Title: Look After You
Chapter Fifty-Three: Red-Handed
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Emma, Ruby, David, Whale, Regina, & Mary Margaret
Summary: Emma is impressed with Ruby's tracking abilities and they find a clue that can blow the case wide open.
Warnings: Nothing that we didn't see on the show.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: Here's some more of the case. I'm going to get as many chapters up of this as I can this weekend; my brain's editing abilities permitting.

Emma followed Ruby through the woods. So far, she'd been impressed with Ruby's knowledge of the forest. If Emma had been alone, she'd have gotten lost through the massive brush of green. There weren't many trails and the ones that did exist had long ago been reclaimed by nature. Emma tripped over a root and cursed, reaching out for Ruby.

After a few more minutes, Emma spotted boot prints. This had to be the way.

"Come on, stay close, I think we're getting somewhere."

"This place is massive. How are we supposed to find one guy?"

Emma straightened up, making out the faint sound of something lurking. She hushed Ruby, trying to get a better listen.

"Hey, shh. We might be able to hear him."

"It's massive," Ruby replied and Emma sighed in frustration. Did Ruby have to argue with her about everything? Sometimes, Emma understood why Ruby was unable to hold onto a man and it had nothing to do with her sexual past, it had to do with the old married woman side of her personality. And the low self-esteem, which, Emma reminded herself, was the point in bringing Ruby along; aside from her knowledge of the woods.

"I'm following the path because there are boot prints, so just stay close," Emma insisted.

"I shouldn't even be here. I'm just going to screw everything up." Emma rolled her eyes. This again? "Oh, wait." Ruby stopped abruptly and Emma bumped into her.

"Ruby?"

"I hear him."

"Really?" Maybe Emma hadn't just been hearing things earlier.

"Yeah, really. I hear him or…something. I…I know where he is. Don't you?"

"No." Ruby began running off and Emma chased after her. Was she insane? She was going to fall and break her neck or they'd end up lost and eaten by wolves. "What are you doing?"

"He's over here!"

"Ruby!" Emma cried out, doing her best to follow her. She stopped and looked around, trying to listen for her. "Ruby?" She spotted her through the trees and rushed to her side. Ruby stood over a bleeding and unconscious figure and it took Emma a full minute to realize who it was.

"David?" She knelt to his side. "Oh, god. Come on! David, come on! Wake up!" She attempted to shake him awake but it was no use, he was out. With a shaking hand she reached out to check his pulse and sighed in relief. He was still alive. She tried to shake him awake a final time. "David, wake up!"

His eyes shot open and Emma pulled away, wanting to give him some air.

"Emma? What? Ruby?"

"Do you remember where you are?" She should probably take him to Whale, he looked pretty banged up. But before she could do that, she needed to know what had happened.

"No, I…what the hell? I was…I was in your office. Did you bring me here?"

Emma locked eyes with Ruby for a moment, confused. She turned her attention back to David and spoke very carefully.

"You don't remember anything since you were in my office? Last night?"

"No, I don't."

Emma knew David was telling the truth and she and Ruby exchanged worried glances. She helped David to his feet and checked his head to make sure he didn't have and abrasions. There was a small cut and she winced, hoping he didn't have a concussion or something.

"Ruby, call Dr. Whale and let him know we're on our way. David, give me your keys, Ruby can drive your truck back into town, and I'll take you to the hospital. How does that sound?"

David nodded groggily and tossed his keys over to Ruby. The three of them carefully made their way out of the forest. Twenty minutes later, Emma stood with her arms crossed in the emergency room as Whale looks David over.

"Well, he's bruised, scratched up, a little dehydrated. What you'd expect."

Emma wasn't sure how she felt with Whale as their doctor, but he was the only doctor in this town.

"He's got a cut on his head."

"It's superficial. I can refer him to Dr. Hopper for a mental health eval, but, it's my opinion, that whatever caused this blackout is the same phenomenon we observed when he came out of his coma. Moving around, acting out, not remembering it later."

She didn't know why, but she felt protective over David. It had to be because of Mary Margaret, after all, she barely knew him. Perhaps he was experiencing some sort of side-effect from the coma. She trusted Archie a lot more than Whale. She suspected he was in Regina's pocket which immediately put him on Emma's list of people not to trust. Not to mention, he was a skeevy bastard and far too sleazy for her tastes.

