What Happened to Frederick?

Emma sighed as she walked up to Granny's Diner, pausing when she ran into 'the Stranger' as he was referred to by everyone in Storybrooke, as he was leaving the small diner. She felt a bit bad that she hadn't even bothered to ask the man's name, she couldn't just keep referring to him as 'that guy' when she brought him up, as Sheriff it was her duty to know her town and the people in it, "I've been meaning to bump into you," he smiled at her, "Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."

"Is that you asking me out?" she deadpanned, thinking to the deal she'd struck with him. He'd had an old wooden box that he went everywhere with and she'd found it suspicious. She'd nearly demanded he open it and show her what was in it but he'd brokered a deal instead. He would show her what was in the box if she went to get a drink with him some time. An old typewriter was not worth the drink.

"Well, if putting a label on it makes you more comfortable, sure," he shrugged, "Let's call it a date."

"I thought you came here to write," she brought up the typewriter again, apparently he was an author, how he knew of Storybrooke if, according to Henry, the place didn't really exist, was beyond her, "Find inspiration," she gestured about.

"I'm optimistic about our date."

"See, I have a policy, I won't go out with guys who won't tell me their names," she smirked, "I find it weeds out the ones who like to keep secrets, like they're already married or they store body parts in their freezer. It was nice talking to you," she pushed past him, about to enter when he called out.

"It's August," he told her, "August W. Booth."

She paused, turning to give him a look, "Really? With the middle initial?"

He smirked, "W's for Wayne. So, there goes your reason for not meeting me here after work."

He turned to head off when Emma frowned, "Why not get that drink now?"

He turned around, still walking backwards towards his motorcycle, "That eager huh?" he laughed, "I can't now, I have things to do."

"Body parts to hide?"

He shook his head, still smiling, "My sister came to visit me. I told her that the town was pretty nice, unique, and she wanted to have a look for herself. She's a musician," his grin turned a bit secretive, "Plenty of inspiration around her to compose with too, peace and quiet and solitude. But she likes to work too, I'm supposed to pick her and take her to her appointment at the school."

"What, she's applying to be the music teacher or something?" Emma frowned, not sure how she felt about two strangers being in Storybrooke.

August just pointed at her as she hit the nail on the head before he turned back to his bike and got on, heading off moments later to go pick up his 'sister.'

Oh that was going to take A LOT of getting used to, calling her his sister instead of his mother around other people.

~8~

August stood leaning against his bike outside the train station of the next town, knowing that nothing ran in or out of Storybrooke, watching the passengers getting off. He frowned, however when the train pulled away and there was no sign of the one he was waiting for to be seen.

"Where the hell..." he muttered to himself, not at all worried though, she was a tough cookie and could take care of herself to the extreme.

"Language Key," a woman's voice said from behind him, a soft British accent to her words, which was a wonder HE hadn't picked it up given the time they spent together

He nearly leapt a foot in the air before spinning around to see her standing behind him, smirking at his fear. Shew as blonde, her hair held back half up, half down, a slight curl to the end of it, with forest green eyes, looking just a little older than him. She was wearing black pants tucked into black boots, a long sleeved green turtleneck sweater on that was long enough to go to her thighs, and no other jacket to speak of, which made him roll his eyes, she hardly ever wore a jacket unless it was snowing or raining out.

She called him Key, always had, as she was the only one who knew his true name was Pin-oh-KEY-oh. Everyone else went by his penname August W. Booth. But then again, everyone also thought she was his sister. Or they had for the last few years, ever since he started to look her age.

Really, she was more his mother than anything. She had been a fairytale character as well, though one with quite unique magic, magic over the mind. It protected her from the curse erasing who she was, but she WAS affected by it in a way. As everyone in Storybrooke remained as they were, never aging, so had she, somewhat. She aged at half the rate humans normally did, the spell seemed to be struggling to affect her physical body even as her magic fought against it. She'd been on this Earth for 28 years but only looked 14 years older than she had when she'd left the Enchanted Forest. She'd arrived looking about 21, now seemed to be 35. Being a young boy of 10, it made sense to call her his mother, but as he grew older and she didn't...well, now they had to appear more like brother and sister, something he really wasn't comfortable with.

