A/N: Well well, seems like I've gotten my rhythm back. Probably because we've arrived at the point of the story that I've had planned for such a long time now. There's even an impromptu TinkerHook moment. That was unplanned, but apparently I can't help myself. I just love writing Tink and Hook friendshipness.


That clever little princess. No one had ever gotten a clear shot at him before. It wasn't a very deep wound, the blood made it seem worse than it was. All the same, left unattended it could do him some damage. Pan thought back to the pirate and the way he had rushed to his mermaid's defence, he looked positively enraged. He smiled as he recalled the fire he saw burning in Hook's eyes. He wondered what on the earth the mermaid was to him and how he could use that against him in the future.

He conjured up his satchel with the pixie dust, only to find that it was empty. A puzzled look crossed Pan's face. He knew for sure he had one vial left. No... it couldn't be... An image of a fainting Wendy appeared in his mind's eye. She didn't. Did she? Dare steal from him? Oh he had underestimated the little brat. He hated to be outsmarted, by a girl no less! After a few deep breaths he gathered himself again. No matter, just another person on the list to obliterate once he'd become immortal. A list that seemed to be getting longer and longer by the minute.

Still his injury needed healing before he joined Henry on his journey to Skull Rock. A simple bandage would have to do for now. He changed his shirt as to not give away that anything had happened. He didn't need Henry asking questions, he needed him focused solely on saving magic.


Guilt. Guilt and regret. Those were the only two things on Wendy's mind and in her heart. She shifted lightly in the cage that, for once, was set down on the ground. That boy. He had no idea what kind of trap lay before him. And she helped guide him to his demise. How could she ever forgive herself for such a thing?

In the distance, several voices interrupted the deep thought Wendy found herself in. They didn't come from Pan or any of the lost boys. They came from... adults! She grabbed the bars of the crate and yelled out for help as loud as she could.

Her cries were met by a blonde woman who, when she caught sight of the caged girl, immediately rushed over to her. Then, another man emerged from the trees followed by one other. He looked so familiar, but Wendy had no idea why. She hadn't seen any adults for ages, but when he called her name, her heart almost stopped. He certainly seemed to know her.

He walked closer to her and as he said the words, her mind already knew it: it was Baelfire. He'd been alive and well all this time. He was alright. That's all she ever wished for. It was the entire reason for her journey to this island.

She watched, still stunned, as Bae grabbed a rock and smashed the lock open. The moment the door gave, she felt her muscles come back to life. She flew out of the cage into his arms. And just like that she was free.


Ariel's arms were around Hook's torso and her head rested against his chest. She had been wary of the pirate at first, but since he'd been working alongside Snow White, it appeared he wanted to help her. Beside that, she was too tired to be scared. She was too tired to be anything. She had no energy to resist or to question. There was a man here who did not try to threaten her, torture her, or get information out of her. That was all she needed to know. For now.

She tried closing her eyes a few times, but images of that awful boy flashed before her in the darkness. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes once more. How could she keep them open forever? Would the visions of him ever disappear? She took a deep breath and in doing so, a scent reminiscent of the ocean filled her nostrils. A moment of peace caused her lips to curl up ever so slightly into a smile.

For a while now they'd been walking in silence, when Ariel decided to speak up.

"Thank you... for rescuing me."

Hook looked startled and searched for words, but before he found them, Snow beat him to it.

"Oh honey how could we not. Both of us, we owe you our lives. You saved us too remember. In fact you saved me twice," Snow nodded at her, reminding Ariel of her narrow escape from Regina's clutches. She had given up her happy ending to save her.

A moment later they all heard a rustling of bushes, right in front of them. Snow, alert as always, drew her bow and arrow in a flash. Ariel held her breath and clung on to Hook tighter just as he strengthened his hold on her.

Once they saw it was only Tinkerbell who had found them, Snow stood down, however, neither Hook nor Ariel loosened their grip on the other. At the sight of the pair, Tinkerbell raised her eyebrows. Given what she knew about Pan, she hadn't expected them to find Ariel, let alone to see her old friend look so protective of her.

Holding her hands up in defence, she cracked a grin at him. "Relax, I was sent to look for you. Come on, everyone's back at the camp already."

