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?
A flaming arrow shot up into the air and was going toward Prince Charming and Red Riding Hood. Charming and Red had stopped for the night, they had made a fire to keep them warm from the cold. They were about to make something to eat when Charming saw the arrow. He yelled out to Red, "Red, look out!" He had his sword out and reflected off his sword just in time. Charming heard the horses whining and men shouting, his heart was pumping. "We need to move. They've found us." They ran, leaving everything behind and going toward the only horse they had, Charming jumped up and swung his leg over the horse, holding out his hand for Red to join him.
"Go. I'll take care of them," said Red.
"Red, I'm not leaving you," said Charming.
"Find Snow. That's all that matters. Find her." She started backing away from Charming and the horse.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked.
Red looked up at the full moon for a moment then back at Charming. "I'm giving you a head start," she said, evenly.
She took off her red hood while Charming urged the horse to start moving down the dirt road. Red turned her body toward the guards as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, her eyes turned yellow, and ran toward the men, full charge and the men kept going in her direction. In mid-air, Red turned into a wolf and she growled at the men, and the men covered their faces but it was no use. Red was going to devour them within minutes.
Charming kept riding down the dirt road, looking over his shoulder to ensure that none of the guards were following him. One of the flyers was on the tree of Snow White.
Mary Margaret and Emma were at the police station, Mary Margaret was standing behind the white height board and she was standing at 5'6. A camera light flashes, making her blink from the bright light and take in a breath. "Please turn to the right," said Emma.
Mary Margaret turned to the right and she looked at Emma, frowning. "Emma, this is a mistake. I didn't kill Kathryn!"
"Of course, you didn't," Emma said while taking a roll of white paper out of the camera. "But while I am your friend, I am also the Sheriff, and I have to go where the evidence leads." She walked over to the desk and looked at the paper.
Mary Margaret took a few steps forward towards Emma. "Which points to me?" she asked in shock. "Emma, yesterday, it was David. There's something not right here."
While Mary Margaret was talking, she was looking at all the evidence that was on her desk. "I know. But your fingerprints are on that box. And his are not." She glanced at her friend for a moment. "And so now we have to deal with this." She lifted up the Polaroid picture in her hand.
"Evidence that says I cut out Kathryn's heart and buried it in the woods. This is insane," she shook her head.
"If I don't book you, with all this evidence, it's gonna look like favoritism," Emma explained, turning around to face Mary Margaret. "And then Regina will have cause and she will fire me. And then you know what she'll do? She'll bring in someone who will railroad you." She paused for a moment. "So please, just try to be patient and trust me. We can't even move forward till we verify the heart belonged to Kathryn." Mary Margaret nodded her head, understanding Emma and about the whole ordeal with Regina. "And I'm still waiting for the DNA test results." Mary Margaret looked away, thinking about the situation and how she could have gotten into this mess. "Bit in the meantime, you need to bear with me. I have to ask you a few questions."
Mary Margaret sighed and looked down. "This is crazy," she muttered. "I would never hurt anyone." She said while walking away from Emma and into the interrogation room, Emma followed behind her, feeling guilty that she had to do this to her friend. Emma knew that she didn't do it but had to follow the lead and didn't need more fuel for Regina.
Snow White was humming as she smiled while sweeping the floor with the broom and looking at the blue bird that was in the little hut that she was staying in. She held her hand wanting the bluebird to be on her hand and the bird landed on her finger as she lowered her hand to the table, letting the bluebird hop off her hand and onto the table. She continued to hum while she lifted up the broom and aimed it at the bird but right at the last second, the bluebird flapped his wings and flew around the little hut. Snow grunted as she tried to kill the bird but the bird was flying away from an angry Snow. She swung the broom around trying to get the bird out of the hut.
Grumpy walks in and sees what's going on. "Snow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Snow stops and looks at Grumpy.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Getting rid of the vermin in this house," Snow answered.
Snow looked around to find the bird and she spotted it, she walked over and swung at the bird, and a grunt left her lips as the bird flew out of the hut through the window. She quickly walked over to the window, seeing the bird fly away. She groans, asking Grumpy, "What do you want?" She looked over her shoulder.
"It's dinner time," he said.
"I'm not hungry," she said, pulling the window shut and latching it close.
Grumpy walked further toward Snow. "Come on. We made something extra special tonight." He grabbed the broom out of her hand while Snow rolled her eyes at him. He grabbed her wrist and started tugging her toward where the rest of the dwarfs were.
"She's out of control," said one of the Dwarfs while the others were talking intently about Snow White. They all stopped talking when Grumpy and Snow walked in and they all looked at them.
"Did somebody die?" Snow asked, looking unamused.
Jiminy Cricket came flying around Snow. "Snow, why don't you have a seat?" he suggested.
Snow tried to swat it away from her. "Oh! Why is there a dirty cricket in here?" she asked, still trying to swat it away from her face.
"My name is Jiminy," he said calmly. "And your friends have asked me to be here tonight. They're concerned about you and they have something they'd like to say. Grumpy, why don't you start?" Jiminy said, looking over at Grumpy.
Grumpy has a letter that he wrote to Snow in his hands, he looks down at the paper for a moment before looking up at Snow. "Snow White, you've changed," he began, "you've become angry, irritable and downright mean."
"Changed?" Snow interrupted. "And who are you to tell me I've changed?"
"Snow, please," said Jiminy, waving his little green hand toward her friends. "These are your friends. And we're all here because we care about you. Who wants to go next?" He asked, looking at the others.
Sneezy grabbed the piece of paper out of his pocket and started reading it. "Uh... You brought bales of straw into the house last night." He looked up at Snow. "Even though you know that I'm..." He was about to sneeze when Dopey put his index finger under Sneezy's nose and he didn't sneeze. Dopey removed his finger and placed a hand on Sneezy's shoulder but he sneezed anyway. "Allergic."
Snow was irritated, lifting up her hands and leaning back. "You are allergic to everything," she groaned.
"You broke my mug," said Happy.
"You're lucky it wasn't that mug you call a face," said Snow, pointing at Happy.
"You are the worst, most nasty, horrible...," Happy leaned forward and pointed at Snow.
"Enough," said Grumpy, looking at Snow. "Look what you're doing to Happy."
Snow sighed softly.
"That potion you took, the one that erased the Prince from your mind," he continued, picking up the bottle that Snow drank from, "you haven't been the same since you drank it."
"That helped me forget whatever or whomever I needed to forget, and I'm clearly better off for it." Snow looked at the rest of her friends in the dining room. "That potion was the solution, not the problem. The problem is that I'm living here, in a house full of dwarfs instead of in my palace, with my father as a princess. But I can't do that anymore, can I? Because he was murdered. Murdered by the same woman who sent a huntsman to kill me."
