TemperanceTales: I do not own Once Upon a Time in anyway shape or form and I give full credit to the creators.

Chapter Nine: Glitch in the Plan.

"So how have you been feeling?" Emma asked Autumn as she ate her breakfast. They were sitting in Granny's diner early in the morning. The snow had melted for the most part outside and it had been several weeks since their 'kidnapping'. Swallowing, Autumn gave her a questioning look.

"Fine, why?"

"Well, you did take a bit of a blow with that gas she made you inhale," Emma said, taking a bite of her toast, "I was surprised they didn't make you go to the hospital."

"Me too," Autumn said, stabbing her eggs with her fork, "Don't worry, apart from making me really dizzy and giving me a headache, I've been okay."

Emma nodded, watching Autumn eat. Smiling softly, Emma said, before going back to her own breakfast, "Well you'll be happy to know that Snow Queen was sentenced to 3 years in prison. So I doubt we'll be seeing her anytime soon."

"Good," Autumn said, "Now do me a favor? Break the curse before she breaks out of jail. I'd rather not have her come seeking revenge in three years."

Emma smirked at that and said, "I'll try."

"Hey Emma!"

"Hey, Henry," Emma said as Henry slid in next to Autumn. Grabbing a piece of toast off her plate and said, "So what are we doing later today? Conquering the Evil Queen? Unveiling true identities?"

"How about not stealing other people's breakfasts?" Emma said, before drinking her hot cocoa. Autumn grinned and Henry said, "She doesn't mind. I always steal her toast."

"Well, don't steal too much," Granny's voice interjected, and all three looked to see her approach them, "The girl's already too skinny for her own good. Would you like a plate of your own?"

"No thanks," Henry said, and Granny smiled. She then said to Autumn, "By the way, your mother called. She said she won't be home for a couple of days, she has an event to help host."

Autumn sighed and said, "Okay…thanks for telling me."

Granny walked away to talk to some other customers and Emma noticed on closer examination that Autumn looked a little annoyed. Feeling bad, Emma then asked Henry, "Do you have school today?"

"Yup," Henry said, looking at his watch, "Actually, I have to go real soon."

"So then, kid," Emma said, looking at Autumn, "Want to go hang out with me for the day?"

Autumn swallowed the last of her eggs before nodding. Emma grinned and said, "Great, then Henry can meet up with us after."

"Cool," Henry said and then Emma said, "Come on, Henry. We need get you to the bus. I'll be back Autumn."

"Kay," Autumn said, wiping her mouth on her napkin. Emma and Henry left as Autumn finished off the rest of her breakfast. It was long before someone slide in the opposite seat. When she looked up however, it wasn't Emma that was sitting there. It was Regina.

"Hello, Madam Mayor," Autumn said, sincerely.

"Hello dear," Regina said with a smile, "Enjoying your breakfast?"

"I am," Autumn said, "I hope you've been well."

"Very much so," Regina said her fake smile up. A flick of annoyance passing through Autumn but she didn't let it show. "But I must say, dear. You did give us quite the scare. Disappearing into the woods in the middle of a snow storm, getting kidnapped and gassed by a complete stranger. One has to wonder what else is going on."

Regina's smile was teasing, but Autumn knew better than that. So that's what she really wanted, she was prying again. Keeping a friendly façade, Autumn said simply, "Nothing more than anyone else. My mom works, I study, come to town, go back home. Normal stuff."

"I see," Regina said, smiling, "Why don't you come stay over tonight? I'm sure Henry will love company and I've heard that your mother is out of town."

"And this is why I hate when she calls here," Autumn thought, almost angrily. Once again, Autumn kept up her friendly appearance and said, "I'm already staying at a friend's tonight so I can't. Maybe another time?"

"Very well," Regina said, smiling, "Tell me what day and I'll see you then. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast, Autumn."

Regina slid out of the seat and walked away. As she did so, Emma had returned and Regina said curtly, "Miss Swan."

Emma watched Regina leave before sliding back into her seat. Looking at Autumn, she asked, "You okay?"

"Yup," Autumn said, "Just doing the usual stuff. Invited me to stay at her house tonight. So, are you ready?"

"Yup," Emma said, leaving a tip, "Already paid, so let's go."

Autumn and Emma walked out of the diner, heading over to her car. Autumn went into the passenger seat and Emma went around to the other side. Shutting the door, Autumn noticed someone familiar walking down the street. It was Mr. Gold, today must have been his rounds for rent. Emma pulled out of the car and said, "How is your school work going, anyway?"

