Operation Crab

David woke up laying face first on the beach with mouthful of sand. He sat up, shielding his eyes from the morning sun, as he attempted to spit out the nasty, grittiness stuck to his cheeks and tongue. He went to gargle in the salty ocean water, being careful not to actually swallow any. He was busy contemplating which was worse, the sand or the salt water, when he suddenly came to his senses enough to realize that Mary Margaret hadn't been lying on the beach next to him.

He spit the water quickly from his mouth, as he yelled her name. "Mary Margaret! Mary Margaret!"

His eyes ran frantically over the beach, searching for any sign of her. He hadn't meant to fall asleep last night. He was supposed to watch over her, and keep a look out for Killian and Emma. He briefly wondered if they had come in the night and left him here. Surely Mary Margaret would not have done such a thing. Although, could he possibly blame her if she had? He had often regretted the fact that he had left her the way he did. How cowardly of him to not face her, to sneak away without a word.

At the time, he had thought the opposite. He thought that he was doing the easy thing for her, by not forcing her to tell him the truth about Frank, or to admit that she didn't feel the same way he did. He had seen himself as the martyr. Taking on all the pain, and leaving her free. Free from guilt, free to blame him, free to pursue her relationship with Frank. But he had learned that the years of no answers…of no closure…had left him unable to let go and move on. He often wondered if she ever thought of him. If she too was haunted by his silent departure. Her response to unexpectedly seeing him that night at the club with Ruby, had given him the answer. He had seen the hurt in her eyes. He had heard the anger fighting to break free in her biting tone and one word answers, as he attempted to make small talk. She had disappeared from the club shortly after.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a scream reverberating through the trees. It was coming from the interior of the Island.

"Mary Margaret? Mary Margaret, where are you?" he called as he made his way through the thick vegetation of the Island. He had no shoes on, and the ground was covered in rocky dirt, slowing his movements. The sound of a thump in the bushes to his left had him turning in that direction. He found her shaking a finger towards a nearby papaya tree, angrily admonishing it. She appeared to be perfectly fine.

David's first emotion was relief, followed quickly by amusement. He crossed him arms, and let out a laugh at her apparent aggravation with the tree. "Talking to trees are we? Seems you've already succumbed to madness, and we've only been marooned on this island for a few hours."

She jumped at the sound of his voice. "David, you scared me."

He turned serious. "You scared me. I woke up and you were gone. I didn't know if you were lost, or possibly hurt somewhere."

Mary Margaret scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "I don't need a hero, David, so stop trying to be one. You're not my Prince Charming…not anymore." She mumbled that last part under her breath so he didn't hear it, as she turned her attention back to the tree.

David shook his head not sure how to respond to her. Last night, she had thanked him for saving her, now she was saying she didn't need him. Which one was it? He watched as she picked up a nearby rock and threw it up into the tree, obviously trying to knock the fruit down. She was not having much success. He leaned against a nearby tree and watched with an amused grin as she made several more attempts. She was very aware of him watching her, and it only served to increase her frustration with each miss. After half a dozen attempts her frustration got the better of her. She was getting tired and her throws were getting more off target, and David was silently watching the whole thing with that cocky half-smile on his face. She would show him. She wound herself up like a discus thrower and spun with all her force. She let the rock go with a grunt. The rock hurled through the air like a rocket, unfortunately for her, it's course was about a meter to the left of the tree. David burst out laughing.

She turned to him with a smirk. "I'm glad that I can provide you with such entertainment."

David brought his hand over his mouth before running it along the back of his neck, hoping the gesture would serve to wipe away the smile that he was struggling to control. "Would you like some help?"

"I told you I don't need a hero. I'll get them down."

"I'm sure that eventually you will, but I'm actually a little hungry myself. I think I'd like to eat sooner rather than later."

"And you think you're a better shot than me?"

"Actually, I was thinking it would be easier if you stood on my shoulders. The fruit is only about ten feet up. You should easily be able to reach them."

Mary Margaret looked at him, trying to decide what to do. She knew he was right, but swallowing her pride and giving in to him, was proving a difficult choice.

"Come on, Mary Margaret, stop being so stubborn. We need to get back to the beach. I assume that they will be out looking for us first thing this morning, and I would hate to miss when the boat comes."

