A/N: I feel super bad about never updating, so here's another, longer chapter!
For a long time, Wendy had not been afforded the luxury of knowing that Tinkerbell was alive. For a long time, she had even believed her to be dead.
And she had believed this to be her fault.
So, what does one do, then, when one finds out that one's best friend- a friend who was tortured before your eyes, for you, because of you, because she was, to her core, your friend- so, so much later, stood living and breathing in front of you in the dead of night, chaperoned by the damaged boy who had done the torturing and hiding in a hut made of wood?
Apparently, Wendy thought, one stands frozen on the spot, mouth slightly agape, hands stiff by their sides where they should be raised and spread, anticipating an embrace, welcoming one. Reuniting with Tinkerbell was something that Wendy had only dreamed of. And she had dreamed it to be painful, angry, wonderful, warm. She had not expected it to be… awkward.
Guilt. That, she had been expecting. Guilt, as she noted the pale cheeks and shadowed eyes, the mess of hair, tear stains that told tales. All in Wendy's wretched name.
"It's… good to see you," Tinkerbell muttered, trying to make eye contact.
"Tinkerbell," Wendy said, and then she did not say anything else.
"It's been a long time," Tinkerbell said, when the silence grew too uncomfortable for either of them to ignore.
"Since we last saw each other?" Wendy suggested. She heard the quiver in her own voice. "Tinkerbell, what happened to you that day…"
"It wasn't your f-" Tinkerbell began passionately-
"I didn't know if you survived or not," she said bluntly.
"Oh." Tinkerbell dropped her eyes to the ground.
"Yeah." She folded her arms, looked away. "So…"
"I… Pan healed me."
"He told me he did that," Wendy said, expressionless. "I didn't believe him. Not after everything he's done. I didn't believe him. But look at you. Not a scar on you." Not that Wendy was looking at her. She couldn't bring herself to look at her.
"Wendy? Are you alright?" Tinkerbell took a step forward, eyes flitting over Wendy's face, widening, like they were concerned by what they saw. Not horrified, not angered, not scared.
Bloody concerned.
"Am I alright?" Wendy said, and she started to laugh. "You…you're asking me that question? That's rich, Tinkerbell, that is so rich of you." And then she started to cry. And she kept her face firmly angled away as she choked on her words. "You stole my line."
It seemed that Wendy was not the only one who was frozen on the spot, for Tinkerbell remained where she was, standing stiffly, uncomfortably, as she watched Wendy cry.
"I said it first," she said, voice tiny.
"Well, I thought it first," Wendy sobbed, and for a moment the other girl said nothing in return; just a tinkling laugh that died as quickly as it began.
"Well, I'm alright," Tinkerbell said, voice thick. "Are you?"
"Yeah?" Wendy sniffed.
"Good."
"Good."
And then all at once, Tinkerbell had crossed the floor and Wendy was hugging her like maybe she wanted to kill her. And she did. Oh, she almost wanted to kill her for being alive when Wendy believed she was dead.
"I don't mean to interrupt." It was Felix, darting in from where he was crouched, on the lookout for trouble. "But you don't have much time."
Wendy shot Felix a venomous look that he did not entirely deserve before she took heed of his words.
"I want to tell you everything that I planned to tell you," Wendy admitted. "Like how sorry I am, and how stupid you were to stick up for me because you are still not off the hook for that- and how happy I am you're alive, and like what the hell happened to your hair?-, but Felix, on this rare occasion, is right. I have something else I have to tell you tonight, something important. I promise that when I've done what I have to do, I'll come back to tell you the rest."
"Tell me what you need to tell me," Tinkerbell said fiercely. "And I'll hold you to that- because we have a hell of a lot of catching up to do. But first, tell me why Felix seems to think that we're somehow getting off this island?"
"I've got it, Tink," Wendy said. "I have a way. You can fly us out of here, Tink, and this time Pan won't be there to stop us. I'll make sure he's preoccupied. But I need you to help me do it." And by preoccupied, she meant dead, of course, but she wasn't about to say that with Felix standing around the corner.
