Tiny

"Everything shall be well, Rummy," Piper remarked as she and Gold made their way to the apartment Mary Margaret, Emma, David, and Henry had come to share, "We know where Baelfire is, and Emma is an expert at finding people who are hidden, it was her job before she came to Storybrooke. We shall find him and you will be together again."

"I hope so Pip," he muttered, trying to appear calm if anxious to go.

But she knew him better than that, she knew he was more anxious with worry as to how Baelfire would react to him, what he'd do. He was anxious because he wasn't sure if Bae was hiding from him or if he was waiting for him. And he was anxious because they had to hurry. They both doubted that his magic would work outside the town lines, they wouldn't be able to bring the globe with them to track down Bae once more after they'd crossed it. If Bae was hiding from him and on the move, they might get there and he'd be gone and they couldn't risk that.

Gold stepped up to the door to the apartment, about to bang on it, when she reached out and turned him, tugging lightly on his arm with her good hand and moved onto her toes to kiss him, "We WILL find him," she whispered as she pulled away, touching his cheek lightly with a smile.

He took a deep breath and nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead for helping him calm down slightly before he turned to the door and knocked at a less pounding speed. The door opened nearly instantly anyway, Emma in the doorway.

"Ready to go, Miss Swan?" he asked.

"Almost," Emma sighed, stepping away to allow them entry, only to see Henry stepping out of a room with a suitcase of his own and a coat on his arm.

"Do you think we'll be cold where we're going, or warm?" Henry looked at them.

"I think layers are always a good idea," Emma remarked.

"At this time of year, New York is relatively cool," Piper added, "A lighter jacket would be just fine if you wish to switch."

Gold, however, wasn't quite as accepting of the new addition of Henry coming, "I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear. You owe me a favor, you alone."

"I'm not leaving Henry here with Cora lurking about," Emma defended, "So either we both go, or we both stay."

Gold grit his teeth but Piper put a hand on his arm, "I can order another ticket with no issue Rummy," she told him, pulling out her phone to do just that, rather glad that she had racked up so many frequent flyer miles over the last 3 decades. Travelling the world with August in search of Emma and Baelfire and Storybrooke had given them both plenty of worldly experience in terms of travel.

"Wait," Emma frowned as Mary Margaret entered to help Henry put on a lighter jacket, "We're flying?"

"Unless you wish to drive the extra hours to New York," Piper glanced up, "Consider what you would wish to do Emma. Spend 8 hours in a small car with the Dark One, or spend 1 hour in a plane?"

"Plane it is," Emma muttered.

"Don't worry," Gold added, "I'm covering expenses. Even the new ones," he glanced at Henry.

"You were about to suggest he come and you know it Rummy," Piper called, tapping away at her phone, "Do not try to pretend that you are upset he shall be joining us."

"Alright, Gold," David called, coming down the stairs to join them, making Gold roll his eyes at how the whole family just had to get involved, he was starting to think there was another reason besides love of him that Piper had chosen to stay with him for instead of return to Snow White…if it would have been like this in the Enchanted Forest, he couldn't blame her, "You're going out there with my family. Just know, if anything happens to them…"

"Then you'll what?" Gold cut in, "Cross the town line? And David Nolan will hunt me down in his animal rescue van?"

"I'll be devastated," David finished, "This isn't a threat. It's a request. Take care of them."

"You have no need to worry Charming," Piper looked up, slipping her phone back into her pocket, the ticket all sorted, "If you have forgotten, Rummy is setting out with MY family as well. I will not let anything happen to Emma or Henry, just as I did in the Enchanted Forest for Emma, and just as Rummy and I did for Henry before the curse broke."

"I promise no harm will come to your family," Gold offered, "After all, we have a deal."

"And I will be there as well," Piper nodded, "My music might be weaker across the line, but it IS still there."

"Yeah," David scoffed under his breath, "And you have only one hand to play with."

She smirked dangerously at that, "I only need one hand to play my pipes, and even then I could cause equal damage with just my voice…or would you care for another demonstration?"

