Disclaimer: If I owed OUAT, it would be back on already, instead of waiting until March (sigh).
This was it.
He was sure of it. It had taken Bae so long to find this place, but he was sure he had found it.
Pan's shadow had dropped him off in the middle of nowhere, leaving him to fight for his own food and water. He had to resort to stealing food from stores and sleeping in the streets, sometimes being taken in by shelters.
Once, he would have been startled by things like cars, phones, and electricity, but Jess had explained all of those things to him before...before she helped him get out.
It had been almost two months since he got out, but he still felt an ache every time he thought of his friend who was trapped in Neverland. He had no idea if she was safe, or if she was in danger. For all he knew, she was dead.
And he was never going to see her again. He was never going to know what became of the girl who had pretty much become his sister.
Part of him wanted to go back, just to see her again, or get her out. But that would be pointless. Getting Jess out of Neverland was sentencing her to death. But, knowing she was still back there, trapped under Pan, made him wonder if there was any other solution. Any other way to get her out of that realm without her dying.
But, he knew there wasn't. His sister was trapped, forever, while he walked free.
It wasn't fair.
She was the one who had looked out for him all those years. Sure, he had kept her safe when she was forced to drink the water. But she was the one who had handed herself over to Pan for him. She was the one who had risked her safety to sneak out, and make sure he was alright. She was the one who saved him from death, and got him out of Neverland.
She should have been able to leave with him. She should have been able to get out, and be free. Instead, she was still trapped, and either at Pan's mercy, or on the run from him and the Lost Boys. She, who had done so much for Bae, was still trapped, and he could do nothing to repay her.
Except for this one thing.
It had taken him ages to find the address. Since he was living on the streets, no one was quite willing to help him find Abby. He had to resort to the people who guarded the realm...Jess had called them police. Anyway, he had to ask them for help, pretending Abby was his sister, and he needed a place to stay. It wasn't exactly a lie. Jess was his sister, and that made Abby his little sister as well. And, had it all worked out, had Jess been able to escape, she told him he would stay with her family.
None of the police knew who Abby was, until an older one had recalled the name "Lancaster" from what he had called a "cold case." He had told Bae to wait for a few minutes, which had promptly turned into several hours. He returned, later, with a file, that talked about a seventeen year old girl disappearing, without a trace, although the little sister had claimed she had been kidnapped. The man assured Bae that the family still lived in that house, and gave him the address. Luckily, Bae was in the right city.
That was all Bae had needed.
He had to steal money for food, and to get to the address. Any other time, he would have felt horrible, and would have found some other way. But he had promised Jess he would do this. It was the equivalent of her dying wish. He had to fulfill it, no matter the cost.
So, here he was now, at the address. Just a door stood between him, and delivering her message.
Bae felt his heart thumping, as he prepared to knock.
What if Abby didn't recognize him from all those years ago? What if she wasn't home? What if she thought it was a lie?
Just do it, he told himself. You owe Jess that much.
With a deep breath, he knocked on the door. For a few seconds, there was silence, and Bae was afraid that no one was home.
What should he do? Wait? Come back later?
Before he could think further into it, the door swung open, revealing a woman, who had to be at least in her mid-forties. She had the same hair and eye color as Jess. She was taller than Bae, only by a few inches (he had been getting taller ever since he left Neverland), and she smiled kindly at him. She had the same smile as...
Oh, gods, this was Jess's mother.
Bae almost felt his heart plummet. Her mother. Jess's mother.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked, sounding pretty friendly.
Bae couldn't believe it. The woman was dressed in what was probably tasteful clothes in this realm, and she obviously was doing well for herself. She obviously held herself up with a confidence that reminded Bae of Jess. And her eyes were...happy. They weren't exhausted, or angry, or frustrated, like Bae had expected.
Jess had always spoke of her mother with a hint of bitterness, because she had left Jess to practically raise Abby. She had been too absorbed with her work, with her clients, with anything except her daughters.
But, from what Bae could tell, this woman looked like someone who drank in the joy of life as much as possible.
"Are you alright?" she asked, a little concerned. "You look a little pale."
