"A trap?" I ask after Snow explains her plan "That's your plan?"

"If the lost boys wanna go after us we need to go after them," Snow says looking at me.

Honestly, this is the stupidest plan I have ever heard.

But how could I expect anything else but from Snow?

I suppose I should be happy for at least to have a plan with these idiots.

Who knows?

Maybe this plan is so bad that will actually work.

"Do you really think the lost boys are going to betray Pan?" Hook asks.

"Thanks for the advice," Snow says sarcastically "David, we need more vine"

"On it," David says out of breath before walking away "You are coming with me…Pirate"

"Why is that?" Hook asks.

"Because we need more rope," Emma says seriously looking at him.

"If the lady insists," Hook says making a reverence to Emma.

I roll my eyes at the gesture.

He is pathetic.

At least Emma doesn't seem to buy his bullshit anymore. I discretely look at her and watch as she angrily put the ropes together.

What the hell happened back there?

Why is she so upset?

If that dirty Pirate did this to her, I'm going to rip his heart out!

We all work with the ropes with Snow chatting away. I steal glances at Emma but she looks like she's not even present. Like her mind is miles and miles away. I wish I could go to her and ask what's wrong but I'm not brave enough to do that. I'm not brave enough to show her how much I care. Is this because of Neal? Because we have been inside his childhood lair? Why is it affecting her this much? She told me in the ship she had no feelings for him anymore. Is this because she lied to him seconds before he fell into the portal? Is she feeling guilty about his death? I look to my side at Emma and sigh.

I supposed I can understand the guilt feeling over someone else's death.

I hear footsteps coming from the jungle and I'm immediately alert. I wave my hand in the air already producing a fireball when I see the two idiots coming back from inside the jungle and I quickly put the fire out, which is a shame, by the way. So much energy to produce my beautiful fireball, imagine just how beautiful it would be if I had thrown on the Pirate's ass.

Charming starts to share the tale about a lost sextant that can help us find a way out of the island. It's funny how we have been here for so long but the Pirate never shared the tale of this miraculous object until now.

Curious, isn't it?

This stinks of lies.

"A sextant?" Emma asks as she rose from the ground "And you are telling us about this now?"

Thank you!

"How do we know you are not lying?" I ask right after and walk closer to them.

"Well, you don't," Hook says "But I'm not. This is the best hope we have of an exit plan and don't forget that we need one"

"Than what are we waiting for?" Emma asks.

"Emma…" Hook says and walks closer to Emma.

He touches her.

I need to kill him.

"You were right, you need to get that messenger to Henry," Hook says "Every day without hope is a day closer to become a lost boy. Your father and I should go"

"Hook is right," Charming says.

What the hell?

Am I really the only one seeing this?

This is bullshit.

"You want to split up?" Snow asks looking at Charming.

"It's the last thing I wanna do but if there is a chance that this can get us home…" Charming says as he walks to her.

"Okay," Snow nods.

"And Emma, while I'm gone just…" Charming says looking at Emma.

"Listen to my mother?" Emma says looking back at him.

"Be careful," Charming laughs.

"Always am," Emma says seriously.

"And when you send that messenger to Henry I want you to add something to it for me, would you?"

"Hum hum"

"Tell him," Charming says and pauses "Tell him Grandpa loves him"

Charming moves to Emma and hugs her and then he does the same with Snow.

There is something odd about the gesture. Something is not right. And then they kiss each other and my stomach revolts. I walk away from them and not long after Emma does the same. I guess I'm not the only one feeling sick at the display of affection.

"Hey," Emma says when she is standing in front of me "That was weird, right?"

"They kissing each other?" I say as if I didn't know what she was talking about "Unfortunately, no"

"No, not that," Emma says making a face "But David, he was…"

"Acting weird?" I finish for her.

"Yeah," Emma nods.

"I don't know," I answer her honestly "It was a little odd, yes, but you heroes seem to have a thing for dramatics"

"And you don't?" Emma arches an eyebrow.

"Not like that,"

Emma smirks, and it's such a beautiful little sound that I can't help the smile forming on my lips. She's adorable like that. And beautiful. Even out here in this jungle, she is one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen in my life.

Snow walks to where we are after Charming walks inside the jungle with the Pirate and I silently curse her for interrupting my moment with Emma.

"Come on," Snow says "We have a pig to hunt"

"We have what now?" Emma asks.

"A pig to hunt," Snow says cheerfully.

"Why do we need to hunt for a pig?" I ask.

"Oh, didn't I tell you this part of the plan?" Snow says tilting her head to the side.

"No?" Emma asks making a face.

"Well, we need to find a way to bring one of the boys to us," Snow says "And they probably only leave Pan when…"

"They go out to hunt," I finish for her.

"Exactly!" Snow says "Shall we go?"

"Okay, but…" Emma looks between Snow and me "I don't know how to hunt"

"It's okay," Snow says "Regina and I know"

"You do?" Emma asks looking at me.

"There is no such a thing as a grocery store in the Enchant Forest" I smile softly at Emma.

"But weren't you like a Queen?" Emma asks.

