The door slammed shut behind Emma, making Regina wince. Stalking over to the small table in the yellow interrogation room, Emma banged her palms on the wood. Regina quirked an eyebrow.

"You fucking killed him," Emma growled,

"What?" Regina was taken aback, but it only made Emma angrier. Apparently her superpower didn't work on the queen.

"You killed Archie," She spat, "And you lied to me about it,"

Obviously, killing was worse than lying, but a small part of Emma was angrier at the latter than the former.

Regina leaned forward, "Why the hell would I do that, Miss. Swan?"

"You tell me," Emma said, her breathing was still ragged, and her vision red, but Regina hadn't tried to obliterate her yet, so that was something.

"I had no reason to kill the cricket," Regina waved her hand dismissively, "Why do you think I did, anyway?"

"I saw it, in Pongo's memories," Emma said, matter of factly.

Regina stared at her, "You saw it…in a dog's memories?"

Emma was well aware how that sounded. Nevertheless, this was StoryBrooke, where fairy tales were true, why shouldn't she use a Dalmatian as witness?

"Yeah, Gold showed me how," Shr replied tensely.

"Gold," Regina repeated slowly, "Let me get this right, Sheriff," she drawled out the last word, a small smirk playing on her lips, "You trusted Rumplestilskin, who hates me and wants me dead, and a dog," she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "Over me," she added.

"Regina, I watched his memories, you went up to his study, and choked the life out of him,"

Emma had no wish to replay the memory. Bile rose in her throat as she thought of what she'd seen. The woman in front of her had taken on a different appearance, as if darkness shrouded her, and Emma realized it always had, only she'd been blind to it. Her desire for the dark haired woman overruling her instincts.

Regina sighed heavily, dramatically, dispelling the momentary aura.

"Why?" She asked, "What possible reason would I have to kill him?"

"Have you ever needed one?" Emma cut, it wasn't exactly cinching evidence, but she had that too, and her anger wanted her to hurt Regina. The Mayor pressed her lips together in a thin line, and said nothing.

"I know you've been seeing him," Emma continued, "There was a file on you in his office, and it was empty," she sat down opposite her, "So maybe, you told him something you shouldn't have, and decided to fix the problem by getting rid of him,"

"I did no such thing,"

Emma sighed and pushed her back against the chair, she wanted to believe her, every one of her instincts screaming at her that she was telling the truth. But how could it be? How could Regina deny the evidence right in front of their eyes?

"Stop it," Emma said harshly, "Just tell the truth for once in your life,"

"I am," Regina sneered, her fists clenched as she placed them on the table, the thin veneer of calm cracking, "Emma I didn't kill him, I wouldn't, I'm trying, you know that,"

"I don't know what I know," Emma said, "This morning I would have believed you, though everyone told me not to, but how can I deny the evidence?"

"I'm trying to be better, for Henry," Regina murmured, "I wouldn't jeopardize that,"

"What I know," Emma said slowly, "Is that Henry rejected you, and last night, I said you couldn't see him," she spoke slowly, watching Regina's reactions on her features, looking for any hint of regret or anger. There was nothing, Regina's face was a blank slate.

"And why would that make me kill Archie?"

"I don't know, Regina, I don't pretend to know how your sick mind works," Emma growled, and now she saw pain flit through dark eyes, and she knew she'd cut deep, a momentary pang of guilt ached in her chest, but she continued, "You're under arrest," she said, "You'll stay here and there'll be a trial,"

Regina swallowed and looked away, she pushed her hair out of her face, "A trial where I'll be found guilty by a jury who hates me," she said, "A trial that will see me hanged,"

Emma bit her lower lip, she was right, there wasn't a person in StoryBrooke that would acquit the Evil Queen. Except perhaps Henry and herself, though she wasn't so sure about herself anymore.

"Maybe you deserve it," Emma whispered, her jaw clenching, she'd wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, she'd wanted to trust her, and what had Regina done? Betrayed that trust and killed a man.

Dark eyes hardened at the words, "How do you propose to keep me here, then?" Regina asked,

"If you leave, If you run, you will never see Henry again," Emma said, her voice even. Regina knew that, and she would not put her relationship with Henry in further danger.

"He already hates me anyway," Regina whispered, and for a moment, Emma's heart broke, before the memory of Archie's face turning blue as he died flitted before her eyes.