Bae blinked, and swallowed. He had to deliver the message. For Jess.
"Er, I'm looking for Abby," he said, forcing the words out. "I was told she lived here."
The woman nodded, and opened the door a little wider.
"Come in," she said, opening her arm in an inviting gesture. "She's just-"
"Mom, who is it?"
Bae looked over to see a girl coming around to see what the fuss was about.
His heart missed a beat.
For a second, he thought he was looking at Jess again. She looked exactly like her. But, as he looked closely, he could see traces of the sweet little girl who he had met all those years ago. The one person Jess wanted to see most, more than life itself.
Abby.
She wore a sleeveless, grey tank-top-that's what Jess called them, right- and dark blue pants. Around her neck, was a silver chain. Her hair was pulled back, and...she looked just like Jess.
She looked over Bae, and her eyes flashed with something Bae couldn't decipher. But, it passed as quick as it came.
"Abby, is this a friend from school?" asked her mother, nodding to Bae.
For a moment, Bae was scared that she had forgotten. That she would say that he was mad, and tell him to get out. But, Abby just nodded, and smiled.
"Yeah," she said. "I actually forgot to tell you. He's here for that Junior and Freshman classes working together project. You know, the one I mentioned last week? I'm sorry, I totally forgot to mention he was coming."
Her mother blinked, but nodded.
"Oh," she said, "so, I should probably go to the store on my own then?"
"Yeah, sorry," replied Abby, sheepishly. "It slipped my mind that he was coming. But, he should be heading home soon."
At that, she flashed Bae a pointed look, which confused him. What was she saying about heading home? What did she mean?
Her mother just nodded, and smiled at her.
"I'll get going then," she said, grabbing a small bag that sat on a nearby table. "Study hard, you two. And, I'm sorry, hon, I didn't catch your name…"
Bae blinked, realizing she was talking to him. He hadn't noticed that he had been staring at Abby the entire time.
Jess had said Baelfire was a strange name in their land. What was a regular name she had mentioned...
"Neal," he replied, saying the first thing that had popped into his head.
Neal, where had Jess mentioned that one? He knew she had, but he couldn't remember where.
"Neal," said the mother, nodding. "I'm Abby's mother, but you can just call me Sally."
She held out her hand, to shake. The gesture was familiar enough that Bae could shake her hand, smiling.
"Nice to meet you," he said, unable to convey what he truly felt.
This was Jess's family. Her family. And, she wasn't here. She wasn't here to see them again.
"You too," replied Sally, smiling.
With that, she blew a kiss to Abby, and walked out the door. Abby followed her to the doorstep. Her posture was casual enough, but Bae could tell she was looking warily at him.
Did she recognize him? Was she wondering where Jess was, and why it was him here, and not her sister?
"Bye, Mom," she called, as Sally walked to the car that sat outside. "Love you."
With that, she closed the door, and locked it. She turned to look at Bae.
Bae wasn't sure what he was expecting, but angry was certainly not part of it. She waited, however, until the sound of her mother driving away. As soon as she was sure her mother was gone, before he could say anything, she leapt into action.
In one swift movement, she pounced on Bae, forcing him away from the door, and pinning him against the wall. In a second movement, she pulled out a small knife from the pocket of her pants, and held the blade against his throat, her other arm holding him down.
Bae was so stunned, that he wasn't sure how to react. He definitely hadn't been expecting this.
"Abby, wait," he said, trying to get out of her grip. "Listen-"
"No," snapped Abby. "You listen. I don't know who you are, or what you think your mission is. I have told your boss a hundred times that I am done. Tell Pan-or the Home Office, whatever he calls it- that I am through with him. I told him long ago that I was done doing his dirty work, and my answer still is the same as it has always been.
"I am not his little minion anymore, and I am through with working for him. Now, I'm going to tell you the same thing I've told the others, so you better listen closely: tell Pan to leave. Me. Alone!"
Bae wasn't sure what she meant, but he still struggled. But, from what he could tell, she was saying that...wait…
Was she saying that Pan had contacted her? That he had sent people after her, trying to get her to join him?
