Smash the Mirror
"You should go," Emma said to Piper as she got out of her yellow bug, having driven it to the middle of nowhere in the woods early that morning.
"I did not leave you in the night," Piper shook her head, getting out of the car as well, "I shall not abandon you now."
"Why not?" Emma shook her head, "Do you not see this?" she held her hands up, showing Piper the magic and energy that was still rippling along her hands.
Piper gave it an unimpressed glance and lifted an eyebrow, "I am not blind Emma."
"Then why are you still here?!"
"You are family, I shall not abandon you when you have need of me."
"But I don't!" she argued, "I don't need you. I don't need you or anyone else around me when I can hurt you!"
Piper snorted at that, "If you truly believe you could harm me…"
"I hurt my own father," Emma cut in.
"No," she shook her head, taking a step towards Emma but she stepped back so Piper stopped, "You threw your hand out at a street lamp. No, actually, you yanked your arm out of the hold of someone you had already warned NOT to touch you and the motion threw your magic at a street lamp, it was not something you chose to launch a fireball at. THEY ignored you, you reacted to an unwanted touch just as every other person would. Well," she considered that, "Every other person besides myself or Rummy. Had it been someone to touch me I did not wish to, they would likely find themselves writhing on the ground and bleeding out their ears."
"You're not helping," Emma huffed.
"Am I not?" Piper shook her head, still so infuriatingly calm that Emma was starting to get antsy, "Emma, if it had been ME to react, they would be in far more agony and wounded greater than a mere street lamp knocking them in the shoulder. And that would be me consciously choosing to do that to another person. What you did was an accident."
"And someone still got hurt," Emma repeated, "My father…"
"Made a choice to push your pirate out of the way," Piper cut in this time, "The bilge rat stood there, staring at the pole as it was falling, when his reactions would have been sharper having spent 300 years on a ship. He could have moved easily, yet he stood there. Your father, ever the hero," she added sarcastically, "Dove into the fray and pushed him aside. He took a hit that was not meant for either man, one that both could have avoided with a single step to the side. THEY made the choices that earned them their wounds, Emma, not you."
"And what if I actually DO wound someone, what if I actually do hurt them, knowingly?"
Piper scoffed at that, "As though you could."
"I could hurt you," Emma pointed out, "Right now, with my magic as it is, you keep pushing me and I could hurt YOU."
"And I would fight back Emma," Piper reached down and plucked her pipe from her boot, "I am by no means defenseless. Unlike the rest of our family, I have my own magic. You attack me, you need me to stop you and I shall. If you lose control, would you like me to calm you?" she held up the pipe, "Lull you to sleep? Make you feel less burdened?"
Emma hesitated a moment at that, "You can really do that?"
"I do not just torture people, despite what your charming father would love to claim," she rolled her eyes, taking a step towards Emma who, finally, did not step away from her, "I raised August," she reminded Emma, "I soothed his nightmares, his fears, calmed him when he was upset. And yes, at times I put a bit of magic into it. You say the word Emma, and I offer my music to you."
Emma looked down at the pipe, about to speak when they heard the sound of twigs cracking and looked over to see Henry hurrying through the woods towards them.
"Mom!" he called to Emma.
Emma's eyes widened as she looked at Piper, "Did you tell him?"
"No," Piper sighed.
"Henry, what are you doing here?" Emma rounded on her son.
"I've been out all night looking for you," Henry smiled at her.
"I told everyone to stay away. I can't control my powers right now. Listen," she tried to smile, "Don't worry about me. I'm gonna find a way to fix this, I'm…" she swallowed hard, looking at Piper for reassurance, the woman nodding, "WE'RE going to find a way to…to work this out. But until I do you gotta go."
"But I can help you…" Henry frowned.
Piper glanced down at Emma's hands, the energy starting to crackle more and more with each step Henry took towards her, "Emma…"
"Henry, just wait…" Emma held up her hands to tell Henry to stop moving…when a pulses of magic shot out of it, knocking into Henry and sending him flying back onto the ground, "Henry!" she screamed, running forward only to stop short, wanting to reach for him, but seeing her hands crackling with the energy, "You ok?"
Piper placed a gentle hand on Emma's shoulder, squeezing it, before she stepped past her to help Henry sit up, "He is fine Emma," she reassured her niece, "Are you not Henry?"
"Yeah," he nodded, though he winced and touched the back of his head, near his ear, "I'm…I'm fine," he tried not to let his voice shake at the feel of a bit of blood on his fingers.
Emma, however, saw it, "Is that a cut?!" she gasped, horrified, "Henry, what did I do…"
"Emma," Piper turned to her, helping Henry stand, "It is a mere scratch…"
"I'm sorry," Emma's eyes filled with tears, "I'm so sorry."
"Mom…" Henry tried to step towards her, but Piper held him back.
"Henry," Piper turned, kneeling before him and taking his hands in her own, "I need you to accomplish a task for me."
Henry blinked at that, Emma watching them, nearly panting from trying to hold in her tears at what she'd just done to her son, "What kind of task?"
"I need you to return to the others and guard them…"
"From mom?!" Henry seemed on the verge of yelling at her for suggesting such a thing.
"No," Piper shook her head firm, "I need you to guard them and ensure they do not leave or search for Emma."
"But…"
"Henry," Piper sighed, "Emma IS struggling with her magic at the moment," she admitted, "And I have been there, I know what it feels like to not want to cause harm to those you love, to not want to be a danger to them. The more you fear it, the harder it becomes to control your magic. You, Snow, David, all of you do not possess magic. And magic can…sense…other magic," she tried to explain, "Emma can sense that I can handle myself around her, it can sense that, if need be, I CAN defend myself. You and the others cannot. I am sorry to say it so bluntly," she reached up to brush his hair, seeing him frowning at her words, "But Emma will see you defenseless and it will make her more cautious and nervous. Please, I need you and the others to leave this to me, ok?" she searched his eyes, seeing him still reluctant to do as she asked, "Do you trust me Henry?"
"What?" Henry blinked.
"Do you trust me?" she repeated, "Do you trust that I will protect Emma and help her through this?"
