Every time Jefferson looked at his daughter, he lived in the crippling fear that he'd wake up from this dream like he always did and he was still separated from him and he was alone.
He hated it when his daughter went to school. He was completely alone then and he was reminded…he was reminded so much of those past 28 years of torture in this world and the 2 years before that in which he was trapped in Wonderland.
It was another day and he was going to be facing eight hours of torture. What happened if she didn't come back? What happened if she found out the kind of man he was before she was born or she liked her other family better because they were more stable? He always worried about that other family. They hadn't been thrilled to let her come back to him but they couldn't refuse. She WAS his daughter after all; they were just people that Regina gave guardianship to. But they had spent 28 years with Grace, so they did have…attachments.
He made Grace breakfast and watched as she ate. He couldn't enjoy the fact that she was here because Regina was still alive and anything that made him happy was taken away. His wife, his identity, his portal jumping ability, his daughter….just because he had a bit of happiness left didn't mean that he was going to keep it.
And when he saw that cursed redhead standing outside his door when he walked Grace to his car, he immediately worried that his fears were going to come crashing down.
Grace stopped and looked at Dagian in curiosity, Jefferson lightly pushed his daughter to go down the stairs and when the child was out of hearing distance. Dagian crossed her arms when he turned around; she kept her face emotionless, "Was it worth it? The things you've done to reunite with your daughter?"
"Yes," he said, "Especially considering what your husband's done to find his son and you let him get away with it."
"I'm not sure what influence you think I would have on an imp that has the power he does, but it's entertaining to watch you have delusions that I could persuade him at least."
He watched her, "I know that I have no right to ask you this after what I did to you but please…don't separate me from my daughter. I never intended to hurt you or to send you in early labor…"
"Yes, you've told me that," she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "However, it doesn't exactly fix what happened, does it?"
He cringed, he had honestly hoped he'd changed from the manipulative man that he used to be but his desperate attempts to try and get Rumpelstiltskin to force Regina to honor her end of their deal proved him wrong, "Why are you here?"
She looked unsure, "I need you to tell me where Sidney Glass is."
Oh, Jefferson didn't want to get pulled back into this, "Ask Rumpelstiltskin."
"He says that the genie is probably dead."
"Then he probably is."
"Good, then you can tell me where he is so that I can give him a proper burial."
Jefferson raised an eyebrow, "Why should the fate of Regina's favorite minion bother you?"
Dagian shoved her hands in her pockets, "Because I'm taking over the newspaper and I want to make sure that he doesn't try to take it out from under me."
She was lying. He could see it all over her face so he crossed his arms and waited for her to continue.
A few seconds of silence passed with their stare down before she gave up and rolled her eyes, "I worked with him for 28 years, and while he was a lovesick spineless idiot, he didn't deserve to be manipulated into taking the punishment for what my ex and Regina planned. And I haven't seen him which means that he's either locked up somewhere or dead. And considering that you haven't confirmed or denied either one, I think you know his fate."
"And how would I know that?"
She scowled, "Do I even have to answer that, spyglass boy?"
"Spyglass boy," he mused, "I like that, perhaps I should put that on my business card."
Dagian ran a hand through her hair, "Listen, if you do this…if you help me then you and I will be even. We won't have to worry about me holding that kidnapping over your head nor will you have to worry about my ex coming to knock on your door for what happened the day Lily was born."
"You'd break your hold over me for something so simple, why?"
"Because I don't want to have this hold on you any more than you want to have it over your head. This is a quick and easy way to ease that debt."
He sighed and looked around. He honestly wasn't sure if he could understand why she wanted the help the GENIE of all people but if this was what she asked for then he could give it to her. But he was used to people going back on their deals before so he was a little reluctant to trust the wife of the imp.
"He's alive, and I'll take you to him but I have to drop my daughter off first."
"Fine," Dagian said, "I'll follow behind you in my car."
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It was different in the household now for Rumpelstiltskin and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He had Belle, who was his true love but there was a certain tenseness to the situation he had with her.
He didn't want to dwell on it but she was just…so different than Dagian in both good ways and bad. She was quicker to smile and laugh for one thing. There was innocence about her and a love that shown on her face every time she looked at him. And unlike Dagian, she never missed the man he used to be.
