Oookay. So, I really like Robbie Kay as Peter Pan in Once Upon A Time, and after going through some feels, decided to write this. It sucks, and it's as complicated as Emma's family tree, but whatever. Review!
Ria's POV
Tamara and Greg toss Henry and me to the ground. I shove myself to my feet. My hands are tied and this infernal cuff is blocking my magic. I grit my teeth as our captors begin to taunt us and brag about their "cause":destroying magic. It occurs to me that I'm standing in front of Tamara, Baelfire's murderer. I hurl myself at her, screaming insults and threats, hitting her, as hindered as I am.
Greg pries me off of her, and slaps me so hard that white spots dance in front of my eyes. My cheek is stinging, and I lose my balance and fall. He pulls me to my feet and, holding a tight grip on my arm, and marches me along next to Henry.
"I'm angry at them, too, Ria," he says quietly. Tears prick my eyes. Baelfire was his father. I can't imagine what he must be going through, as I've never had a father who gave a damn about me.
I hear the snap of a branch and we're instantly surrounded by a group of boys, all armed with bows and spears. I step protectively towards Henry, a bound hand closing on his wrist. It all happens so fast, but when I see the Shadow, I act.
I shove Henry in the opposite direction as it comes down and rips Greg's shadow from his body. I scream for Henry to run as Tamara falls to the ground with an arrow protruding from her back. Henry is gone, so the boys converge on me. My fingers are fumbling with the cuff and I'm shouting for them to get away.
"I know you," a blond boy says,club drawn. "Oh, he'll be very pleased to see you again." I try to fight, but with my hands as a useless weight in front of me, I don't stand a chance. A sharp pain sears my elbow, and my vision goes blurry. "No..." I gasp as my knees buckle. I'm struggling to hold onto consciousness, but a crashing blow sends my world spiraling into blackness.
When I wake up, my head feels as if it's been repeatedly smashed into a wall. I reflexively attempt to touch my head, and I'm shocked when I see that the ropes have been cut, though the cuff remains.
"Ria?"someone calls. My head snaps around, looking for the source of the sound, stopping as my gaze settles on Henry. I pull him into a crushing hug.
"Henry! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" I say frantically, looking for any signs of potential harm.
"I'm fine," he sighs. "Pan tricked me."
I try to keep my face blank. "Peter Pan?" I ask slowly.
Henry nods. "Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?" he jokes.
"Actually, Ri and I go way back," says a smug voice, one I'd hoped I'd never hear again. And then I look at him. Wow. Neither of us has changed a bit. He's still got the same dirty blond hair, the same blue-green eyes, and he's managed to hold on to that insufferable smirk.
"Wait, really?" Henry says, his voice full of disbelief. I stand up and move in front of Henry, wanting to keep as much of him as I can away from Pan. Peter takes a step closer, clearly enjoying the look on Henry's face and mine.
"Why, yes, Henry," he says quietly, his fingers settling on my cheek. "We were quite close." I slap him as hard as I can, causing my fingers to sting. I hear Henry gasp, and feel the guard of every Lost Boy going up. Peter only rubs his cheek, then laughs. "Excellent. I see you've still got that fire I like."
"Take us back to Storybrooke," I hiss.
"Ri, love," he says patronizingly. "You know I can't do that. Look all the trouble I went to!" He gestures around him, arms open.
"Pan, love," I snarl. "Believe me, I appreciate your boys killing Baelfire's murderer, but Henry and I have places to be." I toss in Baelfire's name to irritate him, and it works. His eyes narrow.
"Baelfire was a bit old for you, wasn't he?" Peter asks innocently, knowing full well that I was much older than the said deceased. I move to hit him again, but he catches my wrist and I end up accidentally throwing myself into a tree. Leaves rain down around us.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Henry shouts.
Peter glances at him, then smirks. "You know, love, I've just had a brilliant idea. Why don't we go to my thinking place and resolve this lovers' quarrel in private?" he says quietly.
I'm about to snap that we were never lovers to begin with when he transports us. The unexpected transport leaves me a bit dizzy, and I end up stumbling, the Thinking Tree behind me. "Little wobbly on the feet, love?" Peter teases, and for some reason, this makes me snap. I throw myself at him, slashing blindly with my nails and screaming. He catches both my wrists and shoves me against the trunk of the tree. "Hmmm. Where have I seen this happen before?" Peter muses, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
"Get your hands off of me, you evil, twisted, bastard creep!" I hiss, struggling.
