Chapter 11: Witness

April 30th 2013

David looked at his daughter. "She needs to lay down. Please."

Emma looked in-between her father and the door leading to the injured woman. "As soon as she is processed."

David closed his eyes and sighed. The process would take another hour, if not more considering Regina's weakened state. "At least let me help you get Regina processed. It'll go faster."

Emma hesitated. She didn't want to give George any reasons to doubt her. At the same time, David had a point. With his help, they would be able to process her faster and she could begin the real investigation, the one that would prove Regina's innocence in all of this. "Alright. But once we're done, she needs to stay in her cell."

David nodded at his daughter. "Thank you." He placed a hand on her arm. He could tell she was as troubled by all this as he was. "It's not your fault."

"I know. I had no choice…" Emma took a deep breath. "I just wish I had taken Henry to school this morning."

"Emma, stop. You couldn't have known. I could have woken Regina up and taken her with me or I could have asked Henry to take the bus. But I left her at home because at the time, it seemed like the best idea."

The sheriff gave her father a small smile. "She'll be free in no time."

David tried to return his daughter's smile but he wasn't as confident in her statement as she was. Destiny seemed to always have a way to destroy Regina's happiness. He entered the interrogation room and kneeled besides Regina. "Just a little bit longer and you can lay down. I'll be with you."

Regina tried to smile at David but she was in so much pain already that she didn't want to wait a little bit longer. David sensed her discomfort and gently lifted her in his arms. Regina groaned slightly in pain but relaxed in David's embrace. It was definitely more comfortable than the sitting position she had been forced in for the past hour. She buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away. David carefully carried her to the main room so Emma could lift her prints and take a mugshot. Getting Regina to stand against the wall long enough to do so proved to be a challenge but with David's help they managed to get the injured woman processed in under thirty minutes.

As soon as Emma finished with the last mugshot, Regina all but collapsed in David's arms. He gently carried her to a cell and helped her lay down as comfortably as he could manage. She was on her right side, propped against several blankets and his jacket. "Better?"

Regina was breathing heavily. "It hurts."

David looked up toward his daughter. "I left the pain medication in the truck. She needs it."

Emma nodded. "I'll be right back."

However, before she could turn around and leave, one of the deputies - she thought his name was Frank but she hadn't been paying attention at the time - stopped her. "All medication must be approved by the judge upon arrest." Emma just ignored the man's comments and walked around him toward the exit.

David rubbed Regina's lower back. "I'm sorry. Won't be long."

Regina was holding his free hand. "I didn't kill her."

"I know you didn't. As I said to you before, I don't think you'd kill her now. Not after everything you've done to redeem yourself."

She gave him a weak smile. "You… you really believe me?"

David leaned down and kissed her softly. He murmured against her lips. "Yes."

Emma returned a few minutes later with the pain killers and a glass of water. David helped Regina with the medication and soon she relaxed on the cell's bunk and closed her eyes, exhausted by the day's events.

George approached the two deputies. "Keep me updated." The two nodded and watched their boss leave the station. They had been given their orders: under no circumstances would the Queen walk from the station alive and free. And they intended to carry their order with due diligence.

After assuring himself that Regina was finally asleep, David turned to his daughter. "I don't know who Ruby saw but it wasn't Regina."

Emma nodded. "I know David. When I was in the Enchanted Forest with Mary Margaret, Cora disguised herself as a friend. Lancelot."

David's expression changed from one of concern to sadness. "He officiated our wedding."

Emma knew her father would need time to grieve. They both did. She had just found her parents and her mother had been killed before she had the chance to really know her. She had known Mary Margaret Blanchard as a friend and a roommate. But she had spent so little time with Snow White and she had spent so much of that precious time fighting the concept of her friend turned mother. Tears welled up in her throat. She swallowed hard. Now was not the time to break down. They needed to help Regina. She felt David's hand rub her upper arm in comfort and she leaned into the touch. She would take the chance to get to know her father. She made the promise to the orphaned girl still inside her. She took a deep breath before continuing. "But I don't see how this information helps Regina."

David sighed. "I think it's time we pay a visit to Rumplestiltskin…. Gold."

Emma placed her hand on David's chest to keep him from moving. "You need to stay here…" She turned toward the two deputies watching them like hawks. "...unless you want to leave Regina with them."

Shivers ran throughout his body at the thought of what they could do to her. "I'll… I'll stay here."

"I'll take the blonde one….I can't remember his name."

David tried to suppress a chuckle. "Joe."

"Frank and Joe, really?"

