[PAST] You've Got a Friend in Me, {Jefferson}

[Regina Mills]

Being queen was every bit as agonizing as Regina had always imagined it would be, and then some. She cringed whenever her new husband - nearly thrice her age, incidentally - so much as touched her. She could hardly stand the sight of her perpetually-cheerful little stepdaughter, who remained forever oblivious to her stepmother's pain. Her mother, at least, was gone, but her father? He protected her no more now than he ever had. Despite the fact that the royal guards 'accompanied' her everywhere she went, despite the fact that Snow was constantly nagging for her attention, despite the fact that King Leopold held her at his side like some trophy he'd won...Regina had never felt more alone in her life.

But then again, being queen was not entirely without its benefits. Though she was trapped in this new life with no hope of escape, people did - to some extent, at least - have to listen to her. And that meant that when she'd announced that she'd be traveling to visit an old friend, there wasn't really much room for anyone to object since the king hadn't seemed to mind. Snow, practically attached to Regina's hip these days, had wanted to come along, but Regina had refused as gently as possible. She just...she needed to talk to Jefferson, who was probably about the one metaphorical shoulder to cry on she had left, and she could hardly do that with the one responsible for Daniel's death tagging along.

The guards escorting her, however, had been a bit more difficult to get rid of. They'd insisted on accompanying her to the forest's edge, but once Jefferson's home was within view, Regina held up a hand to stop them. "This is far enough." she told them, still a bit uncomfortable with this strange new authority she had over these men she didn't even know. "I believe I'll be alright on my own from here." Honestly, they treated her like some fragile little girl who didn't know how to take care of herself. When they nodded in agreement, Regina turned away to hide the rolling of her eyes, and urged Rocinante forward, closing the distance between herself and the house. It had been some time since she'd had the opportunity to speak to Jefferson properly, and a part of her felt guilty about that. First Daniel had died, and then she'd been trapped at the castle because of her mother's enchantment...she'd never even gotten the chance to tell him where she'd been going.

Hopefully, he wouldn't take it as a slight on her part. So much had happened, and Regina was so tired - and now all she wanted, really, was to catch up with her old friend. She'd missed him, and it would be nice to share the company of someone she could truly trust again. Dismounting Rocinante, she tied the horse to a nearby fencepost, gave him a brief pat, and headed towards the house. "Jefferson?" Regina called, lowering the hood of her traveling cloak as she approached the door and gave it a quick knock. Oh, how she hoped he was home...

[Jefferson]

OOC: In which Quill makes Jefferson the nicest person on Earth.

Jefferson hadn't heard from his "best friend" for a while. Had it been days? Months? Years? He'd lost count. All he knew that it was a chain of events. First the visits stopped, then the letters, and finally every form of contact imaginable in the Enchanted Forest. Where had she disappeared to?

Their history together was vast, especially since Cora never viewed Jefferson as a threat towards the future wedding arrangements she was scheming.

The two visited one another quite often, however, Cora insisted that Jefferson come to visit them more than allowing Regina to go see him. The woman kept a tight leash on her daughter. It angered Jefferson to know that Cora was so controlling over Regina, but he said nothing. He knew that the woman was strong, and if Cora so wished it, horrible things could happen to him if he spoke up.

A while ago everything began to change when the fire nation attacked word of Regina's marriage came to Jefferson's ear. The rest, well, the rest was history on Regina's end. As for Jefferson, he'd only heard rumors about their stable boy's unfortunate death in light of the wedding, but the ceremonies went on as planned.

In present time, Jefferson stood near the fireplace. He was staring into the flames, caught up in his own train of thought when he heard a disturbance outside. Then a voice could be heard, a very familiar voice, calling his name. It was followed by a knock as he approached the door.

He didn't hesitate as he opened the door to find Regina. Relief moved over his face to see her looking quite well on his doorstep. A small smile moved across his face as he took a step towards her.

