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Peter gave her a strange thoughtful look before looking down to the necklace dangling under his ragged shirt. With a swift tug over his disheveled dirty blonde hair, Peter offered the vial of pixie dust out to Elizabeth. "Here," he murmured, "take this."
"You're giving me your pixie dust?" Elizabeth's brow perked with skepticism.
He shrugged, "I can always find ways of getting more. I want you to have it."
Elizabeth stared at the vial skeptically. "Why?"
"If you ever want to go back, all you must do is open the vial and ask for me. I will come get you." Peter seemed strangely genuine for her liking.
"Why would you do that?"
"I suppose I've taken a liking to you, Lizzie. There's much more to you than meets the eye."
"You've taken a liking to sheltered princess?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Please, I'm nothing like your precious band of lost brothers. I don't need your Neverland to belong somewhere."
"Are you trying to tell me that you belong here in this castle?" Peter half grinned. "A wild spirit like you shouldn't be wasting your life away behind closed doors, high walls and narrow windows."
"What happened to your offer only being good for one night?"
Peter grinned. "I can't keep you for longer than a night at a time. That doesn't mean I'd be opposed to bringing you back. I certainly would like to see you again."
Peter's youthful warm grin sent the blood rushing to Elizabeth's cheeks. She fought the smile that was creeping up the sides of her jaws and cleared her throat. "You're not at all what I expected."
"I can say the same for you, Princess. You truly are remarkable." Peter took another step closer, forcing Elizabeth's heart to race. Taking one of her hands, he slowly brought it to his cool lips, "Until next time." Her mouth went dry, and she felt a strange sense of exhaustion when he turned away and jumped out of the window into the air. With a forceful push, he jammed the stubborn window down until it was fully closed. Pan flashed her a wide beaming smile a wink before finally flying off for good, leaving Elizabeth to succumb to her own exhaustion.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and slowly lowered herself down to the inviting cushions of the nearby loveseat. Though the sun was beginning to perch out over the water, sweet unconsciousness was finally meeting her at full force.
"Tell me this isn't what I think it is," Killian glared at his daughter with the necklace gripped in his fist as she walked into the dining room. She was still wearing the clothes from last night; her hair was pulled back in a loose messy bun. Upon entering the room, Elizabeth immediately sensed her mother's building anxiety and her father's nervous rage. "Tell me that the reason you look exhausted is because you were up all night throwing knives in a fitful rage."
Elizabeth didn't answer him. Her mere refusal to speak confirmed her father's worst fear to be true. Killian swallowed, letting his bottom lip quiver for a split second. "Tell me you did not leave your room last night."
Elizabeth took a deep breath and finally met his horrified glare. "You know very well where I went last night. You know who took me. I won't waste time spouting out lies to cover my tracks."
Killian slammed the necklace down against the table. His eyes were suddenly set ablaze with fury, "Have you lost your mind?"
Elizabeth blinked and glared down at the necklace, "Give that back."
Emma walked over and took the necklace from Killian, staring at with apprehensively. "If we're lucky, maybe Blue will trade this for a protection spell strong enough to keep out Pan."
Elizabeth crossed her arms. "She can't have it. He gave it to me!"
The mere mentioning of him, Pan, bit at Killian in the worst possible way. It brought out the far-suppressed fire he had always promised he would hide from his daughter. He stood up from where he was standing, with a blackening glare and paced over to where his daughter stood. "Do you think this is some game, Elizabeth? He could have harmed you! He could have killed you! He could have held you hostage in Neverland!"
She didn't shy away from her father's rage, but rather met it head on with her own challenging glare. "But he didn't."
"After everything that we've told you," Emma slowly walked up to the other side of the table, across from Killian, "after everything that you've learned, how could you just go off with him like that?"
"It wasn't like I planned any of it to happen. He helped me deal with what happened last night, which is more than either of you can say."
Emma frowned and sunk into the empty seat besides Elizabeth. "I thought you were smarter than this, Lizzie."
Elizabeth threw her hands up in the air dramatically, "God! It's not like I got myself stuck out there. He gave me his word that he wouldn't hurt me. He promised that I would get home! You two are acting like this is the end of the world!"
"This," Killian held the vial up to her, "is a promise that he's not through with you."