"Abby, you don't understand," he protested. "I'm not a Lost Boy. I'm not working for Pan."
"That's what the last two said," she replied, clearly not believing him. "I'm pretty good at seeing through lies, you know."
Well, Bae thought. Clearly not good enough, because I'm not lying.
He had to get her to trust him. To make her realize he was a friend. That he needed to deliver Jess's message.
"You know me," he protested. "When you came to Neverland-"
She snarled, and her arm pinned him even harder. Her eyes were full of hatred, that Bae would have looked away if he wasn't so focused on trying to reach out to her.
"I remember coming to Neverland all too well," she hissed, through clenched teeth. "I remember the shadow's grip on my wrist as it dragged me out of my own room, and threw my sister against the wall. I remember being afraid of your precious leader as he told me that I may be living in Neverland forever. I remember my despair, how I thought that I was trapped forever, as Pan had me tied up.
"The hope I had when my sister came from me. How I almost lost her. How the shadow took me back, and I didn't even get to say good-bye to my sister. I was only seven, and I remember. Unfortunately, my memories of the Lost Boys are fuzzy, so forgive me if I don't remember you among of one of Pan's brainwashed soldiers!"
She shouted the last words at Bae and a hint of spittle flew out of her mouth.
She thought he was a Lost Boy. He had to tell her something. Something to make her trust him. He quickly racked his brain, thinking of something that she, and not a Lost Boy would know.
"I'm not a Lost Boy," he said, looking pleadingly at her, hoping she would believe him. "I'm Baelfire. You met me, when you came to Neverland in your dreams."
Abby blinked, and for a second, Bae thought she recognized him. But then, she pressed him even harder, and still glared distrustfully at him. But, for his part, the distrust had decreased by a margin.
"Prove it," she muttered. "Prove that you're someone I can trust."
He didn't even have to search for the answer. He knew exactly what he had to say.
"Jess," he whispered, quietly. "she was reading you a book right before she was taken. She finished it when you came in a dream. She told me, it was about a silver chair."
Abby stared at him for a moment, and he watched the distrust give way to relief, recognition, and...pain.
"Bae," she murmured, lowering the knife and her arm. She stepped back, and silently pocketed the knife.
Bae looked at her in confusion. She remembered his nickname. That meant that she remembered him, from when she visited in her dreams.
"You remember?" he asked, instinctively massaging where she had held him down.
"Yeah," she replied quietly, not meeting his eyes. "I never forgot. You were supposed to be my brother, remember?"
Bae nodded, unsure of what to do. She knew him, yet she attacked him. She mentioned Pan and the Lost Boys. What had she meant?
"Then, why did you…" he asked, trailing off, unsure of what to call it.
Attack him? Interrogate him?
She shrugged, still not meeting his eyes.
"You're here," she muttered. "But Jess isn't. I didn't know if I could still trust you. But Jess wouldn't have told that to just anyone. That book was our book. She only would have told it to someone she trusted more than anything. Not someone working for Pan."
If he wasn't watching for it, he would have missed it. The reason she wasn't looking him in the eyes, the reason she was so ready to pounce on him.
She wanted to know why some boy she had met so long ago was talking to her, instead of her sister.
He had to tell her. She had the right to know. She needed to know why her older sister was never coming back.
"Abby," he said, quietly. "You may want to sit down. There's something I have to tell you."
She didn't sit down, so Bae shrugged it off, and went on. If she wanted to be rebellious, that was her problem. But he needed to tell her. She needed to know.
"After you disappeared," he started. "Jess was captured by Pan. I was able to rescue her with the pirate who lived there…"
He wasn't sure how long he went on, telling the story to Abby. Of how her sister almost made it out, almost made it back to her. And how she was stopped. How Pan condemned her to eternity in Neverland. How they had spent years, taking on the world on their own, together. How she got him out at the risk of her own life. And, most of all, he told her how more than anything, she wanted to get back to her sister. How the reason she was so sad that she was trapped was that she would never see her sister again.
