In this chapter, there's a reckoning with David's condition, we get a glimpse into what Storybrooke's been up to, and Henry's sanity is messed with.

Disclaimer: Nope. Not an owner of the show.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Now, we're all going to go quietly into 2021 and just see where this goes.

Said BrainWithAMouth, immediately after saying the first sentence with exclamation marks.

It's important to note that time passes differently in Neverland. To simplify it, one day in Neverland is 3 days in Storybrooke, hence why the last chapter had the April 5 and April 6, 2012 dates, and this chapter has the April 9, 2012 date.

Thanks as always to Cant-Stop-My-Fandoms for helping me with this chapter.

Enjoy!


Turmoil


April 9, 2012

Everyone was well-rested once they awoke, particularly Emma. She seemed to wake up with the sort of energy that warned everyone to not get in her way.

Emma and Snow sat on a log together outside of Tink's hut, creating an outline of Pan's lair with sticks and stones. Killian and David sat on a log opposite them while Tink fixed up the place. Apparently, having company over created an urge to clean up.

Emma tapped out various locations with a stick in hand. "This is where they're keeping Henry. According to Tink, there are sentries positioned across the front, which is why we are gonna come in through the back entrance here. Tink should be able to talk her way in. Once she does and signals that the coast is clear, we are going to sneak out way in."

Tink said, "You'll still have to deal with any Lost Boys while you're inside. They love sticking their poisoned sticks into any living thing."

"That's comforting," Emma snarked.

Meanwhile, Killian gave David a 'You want to speak up now?' look, to which David sent him a look of, 'No, shut up'.

Snow, who missed the exchange between the men as did Emma, said to Tink, "You mean the dreamshade Killian warned us about?"

Tink gave Killian an appraising look. "Good on you for keeping them in the loop." She then addressed the rest of the group. "One nick and you'll spend the last-"

David suddenly stood up. "Poisoned sticks equal death, we got it. Now, when can we put this rescue mission into action?"

"I'm ready to go," Tink said, "as soon as you tell me the exit plan."

There was silence.

Tink quickly became annoyed. "You do have an escape plan, don't you?"

Snow stammered. "I-It's more of a last minute trip."

Tink's mood worsened, feeling that glimmer of hope beginning to fade. "If you don't have a way off this island, then none of this matters."

"We'll figure it out," David said.

"You'll figure it out?" Tink repeated disbelievingly. She looked at Killian. "You know the rules. No one gets in or out without his permission."

Emma pointed out, "We got in without permission."

"Do you have a way out then?" Tink asked, and got no answer in return. "This a waste of time."

David said, "When it comes to family, we always find a way."

"You don't get it," Tink said before reaching into her pouch and pulling out a watch. "You know what this is?"

Emma said, "Yeah, a watch."

"I got it off the bodies of the people who brought your son here," Tink said. They all got up and Emma took the watch from Tink. "I spent half the night cleaning the blood off it. The Lost Boys left them in a right state by the time they were done. There wasn't even anything useful from the man, and only a watch from the woman."

None of them felt any particularly charitable thoughts about Greg and Tamara's demise.

Tink put the watch back in her pouch. "That's what Pan does to the people he employs, something Hook is well aware of. What do you think he's going to do to you? Besides, he may need your boy, but what about mine? You think Pan is above retribution? I'm not risking my neck or Darren's unless you have an escape plan."

As she walked away to get back inside the hut, Tink said, "When you figure it out, let me know."

David began to follow her. "I'll go after her-"

"No, mate," Killian said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll do it. We have history."

He then went to join Tink inside.

"Honestly," Tink said as she angrily folded up the blankets as if they had personally offended her, barely sparing a glance Killian's way. "You know what Pan's like. Did you even warn them about what they were getting themselves into?"

"Of course I did," Killian said, not appreciating the way she was talking to him. "We didn't have time to figure out an escape plan before we left."

"How did you even get here?"

"A magic bean," Killian answered. "Sadly, we only had one left in stock after Tamara burned the field a giant friend of ours had been growing."

"Huh," Tink said as she began to move some items out of a chest, her back to him. "You've certainly been busy-"

Tink suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Killian asked her, moving around to see what she was holding. "Oh."

It was a toy doll, carefully woven with different fabrics and strings to resemble a boy. It had brown yarn for hair and an orange cloak around its shoulders. Tiger Lily had made that for Darren when he first arrived, and Killian never saw the boy without it.

Tink held it fondly in her hands. "Darren called it 'Little Darren'. He always held it tight at night when he was scared, which was more often than either of us would've liked." She then held it against her chest, as if she was imagining the boy in her arms instead of the doll. "One time, he told me that he would hold onto the doll so he didn't bother Tiger Lily or I by crawling into our bed. We kept telling him it was no trouble, but…"

Tink's eyes became misty.

Killian dared to place a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get our boys back."

Tink sniffed. "How can you be sure?"

Killian replied, "Because we've already defied Pan just by coming here. I know how he operates. If he truly wanted us dead, or if he even could, he would've done it already."

Tink saw that he was sincere, which made his statement all the more confusing. "You think he's getting weaker? Is that possible?"

"I don't know," Killian said, finally taking his hand off her shoulder. "What I do know is that we've got powerful people on our side, yours truly included."

He added a little bow that got a small smile out of her.

Straightening up, he continued, "Snow White and David are both veteran war heroes, and Emma is the Savior. She's got powerful magic and the strongest will of anyone I've ever met."

"Wow," Tink said at his description of Emma. "Coming from you, that's impressive. Was she responsible for lighting up the sky before?" At his nod, she further inquired, "Is she powerful enough to create a portal?"

"I don't know," Killian said. "She's powerful, yes, but that light show took a lot of energy out of her. I know of a witch who did the same, but she nearly lost her hand doing so, and she had years of training. Emma doesn't."

"More to the point," Tink said as her eyes examined him, "you don't want to risk her getting hurt."

Killian didn't say anything, but his protective expression said it all.

Tink looked at him thoughtfully. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Aye," Killian said quietly. "That's why I won't rest until everyone, including our son, is safely off this damnable place."

Tink nodded as a thought came to mind.

Killian saw her expression. "You thought of something?"

"Yeah," Tink said. "Baelfire was the only person to get off this island without Pan's say-so. Maybe something of his could help us off too."

Killian looked around. "I thought you searched the place."

"It wouldn't be here," Tink said. "Some time after you left for good, he and Tiger Lily had an argument and he moved to his own spot. She kept an eye on him until he disappeared. It's far enough away from other Lost Boy strongholds to not cause too much trouble. Still…"

Killian guessed, "You feel safer here." Tink nodded. "Fine. Just point us in the right direction, and we'll get to it."

"Good luck," Tink said before giving him another appraising look. "You know, I knew there was something different about you."

"I got older," Killian said.

"No, that's not it," Tink replied. "Before you left, you were focused on the Dark One, on your revenge. Now you've got hope for something better." Tink smiled a little. "It suits you."

"Aye," Killian said with a slight smile of his own. "It does."

Hope was all they had going for them, but for now it was enough.


Suffering quietly wasn't as easy as David hoped it would be. Sweat poured from every orifice, and his face was flushed and hot. Not even taking off his jacket and tying it around his waist helped relieve it too much, though at least he didn't feel like he was suffocating. He was able to lie to Snow and Emma that the jungle was affecting him, along with the trek to Neal's old place on Neverland.

Well, Snow bought the lie, which didn't make him feel good, but Emma sensed something was off. However, something was bothering her, thus distracting her from questioning her about it.

Killian, on the other hand, wasn't deceived.

He knew Killian wanted him to tell Snow and Emma the truth, but he couldn't, not right now. They would be too distracted in worrying after him, and Killian himself said that he might only have a week left if he was lucky.

That thought shook. After everything else he'd been through - George, Regina, two wars involving those two - it was a plant that would kill him.

He tried swallowing down his rising panic. He didn't want to die. Not before they get Henry back, and not before he and his family could enjoy a happily ever after.

For however long that lasted before the next crisis came.

David didn't want to leave Snow alone. What do you even do after your True Love dies? He especially didn't want to leave Emma, not after getting her back after so long.

But without a cure, what could he do? He was wasting time thinking about himself. As much as the prospect of death terrified him, the possibility of anyone else in his family dying scared him straight.

He looked up ahead, and saw Emma seemed to be having trouble with her head and ears, as she periodically rubbed at her head or even tried plugging her ears. He wondered if it was because of the sound of the bugs, but he wasn't sure if that was it. Perhaps it was this place in general. From her conversation with Emma, Snow had told him that Emma could sense the magic on the island. David didn't sense anything, but he guessed that came with having no magic at all.

"I'll go scout up ahead," Killian announced to the group, bringing David out of his unhelpful reverie.

Emma didn't like that idea, and when David saw her face, her pinched expression lent credence to the idea that she was already suffering from a massive headache. "Is this the part where I say that splitting up is a terrible idea?"

"It's not splitting up," Killian said patiently. "It's just me scouting ahead to make sure there aren't any Lost Boys lying in wait again."

Emma shook her head. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"It's just scouting." Killian said. "Better one of us get caught up in a possible trap than all of us."

Emma still didn't look certain, but gave a short, unhappy nod. Killian gave her a quick kiss and promised that he'd be back soon.

"He'll be fine," Snow told Emma as gently as possible, sensing her increasingly bad mood.

"None of us are fine," Emma said, almost too quietly for them to hear. Almost. Then, Emma gasped and clutched at her head.

"What is it?" David instantly asked as he and Snow rushed to Emma's side. "What's wrong?"

"It's too loud," Emma said with a wince.

"The crying?" Snow asked, remembering what she said about hearing the children crying.

Emma nodded, covering her ears as if to block out the sounds.

David and Snow shared pained, concerned looks.

Snow held Emma as she and David led their daughter over to a tree to lean against.

Emma couldn't think straight. She thought the crying was bad before, but now it seemed to intensify. Her worries that there was something wrong with this place were increasing, especially because a new thought formed. This place was primed to set people on edge, what with the constant night and the hidden dangers everywhere. That was bad enough.

What made it worse is what she sensed with her magic.

Morgana had previously told her that she would be able to sense magic like it was second nature, and with training she had become more acute in handling magic in Storybrooke. It was like riding choppy waves; with practice and energy, she could risk it. Here, it was like trying to swim through that storm the mermaids summoned. Occasionally, she would get power-boosts from a particularly high wave, and even feel the confidence that she could make it. Other times, like now, it felt like she was drowning in the harsh energy, in the raw, untamed aggression that permeated this land.

The crying was a focal point that rang in Emma's ears, which she couldn't ignore once Killian went on ahead. Emma's mind swam with irrational thoughts of Killian getting ambushed, of his back to her being the last thing she saw. She tried telling herself to calm down, but the cacophony of crying and emotions screaming was drowning out any logic she possessed and choking her.

It was all too much.

David couldn't stand seeing Emma like this. "Emma, Killian is going to be fine. We're all-" He quickly covered his hesitation when he realized he was about to lie. He wouldn't be alright. He was living on borrowed time. "We're all going to get Henry back, okay? Then you will never have to see this awful place again."

