ONCE UPON A TIME IMAGINES AND PREFERENCES

Jefferson - "Father of Mine" (C)

A/N: This imagine was requested by the lovely weirdlyextraordinary, and it uses the name she rewuested for it but you can definitely still read it if you like. Apologies for any grammatical or typing errors, I used the speech-text thing because I didn't feel like typing all this out. - Clair.

"Jefferson, I know," I began, placing one of my hands on my close friend's shoulder. "Trust me, I understand what you're feeling right now."

When Jefferson remained silent, his bright blue eyes in moving in their stare at the floor, I continued trying to comfort him, saying, "In case you forgot, I'm going through the same exact thing you are. I'm stuck here too."

"Yeah, but you didn't leave anyone behind," he suddenly snapped.

If we had been in any other situation, I would've snapped right back at him. But even if I had wanted to get mad at him and say something rude I couldn't have made myself. I knew the kind of pain he was in. I just wish that he knew I was going through the same pain he was. The only reason he didn't know was because I'd never once in five years of knowing each other told him I had a family. What would be the use in telling him I was a descendant of one of the hated people in the Enchanted Forest?

I just shrugged in response to his previous comment, and he continued speaking as soon as I shrugged, this time with his crazed eyes looking at me instead of at the ground.

"Elle, I don't think you understand. Grace is alone. She probably thinks I left her or something, and...” he paused, his eyes looking frantically around the room for something that wasn't there. "It's all my fault. I chose to come with Regina. I chose to drag you along with me..."

He shot to his feet and practically threw himself against the table full of hats that sat in front of us. Jefferson's own hat fell off of his head, and he continually shoved hats off the table and threw them across the room until they were all out of his immediate line of sight.

When his heavy breath slowed and he finally turned back around to face me, all I could see where his eyes. And where expected to see an insane sort of madness in them - as his actions had just shown - all I saw was sadness.

~

I glanced up at the brown-haired man who stood next to me, and I saw the same exact emotion of despair and utter hopelessness as I had that day when he first started to go mad. He was still just as insane now as he was then, but he hid it a lot better. I guess Wonderland had that effect on you - it brought out the worst version of yourself that existed.

"Jefferson, I think we should go now," I prodded gently.

"No," he shook his head, and ran a hand through his wild hair. "No, let's just stay a little longer."

I almost had to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying anything else. Jefferson and I had just figured out the details of the Evil Queen's curse a week before, and every day since then we'd come to the same street corner to watch Grace get off of her bus every day. And, every day, Jefferson enjoyed watching her until she ran into the arms of the couple she believed was her parents. Every time he saw that, it devastated him all over again, but every time I tried to get him to leave before it got to that point he refused to go. I'd grown really fond - almost too fond - of him due to all the time we'd spent together, and it hurt me to see him upset like that.

Only seconds later, Grace ran into her house just as I knew she would, and Jefferson turned his head away.

My heart broke for him every time I saw that look on his face. He'd been tricked into losing his daughter in the worst possible way; spending time with him every morning was the only way I even got him to smile anymore.

"Jefferson, come on," I said, taking his hand in mine in an attempt to take him in the direction of the house we shared.

He closed his hand around mine. "Elle, I don't understand..."

He trailed off as I stood frozen in shock, my eyes locked on an older man that was making his way down a sidewalk ahead of us. I vaguely heard Jefferson saying something to me, but the overwhelming jumble of emotions that was coursing through me kept me from hearing what he said until he took my face in his hands and forced me to look at him.

"Elle? Is everything okay? you were staring at Rumpelstiltskin for -”

I tore out of his grip and raced forward, not stopping until I was inches away from my dad. My heart thudded uncontrollably in my chest. In the rush of the moment, I ran to the front side of my father and threw my arms around him.

It was easy to hear the tears in his voice as he recognized me as his daughter and muttered my name over and over. I was quick to produce my own tears as well, and I experienced nothing but pure happiness until my heart wrenched at the sight of Jefferson watching the two of us, a confused and slightly upset look on his face.

~

Months later, Regina's curse was finally broken. I would have been sharing in the pure joy of everyone else in the town if it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't seen Jefferson in months.

Ever since he'd found out who my father really was, it almost seemed like he'd been avoiding me. So it was a surprise when I felt a tug on the back of my shirt, and I turned around to see Grace and her father standing in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Elle!" Grace shouted, giving me a hug.

I leaned over to hug her back. "Grace! I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too. And so did Dad. I made him come with me to see you, even though he didn't want to because he was too nervous."

I glanced up at Jefferson and smiled at the sight of the growing red tinge on his cheeks.

"Oh, was he?" I asked. "Well, if you don't mind, can I talk to your dad?"

Grace hurriedly nodded, and I stood back up to face Jefferson.

"Hi," I said simply, not really knowing what else to say.

"Hi."

He'd taken his hat off of his head and now held it in his hands.

"So..." I started. " I thought you were mad at me."

He shook his head. "No. I... I guess it was just a lot for me to comprehend when I found out that the woman I'd been in love with for years was the daughter of the Dark One."

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as a realized what he said.

"What did you say?" I asked.

He smiled, chuckling a little as he met my gaze. "You heard me."

"There's that smile I've been waiting four months to see."

Before I got a chance to add on another comment, jefferson swiftly took my face in his hands and pulled my lips to his.