"So, what are you going to do?" asks Bae.
We haven't said anything, not since I handed him back whatever it was that had the picture on it, and kept moving. He's left me alone to my thoughts.
And my thoughts...I feel everything. I've seen my sister alive and well, and that makes me happier than I thought was possible. I feel relief, knowing that she's alright. Yet, now that the euphoria has worn off, there's an ache that I haven't felt in years. The ache of knowing that my sister is out there, and I will never be able to see her again. Because I can't leave here without dying. And, even if I could, I wouldn't leave the Lost Boys. Because they still need me, and if there's any truth in what Bae said, I need them too.
So what am I going to do? I can't leave, that's for sure. But I'm not about to let Bae get captured, or worse. Because I know Pan, and I know the boys. Most of them were ready to kill Bae once, because they thought he hurt me. What would they do if they knew that Bae had taken Henry, and that I had left with him.
But I'm going back. I have too. I won't trust Pan, obviously, but I'm going back. It's not like I have anywhere else I could go. So I guess that means that I'm letting Bae go. That I'm getting him back to Emma, and Hook, and their group, and letting them get out of here.
But if I do that, I'm losing the boys' only chance of survival. I let Henry go, and they die. All of them. I let Henry go, and I may as well kill them myself. They are running out of time, and if I let Bae take Henry out, then I'll have made my choice. And it will be to let all my brothers die, so that one boy can live.
But it's Bae's son. And he's right, I don't want to kill Henry. Henry is innocent. He sees good in people, and has faith in the people he loves. He's a good boy. I don't want to see him dead, even if it saves my brothers.
But if he doesn't die, then my brothers die. I can't make that decision. An innocent life or my family. I don't know the answer, and part of me isn't sure that I want to. Do I kill an innocent to save more lives, many of them as innocent as the one I'm taking, or do I save him at the cost of many lives, many of whom were just as innocent?
"I don't know," I reply, looking up at Bae. "I...I want to help you, Bae. I do. But...Bae, I can't choose. I love you so much, but the Lost Boys are my family. If I let you go, if I let Henry go, then...I lose them Bae. I lose them all. And Bae, they're not all bad. They are good boys. Pan...he influences them. He convinces them they have to do bad things, when they don't have too. Not really. They just believe they do, like when Pan made them believe they had to kill you to protect me. But they're good, Bae. They're...they're family, and I can't lose them."
"Whoa, slow down," says Bae, suddenly catching me on the shoulder.
I flinch, expecting a shock, but he has touched my clothes, not my skin.
"What do you mean 'you're going to lose them?'" he asks, looking at me with concern.
No...I can't tell him… he has chosen his son. He will always choose his son. I can't put that burden on him, knowing his son's life is the only thing that will save all of my brothers. The burden hurts me, and I know it hurt Felix as well. Pan...well, I don't know if I can trust anything Pan has said to me in the last nineteen years.
"Bae," I start, but he shakes his head, and grasps the cloth on my shoulder tighter.
"What's going on, Jess?" he presses. "And don't tell me it's nothing. You might not have wanted to kill my son, but you were planning too. You wouldn't have done that without a good reason. You wouldn't have done it unless you truly believed that you had no other choice. So just tell me, how are you going to lose the Lost Boys."
No, I can't tell him. I can't. Because he will have to choose, and if he's anything better than my father, or his own father, or Pan, he will walk away from me. He'll choose his son. And then I'll have to choose. Let the son of my best friend die, or let my brothers die. I can't make that decision. I can't choose between Bae and the Lost Boys.
When I accepted myself as Vin, it was because I could love them both. And I do. But I can't choose between them. I can never choose which one I love more, or which one to save. I can't.
I shake my head, refusing to look him in the eye. I can't tell him. I can't let him know what's really going on. If he does...I can't choose. I can't choose between them.
Bae looks like he wants to argue, but he just sighs in frustration, and lets go of my shoulder. I don't know why. Maybe he knows it will be pointless to argue with me, maybe because he knows something is up, but that I can't say. But he's upset, even if he tries not to show it. I know him too well to see otherwise.
"Alright," he says, shaking his head. "You don't want to tell me, fine. But help me find Emma. Get me over to her, and you can choose whether you want to help us or go back. Who knows, we might even be able to help you with whatever it is that you're not telling me. But we definitely won't if you don't tell us."
With that, he keeps on walking, but I can tell by the way that he's walking that he's frustrated. Going on forcefully, barely keeping himself from stomping. Yeah, he's definitely upset.
