Tallahassee

In the Enchanted Forest, the small group of survivors reached the base of the beanstalk. It had taken two days to get to it as they'd had quite a distance to reach it. It was much bigger when they finally had which was why it was so visible from so far away. It went up as far as the eye could see, clear through the clouds.

"It's a little freakier than I remember from the story," Emma muttered as she eyed it. It looked like a giant green tree trunk with vines and leaves wrapped around it.

"Reminds me of death," Mulan offered.

"Encouraging," Mary Margaret sighed.

"Reminds me of James," Piper breathed, a bitter note in her voice.

Mary Margaret stilled at that and looked at her, "James?" she frowned, "As in…David's brother?"

"James as in the ponce who tried to wed us both," Piper nearly pat, "The arrogant princeling. He deserved a worse death than he received. I should have made him suffer instead of made him calm."

Mary Margaret gaped at her, "YOU killed James?" she breathed, "I thought he was wounded in a duel!"

"He was," Piper nodded, "He let his guard down too early."

The smirk on Piper's face took Mary Margaret's breath away as she realized WHAT had likely lulled his guard down, "Why?"

"How else could the course of true love be set in motion," Piper glanced at her.

"You…" Mary Margaret swallowed hard, "You killed a man so that David and I could meet?"

"I killed no one," Piper shook her head, technically she hadn't physically killed him herself, "His enemy took care of that, I merely created the opportune moment."

Mary Margaret stared at her as Piper returned to looking back up at the stalk, "What happened to you Rose?" she whispered, the more she learned about her cousin, the less she saw her cousin in her.

"Life, Snow," she murmured, "Our kingdoms fell, we both experienced a different life after that."

"But…"

"You had allies," Piper cut her off, "You had friends and Dwarves and wolves and fairies. You were never alone Snow. That was not so for me."

Mary Margaret hesitated before asking, "What…what DID you have?"

But Piper was silent, and that…that hurt Mary Margaret more than hearing about it. Because Rose Red would tell her everything, she'd always be the one her cousin came to when she was hurt or upset or when something was bothering her. For Piper to stand there and not speak a word about what she endured…all it did was bring up terrible questions in her mind as to why. Was it that she didn't trust her anymore? Was it that she just didn't want to talk? And…if it was the last one, how terrible had it been that she couldn't even speak of it to HER? What had happened that had changed her cousin so much that she would become who she was now?

"Well," Hook cut into the family moment, "Your compass awaits," he gestured at the stalk, "Shall we?"

"Wait," Emma held up a hand, "If these beans create…portals, why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?"

"There are no more beans," Piper stated, "And any that exist would be too heavily guarded for us to acquire easily and without months of preparation."

"Whatever story you think you know, my dear, is most certainly wrong," Hook agreed.

"There was a guy named Jack," Emma began, "And a cow, and something about evil giant with a treasure and a golden goose. Or harp."

"Sounds like a lovely tale," Hook rolled his eyes, "But the truth's a little bit more gruesome. The giants grew the beans, but, rather than use them for good, they used them to plunder all the lands. Jack, was a man who fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil giants. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died. If they couldn't have their magic, then nobody could. It's really very bad form."

"And completely and utterly false," Piper shot Hook a glare that actually made the man frown at how vehement she sounded, "The giants were peaceful, they merely stayed within their land because the humans were greedy sniveling monsters who would sooner plunder and slaughter THEM than befriend them. They stayed in their realm but one was curious and came to the forest to see what humans were truly like. He was tricked into believing them friends and they followed him up the beanstalk. Jack, the WOMAN, and an army attacked them. THEY slaughtered the giants who burned the beans so that the humans, led by their greedy princes, would not be able to go to other lands and pillage them."

"Hold on," Emma shook her head, "Jack's a girl?"

"Jacqueline," Piper countered, "She died."

"So Giants may or may not be evil, Jack's a girl, and magic beans make portals," Emma stated sarcastically, "Right. So why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?"

