Chapter 2
Who You Really Are
David used his sword to make a path to the highest point in Neverland where you could see the whole island from. Hook said "there are dangers all around, only I can guide us pass them".
Emma said "Hook's lived here before, if he says hiking up is the best way then we listen".
Mary-Margaret gave her a flask and told her to stay hydrated. She replied "thanks Mary-Margaret".
Mary-Margaret said "you know Mary-Margaret is a bit formal, you could call me mom. You've done it before".
Emma replied "yeah, but that's when we were..."
"about to die" finished Mary-Margaret. She wouldn't let on but secretly Mary-Margaret was hurt
Emma saw Tally was yawning "are you okay Sweetheart"?
Tally said "I'm tired".
Mary-Margaret said "her little body tires out faster than ours".
Emma picked her up to carry her so they didn't fall behind.
David was still cutting his way through he was about to cut this thorny plant but Hook stopped him.
David said "I can handle a couple of thorns".
Hook said "it's Dreamshade, it's not the thorns you need to worry about, it's the poison they inject you with. This plant is the source of the toxins I used on the dark one".
Emma said "the poison that almost killed Gold".
Hook said "Indeed, I used a concentrated dose, in its natural form death would be much slower and far more painful. We should go around it".
David decided to go around in the opposite direction Hook suggested. As Emma came past Hook said "your father's a distrustful fellow".
Emma replied "He's just not used to working with the bad guys".
As they followed David's trail Hook said "I assure you on this island I am not the villain".
Emma replied "Pan's not supposed to be one either".
Hook asked "what possibly gave you that idea"?
Emma answered "the story of Peter Pan I read as a child".
Tally sleepily commented "daddy never told me the story, he said it freaked him out".
Emma said "and I think I know why now".
Hook said "the story you read was wrong. Pan, is the most treacherous villain I've ever faced. In these stories what was I like, other than a villain, devilish handsome I gather".
Emma said "only if Wax moustaches and perms are your thing".
As Emma and Tally moved ahead Hook replied "I take it from your tone perms are bad".
David called "up here", they'd reached a cliff overlooking the island, "we made it".
Hook said "Pan's lair should be just right..." not being in Neverland for a while had hidden Pan's hideout from sight.
Regina asked "Where? All I see is jungle".
Hook answered "Aye, the dark jungle", He took out his spyglass "it's grown somewhat since I was last here".
Regina said "so this hike was for nothing"?
David said "no, Hook may have led us astray but at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle".
"Not exactly, the dark jungle is the last place you want to step foot" Hook warned. "We have to go around it and to do so we'll need our strength. We need to make camp for the night".
Tally asked "but we don't have Henry yet".
Regina said "exactly, even the toddler can stay focused on the top priority".
Hook said "should we leave all our decisions up to the four-year-old"?
Regina asked "at least she doesn't want to sleep while my son is out there suffering".
Hook answered "if you want to live long enough to save they boy then we need to be well rested".
Emma woke everyone up "hey everyone wake up, I just saw Pan".
David asked "where"?
"In the Jungle".
Regina groggily said "it was just a dream".
Emma said "no, I was woken up by the sound of children crying".
They listened all around but the crying had stopped "well I could hear it earlier. I checked to see if it was Tally crying but she was still asleep and seemed fine. When I looked around no one else seemed to have been woken up by the crying. I grabbed Neal cutlass and ventured into the jungle to find where the crying was coming from.
Pan found me I pushed him against a tree and put the cutlass up to this throat and asked him where Henry was and he told me Henry is still alive. When I asked him why he took him he said Henry's a special boy and he only came to see who he was up against. He offered to give me a way to find Henry. He's given me a map except it's blank, he said the map will appear when I stop denying who I am. Then as suddenly as he had appeared he disappeared and I came back".
Mary-Margaret and David combed the jungle to see if they could find Pan while everyone else argued about the map. Hook said "he sure likes his games".
Regina asked "what games? There's nothing there".
Hook said "if he says there's a map on that parchment there is".
Emma said "if I just stop denying who I am, whatever that means, we'll be able to read this." Tally gave out a little yawn Emma said "I'm sorry I woke you sweetie, you go back to sleep if you want".
Tally said "but I want to help save Henry".