"Regina," He said in a relieved tone, "I was worried about you. When you stopped visiting...and the letters...I feared something horrible happened...I hope...it's not because I've done something to make you angry with me?"

He stepped forward to pull her into a small hug, but he held it for a few seconds.

"I've tried writing to you," He said, "But I guess you never got any of my letters?"

[Regina Mills]

When the door opened to reveal Jefferson, Regina released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. For the first time in months, she allowed herself to smile a genuine, bright smile. Not wasting a moment in hesitation, Regina threw her arms around him and hugged him back, trying desperately to maintain her composure. For the most part, she managed it - the only faint sign of her distress being how tightly she'd clung to him before pulling away to speak. Her expression had changed somewhat at his words, her eyes widening a little as guilt washed over her. In the amount of time she'd gone without contacting him, of course Jefferson would assume something was wrong - anyone would. And...well, something certainly was wrong, but it had nothing to do with her being upset with him, of all people. Angry at herself as she could have been for leading him to that conclusion, however, Regina knew there was no time for that.

"No! Of course I'm not angry with you!" she reassured him earnestly, attempting another warm smile despite the variety of emotions that were continuing to build up steadily with every passing moment. "I'm so sorry, Jefferson, I meant to write and tell you what'd happened, but it's just been one thing after another lately...and I couldn't leave the castle because of my mother's enchantment, and..." Regina trailed off, realizing that she was doing a very poor job of explaining things - especially because she was trying to do so as quickly as she was. She blinked at Jefferson apologetically, falling silent for a moment as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She immediately regretted bringing up Cora, all too aware that Jefferson didn't think very highly of her - but that didn't matter now. Her mother was gone, banished to some distant, unknown world. Regina ignored the inevitable twinge of guilt she felt at the recollection, and attempted to focus once again.

Jefferson, at least, was looking well. She noted this with some relief as she gazed at him apprehensively, hoping he'd be forgiving of her abrupt disappearance. He was one of the kindest, most loyal people she knew, and one of the best friends anyone could ask for, as well - he certainly didn't deserve to be abandoned without any warning. That was not what had happened, and Regina was determined to explain that properly - but right now, all she really wanted to do was to find out how he'd been doing, see what he'd been up to...just...talk to him for awhile and forget the rest of her problems, if only for an hour. She just hoped she hadn't caught him at a bad time. Between all the balls and banquets and variety of stuffy palace social events, and the fact that she was apparently expected to spend the majority of her time playing mother to her new stepdaughter, opportunities to slip away had been...scarce. She worried suddenly about her timing - perhaps Jefferson was busy.

"I know this is sudden, and I'm sorry for that, too. I just...if you're not too busy, I'd really love to catch up. I've missed you." Regina finally calmed down enough to tell him, and this time her smile was genuine once again.

[Jefferson]

Jefferson never felt so relieved to hear that Regina wasn't angry with him. All this time he'd been worrying over his past, trying to find something that could have set her off with him. But she wasn't mad with him, she was just held up with her mother. Even though that infuriated him more. He wouldn't say it to Cora's face, but he'd say it to Regina, he detested the woman. Absolutely hated her. But Cora wasn't around, Regina was here to talk with him, and that was more than he could ever ask for.

He gently placed a hand on Regina's cheek, in a friendly manner, as she trailed off. He looked her straight in the eye and smile. "It's alright Regina, it's not your fault," His voice was warm like a sweet honey, "I'm just glad you're here. I'm glad you're alright and safe." That's all he could ever ask for. To know that his best friend was safe and unharmed.

His smile only grew as she asked to catch up, he felt the happiness inside of him growing. He had nothing much to do, and he hadn't been doing much of anything when she arrived. That and he'd always have the time for his best friend.

"Why don't you come inside and I'll make us a pot of tea?" He said moving to the side to allow her to move inside while he moved more towards the "kitchen" area of his home.

