Emma was currently barreling down the road. She wasn't going to care about the speed limit or anything, everyone knew this was her car, and she knew, thanks to Regina, that if she hit a tree this car would be able to take it.
And no one was ever out here at night.
But just as she thought that, she was proven wrong. Someone was walking in the middle of the road and she almost hit them, but a well-timed swerve and the person jumping out of the way prevented any damage.
That is until he, Emma was sure it was a guy, ended up rolling down a hill. Emma jumped out of the car.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't see you there."
"Uh, I think so."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine. I'm not used to sharing the road with cars so late. You're the Sheriff, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"What brings you out here in the middle of the night?"
"Oh, nothing to worry about. I'm just looking for a lost dog."
"At 200 Mph?"
"It's my kids new puppy my husband got for him, if we don't find him before the kid finds out… well."
"Well, I'd say that's a good reason, I hope you find it."
"Thank you." Emma said, but then the guy had an obvious limp. "Oh, you are hurt."
"No, I just twisted my ankle, I think. I live just a mile down the road. I'll make it okay."
"No, let me drive you. I insist."
"Thank you. I'm Jefferson."
"Emma."
"Nice name." He said getting into the car.
"So why are you out this late?"
"Well, I love a night walk. And I'm meeting the love of my life."
"Oh, is that right."
"Yep, I feel like I'm young and foolish whenever I start walking down to meet her, Like Romeo and Juliet."
"You do know how that ends, right."
"Well, if her employer, slash father figure ever found out."
"Ahh, she a lot younger then you."
"She's legal sheriff, and an adult, but when he has a collection of weapons, it's best that he not know she comes and visits me alone in the woods for hours on end, I'd don't think I'd get the chance to explain my innocence."
"I couldn't agree more."
"And what about you, I heard Regina screaming something about you and Mr. G."
"Screaming?"
"Her window was open, and her voice sounds like a cat after spending a night in the rocking chair factory."
Emma laughed at that, and then she saw Jefferson's house. "Wow. This is your house? It looks more like a hotel. You must have a huge family."
"Nope. It's just me."
Emma saw Jefferson struggling to get up the stairs, and so went inside to help him. "Here. Wait."
They went inside and Jefferson said he'd get some tea. He also got out a cane similar to Gold's. "Is there an eccentric rich man's cane store I don't know about."
"Not that I know of, this is from a friend, forgotten from his last visit."
Emma chuckled, and then heard her phone ring. She picked it up to see Gold's face on the screen. "Hi."
"Hi, how's the search?"
"Not well, I hit a guy with the car."
"Really." Gold sounded astonished.
"Well, almost, but he hurt his leg so I helped him home, Got a cane like yours, ever met a Jefferson."
"You're at Jefferson's." Emma noticed the surprise in his voice. "Whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything."
"Why."
"Jeff hasn't been entirely sane for a long time, good fellow, trust him with my life, but Regina hates him and has more than once tried to have him hospitalized by messing with his food, and he on more than one occasion has slipped me a sleeping drug in my tea." Jeff came back into the room at this point.
"Should I be worried about Henry?"
"Is he back in the room?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Don't worry, he'd never intend to harm you unless he thinks you're a threat, he knows your with me so you should be fine, but don't mention Henry or Regina."
"Why not?"
"Take too long to explain, just don't."
"Okay dear. Love you."
"Be there soon." Emma then hung up.
"Husband?" Jeff asked handing her a cup. "Here we go. I thought you might want to warm up for your search. It's cold out there."
"That is kind of you, but I think I should get back to it."
"I know. That's why I brought this. I'm a bit of an amateur cartographer – mapping the area is a hobby. Maybe, this will help you track down your dog." He said laying out a map.
"Wow."
"What's his name?"
"Jet, he's the cutest chocolate lab."
"Sounds like it." The doorbell rang. "One moment." He then left and Emma looked over the map. "Well I have company, but I swear she is not competition for you." He then came back in with, Madelyn.
