The swirl of magic that had appeared in the middle of the woods slowly began to fade, causing the final few fallen leaves to rustle in its wake. The haze cleared, to reveal a flushed Jefferson, Elizabeth in tow. They were both breathing heavily as they caught their breath, creating a thin veil of mist in the air before them.
"That was close," Elizabeth muttered, a hand gingerly pressed to her pronounced abdomen.
"Too close: we need to be more careful," Jefferson said, "I'd forgotten that you can't quite run as fast as you used to."
"Well don't use me as the distraction next time!" Despite herself, Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at his sheepish expression. She glanced down at the satchel. "You did get the jewel, didn't you?"
"Of course I did- we're not the best portal jumpers in all the realms for nothing," Jefferson lifted up the top of his satchel and reached inside. A green jewel momentarily flashed between his fingers before slipping back into the depths of the bag.
"I thought that you said that with magic beans being so scarce, we are the only portal jumpers?" Elizabeth teased, folding her arms and fixing him with a questioning stare.
"True," Jefferson conceded as another icy gust of wind swept through the woodland. Even in his thick coat and cravat, Jefferson felt a shiver run down his spine.
The grey clouds that consumed the sky seemed to threaten the first snow of the winter, the stark landscape only making the woodland's seem colder, its chill seeping into him. Elizabeth's pale hands rubbed against her arms in an attempt to warm up, her emerald coat buttoned up tightly, though the nape of her neck remained exposed. Jefferson unwound his cravat and made to wrap the material around Elizabeth's neck, but she shrugged it off.
"If you take that off, you'll catch a chill," Elizabeth lifted the hood of her coat, its furry edge framing her face, "your coat doesn't have a hood, so you need something around your neck. Let's just take these things to Rumplestiltskin and then we can warm up by the fire at home."
Her fingers brushed against his, almost numb against his warm skin, as she took his hand. The woodland path was firmly solidified with trodden-down frost and berries, the leaves crackling beneath their feet as they walked. Taking the most direct route to the Rumplestiltskin's castle, Jefferson led Elizabeth along the river, the pellucid waters rippling slightly in the harsh breeze, ice beginning to form by the bank. Across the water was what had been King Leopold's castle, but now belonged to Regina. The metallic turrets rose from the ground like knives, dominating the endless grey landscape.
Following the path that veered back into the woods, they clambered up the slope, Rumplestiltskin's castle growing visible between the bare branches of the trees that loomed overhead. Spurred on by the torrent of wind that whipped against their clothes, Jefferson and Elizabeth soon reached the castle.
It looked as barren as the rest of the woodland. The few lingering roses had browned, leaving only thorny stems that wound around the castle's walls like ivy, the windows dark between slabs of stone. To any unsuspecting villager, the castle looked abandoned, though almost all knew of who resided there: and that was enough to stop them from venturing inside.
As they made their way through the tangle of decrepit plants that scattered the path to the castle, Jefferson caught sight of the back of a carriage, hidden by the castle's walls, though the kingdom's crest was just visible. He mentally cursed at the prospect of seeing Regina. They had only seen her briefly over the past few weeks, but Regina had been particularly vindictive towards Elizabeth, especially once she'd spotted the engagement ring.
Elizabeth seemed not to have noticed the carriage, hurrying up the stone steps, Jefferson a few paces behind. He heaved open the wooden doors of the castle and they stepped inside. A dying fire sparked in the fireplace across the hall, the only proper source of light in the dimly lit room, the curtains drawn across the windows. It seemed to have been burning for a while, the room pleasantly warm compared to outdoors. But apart from the crackling of the fire, the room lay silent. In the far corner was Rumplestiltskin's spinning wheel, strands of gold dangling on its frame.
The door to the potions room suddenly swung open, light spilling from the doorway as well as the sound of voices. Jefferson felt Elizabeth bristle slightly at Regina's voice, though it was Rumplestiltskin who entered into the hallway.
