The Second Daughter

Good Form

We continued our search through Neal's cave, trying to find something more to help us. I was sifting through various trinkets when I heard Emma. "Woah." She muttered. I looked over to see what she had found.

"What is it?" David asked her.

"It appears Neal marked his days trapped on the Island." Hook commented. Emma pulled herself onto a ledge to closer inspect the marks.

"What's wrong?" Mary Margaret questioned.

"Look here." Emma indicated. Mary Margaret and I approached the blonde. "Neal stopped counting."

"Because he got off the Island."

"He was here longer."

"Then why would he..." David trailed off.

"Because he lost hope."

"You got that from scribbles?" Regina demanded. Emma hopped off the stone ledge.

"I got that because it's what I did every time I went into a new foster home. Counted days until counting seemed pointless."

"I get that." I added softly. "When Maleficent banished Evie and I, and our Mothers, to the far edge of the Island, I counted the days hoping that one day, Mal would rock up and apologise for what she did and let us back into Isle society...took me about two years before I realised Mal would never change." I frowned. "Come to think about it she never apologised even after we left the Isle."

"You think the same thing's happening to Henry?" David questioned.

"Pan said that it would." Emma replied.

"Hey. We're going to rescue him."

"Yeah, I know that. And you know that. But Henry doesn't know that. Pan wants him to lose faith."

"So what?" Regina asked. "You want to send him a message? Because I haven't seen a Neverland Post Office. What are you suggesting?"

"Take a page from Pan, and we start being clever. We need to send a simple sign. A sign that we're coming."

"With lost boys around trying to kill us all?"

"Yeah so maybe we use that to our advantage." Mary Margaret suggested.

"How?"

"Follow me, I'll show you." Mary Margaret led us out of the cave. I followed after her, pressing my hand against my wound as it throbbed in pain. Mary Margaret soon had us tying ropes to make a trap.

"A trap?" Regina questioned. "That's your plan?"

"The Lost Boys wanna come after us, we need to go after them." Emma stated.

"You really think a Lost Boy is gonna betray Pan?" Hook asked.

"Thanks for the advice." Mary Margaret droned. "David, Hadley?" I looked up when Mary Margaret called my name. "We need more vine."

"Ok." I said, standing and brushing my legs off.

"You're coming with us, pirate." David stated.

"Why?" Hook demanded.

"Because we need more rope." Emma snapped.

"If the lady insists." I rolled my eyes as David, Hook and I went around gathering more vines. "What would you like to yell at me about now, Dave."

"Stay away from my daughter." He said.

"Well, she can take care of herself. She doesn't need your parenting. Which is a good thing. She's had twenty-eight years without you, no need to parent her, or Hadley anymore." My eyes widened when I realised what he was going to do.