"Because one giant survived," Hook repeated, "The strongest and most terrible of them all. And we'll have to get past him to…"

"The magic compass," Mary Margaret sighed.

"Indeed. The treasure remains, and amongst it is the compass. Now it will guide us to your land. Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, steal the ashes from her and we're on our way."

"How do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" Mulan frowned.

"Because he cannot," Piper reminded them, patting the pocket of her shadow cloak, "So long as I have his heart, he cannot betray us."

"Not that I would have," Hook rolled his eyes, "You five are far safer company even with the heart ripping," he shot a glare at Piper, "And the threat of handing me over the Dark One. I'm actually looking forward to that moment. I'd have sworn allegiance to whomever gets me there first."

"Then we'd better start climbing," Emma glanced at the stalk.

"You may have a hard time of it," Piper cut in, "After the siege, the stalk was enchanted to repel intruders."

"Alright, so how do we get up there?"

"I've got a counter spell from Cora," Hook offered, holding up his wrists which were tied together from when they'd released him, "If you'd be so kind?" Mary Margaret untied him and he held up his wrist to show them a cuff glowing on it, "Thank you, milady. I've got one more of these. Cora was to accompany me. So…which one of you five lovelies shall take her place? Hmm? Go on, fight it out. Don't be afraid to, you know, really get into it."

"Do not tempt me into crushing your heart too early Hook," Piper shot right back, making his jaw tense at that. She knew, she could see it in his face, he wanted nothing more than to kill her where she stood (or kill her in front of Gold) but he couldn't very well do that while SHE had control of his heart.

"All due respect," Mulan turned to the women, "I'm the best equipped to go. How many wars have you been through?" she eyed each of them.

"My share," Mary Margaret stated.

"It should be me," Aurora shook her head.

"You?" Mulan nearly scoffed, "You haven't fought in a battle."

"This is about us getting home to our loved ones," Mary Margaret frowned at Aurora, "Why would you…"

"Because I have no loved ones," Aurora stated, "If I fail, you can still go on."

"It's me," Emma cut in, "I'm going, and I'm not going to fail."

"You're new here," Mary Margaret shook her head.

"It's about getting back to Henry. I don't care what I have to face," Emma stated, before seeing that Mary Margaret was silent, "You're not going to argue with me?"

"Would it do any good?" Mary Margaret smiled wryly.

"No."

"I shall go with you," Piper offered, "I can keep you safe. And I shall not see you alone up there with Hook."

"He's only got two cuffs," Emma reminded her.

"And I have my cloak," Piper held it up, before swinging it over her shadows, "It is meant to leave me undetected, it works on numerous detection charms and repulsion enchantments. So long as I wear it, I can go with you."

"Then let me borrow it," Mary Margaret offered, "She's my daughter."

"And it is my cloak."

"Rose…if anything happens up there…"

"Emma will forever be safe, Snow," Piper promised, "I would no sooner see her harmed than I would you."

"But…you CAN'T go."

"Why not?"

"Because I couldn't bear it if you died again!" Mary Margaret shouted, before taking a breath, "I just…you let me think you were DEAD Rose. For so many years, I thought you were dead. And…even after Regina was deposed and banished you STILL let me think that! I had a funeral for you. I had a grave made for you. I mourned you and all that time you were alive and I can't go through that again," she tried not to cry but Piper could see the tears in her eyes, "Why did you do it Rose?"

"I had to give you your best chance at survival Snow," Piper told her quietly, "If you had even a hint, even a hope that I lived still…Regina could have used it to lure you into a trap. And you cannot deny that if you thought me alive you would not have stopped looking for me no matter what. You would search, you would be distracted, you would be an easy target to her as she would have preyed on your hopes. I could not let your love for me be your doom."

"And after?" Mary Margaret shook her head, "When she was banished, why didn't you come home?"

"I found a new home," Piper said simply, "I could not let you use me to lure Rummy to you."

