Finally, it happened. He knew about it before Emma did. That night, the night before her rescheduled arraignment, just after the sun had set, he received a call from the cousin watching Mary Margaret at the jail. He hadn't really heard from him, which was to be expected, all things considered. The poor bird had been sitting outside the jail for days, watching nothing happen. But finally, there was movement, and it was clear from his voice he was almost excited about it as he was. Mary Margaret had just left the station.

"I'm watching her right now. She just glanced out the front door, looked left and right, and then did a speed walk away, kept her head down the entire time. Has she been released? Do I call Emma?"

"No," he insisted with a smile. "No, I'll handle that. Follow her to the best of your abilities. If anything strange happens…let me know."

"Strange, Mr. Gold?"

"Strange."

He glanced at the clock. Still early in the evening, but Emma would no doubt have gone home for the day at this point. He could call her now, he supposed he could also call Jefferson, but he wanted absolutely no tie back to himself after this was over. He'd told Jefferson to be on the lookout; he had to trust that he was. This was going to be the risky part of this plot. This was the part that would require trust, something that he didn't do well, to begin with, but when it came to Jefferson…

There was a time he'd trusted Jefferson. To be perfectly frank, Jefferson had never done anything to make him lose that trust. He'd disappointed him, he'd turned his back on him, but he'd never betrayed him.

He wouldn't call Jefferson, he had to let him do what he did best, and all things considered, the less he knew about what was happening on his end, the better. But there was one thing that he had to set in motion. It was dark when Jeffry called him back to let him know he'd lost Mary Margaret. He'd followed her as far as the woods and then lost sight of her there. He ordered him to go home, take the night off, and be back at the jail by morning. He was optimistic that Mary Margaret would be there by then. Immediately, he turned and placed a call to Emma.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with Mary Margaret before her arraignment tomorrow; go over just a few last-minute details. Could you meet me at the station?"

She'd agreed quickly, and so as the sun set, he found himself waiting in his car when she pulled up in her own yellow bug. The two approached the front door, and that was first when Emma paused and looked at it. He could see what she saw. It wasn't a lot, but he could see the door sticking out, just by half an inch or so, something it wouldn't be able to do if the door was locked. He bit back a smile and instead put on his most innocent look. It didn't matter to him that she couldn't see him. He had a precise role to play.

"Something wrong, Miss Swan?" he questioned as she stared at the door. She didn't reply, just reached out for the door and gave it a small tug revealing what he already knew. "Do you always keep the station unlocked when there's a prisoner inside?"

"No…" she drawled, then flung the door open and stormed inside. He smirked before taking a breath and following her inside. He glanced at the door—a simple lock on the inside that could be unlocked simply by rotating a tumbler. No doubt Mary Margaret had done it herself on her way out.

"Henry! What are you doing here?" he heard Emma exclaim. His amusement dissipated into shock. Henry was here? He hadn't noticed that before, but sure enough, he looked up at Emma with a smile on his face all while he felt panic rise within him. Why was he here? He wasn't part of this plan. How well could he keep a secret from Regina? He wasn't ready for Regina to know yet!

"I came to congratulate you," she heard the boy state.

"For what?"

"Your genius plan."

He smiled at him over Emma's shoulder. "And what plan's that, Henry?"

But the boy was suddenly mute. His smile fell off his face, and he looked down at the book in his hands. He didn't think much of it. If he knew who he was, really was, then it was smart of him not to talk, especially given who he thought he might be. And, if he didn't want to talk, that was okay. He had other things he could be doing, like checking on the status, or lack thereof, of his client.

"Right," he muttered, moving around the boy to leave them alone. He hadn't planned on Henry, but there was still a job to be done, something in place. He had to take a risk that Henry wouldn't tell Regina too early, that his admission of a great plan meant he was on their side. He had to move this forward. So he rounded the corner and sighed in relief at the sight that greeted him. It was just as he had been told. There was her cell, bed made, nice and pristine, and there was the door, wide open, Mary Margaret nowhere in sight. Beautiful. "Sheriff, could you join me, please?" he called out in a concerned voice as he stared at the cell. Footsteps behind him told him both mother and son had arrived, and he made sure his face revealed only the proper amount of irritation and panic.

"She's gone," he stated.

"Henry, what did you do?!" Emma cried, moving around him to look at the cell.

"Nothing!" the boy shrieked. "She was gone when I got here."

"Her arraignment's tomorrow," he reminded Emma perfectly. "If she's not there…"

"She's a fugitive. Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not; she's screwed!" the Savior exclaimed, turning and taking off for her office. "I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing."

Someone…

"Oh, you mean Regina?"

"The arraignment's at eight A.M. I'm sure she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory," she properly assessed.

"Well, you have until eight A.M., then."

"Uh, what about me? How can I help?" Henry cried.

"Go home!"

"Emma…" but then Henry got close to her, whispered something to her that he couldn't quite hear, to which she quickly responded, "Not now, Henry. Come on." She placed her arm around the boy as if to usher him out, probably to drive him home before going out to search now that it was past dark.

"Miss Swan," he called out before she could get much further. She paused and turned to him, anxiety in her eyes. "I know time is of the essence, but if Miss Blanchard doesn't return…her future's in jeopardy. And if you're caught helping her, so is yours."

"I don't care," she breathed. "I'd rather lose my job than my friend."

He smiled once she was out of the office and looked back at the empty cell. Henry's unexpected entrance aside, this was going better than he'd hoped. The town thought Mary Margaret was guilty. Emma thought Regina was guilty. No one really knew that he had kidnaped Kathryn or that he was holding her captive for the right day. And now…Emma.

First, a confession she'd do what it took to make things right now a confession of undying loyalty toward a paragon of good no matter her own self-interest. All because she wanted to do what was right. Emma Swan was shaping out to be one hell of a Savior. He couldn't wait to see what she'd be like once she got some magic into her blood.

Short, I know. I feel like many of these chapters came out short because they have to be here, but there's really not enough to them to add to it. In fact, there's hardly anything to frame in this chapter! But I hope that it gives the proper hints that will lead us into the next chapter, which is far more interesting. It's short too, but we get to see Rumple really start to play both sides, managing his deal with Regina on top of his loyalty to his son and, therefore, Emma and Mary Margaret. He does get himself into some sticky situations, doesn't he.

Thank you, Alarda and Grace5231973, for your reviews on the last chapter. He's awfully busy during these times, isn't he? It was fun diving into all that in these fictions. Peace and Happy Reading!