"Snow, your anger towards the Queen is understandable," said Jiminy. "It's just not fair to take it out on your friends."
Snow's face softened at what Jiminy said. She took a look around the room to see each of her friend's faces, feeling bad for what she said to them and what she had done in the past. Then she had an idea brewing in her brain, she didn't know why she didn't think of it before and wished she thought of it sooner.
She was going to go after the Queen. The one person who ruined her life. The person who murdered her own father.
She wanted revenge.
"You're right," said Snow, taking a small step forward toward Jiminy. Grumpy smiled. "I should be taking it out on her.
The dwarfs looked at each other, worried.
Jiminy flew up and was near Snow. "Oh, wait. No, revenge is not the answer," he said, trying to change her mind. He landed back on the table. "No, it's gonna change you. It'll turn you into something darker than you can imagine." Snow grabbed a long glass lid that covered the fruit and put it over Jiminy. "You don't want to go there," he said, his voice muffled. "No, no, no..." he banged on the glass.
"Good news, fellas," said Snow, looking at them. "You can quit your complaining because I'm leaving. I have more important things to do." She turned and walked away from them.
Jiminy flew up and around the glass while trying to escape, yelling through the glass, "Wait! Don't go!"
"Snow, wait," said Grumpy, walking behind her.
"Don't do this!" said Jiminy.
Snow grabbed a bag full of gear, ignoring Jiminy and Grumpy.
"Where are you going?" asked Grumpy.
Snow picked up an axe and put it over her shoulder while looking at Grumpy. Her face was blank and cold. "To kill the Queen," she said, her voice even and hard.
A few seconds passed between Snow and the seven dwarfs, it was tense and they were shocked that Snow would even try to kill the Queen. They had to do something before she changed for good. They need the old Snow back and not this cold-hearted Snow. She turned and walked out of the house with the bag and the axe in her hand.
Emma and Mary Margaret walked into a room so that Emma could ask her a few questions. And to Mary Margaret's surprise, Regina was in the room too.
A smile came to Regina's lips as she turned to look at Mary Margaret. "Hello, Ms. Blanchard," she greeted.
Mary Margaret turned to face Emma, and a tight smile came to her lips. "What is she doing here?" she asked.
Emma closed the door while Mary Margaret sat across from Regina. "She asked to be here as a third party to make sure that I stay impartial. It can only help you." Emma sat down next to Regina and leaned against the wooden table.
Mary Margaret shrugged. "I have nothing to hide," she said. "Ask me anything." She looked at Regina with a straight face.
Regina looked over at Emma and Emma pressed a button on the recorder, she looked up at Mary Margaret—she hated doing this to her friend. "The heart was found buried near the old toll bridge. And it had been cut out by what appears to be a hunting knife." Mary Margret closed her eyes. "Have you ever been to that bridge before?"
Mary Margaret opened her eyes. "Yes. Many times. It's where David and I liked to meet," she explained.
"Mr. Nolan?" Emma asked, getting up from her seat and walking past Mary Margaret to get an item.
"Yes," replied Mary Margaret.
"And you met there for what purpose?" she asked, opening up a blue metal locker and grabbing a pair of gloves, putting them on her hands.
Mary Margaret inhaled deeply before answering. "We were having an affair," she admitted, not hiding it. A tiny smirk came to Regina's lips. "I'm not proud of what happened. And I'm sorry." She looked at Regina. "But that doesn't change the fact that I did not kill Kathryn."
Emma pulled out the same box that held the heart of Kathryn Nolan, she took it out of the plastic bag and set the box in front of Mary Margaret. "Ever seen this before?" she asked.
Mary Margaret looked at the box and her eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion as to why it was there and why it was used. "Yes, it's my jewelry box," she said softly, looking up at Emma.
"That's what we found the heart in," Emma explained.
Mary Margaret quickly turned to look at Regina. "Don't you see what's happening here?" she asked. "Someone stole that box and put the heart in it. I didn't have anything to do with it! I'm innocent!" She looked at the box then at Emma and Regina.
Regina leaned forward and placed a hand on Mary Margaret's hand. "Ms. Blanchard. It's okay," she said gently. "I know what you're going through." Emma looked at Regina, suspiciously. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love, to be publicly humiliated. Put me in a very dark place. Changed me. I can only imagine what losing David Nolan did to you."
Mary Margaret pulled back her hand quickly. "I haven't changed," she said, defensively. "I'm still the same person I've always been. A good person. I did not do this."
Emma looked between the both of them for a second then looked at Regina while taking off the plastic gloves. "Can I speak to you in the hallway, please?" she asked. She walked to the door and opened it while Regina looked at Mary Margaret for a moment longer and sighed deeply. Regina pushed the chair back and got up, walking out the door while Emma held it open for her then closing it right behind them.
"I told you to leave the questioning to me," said Emma, evenly.
"How do you know she didn't do it?" Regina asked. "If that box was stolen from her as she claims, don't you think there'd be signs of a break-in?" She paused for a moment. "You're her roommate. Tell me, has there been a break-in?" She paused again, not waiting for Emma's answer. "She is a woman who's had her heart broken. And that, that can make you do unspeakable things."
Emma and Regina stared at each other for a long moment before Emma broke her gaze from the Mayor and looked at her friend. Hoping that Regina is wrong. Mary Margaret couldn't murder someone. Granted she was seeing someone who was married but she couldn't kill someone. Right?
Snow White was hiding behind a tree, hearing the horse's hooves against the ground and she poked her head around the tree. A tiny smile came to her lips. She quickly hid behind the tree while the guard came riding between the tall trees. Snow took the axe and hit the guard, knocking him off of his horse. He groaned in pain while his horse ran off and Snow came out with a blank face. She slammed the butt of the axe on the guard's leg, it made a cracking noise as he yelled in pain. She stood by his feet and leaned on the axe as she looked down, and she said, "It'll heal." The guard looked up with pain across his face. "Eventually."
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Information. Where's the Queen?"
"And why would I tell you?"
A ghost of a smile came to her lips, getting down on one knee, and leaning in close. "Do you know what a diamond is?" she asked. "It's the strongest substance known to man or beast. Beautiful, precious, nearly impervious to destruction." Pausing just for a moment. "Nearly." She slowly stood up with her axe in her hands. "This? This is an axe from the Dwarf Mines. It's a special blade. It can, believe it or not, actually cut a diamond." She stepped closer to his head with a smile on her face. "Now imagine what it can do to human flesh." The guard started to pant heavily, trying to scoot backward. "Soft, pliable, tender flesh." She lightly ran the axe across his body, making him feel scared, and she was about to go down when he blurted out, "She's at her castle! But only for the night. In the morning, she leaves for the Summer Palace." She lifted up the axe again, and the guard spoke again, "Please! That's all I know."