And he was HAPPY with her. Not content like he was with Dawn.
But at the same time…he didn't know how to explain it. Belle was different. She felt different, she smelled different…her mannerisms and posture…
He didn't expect Dagian and Belle to be the same but he had spent 28 years with Dawn as his wife and he was married and only really with the Dagian side of her before that. It was hard to get used to someone else.
And Dagian put up with him and the horrible things that he did. So he usually felt like he could be perfectly honest with her. Belle didn't know him as well and she wanted to change him. She didn't know about some of the really horrible things he'd done in the Realms and here and he always felt like he was on his guard and he was putting on a show to let her know how changed he was.
When he always felt the exact opposite. He felt like he was walking on eggshells with her and at any moment their relationship would crumble if he made the slightest mistake.
He pulled his eyes from the ceiling and looked at Belle who was reading in the easy chair. They hadn't done anything that would…corrupt her; she was still innocent in that regard. However, after what she went through she was just content he sleep next to her so that she didn't feel alone. There were limits though; she didn't like him holding her at night, which was another thing that separated her from Dagian. Even after he'd changed and they started warming up to each other, she'd let him hold her. She'd taken comfort in knowing that he was there but she didn't like him holding her at night. Whatever she went through at the asylum still haunted her and he wasn't being honest still. She held him at arm's length for a reason.
And he knew that like everything with life…it was only a matter of time until he lost her.
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The hallway was a mess when Jefferson led her down the stairs of the hospital. She'd never been down to this place before. For an asylum it was quiet…she expected a lot more screaming…
"Most of the people here gained their memories and were let out," Jefferson said as they walked down the hallways, "It's practically abandoned so us snooping down here won't let us get caught."
He brought her to a door with the label "S. Glass" written on the right of it. He turned the knob and opened it so far so that she could go in.
"It's unlocked?" Dagian noted and walked in.
She wasn't prepared for what she saw next. Sidney was sitting on his bed…if it could be called that and he looked like was alive.
But his eyes were unfocused and his mouth slightly hung open. Dagian rushed forward and sat next to him, "Sidney…"
The madman leaned on the doorframe and looked hurt for her, "Regina didn't want him to spill any of her secrets. She concocted something to make sure he didn't."
Dagian folded her hands in front of her mouth and sighed, "Is there a cure?"
"No," Jefferson walked forward, "He'll get a better room as soon as they can figure out what to do with him."
Dagian rested a hand on the side of her face and looked for any recognition. He didn't even seem to notice that someone was in the room with him.
Jefferson heard a door open down the hall and walked forward, "We better go."
Dagian let him help her up and he led her out towards the emergency exit.
"Satisfied that you can take your paper now?" he asked.
"Oh I'm taking the newspaper but I can't exactly expose her for what she did to him now can I?" Dagian asked, "She's done worse to everyone here."
"Expose her anyway," Jefferson pushed, "Let those that want to join her out of fear see what she does to those that swear allegiance to her."
"No one cares about Sidney," she snapped angrily, "NO one came to look for him-."
He grabbed her, "Then make them care. This newspaper needs someone that is afraid of neither Rumpelstiltskin nor Regina…and as of now there are very few people here that can fill that requirement. And unfortunately as much as you don't want to admit it, you're included on that list."
Dagian frowned, "I don't think I'm going to look forward to this."
"I'll help you if that's what you need to get this project of yours going."
Dagian gave him an angry glare, "Because you using the newspaper for your revenge is so much better than it being under Rumpelstiltskin or Regina's control."
"I'm not using it to get revenge, you need it to print the truth and I could tell you things about your ex-husband and his little apprentice that could fill a tell-all book."
"I'm not sure I really want to bite the hand that fed me for 28 years," Dagian told him as they stepped outside, "I don't fear Rumpelstiltskin but I don't want to turn him against me either."
"That's completely understandable but the world needs to know that truth about the part he had to play in Regina's psyche."
Dagian stopped and grabbed his coat so that she could turn around and look at him, "What?"
He feigned shock, "Don't you know that your ex-husband turned Regina into what she was?