Author's Notes: This fic is turning out much more angsty than what I had originally thought, but I do like the direction it's taken. There will be at least one more or possibly two chapters left after this one. It'll really depend on how chatty Jefferson and Emma are in the next few segments.
Henry and Grace sat together on the higher platform on the play set, swinging their legs off the edge. It really was an impressive sight, made from cedar and featured swings, a trapeze bar and two platforms of various heights, which the highest one had a slide coming off the side of it. Henry looked around, wishing he still had his castle which had become his spot with his mom, Emma.
"This is really cool, Grace," he said sincerely. "I can't wait to see the rest of your home. I bet it's fantastic to live in a house like this."
"You live in the Mayor's house, don't you? I'm sure that's similar to this one," Grace asked, looking over at him.
"I think your house is bigger. And it looks like it might have some really cool spots to explore," he said, looking up at the mansion. "Have you found any secret rooms or passages?"
"No," Grace replied slowly, a frown forming on her face.
"What is it?" Henry asked, picking up on her distress.
"It's just…" she began, looking unsure of what to say. "This house kind of weird. I mean, I can tell papa worked hard to make it perfect for me, especially my room, but some of the other rooms give me the creeps."
"Oh," Henry said. "What's so strange about it?"
"Well, there are a lot of things about Wonderland all over the place," she answered with a frown. "I know papa tried to remove a lot of them since I came to live with him, but some of them are still around." She was quiet for a long moment as she turned away from Henry and looked off into the distance. "I wish I knew what happened to my papa in Wonderland."
"What did your dad tell you?" Henry asked cautiously, not sure what to say to Grace. He knew exactly what Jefferson had gone through thanks to his story book.
"He said he couldn't leave Wonderland because your mom…I mean the Evil Queen…I—" Grace tried to explain, a desperate look crossing her face.
Henry took pity on her and confessed, "I call her the Evil Queen when talking about her actions back in the Enchanted Forest, even for some of the things she did during the curse here in Storybrooke." He looked at Grace, trying to decide if he should let on he knew her father's story.
"Do you know what happened to him?" she asked suddenly.
"Why would I know what happened to your dad?" he replied quickly, feeling like he shouldn't be sharing Jefferson's secrets.
"Henry, you talked a lot about the storybook and the curse before the Evil Queen made you see Doctor Hopper… I mean, Jiminy Cricket…wow, that sounds so weird to say out loud," she laughed, shaking her head at the absolute craziness of the situation.
"Yeah," Henry agreed.
"So do you know?" she asked again, an almost pleading look crossing her face.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Henry questioned. "It's not really a happy one. In fact a lot of the stories in the book are unhappy. It's only now that we're starting to see happy endings now that Emma broke the curse."
"I think I need to know," she whispered, sounding unsure. "I need to know what happened to my papa."
"Okay," Henry responded. "I have my book with me in the car. We can go look at it if you want."
Grace pulled herself up and held out a hand to Henry. "Let's go get it and look at it in my room. I'm starting to get cold anyway."
"Yeah, so am I," he agreed, taking her hand and allowing her to help pull him up. "We'll get the book and look up your dad's story. But I'm not sure you're going to be happy after you read it."
Grace started to climb down the play set and said to Henry, "I just need to know."
"Okay, let's do this," he replied, jumping to the ground and leading her to the car.
Emma stood in the kitchen, wondering just what she should do now. Should she go and find Jefferson, or just wait for his return? Her decision was made for her when she heard a door open and shut. She followed the voices of Henry and Grace to find the two standing near a coat closet in the entry way, talking in a rather suspicious manner. What was even more curious was the backpack slung over Henry's shoulder, which Emma knew he hadn't grabbed when he ran off to play with Grace earlier.
"What are you two up to now?" she asked.
"We're going up to Grace's room," Henry said quickly, pulling his pack further up his shoulder. "She wants to show me her room and I'm going to show her my new Iphone."
"Is that all?" Emma asked pointedly, staring at Henry's backpack.
"Yup," he answered, looking away from her and giving Grace a look.
"Let's go upstairs, Henry," she said, pulling him down the hall and towards the stairway.
