2x03 ; I just want to stay, I just want to keep this dream in me
Eric was sitting at the breakfast table. Everyone else had gone about their business already, except Charming. He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, and Eric was waiting for him. After a while, he heard footsteps and saw Charming enter the dining area.
“Good morning”, Eric tried to smile.
“Yeah, sure”, Charming muttered and sat down. “Have you seen Snow?”
“Why?” Eric asked nervously. “Why would you want to know where she is? I’m sure she’s fine…”
“What happened to her?” Charming snapped. “She didn’t come to bed last night.”
“I don’t know”, Eric shook his shoulders.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you wouldn’t be able to explain this, would you?” Charming said angrily and threw Jefferson’s letter in Eric’s face and waited for him to open and read it.
Eric went pale. “Charming..”
“If your brother is here to win Snow back, I can promise you, that it is not going to end well for him. Do you understand me?” Charming hissed, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the letter from the table and waltzed out.
“What happened to her?” Snow asked quietly. They had been in the cell for hours. Alice was still unconscious.
Jefferson sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Looks like I’ve got time.”
“I found this hat in my father’s closet a few years after he died. Eric and I visited Wonderland a few times, and you know what happened. But after I left you and Eric, I went back, and I met Alice. It wasn’t sure at first that she was my sister, but she had a letter with her that my father had left with her when she had been just a baby. It turns out my father dropped Alice off to Wonderland when she was just a baby. She’s just my half-sister. I don’t know who her mother is”, Jefferson said. “And I didn’t tell Eric because he’s been through so much already. He doesn’t need anything else to worry about.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make”, Snow said.
“I know. But look at her. She has nobody. And what if Eric would have reacted badly? What would have happened then? She would have most likely run off and I would never have seen her again”, Jefferson shook his shoulders. “I did what I thought was right.”
“I know”, Snow said quietly.
They sat in silence for a while, when suddenly Alice gasped for breath. Jefferson straightened up immediately and turned to look at his sister. “Alice?”
“Jefferson?” Alice opened her eyes and looked around. “What happened? Why are you here? Who is she?” she turned to look at Snow, who just observed silently.
“This is Snow. And we ran into a bit of trouble, trying to save you”, Jefferson said.
“What? Why would you do that?” Alice groaned.
“Because you’re my sister, and the Queen doesn’t treat you fairly”, Jefferson smiled.
“What did you do to get in here for?” Snow asked.
“I made the Queen angry”, Alice said simply. She reminded Snow a lot of Jefferson, but also Eric. The looks, anyway.
“How?”
“You ask a lot of questions”, Alice said.
Snow glanced at Jefferson, who just shook his shoulders.
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Snow asked.
“Off with the head, most likely”, Alice said. “That’s what they’ll do to me.”
“Off with the head? I don’t think so”, Snow stood up. “There has to be a way out!”
“She is not from around here, is she?” Alice whispered to Jefferson, and he shook his head.
“Have you seen Snow?” Red ran into Daniel in the halls, just on her way from Snow and Charming’s empty bedroom.
“Not in a while”, Daniel said. “Hey, what do you think of the engagement?”
“What engagement?” Red asked.
“Snow didn’t tell you?” Daniel realized that he might have said something he shouldn’t have.
“Tell me what?” Red asked, this time her voice raised a bit.
“Nothing”, Daniel shook his head violently. “Nothing. She’ll tell you when she wants to.”
“What?” Red groaned. “Just tell me.”
“Snow and Charming are getting married”, Daniel said quickly.
“They’re getting married?” Red gasped. “And Snow didn’t tell me?”
“Charming told me. I think it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“I’m Snow’s best friend, and she didn’t tell me”, Red muttered. “And now she’s missing.”
“I’m sure she was meaning to tell you”, Daniel said.
“What else have I missed? Anything else? Another secret you would like to let me in on?” Red said angrily. She wasn’t even angry at Daniel, she was just taking it out on him.
“Uh… Snow lied to Charming about something?”
“What?” Red snapped.
“I don’t know! I was talking to Charming, and he was just muttering to himself while I picked up those pretty flowers for you. Remember them?” Daniel tried to make Red smile.
“Yeah, yeah”, Red sighed, and walked off.
“Have you got a plan?” Snow asked after about a half an hour of trying to find a hole in the cell.
“Yes”, Jefferson smirked.
“What is it?” Snow snapped.