"Then why don't you drill iron bars over my window? I'm already living like a prisoner, why not showcase it?"
"Oh believe me, darling," Killian growled lowly, "We're considering it."
"Lizzie," Emma took her daughter's hand, "We went through this with Henry. He'll act like your friend and then when the time comes, he'll exploit every and any weakness you have. I don't want what happened to your brother happen to you."
"I know he's dangerous and has his psychopathic moments, but he wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Besides, neither of you have seen him in over, what, seventeen years now? He could have changed since then!"
Emma rolled her eyes with an exhausted sigh, "C'mon Lizzie. Your father had to deal with him for nearly three hundred years. If anything he has gotten nastier over time." Lizzie opened her mouth to argue but was silenced by Killian taking her other hand.
"His concern isn't entertaining you," Killian's voice softened. "We bested him many years ago when we rescued your brother. He's using you as a means of hurting us."
"Has it not occurred to you that maybe he just wanted to help me? Is it so hard to believe that maybe he just liked me for who I am?"
"No," Killian answered flatly, "he would never think of you as more than pawn in his game. That's just the kind of devil he is. He'll come back for you and continue this game until he grows bored and disposes of you. You would never mean anything to him." Elizabeth flinched at his biting remark and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a stray tear to leak out from her left eye.
"Good," she muttered coldly and looked up at Killian. "I hope he does come back. If I'm lucky, maybe he'll let me stay in Neverland so I won't have to spend another day near you."
Killian opened his mouth but there were no words to argue that icy spiteful glare.
Elizabeth stood up, and like the night before, she stormed out of the dining room out into the main hall. She knew was that she had to leave before she made the situation any worse. Just get out of there.
Before she took a moment to ponder where she was headed, she had paced out into the courtyard towards the harbor. It was still early for most of the fishermen to be returning with their catch, which made it all the more convenient for her to seek some solitude. She knew that the best thing for her to do was to cool down. Her head was hot with her sweat, tears, and rage. The emotions were overwhelming her and all she knew was that somehow, she needed to cool off.
With resolve, she paced down the boardwalk and out onto the extended pier where the railings ended after a short distance. After shrugging off her loose cotton drawstring pants and dirtied white blouse, Elizabeth dove off the harbor into the ice cold surf. The sharp biting seawater covered her paling skin in prickled goose bumps. Her hair billowed out in shining curls under the dark saltwater, moving freely with each elongated stroke of her arm. Shreds of slimy dislodged seaweed brushed by her face as she swam closer to shore. She swam as far as she could until she felt her esophagus scorch up, pleading for air. Coming up from the water, the chilled salty morning breeze now felt far warmer with half her body shaking underwater with chills.
"What you doing in the water, Miss Elizabeth?" An old scurvy voice bellowed out from the pier above. Elizabeth looked up and grinned at the old man leaning over the railing. "Get out of there before you catch a fever! That water is too cold for swimming this time of year!"
Grabbing hold of the rough periwinkle-covered wooden pole, Elizabeth lodged her feet into the rifts and climbed out of the water and up the side of the dock. The old man, shook his head with disapproval and marched over to where Elizabeth swung her feet over the railing onto the deck. She smiled, "I thought Daddy said you weren't supposed to be out here by yourself after your last accident, Smee."
"A sailor should never be denied his right to enjoy a good morning walk by the sea," he grumbled as he offered her his heavy jacket. She smiled gratuitously and threw the jacket over her shoulders. Smee looked down to her bare hip, "What the devil did you do to yourself there?"
Following his pointed finger, she finally noticed the five dark purple markings that wrapped around her ribs. An identical set of bruising lined the backs of her legs. Her fingers traced the markings and she smiled grimly, remembering how hands were once there. His hands.
"You wouldn't happen to be afraid of heights, would you?" Peter turned and smirked at Elizabeth, who was caught staring apprehensively at the ocean a few miles below. She loosened her desperate hold of his hand and rolled her eyes. "No of course not," she huffed out.
Peter laughed at her, accentuating the dimples in his cheeks and his perfect row of teeth. "Don't worry. We're nearly there."
He slowed them down over a thick cumulus cloud. Gripping her hand tightly, he used the other to gesture down at the glistening island below. "Look," he smiled at her.
