Chapter 7: Magic and Electricity

"You really are insane." Emma told Jefferson as she caught him trying to pry open the back door of the pawn shop.

Jefferson gave a frustrated sigh and then turned around to see her with his mouth pressed into an angry, hard line.

"I asked you nicely to wait in the car."

"Why?" Emma scoffed, "So you could attempt a "break and entering" while I wasn't looking? You know, under normal circumstances I would arrest you for this."

Jefferson gave her a bored look, and then took three, imposing steps towards her.

"Emma," his voice was low and raspy as he said her name, "Under normal circumstances, you would have had me committed, by now. These are not normal circumstances—these are far more special."

Emma swallowed as she stared up at his face. It was something about the way he said "special". It was something about the way his mouth moved when he talked, and she had to force herself to look away. Emma turned around and, with a deep breath, she marched off to the car.

"Mr. Gold—or Rumpelstiltskin, or whoever—isn't even here!" she shouted, "So why would you waste time trying to break in?"

"It wasn't a waste of time," he argued as he strode after her, "It was so I could find some clue as to where he might be."

Emma came to a stop, exhaling a breath as she looked around the empty town. It had only been one day since the curse was lifted and Storybrooke looked like ghost town. Emma placed her hands on her hips as she wondered why that was, and then, she asked herself: Where could Mr. Gold be? She let out a gasp and her eyes widened as, suddenly, she knew just where to go. The path to her destination was laid out in her mind. She instinctively knew when to turn and when to stay straight.

"What's wrong?" Jefferson asked as he walked around her so he could see her face.

His intense, blue gaze searched Emma's eyes with concern. Had Regina cast a spell on her? Emma looked up at him, wide-eyed and with something like enlightenment on her face.

"Drive." she told him as she held his gaze, "I know where he is."

Jefferson didn't hesitate. He knew enough about the power of magic to know that it could affect everyone—even those who had never felt its pull. As he started the engine and drove forward, he realized that he had been right all along. Emma did have magic.

"Keep going," she instructed him, and he did, driving further down the road and deeper into town.

He stole glances at her from the corner of his eye, noting the surety in her expression and the determination in her body that kept her on the edge of her seat. Jefferson's mouth curved-up into a smile before he glanced back at the road. Emma Swan was finally a true believer.

"He's in there!" she exclaimed and the car pulled to a stop in front of a dilapidated metal building.

It was an old warehouse that had been left intentionally abandoned. One of Regina's many props to make the town seem more real—a company that had gone out of business. Apparently, however, someone had business there. Jefferson got out of the car and stopped in front of the building.

"I don't know how I know this," Emma sounded confused as if her belief was wavering again, "But he's inside this building. I just—I can feel it. It's craz—"

"No," Jefferson turned to her before she could finish, "It's not crazy," he said as his hand gripped her shoulder and he gave her a little shake, "It's magic. Don't doubt it, Emma. I haven't doubted you for a second. I believe you."

Jefferson's hand fell from her shoulder as he walked forward to inspect the building. Emma stared after him. She was torn between the warm feeling that bubbled-up inside of her at his faith, and the fact that it was the "Mad Hatter" who had faith in her. The squealing sound of metal rubbing against metal drew her attention to a sliding door.

"This seems too easy," Jefferson commented after pushing it aside and then gesturing for Emma to go in ahead of him, "After you."

Emma walked inside the warehouse, looking around at the large, open space. There were empty metal shelves that stretched impossibly high to the ceiling and there was an old, rusty forklift that had been used to reach those shelves. There was no sign of human life anywhere. Emma walked forward until, suddenly, the floor underneath her changed. She took a step back as she noticed the rusty, trapdoor that was imbedded in the concrete slab.

"He's down there," Emma said as Jefferson walked-up beside her, "Help me open this."

Together, they pushed back the rusty, trapdoor, revealing a set of metal stairs that disappeared down into the darkness. Emma swallowed as she gazed downward, questioning whether or not she should wander into the dark unknown with someone she didn't really trust. She shot Jefferson a cautious look and his jaw clenched as he noticed her leeriness.

"I'll go first," he muttered.

The stairs creaked and squealed as she followed him down, and slowly, the light from above failed to provide them visibility in the darkness. Emma gave a frustrated sigh as her hands moved along the stair railings, helping her to feel her way down into a place she couldn't see.

"It's times like these that I wish I had a holster for a flashlight."

"Shhhh." Jefferson shushed her just before she stepped-off the last stair and walked into his back.

