Third Person POV:
Regina was in her office, fiddling with a ring. She held it to her lips when Mr. Gold entered.
"Remembrance of things past?" Mr. Gold questioned.
"What do you want?" Regina asked.
"I need a favor."
"You need a favor from me?"
ONE WEEK AGO
"Well, as you know, there are battery charges against me... pending. I really don't relish the thought of spending any more time locked up in a cage. Now, someone with your influence can make the D.A. suddenly realize what a flimsy case they have. Isn't that right... Your Majesty?"
"What do I get out of it?"
"Help with your Mary Margaret problem. You see, I've noticed that no matter how hard you seem to try to stop them, she and her 'charming' friend just keep finding ways to be together."
"What are you suggesting?"
"If you want to inflict pain... Then you must inflict pain. If something tragic were to happen to David's wife, and if Mary Margaret should take the blame-"
"She'd be ruined."
"And you'd have your victory, at last."
"A trial could be very messy."
"A trial? Who said anything about a trial? Now, once Miss Blanchard has been incarcerated, you can plant one of your lovely skeleton keys in her cell. And, once she tries to leave Storybrooke, well... We all know what happens to people who attempt to leave town."
"Give me one good reason why I should trust you."
"Because I always honor my agreements. Do we have a deal?"
Emma left Granny's Diner when David called out to her. They talked as they walked to her car.
"Emma. Hey," David called.
"David, I don't have time," Emma said.
"No, I-I understand. It's Mary Margaret. How's she doing?"
"How do you think she's doing?"
"Well, I think the last time we spoke, she didn't quite get what I meant."
"Oh, you mean that you basically told her you thought she might be guilty?"
"Look, it's this situation. It's been confusing and horrible for everyone. But, Emma, I don't think she's guilty. I need her to know that. Can I see her?"
"She doesn't want visitors."
"You mean me. She doesn't want to see me."
"Honestly David. I'm sure your heart is in the right place, but the last thing she needs right now is words of encouragement from you."
"What does she need?"
"A miracle."
STATION
Mary Margaret was sleeping in her cell. When she woke, she saw Regina watching her.
"They say only the guilty sleep in prison," Regina said.
Mary Margaret frowned. "What are you doing here? Where's Emma?"
"She hasn't arrived yet. I just wanted to stop by to offer you a chance. A chance to spare yourself and this town the messiness of a trial. The chance to confess."
"But I didn't kill Kathryn. Why won't anyone believe me?"
"The murder weapon was found in your apartment, your fingerprint was on the box containing Kathryn's heart... Shall I go on? Why not, for once, make it easier on everyone? Because confession or not, you're leaving Storybrooke."
"And you like that. Why? Why do you take such pleasure in this? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?"
She left and soon, Emma and Mr. Gold entered, while in the midst of an argument.
"A pretrial interview with the prosecution?" Emma said. "Explain to me how that is a good idea."
"The D.A. merely wishes to ask Miss Blanchard a few questions," Mr. Gold replied.
"She's done answering questions. And why are we kissing up to the D.A.? Why aren't we going after Regina? She's the one who's setting up Mary Margaret."
"And what proof do we have of that, Sheriff? Just because you found the Mayor's skeleton key in the cell, doesn't mean we can prove she put it there."
"So, what's your plan?"
"I believe our best chance of winning this case is to employ our most valuable asset."
"What's that?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Well, that's you, dear. A sweet, kind, elementary school teacher. Doesn't exactly fit the prototype of a killer, now, does it?"
Emma narrowed her eyes. "That's how you're going to get acquitted? By using her personality?"
"Perception is everything, Miss Swan -- not just in the courtroom, but in life. As such, I'm sure you can imagine how the jury would perceive Miss Blanchard, if she agreed to cooperate with the District Attorney. These things engender trust. It shows the jury she's at least trying-"
Sidney entered with a vase of flowers and interrupted the conversation. "Emma? Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt. I just, uh, came by to drop these off. I thought they might brighten the place up." He went into Emma's office and set the vase down.
Emma joined him. "What did you find?"
"Nothing. I-I'm sorry, Emma. I tried, I really did. I looked into her phone records. I talked to the people at the Toll Bridge. But look, what can I say? Regina knows how to cover her tracks."
"What about the murder weapon? You find anything tying her to that?"
"From what I can tell, she never bought or owned a hunting knife."
"That's all you were able to uncover?"
"Don't worry -- I'm going to keep digging. And I won't stop until I do find something."
Sidney left and Emma returned to Mr. Gold and Mary Margaret.
"I'm going to do it," Mary Margaret decided. "I'm going to talk to the D.A."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked.
