We're All Mad Here (Jefferson x OC)

Chapter Seventy-Two

King Leopold's castle was huge. Bigger than Jefferson expected. And Scarlett was right, there was more gold than he could imagine. Enough to give him enough money to last him a few years. Who was he kidding? He'd sell it all in at most, a month.

They had lied their way into the King's ball, a party for accomplishment that didn't seem as important as it sounded. But to rich people, anything could be celebrated with enough alcohol and gold.

As they practically raided the King's treasure room, Jefferson stopped to see a newer portrait of the royal family. In another portrait was the new queen and what he assumed was her lady in waiting.

"You gonna stand there and gawk or are you going to hurry up?" Scarlett's voice snapped him back to reality. He nodded, glancing at the portrait one more time.

"Who is that?" He asked, gesturing to the second portrait. "Next to the Queen."

Scarlett walked over, stuffing a necklace in her pocket. "Oh, that's her sister. Well, now it's her lady in waiting."

"Her sister?" He repeated, moving closer to the painting. The girl in the painting, Serena, wore an almost sad expression. Despite her face being painted, he could still read the emotions of a woman that was trapped. But he didn't know why. "She looks... sad."

"Oh, please." Scarlett almost scoffed. "She's probably some spoiled noble who needs a reality check." He nodded absentmindedly, still staring at the photo of Serena. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"I'm coming." He stashed a few more jewels in his bag before following Scarlett to the window. She made sure there were no guards below before opening the window. "You're sure about this?"

"Relax, this is the part I'm good at." As soon as she spoke, they heard guards pounding on the door, trying to get in. She quickly set up their escape, and he helped her out before following after her.

As soon as they were safe, she was talking and laughing as normal. He talked as well, smiling softly at her. He kept the jewels close to him, just as she did with hers. They walked to a nearby inn, using some money to get a room.

Scarlett hid her jewels, chatting with him as usual. "You know, you're not so bad for a rookie." She joked, looking up at him with a playful smile.

"Not a rookie, remember?"

"In my eyes, you always will be."

-Storybrooke-

The heels of Serena's boots clicked against the stone walkway as she and David approached Regina's house. She could sense magic in the air and she almost immediately recognized the magic around the trees in the yard. Her mother, Cora, had used the same tactic to keep Regina from getting too far away from home. Now, Regina was using the same magic on Henry.

"You alright?" David asked, noticing her unease. She nodded, taking her eyes off the trees as David prepared his sword. Before she could say anything, he forced open the door, his sword in hand.

"What happened to being subtle?" Serena asked with a sigh as she entered behind David. He simply rolled his eyes, approaching Regina. She sat at her dining table with a spell book, jumping in surprise when she saw the two.

"I want to see him." David demanded Regina. She got up, a sad expression on her face as she looked between the two. He held his sword up as she moved closer, holding the blade close to her neck.

She looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke. "Henry, come down." Both David and Serena looked at each other in confusion as Regina continued. "You won't be using your sword. Or your magic."