An Untold Story
"Ok," Emma began as they hurried out of the library, the map in her hand, looking around as she tried to find a quiet spot for them to get the spell working, they'd been interrupted before by that weird portal and the needed to find Sir Morgan NOW, "We'll know where he is soon," she spoke, moving down the sidewalk, hoping to get away from the library crowd, "We'll be able to find him, but we need a plan for when we do."
"I told you Emma, I can…" Piper began.
"No," Regina, Emma, and Henry spoke, giving her a look.
She rolled her eyes, "Lull him to sleep," she said.
Gold chuckled beside her, his hand on the small of her back as they went, keeping himself between her and the people passing on the street. While he was not pleased the Olympian Crystal had been taken out of Storybrooke, the one good thing was that it allowed for magic in this area, something that made him and Piper feel more comfortable and confident. He shook his head at Piper, fighting a smirk, knowing full well she had NOT been about to offer such a paltry use of her magic as to simply play the man a lullaby. As they left the library she had been suggesting all the different ways she could incapacitate Morgan without even needing to be in the same room as him, now that they knew her music would work with more magic around. The girl, Violet, had looked increasingly disturbed and upset as she went, Henry having to ask for non-lethal or harmful variations of her work. But he knew it wouldn't have been her first offer or instinct when it came to Sir Morgan.
Part of him couldn't help but think she should have led with that, waited till the others agreed, and then 'accidently' used the wrong song.
But he knew the trust she had built with Emma and Henry was too important to her to just break like that.
"Plan B," Emma offered Piper instead.
"And what, might I ask, is Plan A?" Piper lifted an eyebrow.
"No idea, yet."
"Can we at least request a non-heroic Plan A?" Gold mused, "We don't have time to just plan out ways to lure him or sneak in, to charm him or whatever your mind is thinking of, Regina," he added to the former Queen who had been oddly silent and thoughtful as they went, likely trying to think of ways the Evil Queen wouldn't use, "We need to get in, stop him, get the crystal."
"Without hurting him," Henry insisted, holding Violet's hand as she clung to his arm.
Gold huffed, "As you wish."
He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't disappointed in that request. He'd very much like to tear the man apart if he could. This wasn't just an attack on magic. He had lived for nearly 30 years without it in Storybrooke, and many more before he'd become the Dark One. He preferred magic and the power it gave him, but he didn't NEED it to survive. The Dark Grail though...it very much posed a threat to himself and to his family that the others weren't quite realizing, he felt, though he was sure Piper had it in mind.
If it could destroy magic, there was no telling just how much of it it could or HOW it would. The Olympian Crystal possessed all of Storybrooke's magic, destroy the crystal and there went Storybrooke's magic. But what about people who had magic? Would he just become mortal, or an immortal without magic? How would it affect him, having been given the magic he possessed and not been born with? And how would it affect others who HAD been born with it? Perhaps Regina and Emma would make do, would not be greatly affected, they possessed magic yes but…it was not on the same level or as intricately woven into them as it was for someone like Piper. What would happen to his love if her magic was destroyed? Sirens were creatures, the magic was ingrained in her very being, to destroy that…would she even survive something like that?
He would never allow the answer to be discovered, he'd sooner snap Sir Morgan's neck and take the Crystal and Grail back than allow him to even try it on Piper.
"But," he added to Henry and the others, "If he attacks us," the way he tensed and stepped just the barest hint closer to Piper likely told them who he was truly speaking of, "I will defend us," he told the boy, "You cannot ask me to let him harm us."
"I won't," Henry nodded, squeezing Violet's hand as she gasped, "But just…TRY not to hurt him back. Knock him out if you have to but just…don't kill him."
"It's not his fault," Violet insisted to them, "It's the Sands of Avalon. He would NEVER do something like this."
"We'll do our best," Regina promised for all of them.
Henry nodded, "So what's the plan?"
"First let's actually find him," Emma spoke, looking around for an alley to duck into, "Once we do we can scope the place out, see what our advantages are and…"
"Mom, I don't think we need the map," Henry told her.
"Why?" she finally looked over…only to see they had all stopped and were staring at a looming cloud of purple storm clouds, very unnatural, a fair distance down the street. She huffed, "Well he's not subtle. We…" she cut herself off when her phone rang. She didn't want to answer it, but she knew the others back in Storybrooke would only call if it was a true emergency, knowing how important this quest of theirs was. So she pulled out the phone and answered it, tensing more and more as she heard what was said.
"Mom?" Henry frowned, noticing how wide Emma's eyes had gotten as she hung up.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked.
"It's Granny," Emma looked at them, "Something's happened in Storybrooke. My parents, Hook, and your sister were pulled through some kind of portal."
"Again?" Gold muttered, frowning deeply at how yet another portal had been involved though, that time, the others weren't as quick to avoid it apparently. Someone was clearly searching for something...
"Where to?" Piper inquired.
Emma snorted, "Granny is an expert on lasagna, not magic."
"Neal?" Piper turned to her, serious and worried for the child, "August?"
"Granny has him," Emma assured her, "She was holding him when it happened and was too far away to get caught, August was with her. She said the others got Zelena to cast a portal to the Forest, to evacuate some of the town..."
"Of course they did," Piper muttered under her breath, because really what else WOULD a bunch of heroes do when a quest to save the town was left in the hands of 2.5 villains, 2 children, and 1 former-Dark-One-returned Savior? For all their faith in other heroes, they'd plan for the worst when villains were involved.
The only comfort she found in all this was that, this time, Snow and Charming hadn't intentionally and knowingly abandoned their child. It seemed like they had every plan to stay with him in Storybrooke but something out of their control happened. Well, that was a change to their normal course of doing business. And, even though she felt Neal would be safest with HER, she had to admit Granny was a fierce, if old, wolf. That August was with her, too, eased her mind, he would protect Neal.
"They were going to stay behind," Emma continued as though Piper hadn't said anything, "Keep an eye on Guinevere and her people. All she says is that another portal opened and they vanished with the Sorcerer's Wand and never came back."
"So they might all be in danger," Henry tensed, "We have to bring them home!"
Piper closed her eyes, rubbing her head, worse yet it would mean August, Granny, and Neal would also be in danger depending on how many Forest dwellers decided to return to the Forest. If too many did then those of Camelot would become suspicious...she truly hoped the heroes had enough sense to think ahead that far and didn't just send the entire town to the Forest.
"That's done easily enough, with the Crystal," Gold reassured the boy.
Emma frowned and looked at him, something in his words sparking a thought, "Is that what you were doing with the Crystal? You took all the magic from Storybrooke so you could make a portal?"
