader, only to forget and realize it again. After Snow made her comment, Killian commented with sarcasm under his breath, "Wow...No wonder people love you," He then asked Edric "Hey, cat. What do you mean when you say that she had a knack for dreams?"
Knox followed in the rear as they stepped through the threshold and back into the hallway, Jill joining in and being quiet for once, letting the others talk.
Turning towards Killian, Edric's expression lightened slightly as he began another drawn-out explanation, "Ever since she was little, where I could cast illusions, Alice had a penchant for dreams...every single dream I had, she had a tendency of being there...changing things inside it. I can't explain it well, and it's not a form of magic I know well, if it even constitutes as magic. But it's come in handy more times than one." Edric finished, almost proudly as he spoke.
Closing up the distance of a few feet between himself and Edric, Knox stepped beside the temporarily disbanded leader, his looming figure enough to get the Cat's attention.
"So whats your plan? After you find your sister, what then?" He asked a bit cryptically. "We're to stay in Wonderland until we find a way back to Storybrooke? Return to The Enchanted Forest? We've only the one way back; through that mirror, we can't risk our only way out if you don't have an idea as to what is next."
"After we find Alice, we're gonna use that Mirror. Which you and Jill will be guarding here." Edric replied with a small smile (one that lacked much warmth).
Jill, upon hearing this, stuck a few fingers in her mouth (enough to speak semi-coherently) before replying, "Aye Aye, Your Majesty! Long live the Queen!"
With that, she promptly plopped down on the ground, staring blankly into space.
Knox, stopping his strides to stand beside Jill, nodded promptly to Edric before looking at the woman at his feet, issuing out a long, berated sigh.
"Henry is not the Queen, he-" Stopping himself, Knox sighed out again and shook his head knowing there wasn't any way he could get through to the deranged woman. Stooping himself down, he picked Jill up, throwing her over his shoulder and headed back to the mirror room, Jill swinging her legs and arms back and forth and retelling Knox grand old tales of days long past when the grass was not greener on the other side.
“Ayeeee th’ dreaded butt shark! It ate me left testicle after ah fought it wif me walkin’ stick!” She declared vehemently before promptly slapping Knox straight on the rear.
“DEFEND ME MARIA!” She screamed before vomiting on the ground and falling asleep on Knox's shoulder.
"Wonderful story!" Declared Edric from ahead before turning the corner, following Jefferson's path through the castle , sounding clearly quite amused despite the sound of sick hitting the stone floors.
"Well, I sure am glad to be getting going. You guys are ok with this, right? Remember, it's our only way back, if you're not sure you can keep it safe, we can try and figure out something else. I don't want to leave until you guys are sure you're up for it." Snow said. She was glad to have someone guarding it, but was worried that they might not be up to it. At least this way they'd be away from the rest of the party, which helped ease Snow's mind a little bit. She trusted Edric and Jefferson, and Killian to a lesser extent much more than these two.
Knox simply stuck up a hand in the air in a sort of wave with his back to the larger group, assuring Snow that all would be well before taking himself (and Jill) around the corner and back towards the mirror room.
Killian watched as Knox and Jill disappeared before he followed after Henry, Jefferson, and Snow White. He kept a wary eye out for any of the guards or anything else that could cause trouble for them later on as they headed out of the castle.
Finally feeling like he was breathing for the first time, a wide grin spread across Jefferson's features as the small group finally exited the castle by means of a couple different secret passages. They weren't quite in the clear yet, but it was a start, and the first real outside experience Jefferson had come under in over five years. The thought alone nearly made him cry.
"Not too much further." He said quietly to those behind him and began to navigate the small group through the elaborate hedge maze of The Queen of Hearts' garden that would have otherwise had Snow, Killian and Edric lost within for days upon days. Even still, with Jefferson knowing where he was going, it took a considerable amount of time but they finally came to the exit just as the sun started it's descent back down to the earth from high-noon. The moment Jefferson's boot came into contact with the soft grass that was no longer in posession of the Queen of Heart's Castle, Jefferson ran out into the open field, tumbling himself over in a summersault and coming to a stop on his back, moving his legs and arms back and forth like one would do whilst making a snow angel.
"Ah, fresh air, freedom, a severe lack of hatting material..." Jefferson exclaimed up to the sky. "Isn't it wonderful?" He then asked, turning over onto his side to look upon Snow, Edric and Killian, keeping his boyish grin.
Snow said "This the first time you've been out in a while? I imagine it must feel pretty good. Heck, even I'm glad to be somewhere where were aren't running the risk of waking up some rampaging ogres. Do you have an idea of what's nearby?"
Killian nodded as he felt the wind blow through his hair. He looked around the area, and he asked as he did, "Where are we going exactly?" He thought that this Alice would be in the castle's dungeon, not out and about to go as she pleased.
"Well, that's where the fun part comes in." Edric began, turning towards Killian with some flourish in his movements. "We don't know where Alice is, but we will. What we need to do is find a safe haven somewhere, or rather...just away from this castle. Then, good ol' Jefferson here will fall asleep and find Alice. If you don't understand, then that means you're starting to understand this world." He finished with an almost childlike smirk, as though he were genuinely pleased at the blacksmith's confusion.
Smiling somewhat to Snow's comment, though not fully understanding what she meant by Ogres (perhaps that one shadowy fellow?) he turned his attention back to his childhood friend.
"I stopped understanding the day before my conception. So I suppose that's what makes me a choice candidate..." Jefferson remarked, keeping his white smile. "But if it's asleep you need me to be, I have to tell you now that it might take a bit; re-occuring nightmares of carnivorous hats you see... though to speed the process along I could do with a glass of warm milk, a soothing hand massage, someone to run their fingers through my hair. Oh! A lush pillow would be nice, a warm blanket--"
"Oh, we don't need to worry about any of that." Edric interrupted, bending down to pick something up off the ground. "You'll forgive me later, I promise." He said lastly before raising his fist, a large rock held in-between his fingers. With another small smile, Edric slammed the rock into Jefferson's head with much force, though (hopefully) not enough to cause any real damage.
The Mad Hatter had a rather confused look upon his visage, until finally after it seemed like Edric's plan hadn't worked and he had dislodged Jefferson's brain instead, the hatter slumped down onto the soft patch of grass, out like a light and resting soundlessly.[IC] Once Upon a Time... Page 12
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*~*~*Collab between YoshiSkittlez, Ghost Shadow, Tanderbolt, and I*~*~*
Emerging from the Caterpillar's home feeling both relieved and burdened at the same time, Edric's mind was filled with questions. Was he really just acting to hide himself?
Checking the gold pocketwatch he kept in his waistcoat, Edric took one look at the time before grimacing; he had been gone over an hour.
Deciding to not take the scenic route, Edric couldn't help but smirk to himself as he took a single step forward and disappeared in a puff of smoke, suddenly appearing back with the rest of the group as if he had never left in the first place.
Jefferson had started to stir from his sleep not moments ago, closing his already shut eyes even more before sitting up and opening them back up with a somewhat loud groan. Reaching to the back of his head, just as he had done in his dream, he winced considerably feeling the raw sting there, resting over the top of a rather sizeable lump that had begun to form. Keeping his hand there, as though that would help to numb the pain, he shot Edric a rather crass look, though it didn't last long. His scowl faded away as his lips turned up into a broad smile, unable to contain what he was feeling right then. Alice. She was alive!
His attention quickly turned from Edric then as a thought hit him like a ton of bricks. It all could have been a dream, just as he had worried. Pulling his hand back from his head, ignoring the small spot of blood on his fingers, he pulled at the collar of his frock and plunged his hand down his chest, frantically searching until finally-
Jefferson slowly brought his hand back out, within his grasp a small, silver key decorated with a small rose nestled into the handle with black leaves. A small chain attached to the inner workings of a clock fastened to the key spiraled it's way down the shaft, interlocking with itself over the bit. If at all possible, Jefferson's smile grew even wider and moved to stand up, though the throbbing in his head prevented him from doing so, sending him back on his ass, dropping the key back to his chest and held his head.
"Alice! Alice! She's alive Edric! She's here!" Jefferson exclaimed enthusiastically despite being hit over the head with a blunt object by his best friend a little over an hour ago. His enthusiasm, however, was cut short when he remembered how Alice had referred to her brother, and his smile started to fade. "What did you do to her this time?"
Edric smiled broadly as Jefferson awoke, completely ignoring the look he got at first as the Hatter quickly moved onto the truth. His sister was alive.
"Perfect!" He exclaimed, running a hand through his mess of hair as a shiver of excitement ran through his very being. The feeling however, turned to a dead weight in his stomach as Jefferson asked his second question. What he did.
His smile fading slowly, Edric clasped both his hands together slowly, letting out a sigh. "I...ran." He said simply, breathing in deeply before continuing,
"During her execution. I couldn't watch, t'was too painful. So I ran, like a coward." He finished on a serious note, mouth twitching.
"I liked to think she wouldn't remember...or at least.....I don't know. For years, I've tried to justify my reasoning. There was nothing I could do, but...I should have been there. What did she say?" He asked, a still somber look in his eyes.
Getting himself back up (albiet slowly this time) Jefferson got back on his feet, dusting off the seat of his pants from the grass from his afternoon snooze, however his attention snapped back to Edric the moment he began to explain, for once being able to ignore the pain his head was giving him.
"You... ran?" He asked, his eyebrows unsure whether or not they wanted to furrow or raise up in surprise. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling at that moment, but what he was feeling was a sense of hurt, betrayal, and even a mite bit protective over his younger friend. He and Edric had been friends for years, since they could walk, the two had been inseperable and told each other anything and everything... but Edric had kept this from him and he wasn't sure he could understand that. Shaking his head, stepping closer to Edric, completely forgetting that they weren't alone, Jefferson sized himself up to his friend, looking him straight in the eye with an unreadable expression.
"You left her. When she needed you most... you left her to die..." He said slowly, trying to push the images that came to him from his mind. He didn't want to think about Alice like that, not ever. He raised his hand then, making a tight fist and for a moment looked as though he was going to attempt to punch Edric square in the jaw but instead, he loosed a finger and pointed it at him accusingly, keeping his lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm beginning to understand why she doesn't want to see you... or why she doesn't want to come back to Storybrooke..." Finishing with a slight sneer on his upper lip, he turned to Snow and Killian and clapped his hands together rather jovialy and stepped over towards them.
"Well now, we'd better hurry. Alice is going to have supper ready for us when we get there. She's not exactly patient, so we better get going." He said, waving both his arms in a sweeping gesture as though he were trying to push the two of them into walking just by using the air. "Oh, which reminds me..." Pulling his hands back to him, he used his right hand to roll up the sleeve to his brown overcoat a few inches, finding a small red line across the top of his arm. It was hardly noticable, just a small cut Alice had given him with a piece of paper in case the key didn't work that ended up getting covered up by his arm hair anyway, but it was there. "A-yup. Okay, don't piss off Little Rabbit when you go to bed. Noted." He nodded to himself and then looked back to Snow and Killian, blinking a few times as he didn't understand why they weren't moving.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, realizing he hadn't told them where Alice was, and turned back to face Edric. "That's right. She's at your place. Big ol' mixup at the portal, The Queen hasn't laid a finger on her here. Lead the way, Sir!" He proclaimed in a slight bow, and motioned with his hand for Edric to begin walking again.
"Yes...quite right. Come now, shouldn't be too far." Edric said to the others before walking off in one direction, the location of his old house practically imprinted into his brain. He wasn't going to pretend that Jefferson's words hadn't hurt him...but he deserved as such.
Remaining silent, he kept his gaze either in front of him, or looking from side to side. Was Caterpillar right? Could he really change? He couldn't help but remember the first time he met Heather...he was harsh, cruel, and condescending. But he at least had dignity, had a sense of pride. Now he was little more than a flawed joke of a man.
Sometimes he wished he could go back, or at least revert the wrongs he had committed. But he had to live with his mistakes, for now, at least.
The question now was: could he face Alice again? Look her in the eyes and say he was sorry? Or would he run again and hide?
Killian listened to the conversation that took place between the Hatter and the Cat. He was going to ask the Cat as to where he had been the entire time, until the Cat told the Hatter about what he had done to anger his sister.
When Jefferson started to lead them towards where Alice was. As they walked, Killian sauntered up to walk next to Edric and he commented, "Leaving your sister to die...That's actually surprising," He then asked, "So where have you been, Cat? You seem happier, despite what just happened,"
Snow spoke up to comfort her friend. "Look, he's going through a lot right now, I know this isn't easy for him. He hasn't seen her in years, I don't think we need to be dredging this all up right now. Edric, if you want to take a minute to collect yourself, we all understand, I'm sure Alice would too." What she heard about his decision worried her, though it remind her of how he had been cowardly at other times. Snow made a mental note of it, as she did with every character flaw she saw in others.
"I never said I was proud of what I did, blacksmith...but I did it." Edric replied somewhat sharply, though he lacked the defensive tone that came with such a remark. "I was meeting with an...old friend of mine. Perhaps I even encountered some old demons of mine, that information is mine to keep." He finished, cocking his head around to look at Snow, "No, no, I'm fine...thank you. I've had over five years to collect myself. This is simply the moment I've been waiting for. " Edric added, a tinge of fear to his voice, though he mostly kept a neutral stance. With that being said, Edric continued forward, more resolute than ever.
Killian was silent after Snow White spoke up in defense of her friend, and he listened to what Edric had to say. Knowing that he wasn't going to get anymore information about what had happened to him, he shrugged silently and followed after Edric.
Snow didn't say another word, but she did put her hand on Edric's shoulder as a subtle gesture of support. If he needed her, she would always be there for him, though she was not sure if the reverse was true. Not everyone had her same moral conviction, many people who appeared strong could reveal themselves to weak in times of trial. But she said no more, instead letting the young man be alone with his thoughts.
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*~*Collaboration Between Ghost Shadow, YoshiSkittlez, Guardian Angel Haruki, Tanderbolt and Vicier*~*
The rest of the journey remained almost awkwardly silent, with Edric saying especially little aside from pointing out especially unusual elements of Wonderland or giving proper directions (blasted talking flowers have as much a penchant for mischief as they do for gossip).
Just as the day was clearing and night was coming closer (a strange notion considering the Sun and Moon were both in the sky at the same time), the small group passed through a foresty patch of grass that led to a small, comfortable clearing, centered by a large, cozy-looking mushroom, furnished with doors, windows, and a creaky chimney dutifully puffing smoke from a fire.
A small smile crossed Edric's face at the sight. "Home..." He said aloud, a wistfulness to his tone that spoke of nostalgia and reverence. But apprehension took him. Alice was inside there...he had no idea how she would react, how she would feel. Would she embrace him or attack him? Shun him or welcome him back into her life with beckoning arms? Edric had no idea what would happen. But he didn't want to find out.
And so he stood there, arm partially outstretched as if reaching for the far-away doorknob, completely frozen in place as fear welled up inside him.
