"Jess, Jess! Wake up! He's coming!" a girl said while shaking Aleera awake. Aleera opened her eyes and saw a girl around her age kneeling over her. She was lying on a hard wood floor in a room with bright lights and mirrors on the walls. Aleera was utterly confused. Where was she? Who was this? What did that girl call her? But then it all came with a flash.
Aleera was Jessica Jane Duncan, daughter of Robert and Elise Duncan. They had been in charge of Storybrooke's theater productions. They had died a few months ago when they'd left to go perform a duo act on an Alaskan cruise ship. They had crashed their car on the exit from Storybrooke when they'd been leaving to go to Boston to fly out. Jessica had been living by herself in their house living off what they'd left her. She'd been allowed to live on her own because she was 18.
"If Geoff catches us sleeping when we are supposed to be wide awake and stretching…" the girl trailed off. Aleera's false memories told her the girl was named Audrey. "He might make us run."
Aleera was still a bit disoriented. But Jessica was not. She was just sleepy. Aleera felt Jessica take over and respond. "Yeah and then bitch at us about how running long distances isn't good for dancers. What a hypocrite."
Aleera sat up and looked around to see other girls and two guys standing around. They were waiting for their dance instructor to get there. They did yoga in the mornings and had dance practice after school. Jessica's memories told Aleera that she, Audrey, and their friend Tina had taken to getting a little more shut-eye when Geoff hadn't arrived yet. He made everyone get up at the crack of dawn but he didn't roll in until the sun had come out.
When the door to the studio burst open everyone jumped. Jessica and Audrey were so startled that they didn't get up. But then in walked Geoff who stormed right toward them. Jessica panned her eyes from his feet to his face, and Aleera saw that it was Alastair. Aleera couldn't believe her eyes, but Jessica made her put on a guilty expression and wince up at her dance, gymnastics, and karate instructor.
"Floor comfortable?" Geoffrey Lang asked his most difficult student.
"No sir," Jessica said.
"Then why don't you get up?" Geoff asked her tilting his head to the left.
"Yes sir," Jessica and Audrey said in unison. They both awkwardly got up and stood at attention in front of their teacher.
"Clearly we need to get your blood pumping," Geoffrey said to the class. "Let's go run around the square." Everyone groaned and some of them glared at Jessica. Audrey went to put her shoes back on and Jessica followed. They put on their tennis shoes and filed out the door with the rest of the class.
Aleera felt like her movements and words were not her own. But she was afraid to overpower Jessica, because Aleera had no idea what to do or say. So she let Jessica hold the reigns and she would see how everything would go. Jessica and Geoff were the last to leave the studio. Geoff was holding the door open for everyone and he lightly grabbed Jessica by the arm and whispered to her.
"You were great last night," he said. Aleera was confused, but Jessica's heart rose. Geoff slapped her on the butt and ushered her out. "Let's have Jessica lead the group!" he called out to everyone. No one had seen what he'd done. Aleera tried to remember the night before. It was difficult because that night didn't actually happen; it was the curse that made them think time hadn't just started. But she tried to remember last night and then it hit her.
Jessica and Geoff were having an affair. He had come to her house that night and they'd had a sexual romp. They'd been having sex in secret off and on since her parents died. The first night had been when the Sherriff interrupted karate class to tell her the news of her parents' accident. Geoff had spent the night at her house so she wouldn't be alone. It had happened then. They'd had to keep it a secret because even though she was a legal adult, she was his student. Also Jessica had suspicions that Geoff was still in love with his ex-wife, Jade.
Jessica went to the head of the group and started off at a jog. The group went at her pace behind her. Once they were all running, Jessica got lost in the crowd a bit. She was in the center of the group and could barely be seen, as she was one of the shorter people in the class. Because her classmates hid her she couldn't see anyone else on the street. So conveniently she was not able to see the Mayor strolling on the other side of the street. The mayor could not see her either, and only slightly acknowledged the group of teenagers running down the street. Something in her made her not want to turn her head in their direction. She didn't even question why. But it was Rumplestiltskin's deal.
