Deathdays and Birthdays

It was her birthday, not that many people would know that. Truly there was only one person alive at the moment that knew when her birthday was. There was also only one person alive who knew who she was. Both people were different though, only one knew her birthday while the other knew she was alive. It explained why the infamous Pied Piper was standing in a small alcove of the royal gardens of Snow White's palace, under the shade of a weeping willow tree, a fountain a few feet away, such a small fountain that it was more like a bird bath than anything, and staring down at a rock that was at the base of the tree. Snow White, her cousin, knew what day this was…but Snow White also knew, or thought, that she was dead. She hadn't always been the Pied Piper, she'd been Rose Red first, Snow White's younger cousin.

But those days were gone.

As was commemorated by the stone at her feet.

A gravestone. HER gravestone. It appeared her dear cousin had made a grave for her. And there it was, the stone that had nothing on it, not even her name, save the engraving of a rose and the date that Regina had attacked her kingdom, the day Rose Red had to 'die' yet not quite the day that the Piper had been born. That was an odd notion, to have gone months without a name, without an identity, knowing you couldn't be who you were but not knowing yet who you would be. But there at her feet was the reminder of who she had been, once upon a time.

She looked up, looked at the tree and the small fountain, she remembered this place. It pained her to realize she had forgotten so much of her life as Rose Red, she forgot what her room looked like, what color the gray was of her castle's throne room, couldn't recall the shades of her parents favorite outfits. She had been frightened to think that she would forget Snow White as well, forget what her cousin looked like, forget the times they had. It was harder to remember her, at times, the girl she used to be, but she had been able to watch over Snow, ever since Rumpelstiltskin had learned who she was, who she really was. He'd given her an enchanted mirror that allowed her to look in on her cousin at any time. She tried not to look in on Snow too much, knowing her cousin was married and seeing her consummating the relationship was NOT something she needed to see more of. No, she mostly looked in when she was worrying for her, or fearful that Regina was going to try something or if she knew her cousin was out of the kingdom.

She knew Snow would be venturing out of the kingdom later that day, there was a ball being held in the neighboring kingdom for some prince in search of a wife and she knew that Snow and her prince would need to attend. She knew Snow would have to leave soon, so she thought it would be safe to sneak into the castle for the moment, just…to take a moment to refresh her memory. Just because she wasn't Rose Red any longer, it didn't mean she wanted to forget anything about her life. Her cloak of shadows had been especially useful in getting her into the gardens, to this little area, a small little nook off to the side. She could understand why Snow would put that marker there. When they had been small and the weather was nice, if Snow's parents were more observant and watching to make sure they didn't sneak off, they'd have picnics there, they'd hide out under the willow leaves with the smell of flowers and the soft breeze and the little fountain and the birds and just have fun, be little girls.

It was their spot in the castle, the one they always came to within the castle walls.

She wasn't sure whether she should smile at the marker or not though, it was a sweet gesture by Snow, that told her that her cousin did love her very much that she'd want to honor her death and remember her…but that was just it. It was also a reminder that she could never see her cousin again, not till she was sure that everything would be well for her, not till she was sure that her true love would be safe from those that would harm him. She trusted Snow with her life, she would never think Snow would put Rumpelstiltskin in danger if she knew who he was to her beloved cousin…but Snow's prince. She was grateful he took such care and devotion in protecting Snow, but he had attacked her AND Rumpelstiltskin many times already and she didn't doubt that he would go behind Snow's back to 'protect' her from the Dark One if he saw him as a threat…which she knew the prince did.

"Oh Snow," she murmured, kneeling down to reach out and trace the outline of the rose on the rock, "I do miss you cousin. I wish I could tell you that I am still here," she shook her head and stood up, "But this is for the best," she determined, already knowing she was more trying to convince herself that than anyone else.

