The yellow brick road that they walked on seemed to trail on forever: winding into the horizon, disappearing at the entrance to the woods they were approaching. Oz's permanent sunshine glistened down on him, but Jefferson's focus was on leaving Oz as soon as he could. Of all the realms, Oz was his least favourite: somehow Wonderland's nonsense gave him some semblance of sanity, whereas the chirpiness of the Munchkins was simply insufferable. Jefferson's hurried pace slowed as he glanced behind him, and was slightly irked to find that Elizabeth was some ten paces behind him.
Although Elizabeth had been his assistant for little over two months, this had been their first trip to Oz, and she was excited by every aspect of the overly exuberant land. As Jefferson strode back towards her, Elizabeth was gazing out at the lengths of well-kept cornfields that extended for miles beneath a brilliant blue sky, wooden fences just visible between the wavering stalks of corn. In the middle of the field directly opposite them was a scarecrow, though the crows he was intended to intimidate were perched on his arms, spitting out the husks of corn as they cawed.
Jefferson gave an impatient cough, and Elizabeth turned, snapping out of her reverie with a start.
"Sorry to keep you waiting- but isn't this place wonderful?" Elizabeth said, gesturing to the fields, a rather distant gleam in her eye.
"Not when you've seen it five times already," Jefferson retorted, and Elizabeth gave a sheepish smile in apology, "Come on; we haven't even reached the woods yet."
He held out a hand, and Elizabeth's slender fingers curled around his as they walked side by side. Jefferson kept his eyes fixated on the approaching trees, mentally imagining the swiftest route to the object Rumplestiltskin had sent them for.
"Follow the yellow brick road, follow, follow, follow…" Elizabeth's soft singing trailed away as Jefferson sighed exasperatedly and looked down at her with a frown.
"Stop singing that ridiculous Munchkin warble."
"But we're on the yellow brick road. And I don't understand quite what you have against the Munchkins, I think they're rather sweet," Elizabeth said.
Jefferson muttered something incomprehensible, his gaze returning to the path before them. To his delight, the glaringly bright yellow bricks began to darken, sheathed by the shadows of the thick trees that loomed overhead.
"Who are we looking for again?" Elizabeth asked, casting an apprehensive glance at the gnarled curls of branches that curved over the yellow brick road and the near darkness inside the woods.
"The tinsmith, his cabin is in the middle of the woods," Jefferson said.
Placing his hand around her shoulders, they entered the gloomy woods. Most of the bright sunshine had been blocked out by the dense canopy of leaves, with shards of light cracking through the shadows that lined the road that they cautiously walked down. As they went farther into the woods, the pristine bricks grew crumbled, knotted roots erupting through the cracks.
A small patch of bricks had worn away entirely; their dim surroundings making the chasm in the road appear incredibly deep. Unwinding his arm from around Elizabeth, Jefferson rested a hand on the brim of his hat before leaping over to the other side with ease. He landed on the other side, turning to see Elizabeth hesitating, frowning as she gazed at the gap, trying to judge whether she could make the jump.
"Here," Jefferson reached across, his hands firmly wrapping around her middle before he gently lifted her so that her feet almost brushed the road.
He leant back, his arms straining slightly as he turned, turning Elizabeth with him, around the gap so that she landed beside him. For a moment, Jefferson's hands lingered around her waist, his fingers pulling the fabric of her dress so that the outline of her growing belly was visible.
Although they had paid Victor another visit in the past fortnight, neither had really spoken of the baby or what was to happen in the foreseeable future, save agreeing with Rumplestiltskin that Elizabeth would continue to be Jefferson's assistant for another four months.
"Thanks," Jefferson's hands snapped away as Elizabeth spoke and he forced his attention to turn to her, "although Munchkinland was nice, this place is rather eerie."
Nodding in agreement, Jefferson ineptly placed his arm back around her shoulders as they continued on, unable to find the words to voice his wonderings. Around them, the woods grew darker still, making it almost impossible to see. Tightened his grip around Elizabeth, Jefferson gingerly guided her forward, his eyes fixed on the faint path beneath their feet. Whispers from the trees fluttered in the wind around them, accompanied by a cacophony of squawking crows that flew overhead, casting dark, winged shadows in the brief glimmers of light.
It had grown so dark that Jefferson kept one heel touching the other foot's toe as he walked, reassured only by the feel of Elizabeth's cool body nestled into him. His eyes were by now accustomed to the pitch black, and Jefferson could see that the arched branches began to disperse before them. More light crept through, revealing the grim bricks that they had been following. Lifting his gaze upwards, Jefferson saw the cabin at the same time as Elizabeth.
"We've found it," Elizabeth breathed, and he felt the tension in her shoulders fade underneath his hands.
