Dreaming Out Loud

Trial By Fire, Pt 2

Chapter 29: Trial By Fire, Pt 2

Mary paced a bit, as they waited in the lobby of the courtroom. None of them were very hungry, so they sat on the benches at the park nearby. David felt a bit helpless, since he knew there was only so much he could do to ease her nerves. He grabbed her hand and she looked at him.

"I'm sorry," she said. He smiled gently.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I could protect you from all this," he said.

"I know...but if I don't testify, Damon walks. And even if I do...he could still walk," she fretted.

"I know...I wish I could promise you that he'll pay for what he did. I hate that I can't," he said, as he gently pulled her toward him and then down into his lap.

"But I can promise that he will never hurt you...I'll do everything I can to make sure of it," he promised. She smiled.

"I know you will, my love," she replied, as she kissed him tenderly.

"I wish you didn't have to testify and relive that night," he said.

"Me either...but I can do this, because I know you're there," she said confidently. He smiled.

"That's another thing I can promise. Us...we're going to be together, no matter what. We're going to get married and be a family forever," he said, as he laced his fingers with hers and then kissed her again, this time in long, passion filled pecks to her lips. She kept her eyes closed and she relished being close to him, as he pressed his forehead against hers. And they stayed that way for several moments, until it was time to go back to the courthouse.

Regina glared at them from the window of her office, which had a perfect view of the park. Her hatred for them burned inside her just as passionately as ever.

Too many things had changed and even the bright spot that these two idiots could lose the trial wasn't enough to put her at ease.

First, that woman, Stephanie Kore, had come to town and practically taken Mary Margaret under her protective wing for reasons Regina wasn't able to discern. She had Sidney dig up all the records on this Ms. Kore that could be found. What he had found has been perfectly ordinary and well ordered records, professionally anyway. All the necessary credentials were in place. A teaching degree and a PHD in Botany, both from prestigious schools in Boston. But her personal life was generic. Her records provided vague information, like that she was born and raised in upstate New York, before moving to Boston for college. She never married, had no children, and seemingly kept to herself, despite being supposedly gifted in her field. And Regina was convinced it was all fake. She just needed to figure out how to get that information.

Then there was the new stranger that had rode into town on a motorcycle. She knew even less about this August W. Booth and that irked her to no end. Sidney's research on him had turned up even less. A sealed juvenile record, no documentation that he had ever graduated from any school, and no IRS records of him...which was just bizarre. Someone who was off the grid was a dangerous thing. Even the people of Storybrooke all had IRS records. When the curse had dropped them in this land, it had seamlessly inserted their curse identities into the records systems. For all intents and purposes, if a government agency happened to look at records for someone in Storybrooke, those records would always appear legitimate and in order; a perk of the curse being so intricate and efficient, on the surface anyway. If someone were to ever look closer at Storybrooke from outside, oddities would appear. But Regina was not too concerned. For twenty-eight years, they weren't given any thought, much like any other small, unassuming town. But these strangers did concern her, as did all the changes.