Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I appreciate it! And look, it hasn't even been two months since my last update (I'm getting speedy-ish again). Reviews keep me motivated guys, they make me see people are still reading and enjoying, so please take a moment to drop one in :)

Regina sat at the table in the inquisition room, staring ahead of her at the two-way glass, though she couldn't see where they were. Nor did she know what she was in questioning for. She sighed, leaning back and folding her hands together.

Emma finally came in trying to look as though she owned the room, David trailing behind her, so Regina gave her a few snarky lines, but they fell flat. She had no idea what she had somehow managed to do wrong this time.

"You know why you're here. Because of Archie," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's now against the law to get into an argument with someone?"

"It is if you go into their office later that night and kill them," Emma shot back, while David remained silent. He didn't believe Regina did it. Not even a little bit.

Looking between the two blondes in shock, Regina finally said, "Archie's dead?"

David knew that look on Regina, knew it better than anyone else in town. He relaxed a little, his belief and trust in her confirmed. "Ruby said she saw you go in his office late last night."

"That's impossible; I was at home."

"Alone?" he asked, though his tone wasn't the least bit suspicious, more concerned that she didn't have someone to give her an alibi.

"Of course. Can you think of anyone in town who actually wants to spend time with me?" Regina shot back in annoyance, turning her gaze to Emma. "Honestly, after everything I have done to change, to be better for Henry, you think I would throw it all away over some stupid argument?"

Emma sighed.

"And the fact that you 'caught' me is suspicious. If I'd done it, you wouldn't have a clue."

Nodding, Emma motioned David out of the room so they could talk to Mary Margaret.

"She's lying," the brunette said, the moment the door was closed.

"She isn't." David shook his head. "I know Regina. She isn't lying."

His wife opened her mouth to argue, but Emma openly agreed with him.

"I'm sorry, but Regina's right. She would have covered her tracks. She wouldn't have been careless if it was her. This is a frame job."

Snow shook her head, looking up at David. "And why do you believe her? You know what she's capable of. Is this because you actually don't think she did it, or is there another reason you're defending her?"

"Like what, Snow? Of course I don't believe she did it."

"What happened between you two in the Enchanted Forest?" she pressed.

"We became friends! I trust her! And you should, too." David shook his head.

"Mary Margaret, I know Regina, I know that look," Emma cut in. "She was surprised when we told her. She didn't do it. I believe her."

Relieved that he wasn't the only one, David nodded firmly. "So who do we know who would set Regina up?"

"The entire town," Snow answered in annoyance. "Because as you've seem to forgotten, she cursed us all and took everyone away from their happy ending for twenty-eight years!"

David looked at Regina through the two-way glass while he thought on it. "Gold!"

"Let's go," Emma answered.

David's heart sunk when Emma suddenly took Snow's side after seeing Pongo's memories. He didn't believe it. There was something wrong, something off about Regina's stance. But he couldn't provide an answer of what, so when his wife decided they needed to use Blue as a backup plan, he didn't argue. He was going along with them, if only to try to help Regina.

Pulling out his phone, he sent only one word to Regina in a text, knowing if he fiddled with his phone too long, the two women would become suspicious. He felt awful going behind their backs, but he still doubted Regina did it. He couldn't lose faith in her, not when she'd come so far.

They headed to Regina's, Blue hiding out of view while Snow and Emma led the way to the front door. David hung back slightly, shaking his head at the encounter when Regina opened the door. She seemed genuinely shocked, and that pleased him because it reaffirmed his faith in her.

But he wasn't happy with the way she used magic to throw Emma down the sidewalk. He'd probably have done the same thing if their places were traded, though. David stepped between them then, gripping Regina's bicep. "Regina, please stop."

The look she gave him was too much for him to bear. Her eyes dark and filled with anger, a shadow of sadness hiding behind the rage. "You."

It sounded half like a statement and half like a question to David, and he shook his head. "No. I'm just trying to stop you from hurting my daughter, but I believe you, Regina. I really do."

Movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she saw Blue appear, and suddenly the woman was shooting fairy dust at her. Regina stopped it, using magic to toss it to the ground at Snow's feet. She looked to David, hissing, "Then prove it." With that, she disappeared.

"What the hell, David? You let her get away!" Emma cried.

"Why are you on her side?" That one was from his wife, and he turned to look at her.

"She didn't do it. She was surprised!"

"Because we caught her!"

David shook his head. "No! She didn't do it! I know her better than you two do. I trust her. I'm sorry you don't, but you'll see, and I hope you two understand how much this is setting you both back with her."

Snow scoffed. "That shouldn't be your concern!" she yelled. "We should be your concern. Archie should be your concern. But Regina should not!"

