Something fell different. Something felt of. Like the curse was having a blackout and needed time to recover from it. The floor groaned under his feet as he ran up the stairs. Dust flew up in the wind his fluttering coat made in his hurry to get to the attic. The hatter had a grin playing on his face. Something must have happened and he was secretly - not so secretly - hoping that a car had hit the Queen (and that hope was in no way sadistic or murderous).
The hatter placed his right eye on the telescope that stood on a long metal base so it stuck half out the window. It was the only item in the room that wasn't covered in a thick layer of dust and spider webbing. Jefferson had looked through that lens a million times, but only a few hours a day could he catch a glance of his daughter. The queen had given him a perfect view on the house of Grace's new family. Enabling the hatter to slowly go mad as he watched his daughter be happy with another father - one that hadn't abandoned her.
Jefferson searched every part of the town for something new, something different. But no matter what window he placed the telescope through, everything looked normal.
A loud thump sounded through the house as he pounded his fist against the wall. His head hang low in defeat. He couldn't leave the house, couldn't go to the town, were his view wasn't blocked by a whole forest of trees, to investigate. The hatter was cursed to be forever stuck in this house with two lives in his head. Even if he could go out he wouldn't be able to live a real, not depressing live as everyone would deem him a stranger and a lunatic. Not even his own daughter remembered him.
His head was on the brink of exploding. It was hard to fit one live in a head and trying to fit a second in was just plain out crazy - and that meant a lot coming from the mad hatter. Jefferson felt like dying, but he knew his attempts would be pointless since the curse didn't allow one to find eternal peace.
About to break his normal routine of trying to leave the house and instead plopping face down on bed.
Wait. Leaving the house! Resisting hitting him on the head for being so stupid - he couldn't risk pounding too hard and fainting or plain out forgetting his idea - Jefferson made his way to the door. The dark painted wood opened with a loud shriek. The big hinges of the heavy door were old and covered in layers rust. Jefferson had tried so many times to leave, but had only hurt himself in the proces. Maybe now was different. The curse felt weakened, like someone had hit it with some really powerful magic.
A nervous sigh escaped his thin lips. This was it, the moment of truth. Jefferson inhaled deep, like he hadn't breathed in years and took a robotic first step out of the house. And… nothing happened. There was no blood that flooded out of every possible place nor any sudden heart attacks or crazy headaches accompanied by a nauseating feeling. No. The hatter was free! Finally could he leave the dead man's trap that was his so-called home. Finally was he able to breath the heaven sent of the forest instead of the musky, filthy stench of old wood he'd gotten used to.
Later in the town, he found out the something that had changed was the arrival of a new player on Regina's battlefield. None other than the savior herself. Emma Swan, born to protect the good inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest/Storybrooke. Just one problem: she didn't believe.
What was needed was a plan to make her save the day. A lunatic's plan.