Disclaimer: I own only Mason, Rose, and the plot. Nothing else.

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed, I appreciate it very much. They made my day.

Chapter 15

Emma

I stared down at the girl who was sitting at the table. She was staring at the wall as if it was talking to her. Maybe it was. If she was the child of Gold, who knew what crazy stuff she was into.

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to see Gold in her. I couldn't, really. She definitely looked like her mother, no doubt about that. Almost identical. The only difference was that her face was thinner.

"I'm here," Gold announced. I looked up at him as he entered, followed my David and Mary Margaret. The appearance of my parents made me wonder if anything about me resembled them as much as Rose resembled her mother.

I remembered Henry's remark about our chins being the same, and suppressed a snort. Great. The one thing I inherited from my parents was my mother chin and the craziness of their world.

"Hello," Rose greeted her father cheerfully, as if she was unaware about his glare.

"Where were you?" Gold demanded.

"Taking a walk with Killian." She said, gesturing at the man next to her. Gold's eyes moved to him and Killian grinned, goading him. I decided it was a very good thing that they were on opposite sides of the table.

"Aren't you engaged?" Gold asked her. Rose twisted her engagement ring and nodded, sending a guilty look at Killian. He winked at her and Gold snarled. "Trying to ruin another marriage, Hook?"

"Just trying to give women the life they deserve," Hook said smoothly, standing up. "Away from a monster like you,"

"That insult is a bit overused to hurt me, dearie," Gold said snidely, his hand clenched on his cane. I stepped forward, ready to step in, when Hook started to lunge forward, stopped by Rose.

"Stop that," She said, placing a hand on his chest. "Can't you two just get along?"

"It's impossible to get along with a beast like him," Hook snarled. Rose shrugged and in a fluid motion unattached Hook's hook, going back to her seat.

"If you can't get along, you can't have your hook," She said, pulling her knees up to her chest under her dress and holding the hook close to her chest. I glanced at Mary Margaret, glad to see that I wasn't the only one disturbed by the fluidness of the motion when she took off his hook.

Was something…?

Ah, I got it now. It was startlingly easy to see, so much that I was embarrassed I didn't see it before.

Gold's daughter was engaged to Hook.

I suppressed a laugh and moved forward, trying to regain control of the situation. Hook was now staring at Rose in shock, though I detected a bit of awe in his gaze.

"Anyway," I said. "I didn't bring you here so you could fight, Gold. I just wanted to know if you knew that your daughter has magic."

"It made sense, yes," Gold said. "As she came with her magic bound, I assumed."

"Can you control it?" I asked Rose. She nodded.

"I mean, I usually can," She said. "It was instinctual, out in the road. When someone that I…" She trailed off awkwardly for a moment, glancing at Hook. I got the message. When someone that I love. "When someone's life is in danger, sometimes it just happens uncontrollably."

"But it isn't a danger to the people of Storybrooke?" I asked her, gauging her response carefully. I wondered if she knew that I could tell when she was lying. She raised her eyes and met mine directly.

"Not unless someone hurts someone I care about," She said dangerously. Judging by the way her body was leaning unconsciously towards Hook, I understood what someone she was referring to.

In that moment, with her face serious and protective, she looked exactly like her father.