Everyone loves a shortcut

Emma looked blankly at Jefferson for a full thirty seconds before she shrugged and began walking back through the trees. She was far too emotionally, physically and mentally drained to muster up what would probably be considered as an appropriate reaction. Due to the hectic, tragic and mind-smashing events of however long they had been in Wonderland (and due to some inconsistent and thoughtless writing) she realised that she hadn't slept or ate in days. All she wanted to do was go back to Storybrooke, find Henry and fold him into a hug, while she was aware of her utterly ridiculous affection for Jefferson and the Hatter; she wasn't sure how to handle the situation at the moment. All she needed was her son, a good meal and a few days worth of sleep.

"Emma!" She felt his hand on her shoulder but carried on walking, just focussing on putting one foot in front of the other; she had to make it to the 'Pool of Tears' or whatever Chesh had called it so she could get home. Odd that being away from somewhere will make you realise that you think of it as being 'home'. Emma had never really considered anywhere but her Yellow Bug as being home before – made life easier that way. Made leaving easier.

"Did you hear what I said? You broke the curse." Jefferson was now jogging backwards along slightly in front of her, both shades of blue looking on in confusion, though the lighter held more concern. She kept on walking.

"This means you can get your family back Emma – Snow white and Charming are your parents – Mary-Margaret and David." Jefferson spoke almost imploringly; almost as if he was begging her to be as happy as he was that they could return to the realm of fairytales.

"What's wrong Emma?" He asked, the Hatter's presence receding slightly as he seemed to realise that Jefferson was better equipped to deal with the situation than he was. Emma slowed her pace slightly, but didn't stop, her gaze slipping up reluctantly to meet his split one.

"I'm just used to disappointment when it comes to this sort of thing – thinking that I've found love, or happiness or anything that would give me a life. I want to believe; I really do Jefferson. It's just difficult to shake a lifetime of bad experiences in the face of a magical fairytale world where everything is suddenly alright after everything that has happened." Jefferson had stopped his backwards walk by this point and she had stopped too, just staring into each other's eyes, willing the other to understand.

"It's hard to believe that all of a sudden I can go back to a place I think of as being home, with a man that I love to be with a long-lost family who will miraculously know and love me." Emma let out a huff of breath and a half-smile crossed her lips. "I also doesn't help that I haven't slept or eaten properly in a stupidly long time."

Jefferson stepped forward and took her hand in his in the comforting way that she had become calmed by before and he spoke with a soft voice. "Emma, no one knows what struggling to find acceptance and love is like more than 'fairy-tale' characters. If you ever read that book of Henry's you'd discover that none of us got our 'happily-ever-after's easily. Your parents went through a lot to be together and to ensure that one day you could get back to them. I suffered for years away from my daughter, trapped in my own madness. And at the risk of sounding like your mother - you won't ever find your happiness unless you are willing to believe it can happen."

"I wouldn't know even if you did sound like my mother would I?" Emma grumbled slightly, but Jefferson's words rang true in her head nonetheless. Even if this wasn't to be her 'happily-ever-after' it didn't mean that she couldn't be happy – life is like that, it's meant to be a blend of the good, the bad and everything in between. Just look at her relationship with the man in front of her. She offered him a weak smile, running a thumb over his hand. This could be a happy beginning to a new chapter of her life as long as they got home... she could start anew.

The thought of chapters sparked something in her mind once more that she was slightly ashamed to have forgotten. "Damn it, August!"

"Oh for the love of-" Jefferson muttered in irritation, the Hatter flickering brighter in his gaze for a moment.

"I came back here solely for the purpose of getting him back and we forgot him...again." Emma trailed off, half-heartedly looking around the surrounding charred remains of tree stumps and corpses. "Also, where the hell did Chesh disappear to?"

"I'm guessing that you probably would be adverse to just leaving him here my dear?" The Hatter asked with a questioning sardonic dark eyebrow raised at her. She merely glared at him in a withering manner that made him sigh irritably.

"That would be a no I suppose."

Both of them retraced their steps back to the main area where the fire had affected to begin their search for the much abused previous-puppet calling his name as they made their way around the remains of the forest and soldiers.

"He probably got caught in the smoke too so anything could have happened." Emma said dejectedly and then glanced back at the Hatter in trepid query. "You didn't kill him with the other soldiers did you?"

"I don't believe so, but it was rather difficult to tell in the haze and smoke to be rather honest." The Hatter replied flippantly, inspecting his blood caked fingernails briefly.

"Well that's reassuring." Emma muttered before spotting movement off to the trees to their right. Something was moving quickly towards them through the vestiges of the Fungal Forest, but all she could make out was a black and silver blur before the figure struck right into Jefferson, knocking him to the ashy ground. There was a loud cry of pain a suddenly the ash around them was soaked with crimson.

It took Emma several seconds to register that one of the Red Queen's guards had just rushed Jefferson. And that his right hand was now missing two fingers.

The man who had attacked him was now standing above Jefferson's huddled form as he cradled his injured hand to his chest in shock. Emma threw her hand up to send the guard flying just at the same moment that Chesh appeared behind him, conjuring fire into one hand.

The guard was thrown backwards into a nearby tree stump and almost as if to add insult to injury, Chesh half-heartedly threw fire to land on the stump behind him where it sputtered out. Emma took a moment to throw Chesh a confused look before turning back to tend to Jefferson.

He was curled on his side on the forest floor, face white as chalk and scrunched tight in agony, eyes flickering between dark and light in a mesmerising dance of shades. Emma crouched down by him and reached out to take his injured hand gently in her own, wincing in sympathy as she saw the severed digits up close. His pinkie finger and ring finger had been cleanly separated in one blow of the Crimson guard's sword - blood leaking from the wounds at a worrying rate.

"Oh god Jefferson, I'm so sorry, I'll get you help..." Emma whispered, her voice cracking as tears threatened to overwhelm her for the hundredth time is as many days.

"T-this is n-nothing... I'll be f-fine..." Jefferson replied with a weak smile, shifting slightly to lean against a nearby stump with a groan of pain.

"The boy is right you know." She heard Chesh's voice over her shoulder as he came to stand beside them; Emma sent him a glare that could have melted steel. "What? It could have been much worse – he could have lost the whole arm after all."

Emma ignored the comment and instead forced herself to ask him for what needed to be done. "Can you heal him? Like you did me?"

"I can't put the fingers back on." Chesh told her firmly, but relented slightly at the look that crossed her face. "Buuut I suppose that I could stop the bleeding and prevent infection."

"Do it." Emma ordered, holding tightly onto Jefferson's uninjured hand as he struggled with unconsciousness.

"Alrighty then – give me a second." Chesh reached forward and placed a hand on Emma's arm and then one on Jefferson's. There was a moment of utter silence before a swirl of violet smoke engulfed the three of them and then all Emma saw was purple and darkness.