The Tower

The small group of heroes and villains gathered in Mary Margaret's apartment, discussing what they'd gathered about their newest threat.

"So, now that we know who we are dealing with, how do we find this Wicked Witch?" David looked around, focusing more on Regina, Piper, and Hook than his wife or daughter, knowing that, as villains, they would either have a better idea of where to look, or some idea of how to find her.

The Witch appeared to be aware that they were onto her now. Emma and Regina had just explained that they'd organized a trap of their own while the others had been in the woods with Robin. Emma had called a town meeting, but put Regina in the spotlight as the one most likely to have cast the curse. It didn't take much for the entire town to start to think the worst of her, expecting that it HAD to be Regina and only her that would do this, despite her protests. Even Archie thought that Regina had done it as well which had truly helped their trap even more.

They wanted everyone in town to think that they ONLY thought it was Regina, to try and make the real caster feel comfortable and safe. They'd hoped that they might be able to gleam something, to get someone in town that might remember what had happened, but no one had come through to Emma as a liar when she looked at them. So they'd switched courses. Instead, they spread a rumor, through Leroy, that Regina, because of the meeting, was working on a potion to restore memories to clear her name and prove she hadn't cast the curse, to find out who did.

THAT had been enough to draw the real caster out. They'd made it sound like Regina was hard at work in the mayor's office, working on the potion. So, while the two women staked the room out, the real caster appeared. They hadn't gotten a good look at her though. They'd hurried towards the office, Regina shocked that the spell she'd cast to keep someone out had been broken, especially shocked to find that it was blood magic and should be unbreakable. But they'd gotten inside, both ready to attack, only for the woman to turn into a swirl of green smoke and disappear.

"Might I suggest we start by asking if anyone has seen a woman with green skin running around," Hook offered dryly.

"We're cursed in Storybrooke," Regina rolled her eyes, "She'll look like any one of us."

"I could spot her," Piper offered, making everyone look at her, "She was a pupil of Rummy's once. He showed me images of her in an enchanted mirror."

"But if she's smart, she'll have changed her appearance too," Mary Margaret shook her head, not seeming as stunned as Regina was to find out that Gold had had another pupil besides her, she'd assumed the man had many over the years, "She wouldn't take the risk of anyone here recognizing her."

"True…" Piper sighed, and she hadn't met the woman personally, she wouldn't be able to recognize her song even if she tried. She pursed her lips at that, she knew that the witch likely had Gold's dagger, it would explain how HER memories had been altered. But there was something else bothering her. If the witch could use it to enchant the monkeys, make it so that she couldn't hear their songs at all…it meant that she might have done the same to herself or even Gold.

She'd once told Cora, when she'd tried to disguise herself as Lancelot, that it didn't work like that. That no one could hide the song of their soul from her. But now, it appeared she was wrong. If the witch could block the songs, make it so she couldn't hear it, what was there to say that she couldn't make her hear a different song around the woman as well? And if she could block the songs…then that meant, if Gold was alive (no, he WAS alive), then she might have him hidden away somewhere and SHE wouldn't even be able to use her magic and her songs to find him.

It was unsettling. The one magic she had, the one she was so sure was so unique that no one could trick it…was not essentially useless in finding her true love and getting him back.

And on top of all that, for the witch to have the dagger to affect HER…it meant that she also had it and could control Gold as well. It was why he'd given her the dagger, because she never ever used it under any circumstances, even when he wanted her to, even when he asked her to, she never was even tempted. But the witch had it, and she WOULD use it, she knew she would. That dagger had been so much a part of her life that she barely gave any thought to it in terms of what it meant to Gold and his freewill, because she never thought to use it but others would. If other people managed to get it from her…they could use it to hurt him, use him to hurt others.

She looked down at that, times like these she was reminded of moments where she wished the dagger had no control of him.

"Gold had a second student?" Regina's voice cut in, pulling Piper out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she hummed, looking up at them, "She was a talented sorceress that wanted to prove herself. Even went so far as to willingly offer to cast the Dark Curse for him while you were still learning how to magically summon objects."

"If she was so gungho over it, why did Regina end up casting the curse?" David frowned.

Piper sighed, "She would not be able to cast it as it needed to be cast. The witch was not the right choice and so he cast her off."