Breaking free from his grip, Elizabeth started for the cabin, clambering through the tangles of bracken that wound around her feet. Jefferson followed her, the cabin properly coming into view.
Neat slate tiles lined the cabin's roof, with its protruding chimney, and the glossed white paint on the door appeared new, but Jefferson had his suspicions as they approached. No smoke arose from the chimney, and the door was bolted shut, a sign nailed to the wooden wall.
Stood on the porch of the cabin, Elizabeth read aloud the sign, "Out of business: ran out of tin."
She turned to Jefferson, a worried look in her eye.
"How are we supposed to get the axe if the tinsmith isn't repairing it?"
Before Jefferson could reply, a foghorn like sob erupted from the other side of the trees, startling them both. Without hesitation, Elizabeth started after the sobs, vanishing behind a thicket of trees.
"Elizabeth, wait!" Jefferson hurried after her, stumbling over a twisted root. Glancing down at his feet, Jefferson realised with a start that they had strayed from the yellow brick road, which was no longer in sight. Cursing under his breath, Jefferson rounded the corner, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
They had reached a clearing, the sunlight pouring in, blindingly bright. Squinting slightly, Jefferson found Elizabeth stood by something. As Jefferson approached, he saw that the light was bouncing off its metal surface, and that the something was in fact someone: a man.
His arms clutched the axe Rumplestiltskin desired, poised to chop into a tree. Except the man couldn't cut down the tree, as he was frozen in place, turned entirely into metal, apart from the tears that slid down his silver cheeks. Even his mouth was stuck, though his muffled voice still croaked out of his parted lips, the word oilcan just audible.
"Oilcan?" Elizabeth looked around in confusion, catching sight of the red oilcan by the tin man's feet. Picking it up, she carefully poured a few drops around his mouth. The tin man gasped for air, his lips creaking as he gave a relieved sigh.
"Thank you, thank you so much! You don't know how long I've been here."
"What happened to you?" Elizabeth studied him, a tin statue.
"I fell in love with a Munchkin maiden, but her mother disapproved of me and hired a witch to keep us apart. The witch cursed my axe so that each time I used it, the blade cut into me and not the tree," the tin man explained, his mouth trembling as more tears welled up in his still grey eyes, "The tinsmith gave me new parts made of tin, but he ran out and forgot to give me a heart! Then it rained on me and I've rusted into place here. Now I'll never find, or be able to love, my Munchkin maiden..."
"Please don't cry, you'll only rust more," Elizabeth said, tenderly wiping away the drops on the tin man's face.
She glanced back at Jefferson, gazing at him imploringly, pleading for them to help the tin man in his plight.
"Look, I don't carry a spare enchanted heart around with me," Jefferson said with a shrug, and Elizabeth huffed.
"But there must be something we can do?" She glanced into the oilcan in her hand and Elizabeth's face brightened as she looked up at the tin man, "there's enough oil in here to free your hands or feet?"
Jefferson stepped towards her and whispered sharply in Elizabeth's ear:
"Pour it onto his hands so that his axe will be free. That's what we're here for."
"We can't just leave him!" Elizabeth hissed back.
Hearing their words, the tin man's metal lips twisting into a grin, "you were kind enough to free my mouth, and in return you may de-rust my hands and take my axe: I don't want it anyway."
Although she didn't seem fully convinced, Elizabeth poured the remaining oil onto the tin man's stiff hands. The axe fell as his fingers loosened which Jefferson swiftly caught and slipped into his satchel.
"Tomorrow you'll rust up again and the oilcan will refill," Jefferson said to the tin man as he slipped the axe into his satchel, "But in a few days' time, a girl…think her name's Dorothy, will come and fully free you, and if I remember correctly, I think she'll help you get a heart too."
"Now, to find our way home…" Elizabeth eyes darted around the clearing, her face falling at the sight of towering trees that circled around them, and the grassy floor beneath their feet.
"Are you looking for the yellow brick road?" The tin man asked, his joints groaning as he lifted his hand and pointed to the east, "go through those trees, and you'll join back onto the road."
"Thank you!" Elizabeth kissed the tin man's cheek in thanks, the shiny metal glowing.
Waving goodbye to the tin man, she caught up with Jefferson, who tipped his hat before they made their way through the trees and back onto the yellow brick road. The shadows consumed the path once more, but the road soon grew visible as they approached the entrance to the woods.
"Have we gone through time, as well as travelling realm?" Elizabeth suddenly asked, a curious gleam in her eye.
"Technically, every time you portal jump you travel through time, because each realm is a different time," Jefferson explained, "but yes, we are in the 'past', as you might put it: the last time I came here, a good six months ago, Dorothy had only just arrived."
"So the events that occur in the Wizard of Oz haven't happened yet?" Elizabeth said as they stepped back out into the bright sunshine.
