Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.


The bright, green light disappeared and they knew then deep inside that they had left Neverland. Finally. The boy turned to look for Wendy, to see if she was alright —if she was there, with him. He did not want to imagine what would his life be like in this new land —the Land Without Magic— if Wendy weren't with him. If he had to be alone once more, if he had to start a brand new life all over again on his own. He seriously doubted he had it in him to do such a thing while remaining sane.

But he didn't have to worry about that now, because he saw her then, looking around as if she had lost something. He couldn't help but smile.

Though his happiness didn't last long —when had it lasted? There was not only Wendy and him in that room —it was more like a warehouse, wasn't it? He had almost forgotten that it was even possible to build such huge constructions.

In fact, there were many people there, looking at them as if they had seen a pair of ghosts. Which may have been true, because he was also seeing a spectrum. An apparition. Someone he had imagined reencountering a thousand times during the years. Someone he had hated and blamed and longed for. Someone who, despite everything, he still loved.

He didn't know how he felt the moment he recognized his papa. He was angry, that he could tell, but there was something else. Why was he showing fear in his eyes? What was that feeling in the back of his neck; what was that tickle in the end of his fingers? If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn that it was magic. Wasn't that the Land Without Magic?

What was happening?

He wanted to approach his father, to ask him. He wanted to know and to understand. But then he remembered that there were in fact other people in there, and he didn't know if they were enemies. They probably were. What was he thinking? Why wasn't he on guard? Hadn't he learnt anything in Neverland?

Then Wendy reclaimed his attention.

"What have you done?" she said. She looked pale, she looked anxious. They were home. She wasn't supposed to look like that.

"What do you mean?" he asked, in confusion, deciding that his papa could wait, as he had waited all those years for him.

"I have to get back. I need to get back". She started walking, looking around, as if she was expecting to find a magic bean shining on the floor. But she didn't need a magic bean to get to Neverland. And she knew it. "Peter Pan, can you hear me?"

She started shouting as an insane little fool, while he tried to make her understand that she could not do what she was trying to.

"Wendy?"

She could not leave him. Not now.

"Wendy, stop! What are you doing? Stop!"

Not to go there.

"I want to get back! Leave me alone, you silly boy!"

"Wendy?" he whispered, without understanding. What was wrong with her? Why on earth would she want to go back?

"I want to go to Neverland! I BELIE…"

"Stop!" He bumped into her, throwing to the floor her fragile and little body covered only with that old nightgown. He didn't mean to hurt her, of course not. He only wanted to keep her safe. To prevent her from going back to Neverland. But she looked at him as if he was a monster. As if he was breaking her heart, when what was really happening was that she was breaking his.

"Bae!" Wendy cried. He really looked around for the first time and saw all the eyes suddenly stuck on him. His papa looked at him with tears and pain in his eyes. And there was a woman he had not truly noticed before with a strange and crazy smile. She was holding… wait, was that the dagger? Was she controlling his father? In the Land Without Magic? And how had Captain Hook escaped if he had just seen his ship a couple of hours ago, back in Neverland? Had he left it behind? That didn't sound convincing, even to him.

Was he awake or was that big amount of nonsense merely a dream?

And there were even more people… A boy that wasn't probably older than him —though that was a tricky issue, in fact, when one thought about the frozen time in Neverland. A guy with a sword, another one with a crossbow. And three women, the blonde one with her mouth wide open in surprise and maybe even fear.

The introductions would have to wait, anyway, because the woman with the dagger laughed. And her laugh was more of a scream. Creepy and scary, maybe even more than Pan's laugh —was that even possible?

"Look at what we have here… Kill him, doll", she said, merciless. And Bae understood, because that woman held his papa's dagger, and that meant that she controlled him —and it was just Bae's fault, because how had she known if it wasn't because he had told Hook about the dagger? It was his entire fault, and now she controlled the Dark One. She had just told him to kill Bae. And his papa had to obey. So he directed his hand against his son, and whispered an "I'm sorry" while his fingers closed around an invisible neck.

Bae saw from the corner of his eye how Wendy observed the whole scene with horror, crying his name. He even felt her strong fingers clutching his arm, before the woman with the dagger threw her away with her magic.

While he himself grew conscious that he couldn't breathe anymore, and tried to set free his neck of the hands that were killing him. But there was nothing there, he realized. Helpless tears appeared in his eyes. Because his papa was murdering him with his magic, with that damned magic of his, and Bae could do nothing but regret that he still loved him, even though he had abandoned him. Even after the eternity he had spent in Neverland, of which he and Wendy had just escaped. Even after having been left behind once and again, Bae could not help but think that in the end it was his entire fault, because it was him the reason why his papa had become the Dark One on the first place.

(to be continued)


A/N: So... here it goes! My first OUAT fic! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy myself when I'm writing it. Please forgive spelling/grammar mistakes —English is not my mother tongue. Reviews are highly appreciated!