Hey guys! Wow, get me, another chapter within two weeks of the last update? Who is this person?! I couldn't wait to write this chapter, it's been so fun, I can't wait for you all to read it. Seriously, this chapter has taken it out of me. There's so much drama and excitement in this, I could combust just thinking about it! I would just like to put something out there for this chapter though; I clearly have no idea about the law, or court cases, or getting custody or whatever, but for the sake of my story, let's just pretend that I do. Also, just a quick mention because I meant to do this on the last chapter but I forgot so I'll do it on this one. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend who is my inspiration behind Jynx. It was her birthday a couple weeks ago so this one is for her! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!~WG

Chapter 24: Truth Will Out

Emma and Mary Margaret were standing on two step ladders on opposite sides of the room as they began to tie their 'welcome home' banner for Henry to the beam that ran across the dining area. The smell of freshly made tacos was wafting through the air as they worked. If everything went according to plan Henry would be there within the next ten minutes.

"Are you excited?" Mary Margaret asked, grinning at her roommate.

Emma smiled back at her. "I'm kinda nervous. I just hope that I'm gonna be a good mom," Emma confided in her.

Mary Margaret jumped off her step ladder and went to meet Emma. She took the blonde woman's hands in her own. "You are going to be a great mom," Mary Margaret told her sincerely, her own eyes boring in to Emma's.

Emma squeezed her hand gratefully and stepped down off the ladder. "We should start bringing stuff to the table; they'll be back soon."

Sure enough, as soon as they had finished setting the table David walked through the door with Henry. The second he got through the door Henry ran to Emma and threw his arms around her. Emma smiled down at him as he returned the hug. "Welcome home, kid."

"Thanks, Emma. This is great," Henry replied as he took in the decorations and the food around him.

"Come on, let's put your stuff away and get some food, I'm starving," Emma said.

"I second that," David agreed, staring at the food ravenously.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at him. "Do you ever stop eating?"

The deputy shrugged at them. "I'm in a dangerous line of work, I constantly need to be at peak performance," he told them, going over to kiss his girlfriend.

"Yeah, how else is he gonna tackle that mountain of paperwork?" Emma chimed in.

The group laughed together and sat down to eat. Having Henry there didn't seem different at all. In fact, it was like he was meant to be there. Like he'd always sat in that seat at the table. Emma couldn't remember a time where she felt belonging like this; like she was part of a family.

When they finished their tacos they went across to the sofa and put on one of Henry's favourite movies: Lilo and Stitch. About half way through the movie, the sheriff walked into the apartment. Once again, Henry was straight up and running towards him. "Killian!"

Killian picked him up easily and hugged him tight. Emma smiled at the two people she loved most in the world as Killian put him back down. Killian caught her eye and gave her a wink.

"I can't believe you ate all the food and started the movie without me!" he said incredulously.

Mary Margaret shuffled around in David's arms to face him. "I smuggled some tacos in the microwave for you because I knew this one," she said gesturing at David, "wouldn't leave anything for you. They just need heating up."

Killian beamed at her, clearly excited by the prospect of some tacos after his long shift. "I've said it before and I'll say it again; you are a saint, Mary Margaret."

She smiled bashfully and turned her attention back to the movie as Henry returned to the sofa. Emma got up and walked over to the kitchen where Killian was, her arms hugging his waist from behind as he began to work the microwave.

"Regina?" she asked.

Killian turned around in her embrace and locked his own arms around her. "In the cell next to Jefferson. However, we won't be able to keep her there because we didn't find any evidence of the deal being made."

Emma bit her lip at that, her mind wandering to the scenario in which Henry would have to go back to Regina. Killian noticed how her face fell and he caught her chin with his hand to make her look at him. "But," he began. "I got a text off Gold. He's calling in a favour with a judge friend of his to speed the process up. We could have a court order for full custody of Henry by tomorrow."

"That quick?" Emma said, her eyebrows shooting up.

Killian nodded. "As much as I despise Gold, I have to admit that in times such as these he's one to have on our side."

Emma turned around to watch Henry and her two best friends enjoying the movie and smile pulled at her lips. "I never thought I could be this happy," she whispered to Killian as she rested against his chest.

The sheriff planted a kiss on top of her head. "You deserve this, Swan. I know you're going to be a brilliant mum."

