As soon as morning came, Jefferson set-out for the sheriff's department. He rounded the corner to the detention area just as Emma walked out and nearly right into him.

"Oops!" she exclaimed as she met his eyes, "Sorry."

A white smile spread across her face and her cheeks pinkened over their almost-collision. Jefferson swallowed as he held her gaze, startled by her smile.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

He blinked at the question as he stared at her smiling face. So this is what Emma's like when she's not glowering with suspicion.

"Well," he began as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I was actually wondering how I can help you."

The words sounded strange to his ears and Emma must have thought so too. Her smile quickly faded.

"Help me with what?" she looked a little suspicious.

Jefferson sighed.

"Mary Margaret's case. What else?"

Emma crossed her black-jacketed arms over her chest as she examined him.

"Do you have information about the case?"

Jefferson stifled a laugh at the question and looked past her.

"May we talk in here?" he asked as his hand gestured to the detention area.

"Uh, sure." Emma responded as she led the way, "What's your name?"

"Jefferson." he replied as he followed her to her desk, catching sight of Snow White in her cell.

"Mary Margaret, do you know Jefferson?" she asked as she sat behind her desk and pulled out a notepad.

"No," the brunette responded as she glanced up from the brown paper bag she was holding and smiled, "Hello."

Jefferson forced a smile at the innocent woman before turning back to Emma to tell her as much.

"So. Jefferson," Emma began as she held a pen to her notepad, "Would you like to make a statement?"

"Yes," he replied as he placed his palms on the desk and leaned towards Emma, "She's being framed."

A brown paper bag crunched from behind him followed by the sound of silence as Emma stared up at him. His eyes drifted to her throat as she swallowed and he knew he had struck a chord.

"Why do you think that?" she asked as she set her pen and notepad aside.

Jefferson rolled his eyes and straightened to his full height.

"Don't play stupid," he told her with a sharp look, "You know it's true."

Emma furrowed her brow as she stared up at him.

"Do you have evidence?"

"No," he replied with a smirk, "But Mary Margaret does."

Jefferson turned around to see Snow White freeze in mid-chew. Her eyes were wide as she looked between him and Emma. Snow White swallowed her bite of sandwich.

"What."

Jefferson gave her a bored look.

"Show Emma the key," he told her, "It will only cause you more trouble if you keep it."

Snow White paled as her eyes shifted between the two of them. Her nervous glances showed her guilt and Emma noticed.

"Mary Margaret, did someone give you a key?" she asked, concerned, as she walked around her desk to the occupied cell.

The framed woman inhaled a jagged breath and her lip quivered as she looked up at her friend.

"I found it when I was making the bed." she confessed with teary eyes as she pulled the key from her coat pocket, "It opens the cell."

Emma turned on Jefferson, wearing her infamous suspicious face.

"Do you realize that your knowledge of this makes you look like an accomplice?"

Jefferson narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her.

"How stupid do you think I am that I would rat myself out?"

Emma looked unimpressed and stretched her arm through the bars of the cell so Snow White could hand over the key.

"Then, how do you explain this?" Emma asked him as she held-up the key with the skull on it.

Jefferson pursed his lips and averted his eyes away from her. He realized that he didn't have a lawful excuse. I saw her use the key through my telescope just before she escaped into the forest. Jefferson sighed his defeat as he glanced back at Emma. She nodded, knowingly.

"That's what I thought." she said as she walked passed him, leaving him to stand there and brood.

A clanking metallic sound alerted his ears just before Emma pulled his arms behind his back and slapped on the handcuffs. Jefferson groaned.

"I'm holding you for questioning." she informed him as she put him in the cell next to Snow White's.

Jefferson glared at Emma through the bars as he stood with his hands bound behind his back. Emma noticed his glare but it didn't affect her in the least. Jefferson slowly shook his head at her.

"You're the most frustrating woman I've ever met."

Emma made a face.

"Well, you must be easily frustrated, then." With that, Emma turned her back on him and walked away.

"I'll be back, Mary Margaret," she said as she headed out of the room, "I'm going to see Mr. Gold."

Jefferson sat down on his cot with his mouth set in a pout. So far, his plan to be "helpful" had all but blown up in his face. Jefferson glanced over at Snow White to find her staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Jefferson sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, ignoring the discomfort of his handcuffed arms.

"If you were Emma," he began, "What would persuade you to accept someones help without becoming suspicious of them?"

Snow White furrowed her brow as she thought about it and then she shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't do anything to raise her suspicion, I guess."