Abby remained quiet throughout the whole thing, but her eyes told Bae everything. When Bae told her about the water, he could see tears pooling her eyes, but she held them back. When he talked about how she helped Bae escape, they became bright, but then it passed.
"She got me out," Bae concluded. "She couldn't leave, but she got me out. She...she told me to find you and pass on a message.
"She wants you to know that she's alive. That she still loves you, as much as she did when you last met her. That she hasn't forgotten you, and she never will. And, she's sorry that she couldn't fulfill her promise to you. That she would escape. She's so sorry that she couldn't make it. And she loves you, and always will."
He hoped it was enough. Enough that Jess, wherever she was, would be happy. Enough to communicate to Abby how much her sister still loved her. Enough for both girls.
Abby exhaled, not looking at him. He understood why. He didn't know what her reaction would be, but he could wait. She had waited ten years. He could wait a little.
Eventually, she nodded, and looked up, meeting his eyes. Her eyes were full of tears, but somehow she was smiling. And, beyond the tears, Bae could see something else. Hope. And, maybe, peace.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."
Bae just nodded, unsure of what to do. Didn't she understand? Her sister wasn't coming back. Why was she smiling, why did she look peaceful? Had she figured it out a long time ago, and just now was at peace with it. Or was she just happy to hear her sister's words again?
"Come with me," she said, suddenly taking him by the arm. "There's something you need to see."
She led him through her house to a room upstairs. He could tell it was a bedroom, and judging by the cleanliness, it was Abby's room.
There was a small bookshelf, filled with a few books, but one seemed more prominent than all the others. The Silver Chair. Their book. There was also a desk, covered in drawings, that rustled slightly as a breeze came through an open window.
But, the real eye catcher of the room was the wall, opposite the open window, covered with papers, drawings, and pictures, all connected by strands of red yarn. Bae could make out a few things among the chaos of the wall.
Peter Pan always forgets. Does he still do this? was written on a scrap of paper.
Another read: Darlings? No records of them ever existing? Possibly fiction? Possible descendants?
And, in the center of the chaos was a single picture. A picture of a seventeen year old girl, smiling, and happy. Untroubled, happy, carefree, and peaceful.
Jess.
"Are you...are you tracking her?" Bae asked, unable to believe it.
Abby nodded, running a hand across one of the strands of yarn.
"Ever since I was twelve," she replied, not looking at him. "I've looked into every version of Peter Pan, every story, every play, every last mention of him or Neverland. It hasn't been easy. Especially when most of the adults thought that the whole 'shadow' was just me blocking out Jess's actual kidnapping. But, I've done it."
Bae couldn't believe it. Jess had fought hard to get back to Abby. Harder than anything he had ever seen. Except, maybe, when Tiger wanted to avenge her tribe.
But, he had never once considered that Abby would be fighting to get Jess back. That, on her own, she would be working to bring her sister home.
"I...I don't know what to say," he admitted.
On the one hand, he was amazed that Abby, at twelve no less, had this much devotion to finding her sister. On the other hand, he felt suddenly guilty. He had told Abby the truth, but in doing so, had he crushed any hope she had of seeing Jess again.
Abby shrugged modestly.
"Mom probably thinks I've lost it," she replied, casually. "But, she lets it go. She tried to take me to therapy around the last time I visited Neverland, but when I kept insisting for over ten years, she just gave up on convincing me otherwise."
Bae nodded, looking from the wall to Abby. Why was she showing him this? What did this have to do with his message to her, or with the hope he saw in her eyes?
"You said that the two of you lived on your own for years?" Abby asked, looking over at him.
Bae nodded, smiling slightly, as he remembered all the times he and Jess shared before...before Pan had gotten him. Tortured him. Forced Jess to join the Lost Boys.
"I knew it," Abby smirked. "The liar. Like he could hold onto my big sister that easily."
Bae looked at her in confusion, and realized that she was fiddling with something at the end of the silver chain around her neck. It was a small charm, shaped like silver pan pipes. Like the ones that Pan used to get his boys to dance.
Abby caught his gaze, and gave him a grimace.