At the mention of rescue, Mary Margaret quickly acquiesced. David stooped down and helped her into a sitting position on his shoulders. He stood to his full height. Keeping one hand in David's, Mary Margaret placed her other on the tree trunk and brought her feet up to his shoulders. She was a little wobbly, but she managed to stand up. David released her hand and placed both his hands on her shins.

"Okay, Mary Margaret, I've got you. Reach out and see if you can pick the fruit."

Mary was shaking, grateful for the strength of David's upper body as he held her tight. She took a few minutes to try and feel comfortable before venturing to reach for a papaya. She hesitated and looked back down at him. "Don't drop me."

"Never." David's voice was strong and unwavering, infusing her with confidence of her own.

It took a bit of trial and error to figure out how to get the fruit to release from the tree. She learned it was easiest to lift it up to break it from the tree, not to pull it down. When she had the first one in her hand, David told her to try and gently toss it onto the ground so she could get another one. She aimed the fruit and released. It hit the top of his head before falling to the ground.

"Ouch!" He looked up at her. She didn't even try to hide the pleased look on her face. "What was that for?"

"That was for calling me stubborn."

David couldn't help but smile at the impish look she gave him. It was at that moment that he seemed to realize for the first time, that he had a view directly up her legs. Suddenly his heart sped up, as thoughts he didn't need right now rushed into his head. He swayed slightly as he tried to look quickly back down, before regaining his stability. Mary Margaret reached out for the tree trunk to steady herself. She was about to reprimand David for almost making her fall, when she saw his face go red as he diverted his attention to stare at the ground. Heat pooled in her own cheeks as she realized where he must have been looking. She grabbed down another fruit and dropped this one even harder on his head.

"Come on, Mary Margaret," he said while rubbing his head. "Now you're just being mean."

She reached for his hands and held them for support as she jumped down. "That one was for letting your eyes wander where they don't belong." She looked pointedly at him, daring him to deny it.

He looked at her sheepishly, but didn't deny it at all. "Why don't you take those back to the campfire. I'm going to see if I can find a couple of coconuts to give us water, and a sharp rock or two to use to break them open."

By the time that David made it back to the campfire, Mary Margaret had gathered some large leaves and laid them out on the sand, creating a sort of a picnic blanket. She had found a piece of wood that she was using as a sort of a table top. She had managed to cut up the papaya, using a half of an oyster shell that had been laying on the beach. David marveled at her ingenuity.

"Look at you," he said as he approached her. "Definitely not the damsel-in-distress type of girl at all."

"Woman." She replied as if offended.

He put his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Okay, woman. I didn't mean to offend you, I was trying to pay you a compliment."

It was Mary Margaret's turn to look sheepish. "I'm sorry."

She offered him a piece of the papaya. He sat down across from her. They ate in silence for awhile, both staring aimlessly out to sea.

"I don't understand where Emma and Killian are. Why haven't they come for us?"

He reached out and touched her shoulder. "I'm sure that they are looking."

"David, we can't be more than five miles from where we fell off the boat. The fire was burning all night. They should have seen it. How can they not have found us yet."

"I think maybe they don't know where we went overboard. They don't know if we drifted all night, or if we tried to swim to shore, or which direction we swam. They are probably searching the whole bay."

"Wouldn't it make sense for them to start where we were when the trouble began?"

"Probably, but not necessarily, especially if they called in the coast guard. I've been on these types of operations before. It's so hard to see things floating in the water. The sun, the horizon, the waves…it all plays tricks on your mind. They are going to want to create a search grid and do things methodically. I promise, they will find us."

"I don't want to spend another night here, David"

David didn't know what to say to that. He wanted so much to be able to promise her that they wouldn't, but realistically he knew that it was a very good possibility. If they didn't know where to even start, it could take days to find them. Finally he offered her the only promise he could. "Hey, we're safe here, and I'm going to take care of us for however long it takes them to find us, okay?"

She shook her head in affirmation. His words did comfort her. Maybe she did need a hero, she just didn't need to let him know that.

"Hey," David jumped up and grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the makeshift picnic blanket. "Let's enjoy ourselves while we're here. How about we go snorkeling?"

"Have you looked around? I don't see a snorkel shop around here, where exactly are we getting these snorkels?"

"Okay, so it'll really be swimming, but I thought snorkeling sounded better." He looked at her earnestly, his blue eyes begging her to say yes.

She couldn't help but smile at him. He really was charming, and his enthusiasm was hard to turn down. She followed him into the water. He led her past the sandy beach to a more rocky area, that would be better for viewing fish and other sea creatures.