“Just wait and see”, Jefferson said, whispered something to Alice, who nodded, and they both got up.
“Are you ready?” Jefferson turned to Snow.
“Ready for what?” Snow sighed.
“Hit me. Go on, hit me. I can take it.”
“What are you playing at?” Snow groaned.
“Hit me!”
“No!”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be that weak little girl that you’re being right now, marrying a man who you don’t even know, and who probably doesn’t even love you enough to-“ Jefferson didn’t have a chance to continue, when Snow suddenly hit him hard right in his face.
“Help, help! Guards! There’s a fight going on here!” Alice ran to the bars, and shouted out loud, and it didn’t take long till the guards showed up and stupidly opened the door to break Jefferson and Snow up.
And as they reached the fight, Jefferson turned to the guards and kicked one of them in the stomach, causing him to land on the floor. Snow pushed the other guard, but he barely flinched. Before she could do anything else, Jefferson knocked him out, too.
“I had him!” Snow shouted.
“No, you didn’t. Now shut up, unless you want to be heard”, Jefferson hissed, and pulled Snow and Alice with him out of the cell, and instead of going the way they came, he opened up a small hatch that just looked big enough for a child, but he quickly pushed both Snow and Alice down it, and followed himself.
Next thing they knew, they found themselves in a pile of dirt. The sewer.
“Oh, brilliant”, Snow sighed.
“At least we’re out”, Jefferson pointed out.
“Yes. And now we can go home”, Snow said.
“I can’t”, Alice said.
“What?” Snow turned to look at her as they kept walking down the dirty, low water, trying to reach the end of it.
“The hat only takes back the same amount as it sent here”, Jefferson explained. “Two come in, two come out.”
Snow could see the sadness in his eyes, but just said: “Oh.”
“I tried it, trust me, I did, but it just won’t work. And I can’t ask anyone to end up stuck here”, Jefferson said.
“And I could never ask him to stay here for me, even though he offered”, Alice said.
“I’m sorry”, Snow said carefully. “I could stay, but I have a fiancé-“
“I would never ask that of you”, Alice shook her head. “This is just the way it is.”
After a while they were all standing in front of a big wooden door. It was simply in the middle of nowhere, on the path which Jefferson and Snow had walked on.
“At least you can go to your home here now”, Jefferson said.
“Yes, I can. Thank you, brother”, Alice nodded and hugged him.
“I’ll come back soon”, Jefferson said. “I promise you.”
“I’ll look forwards to it”, Alice smiled, and turned to Snow. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Alice”, Snow nodded and smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“You take care of your fiancé”, Alice said. “I’ve never been in love, but I reckon it’s worth holding onto.”
“It is”, Snow said slowly. “And I need to tell him that.”
With that Jefferson offered Snow his hand, which she took, and they stepped through the door, leaving Alice behind in Wonderland.
“I need to go find Charming”, Snow said as soon as they were standing in Jefferson’s bedroom again.
“Snow-“
“Yeah, I know”, she said, walked to him and hugged him. “I’m sorry about Alice.”
“I was going to say that I’m happy for you”, Jefferson chuckled. “But thank you.”
“Good night”, Snow nodded, and walked out of the room.
She basically ran all the way back to her chambers, and when she opened the door, she saw Charming sitting on the bed, holding a letter.
“Hey”, Snow said carefully.
Charming looked up, and Snow could see sorrow in his eyes.
“Oh, Charming. I’m sorry about today, I was-“
“Are you okay?” Charming interrupted her.
“Yes”, Snow said. “But-“
“You’re not hurt?”
“No.”
“Then what is this?” Charming pushed the letter to Snow’s hands. “It’s a letter from Jefferson. To you. The man you claim to never have been with.”
“You read my letter?” Snow asked.
“Yes, I’m the one to blame”, Charming sighed and stood up. “Maybe I am. I have no idea why you lied to me. Why you left. Why you would not want to tell your best friends about us!”
“It’s not as simple as that!” Snow groaned.
“The letter said that he’s sorry about everything he did. And that he was wrong. And that he’s still in love with you. What is that? Tell me!” Charming was yelling.
“Fine!” Snow yelled back. “I was in love with him! Are you happy now?”
Charming breathed in and out for a little bit, and then he shook his head. “No, trust me. I am not happy”, and with that he walked out of the room, slamming the door closed after him.
“Oh my God”, Snow muttered and sat on the floor, ripping the letter apart and crying. That was exactly what she hadn’t wanted.