She was his mother, in every sense of the word if not blood. She'd found him living on the streets, recognized him, taken him in, kept him safe and...loved. He'd seen the world because she was travelling it in search of her true love and the others from their world. She'd never told him who her true love was till he'd been old enough to think logically on it. He could see now the wisdom in waiting. Tell a young boy that her true love was basically the boogie man and he'd run screaming. Tell a 25 year old that the man he'd feared as a child actually had a decent soul and he might stick around to hear her out. His only regret was that she'd had to live all that time missing her true love and not even allowed to talk about it.

"You really have to do that, still?" he deadpanned.

She was sneaky. He'd learned to be sneaky too, from her, but he preferred the dramatic entrance as opposed to the silent surprise. She'd told him once when he'd asked why she was always so quiet, that old habits were hard to break. She'd spent much of her life on the run from the Evil Queen, being silent could mean the difference between life and death with her soldiers on the lookout.

She just gave him a nod, "Our story?"

She always left it up to him what tale they'd tell the new people they met whenever they settled down for a month or so. He was the writer.

"You're my sister, coming to visit me since I told you how quaint the town was," he explained, taking her one small bag, travel light she'd always said. Be able to grab all you love in a minute and hold it in one bag, it was something he'd come to live by himself. He placed it on the back of his bike and handed her a helmet, giving her a look when she hesitated in putting it on.

She was more a horse person or magic travel than the methods of the common world. She had a thing about people strapping themselves to machines and jettisoning themselves into the air or water or asphalt. She didn't even like bicycles so his motorcycle with no walls around her made her anxious, but she trusted him.

"Did you get the book?" she asked as she clipped the helmet on and got on behind him.

He grinned, "Oh yeah, just needs some finishing touches, a little...magic," he winked at her before starting up the bike.

And soon they were off, him calling stories of the town over his shoulder to try and get her death grip on him to loosen. Who would have thought SHE would be afraid of this? The Pied Piper?

~8~

The Piper, or Piper as most called her, walked through the halls of the local school in Storybrooke, smiling lightly as she thought about how she'd gotten there, how she and August had done it this time, actually FOUND them. She and August had been up half the night working on editing Henry's fairytale book to add in a very unique story, Pinocchio's. And now, since the story was that she had come to stay for a long while with her 'brother,' she needed a job, they had rent to pay. And, as luck would have it, the elementary school had an opening for a music teacher. And she was just the woman for the job. Instruments, songs, music, was her specialty.

And children always were the most open minded. Perhaps she would be able to get them to remember who they were as well.

It had gone well, the interview. After she proved her abilities with different instruments, she'd been allowed to 'teach' a class to see how it would go. She'd scared the children, possibly scarred them, but it kept them in line. She was good with children, surprisingly, better than with adults. Kinder to them, but still, her natural bite and frigid persona made her seem like a no-nonsense person, which she was. It was why August had rebelled so often, gotten into so much trouble and mischief growing up.

The class had run smoothly though and the principal had applauded her ability to keep the kids under control.

She slowed though, her attention being pulled to something else. There, walking down the hall with a soft smile on her face, was Snow White. Well, Mary Margaret, according to August. She stopped, just watching the woman walk, waving a little at the children who passed her. She felt her heart tug at her as she saw this, it had been SO long since she'd seen Snow...and now, now that she saw her again...the woman didn't even know who she was.

Mary Margaret, as though feeling someone staring at her, looked up and caught her gaze, the same forest green eyes meeting each other...when something over her shoulder pulled Mary Margaret's attention away. She looked back to see Princess Abigail, no, Kathryn Nolan storming down the halls towards Mary Margaret, tears in her eyes.

"Kathryn," Mary Margaret gasped as Kathryn stepped closer, seeming to know why the woman was confronting her, seeming to expect it, "I'm… I'm sorry."

