The Doctor touched a finger to the rope, other hand balled into a fist pressed into his cheek, elbow painfully digging into his knee. Emma had pulled off her sock and was trying to use it to create enough friction to burn through the rope, but the Doctor had already told her – thrice, in fact – that it would never work and it was more likely she would rip through the sock with the effort. The rope was too course, something she should know from the reddened scrapes on her hands from trying in vain to climb it.
The sock snapped and Emma toppled over against him before shoving away, glaring at him, "Aren't you going to try something?" She shouted at him. "Clara's out there! Don't you care about her safety?"
Turning his attention to her, his finger dropped away and he shifted in the net, "Of course I care, but I also know that sometimes having a little patience is the best move in a game of chess."
Pointing out into the jungle as best she could, Emma informed him bluntly, "This isn't some chess match, buddy, this is Neverland – and that kid? He's gonna rip her heart out just to watch her bleed."
"He won't, not without our audience," the Doctor replied coldly. Then he glared at her, face crumpling angrily as he spat, "Don't you understand? That's part of the game – it isn't fun without an audience, and he won't hurt either of them if we're not there. He'll want to gauge our reactions; he'll want to watch us suffer as they do."
She shook her head, "That's your great answer? You won't try because eventually you think he'll cut us down?"
"No," he sighed, "Taking Clara off the Jolly Roger wasn't some accident – Hook tagging along was – and since he has neither of them, eventually your friend will come trouncing through the jungle, hopefully with Clara still in tow, and they'll be able to cut us down," he turned to her, "But it doesn't make sense that he would play these games when he already has a pawn on the board."
"Pawn on the board?"
"Henry," the Doctor said sadly, head bowed.
"Henry's a pawn."
"This isn't your first trip to Neverland, I gathered that much, and the last time you came for your son as well – so it would seem Peter Pan is intent on bringing you back, finish whatever was started on your last trip." He looked up at her expectantly.
"Yeah, I didn't gut him like I should have," Emma spat.
With a weak smile, the Doctor nodded, "Think of this as a re-match; he thinks he can win the game this time and he's pleased that you've brought him extra players. Henry's a pawn; Clara's a pawn – we've become the players: you, Hook, and I." He chuckled.
"How can you find this funny?" Emma hissed.
Steeling his eyes to look up at her, he clenched his jaw, "It isn't funny at all, but we can't let the anger cloud our judgment." He smiled. "Cool heads win games like this."
She frowned, staring at the man who went back to tapping a finger lightly against the rope. If only she had the tranquility he controlled. Settling herself against the net, she nudged him with the toe of her boot and asked quietly, "You and Clara, how long have you been travelling around in that box of yours?"
His grin was easy and she realized that this was the face of serenity – the relaxing of his brow and the softening of his eyes at the mere thought of the small woman lost in the jungle – and when he glanced up, she was surprised to see the years that had disappeared from his features. The Doctor glanced away just as quickly, realizing Emma's understanding, and uttering a simple, "A few months."
"Some few months, I take it," she huffed.
"And you," he gestured to a space beside her, "You and Captain Hook."
"Oh, we've been doing this dance for quite some time." Then she considered it and laughed, "Actually, just a few months."
"Some few months, I take it," the Doctor replied, grinning at her until she returned the appreciation for their shared situations and he slapped a hand on her boot, pulling it up to point at her, "You've got to have more faith in him. He certainly has quite a bit for you."
"How do you figure?" She asked.
He nodded knowingly, "He didn't just chase after Clara to save her – he did it with the expectation that you'd pilot his ship safely and go in after him." Then he glanced at his knees, thinking about Clara piloting his Tardis into the pocket universe. How unexpected her rescue had been and how much he knew she, and his Tardis, had been willing to sacrifice to do so.
"Well, I can't leave the idiot to fend for himself," she huffed.
The Doctor clasped his hands together, elbows rounding his knees, "No, you certainly couldn't."
They chuckled softly together and Emma considered him as his brow furrowed again, the worried expression plaguing his features as he went back to his thoughts. Thoughts, Emma could tell, that were already clouded enough without everything happening around them. Thinking about Clara, the smallest of grins occasionally breaking the look of concentration he gave the space in front of him – some memory fluttering to the surface to crack the façade.
With a frown, Emma asked, "So why did Clara become a pawn and not a player?"
"Because she's going to play mother in Pan's game," came the frustrated voice from below just a second before they heard the hard chink of a sword striking the rope holding them up. Emma managed to gasp before they went flying towards the ground, hitting it with a series of shouts and grunts.
The Doctor stood first, straight and angry as he stared at Hook with a scowl and told him plainly, "Could use a bit more tact, mate."
"Aye," Hook replied with a smile, "But what would be the fun in that?"
"What do you mean Clara's going to play mother?" Emma asked, collecting the swords and the Doctor's Sonic and quickly passing it into his open palm as he continued to glare at Hook.
Hook held the other man's gaze a moment, but Emma could tell his heart wasn't in it as he let his eyes fall to the ground before looking to her, "One of his games, pretending the Lost Boys are in need of good parentage," his eyes drifted to the Doctor before finishing, "and he's keen on your friend."