Rumple's deal with Aleera made it so Regina and Aleera could not come across each other. The deal's purpose was so that Aleera wouldn't try to stop Regina from casting the curse. But Rumple had added that the deal would not break until the Savior came to town. So despite the damage being done, the deal still stood that Aleera could not reunite with her sister. Regina didn't even know Aleera had been freed from her stone prison.
When the run and yoga session completed, Jessica and her classmates had to rush to make it to school on time. Jess, Audrey, and Tina had also mutually gotten in the habit of putting their uniforms on over their leotards and tights. They would pull up woolen socks over the tights for more warmth and at lunchtime they would go to the bathroom to finally take off their leotards because they had time then. Of course in order for that system to work, they would have to hope they didn't have to go to the bathroom before that, because getting around their leotards would be annoying.
Jessica, Tina, and Audrey had to once again run, to get to school on time. Tina and Audrey were faster and Jessica was pulling up the rear. When they got to the curb in front of the school Jessica stumbled a bit. She luckily maintained her balance and did not scab her knees and drop all her stuff, but she nearly made herself even later.
"Careful, Miss Duncan," said a voice off to the side of the sidewalk. Jessica while trying to recover herself looked up and saw a woman with short dark hair in nun-level modest attire. She had a dreamlike gleam to her eye and a warm smile that Aleera found familiar. She was also very fair skinned.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Blanchard," Jessica said in spite of Aleera's confusion. Then Jessica picked up her run again and climbed the stone steps. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Aleera thought, but her thoughts came out like Jessica would think. "That's Snow White!"
Aleera felt like she was watching her life instead of experiencing it. She felt like she and Jessica weren't in time with each other. Jessica got to make her moves first. Aleera didn't even get a chance to contemplate doing anything before Jessica would make her do things. Aleera felt like she was fighting Jessica, who seemed to have much faster reflexes. Aleera was a slave to Jessica. She needed her to survive. She was a prisoner in her own mind. She was no better off than anyone else in Storybrooke despite having her memories still.
After school let out, Jessica had to go right back to the studio for dance. Mondays and Wednesdays were for dance. Tuesdays were for gymnastics. Thursdays were for karate. Friday's she had free. Not that it mattered. She would be reliving the same day for the next 28 years. Every day it would be her fault the yoga class had to go for a run, Geoffrey would compliment her on the night she'd had with him, she would have the same brief conversation with Miss Blanchard, and she would learn the same things in school every day. But there was one thing about the days repeating that she did not mind. Every night Jessica would go to Geoffrey's house for a booty call. It wasn't necessarily the sex she looked forward too, at least not entirely. Aleera got to spend time with Alastair. At least what part of him was in Geoffrey.
Regina was also tortured by repeating the same day every day. She did everything she could to change things up a bit. The only changes she did not like were the stir the strangers in town created. But the boy stranger was starting to grow on her. But after having the same experiences and same interactions for a week, Regina was fed up. She went to Rumplestiltskin to fix things, but he only had Mr. Gold's memories.
"I'm sorry, what exactly is it you want?" Mr. Gold asked her to end Regina's baffling rant.
"Nothing you can give me," she told him. She started to storm off, but then she thought of one more thing. Mr. Gold might not remember his true self, but with all the Enchanted Forest relics around his shop, perhaps he had Aleera's frozen form in the back.
"Perhaps I am remembering it wrong," she started to say. "But I seem to remember you had in your possession, a stone statue of a young woman?"
"Did I?" he asked confused. "I remember selling you a gnome made out of stone, but I don't remember a young woman statue."
"You're sure?" Regina asked.
"I think so," he told her. "But if you are interested I can keep an eye out for one?"
"Not necessary," Regina said giving up. Apparently Aleera's statue hadn't made it over. She had no idea of the deal that kept her and her sister apart, so she would have no idea her sister was alive and well. She turned back around and left, holding Owen's keychain up to her face and getting an idea of how to change things around Storybrooke.
