However, Emma realizes that the tea is drugged and falls unconscious after discovering that Jefferson was faking his limp. Emma goes inside, and Jefferson makes her a cup of tea. She stops the car and sees that Jefferson is wounded from dodging the car, so she drives him back to his house. While Emma Swan is looking for Mary Margaret Blanchard, she nearly runs over Jefferson. Jefferson is kept prisoner, where he makes thousands and thousands of hats, but none of them work and Jefferson begins to go mad. However, Jefferson's head is somehow still alive, and he is ordered to make an exact magical replica of the hat before having his head returned to his body.
![jefferson once upon a time jefferson once upon a time](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/14/23/b6/1423b6c583149b059112a45889dedf98.jpg)
Jefferson is brought before the Queen of Hearts, who has him executed. However, Regina and her father abandon Jefferson and escape back to the Enchanted Forest, leaving him behind. Regina and Jefferson travel to Wonderland where Regina rescues her father, who had been kidnapped by the Queen of Hearts. However, Regina says that Grace will want for nothing if he accepts, and so he brings the hat to Regina's castle. One day, Regina visits Jefferson and asks him to help her cross another realm, but he claims to have given up portal-jumping because it had something to do with the death of his wife. Jefferson has a daughter named Grace and they live a life of poverty but happiness.
![jefferson once upon a time jefferson once upon a time](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c7/9b/06/c79b06fb8b81dfa2bf42accf03868bb1.gif)
Jefferson retires from portal-jumping after a confrontation with the March Hare results in the death of his wife.
![jefferson once upon a time jefferson once upon a time](https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d005ca563358fcf8e1715f6518e25f0/dd33189a37c882dc-41/s640x960/5fe9634b58e48d3a802d36b69dba99fba075d365.jpg)
Jefferson introduces Regina to Viktor Frankenstein, who is testing a new procedure which could bring the dead back to life with the help of hearts that have been magically ripped out. He worked for Rumplestiltskin, who sent Jefferson to Oz to obtain a pair of slippers that would allow Rumplestiltskin to travel to a land without magic, but he fails and instead he gives Rumplestiltskin a crystal ball which he begrudgingly accepts. Jefferson was once a portal-jumper, who owned a magical hat which allowed him to cross to realms, but only realms with magic.