✖️✖️✖️✖️

Hook stepped through the bushes and noticed Snow and David sitting on a log watching Regina teach Emma how to use magic; The pirate slightly moved his shoulders up and down, waking the teenager up as she groggily hopped off of his back and moved over to her parents while rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Hook whispered to Snow and David reluctantly, kneeling next to them, "We need to talk. Pan paid me a visit. He, uh, he told me that Neal is alive, that he's on this very island."

Snow shook her head in disbelief and whispered back, her eyebrows furrowed in question, "Emma saw him. He was shot. He fell through a portal. No one could survive that."

Astrid spoke up with a guilty sigh, "Except he is. I was out of it when Neal rescued Henry and me but Peter got us back... I don't bloody remember all of the details from that stupid spell Gold had casted on us, though."

"He said he took him from this very camp while we were off in his cave-" Hook added about the topic.

"You knew Neal was alive?" Snow questioned the teenager beside her with slightly wide eyes. "And you didn't think to tell us?"

"It had honestly slipped my mind! I have other things to bloody worry about than Neal being alive," Astrid whispered back at her, pushing down another round of nausea to prevent her from throwing up.

"And, uh, why would he tell you? What does he hope to gain?" David murmured curiously towards Hook who looked down while quietly answering simply, "Who knows why he does anything? He has his reasons, but it's a sure bet they're not good ones."

Astrid hid a small smirk and looked away while also noticing her mother glance at the entrance to their side as Snow spoke back up, "They're telling the truth-" She led the three over to the side and showed them the new prints in the dirt and broken branches, "Tracks... and a scuffle. Someone was here while we were gone. We have to tell her."

"No, no, no." David stopped his wife as she gave him a look of confusion, "She already lost Neal once. And if this is a game, we can't put her through losing him again-"

Astrid lifted her hand in the air slightly, earning the attention of her parents and Hook, as she pointed out, "But Neal is alive. I was there."

"But you also said it yourself-- You were out of it from some spell." David also pointed out, "Your mind could've played tricks on you or Pan could have, so that you would tell Emma."

"Not likely," Astrid sighed, "But I agree with what you're trying to say. Find Neal before letting her know."

"Exactly. Why hurt her unnecessarily?" Hook added as Snow commented, "I've never lied to her before."

"You're not lying. You're just keeping a secret until confirmation," Hook replied and glanced over at the teenager in between him and David before adding, "More confirmation."

"Secrets always seem to keep us from the people we really care about." Snow began sadly as David spoke up, "And sometimes secrets protect the people we love."

Astrid muttered, "Says the man who blurted my secret out in a matter of minutes that I had told you."

"Astrid, you know your mother and sister deserved to know that you're dying-" David sadly commented.

"In that case, Emma deserves to know that her son's father is alive." Astrid pointed out.

"You wouldn't hurt your sister like that," Snow sighed, "Okay, we won't say anything yet. The minute we find Neal, we have to tell her."

"And we will," David agreed while glancing over at Emma and stood there in thought before turning back to the three other people beside him, "We need to get ready to head out."

Astrid nodded, "Right." They moved over to where they had stored their weapons and picked them up. She slid her bow over her shoulders as well as her quiver of arrows, her twin swords already strapped on her hips.

David grabbed his sword and strapped it around his waist while Snow helped him with his holster as she added, "If we're gonna hide this, we need a good cover story."

Hook, Astrid, and David nodded in agreement, saying, "Done." "Easy." "Not a problem." Emma and Regina then moved over to their sides with suspicious looks on their faces.

"Where are you guys going?" Emma inquired.

Hook and Astrid both answered, "Firewood," while David said in unison, "To get water." The three of them shared a look and sighed somewhat.

Emma looked at them in worry as she asked suspiciously, "Guys, what's going on?" Astrid opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it, David doing the same action.

Snow blurted out, "Neal's alive." Astrid sighed and looked at her parents and remarked to them, "You two are lousy at keeping secrets."

