A/N: Thanks for all your laptop well wishing. It's in a shop being "dried" but my boss is buying me a new one if it's unfixable so all is good again. Also, I have friends coming to visit for 10 days this week so there won't be a chapter on Wednesday for a couple of weeks, sorry!

Emma didn't sleep at all that night. After waiting for over an hour in the interrogation room, Detective Parker returned and announced that no public defender was available to come and represent the blonde. She suspected that was an outcome the detective was entirely aware of and his absence had merely been a ruse to try and frustrate Emma into talking without a lawyer.

To be fair, Emma thought to herself as she looked around the holding cell, predominantly filled with drunkards, an attorney wasn't going to do much good. Her guilt was evident. She had been apprehended at the scene and it would be impossible to deny her involvement. She wasn't sure she even wanted to deny it. She was guilty. Shouldn't she just plead and take her punishment? But something told her to stay put, keep quiet, wait it out.

The night in the holding cell had not only been uncomfortable and noisy but Emma had also felt vulnerable. She doubted anything would actually happen in the midst of a police precinct but she didn't like the way some of the drunk men were looking at her. She had pressed herself as close to the wall as possible and avoiding making eye contact. It was impossible to know how much time had passed as there was no window to the outside world and she couldn't see a clock but, eventually, morning seemed to come.

Emma didn't hold out much hope for a lawyer appearing for her that morning. Did lawyers work on a Saturday? She doubted it.

"Swan."

The bark of her name made her look up at once from staring at her scuffed shoes. Yet another police officer was standing by the bars and beckoned her over. She went, sticking her hands through the bars without prompting.

"Is my lawyer here?" she asked as the metal clicked into place.

"Yep," the officer said, opening the barred door so Emma could walk out into the bullpen.

The two of them entered an interrogation room, identical to the one she had spent a pointless, silent hour in the day before. This one, however, had a young man in a suit sat on one side of the table. Actually, young was an understatement, Emma decided as she was uncuffed. This was a boy, barely through puberty. Surely, surely he wasn't her lawyer.

"Good morning, Miss Swan," he said, extending his hand towards her. "I'm Jackson Dawes, your attorney."

Great, Emma thought to herself as she shook his hand. What use was this child going to be to her? But nevertheless, she sat down and listened to what he had to say.

"So, you've been charged with," he said slowly, rifling through the stack of papers in a file on the table, "um, armed robbery, is that right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Emma nodded. "Pretty sure they mentioned kidnapping and murder too."

"Ah yes," Jackson said, locating the piece of paper he needed at last. "Oh dear. So they arrested you at the scene. They have surveillance footage of you leaving the bank and on the airfield. Looks like an open and shut case to me. Your best bet is to plead guilty and express remorse."

Emma looked dumbfounded at the boy before her. Was that it? Was that his legal advice?

"I'm not pleading guilty to murder," Emma said eventually. "That wasn't me."

"Were you there?"

"Well, technically, I guess. I mean, I wasn't in the room."

"They'll charge you as an accomplice and add second degree felony murder to your crimes then," Jackson said. "Practically carries the same sentence."

"Practically?"

Jackson shrugged. "There's a few years difference but if you're charged with everything else it won't make much of an impact to the number of years you'll serve in the end."

"So … that's it? You can't do anything more for me?"

"Unless there's something you can tell me that might help, no. I mean, you're not denying your involvement, right?"

Emma hung her head. "No."

"And you're not suffering from any mental illnesses, right?"

"I don't think I'd be eligible for an insanity defence, no," Emma replied.

"Then, yeah, there's nothing more I can do for you. You'll be questioned now and you'll give your statement to the police before you're formally charged. You won't be arraigned until Monday though. Judges don't work at the weekend, unlike foolish public defenders," he added under his breath.

"But … it wasn't my idea," Emma said, a last ditch attempt.

"Whose idea was it?"

"Neal's," Emma said.

"Well perhaps you can testify against him and get some time off your sentence if he's trying to plead not guilty."

"Neal is dead," Emma said dully, ignoring the fact that this man evidently knew next to nothing about her case.