Shooting a sideways glance over to his friend (though still held onto a quiet bitterness towards the information he had learned about Edric that day) Jefferson came to a stop at Edric's side, turning his dark blue eyes back to the small little hovel he had practically spent half his childhood growing up in. His own home wasn't too far from here, but there wasn't any reason to venture there, nor did The Hatter have any desire to. He left that life behind when he and Grace packed up and moved to The Enchanted Forest after first losing Grace's mother, and then Alice.
Looking back to Edric, keeping his hands together back behind his back he noticed that the coward wasn't making any hasty movements (and probably never would) to take another step forward. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet a bit, his lips parted ever so slightly, letting out a series of clucking chicken noises as he side-stepped around Edric until he was completely behind him. Then, taking a fluid step forward, he released his hands from one another and reached one out, grabbing Edric by the collar of the back of his shirt and started to push them both forward towards the house.
"C'mon Pussycat, it's time to lose your fourth life..."
Snow gave Jefferson an angry glare, but did not intervene further. She was annoyed that Jefferson had ignored her instruction to let Edric wait if he wanted to, she would have to confront him about that later.
"Wait, what!?" Edric demanded as Jefferson began pushing him towards the house. "No, no, I'm not ready!" He objected desperately, trying to dig the soles of his feet into the dirt ground to halt his progress, but he was never as strong as Jefferson was, even in youth.
"No, no! Cease and desist! Off with his head! The clockwork's not ticking properly! May be crumbs in the butter! Let me go!" Edric continued to rant, immediately losing any semblance of sanity as he instead began shouting random phrases. Whether they were Wonderland jargon, an inside joke between the two of them, or absolute nonsense (see: Wonderland jargon) was unknown.
Killian rolled his eyes at both Jefferson and Edric. He said to Edric after he shook his head, "Well, I'd rather not stay outside for the night. If you won't let your sister know we're here, I will," He then walked up to the door, putting on his most charming smile (that is sure to make any girl swoon), and knocked.
Arriving to the front door just moments after Killian, Jefferson used his free hand to gently push the blacksmith aside, reach for the knob and turn it. Simultaneously, Jefferson pulled the front door open and pushed Edric forward into the house, shutting the door behind his friend and kept his hand on the knob for good measure. He'd give it two minutes.
"I have rights!!" Edric declared lastly before the door slammed behind him, leaving him alone in his house...with Alice.
Looking around, Edric quickly took in that very little, if anything had changed furnishing-wise. Everything was back in its right place, everything was neatly organized and sorted just as it was...a fire was crackling in the hearth, a small tea set was set up on the dinner table and a variety of small dishes set around that.
Edric ran his hand across the inner wall of the mushroom, the sensation coming back to him fondly. So many good memories. Yet he was still frightened. Frightened to face his past in the flesh.
Her soft pink lips parted a yawn slipping out as she lifted her arm up the back of her hand rubbing at the sleep that had formed in the corners of her eyes as she tried to figure out why it was she had come upstairs to the bedroom in the first place, she hadn't intended on having an afternoon nap but then again the Caterpillar had never been one to take anothers time schedule into consideration, especially when he wanted to talk to her. It hadn't been the first time his summons had caused her to wake up in a strange place while forgetting what it was she had originally been doing, and she was as sure as the tiny mole on her uncles left foots cousin twice removed and once divorced that it wouldn't be the last time it happened either.
Opening her eyes she turned her head looking over at the staircase as the sound of a slamming door floated up causing her eyebrows to furrow and her body to lift up from her bed the books she had been carrying up scattered over the ground from when she had passed out, leaving them and her thoughts behind she skipped across the room and down the stairs her body freezing and her stomach muscles tensing as she caught sight of her brother standing in the doorway looking around the room, "..Edric..?"
Turning his head towards the direction of the stairwell that trailed up to the mantle of the mushroom, Edric's eyes widened into practically the size of dinner plates as he stared wordlessly at his sister, his mouth moving but no words coming out.
"A-Alice?" He finally managed to stammer out, completely flabbergasted. His posture was stiff, uncomfortable, though his eyes rapidly scanned her, as if testing to see that she was real. That she was there.
"It's you..." He added in a hushed tone, a tinge of fear to his words.
Her lower lip quivered ever so slightly as she let the gravity of the situation surround her body and mind her eyes not bothering to hide the fact that they were flicking about over his figure taking in everything she could about the man she used to be so close to, taking another step she tilted her head to the side her heart freezing in her chest as she hesitated in place for what felt like a lifetime before she kicked into gear her body bounding down the stairs quickly closing the gap between the two of them, "Edric!"
Closing her light blue eyes she lifted her arms up reaching out before she wrapped them around his neck pulling him close against her and into a tight hug her head dropping to bury into the nape of his neck, hunching her shoulders slightly she kept her body against his her arm muscles tensing as she kept her hold as strong as she could around him afraid that if she let go it would all just end up as another one of dreams, her mind tricking her into thinking that what was real wouldn't be and everything that wouldn't be would.
Edric, at first taken aback by shock quickly fell into his sister's embrace, unaware of the unshed tears of joy glistening in his eyes as he held onto her tightly, feeling whole, perhaps, for the first time in almost ten years. Here was his sister: older, taller, an adult. He felt like it was just yesterday when he had mischievously hid her Bandersnatch plushie on the roof of their house when she was only six.
The thought brought a grin to the young man's face as he felt everything else around him fade away, lost in the joyful reunion.
Shaking her head slightly her nose brushed over his neck her eyes shutting even tighter than they had originally as she finally came to the realization that this was actually happening. He was really here... He was really here... Standing in the middle of the first floor of their house with his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug just like he used to back when she was just a child, before everything had gone wrong and they had been separated-...
Stopping dead for a moment she clenched her jaw her body stiffening as she pulled away from him taking a couple of steps back towards the staircase her normally kind eyes hardening slightly, "You left me... To die..." Turning away from him she let her eyes flick over what was around the room until they came to rest on a pile of books that she had neatened up earlier that day her arms reaching out to grab several of them before she turned angrily tossing them one by one across the room at where he stood, "You turned tail and ran from me! You're like a pathetic coward, you are!"
To say Edric had his dream shattered could definitely have been a fair statement at this point. One moment he had been embracing his sister, feeling as if all that had gone wrong was right again and that things would be better. To suddenly being pelted by a variety of fantasy novella written by Wonderland's own Walrus.
"Alice, wait! Please! Let me-OW! Let me explain! Could you stop throw--*thwack*--Gah! Who taught you to aim!?" These pleas, and more, came from Edric as each book managed to accurately hit him...usually in the face.
Finding himself hating Walrus with a burning passion for writing such damn heavy books, Edric decided he had to do something and, in a puff of smoke disappeared entirely, not a single sign of where he'd gone.
"I know I was a coward, I know I ran away. Can't we just settle down and talk things through? If you want to beat me to a bloody pulp with the written word once all's said and done, I can't stop you." Edric's disembodied voice spoke up until he finally appeared on the stairwell, dotted with a few bruises from his encounter with literature.
"You left me! I pleaded with you to help me, and you just left me to die at the hands of that witch!" Her voice grew louder and angrier with each word that she spat out at him her arms seeming to work on autopilot as she continued to assault him with some of her favorite stories that Wonderland had provided her while growing up, "I can't believe you! I trusted you! And you can thank the March Hare and the Duchess, cause they taught me everything I know about aim and what hurts the most when thrown!"
Lifting her arm up once more now that she was holding a particularly large book she yelled out in frustration as she watched him disappear the young woman throwing the book anyway letting the sound of shattering glass fade into the background as she searched around for him, "Again! Again you run from me like a coward! You're just proving my point on this matter brother!" She spat the last word out before she managed to turn her gaze letting it finally come to a rest on him as he reappeared on the stairs behind her, "You betrayed me... And you want me to calm down and talk to you about it..? Are you insane? Even for Wonderland you're talking crazy!"
"Alice, I know you're upset, I really do -- and you have every right to be! I've regretted my actions for eight years...eight years I wanted to go back in time and take back what I did. But what else could I have done, Alice? You can't have expected me to take on the entire Queen's army, could you?" Letting out a sigh, Edric continued,
"You're alive...that's more than I could have ever hoped for in this life. But if I was there...if I hadn't run away...what would have changed?" He asked her sincerely, his voice no longer holding desperation; but emptiness.
"This conversation for one." Her arms shook slightly as she balled her hands into fists at her sides her eyes never leaving his figure as she answered the question she knew he wasn't expecting her to have an answer for, "It was a mistake... But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you in the first place..."
Gritting her teeth she closed her eyes turning her head away from him for a moment before she sighed softly her eyes lifting back up to meet his showing the hurt behind them that had been put there by his past actions, "I used to advertise my loyalty to you to everyone, and I don't believe there is a single person that I loved more that ever betrayed me as much as you have..."
"Alice..." Edric began, rising from his place on the staircase and disappearing once again in a cloud of smoke before reappearing beside her. "I couldn't handle watching you die...it would have torn me apart. I ran because I was a coward...don't you ever think I'd betray you. We're family." He tried reassuring her, though part of him knew his pleas were most likely falling on deaf ears. Yet there was sincerity to his tone as he tried to release the storm of conflicting thoughts and emotions that had been raging inside him for years, but trying to formulate order amidst the chaos.
Shaking her head as she stepped back a look of slight disgust on her face she watched him disappear again only to this time reappear beside her trying his best to reassure her that he would never betray her though she knew in her heart that she felt differently, "What infuriates me most about this entire situation was the fact that I wasn't humiliated... Or annoyed... Or even fooled. No, betrayal was what I felt. My heart broken not just by a guy that I loved, but also by, as I once believed, my own brother."
Bringing her hand up she pressed her hand against her chest letting it sit rest over her heart her palm molding to the shape of her breasts moving up and down softly with her still angered breathing, "Stab the body and it will heal, but injure the heart and the wound will last a lifetime."
"I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, but I had little choice or say in the matter! Either watch you die or don't...if it's considered brave to see your sister murdered unjustly and in cold blood, then I'd rather be a coward." Edric replied coolly, his mouth twitching. He felt weak, defenseless, beaten up over and over for a situation that (he felt) he was unable to control or change.
"My dear brother, you can't escape your past actions, and you can't escape the skeletons laying in your closet! They will always be there until you take them out from behind those dusty old moth-eaten coats!" Turning away from him she moved over to the stove as the loud high-pitched whistling sounded through the room alerting her to the fact that the water for the tea had boiled though for how long now she wasn't quite sure, "Your exterior facade of 'everything is alright' only works for a little while, and then the cracks begin to show! You can only hide behind yourself for so long Edric... You can't keep running!"
Two minutes almost on the dot and the front door of the mushroom house began to creak open a few inches until there was enough room for a singular, small head adorned with a lavish top hat to pop through. Turning his head left and right, taking in his surroundings until his blue eyes fixated on both Alice and Edric, Jefferson waited for half of a moment before pushing open the door just enough for his frame to slip through in one, exaggerated step.
"Still alive I see, unless she hasn't used up all your lives yet. In which case, I can give the two of you more time..." Jefferson stated plainly, using both his thumbs to gesture back out the door in which he had just come through.
Grabbing up the tea-towel she pulled the kettle off the hotplate moving it to the wooden bench so that it wouldn't evaporate due to the heat her attention being pulled away as the sound of a familiar voice filled the room causing her to turn her angered expression changing in the blink of an eye to one filled with happiness, "Why if it isn't dear old Hatter; do you now believe me when I say that I am live and well?"
Heaving perhaps the heaviest sigh of relief he ever had, Edric ushered Jefferson a look that both thanked him and pleaded for help that went (almost seemingly out-of-the-way) unnoticed by the Hatter.
"I believe...ahem...that it is time for tea. Yes, that sounds perfect. Calming...nice...tea." Edric stated somewhat awkwardly as he practically scampered over to the dining table and collecting an ample amount of sugar cubes for his cup.
"You know...this room could do with much less sharp objects, I think, quite. No one needs pointy things around family!" Edric declared, quite literally taking any object that could potentially be used as a weapon against him and jamming them into his coat pocket, somehow gracefully.
Beaming an ear-to-ear grin, Jefferson moved his hands back to his sides and crossed the distance between himself and Alice with a few quick strides, brushing past Edric and wrapping his arms around Alice in a tight hug paying no attention to the fact that she was trying to do something with a tea kettle. He lifted her off of the ground in his eagerness, hugging her tighter still as though that would answer her inquiry quite easily, but that did not deter him from speaking out (usually nothing could).
"I didn't ever think I'd see you again Little Rabbit! But then again you wouldn't be the first to survive the Queen's Axe..." He said gently setting her down and tugging at the collar of his shirt where his scar had seemed to grow a bit hot from the memory, though still covered by his flamboyant scarf tucked neatly into his vest over his button-up shirt. "And here you are, just as alive as me and-" He pointed his finger in the direction of Edric. "that potted plant there on the sill. How clever of you to take up an interest in horticulture!"
Ignoring her brother completely as he began to rid the house of anything he deemed 'dangerous' which in her opinion was everything except the bandersnatch plushie that was still lost to her since the age of six, her hands slipped from the handle of the kettle letting the tea-towel drop to the ground at her feet as she lifted her arms up wrapping them tightly around his neck as he lifted her up into his embrace; another which she had missed over her years of isolation, "Hatter, I've missed you so much! I swear on the March Hare's obsession of straightened silverware, if I had of known that you were trapped in that witches castle, I would have done all that I could to get you out."
Relaxing her arms around his neck she let them slide down until her hands rested softly on his shoulders her smile brighening up her features as she followed his gaze over to the pot plant that was sitting on the window sill that had broken glass thanks to the book she had thrown earlier, "Oh... Yes, actually I have been looking into it a bit more than I used to since returning to Wonderland. All my old plants died, so after I gave them a proper funeral and burrial, I went out and gathered some new ones."
"Oh my, I should hope the Petunias weren't too upset. You know how emotional they get. And the Violets, don't get me started on the Violets. So self-centered they'd try and show off even at a funeral! Despicable." Edric piped up from the dining table, his pockets full to bursting with various knives, silverware, pincushions, fireplace tools and crumpets (hard as a rock when overcooked).
Only hearing Edric's contribution to the already established two-way conversation faintly in the back of his mind, Jefferson simply looked down upon Alice (being a smidge over a head taller than she was) and kept his boyish grin.
"Don't fret, Little Rabbit." He said releasing his hold around her waist to tap her smartly on the nose. "I was only in there for five years; the time really flew, actually. You've got five years as a nun, and eight under the capture of The Dark One." Jefferson's body seemed to seize up in various places at the mention of Rumpelstiltskin, his shoulders wiggling and back arching awkwardly as though someone had dumped a bucket-full of ice down the back of his shirt collar. He had the entire walk over here to let all of what Alice had been able to tell him about their time apart for those little facts to settle, but still he seemed to have a hard time imagining having to practically serve thirteen years as a prisoner to the two most loathesome people he could think of. He had been subjected enough to the games of Rumpelstiltskin and Regina over the years. Then again, The Queen of Hearts, too, had her hot little hand in Alice's fate as well...
