Peter Pan entered Henry's dorm underneath Hook's ship. He stared down at the boy, Henry took a few moments to recollect himself and to stare idly at Pan. Pan's head turned around as if Henry wasn't there for a moment, before turning back to stare him straight into his eyes.
"What are you doing...?" Henry asked cautiously. He sat up in the comforters and shuffled towards the wall, the rustling of the fabric writhed beneath his body.
"I wanted your heart." Pan answered. "But your mother took it away from me, left me for dead, her mistake," He cockily added on.
His hand immediately sprung forward toward Henry's chest, his fingers uncurled like a heinous monster. He was prepared to snatch the beating organ of the truest believer out of the truest believer's chest himself, though his hand was reflected. Pan's hand recoiled in a sting of slight pain.
"Oh, how clever..." He remarked, growing a devious grin on his face. Pan repositioned himself to be behind Henry, he threw his hands forward towards his back and began pulling against Henry's physical being.
"What are you doing?" Henry shouted, feeling himself be ripped from his body. His shadow wrangled in Pan's grasps, gasping for air, Henry himself paralyzed. Though, he still thrashed around.
There were the sounds of a loud thumping coming down from the stairs, Rumplestiltskin appeared into view. He carried Pandora's box safely in his hands, he swiftly opened it up. Pan glimpsed over his shoulder to see the fog begin to absorb his legs, his legs evaporating.
He thought fast, turning his head forward. His iris' gleamed with a strange light that was barely visible, or not at all visible to anyone else in the room. Henry's did the same a few seconds straight afterwards, his expression changed to something more distant. As Pan recollected himself, he suddenly looked frightened and bewildered. He looked around the room, seeing everything from Pan's perspective, he began to panic.
"No!" Pan shouted. He could no longer grip on the shadow any longer and let go, feeling himself slip into the box which now imprisoned him.
Henry's breath hitched and his nostrils flared in stale fear. Regina rushed into the room, her hands embraced her son's cheeks abruptly. She had the look of being terrified on her face, in sorrow if something would happen to her son.
"Henry? Henry! Oh, no, Henry.." She mustered out between her lips painted with maroon.
"It's okay, I'm okay..." Henry responded to her, trying to ease her worries. His breathing calmed as Regina's words of concern began to silence. Rumplestiltskin spoke from behind them, his grip on Pandora's Box growing tighter.
"He's a strong boy, Regina. You raised him well." He said. Regina looked over her shoulder to face Rumplestiltskin for a split moment, before then looking back to her son. She embraced him one more time.
Mary Margaret and David closed the doors to their vehicle, Emma doing the same for her yellow Beetle car, Rumple walking out with Belle along his side. Emma wore her signature coat, carrying a small firearm the equivalent of a pistol with her. Rumple held his cane with Pandora's Box in his hand. Emma had convinced the Dark One that they should release Peter Pan, due to one of her hunches.
"There's no magic beyond the town line. If we release Pan outside of Storybrooke, he will be powerless to fight back." Rumple said, approaching the red line alongside Emma. Emma stopped in front of Rumple.
"No, I'm going." She intruded.
"I can still cross the town line and retain my memories." He responded, staring at the Sheriff. He began to walk forward again, before Emma held her arm out, the firearm.
"It's not about that. There's no magic over there, all do respect, the real world is my expertises."
"He's my father." Rumple said with spittle.
"My hunch," She said back to him. "If I fail you're than welcome to pick up the pieces." Emma turned around with smooth motion, stepping her foot outside of the town line. Mary Margaret looked at Emma hopelessly, as she couldn't step over the line herself to help her daughter if she got into trouble without losing her memories.
"Be careful, Emma." She said instead, to reassure her.
Emma pointed her gun towards the ground for now. Rumple approached the edge of the line, his dress shoe barely flowering over it. He weaved his hand above the box, the gem emitted a red light and a red fog. He carefully crouched over and placed the box down over the line. The smoke filled the air and began to form a large cloud.
Peter Pan appeared laying on the road. He scouted back up, looking around the familiar Storybrooke forest. Although it was clearly familiar, he was clearly confused. He felt taller and felt lesser meekly, glancing down to himself. He was puzzled at his appearance with the strange Neverland attire. The green leafy suit was nothing he never remembered placing on his body. He swerved around on his heel to stare at Emma.
"Mom?" He questioned.
"What?" She asked. Emma slowly rose the pistol, aiming it towards Pan's head. Her brows furrowed as she stared at Pan confused. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He was puzzled further when she rose the gun towards him, afraid he was going to be dead with a bullet through his skull.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" Rumple said from beyond the line. Pan hadn't noticed they weren't alone and he looked towards Mary Margaret and David, David had his arms around Mary Margaret protected. Rumplestiltskin had Belle by his side, she held Rumple's arm. They all looked cautioned and frightened on Pan, Pan looking panicked underneath his skin.
