Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters or dialogue.

Chapter Playlist: 'Your Royal Highness' from The Crown: Season Four OST and 'The Lost Girl' from Once Upon a Time: Season Four OST

Neverland

Eyes closed, Lillian pressed her hand to Peter's chest and waited. She didn't react when he covered her hand with his own, twining their fingers together. It took a moment, longer than it would have had she access to her magic, but she felt it all the same. Fortunately, while the cuff blocked most of her powers, their bond was a bit different. Sensing just what was wrong with him took mere moments.

"So that's it, then." She breathed, lowering her hand slowly. Peter kept hold of it, keeping their joined hands between them. "The hourglass is running out and... you're really dying, aren't you?"

His jaw clenched and he nodded. "I've known for some time now. And you sensed it back in the Enchanted Forest, didn't you?"

"I wasn't sure what I felt then," she admitted quietly, and it was true. Her magic had been all over the place, not to mention how stressful it was keeping Emma and Mary Margaret alive long enough to get back to Storybrooke. "But now that I know... yes. I did sense it."

Lillian felt oddly calm, as if they were discussing the weather and not his predetermined death. Her throat did feel oddly tight, but Lillian refused to shed anymore tears if she could help it. It had never solved anything, and she was tired of feeling useless and upset.

Peter watched her warily, likely waiting for her to explode. "With you here, with me..." He trailed off, feeling the gentle hum of energy between them. While not versed in magical bonds, he knew theirs was particularly strong. "It's reenergized me, but... it's not enough."

"And what is enough?" Her fingers tightened around his. "And what does it have to do with Henry?"

"What makes you think Henry has anything to do with stopping the hourglass?" He tilted his head innocently.

Lillian's gaze narrowed in suspicious slits. "Don't try and distract me. Why else would you bring Henry here?"

"Maybe I just wanted a family reunion."

Her answer was a flat noise in the back of her throat that one might mistake for laughter. "You'll have to do better than that. Why did you bring Henry here?"

"You knew about my search for the Truest Believer?" Peter asked, waiting for her to nod before continuing, "Once I realized that it was Henry, I arranged for you and him to be brought here."

"That doesn't answer my question." Lillian snapped, tugging her hand free and crossing her arms. "You never did tell me what you wanted with the Truest Believer, and I'll admit I never asked because it never interested me. Had you told me it would stop you from dying, maybe I would've been able to help."

Peter gave her a mirthless smile that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Only with the heart of the Truest Believer can I live." He waited for the realization to hit her. And when it did, he knew that in his quest to live, he just might lose the only person who had ever truly loved him.

"No."

"Lily-"

"No. No, no, no!" Shaking her head, Lillian pulled away from him, magic sparking dangerously at her fingertips. "NO."

Exhaling harshly, he held back and watched her. "I wasn't aware you wanted me to die. Has the day truly come that you love another more than me?"

"Don't you dare try to guilt me about this!" She spat back, eyes red. "I don't want either of you to die. But I'm not going to help you murder Henry. I'm not going to help you kill your own flesh and blood!"

Distantly, Peter knew her words should awaken something in him. While it was true little Henry was his blood, he felt no connection to the boy. Just as he had with Baelfire, he was able to easily detach himself from their familial bonds. Henry, like his father before him, was a stranger that he just so happened to share blood with. "Who says I need to murder Henry to accomplish what I want?"

"I was borne of magic, Peter. I've been studying it since I was eight." Her eyes glimmered in the weak moonlight. "I know exactly what such a spell would entail."

He opened his mouth to answer, only to jerk his head to the side before exhaling sharply. "Someone's left Neverland."

"What? Who?" At this rate, her nerves were going to be shredded before she even had a chance to save Henry. She knew Emma and the others were on the island, though knew Rumple wasn't with them. "Was it Rumple?" She didn't want to think that he had left them to their fate.

"Don't worry about it, love." His eyes flitted to the shadows behind her. "Felix," he called pleasantly as the blond stepped behind Lillian. "Why don't you see about escorting our princess back to the camp."

His hand raised, fingertips extended toward her temple. "Peter, I swear if you-" The gentle pulse knocked her out and as her eyes slipped shut, Peter pushed down the faint stirrings of guilt.

He loved Lily, with an intensity that stole the breath from his lungs at times. Like her, he knew others wouldn't consider their relationship 'healthy', and he humorlessly knew they'd be right. Having her back with him left him feeling more alive than he had in years... yet it also made him determined to keep her this time. While she was going to be furious with him, possibly for a very long time to come, he wouldn't stop his plan, his life's work, not even for her.

"Take her back to her treehouse," Peter instructed Felix, who swept the unconscious girl into his arms.

"You said someone is leaving Neverland; how do we stop them?" Felix asked, adjusting his hold on Lillian.

"Oh, it's far too late for that." Reaching out to brush a curl from her forehead, Peter leaned forward to brush his lips against her skin. It was easy to modify her memory; though he knew she'd be able to pick apart his spell work, he couldn't have her upsetting the board too quickly. "We'll simply need to get word to our friends on the ground."

Felix didn't bother to keep the disdain out of his words. "You mean in Storybrooke?"

"They can handle this." Peter grinned. "All it'll do is move the timetable up a touch... we need to get Henry ready." Features darkening, he turned to look into the jungle. "And I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage."

"Pan's Shadow?" Emma repeated warily, eyeing Neal as if he'd gone nuts. "That's your way off the island?"

Neal didn't look any happier than she did. "Unfortunately, it's the only way." He sighed and rested his hands on his knees. "Even Pan can't leave the island unless he has the Shadow with him."

Frowning, David asked, "We thought you escaped by learning how to navigate the stars."

Neal spared a glance at Hook, who was pacing around them. "Oh, I know how to navigate the stars, but I can't fly."

