Disclaimer: I do not own any of the right to Once. This story includes the character of Priscilla, a character introduced in the official graphic novel "In to the Past". I have not read this story and any similarities are completely coincidental. English is not my first language so excuse any mistakes, also bare in mind that some word choice may be British English rather than American English. I was inspired to writing this story upon reading another Jefferson/OC story titled strange and beautiful (i'll put a spell on you) by ohitherekate over at AO3. I highly recommend it if this sort of stuff interests you.

Enjoy! Feedback and motivational comments are always appreciated :)

Chapter 1: Reunited

*Present Day*

He inched his way closer almost touching the tree separating him from his ultimate target. As the large yellow vehicle drew to a stop with a loud puff the doors opened to reveal a swarm of young children jumping off with joy and turning in various directions to proceed with their day in search of their homes and parents. Just when the man was about to turn his gaze, he saw her, and the world froze almost immediately. Though it was already a known fact that during the past 28 years no time had passed and it made sense for everyone to look almost identical, he couldn't help but feel as if the girl a few feet in front of him had visibly changed. Her hair was slightly shorter (due to the haircut she had received three weeks ago) and her step was noticeably lighter. The girl he was looking upon was not the same, no longer his own. From afar these differences were made undetectable but from this close of a proximity it was impossible to ignore. Here she was carefree, her unadulterated happiness overflowing from her pure smile. What if he chose not to approach her? There was still time to turn back. Why was he foolish enough to think that going to her and revealing himself after all that has happened was a good idea? He could ruin her life with a simple glance and that was not something he was prepared for.

Just as the tall man was about to turn back and walk away he caught a glimpse of the girl once more. Upon further inspection of her delicate and fragile features he noticed a glimmer of sadness behind her well executed smile which she was gifting to her peers. Her steps lost their costumed confidence and she no longer looked content but rather lost and abandoned. His heart shattered as he noticed these micro imperfections which she so cleverly tried to bury and with a slight hesitancy he took a few steps forward revealing his full form from behind the tree, breathing in deeply in an attempt to calm the wave of emotions boiling inside of him.

"Grace?" he uttered with a quiver in his voice, his face still filled with uncertainty as to how she would react to his call.

He was fully aware of how much he hurt her. Leaving her completely alone due to his greed and foolish trust in the Evil Queen, spying on her and following her each day instead of acting to get her back and now, hiding instead of running to get her back the minute the curse was broken. At this moment Jefferson didn't believe that he was worthy getting her back and he was ready to take the blame for everything, knowing that if she resented him he would rather suffer than cause her more pain.

The petite girl halted in her step at the sound of his hushed statement, knowing exactly who was addressing her. She turned against the current of the crowd of children as she took in the sight of her father before her. For a split second her face showed no emotion making Jefferson frantically try to read her expression so that he could act accordingly to her wishes and treat the situation as to allow her absolute control. He vowed to himself in this moment that from this day forward he will not make any decision without considering the greater good of his daughter, the same promise that he made to his wife all those years ago and effectively broke not long before the curse.

Bearing a genuine full smile Grace began to sprint towards Jefferson, catching him by surprise as she crashed into his outstretched arms which responded to her actions instinctively. As the hatter captured his offspring in his grasp a flood of pre-curse memories drowned his mind.

"Papa!" she exclaimed "You found me, I knew you would."

This exact second was what kept him focused on his goal. This was the instant which he replayed in his mind as a prisoner of Wonderland and later Storybrooke. The hope that one day he would be reunited with his daughter and earn her forgiveness for all the terrible things he did which led to their separation. His grasp tightened as he was no longer able to conceal his pure joy and relief which quickly resulted in soft tears leaving his pupils and decorating his cheeks. Years of suffering, madness and desperation were finally rewarded with this simple gesture from the girl currently lost in his arms. He could physically feel her love for him radiating off her embrace with so much force that he was knocked back on his knees as a way to maintain his grasp on the situation. It felt like years had passed until Jefferson lifted himself off the ground, maintaining a firm yet loving grasp on Grace. Once he began carrying her to his car, parked at the end of the streat and filled to the brim with an assortment of fluffy toy rabbits and various china play tea sets, Jefferson considered himself to be the luckiest man alive.