Eric was sitting at the breakfast table. Everyone else had gone about their business already, except Charming. He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, and Eric was waiting for him. After a while, he heard footsteps and saw Charming enter the dining area.
“Good morning”, Eric tried to smile.
“Yeah, sure”, Charming muttered and sat down. “Have you seen Snow?”
“Why?” Eric asked nervously. “Why would you want to know where she is? I’m sure she’s fine…”
“What happened to her?” Charming snapped. “She didn’t come to bed last night.”
“I don’t know”, Eric shook his shoulders.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you wouldn’t be able to explain this, would you?” Charming said angrily and threw Jefferson’s letter in Eric’s face and waited for him to open and read it.
Eric went pale. “Charming..”
“If your brother is here to win Snow back, I can promise you, that it is not going to end well for him. Do you understand me?” Charming hissed, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the letter from the table and waltzed out.
“What happened to her?” Snow asked quietly. They had been in the cell for hours. Alice was still unconscious.
Jefferson sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Looks like I’ve got time.”
“I found this hat in my father’s closet a few years after he died. Eric and I visited Wonderland a few times, and you know what happened. But after I left you and Eric, I went back, and I met Alice. It wasn’t sure at first that she was my sister, but she had a letter with her that my father had left with her when she had been just a baby. It turns out my father dropped Alice off to Wonderland when she was just a baby. She’s just my half-sister. I don’t know who her mother is”, Jefferson said. “And I didn’t tell Eric because he’s been through so much already. He doesn’t need anything else to worry about.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make”, Snow said.
“I know. But look at her. She has nobody. And what if Eric would have reacted badly? What would have happened then? She would have most likely run off and I would never have seen her again”, Jefferson shook his shoulders. “I did what I thought was right.”
“I know”, Snow said quietly.
They sat in silence for a while, when suddenly Alice gasped for breath. Jefferson straightened up immediately and turned to look at his sister. “Alice?”
“Jefferson?” Alice opened her eyes and looked around. “What happened? Why are you here? Who is she?” she turned to look at Snow, who just observed silently.
“This is Snow. And we ran into a bit of trouble, trying to save you”, Jefferson said.
“What? Why would you do that?” Alice groaned.
“Because you’re my sister, and the Queen doesn’t treat you fairly”, Jefferson smiled.
“What did you do to get in here for?” Snow asked.
“I made the Queen angry”, Alice said simply. She reminded Snow a lot of Jefferson, but also Eric. The looks, anyway.
“How?”
“You ask a lot of questions”, Alice said.
Snow glanced at Jefferson, who just shook his shoulders.
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Snow asked.
“Off with the head, most likely”, Alice said. “That’s what they’ll do to me.”
“Off with the head? I don’t think so”, Snow stood up. “There has to be a way out!”
“She is not from around here, is she?” Alice whispered to Jefferson, and he shook his head.
“Have you seen Snow?” Red ran into Daniel in the halls, just on her way from Snow and Charming’s empty bedroom.
“Not in a while”, Daniel said. “Hey, what do you think of the engagement?”
“What engagement?” Red asked.
“Snow didn’t tell you?” Daniel realized that he might have said something he shouldn’t have.
“Tell me what?” Red asked, this time her voice raised a bit.
“Nothing”, Daniel shook his head violently. “Nothing. She’ll tell you when she wants to.”
“What?” Red groaned. “Just tell me.”
“Snow and Charming are getting married”, Daniel said quickly.
“They’re getting married?” Red gasped. “And Snow didn’t tell me?”
“Charming told me. I think it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“I’m Snow’s best friend, and she didn’t tell me”, Red muttered. “And now she’s missing.”
“I’m sure she was meaning to tell you”, Daniel said.
“What else have I missed? Anything else? Another secret you would like to let me in on?” Red said angrily. She wasn’t even angry at Daniel, she was just taking it out on him.
“Uh… Snow lied to Charming about something?”
“What?” Red snapped.
“I don’t know! I was talking to Charming, and he was just muttering to himself while I picked up those pretty flowers for you. Remember them?” Daniel tried to make Red smile.
“Yeah, yeah”, Red sighed, and walked off.
“Have you got a plan?” Snow asked after about a half an hour of trying to find a hole in the cell.
“Yes”, Jefferson smirked.
“What is it?” Snow snapped.
“Just wait and see”, Jefferson said, whispered something to Alice, who nodded, and they both got up.