Mary Margaret stared at her, "You thought we'd use you as BAIT?!" she sounded utterly crushed that her cousin would think that of her, that she'd be nothing but a tool to them and not her cousin.

"Not YOU," Piper replied calmly, "Your prince though, your guards, your people? Those are another question entirely. Snow…" she sighed, "You realize your prince and you used a pregnant 19 year old girl to lure Rummy into his prison? You were THAT desperate to capture him. I could not risk that I would become a pawn in the hunt for him. He is…everything to me Snow, as your Charming is to you. As I could not risk your life in telling you I lived, I could not risk his either."

"So you stayed away to protect him," Snow breathed, realizing that there was a grain of truth and logic in that. They HAD been so desperate that they'd used Cinderella to lure him out. She had been pregnant, not even a true adult yet, and they'd sent her off alone into a trap. She knew that SHE would never have ever allowed her cousin to be used in a similar method…but Piper was right, she was one person and she couldn't trust that the others around her wouldn't do it without her consent.

"I did," Piper nodded, "And I will stay with Emma and protect her as well. Snow," she reached out and took Mary Margaret's hand, "This will work, we shall return to you safely, the both of us. I swear it to you."

"How can you tell though?" Mary Margaret shook her head, "There's still a giant up there, a giant whose family was attacked by humans and…"

"Trust me Snow," Piper cut in gently, "Can you still do that? After all I have done to you? Can you still trust me, with Emma's life?"

"With my own as well," Mary Margaret whispered. No matter what, no matter what Piper had done, she was still her cousin, and she would always trust her. Just like she would always trust Charming.

"Then believe," she smirked a bit, "I do believe that is what you are best at?"

Mary Margaret smiled slightly, "Ok."

"So it's the three of us then?" Emma asked after a moment, not wanting to interrupt the family resolution moment, or one of them anyway, but really wanting to get that compass and get to Henry, "You, me, and Hook?" she looked at Piper.

"It appears so," Piper nodded.

Emma turned to Mulan, "Anything in that bag that's going to help us with a giant?"

Mulan searched through Hook's satchel and pulled out, "A hook?"

"Hey!" Hook tried to reach out and grab it, but Mulan pulled it back.

"Come with me," Mulan pulled Emma to the side as Piper set about fixing her cloak around her.

"You really were that eager to come with me, love?" Hook tried to grin at Piper, though she could see the sneer behind his words.

"Taking you up a beanstalk, to where my cousin cannot prevent me from crushing your heart if I so desire?" Piper countered right back, "Yes, I would say I am quite eager for that moment."

Hook's sneer turned into a full glare before he rounded on Emma, "Ladies," he called, "In this world, we are slaves to time. And ours is running out. In other words, tick tock."

Emma rolled her eyes and walked back over, holding up her wrist, "Just get on with it."

Hook pulled off the second cuff from his stump and fixed it around Emma's wrist, "This will allow you to climb. There are other dangers. Thankfully, you've got me to protect you."

"And I to protect you from HIM," Piper shot him a glare.

"Well you can't do that if I'm not up there," Hook fired back, "I can't climb one-handed, can I?" he held up his stumped arm.

Emma turned to Mulan and she handed over the hook, "Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second," she warned as she gave Hook the metal.

"I would despair if you did," he smirked.

Emma shook her head at that and looked at Piper, "Let's go," she ordered softly and the three of them began to climb the stalk.

~8~

The trio had reached the upper part of the beanstalk, but still had quite a way to go yet, "First beanstalk?" Hook called down to Emma, Piper had already gotten a few feet above them, "Well, you never forget your first. You know, most men would take your silence as off-putting, but I love a challenge."

"I'm concentrating," Emma huffed.

"No, you're afraid," Hook laughed, "Afraid to talk, to reveal yourself. Trust me, things'll be a lot smoother if you do."

"You should be used to people not trusting you."

"Ah, the pirate thing. Well, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book."

