Once Upon A Time: Deal With The Devil, Part Seven

By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki

" Well then, " Spencer, the district attorney stood up. He had just finished interviewing Mary-Margret. Mr. Gold had thought the meeting would be a good idea to help her but she had only harmed herself. " I think we're finished here. See you in court, Miss Blanchard. "

Mr. Gold watched as Spencer saw himself out then gave Mary-Margret a dark look. She looked at him, " What? "

" I should be asking you that question, Miss Blanchard. What do you think you were doing just then? " Mr. Gold asked sharply. He felt confident they were alone for he had heard more than one set of footsteps leave the observation room on the other side of the glass.

He didn't know what Emma thought she could accomplish following Regina and Spencer out but he didn't care at that particular moment. He cared more to find out why Mary-Margret had said what she said in spite of his urging for her to stop talking. " Did you not hear me when I told you to stop? " He asked, his tone even sharper than before.

" I was trying to defend myself, " Mary-Margret said just as sharply. " Do you know how guilty I would have looked if I didn't answer those questions? "

" And driving nails into your own coffin was supposed to make you look innocent? " Mr. Gold tried to remain even tempered though he wanted to yell at her. He wanted to get in her face and tell her how stupid she had been for saying what she had said. In fact, it was taking all of his willpower to contain his anger. He felt it start to slip as he practically shouted, " I told you to be quiet! "

" It just came out... it just came out all wrong. I didn't mean... " Mary-Margret started.

" Do you know what kind of predicament you've put us in? " Mr. Gold cut her off. " You have all but ruined your case by saying what you just said. Why would you go and say you wanted her 'gone' when you want people to believe you are not guilty? "

" I didn't mean I wanted her dead, " Mary-Margret looked on the verge of tears. " I just wanted her gone. To leave town and go away. "

" It doesn't matter, " Mr. Gold frowned deeply. " He will twist your words and use them to make you look guilty. Not only that, you will only look more guilty if you try to explain your way out in court like you're trying to do with me. "

" What was I supposed to do? " Mary-Margret asked in frustration.

" You were supposed to listen to me and stop when I told you to! " Mr. Gold said sharply. He took a step towards Mary-Margret, " I should resign as your counsel... "

Mary-Margret gasped, " No! You can't! There's no one else who can represent me fairly. You're the only person that can help me! "

" You should have thought about that before you all but tied the knot in your noose! " Mr. Gold sneered. " You gave yourself enough rope to hang yourself. "

" I'm sorry, " Mary-Margret started to sob. " I'm so sorry. "

Mr. Gold grabbed her by her right arm, giving her a sound shake as he said, " Pull yourself together! We have to think of a way to fix this now. RIGHT NOW! "

Mary-Margret stumbled back as he let go of her arm. She sobbed uncontrollably, becoming borderline hysterical and hard to understand as she said, " But I don't know how. I didn't do anything and nobody believes me."

" And nobody will unless you learn to keep your mouth shut when I tell you to, " Mr. Gold said firmly. " Calm down. We can't get anything meaningful accomplished if you're like this. "

" How can I calm down? " Mary-Margret sobbed. " Everyone thinks I'm a murderer. "

Mr. Gold shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply as he tried to keep a handle on his growing anger. He could feel a headache coming on, the woman in front of him being the cause. He tried to think of something... anything that could help them now. He opened his eyes when he heard the door to the interview room open. He looked over and saw it was Emma.

" What the HELL was that? " Emma's shock was evident as she looked at Mary-Margret. " How could you go and say that? "

" Not you too, " Mary-Margret sobbed.

" Are you okay? " Emma realized Mary-Margret was crying, her glare softening.

Mary-Margret shook her head and sobbed. She looked like she wanted to run from the room but she knew better. Instead, she went to the corner, turning her back on Emma and Mr. Gold. She took a deep shuddering breath then said, " Just put me back in my cell. I belong there. "

Emma became confused then looked at Mr. Gold but said nothing. The look on her face was full of questions though. " We're done here, " Mr. Gold sighed as waved his hand. " Put her back. "

Emma walked over to Mary-Margret, " Okay then. "

Mr. Gold watched as Emma took Mary-Margret by the arm then followed as she led her back to the holding cell. Once Mary-Margret was inside, Emma closed and locked the door behind her, still puzzled by the way her friend was acting. " Sheriff Swan, " Mr. Gold said quietly.

