Family Business

Piper stood in the back of the Sheriff's station, Gold beside her, his hand resting on the small of her back as they watched Emma play the recording she'd found just last night for those gathered among them. Elsa was there, with Hook, Mary Margaret, David, Henry, and Regina, everyone watching as the boy stole Emma's video camera in the footage.

"Give it back, Kevin," and, just as the night before, the Snow Queen appeared beside a young Emma, "The camera is Emma's, not yours."

Emma sighed and paused the footage as the Snow Queen turned to the camera giving them all a good look at the woman.

"Emma," Mary Margaret breathed, staring at the footage with wide eyes, "That's you. You must be…"

"13," Emma nodded, "Maybe 14."

Regina leaned in as Emma and Mary Margaret's faces were so close to the screen they might have been pushed against them, "Are you missing the part where she's with the Snow Queen?" that got them to pull back as Regina turned more to Emma, "Emma, you knew her before you came to Storybrooke?"

"Apparently my run-in with her in town wasn't the only memory she erased," Emma shrugged, "All this time in this foster home, or whatever that place was, it's gone…"

"What I don't get," Henry spoke up, "Is how she even got to this realm when she had to be from yours," he looked around at the others.

"We were hoping Gold could tell us that," Emma glanced at the man as he stood close to Piper, silent and tall. If she had to describe it, she would have almost thought that the man was taking a protective stance, something she was almost sure he was doing given that his gaze had hardly been on the TV but on Mary Margaret, "You spent more time trying to get here than anyone," she managed to pull his attention to her for a moment, "How the hell did she do it?"

"Considering the time I spent on the same task, I'd love to know," was all Gold remarked, though his tone was deep and dry and held a hint of a hard edge to it.

She didn't doubt that the man would have rather the two of them be anywhere else but in the station with Mary Margaret there given his reactions to the woman. It was…weird. To her. She'd seen SO much of Piper's protective side rearing into life that it was almost disconcerting to see Gold, of all people, be protective over someone, to see him want to defend Piper against her cousin. But she could see it just in the way he stood, supporting Piper's silence, not drawing her into it, not trying to encourage her to speak when she didn't. He wasn't being openly affectionate and coddling of her, but he hadn't broken the physical connection he had with her since they arrived, had acted as a buffer, requesting they get on with it before Mary Margaret, who HAD been heading for the woman beside him, could do anything.

"Does it really matter how she got to Emma?" David glanced around, "I mean, shouldn't we be more concerned about why?"

"Obviously, she needed her for something," Regina remarked, "But what?" she scoffed, thinking about how that added to the ever-growing list of issues they had, "Well, that's our next problem."

"Well, we know she's hiding somewhere in the north woods," David thought out loud, "We combed every inch of her shop. We tore apart her house. She must have cleared everything out days before."

"Which means she must be hiding something," Hook agreed.

"But where?" Emma shook her head.

"What about her ice cream truck?" Henry shrugged, drawing everyone's gaze over to him.

"Whoa, Snow Queen has an ice cream truck?" Emma blinked at that.

"I'm a kid," he laughed, "I notice these kinds of things."

"Well done," Piper offered, making him beam to be the one that had gotten her to speak for the first time since they arrived.

He didn't know what had happened, but from the tension and how she was acting, where she was standing, he could guess that something had gone down between her and Mary Margaret. Normally Piper would greet Mary Margaret first, speak to her and see how she was, how Neal was, stand beside her, as a buffer between the 'heroes and villains' in that she would be between Mary Margaret and Gold more often than not. But this time she'd hardly spoken to her cousin and was standing right beside Gold instead, not even looking at Mary Margaret. Whatever it was…he hoped that it wasn't too bad, or that they were able to make up from it soon. It was really…weird, to see Piper react like that to Mary Margaret.

That alone told him that whatever it was…it had been bad, really bad, because Piper wouldn't just ignore her cousin for no reason.

"Then we split up into groups," David declared, "We search the town, the woods. Hook, Regina, Emma, you take the west. Gold, you're with me for the east, Piper you and Mary…"

"I think we all know Pip and I work best together," Gold gave David a cold, warning look.

He could tell exactly what the man was trying to do, split them up while also forcing Piper and her cousin to be in the same place, alone, to 'talk' or 'work out' their argument. But David didn't know Piper like he did, the man had a hard enough time accepting the villain as his wife's cousin, as his son's aunt, he had barely gotten a chance or had a drive to learn even a modicum of siren lore. He had no idea how they operated or what was needed to resolve issues for them. No good at all would come from forcing Piper to confront her cousin before she could work through the sting of Mary Margaret's words.