"Am I?" Emma scoffed.

"Quite. Let's see…you volunteered to come up here because you were the most motivated. You need to get back to a child."

"That's not perception. That's eavesdropping."

"Ah, but you don't want to abandon him the way you were abandoned."

"Was I?"

"Do not listen to him Emma," Piper called down, "Everyone in the Enchanted Forest is aware of your birth and the circumstances around it as well as how the curse was meant to be broken. That is nothing more than assumption, not perception."

"Oh I think it IS perception," Hook countered, "I spent many years in Neverland, home of the Lost Boys. They all share the same look in their eyes…the look you get when you've been left alone. I see it in you too," he added to Piper.

"Yeah, well, my world ain't Neverland," Emma countered.

"But an orphan's an orphan," Hook looked down at her, "Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? You ever even been in love?"

"No," Emma ground out, "I have never been in love."

"And what about you?" Hook turned to look up at Piper, "You truly believe the Dark One could ever love you as his true love?"

"Oh he has proven it," Piper delighted in telling him, in thwarting his plans to try and make her question Gold.

"Oh yeah?" he scoffed, "How, flowers and jewels?"

"Bottled love and true love's kiss more like it."

Emma nearly laughed when she saw Hook falter at that, clearly NOT expecting that last one.

~8~

They had finally reached the top of the beanstalk, climbing up into a giant, disused looking castle courtyard. It was enormous, truly making them feel as though they'd been shrunk, but dusty and abandoned looking. Some of it even appeared to be crumbling.

"What happened here?" Emma breathed, brushing off her pants.

"What always happens when there is a battle," Piper remarked, "Destruction."

"Give me your hand," Hook turned to Emma.

"What?" Emma stepped back, Piper looking over at them.

"Your hand," he rolled his eyes, "It's cut," he nodded down to it where she'd cut it on a thorn a few minutes ago, "Let me help you."

"No, no. It's fine."

"No, it's not."

"So, now you're going to be a gentleman?" she scoffed.

"You should allow him," Piper spoke, startling Emma, but she was looking between Hook and Emma in curiosity, before she sighed, "Giants can smell blood and I cannot heal."

"And I'm always a gentleman," Hook added, taking her hand and uncorking a bottle of rum, pouring it on her hand.

"Ah!" Emma hissed, trying to pull her hand away, "Ow! What the hell is that?"

"It's rum. A bloody waste of it."

"Here," Piper stepped over to her, tearing a piece of cloth from her clothes and wrapping Emma's hand, knowing Hook would only waste time doing it with one hand.

"Now here's the plan," Hook began, "We wait for the giant to fall asleep. And when he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are, where the compass lies."

"And then?" Emma gave him a look.

"And then we run like hell."

"Or we could, perhaps, merely ask the giant for the compass and explain it is for a return home instead of pillaging," Piper remarked.

"Yes, and then we could sit down to tea with the brute," Hook rolled his eyes, "You are not living up to your name, oh Pied Piper. I'm surprised you didn't suggest we just slit his throat in his sleep instead."

"I am not one for throat slitting," Piper countered, making Emma shift in discomfort at how and what they were talking about, "I prefer internal bleeding and hemorrhaging."

"Ok, chuckle brothers," Emma cut in, "We don't have time to wait for a giant to fall asleep and we don't have anything that would be able to kill it before it wakes. I have a powder Mulan gave us, we need to use it. We got to knock him out."

"Well, that's riskier," Hook mused.

"Than waiting for a giant to fall asleep when we need him to?"

"Point taken."

"We DO have a weapon though," Piper mused.

"We do?" Emma frowned.

"Jack, had a sword that had a poisoned blade,'" she pondered it, "It could kill Giants."

"Where is it?" Hook asked.

"I suggested a pacifistic plan and you expect me to tell you where the Giant killing sword is? I am hardly going to tell you."

"Look, we are not killing anyone, end of discussion," Emma cut in.