"Wait, don't!" He said, trying to defend himself from being shot as he looked back to his potential death cause. "Please. I'm Henry, Pan, he... He switched our bodies!" Pan tried to explain. His birth mother's eyelids thinned slim.
Pan had a gleam of hope in his eyes. He was hoping that his mother would believe him, he of course wasn't lying, he wasn't trying to lie but...
"You expect me to believe that?" She asked. Suddenly, that hope was shattered. Pan felt immobilized for a split moment as he stared off. He looked vacant, losing trace of everyone around him. They all stared at Pan, Mary Margaret beginning to look distracted at Pan's sudden lack of his usual posture and emotions. Pan recollected himself and shook his head. He began to speak again before Rumple interrupted once more.
"It's one of his tricks," His grandfather said firmly.
"No it's not! He did it right before Mr. Gold caught me in the box, I swear."
"Don't come any closer!" She flexed as Pan began to walk towards her. Her tight gloves gripped the gun even more tighter than the fabric around her hands. Her shoulders got broad defensively.
"Shoot him!"
Emma looked suddenly enlightened as she stared at the villain who almost killed everyone on that damned Neverland island. She no longer looked like she was seeing right through Pan as her eyes looked all over traces of Pan's face. It looked exactly like Pan, Pan in the flesh. Standing still in front of her, she was able to finally see his entire full body without him trying to hold her against a tree or trying to kill her. She shook her head.
"Maybe he's right. Maybe that's why I can't shake the feeling something's off about Henry..." She said. Pan looked up from the road.
"Maybe that's what he wants you to believe. If he steps over this line, we're all dead." Rumple put a heavy, violent, sharp emphasis on the last word. Pan flinched as he heard the word, like it just cut through his own chest.
"If you're really Henry, prove it." She stared at him. She stared at him for a good few moments, her feet moving simultaneously. The pistol enclosed in her hands was ready to shoot. Although, it was also ready to be lowered if Pan proved himself.
Pan began to stutter as he opened his mouth to speak. "I got trapped in the mines... I tried blowing up the wells, I like hot cocoa with cinnamon...!" His voice rose mid-sentence, he was desperate to get his family and his own mother to believe it was him. He was tired of having a gun pointed to him and was as desperate as he could be at the moment.
"This proves nothing!" Rumple grit through his teeth. He felt his body get aggressive, Belle's arms around his tightened. She wanted him of no intention to lash out on anyone out of anger.
"He's right, Emma." Mary Margaret said, supporting Rumple. "Henry could had told Pan all of this in Neverland!" She added on. She herself was growing more suspicious of Pan at the moment, Emma staying with her word and letting Pan explain himself.
"Pan might know facts, but life is so much more than that, there are moments. He can't possibly know all of them. The first time you and I connected," Pan's expression lit up as Emma began to say that, as he was eager to answer it. He knew the answer at the back of his head. "You remember that? Not met, but connected." She finished.
"Yeah." He smiled. A genuine smile, nothing precarious, a genuine smile flashed from the bloody demon's lips.
"Where was it?" Emma continued the questionnaire, her arms shifted a bit from holding the gun up for too long, getting a bit tired.
"In my castle, right after you came to Storybrooke."
"What did you tell me?"
His smile got more gentle and soft, compassionate. "I knew why you gave me up." Emma's eyes shimmered at his answer, the gun lowered only slightly.
"Why...?" She asked reluctantly. He got it all right thus far. She began to feel guilty, she was certain at this point it was Henry. She felt guilty because she almost was about to shoot her son. Emma awaited Pan's answer. He opened his mouth with ease and nodded leniently.
"Because you wanted to give me my best chance." He answered.
Emma's eyes widened, her arms lowered the gun, pliable. Her eyes looked more clear. Mary Margaret and David stared, in slight awe. Rumplestiltskin focused on Pan, as did Belle. He was right and he doubted his own grandson. "Henry," Emma said.
They both knew what to do, Emma walked towards Pan and Pan had his arms open to embrace his birth mother. "Mom." He said. In the hug, his hand brushed against Emma's head, strands of hair between his fingers. The blond weaves glowed in the light. His eyes closed for a moment, relaxed he no longer was at the bridge of dying in this strange body.
"It's Henry." She said, letting go of Pan. He let go of the hug as well, though still had his arm around Emma's waist protectively. He kept looking at his mother and smiled, before turning his head to look at the others. "Promise you won't incinerate us when we step over the line." She said. Although it was more of a question. Emma and Pan looked towards each other, sharing a familiar, warm look with each other.
