Breaking Glass

Piper stood in the sheriff's station, sorting through a box of papers and files and pictures that Emma had placed before her, glancing up at Elsa as the woman did the same with another box. Emma putting a third one before herself, her back to Will Scarlet as he laid in the jail cell, STILL there. She wasn't exactly pleased to be there, not with Elsa there, having spent too much time by her reckoning with the woman the other night. But she had heard that Emma was going to be there early and she wanted to try and speak to her about Hook, about the date she'd gone on, and perhaps subtly warn about the Snow Queen that was stalking her, claim it was information just from a villain's perspective or something. But Elsa had been there, which she should have known would happen, and she did not feel comfortable nor did she think Emma would appreciate, her bringing up such subjects around someone else and another man.

…though it would have been interesting to see if Will would let something slip should she drop the right clues about Hook. She couldn't fathom why the man hadn't told Emma that her beloved pirate had been the one to bruise him and beat him in the first place.

Oh, no, she could guess. As though Emma would believe the man. He'd already proven himself 'untrustworthy' to Emma, and she had a rather bad habit of letting her personal feelings affect her 'superpower.' It seemed like it only worked when she was suspicious or looking to see if someone was lying to her. If she trusted someone, she didn't bother to look, so she missed the signs. She trusted Hook, despite her own vocal misgivings about it, and so she wouldn't believe anything Will said about the man, even if he was telling the truth.

So there was that, and she supposed Hook might have given the man a fright as well, threatened him perhaps. Whatever reason it was, his silence might prove more of a point in the long run. Hook would have had to truly scare the man, make him fear for his life, for him to remain this silent. And that would not bode well for Hook if that was revealed.

"Somewhere in here," Piper glanced up when Emma spoke, "There's got to be something on her."

"There has to be a better strategy," Elsa shook her head, "While we're reading files, my sister is out there somewhere. We have to confront this Snow Queen!"

"Confront her too early and you are sure to meet your ruin," Piper remarked dryly, starting to sort through papers, "You should never confront an enemy you do not know how to beat. Nor enter a battle without a strategy."

"I agree," Emma sighed, "If we could face her down right now, we would. Even IF we could, we'd still have to find her first. And, Elsa, we really DO have to be careful. This woman is tricky. She seems to know both of us, and we don't remember anything about her. And something tells me that that is not an accident."

"You think she took our memories?" Elsa breathed.

"I'm really good with names and faces. It was my job. She took them alright. The question is why," Emma shook her head and looked down at the box before her, "We need to find out what the hell she's up to."

"Paperwork, ahoy!" Piper grit her teeth and looked to the ceiling in irritation at the sound of Hook's voice entering the room, "Old city records from the mayor's office, per your request," he placed another box before Emma.

"Oi!" Will, thankfully, chose that moment to speak up, "Somebody's forgotten about me dinner! I'll have the bangers and mash."

Emma scoffed and turned to him, "You'll have the water and poptart," she held up a bottle of water and a strawberry poptart with a bite already taken out of it.

"Somebody's already had a nibble," Will pouted at it.

"I've had my shots," Emma held it up to him.

"What a relief," he muttered, but took the food anyway, "Now, I've served me time. So when will I be free?"

"When I say so."

Piper scoffed slightly at that under her breath.

"What?" Emma looked back at her, frowning.

"Nothing at all," Piper murmured under her breath, focusing on the box before her.

"Well," Hook glanced between them, his expression a bit more dark as he looked at Piper, but softened when he turned to Emma, "I'm off to take Henry sailing love, unless there's something else you want me to do here…"

"Make sure Henry wears his life vest, ok?" Emma turned to him.

"Befriending the son to get in with the mum?" Will snorted, "Yep, no one will ever see through that."

Hook glared at him, "Why don't you keep your thoughts to yourself mate."

"He merely expressed what quite a few people are concerned about," Piper defended, she was…starting to like Will, he seemed to detest Hook as much as she and Gold did.

"What?" Emma frowned at that, "What concerns? Who has concerns about…"

"Well, Henry, for one, expressed that he was not comfortable or ok with your relationship with Hook, to a few people," Piper eyed Emma, knowing that the boy had expressly TOLD Emma himself that he wasn't ok with her and Hook just before Emma asked the man on a date. Henry had started to work in the shop after school, mostly just sweeping for the moment, but as she was often there, she had spoken to him at length about his feelings regarding Hook and his mother. He'd told her that Emma had asked him if he was ok with the situation, he'd said no, flat out said no, and added, more as a backtrack of a boy not wanting to upset his mother, he wanted her to be happy, yet Emma went and asked Hook out anyway, "And yet the date still went off…"

"Yeah, but he said he just wanted me to be happy," Emma shook her head.

"A mother always puts the needs of her child before her own," Piper remarked, her voice sounding light, as though she were commenting on the weather, absently going through more files, but the words themselves had an impact, "Unless you feel that Regina has so little needs that Henry's would naturally come first to her and you could put more on her than on yourself?" she glanced at Emma.

"I don't…"

"It would be true," she shrugged, "All Regina has had, by her own admission, is Henry. She, briefly, had Robin Hood, yet that has fallen through. She has no 'needs' to put above Henry's so his needs would be seen to by her. Why should his other mother put his feelings above her own and…"

"You're treading a dangerous line, Piper," Hook glared at her, his voice low and threatening.

"Says the man that did not DENY what our friend William stated," Piper shot right back, making Emma's gaze snap to Hook as though just realizing…he HADN'T denied it, just told Will to shut up.

