Chapter 23: Aftershock
Silence lingers as the Jones and the Charmings along with Neal made their pathway away from the Echo Caves, away from the Dark One. It was not a tumultuous journey nor was it short, the walk is what they needed. The Echo Caves changed everything. Silence lingers except for every movement they all make, every step they make on the grass, the crunches of breaking branches with their feet, stepping on the leaves, they let nature take its course and let it swallow them.
The shock was one of the things that they had experienced. Secrets now out in the open, that no one can talk even if they wanted to. Neal accepted things between him and Emma and is not going to fight about it, he now knows that they weren't meant to be. For him, it was a desirable dream that he held on to for too long. He truly believed he was doing what was right because they are true loves, however, everything that he thought he knew, the belief that they were meant to be which help aided to him was by August, Pinocchio, he thought he was doing the right thing. However, that's the cusp of the problem which to him began, his love for Emma, what he did was it right or wrong, or was it simply meant to be, simply meant to happen. The secrets that he heard from them, felt like a punch to his very own heart, and the things that he did, that he believed in like what he did about Henry suddenly makes sense. Everything made sense and it was clear to him that he was just a chess piece on a board game. He was never meant to be truly loved by Emma Swan. Though he knows now that he was meant to meet her.
When the six of them had stopped and made camp, it was time to use Neal's plan as a plan to get out of Neverland after they find Henry. So, Neal told them the story of how he got out of Neverland, through something which he has created which they already found. There was a short pause after he goes step by step, followed by Killian's and Felicity's reaction when he talked about Pan's shadow which leads the brief shocked pause.
"Crazy. Absolutely crazy." Felicity said. "You did this when you were what thirteen, fourteen years old, and survived. It's practically suicide. It's crazy and this seems to be the only way to get out of here without using me as a backup plan, so do it though I am not going. I am not going to the darkest part of Neverland, so how about this we split up into three where one will go through the darkest area of Neverland while I will find Tinkerbell to let her know that we have a plan."
It was quietly decided that Killian, Emma, and Neal would take care of the shadow, going into the deepest parts of Neverland is also the darkest part of Neverland. While Felicity is with Mary Margaret and David, her mom's parents. Shortly thereafter they are anticipating as they plan their next journeys.
Mary Margaret is seen putting away her arrows into her backpack. David notices her hassle and asks if she needs help, but she quickly shuts him off, saying she can handle her pack. She gets up, and he calls out her name, but she ignores him and walks over towards her daughter to rummage for more supplies for her pack. Emma, having noticed this, asks her mother how long she is going to avoid talking to David. The blonde comments that she gets that her father didn't tell them about his illness so that everyone can keep their focus on the mission at hand. Mary Margaret did not seem to care as she sarcastically replies that it's good to see Emma's inherited his tunnel vision. Emma asks her what that means. "Nothing," she says. They both get up and Emma tells her she says a lot with "nothing". Mary Margaret inhales and tells her to be careful with Hook and Neal. Emma says that the one they need to be careful with is the shadow. Shortly they all left the campsite at the same time, the six of them spilt into threes.
"There you are," Pan says, as he approaches Henry at his compound. He asks the young man if he would care to take a stroll, for there is someplace special he'd like to show him. Henry, not getting up or looking back, tells the villain that he's not going anywhere with him. Pan kneels and asks why not, and Henry replies that he thinks Pan's lying to him because his family is in Neverland. Pan asks what makes him so sure, and Henry asks if it matters. Pan grins and says it doesn't, but we'd be remiss if he didn't point out what does: "If your family's here, Henry, why haven't they come for you?" Henry turns around and says that maybe he's keeping them from him. Peter promises him that he's not holding his family prisoner, and Henry asks why he keeps disappearing into the jungle. The kid says Pan is hiding something from him, and he's going to find out what it is. He gets up and walks off into the jungle. Felix approaches his leader and comments that it would appear they're losing the boy. Pan says Henry just requires some effort. "Given his lineage, I'd expect nothing less," he adds. Felix asks if he should bring the cage there, and Pan denies this, claiming to have another idea. Hoping that this time this idea would work out, that Henry would be fooled, and then he would make a quick way to become immortality.
