during a battle with the Lost Boys, Mary Margaret notices something about her daughter and the pirate.
She arches her back, whips a quiver from behind, strings it, and lets the arrow fly. It misses its target, but grazes the shoulder of another Lost Boy, sending him barreling backwards.
Though he wouldn't say why, Hook had given firm instructions not to aim to kill, but Mary Margaret can see both Gold and Regina struggling to take heed of that order, shooting off fireballs indiscriminately.
The clash of swords echoes up to where she hides in the crow's nest, the harsh glint of steel crashing from every possible direction. David engages a tall, lanky blonde boy with a deep gash across his forehead while Hook and Emma spar off three of the bigger Lost Boys.
She draws another arrow and releases it towards a fourth boy coming at Emma from the side, cringing when it hits him square in the leg. He doubles over, howling.
They're not children, Hook's voice assures her, they just want you to believe they are.
The real children are trapped on the island, their cries and wails echoing far over the Neverland sea. But Mary Margaret doesn't have time to think about that, she has her family to focus on.
Her eyes snap down to Emma and Hook again, her hand hovering on another quiver, looking for a target. The two of them stand back to back, Hook whirling his sword, flashing brilliantly in the moonlight, around his head as he spars off a Lost Boy. Emma, behind him, brandishes a small cutlass somewhat clumsily, but makes up for it in swift fist-work that has clearly been borrowed from her time on the streets.
If anything, Emma Swan packs a punch. Mary Margaret stands transfixed, watching her daughter and the pirate fend off their attackers as if dancing. He steps; she steps, even with their backs turned, their footwork incredibly in sync.
With a flourish of his hook, he disarms the Lost Boy and sends the short-sword whizzing overhead. "Swan!" He bellows over his shoulder.
"Got it!" Emma calls back, reaching up and snagging the blade by the handle, and in one swift motion, brings the blunt end down on the temple of her attacker. He collapses next to her, leaving just the biggest boy, still barreling towards Hook with another dagger pulled from his boot.
Hook throws Emma a terse look over his shoulder, to which she curtly nods, and he grabs her by the crook of the elbow and swings her around. Mary Margaret gasps suddenly, her hand still frozen over her arrow, watching her daughter slam feet first into the chest of the Lost Boy.
He falls back with a resounding thud, with Emma straddling his chest. She brings the handle of her cutlass down onto his skull, knocking him out.
She pants heavily for a moment, staring down at the unconscious Lost Boy, before accepting the hand of the pirate, and he whips her to her feet, his smile visible even from where Mary Margaret stands in the crow's nest. Emma's laughter rings out, delirious and filled with adrenaline, to which the captain returns with his own low, winded chuckle.
Mary Margaret stares at their hands, still entwined. They drop them a moment later and rush off to help David, fighting the same lanky boy from before. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, and loads her bow, firing an arrow off at a Lost Boy circling Regina. Emma can take care of herself, she reminds herself, and others need her attention.
Still, she thinks as she searches for her next target, her eyes falling back on the still synchronized Emma and Hook, they do make quite the team.
i'm planning on replying to all the reviews i've gotten soon, but it would be so nice to get some more! its always encouraging. :)