"What can I do?" Tinkerbell said shortly, not questioning a thing, because that was what support felt like, and that was what a friend felt like.
"The Believer didn't come here alone. Captain Hook has returned- and there are others with him. He'll listen to you. I need you to find out how he got here- maybe he could help us escape. But most of all, I need you to make sure that his friends aren't going to be a problem for us. Let them know we mean them no harm."
"Of course." Tinkerbell nodded. "I can do it later tonight, even. I may hide away, but I am quite the competent spy, as I'm sure you'll remember." There was just a hint of pride in her voice, and Wendy nearly did smile.
"Wendy," Felix's hiss came again, this time, urgent. "Pan's headed towards your place. Now."
"Of course he is," she said bitterly. She stepped back from Tinkerbell, albeit reluctantly. "Find Hook. Tell him- tell him I said 'hello'."
"I will. And Wendy?" Tinkerbell said. "Give my regards to Pan."
This time, Wendy did smile, though it wasn't a very nice one.
"You can count on it."
"I need you to do something for me," was what Pan said when he opened the door to Wendy's haven without knocking.
"Teach you some manners?" she suggested lightly, trying to control the heavy breathing that usually accompanied teleportation magic. She had only had a few seconds recovery time before he had opened the door. If she hadn't made it back in time… but there was no use dwelling on it.
"Hilarious, Darling." He said, crossing his arms. "No, I have somebody I want you to meet."
"The Believer?" she raised her eyebrows.
"You already knew he was here?" he said, looking impressed. "Ah, you can sense his magic too. How strong your magic is becoming."
"I just hope he remembers to knock when he arrives," Wendy said, looking over his shoulder. "Or did he come here with you?"
"He'll be along in a moment," Pan said airily. "And quite simply, Darling, lovely as you are, I cannot have you meet him as…yourself, per say."
"As myself? And who would you like me to meet him as?"
"Henry needs to believe- but not in me. No, this is a boy who needs to believe in himself. It's obvious- the way he speaks, the way he reacted when I told him he was destined for greatness. This is a boy who surrounds himself with heroes but does not believe himself to be one. He needs to believe he's a hero. I need him to see why giving me his heart is the way to do that."
"You could tell him the truth," Wendy suggested, unable to keep the cynicism from her voice.
"Or he could come in here and find you, a bed-ridden girl- sick, dying, and under my care, dependent upon me- Neverland- for survival. Innocent, kind, that sort of thing. I need you to pretend that to be that girl. Can you do that?" He was too close to her again, but these days, he always was.
"Can I? Your lack of faith wounds me," she smirked at him.
"I'm not doubting your ability. Merely your conviction. You've had moral objections to my plans before," he said, serenely. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."
It stung her more than his insults, his threats, ever could. This kindness, this show- for a show was all it was, all it could be- of pretending that he cared for her consent.
He did not care to seek my permission when he unleashed hell on my brothers, she told herself.
"This is about your life," she said, and she met his eyes when she did. "How could I have moral objections?"
Of course, she dropped her eyes before she could see his own gaze soften; the smile that made him look almost human.
"What would I do without you, Darling?" he said, before he drew a finger to his lips and motioned towards the door. It was time for him to disappear.
What would you do without me?
Probably, kill the Truest Believer.
This ticket to freedom. As Wendy threw herself into her bed, messing up her hair, closing her eyes, she couldn't help but feel intrigued. Henry, Pan had called him. The little boy who wanted to play hero. It was about time that they met.
"Tinkerbell?" Hook's sword-hand was shaking in his haste to drop his weapon. He hadn't changed much, she mused. Same old outfit. Same hair. Companions? Not so much. He had traded Smee and the crew for a couple of do-gooders, a dark haired woman whose power Tinkerbell could practically taste in the air, and a blond whom Hook seemed all too preoccupied with before Tinkerbell decided to reveal herself to the group. All in all, they didn't seem like his type of travel companions. They were not scarred, tattooed, covered in leather. Who knew how different a man he was, now? Who knew if he would even help her?