"Of course," Henry nodded, remembering his discussion with Gold, "Of course I trust you Aunt P."
Piper smiled at that, seeing the earnest truth in his eyes, "Then go home," she squeezed the hand she was still holding, "And keep the others from interfering. You know they will mean well, that they will wish to be heroic and good and help…but often times our best intentions can lead to the worst results. It will fall to you Henry to keep them from harming Emma more," she added that last part more quietly, "Can you do this?"
Henry frowned, pursing his lips a bit, glancing from a shifting, pale, and tearful Emma to Piper, before he nodded, "You can count on me, Aunt P."
Piper nodded, "Everything shall be fine Henry."
He glanced at his mother once more, Emma trying to give him a nod but it ended up being more of a jerk of the head instead, before he turned and ran off through the woods, ready and willing to keep his family put if it meant helping his mother, even if he had to put a chair in front of the door and sit there to keep them in.
Piper let out a long breath and stood, turning to look at Emma, "Emma," she spoke, making the girl look at her, "It is a mere scratch."
"I still hurt him. My magic hurt my son...I'm a monster!"
"You wish to speak about monsters, Emma?" Piper let out a small scoffing breath through her nose, "My magic, the part of me that gives way to my magic, drove me to a point of insanity where I KILLED my son because of it," she may not have physically killed Baelfire, but in her heart and mind and soul, that guilt would always be there, she would always feel that she had truly killed him, because he had died due to actions, "You are hardly anywhere near that point."
"I..." Emma swallowed hard, "I didn't mean..."
"Emma," Piper spoke, "You merely lost control of your magic and it created a tiny scrape on the neck of one boy. I once lost control of my magic and caused all the glass within 20 feet of me to shatter upon every single person near it. Men, women, even other children," she shook her head at that, "Their wounds were many, if minor, far more severe even still than the one Henry has left with."
"Yeah, but that's just it," Emma shook her head, "'Other children?' YOU were a kid at the time then. I'm not. I'm a damn adult!"
"Who has only known of her magic and been able to practice it barely a handful of months since you discovered it," Piper added, "A few months into learning my magic I was causing animals to swarm to me or horses to throw their riders or deafening the court on accident. Magic is about control and focus, about practice. Just because you are the Savior does NOT mean that it will come easier to you. It takes time."
"Time I clearly DON'T have," Emma seemed about to hold up her hands, but thought better of it, "If I don't learn how to stop this, quick, I'm going to hurt everyone I care about."
"Would you mind if I put Hook in front of you then? He irritates me."
"I'm being serious!" Emma snapped, "Piper…I'm scared," she breathed.
Piper gave her a soft, apologetic look, and stepped closer, about to speak when she froze and spun around, blocking Emma from the Snow Queen that had appeared in a swirl of snow behind them.
"And THEY are scared of you," the Snow Queen said the moment she formed.
Piper held out a hand to keep Emma back, "You stay AWAY from her," she nearly snarled, making Emma jump.
"Are you going to try and stop me?" the Snow Queen taunted, "Funny, I thought you would have given up, especially after what your dear cousin said to you…"
Emma glared at the woman, seeing Piper tense before her, "Get out of here," she shouted, pointing to the side, only for another large pulse of magic to shoot out of her.
"My, you are out of control," the Snow Queen observed Emma's hands, "But, Emma, you're not going to hurt me. Nor should you. I'm on your side."
"Just leave me the hell alone!"
"Come," Piper reached out to take Emma's arm, turning her to the car to get into it, Piper in the driver's seat now. Oh how badly she wanted to use her magic on the Snow Queen, use her music to cause the woman's ears to bleed and many other agonizing displays, but right now Emma would be affected by it as well as she couldn't exactly cover her ears with her hands sparking magic as they were, so…as much as she hated to do it…they had to flee for the moment.
"You can run, but it won't help," the Snow Queen called though she made no move to stop them, "The only way this ends is you embracing who you are."
"If it means hurting people I love, no, thanks," Emma spat, getting into the car, Piper driving them off a moment later, the Snow Queen not following.
"As much as it pains me to admit," Piper began after a moment, "She is not wrong, Emma. Much of magical disruption comes from inner turmoil, often an emotional trigger, once the emotion has been dealt with the magic calms."
Emma shook her head, "I'm not going to accept that my magic makes me a danger to my loved ones."
"Nor is that what I said you would be doing," Piper sighed, "Emma…" she took a breath, "I do believe it is time you and I had a chat about magic and monsters, and how one does not create the other."
~8~
Henry took a deep breath as he reached the door to Mary Margaret's apartment, able to hear her speaking with David, Elsa, and Hook from within. He knew he was going to be in trouble for this, not just because he was about to demand they leave Emma alone, but because they'd ordered him to stay in the apartment and he'd left while they'd been gone. But he'd HAD to!
"…we find our daughter," he could hear David saying as he entered, "Ok?"
"Ok," Mary Margaret sighed.
"You don't have to look anymore," he called, walking over to them.
"Henry!" David spun around, surprised.
"We thought you were asleep upstairs," Mary Margaret frowned at him, "We told you to stay here."
And that was when David noticed the scratch on his head when he turned to put his backpack down, "What happened!?"
"I snuck out, ok?" he turned back to them, "I'm sorry, but I found her."
"…how is she?" Mary Margaret asked hesitantly.
"Is she ok?" David shook his head, "Is she hurt?"
"She's out in the woods," Henry said, "She's with Aunt P."
"Oh thank god," Mary Margaret breathed, "We need to go and…"
"No," Henry shook his head, "No, you all need to stay here and wait till Emma comes home."
"What?" David frowned, "Henry…"
"Aunt P is with her," he repeated, "And she can handle this. So let her," he looked between them, "Trust her. I do. She'll help mom."
"I don't think we should trust something like this to…" David began.
"To what, David?" Mary Margaret cut in, "To my cousin?"
Henry frowned at that, how Mary Margaret was now suddenly acting like she trusted Piper again.
"To a siren," David sighed, "Look, Mary Margaret, Emma was worried about hurting us, that's why she ran. Should we really leave reassuring her in the hands of someone that does nothing but hurt people?"
"Aunt P wouldn't do that," Henry shook his head.
