"You were where?" Jefferson barked out as his eyes darkened.

"In my head," Alice breathed out. "I was in Wonderland. I was taken there. It was like… I don't know how to explain it." She gave a small shake of her head. "It wasn't actually Wonderland, of course. It was a dreamlike version… And Jefferson, I wasn't alone."

Jefferson immediately went to a place of worry, "The Queen."

"No!" Alice exclaimed. "Byron and Elijah were there. They were with me… in my head."

"Oh. Alright," Jefferson cleared his throat as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm happy you got to see them, but – "

"You can see them too!"

"Am I no longer the mad one in this relationship?" Jefferson asked as he glanced around the room. "Because, I see no one but you."

Alice scowled, "Neither of us is mad. I know that you can't see them right now – they aren't here yet."

"Yet?"

"I figured out how to get them here, I think," Alice smiled. "I worked it out."

"You worked out how to get them from Wonderland to here?" Jefferson looked skeptical. "That's impressive, but why? Why do you want them here?"

"It's not that I want them," Alice answered. "I need them. I'll explain when they're here." She looked to the ground and saw a duffle bag sitting by the bed. "Does that have anything for me in there?" Jefferson nodded and Alice was quick to open it and pull out a dark blue cotton dress and a black sweater, using only her hospital gown to maintain any sense of decency while she changed. As she slipped her feet into a pair of laced flats, she pulled herself completely out of the bed. "We need to get downstairs."

"Down…?" Everything seemed to click all at once in Jefferson's head. "The looking glass – that's how you figured it out. It's going to let out in the ward downstairs." Alice gave a small nod and Jefferson lifted the bag over his shoulder with one hand and extended the other towards her. "Let's go."

It was a short walk before they were through the locked doors and down in the basement where the mental facility was hidden away. There were no longer nurses or staff lingering about, and the few patients – prisoners – that had been locked away were gone, if the open cells doors were any indication.

"How long do we wait?" Jefferson asked as he leaned back against a wall and dropped the bag by his feet.

"It shouldn't be long. They knew to hurry," Alice spoke before moving in front of her husband and placing her hands on either side of his waist. She scanned his face with her eyes, which were still shimmering out from the dark circles underneath them – which matched the ones around Jefferson's. "Have you slept at all?"

"I was more focused on getting Grace to sleep," Jefferson admitted as Alice pressed her body into his. "I've nodded off enough to keep me able to stay on my feet."

Alice brushed her thumb over the hollowed out area under his eyes, "Which wasn't enough." She let out a sigh. "I don't know how it happened. I'm sorry. You and Grace… I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't… We're both okay," Jefferson tried to assure as he captured her hands in his. "We're more worried about you than you are about us." He leaned his head down so that it was closer to hers. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Jefferson," Alice shook her head. "You… Will you kiss me? Please?"

"That wasn't an answer," Jefferson frowned.

"I know, but it's what I need. It's not all that I need," Alice blushed momentarily. "Ignoring that, I could really use it. I love you and I want you to kiss me."

Jefferson glowered for a moment before freeing his hands and cupping Alice's cheeks, "You're wicked. I hope you know that."

Alice smirked with a nod.

After a small shake of his head, Jefferson leaned in and took her lips in a gentle kiss. It was far from the hard, passionate kisses that they usually shared. This was sweet and soft and full of desperation.

The kiss made Jefferson nervous.

Alice was fiery and full of spirit. This kiss was full of worry and fear.

Jefferson didn't like it one bit, and out of his own troubled spirit, deepened it by spinning her around so that Alice's back was pressed against the wall. He held back a sigh of relief as Alice complied with the change. Alice slipped her arms around his waist, her fingertips digging into the base of Jefferson's spine. Jefferson grinned as his teeth nipped at her bottom lip and he moved his hands from her face down to wrap around the back of her neck.

"Ahem! I would appreciate not having to see the conception of your next child!"

"Oh, please. Let them have their moment!"

Jefferson let out a low groan as he pulled his head up. Alice gave him a small smile of apology before they turned their heads in unison towards their visitors. Jefferson quirked his lips as he spoke in a dry tone, "Are you still jealous, Byron?"

Byron narrowed his eyes before looking to Alice, "I really don't see the appeal – all dark and brooding."

"It drew me in. What can I say?" Alice chuckled as she slipped away from Jefferson to take Byron in a hug – one that felt much more real than the one in her dreamland. A small frown crossed her features as Elijah scurried from Byron's pocket to her shoulder. "I was hoping you would change back."

"So was I, dear," Elijah huffed as he nestled down in the open space between her hair and throat.

"The magic is here," Jefferson reminded them after giving a nod towards Elijah. "It would have changed you if it was not." He looked to Byron and both men finally broke out with smiles. "Brother."

"Just nearly," Byron agreed as they quickly embraced. "It's been too long, friend. I am sorry for your hard road."

"You live in Wonderland," Jefferson said with a shake of his head. "To be honest, the madness and un-aging has been so similar that I felt I was still there. The road has been hard for us all – just, Alice and I a bit more."

"Wonderland has been quite pleasant, actually," Elijah declared as his tail curled around one of Alice's blonde locks. "Alice was not able to experience it in her dreams, but things are quite different. We're here to keep it that way."

Alice dropped her eyes with a whisper, "I hadn't had a chance to give him the details of why you were coming."

"You did say that you would explain when they were here," Jefferson growled out as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That time is now."

"The White Queen has control of most of the land. The Queen of Hearts half of Wonderland has remained untouched for years," Byron informed him. "It's like a museum."

Jefferson felt his jaw drop in wonder, "What happened? Is she dead?"

"J," Alice darted her tongue over her lips. "Do you remember that fire poker I showed you?" Jefferson gave a tense nod. "As I told you, it was the Queens – it was in Wonderland." Jefferson made a move to question, but Alice shook her head. "I asked Rumpelstiltskin how it could have gotten here from there. It couldn't. It had to have been in our realm for it to get out."

Jefferson's attitude flipped in a heartbeat. His words were slow to come out, and sharply passed for effect, "You're telling me that the Queen of Hearts is… in this world." The three gave curt nods. "This is never going to end, is it?"

"It appears not, my friend," Elijah answered. "We have discovered things in our years. We have reason to think she has been more frozen than the rest of you – that she was stuck between worlds until the clock began to tick again here. But now, she's free."

"You're here to stop her?" Jefferson huffed.

"Not exactly," Byron chewed on his lips.

"They're here to help me stop her," Alice told him with a tight lipped frown.

Jefferson felt some of Henry's words cross through his mind, "She fears you. You're a piece of the puzzle."

Alice nodded, "I can't do it alone. There is an ally I need in order to stop her."

Byron and Elijah both turned nervous as Jefferson asked, "Who?"

"Queen Regina."