A/N I've returned bearing another chapter! YAY! Peter is in this one, woohoo! I really hope you guys enjoy reading it, I had quite a lot of fun writing it :D Thanks for all the love and support you all have shown this story! It means a lot
(9/3/14 – UPDATE): Betaed by the awesome Vena Grey, give her a hand everyone!
I only own Alilyn and the girls.
"I never thought that you and I would ever meet again.
I mourn the loss of you sometimes and pray for peace within.
The word 'distraught' cannot describe how my heart has been.
But where do we begin now that you're back from the dead?"
Back From the Dead - Skylar Grey
Alilyn followed Felix through the thick forest, not letting him out of her sight. She was sure she could just find her way to the camp alone if she had to, but with her head still spinning from the returns of her memories and magic, she thought it best that he led. Besides – if she was going to surprise Pan, she needed to appear newly-arrived and clueless as to what was going on.
Her surroundings were gloriously familiar. Trees crowding around her, Dreamshade plants brushing her legs, the sickingly sweet scent of Pixie dust. The ache in her soul that had tortured her all the years in Storybrooke was nothing more than a slight discomfort, eagerly awaiting what she knew would alleviate what was left of it. For the first time in over two decades, Alilyn was on her way to being truly, conclusively happy.
As the jungle began to thin, Alilyn realized they were approaching the Fire Pit, an area between Neverland's two camps that the Lost Boys spent much of their time in. Sounds of shouts and laughter echoed from in front of her. Alilyn assumed she was walking in on a party. And she was right: the melody of a pipe, sweet, light, and achingly familiar, intermixed with the guffaws and shouts of the boys. In any other setting, the combination would have been cacophonous, but here it belonged almost too well.
Alilyn swallowed hard, her eye sight becoming fuzzy and her knees growing weak as she caught the music.
She had been away from that music for far too long. It was starting to affect her, as if she really were a new girl; she closed her eyes tight and paused, working hard to control the loose feelings the music was stirring inside of her. She had to push them away, for now – just until she was able to get a bean to her girls. Then she could go crazy.
Once she was sure she had all the rebellious emotions locked away, she opened her eyes to see Felix staring at her with a smirk on his face.
"Something wrong?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," she snapped, glaring at him. There was no way she would ever admit to Felix of all people that the music was once again affecting her. He would never let her live it down.
He chuckled and turned back, leading her into the clearing. A huge bonfire roared in the center. Thirty or so young boys between the ages of ten and eighteen danced around it, whooping and hollering. Logs were placed in a circle around the fire, a few more boys sitting on them playing games and talking. Weapons of all kinds lay scattered around, which made Alilyn wonder how many dancers may have stepped on one in their reverie.
She scanned the group of boys for one in particular. When she finally caught sight of him, he was standing in the shadows, pipes held to his lips. He looked up almost immediately. Alilyn hurriedly dropped her eyes, trying her best to look confused and scared. Peter Pan lowered the pipe, and she noticed his knuckles were white in their grip around it. The boys froze, staring at Alilyn, then glancing back at Peter, their looks uncomfortable and awkward.
"Another girl," Felix said, pushing her forward.
Alilyn stumbled in front of Felix, head down, her hair hiding most of her face. She stared at the ground, realizing just what was going on. There were no girls.
Perhaps they stopped taking in girls after we left.
And she was right: they hadbeen sending girls back to where ever they had come from because the girls just served as another reminder of what they'd lost.
Alilyn was both furious that Peter would disregard her mission and, at the same time, strangely touched. It was as if the boys hadn't wanted to try and replace her and the other girls. It was strangely sweet, in a way, and it helped check a bit of her anger.
She looked up, studying Peter through her bangs. He was average height and had average looks, but to Alilyn he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. He looked no different, still the same eighteen-year-old boy with scruffy brown hair and bewitching gray-green eyes. He was even still wearing the same clothes. When she caught sight of the brown leather cuffs around each of his wrists, her heart beat a little faster.
He still had them.