"I'm guessing that's where the Shadow comes in?" Mary Margaret looked up at her husband, lips pursed.

Neal nodded. "That's why we have to capture it."

"Capture it?!" Emma repeated in disbelief. "We've never been within feet of Pan unless he wanted us to be. How are we supposed to sneak up on him to steal his Shadow when we can't even find his camp?"

"Except," Hook spoke up, finally coming to a stop. "Pan's Shadow is rarely with him. It is an entity unto itself and, if Lily is to be believed, predates Pan's coming to this island. It can carry out his will from miles away."

David looked between Hook and a nodding Neal. "So, what does that mean for us?"

"It means we can get to his Shadow without having to be anywhere near Pan." Neal answered. "As long as we know where to look... and I know where to look."

"Okay," Emma stood, ready to get this over with as soon as possible. She just wanted to find Henry and Lillian and get the hell home. "You and I," she nodded at Neal, "are on Shadow duty."

Hook stepped closer. "As am I." To his credit, he didn't falter when all four turned to stare at him. Emma's eyes avoided his own when he looked at her, and his stomach sank at the sight. "This trek won't be easy. You could use another veteran of the island."

It was harder than he'd like to ignore the way Hook stared at Emma, but Neal managed somehow. "Thanks, man."

"In the meantime, we'll go give Tinker Bell a heads up," David reached to help his wife to her feet, though stiffened when she ignored his hand and carefully stepped around him. "Hopefully, she can make good on her promise to get us into Pan's camp."

Emma reached out to squeeze her father's shoulder. While she didn't fault her mother for her behavior, given she was kinda upset with David herself, Emma knew he was having a rough go of it. "We'll meet you back at Tink's. Then we're gonna go get Henry and Lillian, and get the hell back to Storybrooke."

Storybrooke

Ariel was quite certain that the seven men before her had never so much as heard of a mermaid, never mind clapped eyes on one. It sometimes amused her how little the surface world knew about her people; even in the Enchanted Forest, mermaids were considered more of a myth by most lands, except for a select few of those that bordered the sea like Eric's kingdom. Still, once she told the burly, dark-haired man who she was and who she had come to find, they were eager to help.

Ignoring the few stares she garnered as the man - Leroy, he told her gruffly - led her to this 'Belle', Ariel's thoughts turned toward Eric. While she hadn't the faintest idea where to find him, she knew that she would.

She only hoped he would forgive her for leaving him waiting on the docks.

As they entered what Leroy called the diner, he quickly got the attention of a brown-haired, blue-eyed woman. Swiftly being introduced to the Dark One's lover, Ariel held out the sand dollar. "Rumpelstiltskin wanted me to give you this."

Belle eyed it dubiously. "A sand dollar? What am I supposed to do with it?" She asked, reaching out to take the fragile object while Ariel shrugged.

"Don't ask me. I'm just the delivery girl."

As Belle cradled the object, it began to glow until a small image of Rumpelstiltskin appeared. Listening intently, trying to stop the tears of relief from falling, Belle swallowed as the pre-recorded message came to an end.

Ariel sighed at the Dark One's wording. "He's really into being cryptic, isn't he?"

"H-he wants my help." Belle whispered, smiling even as her voice broke with emotion. "He wants me to save him, Henry and Lillian... everyone."

Neverland

Watching awkwardly while her mother side-stepped each and every attempt David made to reach out to her, Emma swiftly averted her gaze when Mary Margaret stormed her way. Ever since their time in the Echo Caves, the short-haired woman had been avoiding her husband like the plague. While she couldn't exactly blame Mary Margaret for being upset with David, Emma didn't really think now was the time to have it out.

Her eyes tracked first to her mother, then to her miserable looking father. As Mary Margaret threw down her pack and began to help Emma gather her own things, the blonde spoke. "How long is this gonna go on?"

"What?" Mary Margaret asked as she began to toss things into Emma's own pack.

"The whole not talking to each other thing." Frowning when Mary Margaret refused to look at her, Emma pushed. "Don't you think it's been long enough? He didn't tell you about his illness because he wanted to keep the focus on the mission. I get that."

Pausing, Mary Margaret swept her eyes over her daughter, taking in her expression. "It's good to see you've inherited his tunnel vision." She said softly, mostly to herself. Her husband's single-minded devotion had always been both a curse and a blessing.

"What does that mean?"

Ignoring her daughter's slightly offended expression, Mary Margaret grabbed her pack and rose. "Nothing."

Lips pressed together, Emma stood and eyed her mother carefully. "You say a lot with nothing."

"Be careful with Hook and Neal." Was all Mary Margaret said in return after sighing deeply. Both men hadn't been exactly subtle in proclaiming their interest in her daughter, and things had the potential to get extremely messy if Emma wasn't careful. "This isn't the time to be dealing with a messy love triangle."

"What we need to be careful with is the Shadow-"

"The fact that they both have feelings for you is dangerous, too." The dark-haired woman said calmly. "And you need to remember that."

Swallowing, Emma turned her head to see Neal and Hook quietly talking as the former slung a bag over his shoulder. "None of that matters." She told her mother, though the other woman didn't appear convinced. "All I care about is getting my son back."

Arms crossed over his knees, Henry peered behind him to see the small group of boys by the fire. Luca, Lillian's friend, was amongst them. Sharking his dark hair from his eyes, the older boy caught sight of Henry's stare and gave him a friendly smile. Still staring, Henry turned his head away to glower at the ground.

Behind him, Luca's brow twisted in confusion; after the other night, when Pan had played the flute, Luca had assumed Henry had resigned himself to his fate on the island. Shaking his head, he decided he'd find Lily later and ask her about it. With that in mind, he returned to the conversation with the other boys, dimly aware of when Pan stalked into camp alone.

