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David led the group as he cut through more and more limbs. Astrid walked behind him with Hook following behind her, and then Regina, Emma, and Snow.

"The ridge is just a few hundred paces up ahead." Hook spoke up as Emma inquired, "You really think we're gonna be able to see Pan's hideout?"

Astrid laughed at that and answered, "No, he wouldn't hide it in plain sight."

"From there, we should be able to see everything, maybe a light from a campfire or something." Hook added in agreement to what the teenager said.

"You know, I could have just poofed us up here in an instant." Regina spoke up as Hook answered in amusement, "Where? Have you any idea what's up here or anywhere? There are dangers all about. Only Astrid and I can guide us past them."

"He's right. Hook and Astrid's lived here before." Emma agreed, "If they say hiking up is the best way, then we listen."

"Here. You need to stay hydrated." Snow said to Emma who stopped beside her and handed her the canteen.

"Thanks, Mary Margaret." Emma replied gratefully and took a sip of it.

"You know, 'Mary Margaret' is a bit formal." Snow commented, "You could call me 'Mom' if you want. You've done it before."

"That was... back when we-" Emma stammered.

"We were about to die." Snow finished for her, "Oh, no, I get it." They started following the group again.

Ahead of them, David whacked at a few more branches with his sword and was about to cut at a plant with thorns until both Astrid and Hook grabbed his arms to stop him. "No," The two of them started as David tried again but was stopped again, "No!"

"I can handle a couple of thorns." David said to them.

"That's Dreamshade." Hook pointed out as Astrid added, "It's not the thorns you have to worry about. It's the bloody poison they inject you with." Hook nodded in agreement with her and also added, "This plant is the source of the toxins I used on the Dark One."

"The poison that almost killed Gold?" Emma asked.

"Indeed. I used a concentrated dose. In its natural form, death would be much slower and far more painful." Hook further explained and nodded at one direction, "I suggest we go this way."

David looked forward and replied, "We'll go this way." He continued to walk as Regina and Snow followed him.

Emma and Astrid shared a look as Hook commented, "Your father's a distrustful fellow."

"He's just not used to working with the bad guys." Emma shrugged.

"I can assure you, on this island, I am not the bad guy." Hook said.

Astrid lifted an eyebrow at that and shook her head slightly but kept her comment to herself. Hook noticed this, of course, as Emma followed after everyone else.

"AJ, what is it?" He asked once her sister left them.

"Nothing. It's just what you told Emma," Astrid began with a sigh as the two of them walked behind the group, "Here, you were sort of the bad guy by leaving me and... Peter wasn't all bad to me. He gave me a home when I had no one else and... fixed me when I felt completely broken and unloved or disposable or whatever."

"So, why did you leave here if he made you feel unbroken?" Hook softy asked.

"My family. I had to find them." Astrid answered.

"So, you actually fell in love with that boy? He's a bloody demon, lass. Haven't you listened to what I said?" Hook started.

Astrid chuckled and replied, "I don't know what we are. I know he was my best friend and that we both had feelings towards one another but... I left him and I don't know how he's going to react to me being back here-- or how I'm going to react to seeing him face to face."

"Well, I'm here now. I won't abandon you again, AJ." Hook assured as Astrid smiled and nodded.

"Up here!" David called out to them as they ascended up the hill and made their way over to her parents. "We made it."

They glanced over the trees and such on the cliff. "Pan's lair should be just... right..." Hook began but trailed off.

"Where? All I see is jungle." Regina commented in annoyance.

"Aye, the Dark Jungle." Astrid spoke up with a nod in confirmation as Hook added while looking through his telescope, "It's, uh, grown so much since I last stepped foot in Neverland. Astrid?"

"Yeah." Astrid agreed with a small sigh.

"So this nature hike was for nothing." Regina said.

"Hook may have led us astray, but at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle." David replied.

"Not exactly," Astrid began as Hook finished, "The Dark Jungle's the last place you wanna set foot. We'll have to go around it. In order to do that, we're gonna need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

"You wanna sleep while my son is out there suffering?" Regina replied.