"Now..." He said, coming out of his body shivers and clapped his hands together, rubbing them a bit. "I was promised a hot meal?" He asked sounding hopeful, picking up their conversation where it had left off in dreamland. Only then did Jefferson turn his head to look at Edric, his eyes widening a bit as though he had just realized that he was there. "Well you're awfully rude. You have two more guests outside just waiting for you to let them in by invitation." He remarked and moved his hand in an exaggerated fashion for Edric to tend to the door, similar to that of a mother scolding a child.
Scrunching up her face slightly in a cute manner she let a soft giggle escape through her lips as she felt his finger press lightly against the tip of her nose her smile (if at all possible) growing even more than it had done the moment she saw him, "And a meal you shall have my dear, dear Hatter! It's the least that I can do after you came all this way just to tell me how much you miss me. However, first you will need to wrestle the silver-wear and other things from Edric's pockets, else there will be nothing to eat with."
Pausing for a moment she looked over towards the door before her gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them, "I have cooked much, but no more than for a tea party of ten... How many more have you brought to babysit me while you are here?"
"Let's see now...we have my friend, Snow White, who I believe is becoming something of an....Ice Queen, and a perverted blacksmith with a penchant for eyeliner and a fish hook for a hand. You'd think he came from Dodo's clique once you have a look at him." Edric explained whilst setting the table of assorted items, such as: books, forks, pocket watches, various condiments, broken tea cups and plates and an overabundance of sugar.
"Speaking of Dodo, has that old sod bothered you since you came back?" Edric asked Alice in a semi-serious tone as he was in the midst of making a fork tower.
Darkening his gaze a fraction towards Edric at his cut-off remark about Snow, it took most everything he had to keep from turning to face his friend completely, and instead remained by Alice's side and offered her a quick, reaffirmed statement.
"She's also the Queen of The Enchanted Forest... and your Storybrooke... if I understand correctly..." He said, glancing back at Edric for half a moment before looking back to Alice. "But more than that, a very good friend of mine that's helped me out in a number of tight spots." His attention once more was brought back to Edric. "For the love of- go let them in!"
"I don't really remember anyone called Snow in my time in Storybrooke, I must not have had the pleasure of meeting her..." Turning her head to look back over at her brother as he mentioned Dodo she bit her lower lip softly chewing on it for a few moments while her cheeks took on a soft shade of pink, she knew that he didn't really like the guy much and warned her against him on many different occasions, knew there was something going on between Edric and Dodo but whatever it was she had no clue as to what it was, "I... Uhm... Dodo was here, yes."
Pulling away from Hatter she turned back to the stove hurrying to busy herself with the food that she had been preparing all afternoon when she wasn't snoozing the time away in her bed upstairs, "He, uh... He sends his regards, and welcomed me back to Wonderland with welcomed arms..."
"Welcoming arms?! Dodo doesn't do anything with welcoming arms!" Edric replied loudly, quickly sprinting towards any and every window there was and looking out of it carefully. "I'll be damned if a Collector comes around here and threatens my baby sister." Edric hissed to no-one in particular. There was a distinct change in his posture, he became more stiff, paranoid, constantly looking behind him for signs of....something.
Going to the front door, Edric quite literally yanked it open, stepped outside and dragged Snow and Killian in, one hand on each of them. "Close and lock the door, don't make too many noises and for the love of God, don't ask questions!" He ordered until finally feeling the job was done.
With that being said, he went back to his over-sugared tea cup and promptly began adding more sugar cubes, almost obsessively.
Jefferson's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, disappearing behind his thick mat of hair pressed down even further over his face by the weight of his substitute top hat and shook his head a bit at Edric's antics.
"Alright, that's one way to do it." He said to no one in particular as he stepped back over to the door and removed both his hat and jacket and hung them on their respected hooks at the entryway.
Killian had been waiting patiently outside, a little peeved that the Hatter had just simply shoved him aside in favor of the cat talking to his sister. After what seemed like forever, he was suddenly pulled into the house with Snow. When Edric gave them strange instructions, Killian asked him "What? Why? What's got you all riled up?"
Once they were inside, he looked around and he noticed Alice. He gave her a charming smile and he greeted "Ah, you must be Alice. It's nice to meet you, I'm Killian,"
Snow also walked in and introduced herself to Alice. "My name's Snow White, Edric has told me a lot about you. It's a shame it's taken us this long to meet." She had missed the conversation they had inside, and assumed that he only had positive things to say about her.
Rolling her eyes she tried her best to ignore the rushed and slightly crazed antics of her brother as he hurried about checking every window for what she could only assume was some sort of sign that Dodo and his men were out in the wildes waiting for the right moment to pounce, though why it was he was acting in such a manner was beyond her, “You’re mad. Worse than the Hare. You’re worrying for nothing Edric..! Dodo and his men wouldn’t threaten me, where you would get such a strange notion from is far beyond my comprehension. No, all he did while he was here was welcome me back home and offer to have me live with him so that he could take care of me, and so I would no longer be alone. I told him I would think about it and that was it, he left and said he would visit me again soon.”
"Perhaps not directly, Dodo was always a slimy one." Edric replied, not even bothering to look at his sister as he was too preoccupied.
Turning around just in time she scrunched up her face watching as he hastily opened up the door yanking two more people into their home before barking orders at them to be quiet and not to ask any questions about what was going on or what had gone on, “Seriously now, you’re being absolutely ridiculous…” Sighing softly she leant forward putting the food down on the table for everyone to see before her attention was drawn by the two new people speaking directly to her.
Pausing for a moment she smiled softly her eyes flicking from Killian to Snow and then back again as they seemed to introduce themselves to her at the same time giving her the option of whom to speak with first, reaching out she crossed her arms over one another each of her hands taking one of theirs into her grip as she smiled brightly, “Pleasure is all yours, I’m Liddell Alice. And I see what you mean, he does look like he would fit in with Dodo’s men!” Dropping Snow’s hand she spun herself around under the arm that was still holding tight to Killian before she moved closer to him her body lifting onto the balls of her feet as she brought her face close to his as though examining him, “Have we met before? You do look awfully like the man Dodo had searching Edric’s belongings early this morn.”
"Searching my belongings?' Edric asked, lifting his head up to look his sibling in the eye. "A Collector was here and you weren't the least bit worried? When do Collectors show up? What usually follows? Disappearances, Alice! Then bodies found in The Tulgey Wood. What was he looking for, do you know?" He asked, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
Rolling her eyes once more she narrowed them in annoyance turning her head to stare her brother down just in the same way he was doing to her, "Yes, a collector was here. No, I was not worried. And you want to know why..? Because I may be from Wonderland, but I am not as psychotic or paranoid as you're being right now!"
Lifting her shoulders up she shook her head thinking back over that mornings activities though she wasn't really paying attention, "I don't know what they were looking for. I was busy serving tea and mushcups to Dodo and the men that weren't helping me tidy up."
Taking in the scene before him, his blue eyes bouncing from person to person in such a rapid succession it looked as though they were no longer connected to his head, Jefferson breathed in a heavy, sudden breath of air and walked towards the table, keeping his attention fixed on what Alice had prepared for them.
"You served mushcups?" Jefferson asked, sounding almost deflated that he had missed out on one of his favorite snack items that Alice was known for making. He sat himself down at the table and proceeded to make up his own plate, using his arm to gesture towards Killian and Snow to come and join him. If he left the hospitality formalities up to Edric a moment longer, they would all starve sure as the moon smiled on Freejas month.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Edric took a moment to sweep his hair to the side before lowering his shoulders in an almost defeated stance. Of course no one would listen to him. Alice didn't even know Edric's connection to Dodo in the first place...and he wasn't ready for her to find out. Not yet. She was angry enough at him.
Sitting down at the dinner table with his massively sugared empty cup of tea, Edric clasped his hands together, letting his fingers play with each other if only to keep him from succumbing to stillness.
The 'blacksmith' smiled at Alice, silently reconsidering whether he should flirt with her or not. He had been intent on answering her question, but he never did as it seemed as though Alice had completely forgotten about her own question.
Killian noticed Jefferson's gesture and noticed the food on the table. He walked over to the table commenting out loud "From the sound of things...It sounds like there's some sort of communication issue between you and the Cat here," He quickly shot Edric a look that clearly said that he should tell every other secret that he was still hiding now, when he had the chance. He soon sat down, and looked at the cup near his plate, wishing he had his flask of rum on him.
Stepping back slightly as she watched Alice drop her hand before literally spinning herself into the blacksmith's arms Snow frowned, her attention turning from the pair to focus on the offer of a seat at the table and food to fill their empty bellies, "Hm, don't mind if I do. Thank you Jefferson."
Smiling softly Snow moved to an empty place careful not to disturb the three men already seated around the table as she took her seat her legs crossing underneath it, her body leaning forward and her eyes closing as she tried to lighten the conversation, "You know, it smells really good. Thank you Miss Alice."
"Oh, of course! Alice was always a fine cook." Edric replied, deliberately ignoring Killian for the time being. Who was keeping secrets about what from who was not in a blacksmith's prerogative.
"On a multitude of occasions, I nearly burnt the house down...one reason I never became a scientist. Wonderland has incredibly honed scientists, you see. 'All play and no work makes Jack a church-boy.' One of the many mottos of the scientific foundation." Edric explained wisely, though sounded slightly amused at his own absurdity.
Turning her attention away from her brother for a moment Alice smiled brightly leaning across Jefferson as she nodded and gestured to the food before quickly picking something up with her fingers shoving it into Snow's mouth before she could say anything in return to her brother, "Of course! If it were left up to him, he would burn air. A feat in it's own I assure you... And trust me, he's managed to do it before!"
Standing back up straight she tilted her head for a moment seeming to focus in on something that wasn't even in the room before she dropped down into her seat reaching over only long enough for her to take Edric's teacup for her own, putting it down in front of her Alice held out her arms gesturing to the food, "Please, eat up! Or down! Whichever one you like best, or least; I can never remember which it is!"
A comfortable hum of conversation came over the table then as the group tucked in after getting the green light from their host, though Jefferson was already nearly halfway done with his first plate by the time the rest had begun to start. At least now, however, the small group from Storybrooke could rest easy for the first time since falling through that portal.
Guardian Angel Haruki The Healer
Member
Seen
18 min ago
*~*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow, Vicier, YoshiSkittlez, and I*~*~*
Smiling softly Snow let her eyes flick about the room watching as everyone moved about doing their part to clear the room so that there was enough space for them all to sleep, a giant sleepover party as some of them had put it, though for her this would be her first. Picking up some of the blankets from the stairs she held them close against her chest awkwardly using one arm to shake them out her smile faltering slightly as she watched Edric move about close to her, dropping the blanket in her hand she reached out gently grabbing hold of his coat arm trying to get his attention before she nodded over to the stairs behind her, "Hey... Can we, uh... Can we talk? Please?"
Not waiting for a reply she turned away from him taking a couple of steps before she sat down the railing keeping her slightly separated from the others in the group, bringing her arms in she let the blankets rest on her lap her eyes following the strange patterns on them while she waited to see if he would join her or not.
"Hm?" Edric vocalized, his blue eyes following Snow as she obscurely distanced herself from the others on the stairs. Her tone sounded serious, or at least not the usual almost sing-songy sweet tone she typically carried.
Following her up the stairs he picked the same step she did, plopping down beside her. "What's this all about, Snow? Everything alright?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.
Biting down on her lower lip softly as she hesitated chewing on it for a moment or two her eyes remaining focused on the pattern before her as she thought about her behaviour towards the group over the past few days her head shaking softly as she began to finally answer him, "No... No everything isn't alright..."
Lifting her head up she turned her gaze to meet his showing him just how much regret and sadness she had been feeling, what he didn't know was just how long she had been thinking about it all though, "Edric, I've been horrible to you... And everyone else. Look, I know that I can't make up for how I've treated you, but I really do want to apologize. I'm so sorry, I really am..."
Edric nodded soberly, though there was still a lively glint to his eyes. "You just woke up from a coma, were reunited with your husband, then suddenly thrust back into The Enchanted Forest again. I'm not going to blame you for being a little tense." He replied in an assuring fashion. "Besides, you're stuck here instead of Storybrooke. Wonderland's little more than a hovel of idiots who manage to make the days go by. I thought I missed it, but in reality I missed the nostalgia. Tell you what, though, we'll get back soon; I promise you." He added with a warm grin.
"It's not even that. Really. I mean I've been through so much already, that the fact that I just woke up and got separated from Charming again? It doesn't surprise me..." Dropping her head slightly she turned her gaze away from him looking back out over the room at the others, watching in silence for a few moments before she spoke up again her voice soft.
"I think what's really done it, what's got me so worked up is a mixture of things. Yeah, landing up in Wonderland has really thrown me, but it doesn't help after finding out you kissed me, and then that I was a fool to believe that I was even capable of starting a family..." Gripping hold of the blankets on her lap she sighed her eyes closing, "I can't believe that I let him make me think that I was going to be a mother... I'm so stupid..."
Edric's eyes widened substantially as Snow continued to speak, mentioning the kiss at the hospital. 'Of all the memories to return with the broken Curse...' He thought to himself, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Rumpelstiltskin is a master manipulator who's had centuries of practice. He's controlled my life for years now and I was utterly unaware of how deep it went...and it was my career to deceive people." He assured, trying very hard to deviate from the kiss. The last thing he wanted was a face-to-face talk on that.
"That's the thing, I know he's a manipulator, yet I still let him control me and twist my thoughts until I fell for his tricks." Lifting her head up she looked over at him again her gaze meeting his as she hesitated a few moments knowing she wanted to talk about it but wasn't sure if she should, making her choice she took a deep breath letting it out slowly through her nose, "Edric... After I woke up, David told me about the kiss you gave me... I'm not mad or anything, I promise."
Turning her body on the stairs so that she was now facing him her hands playing with the blankets on her lap, "Really, I'm not mad at all, I'm mostly just curious about it... Curious about why you kissed me in the first place..."
Looking almost dumbfounded, Edric appeared to have misplaced his tongue or voicebox as he spent the next few moments starting random sentences or otherwise moving his mouth with no words coming out.
Finally, letting out a heavy sigh he grew quiet for a few moments before speaking, "I wish I fully knew, Snow. Perhaps part of me loved you, or at least thought it loved you. Enough to selfishly try and wake you up. Fate is sealed, though. Only your absent-minded Prince could do the job." Edric explained, albeit slightly vaguely, keeping his eyes on her but dodging to look into her own eyes.
"Edric..." Tilting her head slightly as she tried to catch his gaze she smiled softly her hands reaching out so that she could take hold of his hands in her own a gentle sigh escaping through her lips, leaning forward she closed her eyes her lips pressing ever so softly against his cheek for a few seconds before she pulled back showing him that she was being sincere with her words, "Thank you for trying, it's very sweet of you to think of me and try to help me in that way. I'm not going to lie, I do love you Edric, but only as family. Charming... I love him differently, like you said, he's my Prince."
"Yes, of course. You always had a strange attraction to brawny meatheads swinging swords." Edric replied with a smile on his face, clearly lighter of mood at her words.
