"This world values children, not childhood. There's a profit to be made and men who make it."
Impossible. Although she had thought that in Storybrooke, and she ended up in Neverland as a prisoner to Peter Pan. "How could I have had a former life?" Sarah asked, words barely leaving her lips. Did he mean reincarnation? She heard theories about 'reincarnation' in other religions such as Buddhism. Maybe Henry was wrong, and the reason why she blacked out was because she was sick. Doesn't explain why I keep seeing the same people, but that doesn't mean it's not happening for a reason, she thought, drumming her fingers on the side table.
He kept the big grin on his lips as he talked to her about the fairytales. The boy knew so much about the Enchanted forest and claimed not to have been born there. "I have a book that explains the fairytale character's story. You might be one of them," he said. It made sense how he knew. The book gave him the information. As Sarah was about to ask where the book was, Henry's smile slowly began fading away. "Unfortunately the book is actually in Storybrooke."
Sarah had planned to read it to find out if she was in it. She found out a little too late she might be a character. Whether or not Pan had in mind for her, it did not matter because she already willfully decided his plans were going to fail. "I was brought here for a reason," Sarah said, slipping out of the bed. "Fate, maybe? Either way… we have to - no I have to figure out why if I am a part of this 'Enchanted Forest' so to speak. We have to stop whatever Pan is doing which means you have to pretend to like him, understand?"
Henry agreed by nodding his head. "I guess that means we are partners."
"Yes. Keep doing what you're doing. I will try to pry information from him." Somehow, Sarah thought, which was good enough for her. For now.
She hoped not to black out again even if it technically 'helped' her a little. It was not the way she wanted to find out where she came from. Sarah and Henry returned back to the camp, able to walk despite feeling dizzy from the blood loss. The moment they both returned, Pan already took Henry aside and again, attempted to talk to him about how important the boy was. What did he want with an innocent child? More importantly, what did Pan truly want with her?
She watched them like a hawk. Henry, seemingly composed, was talking to Pan about something. She couldn't hear as she was too far away from them. Sarah stayed put, while the other boys gathered around Pan and Henry. He showed Henry an apple, which the boy looked away in disgust until Pan handed him a crossbow. No. Is he…? Sarah thought.
The apple was on top of Felix's head, while they all chanted for Henry to shoot. He didn't want to aim at Felix though. She noticed him turning around towards pan. "Henry!" she shouted quickly Henry got distracted, accidentally letting go of the trigger. The arrow missed him completely and flew off into the distance. The chanting died down as Pan approached her with clenched fists. "What are you doing?" he snapped at her. Sarah overlooked his anger for the moment. She wanted to ask him the same question. If telling Henry to shoot an apple off of someone's head wasn't questionable enough, then she didn't know what was anymore. "You are nothing but a distraction to him. I think it's time we get rid of her, don't you think boys?"
The boys chuckled and jeered. "No!" Henry cried out, stepping in front of her.
She patted Henry on the head, appreciating his efforts to protect her. She had to think quickly of something to say before he decided to kill her. "I just noticed he was doing it wrong," Sarah said. "He wasn't in proper position and could have hurt himself… I didn't mean to distract him."
Pan stared at her for a while until he ultimately shook his head. "Right, because you actually know how to use a crossbow yourself," he said. "How about we allow Sarah to show us what she can do?" Sarah wished to disappear as she dug herself into an even bigger hole. "Unless, you're not up for the challenge, but don't think you can run off like you always do."
"What?" she whispered.
He ignored her, and gave her the crossbow. "Use it. Let's see if you're telling the truth or not."
Sarah took the crossbow from him, and realized not only did she not know how to use one, she was going to accidentally hit someone or hurt herself in the process. She gulped, aiming the crossbow arrow at the apple. "I found them!" One of the boys announced. Sarah lowered the crossbow, feeling somewhat relieved not to be humiliated in front of a bunch of boys. Especially Pan, given his nature thus far. "They're on the island now."
"Let's find them, then," Pan said, adding an amusing grin.
"Attack who?" Henry asked him.
"These people are willing to take magic away from this island," he replied, "and they will say anything to get you on their side." You mean what you're doing right now? Sarah thought, but she nearly said it out loud.
He meant Emma and Henry's adoptive mother and perhaps more of them. Sarah had to find them first before Pan did. She secretively followed them in the confusing forest, trying not to make any noises and keep up with them at the same time. She forgot how energetic these boys were and wondered how there combat skills were. Some carried bow and arrows and others had with them the strangest weapons Sarah saw. Axes, swords and crossbows? They were no longer playing. Pan meant business. Sarah was sure their parents taught them such things would injure themselves but then again, none of them knew better.