"I know you want to believe the best in her Henry," David turned to him, "But you don't understand what Sirens are like…"
"No, I don't think YOU do," Henry frowned at the man, forcing himself to stand taller as he confronted his family over this.
He could see it now, he could see the…prejudice that came with being who Piper was. It wasn't even that she was the Pied Piper that was bothering everyone, because to them, that was just a result of her siren-half. To them it was WHAT she was that they were starting to see her as instead of WHO she was to them. And it was wrong, it was so wrong. Was he really the only one that remembered everything Piper had done for them? Well he was going to remind them then.
"Sirens of the Sea are deeply loyal to their families," he looked at them, "They love their families and they protect them, with their life if they need to, with everything. The only time they turn against family is if their family betrays them first and you…you all are on the verge of that right now with how you're treating her, like she's some dark untrustworthy creature instead of my Aunt P, YOUR cousin," he looked at Mary Margaret, whose mouth dropped open, "I trust her, because I love her and she loves me, she loves all of you, even you gramps," he added to David, "I mean, I'm sure she does," he amended because really no one knew if Piper actually cared for David in a familial sense, "But even if she doesn't, you're her cousin's true love and she would keep you safe too. Emma is her niece, she loves Emma, and she will help her if we give her time and if we trust her. And I do. And I will," he looked around the room at them, "I hope you do to. Just the fact that Emma let her stay should say something, Emma, deep down, she trusts Aunt P too. So let her help and stay here. Please, just…trust her."
He gave them all one more look before he turned and headed past them, to go to the bathroom and clean the scratch on his head.
"Sirens will protect family with their lives," Elsa repeated, a small frown on her face.
"What?" David looked at her, a little thrown by Henry's words.
"It's just…" she shrugged slightly, "When Hook and I, when we went to see the Dark One, about finding the one that cursed Maid Marian…he said something, he said that Piper…she would kill HIM if she thought, even for a moment, that he was going to harm her family. Because she was a siren, and that's how important family is to them."
"Oh Rose…" Mary Margaret closed her eyes at that, tears in them as Elsa's words hit her in the heart, constricting it painfully.
She had been so afraid, that Gold would do something to harm her family, because he had been so involved in the loss of her children. She'd been so fearful that he would do something to her children, that they weren't safe with the man around. She hadn't…she really hadn't trusted her cousin's choice of true love, hadn't trusted her judgement in trusting Gold. Worse yet…the fact that Piper let the man around her children, it meant that Piper trusted Gold with their lives and safety and wellbeing, to let him that close…and she had thrown that back into Piper's face. She had basically told her cousin, in telling her she didn't trust her opinions when it came to Gold, that she didn't believe Piper had the best interests of the family at heart. She had told her cousin that she didn't thing Piper valued the family, that she wasn't really being loyal or protective of it…that she didn't think they were important.
And to hear this, to hear now that even Gold knew Piper would literally kill him if he harmed the family, if she suspected he would harm them…it meant that the family really was truly THAT important to her cousin. And she'd thrown it all back into her face. She should have realized, she SHOULD have realized how much Piper trusted him with the lives of her family in the sheer fact that the man was still alive. She had the dagger, she had the only thing that could kill the Dark One, and she had access to him. As much as Piper trusted him, Gold trusted her in return, he would allow her close enough to be able to attack. She had the only thing that could kill the Dark One…and she had never used it. Which meant the man WAS trustworthy to the family in the sense that Piper wouldn't allow him to live if he wasn't.
She'd made a terrible, terrible mistake.
"They're right," Mary Margaret breathed, so many truths and painful realizations hitting her, "We…I," she corrected, "Have treated her the way I always swore I wouldn't," she swallowed hard and looked at David, "I trust her," she determined, "I trust Rose with my life, with yours, with Neal's and Henry's and…and Emma's. She'll help Emma, she will. I know it. I know she will…"
David let out a breath, nodding slightly at his wife's words, hopeful yet cautious as he couldn't afford to blindly trust anyone as much as his wife did, needing to be the more reasonable and logical one of the two even if it meant seeing the worst in others and mistrusting them, "I hope your right."
And he really truly did.
~8~
Mr. Gold stood in his shop, tapping his fingers on the counter, looking at the pipe he had carved for Piper, polished by Henry and dropped off a short while ago. The boy had informed him that Piper was in the woods, with Emma, talking her down from her power outburst, and that she had asked him to trust her with the task. Henry had agreed, had even gotten his other grandparents to back off of interfering and trying to push Emma when she wasn't ready. It had apparently made the boy recall the pipe, made him wish to have it ready for when Piper came back with Emma and the situation was all resolved so that they could give it to her partially in thanks.
He had to smile at that, Henry certainly had the heart of the truest believe, he really did believe that Piper would be able to help Emma in a way the rest of her family couldn't, he really had that much faith in her, as he should.
It appeared Emma was afraid she was a monster for harming someone she loved…in that situation, really Piper was the only one that could help her realize she wasn't a monster at all, the only one Emma might believe not to be coddling her or giving her false reassurances as heroes often did.
Looking at the pipe though, sitting in its little box, it made him think of another set of magical items that had been in a box as well, items he had traded to the Snow Queen for information. She had given him the final piece of the puzzle he needed to free himself from his dagger, something he and Piper had been working on for some time now. The missing piece though…it would be tricky, especially considering the person that held it didn't trust him at all and would be on guard around him at all times…
He needed a way to get the man alone, to have him unguarded, disoriented coming in. He needed him distracted and not expecting what would be coming to him, frantic almost…
His lips curled up into a smirk as he thought of the perfect way to get what he wanted…
~8~
Mary Margaret sighed as she sat in her apartment, not liking this situation despite having agreed to it, not liking that her daughter was out there, hurt and upset, and she was just…sitting there. She was thankful, she was, that her cousin was out there and helping Emma, she understood, she did, that Piper would be able to really get Emma to understand that having magic wasn't bad or evil, but…at the same time, it should be HER. SHE was Emma's mother, and she couldn't even take care of her own daughter because SHE had been part of the reason Emma had run off in the first place.