Jefferson rolled his eyes and then trained his gaze forward, glaring at some random object. Emma practically had built-in radar for things like suspiciousness, and Jefferson, unfortunately, was innately suspicious.

"Maybe," Snow White suddenly spoke, "Emma would be more accepting of someone who was...sincere about helping her."

Jefferson gave her the side eye. Snow White was calling him insincere...

"Fair enough." he replied as he sat on his cot, thinking up his next move.

He was tempted to try and sleep, so the failed day would go by faster, but the handcuffs easily dissuaded him.

.

.

Jefferson was ready when the clock-tower chimed and another day was set in motion. Instead of paying Emma a visit at the station, he busied himself with the task of practicing sincerity. He held the hospital door open for Leroy, with the most sincere smile he could muster, as the coffee-carrying man walked passed him. Jefferson's sympathy was equally sincere when Leroy inevitably stormed out of the hospital upon dropping all the coffee. Jefferson sincerely extended his understanding to the nurses as they whined about their lack of caffeine. He apologized to Victor, the resident doctor, when he accidentally knocked a clipboard from his hands. And Jefferson even expressed his sincerest well-wishes to a few of Storybrooke General's patients. The appreciation he received from giving just a few kind words utterly surprised him, and even more surprising was how it made him feel. He felt a sense of accomplishment that filled his chest with pride and made his smile come a little easier. Yet, when the little boy with the broken arm was wheeled passed him on a stretcher, Jefferson realized that he probably could have done more.

The afternoon rolled around and Jefferson went to Granny's where he knew he'd find Emma. He took the seat next to her at the bar, feigning nonchalance as he ordered a cup of tea. He could feel the blonde woman's eyes rise from her plate of food to rake over him curiously. Jefferson turned his head towards her and gave her an easy smile. Emma smiled back with an open friendliness that stunned him, even though he knew that she was unaware of their history.

"Haven't seen you around before." she commented casually.

A corner of Jefferson's mouth curved in amusement.

"I don't get out much," he confessed as he extended his hand towards her, "My name's Jefferson."

"Emma." she informed him with a grin as she shook his hand.

"I know," he replied just as Ruby brought him his tea, "Everyone's heard tale of Storybrooke's hero Sheriff."

"Hero." she scoffed at the word as she pushed her food around on her plate before growing silent.

Jefferson could sense that she was troubled and he knew exactly what her troubles stemmed from: Snow White's impending arraignment. He took a sip of his tea.

"It's true," he said, "It was even in the newspaper—all those you've helped. And if it's in the newspaper it has to be true."

Jefferson gave her a sardonic look to which she returned a smirk.

"Don't believe everything you read," she said, "They're just stories, and the most recent ones haven't been very flattering."

Stories. Stories? What's a story? Jefferson's brow furrowed at the familiarity of the words.

"All stories are based on some truth," he told her as he watched her face for a reaction, "And the recent ones, you mentioned, just haven't reached their conclusion yet."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"What. Are you a writer or something?" she asked before putting a forkful of food into her mouth.

Jefferson made a face as he thought about August, the typewriter-toting conversationalist.

"No," he replied, he was not a writer, "But I've read plenty of stories." Jefferson paused as one particular book came to mind, "As a matter of fact, I know of one that might be useful to you."

Emma eyed him curiously.

"What's that," she asked, "'How to be a Sheriff for Dummies'?"

Jefferson gave her a bored look.

"No," he said flatly, "It's a criminal law book."

Jefferson had purchased it upon realizing how the land-without-magic worked and knowing Regina would certainly twist the law to her benefit. He may have thought to offer it to Emma sooner if he hadn't been so focused on helping himself.

"Mm!" Emma hummed in interest as she took a sip of her drink, "Did you study law?"

Jefferson glanced down at his cup of tea as he quietly laughed to himself. Always trying to figure people out, aren't you Emma?

"No," he replied but he knew he'd have to provide a better answer, "I'm a bit of a Renaissance Man—I guess you could say."

"Ah," Emma smiled knowingly, "A jack of all trades."

Jefferson shook his head.

"Mostly I've just had enough idle time to pursue my interests."

"Idle time?" she questioned.

Jefferson met her inquisitive gaze, noticing the furrow of her brow that often preceded her suspicion. A corner of his mouth curved into a smile.

"Am I being interrogated, Sheriff?" he asked as he held her hazel-green gaze.

Emma's eyes widened and her mouth fell.

"No. No, not at all," she sputtered, "I'm sorry. I'm just...curious. Anyway," she paused to take a sip of her drink, "You were saying... About the criminal law book..."

