A/N: Once again I find myself apologizing for the long wait! Gah! Too many fics, not enough me! I need to clone myself! :D

Anyhow, this chapter was written mostly by my wonderful co-writer, (FaerieTales4ever). I chimed in here and there but the creative juices just weren't flowing. Thanks for writing about 98 percent of this, Claire! :D

Thank you readers and reviewers for continuing to support this story! We're getting to some good stuff here!

To answer a question left by FictionLover12- that's left for the imagination! tehehehe! :D

I won't blab on further! Read on, peeps! Hope ya like!

A Land Far Far Away

Chapter Ten: Time For Tea

The Hatter's house wasn't a house at all really, more like a shack. Dark menacing trees loomed overhead and thick vines crawled up the window. Emma couldn't help shuddering a little. The patterns of the vines eerily resembled spiders. Emma hated spiders. Ever since she was little and her foster brother Tommy put a Tarantula in her bed...she still had nightmares about it.

"Emma," Mary Margaret called, shaking Emma from recalling the hairy eight legged horrors of her childhood, "Are you alright?"

The blonde shook her head vigorously, "Yeah," she assured her mother a bit too quickly. Then she turned to the rabbit, "So, this is where the hatter lives?" She glanced cautiously back at the house, not incredibly eager to venture inside.

The rabbit nodded, his eyes switching back and forth crazily, long left ear twitching, "Yes, but he has tea in the garden. Follow me." He hopped through a thick bushel of thorny underbrush nearby.

Mary Margaret started forward but Emma put a hand on her arm and glanced at her uncertainly, one eyebrow raised as if to say, Are you sure we should be taking orders from a psycho rabbit?

The brunette sighed and shrugged, "Its the only way we're going to get home," she gently reminded her daughter.

Emma huffed, she knew that of course, but the craziness of this place was making her antsy and suspicious. Growing up the way she had, Emma thrived on order and knowledge. She was quick on her feet, and she could fight better than most men when the time came. Still, she liked to know what she was getting into. Mental preparedness was key for her. She hated being caught off guard. And yet, here she was, thrust into a life full of fairytale characters and talking rabbits and hookah smoking caterpillars... Wonderland was even crazier than Storybrooke. At least in Storybrooke there was logic, even if it boiled down to a magical curse.

Not here. Nothing was logical here; nothing made any sense. She just wanted to get home to her son. But that meant finding Jefferson. And finding Jefferson meant following the psychotic bunny who relied on a broken stopwatch.

Damn this was just all so messed up. She still didn't want to, but there wasn't any other option. Finally, Emma squared her shoulders and plunged behind her mother into the underbrush.

xoxo

When they emerged on the other side, it was almost a shock to be able to see the sky again. Neither mother or daughter knew how far from the Hatter's house they had gone, but it sure seemed like a hike. The rabbit hopped in front of them and turned around, opening his arms grandly. ""Welcome to Tulgey Gardens," he said, giggling like mad.

Mary Margaret and Emma glanced around. The "gardens" were pretty much in the same shape as the Hatter's house: overgrown and dead looking with hardly any color. In the middle of the clearing sat a long table. The wood was chipped and on top was a torn tablecloth that looked as if- once upon a time- was made of fine lace. There were eight chairs all around the table, each one mismatched and as tarnished as the wood of the tabletop. Old, dusty plates and silverware were set at each spot, and in the middle of the table was a large, cracked teapot with eight smaller cups surrounding it. Jefferson sat at the head of the table, hair sticking out in every direction, mumbling to himself.

"Where is...should be home….promised her a tea party….Gracie…" Mary Margaret caught bits and pieces, her eyes filling with sympathy for the poor man.

"What's he saying?" Emma whispered, brows furrowing at the misty look on her mother's face.

"He's asking about Grace. The last time they saw each other before he was trapped here. He had promised her a tea party for lunch, but he was never able to return…" she paused, "Well, not until the curse took him to Storybrooke."

"Oh." The blonde's lips were set in a tight line, suddenly very homesick for Henry. Mary Margaret put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get back to them, Em. Have faith."

Her daughter winced at the pet name, but said nothing, eyes trained on the man in front of her. What if we don't? she wondered. She didn't want to end up like him. She didn't want to one day find herself trapped in Wonderland having gone...well...mad.

The rabbit took little notice of their exchange, bouncing closer to Jefferson. The two women followed silently.

"Hatter?" the rabbit said, pulling on his jacket sleeve, "I've come for tea."

Jefferson came out of his stupor, looking curiously down at the rabbit before his eyes lit up. "Freddy!" he exclaimed, "You came! Where's Grace? Is she with you?"

The rabbit sighed, rolling his eyes. "I told you, I'm not Grace's rabbit! I'm the March Hare. And my name is not Freddy, it's Sir Reginald," Emma had to bit her cheeks to keep from laughing when she noticed his bushy tail puff up in annoyance, "I've only come to keep you company."

The Hatter sighed, "Oh, well… I suppose there is an extra seat if you want it," he gestured to the empty chairs, "but we'll have to wait for-" At that moment, his eyes met Emma's and he gasped, "Grace?"