Hook sighed and said, "If we want to live long enough to save the boy... Yes." He walked down the hill as Astrid followed and then Regina and then David while Snow and Emma talked.

Astrid was wearing a white, lace striped, long sleeve dress that stops at her thighs, a bit above her knees, and a fringe brown vest; She had on a pair of knee length, leather brown boots and her swords strapped on both sides of her hips, along with her battle axe and bow and quiver of arrows on her back.

She had changed after diving in the water to make everyone stop arguing during that storm; Astrid kept a few clothes and belongings in her bedroom on the Jolly Roger from that week she rarely spent at their apartment after Snow had killed Cora and grieved her actions from doing so.

Astrid helped set up their tent and the beds for everyone with David and Snow once they reached a good enough site to set camp up, that is.

***

Later that night, Regina was asleep on a cot underneath one of the tents with Snow and David asleep on a different cot a few feet from her; Hook was lying on a different one while Emma laid on another, both also sound asleep.

And Astrid sat on a log in front of the campfire, watching the flames in thought. She glanced over at her sister who slightly turned in her sleep and sighed.

Astrid couldn't fall asleep; Actually, she was wide awake. Behind her on a small hill, Peter Pan watched her, an ache in his heart to be with her.

Astrid heard a branch snapping from behind her and stood up quickly, turning around to face whatever made the sound. She felt her mouth open a little in surprise as she stared at the familiar boy who hadn't changed a bit since the last time she had seen him.

Pan disappeared and reappeared right in front her and made the two of them disappear from the sleeping group and to a different part of the woods for them to be alone. "P-Peter..."

"Astrid..." Peter started, his voice quiet, "Why did you leave Neverland?"

"I- I had to find my birth family and I did. I'm sorry I left you." Astrid answered softly, "Part of me wanted to stay with you, Peter, and even with the Lost Boys... There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you." She sadly smiled somewhat.

"If you liked me, why'd you stepped back?" Peter wondered aloud, stepping a step closer to her.

"Nobody ever chooses me. Why would a random boy on a magical island would?" Astrid slowly admitted, "I know how life works. And life doesn't want to give me a happily ever after... I just stopped hoping. I just stepped back- and left. I was afraid."

"I'm sorry." Pan began lightly as Astrid shrugged and commented, "You don't have to be sorry, Huckleberry. Of course I like you."

Peter grabbed her face in his hands and leaned in, kissing her on her lips; Once they pulled away slightly, Astrid looked at him in surprise and shock and wondered aloud, "What did you do that for?"

"Because the last time, I almost kissed you, but I let you go, and that has been my biggest regret." Peter answered.

"Why aren't you angry with me for leaving? I thought you was going to yell or pick a fight with me or something..." Astrid started and cleared her throat some, "Be honest. Tell me something you have never told anyone."

"I love you." Peter admitted truthfully.

"I'm serious, Romeo." Astrid pointed out.

"So am I. I love you, Astrid." Peter repeated, it was the first time that he actually said it and he actually liked saying it to the girl. "And I always will."

Astrid finally said it to the boy, also, "I love you, too."

Peter smiled and kissed her again and made them appear back in her camp where her family was still sleeping. "I'll arrange a way for you and take you back to my camp where the Lost Boys are. They've missed you as I have."

Astrid grinned and nodded, her heart warm now that she was with her true love again. She had already realized that she did love Hiccup, but her feelings for him was like a brother-sister kind of love now and truly loved Peter Pan.

She knew one thing was for certain: She didn't want to lose Peter again like he didn't want to lose her.

"I'm not going to lose you again, Charming. You're mine." Peter murmured, "I'm getting you tonight."

"I'm yours... Now, I've got to go." Astrid lightly replied.

Peter sighed some and kissed her forehead, his eyes closed, and repeated, "I love you." That's all he wanted to say over and over, no matter what, until she knew how much he loves her.

"I know." Astrid grinned and pulled out of his arms and walked back to her campsite, but she didn't know that he watched her until she was out of view.

"You're not leaving me again. Not this time. You are mine, no one else's." Pan said quietly, "Including that Hiccup boy you had told me about."

