AHHHH Hey guys! Sorry I took forever to post this chapter, school was kicking my ass and I wanted to get this right. It would really help if you tell me what you think about the story so far! If you're interested in seeing where this is all going to end up. If you like Veronica, anything! Any feedback is greatly appreciated :) Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

"I'm what?" Veronica shook off Emma's hands as they tightened around her, cream colored hands meeting caramel wrists, sliding silver cuffs clinking together in an ominous tune. The cuffs prevented Veronica from much movement, limiting her to spin around in confusion, like a fox caught in a trap. Her brown eyes met pale green and Emma lowered her gaze, staring at a non-existent stain on her red leather jacket.

"Ron, don't fight me on this. I know you didn't do anything but I have to follow along with proper procedure or the DA is going to hang me. Please?" Emma pleaded.

"I don't even know who Lumir is, Emma, I have only been here two days!" Veronica expressed bewildered. She was now being ushered down the stairs and through the front door of the B&B, towards the flashing blue and red lights of the squad car. She dug her feet into the welcome mat at the entrance to the small inn. With a light shove Emma got her moving again and Veronica thought that if she wasn't being arrested, it would have been a truly comical sight to witness. Like a disgruntled owner taking a Boxer puppy to the park for the first time, dragging her away from every tree.

"Try your hardest to not say anything until we get back to the station." Emma whispered to her as they approached her car, seeing the DA Albert Spencer walk towards them. He oozed authority with his suit finely pressed and he had gold rings gracing his fingers, adorned with jewels. He stood tall and struck an imposing sight, his icy blue eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled menacingly at Veronica. There was no sympathy in this man's eyes.

"I supposed you expected a different welcoming committee than this, Miss Campos. Pleased to finally meet you." He mocked a bow and looked at her condescendingly, his voice like a jackal.

"A little too pleased, it seems." She answered flatly.

He glanced at Emma, his sunken eyes meeting hers. "Take her back to the station, we will continue there." Emma gave a curt nod as she guided Veronica into the backseat. Veronica watched as Granny stood at the porch in her night gown embroidered with red flowers, the old woman pushing past officers who were barging into the establishment and up the stairs to Veronica's room.

She could practically see the fury in Granny's eyes, claiming they had no right to enter her establishment. No right to take the young woman away. No right at all.

Veronica sat in the backseat, Storybrooke night scene flashing before her eyes. She passed the drunken patrons of the Rabbit Hole, the women in scantily clad clothing barely covering their goods. She looked on at the greasy men leering at them and offering beefy arms to help steady the women.

She saw the fiery orange leaves of the trees that she had loved so much when she returned. Was that only yesterday? She wondered how she had managed to land herself in the back of a police car within less than 48 hours of her return. A police car that Emma, Emma, was driving.

Emma, the girl that used to encourage them to ditch class to explore in the woods. Emma, the girl that avoided authority figures at all cost in their youth.

Veronica was extremely happy that her dear friend found her place in this small town. Not too happy about being arrested by her though.

"You doing alright there, bud?" Emma hesitantly asked.

Veronica leaned her head back against the seat and shut her eyes.

The police station was bright with fluorescent lights and was cold and smelled like dust. Veronica entered the building with eyes squinted, wishing she at least had the use of her hands to shield her eyes from the harsh light and brush the hair out of her face. Bright lights combined with her vision blocked by a wall of hair was a recipe for her death.

Veronica looked down at her boots clicking against the checkered tile floors as she was brought into the room with the holding cell. If it wasn't for Emma steering her in the right direction she was bound to have knocked something over by now because she refused to look up. She still didn't look up as Emma opened the door to the holding cell and assured her she would return shortly and they would figure this all out. She held her hands out and when she heard the cuffs fall of her wrists she shook her hands, shaking off the numbness that occurred. Veronica paced back and forth, knuckles white as she clenched her fists.

"You know I hate that Emma, you know." She looked up at Emma with hurt in her eyes and Emma just nodded with her head hung low.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry okay? It's not like I could have just been like 'Oh hey Ron do me a favor and get into my squad car and not run away'. We both know that you would! Ron, that would've been an even bigger mess than this. It was either start a massive man hunt and chase you or get you into the cuffs. What was I supposed to do?" Emma held her hands up in frustration as if asking what other option she had. Veronica knew she was right and did what she was supposed to do but she wasn't very happy about it.

"You know how it freaks me out though. Not being able to move. Not knowing when I'll be released. It's like putting a collar on a bear, it's obviously gonna freak out!" She had her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, Veronica, you are a grown ass woman and NOT a bear!"

