I'm not mad.

Jefferson Potts Mad Hatter "It's hard enough to live in a land where you don't belong, but knowing it... holding conflicting realities in your head... will drive you mad."

[ghcstlng]

Into the Woods || Jefferson and Paige

[ghcstlng]

Paige was at a complete loss in the moment. Her first instinct was to call out for help, but who would even be out at this time of night? Just a foolish girl with impulse control and a possibly broken ankle. Maybe it would even be hours until somebody managed to stumble upon her; she could try getting up again, maybe hobbling towards.. whatever direction town could be in.

Before another thought could pass through her mind, something– no, someone was rushing towards her. Fear overrode her senses for a moment, until a voice uttered out from the figure. Still tense, she swallowed thickly, fingers curling into the ground as she tried to form an answer, “I.. I don’t know. My ankle, it’s..” Again she tried putting pressure on it, whimpering as the pain swelled, “It.. might be sprained, or something?” Looking up into the person’s face, she squinted, trying to form their features in the dim light of the moon. “… I was just going for a walk,”

[jeffersonxpotts]

Jefferson nodded, his hands shakily gripping onto his knees as he assessed the situation. Town was too far away, especially if she’d injured her foot. The only other option that seemed doable was to take her back to the mansion, but he had doubts. A strange man taking a young girl back to his house, it certainly didn’t look good but then again he wasn’t one to care what other people thought. He couldn’t exactly leave her to get help, and he couldn’t call for help. The range out in the woods was next to nothing, and even if he did get a signal on his mobile, Jefferson was more than certain that they’d get lost. 

“Grace, you need to let me take a look at your leg, okay?” The name slipped out before he could stop himself, but he didn't do anything to correct it. That was her name after all. The name he and her mother had given her, and he was certainly not going to let Regina win this whole game of hers by calling her anything but Grace. “Your guardians let you out so late?” Yes, he used the word ‘guardians.’ He couldn’t bare to call them anything else, not in front of her. 

[thesnowxqueenx-blog-blog-blog]

“But how do you- remember- I thought…” Sarah trails off, shaking her head. She’d already asked who he is, and there was no reply there. Just ‘Jefferson’. “Just- don’t you dare try to cause any more trouble.” The Scroll was tucked firmly away but she had to get it away, it was loaded with too much magic, it had too much, and it was just coming out through her.

[jeffersonxpotts]

“Thought what? That you and Regina were the only ones that remembered?” Jefferson scoffed at her naivety; finally pulling the scarf back over his shoulders and around his neck. “Or what? Are you going to use your magic on me? Reveal who you truly are to the town? I’m not scared of you, and I’m certainly not scared of Regina.”

[mrgabrielsharp]

Mary Margaret cocked her head and frowned her eyebrows. “I…I don’t really like hating someone without a reason to do so.” She shrugged her shoulders. “She seems a little cold and stiff at times, but she has never hurt or harmed me.” Of course, she didn’t always agree with her mothering skills, but you couldn’t agree with everything someone else did. 

[jeffersonxpotts]

“And Regina has given many many reasons for you to do so, yet here you are. Defending her.” If only she knew what that woman had really done, would she be so forgiving then? Jefferson doubted she would.

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

“You know you’re the first person to accept that she isn’t the nicest woman in town. Everyone else has made up excuses as to why she’s less than welcoming. Hopefully, those I have met will be able to help me then.”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“They're lost in their own stupidity to notice what is wrong with our mayor, and this town.”  

[kidwhiz-deactivated20190524]

“Maybe for you.” she mused, raising her eyebrows. “But I’ve been standing all night and this, surprisingly is late.”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“Then sit,” he said simply, patting the ground next to him; his mind too null and intoxicated to warn him of the dangers of the women in front of him.

[goldtippedcane-blog]

“Wrong adjective, dearie.”

[jeffersonxpotts]

Jefferson shrugged, gesturing the bartender over with wave of his hand. "I figured ‘dark one’ was a bit of a stretch now that you don’t have magic,” he replied, leaning closer so that no one could overhear the conversation. Not that they’d understand what they were talking about, anyway. 

[ghcstlng]

Into the Woods || Jefferson and Paige

[ghcstlng]

Paige felt a small sense of relief flood through her as the light was activated, now setting about checking out her surroundings. She knew the forest during the day, it was actually quite enchanting in a way. But at night, with everything bathed in near pitch black, it felt almost foreboding. Still, she eleven year old; practically.. almost an adult. She wouldn’t allow herself to be frightened by the dark.

“Okay.. maybe if I just start walking, I can find the road again,” she uttered softly, nodding at the words as she started up moving again. The light wasn’t blinding, but it provided enough for her to navigate - for the most part. An uprooted branch went unnoticed until it caught the toe of her boot, sending her hurling towards the ground with a sharp yell, the flashlight flying out of her grasp. “Ohh.. Wha-?” Groaning, she moved back against the trunk of a tree, noting a sharp pain near her ankle. No, no it couldn’t be broken.. right? She attempted to put pressure on it, hissing lightly as the pain flared and sent her back onto the forest floor. Her eyes flickered around the darkness, vainly searching for any sign of aid before curling back in on herself.

