Going Mad (Once Upon a Time)

Chapter VI - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Author’s Note

Hey!  This will be my last chapter of the week since I’ve decided to take weekends off.  I will continue uploading new chapters on Monday again though so no worries.  :)  If you watch the show and haven’t seen season 2: episode 5, I just thought I should warn you that Dr. Whale’s “fairytale” counterpart gets hinted at/revealed in this chapter.  Hopefully it isn’t TOO much of a spoiler; I promise it’s the only season 2 related thing revealed in this story.  Thank you everyone for your support, and remember to vote and comment!  It’s always appreciated and I like responding to comments.

Chapter VI

Standing before me is an enormous painting of a blonde haired, blue eyed girl.  The thing is; she looks exactly like me.   I step closer to get a better look.  The canvas looks old; it’s even ripped in a few spots leaving miniscule holes all over the painting.  Even her smile is exactly like mine.  She is wearing a very pretty blue dress with lace running down the sides and arms showing a thin layer of white underneath.  If that isn’t weird enough, there are still two other people standing in the painting.  To the left of the girl that looks exactly like me, stands a man, who looks just like Jefferson.  The only difference is that in the painting, his hair is longer and holding a slight curl to it.  In the painting he’s wearing an orange long-sleeved shirt, paired with a brown vest and brown pants.  He’s wearing a black top hat.  None of this was as shocking as the third person in the painting.  It was a young baby lying in my arms.  I stare at the baby, remembering what Jefferson said before I passed out in the forest.  We have a daughter.  I can feel my heart drop through the floor, and I look back at Jefferson who is leaning against the door frame watching my reaction, which, with good reason, is scared and extremely confused.  Where would he have gotten this painting?  And with me in it for that matter, or just someone who looks a hell of a lot like me.  My thoughts are interrupted when Jefferson speaks up.

“This was taken just a few days before you disappeared,” he explains, walking up next to me.  I shake my head, this is just all too overwhelming.  I don’t know what to say, but luckily he keeps talking so I don’t have to say anything.  “Simon, or Dexter, as he was called back then, actually painted it himself.  You said you were never going to let him do it again since he kept goofing off instead of painting, making it take a lot longer than planned,” he chuckles, also staring at the painting.

“I don’t remember,” I tell him, I can feel the tears pool into my eyes.  He looks at me.

“Do you believe it though?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I admit, “It’s a lot to take in, and as much as that girl looks like me, she doesn’t feel like me.”  Jefferson exhales, looking disappointed. 

“You can go,” he says, gesturing towards the door.

“What?” I ask, not sure if he’s angry or if he’s just giving up on the whole thing.

“You can go, on one condition,” he repeats, looking into my eyes, “When Simon goes to see Henry again, go with him,” he demands, placing something in my hand.  “Take this, to get you home,” he says.  I look down and see that it’s a key to what I’m assuming is his car.

“Okay,” I tell him.  I start walking towards the door.  When I get to the hallway, I look back at Jefferson who is still intently looking at the painting.  I turn back around and make my way to where I saw the stairs before.  When I get outside, I look around for his black car and see it parked out front.  I hurry to it in the freezing cold wind and struggle with the key, which obviously doesn’t fit in the lock.  I groan and look around for something else.  I see a small tan car sitting out of its way in the driveway parked next to a stone wall.  I walk over to it hoping that it is what the key unlocks.  Closing my eyes and crossing my fingers, I place the key into the lock.  I hear a soft click and sigh in relief, opening the front door and getting in the driver’s seat.  I carefully drive out of the alley and up to the end of the driveway.  I can’t help but look back at the house; most of the lights are off now, so Jefferson must have gone to bed already.  I glance at the digital car clock which reads almost 3:00 AM.  Yeah, it’s definitely my bedtime when I get back.