"Captain," Tinkerbell said cautiously. "You remember me?"
"Don't be daft, love. 'Course I remember you. I'm just so glad to see you alive and well," he said, with a grin that had her taken aback.
"I could say the same thing," she said, unable to keep herself from smiling at him now. "Don't get me wrong, I was happy when I heard that you were able to finally leave this place. I had not thought I would ever see you again."
"I hate to interrupt what I'm sure is a very touching reunion here," it was the woman with the dark magic. And what power it was. Tinkerbell was almost envious. "But would you mind telling us who this unfortunate creature is, and how it is that you two know each other?"
"Regina, there's no need to be rude," the woman with short, dark hair and a smile a little too bright put in, and she flashed that smile at Tinkerbell now. "I'm sorry. We're all a bit on edge right now. My name's Mary Margaret. You're… Tinkerbell? How do you know Hook? You're a-fairy, aren't you? It's just, one wouldn't typically associate fairies with pirates."
"I am," Tinkerbell said, pleased. "But, it might also be obvious that I'm not your typical fairy."
"What happened, you got rejected from Fairy School so you thought you'd try your hand at piracy?" the woman- Regina, Tinkerbell reminded herself- spoke up again, eyebrow raised.
"In a nutshell?" Tinkerbell said. "No, I… I've lived here for a long time. Longer than I can remember. It's the only home I've ever known. In my time here, Hook was one of the few people I came to call a friend." She gave him a grateful smile.
"You know this island well, do you?" Regina said, exchanging a look with the blond. A weighted one. "More so than the pirate."
"I suppose you could say that."
"And that makes you my new best friend," Regina gave her a grin that wasn't entirely pleasant, but wasn't entirely bad. This, Tinkerbell sensed, was not an evil woman. But from the way the others treated her- the way that they eyed her, stood slightly aside- alerted her to this woman's capabilities. Perhaps, her history. What had she walked into here?
"Because you can help us find where Pan has taken our son," the blond one spoke, at last, and her voice was quiet, but that did not mean that it was not strong. And she wasn't smiling. Her mouth was pressed in a tight line, like she didn't have the luxury of smiling at strangers or making friends.
"Your son?" Tinkerbell said, bewildered for a moment. "You don't mean… oh goodness. I suppose it'd be silly to assume he didn't have family…"
"You know about this? Do you know where the boy is?" Hook asked her, an intensity in his voice. He stepped closer to her. "Love, it is great to see you, but this is very important. Their son, he's been kidnapped by Pan. And you and I both know how this could end." He said the last part quietly, meant only for her ears.
"So his name is Henry," Tinkerbell said slowly, and she raised her eyes to meet the blond woman's; the one with the fire in her eyes. "Your son. I'm sorry. I don't know much. But I do know that Pan believes your son to be the Truest Believer. He thinks that your son is the key to saving magic- to saving this island. And he has been looking for him for a very long time. I don't know much else. But I do know one thing. One thing that you'll all have to understand if you want to save Henry." She glanced at them, this mismatched crew of Hook's. She had their full attention now, and there was not a single face that was not full of concern, anticipation, hope. Perhaps this boy truly possessed some kind of magic, she thought, to bring such different people together. "Pan is not going to let him go easily. He will be expecting a fight- he'll be looking forward to it. He likes games, but he only plays to win. And he may look like a child… but you cannot let that make you underestimate him."
"Aye," Hook said grimly. "Tinkerbell's right. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon. Don't give him the benefit of the doubt. If you have a shot, you take it." He was directing this at Mary Margaret and the man at her arm.
"We'll do what it takes to get Henry back," he said, casting an assured look at the blond. "There's no need to worry about that, Emma."
"Can you help us, Tink?" Hook asked. "If there's anything you can do-"
"I would like to," she said. "Really. But I actually had another reason for coming here, to talk to you. It's Wendy."