She rubbed her head, this entire thing was a mess, and she'd made it so much worse. And now her cousin, whom she'd hurt deeply, was out there helping her niece because she cared. She really and deeply cared about Emma, and SHE had implied she didn't care enough. By rights Piper could have turned her back on the entire family because of her and she'd have understood, what she'd said, especially to a partial Siren, was truly cruel, one of the worst things she could imply. But Piper was putting that aside, putting her anger at HER aside, to help Emma. If only she had done that, put aside her discomfort with Gold to see the truth in Piper's choice and trust, maybe this whole thing would have been avoided.
She'd been so on edge with her fight with Piper and all those thoughts about magic and darkness and monsters flying through her head, when she'd seen Emma using it on Neal's bottle…something in her had reacted and…she had actually thought her daughter might have been using magic against her brother.
But really, what had she been thinking!? The magic Emma had used was pure white, it was light magic! If only she'd realized it then, if only she'd realized how pure the light was, she would have been teary that Emma was using light magic for her brother instead of stepping back like Emma had tried to curse him.
She let out a breath, glancing over at Regina who disappeared up stairs, fixing her shirt as she went and smiled. They'd called her over to be there with them. Not that they thought Regina would go off on a hunt for Emma, Regina had enough sense to know that with her temper and personality she might set Emma off more, but more…if…in the off chance…Piper failed, Henry would need his other mother desperately. And really…she needed the woman there too, she needed to see a woman that had made dark choices, essentially chosen to become Dark, and come back from it to be there in sight. Piper had been born dark, had grown darker, and life had led her to experiences that made her turn to true darkness easier. She needed to see Regina, someone that went dark and fought back to goodness, to remind her that no matter what, no matter if Emma hurt someone with her magic…if she could forgive Regina, she could forgive Emma anything.
She turned to David as the man explained a locator spell Regina had brought with her to Elsa, showing her Emma's scarf that they would use. They had agreed that they would give Piper 24 hours before they tried to find Emma, not even to interfere but just…to check up on her, from a distance if they had to.
She nearly jumped when her cell began to ring, half running to grab it, hopeful it might be Emma, and let out a breath when she saw it WAS, "It's her!"
"Hey, mom," came Emma's voice in her ear, "It's me. Did Henry come home?"
"Oh, yes, yes," she nodded, "No, he's fine. Emma, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday. I don't want you to ever think that we are afraid of you."
"Don't worry. It doesn't matter."
"No, of course it matters! I…"
"This is all gonna be over soon," Emma cut in, "I just needed to tell you that I'm ok. I actually have a way to fix everything."
"Fix everything?" she frowned.
"Piper explain to me the reason I have magic when other True Love Children, like Neal, don't is because of the Curse. I was never meant to have magic. And I think I have a way to get rid of it forever. I'll be back soon. I promise. And maybe we can…"
~8~
"…have some cocoa and cinnamon later tonight?" Gold spoke into Emma's cell phone that he'd nicked from the station when she'd run out without it, using the faint traces of her and his magic to make his voice sound as though it were Emma's, "I'd like that. I can't wait for it actually. So I'll see you later, ok?"
He grinned, ending the call, slipping the phone into his pocket, and pulling out a small map, circling the mansion in the woods to leave on his counter as he headed out for one more meeting he had to see to before the events that would undoubtedly take place that night that would get him his final piece of his dagger puzzle.
Heroes were unfailingly boring in their reactions to things…but villains, if you knew them well enough, were predictable.
He gave it no more than ten minutes before the pirate came running, suspecting him and his magic-stealing hat to be the method 'Emma' had spoken of, and found the location that it would all happen at.
~8~
Gold strode quietly into the lair of the Snow Queen, seeing her gazing at her mirror as he approached, her eyes focusing on his reflection in it when she spotted him, "Did you come here for a reason?" she inquired, "As I recall, I already told you what you need to do to free yourself from your dagger. Hmm," she turned and slowly walked towards him, "I have nothing more to give you…unless you simply like watching me."
His eyes narrowed slightly at that, "I never do anything without a good reason. And watching your twisted mind at work does not qualify," he eyed her up and down, starting to circle her, "You're nowhere near as interesting as Piper."
The Snow Queen ignored his last comment, focusing instead on what he'd said about herself, "Twisted? Says the man who betrayed everyone in Storybrooke."
"Ahh," he held up a finger, "I haven't betrayed a single person. Not yet, anyway," nor did he really plan to betray anyone important to him or Piper, but the Snow Queen didn't need to know that little fact.
"Did you forget that you gave me those?" she gestured to the ribbons sitting on an icy desk as he moved before her, "Did you forget what they can do?"
"I don't forget much, dearie," he came to face her once more, "But if you plan to put that ribbon on Emma Swan, you may find yourself disappointed. With how you sparked her powers to be out of control, she's now terrified of them. And all your little hopes of being the one to get her to accept them, to garner her loyalty and appreciation, well," he smirked, "She has someone else she'll bond with instead."
The Snow Queen glared at him for that, for how he'd worked out her plan with Emma. She HAD intended to be the one to help Emma through it, make her as scared as she had felt and swoop in with tales of similar pains and love to help her overcome her fear and accept who she was. It would make her that much more human in Emma's eyes, make Emma empathize with her, make her feel some sort of connection between them…she would NOT lose that to the Piper, for who else could he be talking about but the woman that had been with Emma before and left with her.
"You think she can take her away from me now?" she stepped forward, lifting her hand to use her magic on Gold, to banish him so she could go deal with the Piper herself, for she had only thought Piper there to try and convince Emma to return to Storybrooke, had not thought at all that the woman would actually be able to relate to and bond with Emma the way she could, but if the Dark One believed it would happen, so much so that he'd dare risk gloating about it to HER…it had to be true.
But the moment she sent her magic at him, it fizzled, barely even forming. She tried once more and glared at him, "What did you do?"
"Look down," he nodded to the floor where a faint golden circle of flecks was scattered around her, "Remember the urn your sister placed you in? It had the power to limit your magic."
"Elsa destroyed that urn!"
"Well, funny thing about magic," he hummed, "It can never be destroyed completely. It simply lives on in other forms. Magic survives. I visited the barn where the urn was destroyed, collected its remnants grain by grain, painstaking process. And I must say," he smirked, "The effort paid off."
