Once upon a time, an evil queen banished every storybook character you've ever known to our world. Who knows the truth and who can break the spell?
David was at the police station and in the interrogation room, Emma walked toward him with a mug of coffee. He looked up and took the cup from her hands, he cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said softly. "I hope Kathryn is somewhere warm. Not out in the cold." He didn't look up when he spoke about Kathryn.
"David," Emma said softly. He looked up at her with a frown. "I think you need to start worrying about yourself a little bit more here. Your wife is missing. You are in love with another woman." She turned slightly as she picked up a copy of the call logs, and handed it to him. "There's this unexplained phone call..."
David looked at the paper in his hand. "I know. I know. I just..." he took in a breath. "I can't explain why it says that." He looked up at her. "I didn't do anything to my wife."
Emma looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm pretty good at spotting a liar, and honestly, liars have better material," she said softly.
David breathed out a sigh of relief and looked away from Emma. He was feeling relief that Emma believed him and that he wasn't a suspect in his wife's disappearance.
"Now, go home," Emma ordered. She stood up and set the mug down on the desk, turning her back toward David.
He looked up, confused. "I can go?" he asked.
She opened the door of her office, turned her body, and looked at him. "We don't even know if there was a crime yet. So, get some sleep."
He set his mug down on the desk as well and stood up. "Thank you," he said, he had just walked past her when she called to him.
"And, David, maybe get a lawyer," she suggested.
David turned to look at her for a moment, then he looked down at the floor. He was considering it then he left the building and went back to his home.
A wolf was howling in the distance while Ruby's red car was outside of Granny's Diner. Ruby was in the diner and standing in front of August, she was leaning on the chair with a smile on her face. "You can't be serious," she said to him. "A whole year without a roof over your head?" She sounded amazed.
"You get used to it," he said. "And plus I had the motorcycle, so if I didn't like a place after a while..." he clicked his tongue and imitated a whooshing sound, and made a hand gesture of him riding away on his bike.
"Ruby?" Granny called out to her granddaughter, she looked over at her behind the book as she shook her head at Ruby.
Ruby sighed and stood up straighter. "I've never even been out of Storybrooke," she admitted, it was lame but it was the truth. "What was your favorite place?"
"Nepal," August said without even hesitating. "Best people. They have these prayer temples, carved into mountains that are overrun with lemurs."
Ruby leaned in a little. "What's a lemur?" she asked.
"Ruby!" Granny called out to her once again.
"Just give me a sec!" she called back to her, looking over her shoulder at her Granny and then back at August.
August tilted his head up slightly. "They're little animals. Yeah." He nodded once. "And they have these eyes that reflect light, so at night it looks like they glow." He smiled at her.
"Ruby, stop flirting and get over here!" Granny said irritably, she knocked on the counter and Ruby turned around to face her grandmother with a hateful expression.
A male came knocking on the wooden window with a brown cotton bag over his shoulder and a bag of arrows on his other shoulder. Peter was a villager and he had worked his entire life. A woman's voice came from inside the wooden house, her voice was near the window, calling in a high-pitched voice: "Who's there?" He let the bag drop on the ground and opened up the window, whispering to her, "Let me in."
"I'm just a poor old widow. Spare me!" said Ruby, still in that high-pitched voice.
"Let me in, or I'll...," said Peter, in a teasing voice.
"Yes?" said Ruby.
"I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow...," he started saying.
Ruby came over and opened the second pair of windows, she looked at him and laughed softly. "You'll huff and puff?" asked Ruby, teasing him. She leaned out of the window slightly.
Peter stepped closer and looked at her adoringly. "I couldn't think of nothing," he confessed to Ruby.
"So you thought you'd level the house with the power of your breath?" she teased. "Hmm." She leaned in close and brushed her lips against his as she smiled slightly. "Well, a case could be made..."
"Oh!" he said, chuckling a bit too loudly.
"Shh!" she whispered, looking toward the door and then at Peter, her eyes wide. "Granny's in the other room. You know she doesn't like me opening the shutters."
"No, she doesn't like me," he said in a softer tone.
"What's what I meant."
"You gotta get out of here," he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"I know," she agreed. "Anywhere."
"A blacksmith's boy can get work all over."
Ruby stared at Peter for a moment. "You'd leave everyone you know?" she asked. A smile spread across her face. "You'd do that for me?"
"I'd do anything for you," he promised her.
Ruby looked at him with loving eyes then she looked down, blushing slightly. "Peter, watch out, your air of danger is slipping," she teased.
"Come out," he said with a smile. "Just for a minute."
She looked past him into the sky and then back at him. "It's already dark. She'd never let me."
"Red? Where are you? What are you doing?" Granny called out to her, and Red jumped at the sound of her voice.
Red turned to look over by the door and she was about to move and close the window when Peter grabbed her arm. "Let go," she whispered, her eyes pleading to him.
"Pay the price. One kiss." He suggested to her.
"Red, get in here!" Granny called to her.
Red looked over at the door again then back at Peter, slowly a smile spread across her lips as she leaned in and kissed him, quickly pulling back to look at him. He was smiling too. She pushed him playfully away, giggling. She closed the window and locked it. She pressed her back against the window with a smile on her face still, biting her lip.
Peter had picked up his bag and was already walking away from Red's house on a cold night.
Red came into the living room as she closed her bedroom door, she walked over to Granny. "What's going on?" she asked, concern in her voice and face.
"Nothing that concerns you," said Granny. The door was open and a group of men with torches and swords were on the other side. "Just a bunch of fools trying to get themselves killed over a few dead sheep."
"Wolf took out a dozen last night," said Mayor Tomkins.
"So you called me in here to what?" asked Red. "Just to keep me in sight?" Granny looked at her while she spoke then at Mayor Tomkins.
"Good evening, Red," greeted Mayor Tomkins. "We're just forming up a hunting party."
"You're hunting the wolf?" Ruby asked excitedly. She gripped Granny's arm and looked at her. "Can I go with them, please? I'll be safe in a big group."
Granny looked at her, her face serious. "Don't be ludicrous. You're staying inside and you're keeping that hood on. You know red repels wolves," she said.
"They're not wearing red," said Red, pointing out that none of the men were wearing red.
Granny looked over at them then she looked back at Red. "They're damn fools, too." She looked at the group. "There are only two more nights left in wolfstime. Let it take a few sheep. Now, go home." She slammed the door in their faces as she locked the door.
"I hope they kill the wolf," said Red. "Then we can have lives again." She turned her back and started walking.
Granny turned to look at her granddaughter. "You just want to roam around the woods with that wastrel, Peter," she snapped.
Red turned around to look at Granny. "He's not a wastrel," she said, defending him. "He works hard. He has plans."
Granny raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, I am sure he does. Now come on. You know what to do."