Sarah hid behind a tree, watching as Pan and the lost boys crouched in the bushes, watching as Emma, and a couple of others emerged. They were lost, and confused. Emma pointed to the map and said the base should be close. A raven-haired woman claimed the map was wrong and the two were left to argue until a woman Sarah recognized as Mary Margaret shushed them. David was in the group, as well as a man with a hook for a hand. Captain Hook? If she didn't know better Hook was supposed to be the bad guy. In both the book, and the Disney movie. Instead, it looked like Pan and Hook switched roles.
Finally she decided to make a move, and tell them what was really happening. If it ended in her death, then she didn't care. She had a feeling the group would succeed in saving Henry with or without her. Unfortunately, Sarah was almost hit by an arrow Mary Margaret shot at her. "I'm not here to attack you. I'm here to tell you – "
The raven haired woman with shoulder length hair viciously walked up to her. Sarah cautiously took several footsteps away from the woman who marched her way. "You know where my son is, don't you? Tell me."
Panicking as the woman closed in on her, she cried, "I had nothing to do with his kidnapping! What kind of logic is that to blame someone without any real proof?"
"You were with Tamara and Greg," Emma replied, sharply. "How are we supposed to believe you had nothing to do with it? Sounds like perfect logic to me. I know when people are lying, Sarah. You are one of those people."
Sarah shook her head. "Henry can tell you himself – "
The raven haired woman silenced Sarah, her hands around Sarah's throat. She grabbed the woman's wrists to attempt to stop her. Her lungs screamed for air as the woman's hands tightened. "I am going to count to ten and if you don't tell me where my son is, I will kill you."
"Regina!" Mary Margaret shouted, interrupted her. "Threatening her will do nothing for us."
Regina was full of darkness… which brought a question to Sarah's mind: How in the hell was she Henry's mother? "Maybe you should listen to her," Sarah added. Regina hesitantly let go of her, but the look on her stone cold face remained the same. "It looked bad. I know, but when they approached us, they ordered me to go with them, or they would kill Henry."
"I still don't believe you," Emma said. "You still could have shouted or said something. They had no weapons on them I know of."
"How was I to know that?! I was panicking! You can't exactly blame me. Look, I can tell you where Henry is – "
"Hate to interrupt this conversation," Pan said, emerging from the bushes and covering her mouth with his hand, "but Sarah is right. She had nothing to do with Henry being taken." Why is he taking my side? She thought. Sarah knew she was screwed now. She removed his hand, fleeing from them right away. Of course neither Emma nor Regina would believe Sarah. She realized from the beginning they would think she tried kidnapping Henry and whether or not they believed Pan for contradicting their statements, was up to them.
She continued running until she thought she got far enough away from them. She sat down on the ground to catch her breath for a moment.
"You," she heard someone say from behind her. "You had something to do with Henry, didn't you? I knew there was something off about you when you happened to appear in Storybrooke."
Sarah didn't move. She hardly recognized the voice behind her. Did he follow her? "I didn't have anything to do with Henry. I just had this same discussion with Emma. Tamara and Greg appeared to Henry and I, and ended up threatening me."
"Somehow, I just don't believe you, dearie. Those two are dead. I killed Tamara but not Greg, sadly."
Sarah rotated slightly, spotting the same man who owned the pawnshop she ran into while trying to escape Emma and David. Mr. Gold, he said his name was. He held a kris dagger. That dagger looks familiar, she thought. She saw a flashing image of a man dressed in black with the exact same dagger in his hands. The same man she kept seeing with the woman. "How do you know Henry?"
"I'm his grandfather but worst of all, my son died because of Tamara and Greg which obviously means you were a part of it, yes?"
"Your son? I don't know who he is."
"I would believe you, except I really don't feel like it. It involves too much effort."
Pan appeared just as Mr. Gold raised a dagger, the one he would have used to kill her with. "Well, Sarah, you have just about the worst luck of anyone I have ever met," Pan said. "You're being blamed for something I did and I should be letting them blame you…"
Before she had any time to think, Mr. Gold now had her within his grasp. The dagger he held was awfully close to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Now this… is a family reunion," Pan announced. "Sadly, I have to cut this reunion short."
He arched one of his eyebrows, pointing the dagger at Sarah's throat. What is up with people threatening me today? She thought. "This girl is important to you, isn't she? She's another one of your pawns in your plan. Well, it won't work, because I'll be killing her."
"You really shouldn't do that."
The tip of the dagger was at her throat, close enough to barely touch her flesh. "Why not?"
"What if I told you – " He was cut off like he changed his mind too late on what he wanted to say. "If you don't let her go, I am sure I can think of more ways of harming your loved ones. Like a certain woman named Belle?"
Mr. Gold pulled he dagger away from her throat. Pan took her by surprise, grabbing her waist. She struggled against him but he began flying in the air within seconds. "What the hell?" Sarah shouted at him. "What did you mean by reunion? Are you related to Mr. Gold?"
"Hah. Is that what he refers to himself now? His real name is Rumpelstiltskin," Pan replied.