If anything, it might make it even worse, and he doubted, in the long run, that David would want his wife upset. And that was all that would happen from his efforts to 'help,' he would drive Piper and Mary Margaret further apart and…for once…HE was actually of agreement with the man. He did not want to see Piper lose her cousin or fight with her anymore than David did his wife. Family was…essential to Sirens, important to them, Piper was reeling from a blow dealt to her by her own cousin, her family, and it would take time to heal from it.

He could see the struggle in her expression, in her body language, in her eyes. It was painful, for Piper, deep down to be what she was, both siren and human. Both sides fought against each other in various ways and while she was coping and had been able to cope through most of her life…when events like this, that put a strain on family reared up, it was harder for her to deal with it all. The human part of her wanted to talk to her cousin and resolve it, the siren part was spitting and hissing at the wounds dealt in Mary Margaret's words. She wanted to talk to her cousin, he knew, deep down she did…but…

She had lost so much of herself in becoming the Piper.

She had spoken to him at length of what it was like on her journey, separated from her cousin, what it was like to feel herself change and become more and more siren-like as the days went by. She lost too much of Rose Red to ever feel…human. It had been a hard blow for her, to realize she'd lost that aspect of her past, something she'd been terrified to lose, something she'd worried about what she'd become without. He had done his best to reassure her that it wouldn't change anything between her and her cousin, love transcended things like that.

She wanted to speak to Mary Margaret, the human in her did…but there was so much Siren in her, almost too much, for her to know that doing so would be devastating. She wasn't ready to do it, her wounds were too fresh and stung too badly to even be able to face her cousin without lashing out. And he knew…she was utterly petrified, even if she never let on, that any more confrontations with Mary Margaret would end up hardening her heart to her cousin. That was the very LAST thing she ever wanted to happen, something she was fighting against letting.

There was almost no reason for it NOT to happen, save sheer force of will and a firm clinging to what little 'human' she still had in her.

Her mother, he knew, had completely turned against her Siren family when they betrayed her, when they were planning to do something that would hurt her behind her back. Her family had caused her to lose trust in them, they had lost trust in her…there was no reason to be loyal to the family if the family didn't trust her. So she'd left.

A mere act of lost trust had been enough to sever the ties a Siren had to her clan.

And Piper was feeling it fight her to do the same to Mary Margaret.

If Mary Margaret didn't trust her any longer, then was there any point to return the trust? And once the trust was broken…it could lead to a dark path of heart hardening that Piper desperately wanted to avoid. Because lost trust alone was enough to cause a full-blooded Siren to harden her heart to her family, what did it mean for Piper, who was merely half? She was trying her best to keep it from happening, he knew, she was using everything in her to remind her that Emma still trusted her, Henry did, Neal was innocent and trusted her, even…even David seemed to be trusting her more. There were still people of Mary Margaret's family that trusted her and for that reason alone she could not give up on that bond.

The human in her clung to it, trying to help her keep faith that Mary Margaret's trust hadn't been entirely lost.

The woman had said that she didn't trust Piper 'when it came to Gold.' Perhaps there was still a chance that she trusted her in other areas.

Anything at all that she could do to keep that faith and belief that the trust hadn't been fully torn apart was something she needed. Because while the Siren in her was fuming and hurt and rash, the human in her was hopeful and conscious of the fact that once the trust was lost…it would be enormously difficult to get back. The human in her could recognize that she didn't WANT to lose the trust, to sever the bond between her and her cousin, that Mary Margaret was the last blood-family of the Enchanted Forest she had left, as Emma and Henry and Neal were more children of this world, the last family that knew her as Rose Red.

And that was also a part of it, wasn't it?

Mary Margaret represented Rose Red to Piper. She had cast off being that princess a long time ago, stopped being her entirely, but she HAD been Rose Red at one point, she HAD been more human than siren once, and Mary Margaret was a symbol of that time, a reminder that she wasn't a completely evil creature. She symbolized all that she had been, and something that, despite becoming the Piper, she didn't want to forget she'd been.

To lose Mary Margaret in that way would almost be like cutting that part of her out entirely, to lose that small spark of humanity that she still had.

It was a difficult road, it was painful for her to bear, worse yet that all of it was in her own mind and heart, not something others could truly help with. HE was trying all he could to help her through it, reassure her, even…keep her hope up that the issue with her and Mary Margaret COULD be resolved, that Mary Margaret had only shouted what she had out of shock and the heat of the moment and not a genuine feeling of mistrust. But what David was planning would only make it worse in forcing a person that was more Siren than human at the moment to face the person that had hurt them.

Sirens were not so easily forgiving as humans, and the fight had only happened less than 12 hours ago. It was too soon.

"Fine," David huffed, seeing that his plan had fallen through, especially when Mary Margaret herself looked at him with a pleading gaze and shake of the head that she did not agree with the plan either.

Gold had to eye her with thin relief for that, it seemed the woman was conscious of just how bad that would be to leave them both alone at the moment.