"Pan didn't leave me alone after he got Jess," she explained, bitterly. "He still had plans for me. I couldn't go back to Neverland in my dreams. Something was always blocking me. After a while, I started to wonder if everyone was right. If I really did just imagine Jess getting kidnapped, and if my dreams were just dreams.
"Mom got better, though. After losing Jess, she sort of realized how much she had done. She became much more attentive. Much more loving. Not as intent on her work. I think the fact that she had put so much pressure on Jess made her feel guilty, and she wanted to amend that mistake."
She paused, glancing at Bae, then the necklace. Bae nodded, gesturing that she go on.
"When I turned ten," she continued. "Mom threw me a birthday party. And, well, there was this small box, tucked underneath all the presents. This was inside."
At that, she jostled the necklace, rubbing the pipes with her thumb.
"There wasn't any note," she explained. "But some of the guests had already left, and there were a lot of unmarked presents. I just assumed it was another one of those. But, that night, I heard a voice coming from the pipes. It was trying to see if I was there, getting me to reply. It was Pan's voice."
She shuddered, and Bae began to see just how large an effect those few hours in Neverland had had on her.
"If I live to be a hundred, I'll never forget his voice," she said, looking down at the necklace. "But it was there, plain as day. He told me that he was willing to make a deal. He told me that there was some things that he needed me to do. And that, if I was a good girl, if I could finish those tasks, he would give me back Jess."
She looked at the wall, her hand going to a particular group of papers, that did not seemed to be linked together. However, they all had strands of yarn pointing to one paper in the center: Me?
Abby let out a small, harsh laugh as she looked over that particular group of papers.
"Like the naive little girl I was," she said, glaring at the papers, " I believed him. I thought that if I did it, he would return Jess to me. It was small stuff, at first. Go to a park, tell him exactly what I saw. See if I could take a particular candy bar from a store without anyone noticing. Look into the story of a boy whose father had recently vanished, and see what I could tell him about it."
As she said this, her hands went from one paper to another. Each one read something like park, green jelly beans from The Chocolate Bunny Store, or Owen Flynn, and would be followed by a list of questions of why they were important.
Bae was starting to realize what she meant when she said that she was through with working for Pan. But, at the same time, he couldn't believe it. She had only been a child. A small girl, who just wanted her sister back. And Pan manipulated her, and forced her to do his work, all under the false promise of getting her sister back.
"You were ten?" he muttered, still unable to wrap his head around it.
Pan had tortured him, killed an entire group of Indians, and was doing gods knew what to Jess right now. This should have been nothing new to Bae. But even when Jess gave herself up to save her little sister, he still played with Abby, back in the Land Without Magic.
He had been playing with both sisters, using Jess's desire to get back to Abby against her, and using Abby's hope of getting her sister back to force her to work for him.
"Yeah," replied Abby. "And still that stupid, helpless, little girl that he had brought to Neverland. Three years since my sister traded her own freedom for me, and I still was too damn blind and naive to see that he was manipulating me."
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Jess used to do that, too.
"Every time I finished one of his jobs, I would ask if I could get Jess back," she muttered. "The pipes, they're like a phone. Two people can use them to talk to each other. I would tell Pan I did his job, and ask him if that was it. If he would return Jess.
"And, every time, he would say the same thing: 'Not yet, little Abby. There are still some things I need you to do.' And, then he would give me new tasks. By the time I was eleven, they became bigger things. Steal things from little kids. Trick certain adults into giving me things, or into doing things. I had to learn how to be quick, how to be manipulative. And I was only eleven."
For a moment, Bae didn't see the teenager in front of him. He saw a tired girl, who had already gone through a lot. Not as much as Jess had, but still too much. She had been forced to steal, lie, and cheat innocent people, all for Pan's lie that he would give Jess back.
"By the time I was twelve," she continued. "I wised up a little. I asked him to give me proof that Jess was there. And, he couldn't give it to me. He tried to disguise someone using Jess's voice, but I could tell it wasn't my sister. So, I told him that I was done working for him. I realized that even if he had her, he wasn't going to give her up. So, I told him I was done with him. I haven't worked for him since."
