Chapter One

Jefferson appeared in the tower out of nowhere with a loud cry, "Rumple! I got it!"

Aurora let out a little shirk and jumped spilling the roots she had been grinding for the potion Rumple had her working on.

"Sorry Belle." Jefferson called without looking over to see it wasn't Belle. He moved with his back to her over to Rumple's side of the tower room. "Here it is." Jefferson stated with a greedy excited smile as he reached into the bag pulling out a small black bag.

Rumple took the bag with an eager giggle. As Jefferson asked who he thought was Belle to get some tea, again without looking over at her. Instead he watched as Rumple opened the bag and commented. "There is more here than I asked for."

"I know" Jefferson's smile brighten as he gave a quick knot. "I thought you would approve."

"How did you get past the fairies and dwarfs?" Rumple asked.

"Oh now that is a tale to be told indeed. Belle be a dear and get some cookies to go with that tea." He put his arm around Rumple and leaned in. "You should have seen the Blue Fairy's face when she realized who I was…" Jefferson stopped when he heard who he thought was Belle mixing something in bottle. Realizing that she hadn't so much as said hi to him "Belle, darling you haven't even said HI to me…" He turned and saw it wasn't Belle.

"Maybe, because I am not Belle." Aurora stood across the room at the table glaring at him.

"My, my, my…. "Jefferson clapped his hands together moving away from Rumple towards Aurora. "Rumple you didn't tell me you got yourself a new girl." He circled around the table. "No wait do my eyes deceive me. Could it be Princess Street Rat?" He mocked Aurora as he tilted his head to the side looking over across the room to Rumple.

"It's Princess Aurora. And I am not getting you tea." Aurora stated clearly annoyed.

"Oh I see you can clean up the girl but not the attitude. So not even you can work miracles then Rum." Jefferson collapsed back into a stool at the end of the work table Aurora was working at.

"Miracles take time Dearie." Rumple commented walking over to his closet to put the bag Jefferson gave him inside.

"Yes I guess the fact that she is clean, and in a nice dress is a miracle of some sorts." Jefferson played with potion bottle which was on the table like he was suddenly bored with the whole conversation.

"I am standing right here." Aurora demanded. "Just because I am wearing a dress and looking like a girl doesn't mean I am suddenly stupid."

"No" Jefferson commented. "But if you are going to mix that" he pointed at what she had in her hand, "into that" he pointed to bubbling potion on the work table. "Then you are not as smart as you think."

"Oh now you know potions. I have you know I am doing it exactly like HE" Aurora pointed with the bottle towards Rumple, "told me too." Aurora defended herself as she poured the last ingredient into the boiling potion. As soon as the two liquids touched there was a loud pop and it exploded up into her face. "Urgh!" Aurora screamed falling back to the floor landing hard on her bottom.

Jefferson spun in the chair to face Rumple. "Well you picked a real winner. Even Regina wasn't this slow with learning magic. And she wasn't born with Magic like our little lost Princess was."

"Now that Jefferson, is a little harsh even you didn't get that potion right the first time around." He walked past Jefferson to hand Aurora a towel.

"To my credit I was only 7 when I first tried it, it's hardly fair to compare the two." Jefferson watched as Aurora gave Rumple a look before taking the towel from him. "At least she isn't overly trusting like Regina was."

"What did I do wrong?" she wiped her face off getting to her feet.

"Jefferson care to tell her?" Rumple asked.

"I asked you not him." Aurora demanded.

"Yes you did Princess, but I am in control here and I am asking him to answer you." Rumple calmly explained. "If you want to stay here you have to play by my rules."

Jefferson watched as Aurora looked like she was going to argue with Rumple but thought better of it and looked over to him waiting on the answer. Jefferson let her wait a moment clearly enjoying himself before giving his answer.

"Too much Angelica Root. I could tell by the deep color." He picked a piece of lint off his jacket. And brushed it was as if he was almost too bored to finish explaining. "It should have been a lighter color. Actually the lighter the better. The root reacts with heat so too much and poof!" he mocked an exploding potion with his hands as he leaned back in the stool and tilted his head to the side to finally look over at Aurora.

"Gold star to Jefferson." Rumple stated clapping.

"Gold Star?" Jefferson scoffed. "Please I am thinking about 5000 pieces of gold for the diamonds. How does that sound Rumple?"

To which Rumple answered. "5000 gold pieces and your story of how you got them."

"You will get your story when I get some tea and those delicious cookies Belle makes." Jefferson agreed rubbing his hands together.

"It's a deal then. You know where the gold is Jefferson help yourself." Then turning to Aurora. "Why don't you go change and on the way back up to try this again bring up some tea and cookies."

