[ What a weak excuse. He wouldn't say that to Grace, about his own abandonment of her, so how can he peddle the same platitude to a child who's hurting now? ]
[ Jefferson doesn't hesitate, and since they're still living in the same building, it's not long before he's at the door to Victor's room-- or, what's now Victor and Lucy's room. He knocks, even though politeness is hardly ever at the top of his priorities, just in case the door is locked.
After all, if he were in her shoes, he'd probably keep the door locked.
But once Lucy opens the door, Jefferson's just going to scoop her into a hug. She's a kid who lost her only connection to her family, and it's the least he can do. ]
[ The door was locked and Lucy was hesitant to open it. She already had one misstep with Jim. She didn’t want to do that again. But, opening the door, she sees Jefferson and doesn’t hold back. He picks her up and she instantly clings to him, holding back the urge to cry again.
Crying won’t help. It didn’t stop the curse and it wouldn’t bring Emma back.
For now, she’ll hold onto Jefferson for as long as he allows and squished between them is her stuffed toy, a doctor Dog doll named Dr. Whale. ]
[ Here, he's going to set Lucy down on the couch (or most comfortable chair, if there is no couch, shh) and sit down beside her, one arm hooked around her shoulders in a half-hug. ]
Of course I can. [ He shoots her a quick, reassuring smile, untucking the ends of his scarf so he can wipe away her tears. ] I cleared my whole schedule for you.
[ Not that his schedule had a whole lot going on. ]
How about we make something together? A surprise for Victor. Whatever you want.
[ Lucy sits next to him, her arms wrapped around his waist and holding him tightly. There are tears that come down her face because she is still upset—rightfully so. It felt like the curse happened all over again, taking away her family and left her behind.
There’s a faint nod of her head, looking up at him. ]
I don’t know...I don’t feel like making anything.
[ Not a ball of sunshine or energy right now. She doesn’t know how she feels otherwise than sad. ]
Not even cookies? [ But if she doesn't want to make anything, then he won't push her. Still, as an expert of wallowing in his own grief, he'd rather keep Lucy occupied, if he can. ] Maybe we can order something later, then.
[Lucy wasn't in the mood for anything, least of cookies. He could order something if he wanted to. She wasn't in the mood for food. Or maybe anything, not for a while.]
...I don't like it. I want Victor to be happy, but...Jim wasn't nice when I met him. Thought he was taking me to live in a group home.
[Lucy starts to shift to sit on Jefferson's lap to lean against him and try and curl up.]
[ His brow knits in concern, and he looks down at Lucy. ]
Why did you think that?
[ Was it something Jim had said, or just her assumption upon meeting him, because of... what she'd told him before, really. Her mother finding another man, her father leaving, the curse seemingly invincible and unbreakable. Does she see Victor's relationship in a similar light, something that's inevitably going to tear her family-- however it manifests here-- apart.
Jefferson shifts to accommodate her, still holding Lucy close. He lets out a short exhale at her observation, though, about hating change. ]
Yeah... [ He could tell her that not all change is bad, but with Lucy hurting the way she is, the last thing Jefferson wants is to immediately invalidate her feelings about the situation. ] Luckily, Victor can be a pretty good judge of character.
[ Is he, though? HE DID BUSINESS WITH JEFFERSON AND RUMPLESTILTSKIN, TWO DECIDEDLY SHADY CHARACTERS.
Anyway, Jefferson lowers his voice conspiratorially: ]
But between you, me, and your friend here-- [ The stuffed dog, he means. ] If Jim turns out to be a bad guy, we'll chase him off together. [ He offers his pinky to Lucy for the most sacred of swears. ] Promise.
Because he said he was Victor’s friends and I know who they are. He wanted to come inside and I told him no and... [ Lucy paused there, curling up against jefferson in an attempt to make herself smaller. ] I lost Emma, I thought I was being taken away too.
[ Jim could’ve approached the situation differently, been friendlier, and Lucy should’ve been more respectful. However, she was in shock and mourning over losing her grandma. She thought something else was going to happen and this over reacted....but could Jefferson blame her?
There was a slow nod of her head. Yes Victor was a good judge of character but she wasn’t sure of Jim...not yet. So when Jefferson offers to help her with a pink promise, that lightens her day a little. She looped her pinky around his. ]
Promise. I don’t want Victor to get hurt—and I don’t know if Jim knows about our world or if he’ll believe Victor and not think it’s all made up. [ Better to focus on Victor rather than her own sadness. She was trying to protect her family. While she would give people the benefit of the doubt...their first interaction didn’t go well at all. ]
[ He gives her a supportive squeeze. ] Hey. It's okay. You were right not to let a stranger in just because he said he was a friend.