"Hook?" Emma breathed, pulled from her momentary feelings of guilt that she HAD ignored the feelings of her son to pursue a relationship with the man, she had put her own needs and desires above her son's, to focus on the man who…really hadn't said he wasn't using her son to get to her.

"I like the lad," Hook tried to defend, "I enjoy spending time around him. And he expressed an interest in sailing…"

"He also expressed an interest in archery from a man he approves of and thinks is 'awesome,'" Piper added, recalling another tidbit Henry had told her, "Which is now impossible given the man who would have taught him is now fretting over a popsicle. Though I doubt either of you knew that."

"When…" Emma's gaze snapped back to Piper.

"When he speaks, Emma, I listen," Piper told her, "And I take his words to heart."

"Oh yes," Hook sneered, "And I'm sure YOUR boy was ever so pleased his mother was the true love of the Dark One."

Piper's eyes narrowed at him, "August was never forced to encounter me with the Dark One until he was a grown man and capable of understanding love, adult relationships, and did not depend on me any longer. Henry is but a child still. Unless you are trying to say he is no longer in need of his mother?"

"Ok stop!" Emma cut in, seeing things starting to get nasty, "You…go with Henry," she pointed at Hook, "You, sort the files."

It was…a coward's way, she knew, to just tell them to both stop and go about their business. But…they both brought up points…well…Piper had, points that she did NOT want to think of or process or even begin to consider right now, not with the Snow Queen and Anna and the ice wall and Marian and everything going on. She did NOT need to start wondering if she was being a good mother for dating Hook. She did NOT need to think about how her son disapproved, actually disapproved, but was trying to ignore how he felt for her sake. She did NOT need to wonder if Hook was actually using him to get on her good side.

She just…she didn't want to think about it.

She didn't want to know the answers.

So, for now, she was going to throw herself into this investigation, she was going to focus on Anna and the Snow Queen and…and when it was over, she'd deal with it all. She'd…she'd sit Henry down and really TALK to him about it. Till then…just…no.

Hook let out a long breath, "Right," he nodded, stepping over to Emma, "Goodbye," he leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, but she held up a hand to his chest, pushing him back slightly to stop him, her eyes giving him an apologetic message that made him grit his teeth to see, knowing that it meant Piper's words had gotten to her.

He turned around, giving Piper the darkest look he could muster with his back to Emma.

He should have realized Piper wouldn't remain silent at that.

"If only your face could freeze in that villainous glare you are giving me right now," Piper smirked at him, "Emma, what think you of the murderous look on his face and dark intent in his eyes?"

Hook just stormed out of the room.

"Do you have to do that?" Emma sighed at her, "He's trying to be better."

Piper let out a long breath, "If you knew the true effort he put into his attempts Emma, it would shock you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma frowned.

"Perhaps one day you shall see," was all Piper said, getting back to the files.

Emma was tricky to get through to, to push towards a realization. She was STILL waiting for Emma to realize the harm and true wrongness of her actions in the past. If she pushed too hard now, she would end up pushing Emma to try and defend Hook, to try and prove he was 'reformed,' perhaps even to stand by him in the next instance where he made the wrong choice for a hero. And that would not do to blind her even more to his true self just because she didn't want to admit she'd made the wrong choice in love.

"I was wrong," Will chuckled from inside the cell, his mouth full of the last bite of poptart, "You're alright."

Piper gave him a short nod for that, a small smirk on her face though Emma rolled her eyes.

"Emma?" Elsa stepped up, glancing between the two women in hesitation, not sure if she was interrupting whatever else they might want to say to each other, but the photos in her hand seemed rather important to ask about, "Look," she handed a small packet to Emma, "Why are there pictures of you mixed in with the city records?"

"Let's just say…when Regina was mayor, she abused her power a bit," Emma sighed.

"Ironic is it not?" Piper mused, moving to stand somewhat beside Elsa to look at the pictures upside down.

"What is?" Emma asked absently, sorting through them.

"Your mother becomes mayor and YOU begin to abuse your power."

"What?" Emma looked up at her sharply. Piper just nodded at Will in the cell, "I'm not…that's not…he…"

"Broke into a library, drunk," Piper stated for her, "I have seen Grumpy do worse when drunk and barely sit in that cell more than an hour or two. Yet HE," she nodded at Will once more, "Has been in there over night, held through a handful of meals, and I do believe you yourself claimed you put him in there for the sheer fact that he disrupted your date…if David is to be believed," the man had told his wife that amusing fact and she'd shared it with Henry who'd spread it to her in the shop, that entire family had no concept of how to keep a secret though she supposed it wasn't quite a secret, "Explain to me how that is NOT an abuse of power? Rest assured, I have no qualms with if you should like to abuse it or not, it is your power to do with as you please, but I would not be so quick to proclaim Regina a 'villain' for doing the same thing you are and cast it in a different light merely because you are the 'hero,' do you not think?"

Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find an actual answer but was coming up short…

When Elsa gasped, "Emma look!"

They looked down at the picture that Emma had just finished turning to before Piper spoke to see an image of Emma in the ice cream parlor, seeming to be in the middle of arguing with the Snow Queen herself.

"It's…it's me," Emma breathed, startled, "And her."

"And you still don't remember any of this?" Elsa frowned.

"No," Emma shook her head, "But I know someone who may, the person who had the photos taken."

Piper let out a breath as Emma turned and hurried out of the office, Elsa rushing after her. She had just take a step to follow…when the phone rang. She let out a huff of annoyance and moved over to pick up the phone, "Yes?" she answered, not bothering to say it was the sheriff's station, no one was likely to call that line unless they WANTED the sheriff.