"I am going to clean up. But I am not bringing up tea and cookies for you two."

"Oh there is that attitude again Rum. It's been, what a week since I brought her here? I would have thought you would have broken her of disobeying orders by now." Jefferson mocked.

"Disobeying orders?" Aurora demanded. "I am sorry I thought I was brought here to learn magic not bring thieves tea."

"Tea and cookies." Jefferson corrected her tilting his head once more in her direction as he flashed her a toothy grin.

Aurora started forward. "Princess" Rumple moved in between Jefferson and Aurora. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up and just ask Belle to bring up some tea and cookies?" Rumple asked trying to appease Aurora. "Is that more along the lines of why you are here dearie?"

"Fine" Aurora turned and waving her hand at the mess on the table she muttered. "bippity-boppity-boo." as the towel started to clean up the spilled potion.

Jefferson laughed. "Did you just say bippity-boppity-boo."

"Yes." Aurora blushed, dropping the spell. "Yes that is the thingmabob that does the job." She suddenly felt so stupid saying it out loud, that she rushed on to explain. "It's what the fairies used to sing as they cleaned."

"There will be none of that, Dearie!" Rumple announced.

"Why?" Aurora whispered.

"I hate the fairies." Rumple stated as he waved his hand in a straight line across his body. "The only talk of Fairies will be how we have bested them for their Diamonds. Right Jefferson?"

"Correct, except it's usually me besting them of their Diamonds, and you just making it into fairy dust." Jefferson gave another smug smile and Aurora gave him a disapproving look. "What I like shinny things."

"I am sure you do." Aurora turned back to finish cleaning up the mess, but Rumple took her hand. "We can take care of this, just head down and clean yourself up and do send Belle up with those refreshments."

Aurora continued to glare at Jefferson but she shook her head in agreement. Rumple moved out of the way and Aurora threw the potion covered towel at Jefferson face before storming out of the room. Jefferson was caught off guard and fell off the stool to the floor with a thump, as he tried to block the messy towel from hitting him in the face. The last thing she heard was "Seriously Rumple, that attitude!"


Aurora tried to take as long as she could to clean up, change, and walk back up to the tower room. She was really hoping that Jefferson would be gone by the time she went back up to finish her work. But as she came up the stairs she could hear Jefferson's voice echoing down the stairs.

"So the little dwarf was all like 'Don't worry Nova I am sure we will find the bag of fairy diamonds.'" Jefferson laughed. "But we know they won't because it now sits in your closet." He leaned over taking another cookie. "Doesn't it just warm your cold heart to know that little Blue Fairy has seriously got her wings all tied up in knots worrying about missing fairy diamonds and whatever YOU may do with it?"

Aurora heard Rumple do that weird little excited giggle he seemed to do when he was pleased and then he said "Yes." As she entered the room she saw Rumple sitting across the table from Jefferson his hands fold with a pleased look on his face.

"So what are you going to do with the…" Jefferson trailed off as he noticed Aurora walking over to the table surprised to see that the table had been cleaned and the ingredients were all laid out. She picked up the first ingredient and started measuring it out into the bowl, when Jefferson asked her a question. "Aren't you going to say thank you, Princess?"

"Thank you for what?" She turned to face him.

"Thank you for cleaning up." He took a bite out of the cookie he was holding. "It didn't magically clean itself up…well it did magically get cleaned up, but I" he waved his hand at the table, "did the magic."

"Thanks" She mocked him. "I could have done it myself." She turned back to her work.

"Princess" Jefferson jumped up and joined her side. "It would be easier if…" Jefferson started as he placed his left hand on the small of her back, but he never got to finish because Aurora screamed "Don't touch me." And she blew him across the room into the wall. Jefferson hit the wall with a loud thud and slid down it to the floor. "And it's Princess Aurora." She added watching Jefferson try to get up but he stopped and grabbed at his ribs.

"Woa" Jefferson managed get out once he caught his breath.

Jefferson said shaking his head as Rumple giggled again from his seat. "Sorry Princess Aurora, Jefferson was never one who understood personal space. Perhaps you will break him of that habit?"

"Princess Aurora…. You got a roar to you alright." Jefferson tried to stand up a second time and this time he was able to use the wall and make it back to his feet. He stood up chuckling to himself as he used the wall to help him keep his balance. "Roar… Aurora…roar… I am going to call you Rory from now on." Jefferson laughed but cut it short holding his ribs. There were tears in his eyes but Aurora couldn't tell if it was from the pain he was in or laughing at the nickname he had just come up with.

"Don't you have something or someONE to steal…. In another kingdom or world?" Aurora glared.

