A/N: This is what I imagine Once Upon a Time in Neverland would be like if they ever choose to make it. I loved the Neverland arc and the evil Peter Pan, but there were some details that they just glossed over and I ended up thinking "What the F-?" I decided to use these details to fill in the gaps and make sense of questions like why pixie dust was running out and how the hell they got a picture of Henry in the first place. This is my take of how Peter evolves into the heartless and powerful being he is, and his journey to finding the Truest Believer.

Follow the Lady

Chapter 1: Wicked Grin

I put my head against the tree and hang my legs off the branch. It has been three weeks since the shadow took Rumple away at the foot of this very tree. I close my eyes, listening to the ocean waves pull back and forth at the island. I promised him we would start over together with no burdens or restraints. And I broke that promise. There was no way I could live the life I wanted with him around. A child can't have a child.

A rustling in the branches above snaps me out of my thoughts and I grab my dagger, ready to strike at whatever appears. But when I look up, the branches sway gently back and forth as though it was just the wind that disturbed them. "Huh," I let out, putting my dagger away and hopping down the tree. Recalling that the shadow was previously the sole inhabitant of Neverland, I tell myself it's my imagination.

I begin walking back towards the forest when I catch a sudden movement from the corner of my eye. Before I know it, the cold blade of a dagger is against my throat and a quiet breathing in my ear.

"Who are you?" An undeniably female voice breathes in my ear.

"I'm Peter… Peter Pan," I respond. I feel her free hand remove the dagger from my belt and toss it away, then pull the phial of pixie dust from around my neck. "I didn't know there were thieves on Neverland."

She comes out from behind me and narrows her blue eyes, pushing her dagger forward and forcing me back against the tree. Her black ponytail ruffles when an ocean breeze passes by, and for a second she looks beautiful… until her dagger cuts into my skin and I feel a small trickle of blood down my throat. "So you're the one who's been using all the Pixie Dust. Why are you here?"

"I live here."

"Impossible!" She scoffs, "No one can stay in Neverland."

I lean forward slightly and whisper to her, "I can." Before she can respond, the shadow appears suddenly and pulls her off me, knocking her dagger away and pinning her to the ground. I walk over to her and wrangle the pixie dust out of her hand.

"The shadow listens to you?" She stares at me, eyes wide with shock.

I smirk and circle around her. "Let's say that Neverland belongs to me now."

She stares at me for a moment, her unblinking eyes following me like a hawk's as she registers what I said. Then, she gives me a wicked smile as if she knows something that I don't. "For how long?"

"What?"

"I saw that skull island and the hour glass inside it," she reveals. "That wasn't there before, so it seems you have an expiration date." My confidence must be shaking because the shadow's hold on the girl weakened. With a push of her hand, an invisible wave pushes the shadow away from her. She has magic.

I back away from her and open the phial, preparing to fly away.

"Don't waste your pixie dust." She picks up her dagger and puts it away. "It seems we can use each other's help."

I glare at her skeptically, unsure of what her intentions are. "How so?"

"You have a time limit, which I'm guessing wasn't what you expected when you arrived here." She says, taking out her hair band and shaking the leaves out of hair. "I need pixie dust, but new pixie flowers aren't growing anymore now that you are tied to the island." She side-glanced at me with an annoyed expression, "Idiot thing to do, really."

I snort at her comment. "Why not just kill me and sever that tie then?"

"Because that's not how these things work," she approaches me and I step back, not yet trusting her. "If you die, so does the island and I can't have that happen."

She steps closer until she is only a foot away from me. I stop backing away, not wanting her to see that I am intimidated by her… and her magic. "All right then, but how can you help me with my problem? And what will we do when we run out of pixie dust?"

"It's all related," she responds, "with my magic and knowledge, we can solve your problem. When you become immortal, the pixie flowers will no longer be needed to fuel you and they will start growing again…"

"…and you can have as much of it as you want." I say, voicing the unspoken part of her thought.

"You make me sound greedy," she smirks and I chuckle dryly at her. "So, it's a deal then. I help you become immortal, and you allow me as much pixie dust as I need—"

"—afterwards." I cut her off. Now knowing that the amount of pixie flowers in Neverland is finite, I have to control the amount of dust used. "If the amount really is limited, then we can't waste it."

"I'm sure we will find time to discuss the details," she replies, waving away my observation with her hand. "In the meantime," she kneels, picking a fallen blossom from the ground and storing it in a pouch on her belt, "I'm sure you can spare one flower."

I nod as she heads towards the shore, taking a fluorescent object from a pocket.

"You will be seeing me again." She throws the bean into the waves, opening a portal sucking in water and sand.

"And when you return, what am I to call you?"

"When I was younger, they called me Mabel; Mab for short."

I raise an eyebrow. "And what do they call you now?"

She turns back to me, giving that wicked grin again before disappearing into the portal.

"The Black Fairy."

A/N: I thought the Black Fairy would be a brilliant character to know more about and a great source for Peter's unexplained power and knowledge. I didn't want to keep reading fanfics with OCs or Alternate Universes, so this is what I stitched up to explain some of the gaps and loopholes without deviating from the show. I wanted to find a dark fairy in mythology, but the only one I could think of was Queen Mab. When I looked her up on Wikipedia, I found out that J.M. Barrie referenced her in one of his books, The Little White Bird. Queen Mab granted Peter a wish after he lost his ability to fly, and he wishes he can fly again. I thought it was fitting to give the Black Fairy the same name. Hope you guys liked it! Otherwise I'm going to delete and discontinue the story and cry…