"Oz is officially under new management," Jefferson proclaimed, stepping into his tower after nearly a month away. It never ceased to amaze him just how swiftly and easily the boy could appear and disappear and reappear and act as though nothing had happened. A lot had happened. But he seemed only interested in discussing what had happened in Oz and not what had happened in his own world. Not that he minded, of course, the Dark One never was one for talking.
"New management, you say?" as Jefferson plopped down in the easy chair by the tower fire and began to spread out as though he hadn't seen a cushion in a lifetime. Maybe he hadn't. Who knew where he'd been sleeping. It wasn't his concern.
"Wizard has gone missing, not long after you sent me actually. No one knows where he is, but the woman who has taken up residence in the Emerald City is a woman who calls herself the Wicked Witch."
"Interesting."
"Indeed, especially since she matches the décor so well. Word on the street is that this witch is green."
"Green?"
"Supposedly," he shrugged. "I gotta say, I always thought the Wizard was a fraud, but this girl seems to be the real deal. She's a fan of flying around on a magic broom, and she keeps a flying monkey with her. Now, the people of Oz are all saying it's different things, but I have a different theory. If you ask me, I say that someone finally taught the old Wizard a magic lesson that ended badly."
"Well…" he sighed, walking over to sit in the chair opposite the boy. "I have no reason to dispute your theory, only reason to trust it."
"I'll take that as a vote of confidence," Jefferson shrugged, reaching up to pull the hat off his head. He was tired. He could see that in the way he was flopped over the sofa right now, his head back looking at the ceiling. He had a feeling that if he left him there too long, he might fall asleep.
"I don't suppose you found out anything about the young lady I sent you there for."
"Zelena…daughter of a woodcutter in his good ole days and a drunk in most recent ones. The girl was missing. The drunk was dead. Apparently, without the girl there to keep him, he drank himself to death. I found him buried beside his wife, who died earlier of some disease. No one had any idea where Zelena had gone, but a couple said she was bound to run away someday. They seemed quite relieved to be honest. Her father sounds like he was a real piece of work and they said the girl was always a bit 'odd'. Their words, not mine."
"Mmm…"
"Oh," he muttered, suddenly sitting up. "I'm sorry, I tried to get into the castle, but I was only successful the first couple of times, before the Wicked Witch took over. Afterward, security increased. Turns out flying monkeys make better guards than humans. Go figure. I'll try again soon."
That was…disappointing. But it wasn't defeating. After the way things ended with Zelena and then Ursula, he was invested in Regina again and had taken to recognizing the strength of what he had instead of what he hadn't. Jefferson, irritating as the boy was, was a profitable relationship in a number of ways. But up against Zelena, he was just a man with a magical hat. He'd rather no information from him than lose Jefferson to Zelena's rage. Not that he'd ever admit that to him, of course. Jefferson's head was big enough; he didn't need it to get bigger. Nor did he need him to think that he enjoyed it when the lad chose to stay in the castle between jumping realms. He didn't enjoy it. But at a time like this, he had to admit it was conveinent, to say the least.
As for Zelena…well she was certainly one to keep an eye on, but from a distance. He had a feeling that she wasn't about to rear her head at him for a while, especially not after taking control of the Land of Oz. No, that wasn't her style. He'd hear from her again one day, but he didn't think it would be for a while. And as for how…he hadn't a clue. The witch was crazy enough to come up with anything, and trying to get into her head was something he'd rather not do when he had access to Regina, the proper sister.
He had yet to tell Regina about Zelena and likely he never would tell her. He didn't see the point. For his purposes, he felt that she'd work better without knowing, and for her own purposes, he felt she was better off without that relationship. He would rather focus on the relationships that Regina had now; those that she had and needed to build, those that needed a little more poison, and those that she needed to leave behind for good. Which served as a reminder...
"Good…in the meantime, I 'd like you to take me someplace."
Jefferson's eyes, which had been closed in the silence, suddenly popped open and he looked down his chest at him. "You?" he questioned with surprise before sitting up. "I'm finally taking you with me?"
"So it would seem," he confirmed. "There is a deal I'm going to have to make in the future, and I believe it's time to begin the process."
"Alright," Jefferson said, shooting to his feet and holding tight to his hat. "Where are we going?"
His Youth was astounding. Five seconds ago the boy looked as though he'd been about to fall asleep, now he was bright-eyed and practically chomping at the bit to go back into the hat. He couldn't ever remember having that much energy and wondered if it was something specific to Realm Jumpers. Where they all like this, or was it just his Realm Jumper?
He ignored his inner questions to focus on Jefferson's question. He had to know where he wanted to go in order to take him there. In a flash, he summoned to him the stethoscope he'd brought him from another world.
"Him?!" Jefferson blanched.
"Him," he confirmed with a smile. "The doctor you told me about, the one trying to resurrect the dead, I want you to take me to him."
Jefferson nodded. "Sure…if he's still working, I can take you to him right now, but if not-"
"If?" he demanded. Jefferson had never given him an "if" before.
"Financial problems," he explained, his energy ebbing. "I told you the guy is nuts, thinks he can bring someone back from the dead, no one will fund him. If he still has the lab, I know where he is but if not-"
"Well, then it sounds like he needs a benefactor with no time to lose."
"Are you serious?" he asked. He didn't answer, just sent the stethoscope away and continued to stare at him with determination. "You are serious. Alright…your investments are your business, and who am I to question when they have benefited me so...selfishly."
"Who indeed, shall we?"
He shrugged, rubbed his eyes, and nodded. "No rest for the weary…let's go."
Portals still scared him. What an in informative discovery. He'd seen Jefferson come and go by way of that hat before and he knew what the portal looked like, but it amazed him that the moment it opened up he heard Baelfire's voice, saw his face, felt the dagger digging into his skin as he held on tight, unwilling to jump into the abyss. His heart was hammering, pounding against his chest, and the clothes he wore were threatening to etch an outline into his skin.
"You alright?"
Jefferson's voice sounded as though it was underwater and far away, and choosing to focus on it instead of the portal swirling around his tower, made him feel as though he'd just been doused in it. He felt cold suddenly, his skin thick and clammy as he pulled his gaze away from it to focus on the boy next to him who appeared confused and worried.
It was ridiculous. He was the bloody Dark One. He wasn't afraid of anything and that meant he wasn't afraid of portals. And even if he was, he wasn't about to let Jefferson see that he was.
"Just having a second thought!" he commented, moving across the room to a table. From it, he pulled out a drawstring bag filled with gold coins that he had intended to give to Jefferson. The boy could wait, though, The Doctor might not be able to. "Wouldn't want to be unprepared!" he joked before moving back to the portal.
"If you say so," Jefferson shrugged before looking back at the portal. "Without further ado then."
Without further ado…they jumped
A short chapter, but you guessed it...one of my favorites because it really shows off that Jefferson/Rumple relationship. As always we can see a bit more insight into them and see how Rumple has to forcefully convince himself he doesn't like him. "I won't admit I like it when you stay in the castle, because I don't, I tell you, I don't!" Riiiight. You're trying just a bit too hard to convince us of that Rumple.
Thank you Alarda and Grace5231973 for your very kind reviews on that the last chapter. I'm glad that was an okay way to finish it all off and now we find out if you are right in your guess. Did you know we were off to the Land Without Color already! I really love the next chapter, not just because it's a Rumple/Jefferson adventure chapter, but because we get to see Jefferson in his element and Rumple sort of finding his own. I do think you'll like it in the end, now I just have to see if I can smooth out the bumps in this storyline. Peace and Happy Reading!