[ Sure, Jim's actually a friend of Victor's, so it's not like he was lying. But, you know, nobody wants Lucy to get in the habit of opening the door for everyone who says they're a friend of a friend. ]
We won't let him get hurt. You and me, we're a team on this. [ After all: they pinky sweared on this. ]
I know, and I kind of felt bad after Victor said Jim was his friend.
[ She said Jim could stay if he wanted to. She was trying to defend their home from anyone that was a threat. At the time Jim sort of was a threat....to her time with Victor. ]
Jim was shocked to learn Victor is taking care of me...caught off guard and he was very... [ What’s a nicer word for pain the neck and stubborn? ] ...headstrong. He wanted me to call for Victor to prove he was his friend—but Victor was busy and I wasn’t going to take a chance.
[ Victor could’ve been on a break through of some sort! She wasn’t going to risk that to prove whether a stranger was a “friend” or not. But at least she had a partner in this. Jefferson and her would protect Victor. ]
I don’t think Jim likes me very much and if he becomes a step-parent he might turn evil.
[ Ahhh, now that's a good point. Stepparents don't really have the best track record in the Enchanted Forest. In... any version of it. Jefferson sighs, because... god, this goes against his 30-some year grudge against Regina, but: ]
Well. I seem to recall you telling me about a wicked stepmother who decided to become a hero one day. [ Looking down at Lucy, he adds, a light note of teasing in his voice: ] Who was it, again? I don't remember.
[ Okay, that is so not fair! Regina was good and she took an evil side trip—-and Jefferson had a point. Let it be known the Mad Hatter could make sense and be very logical. There’s a faint hint of a smile on her face when she looks up at him. ]
It was Regina.
[She let out a soft sigh, holding her stuffed toy closer to her. ]
...I miss her. [ Regina, Emma, her mom...Henry. She missed all of them and it’s hitting her hard right now. Urgh! No more crying! Think of something else!]
[ Jefferson grins back at her. At least the faint smile is something.
His own smile fades, though, at Lucy's next words. ]
I know. [ His voice is soft, sincere, laced with his own sense of loss. Jefferson offers the end of his scarf again, in case Lucy needs to have another cry. ] You never stop missing your family.
[ ...he really ought to pair that with something uplifting. Something like... 'But it gets easier over time.' But that's a lie. Priscilla, Grace, their absence never gets easier to live with. ]
[At least Jefferson was being honest with her. At least he wasn't trying to sugar coat things and tell her it gets easier. Thinking about it, he must miss his family a lot. She doesn't know much about them, but she can only bet he misses them too.
Lucy picks up the other end of his scarf, trying to drape it over the back of her neck too.]
I would miss you too...if you left.
[He should know. Just in case he ever found a way back to his family in Wonderland or wherever else....he needed to know.]
[His words make Lucy hug him, giving him a squeeze and trying hard not to think of the rest of people she missed. Her Aunt Sabine. Roni. Others in Hyperion Heights who had their own stories and had no idea who they actually were...
Hearing Jefferson had a daughter, that put a new spin on things. It made Lucy realize how much he must be missing his daughter...and if he had the opportunity to see her, to go back to her, Lucy wouldn't be upset. She'd want him to go.]
Hmm... [ Jefferson's not looking at Lucy now, his eyes fixed on some point that's not quite in the here and now. If anything, thinking about his daughter brings a distant, sad look to his face. ]
She was-- is-- [ He isn't sure which tense is appropriate, when talking about a daughter he only knows now through watching from a distance. How long had she been left, abandoned, in the Enchanted Forest while he was imprisoned in Wonderland? That time between his beheading and Regina's curse...
Jefferson swallows and tries again. ]
She's kind. Generous. Clever, like her mother, and... imaginative, but sensible. [ Unlike him, in that regard. Grace had a better sense of priorities than he ever did. And it breaks his heart, because she's a child; she shouldn't have to think about responsibilities. If he could have provided for her... ] Outgoing, too. I always see her with--
[ With friends. In Storybrooke, she's a normal, well-adjusted kid, with everything she could possibly need. The one good thing Regina did with her curse: she stayed true to her word that Grace would be well taken care of. It's a cold comfort. Jefferson wipes his eyes and forces a smile. ]
[When Jefferson talks about his child, he looks as sad as she was feeling. He was away from his family members, just like she was. She doesn't know much of his story, or what role he played when the curse was cast, but she wants to find out. She wants to....she doesn't want him to be just as sad as her.