Granny and Red both set a huge log across the middle of the door and Granny went over to the fireplace and yanked out two pieces of metal, it closed the fireplace but the fire was still going. Then they went to every window and closed them and locked them securely. Granny wanted to keep the wolf out so that it couldn't get them. Or was it to keep the wolf in?
Granny grabbed it and turned it toward a door. "Now, go to sleep, girl," she ordered Red.
Red walked past her grandmother. "Yes, Granny," she said with a soft sigh.
Granny sat down in the chair. "I hope I don't see that boy mooning around here tomorrow. And where the hood!" she called out to her.
Red stopped walking and looked at her Granny. "Yes, Granny," she said, following her orders. She went into her room and closed the door behind her.
Granny pulled out a bow and arrow from under the table and pointed it toward the door. Making sure that she wouldn't get hurt by the wolf or the village people. Whoever comes first, would have to go through her first before anything.
Ruby was standing in front of Granny, she was so embarrassed by what she did. "I can't believe you did that. That was humiliating," she said, leaning in as she whispered to Granny.
"I want you to start working Saturday nights," said Granny, it wasn't a suggestion either. It was a demand.
Ruby opened her mouth slightly as she looked at her, couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Come on. We have an agreement about Saturday night," she reminded Granny.
"I want to start training you to do the books and the reorders. Business is booming lately, and the more money comes more paperwork," Granny explained. She went back to the paperwork that was in front of her.
"Yeah," Ruby mumbled, nodding. "None of that sounds good."
Granny looked up. "It's gotta be done," she said.
"Is this a punishment? For talking to that guy?"
"If I wanted to punish you, I'd have better reasons. For one thing, you were late. For another thing, Liza, you dress like a drag queen during fleet week."
"And you dress like Norman Bates when he dresses like Norman Bates' mother."
Granny stared at Ruby for a moment while everyone sat down and ate their food. "Ruby, you're a grown woman. You can't keep acting like some kid."
"You just want me to act like you until I turn into you. Well, I am not a fossil yet, Granny. I should be out there having adventures with lemurs!"
Granny closed the book quickly and looked at Ruby. "Well, as long as you work here, you are gonna listen to me," she said angrily as she walked around the counter.
"I didn't ask to work here," said Ruby, watching Granny then follow her pace as the customers watched them fight.
"Then what's keeping you?" Granny said loud enough for her to hear.
"Nothing. I quit!" Ruby shouted, taking off her apron and walking out of the diner.
Red came out of her room without her red hood on her, she was fixing her dress as she walked behind her and placed her hands on Granny's shoulders. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?" she asked.
Granny glanced up at Red before looking at the door again. "I'll sleep with the trolls in the afterlife," she said, setting the bow & arrow down on the floor.
"Here," Red whispered, helping Granny up and out of the chair.
"I'll get the shutters," said Granny. "You go check if that wolf left the chickens alone." They walked over to the door, got the wood off it, and set it against the wall.
"Yes, Granny," said Red, she unlocked the door and opened it just a crack, the sun shining in on Granny.
"Wear your hood!" Granny practically yelled at Red.
Red quickly shut the door and went to her room to go get her hood while Granny unlocked the lock of the shutters and opened them, letting the sunlight in through.
The chickens were clucking lowly while Red was collecting eggs from the chickens while wearing her red hood and a basket in her hand while setting the eggs into the basket. She collected two more eggs and turned toward the door to set out before she took a step there was a thudding sound and she stopped in her tracks. She turned around and took a step toward the noise.
Snow White came out behind the stall of equipment for the chickens, feeling guilty about sneaking and hiding in someone else's place. "I'm sorry. I can go," she said, holding two eggs in each hand
"Are you stealing our eggs?" asked Red.
"No," Snow lied then looked down at the two eggs in her hands. "Not a lot." She held them out for Red to take.
"Hey, hey. It's all right," said Red gently to Snow.
"Thank you," Snow whispered, pulling her hands toward her chest. "It was just that last night, there was something out there. It was howling, and I heard it, and it was so cold, so..."
"Hey, come on," said Red, smiling at her. "Come with me." She started walking toward the door again before turning around and introducing herself. "Everyone calls me Red."
Snow started following her but stopped and stood in front of Red, smiling at her new friend. "I'm Sn—" she started to say her name but stopped because she didn't want anyone to know who she really was. "Frosty."
"Frosty? Really?" Red asked, tilting her head slightly.
"No. It's just that someone's looking for me, so...," Frosty—Snow White—explained to Red.
"You don't know or trust me yet. Hey, I get it. I just need something to call you," said Red, with a soft, trusting smile.
"Uh, Margaret. Oh, no. Uh. Mary." She nodded in approval. "Mary."
"Well, then, Mary, come on."
Mary smiled at her, grateful that she didn't ask too many questions. If it was any other person, she would have not faked a name or anything, she would have bolted. She took a step closer to Red and set the two eggs into the basket gently as Red watched her. Red turned her back against Mary once again before walking out of the hen house and Mary watched for a moment then followed Red out.
"I just gotta bring in some water before we go in," said Red, walking toward the well.
"What was all that howling?" asked Mary, walking beside Red.
"It's wolfstime. Killer wolf out there. As big as a pony but a lot more bloodthirsty." Red explained to Mary, arriving at the well with a basket in her hand. A soft sigh left her lips. "It's been stalking the area pretty regularly. It kills cattle and..." she sets the basket down and pulls on the rope for the well. "Hang on. This sticks sometimes. Could you just..." She handed Mary the rope and helped her pull up the bucket. Mary stops unexpectedly as Red peers over the well. "Look. Look at that," she murmured. "Mary," she called for her, she leaned in a bit closer. "Look at the water. Mary." The water wasn't water... It was blood. "Mary," she called once more before turning around to look at her. "Mary?" she called her again, letting the rope go and making a splash.
Red and Mary were both looking at the scene and they couldn't believe what they were seeing. They wanted to throw up, their faces pale as snow. They saw men dead, blood all over them and all over the snow. It was a bloodbath. They were scared. They're heart-pounding both in their chest. Their blood drains from their faces. How could a wolf do this?
Emma was walking down the sidewalk and she was about to walk past the only public library named: Storybrooke Free Public Library. Mary Margaret came jogging toward Emma which made her stop in her place when she heard her voice. "Is he okay? David?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.
"Oh, yeah. He's a little shaken up, but he's headed home. He's fine." Emma assured her friend, Emma, and Mary Margaret continued walking down the sidewalk.
"Any word from Kathryn?"
"Nothing new."
"Did you check with Boston again?"
"She's not there, Mary Margaret."
Mary Margaret sighed gently. "So we have no idea what happened to her?" she asked.