Mary Margaret frowned and glanced between them, "Wait…another demonstration? You…KNOW each other?" the way Piper was speaking made her feel like David had already had run ins with her.

"Oh yes," Piper nodded, "Your husband has a high tolerance for pain Snow."

"David…" Mary Margaret turned to him, alarmed.

"I met her when I went to the Dark One for help to save you," he glanced at his wife, "She was always there. And she wasn't always pleasant," he shot her a look.

"Neither were you and how you waved your pointy sword at me and threatened me," Piper countered, "You attack me, I defend myself in the only way I can, my music. Whichever tune I choose to use against you is up to my mood for the day. Crippling pain is easiest to conjure when I am being attacked. Now, would you care for another demonstration?"

"And risk you sending me to Whale, no," David answered.

"For a man of no magic, he does good work," Piper remarked, a small smirk coming to her face, "I cannot fathom why he irritates you so."

"He slept with my wife!" David shouted, making Mary Margaret flush and look away and Emma covering Henry's ears.

"And you slept with your wife too," Piper countered, nearly laughing at his confused expression on how that could possibly be an argument, "Kathryn Nolan, was her name yes? I DO recall Mary Margaret mentioning to me that the woman thought she was pregnant once…that WOULD imply you had relations of that sort with her at one point, would it not?"

"We were cursed!" he defended, as though just recalling that.

"That was what I said!" Mary Margaret huffed.

"So you both slept with someone that was not your actual spouse, can you move on please?" she rolled her eyes, "Honestly, the way you two get on Snow will be having a second baby and Whale will be the only one here to deliver it. You had best work out your issues with him do, do you not think so?"

"As much as I enjoy watching you antagonize him Pip," Gold cut in, glancing at his watch, "We have a plane to catch."

Piper nodded and looked at Mary Margaret, "We shall call you before we take off, after we land, and when we find Bae."

"Good luck," Mary Margaret smiled at them, hugging them all except Gold as they turned to go. She paused in shutting the door when she saw Piper glance back at David and then wink at her and started to smile…it was a small issue that she'd had with David since the curse broke, how she'd slept with Whale as a one night stand after he'd gone back to Kathryn. Now though, Piper had pointed out the very same thing in HIM and he couldn't hold onto his anger about it without being a hypocrite. Her cousin…she was always trying to help even if her methods were very harsh at times. She did that, brought up your faults, made you defend them out loud so you could hear how outrageous they were and then point out the flaws in it.

She gave Piper a nod for that before she turned to shut the door, Piper nodding back as she moved to follow Gold, Emma, and Henry down the stairs and to his old car. They all got in, placing the suitcases in the trunk after Piper pulled out Baelfire's old shawl, turning to loop it around Gold's neck like a scarf. They piled in the car, Gold driving, and headed for the town line.

"So…where are we going exactly?" Henry asked as he and Emma took the back seat.

"Logan International Airport," Piper stated.

"I think he meant after that," Emma remarked with a roll of her eyes.

"Let's just take things one step at a time, shall we?" Gold muttered.

Emma eyed him through the rearview mirror, "You really think that shawl's going to work?"

"Well, if it doesn't, and I revert to my cursed self, we're all going to have some problems."

Piper gave him a small smile and reached out to hold his hand as they neared the 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign, "It will work," she told them reassuringly.

Still, Gold took a deep breath and squeezed her hand as they drove past the sign, a wave of magic passing over Gold, just as it had when he first stepped past the town line on his first attempt.

"…so?" Emma frowned when nothing else was said.

"My name is Rumpelstiltskin," Gold stated, "My true love is the Pied Piper," he glanced at her and smiled, "And we're going find my son."

~8~

Meanwhile in Storybrooke, David, Leroy, Hook, and Mary Margaret were exploring Hook's ship, having released the pirate only to bring them there and interrogate him more about what his plans with Cora were and where Cora might be. The ship could possibly hold some sort of clue as to where she'd gone. Unfortunately, while they hadn't found Cora…they found someone else, Anton the Giant according to Hook.

Though he wasn't quite so giant sized, but rather small and locked in a cage on the ship.

"So, Cora used magic to make him travel-sized?" Leroy frowned.