Striding toward Henry, Pan minutely stiffened as a spasm of pain radiated from his chest. Refusing to show weakness, he forced himself to stay upright. While he didn't believe putting Lily under a harmless sleeping spell was hurting her, clearly his magic didn't feel the same. While it was rare they were able to defy the magic fusing their souls together, the backlash was usually enough to remind them why using their magic malevolently on one another was a bad decision.

The first time Lily had thrown him across a clearing, she'd been bedridden for an entire day from the pain searing her chest. Magical cores weren't something he knew too much about, but Lily had known quite a bit about them, and was soon able to provide an explanation as to why they couldn't harm each other with their magic.

Hand raising to rub at his aching chest as the pain began to fade, he forced a smile onto his lips as he came to stand behind Henry. "There you are. Care to take a stroll?" He paused, eyes narrowing when Henry's narrow shoulders began to stiffen. Over the past few days, the boy had been pulling further and further away from him. "There's someplace special I'd like to show you."

Henry didn't turn around, arms crossed defensively. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Lips thinning, Pan eyed him dangerously. "And why is that, Henry?"

"I think you're lying to me. No, I know you're lying to me." Refusing to turn around, Henry felt Pan's gaze searing into the back of his neck. "My family... they're here, on Neverland. I know they are."

"And what makes you so sure, Henry?" Head tilted in mock curiosity, Pan fought the urge to grin at the boy's cheek in refusing to turn around. Had the situation been different, Henry would have made a fine addition to his lost boys.

"Does it matter?" Henry asked, refusing to let Pan sway him again. Lillian was right when she'd told him how persuasive Pan was, how easy it was to fall under his spell and be charmed by him. He also refused to reveal just how he knew his family was here; Lillian told him not to reveal what had happened with Devon and the enchanted compact mirror.

Openly grinning in far too predatory of a manner, Pan knelt down to be level with Henry. "No, it doesn't." He allowed lightly, lowering his voice. "But, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out what does matter. If your family is here, then why haven't they come to rescue you?"

"Maybe you're keeping them from me." Henry accused, twisting around to finally glare at the older boy.

"Henry," Pan began, his lowered voice dripping with sincerity, "I promise you, I'm not holding your family prisoner."

"Then why do you keep disappearing into the jungle?" Henry fired back, eyes narrowing before they swept around the camp. "And where is Lillian? She went off to look for you hours ago and I haven't seen her since! You're hiding something from me," he stood, taking several steps back. "And I'm gonna find out what it is."

Rising to his feet, Pan's eyes tracked the boy until he'd disappeared into the dense jungle. Struggling to hold back the irritation welling inside him, he waited for Felix to join him.

"It would appear that we're losing the boy." Felix observed. The only sign of his displeasure was the tightening of his fingers on the handle of his club.

"He just requires some... effort." Lips turning up humorlessly, he turned to Felix. "Given his lineage, I'd expect nothing less." Sighing heavily, he turned to stare at the treehouse nestled at the edge of camp. "How is she?"

"Sleeping when I left." If Felix disapproved of their princess' treatment, he gave no indication of it. "But I'm sure we'll know once she's woken up. Shall bring the cage here?" He asked, changing the subject to more important matters at hand.

"No." Smirking now as he wrenched his gaze away from where Lillian slept, he turned to Felix. "I have another idea."

Lillian was, in fact, not sleeping.

She'd woken up from Peter's sleeping spell before Felix had even delivered her to the treehouse. Infuriated that Peter had assumed his half-assed spell work would be enough to keep her under, never mind the memory spell he'd tried to use to alter her memories, she'd almost broken her wrist trying to get the cuff off once Felix had left her alone in the treehouse. When that didn't work, she'd instead gone straight for the little chest tucked into the corner.

The spell book was an old one, with yellowed, creased pages and smudged ink. While not sure it would work, Lillian knew desperate times called for desperate measures. Taking a page from Regina's book, she settled cross-legged on the floor and opened the page to the spell she needed. Steeling herself - she'd never needed to do this before - Lillian gently blew onto the page.

Shimmering black ink separated from the paper, floating in the air before her. Leaning forward, she inhaled deeply, eyes beginning to glow an eerie red as the magic hit her system. The cuff began to vibrate around her wrist, but she ignored it and began to focus. Astral projection was a talent she had never fully mastered, but having ingested the spell straight from the ink, she knew this would work.

She only hoped she had enough time to reach Rumple before the spell ended.

Setting down his lantern on a crate, Hook watched with interest as Neal began to rifle through the chests at his old hideout. When he'd volunteered to go along with Swan and Balefire to capture Pan's Shadow, he hadn't realized just how tense and awkward the trip would be. Emma, likely still raw from baring her soul to Neal, shied away from them both. For his part, Neal didn't push, merely watched his ex, worried at the strain she'd been under since he'd come back into her life. Hook had tried to strike up conversation, though had quickly stopped his efforts once he realized it was useless.

"Something tells me we won't be finding Pan's Shadow in here, mate." Hook advised, eyes sweeping the cave once more. He'd always known Balefire lived apart from the other inhabitants of Neverland, though had never managed to see said living space during his first tenure on the island.

"Yeah, well, we're looking for something else." Neal grunted, releasing the lid on the second chest with a deep sigh. "It's a... it's a coconut. It's carved in two." He began to explain, watching as realization dawned on both Emma and Hook's features. "One part holds a candle - the other part goes on top of it."

Emma began to nod, turning to go further into the cave. "Yeah, we already found your star map. We hid it; I'll go grab it."

Watching how Neal gazed after Emma, Hook swiftly seized his moment. "I owe you thanks, for being so understanding."

Reaching back into the chest to retrieve an old bag of supplies, he turned to the other man. "Understanding about what?"

"Emma and me."