But his voice turned serious once more, "The promise I made to you still stands. No matter what happens, I'll stand with you." He affirmed with a few short nods of his head, sincerity in his eyes.
"I've never much been the reliable sort...not in my nature, I suppose. Unless that's how I've convinced myself to cope. But you, Snow...you have that air about you, the ability to lead people. Your husband can throw himself at soldiers, yes. But it takes real talent to lead people towards a common goal." Edric complimented wisely, the old philosophical whims of The Cat leaking through in his speech.
Chuckling softly she squeezed his hands gently in her own, her expression looking (for the first time in days) a lot more relaxed, her eyes showing her happiness at the fact that she was now able to start patching up the close relationship she had once held with him, "Thank you, Edric. That really means a lot to me... And you know that no matter what happens, I'm always here at your side. I may not have proved it over the last few days, but I'm always here for you, I'm always going to back you up."
Her smile faltered slightly taking on a slightly sad look to it as she leant into him, her head resting gently against his shoulder as she listened to what he had to say to her, his small pep-talk both motivating and slightly daunting as it helped to bring back the fact that there were so many people back in Storybrooke who were all looking up to her and Charming to lead them, "..I can only do what I know... I can only help people to survive... I'm no real leader Edric, I don't understand why people look up to me, or why they would ever want to... Charming is a leader, he's a King; I'm a woman long strayed from that path."
"By 'long strayed' do you mean eating a poisoned apple knowingly in order to save his life? You've been asleep a long time, Snow White...but as have the others. They, too, are just waking up, remembering who they are. Charming may be a leader and some might...call him a 'King', but the stories have never ended with him ruling alone. Because he needs a Queen, and that, my dear...is you." Edric replied, his words making him sound almost twenty years older than he really was.
"The qualities of a leader are not measured in how regal one can look, or if they can bandy words, or wield a blade, or break a Curse. The real qualities of a leader come from inside, in the heart. There are very few true leaders who walk among us, and fewer then who realize their talent. But I see it. You can lead these people, Snow, because Charming can't alone...and the rest of us aren't exactly 'regality' material." Edric finished, motioning towards Alice, Jefferson, Killian, then himself.
"Oi, oi! Didn't anyone tell you not to judge a book by its cover, Cat?"
Killian interrupted Edric after he stated that all of them didn't look like people who could become royals. He walked down to speak to Snow and Edric face to face. He asked "I couldn't help but wonder what our plan of action is now, considering we've found your sister," Killian gestured towards Edric when he mentioned him and Alice, and he continued while gesturing towards Jefferson briefly "And apparently, his hat doesn't work. So, what now?"
Ignoring Killian's first statement, though his brow furrowed slightly at the rude interruption, Edric nevertheless answered, "Now, we go back to the Queen's castle. It's not going to be easy, but it's necessary. We make it back to The Looking Glass and that'll get us back to The Enchanted Forest. Once we're there, we can work out a better plan as to getting back to Storybrooke. The situation won't be much better, given the Ogres, but the Queen has eyes everywhere...and Dodo is just as tenacious. The last thing we need is to get on either of their bad sides." Edric explained soberly, clasping his hands together in his lap.
Killian blinked at the mention of Storybrooke. After Edric gave his answer, he asked "And in this...Storybrooke, should we expect a welcoming party of sorts? I assume that the Evil Queen is leader at that place, wherever it is, considering she cast the curse," As he spoke, he looked confused and as though he was questioning himself if he was assuming the facts about Storybrooke correctly.
He then looked as though he realized something and he asked Snow "Or wait...are you Queen there? Or is it...?"
Lifting her hand up she brushed some of her short black locks from in front of her eyes as she listened silently to the conversation going on between Edric and Killian her eyes closing as she shifted her body letting her head rest lazily on his shoulder the sound of the blacksmiths voice being directed towards her causing her to look open her eyes again a slightly surprised look crossing her features, "Huh? Oh... Well, I guess I am Queen in the Enchanted Forest... It would make sense... Er..."
Lifting her head back up she furrowed her brows not in anger but out of confusion as her eyes showing just how unsure she was about the answer to the question that had been asked of her, turning her head she looked back over at Edric her head tilting ever so slightly while her eyes pleaded with him to help her out with an answer, "Edric..! What am I..?"
"Weellllll." Edric began, drawing out the word 'Well' as he pondered an answer. "When Queen Regina enacted the Curse, she became a sort of unopposed tyrant in Storybrooke. The people were figuratively asleep while she played House, leaving her to be completely in charge. By the time I arrived, however, things started shifting...Fate was getting involved. As my tenure increased and I became involved in events, the Curse began weakening. People would get flashes of memories, or start to question things around them that they previously wouldn't have. With the Curse weakening, so did Regina's rule. People began to question, if not outright defy her while she struggled to hold onto the scraps of power she still held. Finally when the Curse broke, it was a matter of minutes before riots started breaking out...I imagine she's been dethroned, or at least detained, but given that Rumpelstiltskin brought magic back, it's entirely possible we've made her more powerful." Edric explained seriously, tapping his foot against the wooden stair.
"Should have killed her while she was weak." He spat, though his anger wasn't directed at anyone around him. "I will promise you this, Snow...if she so much as tries to lay a hand on you, I'll break her. Mentally." He promised with a certain ruthlessness to his tone, though it quickly faded as he let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm tired of hurting people, or having them hurt around me. Makes one quite cynical. Don't fret, though, we'll be back soon enough; your blockhead will protect you and I suppose I could keep working at the school...who knows anymore?" Edric finished, his gaze turning to one of the few windows around the house.
Catching the tail-end of the conversation, Jefferson shook his head a bit and ran his hand over his face, ignoring the pungent aroma of soap on his skin from helping Alice with the dishes. This was all just a little too much for him right now, but he wasn't about to stop them from talking about life in Storybrooke. He just wasn't sure how much he could handle without thinking back to Grace and what she must be thinking of him right now.
"Hey, I'm going to go catch some fresh air. Getting a bit stuffy with all your pet dander muffing up the air, Edric." Jefferson commented with a semi-sly smile as he pulled his coat and hat from their designated hooks by the door, somewhat shouting to them to be heard across the room.
Pursing her lips together in concentration Alice narrowed her eyes slipping the last of the dishes into place on the bookshelf each resting on their edge threatening to fall out and shatter on the floor below, dropping her head back as she heard mention of someone going out for a walk she couldn't help her lips as they split into a wide grin big enough to match that of her brothers, "Oh? Let me get my net and I shall join you! We can not go on a walk with one another together!"
Twisting her body around she made her way over to where Jefferson stood by the door a gentle skip in her step before they died down becoming more of a hurried walk as she tried her best to catch up with him, her elbows swinging back and forth brushing against the sides of her rib-cage, "Do not fear the absense of our company, for we shall be back before you can count to Horevendush Day!" Placing her hands softly on Jefferson's back she pushed lightly urging him out the door so that they could go on their walk, "Let's go Hatter. If you do not mind of course."
"A walk, you say? Well allow me to join." Edric spoke up with a gentle smile as he slowly stood up, dusting off his frock coat. "It's been some time since I've really had a nice walk here...be good to see the sights again." He added as he hurried down the steps and towards the two of them.
Killian could tell from how Jefferson and Alice spoke when they said that they were going for a walk that they wanted to be alone.
"Oh leave them be, mate. Can't you tell they want to be alone, or are you that dense?"
He asked Edric "Besides, I still have questions. If the curse is broken, then why wasn't everyone sent back to The Enchanted Forest?"
Groaning internally Alice closed her eyes her head rolling slightly before she turned it back to look over at her brother as he hurried down the stairs to join them her eyes narrowing slightly as a warning for him to not come too close, she hadn't forgotten their argument from earlier and she was fully intending on finishing it when they were in less company then they were right now, "My dear brother, if I were you I would stay and conserve your energy by speaking with our guests..."
Tilting her head slightly she began to ramble slightly knowing that the only ones that would truly understand what was being said would be both Edric and Hatter, "I believe in everything until it is disproved Edric... You know I believe in fairies, in myths, in dragons... It all exists, even if it is all in your mind..." Her lips turned into a small smirk as she reached out taking down a scarf from the peg that held her things, "Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now..?"
Unsure if he had any say particular say in the matter of what was going on between brother and sister, Jefferson remained motionless, frozen in the middle of placing his hat on the top of his head save for his eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them. There was a long, drawn out silence after Alice's hushed mutterings that didn't go unheard by him, Jefferson finally decided to let his eyes land on Edric for longer than a second and shrugged his shoulders, silently stating that this was out of his hands.
"We'll be back soon." Turning before Edric had a chance to respond, Jefferson opened up the door and escorted Alice out first, placing his hat on the top of his head (finally) and shutting the mushroom stem door behind them.
Edric did not move, though his eyes held a venomous edge to them as they were locked on Jefferson. How dare he?
His mouth curved into a deep frown, Edric was silent aside from taking off his coat and tossing it onto the ground without even the slightest semblance of care.
"I don't care if they want to be alone. She's my sibling, and I'll not be shut-out because she thinks I could have stopped her execution eight years ago." He hissed in Killian's direction, his tone and expression possessing a darkness that he had rarely, if at all shown during their tenure in The Enchanted Forest or Wonderland.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Edric's expression softened slightly, his posture growing less tense. "The question you ask is one that many of us have pondered since the Curse broke. I don't half understand it, nor will I claim to, but I theorize it has something to do with Storybrooke itself...the town is effectively in its own dimension, for want of a better word. I lack the knowledge to explain it fully, but for whichever reason, the people are stuck there." He explained, planting his hands in his trouser pockets as he strolled about the ground floor of his house, touching small random objects that dotted the interior or looking closely at others.
"Edric... Calm down, you know that's not what's going on here." Lifting herself up from the stairs Snow moved down behind him crouching down just long enough to pick up his jacket shaking it out slightly before she moved over placing it on one of the empty hooks, turning back to face him she sighed softly reaching out for a moment to place her hands on his shoulders trying to catch his gaze, "You just need to give her some space, just some time to get used to the fact that you're back in her life. She's not a little girl anymore... I know you can see it too, let them catch up; they've been apart for the same amount of time that you and her have been separated."
Seeing him relax she let her arms drop back down from his shoulders gesturing back to the stairs where Killian was still standing, "Come on... Let's sit down, relax and just talk. I'm sure they'll be back in no time at all."
Killian listened to Edric's explanation, not fazed at all by Edric's angry and dark look and tone of voice when he spoke up against staying while Alice left. After Alice and Jefferson had left, and Snow had calmed Edric down, Killian then asked, "So with magic back in Storybrooke like you said, then is there no hope for you becoming Queen again? Great, so we're all back to where we started with your little blood war from The Enchanted Forest."
Nodding quietly at Snow's reassurance, Edric moved to one of the few chairs scattered around the bottom floor, heaving a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course there's hope...up until now, all there's been was either a comatose Snow or a Cursed Snow. Now that she remembers, and that Charming is rousing the people together, a coup might be a definitive possibility. With magic now returned, Snow will have enough allies there to hopefully turn the tide. I could deal with Regina easily enough myself if need be. Rumpelstiltskin....is a threat to everyone; though my observations from Storybrooke seem to place him as something of a neutral force. He works for himself and holds no loyalties either to Snow or to Regina." Edric explained in an almost tactical manner, crossing one leg over the other as his fingers touched each other.
"Now, there may be...one thing. The Queen's son. You see, before the Curse was cast, in an entirely different realm than The Enchanted Forest, a woodcutter named Nick Chopper had a son. The stories say there was an Evil Witch of sorts who killed Mr. Chopper's wife, cursed his axe and kidnapped his son. When the Curse was cast, both the woodcutter and his son were sent to Storybrooke, both ignorant of the other. Regina found it strangely....necessary to adopt the boy and keeps him under her care. Perhaps a weakness, though I am loathe to think of what should happen to whomever she might catch attempting to hurt or use him against her. Not to mention they'll have to deal with the boy's father, who was, at one point a 7-foot tall machine weighing nearly 700 pounds and carrying an axe." Edric finished with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
Killian visibly sat straighter when the name Rumpelstiltskin was mentioned. He asked in slight shock, "Rumpelstiltskin? You mean to say that that monster is there too?"
Frowning as she moved over to the benches Snow turned her arms coming up to cross over her chest as she leant back against them nodding slightly as she responded to the blacksmith's question, "I know I haven't been concious in Storybrooke for very long, but I know that what Edric says is the truth... Rumpelstiltskin is there, somewhere, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him while I've been up and about, but I hear he's a real piece of work, even in a world that, until recently, had no magic..."
"Bloody hell..." Killian muttered after Snow had finished answering his question. He rubbed his temples with his one hand, and he commented "Let me guess...He's still powerful and unstoppable as well? It's amazing that you two are still alive..."
"As I said, Rumpelstiltskin has no allegiances. As it is, we have nothing to benefit him and pose no threat, ergo we live." Edric replied casually, though there was an edge of bitterness to his voice.
"But he, like any enemy, is not without weak spots; though they are hidden. His most prevalent one is...a woman. Belle, if I recall her name right. A Girl Scout sort of woman, from what I've read, very...good. How on earth she became attracted to The Dark One or vice versa is beyond me. The strangest thing is: she was killed by Regina in The Enchanted Forest before the Curse was enacted. Her heart was crushed, I heard it...then, next thing I know, five years later, she takes an artifact from me that I won after slaying a Jabberwock. Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill a Jabberwock!? Only one's ever been recorded in Wonderland history and no one's managed to kill it before. But I digress. Next thing that happens after Belle takes the artifact, the Curse is broken and magic returns to Storybrooke. Now, even a dunderhead could have deduced that the artifact had something to do with it, which means that Belle was more than likely in cohorts with Rumpelstiltskin again, which means he's also been manipulating events further than I had imagined."
Taking a breath, Edric let his words sink in before continuing, "Now, whether Gold did it to simply regain power or to survive is debatable. He was sick, very sick. Something about his...Curse working from the inside-out, killing him - a cancer, if you will. Frankly, I would have just let him die, but sadly...he was still necessary to me. Or at least that's how he made it look. Nevertheless, he now has his magic, as does Regina....most likely. But as I said previously, I have my magic as well." Edric finished with a sly grin.
Freezing in place Snow clenched her jaw her eyes widening for a few moments as she let what he was saying to her settle down into her mind his words not sitting too well with her though it was more due to the fact she didn't want to believe that her friend had put himself in danger like that, "You what now..?"
Pushing away from the counter she moved over to him a look of disbelief and worry written over her face, "What were you thinking Edric? Going after a Jabberwocky like that; you could have been killed! Don't ever do something that reckless again! Please..."
"Well, you can blame Regina for that one. She planted the Jabberwock right where I needed to go. Had little choice. Fortunately for me the wretch's grown lazy, rather, lazy enough." Edric replied with a small smirk across his features.
Killian could only nod with pursed lips after Edric finished talking, hiding his glee with expert acting at the mention of his weaknesses. He commented "Still...two of the most powerful people in the Enchanted Forest are in Storybrooke," He added sarcastically, "Yeah, I don't see what can go wrong there,"
"Well, we somehow manage to survive against all odds. As long as Rumpelstiltskin stays in his own little...haven, we should be fine." Edric explained to Killian with a slight shrug of his shoulders, not fazed.