When Snow White along with her husband, Charming, and their granddaughter left, the couple is seen to be ignoring each other. It wasn't long enough when Snow couldn't stand the quiet anymore, so she looks at her granddaughter. She thought this could be the perfect time to get to know her mysterious granddaughter.
"So, you're our granddaughter." Snow Starts.
"It appears so," Felicity said.
"Where to start, I didn't know you've existed, it seems so impossible, and yet it is possible, as you are here."
Felicity laughed for a couple of seconds, amused by her grandmother. "You're telling me, I've just found out that I have grandparents and technically I'm older than my grandparents. I am maybe physically sixteen years old but I've been here in Neverland for centuries and mentally I'm older than what I physically look like." She pauses, thinks for a moment and asks, "Is there anything more I should know about our family, like this, this shock and all because I don't know if I could handle another incredible surprise."
"Do you remember Regina, the one with short black hair who was wearing the red blazer." Snow begins, as Felicity nodded remembering her. "Well, she's my stepmother and also Henry's mother."
Felicity breathed in and out three times before she was sobered with all the information that she had just learned more about her family. "Why does it feel like every time I learn something about our family, our family gets more unique by the second." With that David and Mary Margaret truly laughed together although they are still ignoring each other, they couldn't help it.
"That's probably because it is the truth," David said as he looks towards his wife.
"It's also because we feel it too." Mary Margaret said seeing David look at her, as she looks at him as well for only a few seconds before ignoring him again. "So how was it, your life, before-"
"Before Neverland." She pauses thinking about her life before Neverland before her life changed before Rumpelstiltskin did what he had to do and as she thought about it, she spoke out loud sharing her thoughts, her memories. "It was a good life. We weren't rich or poor, so we got what we needed. For the first eight years of my life, we lived on a secluded island, in a cottage and it was lovely there. It may be a secluded island; it was a nice quiet comfortable life there. I loved it there, I remember helping mama with she called gardening and helping her to cook, there weren't many children there and close to none who were around my age, so I always helped mama. Then there's papa, he's fun to be with so we played a lot together outside whenever he's home so I don't see him much as he was always working, helping not only just us, he also helped with providing provisions for the island as well. When he came back home, he devoted his time with me during the day and devoted his time in morning and night with mama. Then shortly after I turned eight, life got interesting and next thing I was living on papa's ship. On the Jolly, I had my room and it used to be papa's old room back when he was lieutenant, it was small but manageable. When I turned thirteen years old, my parents have decided that I was old enough to learn how to defend myself, so papa devoted his time when he had time off to teach me on using a sword and a dagger. That took long especially with the sword, it took me years until the day I passed and the day I got my very own sword and sadly it was the last birthday we've ever celebrated together. It was a good life."
As Snow and David heard about her life, they couldn't help but smile along with her. It did sound like they all lived a good life despite some of the obstacles that their daughter had gone through. Though it was with surprise that Killian had a job, a pirate who helped with his small community. They weren't expecting it, particularly David as his wariness to his, no he is not thinking about the pirate as his son in law. However, Snow has had already considered him as a good man and better yet to be proud of him to call him as her son in law.
"How was it like having a pirate as a father?" David asked curiously.
"There are moments in both good and bad. For example, papa's very protective of me and it can be seen a bad thing for me because when I want to date someone, he must get permission to go out with me through papa. According to papa, it's a test of bravery and courage, to go out with a pirate's daughter. None succeeded; however, I'm hoping when we're out of here that I could date by saying that I've spent centuries here stuck with annoying lost boys, I earned it. It's the least thing that papa can do."
"Good luck with that." Her grandmother said, Mary Margaret said.
"Yeah, I'm going to need it," she said. "Now the good, well a lot of girls will most likely find me crazy for saying it but learning how to defend myself would fit into that space. I know it's not feminine to like defending yourself, but I do because I believe that you never know what's going to happen to you and I don't like being defenseless. Besides, I like it because sometimes it helps to build and to have confidence. I've also liked the traveling and the freedom; this is something I've learned to like ever since I've lived on the Jolly, it opened my eyes in more ways than one, I've learned a lot when I was on the Jolly Roger."