"Emma and you?" Neal repeated, bemused expression fading at the look on Hook's face. "What's this about, Hook?"

"Our dalliance." Hook told him, hesitant to continue once he realized why Neal was beginning to look so put out. "You don't know, do you? Well, this is awkward." Glancing down, a sheepish smile flitting across his lips, he continued. "The two of us shared a kiss. Apologies, I assumed that she told you."

Neal stared at him intently before breaking eye contact. "Honestly, it probably... probably slipped her mind. We're kinda focused on getting our son and Lillian back."

"Of course."

Emma chose that moment to return to them, holding up the coconut in one hand. "Got it!" She paused, looking between the two uncomfortable looking men warily. In hindsight, her mother might have been right that going off with two posturing men wasn't a good idea. "Everything all right?"

With one last dark look at the pirate, Neal turned to her. "Couldn't be better."

"Here it is, your star map."

He took the coconut, turning it over in his hands. "It's not a star map." Satisfied it was intact, he slipped it into his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "It's what we're gonna use to trap Pan's Shadow."

"A coconut? Are you daft?" Hook demanded, carefree mask firmly in place.

"You came to Neverland on a pirate ship through a portal, but you're gonna draw the line at a magic coconut?" Neal deadpanned. He didn't even bring up the fact that, according to the stories he'd heard, Hook had first set foot on Neverland's shores after arriving there by a Pegasus sail.

"Fair enough." Turning to other matters, Hook asked, "What's our next stop on this mission?"

"Dark Hollow."

Emma scowled at the name. "Really? Why couldn't it be called something like... Sunshine Valley or Rainbow Cove?" She then noticed that at Neal's words, Hook had gone completely still with alarm. "What exactly is this place?"

"It's just what it sounds like." Hook rasped, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. "It is the darkest spot on the entire island. Any light that makes its way in is snuffed out by the shadows that call it home." His dark gaze flickered to Emma. "Even I managed to avoid it."

"Well," looking between them, Emma tried to ignore the rising tension in the air. "Time to break with tradition. Dark Hollow it is. That's where we'll find Pan's Shadow, right?"

"Yeah." Neal answered, clearing his throat lightly. "It's the only way we'll ever get back to Storybrooke."

Storybrooke

After finding clothes that fit Ariel from her room at Granny's, Belle led the mermaid to the Pawn Shoppe. While not sure how they'd find the object Rumple had spoken of, Belle refused to send the mermaid back empty handed. While Ariel seemed enthralled by Rumple's endless collection, Belle knew there was only one item her lover could have been referring to. After returning the chipped teacup to its usual place on the shelf, she wasn't surprised when it opened a secret compartment.

What did surprise her was, after retrieving the puzzle box from the shelf, was the two well dressed men storming into the shop, waving around guns. She was alarmed that Rumple had been right, and that people had indeed been sent to Storybrooke on Pan's orders. But, having personally knowledge of just how badly it hurt to be shot and with no weapons of her own on hand, she didn't put up a fight when the took the box from her and tied her and Ariel together.

"Why are we doing what he tells us?" Ariel demanded as the shorter of the two men finished tying the knot on the rope.

"Because he has a gun!" Belle hissed, twisting uncomfortably against the binding.

"What's a gun."

"You don't want to find out trust me."

Looking unamused by their banter, the one holding the gun at them held up the box with his free hand. "What did Rumpelstiltskin tell you about this thing?" He ignored Ariel's taunt, focusing intently on Belle. "This box... what is it?"

"Why do you care? It's magic, and you're only gonna destroy it anyway."

"Because our boss wants to know."

"Your boss?" Belle repeated, scoffing at the fact that, yet again, they were dealing with unaware crusaders who had it out for magic and didn't care that they had no idea who they were working for. "You don't even know what this is all about, or who you're really working for, do you?"

"Oh, you mean that we're working for Peter Pan?"

Taken aback by their nonchalant response, Belle stared at them with renewed alarm. "What?"

"Yes, we know exactly who we're working for."

"But, Rumple said that Greg and Tamara didn't know..."

"They were patsies." Sniffed one, though he didn't sound too happy with the fact. "We, on the other hand, are aware of our real mission."

"Which is?"

"Seeing that your Rumple fails, and that this thing," the one holding the box held it up, lips set in a frown, "never makes it back to Neverland."

Neverland

While Pan put his plan into motion, ensuring that Henry would find a bed-ridden Wendy deep in the forest, he was distantly aware of the Charmings on the hunt for Tinker Bell. He was faintly amused that, while it hadn't completely shattered the trust between Henry and Lillian's would-be rescuers, it had revealed some cracks that threatened to destroy them.

Personally, so long as they didn't try to involve Tiger Lily, he wasn't too concerned with any aid the former Green Fairy might offer them. Tink was resourceful, but she wasn't nearly as dangerous as Tiger Lily was.

Though she had long outlived her usefulness, Pan found it difficult to order the death of the former fairy. Tiger Lily's history with their family, and Lily's, stayed his hand even though she had been a thorn in his side for decades now. Putting it out of his mind, he waited for Henry to begin to follow Felix before he returned to the cave they'd stashed Wendy in to lie in wait for the boy's arrival.

Elsewhere on the island, Emma was about to kill both Hook and Neal. The pair had been snipping at one another, trying to one-up each other and generally having a pissing contest over who could offer her the most help. Irritated that they seemed to forget that she was there to save her son and Lillian, and not playing some freaky version of the Bachelorette, she was ready to throw them both over the next cliff they happened across.

As they came upon a rather large thicket of dreamshade, she managed to stop herself from shoving Neal into said thicket when he turned to face her. "We're gonna have to cut our way through."

"Here." Sliding the cutlass out of its sheath, she handed off the weapon to its former owner. "Use this."