She stiffened halfway through turning to depart, hearing a familiar song approaching. She looked around, knowing that she had to hide and fast lest she be caught. She quickly darted behind the tree, knowing that it was the only thing around that was thick enough to hide her from the person approaching. She tugged the shadow cloak around her tightly, knowing it could only help her remain unnoticed but if she did draw too much attention to herself it wouldn't exactly help her much. She pressed herself against the thick trunk, listening intently as she now heard footsteps to accompany the song of her cousin approaching.

Snow White reached out a hand, dressed in a light red ball gown, and pushed aside the hanging branches of the willow tree to step under it. She glanced behind her, she knew she should be heading for the carriage, to go to the ball but…she couldn't leave till she'd visited this spot, not today, not today of all days. Not on Rose's birthday.

She smiled sadly at the small stone marker and knelt before it, reaching out, much like Piper had just done, to trace the rose on it, "Oh Rosie," she unconsciously mimicked her cousin's words, "I'm so sorry," she sniffled slightly, "If it wasn't for me…Regina would have never come after you, she…she would have left you alone. She only attacked you because she was trying to hurt me, to take away everyone I loved like I…like I took away the one she loved," she swallowed hard, "I'm so sorry you got caught in our war. And don't…" she laughed slightly, tears in her eyes, "Don't say that my war IS your war too, it shouldn't be, no matter what you promised me or how much you want to protect me. You never should have been put in the middle of it. You…you tried to warn me," she recalled solemnly.

"You tried to stop me making this entire mess. You didn't think Regina should have been my mother, that she was too young, I should have listened to you right then. And then with Daniel," she swallowed hard, "You didn't want me to talk to Cora, but I did and I shouldn't have. You always were wiser than me Rosie, even though you were my baby sister, you were always wiser like that, better at reading people," she let out a sad breath, "Even after Regina married father, you still knew, didn't you, that she wasn't happy? I saw it, you know, the way you looked at her, like you felt bad for her, pitied her. I always thought it was because you felt badly that mother had died but that wasn't the case, was it? You knew she was suffering and that I was just making it worse. She wasn't happy with us, was she? She never was and I…I should have noticed. I was selfish…don't say I wasn't," she cut in, as though she were actually talking to her cousin.

"I was, I was a selfish little girl who just wanted a mother so badly that I was willing to steal a woman's life and freedom just to get one," Snow looked down, "Regina was only five years older than me and I…I should have seen her as a sister than a mother. I should have argued against father proposing to her just to give me a mother. Marriage SHOULD be about love, I didn't understand that then, not yet. I didn't till I met Charming," she laughed at that, "Oh you would have killed him for how we met. He tackled me, I hit him, he trapped me in a net…we nearly got killed by some trolls but…it worked out, in the end, we found love in one another."

She fell quiet, her smile slipping, "It was hard, Rosie, it was so hard to find him again, to get to this point where I can…I can be happy with him. We went through so much and…" she closed her eyes, "I wished so badly that you were there with me," she sniffled again, "I wished that you were right there with me, as selfish as that is, because a lot of it wasn't all that fun but I just kept thinking that it wouldn't be so bad if you were there. You always made me feel better Rosie, even when you were being difficult or harsh, in the end, it always ended up making me smile and making me feel safe and happy and not alone. I think…I think it would have even been easier, to be alone, if I just knew you were alive somewhere else but you weren't, you…you aren't. You're dead," her voice cracked at that, "And it's my fault. Because I told Regina's secret and Daniel died because of it and Regina was trapped and I just…"

Snow took a deep breath, cutting herself off, "There I go again," she mumbled, "Making this about me when it should be about you. It's YOUR birthday and I…" she let out a laugh, "You would still make me tell you all about me wouldn't you? You would. You wouldn't care what day it was if something was bothering me. But I'm not gonna do it," she smiled, "No sad talk today, not a word more about it. Only happy things. And…I…I might have the best news of all," she bit her lip, a grin threatening to crack her face wide open, "I'm with child, Rosie."

