Hey guys, feeling generous so I decided to write another chapter for you.
READ THIS- Guy-rabies is a nasty disease you catch around too many guys.
I also put in a movie reference. If you can guess it I'll give you a metaphorical biscuit. A hint- it's disney. Review you guess and I'll put in something of your choice into the next chapter... because I am that kind.
REVIEW REPLIES-
Captain Squishy- Fight that writers block, mate. STAY STRONG. And I'm glad you enjoy reading my crappy fan fiction too :)
Jane southers.1 - Go for it :D
Songbook12- I try my best :)
FluffyHanyoEars- what a wonderful laugh you have.
ENJOY, MY CHUMS.
Third Person P.O.V
Pan slowly opened his eyes to the warm morning air, a mellow sunrise slowly rising over the mountains, casting a golden glow over his balcony. The lost boys in the tents and in the trees were uncharacteristically quiet, the only sound there soft breathing and the occasional mumble as one of the boys began sleep talking. A gentle breeze brushed past him, ruffling his hair as he closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of warmth on his face, a sensation he never usually encountered. The weather in Neverland was volatile, humid and stormy, never this mild. He could vaguely feel the waves lapping gently on the shoreline, and the wind gently passing by, stirring the leaves on the trees.
As another soft breeze brushed by his face, his eyes snapped open as someone in his stirred in his arms, murmuring quietly. He looked down as Ari hid herself in his arms, his shirt fisted in her soft hands. He unconsciously tightened his arms protectively around the girl, his legs entangled with hers as she breathed softly, her face unusually tranquil. He looked at her, dark triumph lighting in his gaze as she buried her face in his neck, a dark smirk curling his lips. He knew she would deny everything profusely when she woke up, but that was the fun of the game. He also knew that she could never sleep properly without him, no matter how much she said she could.
Dreaming of Neverland came with a price, as did all magic. Should someone dream of Neverland, the sleep they tried to gain from resting never came. They were technically in Neverland with him, awake in their incorporeal forms, so they never actually slept. Ari dreamt of Neverland every time she wasn't with him. She could never sleep.
His arms curled possessively around her waist, keeping her close as his breath stirred small tendrils of her hair. He wanted to stay like that for eternity, with his arms around her slender figure, and her warm body pressed against his chest. He didn't want to leave her, and she sure as hell wasn't leaving him. His eyes narrowed with annoyance as he recalled her outright refusal of her place in Neverland among the lost boys. She belonged in Neverland and she belonged to him, and nothing she could say or do would ever change that.
He stiffened as he felt a departure from the realm, deep under the sea. A mermaid, no doubt, and setting of for the direction of the mortal dimension. He glanced down at Ari's slender figure, his body screaming at him to forget the mermaid and stay with her. It took all of his willpower to release his arms from around her, chuckling darkly when she whimpered from his absence and held onto his shirt tighter. He gently pried her hands off him, and stood up on the balcony's wooden floor, caressing her angular cheekbone with unreadable eyes. He pulled himself away from her sleeping form and swung over the balcony railing, dropping over 40 feet to the ground of the camp with a light thud. He already felt like a part of himself was missing without her, as he had for thirty years.
He turned to see Felix sat on a log by the unlit fire, sharpening a wooden spear, glancing up at him without surprise from under his hood.
"Someone's leaving Neverland." He announced, walking up to him, careful not to be too loud as not to wake up the other boys. Felix frowned, placing the stick down on the ground and standing up from the log.
"Where?" He asked, with narrowed eyes. "How shall we stop them?"
Pan shook his head, thinking. "It's too late for that. We need to get word to our friends on the ground."
"Storybrooke?" Felix asked, no small amount of disdain lacing his tone. His belief in John and Michael's ability to carry out Pan's will was not strong, to say the least.
"They can handle this." Pan reassured him, smirking slightly. "All it does is move up our timetable a touch. We need to get Henry ready." His smirk widened as he remembered Wendy. "And I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage."
Ari P.O.V
I woke up slowly, gentle light filtering through my eyelids as I sighed deeply. The hammock felt amazing, and for the first time in forever, I had actually slept. Like, really slept. I shifted onto my back, the gentle light warming my skin as the hammock swayed gently. I knew I was in his bed, but he was seemingly absent so I decided to ignore that fact.
Ugh, I didn't want to get up.
I slowly opened my eyes, remembering I needed to look out for Henry. Leaving him alone for any amount of time was dangerous, considering all the things he'd been though while I was around. Getting kidnapped, shooting an arrow at Pan, being the target of Rumpelstiltskin, getting poked with a stick. I didn't want to know what would happen if I wasn't.