Nodding slowly, the Doctor took a sword from Emma and moved towards the jungle, slicing quickly and with purpose now and Emma jumped after him, slapping away a palm frond to grab at his elbow, but he pulled it away. "Come on, cool heads, remember," she told him quickly, feeling Hook on her heel.
The Doctor slowed to a stop, eyes closing before he turned and she could see the slight bop his head gave before he looked to her and then up at Hook, "You're right, and she's become a pawn because of me – Pan's intrigue at our sudden arrival warrants Clara and I become player and pawn. Logic decrees the choice. Misogynistic precedents, which, given Pan's origins in history and geographical location would be the psychological route he's been programmed to follow, dictate taking Clara from me would have more of an antagonistic result than taking me from her."
"Would seem the devil is right," Hook told him, eyebrow rising.
"He would be right," the Doctor responded darkly before taking a breath to look to Emma, "But cooler heads prevail," and then he asked quietly, "Killian, do you know where they've taken her?"
Nodding, he supplied, "The pool we fell into, it seemed enchanted in some way – Clara was convinced it was another portal." With an appreciative tilt of his head, he offered, "It's possible Pan's conceived a way off of this island."
"Pocket universe in a pocket universe," the Doctor allowed with a nod. "Incredibly dangerous, but it makes sense. A hiding place; also a trap," he glanced up at Hook, who was agreeing. "A trap he's set himself in, backed himself and his boys into a corner in – also dangerous," he pointed. "A caged animal fights harder for its freedom; an animal who steps into the cage for the match expects to win – his arrogance may very well be his undoing."
Emma shrugged, "Wouldn't we also be an animal stepping into a cage expecting to win."
"Yes," the Doctor told her plainly, then shook his head, "No, we'd be the animals looking to take the bait out of the cage." Then he added to her confused expression, "Henry and Clara."
"So we, willingly, jump into the trap with a caged animal," Hook started slowly with a small nod of understanding, glancing to Emma.
"Do we have much of a choice?" Emma asked, "You said your Sonic thing wasn't detecting more than us, so this makes sense, more sense than incredibly hard to come by pixie dust – Pan moved them to another place. He moved Henry, and now he's taken Clara, to this other place and we've gotta go in after them."
"He did say Henry wasn't on this island," Hook informed her softly, "But even if they're just a swim away, we've no idea what lies beyond those waters."
"Again," Emma told him firmly, "Do we have a choice?"
Clara struggled against the strong arms that held her in place, grunting roughly into the burlap still pulled over her head and she kicked to her left, striking someone who shouted out. The voice was so young it hurt her, but before she could think to apologize, something round and hard plunged into her mid-section, dropping her to the ground gasping for air and wincing in pain. Little son of o…
"Hey!" Came an angry bark, "That's not how we treat our guests, Toodles."
"She was trying…" the other boy began.
But he was cut off sharply, "No, I said no. Not her."
It was Pan's voice, she knew, and she gasped when the bag was removed from her head, cool air a shock against the sweat that covered her face and neck. Clara found herself staring into Peter's eyes, genuine concern plaguing them before he hid the emotion away, smirking as he stood and nodded his head. The rough grip at either of her arms tightened and she was pulled back to her feet with a set of coughs as she tried to regain her balance before looking over the faces.
"You really are just boys," she whispered, inhaling deeply and grimacing at the pinch in her stomach.
They laughed.
"Lost boys aren't just boys," Peter told her knowingly.
She understood that he meant they'd been there a very long time – they had years of knowledge despite their youthful faces and she could see that, for most of them, it had hardened them. With a nod, she looked to the tall blonde at her left and then over at the pudgier brunette to her right. "Where are we going?"
"Through the rabbit hole," Peter offered, then his head fell back as he huffed a laugh and corrected, "Well, that's the wrong story, isn't it." He wagged a finger, "We're going through a portal, m'lady – just as you suggested to Killian you should."
"Where is Killian?" She asked boldly. "Where is the Doctor? Emma?" Then she shouted, "Where's Henry?"
Peter paced in front of her, occasional glances in her direction as he pressed his lips together and told her coolly, "Always lots of questions from you, Poppins."
With a shake of her head, she asked, "Aren't you going to answer them?"
He stopped, coming towards her with a nod to each of the boys at her sides and they released her just as Peter slipped an arm through hers at her right, leading her forward. "Killian," he began pointedly, "Has gone back into the jungle to find the Doctor and Emma and soon enough they'll come back here," he gestured towards the lake that stood before them. "Henry's safely sleeping in his bed, though I imagine by now he's awoken to question the whereabouts of his mother."
"What?" Clara managed, turning slightly and seeing the gang of boys watching to make sure she didn't try to run and she was certain they knew how to use the weapons they carried.
Peter reached the edge of the water and smiled up at the small speckles of light beginning to swirl at its center before he lifted his other hand to lay on Clara's arm, giving her a reassuring pat, "Wasn't interested in the boy and I got so much more than I bargained for." He gave her a knowing look that chilled her heart just before the swirls of green rushed towards them and he yanked her forward into the thick of it with a laugh as Clara screamed.