Emma smiled to herself as she took in Killian's words. For once she wasn't doubting herself. She loved her son more than anything, and she would be damned if she wasn't going to be a good mother to him.

Regina's scowl hadn't let up since last night, she was still burning holes into Jefferson's head with her glare. He learnt that the thing that irritated her the most was when he simply smiled at her, so he did this every so often when he stopped whistling his usual tune. Just as he thought Regina was about to snap, the sheriff station door opened and Killian and David walked in with a type of smug swagger.

"Good morning, campers," Killian said with an air of superiority as he stared at Regina. She just glowered back at him, her lip curling slightly.

David rolled his eyes at Killian's games, opting to stay out of it and boot his computer up. Killian reached for the keys in his desk and walked over to Regina's cell. "Now, Madame Mayor. As we have found no hard evidence against you then you are free to go," he said, opening the cell door. She stormed past him and picked up her coat from the stand. "We will still be investigating your house as a potential crime scene so we have rented a room at Granny's for you until we are finished with our investigation."

Killian didn't even bother to wipe the smile off his face when Regina whirled round to face him. "And where is my son supposed to stay, sheriff? It's damaging for him to be living in temporary accommodation."

"Oh, but he's not in temporary accommodation, dearie," came Gold's voice from behind her. Regina raised an eyebrow at him as he handed her a letter. She tore it open and scanned it, her face becoming more furious by the second.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded.

"A court order, stating that you no longer have custody of Henry and full custody has been awarded to his biological mother, Emma Swan," Gold replied indifferently.

Regina was practically shaking with rage, even David had looked up from his computer to watch. "You can't do that," she laughed.

"As a matter of fact, dearie, I can," Gold replied. "If you have any contact with Henry without Miss Swan allowing it then you can be arrested. And you probably will be, all things considered," he said with a nod towards Killian.

Regina was lost for words, completely gobsmacked.

"Well, if you don't have any more questions then I shall be on my way. Good day to you all." Gold spun on his heel and walked out of the station, the sound of his cane echoing like gunshots in the silence of the station.

Regina stood their motionless, her face a picture of anger mixed with desperation.

"Granny will be expecting you to check in no later than 9am, I suggest you'd better leave now, Madame Mayor," Killian declared.

Regina whipped her head round and walked up to Killian so that she was less than a foot away from him. "This isn't over," she threatened.

"Yes, it is," Killian said, his own lip starting to curl now.

With nothing more she could do, Regina stormed out of the station, leaving a smug sheriff, an amused deputy and a slightly-less-than-stable inmate in her wake.

After Emma had dropped Henry off at school she drove to Granny's to meet August. Killian said August wanted to take Emma's mind off things and he helped to get Mr Gold on side so Emma figured she should thank him for the part he played. She parked her car and found August standing by his bike waiting for her.

"Hey," she said with an easy smile.

"Emma," August smiled back. "You all ready for our day trip out?"

Emma frowned at him curiously. "Are we not just getting a bite at Granny's?"

"That's not a trip out, I'm taking you out of town for the day. What's that old expression? Out of sight, out of mind," he said, tossing her his extra helmet.

Emma caught it easily and quirked a brow at him. "The bike again? Are you allergic to cars or something?" she said sarcastically, getting on the back of the bike anyway.

August shrugged. "It gets us to where we're going faster."

"Where are we going?" Emma asked as August revved his bike up.

"It's a surprise," August replied, with that signature smile he did when he knew something that other people didn't.

It took them just under an hour to get to their destination so Emma had plenty of time just to relax and watch the scenery go by as August wound through the few cars that were on the roads. When they finally pulled up, Emma jumped off the bike and took her helmet off to take in her surroundings. Her blood turned to ice when she realised where they were. It seemed like they were standing outside an ordinary diner but this was no ordinary diner to Emma.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded.

"Last I checked it was a diner," August said, nonchalant as ever.

Emma walked up to him, her heartbeat getting faster as she became more agitated. "No more screwing around. I am not a character in one of your books. What the hell are we doing here?"

August reached inside his pocket for something. "I think you know. You've been here before." He showed Emma a newspaper article, the newspaper article that was about her. "This is the diner you were brought to when you were found as a baby."

"So you found an article about me. So what?" Emma snapped, trying to act like this wasn't freaking her out. "I thought you brought me here to take my mind off things, not tell me my own story."