"That Summer Palace was built for my mother," said Snow, bitterly, she hit him in the head with the butt of the axe. He grunted and blacked out.
Snow took off the guard's clothes and sword, placing him in the bushes. She slid the sword into the belt while staring down at the guard and walked away to get the rest of her stuff. Not hearing Grumpy behind her, she swirled around to face him when he spoke, "What do you think you're doing?" he asked her.
Snow sighed heavily, trying to settle her racing heart in her chest. "I already told you. I'm going to kill the Queen."
"By stealing the armor of a knight?" Grumpy said, raising his voice at her.
She glanced at the guard and then back at Grumpy. "Whatever I have to do to get into that castle. So get out of my way. I have to get there before she departs." She took one step to turn her back to Grumpy but he gripped her arm.
"Have you lost your mind?" he said, angrily. "You really think this disguise is gonna fool anybody?"
"I'm getting in there," said Snow, she was determined to get there with or without a disguise. She took a few steps away from him with new determination in her step.
"Listen to yourself!" he yelled, following behind her. "All you care about is revenge. You can't even see reality anymore."
She turned to look at Grumpy with an amused smile on her face. "What I don't need is to be lectured by a dwarf with a bad attitude."
"I didn't come here to lecture you," said Grumpy. "I came here to help you."
"Help me? How?"
"By taking you back to Rumplestiltskin. He's the one who gave you the potion in the first place. The one that took away all your memories of your prince. If anyone can give them back to you, it's him."
"I don't want my memories back. That's why I took the potion."
"And it changed you. Maybe he can at least bring you back to the person you used to be." He paused for a moment, looking at Snow with sad eyes. "He's the most powerful man in the world. He can do anything."
Snow was holding onto the reins that were holding onto the horse. "Anything?" she asked.
Emma was at her apartment and she was examining the door, looking up and down at the side of the door. She wanted to see if the door had any noticeable markings on it. But she didn't see any markings that indicated that someone had broken in to steal Mary Margaret's box. Then she walked over to the window, checking to see if someone could have broken in through the window but yet again there wasn't anything that indicated that someone had broken into their apartment. Emma started messing with the window, to see if the window was broken. Henry came into the apartment and Emma turned around to see him walk in.
"Henry? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?" she asked, walking to him.
"We have to help Ms. Blanchard," said Henry, worried.
"I am helping her. That's why I'm searching for an apartment. But you got to go home."
"Not gonna happen."
Emma and Henry both looked at each other and Henry smiled at her, and knowing Henry, he would argue or would help anyway. So, she gave in and let him help her.
"Just stay out of the way," she said, giving him a look that said, You better listen to me or I'll send you home.
"So what are we looking for?" Henry asked.
"I'm trying to see if maybe someone broke in," answered Emma. They walked into Mary Margaret's bedroom window. "Looking for busted door jambs, broken glass, muddy boot prints, that kind of thing." She got onto the bed, moved the white-see-through curtains, and checked to see if the window was broken or if someone had messed with it in any type of way.
"So you think someone's setting her up?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense. The only problem is, nobody's got a motive." Emma got off the bed and looked at Henry with a frown, knowing that this would be hard to figure out who was setting up Mary Margaret.
"My mom does," said Henry.
"Regina?" she asked, confused. She had walked over to a nightstand where Mary Margaret had a picture of herself along with Henry and a picture of some of her students, having an ice cream cone in their hands.
"She hates Snow White." Emma looked at him with very little doubt about that. "Hey, you wanted a motive."
"Well...I don't think she hates Snow White will hold up in a court, Henry." Henry turned around with a frown on his face as Emma looked down at the picture. She set the picture back on the nightstand and lay down on the bed as she sighed deeply. Something was rattling and Emma didn't know what it was, her ears perked up at the sound when it was getting louder. Henry turned around to the sound as well while Emma sat up on the bed and looked at Henry.
It was the heating vent that was in the middle of the room.
Emma got off the bed, walked over to the heating vent, and looked down at it, bending down and lifting up the metal, setting it to the side. She stuck her arm in the vent, grabbing something that was in it.
"Did you find something?" Henry asked, watching everything that Emma did.
Emma pulled out something long with a cloth wrapped around it, confused about what it was. Carefully—and slowly—she pulled the cloth back and it was a knife. Emma looked up at Henry with pure shock in her eyes.
Henry looked at the knife and then at Emma, he was shocked as well. He couldn't believe that Mary Margaret had a knife in the vent. In her room.
At Granny's Diner, Ruby shook the cinnamon can onto the whipped cream, setting it down next to the cup. Ruby smiled at Henry and Henry gave her a tight smile. He wasn't in the mood for hot chocolate or anything. He couldn't believe that at all. His heart was broken into a million pieces.
"I don't think that hot chocolate's gonna drink itself," said August. He sat down next to Henry.
Henry didn't look up, he just shrugged.
"You're upset about your teacher, aren't you?" August asked when Henry didn't respond.
"She didn't do it. Why can't anyone see that?" asked Henry, feeling frustrated.
"'Cause most people just see what's right in front of them. I don't think you're gonna find the answers you want at the bottom of that mug." August explained.
"Then where?" Henry picked up the mug and took a long sip from the hot chocolate.
"That a book in your bag?" he asked. Henry looked over at the bag. "You know I'm a writer. So I'm partial to finding my answers in a literary form."
"It's just a book," said Henry, who was now looking down at his hot chocolate.
August looked at Henry. "Is it?" he simply asked.
"Yeah."
August nodded. "I think we both know that that's not the case." He looked up at Ruby. "Can I get water, please?" he asked her.
Henry looked up and over at August. "What do you know about it?" he asked.
"I know it's a book of stories."
"Aren't all books?"
"Stories that really happened."
Henry's eyes widened at his answer and leaned in close. "You think my book is real?" he whispered.
"As real as I am."
"How do you know?"
"Let's just say that I'm a believer. And I want to help others see the light. That, my friend, is why I'm here."
"But I already believe."
"Well, I'm not here for you, buddy. I'm here for Emma."
"So you want to get her to believe? Why don't you just tell her?"
"Well, there are some people, like you and me, we can go on faith. But others, like Emma, they need proof."
"Last time I tried to find proof, I got trapped in a sinkhole."
"There are less dangerous places to look." August reached over and opened Henry's bag, looking at the book. He got off the seat and placed a hand on Henry's shoulder, squeezing it gently before he walked away from him.
Henry took the book out of the bag and opened the book to a picture of Prince Charming on the horse then Henry glanced at August for a moment before looking back down to the page.
Prince James was on a white horse in the middle of the forest on a dirt path, he got off the horse and bent down to inspect a footprint in the snow. He looked up and scanned the forest to see if this person was still in the forest or at least close by. He got his sword out as he stood up, grabbed the reins of the horse, and followed the footprints.
