Meanwhile, David was in Regina's mayoral office, looking at everything the Wicked Witch had done when she was there the previous night. Seeing if she left any clues behind as to who she was. To see if they could track her. And find her.
He wasn't the only one there, however. There was the Doctor, and River Song, too, who searched in the opposite corner. And his daughter, Emma, was also there.
David looked into the centre of the room and slowly approached it. A faint … footprint. "I think I have a partial footprint," he told the others and knelt to better look at it. "You guys see anything?"
"No," the Doctor said. "This witch, she's smart. Which means we have to be smarter."
Emma joined her father and looked at the partial footprint he was looking at. "Is that blood?" she asked.
David picked up a piece and sniffed at it. "No. It's a berry."
"Like the fruit?" River asked.
"No, no," David said, getting back up. "Like a holly berry. They grow on bushes."
"Excellent, David. I'm impressed," the Doctor said.
"I used to work in an animal shelter. I saw dogs track them all the time. The bushes grow out in the woods."
"You know where?" Emma asked.
"Yeah. In the northwest corner. Not far from the toll bridge," David replied when he heard his phone vibrating. Clearing his throat, David got it from his pocket and checked it.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked.
"Uh, Mary Margaret needs me to come back to the loft," David said. "We're getting a midwife, and she wants to meet the both of us."
"Go. We've got this," River told him.
"We just got on track here," David protested.
"And we've got it covered. She needs you," Emma said. "Just meet us when you get done."
David sighed, then turned to leave the office. "All right."
Zelena was already at the loft, and she was at the table, sitting with Mary Margaret, while they talked and waited for David to come home. Zelena laughed at what Mary Margaret had told her. About when David first met her. "No. He caught you in a net?"
"Well, I had just robbed his carriage," Mary Margaret said.
"Oh, my God," Zelena laughed. "You two have got quite a love story."
"Well …" Mary Margaret said when David walked in. "Well, speak of the handsome devil. Zelena, this is David."
Zelena stood up and turned to David. "Mr Nolan," she said, extending her right arm. "It's so lovely to meet you."
David shook her hand and then joined his wife's side. "Okay. So … I'm here. Shall we get this started?"
"Oh. It sounds like you mean 'shall we get this finished?'" Mary Margaret murmured.
"No, no. I am here. Let's do this."
"Before we begin, I'm gonna get us a cup of tea."
"No, no, no," Zelena said as she got up. "Let me make you some tea. After all, that's what I'm here for." She walked over to the kitchen bench. "To make your life as easy as possible." She turned on the stove and began to heat some water.
Mary Margaret leaned into David. "I mean, isn't she wonderful?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. She seems perfect," David whispered back. But she seemed too perfect. "But can we trust her? We hardly know her?"
"It's entirely possible we were all friends in our missing year."
"And it's possible we weren't. But, look, I wish we knew more about her. It's not like we can ask for references from a missing year."
The whistling from the tea kettle stopped, and Zelena turned off the oven. "She knew Johanna," Mary Margaret said to David.
"Your nanny growing up?" David asked. "Yes. They were friends."
David sighed. "Huh. Small world."
David. "If any part of this feels wrong to you, to either one of us, we can always change our minds. So let's hear her out, right?"
David nodded. "Mmm."
However, when Zelena was making the cups of tea, she had used the nightroot that she had stolen from Mr Gold's shop earlier. She crushed it in her hand, turned it into powder and dropped it into David's cup. "Here we go," she said, bringing the three cups over to the table. "I hope chamomile is okay. I've found it's excellent for the nerves."
"Perfect," Mary Margaret said with a smile.
David was halfway through his cup of tea as he listened to Zelena talk. The tea did seem to be calming him.
"Now, you've already gone through labour once," Zelena began, "so at least you know what to expect."
"Oh, yes. We both do," Mary Margaret said. "I don't think your hand has recovered from my squeezing it," she told David.
"Well, it's been almost 30 years. I'm sure it'll heal," David said.
"Well, keep in mind, the second birth can progress much faster than the first," Zelena told them.
"Well, that's putting it mildly," Mary Margaret said. "I seem to have gone from zero to due date in the blink of an eye."
Zelena looked at David. "How's our father doing?"
"Oh, me?" David asked. "Oh, fine. Great." He chuckled.
"Well, Mary Margaret told me earlier about what happened in the first curse. And losing your daughter is tragic. But, look, I don't mean to pry, but she did express some anxiety about all this."
David looked over at his wife. "You did?"
"David, we're missing a year of memories in the Enchanted Forest," Mary Margaret said. "We suddenly find ourselves in Storybrooke about to have a baby. It's a bit disconcerting."
"I think it's best to get these anxieties out," Zelena stated. "Feelings, especially those we keep bottled up, can affect a pregnancy just as diet and exercise. So, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you've got any fears about any of this, it's best to get it out into the open."
"I don't," David said, then sighed. "Whatever's coming, we'll get through it. We always do."
Zelena chuckled and smiled. "Well, cheers to that then," She said, and the three of them clinked their cups together and took another drink. "You are so lucky to have such a brave husband. So fearless. Speaking of which, Mary Margaret alluded that we pulled you away from some important town business. I think we've done enough for today. We should just let you get back to it."
David nodded and got up. So did Zelena, and the two shook hands. "It was wonderful to meet you, Mr Nolan," Zelena added.
"Uh, David. Nice to meet you, too, Zelena." "The pleasure is all mine."