Hello, It's Mrs. Hyde

Prologue Scn.3 (Continued): The Assistant

Jessica's wine glass trembled slightly in her hands, though she hid it well by shifting her grip.
"I..." she started, then stopped. Her voice caught on the edge of memory.
"I don't know how to do that anymore," she admitted quietly. "I was naïve once. I thought I knew what trust was. I thought I knew who I was. And then..." her mouth flattened into a bitter line. "Everything I gave — everything I believed — it was used against me. Twisted. Broken. Turned into a joke at my expense."
She looked up at him, green eyes rimmed with unshed tears. "I don't know how to be that girl again. I don't know if I want to."
Hyde studied her for a long moment. He didn't move, didn't react. Then, without saying a word, he crossed the room and slowly sat in the chair beside the fire.
His wine remained untouched now.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter. Less guarded.
"There was a woman once," he began. "Her name was Mary Ellen. She was... curious. Bright. She saw the world like it was a riddle she could solve with a laugh and a telescope."
Jessica turned slightly toward him, surprised by the shift in tone.
"She worked in my lab," Hyde continued, "though she didn't know it was mine at first. It belonged to the other half of me then. Dr. Jekyll. He was—he is—a nervous, ambitious man who wanted the world to notice him. And when Mary Ellen didn't return his affections the way he'd hoped..." Hyde's jaw tightened. "He drank a serum. One Rumplestiltskin had helped him create. Said it would 'unlock' his confidence. It did more than that. It unlocked me."
Jessica's breath caught.
"I was born in the wake of that choice," Hyde said, his eyes locked on the flames. "A different man entirely. Unburdened by self-pity. Confident. Unapologetic. And when Mary Ellen met me — me, not him — she saw me. She loved me."
Jessica's brows knit. "But Jekyll..."
"Wasn't fond of losing," Hyde finished for her. "He woke up one morning beside her and realized she had chosen me. He pushed her out the window before her father could walk through the door."
Jessica's stomach turned.
"He shifted into me just before he entered. So when the guards arrived... they saw me, not him. A man with blood on his hands and fury in his eyes."
Hyde looked over at her then, expression unreadable.
"I fled. I created this place — the Land of Untold Stories — for people like me. People who were written into corners, misunderstood, miscast, or simply not ready for the end of their tale."
Jessica didn't speak. She couldn't.
Not yet.
Hyde rose to his feet, slowly walked toward her, and held out a hand — not commanding, but patient.
She stared at it for a moment... then placed her smaller hand in his.
No more words were exchanged as he led her across the room and gently lowered her into one of the armchairs by the fireplace. He took the other without flourish, resting his glass on the table beside him.
Then, softly — with more care than she thought possible from him — he said:
"It's time you told me your story."
Jessica stared into the fire for a long moment. Then she turned to face him.
Their eyes met — green and deep brown, pain mirroring pain — and with a shaky breath, she finally began.

"I was born in a quiet place — the Enchanted Forest. We didn't have much, but we had each other. My parents. My older brother, Jefferson. We weren't powerful, but we were special. Our mother shaped a home out of roots and stone, a hidden hut in the woods. She taught me magic... not the flashy kind. The kind that grows."
Her voice wavered.
"Then they came. Magic-hunters. They killed our parents. Jefferson and I escaped through one of his hats — a portal. We ended up in Wonderland."
She paused, gripping the arms of her chair.
"That's where we met Alice. And the White Queen. And for the first time since I lost everything, I had people who loved me again. Alice was like a sister. She married Jefferson. Had his child."
Hyde watched her carefully, saying nothing, letting her navigate the storm.
"Then Rumplestiltskin came. Offered me guidance.Control of my power. I didn't know what manipulation looked like — not yet. He said if I gave him my magic, he'd spare Alice's life."
Her hand clenched on the armrest.
"I gave him everything. Every drop of it. And he killed her anyway."
Her voice broke — not into sobs, but into a ragged crack that seemed to echo in the stone chamber.
"He blamed me. Framed me. Told Jefferson I did it out of jealousy. And for a moment — just a moment — my brother believed him. The White Queen declared me a murderer. Execution."
She swallowed hard.
"Jefferson saved me. Made me leave. Said he'd take his daughter to a world without magic. He sent me somewhere else. Said they'd never find us if we split apart. I guess he was right"
Jessica looked up at Hyde then, eyes raw and shining.
"That's how I ended up here."
The fire crackled softly between them.
Hyde leaned back in his chair, arms folding loosely across his chest. He didn't look away from her.
After a long pause, he said simply, "Thank you."
Jessica blinked. "That's it?"
"I told you," he said, voice quiet but firm. "I do not ridicule those who don't deserve it. I only require honesty."
She felt her throat tighten again — but this time, not from grief.
From relief.
From being seen.

Jessica (Narration):
*"I hadn't realized how much weight I'd been carrying — until he helped me set it down.
Not trust.
Not yet.
But a thread.
The first thread."*