Chapter 6
Secrets Revealed
Mary-Margaret, David and Tally watched as Regina taught Emma magic. Tally didn't like it, between Hook and Regina her mommy was starting to become like them. She wasn't the only one, Mary-Margaret didn't like it either but David thought since Emma had magic she should learn how to control it. Hook came up to them and obviously didn't want Emma to overhear him. "Pan came to me, he told me Baelfire is still alive and on Neverland".
Tally said "I told you so".
Hook said "yes, you're very clever".
Mary-Margaret said "but Emma saw him get shot and fall through a portal, no one could survive that".
Hook replied "well apperentely he did, and now he's here in Neverland. And as Tally said was taken from this camp while we were gone".
David asked "why would Pan tell you"?
Hook said "who knows why he does anything? But it's a sure bet it's not they're good ones".
Mary-Margaret said "then we have to tell"...
David said "no, she already lost Neal once, and if Pan wants us to find him just to take him away or something we can't put her through losing him again".
Hook said "he's right, either way telling her is what Pan wants which is why we shouldn't do it.
Mary-Margaret said "you want to find him without letting her know".
Hook asked "why hurt her unnessacarily"?
Tally answered "it won't hurt and she should know".
Mary-Margaret added "and I won't lie to her".
Hook said "you're not lying, you're just keeping a secret".
Mary-Margaret said "secrets seem to keep us from the people we really care about".
With a glance at Tally David said "and sometimes secrets protect the ones we love".
Understanding what the glance meant Tally said "maybe they're right".
As they prepared to go Mary-Margaret said "if we're doing this we'll need a good cover story, and Tally you should stay here with your mommy, in case we run into Lost Boys".
Emma saw them and asked "where are you going"?
David and Hook said "to get"... but as David said "water" Hook said "firewood".
Emma didn't need her superpower to know they were lying "okay, what's really going on"?
Before anyone could stop her Mary-Margaret answered "Neal's alive"
Emma said "Neal is..." she was going to say dead but seeing their faces she whispered "alive".
Seeing David and Hooks faces Mary-Margaret said "sorry, she deserved to know".
Emma said "and you were going to look for him without telling me".
Mary-Margaret put her hands up in defence saying "I was out-voted, it was two and half to one".
Emma asked "how did you find out"?
Hook answered "Pan came to me and told me"?
Regina said "then this is a waste of time, he's just toying with us".
Tally said "but daddy really is alive, like I've been saying"?
Mary-Margaret thought and asked "Tally in which direction did they take him"?
Tally pointed and said "that way".
Mary-Margaret rushed over and said "theres tracks here". Everyone came over and Mary-Margaret added "there was a scuffle and it's looks like someone was fighting for their life".
Regina asked "are you really going to fall for that"? Emma didn't say anything, she didn't need to, there was hesitation on her face but hope in her eyes of finding Neal alive. "Fine, if you want to follow the evil munchkin's dirt road be my guest".
Regina started to walk away Emma asked "wait, where are you going"?
Regina answered "to save our son".
Emma said "we have to stick together".
"No, we don't" Regina replied half laughing. "You may be willing to risk Henry's life over some heart-broken fool's errand but I'm not, I'm tired of waiting around".
Emma unsure mentioned "she could be right, this could all be a trap from Pan".
Mary-Margaret said "you owe it to Henry and Tally to find out if their father is alive and you owe it to yourself".
Emma was still unsure so Tally said "is it not better to try and fail than to not even try at all"?
Emma bent down and smiled "sometimes you're too smart" she got up "come on, let's go".
Finally they came to cave Mary-Margaret mentioned the tracks led directly into the cave. Wondering why there's no guards if Neal's being held captive. Hook told them about the Echo Cave. "I've lost half my crew in those rock walls. The only way to rescue someone from inside is to tell a secret".
A little nervous Tally asked "would any secret do"?
Hook answered "It has to be your darkest secret. The Echo Cave gets its name from an old saying; the deeper the lie, the more truth in its echo. To rescue someone the cave demand you must reveal a truth about yourself, a secret you would never admit to anyone".
Emma said "this is ridiculous".
Hook mentioned "don't kill the messenger love".
Emma said "even if we spill our guts how do we know Neal is still alive in there"?
