"Are you fucking done?" Pan demanded through clenched teeth.

Wendy struggled for air as she tried to reel in her laughter. "Sorry, really I am," she gasped as she calmed. "I just…wasn't expecting…" she motioned to his out-of-character ensemble.

Pan grimaced. How fucking humiliating.

"Bye," he snapped, circling around her. He had half a mind to trash the flowers and just leave, but Belle's deep blue eyes were already haunting him. He couldn't leave her again.

So he kept his mouth shut and hoped Wendy would disappear.

"Wait!" she called after him, causing Pan to curse. "Are you going to see Belle?"

He stopped, sighing dirtily. "What's it to you?"

"Can I come?" Wendy inquired as she circled to stand in front of him. "I've been meaning to check on her."

"Do it on your own time," Pan growled, moving to go around her. Wendy however used her body as a wall, and he collided into her during each escape attempt.

"I am on my own time thanks to you," she reminded him icily. "Now either you can escort me to Belle's room or I can spend the next week making your life a living hell, your choice."

"You already do," he muttered, but her sour frown kept him from egging her on.

"Just stay out of my way," he ordered as he brushed past her, his flowers wilted in his hand.

Wendy followed triumph, though there was a vanishing spark of disappointment that he didn't put up more of a fight.

Maybe it was for the best, she told herself. They did not need to create a spectacle in their current situation.

They stopped outside of a door that Wendy assumed was Belle's, but Pan made no move to enter. She saw just how stiff his limbs had become and how tight his jaw had stiffened.

When she peaked over his shoulder she saw why.

"Stay back, Pan," Sheriff David Nolan sighed, his exhausted eyes.

"The fuck!" Pan snarled.

"A precaution," Nolan said. "I know how you get when you have nothing to do."

"We're just here to visit Belle," Wendy jumped in to prevent a fight.

"Miss French isn't being allowed outside visitors until her case is solved," Nolan explained. "That definitely includes you two."

"But she's…" Pan began to protest, but abruptly stopped before the words could form.

Belle was a piece of himself that he had to bury in order to survive. Her disappearance had nearly broken him, and he had to numb himself when she suddenly came back alive. The exact circumstances of her disappearance were still a mystery, one that everyone was keeping their distance from. Even Belle's exact condition was being kept under wraps, no doubt by Mr. Gold's influence, though it was possible that Sydney had put a word in as well.

It puzzled Wendy that Pan had yet to dive into what had happen to her. She concluded that it could have been from exhaustion or from the immediate chaos that ensured right afterwards.

Still, he was here now, and hopefully it was solely for Belle's comfort rather than to pursue a lead during their suspension.

He still hadn't moved, and Wendy could only guess what was going through his mind. It was still a wonder he could go from ruthless and frothing at the mouth to being dumbfounded and woefully unsure of himself. It was such a rare site, and she wondered if Felix or Glass got to see him like this as often as she did.

But she learned instantly it wasn't all emotion keeping him in place.

She glanced around Graham's firm frame to find the thorn in both of their sides staring back at them, and keeping Belle just out of their view.

"Miss Darling," Gold greeted with a cold tone, rising from the seat beside Belle's bed, folding his hands neatly over his cane in a predatory-like fashion. "Peter."

Wendy glanced at Pan when an animalistic sound struggled from his throat, the flowers in his hand now a crushed pile of stems.

There was the faintest hint of a grin on his lips. It reminded Wendy so much of Peter's. Barely there, but visible enough to make one's blood boil.

He was antagonizing them both. Stating his dominance with a simple gesture.

Make your move, he seemed to say.

Wendy seethed at his cockiness. He was the one with the horrible secret yet someone how she was the one with weight over her head!

Because really Mr. Gold is the one holding all the cards. He just convinced the police—hell, the town—that Mother Superior's death was a suicide. Imagine what he could do to her.

What he could make happen to her.

Dropping the crushed stems, Pan shot from the room, nearly knocking Wendy into the next wall.

"Pan," she growled.

Don't leave me alone with him.

Heart pounding, she flashed a snarl to Gold before running after her fellow journalist.

"Who was that," Belle whispered hoarsely from the bed. "They sounded familiar."

Gold patted her hand as he retook his seat at her bedside.

"No one of importance, sweetheart," he said.

Wendy nearly lost him when Pan made a mad-dash to the hospital roof.

"Pan, stop!" she called up as she scrambled up the stairs, struggling to open the heavy door behind him.