Emma watched the two kids hurry up the stairs and out of sight. Henry was lying to her. She knew damn well his new phone was in his pocket, and that the only reason he needed that backpack was to have his storybook. Closing her eyes, she realized she needed to find Jefferson and tell him about what their children were most likely doing at the moment.
She walked down the hall, peering into various rooms. She saw that the living room was empty, though looking more lived in than the last time she saw it. Across the hall the door to the hat room was closed, but she had a feeling that was where exactly where Jefferson was hiding.
She walked up to the door and knocked softly, deciding it might be better to warn Jefferson of her pending arrival. Slowly she started to open the door and called out his name. Sure enough, Jefferson sat at his work bench, his head in his hands.
"Jefferson?" she asked again, slowing walking towards him. For some reason, she didn't think he would hurt her again, but she wasn't sure if he was past his previous manic behavior.
"What do you want, Emma?" Jefferson croaked, not looking up at her.
"Henry and Grace came in from the outdoors," she started, not sure what to say.
"Okay," he replied, still not looking up at her.
Emma slowly moved closer, taking a moment to look around. The numerous hats along the wall were gone, and all the shelves stood bare. In fact, his table was strangely neat and organized, as if he hadn't used it in a while. She stood behind him, and continued softly. "They went up to Grace's room."
"What aren't you telling me, Emma?" Jefferson asked, his head still in his hands.
"I think they're going to look at Henry's storybook," she blurt out quickly, stepping back in case Jefferson reacted negatively.
Jefferson was silent for a long moment. "I see."
"If you want, I'll call him down right now and we can both leave," she went on in rush.
"Don't bother," he sniffed, rubbing at his face. "I'm sure Grace asked to see it."
Emma was silent as she watched him slowly straighten himself up. She could see the redness around his eyes, and his wet face. She edged closer again, and placeing a hand on his arm in support. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I-I can't say I'm surprised Grace wanted to know," he whispered, looking at Emma sadly. "I just wish I could protect her from learning the truth about who I was and what happened to me."
Again, Emma was struck the urge to pull this man into her arms. He looked so lost and damaged. Normally she avoided this kind of stuff at all costs, but something within her wanted to make things right for him. Desperately, she decided to change the subject. "Where are all the hats?"
Jefferson closed his eyes. "I threw them all out after I tried to hold you and Snow White hostage. None of them worked anyway."
Emma knew she shouldn't ask, but couldn't help herself. "What happened to you after Snow kicked you out of the window?"
"I fell into the hedge and was unconscious for several hours," he said flatly, still not looking at her.
"But we didn't see you anywhere?" she continued, trying to understand what happened that night.
"I landed quite far away from the window," he replied. "Guess I was lucky I didn't break my neck after all that." He gave a bitter laugh. "Had a hell of a concussion, though."
"I can imagine," Emma agreed. After all, not only had he been kicked out of a window but she had also bashed him on the head with his telescope. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Not really, but I suppose I'll just have to deal with it," he tonelessly answered.
"Do you want me to leave?" She asked again.
"No," he admitted. "I'd really like you to stay."
"Then I will," she said, giving into the urge she had since she walked into the room and saw him looking so despondent. Going over to him, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close in another hug.
Jefferson slowly brought up his arms to return her embrace. They stood there for several long minutes, just holding each other quietly. Finally Jefferson said softly against her ear, "I promised you and Henry lunch, and Grace wanted to order pizza. What do you think?"
Emma's face broke into a smile against his shoulder and pulled herself back but not quite out of his arms to look at him. "Pizza sounds really good right now," she agreed.
"Any requests for the two of you?" he asked, looking down at her. "I know what I like and what Grace likes."
"Henry's a cheese only kid, and I'm pretty much an anything but anchovies kind of girl," she responded.
"Grace is the same as Henry," he went on, not letting her go. "And I'm a supreme pizza lover myself."
"Sounds good for both," she replied, finally pulling herself out of his arms. "Are you really going to be okay with all this?'
"I think I'll be okay," he admitted. "Now that I have you here with me."
Emma's eyes widened at his confession. He went on as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary. "Why don't we go to the kitchen and place the order. By the time it's delivered, we can have everything set up for lunch and by that time, Grace and Henry will be ready to eat."
"Okay," she said, deciding to follow his lead. "Let's go order some pizza."