His feet pounding against the undergrowth, Jefferson tore through the forest, heart thumping in his chest. He bounded over a stray twig, clambering up onto a ledge formed from thick tree roots. Even from the slight distance, Jefferson can hear the sound of her soft giggles, believing to have won.
Smirking to himself, Jefferson slowly steps towards the tree, careful to avoid any stepping on any branches. Reaching the tree, Jefferson placed his back against the trunk before gingerly twisting his body around the trunk so that he can see a flash of brown hair tucked beneath an oversized hood.
"Found you!"
The cloaked girl jumped at the words, and she whipped around to face him, a few mushrooms almost falling out of the basket she held.
"You scared me Papa!" She reprimanded, only staying annoyed at him for a second before a smile crept onto her face.
"I'm sorry, Gracie. You know, I almost wouldn't have found you, if you weren't giggling so much," Jefferson reached out and placed his forefinger beneath her chin, brushing against her skin so that Grace giggled again, wriggling away from him.
"I can't help it!" She laughed, a rosy glow forming upon her cheeks, "I just think of you being so close by, and not being able to find me. Can we have a re-match? I won't giggle this time, I promise!"
"How about one final round, to decide who the hide and seek champion is?"
Grace gave an exuberant nod before clasping her hands over her eyes, "Twenty, nineteen, eighteen…"
"No peeking!" Jefferson called as he began to back away, Grace's fingers snapping back together as she continued to count down.
Casting a quick glance around the expanse of forest, Jefferson took four steps towards the track that lead back to the village. Every time they played hide and seek, Grace would find places to hide that were further and further into the woods. He wasn't sure if she even realised, but he could understand her longing to escape into the woodland; into a world where the wind wasn't harsh but a rush of adrenaline, a world of magic and endless adventures. Although he knew the woodland well, Jefferson was a little lost for a hiding place, Grace's countdown almost at an end.
"Six, five, four…"
Suddenly, Jefferson caught sight of an upturned log between the trees and he hurried towards it. He crouched down behind it, low enough to smell the musty scent of decomposing leaves upon the ground. The moss encrusted bark was pressing into his cheek, and Jefferson carefully shifted slightly, making sure to remain hidden from view.
"Ready or not: here I come!"
Leaves crunched beneath Grace's light footsteps, and Jefferson listened as she wandered through the forest. They'd agreed when they had first begun to play hide and seek that they would remain within calling distance of one another, and Grace knew by now it was unnecessary to stray too far into the woods to search.
Her breath, rapid with excitement, grew louder as she approached, dashing towards a nearby tree. From the corner of his eye, Jefferson watched her cloaked shoulders dropped slightly in disappointment at not finding him. She was close enough to spot him, but Grace was facing away, and Jefferson suddenly understand Grace's urge to laugh. Biting hard on his bottom lip, Jefferson held in his breath: he didn't want to make it too easy for her. Grace slowly turned on her heel, eyes scanning through the trees. Her gaze fell slightly, and she beamed down at Jefferson, eyes alight with victory.
"I've found you four times now," Grace's lips twisted at the corners as she added with an innocent, yet somewhat sly grin, "And you've only managed to find me three times, which means I win."
"Indeed, my little rabbit," Casting a glance up to the darkening sky, Jefferson outstretched a hand for Grace to take as he stood upright, "But we can't play any longer, it looks like it's about to rain. You keep hold of those mushrooms okay?"
"Okay," Grace's fingers interlocked with her father's, her skin soft against his own calloused skin. Her other hand clutched the wooden basket that swung against her side as they set off down the track. After a few hundred yards, the thicket of trees began to part, cottage roofs coming into view. But as they walked, the overcast clouds trailed behind them, a trickle of rain beginning.
Quickening their pace slightly, they soon reached the village, the rain having ascending into a thick drizzle. As they joined the path that lead through the cottages, Grace slipped her hand free and ran on ahead; she didn't mind the rain, sheltered by the hood of her cloak. But her shoes slid across the mud, and she almost fell, had it not been for Jefferson catching onto her the back of her cloak.
Upon arriving at their cottage at the end of the lane, Jefferson scooped up a bucket of water from the nearby well. The burst of rain was passing over, though a few droplets of rain splattered down into the bucket. Pulling on the rope that winched up the bucket, Jefferson waved to Sara and Tobias, whom were just leaving the cottage next door to his. Grace had also seen them, and was earnestly chatting to their neighbours.
"You two looked absolutely soaked!" Sara called to him as he neared them.
"We got caught out in the rain playing hide and seek, didn't we Grace?" Jefferson said, and Grace nodded as she took down the hood of her cloak.
"We've collected lots of mushrooms though!"
"That's great sweetheart," Sara said, smiling, "But I suppose you two best get inside and warm up."
"I just cut up some fresh logs this morning, if you wanted to borrow some for a fire?" Tobias offered.
"You don't mind?"