"Whatever she intends to do with him, it's important," Hook nodded.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what she intends," David turned to him with a glare, "You're holding out."

"Well, either have your lovely wife torture it out of me, which I promise will be fun for both…"

David lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against a wall, "Why don't you and I have some fun?"

Hook let out a breath, "Just like the Piper you are," he muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She has a tendency to get violent when I make similar remarks to your daughter," Hook smirked, trying to goad him into a fight with mentioning he made crude remarks to Emma as well…

But David looked almost confused by the fact that Piper took Hook's words as offensively as he was when it came to Mary Margaret and Emma.

"Whether you like her or not David," Mary Margaret called, "Rose loves her family. She really will protect Emma, from anything, physical, emotional, or verbal."

David glanced at Mary Margaret for that, he'd been so focused on the fact that she was the Dark One's consort or whatever she was that he hadn't been able to see her as the lost Rose Red, as Snow White's family. And while he knew that she had protected both Mary Margaret and Emma in the Enchanted Forest…hearing that she'd protected Emma even from Hook's vulgar remarks…he could see a tiny bit of family in her now.

"Look I don't know what she's planning," Hook rolled his eyes, pulling himself out of David's grip, "Why don't you wake the bloody giant and ask him yourself?" he pulled a key out of his pocket and held it up to them.

Mary Margaret stepped forward, knowing that if Piper knew the Giant, perhaps it would be best if someone from her family opened the cage. She took the key and turned to the small metal contraption, opening the door before she gently touched the giant on the shoulder to wake him, startling him in the process, "Hey," she smiled, "It's alright. You're safe now," she reached out to help him crawl out of the cage, "You're name's Anton right?"

"Yes," Anton frowned, "How did you…" but then he spotted Hook and glared, "Where's that witch?!"

"She's gone," Mary Margaret moved slightly in front of him to keep him from attacking Hook as well.

"What did she do? She made me small!"

"Come on," David stepped forward, coming into Anton's view, "Let's get you out of here…"

"YOU!" Anton shouted, stumbling back from David.

"Me?" David frowned.

"YOU!" Anton repeated, lunging for him and punching him across the face, sending him flying backwards.

"David!" Mary Margaret gasped and rushed over to help him.

Leroy quickly jumped in front of him, "Hey! Hey, over here, you big…"

But Anton shoved him to the side, down the stairs of the ship and launched himself at David once more, the man lifting his gun, but Anton knocked it out of his hand. He tried to grab him, but an arrow went whizzing past his head, fired by Mary Margaret with her bow, and narrowly missed him.

"Step away from my husband!" she demanded, leveling another arrow at him.

Anton just glared at David, "You may have me outnumbered, but this isn't over. You think I forgot what you did? What you did to my family? To Piper!?" Mary Margaret and David exchanged a frown at that, "I didn't. You'll pay for your evil. You'll pay for hurting her! I promise you that! You'll pay!"

And with that, Anton turned and fled the ship, leaving a very confused couple watching him go.

~8~

A short while later, David, Mary Margaret, and Leroy were sitting in a booth at Granny's Diner, trying to make sense of Anton's outburst. Hook had disappeared in the chaos of the attack so they couldn't ask him, "David…" Mary Margaret began, "Did that giant just say he'll make you pay? For what?"

"I have no idea," David sighed, "I've never seen that guy before."

"Well, he sure knows you," Leroy remarked.

"No," David realized, "It's not about me. He just thinks it is."

Mary Margaret closed her eyes at that, "Your brother. That's who he thinks you are. He thinks you're James."

"It's the only thing that makes sense," David nodded, before getting up, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To find out just what kind of trouble my brother got himself into. Leroy," he turned to the Dwarf, "Get your head looked at and gather the dwarves. We need to keep an eye out for this giant."

"David," Mary Margaret ran after him, "I…I don't think you should face him."

"Why not?" he turned to her just as they got outside.

"Rose," she began, "You heard him, he thinks you hurt the Piper, he thinks you hurt her and…I think James did too."

"Why do you say that?" David frowned, he didn't know much about his brother save that he was apparently quite spoiled.