"I did. This isn't just your story. It's mine," August told her.

"And how is that?" Emma asked with a frown.

August took a deep breath, like he was preparing himself for what he was about to say. "That 7-year-old boy that found you? That was me." August turned round and headed into the woods opposite the diner, knowing Emma would follow him. Whether to chew him out or to listen to what he had to say, he didn't know.

"Why are we in the woods?" Emma asked once she caught up to him.

August meandered through as Emma followed him. "All the answers you've been searching for are right where I found you," he explained.

"See? You're not that 7-year-old boy. I wasn't found in the woods. I was found on the side of the highway. Plus, if you were that boy you would be 7 years older than me and you're only 23. I'm seeing a huge plot hole here."

"Alright, forget the age thing for a second. Why do you think you were found by the road? Because you read it in the newspaper?" August asked, spinning round to face Emma. "Did it ever occur to you that, maybe, that seven year old boy lied about where he found you?"

"No. But it occurs to me that you've been lying to me about everything. And I'm done listening," Emma replied. She turned around to walk back to the bike, feeling hurt and betrayed. August was supposed to be her friend, even if he was a little mysterious. He'd been playing her like a fiddle all this time.

"When I found you, you were wrapped in a blanket," he called after her. Emma stopped in her tracks. "And the name 'Emma' was embroidered along the bottom of it. That wasn't in the article, was it? How would I know that unless I was there?"

Emma's face twisted as she realised he was right, it wasn't mentioned in the article. She stormed back over to him. "Okay. Let's say you were that kid. Why lie about where you found me?"

"I lied to protect you," August replied sincerely.

"From what?"

August pointed to a large tree with a hole in it. "That."

Emma looked at the tree with an unimpressed look on her face. "A tree?" she said incredulously.

"You've read Henry's book, right? You know about the curse, don't you? Your role in it? It's true, Emma. We both came into this world… Through this tree," August implored.

"You're asking me to believe that you are a fairy tale character?"

"Pinocchio," he replied with a wistful smile.

Emma almost laughed at that. "Right, of course. Pinocchio. Explains all the lying. You're the one who added the story to Henry's book."

August nodded. "I needed you to know the truth."

"The truth is, you are out of your mind, and you're not even a very good liar. You still haven't explained how you're somehow 5 years younger than me."

August looked at the tree with an odd expression. "After I brought you to the diner, you wouldn't stop crying. I realised you didn't have your rattle with you and I must have left it in the tree. So I went back for it." August sighed and looked back towards Emma. "The Blue Fairy said that there was only a certain amount of magic in the tree, but there must have been more than she thought. When I leaned in to get your rattle, I fell through to a different realm and landed in a wardrobe where I was found by a family. Since I had no way back they allowed me to live with them," he explained, a soft smile gracing his face. "But I knew I had to find a way to return to help you break the curse. I left there after 6 years, but time moves slower over there. For every 3 years in this realm, only a year would pass over there. So by the time I got back, I was only 13 while you had aged 18 years."

Emma looked at him in disbelief. "That was convenient for your little story, wasn't it? Why didn't you write that in Henry's book? Why didn't you write an ending?"

"Because this is the ending, and we're writing it right now," August replied, moving towards her stiffly.

The blonde eyes him suspiciously. "And how does this story end?"

"With you believing," August stated. Hope was shining in his eyes and Emma could barely stand to look at him.

"Not going to happen." Emma to leave, more determined than ever just to get away from all of this madness.

"Emma? Emma, wait." August began to follow her, but his leg seized up and he fell to the ground.

Emma turned around, trying not to roll her eyes. "What is wrong with your leg?" she demanded.

August laughed bitterly. "I failed," he said.

"What are you talking about?" she was really starting to get tired of all this.

"It doesn't matter. You don't believe."

"If you think that by making me feel sorry for you that something's going to change, you are wrong," Emma said, though she was still a little concerned for him.

Something seemed to have snapped in August. "I am not screwing around here. Whatever you believe, or don't, this is real, Emma. I am sick."

"That's an understatement," Emma muttered.

"You ever been to Phuket?" he asked. Emma frowned at the random question. "It's beautiful. Amazing island, full of pleasures. The perfect place to lose oneself. That's where I was when you decided to stay in Storybrooke."