"Piper?" David's voice called on the other side, sounding confused, "I thought Emma…"

"Is seeking an audience with Regina at the moment," Piper answered.

"Oh," he let out a long, frustrated breath.

She closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn't regret this, "May I be of assistance instead?"

"You?"

She pursed her lips at that, "Would it make you feel better if I put it in the phrasing of a deal to be made?"

"No," he said quickly, "No, no I just…" he sighed, "I was calling to see if Emma might want to look after Neal for a few hours. I…I really need to get Mary Margaret out of the house, even just for a stroll through town, but she won't leave Neal unless he's cared for and Emma…"

"Would be the first to call," Piper agreed, "Would…I be an agreeable replacement?" she wondered, actually…hoping…he might say yes.

"You?"

"If you ask me 'you?' one more time…"

"Sorry," he laughed, "I just…it's not every day the Pied Piper offers to babysit."

She had to nod at that, that did sound rather laughable, "Then think of it as…Snow White's cousin, offering to watch her nephew."

"Yeah," David murmured, "That actually helps a lot more."

"What time?"

"Um…in half hour?"

She blinked at that, glancing at the time, it WAS starting to get dark already, "I shall be there."

"Thank you."

"It is no problem at all…I…should like to spend time with my nephew while he is still a babe."

"Still, thank you."

She nodded slightly, "You are welcome," before hanging up the phone.

"So…" Will called, sitting in the cell, smirking, "Any chance you'll let me out of this dungeon?"

Piper eyed him a moment, stepping closer to the cell, "I do this for the sole reason that you amuse me," she warned him, sliding the keys she'd subtly grabbed into the lock and opening it.

"Well thank you very much milady," Will gave an exaggerated bow.

"If anyone asks," she called when he dashed past her for the door, making him pause, "You broke out."

He scoffed at that, "Like I'm gonna tell anyone that I had to be LET out of a jail."

She shook her head, amused, as he ran out of the station. She glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled, heading out of the station, knowing Will likely wouldn't tell anyone that she'd let him out.

And really, if Emma HADN'T wanted him freed, she should not have left the keys just lying there.

Villains, they were so bad with temptation after all.

~8~

"Ooh, shhh," Piper smiled as she stood in the middle of Mary Margaret's apartment, Neal in her arms, the baby fussing only slightly.

"See," she could hear David whispering to her cousin on the other side of the room, not that he was being all that quiet nor was the room all that large that she wouldn't hear anyone talking in the same room as her, "She's got this covered. We wrote down all the emergency numbers. He's already been fed and changed and dressed up for bed. It'll be just fine."

Mary Margaret shifted a bit, glancing up at her husband, "Since when do you trust her?"

"I…don't," he admitted, "Not 100 percent, I'll admit that, but YOU trust her don't you?"

"Of course," Mary Margaret said.

Piper faltered slightly in her swaying at that, at how quickly her cousin had spoken. It hadn't been a 'jump to defense' response but more of an answer one gave when they were trying to deny something or hide something.

"Of course I do."

"And if you do…then I will," David nodded, "I'll trust her with Neal. After all, she's a Siren right? She'd kill anyone that even tried to touch him that he didn't like."

"Half-siren," Mary Margaret countered absently, staring at Piper as she began to hum a gentle song to Neal, calming him more.

"Either way, if anything happens, Neal will be ok," David continued, "She'll keep him safe."

"I know that," Mary Margaret swallowed, "I'm just…nervous about leaving him at all. Between the curse and the wicked witch, we don't exactly have the best track record with our babies."

Piper frowned, her back to them, she could sense that that was true, but only partly so.

"He is going to be fine," he looked up as Neal cooed, reaching up to grab one of Piper's fingers, "And we need this time away. You need it," he emphasized, moving in front of his wife, "Hey," he got her to look up at him, "So what do you say? You ready for our evening stroll?"

Mary Margaret looked back over at her son and cousin, "You're SURE you can handle this Rosie?"

"I shall be fine, Frosty," Piper nearly teased at the mention of 'Rosie,' "You shall only be gone an hour at most, yes? I can promise you I shall not step out of this room or apartment nor let anyone that would dare harm your child in. And, for once, your Shepherd is correct. I would kill anyone who would even try to harm him with my bare hands if not my music."

Mary Margaret nodded at that, not seeming like she'd fully heard the threat, "Ok…ok," she turned to her husband, "Ok, let's…let's go."

"Ok," he smiled, stepping over to the door and taking her coat to help her into it.

"After all, the sooner we leave the sooner we'll be back right?"

Piper chuckled at how David rolled his eyes at his wife's remark as they stepped out of the door. She shook her head and down at Neal as he gazed up at her curiously, "We are finally alone little one," she said, with a softness not many would expect of the Pied Piper, but right now…right now she wasn't just her, she was the little boy's aunt, and right now…she was alone, with no one to watch her or judge her, to observe every little move she made with suspicion, just the innocent eyes of her nephew staring up at him, "What would you like to do?" she bobbed just a bit as she swayed, making him giggle, "You have…a very important name, Neal. You are named after your sister's love, your nephew's father. Would you like me to tell you of him? Tell you of the man who was Baelfire and became the Neal of your namesake? Hmm?" she smiled warmly as Neal seemed to cheer, waving his arms a bit haphazardly in what appeared to be an attempt to clap, "Well…I must offer you my apologies though, I know not much of him, not as much as I would like to have known. But…" she glanced at the door, "I DO know someone that could regale you with tales of him long into the night," her smile grew as there was a knock on the door, a familiar melody faintly drifting to her from behind it, "And here he is," she whispered to the boy, moving to the door and opening it, "Rummy," she greeted.

