Family Torn Apart

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Yay, I'm so glad that you're reading this! Thank you!

Chapter 2: May

It was dark down by the docks and the early spring air was chilly but the woman sitting on one of the empty docks noticed none of that. She was watching how the moonlight danced on the black water with an empty expression.

She'd been waiting for this day for twenty-nine years hoping for the reunion with her family that didn't come after all. Emma had broken the curse but it didn't make her remember her old life. The woman had no idea that she'd been cursed, too. Just like Billy. And what her father would or wouldn't know about it didn't matter anymore.

Once again, she was left alone. She felt like that six-year old who'd been lost in the woods of Storybrooke. And this time there wouldn't be anybody to come and get her.

Or maybe…

"What are you doing here?" May asked when she could hear the old wood screech under the weight of a person. She didn't even bother to look and her posture didn't tell about her surprise at his presence. "The curse's broken," she said in a low voice.

"I know," the man answered in a solemn tone that made May look at him at last. She hadn't heard him so sober ever since Emma put her feet in Storybrooke. In the faint moonlight, she regarded him over her shoulder for a couple of seconds then she sighed, turning back to the water. The pain that the man had caused still stabbed at her heart.

"She's alone," May stated with furrowed brows as she watched Emma talk with Archie Hopper. "Why is she alone?" she looked at Jefferson as if he'd had all the answers.

Of course, she and Jefferson had long ago come to the conclusion that the purple light that had trapped her in Storybrooke somehow turned back the time and tossed everybody back to ground zero as far as the Evil Queen's curse was concerned. And that meant a wide range of possibilities for things to happen. There were no guarantees that what happened the first time would happen the second time around. And that, of course, only stood for her parents' life. May was fairly sure that Storybrooke was just as boring the first time as she came to know it.

But this all didn't mean that she hadn't hoped for her parents to show up together with three kids in tow.

In the face of harsh reality, though, this seemed a stupid fancy, even more so that Billy had been brought to Storybrooke ten years ago when his biological mother had given him up for adoption. If anything, that was a clear indication that nothing was right with this new timeline.

"Don't know," Jefferson answered her question with an unconcerned shrug. "And don't really care. What matters is that she's here at last… and she'll help me get my Grace back."

May stood dumbstruck staring at the man she'd thought she knew and she felt her heart break. She didn't really need an answer for her question. She just wanted Jefferson to tell her that everything was fine. Just to hear that few words coming from him always made everything a little better.

This time, she had to be disappointed though.

That man there wasn't the man she'd lived the last twenty-nine years with. That man's eyes were glazed over with something she couldn't name and suddenly their first encounter flashed before her eyes. She'd only seen that look in his eyes that night and even then only for a second. She could only remember it because she was so scared of it. But that look had been quick to disappear and she'd never seen it since.

It made him look dangerous… a mad man focused on one single obsession.

May realized at that moment that she'd ceased to exist for him. He wasn't her Jefferson anymore… he was the Mad Hatter.

"You selfish bastard," May spat at him then turned to leave.

As she was stumping down the street, she could see her vision blur with tears of disappointment, frustration and hurt.

She was disappointed because this was a moment she'd been waiting for for so long, a turning point in her life that would lead to the final fulfillment of her greatest hope – being with her family once again. But it didn't happen the way she'd always imagined it.

She felt frustration rising in her mostly because she knew very well that this could happen, and yet she had let herself believe otherwise. And now she was sulking like a little girl, feeling pathetic. She should really get it together.

And if it hadn't been enough that all her hopes seemed to have been crushed when her mother showed up in town without her father and little brother, the only man that counted in her life had left her. It hurt to know that the last twenty-nine years meant so little to Jefferson.

After a long walk in the empty town, she found herself opening the door to Granny's B&B but she stopped when she caught sight of her mother. Earlier, in the town she was too far away to see Emma clearly but now she did... and it made her breath caught. There she was, her mother, and she looked exactly the same May remembered. It brought tears to her eyes.