"Gold and Piper on the East, Mary Margaret and I will take the south, Robin and his Men are in the north…"

"We need more eyes," Emma muttered, "No," she shook her head, "We need more angles. We're looking at this like she's my long lost foster mother, and this is Storybrooke, a town filled with fairytale characters. Maybe we need to look at her as the Snow Queen too."

"We can check the library," Henry offered, "There has to be something there about it, other legends of the Snow Queen. I can go, ask Belle for help. She's good at research."

"I'd like to come with you," Elsa looked at Henry, "If that's ok. Maybe something about my sister will be there, too."

"Awesome," Henry nodded.

"Right, then we're set?" Emma looked around, the group nodded, "Then let's go."

~8~

Piper breathed deeply as she walked through the woods with Gold beside her, her arm linked through his, both of them silent as they 'examined' the area. They didn't really have a need to really 'look' for the Snow Queen, she could hear a song that wasn't familiar and Gold could sense the magic, both of which were lacking at the moment.

"You were very brave back there, Pip," Gold remarked after a moment, "To face your cousin after last night."

"Emma requested we attend," Piper muttered, "I would not deny her. Even if it meant Snow would be in attendance as well."

He nodded, moving his arm slightly so that he was holding her hand instead as they went, "Still, you've more control than I. I could not cease glaring at her."

Piper smiled a bit at that, "I…was fearful that if I truly looked at her I would…" she shook her head.

"You can speak to me Pip, always," he opened his other arm, "Of everyone in this town, I am the one that has right to judge you least."

"You have more right than any of the heroes," she muttered, taking a deep breath at the venom that had snuck into her voice, shaking her head firmly as though to brush that off, "I feared that if I looked at her I would not see Snow White but…Mary Margaret."

He nodded at that, understanding, "You feared you would not see her as your cousin any longer."

She swallowed hard at that, sucking a deep breath through her nose once more, "Yes."

He lifted her hand to his lips, "That won't happen Pip. I won't let it."

"You?" the question wasn't asked in a scoffing or disbelieving way, but more heartfelt.

"Me," he agreed, "I love you Piper," he told her, his voice leaving no question of whether he was telling the truth or not, "I want you happy. And I know that your cousin is important to you and makes you happy. You are not happy now in your fight with her, I will not let it reach a point where you lose her or yourself to it."

Piper's expression grew soft at that, "I love you, Rumpelstiltskin."

He was a villain, through and through. One would think that meant he would be selfish, that he would want her all to himself. That he would plot to keep her family from her or turn them against her so that she would turn against them. But here he was, telling her that he knew it would make her unhappy to lose them, that he wanted her happy and happy meant reconciled with them.

A voice in the back of her mind whispered to her with the question of if the heroes would do the same. If she and Gold were in a fight and she was just as torn in not wanting to lose him but not feeling able to speak to or look at him…would Mary Margaret, or any of the other heroes, actually try to help her? Try to help them resolve their issue and reconcile? Or would they (Snow) see it as an opportunity to keep her away from the Dark One's influence?

The same bitter voice whispered that no, they wouldn't. Mary Margaret had proven she wanted her son, and by extension, family, nowhere near Gold.

She shook her head again, trying to force the voice out of her head, trying to tell herself and make herself believe that her cousin would want her happy and returned to her true love, just as Snow White would want to be with her Charming Prince again. That Snow would see it as no different a situation and try to help her cousin reunite with her love…

Snow wouldn't see it any differently…

But would Mary Margaret?

No, she shook her head firmly once more, shoving the voice down, these questions…they would do her no favors save make her wary of her cousin, mistrustful of Mary Margaret just as Mary Margaret had come to mistrust her.

"We will see this resolved," Gold spoke, thankfully pulling her from her darkening thoughts, looking at her with a small smile, "It may…take a moment or two," he gestured around, knowing she understood he meant dealing with the imminent threat of the Snow Queen and Elsa and Anna and his dagger, "But I will see you happy once more Pip."

"YOU make me happy," she murmured.

"And I am honored and glad that I do," he smiled more, "But I know your heart is truly happiest when you have both your family and myself in your life. We will see it resolved."

"I know," she nodded, trying to believe it, trying not to let the voice in her head convince her that she should just cut her ties with Mary Margaret over this. The Siren in her wanted to, wanted to be able to have the freedom to fight back against her cousin. But the Human in her wanted her to be patient, wanted her to realize she didn't really WANT to lose Mary Margaret, and that was the voice she focused on, because he was right, her cousin was more important to her than to lose her over what was said.

Still…it would take more than wanting to not be affected to not actually BE affected by what was said.

To be told that your family did not trust you any longer…it was difficult to bear, especially when all she had ever done was try to protect them. It hurt…and that hurt could be dangerous to a siren.

She inhaled deeply a moment later, looking to the left, "Do you…"

Gold nodded, able to sense what she had heard, "Stay here Pip."