"Good to see you too, love," he says conversationally. "When I get this stupid cuff off, you are going to pay—" "Stop making empty threats, love," Peter says with a bored, weary tone. "They don't suit you."
Tears of frustration and anger sting my eyes. They blur my vision, spill over, and run down my face. Peter gently brushes them away with his fingers. I jerk at his touch, but I'm still pinned to the tree. I screw my eyes shut and turn my face away from him. "Open your eyes, Ri," he says softly. "It's been awhile; I'd like to see them." An angry sob escapes me before I can stop it. "Tough—shit," I gasp.
"Why do you hate me, Ria?" he asks quietly. "You lied to me!" I scream. It echoes throughout the forest around us. "About everything! About Bae, about Stiltskin, about yourself!" I'm fully crying now, and struggling to get away from him. He lets go of me, and I slide to the ground, leaning against the tree. He's watching me with a sort of resigned sorrow in his eyes.
"Am I as bad as the Dark One?" I glare at him through my tears.
"You're worse," I hiss. "At least he's trying to be good. He told me he'd protect Henry, no matter what that damn prophecy said."
Peter smirks. "I think you're biased," he says, trying to lighten the mood.
"Shut the hell up," I bite back.
He starts to move towards me, but I spring to my feet. "Stay away from me," I hiss. I try to walk around him, giving him a wide berth, but I'm such a glutton for punishment, I can't resist. "Was any of it real? I'm not asking if it actually happened, I'm questioning whether or not you actually felt anything at all for me." He just stares at me. I shake my head in disgust and turn away, when I feel it. A ripple of magic.
Someone's come into Neverland.
I take off running, and I hear someone shouting my name. I think it's Peter, but I ignore him and continue to race through the forest, almost blindly running. Then the whole island shifts, and suddenly I'm at the edge of a cliff. The ground crumbles under my feet and I'm falling. I let out a shriek as I plummet towards the crystal water, completely helpless without my magic.
Right before I become a grease spot on the clear blue, something jerks me up in the air. I know it's Peter, there's nothing else it could possibly be. He lets go as soon as there's a solid surface under our feet, but I've already shoved him away from me and take off running, desperate to find a way off the island.
An arm locks around me, pinning my arms to my side. I kick and curse, but it's like I weigh nothing. Peter still practically has to drag me back to the camp.
"Henry!" I shout as we come upon it, struggling against Peter's hold. "Henry, I think someone's—" I'm cut off by Peter's hand clapping over my mouth. My indignant shriek is muffled by his palm.
"You know what I think?" he says quietly. "I think it's time to turn in. Felix?" A sharp pain erupts in my shoulder. I let out a muffled cry of pain as I struggle to fight the sleep, but another pain shoots through me, and my vision darkens. I stagger, and out of the corner of my eye I see Felix holding a tranquilizer dart. Right before I black out, I hear Peter say something that I don't quite catch, and I fall into a dream of memories.
I'm in the alley of Gold's shop when I feel someone walk up behind me. Arms suddenly slip around my waist, and I tense, my heart suddenly racing. "Miss me?" Ash whispers. I laugh and turn around, then push him playfully. "Ash Simmons , you scared the living daylights out of me!" I scold. "Sorry," he says sheepishly. At the mock shame look on his face, I can't help but crack up. "So there's this thing..." he says, shifting from one foot to the other. "OK," I say, smiling. "And there's someone I'd like to go to it with," he continues. "Oh, well, in that case, Mr. Gold is inside the shop," I tease. Ash grabs me by the waist and lifts me in the air. "Ash! I'm just joking! I didn't mean it!" I giggle. He grins and sets me down. "Christine Peters," he says. "Will you come with me?" "Of course, you dolt," I answer, kissing his cheek. "Christine!" Gold calls. "Where are you?" "I gotta go," I whisper to Ash. "See you Friday," he says, winking and turning away. I duck into the shop, and when Gold comes in, I insist that I've been in the back room the whole time.