After a few weeks of repeating the same day, where Aleera's only solace came in her nights with Alastair, Jessica's schedule changed seriously. She was walking through the woods after sneaking out the back of Geoffrey's house when her pattern was broken. Someone came out of the shadows and grabbed her. He wrapped his arms around her like a boa constrictor and she couldn't get free. But she still struggled.
"Geoffrey?" she gasped. Who else would be around here?
"Guess again," the gruff voice said. And then he pressed a cloth to her face and suffocated her with chloroform.
When Jessica awoke she was in an unfamiliar room, bound to a chair. She looked around and was blinded by a desk light shining in her face. She saw that there was a person in the shadows, but she couldn't identify him.
"Who are you?" Jessica whimpered, absolutely panicked. "Where am I?"
"Somewhere you will never escape," the man said. And then he stepped into the light. "Until you get it to work." Jessica breath hitched in fear, but Aleera wasn't scared. She knew who this man was. He was a portal jumper her father had worked with. They had never formally met, but she would walk in on dealings he had with Rumplestiltskin when she was living at the castle. Finally a situation in this world had come up where Aleera's knowledge would be more useful than Jessica's, so Aleera was finally able to take over.
"Get what to work?" she asked. She heard Jessica screaming in her head that this man wanted Aleera to cure him of his erectile dysfunction. But Aleera looked around and saw numerous top hats lying around.
"Don't play games, Aleera," he said. "I know you remember. Your father said you would." Aleera stopped playing dumb at that moment.
"How did he know back then?" she asked.
"That's not my problem," he said. "My problem is that I'm stuck here. In a land I don't know with conflicting memories, and my former neighbors are raising my daughter and she believes they are her parents. That's why I called upon you."
"I don't think kidnapping counts as calling upon," Aleera said fighting the ropes that bound her. Jefferson came over and untied her. But before she could get up he pulled a gun out from his waistband and aimed it at her.
"You are going to make me a portal," he said.
"Are you nuts?" Aleera asked him. But then he cocked the gun and she shrunk away from him. "I can't do it."
"Yes you can," he tried to assure her. "You have magic."
"No I don't," Aleera said.
"Of course you do!" Jefferson yelled, and then he pulled her head back by her hair and balanced the gun on the corner of her mouth. "You are the Dark One's daughter! You created this damned curse! If anyone can make a portal hat you can!" He then let go of her and he cat walked around the table that was in front of her and pushed fabric and hat making tools from the side of the table to right in front of her. He continued to aim the gun at her.
"If I could make a portal hat I would have done that instead of making the "damned" curse," Aleera tried to convince him.
"No hat can take us to the world we are in," Jefferson reasoned with her. "But I don't need to get here. I need to get back to our land."
"Your hat couldn't get us here because this land has no magic," Aleera reasoned back. "And since there's no magic here I can't use it to get back." Jefferson lowered the gun and slumped into the armchair behind him. He started to cry, and through his tears he said. "I will never be able to get home."
"I know it's hard," Aleera said, getting up and cautiously walking over to him. "But in 28 years the Savior will be here. And with her the curse will break."
"And magic will come back?" he asked looking up at her.
"Possibly," Aleera told him. "But I can't promise anything."
"It will come back," Jefferson stated. He had faith. Faith was all he had to be able to stand the next 28 years. He walked over to the door and opened it. "You can go now." Aleera headed for the door. And once in the doorway she stopped.
"If you need company," she said. "You can always come to me. I'm tortured remembering everything too. Misery loves company."
"You looked like you weren't very miserable tonight," Jefferson said, gesturing to a telescope aimed through the window. Aleera looked through it and saw it aimed at Geoffrey's house. She picked her head back up and turned back to Jefferson.
"That doesn't mean I'm not miserable," she said. She reached up and caressed his face, and then she left. Jefferson watched her leave and felt the slightest up beat in his mood. He wouldn't have to be alone.