Chapter 5
Belle awoke to sound of soft whispers. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to accept the fact that it was morning yet. It felt like just an hour ago she had fallen asleep. It had been a restless night. The couch was undoubtedly more comfortable than the bench she has been sleeping on, but she couldn't stop her mind from racing.
"She would do it. She would help us, trust me." Jefferson whispered to Alice. They were sitting on the couch to which he supposedly slept on, though it looked like it hadn't been touched.
"I trust you Jefferson but I don't know her. I can't put everything we have worked for at risk! If she messes this up…"
"She won't. It can't hurt to have an extra person. Besides, her hatred for the Queen is nearly as strong as mine. Regina's the reason she's been locked away for 28 years. She'll want to do this."
Belle moved slightly, anxious to find out what they were talking about.
"Good morning Belle." Jefferson said kindly, as he placed a cup of tea in front of her.
"Good morning." She said, picking up the cup and taking a sip.
"How did you sleep?" Alice asked.
"Wonderful, thank you." She lied.
Jefferson and Alice sat there silently for a minute, exchanging glances, deciding who was going to bring up what they wanted to ask.
"Well, I have to go to work. I'll see you both when I return." Alice got up, grabbed her bag and went out the door. Jefferson slumped in the couch, sighing.
He then pushed himself back up and sat next to Belle. He grabbed her hand lightly and looked right into her eyes, trying desperately to think of the best way to start the conversation.
"So."
"So." Belle said back.
He took a deep breath, "So Alice was telling me about this event that's happening at the place she works in two weeks. A…a masquerade of some sort. It's the first year they are doing it, it's to raise money for the town. They've had a lot of crimes in Storybrook lately. I guess we aren't really helping." He laughed to himself. Belle continued to look at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this.
"Anyway. I…I think we should go."
Belle's eyebrows furrowed, she stared at him, baffled.
"Are you craz…I mean, are you serious? You can't actually think we can go to this ball."
"Masquerade," He corrected "And why not? Everyone will be wearing masks…"
"That doesn't matter Jefferson, they could easily pick us out of the crowd. It's not worth the risk! You really want to be thrown in jail over a masquerade?"
Jefferson looked down at his lap, twiddling his empty teacup.
"There's more to it isn't there?" Belle asked once she realized he had something on his mind.
"Yes. There is. You see Alice and I were up late last night talking in the kitchen. And she…well she let me in on a plan of hers. Something she has been working on for a while now. I think you might be interested." He paused, waiting to gage how intrigued she was so far. Belle remained unmoved, but inside she was eager to know what this plan entailed.
"If you could do anything…anything at all, what would you do?" He asked. Belle thought for a moment.
"I would want to see the world." She said. The longing in her voice even surprised her.
This caught Jefferson off guard. He cleared his throat, "Okay. Okay, well how about if you had to stay in Storybrook? What would you really want to do in Storybrook? Who would you want to meet?" He egged her on.
"I don't know…is there someone I should want to meet?"
He shrugged.
"Oh out with it Jefferson, what is this about?"
"The mayor? Regina? Wouldn't you want to meet the woman who has kept you locked away in an asylum for no reason? Wouldn't you want to make her pay for what she has put you through?"
"Pay? Jefferson what exactly are you two planning?"
He took another deep breath, trying to figure out how to best explain what they wanted to do.
"We…we want to kill Regina. We want retribution for all the suffering she has put us through!"
"Something tells me she did more to you then you initially let on. Why do you really hate her?" Belle asked, placing her hand on his thigh.
"It's…it's too long of a story."
"We have all the time we need. Tell me."
Jefferson internally debated trying to explain everything to her. This meant trying to make her believe that she is from another world where magic exists and that a curse has been placed on this entire town. The chances of her believing it were very small.
And yet there she was, waiting doe eyed and curious for the truth. If she wanted him to tell her everything, he could.