"Well," Autumn said, with a shrug, "Kinda boring, but getting it done with."

Emma nodded and said, "So I have a question?"

"Hm?"

"Why is it that out of everyone in town, you hang out with Mr. Gold the most?" Emma asked and Autumn said, "Ah, well, needless to say I never get bored around him."

"Yeah?" Emma said, smirking a bit and Autumn said, "Yeah, you just have to know how to deal with him."

Emma raised her brows, clearly amused. She then said pulling into the sheriff's station, "How do you deal with him?"

"Play his game," Autumn said, as Emma pulled to a full stop, "He's not impossible, he's just difficult. Once you learn to play, you'll see."

"So it's just one big game to you?" Emma asked, unbuckling herself. Autumn did the same and opened the car door saying, "Something like that."

Autumn got out and took a good look at the sheriff's station. Emma finally got out and said, "Come on, before Graham gets on my case for being late."

Autumn hurried in before Emma and walked down a hallway to the office. Sitting down in the chair by Emma's desk, Autumn looked around saying, "He isn't here yet."

"Good, now I can scold him," Emma said, taking off her coat. Autumn slipped off her jacket as Emma sat down, turning on the computer. Autumn pushed her bag under the seat saying, "So what's the real reason you asked me to come?"

Emma looked over at Autumn, who was giving her a knowing look. Emma paused before saying, quickly, "No reason."

Autumn smiled, her friendly disbelief growing on her face. Autumn said, with a smile, "You know how you said you can tell when people are lying? I've been around Gold long enough to spot lies and read between the lines. Besides, I'm sure Regina coming after me about my home life was no coincidence."

Emma's face fell and said, "Kid-."

"Look, it's fine," Autumn said quickly, "I knew someone was going to start asking me soon anyway. Especially since me living above a bar doesn't look good."

"No, definitely not," Emma said, pulling out a machine, "So then you realize that everything you say from here until you end the conversation is on record."

"Yup," Autumn said. She had been fully expecting this, Emma could see that much. Pressing the button, Emma asked, "What's your foster mother's name?"

"Felicity Doe," Autumn said, simply. Emma nodded and said, "What does she do for work?"

"She's a hostess at a chain bar," Autumn said, kicking her legs back and forth, "The bar below our house is part of that chain."

"How often is it used?" Emma asked and Autumn said, "Not often. It's usually just used for special events that the chain does."

"How often does your mother come home?" Emma asked and Autumn said, "When she doesn't have events, she'll come home every night."

"I see," Emma said, "What kind of bar is it?"

"Here," Autumn said, going to the computer, "I'll pull it up for you."

As Autumn typed at the computer, Emma gently fiddled with the recorder. Watching Autumn, Emma couldn't help but notice on how she seemed so… focused. It was a little too rehearsed for Emma's liking. Sounds of clicking on the keyboard filled the room as Autumn navigated the computer. With one finally click, Autumn said, "Here's the bar gallery. The top one is a picture of mom."

Autumn sat back as Emma came forward. Clicking on the picture, a woman with short hair and light hazel eyes stood behind a sleek bar appeared. The woman wore a cat like smile, thin, and wore a black tee-shirt. Emma smiled a bit and said, "Pretty."

"I guess," Autumn said, shrugging. Emma looked at the site and whispered, "Karaoke night, Sailors Rig, sounds like they almost do themed parties. Alright, you said that there is no way from the first floor to the second?"

"Nope," Autumn said, innocently, "Mom wanted it that way so it would be harder for people to get to the actual house."

"Smart," Emma said, leaning back in her chair. Looking back up at Autumn, Emma asked, "So you were in the foster system for how many years?"

"Since I was about the age of six," Autumn said, softly, "After my dad died…"

Emma froze and said, her eyes going soft. Leaning over, Emma rested her arm on her desk asking, "How did he die?"

Autumn's face went calm, but an eerie calm. Emma gave her a strange but sad look as Autumn said levelly, "There was a fire….and then I was in a car being taken to an orphanage."

Emma looked at her sympathetically as Autumn was quiet. She then looked back at Emma as Emma cleared her throat, leaning back. Looking at the computer, Emma asked, "How many foster homes have you been in before Felicity?"