Emma said "I know but you're only a little girl, you still need your sleep".
Regina asked "how do we know Pan won't use this map to lead us into a trap".
Hook said "he doesn't need to, this whole island's his trap".
David and Mary-Margaret came back, David said "there's no sign of him".
Mary-Margaret asked "any luck with the map"?
Regina said "don't hold your breath".
Emma answered "what's that suppose to mean"?
She answered "every minute we spend talking about this is another minute we're not searching for my son".
Emma asked "you've got a better idea"?
Regina said "magic. If there's a lock on here I'll find a way around it".
Emma slammed her hand down n the map "Pan said it had to be me".
Hook said "I'd listen to Emma love, breaking Pan's rules would be unwise".
David said "sadly I agree with the pirate".
Hook commented "I'm winning you over I can feel it".
Mary-Margaret continued "and your magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch Regina".
David said "use it on the map and it might blow up in all our faces".
Regina said "that's a risk I'm willing to take".
Emma replied "well I'm not, I'm the one who's supposed to figure this out, I've got to do what Pan said".
Mary-Margaret said "she'll get there." Seeing some hopelessness seep into her eyes she said to Emma. "Hey, don't give up, if he's playing a game, you can win".
The map was suppose to appear when Emma stopped denying who she was so they thought maybe Emma should keep telling the map who she was. "I am Emma Swan".
Hook said "I'd wager the answer to Pan's riddle is a bit more complicated than that".
Mary-Margaret said "don't hold anything back".
"I am Emma Swan because Emma was on my baby blanket and a boy once convinced me the story of the Ugly Duckling means anyone can become anything so I chose to call myself Swan".
David said "that sound s like a nice story".
Mary-Margaret told him "but maybe for another time".
"I'm a mother to two children, Henry and Tally. For years I went from place to place as a bail bonds person. Now I live in Storybrooke and I'm the sheriff".
That election was a sham" cried Regina. "Are we really doing this"?
"I'm a widow and my husband's name was Neal".
Mary-Margaret said "don't you think you're leaving some things out".
"I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, which apparently makes me the product of true love. I was born in the enchanted forest and was sent through a portal in a tree so I could break a curse".
David said "and you were able to break the curse because"...
Mary-Margaret said "it's okay, you don't have to be embarrassed to say it".
Hook asked "say what"?
Regina answered "the S word".
"I'm the saviour". Yet again nothing happened "I don't get it, I said I'm the saviour, there's nothing I've denied more than that".
Tally said "what about before"?
Emma asked "before what sweetie"?
Tally answered "you said you were a bail bon person, before that".
Emma looked at the map and said "jailbird, thief, foster kid" and still the map showed nothing.
Mary-Margaret said "it's alright, we'll get it".
Regina said "no we won't" she snatched the map out of Emma's hand "but I can".
Tally said "snatching is not nice".
Regina replied "sometimes we have to do things that aren't nice to get other things done. I'm beginning to think there isn't a map on here but that doesn't mean this can't lead us to Henry".
David commented "I thought we agreed using magic was a bad idea".
Hook said "for once I agree with the Prince". When David gave him a confused look Hook said "I told you we were getting along".
As the parchment started to glow Emma asked "what are you doing"?
Regina answered "locator spell, this parchment belonged to Pan and it will lead us straight to him".
The parchment floated and lead into the dark jungle Hook said "so it appears we will be venturing into the dark jungle".
Emma said "you mean the place you told us never to step foot".
He replied "that's the one".
She bent down and said "stay by me and don't touch anything Tally".
"Yes mommy".
Regina said "well Emma, you said you wanted to be the leader, lead".
When they were in the middle of the Dark Jungle Regina asked "ready to thank me"?
Emma said "yeah",
Tally said "thank you".
Regina said "if you'd let me do it sooner, we'd have found him by now". Suddenly the parchment stopped at a path "he's there, Pan, I can feel his smugness".
David came to the front of the group and everyone followed the path ready to start fighting. Hook warned "be careful, he might look like a boy but he's a demon".
They came to a deserted camp Mary-Margaret pointed out "there's no one here Regina, maybe your spell was wrong".