"So she probably has a vendetta against the Queen then," Hook remarked.

"Which means she might try to use people to get to you," David looked at her, "Like Henry."

"Ok," Emma nodded, "We need to find her and to do that, we need to start somewhere we know she's been," Emma decided, "Regina's office."

"I've been over it with a fine-toothed comb," Regina shook her head, "She left no trace."

"But you were combing for magic. Maybe there's physical evidence that you missed."

"Good idea," David nodded, "We'll track her."

"I cannot be certain if she enchanted herself as she has the monkeys to make me deaf to her," Piper offered, "But I can try to see if there might be an echo of her song lingering."

Regina rolled her eyes at that, "If you all wanna waste your time playing Nancy Drew, be my guest, but we can't let Henry wander around alone with that witch and her flying monkeys out there."

"Especially since one of these flying monkeys could turn out to be his father," Hook agreed.

Mary Margaret frowned at that, "Still no sign of Neal?"

"No," Emma looked away.

"And I may not be able to tell which monkey he is, if he is one," Piper sighed.

"The point being," Regina cut in, giving them pointed looks, "Someone needs to protect Henry. He doesn't even know what's going on."

"I'm guessing you're volunteering?" Emma looked over at her.

"If you find anything, call me," Regina nodded, getting up.

"Just remember, he thinks we're here because I'm on a case…"

"Well, look who's gotten good at lying," Regina muttered.

"Just don't let anything slip up," Emma repeated, "As far as Henry knows, you're just Madame Mayor and that's it."

"Emma," Piper gave her a firm look, "Believe me, when your child looks through you as though you do not matter to them, you are all too aware of it."

Emma winced, remembering August just then, "Sorry," she looked up, "Both of you," she added to Regina.

Regina gave her a stiff nod before storming out of the room.

Emma sighed and looked at Piper, "I AM sorry," even though her words had been directed at Regina, it had brought up less than pleasant memories for Piper as well.

"Well, time is wasting," Hook cut in, "There's something wicked in your town. What do you say we go find it?"

The group nodded, getting up to head out as Mary Margaret called after them, "Good luck!"

~8~

Gold glanced up from where he was sitting in his cage, spinning straw into gold when the red-haired woman entered, Zelena, the Wicked Witch, though her skin wasn't green in this land, or at least not at the moment.

"Enjoying your little toy?" Zelena hummed as she watched him spinning away, humming under his breath.

"Spinning," he muttered, "Cleans the mind. Soothes the soul. It cleans the mind. It soothes the soul. It cleans the mind. It soothes the soul…"

"You look as awful as you sound," the woman snorted, causing Gold to lash out and strike the bars, "What? You're not enjoying your cage, hmm? Not appreciating your jailor? Oh no," she pouted as his eyes narrowed at her, "You look like you want to hurt me. Go on, then. Give it a go," she opened the cage, "I'd love to see you try. Especially, when we both know that you can't," she grinned, taunting him as he stood, but held up the Dark One's dagger the second he tried to take a step towards her, "Not, when I have this. You're a slave to it and to me," she giggled, "And I promise you I'll use it for much more interesting things than your fishy-wishy love," her giggles became full blown laughs when he curled his hands into fists at the insult to Piper, "Frustration can be so intoxicating. On others," she held up the dagger higher, "The only one who can do the hurting here is me. So, why don't you be a good boy and sit back down?" she could see him trying to resist the command, trying to fight the urge to drop back on his stool, "Or," she sighed, giving him relief, "I can command you to attack ooh…" she frowned, "What's her name again? Pippa? Paprika? I remember," she nodded, "Piper," she smirked, "You sit…or you strike, take your pick."

Gold glowered at her but moved to sit down, turning to his spinning again, "All the voices in my head," he began to sing slightly, "Will be quiet when I'm dead. In just a bit you'll be dead," he shot a look at Zelena, "I'll watch my siren have your head."

Zelena just giggled at that, "Oh I should rather like to see her try, especially when you would be such a good protector," she waved the dagger in front of him, reminding him she could command him to face Piper down and keep HER safe from the woman instead, and who knew what lengths he'd go then, "Hmm…" she hummed, "Maybe I'll let you see her again. Just for a moment," she tsked, eyeing him, "But you really need to keep up appearances first."