"Do you drink anything fancy now?" He said, referring to his knowledge of knowing that Regina was now technically a queen. Though, he'd probably have to ask about what happened to Daniel. He was probably the only other person that came to visit the castle that knew about the two's affair, and he never told a soul. He loved his best friend like a sister, and he'd do anything to protect her. And Daniel...he was perfect for her...what did her mother do to her to make her marry a King?

"Do they serve anything fancy up in that castle? Different kinds of sweets?" His words were accompanied with small laughter as he placed the kettle on an iron rod hanging above the fire. As he waited for the water to boil he began to go through his sorted flavors of teas. He had Black teas, White teas, Green teas, Oolong teas, Herbal teas, Rooibos teas, Matè teas, and some of his own special blends that were mixtures of the others. Jefferson was like the Enchanted Forest's personal Teavana.

[Regina Mills]

At the genuine warmth in Jefferson's tone and expression, Regina breathed a quiet sigh of relief, briefly leaning into the contact he offered just a bit. It was such an overwhelming comfort to have at least one person in her life that still treated her like herself. Jefferson didn't have any impossibly high expectations like her mother, or Rumpelstiltskin, or even Snow - who so immediately assumed that Regina would be a perfect mother. He was probably one of the only people she had left who she didn't have to pretend with - and because of that, a part of her wished she could just stay here forever. Of course, that wasn't possible. The guards outside would report straight back to the king, and the last thing she wanted was to get Jefferson into any trouble.

She beamed when Jefferson suggested she come inside, relaxing fully now. "That would be wonderful. Thank you." she sighed, hesitating only a moment before brushing past him to head inside. She didn't immediately take a seat, though - there was a strange restlessness keeping her on-edge, as if she still wasn't fully convinced she was safe here - and it was compelling her to keep close to her friend. Though, not wanting to get in his way, she sort of lingered at the entrance to the kitchen, watching him almost apprehensively. A short, and yet almost sad laugh escaped her at his question. It wasn't a ridiculous assumption to make, of course - as everyone kept reminding her, she was queen now. But she didn't want to allow that to change her, didn't want to end up like the rest of those stuffy royals - and she certainly didn't want Jefferson to treat her any differently because of the marriage she'd been forced into.

"Anything you make would be lovely, really, Jefferson." she told him quietly, averting her gaze for a moment and pausing as she considered her next words. How much to tell him? She didn't want to worry him, or make him too uncomfortable, by fully revealing the disdain she held for her new life. And yet, another part of her just wanted to tell him everything. "Everything is fancy up there." she murmured with a faint snort, crossing her arms and turning back to him again. "From the clothes to the food to the...curtains on the windows. It's...suffocating." Just admitting that felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "It just feels so good to finally get away from all of that. Really, I'd rather spend my time here than with all the kings and queens in the realm."

If Leopold heard her talking like that, she'd probably be forbidden to leave the castle for the rest of eternity - but Leopold wasn't here right now, and Regina would talk as freely as she pleased. Her gaze softened a little as she surveyed Jefferson now. "...But how have you been?"

[Jefferson]

Jefferson listened to her describe the palace as he distributed hot water to the two tea cups in front of him. He would nod his head to indicate that he was listening as he precisely measured the tea leaves to add to eat steaming cup of hot water.

He let the leaves brew in the cups as he made up the small tea tray. Adding a small sugar cube holder, a small jug of cream, as well as the still hot tea kettle onto it. He moved the tray over to a small table where he'd spent many meals alone.

"Well you're always welcome here, Ginny," He said with a smile, recalling the nickname he'd come up for her during the course of their best friendship.

He laughed lightly as he noticed her hovering in the doorway. He made a gesture to the open seat at the table, inviting her to sit. He didn't want her to feel like a stranger in her home, despite their time apart.

"If I recall correctly you used to enjoy fruit teas in the afternoon. Peach with three sugars, right?" He placed her teacup in the table space before the empty seat.