"All we know is that she found out about you two, gave you a well-deserved slap, and then disappeared."
"'Well-deserved'?" Mary Margaret asked, she stopped walking and Emma took a step and then turned around to face her. "Do you really believe that?′
"No," Emma said gently. "I'm just preparing you for what everyone else is gonna think." Mary Margaret blinked at her, she was taken aback by what she said. "You two are gonna look bad until we figure the truth out."
"You mean David?" asked Mary Margaret with a bit of accusingly towards Emma. "That people are going to think, in order to be free with me, he..."
"Some are. And he's not doing himself any favors. So if there's anything you could think of to pin down his whereabouts that night..."
"He wasn't with me. We really are through."
Mary Margaret and Emma started walking again when they spotted Ruby with a suitcase and a male that they didn't recognize.
"Sorry, no. Don't need a ride," said Ruby to the man.
"It's awfully cold out here," said the man, commenting on the weather.
"I'm fine. Really."
Emma and Mary Margaret walked over to them, seeing what was going on and to see if Ruby needed any help.
"I can carry your bag. Where are you headed?"
"Dr. Whale?" Mary Margaret said, shocked.
Dr. Whale turned around surprised to see them out there. "Mary Margaret. Emma. Hello there," he said.
"Hey," said Mary Margaret, still shocked.
"I was just having a talk with Ruby here," he said, pointing at her, "but I should..."
Emma gave him a glare. "Yeah. Yeah, you should," she said, her voice hard.
"Yeah," Dr. Whale whispered, looking at Emma and then at Mary Margaret. He walked away from them as he went across the street and onto the other sidewalk. The three women watched him walk away.
"Was he bothering you?" asked Mary Margaret, taking a step forward toward Ruby.
Ruby scoffed, rolling her eyes. "The day I can't handle a letch is the day I leave town. Which this is, I guess," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"You're leaving?" asked Emma.
"I had a fight with Granny, quit my job," said Ruby.
"You quit?" asked Mary Margaret, her voice full of shock.
Ruby nodded, smiling at them.
"Where are you doing?" asked Mary Margaret.
Ruby opened her mouth and then shrugged. "I don't know," she said, chuckling softly. "Away."
"Yeah, well, buses out of town don't really happen. And you might want a destination first," explained Emma.
Ruby didn't realize that she needed a destination to go someplace or that the buses didn't just keep driving. She didn't exactly have a plan and she wished that she did have one before she even quit. No one talked for a whole minute, the two women felt bad for Ruby. They wanted to comfort her.
Mary Margaret took a step forward. "Hey, if you need a place to figure things out, you could always come home with us," she said.
Emma looked over at Mary Margaret with wide eyes and Mary Margaret looked back at her, she knew what Emma was thinking but she wanted to be nice to her and wanted to make things right. Ruby looked between the two, hoping that it would work out.
"Yeah," Emma stammered, looking at Ruby. "Just for a little while."
Mary Margaret smiled at Ruby. "Come on," she said gently, walking past Ruby and toward her and Emma's apartment.
Ruby looked back at Emma and smiled while wheeling her suitcase behind her as she followed Mary Margaret.
Emma stayed back for a moment before following them to the apartment. This wasn't going to be easy, having three women in one apartment. It wasn't a big one. She wondered what this was going to be like, especially with Ruby. She liked Ruby, don't get her wrong, but it's definitely not going to be easy.
The people in the pub were yelling at Mayor Tomkins—who was standing in front of the people of his village, they were ready to kill the wolf. One man stood up and started yelling at him, he was angry and outraged. Mayor Tomkins puts his hands up in surrender, trying to calm them down. "The one thing I know is that last night was the very last massacre!" he yelled over them.
"Yeah!" they all said.
"You know, if I had stayed with that party for another 10 minutes, I too would be among the dead," said Mayor Tomkins. Red and Granny walked into the pub while Peter looked over his shoulder. "And when I think if I'd only doubled back, maybe I could have caught it in the act." Peter smiled at Red and she smiled back at him. Granny gripped Red's upper arm and she looked at her, wiping the smile off her face. "Maybe I would have been able to slay the creature."
"You would not," said Granny loud enough for Mayor Tomkins to hear, walking a few steps from the back.
"Widow Lucas," stated Tomkins.
"This creature is more powerful than you can imagine. You wouldn't have a chance. Stay inside, hide your children, forget your livestock," said Granny, trying to save everyone from the wolf.
"You've said all this before," said Tomkins.
"But I haven't said how I know," said Granny.
Mary was there, listening to everyone. But she was hiding half of her face with a scarf, darting her eyes back and forth.
"Nearly three score years ago, I was a child with six older brothers big as oak trees, all of them veterans of the second Ogres-war. And my father, the biggest of them all. Come one wolfstime, he decided to go out and take on the wolf. A different wolf back then, of course, but just as fearsome. They went out there to protect me. I was supposed to be asleep, but I crawled out on the roof to watch and lay down on the thatch. They had the beast surrounded, the seven of them, with spears all pointed in at it. And then it started. It was lunging. Not at the men, at the spears, grabbing with its teeth, breaking the shafts. They stabbed it with the splintered end, but it didn't matter. It tore their throats so fast that not one of them got a chance to scream, pray, or say goodbye. When my father died, I tumbled from the roof. And I landed in the blood in front of the wolf. I felt its breath on my face." Granny took off her caramel leather gloves and rolled up her sleeve. "And it clamped its hot jaw on my arm and I rolled away." She showed the people in the pub the marks on her arm, the marks were red and noticeable scars on her left arm. People were murmuring to themselves or to other people beside them. Red and Mary looked away and closed their eyes, they couldn't believe that she had that. "Then it looked at me with eyes so black they weren't even there. And it walked away." She rolled her sleeve down while looking at Mayor Tomkins. "You ever see a wild animal just turn its back and walk away like you don't matter? If this wolf is like that one, there is no defeating it. It's already won just by existing in our world. You don't kill it. You just hide."
Mary and Red were in the house and in Red's room, sitting on Red's bed, Mary had removed the scarf from her face. "So, your granny is kind of intense," said Mary.
"Yeah," Red breathed out, chuckling softly. "A bit." She looked up at Mary with a soft, scared smile on her lips. "I feel like a rat in a trap." She looked over her shoulder, seeing Granny in her rocking chair as she knitted.
"Is this trap keeping you from being with someone?" asked Mary.
Red's eyes widen at the guess. "How did you know?" she asked.
"Well, I saw some looks exchanged back there. And I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't subtle," said Mary, picking up a pillow and smacking her with it playfully while Red giggled at the unsubtle.
"Yes. Peter. We've been friends forever," Red looked down, blushing at the thought, "but now things are..." Mary leaned forward a little. "Well, changing." Red couldn't help but smile at the thought of Peter.
