A/N: This fic has been in my for awhile and has been begging me to write it. This is going to involve a crackship big time. Yes, I ship The Mad Hatter with Cinderella. I know they haven't spoken to each other or even seen each other, but that doesn't matter. I am not big on shipping canon. Plus, Sean/Prince Thomas is annoying. Cinderella/Ashley deserves better. Hopefully, you guys will like it. And don't worry I will write more Hook/Aurora. It has been requested and I shall do it. And I want to thank everyone who left reviews on my last two stories. You guys are really sweet. Anyway, let's get on with it and I hope you like it. And please reviews.
And We All Fall Down
The plot had been set in motion, but he wanted nothing to do with it. However, he was a key element and if things turned out as plan he would be able to give his daughter the life she deserved. Magic had a price though and this time it was a beautiful, young woman who had done nothing wrong, except marry a low life who cheated on her. Now he wanted to be rid of her for good and he and his father had come to his simple, little cottage in the forest.
He had sent his daughter to her room as he listened to what the two men had to say. He gritted his teeth and glared at the men. His hatred boiled just beneath the surface. He had heard of this young woman. She was beautiful, but had never had a simple life. She had lost her father, been forced to become a slave, and it seemed she also had bad judgment in men.
Jefferson was about to show them the door when they played the ace they had up their sleeve. They offered him a lot of money. They also offered to take care of Grace if something happened to him. Magic had a price and the hat could be unpredictable, but he was willing to do this for Grace. He tried not to think of the other girl, the one who he would be trapping within the hat.
They agreed to do it the next week. Jefferson was left to stew in his guilt. Everytime he looked at his daughter he reminded himself why he was doing this. He wasn't sure if Grace had heard the conversation he had with the prince and his father. He hoped she hadn't. He didn't need his daughter knowing he was ruining a beautiful young woman's life.
The day of the carriage came to get him. He took Grace with him and they sat across from father and son in the carriage. The prince's father entertained Grace with stories of his youth. Grace just smiled and laughed. He was happy to see his little girl so care free, but the guilt just boiled beneath the surface. He truly hated himself for what he was about to do.
They arrived at the castle and he followed the others out of the carriage. He grabbed his hat box in and went into the castle. He opened the box and pulled out the hat. The prince asked a maid to show Grace around the castle and bring his beloved bride in. The maid took his daughter away but not before he told her he would see her soon. He watched his little girl walk away for the last time.
Moments later another girl walked into his view. She looked like she had just fallen from the heavens to bless this world with her beauty. She had a golden tiara in her blonde hair and a pale, yellow dress on below her hooded cloak. Her green eyes sparkled with love and affection as she looked at her husband. Jefferson wanted to laugh. This young prince was stupid to give up such a jewel, but in the end he didn't deserve her since he didn't treat her like a jewel.
"Come here Cinderella I want to show you a trick." Thomas' voice was sickly sweet as he talked to her. She must have picked up on it too, since she seemed hesitant to come with him.
"What is it?" She asked him as she eyed the hat and then him. That was the first time he had made eye contact with her. His stormy gray eyes meeting her clear green ones and he never wanted to look away. But he had to or he would never be able to do his job. He looked down and spun the hat. The magic rose from the hat and he stood up, facing her again. He looked into her eyes and saw that she knew what was about to happen.
He was about to apologize when she spoke first. "I forgive you." Her voice remained strong but she could hear the hint of betrayal in it. He wished she hadn't said that. He didn't deserve her forgiveness.
"Time to go." Thomas says as he pushes her into the purple mist. She doesn't even get a goodbye from him. Just a harsh shove into a world she doesn't understand and probably won't survive in. Suddenly, he feels the prince's father behind him. "You are going with her and don't worry we will take good care of Grace." Moments later he is shoved into the purple mist himself.
He lands on his back with a thud. Next to him Cinderella is laying on her stomach. She is trying to stand, but the hat is spinning and it makes things shaky. He grabs her arm and holds it down. "Don't move until the hat stops spinning." He doesn't look over at her, but he can feel her white, hot glare on him. And he knows he deserves it.
The hat stopped spinning and she pulls her arm away. "Don't touch me." she growls at him. She stands up and she is a little unsteady at first. Once she gains her footing the first thing she does is takes her wedding ring off and throws it to the ground. The next thing she does is cries. The sound of her sobs are heart wrenching. He wants to reach out to her and try to comfort her, but she wouldn't want his comfort. He had done this to her.
She turns to him. Her green eyes are filled with tears but he can see a fire of anger beneath all the tears. He is the only one here she can take her anger out on and he is prepared to be her punching bag. "Why did you do this to me?" She questions him. Her voice is so soft, but he can tell she is trying to hold back her anger.
"He wanted to be rid of you and I just wanted a better life for my daughter." He looked down at his feet, ashamed of himself. He and Grace could have made it in the end. They wouldn't have need the blood money. He should have said no, but now he would never see Grace again.
"I guess this is the price you paid for what you did to me." She sounded so cruel and so cold. It was very unbecoming for a young woman like herself.
What she said had stung and he braved a look at her. "No it's more likely your prince wanted me out of the picture so I wouldn't talk."
