The Sword in the Stone

Piper was standing on a rather tall ladder set up against the wall of the main chamber of the Dark Castle, a small feather duster in her hand as she worked on getting the dust from the tops of the cabinets worked away. She was humming lightly under her breath, a soft smile on her face when she heard Rumpelstiltskin behind her, humming an answering tune. It made her want to giggle if that were something she was accustomed to doing anymore. The tune she was humming was a light duet, and to hear him giving her the answering melody made her heart beat faster in her chest.

It was shaping up to be a…a good day for her, she was actually quite happy. Her cousin was safe, she'd been awoken from the sleeping curse, she was going to take back her kingdom (something Rumpelstiltskin had promised her he would do all he could to help with that, subtly though, no use getting the Queen all riled up). She knew that Snow White would do it, she was strong and resourceful and she had more allies than she realized, including the Pied Piper and the Dark One, though she doubted that Snow knew that.

Things were even going well for she and Rumpelstiltskin as well. So many people would probably think her mad, for how she felt about him, for how safe she felt around him and…how loved she felt as well. But she had come to realize that she truly didn't care what people thought of her. The only person that she cared the opinion of was Rumpelstiltskin himself and Snow White and she liked to think that, in the long run, Snow would just be happy that SHE was happy. She loved him, she knew it, she loved the Dark One and she really did feel…happy. It was such a strange feeling given how miserable she'd been for so long now, but she really truly was.

She smiled at the feather duster in her hand, giving a small sneeze when a blast of dust hit her nose, he'd tried to steal it from her. He had been…reconsidering her position in his life. She had entered it by becoming his caretaker for his castle, but she had grown to be a partner to him, yet still maintain her duties. Now though…she was so much more than that, they both knew it, she was much more than just a caretaker and partner. Well, she WAS a partner, but in an entirely different way than before. He'd tried to tell her that she didn't have to keep taking care of the castle.

It had been…well, adorable would have been the word she'd use if he wasn't the Dark One, but it was warming how awkward and stuttering he'd gotten when he'd tried to bring that up. He saw it almost as demeaning, making her clean the entire castle, to keep chores like that when she wasn't the caretaker any longer but the mistress of the castle and…she'd cut him off then, surprised that he considered her to be mistress of his home. He'd gotten uncharacteristically sweet and told her she was mistress of his heart, and home was where the heart was. She'd kissed him soundly for that, but informed him that she had no intention of giving up her chores or her duties in their home.

That had made HIM smile to hear, that she considered the Dark Castle not just a home to her, but THEIR home as well, one they shared together. She'd explained that, when he was off doing his deals that didn't require her (and she had a feeling that a few more in the future might not require her than normal, he was rather possessive and protective of the things he cared about, like her), she would need something to do with her time than just sit there and wait for him. Her duties kept her occupied, the cleaning helped her focus when she was deep in thought about something or uneasy or worried. And…she had perhaps gotten a bit possessive and commanding herself in telling him she would not allow another woman into that castle to take over her roles, SHE would be the only woman in his life in that capacity, SHE would be the only woman who knew him and his home that intimately. He'd seemed very pleased that she wanted to stay and take care of his castle, the things in it, all of it was important to him and it seemed to touch him that she thought they were important to her as well, so much so that she wanted to be the one taking care of them, that she didn't trust anyone else to.

She was abruptly cut off, however, when the doors to the room flew open with a crash and, in turning to see what was going on, expecting it to be Regina (she cursed herself for getting so caught up in her humming and thoughts that she hadn't heard the approaching song of someone else), she topped over the side of the ladder and fell. But in the next instant, before she could even blink, Rumpelstiltskin was beneath her, his arms around her waist and legs, catching her and sending a withering glare at Prince Charming as he stood in the doorway.

His gaze, however, softened when he looked at Piper, making sure she was unharmed from her fall. She took a moment to catch her breath, having been winded by the toppling and the catch but gave him a nod to set her down.

He placed her gently on her feet, his hand remaining behind her back, on the small of it, as he turned his glare back at the shepherd prince, "You again?" he sneered at the man, "Didn't I just help you wake your princess?"

"Now I need your help once more," Charming stated, "Long ago you made Snow remember who she was when a spell blinded her. I need you to do it again."

Rumpelstiltskin felt Piper stiffen beside him and gently ran a hand up and down her back, unnoticed by Charming, soothing her as he eyed the prince, "What happened with your precious princess now? Did she have her eyes stolen this time?"