She crouched down and picked up Pandora's Box in her hand, putting the other on Pan's shoulder. As soon as Pan crossed over the line he wrapped both of his arms around Mary Margaret and David lithely. They both hugged their grandson at the same times, David's eyes closed with tranquility and Mary Margaret looking absolutely relieved that Pan really was telling the truth. They finally branched out from the group hug.
Emma gave back Rumple the box. Rumplestiltskin looked as guilty as Emma was feeling deep inside for almost shooting her son. For not believing Pan was Henry in the first place. For even actually urging Emma to shoot his grandson. "I'm sorry I doubted you Henry," he gestured his cane towards Pandora's Box. "I'm sorry I put you in this box in the first place." He finished.
"It's okay." Pan smiled again. Everyone looked a bit on edge for seeing Pan smile so much, it might be a bit of an uncanny nook to try and get used to that. He arched a brow. "I would had done the same thing."
"Come on." She whispered, her face was tainted with the largest beam she felt all day. Emma and Pan began to walk back towards the vehicles as Mary Margaret watched them go carefully. David finally spoke up to have a say in all this. He too watched them all go, except not all of them, Pan particularly. "If he's all the way out here, where's Pan?" He asked.
Emma opened up the door of her yellow Beetle, going in the driver's seat, letting Pan in the passenger's. Belle and Rumple, Mary Margaret and David all went into their respective vehicles as well. They began to drive back to Storybrooke, parking in Blanchard Loft's parking lot. Rumple and Belle returned back to the shop and Mary Margaret got out of the car once David pulled it over.
Emma opened up the door and climbed out, ushering Pan to still stay in the seat. She met up with her parents and took in a breath, putting her hand onto her hip. "Well, Henry's back... But we still have no idea where Pan is."
"I know, Emma, I know..." Mary Margaret nodded her head solemnly. "What are we going to do about Henry?"
"What do you mean, what are we going to do about Henry?" She leaned her head to the side a bit and placed her hand on her rocking hip.
David pursued his lip. "We can't just have Henry wandering around you know. What if someone mistakes him for Pan and it all smashes to pieces? What if he has another gun pointed at him, and actually gets shot?"
Emma blinked. She got riled up a small amount at another gun, though calmed down quite quickly to get back to being her level-headed self. "We'll figure something out, alright?" She opened her mouth to try and speak again, but of course her mouth ran dry. She had nothing to say. Emma closed it instead and bit her lip, still having her hand on her hip, her hips moved in a circular motion worriedly.
"I wonder if Regina is okay." Mary Margret said to break the silence. She looked at the three, Emma's eyes suddenly lit up as she realized.
"Regina!" She spit loudly. She immediately took out her cell. She dialed the number of Regina Mills, Henry's other mother. Emma put the phone to her ear, the receiver to her lips. Her parents suddenly looked as if they should take action too, but fidgeted as they weren't sure what to do to assist. Emma began pacing around, muttering to herself; "pick up Regina, pick up".
She suddenly stopped and lowered her phone. The phone's screen slowly died out and the light shut off. Regina hadn't answered and Emma got anxious about it. She knew that Pan, in Henry's body, asked to stay with Regina and now Regina wasn't answering her phone. She looked towards the car's window, where Pan was still sitting down, waiting.
"We have to do something about Henry quick. Regina didn't respond and now I think we have to take action." Emma told David. She then looked to Mary Margaret. "Take care of Henry inside, we need to take care of something."
Mary Margaret began to speak, as she wanted a say in this, but Emma turned around already and went towards her car. She opened up the driver's seat. Pan felt the light against his skin as he turned his head to look towards Emma. "I have to take care of something, can you stay here with Mary Margaret?"
"Of course I can," His brows furrowed. "What do you have to take care of?"
Emma shook her head. Pan began to get out throughout the other door and closed it. He walked around the car to face his mom, she closed the door to the driver's seat. "I can't tell you. Just trust me when I say it's keeping you safe." She said. "Mary Margaret will watch over you."
She ushered Pan out of the way as she went into the vehicle he was just in, David in his own respective car. She got the keys from her pocket and put it into the car, starting up. Pan was about to say goodbye, but before he knew it, the car pulled out of the driveway and the two were gone. Mary Margaret approached from behind. "Come on, Henry." She said.
"We have to get you a change of clothes and get you inside before anyone sees you," Especially Killian, she thought. Pan nodded and followed his grandmother inside. They went up to the highest floor, a three on the painted door. Mary Margaret got out her keys, unlocking the door and going inside. She turned towards the stairs and went up it, before even saying anything to her grandson.
"Wait!" He said, quickly, going up a step behind Mary Margaret.