"We will figure it out."

"It's so strange. I can't even believe it happened."

She remembered what Mary Margaret had said about running into him in the woods.

"How functional could he be during one of these episodes? I mean, he talked to someone."

"Whale: Well, people in similar states, even under sleep medication, do all sorts of things. Cooking, talking, driving a car."

Emma and David exchanged a small glance and she knew they were both thinking the same thing.

"I'm worried. I want to know if I could have kidnapped her and killed her."

"Now take it easy there." Sure, she'd thought it too, but she didn't want him getting ahead of himself, especially in front of Whale who could turn around and tell Regina all about it. Even Whale seemed to agree with her. "No one's saying you did anything bad, David."

"No but it would explain why I didn't seem like I was lying. I wouldn't know."

Emma opened her mouth to agree with Whale when Regina stormed into the room. What in the Hell was she doing here? Emma gave Whale an accusatory glare.

"Stop talking, David. What are you doing here?" Why doesn't this man have a lawyer present? Have you even read him his rights?"

Was Regina serious? First she wanted Emma to find out what had happened and now she was suddenly concerned for David? What was her game?

"No because he's not under arrest. We're just talking."

"Right, just talking."

"What are you doing here?"

"Mayor Mills is still Mr. Nolan's emergency contact."

"You have to be kidding me?"

She looked at David for an answer. There was something seriously wrong with this town and all of it revolved around the mayor. Even without her bias, Emma could see it clear as the day. Hell, even August knew something was up with her.

"I thought that changed to Kathryn."

"Well, Kathryn's currently unavailable. Some people haven't found her yet."

Emma took a step towards Regina. She had an overwhelming urge to hit her again but she remembered Henry and stopped.

"Stop trying to place blame and just find her."

"There's a whole lot of Maine to search, Regina."

"Well you've covered this room. I suggest you branch out."

Emma sighed. Henry, she reminded herself. Instead she rolled her eyes and gave David's shoulder a squeeze.

"David, you let me know if you need anything." She told him and gave Regina a final glare before leaving the room. She pulled out her phone and checked to make sure no one was in listening range before dialing the station.

Emma wanted to believe David, but Regina's involvement aroused her suspicions. As had his questions about his blackouts. If he had killed Kathryn, he could try to use them in his defense. Oh, your honor, I had no idea I killed my wife, the blackout made me do it. If he had done something, he needed to pay for it.

The last time he'd blacked out he'd wound up at the toll bridge. Maybe there was something there. And Ruby had done such a good job today, Emma trusted her to get there and find something before she could. The station was closer anyway.

"Sheriff's station, thank you for calling. How may I direct your-"

"Hey, stop. It's me. Here's the thing; the last time David went for a dream walk, he went to the toll bridge. You know the one? It's a crazy hunch, but I want you to take my bug and go and see if he was there." Emma moved through the hospital, checking every so often for eavesdroppers.

"No, I could get somebody else to."

"Ruby, you were great out there. I still don't know how you found him. You can do this."

"I don't know."

Ruby was wasting time. Emma moved faster, wanting to get there as well.

"It's going to be dark out soon. David's going to be let out. If there is something there, we've got to get there first. We don't have time to argue. Can you do this?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ruby agreed

"Good, call me on your cell once you're close and I'll be on my way."

Five minutes later Emma was on the road and Ruby was back on the phone.

"I mean, what am I even looking for?"

"Anything out of the ordinary. Something that doesn't belong there."

Like a body, Emma thought. She turned onto the next street carefully.

"And…if I find something?"

"Just follow your instincts."

"You…can't give me a clue what I'm looking for?"

Emma sighed. How many times did they have to go through this? She checked the sky and it was darkening. They needed to do this fast. Once Emma got out of Storybrooke proper, she'd be able to speed up; she didn't want to take any chances with driving while on the phone in town.

"Anything of Kathryn's." Ruby went quiet and Emma began to worry. "Ruby? What's going on? Did you find something?" Was that why they were playing twenty questions?"