Behind the tree Piper's eyes widened at that, a hand flying to her mouth to hold her gasp in.

"I know," Snow laughed, tears in her voice, "I'm going to have a baby. A girl. I know I don't look it, I only just found out this morning when I was late and…I'm going to be a mother Rose. Charming's mother, she had a charm, a little trinket that tells you the gender and it works, it says it'll be a girl and I…I know it, in my bones, I know it will be," she swallowed hard, "I didn't even have to think, you know, about names or things like that, I just knew, the second that I realized it would be a girl, I knew what I wanted to name her. If…if it's ok with you Rose, I…I want to name her Emma. For you. Because…because I know you would love this little girl as though she were your own daughter, just like we promised each other we would. We promised our children would grow up to be as close as we are…were," she corrected quietly, "This is…this is my way of making sure that our children would still be close. I want to name my daughter the name you would have named yours."

Snow was quiet a long while, as though she were waiting for a confirmation that it would be alright with the spirit of her cousin to do that, but she laughed a moment later, "It's better than Grass Green or Sky Blue," she joked, making Piper smile behind the tree, "So…Emma it is," she nodded, "Just…don't tell Charming," she joked.

"Don't tell me what?" another voice spoke, actually startling Piper. She'd been so focused on listening to Snow that she'd completely missed her prince getting closer.

"Nothing," Snow smiled back at him.

Charming eyed her a moment, "What are you doing back here Snow?" he stepped closer and glanced down at the small grave stone, "What is that for?"

Snow reached out and held a hand up to him, tugging him to sit beside her, tucking her arm into his as he joined her, "This is…my cousin, Rose Red, today's her birthday," she gestured her other arm to the stone, "She…she died shortly after my father passed."

"Regina?" Charming asked after a quiet moment.

Snow nodded, "She had been with me, you know, when father died. She was the one that woke me. Rose was…she was part Siren, on her mother's side," she explained, "She could hear music, songs, in people, the song of their soul she used to call it. She heard father's end and ran to get me. We found he'd been poisoned by vipers later and she didn't leave my side for a moment, not till the very end, till she had to return to her kingdom to get my aunt and uncle for the funeral."

"Your father and hers?" he guessed, knowing that Snow wasn't part Siren.

"Yes," Snow sighed, "Regina attacked instantly, Rose was barely there a day when Regina attacked at night. She…she killed them all, my uncle, my aunt…Rose. She burned the kingdom to the ground, she just…she wanted to hurt me and went after Rose too. She…she wasn't just my cousin, she was like my sister," she looked down at her hand, at a small scar on her palm, "She WAS my sister," she smiled at it, tracing the line of it with her thumb.

"Tell me about her," Charming offered, knowing that his original mission in coming to find her, to tell her that the carriage was waiting for them, could wait, his wife needed this right now.

Snow smiled at that, "She was my opposite, in almost every way. She had blonde hair, but she shared my eyes," she gently touched under her eyes with her free hand, before lowering it to rest on his arm, leaning her head to rest on his shoulder, "She was younger than me but…so much wiser. She was less, well, optimistic than I was, she liked to say that she saw reality for what it was, saw people for what they were and not what they could be. She could be harsh at times, blunt, but it was always because she was worrying about me or wanted to make a point. She once told me that I didn't have what it took to be a ruler, but," she added, when she saw him open his mouth to argue that, "She meant that I wouldn't want to kill anyone, like…like Regina," she swallowed, "She knew that I wouldn't be able to see things like war and executions through so she…she told me to send anyone like that to her, and she would do it for me. She actually promised that she would do what I couldn't, so that I wouldn't have to," she smiled sadly, "She was always trying to protect me, from anything that could hurt me, she just…she would have rather taken it on herself than let me suffer."

"She sounds like someone I could respect," Charming remarked.

"She was always there for me, looking out for me, making me smile and laugh and never leaving me alone when she knew I needed someone."