"Six," Autumn said, reciting it like it was basic information. Emma looked over at her and said, "Six?"

"Six," Autumn said, pushing her hair back. Emma looked at Autumn, her brows furrowed confused. Emma asked after some deep thought, "And you've been with Felicity for three years?"

"Mmm," Autumn said, kicking her legs, "So, mystery solved?"

"Not quite," Emma said forcing a smile. She was not happy, not really. But she didn't want to give this kid anything more to worry about. Something was already fishy here with that many foster homes in so little years. Leaning forward, Emma asked, "When is your birthday?"

"What?" Autumn said baffled, and Emma repeated, "When is your birth date?"

"March 4, 2001," Autumn said, pushing her hair back. Turning back towards the computer she closed the internet screen as someone could be heard walking down the hallway. Looking back, both saw Graham come in the room with a box of donuts in his hand. Stopping the recorder, Emma looked intrigued as he came by and said opening the box, "Well sometimes the cliques are true."

Emma raised her brows and she said, "I'll bite, what do you want?"

"Remember how I said no night shifts?" Graham said with a rather meek expression. Emma's face fell and he said, "I need you to work tonight."

"Why?" Emma whined as Autumn glanced at Graham grinning. Graham explained to Emma, "I volunteer at the animal shelter and the supervisor called in sick."

Emma frowned at him, but seemed to accept what he was telling her. Autumn, however, didn't. He was telling the truth about the shelter but there was something he wasn't telling. Why he was lying to Emma was beyond her, as it seemed silly to lie; unless he was doing something unfavorable. Emma took one saying, "You're lucky you brought a bear claw."

"Want one?" Graham asked and Autumn said making a face, "You're not going to make me work nights too, are you?"

Graham laughed and Emma said, "Aww, you're not going to keep me company?"

"A friend's expecting me," Autumn said, shrugging. Graham shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to stay tonight."

Autumn took one of the plainer donuts before he closed it and went into his office. Emma smiled as Autumn took a bite. Kicking her legs, Autumn looked up at the clock. It wasn't even ten yet, which surprised her. She thought Emma's interviewing took longer. But this was good actually, if she was able to get there in time…

"Hey Emma?" Autumn said sliding off the chair, "There is something that I have to do. See you later?"

"Sure," Emma said, before taking a bite out of her treat, "As I sit here and wallow in misery."

S.C.

Mr. Gold was sitting in the back of his shop, reading a certain book he had recently acquired. The back of the shop was decently lit, illuminating his stored objects and the old pages of the book. There were no windows, so if it hadn't been for the clock on the wall he wouldn't know it was still day. The look on his face was deeply entrenched but he still responded when he heard his little bell ring.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Mr. Gold asked, loudly. Shutting the book, he looked up to see the curtains of his works shop part and Autumn come in. His smile was his usual as he said, "Autumn, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Autumn said cheerfully.

"As always," Gold said, amused, "I'm surprised your foster mother isn't shadowing you."

"She has work," Autumn huffed, "And I'm sorry you even had to meet her."

"She seems like a… spirited woman," Gold mused, "Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I am. Anyway, I was curious to see if you were done with your rounds," Autumn asked simply. She walked over to him and leaned against his desk. Opening the drawer, Gold spoke while putting the book inside, "I am. I actually made a deal today with someone in need of my services."

"Oh?" Autumn asked as Gold shut the drawer with a snap. He then turned in his chair, picking up something. He examined that something saying, "Yes. Moe French seemed in desperate need of money, so I extended my services to him."

"Really?" Autumn said, looking as curious at this piece of information. Turning the chair back around, Mr. Gold extended a rose saying, "If you'll have it."

Autumn took the thorn less rose, smelling its freshness. Glancing at him she said, innocently, "Well, thank you."

An emotion flickered across his face, one that she didn't recognize. She then said, looking at him with an amused expression, "So…are you trying to butter me up for a song?"

"Nonsense," Mr. Gold said, somewhat seriously, "I never 'butter up' people who owe me something."

Shaking her head, Autumn said, "Anyway, Mr. French doesn't seem like a man to be able keep his end of the deal."

"Indeed," Mr. Gold said, standing up. Grasping his cane, he walked across the room and Autumn said, watching him intently, "Then why make a deal you know he can't keep? Do you really like inflicting fear that much?"

"No," Mr. Gold said, reaching a cabinet across the room, "Let's just say this will benefit me in the long run."

