It was a dark and stormy night in Portland. A little yellow bug winded its way through the dismal streets taking a turn into an abandoned alley and parked. The light inside flickered on as a figure crawled into the back seat.
With a quick yank of the keys Neal settled comfortably into the darkness of his little yellow home. He reached over into a bag on the floor and pulled out a beer. "Here's to another lonely night." He raised the bottle to the cloudy sky before taking a big swig. Nights like this always brought him back to a dark place
300 plus years of empty nights. Neverland or this world it was all the same. Always Baelfire alone. Ever since his father let go of his hand he had been almost completely alone. Of course the Darlings were great but that had been hundreds of years ago. The Lost boys and Pan made sure to destroy the hope his new family had given him.
He finished the first beer off and grabbed another bottle but as he started to open it he paused. His eyes started to well with tears. 'Is this going to be the rest of my life? Stealing and drinking my sorrows away? Am I going to always be alone.'
He shook his head as images of Pan, Hook, and his father flashed across his mind. "Dammit! " He slunk back further into the backseat and opened the second beer. It was no use being angry at was his lot in life. "Being the Dark One's son always comes with a price."
As he finished off his second beer he noticed outside the clouds had started to part. The moon peeked through the darkness illuminating the alley just over his car almost like it was just for him. A weak smile crossed his face.
'Make a wish.'
He quickly dismissed the notion. "Oh come on Bae, don't be so stupid to think that wishing will get you anything. You have wished for longer than most people have been alive."
'Make a wish'
The thought would not leave his head. Finally he decided to just do it. What harm would come from a wish in a world without magic?
"If I could wish for anything it would be someone to love and to be loved in return." Tears began to stream down his face. All he ever wanted was someone to call home. Suddenly the clouds seemed to part even more and the moon was brighter than he had ever seen it. For a brief moment he felt the stirrings of hope inside his heart.
A loud horn from a car speeding past the alley broke the silence and the rain began to fall hard again. He rubbed his eyes. 'I think I have had one too many beers today.' He put his head down on the cold leather seat and as he was falling asleep he could have sworn he heard the word 'granted'.
