Jefferson gave Max a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt for her to wear to bed. While she changed, he made her tea. Once she was passed out on the couch, he brought her to his room and laid her down on his king-sized bed.
"Don't hate me when this is over." He whispered before kissing her head and leaving.
Max woke up the next morning, and stood up.
"Jefferson?" She questioned, opening the door leading out into the hallway.
Max heard voices coming from the door at the end of the hallway. She opened it slightly and saw Jefferson and Emma.
"I can't make it work!" Emma said, throwing down a hat onto the table, "What you're asking me to do is impossible."
"No! It has to be. If it's not, I'm never going home. I'll be cursed to live in this house forever." Jefferson replied.
"What's so cursed about your life? Look at this place, it's beautiful." Emma questioned. "Doesn't seemed cursed to me."
"It's a curse because, like everyone else here, what I love has been ripped from me." Jefferson spat, walking over to a telescope, "Take a look."
Emma looked through the telescope and saw a little girl eating breakfast with her parents.
"Her name is Grace. Here, it's Paige. But it's Grace. My Grace. You have any idea what it's like to watch her day in and day out, happy, with a new family, a new father?"
"You think she's your daughter?" Emma asked.
"I don't think!" Jefferson exclaimed. "I know. I remember."
Emma nodded and Jefferson backed up against the table.
Jefferson smiled, "Why have this house if I can't share it with the people I love?"
"Max." Emma whispered.
"Maxxie." He corrected.
"That's why you want me to make the hat work. To take Grace and Max home, to your world."
"It's the one place all three of us can be together. Where they'll remember me." Jefferson said.
"I know what it's like to be separated from your kid." Emma replied.
"Yeah, I bet you do." Jefferson retorted.
"They can make you feel like you're losing your mind."
"I'm not losing my mind." Jefferson snapped, "I'm not crazy. This is real."
"Maybe. Maybe it is."
"You believe?" He asked.
"If what you say is true, that woman in the other room, is my mother." Emma said.
'Mary Margaret is here, too?' Max thought before retreating down the hall to find her. After opening many doors, Max found her.
"Mary." Max whispered.
Grabbing a pair of scissors off the dresser, she used them to cut the ropes. Just as she took the gag off, the door opened. Max stood up and faced the person, the scissors pointed at them.
"Emma. Where's Jefferson?" Max questioned.
"Unconscious in his hat room." She answered, "Let's get out of here."
"Look out!" Mary Margaret yelled and Max swung the scissors at Jefferson, cutting his cheek.
"Don't make me hurt you, Jefferson." Max stated.
"I haven't seen this side of you in a while, Maxxie." He smiled,
"It's Max." She said before lunging at him, tackling him to the ground and pinning him. "Emma, Mary Margaret, get out of here!"
"What about you?" Mary asked.
"He won't hurt me." Max replied, and they ran out of the room.
Max stared at Jefferson, "I trusted you."
"I know." He responded before smacking the scissors out of her hand.
Jefferson tackled Max to the floor and pinned her arms down. Blood dripped down from his cheek to her face. Max stared up at his neck, seeing a scar run the perimeter of it.
"Off with his head." Jefferson whispered.
Max kicked up at his chest before rolling away and standing up. She went to punch him, and Jefferson grabbed her fist. Max responded by spinning and elbowing him in the chest. Pushing him towards the window, she punched him in the chin, causing him to fall out of the window.
She panted for a few moments before letting out a sob and falling to the ground.
"Max!" She heard Mary Margaret and Emma yell before they entered the room, "Max!"
"Are you okay?" Emma asked as Mary wrapped her arms around the fragile girl.
"Where's Jefferson?"
Max pointed to the broken window and Emma went over to it, looking down at the ground, "He's not there."
"What do you mean?" Max questioned, "I punched him out of a freaking window!"
She stood up and walked over to the window, glancing at the ground. Nothing was there except glass. The three of them headed outside,
"There's no sign of him anywhere."
"Who was he?" Mary questioned.
"A very lonely man." Emma turned to Max, "Have you been taking kickboxing classes that you haven't told me about?"
"I don't know where that came from." Max responded.
After taking Mary Margaret back to her cell, she had her arraignment. Max went to go find Henry at his school.
"Hey, Henry." She greeted, sitting next to him.
"Hi, Max. What are you doing here?"
"Well.. I was wondering if I could see your book." Max answered.
"Um, sure." Henry handed her the book, "Why?"
"No reason." Max replied, flipping the pages until she found the story about the Mad Hatter.
She stared at the photo of him, he looked just like Jefferson. The bell rang and Henry stood up, "I got to go."
"Can... can I hold onto this for a bit?" Max questioned.
"Yea, sure." Henry answered before going inside.
Max stroked the picture of the Mad Hatter, "I'm sorry."