"That must be nice," said Mary.
"Do you have someone?"
"Oh, no." Mary shook her head. "And I'm not sure that's in my future. You're lucky, Red."
"I know." Red looked toward her grandmother again then leaned in, looking at Mary and dropping her voice to a whisper. "And we're talking about going away together, but I don't even get any time with him. Granny's too afraid of the wolf to let me out alone. You saw what the wolf did. Sometimes I wonder if she's right."
"Oh, she's right about the wolf. But she's wrong to use it to keep you from love."
"You think that's what she's doing?"
Mary looked down and around the room, she didn't answer Red's question because she felt bad for her. She didn't want Red to be lonely, like herself.
Red scoffed softly and then suddenly, she said, "Let's kill the wolf."
Mary was taken aback by what she said, blinking at her. "Uh... Hang on," said Mary.
"We'd be heroes."
"Red, teams of trained hunters have been killed."
"But they go at night when it's got the advantage. If we went now, we could find it slumbering in its den and kill it in its sleep."
"Oh..."
Red quickly gathered her red hood with excitement. "Come on," she said.
"Red, I don't know," said Mary.
Before Red could get off the bed, her expression changed quickly. She sighed softly and tilted her head slightly. "I'm going, with or without you. But you're right. I can't let her keep me trapped forever." She got up from the bed with her red hood and Mary watched her. Mary couldn't believe that she was going to kill the wolf, she knew that she couldn't let her go by herself and she knew what she had to do. She was going to help Red, whether she liked it or not.
It was lightly raining outside and Mary Margaret was at the edge of town, just a few feet from the sign. She parked her car on the side of the road, turned off the engine, and got out of the car with her umbrella and purse. She was in the forest and the umbrella over her head as she was looking around, trying to find a clue to Kathryn. She was worried about her and she wants to find her as soon as possible. She was hoping that nothing bad had happened to her. She hoped she was somewhere warm and safe, and not hurt and cold. She was looking around and heard a twig snap and looked to where the sound came from. Then she heard some rustling in front of her, she gasped and looked in that direction, and she stopped in her tracks. She heard footsteps coming her way, and her heart was beating fast, and scared. She took a few more steps toward the sound, narrowing her eyes at the sound and the movement, and then she realized who it was that was making all that sound.
It was David.
David was coming out of the small little bushes and Mary Margaret sighed in relief that it wasn't some murderer.
"It's you," said Mary Margaret. She sighed and looked down while David was looking around, confused and dazed. He kept looking all around, not looking at Mary Margaret as he stood in front of her. "You okay?" she asked, looking at him. "You're looking for Kathryn, too?"
"I'm looking," he said simply.
"She knows you didn't do anything." She tried to look him in the eyes but he kept looking around. "Emma, I mean. She can tell when people are lying. So she knows. And I'll stand with you. I'll tell everyone this isn't possible." She smiled at him. "And she's going to turn up somewhere." She shook her head and looked around the forest. "That's why we're out here, right?"
"I'm looking," he repeated, he looked to the left.
"David?" she asked, looking up at him worryingly.
David looked at Mary Margaret for a moment before backing up away from her and she tried to grab his arm but yanked it away from her.
"David!" she called out to him while walking away from her and going back to the way he was. "David!" she called to him once more. She watched him go off, she stood there shocked by his behavior. She had never seen him act like this before. She was scared, worried, and nervous.
What was going on with David? Why is he acting like this for?
Red and Mary were walking in the forest, trying to find the wolf's den. Mary was slightly ahead of Red when she noticed a spot that looked like it could be a wolf's footprints, she pointed to it and stood next to it. "What about that?" Mary asked, proudly.
Red stood next to it too, looking down at it. That's a dog. See how small that is?" she said. "Don't look where the snow's drifted, it covers tracks." Mary walked off and Red followed behind her.
Mary noticed something else, she waved over to Red. "Hey. Over here." It was another set of footprints.
"That is a rabbit," said Red.
Mary stood back up and sighed frustrated.
"What we're looking for will be huge," explained Red. "Like a dog print, but big, like eight inches across, with big long claws."
Mary stopped in her tracks and her eyes widened at the new set of tracks she had found in the snow. "Like these?" she asked, her voice wavered a bit.
Red stood behind Mary, her mouth slightly open and her eyes widened at the sight of the footprints. "Yes," she said, sighing deeply. She looked up and ahead in front of them. "And those." Snow looked over her shoulder to look at Red and then at the other animal prints. "Oh, my gods. How big is this thing?"
Mary looked down at the animal prints again, examining them. "This was one stride?" she asked. "From here to there?"
"Come on," said Red—who has a bow and arrow on her shoulder—pushing past Mary, who looks at her friend. "Over there, through the brush, and off toward the hill." She followed the wolf's prints in the snow and Mary followed her lead.
"You're good at this," Mary complimented.
"When there's something I want, I'm good at tracking it down." She smiled while lifting up her dress as Mary was struggling a bit to keep up in the snow.
A phone started ringing when Henry was sitting at the desk with Ruby, they were on the computer trying to help Ruby get a job on a site called: StorybrookeDailyMirror.com. They looked down the list of jobs. Inventory Control Specialist. Cashier. Bike Messenger. And many other things that they have.
Henry clicked on the Bike Messenger and looked over at Ruby. "Wanna be a Bike Messenger?" he asked.
"Bike messenger?" she asked, confused as she raised a single eyebrow at him.
"That's about taking things to people in a little basket," he explained.
"No. Yeah, see, I'm not so great at bike riding," she said while poking herself in the leg with a pencil.
"How about taking things on foot to people in a little basket?" he asked.
"I'm not so sure that's a real job," she said. The phone was ringing again then looked over at the phone. "Why do the phones keep doing that?"
"Oh, the non-emergency calls go to a machine when Emma is busy," he explained.
The phone rings once again but Ruby picks it up and holds it to her ear. "Sheriff's station. How can I help you?" she asked the person on the other end of the line. "Mmm-hmm. I'll get her to return. Thank you, too." She smiled then it rang again. "Sheriff's station." She paused for a moment. "Hey, Ms. Ginger." Emma walked in and paused to look at the two but she was focusing on Ruby. "No, that's not a prowler. That's Archie's dog, Pongo. Throw him a vanilla wafer. He'll quiet down. Did you still want to talk to Emma?" Emma took off her jacket and fully walked into the station. "Great. Glad I could help." Ruby chuckled and hung up the phone.
Emma stood between them. "How's it going, you two?" she asked with a small hint of a smile on her face.
They both looked back at her. "Great. Except I can't do anything," said Ruby.
"I'm sure that's not true," said Emma, trying to encourage Ruby. "I just saw you on the phone. That was good."
"That? That's nothing," said Ruby.