"That's it?" She stared awestruck at the looming spit of land. "It's so dark."
Peter cocked his head up at the dense cloud coverage above their heads. Suddenly a ray of light peaked out through the gray lining and brightened the land. "Better?"
Elizabeth gawked at him, "You control the sky?"
"It seems your parents haven't given me the justice I'd hope for," he grinned. "I control everything in Neverland, Lizzie. Come on," he flew them down closer to the island and stopped a short distance away.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." As he began to turn away and let go, she nervously grabbed a hold of his grasp with both of her hands. He turned back to her and smiled, "As long as you don't move, you won't fall. I just need to go find the boys and let them know we have company tonight."
She swallowed down her fear and reluctantly let go of his arm. "I'll be right back," he chuckled. "Do not move." She knew she must have looked absolutely horrified. Justifiable, she thought, given that he had just left her alone nearly a hundred feet up in the air.
She took a deep breath of the cold wind that whipped aggressively through her hair. Closing her eyes, she focused just on her breathing and tried not to remember where she was. Way to go, Lizzie, she thought to herself. This is what you get for listening to Peter friggen Pan. You get left alone high up in the air. He's probably not even coming back.
Elizabeth squinted down to the east side of the island where he flew off to. Shrouded with an abundance of cluttered leaves, it was impossible for her to see anything along the ground floor. Something different, however, caught her eye to the west. A group of men, definitely not children judging by their impressive built size, came running out in the clearing beneath her wielding large bows. They were dressed in faded leather, exposing much of their chest and forearms to the bitter night. "Oh no," Elizabeth muttered under her breath. They all looked up to her shouting aggressively in some strange foreign language. One took a step back and pointed up at her, still yelling to his other counterparts. "Peter?" Elizabeth yelled out into the dark night. One of the men took a step back and pointed his arrow up at her. After drawing back, the gruff Indian shot the arrow into the air straight at her. Elizabeth dodged the shot just barely, though the movement threw her off balance. "Peter!" She screamed as another Indian pulled the arrow back. He shot and she was able to flex her torso out of the way, completely throwing her off from where she floated. The wind whipped her body around violently as she impaled toward the ground at full speed. She was not forty feet from the ground when she shut her eyes and waited for the hard hit to knock her unconscious. Suddenly two hands wrapped around her frame and stopped her fast descent. His two stiff arms curled under her legs and waist and pulled her into his frame.
She heard the sound of Indians shouting. Their fading voices were laced with urgency and fear as they disappeared into the forest. They were completely out of sight by the time Peter touched down onto the ground. His fingers gently squeezed her frame before setting her down on her feet. "Are you alright?" He asked. "I'm sorry I should have taken the Indians into account before leaving you."
Elizabeth blinked, still gathering her shock. After catching her racing breath, she looked up at Peter with a scowl. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She growled and pushed him away from her.
"What's wrong with me?" He laughed. "I just saved your life."
"You think I'm that ignorant to believe what just happened was all coincidence? You had no idea that there were Indians hunting just below me? You just so happened to catch me from my fall at the very last second? I know exactly what game you're playing at, Pan." She growled and took a threatening step closer to him.
He flashed a twisted smile and let go of the innocent façade. "Enlighten me."
"It's just like you said, you have control over Neverland: everything and everyone. Nothing happens here by coincidence." Her hostile sea blue eyes narrowed into his. "You wanted to see me break. Well bravo Pan, you dropped a sixteen year old girl one hundred feet out of the air and got me to scream. Now tell me, how satisfying was it? Did the sight of me impaling to my death make you feel all warm inside?" Standing just inches away from Pan, Elizabeth swiftly drew his own dagger from his belt and held it up at him. Pan didn't move a muscle; he just stood there silently, still bearing that bewildered smile. "Let's clarify things right now. Just because I agreed to this little escapade, doesn't mean I'm not fully aware of what you are."
"And what am I, dear Princess?"
She lifted the knife to his jaw. "A malicious, spiteful demon that always has an agenda. You promised you wouldn't harm me but that doesn't mean you wouldn't get another to do your dirty work. Let's not waste time. Why don't we just bring out one of your Lost Boys and finish what you've got planned?"