"Actually, I think we'd be good friends," Charming corrected, anyone that was willing to do that for Snow was someone he would get along with brilliantly, he was sure.

Snow laughed at that, "We were thick as thieves," she looked down at the gravestone once more, "We had all these plans, to…to grow up together, to always be there for each other. We were going to find men that loved us for all that we were and have children and raise them together, like we were, we'd always be close, be sisters."

"That doesn't have to end now Snow," Charming told her, "Not just because she passed on. She will always be with you, in here," he lightly put a finger to her chest, to her heart, "And she will always be your sister there. I wouldn't doubt that, even now, she's watching over you and protecting you just like she promised."

"I like to think she is," Snow admitted quietly, "She was just…she was family," her voice cracked, "She was my sister and I…I was older, I SHOULD have been the one to protect her, to keep HER safe, not the other way around. And I…I failed that Charming," she looked at him, "She died because of Regina's vendetta against me."

Piper closed her eyes tightly at that, at hearing the true heartbreak in her cousin's voice, it was breaking her heart to hear her cousin so sad about that, so upset that she had 'lost' her cousin, when she was still very much alive and so very close.

"It wasn't your fault Snow," Charming lifted his hand and brushed away her tears, "Regina's attacks against you…no one could have seen that coming and I doubt Rose Red blames you," he added, knowing THAT was what was truly upsetting his wife.

Snow White blamed herself for what happened to her cousin…but even more so she was terrified that her cousin would blame her for her death as well.

"From how you described her Snow, your cousin loved you more than anything," he continued, "She would have rather you lived than that Regina succeed in harming you. She would be proud of you, I think."

"You do?" Snow whispered.

"Look at all you've accomplished," he nodded, "You fought back, you survived, you took back your kingdom and saved your people from Regina's reign. You came out the victor here, you won. And you are still alive. Out of everything, I think your cousin would be most happy about that," he smiled, "I know I, for one, am very glad you're alive. You are my whole world Snow and all I want is for you to be safe and happy."

"She would have wanted that too," Snow murmured.

"Not good friends then, great friends," Charming joked, "Are you Snow?" he wondered, "Are you happy? Do you feel safe?"

Snow considered it a moment, it was a very loaded question. She had lived feeling in danger for so long she almost didn't know what safety felt like any longer. And for happy…she might be happy with some things, but was she truly and deeply happy? COULD she be happy without her cousin there beside her?

She smiled slightly, "I am," she realized, and she was.

She was safe, in his arms, and she was happy because she knew that Rose would have wanted her to be happy, she would never ever want her to blame herself for what happened. Rose would have wanted her to fight back and face down Regina and take what was hers and she had. She smiled more at that, she'd done exactly what her cousin would have wanted, what her cousin always tried to get her to do, fight back, stand up for herself. She liked to think that, during all of it, her cousin's spirit had been with her, giving her the strength and courage to do what she had. She did feel like her cousin was always there, watching over her, protecting her, helping her get to where she was today.

In a way, she had done all she had because of her cousin, she'd done it FOR her cousin. In stopping Regina, she had avenged her cousin as well, she had taken down the woman who had taken her cousin from her. And she had done it all while still remaining true to who she was, something Rose had NEVER wanted her to lose, she'd done it all with light in her heart and not fallen to the temptation of darkness. She had done everything she and Rose had ever hoped for in their lives. She was ruling and ruling well, with a loving husband, expecting a child, and she was happy. That was all Rose had ever wanted for her, to be happy.

"Then I think she would be proud of you," Charming repeated.

"I think she would be too," Snow started to nod, "I want her to be proud of me."

She looked at her husband, a wide smile on her face and leaned in to kiss him deeply, holding onto his arm as they slowly stood and turned to head out to the ball that Prince Thomas was throwing, or that his father was, to try and find a wife.