* 15 years before the curse *

The hatter run as fast as he could, his long black coat trailing after him and mirroring his actions as he jumped over fallen tree trunks which covered the yellow brick road beneath his feet. Every once in a while his hat shifted an inch, threatening to get lost in the dust cloud behind him causing the man to grip it with one hand while using the other to protect the small brown sack tied around his chest. The crystal ball hidden within slammed into his hip which would have greatly bothered if he was not currently being chased by a fleet of flying monkeys sent by the Wicked Queen in hope of retrieving her stolen possession and enacting her planned revenge on the man who dared to steal it.

Given the nature of Jefferson's job, this sort of situation was a frequent occurrence. Who knew that people were less than thrilled when someone broke into their place of residence and left with a valuable possession? The hatter would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy the rush of adrenaline that passed through his veins whenever an assignment veered off the path of being a simple fetch-and-run job and became somewhat increasingly perilous.

As Jefferson continued to expertly navigate the forest leading out of Emerald City (he always made sure to grow familiar with a location before committing the crime), the flying monkey mutants were getting closer by the second. Once the criminal spotted the flat field which he had previously decided was ideal for opening the portal to escape, he used the remainder of his strength to build his speed before coming to a frantic halt. The young portal jumper proceeded to removed the large black top hat which was now dripping with his sweat and set it on the ground in front of him. With one last look at the mass of deadly animals growing closer by the second, the hatter span his hat and offering a grand bow to his "audience" he jumped into the black hole surrounded by thick purple smoke.

The next thing he saw was the familiar internal surrounding of the magic headpiece. The door to Oz was once more covered with the emerald curtain which flowed slightly in the cool breath of the hat. As a way to regain his strength and compose himself before returning to his land, the hatter sat down on the cold marble floor and attempted to straighten his short yet wild hazelnut hair. The stolen artefact was still concealed within the pouch and the man began to wonder whether he should return the object immediately to his client or keep it for a moment more in order to make it seem as if the job was more difficult and thus hopefully yield a larger reward. Being the selfish man that he didn't object to being, he chose the latter and turned to the door which led to the Enchanted Forest as he whispered his desired destination. Returning to his home (a run down hovel which he considered anything but a home) would have been a risky choice as the Dark One would be able to track him and know that he was being untruthful to his word. But a random village situated near the Royal Palace seemed like a safe enough bet. With that, the man stepped over the threshold of the door symbolizing the Enchanted Forest and felt as the magic of the hat slipped over his skin, transporting him onto the other side.

Jefferson proceeded to elegantly step out of the door-shaped portal, however, his carelessness to look around before stepping forward resulted in him knocking over a young woman in mid sprint. As he turned to the victim who was now on the ground desperately gathering up a set of jewelry and a few items of mismatched clothing which seemed to pour out of a large brown sack, Jefferson knelt and began murmuring a set of apologies whilst simultaneously picking up the seemingly random array of items.

"It's quite alright" the woman answered without even looking him in the eyes as she frantically searched to collect the entire contents of the bag.

If he hadn't known better, Jefferson would have assumed that she was a thief who was not far from her place of wrongdoing and was hurrying to escape before getting caught, but he knew better than to judge a book by its cover so he persisted in helping her to retrieve the last of the items from the ground. The slim woman grabbed the red and white ceramic jug from his outstretched hand and briefly looked at his eyes as a symbol of gratitude before running off into the distance with the brown sack on her shoulder. Though the look only lasted a few seconds at most, Jefferson felt an instant pull towards the woman. He was clueless as to what could have possibly elicited such a response as he noticed his gaze following her silhouette as she became engulfed by the thick forest before him. Her stained verdant dress was protected with a crimson cape which gave the illusion of a tropical bird flying into the horizon. Not long after the woman disappeared from sight did the hatter finally awoke from the hypnosis caused by the mystery woman. He shook his head, readjusted the hat on his head and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

A family consisting of a plump man, woman and their small child grew closer to him as he made his way through the village and before he could move out of their way (he was not a fan of social interaction) the man stopped in front of him. The heavy breathing alluded to the fact that they must be pursuing something and as the man placed his large sweaty palm on Jefferson's shoulder, breathing out in a sticky breath "Sir - did- uh - did you happen to -uh - did you happen to come across a young woman -uh this high" he stated waving his hand to match the height of the mystery woman Jefferson had come across not so long ago.

