V IS FOR VENDETTA

The Deeper The Lie

"Focus. Concentrate."

"It's kind of hard when you're talking in my ear." Emma retorts, sending Lena and Regina a stubborn glare as they tower above her and the extinguished fire pit.

"And when the wind blows or it's raining, or someone's shooting arrows at you. Yes, concentration's hard. That's the point!" Regina huffs impatiently and Lena rolls her eyes.

"Find your anger and use it to focus." The brunette advises "use it as fuel."

The saviour shakes her head. "No! There has to be a way without going... dark."

Lena scoffs in offence while Regina throws her hands up in the air. "You're such a pathetic waste of ability!"

"And you're a monster!" Emma snaps back before furrowing her brow at Lena's smirk. "What?"

"Smell that?" She waves towards the glowing flame.
"Smoke."

"This is a bad idea." Snow hums nervously.

"It's a part of her." Lena says sagely. "Trust me when I tell you it's much safer that she knows how to use it than have her blow up the diner one day because Granny ran out of grilled cheese. The least you could do is trust her."

David frowns darkly. "It's not Emma we don't trust."

Before Lena can retort Hook catches her by the elbow and inclines his head to a private corner of the clearing. "If I could grab you for a moment, love?"

She can feel Regina's eyes boring into her as she follows him. "What's up?"

"Pan paid me a visit. He, uh... He told me that Neal is alive, that he's on this very island."

Lena blinks in surprise, having half expected the pirate to be approaching her for advice on how to woo the saviour. "But- Emma saw him die. He was shot. He fell through a portal. No one could survive that."

"Well, he did, and now he's here." Hook grunts at the inconvenience of it all. "He said he took him from this very camp while we were off in his cave."

"If he's telling the truth." Lena bites her lip. "We have to tell her."

Hook shakes his head in disagreement. "No, she already lost Neal once. And if this is a game, we can't put her through losing him again."

"Emma could have told me you were alive back in the Enchanted Forest, but she didn't and I hated her for it. If she's right and the only way to get Henry back is by working together, then we have to tell her... Swan!"

The saviour turns away from proudly appraising the flame she'd sparked and raises her brow. "Yeah?"

Lena and Hook exchange nervous glances before the brunette finally blurts out. "Neal's alive. Maybe."

"Neal i... is... Alive?"

"Maybe." Hook reiterates, but Regina scoffs.

"This is a waste of time. He's toying with us."

Snow gasps as she notices distinct marks leading through the trees. "I don't think so. Look. Scuffling.
Someone was definitely resisting."

"How do we know that means Neal?" Emma says skeptically.

"Are you really going to fall for this?" Regina sneers, and the rest of the group look at her unsurely. "You wanna follow the Evil Munchkin's dirt road? Be my guest. I want no part in it."

Lena grabs her by the sleeve of her blazer before she can walk away and rolls her eyes when the raven haired woman spins on her with a dangerous glare. "Regina, where are you going?"