At that, Hook looked up, incredulous. "Wendy Darling?" There was a rough edge to his voice that smelled like guilt.
"She's been Pan's prisoner." Tinkerbell had lived through too much to sugarcoat anymore. Hook paled, cursed under his breath. "Since you left. But with the arrival of the Truest Believer, Pan is distracted. We think that we might be able to take this opportunity to escape."
"Running off at the expense of my son?" Regina said, unimpressed.
"Wendy needs to get out of here," Tinkerbell snapped. "You have no idea how long she's been trapped on this island. It's not ideal that a boy gets exploited in the process, but that was inevitable. At least this way, maybe something good can come of it. All we ask is that you know that we're not here to harm you. That you don't intervene with the plan. That includes not harming Felix- he's a Lost Boy who's on our side."
"Felix? That bastard is working against Pan?" Hook whistled. "Things have changed in my absence."
"What if we can do better?" Emma said slowly.
"What do you mean, 'better'?" Regina said cynically. Hook cast her a look.
"What is it, Emma, love?" he said, more gently than Tinkerbell thought him capable of.
Emma barely gave him a second glance as she continued.
"Okay, we want to get Henry back, right? And you want to get out of here. I think we can help each other out," at Regina's look, she went on, "look, clearly Tinkerbell knows more about Neverland than any of us-"
"Not offended at all, just so you know," Hook said gruffly.
"- if you'd be willing to help us find where Pan's got Henry, we would be so grateful. But you don't want grateful, right? I mean you've been stuck here, without hope, for god knows how long, and I know what that feels like. No, you want something else. A promise, then. Safe passage out of here with us. I promise you, none of us want to stick around here for very long. If we can help it, we'll be out of here in a few days. If you help me get my son back, I promise, we will take you back with us, the same way we came- with the Jolly Roger. We'll welcome you and this- Wendy- to our hometown." Every word was genuine, earnest. There was no doubting her sincerity. And yet-
"That sounds lovely," Tinkerbell said kindly, "it does. But you don't know Pan like I do. He doesn't lose. And we can't afford for him to catch us and find out our plan before we've left."
"That doesn't sound very fairy-like," Regina said sharply, stepping in front of Hook to look Tinkerbell in the eye. She was beautiful, Tinkerbell noticed. The kind of beautiful that can only come with the kind of fierceness, the anger, ebbing from Regina at that very moment.
"And that sounds more like an insult than it sounds like you wanting my help," she replied coolly.
"How dare you?" Regina said. "Just so we're clear, Tinkerbell, I don't care if you don't think you can handle a boy King who owns an island. I am a woman who owned a kingdom, and my people- my own people- called me Evil Queen. I know how to be someone feared by everyone, I can match this Boy and his Neverland, and I know that they can be beaten, like I was beaten. And there is nothing- nothing- that will keep Peter Pan safe from me until Henry is back with his family where he belongs. Do you understand that, fairy?" she hissed the last word, breath hot on Tinkerbell's neck.
"I understand," she said, taking a step forward. "Evil Queen. I hope you're as powerful as you say you are. I hope you're as ruthless." Because earnest words and promises and good intentions were wonderful. But this was Neverland, and this was Peter Pan. You needed an Evil Queen to bring him down, even for a second. Even for long enough to free two captives and bring them home.
"I am." Regina said.
Tinkerbell nodded, and then she addressed the group as a whole, all waiting in silence for her reply.
"Then yes. Yes, I will help you find your son."
"Rescuing the Boy was not part of the plan," Felix said tightly. "Not the one I agreed to. We need him to save Neverland, I won't stand for this."
"My plan. It wasn't part of my plan," Wendy reminded him, her arms folded. "I wasn't expecting this either." After playing her role in meeting Henry- a boy whose wide-eyed trust would have been patronising were it not so damn genuine- Felix had come to her side, uneasy and tense at the news. Cue the meeting at dark , in an entirely different section of forest so as not to draw suspicion, and a myriad of protective spells surrounding the three, should Pan or one of his Boys approach unexpectedly. Spells that Wendy was getting rather good at.
