AN: WARNING: Smut. Can be skipped over if you want.

Chapter 8.


There was nothing worse than falling asleep cradled in Peter's arms then waking up without him again. Of course I knew that was coming so I was prepared for it. But it didn't make it much easier.

What I wasn't prepared for was seeing Henry standing over my bed, posed as though he was about to wake me up. Considering he was so close and I was barely awake, I was startled to say the least, but incredibly pleased to see my adopted nephew after a year. Excitement flooded me. Maybe now I could finally get to know him.

"Henry!" I shouted happily. I sat up and grabbed his arm, pulling him down for a tight hug. I couldn't believe how tall he'd gotten. If I stood up he'd probably be near my height.

"Uh . . . hi?" he said awkwardly, patting my back. I frowned. The Henry I knew was a hugger. Not an awkward back patter.

Confused, I released him and took a good look at his face. Was he angry with me for being with Peter after everything he'd put him through? I wouldn't blame him if he was. But he didn't seem mad. He looked as confused as me.

"Henry!" I glanced at the doorway and saw Regina walking in, her eyes flashing between me and Henry. There was a tense look in her eyes, as though trying to tell me something. "Thanks for waking her. I, uh, forgot to tell you that your mother has told Amy all about you." She smiled brightly at him. "She's been eager to meet you ever since."

It was clear to me then. I was the one she forgot to mention something to. Emma had her memories back but Henry didn't. I made a mental note to yell at everyone later for forgetting to warn me.

I smiled at him weakly. "Sorry if I startled you. I'm . . . a bit of a hugger."

Well it wasn't necessarily a lie.

"No problem," he said in an easy-going manner. "I'm glad you're okay. I heard it was a really bad accident."

I smiled at him. "Thanks." I looked back to Regina, noticing a shopping bag in her hand. "Have I been bailed-er I mean, released?"

Henry laughed and she smiled. "Yes I just signed your papers." She glanced down at the bag. "Oh, and I got you some new clothes this morning. I hope they're suited to your taste."

"I'm sure they're perfect," I assured her, relieved that I wouldn't have to borrow Serena's scanty clothes. I noticed the second bed was empty. Curiously, I asked, "Where's Felix?"

"Emma and Serena picked him up and took him for more questioning a few hours ago," Regina explained.

"A few hours ago?" I repeated. "What time is it?"

Her lips twitched. "Amy, it's after three in the afternoon."

Damn. Well at least maybe now I had officially caught up on all the sleep I'd lacked while being in Zelena's cage. I was slightly hurt that Felix hadn't bothered to wake me up to say goodbye, but then I remembered that the last year was gone from his mind. At least living with Serena would stir up all those feelings he had for her.

"Is he okay?"

"Just fine."

Something in her voice told me that was disappointing to her. I didn't doubt that he was doing good though. Though there was still some aches and bruises I felt perfectly fine myself. Certainly nothing that would delay me from helping the others take down Zelena.

It took a while for me to finally be set to go. Dr. Whale had to come in to remove my painful I.V, run some last minute tests, and take my leg cast off. I was anxious to get going

When at last he was done, I quickly dressed in the clothes Regina got me and, to my annoyance, they wheeled me in a wheelchair out to her car.

"I can walk," I informed Dr. Whale, who was pushing me. It was weirder than wearing modern clothing again, which was black jeans and a dark purple off-the-shoulder top.

"Hospital policy," Dr. Whale said apologetically, though he was fighting back a smirk at the annoyed look on my face.

The car ride to Regina's huge house was spent with Regina making casual conversation with Henry and I. It was easy for me to depict the pain in her voice, which made my heart ache for. She had raised this boy and he hadn't the faintest idea. I leaned my head over and let it rest against her shoulder for the rest of the ride, a gesture that she seemed to like and appreciate.

I was anxious find out everything that was going on but of course we couldn't with Henry there. So while Regina set to work on making what she said was her famous lasagna, I sat with Henry in the large living room.

"So how do you know my mom?"

'Oh, you know I met her when Peter Pan was plotting to rip your heart out and let you die so that he could become a powerful immortal and be with me.'

Instead of saying what I was thinking, I just laughed lightly and said, "I can't even remember how we met. It was a long time ago."

"Did you know my dad?"

Like both of his mothers, he certainly didn't beat around the bush when it came to getting answers.

I nodded slowly, chewing on my bottom lip. "I did. He was a good guy, Henry. A really great man."

Henry grimaced, looking down at his hands. "That's what my everyone's been telling me. I just . . . you know. I wish I had gotten to meet him myself."

I suddenly felt angry with Emma and the others. How could they keep his entire life a secret from him like this? I wanted to scream that he did know his father, that his father loved him with all his heart. That he had raced to Neverland to save him from, well, the boy who was now my husband. He'd sacrificed his own life so that his father could tell everyone who the Wicked Witch was, to protect his family and friends.

I put an arm around him and chose my next words carefully. "Tomorrow at the funeral, you'll see just how much your father is loved. Even though it won't change the fact that you don't know him you can at least hear from the people who did. Maybe that'll bring you some peace."