I forced myself out of the bed, rubbing my eyes, feeling incredibly awake. I had no idea how I slept so well, considering I had been suffocated to death all night by Pan, who hadn't let go of me even once. Asshole. My bare feet touched the warm wooden floor, as I kicked my shoes off yesterday when I was about to go to sleep by the fire. That was when Pan showed up and teleported me to his treehouse balcony. Because he is a dick.
I padded across the floor to the wooden double doors that went into his treehouse, swinging them open. It looked the same as usual; table, chair, giant tree branches curving into the structure, creating strangely beautiful windows around the place.
My eyes flicked to where clothes had been flung onto the table, frowning in confusion as I saw the clothes were too small to be Pans. I walked over to the desk, brushing my messy hair back over my shoulder and peered onto it, spotting a piece of folded parchment lying next to it. I reached out for it, narrowing my eyes in suspicion as I picked it up. I was fairly certain it wasn't going to blow up in my face, but still. I slowly unfolded it, reading the cursive message in the middle.
'To the girl sleeping in my bed,
Get dressed or I'll dress you myself.'
My mouth threatened to drop but I held it in check, chocking slightly. The cocky bastard.
I decided to weigh my options. I could either not get dressed and risk him stripping me and end up getting dressed after all, or I could get dressed and boost his ego to mount everest, like it wasn't already there. I sighed in irritation, my mind made up as I eyed the clothing in mild disgust. I picked it up, gingerly, and held it out in front of me. It was a long sleeved v-neck top, made of a soft cerulean blue fabric. My eyebrows rose. How the hell did he know my size?
I rifled through the rest of the clothing, finding no bra, to my irritation. I pulled my black shirt over my head, glad to be out of it, in some sense. Deciding to create a bra rather then go bra-less, I started hunting around the room in search of a knife of some sort. I pulled open a drawer, with nothing but maps in. I pulled the next one down open, finding quill pens and ink pots. I tried the next one, only to frown when it wouldn't budge. I looked down at the drawer, seeing a worn keyhole underneath the handle. Knowing Pan as I did, I had a feeling he would carry his keys everywhere with him, not hidden in the same room. Curiosity got the better of me as I attempted to pull it open again, but to no avail. I pulled open the draw with the quill pens in it and took two, shutting it closed again. I inserted one into the keyhole and put in another at an angle, twisting it around and then attempting to turn the first one without snapping them both.
Having picked many locks before, it wasn't too long before I heard a quiet click in the keyhole. Opening the top drawer I put back the pens, and then pulled open the one I unlocked, somewhat curious to know what Pan had stored away in his desk drawer. I narrowed my eyes as I pulled out a familiar dagger, the one I had had tucked in the waistband of my jeans, before Pan confiscated it. I searched around the drawers, finding a letter, a small brass and blue gilded box, and a rolled piece of parchment. None of it seemed of any value. I left it open, taking my dagger over to my shirt and using it to tear it up into one long strip.
I tied it around my chest and down to the top of my ribs, tying a knot at the end. I grabbed the blue shirt and pulled it on, my makeshift crop top showing in between the V. I quickly tugged off my skinny jeans, well aware Pan could walk in at any moment. I pulled the other pair on, the faded tan fabric surprisingly comfortable. I pulled on the lace up boots, tying them in a practised knot as I sat in the chair. I had no idea why he wanted me to change, but I wasn't exactly objecting. Getting out of my old clothes felt amazing.
I returned the dagger to the drawer, still confused as to why it was in there. As I shut it, I heard the lock click again as it closed. I turned around, seeing a trap door on the floor and pulled it open, a thick vine rope falling down into the camp. Sighing with resignation, I sat on the floor reaching out to the vine, twisting it between my legs. I had never been afraid of heights, but they could've at least built some stairs. I jumped off the side, slipping down the rope with ease, my hands getting caught on the occasional leaf. I landed at the camp with a light thud, looking around to see the lost boys starting the fire again and lighting the torches as the sky grew dark, large storm clouds covering the sky in a thick, dark blanket.
Oh joy. Violent storms. What happened to the lovely weather?
I searched the camp for Henry, spotting him sitting alone on a rock facing away from the other boys, not that I could blame him. He didn't look happy, from my angle, which was never a good sign. I made my way over and sat down on the ground, opposite him. He glanced up at me, worry on his face.
"Everything alright?" I asked him, resting my elbows on my knees. He shook his head.
"No. Last night, Devin came up to me and handed me a mirror, said it was a message. Wait- where did you get those clothes?" He said. My eyebrows rose.
"Devin? Oh and… Um, Pan gave them to me."
To my surprise he just nodded and continued. "I looked into the mirror, and I saw both my mums and Marie-Margaret. They spoke to me. Said they were coming for me."