Bae fell silent, unsure of what to say. This young girl had grown up knowing that she had been tricked into doing things to help a monster, for nothing. Her only purpose, as far as he could tell, was to find her sister again. So, why had she been happy to hear that Jess was trapped? That she wasn't escaping Neverland?
And, if she was truly done, why had she kept the pan pipe necklace?
"Pan didn't believe me at first," Abby said, still fingering the necklace. "Since I kept the necklace."
Seriously, could this girl read minds?
"He thought that I hadn't meant it," she continued, "That I would be willing to work for him again. A few nights after I told him I was done, he told me he had another job for me. I gave him a two word answer: piss off. He tried again a few nights later, and I told him the same thing. After a few weeks, with the same answer every time, he finally gave up. I would have thought he gave up completely if it weren't for the agents."
The what?
Wait, Pan himself didn't contact her, but she had thought he was working for Pan at first. She had hinted others had met with her as well.
"That's what you thought I was?" he guessed, and she nodded.
"Sorry about that, by the way," she said, giving him a small glance.
He just nodded, shrugging it off. She was, after all Jess's sister. He could forgive her for something like that. Besides, hadn't Jess punched him to save him when they first met? This was nothing compared to that.
"But, yeah, he's sent people to try to recruit me," she explained. "Some knew who they were working for, others thought he was some group that wanted to destroy magic of all things. I saw through that one in a heartbeat. And, each time I take the pipes, and tell Pan the same thing: nice try, but not good enough."
Alright, he just had to know. He got it, she had it pretty bad. But, why was she so calm with the fact that her sister was never getting out of Neverland? How could she be so happy about it?
"Abby, can I ask you something?" he said, turning to look at her.
"You just did," she replied dryly. "But go ahead."
How could he put it, without offending her?
"You've spent so many years fighting to get Jess back," he said, carefully choosing his words. "And, I can tell you've come a long way. But, I told you, Jess was forced to drink that water. She can't leave Neverland without dying. How are you...I don't know…"
"Fine with it?" asked Abby, finishing it for him.
He just nodded, not finding a better way to put it. She smiled, then turned, and walked over to her drawings. Bae followed, and looked at the pages. They were pretty good, considering Jess had told Bae that Abby had hated drawing. He saw a picture of a sword flying at woman in black, standing among a crowd, a man who was bleeding at the side, putting a small baby into a wardrobe, a dark haired woman in a white gown clinging to a light haired prince.
"These are good," he said, as his eyes roamed over the pages.
"Thanks," replied Abby. "They're just stuff I saw in my dreams, though. Before...before they stopped."
Bae wasn't sure what she meant, but he let it pass. What confused him was why Abby was showing him these. Or what they had to do with his question.
"A few weeks ago," Abby said, catching his questioning look, "I got a call from someone. He told me that he was writing a book, and he was hoping to use my drawings. The thing is, only my mom knows about my drawings. I asked him how he knew about them, and he told me that the book he's writing is very special.
"I was pretty sure he was another one of Pan's spies, when he told me that he wasn't working for Pan. In fact, he hated Pan as much as I did. But, he told me that he could help Jess get out."
She gave Bae a look that said that told him to pay attention, as it was important.
"He told me that he couldn't get her out on his own," she explained. "But that in nineteen years, someone would go to Neverland, who would be able to free her. In order for that to happen, though, he needed to write this book.
"At first, I thought he was full of crap, and was about to hang up, when he told me that soon, I would get a message from Jess. Not a fake one, but a message that only my sister would send. Something to let me know she was alive, and she still cared about me. And, if I were to get this message, I could not only let him use my drawings for his books, he would let me write my own message, that he promised would eventually reach Jess. And, when this message reached her, she would leave Neverland. 'It will take time, but with your message, your sister won't only leave Neverland, she'll save several lives in the process.' Those were his exact words."
She gave Bae a significant look, as if she was trying to make him understand. He didn't. But, he had the feeling that his coming was important.
"I don't-" he started, but she cut him off.