Kathryn just slapped her, hard, "Screw you, you're sorry!"

"I understand you're upset. You have every right to be."

"Thank you for that insight," Kathryn glared.

Mary Margaret looked around at the teachers and students who had stopped at the commotion, "Can we… Can we please talk somewhere private?"

"Private?" Kathryn nearly spat, "Why do you get any consideration at all? You have shown none for me, either of you. All you did was lie."

"We should have talked to you sooner, but we've been completely honest. We didn't lie."

"You didn't lie?" she scoffed, "You snuck around. You had him break up my marriage with a pack of lies. With some crap about not being able to connect? He didn't have any trouble connecting with you!"

Mary Margaret blinked, feeling as though she had been punched in the gut, "David didn't tell you about us?"

"No, of course not," Kathryn glared, "That would have been the honorable thing to do."

"But," she shook her head as though she couldn't believe it, "He said he would tell you."

"Well, then he lied to you, too. Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other," and with one final spiteful glare, Kathryn stormed off, leaving Mary Margaret standing in the middle of the hallway, disappointed eyes watching her from all angles.

…until someone snorted.

They all looked over to see Piper standing there, crossing her arms as she watched Kathryn disappear down the stairs, "I can see why the marriage has failed," she remarked dryly, "Anyone married to a shrew would wish for an end."

And with that, she turned and walked off, giving Mary Margaret a little wink as she passed, confusing the woman even as it reassured her slightly.

~8~

Emma stepped out of Granny's diner when she spotted August pull up on his bike, but make no move to get off.

"Thought you were taking your sister to an interview," she called as she walked over.

"I did, she got the job," he shrugged, glancing at her to see her eyes had narrowed, "Suspicious of her now?" he laughed, "Her name's Piper, by the way, incase you want to launch an investigation."

Emma's lips pursed, "You going to come in?" she asked, gesturing at the diner after a minute of him just sitting there, "I thought you wanted that drink."

"I do, but I didn't say here," he reminded, "Hop on."

"You want me to get on the back of that bike?" Emma eyed it.

"That's what 'hop on' means."

"How about if we go somewhere, I drive?"

"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith? You owe me a drink. Hop on. I know a good watering hole," Piper had told him about it.

"If you don't, I will," Granny called, having watched them from the window of the diner.

Emma rolled her eyes but took the offered helmet and got on.

~8~

Piper walked down the street, on her way to Gold's Antiques, she had to see a man about a pipe, when she caught sight of Mary Margaret walking with her head bowed, the people around her whispering and frowning at her as she passed, clearly word had spread about the affair she was having with her own husband…though no one remembered he WAS her husband. Now they all thought she was some sort of scarlet woman!

"Oh, gosh!" Granny gasped as she bumped into Mary Margaret.

"I'm sorry, Granny," the woman offered her a small smile, "I must have not been looking."

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" Granny looked up to see who it was and her entire countenance cooled, "Oh. You."

"Excuse me?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

Piper frowned a Granny stormed past, her frown deepening as she saw Mary Margaret reach her car where 'TRAMP' was painted on the side. Her eyes narrowed, she knew exactly who was responsible for that, she knew that handwriting, she'd seen it ample times before.

She turned on her heel and stormed off back through the town. Her years on her own had taught her strength, determination, courage. She was not the same girl the Queen had hunted before and she would not let the woman win.

No one harmed Snow.

~8~

Emma looked up as she brushed the leaves off her yellow beetle, a streak of red catching her eye. At first she thought it was Mary Margaret driving past, she knew someone had vandalized the girl's car to say 'tramp' but no...it wasn't Mary Margaret's car and that completely shocked her. Because right ahead of her, was the Mayor driving past, glowering, the word 'BITCH' painted on the side of her own car.

She had to laugh, either the same person had it out for both Mary Margaret AND Regina or, the more likely event, someone believed the Mayor had done the first painting and was retaliating. Now if she could just prove Regina had done it...

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a metal clunking. She looked down to see a metal tool box that she recognized as one Henry had hidden his fairytale book in lying in the gutter, still locked. She quickly opened it, smiling when she saw the fairytale book still safely inside.

