A Questionable Rescue

Sounds of loud knocking and raised voices assaulted Emma's ears, pulling her from her sleep. She glanced at the clock, it was only 7 a.m. She groaned, as she rolled over and tried to ignore the commotion downstairs. It was too early to get up. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to fall back asleep. Instead, Ruby came barging into her room, not even bothering to knock.

Emma sat up quickly. "What the heck, Ruby. You do realize it's only seven in the morning."

Ruby was slightly breathless and panicked as she explained to Emma. "Your father and Frank are downstairs, demanding to speak to Mary Margaret."

What!" Emma ripped the covers back and jumped from the bed. She hollered at Killian to wake up.

"What do I do? I didn't know what to do?" Ruby questioned, as she paced back and forth across the room.

Killian sat up with a groan, as he attempted to rub the traces up sleep from his eyes. "What is it, love?"

Emma turned to him. "We have a big problem, Killian. My father is here, and Frank is with him. They are asking for Mary Margaret."

Killian stood up and came around the bed to stand in front of Emma. He placed his hands on her arms and squeezed, an attempt at comfort. "It would seem then, Swan, that our time has expired."

"What should I do?"

"I would suggest that you ask for a parlay, and come clean."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at him. "Parlay? You're taking this pirate thing a little too far I think."

"Aye lass, Just trying to play the part. Scallywag such as I am," he said with a perfect pirate brogue, followed by a sweep of his arm, and a deep bow.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That gesture would have a greater impact, if you weren't wearing pajama pants."

"I'm glad that you guys are able to laugh at this," Ruby interrupted, "but seriously, what are we going to do?"

"I don't guess we have a choice. I'm going to go downstairs and face my father." She looked at Killian with a playful grin, "and hope he doesn't make me walk the plank."

"This is not amusing you two!" Ruby said as Killian and Emma burst into laughter.

Returning to seriousness, Killian offered to go with Emma, but she didn't want him taking any of the blame. She decided it was better to send him on ahead to get the boat ready for a rescue mission. Ruby gave her a quick hug for strength and with a deep exhale of air, Emma made her way down the stairs.

Leopold's back was to her as she entered into the living area of the beach house. "Hello, father."

Leopold turned at the sound of his daughter's voice. "Emma, would you like to explain to me what is going on here?" Emma tried not to jump at the sound of the anger as he spoke with a low growl. "Where is your sister? Frank has been trying to contact her for days. She is not answering her phone. I have tried calling her as well. She has never not answered my calls."

"There's a simple explnation for that. She can't answer because she doesn't have her phone. I have it."

Frank inserted himself into the conversation. "I don't understand. Why do you have her phone? Where is she? I've called you too, why are you not answering your own phone?"

Emma just glared at him, responding to his question with one of her own. "Why do you even care? I'm surprised you aren't taking advantage of the situation by hanging out with one of your many girlfriends."

"Emma Blanchard," her father's voice boomed out. "I want some answers, and I want them now."

Hearing her father yell, and call her by that name, reminded her what she was fighting for here. She replied to him with a new conviction in her voice. "My name is Emma Swan, and this whole situation is actually his fault." She pointed at Frank. "Mary Margaret was so upset by the pictures of her fiancé in the paper, kissing another girl. Killian and I took her out on the boat to try and cheer her up, when the accident happened."

"I was not kissing her. I explained that to Mary Margaret. How the whole thing was just a misunderstanding. She said she understood," Frank said looking desperately at Leopold, hoping he would believe him.

"I should have known that pirate had something to do with this," Leo interrupted.

"His name is Killian," Emma defended him, "and he has nothing to do with this. This is all on Frank. It's because of him that the paparazzi were chasing us, trying to get pictures of Mary Margaret."

"And they did get pictures, of her with David Nolan. What exactly was he doing on that boat, that's what I want to know? Frank questioned her.

"You should be glad he was on that boat. He was the only one who noticed when Mary Margaret fell overboard. He saved her life. By the time the rest of us had noticed them missing and found them, he had rescued her from the water and set up camp on a nearby Island."