"Before Emma and Rose went up the beanstalk…Rose mentioned to me that the stalk reminded her of James," she looked at him, "She said that SHE essentially killed him. I don't know why," she added quickly, seeing the horrified look on his face that her cousin had killed his brother, "She said it was so that we could meet but also that…that he deserved it, that she should have made him suffer first. I…I tried to get her to tell me what happened, why she hated him so much but she closed off. I really think he hurt her, badly, and…what Anton said, I think I'm right. He thinks you hurt his friend, but I'M her cousin, he might listen to me more than you. He might listen to Snow White more than someone he thinks is Prince James."

David let out a breath at that, "Either way Snow, we need to know what happened, what James really did, to Anton and to Piper. He saw you defending me, we both need to talk to him."

Mary Margaret frowned at that but took his hand as they walked off, David silent. All this time, he'd thought that, perhaps Piper just had an animosity to him because he hadn't trusted Mary Margaret as David Nolan, and he was sure that was part of it. But…maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was that his face just brought up the worst memories.

For a Giant that was rumored to hate humanity to feel that protective of a human…James had to have done something terrible.

~8~

Piper stretched as she got out of the car, the four of them arriving at the airport and grabbing their bags. She smiled as Gold took her bag with his. He had a rolling suitcase and had merely placed her duffle bag on top of it but it was the thought that counted so she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek for his actions. Emma and Henry exchanged a look at that, at the action and response. Henry had a small smile on his face while Emma just looked confused. For being the Dark One, Gold was remarkably kind and considerate, to Piper at least. Henry though, knew differently, having been around both during the curse. Gold and Piper were…dark, he could admit it, as much as he was startled to realize that Piper was also Rose Red and therefore the cousin of Snow White (it was a little disconcerting to know the cousin of the most pure hearted woman of fairytale was dark and, in some cases a villain). He wasn't entirely sure he understood the relationship that Gold and Piper had or how it worked, by all rights with how dark they each were they should be worse than they were before meeting each other, their darknesses should have multiplied in the other, made them even darker…

But he guessed it was like magnets, sort of. They were both dark and it sort of…repelled the darkness between them? If that made any sense, HE was still trying to make sense of it. They could be cold and harsh and distant and uncaring of other people, had proven themselves to be, but with each other, and with the people the other cared for, it was like they were different. They were warmer and closer and more willing to help. It was like they balanced each other, accepted each other and in that acceptance, it was almost like they made each other better without even trying or forcing it, it was just…happening, subtly but it was there.

"We just need our boarding passes," Piper turned to them, "And then security and we shall be on the plane in no time."

Emma nodded and turned with Henry to follow Gold and Piper into the airport, Piper going to the main desk to obtain their boarding passes while they waited, returning rather quickly and leading them to security. While Emma had travelled quite a bit as a young girl, foster home to foster home, she hadn't exactly flown much but she knew that August and Piper had done extensive travels all over the world.

"Have you ever been outside of Storybrooke before, Mr. Gold?" Henry looked up at the man as they waited in line at the security areas.

"No," he stated.

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"Are you worried about meeting your son?"

"No, Henry, I'm fine."

"How about we talk about all this later, kid?" Emma cut in, seeing Henry about to ask another question and hearing in Gold's short responses that he didn't want to talk, "We're next."

"Take off your shoes," Piper instructed, moving to do as she'd said, smiling as Gold gave her a confused look for the reason why, "Failed bomb in a shoe, means all passengers have to remove their shoes and have them checked," she explained as Gold nodded and moved to take his shoes off too.

"How terribly uncivilized," he muttered as he did it.

"It must be really hard not to use magic," Henry remarked, "Being like everyone else."

"There is always magic Henry," Piper shook her head, placing her shoes in a bin with Gold's, "In a land like this, it is just harder to tap into, but it is always there."

"Uh, scarf and the cane go in the basket," one of the security agents stopped Gold from following Henry through the metal detector.

"What?" Gold frowned.

"Scarf and cane go in the basket," the man repeated.

"I can't…I…"

"You have to," Emma said quietly.