When she saw Emma, Madelyn's eyes went wide. "If you are trying to steal her, I'd be calling you a doctor." She then went over and hugged Emma. "How are you Emma?"
"Good, good. I take it Michal doesn't know you're here."
"Not quite, and don't tell. He trusts me, but not Hatter over there."
"Hatter?"
"He hasn't showed you the collection yet, oh you must see it."
"Actually, I'd thought Emma might like to see my most recent addition." Jeff then led them through the house to a room. "Now, I think you'll like this."
He then opened the door to reveal a sleeping Mary Margret on the bed, looking quite peaceful. "Found her out here wondering around, quite lost the poor thing, I figured Gold wouldn't like it if his client went too far." He then shut the door.
"I, um." Emma looked at the other two.
"Oh don't worry, her secret is safe with me, and Madelyn won't tell, will you dear."
"Nope, Michal would find out then."
"Well, now that that's settled, to the hat room."
Jeff then led them to another part of the house, but when he opened the door, Jeff stopped suddenly. "Well don't just stand there like an idiot, come in."
When Emma heard the voice, she pushed past Jefferson to see Gold and Michal sitting and drinking tea. "Jefferson, how rude, we come in uninvited, and you not only have only made tea for your invited guests, but you filled Emma's with a sleeping draught." Michal said.
"Well you were uninvited, how was I to know?"
"Not my problem, you invited her, you should have just known." And then Michal looked at Madelyn. "And there is a moral to this story young lady, never assume you've successfully snuck something past me, you will fail."
"Doesn't hurt the fact that I set you up." Gold said smiling.
Madelyn and Emma perked up at that. "What?" Madelyn said.
"Did Jeff not tell you? I helped him get over his Agoraphobia, and I also told him that there was a beautiful and single young lady that loved to go to the rabbit hole every Thursday on her night off."
Madelyn grabbed Jeff and forced him to look at her. "He did what, why, you… you… I, I don't even know what to feel right now."
"How about joy, or I'd settle for very happy."
"And why would I feel those emotions?"
"He set us up, he must approve."
She then turned and looked at Gold. "I admit nothing, and if for some reason I did, in some fantasy approve, I would reserve the right to kill him still."
Madelyn stood still for a couple of long moments, and then she jumped up whooping and kissed Jeff. "Hey, wait just a cotton picking minute!" They all looked at Michal. "Doesn't anyone want to ask my approval or lack thereof concerning the crazy idea that someone could be worthy of my employ, and a girl I consider a daughter?"
"Well do you?" Jeff asked.
"If you willing to take that risk, if you hurt her you'll be waking up one day to find yourself being strangled by your own intestines."
Jeff just said without a glimmer of fear. "Yes."
"Okay, I'm good." They then heard a clock chime. And Jeff instantly took off running.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm late, I'm late."
"For a very important date." Emma finished.
Jeff stopped suddenly and turned. "How did you know?"
"Umm, lucky guess." Jeff just shrugged at her response and started running again
It took Emma a minuet to realize, but Jefferson was setting up for dinner, next to a telescope by the window. "What's he doing?" She asked Gold.
"He's getting ready to watch his daughter."
"Um, details."
"All in good time my dear, all in good time." Gold then walked over towards the table where Jefferson set up his dinner and a tea set, opening up the teapot and looking inside. "English breakfast. Interesting choice for dinner, I'm more of an Earl Grey man myself."
"Yes, well this isn't your dinner, so there." Jefferson said sitting down. Everyone then just watched as Jefferson made small talk with Madelyn, almost seeming to forget that there were three other people in the room. And he would occasionally look through the telescope.
Halfway through his meal of a rather delicious smelling soup, he went face first into the bowl.
"I was wondering how long that was going to take." Michal said.