Emma's eyes widened at that set of news as she tried to process what had been revealed. "Neal.... I- is..." She looked over at her sister and then Hook and finished, "Alive?"

"Maybe," Snow confirmed and then glanced over at her husband, Astrid, and Hook before adding, "Sorry, she deserved to know."

"B-But I watched him get shot-?" Emma stammered in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Em. It's my fault, blame me, not them." Astrid spoke up with a small, guilty smile, "Neal arrived on Neverland and managed to take Henry and me from Peter, but the two of us had been knocked out by this bloody spell Gold had casted... I woke up some but was still a little out of it and saw Neal..."

Emma had her mouth open a little in slight defeat, not sure how to react to this information. Astrid finished, "Sorry I didn't tell you."

"You- How- How long have you known that he was alive?" Emma wondered aloud hesitantly as she stared at her twin.

Astrid shifted on her feet anxiously and looked back over at their parents and Hook before looking back at Emma while waiting for her sister to blow up at her, stammering, "I- I guess this- this whole time..."

Emma sighed and nodded a little before she quietly replied, "Okay, it's okay."

"This is a waste of time." Regina spoke up about the situation, "He's toying with us! Astrid's just doing his bidding because she's still leaning more on his side."

Astrid was slightly offended by her comment and was fixing to give a remark towards the brunette woman until she felt extremely nauseous again, so she slightly sprinted over to some bushes on the side and threw up more black blood.

Once the said teenager was done, she wiped her mouth and moved back over to her family as she overheard Emma ask Regina, "Wait, where are you going?"

"To save our son." Regina snapped as she continued to walk away.

"We need to stick together," Emma pointed out to her as Regina humorlessly replied, "No, we don't. You may be prepared to risk Henry's life over some heartbroken fool's errand, but I'm not. I'm tired of waiting around."

With that said, Regina walked off as Emma glanced over at her mother regrettably, asking, "What if she's right? Pan could be lying."

"I'm believing in Astrid this time. I haven't been having faith in her for awhile, and I really should. If she says Neal's alive, then he's alive." Snow answered with a small nod towards the teenager who smiled some as Snow also smiled a little back at Emma, adding, "Don't give up. You owe it to Henry to find out if his father's still alive and you owe it to yourself."

Emma nodded and gathered her belongings as everyone began to walk down the trail to finding Neal. Astrid stopped beside her sister and asked lightly, "You upset with me now? I mean, for not telling you?"

Emma wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders and answered truthfully, "No, I understand why you didn't tell me at first. So, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine," Astrid lied with a small smile. Emma sighed, knowing that she was lying but decided to let it go. She knew Astrid was terrified about actually dying.

***

It wasn't that long until the five of them stopped on a little mountain and approached a cave as Snow spoke up first, "The tracks lead directly into that cave. This must be where Pan is keeping Neal."

David voiced his concern aloud, "If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?"

Astrid stopped right in front of the entrance, sharing a knowing look with Hook who stood beside her. "Because this place doesn't require any guards." She answered as Hook agreed and added, his voice low and full of sorrow, "The Echo Cave."

"You two know it?" Snow inquired, taking a step towards her teenager and the one-handed pirate.

"All to well," Hook started as Astrid added with a light joke, "And Pan tells me everything, so yeah..." She dropped the humor as she stared at the entrance of the cave in thought with Hook finishing his sentence, "I've lost half my crew inside those rock walls."

"Why? What the hell is in there?"

"Nothing," Hook answered as everyone except for Astrid gave him confused looks, "The only way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret."

"A secret?" Snow repeated, "That's all...?"

"Your darkest secret." Astrid added for her father figure, "The Echo Cave derives its name from an old saying-- The deeper the lie, the more truth in its echo- This bloody cave demands that you reveal a truth about yourself, a secret you would never admit to anyone."

"This is ridiculous-" Emma started as Hook chuckled humorlessly at her reaction and replied, "Don't kill the messenger, love."

