Chapter Thirty-Five
Jefferson appeared in the garden. He leaned back against the hedge which blocked him from Rumple's line of sight from the tower room window. Trying to catch his breath, he watched Aurora going about her work in the garden, not knowing what Rumple had just done. As Jefferson watched he debated on how best to handle this horrible situation.
The potion had not turned purple could it be true that Aurora doesn't love me the way I love her? Was Rumple correct? Aurora is after all a Princess. Sure I have nice clothes, money, and royal passports, but as Regina had pointed out that day in her Throne Room, I have no real title. I am just a con man, a son of a worthless pirate. Would Aurora really risk her Throne and Kingdom to run away with me now?
Regina hadn't risked her wealth and power when I asked her to leave with me a little over a year ago. Was Rumple right, am I throwing everything I have away on a young girl's silly crush? And if it is not True Love, then my kiss will do nothing to help Aurora after her curse has run its course.
Should I risk Aurora's future by taking her away? If I am not her True Love then where would she meet him? Maybe she isn't supposed to meet him until after she awakes from her curse. It can't possibly be Prince Phillip. He grimaced at the thought of losing her to someone who today, right this very second, was just a helpless child.
Jefferson noticed Aurora's necklace was lying on her skin, so he took out the crystal she had enchanted, and holding it in his left hand he focused on sending her a message. "Aurora" Jefferson's voice whispered in her head. "No don't look around go back to gardening."
"Jefferson what are you doing?" Aurora asked in her head as she went back the plant she was tending too.
"Act like you are stretching and turn around and see if Rumple is still up in the window watching you."
"Whatever for?"
"We had a fight." Jefferson pleaded "Please, just check."
"Okay" Aurora did as Jefferson asked and when she turned she saw Rumple and waved up smiling, before turning back to the plants. "Yes he is up there. Jefferson you and Rumple fight all the time, you are like the spoil child and him the over bearing father. But you are by far his favorite. You will be back up there in no time play cards and drinking with him and Victor. So what has you so upset?"
"Not this time Rory." She could hear the sadness in his voice. "He confronted me about us. He told me to run away and never come back. He threw me around the room like I was little rag doll. My scissors where on the table he threw me into" He pulled his scarf away from the gash on his right side and stared down at the blood.
After Rumple had banished him from not only the castle but Aurora's life, he had quickly stopped by his and then Aurora's room for a few magical items, and extra clothes. He had picked up an extra scarf hoping to use it to help stop the bleeding but the scissors had done more damage than he had thought. He was losing a lot of blood quicker then he would like too.
"Jefferson you are hurt!" Aurora said out loud.
Jefferson looked over at her, his tone was a bit harsh and filled with worry…"Sh! Don't talk out loud only in your head. Get back to gardening!" Jefferson ordered as he tried to look over the edge of hedge towards the tower room. "Is Rumple still at the window?"
She turned to look and saw nothing. "No he's …"
"Looking for me dearies!" Rumple gave a little giggle.
Aurora gasped as Rumple appeared off to the side of her and Jefferson. "How could you hurt Jefferson? Hurt someone who loves you?"
"No one can love me dearie." Rumple stated flatly.
"How can they when you do shit like this?" Jefferson screamed at him as he readjusting himself against the hedge.
"Obviously it wasn't enough; you didn't learn your lesson. I told you I would kill you if I ever saw you again."
"Well to my defense I was just supposed to just grab my things and Rory. You weren't supposed to see me again, but someone threw me into a bloody pair of scissors! So can we just agree on the fact that this day is not going like either of us planned?" Jefferson closed his eyes grimacing in pain, all the shouting had made his cut throb even more, and he was starting to feel a bit dizzy.
Rumple started to raise his hand to attack Jefferson, but Aurora disappeared and reappeared in between them. She landed a little shaky still not use to the powerful spell but she quickly recovered her composer blocking Rumple from casting any spell he had planned on casting at Jefferson.
"Well Princess I see it isn't only kisses you have been stealing with Jefferson. However was he able to teach you that trick? For the boy isn't that magical without the hat, or his silly powders and potions." Rumple asked as he started to move around her to the right trying to get a better angle on Jefferson.