Piper sighed, looking to Gold who could only give her a resigned nod that they had been caught out and might as well tell them what their plan had been, better they find out now than let the other heroes stew on it and think up worse and worse scenarios. So she turned back to Emma, nodding, "We wanted to create a bridge, between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. With the Crystal and the Sorcerer's Wand, it could have become permanent, a doorway between worlds, tying Storybrooke's magic to the Forest without need of the Wand's assistance."
"So we could come and go whenever we wanted?" Henry smiled at the idea, absolutely thrilled by it.
He had known, without a doubt, when the others learned that the magic had been taken, that there was something else to it. He trusted Piper and Gold, and even if he didn't he would know that they'd never do anything that would put him or their family in danger. Everything had gone a bit crazy though when Violet warned them about Sir Morgan. He'd almost completely forgotten that Gold had been the one to take the magic in the first place or that it was a big 'why'd he do it?' thing for the heroes till now.
"Yes," Gold nodded, "Pip and I..." he sighed, "We just to go home."
Storybrooke could be their home, it was true, they had both learned to adapt to the world without magic and to Storybrooke, but there were some things they wanted to be in the Forest for. The birth of their child for one, they wanted it born in a world seeped in magic, because it would likely be the best way to ensure it would be healthy. There had never been a half-Dark-One-quarter-Siren before and the more connected to magic they could be, the better for their child. There was also easier access to potion ingredients and magic than in Storybrooke. It was easier to access their own magic in the Enchanted Forest, they were stronger there, they could better protect their child.
That wasn't to say there weren't also things in Storybrooke that were better than the Forest, running hot water and toilets being a bit part of it, air conditioners and refrigerators too. Hospitals and medicine that could treat ailments not easily dealt with even with magic. A bridge between the two would give them both, would give the town both.
"If we can obtain the Crystal and her majesty here relinquishes a strand of hair," Gold began, trying to think of a way to get to the others wherever the portal had brought them. Not to save them, he genuinely could not care less about any of them, but if the Sorcerer's Wand went with them...THAT he would need back.
"Something connected to Zelena so you can find them," Regina realized.
"We can return them to this world at least," Gold finished, "Zelena and the others must be trapped because someone's taken the Sorcerer's Wand from her."
It was one of three explanations for why they hadn't returned to Storybrooke, either that or the wand had broken...or Zelena was dead and unable to cast the magic needed to conjure the portal back. The first was more preferable to consider as he did not relish the idea of having to repair a broken wand, it never worked as well as when it was solid and whole. If someone took the wand, all he would have to do is go to that world and take it back. If it was the last option, he would not shed a tear, but it would just complicate matters with emotions from others he didn't want to deal with right now.
"But if Sir Morgan destroys the Crystal..." Piper reminded them.
"Right," Emma huffed, "Let's go," and began to storm down the street heading for the clouds.
"What are you doing?" Regina called, hurrying after her, "We need a plan."
"I have one. I still have a fist. Morgan still has a nose…"
"He still has ears, too," Piper reminded them, subtly commenting on Emma's leaning-towards-foolishly-heroic plan without outright saying it, "I still have a voice. You said I am Plan B, Emma, we need Plan A."
"Look, I get it," Regina reached out to grab Emma's arm and stop her, "I want to help my family, too, but we have to be smart about this."
Emma took a deep breath, "Fine. Anyone have any non-lethal ideas?"
~8~
"Why is it always a warehouse?" Emma had to mutter to herself as they reached the location of the purple storm clouds, an old warehouse near the river, one of the decrepit, abandoned ones. At least Sir Morgan had either been wise enough or desperate enough to leave the center of the city to try and destroy the Crystal, moving to an area he'd be less likely to be noticed and where it might be safer to use temperamental magic without others aware of it.
"That isn't good, is it?" Violet asked, frowning up at the swirling clouds that seemed to be growing darker and starting to head downwards towards the building.
"I very much doubt it," Piper remarked dryly.
"What's the plan?" Henry turned to the more magically knowledgeable ones in the group.
"Element of surprise," Emma suggested, looking from Regina to Gold to Piper, "Break in. One of us takes the Grail, one the Crystal, one Morgan."
Piper looked unimpressed, "Why do I get the feeling I am being left with no part in the plan?"
Emma gave her a pointed look as to exactly WHY she shouldn't be the one actively attacking or storming in there when Morgan had access to all the magic of Storybrooke to attack her with. Yeah, her kid seemed to use magic, but she would never ever risk the child having to block that much and it would be pinning their hopes on the kid being fast enough and strong enough. She wouldn't risk that, especially with Regina and Violet none the wiser about the child's existence, "Someone has to make sure Henry and Violet don't turn into heroes."
Piper snorted at that, having to nod even as Henry let out an almost offended 'hey!' and pouted at his mother. It actually was quite likely that it WOULD end up being an important part of the plan. If anything went wrong and Violet's father looked to be harmed or in danger, she would likely rush in to help him despite knowing what he was planning to do, which meant Henry would run after her.
Regina sighed, looking at Emma, "Which of us should take Morgan?"
"I offer my services…" Gold began.
"No," Regina cut in, shooting him a glare, "You just want an excuse to attack him."
"Perhaps," he conceded, not hiding the fact, "However, beyond the fact I promised my grandson I would refrain from permanently harming him, I believe you're missing something very important."
"And what's that?"
"The man inside has the crystal and a device that can destroy magic," he reminded them, "We cannot assume it is only effective against magical objects and not caution it could be used against those who possess magic of their own. He'll use it to attack those who try to stop him."
Emma closed her eyes, letting out a breath as she realized what he meant, turning to Regina, "His mission is to destroy the Crystal, he'll be focused on that. Whoever is targeting the Crystal is who he attacks first. If Gold goes for the Crystal or the Grail…"
"Morgan can steal the power of the Dark One," Piper finished, "And then the most powerful magic user in the room would be unable to assist when Morgan turns the magic on the rest. I can assist from a distance, of course, but I would rather not risk our greatest asset being lost."
"Damn it," Regina muttered, they were right. The people on the first line of attack, given the mental state Morgan would be in, would be the ones going after either the Crystal or the Grail, the man wouldn't even consider himself a target or care that he was so long as his mission was fulfilled, "Fine," she huffed, "I'll take the Grail, you take the Crystal," she offered to Emma.
"Fine with me," Emma shrugged, assuming that Regina, having more control over her magic, would want to focus on getting the thing that could take it away off of Morgan and likely would have a better chance at doing it.
"Please," Violet spoke up, "Don't hurt my father," she turned to Gold, pleading, "He's not himself."
"Grandpa," Henry added when Gold opened his mouth to likely brush it aside, "Please."
