Notes: Had this on my computer for awhile now. I had to edit it out. I am working on a bonus one-shot (or two-shot) for the Amazing Spider fic. Waiting for Helix to come back on before writing more on that and nearly done with the next chapter of Family?. I have too many things going on at once. I still need to finish the Paranorm fic. Half way through the ending chap or chaps. I like giving people the feels. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, R&R.


"Who are they?" Pan asked as he recalled them from the crowd of singers. The demon male with red hair and a matching tail, the witch woman with the decayed skin (but somehow she still appeared young and pretty), and the round boy that stood the shortest.

"Boogie boys." Jack frowned deeper. "Oogie took them in and raised them. They follow her words. They look to her as mother and leader and she in turn cares for them… The demon is Lock. If you had a daughter,you wouldn't let him near her. He likes red meat and messing with people's heads. The girl in purple is Shock. She got the name for her curls. She's a nice enough girl, but get her mad and it's death. She's the most level headed of the group, and not too bad in a spell fight.. Last is Barrel. He's a sweet kid, which means that Lock pretty much treats him like shit. He's the lover not a fighter type."

"Hello boys." Sybelle beamed as she stretched out her arms and welcomed the teens into a big hug. Pan had seen a few sides of her by this time, but he doubted that he had ever seen her this... vulnerable before. It was clear, that unlike Tommy, she cared a great deal for these children. They really did have the power to break her.

"Who's the pretty boy and his short friend?" Shock asked as she pulled away from Sybelle.

"That is Felix and Peter Pan." Sybelle answered with a small laugh.

"Do you want us to make them feel at home?" Lock questioned with a dark look.

"No, it is best to ignore that they are here." She smirked at her boys. "Barrel, you look paler. Have you gotten ill? Should I make Snake and Spider stew?"

"No, I'm-" Barrel started before Lock pushed him aside.

"Yes, you should." Lock's mouthed watered at the idea of tasting her stew once more. Shock, in her anger over Barrel's treatment, hit the demon with what appeared to be a mask.

"Don't treat Barrel that way." Shock hissed. Sybelle just frowned as she watched Barrel get up.

"Not my fault that he's such a baby all the time." Lock rolled his eyes.

"Enough." Sybelle shouted. "We have things to do." She sounded slightly cold, harsh. Shock hit Lock once more before dashing behind gently pulled Barrel to his feet and brushed some dirt off of him. The boy wouldn't look her in the eyes. If this bothered the princess, she didn't show it. Still Pan thought to himself, it was clear that for better or worse the monster teens looked at Sybelle as though she was their mother. Felix narrowed his eyes and elbowed Pan slightly.

"I sense something is off." Felix stated. "There's something wrong."

"Yeah...she's opening herself to an easy attack." Pan whispered back to Felix. He wasn't sure how to handle this matter.

"Jack seems very tense and doubts the witch…" Felix didn't need to finish his statement. Pan knew what he meant. Shock was standing a part from the boys. She seemed to be watching Sybelle closely while Lock tried everything he could to keep Sybelle focused on him and Barrel tried to just be noticed. Her behavior seemed like that of a scorned child, bitter about something.

"I'll watch her…" Pan nodded his head in deep thought.

"Sybelle?" Jack whispered softly to the Nereid. "Watch yourself. Someone from the casino has been going to Hallows Edge...nearly weekly."

"I understand." Sybelle showed no trace of unhappiness or pain. In fact, she was smiling as though Jack's words weren't hurting her. "I believe I knew which one of them is working against me too…"

"I've been watching your girl." Jack seemed slightly disgusted. "I think you should watch her too. Something is wrong with her."

"Oh?" Sybelle raised a brow. "As you would know how a normal lady behaves?"

Jack just snorted as she crossed her arms. "I've got to see the Mrs. Please don't take over the town...again. I rather not have to fight you."

"Ha,ha. I always let you win." Sybelle smirked as she waved goodbye to Jack.

"Hush, we wouldn't want my fans to hear." Jack beamed with a skeleton like grin. "I would just fall to pieces if I lost their love."

xxx

Lock lead the way towards the casino. Sybelle had stated that the fastest way to get there was to go through the graveyard. Shock felt the need to point out all the useful herbs that they past. She told Pan that he would need to know where they were in case Oogie needed some for her spells.

"Be careful." Barrel smirked at Felix and Pan. "Some of them tend to get restless and want to walk about. If they find you on top of their grave, they could get upset."