A naked man was walking in the freezing cold weather, he stopped when he heard Prince James' voice. "Put your hands where I can see them," he said, pointing the sword toward him. The naked man turned around, revealing that he still had his helmet and it was covering his bottom half. "Uh, on second thought, don't." He crinkled his eyebrows then turned around to grab a blanket and throw it to the naked man. He wrapped the blanket around his body quickly. "Who did this?"
"She's crazy. She had a pickax. She threatened to skin me!" he said.
"The Evil Queen?"
"No. Snow White."
Prince James took a few steps forward with his sword. "What?" he asked in a hard voice.
"She said she wanted to kill the Queen. I've never seen someone so bloodthirsty."
"No. Snow is not bloodthirsty. She is not a killer. I know her."
"Maybe you don't."
Prince James looked at him, not wanting to believe that his Snow White could be a killer. She's the nicest, sweetest, and most giving woman that he has ever met. He isn't going to believe him until he actually finds Snow White but until then he isn't going to believe him.
Regina is in her office, sitting at the long glass table while peeling a red apple with a knife. A knock on the door interrupted her, she slowly looked up with a scowl on her face. She turned her head to see David Nolan at the door with his head peeking in.
"Hey, can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, setting the apple and knife down on the table.
He walked in fully and sighed deeply. "These accusations against Mary Margaret, they have been gnawing away at me. She didn't do this." He said, standing in front of her.
She pushed a chair out for him to sit and he took it, sitting down beside her.
"I understand what you're going through. It's painful when someone we care about betrays us."
"She's a good person. I know her."
"Maybe you don't. Maybe you just want to. Everyone has a dark side, David."
"Yeah, sure. But having a dark side and doing something so evil, that's a different thing. That's not what she is."
"Perhaps. I always believe that evil isn't born. It's made."
"All due respect, Regina, I don't think you know much about evil." He stood up and walked toward the small table that was behind the gray couch.
"Well, I she didn't do it, then who did?" She asked, turning her head to look at David.
He turned around to look at Regina. "I don't know, that's what I've been trying to figure out. But those blackouts I've been having, they've made everything so hazy."
Regina stood up, taking a few steps toward David. "Please tell me you're not accusing yourself."
"You know, maybe if I can clear up my missing time, I could prove Mary Margaret's innocence."
"You're very sweet, David. But you're also wrong. Evil doesn't always look evil. Sometimes it's staring right at us. And we don't even realize it."
Mary Margaret was at the police station holding a cell, her hands wrapped around the bars. "The heating vent?" she asked, her voice wavering just a bit. "Emma, I don't even know where the heating vent in my bedroom is!"
Emma sat on the edge of the desk with her arms crossed, looking at Mary Margaret. "Well, someone did. And they put a hunting knife in there." Taking a deep breath in. "I checked for signs of a break-in. But there weren't any." She looked away as she said it.
Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes a bit then closed her eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly. "You don't believe me?" she breathed out.
"Of course I do," Emma said, walking up to her friend. "But what I think doesn't matter. The evidence is piling up by the hour."
Mary Margaret pressed her forehead against the bars, her eyes still closed. "Okay, what are you saying?" she asked.
"I'm saying you should think about hiring a lawyer," Emma suggested.
"An excellent idea," said a voice.
Emma turned around and Mary Margaret looked up and saw Mr. Gold, standing on the other side of the room.
"Mr. Gold," greeted Mary Margaret.
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Offering my legal services," he answered.
"You're a lawyer?" Emma asked in disbelief.
"Ever wondered why I was so adept at contracts?" Mr. Gold asked, walking toward them. "I've been following the details of your case, Ms. Blanchard. And I think you'd be well-advised to bring me on as your counsel."
"And why is that?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Because the Sheriff had me arrested for nearly beating a man to death, and I managed to persuade the judge to drop the charges," he explained.
"Exerting your influence isn't what's needed here. We need to find the truth."
"Exerting influence may be exactly what's needed here."
"What's needed here is for me to do my job."
"Well, no one's stopping you. I'm only here to help."
"Enough," said Mary Margaret. "Please go."
"You heard her," said Emma.
"No, I was talking to you," Mary Margaret said toward her friend. Emma turned around to look at her friend, shocked that she wanted to talk to Mr. Gold and shocked she was going to take his offer. "Oh, Emma. He's right. I need help. And you need to do your job. Or else, I'm screwed. So just, please, do your job the best you can. And you'll prove me innocent. Until you do, I need some practical help."
Mr. Gold stood next to Emma with a tiny smile on his lips. "Trust me, this is in Ms. Blanchard's best interests," he said to Emma.
There was a tense silence between the three of them, Emma didn't look at either of them. She finally looked at Mary Margaret and said, "Good luck, Mary Margaret." Mary Margaret nodded. "I hope your best interests are what he's looking out for." She walked past Mr. Gold with a scowl on her face, giving them some time to talk to one another. A smile was on Mr. Gold's face when Emma walked past him.
"I can't pay you," said Mary Margaret.
"I didn't ask for money," Mr. Gold answered.
"Then why are you doing this?"
"Let's just say, I'm invested in your future."
Mary Margaret stared at him, confused about why he would be invested but she didn't know that he knew who they really were. But Mr. Gold is willing to prove that he will help her and try to get her out of jail. He also knows that someone has set her up for killing Kathryn Nolan. He's taking this case to piss off Regina Mills. He's getting back at her.
Rumpelstiltskin is at his spinning wheel, lightly spinning it when Grumpy and Snow White come barging in. Rumple's eyes flickered toward the two of them when Grumpy spoke, "The potion you gave Snow it changed her. She's not the same."
Rumple stopped spinning and flicked his eyes toward Snow with a smirk on his face. "Well, of course, it changed her. It took away her love," he explained to Grumpy. "Left a big hole in her heart. There is no cure or what she's got." Snow was walking around a table full of items while Rumple walked toward Grumpy. "The person she was," he turned to look at her once again, "there's no way to bring her back." He walked over to a cabinet full of ingredients, he opened the doors while Grumpy watched him. "No potion can bring back true love. Love is the most powerful magic of all, the only magic I haven't been able to bottle. If you can bottle love, you can do anything." He was looking at the empty spot where he hadn't collected the Love ingredient then suddenly he turned around to look at Snow. "But you don't care about that, do you?" he asked Snow. Grumpy looked over at Snow while Snow looked at Rumple. "Now, what is it you really want?"
"I want your help. To kill the Queen," Snow answered.
"Now we're talking, dearie." Rumple walked away from the cabinet while Snow followed him toward a very special bow and arrow that was propped on a stand.
"Snow, don't," Grumpy said, pleading.
Rumple took it off and showed it to her. Snow was eyeing it eagerly. "Now, what is this?" she asked him.