"How do you know when I decided to stay in Storybrooke?"

"Because at eight fifteen in the morning, I woke up with a shooting pain in my leg. That's eight fifteen at night in Storybrooke," August explained, still clutching his leg. "Sound familiar? That's when time there started to move forward again. I was supposed to be there for you. And I wasn't. Because I was halfway around the world, I got a painful reminder of just how far I'd strayed. If that tree won't make you believe, maybe this will." August began to pull the leg of his jeans up to reveal the polished wood beneath them where his flesh was supposed to be.

"How does that prove anything?" Emma wondered.

August's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Look."

"August, I'm looking," she insisted.

"You don't see it, do you?" he frowned.

Emma shrugged. "See what?"

"Your denial is more powerful than I thought. It's preventing you from seeing truth," August realised.

Emma held her hands up, fed up of all this nonsense. "Okay, one of us is losing it here, and it's not me."

"You don't want to believe. After everything you've seen, why can't you just do it?" August pressed.

"Why is it so important to you that I do?" Emma shouted.

"Because I, the town… Everyone needs you," he shouted back.

Emma was close to the point of tears now. "I don't want them to need me."

"Well, that's too bad, because we all do."

"You're saying that I am responsible for everyone's happiness? That is crap! I didn't ask for that. I don't want it," Emma replied, the tears starting to spill over.

"A little while ago, you didn't want Henry, either. But then, he came to you, and now, you are fighting like hell for him," August pointed out.

"For him! Because that is all I can handle right now. And I'm not even doing a good job at that! Now, you're telling me I have to save everyone? That is beyond ridiculous. I don't want any of it."

August sighed. "Well, that's too bad, Emma, because that doesn't change the truth. You are our only hope."

Emma took one look at him and saw that he really believed that. It was too much for her, no one should have to handle all that responsibility. "Then you're all screwed."

With those few words she saw the last of the hope in August's eyes shatter and fade away.

It was very rare that the sheriff station was left empty. But today was one of those days. David wasn't coming in until after lunch because he promised to help Jynx with something, so Killian was left to go and pick up lunch and leave Jefferson alone. It wasn't too much trouble really; he was left on his own at night after all. It wasn't like he could go anywhere. However, the situation was ideal for Regina, who was watching from her car that was parked on the opposite side of the road. She watched the cursed pirate leave the building, flicking the collar of his leather jacket up as he walked. It made her blood boil to see him so happy. No one else was meant to be happy except her, and now Regina's happiness had been taking away from her. And she was going to get it back, one way or another. Gold had rejected her offer, so now her only option was the hatter.

Making sure there was no one around to see her sneak in, Regina got out of her car and sauntered over to the station with a box underneath her arm. Her high heels echoed on the tiled floor as she rounded the corner to come face-to-face with the hatter in his cell. He was lying down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and taking no notice of her.

"Hello, Jefferson," Regina said.

The hatter just lay there for a moment before he swung his legs over the side of his bed to sit up. "Regina," he replied lazily.

Regina paced around the sheriff station, picking the odd bits and pieces up off the desks as Jefferson's eyes followed her around the room. "You know, with everything that has happened to me recently, Jefferson, I've realised something. It must be so painful, your daughter Paige being oh, so near."

Jefferson's gaze became stormy. "Grace," he said, causing Regina to look at him. "Her name is Grace. You should know that – you changed it. What do you want?"

"Your help," she stated simply.

Jefferson scoffed at her. "And what makes you think, I won't kill you after everything you've done?"

Regina placed the box down on the nearest desk. She stalked over to his cell and smirked maliciously. "Because you don't have it in you. If you did, you would have done it twenty-eight years ago when I brought you here. Because you know if I'm dead, you'll never get back to your daughter. And I have a way for us to both get what we want."

The mayor walked back over to the box on the table and opened it. A moment later she pulled out an old, black top hat.

Jefferson's eyes widened. He stumbled off the bed towards the bars of his cell, as if to get a better look at the hat. "My hat," he said, stunned.

Regina nodded. "I want you to use it again."

Jefferson sighed and went back to sitting on his bed dejectedly. "I can't make it work. No one can. Not here. Not without magic."

"Well, then you're in luck, because I happen to have some. Not a lot," Regina said when she saw the new shine in Jefferson's eyes. "But hopefully, enough… For one last journey."

