A/N: I've been waiting for weeks to post this chapter! It highlights my other weakness- Hook & Charming bromance! I also wrote it as a little challenge to myself- they could only say 1 word at a time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it!


David sat at the long wooden table in the galley and poked at his carrots, stabbing them as if they were an enemy. Snow noticed him lost in thought and sat down next to him at the table. "You okay?" She rubbed his arm in concern, and he continued to stare at his plate, stabbing another carrot.

"Our daughter slept with a pirate. Do you think I'm okay?" David said, sounding annoyed.

"They both made it quite clear that they only slept. And she's an adult, David," Snow said, rubbing his hand.

"So you're okay with this?"

"Of course I don't like the thought of my baby girl in bed with someone just as much as you do, but David, he comforts her- and she let's him. There's obvious feelings there, at least there is to everyone else on this ship. And she's happy- isn't that what matters?" David sighed and stabbed his food again before putting a bit in his mouth. "Sweetheart, we should at least give him a chance. He's here and is letting us use his ship to find our grandson. There's good in him." David softened and kissed her cheek tenderly.

"You can find good in everyone," he said softly.

"And you're a good man. You'll try, for our daughter's sake," Snow said. "I bet you and Hook could be a great team, if you'd just tried to not want to punch him as soon as he came in the room. And it might help make this journey a lot smoother." At that moment, Killian entered the galley to fill his flask with rum. "Go ahead, talk to him," Snow whispered. David grunted and walked over to Hook, nodding in greeting.

"Hook."

"Charming." The two of them looked around awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Hook maneuvered around David to exit the galley, assuming exchanging pleasantries was all he wanted.

"Cards?" David called after him, hoping having something to do would help break the ice. He prayed there was some on board. Killian looked back at him, slightly thrown by the offer, but nodded.

"Sure," he said, taking off his pirate coat and throwing it over the bench. He rifled through some of the cabinets before pulling out an old deck of cards. They were worn, bent and slightly torn from centuries of use, but they were great for shuffling. Killian handed the cards to Charming, who shuffled them a few times before dealing the cards.

"Poker?"

"Great," Killian said, pulling out some wooden poker chips from a drawer and divided them between him and David. He drummed on the table as Charming dealt the cards, craning his neck towards the door. Emma had been in her room since they anchored the ship and he was worried about her. He originally only came in looking for her, but at least cards would be a nice distraction. Charming looked where Killian was gazing and grunted as he dealt the last card, redirecting Killian's gaze. They picked up the cards and arranged them in their hands, studying each other as they silently formed their strategies.

"So..." David started, tapping his fingers on the table. There was a longer pause than David meant to let out, which made Killian looked at him and shrug.

"What?"

"Emma," David continued, not sure of where to go from there. Killian cleared his throat and looked back at his hand.

"HmmMmm," he muttered, playing with the corner of one of the cards with his hook.

"Intentions," David said plainly, raising his eyebrows for Killian's response. Killian looked towards the door again then looked straight into David's eye, trying to convey his reply with the utmost seriousness.

"Honorable," he said. Killian looked back down at his cards and shuffled them in his hand a bit more with his hook. David looked back at Mary-Margaret, who gestured him to keep talking. She honestly didn't know how hard David was trying with what little both men were actually saying, but continued to pretend to wipe down the stove as she listened in. David cleared his throat and tapped the deck of cards with his fingers.

"Cards?"

"Two," Killian said, placing his hand down, removing the discards and sliding them to David with his hook. David placed two cards from the deck face down and Killian stabbed them with his hook before adding them to his hand.

"Platonic," David asked, not looking up from his cards and shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he waited for the reply.

"No," Killian replied, a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth. David shot a glare at him over his cards, removing one from his hand and taking another one from the deck. Killian started playing with a poker chip with his hook, which earned him another glare from David with the sound of the chip scrapping the table.

"Check," David said, knocking on the table.

"Raise," Killian replied, nudging some chips into the center of the table. David put in his equal amount and leaned back from the table. Killian looked very smug, and he couldn't tell if it was the poker hand or if he was being blatantly cocky about Emma. David placed both hands on the table, displaying a powerful royal stance.

"Romantic?" David looked straight in Killian's eye, debating if maybe just punching him in the first place was a better idea. Killian looked back towards the door and back towards his cards.

"Possibly," he said lowly, suddenly not wanting Emma to overhear his conversation instead of telling her directly. David noticed the change in posture and could tell that he and Emma hadn't discussed this yet, maybe not even knowing how to bring it up. His fears that something was already going on were diminished for now,and there would be more time to get to know him and see if he was good enough for his daughter. And after saving him from the spear, his level of tolerance for the pirate had definitely increased. David counted out a stack of chips and threw them in the middle of the table.

"Raise."

"Call," Killian said as he mirrored David's actions. David threw his hand down with a flourish.

"Straight," David said proudly. A smile once again curved across Killian's face as he slowly put his cards down, revealing his hand.

"Flush." David sighed and raised his hand in defeat. Killian silently offered to deal again, but David shook his head no. Killian cleaned up the chips and the cards before saluting him with his hook and left the galley. He saw Emma exiting her room and gave her a small bow as he approached her along with a large Cheshire cat grin.

"Your Dad is rather charming," he said as he passed her. Emma looked after him as he passed before going into the galley. David had pulled his plate back over in front of him and once again was stabbing at his food, but this time, there was a hint of a smile on his face.

"Did something just happen," Emma asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Snow said from the corner of the room.

"Nothing happened, we just played some cards and talked a bit," David said before taking a another bite.