Then there was some silence as Mary Margaret and David took account of what she has said as they continue walking through the forest. Shortly thereafter there was no comment from them, and the silence was plunged in back again. Eventually, David drinks from his water pouch as he treks through the wild scenery of Neverland. He tries to hand his wife some water for herself, but she tells him she's okay, walking past him. "Are you?!" he asks, seeing as how she's hardly said two words to him since the caves. He starts to say that he knows she's upset that he didn't tell her he was poisoned, and even though that might seem like it isn't fair, that was all he was trying to do: be fair. Mary Margaret ignores him and says, "I think... Tinker Bell's is that way." She points in a direction and heads towards it, David sighs.
Unintentionally Felicity confirms that they're all going in the right direction. She couldn't help it, but she could feel the tension between them, between her grandparents. So far, she hasn't learned from them, to get to know them but strangely she's okay with that and telling them what they want to know about her. She feels like she has to say something about what's going on with them however she knows what it's about, she heard their secrets and she wants to help them in some way. She just hopes that her parents' journey is going better than hers is as her journey has become awkward.
Neal, Emma, and Hook brave through the woods of the island as well, to try and find Dark Hollow, then Neal suddenly stops and says they're gonna must cut their way through. At this, Killian unsheathes his blade, his cutlass, and cuts through his way through the jungle. The animosity between the three of them was shown and very awkward, to say the least especially between Neal and Killian. It was hard for Neal to look at Captain Hook whom he knows from his experience that he was just a villain searching to avenge his love supposedly by his mother. It was obvious as Neal's thoughts or rather his anger was steaming slowly but surely. While Emma is confused, she turns towards her husband and asks him what that was about. Hook sighs and explains that he assumed Neal had heard his secret, and that Emma had told him of their moment, in which Emma confessed to Killian that Neal loves her. They all move ahead, however, with Neal leading the way through the plants they enter a dark area that consists of naked tree stumps and trunks. Its light is a dark orange, and a sudden gust of wind blows through, stunting Emma. Bizarre sounds are heard. "Dark Hollow," Neal says, and Hook says that this is where the victims of Pan's shadow reside. Neal confirms this, adding that they're forced to spend eternity in that darkness. He keeps on moving, with the others walking behind him, and tells them to be sure they don't join them.
As Felicity, David and Mary Margaret continue their journey towards the shelter of Tinker Bell, the charming hero tells his wife that he thinks they're almost at Tink's at which Felicity gave another confirmation. He then can see why the former fairy picked that area, a nice quiet jungle, and comments that it might make a good spot for a hut, asking for his wife's opinion afterward. Snow looks annoyed and doesn't reply. Felicity then looked at them in amusement, wondering where this is going, most likely this is about secrets being unleashed from the Echo Caves. She still didn't know if she will get herself involved in this situation however, she holds her tongue and hopes that both of her grandparents will work it on by themselves, as this seems to be what's going to happen. She is going to see the aftershocks of her grandparent's reaction and hopefully, on the way, they'll make up in the end as she wants to be with her whole family including them however first they need to talk. She then watches in silence.
He then suggests a treehouse, if she prefers it, and calls out for her, by Mary Margaret. She keeps on walking and he calls out for her, using Snow instead. He asks when she's gonna start talking to him again, and states that she needs to say something. She stops, turns back, and tells him, "Why?! You didn't! You didn't tell me anything!" He starts to explain himself, saying that at first, he was hoping that he could find a cure for the poison, and if he could then he figured there was no reason to worry her. Snow reminds him that he did find a cure, but he still didn't tell her. He acknowledges this, and she asks if he was afraid to worry her again. He denies this and starts to say that he didn't think... Snow interrupts him, angrily saying that he didn't think she had a right to know he could never leave that island. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I was scared!" he finally tells her. She asks him if he thought she wouldn't stay there with him, after everything they've been through, whether he thought she would ever leave his side. David denies this, saying that he knew she wouldn't, and that's what scared him, he didn't want that for her, he didn't want her to be stuck on that island with him. The price of the cure was something he didn't want to force on her. Snow tells him love means being together, and Charming says it also means sacrifice and protecting the person you love. "How could a part of me not want you to leave this place?" he asks her, tears in his eyes, and she points out that she would happily build a treehouse and spend the rest of her days dodging poison arrows and Lost Boys as long as she had him by her side. He stops. "But you should have told me," she says, with utter sadness. He says that he knows and apologizes. She then moves in for an embrace. He holds his wife in his arms, and she tells him, "You didn't believe, David. You needed to believe in us." He kisses her.