He wasn't a born liar. He could lie, but his conscience would forever pester him to tell the truth until he did. If he didn't, it would fill his heart with guilt, dog his every step and demand he be honest. Right now, it was telling him to set a good example for his family, to give them the time to grieve his upcoming death.

To tell Killian the truth about Snow's family's connection to Liam Jones' death, not only so that Killian can know the truth, but also to prevent Snow from having to reveal the secret on her own. She'll already be a widow. There's no point in forcing her to confront that on her own as well.

In the end, David did none of these things. He still firmly held onto the notion that any time spent worrying about him was time wasted that could've been used to save Henry.

It's not fair, David couldn't help but think. It's not enough time. We were finally supposed to have enough time.

Snow jumped onto David's attempt to help, figuring his scared and worried look was because of his concern for Emma. "Your dad's right. This place is dangerous, yes, but we will get out of this." There was steel in Snow's voice. "Nothing will stop us from getting Henry back."

Emma looked up at them, marginally lowering her hands from her ears when the crying started to die down. She couldn't help but show a sliver of vulnerability. "I can't lose you guys."

"And you won't," Snow promised, unwittingly lying on David's behalf. She cupped Emma's face, used her thumb to gently stroke the apple of her daughter's cheek. "We'll get through this."

That's when Killian came back. "The path ahead is cle- What happened?" He rushed to Emma's side when he saw her in distress.

Emma couldn't help it. As soon as he was by her side she flung her arms around him, holding him tightly against her.

Killian automatically wrapped his arms around her body, silently questioning David and Snow as to why Emma was like this.

"We need to get moving," Snow told him. "This island is affecting her worse than we thought."

"I'm fine," Emma lied.

"No, you're not," David said. "None of us are."

Killian's eyes darted to David's face, wondering if he told Snow and Emma the truth about his poisoning. When David subtly shook his head, Killian tried to hide his disapproval, as well as his guilt for not telling them himself. He might break within the day if David didn't.

"Right," Killian said as Emma let go of him, but still took his hand. "Let's get moving."

The group began to follow Killian's lead.

David kept a list in his head:

Find Neal's cave.

Find a way off the island.

Rescue Henry.

Try not to die.

This journey seemed a lot simpler this way.

"We'll get Henry back," Snow told him quietly. "We have to. We don't know what Pan wants, but we can't...we can't let him end up like…"

"Phoebe. And he won't," David answered just as quietly. He looked at Snow, and his conscience compelled him to tell the truth, but he tempered it by hinting at it. "That doesn't mean one of us won't."

"We'll get out of this place," Snow said resolutely.

David always loved Snow's strength, her optimism in the face of grim odds, but now wasn't the time for it. He was just too much of a coward to tell her what kind of odds they were facing. "Listen, if anything happens to me-"

"David-"

"If I die," David cut her off, "promise me you'll move on."

Snow looked at him with worried but unsurprised eyes. They had gone through two wars prior to this. Confronting death wasn't unknown to them, nor was the possibility of one or both of them not coming back. They had had this talk many times before.

David tried to give her a smile, but it came out as pained. "You know the rules. If one of us doesn't make it, the other has to try to move on, to not be sad forever."

"I remember," Snow told him. "Same rules apply to you if I don't make it."

"You're making it," David promised. "So are Emma and Killian and Henry. Tink and Darren too."

"Fine," Snow said, adding a little lightness to her tone in an effort to diffuse the tension. "Then I guess no one's dying."

David managed a half-convincing smile. "We can always hope."


Declan missed Henry more than he thought possible. He heard about Henry's kidnapping, about the motherfucker who did it after he shot LJ's uncle. However, the moment it truly sunk in for him was when he went to school looking for Henry, and only remembered then that his friend wasn't coming.

He'll come back, Declan told himself. His family will kick serious ass, get him back, and then everything will be okay.

Yeah, yeah they'd totally get Henry back. They had to.

In the meantime, Henry would be fine. He was brave and smart and he dreamed of the chance to be a hero like in his stories. He would probably come back talking about how awesome his adventure was, how Declan should've come with him.

That's what Declan tried to convince himself, but that illusion wasn't strong. In reality, Declan figured Henry would be scared out of his mind, having watched Percy, Thomas, and Tien being attacked, watching as the motherfucker who took him shoved Ella, LJ, and the baby into a closet and dragged him away from a fucking crime scene.

LJ nearly had a panic attack recounting the events of that night, and no one in the group had the heart to press him further on the details.

Declan chewed on his bottom lip. Once Henry was back, he would do everything he could to make him feel better. He'd hug him and show him new comic books and let him play with Dark Wing if the gosling was up for it. Anything to make sure Henry's smile stuck around.

"Mr. Holtzer," his teacher said, bringing Declan out of his reverie.

"Wh- I mean, yeah?" Declan asked, suddenly alert to the fact that he was in the middle of class and everyone was looking at him expectantly.

The teacher sighed, though their usual annoyance with his mind wandering was tempered. It was probably the unintended use of the your-friend-was-violently-kidnapped-and-you're-worried-sick-about-him card. That was fine with Declan, but he'd happily tear that card up if it meant getting Henry in exchange.

"Sorry," Declan apologized. "What was the question?"

Declan's teacher asked the question again, and Declan gave a half-decent answer before class was able to move on.

He tried to pay attention to class. Graham and Marian said that the best thing he could do for Henry was keep doing what he was doing, i.e. going to school, staying out of trouble, etc. It sounded like bullshit to Declan. What good would math and English class do for a kidnapped friend? On the other hand, there wasn't anything Declan could do for Henry. He was in another world.

With a start, Declan realized something he'd never thought of before: he didn't have any pictures of Henry.

Why didn't he have pictures of him? In the Enchanted Forest, if you were lucky, you got a half-decent artist to render a picture of someone you cared about. For a price. Drawing materials weren't cheap, neither was the labor that went into it. But everyone had cameras in this town. Why didn't Declan just go ste- no, ask. He didn't steal anymore.

Still, Declan should've gotten a picture of Henry. Even though he knew Henry was coming back, it would've been nice to have something of him to look at. He didn't want to risk forgetting or misremembering something about him. Declan...he was starting to forget what his brothers looked like.

So, he set about trying to remember details of Henry's face. The way his brown hair would tossle over his hazel eyes. The mischievous smile when he was up to something, the wicked glint when he was prepared to ask Declan and LJ to come along with him. Henry would always wear his school cardigan while Declan would take the thing off the first chance he got. Henry had said it was soft and warm, which suited Declan just fine.

Remembering Henry made him feel a little better.

That's when Declan thought of Tien. Ruby had brought her and LJ over to his place for a play date with Roland and Declan. LJ talked half-heartedly about sword practice, but did perk up when he mentioned that his uncle made a full recovery (having a good witch on their side had benefits). On the other hand, Tien just kind of spaced out for most of her playtime with Roland, despite the hobbit's best efforts to engage her. Even the presence of both Lady and Copper only got a half-hearted smile out of her before she clutched Lady to her chest like she was a lifeline.

No shit, Declan thought. Her entire family is basically gone with no idea when they'll be back.

This filled Declan with determination. Fine. He could do fuck all about actually getting Henry back. What he could do was protect Henry's little sister in the meantime, make sure that she didn't become bitter and angry like Declan was. (He knew what he was. He knew that sunshine and daisies hadn't been his thing since he was very small, and there was no undoing that).

Roland would help too, though the kid would just view it as playing with his best friend (his words, not Declan's).

Okay, Declan could do this. He could shield Tien, make sure she and Roland held onto being a kid with few worries for a little while longer.

While that happened, Declan hoped that someone was looking out for Henry. Being stuck with two assholes who treated you like shit had a bad effect on people, even when they weren't shitbag kidnappers.

Declan didn't want Henry to feel alone. As he tried to pay attention to class again, he wasn't sure why the memory of those boys dancing around the bonfire came up, or why he hoped that Henry wasn't tempted to go with them like he was.


Henry wasn't entirely sure how it happened. One minute, he was talking to Darren about fruit (they were hungry at the time). The next minute, he was wrestling on the ground with Devin.

Okay, there were a few steps in between those two events, but it happened so quickly that it felt like a natural jump.

Henry hadn't been feeling well. He sensed something was off with him, that he felt more alert, more paranoid, about everything and everyone around him. Danger surrounded him, but instead of feeling vulnerable, he felt emboldened to take action, to strike out at anything that dared harm him or Darren (because the boy needed someone in his corner, and he reminded Henry of Tien).

Henry had been trying to teach the Tic-Tac-Toe hand clapping game with Darren. Unsurprisingly given his age, Darren was slow to catch up, but he was starting to learn.

"I like strawberries," Darren said the moment the thought entered his head.

"Why?" Henry asked, figuring some conversation was better than no conversation.

"They taste good," Darren said simply before messing up a move.

Henry restarted the move. "Do strawberries grow here?"

"Mommy made them-"

"Aww," one of the boys, Devin, interrupted in a cooing voice that made Darren cringe and curl up. "The baby asking for his mommy again?"

"Leave me alone," Darren told him.

"Leave me alone," Devin repeated in a mocking tone that made Darren's lip wobble.

Henry's eyes narrowed. "He said leave him alone, jerk." There were a whole host of words he wanted to call Devin, courtesy of Declan's unwitting tutelage, but he didn't want Darren to hear them.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Devin asked before kicking Henry's shoe. "Wha-"

Before either of them knew it, Henry suddenly pounced on Devin, taking the older and taller boy by surprise enough to knock them both to the ground.

Instantly, all of the Lost Boys started cheering and hollering, chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Henry hardly had a second to think about how they had done the same chanting when they wanted him to shoot the apple on Felix's head when Devin punched him. Henry had been threatened, pushed, pulled, and otherwise threatened with harm, but he didn't know when the last time he was punched was, if ever.

Something about it sent Henry off even more. Devin punched him again, and attempted to roll them over so that he was on top, but Henry barely flinched before punching Devin twice in the face. His knuckles hurt, as did his eye and cheek where Devin punched him, but his blood ran hot and wild, and he gave into the savagery that urged him to punch, kick, and scratch at Devin as they rolled around in the dirt. With every hit, Henry was hurting all the people who hurt him, who hurt the people he loved.

Regina.

Greg.

Tamara.

So many other villains.

To Henry's eternal shame, he actually liked it.

A sharp whistle put an end to that, bringing him back to the present and causing both Devin and Harry to scramble to their feet, a little bloodier than when they went down.

The Lost Boys parted, revealing Pan, who slapped slowly with a grin on his face as he approached them.

"Good show, boys," Pan said. "Devin, excellent biting as usual."

Henry didn't realize he had been bitten until he felt the teeth marks on his arm.

Pan looked at Henry. "Not bad for your first fight."

Henry didn't say anything. He couldn't bring himself to look at them.

Pan wasn't having it. "Oh, none of that. There's no mummies to scold you for getting rough on Neverland. Here, we go all out. Isn't that right, boys?!"

The Lost Boys cheered, with Felix cheering the loudest.

Pan patted Henry appreciatively on the arm. "Get fixed up, Henry. You might actually beat him next time."