"Maybe," he agreed, though it was obvious he wasn't sure whether he believed me or not. I wasn't even sure I believed myself.

The meal Regina put together was phenomenal. I don't think I'd ever been so hungry in my entire life. I had four helpings of my sister's lasagna and a bunch of glasses of iced tea. No matter how much I missed the Enchanted Forest, Earth's food would always have a special place in my heart. Especially the apple cinnamon cake she made for dessert, which Henry surprisingly turned down.

When we finished eating it was time for Regina to take Henry back home.

"You'll be there tomorrow, right?" Henry asked me when I gave him a hug goodbye. This time he returned it. No more of that awkward back patting.

"I wouldn't even think of missing it," I assured him. I ruffled his hair playfully and he smiled.

"Bye, Amy." He waved and walked outside the huge front doors towards Regina's car.

"Please try not to go anywhere until I get back," Regina said in a hushed tone. "Are you sure you don't want to just come?"

I nodded. "Don't worry, Regina." I lowered my voice, looking over her shoulder to make sure Henry wasn't in earshot or sight. Furrowing my eyebrows in concentration, I stared at my hand for a few moments until a small ball of flames formed in it. Pleased that I still had control over it, I let it disappear and explained, "I want to practice my magic a bit. I haven't really used it in this world and I need to make sure I still have a good hang of it. Besides, Zelena's probably going to lay low for a couple days, anyway."

She reluctantly agreed. "Be careful. I'll be back soon."

I managed to get her out the door without having to hear too many more warnings and instructions. I couldn't wait for her to get back though. Then maybe I'd get some answers on what the others were up to and whether Emma was willing to work with me to stop Zelena.

My foot barely landed on the first step of the long staircase before an arrogant, yet warm and familiar voice spoke from behind.

"God I thought they'd never leave."

Hands spun me around and Peter's lips were on mine. I gasped into his mouth and pulled back, staring at him with wide-eyes.

"Wha-what are you doing here?"

He quirked an eyebrow and started to move away. "If you want me to leave you could just say so."

"No!" I yelped, practically throwing myself at him. He smirked at me, an amused, hungry gleam in his eye as he hugged me back tightly. We hadn't even been separated for twelve hours and it already felt like twelve days.

"I hit her with poppies again. The last of her supply, I'm afraid. After tonight I don't know when I'll be able to sneak away again."

I cocked my head at him, confused. "If she's asleep, why can't you just take your dagger from her?"

He sighed. "She's commanded me and Rumple not too. I'd ask one of your lot to do it but she locks them away when she's not using them. It's a powerful enchantment, something even Regina wouldn't be able to break."

I bit my lip, disappointed. "So the only way to get them is when she's using them? The probability of that working doesn't seem very promising."

He pressed a kiss to my cheek, keeping his arms locked around my waist firmly. "Don't worry about it, angel. Underneath all that cunning and cruelty she's still just a lonely little girl that'll crack like glass eventually."

I raised an eyebrow. "So was I before I found you and the others," I pointed out. "Maybe I still am sometimes."

He moved his hands to my shoulders, narrowing his eyes at me. "Don't let her get to you," he warned me.

I sighed. "But she's right. I'm not a character in a fairy tale, Peter. I'm not a strong heroine that little girls strive to be like. I cry, I get scared, and I make stupid decisions."

He lightly tapped my nose. "But you always get back up when the villains knock you down. And you choose light over darkness to do it."

I smiled slightly. "Because you and my new family help me remember that there is always something worth fighting." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, this time not letting go.

Arms and legs tangled around each other on the couch was how Regina found us when she got back only ten minutes later. She cleared her throat loudly, announcing her presence as well as her displeasure in the situation she caught us in.

She startled me so badly that I squealed, nearly biting Peter's tongue off, and shoved him off of me and onto the floor.

I blushed to my roots and began to babble apologies, embarrassed beyond belief. Peter, looking extremely amused, pushed himself off of the floor and sat next to me, sliding his arm around my waist and holding me against his bare chest. I was relieved that we'd only gotten so far as to get his shirt off.

"You really know how to barge in at the wrong time, now don't you?" he drawled. I elbowed him, warning him not to instigate like he usually did.

Regina crossed her arms. "I assume you're staying here tonight."

I was surprised that she would allow it but I guess since we were married there wasn't much she could do. It didn't matter anyway. Peter shook his head, making my heart sink. "I can only stay for a bit. I couldn't just let my wife go to bed without saying goodnight."

Regina wrinkled her nose while I smiled at him, loving how that sounded coming from his mouth. I just wished I wouldn't have to wake up alone.

A ring came from Regina's jacket pocket. She pulled it out and stared at the screen, frowning.

"Who is it?" I asked.

Ignoring me, her thumb hit the answer button on the screen and she lifted the phone to her ear. "What is it, Whale?"

She listened for a few moments, the crease on her forehead growing. "She's right here. Hold on."

She lowered the phone and held it out to me. "Amy, he wants to talk to you."

Peter slowly unwound his arm from me, allowing me to stand up and take the phone from her.

"Franken-er, Dr. Whale? Is everything okay?"