She waited for him to give her more of an explanation. It appeared he was not willing to. "Rumpelstilskin?" she repeated, practically unable to speak as if being in thousands of feet in the air wasn't enough already. Is Pan his son? She thought. The imp who could spin straw into gold? The fairytales got complicated every time one of them were mentioned. It made sense why he called himself 'Mr. Gold'.
He brought Sarah back to the camp. He gave her a big push to the ground as soon as he landed. "Don't leave without my permission."
"You don't own me," Sarah said in a low growl. She got back up right away and stared at him, eye to eye. Pan didn't and would not ever intimidate her. She learned early in New York never to act intimidated or people thought they had the right to waltz all over. It might earn herself in a cage again, but she really didn't care anymore. "You know what? You called me a rube before… but you're wrong. I'm not the rube, Pan. You are."
Pan wasn't sure he understood why he allowed Sarah to speak to him that way but he let it slide rather than teaching her a lesson. Even Felix called him out on it but Pan didn't feel like making a fuss. She's the same as ever, Pan thought. The damn woman would always be stubborn even in her young for. She truly didn't remember him or the past, and for that, he was eternally grateful.
Petrified of her remembering too much, he did not make any more references about the past to her. He realized it would only escalate from there. Why was he worried about her remembering? "Felix keep an eye on her," Pan ordered, because trusting her was the last thing on his mind. She slipped past him and almost told Emma about Henry's location. He could not have them knowing where he is.
His second in command replied, "Why not just put her in a cage?"
He hated it when he was questioned, but kept his cool. "Because it's better this way."
"Aye. Of course."
They were watching her. Sarah noticed when Felix stared at her the entire time the lost boys were dancing. It wasn't much of a shock. She did almost betray Pan, but it would have been worth it if Henry's parents found him. He is really lucky to have a family who cares about him and evidently, I don't have anyone.
Pan would not relent. Like Sarah expected him to. She wondered about his story and if it was consistent with the movie or the book. Mainly the book. J.M. Barrie wrote a much lighter version of the story, but it had a dark undertone most people dismissed. The Disney movie, however, had no such thing. Sarah theorized perhaps J.M Barrie came to Neverland himself and wrote it after being inspired? She didn't feel up to thinking about the theory any deeper although anything was possible.
And the lost boys continue dancing, without a single thought that their leader was not who he claimed. Pan wanted them to think it. He would say almost anything in order to keep them at bay. Henry sat beside Sarah on a dead tree log, watching Pan playing the musical piper. "I found your parents – well, both of your mom. They seem to think I was a part of your kidnapping. They wouldn't listen to me either."
"But you didn't! Greg and Tamara forced you to come or they would kill me," Henry said. "I can't believe they think you were with him."
"Mr. Gold also thinks I killed his son but I wasn't even there at the time. I have wonderful timing." How could Regina be Henry's mother? The woman tried to choke her to death had Mary Margaret not intervened on time. "I found out Mr. Gold and Pan are related…"
"Related, how?"
"I don't have the slightest clue. All Pan said was it was a family reunion or something. Whatever happened, it did not end well between them," Sarah observed. "Pan confirmed they were family, though."
"You should know something about Mr. Gold," Henry said. "He's known as the Dark One, and is extremely dangerous, well at least other people perceive him as such. He carries a dagger with him all the time and it contains magic. Without it, he's powerless."
"Noted," Sarah retorted. "Shame we have no backup plan. Seems like Pan is already winning with not letting me leave."
"Wish there was a way to… talk to family."
"There will be a way, Henry. We need to – you need to believe in them."
He smiled ever so faintly. "Thanks. I appreciate that."
"It's no problem. I never had a family like yours. I have no idea who mine even are…"
"I'll help you find them," Henry said. "I found mine."
There was that one line Pan mentioned when speaking to Rumple. 'What if I told you…' but never continued saying it. Does… he know something about me that I don't? Sarah wondered, and her eyes met with him, while he played the piper. I'll find out if I have to ask him myself. She refused to march over there and outright ask him. It had to be at the right time otherwise she would never receive any answers. He did save her. Twice. She guessed she would have to thank him. Unfortunately. It was the only way to speak to him.
As the boys stopped dancing, Sarah went back to the tree house she woke up in earlier. Pan ordered her to, and even placed a protective spell on all the windows and the door. She had to admit, the tree house was ten times better than what the shelter gave her.
Sarah closed her eyes for only a instant. She wished for her and Henry's safe return from Neverland so she could get on with her life. She reopened her eyes, seeing someone standing in front of her. She jumped, and almost screamed but their hand covered her mouth. "Be quiet," she heard Pan's voice whisper, "or I will kill Henry's loved ones."
Weeeeeeee~ 4th chapter! :o. Surprised I even got this far. Anyway, keep those reviews coming. :D They are definitely much appreciated and welcomed, especially criticism.