"Yes?" She said, turning her head to look towards Pan.
"What are you doing? What's going on?" He asked. He was mildly confused as it is. Now nobody was telling him what was going on anymore, as usual. He was hoping that his grandmother would tell him.
Mary Margaret looked around and continued going up the stairs. "I... can't say, Emma was very vague." She said. Pan blinked, looking down at his attire. He forgot that he was wearing what he was wearing, it was shockingly comfortable, he had to admit. "People might recognize you with that on straight away, maybe with something else, not as much." She said.
Pan nodded. He stepped back down the stairs and stood at the feat, about two minutes later she came back down. "Alright, I found some of David's clothing. They might not be the best fit but they will work."
"Okay," he responded. He took the clothes and went into the restroom. He tried to push his arm through the sleeves of the outfit he was wearing, taking off the leafy torso piece. He sat down on the counter and began to untie the red laces of the boots as well, taking everything off. He began to put on the clothes he was gave. It was a button-up baby blue shirt, work slacks and socks. It did indeed look like something David would wear.
He then got out of the bathroom, staring towards Mary Margaret. "Sorry, Henry, I just had to get that out of the way first." She said.
"It's fine." He answered, used to being rushed around. He joined Mary Margaret by sitting at the counter that was around the kitchen.
"Would you care for some tea?" She asked, trying to not make it as awkward as it is. "I could begin boiling the teapot right now." Pan shook his head, looking off out the window.
"I'm just kind of disappointed I can't do anything to help." He said instead. Mary Margaret gave him a concerned look, wrapping her arm around him again, half-hugging Pan.
"It's fine, I'm sure it's nothing big."
"Of course it is. Pan is in my body and I have no idea what he's been doing in it the past few days..." He shuttered. "Maybe I actually don't want to know what he's been doing in my body for the past few days."
Mary Margaret's head turned to look out the window Pan was looking out. He was staring at the street, the parking lot, where Emma and David left to go on some other mysterious case he was never allowed to know about. His expression was glowering as he examined it. She wanted to do something to cheer him up, but had no idea what. All they could do is wait.
"Henry, I'm going to go upstairs. If you need anything, holler for me." She said, getting up and letting go of Pan. She rubbed his back passionately for a moment before going back up the stairs. He just sighed and nodded again. He was experiencing strange senses now in Pan's body, senses he never even thought could had existed. His body was boiling too.
His veins pulsed on their own, his incorrect heart beating in his chest. Pan continued to sit by himself, Mary Margaret not even aware of what was beginning to trail through his head. What if Pan, in Henry's body, was abusing his moms? What if something bad has already happened and he didn't do anything to prevent it? He sighed again and placed his hand on the counter, getting up from where he sat.
He listened quietly to see if Mary Margaret was perhaps talking on the phone upstairs or doing anything. He heard nothing but silence. He was hoping she was on a phone call so he could eavesdrop to hear if something was happening.
But nothing, nothing was happening in this boring apartment loft. He was beginning to thirst for some adventure. Pan rubbed the cuffs that were still tied onto his wrists on the opposing arms. He hadn't noticed he kept them on, either or.
Pan looked towards the door and walked to it. He wanted to clear his head or possibly find what was going on. It jumped over his head to even tell Mary Margaret first, even if it did, he would be aware that she would try to stop him.
He placed his hand on the door knob carefully, hearing the door click. He peered through the wood and down the stairs. He grew a ominous smile on his face. Pan crept out of the apartment and closed the door behind him. He then ran down the stairs, to the lobby, then out the door.
The only thing Pan recognizable on him was the wrist cuffs, but nobody was around to point it out. He ran down the street, looking around. He passed the clock tower, the library in it, Granny's...
As he ran past Rumple's shop, Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer. Rumple wasn't of inside, but Belle was wiping up the windows with a rag. There were a few air spots on the window. She saw Pan run by, raising a brow curiously. She didn't bother to chase him, although she wanted to, Rumple would had been curious where she had gone and she didn't want to cause anymore trouble than what they were apparently dealing with.
Pan eventually got tire of running, though he reached the edge of the forest. He saw a group walking towards the vault, Regina's vault.
"What are they doing there?" He asked to himself. He was clueless to the villain who stole his body's real plans, as was everyone else. He approached the group without a second thought, walking up behind them.
Emma was leaning up against a tree, talking to David. Pan saw his dad, Neal, with Rumplestiltskin and Killian. They were all watching Rumple attempt to open the door. Pan was about to speak up, before Emma could finish her sentence she noticed him.
"Henry? What are you doing here?"
Aye, I apologize for the last part being so rushed. R&R please, especially review - I appreciate feedback lots.