"Rummy…" she shook her head, not wanting him to have to confront the Snow Queen alone.

He smiled gently at her, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips, "An advantage is always best," he murmured against them, leaning back to kiss her forehead as well before he headed ahead of her, stepping past a thick bush in between two large trees.

She sighed but understood, so far the Snow Queen didn't know she was aware of what Gold was doing, and the less the Snow Queen knew of her involvement and knowledge the better. The last thing they needed was for the woman to tell Emma or Mary Margaret that SHE had been speaking to her or confronting her with anything.

In the wrong context, and without her there to defend herself, there was no telling what the Snow Queen would spin it to sound like or what Mary Margaret would believe, how much less she'd trust her after…

"Stop it," she hissed at herself, "She is our cousin," she spoke, sounding more like she was trying to speak to both sides of herself, "In the end, she would NOT betray us. Let her mistrust us in some small way…but we will gain it back, prove our loyalty and she shall trust us once more."

She strode forward, reaching out to place her hands on one of the trees before her, turning to lay against it, her hands behind her, her head resting on the bark as she heard Gold speak out.

"You can show yourself, dearie. I'm not the one you're hiding from."

"No, you're not," the Snow Queen's voice returned, sounding farther away, as though she were on the other side of Gold, "To what do I owe this intrusion?"

"A warning. Emma Swan is onto you. She knows your history began long before you came to Storybrooke…"

The Snow Queen laughed at that, "I'm aware. Do you really think she would have discovered that if I hadn't wanted her to? It's all part of my plan, a plan you thankfully know little about."

"You're being awfully secretive."

"You didn't come to warn me. You came to find out my secrets."

"Or offer up a deal. Whatever suits you best. But if you decline, I'd be careful."

"There it is. There's the warning. You want something out of me? Why don't you just ask for it?"

"If I wanted something out of you, dearie," his voice grew darker, "Believe me, I'd take it."

"But you can't, can you? Otherwise you would."

Piper had to smirk at that, if only the woman knew just how much SHE had been able to get out of people in the past she would not sound so smug. She would love to do it now, sway the woman, torture her if needed, to find out what she planned to do with Emma, but she was still useful to Gold, there was still a deal he wanted to make with her. She could…wait, a little longer, just a little, to see if the deal could be brokered before she forced the Snow Queen's hand.

"You and I both know to get what you want, you need one thing that I have and you're sorely lacking," the Snow Queen continued, "Leverage. And until you get that, I have a warning for you. Stay out of my way."

Piper let out a breath as she heard the woman's song fade away, signaling that she'd likely magiced herself away and peered out from behind the tree, "Not go as you hoped?" she smirked a bit at him.

"Not yet," he agreed.

"I could sway her," she offered.

"No," he looked at her, an understanding if sad smile on his face, "You're in no state to be able to use your magic at the moment, you and I both know that."

She nodded slowly at that, knowing he hadn't said that as an insult or to be condescending. It was true. Being so at war with herself over Mary Margaret, constantly fighting the Siren's voice in her head trying to get her to let go of her care for her cousin…if she used her magic now, used her Siren magic in her music…it might weaken her resolve, might bring her closer and closer to that siren half of her.

And she would not risk that.

Despite what Mary Margaret had said and implied, she would fight for her family until she couldn't fight any longer. She would prove to her cousin that she was wrong, and that she WAS trustworthy. She would not let the siren in her win. She would not throw away the years and the bond she had with Snow White over an argument said out of shock and fear and exhaustion and so many other emotions Snow had to have been feeling at the time.

She refused to lose her cousin over words.

In the end, words could be taken back.

~8~

Piper sighed as she stepped into Gold's shop, having parted ways with him at the mansion in the woods, they were going to work on the dagger now that they knew that Emma was safe at the moment. She'd told David to call off the search, the Merry Men had found the ice cream truck in the woods and Emma was surrounded by Robin, the Men, Regina…and unfortunately Hook, but she had quite a few people around. She'd also confirmed that the Snow Queen wasn't anywhere to be seen and that the ice cream truck was free of enchantments or magical traps according to Regina, they were going to search it and would report back later if they found anything.

So she and Gold had decided to try the mansion and continue their research. She was just stopping back to the shop to pick up a book that Gold had requested. He'd put a charm on the shop recently that kept him or anyone with magic, from using it to poof objects out of the shop. She was going to stop into Granny's as well on the way back and pick up food for them as well. She was getting a headache from the constant pressure in her head over all of this and just wanted some hot chocolate and cinnamon to sip on and relax while they researched.

She grabbed the book and was heading for the door when she stopped…spotting a rather odd sight across the street. Belle was leaving the library, a…letter opener in hand…and hurrying for the woods.

