Baker's Apprentice Who Lives In A Shoe

Heart of Darkness

I wake up to an alarm, which I remembered to set yesterday. I shut it off quickly. Rumple does not need to wake up right now. He stirs a bit, but I stroke his hair and kiss him on the forehead until he is at rest again. I get ready, and leave within an hour. I run out of the house, and to my bakery, as I put my hair up in a high ponytail. As I pass by the diner I see Ruby walk in. She must have decided to go back to work with Granny. That did not last long.

I get to the bakery and unlock the door. I rush in and turn on the ovens right away. It takes a few minutes to get my coat off, my apron on, and started on the doughs and batters. After the order for Granny's is finished, I box it all up and bring it to the diner.

"Well, look at you." Granny says as I set the boxes on the counter. I look at her around the boxes and smile at her. "Back on your usual schedule, I see." I watch as she counts out the cash to pay me.

"Yeah, it took me a bit, but I am back in the swing of things." She hands me the payment for the order and I see Ruby walk out in her waitress uniform. I smile and wave to both of them as I leave. "Have a great day you two." I go back to the bakery to get baking. About an hour later I get a call from Mary Margaret. I answer quickly. "Hey, M&M what is up?"

"Hey, Ava, um, I don't really know how to say this, but here goes." This cannot be good. "I'm being arrested."

"What?! Why?!" I turn my ovens off and throw my apron on the counter.

"They found a box in the woods that had my fingerprints on it." She says. She sounds like she is going to cry, but I am very confused.

"So what? It is just a box." I say as I put my coat on.

"You don't understand, Ava, there was something inside the box." She sounds like she is breaking down over the phone.

"Okay, I am heading over to the Sherriff's station now. You and Emma can explain it to me better when I get there." I hang up the phone and lock up before running to the station. As I turn a corner I see Rumple's car park in front of the Pawn Shop. I am going to get a phone call from him soon, I know it, but I cannot focus on that right now. I take out my phone and send him a quick telling him where I am going and that I will talk to him about it later. I arrive at the station as Emma is taking Mary Margaret's mug shot.

"Please turn to the right." Emma says from behind the camera. Mary Margaret follows orders as she tries to defend herself.

"Emma, this is a mistake. I didn't kill Katherine."

"What?!" I say from the door. They both look at me.

"We found a box with a human heart inside, and Mary Margaret's fingerprints are all over it." Emma says, catching me up.

"There is no way she did that." I say.

"Of course she didn't." Emma says, taking the pictures out of the old camera. "But, while I am her friend, I am also the sheriff. I have to go where the evidence leads."

"Which points to me?" M&M says walking over to Emma. My head is spinning with this information, so I sit down and try to think of some way to help Mary Margaret. "Emma, yesterday it was David. There's something not right here."

"I know." Emma says as she places the pictures in a folder for book keeping. "But, your fingerprints are on that box, and his are not. So, now we have to deal with," she holds up her mug shots. "this."