"He is your father we have to give him a home. It's the right thing to do!" Belle argued as she tail behind her husband.
"To hell with the right thing!"
"But he is your father!"
"Exactly."
"Well, think of it as rehabilitation. His magic is bound and he can't hurt anyone. You can have him work with you at the shop–"
Mr. Gold turned and looked at his wife, frustration radiating from his eyes even though his face remained calm. "I will not." His voice was harsh and caused his wife to freeze. "I want nothing to do with him, he is no longer my problem." He turned from her and directed himself towards a mirror to adjust his tie one last time.
"But look at Regina and you, you both changed, so could he. Marry-Margret's sister, Lavender, has just got out of the hospital and she could keep an eye on him. She needs a dis–"
"She is in a wheelchair, Belle, which would make far to easily to over power."
"Just trust me, Rumple. It could be temporary, all I ask is to give him a chance…just one. I gave you one."
His eyes casted to the ground before meeting his wife's pleading gaze. Mr. Gold let out a sigh. He didn't want to argue and he also didn't want to push his wife away, but the lack of trust he had with his father was to much. He couldn't let him in.
"Please Rumple, if not for your father then for me. Marry-Margret is my dearest friends, and she need me."
"Fine, but he steps out of line I lock him up."
"Okay."
Belle skipped over to him and wrapt her arms around his neck. She cocked her head slightly and plant kisses upon kisses on his cheek.
~Two days later~
"So who is the guy you'er setting me up for a play date?" A raven haired girl spoke with her as she tied the end of her braid with a bright blue rubber band. Her soft, smoky, brown eyes glanced up at her sister's reflection besides her in the mirror. Her ebony haired sister did her best to seemed relaxed, and not at all pensive about the situation, but her fears still shined through her deep green eyes.
"Peter Pan, Gold's father."
"So he's old?"
"No, he is about your age—if you don't want to do this you don't have to."
"No, its fine...besides it'll distract me from my situation." She tilted her head back to look at her so that her big sister could see her smile.
Mary-Margret bent down and place a gentle kiss on her sister's head before wheeling her out the door. Lavender turned back in her seat and waved to good bye to her mild mannered step mother. She smiled to everyone to hide the pain she was in; but to her sister and step mother the pain was very much there, the only question is would she ever tell them how much it hurt.
Lavender was the young bright eyed, puppy dog, girl that ran with every idea and desire that popped in her head, no matter if they come with deadly consequences. She was young and free as if nothing could touch. That all changed six months ago when Greg and Tamara. They took Regina and tortured her, and when her family came to her aid, but Lavender did as well and that was when she was hurt. She, David, and Hook went looking for the magic beans when Tamara shot at her in the spin. Ever since that day a fraction of her spirits was broken now being restrained to a wheelchair. She couldn't run, dance, or do much of the things that she loved. Lavender was paralyzed from the waist down, but she never told anyone how much she hate where she was at. Yet she still acted the same. She said what was on her mind and she was more bold, and blunt, with everything she did. But keeping eye on Peter Pan was the only way she could help now.
Snow was desperate to find anything to get her sister back to her old self again, instead of needing to fake it. She could see that her sister's fire had deemed after what happen. Snow was at the end of her tether, and as much as she hated it this was her saving grace. It made her sick leaving her with the nectarous Pan, The father of The Dark One.
"If you need anything—"
"Call you or David—or mama—or Emma. Don't worry Snowie, I'll be fine, Emma gave me a taser, and pepper spray. So don't worry so much." Lavender said reaching back and placed a loving hand on her sister's.
"I know, I know, but you could never be to careful."
"You let Emma date a pirate and your afraid of me being with a boy with no magic—who I could easily tase." She let out a soft chuckle as her sister stopper her at the curb, where her blond hair muscular husband helped out of her chair. "David tell your wife I'll be fine." Her arm was draped over his neck as she was cradled in his strong arms.
"Really Snow, she'll be fine."
"See David is on my side."
