"Family is everything, my dear. Losing all hope of having one…There is no greater misery."

ENCHANTED FOREST
THE HATTERS COTTAGE
MANY YEARS AGO (LIKE MANY YEARS AGO)

Fire. Fire was crackling in the corner. Artemis forced her eyes open. She was on something soft. Ridiculously soft, Artemis glanced down. A couch.

Looking up, she scanned the area around. She was room that was an odd mixture of cluttered and clean. Large scissors, hats, fabric and toys were scatted everywhere, but at the same time seemed exactly where they were meant to be.

Wooden chairs carved beautifully, a rocking chair, a deep brown coffee table that looked like it came out of a tree itself. Smells of warm bread, chocolate and pine mingled in the air.

It smelt like a home.

She shouldn't be here.

Artemis forced herself up, her cold socked feet, felt like they were plunged in ice. Her body was screaming at her to sleep. All she wanted to do was sleep.

But she couldn't be here. Lifting herself up again, she shakily walked past the chair, lightly bumping into the coffee table. Artemis stumbled, grabbing one of the chairs for support.

Her head was killing her, her body was betraying her and her mind was screaming at her to escape.

God she wished all of them would shut up.

One of the hats fell off the coffee table. Artemis staggered bending down picking it up.

The material was soft, a purplely colour, with pretty patchwork and patterns sewn around it. She even caught a few buttons that had been stitched, definite little stiches that she was sure, even if she pulled on them, they wouldn't come off.

"You like it, don't you?" a voice from behind her said. Artemis whipped around, still holding the hat by its rim.

A man was standing behind her, dressed in a thick coat with light brown hair that stuck up everywhere. He was smiling, a sort of comforting smile something that Robin would give to a wild horse, when he was trying to calm it down.

"It's pretty." Artemis croaked out.

Jefferson smiled bending down at the little girl in front of him. She was shivering, despite her flushed face. Her blonde hair was practically stuck to her body, but he could see how desperately she was trying to fight through it.

"Yeah," he hummed, watching the girl sniff, trying to pick herself up. "I'm Jefferson, I found in the snow. You gotta get back under the covers, blondie. You're really sick." Jefferson said gently.

The girl paused, before slowly nodding. Jefferson was sure, she barely knew what was happening.

Jefferson slowly edging towards her, picking her up and swiftly setting her back down underneath the covers. Tucking her in, Jefferson picked up the hat. The girl's tired eyes watching him. Putting it on his head, he made a face.

The girl giggled, the light sound turning harsh when she began to cough. "Don't worry, you're gonna be okay." Jefferson said gently, glancing out the window and the heavy snow. Priscilla and Grace should have been back by now.

"What's your name?" Jefferson tried, rubbing her back, handing her a cup of warm ginger and lemon tea. The girl looking unsurely at it, before slowly taking a few sips.

"Artemis." she mumbled.

"Artemis. It's pretty," Jefferson said, setting down the cup. "You're gonna be okay, Artemis. I promise, I'm gonna keep you safe."

"This is incredible." Artemis breathed out, turning around admiring the gothic beauty that was Jefferson's house. "Yeah, it is." Jefferson replied quietly, hanging his hat on the hat rack.

"No, I mean, incredible." Artemis giggled. "We could have fit our whole house in here. We could have fit five of houses in here." she said, pausing. "What kind of deal did you and Regina have?"

"Let's just say, not a fun one." he replied.

Artemis nodded, deciding not to press anymore on the Regina topic. The two of them had been constantly at odds, ever since Rumple had taken a liking to her and she had become his apprentice.

Ruby had said it was Regina's jealous nature that had caused it. She hated the fact that the famous Rumpelstiltskin and taken on another student, with magic that could rival her. A threat to power.

Artemis never really understood the obsession with power, despite asking of it many times. Curly had simply said it was because she humble and that she 'had a nature air of power.' She told him to go eat some jakkarah leaves so he can talk sense again, instead of rambling on like he was high on jakan leaves.

(Peter purposely named them like that. He thought it would be funny. It was, but that wasn't the point.)

Artemis slowly sat down on one of the push chairs, they were comfy, but she preferred older ones they had in the cottage. "You wanted to talk." she said, hoping her sounded as nonchalant and 'don't care' as possible.

Her heart hurt too much, she'd rather not give herself hope. She wasn't so good with the whole loving family thing anyway.

"I wanted to apologise."
"For what?"
"For everything."

Promises were easy to make, keeping them was the hard part. He learnt that when he was a child. While Artemis probably didn't even remember his promises, he never forgot them.

Life with the Hatter's was good.

Grace was an excitable toddler, who enjoyed the sun and drew practically everything in site. Constantly keeping her company while Pricilla and Jefferson happily doted on her like she was the new puppy while she was sick.