Killian then asked Edric as he realized something in confusion, "Wait...This is your, and your sister's, home isn't it?" He added "I can easily guess why Her Highness wants to go to Storybrooke, but why do you want to go back? What could be so important that you would want to risk your life by going there?"
"Well....a woman." Edric replied, somewhat wistfully, a soft smile flicking on his lips. "My True Love, if you wish to be poetic. Destiny works in its own way, I suppose. Though I'll speed up the process if I can." He finished with a short chuckle.
Killian let out an "Ah," in understanding in regards to Edric's answer. He then said "So you actually do have a lover. Who's the lucky lady?"
"No one you'd know, I'd wager. She comes from a different land, a Land Without Color. Technically there's two of her and they both hate each other. One is very kind, intelligent and compassionate, I consider her the human, romantic side. The other is passionate, violent and sadistic. Tried to kill me once, but she's a lovely woman nonetheless." Edric explained with a grin on his face.
"Though...I have hurt her, both of her. I find myself being in love with a woman -- women who don't deserve one such as me. Perhaps I can change...not my decision, only Fate's." He added in a more serious manner.
Killian raised an eyebrow at the mention that there was two of one woman, but listening to him talk about this woman, he somewhat couldn't help but remember his last love. Edric reminded Killian of himself when he was younger. After Edric made his last comment, Killian sighed "Sounds unlikely to me. She...or rather they...must see something worth loving if they return your love, mate. Cherish them, you never know when you're going to lose them after all..." His last comment had become serious, and yet sincere, as he recalled his previous love's death...
He then asked with a smirk, going back to his usual snarky self "So! Courting two women at once? And one of them is sadistic? I don't know if that is bravery or stupidity, mate. How is she two women?"
"Yeah...good advice." Edric replied to Killian's initial statement with a short nod of his head. Though he did not voice his gratefulness, his look of appreciation held enough.
Jumping onto Killian's second comment, Edric's mood became slightly lighter as he replied. "Well, it's rather difficult to explain. Most people would simply refer to it as multiple personality-disorder, but it's different than that, you see. This woman is a scientist, a very gifted one, who developed a potion capable of separating her good and bad personality traits. Well, finding no other test subject but herself, she tested her concoction. The potion worked, but with the added side effect that when the bad traits separated, they formed their own distinct identity inside her head. Two separate minds part of one whole." He finished, waving his arms about as he spoke like some sort of non-vocal aide.
Killian blinked in slight confusion at the explanation. At the mention that the bad personality traits formed their own identity, he asked "Why would she want to separate her good and bad personality traits to begin with, mate?"
"Perhaps she wished to achieve greatness without being held back by anger, wrath, violence, or lust amongst others. Truth be told, I can sympathize with such a goal, though the end results were less-than-desired." Edric answered with a shrug. "Something I might try and ask her, however, once I return."
Killian mumbled thoughtfully, "Hmm...I see," He then said "So, tomorrow, we're heading back to the castle, and using the mirror to head back to the Enchanted Forest, right?"
"That's the plan. Whether the plan ends up being a good one or not is up for debate." Edric replied with another smirk, leaning back in his chair. "For now, though, it's best we rest up...I've no doubt we'll have much more company than old friends come tomorrow." He added in an almost warning tone.
Killian nodded as he turned around, ready to go and find some place for him to sleep, and he answered "Of course...." He then walked away from Snow and Edric.
Remaining silent through the rest of the conversation Snow moved back over to the staircase collecting up the blankets she had dropped before she turned back to face the two of them just in time to watch Killian move away, "Edric... I don't want to burst your little bubble of happiness... But I have to ask, what if your sister doesn't want to come back..?"
Moving back over she reached out handing him a couple of the blankets before she motioned over to a spot she had set up earlier close by a window so that she could keep a look out if anything was coming through the night, "I mean it just seems like she didn't particularly want us here in the first place, and from the yelling earlier it didn't sound too... loving..."
Hugging the rest of the blankets close to her chest she crossed the room her legs folding under her as she took her spot beside the window her back pressed against the wall as she looked out for a moment before turning to look back at him, "I just don't want you to get hurt again if things don't go the way you want them to..."
Letting out a short sigh, Edric turned towards his old friend before responding. "My sister's always been the free spirit. I could never convince her to do what she set her heart upon. Stubborn girl...she'll either return with us...or remain here. I couldn't shift her either way if I tried, and I'd be surprised if Jefferson had any better luck. But we shall see..." He finished on a slightly cryptic note, his gaze turning to look out the window, at the multi-colored stars that drew incomprehensible patterns in the sky on their own whims. Though night had fallen, Wonderland was as awake as ever.
Smiling softly Snow let her eyes flick about the room watching as everyone moved about doing their part to clear the room so that there was enough space for them all to sleep, a giant sleepover party as some of them had put it, though for her this would be her first. Picking up some of the blankets from the stairs she held them close against her chest awkwardly using one arm to shake them out her smile faltering slightly as she watched Edric move about close to her, dropping the blanket in her hand she reached out gently grabbing hold of his coat arm trying to get his attention before she nodded over to the stairs behind her, "Hey... Can we, uh... Can we talk? Please?"
Not waiting for a reply she turned away from him taking a couple of steps before she sat down the railing keeping her slightly separated from the others in the group, bringing her arms in she let the blankets rest on her lap her eyes following the strange patterns on them while she waited to see if he would join her or not.
"Hm?" Edric vocalized, his blue eyes following Snow as she obscurely distanced herself from the others on the stairs. Her tone sounded serious, or at least not the usual almost sing-songy sweet tone she typically carried.
Following her up the stairs he picked the same step she did, plopping down beside her. "What's this all about, Snow? Everything alright?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.
Biting down on her lower lip softly as she hesitated chewing on it for a moment or two her eyes remaining focused on the pattern before her as she thought about her behaviour towards the group over the past few days her head shaking softly as she began to finally answer him, "No... No everything isn't alright..."
Lifting her head up she turned her gaze to meet his showing him just how much regret and sadness she had been feeling, what he didn't know was just how long she had been thinking about it all though, "Edric, I've been horrible to you... And everyone else. Look, I know that I can't make up for how I've treated you, but I really do want to apologize. I'm so sorry, I really am..."
Edric nodded soberly, though there was still a lively glint to his eyes. "You just woke up from a coma, were reunited with your husband, then suddenly thrust back into The Enchanted Forest again. I'm not going to blame you for being a little tense." He replied in an assuring fashion. "Besides, you're stuck here instead of Storybrooke. Wonderland's little more than a hovel of idiots who manage to make the days go by. I thought I missed it, but in reality I missed the nostalgia. Tell you what, though, we'll get back soon; I promise you." He added with a warm grin.
"It's not even that. Really. I mean I've been through so much already, that the fact that I just woke up and got separated from Charming again? It doesn't surprise me..." Dropping her head slightly she turned her gaze away from him looking back out over the room at the others, watching in silence for a few moments before she spoke up again her voice soft.
"I think what's really done it, what's got me so worked up is a mixture of things. Yeah, landing up in Wonderland has really thrown me, but it doesn't help after finding out you kissed me, and then that I was a fool to believe that I was even capable of starting a family..." Gripping hold of the blankets on her lap she sighed her eyes closing, "I can't believe that I let him make me think that I was going to be a mother... I'm so stupid..."
Edric's eyes widened substantially as Snow continued to speak, mentioning the kiss at the hospital. 'Of all the memories to return with the broken Curse...' He thought to himself, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Rumpelstiltskin is a master manipulator who's had centuries of practice. He's controlled my life for years now and I was utterly unaware of how deep it went...and it was my career to deceive people." He assured, trying very hard to deviate from the kiss. The last thing he wanted was a face-to-face talk on that.
"That's the thing, I know he's a manipulator, yet I still let him control me and twist my thoughts until I fell for his tricks." Lifting her head up she looked over at him again her gaze meeting his as she hesitated a few moments knowing she wanted to talk about it but wasn't sure if she should, making her choice she took a deep breath letting it out slowly through her nose, "Edric... After I woke up, David told me about the kiss you gave me... I'm not mad or anything, I promise."
Turning her body on the stairs so that she was now facing him her hands playing with the blankets on her lap, "Really, I'm not mad at all, I'm mostly just curious about it... Curious about why you kissed me in the first place..."
Looking almost dumbfounded, Edric appeared to have misplaced his tongue or voicebox as he spent the next few moments starting random sentences or otherwise moving his mouth with no words coming out.
Finally, letting out a heavy sigh he grew quiet for a few moments before speaking, "I wish I fully knew, Snow. Perhaps part of me loved you, or at least thought it loved you. Enough to selfishly try and wake you up. Fate is sealed, though. Only your absent-minded Prince could do the job." Edric explained, albeit slightly vaguely, keeping his eyes on her but dodging to look into her own eyes.
"Edric..." Tilting her head slightly as she tried to catch his gaze she smiled softly her hands reaching out so that she could take hold of his hands in her own a gentle sigh escaping through her lips, leaning forward she closed her eyes her lips pressing ever so softly against his cheek for a few seconds before she pulled back showing him that she was being sincere with her words, "Thank you for trying, it's very sweet of you to think of me and try to help me in that way. I'm not going to lie, I do love you Edric, but only as family. Charming... I love him differently, like you said, he's my Prince."
"Yes, of course. You always had a strange attraction to brawny meatheads swinging swords." Edric replied with a smile on his face, clearly lighter of mood at her words.
But his voice turned serious once more, "The promise I made to you still stands. No matter what happens, I'll stand with you." He affirmed with a few short nods of his head, sincerity in his eyes.
"I've never much been the reliable sort...not in my nature, I suppose. Unless that's how I've convinced myself to cope. But you, Snow...you have that air about you, the ability to lead people. Your husband can throw himself at soldiers, yes. But it takes real talent to lead people towards a common goal." Edric complimented wisely, the old philosophical whims of The Cat leaking through in his speech.
Chuckling softly she squeezed his hands gently in her own, her expression looking (for the first time in days) a lot more relaxed, her eyes showing her happiness at the fact that she was now able to start patching up the close relationship she had once held with him, "Thank you, Edric. That really means a lot to me... And you know that no matter what happens, I'm always here at your side. I may not have proved it over the last few days, but I'm always here for you, I'm always going to back you up."
Her smile faltered slightly taking on a slightly sad look to it as she leant into him, her head resting gently against his shoulder as she listened to what he had to say to her, his small pep-talk both motivating and slightly daunting as it helped to bring back the fact that there were so many people back in Storybrooke who were all looking up to her and Charming to lead them, "..I can only do what I know... I can only help people to survive... I'm no real leader Edric, I don't understand why people look up to me, or why they would ever want to... Charming is a leader, he's a King; I'm a woman long strayed from that path."
"By 'long strayed' do you mean eating a poisoned apple knowingly in order to save his life? You've been asleep a long time, Snow White...but as have the others. They, too, are just waking up, remembering who they are. Charming may be a leader and some might...call him a 'King', but the stories have never ended with him ruling alone. Because he needs a Queen, and that, my dear...is you." Edric replied, his words making him sound almost twenty years older than he really was.
"The qualities of a leader are not measured in how regal one can look, or if they can bandy words, or wield a blade, or break a Curse. The real qualities of a leader come from inside, in the heart. There are very few true leaders who walk among us, and fewer then who realize their talent. But I see it. You can lead these people, Snow, because Charming can't alone...and the rest of us aren't exactly 'regality' material." Edric finished, motioning towards Alice, Jefferson, Killian, then himself.
"Oi, oi! Didn't anyone tell you not to judge a book by its cover, Cat?"
Killian interrupted Edric after he stated that all of them didn't look like people who could become royals. He walked down to speak to Snow and Edric face to face. He asked "I couldn't help but wonder what our plan of action is now, considering we've found your sister," Killian gestured towards Edric when he mentioned him and Alice, and he continued while gesturing towards Jefferson briefly "And apparently, his hat doesn't work. So, what now?"
Ignoring Killian's first statement, though his brow furrowed slightly at the rude interruption, Edric nevertheless answered, "Now, we go back to the Queen's castle. It's not going to be easy, but it's necessary. We make it back to The Looking Glass and that'll get us back to The Enchanted Forest. Once we're there, we can work out a better plan as to getting back to Storybrooke. The situation won't be much better, given the Ogres, but the Queen has eyes everywhere...and Dodo is just as tenacious. The last thing we need is to get on either of their bad sides." Edric explained soberly, clasping his hands together in his lap.
Killian blinked at the mention of Storybrooke. After Edric gave his answer, he asked "And in this...Storybrooke, should we expect a welcoming party of sorts? I assume that the Evil Queen is leader at that place, wherever it is, considering she cast the curse," As he spoke, he looked confused and as though he was questioning himself if he was assuming the facts about Storybrooke correctly.
He then looked as though he realized something and he asked Snow "Or wait...are you Queen there? Or is it...?"
Lifting her hand up she brushed some of her short black locks from in front of her eyes as she listened silently to the conversation going on between Edric and Killian her eyes closing as she shifted her body letting her head rest lazily on his shoulder the sound of the blacksmiths voice being directed towards her causing her to look open her eyes again a slightly surprised look crossing her features, "Huh? Oh... Well, I guess I am Queen in the Enchanted Forest... It would make sense... Er..."
Lifting her head back up she furrowed her brows not in anger but out of confusion as her eyes showing just how unsure she was about the answer to the question that had been asked of her, turning her head she looked back over at Edric her head tilting ever so slightly while her eyes pleaded with him to help her out with an answer, "Edric..! What am I..?"
"Weellllll." Edric began, drawing out the word 'Well' as he pondered an answer. "When Queen Regina enacted the Curse, she became a sort of unopposed tyrant in Storybrooke. The people were figuratively asleep while she played House, leaving her to be completely in charge. By the time I arrived, however, things started shifting...Fate was getting involved. As my tenure increased and I became involved in events, the Curse began weakening. People would get flashes of memories, or start to question things around them that they previously wouldn't have. With the Curse weakening, so did Regina's rule. People began to question, if not outright defy her while she struggled to hold onto the scraps of power she still held. Finally when the Curse broke, it was a matter of minutes before riots started breaking out...I imagine she's been dethroned, or at least detained, but given that Rumpelstiltskin brought magic back, it's entirely possible we've made her more powerful." Edric explained seriously, tapping his foot against the wooden stair.
"Should have killed her while she was weak." He spat, though his anger wasn't directed at anyone around him. "I will promise you this, Snow...if she so much as tries to lay a hand on you, I'll break her. Mentally." He promised with a certain ruthlessness to his tone, though it quickly faded as he let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm tired of hurting people, or having them hurt around me. Makes one quite cynical. Don't fret, though, we'll be back soon enough; your blockhead will protect you and I suppose I could keep working at the school...who knows anymore?" Edric finished, his gaze turning to one of the few windows around the house.