***

Astrid had laid against the tree beside Hook and had fell asleep. Emma stood up, grabbing her sword from beside her, and started, "Guys, wake up!"

When Snow and David didn't wake up, she looked over at her twin sister to see her also not awake, her head now drooping and then landed on Hook's shoulder.

Emma decided not to wake them and made her way into the jungle, looking around for the source of the crying that she heard but couldn't find anything.

"You hear that, too?" Peter spoke up, leaning against a tree now while he watched Emma gasp and turn around as she faced him. "You're Emma, right? I wonder why they can't hear the crying."

"Who are you?" Emma asked suspiciously while still pointing her sword at the boy.

"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? I'm Peter. Peter Pan." He remarked.

Emma swiftly turned her sword around and held it to his neck and shoved him to the tree. Peter held a smirk on his face while Emma asked, "Where's Henry?"

"You've got fire. I like fire... except not on you." Peter smirked, an eyebrow lifted in amusement.

"Yeah, so I've heard. I still don't see what my sister sees in you." Emma replied, "Where's my son?"

"Henry's still alive, if that's what you're worried about." Peter simply answered.

"Why the hell did you take him?" Emma questioned.

"He's a very special boy, Emma." Peter remarked as Emma said, "I know. That doesn't answer my question. What do you want with him?"

"I came here to see who I was up against-- the Savior." Peter replied and sighed, "Gotta say, I'm not disappointed."

"What do you say now? You're gonna tell me how I'm never gonna see Henry again?" Emma said.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows and commented, "No. I'm going to help you find him. I'll give you a map."

Emma released the boy as he pulled out a parchment and handed it to her. "A map that will lead you straight to your son."

"If this is some kind of trap-" Emma started as Peter chuckled and cut her off, "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment."

"Why are you giving it to me?" She asked.

"See, it's not about finding Henry, it's about how you find him." Peter answered her, "And, Emma... you are the only one who can."

Emma took the paper from him and unfolded it, glancing down at it and back at him. "It's blank."

"You'll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are." Peter said as she glanced back down at the paper and looked back up to find that he was gone now.

***

Regina paced around while Emma sat in front of a boulder as she stared at the blank map in front of her; Hook was sitting on the opposite rock from her while Astrid stood in between him and her sister, her hands resting on the handles of her swords by her hips.

"He so likes his games." Hook remarked.

"What game? There's nothing there." Regina pointed out.

"If he said there's a map on this parchment, then there is." Astrid spoke up.

"Great. So if I just stop denying who I really am, whatever that means, then we'll be able to read this thing." Emma commented.

"But how do we know Pan won't use it to lead us straight into a trap?" Regina said as Hook stood up beside the teenager and pointed out, "Because he doesn't need to. This whole island's his bloody trap."

"There's no sign of him anywhere." David spoke up as he and his wife walked out of the jungle and to the campsite.

"I told you that you two wouldn't bloody find him, but that's okay, don't listen to Astrid over here. She knows nothing about him or Neverland." Astrid remarked sarcastically towards her parents who simply rolled their eyes at their teenager's words.

Snow asked, "Any luck with the map?"

"Don't hold your breath." Regina muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked as Regina answered, "Don't you see what he's doing. Every second we spend talking about this is another second we're not looking for my son."

"You got a better idea?" Emma remarked, not looking up from the blank map.

"Magic." Regina simply answered as David sighed, "If there's a lock on there, I'll find a way around it."

She approached Emma and started to take the paper until Emma slapped her hand down on the parchment and said, "Pan said it had to be me."

"I'd listen to Emma, love. Breaking Pan's rules would be unwise." Hook added.

"Sadly, I agree with the pirate." David replied.

Astrid smirked and nudged Hook in his arm as he nodded once and smirked over at David and commented, "I'm winning you over, I can feel it."

"And your magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch, Regina." Snow spoke up.

"Use it on the map, it might blow up in all our faces." David added.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take." Regina remarked as Emma said, "Well, I'm not. If I'm the one who's supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan said."

"Great." Regina muttered as Snow commented, "She'll get there."