"Yes it was a rather interesting amount of time. I wonder he's been actively dosing himself again." Gold said walking up to the obviously unconscious Jefferson. He then grabbed the man's head and pulls it out of the soup bowl. Gold didn't bother though to do much more than direct his head away from landing in the bowl again, which in turn caused him to fall down on the ground.
"Careful of his head. He's got enough scars on his neck as it is." Michal said. And then Emma looked down and saw that around his entire neck was one long very ugly looking scar.
"Does someone want to fill me in, or do I start guessing now." Emma said.
"Take a look through the telescope what do you see?" Michal said.
Emma went and looked at the telescope, and was very confused at seeing a young girl and her family sitting down to dinner. "I don't get it." Emma said turning to Gold.
"Years ago Jefferson had a wife who was pregnant, and she died giving birth to their daughter. Jefferson had never been of entirely sound mind, and with his wife's death Regina managed to separate him from his daughter and had him under house arrest. A little bit of finagling with some paperwork later, and the parents you see now sitting at that table believe she came from New York. In actuality she came from Storybrooke General Hospital to an adoption center in New York and then came back here and was placed in their care." Gold said.
"Regina was more than happy to tell him of the fate of his daughter and that it would be nearly impossible for him to ever get her back. So now he spends his days sitting up in his lonely little home watching her grow up, never making contact for fear she be taken away or ruining the perfect little world she's developed with those nice people." Michal said fishing up the story.
"And you approve of him dating Madelyn?"
"He is normally alright; I was just worried that too much social interaction might've set them on edge so I laced his tea with some of the sleeping draft he was going to give you. It'll make leaving quite a bit easier." Gold said.
Emma just stared at her husband for a moment. "Should I be concerned that you are so at ease with the idea of someone drugging me? Or really any of this?"
"Jefferson would never hurt someone intentionally, or seriously. His brain just can't seem to decide whether it wants to go at 2 miles an hour or 200. So it just kind of swaps back and forth at the drop of a hat, he didn't mean to put any sleeping draft in your tea. It was probably just a slip of the mind." Michal said. "Now I'm almost certain there is a young woman upstairs in the bedroom asleep. Her name escapes me at the moment, but you might want to go and make sure you're there for her when she wakes up. Madelyn and I'll be taking our leave now if you don't mind." He then tipped his head towards Emma, and then towards Gold. "Have a nice night." And with that the two of them left.
Emma then went and looked down at Jefferson again. "What's with the scar on his neck?"
"If you can avoid it, never get on Regina's mother's bad side." Gold said.
Emma just looked at him, blinking in wide-eyed amazement while her mouth hung open. "And you dated her?"
"When I was dating her she was more power-hungry and harmless, when Jefferson met her it was after Regina had betrayed her, and then she betrayed Regina, and then Regina with Jefferson's help betrayed her once again. She was rather ticked off, and so she did that to him. When Jefferson came running back with his tail between his legs, all Regina cared about was whether or not her mother would be close behind. It's one of the reasons why she decided to screw them over, that and she just seems to feed off the misery."
"You have worse taste in women that I have in men."
"I'm pretty sure you just somehow managed to insult both of us the same time."
When Mary Margaret woke up, there were a few things that were very confusing to her. The first being where she was, the second being why she was there, and the third being why Mr. Gold and Emma were staring at her. "Emma, what's going on?"
"Well I could ask you the same question. I went to the station today and found your cell surprisingly lacking in certain areas, specifically occupation."
Mary appeared thoughtful for a moment and then around. "I'm sorry. I found this key in my cell, I was going to tell you about it but then everything started to seem so hopeless. I got out and ran through the woods and then... And then the big fade to black."
"That was because a friend of mine named Jefferson was asked to keep an eye on you to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. Now while I can't officially say I approve of his methods I do approve of the results." Gold said.
Mary Margaret just sighed. "So, Sheriff, I guess you'll be taking me back now."
Emma just responded by throwing Mary the keys to her bug. "It's parked downstairs. Here. Go."
