AN: Reminder - This was written before the finale, so elements of Neverland are different than canon. The Shadow doesn't make a distinct appearance, and the Lost Boys are about 11-15.

Recap: Emma is trying to find the Lost Boys to find a way back to her son.

Chapter Ten - Emma:

Vegetation was constantly getting in her way, and she wished for a machete, knife, or something that would help cut through the branches and vines that blocked the path. She regretted taking Hook's advice, not sure if he sent her on a purposeful wild goose chase, or just decided to tell her a random direction. The path that once existed disappeared an hour ago, but Emma had pressed on, hoping it would re-emerge. At this point, her hope was gone, and she just didn't want to admit defeat and turn around. Another branch hit her directly in the face, and Emma cursed. Neverland was not the playful fun land that she and the other foster kids dreamed it would be. A land with no grown-ups had always appealed to those that had been hurt by adults.

She pushed through another patch of overgrowth, and her patience was finally rewarded. A gigantic tree stood isolated in a grassy clearing. A stream babbled next to the tree, reminding Emma of just how thirsty she was. She took a step forward to move towards the water, and felt her foot slip. The slip quickly became a tug around her ankle, and she found herself three feet in the air, dangling by a rope.

"Perfect. Now what?" She tried to raise herself, seeing if she could untie herself. Unfortunately, her flexibility was less than perfect, and she couldn't make it. Feeling all the blood rush to her head, she struggled against passing out. Her vision began tunneling however, and the last thing she saw was a group of teenage boys dressed in leaves and animal skin rushing towards her. Then it went black.

"Is it another Wendy bird?" a voice said quietly.

"No, Wendy-bird had dark feathers. This has light feathers," a second voice said.

"Boys, I think it is like Wendy-bird, just a different one," a third voice said.

Emma opened her eyes slowly, pressing her hand against her head to try to curb her headache. She found herself lying down on the ground, looking up at a group of boys surrounding her.

"It's waking up!" the second voice said. Emma looked around at the boys, wishing she had read more fairy tales as a kid - none of these boys looked familiar, and she couldn't even pick out Peter Pan.

"Who are you?" a brunette boy about 14 asked.

"My name is Emma. Who are you?" She instantly regretted asking the question, because it was an invitation to the boys to begin talking at once, each boy louder than the one next to him, doing nothing but increasing Emma's headache.

"One at a time. What's your name?" She pointed to a boy wearing a white collared shirt with holes everywhere.

"Nibs," he said. She went around the circle, hoping to hear the name of Peter Pan. "John," "Curly," "Don't Ask," "Peanuts," the boys all said in turn.

Emma sighed. She had been hoping to find the leader, someone who was actually responsible.

"Are you a Wendy-bird?" Don't Ask asked. Emma nodded, assuming that the boys would be gentler with someone who reminded them of a friend. At least, that's what she assumed Wendy-bird meant - Wendy Darling of the story.

"Wendy-bird! Take her to Peter!" The boys lifted together, and Emma found herself in the air again, but at least this time she was right-side up.

"Boys, put me down," Emma said. There was no reaction. "Put me down!"

"You need to go to Peter. He said anymore Wendy-birds should go to him. If it's really a Wendy-bird, it lives. Fake Wendy-birds die," Nibs said.

Emma tried to jump down, but these boys had amazingly strong grips, and soon, she was inside the tree. Natural light filtered from knot holes all around the tree, like random spotlights on a stage. High above her, she could see a small section of sky where the top of the tree was open. It would have been a beautiful, natural place, if it wasn't for the filth and smell that permeated everywhere. Piles of clothes were thrown every which way, she could see rotting food all over, and everything smelled of teenage boys who hadn't taken a proper shower ever! The only spaces that looked remotely clean were piles of blankets in various corners of the tree, designating each boys' sleeping area.

"What do you have boys?" a new boy asked. His brown eyes twinkled joyfully, and his dark brown hair stuck every which way, short patches among the long spiky style. Emma guessed his age to be about 15, making him the oldest of all the boys.

"It said it's a Wendy-bird," Curly said.

The playful look in the boy's eyes disappeared, taken over by a steely gaze. "That's not Wendy. Wendy closed the window," Peter said.

"Does that mean we get to shoot it?" John asked.

"Do what you want," Peter said.

"Wait! You can't kill me just because I'm not Wendy," Emma said.

Peter turned harshly, staring directly into her eyes. Her resolve wavered slightly; she had seen grown men with less fire than this boy.

"Can you do something for us?" he asked.

Emma thought through her useful skills, but being able to spot a liar and knowing how to shoot a gun didn't exactly seem like the type of things Peter or the Lost Boys would be interested in. She saw what the boys really needed, and only over exaggerated slightly as she said, "I can cook, clean..."

"Let's keep her Peter. Please?" Peanuts asked. The other boys seconded the motion, pleading that they hated cleaning.

"Do you tell stories?" Peter asked.

"Uh, sure," Emma said.

"We have a new mother!" John said. The other boys cheered along. Emma thought maybe this wasn't such a great decision. She was already unprepared and failing at being a mother to her own son, could she really attempt to raise six more? Especially wild ones like these? The only thing that stopped her from running away right then and there was that the alternative was worse. But maybe she could get something out of these boys.

"If I do something for you, you should do something for me," Emma said.

"What do you want?" Peter asked.

"I need a way to get home. Do you have any fairy dust or anything?"

Peter jumped into the air and flew towards Emma, stopping right above her and hovering there, forcing her to tilt her head all the way back in order to see him. "No one leaves Neverland, you hear me? You will stay here and be our mother forever!"

Emma realized just the situation she had gotten herself into. She couldn't let Peter and the Lost Boys get attached to her, or they would once again feel the sharp pain of abandonment that she shared all too well. Was it fair for her to even begin working with them? Then again, if they knew that this was temporary from the start, no one would be truly hurt, right?

"I won't do anything unless you promise to help me find a way back to my world."

Emma and Peter stared at each other for a long while, neither backing down.

"I have a son, a little younger than you. I need to go back and be a mother to him. You wouldn't want to take a mother away from another boy, would you?"

"He can come here, and we can all have a mother!" Peter said.

Emma didn't know if there was any way she could win this argument. Maybe the only thing she could do was what she was best at - running. "Alright, I will stay."

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