"Hmph," Autumn said, shrugging, "Whatever floats your boat."

Mr. Gold chuckled at that as he pulled a cloth off a rather large case. Recognizing it, Autumn gently put the rose down on the desk. Opening the case, Mr. Gold said, "Seeing how busy you've been with the sheriff with that kidnapping fiasco, I figured I would bring it here; just in case you decided to stop by my shop."

Nodding, Autumn walked over to him and gently took out the violin. Mr. Gold went to sit back down in his seat saying, "There is music there if you'd like."

"No need," Autumn said, positioning the violin at the base of her neck. Gently resting her chin against rest, Autumn positioned the violin bow, closing her eyes. Gold sat down in his chair watching her. Slowly but surely, Autumn began to play.

Now Gold had expected her to know how to play. But not once did he think that she could play this well. The piece was lively and Gold thought he had heard it somewhere before, her moves near flawless as the music smoothly went along. Autumn eyes remained closed, opening at only a few parts during the song. Gently spinning his cane in his hand, Gold continued to watch her. The lively, almost playful music would sometimes slow and become more romantic. It wasn't a terribly long piece, but he took the most out of every minute she was playing. Finally, Autumn stopped and opened her blue eyes. She nearly jumped when Gold clapped saying, "Well, dear, I must say dear I am impressed. Wherever did you learn?"

Autumn paused before putting the violin back into its case. Speaking clearly, Autumn said, "My father had started to teach me. For a while I stopped playing. It wasn't till I started living with Felicity that I started back up again."

Mr. Gold watched her intently and he asked, "Why did you stop?"

"My father died," Autumn said, shutting the case. After making sure it was good and locked, Autumn walked back over to him sitting on his desk. She looked over at him, saying, "Kinda hard to keep playing the violin when you're being tossed around from home to home."

Mr. Gold watched her pick up the rose again, sniffing it gently. Mr. Gold watched her with somewhat an amazed expression, shaking his head gently. She was interesting she was, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty over the expression in her eyes. They held a bittersweet love there, as if remember the one she had lost who had obviously meant so much to here. Grabbing his cane, Mr. Gold then leaned forward, saying, "The two of you were obviously very close."

"Yes, we were," Autumn said, softly. She then looked over at Gold and said, "Your love, friend or foe?"

"Pardon?" his Scottish was rather sharp, whether he had meant it to be or not.

"The person you loved," Autumn said, her blue eyes now on him, "Was she a friend or foe?"

"Friend," Mr. Gold said, "Or at least she was."

Mr. Gold hadn't been expecting her to ask about this again. But at the same time, it was only fair since they had just been discussing some very important to her. Belle had been important, important enough to haunt his dreams with her heartbroken words. But he didn't dare say her name, after all Autumn was one of the main characters in Operation Cobra and would stop at nothing to break the curse. Even if it wasn't meant to be broken yet. What he didn't understand that Autumn had been looking for a reaction from him, not information on him. A reaction she was hoping to see, but one she did not. So she asked her next question, "And since then, you've loved no one?"

A flash of Belle came to mind as she spoke and he blinked. Autumn was staring at him, searching intently for an answer. Of course he hadn't loved anyone else, not like that. Belle was always and forever would be his one true love. Shaking his head, Mr. Gold said, "No, dearie, I'm afraid not. That's the thing about love; it can slip through your fingers if you not careful. And sometimes it's impossible to get it back."

Autumn nodded, not letting her disappointment show. Instead, she asked, "Was she pretty?"

"That's one question over the limit," Gold teased and Autumn shrugged saying, "Only trying to be fair. You never directly asked about my father, so I'm giving you a chance to ask more directly."

Gold chuckled and said, with a weak smile, "No… she was beautiful."

Autumn let out a smile and said, "Your turn."

"Oh no, I think I'll save this question for another time," Gold said, leaning back, "I have work to do and I believe your friend Henry will be looking for you rather soon."

Sliding off the desk, Autumn said, "Alright, see you soon."

"Goodbye Autumn," Gold said, as she made sure to take her rose. Walking to the front of the shop, Autumn let the curtain fall behind her. Letting out a shaky sigh, her disappointment showed plainly on her face. Why should she have expected him to have said anything differently? She was getting too close for her own good, but she couldn't help it.

Walking quietly across the shop, Autumn berated herself for getting closer than she should. It would give him too much leverage and she knew that. It had been three years in getting him to come this far and she wasn't about to throw it out the window because she loved someone who didn't love anymore.