There was a pause on the other end. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "Would you mind coming in tomorrow? After the funeral?"

I heard Peter stand up and a moment later his arms wrapped around me from behind. I relaxed against him, even though I knew this was merely his way of trying to hear what was being said on Frankenstein's end of the line.

"Well, sure. What's going on?"

"It'll be better if we talk in person. And . . . it's probably best if no one knows."

To most people, that would have been incredibly suspicious. But something in my gut was telling me to trust him. Besides, if for some reason he did try to hurt me I was certain that I could fight him off with magic. "Okay, thank you."

We hung up and I slipped out of Peter's arms, handing the cell phone back to my sister.

"What's going on?" she inquired, sliding her phone back into her jacket.

I shrugged. "I guess he thinks that your magic didn't help me that much because he told me he could write me a prescription for pain medication if I needed it. But I feel fine."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He just can't stand that I did his job better than him."

I forced a laugh. "Probably."

I went back to Peter and snuggled against him. Immediately, Regina started heading towards the stairs.

"Thank you for everything," I told her, for the millionth time that day. "Night, sis."

Her face softened. "Good night."

I waited until she had reached the top of the stairs before I jumped up and wrapped my legs around Peter's waist, capturing his mouth with mine. He kissed me back without hesitation.

Which made me realize that at last, I had finally successfully lied to him.

Pushing that thought out of my mind, I focused on him while he carried me upstairs, past Regina's room, past Henry's old room, down the long hallway and to the spare room that I assumed was now mine.

He set me down and began rapidly pulling his pants off while I peeled off my own clothes. Once we were both free of all fabric, I shoved him down on the bed, making him smirk at me in a way that made me leak even more between my thighs. Slowly, I crawled on top of him and sat on his legs, bringing my mouth down to attend to his throbbing member.

He let out a hiss when I licked from the base to the tip, before taking him in my mouth, starting off very slowly before I went faster, swirling my tongue around him and fondling his balls with my hand. He lightly bucked against my mouth, his hand stroking my hair sweetly.

After a few more minutes, he finally gasped out, "Stop!"

I obliged and sat back up, smirking at him as he fought to regain control of himself. I moved up until our bodies were lined up and gave him a long kiss, my hair falling down around both of our face like a curtain, hiding us from the rest of the world.

"I was supposed to practice magic tonight," I whispered, biting my lip.

"This is magic," he countered before sliding inside me.

I whimpered, our hips moving against each other at a speed that I didn't even know we could do. The pent up frustration of our lack of sexual activity since Zelena imprisoning seemed to explode inside us. His nails dragged down my sides and dug into my hips, helping me rock harder against him. It wasn't enough though. I lifted myself up to the tip of him and dropping back down to the hilt, repeating until I finally finished. When I came, I had to drop down and bury my face in his neck to keep from screaming his name too loudly, wave after wave of pleasure washing over me and leaving me a trembling, out of breath mess.

He slid out, but he wasn't done with me.

My body still recovering from the orgasm, he pulled me into his lap, my back to his chest and my legs on either side of his thighs. He pushed inside of me again, one gripping my hip and the other massaging my breast as he rolled his pelvis against me, the sounds of his grunts right by my ear. His tongue lapped at the nape of my neck, biting down every so often and suckling. I shuddered, the warm tension building up again my lower abdomen once again.

After a few minutes of the same rough pattern, his calloused hand went down to my womanhood and his index finger pressed down on my bundle of nerves as he rolled against me until I came again, following not long after.

We were a sticky mess, both of us panting and struggling to not collapse back on the bed as we were. The fact that he didn't lay down with me right away was a horrible sign. A sign that he had to leave. I didn't move when he eased out of me, gently gathering my tired, sweaty body into his arms.

He caught sight of my face and a look of alarm flashed across his. He carefully cupped my cheek in his hand and began kissing my tears away.

"Why are you crying?" he demanded. "Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head, my throat so tight that it took some time before I could speak. "I don't want you to leave again, Peter. Please don't go. I'll protect you from her. I promise I'll keep you safe. Just stay with me."

I heard him swallow thickly. He took his time answering, cradling me against him tighter. "But how am I supposed to keep you safe?" he murmured, trying to force his voice to sound light.

"We'll protect each other," I whispered. "Your heart hasn't been touched by the Dark One completely because of my kiss to it. Maybe that means she can't always control you."

The idea made him pause briefly, but he shook his head. "No. I'm done taking risks with you-"

"Then I'll take the risk," I whispered. "Please just try. You have to believe that there's nothing in this realm or any other that can keep us apart. Believe that I won't let her hurt you or make you do any terrible things. Believe in me."

I didn't know what I expected his answer to be. However I nearly wept with relief when he laid down with me still wrapped up in his arms, our warm bodies curling around each other protectively once we were settled under the covers.

"I'll never stop believing in you."


AN: Sorry for the wait but college essays are killers . Kind of a filler chapter but with a big purpose. Next chapter we'll get a look at Serena and Felix again, as well as Neal's funeral. Review please my dearies!

In other news, ONE WEEK UNTIL SEASON FOUR!