"How was I supposed to know everything is going to be okay, Emma? In case you haven't noticed, NOTHING has been okay! Nothing in my life has been okay. And now when you put me in handcuffs I'm supposed to what, gleefully laugh and just agree! Be accused of murder and just be like 'lol k'?!"

The two girls stood fuming at each other.

"I'll be back when you're reasonable." And with that, Emma stomped out of the small room.

Veronica felt like a caged animal. Not only was she in a jail cell but she also just had the argument of a lifetime with one of her closest friends.

Her weariness of handcuffs dated back to their youth. One of the girls (Ruby), had bought a pair of cuffs and decided that they should play a game. The point of the game was that there was one girl in handcuffs, taken blindfolded to a location by one of the other girls who was her "keeper". The Keeper would send clues to the other two girls about their location and where they could find the captive.

One summer evening the girls decided to play and nominated Veronica as the first captive. Emma was her Keeper and Snow and Ruby were the Rescuers, Ruby being amazingly good at tracking people and Snow being light and quick on her feet when a chase occurred.

Emma and Veronica giggled and laughed all the way to a secret location, where it was cold, damp, and eerie. Emma removed the blindfold from Veronica's eyes but the cuffs remained on. Glancing around, she saw they sat in a cave.

"Oh, shit. I think I hear them coming!" Emma whispered, picking up her blue Nerf gun.

Veronica stifled a laugh as she watched Emma animatedly roll around the small cave, jumping and hiding behind rocks.

"Oh, just you wait! They will rescue me soon and you will be stoned for your crimes!" Veronica laughed, speaking in a heavy Victorian accent.

"Silence, wench!"

Emma suddenly took off running, blonde hair flying in the wind and Veronica was left alone.

There was a dripping sound in the cave, a puddle forming off in the distance with murky water. The ceiling of the cave was oddly smooth, the grey rock covering her head was spotted with moss. However, the rocks surrounding her on the ground were sharp and jagged and she stayed clear of those.

In her sitting position she could hardly move and was hoping the game would come to a close soon enough as the sky was turning a deep purple and the temperature constantly dropping. Plus, she had no idea where she was, seeing as Emma was an expert at picking mysterious locations.

She started to hum softly when she heard movement at the entrance to the small abode. Craning her head slowly, peering over jagged edges, she saw nothing. She went back to humming her little song, some chart topper she couldn't get out of her head, and thought nothing of it.

Once again, she heard a rustle.

"Okay, you guys, this isn't cool, and I know you're out there! Come on, I wanna go home now it's getting really cold in here…" She paused when she heard a low growl.

"Shit." Her heart was pounding against her chest so loud that she was sure that whatever being out there could hear it. It was like it was saying "come get me, come get me, come get me" and taunting her predator.

She tried to crouch down even lower and wiggle out of the cuffs but they wouldn't budge. She was stuck there in a corner and couldn't even defend herself.

Yellow eyes came into view and she stifled a whimper. A starved wolf emerged from the shadows, baring his teeth at her. One heavy paw stepped in front of the other as he continued closer. His ears were pricked back and the large gray wolf was snarling.

Backing up as quick as she could, tears stung Veronica's eyes as she slipped and scrambled, cuffs scraping her hands as she tried to wrangle loose.

"No, no, no, no…NO" She screamed as the animal made to pounce on her, ripping her to shreds. She thought about her friends finding her body mangled. She thought of the town talking about how that one silly girl was torn apart by a wolf and that would be her legacy.

Everything moved slowly. She saw those yellow eyes flash menacingly and right before he lurched she heard a loud shriek.

Ruby stood at the foot of the cave and threw a stone the size of a softball at the wolf and it hit the beast in the temple and it cried out in pain. The animal forgot about Veronica as he turned to the source and looked upon Ruby, standing against the purple sky with her fire engine red lips and hazel eyes. Curiously, the wolf's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Ruby and he slowly backed away. He back pedaled never taking his eyes off of her, leaving the cave and running off into the distance.

"Ronnie are you okay?!" Ruby cried as she pushed the hair from Veronica's face which was soaked with tears.

"I couldn't…" sob "There was no way" sob "I couldn't protect myself…my hands…I couldn't even get up." She cried into Ruby's shoulder. Ruby put her arms around her to hug her and assured her that Snow and Emma were only seconds away.

Veronica was terrified, hated that feeling of being helpless. She let Ruby console her as her heart rate slowed and she stopped sniffling all over Ruby's clothes.

As Ruby pulled back her palm was stained red.

"Ron, looks like you cut yourself on the rocks are you sure you're okay?"

"Honestly," she sniffed, "I can't feel anything right now."

Ruby raised the end of Veronica's t-shirt and winced.

"Alright, come on, you. We're going to the hospital."