Seeing him wipe his eyes, Lucy pulls the scarf off of her neck and holds it up to him. Crying is okay. Being sad is okay. It was okay to cry in front of her. She wouldn't judge him. Right now, she shifts again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugs him as tight as she could.]
Probably..and I bet we would've enjoyed your tea parties..
[And she was sure her dad and Jefferson would've gotten along very well...same with her mom.]
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thestoriesarereal
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 05:38 pm (UTC)I miss Emma a lot. I never got to see her until I came here.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 05:48 pm (UTC)[ What can he even say? ]
probably didn't have a choice.
[ What a weak excuse. He wouldn't say that to Grace, about his own abandonment of her, so how can he peddle the same platitude to a child who's hurting now? ]
Can I come over?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 05:52 pm (UTC)Yes, please.
I want you to come over.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 06:02 pm (UTC)After all, if he were in her shoes, he'd probably keep the door locked.
But once Lucy opens the door, Jefferson's just going to scoop her into a hug. She's a kid who lost her only connection to her family, and it's the least he can do. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 08:11 pm (UTC)Crying won’t help. It didn’t stop the curse and it wouldn’t bring Emma back.
For now, she’ll hold onto Jefferson for as long as he allows and squished between them is her stuffed toy, a doctor Dog doll named Dr. Whale. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 08:20 pm (UTC)Not that it's hard to make him cry.
Still, he holds onto Lucy as long as she needs, carrying her into the apartment and using his foot to shut the door behind them. ]
You're not alone. [ He keeps his voice soft, absent of his usual bitter or sarcastic bite. ] Okay?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 10:19 pm (UTC)But it’s hard to do. So hard and Jefferson’s words only make it harder for her to hold back tears. ]
...I have you and Victor, I know..
[ And others but they’re not from her world or...worlds. ]
Could you stay for dinner? Please?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 10:43 pm (UTC)Of course I can. [ He shoots her a quick, reassuring smile, untucking the ends of his scarf so he can wipe away her tears. ] I cleared my whole schedule for you.
[ Not that his schedule had a whole lot going on. ]
How about we make something together? A surprise for Victor. Whatever you want.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 10:55 pm (UTC)There’s a faint nod of her head, looking up at him. ]
I don’t know...I don’t feel like making anything.
[ Not a ball of sunshine or energy right now. She doesn’t know how she feels otherwise than sad. ]
...did you know Victor is dating someone?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 11:06 pm (UTC)[ Jefferson lets out a soft, thoughtful hum. ]
Mhm. What do you think about it?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 06:05 am (UTC)[Lucy wasn't in the mood for anything, least of cookies. He could order something if he wanted to. She wasn't in the mood for food. Or maybe anything, not for a while.]
...I don't like it. I want Victor to be happy, but...Jim wasn't nice when I met him. Thought he was taking me to live in a group home.
[Lucy starts to shift to sit on Jefferson's lap to lean against him and try and curl up.]
...I'm starting to hate change.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 12:29 pm (UTC)Why did you think that?
[ Was it something Jim had said, or just her assumption upon meeting him, because of... what she'd told him before, really. Her mother finding another man, her father leaving, the curse seemingly invincible and unbreakable. Does she see Victor's relationship in a similar light, something that's inevitably going to tear her family-- however it manifests here-- apart.
Jefferson shifts to accommodate her, still holding Lucy close. He lets out a short exhale at her observation, though, about hating change. ]
Yeah... [ He could tell her that not all change is bad, but with Lucy hurting the way she is, the last thing Jefferson wants is to immediately invalidate her feelings about the situation. ] Luckily, Victor can be a pretty good judge of character.
[ Is he, though? HE DID BUSINESS WITH JEFFERSON AND RUMPLESTILTSKIN, TWO DECIDEDLY SHADY CHARACTERS.
Anyway, Jefferson lowers his voice conspiratorially: ]
But between you, me, and your friend here-- [ The stuffed dog, he means. ] If Jim turns out to be a bad guy, we'll chase him off together. [ He offers his pinky to Lucy for the most sacred of swears. ] Promise.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 05:52 pm (UTC)[ Jim could’ve approached the situation differently, been friendlier, and Lucy should’ve been more respectful. However, she was in shock and mourning over losing her grandma. She thought something else was going to happen and this over reacted....but could Jefferson blame her?
