Jefferson held his two year old daughter in his lap. He bounced her on his knee gently and she thought that was the most thrilling thing. She giggled and laughed and squealed and so he kept bouncing her.

To see his daughter happy was one of the most wonderful things in the world.

His wife came into the room. Her blonde hair was braided down her back. Her nightgown brought out the blue in her eyes, "Ah, I see we have a visitor."

"The shutter on her window's broken, the wind keeps banging it," he stroked Grace's hair and smiled at her. She was so smart already. She'd probably be smarter than them.

"Hm," Karenina sat next to him and kissed her daughter's face.

"Mama, I love you," Grace said.

"More than papa?" Karenina teased.

Grace looked at her dad and gave her mother an exasperated look, "Mama!"

Karenina smiled and embraced her daughter. Jefferson's leg was rested enough to bounce her again.

"Who'd have thought four years ago that we'd be like this?" Karenina asked and stroked some of his hair back, "All domestic and tamed."

"We're not tamed."

"We're a lot more tame than we were," she kissed his cheek; "We're almost on our way to being good people."

He groaned, "Don't make me sick."

"Yeah!" Grace made a face, "Gross."

"Look what you're teaching our daughter," Karenina told him kissed him, "You behave. At least when she's looking."

"Oh, I get up to a lot of things when she's not looking," he made a point to look Karenina up and down. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on the bed.

"Would you like to hold her?"

"No," Karenina smiled, "She's perfectly happy with you."

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There had been a bit of a list made in the town where everyone filled out who they were and where they lived at. It was a sort of way to help with panic of those that were desperately trying to find each other.

Jefferson didn't participate. He didn't want his daughter knowing he was here. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He'd gone mad in the years he was separated from her. He'd lost his sanity when he was tortured by Cora and then trapped by Regina. She deserved better than him, she deserved to have a family that could love her in a healthy way. He would just bring her down. He would just isolate her. He didn't know how to be a father anymore. He would just want to keep her close and never let her go and that was not good for her.

So he did his best not to look for Grace. But she was looking for him.

He saw the drawn picture on the 'missing' wall in front of town hall. He knew Grace's handwriting, and he knew that picture that she drew was supposed to be him. So he ripped it down and escaped to the docks before he could be seen and stared at it.

She wanted him. She wanted to see him.

He at least owed her an explanation….but if he did that then he'd want to take her home and she might not want to go home with him. Or what happened if she did and they fought him? Or they agreed and it was worse for her because she had him for a dad?

What happened if he ruined her because he was selfish?

"Jefferson….right?" he glanced up and tried to hide his frustration as the mayor's son…the savior's son came and sat next to him, "The Mad Hatter."

He gave a small roll of his eyes. He didn't want to be a part of this boy's drama. He kept trying to stay out of it and they kept forcing him back in. He didn't want to help them and he couldn't. Besides…if the Ice Queen or this boy's idiot grandfather caught him chatting with this boy….he WOULD be in another cage.

"I need your help," Henry started.

"Look, I already told your grandfather," He explained, "I can't do anything."

"I know," Henry said, "But there must be something we can do."

"I'm the wrong person to talk to, kid," Jefferson glanced up from his daughter's drawing and gave the boy a sad smile, "Magic's not my thing. Try your mother. Maybe she's got something in that vault of hers she can help you with."

"Her vault?" Henry asked; stunned, "Her vault is here? In Storybrooke?"

The more this kid talked is the more his safety was risked, "It's none of my business. Talk. To. Her."

Henry glanced down, "What's that?"

Now that the boy was paying attention to the drawing, Jefferson quickly folded it up and tucked it in his coat. His daughter made it. She made it to find him. She made it for him and he didn't want to lose it. This was Regina's boy. She might have taught him to use loved ones against people to do what he wanted

Henry put two and two together, "Your daughter's looking for you, isn't she?"

He leaned forward, "And what do you know about it?"

"I read your story. I know how the two of you were separated. Why are you here? She's at school."

No, that temptation was starting to overpower him. He needed to get away from this kid before his willpower broke completely and he exposed his daughter to the madness that consumed him, "I've got to go home, kid."

He stood and started to leave; Henry jumped up and stood in his way. He kept stepping backwards because Jefferson would've walked over him if he could, "She probably wants to see you."

She made that picture for him. She wanted closure.

"Get out of my way," he tried to stare ahead…and push any feelings he had to the back of his mind.

"Why aren't you trying-," Henry continued.

"Get out of my way," He said more sternly.

"-to find her," Henry continued.

Jefferson finally lost his temper and grabbed the boy, "Because I LEFT her!"

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"And she'll hate me," he whispered, completely broken. He had failed his wife…he had failed his daughter. He didn't deserve Grace because of that.

Henry put his hands on Jefferson's arms, "How do you know that?"

The question made Jefferson draw back and he looked around…trying to summon the words to explain. He didn't know why, he didn't have to explain anything to this boy but he just had to talk to SOMEONE.

"I was on my way…and fate reminded me I shouldn't."

"You should," Henry told him, "I've been left too. Anything's better than nothing."

Jefferson averted his eyes. Having nothing was better than having him.

Henry continued, "She'll spend her whole life wondering why you left her….not knowing…is the worst."

He couldn't help but imagine his daughter like he had all those years ago…when Karenina died and he would find her hiding under the bed sobbing if he was gone too long and she thought he wasn't coming back. He imagined her sitting by the window at the neighbors waiting for him to come back when he never did.

Not knowing was the worst…

He wouldn't be protecting her from him; he was trying to protect himself. Grace deserved better than him, yes. But he owed his daughter an explanation. She had already lost her mother. She needed her father to at least let her know that he was safe.

He was going to give into his temptation.

Just for a small moment.

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The school bus would arrive on time at the same place it always did.

Jefferson hid behind a pole and watched as his daughter climbed off the school bus laughing with friends.

It took…everything he had to step out from behind that pole…he felt his heart hammering in his chest. She looked so happy and he would destroy that. He destroyed everything he touched. Could he really destroy his daughter a third time?

But she deserved to know…

He walked to the middle of the sidewalk. He drew a breath to steady his nerves. The tears were already surfacing.

"Grace."

It was a lot softer than he thought it would be. His voice felt like it was caught in his throat. But she heard it, she stopped and turned around.

The tears were threatening to spill now.

He waited for her reaction. He just…stared at his little girl and waited.

The happiest smile brightened her face and she raced towards him, "Papa!"

He fell to his knees and let her slam into his chest. Her arms went around his neck and he let himself crumble…just a little bit. The weight and stress he was feeling of this decision seemed to just slide off him and he fell back a little bit.

He just held onto his daughter. His rock. The only thing that kept him going for thirty years.

"You found me! I knew you would."

He knew this opened a whole can of worms. He knew other people cared for her for 28 years and they would want custody as well. They could work something out…he would do what it took to keep them in her life so that he didn't isolate her and ruin her.

But for now, he was taking her home.

The End

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