"This is how you kill the Queen!" he answered.
"How will that help me get into the castle?" she asked, confused.
"No, no, no, that's impossible. You have to kill her when she's on the move. When she's on her way to the Summer Palace." He explained, and with a flick of his wrist, a piece of the map came into his other hand. "Fire the arrow from this spot, here, and you'll be hidden from sight." He explained where to be when the Queen was on the move.
Snow took the map gently out of his hand and looked at it with her mouth slightly open. She couldn't believe that The Dark One was helping her kill the Queen. She didn't think that anyone would help her. She was beyond grateful for his help but she also knew that if he was willing to help her, there was something in it for him too.
"An arrow fire from this bow will get you exactly what you need," he continued. Then he picked up the arrow swiftly with a smirk on his lips. "It always finds its target!" he singsonged happily.
Snow folded the map and then placed it inside her fur vest while looking at the bow and arrow in Rumple's hands.
"I can't stand by. If you take that weapon, you do it alone," Grumpy threatened, standing in front of Snow, blocking her view.
"That was always my plan," said Snow, evenly. She gently pushed him out of the way to get a hold of the bow and arrow from Rumple, and he started giggling. She looked at the bow and arrow for a moment then back at Rumple. "So what do I have to do in return?" she asked.
"Do? You don't have to do anything, dearie," he answered, taking a step closer to Snow.
"Everything comes with a price with you," she said matter of factly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Last time you took a strand of my hair. What's in it for you this time?"
"Let's just say," he paused for a moment, leaning in close so they are face to face, "I'm invested in your future."
David Nolan knocked on the door of Dr. Hopper, his hands on his hips waiting for the other to open the door.
When Dr. Hopper opened the door, he was shocked to see him standing there. "David. What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Dr. Hopper, I need your help," David answered and walked past Dr. Hopper.
"Okay. What is it?" he asked, his eyes following David as he closed the door.
David turned to face Dr. Hopper. "I've been having these blackouts," he admitted. "And I need to remember what happened during them."
"Why?"
"I think I might know something that can help Mary Margaret."
Prince Charming came busting in through the doors of Rumplestiltskin's castle. "Rumplestiltskin!" he yelled throughout the castle, making himself known to the owner of the castle. He looked around the castle to know where he was. "Show yourself," he called out again.
"Still dressing like a prince, I see," said a voice behind Prince Charming. Prince Charming turned around to face him. "Even though you ran away from the life I have for you." He started walking toward Prince Charming with a smile on his face. "How's that for gratitude?"
"You gave me a prison sentence," said Prince Charming, not taking his eyes off of him.
"Yeah, one that you've now skirted," Rumple said, pointing his index finger at him. "Careful, dearie. King George is a vengeful man." He was close to Charming now.
"I'm here about Snow." Taking in a breath. "Rumor has it she's after the Queen and she came to you for help."
"Yes, indeed."
Charming took out his sword and pointed it at Rumple quickly. "What did you do to her?" he asked, angrily.
"What did I do to her?" he mocked the other. "You mean, what did you do to her? You caused her pain. Without that pain, she would never drink my potion to forget about you. That's what changed her." He slowly walked around the table and stood in front of Charming once again.
"Undo the potion. All magic can be broken."
"Oh, yes, with 'twoo wuv'."
"So that's it, then. True Love's kiss will awaken her?"
"Most certainly. But it's gonna be hard to kiss her when you don't know where she is." He playfully swatted the sword out of his way and giggled, walking away from the prince.
Charming put his sword away, slowly, and watched Rumple walk away. "Name your prince," he called to him.
He stopped walking with a little smile on his lips. "How about your cloak?" he suggested, turning around to ace him.
"My cloak? Why would you want my cloak?" he asked, confused.
"It's drafty in here." Like, it was the obvious answer.
Charming and Rumple stared at one another for a long minute. He didn't know if he was going to give it to him or not. Slow, he took off his cloak and set it on the table that he was standing behind. "Where is she?" he demanded.
The Dark One kept his smile. "On her way to the Queen's Highway," he said. He flicked with his wrist and the same map came to his hand. "This is the route she's taking. But you better be quick." He walked forward to give him the paper but Charming snatched it out of his hand. "Because if she kills the Queen, she becomes as evil as the woman whose life she takes."
"She can never become that evil," he said defending his true love. He started walking away from the other. "Evil isn't born, dearie. It's made. If Snow starts down that road, you'll never get her back!" he called out while Charming ran out of the castle and onto his horse.
Rumple watched him leave the castle. Then, slowly, he lifted up Charming's cloak and placed it on his nose, sniffing it. A small giggle left his lips as he twirled around to go up the stairs with the cloak in his hands.
Snow White swung her cloak around her shoulders as her horse was tied to a nearby tear. The gear that Rumple had given her was near the spot where she got down on her knees. Waiting for the Queen's carriage to come by. She picked up the bow and stretched out the bow—to make sure it would hold—but the hand was over her mouth and Snow squealed against the hand. The hand pulled her back against the person's chest. She pulled the hand away from her mouth and yelled out, "Get your hands off me!"
"Snow!" said Charming, struggling to hold her.
Snow pushed him off of her, grunting. "Who are you? What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm helping you remember," said Charming, holding her by her arms. He leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips.
Snow's eyes widen at the unexpected kiss. All on her mind was killing the Queen but she couldn't be considering Charming was there, in the way of her plans. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the kiss happen. When they pulled away, Snow stared at him wide-eyed.
"I told you, I will always find you," said Charming with a smile.
Snow lifted her hand, balling into a fist, and pulled her fist back and hit him in the jaw, and he fell down onto the ground. Charming looked up at Snow in shock while Snow looked at him with a blank look on his face. And he slowly fell unconscious.
Emma was walking up the stairs to her apartment—thinking about Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold, Regina, and everyone else who was involved in the case—when Henry was sitting on the stairs, waiting for Emma to arrive.
"I have proof!" Henry said when he saw Emma.
Emma knitted her eyebrows, in confusion.
Henry has the keys to every house and room that belongs in the city. He smiled when he held them up to show Emma.
"This is how my mom got into your apartment," he explained. "This is how she framed Ms. Blanchard."
Emma walked up to the sets and took the keys from him. "Did you steal these from her office?" she asked.
"Yeah," he admitted, "the book said they could open any door."
"There's no way they'll even fit in the lock," she said, looking down at the keys.
"We have to try," he insisted, taking the keys from her as he got on his feet.
They both walked toward the door of Emma's and Mary Margaret's apartment, he picked the first key into the keyhole when he got up to the door. But it wasn't the right one. Then he tried the next one. And that one didn't work.
Emma watched as he was struggling. "See, what did I tell you?" she said gently—and he's going to the next one. "Come on, Henry, I know you want to think the answer to everything in Operation Cobra..."