"Appearances?" he scoffed, "Appearances? For what? For why? Let me spin. Spin the madness away," he shook his head and turned back to his wheel, focusing on it, "Spin the sadness away."

"No," Zelena sighed, "I think spinning is bringing the madness. Here," she leaned in, coming into the cell with him, sitting on a small crate, "Come closer. Now, hold still," she squeezed the cheeks of his face a moment, "Unless you want me to nick that pretty face," she tapped his cheek with the dagger before using it to shave his unruly stubble, "You're probably wondering how I know how to do this. Did I ever tell you about my father? His hands used to shake from drink or worse. I didn't ask. He didn't tell me. But, he couldn't abide going a day without a shave. So I had to learn how to shave him. He used to say that no matter what we were feeling on the inside, we had to put on our best face. In our land you and I never had that choice, did we?" she hummed, considering what he'd looked like in the Enchanted Forest, "No matter what we did, our outside showed exactly what was rotting on the inside," she tilted her head, "But someone found your rotting appealing, didn't she?" she mused, "Makes sense, she was as rotting on the inside as well, a heart as hard as rock…" she laughed when he grabbed her wrist, his nails digging into her skin but she didn't pull away, just continued to speak, "Now, though we're in a new land, aren't we? A land filled with opportunity. The least of which is to look our best," she pulled her arm away then, making sure that she cut his cheek with the dagger in the process, "Oh, I'm so sorry." She mocked, "Did that sting? There," she tapped the dagger against his cheek, "Handsome as ever."

Gold's eyes narrowed, he knew that, despite what she'd said, the woman would NOT let him see Piper again, there had to be something else going on, "Appearances?" he repeated, "You don't care about appearances. If you cared about appearances you'd changed my shirt. Just exactly what is it you want?"

"What I'm after, Rumple," Zelena stood and moved out of the cage, turning to shut him back inside it, "Is something you've spent a lifetime seeking," she clicked the lock shut, "Something that goes against your very nature. Something that I can't afford to wait that long for," she grinned at him, "Luckily, I won't have to. Because, did you know," she tapped her chin, "Your little fish is out there now, searching for you. And if she's out there…there's no one in your shop to keep your trinkets safe, is there?" Gold glared at her, "Ta-ta," she gave him a wave before turning to leave.

Gold kept his gaze on the steps she disappeared up, staring at them as long as he could through narrowed eyes, before the pain in his head started to throb again and he turned back to his spinning, mumbling and half-singing under his breath as he went, "The Wicked Witch is doomed to fail, the Dark One's mind is going frail," he giggled despairingly at that, "But if one truth is always made…" he smiled darkly, "The Piper soon is always paid."

~8~

Piper sighed as she sat at Regina's desk in her mayoral office, her feet up on the woman's desk, trying her best to keep a smirk off her face for it. Regina wasn't there, she couldn't criticize her or tell her to remove her feet and it wasn't like she'd be much of a help to the others at the moment. She'd tried to listen of there might be any lingering echoes of a song there. Sometimes, when powerful magic users cast spells, she could hear the faintest hint of their song in that place. But there was nothing. So it was up to David, Hook, and Emma to find something as they went through the room for clues.

"I think I have a partial footprint," David called from just a few feet away, gesturing them over, "You guys see anything?" he indicated at the ground. Piper leaned over slightly, not getting up but able to make out something red on the ground.

"Other than an austere sense of design?" Hook scoffed, moving over to Emma and her father, "Nothing."

"Is that blood?" Emma frowned.

David lightly poked the substance and sniffed it gingerly, relieved to be able to say, "It's berry."

"Like a fruit?"

"No like the actress," Piper called from behind her, making Emma roll her eyes, "August had a bit of a crush on her for a short while," she smiled slightly, remembering that, before shaking her head, he would have a chance now to have another crush.

She tried to look at it that way, that it was August getting to experience life all over again, all the joys and new wonders, twice. Not many could say that.

"Like holly berry," David laughed.

"The…actress?" Emma gave him a look.

"HOLLY," he emphasized, "They grow on bushes."

"And are often used during winter events," Piper reminded.