They had strayed further than Hook had initially thought, because the walk back took them a fair bit of time. Snow was walking a few paces behind to make sure they weren't being followed. Meanwhile, Ariel had fallen asleep in his arms. She looked so peaceful.

"If I'd known you were the type of man to carry around fair maidens like a knight in shining armour..." Tink gave her friend a sly smile. "You never swept me off my feet like that," she teased some more.

Hook let out a low chuckle. He couldn't quite determine which idea was more ludicrous, Tink as a fair maiden in peril, or himself as a knight who rescued fair maidens in peril.

"Oh Lady Bell, if only you had asked."

"You'd have saved my helpless self?"

"Certainly my fair maiden."

Tinkerbell giggled softly after which a long silence fell. She glanced over at Ariel and without taking her eyes off the girl, she started to ask, "Is she...?"

Hook briefly looked sideways at the fairy and then back at Ariel. "Pan cast a spell on the bracelet that grants her her legs. She can't walk without pain."

Tinkerbell winced involuntarily. "Then why not take it off?"

"For her to be in her mermaid form would be even worse." Hook's heart rate sped up. Thinking about it made him angry all over again. "She will recover. We will find a way."

Tinkerbell sighed lightly, "Good."

Of course she had felt a slight tinge of envy when she first laid eyes on the mermaid in Hook's arms. Yes, that jealousy of hers. Though, she knew exactly what it was like to be in Pan's clutches. If he wanted to harm you, you could bank on it, he wouldn't rest until he did. Getting on his bad side could mean your end. Which was exactly why it was so dangerous for her to defy him now, by helping these people. But she only had to take one look at Ariel to know she was doing the right thing.

That boy everyone was looking for, Henry, she couldn't possibly leave him to whatever fate Pan had in mind for him. And what of Wendy... how on earth she had survived this long was a mystery to Tinkerbell. What ever it was she had done to make it through, she must have paid a very steep price for it, of that Tink was sure.

Finally they reached the others. What they walked in on was quite the sight to behold. Lost boys strewn all around the camp, appearing to be asleep. Just how Hook liked them best. He looked down at the woman in his arms and nudged her gently to wake her up. When she did, for a split second she looked disoriented and her eyes were wide with fear again. However, once the moment had passed she remembered where she was and how she got there. The fear dissipated to make room for fatigue. Ariel remained quite tired, but she did her best not to fall straight back into a slumber. Hook put her down as gently as he could on the nearest tree stump, where she wrapped the heavy leather coat around herself more tightly. They shared no glances as he departed from her.

Ariel looked around her. There were Rumpelstiltskin and the Queen. They seemed to pay her no mind, which she was quite content with. She wished to be paid no attention. Surely they'd start with the questions again, just like they were doing to a disheveled looking girl now. She must be the girl they were meant to rescue. Wendy. Ariel was glad she was okay, since she hadn't forgotten the promise she and Belle had made to her brothers.

While some nearly attacked Wendy and others mistakenly thought she'd been working for Pan, Ariel knew exactly why she was so hesitant to cross him. They both knew what he was capable of, but not many in the group seemed to understand that. They could never understand. None of them was to blame though, they were eager to find Henry and save him. Though the fear of this one boy had nearly crippled the young girl. That is why Ariel admired her even more so when she finally told them all of Pan's plans for Henry. If this whole operation fell apart, and Henry would not be saved, it'd be a fate worse than death for this girl. Not to mention everyone else. Wendy seemed to realise this as much as Ariel did, because she urged them to move quickly, to a place named Skull Rock.

In an instant the whole group was on the move. Snow and her husband left the camp to collect water from Neverland's spring. The Queen, Rumpelstiltskin, his son and Emma all left together in search of Henry. Ariel could do nothing but hope they'd not arrive too late.

Hook had volunteered to stay behind with Tink. He knew he could trust her and count on her if he needed a helping hand. The boy would be in goods hands with his family, but someone had to look after the mermaid. Ariel. She was sitting there, so still. No one had even noticed her presence. She simply and quietly beheld their every move. Every now and then a wary eye darted over the numerous lost boys. It was clear that she was still very much on guard.


Additional A/N: I have a question for you guys. I've been following the show's storyline fairly closely so far which means in a few chapters they will all return to Storybrooke and the second curse will be cast. So, question is, do we want me to kill Pan or do we want me to keep him alive?