"I still don't understand where Mary Margaret is now," her father said, his impatience growing.

Emma took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. She turned to her father, ready to face the moment of truth. "I left her and David together on the Island."

"You did what?" Her father bellowed.

"And she agreed to that?" Frank added, burning with jealousy.

"She didn't agree. She never knew that we even found them."

"What is wrong with you? Why would you do such a thing?" Leo stared at Emma, his face full of exasperation.

"Because Daddy, I want her to be happy."

Emma hadn't called her father, daddy in a long time. She had used the term of endearment as a ploy, hoping maybe he still loved her enough to be affected by the use. She hadn't expected that she would be the one affected as she said it. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the man she had once looked up to so much. He was no longer that man. She didn't even know him anymore.

"She, more than anyone I know, deserves true love. Frank doesn't love her like that, but David Nolan does. She needed to be reminded of that before she makes the horrible mistake of marrying the wrong man."

"So you admit that you are trying to sabotage our relationship?"

"You didn't need me to do that, Frank. You were doing a great job of that on your own. Are you really naive enough to think my sister will put up with your constant philandering? She won't, not forever."

Leopold stepped in between the two of them. "We can discuss this further later. I think the most important thing right now is to go get Mary Margaret."

Frank made an instant show of concern for Mary Margaret. "Yes, I demand that we go and rescue Mary Margaret. And you can be sure that I will let her know how you refused my phone calls, and I was worried enough about her to make Leo aware of her disappearance."

Emma rolled her eyes, as she grabbed her car keys from the table. She drove the three of them to the marina and led them to where Killian was waiting on his boat. As soon as his father saw Killian he recoiled.

"I refuse to get on a boat with him."

"I told you father, Killian had nothing to do with this."

"He agreed to it, didn't he? Being a sailor, he should have understood the dangers. He should have talked you out of it. Instead, he put my daughter in danger."

"He tried to talk me out of it. You of all people know how stubborn I am."

"It's okay, love," Killian interjected. "You don't need to defend me. I'm afraid that your father is right. I must lay claim my culpability in this scheme. We can hire out another vessel to take your father. I dare say that David and Mary Margaret may not wish to trust me as their captain either."

Reluctantly, Emma hired an offshore fishing boat for Leo and Frank to ride in. The two vessels started out as Killian led the way to where Mary Margaret and David were marooned.

Back on the Island, David and Mary Margaret had not spoken since their earlier discussion ended. He had spent the night on the beach, letting Mary Margaret have the shelter to herself. He had been unable to sleep most of the night, as he contemplated what to do about the situation between him and Mary Margaret. Everything within him wanted to fight for her, but he couldn't decide if that was the right thing to do or not.

She had indicated last night that she did not want to be with him. Then there was the fact that she was still engaged to someone else. Not to mention that he had still not told her about his conversation with her father. If he chose to fight for her, he would have to be honest about that. She would need to know how her father felt about David. She would be forced to defy her father to be with him. He was all tied up in knots.

He was drawn from his thoughts by distant rumblings. He had noticed that the wind and waves had picked up overnight. He was afraid that there may be a storm coming, which would only serve to complicate things even more. That would mean that he would need to find a better shelter for them, and a way to keep his fire going if it rained. He decided that the best thing to do for now was to fix breakfast, and worry about the rest later.

Mary Margaret had lain awake all night. She had been hiding out in the shelter, unwilling to face David. The sun had just barely began its ascent in the sky, when she smelled the fish cooking over the fires. It was her growling stomach that finally forced her outside. She was greeting by the sight of David bent over the fire, using makeshift utensils to turn the fish. He was shirtless, his chest still wet from his morning fishing expedition. He was scruffy, sporting two days of beard growth. His hair was messy, a mop of untamed, natural waves. All of which she found extremely sexy. There was no doubt how she felt about this man, as she struggled to control her body's response to him. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, tempted to turn around and crawl back into her hiding place. The sound of his voice, as he recognized her presence, forced her to stay and face him.

"Good morning. Are you hungry?" He asked, trying to act nonchalant.