He paused when he asked how he'd been. It actually took him a moment to process the question. How had he been? Well, he'd been alone for a couple of months, days, or was it years? He'd been trying to get out of his old line of work, but just kept finding more work...and eventually gave up on trying to quit. The payments were always too good to say no to, and it kept food on the table and clothes on his back.

"Working," He replied, "A lot of jobs had popped up, and well, you know when the gold is good, take it."

[Regina Mills]

Regina couldn't help but smile a little at his use of her old nickname - a pleasant reminder of the way things used to be. She hesitated only a moment longer before crossing to the seat at the table he'd motioned to, folding her hands in her lap and allowing her posture to be just slightly more relaxed than the usual regal one that had been drilled into her lately. There were so many rules you had to follow when you were queen, but right now Regina was in the mood for none of them.

She blinked several times when Jefferson set the teacup down next to her, and then glanced up at him, her eyes shining brightly. "You remembered," A slight grin crossed her features, and she tilted her head a little to one side. She didn't know why the fact surprised her - perhaps it felt like it'd been longer since she'd last spent any time with her dear friend than it really had. "Thank you." Wanting to give the tea a moment to cool before sipping at it, she was content to merely breathe in the warm, sweet scent in the pause that followed. Regina couldn't help but feel a faint prickle of unease when Jefferson told her what he'd been up to lately - she worried about him sometimes, when she thought about what his line of work entailed. Not that she knew all the little details, but she knew enough, and she knew that portal jumping could be dangerous. And the people that paid Jefferson to do his work, well...in Regina's opinion, they weren't always the most trustworthy of characters.

Even if she wanted to, though, she knew she could never ask him to stop. Jefferson understood the risks he was taking, and he had a very good reason for taking them. She fidgeted silently for a moment, considering this. "You know, if you're ever looking for more work, I'm sure you'd find it in the kingdom." Regina blinked at him earnestly, unable to completely suppress the brightening of her tone and expression at the thought of Jefferson being able to come and visit her during his travels. Seeing him even every so often would certainly slow the loneliness that had begun to ebb into her new life - and if it would make things easier for Jefferson, she didn't have any option not to offer. "The guards already know you're a friend of mine, and it's the least I could do..."

Regina trailed off with a faint shrug, somehow feeling just the tiniest bit abashed now. As queen, shouldn't she have been able to offer a lot more than that? For so long, Cora had fought for her daughter to take power - and now that she had it, Regina didn't even know what to do with it. "I'm not very good at this queen thing." she told him apologetically, lowering her gaze back down to her tea.

[Jefferson]

"Of course I remembered," He replied, blowing on his own tea cup to cool off the hot liquid, "I've thought of you often during your absence."

He hadn't realized what he's said until he'd said it. He covered up a gulp by taking a small sip of tea, as if testing the waters before taking a bigger swig. Still too hot and he hadn't realized until she'd sat down how pretty she looked. Her hair was different than how she used to wear it and....wait, what was he thinking? His heart was beating a bit quicker thinking about it, he swallowed the choking feeling growing in his throat. Why was he analyzing everything new about her? She was married for God's sake. Well unhappily married, but married nonetheless. The King would kill him if any words of affection for his wife slipped out of the Hatter!

He made eye contact with her again when she mentioned finding him work within her kingdom. It would be a nice break from all the shady folk he normally did jobs for...even though their pay was always good in the end. Though, finding work some more trustworthy characters would make things a lot better, and safer...since he had a little insurance due to having the Queen as his best friend. (Of course, he would never abuse that relationship factor. He didn't want to become that friend that abused their friend's powers and control over a Kingdom's people.)

He leaned a bit closer to her, taking another sip from his cup, his smile wide and warm. "That would be wonderful, Regina, thank you."

At this point he'd gently touched her hand as he continued to hold eye contact with her.