"She stole from me and my family Sir" the man continued, slowly but surely regaining his breath as his wife and child inched nearer.

"She had a large sack. She took everything Sir. Please help us good Sir" the poor man pleaded using the dosage of the formal pronoun to persuade Jefferson to aid the family in catching the culprit.

The hatter laughed to himself silently: he knew it. Whoever this woman was she was clearly an amature. Had Jefferson been as honest and trustworthy as he must have appeared to the man in front of him, he would have helped. Jefferson was not in any hurry nor was he of bad nature. In spite of this, Jefferson was a thief too and ratting out a fellow thief was usually considered indecent among the criminally gifted. Who was he to judge the actions of that woman if he himself had just returned from a spree of his own? With that he nodded his head and uttered a simple "She went that way" pointing in the opposite direction to the one the woman had been headed, before continuing on his way without a second glance at the helpless family now reunited and arguing between themselves about whose fault it was that they were stuck in this situation.

Once Jefferson finally found a secluded spot behind an old barn, he leaned against the unstable wooden walls and reached for the brown pouch by his side. As he grabbed for the item he immediately felt the absence of said pouch. His heart dropped as he began to madly search for the crystal ball which he was to return to Rumpelstiltskin before collecting his earnings. The bag was nowhere to be seen and just before he was about to retrace his steps in the unlikely event that he misplaced it along the way, the thought hit him. "Amature! Ha! Unlikely..." he chuckled as he commenced his search for the mystery woman, no longer doubting her thieving abilities.

*Present Day*

Jefferson reluctantly let go of his daughters grasp as he set her down once they reached his parked car. The former hatter smiled at Grace as he kneeled in front of her and gripping her shoulders whilst pointing at the backseat which was filled to the brim with countless toys. With a slow and compassionate voice he expressed "This is all yours my Grace. Every last one. You will never want for nothing ever again, I promise" the words falling out of his mouth smoothly, caused by the life long wish to be able to narrate these exact words to her.

Grace reacted with an equally excited and content smile as she wrapped her hands around his neck, kissing him on the cheek and whispering "Thank you papa but the only thing I truly want is to always be with you."

The hatter's tears were once more threatening to make an appearance as he kissed the top of her head. Typical Grace. The most selfless person he had ever met. She expressed the same words to him on the day that he chose to follow through with the Queen's request, a mistake that he vowed never to repeat. Now that he could give her everything he would stop at nothing to make her smile but he was no longer prepared to abandon her for this same privilege if somehow his fortune was to once more disintegrate.

After finally letting go of each other once more, Jefferson helped Grace into the passenger seat and jumped behind the wheel filled with excitement to at last share the luxurious life which Regina "gifted" him with through the creation of the curse. Now it was his turn to laugh and admire her hard work. Perhaps she really did keep her promise…

* 15 years before the curse *

The portal jumper reached a small town after a fair distanced journey from the village in which he discovered his stolen possession to be missing. To his surprise and obvious luck, the town was filled with merchants situated in a row of stalls in the town square. This fortunate turn of events meant that the mystery woman may have chosen to get rid of her loot quickly and effectively in exchange for money before continuing with her progress elsewhere.

"That's what I would have done" he thought to himself as he made his way across the various rows attempting to find the individual and deliver his work's fruit to his impatient client.

Each greedy merchant was yelling at the top of their lungs, advertising piles of worthless objects for much too high of a price. There was only one seller which did not participate in such foolish practice, automatically drawing the attention of the hatter. The individual was huddled over behind their stall with a rugged cloth covering their head and obstructing their face. To anyone else it would simply look like an old hag trying to make a few coins on her worthless possessions but as soon as he noticed the red and white ceramic jug balancing on the end of the crooked table, he knew exactly who it was.