"Because this is what Pan wants, he wants us to rescue him. He wants us to reveal our secrets he believes once we do our secrets will destroy us".
They went into the caves are far as they could until they came to a bottomless chasm with a bamboo cage on the other side. Emma could see inside the cage was Neal and they whispered each other's names that echoed off the walls. "Daddy" Tally called as she tried to get closer but Emma pulled her back afraid she'd fall in the chasm.
Mary-Margaret said "it's got to be a hundred feet across".
David added "even if we fashioned some sort rope there's nothing to attach it to".
Emma asked "so how do we get across"?
Hook replied "I've told what needs to be done".
Emma said "so what? Someone tells their secret and they sprout wings".
"I don't know "said Hook "only what I've been told". After a moment of silence he said "so who wants to go first"?
Seeing no one wanted to he said "alright I'll go first, I kissed Emma".
"What"? said David.
Emma said "Tally saw us so it's not exactly a secret".
Hook said "my secret is what the kiss exposed. I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love, of my Milah to believe I could find someone else, that was until I met you".
Suddenly a bridge to the other side started David was going to go next but Mary-Margaret went first. "Ever since the curse broke and we found each other, and we found Emma, in all that happiness there's been something I haven't wanted to admit. Our daughter is a beautiful, strong and amazing woman whom I love very much and of who I could not be more proud of, but she's all grown up. And as much as I want to pretend I'm ok with that I'm not. We missed it David, we missed all of it. What we have with her is unique but it's not what I wanted. We were cheated out of everything, her first smile, her first laugh, her first...everything. When we get off this island and get back to Storybrooke I want another go, I want another baby".
Tally could see what David was thinking, he couldn't give her what she wanted because he couldn't leave. The bridge grew a little more. Now it was David's turn "nothing would make me happier and as much as I know you would be an amazing mother it's not possible, at least not with me". A single tear fell from his eye "When me and Hook went to look for the sextent he was really taking me to find a cure".
Mary-Margaret asked "a cure for what"?
David answered "Dreamshade".
Mary-Margaret said "the Lost Boy's, you pushed me out of the way".
David answered "I wasn't fast enough, I was hit. But the cure it comes at a price, I can't leave Neverland, if I do I'll die instantly".
The bridge was almost finished "and there's more" David continued "I wasn't the only one poisoned".
Tally said "I was poisoned too when that Lost Boy attacked me mommy didn't get to me fast enough. Grandpa got some water but I was so mad at mommy kissing Hook I poured the water out, I'm still going to die".
The bridge was finished and Emma crossed with tears knowing she was going to lose her little girl. She tried used her sword to break the cage but Neal said "Emma, it's not use you know that's not how this works".
Emma took a deep breath "when I heard you were here, that you were alive I should have been happy but I wasn't. I love you and I always will but I've lost you twice, once when I was seventeen and the betrayal almost destroyed me. The second time was not too long ago when you fell through the portal badly injured and all that pain rushed back twice as bad. I was hoping this was a trick, that you were dead because it would be easier to put you behind me because I'm not sure I could handle it if I lost you a third time". The cage disappeared, Emma and Neal wrapped their arms around each other.
As they left the Echo Caves they were all a little comfortable. Neal thanked them, David replied "don't thank us just yet, we still need to rescue Henry".
Hook said "we found your star map, the question is do you know how to use it".
Neal answered "if we can get Henry I can get us home".
Hook uncomfortably said "then let's get Tinkerbelle and retrieve the boy".
As Mary-Margaret, David and Hook left Tally was going to go Emma said "Tally no, just sit down and try not moving too much". Then she took Neal to one side and said "about what I said, I'm sorry. I wish I could change how I feel but I can't".
Neal answered "after everything we've been through you don't need to apologise for how you feel. I got a secret too Emma, my secret is I'm never going to stop fighting for you".
With a glance at Tally Emma said "and now we have a new problem, I don't want to lose both my children" her voice was cracking.
Neal hugged her "I don't want to lose them either. Tally has two choices; die or stay here forever".
Emma asked "so what do we do"?
Neal replied "there's nothing we can do right now, we can only hope we can save Henry and in the process find a way to cure Tally that doesn't include staying here".