"It is!" Henry interrupted, turning halfway to look at Emma.
"But sometimes the real world needs to come first," she said sternly. She walked toward the door and was about to put it in the keyhole.
"Just try one more. Please." He begged, looking up at her.
She sighed, finally giving in. "Okay. One more. But then we're done."
"You do it." He gave her the keys, holding out the next key for her to try. "This one."
Emma looked at the key for a second then took the key. "Okay," was all she said. She puts it into the keyhole gently, turns the key, and the lock clicks. She gently pushed the door open. Both of them were shocked that one of the keys opened the door.
Henry looked at Emma. "Do you believe now?" he asked.
Emma looked at Henry for a moment then looked around inside the apartment. Shocked that Henry was right about this and shocked that Regina would go so low on planting evidence for the murder of an innocent person. She was going to raise some hell.
Prince Charming blinked furiously as he was slowly waking up and seeing Snow White in front of him—and dried-up blood on his forehead and cheek. What he didn't realize was that he was tied up against a large tree. He leaned forward and the rope tugged on his wrist. "Snow!" he said softly. He grunted while tugging on the ropes while Snow watched him.
"I assume you're the man Rumplestiltskin helped me forget." Snow looked at him with a blank face and her arms crossed over her chest. "What's your name again?" he asked.
"It's me, Charming."
"Charming?" she asked, shocked. She scoffs at him. "Beginning to see why I drank that potion." She turned around to pick up the bow and arrow off the snowy ground.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said, grunting as he kept trying to tug on the ropes. "True love's kiss should have restored your memories."
"It's not true love because I don't love you," she said with anger in her voice, turning around to face Prince Charming.
"Yes, you do. You just don't remember. You love me and I love you."
"Words, words, words. That's all that love is. And unfortunately for you, words don't mean anything to me. You know what does mean something to me? Taking action and that's exactly what I'm going to go do." She turned her back on him once again, she grabbed her stuff that was on the ground.
"Snow. Snow! Listen to me." He called out to her. Snow stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Charming. "You can't do this. It's not who you want to be. You can't kill her."
"Really? Watch me." She said, her voice hard and turning her back on him once again.
"Don't do it! Snow!" Charming called out to her once more. "Snow!" he yelled out.
David Nolan was lying on the couch of Dr. Archie Hopper, he had his eyes closed. And Dr. Hopper was in his seat and looked at David, trying to soothe him. "David, listen very closely. Can you hear me?" he asked the other.
"Yes."
"Good. Okay, I want you to go back in your memory. Back to the last time you and Kathryn spoke. Last thing you remember." Dr. Hopper said soothingly, he paused a moment as he let it sink into David's mind. "Tell me, where are you?" he asked.
"In my bedroom."
"When?"
"The night she left."
"And what were you doing?"
"I called her on her cell."
"What did you talk about?" Dr. Hopper asked.
"She said she realized she needed to start a new life." David took a deep breath. "Without me." He paused. "And she thought Mary Margaret and I should be together."
Dr. Hopper looked down, picking up his notebook and pen. "And how did that conversation end?" he asked, looking over at David.
"She said she was hurt." He paused once again. "But she wanted me to be happy."
"And do you remember anything after that?"
"Yes. I saw Mary Margaret in the woods."
"And what was she doing there?"
David saw flashes of him and Mary Margaret in the woods and saw Mary Margaret with a bow and arrow in her hands. He saw flashes of Mary Margaret in the woods. "You can't kill her," said David. "Really? Watch me," said Mary Margaret. "Don't do it," said David.
"David," said Dr. Hopper. "David!" He shook the other gently.
David gasped and his eyes shot open with fear. "What happened?" he asked.
"I had to wake you up. You went too deep into hypnosis," he explained, helping David sit up on the couch. "Something was disturbing you. What did you see? he asked.
"It was...," David started to explain, he looked over at Dr. Hopper with wide eyes.
"What?" he asked. "Tell me, David, I can help you."
David quickly got up from the couch, grabbing his coat off the coat rack that was near the door.
"David! David, tell me, what did you see? I can help you." He got up from his chair and stood next to David.
David opened the door and looked at Dr. Hopper. "No, you can't." Then he ran out the door and out of the building.
"David!" Dr. Hopper called out to him.
Prince Charming was grunting from tugging on the ropes of his wrists—they still weren't budging. He groaned in defeat. He would never get to Snow in time and stop her from killing the Queen. Then, Jiminy Cricket came to Charming and was at his eye level. And he thought it was just a regular cricket but it wasn't. He blew air out of his mouth to get the cricket out of his way. "Go on, get out of here!" he said.
"You must be James," Jiminy said.
Prince Charming widened his blue eyes when the cricket spoke. "You can talk?" he asked in shock.
"Yeah, and you can listen. Name's Jiminy." He introduced himself and landed on Charming's arm, near the rope. "When Snow began acting differently, her friends, the dwarfs, asked me to intervene. But I'm afraid I wasn't much help."
"I didn't do any better," said Charming. Then, he realized that the cricket could help him get out of these ropes. "Can you get me out of here? I have to stop her."
"I'll try." He bent down and took a small bite of the rope and spits it onto the ground. "What's your plan?"
"I don't know." He watched Jiminy. "I tried everything to make her remember who I am. But nothing worked."
Jiminy took a few more bites of the rope and looked over at Charming. "Give that a try," he said while fluttering his wings into the air.
Charming tugged on the rope a couple of times before getting it loose, he grunted as he got out of the ropes. Then, he started untying his other wrists quickly.
"It sounds like you're approaching this the wrong way," said Jiminy. "How can she remember who you are when she's lost sight of who she is?"
Charming looked at Jiminy for a moment, and he was right. He was going about this all wrong and couldn't believe that he didn't think of this. He thought that True Love's Kiss would just break it.
There was a light snow falling from the sky, women, men, and children were outside in the village, and horses were out pulling carriages to people's destinations. The Queen was on her black horse with a few Black Knights in front of her. "Clear the road!" said one of the knights. "Bow your heads for the Queen." All the people stopped and bowed their heads for the Queen. The Queen looked at the people with a small smile on her red lips.
Snow was high and the Queen and her Black Knights couldn't see her. She was walking swiftly along with the Queen. Trying to find a perfect spot for her to kill the Queen. After a good minute, she stopped and found a spot as she hid behind a tree so no one could see her. The Queen nodded to the people with a smile on her lips. Snow smirked to herself and ran ahead in front of the Queen's Black Knights and the Queen herself. She got the bow and arrow ready in her hands, ready to kill the Queen. She held up the weapon, directly at her target. Her face was blank, and her breathing slowed, trying to not miss. After a few moments, she released the arrow and Charming jumped in front of the arrow and fell onto the ground, piercing him in the shoulder.