She seethed, pacing across the small holding cell with her brows furrowed, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from growling. She was tired and angry and confused. She let her long legs make three strides in one direction before she turned once more, over and over again. Her lean arms flexed as she made a fist, her nails digging into her skin. She wanted to bleed. She wanted to feel. In one swift motion, Veronica kicked her leg up to slam it hard against the bars, shaking them, the sound resonating loudly. Her chest heaved and even letting off some steam as she just did didn't even console her.

She alternated between putting her dark hair up and down, pulling out a few strands in the process. How, she thought, how did this evening come to this?

With a sigh she slumped onto the hard cot that reeked of moth balls and held her face in her palms.

"Oh well don't stop now, dearie, you were the perfect imitation of a lioness."

She froze. Even her lungs and probably her heart stopped working as she tilted her head to that taunting accent. Mr. Gold sat in the holding cell next to hers, his body turned so he can watch her with ease. In her anger she hadn't even bothered checking the cell next to her, figuring she was alone this whole time.

"You." She hissed.

"Nice evening, I presume? What on earth brought you in here?" His eyes danced like he knew the answer already. She noticed he was still dressed impeccably but he had changed out of the suit she had seen him in only a few hours ago. She rose quickly and marched to the bars separating the two of them.

"You did this. What did you do?! What could I have possibly have done to warrant this?" She was fuming and desperation creeped into her voice and she panted. Gold stood up and straightened his suit jacket as he walked lazily over to her.

"In case you haven't noticed, dearie, I am in here as well. Trust me, if I had wanted to blame you I would have done it so expertly that not a single thread of anything would lead back to me. I am as lost as you are." He looked almost apologetic as he watched her rage turn to confusion and she hung her head and leaned against the bars.

"What do you know?"

"Well, after departing with you I retired back to my home. I had poured myself a glass of whiskey when they came for me, claiming I was involved in the murder of a Lumir Warwick."

"I don't even know who that is."

She looked at him solemnly and tired. She came back to escape trouble. She thought that coming back to Storybrooke would grant her peace and she would be able to redeem herself. She had envisioned her and the girls laughing and dancing. Smiling and happy. She imagined herself reading under the grey sky with her nose tucked behind a scarf and a beanie covering her ears. She imagined drinking coffee at Granny's in the morning and doodling on the newspaper as she watched the patrons. She imagined so many things, so many things far from spending her night in a jail cell next to the notorious Mr. Gold. She thought she deserved better than this.

She bit her bottom lip hard, drawing blood as her eyebrows furrowed. She turned to look at her neighbor as he cleared his throat.

"Actually, dearie, you sort of do. Lumir was the man I was doing…business with earlier this evening. But I swear the last I saw of him was when he rushed past you." He stared at her as he watched this information process.

"Are you fucking serious."

"Quite."

Before she could reach through the bars and grab the lapels of his jacket to shake him, they were interrupted by Emma, Albert Spencer, and a few other members of the force. The tension in the air thickened and Gold, who was relaxed while speaking with Veronica, stiffened immediately. He walked to the center of his cell and glared past Emma to Spencer. It amazed Veronica how quickly he can go from calm to seething with hatred. It made her wonder what he was truly capable of. She knew he was ruthless, feared, and intelligent beyond comparison. She also knew he was cunning and secretive, the type to extend his hand at a person only to plunge the knife into their back the second they rose. She watched this man and his rigid stance, wondering what he knows, wondering what he can do. At the moment it seemed like her fate lay more in his hands than in the hands of the law. She said a silent prayer as he opened his mouth to speak, and for once, Veronica thought it best for her to only observe.

"Spencer. I suggest you let Miss Campos and I out of your disease filled holding cell. Don't you think?" There was an edge to his voice as he challenged the district attorney, and Veronica immediately winced. God dammit, Gold. She thought.

"Not so fast there, Gold. You may have been able to weasel yourself out of prior situations but not this one. We have witnesses who claimed to see you and Miss Campos exit a dark alley where Lumir ran from. He was bloodied. Distraught. Curiously, he was in debt to you. And even more curiously," he sneered "His dead body was found an hour later." Spencer squared his shoulders in victory, seeing no way out for Gold.

"I may have had a quarrel with Mr. Warwick before he was found dead. That does not mean I killed the man. Let alone, Miss Campos kill him. What would be her motive? What is her crime? Being a companion to a poor, old, soul." Veronica watched as he oozed on the charm, knowing exactly how he escaped so many things in the past. That wicked tongue of his.

"I'm not your companion, Gold." Her words came back to her. "Listen, I have been here not even two days. I don't know this man and I am extremely sorry that a life was lost. But I have had nothing to do with any of this. I don't even understand how I was dragged into this, really." She walked over to the green bars blocking her from freedom, grasping them tightly.

