A/N: This is going to be a short story, about five chapters, and is inspired by impureevilregal's 'When in Wonderland' story. For those reading my other Once Upon A Time fanfic, I'm not forgetting the other one, I just wrote this when I was at the Isle of Wight festival as I didn't have my laptop. I'm not giving up on it, don't worry!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please review, I'd love to know what you think! :D

Jefferson was leading the Queen down a dark corridor, doors of all shapes and sizes lined up down both walls and all in different shades of reds, blues, yellows, in fact, nearly every colour imaginable. Yet only one of which supposedly was the entry to their intended destination. Wonderland.

A few minutes earlier they had jumped into Jefferson's hat after Regina had persuaded him to help her get to the new land with the promise of giving his daughter a better life. Yet there was something else on her mind, something that she needed the right moment to tell the Hatter and it seemed that moment, when Jefferson was distracted with finding the right door, was a good time.

"Before I get what we came here for," she started suddenly, making Jefferson jump and glare at her irritably. "There's something else I wish to do."

"Oh yes?" the Hatter replied, sounding slightly suspicious.

The Queen, however wasn't about to let on what he wanted to know. She needed to keep that information private, just like the fact he didn't know what they were fetching from that land either.

"It's extremely important that we are not seen by anyone on this task, otherwise we will fail," she said instead. "And then we shall never escape."

"And this task is?" Jefferson tried again as he approached a mirror.

Regina became distracted for a moment. It seemed it wasn't one of the doors that would take them through, but the mirror. Just like it had done with her mother, a voice piped up in her head. She forced it down.

"That secret stays with me. It is none of your business," she stated and then changed the subject. "Is this the way in?"

"Yes, this is the entrance." He turned to her, looking serious. "It's important that we stick together. The same amount of people that go through have to come back. No more, no less. It's that hat's rule, not mine."

The Queen trailed a hand down the gilded side, still thinking about her mother, before answering. "I understand."

The Hatter nodded and reached out a hand, moving it through the glass as though it was molten before stepping through it and disappearing entirely. After a moment's hesitancy, Regina did the same.

The first glimpse of the land she banished her mother to had the Queen blinking a few times. It was so bright. The grass either side of the path they were on were a vivid pea green, reaching high above their heads and swaying softly in the breeze, giving off the sweet smell of summer. The sky was a deep blue with not a cloud in sight and even the path they were on was paved in pretty sun-yellow tiles.

"Welcome to Wonderland," the Hatter said, gesturing to their surroundings in an off-hand manner and bringing Regina out of her gaze. "So let's go do what we're here to do and get out." And with that, he grabbed her arm and started leading her down the path.

However, they didn't get far for, shortly down the road, they were interrupted by what couldn't be mistaken as a giant caterpillar perched on a giant mushroom and puffing small hoops of smoke into the air.

"Who are you?" it wheezed, a hoop of smoke hitting Jefferson in the face.

The Queen only looked at it in wonder. This was an incredibly strange world. She'd heard about the mushrooms that made you grow smaller or taller depending on which side you ate, but seeing a blue caterpillar smoking and wearing glasses topped that.

"Who. Are. You?" it puffed again, this time the smoke hitting Regina and making her cough and waft a hand in front of her face to get rid of it.

"I hate Wonderland," Jefferson muttered, rolling his eyes and pulling Regina away.

This land was stranger than she first thought, Regina realised as she kept up with Jefferson. She certainly didn't want to get stuck here; it really wouldn't suit her at all.

As the day continued, they passed first through fields, with the occasional bright fuchsia pink and golden yellow flowers popping up, their honey-like smell scenting the air, then through woodland, woodland that seemed to grow thicker and thicker as they walked on down the path which was becoming narrower and narrower. All that could be heard was the sound of the occasional hooting of birds they never saw and the rustling of the trees leaves in the wind. Everything had shrunk down to normal size, making it a lot darker and closed in than it had done in the fields.

It was now Jefferson who was slowing down and Regina striding ahead, determined in her aims. The Hatter, on the other hand, was distracted by the woods. It reminded him of home and of his little Grace. She would be waiting for him, their tea party all set out ready for him. Sighing, he nearly bumped into Regina as she halted abruptly.

"Great," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"Now which way? What use are these signposts? Neither of them say which way the palace is." She threw her hand up in exasperation, indicating to two strikingly white, wooden signs. One indicated to the left but saying 'right way' and one pointing to the right but stating 'left way'.

"Well obviously you go the right way, which could in fact be the left way," a mysterious voice came out of nowhere, echoing through the trees.

"Who said that?" the Queen demanded, whipping round in an attempt to see the perpetrator. There was no one there. "Reveal yourself!"

"But then it could also be the right way that actually is the right way, or maybe even neither way. It's really entirely up to you." And there, above their heads and lounging on a branch was a large, grinning cat.

"Who are you?" Jefferson asked before Regina could get over her shock of seeing a talking and grinning cat.

"Well, people call me the Cheshire Cat, but I don't have a name."

"The Cheshire Cat?" Regina questioned. The cat just grinned.

"We need to find our way to the palace, which way is it?" Jefferson inquired, trying to stop Regina's curiosity from leading them astray.

"It's neither way. Not the right, nor the left."

"Then where?" he said, becoming more and more irritated with the cat's annoying riddles. "This is a Queen and we need to get out of here as soon as possible. I command you to tell us where we need to go."

However, the cat then did something unexpected, clearly not liking the Hatter's tone. First it was his tail, then his body and finally his face. They all disappeared, part by part, until all that was left was his white toothy grin before that too faded into nothingness.

"Now what? It was not in our best interests to be impolite to that cat, Jefferson," Regina snapped, clearly trying to contain her anger over him making the Cheshire Cat leave them in the middle of nowhere with no clue of how to find their way.

Yet before he could answer, there was a low creak and the trunk of a nearby tree opened up, as though there was a door there. Perhaps the cat had bestowed mercy on them.

Regina walked over, completely ignoring Jefferson's odd look, and peered through the doorway. "It seems like you're in luck. It's through here," she said stiffly and then strode through, not even waiting for the Hatter to reply.