Even if she wanted him to love more than anything.

S.C.

"Excuse me?"

Emma looked up from her desk, seeing a woman slowly walk into the station. She was dressed all in black, her t-shirt diving into a plunging v-neck. She wore a wool unbuttoned coat as she came towards desk with a smile. In her hands were a vanilla envelope. She had short hair, sharp eyes; it was the woman from the photo.

"Hi," Emma said, stunned, turning her chair as the woman walked around the desk.

"Sorry, you must be Emma," the woman said with a grin, "My name is Felicity Doe, Autumn's foster mom?"

"Oh, hi!" Emma said, sitting up and extending her hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Finally right," Felicity said, shaking Emma's hand, "I've heard a lot about you. From the kid I mean."

"I wish I could say the same about you," Emma said, "I'm surprised to see you. I heard you were going to be out of town a couple of days."

"I will be," Felicity said, sitting down across from her, "The bar has this huge party in Boston to host and I drew the short end of the stick this time."

"I see," Emma said.

"I just wanted to come by," Felicity said honestly, "I heard the kid was in here with you earlier."

Emma raised her brows as Felicity smiled, tapping her ear before saying, "I have friends in town that keep an eye on her for me."

"I didn't mean to be nosey-," Emma started.

"Oh no, you're not!" Felicity said, waving her hand, "I know how it looks, trust me. Especially after the whole kidnapping fiasco."

Emma watched in surprise as Felicity Doe handed the envelope to Emma. Emma looked at her queerly as she asked, "What is this?"

"The kid just finished taking a yearly test to prove that I've been teaching her well," Felicity said with a bit of an eye roll, "There is also some medical documentation from the last few visits, as well as some other information that I've been informed that you may not have."

"Oh, okay," Emma said, pulling out the papers, "Thank you for that. This will definitely help alleviates some people's concerns."

"You mean like Mr. Gold?" Felicity asked a bit sharply.

"And-And some others," Emma admitted, "Why? Do you not like Gold?"

"Oh no, the kid never shuts up about him," Felicity said, amused, "Mr. Gold has this in his shop, Mr. Gold's house is like an extension of his store. I swear, I've only met the guy for like a minute and I feel like I know more about him than he does about me. I just… notice they spend a lot of time together and I was curious to know if he is as close with her or if he's just being stalked by the kid."

"No, I think he likes her just as much as she likes him," Emma said with a grin, "Even if he doesn't show it in the same way."

"Good," Felicity said relieved as Emma scanned over the documents.

"Good?" Emma mused, "Do you know his reputation?"

Felicity snickered as she said, "Yeah, that much I do know. However…"

Felicity seemed to slide into a trance, staring out into the office a moment before saying, "The connection between them… it's special. I daresay it rivals the connection she once shared with her father. I can't get in the way of that."

"You're her foster mother," Emma said.

"In name only. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I'm more like her older sister than a mother," Felicity scoffed, "She needs him… even if he is a bit gruff around the edges."

"A bit," Emma snorted.

"Okay, maybe more than a bit," Felicity said before adding seriously, "But she hasn't had the easiest life."

"I have a question about that actually," Emma said, "Now I've had my share of foster homes experiences. Never have I ever heard of someone moving around from six homes in a matter of two years."

"Oh god," Felicity groaned, "Don't even get me started. The foster home organization in charge of her placements was…. A nightmare."

"What organization?" Emma asked.

"Erkenziers Foster Placement," Felicity said flatly.

Emma's face lost any trace of amusement or life. Her eyes went dead and her face pale. Felicity noticed as she said, softly, "I guess you are familiar with it."

"All too familiar," Emma said, coldly. Felicity watched her sympathetically when Emma shook her head.

"Sorry," Emma said, "Bad memories."

"You don't need to tell me," Felicity said, sitting back, "When I met the kid, she had been plucked out of her sixth foster home, which was...evil. The organization was facing charges on other accounts, an investigator on the tail of her case. They were about ready to ship her off to this home in Pennsylvania where kids go but don't come back…and that's not because they were adopted. I stepped in… paid a good amount of money to get her too. Needless to say I couldn't access about half the information I needed."

"Including the birth certificate," Emma said in understanding.

"I just wanted this kid to have a fresh start," Felicity said, as if she didn't hear her, "A second chance. So I went as far away from there as possible and came across this place. I let her be who she wants. I know that seems like a loose guardianship, but it works."