"Belle always did say books are powerful weapons." Aurora replied moving to keep herself protectively in between Rumple and Jefferson. "I won't let you hurt him, again. What has gotten into the two of you today? Just stop it. Both of you stop it this second!" Aurora screamed.
She looked first to Jefferson, who gave her a look that said how are you possibly going to yell at me about what is happening. Then to Rumple, who wasn't looking at her but instead only focused on Jefferson.
"First you sent Belle away and now you are telling Jefferson to leave? I will be the only one here, so when are you going to send me away?" Aurora demanded. Her question finally drew Rumple's attention away from Jefferson to her.
"Princess, it isn't like that. I gave Jefferson a simple choice and he choose to disobey my wishes." Rumple tried to explain.
"Your wishes?" Aurora questioned.
"He told me if I wanted to stay I had to stop seeing you." Jefferson coldly stated behind her. "I refused stating that you didn't need a Prince that we were in love; a statement which led to me being thrown around the room like I was a child again." Jefferson finished in a growl.
Aurora glared at Rumple. "You are sending him away because of me?"
"You have a destiny Princess, our little lost boy here does not play in to it." Rumple made a show of waving Jefferson away like he was insignificant.
"He damn well plays into my destiny if I say he does." Aurora stood her ground in front of Jefferson.
Jefferson felt himself smile at Aurora's comment. She does love.
"That's very touching that Jefferson was able to con you into falling in love with him, you are not the first royal to fall for that smile of his or his charming words, but you will be the last." Rumple took a step closer flexing his fingers. "But it has all been lies. Jefferson whole life is a lie."
Jefferson felt his smile disappear as Rumple talked. "That's not true, Rory you know that." Jefferson pleaded from behind her, as his mind raced back once again to how the True Love Potion had not turned purple.
"So you haven't lied to her then? About your past? About how old you really are? And how you are the worthless son of a wife stealing pirate?" Rumple roared.
If looks could kill Jefferson's glare would have strike Rumple dead on the spot. Wife stealing pirate? What is Rumple talking about... But Jefferson's thoughts were cut short when Aurora spoke.
"How old…. Wait what? Son of a pirate?" Aurora questioned turning from Rumple to look back at Jefferson. "Your father is a pirate?"
Jefferson opened his mouth to answer her but Rumple beat him too it.
"You didn't know? Well Princess what exactly has Jefferson told you of his past? Or had he just been filling your head with all his exaggerated tales of his adventures." Rumple gave a giggle.
"Jefferson is he telling the truth?"
Oh God this day is not going as plan and it just keeps getting worst. Jefferson forced himself to answer her "I haven't lied to you, Rory. I have been more honest with you than anyone else in my life ever." Even more honest then I was with Regina. Jefferson shook his head clearing any thoughts of Regina way."I just didn't tell you that small detail."
"Small detail!" Rumple huffed.
"It is true, Aurora. You know I hate my father. It is just one of the reasons why I don't like to talk about that part of my life. But I am not playing you."
"How could she know that dearie, she is only seventeen, but a child to the way the world works." Rumple stopped making an over the top hand gesture. "She has been locked away or on the run most of her life. Finding herself falling for the first boy who pays attention to her. Who brings her nice gifts, smiles, dances with her, and says a few choice words every now again."
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! With all your lies…you son of …" Jefferson started towards Rumple, but with a flick of his wrist Rumple flung him back off his feet into the bushes of the garden maze. He lost the bloody scarf he was using to apply pressure to his wound as he landed hard on his knees. Moaning he quickly dropped to all fours as the pain in his side pulsed throughout his body.
Aurora sent a blast of power at Rumple and he staggered back laughing. "You are not strong enough to stop me even at your full power Princess. And after our little lesson this morning you wouldn't last five minutes in a real fight with me." Rumple threaten moving closer.
"That may be true but I don't think you're willing to go through me to get to Jefferson." Aurora challenged as she moved in front of Jefferson.
"Rory I don't.." Jefferson started as he tried to push himself back up to his knees but stopped short when he started coughing up blood.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking I won't hurt you, Princess." Rumple took another step forward as he spoke.
