Disclaimer: right to ABC and Odette Beane.
Outside, Mary Margaret, Emma, and I looked for any signs of the mystery guy, who I learned was named Jefferson. It was morning now, and the sun was crawling over Storybrooke. I was exhausted.
"Who was he?" Mary Margaret said quietly, hugging herself, looking out at Storybrooke.
"A lonely man," I replied.
Mary Margaret looked up at Emma. "So, sheriff. I guess you'll be taking me back now?"
Emma sighed. "Run," she said.
"What?"
"I won't stop you."
"That's not going to help anything," Mary Margaret said.
"I'm not so sure your arraignment will help anything," Emma said. "What's important is that you choose. You get to choose, not them. You're our friend, and in my life, friends have been my family." Emma put her hand on Mary Margaret's shoulder. "I mean that. I'm not going to abandon you."
Mary Margaret smiled. We walked up to Emma's car and pulled off a tarp that Jefferson had hidden it under.
"Everyone thinks I killed Kathryn," Mary Margaret said. "But I didn't. Still, I think we can beat this. I don't want to run."
Emma nodded. "Good choice."
Mary Margaret wasn't out of the woods, not by a long shot, but she had made her choice. And it was better this way. Face whatever came, but face it head forward, knowing you are right.
We got Mary Margaret to the courthouse in time, and not long after that, Emma was locking Mary Margaret back into her cell. Things were not going well--the judge had determined there was enough evidence to proceed with the murder trial. Mary Margaret was not saying anything. As of now, she was still on the hook for Kathryn's murder.
"We're all exhausted," Emma said, turning to look at me. "Let's all just get some sleep and we will figure all this out when we can actually think."
I nodded, so did Mary Margaret. As Emma and I were leaving the building, Mary Margaret spoke up.
"Emma?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," she said, smiling.
Emma returned the smile. "Anytime."
As Emma and I were walking down Main Street, I say Henry sitting in Granny's diner, apparently getting a cup of hot chocolate before heading off to school...or ditching school...one of the two.
"Hey, Henry," I said, walking in.
"Ashton!"
"Hey, kid. You're a sight for sore eyes," Emma said.
"I know what you're doing here," Henry said to Emma. "You came for story time."
"Maybe so," Emma said while I ordered us two cups of coffee. Henry dug around in his backpack before pulling out his storybook.
"Have you ever wondered why Regina hates Snow White so much?" Henry asked, flipping to a page in his book.
"Yeah." Emma replied politely.
"It goes back a really long way," Henry said, pointing to an illustration in the book. "It goes back to when Regina was a girl, and she was in love with a stable boy."
I sat down next to Henry, sliding Emma her coffee.
"Regina know how to love?" I asked.
"So what happened after the stable boy?" Emma asked. "And what does it have to do with Snow White?"
"Regina's mom was really, really mean," Henry said. "And she had magic. She started out as a peasant and married this rich lord guy, and she was determined for her daughter to be a queen one day. To have the ultimate power. And than one day, Regina was out riding and little girl shot past on a horse, totally out of control. Guess who it was?"
"Hmmm," Emma said. "Snow White?"
"Yes!" Henry exclaimed. "And Regina saved her, and Snow White's father, the king, was so happy that he proposed to Regina."
"Uh-oh," I said. "Which meant the stable boy was screwed?"
"Kind of," said Henry, showing us a new picture. This one showed a young couple in a stable, both of them terrified, staring at an evil-looking woman. "Except Regina tried to say no and stay with the stable boy, and her mom killed him right in front of her."
Emma frowned. "God, that's awful. This book is really for kids?"
"It's for whomever."
"I don't get why Regina would hate Snow White, though," Emma said. "What's the connection."
"Snow White accidentally told Regina's mom about the stable boy," Henry said gravely. "That's how the mom found them up there. So Regina always thought her one true love ended up dead because of Snow White."
"That's...incredible sad," I said.
"I know, and do you know what makes it even worse?"
"What?"
"Regina didn't tell Snow White that Daniel ended up dead. Snow White never even knew how bad it was."
I had more questions--whatever became of Regina, then? What happened next?--but I was distracted by a commotion outside of the diner. A few people were running down the sidewalk. and a crowd seemed to be gathering across the street. Emma squinted and stood.
"Hold on, Henry," she said. And we walked out the door and across the street. There were about twenty people gathered around something, but I couldn't see what.
"What's happening?" I asked, coming up to the crowd. "What-"
Emma and I both stopped short and stared, amazed by what we saw.
It was completely impossible.
But somehow, it was happening.
Kathryn, ragged and skinny and staring up at all of us, her face and clothes covered in dirt, was sitting in the middle of the alley.
Alive.
Yay, update! I got two people saying they would rather have long, detailed chapters, and one saying they want to see Hook soon, so I'm going to compromise, yeah?
I'll give you long chapters, but I'm also going to cut out the non-relevant parts. It's a lot of work, watching episodes and typing everything they say, so please don't get mad with me since I take a week to update. Since this is shorter than I usually do, I'm going to write another one either today or tomorrow. Thanks babes!
Liz xx