"Upset?" Felix didn't like the sound of that. "Aren't they dead?"

"Most of the town is dead." Lock laughed. "Staying dead is kind of a hard deal here."

"For most of the townsfolk." Shock added with a small frown. "I guess it's all about what kind of monster you are, or aren't." She spilled on her mask and moved closer to the front.

"If I die here, I die." Sybelle stated in a cold tone. "Same for you and Felix." She said to Pan as she kept her eyes forward. "But that doesn't mean you can't be brought back to life. Here, the laws of death aren't normal. As long as you have some type of body, you can live forever… it's just a matter of not having the body decay…"

"That's why zombies don't last as long as everybody else." Lock chuckled. "Which is fine by me, those ugly, idiots stink up the place." Sybelle glanced over a Shock. The young witch walked without saying a word. She felt glad to have her mask on. She felt glad that no one could see how much Lock's words had hurt girl.

"Here it is!" Barrel shouted as he rolled forward. There was a large casino in the middle of a vast wasteland. Growing from it stood a massive tree with an equally massive tree house. Barrel pointed to the house in the branches and smiled. "That's where we live. But you'll be staying with Oogie in the casino. She doesn't like us there because of all the dark stuff she has. Lock nearly destroyed the town the last three times he talked us down there."

"Uh, guess that means she keeps a lot of nasty things in there." Pan muttered. He eyed Sybelle and noted the way she stared at her old home. She seemed to rather sad. There was a flash of remorse in her eyes before she hardened herself.

"Looks like the princess doesn't want to be here." Felix chuckled.

"This place… does it feel odd to you?" Pan questioned as he glanced around. He wasn't shocked by the lack of life, but by the weight of overwhelming sorrow

"I image that when she came here-" Felix was cut off by the demon.

"Hey, we're going in! So, you can stop flirting." Lock shouted.

Sybelle rolled her eyes. Some things never changed even after all these years.

xxx

Pan eyed the main room. Bullet holes and slim covered the wall. As she walked towards the center of the room, Sybelle's dress picked up the dust on the floor. She didn't appear to be human under the dim lights. Pan imagined that most children would have feared the sought of her. Fear. Felix watched with hollow eyes as the princess stopped in front of a piano. She played a few keys and a staircase appeared.

"Children." She smiled softly. "I need a small favor. If you could run down to the river and pick me some Weeping Marys, I would like that a great deal." She turned to see what her wards were doing.

"But of course." Shock beamed as she removed her mask. "It would be our pleasure."

"We would love to help." Lock smirked.

"Right away." Barrel laughed.

"Try not to kill too many pixies. I rather like having them about." Sybelle stated as she started up the stairs. "Pan, Felix, I shall show you to the rooms. Be mindful of the objects around you. This place is full of nasty little goodies."

"I can see that." Pan smiled as he came up behind her. "I love the mirror. It's cursed with a blinding spell, correct?"

"Yes," She chuckled. "That it is, but I have better things down this way. I've a painting that will reach out and choke the life out of you. A bust that screams so loud it shatters the eardrums. Ha, lots of cool things in my Funhouse of Horrors." Her words seem to wake her from her dark humor. "Hn, though I doubt my sons would find this place humorous."

"From the rumors, Merlin sounds to be one of those bleeding hearts." Pan stated as he watched Sybelle. She slowed her pace and laughed softly.

"He sees his parents everywhere. There is no child, mother, father, or soul that he can not see us in. But on the chance he can't see his father or I inside someone, then he doesn't care for that person at all. He is very selfish. His younger brother is more so, only loves me and power. But Merlin is selfish too. He just hides it better."

"Who is your youngest? " Felix asked.

"You would know him as Blackbeard." She sang out as she opened a door. "Here is your room. Two full sized beds if you need them. Follow me." She said as she shut the door. "I'll show you to the bathroom and where my rooms are."

"Won't Pan be staying with you?" Felix asked with a smile.

"I never force anyone into my bed. I shall not start now. I agree that it would be wise to share rooms. It would make it easier to protect each other, but I have faith in our abilities. I am sure that you are powerful enough to survive for a few nights away from your island."

"From the stories, Blackbeard seems like a rather nasty beast. Yet, you seem proud to call him your son and ignore the evil he has done." Pan pointed out as he followed Sybelle down the hallway. "Merlin is a great wizard of light. How can you be proud of both of them when they are so different and stand for different ideas."