"You want me to run?"
"No, but it's your choice. Just know something – running isn't easy. I've done my share of it. And once you go, there's no stopping."
"Emma, everyone thinks I killed Kathryn."
"Mary Margaret, you have to believe me. You have to trust me. I know it seems impossible, but I can get you out of this."
"Why is it so important to you what happens to me?"
"Because, when Regina framed me, and you bailed me out, I asked you why. And you said you trusted me. And then, when I wanted to leave Storybrooke because I thought it was best for Henry, you told me I needed to stay because that was the best for him, and then when the whole thing happened with Gold you were by my side supporting me. And I realized, all my life, I have been alone, with walls up. Nobody's ever been there for me – except for you, you were the first one to ever do that. And even though I have a husband and a son and kids on the way I can't lose that. I cannot lose one of the most important members of my family."
"Family?"
"Friends. Whatever. You know what I mean. Wouldn't you rather face this together than alone?"
Mary just sat in the bed for a moment thinking. "Are you sure we can do this."
"Mary." Gold said drawing her attention. "You are one of the main reasons that I now have so much joy in my life. I owe you quite a debt, and I always pay my debts. So short of having to confess to killing Katherine myself I will do anything necessary to get you out of this."
"And Mr. Gold always wins." Emma said smiling. "So if you can't trust me, can you trust my husband?"
Mary Margret looked thoughtful for a moment. And then she tossed the keys back to Emma. "I trust both of you, completely." She said smiling.
Regina drove to the station, walking inside with her head held high. She was smiling on the inside and the outside, knowing what she would find.
This smile instantly vanished when she found sitting in the cell one Mary Margaret Blanchard, reading a newspaper as if nothing had happened.
"Madam Mayor." She said with a curt nod before turning back to the paper.
"Good morning." Regina said still in shock.
Mr. Gold then appeared out of nowhere. And grabbing one of Regina's arms said. "Excuse me, but my client is not having any visitors."
"Of course not." Regina said seeming to snap out of the stupor she was in.
"I'll see you out." They then went down to the hallway. "What is she doing here?" Regina said instantly turning on Gold in harsh anger.
"She came back."
"You said this was going to work. That she'd take the key, that she'd go."
"And she did. But, it seems that Miss Swan is rather more resourceful than we thought. Fear not, Your Majesty. Miss Blanchard is still guilty of murder. You may yet get what you want."
"Oh, I better. The only reason I made a deal with you, Gold, is because I wanted results."
"And results you shall have. See you at the arraignment."
Thank you to lozzy035, is this soon enough of an update? With an extra big thank you to katniss12 and Princess Of God 4 Ever for the kind words about my grandfather. And Twyla Mercedes this review and the one left on Rumpelstiltskin's Revenge. If you haven't read, if you haven't read it yet you should, people have told me that they actually like it, which surprised me because I wrote it in like three days.
And good news. My grandfather is doing extraordinarily well, not counting the fact that since he is a doctor and well, you know what that means, he is the absolute worst patient in the world. And the fact that he has been ever so slightly forgetful about taking his medication. But thank you all for the encouraging words and he's doing great.
And now sadly for some bad news. I've been attempting to write another chapter for Rumpelstiltskin's strangest deal, but at the moment my muse is dead.
I know what it is I want to do with the story, where I want to go and all of that. But the finale has killed my abilities at the moment. I having a hard time even mustering up the will to read RumplexBelle fanfic if it's in cannon. But don't worry Twyla I'm able to read AU just fine, it's just for some reason if it's in canon I'm no good.
Hopefully my muse will come back when the show premieres the second half, or sooner if I'm lucky. But for now I must sadly say that Rumpelstiltskin's Strangest Deal is on an unknown length hiatus.
But good news for anybody that only reads this story, that means I can focus on it more and that means faster updates. So hopefully not all bad news.
Merry Christmas.
And
A Happy New Year.