Snow blinked and ran down to Charming, yelling, "What do you think you're doing?" she asked. "Why would you do this?"
Charming groaned in pain, on his side. "Because you said you appreciate action more than words," he explained and slowly got on, leaning against the tree. "So now you're gonna get both." He looked over at Snow.
Snow scoffed in disgust at his words, rolling her eyes.
"I love you, Snow," he said.
Snow shook her head. "But I don't love you," she said—only a million times. "I don't even remember you."
"Well, I don't care," he said, groaning. The only thing I care about is that you don't forget who you really are. I would rather die than let you fill your heart with darkness." He groaned in pain once again, his eyes closing and he hung his head down.
Snow looked at him for a second before she spoke, "You would really die for me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Does it look like I'm making this up?" he asked, sarcastically.
"No one's ever done anything like this for me before," she said fondly, a couple of tears slipped through her left eye. "No one's ever been willing to die for me."
"No one you can remember," he whispered. He groaned once again from the pain and placed his hand around the arrow.
Snow watched him for a moment, placing a hand on his arm and Charming looked at her. A single tear came out of his eye and he leaned in while Snow leaned in as well, they shared a kiss.
Snow's eyes opened quickly and slowly pulled away from Charming with a smile. "Charming!" she whispered.
Charming smiled in return. "Yes. It's me," he whispered.
Snow chuckled and placed her hands on his cheeks, kissing him once more. Then, they repeatedly kiss each other in happiness. They heard horses whines and a man calling out, "Over there!" They pulled apart quickly and looked over toward King George's army.
"King George's army," said Prince Charming, pulling Snow's hood over her head.
"Halt! Get him!" called out one of the knights.
The knights got closer and pulled apart Snow and Charming. "No! Oh!" called out Snow as one of the knights pushed her away from Charming. Two guards held his arms back while another man—he was in charge—stood in front of Charming. "Prince James," he greeted. Then he pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and Charming groaned in pain while Snow watched. The guy that was in charge looked back at Snow. "Leave the girl. We have who we came for." They pushed Prince Charming towards the horses while the other knights pushed Snow onto the ground. "No!" Prince Charming yelled and looked over at Snow.
"James!" called out Snow as she got up from the ground and started to walk toward the other, but one of the knights back-handed her. She fell to the ground.
The knights pushed Prince James into a small cage that they had brought to capture James. One of the knights locked it, so James wouldn't escape.
"No!" yelled Prince James.
The same knight who had smacked Snow took out his sword and was about to kill her, the man who was in charge, yelled out, "Enough!" He narrowed his eyes at Snow then he ran to catch up with the other knights while Prince James watched Snow—who was still on the ground.
"Snow...," he called out to her.
Snow got up and watched them leave her behind. "James!" she called out to him, leaning against the tree.
"Snow!" he called out once again.
"I will find you!" she called out to him. "I will always find you." She watched Prince James in the cage with sad eyes, hoping that she could find him. Her love is strong for Prince James and it'll never die.
Mary Margaret was lying on her side on the bed of her cell, she was looking at the wall, bored out of her mind and thinking about how she even got into this situation. She didn't hear David come in and walk up to the cells until he called out her name, "Mary Margaret." She lifted her head up slightly to see him, a small smile came to her lips as she stood up and walked over to the bars.
"David," she said softly.
David walked to the cell with a smile on his face as well. "Emma said we could have a few minutes alone," he explained. "I wanted to tell you that Dr. Hopper helped me remember what happened during my blackouts."
"And?" she prompted.
"Uh...," he didn't know how to start this conversation, he looked away and turned his back to her. "I only got pieces of the memory." He turned to face her again, he was a foot away from her. "We were in the woods." Mary Margaret nodded. "And I kept saying, 'Don't do it.'"
"Don't do what?" she asked.
"'Don't kill her,'" he whispered. "That's what I kept saying."
She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes for a moment. "Kathryn?" she questioned, her voice breaking slightly. "You think you remember me wanting to kill Kathryn?" she asked.
"Can you explain why I have that memory?" he asked, his voice hurt and on the verge of crying.
Mary Margaret looked at him, taken aback by that question. "David, are you asking me if I had something to do with Kathryn's murder?" she asked slowly.
"The Sheriff found a heart in our spot," he explained. "It was in your jewelry box, the weapon was found in your apartment, I have these memories." As Mary Margaret was hearing this from the one person who believed her—well, one of the people—her heart was breaking and she was in disbelief. Her eyes watered with tears as she listened to him. "So, yes, I'm asking," he whispered.
"When your phone records came back," she said, her voice shaking, "when I found you wandering in the woods when everyone thought you killed Kathryn, I stood by you. I never once doubted you. And now that everything is pointing to me, you actually think I am capable of that kind of evil?" she asked as a tear slipped out of her eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, tension was in the air. "Get out," she said softly. Snow walked into the middle of her cell and turned her back to David, her eyes closed.
David stood there for a moment, a soft sigh left his lips, and walked away from Mary Margaret and out of the police station.
Mary Margaret couldn't believe that David would even think that she could do something like that. After everything that they have been through together. She thought she knew David but clearly, she didn't. She stood by him when everyone thought he killed his wife. But when everyone started pointing their fingers at her, David thought of the worst of her.
But what David doesn't know is that his flashbacks were from the past, not in the present time.
Snow walked into the dwarfs' house, they all looked at her but Grumpy was giving her a scowl. They all went back to eating their food. Snow walked further into the house and stood at the end of the table, looking between Grumpy and the other dwarfs. She quickly set down her bag and took out a mug, setting it in front of Happy. He looked at it for a moment and touched it.
"What's this?" asked Happy.
"An apology," she replied.
Happy smiled and then looked at Grumpy, who shook his head at him.
"We don't care about mugs," said Grumpy.
"It's the only thing I broke that I could replace," she said. Grumpy looked up at Snow. "I'm sorry." Grumpy looked up at Snow fully. "All I can say is, I'm sorry," she whispered as all the dwarfs looked at her.
Grumpy stood up slowly and looked at her fondly, a soft smile came to his lips. "It's you," was all he said.
"It's me," was all she said in return.
The seven dwarfs smiled and laughed, they all got up and hugged her as Snow laughed and hugged all of them back. They were all happy to see the old Snow back and not the Evil Snow.
"Oh, welcome back," said Sneezy.
"Thank you," said Snow with a smile on her face.
"You can have your old room if you like," said Sneezy.
"Thank you. I can't stay." Snow said. They all pulled back as Snow started walking to her old room.
"Where are you going?" asked Grumpy.
Snow stopped and looked at Grumpy and the others. "King George took James. I have to get him back," she explained.
"No, Snow. You can't do it," said Grumpy.
"I can't let the King just kill him," she said desperately. "He came back for me. It doesn't matter what happens to me now, I have to try."