As she looked to his face, she noticed that his eyes were full of a carefully concealed pain. Like the very appearance of a girl on his island brought back memories he'd been doing well to push out. Since Felix had told her they thought she was dead, Alilyn could understand the pain. She'd expected nothing less – it was how she would have felt, had the situation been reversed.
Peter swore and tossed away his pipe. Her heart jumped at the sound of his voice, her mind trying to bring up thoughts and feelings she didn't have time for. Alilyn knew she had to reveal herself before he sent her home. She was pretty sure the Shadow wouldn't come for her again, no matter how much she begged.
So she stood up straight and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. She stood there with her hand on her hip and a smirk on her lips, carefully assessing the boys' reactions. Some gasped, stumbling back in shock. Others just froze and stared at her. Peter quirked a brow at the sight of her, the small gesture concealing a wave of shock as though seeing the dead come back to life. Her smirk grew. It took a lot to surprise Peter Pan, and she gave herself a point for managing to do it.
"Pan." She bowed low, smirking. "Things haven't changed much. I see your pipe is still the life of the party."
Peter swallowed hard. His surprise disappeared, replaced just as quickly by anger so fierce she could feel it. She knew him – Alilyn could tell he thought she left on purpose. And it didn't surprise her at all. He was always the first person to think the worst about anyone, no matter who it was or what they'd done.
She couldn't complain too much, though. She was exactly the same.
"I'm sure it can't compare to the thrill of escaping," he snapped, eyes smoldering.
Alilyn refused to let him get to her. She walked forward a bit, studying her fingernails.
"You're right, it can't," she agreed. She laughed a bit. "It can't compare to the thrill of being kidnapped, either."
Peter snorted and matched her steps.
"Kidnapped?" He raised an eyebrow, eyeing her up and down. "How did someone managed to kidnap you? Did your magic betray you as well?"
He was pressing it. He was angrier than she thought. "Magic doesn't help when you're put under a curse," she retorted.
"A curse?" He laughed mockingly and circled closer. "And who would curse you? A past lover? One of those unfortunate souls you stole from?"
Alilyn rolled her eyes, refusing to back down.
"Try, the Evil Queen. She cursed the whole Enchanted Forest. Sent us all to the Land Without Magic. And the best part? She took away our memories. All of them. Like we were entirely different people."
Peter blinked. Some of his anger abated to surprise. But this time, it didn't show at all – he retorted and pulled on a smirk.
"Then how'd you get back?"
"The curse was broken." Alilyn stepped forward until she was right in front of him. "So, I decided to come home."
Peter looked at her. He was searching for something. Alilyn knew he was having a hard time believing her; of course he was. He didn't trust anyone.
So she helped him. "I didn't leave because I wanted to, Peter," she said seriously, dropping her voice. "And I didn't stay away on purpose." She paused and smirked, looking up at him. "You know me, I'm too selfish to just let go of the things I love."
His eyes bore into hers, hard and calculating. He didn't do or say anything for a while, just stared at her, measuring her words. Alilyn met his gaze head on, unflinching. Then, without warning, Peter closed the distance between them, grabbed her face, and crushed his lips to hers.
His hands held her gently but firmly. Alilyn grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. His taste brought back more memories, past kisses, the electric moments they'd shared over so many years. It was too much; Alilyn kissed him like she was desperately trying to make up for too many years' worth of stolen time.
It wasn't long, then, before she was flooded with feelings that weren't hers. As she kissed him, she was hit by the overwhelming feeling of abandonment and despair. Suddenly, she realized just how much he suffered while she was gone. She realized that Storybrooke wasn't the worst half – in fact, she'd had it much easier than he had. At least she had forgotten. He'd remembered it all, lived with the belief that she had left him by choice. That, Alilyn decided, truly was a fate worse than death.
He pulled back, breaking contact before burying his face in her neck. His arms slipped down around her waist, sneaking under her hoodie to stroke the skin of her lower back. Alilyn shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smelt like Dreamshade. Musky, earthy, vaguely sweet.