Opting to take a slightly more exaggerated and theatrical attempt at retrieving his goods, Jefferson picked up the jug observing it carefully and turning to the figure whilst exclaiming "How much for the jug?"

The figure remained motionless and stated just loudly enough for him to hear "Two coppers."

"Isn't that price a little too high for a stolen item?" he replied with a smirk creeping onto his lips.

The caped figure slowly lifted its head to reveal the face of the mysterious woman, just as he had suspected. Before he had a chance to explain that he had no interest in her stolen goods and only wished to retrieve his pouch and crystal ball, the woman had already jumped to her feet, discarded the dust rag and bolted in the opposite direction knocking back passersby to clear her way. Jefferson followed her in hot pursuit getting closer and closer until he was close enough to grab her shoulder. The impact of the action mixed in with the speed of their running caused the woman to topple over with Jefferson just being able to maintain his balance. Before she had a chance to escape he was already tightly gripping her shoulders and pulling her up to stand.

"We must stop meeting like this" he stated in a confident tone, content with his catch.

"What do you want from me?" questioned the woman in an aggravated tone, snatching her shoulders from his hold.

"Listen I don't care what you stole from those people, I just want what you took from me. You give it back, I leave you to do whatever you please: simple."

"Wow, what a gentleman!" she replied sarcastically while brushing off the dust which her dress had collected from the ground upon her fall "But I don't have it anymore. I'll have you know it fetched me a handsome sum! So why don't you move along pretty boy and leave me alone" she replied with a sturdy color to her voice before turning on her heels and heading back to her unoccupied stall.

"What do you mean you don't have it?" the hatter demanded, grabbing her arm more forceful than before.

"Ow! I sold it! To that man" the woman pointed to a well-dressed man strolling between the rows of stalls and stopping ever so often to observe and object or two.

"Well then I guess you should go over there and get it back." Jefferson let go of her arm and folded his hands, his gaze never leaving the deep cerulean eyes of the woman.

"And why would I do that?" she responded equally confident and mirroring his stance with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Because I'm pretty sure that that poor family that you stole from will be here any minute now and it would be awfully sad for you to be caught by the king's guards if someone was to tell them of your recent pastimes."

Jefferson's statement seemed to resonate with the thief as she looked visibly worried of the statement coming true. Her angered features began to soften as she dropped her folded hands to rest on her hips before addressing him once more.

"Fine. I'll get your crystal globe. But you will leave me the hell alone after that!"

With that she walked off in the direction of the well-dressed stranger, her gait soft and feminine, a welcomed contrast to her precious hurried races as Jefferson noted. Once she approached the stranger, Jefferson opted to stand within ears reach. He saw her inch towards the pouch which hung from the man's arm as he stood bickering with an old merchant about the price of a metal pot. The woman's nimble fingers advanced towards the string of the pouch and begun untying the knot holding it connected and resting on the man's arm. Just as she was about to finish her task, a female merchant, situated opposite the stall where the man stood, noticed what was being done and took it upon herself to shout "Thief! Thief! Get her!"

Jefferson realized the situation which was about to erupt fast enough to react. Sprinting over to the now startled thief, he once more grabbed her by the shoulders whilst bumping into the targeted man who had already turned around to observe what was happening. As a large crowd began to accumulate including the pair of the king's guards tasked with patrolling the market, Jefferson covered the woman's long hair with the hood of her cape and moving his hand from her arm to her hand he breathed "Let's get out of here."

Whether he saw the nod she gave to him as a response or not it didn't matter as the pair struggled past the growing mob, breaking free and pursuing in the direction of the forest, all while subconsciously refusing to let go of each other's hands.

