Smuts/One Shots

wonderland iv. (jh)

harper and jefferson took the hat back to storybrooke, while david and snow traveled by magic bean. the queen of hearts was waiting for her daughter on a bench by the docks with the cheshire cat on her right, and another man on her left. harper tried to calm herself with jefferson behind her, david and snow were not far away. harper was curious as to who the man was, but she didn't dwell on it.

"mother." she greeted.

"hello harper. and friends." the queen sighed.

"are you coming back with me peacefully or do we need to do this the hard way?" her mother rolled her eyes.

"that's why i asked to meet with you. i wanted to be civil with you. i don't want to go back there, ever. i don't want to take over for you, i don't want to be sworn in, and i don't want to rule wonderland. why can't you accept that?" the girl breathed out.

"i will not listen to this foolishness anymore, harper. you have royal blood, the only royal blood left, mind you. when i die, there will be no one to take over for me if you are not there. if you are so hellbent on not coming back, then you are also hellbent on the fall of the land where thousands of people live. they depend on their queen to keep wonderland afloat, harper." the queen finally laid on eyes on her daughter.

harper really was the spitting image of her mother. the same eyes, the same facial structure, the same tone of voice, the same body language. jefferson noticed just how similar they are in looks, but not in souls. harper is kinder, sweeter, funnier, more down to earth than the queen of hearts has ever been. david and snow were hiding in the shadows, keeping an eye on the scene to make sure nothing goes wrong.

the girl didn't know what to say. she never wanted to be royal. harper looked back at jefferson, searching his eyes for a sign to go with her mother. all she could see was the usual look he held for her - admiration. whatever she chose to do, the hatter would be behind her one hundred percent. the queen stood, as did the man next to her, and walked towards harper. the girl took a step back, making her mother stop walking.

"are you afraid of me?" the queen's voice was hurt.

"well, you did threaten to force me to spend the rest of my life in a land i've only ever been to once before to take over for you. you sent a threatening letter. you turned the cheshire cat into man for whatever reason, and you have another mysterious man standing next to you who hasn't said anything since i got here. so yea, you make me a little uneasy, mother." harper rolled her eyes.

jefferson stifled a laugh. the queen gave an annoyed sigh. she knew she'd have to explain things to her daughter, but she didn't bank on the girl having the same attitude as her as well. harper is just like the queen when she was her age. rebellious, stubborn, hard-headed, but caring, kind, and patient to those she loves. the mother took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"the laws of wonderland are not as strict as you have previously been told. you are able to come and go as you please. they only say that to make it known to the people of wonderland that the king or queen is always watching and will always be there for their people." the queen rubbed her temples.

"what?" jefferson whispered as he made his way to stand next to harper.

"wonderland laws are not nearly as binding as they are made out to be, except for the royal bloodline. no one that is not of noble blood can serve, ever." she walked closer to her daughter.

harper didn't know what to think. she wasn't sure what to do anymore. if she wouldn't be trapped there, would she want to be queen? if she could take jefferson, would she want to take over for her mother? harper called for snow and david to fall back, to which her mother looked at her with confusion. the girl explained that she had friends waiting to back her up if things went wrong. her mother just nodded and sat back down on the bench. harper followed and took the empty seat before the mysterious man could.

"do you want to come home with me or not?" the queen held her daughter's hand.

"will jefferson be able to come and go as he pleases? will i be able to marry him if i want?" harper crossed her arms over her chest, dropping her mother's hand.

"we can negotiate the terms of your ruling. you don't have to abide by everything, and if there is something you want to change, we can have a civil conversation." the queen nodded.

"then i will go with you, but i will not be sworn in as princess until the conversations take place. i will not be stuck in wonderland forever, nor will i subject jefferson to that kind of fate." the girl reached for jefferson's hand.

"let us go, then." her mother stood.

"one more question." harper prompted and her mother gestured for her to go on.

"who is that?" she pointed to the man beside her.

"that would be your father, darling." the queen smiled.