Chapter One
"Is this a Ms. W. Darling?"
Wendy held the phone to her ear. She still barely understood what it was, but she had learnt that people can talk through them. "It is," she replied. "Who is this?"
"This is the police station," said the American man. "Ms. Darling, there's something that's been brought to our attention."
"Which is, Sir?" Wendy asked.
"You have two brothers, am I right?" the officer asked.
"That is correct, yes," said Wendy.
"Do you know where they are right now?"
Wendy swallowed. "They said they were going away on business," she said quietly.
"But do you know exactly where they are, Ms. Darling?"
"No," said Wendy slowly, "I don't."
"We have been informed here at the station that Mr. John Darling and Mr. Michael Darling have gone missing," said the officer.
"Missing?" Wendy fiddled with the locket around her neck. It had been a gift from her parents long ago.
"They were last seen near the border of Maine, before disappearing without a trace," said the officer. "We wondered if you knew anything."
Wendy couldn't speak. Her throat was all choked up as she pieced it all together. Maine. Storybrooke.
"Ms. Darling? Are you okay over there?"
There was silence on the line as Wendy tried to think of something to say.
"Ms. Darling?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," said Wendy.
"Well, we can't let you stay in your residence by yourself, Ms. Darling," said the officer.
"Why not?" Wendy asked absently. Her mind was too preoccupied with worried thoughts about John and Michael.
"Well, uh, you're a minor, Ms. Darling," the officer explained. "Your records state you are sixteen, right?"
"Sixteen?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Oh, er, yes, I am," Wendy amended. 200 years of living, mostly in Neverland, made her forget the age she appeared to be.
"You see, I'm afraid citizens under the age of 18 aren't legally allowed to live alone," said the officer.
There was a sudden knock on the front door and Wendy's head snapped in that direction. She went over and slowly unlocked it.
"Morning, dear."
"Do I know you?" Wendy asked.
"Excuse me?" said the officer, still on the phone.
"Sorry," Wendy apologised. "Could you just give me a minute?"
"Of course," said the officer and Wendy laid the phone on the table.
"You don't know me, dear, but I've heard a lot about you." The woman at the door invited herself in, pushing past Wendy and taking a seat on the couch in the lounge area.
"You have?" Wendy asked. She followed her in, hovering near the sofa.
"Indeed." The woman wore a green dress with a black cape-like coat and black boots. "Nice place you have here," she said.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" Wendy demanded. "I do have the police on the phone and you are trespassing here."
"No need to be hasty, Wendy," said the woman. "Not that the police could catch me anyway. My name is Zelena."
Wendy stared at her blankly. "Should I know who that is?" she asked. "And how do you know my name? Who's told you about me?"
"Whatever, it doesn't matter," said Zelena. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You do have an officer, puny human, on the phone."
Wendy just nodded.
"You will have heard this name before," said Zelena. "Peter Pan."
Wendy's face blanched. "What do you know of him?"
"Enough of the questions," Zelena snapped, getting to her feet. "I'll do the talking, alright? I need to know if you know where he is."
"Peter Pan... He's dead," said Wendy. "Rumplestiltskin killed him."
"I know," said Zelena patronisingly. "I found him though, and I used a spell on him. I brought him back to life."
"You resurrected Peter Pan?" Wendy shrieked.
"Calm down," said Zelena, rolling her eyes. "I resurrected him, after bringing his moody sidekick Felix back."
"Why would you bother with him?" Wendy asked.
"I needed him to help me find Peter Pan, obviously," said Zelena. "I need that boy, but the moment I brought him back to life, he disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Completely," said Zelena. "He just vanished. I was told that you might know where he is. According to Felix, you and Pan had a… special connection."
"If by "special connection", you mean that he kept me in a cage for 200 years, then yes," said Wendy sourly. "I don't know where he is, and I don't want to know."
Zelena sighed. "You will help me find him, Wendy Darling," she said.
"And what's in it for me?" Wendy folded her arms across her chest.
"If that officer finds out there's no-one looking after you, you'll be taken away," said Zelena. "Tell him I'm your aunt."
Wendy hesitantly picked up the phone again. "Hello?" she said.
"Hi?"
"Yes, erm, my aunt is looking after me," said Wendy.
"Can I speak to her?"