Home isn't just Neverland. It's also Peter.
The final bit of the ache in her soul disappeared like it had never been there.
She took a moment to enjoy the feeling before the memory of her mission reminded her that her girls were waiting for her. She pulled away from Peter, brushing a light kiss along his jaw, before grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the watching eyes of the boys. Felix met her determined gaze and gave her a wink; Alilyn rolled her eyes at him and continued on, Peter right behind her.
"Where are you taking me?" Peter asked, smirking.
Alilyn turned around, walking backwards, grinning at him.
"You'll see," she told him cheerfully.
"I hope it's somewhere I can do this," he whispered, tugging her forward into his arms. He lowered his head and pressed hot kisses along her jaw.
Alilyn had to bite her lip to keep from sighing. It had been too long since she'd been with him and the feel of him was driving her mad. She could have stayed there forever, never moving. The only thing that rooted her to the present was the reminder that she needed the rest of her family, and it was the thought of them in Storybrooke that allowed her to pull away.
"Hold it there, stud." She stepped away. "I didn't say you could do that."
"I've never heard you complain before," Peter said, his eyes darkening. "In fact, you're normally very loud in your enjoyment."
Alilyn raised her eyebrows, trying to keep her grin in check. She pushed his hands off her, backing away, then shot upward, flying through the air and into the canopy of trees. As she did, tree houses started to appear, tall and vertically-oriented, carved right into the massive trees themselves. Alilyn dropped onto the balcony on the largest one, right in the middle of the rest.
She pushed aside the strip of gauzy fabric acting as a door. As she walked inside, she was hit with a strong scene of rightness. She swallowed hard to keep from being overcome with emotions at the sight of the place she had lived for a hundred years before being taken to Storybrooke.
Alilyn heard Peter land on the balcony outside, but she was too focused on the inside of the house to care.
A lone lantern hung down from the center of the room, providing a soft light that seemed natural and welcoming; beneath it was a hammock, blankets and pillows scattered carelessly in its netting. Behind it, a large bed was pressed against the back wall, bedding meticulously arranged the way she had left it. Two chests were to the side of it, pressed against the left wall. One was covered in dust and looked as though it hadn't been touched in ages. A shelf with little odds and ends was above the trunks. A mirror and a table and chairs sat against another wall.
From either side of the room, two windows faced the other tree houses like watchful eyes. It wasn't empty, but its sparseness was pleasant, as though the inhabitants had more important things to do then sit around inside.
Alilyn breathed deeply the scents of oak and Peter heavy in the air. It was so familiar. And yet, the familiarity of it was precisely what highlighted the sight differences: a new blanket on the hammock, a few items missing from the shelf, papers scattered on the table. It was strange. The differences made it appear all the more dream-like and hazy. And it felt like a dream, so overwhelmed was she by joy and a strange sorrow at the changes that had taken place while she was gone.
Peter stepped up behind her, slipping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. He rested his head on her shoulder, supporting her both physically and emotionally.
"Ah, I should have known," he said, his voice light and teasing. "You've brought me here to ravish me. I can't wait."
It was the perfect thing for him to say. She grabbed onto the olive branch he was holding out, a way to keep her depressing emotions at bay. She broke free of his grasp, turning around to face him with a disappointed look on her face.
"Is that all you can think about?" She shook her head sadly. "And here I was, thinking you missed me because of me, not because of my services."
He chuckled, moving to the hammock and flopping down on it, a picture of ease and comfort.
"I missed both," he said, his eyes twinkling.
Alilyn rolled her eyes and moved over to her chest. She brushed her hands against the dusty surface before opening it. It was all exactly the way she had left it: clothes folded in a stack, random odds and ends she had collected over the years scattered across them. She reached in and caressed her pipe, smiling slightly. She dug a little deeper until she came across a small jewelry box that held the one thing she had from her past life: her mother's necklace.