He doesn't get it. It's not that I don't want to tell him. I do. But if I do, he's going to have to carry that weight. The weight of knowing that his son is the only thing that will save the Lost Boys. I won't do that to him. I won't put that burden on him, not when I can keep it from him. It's better I suffer from it, knowing that I have to kill an innocent boy, than him to suffer, knowing his son would have to die.
"Bae, I'm sorry," I say, as I move to catch up with him.
"Forget it, Jess," he replies, even though his tone suggests that he won't forget it for a while.
I don't want this. I don't want it to divide us. It already did that with Hook. I refuse to fight Bae. He already accepted that I joined the Lost Ones. I don't want him to fight me because I'm keeping a secret to protect him. But he won't let it go. I know him. He won't until he figures out what's wrong.
Maybe...do as he suggested. Get him to Emma and Hook, and see if they can help. I doubt they can, but they might have something. Some sort of magic outside of Neverland that we can use. Something Pan has overlooked, just in the slightest way.
It's a longshot...but at least I won't have to choose for now. I can stay. I don't have to walk away, or choose between him and the others. Not like Hook. I won't have to choose between them again. He won't make me do that. If he saw that I was going to join the Lost Ones eventually, he won't make me choose between them.
For a couple of minutes, we walk in silence, as if we're both trying to forget what just happened. I don't like it when we're like this. When we don't talk to each other because the other is stewing. Not after all these years.
"So...New York, huh?" I say, trying to find something to break the tension.
Bae glances at me, and I can tell he sees what I'm doing. He used to do the same thing with me when I woke up from nightmares. Find some random subject to talk about, distracting me from focusing on the nightmare.
"Yeah," he replies, nodding. "I've lived there for...what, eleven years now?"
I never went to New York. Not in the years I spent in my home realm. I think I visited St. Louis when I was young, but if so I don't remember anything from it. It was a long, long time ago.
But, whether I went or not, my tactic seems to be working, so I push forward.
"What's it like?" I ask, partly curious, partly wanting to distract him from his frustration at me.
Bae glances at me, and grins. For a second I see a flicker of the boy who not only kept me safe, but also made me laugh when I needed it. Who joked about naming his children, who was sarcastic, and always ready for fun when the rare opportunity presented itself. It was what he was like in those moments when we could forget, just for a little bit, that we were trapped on Neverland, with no way to leave, and pretend that we were normal kids, living a normal life.
And he did. He went out, and he did find a normal life. A place in New York, Emma and Henry...he settled down. He found the life we wanted for one another.
"There's no place like it," he says, his eyes lighting up. "Skyscrapers, far as the eye can see. Best pizza in the world. Everyone's loud, and obnoxious, and the streets smell like trash and greasy hotdogs. And it's great."
I find myself nodding, because I can understand why he would say that. We spent years surviving on berries and whatever animals we could get in our traps. Whenever we stepped out of our cave, we would have to watch our every move, as the slightest noise could have alert the Lost Ones. And if an area was unfamiliar, we had to find our way back fast, because we never knew what was lurking, waiting for us.
To go to a place, that's not all beaches and jungles, where food is available on every street, and there are people all around...it sounds so different, yet so normal compared to Neverland. I made Neverland my home. I don't mind those things. But for Bae...to wake up every morning, and hearing the sounds of the city, telling him he was free and safe from Pan...it must be paradise for him.
"It sounds wonderful," I murmur, as I start to take the lead.
I want to find out more. I need to find out more. For nineteen years, I don't know what happened to him, and I don't know how long I have before he has to go, with or without me or Henry.
"What do you do there?"
Bae gets a glint in his eye, and shakes his head.
"Oh no, you don't," he retorts playfully. "Now you have to answer one of my questions. Where are you living? Don't tell me it's with all those boys, because I know you. You need your own space."
I don't have to fake the smile that keeps pushing it's way on my face.
Even after all these years, he still knows me. He still knows I wouldn't be able to spend all my time living with my brothers. Because, as much as I love them, I need my own time, my own space to think, to breathe.
"I hollowed out a tree in the forest," I admit, moving a branch out of my way. "I go there when I need to be alone. The view, at sunrise...so breathtaking, I get up at dawn just to see it. And at night, when I use my ziplines and the stars come out? I've been here for years, and I still never get used to them."
Bae laughs, before stepping over a log, and helping me over.
"You in a tree," he mutters. "Why am I not surprised? Do you make cookies in it too?"