Pan's brow perked up as he laughed with astonishment. "My my, look at you," he grinned. "You are quite receptive." Peter frowned and gestured to the knife, "Oh there's no need for that. Since you've made it quite clear that there's no use for games, I'll make you a new deal." He smiled and childishly brought his hand to his chest. "On my honor as a Lost Boy, I swear that you shall not be harmed by anyone or anything whilst you are my guest here in Neverland."
"I'm not fooling around," she growled with the knife still clutched tightly. "Believe me Pan, if you try to pull a fast one on me, I'll know before you fly an inch off the ground."
He smiled admiringly, "You have my word, Princess. And if you haven't heard this from the stories you've been told about me, you should know that I never go back on my word."
Elizabeth leaned her head on Mr. Smee's shoulder as the two of them sat on the edge of the deck. Smee looked out onto the bluing horizon and smiled his toothless grin. The man had gotten senile quickly over the years. Nearly all of his rotten teeth had fallen out and the waning strength left in his bones had caused accidents in the past of him falling into the water. It was for that reason that Elizabeth sat by his side and entertained him until another crew mate would arrive and take him home. "What's got my little pearl all in a huff?"
Elizabeth lightly chuckled, "When will you and the crew stop calling me a 'little Pearl?' I'm not five years old anymore."
"You've always been our little pearl. That's not changing with time." He grumbled in protest.
She leaned over and kissed the side of the old man's balding forehead. "Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself," she muttered softly and leaned her head against his frail shoulder.
He turned and gave her a stern stare through the stout little lenses of his glasses. "Just because you can take care of yourself, doesn't mean you should always have to."
"If the Captain had it his way, he'd be taking care of me to his grave," she muttered with a low glare into the surf below them.
"Is that such a bad thing?"
Her jaw dropped with an incredulous look, "Yes if it means I can't do anything or go anywhere. I want to see the other worlds out there: explore, experience a new life."
Smee chuckled, "It's no wonder you've got your father wound up like a coil; you're his spitting image."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stared back out to the sea. "I'm so sick of his rules."
"You know something Lizzie, I've always believed that rules are a good way to get you started, but you've got to go out and take life on your own. We all want what's best for you, but your life is ultimately yours for the taking. When your Daddy was a little chap and stowed away onto his first pirate ship, he didn't consider the rules."
Elizabeth smiled to herself and shut her eyes, basking in the warmth that the morning sun was offering to her cold wet skin.
"Lizzie?" She heard her mother's voice all off from a distance. Both Elizabeth and Smee looked up to find Emma pacing down the harbor. Emma stopped and sighed, "You went swimming… in this weather… Are you trying to drive us crazy?" Elizabeth glared at her mother with annoyance. Emma sighed exhaustingly and dropped her shoulders. "So are we going to talk about this, or what?"
"That depends… did you bring the raging overprotective pirate with you?"
"No, you're in the clear. C'mon," Emma offered her hand and helped Elizabeth up to her feet. "Isn't it a little early for you to be doing your rounds, Smee?"
"Can't a man enjoy some early morning peace at his own harbor?"
Emma laughed, "Alright fine, just don't let Killian catch you out here by yourself." Leaving the old man to soak in the morning, the two girls wandered up the harbor to where Elizabeth's clothes still lied in a bundle. The soft thin linens didn't do much to dry the beads of cold seawater that still dribbled down her skin.
Emma frowned and shrugged off her own jacket to give to her daughter along with her gloves. "Did you have to jump in the water?"
"I had to clear my nerves somehow," Elizabeth shrugged while wrapping her arms around her shivering frame. "Maybe it would do Daddy some good if someone threw him into the harbor."
"He's not the only one that's pissed about what you did, you know. You're not getting off from this so easily."
"What, are you going to ground me?"
Emma frowned and rubbed her daughter's back, "C'mon Lizzie. You know damn well that your father and I have every right to be upset about the stunt you pulled. This isn't just a 'learn from your mistake' situation. There are consequences that we're not sure we can handle. Pan is dangerous."
"I know he's dangerous. I know what he's capable of. That doesn't change the fact that I believe he doesn't plan on hurting me. Not anymore at least," Elizabeth's wrapped arm braced her bruised side.
Emma gave her daughter a sympathetic look, "I can't take the risk that you're wrong about him."
