DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the wonderfulness that is Once Upon A Time and their characters or other later-mentioned characters (non-related to OUAT).

This is my first fic therefore, there is obviously no prequel but if you'd like a reference as to what I'm going to use as canon for most of Emma and Jeff's past then I'd recommend "Happily Never After" by L3ftOfCent3r. Plus, I think it's a rather brilliant fic in general so you should just read it anyways if you haven't.

You have no idea how horribly sorry I am that is has taken me this long to update! For a week or so I lost faith in myself 'cus there were all these amazing Mad Swan fics coming out and I got discouraged then just felt like mine doesn't stand up. :/ Then I had birthday madness going on, then school and dance started consuming my entire life and I didn't get to writing till this past Saturday. Then there's also the problem of me getting distracted with ideas for later chapters and wanting to write them now (I even started the epilogue and that's who knows how many chapters away!) :P But I finally finished chapter 12 and though unfortunately it is not all that long of a chapter, I hope you enjoy it anyways! :]]] Just saying, If you are still reading this after all this time of waiting, I LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Chapter 12: I Think I May Press Charges

"Narnia—really?" Emma questioned, whispering as she looked over her shoulder to Jefferson standing just behind her.

Jefferson stared off, semi-paying attention to the out-of-place lion currently speaking with his mother and father-in-law. "Yeah, what about it?" he questioned blankly, quickly glancing down to his wife.

"Well, why did you never tell me it was real?"

"I figured it was implied." Jefferson answered with a shrug.

Emma rolled her eyes at that then quickly looked back to the odd sight of the lion and her royal parents. "Implied?... When?"

"Do you recall the whole 'infinite worlds' explanation?"

"How could I forget?" Emma teased with a smirk. "But why have you never had to travel there for business though? You've never mentioned it at least…"

"They don't particularly like people intruding in their world."

"Why the heck not? They don't seem to have a problem popping into others whenever they want!"

"You know, I really thought you were done with all the 'other world questions' after I spent a week explaining the hat to you last year."

"Well pardon me for being curious."

"I never said it was a bad thing, I simply was—"

"Sh, sh, shhhhh, I think Aslan's telling them why he and Lucy are here." Emma quieted as she swatted at her husband. "God that felt weird to say…" she commented as her expression shifted and she shook her head in disbelief at her previous statement.

Jefferson rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh as he turned his attention back to Aslan and his in-laws.

They listened in just as Lucy spoke, "I had to travel here with Aslan for him to be able to come through."

"And we also thought it might be frightening if you suddenly saw a large lion amidst your forest grounds." Aslan added with a toothy smile.

"Well you are no bother to us at all but you have yet to tell us why you are here…" Snow stated from her place beside her husband where she stood with her arms crossed in front of her and an un-fearful, merely curious, look across her face.

"Ah, well first I must explain that it is not uncommon for Narnians to travel to other worlds. It is more difficult for some but for others it is as simple as walking through a doorway." Aslan paused to check his hosts' reactions before continuing, "We occasionally send out messengers to different realms to make sure all is in order and the Narnians who reside in them are not causing too much trouble. Just a few Narnian days ago a messenger, who had traveled to this land, reported he heard the voice of a Narnian here. He recalled the Narnian's voice being muffled, which to us is a sign that they are not from my land. You see, those from my country in Narnia have voices that can transcend to any world containing magic but unfortunately those from any other country of Narnia do not have the privilege of keeping their easiest form of communication and to you they would sound like any other being of their kind in this world. Such as, a dog could be speaking but unless he came from my country it would merely sound like a bark to you," Aslan explained as he lowered his head. "However, from what little our messenger could tell from the voice, whomever the Narnian was, was wishing to go home. The odd thing is, all Narnians who travel to other realms should know how to find their way back to Narnia should they ever need to therefore, I grew concerned. I then decided to take the matter on for myself to hopefully resolve the situation quickly and simply."

After a moment of silence while the royals gathered their thoughts James finally broke the silence and apologized, "I'm very sorry Aslan but we don't know of any Narnian here…"

"Oh do not worry, I did not expect you to… I just thought it would be best if we informed you of our presence so you would not be alarmed." Aslan explained, looking up to Lucy.

Lucy looked down at him curiously before realizing it was her time to chime in, "Oh, and we were hoping you could direct us to somewhere in your kingdom where we might stay for a short while, until we can resolve this matter."

Emma's jaw went slightly ajar in shock due to the young girl's highly formal tone and looked back to whisper to Jefferson, "Okay, what is with this kid? Seriously, no kid talks like that. Not even here."

Jefferson simply shrugged as he laughed at his wife's contest amazement at such small things. Although he did have to admit that Queen Lucy had a rather eloquent way of speaking for a girl of her young age.

