He and Mary Margaret talked for well over an hour. This part of the game wasn't difficult; it was simply a balancing act. On the one hand, he wanted to leave Mary Margaret spooked, not terrified, just sufficiently spooked. Enough so that when she got her hands on the skeleton key, then she'd run. On the other hand, he had to be her lawyer and didn't want to appear as if he was trying to scare her. A balancing act like this might be difficult for some, but in this case, it was easy enough for him to accomplish, mostly because all he had to do was tell her the truth.

"Your chances are good because there is no body at the moment," he reassured her. "They can't assume she's dead. They have to know for sure. All they really have is your jewelry box with your fingerprints on it, which can be easily explained. The box belongs to you. It would be odd if it didn't have your fingerprints on it."

"But what about the heart? Emma said they're running DNA."

"Don't worry about that right now."

"Right now, but what…what if it comes back as Kathryn's?"

Which it would…

"Well, if it comes back as Kathyrn's, then that would be bad," he stated clearly. "That would be very bad indeed. Something like that might implicate you."

"But I didn't do anything!" she hissed as her face fell.

"You don't have to tell me, Miss Blanchard. In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't. But…if you truly didn't do it, then you should have nothing to worry about. For all we know, some kids broke into the apartment, stole the box, and it's a sheep's heart in there. Could just be some kids playing a prank, and that's the argument I intend to make if this goes to trial."

"Trial!"

"It likely won't get that far. We'll worry about arraignment first; that'll be tomorrow morning unless further evidence against you is brought to light."

"What's that involve?"

"You'll be brought before a judge, the formal charges against you will be read, you'll plead 'not guilty,' bail will be set."

"Bail…I can get out of here."

"Well…in a murder trial, they'd send you to prison because you would be considered a danger, but seeing as how they don't have a body yet…"

"A body…everything hinges on a body, on that heart."

He sighed. "Try to be calm, Miss. Blanchard. It doesn't do to worry about things that may or may not come to pass."

"And what if they do come to pass?"

He resisted the urge to smile again. He didn't want to look like he was trying to spook her, and fortunately for him, she did a fair enough job of giving him a reason to all on her own.

"As I said before, that would be bad. It would implicate you. But we're not going to worry about that for now. One foot in front of the other. You get some rest. Let me do my job."

Immediately following their conversation, he invited himself into the Sheriff's office. "So…how bad is it?" he asked.

Emma glared at him skeptically, her mouth unmoving as she considered his question. She'd done her job well; she'd let the pair of them talk in private as the law required. She'd tried to keep herself busy or otherwise secluded in her office, but he could feel the way she'd watched them. He hadn't ordered her to stop, nor had he told Mary Margaret to stop talking to her as he would a normal client. For someone on trial for murder, talking to the district attorney or the police could potentially be harmful. But Emma just wanted her friend free again. She believed in her innocence. There was nothing wrong with talking to Emma. As for anyone else, Emma was protective enough that she wouldn't let it happen. So that just left the pair of them, two unexpected allies involved in a very complex plan.

"Miss Swan…if this goes to trial, I'll be given everything during discovery," he insisted, reassuring her that talking to him, though it would commonly be considered inappropriate, was exactly what she needed to do in this case. "Besides, sharing information at this stage can only help her. I'm her lawyer, I want her out of jail, and I suspect so do you, Miss Swan, so let's help each other…shall we?"

He saw her gaze adjust over his shoulder to the cell Mary Margaret currently sat in before she sighed. "Heart's still out for DNA testing. It should be back tonight or tomorrow morning. Ruby found it in the woods by the toll bridge, the place she used to meet David. It was in her jewelry box, and her fingerprints were all over it. The heart had marks on it that suggested it was cut with a knife of some kind. I found a knife wrapped in cloth in the heating vent in her room."

"I'll assume you did a thorough search of the area and found any other clues. Has the apartment shown any signs of a break-in?"

"No, it was the first thing I checked. It was clean."

"Who else has access?"

"I have a key, she has a key, no one else."

He raised his eyebrows in interest. "You're sure?"

"I asked," she answered back emotionlessly. That was how the entire conversation had gone thus far. Emma didn't like him. She'd exchange facts, but she wasn't ready for theories yet…at least he assumed that she wasn't.

"Is there anyone in town who has the ability to get into the apartment, anyone who can pick a lock?"

"Normally, I'd be looking at you for something like this," she insisted. "But all things considered-"

"All things considered, I have no reason to want this. No motive," he finished for her. "And if I did this, then it would seem a bit counterproductive to try and get her out of the trouble I put her in."

"Right…"

"So then, the next question you must ask yourself is who does have a motive. Who would want to see an elementary school teacher put in prison for a murder she didn't commit?"

Emma sighed. "At the moment, the only person who would have that motive is Kathryn herself."

"A crime of passion…revenge."

"But seeing as how she's missing and Mary Margaret is here…"

"Well…" he smirked. "You do have your work cut out for you, it seems. I'll expect updates as you get them. It can only help your friend."

"That's what they all say."

"This time, it's true."

He spent the night in his shop. He couldn't bring himself to go home for more than an hour in the morning to bathe and change clothes. Everything that was happening was happening in town. And he wanted to be as close as possible for what was to come next.