" Yes? " Emma looked at him.

" May I have a word with you? " Mr. Gold motioned to the office. " Alone? "

Emma looked a little scared by the request before she sighed, " Yeah. Come on. "

Mr. Gold followed her into the office. He shut the door behind them and drew the blinds after they got inside. He glanced at Emma, noticing her brow was wrinkled with confusion. " We need privacy. "

" Oh, " Emma said, still looking at him warily.

Mr. Gold looked at the vase of tulips Sidney had brought, sneering at them slightly. He would have to remind Regina about their agreement that Sidney was supposed to stay away when he was with Emma. A thought occurred to him and he looked at Emma, " Where did my flowers go? "

" I took them home, " Emma said. " They were taking up too much room in here. "

" Oh, " Mr. Gold nodded. " I suppose you're right. It was a rather large bouquet. "

Emma motioned towards Mary-Margret's cell, the look on her face letting him know she didn't want to discuss the flowers any more. " So what did I walk in on back there? Why was she so hysterical? "

Mr. Gold took a deep breath then sighed, " We were having a heated discussion about what she said to the DA. I was telling her what she said was not a good move. "

Emma arched an eyebrow, " Is that what made her cry like that? "

" Yes, " Mr. Gold said. " I was letting her know how displeased I was about it all. She realized the mistake and broke down. "

Emma nodded once, " Right. So that's why she said 'not you too' when I asked her that question. "

" That is correct, " Mr. Gold replied. " I suppose she felt like you were going to tear into her as well. "

" Well she certainly didn't do herself any favors, " Emma scoffed. " She shouldn't have said anything to that guy. He seemed like he was on Regina's side. "

" Undoubtedly yes, " Mr. Gold said. " That's why I tried to get her to stop before she incriminated herself even further. "

Emma frowned, " It was your idea to do this in the first place. "

" If had known she was going to hang herself, I would have thought twice. I thought she had the sense enough to know what to answer and what not to answer, " Mr. Gold sighed.

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, " So what are you going to do now? "

" I haven't thought of anything just yet, " Mr. Gold said. He smiled gently, " If you happen to find a new clue, perhaps something you overlooked? "

" I've been over everything a million times, Gold. There is nothing new, " Emma sounded frustrated.

Mr. Gold quirked his mouth, " Perhaps you need to look once more. The clue you may need might be tiny and will be revealed upon a much closer examination. "

Emma looked doubtful as she said, " I'll do my best, Gold. "

" Please, " Mr. Gold became serious. He took Emma's right hand in his left, holding in tightly as he said, " Your friend's life may very well depend on it. "

Robin and John moved silently along the hallways of Rothwell's estate, looking for any sign of Marion. Robin was still feeling apprehensive over John's command not to worry about the things Rumplestiltskin wanted. With each door they opened, he glanced around at the objects while John looked for his beloved sister. John gave him a dirty glare over his shoulder, " Do you have to press so close? " He whispered harshly.

" You said, " Robin started.

" I didn't say ride my rear like an ass, " John said sharply. " If you want to be of some use, keep your eyes open for Rothwell or any of his men. "

Robin nodded, " Alright. "

They continued on, finally finding a room that was locked. John turned to look at Robin, " Do you know how to pick a lock? "

Robin felt his tunic pockets, " I didn't bring... "

" What is it? " John furrowed his brow as the confused look Robin got on his face.

Robin reached into his pocket, extracting the key Rumplestiltskin gave him. " A key. I almost forgot I had this. "

" Let me see it, " John snatched it away. He put it into the lock, turning it slowly. He grinned when the lock clicked and the door opened. He pushed it further, revealing a splendidly decorated bedroom with a dimming fire in the fireplace.