His face fell at the sight of them, the maniacal gleam fading.
"I was rather hoping you'd be some hapless villager who'd strayed in," Rumplestiltskin said, "I could do with some more frogs."
The imp smirked and Jefferson laughed wryly, although Elizabeth seemed rather startled by Rumplestiltskin's sense of humour.
"As requested," Jefferson said, opening his satchel once again, "one jewel." He set it down on the table for Rumplestiltskin to observe.
"Very good," Rumplestiltskin lifted up the gem and held it up to the faint light before giving a satisfied nod, "it wasn't too much trouble to procure?"
"Nothing that we couldn't handle," Elizabeth said.
"Of course not," A knowing grin crept across Rumplestiltskin's scaled features and he snapped his fingers. Coils of gold appeared, which the imp handed to Jefferson. "Make sure to give some to your brother in law, won't you?"
"He's not my brother in law yet," Jefferson muttered darkly, scowling as he tucked the gold into his satchel, "Victor has no idea that we're engaged- that's going to be one fun conversation."
"Speaking of conversations: I need to speak to you about something, Rumplestilstkin," Elizabeth announced, causing Jefferson to give her a questioning glance, though she averted her gaze to look across the table at the imp.
"Of course," Rumplestiltskin motioned dismissively towards Jefferson, "you wouldn't mind waiting in the potions room a moment?"
"No, that's fine," Jefferson said, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could to mask his confusion, Elizabeth remaining silent beside him.
Turning his back on them, Jefferson strode into the potions room, the door shutting, with a little more force than he'd intended, behind him. His eyes flitted around the room, falling on the figure who sat opposite him on the bench: Regina. Dressed from head to toe in black, she would have given the perfect impression of a woman mourning the death of her husband, save the cold smirk that spread across her red lips.
"Hello Jefferson."
"Aren't you too busy tyrannously bringing a kingdom to its knees to be here?" Jefferson remarked, not moving from his position against the door.
Regina laughed at that, a sound too malicious to be humorous. She slowly rose from her seat, her hand knocking the glass vial that had been on the bench. The vial toppled over the edge, its golden contents slowly trickling out. But before the vial could hit the floor, it froze in mid-air before rising and dropping back into place as though held by an invisible hand.
"You're still good at magic I see," Regina said, stepping towards him. "Not that your fiancée approves of it," she added, with a somewhat casual air.
Jefferson ignored her, "I didn't fancy having to go steal you a new vial."
He kept his eyes locked on her, watching her every movement with distrust. Something inside of Jefferson told him to slip a hand behind his back and open the potions door, evade Regina whilst he still had the chance. Yet Jefferson stood his ground, watching as she drew closer, somehow unable to move.
"I must admit, I am surprised that you'd decide to get married and vow yourself to one woman," Regina said, "though I suppose your hands are tied, as it is rather frowned upon to bear bastards, no matter what realm you're in."
"Shut up," Jefferson hissed, though Regina's smirk only grew at his response.
She was close enough to him now for her hand to reach out, her fingers clasping his arm with an iron grip.
"I know you don't love her, not truly. If you did, why would be you staring at me?" Regina raised an eyebrow and as if to prove her point, she breathed deeply, her chest heaving beneath an excruciatingly tight corset. Regina leant into him, her body against his, closing the little space between them. Her other hand had slipped around his waist, holding him in place against the wall.
Sliding the hand that was on his arm upwards, Regina reached up to cup his jaw, her crimson fingernails digging into his skin, forcing him to gaze down at her.