"I can see that," Emma said, looking at her test scores, "She's smart. Really smart."

"Except in History," Felicity said thoughtfully, "Which is just weird. I mean she does it but nothing like her math and science scores."

Emma couldn't help but chuckled as Felicity's phone beeped. Sighing, Felicity stood up saying, "Well, I need to get going. My boss wants me in before it gets late."

"Okay," Emma said, placing the paperwork down on the table, "Thank you, Felicity, for bringing this in. It helps."

"No problems," Felicity said, "Oh. Before I forget, could you do me a favor? Keep an eye on the kid for me until I get back? I don't want anything like that to happen to her again."

"I will," Emma said, "Even if I have to lock her in a closet."

Felicity snickered and left saying, "See you, Emma."

Emma heard the door close as she looked back at her new pile of papers. She could barely see them though as bad memories threatened to push to the front of her mind. Erkenziers… now it all made sense. Rubbing her temples, Emma thought about the file that existed in a box in Mary Margaret's apartment that detailed information on that home. Was Autumn's like that too? She was almost afraid to know.

S.C.

Jefferson watched Paige from his telescope, looking rather forlorn. She was in the dining room, sitting at the table doing homework. Her mother in this world would came by leaning down by Paige saying something which caused Paige to laugh. The corner of his mouth twitched before letting out an agitated sigh. It was hard, watching her from a far. He had no choice for he didn't remember him, but it still set his nerves on edge all the same. He kept on looking even as Autumn walked into the room with her bag saying, "Are you spying on people again?"

Jefferson yanked his head away from the telescope and looked back to see Autumn sitting at the table filled with sewing supplies. Dropping her bag to the floor, Autumn watched him walked towards her saying, "I'm just making sure of something."

"Paige is as safe as she's ever going to be," Autumn replied smoothly, "So don't worry about her too much or we'll get side tracked."

"Yes, I think we've been side tracked enough with your memory loss," Jefferson said, almost mockingly. Autumn rolled her eyes and said more seriously, "This curse…did it take Wonderland too?"

"I don't think so," Jefferson said, frowning, "All I know is that the Queen's men came and took me. I'm not even sure how she got them into Wonderland."

"I see," Autumn said with a frown. Pushing her hair back, Autumn sighed saying, "And you have no idea where the hat is?"

"None, and even if we did have it we need magic to make it work," Jefferson said, somewhat agitated. Autumn noticed and pulled at his scarf, making him lean in. Pushing back his hair, Autumn said, "Calm down. The magic part I'm not as worried about. What I am worried about is her using magic."

"If she can, I'm not sure," Jefferson said, gently tracing the rim of the hat on the table, "We'll just have to pray she can't."

"Why do you make so many hats?"

The Hatter was sitting on his usual cushion, sewing together another hat in an agitated manner. The girl, all dressed in blue, sat across from him with curious eyes. In her hands were one of the many hats he had made. It was very similar to the hat on his head, but pitch black. Its ribbon was ice blue and has silver swirls embroidered on it. He didn't stop what he was doing, but said, "I have to make it work."

"Make it work?" she asked baffled. Nodding, he said, "Yes, yes to make it work. That is why I make them."

Frowning, the girl looked down at the hat and then put it on her head saying, "I think I like this one best."

Hatter glanced up at her, his hands still tying ribbons together. It was a little too big for her, but a smile still crossed his face. Looking back down at his work, the Hatter merely replied, "Your head is much too small for that hat. It will have to grow. Besides, if a hat doesn't work there is no sense to have it."

"What do you mean by it doesn't work," she asked almost crossly, removing the hat from her head, "Surely theses hats are perfectly good to use."

"Not all hats are made for wearing Alison," Hatter replied, not looking up from his work.

"So then what does this one do?"

The Hatter smiled bitterly before saying, "Door to my home, Alison, a door to my home."

Alison looked at Hatter curiously and then shook her head. She put the hat down next to her before brushing off her skirt. Getting off the pile of books she was sitting on, she walked over to him and said, "Hatter."

Her voice was gently, which reminded him of someone. Flinching, he tried to continue working only to have her grasp his arm and say, "Jefferson stop."

He stopped and looked at her with narrowed green eyes. Smiling gently, she said, "Then the answer is simple now isn't it? You shouldn't be making a hat."