Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 91 - The Jewellery Box

Snow stood in the cottage, wearing a red bow in her hair, solfty humming a sweet tune as she sweeped the floor. She then raised her hand up into the air gentle when she saw a little, blue bird sitting up on a shelf. The flew over onto her hand and Snow set it down on the wooden table, still smiling solfty, at the bird. She then raised her broom stick and was about to hit the little bird when it flew away. She hit the table and her smile faded away as her eyes darted up at the bird hovering in the air. There was anger and rage in her face she ran around the room, swinging the broom around, attempting to hit the innocent bird as it flew away, fearfully.
"Snow?" asked Grumpy, standing in the doorway confused as he stared at her brandishing a broom around the room.
She quickly came to a halt in front of Grumpy.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting rid of the vermin in this house." she turned and attempted to hit the bird again with her broom. Then finally the bird flew from the room and out of the window. She ran to the window and watched happily as the bird flew away. She then closed her eyes and sighed impatiently. "Want do you want?"
"It's dinner time."
"I'm not hungry." she pulled the shutter of the window shut, blocking out the bright daylight.
"Come on. We made something extra special tonight." said Grumpy, walking towards her, smiling. He took the broom from her hands and took her hand.
Snow rowled her eyes allowed Grumpy to lead her into the next room where the dwarfs all sat at the table set with food and warm light candles, talking and discussing.
"She's out of control......" said one of the dwarfs and they all agreed. Then suddenly they looked up to see Snow and Grumpy.
Snow looked down at the food on the table. "Did somebody die?"
"Snow, why don't you have a seat." said Jiminy Cricket, flying into the room next to the dwarfs opposite her.
"Oh!" let out Snow, attempting to flick Jiminy away with her fingers. "Why is there a dirty cricket in here?"
"My name is Jiminy." he stood on a jar on the table. "And your friends have asksd me to be here tonight. They're concerned about you and they have something they'd like to say." he looked over at Grumpy. "Grumpy, why don't you start?"
He held up a piece of parchment and read from it. "Snow White, you've changed. You've become angry, irritable and downright mean."
"Changed?" said Snow, thinking about this. "And who are you to tell me I've changed?"
"Snow, please. These are your friends." said Jiminy. "And we're all here because we care about you...... Who wants to go next." he looked around at the other dwarfs.
Sneezy took a sheet of parchment from his coat. "You brought bails of straw into the house last night. Even though you know that I'm......" he stopped, as he felt a sneeze coming in. The dwarf nexr to him put a finger beneath his noise to stop him from sneezing, but he only sneezed when he moved his finger away. "........Allergic."
"You are allergic to everything." complained Snow.
"You broke my mug!" let out Happy.
"You're lucky it wasn't the mug you call your face."
"You are the worst, most nasty, horrible......."
"Enough." said Grumpy. "Look what you're doing to happy."
She sighed and folded her arms.
"That potion you took, the one that erased the Prince from your mind......." said Grumpy, taking the empty vile from his belt and holding it up. "........you haven't been the same since you drank it."
"That helped me forget whatever and whomever I needed to forget, and I'm clearkybetter off for it. That potion wad 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." she raged.
"Snow, your anger towards the Queen is understandable. It's just not fair to take it out on your friends." said Jiminy.
Snow stepped closer to him. She looked around at the dwarfs then back at him. "You're right."
Grumpy smiled.
"I should be taking it out on her."
The dwarfs looked at one another and Jiminy flew closer to her. "Wait. No, revenge is not the answer. No its gonna change you. It'll turn you into something darker than you can imagine." he said quickly as Snow concerned him on the table and placed a glass top over him, smiling. "You don't want to go there. No, no, no." his voice was now muffled and he hit and tapped the glass.
"Good news, fellas. You can quit your complaining because I'm leaving. I have more important things to do." she walked to the door.
"Wait! Don't go!" cryed Jiminy from inside the glass.
"Snow, wait." said Grumpy, following her accross the room.
"Don't do this!" cryed Jiminy.
She grabbed a sack and some supplys by the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Grumpy.
She took a pickaxe and held it over her shoulder. "To kill the Queen."
The dwarfs looked at her in shock and fear as she turned around, kicking the door open and slamming it behind her, fury and darkness in her eyes.

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Emma stepped inro another room in the Sherif's station, followed by Mary Margaret. Inside Regina sat at the desk, waiting.
Mary Margaret looked at her in shock.
"Hello, Miss. Blanchard." said Regina, turning her head to face her.
"What is she doing here?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.
"She asked to be here as a third party to make sure that I stay impartial." said Emma closing the door.
Mary Margaret sat down opposite Regina.
"It can only help you." Emma said, sitting down next to Regina. "I have nothing to hide........ Ask me anything."
Emma turned on the recorder in front of her. "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 Margaret closed her eyes a little in horror.
"Have you ever been to the bridge before?"
"Yes. Many times...... It's where David and I liked to meet."
"Mr. Nolan?" Emma got to her feet and walked to the cabinits behind Mary Margaret.
"Yes."
"And you met there for what purpose?" she opened one of the cabinits.
"We were having an affair."
Regina glared at Mary Margaret.
"I'm not proud of what happened. And I'm sorry." she said to Regina. "But that doesn't change the fact that I did not kill Kathryn."
Emma walked back to the desk and placed the box where the heart was found in down in front of Mary Margaret. "Have you ever seen this before?"
Mary Margaret stared at the box. "Yes, it's my jewellery box." she said, looking up at Emma, confused.
Emma eyes widened a little. "That's what we found the heart in."
Regina sat back in her seat, taken aback.
"Don't you see what's happening here?" said Mary Margaret her eyes darting between them. "Someone stole that box ans put the heart in it. I didn't have anything to do with it! I'm innocent!"
"Miss. Blanchard. It's okay." said Regina, putting her hand on hers.
"I know what your going through. 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."
Emma looked at Regina suspiciously.
Mary Margaret broke her hand away from Regina's grasp. "But I haven't changed. I'm still the same person I've always been. A good person. I did not do this."
"Can I speak to you in the hallway please?" Emma asked Regina, glaring at her.
Mary Margaret watched Regina walk out of the room and into the hallway after Emma, surprised at her last words.
Emma shut the door and they stood face to face in the hallway.
"I told you to leave the questioning to me." said Emma.
"How do you know she didn't do it? If that box was stolen from her as she claims, don't you think there'd be signs of a break-in?....... You're her roommate. Tell me, has there been a break-in?...... She is a woman who's had her heart broken. And that....that can make you do unspeakable things."
Emma looked in at Mary Margaret through the mirror, thinking about Regina's words.