"Pip," he smiled, stepping in, "And how is the young prince this evening?"

"Excited," she answered as he leaned in, rubbing the boy's stomach a moment, allowing Neal to grab his finger as he had her own, "I…may have mentioned and promised certain stories for the night, about…about his namesake."

Gold looked up at her for that, "Did you now?"

She nodded, her heart warming at the tone of his voice, not disappointed or angry but more…touched, disbelieving even, "We have a deal."

He chuckled at that, "Teaching the lad about deals already are we?" he looked at the boy, "Well, most important thing to remember, always keep your deal," he warned the boy with a light tone, "And what stories in particular did your Aunt promise you? Eh? What would you like to hear?"

"I think he would enjoy any tale you were willing to tell," she gave him a soft look, stepping back to sit on the couch.

Gold looked at her a moment longer, observing her sitting there with the baby in her arms and was struck with an ache in his chest for the sight. She looked…like a mother, like what he imagined she would have looked like if August had been a child, what she might look like if fate saw it fit to bless two of the worst villains in the Enchanted Forest with a child of their own. He swallowed a lump in his throat at the emotions rising in him and moved to sit beside her, feeling a warmth spread through him as she placed the baby in his arms, in his lap, carefully. This…this wasn't just her letting him hold the child that had been named after his son, this wasn't just letting him hold a child…this was her, trusting him, with her family, with the newest, most innocent, most defenseless member…trusting him with the baby's life.

And he would not disappoint.

"Thank you Pip," he breathed, looking up at her, "Not just for this," he nodded at the child looking up at him with a smile, it wasn't just the trust she was putting in him, but…

"I know," she nodded, "You so rarely have someone to speak to of him," she murmured, "I know many tales, and we have both lost our sons. It…hurts, to speak of them when so few would listen, but him?" she smiled down at the baby, "He is new, he is fresh ears, he will listen."

It wasn't just the trust…it was the opportunity, the chance to talk about his son openly, to tell stories of him to someone that would really want to hear them. Henry had come to his shop, had said he wanted to get to know him more, because he was the last tie the boy had to his father. Yet he hadn't asked much of Baelfire. The others in the town…they hardly seemed to care or even remember that he HAD just lost his son, that Baelfire had died. They had barely given him a moment to grieve before coming to him about the Snow Queen this and Anna that and Snow Beasts and new hands and…they saw him as villain, he knew, as a monster incapable of loving.

They looked at him and didn't even consider how deeply he was mourning the loss of his son, they likely thought he didn't even care, that he felt nothing.

But he felt it, he did, so powerfully…and there was no one to speak to but Piper. Dr. Hopper, for all his 'forgiveness' and 'understanding' for villains, had yet to seek him out to offer grief counseling. Not that he would accept, but the man had sought out Regina repeatedly to discuss the traumas in her life…yet didn't seem to consider HE would feel anything either.

Perhaps if heroes cared as much as they claimed they did, even about villains, there would be less villains in the world.

He looked down as he felt a hand settle on Neal's stomach, just near his hand, and saw Piper rubbing the boy's belly gently, giving him an encouraging look to speak and tell whatever story he wanted to.

He leaned in first and pressed a kiss to her lips.

He didn't care, he didn't care if every single hero in the town didn't care about him…because Piper did, and that was all he needed.

If no hero would care, he knew at least one villain would. And, perhaps, after tonight, even though the boy was still so young, maybe one day Neal would come to care for him too.

~8~

Piper smiled as she watched Gold with Neal in his arms, gently rocking the boy back and forth, humming a lullaby of his own, before he gently set the boy in his cradle for the night, Neal completely asleep halfway through the lullaby. It was such a sweet moment, one she knew that, likely, she was the only person who had ever had the privilege of being witness to. From what he had told her of Milah, the moment he'd come back from the Ogre Wars alive the woman had thrust their son into his arms and had hardly been there a moment after that, leaving him to take care of the boy more often than not. HE had been the one to change Baelfire and clothe him, wash him, feed him, put him to bed. So many people would look at him and see the Dark One, see the vile imp that had tried to take Cinderella's child, and completely forget that he HAD been a father before, to a little boy, he had held a baby and been a father.

And it touched her heart deeply to see him with a baby in his arms, remembering his time as a father in putting Neal to bed, she had never wanted a child of her own with him more than in that moment. She put a hand on her stomach at that thought, one day…one day she would be a mother and he a father. One day.

She looked up when she heard the door open to see Mary Margaret entering with a bright smile…one that dropped instantly when she saw Gold in the apartment, standing right by her son's cradle, "What is he doing here?" she looked at Piper.

Piper frowned at how tense her cousin was, how rigidly she was standing there, how her gaze returned to Gold and hardened.

"Rose," she demanded, her voice more firm, "What is he doing here?"

"Rummy came to assist me in caring for Neal," Piper answered, standing, "You wished him safe, he was doubly so with the both of us here."

"You invited the Dark One into my home to be around my son and didn't think to ask me first?" Mary Margaret actually glared at her.

"There was no danger," Piper stated, "Snow, Neal was perfectly safe, content. We told him stories and put him to bed, all without incident. There is not a hair out of place on his head and…"

"Rose!" Mary Margaret shouted, making Neal whimper in his cradle, stirring.

Piper sighed, realizing this was NOT going to be a quiet conversation in the slightest and knowing full well that the boy had been keeping his parents up well into the night still, they needed the sleep and if that boy woke now he would never get to be. She glanced behind her, "Rummy will you watch over Neal as I speak with my cousin in.."