She said as she turned her nose up in the air while her brother-in-law helped her in the car, leaving her sister to fold up her wheelchair and toss it in the bed of the truck. "As your big sister it's my duty to be concerned for you." She turned to sister as she came to sit besides her, while David hopes right behind the stirring wheel. Snow draped her arm around her sister's small shoulders and rest her head against hers, colliding their ebony hair, before she pulled back and kissed her head. "I just want you to be safe, I don't trust him—especially with you." The corner of Lavender's lips turned up into a smile born out of pure content and comfort; she never had to worry because her sister already did that for her and she knew she would always be safe with her around.
"But trust me Snow, if that car couldn't take me down then nothing can." Lavender insured her as she raised her first to the heavens, well the roof of the truck. Snow White looked down at her sister and smile. It was in that instances were her faith in her sister's abilities took fire.
Lavender was no master with a sword or bow and arrow, or even with magic; she was just overly determined and relentless. Her faith in herself was stronger then most. But not to say she was defenseless, in fact she was skilled with her bare fists. She was quite hardly in a fight, before her accident, now she has a fully charged taiser.
~back in Gold's shop~
"Really, you've hired someone to keep an eye on me, and a cripple at that." The young brown haired boy bursted up into laughter. "She won't last long."
"Remember papa, you step out of line, and that includes hurting or scaring Lavender, you go back to your cell." Rumple said coolly with his nose still buried in a book of accounts.
The boy groaned. His hands clenched into fists before stuffing them into his pockets, but suddenly his tense facial expression changed as a smug grin creeped across his lips. "You hate the idea of this don't you. You hate that Belle is putting this much trust in me, not only that but you don't want this 'Lavender' girl to last. Well, if it gets under your skin this much then I'll make sure I'll be on my best behavior, just for you laddie."
"To be honest, she was know to enchant any man that laid eyes on her. You may find yourself under her charm."
"I doubt that!" He laughed.
In that moment the door opened to reveille the Lavender rolling, with help from Snow, as David held the door open. Her eyes twinkled like star light and a smile that could put the sun to shame. "Hello, I'm Lavender Blanchard-Mills, it's nice to meet you." Pan just stared at her as she held out her hand. She wasn't afraid of him. This girl was acting as if he were some normal, everyday, boy and not as some villain that needed to continually watched over. To her he was a punctual friend. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn't–he couldn't even bring himself to dislike her–he simply found her interesting.
"I'm Peter Pan." He wearily extended his hand out to her, and as they clasped together her smile only grew.
"I think we are going for be good friends." Pan's eyes went wide on her words.
"I must say I question your judgement."
"Everyone does." She said brushing of his words at the pair drop their hands. "Now what do you want to see first?"
"You're the babysitter it all depends on you."
"Okay then, to the record store." She cheered. "Can you push me, Peter?"
Snow tensed at the thought of him controlling where her baby sister went, she feared that he'd push her into traffic. Her grip on the handles tightened as Peter agreed and came to Snow's side to take her place. She reluctantly let go of her sister and backed up into her husband.
"You better take care of my sister." She growled.
"Of course." He replied with an emotionless sigh.
As he wheeled her out and was greeted by the chill Maine air. She pointed him in the direction of the recorded shop she loved so much, and began rambling on about all shorts of music that he was not familiar with, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. He began to rack his brain but so far nothing.
By the time they stop at the shop he was still clueless until:
"Hey my little lost boy."
Pan was pulled out of his daze as he final took notice to a scruffy young man with bright blue eyes and hair like lemons. He laughed at the girl in the wheelchair as he leaned over the counter and rustled her hair with his large hands.
"Not since I met you wheels." He teased back as she stuck her tongue out at him. "So who's your friend?"
"Oh this is Peter Pan, the Dark One's father, remember we met him the night you and I met." The tee boys stopped and both gave her odd looks, "Really you don't remember? Damn Stephen, that hurt, you don't remember the day we met." She dramatically clutched her chest. "My poor little heart—"
"Damn it Lavender, don't be so over dramatic, it's been a long time since we were kids."
"So you remember?"
"How could I forget, you set yourself on fire." He chuckled.
"Now I remember you!" Pan stayed, "You were threatening to 'Beat my ass', even after I offered you to come to Neverland."