"Mr. Gold's right. I know I have nothing to hide, but no one else does. I need to let people see me for who I am."
The D.A. Albert Spencer and Regina entered.
"Excellent decision, Miss Blanchard," Albert said. "My name is Spencer. I'm the District Attorney. Shall we begin?"
Mary Margaret nodded. "Yeah."
Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold, and Albert were in an interrogation room. Regina and Emma watched from behind a large window and listened to the conversation through a speaker.
"After she learned about your affair, Missus Nolan, the deceased, came to your school to confront you. Is that correct?" Albert questioned.
"She was hurt, and she felt betrayed," Mary Margaret replied.
"She struck you... In the face, was it?"
"Yes, but-"
"That must've made you angry."
"You... You don't have to answer that," Mr. Gold told her.
"No, it's okay," Mary Margaret said. "I was not angry. I was sorry for all the pain I had caused her."
"Miss Blanchard, this is not a courtroom," Albert informed. "I'm not here to judge you. You can be honest with me."
"Shall we end this?" Mr. Gold questioned.
"I am being honest with you," Mary Margaret told him.
Albert frowned. "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 angry-"
"And did you ever think about acting upon that anger?"
"Of course not."
"I have a hard time believing that."
"Wh... Why?"
"Because you wanted Kathryn Nolan gone."
"I never said that."
"All right. My client is answering no more questions for the day," Mr. Gold decided.
"Your client agreed to this interview because she claimed she had nothing to hide," Albert reminded Mr. Gold.
Mary Margaret shook her head. "I don't have anything to hide."
"Then, what is your answer? You wanted Kathryn gone, didn't you?"
"No."
"Even after she tried to keep you and David part? After she slapped you a pariah in your own town?"
"Yes, of course I wanted her gone. She was the only thing keeping us apart. So, yeah, I wanted her gone. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
PIER
Emma was sitting on a bench, reading through Henry and Aubree's book.
August walked up to her. "What are you doing?"
"Grasping at straws," Emma replied.
"Still trying to find a way to prove your friend's been framed?"
"Every time I go down a path I think leads somewhere, it ends up being a dead end, it ends up being a dead end. I used to think I had these great instincts... Superpower. Ah, I don't know."
"It sounds like you got a case of writer's block. Only without the writing part."
"Maybe."
"You know, when I get struck by a block, I usually rerea what I've done, rather than plow ahead blindly. Sometimes, I find there'll be a little nugget of inspiration left behind."
"You mean start over?"
"I mean, when I start writing, I usually have one idea. And then, in the middle, I may get another idea, and things are different."
"So, your perspective changes."
"Exactly. When you started this investigation, what was it about?"
"A missing person. Then, it became a murder, and then a cover-up."
"If you knew that then, maybe you would have approached things differently."
Emma got up and August asked, "Where are you going?"
"Scene of the crime," Emma replied.
"I'll drive." He followed her.
"No, I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You haven't slept in days. And, let's be honest -- it was my idea."
August and Emma drove on his motorcycle to the Toll Bridge. They walked down an incline to the spot under the bridge where the heart was found.
"Ruby found the box with the heart right over there, just by the shore," Emma said as August grimaced in pain. "What's wrong?"
August shook his head. "Nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing. Here, let me look." She made a move to check on him.
"No, it's okay. It's just a shin splint. Just... let me walk it off. Sorry. I know this must be hard on you."
"Yeah, that's an understatement." She began clearing rocks away from the heart site.
"I don't know you that well, but, it seems to me, that aside from Henry and Aubree, Mary Margaret's the closest thing to family you've got. It's okay to admit it."
"August, look." She pulled a piece of metal from the sand where the heart was buried.
"What is it?"
"It's a shard. From a shovel. Must've broken off when it hit a rock. If we can find the shovel that it broke off of, we can prove that Mary Margaret didn't bury the heart. We can prove that she's innocent."
"And I'm going to guess you know exactly whose shovel it is."
Aubree's POV:
I faced my window and pretended to sleep. My door opened and closed moments later. Soon, I heard the shower start.
Henry's voice came through my walkie talkie. "The eagle is in the nest, and the package is secure."
"Henry. I left the code book at home," Emma told him.
I spoke into my walkie talkie. "She's getting in the shower and the keys are under the mat."
Third Person POV:
Emma took the key from under the mat and she and August entered the garage.
"Don't touch a thing," Emma warned.
Emma and August searched Regina's garage with flashlights. Emma walked up to several shelters, finding one that was missing a piece in the corner.
She called August over. "Hey."