"You can ask Regina about that when she wakes up."

Emma smiled. "Hopefully she can get some rest here."

David nodded. "Keep me updated."

EC

Emma was grinding her teeth as she was driving toward Mr. Gold's shop. The man next to her made her uncomfortable. Her magic power was always tingling when she was around him but the sensation had increased since they had arrested Regina for murder. Emma was relieved when she finally stepped out of the car and into the shop.

The shop owner was standing behind the counter, a smug smile on his face. "And what can I do for you today, Miss Swan?"

"I need information."

"Even information comes with a price." He raised his right index finger before walking around the counter and stepping into the main area of the shop.

"And what will it be, Gold?"

"That would depend on the information, doesn't it dearie?"

Emma sighed. She knew the man liked to play games and she had no time to waste. "Fine. I want to know who in this town would be capable of magically pass themselves for someone else."

Gold smiled. "This is a very hard spell to perform. Only the most advanced magic practitioners can perform it."

Emma shook her head. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. "Cora used it to impersonate someone Mary Margaret used to know." Her voice caught slightly when she pronounced her mother's name; a slip that hadn't been lost of the man in front of her.

"Considering Cora is still in the Enchanted Forest, then only two people in this town. Regina and myself."

Emma felt her stomach sink to the floor. "Where were you this morning around 8am?"

Gold smiled. "With Belle."

Emma didn't want to know the details. "And I am sure she would be willing to testify to that effect?"

Gold chuckled. "Why wouldn't she?"

Emma sighed; it didn't look good for Regina. "Thanks, Gold."

"How about our deal?"

Emma snapped at him; the man really only cared about himself. "How about you tell me something useful?"

Gold tsked her. "A deal is a deal, dearie."

Emma moved toward him. "Right now, I DON'T CARE."

Gold's eyes narrowed. "Sheriff Swan, what is this about exactly? You want my help but I can't help you unless you tell me why you need to know who can perform a glamour spell in this town."

Joe intervened. "We arrested Regina Mills for the murder of Mary Margaret Blanchard this morning. We have all the proof we need but the sheriff insisted on talking to you as well."

Gold took a sharp breath. So Regina finally got her revenge. He didn't think she had it in her anymore. He had created the Evil Queen for his own purpose but he was the first one to admit that she had been far too dangerous. This mellowed version was a lot easier to handle. "And you have an eyewitness placing Regina at the crime scene." That explained the question about the glamour spell.

Emma nodded once. "Yes. We have a witness placing Regina near Archie's office." She saw Joe flinch in the corner of her eyes. She had let the information slip on purpose. Gold could help them but he needed enough details to piece the information correctly. And unfortunately, the law prevented her from revealing too much. But who would blame the daughter who just lost her mother for some slips?

Gold nodded. He understood Emma's difficult position and he enjoyed the game. He liked a good puzzle and the sheriff was providing him with a very interesting one. "But you don't think she could have done it so you're looking for someone else to blame. And naturally, you came to me." Emma nodded once more. "I have no reasons to kill Snow White, unlike our dear Regina. But I'll play along on one condition."

Emma's eyes narrowed. She remembered the tales about Rumpelstiltskin in this world and she wasn't about to sacrifice her first born child. "Which is?"

"I need help locating someone."

Emma was astounded. "Can't you use magic or something?" She was waving her arms around the shop.

"In the confine of town, yes. But I'm looking for someone who is outside of it."

Emma thought about the offer for a minute. She didn't see the harm in helping Gold locate someone. From what she understood, no one could leave town without losing their memories except Henry, Regina, and herself. "Alright. I'll help you. Now what did I just pay for?"

"You said she was killed near Archie's office?"

Emma frowned. "Yes… but we don't have a witness in the office."

Gold smirked. "Are you sure?"

Emma sighed heavily. She was tired of playing games with the man. "Archie went out to get a cup of tea. The only witness is a 60-lb black and white terror!"

Gold smiled. "Then you have the witness you need."

Emma gasped. "You can't be serious."

Gold moved toward the back of his shop. "Oh, I never joke about a deal." He seemed to ponder his statement. "Most of the time." He shuffled through the piles of objects in search for the one he was looking for. "Anyway, we can ask Pongo what he saw."

Emma was losing patience rapidly. "I don't speak dog, Gold." Gold produced the object he had been searching for and dangled it in front of him for the idiots at the Sheriff's office to see. Emma shook her head. "A dreamcatcher."

"Oh dearie, it's a lot more than that."