"No, no, it isn't," said Emma.
Ruby sighed heavily as she leaned back against the chair, feeling defeated that she couldn't do anything. She wished she could do something. All she knew was to wait tables and take people's orders. She wished her life was more than just that.
Emma stood there for a moment and an idea popped into her head. She could definitely use some help around the station, considering she's the only person who is working at the station. "I actually have some money in the budget, if you want to help out around here," she offered Ruby.
Ruby stood up with her eyes wide with excitement and happiness. "Yes! Thank you! Yes." She said excitedly. "Um, I could answer phones and help out. Is there anything else that you need done?" she asked, looking around the station and then looking back at Emma. "Organize files, cleaning up? Please, I want to be useful."
Emma's eyes went wide for a second. "I'm swamped with the Kathryn Nolan thing," she said. "If you maybe want to grab us lunch, I would never say no to a grilled cheese." She raised a shoulder, trying to help Ruby out by being helpful and nice.
"Done. You want anything?" asked Ruby Henry.
"Um, two chocolate chip cookies, a half a pie, and a hot dog," said Henry with a soft smile while Ruby got her jacket and put it on.
"He ate at school," said Emma with humor in her voice and walked toward her own office.
"Hey! Lunch, Mary Margaret? I'm getting for everyone," said Ruby as Mary Margaret walked into the station.
"No, I'm not hungry," said Mary Margaret, shaking her head and then looking at Emma. "David's in the woods. There's something wrong with him. He looked right through me. It's like..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It's like he was a different person."
Emma looked at Mary Margaret while she listened then at Henry and back at Mary Margaret. This case was getting more and more complicated and strange by the day. Kathryn Nolan isn't anywhere to be found, it's like she vanished into thin air. No trace of her to be found. And now David Nolan acting weird in the woods. This isn't looking too good.
Red and Mary were still walking in the snow and following the wolf's animal prints. They have been following the animal prints for about fifteen minutes. Wonder when they will stumble upon the wolf's den.
"Here's another one," commented Mary.
"Right. And then here's...," Red started to say before she noticed something different about the animal prints.
Mary came to her side quickly, looking at her and then at the animal prints. "What?" she asked.
"This print, it looks like it's half wolf and half boot," said Ruby. "See?" she looked over at Mary.
"Wolves don't wear boots."
"No, they don't."
Mary looked further at where the prints were going. "And it just continues like it was a man," she said.
"Like it was a man and a wolf," Red spoke just above a whisper.
"Red, what kind of monster is this?" asked Mary, looking at Red with a scared expression.
Red and Mary were scared. All they knew was that it was a wolf but they didn't know that it could shape-shift into a human being. Which is scarier than anything else. It could be anyone they knew in that small village. Who could be the wolf? And where it could be?
Red and Mary kept walking and following the wolf's prints. "So...," said Red. "Yeah," said Mary.
"Wolfstime is once a month. On the full moon." Red spoke out loud. "There's a story I heard once, about a creature..."
"Hey," said Mary suddenly, walking a foot in front of Red. "Aren't we awfully close to the cottage?" She asked, looking at Red.
Red took in her surroundings for a moment and they were getting close to the cottage. She was getting worried. Was the wolf coming to get her or her Granny? Why was the wolf focusing on her cottage?
The two women follow the prints and out of the forest. And it was going towards Red's and Granny's cottage. Their eyes went wide with shock. They couldn't believe this.
"Who's gone to your window, Red?" asked Mary.
Red didn't answer. She knew who it was at her window. She didn't know how she didn't notice that he was the wolf. She had known him all her life but how did he even become one? How could he hurt all those people? Her heart was breaking into a million pieces. All she could think about was Peter and why or how he could do this. She sighed and looked down when she felt Mary's eyes on her.
Mary looked over at Red when she didn't answer her. At first, she was confused then she realized who it could have been. "Is it Peter?" she whispered. "Red, has he been at your window?"
Red slowly looked over at Mary. "Last night. Before the killings." She turned her body, facing Mary. "And he never joined the guys to hunt the wolf," her voice is thick.
Mary shook her head and looked over at the cottage. "But I'm sure he wouldn't have killed them," said Mary, defending him.
"He wouldn't," said Red. "But when the wolf takes over..."
"What about tonight's hunting party?" Mary asked.
"They're gonna kill him," said Red, looking down. "Or he's gonna kill them."
Mary looked down at the prints. "It doesn't have to be that way," she said.
Red looked up and leaned forward a bit. "What can we do?" she asked.
Mary turned and gripped her shoulders gently. "Tell him," she said. "If he doesn't know, tell him. Stop him. If he'll listen to anyone, if he'll believe anyone, it's you."
"You think I can save him?"
"I think you can save everyone."
Red looked around with her mouth open but no words came out, she shook her head slightly as she looked over at her cottage. "It's gonna be dark soon," she finally said. Mary looked over at her shoulder. "Granny will be out of her mind with worry if we're not home. She'll go out there." Red and Mary looked at each other for a moment. "Mary, this is so bad," she whispered.
"So do something," Mary whispered, gripping her shoulders once again.
Tears were falling from Red's eyes, she didn't want to tell Peter this because this was going to break his heart as well it was breaking hers. But she knew that she had to do something before more people got killed. "You're right," she whispered. "I have to."
Ruby walked up to Granny's Diner, she stopped and looked at the building. Her face was hard and rolled her shoulders back as she walked toward the door of the building. She opened the door and when she walked in, everyone looked over at her, shocked that she even was there. She walked up to Granny as she looked over her glasses at Ruby. "I need a couple of grilled cheeses," said Ruby. "I'm working over at the Sheriff's station now. Sort of like a... Like a deputy, you know? I guess sometimes your fate finds you."
Granny had kept quiet when Ruby was talking, she wrote down the order, ripped off the paper, and walked over to the chef. "Seems kind of like you're doing the same thing you've always done," she said.
Ruby's face showed hurt but she quickly recovered it with a smile. "Plus so much more," she said.
"Hmm." Granny nodded. "Those will be right up."
Ruby's smile vanished, nodded once then looked away. "Yeah," she muttered.
"Tony has to unwrap the cheese slices."
"I help solve crimes."
Granny nodded and walked over to Ruby. "I'm sure you do." She didn't say anything more, the two looked at each other for a minute. Ruby hoped that she would say what she was thinking and hoping. "I hope you're finding what you're looking for." She started walking away from her.
"I am," she said.
Granny walked away to tend to another customer and Ruby stood there, trying not to cry. She couldn't believe that Granny didn't miss her. She missed her but she didn't want to admit it because she knew that Granny would say something smart. She wasn't going to cave in at first, even though she wanted to.
Red and Peter are in their usual meeting spot, which is near a big opening with two large trees and smaller trees that are scattered all over the land. They were near a fire that Peter had built.