Hook grinned at her, "Oh, you're a tough lass. You'd make a hell of a pirate."

Emma glanced at him in a scoff, and nodded to his wrist, "Who's Milah on the tattoo?" she asked, having caught a glance of it when he poured the rum on her hand.

"Someone from long ago."

"Where is she?"

"She's gone."

"Rummy killed her," Piper said easily, far too easily for Emma to really be comfortable with it, "Tore out her heart and crushed it in front of poor old Hook."

"That's why you want to kill him," Emma realized.

"Aye," Hook glared at Piper for saying that, for revealing it.

"She deserved it," Piper added darkly.

"Don't you dare…" Hook nearly lunged for her.

But Piper held up his heart, stopping him, "She deserved it for what she and you did to him."

"What'd they do?" Emma frowned, looking between them.

"Hook, whether he seduced her or not, took Milah with him on his ship and off they sailed to have adventures."

"And?" Emma shook her head, not understanding.

"Milah was Rummy's WIFE," she told Emma, a hard look in her eyes, "The mother of his child. And she was a coward and a harlot, a woman who fled her responsibilities and had a tryst with a pirate for adventure. She abandoned them, she let them think she was being kidnapped and then killed. And when Rummy found her again, found that she had gone willingly, left not just him but their child…you can guess what he did in revenge."

"Yeah," Emma swallowed, "I got it."

"Still," Piper tilted her head, putting Hook's heart into her pocket, "I suppose it was all for the best that she left with you."

"Oh?" Hook nearly spat at her, thinking she meant that it was good she'd left and died.

"Had it not been for that…Rummy would still be married and he would not be the man he is now," she mused, "He would not be with me. So I suppose I shall not crush your heart just yet," she smirked, "Think of it as having my thanks."

Emma sighed and rubbed her head, seeing the murderous glance Hook was casting Piper, this was going to go south, very fast, wasn't it?

~8~

Piper was hanging off of a torch sconce in the wall, quite a good distance above Emma, the torch luckily unlit, as Emma sat on top of a statue below her, right by the doorway to a hall. Hook was on the ground, by a shield and holding a bone in his hand, Emma with the poppy powder in her hand, ready to use it on the giant.

"You ready?" Hook called up to them.

"Yeah!" Emma shouted back, and Hook immediately started banging the bone on the shield, using the noise to draw the giant out. Emma's eyes widened as a rather plump man with a beard came stomping out of the door way…very much taller than the statue she was on, "Oh, damn it!"

"Emma toss it here!" Piper shouted above her.

Emma looked up, seeing that Piper was actually level with the Giant's head and shut her eyes for only a moment, she'd claimed that she could jump down onto the giant if need be from there, but not it seemed as though she'd been up there because she knew that the Giant was that tall. She quickly threw the pouch of powder up to her, Piper grabbing it, luckily on the first throw, and chucking it at the Giant's face…knocking him out as it exploded. Hook jumped back as the Giant fell to the ground.

"He's out cold," Hook called up as the dust settled, "I don't mean to upset you, Emma, but I think we make quite the team."

Emma shook her head and looked up, seeing Piper lowering herself from the sconce via a rope she'd used to climb up to it. The two of them tied it to the statue and used it to lower themselves down to the ground by Hook as well.

"The treasure room is that way," Piper pointed and started to lead them off.

"How do you know?" Emma rushed after her.

"The same way I knew that the giant was taller than that."

"And how's that?"

Piper glanced at her, "I was here before," she turned a corner before Emma could say another word and they slipped through a crack in the doorway to see they were in the treasure room.

"You were here before?" Emma stared at her.

"Indeed," Piper nodded.

"Like, before before? With Jack?"

Piper's lips pursed at that, "Who do you think killed her?"

Emma blinked as Piper stepped further into the room, she was starting to think her…whatever Piper was to her relatively speaking, was completely insane, talking about murdering and heart crushing and jeez.

"This is where the giants kept their greatest treasures," Piper called as she led them on, "The compass would be in here."