“Are you ready?” Jefferson turned to Snow.
“Ready for what?” Snow sighed.
“Hit me. Go on, hit me. I can take it.”
“What are you playing at?” Snow groaned.
“Hit me!”
“No!”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be that weak little girl that you’re being right now, marrying a man who you don’t even know, and who probably doesn’t even love you enough to-“ Jefferson didn’t have a chance to continue, when Snow suddenly hit him hard right in his face.
“Help, help! Guards! There’s a fight going on here!” Alice ran to the bars, and shouted out loud, and it didn’t take long till the guards showed up and stupidly opened the door to break Jefferson and Snow up.
And as they reached the fight, Jefferson turned to the guards and kicked one of them in the stomach, causing him to land on the floor. Snow pushed the other guard, but he barely flinched. Before she could do anything else, Jefferson knocked him out, too.
“I had him!” Snow shouted.
“No, you didn’t. Now shut up, unless you want to be heard”, Jefferson hissed, and pulled Snow and Alice with him out of the cell, and instead of going the way they came, he opened up a small hatch that just looked big enough for a child, but he quickly pushed both Snow and Alice down it, and followed himself.
Next thing they knew, they found themselves in a pile of dirt. The sewer.
“Oh, brilliant”, Snow sighed.
“At least we’re out”, Jefferson pointed out.
“Yes. And now we can go home”, Snow said.
“I can’t”, Alice said.
“What?” Snow turned to look at her as they kept walking down the dirty, low water, trying to reach the end of it.
“The hat only takes back the same amount as it sent here”, Jefferson explained. “Two come in, two come out.”
Snow could see the sadness in his eyes, but just said: “Oh.”
“I tried it, trust me, I did, but it just won’t work. And I can’t ask anyone to end up stuck here”, Jefferson said.
“And I could never ask him to stay here for me, even though he offered”, Alice said.
“I’m sorry”, Snow said carefully. “I could stay, but I have a fiancé-“
“I would never ask that of you”, Alice shook her head. “This is just the way it is.”
After a while they were all standing in front of a big wooden door. It was simply in the middle of nowhere, on the path which Jefferson and Snow had walked on.
“At least you can go to your home here now”, Jefferson said.
“Yes, I can. Thank you, brother”, Alice nodded and hugged him.
“I’ll come back soon”, Jefferson said. “I promise you.”
“I’ll look forwards to it”, Alice smiled, and turned to Snow. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Alice”, Snow nodded and smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“You take care of your fiancé”, Alice said. “I’ve never been in love, but I reckon it’s worth holding onto.”
“It is”, Snow said slowly. “And I need to tell him that.”
With that Jefferson offered Snow his hand, which she took, and they stepped through the door, leaving Alice behind in Wonderland.
“I need to go find Charming”, Snow said as soon as they were standing in Jefferson’s bedroom again.
“Snow-“
“Yeah, I know”, she said, walked to him and hugged him. “I’m sorry about Alice.”
“I was going to say that I’m happy for you”, Jefferson chuckled. “But thank you.”
“Good night”, Snow nodded, and walked out of the room.
She basically ran all the way back to her chambers, and when she opened the door, she saw Charming sitting on the bed, holding a letter.
“Hey”, Snow said carefully.
Charming looked up, and Snow could see sorrow in his eyes.
“Oh, Charming. I’m sorry about today, I was-“
“Are you okay?” Charming interrupted her.
“Yes”, Snow said. “But-“
“You’re not hurt?”
“No.”
“Then what is this?” Charming pushed the letter to Snow’s hands. “It’s a letter from Jefferson. To you. The man you claim to never have been with.”
“You read my letter?” Snow asked.
“Yes, I’m the one to blame”, Charming sighed and stood up. “Maybe I am. I have no idea why you lied to me. Why you left. Why you would not want to tell your best friends about us!”
“It’s not as simple as that!” Snow groaned.
“The letter said that he’s sorry about everything he did. And that he was wrong. And that he’s still in love with you. What is that? Tell me!” Charming was yelling.
“Fine!” Snow yelled back. “I was in love with him! Are you happy now?”
Charming breathed in and out for a little bit, and then he shook his head. “No, trust me. I am not happy”, and with that he walked out of the room, slamming the door closed after him.
“Oh my God”, Snow muttered and sat on the floor, ripping the letter apart and crying. That was exactly what she hadn’t wanted.