"That was talking," Snow asked in surprise.

"It was guy talk," David replied.

"And?" Emma looked at David for the rest of the story.

"And," David said, rising from the table and giving Emma a kiss on the top of her head. "He's not so bad." Snow smiled at her husband and gave him a kiss on his cheek as she took his plate from him. David gave Snow a small squeeze around her waist before helping her clean up the rest of the galley.


Emma shook a bit as she stepped onto the sand. Her legs felt like they were going to crumble beneath her. She wasn't sure if it was due to the fact of her being at sea for the past few days or the anticipation of finally being able to look for Henry. She stood on the beach and stared into the island as the rest of the six exited the ship. She rubbed her arms and tried to pacify herself as her legs couldn't stop shaking. Gold turned back to the ship and waved his hand, cloaking it from prying eyes.

"The spell won't hide it from the Shadow," Gold explained. "We'll have to be back here before sundown."

"It would be suicide to stay on land at night anyway," Hook replied.

"What does that mean for Henry," Regina said. "He's been here for days."

"They need Henry. No one on this island will hurt him," Gold said. "Unless he's been attacked by some sort of creature." Five sets of eyes spun to glare at Gold. Some with fear, some with annoyance at his honesty. "So let's be off then." Hook lead the group, followed closely by Emma and the Charmings. Regina hung back with Gold, who was a bit slow with his limp.

"Do you really think he's survived this long," Regina asked.

"He's still showing up on the globe," Gold said. "But as to his condition, the globe isn't as much of a help." Regina grabbed hold of her arms to stop herself from shaking. Gold noticed and let out a sigh.

"Don't worry, Regina. If he is hurt, I can heal him quickly," he replied.

"That sounds very comforting," Regina replied curtly. They looked ahead at the four who were quite a bit ways ahead of them. "Do they even notice we're not completely together?"

"Well, you've got a pirate determined to impress leading the way, followed by Henry's mother who is eager to get back to her son..."

"I'm his mother, and I want him back just as much," Regina said, cutting him off.

"That may be, dearie, but I think you're a bit outnumbered in terms of who thinks he should go back with Emma," he said. "Do you think Emma and the Charmings are on this trip just to send him back with you?"

"I just want Henry home instead of this place," Regina said, pushing a large leaf from her path. "If that means he goes back with Emma, so be it. But I'd at least like to be treated like I'm a part of this and not some tagalong."

"Don't think of yourself as an extra, dearie. Think of yourself as a force to be reckoned with if any Lost Ones cross your path. We don't have time for weakness and pity-parties on this trip," Gold said.

"Well, Emma's sobbed into Hook's arms so much, maybe you should be giving her this speech," Regina said coldly.

"Are we a bit jealous of the Captain's new found interest," Gold said, pausing a bit and giving her a sly smile. "That's never stopped you before to get what you want." Regina stopped and folded her arms, no longer caring if they fell behind.

"This curse was supposed to be about my happiness, and since she came along, everything I had has been taken away. Henry, Graham, my power. Why does she get her son, her family, and her happy ending in a world that I created for me?"

"Was your life with the Sheriff really all that happy? Controlling his heart in order to get him to be with you? I would think that kind of relationship would feel a bit empty. I don't think that's the love that Daniel would have wanted you to have," Gold said coldly.

"Don't speak his name," Regina yelled. This prompted the four to retrace their steps and Regina and Gold could hear their footsteps fast approaching.

"Focus on the objective, Regina. It's the only way I'm surviving on this trip," Gold said lowly. "We don't have time for games." The other four appeared through the bush, swords at the ready, all relieved they were just talking.

"Are you two alright," Snow asked.

"It's about time you noticed. Gold can't keep up with you four running ahead," Regina shot at Snow. The four of them looked at each other sheepishly.

"We thought you were right behind us," Emma said lowly.

"Thank you for your concern, Regina, but I'm fine," Gold said sharply as he twisted his cane into the dirt.

"Maybe we should split up," David offered.

"That is not a good idea, mate," Hook said. "If the Lost Ones ambush us, two by themselves are automatically dead. They may be technically children, but they kill without a thought. We're stronger as a group."

"Hook's right. But randomly trudging through the forest is getting us nowhere fast. Do you mind if I take the lead, Captain," Gold said as he leaned down to place his hand on the ground. He ran his fingers through the dirt until his fingers grazed a slight depression in the earth. He waved his hand over it and a trail of blue lit up for a moment before disappearing.

"What was that," Snow asked.

"Henry's been here," Gold said. Regina and Emma exchanged hopeful looks. "But this trail is days old. He's nowhere near this place."

"But your globe said he was on this part of the island," David said with little patience in his voice.

"Yes, it did. Which means that he's close, but they haven't been moving in days. Which could mean..."

"He's hurt," Emma said breathlessly. Without hesitation, Hook put his arm around her in comfort. Everyone noticed, but no one reacted as if it was abnormal. Emma leaned into Hook a little as he rubbed her shoulder.

"Or they've already given him to the Lost Ones," Gold said.

"It can't be. They're nomadic," Hook said. "Unless he's with the Lost Boys."

"What's the difference," Regina asked.

"The Lost Ones are the followers of Peter Pan. The Lost Boys are the orphans they capture from the other realms. They are the ones who cry at night, who want to go home," Hook explained. Emma leaned into Hook further as she thought about Henry crying at night, wanting to go home. "They keep the Lost Boys captured. It's in a grove not far from here."

"Then he could be okay," Regina said.

"Let's hope for the best," David said as he, Gold and Hook lead the way toward the grove.

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