"What was I supposed to say? That poor mother," Tinkerbell burst. "I'm sorry if this complicates things, I am. But isn't this better? We have a witch on our side- a powerful one. We have Hook. What's the harm in getting more unwilling prisoners off this island while we're at it?"
"The harm is that we get caught this way," Wendy snapped. "We don't get off the island- nobody does. The boy was to be our escape. He was supposed to be the distraction, while we got away. If you think Pan's going to be taking his eyes of Henry for a second-"
"We'll find a way," Tinkerbell said earnestly. The look she gave Wendy was enough to hurt. Her eyes were wide with surprise; perhaps even disappointment. "I don't know what you've been through being his prisoner through all this time. But I know what I have, and I know that I am desperate to get out of here. But we can't… we can't shut everything out. We can't shut empathy out completely, or we'd be like him. You taught me that. We'll just have to make sure Pan's isolated… trap him, somehow. Like-"
"Like in the Echo Cave," Wendy said thoughtful. "But he told me so long ago that the island knew his secrets already. It was no trap for him."
Tinkerbell looked crestfallen.
"That…" Felix hesitated. "That might not be true anymore."
Wendy and Tinkerbell shot him a look, then.
"Explain. Now," Wendy said testily.
Felix looked at his feet, then back at them, looking quite uncomfortable indeed.
"Recently… Pan requested that we bring a prisoner into the Echo Cave."
"Prisoner?" Tinkerbell asked.
"Get to the part where we can trap Pan there," Wendy said impatiently. "If you please."
Felix swallowed hard. "He requested that we do it. Pan doesn't do that. Not when it comes to the Echo Cave. It's too much of a bother- us having to go in, reveal our secrets, then leave again. Besides, if they're important enough to subject to the Cave, he likes to do it himself. You know how he is," he added reluctantly. "But not this time."
"So you're saying that he has a secret? Something the island doesn't know?" Tinkerbell said.
"Or something that he doesn't want the island to know," Wendy breathed, heart beating faster.
"I think he can't go in there anymore. Not without revealing something that he doesn't want to reveal," Felix said, his every word glum, like he desperately wished he was not saying what he was saying.
"You must really want me out of here," Wendy mused, eyeing him with a grin. "To tell us all of this confidential business."
Felix didn't say anything; merely shifted on his feet.
"Very well, then. I suppose we have our way. Leave it to me to get him to the Cave. Tinkerbell, I leave it to you to work with Hook and his companions. Tell them that we get to rescue their kid. They'll be thrilled, I'm sure. And tell his mother," she added, "that she raised him well. The boy has refreshing manners. You'll Find the boy, and get to the Jolly Roger. I will meet you there, once I know he's trapped." Once I know he's dead.
"You've met him?" Tinkerbell said, surprised. Felix, too, was frowning at her.
"Pan put me up to it," Wendy shrugged. "Who was I to refuse his majesty?"
Tinkerbell gave a dry laugh.
"I'll let them know," Tinkerbell said. She smiled. "I told you we would find a way. How difficult was that?"
"We were just lucky that Pan asked Felix to deliver the prisoner to the Echo Cave," Wendy said, but there was warmth in her tone. "Speaking of, this prisoner," she turned to Felix. "Anyone we should know about?"
"Funny you should ask," he said. "I believe you both are familiar with Baelfire."
"Bae?" Wendy breathed, frozen for a moment. "Do you…Baelfire is here?"
"A little older," Felix said distastefully. "I'm sure. But yes."
"After all the work I did to get him out of here," Tinkerbell said sadly.
"I have to see him," Wendy said adamantly, wildly. "If he's really back, I have to."
"Sure thing. Just drop by the Echo Cave," Felix said sarcastically.
"Why didn't you tell us it was him?" she demanded, suddenly furious.
"You didn't exactly give me the chance," he replied.
