"What if we find the fairies?" Emma asked her mother as the carriage continued in what was probably the longest trip down a mountain ever.

"It's possible," Mary Margaret a hand through her hair, she still looked tired, "But they'll only help if the balance of good and evil or good and evil magic has a chance of being tipped."

"So…I'll get a chance to talk to the Blue Fairy if I find Merlin and push him off a cliff?"

"Alice, be absurd, killing is wrong, Merlin isn't in this world and if you murder someone then Blue won't help us!"

"It was just a joke," Emma said and rubbed her eyes. She was getting loopy and she was getting tired.

"Besides, they're not as fun as me to be with," Jefferson said with a shrug and a smirk.

Emma glared at him, and leaned closer to her mother, "Is Mother Superior really the blue fairy? I thought she was blonde-."

"Alice," Mary Margaret said tiredly, thank God she got Emma's fake name right, "That's from the Disney movie. We're not all based around Disney."

"Who's Disney?" Jefferson whispered, leaning in on the conversation.

"Sit back," Emma snapped, "And be quiet!"

"Well it's rude to sit around talking to each other and not let me in on the conversation, what else am I supposed to do?"

Mary Margaret looked apologetic but Emma pulled her away and they both faced the back of the carriage so Jefferson couldn't read their lips, "What about the tree the wardrobe was made out of? Are there more like it?"

"I-I don't know, Blue brought it to us when we were trying to figure out how to stop Regina," Mary Margaret whispered, "But I can find out. If we're heading to the village at the bottom of the mountain then it's bound to have documents about the area and maps. That place sees good business since everyone stops there before going to see Rumpelstiltskin."

Emma looked at her mother, "And it's possible that the tree can get us back home and to our own time? Okay, I guess I'll let you be the expert on how that works."

"This is hard for you," her mother said, "I'm sorry-."

"It's not your fault," Emma muttered. You just threw me in a wardrobe that would take me to a world no one understood, hoped for the best and can't understand why I might have some anger about being alone for 28 years.

And then Emma cursed herself. They did it to keep her safe. She was hoping those feelings would've gone away by now but they were remaining.

Her mother's eyes filled with tears and Emma really felt bad about what she was thinking. She lowered her head and tensed when her mother grabbed her hand, "One day...we'll have a long talk…I think it should be soon but…now's not the best time."

Jefferson was still leaning back in his seat, looking perturbed.

Finally, the carriage slowed down and he looked out the window, "Oh good, we're here!"

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It was a sacrifice but someone was going to have to do it.

Jefferson, under no circumstances, could NOT find out that they were going to look for the trees that also served as a portal.

Emma had to frantically whisper her plan to her mother and assure her eight times that the sacrifice was NOT going to be what she thought it was. If Mary Margaret was going to burn the midnight oil looking for a way to get home then someone was going to keep an eye on Jefferson. And Jefferson wanted to go to his room as soon as they got in.

"I think your mother thought of twelve different ways to death glare me as you and I came upstairs," Jefferson whined and slipped out of his long coat.

Emma didn't bother to look at his form underneath the tight fitting clothes, she'd gotten more than enough of an eyeful of his physique through his form fitting outfit when he was walking all around his house after he kidnapped her and terrified both her and her mother.

"Although I do have to say," Jefferson continued, "I'm so glad that it's you who volunteered to let me babysit you because I'm pretty sure that you're really the one Rumpelstiltskin wants me to watch. You just made my job easier."

That bed did look good enough to get a goodnight's sleep on.

Emma scanned the room; no sign of the hat or the box it was kept in. Jefferson must've thought to hide it before he left the room.

Jefferson took off his vest and his cravat, "Would you like something to eat?"

Emma was starving but better not to take chances this close to Rumpelstiltskin's castle "No."

"You look like you just want to go to sleep," he noted, "You must be crashing. The mountain mixed with the adrenaline will get you every time. You should eat you know…the innkeeper's wife is famous for her ham…and her turkey too but not in a good way."

Emma slipped off her boots, "Are you taking the couch?"

Jefferson looked insulted, "No! It's my bed!"

"Fine," Emma stripped off her jacket, "Then I'll take the couch."

Jefferson rolled his eyes, "Alice, we're both adults, we can share a bed without anything happening."

