A/N: I know it's been a while since I last updated! I got side-tracked working on my other Once stories. Feel free to check those out as well!

I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter. I kind of substitute Wilson for Ruby in this chapter—someone in Storybrooke needs to help House trigger that brilliant moment, right?

Enjoy!

Chapter 25

"Still here?" Ruby jerked House out of his reverie and poured him a steaming cup of coffee. He had just gotten a call from Emma-she had Gold in custody because she had assumed he was the one killing their nun-like patient. 'Wrong answer. Gold's not killing her…it's something else.'

"I could ask you the same question," House retorted, sipping his coffee. He savored the rich quality dancing on his tongue. "You are a natural," he breathed in awe, eyeing the coffee as if it were a sign from God. Ruby laughed, flipping her red-streaked hair over her shoulder.

"With the coffee or did you have a more specific activity in mind?" Ruby placed a hand on her hip, leaning over the table. House's eyes gleamed as he eyed her curvy figure.

"Why can't both be true?" The other half of his mind continued to puzzle over the case.

What the hell was wrong with the nun? If Gold was killing her-and somehow House was doubtful about that-then it would be through poison. Or something about the pawnbroker coming in contact with Mary Margaret. But House would bet all the money in his pocket that the pawnbroker didn't cross paths with the schoolteacher that much. Still…which was it?

"I can assure you that my coffee is ten times better than that disgusting stuff in the machines at the hospital. Drink enough of that stuff and it'll kill you," she teased. House started to raise the mug to his lips again and then paused, staring absently ahead of him. Something clicked. 'Drink that stuff…it'll kill you.'

'It'll kill you.'

'Why can't both be true?'

Abruptly, House set the mug on the table and got to his feet. Ruby was staring at him wide-eyed, as if he'd just gone off the deep end.

"What? What is it?" House grabbed up his cane, his mind spinning with excitement and realization. 'Maine's version of Wilson. You just happened to say the right thing.'

"Thank you," he murmured as he passed her, heading for the door. Ruby watched his retreating back with alarm.

"Wait! You never paid for the coffee!" Ruby shook the coffeepot in her hands, but House didn't slow his stride.

"I owe you," he called back over his shoulder as he ducked out of the diner and braced his leg for the most excruciating, ass-hauling walk of his life.

Tap, tap, tap…

It was a rhythmic wave that filled the uncomfortable silence as Chase repeatedly tapped his pen against the table. Emma stared at it with irritation, but could not find the words to tell him to stop. She just…endured.

Tap, tap, tap…

The four of them-excluding House-were huddled around the table, eyeing the overwhelming list of symptoms with growing despair. Their minds were cramped, their thoughts spewing out ideas they'd had countless times already. And the clock kept ticking, life kept moving on around them.

Mary Margaret was in a deep coma. Her roommate, her friend…comatose. And Gold wasn't telling her anything useful. 'That's because he's not the one killing her. You know it. You jumped to conclusions, you're wrong.'

Slowly, Emma sank her head into her hands. 'If Mary Margaret dies, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself.'

Tap, tap, tap…

"So…our Snow White has become Sleeping Beauty," Taub finally sighed, staring absently at the middle of the table. Emma lifted her head.

"I have Gold sitting in a jail cell and he's not very helpful. There are hundreds of poisons…if he is in fact poisoning her," she mused, raking her fingers through her tangled blonde hair. She hadn't gotten a decent ounce of sleep since this nightmare started. It was beginning to take a toll on her, her muscles protesting if she even inched forward in her seat.

Tap, tap, tap…

"We might as well start testing for arsenic, mercury, lead, and half a dozen other possible poisons," Thirteen anxiously added. "Will you knock it off with that pen?" Chase dropped the pen and leaned back in his chair.

"Wish House was here to do his job. Our patient's not getting any better," Chase moaned. The door of the conference room burst open and they all glanced up at the intrusion.

"Wish granted," House declared as he strode towards the list of symptoms. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up an eraser and wiped the list away.

"House, what are you doing?" Emma watched with confusion as the symptoms vanished, leaving an empty board. House suddenly turned to face her as if he just realized she was there. His blue eyes roamed over the length of her body and she knew he was imagining her as he had last night, enjoying his company.