Careful not to make any noise, May closed the door and turned to leave. She wanted to meet Emma more than anything but after the day she'd had, she didn't feel up to facing another person important to her just to have them look back at her as if she'd been a stranger. She'd have to deal with that but not today...

With a desperate sob, she put her hands into the pockets of her jeans and continued walking, willing the tears to go away.

She hadn't talked to Jefferson ever since that day.

And still… she'd known the man for almost thirty years – most of her best memories were connected to him. She loved him and she couldn't find it in her heart to stay mad at him. Especially not now when he looked so lost, so sincere in his emotions she hadn't seen him in a long time.

"Everything's so screwed up," she finally said in a low voice – a kind of peace offering, a sign that she was willing to listen.

"I'm sorry," Jefferson said, taking a few tentative steps towards May.

May scoffed. "For what?"

"For being a total idiot… maybe that'll cover everything," he settled down next to her and gave her a smile that almost reminded May of the old Jefferson, the Jefferson, who was willing to see past through his madness and his obsession with his lost daughter and did everything in his power to make May happy.

When the front door slammed with a loud thud that could be heard even in the kitchen of the large mansion, Jefferson knew that the evening wouldn't plan out as he wanted it to. His suspicion was only confirmed when he could hear angry steps running up the stairs after stepping into the entry hall.

"I'm here," he called after his obviously troubled ward even though he was sure she wasn't looking for him. "Dinner is ready by the way," he continued, hoping for May to make an appearance. "I made your favorite," he coaxed further as he stood by the foot of the stairs with an expectant expression.

It took a little while but, finally, May appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Not hungry," she told him – more like snapped at him.

Now what? Jefferson asked himself as he took in the girl's disheveled appearance and her cheeks that were red and damp with tears.

"What happened?" he asked with a heavy sigh. Nowadays the smallest thing would make May snap and he was getting tired of dealing with all her teenager problems. Of course, deep down, he knew that her angry outbursts were due to something more serious than teenager rebellion but he preferred not thinking about that.

"Nothing," May snapped.

"Then why the tears?" he asked starting up the stairs.

"Because shit doesn't happen in this town," she cried. "That's why."

Any other day, Jefferson would have warned her about her language but today she seemed genuinely upset. He sighed as he reached the top and indicated to May that she should sit with him. She reluctantly joined him and they just sat there in silence for a little while.

"You went to town once again," Jefferson pointed out the obvious. He didn't like it. He'd always tried to keep May away from the town because he didn't want her to bump into the Mayor. But lately May picked up the habit of sneaking into town anyway. And he could understand her, really. She wanted friends, she wanted to do things every normal teenager would want to do. But there were no normal teenagers in Storybrooke, well, there were no normal people in Storybrooke at all. And May seemed to be beginning to realize that.

"This is a freaking ghost town," she continued. "What's wrong with the people here? They are a bunch of creeps. I hate it here so much," she concluded with angry tears. "Why am I still here? Why are you keeping me here? I want to go home."

"I know, Sweetheart, but you can't. Remember I promised you to take care of you until your parents came back for you?" May nodded. "Then be patient just for a little more."

"You know, sometimes I think you kidnapped me."

"Don't be silly."

"Really?" the girl challenged. "Then where are my parents? It's been eight years. And you know what? I don't think that anybody ever put their feet into this stupid town. And they never will. My parents are not coming for me."

"Now, now," Jefferson started as he put an errand red lock behind her ear. "That's not true. Your…"

"I'm fourteen, Jefferson, not stupid," May pushed his hand away. "Don't treat me like a little child. Just tell me at last. They're not coming back."

"That's not true. They are coming..."

"Bullshit," May snarled, jumping up and stomping into her room.

Jefferson was left sitting on the top stair by himself wondering just what the hell he should do now. May was becoming more and more difficult to handle as she was getting older and he had no idea how to deal with the situation.