Then Felicity reacts. "No, you're not! You're not staying in this bloody place of Neverland! I've been forced to stay here for Centuries. Centuries! Let me tell you about living here, it's been almost like hell, dealing with Pan hovering behind my back almost every day, dealing with the annoying lost boys who always want to fight because that's what makes them happy. It's sick. And you want to stay here. You're crazy." Felicity said in her rage, her unbelievable words spoken in such a tone of surprise. She takes a pregnant pause realizing what she said, taking in the words within her, giving them reasons why they shouldn't stay here in Neverland. She now knows what to do. "Do you know what being a Jones is about?" she asks them shaking their heads. "It's being a fighter and a survivor. What we are going to do is this… we will do anything to find a cure or something. We will fight a way for you to survive. We are not leaving anyone behind including you. I've been without my parents for centuries and now I've learned I've more family and I want to be together with my family. Nobody's staying behind." She repeated herself while the Charmings just look at their granddaughter in a new light.
David then quietly says to Snow, "she has a little bit of you in her." Snow then nodded as they follow their granddaughter, to find Tinkerbell as they continue their journey.
While Neal, Emma, and Hook reach a sort of clearing in Dark Hollow. The female asks if they just wait for Pan's shadow to show up, which Neal confirms. He takes the coconut shell out of his bag as he says that when it does, they'll be prepared, and Emma asks to be told how the coconut works. Neal explains to her that they light the candle and the shadow is drawn to it. He places the coconut on a fallen log and adds that if it gets close to the flame, it gets sucked in, so they just close the lid, and it's trapped. Hook tells them it sounds like a fine plan except for one thing: their lanterns went out. This said, he puts his lantern down and asks how they're gonna ignite the candle. "Welcome to the 21st century," Neal says, holding up a pocket lighter. He tries to turn it on but is unable to. Emma asks them how it's coming, and Neal tells her to hang on. Hook offers to help, and Neal refuses his help, saying he's got it. Hook says that he's only got one hand and he can do better than that, to which Neal retorts that now is not the time to try and impress Emma. Hook asks him if he thinks that's what he's doing, and Emma reprehends them for doing that now. Hook tries to call Neal to reason and snatches the lighter from Neal. He tries to set it off, but can't either, to which Neal comments that it's harder than it looks, with snide. They struggle to get control of the lighter, and eventually accidentally throw it into a mass of branches, losing sight of it. Emma tells them they don't have time for this, and both move to try and find the lighter, while Emma picks up both halves of the coconut shell. Then, an ominous sound is heard, and she is caught off-guard. She quickly unsheathes her blade at the sight of a shadow descending from high above, as she shouts that they don't have time for that. She asks if that's Pan's shadow, and Neal confirms it, but two other shadows appear alongside the main one, and Hook asks about them, unsheathing his blade. The shadows start swarming around them, disorienting the group, as they try to evade them. A shadow starts to taunt Emma, who cowers against a tree stump, and another shadow pins Hook against a tree. Emma calls out for him, but another shadow pins Neal against another tree, as he calls out for her. Emma crouches down and Pan's shadow soars right next to her.
Emma is scared out of her mind. She cowers down against a tree stump, holding the coconut shell and her cutlass, as the shadow soars over her. It flies down to attack her, but she gets it off her. The shadows attacking both men start to rip their shadows from them, and they scream in agony. Neal screams at Emma to get out of there, but Emma opens the coconut shell and decides to use her magic to ignite the candle. She tries hard to concentrate, as the men get their shadows almost removed, she flicks her hand and the candle is set ablaze. The shadow's attention is then drawn to it. Emma holds the coconut shell up, and the shadow unwillingly sucked in. She closes the lid, and the shadows disappear, reuniting both Neal and Hook with their shadows and causing them both to fall on the ground. Neal asks her how she did that. They try to recompose themselves, as Emma recuperates from her fright, and then tells him, "Magic." She answered dumbly then the three of them left Dark Hollow.