Peter looked at Red, shocked that she even said that to him. "You think this wolf-man is me? Red, you know me," he said.
"I know it's not you really," she said. "But I think it's using your body."
"Wouldn't I know? Wouldn't I wake up in the woods? Wouldn't I remember something?"
"Maybe. Maybe it makes you forget."
They both looked at each other, not really wanting to believe that he was the wolf-man. Neither of them wanted to believe it but all the evidence was adding up and he was the wolf-man. How could they stop this? How could he not kill anyone? What can they do?
Peter's eyes widened as he looked at Red. "Oh, my gods," he muttered softly. "Those men, they died. If I did that..."
Red shook her head softly. "Forget the past, think of the future," she said softly. "We can go now, Peter! And have lives. All we need to do is tie you up during the wolfstime. And I know where to get a rope."
He shook his head once, looking into her eyes. "No," he said gently. "Not rope." He bent down and took out the chains that were in his bag, showing them to Red.
Red looked at the chains. "Chains," she stated.
Peter nodded. "Just in case." He took her hands into his hand and squeezed them gently. "Just in case you're right. I'll show you how to rig it up so that I can't get out. And then you need to get away from me."
Red quickly looked up. "No," she gasped. "I'm staying with you. I'll stay with you all night. And for all the nights to come." She smiled. She would do anything for him.
"You'd do that for me?" he asked.
"I'd do anything for you," she replied. She leaned over and placed her head on his chest, sighing softly.
Henry picked up his Once Upon A Time book in the drawer at the desk at the police station and pushed the drawer in while Emma came walking out of her office. Henry turned around to face her.
"Okay, kid, I don't mean to kick you out, but I gotta go see if David's in some kind of trouble out there," said Emma, throwing him keys to lock the drawer.
Henry looked up at her. "It's okay. I'm supposed to meet my mom," he said, handing her back the keys. "There."
"Nice."
Henry gathered up his things while he looked at Emma. "You know, you can let Ruby do more," he said. "She's Little Red Riding Hood."
A smile crept up on Emma's lips. "With the little basket?" she asked while chuckling. "Yeah, she seems like a badass."
"She is. She just doesn't remember how cool she is or what she's capable of. But it's true." Henry walked out, passing Ruby on the way out. "Hey, Ruby."
"Hey, Henry," Ruby greeted. "Got your grilled cheese." She handed Emma the bag of food.
"Thank you," Emma said, opening the bag as Ruby set the drinks down on the desk. Emma looked at Ruby and noticed that Ruby was feeling down. "You all right?"
"I guess," she said vaguely. "I mean, this is something I know to do, so yay." She picked up a drink and gave it to Emma then picked up the other and took a sip of the drink.
"Okay. Let's pack these back up." She packed the food into the bag. "And we can eat it in the car." She took Ruby's cup and put it back into the cup holder, along with her own. "I need to do a little wilderness search, and I need your help."
"I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna screw it up," said Ruby, chuckling. "I mean, I'll screw it up with flair, but..."
"No, you won't. Come on." Picking up the drinks and food, handing them to Ruby. "You can do this." Ruby looked at Emma, not sure if she believed her or not. She didn't have the type of confidence Emma did.
Ruby and Emma were in the middle of the woods, trying to find David Nolan why he was acting so strange, and why he was in the middle of the woods roaming around. This wasn't like him at all and it was worrying Mary Margaret and Emma.
"This place is massive. How are we supposed to find one guy?" asked Ruby while walking down a narrow hill.
Emma followed close behind her. "Shh. Hey, shh. We might be able to hear him," she said.
"It's massive," Ruby complained.
"I'm following the path because there are bootprints so just stay close."
"I shouldn't even be here. I'm just gonna screw everything up." All of a sudden, Ruby stopped in her tracks. "Wait."
Emma walked into her, gripping her arm to steady her. "Ruby," she muttered.
"I hear him." She looked in the left direction, eyes wide and not blinking.
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. I hear him or something, I mean, I know where he is." She looked over at Emma. "Don't you?" She ran to the sound of David.
Emma looked at her with confusion on her face. "No," she said, Ruby, ignoring her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"He's over here!" Ruby yelled.
"Ruby!" Emma yelled back, following her to find David. "Ruby?" She walked around the massive tree, finding David lying on logs, grass, and moss. Her eyes widened at the sight of David. "David?" she said softly. She ran over to his body and kneeled down. "Oh, God. Come on. David. Come on. Wake up." She shook him slightly to get him to wake up. "David, wake up!" His eyes opened to see Emma hovering over him, with a small smile. "Hey."
"Emma?" David said lowly. "What? Ruby?" he breathed out.
"Do you remember where you are?" asked Emma.
"No, I..." David said, slowly sitting up as he looked around his surroundings. "What the hell? I was in your office and..." he trailed off. "Did you bring me here?"
"You don't remember anything since you were in my office?" she asked. "Last night?"
Emma and Ruby looked at each other. Worried about David.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't."
How could someone forget all about not remembering anything from last night? How could someone black out all last night and into the next day?
Emma and David were at the hospital. David was sitting on one of the beds while Dr. Whale was checking him over. "Well, he's bruised, scratched up, a little dehydrated... What did you expect?" he asked Emma.
"He's got a cut on his head," said Emma.
"It's superficial," said Dr. Whale. "I can refer him to Dr. Hopper for a mental health eval, but it's my opinion that whatever caused this blackout is the same phenomenon we observed when he came out of his coma. Moving around, acting out, not remembering it later."
Emma looked at David. "We will figure it out," she said.
David sighed. "It's too strange. I can't even believe it happened." He looked down at his hands.
"How functional could he be during one of these episodes?" she asked Dr. Whale. "I mean, he talked to someone."
"People in similar states, even under sleep medication, do all sorts of things. Cooking, taking, driving a car," Dr. Whale explained.
"You want to know if I could've made that call," David guessed. "Or more." Emma whipped her head to look at David, her eyebrows furrowing. "You want to know if I could've, what, kidnapped her?" he looked between Emma and Dr. Whale. "Killed her?"
"Take it easy, there," said Dr. Whale gently.
"No one's saying you did anything bad, David," said Emma.
"No, but it would explain why it didn't seem like I was lying," said David. "I wouldn't know."
Regina came walking into the room with Emma, David, and Dr. Whale. She wanted to know what was going on and why he was being questioned here in all places. "Stop talking, David," said Regina. "What are you doing here?" she asked Emma. "Why doesn't this man have a lawyer present?" she shouted, looking at Dr. Whale. "Have you even read him his rights?" she asked, looking at Emma.
"No. Because he's not under arrest. We're just talking," Emma snapped at Regina.
"Right," Regina said, nodding her head. "Just talking."