There was a slow nod of her head. Yes Victor was a good judge of character but she wasn’t sure of Jim...not yet. So when Jefferson offers to help her with a pink promise, that lightens her day a little. She looped her pinky around his. ]
Promise. I don’t want Victor to get hurt—and I don’t know if Jim knows about our world or if he’ll believe Victor and not think it’s all made up. [ Better to focus on Victor rather than her own sadness. She was trying to protect her family. While she would give people the benefit of the doubt...their first interaction didn’t go well at all. ]
Have you met him yet?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 09:23 pm (UTC)[ Sure, Jim's actually a friend of Victor's, so it's not like he was lying. But, you know, nobody wants Lucy to get in the habit of opening the door for everyone who says they're a friend of a friend. ]
We won't let him get hurt. You and me, we're a team on this. [ After all: they pinky sweared on this. ]
Not yet. What's he like?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 10:35 pm (UTC)[ She said Jim could stay if he wanted to. She was trying to defend their home from anyone that was a threat. At the time Jim sort of was a threat....to her time with Victor. ]
Jim was shocked to learn Victor is taking care of me...caught off guard and he was very... [ What’s a nicer word for pain the neck and stubborn? ] ...headstrong. He wanted me to call for Victor to prove he was his friend—but Victor was busy and I wasn’t going to take a chance.
[ Victor could’ve been on a break through of some sort! She wasn’t going to risk that to prove whether a stranger was a “friend” or not. But at least she had a partner in this. Jefferson and her would protect Victor. ]
I don’t think Jim likes me very much and if he becomes a step-parent he might turn evil.
[ Cause, you know, her step grandmother did. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-07 11:23 pm (UTC)Well. I seem to recall you telling me about a wicked stepmother who decided to become a hero one day. [ Looking down at Lucy, he adds, a light note of teasing in his voice: ] Who was it, again? I don't remember.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-08 01:37 am (UTC)It was Regina.
[She let out a soft sigh, holding her stuffed toy closer to her. ]
...I miss her. [ Regina, Emma, her mom...Henry. She missed all of them and it’s hitting her hard right now. Urgh! No more crying! Think of something else!]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-08 01:58 am (UTC)His own smile fades, though, at Lucy's next words. ]
I know. [ His voice is soft, sincere, laced with his own sense of loss. Jefferson offers the end of his scarf again, in case Lucy needs to have another cry. ] You never stop missing your family.
[ ...he really ought to pair that with something uplifting. Something like... 'But it gets easier over time.' But that's a lie. Priscilla, Grace, their absence never gets easier to live with. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-08 06:30 am (UTC)Lucy picks up the other end of his scarf, trying to drape it over the back of her neck too.]
I would miss you too...if you left.
[He should know. Just in case he ever found a way back to his family in Wonderland or wherever else....he needed to know.]
no subject
Date: 2018-03-08 07:13 pm (UTC)[ He really would. And now, this is his bind: escape, return home, and abandon Lucy as he abandoned Grace... or stay here, and never see Grace again.
If only there were a way to bring his daughter here. It'd beat Storybrooke, that's for sure.
After some moments of quiet thought, Jefferson adds: ]
I have a daughter, you know. She was... your father's schoolmate.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-09 02:13 am (UTC)Hearing Jefferson had a daughter, that put a new spin on things. It made Lucy realize how much he must be missing his daughter...and if he had the opportunity to see her, to go back to her, Lucy wouldn't be upset. She'd want him to go.]
She was?
[That makes her look up at him a little.]
What was she like?
no subject
Date: 2018-03-09 03:44 am (UTC)She was-- is-- [ He isn't sure which tense is appropriate, when talking about a daughter he only knows now through watching from a distance. How long had she been left, abandoned, in the Enchanted Forest while he was imprisoned in Wonderland? That time between his beheading and Regina's curse...
Jefferson swallows and tries again. ]
She's kind. Generous. Clever, like her mother, and... imaginative, but sensible. [ Unlike him, in that regard. Grace had a better sense of priorities than he ever did. And it breaks his heart, because she's a child; she shouldn't have to think about responsibilities. If he could have provided for her... ] Outgoing, too. I always see her with--
[ With friends. In Storybrooke, she's a normal, well-adjusted kid, with everything she could possibly need. The one good thing Regina did with her curse: she stayed true to her word that Grace would be well taken care of. It's a cold comfort. Jefferson wipes his eyes and forces a smile. ]
You two probably would've been friends.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-09 04:35 pm (UTC)Seeing him wipe his eyes, Lucy pulls the scarf off of her neck and holds it up to him. Crying is okay. Being sad is okay. It was okay to cry in front of her. She wouldn't judge him. Right now, she shifts again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugs him as tight as she could.]
Probably..and I bet we would've enjoyed your tea parties..
[And she was sure her dad and Jefferson would've gotten along very well...same with her mom.]
I wish she was here with you.