Henry said nothing as Pan walked away, and the Lost Boys dispersed once they realized the fun had ended. Even Devin gave him an appreciating look, but there was something dead there. Like once the fighting stopped, whatever distraction he had been using failed, and now there was nothing to be happy about.

Chilled, Henry went back to Darren, who watched him warily.

Henry kneeled in front of him. "You okay?"

"You're bleeding."

At Darren's quiet proclamation, Henry looked at his left arm and found that Devin had bitten him so hard that it actually tore through his pajama sleeve. Blood leaked into the sleeve. He gingerly pulled it back and saw that the teeth marks had indeed broken skin.

"Here," Darren said, pulling something out of his cloak to hand it to Henry.

Henry took it, realizing it was gauze. "You got any water around?"

Darren pulled out a half-full jug of water.

Henry let out a little laugh as he accepted it. "How much stuff do you have under there?"

Darren shrugged as he pulled his cloak tighter around himself, his brown curls beginning to cover his eyes.

Henry knew that simple water wouldn't do the trick, but it was the best thing he had on hand. He just really hoped that it didn't get infected or anything. A part of him was kind of glad he didn't have to feel the sting of antibacterial soap.

The image of Phoebe wrapping his hand in gauze from his nightmare-induced burn came to his mind, unbidden, and it made him stop from pouring the water on his wound. His heart panged with the longing of wanting his older sister back. If she had been on Neverland, she would've pummeled Devin, Felix, and any other Lost Boy that tried to hurt them. She probably would've tried pummeling Pan too.

She would've tried fighting Greg too, and would've died for Henry like she did in real life.

Hot tears stung Henry's eyes.

"What is it?" Darren asked, confused by the sudden change in Henry's mood.

Henry shook his head, shaking the tears away as well. "Nothing." He poured the water gently on the wound, using as little as possible to preserve what water they had. Henry then handed the jug back to Darren, who took a sip before closing the lid. Henry then wrapped the gauze around his arm, trying to focus and do an adequate job, but his fingers fumbled with the final tie.

"I can do it," Darren said, reaching over and finishing off the knot.

Henry inspected it, and found that it held. "Wow. Good job. Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Darren's hands retreated into his cloak. "My mommies."

Henry said, "You mentioned a mommy before. What happened to them?"

Darren's face clouded over in fear. However, there was also a tinge of confusion there.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked gently.

Darren bit his lip in concentration, like he was trying to remember something. After a few moments, he finally answered. "Can't remember. Sometimes. Think I have one mommy, then two. Had a mommy...mommies." Darren's brow furrowed like he had a headache. "We all had mommies, but we don't know them anymore."

Despite the disjointed nature of Darren's words, Henry chilled at the implication. He looked around at the Lost Boys, and even though their lips smiled and their bodies moved jovially, their eyes told another story. Like Devin, their eyes were empty, masking a joylessness that lingered. The only ones that didn't look that way were Felix (to an extent) and Pan.

As if sensing his thoughts, Pan turned to look at Henry, and smiled in a charming way.

Henry remembered how Regina would smile at him like that, right before she did something terrible.

I won't forget, Henry thought to himself. I haven't been here as long as the others. I know I have parents. Have one sister-

Two. He had two sisters. He always would, even if...if...with a start, he realized he couldn't quite remember what Phoebe's nose looked like. The next moment, he realized that he mixed up her ear shape (thinking they were short and round instead of a little pointy).

Her eyes were brown. That much she knew. And she was blonde like...like...Valiant? No. No. Valiant was his horse, named by...who had named him? Henry or Phoebe?

Focus!

Right, right. Henry's mom and sister had blond hair, Tien-

The image of her little body falling to the ground, bleeding from the head, forced itself into his mind, and Henry quickly abandoned trying too hard to recall Tien's features, especially not anything involving her head.

Henry sat next to Darren, the two boys sitting in silence as Henry told himself over and over that he wouldn't forget another detail.

He wouldn't. He couldn't.


Neal lived in a cave on a minor cliff as a kid. Not the worst place to make a home.

"So, what?" Emma asked as she and her family stood in front of the cliff. "Neal swung out of Neverland on a vine?"

Snow replied, "If only it could be that easy."

Killian said, "If someone would be kind enough to lend me a hand, we can get up there. Emma, what do you say?"

Before Emma could accept, David, who was starting to sweat bullets, volunteered instead. Killian nodded and the two of them began to pull down a rope that would open the entrance to Neal's cave. Emma and Snow stepped back to give them their space, with some of the color returning to Emma's face.

As they pulled down the rope, Killian whispered to David, "You don't look so hot, mate."

David tried not to wheeze as he kept tugging on the rope. "It's a hundred degrees in this damn jungle. And I'm plenty hot."

Killian side-eyed him. "Poison in the blood can't help your condition."

David glared at him before stone scraped against stone as the hidden entrance began to lift up.

"Ladies first," Killian said as he and David tied off the ropes to nearby tree roots to keep the entrance open. Emma and Snow went inside just as the men finished up, but before David could join them, Killian placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. "How much longer do you think you can keep up this charade? Don't you think your family deserves to know you're gonna die?"

David shrugged off Killian's hand. "I already told you there's no good in telling them. I can't stop the poison, it's done. They can't waste time worrying about me when there's Henry to consider. There's no hope."

This only fueled Killian's irateness. "You don't know that. Don't you hero types think there's always hope?"

It frustrated and saddened David to see that Killian was subtly excluding himself from the hero category - he more than earned that distinction - but something was off about his wording, about how he seemed to be hinting at something but wasn't ready to commit to talking about it. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Yes, Killian thought about saying. There's a cure but at the cost of eternal damnation on this wretched island. A fate worse than death that I don't want to inflict on you, but seeing you rot away on the island is almost as horrible.

Instead, Killian told David, "Alas, hope and reality are most often worlds apart. You'll never make it off this island alive."

Before David could say more, Snow's voice came from inside the cave. "David? Killian? You two alright?"

"We're coming," David said before he headed in without looking at Killian. With a sigh, Killian followed him inside.

Emma wondered what took them so long, but she was a little busy looking at everything. The lantern Snow had wasn't enough, so she decided to use her magic to light up her hand.

"You okay doing that?" Snow asked, trying to see if any of Emma's previous fatigue was coming back.

Emma felt stronger than she had before. "I can afford to make myself a flashlight."

From what she could see, cups and bowls littered the space, seemingly fashioned from anything Neal (as Baelfire) could fashion from the island. The bed - made from whatever soft things she imagined a young Neal could find - was empty save for a planet and a pillow made of feathers and cloth.

When she got to the walls, that's when she saw that it was covered in drawings. One showed a portal with hands reaching into it. Another showed a city that, if the giant clocktower was any indication, might've been London. There even appeared to be a crude drawing of Rumplestiltskin. This was the one that intrigued her the most. It looked like Neal couldn't quite decide what to draw. Some features reflected how Rumplestiltskin as the Dark One looked (a cold smile, one reptilian eye) while other features (smooth skin, one dark, human eye) must've been a reflection of the man Rumple was before he chose dark magic.

Neal probably couldn't decide on which face was truly his father's, Emma thought as she continued to look around. The cowardly man who raised him, or the coward with dark magic who abandoned him.

At least he was locked up and unable to fuck up anyone else's life.

Another showed a port and starboard symbol. Next to it was a hook.

Footsteps signaled the arrival of Killian and David. Looking over, Emma found Killian was trying to light up a torch, but didn't succeed. David had to go over and light it with his match, disappointing Killian.

Emma stopped her magic thanks to the new source of light, and saw something else on the walls: tally marks.

Snow asked Killian, "You think Neal may have left a clue as to how he escaped from here?"

"Aye," Killian answered. "Or we can hope so, we'll be lost just like he was."

"Let's not waste any time then," David said, getting a move on exploring the cave. Everyone got to work, uncovering every blanket, looking through every object, leaving no surface untouched or unexamined.

Time was difficult on Neverland, so they couldn't be sure how long they had been searching for, but after a while they hadn't found anything useful.

"Anything important?" Killian asked as he came over to see Emma, who was inspecting the tally marks on the walls.

"I can't tell yet," Emma said. "He liked drawing, I guess."

Killian nodded. "He got it from his mother."

"These tally marks," Emma pointed out. "Was he trying to keep track of the days?"

"That's what he once told me," Killian said. "He stopped sometime before his escape, but he never said if it was because time was difficult here or if he just gave up."

Emma looked away from the tally marks to address Killian. "I get that it's hard to keep track of the days since the sun never comes up, but I've been wondering about something else. You spent 300 years here but only aged a few years. If we spent a week here, does that mean months will pass in Storybrooke?"

Killian hesitated. "Possibly. The differences in the passages of time aren't always concise."

The air briefly left Emma's lungs. "Tien could go months without seeing us. Maybe even years." The thought of that little girl growing up even a day without them was bad enough. It was April now. Tien's birthday was in June. The idea that they would come back and find Tien as a 5-year-old instead of a 4-year-old terrified her in a way she couldn't describe.

"Not if we find a way out of here," Killian said. "Not if we get everyone in the group off before, let's say, the week's out."

Emma nodded, but thought there was something oddly specific in how Killian phrased that. Emma decided not to let herself get distracted from the task at hand any further, and examined the cave drawings again. "Maybe Neal left something useful in the details of one of these? A map, or maybe some sort of clue." Emma lit up her hand.

Meanwhile, Snow and David were looking through Neal's old utensils.

Snow said, "Looks like he made this stuff from whatever he could find on the island. Resourceful."

David held up a half of a coconut. "Don't know how great a cup this could make. It's filled with holes."

Snow shrugged. "Maybe it's a tiny colander? Hold on." She spotted half of a coconut that held a candle in it and picked it up. "Think this could be useful?"

David took out his lighter and lit it before he realized something. "Wait a second. Do me a favor and hand that over?"

"Sure," Snow said as she handed him the other half of the coconut.

David examined the two halves and found that the ridges were identical. It took a couple of seconds of trying, but soon enough he combined the two halves into one. The light from the candle bled through the holes in the coconut. "Okay, they fit, but why?"

Emma turned her head to look at her parents, and realized that the light from the coconut was making specific dots on David's face. "Killian, snuff out that light for me."

Killian did so just as Emma stopped her own light. Once the cave was flooded back in darkness, the light from the coconut became even more apparent.

Emma looked up at the ceiling and saw a crudely made constellation of stars. "Guys, up."

Everyone looked up and saw what she meant.

"Stars," Snow said.

"It's a map," Killian realized.

"A map to where?" David asked.

"Home," Emma said before pointing up. "Looking. Those two stars are close together."

"The second star on the right," Killian said. "If you're flying, it's how you get to Neverland. It's also how you can get out without needing the shadow for guidance. Except..."

Everyone looked away from the stars to look at Killian.

Snow asked, "Except what?"

"There was a short time in Neverland when Baelfire was aboard my ship," Killian said. "I taught him to navigate using the stars. Unfortunately, I also taught him that the key to being a pirate is secrecy. The best captains conceal their maps in a code. He was an apt pupil."

Snow didn't like the sound of that. "So the only person who can read this map is Neal?"

"Maybe not," Emma said. "Maybe there's something in these drawings that can decipher this, or maybe there's something Tink forgot to tell us."