"No!" Mary Margaret snapped, her voice going deep, "We are NOT leaving my son alone with that monster!"

The room fell deadly silent as Piper looked back at her cousin, the woman's cheeks red in anger, her shoulders shaking as she seemed to be panting. But she didn't care, her jaw tensing, her lips pursing at what Mary Margaret had just said.

"Snow," Piper spoke, her voice low and deadly in a way that Mary Margaret had never heard before, "Hallway. Now."

Mary Margaret remained defiant, staring past her at Gold, but Piper strode forward and grabbed her cousin's arm, pulling her into the hall with her.

"How dare you Snow…" she began.

But Mary Margaret cut her off, "How dare I? How dare YOU? David asked YOU to come and look after our son, NOT Rumpelstiltskin! Do you know how much it took to get myself to leave my son just so David could take me on his stroll? Do you know how much it took to let someone else watch over my child without wanting to run back to him? I trusted you Rose, I trusted that he would be SAFE with you!"

"Did you?" Piper scoffed, "It did not seem that way when you repeatedly refused to let me so much as hold him. It did not feel that way when you shot down ever offer to watch the boy that I made to you. I do not understand Snow," she shook her head, "You shall have to explain it to me. You had no qualms with allowing me to hold him that night in the diner, yet the next morn you barely let me touch him. What changed? Was it Marian?" she asked, "Was it her words? Was it my naming myself a monster? What made your faith in me change so quickly?"

"Well you aren't exactly helping yourself by inviting people into my home while I'm not there, while my SON is, without my permission!"

Piper let out an angry breath through her nose, trying to calm herself, not wanting to shout at her cousin, never wanting to fight with her but she was not making it easy, "Then I apologize for not asking your permission first Snow, but I do believe you are making a far bigger deal of this than necessary…"

"A bigger deal?" Mary Margaret scoffed, "A bigger…that man is the reason I lost both my children! He is the reason Neal was ripped out of my arms the moment I got to hold him! He is the reason Regina cast the curse that forced me to send my daughter away through a wardrobe to god knew where alone and unable to see her for 28 years! If you think I wanted him anywhere near my son ever again…" she shook her head, too angry to form coherent sentences, all she could think about was the night at the diner, how Marian was shouting about monsters and Piper was remarking so easily about what it meant to be one, how she'd looked over and seen Neal in her arms...with Gold right behind them and all she could see was the man standing there with Zelena in the same position before they'd disappeared with her child, "And then you put my child right into his arms!"

And THAT was the problem. Piper had fought to keep Neal from Zelena...she doubted her cousin would fight to keep Neal from the Dark One, and she'd proved her right, she'd put her son right into Rumpelstiltskin's arms, where no baby ought to EVER be.

"Need I remind you Snow White, that the Dark One is also the reason you got your two children BACK!" Piper retorted, realizing the reason Mary Margaret hadn't wanted her to watch the child or be alone with it was because she didn't trust Gold around it, "Regina cast that curse, SHE is the reason you lost your daughter. Zelena wanted to sacrifice your son, SHE is the reason you almost lost him. And, had it not been for Rummy, for his failsafe in the curse to break it, for his efforts thwarting Zelena, you would have never had your daughter back and your son would be dead!" she took in a deep breath, "I am sorry to be harsh, Snow, but you wish to point fingers that he is this great bloody evil…"

"He's the DARK ONE, Rose!"

"And Regina is the EVIL Queen! Which one has Evil in the actual NAME?! I thought you, of all people, would understand that DARK does not equate EVIL!" Piper roared, cutting off her cousin, "Yes, Rummy aided Zelena in stealing your son, but he was being controlled by the Dagger! And that will NOT happen again."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place," Mary Margaret tried to speak calmly, though her voice was shaking in rage, "You swore up and down that we were all safe because YOU had the dagger. And then you lost it. And Zelena got it, and SHE had the Dark One on her side. Fine, yes, he was being controlled, but if it happened once, Rose, it COULD happen again! And then what!?"

"Then I would use his heart to stop him as I did last time," Piper told her firmly, "You do not seem to grasp the fact that, unless someone possesses the dagger and commands it so, Rummy is NO danger to you or our family Snow!"

"All he's ever done is PUT our family in danger!" Mary Margaret argued, "Me, Charming, Emma, Henry, YOU," Piper opened her mouth to argue against that, to remind her cousin that she had gone to the Dark One willingly because Regina had developed a vendetta against Snow White, when Mary Margaret plowed on, "His own son is DEAD Rose, I do NOT want my son to die too! I just want my son to be safe!"

"And he was!" Piper shouted, not even about to touch how low a blow bringing up Baelfire's death was, because it seemed that, even though it had been HER fault, her cousin still viewed it as being too much the Dark One's fault, that if he hadn't been in her life or gained her love, it never would have led to the boy's death, "He was perfectly safe and content before you started shouting like a mad woman just because I invited my true love to come and babysit! I do not see the problem with that when Emma has her one-handed parasite lurking around him as well!"

"Hook's a pirate!" Mary Margaret explained in a yell, "HE," she pointed at the door, "Is the Dark One!"

"And he is a 'monster,' right?" Piper nearly rolled her eyes at that, mimicking what Mary Margaret had just called him, "I can assure you Snow I am FAR more a monster than he is and yet you claim to trust ME around your son. Or do you not any longer?"

"Yes!" Mary Margaret raged, "Of course I trust you!"

