Title:Return

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:if you don't know by now, then fail.

OMG This chapter took a frigging year to get done because my computer broke and then I was waiting to see if it could get fixed and then it couldn't so now POSTING THIS AT SCHOOL FTW! I've actually finished chapter twelve already, but at the moment I don't have a computer so it may take awhile to get posted.

Neverland

"The only person Pan's interested in saving is himself!"

"That's not true,"Henry protested valiantly, disbelief etched into every inch of his pre-adolescent features. His heart pulsed in his hand, glowing green with magic and casting an unearthly light over Pan as he moved to block Henry's view of his parents. "Of course it isn't!"he chimed in, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder;Baelfire interrupted before he could say anything more, though.

"Yes, it is,"Henry's father argued firmly, ignoring the consuming look that Pan shot, "He can't live without you dying. If you give him your heart, it's gonna kill you," "They're trying to stem your belief, Henry,"the Lost Boys' leader turned back to him, an uncharacteristically earnest expression on his tawny features that belied the dark gleam in his eyes, "But don't let them. Remember, every hero gets tested,"

Henry shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the thrumming organ in his hand and then back at his parents. "Henry,"Emma called out to him desperately, trying to get him to see reason, "I know what being a hero looks like and this isn't it,"

Pan's withering gaze fell on her next and she wavered slightly, but forced himself to stay focused. Pan wasn't going to hurt any of them-at least, not while Henry was standing right there.

"Why would they lie?"Henry asked in a pleading stage-whisper, clearly searching for guidance. He didn't know who to believe at this point, or who to trust. He was just being pulled in so many different directions.

The blonde clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Because that's what adults do, Henry,"he replied matter-of-factly, enunciating each words as if to ingrain them in Henry's mind, "You know that better than anyone,"

"Henry,"Regina interjected for a second time, causing Pan to have to refrain from rolling his eyes, "You have to believe us," "Your parents don't care about Neverland, Henry. They know if you give your heart to save it, then you'll have to stay,"the blonde rebutted as he returned to Henry's side so the boy wouldn't see the disdain on his face when he glared at the Queen, Saviour and Dark One's son, "And they're being selfish because they don't want to lose you,"

"Henry, you have to trust us-"Emma started, but Pan cut her off, "Trust? I'm the only one who's ever been honest with you, Henry. The only one who's ever believed in you,"

Henry's brain couldn't separate what was truth and what was a lie. Pan definitely believed in him if he thought he could save magic, but was he really the only one?Did his parents really not believe in their son?

He didn't want to believe that;he always wanted to believe the best of people-even Peter Pan. So when Pan told him to choose, Henry chose to trust him, turning away from his parents, thinking everything they were saying really was all lies because Pan had told him so.

The Jolly Roger

Keeping up his lie for this long had actually been a lot easier than he'd expected it to be;either the Saviour's so-called ''superpower'' was on the fritz or the pirate was just that good. Either way, Hook had Emma exactly where Pan wanted her.

Thanks to the resurrection of the shadow, the Jolly Roger was airborne once again and, thanks to Pan's magic, completely hidden from sight-along with its passengers. The midday sky rushed steadily past them in a blur of clouds and mist and he watched it without blinking, making sure to keep an eye on the direction they were headed,

Emma appeared to remember that she had been aboard his ship before because she still knew where everything was and she didn't ask him what anything was. She was definitely getting her memories, which meant everything was going completely according to plan.

They'd been traveling for several hours in silence when Emma finally decided to make conversation. She came up next to him, arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest and shoulders slightly hunched, and asked, "So how exactly are we getting to the Enchanted Forest? Doesn't that usually require some sort of portal?"

A grin tugged at the corner of the pirate's mouth at the familiar certainty in her voice. Oh yeah, her memories were definitely returning. "Well remembered, love,"he commended her before actually answering her question, "Yes, usually traveling between realms does require magic to create a portal, but fortunately for us, that isn't the case this time," He lifted his chin, pointing it at the black canvas sail over his head. "That sail has a charm on it that allows me to travel anywhere as long as I know where I'm going,"he explained truthfully.

