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Regina left the station and made her way over to her car. She started the engine and drove to Gold's apartment. Chances were higher that he was there than at Belle's apartment. And she was right. Gold was home but he was not happy to see her standing in front of his door.
"What do you want? I told you that I would claim a neutral role in this matter. Zelena brought me back but she also imprisoned me."
"Rumple, I know. I just want to ask you some question on an…incident that happened earlier today." Regina said. Gold sighed and stepped back so Regina could enter. He led her to his kitchen and offered her something to drink. She declined.
"One of the dwarfs was killed near the town line. His heart had been torn out and crushed." Regina explained and watched Rumpelstiltskin closely but just as her sister had expected he did not seem to know anything. Granted, he could be lying but Zelena was right why should Gold kill the dwarf?
"Unfortunately I happen to know nothing about this murder. Just out of curiosity why are you here and not Miss Swan? Are they not suspecting you to be the culprit?"
"This is none of your business. So if you don't know anything and it was neither me nor Zelena the question is: who was it? I mean there are several people in this town with magic abilities but there is no one among to them who either had a motive or the general willingness to take a life." Regina did not speak to Rumple but rather seemed to be thinking aloud.
"May I interrupt you for a moment, you might want to consider that we have an intruder in town." Rumple stated and Regina looked at him in disbelieve.
"Well, thank you for this obvious conclusion."
In that moment Belle entered the room. She looked surprised but caught herself quickly. She smiled at Regina.
"Regina, what a pleasure! What brings you here?"
"She came to seek information on an intruder in town but unfortunately I can't help." Rumpelstiltskin answered in Regina's place. Regina nodded in confirmation.
"An intruder you say? Is this intruder dangerous?" Belle asked suddenly sounding quite nervous. Rumple and Regina shared a confused glance.
"You don't have to worry, dear. No one will harm you." Rumple answered.
"No, that's not it. I remember that a couple of days ago, actually one day before we were reunited I found this lying in front of our front door." Belle said and showed the other two a red and white mask. It was attached to a long nicely shaped stick.
"Belle, why didn't you tell me?" Rumple asked and took the mask out of Belle's hand. He immediately could feel the magic radiating from it. Whoever had owned the mask had to be a powerful witch.
"Do you have any idea who could have placed in front of your door?" Regina asked without giving Belle a chance to answer Rumpelstiltskin's question. Then both Rumpelstiltskin and Belle shook their heads. It had literally appeared out of nowhere. The next couple of minutes were spent in silence due to the fact that everyone was trying to find an answer to the question who put the mask in front of Belle and Rumpelstiltskin's door.
"You know, I can't shake the feeling that I know this mask. Everything about it seems familiar." Regina sighed. Then she pulled out her phone and took a quick picture that she could show her sister and ask her whether she recognized it.
"Anyway, I'm quite sure whoever left the mask behind also committed the murder. And he or she wants us to find out who she or he is, the only question is why." Rumple said slowly and frowned.
"I'm sure we are overlooking something very obvious." Belle said. "I mean what we have got is a red and white mask and crushed heart."
"To me, this sounds very much like my mother, but this cannot be possible, I mean she is dead." Regina said looking at Rumple as if she was hoping for a confirmation of the fact that her mother was truly gone.
"Well, so was I."
At the station Zelena was sitting on her cot and staring at the tiny black box in hand. Her sister had called this device a mobile phone. To her it looked quite strange and not useful at all. Zelena had seen her sister use it once and just like her the red-haired witch held it to her ear and expected for something to happen.
"You know, you're holding it upside down." Zelena's head shot up and her eyes immediately focused on Snow who was standing right behind the bars. The witch was sure that Snow would have stood even closer to the bars if her heavily pregnant form would not limited her in that matter.
"Hello, Snow." Zelena said and smiled at the other woman.
"Hello" Snow sounded quite uncomfortable. Zelena raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected any visitors.
"So what can I do for you?"
"Why did you do it? Why did you let it happen?" Snow asked.
"Maybe you want to have a seat and then you can explain what you want from me once more." Zelena said and pointed at the chair behind Emma's desk. For a second Snow considered the demand and in the end wheeled the chair over to the bars.
"I want to know why you broke the curse. Why did you simply destroy everything you have worked for? Your plan could have played out just the way you wanted it! So why break the curse?" Snow asked curiously bending forward as best as she could.
Zelena took a minute to think. "I finally saw another way. I confronted my sister at her home because I couldn't wait anymore to get my revenge and from one second to the other Regina offered me an opportunity. She was willing to accept me into the family. Me! I've never had something like that in my whole life. And I made a decision in favor of family."
"So just from one second to the other you redeemed yourself?"
"I don't consider myself as redeemed, no I've got a long way to go but why breaking the curse and being reunited with my sister I made a step into the right direction." Zelena answered and fidgeted with her hands.
"And we are simply supposed to believe that? You know, I trusted you so much I even wanted to ask you if you could be my midwife! I really like or liked you, I don't know!" Snow cried out. She was more outraged than Zelena had ever seen her not even in the year back in Fairytale Land.
"I know, Snow, and I cannot even tell you how sorry I am and I just want you to know that if you change your mind I would feel more than honored to be your midwife." Zelena said quietly and took a step towards the bars.
"I don't know, Zelena. I'll think about it. Until we see each other again I hope that you follow your path of redemption because I think Regina is right: you are a good person." With these words Snow turned around and left the station.