2x03 ; I just want to stay, I just want to keep this dream in me
Eric was sitting at the breakfast table. Everyone else had gone about their business already, except Charming. He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, and Eric was waiting for him. After a while, he heard footsteps and saw Charming enter the dining area.
“Good morning”, Eric tried to smile.
“Yeah, sure”, Charming muttered and sat down. “Have you seen Snow?”
“Why?” Eric asked nervously. “Why would you want to know where she is? I’m sure she’s fine…”
“What happened to her?” Charming snapped. “She didn’t come to bed last night.”
“I don’t know”, Eric shook his shoulders.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you wouldn’t be able to explain this, would you?” Charming said angrily and threw Jefferson’s letter in Eric’s face and waited for him to open and read it.
Eric went pale. “Charming..”
“If your brother is here to win Snow back, I can promise you, that it is not going to end well for him. Do you understand me?” Charming hissed, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the letter from the table and waltzed out.
“What happened to her?” Snow asked quietly. They had been in the cell for hours. Alice was still unconscious.
Jefferson sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Looks like I’ve got time.”
“I found this hat in my father’s closet a few years after he died. Eric and I visited Wonderland a few times, and you know what happened. But after I left you and Eric, I went back, and I met Alice. It wasn’t sure at first that she was my sister, but she had a letter with her that my father had left with her when she had been just a baby. It turns out my father dropped Alice off to Wonderland when she was just a baby. She’s just my half-sister. I don’t know who her mother is”, Jefferson said. “And I didn’t tell Eric because he’s been through so much already. He doesn’t need anything else to worry about.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make”, Snow said.
“I know. But look at her. She has nobody. And what if Eric would have reacted badly? What would have happened then? She would have most likely run off and I would never have seen her again”, Jefferson shook his shoulders. “I did what I thought was right.”
“I know”, Snow said quietly.
They sat in silence for a while, when suddenly Alice gasped for breath. Jefferson straightened up immediately and turned to look at his sister. “Alice?”
“Jefferson?” Alice opened her eyes and looked around. “What happened? Why are you here? Who is she?” she turned to look at Snow, who just observed silently.
“This is Snow. And we ran into a bit of trouble, trying to save you”, Jefferson said.
“What? Why would you do that?” Alice groaned.
“Because you’re my sister, and the Queen doesn’t treat you fairly”, Jefferson smiled.
“What did you do to get in here for?” Snow asked.
“I made the Queen angry”, Alice said simply. She reminded Snow a lot of Jefferson, but also Eric. The looks, anyway.
“How?”
“You ask a lot of questions”, Alice said.
Snow glanced at Jefferson, who just shook his shoulders.
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Snow asked.
“Off with the head, most likely”, Alice said. “That’s what they’ll do to me.”
“Off with the head? I don’t think so”, Snow stood up. “There has to be a way out!”
“She is not from around here, is she?” Alice whispered to Jefferson, and he shook his head.
“Have you seen Snow?” Red ran into Daniel in the halls, just on her way from Snow and Charming’s empty bedroom.
“Not in a while”, Daniel said. “Hey, what do you think of the engagement?”
“What engagement?” Red asked.
“Snow didn’t tell you?” Daniel realized that he might have said something he shouldn’t have.
“Tell me what?” Red asked, this time her voice raised a bit.
“Nothing”, Daniel shook his head violently. “Nothing. She’ll tell you when she wants to.”
“What?” Red groaned. “Just tell me.”
“Snow and Charming are getting married”, Daniel said quickly.
“They’re getting married?” Red gasped. “And Snow didn’t tell me?”
“Charming told me. I think it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“I’m Snow’s best friend, and she didn’t tell me”, Red muttered. “And now she’s missing.”
“I’m sure she was meaning to tell you”, Daniel said.
“What else have I missed? Anything else? Another secret you would like to let me in on?” Red said angrily. She wasn’t even angry at Daniel, she was just taking it out on him.
“Uh… Snow lied to Charming about something?”
“What?” Red snapped.
“I don’t know! I was talking to Charming, and he was just muttering to himself while I picked up those pretty flowers for you. Remember them?” Daniel tried to make Red smile.
“Yeah, yeah”, Red sighed, and walked off.
“Have you got a plan?” Snow asked after about a half an hour of trying to find a hole in the cell.
“Yes”, Jefferson smirked.
“What is it?” Snow snapped.
