Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything but the idea. I do NOT own any of the Once Upon a Time characters. I repeat: I own NOTHING - all characters belong to Disney, ABC, and the Grimm Brothers.
Warning: Spoilers!
Summary: After the curse broke, things didn't go as excepted.
[A rewrite of OUAT starting with season 2.]
REVIEWS WELCOME!
Chapter 2
Jefferson stood outside Rumpelstiltskin's shop, his hand hanging off the doorknob. He took a deep breath and rested his forehead against the glass. It had been so long since he talked to his old friend. The last time was shortly after Alice died and he had to quit helping Rumple. There were so many times during the curse that he found himself in this exact same position, wanting to see him. However, the curse was now broken and when he managed to open the door, it wouldn't be Mr. Gold, it would be Rumple.
Jefferson eased the doorknob and let it swing open, creaking all the way. The little bell rang, letting the owner know he had company. He held his breath as he walked in, listening for any movement.
From the backroom came the tap of a cane and soon Rumple entered the shop. "Who could be bothering me-" He stopped short when he saw it was Jefferson.
The two men stared at each other for a few minutes, both uneasy in their own ways. Rumple didn't know what to say to Jefferson while Jefferson was fighting the urge to hug Rumple.
Finally, Jefferson broke the silence, a smile on his face. "It's good to see you again, Rumpelstiltskin."
"Is it?"
"Yes." He relaxed. "You certainly haven't changed."
Rumple scoffed and stepped out from behind the counter. "You didn't come see me during the curse."
"I-… It hurt too much. It wasn't really you." He clenched his fists, pulling on some courage, and took a step closer to him. "I came to see you now."
"I can see that. Is there some reason why?"
"I missed you." Jefferson replied with an airy chuckle. He took the chance to examine Rumple. His clothes were as neat and pressed as always. Everything else was different. His eyes and hair were a warm brown color, and his skin was pale with a shimmer of gold only visible when the light moved just right. The limp was unnerving. He didn't hear about Mr. Gold getting hurt during the curse, so he was curious about it. He looked good, overall.
Rumple felt Jefferson's eyes scanning him and he stiffened. Unlike him, Jefferson hadn't changed at all. Everything about him was the same, except perhaps how he carried himself. The confidence Rumple liked was gone and replaced with telling twitches and a tired heaviness to his limbs.
"Did you remember everything during the curse?" Rumple asked, Jefferson's words finally hitting him.
"I did. That's why I couldn't see you."
Rumple paused. "Where's Grace?"
It was Jefferson's turn to stiffen. He felt sick to his stomach, and he turned away. "I know exactly where she is, but I can't bring myself to go to her. I left her, Rumple. I don't know how she can forgive me."
Rumple gripped his cane as his thoughts went to Baelfire. He understood exactly where Jefferson was coming from, but he still felt a spike of anger. "You know where she is. The only thing standing between you two is your guilt. You need to see her."
"What if she-"
"No. I would give anything to see my son again. It wouldn't matter if he hated me and never wanted to see me again. At least I would know he was alive and safe."
Jefferson looked to his friend before glancing at the door. "I-… I'll be back." He wrung his hands and marched out of the shop.
Rumple sighed and went back to packing.
/
Jefferson panicked as he stood behind the tree, waiting for Grace to get off the bus. What if she hated him? What if she didn't want to see him ever again? He couldn't live with it, but at least he would know she was alright.
Grace hoped off the bus, talking with her friends with about the curse being broken.
It was now or never.
Jefferson stepped forward and his mouth went dry as he called out, "Grace!"
She stopped and spun around, slowly. At the sight of her father, tears bled out her cheeks and she ran into his open arms. He caught her and pressed kisses to every bit of her face as he lifted her up in the air. The two didn't let go of each other for a long time. They wanted to savor this reunion because it would be their last as they would never part again.
Jefferson cradled her as they walked off.
/
"Charming!" Snow White called, as she and the dwarves ran into the town square where emergency services had been set up.
The Fairy Sisters were scurrying about, with only their toes brushing along the ground, as they helped organize people into lines.
Emma looked up from the description she was taking and nudged Charming who was discussing recovery methods with Red. "Snow's back."
Charming turned to Snow. "What happened at the border?"
"It's still there." Grumpy grumbled. His mood soured even more when he saw Nova and those old feelings came rushing back. He turned away.
"We can't leave." Snow sighed and looked around. "How are things here?"