"Alright. I'll try to explain this the best I can without confusing you too much, although that's really impossible. You can't laugh okay? Just hear me out." Belle scooted closer to him, waiting anxiously.
"We don't belong here. You, me, Alice, and almost everyone here in this town are from another world; a world filled with magic. I know your name is Belle because where I have lived for the past decade or so, is a place called Wonderland. In this world, stories pass through from other lands and I happen to hear a lot of tales. " He paused for a second, waiting for her to start laughing, but she didn't. She was listening intently.
"Your father was a King, but he suffered greatly from the Ogre Wars. What I've heard is that he gave you up in exchange for help. I'm a bit cloudy on the details about this but I know that you wound up on your own, without a home, moving from village to village. Regina, the Queen in this land, captured you and had you declared mentally unstable. Since then you've been locked away. During this time there were many other troubles happening, all of which Regina was responsible for. In her hatred towards her stepdaughter she placed a curse on everyone. This curse extended to multiple lands, including Wonderland, and it placed everyone here in Storybrook. We've been trapped here for 28 years, where time has stood still. Until only recently, time has begun to start moving once more. No one can come here, and no one can leave or bad things will happen. I know it sounds very cryptic but I'm going off of stories here. It sounds crazy, and I know that. I don't expect you to believe me or Alice but we must destroy the Queen. I think it's the only way to get back to where we came from. And we need your help."
He took a deep breath, waiting anxiously for Belle's reaction. Her faced hadn't moved once during his explanation. He could just imagine what was going through her mind. Him being even crazier than she thought, that he should have been in the asylum instead of her, that her life is in danger here and that she should try to escape from this mentally ill man as soon as possible.
"You never told me why you hate her." He sat there stunned. Where was the laughter? The disbelief? The accusations of being a madman?
"You believe me?" He asked her.
"Who am I to say that it isn't true? You've been completely honest with me so far right?" She asked, seeing whether or not he would admit to the lies he told her.
"Of course." He said, smiling widely and holding onto her hand tightly.
He began to laugh pleasantly, for once. "I can't…wow. Just wow, this is amazing. I never expected this kind of reaction. I'm not used to it."
Belle decided to continue playing into his little game. "Well it's understandable. You are talking about magical lands and curses." She said, smiling slightly.
"Yes but the fact that you believe me, without needing any proof. It's a mind-blowing feeling."
Belle continued smiling, "So tell me, what did this Queen do to you?"
"Regina. She um…well she tricked me to going into Wonderland with her. And left me there to rot, forcing me to abandon my daughter Grace in her land. I've been trying to get back ever since. Grace is here now, but her name is Paige in this world and she's with another family. We still have a chance of being together if we can break this curse. But it's…it's complicated."
"Well what needs to happen?"
"Alice thinks killing Regina will break the curse. Personally, I'm not sure that is all it will take but it's worth a shot. Look here, you see this line across my neck? That's from the Queen of Hearts. She ruled Wonderland and as punishment for asking her to release me she cut off my head. I'm honestly not sure who is worse her or Regina." He chuckled to himself. Belle observed the scar, noticing how it wrapped itself completely around his neck. She thought this was peculiar, but it didn't prove anything. Besides, she had never heard of anyone getting his head cut off and surviving.
In truth, she was frustrated. All this time she believed that Jefferson knew what he was talking about, that he could tell her things she needed to know about her past. And all this time he really was crazy. Magic, curses, it was all a rouse. He wanted something from her, but she didn't know what. The only way she would find out would be to go along with his madness.
"So why do you need my help? What does this plan involve?"
"Training. A lot of training in combat and self-defense. Alice has been working with the former guards of the Queen of Hearts who she is employed with at the banquet hall. I'm not keen to the idea of working with them since they were unbearable in Wonderland, but she seems to know what she's doing."
"If Regina is as powerful as you say she is, than how do you expect to defeat her through combat? It sounds to me like it will take much more than that." Belle said. Jefferson nodded.
"I agree. She was capable of terrible things. But here, not so much. No, I don't think she has retained her power here. Her authority, yes, but magic, no.