"Bae, don't you get it?" she asked, a smile slowly creeping onto her face. "You gave me Jess's message. I know my sister is alive, and that she still cares about me. This man, whoever he is, was right. This means, if I can get a message to Jess, through him, she'll be able to get out. She'll be able to escape, even if it's in nineteen years. She'll get out."
Bae shook his head, still unable to understand. Sure the message was neat, but Jess was trapped. She was bound to Neverland. She couldn't leave without dying. There was no getting out for Jess.
"That's actually the reason I've held onto the pipe necklace," she admitted, not realizing what she was saying. "I've been hoping that somehow, Jess will be able to find out how Pan communicates with them, and could use them to somehow talk to me. That, maybe one day, I won't hear Pan's voice in the pipes, but my big sister's."
"Abby," Bae said, upset he had to play the devil's advocate. "Don't you understand? She's. Trapped. She can't get out without dying. Whatever this write is telling you, it won't work. She's bound to Neverland. If she tries to leave, because of your message, she'll die."
Abby gave him a disappointed look. The kind that told him something was right in front of him, and he couldn't see, because he was too blind.
"Bae," she said, her voice sounding like it was fighting to remain calm. "Look at my window."
This entire conversation was just one great confusion for Bae. How would him looking at her window help her argument?
"What do you notice about it?" she asked, her voice still calm.
It was a window. It was clean, but he couldn't imagine that had anything to do with it. The only thing odd he could really see was…
"It's open," he guessed, with a shrug. "I don't know."
"Exactly," said Abby, nodding. "It's open. It has stayed open ever since Jess was taken, ten years ago. Even when it rains, or it's freezing outside, this window has stayed open. Once, Mom tried to close it, and I fought her to keep it open.
"In every version of Peter Pan that I've found, a closed window represents that a family has given up on seeing their kid. It means that if their kid somehow makes it back, they aren't welcome anymore. Well, this window has stayed open, ever since Jess disappeared. Some families leave lights on, or light candles when their loved one disappears, to symbolize that they still have hope. Mom and I have left this window open, because it means we still hope Jess will come back to us."
She looked Bae in the eye, and finally Bae understood. The little girl he knew was gone. And she had come too far to give up now. So, she wouldn't.
"It doesn't matter that my sister has drunk some water," Abby said, smiling. "I have fought too long, holding onto the hope that I'll see her again."
Bae nodded, and finally was able to smile with her.
"I don't care how long it takes, Bae," Abby said, her eyes blazing with hope. "I will see my sister again. Somehow, someway, I'm going to get her back."
A/N:
Hey y'all! Here we are, another relatively early update. I hoped y'all enjoyed seeing Abby and Bae again, as a brief interlude from Neverland. I couldn't figure out where I wanted to put this chapter, since the next few are going to be very important for when Operation Cobra Rescue comes. So, here it is.
Also, I cannot tell y'all how thrilled I am that you guys liked the last chapter. I was honestly a bit nervous how it would take, since there wasn't as much action. Then, you guys leave awesome reviews that make me want to do a happy dance around my room So thanks, guys!
A special thanks to DamRaccoon, The Pheonix or the Flame, vaguelykat, Scarletknight17, 15TSchultz, and Kiyoshi MizukiAtobe for putting this story on alert, and to The girl who cried I'm Batman, DamRaccoon, vaguelykat, Scarletknight17, Kiyoshi MizukiAtobe for favorting it.
Also, thank you Dreamer-Girl96, sarah0406, meguhanu, chinaluv, songwrite16, Tukie4, LunaEvanna Longbottom, The Wolf Who Writes, Elvira Silver, Scarletknight17, Natalie, The white angel, Brooke, twentyfour24, shootingstar1618, and the other wonderful guests for leaving awesome reviews. And, of course, a special thanks to my incredible betas Can't-Escape-My-Fandoms and Uncommon fairy.
Please follow, favorite, review, or whatever y'all want. Feedback on Abby and her personal story are especially appreciated. I really wanted to show what she was doing, and how she developed since Jess's disappearance, so thoughts on her character are very welcome. Oh, and guesses about where Abby's drawings appear, and who this mysterious writer is are welcome as well! :)