The curtains were the finest velvet, a rich looking vanity gracing one corner of the room. An elegant four-poster bed sat directly across from it, the curtains on it drawn. In the quiet of the night, the men could hear the gentle sobbing of what sounded like a woman. " Wait here, " John whispered to Robin before creeping into the room.

Robin watched as John made his way to the bed, pulling the curtain aside. John let out a surprised shout before falling to the floor, a dagger sticking out of his chest. Robin jumped back, realizing it wasn't a woman in the bed but Rothwell. The sheriff grinned evilly as he rose from the bed and stepped over John. " So nice of you fools to fall into my trap. "

" Where's Marion? " Robin shouted the first thing that came to his mind. He glanced down at John but it was already too late. The rug underneath him was already soaked in blood.

" She's not here, " Rothwell placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Robin couldn't believe his eyes as it started to glow just slightly. " I put her someplace you'll never find her. "

" Don't bet on that, " Robin said, his eyes staying on the sword. He knew it just had to be the one Rumplestiltskin desired. Something affixed to the sheath of the sword drew his attention next. A golden fletching glistened in the dying fire light, letting him know the arrow was cleverly concealed there.

" You can't find her if you're dead, " Rothwell started to draw the sword.

Robin looked towards the huge picture window across the room, dreadfully aware he had one shot at getting away. He made a break for it, covering his face with his arms as he jumped through it, sending the glass shattering out into the garden. He landed then quickly stumbled to his feet, grabbing for the bugle he had brought along to signal to the others. He put it to his lips, blowing as hard as he could.

Seconds later, a band of five men on horses galloped through, two of them leading riderless horses. Robin managed to mount one and shout, " Move! "

On the horse to his left was Much. He glanced over, looking perplexed. " Where's John? " He shouted.

" Rothwell killed him, " Robin replied. He gave Much the most serious look he could muster and narrowed his eyes, " And he will pay for it. "

Emma came into the station, going to Mary-Margret's cell. She was still curled up on her bed, not wanting to talk to anyone. " Hey, " Emma said. " I got something to tell you. "

" What? " Mary-Margret sounded crestfallen. It was almost like she was starting to give up.

Emma looked at the evidence bag in her hand then at Mary-Margret, " I found something at the river. It's a piece of a shovel. "

Mary-Margret looked over her shoulder, a puzzled expression on her face. " A shovel? "

" Yes, " Emma said.

" I don't own a shovel, " Mary-Margret started.

" I know you don't, " Emma tried to contain her excitement. " And I checked it against all the ones at the school . "

Mary-Margret looked mortified, " You think the killer took one of the kids' shovels? "

" If they were really trying hard enough to frame you, perhaps they could have. But that's the thing, " Emma shook the bag. " It didn't match any of them. "

Mary-Margret sat up, " Then what shovel does it match? "

" I haven't found it yet but I have a really good idea where I'm going to find it, " Emma said. She looked around to make sure no one was coming. She didn't want Mr. Gold creeping up on her. She looked at Mary-Margret again, " I'm going to Regina's house tonight to see if it matches any of hers. "

" But how are you going to get in? " Mary-Margret got up and went to the bars. She frowned, giving her a scolding look, " You aren't going to break in, are you? "

" No. Henry's going to leave me some keys where I can find them. Once Regina gets distracted, I will sneak in and and take a look, " Emma said. She left out that she was going to have help from August. She wasn't completely sure how her friend felt about the stranger.

Emma wasn't even sure how she felt about him either. She felt like he was becoming more trustworthy and it was his advice that led her to the shovel piece. He seemed like he wanted to help in any way he could but she still felt like she needed to be on her guard. There was just something about him but she couldn't put her finger on it.

" Oh no, " Mary-Margret shook her head. " Don't you remember what happened with Sidney? You couldn't use anything you found against Regina because you went about it the wrong way. "

" Well I have an idea to make it legitimate IF I find what I'm looking for, " Emma said. She grabbed Mary-Margret's hand. " Trust me. This will be the thing we need to get you out. "

" Oh I hope so, " Mary-Margret squeezed Emma's hand.

Emma looked around again, " But whatever you do, don't tell Gold what I'm doing. I want to do this myself. "

" Not one word, " Mary-Margret nodded.