EC

As soon as his daughter left with Joe, David sat down near Regina in her cell. She was finally getting the rest she needed and he hoped she would stay asleep until Emma could find the proof they needed to prove her innocence.

"Are you planning to stay in her cell until her execution?"

David's head snapped toward the man standing at the cell's entrance. "Until she is freed."

The man chuckled. "King George brought back the old laws. Tomorrow she'll be marched at the center of town and burned alive."

The wide smile spreading across the man's face gave David chills. "You mean Mayor, don't you? And that proposal hasn't been approved by the council yet." And considering who the members were, it would never be.

"The council doesn't matter."

The man had just confirmed David's fear. Even though he had been elected and had sworn to abide by the laws of this world, George had no intentions to do so. David needed information and the man in front of him may be stupid enough to provide the answers. It was just a question to stroke his ego. "And he placed his most trusted men in the only office that could offer some resistance. George must trust you."

The man smiled, taking the bait. "King George knows how to reward loyalty."

David continued. "And now he is getting rid of his competition."

Frank smiled. "King George knows how to seize an opportunity when it presents itself."

David tried to hide his surprise. He had thought that George himself had framed Regina for murder. However, judging from the deputy's reaction, either George had not informed him of his plans or George wasn't responsible for framing Regina. The second possibility frightened David. After the curse broke, the entire town had wanted her dead. He had stopped a few incidents himself and he suspected there were others he didn't know about. But over the past month, the town had seemed to settle into a 'live and let live' attitude. Only a few people were still holding a grudge against her. And George was at the top of that list. Regina's whimper pulled David out of his thoughts. Joe chuckled. "I think the town would love to see the mighty Evil Queen whimpering in her sleep. Maybe we should provide entry tickets to the show. It could fund the Sheriff's office."

David clenched and unclenched his fists several times, trying to breathe evenly. He wanted to knock some sense into the deputy but he knew that attitude wouldn't help Regina. Instead, he readjusted the blanket around her and gently stroke her hair. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and whispered in her ear. "You're going to be ok. Just get some rest." Regina settled one more time on the uncomfortable bunk.

ECECEC

March 8th 2013

David watched Regina sleep peacefully. He was still holding her heart and gently stroking the red spot at the center. He hadn't been able to get any sleep, afraid she would try to crush her heart if she woke. David's heart ached at the thought of what she had almost done. She needed help; regardless of their past, he couldn't let her kill herself. Henry was just starting to talk about Regina as his mother again. David knew it would take time to heal their relationship but he would make sure they both got the chance to do so.

David tensed when Regina began to stir. She had been able to sleep for only a few hours and he had hoped she would have been able to get more rest. He moved the hand holding her heart to his side: she would be able to see it but he would have enough time to protect it if she tried anything. Well, anything that wouldn't involve magic. If Regina had truly wanted to crush her heart last night, there was nothing he could have done.

Regina opened her eyes and stared directly at the Prince. She didn't utter a single word nor did she try to move. David watched her carefully for a few minutes, making sure she wouldn't attempt anything. "Morning."

"Morning." Her voice was strained. She watched as the Prince was trying to protect her heart from her. The endeavor was futile, yet she couldn't help but be moved by the care he was showing her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Does it matter?"

David sighed. "Yes. It does."

"Why?" She sounded genuinely surprised that someone would actually care for her.

David closed his eyes; what had happened to her that she would think she wouldn't matter to anyone? "I don't want you dead."

Regina looked for the deception in his eyes. But his deep blue eyes only returned concern. The same care and concern Daniel had shown her. She tried to hold back the tears but to no avail. "Why?"

David shook his head. "I… I don't know. But I don't want you to die." He was telling her the truth. He had no idea why he wanted her to live but deep down he knew she had to. He gently rubbed her heart again.

Regina gasped. Nobody had treated her heart with such care since Daniel and although she hated herself for it, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment. David continued his soft caresses on her heart. He knew he would have to surrender it sooner or later but he wanted to impart as much comfort as he could before she had to deal with the reality the morning brought. They would have to bury Daniel… again. David scooted toward Regina on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest. "I don't want you to die. You're family, Regina."

Regina looked at him questioningly. She had never thought she would be happy to be part of this family but she couldn't deny she had craved the warmth and tender care that came along with having one. "Not having my heart. It's helping. I don't feel…. as much."

David kissed her forehead and was genuinely surprised when she leaned into it. "It may prevent you from feeling the pain but it will also prevent you from feeling happiness."

Regina snorted. "What happiness?"

David placed her heart over her chest. "The one you feel every time you talk to Henry."