Catching the tail-end of the conversation, Jefferson shook his head a bit and ran his hand over his face, ignoring the pungent aroma of soap on his skin from helping Alice with the dishes. This was all just a little too much for him right now, but he wasn't about to stop them from talking about life in Storybrooke. He just wasn't sure how much he could handle without thinking back to Grace and what she must be thinking of him right now.
"Hey, I'm going to go catch some fresh air. Getting a bit stuffy with all your pet dander muffing up the air, Edric." Jefferson commented with a semi-sly smile as he pulled his coat and hat from their designated hooks by the door, somewhat shouting to them to be heard across the room.
Pursing her lips together in concentration Alice narrowed her eyes slipping the last of the dishes into place on the bookshelf each resting on their edge threatening to fall out and shatter on the floor below, dropping her head back as she heard mention of someone going out for a walk she couldn't help her lips as they split into a wide grin big enough to match that of her brothers, "Oh? Let me get my net and I shall join you! We can not go on a walk with one another together!"
Twisting her body around she made her way over to where Jefferson stood by the door a gentle skip in her step before they died down becoming more of a hurried walk as she tried her best to catch up with him, her elbows swinging back and forth brushing against the sides of her rib-cage, "Do not fear the absense of our company, for we shall be back before you can count to Horevendush Day!" Placing her hands softly on Jefferson's back she pushed lightly urging him out the door so that they could go on their walk, "Let's go Hatter. If you do not mind of course."
"A walk, you say? Well allow me to join." Edric spoke up with a gentle smile as he slowly stood up, dusting off his frock coat. "It's been some time since I've really had a nice walk here...be good to see the sights again." He added as he hurried down the steps and towards the two of them.
Killian could tell from how Jefferson and Alice spoke when they said that they were going for a walk that they wanted to be alone.
"Oh leave them be, mate. Can't you tell they want to be alone, or are you that dense?"
He asked Edric "Besides, I still have questions. If the curse is broken, then why wasn't everyone sent back to The Enchanted Forest?"
Groaning internally Alice closed her eyes her head rolling slightly before she turned it back to look over at her brother as he hurried down the stairs to join them her eyes narrowing slightly as a warning for him to not come too close, she hadn't forgotten their argument from earlier and she was fully intending on finishing it when they were in less company then they were right now, "My dear brother, if I were you I would stay and conserve your energy by speaking with our guests..."
Tilting her head slightly she began to ramble slightly knowing that the only ones that would truly understand what was being said would be both Edric and Hatter, "I believe in everything until it is disproved Edric... You know I believe in fairies, in myths, in dragons... It all exists, even if it is all in your mind..." Her lips turned into a small smirk as she reached out taking down a scarf from the peg that held her things, "Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now..?"
Unsure if he had any say particular say in the matter of what was going on between brother and sister, Jefferson remained motionless, frozen in the middle of placing his hat on the top of his head save for his eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them. There was a long, drawn out silence after Alice's hushed mutterings that didn't go unheard by him, Jefferson finally decided to let his eyes land on Edric for longer than a second and shrugged his shoulders, silently stating that this was out of his hands.
"We'll be back soon." Turning before Edric had a chance to respond, Jefferson opened up the door and escorted Alice out first, placing his hat on the top of his head (finally) and shutting the mushroom stem door behind them.
Edric did not move, though his eyes held a venomous edge to them as they were locked on Jefferson. How dare he?
His mouth curved into a deep frown, Edric was silent aside from taking off his coat and tossing it onto the ground without even the slightest semblance of care.
"I don't care if they want to be alone. She's my sibling, and I'll not be shut-out because she thinks I could have stopped her execution eight years ago." He hissed in Killian's direction, his tone and expression possessing a darkness that he had rarely, if at all shown during their tenure in The Enchanted Forest or Wonderland.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Edric's expression softened slightly, his posture growing less tense. "The question you ask is one that many of us have pondered since the Curse broke. I don't half understand it, nor will I claim to, but I theorize it has something to do with Storybrooke itself...the town is effectively in its own dimension, for want of a better word. I lack the knowledge to explain it fully, but for whichever reason, the people are stuck there." He explained, planting his hands in his trouser pockets as he strolled about the ground floor of his house, touching small random objects that dotted the interior or looking closely at others.
"Edric... Calm down, you know that's not what's going on here." Lifting herself up from the stairs Snow moved down behind him crouching down just long enough to pick up his jacket shaking it out slightly before she moved over placing it on one of the empty hooks, turning back to face him she sighed softly reaching out for a moment to place her hands on his shoulders trying to catch his gaze, "You just need to give her some space, just some time to get used to the fact that you're back in her life. She's not a little girl anymore... I know you can see it too, let them catch up; they've been apart for the same amount of time that you and her have been separated."
Seeing him relax she let her arms drop back down from his shoulders gesturing back to the stairs where Killian was still standing, "Come on... Let's sit down, relax and just talk. I'm sure they'll be back in no time at all."
Killian listened to Edric's explanation, not fazed at all by Edric's angry and dark look and tone of voice when he spoke up against staying while Alice left. After Alice and Jefferson had left, and Snow had calmed Edric down, Killian then asked, "So with magic back in Storybrooke like you said, then is there no hope for you becoming Queen again? Great, so we're all back to where we started with your little blood war from The Enchanted Forest."
Nodding quietly at Snow's reassurance, Edric moved to one of the few chairs scattered around the bottom floor, heaving a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course there's hope...up until now, all there's been was either a comatose Snow or a Cursed Snow. Now that she remembers, and that Charming is rousing the people together, a coup might be a definitive possibility. With magic now returned, Snow will have enough allies there to hopefully turn the tide. I could deal with Regina easily enough myself if need be. Rumpelstiltskin....is a threat to everyone; though my observations from Storybrooke seem to place him as something of a neutral force. He works for himself and holds no loyalties either to Snow or to Regina." Edric explained in an almost tactical manner, crossing one leg over the other as his fingers touched each other.
"Now, there may be...one thing. The Queen's son. You see, before the Curse was cast, in an entirely different realm than The Enchanted Forest, a woodcutter named Nick Chopper had a son. The stories say there was an Evil Witch of sorts who killed Mr. Chopper's wife, cursed his axe and kidnapped his son. When the Curse was cast, both the woodcutter and his son were sent to Storybrooke, both ignorant of the other. Regina found it strangely....necessary to adopt the boy and keeps him under her care. Perhaps a weakness, though I am loathe to think of what should happen to whomever she might catch attempting to hurt or use him against her. Not to mention they'll have to deal with the boy's father, who was, at one point a 7-foot tall machine weighing nearly 700 pounds and carrying an axe." Edric finished with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
Killian visibly sat straighter when the name Rumpelstiltskin was mentioned. He asked in slight shock, "Rumpelstiltskin? You mean to say that that monster is there too?"
Frowning as she moved over to the benches Snow turned her arms coming up to cross over her chest as she leant back against them nodding slightly as she responded to the blacksmith's question, "I know I haven't been concious in Storybrooke for very long, but I know that what Edric says is the truth... Rumpelstiltskin is there, somewhere, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him while I've been up and about, but I hear he's a real piece of work, even in a world that, until recently, had no magic..."
"Bloody hell..." Killian muttered after Snow had finished answering his question. He rubbed his temples with his one hand, and he commented "Let me guess...He's still powerful and unstoppable as well? It's amazing that you two are still alive..."
"As I said, Rumpelstiltskin has no allegiances. As it is, we have nothing to benefit him and pose no threat, ergo we live." Edric replied casually, though there was an edge of bitterness to his voice.
"But he, like any enemy, is not without weak spots; though they are hidden. His most prevalent one is...a woman. Belle, if I recall her name right. A Girl Scout sort of woman, from what I've read, very...good. How on earth she became attracted to The Dark One or vice versa is beyond me. The strangest thing is: she was killed by Regina in The Enchanted Forest before the Curse was enacted. Her heart was crushed, I heard it...then, next thing I know, five years later, she takes an artifact from me that I won after slaying a Jabberwock. Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill a Jabberwock!? Only one's ever been recorded in Wonderland history and no one's managed to kill it before. But I digress. Next thing that happens after Belle takes the artifact, the Curse is broken and magic returns to Storybrooke. Now, even a dunderhead could have deduced that the artifact had something to do with it, which means that Belle was more than likely in cohorts with Rumpelstiltskin again, which means he's also been manipulating events further than I had imagined."
Taking a breath, Edric let his words sink in before continuing, "Now, whether Gold did it to simply regain power or to survive is debatable. He was sick, very sick. Something about his...Curse working from the inside-out, killing him - a cancer, if you will. Frankly, I would have just let him die, but sadly...he was still necessary to me. Or at least that's how he made it look. Nevertheless, he now has his magic, as does Regina....most likely. But as I said previously, I have my magic as well." Edric finished with a sly grin.
Freezing in place Snow clenched her jaw her eyes widening for a few moments as she let what he was saying to her settle down into her mind his words not sitting too well with her though it was more due to the fact she didn't want to believe that her friend had put himself in danger like that, "You what now..?"
Pushing away from the counter she moved over to him a look of disbelief and worry written over her face, "What were you thinking Edric? Going after a Jabberwocky like that; you could have been killed! Don't ever do something that reckless again! Please..."
"Well, you can blame Regina for that one. She planted the Jabberwock right where I needed to go. Had little choice. Fortunately for me the wretch's grown lazy, rather, lazy enough." Edric replied with a small smirk across his features.
Killian could only nod with pursed lips after Edric finished talking, hiding his glee with expert acting at the mention of his weaknesses. He commented "Still...two of the most powerful people in the Enchanted Forest are in Storybrooke," He added sarcastically, "Yeah, I don't see what can go wrong there,"
"Well, we somehow manage to survive against all odds. As long as Rumpelstiltskin stays in his own little...haven, we should be fine." Edric explained to Killian with a slight shrug of his shoulders, not fazed.
Killian then asked Edric as he realized something in confusion, "Wait...This is your, and your sister's, home isn't it?" He added "I can easily guess why Her Highness wants to go to Storybrooke, but why do you want to go back? What could be so important that you would want to risk your life by going there?"
"Well....a woman." Edric replied, somewhat wistfully, a soft smile flicking on his lips. "My True Love, if you wish to be poetic. Destiny works in its own way, I suppose. Though I'll speed up the process if I can." He finished with a short chuckle.
Killian let out an "Ah," in understanding in regards to Edric's answer. He then said "So you actually do have a lover. Who's the lucky lady?"
"No one you'd know, I'd wager. She comes from a different land, a Land Without Color. Technically there's two of her and they both hate each other. One is very kind, intelligent and compassionate, I consider her the human, romantic side. The other is passionate, violent and sadistic. Tried to kill me once, but she's a lovely woman nonetheless." Edric explained with a grin on his face.
"Though...I have hurt her, both of her. I find myself being in love with a woman -- women who don't deserve one such as me. Perhaps I can change...not my decision, only Fate's." He added in a more serious manner.
Killian raised an eyebrow at the mention that there was two of one woman, but listening to him talk about this woman, he somewhat couldn't help but remember his last love. Edric reminded Killian of himself when he was younger. After Edric made his last comment, Killian sighed "Sounds unlikely to me. She...or rather they...must see something worth loving if they return your love, mate. Cherish them, you never know when you're going to lose them after all..." His last comment had become serious, and yet sincere, as he recalled his previous love's death...
He then asked with a smirk, going back to his usual snarky self "So! Courting two women at once? And one of them is sadistic? I don't know if that is bravery or stupidity, mate. How is she two women?"
"Yeah...good advice." Edric replied to Killian's initial statement with a short nod of his head. Though he did not voice his gratefulness, his look of appreciation held enough.
Jumping onto Killian's second comment, Edric's mood became slightly lighter as he replied. "Well, it's rather difficult to explain. Most people would simply refer to it as multiple personality-disorder, but it's different than that, you see. This woman is a scientist, a very gifted one, who developed a potion capable of separating her good and bad personality traits. Well, finding no other test subject but herself, she tested her concoction. The potion worked, but with the added side effect that when the bad traits separated, they formed their own distinct identity inside her head. Two separate minds part of one whole." He finished, waving his arms about as he spoke like some sort of non-vocal aide.
Killian blinked in slight confusion at the explanation. At the mention that the bad personality traits formed their own identity, he asked "Why would she want to separate her good and bad personality traits to begin with, mate?"
"Perhaps she wished to achieve greatness without being held back by anger, wrath, violence, or lust amongst others. Truth be told, I can sympathize with such a goal, though the end results were less-than-desired." Edric answered with a shrug. "Something I might try and ask her, however, once I return."
Killian mumbled thoughtfully, "Hmm...I see," He then said "So, tomorrow, we're heading back to the castle, and using the mirror to head back to the Enchanted Forest, right?"
"That's the plan. Whether the plan ends up being a good one or not is up for debate." Edric replied with another smirk, leaning back in his chair. "For now, though, it's best we rest up...I've no doubt we'll have much more company than old friends come tomorrow." He added in an almost warning tone.
Killian nodded as he turned around, ready to go and find some place for him to sleep, and he answered "Of course...." He then walked away from Snow and Edric.
Remaining silent through the rest of the conversation Snow moved back over to the staircase collecting up the blankets she had dropped before she turned back to face the two of them just in time to watch Killian move away, "Edric... I don't want to burst your little bubble of happiness... But I have to ask, what if your sister doesn't want to come back..?"
Moving back over she reached out handing him a couple of the blankets before she motioned over to a spot she had set up earlier close by a window so that she could keep a look out if anything was coming through the night, "I mean it just seems like she didn't particularly want us here in the first place, and from the yelling earlier it didn't sound too... loving..."
Hugging the rest of the blankets close to her chest she crossed the room her legs folding under her as she took her spot beside the window her back pressed against the wall as she looked out for a moment before turning to look back at him, "I just don't want you to get hurt again if things don't go the way you want them to..."
Letting out a short sigh, Edric turned towards his old friend before responding. "My sister's always been the free spirit. I could never convince her to do what she set her heart upon. Stubborn girl...she'll either return with us...or remain here. I couldn't shift her either way if I tried, and I'd be surprised if Jefferson had any better luck. But we shall see..." He finished on a slightly cryptic note, his gaze turning to look out the window, at the multi-colored stars that drew incomprehensible patterns in the sky on their own whims. Though night had fallen, Wonderland was as awake as ever.
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2 yrs ago
Killian smirked, shaking his head at the cat as he walked away and headed out of the house through the back. He wanted to be where he was alone and he wouldn't be interrupted. That cat was such a fool...didn't he know not to disclose such vital information about himself to anyone like that? Now he had ammunition in case that cat ever got in his way. But still...thanks to that fool, he was able to get some important information on the Dark One.
She was right...Love is weakness.
Speaking of her, he whipped out a mirror, and watched as the surface shined, changing the reflection of his devilishly handsome face, to that of Sir Lancelot.
Looking back at Killian through the mirror, Lancelot gave a small, feminine smile before a cloud of purple smoke enveloped around him. Once it cleared, Lancelot was there no longer but in his place, a woman older in age but none-the-less fair in complexion and overall beauty. She wore the same sort of feminine smile Lancelot had been holding, but not only did it make more sense now, but it looked better on her red-painted lips too.
