You walk down the main street of Storybrooke. A car drives past you and you scream, scattering and stumbling away from it. Your hand covers your fluttering heart. Your family and you were just transported to this land after a curse wrecked your land. You've never see any of this before. Everything is new to you.
Currently your family is living by a campsite in the woods. This is your first time walking through this foreign town and you're trying to gauge it–and its people. They keep giving you weird looks and you don't know why.
You continue to look down the street, taking in everything. A man walks out of a door and straight into you. "Oh!" You gasp in surprise, stumbling.
The man grabs your shoulders and quickly rights you. "Whoa, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry about that."
"Oh, it's okay. I should have been looking where I was going." You mumble.
The man peers at you, squinting. "I-I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new to Storybrooke?"
"Yes, actually. We've recently just arrived."
"We? There's more of you?" He questions, looking behind you to see if there's more people.
"My family. We were all transported here after a curse took us from our land." You blurt out before you can stop yourself.
"Ahhh, well, we know all about that here."
"You do?" You ask in surprise.
"We're all here because of a curse. Well, we were. The curse has been broken now."
"Oh." You breathe in wonder, suddenly seeing the town with new eyes.
"I'm Jefferson." The man smiles.
"I'm Y/N." You smile back.
He throws his arm out. "So, what do you think of our town?"
"It's...different than mine." You laugh.
"Well, can I show you around, Y/N? Get you familiar with the place?"
Your smile widens. "I'd love that."
Jefferson starts walking with you around Storybrooke, showing you everything. It really is a quaint little town and you're coming to realize you might actually like it here.
"Have you ever been to Granny's?" Jefferson asks.
Your eyebrows furrow. "Granny's...?"
"Oh, right, right. You just got here." He shakes his head.
"I don't know what this Granny's is, but I'd like to go there." You smile.
Jefferson smiles at you and gently takes your elbow. "Follow me then." He says. He leads you down the street and then into this little diner.
"Well, well, Jefferson, who is this?" A woman asks, eyeing you suspiciously.
"Oh, Granny, this is Y/N. She's new to town." Jefferson answers.
"New, huh? How'd you end up here?" Granny asks you.
"A curse. Everyone landed in different parts of this land. Who knows, more may show up over the next few days." You shrug.
"Well, if I see any new faces, I'll know why." Granny mutters. "Well, come on in, make yourself at home. I'll get you something to eat. What do you want? A burger? Lasagna?" She asks, moving into the kitchen.
"Lasa-what?" You ask in confusion.
"Lasagna." Jefferson laughs. "We'll just take two cheeseburgers, Granny."
"Whatever you want." Granny nods.
Jefferson moves into a booth. You sit across from him. "This-this is nice. It's like a tavern, but nicer." You laugh.
"Yeah, this is kind of the town hang out. It gets really busy in the afternoon."
"So do you live here by yourself, Jefferson, or do you have family here?" You question curiously.
"No, I live here with my daughter."
"Oh." You say in surprise, your eyebrows raising. "And your wife?" You ask slowly. You have this strange sinking feeling in your heart, thinking that he's married. You don't know why.
Jefferson shakes her head. "She passed a long time ago."
"I'm so sorry." You whisper.
He smiles a little. "Thank you." He says softly.
A few minutes later, Granny sets a cheeseburger in front of you. "There you go." She says.
"Thank you." You smile before she leaves. You look back at your food. "This looks...interesting."
"It's good, I promise." Jefferson laughs.
"If you say so." You grin. You watch him as he eats it and then you mimic him. "This is incredible!" You exclaim.
He grins at you. "I told you."
"Wow, this is...this is just so good." You gush.
"Wait till you try pizza."
"Well, it can't be better than this burger."
"Trust me, Y/N, you haven't tasted goodness until you've had pizza."
"Well, then, I guess you'll have to take me to get pizza." You smile.
Jefferson smiles back and your heart flutters. "I guess so." He murmurs.
———
Jefferson walks you back to your camp. "Thank you so much for today, Jefferson. I really appreciate it–everything. You've made me feel so welcome here and not so alone." You say.
"Well, you've got a friend here now, Y/N. I'll help you with whatever you need." He smiles at you. "Speaking of which...I was wondering...well, only if you and your family would like, if you'd want to come stay at my house instead of the forest. I have a huge house and it's only my daughter and me. We'd love to have you."
"Are you serious?" You ask, your jaw dropping. He nods. Without thinking, you throw your arms around him and hug him. "Thank you so much!" You exclaim.
He laughs and hugs you. "You're welcome."
"I'll ask my family, but I'm pretty sure they'll say yes." You smile.
Jefferson looks at you, smiling. "Then I'd more than happy to have you."
———
It's been three months since your family and you landed in Storybrooke. Jefferson has kindly let you stay at his house. Your family is paying rent by making meals, cleaning house, and picking up the occasional job here and there. Your father is the only one who has managed to get a job and he has been hard at work ever since.
Jefferson and you have become really close. While you've been staying at his house, you've also taken on the role of mother to his daughter Grace. You didn't mean to, it just happened. You've come to love his little family so much that you don't know what you'll do when your family finds a place to stay.
Today everyone is out of the house except Jefferson and you. Your mother took Grace and your younger brother out and your father is working. You're in the kitchen making dinner for tonight.
Jefferson walks in and immediately smiles. "Hello, Y/N. I thought you went with your mother to look over your brother and Grace."
"Oh, no, I decided to stay home and get a head start on dinner." You smile at him.
"Oh." is all Jefferson says. He's staring at you.
"Is something wrong?" You ask self consciously, looking around the kitchen.
"What? Oh, no, no, no. Everything is fine." Jefferson answers hurriedly. He picks up a spoon and idly twirls it in his hands.
"Is everything okay?"
"I need to ask you something." He states.
You straighten, worry coursing through you. "Yes?" You ask nervously.
"Grace has grown quite fond of you these past few months."
"And I of her. She's a lovely girl." You smile.
Jefferson briefly smiles at you. "I just think it's not fair to her. This whole situation. You've become like a mother to her and she loves you very much. When you leave one day, she's going to be crushed. She expects us to be together and while I would love nothing more, I don't want you to feel obligated—"
You hold up a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Nobody is feeling obligated here. Jefferson, if I didn't like Grace and you so much, I would have left a while ago. But over these past few months, I've fallen in love with your family. Grace expects us to be together and if that's what you want, I want it too."
"Wait, you do?" Jefferson gapes.
"Yes!" You exclaim.
"Oh, Y/N, you don't know how happy that makes me." He breathes, stepping forward and enveloping you in his arms. He breathes a sigh of relief. You smile and hug him back. Jefferson pulls his head back slightly and kisses you softly.
"At first I thought that curse was the worst thing that ever could have happened to me." You whisper.
"And now?" Jefferson asks, cupping your face.
"Now I realize it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me. It brought me Grace and you." You smile, before kissing him again.
[THE END] I hope you liked it!