Once they were far enough away, Piper stepped out from behind the tree, her hand resting on the trunk as she smiled sadly at the disappearing form of her cousin and her husband, "I AM proud of you Snow," she whispered, "SO proud of you sister."

She gave a small smile, tears in her eyes, before she turned and snuck her way out of the garden, the sun was starting to set and she had a true love of her own to meet up with in the woods in case he needed assistance, there was a peasant girl about to make a wish on a fairy godmother that he needed to see about a wand and a deal.

~8~

Piper blinked as she and Rumpelstiltskin appeared not in the main chamber of the Dark Castle but in one of the hallways instead. They had just come from the woods, the man having just helped a peasant, Cinderella, prepare for the ball at Prince Thomas's, the ball that Snow White and Prince Charming were attending as well. She had been expecting them to appear in the main chamber mostly due to the fact that it was late and they hadn't eaten since noontime. As far as she knew they were meant to have a small dinner and retire for the night, let the events of the ball play out. According to the Dark One, Cinderella would meet her beloved prince and flee around midnight, losing her shoe. The prince would spend a day or two tracking her down and, despite her stepmother's attempts to stop it, the prince would find her again and they'd be wed and Rumpelstiltskin could come and claim his price from the woman.

It wasn't a true deal in the sense that he'd actually intended to help the girl out, there was nothing, as far as she knew, that he actually desired as payment from the girl, but it had been an unfortunate expectation when it came to his attempt to get the magic wand from the fairy godmother that had come to help Cinderella originally. He knew that he would have to kill the fairy right as she was using magic in order to unlock the magic in the wand, but that would also mean that Cinderella would have spotted him. Luckily he had magic of his own to help the girl with and he would be able to call in a debt later when the girl had everything she desired. It would be a fairly short wait though, the prince, inspired by Snow White and her Shepherd, would be determined to find his Cinders girl.

The fact that it was meant to be a fairly simple deal meant that they'd be back home quickly enough and be able to enjoy a meal…so she wasn't entirely sure why they were in the hallway on the upper level of the castle instead.

"Rummy?" she looked at him curiously, not entirely certain what was going on.

Rumpelstiltskin merely grinned and poofed a strip of fabric into his hand, "Trust me?"

Without speaking a word, Piper turned and allowed him to blindfold her. He gave a softer smile than most would expect at her actions, he loved that about her, that she never had to actually SAY it aloud to him, her actions spoke volumes and he appreciated that. He quickly tied the blindfold securely around her eyes and took her hand, leading her down the hall. He was hoping that this would be a good surprise but he didn't want to risk her seeing what he had planned and, even though he knew he could have merely covered her eyes, there was something about blindfolding her and seeing how much trust she had in him, how much unwavering faith in his intentions, that made a warm feeling bubble inside his gut.

He paused before a set of large double doors and lightly pushed them open, moving behind Piper as he led her inside, and slowly reached up to pull the blindfold off her.

Piper blinked as she saw what was set up before her, her mouth actually falling open as she saw it. It was the music room. But it was dark, with candles set up around it, some even floating in the air, and roses, all sorts of roses of every color in vases all over. There was a small table set up, a quaint little round table, with two very large plush chairs on either side…and a small cake resting on the middle.

"Rummy…" she breathed, stepping closer to it, seeing a single candle was lit on the cake, before she turned to him, "What…"

"Happy birthday Pip," Rumpelstiltskin smiled, stepping closer.

"You know?" she whispered.

He nodded, "I…might have been watching."

She shook her head, though there was a small smile spreading on her face, "You were watching me when I went to visit Snow?"

"Well," he tried to brush it off but she narrowed her eyes playfully at him, "I always watch you Pip," he told her seriously, reaching up to touch her cheek, "Whenever you're out of my sight. I can't bear that Pip, to be without you like that. I…worry. And I did promise, dearie, that I would protect you from the Queen's men, just because the Queen has been usurped doesn't mean her men are following your cousin now. I…will never let anything harm you Pip."

