Suddenly business owners all over town were asking Will for repair help with machinery that seemed to be beyond the scope of the former Enchanted Forest residents. He replaced the battery in Killian's phone, pointing out that rapping it sharply with a large metal hook was not an effective method of repair, and in fact caused more damage than aid. He repaired a leaky fuel line so Mary Margaret wouldn't have to listen to people complain about the lack of power throughout the town at odd times during the day and night. He set Dr. Hopper up with a state of the art recording device so Archie wouldn't have to rely on taking notes by hand when in consultation with his patients, although Will suspected that Archie might also somehow find personal uses for it; he'd seen how the doctor looked at Ruby when he visited the diner. Will even spent half a day working on the engine of Leroy's van while Leroy stood around and complained about everything. At one point, when Leroy decided to 'help' Will by yanking loose some wires to the distributor cap, Will thought strongly about throttling the dwarf; but he knew it would just send Leroy running through the streets screaming, "We're under attack!" and Will didn't want to have to explain that to anyone.
At the end of one very busy day, Will dragged into the station to find both sheriffs at their desks. "Oi! How much longer do I have to go at this?" he demanded.
David was knee deep in paperwork and ignored him. But Emma glared up. "You quitting?" she smirked, "Because you haven't quite paid Granny off yet, and your room's always ready for you if you want to quit." They both glanced at the new deadbolt locks on the cell doors.
Will sighed. "That's your answer to everything, innit? Toss me in the old jail cell." "Yeah," she replied, "a jail cell you can't break out of this time." Will hung his head and forced a defeated look on his face, fighting a grin, because he knew deep down he could probably pick those new locks just like he had the old; after all, he WAS Will Scarlet.
"So wot's really the deal, here?" he asked her. "You still mad I ruined your date with the pirate, or that I walked right through those bars, or that your mum gave me that lovely pardon—"Emma stood up to face him. "I don't like thieves," she spat. "I'm the sheriff because I don't like villains, evil, bad guys, or people like you who destroy what others have worked honestly and hard to achieve." Unrepentant, Will raised his voice. "If it weren't for people like me," he pointed out, "people like you wouldn't have a bleedin' job."
"And if YOU had a 'bleedin'' job, MY 'bleedin'' job would be SO much easier!"
Will shrugged and glanced away. "I told you the first time I met ya I had always been a thief, was always gonna be a thief."
"You could be more," David's voice, though quiet, cut through the tension. "Nothing's written in stone." Will and Emma both stared at him as he rose from his desk. "I mean, I was some nobody peasant farmer, my wife was a bandit, you know Emma can pop some locks almost as well as you can, and even Killian has changed."
Will was speechless. He already knew most of this, and a small part of his brain was trying to picture Mayor Blanchard as a bandit. His defenses went down for just a moment, and he seriously considered telling both of them about Anastasia, about how much he missed her, how heavy his heart was over being so far away from her, and how hopeless he considered himself right now. But he couldn't find the words. He stood mute, his eyes on David as if some kind of understanding might be passing between them.
"Get out," Emma finally said, "We'll see you tomorrow. And don't think about being late."
The next morning, the fall chill was apparent as Will half walked, half jogged down the street. David didn't usually mind if he was a few minutes late, but Emma would always make a big deal out of him being even one minute tardy. He hoped against hope she had forgotten or decided to ignore their confrontation of last night. He burst in through the door right on time, pulling up short at her scowling face. "Just under the wire, right?" Will greeted her, as he cheerfully shoved his hands into his pockets. "So what's my penance today?"
She held up a sheaf of papers, "North Main Street, the bay side, but I have a question for you." She turned away from him, acting casual, as she slid the papers into a black folder.
Outwardly he was calm, but he had a sinking feeling inside. Did she want to step back into their argument from yesterday? He waited, absentmindedly rubbing his palms on his jeans.
"Granny said you fixed her coffeemaker," she threw out the statement casually, giving him a sidelong glance.
"So?" He knew she was after something, and he thought he could vaguely see where this was going.
"Leroy told me you replaced a part on his van engine for him. Said it was a pretty tricky job."
He shrugged and jammed his hands in his jacket. "Again, so?"
"And Killian's phone battery is working properly again."
"Well, with a bloody hook for a hand, he does need to be a wee bit more careful."
She turned to face him completely, watching his face for any reaction. "In fact, I have reports from a lot of people who tell me you've been really good about helping them cope with their modern devices. You came from the Enchanted Forest with all of us during the second curse, right; so how do you know so much about the latest technology?"
Will regarded her, folding his arms over his chest. "'Scuse me," he replied with all the dignity he could muster, ""Is this an official interrogation, Sheriff, because I don't think fixing a coffee maker is a criminal offense."
"Just answer the question, smartass. Where did you learn to fix all these things? Were you in Storybrooke before the last curse?"
"You know," Will took a step forward into her space, deciding to push a few of her buttons, "you haven't liked me since the day I outran you in the forest near Robin's camp. If it hadn't been for your dear old dad, you would never have caught up with me." The color rose in her face, but he continued, "But me private business is just that, bloody well private. How I can fix anything has nothin' to do with our current arrangement here."
Emma smiled, but her eyes seemed to shoot sparks. "Someday, you're gonna slip up and I'm going to be right there to nail you." Will looked around, trying to avoid her laser glare. He wished he could stand up to it, but it was downright intimidating and always unsettled him. He took a tentative step backwards. "Right then," he answered, "North Main, is it?"
David decided to join Will after lunch, and they walked down the east side of Main. Will was relieved that he didn't have to partner up with Emma this time. "By the way," David asked as they waved to Belle at the library, "I wanted to know your place of residence."
"Me wot?" Will knew full well what David wanted. "Where you live." They continued their pace, not too slow but not rushed, and Will tried not to tense up. 'Keep it light,' he thought.
"Ah. Well, there's this nice cozy jail cell that seems to be reserved just for me, whenever I want it."
David smiled; he was beginning to like this thief a little-just a little, even if he was being deliberately evasive. "I can always follow you home at the end of the day, you know," David observed.
"If you can keep up," Will grinned.
David shrugged, "If I can't, I can turn Emma loose to track you down."
Will shook his head, "Oi, you would do that, too. She's like a bleedin' dog with a bone—no offense, o' course."
David laughed, "None taken." He was proud of his daughter's talent for law enforcement. "But seriously, you take off somewhere when we finish for the day—you do have a place to go to, right?"
Will was definitely thrown by this line of questioning. Was the sheriff truly concerned about him? They walked along in silence for a short while, but Will knew he had to give some kind of answer. "Look, Sheriff, I show up on time, I'm not under arrest, I'm behavin' meself—"
"As far as we know," David interjected.
Will smiled inwardly, "Well, that hurts," he claimed, his eyes wide and innocent, "it truly does. 'Ere I am, pretty much Granny's indentured servant, payin' off bloody damages I didn't even cause, and you don't trust me."
David glanced at him. "About Granny's place, I remember how it looked, like an earthquake or something had struck right under it." Will was silent. "You were there, weren't you, Will." It was a statement, not a question, for David was positive about this. Will's insides were churning. How could he explain about the rabbit, about Alice, about-. Finally, David slowed to a stop. "You know, a man tries to hold too many secrets in and they tend to blow up in his face all at the same time."
More silence, then Will shrugged and muttered, "Ya don't need to worry about me, mate, I can always find a rabbit 'ole to jump into."