"Are you some sort of botanist in this life, mate?" Hook glanced at David, not quite sure if he believed it was that specific berry.

"I've worked in an animal shelter," he reminded them, "Saw dogs track them all the time. The bushes grow in the woods."

"You know where?" Emma looked at her father.

"Yeah, in the north-west corner, not far from the toll bridge…" he trailed off as his phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling it out to see a message that had him sighing.

"Everything ok?"

"Mary Margaret needs me to come back to the loft. We're getting a midwife and she wants to meet the both of us."

"A midwife?" Piper frowned, "I can understand in the Enchanted Forest, but now…would a hospital not be best?"

"She's trying to keep to the old values of home a little more than before," David remarked.

Piper nodded slowly, "Then are you about to betroth Emma to some random princeling?"

"What?!" Emma nearly shouted at that.

"You are well past marrying age, by our standards Emma…"

"I am NOT getting married to some random dude!"

"You almost did," Hook HAD to bring up.

"That is different," Emma hissed.

"We're not going THAT far," David chuckled, "But Mary Margaret wants the extra support of a midwife. I can just text her back that we're…"

"It's fine," Emma cut in, waving him off, "Go."

"No, we just got on track here…"

"And I've got it covered."

"You might need more support if you find the witch."

"You do not wish Emma to be alone with the pirate," Piper called, kicking her heels up slightly off the desk as she stood, "It is a sentiment we share," she gave a small mock-bow, "Allow me to fill in."

David actually let out a relieved breath at that, "Thanks."

"Nice," Emma rolled her eyes though Hook liked rather irritated that he wasn't going to be going with Emma alone.

"Go to Snow," Piper waved David off, "She needs you."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma sighed, "Just meet us when you get done," David nodded and turned to head out, Emma waiting a moment before she looked at Piper, "I don't need a babysitter."

"And I do not need to deal with a baby," Piper countered lightly, "Shall we ALL," she shot a look at Hook at that, "Be mature and look at this as more a team going on an investigation?"

"Whatever," Emma shook her head, before turning to the door.

Piper smirked, sending it right at Hook before she followed her niece out.

~8~

Emma watched with a raised eyebrow as Hook used his hook to shake some holly berries off a bush as they walked through the woods, finally managing to find where they grew, "You'll look for any excuse to use that thing, won't you?" she quipped.

"It appears we are in the right place though," Piper looked around, frowning in concentration as she listened for anything.

"Hear anything?" Emma asked.

Piper sighed, "No, just the normal sounds of nature."

"What now?" Hook looked at the two women.

"Now, we start searching," Emma murmured, starting to walk on.

Piper took a step to the side, letting Emma pass her before turning and walking behind, Hook rolling his eyes as the woman came between the two of them, making it so they were walking in more of a line with her in the middle. What, did she think he was going to be looking lower on Emma than he should?

…alright, she was probably right to walk ahead of him, he would NOT be looking at that on the Dark One's love.

"You know something, Swan?" Hook called ahead though, if he couldn't see Emma, he could at least speak to her, "Whenever you're around, I inevitably find myself trekking through some manner of woods or forest, courting danger."

Emma scoffed at that, "Here, I thought you weren't afraid of anything, always looking for the next adventure."

"Oh, is that what this is?" he rolled his eyes.

"It appears that way to me," Piper remarked, making sure to remind them that she was still there.

She paused a moment, a sense of déjà vu striking her about that thought, being a sort of third wheel with two people likely to forget she was with them. But she shook her head, she was probably thinking of her cousin and David.

"The hell were you doing for the last year alone on that ship?" Emma countered, "I'm guessing it was one swashbuckling tale after another till you decided to come back and save me?"

"Exactly," Hook shrugged.

"You're lying," Emma snorted.

"Excuse me?"

Emma stopped and turned to face him, nearly startled to see Piper there instead, "Oh," Piper rolled her eyes, "By all means, make moon eyes at the pirate while we are searching for a threat to the town," she gestured at Hook and stepped around Emma.

"What happened back there?" Emma focused on Hook, "What aren't you telling me?"