"He's right, though," Tinkerbell said heavily. "If Baelfire is in the Echo Cave we can't do much for him now. I'll find Hook. We'll see what we can do next. Perhaps we can find a way to free Baelfire, Henry, and you," she said, turning away, closing her eyes, reaching her magic outwards to see if she could sense Hook's presence.
"I'll come with you." It was Felix. There was a surprise.
Tinkerbell glanced over her shoulder at him, puzzled. Wendy had stopped what she was doing, too, a warning look on her features.
"Will you?" Wendy said sharply, and the look on her face let Felix know that she hadn't forgotten how Tinkerbell had suffered at Felix's hand before.
"I've just supplied you with, as you put it, highly confidential information. Now you don't trust me?" he retorted, and Wendy opened her mouth to argue, but,
"It's alright," Tinkerbell said firmly. "I can handle myself."
What seemed like gratitude settled in Felix's eyes, and he nodded a farewell to Wendy, ignoring the daggers she continued to send his way.
"I'll see you both very soon, I expect," she said to their retreating forms.
Tinkerbell continued walking, slightly ahead of Felix, and she did not slow down and wait for him to catch up- not that he seemed particularly interested in catching up. After a few minutes of walking in silence, he had slipped even further behind her.
"Why are you coming with me?" Tinkerbell asked eventually, because the question was nagging at her. "You're not going to reveal yourself as a double-agent, are you?"
"No," he said simply.
"Then… why?" she did stop, then, waiting for him to catch up. His hood had fallen over his face, and you could barely see his scars in the dark. He looked almost… sad.
"Do you know the stories the Lost Ones tell about you? The fairy who betrayed Pan?"
"I gather they're quite entertaining," she said dryly.
"It doesn't matter if Pan healed you, or if he made everybody forgive Wendy. You're not under his protection the way she is. And if they found you alone in the dark, they wouldn't act kindly."
Tinkerbell shivered. "Hypocrites," she hissed. "Who are they to make out like we're the monsters if that's the way that they behave?"
"Worse," Felix answered matter-of-factly. "They aren't boys, they're creatures."
"And you're walking with me to protect me from them?" Tinkerbell said, a softness to her voice now. When he said nothing, she said, "You're better than they are. What I said before, about empathy-"
"I remember," Felix said. "And you believe that Wendy has lost hers. At least in part."
Tinkerbell nodded. "You've retained yours, haven't you?"
He shook his head. "I never had much to do with empathy."
"Don't say that."
"It's the truth," he said bitterly. "Never had anybody to feel empathetic for."
"Your scar," Tinkerbell said, and Felix stiffened. "I won't ask you what happened. I'll never ask," she said hastily.
"I should have known better," he admitted roughly. "I shouldn't have done what I did to you. That was… when I realised that I had to do better. That I'd grown cold. And that he had."
"Because he wasn't always," Tinkerbell said, knowing who he was talking about, though he had not said Pan's name. "Was he?"
"No, he wasn't," he sniffed.
"Come with us."
Felix started.
"You don't have to decide right now," Tinkerbell said calmly. She had stopped walking completely now, and took a step towards him. "But consider the offer. I think it might be good for you to be away from him, and I think you know that."
"How could you possibly know-" he began hotly.
"I used to care about him too," she reminded him, and he stopped short, staring at her in disbelief. He had not come here intending to speak so honestly with the fairy whom he had had all but one non-hostile encounter with. But instead of feeling like he'd said too much, he felt relief.
"Think about it," she smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I can hear the mother's voice now from through those trees. I think they'll respond better to me than to the two of us, don't you?"
Sorry about the formatting, guys, it's gone all weird :(. I'll try to update a lot faster and finish this story up soon! Reviews are so very much appreciated I can't even say- in particular, I was worried about the part with Team "Operation Cobra Rescue" in it- I kinda suck at writing multiple complicated and opinionated characters all in the same scene. How'd I do? Any tips at how I could improve at that?
Thanks for reading, as always :).