She recognised that she should feel more about the demise of her former friend. But perhaps there were only a limited number of emotions a human being was capable of feeling at any given time and currently hers were consumed with guilt, fear, confusion, anger, betrayal and regret. And … something else. Loss? Brown eyes swam into her mind, wide and earnest and full of something Emma didn't quite recognise.

Regina barely slept that night either. But she didn't move from her bed when morning came except to use her ensuite. Slipping back beneath the thick duvet, she snuggled beneath the warm covers again and closed her eyes. She didn't expect sleep to come but it was better than staring at the ceiling.

A knock on the door forced her to face the world.

"Regina, my princess. Danny is here to see you," her father's voice called through the door.

Danny. She had all but forgotten about him. Or at least he had barely entered her mind. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to see anyone, not even Zelena who had begged Regina to allow her to come over and visit the previous evening. She had told the redhead no, that she needed time. But she hadn't told Danny. She hadn't even spoken to him.

"I'll meet him downstairs, Daddy," she said eventually, not wanting the young man to see her looking so … dishevelled. "I just need to shower."

"Ok, Princess," her father said. "We'll see you in a bit. Would you like some breakfast?"

"No thank you," Regina replied as she forced herself out of bed and back into her ensuite.

She turned the shower's dial right up, the room filling with steam as she shed her satin sleepwear. Hissing slightly as the first few scalding drops met her skin, she inched her way slowly beneath the burning jets. Once her body grew accustomed, or numbed, to the heat, it was almost enjoyable. She made sure not to get her face wet, her sutures leaving her lip tender so she'd wash

in the sink afterwards. The rest of her body, however, she scrubbed.

It was the first shower she had had since the ordeal. She had gone straight to bed after returning from the hospital. She went through the rhythmic motions of shampooing and conditioning her hair first. Then, with her loofer loaded up with her favourite apple body wash, she set to work getting clean. She started at her feet, the suds building at once. Making her way up her slender

calves she washed away the events of the day before. She scrubbed harder at the side of her thigh where Emma's finger had brushed, tears forming at the memory.

Moving up, she scrubbed her thighs, then her stomach, skating over her breasts and sliding down each arm. The soap on her neck worked to remove any trace of the arms which had wrapped, had pressed against her skin. She scrubbed harder, tears leaking from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks to drip and join the shower water coiling down the drain. At last, she moved to wash between her legs before rinsing out the material and then her body. Even after the last of the bubbles had disappeared from view, she stood under the scorching water, allowing it to soak into her hair, eyes closed.

"Regina?"

The call through the closed door of her bathroom was from her mother.

"Yeah," she called back.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine," Regina replied.

"Danny is waiting for you." Even with everything Regina had gone through, Cora wanted to uphold the correct etiquette and it was rude to keep your visitors waiting, even if they were uninvited.

"I'm coming," Regina replied with a sigh as she reached for the tap and turned off the flow of water.

Stepping out of the shower, the cool air hit her burning skint, goosebumps erupting at once. Towelling herself down, Regina moved to the sink and washed her face quickly, careful to avoid her lip. She also avoided her reflection. Face clean, she moved through to her bedroom and began to get dressed. She knew she ought to make an effort for Danny but she didn't have the energy. She pulled on her favourite pair of jeans and picked up a t-shirt she had discarded on the floor a few days earlier. Before … everything.

With her hair towel-dried, she deemed herself presentable, or at least as presentable as she was going to be. Opening the door to her bedroom, she half expected to find one or both of her parents loitering in the corridor beyond but it was empty. Barefoot, she set off towards the sweeping staircase which led to the lower floor. In the entrance hall, she paused to listen, wondering where Danny would be waiting. Voices told her that he and her parents were in the front living room. She headed towards them.

"Regina," Danny said, jumping to his feet as soon as she poked her head around the doorframe. "Are you ok?"

Bad first question, Regina thought to herself as the young man walked towards her, arms outstretched. She let him envelop her, arms hanging loosely at her sides.

"Come and sit down," Danny said, guiding her to the couch, seeming not to care that she hadn't replied nor hugged him back. "Would you like some tea?"

"Coffee," Regina replied.

Danny set about pouring some of the rich caffeinated drink for her. Regina glanced at her parents who were sat on the couch opposite them.