"It ain't rocket science, buddy," a man behind them shouted at them holding up the line, "You ever been on a plane before?"

"You ever need your shoe removed from your backside before?" Piper snapped at him, Emma doing her best to not laugh at that. She had only really seen Piper dealing with the people in Storybrooke which, even before the curse was broken, were…not exactly like everyone else. But to see her in the real world…she actually felt a small zing in her heart at that thought that…this woman could have been her adoptive mother if she'd been able to find her in time and…she honestly felt like she wouldn't have minded that much.

"No," the man backed off.

"Then keep your mouth shut and that will not be a problem for you," she glared, before turning back to Gold, "It will be fine Rummy," she murmured to him, reaching out to squeeze his arm, "I will make sure you get across fine."

"Just put your shawl in the bin," Emma added, "We'll both help you get through."

"If I let this go, I could forget who I am," Gold hissed at her.

"That will not happen," Piper promised him, taking his hand, "Trust me and be quick about it."

Gold swallowed hard but quickly put his cane on a box and pulled the shawl off, leaving it with the cane as well. Piper stepped in front of him and led him, by the hand, through the detector, her eyes on him, seeing him blinking, becoming dazed and disoriented, stumbling but with Emma steadying him from behind with a hand on his back. The second he was through she grabbed the shawl and draped it over him once more, watching intently as he blinked and seemed to come back to himself.

"Rummy?" she asked quietly.

He took a breath and nodded, "I'm alright Pip."

She let out a breath and smiled, "I suppose it means we are driving back to Storybrooke?"

He just offered her a weak smile at that and turned to put his shoes back on, the three of them moving over to where Henry was waiting for them.

"Guys, there's a Cinnabons here!" the boy exclaimed, looking to Emma pleadingly.

Emma rolled her eyes but gave him five dollars to go get some of the treat with and the three adults waited, Gold pacing nearly the moment they found a place to stand.

"Do you want something to eat?" Emma asked him, if just to be polite.

"No," he answered shortly.

Emma frowned and looked at Piper, "Is something wrong?" she whispered to her.

"Stop asking that!" Gold snapped instead, before sighing, turning to Piper, "I'll be right back."

She nodded and watched him walk off to the restroom, waiting only till he'd gone inside before she let out a long breath. She knew that tension in him, it was the tension that built to the point where he lashed out and broke things or tried to destroy other things. But it was also the tension that he never wanted others to see. He liked keeping a mask of cool indifference or glee but when he became that worked up, he didn't want anyone, not even her to see him lose it. She knew it happened, the evidence was always there, he knew that she knew when it was happening and it was enough that she knew he was throwing a tantrum or making a mess, he didn't want her to actually see it. So she respected his wishes, gave him his peace, and tended to him in the aftermath, whether it was sweeping up broken glass teacups or cleaning up blood.

She just hoped he wouldn't hurt himself too badly as he had no magic to heal himself with.

~8~

Mary Margaret and David were in quite the pickle back in Storybrooke. Their plan to try and calmly talk to Anton had not gone well, or even really been implemented yet. Anton had, somehow, grown to his full giant height and was terrorizing the town, making all the inhabitants flee as he threw cars and other objects around at them.

"That's right!" the giant shouted, "Run! Run!" he grabbed a car and threw it in David and Mary Margaret's direction, but not quite spotting them as he continued his path through town.

"Head to the town hall!" David shouted as he and Mary Margaret ran after Anton, trying to calm the citizens and keep them safe, "Bring anyone you find on the way! Somebody get Leroy!"

"Guess we found our giant," Mary Margaret muttered, "I just didn't think he would be so…"

"Giant?"

"My mistake."

"Ever stop one before?"

"Rose has," she muttered, "And she's not here."

"Well…here's to new firsts," he rushed forward and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting up to the giant, "Wait! You don't have to do this!"

"Yeah, I do," Anton rounded on him, glaring at him, "You destroyed everything in my life and caused my friend nothing but misery! Now you're going to know what that feels like."

"The man who hurt you? That wasn't me," David tried to tell him, "That was my twin brother James. We were separated at birth. He was raised by a…a ruthless King."