"When I escape, there will be a terrible price to pay!" she cried as he turned to go.
He paused and looked back at her, "Don't worry. The dust won't last long, just long enough to get what I want. Just long enough for Pip to settle her niece instead of you," he moved to go, but stopped once more, "And, uh, you see, I don't have to betray everyone in Storybrooke," he eyed her, "Just you," before he turned and walked out, letting the sounds of the Snow Queen trying to conjure her now useless magic following him.
He had given Piper plenty of time to sort out her niece…now he had a pirate to see to.
~8~
"The docks?" Emma eyed the place Piper had driven them to, "Seriously?"
Piper sighed, "I am not overly fond of the sea," she admitted, "But I know you favor looking upon water when you are troubled or in need of thought," she led Emma over to a bench that looked out upon the ocean, the moon high in the sky. She glanced at Emma and patted the seat beside her pointedly till Emma rolled her eyes and sat down, Piper smiling when Emma didn't immediately think to move as far away as possible on the bench.
"Why didn't you do it?" Emma asked after a long while of silence.
"Do what?"
"Use your magic on me?" Emma glanced at her, "You were with me all night, all day, you offered to do it, but you never actually DID. Why?"
"You did not need it," she shrugged simply. Emma scoffed at that, "I speak truly Emma. You have it in yourself to calm yourself, you had no need of my magic. Look at us, right now," she turned to the girl, "As you said, you have been with me all day, all night, and I am perfectly unharmed. YOU did not harm me, you were no danger to me. You are not a danger to others."
"No," Emma shook her head, "It's like you told Henry, my magic can sense that you can handle it and it's not reacting to you and…" she trailed off seeing the small smile that Piper was giving her, "And that's not true at all is it?"
"In a manner of speaking, it is," Piper assured her, "It is not that your magic can sense mine, but that YOU know I possess magic, you see me as someone more able to protect myself should you lose control of it. All you need do is realize that you DO have some semblance of control of your magic and it shall not cause harm to anyone you do not wish it to."
Emma fell silent at that, turning to look out at the water, "Even if I get control of it now, it won't erase the fact that I hurt the people I love," she shook her head, "And the look in Mary Margaret's eyes…"
"Is a look all people with magic see in the eyes of others when they make a mistake," Piper sighed, "It is an unfortunate truth Emma, one that is not and will not ever apply to just you, so do try not to think you are the only person who has ever been looked upon with distrust and fear because of magic. How do you think the entire town looks upon Rummy? Upon me?"
"That's…different," Emma tried to argue, "He's the Dark One."
"Dark does not equate Evil," Piper gave her a look," Do you think me evil Emma?"
"No," Emma frowned, not sure where this was going.
"I am, by birth and blood, a dark creature," Piper explained, "THAT is what a siren is classified as, a dark creature. And from the moment I was born that is what everyone around me, save my parents and Snow, expected me to be. Could you imagine, growing up in an environment like that? Where everyone looks at you, even before you show your magic, as though they know not what to make of you? As though they are just waiting for you to do something foul to them?"
"It wouldn't have been much different if my parents got to raise me," Emma muttered, "Even before I was born I was 'the Savior,'" she crossed her arms, looking out at the sea, "It's…hard," she admitted, understanding what Piper was trying to get at, "It's a burden, to have so many expectations of what you should be and trying to live up to them."
"I tried not to," Piper told her softly, reaching out to take Emma's hand though they both were staring at the water, "I tried to be the opposite of what people thought of me, tried to be more like Snow. But as I grew older, it became too much. I was not being myself and I was not being who I truly was. Being half-siren was as much a part of me as being half-human yet I kept ignoring my siren half in an effort to be accepted. I tried to take the magic it gave me and use that while also pushing away the part that gave me my magic in the first place," she squeezed Emma's hand and made her look at her, "You cannot accept your title as 'Savior' without also accepting the magic that comes with it."
"I never wanted the magic though," Emma shook her head.
"And you think I did?" Piper countered, "Emma those that are proficient in magic are born of it, born with the talent for it. Yes, others may become somewhat capable of using it, but those that are truly powerful are born to possess it. None of us had a choice."
"Gold did."
"Yes, he did," Piper nodded, "But that has no point in what WE are discussing, of those born with it. Emma magic is a part of us whether we like it or not. And that sort of magic is incredibly difficult and dangerous to have taken away, which means it is best for everyone that we learn to use it and control it."
"Hold on," Emma frowned, "It's difficult and dangerous to have it taken away? So it's possible to remove my magic?"
Piper looked at her long and hard, "If you so much as try to, Emma Swan, I will music you into a coma."
Emma's eyes widened at that, "I was just…"
"You have NO idea what a process like that is like, nor what the consequences of it would be."
"Then tell me," Emma hesitated before squeezing Piper's hand, sensing there was far more than just not wanting her to give up her magic in her words. They sounded too...fearful.
"All you need know is it is agonizing, the MOST agonizing pain you will ever experience in your life, far worse than anything my pipe or even the Dark One could devise," Piper stated, her voice going flat as she spoke, as though she were disassociating, "It will feel as though your life, your very soul is being torn to pieces, leaving you cold and struggling. The more powerful you are, Emma, the more the magic is ingrained into your very being. To try to remove it will very likely kill you, and you are an adult, the magic has been in you longer."
Emma was quiet a minute or two, "You sound like you have experience with it…"
Piper sighed, "I do," she told the girl, her voice quiet, "Once, a long time ago, it was done to me. It was stopped before the process could be completed, but it happened. And I nearly died."
"Oh my god," Emma breathed, "How old were you?" Piper looked at her for that, "You said that I'm an adult, you don't get that specific unless, holy shit…you were a KID?" her eyes widened at that, "Someone did that to you when you were just a kid?"
Piper swallowed and looked away but forced herself to look back, "My parents."
"Why the hell…" she shook her head, hardly able to believe parents would do that to a child…
Would HER parents have done that to her?