The bricks that they walked on stretched out towards Munchkin land like a golden aisle, surrounded by the cornfields that swayed in the breeze.
"Nope," Jefferson said, his attention caught by the nearby cornfield. The tall stalks stood still, despite the cool chill that swept through the air.
"Does that mean that we could change the story: if we'd freed the tin man, rather than Dorothy?"
Jefferson sighed, a hand going to the back of his neck, where the hairs were stood up on end. He hardly had time to try and explain the ins and outs of time travel to Elizabeth, not when the witch had realised the cursed axe had gone.
"We need to go."
"But-"
"Now." His serious tone quietened Elizabeth's questions, and Jefferson took his hat from his head and tossed it onto the road before them, "jump."
The hat brought them back out on the outskirts of Munchkinland, though the wind still followed them, stronger than ever. Far in the east, the sky had darkened, turbulent grey clouds that spilled out across the blue sky. Crackles of lightning tingled in the air, and from their cottages, anxious Munchkins stared out at the sky.
"Ever wonder what brought the witch of the East to Munchkinland?" Jefferson asked, having to haul Elizabeth away from the quaint cottages and into the cornfields.
"I suppose, although it was always you who made comments when we read the Wizard of Oz," Elizabeth said, brushing away the wavering stalks of corn as she led the way through the field.
"Well, I think it's us," Jefferson helped Elizabeth over the final stile and they went back onto the path to the green curtain that was hung upon a door frame to the hat's hallway.
Behind them, the air rippled with energy, the midsummer sky almost completely transformed into a fiery storm. Tearing the curtain back, Jefferson motioned for Elizabeth to go first, and he followed behind her, pulling the fabric across tightly as they entered the hall. Elizabeth immediately slumped against the wall, her eyes closed she caught her breath.
"Are you alright?"
Elizabeth nodded, her head facing the marble floor, "The nausea's come back from earlier, but I'm alright, just in need of a cup of tea."
"I'll make you one once we get back: all we have to bring this axe and the rest of today's items to Rumplestiltskin, and the rest of the day is ours," taking Elizabeth's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, his other hand brushed the nape of her neck, the tendrils of her hair curling around his fingertips.
Crouching down so that they were level, Jefferson tilted his head and Elizabeth's blinking eyes opened to find she was face to face with him. Her wan features lit up as she laughed and pushed him away before rising. Her hand still comfortably in his, Elizabeth ambled across the hall with him, the warmth inside of Jefferson dwindling momentarily when their hands disconnected as Elizabeth pushed open the wooden door to the enchanted forest.
Despite everything, Jefferson couldn't help but smile as they crunched their way along the rugged pathway towards Rumplestiltskin's castle, the fallen leaves crackling underfoot. Autumn had fully arrived, bringing with it a northern wind that gushed silently through the trees. Jefferson cast a surreptitious glance at Elizabeth, who walked with a steady pace beside him, their entwined hands swinging back and forth.
Beside her, the forest seemed to transform, an aura of beauty rippling from her ivory skin. Around them, the leaves danced like flames in the breeze, swirls of misty air chilling their breath. Sensing the goose-bumps that lined her arms against his sleeve, Jefferson unwound his cravat with his free hand.
A rush of frosty air brushed the back of his neck, but Jefferson wrapped the silk fabric around Elizabeth's own bare neck, the material trailing down her shoulders in waves. Elizabeth let out a cry of surprise before smiling up at him, her cheeks and nose flushed from the cold, although her eyes still shone with merriment. Jefferson clasped her close to him as they reached the dark one's castle, his jaw resting on to top of her head.
Jefferson bound up the stone stairs to the castle, whilst Elizabeth followed behind him, never quite releasing his fingers from hers. Just as Jefferson's free hand was about to grasp the rounded door handle, the colossal castle doors swung open and they hurriedly stepped back as a fireball bolted through the doorway.
"What on earth was that?" Elizabeth asked, dropping her hand as she slipped past him and cautiously peered around the door. Through the reflection in the window beside them, Jefferson glimpsed another fireball hurtling towards them, though Elizabeth still remained by the door. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. Seconds later, another fireball whizzed past them, close enough for the flames to brush past Elizabeth's hair.
"Sorry," Regina's voice called from inside of the castle, sounding too smug to be even remotely apologetic, "I didn't see you."
Jefferson's grip on Elizabeth's shoulder tightened, but she writhed under his grasp and broke free, turning to face him.
"You go inside, I'll wait out here. I'd rather not be sick in the dark one's hallway again."
"I'll be quick, I promise," Jefferson wanted to kiss her, to wipe away that particular memory, but he was all too aware that Rumplestiltskin and Regina could probably see them through the window, so he settled for winding a stray hair out of her face and behind her ear. Quickly glancing in the window to be certain Regina wasn't about to hurtle another fire ball in the direction of the door, Jefferson strode into the castle, clearing his throat, as if to announce his presence.