He sighed, looking at the ground for a moment to calm himself. Taking a step toward her, David gripped her arms and rubbed the outsides of them soothingly. "Listen, I know she looks suspicious. I understand why you're wary and I would be, too, if I hadn't gotten to know her better. Snow, that woman you told me about, the woman you swore up and down was still there, beneath the hard and cold and cruel we saw in her for so many years… she is there. She just needs a friend, she needs someone in her corner, believing in her and backing her up." He dipped his head, looking her in the eye. "And I'm sorry it upsets you, but I'm going to be that. Regina saved me, and protected me, and got me back home. She could have easily said that I died or got lost or whatever, and left me behind. But she didn't. So for that she has earned my trust and loyalty here."

"I'm your wife, David. You owe no loyalty to anyone but me," Snow countered stubbornly. But she could see where he was coming from. That didn't mean she liked it.

"I know. And I love you, Snow. I always have, and I have always supported you. And this is not me taking her side over yours. This is me standing up for what I truly believe is the truth. I do not believe she did it. She was somehow set up, and I am going to figure it out." He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "But for now, we'll just have to agree to disagree."

She finally nodded, despite her shoulders slumping. "Okay. Then you're off the case officially. You do what you think you need to to prove her innocent, but you can't have our information to look for her and be secretly helping her."

David nodded his understanding. "Fair enough."

Emma sighed, tugging on her mother's arm. "It's almost time to get Henry from the bus. I have to be there to tell him. He can't find out from anyone but me. Especially not that it was his mother who did it."

"Emma, do you have to tell him that right now? We don't know for sure," David cut in.

"Yes we do. Whatever faith you have in her is unfounded. We have the proof. This isn't your case anymore." She shook her head. "We'll see you at home."

The three women left, Blue nodding at David as she passed him to walk back to the Monastery. He heaved a sigh and walked to her porch, sitting on the steps and dropping his face into his hands. He needed to figure out who framed Regina, and he needed to do it fast. Pulling out his phone, David typed up a quick message.

We need to talk.

And while he'd checked his phone every five minutes for hours, he was met with no new messages.

Regina hid in her vault, sealing herself away from everyone in town. Nobody knew where she was, and the only person who even knew where this place was was Henry. Not that she wanted him to find her in this state. She was a mess. A pacing, angry, upset, betrayed mess. Henry wouldn't believe them, would he? She'd shown him she was doing better. But Emma was his good mother, the one who had never truly wronged him (in his eyes) and the one who was the Savior. She was his hero, not Regina, so what reason would have to believe her and not Emma.

She didn't know if David would try to prove he believed her. She had no idea how much she could truly trust him. Oh but she wanted to be able to. She needed to be able to trust someone, but everyone in her life had let her down. Why should now be any different?

She paced for what seemed like hours, though she didn't really know how long. Regina had left her phone at home, and being stuck underground didn't allow for time checking by the sun's position in the sky. After some time, she heard a voice, a Hello? Mom? Mom? being called quietly and curiously, so she waved a hand over a mirror to reveal the image of her son. He was wearing his backpack, looking around cautiously and in vain, for he wouldn't find her unless she revealed herself.

Regina was too relieved to see him to be properly wary of his presence. She opened the secret door, pulling him into a hug. Pressing her cheek to his hair, she fought back tears in her joy of him being there. "Henry, I'm so glad you're here. I missed you so much when—I have to let you know, I had nothing to do with Archie."

"I know. I always knew," he answered nonchalantly.

"I was framed. I don't know how. I - It just seemed like everything—" his words registered in her head. "You knew? How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Simple." Then a cloud of blue magic surrounded him, and Regina took a step back when she saw her mother. Cora looked her in the eye. "Because I did it."

"Mother." Regina shook her head. "I thought I stopped you from following us. I thought you wouldn't be able to come through. How did you?" she asked. Realization came over her. "Hook."

"Yes. The pirate, along with my determination to be by your side, got me here. Regina, my darling, don't you see how great we could be working together? These people don't care about you, these people have taken everything away from you." Cora reached up to brush back her daughter's hair, but Regina slapped her hand away.

"No. You did! You took everything away from me. You killed Daniel. You made me marry the king. You made me lose what little I had after you murdered Daniel by forcing me to be a stepmother to Snow White and a wife to Leopold when I was practically still a child myself!"

Cora shook her head. "Oh Regina, I know I should have never made you marry the king. I do know that now. But nobody has ever loved you as much as I love you."

Regina took a step back, then walked around Cora. "Come on. We're going to tell everyone you set me up. The Charmings, Emma, Henry… they're all going to know I didn't kill Archie, and you are going to confess it."

"Okay." Regina should have known by how easily her mother followed her and how willingly she seemed to agree that there was something off. Something was wrong. But she didn't catch on.