Gold rolled his eyes, "I'll do my best," was all he could offer. Because if Morgan tried to take his magic or direct the Crystal at Piper or Henry, he would not hesitate to throw the man headfirst into a wall with his magic if need be.
"On 3?" Emma offered, getting a nod from the others. She took a breath and turned back to the door of the warehouse, glancing at Piper as she nodded, stepping back with Henry and Violet, moving a hand on either of their shoulders to keep check of them, "Right," she murmured, "1…2…3!"
Regina blasted the door to the warehouse off its hinges, not bothering to check if it was even unlocked. They all rushed in, Emma and Regina first, using their magic the second they spotted Sir Morgan standing before a small crate, the Grail set up upon it, holding the Crystal above it as though about to drop it into the Grail.
"No!" Emma shouted, swiping her hand around in the distraction their entrance caused, Sir Morgan spinning around, startled. The Crystal flew out of his hand, into her own, Regina launching a fireball at the Grail, trying to destroy it...
But Sir Morgan was not a knight for nothing, he grabbed the Grail and ducked low to the ground, rolling back to his knee and holding the Grail out at Emma, a bolt of energy flying out of it towards her even as Gold sent a flash of his own dark magic at Morgan, the energy flaring as it hit him, dropping him to the ground, frozen in place as though paralyzed.
"Papa!" Violet called, about to run to help him when he hit the floor.
"Stop!" Piper used her magic on the girl, stilling her, before she looked at Henry, "Henry."
"It's ok, Violet," Henry hurried to assure her, taking the girl's hand to hold onto her even as Piper didn't let loose her magic's hold.
Regina was already over at Morgan's side, grabbing the Grail from his hand and backing away before she waved her hand over him, knocking the man out and nodding to Gold that it was safe to release the man from the paralysis spell, "He's fine," she reassured Violet.
Piper released the girl who took a step like she wanted to move to her father's side, but stilled, latching onto Henry's hand tighter.
"But we may not be," Emma huffed, "Damn it!"
"What happened?" Piper turned to her.
Emma held up the Crystal, the glow that had been coming out of it now gone, leaving just a crystal, "He hit it," she told them, "Whatever that blast was…" she had raised her hands to block the blast of magic he'd sent at her and she thought she had...apparently she'd been wrong, it had hit the Crystal instead.
"That was the Grail," Gold informed, coming over and plucking the Crystal from her hold and turning it over, "He's destroyed the magic within it."
"No!" Henry cried out, "But that means…"
"It means the magic of Storybrooke is gone," Regina breathed.
"And with it, the means of bringing the others back from whatever realm they're trapped in," Gold added.
Emma shook her head, "What about Storybrooke?" she asked, because right now her family was at least together wherever they were, there was no telling what would happen to the town and those there, "What happened to it?"
"Storybrooke survived for 28 years without magic," Piper remarked, "There is a chance it will last a while longer."
"You said it would be destroyed," Emma argued.
"We said it might," Gold corrected, technically they'd implied it, because they genuinely didn't know, they could only hope.
"What do we do now?" Henry looked at the adults, "Can we…is there a way to restore the magic?"
"We would need to examine it back in Storybrooke," Piper reasoned, "Perhaps, it if is closer to the magic it was tied to, we may have an idea."
"But that won't help us get Mary Margaret and the others back," Emma remarked.
"There may be one person who might still have magic," Gold considered, "Enough to help us open a portal to the others at least," they'd still need the wand to fully examine the Crystal, to determine if the magic was gone or just very weakened.
"What are you talking about?" Emma frowned, "This is a land without magic."
"The land is, yes," Gold nodded, "But not everyone IN this land is FROM this land," he gave her a pointed look, both reminding her of her own history and his son's, how they both ended up in this world even though they were from one with magic.
"Alright," Regina cut in, "I'll go with Gold and Piper, find out whoever this…person is," she decided. Emma was too close to the fish and Gold, she wasn't sure she'd trust the woman completely to be fully honest with whatever they learned. And there was no way she was letting Henry near a stranger like that. She glanced over at Sir Morgan and then to Emma, "You have experience tying up men," she remarked, thinking back to how Emma had left Hook tied up in a storage locker once, "You take care of him and watch out for Henry and Violet."
Emma sighed, but nodded, "Fine. Meet back here in an hour."
~8~
"What the hell is this place?" Regina had to ask when Gold led them into a small shop filled with Chinese relics and herbs and statues. Even being in a land without magic, she could feel that very thing filling the room.
"Greetings," a voice called and an older Chinese man stepped over to them, "What brings you to my humble shop?"
Piper could only stare at the man for a moment, knowing this was 'the Dragon' as both August and Gold had called him. Her son had gone to this man when he'd begun turning into wood, for help to stop it, but the man had been attacked and, as far as August had known, been killed before he could help August. He had told her more about it when they had been in Storybrooke, how he felt like maybe it had been HIS fault. HE had tracked the man down for the very specific reason that he was a rare individual who had magic in a world where it shouldn't exist. He thought he'd led the man's enemies to him...
Gold had mentioned that he did not think the Dragon was actually dead, exactly because of the world he had set himself down in. It was not easy to kill a Dragon, even in Storybrooke it had taken magic and a sword and someone with magic to do it. The chances of anyone having such qualities in this world were slim, and even with Tamara being the one behind it, her science would not be enough to take down a dragon.
But it was another thing to SEE the man still alive, looking very much like the picture August had drawn for her once. Her son would be relieved to know the man survived.
"Well," Gold began, his hand absently moving to the small of Piper's back, knowing where her thoughts had gone, "We're in the market for something a little more powerful than what you have on display."
"If you mean narcotics, I'm just a simple herbalist," the man remarked.
"And I am just a simple piper," Piper remarked, "August will be pleased to know you yet live."
The Dragon tensed at the mention of the man, making the connection now to who she was from her words.
"I hear one of my father's minions paid you a visit," Gold added with a smirk.
"Peter Pan was powerful," the Dragón remarked, "But I'm resilient."
"It appears you are," Gold nodded, "Regina, meet the Dragon."
Regina just shook her head as though she wasn't sure what importance this man might have.
"I assume you're here because you want something, Rumpelstiltskin," the Dragon continued, turning to him, "But I'm afraid I'm not in the business of helping…hearts," he paused at the word, glancing at Piper with the barest hint of a flicker to his eyes away from where her heart was and back, "Filled with such darkness."
"I do not believe we were asking you to volunteer," Piper spoke.
"Gold, this is a waste of time," Regina huffed, trying to keep the two dark individuals from attacking the Dragon or goading him into attacking them.