Charming let out a breath at that, focusing on Rumpelstiltskin instead of the woman who was frowning at him from beside the imp, he didn't have the fondest memories of the woman, the last two times he'd encountered her, she'd been ruthless in getting him on his knees and on his back and gasping for breath as he struggled to push past the unimaginable agony she had inflicted upon him with just that pipe that was sticking out of her boot. He knew enough of his own actions to know that she'd only resorted to that when he'd threatened her, but it was difficult to push past just how blinding that pain and torment had been. Someone capable of creating that sort of agony had to be able to create something a little less painful as well. But, then again, she was standing awfully close to the Dark One and given how easily she did so, how comfortable she seemed around the man, he could guess that meant that they were fairly similar in personalities. He should expect something like that from a woman like her.

"The Queen attacked," he stated.

"What?!" Piper spoke, making Charming frown and glance at her not just for the outcry but for the tone of it. It was surprised, disbelieving, and…slightly concerned as well.

"Yes…" Charming eyed her a moment, before shaking his head, focusing on Rumpelstiltskin once more, eyeing how the man had taken an almost unnoticeable step closer to Piper for that as well, "We were rallying the people," he continued, "And the Queen appeared. She threatened one of the peasants, a young girl, told Snow that she must either agree to relinquish her claim to the throne, to remove herself from the kingdom and live in exile with her supporters, or that the Queen would attack."

"And this is my concern why?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Because Snow is starting to question herself," Charming frowned, "She's ready to give in, to give up, to just…leave. She's doubting her ability to rule and to protect her people. She's convinced the Queen will come after the people important to…her…" he trailed off a moment, seeing Piper stiffen beside Rumpelstiltskin at that, "She feels lost, like she's merely an orphan, a bandit, that she doesn't have what it takes to rule, that anyone who follows her will go to their deaths."

"Ahh again," Rumpelstiltskin made a face, "Not seeing how this is my concern."

"Because if Snow doesn't stand up to the Queen then no one will," Charming glared at him, "And then she'll turn on you. Do you want to risk her becoming your enemy as well?"

Rumpelstiltskin let out a high giggle at that, "Is the little shepherd worrying about my flock?" he grinned, "Sorry to tell you, dearie, but I was the one who taught Regina all she knows, and all she knows is all she knows and not all that I know," he put his hands to his chest, his grin growing smug, "If she dares attack me, she will be dealt with. Until then, not my problem."

Piper glanced at him, eyeing him closely, seeing a tension in his smile and how his gaze kept flickering to her. She recognized that expression, those actions, it had happened once before, they'd been on a small lunch in the woods, bandits had attacked, not knowing that the Dark One was the one that they were robbing. She'd gotten grabbed by one, a knife to her neck, and they'd demanded that he pay them all he had for her return. He'd waved it off, sounding as though he were encouraging them to just kill her, but his smile was strained, his eyes flickering to her as though trying to convey something to her. The way he spoke as well was odd, he'd made a few remarks about the sounds of nature, the music of screaming, and other things, and she'd realized…he wasn't defending her because he believed in her ability to protect herself, he was giving her the chance to use her magic, to practice it. He was confident that she could handle herself, and he gave her the freedom to do so, while knowing that he would defend her if she truly needed it.

She started to smile as she saw what he was doing, and looked back at Charming, seeing a wider smile grow on Rumpelstiltskin face when he realized she'd caught on.

"You must have something that can change Snow's mind," Charming demanded.

"If she doesn't wanna fight the Queen, there's nothing I can do to change that," he shrugged.

"I just need a way to make her believe in something that I already know. That she can face Regina and win."

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "Magic can't make someone believe, dearie. It works the other way around. Belief must come from within. You know, the Queen's offer was a fair one. Do yourself a favor and take it. Ruling a kingdom ain't all it's cracked up to be. Just ask your dear old brother. Oh, wait. He died. You see my point," he giggled.

Charming glared at him, "No. I didn't come here to take 'no' for an answer. Now you must have something. You always do. Just name your price."

"Hmm…" he hummed, making it seem like he was contemplating it, "Nope, sorry. Bye bye now."

Charming's hands clenched into fists before he turned and stormed out of the castle.

~8~

Charming was walking through a forest, deep in thought, making his way from the Dark Castle, trying to find some way to get Snow to believe in herself again. He stopped, grabbing his sword and whirling around when he heard a twig crack behind him.

"I would put that down if you do not wish to end up tormented again," Piper stated as she looked down at the sword aimed right at her chest from his spin.

"I think I have the upper hand this time," Charming glared at her, not trusting her at all, pushing the sword tip closer to her.