"Tink and Baelfire were never close," Killian said. "Tiger Lily was closer to him. Our best shot would've been her but we've no idea if she's still on the island."

"This is still a start," David said. "We already identified those two stars. We can figure it out from there." David then turned to Emma, "I don't suppose you can make the Jolly Roger fly, can you?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that would end in disaster." She looked around the cave, hoping an answer would just pop out, but those tally marks kept drawing her eye.

Snow followed her line of sight and became hopeful. "Think those could act as a clue?"

"No," Emma said as a small amount of dread settled inside her. "I'm thinking that Neal...he gave up. He was here longer than what those tally marks show, but he stopped counting the days. He lost hope. Counting became pointless."

David frowned. "You think the same thing is happening to Henry?"

Emma said, "Pan's going to try everything he can to make it that way. Pan wants him to lose faith. We need to send him a message somehow."

"How do we do that?" Killian asked, hopeful about the idea but knowing their chance of success would be low. "The Lost Boys are everywhere."

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage," Snow said. "The lair moves, but the Lost Boys who go out exploring have to get back somehow, right? Maybe they have an item that allows them access, or maybe Pan showed them a specific path to take in order to return to base. At the very least, we can have a way to track them without Pan realizing it. Come on. I want to test something first."

Snow left the cave, and David followed her, taking the coconut with him.

Emma looked at Killian, who watched David concernedly.

"Killian," Emma said, getting his attention, "what is it?"

Killian swallowed. "I'm just worried about your dad. He's not looking well."

Emma nodded, having noticed her dad wasn't taking to the heat nearly as well as the rest of them, but something was off. There was a lie there, but Emma couldn't decipher what it was.

"Are you coming?" Snow shouted back into the cave from the entrance.

This spurred the couple to leave that place, though Emma was left wondering what exactly was going on with her dad and Killian.


Rapunzel had gotten used to chaotic council meetings, and to everyone's credit, this meeting wasn't nearly as bad as the one from yesterday. Now that the shock of what became collectively known as The Shitshow subsided, they were now able to focus on the logistics.

That being what to do now that the mayor, the sheriff, one officer, a hero, and a child were gone, hopefully to return in the near future.

In the rush to go after Henry, Snow hadn't appointed an interim mayor, and so far they were hoping that they would be able to make due without appointing one.

Rapunzel set a counter in her mind to see how long it would be before someone cracked and suggested one.

Looking around, she saw her fellow council members arguing over what to do with Regina's body. Ella was there with a grim look on her face, one Rapunzel didn't like because it was a mixture of anger and satisfaction. Rapunzel wouldn't lie and say she wasn't glad the bitch was dead, since Regina's horrible death avenged everyone she killed. On the other hand, this forever destroyed any chance of them ever finding out what she did to Charles' body.

Maurice talked about one particular popular stance, one that Percy was against.

"No," Percy said resolutely. He looked pretty good for a man who nearly bled to death. Rapunzel loved Morgana.

"Why not?" Maurice said. "A public display of her body is no more than what she deserved or what she would've done with any of our corpses. There's enough clamor for it, and besides, it'll act as a deterrent for any future monsters."

"You sure about that?" Percy asked sharply. "It's boorish and crude and we don't do things like that here."

"We said that before about certain...unpleasant aspects of war," Maurice said. "We were already prepared to execute Regina. Why is this the step too far?"

Percy retorted, "A rotting corpse on public display. Hmm, I wonder how that could be perceived negatively."

Abigail spoke up before the two men could go at it again. "We can't keep going round and round like this forever. We should decide today what we should do about the body. I'm in favor of just cremating her and getting it over with." She cut off Maurice's attempt to speak. "I know your stance on this. I hated Regina as much as any of you, but Percy is right. We were already going into an uncomfortably grey area by executing Regina and the others. We don't need to muddy the waters anymore by displaying her body like it's a prize. Besides figuring out the logistics of where we would even do it, there are children around, and I think they've seen enough."

The idea of exposing already traumatized children to a rotting corpse took the wind out of Maurice's sails. The vote to cremate Regina was swift and unanimous. Cora had already been cremated, so it was only fitting that the daughter shared her mother's fate.

Tiana looked at Judge Santos. "I assume the jury's already been dismissed."

Judge Santos nodded. "I must say that most of them looked relieved to be done with it."

Rapunzel figured that seeing multiple images of dead and otherwise broken bodies had sickened them as much as it had sickened her.

Phillip said, "The trials on the other participants will continue."

Noah and Sarah's killers would spend the rest of their lives in prison, except for the first one who snitched. Who would serve at least 25 years before he was up for parole. The other participants could be executed if the court was particularly merciless.

"There is something else we should discuss," Rapunzel said, eyes straying to both Snow and Emma's empty seats.

Everyone figured out what she was hinting at.

Abigail asked Percy, "Do we have any idea when they'll be back?"

Percy shook his head. "Wherever they ended up, they're not coming back without Henry." His expression became grimly guilty. "It was-"

"Don't say it," Ella interrupted him. "It wasn't your fault anymore than it was mine or Thomas'."

"She's right," Maurice said, surprising Rapunzel since he was normally the least sympathetic person there. "Those villains were willing to kill you, to attack a child, in order to kidnap Henry. The best we can hope for is that they retrieve Henry, and that those villains get what's coming to them."

"In the meantime," Rapunzel said, "we should try dividing up Snow's responsibilities as the mayor so she doesn't come back to a giant pile of paperwork."

Phillip nodded. "Mulan has informed me that the police department is taking over Emma's duties until her return."

Tiana said, "We might as well go over the details now."

It was mind-numbing business, but they got it done before they finished up their session.

Rapunzel stepped outside, and nearly sighed.

Nathan Knope bowed in front of her standing by a car. "Your Highness."

"Hello, Nathan," Rapunzel said to the former deserter. "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

"I know," Nathan said as he straightened up from his bow. "I just want to. I owe it to you."

The four deserters from Duke Sitz's portion of the opposing army had been released for three reasons: good behavior, their defection before the war's end, and because the jail was crowded enough. All four of them swore allegiance to her, swearing that they had been drafted or otherwise forced into serving the duke against their family. They had been interrogated for days on this, and none of them had diverted from their stories.

Three of them were beginning to reintegrate into the population, doing anything they could to earn forgiveness.

Nathan was determined to do so more personally. He was a soldier of some years, distinguished in service before his defection, and genuinely wanted to serve Rapunzel. He volunteered himself as her personal bodyguard and chauffeur.

Rapunzel hadn't been sure, as there was some bit of doubt in her mind about having someone from Sitz's forces so close to her. Morgana had taken the liberty to interview him personally. Once she emerged from the private room where the interrogation took place, her foster mother determined the man was sincere.

The fact that he looked mildly terrified of Morgana sealed the deal. It was certainly convenient since Rapunzel was still learning how to drive. Riding Maximus was easier than riding a car, but unfortunately there weren't parking stalls for horses in town.

Rapunzel approached the car, allowing Nathan to open the backdoor for her, and closing it only once she was inside.

"Where to?" Nathan asked as he got into the driver's seat.

"The hospital," Rapunzel replied. "After that, the school. I want to pick up Grace on time."

Nathan drove.

Once they got there, Rapunzel got out of the car and told Nathan she would be out soon. She went up to visit Jefferson, but when she got there she found someone she didn't expect.

"Gus?" Rapunzel asked upon seeing the mouse-turned-man. "Hi."

He had been helping Jefferson back into bed when she spotted him. He turned around. He was wearing a simple blue shirt with a badge hanging around her neck that said 'VOLUNTEER' in big, blocky letters. Rapunzel recognized that as the same attire Morgana wore when she volunteered.

"Hi," Gus said as he put a blanket over Jefferson, the man laying on his side.

"You volunteer here now?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yep," Gus said with an excited smile on his face. "At first, I didn't know if I ever wanted to see this place again-"

"I sure don't," Jefferson intoned, visibly sick of the inside of his hospital room.

Gus continued on without missing a beat. "But after how much care I got when I was...you know...I decided I could give back. I like working at the auto shop, and I'm good at it because of the curse, but here it just feels right."

Rapunzel smiled at him. "I'm glad, Gus."

Gus nodded before looking at Jefferson. "Do you need anything else?"

"A quick exit out of here," Jefferson grumbled.

Gus took it in stride. "Once you're well enough, I'll carry you out myself."

Jefferson managed to look a little amused. "My hero."

Gus left soon afterward, and Rapunzel took a seat by Jefferson's bedside. His hand sought out hers, and she didn't deny him.

She asked him, "Getting sick of this place, huh?"

Jefferson groaned. "I'm sick of barely being able to walk around on my own."

"Did the doctors say anything about your progress?"

Jefferson's expression soured. "They said that with muscle exercises and very careful movements, I'll be able to heal a little faster. Not much though. It'll still take at least two months for me to be able to walk around on my own, and that's without getting too tired."

Rapunzel wished she knew what to say, but her words would do little to get Jefferson out of this bed, or deal with whatever nightmares caused the shadows under his eyes. Graham had been visiting him a lot lately, and while Jefferson didn't say what they talked about, Rapunzel noted that Jefferson seemed to feel better after said visits.

Jefferson looked guilty. "You didn't come here to hear me complain."

"It's not-"

"I am," Jefferson said a touch sullenly. "How did the council meeting go?"

Rapunzel went over the basics, and Jefferson didn't have much of a reaction when she told him what would be done to Regina's body. All he said was "Good riddance".

Then, the topic of conversation went over to Nathan.

"How's the bodyguard working out?" He asked her.

"He's...eager," Rapunzel conceded. "And convenient. The last thing this town needs is for me to drive into a pole while learning how to work a shift."

Jefferson smirked. "We can't have that. You're the only one around with their sanity intact."

I used to see the personification of my fear and guilt, Rapunzel thought. Despite this, she smiled.

Then the smile dimmed, because she remembered what Jefferson had said about his sister.

He seemed to realize it too, because his smirk faded. "I don't see her that much anymore."

"But you still see her," Rapunzel guessed.

Jefferson nodded. "I mostly feel her. She's almost always behind me, tracing the whip marks." He cleared his throat. "I guess she's paying me back for ignoring her all of these years."

Rapunzel once wondered if her demon was a message from Basil, a curse to let her know he blamed her for his death. Even though Morgana told her over and over that the Night Root was the cause, Rapunzel's own guilt fed that idea until it festered.

She couldn't let this happen to Jefferson too. "From what you've told me, Faith doesn't strike me as a particularly vengeful person."

"No, she wasn't," Jefferson said, his eyes becoming misty. "She was sweet. One of the sweetest people I've ever known. Always followed me around like a duckling, tried helping me out whenever she could. I couldn't help her."

"Jeff-"

"It's true," Jefferson insisted, remorse plain on his face. "Worse, I just locked her away in a corner of my mind and pretended she wasn't real, like that would make it easier, like it wouldn't remind me of my failure."

Rapunzel saw Basil's face flash in her mind, his patient smile. "She wouldn't want you to feel this way."

Jefferson's grip on her hand tightened, and she could see he was going to a bad place. He was stuck in this whirlpool of guilt, blaming himself not only for the death of his sister, but also for not addressing his own grief.

