The Princess and The Hatter

Time Stands Still

Jefferson straightened his cravat for the hundredth time since finally settling on what to wear. He stood outside of Ana's hotel room, the numbers on the door seemingly mocking him as he worked up the nerve to knock. He raised his fist to the door, about to knock before his courage failed and he dropped it back down to his side. Was dating always this hard? Back in their world he'd always been suave and confident with women. Some might have even gone so far as to say he was a player. Ana had been the first woman to cause him to consider settling down, the second being Grace's mother.

Within seconds the door swung open to reveal Ana on the other side, who smiled brightly when she saw him. Jefferson's breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes on her. She wore a pink mid length dress that flowed around her legs under a black blazer. She brushed a piece of her dark hair behind her ear as he took in the sight.

After a moment Jefferson realized he hadn't said anything and cleared his throat before blurting out, "Hi."

Ana grinned and returned the greeting.

"How are you feeling?" Jefferson asked eyeing the small cut above her eyebrow.

"A lot better. Though I did get a bit of scolding from Emma and Mary Margret earlier today about running away from the hospital, but seemed to forget about it when I mentioned my plans for this evening," she commented.

Jefferson eyes grew wide as he remembered something. "Right, plans." He glanced at his watch and added, "We better hurry, we don't want to be late."

Ana furrowed her brow. "Ok, do you have a reservation or something?"

He flashed her a sideways smile. "Something like that." He glanced down at her feet before adding, "You might want to change your shoes too."

000

Ana huffed as she ran through the Storybrooke park after Jefferson. She'd changed out of her black pumps and into a pair of combat boots. She knew she must look ridiculous, but she also knew he'd seen her in worse. He still hadn't mentioned where they were going, despite her prodding. A grin grew on her face as she watched him bobbing up and down with each step. They'd both changed over years, but something about this felt natural, despite how odd it might look on the outside.

As if reading her mind, Jefferson looked over his shoulder at her, his expression matching hers. He took a turn off the path into the woods and she followed without question. The trees began to grow thinner before breaking, leaving them on a high hill that over looked the beach. They came to a sudden stop on the grassy area on top of the hill. Ana's jaw fell at the sight and she suddenly understood why Jefferson had been in such a hurry.

"Wow."

The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, painting the ocean a multitude of colors. The water seemed to blend with the sky where they met in the distance. On the cliff face the scene looked like it was only a few feet away, close enough for Ana reached out and scoop up a handful of the rainbow colored water.

Jefferson watched Ana as she stared out at the horizon. Yearning swelled in his chest as he saw her expression of wonderment.

"Wow," Ana gasped as they stepped through the looking glass and into Wonderland. She stood perfectly still as she took it in, her eyes filled with curiosity. Jefferson smiled slightly as he watched her. He'd been to Wonderland on business several times throughout his days as a portal jumper, but every time he returned he was as blown away as he had been the first time. Everything there seemed... brighter. The sky was bluer, the grass greener. When Jefferson looked at Ana he noticed that something about her seemed brighter too. Little did know that the next time he returned Wonderland will have lost its luster.