"We wouldn't dare let you stay anywhere but here. We would be honored to have you as our guests." Snow assured the Narnian duo with a warm smile.

"That is very kind of you Queen Snow White and we will happily oblige. I certainly hope we do not put you out. We will do our best to avoid disturbing your daily activities." Lucy responded back gratefully.

Emma's jaw slacked open yet again at Lucy's tone causing Jefferson to whisper in his wife's ear, "You're going to start catching flies."

Emma's shocked expression quickly turned into a sneer as she dug a sharp elbow into his gut causing him to hinge forward and clutch his arms over his abdomen as he let out a semi-quiet groan. Emma smiled in satisfaction at her husband's pain because, as much as violence 'is never the answer', he had it coming.

"Please, just call me Snow. No need to be formal." Snow responded with a slight shake of her head and a smile. "And I am sure you will not put us out, no need to worry. But please do give us time to inform the-"

"Oh gods!" Red shrieked from the doorway, clasping her hands quickly over her mouth. Every creature in the room quickly snapped their attention to the red-cloaked women in the door, unsure of a quick explanation for the situation they were currently in.

From further down the hallway a muffled shout of concern came from Henry; then he and Grace were heard quickly running towards where Red stood frozen in the doorway of the council room. Within moments Grace and Henry appeared in the doorway and their expressions were overcome with fear. Emma and Jefferson immediately noticed their children's worrisome looks and paced towards them as Henry and Grace both instinctively hid behind Red's small form. Emma wrapped her arms tightly around Henry and Grace's shoulders as Jefferson bent down and took one of each of their hands in each of his.

Henry was quickly glancing between his father, the lion, and the brunette girl, who seemed right around his age, as his sister stood, jaw-dropped, staring at the lion before her. Red started mumbling a few confused curses as Henry's fearful expression slowly grew into one of curiosity, then almost a sly smile. He glanced up at Emma before looking back to Jefferson and asking, "Is that who I think it is?"

Jefferson started to let a smile slip across his face as he countered, "And who exactly do you think it is Henry?"

Jefferson quickly glanced to his daughter who now stared in shock not at the lion but her brother's newfound excitement, then to his wife whose eyebrows rose in surprise at her son's reaction. Henry's grin now spread from ear to ear as his eyebrows shot up, knowing he was right, "Is it Aslan? From Narnia?!"

"I take it you liked the 'Chronicles of Narnia' books?" Jefferson laughed out.

"No way! It is him!" Henry beamed as he ran out his parents' grasps towards the friendly lion.

"Henry!" Emma shouted towards her son, quickly reaching out for him then letting her arm drop, knowing that her effort was fruitless.

"It is so cool to meet you Aslan!" Henry exclaimed as he strode towards the lion but still keeping a safe distance, just in case.

Aslan made one of his laughs that doubled as a small roar and replied with a grin, "It is great to meet you as well. I take it you are Henry, Princess Emma's son?"

Henry nodded furiously as his smile grew even wider. James took a few steps closer to his grandson instinctually and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. Aslan smiled and spoke again as he gestured to Lucy, "And this, is Queen Lucy of Narnia."

Henry perked up, directing his attention towards Queen Lucy, and gave a simple, yet excited "Hi Queen Lucy!"

Lucy laughed as she extended her hand forward and explained with a smile, "Just Lucy is fine. No reason to be formal. It's nice to meet you Henry."

Snow took attention to her friend standing in the doorway, who was now eagerly gesturing for her to come, and quickly. Snow responded by scurrying to her friend's side as Red muttered through her teeth, semi-audibly, "Snow, what is a little girl and a huge lion doing standing in the middle of the council room?!"

Snow led Red off to one side the room, quietly explaining the whole situation to her friend as Grace shook her head, trying to gain her composure. "Papa, who in the world is Aslan?" Grace asked her father with eyes that mixed curiosity, confusion, and fear.

"Well actually, no one from this world." Jefferson laughed, looking his daughter in the eyes. "He comes from Narnia, one of the many lands in my hat, but all you need to know about him is that you have no need to be afraid of him."

"Are you sure?" Grace questioned, looking back and forth between her parents.

Emma nodded as Jefferson replied simply, "I promise."

This statement had a lot of history with Grace. Long ago, her father had said the exact same thing before he was trapped in Wonderland and though it wasn't his fault, technically, he still broke his promise. But every single day since they had been reunited in Storybrooke he had dedicated his every waking moment to making it up to her. He was entirely sorry and she knew what he had gone through so she forgave him and every time he promised her since that fateful day he never broke it so she had whole-hearted confidence in him at this moment.