"Let's get to it," Emma nodded, shaking herself out of her thoughts for the moment.

"What's your rush?" Hook grinned.

"How long do you think magic knockout powder lasts?"

"I have no clue."

"That's my rush."

"Too right, lass," Hook sighed and they all got to work, searching through the piles, "If you've been here before, don't you know where the compass is?"

"I said I was here, I never said I was given an entire tour of where each scrap of gold or jewel was," Piper called back, "That would be why I recommended we leave Anton awake."

"Anton?" Emma shook her head.

"The giant?"

"Yes."

"His name is Anton? A giant named Anton?"

"Yes," Piper glanced back at her, "Ogres even have names, humans name their animals. Does it surprise you that an oversized human has a name?"

"Um, no," Emma frowned, not having thought of it like that, before sighing, "Well, Anton's asleep, so how are we going to find a compass in this mess?"

"By looking," Hook suggested, "Start searching. I wonder how much treasure we could carry down the beanstalk," he trailed off as they both shot him a look, "…in addition to the compass, of course."

"What the hell is that…" Emma frowned moving over to a skeleton on the ground, a sword just a few feet away, 'Jack' carved into its blade."

"I believe that would be Jacqueline," Piper remarked dryly…before stepping over the body and continuing on, though Emma picked up the sword just to be safe. If Piper had been there before, if she had killed Jack as she alluded to before…well, she wasn't sure what that meant. She could have been a friend of the giants, but she made it seem like the humans had attacked, so maybe it had been a tiff between the two women or something. Whatever the case was, they couldn't be sure Anton would react kindly to Piper.

"Watch out for the wire," Piper called, stepping over one ahead of her, bringing their attention to it.

"Quite a security system," Emma looked up, seeing a large cage was attached to the trip wire, before starting to look around again, "So it's just…in here somewhere?"

"Allegedly," Hook muttered, before seeing a small box of some sort, well small by giant standards, "Give me a boost would you, love?"

"So I can't see what you're pocketing?" Emma scoffed, "No way. You give me a boost."

"Try something new, darling. It's called trust."

"We do it side by side and fast."

"Or you could both just stop," Piper cut in.

"We have to find the compass."

"Actually, we have to run," Piper said, and then they could hear it, the sound of thumping, large footsteps in the distance.

"Someone's up," Hook realized, "Quickly. Get under something!"

But just as they turned to try and hide, the Giant, Anton, ran into the room, a glare on his face, his heavy footfalls causing debris to fall from the ceiling, nearly crushing Hook.

"Hook?" Emma turned, but the giant had reached her, lunging for her and grabbing her in his hand, lifting her up, "I'm not what you think!" she tried to reason with it as Piper looked around, knowing that the man would have trouble hearing her from down there.

"You're a thief, and you poisoned me!" Anton shouted, "So yeah, I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think."

"No. Look, you have a compass. I need it."

"I don't care what you need," he started to squeeze her, cutting off her air.

"No, for my son! To save my son! Don't you have a family?"

"No. Because humans killed them all!" he tightened his grip even more.

"Anton!" Piper's voice called, standing atop the tallest pile of gold she could find.

Anton's grip on Emma loosened in shock as he spun around, nearly making the room spin to Emma with the move, "Piper?!" he stared at her, quickly dropping to his knees to be closer in height to her, "You're alive!?"

"Hello Anton," Piper nodded, "I am."

"I'm so glad," he smiled at her, tears in his eyes, "I know you were trying to find a way to escape that prince, I was worried he'd captured you again and you were his prisoner once more. I…I couldn't come search for you. Not after…"

"I know," Piper gave him a sad smile, Emma looking between them, completely confused as to how they knew each other, but immensely relieved that they seemed to have a good relationship, "My apologies, my most sincere ones, that I could not help save more of your family."

"You avenged my brothers," Anton shook his head, "You stopped Jack."