She ignored him and began to observe her surroundings. Her blonde her whipped around as she turned and looked at all the doors. He knew she wondered where they all led and she probably wondered where they would go now that they were stuck in the hat.
"Should we even go through any of the doors?" She asks him. Her tone is still a bit rude for his liking. He was tempted to just leave her and go off on his own, but he couldn't do that. She could go through the wrong door and get herself killed. He would never would be able to live with himself if she died on his watch.
"I am trying to figure that out," His tone is just as biting as hers. "We have to be careful which door we go through or it could cost us our lives and since we are not going to get out of here anytime soon we are gonna have to work together." She looked down at her feet for a few moments and then back up at him. It seemed like she was weighing her options. "Okay I guess I will have to have faith in you if I want to live."
"Let's go," He grabbed her hand and she let him drag her off, but she kept looking back at the clear door on the other side. "And no we are not going through the clear door, we don't want to end up where it leads."
She didn't argue with him. He knew the ways of the hat. She didn't. He opened the door and looked at the world beyond it. She took a peak over his shoulder and tried to see what he was seeing. All she was a blue sky and clouds. She thought it would be nice to live in the sky among the clouds. She was sure the clouds would be nice to sleep on, since they were soft and fluffy.
He suddenly slammed the door and dragged her off to the next one. "What was wrong with what was behind that door?" She asked him. "Clouds would be nice to live in."
He turned and looked her in the eyes. She saw no judgment in his eyes and he didn't look annoyed. She figured he probably knew he would have to explain stuff to her. "Yes, clouds are nice Cinderella unless giants live among them. Not everything is what it seems beyond these doors."
He opened the next door and a beach came into their view. He shut it within seconds. Jefferson spoke she had a chance to ask him anything. "I don't want to take the risk of pirates taking you." Cinderella didn't say anything, but she was thankful he didn't make her have to face pirates. That would have been the cherry on top of the worst day she has ever had. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice he had dragged her to the third door.
He opened it and she saw a hill with a tree on top of it. There seemed to be nothing amazing about it until she saw the sky. It was filled with so many stars. She sighed softly and he turned to look at her. He seemed to be amused. She felt her cheeks flush as he looked at her, but she couldn't help it. "Sorry, I am a bit of a romantic at heart." She said softly.
"It's fine," He smiled at her and blushed a little himself. "I think it is a good thing to keep the romantic sense of yourself intact though you have been hurt," Her face fell at that and she looked away. He instantly felt like crap. He had to make it up to her. "We can stay in this world if you want."
She looks up and he is happy to see her smile had returned. "Yeah, if it's safe to stay in this world. No pirates or giants?" He shook his head. "This world is safe for us." He led her through the door and the door shut behind them.
It didn't take them long to find an old and abandoned cabin. It was a little messy, but she could have the place cleaned up in no time. Meanwhile, Jefferson went out to find them some found. He came back and she discovered she would have to now live off of berries and river water. She had to deal with worse conditions in her life.
As they sat at the small table and ate. She decided she should probably tell him they had a small issue. "Jefferson, there is only one bed." She said as she looked into his gray eyes. "Well I will sleep on the floor." He volleyed back. She knew he was going to say that.
She decided to put her foot down. "No I am not letting you sleep on the floor. You could have left me here to die but you didn't and I owe you. We are sharing the bed, end of story." He didn't argue with her. She smiled at the thought of her small victory.
They fell into a pattern. They would wake up early, eat breakfast together, then he would leave and search for more food while she cleaned. At night they would eat and then go sit out under the tree on the hill. They would talk and laugh. They never really talked about their lives before they had been sucked into the hat, it was a painful subject. They were just trying to keep one another happy. Once they got tired they would go back in the cabin and go to sleep. She usually woke up with her head on his chest. He never said anything. He just got up and went about his business.
She didn't know how long they had been there, but she felt like her feelings for him were changing. She was falling for the man who was the reason she had been sucked into the hat in the first place. Yes, it was crazy, but Jefferson was the greatest guy she had ever met. She decided to tell him that night when they were under the tree, talking. She hoped her admission didn't ruin anything between them.
He was laughing at a joke she just told. He was in a good mood and the stars were shining bright. This would be the perfect time to tell him. "Jefferson, I have something to tell you-"
He cut her off and she saw the look on his face. He looked worried, than she saw what he saw. It was a strange, purple mist. "Jefferson, what is that?" She asked in a panic. "It's magic." He told her truthfully. "We should go back to the cabin, we'll be safe in there." She took his hand and tried to pull him back towards their home, but he didn't budge.
"No, we can't escape this Ella." He took her hands into his and pulled her close. Fearing she might never see him again. She decided to tell him. She watched as the magic got closer and she looked up into his eyes. "I'm in love with you Jefferson." The look that crossed his face was one of pure shock. "What?"
"I'm in love with you." She repeated, but she had feeling he would just say what again. She rolled her green eyes skyward and decided to show him how she felt. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him gently. He began to kiss her back as the magic mist encircled them, but she wouldn't stop and neither would he. They felt the magic engulf them and suddenly the kiss ended as they faded away from one another.