Jefferson felt good. He felt strong. Powerful. As he’d watched the imp’s blood trickle down off of the blade he felt right. He’d done right. He had freed the one person he’d never expected to care for so much, that he had come to want to protect more than anyone before. This will teach you to try to separate us oh dear departed Rumple, Jefferson thought, before a flurry of green smoke enveloped him, taking him to the only place he wanted to go.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain what happened. He didn’t want to scare Regina or it all would have been for nothing. His appearance had changed but not all that much. Perhaps she wouldn’t even notice. His skin had only just begun to scale. He felt more than that coward ever had, he had feelings, had wants and dreams, he wasn’t evil. He wouldn’t be. He would never become what Rumplestiltskin had. He had someone waiting for him. Who needed him. He would not kill as his predecessor had he would not terrorize or cast fear he would simply, run away with his liberated queen and live happily ever after. There was no reason to think otherwise.
Although, the king — he, he would kill. When the time was right. But that would be the end of it. He could harness this power without growing cold, and why wouldn’t he when he had someone so warm and inviting and whom he would soon call his. And his alone.
He thought about how he would kill the man who dared defile and deceive his young queen — too young, the sick fuck, she was too young when he’d taken her and for that he should have his manhood sliced off. The rest of him fed to some dying animal. At least then he would end his life doing something good. Entirely unlike what he’d done to her. But there was all the time in the world really, to choose the scenario by which he would end the king. Taking his queen as his own, no longer hiding or stealing passing moments together. No now they were free. He could barely wait to tell her, to get his hands on her, he wanted to show her that she was free now, and could do anything she wanted. He could protect her now. And they could be happy. What more could she want?
As the smoke dissipated leaving him standing in the room at the top of the tower that her king had locked her away in, Jefferson flexed his fingers at his side, resisting the urge to just tear the man’s throat out and then come for Regina. Once he saw her, staring out her window, unaware of his presence he knew he couldn’t leave. There would be time. There was plenty of time.
“Regina,” he noticed the slightest difference in his own voice then, a little more edgy than he would usually be when greeting her. Hmm. Perhaps there were other subtle differences he was not aware of. But no matter. He would learn to live with them, and so hopefully would she.
"Come here my dear, I have something to — show you.”