"Admit it," Regina breathed, "it was always me that you wanted. Not her. I know that a man like you is far better suited to be a king than a thief…"
Jefferson couldn't even reply: Regina's lips were already on his, pressed to him with such force that he felt every ounce of his strength being crushed like the air in his lungs, rendering him immobile. Her sharp fingernails trailed down his neck, hands sliding down his chest, her arms constantly wound around his body,
"Jefferson?" Elizabeth's voice sent a startled wave through him, breaking past the lack of air that had shut down his senses. Regina's hands were straying treacherously lower, the sultry whispers that escaped her lips attempting to drown out the sound of Elizabeth's voice, growing louder…
There was nothing that he could do except count down the seconds to his pulsating heartbeat, awaiting the inevitable. The potions door beside them swung open, the footsteps coming to a halt. He heard Elizabeth's gentle sigh, and on the other side of the door, he could imagine her gazing around the seemingly empty room, wondering where he was.
As the door began to close, Regina let out a moan, attracting Elizabeth's attention. Retracting her lips, Regina released her arms and stepped away, fiddling with the top of her corset before glancing up at Elizabeth, then Jefferson.
Jefferson could feel both women's gazes upon him. He couldn't look at Elizabeth, too shameful to witness her expression. Instead he looked at Regina, his guilt turning to anger at the triumphant grin upon her lips.
"That…that wasn't what it looked like…" Jefferson choked out, his eyes trailing to the floor.
"That's what they all say," Regina muttered, eyes shining with anticipation as she awaited Elizabeth's reaction.
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Elizabeth forcefully said, her voice so cold and hollow that he hardly recognised it. Jefferson lifted his gaze slightly, forcing himself to look into Elizabeth's eyes. As expected, they brimmed with anguish that made his insides twist, yet she also seemed to be searching him, seeking the truth.
"I know what I saw," Elizabeth said, Jefferson and Regina watching as she took off the engagement ring that was around her finger. "And for saying you're a woman whose husband has just died, you seem awfully pleased with yourself right now."
Regina's grin faltered as Elizabeth held up the engagement ring between her fingers, the stones shining in Regina's face.
"I know that you've seen this, you commented on it the day after we got engaged. This semi-precious stone, enchanted with magic, encased in a silver band, is enough to make me believe that Jefferson would never kiss you, not willingly. He's proved enough times that he loves me. Oh, and you might be interested to know that despite this being the dark one's residence, the walls aren't especially thick."
Sliding the ring back onto her finger, Elizabeth jabbed her finger into Regina's chest.
"Don't you ever insult my children like that again," Elizabeth spat, "You're not my queen, so I can slap that smirk off your face as hard as I damn well please."
Without even waiting to acknowledge an answer from Regina, Elizabeth turned to Jefferson, her angered features softening.
"Let's go."
Jefferson followed Elizabeth back out into the hallway, with too many thoughts, too many questions, in his head to form a coherent sentence. Rumplestiltskin was back at his spinning wheel, though Jefferson was certain that the imp had heard everything, casting Elizabeth a slight glance before going back to spinning the straw. As they walked, Elizabeth's hand touched his. Unlike Regina's tight grasp, her touch was somewhat comforting, an unspoken forgiveness. He took Elizabeth's hand, using his free hand to push open the castle doors.
"I'm sorry," Jefferson said. Elizabeth, a step ahead of him, stopped. She turned to face him, the hand that held the ring reaching up and tenderly cupping his cheek, completely oblivious to the fact that Regina had done the same only a few moments earlier.
"It's not your fault Regina decided to use you in her attempts to antagonise me. If anything, I feel sorry for her," Elizabeth sighed.
"Sorry for her? You just threatened her!"
"I had to say something; I couldn't just let her win. That's what she wanted- for us to break off our engagement. Regina's jealous of our relationship and happiness, perhaps even the fact that we're starting a family, because she doesn't have that. All of her bitterness and sadness is fuelling her dark magic."
Elizabeth's words gave Jefferson an uneasy reminder of the part that he and Victor had played in helping to break Regina, and he lifted his hand out of hers, wrapping it around her shoulders before steering her down the path towards their home.
"Well you don't have to worry about that. I'm just glad that you didn't believe her," Jefferson said, parting the tangle of branches that blocked their path, allowing Elizabeth to pass through first.