Rapunzel had seen that expression on her face far too often, and she had to stop him from getting there.

She finally plucked up the courage to tell him why that wasn't true. "Faith wouldn't blame you for her death anymore than Basil would blame me for his."

Jefferson's eyes snapped up to meet hers, and confusion took hold before a hint of realization bled through.

Rapunzel wanted to just crawl into bed and forget the world existed, to ignore the opening of an old scar, but she'd already come this far. She'd nearly burned alive in the same home she rescued Jefferson from. She could at least see it through all the way.

She told him, in detail, about how she had been forbidden from swimming in a particular river. How, despite the warnings, she decided to swim anyways, to prove she could do something. Then, in a broken voice, she told Jefferson how she had been caught in the river's strong current, and would've drowned if Basil hadn't jumped in after her.

"I got out," Rapunzel said, tears streaming down her face and body as taut as a wire. "He didn't. The guards found him half a day later."

Jefferson was crying too, just silently. He was crying for her.

"Afterward, I fell apart," Rapunzel confessed. "Basil was basically my whole world. My older brother was just...perfect, and everyone loved him for it, but he always made me feel special. When he died, I would hear people talk about it, like they knew it was my fault. Yes, I know I didn't kill him, but...I went looking for the Night Root to become brave again, to prove myself worthy, but I just made things worse. You know the rest after that."

Rapunzel looked at Jefferson, really looked at him, and found understanding and acceptance, which almost made her sob, but she held herself together.

"We're unlucky," she told him. "We have to go on the rest of our lives without Basil and Faith, but we're also lucky. We're still alive. We get to go on, and we've got stuff to look forward to again."

"Like Grace," Jefferson said.

"Exactly," Rapunzel replied. "We don't have to forget them, but we can't let their ghosts haunt us forever. I know a part of us will never stop feeling guilty, but we can't let that put our lives on pause. It's not easy, but we've got each other, right?"

"Yeah," Jefferson said roughly, and that pushed Rapunzel to hug him. He wrapped his free arm around her, and the two lovers held onto each other, holding back tears but releasing some of the grief they held for their lost siblings.


David was getting worse. He knew this, but he couldn't stop now. Snow was going over her plan on how to capture a Lost Boy, how to make sure to get one alone so that they could interrogate him for information, or otherwise just track one. He tried to pay attention but the heat of the jungle and from his wound was killing him.

"David?" Snow's voice made him focus again.

"Sorry, what?" David asked.

Snow held up the ropes she and Emma were weaving from vines. "We need more vines." She looked more worried than before, like she had tried to get his attention before his realized he couldn't hear her despite only being a few feet away. David wondered how long he could keep up this heatstroke story before she or Emma decided to do something about it.

"On it," David said before moving into the jungle. Vines. He could get vines. He could do this. He just needed to not pass out like his body wanted to.

He realized a few seconds too late that Killian had decided to go with him.

Killian hissed, "You look like you're about to drop dead."

"Not dead yet," David said as he leaned against a tree for support.

"You will be soon," Killian bit out. "For gods' sake, David, just tell them the truth. I'm begging you. However much you fear them getting distracting, it'll be far more distracted if you suddenly drop dead."

David wanted to tell Killian to back off, that it was his decision and he would stick with it, but he didn't have nearly as much energy as he just had. The jungle was getting impossibly hot now.

Killian realized how badly off David was, and that crumbled his resolve (however weak it was to begin with) to not tell him about the cure. "What if I told you there's a way to save you?"

"Wha…?" David was breathing heavily. "I thought...you said…"

"There is a way. I didn't want to mention it before, because-" Killian was halfway through his guilt-laden explanation when David swooned, and when his legs buckled he would've landed on the ground in a heap if Killian hadn't caught him. "Mate? Mate?"

For a heart-racing minute, Killian thought David was succumbing to the poison, only reassured by the raspy breathing David made. He set his friend so that he was sitting against a slanted tree, and did everything he could to revive him.

When David's eyes fluttered open, Killian breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Welcome back," Killian said.

"Never left," David said. "I think."

"You're worse off than I thought," Killian told him. "I thought you had days left. Lift up your shirt."

David tried batting away Killian's hand, but the effort was unwillingly weak. "No."

Killian wasn't playing around anymore. "Let me see."

David sighed before reluctantly lifting up his shirt. It had gotten worse. The right side of his chest was covered with black veins all over it. The uppermost veins begin to spread to the left.

Killian felt his stomach lurch. "The Dreamshade has almost reached your heart. It's hours now."

"We can't," David stubbornly insisted with a whisper.

"Enough, Dave," Killian said. "It's happening, one way or another...unless I save you."

"How?" David asked, the heat making him frustrated, but Killian's words giving him hope.

Killian saw this and only felt more guilty. However, it's like Killian said. This was happening, one way or another. "I've seen Dreamshade cured before. You have to drink from a specific spring in Neverland. The waters will stop the Dreamshade."

"But?" David prompted when Killian hesitated.

Killian just got to it. "You can never leave. If you leave Neverland, the magic from the water will fade. The poison will progress, and you will die."

David's newfound hope faltered. He knew that there had to be a reason for Killian to not have shared this earlier, but to have it confirmed was another thing. He would never leave this awful place alive, no matter what. Snow would still, for all intents and purposes, be a widow. Emma would still have to go on without him. Still, if this bought him more time to save Henry, it would be more than worth it.

However, there was something that bothered David. Something familiar about this-

Oh. Oh gods. He had heard about this.

Our king sent us to Neverland to find what he claimed was a healing plant, when in reality it was a poisonous plant called Dreamshade.

I still don't know what possessed him to cut himself with the bloody thorns.

The moment we left...he died in my arms.

David was a fool. A complete and utter fool. He had heard this story before, but he'd been so concerned with Henry that he completely forgot it until then.

"Your brother, Liam," David said, and Killian nodded. "Liam was the one who died from Dreamshade. He left and he died."

"Aye," Killian said roughly, like the words clawed at his throat. He had that same haunted look talking about his brother like he did last time.

David took in a deep breath, released it, and then asked Killian to help him up. "I'll drink the water." He cut off Killian's attempt to talk him out of it. "It's the best way to help this family. We have to do this."

Killian reluctantly said, "Alright, have it your way."

"Killian," David said. "Promise me that you'll look after everyone when I'm gone."

"I will," Killian instantly promised.

"And…" David hesitantly trailed off. "If, somehow, this doesn't work...you want me to pass a message along to Phoebe?"

Killian's expression became stricken at the question, and it didn't make David feel any better. David's friend just ignored it altogether. "Right now, I'm more concerned about what you're going to tell Emma and Snow."

David nodded. No point holding this off any longer.


Snow and David once agreed that in order for a marriage to work, they couldn't keep secrets from each other. It was a promise they knew would only allow for little white lies.

Not massive secrets like this.

David and Killian had told them the truth, that he had been cut by an arrow laced in Dreamshade, and they had been hiding the injury. David emphasized that Killian kept trying to get him to come clean. The show of the black veins going across David's torso knocked the breath out of Snow.

Snow had been in such shock that she couldn't quite speak. Luckily, Emma had no problem questioning her father about this.

"Why the hell wouldn't you tell us?" Though her hurt eyes glared at Killian, pained that he would help David hide this.

"Don't blame him," David told Emma, trying not to flinch when she whirled around on him. "He kept telling me to come forward, but I wouldn't listen."

"He still should've told us," Emma retorted.

"No, I should have," David replied. "It was my secret to tell, and I unfairly dragged him into this."

Snow snapped out of her shock. "But why? Yes, I know you said we would be distracted from Henry, but David, seriously? What? Were you hoping to hold out long enough to not have to tell us until you were dying?"

David shifted uncomfortably. "Not...not exactly."

Snow tried not to restrain her temper, angrily walking away a few paces.

Emma, on the other hand, wasn't finished with him, and there was grief in her rage. "Great, just great planning. So what?" Her voice threatened to crack, but she held firm. "We just wait for the end? Is that it? What am I supposed to tell Henry?"

That's when Killian cut in. "There might be a way to save your father."

Snow whirled around. "And you're just now telling us?"

David said, "Killian told me that the waters in a spring on this island will heal me, but there's a cost. If I ever leave Neverland, the magic will stop, and the poison will continue spreading until I die."

Emma's rage dissipated, looking stunned as she realized that no one was lying this time. This was it? This was the big cure? Her dad stuck on this island forever or dead before they reached Storybrooke. This wasn't…

Killian reached over to comfort her but Emma backed away, still angry at him. Maybe not even him, but just angry at everything.

The man in question tried not to look hurt at the rejection, but still let his hand fall to his side.

Snow looked at David, looking into the eyes of her husband, and realized the truth. This was it. There was no getting around this, was there? He would either be stuck in Neverland alive or dead on the way home.

Why hadn't she seen that Lost Boy coming? Why hadn't she stopped him before David was shot? Why was any of this happening to the people she loved?

Killian spoke up. "It'll take us a few hours to get there and back."

Emma glared at him. She couldn't help it; they were partners. How could he keep this from her? Neverland fed into the negative energy like a parasite, slithering in and making bad things worse. How was she supposed to navigate that and the chaotic magic of this place if Killian lied to her, betrayed her trust?

Killian wanted to tell Emma that he wouldn't do this again, and he didn't plan to, but he also couldn't approach her now. He knew that no matter what happened, he had failed to keep the entire family safe. He didn't know if he could face Tien knowing that David would never come back.

David looked to his wife, who could only bear to look at him for a few seconds before looking away in anger. Heartbroken, David turned to Killian and suggested they go.

And so, the men left.

The two women were left behind to stew over their feelings.

Snow felt her grip on her family loosening. Every time a new villain came around, something had to happen to someone she cared about. For once, could the universe please just hurt her directly? Stab her, strangle her, poison her, anything at all. Just please, stop hurting the people around her. Stop making everyone she loved die. David was her rock through some of the worst times in her life. No matter what, she could count on him.

Now it felt like the world was tilting as David's life threatened to be extinguished.

Pan had done this. He had knowingly laced those weapons with Dreamshade, and had gotten his twisted Lost Boys to fight for him instead of fighting for himself.

Something hot and angry roiled inside of Snow, and to center herself, she focused on a rock lying on the ground near her.

Just breathe, she thought. Focus on the rock.

The black veins on David's torso.

One rock.

Johanna being thrown out of a window.

One stupid, fucking-

Phoebe lying dead on the ground.

Snow picked up a rock, threw it at the jungle, and screamed in rage.


Killian's heart wrenched at the memory of Emma pulling away from him. It had been so long since she'd acted that way that he thought they'd gotten past it.

You didn't tell her that her father was dying, Killian thought to himself. Of course she's upset.

"Where are we heading again?" David asked, trying to keep up.

"Dead Man's Peak," Killian answered. "How are you holding up, mate?"

"Don't worry about me," David told him. "I'll be better once I drink that water."

Killian grimaced. "I meant Emma and Snow's reactions. It was a bit stormy." He hoped Emma would forgive him for the deception.

David felt bad. "I'm sorry I got you into my mess too. You were right. I was delaying the inevitable."