"What are you doing here?" asked Emma.
"Mayor Mills is still Mr. Nolan's emergency contact," said Dr. Whale.
"You have to be kidding me," said Emma.
"I thought that changed to Kathryn," said David.
"Well, Kathryn is currently unavailable," said Regina. "Some people haven't found her yet. Stop trying to place blame and just find her."
"There's a whole lot of Maine to search, Regina," said Emma.
"Well, you covered this room," said Regina. "I suggest you branch out."
Emma didn't say anything else, she looked at the other two people in the room and she left the room, leaving Dr. Whale, Regina, and David.
Ruby was at the police station and sitting at one of the desks, the phone started ringing and she picked it up with a smile on her face. "Sheriff's station, thank you for calling. How may I direct..." Ruby started talking into the phone.
"Hey, stop. It's me," said Emma. "Here's the thing. The last time David went for a dreamwalk, he went to the toll bridge. You know the one? It's a crazy hunch, but I want you to take my Bug and go and see if he was there."
"I could get somebody else to," said Ruby quickly. She still believed that she wasn't good enough to do anything.
"Ruby, you were great out there. I still don't know how you found him. You can do this."
"I don't know," Ruby said hesitantly.
"It's gonna be dark out soon. David's gonna be let out. If something's there, we gotta get there first. We don't have time to argue." She paused. "Can you do this?"
Ruby was worried that she couldn't do it again. She was worried that she wouldn't find anything. She didn't want to disappoint Emma or have her Granny give her that look and stern talking too. She wanted to be good at something. Anything. She took Emma's yellow Bug and drove to the Toll Bridge, she parked the car at the edge, turned off the engine, and got out of the car.
"I mean, what am I even looking for?" asked Ruby, talking to her on her cell phone.
"Anything out of the ordinary. Something that doesn't belong there," Emma explained, who was still at the hospital.
Ruby started walking down the dirt path—still on the phone with Emma—and now she is near the river. "And if I find something?" she asked timidly.
"Just follow your instincts," said Emma calmly.
Ruby sighed as she bent down near a square board, setting the phone down by her feet. She flipped the board and the dirt was unsettled, she looked around her trying to find something to dig it up. She found a stick near her and picked it up, she started digging and after a second she heard a thud, tapping on it a few times. She quickly set the stick down and brushed off the dirt, revealing a wooden box. She sighed a relief as she took out the box. "You can't give me a clue what I'm looking for?" she asked Emma.
"Anything of Kathryn's." There was silence for a minute. "Ruby? What's going on?" asked Emma while Ruby was dusting off the dirt as best as she could. "Did you find something?" Ruby took a deep breath and opened the box, she screamed and quickly closed it. "Ruby?" Emma screamed through the phone, and Ruby was whimpering. "Ruby?" she yelled again.
Emma and Ruby were back at the police station with the wooden box, it was open and they were both staring at what was inside of it. They couldn't believe their eyes. They didn't want to believe it at first. They have been staring at it for a full five minutes.
Ruby spoke first, breaking the silence. "Is... Is that what I think it is?" she asked Emma.
"Yeah," said Emma, her voice down.
Ruby nodded, averting her eyes from the box. "I can't look," she said, walking away from Emma and the box.
Emma picked up a blue plastic glove and slammed the lid of the box down.
Ruby was either about to get sick or cry. Or maybe both. Who knows.
Emma sighed as she turned toward Ruby and stood behind her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Ruby sighed through gritted teeth. "I don't know what I am," she muttered, turning to face Emma.
"It's gonna be all right. We can figure out what happened now," said Emma.
Ruby chuckled, looking down at her lap. There was silence. She couldn't bring herself to look at Emma.
"Ruby," she muttered and Ruby looked up at Emma, "you did good."
Ruby turned her head to look back at the box. "This is doing good?" she asked, disgusted.
"Yeah," Emma breathed out. "It's amazing. First, you found David, and now this." Ruby smiled. "I know you say you don't know what you are, but whatever it is, I gotta say, I'm impressed."
Ruby chuckled at her comment. "Don't be. I was scared out of my mind," she said, a single tear escaped her eye and she quickly wiped it away.
"But you did it anyway," said Emma.
They shared a smile at each other. No one ever believed in her like this. Her Granny never said anything nice to her, she just barked orders at her and they fight whenever Ruby does something wrong.
A wolf howled in the distance, Mary and Granny were in the forest, trying to find Red. They both had lanterns in their hands. They had to get to Red in a hurry, Granny hoped that they wouldn't be too late. God, she hoped they weren't too late.
"You knew," said Mary, her voice full of shock.
"Of course I knew," said Granny. "Her mother was one too before a hunting party killed her. I thought maybe Red didn't get it, but when she was thirteen, it started. I paid a wizard for that cloak. It keeps her from turning, but she doesn't wear it, and she's found some way out of the house."
"Why didn't you tell her?" asked Mary, confused about why. Maybe things would have been different if only Red knew the truth.
"I didn't want her to have that burden," said Granny. All she wanted to do was protect Red. "It's a terrible burden."
"That story you told."
"That was her grandfather. He marked me that night, then came back, found me, turned me."
"Turned you," Mary whispered to herself then realized the connection. "You're..." She stopped in her tracks, looking over at Granny. Another howl came from the wolf. "Granny? How are you tracking her?" she asked softly.
"By smell," she admitted. "I still have that, even though the rest of it has faded away." They continued walking, following the scent of Red. "Gods, I was a fool to think I could keep this from her. I am a fool, and I've lost so many lives."
"You didn't mean to. That's the main thing."
"Is it?"
They both stopped in their tracks again when the wolf started howling once again, their fear was in their eyes and their hearts were beating out of their chest.
"Here," whispered Granny, giving her the lantern when she hoisted up the bow and arrow straight ahead of them. "A silver-tipped arrow will drop her."
"Oh...," Mary whimpered.
"Shh! Follow me." Granny takes a step forward, she's on high alert. "We're approaching from downwind, so we have a chance." Slowly taking small steps, Mary followed her right behind. She didn't want to scare Red off or make her attack them both. Mary's heart was racing faster and faster with each passing second.
Red was snacking on Peter's body—who was already dead. Granny was pointing the bow at Red, trying to sneak up on her granddaughter. Red didn't hear them coming up behind her, she was still eating his body. Mary was watching her, tears came to her eyes. The next step she took, was a mistake. She stepped on a twig and it snapped, she gasped.
Red turned her attention to Mary and Granny, and she growled at them. She crouched her legs and jumped at them, Granny shot the arrow at Red, and Red yelped her body hitting the thick snow.
"Cloak!" said Granny.
