Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

David nodded.

He got it, Emma knew. He probably didn’t want to think about it, but he got it.

She went into Kathryn’s room.

Dr. Whale was saying something to Kathryn and after a moment of listening, Emma realized he was talking to her about his watch.

— … still the only Swiss watch with no Japanese parts, and it costs more because…

What is it with this guy? Emma thought.

He stopped when he realized Emma was standing in the room.

— Sheriff Swan, — he said. He gestured toward Kathryn. — She’s awake, as you can see.

Emma ignored him, went to Kathryn’s bedside.

— Kathryn, I’m Emma Swan, — she said. — We met at David’s homecoming party.

— I remember, — Kathryn said. — You’re the sheriff. And roommates with Mary Margaret.

Emma heard some tone there. Not great tone.

— That’s true, — she said, — but I’m not here to play favorites. I don’t want to take a lot of your time, but if you can remember what happened to you, or if you can help us in any way…

Kathryn nodded.

— I don’t remember much, — she said. — I had a car accident. I remember the air bag going off. The next thing I knew, I was in the dark, in some basement. I didn’t see anyone, but there was food and water. After that, I don’t know. I guess I was drugged.

Dr. Whale nodded.

— We’re still trying to flush it out of her system, — he said. — But she was. Definitely.

— I woke up in a field near the edge of town and just started walking, — Kathryn said. — That’s all I can tell you.

— You never saw anyone? — Emma asked. — You didn’t hear a voice, smell any perfume? Cologne? No details at all?

— Nothing. I wish I could help, especially since… while I was gone, everyone thought I was dead? Is that right?

Emma looked at Dr. Whale.

— Who’s been gossiping? — she said.

Whale shrugged.

I do not like this guy, Emma thought.

— I figured she needed to know, — he said. — She’ll read about her heart in the paper eventually, right?

— Excuse me, — said Kathryn. — My heart?

— You don’t have to worry about the details right now, — Emma said quickly, not quite knowing how to explain to the woman that her heart had been found in a box. — What’s important is that you’re safe.

— Although we do now know that somebody had to have doctored those DNA results.

— DNA results? — Kathryn said. — What are you talking about? I really don’t understand.

— Don’t worry, — said Whale. — Yours is still right where it’s supposed to be. The police found a heart and it was believed to be yours.

Great, Emma thought.

Kathryn, looking aghast at this detail, turned back to Emma.

— Who would do this?

— Somebody trying to frame Mary Margaret, — Emma said. — We don’t know who. Yet.

Kathryn shook her head.

— Why? — she said. — Why would anyone do such a thing?

— We don’t know, — Emma said.

That night, the party celebrating Mary Margaret’s release was very well attended. Even August was invited.

As Emma sipped some punch and watched August mingling, she wondered about the odd man who’d come to town so recently. She could not figure him out.

She came over just as Henry and Mary Margaret came together. Henry told her that he had a card to deliver. It was from the entire class of children at school, and it read, — We’re so glad you didn’t kill Mrs. Nolan.

— Why thank you so much, Henry, — Mary Margaret said, taking the message in stride. — Please tell everyone I’ll be back soon.

— I also got you a bell, — he said, handing her a little box. — For the class.

Emma smiled. When she looked up, Gold was watching her, and he nodded to the corner of the room. She walked over.

Emma decided to lay it all out for him:

— I don’t know what you’ve been doing with Regina, but I know this whole thing isn’t as clean as you’re pretending it is. You two somehow manufactured this. I don’t know how, or why, but I know something is going on.

— What would possibly make you think I had any agreement with Regina?

— I don’t know, — Emma said. — Call it a hunch.

— Hunches are not evidence, — Gold said, — and you are a sheriff.

— Were you the one who made Kathryn appear out of thin air?

— You speak as though I have magical powers, — Gold said.

— Sometimes it seems like you do, — Emma said.

— I don’t understand, — Gold said. — Are you proposing that I was both working with Regina and against her?

— I don’t know, — Emma said. — Maybe you were working diagonally.

— Perhaps, — said Gold. — It’s always hard to tell with me, isn’t it?

— Yes. It is.

— Let me ask you a different question entirely, — he said. — What do you think of this stranger? This August? Do you trust him?

Emma looked over at him. So did Gold.

— I’m starting to.

— His full name is August Wayne Booth, — said Gold. — It’s obviously a false name.

Emma was silent for a moment, and then she said, — Writers use pseudonyms. I’m not worried about August.

— So you do trust him, then.

— I don’t know if I trust him, — Emma said, — but I trust him a whole lot more than I trust you.

— Oh, you should trust me more, Ms. Swan, — Gold said. — I always follow through with my agreements.

— You always say that, too, — Emma said.

— I do, — said Gold. — Because it’s true.

The next morning, Emma was at the diner, trying to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee for the first time since Mary Margaret had been released. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t feel as relieved as she’d expected to. Sure, her friend was out of danger, and Kathryn was safe, but she’d seen too much, and sensed too many backhanded dealings, to really feel as though Storybrooke was «cleaned up». If anything, she now knew how broken it was. And if she didn’t know any better, Sidney Glass, former editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror , was drunk again at eight in the morning. He was in the corner booth.

She shook her head, hoping he wouldn’t do anything that would require her to take him to jail. He claimed that Regina had fired him because of the election, but Emma suspected she still didn’t know the full story. What she did know was that Sidney had it bad for Regina. She’d suspected before, but some of his ravings during those late-night arrests, were about «her» or «that woman». Glass never quite revealed who he was talking about, but it was pretty obvious to Emma, especially after he’d so willingly been Regina’s lapdog. The two seemed to have had a falling out, but Emma didn’t trust him and she never would.

Unfortunately, Glass saw her soon after she saw him, and he stumbled over to her booth and sat himself down.

— Mr. Glass, — Emma said. — Probably not the best time to be drunk.

— Every time is the best time to be drunk, — Glass said. He nodded once, as though confirming this idea to himself.

— What do you want?

— I want to explain to you, — Glass said, — that this town has all sorts of secrets.

— Not news to me, — said Emma. — But thanks.

— I’m not so sure you know about all of them, — Glass said. — Don’t get cocky.

— Let me guess, — said Emma. — You’re about to tell me about more of them.

— One, maybe, — Glass said. — One or two. I know what you’re thinking: Regina did something to that girl. And I know what else you’re thinking: Gold has something to do with it, too. Am I right?

Emma said nothing, just stared back at him.