Sometimes he wondered whether Grace would be such a difficult teen, too.

Raising May was so damn frustrating sometimes but Jefferson also knew that the little red-headed girl he had found in the woods eight years ago was the only person keeping him sane. Having her around was like having a second chance when his Grace had been snatched away from him. He missed his little girl and wanted to be with her so badly but until that day he had May and he'd do anything to keep her.

He slowly stood up and went into his office to think. There were hats everywhere and suddenly he had to laugh at his own madness. Now it all seemed so absurd. He hadn't made a single hat in eight years. May had kept him anchored in reality.

Reality, he mused.

That was the problem. May lived in a town that'd been cursed and he expected her to be all right with it without him fully explaining it to her. He wanted to protect her – that was true – after all a strange girl who, unlike any other person, was actually getting older in a town where time had stopped, would have surely attracted the Queen's attention. And he didn't want that.

So he kept the explanation to a bare minimum, locking May away as much as possible.

But of course, it wasn't a solution to the situation, not to mention that it wasn't fair on May. She deserved to have a normal life.

She was a clever girl, Jefferson knew. Maybe it was time to trust her with her own decisions.

But to do that, he should explain everything to her, beginning with the fact that her parents wouldn't be back for another twenty years.

Coming to a decision, Jefferson finally started towards May's room and silently let himself in when he got there.

She was lying on her bed with that old turtle he had made her shortly after taking her in. First he had made her a white rabbit but poor girl freaked out after seeing it.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," he started after sitting down next to her.

"For what?" May mumbled, facing away from him, lying on her stomach. "The town being a loony bin? I know you can't be blamed for that," she finally turned to look at the man.

"I'm sorry for you being stuck here," he admitted.

Long silence followed his confession.

"Me and my brothers used to talk about wondrous things, you know," she started as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, "mermaids and giants and princess and princesses. Billy loved every story and Benji kept repeating that he wanted to fly like Peter Pan. I've never doubted when you told me that all these things are real but… are they? I know what you told me about the Evil Queen but I so wanted to see those people. I wanted to see what it's like when all those fairy-tales come true. But there is nothing wondrous in this town."

"Well, that was the point," Jefferson shared bitterly.

"What happened? You've never told me the whole story."

"I know and I'm sorry. I didn't want to burden you with all of this. I thought that if I don't talk about it then we can avoid it. I thought we can live without being a part of all that craziness out there. I didn't want to subject you to that."

"But I want to know what's out there. I want to know everything. What made the Evil Queen do this to so many people and what do my parents have to do with it? Why do you know all this?"

And Jefferson started to talk. He wasn't a stranger to the stories of the people who got stuck in Storybrooke forgetting about their whole life. He knew most of the stories, having had more than thirty years to investigate. He started with her family, trying to explain what had caused the curse and sharing his theory about what had happened eight years ago when he found May.

"...and when you arrived here, I think, somehow everything started from the beginning... not as if it mattered much for the townsfolk here," he rolled his eyes. "Well, except for Regina but she doesn't seem quite pissed off about the start-over... That's why I guess she was affected, too. Or, she really likes living here..." he frowned.

"So that's why everybody here is a weirdo," May concluded. "They are stuck in the same day."

"Yep, pretty much that's it. Though I'm sure that Scott, the salesman was a weirdo back in our land, too. Did you meet him during one of your unauthorized trips?"

"Yeah," May nodded with an amused smile. "He tried to sell me a fork - three times - insisting that it's a wonderful comb. Who's he?"

"You couldn't guess it," Jefferson smiled. "He's..."

"Scuttle," they finished it together and May laughed merrily.

Jefferson smiled at her, happy that she was smiling at last.

"It'll be all right, Sweetheart," he petted her back. "You just have to be patient."

"For twenty years?" she almost whined. "That's an awfully long time. I'll be what… thirty-four by the time mom and dad arrives?" she asked her voice dying away as she realized something. "Wait? How old are you?"