Regina replied "that's right, blame me, again"
Suddenly Emma saw a boy looking away from them in Henry's coat and scarf "is that, Henry".
They boy turned around, it wasn't Henry, it wan Pan, "Hi Emma".
Emma asked "where's Henry"?
Pan answered "you broke the rules, that's not fair. Bad form, I expect more from you Captain".
Hook said "aye, and you'll get it".
Emma asked "give Henry to me".
Pan said "sorry, can't, don't you know, cheaters never win". Lost boys suddenly surrounded them.
Tally called "but I want my brother back".
Pan replied "then mommy should have played by the rules".
The Lost Boys raised arrows at them Hook said "watch out for their arrows, they're laced with Dream Shade".
Emma backed away to the undergrowth with Tally behind her. Once in the undergrowth Emma bent down and said "stay down, I'll come get you when the fight is over".
They arrows were fired and David used his sword as a shield. Mary-Margaret used her own arrows to defend herself. Regina used her magic to throw the Lost Boys back. Hook fought Pan's right hand boy Felix. Emma used her superb hand to hand combat to fight the Lost Boys. "Ahhh, mommy" Emma turned to where she'd left Tally and saw a lost boy over her with a knife at her neck. She raced to save her daughter and tackled the Lost Boy to the ground.
"Where's Henry, where is he"? she yelled as she held the boys own knife to his throat. She could see herself in the boys eyes and couldn't keep fighting him.
Mary-Margaret said "Emma, are you alright"?
A whistle signalled the retreat and the boy took advantage to throw Emma off him and follow the other boys behind Pan.
Pan said "remember what I told you, that map will show you where Henry is, but only when you stop denying who you are. I'll send Henry your regards".
They started running off, Tally tried following them but Emma pulled her back. She'd already lost one child to Pan, she wasn't about to lose another, unaware it may already have been too late for her.
Emma sat a log looking mournfully at the map on her lap and an arm around Tally. Mary-Margaret came over and sat next to her "please talk to me".
Emma replied "there's nothing to talk about, we had a chance and we lost, I lost".
"That's why we have to keep fighting".
"You heard what Hook said, Pan is a Demon".
"And you are a ..."
"A what? A saviour, because if that was true this map would have shown the way already".
"Maybe who you think you are, isn't who you really are"?
"What do you mean"?
"Sometimes we think we know ourselves but we need a push to show us the reality. That boy, the one who attacked Tally, you stopped fighting him, why"?
"Because he was just a boy".
"It's more than that".
"Because when I looked his face I saw me. That look in his eyes, the hopelessness, the despair. I had it, when I was in the foster system. Just a lost little girl, who didn't matter and didn't think she ever would". Her voice started to crack as if she might cry "a little girl who cried herself to sleep every night because she wanted her parents so bad, and could never understand why they gave her up".
A tear fell down Mary-Margaret's cheek as she said "and then you found us, and it was too late".
Tears rolled down Emma's cheek as she continued "it's just here on this island, I don't feel like a hero, or a saviour, I just feel like what I've always been, an orphan".
Mary-Margaret looked at the map "Emma look".
Emma looked down at the parchment and saw the map had appeared. "What happened"?
"You excepted who you are"?
"I'm sorry".
"You don't need to apologize, you were an orphan, it's my job to change that". Tally stood up and used her thumb to wipe away her tears as Emma did when she cried. Tally had never seen her mommy cry before but wanted to comfort her despite the pain she was in herself.
David went into the undergrowth feeling a pain and check the cut he got from an arrow. The cut was deep and veins were creeping out across his body.
Tally came into the undergrowth so silently David didn't notice her. When she saw his injury she said "that's like mine".
David startled by her and said "Tally what are you doing here"?
Tally answered "I needed to potty and mommy suggested going in the undergrowth".
David asked "what did you mean by it's like yours".
Tally pulled down her shirt and he saw a small nick but veins creeping out from it. "It was the boy who attacked me".
David said "but I thought Emma saved you". Tally looked down a little sad but he figured it out. "She didn't get there fast enough, but you didn't tell her".
"Mommy would be sad, and we have to win. Mommy will have Henry when I die and he'd help mommy".
Sorry I didn't post this last week. Things were hectic grieving, preparing to move, the internet was down but I'm back on track now.
