Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 96 - Guilty

Mary Margaret lay on the bed in her cell, staring at the blank wall in front of her.
"Mary Margaret." said David's voice.
She looked up to see David standing in the Sherif's station. She sat up. "David." she walked to the bars of her cell.
"Emma said we could have a few minutes alone." he walked towards her. "I wanted to tell you that Dr. Hopper helped me remember what happened during my blackout." he put one of his hands around the bars.
"And?"
"Uh......" he turned away. "I only got pieces of the memory." he turned back to her. "We were in the woods."
She nodded.
"And I kept saying don't do it."
"Don't do what?"
"Don't kill her........... That's what I kept saying."
"Kathryn?...... You think you remember me wanting to kill Kathryn?"
"Can you explain why I have that memory?" tears filled in his blue eyes.
Mary Margaret's face changed. "David.......are you asking me if I had something to do with Kathryn's murder?"
"The Sherif found a heart in our spot. It was in your jewellery box, the weapon was found in your apartment........"
Mary Margaret stepped backwards, her eyes filling with tears.
"........I have these memories....... So, yes, I'm asking."
Mary Margaret cryed as she listened to his words, tears now streamed down her face. "When your phone records came back, when I found you wandering in the woods, when everyone thought you killed Kathryn.........I stood by you." she said slowly. "I never once doubted you." she cryed. "And now that everything is pointing to me........you actually think I am capable of that kind of evil?"
David said nothing, allowing a tear to rowl down his cheek.
".......Get.......out......." she turned away.
David stared at her back for a moment then left the Sherif's station, tear stained.
Mary Margaret sobbed sadly as she listened to his footsteps leave the room.

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Snow stepped inside the dwarfs cottage and closed the door behind her. The dwarfs all sat silently at the diner table, eating.
They glanced up at her for a moment and she walked towards them. She took the sack from her shoulder and took from it a colourful, patterned mug. She placed it down on the table in front of Happy.
He looked at it and picked it up. "What's this?" he asked sternly.
"An apology."
He smiled and Grumpy shook his head, his face down. "We don't care about mugs."
"It was the only thing I broke that I could replace....... I'm sorry."
Grumpy looked up at her and then so did the rest of the dwarfs. "All I can say is........I'm sorry."
Grumpy got to his feet and looked at Snow. "It's you." he smiled.
"It's me."
The dwarfs all laughed happily and Grumpy put his arms around her. Then all the dwarfs joined in, wrapping their arms around her and hugging her.
"Oh, welcome back." said Happy.
"Thank you."
"You can have your old room if you like."
She laughed. "Thank you." she broke away from them. "I can't stay." she walked away.
"Where are you going?" asked Grumpy.
"King George took James. I have to get him back." she said, turning back to them.
"No, Snow. You can't do it."
"I can't let the King just kill him. 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's meant was, you can't do it alone." Grumpy turned around to his six brothers and gave them the lock. They all looked back at him, smiling.
"But luckily, you out have to."
The dwarfs all grabbed their axes and held them over their shoulders.
"Let's show that king what Snow White and seven dwarfs can really do."
The dwarfs nodded in agreement and Snow smiled happily.

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The morning light shined into the Sherif's station and Mary Margaret stood up, making her, small, bed in her cell. She tucked the blanket under the mattress and heard a metal cutter on the ground.
She went down on her honkers and looked beneath the bed. She reached under and took from the ground a small, silver skull key. She looked down at in her hand in surprise.
She stood up and looked around then walked to the metal bars. She put her hands between them and thumbled for the key hole. She then found it and put inside it the key. She turned it and heard the lock click open. She pushed the door open in shock, but then heard the station door open. She quickly shut the door and locked it, hiding the key in her hand as she heard Emma's footsteps approach.
Emma walked over to her cell and held out a takeaway coffee and breakfast in a paper bag between the bars. "Hey. Breakfast."
Mary Margaret took them. "Thanks." she said her face down. She sat down on her bed and Emma leaned against the bars.
"I know Mr. Gold doesn't want us to talk but I thought you should hear this from me....... The rest results came back on the heart. And the DNA was a match for Kathryn....... She's dead."
Mary Margaret stared at the blank wall in front of her, no feeling or emotion in her face.
"I'm sorry..... For a lot of things." said Emma. "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 edge of the couch on the other side of the cell. "You know I do believe you, right?"
"Yeah."
"All this evidence tells me one thing for certain. That you are being framed. And I think Regina's behind it."
She got to her feet and walked towards her. "Then why am I still here? Why don't you confront her?"
"Because believe 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?"
Emma smiled. "Because she doesn't know I suspect anything."
"Why would she do this to me?"
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out. And I promise I won't stop until I expose what she's up to."
"Ans 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." he eyes were now filled with tears. "Can you do that?"
"Of course."
Emma held her hand for a moment on the bar then turned and walked away, allowing the tears to rowl down her face.
Mary Margaret watched her go then looked down at the skull key in her hand.

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Emma walked into the back of Mr. Gold's pawn shop and walked towards him, standing by a shelf of ornaments.
"Mr. Gold?"
"Just taking inventory." he said, turning to her. "What can I do for you, Miss. Swan? Any developments in the case I should be aware of?" he sat down at a table.
"Yes. Regina set her up."
"And this surprises you? Show me your evidence and we'll get this over with immediately."
She leaned her hands on his table. "Yeah, that's the thing, there isn't any. Anything that court-worthy. But I know it now."
"Look who's suddenly become a woman of faith......... Why are you here, Miss. Swan? To spin conspiracy theories?"
"I need help."
"From me?"
"Every time I've gone up against Regina, I've lost. Except for once. When I became Sherif, 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."
"And you're willing to go as far as it takes?"
"Farther."
"Now we're talking........ Fear not, Miss. Swan, Regina may be powerful. Bur something tells me you're more powerful than you know.
Emma looked at him surprised.

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Rumplestiltskin stood in his Dark Castle, a magnifying glass in his hand and tweezers in his other. On the table in front of him was Charming's scarlet red cloak. He took from the cloak a single strand of hair with the tweezers and placed it inside a little bottle with another hair inside. He put the lid on the bottle and watched as the two strands of hair glowed. One gold and one red, they intwind, dancing with one another inside the bottle. He chuckled evily, his eyes widening in madness. He then walked over to the press of bottles and viles and placed the little bottle containing the two dancing hairs on the shelf beneath the symbol of the heart. He smiled and giggled as he stared at his full collection of bottled magic.

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The Sherif's station was now dark and empty, the cell door wide open and the bed neatly made.