The blonde looked up at the aforementioned sail, eyes widening fractionally in obvious surprise. "That's new,"she observed in an offhand tone, lowering her gaze to meet his again, "You didn't have that sail before, did you?"

Hook shook his head in a negative response. "Recent addition,"he supplied vaguely, aquamarine orbs flashing imperceptibly. He deliberately left out where the ''recent addition'' had come from and Emma didn't seem to feel the need to pursue the subject any further because she switched topics rather abruptly. "So, the Enchanted Forest. What can I expect to find there?Is it really full of fairy tale characters?"

"You have been there before, but yes, yes, it is,"the pirate confirmed pointedly as he continued to steer them higher into the atmosphere.

There was a brief pause before Emma posed her next question, "And my parents, are they really Snow White and Prince Charming?"she bit her bottom lip tensely, almost as if she were afraid of the answer.

She winced when Hook met her gaze without blinking and responded with an affirmative, "Yes,"

A resigned sigh left the Saviour's lips. She hadn't wanted that to be true;she'd really hoped that that memory was fake. But apparently, she had no such luck.

Inhaling deeply, Emma forced herself to put her misgivings aside and take charge of the situation again. "Okay, so where did whoever kidnapped them take them? You did say you knew where they were,"

"Oh, I know exactly where they are,"Hook said carelessly, "Finding them won't be the problem. No, the real difficulty will be getting them out,"

The Enchanted Forest

Though the royals knew that Graham was one of the ones guarding them, they hadn't seen him since he'd ordered Baelfire, Belle, the Dwarves, Ruby and her grandmother separated from them-so it was a surprise when he strode into their cellblock for a second time, once again with the Black Fairy close at his heels.

Regina spoke before either of them could, brown eyes narrowing with disdain. "What do you want now?Come to taunt us some more?Maybe make some more empty threats?"she sneered to cover up her anxiety;because the truth was, she was dreading whatever the other sorceress had planned for them with this visit. Last time, she'd split them up;what else did she have in store for the captives?

Unfortunately, they didn't have to wait long to find out.

Tamesis' kohl-lined twisted into a spiteful smirk. "Oh I assure you, Regina, none of my threats were empty,"she assured the former queen with feigned politeness. Then her smirk widened, "As for what I want, well, it looks like it's your lucky day," She turned to the Huntsman and ordered him, "Open the cell,"

As Graham and the Lost Boys hastened to obey, a frown of confusion wrinkled Snow White's ivory forehead. "You're letting us go?"she quipped disbelievingly as the iron gate was unlocked, sounding completely nonplussed.

The masked let out a soft, humourless chuckle. "No, not yet, I'm afraid,"she replied cryptically, eyes gleaming with malice. "Then where are you taking us?"Charming piped up suspiciously, gritting his teeth as his arms were wrenched painfully behind his back and he was manhandled out of the cell next to his wife and her step-mother.

He recoiled visibly when the Black Fairy materialized directly in front of him, shadow swirling around her gloved fingers as she brought her lips next to his ear. "Home,"she whispered with a mad sort of glee, frigid breath ghosting over the side of his face and causing him to have to suppress a shiver.

"Wha-?"he started to ask what she meant by that, but a grimy handkerchief was suddenly clamped over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. He thrashed, attempting frantically to dislodge it, but it was covered with some potent gas that was rapidly robbing him of his strength. A minute later, he crumpled to the ground, legs folding gracelessly underneath him and revealing his attacker standing behind him.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty,"the Huntsman bowed mockingly, pulling the grey cloth away from the prince's mouth with a slight flourish. Snow launched herself toward her, crying out in distress, but she was forced back by two of the cloaked boys flanking her. "What did you do to him?"she demanded to know, struggling futilely against her restrainers.

The Black Fairy gave another dark, sinister snicker, eyes practically glowing from within the holes in her winged mask. "The same thing he's going to do to you,"she answered flatly, an instant before Graham turned on the princess, brandishing the poisoned handkerchief.

Snow shook her head desperately, stretching it back to avoid him. "Graham, please don't!"she pleaded valiantly, but it fell on deaf ears and a second later, she slumped over next to her husband.