"But you..." the Dragon eyed her, "YOU I will help," he observed her for a moment longer, "I see a noble battle deep inside your soul, Regina, between light and dark. And for that, I will do my best to aid you. It is imperative you win...for all of us."
~8~
A quick text to the others had Emma, Henry, and Violet joining them in the Dragon's shop within the hour, Sir Morgan secured in a nearby motel room Emma had rented, the man still magically frozen and with a spell along the door to keep him in there. They arrived just as the Dragon finished getting everything set up for the magic he intended to use. And so they stood, gathered around a bowl of water, waiting.
The Dragon stepped forward, delicately carrying a purple-pink flower in his hands. He placed it onto the bowl, the flower floating in the middle. He stepped back and began to wave his hands around, using his own unique magic to cause the flower to spin around in the water, faster and faster till it began to glow and fall open.
They all stepped closer, watching as the flower dissolved into the water, creating an image in there, as though they were looking down from the sky at an old market place where they could see Snow White, David, Hook, and Zelena walking through, following a mousy man in glasses.
"There," Regina pointed, "Look. Where the hell is that?"
"Rummy?" Piper glanced at him, the realm unfamiliar to her but knowing it might not be for him as he had been well travelled as the Dark One.
Gold tilted his head, frowning slightly, unable to get a very clear look into where they were, only really able to see Hook and Zelena by the hook on his hand and the red of her hair, but nothing much else, "I can't be sure."
"Wherever it is, they're in trouble," Emma determined, because she could see the way the others were moving even if she couldn't see anything else about them. She knew what evasive maneuvers looked like, they were trying to get away from someone without them finding them.
"We need to get through so we can help them," Regina looked at the Dragon, taking a step back so that the man could try to open a portal for them.
The Dragon struggled, pushing more and more magic into the bowl, causing the pinkish-purple light to rise from the bowl, glowing brighter…until it abruptly flickered out, the Dragon sagging and panting from the effort.
"I'm afraid opening a portal to that realm is beyond my power," the Dragon stated, breathless.
"You can't give up!" Henry declared, frowning, "My family, they're in trouble."
But the Dragon shook his head, "I've done all I can. But you..." he eyed Henry, ignoring how Piper stepped closer to him, her hand on his shoulder as though to warn him if he tried anything with Henry he'd have to face HER, "You haven't."
Henry tensed, "Me?"
"All of you," the Dragon looked around at them, "Just because Storybrooke's magic was destroyed doesn't mean there isn't any in this world."
"Oh, really?" Regina scoffed, "Because I think there's a reason they call this place The Land Without Magic."
"Yes, because that's how it appears. There's magic everywhere, if you're willing to see it."
"That sounds an awful lot like something a friend told me a long time ago," Emma remarked.
"Who do you think August learned it from?" Piper mused, considering the Dragon's words, "From me, my music. If there was no magic at all in this realm, I wouldn't have been able to practice my own," she reminded them. It had been weak, just barely there, but she had FELT it, she had been able to practice it, strengthen it. If there was no magic anywhere, her magic wouldn't have been there either.
"If you want to find magic," the Dragon spoke, "Remember what he taught you."
"You have to believe," Emma recited.
"So, how do you suggest we do that?" Gold challenged, "After all, saying you believe doesn't make it so. And if no magic exists because people don't believe in it, how do you propose we change that?"
Henry perked up at that notion that magic could exist if people believed it did, "I think I know how."
~8~
It didn't take much to work out what Henry's plan was when he led them to a wishing fountain near the library and began to hand them coins to throw in. Wishes were probably the only form of magic anyone in this realm might still believe in, and for those who KNEW magic was real…perhaps those wishes would spark enough magic to help them get through to the others.
"How is that going to help us?" Regina asked.
"Because there's magic in it," Henry said simply, "Every time someone makes a wish."
Gold was hesitant, not wanting to tear down his grandson's hope, but also not wanting him to be disappointed if it didn't work, "I don't think throwing a coin in a fountain is what the Dragon was talking about."
"All due respect, Grandpa," Henry, thankfully, gave him a more amused look than irritated, knowing Gold wasn't as familiar with this world as he was, "But I think that was exactly what he was talking about. Mom," he turned to Emma, "When we were living in New York, do you remember the last time you took me here?"
Emma frowned in thought, trying to remember, it was all a rush and a blur now, "Yeah. I don't know. You were upset about something. Maybe something at school?"
"It was because of you. I could tell you were lonely, so I wished our family would be complete, and do you know what happened a few days later?"
"Hook came to New York," Emma realized, "And he brought us back to Storybrooke and we were reunited with our family."
"There was magic," Henry insisted, "It was right here. We just didn't know it. Don't you see? We just need to wish they were back," he turned and moved to the edge of the fountain, holding his coin tight in his hand, "I wish we were reunited with our family," he said, before tossing the coin into the fountain. He smiled and turned back to them, "Come on. It can't just be me. Everybody make a wish. This will work. I promise."
Piper shrugged, glancing at Gold, "I do not believe it will be as effective as a deal with the Dark One, but it hurts no one to try."
Gold sighed, but nodded, the two of them stepping up to make their wish and toss their coin.
"Ok kid," Emma sighed, moving to do the same, Regina and Violet joining her.
Regina looked down when something caught her eye, a flash in the Crystal Violet had been holding. After they'd locked and tied up her father, they'd given her the Crystal to hold onto as some sort of comfort that they didn't blame her or her father for what happened. Well...most of them.
"Emma!" Regina called out, "Did you see that?" she gestured at the Crystal and Violet held it up, the barest flash of a flicker dying out, but they'd seen it.
Gold let out a breath, "Sometimes that boy surprises me."
Piper smirked and nudged him a bit, "He is your grandson," she said simply, as though he shouldn't be that surprised.
"It's gone out," Violet frowned, having been watching the Crystal but it had ceased pulsing.
"We just need more," Henry determined, before looking around, trying to come up with an idea, but there was nothing else around except the other New Yorkers milling about…his eyes widened as he got an idea, "Hold on!" he called to them, before hurrying up onto the steps of the library, shouting out, "People of New York City! My name is Henry Mills, and I need your help! My family's in danger, but we can save them with magic!" he paused when the crowd that was slowing down, some of them actually listening to him, began to laugh, "I know how crazy it sounds. But magic is real. It's all around us. You just have to be willing to see it. You have to be willing to believe. And I know how hard that is, everyone has that moment where their belief wavers. But we find our way back. We need magic. It can make the world a better place. I know it seems impossible. But think about it...at some point in your life, every one of you was once a believer, and at some point, you left that part of you behind. But you can go back to it. If you believe. So, what do you say?" he looked around, "Will you make a wish for us? Will you help us return magic to this world?" there was some murmuring, but more and more people had stopped to listen, "We just have to make a wish!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins he'd gotten from a machine nearby. He'd only had a 20 dollar bill and so he had a LOT of quarters on him, so he quickly began to hand them out, "Come on! Let's go!" he moved to as many people as he could, keeping one coin for himself as he led them down to the wishing fountain, "Here, come on," he held his coin up again in demonstration, before tossing it into the fountain.