She opened the box, removing the simple gold chain. Peter had given her a pearl he'd stolen from a mermaid and she'd attached it to the chain, the necklace then combining the two people she loved the most. She slipped it on, relishing in the familiar weight of it against her neck.
Rummaging around in the chest, she pulled out her favorite pair of pants and boots, she ones she had traded out for the clothes she'd worn to the Enchanted Forest where she'd been taken by the curse. Idly, she wondered if those were still there, sitting outside of a long abandoned town, waiting for their owner's return. But she shook the thoughts away, resuming her task of trying to find the shirt that went with the outfit. When she came up empty, she turned to Peter, who was watching her lazily from where he lay.
"Where's my shirt?" She asked.
"Which one?" He replied.
Alilyn sighed.
"The green one," she said. "With the brown ties in the front."
His eyes lit in recognition and he pulled it out of the mess of blankets and tossed it to her. Alilyn caught it, her eyes wide.
"You slept with it," she said, almost in disbelief and then something else clicks. "And you don't sleep in the bed anymore."
His eyes bore into hers, completely serious.
"You weren't here," he told her. "And the shirt was the one that smelled the most like you."
Alilyn found herself at a loss for words. Here he had been sleeping with her shirt because it was a link to her, however small, when she had been blissfully unaware of the fact that he had even existed, let alone that she was separated from him. Suddenly, she was ashamed of the way she had regarded it until then, as though Storybrooke had been a fate worse than death.
I had it so easy.
She was still thinking on it when she began to change. She pulled off the clothes she had come in and stuffed them into the chest; she removed her Converse, too, even though she considered continuing to wear them. They were comfy, but not as comfy as her boots. She put on the tight brown pants and the dark green tunic, and ran a hand down her body, marveling in how her clothes still fit her as perfectly as if she'd never left. When she laced up her knee-high boots, the brown leather fit against her feet like clay to a mold.
She felt Peter's eyes on her and looked up at him. He was smirking, his eyes roaming her now fully-clothed body.
"That was nice," he said. "When do I get a full show?"
"Quit being a pervert!" She snapped playfully, turning her attention back to her attire.
She'd been wearing black nail polish when she arrived, and without any way to replace it, she cast a spell that would keep it permanent, then touched her hair, deciding what to do with it. She used to wear it in a braid, but it wasn't long enough for that anymore. She ran a hand through the shoulder-length layers and decided to just keep it like that. She cast another spell, one that would keep her hair from growing. Magic had its perks.
The thought of magic sent another reminder of her current mission. She dug through her trunk again, trying to find the bag of magic beans she had kept in case of an emergency. When she couldn't find them, she turned back to Peter, who raised his eyebrows.
"Where are my beans?"
"I took them," he answered simply.
Alilyn frowned.
"Why?"
"I needed them," he shrugged.
She stood up, irritated.
"What for? They were mine!"
"You were gone," he replied calmly. "And I needed them to aid in my search of the Heart of the Truest Believer. Neverland's problems didn't go away with you."
Alilyn grit her teeth. Even though she would have probably done the same, the fact that she now had no way to bring the girls back was infuriating. She needed those beans – how in the world was she going to do now?
"I needed them to bring the girls back!" She snapped, glaring at him.
He smirked at her ire and held up a small velvet bag.
"I didn't say I used all of them," he grinned.
Alilyn snatched the bag out of his hands and checked inside. Sure enough, there were two beans left. She shot him another glare before taking one of the beans out and calling to the Shadow, who appeared in front of her. She handed him the bean.
"Deliver this to Celia," she ordered. The Shadow disappeared. Once it was gone, Alilyn turned back to Peter.
"Come on," she said, walking past him and out of the house. "Let's go make sure that all the girls make it back."
I'll be honest; I'm not wild about this ending. It was a rather awkward finish, I'll admit. This chapter was just getting a bit long and I needed to cut it off, so I'm sry it's sloppy. Anyway, WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK OF PETER AND ALILYN'S REUNION?! Review and let me know! I love reading you guys' thoughts!
~Sunshine
