strange and beautiful (I'll put a spell on you)

Chapter Thirty-One

STORYBROOKE, Maine

"What are we going to do?" Rebekah asked quietly as she and Jefferson sat in the kitchen, the destroyed hat on the table in front of them. Jefferson reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand, his thumb rubbing against her skin. "This was our way to get Emma and Snow back -- our way home."

"Bex," Jefferson sighed. "I've wanted to get back to the Enchanted Forest since this damn curse began...but maybe." She looked over at him, watching as his brows furrowed as he tried to think of the right words to say. "We can start over here," he decided on. "Grace doesn't want to go back, she'd made that very clear," Jefferson reminded her. "All she remembers from our time in the Enchanted Forest is tragedy and misery. So I say...if they find a way to fix our hat, let's give it to them. They can have it. They all can go back to our world and we can stay here."

Rebekah blinked in surprise at her husband's words. "You want to stay?"

He licked at his lower lip. "Yeah," Jefferson said quietly.

"It was our home," Rebekah reminded him. Because that was the truth. Before Regina took Rebekah -- before she left Jefferson in Wonderland -- the Enchanted Forest held a lot of good memories for the two of them. As did the other realms. Jumping from realm to realm with Jefferson had been some of the most exciting years for Rebekah and she wasn't ready to let go of those memories, she wasn't ready to let go of them and giving up the hat; she wasn't ready. "Not just the Enchanted Forest but...it's our hat. It's us. You and me. I don't think--" She shook her head and sighed, embarrassed by her behavior. "I'm sorry, I'm being moody."

Jefferson smiled. "You're not being moody," he assured her. "I understand not wanting to give up the hat."

She frowned, closing her eyes as she squeezed his hand. "It was our safety net," Rebekah admitted. "The hat -- it was our way to escape Regina." Jefferson nodded his head in agreement. "And we had... so many great adventures."

"We did." He smirked, thumb rubbing circles against her skin. Rebekah chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I don't need the hat, Bex, because I have you," he told her, her chest warming at his words. "As long as I have you and our family...I don't need the damn hat. We don't need to run anymore."

The side of Rebekah's mouth twitched up slightly. "Does that mean you believe that Regina can change?"

He huffed out a laugh. "Now, I didn't say that," he said causing Rebekah to laugh.

"Mama?" They both turned their heads in the direction of their daughter's voice. "Papa?"

Rebekah could hear the worry in her voice. "Everything is okay, baby." She assured her daughter, motioning for Grace to come sit on her lap. She did, only sitting slightly on Rebekah's lap so that she wouldn't hurt the baby. "Did we wake you?" She asked, running her fingers through her daughter's tangled hair only to frown when she heard her daughter start to sniffle. "Baby, what's going on?" She asked, moving herself so she could look at Grace in her tear-filled eyes.

"I went in your room and you guys were gone," Grace said softly. "I got scared."

Rebekah frowned, looking over briefly at Jefferson who wore a guilty look. She didn't say anything; she only pressed a kiss to Grace's head. "I'm sorry," she whispered after a moment.

"Do you want to sleep in our room again, Grace?" Jefferson asked his daughter, who nodded her head quickly. He then looked to Rebekah who smiled in response. "Alright, come here," he said, standing up, holding out his hand for Grace to grab.

Grace got off of Rebekah's lap only to stop when Rebekah didn't follow after her. "Mama?"

"I'll meet you guys upstairs," Rebekah said to them both. Grace looked hesitant, but walked out of the kitchen with Jefferson and headed upstairs.