Hook, however, was looking at Piper over Emma's shoulder, the woman fixing him with narrow eyes and pursed lips, not seeming at all pleased that Emma was even speaking to him. And…he could admit, there WAS a threat out there and this wasn't the time for personal discussion…even less the sort that he knew of his own tales. He knew what he'd done in the Enchanted Forest, he knew what the others thought of him for leaving. And even if Piper didn't appear to remember, he remembered her words, that he only changed when Emma was going to learn about his misdeeds.

And…he cursed himself to know she was right. He'd gone off and been a pirate, again, and now that he was faced with Emma, with TELLING her about it…he didn't want to admit to it. Because he knew it would just make him seem less in her eyes.

The bloody siren was right.

Damn.

"Nothing," he stated, "It's my tale, and I'm sticking to it."

"Still don't believe you," Emma told him.

"Well, let's leave it at that, and you can just say thank you."

"For my memories? I already did."

"Well, for saving you from a loveless marriage."

"Is that what you think you're doing?"

"He was a flying monkey!" Hook shouted.

Piper reached up and rubbed her temples at that, this entire conversation was pointless and full of hypocrisy, and for HER to be able to spot that, it had to be rather large examples of it.

"I didn't know that," Emma defended.

"Were you considering it his proposal?"

"Does it matter?"

"Humor me."

"Yes, ok?" Emma huffed, "I was in love, so of course I was considering it. As usual, he wasn't who he said he was, and I got my heart broken. That enough humor for you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear that."

"You're glad to hear I had my heart broken?"

"If it can be broken it means it still works."

"Emma, scout ahead," Piper cut in as Emma opened her mouth to retort, "Now."

Emma just shook her head at Hook but turned to go, not wanting to talk to him any more than she had to at the moment. Piper waited till she was far enough ahead before she stepped up to Hook and glared at him.

"Oh what," he rolled his eyes, "Am I supposed to cower now?"

"You are such a bloody pirate," she shook her head at him, "And you will never be worthy of Emma."

"You think I don't know that?"

Piper scoffed, "You just went on a rant, digging into Emma's past, and Emma's heart, because you wanted to poke at how she almost married something you deem as a monster. You scorn her for loving one monster yet hope she might feel that for you? So tell me, Hook, how is she ever supposed to feel anything for you, as I know you wish her to do, if YOU are just as much, if not worse, a monster than that monkey was?"

"I'm nothing like that creature."

"No," she agreed, "You truly are worse, because those monkeys are pets, they do as they are commanded. YOU have freewill and YOU chose to do the things you have done. Do not think, for a moment, that I do not know why you wish not to speak of the Missing Year. You went pirate again, did you not? And you wish Emma to think you remained a reformed villain instead of that you slipped back."

"I'm NOT a villain anymore."

"No?" Piper shook her head, "If you were not a villain, you would have told her what you did. Because you would not have had anything negative to hide from her. You have proven that you will not change unless you think it will paint you better in her eyes and I am warning you now, Killian Jones, you stay away from my niece."

"Or you'll what?" he challenged.

She smirked, "Ever been to Hamelin?" he paled slightly at that, the story of what she'd done very well known, "I do not trust you and I do not trust you with Emma, with her life or her heart, not now, perhaps not ever."

"Bit hypocritical of you darling," Hook smirked, "What with your true love being the Dark One."

"Villain and villain, we could rule in hell together and be perfectly content. Emma is a hero, you tell me if you think she would accept a man like you, that would lie to her, that would take pleasure in the fact that some other man hurt her because he thinks it makes himself seem less a monster."

"I'm not a monster," he defended.

"Then what did you do in the missing year?" he was silent, so she smirked, "I AM a monster," she told him, "By many definitions, sirens are dark creatures, they are monsters. But to those of my family, I am not. And I WILL protect my family against anything, including heartbreak and especially from pirates. You want to court Emma? You want to win her heart? You will have to win my trust first and that will not be easy, my trust lies in my heart and it is nearly hard as stone."

"You don't get a say in who Emma loves," Hook reminded her.

"Perhaps not," she agreed, "But I do have a say in who I kill to protect her. So…" she started to step back, "If I were you, I would be very careful the path you tread and how you walk it when it comes to MY family."

And with that, she turned and walked off after Emma, leaving Hook standing there with a scowl on his face.

~8~

A farmhouse was a rather ironic place for the Wicked Witch to decide she should take up residence, but it was where the berries and the forest had led them and they could only assume that it was where they needed to be.