Killian wanted to bitterly tell David 'I bloody well told you so', but that just seemed in bad taste. Every second was precious in saving David's life, and given how heavily he was breathing, they hadn't a moment to lose. Besides, he should have told them despite David's protests. He should've told them once they were all rested, damn whatever David said. If David didn't get to the spring in time, it would be because Killian wasted it.

"They won't be mad forever," David promised him. "They'll be hurt and angry, but they'll forgive you."

A part of Killian wondered if that was true. They had been remarkably forgiving of his past crimes as it was. Perhaps this would be the step too far, that even Emma would see him as nothing more than a selfish, filthy pirate.

David started wheezing so badly that he had to stop, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.

Killian stopped to wait for him. "We're almost there."

"That's good," David said, wiping his sweaty brow. "Once we...get to...that spring...I might just...dive into that spring." At the rate he was going, he might just flop into the water, and be refreshed that way.

Killian couldn't help but smile a little. "Perhaps a dip would suffice."

David let out a pained chuckle. After sufficiently regaining his breath, David continued to walk, Killian walking besides him to catch him in case the man fell over.

Once they arrived, Killian looked up at the cliff. There were no vines to help with their climb. Luckily, they brought their own. The thing was that someone would have to go up there to drop the vine rope down, and that certainly wasn't going to be David. Killian would have to scale it by hand.

"This is where we ascend," Killian told him. "I'll climb ahead and throw down the rope."

"Good luck," David said as Killian began to climb. "Be careful."

The climb was long and hard, but Killian pressed on because time was most assuredly not on David's side. Luckily, Killian had the advantage of being in his physical prime and not being poisoned. Once he got up there, he went over to a tree near the spring. He made sure the tree wouldn't suddenly uproot itself before he tied one end of the rope around the base. He swung the rope over the side, watching David walk towards the end nearest him.

"Don't pull him up yet."

Killian whirled around, drawing his sword before it became stuck in its hilt.

Pan looked amused as he held up a hand, using magic to stop Killian from pulling out the sword any further.

"No need for the steel," Pan said before letting his hand fall. Killian wasn't fooled. He knew there was no point trying to draw out the sword when Pan could so easily stop him. "I just want to talk. Alone."

"What do you want?" Killian demanded.

"To offer you a deal," Pan said. "Come back and work for me, like the old days."

Killian chuckled unamused. "I don't miss the old days. Besides, I'm not eager to get back into debt with you."

"Not debt, a job," Pan said. "You can sail the seas of this world and others to your heart's content. And in thanks for your previous work, I can sweeten the deal. Your old crew isn't around - good riddance, the bores - so you can start a new one...with Emma."

Killian shook his head. "As if we would ever leave our son."

Pan's faux look of confusion turned to amusement. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you met Emma eleven years ago and impregnated her instead. Last time I checked, you weren't Henry's father, even if the one who did the deed was barely one either."

Killian's jaw clenched.

"The boy is mine," Pan said. "You know this. Every boy on this island is mine."

"Except Darren," Killian said. "Tiger Lily kept him away from you all of these years."

Pan's expression briefly flashed in annoyance before that smirk came back on. "And yet," he opened his arms, gesturing to the island, "she's no longer here."

"Did you kill her?" Killian demanded, the question leaping out of his mouth without his realizing it until he spoke it. "Is Tiger Lily dead?"

Pan grinned, his eyes twinkling with malice. "After I took the boy, I made her an offer. She said no. You can probably guess what happened next."

A cold feeling slammed into Killian's chest. He knew that Tiger Lily was possibly dead, but actually hearing it, seeing the pure glee Pan took in getting rid of his rival filled him with sadness and anger. Tiger Lily was a good person who didn't deserve that fate. She had been in Neverland for far longer than Killian, but she had never sunk to the depths he had to survive. She had created a safe haven for herself, the boys, and Tink.

Tink. What was he going to tell Tink? Or Darren for that matter.

Tiger Lily's face - a disapproving look tempered by an amused smile when Killian made a quip - morphed into Phoebe's face, looking at him like he would protect her.

His body could still feel the weight of Liam's corpse as he died in Killian's arms.

Why am I still alive when good people aren't?

Before he could ask what had exactly been done, what had Pan done with the body, Pan cut him off.

"Emma's already left her son before," Pan told Killian. "You can be there to pick up the pieces, start all over. We've known each other a very long time, Killian." Hearing his name on the demon boy's lips made him shudder in disgust. "We've done business before and I think this is the perfect time to restart that relationship."

"I'm not interested."

"Of course you are," Pan replied confidently. "You know this whole adventure is going to end in everyone except me dying. That's what I've always liked about you. You're good at surviving. Be in my employ, and do my dirty work."

"I remember the kind of dirty work you wanted me to do," Killian spat at him, his stomach clenching at the thought of becoming the heartless pirate he was. What he needed to become to do what he was told and not throw up.

"It could be fun," Pan offered with a slight shrug. "You seemed to enjoy some aspects more than others. But first, I need a signal that you've taken a deal."

"Which is?"

"You know me," Pan said before he disappeared, only to reappear right behind Killian, who quickly put some distance between them. "I like action. I'll know you've taken my deal when I see the prince's dead body up on this peak."

Killian tried to bluff him. "Oh, you'll see that anyway. He's on his last legs thanks to dreamshade."

Pan tsked at him. "I wanna see you kill him before the poison has a chance to finish him off. I want to see your hook inside his body."

Long ago, Killian had steeled himself against Pan's taunts, his bloodlust, his lack of care for any of the harm he committed or was responsible for. He thought he would've been able to erect that trusty old shield, but Pan wanting Killian to kill David himself was so offensive that it set his blood to boiling in an instant.

"How about this?" Killian asked with a sharp smile, his words spewing venom. "How's about you take your deal and stuff up your boyish arse? The days of me working for a demon boy who couldn't beat one fairy for hundreds of years are over."

For a moment, Killian thought he had taken it too far. No, he knew that he had taken it too far. Pirates and Lost Boys alike had been killed for disrespecting Pan in such a way, and even for less. At that moment, Killian didn't care. He would never kill David, or turn on his family for the likes of Pan.

The briefly black look on Pan's face made Killian think he was dead, like he would end up in pieces like Greg and Tamara or perhaps just obliterated like he assumed Tiger Lily was.

What Pan said next made him wish his life was the only one in danger.

"I'll take your years of loyal service into consideration," Pan said, "and not kill you were you stand." He then scoffed. "You're so confident that you would try to threaten me? Don't forget, my Shadow can bring anyone to Neverland, boy or girl. You've already lost one fairy daughter. Care to lose another?"

Killian tried to attack Pan, instinct guiding him to strike down this demon that threatened his Tien, but Pan disappeared in the link of an eye.

There was a huffing sound behind him, and Killian saw David climbing to the top of the cliff.

"What the hell?" David asked breathlessly as Killian helped him up. "I thought you were going to pull me up."

"Sorry, mate," Killian said, wanting to tell David about what had just happened, but now finding himself in a bind. If he told David, Pan would send the Shadow to get Tien and do gods' only know what to her. If he didn't, Pan would expect Killian to kill his friend.

He was trapped.

David was panting. "Were you talking to someone?"

Killian decided on a lie, to buy himself some tie, and the irony that he had admonished David for such a thing earlier wasn't lost on him. "Just talking to myself. It's an old habit from many nights on the lonely seas. Come, it isn't much farther now."

David nodded, continuing to walk with Killian following close behind, his hook feeling heavier than it did before.


Emma was still pissed that Killian and David lied to her, but it was the only thing stopping her from panicking over her father dying. That, and Snow's plan to capture a Lost Boy. Emma's own tracking skills came in handy. They needed to isolate an area where evidence of foot traffic was light enough - not too much trampling, so not a popular spot - that they wouldn't be ambushed by too many Lost Boys. However, it also needed to have enough foot traffic that they wouldn't be waiting around for nothing.

The trap was set, and some bait in the form of a pig wandered in. Snow and Emma hid in the bushes, waiting for a Lost Boy to wander.

He didn't disappoint.

The boy raised a long stick with a sharpened tip, ready to throw it at the pig when Snow fired an arrow into a rope. The boy barely had time to look up before the net above his head released and it fell on top of him.

Emma and Snow broke cover and surrounded him in a second, Snow aiming another arrow at the boy.

The boy broke free of his net in anger. "Are you trying to start a war with Pan?"

Emma snapped, "Pan started the war when he kidnapped my son."

Snow said, "That doesn't mean you have to be our enemy."

The boy straightened his back defiantly. "Every one of Pan's enemies is my enemy."

Snow felt sorry for him. "You're just a boy."

"I'm a LostBoy," he corrected, like that made a difference.

"You must have a name," Snow said soothingly. "All boys, even Lost Boys, must have names."

The boy's eyes shifted between them. "Devin. And if you think I'm going to give you anything else, forget it. You can't make me talk."

"We don't wanna hurt you," Emma promised, because she really didn't want to hurt a kid, however long it's been since he actually was a kid. "We just need you to deliver a message to Henry?"

"Why should I?" Devin demanded.

"Because you had a home and a family once," Emma said, and despite his hard expression, something in Devin's eyes reacted to her words. "You stopped believing you could get back to them. Now we're here. We can help- not just Henry, all of you. We can get you home."

To their surprise, Devin chuckled. "Don't you get it? I'm here because I don't wanna go home. None of us do."

"Is that what Pan convinced you of?" Emma asked before taking a better look at his beaten face, a scar on his cheek. "Look at what he did to you. He's a monster."

Devin's smile became nastier. "Oh, Pan didn't do that. Henry did."

Emma and Snow were shocked, particularly Emma because she knew Devin wasn't lying. Still, that didn't stop her from trying to lie to herself. "Henry wouldn't do that." Her Henry was too sweet. Sure, he could get into danger but he never inflicted damage onto other people.

"Oh, he did," Devin said. "Gotta admit, I did not think he was going to go as hard as he did. He was so busy punching me in the face that he didn't even notice I bit him."

"You did what?" Emma demanded. Anger at this boy hurting her son wanted to engulf her, but it was tempered by her uncertainty over the boy's words. Henry wasn't someone who would lose it and beat someone up.

Snow, seeing her daughter's distress, tried to poke holes in Devin's story. "Just like that? Henry attacked you for no reason?"

"Well, not no reason," Devin said, not losing much of his bravado. "I kicked his foot, and he was on me like an animal. Most kids need a little more of a push before they go berserk. I think he really liked it."

Emma was so wrapped up in Devin's defamation of Henry's character that she almost missed his head inching towards his pocket. A second later, Devin threw a knife at her head, one she dodged by just an inch. Snow fired her arrow, pinning Devin's cape to a tree. He tried ripping it out but it was no good. Emma instantly went over, grabbing the front of his shirt and pushing a struggling Devin against a tree.

"It's too late!" Devin gloated. "Henry is a Lost Boy now. Your boy is one of the most vicious recruits we've had in ages!"

"You're lying," Emma seethed.

"You're the living lie detector," Devin said, his eyes empty like the other Lost Boy from the battle. "You tell me."

He wasn't. He really wasn't. Either he had such an obscured image of Henry that it crossed over into delusion, or he was telling the truth. However, something was bothering her. How did he know about her lie detector?

