We're All Mad Here (Jefferson x OC)

Chapter Forty-Four

"You want to go in there?" Jefferson asked Regina, standing outside The Queen of Hearts' garden. It was more of a maze than a garden, the walls leading to dead ends and things that would kill you if you got too close.

"What I want is a short walk through."

"A short walk?" He scoffed, looking over at her. "You know who this belongs to." He couldn't believe she would want to go anywhere near The Queen of Hearts. Especially since The Queen of Hearts was her mother.

From what Serena had told him, they never had a good relationship. It was no surprise that she was able to gain that title in Wonderland. Serena had told him she was evil. Far worse than Regina ever was.

"The Queen of Hearts." Regina sighed, turning to the giant heart shaped bush with red roses in the middle. "She's not one for subtlety."

"This wasn't part of our deal." Jefferson said in a quiet voice. "You know what she does to anyone that crosses her?"

"Indeed. Better than most." She nodded and he started walking back towards the exit. He wanted to get out of there. If they were caught, The Queen of Hearts wouldn't let them keep their heads.

When she started walking towards the maze, he sighed and turned to face her. She noticed he wasn't following her and stopped walking.

"You can't leave Wonderland without me. Two go through. Two go back." She reminded him. "You're not gonna let The Queen of Hearts keep you from returning home to your family, are you?" He sighed with a nod and turned back to the maze. "That's what I thought."

Before they could enter the maze, Jefferson pulled her arm back to stop her. "Wait." He picked up a stick and tossed it at the wall, watching the branches suck the stick into the hedges. "Stay away from the walls."

"I've got a better idea." She said with a huff. "The walls should stay away from me." She sent a fireball towards the hedges, clearing the path so they could walk through. She smiled and started walking, making sure Jefferson was behind her.

It didn't take long to get to the center of the maze, thanks to Regina and her magic. Jefferson watched for guards as Regina stopped at the vault that stood out among the hedge walls.

With a flick of her wrist, the vault doors opened and Regina stepped in, taking a certain box out. She stared at it with a sad smile, knowing Serena would be happy when she saw what's inside. She then returned to Jefferson, who was waiting impatiently.

"Okay? You got what you need?" He asked her, happy that it wouldn't be too long until he would be able to get back to Serena and Grace. She nodded and walked over to him, tucking the box safely under her arm. "Shall we?"

Before they could leave, guards appeared almost out of nowhere and saw them. They ran the other way, only to be stopped by more guards. Apparently The Queen of Hearts got more guards because there were more than Jefferson had ever dealt with.

They went down a different path, running through the maze as the guards followed close behind them. Regina threw two guards into the hedges, watching as it swallowed them whole. Jefferson got rid of the last guard before following her back to the vault.

More guards followed them as they neared the exit. Before the guards could follow them out of the maze, Regina used magic to set off the hedges, closing off the exit. She smiled, turning to Jefferson as they made their escape.

"Let's go." He said, taking her arm and leading her back to the portal. He ran towards it, not realizing Regina had stopped behind him. "The Looking Glass, there it is! Come on..." He turned to see her looking at the giant mushroom. "What are you doing? We can't stop now. We gotta get out of here."