He threw an arm behind himself to steady her, and in the darkness, his hand touched her hip. Emma took a step back, flinching at his touch and she waited to move until he put some distance between them. Once she moved forward again, she noticed a flickering light up ahead. The light cast a faint glow in the darkness, illuminating their surroundings just enough to show that the walls were made of rock. They moved forward through the rocky tunnel that lead into a large cave-like room. The room was lighted by candle sconces as if electricity didn't exist. Emma thought to make some snide comment about it as Jefferson walked several feet ahead of her into the room.

No sooner had he exited the tunnel that his body was lifted into the air by some purple-colored smoke that swirled around him—similar to the purple cloud that had engulfed Storybrooke. Emma gasped as Jefferson was thrown across the cave-like room until his back slammed against the rocks. He clutched at his throat then, as if someone was grabbing him by it. Sure enough, Mr. Gold walked towards him with an outstretched arm and clutching fingers.

"How did you find me?" he hissed at Jefferson.

Emma pulled her gun from its holster and pointed it at the older man as she stepped into the room.

"Put him down!" she ordered as she released the safety on her gun with a click.

The man who was strangling Jefferson by some invisible force glanced at Emma with confusion on his face. She noticed immediately that he was different. His skin had a strange sheen to it that only seemed to get more prominent the longer he held Jefferson with his magic. Magic!

"Ms. Swan," he sounded surprised, "What—"

"The egg—the true love potion! You're the one who brought magic to Storybrooke!" Emma accused him breathlessly.

"That I am, dearie," he replied as he turned his attentions back to Jefferson and tightened his magical grip around his throat, "Is that why this peddler of common tricks lead you to me?"

Emma's heart was racing and she felt panicked as she watched Jefferson struggling 10 feet up in the air.

"No!" she yelled as she aimed her gun at Gold's head, "I found you. Not him. Now let him go!"

Mr. Gold gave a careless shrug and then dropped his arm, causing Jefferson to fall to the ground with a thud. The older man's skin seemed to revert back to normal then—no longer having its strange sheen.

"You found me?" he questioned as he took a step towards her, looking her over with suspicious eyes.

Emma watched him with the same sort of suspicion as she realized that he was missing his usual cane.

"Yeah," she replied as she continued to point the gun at him, "Don't ask me how. I just knew where you were."

"Interesting." he mused as he gave a shoo of his hand and Emma's gun pointed at the ground as if a magnet had drawn it there.

She gasped as she found herself unable to point it back at him. Mr. Gold's eyes gleamed a strange yellow color as if the price of using magic was that it altered his appearance. He gave her devilish-looking smile while behind him, Jefferson stood to his feet.

"Hey," he called-out as his hand rubbed at his throat, "Your business is with me—not with her."

The man Emma knew as "Mr. Gold" who was really "Rumpelstiltskin" turned away from her and sneered at Jefferson. Despite her best attempts, the gun still wouldn't move from it's position at her side.

"Our business," he hissed-out the words, "Ended decades ago. I want nothing of you."

Jefferson tilted his head to the side and stared meaningfully passed Rumpelstiltskin at something. Emma followed his line of sight to see a young woman who had crept quietly into the cave room.

"Of course not," Jefferson replied as his eyes fixed on her, "I've already delivered."

Emma's gun fell loose in her hand and Rumpelstiltskin's coloring reverted back to normal as he turned to face the young woman.

"It's you," she spoke to Jefferson before she came to a stop at Rumpelstiltskin's side, "This is the man who freed me."

Emma's eyebrows lowered curiously at her words, yet, she was even more curious by how closely the young woman stood next to Rumpelstiltskin. Her proximity and the way she gazed up at him made it seem like the two were in-love. Who was this girl? Rumpelstiltskin swallowed as he cautiously glanced at Jefferson. His expression was one of either apology or of dread—Emma couldn't tell which. Rumpelstiltskin bent at the waist, bowing to Jefferson. It was an outdated gesture that reminded Emma that these people were from another time and place.

"I'm in your debt."

Jefferson smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he replied as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Because I need your help getting into Regina's house."

The older man scowled at the request, mulling the words over in his mind, and then, as if an idea had struck him—his eyes flashed to Emma.

"Done," he agreed before a somewhat wicked smile curved-up his mouth, "So long as Ms. Swan repays that favor she owes me..."

Emma swallowed and her heart gave a start. She had promised Mr. Gold a "favor" in return for him leaving Ashley Boyd and her baby alone. Yet, now, Emma knew who he really was. He was Rumpelstiltskin, and making a deal with him was like making a deal with the devil, or at least, that's how the stories seemed to tell it.

"What do you want?"

The man turned to face her.

"I want you to find someone, dearie. With your new talents I suspect it should be fairly easy for you," he said and then his eyes stared-off at something in the distance as a solemn expression came over his face, "I want you find my son."

Emma scowled.

"How do you figure that that will be easy? I don't know your son!"