"Where?" Jefferson asked curiously, a frown forming on his face.

"Back to our land where there's a solution to a very delicate problem I have," Regina said, her lip curling at the thought. "How to get rid of the one person who could break my curse."

"Emma. And why shouldn't I let her do just that? End the madness and go home."

"To your hovel? Selling fungus at the fair?" Regina asked. Jefferson twisted his mouth sheepishly. "Why? When you could just stay here in the mansion I gave you? My problem, Jefferson, is the same as yours. It's family. We both want our children back, and we both can get them, if we work together."

"Why should I trust you now? Why should you trust me, you know that confession I gave them was false."

Regina shrugged. "You shouldn't. I shouldn't. But it's the only offer you've got. After we're through, I'll give Grace new memories, and you too if you wish. A clean slate for the both of you. Once we take care of Emma, that is."

Jefferson frowned. He was ashamed to say that he was tempted. He wanted Grace back more than anything, and even though he would get that if the curse was broken, what would she think of him? She would have thought he'd just abandoned her when he was trapped in Wonderland. What if she turned him away? And Regina was right, selling fungus at the fair wasn't the life he wanted for his Grace.

But on the other hand, he would be betraying Killian. Though the sheriff didn't completely trust Jefferson yet, Hook was the only friend Jefferson had ever known. He might not have realised it but having the pirate in Wonderland as someone to confide in was what kept him going on most days. Not only would he be letting Killian down by denying him the chance to get his life back, he would be condemning him to a life of misery; a life without Emma.

Regina saw the hatter's turmoil written all over his face and thought she would help his decision along a little. "I'll leave you alone to decide. I'll be in the cemetery at midnight, meet me there," she said. She handed him a small silver key with a skull at the top of it. "It'll fit for that lock."

The mayor smirked at him again, already knowing that she'd nudged him in the right direction. Regina picked up the box that had the hat in and slipped out of the station before the sheriff came back.

About 3 o'clock Killian got a weird text from Emma asking him to pick Henry up from school early and meet them at the loft. He texted back asking what all this was about but got no answer, so he left the station straight away. It was only after he picked Henry up that Killian started to worry, and August confirmed his worry with a text saying Emma didn't believe in that she'd taken off in a cab. Before Killian had a chance to text back he heard a key in the lock and turned to see Emma walking through the door. Her eyes landed on him straight away, and she all but ran into his arms. It looked like she had been crying.

"Swan, what is it?" Killian asked, though he knew what it would be.

"Is Henry upstairs?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Yes, he's playing on that game thing Regina got him," Killian replied with a frown.

Emma nodded and dashed off up the stairs, leaving Killian in the living room thoroughly confused. A moment later Emma was heading back down the stairs with a protesting Henry behind her.

"But you can't!" Henry said.

"Henry, it's for your own good, go back upstairs and get your things," the blonde replied.

Henry was about to argue back before Killian interjected. "Henry, why don't you go back upstairs with your game for a bit?"

The boy saw the secret meaning behind Killian's words and did as he was told. Once he was upstairs, Emma turned to face Killian.

"What the hell is going on, Swan?" Killian asked, placing his hands on the tops of her arms.

Emma's green eyes met his blue ones. "I'm leaving."

Killian blinked at her. "Sorry, I think I misheard you, love," he said with a small smile.

"You didn't," she replied, not breaking eye contact. "I need to get out of here, this town, I should have known this was a bad idea." Emma moved away from Killian and began to pace. "I should never have stayed here."

Killian's heart practically stopped. "I don't understand, Emma. I thought you were happy here."

She paused, struggling to find the words. "I thought I was too. But if today has proved anything to me it's that happiness never lasts, no matter how good it is."

"What happened today? Where's August?"

Emma's face was like thunder when Killian mentioned his name. "I should have trusted your gut instinct with him, you never trusted him. You were right about him all along."

Killian took a step towards her. "Swan, what happened?" he asked again.

"I found out that he's a liar, that's what happened. I thought August was my friend and all he ever did was lie to me, about everything!" Emma began pacing again. "I can't stay here, Killian," she repeated.

"Hang on, slow down," he said. Truth be told, Killian was starting to panic now. If Emma left it would all be over, the curse would never be broken. But more importantly, Killian would lose her forever. "What makes you think August is a liar?"