I laughed. "Sounds like Regina's style. I told you they would come- why are you upset about it?"
"Because Pan's going to do something bad to them, I know it." My eyes widened and I sat up, putting my hand on his shoulder and looking into his eyes. The poor kid had enough to worry about.
"Hey." I said softly. "Regina and Emma can take care of themselves. So can Marie-Margaret. Regina is the evil queen. Renowned throughout the Enchanted Forest for her skill in magic and… death and destruction but lets forget about that. Emma is the product of true love, and a thief turned sherif. Marie-Margaret is Snow-white, an incredible archer and fighter, and is the most brave woman I've ever met. So let's face it. If you should be worried about anyone, it's Pan, considering what your family is going to do when they get here. Which they will." I finished, surprising myself. I had never been great at the whole, 'I'm here for you' speech, considering the only one I've ever been there for is myself.
Forever alone.
Henry nodded, smiling at me gratefully as I removed my hand. I glanced over his shoulder as I saw a familiar figure walking towards us.
"Alert," I hissed at Henry. "Demon boy heading this way."
He turned around as Pan reached him, glaring at the immortal demon child. "Walk with me, Henry?" He asked, looking at me even as he addressed the boy. "I have somewhere I'd like to show you."
He probably meant hell.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." Henry snapped, glowering at Pan like a boss. He raised an eyebrow, an amused smile curling at the corner of his lips that only I noticed.
"And why is that, Henry?" He asked, his face sincere.
"You're lying to me." He started, scowling. "My family's here. On Neverland. I know it."
Pan looked from him, to me and then back again. The question was obvious. 'Have you told him?'
I attempted to look innocent, even though I actually hadn't run off to find Regina and then somehow teleported her back again without him noticing. It was like walking past the police and trying not to look guilty. Pan turned his attention back to Henry, obviously accepting my answer.
"Why are you so sure, Henry?" He asked, softly.
"Does it matter?" He replied. I had to hand it to him, Henry was winning this battle of wills.
"No." Pan shook his head. "But, if your family is here, Henry, why haven't they come for you?"
Why did the bastard continue to play dirty?
"Maybe you're keeping them from me." Oh, I didn't doubt it.
"Henry, I promise you, I'm not holding your family prisoner." Of course he wasn't, but that didn't mean he wasn't keeping them from Henry, which was no doubt exactly what he was doing.
"Why do you keep disappearing into the jungle?" He shook his head in frustration and stood up, pulling me with him. "You're hiding something from me, and I'm going to find out what it is." And with that, he pulled me along into the jungle away from the camp.
"Henry this is a bad idea." I hissed at him from behind the tree. "You don't even know how to walk silently, let alone tail anyone!"
"Then teach me!" He hissed back.
No way was I teaching him how to be an assassin. He could stay crappy at walking silently.
I nudged Henry as Pan and Felix began approaching our hidden spot. It was a bad idea to follow either of them, and I was seriously hoping Henry didn't expect me to stalk Pan. Felix I could deal with, however.
"Head to the other side of the island and deliver the supplies." I heard Pan announce to Felix, his voice way too loud to be sincere. I wasn't buying whatever they were trying to pull off, but Henry insisted. Pan and Felix stopped in front of us, standing in between the two trees that signified the path through the island.
"Understood." Felix replied, his club still slung over his shoulder. I was surprised it wasn't stained red with the amount of people he'd knocked out with that bloody log. "Anything else?"
He leant closer to Felix. "Be certain Henry or Ari don't find out what you're up to." Felix nodded and began to walk up the path, leaving Pan by himself, who walked back to the camp. I could've sworn his eyes passed over the tree, increasing my suspicion. I wanted to find out what they were up to, but more the ulterior motive. I had no doubt this little escapade of Felix's was just a set up. Even so, Henry dragged me along after Felix, running through the undergrowth.
I stopped Henry with my arm as Felix brought us to a large wooden treehouse, torches set outside illuminating a ladder leading into it. We had been walking for over 10 minutes, hiking around fallen trees and up hills and under stone tunnels.
I raised an eyebrow as Felix 'accidentally' dropped a bag he had been carrying outside the treehouse as he walked away, continuing down the path. When he was out of sight, Henry ran forward towards the fallen bag and searched it, turning towards me, confused as he held up what looked suspiciously like a peach.
I made a confused face right back at him before we whipped around as a faint cough came from above. I slowly inched towards the ladder, hearing the coughs getting louder and more distinctive. Henry walked past me, looking anxiously around for any signs of lost boys. I shook my head.
"We're clear. Lead the way, Columbus." Henry shot me a dirty look before walking up the bamboo ladder, bag in hand. I followed soon after, somewhat weary of what would be up in a treehouse in the middle of a jungle.