Blinking at the weapon she was offering, Neal took it and held it up. "My cutlass." Giving it a few experimental swings, he marveled at the blade. "You find it in the cave?"

"No, actually." She glanced behind, satisfied Hook wasn't within earshot. "Hook gave it to me on his ship. Not sure how he got it... he left he island before you did, right?"

"Yeah," nodding, Neal glanced at the pirate as he approached. "Maybe Lillian got it off the island somehow. Didn't take you as sentimental, Hook."

He eyed the pair, lingering on Emma. "I thought Emma would wish to have something to remember you by."

"Oh, thanks." Watching Emma press her lips together at the way Hook looked at her, Neal cleared his throat awkwardly. "She's got me know."

Turning abruptly, he returned his attention back to the dreamshade and began to carefully hack at it. Watching him, seeing the tense set of his shoulders, Emma inwardly groaned. The tension between the two men had thickened again, and she was at the edge of her rope already. Starting after him, she stiffened when Hook started after them.

"What the hell was that about?" She demanded, rounding on Hook when he caught up to her.

He had the grace to look sheepish. "I assumed he'd heard my secret. I also assumed that you'd told him of our shared moment." He frowned at the way she avoided his gaze, looking uncomfortable. "It appears I was wrong."

"Wouldn't be the first time." She grumbled. "Why would you assume that?"

"Because I was hoping it meant something."

Emma stared at him then, eyes wide. "What meant something, was that you told us Neal was alive." She sighed heavily, knowing it wasn't exactly in his nature to tell the truth. "Thank you for that, by the way. I realize you could've kept Pan's information to yourself."

"Why would I have done that?" He countered, looking almost offended at the very thought.

"I don't know." Emma shrugged, ignoring his expression. "Maybe Pan offered you a deal? Why else would he tell you, unless..."

"It was a test." He allowed, nodding at her suddenly shrewd expression. "He wanted to see if I'd leave an old friend to die... even if that old friend happens to be vying for the same woman that I am. Even when I knew that Lillian might kill me if she ever found out I'd betrayed you all again."

After everything she'd heard of Pan, it didn't surprise Emma. What surprised her, was the disdain in his voice when Hook spoke of the deal he'd been offered. "Does that really surprise you? That he'd offer you a deal like that?" She shrugged again at the look he gave her. "You are a pirate, after all."

He stopped, forcing her to do the same and turn to face him. "Yeah, that I am. But, I also believe in good form." Encroaching on her space, he lowered his voice and stared deeply into her eyes. "So when I win your heart, Emma... and I will win it... it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me."

Lips pursed, Emma's skin prickled at the intensity in his voice and gaze. "This is not a contest, Hook. I don't care how you feel, I am not a prize to be won."

"Isn't it?" Arching a brow, Hook shifted even closer. "You're gonna have to choose, Emma. You do realize that, don't you? Because neither of us are going to give up on this."

Extremely uncomfortable now, and regretting their kiss more and more with every passing moment, Emma forced herself to stay put and not back down. "The only thing that I have to choose is the best way to get my son and Lillian back. That is all I care about."

"And you will, I have no doubt."

It was Emma's turn to arch a brow. "You think so, do you?"

"I have yet to see you fail." He reminded her, smiling faintly at the reminder of their first adventure up the beanstalk. She'd outsmarted him and Cora, and charmed a giant in one fell swoop. "And when you do succeed, well, that's when the real fun begins."

"Guys!"

Relieved as Neal came rushing back to them, covered in sweat and out of breath, Emma pulled back from the pirate. Unclenching her fists, and alarmed she hadn't even noticed her reaction to Hook, she turned to face her former lover. While Neal was clearly still interested in her, he was far less intense than the pirate and the familiarity of him made him a much safer option to be around at the moment.

"I think I found it."

Following him deeper down the path he'd cleared into the dreamshade, Emma held back a wince as it grew darker and darker the further they walked. Shadows lengthened, and she could feel the dark magic pressing against her chest. It vaguely reminded her of when the trigger had been activated, as if all the light was being sucked into the darkness.

As they cleared the dreamshade, she stopped abruptly at the sight before them. The desolate looking area, accompanied by the echoing cawing of crows and eerie gusting of the wind, was much too creepy for her taste. Steeling herself against the fear that sent goosebumps prickling alarm her skin, she turned to Neal.

"Dark Hollow."

"So, this is where the victims of Pan's Shadow reside." Hook breathed out, looking quite pale.

There was a low, dull roar in the distance that both Hook and Neal recognized immediately. "Yeah. Forced to spend eternity in this darkness. Come on," Neal gestured for them to go, reaching into his bag for the coconut. "Let's be sure that we don't join them, okay?"

Determinedly dodging her husband's attempts to 'help', Mary Margaret eyed the trees around them speculatively. Her tracking skills were a little rusty, but she was quick sure she recognized the tree to their right. The jungle seemed to be changing less and less, as if Pan had more important things to worry about than deliberately leading them in circles by changing the layout of the island.

"I think we're almost at Tink's." She muttered, ignoring her husband's sad puppy eye routine. In hindsight, maybe she should have switched places with Emma, dealing with Hook and Neal was preferable to her husband's company right now. "I recognize that tree."

"I see why she picked the area." David chimed in, clearing his throat when she shot him a withering glare. "Nice quiet jungle. Might even make a good spot for a hut, don't you think? Or a tree house, if you prefer?"

He paused, waiting to see if she'd answer. When she merely continued walking ahead of him, eyes alert for any sign of trouble, he felt the already weak hold he had on his emotions threaten to snap.

"Mary Margaret." He stopped, brow creasing when she continued on as if he hadn't spoken. "Snow!" She stopped, the lines of her back going stiff with tension. "When are you gonna start talking to me? When we're storming Pan's camp? When we're grabbing Henry and Lillian? When?!"