"You look flushed," Cora said, taking in the reddish tinge to her daughter's tanned skin. "Are you sick?"

"Hot shower," Regina muttered, taking the cup of coffee with a nod of thanks.

"Your parents were telling me how brave you were, Regina," Danny said as he sat down next to the brunette. "You called 911?"

"Yeah," Regina nodded, sipping her coffee and ignoring the sting as the liquid hit her cut.

"Is that why they -?" He fell silent, eyes locked on the gash which had appeared overnight on the young woman's beautiful face.

"No," Regina replied shortly.

"Oh," Danny replied. "Um, does it hurt?"

"A bit."

"They didn't hurt you … anywhere else?"

"No."

"Good."

They fell silent. Danny looked uncomfortable after the stilted conversation had come to an end. Regina appeared not to notice and took another sip of her coffee.

"Regina, we got you a new phone," Henry said, pushing the box towards his daughter. "And last night Fitzgerald collected your

car. It's in the garage for you. Here's the key." He handed over the item. "And we've already backed the phone up from the cloud so it's like nothing happened."

Cora winced at her husband's poor choice of words. The loss of her cell phone wasn't going to be the traumatising element from the previous day, even for a twenty-first century teenager. But Regina said nothing and reached for the device with a nod of thanks.

"You lost your phone?" Danny asked. "Is that why you didn't text me?"

"Yeah," Regina nodded, taking the out he offered her. In reality, if her cells hadn't been broken, cracked under the angry, betrayed heel of Emma, it was doubtful the boy would have received a text.

For something to do, she slid the cell from its new box and turned it on. Her father was right; it was as if nothing had changed as the device fired up with her settings already configured. She clicked on her photo app, just to make sure, followed by her messages and then the contacts. A quick scroll through confirmed everything had imported successfully. Her eyes locked on one

name near the top of the list.

"I, um, I'm tired," Regina said. "Sorry, but I think I'm going to go back to bed."

She stood up, causing Danny to leap to his feet at once. "Of course, let me walk you up."

Regina nodded her agreement, if only to speed up the process of him leaving. The two of them left the room and walked up to her bedroom in silence. Outside the door, he paused.

"Thanks for coming to see me," Regina said, hand resting on the handle.

"Of course. I was worried."

Regina managed to force a smile at that. "I'm fine. Or I guess I will be. I'm tired now though."

"Ok, no problem. But … will you call me? You know, when you're feeling better?"

"Sure," Regina said. "Bye, Danny."

Before she could turn away, the man bent down and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. She knew it was supposed to be sweet but the gesture made her stomach coil. Rooted to the spot, she waited until he pulled back.

"Bye, Regina," he said, a lopsided smile on his face. She used to love that smile. It used to make her insides melt. But that morning she felt nothing.

Regina nodded briskly and turned her handle, stepping back into the darkness of her bedroom. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she pulled out her cell and made a call.

"Keep your answers brief. Tell the truth. And don't elaborate," Jackson had said to Emma when the detective appeared to take her statement.

She had done just that, guiding them through the events and answering their questions. It was over before she realised and she was escorted back to the holding cell, Jackson telling her he'd see her on Monday morning for the arraignment.

As the day wore on, the precinct became busier. The cell emptied somewhat as those who had been brought in drunk sobered up and left. Many of them had been locked up for their own good rather than for any specific crime and so, clutching their throbbing heads with their possessions returned to them, they shuffled out into the warm August air.

Only a few individuals remained with Emma. Lily and Peter were nowhere to be seen. They were deliberately being kept separate, she was sure of that. But what she didn't know is what was happening to them. Were they being charged with the same crimes as her? Had Lily told them she had been the one to fire the shot? Emma has said, truthfully in her interview, that she hadn't seen

the incident which had led to the death of a civilian.

"Excuse me," Emma said to a passing officer. The young woman paused and looked at her with visible distain. It was a look she had received numerous times since she had been living on the streets. "Um, please may I use the restroom?"

The officer begrudgingly went to retrieve the key to the holding cell to let Emma out. These short walks to the bathroom were fast becoming the highlight of Emma's day; at least it was a chance to stretch her legs. Once they reached the toilets, her handcuffs were removed and the officer loitered outside the cubicle for her. The first time she had experienced this, Emma had felt self

conscious but now she just needed to pee.