"Now that IS odd, is it not?" she murmured to herself, curious. She glanced at the book in her hand, before looking at Belle's disappearing figure once more, the girl had seemed frantic and upset and she HAD to know the woods were off limits now that the Snow Queen had seemed to take up residence in them. Which left only one thing to be deduced…Belle was heading for the Snow Queen.

But for what reason?

Well…she wouldn't find out by standing there, so she pushed the door open and made her way after Belle. She wouldn't put it past the woman to try and strike some sort of bargain with the Snow Queen, whether about Gold or taking HER out, she wasn't sure…but she didn't trust Belle at all. She really had no reason she could think of to be seeking the woman out and it was better to be safe than sorry later.

~8~

"And what reason have you to be here?" Piper called out as she stepped out behind a tree, causing Belle, who had come to stop before a large cave entrance in the side of an ice wall, to gasp and spin around, nearly dropping her letter opener.

"Piper!" Belle swallowed hard, "I…I…"

"What business have you with the Snow Queen?" Piper repeated, taking a dangerous step closer. She doubted that Belle had known the Snow Queen was there, but the girl was…smart. She'd gone far enough into the woods to reach the icewall and followed it along, keeping in the northern part of the woods, till she'd found the cave. It was all too clear that that had to be the entrance to the Snow Queen's lair.

Belle, to her credit, didn't raise the letter opener like a weapon to her, likely recalling what a simple slap had landed her with when first they met, "I have to fix a mistake that I made a long time ago," she hesitated a moment, "Is…is she in there? Can you…can you hear her?"

"Why should I answer?" Piper tilted her head, eyeing her, "You have yet to answer me with a clear response."

Belle looked away, "I need to find something, something that the Snow Queen has."

"And what would that be?"

"A hat," Belle looked back at her, "One that can strip a magical being of their powers."

Piper's face remained expressionless of her slight shock that Belle seemed to know that the hat Gold had found existed, "A hat? You would risk life and limb...for a hat? You are more mentally deficient than I originally thought."

Belle glared at her, "I know she has it! And I need to get it from her. It's the only way to force her to tell us where Anna is."

"Anna?" Piper repeated, "Elsa's sister? I was unaware you knew her."

"I don't," Belle said quickly, "I'm just…I want to help, because a hero always helps strangers. I know that may be a strange concept to someone like you, but I want to help. And this is how I can do it. Now tell me, is she in there?"

Piper glanced at the cave and back, "You truly wish an answer from ME? If I say yes, you will not believe me and go in anyway. If I say no, you will still enter, whether she is or is not there, my answer would not change your decision."

"Fine then," Belle huffed, "Thank you for nothing," and turned to head into the cave.

Piper smirked, "Oh, not nothing," she murmured, moving to follow Belle at a more sedate pace.

It would have been a truth to say that the Snow Queen was not in there, for she heard not the woman's song, which meant that there was time to look around at the woman's lair, perhaps try and discover what the woman was planning that she was keeping from Gold. She had been very withholding of information when Gold approached her, she WAS planning something, but it seemed not even Gold knew what it was and it set them both on edge. The more she knew, the better for them and her family.

She slowed though when she heard what sounded like Belle speaking just before she entered a large room that appeared to be the Snow Queen's main chambers, it…sounded like Belle, but there were other voices that were almost echoing with hers.

"…remember what happened to your mother, no matter what the cost," the voice was saying.

Piper stepped in fully, frowning when she saw Belle standing before a large, round mirror with an ornate white frame that appeared almost made of snow around it. She inched closer, noting that Belle didn't appear aware that she was even there.

"I made a mistake!" Belle was shouting at the mirror, "I didn't mean to…"

"Ruin someone's life?" Piper's eyes narrowed at that, hearing the voice was coming FROM the mirror, "It certainly wasn't your most heroic moment. Not that you've ever really been hero material."

"No," Belle gasped, trying to step away from it, "Please, please stop!"

Piper moved further to the back of the room, stepping behind Belle and watching, curious, as the mirror, the image of Belle, actually spoke back to her despite Belle not moving, "Everyone sees you for what you really are, Belle a pathetic coward! I mean, why do you think anyone even puts up with you? You're the eager little bookwork that does all the research so the heroes don't have to. You're so weak the only thing useful about you is that you know how to turn a page. And your feeble little crush on the Dark One?" the mirror laughed, fixated on Belle as Piper drew closer, "As though he could ever love you. You've SEEN him with her, haven't you? The Pied Piper? His TRUE Love? You never had a chance with him and why would you? You could never be what he needs. You're. Too. Weak!"

"Stop it!" Belle shouted.

Piper reached out and grabbed Belle's arm to turn her, "Belle, look away from the mirror," even she could sense something off about it, "Belle!" she snapped as the girl struggled.

Belle spun around, glaring at her with such a darkness in her eyes that she might have been impressed…had Belle not lashed out with the letter opener and managed to slice her cheek with it.