August joined her and Emma tested the shard they'd found. It was a perfect fit.
"We got her," Emma said.
Emma knocked on Regina's door the next morning.
Regina answered. "Can I help you, Sheriff Swan?"
"Yes," Emma replied. "I need you to unlock the garage for me."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I have a search warrant that says you have to." She handed Regina a piece of paper.
"On what grounds?"
Emma held up a bag containing the metal shard. "I found this near where the heart was buried. Figured whoever buried it might have left something behind. Then, I got an anonymous call from someone who said they saw you digging near the Toll Bridge the day the heart was found."
"An anonymous call?"
"Yeah. Well, I can't control the fact they didn't leave a name. I suppose they didn't want to risk pissing you off."
"Hm."
"No, open the garage, or I'll find a way to do it myself."
Regina led Emma to the garage. Emma went over to where she'd found the broken shovel, but found a shovel completely intact.
"Where is it?" Emma demanded.
"Where is what, Sheriff?" Regina asked.
"You knew I was coming."
"How on earth would I know that?"
"Mary Margaret is a good person. She doesn't deserve this."
"Miss Blanchard is a liar and a murderer. No matter what accusations you throw my way, that won't change. She's going to pay for what she's done That woman has destroyed the last life she is ever going to destroy."
Emma made her way to the inn and knocked on the door to August's room.
August answered. "Hey."
"How could you do this?" Emma asked. "How could you do this to me? To Mary Margaret?"
"Whoa. Slow down. Do what?"
"The shovel was gone when I got there. Regina knew I was coming for it."
"You... You think that I told her?"
"You were the only other person who knew about it."
"I would hope that you would have enough faith to know that I would never betray you."
"Why should I? How do I know you're not lying about this? About everything?"
"I'm not a liar."
Emma pursed her lips. "That is exactly what a liar would say."
STATION
Mary Margaret was sitting in her cell with her head in her hands.
Regina entered. "Having a bad day?"
"What are you doing here?" Mary Margaret asked.
"I wanted to see you while I can."
"What does that mean?"
"Simply, that the trial starts tomorrow, and it won't be a long one. And, you'll be sent out of Storybrooke for good, and I will never have to see you again. Oh, I want to enjoy this while I still can."
"Enjoy what?"
"Justice."
"Justice? Watching an innocent suffer?"
"You've always seen yourself that way, haven't you? Innocent."
"I am innocent! I don't know what this is about! I on't know what I ever did to you, but whatever it was, Regina... I'm sorry. I certainly am."
"Apology not accepted."
"Please. Don't do this to me. I don't deserve this. I did not kill Kathryn."
"Oh, I know."
Regina reached through the bars to stroke the side of Mary Margaret's face, then grabbed her chin. "But you do deserve this."
Regina left the station and fiddled with the ring Daniel gave her. She held it to her lips and whispered, "We got her, Daniel. We got her."
STATION
Mary Margaret was being handcuffed by the police. Emma and Mr. Gold watched.
"Mary Margaret..." Emma began as Mary Margaret was led out from the room.
Emma turned to Mr. Gold. "You told me you could fix this, that's why I came to you. So that you could make sure Regina didn't win."
"She hasn't, yet," Mr. Gold said.
"Well, she's going to. And now, my friend is going to pay for me trusting you."
"Look, Sheriff. I know this is emotional, but it's also not over. You must have faith. There's still time."
"Time for what?"
"For me to work a little magic."
Mr. Gold left and Emma went into her office. She leaned against her desk, then picked out the vase of flowers Sidney had brought. She smashed it against the wall and noticed a wire tap among the debris.
Emma made her way to Granny's Diner to wait for August.
As soon as August exited the diner, she said, "Hey. I'm sorry."
"For what?" August wondered.
"For doubting you. I made a mistake." She handed him a bag with the bug from the vase.
"What's that?"
"Evidence. Evidence that proves that I've been trusting all the wrong people. I should have listened to you. This bug was from Sidney."
"The newspaper guy?"
Emma nodded. "I should've seen it?"
"Well, don't beat yourself up about it, Emma. Sometimes, it's hard to see what's right in front of us, but I knew you would."
"I'm trying."
They heard a loud scream from behind the diner and ran to investigate. Ruby was walking in the opposite direction.
"Ruby!" Emma called. "What's going on?"
"She... She... She's in the alley," Ruby said.
"Who, Ruby? What happened?"
"Hey, you all right?" August asked gently.
Emma went around to the parking lot in the back of the diner. There way a body lying face down on the ground. Emma leaned down to turn the body over, seeing a conscious and very much alive Kathryn.