"A mess." Henry walked past with some small children huddled around him. "What are we going to do? No one is calming down enough for us to get anywhere."
Emma rubbed his head and offered a shaky smile. "We'll figure something out, kid."
"Red." Charming nodded at the Fairy Sisters and dwarves. "You're in charge until I get back. We're going to see Rumpelstilskin. Henry, help her."
/
Rumple was in the backroom, closing his suitcase when the bell above his door rang and the sound of little feet came running into the shop. Annoyed, he heaved himself onto his cane and shuffled onto the shop floor.
Jefferson watched Grace as she examined all the items and knick-knacks stored in the shop. At the sound of Rumple's cane, he turned around, an appreciative smile on his face. "Thank you, Rumple."
He didn't say anything as he watched father and child.
"Grace?" Jefferson patted her head and she turned around. "Grace, honey, this is my good friend, Rumpelstiltskin. You'll be seeing a lot more of him."
"Hello, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin." Grace grinned.
Rumple cocked a brow. "Will she?"
"You were my only friend and I had to give you up to do what I needed to do as a father. Now that I have Grace, I want my friendship with you back."
"What made you think it was a friendship? You got things for me and that was all."
Jefferson smirked. "You didn't let anyone but me talk to you so boldly."
Rumple knew that to be true, but he didn't feed Jefferson's ego with a response.
Jefferson chuckled and he took Grace's hand. "I'm cooking dinner for us tonight. Grace's favorite. You better be there." He handed him a paper with his address on it. "If you don't show, I'll hunt you down."
They left.
Rumple glanced down at the paper and sighed. He hated to admit it, but his relationship with Jefferson was very important to him. Jefferson was all he had for years. He glanced at the door and shook his head, grinning. Maybe having Jefferson back in his life wouldn't be such a bad thing.
/
Emma swung the shop door open and walked in. "Gold."
Rumple came out of the backroom, a playful grin on his face. "It seems you just caught me, Miss Swan. I was about to close up for the night."
"We need to talk first." Charming stood in the doorway, his build blocking the entryway. He and Snow entered but kept their distances.
"The curse is broken." Snow spoke, carefully, watching for any change to his face. "We're still here."
Rumple rolled his eyes, presenting an aloof air. "You're observant, Your Highness."
Charming frowned at Rumple and crossed his arms over his chest. "You created this curse, Rumpelstiltskin. Why didn't it take us back? Why did it bring magic here?"
Rumple sighed. "The curse was designed to return us after it broke, but clearly it couldn't. That means only one thing."
"You're terrible at making curses?" Emma smirked.
"It means, Miss Swan, that there is something in the way. It was silly of us to believe nothing would move into the Enchanted Forest after we were removed. When one magic leaves, another replaces it. The curse tried to put us back but with nowhere to put us, it was forced back. The little magic we have received, is the push back. That's why there isn't much of it."
Snow ran her fingers through her hair. "How do we get back then? There has to be some way to get everyone home."
It was then that the little bell above the door jingled, and Jefferson walked in, eyes steely. "Rumple. Is everything going alright in here?"
Rumple nearly broke into a grin, but he managed to keep his face straight. To think Jefferson would feel protective of him; it was far too funny. "Jefferson. You remember Miss Swan, don't you?"
"You!" Emma stared at him, eyes wide. "I thought I killed you. I knocked you out a window."
"It takes a lot more than that to kill me." Jefferson pushed past the royals to stand by Rumple. "Can I take him now?"
"We're trying to figure out how to get everyone in Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest." Charming replied, with a calming tone. "We just want to go home."
"You need another portal." Rumple stated.
Emma narrowed her eyes at Jefferson. "You said you are the Mad Hatter, and that your hat is a portal. You make them, right?"
Jefferson paled, but he kept a strong presence up. "It is."
"Please help us." Snow implored, her hand gently grabbing Jefferson's wrist. "Can you make a portal to get everyone home?"
/
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/
Hello and happy 4th!
NOTE: Preface-Ch 4 will be taking place on the same day. Also, I'll let you know when the character reintroductions are done (at least for this season). Next, we'll find ourselves looking at Regina.
Here is an excerpt of Emma's cut dialogue to help explain what happened: "Like energy. If the curse is a slap and the Enchanted Forest is a board, when the curse slapped the Enchanted Forest, it was met with resistance. When you slap something, like a board, the energy you used is sent back up your arm. – There was something blocking the slap, so the energy had to go somewhere."
Thank you for reading and please have a great day!