"Who are you?" I heard Henry announce as I reached the top, straightening up. My eyebrows rose as I took i the scenery.
Pink.
Lace.
Floral.
I resisted the urge to begin retching.
My eyes found a young girl lying in a vintage frame bed, her blond hair spilled out onto a dark pink pillow. What the fuck. I folded my arms and leant back on a polished dresser behind me, surveying the scene with the permanent expression of, 'I really have no idea what the fuck is going on.'
"You're not supposed to be here," She whispered, looking from Henry to me and then back again.
"I know, I-I thought Pan might be keeping my family here- why are you so far away from the camp?" He asked, adjusting the bag's strap on his shoulder.
"I-I'm sick. And he's afraid someone might catch it." She said weakly, her hands intertwined resting on her stomach. I raised an eyebrow.
"Do you have guy-rabies? I bet you have guy-rabies."
Henry ignored me and the girl sent me a confused look.
"Who are you?" He asked, sitting down on her bed, setting the bag down next to him.
"Careful Henry," I warned. "I'm not going to be happy if you catch guy-rabies."
He ignored me again and motioned for the girl to answer.
"I'm Wendy. Wendy Darling."
My eyes widened and then shut in resignation. "Oh, I am so glad children didn't grow up hearing this fairytale."
She looked at me again. "Who are you? Pan doesn't normally let girls onto the island." She asked, confusion furrowing her brow.
"I'm Henry," Henry answered for me. "And that's Ari, she followed me though a portal."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're Ari?"
I raised an eyebrow again. "My reputation precedes me." I said, not exactly comfortable with her knowing who I was.
"I-I thought you'd be younger." She said, staring at me with an unreadable expression.
I looked at her, deadpan. "Sorry to disappoint. I'll just time travel back a few years, make sure I get the right age for you."
"Shut up, Ari. What's wrong, Wendy?" He asked her, concern in his voice as he turned back to the matter at hand.
"Guy-rabies," I sang under my breath, stopping when Henry shot me a glare.
"It's the island, Henry. Magic is fading. I've been here a long time, but… for some reason it's affecting me more then the others."
I frowned. "The magic feels fine to me."
"Ari, Shut up!" Henry hissed at me.
"You look like him," Wendy said, ignoring my interruption, gazing wistfully at Henry's face.
"Who?"
"Your father."
"You- You knew my father?"
"We were friends." She sighed. "A long time ago. When he was just a little bit older then you. He saved my brothers from danger- he would do anything for my family."
Wendy was laying it on pretty thick, if she was trying to persuade Henry into doing anything for her. Unfortunately for me, it seemed to be working. Unfortunately for her, I could tell when someone was fake coughing.
"A-Are you going to be ok?" Henry asked, anxiously leaning forward.
"You should go." She said, sadly.
"Maybe there's something I can do to help- "
"Please, I don't want you to catch what I have." Guy-rabies. "Pan is already doing everything he can. It's the magic here… I fear it is not enough."
Ok, I really wasn't buying this shit. Her fake cough needed serious improvement.
"There has to be something I can do-!"
"Please, go. Before you both become ill." It seemed like she was trying to get rid of us, and I was all too willing to oblige. Henry nodded and stood up, leaving the bag on the bed.
He walked to the ladder and I began to follow, pausing when Henry turned around.
"I'll come back for you," He said, causing Wendy to look at him in what he would think was hope, but I saw desperation. And I didn't like it at all. "I promise."
.oOo.
Third Person P.O.V
Pan watched as Ari jumped down the hole in the floor instead of using the ladder, her eyes narrowed in thought as she followed Henry back to camp. He knew she didn't believe it, but that was fine. It was Henry he had to convince.
He stepped out from behind the screen, walking up to the nervous girl lying in the bed.
"Well done," He praised, as dark smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Couldn't have played the part better myself. Oh, and that bit about Baelfire. Well done, really."
Wendy sat up in the bed, pushing the covers down. "I don't like lying to him."
"Don't think of it as lying. More, providing motivation."
"Motivation for what?" She asked, worry creasing her brow as she thought of Henry.
"Henry has the heart of the truest believer." He said, leaning on he bars of her bed frame. "I need to control that belief."
Wendy frowned, thinking of the white haired girl that had been in the treehouse moments before. For someone so seemingly gentle, power seemed to thrum under her skin in dangerous waves. "And Ari? Why is she here?"
Peter's eye darkened. "She's mine." Wendy winced, knowing Ari wasn't the best subject of discussion with him. "Now, back to your cage."
As usual, the more you review the faster I updatteeee, and tell me if you want more Third Person/Pan POV shit :)