"No you won't." Aurora threw all her energy into a shield around her and Jefferson as she spoke. "I am not just some pawn in your chess game Rumple." Aurora raised her head high before adding, "I am a Queen! And you are not willing to sacrifice me. I am simply too important to whatever you have planned."
"I am really more of a bishop" Jefferson rambled on as he used the bush to pull himself up "stepping diagonal between worlds." Jefferson finished as blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth.
"Jefferson" Aurora hissed for him to be quite, while she continued to watch Rumple move closer to them.
Jefferson gave the back of Aurora's head a wide eyed look that said What I am right. But out loud he said "Just a pawn nothing to be troubled with go on." He used the back of his left hand to wipe the blood away that had tickled down from the corner of his mouth.
"You are weak Princess. You cannot beat me, and you know it. So just drop the barrier and let me deal with Jefferson."
"Never!" Aurora shouted. "I told you I won't let you hurt him. He is under my royal protection."
"Your royal protection?" Rumple laughed as he walked up to the magical barrier Aurora had created bringing his right hand up to rest on it. The barrier held. "You have no Kingdom at the moment, and if you continue to stand in my way you may never have a Kingdom in which you could offer your royal protection in."
"I swear to you Rumplestiltskin if you kill him I will find a way to kill you." Aurora sent a blast of energy out from her protection shield which zapped Rumple back two steps.
Rumple growled in pain and held his hand which had been on Aurora's protection shield. "I played this out at least a hundred different ways." He shook his hand a moment as he moved back to where he had been standing a moment before. "The two of you don't have a happily ever after together. This way only leads to death and sadness." Rumple coldly stated looking from Aurora to Jefferson before pounded the barrier with his fist.
Aurora let out a small shirk of fright as her and Jefferson both notice where Rumple's hand hit there was a shimmer of light but her barrier held.
Then turning to Aurora Rumple added. "You have a future as Queen of your Kingdom. Prince Phillip will come for you and wake you from Maleficent's …"
"I don't want some prince I don't know." Aurora screamed. "Phillip is but a child. I am sick of waiting for my life to begin!"
Rumple hit the barrier again this time sending magic of his own into it. Aurora moved back closer to Jefferson as they both watched as the Rumple's magic flowed out across the barrier sparking as it went up over their heads, looking for a weak spot to break thought, but Aurora's barrier held and his spell faded.
Jefferson stepped forward closing the distance between the two of them. He whispered in Aurora's ear. "We need to leave now. Will you come with? Or should I just go myself."
Aurora kept her back to Jefferson and grabbed her necklace to help her channel her magic as she continued talking to Rumple. "I want to go places, see different worlds, I don't want to live in fear of Maleficent, Regina, or you!" She screamed pointing at Rumple. "But most of all I want Jefferson!"
"NO!" Rumple shouted hitting the barrier with both hands sending sparks across the protective barrier. Aurora hand still on her necklace turned her head into Jefferson shoulder as the sparks went up over their heads lighting the bushes behind them on fire. But to Rumple's horror the barrier withstood his magic.
"What do you know?" Jefferson smiled "I do win." He gave a quick tip of his hat to Rumple "And you are all alone." and with that comment he twisted his hat above their heads and in a cloud of purple smoke Jefferson and Aurora disappeared. The hat spun on the ground for a second or two before popping out of sight, leaving Rumple completely alone on his estate for the first time in almost two years.
Jefferson and Aurora appeared in the hat landing in the middle of the room with all the doors around them.
"You came with me?" Jefferson stated pulling back from her in shock.
"Of course I came with you? Why would you think I wouldn't?"
"Because you know I am a son of a pirate." Jefferson looked embarrassed.
"Jefferson, I don't care if you are a son of an assistant pig farmer." She laughed. "I love you, and I would go anywhere with you." She kissed him.
Jefferson pulled back looking relieved at Aurora's confession. "We have to find a place to go where he can't get to us." Jefferson coughed pulling away from Aurora turning to looking around at the different doors.
"First let me heal that stab worn." Aurora pleaded following him as he circled the room. Jefferson tried to wave her off but another coughing fit sent him to knees as he coughed up blood on to the polished green and gold floor.
