"Magic."

The word reverberated in Nora's head. It was soon overtaken, however, by her own internal dialogue.

Nora, next time follow that first thought in your head. Walk into town... hell, sleep in your car. When you see someone who looks like they just walked out of a penny dreadful, you listen to that voice in your head. You insist on walking to town... or say you'll sleep in your car. You don't let your curiosity, and hope of character inspiration, get the better of you and you don't go inside.

"Magic," Nora repeated aloud and then took a sip of water. As far as she was concerned, magic involved things like candles and herbs, or according to books, wands and owls at the very least. None of that applied in her situation; the car had gotten a flat tire.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Sort of," Nora shrugged. "I mean, I grew up in Salem. Tourists are always talking spells and magic, although I don't think they mean the arcane type."

She looked at Jefferson as he leaned against a wall and tried to discern what he was thinking. His face was placid and he appeared to be mulling over her answer. His stillness was better than the pacing and Nora found herself relaxing just a bit.

"Why do you think me being here has anything to do with magic? I didn't appear in a puff of smoke, I didn't enter a Tardis or a wormhole. I had a flat tire."

"Tardis?" Jefferson asked finally sitting down again. His brow wrinkled as he said the word.

"Time travel machine that looks like a British police box. On television... Dr. Who."

"I don't watch television. Too busy with other things," he declared which caused Nora's eyes to widen.

She considered asking what those other things he was doing were but thought better of it. They sat in silence for a few moments until Nora's phone buzzed with an incoming text message. A glance told her that it was from Michael and she quickly replied while Jefferson watched with keen interest. Nora gripped her phone tighter and after taking a deep breath, she decided to ask her host to explain his reasoning again.

"Why do you think magic is responsible for me being here?"

"Because people just don't show up in Storybrooke. The only people here are the ones who have always been here."

"From the bit I looked... this isn't the most exciting vacation spot." Nora nodded. "Kinda small. In the middle of nowhere."

Jefferson shook his head. "No one comes here because no one can find it. Except you."

"I needed a change so I could get some work done."

"And you just ended up here?" he asked and began drumming his fingers on the armrest of the chair.

"Um-hmmm," Nora replied, not wanting to add to Jefferson's seeming agitation by saying more.

"You didn't make any deals to get here?" he asked leaning in.

"Deals? With who?"

"Anyone." Jefferson thrust himself up from the chair and began walking around the room again. He alternated looking straight ahead to studying Nora as he moved through the space. Each time his eyes met hers, she tried to remain calm and even managed a small smile.

Suddenly, he crouched down next to her chair. "So, no deals?"

Nora shook her head, too startled to say more. Her response didn't have the effect she expected. Jefferson remained right where he was. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading. "Promise me, you won't make a deal with anyone."

"I... I don't understand."

"Just promise me," he entreated.

Nora ran a hand through her hair, silently wishing she had called Gwen earlier that day. She looked at Jefferson and found herself faced with intense blue eyes doing their best to pull an agreement from her.

"Promise," she finally said. The words brought a look of relief and a smile to Jefferson's face.

As Jefferson returned to his chair, Nora looked at her phone and was surprised to see how much time had passed. She did her best to stifle a yawn. It had been a long and unexpectedly eventful day, and everything was starting to catch up to her. The yawn brought a look of concern to Jefferson's face.

"You're tired. Let me show you where you can rest; I have a lot of room."

"I'm fine," Nora half-heartedly protested as she held back yet another yawn. "You live here alone?"

Jefferson nodded and again offered a room. Sensing Nora's reluctance, he assured her that everything was going to be okay and they would get her car fixed first thing in the morning. Nora rubbed the back of her neck and gave in; she slowly arose from her seat and grabbed her tote and water bottle. Jefferson reached for her suitcase before she could get a hand on it and carried it as he led the way through the large house.

Nora found herself being given a quick tour of the first floor. After pointing out the kitchen, she was led up the staircase to a good-sized bedroom with an adjoining bath. Jefferson put her suitcase down and told her to let him know if she needed anything. After he left the room, Nora finally put down her things and looked around. The bedroom was much larger than the one she shared with Michael at their apartment. Besides the bed and end tables, there was a large closet and a nice-sized desk.

Although she had heard footsteps go down the hallway, Nora wasn't about to take any more chances. She not only locked the door but also put the desk chair in front of it. After slipping out of her sneakers, she washed her face and looked in the mirror.

"This is not one of your better days, Nora. Way to go," she said to her reflection before shutting off the light.

Nora decided there was no reason to unpack since she had no intention of changing for bed or even sleeping for that matter. The feather comforter was covered in a soft fabric that was light and velvety at the same time and she soon curled up on top of it, her head sinking into the pillow. Although she did her best to fight sleep by outlining the next chapter in her book, Nora succumbed to her exhaustion.

Jefferson left Nora and slowly withdrew down the hall. "Goodnight, Tati," he whispered so low he barely heard the words.

Upon reaching his bedroom, Jefferson pulled open a dresser drawer and began rummaging. After rifling through some things, he found what he was searching for... a rough sheet of paper. He looked down upon a woman's portrait and ran his finger along her cheek. Jefferson allowed himself to gaze at the sketch for a few minutes before burying the drawing underneath other papers.

It was late morning when Nora awoke. She looked at her phone and cursed when she saw the time. She quickly showered and redressed and then cautiously poked her head outside the bedroom door. The house was silent. She slowly walked down the hallway, her head turning left and right taking in everything in the daylight.

Nora eventually made her way to the kitchen. Jefferson was nowhere to be seen but a plate of blueberry muffins had appeared. There was a note beside the dish that read 'Eat Me'.

"No, thank you," Nora said, although the large muffins were calling to her.

She wandered around the kitchen and refilled her water bottle. As she left the room, Nora called Jefferson's name but received no reply. She strode toward the front door and pulled it open. Her eyes widened a bit as she had half expected it to be locked. From the entry, she craned her neck in both directions as she walked and still didn't see Jefferson. Nora wondered where he had gone off to since he had offered to call the garage about her car in the morning.

The gate in front of the house was closed and Nora couldn't tell if it had been opened at all since the previous night. She looked down the driveway to the spot where she had left her car. It was gone.

"Fuck!" Nora said as she shook her head and grasped the gate's stiles.