Piper reacted instantly, swinging her own arm out and backhanding Belle across the face, knocking her to the floor, unconscious, proving, perhaps, just how weak she really was, as she dropped the letter opener as well. Piper panted, wincing as she reached up to touch her cheek, pulling her hand away to see a small trace of blood on her fingers.

"Red as a rose, is it not?" a voice spoke.

HER voice.

She looked up…and there she was, standing where Belle had been, her own image, smirking at her from inside the mirror.

"It would be nice to spill more of it."

Piper frowned at that, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stepped closer to the mirror, tilting her head as she observed herself, her voice echoing with others.

"It would be delightful to lead the idiots of the town to the piers and have them drown themselves," the image continued, "To take all those that ever whispered about you, looked upon you with suspicion, treated you like you were a monster…take them all and massacre the lot of them."

"There would be no one left in this town," she remarked, looking up at the edges of the mirror and back to her reflection.

"And would that not be better?" it asked, "The silence, the quiet…only you, your love, your family left? That is all you need. They would be safe…the rest mere…collateral. Paying for their crimes, their prejudice, their mistrust. They deserve to die."

She hummed, considering that, "I agree…" she murmured, locking eyes with her relfection, "But not today."

Before she stepped back and over to Belle's side, grabbing the girl's arm and yanking her necklace charm off its chain, smashing it on the ground, creating a swirl of purple smoke that rose up and surrounded her and Belle…dying down only to show they had appeared in the mansion, right in front of Gold as he was holding his hand over the hat, sensing the power in it.

"Piper?" Gold blinked, before his gaze hardened, striding over to her and reaching down to help her up, his hands coming up to her face, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek, healing the cut on it instantly, "Who did this to you?"

Piper just flicked her gaze to Belle, still prone on the floor. She reached out to grab his wrist gently when he lifted his hand to incinerate her, "She was being controlled," she explained quickly, "She meant to confront the Snow Queen, or steal the hat," she nodded at it sitting on the table, "From her, believing the woman to have it still. And found a rather remarkable mirror instead. I came upon Belle speaking to it, staring at it as though in a trance as it described quite…well, I relished in the words it spoke so it was likely quite horrible for her to hear," she mused, "I could almost feel the dark magic rolling off it."

The flash of realization in his eyes told her that he understood, that he knew what mirror it was, "I've heard of a mirror like that," he nodded, "It IS imbued with the darkest of magic."

"I moved to pull Belle from it…"

"Why not let it destroy her?" he asked, wondering, also, why she had brought the girl to safety there instead of leaving her for the Snow Queen to deal with later.

"I…" she struggled to express it without letting the Siren's thoughts reach her, "Wonder at how much others would believe me, if I told them of the mirror," for it WAS something she would tell them, the dark magic in it was not something she would be willing to let her family stumble across.

He nodded, understanding both her reason and the implication that this WOULD be something they tell the heroes about, "They would believe Belle more."

Piper's lips pursed at that, hearing the words that that Tremaine sister had said once, that many would believe the story of Belle over her, but knowing Gold hadn't meant it like that.

"What were YOU doing there Pip?"

"I saw Belle moving for the woods and wished to see if she was trying to join with the Snow Queen or if she was truly that feeble minded as to think she could confront her alone," she remarked easily, "I thought, as she was not in her lair, that I could see if I could gleam any information from it about her plans. I dare say that the mirror is it?"

He nodded, "It…can make people into their darkest selves."

"That does explain why Belle lashed out," she murmured, glancing down at the floor only to realize the letter opener was likely still in the cave, which didn't bother her, "And why it affected her and not me."

"I have to disagree with you, dearie…I think it rather DID affect you."

She shook her head, "I stepped back, I was in control of myself and my thoughts, I took Belle from there instead of leaving her to die for the sheer fact that her word would hold against mine otherwise I would have left there. I see not how it has affected me."

Gold gave her a look that was cross between concern and almost…anger, though she knew it wasn't directed at her. He held out his hand, conjuring a mirror and holding it up for her to see.

Her breath left her as her eyes widened, tentatively reaching out to touch the reflection of herself, not entirely sure she believed what she was seeing.

"What..."

Her eyes…her eyes were…different.

They weren't forest green anymore, the shade she shared with her cousin.

No, instead…they were dark, so very dark…almost black.

They weren't her eyes, no, they were the eyes of a full-blooded Siren.

~8~

Gold didn't even bother to sneak into the Snow Queen's lair, did not knock, did not magic himself in, but strode in, his expression hard, his eyes fixed in a glare at the blonde woman in the white dress lounging on a long cushioned chair in the middle of the room, "I'm afraid we have a problem, dearie," he began, not letting her get a word in as he moved past her to gesture at the mirror standing just as Piper had described it, "I was told about your mirror today."