Looking across at him, Regina's rather triumphant grin flickered at the sight of his rather peeved expression.
"It was a case of wrong place, wrong time. I was aiming for the door, I didn't realise anyone was behind it," Regina hurriedly explained, a hint of a snicker still upon her lips.
Before Jefferson could confront Regina about what he perceived to be quite blatantly throwing a fireball at his assistant, Rumplestiltskin, who had been stood observing the scene, announced:
"I trust you have the items?"
Jefferson gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to say anything without getting into an argument with Regina, who had gone back to studying from a large book on her desk. He flipped open his satchel and placed the various items down on the large dining table, finally removing the tin man's axe. Rumplestiltskin mused over each of the items; a wicked grin creeping across his face at the sight of the axe.
"Excellent, excellent…" The imp lifted up the axe and surveyed it in his scaled hands.
Not wishing to be rude, but conscious of Elizabeth waiting outside, Jefferson felt himself rock on his heels, his gaze drifting to the basket of golden thread by Rumplestiltskin's spinning wheel. Rumplestiltskin followed his gaze, before motioning to the basket.
"Take as much as you see fit."
As Jefferson strode over to the spools of gold, Rumplestiltskin vanished into an alcove that led off into the castle. Jefferson had stuffed the last of the coiled thread into his satchel when Rumplestiltskin returned, the axe no longer in his hand. The imp approached him, and Jefferson gestured to the door,
"I'm afraid I have to be going, Elizabeth isn't feeling that well-"
"Morning sickness, it's always bad the first time around," Rumplestiltskin interjected, briefly glancing at Regina, who appeared to studying, before stepping closer to Jefferson, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "and if you're wondering, which you are, a baby boy."
"What?" Jefferson's voice came out louder than he'd anticipated, echoing across the quiet hall. His eyes darted to Regina, but she still remained focused on her reading.
"You're having a son," Rumplestiltskin murmured, giving him a pointed look.
Jefferson stared blankly at him, his lips parting, but he was unable to form a coherent sentence.
"How…how you do know?" He managed, and Rumplestiltskin gave an exaggerated sigh, rolling his devious eyes.
"I can see into the future. Now go, you've kept that poor girl waiting long enough outside."
Muttering his thanks to Rumplestiltskin, Jefferson turned and headed for the door, still too dazed to fully comprehend what he'd been told.
'I'm having a son….oh gods; I'm going to be a father…'
But as he closed the door behind him, the haze cleared and Jefferson grinned. He was having a son.
"Why are grinning like that Cheshire cat?" Elizabeth's voice broke through his thoughts, and Jefferson blinked, her face coming into focus.
"I-we're-" Jefferson stopped before he blurted it out, "has Rumplestiltskin told you the gender of our child?"
"Yes," Elizabeth smiled back at him, the tiredness in her eyes fading into excitement, "we're having a girl!"
"He just told me that it was a boy."
"Oh," Elizabeth's face had fallen, her brow creasing as she gave a confused frown, "but he seemed pretty certain the other day that the baby was a girl."
"Well, he definitely said the word boy," Jefferson said, unable to hide the irritation in his voice.
Looking across at Elizabeth, who was shivering slightly, he guiltily remembered her saying that she felt nauseous, his desire to prove her wrong fading.
"He's probably just toying with us: telling us the gender we were each hoping for. Either that or the imp's not fully sure, so he'll tell us both, just in case he was initially wrong," Jefferson continued, watching Elizabeth with concern, "are you sure you'll be alright walking back home?"
Elizabeth gave a weak nod, briefly resting one hand on her stomach, using the other to push herself off the stone balcony that she had been resting against. Putting his arm around her, they headed back to the main path that wound through the enchanted forest. They had been down the smaller pathway that cut through the woodland to their village enough times for Elizabeth to know the way just as well as Jefferson did, and they soon reached the edge of the village, where their house on top of the hill stood. The hill wasn't especially steep, but Elizabeth blanched slightly as they approached the hill, swallowing hard, her hand tightly clutching Jefferson's.
"How about we have a party to go with those cups of tea?" Jefferson offered, seeing the exhausted expression upon her face.
"I really don't feel like eating right now."
"You say that every time that I make cake, and you still eat more than I do," he said teasingly and Elizabeth blushed with a remorseful smile.
"Our son or daughter has a sweet tooth," Laughed Elizabeth, matching Jefferson's steady pace up the hill.
As soon as he had unlocked the door, she bolted inside, and Jefferson headed for the kitchen, resolving to give Elizabeth a tea party that could take her mind off the unsavoury parts of her pregnancy.