"I think you're a great queen," He reassured her, "You're kind, caring, what more could a kingdom want? I'm proud of you, Regina. You're proving your mother wrong...you're you, and that's all that matters."

[Regina Mills]

She went still at Jefferson's initial words, regarding him with an expression that was - apart from the slight curiosity that showed - somewhat unreadable. Mostly because Regina herself wasn't really sure what to think. Nor was she sure why she was blushing faintly, judging from the warmth now spreading across her cheeks. It was just...nice to hear, she supposed, though why the statement had rendered her momentarily speechless she couldn't say. It made her feel even more guilty for not having found a way to contact him sooner, though - for she'd been thinking about him too. It was probably the only reason she hadn't been driven mad by this point. Jefferson was one of the very few sources of happy thoughts she had left.

And that was the only reason she had to hide a smile by sipping at her own tea, Regina told herself.

"It's no trouble at all." She spoke finally when he thanked her, and she meant it. Doing this for him made her feel as if being queen was actually worth something. The thought lifted her spirits somewhat, and her smile only widened when Jefferson brushed his hand over hers. Perhaps, if she had really taken the time to sit there and think about it, something about how close they were sitting, or their hands touching, or the faintly present intimacy of their eye contact, would have made her feel guilty. Guilty because, willing or not, she'd committed herself to marriage - and above all, guilty because of Daniel. But Regina was too distracted to read into any of it. She'd come here to forget everything else but enjoying Jefferson's company, and that was exactly what she intended to do.

Unfortunately, Jefferson's next words brought up thoughts she'd long since pushed to the back of her mind. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze in silent gratitude, but couldn't fight the dread that was beginning to wash over her. She was proving her mother wrong. Was she? Jefferson seemed pretty sure about that - but what he didn't know was that she'd agreed to learn magic from Rumpelstiltskin. Not only that, but she'd used it to push Cora into the mirror. But that...that had been necessary. It was only one time. The reason she was learning magic was so that she'd be able to bring Daniel back from the dead, and nothing else. She would never use it to hurt people the way Cora had. Still, the thought was gnawing away with her now, as if she couldn't just accept the compliment Jefferson had given her in good faith - he probably wouldn't have said that if he knew what she'd been up to.

Perhaps it was simply instinct, being that she and Jefferson hardly ever kept secrets from each other - or perhaps it was just guilt. Either way, she couldn't help the confession that slipped out of her before she could stop it. "She's gone, you know." Regina finally tore her gaze away from his, refusing to allow him to see the tears that lingered in her eyes. "My mother."

[Jefferson]

Jefferson could feel a small heat moving over his own face as she gently squeezed his hand. It'd been a long time since he'd felt her touch. Her hands were still as soft and gentle as ever. He prayed in the back of his mind that the blush moving across his cheeks was small and unnoticeable against his complexion. He took a moment to take a sip of his own tea, hoping that the heat of the beverage would give a reason for any color to appear on his face from the steam.

However, he nearly choked on the sip he took when Regina mentioned that her mother was gone. He stared at her for a moment, noticing the change on her face as she looked away from him. He couldn't help but gently reach out to touch her as he could feel a tiny, almost unnoticeable change in her voice. That tiny sound of something had gone wrong lingering behind her words.

"What happened, Regina?" He asked, before he caught sight of an escaping tear, quickly catching it with a handkerchief he'd pulled out of his coat pocket. "Did she hurt you?"

His worry for the woman before him rose within his breast. His heart pace quickened as if waiting to hear terrible, terrible news. On the other hand, his mind contradicted the idea of negative news. If something had happened to Cora that made her hurt Regina, how had Regina gotten out of the castle by herself? Was it because she'd gone through the marriage that Cora would allow her to visit friends again? How would that be horrible news? Well it was horrible, seeing as how she was forced to marry someone she didn't love. That was punishment in itself.

Then again, a gut feeling told him there was something going on that even he wouldn't expect to hear. His nerves jumped with anticipation as he waited for her to reply.