text; un: goaskalice

[royalpassport]

We're all stories. Tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine.

(Preferably over tea.)

Don't forget to start with "Once upon a time..."

Comments

[royalpassport]

Not everyone knew the Queen before she tacked the Evil to her title.

[ Jefferson, don't tell Regina's grandkid that you had a hand in making her evil... ]

Take a guess.

[thestoriesarereal]

Not everyone, which was a bit sad. She’s different now.

Tea and a reference to Alice....

I’m going to guess...Mad Hatter?

[royalpassport]

That's right.

And I don't have my hat here, so don't bother asking.

[ Look, Charming just threatened to ARREST HIM to coerce him into making a hat that works (sound familiar?), so he's kind of touchy. ]

So, which one of Regina's relatives are you?

[thestoriesarereal]

I wasn’t going to. What’s special about your hat though?

One you wouldn’t expect. Maybe you can guess, and I’ll give you a clue.

I’m not from her past.

[royalpassport]

Ask your... whatever Regina is. Aunt? Fifth cousin? Stepmother?

[thestoriesarereal]

Can’t, she’s not here. [ And also cursed but not going to think about that. ]

Try again and if you get it right, maybe we can do something fun. I’ve never been to a tea party before.

[royalpassport]

More's the pity.

I take it she's never told you the true story of the Mad Hatter.

[thestoriesarereal]

No, she didn’t. But she’s not the only one to tell me stories.

You still haven’t guessed yet. I’ll give you another clue: There is only one other to carry the Mills name.

[royalpassport]

[ He's about to leave some snappish comment about how HE DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY GAMES WITH ANY OF REGINA'S FAMILY, THANKS.

But...

It may be dawning on him now that he's speaking to... a child. And that there's a whole lot more to this story than anything he's seen in Storybrooke. ]

Her boy. Henry.

[thestoriesarereal]

[ Lucy does know Regina has ruffled feathers in the past, but she thought she was playing around. At least she thought that’s what was happening. ]

Yes! Final clue, my connection is strong to Regina, but closer to Henry. And we are NOT siblings. But I’ve been told I have his smile.

[royalpassport]

[ ....oh dear god ]

Regina's your GRANDMOTHER?

Video

[thestoriesarereal]

[ The video turns on to show a little girl with a smile on her face. ]

Yup! So, I can ask my other grandma if we can have a tea party.

My name is Lucy, by the way.

Video

[royalpassport]

[ Oh. She's so close to Grace's age, it hurts to look at her and think about his daughter. Though Jefferson's video feed is on, as well, he grimaces a little and looks down guiltily. ]

Other grandma... [ His voice is soft, and then: ALARMED. ] You don't mean Emma, do you?

[ He'll give his name in a moment, BUT FIRST. ANSWER THE QUESTION. ]

[thestoriesarereal]

Yes, I do. I take it you know her? Maybe from Storybrooke? Victor’s here too.

[ She waves at him, but she does catch that grimace. ]

Did I upset you with the clues?

[royalpassport]

[ A W K W A R D. ] Yeah... In a sense. [ He perks up a little, now. ] I know Victor.

No. Not at all. [ He quickly smiles. Lying to her, masking his feelings, it comes as naturally now as it did with Grace. ] You reminded me of someone, that's all.

[ MOVING ON. ] So. Storybrooke. You grew up there like your dad?

[thestoriesarereal]

I’m sorry. I should’ve said I was joking, or made it clearer that I was playing.

You do? He’s here and he’s really nice. He said he’d help me with school.

[ Lucy stares, not convinced, but she doesn’t want to press on. ] Let me guess...Regina?

[ There’s a shake of her head. ] I grew up in an Enchanted Realm. Similar to the Enchanted Forest, with same names for people but different stories.

[royalpassport]

No, it's fine. Your grandma-- Emma-- might not be my biggest fan, is all.

He's a smart guy. You could do a lot worse for mentors. [ Thank goodness one of the others here is like. ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE JEFFERSON LIKES.

As to her question, Jefferson shakes his head. ] Oh, no. You don't remind me of Regina at all. You remind me of Alice. She liked asking questions, too. [ He says it with a smile, fondly, even if he's totally lying to avoid talking about Grace. Alice, at least, was a bright spot in Wonderland. ]

Oh. I know that place.

[thestoriesarereal]

Because you’re upset all the time? Hence... ‘Mad’ Hatter?

Oh, I know. I could have Ivy as a mentor and I would be thrilled. She’s.....my step-aunt.

[ Her demeanor changes a little. She’s being compared to the Alice? It’s enough to make her smile a little. .] Well, we are similar—asking questions, and going into places we probably shouldn’t go.

[ And now she’s staring at him. ]

You do?! Have you been there in a while? Is Tiana’s castle still there?

[royalpassport]

...the other definition of 'mad.' [ CRAZY. ] Which I'm not. By the way. [ HE'S NOT CRAZY.

...

He's a little crazy. ]

That's Alice, all right. She's got a knack for going where she shouldn't.

[ His smile falters. ] The last time I went was... probably long before you were born. Your father wasn't even born yet.

[thestoriesarereal]

Ah, that is true. I was thinking more of the ‘anger’ part of that and not the other. But, okay you’re not crazy.

I haven’t read her story in a long time. I would love to hear your take on it. If you’re not busy.

Oh... [ And now her smile falters too. She misses home. She misses her parents being together and spending time together. ]

[royalpassport]

...thank you. [ He means it. Sincerely. It means a lot to hear somebody say that he's not crazy. ]

I can tell you about Alice. I'm not busy.

[ He recognizes that look, that homesickness. It's something he's felt keenly for decades now. His expression's softer now, gentle. ] How long have you been away from your home?

[thestoriesarereal]

...you're welcome.

Not just about Alice...about you too.

[It's homesickness and doubt that lingers in her heart about the curse ever being broken. That her parents would kiss and break the curse. Her gaze is downward, unable to face the camera.]

In this place? Maybe a month...but if you mean where I was before here? Longer than that. [She hasn't told Emma yet about the curse, or anyone else.]

I haven't seen 'home' in a long time.

[royalpassport]

My story isn't as exciting. I was just a hatter. [ LIES LIES LIESSSSS. ]

...oh.

[ He switches the feed to PRIVATE now, for the rest of this. ]

You've been taken from your home. To Storybrooke? The land without magic? [ He leans forward, looking at the camera with some intensity. ] What happened to your land?

private

[thestoriesarereal]

No one is ever 'just' anything. You started somewhere and became the Hatter.

[Private conversations are always fun....no, no they're not.

She doesn't say anything for the moment, continuing to look down at the camera until she takes a deep breath. It's starting to hit her, how homesick she is and how much she misses Henry and her mom.]

Not Storybrooke, another place, Hyperion Heights. It's still a land without magic. We were all cursed, and no one remembers--not even Henry.

private

[royalpassport]

[ Jefferson sighs, though... there's a part of him that appreciates her calling him out. It's been so long since anybody was interested in the man he was, once upon a time. ] It's not a pretty story.

[ Jefferson watches her, empathy in his eyes. ] But you remember.