That morning was supposed to be Mary Margaret's arraignment. He'd told her that it would happen yesterday unless new charges were brought against her. Last night, there had been new charges. Regina called him in the middle of the night. The glee that she felt was clear in her voice as she told him that the DNA results were a match for Kathryn. She was appreciative, thankful even, for his help in the plan. According to her, she'd left the skeleton key, as he'd instructed in Mary Margaret's cell. It was only a matter of time until she found it and ran. He'd smiled at her foolishness but was smart enough to let her hear it in his tone when he told her that it appeared she was about to get what she wanted. And so it was…it appeared Regina was about to win, which was sure to make her defeat that much sweeter.

Emma was informed of the charges that morning, Mary Margaret's arraignment was postponed until the following morning. Emma was taking on the task of informing his client, and so he hung back at the shop for the day, doing this and that, small tasks to keep himself busy. Polishing was always his go-to chore, even if it made him sad now that he had his memories back. He wished Belle could see him doing such work. His shop was always in disarray, but he knew that she'd be impressed she could pick up a cloth and do some form of polishing. He wondered if he'd like this version of him…Mr. Gold. If she were alive and got to work at the library, he wondered what their interactions would have been like.

It was a nice thought to have. It was a nice vacation for his head to take instead of thinking about everything he was plotting and planning now. It was crazy trying to pull this off without magic. Times like last night, he felt like it was getting to him. It was frustrating and terrifying. Worst of all, he felt like a coward for admitting it.

He heard the bell chime out in the main room, letting him know someone had wandered in. A moment later, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Mr. Gold? You in here?!"

He rolled his eyes at Emma Swan's footsteps and didn't bother to call out to her. Not only was it undignified to shout, but she didn't seem to have a problem going where she wanted to. She'd find him with or without invitation.

"Mr. Gold," Emma stated as he heard the curtain whip back.

"Just taking inventory," he explained, picking up…it was the genie lamp again that had found its way into his hands, making him shudder all over again. How was it Emma Swan always seemed to find him when he had it in his hands? He took a seat at the table he'd been polishing on, but he wasn't going to be so stupid as to not learn from his mistakes. He wouldn't polish it, not this time, perhaps just appearing as though he was appraising it until she left would work.

"What can I do for you, Miss Swan? Any developments in the case I should be aware of?"

"Yes," the girl breathed frantically. Was that a hint of frustration in her voice? "Regina set her up."

Excellent. "And this surprises you?" he questioned, trying to be careful not to smile or reveal any shock on his face at all. He didn't want to discourage her from going down this road. He wanted to encourage her. "Show me your evidence, and we'll get this over with immediately."

"Yeah, that's the thing," she breathed heavily, leaning against the desk herself. He knew that look, that haunted frustrated gaze. It was a woman who knew the truth but felt powerless. Good. That was motivation. "There isn't any. Anything that's court-worthy. But I know it now."

He smiled. So now she trusted him. Whether or not that trust was well placed for the future, it wasn't just a good thing but a necessary thing in this situation.

"Look who's suddenly become a woman of faith. Why are you here, Miss Swan? To spin conspiracy theories?"

"I need help."

He chuckled appropriately. "From me?"

"Every time I've gone up against Regina, I've lost. Except for once…when I became Sheriff, when you helped."

"As I recall, you don't exactly approve of my methods."

"I approve of your results. And this time, I have something more important than a job. I need to save my friend."

Excellent. Magic or not, he had her right where he wanted her, right where he needed her. This was almost as good as he knew it would feel on the day he finally had her standing before him, ready to kill a dragon for a potion. Almost, but not quite. They still had work to do before they were there yet. The question was how much work. "And you're willing to go as far as it takes?"

"Farther."

"Now we're talking," he smiled. Not much farther at all then. "Fear not, Miss Swan," he breathed, picking up a magnifying glass to examine the lamp closer for no reason at all. "Regina may be powerful, but something tells me you're more powerful than you know."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions for how to exercise that power because right now, everything seems pretty bleak. So…what do we do."

He sighed. "Now…now you do your job, and I'll do mine. Her arraignment will be tomorrow morning before the judge. Either one of us will find something useful, or…both of us will. Care to wish on it?" He offered the genie lamp to her on a whim, but as soon as he'd offered, he realized the danger of what he'd done.

Fortunately, Emma glanced down at the lamp with irritation as if she was upset that was all he had to offer and then turned to leave.

"Have you talked to Sidney lately?" he called out before she could make it through the curtain.

She stopped and turned back to him. "Sidney? Sidney Glass?"

"Well…he used to be Regina's right-hand man, an investigative journalist. It seems to me that if she were to trust anyone, it might be him. The pair of you parted on good terms, if I recall. Might not hurt to have a few allies."

Emma paused for a second as if to consider that fact. Then she let out a sigh and left his shop, not in aggression but determination. He smiled as he got up to put the lamp away and out of reach. He hadn't wished on anything, but if he had, it would have been for what had just happened.

This chapter combines two events that were not long enough to make their own chapters, so I just put the pair of them together, and I think it sort of works. It's mostly a Rumple and Emma chapter. We get so few of those. And I'm rather proud of myself for this one. In general, when I can't remember where the "seen" stuff ends and my stuff starts, then I usually feel as though I've done a pretty good job with the interaction.

Thank you so very, very much, Alarda and Grace5231973, for reviewing the last chapter! I'm thrilled you are enjoying this behind-the-scenes look at some of the details that go into this section! As we continue through the murder section of all this, I hope you'll continue to enjoy these chapters because they will be over before you know it! Peace and Happy Reading!