On and on they marched, until Emma's feet were tired. She said nothing, though, expecting Regina to be the first to complain. But hours later, she hadn't said a word. Emma looked over at her, watching Regina's blazing eyes as they stared at the path in front of them. Her arms reached out every so often to shove a heavy branch out of the way, but other than that, her gaze didn't falter.
To break the silence, Emma asked David, "Where's Mary Margaret?"
"Oh, she's back at the camp having a talk with Hook."
Emma's heart stuck in her throat. The two women looked at each other and then back towards David, who was still walking purposefully down the path without looking at either of them. Emma fought her gut instinct to stop and turn the other way back towards the camp. What if Mary Marguerite had seen? She swallowed the lump of nothing that was stuck in her throat and stepped onward. The silence continued until they reached a break in the forest where a circle of rocks surrounded the remains of a fresh fire.
"Someone's been here, recently," David announced, touching his hands to the coals. "They're close."
"Then let's find them," Emma urged, her stance stiffening. "What are you waiting for?"
"No, Emma," he said. "It has to be the right moment. We have to catch them off-guard, while they're resting and not expecting it, not while they're on the move."
"This is bullshit," Emma cursed. "I want my son back. I'm tired of playing Pan's little game."
"Well, honey, we have to. If we want to save Henry, we have to play along. It's going to be okay, sweetie. I promise. You just have to have faith that it will."
He moved towards her slowly, a little unsure, and wrapped his arms around her. He was strong, and his hug was firm and sincere. She hugged him back, but just barely. It still felt wrong to think of him as 'Dad.' Where had she been when she'd cried herself to sleep at night, wishing for a father? She just hoped that Henry would someday understand why she'd given him up - why she couldn't have kept him. But she was ready to be the mother he needed now, and nothing was going to keep her from her son. Not even Peter Pan.
"We'll find him, Emma," David assured her, and finally let go.
Emma felt a wave of relief after being released from the awkward embrace, and she immediately started to walk to the other side of the clearing. She wasn't giving up, and she certainly wasn't about to sit down by a fire and tell ghost stories until 'the right moment.' It wasn't her style to sit back and wait. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she knew she wasn't going to just sit around and twiddle her thumbs. If they wanted to stay behind, that was fine by her. The weight on her shoulders only doubled around the others, crushing her with all their expectations. At that point, the only expectation she felt she could fill was being a good mother. Being the savior wasn't exactly at the top of her priority list.
"I'm going to find my son," she announced, not stopping to look at either one of them.
Regina had just sat down on a rock - she did look particularly fatigued - but she stood up instantly.
"Emma, wait," she called. "I'll come with you."