She forced herself to smile. "Starving, and it smells great."

She made her way over to the fire, He handed her a leaf, with several small pieces of blackened fish on it. It wasn't the quality of a great seafood restaurant of course, but she couldn't help but be impressed given their limited conditions.

"It's very good," She complimented him.

"Well, it's edible at least."

"No, I'm serious, David. I'm impressed with how we've managed to handle this whole situation, being stranded on an uninhabited Island."

"You deserve a fair share of the credit. You've helped with everything, and rarely complained. You are much stronger than most people give you credit for, myself included," he said with genuine sincerity.

Her eyes brightened momentarily, as she smiled and accepted his compliment, before turning serious again. "As good as we've done, we can't keep it up much longer. We need to form a plan to get off of this Island and get home."

Knowing they disagreed, he braced himself for the fallout, even before he responded to her statement. "I think it's still best if we stay here and wait for rescue."

"You can't be serious. This is our third day, and we haven't even seen a boat. I thought the military all about action. What kind of soldier are you?"

"First of all, I'm in the Air Force, not the Army, so the correct term would be airman. And our plan of action should be determined by our objective. My number one objective is your safety, making the best plan of action staying put for now."

"I told you that I'm not some fairytale princess that needs a prince to come take care of her, so you don't need to concern yourself with my safety. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

"I don't doubt that you are. But, that doesn't mean I don't feel responsible. I'm still going to do what I can to get you home safely."

"They key to that statement is getting home. How is staying here going to get me home?"

"People are out there looking for us. Emma is out there looking. You know that. A stationary target is easier to find than a moving one. Being on land is safer than being in the water."

"I think if anyone was out there looking, they would have found us by now. You promised me that we would leave the Island. It's not like we are in the middle of the ocean miles from civilization. We are in a bay, surrounded by land."

"I promised we would talk about it. I never promised that we would actually leave. And we couldn't leave today, even if I had."

"Why not?"

"There's a storm coming."

"What storm? There's not a cloud in the sky."

"Not yet, but the wind has picked up tremendously, and it got several degrees cooler overnight. Not to mention that I heard thunder earlier."

"You don't have to go with me, but I'm leaving this Island." Mary Margaret said, finality evident in her tone.

"You can't, it's too dangerous."

"I don't need your permission."

"I'm not letting you leave this Island." David didn't mean to sound so condescending as he said that, but the truth was she was not leaving this Island today, or without him, ever. If he had to tie her to a tree to keep her here he would.

Mary Margaret stood there silently trying to keep her emotions in check. She needed off this Island. She was feeling trapped. She could feel David's eyes on her, making her feel claustrophobic. She turned and took off running for the water. Panicked, David ran after her, calling for her to stop. He caught up to her, grabbing her arm just as she reached the water.

"Mary Margaret, stop. Where are you going?"

"I don't know, I just need some space."

David stood there, her arm held tightly in his grasp. He was hesitant to let her go. She could see the fear in his eyes.

"You can let me go. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Reluctantly, he released her. He watched her wade into the water toward the tide pools. She perched herself up onto one of the large rocks, that was jutting out from the water. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, staring off in the distance. He sighed as he turned away, giving her the space she wanted. He didn't go far though, needing to keep her in his sight. He decided to explore the cliff area, just past the sandy beach, for possible areas they could take shelter in, should the rains actually come.

His search turned up a couple of good options for shelter, but his main focus was the worrisome increase in the size and frequency of the waves. He was about to alert Mary Margaret to the danger, and suggest she come in out of the water, when he realized his warning was too late. He hollered at her, just as a large wave came crashing over the rock she was sitting on. He watched in horror as the force of the wave knocked her from the rock and she disappeared under the water.

Mary Margaret had looked up when she heard David's voice, but his words were lost in the strong winds. She never saw the wave coming, until it crashed into her, knocking her from the rock. She hit her head, as the waves continued to come, one after the other, trapping her up against the rocks. She tried in between every wave to break free from their pull and swim to the surface, but always the next wave pushed her back down before she could. She lost her bearings, no longer knowing which way was up, as she felt her chest begin to constrict, the need for air overwhelming her senses.