"He'll hate you more when he knows what you've done," she said, Henry cared for Archie, and Emma wasn't looking forward to telling him what had happened, "If you stay and submit to the trial, he might be able to forgive you, with time,"

Regina bit her lower lip, Emma knew she couldn't force her to stay, with her magic she could easily escape and there was nothing the sheriff could do about it, but she also knew that the thought of never seeing Henry again was like kryptonite to the Queen.

"Very well," Regina agreed, "I'll stay,"

Emma nodded stiffly, feeling no pleasure from the statement.

When Regina was behind bars, which were solely symbolic of course, Emma stepped out of the station.

Checking the time she realized Henry would be getting home soon, and then she'd need to explain that his therapist was dead, and his mother had killed him.

—

Regina sat primly on the hard cot that adorned the cell in the sheriff's station. She stared at the green bars that locked her away from the outside world. The last time she'd been here, Rumplestilskin had marked her to have her soul stolen.

Of course, it would be simple to leave. All she'd have to do is get up and open the door. Sighing she leaned back against the wall, the cold of the bricks seeping through her thin shirt.

The shirt she'd worn to watch Emma's reaction. Cut a little too low, and a tiny bit too tight.

Certainly, her ploy had worked, Emma had practically been salivating. She had to admit, she enjoyed watching the younger woman fall all over herself for her. Now though, the game was no longer fun, someone had killed Archie and made it look like she had done it.

She was well aware who it had been.

But why would her mother want the cricket dead? And why had she killed him while wearing Regina's features?

Surely she was not so angry at her own daughter that she'd see her killed?

Regina considered the questions one by one, as she tried not to think of what her son would feel when he learned of the cricket's death. And Emma would tell him she had done it. Tears threatened to spill from her lashes, and Regina quickly pressed her hands to her eyes. She was alone in the station, but the cameras watched her.

Hearing the door to the station fall shut, Regina closed her eyes, she wasn't really feeling up for another conversation with Emma. Her words still rang in her ears 'I don't pretend to know how your sick mind works'

A shudder went through her, and she wasn't sure why. She knew how the others saw her, how everyone saw her. The Evil Queen, the mad, cruel queen. But Emma had seen something else, Emma had kissed her in that forest, Emma had believed she wanted to change. Regina swallowed and gripped the bedsheet between her fingers.

"Regina," Cora's voice had her eyes flying open, she stared at the woman through the bars.

"Mother?" She asked, "How did you get in here?"

"The Sheriff has gone to pick up your son, at school," Cora said, she stepped forward and curled her fingers around the cell bars, "Why are you here, Regina?"

It took everything she had not to explode, she got up slowly, counting to ten in her head, and walked to face her mother,

"Because you killed a man while wearing my face," she said,

Cora didn't bother denying it,

"You have magic," she said instead, "Come, we will get your son," Cora turned to leave, her footsteps echoing in the empty room.

"No," Regina said, there was no hesitation in her voice, she needed to play this by the book, if she had any chance of keeping her son's love.

Cora's eyebrows raised, "No?" She asked, "Why not?"

"I'm going to stay here," Regina said, "And go on trial, I didn't kill Archie, and I'll be acquitted,"

Cora rolled her eyes, "You stupid girl," she laughed, "They don't care that you didn't do it, they'll kill you all the same,"

Regina felt the cold metal as she wrapped her fingers around the bar, "Then, I'll die,"

She wouldn't. Emma wouldn't let them kill her. The savior was angry at her now, but Regina had seen how she looked at her, and she'd used a man's love for her own gain before, what was stopping her from using a woman's?

A flicker of her heart gave her the answer, but she was well experienced in ignoring such things.

"You'll let a bunch of idiots judge you?" Cora asked, incredulous, "Their Queen?"

Regina stepped back and sat back down on the bed. "Go, Mother, I'm not coming with you,"

"You'll regret this," Cora said,

"You're starting to sound like a broken record, Mother," Regina replied, she studied her hands carefully, as if she'd never seen them before.

"A broken record?" Cora asked, her eyebrows knitting together. Regina didn't bother to explain, as Cora spoke again,

"You'll come to me, when these people show you who they are, you'll ask for my help, and I'll give it to you," a smile, cruel and cold, spread over her features, "Because I'm your mother, and I love you,"

—-

Emma let Henry's backpack fall onto the parquet in the loft. She sat down heavily as Henry went on and on about his day. She was only half-listening as he poured himself an orange juice and told her about math class.