"Are we getting fed soon?" she asked the officer as she washed her hands. She hadn't eaten anything since before the robbery and her stomach was growling angrily.

"Sure, soon, I guess," the officer said, reattaching Emma's handcuffs and leading her back out into the bullpen.

The blonde tried to relish the short walk to the holding cell. It was the closest thing to freedom she had in that moment. But it was impossible to forget about the cold metal pressed against the flesh of her wrists. She wasn't free, far from it. Back in the cage, for that was what the holding cell was, the cuffs were removed and she sat back down in the corner she now came to think of as 'hers'.

With the lecherous drunk men from the day before gone, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

As soon as the call was made, Regina changed her clothes. She replaced her t-shirt with a cream silk blouse, a black camisole underneath making the plunging neckline presentable. She paired this with a black pencil skirt before trying to style her half dried hair. It wasn't as perfect as it usually was, she mused as she gazed into the mirror, but it would do.

She decided to forego lipstick but gently poked at the sutured skin, just to test it. The action produced a dull ache. With a little eyeliner in place and her new cell phone stuffed into a handbag, she was ready.

The only questions now was how to get out of the house without her parents seeing. Regina didn't usually sneak around behind her parents' backs and their trust in her and her own responsibility earned her relative freedom. The day after she had been held hostage, however, Regina presumed she wouldn't be allowed to go galavanting around the city. And she also knew they would not approve of her plans were they to discover the details.

Leaving her room, she crept, for there was no other word for it, along the hallway and paused at the top of the stairs. Everything was silent. She made her way down barefoot before pausing again. Nothing. Crossing to the door which led to the garage, Regina slipped her feet into some black pumps and let herself, quietly out of the house.

There was something strange about being back in her car. This was the last environment she had been in before everything changed. In fact, she remembered, it was because of her car that she had been at the bank in the first place. Why did she have to be so materialistic? It was evident, even to a father who gave his daughter everything, that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. But Regina had insisted and that stubbornness had led to the worst day of her life. Except … if

she hadn't gone, she wouldn't have met Emma.

Steering out of the garage and onto the busy New York street, Regina focused on her plan. It was a foolish plan, perhaps. And she knew the moment her parents found out there would be hell to play, coupled with, presumably the plan ceasing to be enacted. But she had to try.

When she pulled up outside the building, she could already see Tilly Bell waiting on the steps, squinting in the bright sunlight and looking disgruntled at being asked to work at the weekend. Regina climbed out of the car and waved before crossing the street and climbing up to meet the petite blonde.

"Hey Tink," Regina said, using the woman's nickname. She couldn't remember the origin of it but her parents always referred to the attorney in such a way.

"Hi," Tink said, forcing a smile as she took in Regina. "I heard what happened. How are you?"

Regina shrugged. She still wasn't sure how to answer that question. "Have you been inside yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you. Are you sure you don't want your parents here. Wouldn't they want to know what's happening as much as you do?"

Regina had specifically requested that the family lawyer did not call her parents when she had asked her to meet her at the precinct. She and Tink had always got on well, and Regina wasn't exactly a problem teen so the lawyer didn't have to spend her evenings bailing her out of holding.

As a result, she had complied with the request.

"Let's go in," Regina said, ignoring the question.

Tink hesitated for a moment and then continued up the steps and into the police precinct. Regina hot on her heels. The inside of the large building was cool; a welcome escape from the climbing August heat. Regina looked around and wondered for a moment whether she was doing the right thing. But then the sergeant manning the front desk beckoned them forwards and the two women approached.

"Hello, I'm Tilly Bell and this is Regina Mills. We're here about the arrests made after the bank robbery," the attorney said before Regina could speak.

The sergeant's eyes snapped to Regina and widened in recognition. "Miss Miss, yes, we have three offenders in custody. They're waiting to be arraigned in court on Monday morning."

"Good," Tink said. "What are the charges?"

But before the sergeant could answer, Regina jumped in. "Actually, we'd like to speak to one of them. Emma."