“Just wait and see”, Jefferson said, whispered something to Alice, who nodded, and they both got up.
“Are you ready?” Jefferson turned to Snow.
“Ready for what?” Snow sighed.
“Hit me. Go on, hit me. I can take it.”
“What are you playing at?” Snow groaned.
“Hit me!”
“No!”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be that weak little girl that you’re being right now, marrying a man who you don’t even know, and who probably doesn’t even love you enough to-“ Jefferson didn’t have a chance to continue, when Snow suddenly hit him hard right in his face.
“Help, help! Guards! There’s a fight going on here!” Alice ran to the bars, and shouted out loud, and it didn’t take long till the guards showed up and stupidly opened the door to break Jefferson and Snow up.
And as they reached the fight, Jefferson turned to the guards and kicked one of them in the stomach, causing him to land on the floor. Snow pushed the other guard, but he barely flinched. Before she could do anything else, Jefferson knocked him out, too.
“I had him!” Snow shouted.
“No, you didn’t. Now shut up, unless you want to be heard”, Jefferson hissed, and pulled Snow and Alice with him out of the cell, and instead of going the way they came, he opened up a small hatch that just looked big enough for a child, but he quickly pushed both Snow and Alice down it, and followed himself.
Next thing they knew, they found themselves in a pile of dirt. The sewer.
“Oh, brilliant”, Snow sighed.
“At least we’re out”, Jefferson pointed out.
“Yes. And now we can go home”, Snow said.
“I can’t”, Alice said.
“What?” Snow turned to look at her as they kept walking down the dirty, low water, trying to reach the end of it.
“The hat only takes back the same amount as it sent here”, Jefferson explained. “Two come in, two come out.”
Snow could see the sadness in his eyes, but just said: “Oh.”
“I tried it, trust me, I did, but it just won’t work. And I can’t ask anyone to end up stuck here”, Jefferson said.
“And I could never ask him to stay here for me, even though he offered”, Alice said.
“I’m sorry”, Snow said carefully. “I could stay, but I have a fiancé-“
“I would never ask that of you”, Alice shook her head. “This is just the way it is.”
After a while they were all standing in front of a big wooden door. It was simply in the middle of nowhere, on the path which Jefferson and Snow had walked on.
“At least you can go to your home here now”, Jefferson said.
“Yes, I can. Thank you, brother”, Alice nodded and hugged him.
“I’ll come back soon”, Jefferson said. “I promise you.”
“I’ll look forwards to it”, Alice smiled, and turned to Snow. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Alice”, Snow nodded and smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“You take care of your fiancé”, Alice said. “I’ve never been in love, but I reckon it’s worth holding onto.”
“It is”, Snow said slowly. “And I need to tell him that.”
With that Jefferson offered Snow his hand, which she took, and they stepped through the door, leaving Alice behind in Wonderland.
“I need to go find Charming”, Snow said as soon as they were standing in Jefferson’s bedroom again.
“Snow-“
“Yeah, I know”, she said, walked to him and hugged him. “I’m sorry about Alice.”
“I was going to say that I’m happy for you”, Jefferson chuckled. “But thank you.”
“Good night”, Snow nodded, and walked out of the room.
She basically ran all the way back to her chambers, and when she opened the door, she saw Charming sitting on the bed, holding a letter.
“Hey”, Snow said carefully.
Charming looked up, and Snow could see sorrow in his eyes.
“Oh, Charming. I’m sorry about today, I was-“
“Are you okay?” Charming interrupted her.
“Yes”, Snow said. “But-“
“You’re not hurt?”
“No.”
“Then what is this?” Charming pushed the letter to Snow’s hands. “It’s a letter from Jefferson. To you. The man you claim to never have been with.”
“You read my letter?” Snow asked.
“Yes, I’m the one to blame”, Charming sighed and stood up. “Maybe I am. I have no idea why you lied to me. Why you left. Why you would not want to tell your best friends about us!”
“It’s not as simple as that!” Snow groaned.
“The letter said that he’s sorry about everything he did. And that he was wrong. And that he’s still in love with you. What is that? Tell me!” Charming was yelling.
“Fine!” Snow yelled back. “I was in love with him! Are you happy now?”
Charming breathed in and out for a little bit, and then he shook his head. “No, trust me. I am not happy”, and with that he walked out of the room, slamming the door closed after him.
“Oh my God”, Snow muttered and sat on the floor, ripping the letter apart and crying. That was exactly what she hadn’t wanted.