Regina let out a choked sob. "He doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

"That's not what he told me after we had lunch together this week. He wants to do it again." David silently admonished himself. Henry had asked if he could have dinner with him and his mom again and although David had agreed to it, he hadn't arranged it; not because he didn't want Regina to see Henry but because he had been too preoccupied to get his family back. Except Regina was also his family.

Regina slowly placed her hand above his and pushed her heart back inside her chest. David gasped at the sensation of his hand being engulfed within her body. "You can let go now David." He gently released his grip on her heart, stroking it one last time before Regina took both their hands out of her chest. She took a steadying breath, grief invading every fiber of her being once more. David buried her head against his shoulder and let her sob.

He didn't know how long Regina had cried. Once he started rocking them on the bed, she had quieted. He could feel her hot breath against his neck and its rhythm told him she was still awake. "Do you want to get some sleep?" Regina shook her head. "How about breakfast?" A wave of nausea spread over her and she shook her head. David sighed. "How about a hot shower and at least some coffee?"

Regina was about to shake her head again but thought better of it. "Tea for me."

David rubbed her back and shoulders gently. "I'll get you some tea." He parted from her reluctantly and the feeling surprised him.

EC

Regina met David in the kitchen an hour later. The shower had helped with the aches and pains that came with sleeping curled up at the foot of the bed. She felt guilty at the sight of the disheveled man standing in her kitchen. He probably needed a shower too; he hadn't slept all night, making sure she wouldn't crush her own heart. "Thank you…" Her voice was weak. She wasn't used to thanking people.

He gave her a small smile. He knew that it was difficult for her to admit her gratitude. "You may change your mind once you've had a sip." He looked at her carefully. She was wearing one of her usual pantsuits and had applied her makeup carefully to erase any traces of grief. Anyone meeting her today on the street would not be able to tell that she was going through so much loss. But he could see behind the mask. Her pants were loose from the weight loss and her concealer failed to completely hide the dark circles under her eyes. He gently rubbed her arm and took her hand in his.

Regina tried to return his smile. When she realized she couldn't, she moved her hand away from his and changed the subject. "Do you need to shower? I … I have some toiletries for men in the bathroom downstairs…."

He placed the cup of tea in front of her. "Thank you, Regina. I could use a shower." She took the mug gratefully and showed him to the bathroom Graham had used when Henry wasn't home. She sighed at the thought of Graham. Another soul she had killed in her revenge.

Regina returned to the kitchen and emptied her mug into the sink. She was starting to feel sick again but she didn't know whether it was because of her pregnancy or the loss of Daniel. Daniel… she had to lose him again, and this time by her own hand. He hadn't deserved to die and he hadn't deserved to be turned into Frankenstein's monster. But she deserved the pain and sorrow. She was the monster and in that instant, she wished David hadn't stopped her last night. She shook her head to clear these thoughts. She had no right to take her own life and that of her unborn child. She sucked in a deep breath and carefully made her way upstairs toward her bedroom.

Regina surveyed the room until she found the item she was looking for. The tupperware containing Daniel's remains sat on her bedside table, where David had moved it last night. She delicately traced her fingertips over it, sitting heavily on the bed. She brought it to her chest and curled with her fiance on the bed, her back to the door. She didn't think she had any tears left to shed as she started crying once more. She cradled the plastic container and let it rest over her abdomen. Daniel had often talked about starting a family; he had wanted at least seven children, three boys and four girls. She had teased him that their girls may be as strong headed as she was and he would need to prepare for the worst. They had spent entire afternoons laughing about their future life together. But she would have been unable to give him the family he wanted. No matter how many nights Leopold had forced her to lay in his bed, she had remained childless. Maybe it would have been different with Daniel. Regina sobbed at the thought of her lost innocence that came within a month of losing the only man she had ever loved.

'Love Again.' Daniel's last words were playing in her head. She wasn't sure she was capable of love anymore. She had thought that Henry would fill the void in her heart. And he had; for a short time she had learned to love and revel in the feeling of being loved again. But that love had been wrenched away from her as Daniel had been. She wasn't sure she could love again; her heart was broken in a million of tiny pieces and she wasn't sure she wanted to spend the time and effort to piece it back together. And she was sure no one would be able to love her shattered, battered, black heart. Her thoughts drifted toward David. He had held her heart and protected it. Maybe it was possible for them to have a future together, with their baby. But, no she could not go there. David was happily married to Snow and entertaining these thoughts would only result in further heartbreak.