David rushed towards Mary Margaret. He was overcome by the feeling of Deja vu. He made it to her, and pulled her seemingly lifeless body from the water. Blood was dripping from a gash on her forehead. He rushed towards the shore, hugging her tightly to him.

"No, no, no…Mary Margaret….I love you…please…please come back to me," He repeated over and over, as he laid her on the sand and began CPR.

The sweetest sound he ever heard was the gagging reflux as her body released the sea water trapped in her lungs. She struggled to sit up, as she gulped in air. David rubbed her back, encouraging her to take slow, deep breaths. He reached out to examine the cut across her forehead. She flinched at his touch.

"I'm okay," she finally managed to speak, as her breathing evened out. She could see in his eyes that he didn't believe her. She reached out and squeezed his hand to reassure him of her statement.

His heart burned within him at her touch. This was the second time he had almost lost her in less than a week. It was perplexing really, how distraught he was at such a thought, when in actuality, he had lost her two years ago. The truth was, she was not even his to lose. She belonged to Frank now. She had promised her heart to him. Yet, there was no doubt in his mind that his heart still belonged to her, that she will own it forever.

Mary Margaret released his hand and moved to stand up. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. They were on their knees, facing each other. Everything faded away, but the two of them. He cradled both her cheeks tenderly in his hands. He stared at her intently, giving her every opportunity to pull away if that was what she wanted. She remained there, not even breaking eye contact under the intensity of his gaze. He leaned forward to kiss her softly, their lips just barely touching. The kiss lasted a long time, tender and gentle. Neither wanted to stop, yet, both were afraid to take it deeper. Finally, Mary Margaret was the one to pull away.

"David?"

She spoke his name as a question, looking deep into his eyes, seeking answers to a question even she was not sure of. She was so close to him that all his senses were on hyper alert, straining with his desire for her. Silence stretched between them, desperate blue eyes looked into darkened green. He's not sure who initiated the kiss this time, or if it just happened, as the passion exploded between them. This kiss was decidedly not gentle. His hands moved from her cheeks, to run through her hair and behind her head, pulling her closer. As she opened her mouth to him, he could taste the sweetness of the papaya clashing against the saltiness of the ocean water. Their tongues mingled together in a sloppy, noisy, unrestrained dance. Hands began to wander intimately between them in crazed desperation, as days, or years really, of pent up desire was released.

Killian and Emma approached the Island. The boat carrying Frank and her father were following behind. As they were coming near the land, Killian used his binoculars to check for signs of David and Mary Margaret. He raised his eyebrows at the sight that greeted him. He turned to Emma and handed her the binoculars, along with the suggestion that maybe they use the horn to announce their imminent arrival.

"Absolutely not," Emma declared, as she smiled at the scene in her view. Her plan was an obvious success. She could only hope that Frank would witness it.

The gentleman in David fought to break the kiss, but he was losing the battle. He shouldn't be doing this, his mind screamed at him. He should not be kissing her, especially not this intimately, when she was engaged to another man. Finally he managed to break free. The thought that did it for him was the desire to protect her. He knew her well enough to know how she would feel afterwards, if they continued down this path. He won't place that burden of guilt on her. Her greatest strength was her goodness, and her desire to always do the right thing. He won't take that from her. Even though her current actions suggested she was as desperate for this as he was. He knew that ultimately it would crush her spirit to commit such an act. So he pulled away. Honor, it seemed, had doomed him again.

His hands remained tangled in her hair, and hers flat on his chest, as he worked to regain his composure. She was still panting as she looked away, embarrassment mingling with the desire still flaring within her. That was when she noticed the boats for the first time. They were just about to make a landing on the shore. She wandered briefly if the strength of the wind and waves, had masked the sound of their engines as they approached, or if she had just been that distracted. She was still working to regain control of her emotions, when she recognized the figures standing on the deck of the boat. A single, choked, whispered word emerged from her lips.

"Frank."

