"Is she alright?"

"Mommy?"

"Careful with her head!"

"Alice, baby. Wake up."

The multitude of voices around her soon brought Alice back to consciousness. She tenderly rubbed at the back of her head as Jefferson helped her up to her feet, "Sorry, everyone." She shot a few looks of apology towards some passerby that had stopped to fret, before turning her eyes down to Grace – who looked to be on the verge of tears. "I'm alright, dear. I promise."

That was the moment that Alice decided to look around and felt her heart drop. Deep in her heart, she had hoped that the magic would return them to the world she knew and was accustomed to. That was not the case. They were still in Storybrooke.

Whatever the magic had done, it was not enough to take them all home. Not yet.

Alice turned back to Grace as she pointed to the bench a few steps away, "I need to talk to Papa. Sit there and wait, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Grace said with a tiny nod, not daring question the woman that was finally in her life.

With a little more force than necessary, Alice grabbed Jefferson by the arm and pulled him far enough away so that they could not be overheard. Jefferson pulled her hand off with a confused look, "What is it?"

"Why were you down there? Where I was locked up…" Alice breathed out with narrowed eyes.

Jefferson tensed, "I… I was releasing someone. Someone that could help."

"Who?" Alice asked.

"Her name is Belle," Jefferson answered.

"How did you know where to find her?"

"It came to me in a dream. I saw Regina going to her cell – "

"Don't lie to me, Jefferson!" Alice cut him off with a low hiss. "I've always been able to see through you. Tell me the truth. Did you… did you put Belle away?"

It took a few moments of staring out in the distance before Jefferson finally looked back with a nod, "Regina asked me to. I didn't know her, I didn't know why. Not at first. It was in preparation. It was somewhere that Regina couldn't go, because of her magic. I helped for Grace! The Queen gave us food and goods to supply us for a year." He stopped for a moment. "How do you know Belle so well?"

Alice felt her face flush in disappointment, "The looking glass took me to her cell. It's where I was trapped. She became my closest friend." She lifted a hand to press to Jefferson's cheek. "I don't want to talk about this. It will make me want to leave you." Jefferson stilled with wide eyes. "I have only one question. Did she ever see your face? Would she recognize you as her captor?"

"No," Jefferson shook his head. "She wouldn't know me from any other man. The first time she saw me was when I let her out."

Alice let out a breath of relief, "Then as far as this conversation is concerned, it never happened. Her whereabouts did come to you in a dream. You better have that tale perfected."

Jefferson reached out to pull Alice into a hug that she only complied with because Grace could see them, "I did what I had to do for her. It doesn't mean I was proud of these things. I need you to understand that."

Alice tilted her head up, "I understand. I also feel repulsed. It pains me to think that there were other things that you did… distasteful things." She shook her head as she pulled back. "That is not a conversation for now. I don't know if my heart could take it." She turned her head to look around at some of the buildings and cringed in unfamiliarity. "Where can I find Rumpelstiltskin?"

"What do you want with him?" Jefferson asked with a scowl. "You aren't looking to make a deal."

"I'm looking for Belle!" Alice shot back. "Where he is, is where I'll find her."

Jefferson pointed down one of the nearby roads after listing off a few street names, "He owns a shop at the end. I don't know if he'll be there, but it's a good place to start." He grabbed her hand as she turned on her heel towards Grace. "I love you."

Alice didn't look back as she responded with a small, "I know." She pulled her hand from his hold and moved to kiss Grace on the cheek with a promise that she would be back soon.

With a sigh and a pained heart, she was gone.

Jefferson watched Alice fade around a far corner as a small hand grabbed hold of his own. He looked down to see Grace staring up at him in confusion. With a forced smile, he gave her hand a squeeze, "She has to find a friend, baby. She won't be gone long."

Grace gave a small nod, "Okay, Papa." She bounced on her heels as she looked around. "Papa… where do we live?"

Jefferson let out a small snort of laughter, "Come on. We'll go get your things and then we'll go home. I owe you that tea party."