"Of course I wouldn't believe her word over yours!" Elizabeth said, nestling her body into his side as they walked, falling into an even pace on the uneven ground.
The cold weather had driven most of the village into hibernation, with the usual market stalls tucked away to the side of the cottages. With no distractions, Jefferson and Elizabeth passed through fairly quickly, the remnants of warmth from Rumplestiltskin's castle having faded from their skin. Reaching the top of the hill, Jefferson parted from Elizabeth and hurried to the porch, where two bundles of wood lay.
"Geppetto delivered the two cots," Jefferson said, holding up the wood for Elizabeth to see.
Elizabeth reached the porch, giving Jefferson a rather unimpressed look. "I thought that you paid extra to have them built?"
"No, I want to build them," Jefferson explained, rotating the bundle that he held to reveal a slip of paper, "Look, he's left instructions. It can't be that hard."
"Alright then, I just thought that after that shelving incident you said that you wouldn't put anything up yourself," Elizabeth said, "but I'll make you a bet: if you can build both of those cots, without magic, then I'll tell Victor that we're engaged. And if you can't, then you're telling him."
"You ought start thinking of what to say," Jefferson cockily replied, lifting up the other bundle of wood. Nodding her head to confirm their bet, Elizabeth opened the front door.
"I'll get on with some more writing whilst you build the cots then," Elizabeth shrugged off her coat, and lifted his hat, placing them on the hooks. As Jefferson took off his own coat, the wood that he pressed against his side slipped slightly.
Jefferson hurriedly grabbed the wood, and Elizabeth helped him out of his coat, briefly kissing his cheek. Smiling happily at him, Elizabeth went into the kitchen, the room that she used as her place for writing. Firmly taking hold of the wood, Jefferson climbed the staircases to the nursery.
Placing each bundle onto the floor, that had already begun to gather dust, Jefferson examined the neatly written instructions. He knelt down, and unwound the string that held the wood together before getting to work.
" I've brought you up some tea, I thought that you might be in need of a drink," Elizabeth called from behind him, snapping him out of his intent focus.
Jefferson glared what very vaguely resembled the frame of a cot before him, placing a finger to his pounding temple.
"Are you sure that you don't want any help with that?"
Jefferson looked over his shoulder, his frustration only flaring at the suppressed smirk upon Elizabeth's lips.
"No, I don't," he replied through gritted teeth before going back to examining the length of wood he was holding.
Jefferson had no idea where he was supposed to put it in relation to the rest of the cot. Knowing that Elizabeth sensed this, he hurriedly slotted the wood into a rather large gap. With a satisfied sigh, Jefferson brushed off the splinters of wood that had gathered on his clothing and rose from kneeling.
"I told you that I could do it without magic," Jefferson announced, casting Elizabeth a look of triumph.
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, came the snapping of wood and a loud crash. Whirling around, Jefferson stared down with dismay at what had been almost two hours of hard work: now reduced to a pile of wood.
A hand clasped just below his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Jefferson could see the hem of Elizabeth's skirts brushing against his leg, though it was her laughter that caught his attention. She looked up at him, smiling apologetically between her soft chuckles of laughter before offering him the cup of tea.
"Looks like you'll be the one to explain to Victor how this ended up on my finger," Elizabeth's said as Jefferson took a sip of the steaming drink. Her hand shifted from rubbing his back, and she outstretched her arm, flashing the ring.
"We're visiting him today aren't we?" Jefferson said with a despondent sigh at the realisation, "Can't we leave it for a day...or week?"
Seeing Elizabeth's look, Jefferson hurriedly added, " I need to finish putting together these cots."
"Certainly not!" Elizabeth said, her firm tone mimicking her brother's perfectly, "I'm into my second trimester now, with twins, so it's vital that I'm checked on by a doctor. And anyway, Victor needs visiting every now and then. He's alone most of the time in that huge old house- it'd drive anybody insane."