Well that's an odd question. I haven't made cookies in...actually, come to think of it, I don't think I ever have made cookies, even before I was brought to Neverland.
"What?" I ask, raising an eyebrow out Bae.
Bae shakes his head, but I can tell by his eyes he's laughing inside.
"Nevermind," he replies. "You wouldn't get it. Now for my question-"
Wait, his question? That's not how this game of his works. He asks me one, and I ask him one.
"Your question?" I repeat, smiling playfully. "I think it's my turn."
"But you already asked yours," Bae points out, a mischievous grin on his face.
What, when I asked what he meant by making cookies? That wasn't a question, I was just confused.
"That doesn't count," I reply, in mock exasperation. "And since when do you make the rules?"
"And there's another question," Bae replies, as he moves a branch out of the way for me. I duck slightly to avoid his arm, glancing at a footprint on the ground.
Wait, a footprint on the ground?
I look at it a second time, and I realize that there are more than just one set of prints. There has to be four or five. Some of them definitely aren't the Lost Boys' prints…
It's them. Emma, Hook , and the others. This has to be their trail.
"Bae!" I exclaim, looking over the tracks, just to be sure.
Bae notes something aside from playfulness in my voice, and he follows my gaze. His eyes light up as he realizes what they are.
"Are you sure?" he asks.
"Positive," I reply.
The tracks are fresh, and I don't know of any groups of about four or five boys that have come this way recently. Besides, at least two of the sets are too small to be any prints from the boys. No this is them. I can tell.
"Alright, let's go," Bae says, picking up his pace, as he follows the tracks.
For a second, I hesitate.
When we find them, it won't be pretty. They may attack me for being Pan's. Or Hook might turn his back on me again.
Or worse, I have to leave. Or tell them why we need Henry, and that my brothers are dying. And that will be the moment when I have to choose. Between Bae and my brothers. Between saving Henry or my brothers.
The choice should be clear but...I don't want to make it. Dammit, I don't want to choose between them. I just don't.
But I need to stay with Bae…
I rush to catch up, forcing the thoughts back. I will figure out what to do when the time comes. Until then, I need to stay with Bae. I won't let Pan get him.
"So, you and Emma?" I ask, trying more to distract myself now than Bae.
Bae rolls his eyes, but nods.
"Yeah," he says. "Her and I. Though to be honest, I might have trouble."
Trouble? From Bae? No, Bae is one of the greatest boys I know, and I know a lot. Emma is lucky to have him, and if she doesn't see that, then she really doesn't deserve him. Bae isn't one to give his love away so easily.
"What happened?" I ask, half joking. "Did she get a good look at your face?"
Wait, that's it? That's the best I can come up with? The boys are rubbing off on me…
"Yeah, real mature, Jess," Bae replies, but he's smiling as he says it.
I shrug modestly, smiling again as we continue to follow the trail further into the jungle.
"No, the problem is that I hurt her once," Bae says, and his voice suddenly loses its playfulness. "And when I did, I regretted it instantly. But it was bad. It was bad, and I never got the chance to tell her all the things I wanted to. That I was sorry, that I never meant to hurt her-"
"That you love her, that your mistake has haunted you all this time," I finish, nodding.
I know exactly what he means. I felt it all the time. When I thought about Abby after Pan made me drink the water. After Hook was gone, and I never thanked him for all he did. When I got out, but never got the chance to tell him how much he meant to me. The things that were supposed to be taken for granted, but never were spoken.
Bae nods, before adjusting his hold on Henry.
What could he have done? What could he have done that was so horrible that Emma would not want him in her life? That she would feel the need to shut someone like Bae out?
Maybe she doesn't know him as I do. Maybe she doesn't know the truth about everything he went through here. About how he took care of me. How he was tortured for me, and nearly got himself killed trying to help me.
Well...I guess that's something that I'll have to help with if I see them again. It's the least I can do. After everything that has happened, and the choices I'm going to have to make...not right now, I won't decide now...but at the very least, I can lighten the load on Bae.
Besides, Henry deserves to have both his parents in his life...except he needs to die for my brothers to-no, I won't think of that. Not now.
"Plus, there is the fact that the pirate has a thing for her," Bae adds, almost as an afterthought.
Wait what? No...he isn't...no way...he must mean someone else…
"Hook?" I guess, in surprise.
I almost expect him to laugh and tell me he's kidding. But he just nods, as serious as ever.
No way...that's just...what?