Emma sighed and sat down at the table, motioning for Killian to come and join her. "He took me to this diner not too far from here. It was the diner I was brought to when I was found by the freeway. Or beside a magical tree, according to our friend Pinocchio. And no, that wasn't a joke, he actually told me that he's Pinocchio."

Killian bit the inside of his cheek, thinking hard about what he was going to say.

"I can't be around all of this curse crap anymore, Killian," Emma told him. "It's too much. And it's not good for Henry either."

Killian frowned at that. "Wait, you're taking Henry with you?"

"I've just got him back. Besides it's what's best for him."

"Who are you trying to convince that with, Emma?" he asked in a harsh tone. "Where will you go? You don't have any apartments just lying around for you to go to. Not to mention you'll be uprooting him from all he's ever known. How is that what's best for him?"

"I know it seems… rash, but it's the only thing we can do. A clean break. You could come with us!"

"What about our work? What about our friends? Mary Margaret?" Killian asked, trying to make her see reason.

"We'll give them a call when we get sorted. Leave them a note explaining," she implored.

"A note?" Killian exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice down. "Emma, do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"

"This is the one rational thing I've done since I got here," she defended. How could Killian not understand that this was crazy? "I almost died because of this 'curse'! And now I'm being emotionally manipulated by a guy who claims he's Pinocchio. I have to leave, Killian. It's your choice if you want to come."

Emma got up to leave but Killian grabbed her hand as she walked past. He stood up and took her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. "Emma, you can't go. Not only for my sake, because I love you, Swan, and it would kill me if you left. But for the town. August, he… he was telling the truth."

Killian saw Emma visibly tense up, not to mention how she squeezed his hands without realising. "What are you saying?" she whispered, a raw fear in her eyes.

Killian took a deep breath. "I'm saying the curse is real. And I know you think that this is some sort of joke, but Emma I promise you it's not. Ever since you came to town, I've been having flashbacks and strange dreams of my other life. Please, Emma you have to believe me."

Killian searched her eyes for something, anything, any flicker of emotion. But he saw nothing, and he knew she had flung her walls back up the moment he started speaking. Slowly he started to back away from him, her silent fury becoming more terrifying as time dragged on.

"Emma," he began, but that one words seemed to break the dam that was hiding her emotions.

"Is this all just some big joke to you?!" she shouted, her eyes shining with tears. "You chip away at my walls for months, you tell me you love me, and for what? Just to pull of this huge hoax? My God, I'm such an idiot, that's why you were so adamant that I go and see August today!"

"Emma, it wasn't like that at all! I do love you, how could I possibly fake that?" Killian pleaded.

"Don't, don't you dare say those words to me," she seethed. "All this time you've praying on Henry's imagination for your own private joke and using me along with it!"

Killian saw red at that. "I love that lad like he was my own son, I would rather die than see any harm come to him," he erupted. "You're just finding excuses to run away, like you always do."

"That is not what this is!"

"Of course it bloody is, Emma! The second things get difficult or frightening, you run away. That's why you're alone, you have no one to blame but yourself for that because over the past 10 years you've not let anyone get close to you. And you may be protecting yourself but running away isn't going to protect Henry," Killian shouted back.

"This town isn't good for him! How can you not see that?" Emma retorted.

"He doesn't want to leave, Emma. He'll be miserable if you take him."

"He'll be miserable if he stays!" the blonde replied.

"No, you will be. You're putting yourself first instead of him. You can't do that if you're a parent. I should know, I was the parent in his life before you since you gave him up because you were once again running away!"

Emma physically recoiled at what Killian just said, like he had actually just slapped her in the face. The colour drained away from Killian's cheeks as he registered what he'd just said in the silence that followed.

"Emma, I…"

"You need to leave," she said, her voice dangerously low as her arms folded across her chest.

Killian nodded solemnly and walked out the door without another word.

Henry, who was listening upstairs, (it was pretty hard not to with all the shouting) sat silently on the bed as he listened to his mother's quiet sobs that followed.

Jefferson sat on the floor in his cell with his legs crossed, once again trying to talk himself out of what he was about to do. He took a look at the clock that hung on the wall and saw that it was 11:46 pm. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist. He stood up and put the skeleton key in the lock. With one last thought about his new life with his Grace, he turned the key.