"This is a bad idea. How do we even know Neal's in there?" Emma finished in exasperation.

Hook looked over at Astrid who had fell silent as she stared at the entrance and then he glanced back at the others before saying, "Because this is what Pan wants. He wants us to rescue him."

David spoke up, now on edge after hearing him say that, "Why?"

Hook only sighed. "So that we reveal our secrets. He believes once we do, our secrets will destroy us." He took a deep breath before adding, "Right then, let's get this over with, shall we?"

Hook entered the cave first with Astrid following second and her parents and sister following behind her. They continued to walk through the cave until they reached a larger part of the cave, a huge gap in between the rocky ground they stood on and another across from them.

There was a wooden cage on the other rock platform as a familiar male voice exclaimed from inside of it, "EMMA!"

Astrid glanced down at the ground beneath her as Emma muttered sadly, "Neal."

"It must be a hundred feet across," Snow began as David nodded and added, "Even if we fashioned some sort of rope, there's nothing to attach it to- no way to swing over."

"So, what do we do?" Emma questioned them, glancing over at her sister and back at the cage that held Neal inside it on the other side.

"Astrid and I told you what needs to be done," Hook spoke up, "Consider this the moment of truth... literally. Now, who wants to kick things off?"

"So, what?" Emma inquired in confusion, "Someone tells their secret and they sprout wings?"

Hook shrugged, "I don't know the particulars, only what I've been told."

"Then how do you know it'll work?"

"Just trust me, it works." Astrid sighed.

Hook nodded in agreement before admitting aloud, "I kissed Emma."

"You did what!?" David exclaimed as Snow quickly placed her hand on his shoulder as she replied, "David, now is not the time."

"I already told Mary Margaret, so technically it's not a secret," Emma replied, "And I guess you already told my sister that because she doesn't seem surprised."

Astrid shrugged, "Just the kiss part. Listen to what he's about to say next because it's gonna reveal his deep secret about it, I bet." Hook quietly chuckled at the girl and glanced down.

"But it was just a kiss. How's that your darkest secret?" Emma inquired.

"It's what the kiss exposed," Hook sighed and began reluctantly, "My secret is, I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love- of my Milah- to believe that I could find someone else. That is, until I met you."

Before anyone could reply to that, a sudden quake ran through the entire cave; Everyone steadied themselves and watched as a stone bridge began to form between the two platforms.

Astrid glanced over at her father figure once the rumbling stopped abruptly and laid a reassuring hand lightly over his arm; Hook glanced at the girl and gave a hint of a smile at her.

Astrid dropped her hand at her side and glanced at her family, waiting for someone else to go next but no one spoke up. She spoke up then and admitted her secret, "You know how some people in my past have called me Mortefera, bearer of death? They started calling me that from the bloody choices I had to make, killing and ruining so many people's lives..."

Their eyebrows lifted in concern as the teenager continued sadly, her eyes watering, "I mean, I always tell myself that's not who I am and I always deny that part of me... Truth is, I'm just a destroyer of innocent lives, ending their happy endings..."

"And part of me likes the feeling I get when I've killed another person, when I give into that darkness... And part of me is actually glad that I'm bloody dying in such tremendous pain because I don't deserve to- to have such a good family or bloody deserve to even be able to live when- when I'm not good!" Astrid finished barely above a whisper now, a single tear falling onto her cheek coldly.

The room began to shake again as another part of the bridge was added to it, making it almost complete.

Everyone gave the teenager a sad look as Snow then spoke up, her attention now on her husband, "Ever since the curse broke, since we found each other, since we found Emma and Astrid and all that happiness... there's been something I haven't wanted to admit."

"Our daughters are both beautiful, smart, and amazing, whom I love very much and whom I could not be more proud," Snow continued, "But Emma's all grown up and Astrid is in her teens and... as much as I want to pretend I'm okay, I'm not."