"Oh, I just thought this would be the perfect time to play hangman," he sarcastically spouted, the marker squeaking as it slid down the board. Except he wasn't entirely kidding as he drew a noose.

"House, we don't have time for-"

"You see, here's our little nun," House cut her off while drawing a female stick figuring wearing a nun's outfit. Then he drew four horizontal lines across the bottom. "And now…any guesses for the answer?" House gazed at them expectantly.

"Uh…a?" Chase shrugged, playing along. House ran the marker over the noose, emphasizing it. He scowled at the sandy-haired doctor.

"Chase, you are hanging our patient. Any guesses from someone who isn't an Aussie?" Emma rolled her eyes-she always hated House's games. 'Well, you certainly enjoyed his games last night.'

"The answer is Gold," she stated, making House smile. He scrawled the four letters and circled the word. Chase seemed bemused by the obviousness of the answer and probably felt like an idiot that he never made the connection.

"Good. Slightly disappointed that last night's adventure isn't distracting you…but good," he replied. Everyone else's eyes snapped to Emma in surprise. They had worked for House long enough to know what he meant by 'adventure.'

"You two…slept together?" Taub questioned, motioning between the two of them. Emma blushed a steady pink, but House remained confident, wrapping his arm around Emma's waist as if they were happy newlyweds.

"Yep. Cameron here was moaning for hours afterwards. A job well done, right?" Emma shoved at House's chest and glared at him.

"House!" He ignored her.

"So, do any of you lovely ducklings know why our answer is gold?" House glanced at each one of them in turn.

"Because it happens to be the name of the person who is supposedly killing Mary Margaret," Emma pointed out sharply. House firmly slammed the marker down on the whiteboard.

"Wrong! Anyone else? Preferably with an unbiased assumption?" Taub's brow furrowed with concentration and he carefully opened his mouth to speak.

"Because…it's the word our patient said before she slipped into a coma." House shook his head instantly.

"Nope. We already know what our patient said. Why that word?" His piercing blue eyes landed on Thirteen, deliberately skipping over Chase. The blonde doctor spread his hands in a 'what-the-hell' manner.

"Hey! How do you know I don't have the right answer?" Chase stared incredulously at House.

"Because you talk funny," House retorted. Chase crossed his arms and seemingly pouted. House sighed, waving his cane in Chase's direction. "Fine! What's your answer?"

"Well, I was just going to agree with Cameron, but I was just trying to make a point-"

"Then you're wrong. Which means I was right-listening to you is a waste of time," House shot at him. Chase deflated, obviously offended by House's interception. His rudeness, however, should not have surprised him entirely.

"Your words are very hurtful sometimes," Chase remarked before lapsing into silence. Emma had to stifle a bit of a giggle at Chase's exasperated expression. Once again, House turned to Thirteen, whose jade eyes were studying the little stick figure critically.

"Lucky number Thirteen," House hinted for her to share her answer. For a long time, Thirteen was quiet as she absorbed the word 'gold' written on the board. Licking her lips, she nodded.

"You think that Mary Margaret meant something else when she said 'gold.' She wasn't talking about a person." House's head tilted to the ceiling and he closed his eyes with satisfaction.

"Ding, ding, ding! About time someone caught on. Care to continue?" Thirteen stood and approached the board, her eyes never leaving the four-letter word.

"It's just as you said. Gold is the answer. Mary Margaret…is being poisoned with gold," Thirteen put the final pieces of the puzzle together. Emma gawked at House.

"You actually think she's being poisoned with the metal gold?" House pointed accusingly at Thirteen, maintaining an innocent face.

"The bi said it, not me." Emma's mouth dropped open. Mary Margaret being poisoned with gold. The symptoms fit, including the sudden miscarriage. The gold would have harmed the fetus as well, causing irreversible damage and eventual loss. Not only was this an attempt to kill Mary Margaret, but it also cost her unborn child. It made sense. "Did she eat or drink anything the morning she fell sick?"

Emma thought back to that morning. 'Mary Margaret…carrying two bags of groceries…holding out two apples…biting one…I think it's rotten…'

"The apple," Emma whispered, stumbling upon the answer all at once. There had been something wrong with the apple. Mary Margaret had thrown it away…

"There was an apple in the trash bin at their apartment. It looked rotten, but we didn't think anything of it," Thirteen said, face contorting with thoughtfulness and strain. She cursed under her breath. "The answer was right there. If we had taken the apple, if we had tested it…."