"Right." he exclaimed as if he had forgotten, "It's filled with case studies, injustices, framing conspiracies, corruption and—"

"Framing conspiracies?" she asked with interest.

Jefferson gave her an unassuming smile.

"Yes. Do you think it might be helpful to your case?"

"Sure," she replied, "We—I could use any help I can get."

Jefferson stared at her as she pensively gazed down at her plate, looking like the weight of the world was baring down on her shoulders. Her admittance of needing help tugged at something inside Jefferson's chest and he wished he had thought to help her sooner. Jefferson cleared his throat.

"Maybe I could stop by the Sheriff's Department this evening and bring it to you. Say around 7:30?"

Emma looked up from her plate to meet his gaze.

"This evening?" she asked for clarification, having planned to be back at the apartment at that time.

Jefferson nodded as he stared at her with his imploringly, convincing eyes. Emma swallowed as she examined his face, and then she sighed her surrender.

"Why not," she breathed as she placed money beside her plate and then stood from her seat, "7:30 it is."

She paused then. A peculiar smile spread across her face as she stared at Jefferson. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as Emma took a step forward and leaned an elbow on the bar beside him.

"7:30?" she questioned as if it was an oddly specific time for a meeting, "What is this—are you buttering me up for a date or something?"

Jefferson gave a laugh and glanced down at his tea. When he looked up, he was surprised to find Emma slightly offended by his laugh. He frowned and turned towards her.

"I mean no offense," he assured her as his eyes raked over her with a tug of a smile, "I'm flattered by your assumption, but really, I just wanted to offer some help with your case." Jefferson was temporarily taken aback by how sincere his own words sounded. "Besides," he said as he gave Emma a playful smile, "The Sheriff Department isn't an ideal dating venue. We wouldn't exactly be alone, would we?"

Emma looked a little embarrassed, thinking of Mary Margaret.

"I'm sorry," she flustered, "I just—"

Jefferson waved her off.

"Don't worry about it," he told her with an easy smile, "I'll bring the book to you at 7:30."

Emma took-in a deep breath, smiled at him and nodded her head before hurrying out of the diner. Jefferson took-in a deep breath of his own as he watched her go, following her out the door and to her car. He turned back to his tea, smiling to himself, as the memory of kissing her invaded his thoughts. The truth was that there was too much bad history between them for anything romantic to develop. 7:30 was merely the time that Snow White escaped from her prison cell...

At 7:30 on the dot, Jefferson arrived at the Sheriff Department. He could already hear the commotion coming from the detention area as he walked inside the building.

"What were you thinking?" Emma sounded angry. "Escaping would only solidify your guilt and put a big target on me!"

Jefferson rounded the corner to catch Snow White open her mouth to respond. She froze when she saw him and Emma noticed her friends pause. The Sheriff spun on her heel to face him.

"Crap," she sputtered, "Jefferson—"

He innocently raised the book he had come to bring her, feigning his obliviousness to their situation.

"I take it this is a bad time."

Emma walked forward and took the book from his hands as she searched his eyes for trustworthiness.

"You said this book talks about framing conspiracies?"

Jefferson nodded.

Emma sighed and took a step towards him.

"Well, I think someone's trying to frame Mary Margaret."

"EMMA!" the brunette scolded her from her prison cell.

"It's okay," Emma silenced her as she looked into Jefferson's eyes, "I think I can trust him."

Jefferson swallowed at her assumption, but Emma didn't notice. She held up the key with the skull on it.

"Someone put this in her cell so she could unlock it. Do you think it's enough proof to hold up in court?"

Jefferson opened his mouth to respond, but right on cue, Henry walked up behind him, carrying his storybook.

"Hey," the boy piped as he pointed a finger at the key Emma still held, "That looks like one of my mom's."

Emma's eyes widened, knowingly, as she looked between Jefferson and Henry.

"Regina." Mary Margaret whispered her name.

Jefferson stood back as the three of them came to the conclusion that Regina was behind all of it. He gave a sigh of relief that his plan had gone well and no one had suspected him of knavery. Never-the-less, something didn't feel right. He felt a lack of accomplishment as if there was more he should have done. There were things he thought he would do differently, and for the first time, Jefferson felt himself looking forward to getting another chance to make things right.

.

.

A/N: 8 chapters down, only 2 to go. Wouldn't it just be amazing if the OUAT people got Sebastian Stan's face back on the show? His face is probably too important for TV now, but there's still hope! There's ALWAYS hope!

Anyway, thanks for reading!