Mary quickly took off the cloak and the wolf was whimpering in pain while Mary was breathing heavily and covered up the wolf. A low growl left the wolf's throat and underneath the cloak, the wolf changed into Red. "It's too late," breathed out Mary as she looked over at Peter, seeing the red snow all over the ground. "He's gone."
Red was sitting up while wrapping her cloak. "Who's gone?" she asked, confused.
"Get up, girl! Get ready to run!" said Granny as she and Mary helped her up.
"What's going on?" asked Red.
"Come on, Red," said Mary.
"Don't you hear them?" asked Granny.
"We have to go," said Mary.
"Go? I don't understand," said Red.
"I'll explain it later. We must hurry," said Mary.
"Huh? I'm confused. What's happening?" asked Red.
Granny and Mary tried to not let her see Peter dead but she turned around, looking around. "Where's Peter?" she asked, panting hard. She turned around to look at them both.
"He wasn't the wolf," said Mary gently.
Red was looking between her friend and Granny, not believing what she was hearing. "Granny?" she asked, her breathing picking up.
"I was wrong to keep it from you," said Granny, finally telling her the truth. "But now you have to go." Men were shouting in the distance. "Red, go!" She pointed away from the men.
"It's me?" Red asked in disbelief.
The shouting grew louder, they were getting close.
Red started sobbing. "Oh, gods, it's me," she cried out.
"Red, go!" said Granny.
"I don't want to go like this!" said Red.
"You have to," said Granny.
"No," said Red. "No, no, no, no." She said through sobs.
"It's okay. It's gonna be okay," said Mary, pulling Red off of Granny.
"Mary, there's no time," said Granny.
"I know. I'll get her out of here," said Mary, pulling Red away from Granny and away from the scene.
"Go," said Granny.
Red and Mary were in the forest while Granny stayed behind while the men were shouting and getting closer with their torches and hunting spears. Granny had to do something about them.
The door opened to Granny's Diner, Granny looked up to see Ruby coming in with a smile on her face. "You look good," commented Granny as she went back to the books.
"Thanks," Ruby said. She puts her coat on the coat rack.
"You want something for the Sheriff?" she asked.
"No," she said with a soft smile.
Granny turned over the books and they lightly thudded, she groaned in pain with the pain in her arm.
Ruby looked over. "Your arm okay?" she asked.
"Same as it is every full moon. Ah!" Granny explained, revealing the scars on her arm. She looked over at Ruby. "What are you doing here, Ruby? Are you here to tell me more about your fine new job?"
Ruby took a step toward Granny. "I want to come back," she said.
"Why? You were pretty mad."
"I wasn't mad."
"looked like mad from here," said Granny. She took off her glasses.
"Mmm-hmm. Yeah. Here's the thing," said Ruby while chuckling. "You were talking about me doing all this stuff, and I wasn't sure... I said that you wanted me to turn into you. But what I meant was, I don't know how to be you." She paused for a second, smiling at Granny. "You're a tough act to follow."
Granny looked at Ruby, taking in her words, and letting them sink in. "Oh," she said, nodding.
"And then you wanted me to take on all this extra responsibility and... I guess I just got scared," Ruby admitted.
"Don't be. You shouldn't be." She grabbed a stack of menus and stood in front of Ruby.
"Well, I am. But it's okay." Ruby smiled. "I can do it anyway. I sort of found someone in myself that was more than I expected."
"What about adventure? What about lemurs?" asked Granny.
"Emma was my lemur. Did that. Found out I could do that. And also that I don't want to." She paused for a second. "I don't want a job where a good day means ruining someone's life. I wanna do something that makes me happy." She pointed at the counter with a smile. "Somewhere I love."
"Look, just so you know, I wanted you to do the books and everything so you can take over when I retire. On the whole place."
Ruby was taken aback by Granny's statement. "Own it?" she repeated.
"Sure. I mean, who else would I give it to but someone who loves me back?" she asked, a soft smile coming to her lips.
Ruby teared up at her words, she walked to Granny and hugged her tightly and she hugged back. They both at each other and smiled when they broke apart.
"Proud of you," Granny complimented Ruby, walking behind the counter and cleaning up the mess.
"What was that?" Ruby asked shock filling her voice.
"You heard me," Granny said playfully as she walked away from her.
Mary Margaret was sitting on the arm of the chair while David paced back and forth, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. They were at his workplace and he was nervous and scared that he might have something to do with his wife's murder or kidnapping or something. "David, it's going to be okay," she said.
"Really? How do you know that?" he asked, turning around to look at her. "Because I honestly can't say anything about my actions anymore."
"There has to be an explanation," said Mary.
David sighed and sat down on the arm of the chair. "You're right," said David. "But the problem is, I don't think it's a good one," he whispered.
Mary Margaret opened her mouth about to say something but the door opened and appeared Emma. Emma's eyes widen at the two pairs in the animal shelter lobby. David and Mary Margaret looked at Emma in return. The air was tense when she walked into the room.
David stood up, worried that Emma had bad news. "What is it? Did you find her?" he asked, taking a few steps toward Emma.
"We found a box," said Emma.
"What does that mean?" he asked his hands on his hips.
"We think it... We think that she..." Emma started to say but it was hard to say. Why was this so hard to do? Emma thought.
"What?" he asked.
"There is a human heart inside it," Emma finally said to them both.
Both of them had the same reaction, they were both heartbroken that Kathryn Nolan is dead. "Oh my God," said Mary Margaret who covered her mouth in shock. David started sobbing, "No," he sobbed out.
"We're gonna send it out for some tests, but there aren't any other missing people," said Emma.
Mary Margaret stood up quickly and looked over at Emma. "Maybe you should go," she whispered. She walked over to David who was bent down, sobbing.
"There is more," said Emma.
"What?" said David, looking up at her.
"There were fingerprints inside the lid of the box. I ran them through the records of everyone in town, and there was a match," said Emma.
David and Mary Margaret looked at Emma, both in shock. They were both thinking that it was David's fingerprints on that lid. Mary Margaret looked at David, she was rubbing his back in comfort. He knew that he had to do what was right.
"Arrest me," said David.
"No!" said Mary Margaret. David stood up. "David..."
David walked to Emma. "Arrest me. Emma, do it," he said.
"David, the fingerprints weren't yours," said Emma.
"What?" he whispered.
Emma took a moment and breathed in. "They were Mary Margaret's," she said.
Mary Margaret and David were shocked by the news. It couldn't be Mary Margaret's, it just couldn't. She wouldn't hurt anyone. Yes, she didn't want Kathryn to be with David anymore but she wasn't in a jealous rage to kill her. How could this happen? Is someone setting her up to make it look like she killed Kathryn? But who and why? David looked at Mary Margaret and she stared at him in return, her heart was pounding so hard against her chest. She was freaking out, her pulse quickened, and her forehead was sweating.