"His name is Baelfire!" his tone was harsh, and when he said the name he winced, "He—you don't need to know him to find him. Just his name and knowing that he's my son should be enough."

The young woman looped her arm through his as she gazed up at him, sympathetically. It was apparent that there was some sad-luck story about his missing son, but Emma decided not to ask about it. Instead, her eyes wandered over to Jefferson who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking very patient. Patience. It was something he had had to learn time after maddening time.

"First, you help Jefferson, and then I'll find your son."

Jefferson's eyebrows flicked upwards at her words. There she was...standing up for him, again. Why? He didn't deserve it. He had drugged her and her mother and was partially responsible for her son being hospitalized. Never-the-less, Jefferson waited for Rumpelstiltskin's answer.

"Fine," he agreed as if Belle's arm around his own made him a little more generous, "Tomorrow at noon I will give you a small window of time to enter Regina's house, but beware—there's no guarantee for how long my powers will hold her."

"Better yet," Jefferson pitched-in, "Why not just kill her and exact your revenge?"

Emma's lips parted, surprised at the suggestion. The sheriff side of her—the human side of her—didn't approve of killing anyone. Sure, she had wished that Regina would choke on her own apples, or meet her ends by some town assassination plot to kill the mayor, but now, it just got real. Jefferson was deathly serious. Yet, Rumpelstiltskin was deathly angered by it. His hand raised at his side as if he would toss Jefferson around some more and his skin took on a golden sheen.

"How I choose to exact my revenge is no business of yours!"

The young woman wrapped both hands around his arm, pleading with him to stay peaceful. His hand lowered, and with a deep breath, his skin went back to normal. Rumpelstiltskin gazed down at the young woman standing beside him before glancing back at Jefferson.

"It doesn't benefit me to kill her," he explained, "Not as long as the people of this town have someone they hate more than me."

Jefferson considered his words, and then, with a frustrated sigh he nodded his head in acceptance.

"Tomorrow at noon it is."

Jefferson's eyes sought-out Emma's then, and hers were opened wide like she was expecting trouble any minute. Her body was tense and ready to react at a moments notice with her finger still on the trigger. Jefferson walked towards her and pondered at the way her shoulders quickly seemed to sag and her expression became relaxed at his closeness.

"Let's get out of here." she said as she stared into his eyes, almost pleadingly.

Emma glanced at Rumpelstiltskin once more before she turned to leave.

"I'll find your son."

A wicked smile crept across his face at her words, and it made her shudder on the inside.

"I know you will," he replied and it sounded like a threat.

Emma glared at him and even took a step towards him as if she might advance on him. Jefferson's fingers gently wrapped around her arm, and he held her back.

"You were right the first time," he spoke into her ear as he pulled her close, "'Let's get out of here'."

He turned on his heel then and tugged her along as Emma reluctantly put her gun back in its holster.

"Oh! And Ms. Swan—" Rumpelstiltskin called after her and she froze.

Jefferson dropped his hand from her arm as Emma slowly turned around to see the fabled fairytale villain.

"You'd be wise to cover your mirrors," he advised her with a smirk, "The Queen likes to keep track of her enemy's that way. And you, dearie, are enemy number one."

Emma's eyes narrowed, partly because of the idea of being watched through a mirror, but mostly because Regina was the one doing the watching.

"Thanks for the tip," she replied bitterly as she turned her back on him and walked towards the dark tunnel.

As if by magic, the crude rock walls of the tunnel were lighted by candle sconces, illuminating the path to the staircase. Jefferson followed after Emma and she was suddenly glad to have him behind her. Better him than Rumpelstiltskin. Once they surfaced and made it back to the car, Jefferson handed Emma the keys and she took them without saying a word. She paused momentarily in the drivers seat as she stared at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Rumpelstiltskin's words rang in her head like a siren, and with one quick yank, she ripped the rear view mirror off of the windshield. Jefferson raised an eyebrow as she tossed it over her shoulder into the backseat.

"Mirrors," she muttered under her breath as she started the car, "Next thing you know, someones gonna tell me not to talk around animals because, actually, they're just informants for Regina!"

With a slight wince, Jefferson opened his mouth to tell her that it'd be good advice, but he was silenced by Emma's cold hard stare out the windshield. They didn't speak on the drive back to the apartment. Emma was fuming over things like being spied on, dumb names like "Rumpelstiltskin" and magic in general. Jefferson watched her through the corner of his eye, fearing she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He recognized the signs—he knew them well. Emma needed something to ground her. She needed something to bring her back down to earth because all this fairytale crap was no easy pill to swallow—she needed to see Henry. When the car stopped, Emma cut-off the engine and then opened the door to get out.

