Chapter 20: Rebuilding
Alice:
Alice hugged Charming and Snow one last time before she walked over to Jefferson, Grace, Emma, and Killian.
"Thank you, again," Alice looked at the two of them, "for everything."
"You'll make a great queen," Snow squeezed her shoulders.
"When you get back to the Enchanted Forest, we need to find a way to connect the worlds so that people can come and go," she told Snow.
"Don't worry, the minute we get back and rebuild, that's the first thing we'll do," Charming promised her.
Alice smiled once more and turned to her group that was waiting for her.
"Ready?" Alice asked.
Jefferson nodded and spun his hat. Together, the five jumped into the portal.
She opened her eyes and found herself standing in the ruins of Wonderland.
"What happened?" Emma asked, taking in the surroundings. "We were only gone for a week."
"I guess when Lila died, Wonderland died along with it," Alice said. "Then again, maybe that's a good thing."
"How is that a good thing?" Jefferson asked. "We're supposed to live here, with this place looking like this?"
"No," Alice smiled and held Jefferson's hand. "We're going to rebuild it, together."
Emma:
"How long do you think this will take?" she looked at Killian.
"As long as it needs to take. This is their new home, so we need to help them all we can," Killian said. "I know you want to get back to Henry, but remember, he agreed completely with this idea."
"What about the people, the people that live here. Will they listen to Alice?"
"Believe me, love, they will worship her," Killian laughed and slipped an arm around Emma's waist. "They hated Lila."
"I couldn't agree more with them," Emma laughed and placed a kiss on Killian's lips.
"Come on, let's help them with the villagers," Killian smiled.
"Oh, so now they're villagers?"
"It's the common term," Killian rolled his eyes, amused.
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
"What do you want me to do, refer to them as commoners?"
"It doesn't matter to me," Emma smiled and walked forward towards the family.
Jefferson:
He picked up his daughter and placed her on his shoulders. His wife walked in step on his right side as they made their way through the black iron gates.
"Do you think they'll listen?" Jefferson listened as Alice asked.
"You'll be just fine," he reassured her.
They walked through the town and made their way to the wooden stage that was placed in the middle of the village. Emma and Killian followed from behind. Jefferson placed Grace back on her feet before helping Alice onto the stage.
"Don't leave me," she looked into his eyes.
"I'll be right here," he reassured her once more.
He looked on as Alice began.
Alice:
She cleared her throat and yelled over the people. "Attention!"
The thing about Wonderland was that Lila placed a spell on the gates. Whenever a commoner looked beyond the gates, they only thing they would see was the castle, and nothing more. The people were so afraid of Lila because they saw her so little, and they weren't willing to find out what she was really like.
The people stopped in their tracks and looked in her direction. She listened to the whispers that came from the people.
"It's really her."
"She's the one."
"Isn't she dead?"
"How is she alive?"
"Her heart was taken by the queen."
"It can't be."
"It's not possible."
Alice cleared her throat and began. "The queen is dead; although I'm sure all of you know this by now."
Silence.
"We can't leave this land in ruins as it is now. We need to rebuild this place and turn it back into the land it used to be, the place where people came and went, the place that people wanted to go to. If we leave it like this, you will all be trapped here forever."
Silence.
"We need a new ruler, a new king and/or queen. I can't do this by myself; I need help, please. We need to stop the segregation that still exists here. This isn't Lila's land anymore. This is our land."
Alice paused once more, ready to speak, but the crowd roared in applause. It wasn't the reaction she was expecting. She beamed at the people, happy that she had them on her side. People began shouting out.
"We're free!"
"Freedom, at last!"
"The queen is dead!"
Alice jumped when she heard someone clear their throat next to her. She turned her head and saw Emma standing on the stage with her.
"Can I have your attention?" Emma's voice rang loud and clear, and the noise died once more.
"I'm going to make this simple. Raise your hand if Alice should be the new queen on Wonderland."
The masses raised their hands.
"Well," Emma took her turn to smile to the people, "that's settled. I give you Alice, Queen on Wonderland."
She bowed and gestured to Alice.
"Emma," Alice turned to her, trying to hide her smile. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Your brother is a Captain, a leader. I'm pretty sure it runs in the family," she playfully tapped Alice's shoulder. "You get to restore the glory back to Wonderland. Grace will finally have a home. Jefferson will be your king."
"How did you even get onto the stage?" Alice asked.
"You were so busy giving your speech, you didn't even notice me switch spots with Jefferson," Emma shrugged.
"Well, that makes sense…How am I going to see you guys again? There's only one way to get to Wonderland."
"You've met the family. We'll find a way," Emma laughed and hugged Alice. "Take good care of Jefferson and Grace, alright?"
"Take good care of my brother," Alice mocked.
"I keep him in line," Emma smirked.
"Come back soon, when the real Wonderland is back," Alice made Emma keep the promise.
"I promise," Emma said as she walked back with Alice to the group.
Alice walked over to Killian first and embraced him. "I'm going to miss you."
"We'll be back soon, love. You can count on it," Killian reassured her.
She watched as Grace jumped into Killian's arms, latching onto his neck. "We won't be gone long." He placed a kiss on her forehead.
Grace only smiled and said good bye. Killian looked at Jefferson and shook his hand. 'Take good care of these two."
"Consider it done," Jefferson smiled.
Alice made a portal with her mirror and watched as the two jumped and disappeared.
She turned to Jefferson and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Here's to a new life as a complete family."
Jefferson hugged her back and leaned down to give her a kiss, sealing the deal.