Away from his family, outside of Peter Pan's campsite, Henry is sneaking through the woods, following Felix very closely. The Lost Boy stops to turn around once, but Henry is nowhere to be seen. He keeps on walking and Henry comes out from behind the tree he hid next to. As Felix continues walking through the woods of Neverland, and not-so-subtle drops his bag, and continues walking, as though he hasn't noticed it. Henry peeks from behind a tree, and notices a hideout up front, with some stairs leading up.
He moves in to search the bag and finds an apple inside. Coughing sounds are heard. Henry puts the bag on his shoulder and then climbs up the stairs, only to find a small bedroom at the end of them, with a curly blonde girl lying in bed, all by herself. Henry stands in the bedroom and asks her who she is, and she tells him he's not supposed to be there. Henry says he knows, and moves towards the bed, telling her that he thought Pan might be keeping his family there. He asks why she's so far away from the camp, and the girl tells him she's sick, and Pan's afraid someone might catch it. Henry asks who she is, and she tells him her name is Wendy. "Wendy Darling?" Henry asks, deducing who she is, and she nods, confirming this. Henry moves around the frame of the bed and sits on it, next to her, introducing himself and asking what's wrong. Wendy tells him it's the island: its power is fading. She states that she's been there a long time, but for some reason, it's affecting her more than the others.
She then tells Henry he reminds her of someone she used to know that's like him... Henry asks who, and she tells him, "Baelfire," Henry asks if she knew him, and she says they were friends, a long time ago when he was just a little bit older than Henry is today. She explains to him that Baelfire saved her brothers from danger and would do anything for her family. She then coughs again, and Henry asks her if she's going to be okay. Wendy tells him he should go, and Henry thinks that maybe there's something he could do to help. Wendy insists that he go, because she doesn't want him to catch what she has, and Pan is already doing everything that he can. But she fears that the magic there is not enough. Henry says that there must be a way, and Wendy urges him to go before he too becomes ill. Henry leaves the bag on her bed and gets up but promises her that he'll come back for her. He leaves.
Once he's gone back to the compound, a familiar voice in the bedroom is heard saying, "Well done. I couldn't have played the part better myself." Wendy looks annoyed. She sits up on the bed and Pan makes himself appear, having come from his hiding place behind some curtains. "Oh, and that bit about dear Baelfire," he says, "Excellent job," Wendy says that she doesn't like lying to Henry, and Pan tells her not to think of it as lying, but rather as providing motivation. She asks what for, and he answers that it's for him to do what needs to be done, for all of them. He explains to her that Henry has the heart of the truest believer, and Pan needs to control that belief. Wendy asks him what he needs Henry to believe in. And the villain tells her: "Me." She looks down, and he says, "Now back to your cage."
By the shore of Neverland, Regina, and Rumpelstiltskin are waiting for a red-haired young woman to reappear, in a few moments she few appears with her head out of the water and hands them an object that will help to defeat Peter Pan. They thanked her as she thanks them as well as saying they need to find a girl named Wendy because of the few complications that have had arisen in Storybrooke, were quickly resolved if they find Wendy.
When they left the Joneses and the Charmings along with Neal Cassidy, everything was silent as they focused on their new goal that their accomplishing. They barely interacted, though when they interacted especially when they left the Echo Caves, the Dark One may have irritated Regina of her becoming a coward and telling her of her stupidest act by giving herself an infertility potion for all of one moment. While he is the most coward of them all, just look at his family for goodness sakes, nothing good has come off it, nothing and look where it has led him. After that Regina pulled out all of her rages into him, telling him that he should've said something about Peter Pan so she should've been helping him all the time, doing who knows what while she has better use of doing, helping. She didn't help much with the Charmings and the Joneses, other than helping to get a message to Henry or fighting with the Lost Boys which she secretly enjoyed, there was nothing else. Nothing else to be said or done. So, she was very irritated and glad to be of service. While the journey was quiet needless to say it was quite pleasant as well.