Were Henry's eyes becoming empty like this boy's?

Snow pulled Emma away. "Do not let him get to you, okay?"

"Henry is gone," Devin said. "Why don't you just go home and-"

Emma angrily put up a shield with a silencing spell, stopping Devin from hearing what they were saying, and stopping them from getting any angrier from Devin's words.

Snow stood in front of Emma. "You need to keep a level head."

"I am," Emma snapped before forcing herself to calm down. "He's not going to give us anything. Not voluntarily."

Snow asked, "You have a way to do that? Are truth serums a thing?"

"No," Emma said. "And trust me, I asked. Morgana said that truth serums aren't reliable if not brewed properly, and I don't have the training for that. I sure as hell don't know how to cure Dad."

Snow winced. "Could you...could you heal him with your magic?"

Emma clenched her jaw. "I...I don't know. Once he told us the truth, I started focusing on him. Mom, he felt like death. Killian's been badly injured before and I helped, but it wasn't as bad as this. It was like his entire body was just waiting to die." Emma's voice cracked at the last word. "I can try but I don't know if I can fix this."

Snow knew that it wasn't fair that she even asked such of Emma, but nothing about this situation was fair. She placed her hands on Emma's arms. "The upside is that Killian and David are buying your dad more time right now."

"It's not a cure," Emma said, appreciating her mother's soothing touch. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she put it as a mark towards progress that she hadn't immediately thought Snow was going to squeeze her arms or slap them like some of her foster mothers did.

"No, but it's time," Snow said, trying to hold onto hope. "Every second we have with your father is precious. As for Henry, we don't know if Devin is lying-"

"He's not," Emma said. "I would know."

"Okay," Snow said slowly. "Even if he's not, you said it yourself that this place corrupts and twists people. This isn't who Henry really is, and once he's off here, he'll go back to being the sweet boy we know he is."

Emma didn't know if she believed he would revert back all of the way, but she did think that getting him off this island was his best shot of not becoming one of the Lost Boys permanently.

Neither woman noticed that Devin's defiance started melting away as he looked at them, saw the way Snow gently held her daughter's arms. It reminded him of someone, a long time ago, who held him like that when he got in trouble and apologized, when he was scared. He couldn't remember what they looked like, but he...he thought he remembered their warm touch.

When Emma and Snow looked back at him, that memory faded once more, and Devin crossed his arms and stared at them harshly.

"We'll figure out a way to get him to talk," Snow said. "One way or another."


Aurora was gaining more and more mobility by the day. She wanted to move, to go around, and her being wheeled around outside (she wasn't quite ready for crutches) was great.

She also longed for certain...things. Not just seeing new places or trying foods fresh from the kitchens in restaurants or that wonton Mulan brought in once.

She wanted Mulan. She wanted the privacy to kiss her for as long and as passionately as she wanted. Aurora wanted to touch Mulan, to hold her and press their chests together. She had never felt such passion before, such desire. Her knowledge of the subject was limited, but she began imagining things to do with Mulan that made her heart race and her skin tingle.

Get ahold of yourself, Aurora thought as she gingerly moved around her hospital bed, trying to get her legs to obey her. Figure out how to stand on your own before you fantasize about...those things.

A blush and a smile still came onto her face.

There was a knock on the door.

Aurora stopped moving, and turned to see Mulan there with flowers in hand. Her heart fluttered seeing Mulan's face.

"Hi," Mulan said, giving Aurora a smile, something she rarely gave others.

Aurora opened her arms, and Mulan went over, wrapping her arms around Aurora to hold her as they kissed. The passion ignited again, and Aurora moaned a little as she teased Mulan's tongue with hers. She just couldn't help it.

Because Mulan was either a spoil sport or just loved torturing her, she pulled back from the kiss with flushed cheeks.

"What was that?" Mulan asked, a little surprised but also pleased.

"You didn't like it?" Aurora asked, deliberately batting her eyelashes.

"I did," Mulan said before picking Aurora up and setting her on the bed. For a moment, Aurora thought Mulan would continue to kiss her, to nestle herself between Aurora's legs. She would have no complaints, maybe even eager permissions, but sadly Mulan just decided to place her hands on Aurora's waist.

Aurora, having not seen Mulan all day until now, decided that wasn't good enough. She did open her legs, feeling a little sharp pain from her still healing muscles, and pulled Mulan in for a kiss.

Mulan laughed against her lips. "Can I at least close the door?"

Aurora blushed in embarrassment this time, but still retained a haughty tone. "I suppose."

Mulan quickly and gently pecked her on the lips before going over to close the door. She came back, and still ended up between Aurora's legs, holding the small bouquet of light purple flowers in between them.

Aurora smiled as she gently touched the petals. "Are these tulips?"

"Yes," Mulan said before looking over at the vase she got Aurora, where the last bouquet of flowers were wilting. "I thought you could use a replacement."

Aurora bent down and smelled the flowers. "Mm. That was very sweet of you."

Mulan raised an amused eyebrow. "I've never been accused of that before."

"Well you have now," Aurora said before putting a hand behind Mulan's hand and bringing her down for a kiss. Once they separated, Mulan went to replace the flowers, so Aurora decided to ask, "How has your day been?"

"Busy," Mulan said with a groan.

"That bad?" Aurora asked sympathetically.

"Terrible," Mulan admitted as she went to sit on the bed next to Aurora, putting an arm around Aurora's shoulder and holding her close. "That's what happens when the mayor, the sheriff, a prince, and a famous pirate all leave to rescue their grandson from villains, and an evil queen is killed. What a mess."

Aurora reached a hand over and gently massaged Mulan's thigh, which was tense. "I wish I could help you. I should be in those council meetings, but I can barely leave this room."

"Hey," Mulan said softly, getting Aurora to look up at her, her eyes drawn to the scar over Mulan's left eye. She had heard the story of how she'd gotten that, how she and Phillip had to escape the collapsing sheriff's station. "If it counts, seeing you always makes me feel better."

"Me too," Aurora said. "I mean, seeing you makes me feel better too." She decided to spare herself by kissing Mulan some more. Once they broke away, Aurora couldn't help but trace the bottom of the scar.

"I remember the story behind this," Aurora said. "I remember a lot of your stories, including how you became a man for a short time."

Mulan smiled for a second before it faltered, and she shifted uncomfortably. "Do you...not like it? That I was a man?"

Aurora was confused. "Why not? You're you whether it's as Mulan or...what was the name you used?"

"Ping," Mulan answered. "It was the same name I used to pretend I was a man to join the Emperor's army. Last time, however, I didn't have access to a glamour spell."

Mulan watched Aurora's reaction, feeling a bit insecure over her own feelings. Some part of her found it hard to believe that someone as kind, beautiful, and regal as Aurora wanted Mulan. She thought herself set for a life without romance, only duty, until she met Aurora. She hadn't felt wrong about being Ping. In fact, it felt just as right as being Mulan, but she knew sentiment about that varied depending on who you were talking about. Aurora seemed to be okay with it, and she wasn't a particularly good liar besides, but Mulan still had some doubts.

She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but that sparkle in Aurora's eyes when she asked about Ping made Mulan want to ask Morgana how she did that spell again. Especially if it resulted in Aurora kissing and touching her like she did when Mulan first arrived.

Mulan's phone rang, and she reluctantly took her arm off of Aurora to answer it. "Hello?"

It was Marian. "Hi, Mulan. I hate to do this-"

"What happened?" Mulan interrupted with a sigh.

"Some unrest at the prison," Marian said. "Sidney Glass just learned about Regina's death and he's not taking it well. He's riling up some of the prisoners. I need you to come in."

"Did you call Dr. Hopper?" Mulan asked. "We'll need someone to talk Glass down."

"Already did," Marian said.

"I'll be there," Mulan replied before ending the call.

Aurora looked disappointed. "Duty calls?"

"Literally," Mulan answered. "I'm-"

Aurora placed a finger on Mulan's lips, silencing her. "Don't apologize. Go on and save the world."

Mulan smiled and kissed Aurora's fingertip, causing her to laugh a little. She didn't think she had ever been this playful with someone. "I love you."

"I love you too," Aurora said before getting a real kiss out of Mulan. She was always sad to see her go, but she knew Mulan would come back. And if she lovingly swatted Mulan's nice-looking butt as she left, then that would sate her for some time.


David heard Killian's conversation with Pan. He had gotten worried when Killian hadn't pulled him up, thinking that maybe a Lost Boy or even Pan had been lying in wait.

He was half-right.

David had climbed up the rope and was almost to the edge of the cliff when he heard Pan and Killian talking. Over and over again, Killian refused Pan's offer to be spared, to have Emma be spared, in exchange for killing David. Then, when Killian directly insulted him, Pan upped the ante.

Care to lose another?

As if he wasn't loathsome enough, Pan threatened Tien, a defenseless little girl. And from what Killian had told the group, David knew Pan could and would do it.

On their way to the spring, Killian hadn't mentioned the conversation. He had lied about what happened, making David think he was considering it.

If he was, he couldn't blame him. If someone made a credible threat against his child, especially after rubbing Phoebe's death in like salt in a wound, David might be tempted to go along with it. At the same time, David didn't want to believe that after everything they'd been through, Killian would kill him.

Then again, to save Emma or Henry, would David be willing to murder Killian?

At last, they approached the dreamshade vines. Near it was a spring.

"This is it?" David asked.

"Aye," Killian said. "You ready to dive in?"

The idea of soaking himself in cool, fresh water sounded wonderful, but he held himself back. This was it.

Killian looked confused. "Dav-"

"I know about Pan's offer," David said, looking at Kilian just in time to see his face morph from confusion to surprised worry. It would've been funny, catching the pirate off guard, if things weren't so dire. "I know he wants you to kill me."

Killian began to argue. "David, what you heard- I wasn't-"

David cut him off. "I also know that he threatened Tien if you didn't."

Killian's mouth closed at that.

"So," David said, "here's the moment of truth. Are you going to kill me to save your little girl?"

'The last one you have left' went unsaid.

Killian looked torn, his eyes shattering like glass. "I don't want to do it, I promise you, I don't."

"I know," David assured him. "What does Pan do with girls?"

"Nothing," Killian said. "He's never brought a girl to Neverland before, at least not as far as I know. He only wants boys. Meaning that he would have no use for Tien."

A cold feeling numbed David's hot body at the thought of Tien being hurt. The thought of her ending up like Greg or Tamara made him feel sick.

David seriously asked, "If you do kill me, will Pan keep up his end of the bargain?"

Killian hesitated before nodding his head sharply. "You always have to be careful with what words he uses, but if Pan's straightforward, he means it."

"I die," David said, "and Tien lives."

Killian said, "Except that means Emma and I would be under his power forever, Henry would still be trapped, and Tien would grow up without us. There's no winning in this situation." Killian knew that one way or another Tien would be hurt, perhaps irreparably.

David nodded before lifting his hands up in surrender. "Then do it. If you need to, kill me."

Killian's expression became stricken and he shook his head. "I can't-"

"Yes, you can," David said, Phoebe's body in her casket floating in his mind. It sucked. It was absolutely terrible. He finally had hope that they were buying themselves more time, and now Pan snatched that hope away. "Losing Tien will kill you, kill Emma. If you think that this is really the only way, I won't stop you."