After about a little under half an hour, Emma resorted to telling her story. "My name is Emma Swan-"

"Yeah, it's going to be more complicated than that, Em." Astrid remarked as Snow added, "Don't hold anything back."

Emma sighed and continued, "I'm Henry's mother... I used to live in Boston, and I was a bail bondsperson. I'm now the sheriff of Storybrooke."

"Really? Are we seriously doing this right now?" Astrid remarked and then realized something when she thought of the Lost Boys' pasts, "It's going to go deeper than that... You're an orphan-- a Lost Girl."

But everyone simply ignored the girl's comment. Again.

"Don't you think that maybe you're leaving some things out?" Snow spoke up.

Emma sighed, cleared her throat, and continued, "I'm the firstborn daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, my twin sister being Astrid, which apparently makes us- me- the product of true love... I was born in the Enchanted Forest, and I was sent through a portal in a tree so that I could break a curse."

"And you were able to break the curse because you're the...?" David dragged out in almost excitement.

Emma gave him a slight look as Snow added, "Come on, you don't need to be embarrassed to say it."

"I would." Astrid remarked with a roll of her eyes and her arms folded across her chest while Hook asked, "Say what?"

"The 'S' word," Regina blandly answered.

Emma straightened up and focused back on the paper and added, "I'm the Savior."

Everyone looked at the paper in anticipation, except Astrid who had sat down while grabbing a stick and drew patterns in the dirt idly; She already knew saying 'the Savior' wouldn't work.

Emma replied, "I don't get it. I said I was the Savior. There's nothing I've denied more than that."

"It's okay, we'll figure it out-" Snow started as Regina cut her off by saying, "No she won't." She took the paper from Emma who exclaimed, "Regina!"

"But I can. He's getting us to think that a map's on here... but it doesn't mean it can lead us to Henry." Regina replied, now hovering her fingers over the paper she had in one hand.

"I thought we agreed that using magic is a bad idea," David pointed out.

"For once, I agree with the Prince," Hook agreed as David looked over at him in surprise/shock, "I told you we were getting along."

The blank map began to glow and float in front of Regina now as Emma questioned her, "What the hell are you doing?"

"A locator spell. This parchment belonged to Pan. It'll lead us to him." Regina simply answered in a bored kind of way.

The paper started drifting away in the air and into the forest. Astrid sighed and commented, "This isn't going to play well at all. Cheaters never win."

She was ignored as Hook remarked, "So, it looks like we will be going into the Dark Jungle after all."

"You mean the place you and Astrid told us to never set foot?" Emma inquired.

Astrid nodded and agreed, "That's the one. Well... Em, you said you wanted to be the leader, so... lead."

Emma quietly sighed and followed after the glowing, floating parchment into the Dark Jungle first as Astrid followed second.

After about half an hour, they were still following the blank map. Regina remarked towards Emma, "Ready to thank me?"

"Actually, yeah," Emma admitted as Regina added, "If you'd let me do it sooner, maybe we'd have found him by now."

The paper stopped as did Astrid, making the other five also stop; Regina stepped beside the girl and commented, "Wait. He's there. Pan... I can feel his smugness."

Astrid actually laughed at that comment as she leaned halfway on David's arm, trying to contain her laugh but failing.

David stepped forward, making a giddy Astrid stumble a bit, and took out his sword, saying, "Shall we? While we still have the element of surprise on our side?"

"I like that!" Astrid excitedly started with a bounce in her step happily, even if she knew it wasn't going to be a surprise to Peter.

Regina and David started walking forwards as Astrid heard Hook tell them, "Careful. He may look like a boy, but-"

"He's a bloody demon." Astrid smirked, finishing his sentence, while withdrawing her twin swords and twirled them around impressively once. "Come on, let's go already."

Astrid skipped to where David and Snow was as Emma asked Hook, "What will Astrid do when she sees Pan when we encounter him? Will she side with him?"

"I honestly don't know, but I do know Astrid doesn't abandon her family." Hook answered her and then caught up with the said teenager and stopped her, "You're not okay. How long has it been since you've slept like more than three hours?"