Squeezing his hand, Elizabeth gestured to the pile of wood with a teasing grin, "After practically two hours, don't you think that you've done all you can do to try and build a cot?"
"I suppose," Jefferson said, finishing the cup of tea as he gave the wooden heap one last look of resignation, "I'll go and get my hat."
He returned a few minutes later, hat in hand. Jefferson tossed the hat with ease, and it fell onto the floor between the abandoned wood. The hat began to enlarge, magic streaming from it's brim. Taking hold of Elizabeth's hand, they both jumped into the hat.
The wintry sky of the Enchanted forest made the colourless land seem less contrasting, though seeing Elizabeth in only black and white was still a little bizarre for Jefferson. Despite the change in realm, the land without colour seemed to also be in winter as the ground was covered by a sheet of white snow. Their feet sunk into the snow as they walked, leaving dark footprints behind them.
"I was just thinking about our wedding," Elizabeth said as they reached the outskirts of the woods by the Frankenstein castle, "I know we'd agreed it won't be until once our children have been born, but we can plan ahead, right?"
"What are you planning?" Jefferson asked, giving Elizabeth a teasing nudge as they strolled up the driveway.
"Well, I was wondering who we'd invite, aside from Victor?"
Jefferson thought for a moment. Neither of them had much family, and Jefferson had very few people he was close enough to consider friends.
"How about Baelfire? The boy who saved us in Neverland?"
Elizabeth nodded, "And Oaken from Arendelle, and the tinman from Oz, and what about the March Hare and Dormouse?"
"Do you want someone from each realm?" Jefferson teased, as another person came to mind, "there's Achanda, the snake charmer I once met, always meant to take you to Agrabahn..."
"Sounds good: oh, and what you thought to Victor being our best man?"
"If he's not completely opposed to our marriage, then I don't see why not. He is your brother after all."
"He won't be," Elizabeth said, although she sounded somewhat doubtful as she knocked on the door.
There was silence for a moment, before the sound of footsteps approached them, and the door opened.
"Afternoon Victor," Elizabeth said, giving her brother her usual embrace.
"I'm glad to see you two haven't been to Wonderland again," Victor replied, nodding curtly at Jefferson, "you two better come in, Igor's only just got the fire going."
Elizabeth and Jefferson stepped inside, following Victor past the invitingly warm rooms down to the laboratory.
"How are you then, Elizabeth?" Victor said, as he began to gather his papers and equipment. Elizabeth glanced at Jefferson, unable to hide her grin at Victor's oblivion to her engagement ring.
"Better than last time I visited you..." Elizabeth gave a slight cough to hide her laugh as she settled onto the operating table and lifted up the layers of her skirt, "the morning sickness has finally ceased."
"Excellent," Sliding the silver stethoscope around his neck, Victor turned around, finally catching sight of glistening ring upon Elizabeth's hand that rested upon her skirts. "What is that?" Victor said, his voice slightly strangled.
Elizabeth merely gave a sweet grin, before tilting her head to where Jefferson stood behind the operating table and looked up at him enquiringly.
"I asked for Elizabeth's hand in marriage...and she said yes."
"When did this happen?" Victor demanded, glancing from Jefferson to Elizabeth.
"About two weeks ago."
Victor nodded slowly and sighed, "I hadn't realised that you were going to get married so soon, although I suppose then they won't be illegitimate."
"I'm marrying your sister because I want to spend the rest of my life with her, not because she's pregnant," Jefferson said, sounding harsher than he'd intended.
"We were hoping that perhaps you'd be our best man?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at Victor.
"Well, yes, if you want me to," Victor said, a hint of a smile upon his serious features.
"Of course we do," Elizabeth laughed, "but the wedding won't be until after I've given birth, so you have plenty of time to write your speech ranting about how a portal jumper stole your sister from her engagement."