{ storybrooke }

16. { heart of darkness }

Winter was rushing through town, her body racing with adrenaline while her thoughts overflooded. She still couldn't believe that Emma would arrest Mary Margaret. They live together, she surely should know that Ms. Blanchard was not a killer. There must have been a horrible mistake, there was no other option.

The brunette storms into the police station, panting loudly as she clings to the doorway. Emma was making mugshots of Mary Margaret. The camera was clicking and a flashing light goes off, making the teacher blink. As Emma requests she turns to the right Mary Margaret notices Winter standing there.

"Winter, what are you doing here," she asks, sounding a little horrified. Winter steps into the room and looks at Emma pleadingly. "Emma, please, you know that Mary Margaret is not capable of a thing like this.."

Mary Margaret looks at her best friend. She looks exhausted and desperate. "She's right Emma, this is a mistake. I didn't kill Kathryn." Emma pulls the photographs out and responds. "Of course you didn't, but while I'm your friend, I am also the sheriff and I have to go where evidence leads."

Ms. Blanchard walks away from before the camera and approaches Emma as she checks the photographs. "Which points to me? Emma, yesterday, it was David. There's something not right here," she says, trying to have her friend see that there was something weird going on here. Winter silently walks further into the room and joins the two by the table.

"I know, but your fingerprints were on that box. And his are not. And so now we have to deal with this," Emma tells them, waving the pictures around. She knows that Mary Margaret didn't do anything, but she couldn't just ignore painfully hard evidence like fingerprints at the scene of the crime. Even if she knows deep down that something is off.

"Evidence that says I cut out Kathryn's heart and buried it in the woods? This is insane," Mary Margaret tries to defend herself. Emma turns around to face the both of them. She tries to explain that, if she hadn't arrested her with all this evidence, it would look like favoritism. Regina would have cause to fire her and rehire someone who will railroad her.

Emma begs her friend to have patience and trust her. They couldn't even move forward with the case until DNA would verify if the heart belonged to Kathryn or not. "But in the meantime you need to bear with me. Both of you," she says, looking both of them in the eye. She then tells Mary Margaret she will need to ask her a few questions.

The teacher walks away, muttering how this was all crazy and that she would never hurt anyone. Emma follows after her and Winter tries to come with, but the sheriff stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"I think it's best if you go home now Winter. There is nothing you can do to help, unfortunately." Emma turns her back to her and follows Mary Margaret into the interrogation room. Winter reluctantly leaves the police station and heads over to Mr. Gold's shop.

The bell tinkles when she enters. Mr. Gold, who was standing by the register to do his bookkeeping, looks up. A slight smile makes way on his expressionless face. "Winter, where have you been all day?"

"Long story. Mr. Gold, I want to ask you for your help in something." Gold raises a singular eyebrow. It was not often that Winter explicitly requested his help in something. He puts his papers away and leans forward on the desk, his chin resting on his entwined hands.

"What do you need help with?"

●

Winter leaves the library after spending the entire afternoon there going through books about criminal law, hoping to find a loophole that might help Mary Margaret. She started to lose hope after going through so many pages and hoped to find some comfort in a mug of hot cocoa from Granny's.