David couldn't be responsible for a little girl's death. He couldn't fail in saving another granddaughter.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, Killian stepped forward, lifting his hook up.

It's happening, David thought suddenly, forcing himself not to move. I love you, Snow.

Killian then sharply turned away, turning onto a nearby rockwall and aiming his hook at it. Metal scratched against rock, and Killian narrowly avoided getting cut by dreamshade.

David's hands dropped as he saw Killian strike the wall once, twice more with pained grunts.

"I can't," Killian said in a rough voice, his back to David. "I-I can't. You're...Emma would never…"

He couldn't kill David. Gods, he tried to will himself to do it, but he would sooner kill Liam all over again, for it was his fault his brother died. Now that he failed, Pan would assuredly harm his daughter. He silently pleaded Tien for her forgiveness, pleaded Phoebe for forgiveness for failing to protect her little sister.

David steeled his resolve. "Then we better stop Pan."

Killian turned around with a devastated look on his face. "David-"

"I know he's powerful," David said. "He's more than proved that, but we all knew the danger coming in."

"It's not just about us anymore," Killian protested. "Tien is a child. She would be completely defenseless against him."

"Then. We. Stop. Him." David enunciated each word even as he became increasingly woozy. "No matter what, even if he does bring her to Neverland, we will find her when we find Henry. Or, we get Henry, and stop Pan once and for all. It's going-" David began coughing. He tried clearing his throat but it only became worse, and he got even dizzier.

Killian caught David when he collapsed, still conscious but very weak. He guided David over, and without thinking he filled his canteen with water from the spring. He returned to David's side, and gave him the canteen. "Mate, wake up." He gently slapped David awake.

David coughed some more and his eyes fluttered open. This was do or die time. He looked at the canteen in Killian's hand. "Is that…?"

"Yes," Killian said. "This will save your life...and doom Tien."

"Not doom," David promised. "I'm the only person who will die, one way or another."

Killian grimaced as David took the canteen from him. "If you do this, you can never leave." He didn't know if he was trying to talk David out of this or not.

David looked down at the canteen, his salvation. If he didn't drink it, if he forced Killian to kill him, maybe he should tell Killian about their family's connection to Liam's death.

The thing was...that wouldn't help anyone, not right now. Killian couldn't kill David, and David wouldn't let Tien die.

"It's a small price to pay for what I get in return - the chance to save Henry and Tien." David lifted up the canteen. "Cheers."

He drank from it, and in an instant his dizziness and fever disappeared. He drank from the canteen until it was empty. He lifted up his shirt, and the black veins disappeared. He couldn't help but laugh in relief.

He looked up at Killian, and that laughter ended at Killian's intensely worried look.

David got serious. "Help me up."

Killian silently did so.

Despite himself, David felt invigorated. His death had been pushed off for some time. A shitstorm was about to hit, he just knew it, but he needed to focus on how to save Henry and Tien. It was time to head back.


Henry was humming 'The Bare Necessities' without much joy in his tune. The other Lost Boys were milling about, some sleeping, some playing games. Henry got the sense that, since time was difficult there, they just did whatever they weren't too tired to do unless Pan directed them. If they were too tired, then they just napped. It could be the middle of the day and none of them would notice.

How long had he been there? He couldn't really tell anymore. Part of him told him it had only been a day and a night, if that. Another part remembered how Killian had been on this island for what felt like a few years, but was three hundred in the Enchanted Forest.

If Henry had been here for a day and a night, did that mean a week had passed in Storybrooke? A month? Half a year?

Henry's half-panicked mind was plagued with this question, along with 'Why aren't they here yet?' and 'They're coming for me, right?'

Every time Pan or a Lost Boy told him they weren't, he wanted to tell them to screw off. He even did a few times, imagining how Declan would appreciate that. On the other hand, his objections had been getting weaker and weaker.

Darren stirred. He was one of the Lost Boys who fell asleep, right into Henry's side, his face still hidden under his hood.

Henry tried not to move so as not to wake the younger boy. Poor kid was exhausted, and terrified besides. Something else Henry had noticed was that the older kids liked picking on him, trying to goad the sensitive boy into a fight.

Felix had told Henry, "We're building character."

Henry thought Declan would have been proud when he immediately replied, "Bullshit."

Felix had seemed amused by the swearing, and even more amused when he backhanded Henry, goading Henry into a fight. One he lost, but one Pan approved of since Henry actually smiled after the fight. It was only for a second, and caused by the exhilaration of adrenaline, finding something to do to pass the time, but Henry's smile died as quickly as he realized he had one.

He didn't like it. He didn't.

Henry decided to stick by Darren after that, ignoring the other boys goading him into another fight, or Devin trying to get him to hunt for pigs with him. Henry wasn't about to let Devin take him on for round two.

Once again, he heard the faint crying of children, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Some of the boys stirred restlessly in their sleep, but none of them were crying, or at least not from where Henry could see.

That left Henry alone with his thoughts. Normally, he would try to think about his stories, or his friends, or imagining his friends as heroes in his stories. Now, however, he had trouble separating himself from this situation. The bite from Devin still stung, and reminded him of how angry he had gotten. The bruise forming on his chest from where Felix had hit him during their fight hurt. It wasn't the pain of his wounds that worried him, as they would eventually become dull aches. It was that they reminded him of the violence he enacted against those boys with little provocation, how Darren had shied away from him both times, like he was becoming one of them.

Worse still, Henry was starting to wonder if maybe Darren was right to be afraid. He tried to remember the details of his family's faces, but to his horror they were starting to slip away.

Phoebe had blonde hair and brown eyes, Henry thought to himself. She wanted to watch Peter Pan. Henry couldn't help but quietly laugh at the irony. She loved Dad and Tien. She wanted to watch Herc- No, that's what I wanted to watch.

Think. Think. Remember.

Tien wants to be a fairy with wings, Henry thought. She likes strawberry cake. Her birthday...it's June 8, right? Or is it June 9? She wears a green hoodie-

Henry startled when he realized he legitimately began to mix up Tien with Darren, and he worried that him messing up the finer details was a sign of things to come.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Henry nearly startled so badly that Darren woke up, because Pan popped up next to him out of nowhere, kneeling beside the two boys.

"Who do you think you are?" Henry asked. "Batman?"

Pan looked confused, like he didn't know what Henry was talking about.

Score one for me.

Pan recovered quickly enough, and he looked at Darren in a way that reminded Henry of those kids who, when they saw a lizard in the playground, they didn't know if they should play with it or stomp it.

"You two seem to be getting on," Pan commented. "Maybe he'll pick up your fighting habits."

Henry glared. "Kind of hard when everyone else is twice his size."

Pan huffed, acting as if he was merely put off by Henry's retort rather than annoyed. He wasn't happy that Henry found something to protect. Worse, Pan wondered if Henry was using Darren as a substitute for his changeling 'sister'. Still, while he needed Henry to feel a part of the Lost Boys, yes, Darren was only a wrench in his plans as Henry's morals were rather strong.

Taking Darren from Tiger Lily, reliving the memory of wrenching the squealing boy from the bleeding woman's arms did put a smile on his face. She had been a thorn in his side for far too long and he was glad to be shot of her.

Returning to the present, Pan once more tried to get into Henry's good graces. He had done this countless times with countless other boys, and he hadn't failed once. "Here, you can do whatever you want. No bedtimes or school time or anything boring like that. Whatever you want, no punishments, so long as you don't mess with my plans."

"So rules, except made by you," Henry flatly responded.

"Henry," Pan lightly admonished, "there are always rules, except when they're mine they're part of a larger game, not something that's rigid or forces responsibility on you." He gestured to the Lost Boys. "They come and go as they please, except when I need them, and that's because they want to. There's always food on the island so you're never hungry. Always water so you're never thirsty. Endless games to play and an endless amount of time to play it. Think of it, Henry. An immortal life of nothing but play, of being as wild as you want without anyone telling you differently. Those fights with Darren and Felix only proved that you have it in you to be the most magnificent Lost Boy there ever was. Daring, cunning, and unrestrained. And that's not the end of it."

Henry looked at him curiously, and Pan's smile widened.

"You're special," Pan told him. "No other Lost Boy has ever been able to make pixie dust work like you did, do you know why?"

I'm sure you'll tell me, Henry thought.

"This." Pan pointed to Henry's heart. "In there is a belief in magic like no other. You believe in magic during the Dark Curse when there was no evidence. You got us to jump off a cliff because you believed it would work. Neverland runs on imagination. Just imagine what you could do here."

Henry had to admit...that sounded tempting. He remembered the exhilaration he felt at flying through the air, watching as they soared near the clouds over the island, so close to and yet so above it all. He had never dreamed of being able to fly before because he had no magic. Now, he had the chance to use magic, to not have to go to school, to not-

Not see his friends. Never see his family. Never see Lady again.

Henry thought about Declan, how Pan had tried luring him to Neverland.

"What's wrong?" Pan asked with a curious tilt of his head, wondering why Henry had fallen silent.

Henry, realizing he had started looking away, looked right back in Pan's eyes. "If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell the truth?"

"Of course," Pan promised, thinking all he would need to do was word it carefully.

Henry asked, "Did all of the Lost Boys want to stay in the beginning, or did they want to go home and you wouldn't let them?"

Pan opened his mouth to answer, but Henry cut him off with, "You don't have to say it. I know you're a liar."

The immortal boy pursed his lips, tired of Henry's constant defiance, and he got up and left to go over a new strategy. He was running out of time.

Glad that Pan had left him alone for the time being, Henry went over some details in his head.

His mother had blond hair and green eyes, the latter he inherited. He found her when he was 10, and she wore a red dress on her birthday.

His father - his real father - had black hair and blue eyes. He taught him how to tie a knot and was teaching him how to sail.

(He wondered what a baby of his parents' would look like).

His grandma had black hair and green eyes, the latter of which she passed down to Henry's mother. She was his teacher at school.

His grandpa had blond hair and blue eyes. He taught Henry about how to take care of horses, his horse, Valiant.

His eldest sister was dead. She had blonde hair - splayed out on the alleyway ground - and brown eyes - sightless as she died. She hugged him when he found out what Neal really did to Emma. She helped him name Valiant, and his ship Verity.

His youngest sister was alive. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. He thought she was bound to lose a baby tooth soon. She tried biting the hands of anyone who tried to take him.

I have a mom and dad, Henry told himself firmly, willing it to memory. I have a dead sister and an alive sister. I have two living grandparents. I have a dog and a horse and a sailboat. My name is Henry David Swan, and I can't forget any of this.


And it's done! Pan threatened Tien, David is temporarily cured, and Henry's losing hope. The reason why Snow and Emma's confrontation with Devin went differently this time is because Regina is dead so no one was able to use dark magic to rip his heart out. Emma has light magic and that wouldn't work.

Again, time passes differently in Neverland, and these dates are saving my life and sanity.

I got details of the drawings on Neal's cave walls from the trivia on the wikia. Apparently there was a drawing of Rumplestilskin but it never made it on-screen. I took some artistic license with that one.

See you in two weeks!