After running for what seemed like months, the pair finally came to a halt deep within the secluded forest. The sun was slowly setting, a peaceful sight for the two individuals gasping for breath. The young woman collapsed on the ground as she panted from the sheer exhaustion of their impromptu getaway. Jefferson proceeded to do the same, leaning against a thick oak in an attempt to calm his rapid breathing. After a few moments, from the corner of his ear, he heard the loud snap of a branch and without thinking projected himself towards the woman, covering her mouth and placing a finger on his lips to justify his action. Immediately understanding the situation, the woman referred from objecting and held her breath in an attempt to make as little noise as possible as a group of guards made their way down the forest path in search of the hooligans. Cleverly, the pair had non-verbally decided to navigate their way through the thick rows of trees rather than choosing the laid out path, enabling them to be well hidden from the guards and anyone else who made their way through the forest.

It didn't take long for the guards to move on with their search and advance further into the woodland. It took Jefferson a moment more to realise that his palm was still rested on the woman's gentle lips which caused him to withdraw his hand and lower his head in an attempt to hide the subtle blush that his cheeks began to display. In response, the woman shifted in her seat, either also embarrassed by the awkward situation or from simply being understandably uncomfortable in her current sitting position. Nevertheless, it was the young woman who chose to speak first, breaking the silence surrounding them which did not include the occasional birds chirp or insect creek.

"I'm sorry about your globe. Guess I should have known better than to steal from another thief."

This statement surprised Jefferson. He never told her he too was a thief. Was it really that obvious?

"How do you know I'm a thief?" he inquired.

"Aw come on! You don't exactly hide it. I don't believe that it was your first time in a situation like that given how well you knew how to deal with it."

Jefferson wasn't sure whether to accept this statement as a compliment or a criticism of his inability to hide his rather secretive job title.

"Well at least I get the job done more effectively than you" he replied in a slightly cocky manner as he outstretched his hand from within his coat pocket to reveal the crystal ball (sans sack).

"Wow, not bad" the woman replied with a genuine look of amazement before it faded into her trademark monotone expression which she has been wearing ever since they escaped "But you're forgetting one little thing, pretty boy, thanks to you I left all of my goods behind. Now you owe me."

In all honesty, Jefferson had completely forgotten of the young woman's stall which was left abandoned in their rush to outrun the authorities.

"My bad, but none of this would have happened had you not been tempted by your sticky fingers and decided to steal my possessions."

"Well" she added "Maybe you shouldn't have pushed me over when I was escaping. No motive, no crime. So you owe me!"

The young woman did have a point but Jefferson was not ready to accept defeat.

"Given that I helped you outrun not only the guards but also fed the poor family the wrong information so that you could escape, I believe that you owe me twice" concluded the hatter with a proud smirk forming on his lips. He honestly had no interest whether the woman repaid a debt to him in regards to the recent event or not, but he enjoyed this back and forth game which had been started and he wanted to prove that he was capable of winning.

After a second of consideration of the hatter's statement the woman proceeded to ask "Why?" while deepening her already intent gaze in his direction.

"Why, what?"

"Why did you do that? Why did you throw them off my trail? What was in it for you? I'm assuming you did so before discovering I stole from you" she stated with her eyes staring deeply into his, filled with utter confusion.

"Because I saw someone in a similar situation to what I had experienced many times before. I saw someone alone and desperate who clearly needed what they stole. I can relate to that so I decided to do what I would have wished someone would do for me in that situation."

The young woman maintained her intense look at the hatter sitting across from her. Her features once more relaxed on her face before she nodded her head in gratitude and a small, almost undetectable, smile graced her soft pink lips.