"As in Captain Hook?" I ask, trying to find something I'm missing. "The one handed pirate who tried to help me escape Neverland?"
And the one who is now my enemy. Because he can't see that what I'm doing is for my brothers. That I'm one of them now. That I am safe, and happy as a Lost Girl.
What would he say if he saw me walking away from them right now?
"That's the one," Bae replies, unaware of what I'm thinking.
But...if he loves Emma...who is Henry's mother, and Bae is Henry's father...that would mean...oh dear…
"So you're telling me," I start. "That the pirate who loved your mother, is now pursuing the mother of your son?"
Bae nods, as if this is perfectly normal, but I can't wrap my head around it.
I suppose it's different. He's grown up now, and Hook hasn't aged, because of the curse. To them, Emma is the same age. But I still can't see it like that. Hook was like a father to me. I can't see him falling for the woman that my brother loves. It's just too weird…
Then again, Pan is the one who became a boy again by giving up his son.
Something about that feels wrong. Like an itch...something I should see that's right in front of me, but I can't figure it out.
Pan became a boy again by giving up his son...I suppose that's bizarre, but so is the pirate who nearly took Bae in loving the same woman.
But then again, Emma was able to attract both men. And I know them. Despite what happened between Hook and I, both are good men. If they love her as much as Bae makes it sound...she must be something special to win both of them.
And maybe...maybe Bae is right. Maybe she will be able to help. Maybe she will find a solution. One that doesn't involve killing Henry. I know Bae, he won't let his son die. But if Emma can find something to help us, to save my brothers, to give Pan more time so he can save them...maybe it will work. Maybe I can find a way to save them. A way that doesn't force me to choose between my brothers and Bae.
I can feel something rising in me, and for the first time since I saw Henry, and realized he was a kid, I feel a twinge of hope. There might be something. Something to save my brothers, something to save all of them. If I ask them, if I help them...maybe they will help us get out of this, without killing Henry.
"Then let's find her, and make it up to her," I say, trying to suppress a grin. "Let's make this right."
Let's make her see Bae as I know him. As the person with a heart of gold, who looks after everyone he loves, who went through so much trying to keep me safe from Pan. Who forgave me, because he had faith in me. Who showed me my sister, even after all these years, to show me he and Abby still believed in me.
And save my brothers. Now that I think about it, this might work. I remember Snow White and her prince in my dreams. They wouldn't leave innocent kids to die. If they knew about the younger ones, about Toodles, Slightly, and the others, they would help. I'm sure of it. That might have been the problem all along; in all the time I've seen them, I never got the chance to explain to them why we needed Henry. They wouldn't let me explain, because they didn't trust me. But now that Bae is here, he will help me. He'll make them hear me out.
There might be something. Something besides killing an innocent boy to save them. Something else to ensure they are going to survive, besides Henry dying.
Uplifted by the feeling, I continue to follow the trail with Bae.
"Tell me more about Abby," I say, as we move past the brush.
Bae meets my eyes, and he nods.
"She's really good at what she does," he starts. "And she's really clever. Not just book smart, but smart in general. She was the one who actually found me a place to stay after I found her, and helped me get a fake identity since I technically didn't exist."
That's right, he wouldn't would he? He wasn't born in the Land Without Magic. He was brought there by the shadow. Baelfire never existed in the Land WIthout Magic. That must have been why he took on the name "Neal."
He goes on after that. Telling me things. Just details. Details about my sister. About how she likes apples and peanut butter. How she has yet to get into a car accident. How she spent years scouring for every source about Peter Pan, until she could find something she could use to find me. How she grew up into a beautiful young woman.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I have hope in saving my brothers. Baelfire is with me again, and I know that Abby is alright. Everything feels right. But everything is wrong.
I can only hear about my sister. I can't be with her. I can only hope that the others will have something to help me save my brothers, but what if they don't? What then? Do I choose between Bae and the Lost Boys? Or do I wait and...I don't know…
Was this what the Dark One's shadow wanted when it told me about Hook? For me to be so divided about where my loyalties lie that it tears me apart? I love my brothers, but I love Bae. Why do I have to choose between them? Can't I love them both, and not have to kill an innocent boy to protect one?
No...no, I need to keep believing. Keep hoping that they will find something. I have to hope that they can. Because if they can't...I don't want to think about that…
If Bae notices anything about my internal battle, he says nothing. He just keeps talking, as we follow the tracks. He just rambles, on and on, until we reach a clearing.