"Man I hate that outfit!" The woman remarked in a tone that would have put Regina's condescending voice to shame, referring of course to the plated armor the night had worn as the woman was now sporting a bright red dress, though was mostly out of view to Killian. "I was starting to wonder if you had crossed sides, Pirate. Tell me, how fares the junior heroes?"
Killian couldn't help but internally roll his eyes at Cora's complaint about the armor. He sarcastically remarked at her first comment "You wound me, Your Highness. Our junior heroes are optimistic, and they're planning on making their way back to the Enchanted Forest tomorrow,"
"Tomorrow?" Cora pursed her lips together, seeming to be thinking over something and quite displeased with the news. "Moving a bit quick for junior heroes." She observed, though speaking more to herself than to Killian. "Either they're running blind or they have a plan. Which is it?" She finished with a quick snap in her tone, a clear distinction of authority over the faux-blacksmith.
Killian answered "It's both, Your Highness. They're planning, but not very far ahead, so they might as well be running blind. Especially considering that cat is scared of some Dodo here,"
"The Dodo is the least of his concerns. Although, if that is all that has the two-legged hairball spooked, then this may work to our advantage." Pausing, Cora stopped to smile, her demeanor changing slightly from vexed, to pleased. "And what of our other feline friend? The boots. They have been kept safe?"
Killian nodded and answered "They are, and that lass is as annoying and crazy as ever. The junior heroes had her and a shadow man guard the mirror in your castle," The girl may be crazy, but he figured that there was a very low chance that she would destroy her boots. The shadow man that was with her was most likely just sitting bored in that castle.
"Perhaps one of the safest places for those boots to be, contrary to what they may believe. I will inform my guards to steer clear of the looking glass room and leave them be." Cora replied with a small amount of snark in her voice. Clearly she was more interested in the well-being of Jill's boots than Jill herself. "Now, Pirate. Show me that I did not waste my time in putting my confidence in you. Tell me what you have learned, something useful, something more than these petty little updates I would have found on my own. Tell me what I sent you with them to learn in the first place. Tell me... about Regina..."
The pirate couldn't help but nod and started "Ah yes, Regina. Apparently she ruled unopposed in a place called Storybrooke, until the cat broke the curse. Apparently despite the curse being broken, Regina and her victims are still there. The cat speculated that she may be dethroned by now. Also, apparently Regina adopted a boy to be her son,"
Rolling her eyes (the movement intensified by her thick amount of mascara on her lashes) Cora shook her head no softly, as to not misplace a single hair in her perfectly situated style, clearly not happy with Killian's response.
"You speak candidly, Pirate. You are going to tell me everything, and you are going to start from the beginning. Now. What all did The Cat say?"
Vicier Demigod at heart <3
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YoshiSkittlez' Jefferson Madden and Vicier's Alice Liddell
The very moment Jefferson Madden stepped foot outside, he was greeted with an almost overwhelming amount of fresh air in comparison to the stuffed-up, humid air he had been sharing with four other people in a house built comfortably for only two for the last few hours. Almost forgetting that Alice had followed him outside, he paused after shutting the door on the mushroom house and simply inhaled a deep breath, stretching his lanky limbs as far out as they could go. He may have had some rather... bitter feelings towards Wonderland, but it would always be his home, and there wasn't any other air quite like Wonderland.
With a renewed vigor now pumping through his bloodstream with the increase of fresh oxygen, Jefferson turned his head to look down at Alice (she being more than a head shorter than he) and gave her a wide grin, reaching ear to ear. He had counted on being alone for a while, but should anyone have followed him out, he was glad it was her. True he may have been closer with Edric, even now despite their minor differences they were starting to recognize in one another, but Alice had always been that welcome reprieve from the antics of Edric; the little sister that was always there, but necessary to make the friendship between 'brothers' that much stronger.
Keeping his smile, Jefferson extended out a hand, gesturing for Alice to take the lead. Where? He did not know. Anywhere would be fine. Anywhere away from those that would continually remind him of this... Storybrooke... of his Grace...
The odd duo took a somewhat inlaid path down and away from the Liddel's mushroom house, down the small hill that the home rested on and followed the path up again on a larger hill. The long, blue grass started taking over more and more of the path, leaving the two to create their own as they made the slight incline up to the top of the hill where a single, knotted, warped tree had rooted, a single branch extending out it's arm just a foot or so above Jefferson's head; even with his hat. Coming to a stop, though he knew not why, Jefferson removed his top hat from his head and spun it around his fingertips a few times before tossing it to the side like a frisbee, watching it land in the tall blue grass just a few feet away from them.
The sun was well past setting, the moon peeking through the dark purple clouds that rolled by making the light of the moon take on a florescent pink color, casting all sorts of glorious shades on the shadows of the grass and the knotted tree they were standing just underneath. Nearby, a handful of different clusters of fireflies blinked their various colors. Greens, blues, oranges, yellows... all twinkling their differed colors in their altered patterns.
"You know..." Jefferson said staring out at the break in clouds where the moonlight managed to stream through to illuminate the plane of grass out before them. "It's nights like these that make me miss Wonderland... if even for just a moment..."
Closing her eyes as she lifted her head up she took in a deep breath of the fresh air, her ever warm smile seeming to grow even wider over her lips as she quickly moved on ahead of him, her arm lifting up as she reached the top of the hill, her hand pressing lightly against the trunk of the tree as she tilted her head, her eyes seeming to glisten slightly as she looked out over the view that was lain out before them. Turning her body slightly so that she was looking back over her shoulder at him her lips parted slightly, her head tilting gently as her free hand played lightly with the skirt of her dress, "I know what you mean, it feels really good to be back home. I can't ever imagine leaving it again Hatter... everything is just so beautiful here, I've missed it all..."
Dropping her skirt back down she lifted her arm up, gently brushing some of her long locks of hair back off her face before she neatly tucked them behind her ear, her attention turning back to the amazing view of their homeland spread out before them, "Every little blade of the blue grass... the sweet songs that float through the air on the breeze... the fireflies that light up the night... just everything... I've missed it all..."
Turning her head back around so that she could once more see him, she let her eyes meet his for a few moments, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as her features seemed to light up, "..Especially you Hatter..."
Her compliment to his company had Jefferson's smile coming back across his face, looking over at her over his shoulder where the light of the moon lit up her features in a colorful display of beauty. A soft breeze picked up throughout the plain, a ripple coming across the blue grass which had each blade striking a harmonic tune that when all-together, sounded much like a song which caught Jefferson's attention right back in front of him.
"Heh, Bluegrass..." Shaking his head, Jefferson picked up his feet and carried himself over to the knotted tree where Alice was still standing, tilting his head to the side as he thought over her words carefully. "You very well could stay here for the remainder of your days, Little Rabbit. Edric and me... well... we have to leave. From the sounds of it, tomorrow. Whatever your brother's concerns are in Storybrooke that would pull him back are his own, but I have Grace. Regina tore her away from me, and now I have to get her back. I can't leave her there, or depend on someone else to bring her back to me." Sighing, Jefferson looked away from Alice for a moment, simply staring at the clouds overhead near the parting for the moon. "The Queen of Hearts is still around... somewhere. If she ever catches wind that you are still alive..." Jefferson stopped, shaking his head as he turned back to look at her. "It's not safe for you here... not alone anyway. I could ask you to come along to Storybrooke with us again, but the invitation has already been laid out. It may not be any safer there for you than it is here, but at least you would have people looking out for you. Your brother... me..."
Tearing her gaze away from him she lowered it to the view before them, her soft pink lips parting slightly as she let her hand slide lightly down the trunk of the knotted tree, her other arm coming up to nervously play with the necklace that rested softly against her skin, "He left me Hatter... I was so very frightened, all I could think about was the fact that death was waiting for me... and he left me... He turned tail and ran..."
Her lower lip trembled slightly as she tried her best to push the thoughts of that day, and the days that followed to the very back of her mind, not wanting to have to think about them too much even though she knew that eventually she would have to, "All that time that I was locked away in that dungeon... I thought I would never see you again... never hear you say the words 'Little Rabbit' again... I know you just want me to be safe, and I know that I'm going to have to be really careful because of the Queen, but... I don't know if I can trust him enough to leave with you both..."
Jefferson's neutral expression began to turn into an outright frown, her mention of 'dungeon' taking his thoughts to the years she was locked up by the hand of Rumpelstiltskin. He had done his own time as a prisoner, even had his head completely removed for a while, literally! But he had lost himself to madness and that... that at least made the last five years tolerable. Alice seemed completely mentally intact. Well, as intact as he could remember her being before he had presumed her dead. But not only had she spent time as Rumpelstiltskin's prisoner, but The Queen of Hearts and even in the end, Regina's through her curse. Three different captors - always a prisoner.
Feeling an odd sense of protectiveness coming over him, Jefferson took a single step towards her, his right arm wrapping around her back and pulled her into him, practically crushing her into his chest for a close hug; as though the action would make all her bad memories go away or at least his own bad memories he held for her. She seemed fine, but she had always had a hardened shell around her; it was always difficult to know just how Alice Lidell was feeling, so maybe he was just doing this for himself. He had felt protective of Alice before, but this time there was something... he didn't even know how to explain it other than 'different.'
Moving his free hand to hold the back of her head delicately, he held her there in his embrace, resting the bottom of his chin to the top of her head, getting in a whiff of the smell of her hair as the breeze picked up lightly once again.
"It's alright, Little Rabbit. I know what Edric did. I myself have some bitter feelings towards your brother at the present moment because of what he did to you. But I'm not going there for him. I'm going there for me, for my Grace. I only wish that you can be looked after, safely, while I'm gone but when I moved- when I left Wonderland... there isn't a single person I trust with doing that save for myself. Not here. And everyone I would have gone to in The Enchanted Forest has been cursed to Storybrooke." He paused, pulling his arm that was wrapped around her back to push her into him a bit tighter in a gentle squeeze. "I thought I lost you to death once, I can't do it again."
Lowering her head further down so that her chin was almost resting against her chest she closed her eyes, her breath catching in her throat and her hands coming up to rest lightly against his chest as she felt his arm wrap around her waist, her body turning and falling into his own as he gave her a gentle tug in hopes that he could make her feel better than she was at the current moment, the sweet action causing her eyes to sting as tears began to form threatening to overflow, "Hatter..."
Hearing his kind words of comfort to surround her she shut her eyes even tighter than she had already done, allowing the tears that she had been so determined to hold back to flow down her cheeks as she buried her face into his chest, her body pressing willingly closer and harder against his as she felt his grip tightening around her, "Hatter... I never wish to be away from your company again... I could not stand to lose anymore time with you than I have already been forced to miss..."
Tilting his head down so that his mouth was firmly pressed into the top of her brown hair (though not kissing it, merely resting) he closed his own eyes, feeling the sting of tears coming on as he heard her voice cracking as her own tears started to shed. This wasn't right. This was supposed to be Edric's job, her true brother, to comfort her fears and make her feel safe. But the coward had already made a mess of things, to both of them. Keeping his own tears at bay, he breathed out heavily through his nose, causing a few strands of her brown locks to sway at the push of air. He pushed his lips to kiss at her crown, a sweet gesture between friends or even something father and daughter shared in a moment of love and concern.
"Then come with me. I can't stay here, you know that. I can't abandon Grace. But if you come with me, then I can promise you one thing- that I will never leave your side, and to always protect you. Regina and Rumpelstiltskin may be there, but I will never, never let them harm you. Not again."
Curling her fingers slightly as she took a hold of the front of his top she tightened her grip and pressed her body even closer against his, the young woman savoring the feeling that she got from being in his arms, his strong but still ever gentle embrace making her feel welcome... safe, unlike the embrace that she had shared with her brother upon first laying eyes on him again. Lifting her head up slowly so that she was resting her chin softly against his chest, her eyes opening slowly as she turned her gaze up to meet with his own, a small and slightly shy smile playing over her lips through the pain that was still fresh in her mind about the things she wanted nothing more than to forget and leave behind.
"That's all I could ever truly wish for Hatter... To spend the rest of my days with you, and Grace... even with Edric... But I don't know if I can. You already have Grace to look after when you return, I can't ask you to look after me as well..." Taking a deep breath she dropped her gaze back down to her hands before she let it out slowly, her eyes saddening slightly as she stared at her fingers playing with his top, "I don't know... There's always Dodo's offer... Though no one seems to agree with it..."
"I don't trust Dodo." Jefferson replied blatantly, his voice raising a fraction as the small fears of what he knew Dodo to be capable of started to arise in his mind. He caught onto it quickly, however, and sighed to bring himself back to a neutral level. He moved his hand that had been holding the back of her head to tilt up her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him though he did it gently. "I don't want to leave you here Alice. Not with Dodo, not with anyone. Please, you have to trust me. I can look after you and Grace, just as I looked after Grace and her mother before she decided to leave for her own reasons. I may stumble, I may fall, but I won't ever give up. Not on Grace. Not on you. Should the worst ever happen, it won't be from lack of effort."
Lifting her gaze back up to meet his as he guided her head up lightly with his finger, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she felt her heart stumble lightly in her chest, the young woman not sure as to why she was suddenly feeling so nervous around the man that she had known her whole life, "I do trust you Hatter, and right now, I trust you more than anyone else that I know... If you say that you can do this, then I shall return to live in Storybrooke with you, Grace and Edric... But my heart is still too weary to trust him..."
Managing to blink away the remaining tears that went unshed from his eyes, Jefferson continued to look back down into her bright blues and smiled, moving his hand that had been tilting up her head to hold the other side of her waist. "Good. Saves me from having to track down a genie." He quipped, his famous smile returning to his face that reached his eyes. "I wouldn't know what to do with the other two wishes anyway, except to maybe help your relationship with your brother. But I'd never entrust a wish like that to a genie. Such finicky things they are, wishes..."
"Hatter... My heart... It feels strange..." Biting her lower lip as she felt her heart once more stumbling in her chest at his dazzling smile, her gaze dropped from his for only a moment to rest on her hands as her cheeks took on a soft tinge of red, her stomach churning nervously as she forced herself to once more meet his gaze, her lip slipping from between her teeth as she tried to think of a better way of explaining what she meant.
"My heart... it feels as though it's trying to take off in flight. It keeps stumbling, like the wings of a hummingbird when it first learns to fly... I don't understand this feeling that I seem to get when I'm around you..." Pausing for a moment as she collected her thoughts she searched his eyes, looking for some kind of answer as to what it possibly was that she was feeling, "Please... tell me what this is so that I can better understand what it is that my heart is trying to tell me..."
He had to chuckle at that, because he hadn't even noticed until Alice had said something that his own heart was feeling the exact same way. Butterflies. Or in the case of Wonderland; breadandbutterflies. He was confused at first, but he had learned long ago that making sense of feelings was a conundrum best left alone, even in Wonderland. Easing up on his protective hold on her, he moved a hand from her waist to take hold of hers, placing both of them on his chest and over his heart with her palm pressing flat with his hand on top of hers, able to feel his own heart beating rapidly.