Jefferson slowly stood up and gently guided his daughter in the direction of Lucy and Aslan as Emma followed just a step behind them. Grace took careful steps towards her brother and their company, still very aware that should she have seen such a large lion in any other circumstance she would be running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Aslan noticed Grace's hesitance and took it upon himself to ease her worry. He took a small step around Henry, who was now grilling Lucy with questions. He stepped towards Grace, which stopped the young girl in her tracks.

Aslan comtinued approaching Grace slowly as she stood frozen and he spoke softly, "I imagine you must be Grace."

Grace quickly nodded her head as she looked at the lion with wide eyes.

"You can take your father's word. There is no need to be afraid." Aslan greeted as his lips pulled back into a smile.

Grace pulled her shoulders back defensively at his words that doubted her faith in her father and tilted her chin upwards as she put on her brave face. "Of course I can take my papa's word. It is nice to meet you Aslan."

Jefferson glanced back at Emma with a shocked expression at his daughter's sudden boldness. It was then that Grace stepped out from her father's grasp on her shoulders and walked forward steadily till she was within a foot of the large lion. She stuck out her hand fervently and Aslan graciously nodded his head as he gently laid his paw on her palm and shook her hand.

"She's a strong one, our girl." Emma commented as she walked up behind Jefferson who stood in awe at his daughter's brave gesture.

"Yeah, she is." Jefferson agreed offhandedly, still gaping at his daughter.

Emma slipped her hand into Jefferson's and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing him to snap out of his trance and look over to his wife. It was then that Emma noticed his eyes gleaming with the slightest hint of tears. He unintentionally let a single tear escape and it slid down his cheek. Emma reached up to cup his face gently with her hand then wipe the tear away with her thumb before she leaned up on her toes to give him a gentle kiss. He leaned towards his wife as she pulled away and pressed herself against his side, leaning her head onto his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, piled with golden curls, and leaned himself against her as he stated nostalgically, "Look at them. They're both growing up."

"Yeah," Emma agreed, "I guess they are." She looked off to her daughter bravely facing a lion she had not long ago wanted to run from and her son, now raving about the other-realm visitors to Red.

It was then that Snow stepped away from her friend to kindly offer to the Narnians, "If you would like to join us, dinner is ready downstairs. I'm not sure if you will like what we are having but I'm sure our chef can prepare something else if you do not wish to eat our meal."

Lucy stepped towards Snow as she responded with a smile, "As I said, we are not going to trouble you. Whatever it may be, I'm sure dinner will be lovely. It would be our pleasure to join you, thank you."

"Well then, follow me. I'll lead the way downstairs." Snow exclaimed as she made her way to the door, grabbing her still-in-shock friend by the arm to lead her out.

The small crowd continued with their conversations as they strolled through the castle halls until they reached the first floor and a low bark resounded against the walls, calling their attention to the wolf standing at the end of the hall.

It was Graham's wolf and they all stood, staring at it with mixed expressions of confusion, all except for Aslan. Aslan slowly retreated back from the group with a small smile spreading across his monstrous jaw. The wolf also slowly walked towards the large lion as the onlookers all stood frozen and entirely perplexed.

Aslan stopped and slowly sat as the wolf let out a small bark. It was then that Aslan laughed and coolly replied, "Yes, I am. And I imagine you are the Narnian trying to find your way home?"

The wolf then stopped just feet in front of the lion and put one paw out further than the rest, hinged his hind legs back, and bowed his upper half. Aslan gave a small nod at the gesture and continued, "Now, if you would, please explain how you came here and why you are unable to return home." The wolf returned to his normal stance and slightly nodded his head before Aslan motioned for the wolf to join him, "Come, walk with me and you may explain."

As Aslan turned back to the crowd of confused humans it dawned on him that they could not understand the exchange that had just occurred and he let out a small snort of laughter. He smiled as he explained, "It appears that this wolf is the Narnian whom our messenger heard. And all is as I thought and since he is not from my country you cannot hear his voice as you do mine."

The group was a bit less confused but now merely, shocked. Lucy was the first to step out of the crowd and she greeted the wolf with a smile and an introduction. Henry followed suit and of course, starting smothering both Aslan and the wolf with many of the questions that were surely on everyone's minds.

The rest of the party now glanced around their group, searching for who would be the next brave soul to step forward or speak. Snow cleared her throat and tentatively spoke, "Excuse me, Aslan…" the lion whipped his head in her direction, "are you still planning on dining with us?"

Emma shot her mother an incredulous look, not believing that with all this nonsense happening with, talking animals and realm jumping and the fact that Graham's wolf was from another world, she was still concerned about their dinner.

Jefferson who was the only in the group who was not all that shocked, (he never was, not much fazed him) leaned in to whisper to his wife, "Really? With the flies? Again?... You know I don't want to see you end up cho—GODS!" He was interrupted mid-sentence by Emma slamming her heel down on his toes and he cried out in pain.