A clearing with a campsite. One that the Lost Ones definitely didn't build.
"Bae, this is it," I say, suddenly cutting him off.
Bae stops and pushes past the brush as we enter the campsite. One look tells me it's empty, but someone has definitely been here. Fresh tracks all over the place, cots and makeshift tents set up, ashes from a campfire. Someone was here.
Bae looks around before laying Henry down beside a rock, and running to check the campfire.
He doesn't have too. Even now, I can feel the presence. The presence of magic so powerful, so light, it's almost overwhelming. Just traces, but present all the same. I only sensed one kind of magic like that, and that was with the Savior.
They're coming back too, I realize as Bae holds his hands over the campfire. They wouldn't leave their camp alone like this, unless they intended on coming back.
Bae must realize the same thing, because he looks up at me and grins.
"Emma," he says, confirming what I've been thoughts.
"You were so close to finding her."
Bae whirls around and I look up to see a Pan emerging from the forest. The look on his face could not be more different from when the Dark One and Bae appeared. It's dark, and unimpressed. And serious. Dead serious.
Dammit, I should have sensed his magic. I should have been on the lookout, at least, so I would know when he was free of the squid ink.
Instead I let myself get distracted. I let myself think that we were safe. That just because I'm a Lost One, he wouldn't come after us. I should have been ready the moment we walked away from the Dark One. Pan isn't about to let the only thing that can save him slip through his fingers. And he's not going to let me walk away with Bae. Not after he specifically told me to stay.
I'm not going back with him, if that's what he thinks. If he thinks that he can lie to me, try to make me kill Bae's son, and just go back with him, he's never been more wrong. I'm never helping him, not after everything he's done.
I am a heartbeat away from drawing my knives when rustling catches my attention. I turn around, drawing my knives instinctively, to see about eight or nine of the boys emerge from different hiding places around the camp. Behind rocks and trees. All of them armed, and looking just as angry as Pan.
Oh gods, they were waiting. They didn't have to track us down, they knew Bae and I would come here.
"You disappoint me," Pan continues, as the boys start to surround us, weapons drawn. "I thought I taught you better. Never break in somewhere, unless you know the way out."
Bae looks around, and automatically takes a step in front of me, as if to protect me.
I don't need protection. These are my brothers. They won't hurt me.
But you abandoned them, I tell myself. You left them for Bae. They don't know you planned to come back, that you came to Emma's camp for help. In their eyes, you betrayed them.
That's when I notice the look in their eyes. The glares, the hatred, not directed at me, but at Bae.
Oh gods, I left with Bae again. I left with the one person they wanted to kill, because they thought that he was a threat to me. That he was corrupting me, and turning me against them. What must it have looked like, to wake up and know that once again I left with Bae?
They aren't angry at me. They're angry at Bae. Because he is taking away their one chance at saving magic, and he's taking me away again. He froze their leader, knocked them out, sneaked into camp, took me and Henry. It's just like before, except worse. Because I've grown closer to them. Because they are my family now. It's no longer taking away a Lost Girl. It's taking away their sister.
I have to stop this. Bae didn't do anything wrong. He didn't take me. He didn't know the truth about Henry, and that we need him. He just was trying to save his son and help me out. He brought me here, so that he could help us. So that Emma could help me find a way to save them.
"I'll remember that for next time," Bae mutters, as he pushes me behind him, ever so slightly.
The gesture is protective, but it's the worst move. I can see it in my brothers' eyes. To them, it's him pushing back is captive, trying to keep me out of their hands for as long as he can. To them, it's him holding me back.
As long as he tries to protect me, he only makes it worse, I realize.
"Oh, there isn't going to be a next time," Pan replies, as Felix moves forward, and lays down his club. "But don't blame yourself. Your father could have protected you out here, true enough. But then who would have protected Henry and Vin from him?"
Felix is silent as he scoops up Henry, and slings him over his shoulder. I see Bae tense, and I can tell that he wants nothing more than to grab Henry and run. But it won't do him any good. Pan won this one. He has us surrounded, and to be honest, I don't want to fight my brothers. This is one fight we won't win. I put my gloved hand on Bae's arm, and he looks at me. Ever so slightly, I shake my head, telling him to wait. To not let Pan get under his skin, and to not attack Felix to get Henry.
Felix. He might be the only one who will listen to reason. He knows what's at stake here, he knows the truth about how our time is running out. What's more, he told me he doesn't want to kill Henry. If he knows what's really going on, how the others can help us, he might help.