She didn't really know how to feel about it at first, simply chalking it up to them being excited to have a house guest and as soon as the novelty wore off they would get bored and leave her be once she had gotten better.

That had not been the case.

After Pricilla had cleverly manipulated her into talking about her feelings {shudder}. The woman had decided that she remain with them, and was quickly adopted into their household.

Artemis hadn't really had a proper family before.

Her life with her first home had been quick, terrible and barely memorable. Her adoption into Robin's Merry Men had been great, but Robin despite being a great in her book, never had much time for her. Busy either chasing Marian, or fighting evil. He was more, you do you, rub some dirt on it and hope for the best, all while meaning well kinda guy.

And she never really had a mother before.

But, here…it felt like she had a home and family here.

Pricilla was loving and gently, but a force to be reckoned with. There to teach her how to throw a proper punch, how to correct her form on her bow or to kiss her bruises or bandage her cuts.

Jefferson was kind and cheeky. Most often than not would play games with her and Grace than anything else. Jefferson, who let her sit next to him and teach her how to sew. Jefferson who played good natured pranks and tricks and made up games and saw the world as something: wonderful.

Artemis had always believed the world cruel and dark, with a few moments of beauty before the chaos and destruction.

Jefferson didn't see it that way. The world was wide and beautiful, and even when it didn't seem that way, kind.

"You see, blondie?" Jefferson said, helping her up. Artemis dusted off the bits of moss and grass of her pants. "I fell. What's good about that?" she grumbled, pulling at her warm coat.

"With ever fall, sometime in the future would be a greater rise." Jefferson said wisely.

Artemis tucked some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Poetic. How long have been milking that one?" she said bitterly.

Jefferson took her sour, and turned it sweet as he laughed at her, ruffling her hair, destroying her plait.

"Hey!" she said moaned, simply pulling it out, sliding the band around her wrist. "Come on, you know it takes me forever to do a good one."

"You fell today."
"I know I was there." Artemis said dryly.

"You fell today," Jefferson continued. "But tomorrow or maybe a month from now. You will overcome. I know it."

"An optimistic approach?" Artemis guessed. Jefferson shook his head. "A realistic one."

"How?"

"I've fallen many times Artemis, but if I could count on one thing, it was that I would always get back up."

"You know, it wasn't your fault." Artemis said quietly, walking around the forest, jumping over the logs. "With Pricilla."

"It's your either." Jefferson replied. Artemis nodded, but he could see her guilt on her face. "I mean it."

Artemis nodded, licking her lips, before shaking her head. "Then who can we blame?" Artemis asked.

There was more to the Hatter's, something Artemis had always suspected.

After catching Jefferson coming home, looking like something out a Goth rave (with the wild hair and guyliner to prove it) with his pockets filled with golden coins, she got the whole story.

They were thieves, well thieves that could be hired. But most importantly they were portal jumpers. People who possess a certain powerful amount of magic to travel between realms with ease.

After hearing this, Artemis did the only reasonable thing, a girl who knew a deep dark secret would do.

Join them.

The docks were a relaxing place, but Artemis had quickly found that she and water weren't really a good combination, so she simply decided to walk around while Henry (who she caught trying to track them) talked to Jefferson.

Honestly they could have disappeared whenever they wanted, but they kinda felt bad for the kid. And anyway, Jefferson always had a soft spot for little kids, maybe Henry might perform a miracle and might convince him of finding Grace again.

"Because I left her! And she'll hate me." Jefferson's yelled. "Because I failed again, because I was a bad father."

"How do you know that?" Henry asked, Artemis leaning against a crate, the sun bouncing on her curls.

"I just do."

"Come on! Quickly!" Pricilla shouted, running towards Jefferson, who was hanging on the rope ladder, dodging the flying arrows. Artemis drew back her bow, hitting a few of them out. "There's too many!" she shouted from above them.

"Don't worry about it! We're not staying! We have to go!" Jefferson shouted back, leaping on to the ledge next to her. Pulling out his dagger, tossing it to Pricilla who cut the rope ladder, sending two soldiers crashing to the ground.

Wonderland. A cute name for a thing of nightmares. The people there were crazy, there queen was crazy and apparently they lost it when you stole from them.

It was meant to be an easy job, one that had been done a number of times in the past five years. But it wasn't like that. "You got it?" Artemis asked, shooting three more card soldiers, as the two hopped onto the giant ledge. The roar of a wild liondessen ringing in her ears.

"Safe and sound." Jefferson said, patting his top jacket pocket, where the Clock of Evermore was safely tucked away in. "We need to leave." Pricilla said, pulling out a smoke bomb, tossing it into the fray of wild bats and creature she and Jefferson had released.

