Only a millisecond passed but Emma certainly felt like it stretched into an eternity. Mary Margaret watched in fear as the larger man was on top of her daughter…well this certainly wasn't history repeating itself AT ALL…except for the fact that it hadn't happened yet, "Do you mind getting off? My legs are going numb."

"How do you know me?" he asked. He wasn't angry. He was more curious and his eyes held that mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Put that knife away before you hurt someone," Emma hissed

"That's the intention! That's what knives are for," he said and looked at both of them, "Unless you think I won't use it and it'd be on acci- OH! You know that I'm working for Rumpelstiltskin, that's the only reason that you're confidant I won't hurt you!"

Mary Margaret paled.

"What?" Emma tried to feign ignorance, "N-No, I didn't know that. You are?"

Jefferson stared at her, "You're a horrible liar. I mean, I'm not sure how but you made my teeth hurt!"

Mary Margaret ripped the curtain off the window, pulled it against Jefferson's face, pulled him backwards and watched him land on his back in the middle of the carriage, "Stay off my daughter!"

Emma grabbed the knife and sat back in her spot with the blade aimed at him. Mary Margaret sat next to her with her eyes furious.

This was not the Mary Margaret that Emma had come to know as her friend.

This was her mother.

Jefferson stared at the knife with a wary expression, "You do know that if you kill me, he'll come for you?"

"I figured that out as soon as I put you in the wagon with me," Emma said and tensed when he moved to a crouching position, "What are you doing?"

He feigned exasperation, "I'm going to sit opposite of you. I don't want to sit on the floor in the middle of MY carriage. Thanks to your…mother over here; although I'm not sure how that works, my back aches."

Emma watched him drape one leg over the other, his foot 'accidently' brushed against her knee…

"Who did that thing tell you we were?"

"First of all; that thing has a name. Normally I wouldn't care but he did teach me how to work my hat. Anyway, I don't know much, all I know is that…from your clothes and the way you carry yourself, you're certainly not from any world or any time that I've ever been to," he leaned forward eagerly, "Who are you? He seemed to know, so it's alright if you tell me."

Mary Margaret shot him an offended angry look and moved toward the door, "We're leaving."

She got the door open and Emma hesitated. They were heading to the hat; they could get home that way.

"I wouldn't," Jefferson called to them, "The minute you're out of my sight, Rumpelstiltskin will take you back and he'll make sure you can't leave again.

"So we're just sitting on a ticking time bomb until your usefulness runs out and he takes us back to get whatever other answers he wants," Mary Margaret demanded.

Jefferson looked confused, "What's a bomb?"

"How long are you supposed to stay with us?" Emma demanded

Jefferson shrugged, "He didn't exactly set a time limit.'

"What are you getting out of this?" Emma asked.

"I'm bored," he told her dismissively, "And it was good money."

Emma rolled her eyes and looked at Mary Margaret, "Perfect."

"Escort two lovely ladies around for a while, how could I refuse?"

"Easily."

"I know," he told her, "But it looked like fun."

"Well you won't have to be taken out of your life for very long because you're taking us to your hat and you won't have to worry about us-."

"No, I'm not."

Emma looked up, startled. Did she have to sic Mary Margaret on him again? "Yes you will."

"Why, so you can lose me the minute I take you through the portal and find another portal to try and take you home? I'd come through to go home and Rumpelstiltskin would have my head! And it's such a nice head. I don't want to part with it."

Emma winced at the irony. Oh if he only knew….

"So…you're not getting my hat," He gave a shrug, "Sorry."

Oh, well she supposed it wouldn't be that hard to take it. They already beat him up like three times already; the event with the telescope, kicking him out the window

Or take an easier approach. There were other portals in this realm. The wardrobe for instance. Surely there were other trees like from what it was built from. They could chop it down and build something and go home. At least that way she could know for certain that they'd end up back home and not wandering from portal to portal in an attempt to land somewhere that would get them close to Storybrooke.

Emma turned to her mother and lowered her voice to a whisper, "I think I might have a way."

"Well can it wait?" Jefferson said tiredly, "I'm not wearing the best pants for us running around doing 'simpler' solutions. In fact I just want to sort of want to take a bath and go to bed…in an actual bed."

Emma shook her head, "No."

"Oh dear, I don't think you're really understanding what I'm suggesting. I live in an inn with a nice hot bath and big fluffy bed for all of us….in separate rooms of course, I just realized how that sounded unless one of you wishes to share and cut some costs."

Mary Margaret shot him a sharp look and he raised his hands to defend himself and continued, "I'm suggesting…an alliance of sorts. My deal with Rumpelstiltskin specifically stated that I'm not to ever let at least one of you out of my sight with the exception of sleeping. To do so means that I'll break my deal with Rumpelstiltskin and that wouldn't bode well for any of us. I'm fond of that insane imp but he never takes deal making lightly. So we're stuck together and to make it easier on us, I think we should work together. You bring me with you….so that I don't get in trouble and in turn I'll take you where you want to go within reason. I have a bit"

"Just so you can betray us to Rumpelstiltskin."

"Then don't give anything away," he said, "I won't have to, Alice"

"And what are you getting out of this?"

Jefferson smirked, "Entertainment.