I try to move forward, to approach him, but Felix looks up and meets my eyes with a glare, before his gaze snaps back to Bae and Pan.
Come on, Felix. Not you too. You are one of the few people that knew that Bae never hurt me. That I was the one who got him out of Neverland.
"Talk about a rock and a hard place," Pan comments, before his eyes fall on me.
How Bae is still protecting me. And I haven't stepped away. If I was ever in any real danger from Bae, I would have walked away by now. I would be safe, with my brothers surrounding him. Instead, I haven't moved from his side. Which only makes things worse for Bae.
I slowly move away from Bae, and step towards Pan.
They don't understand. We don't have to fight. They might be able to help us, if we just wait.
"Boys, listen to me," I say, stepping forward.
Every eye is on me, and I know I can't lose this. This might be my only time to make things right. To make sure they don't hurt Bae, but instead let him help us. To ensure that both my brothers and Bae are safe.
Pan, however, strides forward, and grabs me by my arm. The look in his eyes...it's angry. I know that. But angry and scared at the same time.
Scared of what? That I'm going to call him out for lying to me? Or that I won't go back to the Lost Boys, now that I know how far he'll go to hurt me?
"I'll deal with you later, Vin," he says softly, and I can detect all the emotions I saw in his voice.
He'll what? He'll deal with me? Why? Because I left to join Bae, and I didn't want to stay with him? After everything he's done to me, lying, pushing me to kill, keeping Bae and Hook secret from me, he thinks that I'm the one who did wrong? Because I walked away from him. Because I dared to defy him, after everything. Because, gods forbid, I still believe in having a mind and will of my own here?
"Deal with me?" I repeat, angrily pulling my arm out of his grip and matching his glare with my own. "Why? He's done nothing, and you know that. You lied to me. You lied to me about everything."
I want to go on, but Pan reaches out, and grabs me by my upper arm and pulls me away from Bae, cutting me off. He yanks me closer to him, and the look in his eyes goes from anger to fury.
"You'll wish lying was all I did when I'm through with you," Pan snarls under his breath, before he roughly shoves me down.
My training takes over, and I catch myself before I hit the ground, but just barely. Marcus steps over, and pulls me closer, one arm holding onto me, the other holding his spear out protectively.
No, this is wrong. I'm not in danger. Pan knows that. He's only angry that he lost me, and that he lost Henry. That I chose Bae over him, like I always would.
But he's resorting to physical force. And he's angry. The last time I saw him like this was...was the night I told him that I knew about his son. And when he realized that my heart would not work.
But it's not me he's angry at right now. It's Bae. He's the one who came in and told me the truth. The one who grabbed Henry, and would have helped me stay away from Pan. He's furious, but he's furious at Bae.
Suddenly, I'm not scared for myself. I don't care how he "deals with me." But Bae...he's going to hurt him. He's going to hurt him, for taking me and Henry.
For a brief second, something flashes in my mind. The image of Bae in the water, bloody and bruised, his shadow ripped out several times, just to get to me.
I can't let that happen. Not again. I saved him once, and I swore that I wouldn't let him get hurt again. I won't let that happen, even after all these years, no matter how much I've changed.
But I won't be able to change Pan's mind. He's furious, and he's set on making Bae suffer. He's lied to me, just to ensure my loyalties were where he wanted. What will he do to Bae, just to make him hurt?
No, I can't change his mind. But I might be able to change my brothers'.
"Boys, listen to me," I start, but Marcus looks at me and shakes his head.
"Don't," he whispers. "He's angry at you. I haven't seen him like this in years. Don't try to to cross him, he'll only hurt you."
I blink, looking at Marcus in surprise. He doesn't seem to be angry. Just tense. The same way the other ones are. Except Felix. Felix seems to be fixated on Pan and Bae. Or the other boys. Or the camp. Or anything except for me.
If Pan is so angry at me that the other boys are seeing it...gods, this is worse than I thought. He really is angry that Ieft with Bae. That I disobeyed him and went off with Bae.
"I will get my son back, no matter what it takes," Bae says, advancing towards Pan, drawing Pan's attention back to him. "And I'm going to make sure that you don't hurt Jess anymore."
I'm not sure if he's doing it to threaten Pan, or to take Pan's attention off of me. Either way, he's now the target of Pan's anger, and if it's as bad as Marcus made it sound...this is bad. Especially if the boys believe that he hurt me. To them, it will seem like he's still threatening me. That I'm still in danger from him.