The March Hare was crazy, crazier than anything she had seen before.

Artemis nodded, swinging her bow over her shoulder. "Wait, where's your hat?" she asked. Pricilla touched her head, noticed the usual neat top hat was gone from her head.

"Damn." Pricilla cursed under her breath. Jefferson and Artemis had come together, Pricilla with her hat. The rules were simple, two in, two out. Without the hat they were stuck there. Artemis shivered, her pigtails done by the March Hare still on her head.

She would never go to a tea party again. "Okay, Cil, take blondie." Jefferson started, pulling off his hat.

"What!"
"Oh, don't be crazy, Jeff!"

"I'll try and hold them off."

"We're not going anywhere!" Artemis snapped, whipping out her bow, firing as quickly as lightning. "We leave together or not at all." she said, edging to the side, so she could get a better view.

Jefferson shook his head, dodging a spear that had come at his head. "You have to, or they'll kill us all." he said glancing at Pricilla. "She's been through enough." he whispered, glancing at Artemis.

They both had been though the ringer, with the March Hair trapping them in time, with the Clock. Pricilla had saved them, but…he didn't want Artemis here any longer than she needed to be.

He knew it was a bad idea, to bring Artemis into this life. There was no saving them from this.

"There!" Artemis cried, pointing in the distance, the small light purple hat lying in edge of the fight, closes to her. "I think that's it!"

"I got it!" Jefferson said, Artemis tossing him a rope. Winding it around his fingers, he was about to jump-

"LOOK OUT!" Pricilla shouted, pushing Artemis to the ground. "Mom-?" Artemis started, getting up, blood coating her hand. Artemis could stare at the warm dark liquid, the noise and chaos of the room, taking a backseat.

"PRICILLA!"

The world tilted, Artemis's vision blurring. She could only see red.

"Cil, Cil. Just breathe."

Artemis looked around, her head was pounding her heart was racing.

"Cil, Cil-"

"Get her out of here."
"No, Cil come on, we can make it."
"No! Get her out of here!"
"I'm not leaving you!"

"Get our kid out of here, Jefferson!" Pricilla cried, her face clearing. Artemis stumbled forward. Pricilla's chest was coated in red, an arrow, small and red tipped. "Mom." she repeated, her eyes seeing for her, but her brain just…blanking.

"But I can't-"

"You have to, Jeff. Think about Gracie, think about Missy. They need you. They need you to be there, you can't leave them alone. You just can't."

"Mom." Her mind was screaming, her body wasn't moving, her head was thinking.

"Missy, baby it's okay. It's okay, it's okay." Pricilla said, stroking her hair. Her green eyes were shining. Artemis couldn't breathe. She couldn't focus, she couldn't…her mother was dying.

Her mother was dying.

"Listen to me, Artemis. Listen to me," Pricilla said, pulling her attention to her. "It's okay. Alright, it's all going to be okay. I need you, I need you to understand, that's, its alright for you to not be alright all the time? Be strong, but don't, don't be cold. Don't. It'll only hurt more okay? Promise. Promise me."

"I promise."

Pricilla smiled, the kind of beautifully sad smiles that you only see when you know. Pricilla squeezed Artemis's hand, looking up at Jefferson. "Go. Quickly."

Jefferson nodded, taking Artemis in his hands, half pulling her away. "I love you." Jefferson said, twirling his hat in his hand, before putting it on his head.

"Love you more."

"I was on my way…Fate reminded me I shouldn't."

The two slammed into the green garden at the cottage. It like waking up from a dream, one you couldn't tell if you were awake of still dreaming. "Mom?" Artemis mumbled, looking around desperately hoping this was a dream.

Let her wake up to birds, and pancakes and Grace and Pricilla dancing on the living room carpet. Let her wake up to happy smiles and terrible dad jokes.

Let her happy, just for a little longer.

The hot tears slide from her cheek, the salt mingling with Pricilla's drying blood on her clothes, face and fingers. Hands gently wrapped around her, pulling her into his warm coat.

Artemis was happy for Jefferson's thick coat.
At least it stiffened her screams.

"You should. I've been left, too. Anything's better than nothing. She'll spend her whole life wondering why you left her. Not knowing is the worst."

The funeral was small, there was nothing to bury so they had just put a little tombstone on the garden.

It didn't feel right.

The house was still.

It felt wrong.

Grace bless her little heart tried to help. Tried to smile, though her own pain. It didn't work. Jefferson had all but shut down. He was barely keeping it together.

Artemis was…who knew? She didn't. Loss left a hole that never really filled. It healed and pain dulled, but it was always there. A constant invisible scar.