Piper looked at him for that, smiling softly, "And you heard Snow mention it was my birthday…" she blinked and something hit her, "And did all this?"

He giggled, "Magic dearie."

She should have realized that, it would explain how he'd managed to make all this happen so quickly, "Many thanks Rummy."

"No need for thanks Pip," he told her, stroking her cheek, "You celebrated my boy's birthday, you even worked out when MINE was," he giggled at that, "It was only fair. Now," he lowered his hand to her shoulder and turned her to face her cake, "Make a wish…and…I'll make sure it comes true."

Piper looked at the candle, knowing this was his way of saying he was offering her another one-sided deal, a favor, an opportunity to use his magic without him asking for a deal or a price. But there was only one thing that she could think of, so she turned to him, "I wish…that Snow's child, the one you said was prophesized to end the Dark Curse, that you will help her, in this new land."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked at that, startled that Piper seemed to think it was a girl, "WE will help her Pip," he swore to her, taking her other hand and holding it tightly, "We will both go to this new world."

"You truly believe that?" she murmured, "Regina is to cast the curse. If she discovers me, not even that I am Rose Red but merely that I am important to you…she will separate us, because I am your happy ending and she will not wish for you to have that. If she separates us, whether it is in the curse or…some other way, I wish, I want you to promise me, that Snow's child, should she ever come to you, that you will help her."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded at that, "I promise Pip," he told her quietly, "If she comes to me, I will do all I can to help her, in whatever way I can."

He would have to be careful, Regina would likely retain her memories so she could enjoy her 'happy ending,' he wouldn't be able to outright help Snow's child, he wouldn't be able to be too willing, he would have to make it seem like a deal was being done and he would have to do it in his own way…but yes, he would help her. Not only because she would be the way to end the curse, but because she would be Piper's family. And, if Piper was right, if Regina truly did manage to separate them (something he truly hadn't considered), then the child might be his only chance at getting her back.

He tugged Piper to him gently and held her, the two ignoring the candle melting on the cake beside them, as he made a promise to himself. No matter what, he would NOT allow Regina to learn about Piper, about how close she was to him, how much she meant to him. He would not reveal a thing to the queen, he would not give her anything to use against him.

A/N: Poor Rummy, we sort of know that he fails that last little mission, he definitely let on a bit more to Regina than he intended to ;) I'm sorry this was a little late, I ended up working an unexpected double today :( But I hope you liked this chapter, I really wanted just a moment for Snow at Piper's 'grave' and to have that little irony with Charming wanting to be best buddies with Piper and to see them in real time being irritated with each other lol :)

Apologies for the notes on reviews to come, I think the site might be glitching because I have email alerts for some reviews that didn't show up on the actual story page, so if I answer one that doesn't seem complete to how someone reviewed, I'll try and answer more fully when the reviews show up, some might have gotten cut off as I'm using my email alerts instead this time ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, yup 2020 and that's just the stories that I have semi-figured out how long it would take to write them and what days they'd be posted and things. I've still got a little list for beyond 2020 to work out. I can say the AUs for my Doctor Who stories alone will likely go into 2024 ;)

That's ok ;) I know life can really get in the way of things, I'm just glad you're enjoying the story :)

Oh the Hook/OC is getting annoying, lol. Each time I try to edit this story, the OC for Hook is like 'NO! No I'm supposed to be there! Don't let it happen like that! No! Write me! Write me NOW!' :) I think Pan's 'Piper' might be trying to see what the others notice and don't notice, it might be trying to gather information to make a better, more realistic version of Piper }:) We'll have to wait and see what Neal says and who will tell them what ;) As for the fake Piper, I can say the real one won't be very happy that Pan keeps trying to use her image against people }:) Piper might ease up slightly on Hook, but she'll still be very protective of Emma in terms of how Hook sometimes talks/acts around women and Emma, she might trust him more if she sees him being protective of Emma though ;)