"Not until I was sixteen,"

"You married when you were sixteen?" Emma asks in disbelief "How old was he?"

"Emma this isn't really…" Snow starts to say.

"How old was he, Regina?" Emma asks looking intensely at me.

"Forty-five" I emotionless answer her.

"What the fuck?" Emma says angrily.

"Emma, things in the Enchant Forest were different," Snow says calmly "It's a great honor to marry a King"

"She was sixteen years old," Emma shouts at Snow pointing at me "How can you possibly defend that?"

"My father was an honorable man," Snow says, chin up.

"I'm sorry Mary Margaret," Emma says "But there is no honor when an old man marries an underage girl"

My heart races inside my chest as I hear Emma defending me like that. Nobody has ever done that, nobody has ever fought for me the way she does. Because yes, I was only a girl when I married the King. I was only a girl when my mother killed Daniel and sold me out to him. I was only a girl when…

"Regina wasn't underage," Snow says "We became of age when we turn fourteen"

"Jesus Christ," Emma sighs "I can't believe I'm hearing that. From you"

"Perhaps we should just go out and hunt," Snow says.

"Yeah, we should do that," Emma says her voice full of venom.

Snow turns around and starts to walk inside the jungle while Emma and I walk side by side behind her. Emma doesn't say anything and I can't bring myself to say anything either. Everything is running uncontrollably inside of me, and every bone in my body just wants to hold Emma and thank her.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispers.

"For what?" I ask turning my head to look at her.

"For what my grandfather did to you," Emma says "It wasn't right, Regina"

"No, it wasn't," I say back to her and nod at Snow in front of us "But she is right. Things back in the Enchanted Forest were different"

"Did you wanted to marry him?" Emma asks "To became a Queen?"

"Dear God, no," I say, the very thought of wanting to marry Leopold makes me sick "No, I didn't want to marry the King"

"Then I am sorry"

"Why did you do that?" I ask her trying (and failing) to keep the emotion out of my voice.

"Did what?" Emma asks.

"Defended me from Snow?"

Emma stops walking and grabs my wrist to make me stop too. I look down at her hand touching me, feeling every bit of my skin burn under her touch. I look back at Emma and she is looking at me so intensely that it's hard to ignore the way she is making me feel and if I'm honest with myself, I don't think I want to ignore it anymore.

I don't want to ignore the way I feel about her.

About Emma.

"Because somebody had to," Emma says.

I swallow dry and feel my breathing getting faster. The intensity of Emma's gaze is so strong, that literally takes my breath away.

I give a step closer to her, not breaking eye contact.

God, I can't believe I'm going to do this.

I can't believe I'm about to kiss this woman.

I look down at her pale pink lips and moistened my own. Emma does the same and that glow of saliva upon her lips is so tempting that I feel myself leaning closer to her.

Gods, how I want to kiss her.

How I want to feel her lips moving against mine, her tongue exploring my mouth, fighting for dominance. A fight that I might even let her win.

Another step and now there is only a thin space of air between us. We are so close to one another that the air I'm breathing is coming out of Emma's lips.

This is it.

I'm going to kiss her.

I move my head in Emma's direction, ready to claim her lips with mine when suddenly an arrow passes between the few inches we still had away from one another making both Emma and I give a jump back.

"Damn it, I lost it," Snow says running in our direction "Why were the two of you so close?"

"We weren't that close," I quickly say smoothing my jacket.

"Are you insane?" Emma asks in disbelief "That arrow could have hit us"

"It wasn't going to hit you," Snow says "I'm good with arrows. Now come on. We need to find another pig"

"Why were you shooting at the pig?" I ask "I thought the plan was to capture one alive"

"Well, it is," Snow says "I was aiming for his leg"

"That high?" I ask incredulously.

How the fuck did that woman survive all those years back in the Enchanted Forest?

"The arrow was in decline," Snow says annoyed.

"We can't have an injured pig," I say "Don't you think they are going to notice it's a trap when they see the pig injured?"

"Well, do you have a better plan?" Snow asks.

"Yes! Magic" I say back to her.

"I thought we have agreed on not using magic," Snow says.

"I think we should be fine using magic to capture a pig," Emma says beside me.

"Okay," Snow nods "Yeah, okay. But just for the pig"

"Just for the pig," I half-smile at her.

We resume our walk and it doesn't take long before we find another trail. We follow the footprints of the animal and my heart almost skips a beat when I see one behind a bush.

When have I ever thought my heart would race like this because of a pig?

Or Emma!

Okay, horrible comparison.

But right now they are both making my heart race inside my chest. One for the possibility of contacting my son. The other for the possibility of…love.

Gods, help me!

Snow looks at me from where she is standing and nods. I nod back at her and wait until the little pig comes out of the bush and into the open field. I wave my hand in the air and a net falls on top of the pig and Snow runs to grab him.

The animal screams at first, but Snow pets him in that annoying way she does and the animal soon calms down.

We take the trail back to the camp and I can't help the smile on my face as hope fills my heart. This is going to work! It has too. Henry needs to know that we are here and that Emma and I are going to take our son back home.