Pan, however, doesn't look angry at the threat, like I expected. If anything, he looks confused.
"You're not getting it," he says, condescendingly. "That's not the problem. You got them, and I got them back."
For a moment, his face lights up with a kind of glee that...that I used to fear. The kind of darkness that I learned to ignore when I joined him in saving my brothers. The thing that always made me run for years, until I had no other choice.
"It's the game."
The game. Has that been what this is too him? All this time, with his and the others lives at stake, and he sees it as just a game? He's planning to kill an innocent kid, and to him it's still a game?
"No, my boy," he says, the glee being replaced by seriousness. "The real problem for you is that there is no escaping Neverland. No one gets off this island without my permission."
Bae meets his glare with a smug smirk that could match Pan's any day.
"I've done it before," he replies smoothly.
He doesn't even glance at me, doesn't give any sign of the truth. He shows nothing that would even hint that I was the one who freed him. Who got him out, who trapped Pan's shadow, and got him out.
Even now, he's protecting me. He's keeping it a secret. Keeping the truth about how he escaped secret to keep me safe.
But Pan knows. He's always known. He knew Bae never hurt me, and he knew that I was the one who freed him, and got him out. That I was never the poor, brainwashed victim that he convinced all the other boys I was. Bae may save me from the other Lost Boys, but Pan? Pan's always known.
Pan looks at him in mock surprise, and for a second I think he's going to tell the truth. What really happened the night Bae escaped.
"Did you?" he asks, looking him up and down, before grinning triumphantly. "Look where you are now. It's like you've never left."
Bae stares at him for a split second, as he and I both try to figure out what Pan just said.
How would Bae returning prove Pan's point? If anything, he's proven it's possible to leave, and that he's going to do it again. How does that...unless...
"Are you saying you let me go?" Bae asks, softly.
Pan only smirks, and I can tell he's enjoying the effect of what he said to Bae.
"I'm saying everyone's where I want them," he replies, calmly.
Bae turns and looks at me, and I can tell he's thinking the same thing as me.
But...that would mean...is he telling the truth? That he let Bae go? Why would he do that? What could he have possibly gained by letting Bae walk free?
Except, he didn't. He didn't let Bae go. I got him out. I trapped the shadow, and forced it to take Bae to safety. Pan wanted to kill him, to get to me. He didn't let Bae go. I got Bae out.
I'm torn from my thoughts when Henry stirs on Felix's shoulders, moaning softly.
He's waking up. Oh gods, he's going to wake up, and see that something's wrong.
Pan glances at Henry before turning back to Bae.
"Something to chew on," he says, before stepping back.
Bae and I glance at each other, as I try to wrap my head around what Pan just said. He let Bae go. But he didn't. He was going to kill Bae. What benefit would he have in letting Bae go?
"You know where to take him," Pan says loudly, and Mat and Perrin step forward, grabbing Bae. At the same time, Felix starts walking away, back into camp. And Marcus starts pulling me away with him.
Everything is wiped from my mind as I realize what's happening.
They're taking him away. They're taking him away again, and they're going to hurt him. The same way they did the night that I got him out. They're going to take him, and they're going to kill him.
No. No I can't let that happen. Not Bae. Not after all this time. Not after I've found him again. Not my brother. I didn't get him out so that he would get caught hurt again.
"No!" I shout, twisting out of Marcus's grip, and rushing forward. "No, Bae!"
Bae is struggling against Perrin and Mat himself, and Marcus grabs me around the middle, dragging me back.
No, I won't let this happen. I won't let them hurt him. Not Bae. Not my brother. Not after all this time.
"Henry!" Bae shouts, struggling against his holders. "Jess!"
At the sound of my name, I twist like an eel in Marcus's grip, and rush forward.
"Vin!" Marcus shouts at me, but I'm already rushing forward. I've almost reached him when Pan grabs me by my shoulder, and pulls me back.
"Oh, don't worry," Pan says, calmly. "It won't be for very long."
I don't know if he's talking to Bae or me, but for some reason his comment fills me with the anger I felt earlier when I learned he lied. I see red, and the next thing I know Pan is on the ground. I'm not sure if I did it by magic or I just shoved him, but I'm free, and that's what matters.
I won't let them take him. I won't let him get hurt again, just to get to me.
"Bae!"
Marcus catches up and grabs me around the middle, and has to half carry, half drag me away as I struggle against him.
"Let go of me!" I shriek, squirming in his grip. "Marcus, let go of me!"