Eric was sitting at the breakfast table. Everyone else had gone about their business already, except Charming. He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, and Eric was waiting for him. After a while, he heard footsteps and saw Charming enter the dining area.
“Good morning”, Eric tried to smile.
“Yeah, sure”, Charming muttered and sat down. “Have you seen Snow?”
“Why?” Eric asked nervously. “Why would you want to know where she is? I’m sure she’s fine…”
“What happened to her?” Charming snapped. “She didn’t come to bed last night.”
“I don’t know”, Eric shook his shoulders.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you wouldn’t be able to explain this, would you?” Charming said angrily and threw Jefferson’s letter in Eric’s face and waited for him to open and read it.
Eric went pale. “Charming..”
“If your brother is here to win Snow back, I can promise you, that it is not going to end well for him. Do you understand me?” Charming hissed, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the letter from the table and waltzed out.
“What happened to her?” Snow asked quietly. They had been in the cell for hours. Alice was still unconscious.
Jefferson sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Looks like I’ve got time.”
“I found this hat in my father’s closet a few years after he died. Eric and I visited Wonderland a few times, and you know what happened. But after I left you and Eric, I went back, and I met Alice. It wasn’t sure at first that she was my sister, but she had a letter with her that my father had left with her when she had been just a baby. It turns out my father dropped Alice off to Wonderland when she was just a baby. She’s just my half-sister. I don’t know who her mother is”, Jefferson said. “And I didn’t tell Eric because he’s been through so much already. He doesn’t need anything else to worry about.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make”, Snow said.
“I know. But look at her. She has nobody. And what if Eric would have reacted badly? What would have happened then? She would have most likely run off and I would never have seen her again”, Jefferson shook his shoulders. “I did what I thought was right.”
“I know”, Snow said quietly.
They sat in silence for a while, when suddenly Alice gasped for breath. Jefferson straightened up immediately and turned to look at his sister. “Alice?”
“Jefferson?” Alice opened her eyes and looked around. “What happened? Why are you here? Who is she?” she turned to look at Snow, who just observed silently.
“This is Snow. And we ran into a bit of trouble, trying to save you”, Jefferson said.
“What? Why would you do that?” Alice groaned.
“Because you’re my sister, and the Queen doesn’t treat you fairly”, Jefferson smiled.
“What did you do to get in here for?” Snow asked.
“I made the Queen angry”, Alice said simply. She reminded Snow a lot of Jefferson, but also Eric. The looks, anyway.
“How?”
“You ask a lot of questions”, Alice said.
Snow glanced at Jefferson, who just shook his shoulders.
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Snow asked.
“Off with the head, most likely”, Alice said. “That’s what they’ll do to me.”
“Off with the head? I don’t think so”, Snow stood up. “There has to be a way out!”
“She is not from around here, is she?” Alice whispered to Jefferson, and he shook his head.
“Have you seen Snow?” Red ran into Daniel in the halls, just on her way from Snow and Charming’s empty bedroom.
“Not in a while”, Daniel said. “Hey, what do you think of the engagement?”
“What engagement?” Red asked.
“Snow didn’t tell you?” Daniel realized that he might have said something he shouldn’t have.
“Tell me what?” Red asked, this time her voice raised a bit.
“Nothing”, Daniel shook his head violently. “Nothing. She’ll tell you when she wants to.”
“What?” Red groaned. “Just tell me.”
“Snow and Charming are getting married”, Daniel said quickly.
“They’re getting married?” Red gasped. “And Snow didn’t tell me?”
“Charming told me. I think it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“I’m Snow’s best friend, and she didn’t tell me”, Red muttered. “And now she’s missing.”
“I’m sure she was meaning to tell you”, Daniel said.
“What else have I missed? Anything else? Another secret you would like to let me in on?” Red said angrily. She wasn’t even angry at Daniel, she was just taking it out on him.
“Uh… Snow lied to Charming about something?”
“What?” Red snapped.
“I don’t know! I was talking to Charming, and he was just muttering to himself while I picked up those pretty flowers for you. Remember them?” Daniel tried to make Red smile.
“Yeah, yeah”, Red sighed, and walked off.
“Have you got a plan?” Snow asked after about a half an hour of trying to find a hole in the cell.
“Yes”, Jefferson smirked.
“What is it?” Snow snapped.
“Just wait and see”, Jefferson said, whispered something to Alice, who nodded, and they both got up.