"Different?" Sybelle blinked in confusion at the things that came out of Pan's mouth. "I do not see a difference in them. Merlin loves me. Blackbeard loves me. They both had no fathers. They both feel a strong sense of right and wrong. Merlin had the knowledge of knowing that with all the evil in the world...his father loved me. He was born of true love. It put faith in him that not all things are wicked. My youngest… he knew what his father did to me. Your son told him. It broke his little heart to know that all men were dark inside, that he was dark inside. My love...taught the importance of lines that can not be crossed. Blackbeard is not a saint, but there is no tale of him hurting a child or woman in the ways that other man, far less famous and far more dark, have done. He even kills his men that rape women and children. How can I not be proud of a man that does that?"

"Some people believe murder is murder." Felix stated in a dead tone.

"I have killed more than him. If murder is murder, it is he who should have no pride in me." Sybelle smirked back. She opened a large door and stepped in. "This is the bathroom." Pan noted how clean it was compared to the rest of the manner. There was no layer of dust or dirty, though that fact was hard to tell in the dim light. Sybelle paused in front of a mirror and waved at her reflection. The reflection bowed its head and pointed to something outside the door. Sybelle put a finger to her lips and smiled softly. "This Mirra. She is cursed to this mirror because she kept taking the faces of others. A great spirit, one of those that help create the appearances of all, thought she spat on his work by never returning to her true form. He bound her inside a mirror as punishment."

"And you keep her there because you agree with it?" Felix felt slightly horrified by this.

"What?" Sybelle snapped her gaze away from the mirror. "I do not keep her in there."

"She keeps herself there." Pan's head started to ache. His thought seemed hazy. It was like he knew the story, but couldn't place it. "If she leaves, she will die. She has no body. No place for her soul to attach to and since she was no appearance any longer… she has nothing left but the mirror."

"It is to live with a limited life, one without fullness, or to die…" Sybelle frowned. "I could not force her to die." She touched the mirror's surface. "A limited life is better than none at all."

"She reminds you of him." Felix stated as he turned his back to Sybelle and walked away.

"Of course she does." Sybelle whispered. Pan watched her as she eyed the woman in the mirror. Mirra closed her eyes and sat down. Her gaze was fixed on Pan. She was studying him.

"Him? Your lost love." Pan did his best to hide the surge of rage within his heart.

"This woman… she was his mother." Sybelle sighed out. "His father… was like yours, unkind. My love, he never knew his mother, never knew what happened to her." She paused to regain control of her emotions. They seemed to be readying to break her cold mask. "I thought I would find her and bring them together… I had no idea that she was cursed. I tried to let her see him, but I was told of his death. I brought her with me and asked she look after my son, her grandchild so that she could at least see a part of her son."

"Why is she still here?" Pan questioned as he saw the woman in the mirror shake her head. "Your son isn't here any longer."

"No, but her great grandchild is." Sybelle as she touched the tube. She ran her fingers along it. "And I believe… Mirra was waiting…"

"Waiting for what?" Pan asked. It felt as though Mirra was watching his every move. She was studying him. When he turned to look at her, he noticed that his reflection was now in the mirror along with Sybelle's.

"For you." Sybelle smirked softly as she glanced at the mirror. "Oh, it seems Mirra went to rest." The reflections were acting normal. "She does that from time to time."

"She doesn't talk?" Pan stepped towards the looking glass. Everyone seemed to have been waiting for him, or at least someone like him. They wanted Sybelle to make a pact. Yet, there seemed to be more to it. Felix may of had a point to question why she picked him of all people from all the realms.

"Sound, it is one thing she can not copy." Sybelle placed a hand on Pan's arm. "I bring paper and pen when I wish to hear her thoughts. I speak to her and she writes back. I could leave some in here. I am sure that she would not mind speaking with you."

"Yeah, I want to learn more about her."

xxx

"I can't believe it." A brown cloaked woman stated. She sounded unsure of what else to say. "Are you sure that is what he looks like? You used that potion I gave you and he still appeared like that?"

There was someone standing in front of her. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or woman. The hooded being nodded its head. The woman in the cloak seemed to tense up.