"Two down, one to go,"Tamesis declared lowly, her smoky jet voids locking onto Regina's bronze orbs. The former queen raised her chin challengingly. "You really think it's going to be that easy to take me down?"she shot at the other female incredulously, as if the idea were ludicrous.

The Black Fairy and her male servant shared a brief, amused look. "Of course not,"the black-haired woman scoffed dismissively, taking a deliberate step forward. Black magic sparked at her fingertips as she pressed hem against Regina's temple. "That's why I cooked up a special enchantment, just for you,"she hissed.

Regina felt the aforementioned lance through her skull like a knife and, with a strangled groan, she, too, collapsed into unconsciousness next to her companions.

Tamesis stepped away once she was satisfied that all three royals had been successfully knocked out. She locked eyes with the former Sheriff of Storybrooke and addressed him once more,"You know where Pan wants them,"

Graham inclined his head and the masked woman watched as the Lost Boys took the prisoners away, upper lip curling with unconcealed mirth.

"The game is about to change."

New Jersey, New York

Henry sat in the back of the car, arms crossed over his chest and lips pursed into a stubborn line. He couldn't believe his mom was sending him off to stay with her friends while she went off to the Enchanted Forest alone. She had said it herself:she wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for him-and now she was leaving him behind.

It was just hugely unfair, that's what it was. His mother had already begun to get her memories back, but Henry still felt like he was missing a large chunk of his. And it was definitely a very significant chunk.

His mother's friends were making an attempt to engage him in conversation, but he was too busy stewing to notice. He didn't even like the couple Emma had chosen to babysit him;they were far too strict and proper for his tastes. They didn't even have a child of their own that he could talk to or hang out with. Not that he would even if they did, though;other kids just didn't seem to like him very much for some reason.

His eyes fell shut as his thoughts drifted to the one place he did have a friend. It was a shame that he could only visit Neverland in his dreams;there, he had fun-and there was obviously magic there, too. If he were able to get to Neverland, maybe Peter could figure out a way to help him get the rest of his memories back.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but smile when he thought about his only friend. Peter was, honestly, the only thing keeping him sane in the midst of all of the recent insanity. He also seemed to be the only one who understood Henry's need to remember what he'd been cursed to forget-and his desire to believe that there was more to the world than just what he'd seen in New York and Boston. Moreover, Peter was the only one who actually seemed to believe in Henry, who beloved that he would have been an asset instead of a nuisance to Emma in the Enchanted Forest.

It was rather odd that someone he barely knew believed in him more than his own mother did, he observed ruefully.

There was more to it, though. Ever since he'd started going to Neverland in his dreams, he'd found himself growing more and more removed from the real world, to the point where he was almost desperate to leave it and go some place where the things he'd learned in Neverland wouldn't be frowned upon. Hunting, fencing, scavenging, shooting arrows, these things wouldn't really be of all that much use in New York. In a place like the Enchanted Forest, on the other hand, they wouldn't just be useful-they would be necessary for survival.

He remembered how Peter had said that his mother would let him go if she really loved him. She hadn't even given Henry a chance to plead his case, though;she'd just dumped him off with the closest people and taken off. And now Henry didn't feel loved at all;he just felt betrayed and lonely. And lost.

Henry didn't notice the two boys watching him from across the street as he got out of the car-though, that was most likely because, in their dark cloaks, they blended perfectly into the shadows of the alley.

"You were right,"the taller between them stated out of the corner of his mouth, steel-coloured eyes focused straight ahead beneath the frayed rim of his mottled grey cloak, "She did leave him behind,"

His companions let out a quiet, mirthless laugh. "Did you ever doubt me, Felix?"he commented archly, leaning back against the brick wall. There was a faint flash of acid green as he added in a smug tone, "She did exactly what adults always do:let their children down. And now all that is left will be for me to pick up the pieces,"

The shorter swivelled his head around to toss a glance at Felix over his shoulder, "You remember what you have to do while I'm away?"

Felix inclined his half-hidden head in an affirmative, "Yes,"

"Good,"the brown-cloaked boy said with satisfaction, silken lips curling into a sneer, "Because I think it's time Henry's mother learned the consequences for crossing Peter Pan,"

That was a lot shorter than I wanted it to be, but oh well. It was still good. At least, I thought it was.