"I'm not sure if I'll be any help. You could do this without me…"
"No we can't. Trust me Belle you are an essential piece to the plan."
"How's that?"
"I told you before. You're special." Jefferson continued to gaze into her eyes. Slowly he raised his hand and brushed her cheek. Her eyes widened slightly as a look came over Jefferson's face she had never seen before.
He slowly began to inch his face closer to hers, never breaking eye contact. She didn't know what to do. She didn't feel that way for Jefferson, as handsome as he was. It felt…strange. Like they weren't meant to feel romantically towards one another.
As his lips got closer to hers she knew she had to think fast. She moved her head slightly to the left, causing Jefferson's lips to brush against her cheek instead. He kissed her there anyway and than sighed to himself.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"
"No, no Jefferson I'm flattered. I just…I don't think that's the best idea right now."
He stared at her for a while, trying to decide whether he agreed.
"You're right. No, you're…you're definitely right, that wasn't appropriate." He got up and walked over to the kitchen. Belle sat there, feeling sorry that she rejected him. But she couldn't change how she felt; there was just something about him that threw her off.
An hour later Jefferson was passed out on the couch, snoring quietly. Belle decided since Alice wouldn't be home for at least another few hours, that she would take a look around the apartment. She explored the kitchen; nothing out of the ordinary was found there. She then decided to move to the "bedroom".
She hadn't really taken it in last time she was there. Looking at it now she realized that it was actually very tidy and cute for being made out of curtains. She searched for anything that would tell her that Alice suffered from some sort of mental illness that would explain her and Jefferson's behavior.
She opened the top drawer of her dresser and looked around the clothing. She didn't find any medicine but she did find random items scattered within the box. There was a deck of cards, a clock watch, a small copper statue of a peculiar looking cat. She didn't think twice about them and moved onto the next drawer. Nothing was there. She then looked in the bottom one, and there she found exactly what she was looking for.
A small orange pill bottle laid on the far right side of the drawer. She picked it up and read the label. It was for anti-depressants. She opened up the bottle, the pills looked familiar. The more she inspected them the more she realized they appeared to be the same pills she took in the asylum. But finding these didn't mean Alice was crazy, it just meant she was depressed. And if these were the same pills she was given, then she really wasn't crazy. They were treating her for depression.
Belle was about to close the drawer when she noticed a white piece of lined paper folded underneath a pair of shorts. She knew this wasn't right, that she shouldn't be invading Alice's privacy, but she needed answers. Carefully, she pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Written on every line until the bottom of the page were the words, Don't Leave Storybrook. Belle stared bewildered at the paper. Did Alice write this?
"What are you doing?" Belle jumped up and spun around to see Jefferson standing behind her. She couldn't make out any words so he stepped forward and first took the bottle out of her hand and then the paper. He stared at the words on the sheet, appearing just as perplexed as she had been. Then he opened the bottle and took out a pill, inspecting it closely.
"These aren't anti-depressants."
Belle's eyes widened, "They aren't. What are they?"
Jefferson was about to answer but a loud knock came from the front door. They stared at each other, frozen in place. Jefferson slowly stepped out from the curtain, with Belle following closely behind.
Another few hard knocks, "Police, open up." Their hearts dropped. Jefferson swung around, looking for places to hide.
Belle began to panic, "Wait they…they can't come in without a search warrant right?" In the middle of Jefferson's search he turned to her, giving a look as if to suggest that they would enter regardless.
Suddenly he stood up straight and faced the window they had entered. He pointed at it and then grabbed Belle. They scurried out onto the fire escape, staying as far as possible from the window. Jefferson peeked into the apartment, which was now housing four police officers.
"Miss Liddell?" One police officer asked the room.
"She's obviously not here, this is the whole apartment." Another replied sarcastically.
"Search the place. She believes they might be here. Turn this place over." The tallest officer said as he began tearing the place apart.