The group stood off to the side only a few feet away, watching as person after person began to follow suit, making their own wishes and tossing their coins in.
"Look!" Violet gasped, holding up the Crystal, which was pulsating more now.
"He's actually restoring magic," Emma realized.
"That a boy, Henry," Piper smiled at him, as he turned to grin at them.
"See?" he called over, "I told you!"
"Indeed you did," Gold agreed, and they could only watch as a light began to shimmer in the water of the fountain, before merging together in the center, causing the water to bubble and burst up, swirling together into a portal through which Snow, David, Zelena, Hook, and the other man in glasses, stumbled out.
"Dad," Emma breathed, "Mom," she hurried over to them, "Killian," and gave him a tight hug.
"I knew you'd find us, Swan," Hook grinned at her.
"It wasn't me this time," Emma looked at them, "It was all Henry."
Piper looked over when the crowd that had gathered around them began to clap and cheer for them, many others murmuring about how it was 'quite a show.' Clearly, none of them thought this was a true display of magic, which made sense. This was the world without magic, the belief that it didn't truly exist was too prevalent. But it didn't matter in the end, it had worked just enough to get the others back, hopefully the Sorcerer's Wand along with them.
And...it proved that the magic in the Crystal hadn't been completely destroyed, not if it could still harness the tiny bit of magic that had gathered around them, it was just very, VERY weak.
"They think it was all an act," Henry frowned.
Piper reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, "Not the entire time," she reminded him, "For a brief moment, they believed enough."
"This is the only way they can understand," Gold added, "And it is for the best, to give those who never believed the power of magic? Too many would take advantage."
"You did the impossible, Henry," Emma smiled at her son, "Like Aunt P said, you made the world believe, even for a second, and that's incredible."
Piper had the sneaking suspicion it was less their encouraging words and more Violet throwing herself into his arms to hug him that had Henry smiling in the end.
~8~
Piper absently rubbed at her temples as she sat in the small, crowded room of the motel they had all gathered in while some additional transportation was worked on being acquired. There was no way they would be able to make it back to Storybrooke, all of them in Gold's car. It wasn't that there were so many people in such a small space, too many songs, that was causing the migraine she felt coming, no, she had been in more places with more people than this.
It was Jekyll, the man with the glasses that had come over with the others after helping them escape their captor, his song…it was grating her. It wasn't like when someone's heart was missing and their song was missing a note. It was as though half his song was gone and it just made an awful noise in her head. It made sense, in a way, if he was the Dr. Jekyll to the Mr. Hyde story she knew of. From what the others had said when explaining who the man was, he had come up with a way to truly cut Hyde out of him, which would mean half of him was someone else. It was doing her head in, which Gold seemed to notice for her sat beside her, rubbing her back.
"I'll never be able to thank you enough for coming back to save me," Jekyll looked at the others as they wrapped up the story of their time in the other realm, "Now that I'm separated from that monster, I can make a fresh start of my life in your Storybrooke."
"Where's Regina?" Snow looked over when David and Zelena entered the room, "Wasn't she getting the car with you?"
"No," David sighed, he and Zelena having been the unlucky few to go obtain as cheap of transportation as they could find with some used car ads. He'd gotten stuck with Zelena since neither Snow nor Hook wanted to leave Emma yet but they needed a car.
"She said she wanted to be alone, but she wouldn't say why," Zelena added.
"Emma, this couldn't still be about the squabble you two had in Storybrooke, could it?" Snow turned to her daughter.
"That was quite resolved," Piper waved it off.
Emma sighed, "I know what this is. It's something bigger."
Piper rolled her eyes but it was Gold who explained, "She appears to be feeling regret for all she did as the Evil Queen."
"Yes," Piper huffed, "Lamenting a past she cannot escape. She is a villain, she does not get the free pass heroes do when they commit evil deeds."
Snow frowned at that but didn't deny that that seemed to be how it happened for heroes, merely got up, leaving the room to find Regina.
Piper sighed and looked at Emma, "Shall we take bets on whether she finds a way to give Regina this pass she desires?"
Emma gave her a look, "I'm not stupid enough to take that bet, of course she's gonna do it."
"Emma," David frowned at how his daughter was speaking of his wife, "She..."
"Choose your words wisely, Shepherd," Piper cut in, not willing to sit through another sermon about forgiveness and repentance and so on, not when her head felt like it was splitting open, "There is magic in this world thanks to the crystal. I can enchant you to leap from this building just as easily as I enchanted your brother to throw himself into the River of Lost Souls."
"You...what?!" David gaped at her, alarmed and horrified.
"You killed James?" Gold looked at her, not having known that part of their endeavors in the Underbrooke.
"Yes," Piper said slowly, and it was clear to all there the irritation in her voice, though it was directed more at David than Gold, "And he was far less annoying than you are. So I say again, choose your words carefully."
"How could you..." David began, before cutting himself off, forcing himself silent at the deadly glare Piper sent to him. He hadn't failed to notice how tense and short-fused she was since they crammed into the room and he didn't doubt her threat to have him go to the roof wasn't an idle one, "Why?" he settled on.
Piper looked up at him, somewhat surprised, "Well now, look who is learning," she remarked.
"Why did you kill my brother?" he asked, because he knew James was considered a villain and had seemed to delight in the control he had over the Underbrooke as the sheriff, but to kill him when he was already dead?
"Better question," Gold cut in, "Why didn't you let ME kill his brother?" he asked, his hand curled into a fist where it was resting on his knee at the mere thought of the prince who had scarred Piper's back and left her for dead up a beanstalk. He had envisioned...quite a number of ways to end the man than the one he had been given.
Had he known when he orchestrated for James to be killed just how important Piper would become to him, he would have made the man's death far more agonizing and prolonged. Since he and Piper had begun their relationship, he would be lying if he said he had not thought back on that moment with regret, that he had not pictured just how he'd torment and torture the princeling for what he'd done...
And now to find out there had been that opportunity...and HE hadn't been the one to end the man?
"There was no time," Piper sighed, speaking to Gold, sounding genuinely regretful that it had turned out the way it had, that he'd been deprived that opportunity to end someone who harmed her the way she had ended someone who harmed him in Milah, "The next person who harms me shall be all yours," she promised.
