Starlight

30

"Where's Aoife? She could be useful for this." Mary Margaret said while looking up as David took to strapping a satchel onto himself. David raised an eyebrow, his wife had lectured, scorned, and shown the islander how to weave, and he wasn't too sure where she stood with Aoife. David was under the presumption, like most times, she saw the good in Aoife, and she was underneath everything, a good person. "I'm merely saying, she knows this place. She's been useful and helpful so far." She reached up and helped him with the satchel. "What's a good cover story?" She frowned lightly. "I mean...what can we possibly say?"

Hook had reappeared. Mary Margaret frowned lightly again. "Where's Aoife?"

"She's gone searching for food." He explained bluntly, with the way he looked and stomped about they got the feeling something a lot more had happened.

"What did you do?"

"Why do people always think I've done something?" Hook asked exasperated, was he always going to have to go through life with people pointing the finger at him? It was bloody tiring!

David frowned, "Because most of the time you have done something." He couldn't help but shrug and state, which was true. Hook wasn't exactly good. And he had proven himself in the past to be troubling, tricksy and not all too helpful. No matter how he was being right now, he could always revert back.

Hook looked between them, "So, a cover story?" He said getting the conversation back on track. He didn't want to talk about Aoife, he really didn't.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, the three hadn't realised she and Regina had walked up to them. Wincing when both Hook and David said conflicting excuses at the same time she sighed. "Come on, really?"

"Neal's alive." Mary Margaret blurted out. She couldn't even contend with lying, or attempting to. Emma looked shocked, but then guilty, she looked to Hook nervously before looking back at Mary Margaret. "Sorry, I just couldn't lie to her." Mary Margaret said quietly. She looked at the floor sadly, she couldn't lie to her daughter. Hadn't there been enough lies and secrets between them all already?

"Really?" Regina piped up. "You're really falling for this?" She was the only one who wasn't taking Peter's words seriously. Mary Margaret fixed a stern look on Regina before pointing out the proof she had, the scuffled footsteps which could very well indicate that Neal was here and had been ambushed and captured. Regina just looked at Emma. "Are you going to fall for this?" Emma didn't reply to her question. Regina sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine, fine," she stepped back. Everyone looked to her. "You all have fun following the evil munchkins dirt road."

"Regina, we need to stay together." Emma said while turning to look at her.

"No, I am not willing to risk Henry's life over a heartbroken fool's errand. I am tired of sitting and waiting around." Regina turned and walked off into the thick tree line. Her form vanished from sight in a matter of seconds.

"What if Pan is lying?" Emma asked quietly.

"Only because something seems too good to be true, doesn't mean it is. You owe it to yourself and to Henry to find out if Neal is still alive." Mary Margaret smiled and looked over Emma's shoulders. "Aoife, where'd you go?" She had noticed the woman reappear, cloak hood still up and her hiding within the shadows, but she peered out and smiled a little awkwardly at Mary Margaret. It seemed Aoife could not project her annoyed feelings in her direction. Aoife was annoyed, and Mary Margaret didn't deserve to be the target, not when the target was right there looking concernedly at her.

"Food." The woman waved one of the fruits over at her. She sat down in front of the fire, still with her cloak up. She idly took to peeling the fruit before niggling on it carefully.