"Because I asked them to," Piper answered, sounding as though she were admitting to something very few people knew, and really…only two besides herself did, Gold and Emma, "I asked them to because I was scared of what I could do. I was terrified I would hurt the ones I loved, hurt Snow," she looked meaningfully at Emma, "Sound familiar?"
Emma let out a breath at that, but said nothing.
"I was scared, for much of my life, Emma, that I would grow to be as much a monster as my people feared I would be. It took years before I accepted the truth of the situation."
"And what was that?"
"That everyone is different," she reached out and took Emma's other hand, "We all have different lives, different personalities, and different magics. Our magics even have their own orientations, towards light or dark. The Dark One, myself, we go to the dark. You, the fairies, they stray to the light."
"What the hell's Regina then?"
"As hard as it may be to believe, she was once light," Piper informed, "It took her many years to turn her magic to the dark, to make it dangerous. And that, Emma, is my point. You fear your magic, you fear it may harm people, but what you must understand is it is all relying on YOU. Your magic is light, it will not intentionally harm people. Your magic is light, it will not instantly turn dark unless you…become the Dark One or something, which I shall have to ask you not to do as I rather do love Rummy and would not see him killed," Emma cracked a small smile at that, "And YOU Emma," she grew serious again, "YOU are a good person. You are the farthest thing from a monster so, please, never think yourself to be one."
They lapsed into silence a moment, before Piper let out a long breath, seeing Emma was still slightly concerned, not as much as before, but still hesitant to accept her magic.
"Do you want to know why I truly believe you will not ever become a monster?" Piper asked her, "Whether you have magic or not?"
"Why?" Emma looked at her, really needing to know, needing to know from someone that would be honest with her and not just tell her false pleasantries or feed her a hope speech but just…tell her the truth, tell it like it is.
"Because I AM a monster Emma. I have caused people to nearly seize to death for a mere slap, caused others to be torn apart limb from limb simply because they refused to pay me owed money, set free a tortured prisoner just so that I could enjoy the hunt to get him back, and I caused for your uncle to be killed purely so that your father would be in a position to meet your mother. And worse, I have done SO much worse, I have done things that you would be horrified to even consider Emma, and for that reason alone you could never be a monster. You could not even begin to be like me if you tried," she smiled at Emma even as the girl frowned, "You are just too good a person."
"You're not a monster Aunt P," Emma murmured, despite what the woman had said, the things she'd described, it was dark yes, it was cruel, but...when she thought of 'monster' in her head...it just...it didn't ring out that the woman before her, the one that had raised August, that had searched tirelessly for her for 28 years, that had protected Henry and Mary Margaret and jumped into a portal after Neal...it didn't scream monster to her.
"I am, and that is ok," she told Emma calmly, "I have had…many years to accept what I have become. I am not a monster because I have magic, or because I am half a dark creature, I am…what I am because of…many reasons," she explained, "Yes, I care little for others outside my family, which does stem from being a siren, but it is about choices Emma. I choose to use my magic the way I do, however I choose. I choose to use it to torture people and control them, I choose to steal children and torment others, I choose to use it to murder and other foul deeds. I am not pure, Emma, I am not Snow, and you are not me," she tilted her head, "If you had the choice to use your magic to pry an answer out of an enemy by using it to cause unimaginable agonizing pain, would you do it?"
"No."
"I would," Piper's smile was a bit sad now, "Do you see the difference between us? You accidently harmed your father in a moment where your magic was truly out of your control, it was not a conscious act, it was not something you wanted or intended to do. I, on the other hand, have repeatedly tortured him while in full control of my magic, in a conscious act and a desire to cause him pain, something I wanted and intended to do. What makes us a hero or a villain, Emma, is what we choose to do and how we choose to go about getting what we want. What makes us a…savior or a monster, is what we are on the inside, something that has nothing at all to do with magic."
"My magic won't…"
"No," Piper cut in, knowing what Emma wanted to ask without her wanting to say it out loud, "Magic does not control us, magic does not turn us, it is our own hearts and our soul that control our magic. The Dark One is, likely, the only exception to that, and even then…Dark is not…"
"Evil," Emma finished, "I know, he…he did some good," she agreed, "Even being the Dark One, he still spent time looking for his son to apologize, he sacrificed himself to save the town from Pan," she glanced up, "He loves you. If he was…if he was really as evil as everyone thinks, he wouldn't be able to love you or…or wake you with true love's kiss."
"Exactly," Piper nodded, "Many people are…suspicious of our love," she told Emma something she hadn't even mentioned to Mary Margaret though she suspected that the woman's distrust in Gold might be an indication that she subscribed to the belief of others too, "Because he is still the Dark One despite my kissing him, that our love is not true. Or that it is only true on his side, which is rubbish, but does also show how others view me Emma. They believe the Dark One more capable of love than I, when really my kisses not breaking his curse are a testament to our love. I love him enough to not want to change him, I love him truly as he is, all of him. I do not wish to break his curse and without the intent, the curse does not break. Intent, Emma. Intent is the difference between good and evil, between savior and monster. And even then…we can love. We can all love."
"I don't think you're a monster, Aunt P," Emma told her, holding up a hand to keep her quiet a moment, "I mean it as in…I really don't think a true monster CAN love. And you do. Just because you call yourself a monster, doesn't really make you one. And I think, so long as you can love, as anyone can love, they couldn't be a monster."
"And what does that mean for you Emma?" Piper eyed her, smiling though at the words Emma had told her. She had called herself a monster in front of her cousin a time or two, and all she'd gotten in response was 'you're not a monster, you're my cousin' but that had no explanation, no true reasoning for why she wasn't a true monster. Emma…Emma had given her one, her capacity and ability to love meant she truly couldn't be a monster in the sense that every other person used it, and it was…comforting, "If the entire reason you feared your magic was because you love your family."
Emma let out a huff of air at that, but…smiled, "It means I'm not one either," she nodded, understanding now, "And…having magic doesn't make me one either. I just need to practice and trust myself, trust my magic, and…and I won't hurt anyone."
"And if you DO harm someone…"
"It will depend on my intention," she started to laugh, feeling lighter, "If I didn't mean to hurt them, then it's not something dark or evil, but an accident. And if I did mean to hurt them…they were probably an enemy because I don't WANT to hurt anyone."