"No you don't!" Piper shook her head, her use of a shortened word throwing Mary Margaret into silence, knowing that her cousin only started to slip in her speech when she was truly upset, "And that is what it boils down to, doesn't it? If you trusted me, Snow, you would trust my judgment. You would trust my heart, my love. You would trust me when I say that Rummy would NEVER harm our family. Yet you have admitted yourself you want him nowhere near the child you named after HIS son! Despite what he has done for you, you do not trust him, and in not trusting him, you fail to trust me as well. After all I have ever done, give up, and endured for YOU, in your name, for your safety and protection…you are actually failing to trust me now! And that is a fact. You don't trust me!"

"You're right!" Mary Margaret glared, throwing her arms out, "You're right, I DON'T trust him. And I don't trust you when it comes to him!"

The silence that fell in the hallway was almost deafening.

How wide Mary Margaret's eyes grew when she realized what she'd just said to her cousin seemed almost impossible.

"Rose…" she breathed, shaking her head, almost unable to believe she'd just said that, that she'd just told her cousin that she really didn't trust her, despite all she'd done to keep their family safe, "I…"

But Piper shook her head, actual tears in her eyes that made Mary Margaret feel like she'd just been stabbed in the heart to see and know she'd caused, "You have said enough," she said, her voice shaking as she reached behind her and knocked only twice on the door.

"Rosie, I didn't mean…"

"I have nothing more to say to you tonight, Snow White," Piper stated with such forced formality that Mary Margaret flinched. Piper didn't even look back when the door opened and Gold stepped out, "We shall take our leave of you. But please, do feel free to do a thorough examination of your son, since you find me such a negligible caregiver and deplorable aunt that I could not possibly have taken proper care of him in your absence. After all," she stepped up to her cousin, staring her dead in the eyes, "I am one of the 'monsters' that should not be around children am I not?"

Mary Margaret opened her mouth to plead with her, tears falling from her eyes, but Gold, having heard every word that had been shouted through the door after he cast a small soundproof charm on Neal's mobile so the child would sleep well, threw up his hand, causing them to disappear in a swirl of smoke.

David stepped into the hall from the stairs only a moment later, frowning when he saw his wife standing in the hall, staring ahead of her, with tears trailing down her cheeks, "Mary Margaret?" he hurried over to her, "What happened?" he glanced into the apartment to see Neal sleeping peacefully, and back to her, "What's wrong?"

Mary Margaret just shook her head and stepped closer to him, hugging him tightly as she sobbed into his chest, the full weight of what she'd said to her half-siren cousin hitting her, what she'd implied about her…

She'd made a horrible, horrible mistake.

~8~

Piper sighed to herself as she opened the door of Gold's home, blinking in surprise when she saw who was standing on the doorstep, "Emma?"

"Hi," Emma offered, shifting in discomfort, "Um…I know it's late," she glanced at her watch, wincing at just HOW late it was, "And I…you're probably busy but…" she let out a breath, "Regina and I tracked down the Snow Queen and we had a fight…"

"You and the Snow Queen?" Piper tensed, if that woman harmed Emma in any way…

"Yeah, but not…not a real one," Emma shrugged, "She could've done more damage but she didn't, it was…the fight was more Regina and I."

"Did SHE harm you?" Piper's eyes narrowed.

"What? No," Emma shook her head, her eyes widening slightly, "Wow you are really protective…"

Piper let out a small breath through her nose at the irony of what Emma had just said. And it really was ironic. Snow White implies she was not protective enough, that she was more a danger to the family than a protector. And Snow White's daughter finally realizes just HOW protective she really was of the family.

"You are my family Emma," she told her, "I am a Siren, half-Siren, it comes with the territory I am sorry to say."

"Right," Emma nodded slowly, "No, no Regina was fine. As fine as an angry, bitter Regina could be, but…she said something to me that got me thinking. I think we might have resolved her grudge against me for Marian, and she said that…that I was wrong about her understanding me."

Piper frowned, "I am not following."

Emma winced at that, realizing she was really going about this badly, "I said that I was in Storybrooke and I had my family, my son, friends, and…and things, but that I…I felt like I also had someone that had magic and knew what it was like to be me in Regina, that she understood what it was like to be rejected and misunderstood and my family didn't. She…she said, well she said something about a 'damned truce' which I didn't get, but then she told me that I was wrong…because my family DID know…that YOU knew," she looked at Piper intently, "And I realized…I don't know much about you, and I should. You're my aunt and all you've ever done is protect me and look out for Mary Margaret and Henry and Neal…and even David…"

"I did torture him a handful of times," Piper remarked, trying to make Emma feel less awkward to be talking about her feelings.

Emma gave a weak chuckle at that, "But…she said that you would understand me better than she could, what it was like, the…the rejection and misunderstanding and…I guess what I'm trying to say is…" she took a breath, "I'm sorry, that I never really tried to get to know you or…or understand you. I did to you the same thing I always hated other people doing to me. I kept rejecting you and not bothering to get to know you and it's not fair that I accept Mary Margaret and David as my parents but not…not you too. And I don't want to keep doing that. I…I want to get to know you…Aunt P."

Piper smiled at that, a genuine smile that Emma had seen so rarely that she felt almost proud and…and happy that she had finally done something that earned her a smile like that, "I would like that very much Emma."

"I um…if you have time…"

"For you Emma, for my family, I have all the time in the world."

"Good, cos I um…I brought some things with me," she nodded at a box she'd set beside her, "It's…its of my past, in the system. You always said that you were looking for me and you would have adopted me the second you found me. I just…I wanted to share that part of my past with you that you missed. And I…I want to learn about your past too. I'll admit I haven't…I'm not like Henry, I haven't read through every story in his book hundreds of times and I honestly can't say if I even looked at your story in it. But…I'd rather hear it from you. I get the feeling you'll be a lot more honest than a fairytale book."