Aurora helped him over to the wall leaning him back so he was sitting with his back to the wall. Aurora moved Jefferson coat to the side and started unbuttoning this vest, trying to see how bad his wound really was.
"No leave it buttoned." Jefferson stopped her hands. "The vest is tight and it is helping to keep the pressure on the wound." Jefferson leaned his head back closing his eyes for a moment as he thought. Without the vest I most likely would have bled out by now.
"I can heal it with the vest on." Aurora pulled her hand free and tried to place her left hand over the cut.
"Your nose is bleeding, you used too much magic already to stop Rumple from straight up killing me." Jefferson tried to push her hand away but Aurora took him by the neck with her right hand and shoved away his hand from the cut with her left.
"I have to do something or you're going to bleed out." She closed her eyes and tried to heal him. Aurora felt she had very little magic left so she started with the most inner part of the cut. That would be what was causing him to cough up the blood. She healed most of worst part before her magic failed. Aurora let out a little gasp as she tried to push herself past her limit. She felt her nose bleeding but still she stained letting go of Jefferson's neck with her right hand she grabbed her necklace searching for any extra magic she could use, but there was no magic to be found store in the necklace. Everything had been used to hold off Rumple's attack back in the garden.
"Aurora stop!" Jefferson moaned managing to pull her hand away. "I am okay. I will be fine. You are pushing yourself too hard. You are going pass out and I am in no shape to carry you today." He finished a small smile playing at his lips.
"I'm not …" Aurora started to argue but she did feel a little dizzy so she let Jefferson pull her hand from his wound. "It's still bad Jefferson. We have to get you somewhere… Regina?"
"No way! I am done with Regina." Jefferson demanded and he felt relieved to know it was finally true. "Beside she would fix me and kill you so that doesn't really help us out." Jefferson leaned his forehead against Aurora's forehead as they sat and thought for a moment.
"Victor!" Aurora exclaimed pulling back to arm's length. "Victor is a doctor. He could help you." Aurora jumped up looking at the different doors. "Which door is his world?"
"Slow down Aurora. Rumple would think of that. It wouldn't be safe." Jefferson shook his head.
"You told me before that Rumple can't get to Victor's world without your hat."
"Rumple has ways of contacting Victor, if Victor tells him we are there… I am sure Rumple could find a way to get there. The only thing I know right now is that Rumple is determined to kill me."
"We don't need to stay there long. And if I give him what he wants Victor will help us. I am sure we will be safe for the night."
"Trust me when I say this but the one thing that Victor wants from you, you are not willing to give." If I can't get it from you there is no way you are going to give it to him. Jefferson thought waving his hand in front of him as he somehow managed to push himself up the wall to his feet.
"Sure I am. I could do it to save you." Aurora was beaming at the idea.
Jefferson gave her a weird look. "What do you think he actually wants from you exactly?"
"Hearts… Magical Hearts." Aurora beamed completely please with herself and her idea to save him.
Jefferson started laughing but cut it short because laughing hurt too much.
"What?" Aurora asked him giving him a confused look.
"That was not anywhere near what I was thinking but, you are right." He shook his head at her. "You are right. But are you really willing to reach into some chest and pull out their heart to save me?"
"See that is the brilliant part!I don't have to use people who are alive! You told me that Victor robs graves I can take a heart from a dead body and make that heart magical. And he can use his science to make it alive again!" Aurora bounced slightly at her wonderful idea. "It won't be a problem. I could give him a hundred hearts that way and it wouldn't be an issue.' She finished beaming at Jefferson.
Jefferson gave her a wide-eyed look. "You know Aurora sometimes you are downright scary."
"Can you think of a better idea before you bleed out inside your magical hat?" Aurora demanded.
Jefferson pointed to the black and white door in the middle of the other side of the room. "That is the door right there. Are you ready to see Victor's Castle?"
"Yes!" She went over and took Jefferson under the arm helping him over to the door. "What did you think I was talking about?" Aurora asked.
Jefferson looked at her and couldn't help but smile at her innocence. "Just watch your step Rory and do try to catch me if I pass out. I have a feeling that may happen sooner, rather than later." he warned as they walked through the portal into the colorless world of Victor Frankenstein's Castle.