[jeffersonxpotts]

Jefferson didn’t know what to do. What could he do? To her he was only a stranger, some weird man lurking in the woods at night. He wanted to call out, to embrace her again but the possibility of that actually happening was low. Too low, he thought, silently following her as she started to move through the woods. He couldn’t exactly just leave her out here on her own, she was his daughter for God’s sake, and he’d be damned if he was going to abandon her again. But that brought an important question to his mind; what was she doing out here? Her ‘family’ weren’t that irresponsible to let a child wonder so late around a forrest.

Watching her fall had pushed him over a line; not caring for being caught as he rushed forward to her aid. “Are you okay?” Jefferson asked, his voice calm and soft as he slowly bent down next to her, so not to shock the girl further. “What are you doing out here?”

[thecuriousalice-deactivated2016]

She looked over her shoulder at him. “If you just tell me-” She let out a sigh. He wasn’t going to budge on the matter. After all he was just as stubborn as she was. She could just leave, walk off and be done with. And then she would be wandering around for hours trying to get home. Turning she went to catch up with him. “I wouldn’t get lost. You just need to know what direction town is, then you walk in a straight line. It’s not that hard.” She muttered under her breathe.

[jeffersonxpotts]

“The woods can be a strange place at night,” he said, smirking ever so slightly as his head turned toward her. “Even if you walk in a straight line, it’ll be quicker for you to take the map and the route I’ll show you.” The quicker she was back safe in town, the more he could push down his parental instincts and forget about her. It was easier this way.

[thesnowxqueenx-blog-blog-blog]

Sarah felt ill upon seeing a picture-perfect scar. The glass covering the rows of ice cream sheltered and she winced, feeling the pieces of glass on her right arm. Still, she now had a reason, however small, to believe Jefferson. “You’re from Enchanted Forest? How… Wonderland…” It was difficult to process.

[jeffersonxpotts]

“Of course I’m from the Enchanted Forest,” he replied, his fist balling around his scarf. Though his scar was proof, it was also personal. It was a constant reminder to his pain, his unwanted memories. Sharing it with her truly showed his desperation, to be once just listened to. Believed.

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

“I’ll have to try an make a better name for myself in front of the mayor”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“I doubt she’ll give you the chance. Until she finds out who you are, and what you want, you’re going to have one Hell of a stay here. I suggest you make friends.”

[goldtippedcane-blog]

“If it weren’t for my good looks, I’d say something was wrong. What’re you staring at me for?”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“Staring? At you? Never, oh great one.” 

[mrgabrielsharp]

Mary Margaret smiled, but she swallowed. She couldn’t help thinking that the man in front of her was a little strange. “You don’t like Mayor Mills?” She cocked her head. “Did she do something to you?”

[jeffersonxpotts]

"Who does? Do you like her, Mary Margaret? Or is it just your nature to see the good in everyone?” Jefferson had never had the fortune, or misfortune, whichever way you looked at it, to meet Snow back in their land. Despite that he still knew of her, God, Regina’s hatred for the woman was practically irradiating off her when they met. “What hasn’t she done?”

[kidwhiz-deactivated20190524]

“It’s near midnight.” she murmured, watching him carefully. “It’s not a good idea. to drink this late and walk around.”

[jeffersonxpotts]

Jefferson scoffed, his back falling against the wall as he used it to guide his body carefully onto the floor. “This is early.” 

[jeffersonxpotts]

tick tock

Eight fifteen. 

                      Eight sixteen.

                                             Eight seventeen.

Time was moving again, and you didn’t have to be a genius to notice that the clock reigning over Storybooke had begun ticking because of it. After all, what idiot wouldn’t notice that the hands weren’t stuck at 8:15, anymore? Jefferson had seen it, no, he had felt it; and it had given him something he hadn’t had in a long time – hope. 

Hope that the Saviour would play her part, do what she was always destined to do; break the curse. Because if she succeeded? It meant everyone would remember. Grace would remember. He’d be one step closer to having his daughter back in his arms, and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that Regina and her pathetic excuse for friends, stayed out of the way. 

But for any of it to work, he needed Emma to believe. Believe that this was all real, that she was the only one that could save them all from the torment that that evil bitch had cursed them with. She would believe. She had to, and he would make her, because if he didn’t then...He didn’t know, and it scared him. Not knowing where the future lies, that this future was in the hands of some woman who, from what Jefferson had heard, was more trouble than was worth.

“I promise, Grace.” He muttered over and over to himself, one that he was so determined to keep.

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

[lucascowboyfriar-deactivated201]

“So I’ve noticed, Emma seems just as stubborn, so I guess we will have to wait and see how it plays out right?”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“I suppose we will.”

[therefinedevilqueen]

“As a matter of fact, yes.” She muttered, knowing fully well that he already knew the answer. “Emma Swan is Henry’s birth mother,” she burst out the information before she could stop herself. “And the other man…well, I haven’t quite figured him out yet.”

[jeffersonxpotts]

“And? What do you want me to do about it?” Jefferson replied, keeping the calm facade he’d mastered all these years. If Emma was Henry’s mother, that meant a whole world of shit for Regina, and Jefferson was going to make sure to nab a front row seat to watch. “August. I have my guesses, but then I wouldn’t tell you who he was if I knew.” 

[softpran]