LONG STORY SHORT ~ Emma Swan and Killian Jones

PILOT

WONDERLAND, TWENTY EIGHT YEARS AGO
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"What's going on?"

Elsie's voice rang through the silent room as the door creaked shut behind her.

Josephine was sat by the window, where she typically was this time of day. She always looked far away, was always in deep thought, with all the knowledge she had, her mind never stopped sorting through things. Tonight was different though, she was different, Elsie could tell the moment she got close enough to really see Josephines features that her mother had an idea, but for once, she was being cautious.

"Mother." Elsie called again when Josephine hadn't acknowledged her yet.

Josephine turned to face Elsie now, she looked dazed, more than usual, but she also looked relieved like she had solved something. It's the look she gets when she finally finds the answers she'd been looking for. Elsie knows the look all too well, but when Josephine did nothing but smile at the sight of her daughter Elsie couldn't help but indulge. 

"What is it?" Elsie questioned, as Josephine stood to full face her. "What have you found?"

"Elsie," Josephine started, reaching for her daughter's hands, which Elsie gave. "How would you feel about leaving Wonderland? Starting new, away from the madness of this place?"

"What are you talking about?" Elsie asked, trying to figure out Josephines thoughts. Josephine was the queen, the good one at least, Wonderland needed her. "You cannot leave."

"You are unhappy here, we both are, we don't have to be anymore."

It was convincing, Josephine was good at that, and maybe anyone else would buy that all this was, was a mother wanting to do whats best for her daughter. Elsie knew Josephine too well, Josephine was telling once you spent enough time around her. There was more to why she wanted to leave now, there was something she wanted.

"Is this because of Cora leaving?" It was a guess, but by how taken aback Josephine was by it, Elsie knew she was right. "You want to know why she left. You think she is planning something."

"She left suddenly, with that pirate, the one I told you about. I know she is planning something."

"What about Wonderland?" Elsie asked, taking a seat in the same spot Josephine was minutes before. "As much as I want to leave, you are the only good thing here, you cannot abandon it. You cannot give it up to Anastatia."

Josephine took a moment.

"Everyday, I lose more of my magic here." Josephine noted. "Anastasia is far out of reach for me now, the people are starting to notice that."

"So you're giving up?" Elsie questioned. Don't get her wrong, she would love to be anywhere but Wonderland, but she couldn't just let Josephine give up against Anastasia. "You're done trying?"

"I tried, continuously, for Wonderland. Even though I never wanted to be queen!" Josephine argued, but she wasn't angry at the accusation, just simply exhausted of Wonderland. "I did this all to keep insides on Anastatia, but I stayed, after my fall out with her, after the kingdom was split, I stayed despite my reasoning for becoming queen! I have done nothing but fight for Wonderland and I wish there was more I could do but Anastatia is better than me, she puts up a better fight."

They both fell silent after that. It wasn't like Josephine to give up on anything. Everything she started she finished, but at some point she lost sight of it all and she couldn't continue fighting Anastasia anymore. Josephine knew if they kept up this way, eventually it would be one of their downfalls, it would be hers, she wouldn't harm Anastasia but nothing was stopping Anastasia from harming her.