She raised an eyebrow at that, "Do you?" she smirked and that was all the warning he had before he found himself with his body seizing up, the veins of his neck bulging as she merely whistled a shrill note to him, not even reaching for her pipe.

She waited till he sunk to his knees and released the sword to try and cover his ears before she stopped. She crouched down, grabbing his sword and placed it across her knees, resting her elbows on it, her chin rested on her entwined hands, "Contrary to what you may believe, shepherd, I did not come to fight with you."

Charming panted, "Then…what did you want?"

"To offer you a bit of help."

"You?" he scoffed, hardly believing that at all.

She nodded, "Yes."

He eyed her a long moment, "Why?"

"The same reason as you, we are invested in Snow's future," she said simply.

He frowned at that, at how she addressed Snow as just…Snow. Not Snow White, not her highness, not the princess or the bandit or any other title she'd held but just Snow, like she was familiar with her in such a way that she could call the woman just that.

"You care about Snow's future?" he gave her an incredulous look, "YOU?"

"Yes," she repeated, "There is…one condition to my help, however."

"And what would that be?" he started to glare at her, fully expecting her to demand a place in Snow's court or allegiance to the Dark One or money or…

"Whatever may come…you stay with her."

He blinked, not expecting THAT.

"What?" he breathed.

"There are…difficult decisions that must always be made when a ruler comes to power," Piper began, carefully picking her words, "Snow lacks the strength to make such decisions. She is…too pure of heart to do what must sometimes be done. She will require others to be strong for her, in that sense, to be the one to bear the burden of those decisions. There was one who…" she hesitated, "There was one who was to help her in that area of ruling, but they have long since gone, and now that duty must fall to you."

"I…I don't understand," he shook his head, "You just…want me to support her?"

Piper nodded, "The future of this realm will rest upon Snow White and the outcome of the battle she is waging with the Queen. She will need someone there to be her strength when she feels weak, to encourage her when she lacks faith, to hold onto hope when she has lost hers. If you can swear to me that you will never abandon her, that you shall remain at her side and support her no matter the cost, and that you will endeavor to be a source of strength to her…then I shall help you convince her of her worth."

"I was already planning on being that," he admitted, "I love her, more than anything in the world. I will always love her and I will always be there for her."

Piper eyed him closely, searching his eyes as though trying to see if he was telling the truth or not. He had to frown though, there was something about her eyes that was familiar to him, that shade of forest green that he felt like he should recognize. But before he could give more thought to it, Piper nodded and stood, holding his sword to him, the blade carefully in her hand, the hilt extended to him.

"Then we have reached an accord."

He carefully took the sword and stood, putting it back in its sheath, "How can I help Snow?"

"Take snow to a hill on the west, a mile from here," Piper began, "There will be a rock there, with a sword in it. Tell her the story of Excalibur, you know it?" he nodded, "Tell her it," she repeated, "Make her believe it IS Excalibur, make a show of trying to pull it out, but do try not to actually pull it out. And then let her do so."

"The sword comes out and she'll believe in herself," he murmured, realizing the plan, everyone knew the legend of Excalibur.

It was the most powerful sword ever created, made of the most beautiful light magic and forged by a mage of great power, likely equal to the Dark One's dark magic. Merlin had created it to help his king, but it was so powerful that he never wanted another to use it but the king. The legend went that only the rightful ruler, the one truly meant to rule the people, could pull the sword from the stone that Merlin had stabbed it into.

"How do I get her to agree to go?" he looked at her.

"Tell her it will help her defeat the Queen," Piper shrugged, "What else would make her fight but something she could use TO fight?"

He nodded slowly, that made sense to him, but he found himself frowning, "How can you be certain it will work?"

"Because Excalibur and Camelot was her favorite story as a child," Piper stated simply, "Despite all that has happened to her, she will cling to the hope of what Excalibur could mean."

Charming's frown deepened, "How could you possibly know that was her favorite story?"

"How could I possibly know that you have a twin?" she countered with a smirk, realizing only too late how much she had given away in getting lost in her memories and thoughts of her cousin. She'd just…wanted to help so badly that she hadn't even realized she was revealing FAR too much to him.

"Rumpelstiltskin," he bit out.

Piper didn't nod or shrug an answer at that, let the man think what he wanted, "You should go," she told him instead, "Fetch Snow, when you arrive at the hill, a sword shall be there."

"How do I know I can trust you?" he looked at her warily.

"Have you much else to lose?" she countered.

Charming was silent at that, the truth of the matter all too clear, this was truly his last chance to get Snow to believe in herself again and if that meant listening to this woman…he'd do it. He gave her one last cautious look before he nodded and turned to head off, back to where his horse was tethered in the woods to go fetch his wife-to-be.

