"I don't think she did it." David stated with his arms crossed over his chest, shoulders hunched and eyes focused on the woman sitting in the interrogation room. Snow narrowed her eyes at him, watching the way his eyes were set on Regina; it unnerved her; it made her thankful for the tears she'd already shed over Archie so that she could pretend the look in his eyes didn't terrify her.

Emma looked between her parents and could feel the palpable tension in the room, not only over Archie's death and Regina's supposed involvement, but also from the way Snow arched her brow each time Regina's absent hand stroked over her rounded belly. She honestly hadn't thought the three of them were going to be in the same building so quickly after the news and she was somewhat glad of the glass wall between Regina and her mother. Snow White wasn't the kind of woman to pick a fight, but backed into a corner – when Regina's defensive, lightening fast tongue came into play – there was no saying what they'd do or say to each other.

The three stood side-by-side in the dark observation room, each internally scrutinizing their thoughts on the woman before them. She sat stoic and silent, her expression entirely impassive except for the few times the corner of her mouth twitched upward involuntarily as her hand stilled. Gone were her heavy coats and layers of clothing, shielding her baby's existence from their eyes. Now her fitted black dress and tailored Red jacket accentuated her growing condition. It made it all the more real to them all.

The image made David twitch anxiously. He wasn't sure whether the feeling was telling him to reach out and touch her or run; it frightened him.

The gentleness of her movements caused Snow's brow to furrow; she remembered this side of Regina; this gentle, motherly side that she'd believed long dead. Ever since her stayed execution, Snow had stopped believing that Regina could really change. In her mind, all of this had to be a trick; it had to be, she couldn't fathom it any other way. And watching David's softened expression whilst watching Regina idly caressing her belly made her want to simultaneously cry and scream. Believing in anything other than a trick would mean believing the man she loved could stop loving her back; maybe not completely, but even a little tore her heart in two.

She had to silently berate the petulant child inside of her that screamed how unfair it was. It was the same child that had sent Daniel to his death and wished a life on Regina that she couldn't understand – that selfish, spoiled little girl who'd known nothing of life but a doting father and gowns of the finest fabric in all the land. A part of her knew she should have listened to Regina all those years ago, but she'd been a child suffering the illusion that all mothers were equal.

She told herself she'd never make the same mistake again.

"How can you say that, David?" Snow almost shrieked, the first time since she'd offered him the choice of couch or sidewalk the night before, that she'd uttered a word to him. He'd tried earlier that morning, but Archie's death had been a shock to them all and whatever ground they'd made the night before – with Snow actually believing he still loved her – was lost when Regina was accused of the crime and David's expression had crumbled before her.

He hadn't lied, not to her. But Snow started to wonder if he was lying to himself.

"She doesn't have motive." He shrugged, noting how his wife did everything she could to avoid his eyes. The guilt was almost overwhelming; but somehow watching Regina sitting in the centre of the room before them, staring straight ahead as though she could see them through the two-way mirror with worry and grief written across her face, he felt his heart lurch.

His opinion of her was changing rapidly and it frightened him.

Her eyes were glistening with tears for Archie. Her hands gripped her stomach protectively and she licked her lips as though she feared what was coming. "I think David's right," Emma spoke slowly, expecting her mother's loud shriek of disapproval at any moment; when it didn't come and Snow's face remained slack-jawed and wide-eyed, Emma pushed on. "The old Regina would have turned this building to ashes by now, you know that. I think that's a woman that truly wants to change; she just wants everyone else to see it."

"You can't be serious, Emma, Ruby saw her heading into Archie's office. They argued in the street. How is that not motive?"

"We're arguing now, does that make us murderers?"

"We can't ignore who she is, Emma. I know her, you don't," She made a face over her shoulder at David, narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth as she added. "And right now, David's biased."

"Snow," He started, but she shrugged him off, turning back to watch Regina tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the table-top. He was somewhat glad of her cold shoulder, just for an instant; because it saved him admitting that he had no excuse or rebuff for the remark. Biased or no, he felt for Regina – and those feelings were growing stronger by the minute – against his better judgement and understanding he found himself believing her.

"Maybe that's the point," Emma stated, forcing a break in the ice between her parents who both turned to her. "If David's biased, so are you," She held her hand up to prevent Snow's retort. "You said it yourself, you have a long history. And you're right, I don't know Regina like you do. I don't know her past. And that means I can look at this with fresher eyes." Snow reluctantly conceded the point, hugging herself tighter and turning her eyes down to the ground. Emma smiled apologetically at her mother. "I'm sorry, but she clearly didn't know Archie was dead. We have to let her go."

"So that's it? We just let her walk free knowing what she's capable of?"

Emma sighed. "She may be capable of a lot of things, but I don't believe she did this." She gripped Snow's forearm, giving it a light squeeze. "We let her go and we find the truth."

Reluctantly Snow nodded. David barely heard the exchange, too busy watching Regina intently as she wiped a tear from her cheek. She was fighting to hold back tears and he knew she'd been trying so hard to change. There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind that wanted to believe she had done it, because everything they knew about her from their home land was telling him she was the only one that knew how. But her eyes were blood-shot and she swallowed, straightening in her seat and stretching out her spine, fighting the emotion growing inside her. Archie had meant more to her than they realized and he knew, watching her hold her hand over her belly and whisper something none of them could hear; that she couldn't have done it.

To Be Continued.