Snow White was just finishing on the phone when she began scrawling out titles and authors onto a spare piece of paper so that when the woman appeared around the corner again she wasn't in the least surprised or startled. She had everything under control.

"Where is Rumpelstiltskin?"

"I sent him into the stacks to fetch some books. I'm going to send you into the back room if you don't mind. I just found something and I need some more books to decide if it's something or nothing. I happen to know of a few off the top of my head that will tell me if it has validity or not." She continued to scribble the names and authors on the piece of paper and handed it to her when she finished. "Rumple is getting the books in the stacks but the back room is where you'll find these. This key will unlock the back room." She wasn't good at lying and even she could see the hole in her request. Wasn't it simpler for her to go and get the books? Yes. But she needed to give Rumple as much time as possible out there and she knew that keeping Snow on her feet would make for a much better excuses that keeping her stationary. With any luck, she could keep her thinking that the pair just kept missing each other. But only if she could convince her she needed her on her feet.

"I can trust you in a room full of magical books, can't I?" she questioned at Snow's skeptical look. It wasn't an explanation, but it seemed a better idea, and she was pleased to see the Princess squint her eyes in irritation at her comment. Yes, she knew the comment was a low blow, but it was hard to feel like it was truly low when she couldn't even leave this library without being reported on. The moment she was out of her sight again she collapsed into the chair she'd been using and gently massaged her hand to get rid of the cramp she had from writing so fast. She sighed with relief that she seemed to have, at least temporarily, convinced Snow that Rumple was still in the building. Sending her into the back room bought her some time, but there weren't a lot of books on that list, it shouldn't take her too long to find even with a couple of the names purposefully misspelled.

She had no idea what Gideon was using Emma to do, but she hoped that Rumple found them quickly and they acted even quicker because otherwise this wasn't going to work for long.

She made herself busy while Snow was gone, working on the next part of her distraction meant she had to rearrange things as though he was here. She retrieved various books from the shelves, opened them around her, returned old ones, and finally stole away all their coffee mugs and put them in the sink. It did take a lot longer for Snow to return than she had hoped, but she was pleased to see that it was dusk. It made her feel as though it had been longer than it actually was. She felt guilty for a moment when she saw that the stack of books she carried was nearly the size of her torso, but then didn't make a move to help her. Not after what she'd said about Gideon.

"Rumple went to fetch us some fresh tea, should I tell him to make you a cup?" she questioned, already knowing the answer. She felt a small wrench in her heart for the friendship that she'd felt for this woman until today, the same friendship that enabled her to know that this next face in excusing the Dark One would work. But this was what had to be done, especially if she wanted to place herself against them. She'd never been more disappointed with anyone in her life.

"I prefer coffee these days."

"I'll tell him to put a pot on," she countered perfectly, picking up her cell phone to send him a fake text message. That should buy them some more time. What she would do when he didn't arrive with the coffee and tea...she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

"So…these will help you with the Black Fairy?" she questioned as she began to restack and check to make sure all of them were there.

"I don't know yet, that's why I need to read them, to figure out if what Rumple found has any validity."

"I thought you said you found it?" Snow asked.

She felt her stomach twist. How did he always plan his lies so perfectly. "It's difficult to remember who found what when we work together. Did you lock the door when you were done?" she questioned, purposefully changing the subject as she looked through the books. She didn't bother to look up from her books, she was doing her best to maintain a presence of cool irritation despite the fact that her heart was hammering away in her chest. She wanted to maintain control over as much of the situation as possible. "There are a lot of valuable books back there, I wouldn't want them to go missing."

Again Snow crossed her arms over her chest and gave a shift nod. "I left it the way I found it," she commented as if she'd been insulted. She honestly couldn't begin to describe the anger boiling in her chest at such a thought. "So where is Rapunzel if she's not here anymore. Did you have a fight?"

She glanced up at Snow from under her eyelashes, sensing the comment for what it was. Actually, it was her mother that told her what kind of fight this was, and Lacey that told her what it was called. Long ago, after a tournament she'd walked beside her mother as she and another lady of court that she knew her mother didn't care for exchanged comments. The comments were not exactly inappropriate or mean, but the tone suggested otherwise. They were delivered with cold sweetness and the occasional false laugh. When the woman left she had asked her mother about it.

"Men and women express anger in very different ways my darling. When men fight each other they express it in rage, red hot anger that erupts like a volcano. When women fight each other they express it with their words, colder and far more harsh than any blizzard the north has ever seen."

She'd only shaken her head utterly confused. "But I've heard you and father fight before, it's never like either of those things."

"Ah, well that is the best part my dear," she smirked. "For when it comes to love men take a bit from us and we a bit from them. We calm their anger and they give us a certain…fire."

She hadn't understood it at the time, but of course looking back at all the times she'd fought with Rumpelstiltskin it made sense. But she honestly couldn't say that she'd ever experienced a fight with another woman like this before, she couldn't say that she'd really ever had a fight with a friend before like this. In her head, Lacey called it a "cat fight". Snow's comment wasn't as common as it seemed. She'd subtly insulted her ability to lock the library and she'd returned the favor by touching on what she suspected might have been a sore spot with Rapunzel. Fortunately, it wasn't as she assumed.

"No," she responded. "She's in hiding, along with Flynn and his sister."

"Hiding?" Snow blanched. "That sounds serious."

"It's just a precaution. Rumple thought it was for the best after Gideon broke the clocktower. He wanted them to be kept safe."