"You know they say that in youth, you do foolish things." She spoke in a hushed tone. "I wonder...who was the fool and who was the wise?" She waved her hand to dismiss the person before her. She needed to think things over. There was much to think over.

xxx

Dawn was breaking as Pan looked through the building. Sybelle had gone into the basement and asked to be left alone. Felix had gone to bed and the boys seemed to be playing some odd game. Pan couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. He wondered what kind of creatures lived in this realm.

"It's a bit weird isn't it?" Shock jumped in front of him. She had been sitting on top of a high window edge. "This realm… it doesn't follow the rules of magic and life."

"No, it seems not." Pan sighed out. "You didn't grow up here, did you?"

"You could tell?" Shock snorted to herself. "No, I wasn't born here. I came much later."

"Does it always feel like this?" Pan questioned.

"Like what?" Shock wasn't sure what he meant.

"As though...death is watching, waiting. There's so much darkness…"

"You sure you aren't sensing the beasts below?" Shock wondered aloud. "Because, Death isn't watch us in this realm. Not unless he wants to have tea with you."

"Tea?" Pan raised a brow. Was she for real?

"I know. I never took death for a tea drinker." Shock glanced around as she put her hands behind her back. "If you've been touched by death, and didn't have someone die. I mean you've died and came back… you could see him. If you've died more than once...or if you're stuck dying… he likes to visit. He'll chat with you and have tea."

"Sybelle can see him?" Pan laughed. "Sounds like her. Sounds like something strange she would be able to do."

"Oh, she can't see him." Shock laughed hard. "She just makes him tea when she comes to this land, to his home. It's her way of saying thank you."

"For what?" Pan felt the witch pull at his hand.

"For not taking all her loved ones when he had the chance." Shock lowered her voice as she went on. "I heard you died. Yet, you are here. How is that possible? How did you come back and brought Felix with you? You aren't a zombie. You aren't decaying. How'd you do it?"

"My secret." Pan smirked. Her words bothered him. Wouldn't Sybelle be upset with Death for taking her lover? Why would she thank him for anything? Pan narrowed his eyes in thought. Shock wanted him to follow her somewhere. "What are you doing?"

"I want to see if it's the beast that you're sensing." Shock sounded as though she was bursting with joy. "There's a second way into the basement. It's just outside."

"What's in the basement?" Pan wondered how anything could make him feel this uneasy.

"Your nightmares." Shock laughed as thunder went off outside.

"Cheap trick." Pan snorted as he let her pull him outside.

"I rather like thunder and laughter happening at the same time." She pouted to herself.

xxx

Sybelle sat at a large wooden desk as she let a dark creature touch her. Her eyes were closed. The creature seemed weak and small. Pan reasoned it hadn't been feed for some time. Shock seemed in awe of the princess. Pan didn't understand why. He didn't even know what she was doing.

"What is that?" Pan muttered to the young witch.

"Fear." She breathed out.

"I am-"

"No, it's living fear. Nightmares brought to form." Sybelle explained. "They look like shadows and have mouths full of sharp teeth. They feed off of fear. Makes them bigger."

"Why'd she have that down here? And how do they feed off of fear? It's a feeling, not food." Pan thought it over in his head. "They must be feelings come to life, that's the only way."

"Yeah, that's what she said." Shock shook her head. "Sybelle said that those creatures were like a glass of water. When more water is put into a glass, the large the glass of water. Those things are living fear. When more people feel fear around them, the bigger the fear being will get."

"Why are they here?" Pan asked again.

"Because of Merlin." Shock huffed out. "When he was little, he had a lot of bad dreams. His aunts told him wicked stories and awful things. It scared him… and since he wasn't a normal boy… his fears find a way to live outside of his dreams. They nearly destroyed the town."

"So, she trapped them down here and made her son feel better?" Pan chuckled. "Smart."

"No, Merlin locked them here. He saw that they were hurting people and he faced them. Trapped the ones that he would always have here. Fears like death, lose...so on. Those fears are in here. That's why I think you could sense them."

"You think I'm afraid of something and that fear, one that Merlin had, is locked down here."

"Yes," The woman in purple nodded her head. "I think you fear Death and sensed the fear of death, dying, that is trapped here." She pointed towards Sybelle. "See behind her. That's the death fear. It's in that cage. It's the smallest fear here because this realm has no fear of death and yet...it's as big as the others right now."

"Are you saying that I think I'm going to die?" Pan felt insulted.

"No," She shook her head. "That may have nothing to do with you." She frowned softly. "That may be because of me."