"They'd better," he grumbled under his breath, on the verge of pouting even as she patted his fist.
"Why did you kill my brother?" David repeated, his voice firmer, demanding an answer.
"Why did you massacre all those guards just to get to a wardrobe?" Piper countered.
"To keep Emma safe..." he trailed off, before looking over at his daughter, "James threatened you."
Emma nodded, "Aunt P stopped him," she said, "She protected me."
David swallowed hard but fell silent, offering no thanks to Piper for her actions, because as much as he was grateful Emma was alright and hadn't been harmed...his brother was still dead-dead now and at Piper's hands.
Still, it appeared his silence was enough for Piper, she merely nodded in acceptance, as though his silence spoke volumes to the fact that he hadn't just jumped to conclusions and accusations.
"Dad," Emma began after a moment, getting back to the point, "You know Mary Margaret's going to try and give Regina a pass. She's going to hear Regina talking about how much she regrets what she did and wishes she could move on from it, but that's not how it works. What Regina did, REGINA did. It's not Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, no offense," she added to the literal Jekyll sitting there.
"Oh, none taken," he assured her.
Before she turned back to her father, "Regina was Regina. The Evil Queen wasn't a separate entity that took her over and made her do things against her will. She shouldn't have that pass. No one should, hero or villain. She needs to accept that what she did was horrible, and work to make up for it, not just keep saying 'I'm not that person anymore.' Prove it, and be better, live with it, but come to terms with it. And eventually she'll be able to be the hero she wants to be and get that happy ending she wants so bad."
She believed Regina would get it, one day, that her current suffering wasn't forever the way Regina seemed to fear it was. But it had only been, what a couple years since she reformed? It would take a whole hell of a lot longer to even try to make up for the devastation she caused in the Forest. It was trying, yes, to suffer as much as Regina was, but she'd said herself it was a well deserved punishment for her actions. It wouldn't be forever, but to expect her slate to be washed clean in just a couple of years compared to the 10 or so she tormented the Forest? It wasn't realistic, and to keep acting like she deserved a break because she was 'trying to be good' just sounded more like her villainous self whining about how the world isn't fair which was what led to her downfall in the first place.
"It won't happen if she's still blaming the Evil Queen like she's not her."
David fell quiet, glancing at Jekyll and to the door, understanding what Emma meant. He'd heard Regina speaking in the same manner, heard Snow relay some conversations she'd had with Regina. The woman kept referring to the Evil Queen like she was a different person, instead of a part of her she had to grow away from.
He couldn't help but remember what Piper's own mother had said in the Underworld, Regina made those choices and committed those actions, it was her hand that crushed those hearts, not someone else, not someone else controlling her body.
He had to wonder…if his wife would realize that, or add fuel to Regina's fire.
And...another part of him, one he forced down, couldn't help but wonder if that was how Snow saw herself as well, after all that happened recently, that it wasn't HER who betrayed her cousin but Mary Margaret.
He let out a breath, his thoughts turning to himself and...just how guilty was HE of it as well?
~8~
It was partly wanting to get out of the room, and partly wanting to witness for herself whether this would work or fail, that found Piper standing on the small rooftop of the motel with Emma, Snow, and Regina, later that night. Snow had a small vial in her hand that she'd gotten from Jekyll and it was clear what she intended to use it for when she handed it to Regina.
"Jekyll said he didn't know how to thank us," Snow began, "But he found a way. He grabbed this before we fled the lab. It's the serum that split him from Mr. Hyde. He said there's enough left for another dose."
"And you think this will work on me?" Regina seemed as skeptical as Piper felt.
It wasn't that it couldn't work, pulling the evil out of Regina, the way it apparently did with Jekyll…but it was just Jekyll's situation was created via a potion initially, from what she recalled of his tale, it created two separate and distinct people, which meant they could be separated. This would just be pulling evil out of Regina.
And what would that mean? She'd never have access to Dark Magic? She'd never use fireballs? She'd have no dark impulses? She'd be a weakling? What would it actually mean for Regina to do this? How would it change her? Would she even still have her memories of the Evil Queen?
There was too much unknown and it seemed like too much of a copout to Piper, that it was THIS easy for a villain to be 'forgiven,' that it would allow them to erase their past because 'oh it was HER who did it, not ME.' Especially after how Regina had been using that excuse for a while now and she literally was the same person. It angered her to see Snow feed into this, believe in it, offer this escape to Regina.
No other villain treated what they'd done in the past as 'someone else's fault.' And that was the entire point of accountability, it WAS Regina who did those deeds. Just as it WAS Hook who killed those men and it WAS herself who tortured other people. Regina did not get to use the excuse of 'it was someone else' when it was her. And for Snow to accept it…it bothered her. Yes, there were times where she herself reminded Snow she wasn't the person she'd been any longer, she wasn't Rose Red, that Rose Red was dead, but she didn't deny that she'd ever been Rose Red, she didn't deny that the things Rose Red did SHE had done too. She had grown from that girl, transitioned, but she didn't use her as an excuse. She didn't act like they were two separate entities, even if they did seem to represent different ends of her personality, the human and the Siren, she knew they were the same person who just...grew up.
She supposed it was her own fault though, she had heard Snow using the same excuse in the Underworld, blaming her actions on Mary Margaret instead of accepting it was her own self. She hadn't cared enough then to point it out, to correct her or fight her on it, and now it was coming back to bite her.
"This could be the end of the Evil Queen," Snow said, "As long as you're sure that's what you want."
"I want her gone," Regina agreed.
"Then let's get rid of her. Let's be the family we were always meant to be. All of us."
Piper just barely kept her scoff from being noticeable, glancing over when Emma took her hand, her niece not looking any more pleased with this than she was. She could guess where Emma's thoughts were going, that if THIS was the way for them to 'be a family' again, to RIP the DARKNESS out of Regina? Then it was no different than before Emma had been born, than when Lily was cursed, than the entire argument she'd made about trying to accept Piper's own darkness. It was just reaffirming the idea that Snow could only accept the light in people.
But Piper was desperately trying to believe it was more Snow being supportive of something Regina herself wanted and that they weren't her own, genuine views on light and dark coming up once more.
...and if it was?
Well, she would not speak against it, not if it could be useful ammunition later when Snow decided to be 'holier-than-thou' at her for one reason or another, this reminder of how she spoke such pretty words but failed to follow up with the actions to prove them.
"Go downstairs," Regina told them, pulling Piper's attention back to the present.
Snow shook her head, "Jekyll said there will be a moment of disorientation when the Evil Queen won't have her magic. That's your chance. You cannot hesitate."