"You're not James?" Anton paused.

"Anton please," Mary Margaret ran to David's side, "I'm Snow White…Rose…um, Piper, she's my cousin."

Anton eyed her, "YOU are Snow White?" he frowned, "Emma is your daughter?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded, letting out a breath that he was at least listening to her, "And this," she put a hand on David's chest, "He's my husband, David. Please Anton, do you think Piper would let him be anywhere near me if he was actually James?"

"No," Anton shook his head, "Not after what he and his father did to her."

Mary Margaret opened her mouth to ask him what HAD they done to Piper, but David held up a hand to ask her to wait, needing to deal with the Giant first and…talking about that might actually just make him even angrier, "He's dead Anton," David added, "Piper…she killed him."

"She did?" Anton whispered, "She has truly avenged my family then."

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded, though she had a frown on her face at the thought of her cousin having murdered James and Jack, "We're on your side, Anton! We're good! We're here because of you," she tried to smile, "You helped Piper and Emma, you gave them the magic compass…"

"Piper is here?!" Anton's eyes widened, "Let me talk to her. I…I've never met Snow White, I can't tell if you're really her and if you're telling the truth. If Piper says it…then I'll stop."

Mary Margaret winced at that, "She's kind of out of town…but when she gets back, I know she'll really want to talk to you."

"How convenient," Anton frowned at that, thinking he was being lied to, that he was being tricked, "Everyone I'm looking for isn't around! All you humans do is lie, and cheat, and kill, and I'm sick of it!"

David grabbed Mary Margaret's hand, pulling her away as Anton charged after them.

~8~

Piper sat beside Gold as they boarded the plane, waiting for everyone else to find their seats. She had her good hand delicately resting on his wrist, he'd come out of the bathroom with a bloodied fist and she knew there was likely something dented in the bathroom. It had proven though, that he didn't have magic outside Storybrooke and she wasn't a healer, so she'd bandaged it up as best she could and they were sitting side by side just…waiting.

Henry had a box of cinnamon buns on his lap, Emma beside him across the aisle, "You good, kid?" Emma eyed him.

"You kidding?" Henry beamed, "A trip with you, first plane ride, and we're going on a quest like in the book. The only thing that could make this day better? Is more frosting!" he took a large bite out of the bun, offering some to Emma but she shook her head.

"Everything will be well Rummy," Emma heard Piper whisper and looked over to see her leaning in to Gold, who was sitting rigidly in his seat, "We will find Bae."

"I know," he gave a small nod as the announcements for the flight began.

"Welcome, folks, to Ajira Airlines regional flight fifty-three, with non-stop service to New York City," the pilot began, "Our flight time tonight is forty-two minutes. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

Piper looked down, feeling her phone buzz and pulled it out, nearly having forgotten to turn it off, only to frown at the series of messages on it.

SW: Anton is in Storybrooke.
SW: He tried to attack us, but we're fine.
SW: He nearly died, but we saved him. He trusts us now.
SW: When you get back, we're going to have a long talk Rose.

Piper closed her eyes at that last one.

SW: I know what James and George did.

She swallowed hard and took a breath, sending her a quick 'Ok,' before turning her phone off and slipping it back into her pocket and placing her arm back down on Gold's just as the plane engines started up.

She looked over when she felt the arm she'd been resting on shift and smiled slightly when she saw him move his hand on top of hers, holding it and squeezing it as the plane took off.

A/N: I really can't wait till Piper's back in Storybrooke, just because of the 'reunion' with tiny Anton :)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll find out very soon what else happened in Hamelin ;)

The post of the stories, they posted the first two stories of the HOTS without permission :( For the first story there was a mention in the summary that they were not the author and they gave a link. But the second story had no mention of that and, worse yet, there were comments/reviews on the second story where a reader said 'you're a fantastic author' to the poster and, instead of stating they weren't the author, the poster only thanked them :( Which, to me, gives the impression that they weren't denying they weren't the author :( I'm more upset that they asked and promised they would NOT post my stories without my consent...and then did it anyway 4 days later :(