"Only if you can tell me the same thing, Little Rabbit."
He had always loved Alice, for as long as he could remember. She was the little sister in the relationship between a brotherly friendship. But that had been years ago. Being with Alice now... after such a long time... he never thought those feelings would change, but it seemed as though they had; developed into something more. Something stronger.
Lowering her gaze ever so slightly so that she was staring down at their hands resting on his chest, her soft pink lips parted, a small and gentle smile playing over her lips as her body relaxed into his, the constant beating of his heart within his chest only causing her own to grow even wilder with every beat, her voice soft and almost nothing more than a whisper as she spoke mainly to herself, quoting something that she had read during her time spent living in Storybrooke.
"I love you... without knowing how, or when... or from where..." Pausing for a moment she tilted her head only slightly, her eyes softening with each word that she spoke, both her heart and her mind seeming to tell her that what she was saying was nothing more than the truth in the matter, "I love you simply... without problems or pride; I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this... in which there is no I or you... so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand..."
Curling her fingers slightly under his hand as she continued to speak, her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, her gaze staying fixated upon their hands as she did her best to think about whether or not she should meet his gaze, the young woman only now realizing that in their close proximity, he would have heard each and every word which she had to utter about how she felt, "..so intimate that when I fall asleep, your eyes close..."
Jefferson's ears turned a brilliant shade of red, though the only indication being the sudden sting of warmth coming from them as his ears were covered up by the mop of brown hair on his head. However, his blush continued over his ears, into his cheeks, down his neck and straight down into his heart where it fueled the frantically beating organ into something fierce. And that wasn't something he could keep hidden with his hair. He knew they were not words of her own, but a quote of some kind. It didn't matter, for they had come to her in this very precise moment.
With his free hand, he moved it to place his finger back on the bottom of her chin, tilting her head up to look back at him once more. Searching her own blues with his, looking for something, he quietly and simply whispered, "Indulge me." Slowly, inch by inch, he bent his neck forward, his head coming closer to hers. His eyes never left hers, unable to help but to wonder if she would find what he was about to do at all offensive. It was a very thin line they were walking on; between family and friend. He just wasn't sure which side of the line she was standing and until very recently, neither did he.
He continued pushing forward until the breath of his lips fanned against hers, skin mere millimeters apart and stopped. He waited. For what, he wasn't sure, but as the moments seemed to tick on for an eternity, he closed the gap and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, feather-light kiss, almost non-existent.
Tearing her attention away from their hands as she felt him gently guide her head back up by her chin, she let her gaze return once more to his own, her heart fluttering slightly at the intense look that seemed to be taking over his eyes, as though he was searching for answers to questions that he wasn't wishing to ask... or was just too afraid or nervous to find out the answers too, "Indulge you..."
Unsure at first, her breath caught in her throat as she finally clicked on to what it was he was actually asking her to do, her light blue orbs never leaving him as she watched him slowly leaning into her, inch by inch bringing his lips closer towards her own as he worked to close the gap that was left between them. Extending her neck only slightly, she lifted herself up onto the balls of her feet, her lips connecting with his in a gentle kiss that until this very moment, she would never have believed would have happened under any possible circumstances. Even now it felt like a dream; a sweet, sweet dream... one that she never wanted to wake from.
Sliding both her hands up and over his chest, she allowed herself to melt into him; her right hand resting on his shoulder, while her left continued up further, curving slightly as she slid it around the back of his neck. Tilting her head slightly, she couldn't help herself as she took another step closer towards him, her eyes fluttering closed as she put a little more force behind her lips, her heart craving for more attention, begging for more from him.
A flooding warmness enveloped his entire body then as Alice pushed herself forward into him, deepening their kiss. He felt as though his entire being was blushing fiercely; even more so now that his previous blush had been completely washed over with this new feeling. A tingling sensation started at his lips and pooled down through his veins and into his chest, making it tighten, but her hand sliding up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck seemed to loosen those knots almost immediately.
Removing his hand from her chin he wrapped it around her back gently, holding her to him, helping to stabilize her given their height difference as she was forced onto the balls of her feet. Keeping their lips together, feeling the want as she was kissing him back, he pulled away from a breath of a moment and pressed his forehead down onto hers. Their noses touched and their eyes connected, simply looking at one another until Jefferson broke out into a sudden, manic grin.
Furrowing her brows slightly as she felt him pulling away, she reluctantly tilted her head downwards, her forehead pressing gently back against his own forehead as she lightly let the tip of her nose brush back and forth over his, her chest rising and falling quickly as she did her best to catch her breath once more, the grip that her arms had around his neck refusing to let up as she made her choice, the woman not wishing to be apart from him any longer than she already had, "I-... I never in a million years... would have believed that I would want nothing more than to be held fast in your arms in such a way as this... to feel this wanted... to feel safe again... I have no doubts now that what I feel for you is love..."
The tightening he had felt in his chest a few moments ago returned in full vigor, forcing his heavy-lidded eyes to open a fraction more in a short surprise. In that precise moment, Alice, his Little Rabbit, had never looked more adult, mature and altogether absolutely beautiful in the many, many years he had known her. She had always been a girl of exceptional beauty even in her younger years, though a bit on the odd side. It didn't matter. As he held her now, close to him and feeling her heartbeat keeping perfect time with his against his chest, he upheld his grin and kept their foreheads together.
"My Little Rabbit... My Alice..." He breathed out, using her proper name for perhaps the first time since he had given her a nickname so many years ago. "I love you too."
Unable to help the small smile that crossed over her lips, lighting up her features and causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle slightly as she leant in, her lips pressing gently against his once more, his words sending her heart into a frenzy that she both couldn't and didn't want to even attempt to explain to anyone. It felt so right, so natural; like nothing else but this single moment, right here and now, mattered at all... and all that did was just the two of them.
Breaking away from him once again, gently brushing the tip of her nose over his as she did her best not to come across as stranger than she usually was, the five years having spent as a nun showing her just how different she truly was from the others she had been forced to spend her time with, "Jefferson... My dear, dear Hatter... Your words make me happier than even the brightest star, shining in the night sky above the mushroom fields we used to spend hours walking about together..."
Jefferson was only too eager to kiss her back, taking smaller liberties than he had before in their first kiss and pressing his lips to hers harder, already feeling more and more comfortable with this seemingly new method of contact between the two of them. When they broke apart, and she spoke with the fluid word phrase he truly had no idea where she had gotten in the first place, he couldn't help but to let out an airy chuckle. He raised his head up and let it fall back, his throat and the scar that wrapped all the way around completely exposed to her as he stared up into the sky, laughing still.
"Except there was always three of us. Ah, Edric is going to kill me!"
"My brother has not had any say in my life over the past five years that have been lost and left behind..." Closing her eyes slowly, she lowered her head down slightly, her lips brushing lightly against his neck leaving a gentle trail behind before she come to a stop, her head turning to the side as she let it rest against the nape of his neck, "And until he once more gains the trust and loyalty that he once held in my eyes and that he blatantly threw aside that day... I do not see why he should have any say in what I choose for my life now. He lost that privilege, why should I allow him it once more..."
"Because you love him?" Jefferson asked, more of in a statement than a question, trying to push away the goose-flesh that crossed over his skin at her gentle kisses across his neck. Even years now after his own beheading, the scars, both physical and mental remained, leaving them both still a bit tender. He allowed both hands to wrap around her in a gentle hold, resting his stubbled cheek on the top of her head. He loved Alice. That much he was certain of now on a more profound level, but his loyalties to Edric were just as strong... even if he was a moronic, womanizing bastard.
"I... do love him..." Her smile faded slightly as she thought about her brother, and how best to word the feelings that she had about him to the one that she now knew that she loved, her mind doing its best to try and figure out how best to fit her brother back into the picture now that she knew what she wanted, "Families are messy... I realize that, and accept it... and I know that sometimes the best we can do, is to remind each other that we're related, for better or for worse... Not to mention, try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum..."
Lowering her gaze slightly, her arm slipped down from around his neck, sliding down until her hand came to a rest upon his chest, her eyes lingering on her fingers as a soft sigh slipped through her lips, "But his betrayal to me runs deep and will not be easily forgotten... Maybe one day, I will find it in my heart to forgive him... but today is not that day..."
"Take your time, Little Rabbit." Jefferson said raising his head up from its resting position on her head. He in turn looked down at her, finding the way the remains of her blush across her cheeks almost breathtaking. Eyes flickering down to her hands resting on his chest, feeling his heart doing a sort of flip-flop at the sight, he moved his attention to his arms wrapped so intimately around her. He had to stop and wonder just why the hell they hadn't done this before.
His eyes moved back up to hers, a smirk coming across his lips then as he finished his statement with, "I get pissed off at him all the time too." It was a light joke; he knew the severity of what Edric had done, to break the close-knit ties he had created with his sister with one single action. But to allow Alice to dwell on such thoughts would bring a frown to her face, and that was not something he wanted to see ever again.
A small and gentle smile danced over her lips once more at his light-hearted words, causing her to reach her hand up so that she could softly caress his cheek, her thumb lightly brushing back and forth over the skin under his eyes, "As you wish... Also... please forgive me for the stress that I know I've no doubted put on the relationship that you and Edric share... Up until now, I have only been thinking of myself, my time in solitude undoubtedly making me selfish for your attention..."
Lifting her head back up she let her gaze once more catch onto his, her head tilting to the side slightly as she softened her gaze, a flicker of sadness crossing over them as she thought about the strain she had put on him and her brother because of this, "I have done wrong by you and my brother, Hatter... For that I apologize..."
Jeferson merely shrugged his shoulders, though lightly as to not shift her position of her arms or hands on his body.
"Hey, he'll come around sooner or later. I'm not too worried. You can't apologize for what's in your heart." He answered truthfully, taking a moment to lift one of his hands to hold hers that had his cheek cupped, bringing it towards his lips and kissed the top of her hand, keeping his eyes trained on hers. "Besides, whatever he can do to me... I've had worse." He chuckled, feeling the slight sting in the scar around his neck. He dropped her hand gently and returned his own hand to the position he once had it around her waist.
"My Jefferson... My sweet Jefferson..." Biting her lip softly as she felt him lift her hand up to his lips, she couldn't help the soft shade of red that crossed over her cheeks again, her heart fluttering slightly as she gazed back into his eyes, "You have been through so much, I feel so helpless knowing that I was unable to be here for you... Had I not run into the Queens guards, none of this would have happened... and we would never have been parted from one another."
Taking a step back from him, she kept hold of his hand, pulling on it gently as she moved backwards and closer to the trunk of the tree, her back pressing lightly against it before she dropped her head back against the bark, "Would things have been so different otherwise..?"
"Could be." Jefferson admitted, letting her lead him back to the tree and watched her get settled there, letting her hand drop from his though he kept close to her. Bending forward a bit, he pressed his lips to her temple, planting a soft kiss before he moved to her side to rest his own back against the trunk of the knotted tree, shifting a few times before he found a spot where the twists and curls within the bark weren't jabbing into his back too much. "There are a great many things I wish never happened. But then again, as I sit and ponder as I do, I realized that fate is inevitable. Had you not run into The Queen of Hearts' Guards, something else would have happened, something else that would have kept us apart for the same duration, or perhaps even longer; forever even." He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest and kicking back one of his boots to rest against the trunk of the tree behind him.
Furrowing her brows as her smile dropped completely from her face, she shook her head softly, her body turning against the tree so that she was now facing him completely, her eyes meeting his, her expression showing him that to her, such a thing... such a path in life, a path without him in it... to her it would be nothing short of unforgivable, "If that was the case, then I take it all back..!"
Reaching up she placed her hand lightly on his neck, her fingers curling slightly to match the line of his neck, while her eyes seared his, unafraid to show the panic that was could clearly be heard behind her words, "I would do nothing differently... change not a single thing, if it meant that I would be able to spend the rest of my life by your side..."
His heart fluttered, and for a moment, Jefferson had to wonder if his heart would ever be able to beat normally again with her by his side. Bending his neck back a bit to embrace her hold on him, he let out a content sigh before pushing himself back to sit up straight and then hunkered himself down a bit to accommodate to her (smaller) height. He brushed away her hair covering the left side of her neck and planted a firm kiss at the juncture of her shoulder and neck.
"The rest of your life, hmm?" He asked quietly, moving his lips up an inch to kiss her there. "A topic we will have to revisit once I'm sure Edric doesn't run me through." His lips moved up another inch, just below her earlobe and kissed her there firmly, trying to pull her mind away from those thoughts she held onto, the ones that had her frowning, and in a small panic.
Pushing himself away from her, just a bit, enough to take both her hands to hold in his gently, he looked down into her eyes, taking on a serious expression once more.
"You told me not moments ago that you trust me, Little Rabbit..."
"Yes..." Shifting slightly against the trunk of the tree so that she was a bit more comfortable, her heart fluttered lightly, her light blue orbs gazing deeply into his own, unable to pull them away for any reason, though in fear that she may lose herself to them. Nodding softly, she leant forward but a fraction, her thumbs brushing lightly back and forth over the skin of his hands, her lips parting as she tilted her head slightly, her long brown locks falling down over her shoulder, "With all my heart, and all of me... I trust you..."
"Then trust me when I say that Edric thinks of little else; how he wishes he could go back and change what he did. He knows he did wrong by you and he knows what he did was unforgivable. So trust me when I say that he is truly and deeply sorry. And trust me when I say that he will never make that mistake, or any like it, ever again."
"If that is what you see, and what you truly believe... then I shall find it in myself to give him a second chance... And in turn, I shall indeed return with you both to Storybrooke." Tightening her grip on his hands, her lips turned up in a small but weary smile, her hands twisting slightly until she was able to entwine her fingers with his, the young woman seeming lost in her own thoughts until she focused again, her expression changing slightly as she once more let her smile become more natural, "Although, upon my return, I think I shall give up on my profession as a nun... Thinking about it now, I do not believe that I am suited to that particular lifestyle..."
Offering a light chuckle, Jefferson, still holding onto her hands, pulled her away from the tree and began the walk back down the knotted tree hill (after collecting the faux top-hat) and back to the mushroom house where Edric, Snow and Killian were still, though they had probably long gone to bed by now.
Reaching the mushroom stem door, Jefferson opened it up for Alice, letting her in before he followed inside. Spotting Killian and Snow in the center of the living room, 'camped out' with a plethora of blankets and pillows, Jefferson smirked a bit to himself, wondering just how much longer this 'peaceful' reverie would last before things got all topsy-turvey again.
Walking Alice to the foot of the staircase, he gave her a simple kiss on her cheek and wished her goodnight, planning on joining in with Snow and Killian on the floor of the living room. He wasn't quite sure where Edric had ended up, more than likely having taken up his old room upstairs where Alice's was also.
Watching her retreat up the stairs, Jefferson stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels, unable to keep the sly grin off his face as he thought back on his good fortune. Alice was back in his life in more ways than he could have ever hoped... and Grace would soon be with him again as well.
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