Once Upon A Wonderland~ Killian Jones

The Interrogation

Regina sat calmly at her desk in the mayor's office, hands folded neatly on the hardwood. She smiled up at the pirate and Baelfire innocently- well, as innocently as the Evil Queen could be- crossing her legs as she listened to the two men recount the earlier events of the day: Hades appearing to them, finding out Grace was under a sleeping curse, and discovering that she was Hades's mercenary, sent to kill Hook. "Well," she raised her eyebrows when they had finished. "That is certainly interesting. Unfortunately, I have nothing to tell you. Up until now, I thought Grace had simply left town."

Slamming his hook on the table, Killian growled. "Don't lie to me, witch. I want the truth."

Regina shrugged, her smile unwavering in the face of Killian's anger. "I'm sorry. I can't help you." Of course, she could help him- in fact, she had the answers to all the questions he was asking- but she had made a promise to keep Killian safe (even if he was an abrasive, loud-mouthed scoundrel), and she would keep it.

Baelfire grabbed Killian's arm and pulled him back. "Come on. We'll look somewhere else." Killian ripped his arm out of Neal's grasp and glared at Regina.

"Thanks for your help." Neal held up his hand in goodbye, dragging Killian out of the office.

Once they were in the hallway, Killian turned to Neal with fire in his eyes. "She's lying." He growled.

"Be quiet!" Neal shushed, smiling at a passing government official warily. "I know she is. But it's clear she's not going to tell us the truth. We're going to have to do a little investigating of our own."

Killian narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

Neal drew Killian aside. "Think about it. If she was going to cast a sleeping curse, where would she do it?"

Killian's jaw hardened in realization. "Her vault."

Neal nodded. "Exactly. Regina does all of her spell casting there. If she was the one who cast the sleeping curse, we'll know."

The two men set off for Regina's vault, full of determination. Behind a nearby wall, Regina grimaced. She expected the secret room to stay hidden from the two men (they weren't exactly Einstein), but if they happened to find it, she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Her scowl deepened. She knew what the dreaded next step was: it was time to give Belle a call.

~~~

"I think we should tell them." Belle said resolutely, after Regina had explained the situation.

Regina rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Belle and her infuriating optimism. "I already told you, we can't. Grace specifically told me-"

"What she told you doesn't matter anymore," Belle cut in, making Regina roll her eyes. "Clearly, Killian already knows that Grace was supposed to kill him. And he won't stop searching for answers until he knows the full truth. Besides, you overheard them saying they were going to your vault. If you don't tell them, they'll find out for themselves."

Regina snorted. "You overestimate their intelligence."

"Well, if you don't tell them, I will," Belle declared resolutely. "If there's anything I've learned from Rumple, it's that the truth is always better than a lie."

Regina pinched her brow. Belle's... goodness... was giving her a headache. "Fine. Meet me at my vault as soon as possible. And don't be late."

~~~

"Any idea where the entrance is?" Neal crossed his arms, eyeing the marble casket lying dormant in the middle of the room. Light filtered in through a small window towards the top of the mausoleum, illuminating the various urns and casket with an eerie glow. Killian crouched near the side of the casket, examining the stonework closely. He ran a single finger along the top, collecting a patch of dust on his fingertip.