"I find it no small coincidence that everything is peaceful here until you show up. You arrive in Storybrooke, immediately co-conspire with Gold, and then a man dies. Coincidence?" Spencer asked.

"I am not in any way even friends with Gold. It just so happens that he is the person I coincidentally run into the most." Veronica's voice was slowly rising, as it does when she becomes angry. She has had enough.

"Well, Miss Campos, can you tell us what happened before you met Gold in the alley? Did you see him do anything? Was he hurting, Mr. Warwick? Was he threatening him? Tell us." Spencer approached the cell and Veronica glanced behind him at Emma, who was worrying her lip. Emma, her golden hair spilled over one shoulder and her eyes wide mouthed "tell the truth".

Veronica took a moment to think before she answered. She could easily admit that she saw Gold beat the living daylights out of the man. She could walk away free and be asleep in her bed in a few hours. She can go back to finding a normal and peaceful life here, go back to what she had originally planned. She opened her mouth to speak but saw Gold out of the corner of her eye.

She looked at him. His chocolate brown eyes met her own and instead of his usual smirk, his lips were pressed into a thin line. His eyes betrayed nothing but she could sense how uneasy he really was. She knew that it was usually he who held people's lives in his own hand, not the other way around. For the first time in who knows how long, he was forced to stand back and watch the events of his life unfold without his permission. Veronica's mouth was still slightly agape as they made eye contact. He looked neither threatening nor imposing. He looked like a man.

Oh, fuck me. She thought, as she turned back to Spencer. "I saw nothing."

Spencer's grin faltered and she saw Emma bang her fist against the table. Veronica took another deep breath and released her hold on the bars, not wanting to glance at Gold's surely smug face.

"Nothing. Sorry, sir. Wish I could've been of assistance." She faked a sigh and went to turn towards the cot, knowing she would be here the rest of the night, when a hand lashed out at her. She was dragged back towards the bars by Spencer, Emma and Mr. Gold shouting "HEY" in unison as Veronica was roughly handled.

"Are. You. Sure. This is your last chance at freedom you insolent girl. You do not know the cost of your words, I'm sure. Do not lie to me, I know you saw something." Spencer was speaking so forcefully that his spit was flying into her face and she blinked rapidly. His eyes were narrowed and there was a wickedness exploding to the surface. She knew then that this was not a man of the law. Justice was not on his agenda for his agenda only dealt with his wants. He was the epitome of every crooked cop in those crime shows and movies she loved. He was a man who did things by force.

She felt that force as his hand gripped her slight wrist even tighter. Before she could wrench her hand away a slim pale one covered Spencer's own aged hand. Veronica looked up to see Emma, with her flashing blue eyes and her rosy cheeks flushing with anger.

"Let her go. This isn't how you get answers." She urged as she peeled his hand from Veronica's bruising wrist.

"Thanks." Veronica mumbled, and she turned away to sit on her cot, dust rising as she plopped down. Spencer and Emma were participating in a stare down and finally, Spencer sighed before speaking.

"Miss Campos. Mr. Gold. You'll be seeing much more of me." And with that he turned and briskly walked out of the room, vanishing down the hallway with quick and heavy steps.

"That was fun." Gold said airily. However much he tried to sound nonchalant though, Veronica could tell he was bothered by something. His smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Alright you two. Lawyer up." Emma was back at her seat behind the ancient computer which was probably only a few years younger than Veronica.

"No need. I'll represent us." Gold stated matter of factly.

"Wait, wait, wait. You? You do know what we are up against here, right?" Veronica rolled her eyes and picked up a bobby pin she found on the ground and started scrapping at the wall.

"What are you doing?" He raised one eyebrow at her.

"Well, figured since we are doomed anyways might as well start documenting our time here before the days and weeks blur together." She said between scrapes. "There we go. Day one!" She gestured to her shoddy workmanship on the wall and laying back against the thread bare sheets.

"I'd be wary of lying there, dearie, you'll probably contract lice. The sight of you with a bare head isn't very appealing." He warned.

"I don't give a shit what you find appealing, okay? And I also don't give a shit about you seeing as you got us into this hell hole." She fumed.

"Oh, really? Because I seem to remember an opportunity for you to whisk yourself up and out of this establishment, yet you declined."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled as she pretended to look for split ends.

"You could have told them you saw me beat that man. That would have been enough for them to consider getting you out of their hair and onto their side. Now, unwisely, you made a new enemy. But for what? Hmm, dearie?" His body was leaning towards her as he had his hands on the tops of his knees, searching for any trace of something in her face.

"Does it matter? It's too late to rat you out now."

"Why yes it does matter, we are a team now. I'm all yours, dearie."