It was breathtaking, viewing the variety of tropical fish under the water. They saw bright yellow barracuda, shimmering rainbow colored parrotfish, and several other species they couldn't name. It was the most enjoyable morning either of them had experienced in a long time.

A few hours into their excursion they surfaced and were sitting out on the rocks jutting from the water. The sun was almost directly overhead, and getting quite brutal. David was just about to suggest they get out of the water and find some shade when he spotted a stone crab hiding burrowing under a rock. He pointed it out to Mary Margaret.

"There is stone crab hiding out among these rocks. How would you like some crab claws for our next meal?"

"Sure, If you're offering to cook them."

"Why don't you head back to camp and put a fresh log on the fire? I'll swim down and try to catch some for us."

"But I want to help" She crossed her arms and puffed out her bottom lip.

"Getting the fire ready is helping."

"Here's another idea, how about I catch my lunch, you get yours."

"I just don't want you to get pinched, their claws are strong enough to break the skin. They can really do some damage."

"I'll be careful. I won't get pinched."

David looked at her, ready to argue, but the eagerness in her expression stopped him. He really enjoyed this adventurous side of her that he was seeing. It was a far sight better than her laying on the beach refusing to do anything but complain about bugs, and heat, and sand.

He smiled at her. "Okay, operation crab is a go. Here's what we'll do. They like to hide under rocks. When we find one, you are going to move the rock, and I will reach in and grab the crab."

"Sounds easy enough."

Before they got started, David swam back to shore and found a good sturdy twig to distract the crab if need be. Together they searched until David spotted one just barely peeking out from under it's hiding spot. He motioned for her to get into place behind the rock. He gave her the signal and she lifted the rock. The crab attempted to dig himself deeper, but David used the stick he had brought to push him out into the open water. Then he placed the stick into his claws, getting him to clamp down. Reaching from the backside he grabbed the crab.

"That was awesome," Mary Margaret gushed. I want to try and catch the next one."

He looked at her prepared to say no, but she was ready for him. Her posture, with her head cocked to one side and her eyebrows raised, said, I dare you to challenge me. He wasn't up for that challenge.

He took his shirt off and tied the bottom to create a bag to hold the crab he had just caught. He turned to her and handed her the stick. "Okay, let's see what you can do."

David quickly spotted another crab, and this time he placed himself behind the rock. This one didn't try to dig deeper, instead attempting to make a run for it. The little guy was quite fast scurrying across the sandy bottom, but Mary Margaret gave chase. She used the stick to impede his progress and turn him back towards her. She continued to poke at him forcing him into a battle. He grabbed the stick tightly in his claw and Mary Margaret took that moment to quickly grab it.

She surfaced, squealing as she did. "I did it, I did it! Look, David." Her eyes were greener then he had ever seen them, shining with the thrill of victory.

Caught up in the moment, and her excitement, David rushed towards her. In one move, he gathered the crab up in his shirt with one hand, and put the other around her waist, lifting her up and spinning her. "That was fantastic Mary Margaret."

His heart jumped at the feeling of skin on skin, hers so soft and smooth under his touch. His move had been an instinctual reaction to the elation of the moment. Now he found himself holding her close, her lips inches from his. The desire to kiss her was so strong. He met her eyes, and saw fear flash in them. He dropped her quickly, and stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to, I just…"

"It's okay, David. We're friends. Friends support each other. They can hug without it meaning anything."

That's what Mary Margaret was trying to tell herself. She could still feel the ghost of his touch on her skin. For a moment she had been afraid that he was going to kiss her. Afraid, because of how much she wanted him to. Afraid, because she knew if he did, he would have her heart again, and she couldn't allow that.

"Yes they can," he agreed. "And you did good."

"I did do pretty great didn't I?"

David laughed at her, "such humility." What happened to the quiet, shy, school teacher that I remember?"

Mary Margaret dared herself to meet his eyes. Her gaze was one of steel as she reinforced the armor around her heart with her confession. "She got stronger. She decided to be the only one responsible for her own happiness."

David didn't know how to respond to that, as guilt overwhelmed him. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before reaching out to touch her cheek.

Mary Margaret flinched at his touch and stepped back out of his reach. She pointed to David's wriggling shirt, "I think we need to catch a few more in order to call operation crab a success." She dove off into the water before he could respond.

David watched her for a moment, before swallowing his guilt and following her. For the rest of the afternoon he forced his mind to concentrate on operation crab.