"You let more slip in the last few minutes than you did the months spent with me, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin's voice spoke behind her though she hardly even flinched or let on any other sign that he'd surprised her, for he hadn't. She'd known he was watching her that entire time.

"It is…difficult to hear that Snow is struggling," she offered as an excuse, "When I have the opportunity to help her, to truly help her, on my own…even if it is through her prince," she sighed, "I was a bit too eager to do so."

"I suppose, if you are going through with this plan, you shall need a sword that could pass as Excalibur then," Rumpelstiltskin remarked.

Piper turned to him to see him holding a rather lovely sword in his hand and smiled, "I was just going to take one from the stores in the dungeons," she remarked, thinking of the stockpile of weapons he had come to collect from his various prisoners over the years.

"Yes, but you would need one that just a bit more magic resistant," he grinned, stepping towards her and handing the sword over, "If she is to use it against Regina, she must have something that CAN be used against her, even if it's just a simple enchantment."

She took the sword from him gently and eyed it, almost able to feel the magic in it, "Many thanks," she eyed it another moment before she looked at him, "Might I ask something else of you?"

"Name it Pip."

She felt her lips quirk into a smirk at how he had instantly been ok with her asking something of him, not even needing to know what it was. It was so like the trap he often hoped his clients would fall into, that they would offer anything, but she knew the only reason he'd said that was because he knew she wouldn't ask more than what he could offer.

"Could you remove this memory from Charming?" she asked him, "I should like him to not let it slip that it was I that helped him. Perhaps leaving the memory of the sword and where to go, but remove all else? Is that possible?"

"You forget who you're dealing with dearie," Rumpelstiltskin grinned, waving his hand as a small poof of purple wafted off it, not just taking care of Charming's memory, erasing much of the last few minutes, but also transporting them to the rock on the hill to get the sword in place.

~8~

Rumpelstiltskin sat on a rock in the middle of the woods, watching as Snow White called out for him, searching for him. Everything had gone just as Piper had hoped. They had set the sword in the stone, Charming playing his role perfectly, reminding her of the story, of what the sword meant, had played the fool in trying to pry it out of the rock…a rather laughable attempt on his part. He was certain that if Snow White hadn't been wallowing so deeply in her hopeless misery she'd have seen that he was faking the entire time. But she had stepped up and pulled the sword, shocking truly, and gone back to face Regina. One of her dwarves though, the rather irritable one, got in the crossfire of Regina's attack and had nearly been killed but Snow attacked with the sword and managed to cut the Queen's cheek, which seemed to reaffirm to her that the sword was real and that, with it, she could reclaim her kingdom.

He and Piper had been watching the entire thing from one of his enchanted mirrors, and the smile on Piper's face, to know that even from a distance she could still help her cousin had been enough to make him appear to Snow White's calls for him. He knew that there was still a threat of Regina, but now that Snow was fighting back against her, there was less power that the Queen had. Still, Piper stayed with him to help protect her cousin, refusing to do anything to reveal herself till Snow was on the throne and Regina was banished. He knew it hurt her, that her cousin was out there fighting for her kingdom while she was working as his caretaker, so he had tried to give her an opportunity to help Charming. He knew that Piper, of all people, would be able to give the man a plan to help his love. She knew her cousin better than anyone, she knew exactly what the girl would need to believe in herself again and she'd done it, without Charming or Snow even realizing it.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" Snow was still calling, not seeming to notice him behind her, "Rumpelstiltskin!"

"What do you want?" he huffed, getting rather irritated. He couldn't quite see the family resemblance between Piper and Snow, save for their eyes, they were quite different. Had it been Piper there, she would have noticed he was there within moments, without even needing to turn around.

"We need to discuss the deal you made with Charming," Snow White stated, 'Excalibur' in her hand.

"Have to be a bit more specific, dearie," he smirked, knowing that it would irritate the woman to be reminded of just how many times she and her prince had come to him for help, how much of their success they owed to him (and Piper).

"He came to you searching for something powerful enough to vanquish the Queen," Snow stated, "You told him of Excalibur," he saw a suspicion in her eyes at that. There were numerous, numerous weapons that he could have told Charming about, but the fact that it was Excalibur that the prince had spoken of…he could tell the woman was curious why THAT particular weapon had been selected given how it had been her favorite tale as a child, "Now whatever it is that he promised you in return, I am prepared to pay it. But I won't allow him to remain in your debt."

"How nauseatingly romantic," he rolled his eyes at that.

"What did he promise you?" Snow demanded, "With you, everything comes with a cost."