"Actually Rumple here," He pointed in Rumple's direction. "Wanted me to stay and help you with the potion." He leaned against the wall still holding his side. Was the room getting hotter? Jefferson wondered before saying out loud. "But I am seriously starting to reconsider my answer." Jefferson eyed Aurora, she was definitely pissed at him. Rumple is going to have to work on her emotion control as soon as possible Jefferson thought leaning back against the wall.

"Now, Now children. Play nice." Rumple said as he gathered up the tea cups and placed them on back on the tray. "Aurora, you are correct, Jefferson is best at being a selfish thief"

Jefferson listened and shook his head in agreement with Rumple. "True"

"But he is second best with Potions."

"Also true." Jefferson agreed finally coming to stand up straight against the wall, fixing his scarf around his neck.

"So if he has advice to give, I am sure it will be worth listening too." And with that Rumple picked up the tea tray and left the tower room.

Aurora watched Rumple disappear down the steps. She opened her mouth to call out to stop him but she already knew in the week of living here once Rumple had made up his mind he wasn't going to change it. She turned back to work on the potion.

"May I have permission to come over to the table?" Jefferson asked. Aurora smirked to herself at the slight hint of fear she detected in Jefferson's tone.

"If Rumple wants you to help me then you can come over to the table." She put the mixer down and turned to him. "But if you touch me again you are going out the window."

"Dually noted." Jefferson paused as he pushed off from the wall before adding. "Rory."

"Don't call me that." She splat, as she started to cut up the angelica root. Jefferson watched as she brought the liquid in the bowl to a boil and as she started to bring a spoonful of the Angelica Root up to the liquid she had off to the side he commented. "I wouldn't do that."

Aurora paused. "I am going to put a little in and check the color."

"Not like that with a spoon, it's too easy to drop too much in. And if too much gets in then you have to start that part over again. It wastes supplies."

"Wastes supplies? Please it's not like Rumple doesn't have more of this stuff or the gold to buy it. He even has you to go out and steal if he needs more."

"Not being wasteful and being rich are two different things." Jefferson explained. "When you were living on the streets did you waste anything you came across that you could use?"

"No, of course not."

"And when you are Queen of your Kingdom are you going to waste your people's supplies?"

"No of course not."

Jefferson leaned against the table and asked her, "Then why waste Rumple's?"

Aurora stood there searching for something logical to say but couldn't find any answer that didn't seem childish, which just pissed her off more. "Well how do you suggest I do it then?" she muttered, not admitting Jefferson was right but waiting to hear his answer before she continued.

"Like this" Jefferson reached over careful not to touch her, his ribs still hurt form the hitting the wall earlier. He used two fingers to pinch the cut up and crushed roots. "Just pick up a little pinch and place it in the liquid until we get the right color. "

Aurora did as directed and the liquid changed from clear to a slight pale pink. "I don't know what color I am looking for, earlier it was dark purple."

"You need to add a little more. We want the tint to be purple not pinkish."

Aurora did as Jefferson suggested and mixed in another pitch. The liquid changed again this time becoming that light purple they were looking for she smiled and raised some of it on the spoon for him to see.

"Good job Rory." Jefferson complimented. "Now pour the last ingredient in to the boiling mixture and stir it for two minutes. "

Aurora hesitated a second not wanting to make the potion explode again, but she took it on good faith that it wouldn't since Jefferson didn't move back from the table. And he didn't look like he would want to get the potion all over his fancy clothes and coat. So she poured it in to the boiling potion and there was a hiss. She closed her eyes, but didn't hear a bang or feel any liquid hit her in the face. She opened one eye and then the next to see the potion brewing and to see Jefferson smirking at her.

"Don't forget to stir it for two minutes and bottle it." Jefferson walked away over to the window ledge and sat down leaving her to finish the potion.

After she finished stirring the potion she bottled it and brought it over to Jefferson at the window. "So will this really work?" She asked him.

"I watched you make it, it will work." He pointed out to the edges of the castle grounds. "We will have to pour a little in all four corners of the grounds. But the Angelica Root will purify evil or in your case Maleficent from sensing you are here. And… "Jefferson jumped up going over to the cabinet of supplies and pulled out a branch of dried leaves. "If we add some bittersweet to it that will keep out any of her guards or spies who are looking for you."

"How will it do that?" Aurora asked joining him at the supply cabinet.

"It makes people forget what they are looking for and it gives them this uncomfortable feeling till they are miles away from where YOU will be." He informed her before playfully tapping her nose with the dried bittersweet leaves.

Oh I shouldn't have done that, thought Jefferson but he noticed Aurora actually smiled back him.

Safe from Maleficent and her guards, maybe staying here with the Dark One and his errand boy will be a good thing. Aurora actually smiled as she took the dried leaves from Jefferson. "So how much do we put in?"