Dreamer

6. Dark Hollow

Tension was high as the group got back to their camp. They sat down as Neal told them how to get off the island or how he did it last time.

"Pan's shadow? That's your way off the island?" Emma questioned him.

"Oh. We thought you learned how to navigate the stars," David admitted.

Lila looked at him confused, there had to have been more just because you know how doesn't mean you can. "I know how to navigate the stars, but I can't fly. We certainly couldn't get off. The shadow would just kill us one by one until we're all dead. We need the shadow to ensure that we all actually get out of here. That's why we have to capture it."

"Capture it? We've never been within 10 feet of Pan unless he wanted us to be," Emma explained. "Sneaking up on him to steal his shadow? That sounds insane."

"Except pan's shadow is rarely with him," Hook interjected. "It's an entity unto itself. It can carry out his will from miles away."

"What does that mean for us?" Sammy asked him.

"It means we can get his shadow Without having to be anywhere near pan– As long as we know where to look," the pirate explained.

"I know where to look," Neal said.

"Okay. You and I are on shadow duty," Emma told him as they both stood up.

"As am I. This trek won't be easy. You could use another veteran of the island," Hook explained.

"Maybe someone with magic?" Lila offered, but her dad shook his head.

"Nope, we've got this, thanks man," he nodded at Hook.

"Well, in the meantime, we'll give Tinker Bell a heads up, See if she can make good on her promise to get us into pan's camp," David said.

"We meet back at Tinks. Then we get Henry and get the hell back to storybrooke."

"If all goes well, this is the last time we see this Forest," Lila smirked, she was ready to get out of here, off this damn island. None of the others shared the same sentiment as David tried to touch Mary Margret and she walked away. She believed there was a cure for him. There was no way there wasn't. He was leaving with the rest of them.

~

Everyone was packing up their stuff to head off and it was very obvious that there were some feelings everyone needed to work through. Sammy was sad and angry about Lila having someone else, about just finding a father figure and maybe losing him, Lila was mad that there had to be a choice, Mary Margret was upset about David and Hook was sad Emma still loved Neal.

It wasn't long before they were on route to TinkerBell's place. Mary Margret was up front, leading with Lila right behind her and Sammy was hanging back with David. He looked at her and decided he should say something, "You know, I thought of you as a daughter too. Before the curse broke, you and Lila were there, helping me."

She smiled at him, "you were so kind to me– to Lila and I. You cared for us, took us in. I never had that. My mother never paid much attention to me and when she realized that I was getting in her way she gave me up to a family of black smiths. There, I had cousins, siblings, a mom, but never a father. My father– he knew I existed but couldn't be in my life."

"What happened to your family, after the curse broke you never went to find them," David said, curious.

Sammy smiled bitterly, "they died. I lost control of my powers and I burnt down our home. It was after my favorite cousins disappeared through a portal to go find his uncle– Sammy Valdez. Every few years one of us disappears. After that, I bought a magic bean and came to the enchanted forest, and two days later the curse happened."