"Gideon broke the clocktower?!" Snow gasped with her eyes wide. For a moment she was tempted to judge her ignorance, but when she considered that Rapunzel had been there and called them immediately, and how quickly Rumple had left the room to go fix it, she knew it probably hadn't been broken for more than thirty minutes, if that. As much as she wanted to judge, she was simply forced to nod. Snow didn't exactly seem happy that something like that had happened right under her nose without her knowledge. She shook her head and grimaced at the event as if trying to dismiss it and she couldn't help but think that if David and Killian hadn't tried to murder her son that morning then she and Rumple might have called them for help. But that one act had been a declaration of war Emma had been oblivious to when she promised them no one would be hurt that night. It seemed that promise extended no further than that.

"Are you sure they're safe?" Snow finally whispered, glancing at the curtain where she thought Rumple was still hiding. "You're sure he took them somewhere safe and didn't…I don't know…"

"Kill them?" she assumed. "Trap them? Imprison them?"

Snow shrugged. That was exactly what she thought had happened.

"They're in the cabins in the woods," she declared. No, she hadn't seen them there herself but she felt confident than they were, that when he'd made the arrangements he hadn't been tricking any one, least of all her. He had no reason to, they were looking for their son. "I can give you addresses if you want to check whether or not I'm being truthful. Or better yet, I can give you Rapunzel's cell phone number. Or Flynn's, or Rumple can…"

"Okay, okay, that's enough, I'm sorry it's just…when it comes to Rumpelstiltskin-"

"I know," she interrupted. "Trust me I know. But they are safe. Rumple is making every effort to help Gideon get back to the Light and that includes hiding our friends to make sure no one is hurt."

Snow looked her over with skeptical eyes for a moment, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was saying.

"Strange thing for a Dark One to do don't you think," she finally accused.

"But not for a father," she replied. "He doesn't want that life for his son. I'm sure there are mistakes in your past that you hope Neal doesn't make. Rumple is no different. We got him into this mess and now we are just trying as hard as we can to get him out of it, to help him be free of what that woman did to him."

Snow only shook her head. "Look, I don't want to be enemies with you."

"Then don't be!" she hissed back at her. Her temper was rising and suddenly she didn't much feel like there was a difference between the anger of men and the anger of women. "Help us!"

"Helping you means helping Gideon and helping Gideon means helping my daughter along to her death."

"It doesn't have to be that way! Gideon doesn't want to kill Emma he just thinks that he has to. If we work together maybe we can help him get what he wants without either of our children dying."

"They're working together now!"

Were they? Yes, Gideon was with Emma right now, and she hoped that Rumple was somewhere in the shadows helping but she had a feeling this wasn't exactly what Snow thought it was. Gideon had gone to Emma for help, but instead of helping him she was asking him to retrieve Killian. And yes, she knew her son shouldn't have done that but he didn't know any other way to get her to listen and it was obvious why. Everyone had let him down. David, Killian, Emma had done it the moment she made the deal to help after Killian was retrieved. She had let him down too.

"I was willing to cut my son from his destiny in order to ensure that everyone lives, but David and Killian had clearly already decreed him villainous enough to not even give him a chance," she pointed out.

"David was protecting Emma."

"So was I!" she half screamed, feeling so frustrated her hands were balled into fists. This entire conversation was beginning to feel pointless. "Emma was an entire realm away and I was thinking just as much of protecting Emma as I was protecting Gideon. I was looking for a way to save both our children. And David and Hook just decided he was beyond help. Zelena and Regina can be forgiven but my son can't?"

"Zelena didn't directly threaten my daughter."

"No," she corrected quickly, because that was the stupidest argument she'd ever heard. "Zelena threatened all of us. Everything we know and everyone we love including Neal. She took him from you the moment he was born and yet she is walking around town with Robin's baby on her hip."

"And if it were up to me she'd be in jail for that, but your husband let her out. Zelena is Regina's problem now and if she feels this is right I'm not going to fight her on it," she insisted stubbornly. "And Regina isn't like the others, she's changed!"

"And David wouldn't have even given my son the opportunity to change," she spat back. "I don't want Emma dead. And Rumple doesn't either. Neither of us want Gideon to accomplish what he claims he's here to do, but I don't understand why can't it be like all the others? Gideon is under the thumb of the Black Fairy, why can't all of us search for a way to free him so that Emma isn't in danger and we can turn our attention toward the real evil here, the Black Fairy."

"You said yourself she's in another realm, she's not the threat."

"Yes, she's in another realm…for now. But Rumple is convinced that Gideon wouldn't be here unless she wanted him to be. Gideon already told us he's here to help end the suffering in another realm. Where else but his own? And why would the Black Fairy want him here if she knew he was going to try to destroy her? There is something more going on here, Snow! And we have to stop it before it starts. Please…there are children involved."

She hadn't wanted to share that little piece of information until she was sure now was the right time, but if anything was going to wake Snow up from this stubborn you versus us attitude then it would be innocent children. And sure enough, the minute she said it, she watched her face melt into one of confusion and seriousness.

"What-"

But before she could ask her question they were both startled by something happening outside. It was an odd flash of bright light.

This chapter is pretty straightforward. If I was going to put Belle and Snow in a room together I wanted to give them an opportunity to lay it all out on the table and at least try to reconcile just because I think that's in character. Belle is almost eternally the mediator of the main cast. If there is a problem, chances are she's probably trying to fix the problem so everyone is on the same page again. If I had to pick a second mediator it would be Snow. She fixes things for everyone. Regina, Zelena, David, Emma, Killian, you name the conflict, she's probably somewhere in there trying to figure things out. I tried to make it so that we could see just how easily they probably could have joined forces if only people had talked with one another. But they don't and I think that leads a lot to the next chapter.

Thank you, Grace5231973, Fox24, and Paintbrush123 for the reviews of the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the explanation of why everyone is where they are and doing what they are doing. Not to mention, commentary as the OUAT characters watch Westworld is something I never knew I needed in my life until now! Peace and Happy Reading!