"We missed it, David. What we have with them is unique, but it's not what I wanted." Astrid glanced down in slight grief as their mother still continued, "We were cheated out of everything-- their first words, their first smiles- We missed it all!"

"What are you saying?" David slowly asked.

"When we get off this island and get back to Storybrooke, I want another go at it." Snow finished, "I want to have another baby." The moment she said this, the bridge finished building its last part, making a complete pathway to a still trapped Neal on the other side.

David smiled at Snow as he softly replied, "Nothing in this world would make me happier, and I know with all my heart that you would make an amazing mother." The two of them hugged and kissed one another then.

Emma pulled her sword out of the case on her back and carefully began to walk down the bridge. Before Astrid knew it, her sister was striking the cage with her sword with Neal trying to get her to stop.

The two of them began to talk then, too quiet for the four people on the other side to hear. The next thing they saw was the cage dissolving and Neal immediately hugging Emma tightly.

The two adults walked across the bridge and joined the four others as all of them exited out of the Echo Cave in silence.

Astrid walked behind everyone as they finally stepped outside of the cave. Neal turned towards everyone and started, "Thanks."

"Well, don't thank us yet. We still have to save Henry." David replied which earned a nod from Neal.

"We found your star map-- Astrid was going to use it and guide us off this island," Hook spoke up towards him, "So, the real question is, do you know how to get off this island?"

Neal nodded, "If we can find Henry, I can get us home." He looked over at the silent teenager and spoke towards her, "What do you say, A? Partners again like old times?"

Astrid meekly smiled and commented, "Partners."

Neal lightly grinned and replied to her in agreement, "Until the very end."

"Let's go find Tink and save Henry," Astrid said and walked away first with her parents and Hook following her, Neal and Emma remaining behind for a minute.

"Astrid, wait. Can we please talk about what you revealed in that cave?" Snow began, stopping on one side of the girl as David stopped on the other side of her.

"Not a big deal," Astrid muttered under her breath, not wanting to talk about what she had said. At least, not yet, anyway.

"But it is a big deal! Don't start pushing us away now, Astrid. We're your parents." Snow commented.

"I'm pushing you away because I'm not good for you guys anymore-" Astrid began as her mother cut her off as she gestured between herself and her husband, "Only we get to decide that."

"You guys are gonna save me, aren't you?" Astrid replied as Snow and David smiled, pulling her into a tight hug, and both answered her, "We are." David moved his hand on the back of her head reassuringly while three of them continued to hug.

Astrid smirked with watery eyes, pulled out of the hug, and remarked, "Babies." David and Snow laughed, their eyes watery as well, and held her in their arms a little bit longer.

"Now, I have to go see if Hook is okay." Astrid spoke up and stepped back to where the pirate was as she noticed him with a small sad look on his face as he watched Neal and Emma talk. "Hey."

He faced the teenager and smiled a little, starting, "AJ, you alright?"

"I will be. You?" Astrid admitted as Hook nodded and repeated slightly, "I will be." The two of them walked by one another and quickly caught up to her parents as Emma and Neal then followed after them and joined them also.

Peter. Astrid found herself thinking as the said boy appeared in front of the group of six and moved over to her, hugging her tightly now. "Take me home." She whispered in his shoulder.

"Thought you'd never ask, love," Peter sighed and made the two disappear from the group. They appeared in their treehouse then as Peter pulled back to look at her. "It's going to be okay."

"It already is. I have you." Astrid smiled a little as Peter kissed her forehead, a grin on his face.

Peter pulled something out of his pocket and began, "I actually have something for you, something that will show others that you belong to me."

"You didn't have to get me anything-" Astrid started as he cut her off, "I wanted to." Peter showed her a necklace that had a small musical pipe on the chain. Astrid smiled at it and allowed him to put it around her neck, her moving her hand over the small pendent and lightly played with it.

"I love you, Romeo," Astrid softly said, grinning, wrapping her arms around his waist as he had his arms wrapped around her upper back.