Once more a silence surrounded them, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. It was welcomed by both parties. As the sunset began to envelope the forest around them with its golden light, Jefferson set his eyes upon the woman in front of him properly for the first time since their unconventional introduction. Her features glimmered in the sparkling light which seemed to place her in a spotlight, convincing him to take the time to carefully inspect the marvelous beauty he had yet to fully notice. The cerulean irises gleamed, illuminating her eyes like the most precious diamonds in a sea of vicious rocks. Her long yet perfectly straight hair danced with each precise whisper of the wind. Through their hectic day, whenever he had a chance to inspect her closer, he simply assumed it was of a ginger shade. Now, as she sat at arm's width, the colour of her hair seemed to come alive with the light of the sun, revealing its true colors to the lucky few that could witness it. It seemed as if each hair had a story of its own to tell. One was platinum blond, its neighbor a perfect brunette. Each individual forming a collective image of a golden ideal. Tiny freckles kissed her nose and blushing cheeks, leading to the plum and rosy lips, the feeling of which seemed to continue its linger on his palm from the contact which occurred before. The young woman's countenance hypnotized the young hatter without the intention of letting go, a feeling completely foreign to the man before today. He had never felt the same attraction towards anyone before the figure in front of him. This feeling terrified him yet intrigued him just the same. Why did she have such an effect on him? Who was she?

Before he could once more begin to lose himself in the appearance of his companion, the shift in the surrounding lighting reminded him of the crystal ball still resting in his palm which in turn reminded him of his promise to the Dark One. Jefferson lifted himself up from the dirty ground and stated in a matter-of-fact manner "It's getting late, I should get going." The hatter tipped his hat and was about to turn to leave before the young woman objected.

"What do you mean? That's it? First you "save" me, lead me into the deep woods where I've never been before and now you leave me? I meant what I said when I told you that you owe me for my abandoned stall. I would have made a fair earning had you not intervened and I am not prepared to go hungry for that reason."

The urgency which topped her voice as she stood up to direct her rant at him, once more reminded Jefferson of his old self. Before he made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin and became what one might call a "delivery boy", Jefferson was completely alone and constantly struggling to eat a single proper meal in a fortnight. A good spree could have guaranteed a roof over his head and a full stomach and after countless sleepless nights in the pouring rain, that was not a fate he wished on anyone. Looking at the nimble figure before him alerted him that whoever this woman was, he had a duty to make sure she was safe and well, especially as it was his own wrongdoings that put her in said position. It was for this exact reason that he expressed the look words "You're right. Come with me" before stepping over a fallen branch and moving deeper into the falling darkness of the forest.

Taking one last look behind her shoulder to make sure that no one was following, the young woman proceeded to follow the hatter down the muddy and significantly less viable now path.

The darkness of the night had already settled entirely on the paysage of the woodland by the time they had reached their destination. Jefferson stopped in front of a small and undoubtedly claustrophobic shed. The decaying wood and unsanitary windows gave the impression that whoever settled in this particular home was a stranger in the surroundings once they finally visited, yet at the same time it did not look entirely abandoned. The hovel was secluded in its location, far away from any village they passed along the way, it's only neighbors being tall and monstrous trees casting a protective shadow on its inhabitant.

Jefferson took in a long breath, letting it go just as slowly, and turned to his companion who was now slightly hunched, obviously affected by the midnight coolness of the air. It was clear to see that her long cape was doing little to guard her from the low temperature and it seemed to him that in the moon's shadow she appeared to be all the more petite and fragile. With one last look at the woman, he turned towards the door and upon opening it, beckoned her inside. Her hesitancy was understandable yet pure exhaustion quickly gave in as she scrambled her way through the crooked door.

Inside what could hardly be named a cottage, the decor appeared limited with various possessions haphazardly scattered in each corner. A small unmade bed stood in the left corner with a generously sized trunk at its foot, overflowing with what at first glance the woman discarded as simply an array clothes but upon further inspection found to be various sizes and colors of materials. Aside from this the single room only housed a one person table and chair under the sole window, a large wooden wardrobe on the opposite side (almost seeming misplaced in the midst of the remaining contents) and a metal stove occupied by a lone kettle. What she now realized to be a house invited her into its surroundings with a welcoming smile of a lit candle scattering light on the room. She could no longer remember the last time that she greeted such "luxury" other than to exploit during a house. Her more frequently visited sleeping arrangement happened to be the odd abandoned barn on a lucky day or a large enough hollow tree trunk on a not so lucky one.

Jefferson noticed this response and pointed towards the bed before turning to the stove and filling the ancient kettle with water and setting it to boil. He then made his way towards the settled woman before grabbing the creaky chair on his way and sitting opposite.