"Hi!" said Zelena into the phone. "I was very sorry to hear that my nephews are missing. If we find anything, we'll be sure to let you know. Okay, bye!" She slammed the phone back into the holder. "Now, Wendy," she said.
"How did you know my brothers are missing?" Wendy asked.
"Little devil told me," Zelena shrugged. "Ugh, I listened to your landline. Now, as for the rest of our little deal..."
"What do you want?" Wendy sighed.
"You will help me track down Peter Pan, and in exchange, I will help you find your brothers," said Zelena.
Wendy held out her hand. "You've got a deal," she said, "If you can do what you say."
"I'm the Wicked Witch of the West, dear, I'm sure I can," said Zelena.
"Well?" said Wendy.
"Well what, dear?" Zelena asked scathingly.
"How am I supposed to find Peter Pan?" Wendy sighed again.
"Call his name three times, I don't know," said Zelena. "But find him as soon as possible, or your brothers will never be found."
"Are you going somewhere?" Wendy asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes, I am," said Zelena. "I have a daughter to take care of, as well as getting the petty lost boys under control. I'll be back, Wendy Darling. Find Peter Pan." And with those last words, she flicked her cape and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
Wendy just stood there for a moment, hardly knowing what to think. She thought Peter Pan and the torture in Neverland were behind her, that she'd never have to think about them again. Apparently, she was wrong. Wendy flopped down on the sofa, trying to form some kind of plan in her head. But there was none. The witch Zelena had made a deal with her, and that seemed to be the only choice. Who else could help her anyway?
Wendy sat up straight. Her brothers must have been heading to Storybrooke, but why? Their lives were good in Bangor, Maine, though very different from what they had been used to. Why would they need to go back to Storybrooke?
Wendy opened the door to John's room, creeping inside and flicking the light on. It still felt like a novelty to be able to flip a switch and have the room flooded with light. She went to his desk, poking through drawers and files. Eventually, after hours of looking, she found a file hidden right at the bottom. Wendy read through it, her eyes widening. It couldn't be, could it?
A piece of parchment inside contained a spell that turned back time. A few pictures were paper-clipped to the folder itself, a scaled down version of a family portrait; sketches of the Darling family. Then there was a map of Storybrooke, that Wendy just about recognised, and an arrow that pointed to the Mayor's house. Piecing it all together, Wendy realized just what her brothers were planning to do: go back to Storybrooke and force the Mayor – Regina – to carry out a spell to take the Darling family back in time.
Wendy dropped the file on the floor and went back into the main living area of the apartment. And now her brothers had gone missing? What had happened to them? Were they hurt? There was only one thing for Wendy to do, and it was the hardest thing. She had to follow up the deal with Zelena. Perhaps the witch could really find her brothers. But that meant coming face to face with the immortal boy who destroyed her life, and her family. Peter Pan.
Wendy brooded about this for the rest of the day, curled up on the sofa, and pacing her bedroom. Barely having eaten or slept, the clock hit midnight, and Wendy knew what she had to do. She stood at the window, looking up at the stars, and whispered, "Peter Pan… Peter Pan… Peter Pan…"
She closed her eyes. She almost didn't want him to come. Almost. But if seeing Peter Pan again meant getting her brothers back, Wendy would take it.
But nothing happened. Wendy sighed. She knew the way to summon Peter Pan, how she had summoned his shadow all those years ago. If she tried it, would the boy himself really appear?
"Come on, Pan, I really need you to come right now," she muttered. "Please? My brothers – they'll only be found if I help Zelena."
Still nothing stirred in the night sky. Frustrated, Wendy clenched her fists and let out an angry breath. "Will you just turn up already?"
Wendy paused for a moment before yelling, "Fine! I BELIEVE!"
"Alright, no need to get angry." The boy hovered at the window, surrounded by a glowing green light.
Wendy glared at him. "Well, look who's here," she said hotly.
"Peter Pan never fails," he shrugged.
A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new Once Upon A Time story - Take Me to Neverland. I've been wanting to write an OUAT fanfiction for a while, and since Peter Pan is my favourite character (and he's coming back for the second half of season 5!) I decided on a DarlingPan fic. Please leave a review and tell me what you think, and I'll probably upload chapter 2 soon, just as soon as I've finished it :)
Thanks again,
Ginger xx