By the time Jefferson had arrived at Rumplestiltskin's castle, night was already falling and Regina had long since left the castle. There was a faint glow of gold from under the door to the potions room, meaning that Rumplestiltskin was still awake. The imp gave a brief nod as Jefferson entered, though he turned his back almost immediately, allowing Jefferson to surreptitiously replace the broken vial and slip the mermaid water back into its place on the shelf.
"How are those experiments of Victor's going? Has he made his monster?" Rumplestiltskin asked suddenly, startling Jefferson, though he knew by now not to be surprised by Rumplestiltskin seeming to know where he'd been even without Jefferson telling him.
"He has indeed successfully resurrected the dead…" Jefferson began, trailing off slightly.
'What I am meant to tell him? Oh yes, but then the monster murdered their father.'
"But?" Rumplestiltskin said, finally turning to properly acknowledge Jefferson. His voice had risen dangerously high, and Jefferson knew he had piqued the imp's interest.
"But," Jefferson continued, "the patient, his brother, seems to have gained some violent qualities..." Jefferson hesitated, rather hoping he didn't have to go on.
Even if he didn't have a father of his own, he could still imagine the horror of the events. However Rumplestiltskin was listening attentively, his small form somehow looming over Jefferson, forcing him to add:
"He murdered their father."
"Oh," The imp muttered, without a hint of compassion, "yet Victor did successfully resurrect the dead, albeit with some undesired features?"
Jefferson gave a shrug, clasping his hands together.
"That hardly matters as his funds run out at the end of the month, and with no money, he cannot salvage his monster."
Rumplestiltskin gave a giggle, and with a snap of his fingers he was holding a bulging pouch.
"Well you know that money is hardly an issue when you work for me."
He handed Jefferson the pouch, smiling at the portal jumper's confused look.
"Yes, Victor does work for me, though not directly like you," Rumplestiltskin added, "I am...invested in his work. Therefore, in addition to retrieving items for me, I would like you to visit the dear doctor every few days, find out how his work is developing and pass on funds from me."
Jefferson wanted to protest, conscious of the vow he'd made, but he knew there was no use arguing with Rumplestiltskin. Not when the imp had made up his mind.
For once, the weather in the land without colour seemed to be pleasant, the first few rays of spring sunshine making the bleak realm look somewhat brighter. On arriving at the Frankenstein castle, Jefferson decided to take a more scenic route up to the castle, wandering into the vast gardens that the house overlooked. He couldn't help but to admire the well-tended to plants, with flowers that were beginning to uncurl their petals, the last few droplets of dew cocooned on the broad leaves.
He continued on, though Jefferson got the sense that he was straying further away from the castle, rather than towards it. In black and white, everything looked the same. Disgruntled, he turned another corner of the maze of plants to find Elizabeth, sat reading on a wooden bench, her head buried in a book. Jefferson attempted to step back and get away before she realised his arrival, but something snapped underneath the weight of his foot. Elizabeth's head jerked up, the startled look in her eyes reminding Jefferson of a deer.
"Jefferson! You didn't just appear in your hat did you?" Elizabeth said.
"No, no. I've been wandering through this garden trying to get to the castle, only I'm a little lost."
Jefferson's eyes trailed down to the grass, where a trowel and some seeds lay beneath the bench. Elizabeth followed his gaze.
"I do a bit of the gardening," she explained, "as this is my part of the garden. If you want to go up to the castle, it's about four hundred yards north from here, past the lavender bushes. But if Victor isn't expecting you, which I must say he never seems to, maybe you could stay here a while?"
Jefferson did as she requested, sitting down beside her, the worn novel resting between them. He squinted slightly at the small text, though it was impossible to read from a distance. Elizabeth picked up the book and closed it to so that he could see the cover, before placing it on his lap. He stared the spiralled letters that spelt out the title and author, though his lips couldn't form the words they produced. Hesitantly, Jefferson flicked through the pages, aware that Elizabeth was probably expecting him to read the title. He kept his head bowed, unable to look her in the eye, unable to admit it to her.
"You can read, can't you?" Elizabeth asked bluntly.
Jefferson remained silent, his fingers toying with the edge of the page. For a moment neither of them spoke, until Elizabeth announced:
"It's around the world in eighty days by Jules Vernes."
Jefferson nodded, suddenly rising and handing the book back to her.
"Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't trying to-"
He waved away her apology, walking back towards the castle without turning to face her.
"I could teach you."
Jefferson stopped. Elizabeth ran to catch him and stood in front, squinting under the sunlight as she looked him in the eye.
"You teach me to dance, and I'll teach you to read?" She offered, adding, "do we have a deal?"
"Deal," Jefferson said decisively, before he could change his mind.