Hands clenching into fists, Mary Margaret blinked rapidly to stave off the sudden onset of tears. Whether they were from anger or sadness, she wasn't entirely sure but she wasn't going to break down again. They had a job to do, and she could freak out over their decisions once Henry was safely in the arms of his family.

"You need to say something to me. Anything."

Fury swiftly overcame any residual sadness she felt and Mary Margaret spun to face him. "Why should I, when you couldn't be bothered to tell me anything?" She demanded harshly. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as it happened, David?"

"At first... I was hoping I could find a cure for the poison." He told her quietly, ashamed that he had kept something so important from her. "And if I could, then I... I figured there was no reason to worry you."

"Okay, but you should have told me the moment you couldn't find a cure." She pressed her lips together, staring heatedly at him. "And you still didn't tell me, even then."

"I know."

"So, why was that? Were you afraid of worrying me again?"

"No. I-I... I didn't think-"

"No." She cut him off, fists trembling. "You didn't... you didn't think I had a right to know? To know that you could never leave this island?!" He flinched at her shout, and she forced herself take a calming breath. "Why didn't you tell me."

"I was scared!" He exploded, unable to avoid the truth of the matter. "I was scared, okay?"

"Did you really think that I wouldn't stay here with you?" She asked, incredulous at the very thought that he assumed so little of her. They'd gone to the ends of the earth for one another once. "After everything we've done, after everything we've been through? Did you really think I would ever want to leave your side?"

David was shaking his head. "No, I knew you wouldn't, that's what scared me." Softening his voice, he inched closer to her. He didn't reach out to touch her, not yet. "And I didn't want that for you, didn't want you to be stuck on this island because of me. The price of this cure was something I didn't want to force on you."

"Love means being together."

"I know." He acknowledged, finally reaching out to touch her arm. She stiffened at the touch, but didn't pull away. "It also means sacrifice. And protecting the person you love, keeping them safe. How could a-a part of me not want you to leave this place?"

Rather than be taken in by his earnestness, Mary Margaret began to pull away from him again. It was too soon, the wounds were still too raw to forgive him just yet. "I would have happily built a tree house and spent the rest of my days dodging poison arrows and lost boys, so long as you were by my side. I still would. But you should have told me."

Visibly wilting as she closed off from him again, he glanced down at the ground beneath their feet. "I know... I'm sorry."

"You needed to believe in us." Sighing heavily, she turned to continue on. "Come on. We've gotta find Tink."

Resting against a rock, Gold watched Regina while the woman paced back and force across the pebbled beach. As the hours dragged on, the former queen's impatience was beginning to boil over. Rolling his eyes when she kicked a stone with her sensible heels, Gold swiftly turned to look back into the jungle, the back of his neck prickling in awareness.

'Rumple'

"Gold," Regina called, once she realized he'd stood and begun walking toward the trees. "What is it?"

Gold waved her off, eyes narrowed intently. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Concerned that the stress of the last month alone had finally caused him to suffer yet another mental break, Regina cautiously followed him. "Gold?" Moving several feet into the jungle, he abruptly stopped, forcing Regina to do the same before she ran into his back. Peering over his shoulder, Regina squinted into the shadowed jungle warily. "What is it?"

Closing his eyes, Gold reached out with his magic. Something was out there, something that felt very much like... "Lilith." A smile began to grow on his thin lips, and relief coursed through him when he caught sight of her between the trees.

"Well, well," Regina exhaled, the corners of her lips twisting wryly. "I knew that little brat couldn't keep you chained for long."

"Not exactly," holding up her wrist, Lillian scowled at the cuff still very much on it. "As you can see, I was forced to get creative."

Blinking, Gold looked at her, truly looked at her. Eyes widening, he stepped closer and began to circle her. "You're astral projecting."

"What?!" Soon enough, Regina was also circling her. Having never even attempted the magic that the younger woman was currently practicing, Regina was intrigued. "If you still have the cuff... how are you doing this?"

Lillian's lips thinned and she looked anywhere but at the two older magic practitioners before her. "I used a book."

Both instantly knew what she'd done. Having done it herself, and knowing what it had done to her in the days after, Regina said nothing. Clearly, with her options limited, Lillian had done what she'd thought best at the time. "I see."

"Do you?" Gold asked, rage beginning to bubble in his gut. Lillian had never been forced to ingest magic before; she'd never needed to. And, in retrospect, before the Curse neither had Regina. The elder of his former students had only ever used her mother's methods out of desperation, and to his knowledge she hadn't done so since. "Because you know what this will do to you, Lillian. Why would you -"

"Pan is planning to kill Henry."

Storybrooke

Belle wasn't sure why she was surprised about the fact that Neverland was, in fact, a real place. She knew about Oz, having read about it even in the Enchanted Forest. Leaning that the characters from Neverland, specifically the Darling children, were real and still alive and walking around in Storybrooke, was a little more difficult to wrap her head around.

Though the two men - John and Michael - had attacked them and attempted to destroy what Rumple considered their one real chance at defeating Peter Pan, they were quick to fold once Belle offered them an alternative. Assuming Pan couldn't somehow immediately revoke their psuedo-immortality, Belle was a tad surprised when they agreed to switch sides.

Sending the men off with Leroy, who had been summoned to the mines alongside his brother's after Belle rang him, Belle and Ariel returned to the beach. The mermaid approached the surf, wiggling her toes in the damp sand. Turning back to the other woman, she took the box and carefully tucked it into her bag.

"The water won't ruin it, right?" Belle asked, looking suddenly worried.

"No," giving her bag a quick shake, Ariel smiled. "Even if the box wasn't enchanted, the bag is. It'll be perfectly safe with me until I get it to Rumpelstiltskin."