Emma's lips pulled into a thin line. Would Mary Margaret be in such a critical condition-comatose-if they had considered the apple? 'A poisoned apple. Oh, how Henry would run with that idea. You see, Emma? She really is Snow White.'

"Enough with the what-ifs. Get the apple and we'll see if it's sprinkled with gold."

When the team returned with the rotten apple, Emma held it out in front of House. She scrunched her nose at the smell of the wasted fruit. If she peered closely, she thought she could make out an odd fleck or two that shouldn't have been there. Gold? Or is House's theory just getting to me?

"Wonderful. Now let's see if Thirteen is right. And by Thirteen, I mean me," House stated as he took out a vial of liquid. They stared at it in puzzlement.

"What is that?" Chase gestured to the vial of clear liquid as House uncapped it.

"Stannous chloride. Mixed with gold, it turns bright purple," he explained, catching Emma's eye.

A few years ago, they had a case where a woman had poisoned her husband using gold taken from arthritis pills. The same liquid had been used on her hands and her skin had become blotchy with purple spots, as though she'd been rubbing Play-Doh all over them.

Now, House ran the same liquid over his fingers. The room was quiet.

"Where did it come from?" This one came from Taub, who had his hands stuffed in his pockets. House shot him an annoyed look.

"What, is this 20 Questions? I always keep a case of useful items with me when I travel, just in case," he said, placing the remaining portion of the chloride on the table. He nodded to Emma, still holding the apple. "Run your fingers over the apple."

"And testing Mary Margaret for gold wouldn't have worked?" Despite her protests, Emma did as House instructed and rubbed her fingers over the apple, trying to pick up any last traces of gold. House shrugged.

"It would have, but this way it'll be much more dramatic. Hold out your hands." Emma set the apple on the table next to the vial and held out her hands, palms down. House gently took her hands and she could feel the chloride soaking into her skin.

"Now we wait," Chase sighed, settling into a chair. House squeezed Emma's hands.

"Aw, look at us. Holding hands. Isn't it just romantic?" Emma arched an eyebrow, giving him a warning look. Taub chuckled and pretended he meant to cough.

"What happens if you're wrong? What if Gold is actually killing her?" 'It's not that easy. He's sitting in a jail cell, with that smirk on his face while Mary Margaret is dying. Not talking…'

"If I'm wrong-unlikely-then you can keep questioning the pawnbroker and pray you'll get somewhere. If I'm right, we'll save her life and you will owe your date an apology." House peeked under his fingers at Emma's skin. Then, his face became grave. "Damn," he muttered.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Emma's stomach clenched with disappointment instead of victory. House was wrong. And time was nearly wasted.

"Damn," House whispered again, gazing hard at Emma. "Cameron, I'm sorry…but it looks like you owe someone an apology." Swiftly, House turned her hands over and unveiled them for all to see. Bright purple spots stained her fingertips. 'Gold. There's the proof.'

Taub whistled air through his lips, taken aback by the rough purple splotches. Thirteen nodded grimly and Chase almost collapsed from his chair.

"We'll flush the rest of the gold out of her system and start on medication," Thirteen stated. The three doctors filed out of the room to do their jobs.

"I told you so," House mocked her as she wiped her hands on her jeans. "Someone's probably been slipping it to her. Right under your nose. And unless Gold is poisoning her with gold-ironic-then I'd say your next stop is the station where an innocent man is sitting in a jail cell."

Emma inevitably knew House was right. There were no grounds to keep Gold imprisoned with this new, overwhelming information. Swallowing her pride, she made the walk to the station where she would have to apologize to a creepy, leering pawnbroker. 'They don't pay me enough for this.'

Well, there you have it. MM is being poisoned with gold. I was actually inspired a little by the episode "Clueless" in season 2 of House (the one also mentioned in this chapter). And the use of a poisoned apple for MM was too good to resist.

But it's not over yet. Gee, who in Storybrooke would ever attempt to poison MM?

Oh and here is a shout-out to DragonRose4: good job with the assumptions in your reviews. As the writers for OUAT once said: 'somebody's got it right.' (-;

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!