Both the sergeant and Tink looked at Regina, mouths open. It was Tink who found her words first.

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to represent her," Regina said to her lawyer. "I assume Emma hasn't secured her own legal aid yet?"

"Um, a public defender came to see her this morning," the sergeant said, having been the one to sign in Jackson Dawes a couple of hours earlier. "She's in holding until the court appearance on Monday."

"So we can see her?"

The sergeant glanced at Tink, thoroughly confused. The lawyer held up a single finger, indicating that the sergeant should wait and pulled Regina away from the desk.

"Hey, what the hell? You brought me down to represent the person who did that," she pointed to Regina's lip, "to you?"

"Emma didn't do this. She was the one who was kind to me. She protected me. I probably owe her my life."

"But she was still part of the group of armed criminals who robbed a bank and kidnapped you, right? Just so I'm clear on the details."

Regina narrowed her eyes at the sarcastic tone. "I was under the impression that you work for me and my family on retainer. Which means that whichever legal issue we require assistance with, you're ready to represent us, correct?"

"Yes, Regina, I work for the Mills family, not this Emma person."

"And if I tell you to represent Emma, is that not an order from a client?" Regina asked, arms folded across her racing chest.

"I … no, Regina, that's not how it works. And what on earth do you think your parents are going to say about this."

Tink went to reach for her cell but Regina's hand stilled the movement. "No, don't call them."

There was a hesitation as Tink took in the conflicted emotions on Regina's face before the cell returned to her bag. "Regina, I can't do this."

Regina hung her head. It wasn't as if she had thought Tink would go along with her plan at once. Clearly it was insane. But she had to try.

"Will … will you just meet with her? I promise you she's not the monster you're imagining. She's just a scared kid who got with the wrong people. I know she's going to have to face the consequences of what happened yesterday but she doesn't deserve to be punished as harshly as I know my father and the commissioner are going to push for. She needs someone on her side, in her corner. Emma's never had that and for once in her life, she needs someone fighting for her future."

There was another long pause as Tink looked at the earnest eighteen year old. She and Regina weren't particularly close but she could tell that this request, that this person, meant a lot to the young woman.

"Fine," she said eventually. "I'll meet with her. But it goes no further than that until I speak to your parents. I kinda like working for you guys, even if you come to me with ridiculous requests, and I don't want to lose my job."

"Deal, thank you Tink," Regina said, a sigh of relief escaping.

Tink nodded and returned to the sergeant. "We'll be needing a private room with Emma. I'm considering representing her."

The eyebrows on the sergeant rose so high they disappeared under her fringe but eventually she picked up the phone and made a call. "Go on up," she said when the call had ended, waving to the stairs to the right of the desk.

There were thirty two iron bars on one side of the holding cell. The other side had forty eight bars. The two remaining walls were the bare bricks of the precinct. The ceiling tiles alternated between light and dark grey. There were thirty tiles across the the width of the bullpen and fifty six along the length. There were no windows. There were eight desks, only four of which were occupied by the weekend shift. A single pot plant in the corner was drooping sadly. Not long after they had been served their breakfast of toast and some fruit, someone splashed water onto the parched soil in the pot but Emma doubted the plant would be revived.

She was bored. It had been only two hours since her meeting with Dawes. How was she going to get through the next two days before her court appearance? That said, she knew the completion of that milestone would lead to the next stage. Without anyone to pay her bail, even if it was granted, she'd be sent to prison to await trial. Maybe the boring police precinct wasn't so bad after all.

The clicking of heels on the tiled floor made her look up. All the police officers wore sensible shoes, as if expecting a foot chase to break out any minute. Two women, her ears told her, had entered the space. The first to appear was a short blonde, dark rimmed glasses perched on her slender nose. She carried a large black handbag and the power suit told Emma immediately that

she was a lawyer.

Behind the lawyer, a second woman was walking, gaze scanning the bullpen as they entered. Emma let out a gasp and leapt to her feet as soon as she registered who it was. Her fellow companions turned to regard her with curiosity.

"Regina," Emma breathed out, making her way over to the bars and closer to the young brunette whose eyes had at last found her own.

A/N: someone said in a review that they could imagine a Tink being a lawyer so, here you go!