Jefferson set yet another fabric pouch down on the steel operating table, gazing rather longingly at the mass of coins that clattered against the table like golden sparks as Victor poured out the pouch's contents.
"You do understand Rumplestiltskin is expecting results-if all this money is wasted…well, you do not want to get on his bad side," Jefferson announced, snatching up a stray coin and holding it up so it was precisely level with Victor's face, "all this would just vanish."
With that, he snapped his fingers, his rapid sleight of hand causing the coin to slip into his sleeve. Victor remained unimpressed; turning his attention to wiping away a dark stain, which Jefferson hoped was blood, on the table.
"I have been experimenting more recently into making alterations to the brain of my brother, though I am still not satisfied. The current stormy weather conditions make it perfect for operations, though it is a complicated procedure." Victor explained, and Jefferson did not miss how purposefully slowly Victor was speaking: he suspected Elizabeth may have informed her brother of his reading difficulties.
"Well you try explaining that to the dark one!" Jefferson snapped.
Victor gave a sigh, as though Jefferson's reaction only proved his stupidity.
"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" He haughtily asked, completely disinterested in him.
Jefferson got the sense his presence was no longer deemed necessary by the doctor, which somewhat reminded him of Victor's rather cold and harsh seeming father.
"I suppose you are right," he announced, before giving Victor a rather extravagant bow. It had the desired effect, and Jefferson scurried from the laboratory before Victor could get too annoyed.
Jefferson made for the front door as if to leave, but all he did was open the door and allow it to swing shut with a thud. That made sure Victor thought he was gone and was also his sign to Elizabeth. Giving his pocket watch a quick glance, Jefferson strode back to the staircase, taking the wide steps two at a time.
As Jefferson hurried up the library, he could have sworn he heard a low, guttural moan: a sound he'd only heard from a wild animal- or Gerhardt. He stopped to listen, although Jefferson could only hear the cold silence of the black and white castle. Shaking his head, Jefferson continued up the stairs before heading straight to the library door. Every single door was the same grey oak, though Jefferson had wandered down the hallway enough times to know exactly which one lead to their meeting place.
At first, the library appeared to be completely abandoned, though there was a faint ray of light from an open window shining like a halo on a small section of the room. It was there that Elizabeth was sat reading, tucked away between two towering bookshelves.
Jefferson kept his steps light on the faded carpet, determined to catch Elizabeth by surprise. He lingered by the nearby bookstand, observing her from a safe distance. Much of the library was still in a partial darkness, the corners consumed by shadows. But the open window had let in a pool of sunlight that made Elizabeth's beauty all the more visible. As Jefferson watched her, he realised it was the minor, hidden things that he marvelled at, like the way that Elizabeth's skin crinkled as she squinted to read the minuscule writing, how her collarbone, bathed in the golden-white light, was just visible from the edge of her dress, how her eyes moved from line to line of the book, completely absorbed...
"Jefferson?" Elizabeth hesitantly called, smiling with relief as she looked up to see him stood nearby.
"Who else would it be?"
Jefferson settled down beside Elizabeth, fondly winding a dark curl of her hair around the tip of his finger. She leant into him slightly, and Jefferson could feel the tension from her body fading.
"Where did we get up to yesterday?" He asked, the flirtatious tone implying something other than books.
"The little mermaid, if I remember correctly," Elizabeth said, resisting Jefferson's charms and opening up the book of fairy tales. A bookmark, as faded as the rest of the library, had been placed on the page Jefferson had last been reading.
"The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart were already broken. His wedding morning would bring death to her," Jefferson read, pausing. He drummed his fingers against the desk, hesitant to continue.
"And she would change into the foam of the sea,"" Elizabeth finished the sentence for him, but stopped at the concerned look on Jefferson's face,
"What's wrong?"
"Your wedding," Jefferson muttered, "I've just realised it's a month from today."
Elizabeth stayed silent, gently placing a hand on his arm, her tilted head fitting precisely onto his shoulder.
"Don't worry about that," Elizabeth replied, though her mournful tone suggested otherwise, "I've should have known it was only a month away: we sent off the wedding invitations today. Of course, all the guests had been informed many months ago, so they can all come. Well, all except my own family."
"Surely Victor will attend?"
"Yes, but not my father or brother. According to Victor Gerhardt couldn't get any leave from the army, and my father's business trip was more important than his own daughter's arranged marriage."
'How can he lie to her like that?' Jefferson thought, hoping his own knowledge wouldn't show on his face. He knew well how to hide his feelings, though Jefferson could feel his emotions had betrayed him as Elizabeth was giving him a confused frown.
"What? That's what Victor told me, yet that look…what do you know?" Her voice grew accusing, and when he looked Elizabeth in the eye, Jefferson couldn't find it in him to lie.
"Neither your father nor Gerhadt can attend the wedding, because they are dead."
Elizabeth froze. She suddenly looked paler than usual, her brightness vanishing as she stared at him.
"Dead?" Elizabeth whispered faintly, slumping down into her seat.
Guilt twisted inside Jefferson and he took hold of her icy hands, his fingers comfortingly tracing patterns along her wrist. He kept his eyes locked on Elizabeth's as he continued:
"Gerhadt is still alive, sort of, he's the experiment that Victor has been working on, only he is perhaps more violent, and dangerous, than you may remember." Jefferson paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in.
Elizabeth bolted upright, a horrified look on her face as she made the connection.
"Our father isn't away on a business trip, is he? Did Gerhardt murder our father?"
"Yes, though not intentionally," Jefferson said.
But Elizabeth no longer appeared to be listening, tugging her hands free from his before rising and heading to the door without a word.
"Elizabeth, you cannot see him: he's dangerous," Jefferson called, catching up with her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Gerhadt is my brother: he will listen to me!" She insisted, shaking his grip from her and hurrying down the staircase. Jefferson followed her, though he knew that Elizabeth couldn't be reasoned with- only stopped.
As they entered the hallway Jefferson realised one of them needed some form of defence. He paused for a moment, fumbling around in his pockets to find the pocket sized pistol he'd stolen. Making sure it was definitely in place, Jefferson continued after Elizabeth. He was hesitant to call after her: Victor believed he was long gone and the last thing Jefferson needed was Victor finding he had been with Elizabeth.
The faint echo of footsteps sounded, and Jefferson caught sight of the edge of Elizabeth's dress, before clambering down the winding steps to the dungeon after her. But Elizabeth had the advantage, for she was a few paces ahead, and her nimbleness down the narrow stone steps gained her more distance as Elizabeth reached the dungeon. Jefferson rounded the corner to hear the sound of the door being bolted shut from the inside.
"Damn it Elizabeth!" He yelled, banging a fist against the door.
Desperately, Jefferson twisted the handle as hard as he could, but the door refused to open. Jefferson pounded against the door, yet it did not move, nor did Elizabeth unlock it.
'It sounds pretty quiet in there, maybe she really can get through to-'
Jefferson's thoughts cut short at the sound of a scream: a sound so terrifyingly feminine that Jefferson immediately threw himself at the door, his right shoulder barging into the solid wood. With a sickening crack, the door gave way, and Jefferson fell through into the dungeon. Straightening up, his sight wavering, Jefferson froze. The monster that had once been Gerhardt had grabbed Elizabeth by her neck, crushing the life out of her lungs. She made no attempt to writhe free, her body limply hanging against her brother's taut figure.
Without a second's hesitation, Jefferson fired the gun.