"Then I should like to ask that you extend the same courtesy to my niece and release her?" Piper nodded at Emma.

Anton blinked, "This is your niece?" he held Emma up to right in front of Piper.

"Yes," Piper nodded.

"Sorry!" Anton offered, quickly letting Emma go and setting her down beside Piper on the gold, the girl stumbling a bit, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It is not a problem Anton, many thanks for letting her go," Piper offered.

"Why are you here Piper?" Anton asked, shaking his head at her, "And why did you knock me out? I thought we were friends."

"We are," she nodded, "You know how stubborn I am?" he nodded, "My niece is the same. There are…many stories of what transpired here, the truth is not the most well known. She was unsure whether to trust a giant."

"Oh," Anton sat back on his legs, distressed at that, frowning, "Does she trust me now?" he asked hopefully.

Piper smiled, "I believe she does," Anton had been the kindest soul she'd met besides Snow White. He had seemed to latch onto her unhappiness and had tried to make her smile again the last time they met. To hear that she had a niece, he would be the sort to want to be Emma's friend too. She took a breath, "Anton, Emma and my cousin, Snow White, we were in another realm. All our friends and family are there too and we need to get back to them. Emma especially must return to her son. I know you understand what it is to wish reunion with family. You have a compass that we need to get back to them. Could I ask you that we borrow it?"

"The humans killed my family," Anton murmured, but Piper grabbed Emma's arm to keep her from speaking, knowing it wasn't him saying no, but him thinking of how he lost his family and how he didn't want others to lose theirs too, "I understand," he nodded, and pulled the compass out of his pocket, holding it in front of Piper to take.

"Many thanks Anton," Piper smiled and took it.

"You tried to save my family," he smiled sadly at her, "The least I can do is try to get you back to yours."

"What's that?" Emma pointed at a necklace Anton was wearing, what looked like a shriveled up bean fixed to it, "Is that a bean? Can it make a portal?"

"Not anymore," Anton shook his head, "It was destroyed like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder…to trust few," he smiled at Piper, before turning and moving a bolder from the wall just beside them, revealing a tunnel, "Go."

Emma looked at the tunnel a moment before turning to Anton, "Anton…can I ask a favor of you?"

Anton smiled, "You're Piper's family, anything."

~8~

Hook slowly came around from where he'd been knocked out by the falling debris to find himself sitting against the wall, a shackle on his one arm, trapping him there, with Emma and Piper standing before him.

"What are you doing?" he frowned at the shackle and up at them, "What are you doing?!"

"Emma has decided that, even with my having your heart, you still pose a threat to us," Piper remarked.

"Emma?" Hook looked at her.

"Hook," Emma shook her head, "I can't…"

"Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?"

"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you," Emma told him, "I can't take the chance that you won't steal your heart back and go running to Cora. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You're sorry?! I got you here! I got you the compass!"

"Actually, I got us here," Piper gestured around, "And I got the compass. You were more a load of dead weight with a missing hand."

"Well, you're just going to leave me here to die?" he glared, "I thought your precious Dark One wanted that pleasure. What, will you have that beast to eat me, to crush my bones?"

"He is NOT a beast," Piper nearly spat at him, defending Anton who was sitting behind them.

"And you're not going to die," Emma added, "We just need a head start, that's all," she took a breath and gave Piper a look, "Put his heart back."

"Emma…" Piper shook her head.

"We don't need it," she countered, "If he's not with us, we can't control him. If he goes to Cora, she kills him because he failed. He's on his own now…and…I know what it's like for someone to be without their heart," she thought back to Graham, "Just…give it back and let's go."

Piper sighed, "This is a mistake," she warned Emma.

"Then the consequences are on me," Emma decided.

"I doubt that," Piper muttered, for how much of a realist Emma was about the hardships of the world…she was very much like Snow White was in not considering consequences. But she knelt down and shoved Hook's heart back into his chest. She tilted her head to eye him, "I suppose it would be more interesting to see what other ways Rummy has for ending your life when next he meets you," she mused. Before standing and nodding to Anton, before leading Emma out through the tunnel, Hook shouting after them.