"Why would you be the one, out of everyone in town, to fear death now, of all times?" Pan questioned. He felt puzzled by her behavior.

"Because...my time is almost up." She sounded so small, so young. "Death brought me back for a reason, and I am near to finishing it."

"What did he want from you? Why would he want you to do something? Couldn't he just do it himself?" Pan whispered to her. She blinked as though lost in thought.

"I'm afraid of what's after this life. Sybelle says I will be reborn, or rest in peace. It is up to me. It's what I want… but I don't want to die. I want my grandfather, or father, to hold me and say how I do something amazing. I want to matter to someone other than her." Shock started to cry.

"Well," Pan felt uncomfortable. "I should go help Sybelle...with whatever it is that she's doing." He moved to stand next to Sybelle.

"I said to stay upstairs." Sybelle rolled her eyes. "You did not need to check on me."

"It is not about checking in on you." Pan frowned. "I sense...something is off. Shock thought it was because I sense these fear beings, or Death watching me."

"I think she is mistaken." Sybelle lifted her hand up.

"Why is that?" Pan asked as he reached for her hand. It was the one she scared when they made the pact.

"I was in a dark place when I came here." Sybelle said as she traced her cut. "When I come here, I feel the echo of that pain, that darkness. We are linked. You have shown that you can sense what I am feeling. When I was being attacked, you could feel that I needed aid. I believe you could feel the echo of darkness that I once held."

"You must have loved him a great deal." Pan noted as he sensed a shift in the dark energy in the air. He recalled that when his son was born, and for many years after, he had felt a weight much like this. He felt as though everything had been taken from him.

"I will alway love him." Sybelle studied Pan. Was he hurt by the fact that her former love meant so much to her? "He is my true love. But...that does not mean that I can not let him go...I can let someone else in my heart… if I wanted to be that way. Though I doubt, that it would be best for me,"

"Because it would be over with him?" Pan reasoned. He wanted to understand what drove her toward this path. The way she spoke of her past and the way she was now, it seemed as though she had gone through a great change. She had lost something inside of herself. He wasn't sure what.

"Because, I can't become weak in front of my sisters. I need to win." Sybelle's eyes narrowed a bit. "Why would you think something else? Do you think I'm foolish enough to fall for someone when the River Ocean is close at hand? Hn,"

Pan wasn't sure how to answer that. He had forgotten all about her sisters and the game. It seemed that she had a habit of making him forget about what was truly important. He forced a dark smirk on to his face and hoped she didn't see his mask slipping.

"Of course not." Pan could tell that she was studying him. "I just need to make sure where your heart is. I would hate for it to be against me."

"Oh." She seemed to be questioning his words in her mind. "I believe that my heart will never be against you. We have the same goals and I have promised, as have you, to rule only by your side. Please, do not fear that I will kill you because of some...person… that may never come. I keep my word. You will be my king." She restated her promise.

"Will I?" Pan asked her. His chest felt a deep pain. While she had promised him the throne, she had never promised him her heart, or anything like that. For some strange reason, he didn't seem to like the vow they had made. It seemed to have holes in it. He didn't feel so sure of it.

"I will not kill you and give the throne to my son." She went on to say. "He would be a poor ruler. I believe together we could make a great kingdom." She smiled softly.

"Good to know that for now… you do not plan to kill me." Pan sighed out.

"Would you like me to make a second blood pact with you?" Sybelle seemed uneasy about the idea. "Would that ease your mind?"

"Could you?" Pan asked. "Could you do such a thing?"

"Yes," Sybelle nodded her head. "My parents did...they are the only ones I know personally to have done such a thing. The first one was done out of greed and want of power. The second...was made with promises of love… They often are...more meaningful than the first."

"Ha, I don't want you to promise me love...just that you won't kill me when I'm not useful to you." Pan chuckled.

"Pan, I picked you because I thought you would always be useful to me." Sybelle laughed. "What point is having someone rule a kingdom with you if they would hold you back? If they made you weaker? All the work I did, it would have been for nothing." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a heart touching look. It took his breath away. She cupped his face with her other hand. "I can not do this without you. Everyone, they will come and go, but you will always be by my side."

"Hn," Pan placed his hand over the one is had on his face. "That is all that I need to know."

Shock watched as her teacher removed her hand from his face and frowned. The young witch understood why. He hadn't spoken the full truth. There was something different about him. There was something different about Sybelle too.