"The magic is not what makes you good or evil," Piper nodded, "It is your heart, and Emma…yours…yours is pure."
Emma leaned in and hugged her tightly, "Thank you Aunt P," she murmured in Piper's ear, the woman hugging her back just as firm.
"Anything for my family, Emma," Piper pulled back, eyeing her a moment, just a bit sadly.
"What is it?" Emma asked.
"I was just…imagining," she murmured, "What you would have been like, had I raised you knowing of your magic and ready for it the entire time. You may have accepted it quicker, true, but…" she let out a breath, "I wonder what orientation your magic would have taken with me as your guiding hand," she laughed a bit, "I hardly think the town would be happy if you turned a bit dark."
"Well they would have had to deal with it and get their heads out of their asses," Emma nudged her, "Because Dark is not Evil. And…" she trailed off, "I probably would have beaten their enemies faster if I'd known I'd had magic, so they might have thanked you in the end."
"True," Piper laughed.
"But…it doesn't matter when I accepted my magic," Emma determined, "It just matters that I DO accept it."
"And do you?" Piper smiled.
Emma just turned and threw her hands up into the air, sending what appeared to be an aurora borealis drifting across the sky before it turned into fireworks, casting them in a multicolored glow as they watched, side by side.
~8~
Gold smirked as he stood in the shadows before the mansion in the woods, watching as Hook did just as he predicted and ran frantically towards the building.
"Swan!" the man shouted, pushing through an iron gate to the main path.
"Watch your step, captain," he called, stepping out of the shadows and into his path, "The terrain's a little rough around here."
"Get out of my way, Crocodile," Hook glared at him, "I'll die fighting before I let you use that bloody hat on Emma!"
Gold merely waved his hand, sending Hook flying back, pressing him against the iron gate, another twist of his wrist causing the iron to twist and bend, locking the pirate's arms and legs in place.
"No!"
Gold chuckled, stepping up to him, "Death can wait. How about before you depart, I'll treat you to a little piece of advice, eh? You need to start working on your 'cunning nature,' you've gotten a bit rusty if you didn't realize this was a trap."
"A what?" Hook struggled.
Gold let out a mocking sigh, "As though Miss Swan would come to me when Pip was with her to console her," he looked at Hook, pulling out Emma's phone from his pocket to hold up to him, "Hello, mom?" he made his voice sound like Emma's for a moment, causing Hook to still, both in realization that the person who had called Mary Margaret hadn't been Emma and also that Emma had gotten none of his phone calls trying to warn her about this, "And as though I would use that hat on the Savior, on Pip's niece, on my grandson's mother," he wasn't…particularly fond of thinking of Emma like that, in that last regard, in a way that connected her to his son. To him, the woman had done a fine job proving her love and care for his boy, moving on to the pirate mere days after his boy 'died' in Neverland, even continuing to court the pirate now without regard to mourning periods. It disturbed him a great deal to think that his son had died in love with a woman that couldn't even be bothered to honor his memory before moving onto the man that had sold him out to Pan, but he was getting lost in thought now, "It seems, mate," he mocked, "That I am the one who knows you better than you do me."
"What are you talking about?!" Hook demanded, struggling more in earnest now at the mention of Emma.
"Let me guess," Gold made his way up to him, "You thought that, from the little message 'Emma' left, she was coming to me for help to remove her magic. And, of course, as you were privy to it, you guessed that my preferred method of doing so would be the hat. So you broke into my shop," he tsked, "And found a map sitting conveniently on the counter, with an X marking this spot right here," he pointed down, "And you were so consumed with worry about your dear Miss Swan that you didn't even consider it was all…too convenient?" he smirked, "You came running right into my trap, dearie."
"What would you need this for?" Hook tried to jerk his hand free but it was pointless, "You already have me at your beck and call with your blackmail."
"I needed you distracted," Gold shrugged, "I needed you to come rushing in with your guard down. I needed you to not fight quite so much so that I could get you right where I wanted," he'd reached Hook with just one more step, "And here you are. You see, I need to fill that hat with power, yes, and the Savior's magic would be exactly what I need, but I made a promise, long ago, a deal of sorts, not to harm Emma Swan. It's lucky this town has other magic practitioners with power of their own to help fill that void. But really, that was only part of the equation. Because I need something else, a secret ingredient, one I didn't know about until an associate clued me in. A heart."
"Well, if you need my help procuring it, know the only help I give you is with your demise!"
"Oh, you're gonna help me, alright," he grinned, "You see, this spell is gonna finally separate me from the dagger so it no longer holds power over me. Something Pip will be quite relieved about after the last debacle involving it. And this…is where YOU come in, for in order to cast it…I need the heart of someone special, someone who knew me before the dagger, before I was the Dark One. Unfortunately, everyone who fits that description is already dead, but one still lives."
He relished in the exact moment Hook worked out what he was talking about, "No!"
"Yes," he nodded, "As luck would have it, dearie, you're my oldest friend," before he reached out, pushing his hand into Hook's chest and ripped out his beating heart, delighting in Hook's agonized scream.
"Get on with it, then," Hook panted, "Just do it!"
"Oh, no," Gold shook his head, "I promised you we'd have some fun first," he glanced at the heart, "But perhaps I'll let Pip have first go," he considered, before looking at Hook, his expression dark and serious, "You're gonna do everything I say because you're my puppet now. You're gonna find another way to fill that hat with the power it needs. And then? Then…I'll kill you."
Though that last part would likely have to wait, he had ripped out Hook's heart without Piper there, and he knew she'd be rather putout that she'd missed such an event. He wouldn't end the pirate without her there to watch and, perhaps, help if she were in the mood.
He smirked and looked up at the sky just as fireworks went off in the distance, near the docks...
~8~
"Emma!"
Emma blinked at the sudden shout that had not come from Piper beside her and stood, turning to see Mary Margaret, the one who had called out, running towards her with David, Elsa, and Henry.
"You didn't do it!" Mary Margaret breathed, thrilled as she leaned in to hug her daughter.