"Well done," Piper murmured to August as they stood around a corner, watching, knowing August had been responsible for getting the book back to her.

"You as well," he nodded, smirking at Regina's car disappearing in the distance, knowing that the Queen had gotten off VERY easy compared to what Piper COULD do to her…

~8~

Later that night would find Piper resting against a small wishing well, the one she had instructed August to take Emma to for that drink earlier. There was a legend that the waters could help lost things be found, like the fairytale book. She smirked, looking out at the distance, not a soul around which made it perfect to use the well to find her own lost thing. She could have gone to it herself, she knew where it was…but it was far more entertaining to see if she still had it in her to get HIM to come to HER.

She leaned over, pulling an old worn pipe from her boot and raised it to her lips, it wasn't HER pipe, no, but it was a decent substitute as a gentle melody played through it, carried through the trees on the wind, towards the town…

~8~

Emma and Henry were walking through the town with a quite downtrodden Mary Margaret. She'd just managed to convince her to come out with her and Henry to get ice cream, stating that Henry was sneaking away from Regina to meet them, that he wanted to cheer his teacher up. As heartbroken as she was, Mary Margaret was too kind to turn down such a sweet boy and had gone even though it would mean facing the town that was still looking at her like she was some sort of harlot. It had been alright though, no one said anything to her or whispered while Emma was there, the woman shooting fierce glares at any who even seemed about to think of doing so.

And now they were just walking Henry back, passing Gold's shop as he stepped out, Emma tugging Henry closer to her subtly, Gold smirking as he saw it happen. He rather liked being feared as he was. If given the choice between loved and feared it was better to be feared. And besides there was only one person he wanted to be loved by and he had been.

"Miss Swan," he nodded at her, resting his hands on his cane, "Miss Blanchard."

"Gold," she replied stiffly, still wary of him given how he'd attacked Moe the florist all over a broken pipe. Mary Margaret just nodded, quieting down when she saw Granny and Ruby walking their way.

"Henry," he added.

"Rumpelstiltskin," the boy frowned.

Emma gave a little eye roll at that, the boy was still convinced everyone in town was fairytale characters, and that Gold was the worst of them all, second only to the Evil Queen.

Gold though, gave a little chuckle, about to comment on that when Ruby, who was walking past with Granny, suddenly stopped, "Do you hear that?" she asked them, looking over. They frowned and listened, straining, just barely able to hear a faint melody playing in the distance.

"What is that?" Emma frowned.

Gold, however, just turned and headed right for it, startling Emma and Ruby with how briskly he was walking, brisk and Gold didn't fit well together, there was even a hint of eagerness in his motions. They followed him down the street towards the forest, running into David Nolan as he returned from thinking at the toll bridge in the process, making their way into the woods, following the tune till they saw August standing there, beside a tree, his arms crossed, watching something.

"So she got to you too huh?" August asked, glancing back at them when he noticed them.

"Who?" Emma shook her head.

"My…sister," August supplied, still having trouble calling his 'mother' his 'sister' but they were too close in age now for that to be believable to others, especially when said others didn't know about magic.

"Your sister?" Emma frowned.

"Take a look," he nodded ahead where they could see a blonde woman, appearing a year or two older than August, leaning against the wishing well, playing softly on a pipe, a slightly haunting melody.

She smiled as she played, seeing them draw closer, her gaze locked on one man though who was staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"What is this noise?!" Regina snapped, storming over to them, having heard the tune and followed them.

The girl cut off suddenly, "I believe it is what you might call music," she tilted her head, smirking at the woman, "I would have thought that the mayor would know what it is."

Regina's eyes narrowed, almost as though she might recognize the woman, "That was not music, that was disturbing the peace," she spun to Emma, "Sheriff Swan I want this woman arrested for breaking the noise ordinance."

Emma just gave her a look, "She's not on town property," she countered, "She's in the woods, there's no noise ordinance in the woods otherwise you'd have hunted down all the animals."