The rest followed, looking under the beds, in the closets, and even in the cabinets.
"They wouldn't leave would they?"
"I doubt they would be that foolish. But who knows, they are crazy."
"There's no sign of them. Should we leave a note for Miss Liddell explaining what happened?"
"No just leave it like this. Let's go." The tall officer said as he kicked over a teacup.
When they were sure the police were gone Belle and Jefferson came back into the apartment. They stared solemnly at the apartment, feeling awful about the mess. Even though they didn't do it, they each felt partly responsible.
Belle immediately began to clean, sweeping up anything broken. Jefferson put the furniture back together as best he could. Fortunately nothing was too damaged.
Neither of them spoke a word the whole time. When they had finished a couple hours later, the two of them sat together on the one couch, staring at the picture of a white rabbit hanging on the wall.
"I feel awful." Belle said softly.
"How the hell did she figure it out?" Jefferson asked, aggravated.
"She…you mean Regina?"
He nodded. "They were definitely referring to her. She's the only one that would send them to look here. She must have assumed that I would find Alice."
Belle sat quietly listening to his theories. He mumbled to himself for a few minutes; most of it was incoherent.
Alice walked through the door, stopping his ramblings short. They both smiled wearily at her. At first it didn't appear she noticed but then as she really looked around she picked up the slight differences.
"What did you guys do, throw a party?" She smiled slightly.
"The police came here looking for us. They searched the whole apartment while we hid on the fire escape. Regina suspects we are here."
Alice look dumbfounded, "What…that's impossible, why would she…"
"She knows we were close in Wonderland. That's the only reasoning I could think of. But they didn't find us so hopefully that will be the last time we see them around here."
Alice nodded and then spun towards the door, as if waiting for someone. All of sudden footsteps could be heard coming from down the hall.
Jefferson stood up. "Who's here?"
Alice gave a reluctant smile, "Don't be mad."
At that moment six burly men walked through the door. Alice stepped towards Jefferson, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards them. "This is Theo, Sam, Kent…"
"I know who they are." Jefferson said coldly. She stared at him with discontent. Then she moved her focus to Belle who was still sitting on the couch, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of their guests.
"You may know them Jefferson but Belle doesn't. Belle this is Theo, Sam, Kent, Frank, Nick, and Mac.
The men didn't smile but nodded towards her. They then refocused themselves on Jefferson, not appearing too pleased to see him either.
"Guys be nice. We aren't in Wonderland anymore. You can be civil to one another."
But they remain unmoved.
"We all have a common goal. To destroy the Queen right?"
This finally got them to relax a bit. One of them, Mac, said, "As long as he doesn't try anything sneaky with us there won't be any problems." The other men grumbled in agreement. Mac was tall, like the others, with jet-black hair that was matted to his head. There was no denying he was probably the strongest and most threatening looking out of all of them.
"He won't. We have to work as a team or this will fall apart. We only have one shot at this." Alice said to the room. They all knew she was right. This had to work or they would all face dire consequences.
"What are we waiting for? Let's begin the training." Nick said.
"Wait. Belle doesn't know the plan." Jefferson said. A few of the men rolled their eyes.
"I thought you were going to explain it to her today!" Alice scoffed.
"I was…I did! I didn't want to overwhelm her. She knows about the curse."
Alice looked pleased to here this. She glanced over at Belle, curious as to whether she really believed them. She stepped slowly towards her.
"You understand everything? Why we have to do this?"
Belle nodded.
"You realize the risk we are taking? This must work or we are all doomed."
"I understand. Just tell me what to do." Belle said calmly,
"First things first, you'll want to change." Alice told her.
"Change, into what?"
"Sweatpants, a lose top, and sneakers." Alice nodded to the men and they began to move the furniture so that there was a large, clear space in the middle of the room.
"Why?" Belle asked.
Alice stepped towards her. "Because." She turned back towards the men, who had lined themselves up near the wall, and smiled back at her. "You have to learn to fight.