It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses Their Mind

“Was he a fast learner?” she wondered and I nodded.

“He picked it up very quickly. He made his first hat after just a week of my training…” I recalled.

I crept up behind Jefferson as he sat before a workbench, focused on sewing along the rim of a hat made of a bold red velvet, and peeked over his shoulder at his work. Instead of his fingers moving clumsily with a needle and thread like they had only a few days ago, Jefferson was now able to smoothly create stitches in the right places… well, most of the time. He hissed and suddenly withdrew his hand from the hat, sticking his thumb in his mouth, and I guessed that a drop of blood was sitting on the tip of his needle.

“You were doing so well, too,” I commented. He almost flew out of his chair from surprise.

“How long were you watching me for?” Jefferson questioned before placing his thumb back between his lips and sucking at his wound. I found the gesture oddly attractive but tried to shake away that feeling so we could have a proper conversation instead.

“Not long, I promise. I was pasting gems onto that white hat but now it needs to dry,” I explained. “I’m proud of how far you’ve come.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled, muffled from his thumb. The corners of his lips were turning upwards and I felt a desire to make him smile wider.

“Did you need a kiss better?” I offered while tugging at his hand. His thumb slid from his mouth and instead of bringing it to my lips, I guided it to rest by his side. Jefferson received a kiss on his lips instead, a softer one that created a longing for him to stir deep inside me when I pulled away.

“It doesn’t feel better yet,” Jefferson said with a slight whine in his tone, his cheeky grin revealing his teasing ploy. I cupped his jaw and leaned in to connect us in another kiss, but I pulled away a few seconds later.

“Wait, how are we doing in terms of hat numbers? Have we almost reached the queen’s demands?” I asked. I could feel my forehead wrinkling with worry and Jefferson’s placid smile helped to calm my twisting insides.

“We’ll be fine, darling,” he promised as his hand reached up and lifted my messy braid over my shoulder, allowing it to trail down my back. His hand then caressed my neck and brought me into another kiss. I gave in to his touch and climbed into his lap to be closer to him.

As Jefferson fiddled with my skirt, I looked to the side and caught sight of the hat he had been crafting, which only sent my mind tumbling back to thoughts of the task Queen Regina had assigned to me. Every time I had an excuse to leave the confinements of our workshop, I would pull the necklace out from my blouse and walk around the castle, hoping it would suddenly light up as I passed a particular room. When that had yielded no such luck, I had tried taking a walk with Jefferson to explore the surrounding gardens, and although the date was lovely, I had felt disappointed at the end of the day because the necklace had still failed to glow.

The object was making my anxiety levels too high. Scared from failing and suffering from Regina’s wrath, I had quickly become too skittish to sleep. I ended up waiting for Jefferson to fall asleep, our bed tucked into a corner of the workshop, before I wriggled out of his affectionate embrace and dressed. Taking a lantern, I walked as far as I could in search of a place where the necklace’s amethyst stone would begin to shine, only stopping because exhaustion engulfed me or I was running out of hours of darkness. The lack of sleep and inability to find Regina’s sought after item was pushing me to my limits.

A pang of homesickness hit me and I realised how much I didn’t belong here in this crazy land. Even if I was going to miss out on infinite wealth as a reward from the queen, either the Queen of Hearts or Queen Regina, I just had to rid myself of the itch Wonderland was giving me. Perhaps the rumour was true and there was something in the air after all…

“Are you seriously getting distracted by my hat?” Jefferson asked and I flicked my eyes back to him. He was looking up at me questioningly, struggling to figure me out.

“Hats are attractive,” I said with a shrug, trying to lighten the mood. I didn’t want him to continue to question me about why I had been so distracted, afraid I would confess everything to him and he would leave me. Jefferson grinned at my response and he suddenly hoisted me into the air. Our hips remained pressed together as he swept one arm across the workbench, clearing it of all material and tools so he could lie me down on it.

“I guess you’re lucky I look good in a hat,” Jefferson muttered under his breath. His voice had already turned husky as he gazed down at my vulnerable state. The hat I had gifted him back in our homeland was now tilted a little but I agreed that he looked handsome. I was unable to think straight for much longer, completely enveloped by his passionate kiss.

“I don’t really need to hear this,” she remarked with a groan.

“I was stopping there, I promise,” I said with a chuckle. She lowered her hands from her ears and her scrunched face relaxed. “That day was important to me… to us.” She squinted her eyes a little, possibly recapping the story in her mind in search of a crucial detail she had missed the significance of the first time around.

“Why?”

“Well, I think that was when…” I started to answer but then hesitated, doubting that the time was right. “You’ll understand why, eventually.”