Regina's eyes narrowed, but the woman called out, "My apologizes, oh queen of Storybrooke," she said mockingly, bowing in jest, "I shall try to contain my melodies else I do your precious ears further injury."

Ruby let out a little laugh, her eyes widening, impressed as quite a few others seemed to be with the new girl standing up against Regina.

"You watch your tone," Regina snapped at her.

She smirked, "Or else you shall do what, exactly? Throw me in the dungeon for apologizing?" she scoffed, "Well then, I shall be sure not to make the mistake of making amends with you again," and gave another mocking bow, "Your majesty."

Regina glowered at her but turned on her heel and stormed off, "Come along Henry!" she shouted back.

Henry sighed before turning to follow after his 'mother' knowing she was already in a mood and ignoring her would make her more unbearable than she already was.

"So you are the mysterious Miss Booth?" Gold asked, stepping closer to the girl, his gaze locked on her, a more intense look in his eyes than any of the townspeople had ever seen before.

"Lynn, actually," she nodded, "Hannah Piper Lynn. Booth is his penname," she added, reaching out to shake Gold's hand, only for the man to not shake it, but lift it to his lips.

The women tried not to grimace a bit at that, though August couldn't help but smile when he saw a softness in his 'sister's' eyes at the action, it wasn't a look he often saw directed at anyone besides him over the years, it was always nice to see, it meant she was happy.

"You'll want to call her Piper though," August added, giving Gold an almost knowing look, "She hates her first name."

"It's a lovely name dearie," Gold told her, "Piper," he glanced at her pipe, "Fitting."

She smirked, "Do you still have time for our appointment or shall we reschedule, I understand it is quite late…"

He shook his head, "I have all the time in the world," though his pointed gaze told August that was only true when it came to her.

"Appointment?" Emma cut in, curious.

Piper held up her pipe, "I wanted to have this appraised," she explained, "It is rather old and unique," she turned back to Gold, "Shall we?"

He gestured before him, "After you my dear."

Piper nodded and stepped past him, walking away from the quite confused group of unknowing fairytale characters and back into town.

He led her right to his shop, letting her in and heading to the back. He pulled aside the curtain separating his back work space to let her past, letting the curtain drop a moment to take a breath, gathering himself. Hoping, but being careful to prepare for disappointment, her words…it was possible she remembered but he didn't want to hurt if she didn't. He swallowed hard, not sure what he'd do if she'd forgotten him, what they had. He closed his eyes a moment, praying that she would remember who she was, who he was, who they were to each other, before he let the breath out and stepped past the curtain, stopping short as he saw her again.

She was sitting at his worktable, her feet up on it, like they always were…and she was smirking at him.

"…Pip?" he asked after a moment of taking in the familiar scene.

She smirked wider, "Hello Rummy."

He let out a breath of relief, a smile so wide it threatened to break his face in half growing across it.

She simply held up a finger and beckoned him over. He obliged, moving to kneel before her as she leaned in, taking his tie in her hand and tugged him closer, kissing him deeply for the first time in FAR too many years, leaving them both breathless when she pulled away, smiling a true smile.

"I believe this means you missed me?"

He just laughed and took her face in his hands, pulling her into another kiss.

A/N: Aww, Piper and Gold are back ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, the chapters will go between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest with the EF after every main episode, except the finale ones ;)

Piper has a British accent yup :)

I feel like true love doesn't have to be reciprocated to be felt. You can genuinely and truly love someone but they feel nothing for you. So True Love's Kiss can work as long as the one kissing the other truly 'loves' that person :)

Piper's definitely got a darkness in her, what I find interesting is that as I wrote her, she does some pretty heavy and dark things, but at the same time she and Gold almost make each other more human :)

Belle won't have her memories, but Piper does as she was put outside the curse and her mind magic protects her :)

Nope, Regina won't fall for an OC, I love Robin too :)

I probably won't do a Peter/OC story, he really irritates me and I'm not fond of his character (which is good writing on the writer's part for the show lol) so I probably won't put him with an OC :)