"Oh undoubtedly," Piper stepped aside to let Emma into the house. It wasn't like she was going to get restful sleep that night either, and Emma clearly seemed to want to start as soon as possible, and she would not begrudge her niece something like this. And, after the rather bad row she'd just had with Mary Margaret…she could use someone from her blood-family around her, someone that still trusted her.

"Hey?" Emma called, looking up from where she'd set the box down on the coffee table of the living room, staring at Piper who was standing in the archway of it, not moving, "You ok?"

"Fine," Piper stated, moving to sit beside her.

"Oh no," Emma shook her head, a small smirk on her face, "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna start with the truth."

Piper gave her a small smile at that, though Emma could see that it was tired now, almost exhausted really, there was…there was even a bit of redness to her eyes, like she'd been crying but that couldn't be.

Piper let out a long breath, "Your mother and I had a bit of a row before. Words were exchanged."

"Bad words?"

"Nothing your brother could hear with his virgin ears."

"You…um…you wanna talk about it?"

"Not particularly," Piper remarked, "It is still rather…raw…"

Emma frowned at that, wondering just what could have possibly been said that PIPER of all people wasn't willing to talk about it. She couldn't imagine her mother saying anything that would actually upset someone like Piper so much that she might have been crying from it. Snow White could NOT muster that level of malice to make the Pied Piper cry, she was sure of that. But…whatever it was, it had to be big for Piper to have felt raw from it.

"May we focus on you, just for this evening, Emma?" Piper glanced at her.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Believe me, I get not wanting to talk about feelings and…bad memories."

Piper frowned, seeing her gaze drift to the box, "If these contain such memories, we do not have to speak of or look at them."

Emma smiled at her for that, "Thanks but…" she took a breath, "This is…what's left of my childhood. A childhood that I could have had with you or…mom…if things had been different," she nodded, reaching into the box and pulling out a random video camera, "I haven't watched this since I recorded it," she fiddled with it, opening the side of it and rewinding the footage.

Piper took that as a sign that she could look into the box as well and pulled a small pile of pictures out, "This girl…" she murmured, seeing a blonde girl that could only be a teenage Emma, and another girl with darker coloring, black hair and brown eyes smiling beside her.

"Just an old friend," Emma tried to wave it off, playing the video on the camera, the volume quite low, watching as she and the girl, Lily, just made faces and laughed.

Piper nodded and set the picture down, not saying another word.

Emma blinked at that, staring between the picture and to Piper, "Thank you," she said when she realized Piper wasn't bringing it up or asking her or pushing her to talk about it.

"As you said," Piper smiled, "I 'get that,' we shall only talk of what you are comfortable talking about."

Emma nodded, looking down at the camera when a different voice spoke, to see what looked like her standing in a hallway, a boy teasing her while another was holding the camera, "Hey, look what the new girl brought with her!" the boy behind the camera shouted.

"Was that one of your foster homes?" Piper inquired, leaning over to observe the scene, glancing at Emma with a frown when she saw Emma staring at the small screen in confusion.

"I guess…" Emma murmured.

"You do not sound certain," Piper observed.

"Because I don't remember any of this," Emma shook her head, watching the footage play, her eyes widening as another, actually familiar voice spoke.

"Give it back, Kevin!" a woman ordered from off screen, "The camera is Emma's, not yours."

"Oh my god," Emma breathed, staring in shock as the owner of the voice walked into the frame…

And she saw the Snow Queen, dressed in modern clothing, speaking with her younger self, "We respect property in this house, Emma."

Emma paused the footage as the Snow Queen walked towards the camera, her face filling the frame, leaving no doubt in her mind that it was the same woman that had been lurking about Storybrooke.

Piper pursed her lips at that…

Damn.

A/N: Bit of a long note, but touches on Piper and Snow's confrontation and Piper's comments to Hook and about Henry:

And now we see the true reason for Snow's hesitation :( Poor Piper. I feel like it's always hard to separate things when it comes to family. Like, they're family, you look at them and see them in a different way than someone else. Snow knows that Piper had done terrible things in the past, likely far more gruesome things than the Dark One, but it's her cousin, it's her baby cousin, it's Rose Red buried in there. Gold isn't related to her, Gold has always been 'the Dark One' to her, and Gold was behind her losing her children twice before. She can't quite see past the family ties to see that her cousin is likely a greater monster than Gold is, because to her Piper is still her cousin, whereas Gold is still the Dark One. Gold was behind her losing Emma and Neal, Regina was only behind her losing Emma so she could forgive it a little more.

Snow does not trust Gold either, and that hurts Piper. Because it means Snow doesn't trust HER judgement and trust in Gold. It's different, in Piper's mind, how she doesn't trust Hook with Emma because she's been privy to see how Hook still has his villainous streak and is lying to Emma's face about things. She sees no reason for Snow to doubt Gold in the sense that he would truly and willingly harm her family permanently. From her point of view, and the view she feels Snow should be able to see, Gold has always protected them, in the long run, helped them and done what he could to keep them safe, for Piper. It feels, to her, like Snow is saying that, despite all of it, she doesn't trust Gold and, by extension, doesn't trust Piper either. And for a Siren to have her family question their loyalty and care...it cuts her deeply :(