"Understood. Now, please, leave me."
"I believe Emma and I shall stay," Piper told her, more curious about the side-effects of the potion and how it might affect someone than genuinely caring about Regina farther than her role as Henry's step-mother would require. They needed to know how her magic would be after this separation, how Regina would be.
"I'm staying, too," Snow agreed, "I was there when the Evil Queen was born. I kind of helped bring her into the world. I want to see you end her."
"And if this goes wrong," Emma added, clearing her throat and keeping her own bitterness about this to herself when Piper didn't let on how disappointed she was either, "Aunt P and I can handle her."
Regina took a breath, "Get ready to stand back, because...I have a feeling we're about to meet a very angry queen, and she didn't like any of you on a good day."
"YOU did not like us on a good day either," Piper reminded her, deadpanned. Treating the Evil Queen like a separate person was just an excuse to not be responsible for the things she did in the past.
"Go on," Emma urged her.
Regina looked at them once more, before she uncorked the vial and downed it quickly. It took a moment before it kicked in, but soon after the first effects, Regina was doubled over, groaning and grunting, before she straightened with a gasp, a figure blurring as though it were trying to step out of her…
And then, two women stumbled away from each other, one Regina, the other the Evil Queen in all her glory, decked out in her black gown.
The Evil Queen looked at Regina, sneering in disgust, "Look at what you've become," she moved as though she were going to lunge for the woman when Emma flicked her wrist and conjured chains around her arms to keep her bound.
"Regina, now's your chance," Emma called to the stunned woman, clearly Regina hadn't thought it would actually work, "Destroy her!"
The Evil Queen chuckled, "You destroy me? You don't have what it takes."
"Regina!"
"Shall I do it?" Piper looked between them, at ease, for it was occurring to her that, perhaps, splitting the person also split the power of the magic they held and that could mean the Evil Queen was only at half power now, just vulnerable enough for her to attack, "It would be a lie to say I have not imagined it…"
"Give her a chance," Snow pleaded quietly.
"You're weak," the Evil Queen spat at Regina, "No matter what you do, you can't destroy our darkness. Deep down inside, you know the truth. You need me."
"No," Regina finally seemed to find her strength, "I don't," she reached into the Evil Queen's chest and ripped out her heart, "I'm sorry," she murmured, before crushing it to dust, sending her counterpart into the wind, dust herself.
"Hmmm," Piper hummed, tilting her head, "How is crushing a heart, anyone's heart, not considered an evil act?" she mused, "Perhaps that potion did not work as much as you thought it would."
~8~
"Home sweet home," Emma breathed as the cars pulled up to the main street of Storybrooke, everyone getting out and looking around at the still standing buildings, David yanking Sir Morgan out of the back of the other car, intent to take him to the station. Once magic had been restored to the town, Regina would head over and free him from the Sands' enchantment, having learned the spell from Merlin herself in case any other hero got caught by Arthur while he and Emma were on their quest. She'd take care of Morgan then take a few others with her to the Camelot sector to free the rest.
"And in one piece," Regina added.
Piper stepped away, moving over to the second car where Gold was, waiting for him to get out. Emma and Regina would only go with Henry, who would go with Violet, and it wasn't fair to put Violet somewhere else. But they had to fit one more person in the car with Emma and Regina so they could fit everyone in the other car they'd bought. Gold had offered to let Piper go with her nephew, and he would remain with the heroes. He doubted she wanted to be in close quarters with Snow White or Charming just yet, nor Hook, nor some random fellow, or Zelena. He had had centuries of experience having to deal with heroes and Hook, and there were quite a number of things he could do to amuse himself, things to say, to anger all of them without them being able to react.
She smiled as he pulled her into his arms, feeling him breathing easier now that he was free of the car. Zelena and Hook did not look pleased at all with the trip, which made her smile turn to a smirk at the dark looks they shot Gold's back.
"Have fun?" she asked as she pulled away, noticing Emma and Hook talking off to the side as they followed the Charmings, Zelena, and Jekyll towards town, Henry and Violet speaking in private as well.
"Would have been more so with you there," he admitted, "Perhaps a bit more peaceful."
The others likely would have been passed out the entire ride back if she had been with him, but she'd been with Henry and Emma.
"We can have a peaceful moment soon enough," she reminded him, now that they were back in town and there were no dangers or enemies on the horizon.
"Yes," he agreed, "After we un-tether the magic from the crystal."
It was still weak but it appeared that the magic would recover, eventually. Not enough for their portal idea to work, not for a very long time, but...it might be possible again, one day, to make a permanent portal between worlds. For now, they'd set Storybrooke back to rights and work on getting another way to the Forest that didn't require Zelena or the Sorcerer's Wand's assistance. Apparently they had lost the wand in the other realm. Wonderful.
"Are we doing that now?" Henry asked as he walked over with Regina, having caught the last part of it.
When they had been talking about it before they left, it was decided Gold and Regina would handle that, being the two more advanced with magic. Regina would do the honors, but Gold would be there in case anything went wrong. Apparently the heroes didn't trust him to return the magic he himself had taken.
"We need to be in the center of town," Gold told them with a nod and they set off for the center.
"Well, you did it, Mom," Henry spoke as they walked, "You destroyed the Evil Queen. How do you feel?"
"Free," Regina smiled, looking down at the center when they reached it, "Now let's make sure no one can ever steal this again," she took the Crystal from Henry and placed it down, starting to cast her magic over it, the wind whipping up, a rumbling noise sounding, before the magic shot out of it, expanding like a wave though the town.
"Did it work?" Henry looked around.
Gold conjured a fireball, "I think it has," he agreed.
"Thank you for that," another voice spoke, and they turned to see a man in a well-tailored suit, with pale skin and red eyes and a scar on his cheek, standing there, his arms behind his back, "I'd hate to be trapped in this town without magic. That would be truly barbaric."
"Mr. Hyde," Gold greeted, familiar with the man, "Now, how did you get here?"
"I believe I have this to thank for that," Hyde smirked, pulling the Sorcerer's Wand from behind his back, "Funny thing, a portal opened to a land without magic, centered to a crystal. A quick bit of magic to tether this," he held the wand up, "To that," he nodded at the Crystal, "And, once it was activated again, releasing the magic, it released the portal as well. And I brought some friends. You know, I've been looking for a place like this for quite some time...a land where all the world's lost and forgotten stories could play themselves out. And now that I have brought them here, that is exactly what they're going to do."
"Let me tell you something, Mr. Hyde," Regina glared, "I know how your story ends. You lose."
"I wouldn't bet on it, Regina. Despite what you may think, darkness is not as easy to snuff out as you might believe," he held out his arms and they looked up, seeing odd ships and flying contraptions descending on the town…
Well, Piper thought, so much or a peaceful moment.