Emma heard a loud thump from the other line and then screaming. She sped up the cruiser, taking the risk of an accident. If Ruby was in danger because of her…

"Ruby? Ruby?" The screaming continued and Emma threw her phone into the passenger seat and flashed her lights. She sped to the toll bridge, calling out Ruby's name as she did so, but the screaming didn't stop.

She threw the cruiser into park and ran out of the car and down to the water, where the noises were originating. She found Ruby covering her mouth, still crying out, with tears staining her face. Ruby saw Emma and began to shake as she pointed to a box on the ground. Emma, more concerned for Ruby, took her in her arms and calmed her down. Once Ruby stopped yelling, Emma forced a still sobbing Ruby to look at her.

"Did someone hurt you?"

Ruby shook her head.

"So…you just found something?"

Ruby nodded.

"I'm going to let you go now, okay? Just…take deep breaths."

Ruby nodded again and Emma released her. She knelt down and opened the box. She jumped back in horror. With a deep breath, she calmed herself and moved closer to inspect it.

Good God…

"Ruby, get in the cruiser."

"Emma, is that-"

"Get in the cruiser, Ruby."

Ruby complied and Emma ran a hand through her hair. She took a few deep breaths. She'd known there was a good chance Kathryn was dead, but now that she possibly had proof…

She wasn't scared because of the heart. She'd never been responsible for anything. Her entire life had been her bouncing around from place to place, job to job, never committing to anything. This was real, this was something she couldn't run from, and it terrified her.

Once she was sure she wouldn't pack up and leave town, she carefully closed the box and lifted it. She carried it to the trunk, where she wrapped it in her rain slicker and slammed the lid. She pulled out her phone and dialed Mary Margaret.

"Emma, I was just-"

"Are my spare keys still hanging on the wall?"

"Um…" She heard footsteps and then keys jingling. "Yes."

"If you call August, he will drive you to the toll bridge, where my bug is parked. Can you drive it back home?"

"Yes, Emma, what's-"

"I'll tell you later, right now I have to get to the station."

"Oh God, you found her, didn't-"

"Goodbye, Mary Margaret."

Emma slammed the phone closed. She couldn't tell Mary Margaret until she knew something. This wasn't something like telling her about a date or about Henry, this was an investigation. She hated keeping things from her, but she needed to do this right.

She parked the bug to where it would be safe and locked it up. She slid into the cruiser where she and Ruby sat in silence for a moment. Once she was sure she could drive knowing a woman's heart was possibly in her trunk, she turned the engine and sped off.

"Is that what I think it is?"

They'd been in the station, staring at the box, for over an hour. Emma wasn't sure what to do with it at this hour. She'd have to lock it up and get it sent for testing first thing in the morning. She felt useless; she wanted to do something more than wait around for procedure.

With a sigh she nodded.

"Yeah."

"I can't look."

Emma finally reached over and with her gloves, closed the box. She could also dust it for prints and send those out for analysis. She glanced over to a still-shaken Ruby and felt her nurturing instinct kick in.

"You okay?"

"I don't know what I am."

"It's gonna be alright. We can figure out what happened now. Ruby, you did good."

Emma was proud of her. She'd done so much good work today, work Emma wouldn't have been able to do on her own. She'd made a good decision in hiring her.

"This is doing good?"

"Yeah. It's amazing. First you found David and now this?" For a moment she was reminded of Graham, who had been an amazing tracker. No wonder he'd been Sheriff. She fought off a small smile at the memory of him and returned her focus to Ruby, who needed her reassurance. "I know you say you don't know who you are but whatever it is, I got to say, I'm impressed."

Ruby began crying again and Emma's heart broke a little. Even though Ruby had done well, Emma still felt guilty for putting her through this. It wasn't the greatest first day on the job.

"Don't be. I got to say, I'm a little scared out of my mind."

"But you did it anyway." Emma took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm really proud of you, Ruby, you were incredibly brave."

Ruby wiped at her eyes and took a few shaky breaths.

"Thanks."

"Come here." Emma pulled Ruby in for a hug and Ruby hugged her back gratefully. After a few minutes Emma pulled away and wiped a stray tear from Ruby's face. She gave her a small smile and patted her on the back. "I'm going to text August and Mary Margaret. They can get dinner and then we can go home, okay?"

Ruby nodded and Emma left her to go lock up the evidence and arrange for there to be a cheering Ruby-up party when the returned home.