"I know this may seem weird, and trust me when I say this is my first time doing this, but I do feel responsible for what happened today so it's the least I can do" he said, locking his eyes with hers and fidgeting in his seat. "You are welcome to spend the night here. It's not much but there's a bit of food in the cupboard and plenty of tea leafs by the stove" he stated whilst pointing to the locations of the mentioned items.

The young woman nodded her head but before thanking the host for his hospitality she began inquiring her payment.

"This is is very kind of you but I'm afraid a night in this hovel is not worth the 10 silvers I could have made at the market, I think you'll agree." Her statement did not sound condescending or rude, simply desperate.

Jefferson couldn't blame her for the worry displayed on her features. Stealing was a risky game, never guaranteeing a roof over the head, making it all the more devastating when a mission went wrong. Perhaps this was the reason why he chose to make the following deal, or perhaps it was due to the undeniable magnetic pull that he was feeling towards the still mysterious woman which bizarrely caused him to yearn to remain by her side as long as possible. Whatever pushed him to do what he was about to do, he was certain in his choice.

"Listen, I don't have anything to give you now as you can see. I guess you could say I'm not the best at managing my earnings, but if I go to deliver this crystal sphere to my client, I might be able to return with enough gold to hopefully repay you accordingly. "

The young woman look at him with uncertainty especially when he mentioned the enigmatic "client", yet upon further deliberation the promise of gold was just too good of an opportunity to pass by. She was a thief after all…

"Fine. I'll wait here" she replied with a sure tone, collapsing on the bed as if it was her own.

This action startled Jefferson slightly, seeing first hand just how little she had if she was this willing to risk it all in hope of a kept promise from a stranger. Hesitant to leave her just yet, the hatter decided to test her faith in him by asking "What makes you think I'll come back?"

The question landed in the young woman's mind causing her to process the information carefully. She then responded in a calm voice as if she was speaking to a lifelong friend.

"I know you'll come back. You might be a thief but you're an honorable one. You'll do the right thing. Just like you did back there in the marketplace and before that with the family. You look out for your own kind. I get that, and I appreciate it."

With that the young woman dropped on the bed, ready to fall into a long awaited slumber, leaving Jefferson searching for the right words. She was the first person in a long time to display any faith in him. His life was lonely for years now and it left him baffled to come across someone who was willing to trust him without barely knowing him. People always looked at him as an outsider. Each land he visited he chose to remain an outcast, only the promise of money and rewards serving of any true significance. Now he found himself in a hard to believe situation. The woman in front of him didn't seem a bit repelled. She lay on his bed completely at peace and unafraid, fitting into the surrounding of his home like a missing puzzle piece. The sight of her delicate form melting onto the historic springs of the mattress provided clarity for the portal jumper as he placed his top hat on his head, now full confident with his decision. It felt like the beginning of a new adventure, one unlike any other he had ever witnessed or partaken in.

Prior to stepping over the threshold of his hovel, the hatter stilled in his steps and turned around slowly to the golden haired beauty outstretched on his bed. Gifting her with one last thorough glance he spoke before departing.

"What is your name?"

The young woman sat upright, looked him in the eyes and whispered with a genuine smile "Priscilla".

"Jefferson" he replied bowing his head delicately before exiting and making his way to the treeless path outside of his hovel (the deliberately created location for his portal jumping).

Taking his tall hat off his head, setting it on the ground and using the tip of his right hand digits to set the hat in a circular motion, the hatter took one last look at the window of his home now lit with a gentle shimmer of a lit candle, before jumping into the thick purple smoke fabricated by the hat's magic. He could feel the adventure commence and he couldn't wait what it had in store for him...

As always let me know what you think! I intend for this to be a much longer story, hopefully covering as much of Jefferson's story as possible. He was my absolute favorite character in the entire show and I feel the need to do justice to his character which the writers failed to do (I still love the show, I'm just really salty :)). Beware though as I don't anticipate the next chapters being just as long, I got kind of carried away!