Very likely since he was the one going to be in it with her.

Emma weighed her options. It was really too close for comfort after what he did…was going to do to Emma and her mother but if she showed him that she trusted him this much then perhaps she could gain his trust and get the advantage.

And the couch was more of a…bench.

And if he got up in the night to go have a chat with Rumpelstiltskin then she would know. She was a light sleeper; anything that moved would tip her off.

"Keep your hands to yourself and stay on your side of the bed," Emma hissed and pulled the covers back.

"I had no dishonorable intentions," Jefferson muttered and laid down, "I'm sure Rumpelstiltskin would kill me if I did. Besides, I don't like blondes who take me hostage. Usually a turn off of mine."

"Please," Emma turned on her side, facing away from him.

He snickered and turned the lantern down.

They lay there for a few minutes, "What's your mom doing?"

"Something sneaky," Emma said sarcastically, "Go to sleep."

Another couple of minutes passed, "Are you two really from the future?"

"Ask Rumpelstiltskin."

The next question was a bit quieter, "What am I like?"

He was a good actor, she had to admit. When she thought about it after he'd drugged and kidnapped her, there were all kinds of signs that gave him away. But if she wasn't looking at him then he was pretty convincing. He almost sounded meek.

She thought of about 5 sarcastic responses to say but that would just bait him into wanting to talk more.

And maybe if she hinted at the kind of man that he could be then he might start heading down that path. What if she contributed to the father that was doing what he could to reunite with his daughter? Now there was a thought. Perhaps she could do some good her while she waited.

"You saved my mother's life," Emma said simply. It wasn't a lie and she didn't offer anything more than that.

At first he snickered and then there was silence. He sat up on his elbows, "You're serious?"

"Yes," she told him without emotion.

"Oh," he said thoughtfully. And then he gave a satisfied and thoughtful 'Hmm' and laid back down, "Goodnight Alice. Oh and you should know that I snore."

She was a light sleeper and he snored.

Wonderful combination.

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"I think they said something about trees"

"Are you sure, Jefferson?"

"Yeah…but I don't know what, they were sort of whispering."

"Wonderful,"

"Also, her name starts with 'Em' just so you know. Her mother stopped herself before she could complete it."

"Interesting."

Emily, Emerald, Emmaline….

Rumpelstiltskin pondered the names as he stared at the trees in front of him. There were seven there. All different from the rest of the trees that surrounded them. This had to be the ones that the woman and her mother were talking about. If the difference in appearance didn't give them away then the fairy guard that he'd just slaughtered and the fairy dust that surrounded the trees gave the indication that they were important.

Did they think that they could grow these in his realm and he wouldn't find out about them eventually? Why did they put dust around them to block him from knowing about their magic? Why wouldn't they want to send him through?

Because it was about control for the Rhuel Ghorim, that's all it was. She wanted to keep him contained here. She took his son; she wanted them to be separated.

And now 48 of her kind lay in ashes at his feet because of her decision.

He looked at one of the trees after he stepped over the barrier. Oh yes, they were just…alive with magic. Almost like the woman but she had far more magic pulsing through her veins than even he could understand.

He raised his fingers and rested them on the first one.

The leaves immediately turned brown and the tree withered and died under his touch.

"No," he whispered and turned to another after that first one died under his touch. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers to try his magic but the tree crumbled into ash.

Fairy magic doesn't mix well with what I am.

He flew into a rage when he remembered that. Oh, he could imagine Mother Superior smirking over her victory and the sacrifice she made to see this. But he didn't care. Another way to find his son was lost.

Well the woman and her mother weren't going to get home if he couldn't follow them.

He stood trembling as what was left of the trees lay scattered around him. He wasn't sure what happened…how they were splintered and broken but it hardly mattered.

He was still no closer to finding a way to get to his boy. Right now, the woman and her mother were the only hope he had at finding what he was missing. It was crucial that they stay here until he had the solution to the missing ingredients. If they were from the new world and they recognized him then that meant he was successful but in order to be successful, he had to know what he was doing.

With a furious huff, Rumpelstiltskin turned and snapped his fingers. The trees burst into flames around him.

Let the fairies clean up their own mess.