“Are you ready?” Jefferson turned to Snow.
“Ready for what?” Snow sighed.
“Hit me. Go on, hit me. I can take it.”
“What are you playing at?” Snow groaned.
“Hit me!”
“No!”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be that weak little girl that you’re being right now, marrying a man who you don’t even know, and who probably doesn’t even love you enough to-“ Jefferson didn’t have a chance to continue, when Snow suddenly hit him hard right in his face.
“Help, help! Guards! There’s a fight going on here!” Alice ran to the bars, and shouted out loud, and it didn’t take long till the guards showed up and stupidly opened the door to break Jefferson and Snow up.
And as they reached the fight, Jefferson turned to the guards and kicked one of them in the stomach, causing him to land on the floor. Snow pushed the other guard, but he barely flinched. Before she could do anything else, Jefferson knocked him out, too.
“I had him!” Snow shouted.
“No, you didn’t. Now shut up, unless you want to be heard”, Jefferson hissed, and pulled Snow and Alice with him out of the cell, and instead of going the way they came, he opened up a small hatch that just looked big enough for a child, but he quickly pushed both Snow and Alice down it, and followed himself.
Next thing they knew, they found themselves in a pile of dirt. The sewer.
“Oh, brilliant”, Snow sighed.
“At least we’re out”, Jefferson pointed out.
“Yes. And now we can go home”, Snow said.
“I can’t”, Alice said.
“What?” Snow turned to look at her as they kept walking down the dirty, low water, trying to reach the end of it.
“The hat only takes back the same amount as it sent here”, Jefferson explained. “Two come in, two come out.”
Snow could see the sadness in his eyes, but just said: “Oh.”
“I tried it, trust me, I did, but it just won’t work. And I can’t ask anyone to end up stuck here”, Jefferson said.
“And I could never ask him to stay here for me, even though he offered”, Alice said.
“I’m sorry”, Snow said carefully. “I could stay, but I have a fiancé-“
“I would never ask that of you”, Alice shook her head. “This is just the way it is.”
After a while they were all standing in front of a big wooden door. It was simply in the middle of nowhere, on the path which Jefferson and Snow had walked on.
“At least you can go to your home here now”, Jefferson said.
“Yes, I can. Thank you, brother”, Alice nodded and hugged him.
“I’ll come back soon”, Jefferson said. “I promise you.”
“I’ll look forwards to it”, Alice smiled, and turned to Snow. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Alice”, Snow nodded and smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“You take care of your fiancé”, Alice said. “I’ve never been in love, but I reckon it’s worth holding onto.”
“It is”, Snow said slowly. “And I need to tell him that.”
With that Jefferson offered Snow his hand, which she took, and they stepped through the door, leaving Alice behind in Wonderland.
“I need to go find Charming”, Snow said as soon as they were standing in Jefferson’s bedroom again.
“Snow-“
“Yeah, I know”, she said, walked to him and hugged him. “I’m sorry about Alice.”
“I was going to say that I’m happy for you”, Jefferson chuckled. “But thank you.”
“Good night”, Snow nodded, and walked out of the room.
She basically ran all the way back to her chambers, and when she opened the door, she saw Charming sitting on the bed, holding a letter.
“Hey”, Snow said carefully.
Charming looked up, and Snow could see sorrow in his eyes.
“Oh, Charming. I’m sorry about today, I was-“
“Are you okay?” Charming interrupted her.
“Yes”, Snow said. “But-“
“You’re not hurt?”
“No.”
“Then what is this?” Charming pushed the letter to Snow’s hands. “It’s a letter from Jefferson. To you. The man you claim to never have been with.”
“You read my letter?” Snow asked.
“Yes, I’m the one to blame”, Charming sighed and stood up. “Maybe I am. I have no idea why you lied to me. Why you left. Why you would not want to tell your best friends about us!”
“It’s not as simple as that!” Snow groaned.
“The letter said that he’s sorry about everything he did. And that he was wrong. And that he’s still in love with you. What is that? Tell me!” Charming was yelling.
“Fine!” Snow yelled back. “I was in love with him! Are you happy now?”
Charming breathed in and out for a little bit, and then he shook his head. “No, trust me. I am not happy”, and with that he walked out of the room, slamming the door closed after him.
“Oh my God”, Snow muttered and sat on the floor, ripping the letter apart and crying. That was exactly what she hadn’t wanted.