"So... remember what I told you."

"Don't worry." Reaching out to touch Belle's shoulder, Ariel gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'll deliver your message to Gold."

Nodding, forcing herself to smile despite her worry, Belle watched the mermaid head into the water. "Good luck."

Nodding, the red-haired woman gave the bracelet around her neck a twist before diving into the surf. She resurfaced several yards out, head bobbing for a moment before she dove back under, tailfin sparkling in the weak sunlight, before she was gone.

Neverland

After making sure Wendy had been returned to her cage, Pan had set out to check on Lillian. She'd never emerged from her tree house, which meant she'd likely managed to shake off his spell work from earlier. Though not unexpected, he was somewhat disappointed that he'd need to try harder to keep her out of the way until Henry did what he'd been brought here to do.

He could sense the magic before he'd even set foot in the tree house.

He'd felt outbursts of Lillian's magic despite the cuff ever since her arrival. Some part of him was honestly surprised it had worked on her in the first place, given the strange effect their bond had on the effectiveness of their magic on one another. While he knew the cuff wouldn't keep her powerless for long, he though he'd had more time. Alarmed that she'd managed to break free and was trying to find a way to leave the island, he whisked himself into the treehouse.

The sight that greeted him felt like he'd been nailed in the collar bone. Lillian sat in the middle of the floor, cross-legged... and was floating at least two feet off the ground while dark purple energy circled around her. Her closed lids fluttered around, as if she was dreaming, and a book lay discarded beside her, ink leaking off the pages.

Peter quickly realized what she had done. Rushing to her side, he touched her shoulder, shuddering at the heady rush of pure, unfiltered magic that was running through her. Infuriated that she'd do something so risky, he forced his own magic into her, hoping to jolt her from the astral projection trance. It took several tries, and he could feel her fighting him the entire time, before she awoke with a ragged inhale.

Falling backwards as she was returned to her body, Lillian immediately snapped her eyes shut after opening them. The pain behind her eyes felt like she'd shoved glass into them, and the room was spinning. Panting heavily, she rubbed at her face, stiffening when thin fingers caught her arm. Cracking open an eye warily, she managed a scowl at the sight of a furious Peter kneeling at her side.

"What did you do, Lily?" He demanded hotly, rage lurking behind his narrowed gaze as it fell to her wrist. The skin beneath the cuff was an angry red, almost as if it had burned her flesh. "What. Did. You. Do."

Shaking him off, she forced herself into a seated position. The room was still spinning, and her stomach heaved from the movement, but she ignored that as best she could. "I went and found Rumple. And Regina." She said quietly, matching his anger with her own. "And I told them. I told them everything, Peter."

Thankfully, despite Lillian's dire warning, Gold wasn't unduly concerned with the situation as it continued to unfold. With the mermaid - Ariel - likely soon to be on her way back to Neverland with Pandora's Box in hand, the information his assistant had given them hadn't changed things too much. Regina, unfortunately, did not share his opinion and had taken to pacing with a renewed ferocity one might have found in a hungry lioness.

"Will you sit down."

She ignored him. "You really believe that Belle can succeed? Because if she doesn't, after what Lillian told us-"

"Yes, I do." He returned evenly, ignoring the smirk that told him he'd not managed to cover up his growing irritation. Like most of his students, the ones that managed to survive his methods of training, Regina was extremely gifted in getting underneath his skin. Lillian rarely utilized the talent, though Cora had been the worst of the lot.

"Are you sure it's not your feelings blinding you?" She pressed, pausing and face him with her hands on her hips.

"Or perhaps it's my feelings blinding me."

Regina opened her mouth, closed it, then studied him intensely for several heartbeats. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Is that jealousy?" He asked archly, hands clasped in front of him. "Green was never your color, dearie."

"Of Belle?" Regina laughed, disgusted by the very idea.

"No, no." He shook his head, waving a hand. "Of having someone."

There was a splash in the distance, halting the growing indignation on Regina's face. Turning, they watched as the red-headed mermaid dove back beneath the waves, surfacing much closer to the beach. Going to meet her, they waited impatiently as she unhooked the netted back around her waist and held it up.

"Sorry I'm late. We ran into a few..." Her nose wrinkled. "Complications."

"But you got it?" Catching the bag when she tossed it his way, Gold reached inside and withdrew the box eagerly. "Excellent."

Twisting her fingers, Regina summoned the bracelet into her waiting palm. "You've fulfilled your end of the bargain so..." Muttering the spell, she waved her hand over the bracelet, satisfied when it gave a faint hum as the magic set in. "Now, you can have legs whenever you want. Or a fin." Regina shrugged at the looks her two companions threw her. "Whatever Eric's into these days."

She placed the bracelet into the bag, returning both to the mermaid who took it with a murmured thanks.

"When you return to Storybrooke, go and find him. The rest is, obviously, up to you."

"Before I go, Belle wanted me to let you know that Pan has a prisoner on this island... a young girl named Wendy." A strange kind of realization flickered across their suddenly wary features. "Her brothers, John and Michael, are back in Storybrooke and Belle doesn't wanna let them down. She just wants to make sure that Wendy's okay."

"All that matters is Henry." Gold told her, a bit taken aback when Ariel scowled blackly at him.

"And now you have a chance to save him. Thanks to me and Belle." Her head tilted up in challenge. "So rescuing that girl and making sure she'd safe is the least you can do."

"We'll do our best." Gold allowed, watching the mermaid soften just so at his words. "Look, um... when you return to Storybrooke tell Belle... tell Belle that I love her. And that she was right... I will see her again."

Giving them one last nod, Ariel turned from them and dove back into the sea.