They needed money.
They needed food.
Supplies, water.

The cupboards were bare, Jefferson hadn't made or sold anything in weeks. The Clock of Evermore in all its glory, sat on the counter table like an ordinary trinket.

She knew what needed to be done.

It was strange how time changes things. People get older, things live and die, but time was constantly moving.

She was not afraid of the dark. She never had been.

But sneaking out in the middle of the night, had never really been her style. The Clock weighed heavy in her jacket pocket. She felt like she was betraying him. Her family. But what else could she really do?

Licking her lips, Artemis looked around the usually happy forest dark and unforgiving. "Rumpelstiltskin, I summon thee." Artemis said shakily.

Nothing.

"Dark One?" she tried. Rumpelstiltskin had been a story that Pricilla told, a person Jefferson had met in 'another lifetime'. He liked dark objects and he liked magic.

Artemis had never met him before, but he seemed like a good way to go. Artemis shivered, pulling her coat around her tighter. "Are you there? Can you hear me?" she asked.

"I can." said a voice from behind her. Artemis whipped around, staring into the darkness. Like a living shadow gaining form, he emerged from the shadows. He had skin like a crocodile, and mattered hair that shone like gold and eyes like a wicked owl.

He looked odd, but he radiated power.

"Now," he drawled, walking closer to her. Artemis instantly stepping back.

"Care to tell me, why such a small itty bitty girly like you, has summoned me? Hmm?" he said, playing with his scaly fingers.

Artemis swallowed hard, forcing herself to be brave. "I need help-"

The man laughter. "My help?"

Artemis nodded. "Your help. I hear you make deals? I've got a good one."

The man chuckled, but nodded for her to continue. "I'm listening."

"I'll give you the Clock of Evermore in exchange for gold and…"Artemis starting to feel a little stupid. "And a giant fluffy rabbit."

"A…giant fluffy rabbit." The Dark One said slowly. "It's not for me." Artemis snapped, her fear diminishing slightly. The creature smiled, seeming quite amused as he looked her up and down.

"What's your name?"
"Artemis."

He giggled, his smiled growing. "Artemis…" he drawled, giggling at bit at the end. "I'll give you a better deal. Keep the clock, and I'll give you all the gold you could ever need."

Artemis smiled, her betrayed dulling.

"If you would give me your hand."
"You want to cut off my hand?!"

"No." the Dark One snapped, looking at her like she was stupid. "I want you to hold my hand."

"Why?" Artemis asked weirdly.

"You want the gold?"
"Yes."
"Then stop asking questions."

Artemis sighed, feeling more annoyed than scared, taking the man's bony fingers. He shut his eyes for a few seconds, but he was nodding, like he was seeing something, knowing something.

He released her hand, Artemis feeling a heavy weight in it. A pouch of gold, Artemis opened the bag. It was a lot, but she didn't think it would be enough for all three of them. "Not to complain, but I don't think it's enough for all of us."

"Of course not," the Dark One chuckled. "I said, all the gold you would ever need. There ya go, dearie."

"But-you-"" Artemis spluttered. He tricked her, the crocodile, bug eyed-jerk tricked her.

"I'll give you some advice, dearie." The Dark One continued. "Remember who you truly are and stop pretending to be something you're not."

"What?" Artemis said, but she was talking to air. "You forgot about my rabbit!" Artemis shouted in a fit of rage.

She sighed, looking down at the pouch. It hadn't cost her much, but his words were vibrating in her ears.

She knew what had to be done.

"Grace."
"Papa! You found me! I knew you would."

Artemis picked up her bag, looking around the house. It was not her home. She didn't have one. She didn't have a dad. She didn't have a mom. She didn't have a family. It didn't matter, it shouldn't it was the way it was.

Taking one finally look, Artemis walked out the door, closing it behind her with a light click. Pulling up her hood, bag on her shoulder, she walked into the forest.

She was nothing, but a lonely lost girl.

Jefferson walked into the dimly lit kitchen, the morning sun touching the table. He froze. In the middle of it, was an overflowing pouch of gold, a small fluffy white rabbit with a pink bow and the Clock of Evermore.

"Artemis!" he shouted, running into her room, half throwing the door of its hinges.

But she was already gone.

Artemis smiled from the alleyway, watching Jefferson carry Grace around. Henry and David, playing sword fighting up on sidewalk.

Artemis sighed, walking down the sidewalk and out of site.

Extra long chappy, to make up for my extra long absence :)

Once again, love to hear ya thoughts about my dear ball of sadness Artie!

Thank you all for reading and sticking with the long absence! You all amazing!

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, faving and following!
Anyways, as usual please review, like, fav, follow, PM, ect. :)

Till next time, dearies...