There was no point in lying about it, in trying to say HE had seen the mirror before, he didn't doubt there was some sort of enchantment on it that let the Snow Queen know when it was activated. But that wasn't the point of this visit, it wasn't to lie or spin tales, it wasn't to try and pry her for information, no…he came for a different reason.

Piper had been alarmed at the change in her eyes, at the effect the mirror seemed to have on her, that it had tapped in so deeply into her siren traits that it had brought it to the surface the way it had. It had taken…hours for the darkness in her eyes to fade back to her normal green. She had sat there, staring at the mirror he'd conjured, waiting, nearly holding her breath as she waited for it to go away, to see her own eyes looking back at her.

She hadn't wanted to leave the mansion after that, so he had taken it upon himself to ensure that her desires that the heroes be informed of the mirror were seen to. He magiced himself and Belle back to the shop, waited for the woman to wake and explained to her that he had 'sensed' Piper in danger, if just to remind the woman that he was speaking of his true love and that it wasn't HER, and magiced them out. Had told her that she'd attacked Piper and injured her, which had had the girl tearing up and wanting to apologize. But he'd waved it off, using the excuse that Piper was recovering for why she wasn't there, and explained to her exactly what the mirror was and what the Snow Queen would use it for.

The Spell of Shattered Sight, a deeply dark spell that would cause those affected by it to transform into their worst selves, release their darkest desires and thoughts, and completely strip them of any semblance of humanity. It would be a bloodbath in the streets if that mirror shattered and the spell was enacted.

Belle had been all too quick to offer to tell the others, rushing out of the shop the moment he'd explained just enough for them to know it was serious and what it was, leaving him to return to Piper's side and sit beside her while they waited for her eyes to change, for the effects of the mirror to wear off. She hadn't wanted to face her cousin or her family even after her eyes returned to normal, could only imagine how the trust some still had in her (the little she hoped her cousin still had) would have snapped and vanished if she had appeared with her dark eyes. After everything she had gone through in the last 24 hours he was not going to let this go, he was not going to stand idly by while this affected not just the woman he loved but her family as well.

"It's rather impressive, isn't it?" the Snow Queen smiled, not seeming alarmed at all that he knew of it, "Your true love though…she was quite remarkable as well," she smirked, seeing his gaze darken even more, "The way she succumbed to the mirror was…unexpected," she titled her head to look at him, "I would almost say she wasn't quite human, perhaps not human at all…"

"Watch yourself," Gold glared at her, knowing it was a tense subject for Piper, "Now, I don't know exactly when you intend to use this mirror, but you should know this…I won't allow you to hurt those I care about."

And he wouldn't. Piper was first on his list, then Henry (though Piper would insist the boy should come first, and…he did want him to but Henry, despite claiming to want to work with him to get to know his father's father seemed…distant still), and then Piper's family after that. But they were people important to Piper and, for her sake, they were important to him in this sense. He would protect them, he would not allow them to be harmed because it would just harm Piper in the long run.

"And I won't allow you to derail my plans because you've suddenly gotten sentimental," the woman glared at him, sensing the depth behind his threat.

He stepped closer to her, looking her dead in the eyes, "You only get one warning."

"Which is more than you get," she shot back, "I can't make any promises over who may or who may not survive," she smirked, "For all you know, your precious love might become the target of quite a few people. I'm sure she's harmed plenty of them enough…"

"You know, you were wrong before," he cut in, stepping back, smirking instead, his entire demeanor shifting so suddenly that it threw her.

"That you needed leverage to get what you want?" she tried to regain her footing.

"No, that I didn't have it," he held up his hand, magically conjuring the magic-seizing hat, "I do," he grinned darkly as he saw the true fear in her eyes.

"Where did you get that?" she breathed.

"Oh, that's irrelevant," he waved it off, taking a step towards her, but she stepped back, "But now that I know what you're up to, we can have a real talk. You might want to reconsider your position, because I doubt you'd enjoy becoming just another embroidery on this hat," he wiggled it before her before making it disappear in a swirl of smoke, "Looks like you've just lost your leverage, dearie."

And with that he turned and strode out of the cave, disappearing in a swirl of red smoke as he reached the outside, reappearing back in the mansion with Piper, seeing her lying on a small couch, sleeping, likely exhausted from the stress of the day.

He hadn't known that the mirror would be the Snow Queen's plan of attack. Oh he knew she was trying to recreate the Shattered Sight curse, that she'd been collecting mirror fragments for…quite a while. But he hadn't known she'd actually succeeded in finishing it, in rebuilding the mirror. If he had he would have done something about it much sooner. Now though…to destroy the mirror was to release the curse, and if he so much as tried to take it from the Snow Queen she would just attack, set the curse off now and risk her plans not coming through the way she hoped so long as it thwarted him.