"It's true," he nodded, "Your prince came to ask for aid fighting the Queen. I told him I had nothing to give, and I didn't," he grinned widely at that, giggling slightly at how HE hadn't had a thing to do with this, but Piper had.

"Then how did you know where to find Excalibur?" Snow frowned.

"Everyone knows it's in Camelot," he remarked dryly, seeing that she thought he'd somehow magically transported the sword to this kingdom.

"But it's not," Snow held up her sword, "I possess it now."

"If that were Excalibur, I wouldn't be able to do this!" he suddenly appeared before her, twitching his hand as the blade of the sword disintegrated before her very eyes, "Sword's a fake, dearie," he stated the obvious, "Shoddy craftsmanship, too. But then again, what can you expect from a shepherd?" might as well allow her to think that Charming had something to do with this, whatever would cast the suspicion far away from him and Piper, "Lucky it wasn't made out of wool."

"I struck Regina!" Snow shook her head, not understanding how this was possible, "I drew blood!"

"Enough of your ramblings," Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes and reached out, grabbing the end of a necklace that Snow was wearing and yanked it off.

"No!" she gasped, "Please. That belonged to my mother."

"And now it belongs to me," he grinned, dangling the necklace up, "You're right about one thing, dearie. Everything comes with a cost, including wasting my time."

And with that, he disappeared in a swirl of smoke, appearing back in the Dark Castle where Piper was standing before the enchanted mirror, having watched them. She was looking at Snow, standing there with her hand to her neck where her necklace had been.

"What did you need the necklace for?" Piper asked, her head tilted as she watched her cousin striding across the forest and back to her prince to speak to him, likely to tell him she knew the sword was fake and to thank him for having faith in her.

"Nothing that will harm her," he assured, walking over to her, the necklace firmly in his hand, "And she shall get it back."

Piper nodded, not questioning more than that, "Do you think she will succeed?" she asked quietly.

"Are you the one lacking faith in your cousin now?" he countered lightly.

"I have endless faith in Snow, I know her better than anyone," Piper shook her head, "I am asking you," she turned to him, "As someone who knows the Queen the best, what is your faith in her magic? Will she be too strong for Snow to defeat?"

"On her own…yes," he told her honestly, reaching up to touch her cheek, "With allies though," he tilted his own head, "I suppose that is the curse of a villain. We are always alone and, because of that, we always fall."

"Not anymore," she told him, leaning her head into his touch, "You have me now," she looked up at him, reaching up to touch the back of his hand on her cheek, "And I have you."

He grinned darkly at that, just imagining what he and Piper could do together if they so wished it, he'd already done so much, so much more than he ever thought he could with her at his side, helping to sway his more difficult clients.

"Heaven help anyone who tries to take us down," he remarked gently, a soft giggle coming out of him before it was lightly cut off by her lips on his.

It was true though, that was always the downfall of a villain. They were alone, left to fight for themselves, and facing an enemy that had allies and support and those who fought for them out of desire instead of fear. They had more minds, more resources, more strength to them than one person facing them all alone. They had others that would fight for them, those who would care for them and tend to them when wounded, who would never betray them. That was a qualm with villains, you could only trust them to betray you, to be selfish, to be using you, to turn on you at the drop of a hat. But it was a novel idea, wasn't it? For villains to be able to find some level of trust in each other, like he did with Piper.

Villains teaming up?

The heroes wouldn't stand a chance.

A/N: I know there's more examples of memory potions and things in the show, but there was also a point where Regina made Henry forget a few minutes of conversation with her. She told him about the Trigger and what she was planning to do with the beans and when he reacted negatively she erased that conversation. I think the Dark One could probably erase Charming's memories of Piper actually helping him in this case ;) I wonder if he remembered that moment, remembered what Piper said to him and how she helped him, if he'd be more accepting of her now? I guess we'll never know }:)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll have to wait and see how Piper or Neal get to Neverland ;)

Yup, Pan knows about Piper, mostly from Tamara and Greg's observations of her though :) As for the shadows, it'll depend which shadow gets there first }:) I think they'd need Pan's shadow to get out of Neverland though, because they can't leave without Pan's help so they take his shadow to help them :) We'll have to wait and see how Gold might react to his own shadow though ;) This chapter was a flashback yup :) I can say there will be 2 points in this story where we won't have a flashback chapter. The mid-season split will go from dealing with Pan right into the aftermath of their return, to add more to the 'what's going on?' feel, and because the finale was 2 episodes but in 1 showing, I'm going to count that as just a very long chapter with no flashback between :)