Jefferson getting back into society and Emma helping him along the way.

~o~

"You're going to go out."

"You cannot make me."

"I'm the sheriff, I can."

"You're going to arrest me because I don't want to leave my house?" Jefferson smirked, offering his wrists. "Or you just want to see me put in cuffs and thrown in a jail cell. Trapped with you."

"No, I want to see you living a life and not just sitting up here in this house all alone." Emma explained, putting her hands on her hips.

"I'll go out… On one occasion."

"What?" Emma quirked a brow up. He stepped close to her, stroking her cheek. "Jefferson."

"I'll go out for a kiss."

"You're insane."

"So are you." Jefferson grinned, leaning closer to her.

"I didn't agree to our deal."

"Yes you did." Jefferson kissed her gently.

"Ass." Emma hissed, pulling away from him. She couldn't let him see that she'd enjoyed the kiss, enjoyed the deal, and enjoyed that look on his face. He had bed eyes. Beautiful eyes. "Come on then, we're taking you down to the diner."

"Mhm, just like I thought." He grinned, taking her hand as she started to walk away.

"Jefferson, let go of my hand."

"You know you don't want me to." She turned and stared at him, willing him to second guess her words. "You'll warm up to the idea."

"No I won't." Emma insisted twisting her hand out of his grip. "Now, are we going or not?"

He stepped close again, his breath dancing across her face. "Depends on if you want reevaluate our deal."

"I am…" she hesitated, warming as she watched his eyes flickering down to look at her lips as she spoke. She was fighting a losing battle. "I am… We should… No its." Emma fumbled for words, trying to contain the quiver in her throat.

"Truth be told, I'm afraid to go out." It was the first sincere sounding thing Jefferson had said all evening. She'd come over to his place, he'd made up some lie about being busy, which then dissolved into being too busy to go out but not busy enough for her to come in, which then turned to will you try to make a hat work, which turned into I'm going to creepily stare at you while you work and offer you tea that you won't drink. Then somewhere in there she'd convinced him to go out and then this deal had been made.

"Jefferson, you have to get over this."

"People know I'm crazy. People know I'm the crazy hatter who lives in a big old house on the hill looking over Storybroke, and I live all alone. And no doubt, you've told them I drugged you and-"

"I haven't told anyone. I couldn't let them know Mary Margaret had escaped."

"But they still know me as the crazy man."

"Just go out, for once, then I won't ask you again."

Jefferson grinned, stepping closer, "Does this mean you'll come back to my house sometime?"

"What? I.." Emma shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You're incredulous." She shrugged her shoulders, "Sure. Whatever I'll come over again sometime."

"I can't do this alone, you know. I haven't been around people in a long time. You and Mary Margaret were the first people to visit me since I arrived here." His voice turned sincere, his eyes softening and losing their kidding nature. "I was in Wonderland for years."

"I saw the book."

"I went mad Emma. I completely lost everything that made me, me."

"I know." Emma nodded, trying to fight away the disbelief. He sounded so serious, so certain. How could she deny him that ounce of credibility, especially when she was asking him to do something that made him unease. "Just try to come out of this house. You live all alone, you take walks at God knows what hour in the morning just to be free – but you're still always alone. It's not healthy."

"I'm not healthy, Emma." Jefferson stared at her, his walls tearing down before her. "If I lose it around people, don't blame me."

"I'll be there." Emma reassured him, taking his hands as he pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closing as he took shallow breaths. He was a beautiful disaster.

"I'm ready."