"So long as you promise not to sell the best of those mushrooms at the market," Tobias called back with a laugh as he over to the log store beside his house and took out three thick logs.
Jefferson took the logs from him, nodding appreciatively. "Thanks."
"It's not a problem, really," Sara replied, "We'll see at the market tomorrow."
As the neighbours set off down the lane, Jefferson set the bucket down, tucking the logs between his arm and chest. With his free hand, he slid across the front door's latch and the door slowly opened with a push from the toe of his shoe.
Grace set down the mushroom basket upon the rickety cabinet, slipping off her cloak, water dripping off the tendrils of her hair onto the straw flooring. Momentarily setting down the logs onto the ground, Jefferson took hold of the bucket once more as he closed the door behind them.
"Is it time for our tea party yet Papa?" Grace asked, already lingering by the toy box in anticipation.
Jefferson pushed back the cuff of his shirt and glanced at his watch that slid down his wrist. The glass face was chipped slightly, but the hands were still moving. It was slightly early, but Jefferson felt that they both were in need of warming up.
"It's always tea time, my little rabbit."
As he crossed the room to the fireplace with the logs and water, he could hear the hinges of the toy box creak open as Grace lifted the lid. Once he had arranged the wood and lit it with a match, Jefferson transferred the water into the silver kettle that rested above the flames, the clink of china sounding behind him. The warmth of the fire glowed against Jefferson's skin, and he immediately felt colder when he turned away and stood up, going to the table where Grace had begun to set out the tea things.
Being one of few remnants of Elizabeth that Jefferson had kept, it was dear to both him and Grace, and she carefully lifted each cup and saucer from the velvet cushioning. Even after years of use across the realms, none of the crockery showed any real signs of damage; aside from the rose pattern having faded ever so slightly.
Jefferson had only been seated a minute or so before the kettle gave an impatient whistle and he got up, bringing the boiled water over to the cups and pouring a little into their cups before sprinkling a few herbs into each. The water clouded, turning from colourless into the rich hue of tea.
Whilst Jefferson took a sip of the steaming tea, his gaze landed upon the trunk across the room, its lock keeping the contents safely out of Grace's grasp.
The hat had been another item that Jefferson had never parted with, though for entirely different reasons to Elizabeth's tea set. He knew it was safest in his hands, unused and untouched. Even though he'd firmly sworn never to use the hat again, Jefferson couldn't help but wonder what the realms were like, whether Victor truly had managed to resurrect the dead.
As for Regina and Rumplestiltskin, he cared little, but rumours of the Dark One's latest deals or the tyranny of the Evil Queen's rule were whispered by many villagers on market day. To most, their magic, their power, seemed fantastical. But Jefferson knew how real it could be.
Jefferson could faintly hear Grace's voice, though his mind was swimming with memories. He had allowed himself to focus on the past for too long, and the feel of the tea cup in his hands only brought back thoughts of Elizabeth.
"Papa?"
Grace's voice finally pulled him from his memories, and Jefferson's gaze flitted back across to her.
"Were you thinking of her again: of mama?" Grace asked, almost tentatively.
"Yes," A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he could see Grace frowning at the sadness behind the sound. Seeing her upset was far more pitiful than his emotions, and so Jefferson continued in a brighter tone, "I was thinking of a certain tea party in Wonderland that your mama and I had-"
"By the end of it she insisted that I was going to be called Treacle!" Finished Grace, giggling into her cup as she brought it to her lips, "Won't you tell me the story again, please?"
"I think you know it as well as I do!" Jefferson leant back in his seat slightly, picturing the papers in which Elizabeth had detailed their adventures. They were stored inside a drawer, but Jefferson didn't need them: he had told the stories so many times that they were embedded into his and Grace's memory.
He could see Elizabeth's cursive writing upon the paper, beginning each tale in the same way.
"Once upon a time..."
A/N: The end! The past few months of writing this have been such a great experience, and I've loved writing it so much, reading your feedback and receiving emails saying someone has followed or add this story to their favourites.
As for the sequel, I'm currently undecided as to whether I will write one or not. This is mostly down to the fact that I am going to be very busy over the next few months, but also that I would like to focus upon my own original fiction.
Having said that, I am thinking of instead writing a prequel to this, which will focus upon Elizabeth growing up with the Frankenstein family; which is because I have kind of piqued my own interest with the references made throughout this story to Elizabeth and Victor's childhood. I felt it would be better to upload this as opposed to a sequel because the chapters will be more like individual one shots that will explain little details referenced to in this story. As updates will be incredibly slow, hopefully it will be easier to dip back into rather than a sequel with chapters that are directly linked. Let me know what you all think of the idea! :)
Finally, I do not take credit for naming the neighbours Sara and Tobias: the wonderful writer Lanthriel25 came up with those names, and they fitted so well that I also used them. If you enjoyed this little scene between Grace and Jefferson, you should have a read of Lanthriel25's work, as they have written several super sweet one shots about the pair.