It also sort of applies to the term 'monster.' Like Piper and Gold will call themselves monsters, they understand each other and they know that the term, in reference to each other, is more of an understanding that that is what everyone else sees them as, it's said with an understanding that THEY don't see each other in the same context. Others use it in the absolute worst way, they understand that there are things others don't know about what they've done or why. When others use it, it doesn't bother them, because they don't care about other people's opinions. When they use it for each other, it doesn't bother them, because they know it's not directed at them as an insult or malicious. But if their own family, the people closest to them use it...it's different. Snow calling Gold a monster and using it in the exact same context as everyone else, THAT hurts, because it always hurts more when it comes from family. The heroes might have used 'monster' in the past, in shock or in passing, but how Snow is using it here, it's different to Piper's ears and it's hurting more than it should because it's coming from Snow :'( When Snow calls Gold a monster in that context, Piper is hearing it as Snow also calling HER a monster, and we've seen from flashbacks that was one of her biggest fears, that she would become a monster in her cousin's eyes :'(

Might be a bit evil to say but...this chapter isn't even the TOP angst moment of the story }:)

On another note, I sort of wanted someone to point out that Hook actually didn't deny using Henry to get to Emma in the show, he really just told Will to keep out of it but never said 'I wouldn't' or defend himself. I thought that was a telling moment that sort of no one really picked up on in the show, which was odd because Emma should have jumped alert at the mention of her son :( I also sort of got a little annoyed at Emma as well in the general theme of heroes being hypocrites in this season, she remarks that Regina abused her power as mayor, yet SHE was abusing her power, in a smaller way, as sheriff in how she arrested Will and kept him detained for a longer time than necessary and actually said to him that he was in jail because he ruined her date or something :( Piper has no issue with the abuse of power, so long as it's called what it is and not someone trying to deny they're doing the same thing a villain would or that it's not villainous just because a hero's doing it so I felt like she'd comment on it in an almost 'I'm proud of you' way for Emma but also trying to make her aware that she needs to call it what it is ;)

The Henry comments as well, I can't see a kid like Henry, who's obsessed with heroes and things, NOT wanting archery lessons from THE Robin Hood. And, by Henry's own words, he thinks Robin (and may imply the relationship he has with Regina) is awesome. When Emma, in the episode, asks Henry, before she asks Hook out, if he's sure he's ok with this, he said no. Which could mean he's not comfortable or ok with his mother dating (which is odd since he was ok with Regina dating) or he's not ok with it being Hook she's dating. Either way he wasn't entirely happy with the situation and I just felt like most people would take their children's feelings into consideration more if they flat out told them they were NOT ok with them dating or the person they were dating, even if the child backtracks and says just be happy, if Emma wants to be the mother she feels she deserves to be in Henry's life, I wondered wouldn't she back off a bit on Hook till Henry was ok with it? It could stem from Emma not having been the 'real' mom in raising Henry that she doesn't feel that same way about a child's opinion on things, but it struck me as something Piper would latch onto and comment on because Henry wouldn't say it that clearly or in a way where Emma realized he really wasn't fully ok with it all.

Some notes on reviews...

Hmmm...I'd say I like SwanFire, I feel like it had potential and if the writers gave it enough time to really get into Neal's head, it would have held up better in the show :) I like SwanQueen as a more platonic/friendship than a couple :) For Gold though, hmm...I actually kind of thought the Cora/Dark One dynamic could have been interesting to see :)

Nope, not quite Aladdin ;) I tried to keep it vague incase the character I picture the man being ends up being used in the show in the future ;) I feel like I'd enjoy Emma more if she was more mature in how she handles Hook, I agree she's acting a little too in love in the show when she's never been that open and expressive or allowing it to cloud her judgement before :/ The way she kind of just swooned into his arms in the finale when Henry rescued her and stared up at him with that odd smile felt a little too not-Emma-like to me. I would have liked her to have had time to heal from losing Neal (and even Walsh) before starting anything with Hook. It really made me sad that she kissed Hook in Neverland like a day after she thought Neal died and said she loved him. I think the writers said they were only in Neverland a week so it felt really fast for her to just give in and kiss Hook like that :/ I would SO stop with the split season arcs too! :) I feel like they cram way too much into 11 episodes and it really takes away from building up moments with the characters into a believable pace :) I think if they'd planned it out more, the Frozen/OZ arc could have been amazing, but they overdid it and forced way too much on us. Like just about every single flashback in the start of Season 4 was Frozen and it got tiring after a while :( I would have probably erased Zelena or at least made her story less 'oh here's ANOTHER member of Henry's family to add to the tree' and made her just genuinely wicked. Like she was in Oz when the Curse hit, saw this land for the taking, and took over...then didn't want to give it up when the others came back and the only real threat to her was Regina and Gold or something. It would have been interesting to see someone like Cruella who's just a truly evil person on the inside as a villain without a 'touching/heartbreaking' backstory. I can say Piper would find someone else besides Emma in the AU, but I can't say who ;) That's a lot of stories planned! I wish you the absolute best on all of them! ^-^ And if you ever decide to revisit the idea of a crossover, just let me know, I'm usually very good about letting people use an OC for something like that if they give even a little line of credit about where the OC came from ;) But I really do wish you the best on your stories! :)

It would be very cool to see Merlin as a young man when they're all expecting this old man with a beard :) Or if he was somewhat immortal and appeared young, I could see Regina and Gold making comments about his age and him just constantly going 'I'm older than the Dark One you know' :)

I'm curious what Regina would say to Belle and vice versa too :) It probably won't end up being a big blow out though :/ Regina would likely say 'you agreed' and how she was safe and how it was actually sort of a kindness to erase Belle's memory of what she made Belle say to Gold. But Belle won't be happy her heart was taken and she had no idea either so it'll be something ;)