"There's definitely someone living here," Emma whispered as she peeked into one of the windows, the three of them silently walking along an outside patio around to the front of the house, "Looks empty right now, though."

"Why are we whispering?"Hook frowned.

"If the witch is inside, she may hear us," Piper rolled her eyes.

"Good hideouts always look empty," Emma agreed, "Trust me. I spent a lot of time tracking down people who don't want to be found. I know about hiding out."

They made their way to the front of the house, peering at the front door and out at the yard where they spotted some sort of metal doors a few feet away. They glanced at each other as they moved down the front steps and over to it, seeing that the doors were locked by a padlock.

"Storm cellar," Emma remarked, pulling out her gun to try and blow the lock, when Hook stopped her.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait," he looked around, "It's one thing walking around a deserted farmhouse. It's quite another descending into a one-way cellar with no way out."

"Scared?"Emma challenged.

"As much as this pains me to admit," Piper sighed, "I…agree with Hook," he smirked at her, "His sense of self-preservation is astounding," his smirk dropped as he realized she thought he was only considering his own safety in terms of the cellar and how to escape, "There is a difference between fear and strategy."

"We know she's got flying monstrosities," Hook muttered, "Who knows what's down there. If this witch is as powerful as we think, we could use some magical backup, unless the Siren here managed to get the water out of her ears," he shot back at Piper, making her narrow her eyes, "And can hear what's down there, or you've been practicing in New York City," he finished with Emma.

Emma let out a huff, but nodded, putting her gun away and grabbing her phone, "Ok, I'll call Regina, have her drop Henry at Granny's. I'd like to see those flying monstrosities try to get past her crossbow."

"And her lunch special."

Emma, however, frowned when she got her phone out to see that she'd missed a call, "It's David," she quickly set it to speaker, listening to what he'd called about, "Emma, it's David. I'm at the trail head. I think I found her the Wicked Witch. I'm going after her."

"You have no idea, Emma," Piper began as they turned to hurry back to Emma's car to go after David, "How much I am hoping that this heroic nonsense to just rush into danger without any sort of backup has skipped a generation."

Emma had to hope it died out with her parents, she did NOT want Henry picking up that trait.

~8~

Regina didn't even need to be picked up as she magically poofed herself to the side of Emma's yellow bug as she stopped the car at the opposite end of the woods having tracked David's GPS to find him, the four of them hurrying down a small incline towards where they could see David on his hands and knees, panting.

"David!" Emma shouted as they drew nearer, "Are you ok?"

He gave them a nod, pushing himself more onto his knees than his hands as well, still heaving for air.

"Well, where is she?" Regina gestured around.

"It wasn't her," David shook his head.

"If it was not her, then who was it?" Piper frowned.

"You look whiter than a fresh sail," Hook commented.

David swallowed, "Myself."

"Come again?"

"It's the Witch," Regina realized, "She's toying with us."

"Interesting method," Piper murmured, she could admit to that.

"Did you guys find where she might be hiding?" David tried to push himself to his feet.

"A farmhouse," Piper told him.

"And we think it's hers," Hook nodded.

"Then let's end this," David determined, "Let's send that witch back to Oz."

The small group turned to head back to the bug, all of them determined to confront the Wicked Witch or at least storm her farmhouse with strength in their numbers, "Any particular reason she would send a demon who looks like you?" Hook asked.

"No idea. It was just there, wearing my face, harping on my deepest fears."

Piper stopped suddenly at that, causing the others to pause as well, "It knew your deepest fears?" she looked at David with a deep frown, the fact that Regina also seemed unsettled clued them in that this was something very serious.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Things I never told anyone, even Mary Margaret. It wasn't until I admitted them that I was able to defeat it by stabbing it with the hilt of my sword."

"David…" Piper began, a half-desperate tone in her voice, as though she was hoping for not the answer she was expecting, "Where is your sword?"

"That's the strange part. After I killed it, the hilt it disappeared."

"Well, what's that mean, then?" Hook looked between the two women.

"When we face our deepest fears," Regina explained, realizing what Piper had, what they both had at about the same time, both having dealt in magic that related and fed off of fear at times, "Our true courage comes out. When you used the hilt of your sword to vanquish your fears, your courage transferred into it."