Grace urgently looked back to her hurting father but he waved her off, scrunching his face in pain and shaking out his foot. James smiled proudly at his daughter, she was a strong one his girl, and Snow simply rolled her eyes.

Aslan ignored the pain-stricken Jefferson and calmly responded to Snow, "If you do not mind I think I shall skip dinner for this evening and gain more insight on my fellow Narnian's tale."

"Oh, well I will go with you." Lucy chimed in.

"No Lucy please, take a rest. Enjoy a nice meal and good company." Aslan insisted.

"Yes please, we would love to have you." Snow added with a smile.

"Pleeeeease!" Henry practically begged, "I haven't even gotten through half the things I want to ask you about!"

"Oh, well if you insist." Lucy obliged, smiling widely.

Henry cheered as Snow smiled, "Wonderful." She paused before turning back to the lion, "Have a lovely night Aslan and just call for one of us when you are ready to be shown to your quarters."

"Thank you Snow," Aslan mused, "and thank you everyone. Enjoy your dinner."

As the group gathered themselves and turned back to the direction of the dining room Red pulled Snow by the arm, to join her at her side. She whispered, groaning, "Today has just been too weird. I feel like we've stepped into The Twilight Zone or something."

"The Twilight 'what?'" Snow questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Really? You never watched The Twilight Zone back in Storybrooke? Oh goodness, you have not even lived!" Red teased as Snow stared back at her with the same confused expression.

Emma turned back to the direction of the dining hall as she watched her son walk past her, already drilling poor Lucy with endless amounts questions. His beautiful smile kept growing the more he spoke and Grace eventually ran to catch up with her brother, once her curiosity got the best of her.

Emma began walking towards the dining room till she noticed an unusually loud and overdramatic, uneven step coming from behind her. She lazily turned on her heel to find her husband making a grandiose effort of trying to look injured, much like he had done the night they first met, only much more melodramatic. He hobbled on one leg, as his hunched upper body hung low and his one arm grasped his "injured" leg.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it just a bit?" Emma questioned with raised eyebrows and a smirk as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You know for someone who says 'violence is never the answer' and someone who also used to be sheriff you certainly commit a lot of battery. I think I may press charges." Jefferson smirked back at her, not giving up on his overdramatic scene.

Emma nonchalantly shifted her weigh from one hip to the other, "Considering that the person you would be filing those charges with is my father, I'd say you have no chance at them going through."

Jefferson continued his desperate, pitiful hopping, now within just a few feet of her, "You wanna bet?"

"Now that would just be unfair bet. You would have no chance."

"You really think so?"

"Oh, I know so."

Jefferson now was right in front of her and she stared down at him scrutinizing and he looked up at her from under his brow, a sly grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. Before she even had time to flinch he stood straight up, snaked his arm around her back, and he pulled her body tight against his.

Emma's breath hitched, she should have seen this coming but she was enjoying his fake pain a bit too much to even suspect anything. Jefferson's breath was hot on her skin as he leaned his head down to hers, "How about we make a deal?... I won't press charges if I get an apology… and a kiss."

"Why would I accept that deal when I know I would win without making a deal?" she asked, avoiding his gaze and staring at his lips. Her voice was low and breath heavy, as his breathing numbed her.

"Because you love me." Jefferson consented, letting that full, utterly glorious grin of his slip out entirely.

"Even so, what would I gain from this deal?" She questioned as her bright eyes flicked up to look into his.

"My forgiveness."

Emma paused, willing herself not give in and searched his eyes, now dancing over her face. She leaned towards him but much to Jefferson's surprise her lips quickly and simply brushed past his and she gave him a simple peck on the cheek. She spun quickly on her heel, giving his chest a small pat as she explained, "Sorry bud, but that's all your gettin' right now."

She left a stunned Jefferson in her wake and he simply stood, disappointed, with his mouth agape as he watched her nonchalantly strolling away with her head high and hand left in the air with a flicked wrist. He shook himself out of shock and processed her words before asking, hopefully, "Now?... What about later?"

Emma did not pause her steps as she looked over shoulder with a small yet cheeky smile and raised eyebrows, "We'll see."

Thank you sooooooo much for reading this and I hope you liked what I did with the whole Narnian ordeal and the Twilight Zone reference (and all the Mad Swan fluffiness)! :D If you despised/loved/kind of liked/hated/whatever you feel about this chapter, feel free to let me know, I love any review, good or bad! ;D I truly hope you enjoyed this and I PROMISE I will do a better job of updating sooner for the next chapter (if I don't, I give you full permission to yell at me endlessly [I'm actually surprised no one has already :P])! :]]