They were swiftly approaching the white, sandy beach. It was a quiet ride, which was ponderous because constant babble among this particular group of people was the norm. It was a group that would be unnatural to have in any normal life or setting, and yet this was never an ordinary setting or life. In the small boat, which could be compared to a larger raft, a pirate, an evil queen, a reformed evil doer and his son, and an obnoxiously loving couple with their long lost daughter were found.
At one point those included in this group would never be found being courteous with one another, and yet a small boy was the one thing that brought them all together. There was nothing about this boy that was out of the ordinary, but he was the glue that held all of them together.
"So once we get on land we wait for Tink by the fork next to the forest, correct?" Rumplestiltskin had finally killed the silence that haunted the air. The sound had surprised a few who jumped at the cacophony that took them out of their trance.
"Right. And once we find out where Pan is hiding Henry, we go straight there." Emma, Snow White, and Prince Charming all nodded at this response, while Rumple merely shook his head while releasing a slight smirk.
"Oh dearie, you know that there needs to be a plan. I have known this boy for a long time, and one cannot merely make a bee-line towards a specific spot, especially in the forest, and expect the journey to be that easy or safe."
At this Regina flushed in anger; she despised being undermined by Rumplestiltskin, especially when matters involved her son. "Well then what do you propose we do?" Regina snapped while shifting her glare towards Rumple's direction.
Rumple made his high pitched chuckle designating his knowledge of events that no one else would ever seem to suspect. "It's simple dearie!" It was almost as if it were a clearly obvious plan that would be exposed once Rumple decided to share his knowledge.
Regina was getting more annoyed as each second went on that Rumple didn't expose his thoughts, and she was not alone.
"Rumple! Stop being Rumple and tell us what we need to do to get back my son!" It was now Emma who spoke with a clear annoyance in her voice. If there was one thing that bothered Rumple more than his disconnect with his son it was the sound of Emma's voice. The very tune that rang through his ears when he heard that upset, whiney, pretentious voice drew unnatural responses from him that had not been felt since he had first become the Dark One.
His reaction did not go unnoticed by Bealfire, a.k.a. Neal, producing a disapproving sound and look towards his father. This did not go unnoticed by Rumple, and he immediately hid his annoyance. Restoring his relationship with his son has been his life-long goal ever since he abandoned Bae, and any interferences with that hurt him more than he could bear, resulting in immediate turn-a-rounds in his attitude.
"Fine dearie, but I won't tell you until we reach the safety of land – or as safe as a thing can be in this land." Rumple crossed his arms and changed his gaze to the approaching shore. Emma gave an exasperated look towards Bae, to which he merely shrugged and rolled his eyes. There wasn't much he could do at this point to budge Rumple and his decision, even if he was his son.
They soon reached the white beach, hauling the small boat onto the solidity of land instead of leaving it in the mysteries of the waves thrashing upon the ground. A figure in the distance approached them, leaving the group to heave a sigh of relief. No one knows what can be found on the mysterious island that Pan calls his home, and so to find a friendly face is a comfort not often seen.
Emma rushed over to Tinkerbell, leaving the group behind in her desperation to find her son. Neal looked at Prince Charming, also known as David to many, exchanging a look of apprehension, knowing that they were to just follow along the women in hopes that things will one day turn out for the better. The boat was finished being brought onto land and the rest of the group quickly made their way to where Emma and Tinkerbell were positioned. Neal had noticed that Captain Hook had not pulled nearly enough weight on the haul of the boat to shore and instead meandered to Emma's side earlier, along with Regina and Snow White, who commonly goes by Mary Margaret when "Snow" seems to be inappropriate.
For Snow and Regina to follow Emma only seemed natural, but for Hook to follow as well before the physical labor was done seemed suspicious to Neal. He didn't trust Hook, nor would he ever, but he knew that he could not voice his angst towards the pirate without upsetting Emma. That was one thing he never wished to do again because he couldn't bear to lose her once more.
"...yeah we just have to follow this trail to his hideout and Henry should be hidden there. Where in there is a completely different story, and there are many hiding places that are feasible enough to hide a young boy, but Henry will be there – that I can promise." Tink was concentrated on Emma and Regina, because it was ultimately they who decided what to do in situations such as this.
Neal felt uncomfortable by Tinkerbell's surety and fixation on the two women, but there was nothing he could do. He brushed it off after a moment, realizing that Tinkerbell has no reason to lie to them and that things are going perfectly according to plan.
"And how can we know that there won't be a trap waiting for us when we get there?" the British accent broke the girls of their trance on Tink, turning to the pirate's voice.
Tinkerbell drew her gaze from those in front of her up to the pirate immediately behind them. She raised her eyebrows in suspicion, saying "And why would there be a trap?"
"Well it's clear that Pan has made this exceedingly easy if the boy is truly hidden there and no trap is set. I've just never known the boy to lose his wits and keep everything at such ease for those who oppose him." Hook stood slightly taller whilst he spoke, crossing his arms while creating a clear argument for Emma to see.
It worked, because Emma immediately turned back to Tink with her eyebrows raised and a look of concern upon her face. "Well? What if there is a trap?"
Tinkerbell brushed off this confrontation as if there was a slight annoyance in the breeze that she wished to escape. "If there's a trap, there's a trap. That's not the deal I had with you. I told you that I could get you to Pan's hideout, where Henry is, and that I'll be left alone after that."
Regina couldn't take this any longer. "So if there's a trap just waiting for us then you'll be all goody-two-shoes and be able to simply walk out of his camp, as if you hadn't led us directly into what he was planning, without a scratch from anything? How do I know you're not working for Pan! How do I know that this isn't all just a set-up to get us killed and off your back!"
"You don't, but you're going to have to trust me, especially if you wish to see your son again. I can tell you that I'm not working for that low-life penny-scrounging back-stabbing boy, but if you choose to not believe me, good luck with finding Henry. I wish you the very best in your journey." With that Tink gave a mini bow that the entire group knew to be a mockery towards them, and turned her back.
Emma glared at Regina. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Wasn't this the best bet in finding Henry? Wasn't this what they had come to the island today for?
"Tinkerbell! Wait! Show us the way. Regina doesn't know what she's talking about." There was clear spite ringing in Emma's voice as she hailed the faerie.
Tink stopped, turned around, and the group could see the smugness upon her face. However, only Hook could tell just what type of smugness it was – everyone else was simply relieved that Tinkerbell had decided to stay with them throughout this arduous task.
"Alright then. We'll need these supplies before we head in, but once they're acquired we should be good to go." Tink began listing items that appeared to help the faction in their quest and each member went in search of the various necessities.