"So you've been here for how long?" Henry asked you. You sighed and ran a hand through your hair.
"Like I told you, I jumped into this dimension a week ago, and now my hat won't work," you said, motioning to the top hat in Henry's lap.
"How does it usually work?"
"Why don't I just show you. That will make it work right? Have some kid help me?" you said sarcastically, with anger hidden beneath it. You really hated this world.
"Please," Henry asked.
"Fine," you said, grabbing the hat out of his hands. You stepped back enough so that if the hole did open, which you knew it wouldn't, it would have enough space. You skipped the hat across the street, sending it into a spiral. The hat spun for a moment and then came to a stop.
"So its suppose to open while it's spinning?"
"Yes."
"Hmm," Henry said, as he stared at the hat. "I think I know someone who can help," Henry said as he grabbed your hand and began running.
"Henry, kid, please stop," you panted as he arrived in front of the school.
"Wait here. But I'll need your hat," he said.
"What?" you asked disbelieving.
"Give me your hat. You can trust me."
"Fine," you groaned handing him your hat. "I will hurt you if that hat doesn't come back to me," you threatened. Henry put up his hands and took off. You sat down on a bench and waited about ten minutes before Henry came back, this time with a handsome stranger.
"This is the girl I was telling you about," Henry said to the man. He looked at you and nodded in acknowledgment.
"So this is your hat?" he asked, now holding your hat.
"Yes," you said as you reached for it. But the man was quicker and pulled it away before you could grab it. He grinned and began walking a little bit away.
"I'll talk to you later, Henry," he called after him, leaving the boy out of the further conversation. You ran to catch up with the very well dressed man.
"Excuse me, that's my hat," you said when you caught up to him.
"I know. Well at least you think it's your hat," he said with a crooked grin.
"I think it's my hat?" you asked with raised eyebrows.
"Well you may own it, but I made it," he said blatantly.
"You made this?" you asked admiringly.
"You sound surprised."
"I figured the maker was some 2,00 year old mad man," you stated.
"Mad man, yes. 2,000 years old, no." You snorted at his remark, and he looked over at you.
"Can you fix it?" you asked.
"No."
"Henry thought you could," you said disappointed. Henry had dragged you all over town for nothing.
"But you might be able to," he said, opening a car door and motioning for you to get inside. You looked at him like he was insane, which you were starting to think he was. "What?" he asked.
"I don't even know your name! I'm not gonna get into a car with you because you claim you can help me fix my hat," you said.
"My name is Jefferson. Now get in the car," he asked, or more commanded.
"Seriously?" You asked putting your hands up. "Fine," you grumbled as you crawled into the passenger seat. When he sat down next to you, he handed you your hat back and took off his hat and scarf. It was then that you noticed the scar on his next. You gasped noticeably.
"Don't ask," he stated as he began to drive.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to talk about it," he said with a bit of anger.
"Why not?" you asked, egging him on.
"Because I don't, uh, what's your name?"
"Y/N."
"Because I don't want to, Y/N," he said.
"Fine," you said, looking out the window. You couldn't see the town anymore, and it felt like he was driving you further into the woods. "Is this how you rape and kill me?"
"What?" Jefferson asked, blindsided by the question.
"Are you just driving me into the woods so you can rape and kill me, and no one will find my body?"
"You're pretty morbid, Y/N."
"Well?"
"No, I actually happen to live up here," he said motioning to the huge mansion coming into sight.
"Damn," you said, eyeing the house. He pulled the car into the garage, next to four other cars. You followed him wide eyed into the house, and took in the fancy home. "Fancy digs," you said as you touched a teapot.
"It'd stay that way if you didn't touch everything," he said as he grabbed your hand and took it off the teapot.
"Sorry," you said as you looked around.
"Come on," he said. You followed him up two staircases and were brought into a white room full of hats that looked exactly like yours.
"Woah." Jefferson looked over at you and nodded.
"I know. You said you've been trapped in this dimension for a week? I've been here for 28 years. For years, I was forced to watch my daughter live with a family she thought was hers, and have no clue who I was. I was helpless. No one else remembered where we were truly from. Now that Emma has broken the curse, I can be reunited with my daughter. It's amazing, but I miss our life. I don't want to live in this huge dungeon, I want to go back to my old life. Magic was re-awoken when Emma got here, so let's make the hats work."
"Okay, sounds good and all, but how? You've clearly been trying for a while, and nothing so far."
"Yes, but now we have two," he said.
"Okay," you sighed. "What can I do?"
"Have you ever been in love?"
"What?!"
"The savior, Emma, was the product of true love. The purest magic. Have you ever been in love?"
"Have you?"
"Once. With Grace's mother," he said sadly.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," you said.
"No, no, it's fine. It was a long time ago," he said. You nodded.
"But, no. I've never been in love."
"Did Henry ever show you his book?"
"Book?" you asked confused. Jefferson sat down and motioned for you to do the same.
"He has this storybook, full of everyone from our world, and their stories. Things that have and haven't yet happened. I was just wondering if you were in it."
"Not that I know of. Are you in it?"
"Yes. That's how Henry knew about me and my hats. He was the one that reunited Grace and I."
"What does your story hold?" you asked, trying to look into his eyes. Jefferson sighed.
"Love."
"Love? Sounds kind of sappy," you joked. Jefferson chuckled and nodded.
"I know, I doubt it's gonna happen."
"Hey, don't say that. I mean, I'm sure you'll find someone crazy enough to love you. Everyone deserves love."
"Thanks, Y/N. Alright, now how about we try the hat?" You both reached for your hat at the same time.
"I'll spin it," you said.
"It's my hat," Jefferson said.
"No, you made it, but it's my hat," you said grabbing it from him. He grabbed your arm and spun you around.
"Together," he said taking hold of the hat.
"Okay." You stepped back a little bit and you both awkwardly threw the hat across the room where it started to spin, faster and faster, until a big purple vortex began to fill the space where the hat was.
"How?" you asked disbelievingly. Jefferson looked at you with a smile. "What?"
"True love is the most powerful magic of all," he said.
"No, there's no way. You? No."
"Magic doesn't lie, Y/N," he said grabbing your hand.
"It can't be."
"There's only one way to find out," he said, spinning you around a placing his lips on yours. He pulled away quickly, making sure you were comfortable. You looked at him speechlessly, and grabbed his face, pulling him in for another.
"This doesn't mean anything," you said once you pulled away and backed up a step.
"Of course not," he said with a cheeky grin.
"It doesn't."
"I believe you," he said, his smile growing bigger.
"Let's go, jerk," you said as you grabbed his hand and jumped into the portal.