Emma leads the way for her and the two men who accompanied her to Dark Hollow, as they make their way back to meet the rest of the gang, and she looks annoyed. Neal moves in closer, apologizing and acknowledging that he screwed up, and Emma turns around and confirms that he did, they both did, they almost lost their shot at capturing the shadow because the two of them were fighting over a lighter. Hook points out the obvious, that they weren't fighting over the lighter. Emma knows this as well as she agreed with her husband and explain to them that all she cares about is saving Henry. Then they all resume walking.
Felicity, Mary Margaret, and David stand in wait by Tinker Bell's hideout, and the former fairy finally shows up, bringing with her freshly collected supplies. One sight at Felicity she hugged her and commented at her being free at last, happy for her. Then they were in conversation for a short time as Felicity explains about seeing her parents again and discovering new family, it was quite overwhelming for her and having her friend Tinkerbell by her side is already helping. As Tinkerbell hears everything out, especially the part of the Echo Caves where Felicity was telling secrets, she asks her if she could tell that things with her family are going to be alright. Tinkerbell in her optimistic state, tells her by the sounds of it, that everything will be alright despite the damage done at the Echo Caves. The tension between everyone there to what she feels now at the island, almost like sensing all the individuals that were there believes that the tension is dissipating and when that is gone, everyone will be stronger than before. That they will change as they all will learn something from being here at Neverland.
Then after they finish talking, Tinkerbell goes back to bring her walls up to protect herself as she then comments that she was wondering if she'd see them again, but starts to add that if they've come to talk her into helping them before they've found a way off the island... David interrupts her, saying they found one, or are about to. Tink says she's not sure she likes the sound of "about to". Mary Margaret jumps in, all cheerful, to point out that Emma went with Hook and Neal to collect Pan's shadow, and that's their way off the island. Tink says she's not lifting one finger until she sees some proof that they've succeeded. However, the three scavengers show up, and Neal holds up the sealed coconut and tells her it's all the proof she needs, before telling her that it's been a long time. Tink moves in towards him, smiling. "Bae? Is it you?" He confirms it but states that most people call him Neal now. Hook, slightly annoyed, interrupts the reunion by saying that they did it, and asking Tink if she's finally ready to do her part. The former fairy confirms this, with slight determination. The gang is off on their way then. However, Neal stops Emma, and she isn't up for a talk, but he tells her she's right, about Henry, he is all that matters.
While Henry tries to find his way back to Pan's compound, he is stopped by the latter's voice asking him, "Why so glum, chum?" Henry stops and turns around to find Pan sitting down next to him. The latter stands up and they move in closer, and Henry reminds him that he said he wasn't keeping any secrets, but he lied. Henry says that he found Wendy. Pan tells him he can explain, and Henry asks if she's dying, to which Pan tells him he's afraid she is, as much of the island, because the magic there is slipping away. He then says that he would have told Henry, but he didn't want him to have that weight on his shoulders, knowing that a young girl's life depends on him. "So, I'm the only one who can save magic?" Henry asks, and Pan confirms this. Henry is silent for a few seconds before asking how he can do it, and Pan tells him the question isn't "how" - it's "where". He tells Henry to follow him, which he does.
Pan takes Henry to a remote place in the island, a rocky cliff from which Skull Rock can be seen, in the far-off distance: an island unto itself, distanced from the rest of Neverland. Pan asks if he sees that, and Henry, always the wiser when it comes to fairytale elements, asks if that is Skull Rock, which Pan confirms, before saying that inside is where their salvation awaits, salvation that only the heart of the truest believer can bring. "Me?" Henry asks. Pan says that's right, but he won't lie to him, it won't be easy: it will require heroism and sacrifice. The only question is whether he's up to the task. Henry looks on over to Skull Rock, ponders about this, and says, "Yes." Pan grins as he finally got him at last, closer to where he is now than it was days ago. A wonderful victory, now it's only them two and time.