~8~

The two women were climbing down the beanstalk, nearly at the bottom when they heard shouting and could barely make out Mary Margaret tackling Mulan, the two women fighting on the ground as Aurora tried to stop them.

"This was your daughter's wish!" they could hear Mulan shouting.

"What did you tell her?" Piper glanced at Emma.

Emma winced, "To chop the stalk down if we weren't back by now."

"Oh Emma," Piper sighed, "Snow would NEVER allow that, she would sooner kill Mulan than allow it. Come," she quickly hurried down even faster than before.

"I don't care what you say!" Mary Margaret was yelling, "You do not put my daughter and my cousin in danger!"

"Snow!" Piper called as they got closer.

"Stop!" Emma added, jumping down the last few feet with Piper.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret leapt up and ran to her daughter, "You ok?" she hugged her tightly.

Emma gave her a smaller hug and stepped away, "Two earthquakes and a jump from a beanstalk. I think my brain's still rattling around a little."

"Mulan, please do be aware that Emma is NOT the leader while in this world," Piper reminded the woman, hopping down too, accepting a hug from her cousin.

"I did what she ordered, nothing more than that," Mulan defended, "Did you get it?"

"Yep," Emma smiled as Piper held up the compass.

"W-Where's Hook?" Aurora glanced up.

"Detained," Piper said simply, "We must make haste though."

"Get your stuff," Emma agreed, "We got ten hours before he follows us."

"What?" Mary Margaret blinked, "How?"

"An old friend is watching him for us," Piper replied, "It took us 2 hours to climb down…"

Mary Margaret nodded and turned to Emma as Mulan and Aurora grabbed their supplies, "You told her to cut it down?"

"Yes," Emma sighed.

"And you didn't stop her?" she looked at Piper.

"I was unaware till you went after the girl," Piper countered.

"Look, no one but Mulan knew," Emma cut in, "I couldn't risk…"

"We go back together," Mary Margaret stated firmly, promising that, "That is the only way. Do you understand?" she pulled Emma into a tighter hug.

"Yeah," Emma breathed.

"Good," Mary Margaret pulled back, "Now, let's go get that dust from Cora."

"Yeah, and go home," Emma nodded, they knew they wouldn't be able to use the ashes themselves, not without the waters restored to Nostos, but they could at least buy time till they worked out a plan to either manipulate Cora into conjuring the waters and they get home without her, or find another portal.

Piper just glanced up at the beanstalk once more, giving Hook back his heart was going to complicate quite a few things, she knew. Emma sorely underestimated both Hook and Cora.

A/N: My apologies -sigh- My entire fault this was late, I stayed up way too late last night, slept through my alarm and was nearly late for work so I was just scrambling. I just got home about 15 minutes ago and I'm uploading the chapters now, sorry!

As for this chapter...bit more of a hint as to how Piper met James here ;) I loved Anton, he was just adorable :)

Some notes on reviews...

I can say that Piper and Belle will have a small confrontation one day ;) But I won't say when :) I probably won't do an AU with Piper in Storybrooke instead of the EF, only because it's only a few episodes of it :)

The kiss is definitely to do with her accepting him and also her intent to be just kissing him and not to break his curse too :) I do hope Regina gets a happy ending too :) I can say that Gold has found out about who gave her the scars and took care of them, we'll see that in a future chapter ;) As for the beanstalk and candle, Piper went up it, but we'll have to wait and see what Snow does }:)

That's awesome, I bet you're a brilliant Belle ;) And I wish you and your drama group 'break a leg' in your production ;)

I don't think Belle would interfere more so feel she might be saving him from going further into the darkness because Piper doesn't pull him away from it, it wouldn't be a true interference though, she won't be plotting against them, but she may have a small confrontation with Piper at some point ;)