Emma backed away slightly, "Um, no. My name's Emma. And this is-"

"I'm Mary Margaret," her mother cut in, "I'm an old friend."

Jefferson's brow furrowed, "I don't remember seeing you before. Do you know Grace?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret told him. Emma looked at her, shocked, but her eyes said trust me and she went on speaking, "and I can assure you, she is safe and happy."

"Where is she?" he asked suspiciously.

"I can't tell you," she sighed, her voice thick with remorse, "but I promise, you will see her soon."

The Hatter's eyes widened, "She's coming for tea?"

"Not right now, but soon." Mary Margaret said, "In the meantime, we need your help."

"Why should I help you?" he asked, "I need to wait for Grace."

Mary Margaret sighed, "I'm sure Grace will be along soon, but we could really use your help now. "

Before anyone could say another word, the sounds of loud, blaring trumpets were heard not too far away. Mary Margaret's eyes grew wide with panic as she looked to her daughter.

"The Queen!" the rabbit said frantically, his voice hushed. "do any of them work, Hatter?" he asked, his voice filled with desperation.

"Do any of what work?" Emma asked.

"The hats! The hats! The Queen needs a working hat!" he yelled before his stare grew large as he realized his voice could have attracted attention.

"Don't work. Never work. Never will," The hatter said robotically, his eyes glued to the table.

"Hide! Hide! We must hide!" the rabbit warned before hopping away hurriedly, ears twitching rapidly at every sound.

Emma groaned. "What now?" she asked her mother.

"Come on," Mary Margaret said, taking Emma's hand and leading them towards where the rabbit was headed.

The sounds of the trumpets grew louder as Emma and Mary Margaret rushed across the grass and jumped around a large rock. Mary Margaret pulled Emma down to the ground, the blond grunting in annoyance. Mary Margaret said her apologies while peaking around the rock to see a red, royal looking carriage pull up in front of the hatter's house.

"Let me guess," Emma murmured. "The Queen of Hearts?"

"Looks like it," Mary Margaret whispered as they watched two masked guards appear from the carriage. One opened the door and Mary Margaret cringed. She was about to find out why the mention of the Queen of hearts sent chills down her spine… but when the woman emerged from her carriage, Mary Margaret frowned as she too was wearing a mask. Her identity was unpredictable.

Without a word, the Queen waved her arm to the garden, where the Hatter sat. One guard gave a firm nod and hurried into the yard. He went straight up to the man and said, "The Queen requires you pay your debt. Today… have you designed a hat?"

"A hat, Yes, a hat will take me home to Grace." the Hatter murmured.

"I don't know why the Queen wants to work with this fool," the guard whispered to his companion, "He's nothing but a mad man."

The other guard, an older, buffer man sighed and pushed his partner out of the way, now nose to nose with the Hatter, "Listen here you lunatic," he growled, grabbing the collar of his shirt, "You have a debt to pay, and i intend to make you pay it. Where is the hat the Queen requires?"

"They don't work," Jefferson repeated, "Never have. Never will."

The guard grunted, thrusting him to the ground so Jefferson fell on his knees. The other guard quickly came back with wrought iron chains. He bounded the Hatter's hands and shoved him into the carriage. "There are other ways of making you talk," the man warned before throwing the door closed.

"Jefferson," Emma said worriedly, ready to get up on her feet, but Mary Margaret pulled her back down.

"We can't," Mary Margaret said, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"But-"

"We can't interfere with the past, honey."

"You don't know what she'll do to him," Emma argued, her voice firm.

"I know that he'll wind up in Storybrooke, his body physically unharmed," Mary MArgaret reminded her gently.

Emma sighed a frustrated breath while falling back to the ground.

Mary Margaret put her hand to her daughter's back, rubbing small, comforting circles across Emma's covered skin.

The two watched as the Queen was helped back into the carriage. Not a moment later, trumpets sounded as the carriage took off deeper into the forest.

"Come on," Mary Margaret said while getting to her feet.

"Why?" Emma asked. "He's gone. They took him away. What the hell do we do now?" Emma asked in defeat.

"Don't you remember what Rumpel said?" Mary Margaret said, a small smile on her face. "He has hats. He may not be able to get them to work, but you can."

Emma looked to her mother in apprehension. "This is all…. insane."

Mary Margaret walked the few steps back to her daughter. "I know you want nothing more than to go home. You want to get back to Henry...All of this- Wonderland, the Enchanted Forest, magic- I know it's a lot for you to handle. But Emma, you're the savior. If anyone can do this, if anyone can cross worlds, its you."

"And if I can't?" Emma challenged. "You have too much faith in me."

"And you don't have enough," Mary Margaret countered. "There are hats inside that house. Hats that only you can allow to be made into a portal… you have to try, Emma. If not for me or you then for Henry. For your son."

Emma's eyes drifted to the house. Her face fell to a frown, but still she said, "Let's go."

TBC…

Thoughts before you go? Please and thank you! Hope you enjoyed! P.S, if you haven't already, head on over to my profile page for the link to a super cool OUAT Fan Fiction & Creations FB group! Hope to see you there!