"Henry," Emma interrupted, "We need to talk, can you sit?"

His eyebrows knit at her tone, but he did what she asked, setting his glass down in front of him.

"Something's happened," Emma massaged the bridge of her nose for a moment, quietly cursing Regina for making her go through this, and for the knowledge that she'd be much better at it than Emma.

"What?" Henry asked,

"It's Archie," Emma took her son's hand and squeezed it, looking into his dark eyes, "He's dead, Hen,"

The only change in his countenance was a slightly raised eyebrow, which reminded Emma so much of his adoptive mother that she had to look away, lips pursed.

"How?" He asked, after a moment of reflection.

Emma took a breath, filling her lungs with air before she responded,

"We think…." she shuffled closer to him, "We think your mom might have killed him,"

This time, Henry's lips fell open slightly, he sputtered something unintelligible and Emma put her arm around his shoulders, "We aren't sure yet," she added, "There's going to be a trial,"

"A trial?" Henry asked, "Why?"
"Well, to decide whether she did it or not…" Emma's brows furrowed, surely Henry was old enough to know what a trial was?

"Of course she did it," Henry said bluntly.

Ah. Of course.

"Hen, kid, That's not how that works," she told him, "It's innocent until proven guilty, okay?"

He rolled his eyes, and once again, Emma was taken aback by how much like his mother he looked, she clenched her fist, nails digging into skin.

"Right," he said, "As if anyone in this town will think she's innocent,"

His expression was hard, but Emma sighed, pressing a kiss into his hair she pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him tightly. His head rested on her shoulder and for a long moment they sat there, until Henry's small body began to shake softly with sobs. She kissed his head again,

"It's okay, kid," she said, resting her chin on his hair, "it's okay,"

He cried for a long time, his hands balling her shirt into fists as he did, until finally, she pulled away, wiping his tears from his cheeks.

"Listen, your mom says she didn't do it," Emma wasn't sure giving him hope was the right thing to do, but she couldn't help herself as she looked into his swollen, red eyes, "Maybe she didn't, and the jury will see that,"

Henry sniffled, "No they won't," he said, "Even if she's innocent, they hate her," he wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt, "And I do too," he added, his voice small.

"Really?" Emma asked, placing one finger under his chin she brought his face up to meet her eyes, "You hate your mom?"

Blinking he shook his head, "I should," he whispered,

"Who said that?" Emma asked,

"She's the Evil Queen," Henry answered, "Everyone hates her,"

"You're not everyone,"

A knock at the door had Emma jumping, and she passed her son a tissue before rising and opening the door.

None other than Rumplestiltskin stood in her foyer, an old brown shawl around his neck.

"Miss. Swan," He greeted, leaning heavily on his cane, "May I come in?"

Emma moved aside to let him pass, and he greeted Henry kindly, his eyes sharpening as he saw the state the kid was in.

"What's up?" Emma asked, evading any possible questions on Henry's tears,

turned to her, his cane spinning with him as he did,

"You may remember, Miss. Swan, you owe me a favor,"

—

Emma slammed the trunk of her beetle shut with a sigh, Henry and 's luggage took up the entirety of it, and she'd had to stuff her own, tiny bag, into the back seat, next to her son.

Walking to the driver's side she sat down, she checked the rearview mirror once before turning to Gold, who sat with his cane between his legs, shawl still firmly around his shoulders.

"Ready to go?" She asked, before putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot.

As she drove towards the town line she wondered for the thousandth time whether she'd done the right thing. Regina's trial was to start in two days, and neither she nor Henry would be there to witness it. When Gold had asked her to take him to New York, she'd thought it was perfect, get the kid away from his mother's trial, get herself away from the mess that was hers and Regina's relationship.

Now though, she looked at Henry in the rearview mirror, he looked out the window wistfully, his eyes still red from crying when they'd said goodbye to Mary Margaret earlier that morning. He hadn't said goodbye to his mother. Emma had offered to take him to the station, but he'd refused, and she hadn't insisted. Perhaps she should have, she mused, it may be the last time he'd got to see her alive.

The rumor mill in StoryBrooke had begun to work as soon as word had got out that Regina was to be put on trial, soon enough, everyone knew how it would end. She'd be found guilty. Of premeditated murder. And for that, she'd pay with her life.

Emma gripped the steering wheel and pressed down harder on the accelerator.