Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 105 - The Questioning

Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold sat opposite Spencer at the table in the questioning room in the Sherif's Station.
Emma and Regina stood outside the room looking in through the mirror and listening to the questioning.
"After she learned about your affair, Mrs Nolan, the deceased, came to your school to confront you. Is that correct?" Spencer asksd Mary Margaret.
Regina glared at Mary Margaret as she listened to her words echoing in the room.
"She was hurt. She felt betrayed." explained Mary Margaret.
"She struck you. In the face, was it?"
"Yes, but......" she started.
"That must have made you angry."
"You don't have to answer that." interupted Mr. Gold quickly.
Spencer's eyes darted between them.
"No, it's okay." she said, glanced at Mr. Gold. "I was not angry. I was sorry for all the pain I had caused her."
Spencer sniggered. "Mr. Blanchard, this is not a court room. I'm not here to judge you. You can be honest with me."
"Shall we end this?" asked Mr. Gold, glaring at Spencer.
"I am being honest with you." said Mary Margaret.
"The wife of the man you loved humiliated you in a public forum. Surely you must have felt some anger towards Kathryn."
"Yes, I was anger."
"And did you ever think about acting upon that anger?"
"Of course not."
"I have a hard time believing that."
"Why?" Her eyes darted between Spencer and Mr. Gold.
"Because you wanted Kathryn Nolan gone."
"I never said that." Let out Mary Margaret loudly.
"All right, my client is answering no more questions for the day." said Mr. Gold getting to his feet.
"Your client agreed to this interview because she claimed she had nothing to hide."
"I don't have anything to hide."
"Then what is your answer? You wanted Kathryn gone, didn't you?"
"No." she argued.
"Even after she tried to keep you and David apart? After she slapped you in public?......."
Emma looked into the room and listened worried for Mary Margaret. Then she turned her head and glared at Regina suspiciously.
"......After she made you a pariah in your own town?" he held up a photograph of her car and the word TRAMP spray painted in red.
"Yes, of course I wanted her gone!" she cryed, losing her patients. "She was the only think keeping us apart. So yeah, I wanted her gone. Is that what you want to hear?" she shouted, glaring at him.
Spencer's stern, cold face broke into a smile and Mary Margaret looked around at Mr. Gold, realising what she had done. Mr. Gold looked up at the ceiling with a face of frustration.
Regina stared into the questioning room, a smug smile growing on her face.

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Regina stood in the castle in front of a looking glass, fixing her light blue riding coat.
Her mother then walked into the room towards her. "No, this won't do." she waved her hand and red smoke surround Regina.
"What are you doing?" then when smoke faded away Regina stood in a light blue gown. She stared down at it in frustration.
"We have a guest." explained Cora, stepping closer and fixing her dark hair. "He'll be here any moment."
"I can't. I have a riding lesson with Daniel."
"Well, that's been cancelled. Now smile. We don't want to disappoint him."
"Disappoint who?"
"The King."
"The King?" she chuckled. "Why is the King coming?" she said surprised.
"Because you've finally done something right." she put her arm around her shoulders and walked her to the other end of the room. "That little girl you saved, is the King's daughter."
"Oh!" she gasped, then her father lead the King and three of his men into the room.
"Is that her?" the King asked.
"Yes." replyed her father.
Cora bowed and Regina stared at the King in owe.
"Regina, honey, this is Snow White's father." introduced her father.
She nodded and bowed too.
"No, it I'd I who should bow to you." said the King, stepping forward.
Cora and Regina both stood straight.
"You saved my daughter's life. There is no way to repay that debt." he stepped closer to Regina. "It is an honour to meet you." he bowed down before her.
She smiled happily.
"Regina, dear, the King is honoured to meet you. Say something." said her mother.
"Oh..... The honour is mine."
The King glanced at Cora. "You're quite lucky to have a mother who looks out for you."
Cora bowed her head a little, smiling.
"My dear Snow has many things, but a mother is not one of them. We lost her years ago."
"I'm so sorry." said Regina.
"Since then I have scoured the land looking for a wife. I have yet to find a woman with an interest in my daughter, until now."
Regina's mouth dropped and her eyes widened in realisation as the King turned to one of his men, holding a little box on a pillow. He took from the box a golden ring, then turned back to her, going down on one knee and held up the ring. "Will you marry me, Regina?"
Regina put her hand to her stomach, gazing down at the engagement ring, her eyes widening in fear and surprise, her mouth dropping, millions of thoughts streaming through her head, she failed to speak. She looked up from the ring to her father, who shook his head, his eyes widened in shock. Cora looked at Regina in encouragement, then looked down at the King.
"Yes." she said for Regina.
Regina looked over at her mother in shock.
Cora took her hand. "Yes."

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Regina pushed the wooden doors of the stable open, tears streaming down her now red face, fear in her eyes. "Daniel? Daniel!" she called.
Then Daniel run quickly towards her, from the shadows. "What is it?"
Regina ran from the dark outside into the light of the stable and threw her arms around him. Daniel put his arms around her waist as she sobbed on his shoulder. Then she pulled away and gazed up at him. "Marry me." she said through her tears.
"Regina, what are you doing? What's happened? Did you tell your mother?"
"No. And now I can never tell her. She won't understand. That girl I saved......was the King's daughter. And now he's proposed to me." she cryed.
"What?"
"My mother accepted." she cryed loudly. She turned away and sobbed. Then she stopped. "The only way out is to run." she turned back to him. "For us to leave this place." she stepped closer to him again. "For us to be married. For us to never come back."
Daniel took her hands. "Regina, do you understand what that would mean? Life with a stable boy is a far cry from a life as Queen."
"Being Queen means nothing. Daniel......." she put her hands on his cheeks and gazed into his eyes. "......all I care about is you."
He held her hands on his cheeks. "Then if I am to marry you.....we must do this properly." he walked to a shelf and tore a gold, circular piece from a black saddle.
Regina gasped and Daniel stepped closer to her again, slipping, what was now an engagement ring onto her finger. She gazed down at it in owe then up into his face, tears of joy now flowing from her eyes as she beamed at him.
"Here."
She chucked and he took her face in his hands and kissed her soft lips.
Suddenly from the stable doors there was a thud.
Regina broke away and gasped.
In the doorway Snow stood staring at them in shock, the saddle she had dropped on the straw covered ground.
"Snow!" said Regina. "Dear, what are you doing?"
"You said to get back in the horse and......." she started, then stared at Daniel. "What are you doing with him?"
"Snow, I can explain."
She glared at her, then turned and ran away through the darkness, tears in her eyes.
"No, no, no. No." exclaimed Regina, turned back to Daniel, fear in her eyes. "Snow. Snow!" she called, running from the stable and after her.