"Then why'd it disappear?" David shook his head.

"I do not believe it did," Piper told him.

"The witch took it," Regina agreed.

"Hang on," Emma stared at them, "The Wicked Witch stole his courage?"

"Well, a symbol of it, at least. And symbols can be powerful totems."

"All objects, if they are kept around long enough, can come to possess a certain magic of its own," Piper explained, "It is why I fear that the Witch…" she took a breath, "Why I fear she may have Rummy."

"What?"Emma shook her head.

"I carried the Dark One's Dagger with me, for 3 decades, Emma. Not even my pipes endured so long in one piece. After all that time, and given my relationship with him, I believe it may have become…sensitive to me, like a…a totem of my magic in a way. It is why the Witch can enchant those monkeys so that I cannot hear them. If she used Rummy's dagger as a sort of wand…what should not affect me or my mind, would."

"The storm cellar," Emma realized, "If she's got Gold…why else would you lock something like that?"

Piper nearly cursed herself for that, she hadn't even realized, hadn't even thought…she hadn't heard anything inside it and, after so long of relying on the songs around her, it seemed like she'd assumed that no one was down there because she heard nothing. It was a reaction, an instinct, and she was going to kill this witch for both interfering with that…and for whatever she might be planning to do with her true love.

"We need to go," she hurried past them, the others rushing after her.

~8~

"That lock it wasn't busted before," Emma remarked as they made it back to the farmhouse again, half-running right to the storm cellar's doors. Everything was exactly the same, except the padlock on the door was open now. She glanced at the others a moment…

When Piper strode forward and yanked the padlock off, tossing it to the side and heaving the doors open, already stepping over the edge to go down when Emma reached out to try and stop her.

"Piper wait!" Emma tried, but Piper was already halfway down. She pulled her gun and hurried after the woman, David right behind her, with Regina after him, Hook taking the rear.

The cellar was dark and small, very cramped and empty.

"There's definitely dark magic here," Regina remarked as Piper searched for a light bulb or switch to turn on, "Can you feel it?"

"Yes," Piper answered instantly, it was a dark magic…a familiar magic, and she just…she needed to find that damned switch and see for sure! It was too dark to make out much save for the light drifting down from the open doors and she needed to see the room!

"I don't know," Emma shifted in discomfort, "Maybe. Whatever I feel, it's not good."

"Feels familiar to me," Piper murmured, "Where is the damned lights!"

"Here!" David called, managing to find one and turning it on, revealing a small cage set up in the back of the room, the door hanging open small bits of something scattered on the ground like hay.

"What would the Wicked Witch keep in a cage?" Emma murmured, "Monkeys?"

"No…" Piper breathed, moving forward and crouching down, picking up one of the hay-like pieces to show that it wasn't hay…but straw.

"How many people do we know who can spin straw into gold?" David nodded.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Emma realized, her gaze flicking to Piper who was just staring at the straw, "Piper…"

But Piper just smiled, relieved, reassured, "Rummy IS alive."

And she was going to kill that witch if she dared change that.

A/N: Piper's relieved for now...but when it all sinks in...well, Snow might need to hold her cousin back }:)

I hope you enjoyed the small Piper/Hook confrontation, there's a few more to come, but that will be the main one ;) I hope Piper came across more the overprotective/overbearing 'aunt' than completely ridiculous. I tried to make it where she was very clear that she disapproves of Hook, would rather have him not be a part of Emma's life, and that he would have HER to deal with if anything happened to Emma...but without completely 100% saying it would never ever ever happen, more that...she wants it to be difficult for Hook, because the only way he can prove himself and gain her trust is to endure more than anyone has for Emma :) Not sure if I managed that, but I tried :)

Some notes on reviews...

Piper will have quite a few reactions to Gold being alive :) Like she KNEW he was/Hoped he was, and now she really does know he IS alive, so there's relief, but then there's anger at Zelena, and a focus to find him and free him, and it'll be quite a mess of emotions to come :)

I think Piper could technically be an Evil Queen too yup :) Or, at the very least, because of the lack of coronation, an Evil Princess :)

We'll have to wait and see if Piper will enter the portal with Hook }:)