To be continued...in...Coda!
A/N: I thought the title, while simple, was fitting, as a Coda is the final part of a song and the next story will be the final part of the series ;)
I know Hyde made it to Storybrooke apparently through a deal with Gold in the show. But he seemed resourceful and knowledgeable about magic, and he had the Sorcerer's Wand which he was able to use. I figure, he was also there when the portal opened to save the heroes so he could have used the wand to sort of create a link to the crystal and, when it was activated again, it opened a portal to Storybrooke that allowed him and his world through.
Poor Piper though, finally almost got a moment of peace...now this. And she's still pregnant! :( She's going to have a lot to deal with in the next story }:) And I can at least promise you the baby will be born before the series is over ;) While Piper may be part Siren, her child is less Siren than she is, so her pregnancy could last shorter than a normal human one, or it could go closer to the full 9 months, and she's not quite there just yet ;) For all we know, they're focusing so much on the quarter-Siren part of it, they don't know how long a half-Dark One might need }:)
As for this chapter, I hope you liked the twist for why Gold tethered the magic to the crystal. I thought they'd want a way back to the forest, a place where they had the upper hand in terms of magic, but they would NOT want Zelena's help to do so nor would they likely be able to get the Sorcerer's Wand or conjure a portal without the heroes getting involved every time they wanted to. I felt like the Olympian Crystal, being so powerful and able to hold all that unique magic, would be able to create a permanent doorway, tying the magic of Storybrooke to the Forest. Sadly won't happen now :(
I debated whether to keep the wishing fountain scene or make it something different, but it was just such a cool moment for Henry to show his spunk that I had to keep it in :)
I tried to add a bit more thought to Regina's plight, how other people beyond Snow or Regina saw it. Namely Piper and Emma. They both had that unique perspective of understanding consequences to actions and accountability. Regina was the Evil Queen for like a decade, terrorizing everyone for years. That isn't going to disappear in like 2-3 years of her trying to be good, and her constantly harping on about how she keeps losing was a bit irritating to me. What did she expect? You don't wash away that long as a villain in a fraction of the time :/ On top of that, for Snow to try and give Regina a way to basically 'rip the darkness out of her' I felt showed how blind she could be to perspectives in this story. To Snow, she's helping, she's giving Regina something Regina wants, so she doesn't think it reflects anything about her own views of darkness. It's Regina's choice, SHE isn't making Regina do it or forcing it on her or condemning her for having the darkness in her, so it's NOT like with Piper (in Snow's mind at least).
But to Emma and Piper, she's enabling Regina to believing the darkness is a bad thing she should be rid of :( To them, she's not trying to reassure Regina that she's loved and accepted the way she is. She's not trying to stop Regina doing this. And, to them, it just feels like Snow is agreeing that the only way someone can be happy is to not have that darkness in them :/ Snow may not see it like that, she may see it as something Regina feels she needs to be happy and she's just 'helping,' but it doesn't bode well :(
I also wanted to add in a bit of a confrontation with David, both about his wife and about his brother. A way to sort of show that he's sort of maybe coming around and kind of learning...but he won't admit he'd done wrong in the past or apologize either :/ At least he caught himself and asked WHY Piper killed James instead of jumping to the worst of it. And at least he is starting to realize the danger of separating things into 'two lives.' I felt like, since he was the one who first introduced the town to the idea that they could be BOTH their cursed self and true self, that something like this, when spelled out to him, would help him realize how Regina and Snow are coming to view things, and how he has been looking at things too. Is there hope for Charming? I suppose we'll find out in the next story ;)
As for the next story, it will likely NOT be up this year as I have a tentative schedule of what will be coming for 2021. BUT! I'm strongly leaning towards following a similar pattern of story order next year so Piper has a very good chance of being one of the first stories of 2022 ;)
For anyone who is interested in my second Star Trek story, the Kirk/OC one, I would keep an eye out for it, it'll be the next story I post ;) AND, since today is the 31st, I'm going to aim for getting the first chapter of my Sherlock/OC AU up too ;) So anyone who wants to read a what-if where Sherlock and my OC, Leena, did NOT meet as children but as adults during a Study in Pink, it'll be up very soon ;)
There will also be a post on my tumblr's 'Bedtime Stories' page that will include a sort of 'portrait' for Piper's parents! :) It'll be a sort of manip of what I picture her parents to look like but for reference, I see Ilayda as being something like Clementine Nicholson and Ethan to look a bit like James Purefoy:)
And, just to end...I really have to say thank you guys SO much! Really, I give each and every reader/reviewer/favoriter/follower/ko-fi giver/anythinger a virtual hug because you guys are amazing :) I write for all of you guys and I'm just so touched that you all liked the story and am truly thankful that you're enjoying Piper so much :) I'll do my very best to keep it up in the future, because you guys most definitely deserve it. I love you all so very much :')
Some notes on reviews...
Sorry there was no baby yet! :( Part of it is that the little Rosebud in my head is just going 'hmm...nope, not yet' and another part is biology, and yet another part is a bit me not wanting the 'cliffhanger' ending to have stolen the thunder of the birth lol :) We WILL see it in the next story though ;)
The black spot on Snow's heart will definitely come up again in the next story yup ;) I like to think that what she did to Emma and Lily caused the black spot originally, then her killing Cora (in the show) made it bigger. In this story, since Piper sort of did it for Snow, the black spot sort of only came from what she did to Lily and Emma since she intended to kill Cora but wasn't the one who went through with it even if she felt enormous guilt for it :( What she did to Piper and Gold might not have increased the size of it, that she's aware of. With what she did to Emma and Lily, she knew she was condemning another child and chose to do it, same with knowing murdering Cora was wrong and was going to do it. With the townline, as far as she and her heart knows, she was fully convinced she was doing the right thing in banishing Gold, and she never wanted Piper to go with him. It might hurt her cousin, but she wasn't killing Gold and she had to make a hard choice to 'save' her kingdom :( Once she finds out about the true struggle in NY and the hospital though...I think that's when it would hit her heart. I like to think that the blackness in her heart just split in half and she got half of it and so did David, which is a bit more sinister for David in that now his own heart, which might have been pure (depending on what it would have been like after Emma and Lily), is now slightly poisoned because of Snow. And, who knows, maybe that's why he has such a hard time accepting or trusting Piper, because that blackness is affecting him without him realizing }:)
I have quite a few ideas in mind for the Black Fairy ;) And for Blue ;) I'm looking forward to writing how Gold handles it with someone fully committed to supporting and enabling him at his side }:)