The name was so low and quiet, that it was almost lost in the wind. David would have believed he imagined it if he had not been able to read her lips. His heart dropped at her facial expression. It was all there, everything he knew that she would feel. Guilt, shame, remorse, and regret were all swirling in her eyes. Eyes that were still dark from the passion of moments before. But he noticed a spark of relief was also there. He watched as her eyes lit up with the knowledge that help was here. They were finally being rescued. So why did David feel like it was the opposite?

Mary Margaret stood to her feet, but stayed rooted to the spot where she was when she first saw the boats. David took a few steps back, hoping to remain as inconspicuous as possible, as the team of rescuers disembarked.

As soon as his feet hit the sand, Frank took off running for Mary Margaret. Emma couldn't help but groan as he made an elaborate display of concern and love. He swept her up into his arms, and kissed her soundly. Mary Margaret hummed into the kiss. It was out of surprise and not affection, but David didn't know that.

Frank set her back on the ground. Leo stepped forward to hug his daughter. Safe in her daddy's arms the tears came. He wiped her tears, and assured her that she was safe now, as he hugged her again. As soon as her father released her, Frank was back inside her personal bubble as he fawned over her.

"Baby, are you alright? I love you so much. I've been so worried about you."

"I'm fine, Frank, really."

"Thank goodness," he said. Then he put his arms around her and kissed her again, forcing his tongue between her closed lips. Mary tried to subtly push him away, but he had her wrapped up so tight, she could barely move. She was fully aware of everyone's eyes on her, especially her father's and David's. When it became clear that he was not letting her go anytime soon, she gave in to Frank's affections. She determined that this was not the time or place to cause a scene. She owed Frank that much. She knew now that she could no longer marry him, but that needed to be a private conversation, just between the two of them.

David flinched at the public display of affection, though he certainly couldn't blame Frank. He had every right to kiss her. Emma stepped up beside him, and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, he's merely putting on a grand show for my father." She placed her hand on his arm, giving it a light squeeze. She wanted him to know that she was on his team. David nodded at her, before turning away from the couple. He crept silently away, going to join Killian, who had remained on his boat as the others had come ashore.

Emma stepped forward then, ready to put this show to an end. "Seriously, Frank, give the girl some space, and let her breathe. She's just spent three nights stranded on a deserted Island, for goodness sake. If you're really worried about her, I can think of a lot of things she needs right now, more than you shoving your tongue down her throat. Like maybe some water, food, sleep, a shower, and clean clothes, for instance."

Frank finally released her. "A lot of room you have to talk, since she could have had all of those things days ago if you weren't such an idiot."

Mary Margaret put her hand up to stop him. "It's not Emma's fault. I fell off the boat. It was just an accident."

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Frank taunted Emma.

"Tell me what?" Mary asked in confusion.

"Frank you're a dumb-," Emma started, before being interrupted by her father's barking voice.

"That's enough!"

"Tell me what?" Mary Margaret insisted, in spite of her father's declaration.

Dead silence ensued. Frank was too afraid of Leo to say another word. Emma was too afraid of Mary Margaret.

"Emma?" Mary addressed her sister, he voice laced with trepidation.

Emma opened and closed her mouth several times, but nothing came out. She wanted to talk to Mary alone. She didn't know how to explain it so she would understand in front of Leo and Frank.

Leopold stepped forward addressing Mary Margaret. "It looks like there's a storm coming. I think we should get you home. We can continue this discussion onboard the boat." He placed a hand on her back in an attempt to lead her away.

"Wait," Mary said, backing away from his touch. She turned behind her, scanning the immediate area. "Where's David?"

At her question, Emma noticed for the first time, that Killian's boat was no longer parked beside the fishing boat her father and Frank had traveled on. Looking, she could just make out the retreating vessel way off in the distance.

"He must have asked Killian to take him back," Emma pointed out.

Mary Margaret stared out to where Emma was pointing. She went pale, looking like she might breakdown at any moment. "He left me…again," she whispered under her breath, so softly that it simply sounded like an exhale of air to those standing near her. She fought back the tears as she watched the boat disappear from view, her heart breaking again.