He moved over to Piper's side, crouching down and brushing a lock of hair behind her ears, and just watching her breathe a moment. He would not be thwarted though, he refused. He had lost enough of his family and those he loved in the past, he would let Piper experience more than she already had of the same. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before pushing himself up to head to a small stack of books he'd collected in the mansion for their research, opening them and sifting through them but this time it wasn't for what might help with the hat but something far more important.

He needed to know what that curse, what that mirror, might do to Piper, what it meant for her and her mixed blood. She had been alarmed before, tense and worried though she said not a word of it. And he wouldn't let her suffer like that, with a fear of what it had done to her. He would not let her suffer when he could help it.

A/N: I was SO tempted to end it on the 'eyes of a full-blooded Siren' part but I really wanted to have Gold and his threatening self make an appearance ;) This was actually one of my favorite chapters to write :) Piper is half human so she has some small level of control and failsafe in fighting the siren half of her. It's ironic that the thing she tried so hard to be as a child, and failed to be fully (allowing herself to become more siren like as years went by) is the only thing really keeping her from fully succumbing to it now.

In a way, it's actually the human half of her that makes her less trustworthy and more dangerous. Like...if she was full Siren, Gold would be dead. The second that he told her about the curse and how it might involve Snow and Emma, Piper would have killed him. Being half human it gives her pause, it gives her just enough pause to consider the future and fight past her basic instincts. Here the human part of her is giving her a breath of air to realize that she doesn't want to lose her cousin just as much as the siren half is ready to just give up on Snow (because why should she give loyalty to someone that has no trust or faith in her?). Back then, the human part gave her enough of a breath of air to realize that the curse would hurt for a little, but that in the end her cousin would have her daughter back, that she would win against the Evil Queen, and that her true love would also have his son back. The Siren in her would kill at the first chance that the slightest harm would befall her family...the human part of her would realize that sometimes small hurts are needed now to keep the bigger ones from happening later.

It's also ironic, in a sad way, that the human part of her, the part the heroes likely wish she had more of...is what would actually make her a threat to them in that the human part of her tones down the siren instinct to 'protect, protect, protect' to a sort of ability to protect in a more subtle and long-played way that might be ok with some sort of hurt happening so long as it was healable, resolvable, and would keep worse ones from happening.

She just can't win, can she? Be more like an uber-protective, family oriented siren...and be seen as a villain and a true dark creature not to be trusted. Be more like a slightly-reasonable, patient human...and become more dangerous and willing to let certain hurts happen 'for the greater good' and still be counted as a villain and not trustworthy :(

We'll see very soon a much needed conversation about labels and sort of self-fulfilling prophecies in terms of what makes a hero or a villain or even a monster before they're even born :(

Also, quick note to anyone reading my DW story at the moment, I'm very sorry that I missed the posting yesterday. My sister's puppy is learning how to go down stairs and got overexcited and jumped off the last half of them :( She started limping and my sister was at work so I had to take her to the vet to make sure she was ok and it took a while :( But the chapter should be up today at the normal time :)

Some notes on reviews...

August will be back more in the second half of the story so we still have quite a ways to go, but he might be in a few flashbacks before then ;) He'll definitely have more of a role in the story yup ;)

I was disappointed by the curse too :( Like they built it up to this deadly, dangerous thing...and all we got was a sword fight and Charming calling someone ice man? :/ They had SO much potential to really go deep and dark (like what would happen if Robin and Regina were confronted with each other under the curse with the Marian situation? for one) and they wasted it, in my opinion :( This story will sort of take a twist on the curse and the lack of bloodshed, but it'll be a very, very frustrating thing for the Snow Queen because of it ;)

I think Snow, at that point, was closer to her end of the pregnancy, very big, very stressed, very much trying to keep everything together that it was easier for her to ask one person to hold off on something than ask every single person that complained to back off :( It's sort of like she was trying to take the easier route and didn't realize it was actually hurting someone :( Thank you for letting me know about Anastasia! I didn't really get into OUATiW so I really only barely know what happened there ;) I'll try and think of another character to take Anastasia's place for that chapter :) Emma will definitely have an 'oh jeez, I screwed up' moment of not defending Piper against Hook about August at a later point though yup ;) Lol, I sort of call August/Lily 'Wooden Dragon' in my head but there's probably a better name out there for them, maybe wooden lily would be better since Maleficent is a dragon too though, not sure :) I think Piper would have handled talking to Lily better too, especially with her own dark streak, she'd be more empathetic and understanding :) Hmm...I sort of see Emma wearing red, like her jacket...though I'm not sure why her Jacket went from red to that weird orange/tan color to back to red for no reason lol :) But I think she tends to favor red :) And just after I wrote that I realized, in this story at least, it would also sort of be like a little nod to her 'aunt' also, how Snow named her Emma because Piper was going to name her daughter Emma, and she's Rose Red and if Emma wore red it would be a little cute lol :)