Lavender turned his way as a smile slowly grew on her face while a fit of giggles began to bubble up inside her. "That sounds like me." Stephen glanced down at her and raised a brow. "It's nothing but you." He said chocking on a chuckle. She scooted closeted to the content and poked him in the cheek.
"Any ways, I here to get Pan more involved with music. Cause you know as well as I do, 'music calms the savage beast'." She turned back and waved her hand signaling for him to follow. And like a course puppy-dog he had no choice to tail her. "So we need to set you up with the classics: Nirvana, Iron Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Pink Floyd, Queen, and the Beatles. And some new stuff: My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco, some InThis Moment, Dorothy and lastly some Sleeping With Sirens." One by one she pulled them their Spots on the shelf, but those she couldn't reach she had Stephen get it.
"I would tease your night but it would just make me look like a bigger dick now." Lavender froze at the sound of husky voice by her ear.
"Riley... It's nice to hear from you." She did want to face him, she knew that if she gaze upon his amber eyes that she would turn to putty and she didn't want to fall apart just yet. He smirked as he caught her trembling under his breath. He tucked some hair behind her ear before leaning in to her cheek.
"Hello, Riley is it?" Pan spoke up causing the dark mysterious young man with piercings and dressed all black, to back away from his pray.
"Yeah, and you are?"
"Peter, Peter Pan."
Riley chuckled, "That's cute. I've heard a lot about you and I must say I'm not all that impressed. I thought you'd be more intimidating, but you're just a boy."
"Riley!" Lavender growled as she turned her chair to face him. "Shut your fuck'n mouth before I punch you in the balls. Pan is more dangerous than you could possibly fathom at this time, and it's my duty to look out for him. If you ever cared for me you would leave him be or I'll let him fuck your ass up and laugh while he does. Do we have an understanding?"
"Sure doll, anything for you." He said as he pulled out a cigaret from his pocket and stuck it between his lips. "Just tell me one thing."
"And what's that?"
"Why stand up for him after what happened?"
"He wasn't the one that did this to me. Now go before I taser your tight jean wearing ass."
"You noticed." He smirked as pulled out a lighter. " You haven't changed one bit. And I just decided that I want you back, so prepare yourself 'cause I'll have you begging for me." He took a long drag before he left.
She wanted to cry and scream all at once, but she couldn't, she wouldn't break face now. She turned to her friend to ring up her records for Pan's education. Stephen wouldn't say anything to further destress her, because he knew the pain she was in just seeing Riley's face. She gave him a smile as she set it on her lap and ordered Pan to wheel her out. With everything that just went down he was even more curious about her. It was obvious that she and Riley were once an romanic, which to him sounded pretty odd since she was so sweet and open while he just came off cold and over confident, to the point that he was an ass. And Pan wanted to know why was he to blame for her being in a wheelchair? Part of him just wanted to ask but he had a feeling that he may not get an answer from her, because even though she was open everyone has their secrets and they did just met.
She took him all around town introducing him, and once that got back to Gold's home she taught him how to use a record player, as well as a laptop, and IPod so he could listen to his new music. She was patent as he slowly got the hang of it. Not only that but she talked to him like he wasn't to be feared, and he didn't know if he should be insulted or grateful. She just handed him her trust and affection and he couldn't bring himself to tarnish it. Peter found her company pleasant and she had a fire like the sun, she fought back boldly and fearlessly. She threw herself into the fray. He could just look at her and see that in no way could she ever be someone like him. She knew what she was and who she wanted to be. She was the perfect combination of good and bad, and he couldn't bring himself to even try to corrupt her. She was this beautiful creature that he admired her for it and just wanted to observer her more. He wanted to know what her breaking points were and what made her smile, or blush; he want to know all of it. As she left for the day leaving him on the coach of his living room he knew his son was right, he was caught under her spell.
"Are you okay, Pan?" Belle asked as she made her way over to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He got up and took all his new thing to his room. Once he was in he placed them on his bed and just stared at the stack of records as if it were her there on his bed. "What have you done to me?" He expected no answer to come to him but he could just hear her laughing in his head. He plopped down on the corner of his bed with one major thought in he head: the game has begun.