But he doesn't. His grip doesn't break as he drags me away from Bae. Drags me away from the one person who gave me hope, who helped me believe there was some other way besides killing Henry. The one who showed me my sister again.
This won't work, I realize. They're going to take him, and they're going to take me. Bae sees that too. There's nothing we can do. Pan won this round, and we can't change that.
But there is one thing I can do. Something to let him know that it's going to be alright. That I'm still going to help him, no matter what happens.
"I'll take care of him!" I shout, no longer struggling as Marcus drags me away. "I won't let him get hurt. I'll take care of him, Bae, I swear!"
Bae is still fighting, but at this point it's more to make sure I hear what he has to say before they separate us again. I can see it in his eyes, he knows that he's not getting out of this.
Pan is saying something about resetting the board, and the game changing, but I tune it out. I tune out everything except what Bae is saying as they drag us away.
"Tell him I'm alive!" he calls, and I nod. "Tell him not to give up hope."
I nod, only struggling slightly as Marcus starts to pull me into the jungle.
Gods, I'm losing him again. I'm losing him again!
"I will!" I reassure him. "I'll tell him everything!"
Bae is almost out of sight as Mat and Perrin drag him into the other side of the clearing. Still, I hear him shouting at the top of his lungs as he disappears into the foliage.
"Tell him I will come for him! I'll come for both of you! I promise!"
Almost involuntarily, I start struggling again. I won't let them take him. I won't let Pan hurt him again. I almost lost him once. I lost him when I got him out. I'm not losing him again. I refuse to lose him again.
And I'm not going back. I'm not going back to Pan and his lies while Bae is in danger. I'll go back, but only when I know that my friend is safe. And for that I've got to get out of this.
"Marcus, let go of me!" I shout, thrashing in his grip. "Let go of me!"
Marcus doesn't relent, but holds me even tighter. This only makes me struggle even more.
This is too similar. Too close to the night that I got him out. I'm being dragged away when I know that he's in danger. And he's going to get hurt, because he wanted to help me. I got him out once, and I can damn well do it again.
A face suddenly appears in front of me, and I only have time to register that it's Bryan's before he blows a handful of soft dust into my eyes. Instantly, I stop struggling, and black spots dance in front of my eyes like angry bees.
Poppy dust. He used poppy dust to drug me.
"Vin, I'm really, really sorry about this," someone says, maybe Bryan or Marcus, as I feel my legs give out from under me.
I'm vaguely aware of arms catching me as I fall forward, and picking me up under my legs and back. I'm not sure who, but my sixth sense does for the first time in a long time, feel a dark, twisted presence right before everything goes black.
A/N: Augh, Pan had to go and ruin the beautiful moment!
Hey y'all! I know this chapter might seem shorter than usual, but there is an explanation. I started writing, and it ended up being over 12,000 words, so I had to split it up into two chapters. On the bright side, next chapter will be out much earlier than usual.
I also want to thank all of y'all for your support! I know I mentioned how I had moved, and I was blown away with all of y'all wishing me luck. You have no idea how much that means to me, along with your unending patience. So thank you so much, for your support, patience, and sticking with this story for fifty long chapters!
A special thanks to Missrosedust1309, AsaraSahara, bbyypop, SoleySolstice, Fire Bean Flower, KellyMonster757, bright eyed writer, CupcakeLoopy, lightlags, and Nette Black Salvatore for putting this story on alert, and to BadWolf432, Lighthouse5, SpoilersAndMagic, xforeverxhortarux, bbyypop, SoleySolstice, KellyMonster757, and lightlags for favoriting it.
Also, thank you sarah0406, LunaEvannaLongbottom, Lady Deebo, ColdHeartAngel, Female whovian, 8839, REDROBIN007, SilverFury01, ReginaQueenofHogwarts, mercenary2.0, UltimateFan-girl15, Charmedhpgirl, chinaluv, Fangirl Moustache, The Wolf Who Writes, Taeniaea, katerinamak2015, songwriter16, LyrisaLove, Friday1221, Ellimack1716, NeverlandDreamer, SuperFanNumber1, Shad0wfan, xxSwanFirexx, Rebbie, and all other Guests who posted wonderful reviews. Also, a special thanks to Uncommon fairy, my amazing friend and beta reader!
Please follow, favorite, review, or whatever y'all want. Thoughts on what will happen next, now that Pan has recaptured Bae and Jess are especially appreciated! :)