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was, you can't do it alone." Grumpy looked at his brothers, all of them smiled and nodded once, and he looked at Snow. "But luckily, you won't have to." The rest of the dwarfs grabbed their axes. "Let's show that king what Snow White and the seven dwarfs can really do."
Snow looked at her friends with a smile. She was grateful for them. he was also grateful that they would want to help her with saving Prince James. She wouldn't know what to do without them if she hadn't been taken to the dungeon and met Grumpy. Snow looked at all the dwarfs and she was overwhelmed with love and gratitude.
Mary Margaret woke up and started making her bed—she was still in the cell—laying the thick cotton blue blanket over the small bed. As she was tucking in the edges of the blanket under the mattress, a metal item clatters under the bed. She got down under her knees to see what it was, she gasped at what it was. She reached under the bed, wrapped her fingers around the cool metal, and revealed a key. She wondered if it would work on her cell door. She looked back at the lock and then back to the key.
She stood back up on her feet and walked toward the cell door, her right-hand feeling for the keyhole while pressing the key into the keyhole. She paused for a moment, her heart hammering against her chest, she could feel the blood rushing to her ears. She quickly twisted it to the right and the lock clicked. Her hand was on the bar and quickly pushed it open, her mouth fell open, shocked that the key actually worked. She wondered who could have left this key in her bed and why they hadn't taken it and given it to the sheriff.
Mary Margaret heard footsteps approaching and she quickly closed the door and locked the cell, taking out the key, and keeping it in her hand.
Emma walked over to her friend, handing her coffee and a bag of breakfast. "Hey. Breakfast."
Mary Margaret was hesitant for a moment. "Thanks," she murmured taking the bag and coffee. She walked toward her bed and set the bag down on the bed.
Emma placed her hands on the bars of the cell, watching Mary Margaret. "I know Mr. Gold doesn't want us to talk, but I thought you should hear this from me." Mary Margaret looked up at Emma. "The test results came back on the heart. And the DNA was a match for Kathryn." Mary Margret looked away. "She's dead." There was silence while Mary Margaret looked ahead, Emma walked down to be closer to her friend. "I'm sorry. For a lot of things. But now that we have proof of the death, we have enough evidence to move forward with the case against you. It's gonna happen." She sat down on the royal blue couch arm. "You know I do believe you, right?"
"Yeah," said Mary Margaret, still not looking at Emma.
"All this evidence tells me one thing for certain. That you are being framed. And I think Regina's behind it."
Mary Margaret looked over at Emma and slowly stood up and walked toward Emma. "Then why am I still in here? Why don't you confront her?" she asked, confused.
"Because belief is not proof."
"But you just said—"
"If I don't do this right, things will end up worse for you. Every time I've gone up against Regina, she's seen it coming and I've lost."
"So what makes this time any different?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Because she doesn't know I suspect anything," said Emma with a smile.
"Why would she do this to me?" Mary Margaret asked out loud.
"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out. And I promise I won't stop until I expose what she's up to."
"And how are you going to do that? This is her town."
"I'm working on it. I have faith in you. And now I need you to have faith in me." Emma sniffled, her eyes were red—indicating that she was about to cry.
Mary Margaret looked up at Emma, shocked that she heard her sniffle. Emma never really showed any emotions since she has been here in Storybrooke.
"Can you do that?" Emma continued.
Mary Margaret took a moment to think then she nodded once. "Of course," she agreed.
Emma smiled slightly then she walked away from Mary Margaret while she watched her friend walk away. She looked down at her hand, the key she was still holding. Then she closed her hand around it. She closed her eyes, thinking about what she could do with it. She knew that Emma would lose this battle and she would be in jail for a murder that she didn't commit.
Being good isn't always what it cuts out to be.
Mr. Gold was in his shop and was admiring a lamp that was gold with emerald green jewels, taking it off the shelf and Emma walked into the back, pushing the curtains apart. "Mr. Gold?" she said.
Mr. Gold turned his head halfway. "Just taking inventory," he responded. Then, he turned around to face Emma. "What can I do for you, Ms. Swan?" He sat down at his desk. "Any developments in the case I should be aware of?"
Emma stood in front of his desk, placing her hands on the edge of the desk. "Yes. Regina set her up."
"And this surprises you?" he asked, not sounding surprised by this information. "Show me your evidence and we'll get this over with immediately."
She placed her palms down on top of the desk and leaned slightly in. "Yeah, that's the thing, there isn't any. Anything that's court-worthy. But I know it now."
"Look who's suddenly become a woman of faith," he said with a smile. "Why are you here, Ms. Swan? To spin conspiracy theories?"
"I need help."
"From me?" he asked, placing a hand on his chest, surprised.
"Every time I've gone up against Regina, I've lost. Except for once. When I became Sheriff when you helped."
"As I recall, you don't exactly approve of my methods."
"I approve of your results. And this time I have something more important than a job. I need to save my friend."
Mr. Gold took in a breath. "And you're willing to go as far as it takes?" he asked.
"Farther," she breathed out.
"Now we're talking," he said with a smile. "Fear not, Ms. Swan, Regina may be powerful." He lifted up a magnifying glass and started inspecting the lamp. "But something tells me you're more powerful than you know."
Emma blinked at his 'more powerful than you know' comment. She didn't think she was powerful, she knew that she would stand up to a bully or anyone that messes with her friends and the people that she cares about.
Mr. Gold went back to inspecting the lamp that he took off the shelf with a smile on his face and that he could do anything to help take down Regina.
Rumplestiltskin was looking through the magnifying glass, examining Prince Charming's cloak, and in his other hand was a large pair of teasers, taking a piece of hair left on the cloak. He lifted it up and examined the piece of hair with the magnifying glass. Then, he set the magnifying glass down on the table as he continued to look at the piece of Prince Charming's hair.
He leaned forward and placed it in the same vile as Snow White's piece of hair. The bottle started rattling as Rumplestiltskin watched it. He started smiling then he giggled when the two pieces of hair intertwined with one another and then the two pieces of hair started to glow: Prince Charming's piece of hair turned to gold and Snow White's piece of hair turned red.
Rumple picked it up and placed it with the other potions that he had collected over the years. And now his collection was completed. He smiled and started giggling in delight now that he had every single one of the potions. He was overjoyed.
In Mary Margaret's cell, she wasn't there, the cell door was wide open and the bed was neatly made. She had finally made her decision to escape and take manners into her own hands. She wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn't a killer. She knew that she wasn't a killer but no one believed her. And she didn't want Emma to be Regina's target. Again.
She hated that everyone that she cared about was getting hurt or wasn't on her side. She was going to find evidence on her own and she knew that Emma would be looking for her and was going to stop her but she didn't care. She was going to end this. Once and for all.