David found her in the same position when he came looking for her half an hour later. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear him kneel besides her on the floor. She jumped slightly when his hand made contact on her upper arm. "Shh… it's just me. I was starting to worry." When Regina didn't reply, he continued. "I'm sorry I couldn't find something more appropriate…" He placed his hand on the tupperware. "I..I…" What was he going to say? I put your fiance into the most convenient receptacle before he was blown away by the wind?

"Thank you…" Regina turned around to face David. Her makeup was smeared all over her face but David couldn't help but think how beautiful Regina truly was. "Thank you for bringing him back with us."

David rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand. She leaned into the touch letting the warmth of his hand soothe some of her pain. She needed to get away from him; she couldn't let him in as he would leave her eventually. They all did. But for now, she would allow herself the comfort his touch provided. He placed his other hand on top of the container. "We should find him a more appropriate resting place."

Regina let the tears fall at the thought of saying goodbye for the last time. "I'm… I'm not ready."

David repositioned himself so he could wrap one arm around Regina and rub her back softly. "He would want you to."

Regina didn't answer David. Daniel had told her to love again. She may be unable to do so but she needed to live again for her unborn child. "David… I….I…." She wanted to tell him. He had the right to know he was about to become a father again. But she just couldn't. If she told him the truth, he would leave her and she was not ready to lose the only person who still spoke to her in this town.

David watched Regina's internal struggle. He rubbed her lower back soothingly. "It's ok. You don't have to tell me."

EC

David followed Regina down the stairs leading to the deeper recess of her vault. She led them to an empty glass coffin in the middle of a semi-circular room. Probably where she had kept Daniel's body all these years.

Regina marched toward the coffin and ceremoniously traced her gloved fingertips over the glass. Tears were flowing down her face as she remembered the first time she had placed Daniel's lifeless body in the coffin. She had performed a preservation spell, one that had required all the magic she possessed to cast and sustain. She felt David's hand on her shoulder and she sucked in a deep breath. She was grateful for his presence.

Regina removed her gloves and waved her hand over the coffin. A purple cloud engulfed it. When the cloud dissipated, the coffin had been reshaped into a magnificent glass urn, with gold handles and a golden plate. Regina kneeled by the urn and waved her hand over the plate. The inscription 'Daniel, There is a link death cannot sever, Love and remembrance last forever' appeared. She opened the tupperware and let out a hard sob. David kneeled by her side, and carefully moved Daniel's remains to the urn. Regina was grateful for his help; her hands would not have been steady enough for this task. Once David was finished, she sat on the floor and sobbed once more.

David sat besides her and pulled Regina into his embrace. He knew how difficult saying goodbye to Daniel one more time was for her and he wanted to make sure she was not alone. After a few moments, Regina quieted and waved her hand over the top to seal the urn. She placed it against her chest and motioned to stand.

David helped Regina to her feet. The brunette surveyed the room before waving her hand. A glass pedestal appeared out of thin air. She placed the urn on top of it and stepped back, paying her last respects to the man she still loved with all her heart. "I love him."

David jumped at the sound of her voice. He hadn't expected her to say anything, especially to him. "He loved you too, Regina."

She shook her head. "He loved the foolish girl in love… the one who saved a stranger, a child from a runaway horse… he …. he would have hated the woman she's become."

"You're not the Evil Queen anymore." His affirmation surprised him. What was he doing?

Regina turned around and she chuckled slightly at the look on David's face. The statement had escaped him and she took comfort in the knowledge that it had come from the bottom of his heart, a true statement untainted by the mind. "You and I both know that what I've done is…. unforgivable."

David nodded. "You're right… I cannot forgive the Evil Queen…" Regina frowned. "But you're just Regina. And I don't know you… I can't...can't judge you."

She smirked. "Just Regina?"

David waved his arms around. "You know what I mean… you're Henry's mother…"

"Very eloquent, Shepherd!"

David didn't let her jab stop him. "You're the woman who is fighting everyday against the darkness. You're the woman who wants to redeem herself… to be the girl she once was."

"You know as well as I do that's impossible."

David shook his head. "She just wants a chance to come out of the darkness."

"And how would she do that?"

"By finishing what she'd started. Help me save Snow. Help me bring my wife and daughter back."

Regina looked away from him. "I didn't lie to you, David. I don't know if that's possible."

"I'm not asking you for answers. I'm asking for your help in seeking them."

Regina weighed her options. She couldn't care less if that pest and her daughter ever came back to Storybrooke. But the one person she loved the most did. And the man standing in front of her, the man who stood by her and prevented her from sinking back into the darkness, did. She slowly nodded. "I'll help you."