She'd been so worried when Emma had called to tell her that she'd found a way to remove her magic. She and David had tried to be supportive, tried to rationalize it all. To say that Emma wouldn't have to fear harming anyone, that she could be normal, that maybe the heroic thing to do was to remove the powers, that Piper wouldn't agree to let it happen if it wasn't for the best…but it was all wrong, so wrong, their daughter was special and they were so happy she still had her magic as evidenced by the fireworks in the sky, the ones that had led them to the docks the second they'd spotted it, not even needing the locator they'd started to use to do it. They'd just wanted to find her and tell her that they thought it was a mistake to remove her magic, but then they'd seen the lights in the sky and they knew…it hadn't happened.
"Didn't do what?" Emma blinked, pulling away after a moment, only for David to hug her as well, "Guys what didn't I do?"
"Got rid of your magic," David answered, pulling away to look her in the eye, "We don't ever want you to feel like you need to lose a part of you, we love you, no matter what."
"That's great and all but…hey kid," she let out an oomph as Henry hugged her as well, "How are you?" her concern for her son drove her question out of her mind when she saw the scratch was gone from his neck.
"Just glad you're ok," he beamed up at her.
"Snow," Piper began, holding up a hand even when Mary Margaret tried to speak, "What is all this about? Why did you believe Emma was going to give up her magic?"
"We got her phone call," Mary Margaret looked between them, only to frown when Emma seemed confused, "The one where you said you found a way to get rid of it…"
"I didn't send any phone calls," Emma shook her head, "I don't even have my phone," she patted her pockets for evidence, "I left it at the station…"
"The Snow Queen must have taken it," David realized, "She must have used her magic to trick us."
"But why?" Henry frowned.
"Maybe she wanted to distract us?" Mary Margaret looked at them, "You told us not to seek Emma out till she came to us, Henry, but…here we are," she sighed, "We fell for it."
"She probably hoped we would run into Emma while she was still on edge and spur another attack," Elsa frowned.
"That does make sense," David rationalized, it HAD gotten them racing out of the house, even Henry, to try and find Emma to stop her. If they'd left any earlier, who knew what Emma and her magic's reaction would be.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret looked at her a moment, "How are you? How's your magic?"
Emma just smiled and looked at Piper, "Under control."
Piper smiled at that, reaching out to take Emma's hand, to squeeze it a moment.
When Henry noticed something odd on his mother's wrist, "Mom, when did you get that?"
Emma looked down to see there was a yellow ribbon wrapped around her wrist, "I don't know."
Elsa gasped, seeing the same little bow on hers as well, "Emma, what's happening?" she frowned, trying to tug the bow off, "It won't come off!"
"Mine won't, either," Emma struggled, before gasping and clutching at her wrist instead.
"I feel it, too," Elsa looked up, alarmed, "It's like it's funneling all my magic away, like it's…harnessing it somehow."
"Any idea what this is?" David looked to the three with magic.
"No," Emma's expression grew serious, "But I have a pretty good idea where it came from."
The Snow Queen.
A/N: So this chapter was very different than the episode, but with Piper there, I couldn't see Elsa being the one to get through to Emma. Yes, Elsa and Emma are similar, but here...Piper's method was to show Emma what a REAL monster was to prove to her she wasn't nor would she ever be close to one. It was talking about how even the most practiced and skilled magic users had to start somewhere, how they all made mistakes, how they hurt people they loved. I felt all Emma really needed was a deep conversation and to just be sat down, calmly, and talked to instead of everyone pushing her or Elsa needing to talk about Anna and everything. It is important for Emma to love herself in order to control her magic, but during the hard times where it's difficult to do, I felt like thinking about that particular love wouldn't really resonate with Emma or be something she'd remember, but rational arguments and reassurances that things get better with time and practice would.
On that note, with Gold's relationship to Piper, I also couldn't see him really using the hat on Emma, but he knew that it was a good trap for Hook. He is a very clever man. He knew if Hook heard Emma had found a way to get rid of her magic, that he would think of the only person in town powerful enough to do it, Gold, and what sort of objects Gold had that could do it, the Hat, and would rush to rescue or stop Emma. He used the man's fear of what Emma might do in such a situation to manipulate Hook into walking into a trap so he could steal the man's heart. He knew that Hook would need to be frantic and rushing so as to be able to get him with his guard down and his mind distracted and get him in a position to take his heart. On a good day, Hook wouldn't have fallen for it nor agreed to really be alone with the Dark One, so he needed Hook desperate and distracted ;) It killed two birds with one stone so to speak, he got Hook's heart while Piper got Emma to calm down and think ;)
I am...VERY excited for the next few episode-chapters }:)
Some notes on reviews...
I'm glad you didn't like him :) I tried to make it sort of a generic response, an example of something Rose heard nearly every time she left the castle. It happens so much and is so commonplace how people feel and think of her, the whispers that people get bolder sometimes and say it to her face, and she can't react because it would be something her father would have to deal with so some others will say it thinking they're safe...but when Snow was put in the crossfire, Rose reacted ;) For Isaac, it could be, in the story, that his pen is more powerful than the pipe lol :) Like in giving the characters all new pasts and memories, he suppressed part of Piper that held those memories...though I can say there's something else that'll happen that'll cause Piper's mind/memories to be affected too };)
Ethan's reaction is definitely a leftover lingering concern that he would be a bad ruler for his people, he sort of senses that they really dislike his choice in Queen and he was trying to be a good ruler, he produced an heir, but when that reaction came he also didn't want to be seen as a worse ruler for having more :( It's sort of like how Leopold only wanted his people to be happy, his brother really only wanted his people to think he was a good king (due to all his doubts that he'd be one). :( I can say though that the kingdom's reaction might be justified...we still have a few more flashbacks of both Ilayda and Rose and things they might have done to upset the people }:) For the last chapter they were about a month younger than when Leopold died, so just around the time Regina takes over :( I agree, Snow is a little hypocritical of who she lets around her children, something she's starting to realize now ;)
Well, in the show, with all the switching of daggers, I think Belle used the gauntlet she and Henry found to take her to the Dark One's greatest weakness, which was his real dagger which she got a hold of and used to banish him. In the story though, we'll have to wait and see who might get the dagger and how and what comes of it all }:)