"Why?"

"Just to know when I can start telling you that you can't boss me around anymore because I'm older than you."

Jefferson laughed out. "Oh, you won't be older than me… ever."

"Just watch it. And then I can do whatever I want to do."

"I'm pretty sure you're already doing just that," Jefferson smirked, standing up. "Ready for dinner?" he asked offering a hand to May, who took it and let herself pulled up from the bed.

"Jefferson? You know all the stories of these people?" she wondered as they made their way down to the kitchen.

"I know a lot of stories."

"Then tell me. I want to know all of them."

And Jefferson did just that.

"I missed you so much," May finally said, laying her head on the man's shoulder. As an answer, Jefferson pulled her close.

"What are you doing here? You should be with your family," he inquired in a gentle tone, pressing his cheek against the woman's red locks.

"My family?" her chuckle was bitter. "I don't have anybody but you."

"What happened?" he pulled away to look at her.

"Nothing," May shrugged, tears of disappointment slowly flowing down her cheeks. "That's what happened," she said, wiping away the tears with frustrated motions. "They don't remember a thing… and even if they did, there is nobody to remember. My dad is turned back to wood and my mom fell into your damn hat."

"Oh…" Jefferson processed the short account. "What about Henry?"

"Henry?" May had to laugh out at that, half amused, half incredulous, recalling that she'd just had a conversion with her big brother not long ago during which he repeated his favorite question. "He's still wondering why I call him Billy." Despite everything, the boy's genuine confusion about being called Billy made her feel a little warmer inside and when she finally sighed, she sounded less troubled than before. "This is so fucked up," she summed up the situation in a calm tone. "Nothing has changed."

"That's not true. The curse's broken."

"Much good that did to me," May looked at Jefferson sharply. "My mom and my grandma are gone… and so is my dad."

"Good riddance, that one," Jefferson stated, referring to August.

May punched him in the ribs. "Don't push it, Hatter. You keep up being a jerk and I won't talk to you for another year."

"Sorry but we didn't get to be the best of pals, especially after him coming on me like a madman."

"You drugged and kidnapped his wife," May pointed out incredulously.

"It's not as if he knows that… I mean the Emma being-his-wife part," Jefferson shrugged. "All right," he finally relented after seeing the look on May's face. "That was a stupid idea, I admit it."

"Look at that," May gave him a mocking expression. "That purple smoke was magic after all: it did make you see sense."

"You're hilarious," Jefferson stated dryly.

"Yep," she grinned then leaned in to put a kiss on his cheek. "And you love me for that."

Jefferson couldn't keep the smile off of his face at that. "Among other things," he agreed, pulling her close.

"Love you, too," May said, resting her head on his shoulder. Among all the chaos her life was, it felt good to have him back.

They stayed like that for a little longer, just watching the dark water, but Jefferson broke the silence at last.

"So, I heard that August turned back to wood," he stated casually and May raised her head, giving him a pointed look. She really hoped he wouldn't be a jerk about it – not after that they'd just reconciled. "I also heard that magic is back in Storybrooke," he continued in the same tone. "Interesting…"

"What?" May asked him in a flat tone.

"Have you heard the story of Pinocchio? You know, the puppet carved from wood that was turned into a real boy through magic," he shared with a sly smile appearing on his face while he stressed every relevant word in the sentence.

A dumbstruck look appeared on May's face as Jefferson's smile turned into a full-blown grin. He nudged her slightly. "So…" he prodded.

As realization downed, a radiant smile lit up May's face. "I've got to go now," she said, quickly pressing a kiss on Jefferson's cheek then jumping onto her feet, she merrily announced, "I've got to find my dad."

"Wait," Jefferson jumped up, too. "I'll go with you."

"No," May shook her head. "You have to find your daughter."

"I will," Jefferson answered, seeming somewhat reluctant. "But first, I want to help you."

TBC