"Wait." Jefferson grabbed her hand and the warmth of his fingers against her cool skin sent a jolt throughout her body.

Her eyes were alert as they flashed to his—all intense and filled with emotions she couldn't decipher. The serious look on his face and the way his fingers lightly brushed over her skin had Emma easing back down into the drivers seat.

"What?" she asked impatiently as she searched his eyes.

With a frustrated sigh, Jefferson's lips pressed together in a hard line. He wanted to comfort her from the sudden onslaught of magic that had turned her reality upside down, even though...it wasn't his fault. If anything, he had tried to warn her about it. Inside his house, he had tried to convince her that magic was real, but she wouldn't buy it! Jefferson wasn't responsible for the current shell-shock she was experiencing, but there was one aspect of their first encounter he felt guilty about. Jefferson looked downward, avoiding her gaze as his lips parted to speak.

"I owe you an apology," he breathed the words before cautiously looking-up into her eyes, "I'm sorry for ever man-handling you. It's not who I am. I don't—A man shouldn't," Jefferson sighed, "It was never my intention to harm you—either of you. But. I was desperate."

Emma swallowed as she looked at him in much the same way she had looked at him when he first started talking about "magic". Despite his sincerity, she jerked her hand out of his grasp. She remembered him pulling her hair as they had wrestled for the gun—the gun he had pointed at her after drugging her and gagging her—and he was only "sorry" for the wrestling bit.

"That's the only thing you're sorry for?"

Jefferson's eyes narrowed for a split second as he realized that she wasn't accepting his apology. It's not good enough for her? He pursed his lips in annoyance and then leaned-in closer, until his face was only inches away from hers. At his closeness, Emma could feel the heat from his body on her skin and she could feel his breath on her face. She took-in a breath of her own as his eyes examined her like they could see into the very depths of her soul. Emma's heart pounded furiously in her chest as his eyes darted to her lips.

"I know what you want me to say, Emma," his voice was low and raspy as he spoke to her, "You want me to say that I'm sorry for ever tricking you into coming to my house. You want me to apologize that any of it ever happened—but I'd only be lying."

Emma swallowed as she stared into his eyes and she could hear her own pulse beating in her ears. The combination of her pulse and the heated way that his eyes raked over her made her skin flush.

"I'm not sorry for meeting you, Emma," he confessed as a smile played on his lips, "If I'm being completely honest, the only thing I'm sorry about is that you couldn't make my hat work."

Emma scowled at that, narrowing her eyes threateningly as her lips parted to spout-off a mouthful of obscenities. Jefferson placed his hand to her jaw and it stunned her into silence as her surprised eyes stared into his smiling ones.

"Shhh," he hushed her as his thumb moved across her chin, "You do have magic, Emma—just not the kind needed to make a hat that can open a portal to other worlds."

Emma pulled away from his grasp and gave him a dark look.

"What kind of magic do I have, then?" she snapped.

An amused smile formed on Jefferson's lips as he leaned back into his car seat, placing his arm along the window.

"You have the tracking instinct of a hunter," he replied, "That's why it's easy for you to find whatever you're looking for. As a child, you were probably good a "hide and seek", right? But now—since our gold-loving friend unleashed magic on this world—you're the master of the game."

Emma looked away from him as she considered his words. Frankly, she had heard enough talk about magic and finding things for one day, but conversations like that were becoming commonplace. With a sigh, Emma looked back at Jefferson.

"Since I'm going with you to find your stupid hat—you're coming with me to find his son!"

Baelfire. She remembered his name, but she had yet to wonder where she would find him. Jefferson smiled and gave a nod.

"Of course." he said easily as if he would have gone with her either way.

Emma could tell from the sincerity on his face that he would have. She stared at him for a moment longer, wondering if she should chalk-up the whole "kidnapping" ordeal to just a character flaw and forgive him already. There was a big part of her that certainly wanted to forgive him. Jefferson stared back at her, his eyes dancing over her face as he wondered what thoughts were running through her mind. Their eyes connected, realizing that they were both regarding one another, and the air inside the front seat of the car felt electric. Their hearts beat a little faster and their temperatures ran a little hotter. There was something unnamed between them that was like the pull of opposite magnets attracting one another. It was something more than just his bouts of madness and her leeriness of it. Emma swallowed in spite of the pull she felt towards him and she quickly got out of the car. Jefferson leaned forward in his seat, tempted to follow after her. Instead, he watched her walk-off towards the apartment she shared with Snow White, pondering over the moment they had just shared. There had been something there. It was something Emma was too loathe to give-in to, and something Jefferson was too preoccupied by his own agenda to explore.


A/N: The next 1 or 2 chapter(s) will take place in Storybrooke. Then, the chapters will go back to alternating.

Thanks for reading! :)