"Curious," Alice whispered as she looked around at all the townspeople and shops. It seemed strange and familiar at the same time.

It was giving Alice another headache.

Alice wrapped her arms around her waist, letting out a whimper of a shiver and doing her best to avoid the looks being thrown her way. In house slippers and men's clothing, she did fit the bill of looking the part of someone who was seeing the light for the first time in years.

It didn't take long before she reached a shop, with a sign overhead reading "Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer." Alice ignored the plaque on the door stating that the shop was closed, and instead reached for the door handle. A small smirk fell over her lips as she found it unlocked.

If it was unlocked, it wasn't technically breaking and entering, right?

"Hello?" Alice called out as she entered the main room of the shop. "Is anyone here?"

A rustling from the back could be heard, and an older man with wispy brown and grey hair and a slight tint to his tan skin stepped out, "The sign said closed, dearie."

Alice straightened her posture as she looked him over, "Rumpelstiltskin."

Rumpelstiltskin limped out from behind the counter, with his cane tapping against the ground, "Already looking to make a deal? That didn't take long."

"Not quite. My name is Alice," She stated, and Rumpelstiltskin looked as if that was something he was already aware of. "I'm looking for Belle."

The wizard tensed at the unexpected, "Might I ask why?"

"We're friends," Alice smiled as she ran her fingers along the edge of a counter top. "I would really like to see her. Is she here?"

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head with still staring eyes of skepticism, "I'm afraid not – "

"Alice?"

The blonde turned her head at the sound of a soft voice, and saw Belle step out from the back with a beaming grin, "Oh, Belle."

Belle strode passed her love with a small glance over her shoulder to say that Alice was not a danger, and took the slightly older woman in her arms in an embrace, "You got out. Wait… that man, did he stop and go back for you?"

Alice forced a smile with a nod as she looked back and forth at both members of the couple, "It was in a dream. He saw Regina at your cell and then saw Rumpelstiltskin and took it as a sign. It was simple luck that he found me there."

"Who was he?"

"Jefferson."

Belle gasped, "Your husband?" Alice nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful. It seems we've both been reunited with who we were looking for."

"Jefferson," Rumpelstiltskin hummed out. "The Hatter?" Alice sighed at the name, which was answer enough. "Ah. I know of you."

"I don't want to revisit what you might know," Alice said with a small laugh, which the other two joined in on. She turned her attention back to Belle. "I just wanted to see that you were alright. I missed you, dear Belle." She placed a sweeping kiss on Belle's forehead before turning to Rumpelstiltskin. "I had a question for you as well. That mist – you conjured it?" He nodded with a grin. "What did it do? Is that what broke the curse?"

"No, dearie," He answered with a shake of his head. "The curse is only half broken – we are still in Storybrooke, after all. It was love that broke it. It was also love that brought the mist. The mist brought back some magic and broke a few rules associated with the curse."

"What rules?"

"The answer to that will come in time."

Alice cocked an eyebrow, but let the issue drop. She turned back to face Belle with a smile, "I will leave you to your reunion. I will see you soon. I have a daughter to return to."

"Of course," Belle nodded with a final hug. "Thank you for coming to see me."

Alice turned on her heel and was almost to the door when her attention was caught and a low gasp left her lips, "No."

Rumpelstiltskin took a step forward, "See something that catches your interest?" Alice slowly grabbed hold of and held out the object with a silent question of wondering how it came to be in his shop. "So many things from the other world just appeared. That piece in particular, I know very little about." He tilted his head in wonder. "By the look on your face, it seems that you could tell me what I do not know."

"It was in Wonderland…"

"Not so, dearie," He cut her off. "It was in our realm when the curse hit. Otherwise, it would not be in my possession."

Alice paled, "That's impossible."

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Belle whispered in worry.

"Something like that," Alice gulped as she looked back up. "How much?"

"For you?" Rumpelstiltskin seemed to weigh a price before Belle nudged him with a shake of her head. "You can take it for no cost. Think of it was a welcome gift."

"Thank you."