Still trembling, from the adrenaline and the sudden influx of magic, Emma stormed her way from Dark Hollow and back into the jungle. While not entirely sure where she was going, she was too enraged to pay attention to her companions' attempts to get her to slow down. The coconut was held securely between her hands, and she resisted the urge to aggressively shake it.

It probably wouldn't do anything to the Shadow trapped inside, but it would do wonders for stemming her current murderous desire to kill Neal and Hook. While she'd been annoyed with them before they'd turned into selfish jackasses in the hollow, right now she wanted to kill the both of them.

"Hey, hey, hey," Neal quickened his step, reaching out to touch Emma's shoulder. She moved away from him quickly, as if stung, and swung a poisonous glare his way. "I'm sorry, I know I screwed up."

"Yeah. You did." Her eyes swept from Neal to Hook, who had silently caught up to them and was wisely remaining silent. "We almost lost our shot at capturing the Shadow because you two were fighting over a lighter!"

"It wasn't the lighter that we were fighting over, luv." Hook intoned quietly, dark eyes affixed on the blonde before him. He didn't necessarily regret fighting with Neal, though he regretted the timing and location.

Hackles rising at the forlorn looks she was getting, at the unchecked longing specifically in Hook's. "Okay, let me be very clear about something." She snapped, completely done with this would-be love affair. "If I had to choose someone, I would choose my son. I choose Henry. He is the only love that I have room for in my life right now. Maybe ever."

With that, she turned on her heel and resume storming off. Sharing a long look, Neal moved first and followed after his former lover. Hook hesitated, watching them for a few seconds, before he set off after them. Somehow knowing where she was going, Emma managed to track down her parents and Tinker Bell, who was clearly wary of seeing them all again.

"Capture Pan's Shadow?" The blonde fairy echoed, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Yeah, I'm not lifting a finger until I see some proof that they've actually managed it."

"Hey." Emma snapped, holding up the coconut so Tink could see it. "Here's all the proof you need."

Tink's eyes went from Emma as the blonde stomped by her, to the dark-haired man just behind her. "Bae... is that really you?"

"It's been a long time, Tink." Reaching out, Neal clasped hands with her, smiling. "Most people call me Neal, now."

"We did it." Emma announced, approaching the suddenly eager looking fairy. "Are you finally ready to do your part, Tink?"

"Yes. Yes I am." Freedom, after the long centuries on this accursed rock, had never felt so close. "Come on, we'll have to move quickly." She paused, looking around once. "Where's Regina, anyway?"

"Long story."

As the group made to follow Tinker Bell, Neal hung back and managed to catch Emma's attention. "Uh, Emma?"

Sighing heavily, and praying for patience, Emma turned to look at him. "Neal... I..."

"I... listen. I just wanna say that... you're right. About Henry." He added at the curious tilt of her head. "He is all that matters, and if he's the only thing that came from us being together? I'd say we did all right."

Relaxing slightly, now that Neal at least seemed to be on the same page as her, Emma managed a small smile his was. "Now, let's go and get our son back."

"Why so glum, chum?"

Ignoring the hitch in his stride, Pan approached Henry, smiling pleasantly. His chest ached terribly, and he could still see Lillian's agonized expression as he used the cuff to knock her out this time. The electrical shock was mild, though he knew she was going to be out for blood when she woke up. But he couldn't let her stop him, and she'd already done more than enough to try and destroy his carefully laid plans.

He had to finish what he'd started, had to get ahold of the Heart of the Truest Believer. And he couldn't let Lillian stop him, no matter how much he loved her. No matter how many times her sharp, pained scream echoed in his mind.

"You said you weren't keeping any secrets," Henry reminded him sharply, standing to meet the older boy head on. "But you lied to me. I found Wendy."

Forcing his expression so sober, to soften, Pan said, "Henry, I can explain."

"She's dying, isn't she?"

Incredibly pleased Henry had taken the bait, and at how well Wendy had done her part, Pan successfully stopped the mad grin threatening to unfurl across his face. "I'm afraid she is. Like much of the island, it's because the magic here is slipping away. I would've told you, but..." He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping, as if he couldn't bear the thought. "I didn't want you to have that weight on your shoulders, to know that a young girl's life depends on you."

Coming to stand right before the older boy, Henry swallowed thickly. "I am the only one who can save magic, aren't I?"

"You are." Pan told him solemnly, looking as if he regretted having to put such a heavy burden on such a young boy.

"How do I do it?"

Though he'd spent decades upon decades carefully planning this moment, as soon as he'd arrived on Neverland and met the Shadow, Pan knew he had to act fast. He knew his Shadow had been captured, and it was only a matter of time before Lillian managed to throw off the power of the cuff. And he had no doubt that, after everything, she would try to kill him no matter the consequences.

"The questions isn't how, Henry. It's where." Nodding pointedly over Henry's shoulder, he gestured for the boy to follow him. "Follow me."

Their journey to Skull Rock was quick, which was a blessing when Pan thought about his shaking limbs. Coming to a stop, he watched while Henry moved closer to the eerie looking structure just off the coast.

"Is that Skull Rock?" Henry asked, taking in the formation with wide eyes. He'd grown up being read to by Lillian, and the story of Peter Pan had been a favorite of hers even before Curse began to break. But seeing the place in person was more unsettling than he wanted to admit out loud.

"Yes. Inside is where our salvation awaits..." He trailed off, a dark, satisfied smile finally former on his thin lips. "A salvation that only the Heart of the Truest Believer can bring."

"Me?" Henry didn't look at him, afraid of what the older boy would see if he did.

"That's right, Henry." Reaching out, managing to smother the mad looking smile he wore, Pan gripped Henry's shoulder. "But I won't lie to you. This won't be easy, it will require heroism and sacrifice." Breathing deeply, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "The question is, are you up to the task?" His heart skipped a beat, and he waited with bated breath for Henry's answer.

"Yes, I am."

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?