He was pacing hard when she stepped onto the roof, the heat from his unexpected rage hitting her even though she was several feet away.

"He did this," Pan gritted, his eyes wild. "He did all of this,"

Wendy stood very still, watching as the concrete seemed to smolder under his feet.

He was cracking, and Wendy found it to be quite the spectacle. She'd seen him enraged, seething through his teeth at the source of his ire. She'd seen him irked and even scared just enough to remind them both that he was human.

But never torn at the seems like he was now.

He was wild, wounded, and Wendy did her best to keep a few feet between them. Just in case.

"What did he do?" Wendy asked, her own guilt weighing heavily on her stomach.

Pan turned to her, his face contorted with a myriad of different emotions. He looked like he had just run a marathon and gotten over a serious illness all at once. He was pale, his eyes shining like two emeralds.

"Pan?" Wendy gulped as he continued to stare at her.

He released a wet laugh and smiled at her, the softest one he'd ever given her.

It shook Wendy, seeing him so vulnerable. She'd only seen him at his hardest, when he would reel her in and spit her out before she even had a chance to get damp.

Even in the face of adversity—when he was beaten or drugged—he'd always had a sense of control about him.

But now he was crumbling and Wendy was utterly lost to keep him together.

"Are you…" Wendy breathed. "Um…"

"No," he breathed jaggedly. "I'm not. This is…" be shook his head.

"Poppy cock?" Wendy offered.

"About," Pan allowed, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "I'm fucking sick of this already,"

"We haven't been suspended a full day yet," Wendy joked, hoping to lighten the setting.

Pan simply seethed, his mind spiraling with incomplete thoughts.

Wendy bit her lip, unsure where to go from here. Pan wasn't reasonable by any means. With matters that managed to touch his withered heart, there was no telling how he would react.

Still, she had to take a shot. They still had much to discuss.

"We need to talk," she said. "About before."

Pan slammed his hands on the railing preventing him from falling to his doom.

"Bloody hell. That's all over and done with."

"No, it's really not," Wendy scoffed. "You caused a lot of damage. To me, to Tink, to the whole town."

"Glad you got to witness the extent of my ability," Pan snarked.

Wendy groaned. The smart thing would be to walk away and avoid him for the next six days. But he needed to know what he did to her, and really, how he didn't have to.

"Bottom line," Wendy sighed. "You didn't have to go behind my back to get that story published. You could have told me why you wanted to do it. What she did to you."

Pan laughed bitterly and rolled over to face her, his eyebrow cocked up in amusement.

"You still wouldn't have done it," he said. "You don't have the stomach."

"You might have been surprised."

"Ha! Damn right I would have been,"

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Look, my point is that you don't have to push me out. We've been through a lot together. We've been injured side-by-side, talked." She swallowed. "We've gotten to know each other. And maybe we're not friends, but we're something. And we're close enough that when we work together, we survive, and a lot comes out of what we do."

Pan, surprisingly, remained quiet as she spoke, as if her words were actually sinking in.

Though Wendy wouldn't hold her breath.

"So the next time something big like that happens," Wendy shrugged as she prepared to leave. "Let me help you. Don't isolate me."

She gave him a forced frown and headed to the door. She had all of that off her chest, and now she could rest with that part of her turmoil. Hopefully such passion would work on Tink.

"You're right."

The words didn't immediately sink into her brain. Did Peter Pan—town demon and constant source of her migraines—just tell her she was right about something?

She turned around, hungry to hear the words again.

Pan looked pained, his jaw threatening to lock up.

"We work well together," he admitted, more whole-heartedly than he wanted to admit. "So…will you assist me with this?"

Wendy gaped at him for a moment. "Um…with…what?"

He looked past her to the hospital where the demon Mr. Gold waited, calculating their next move.

"I don't want to sit around the next week. I…" he gritted his teeth, hating to be so raw in front of her. "I want to pick up where we dropped off everything,"

Wendy crossed her arms, staring Pan down in amusement. "We dropped off in a lot of places, Pan. I spent most of my day recounting them all."

"Then let's start from the beginning," he said, stepping closer. "Let's close all these cases we turned our backs on. De vil, Jekyll, anything that's still open. That we opened."

Wendy gulped, a flash of Jekyll's rotting face blinding her.

"What if we can't close them," she asked. "What if they aren't meant to solved?"

Pan scoffed. "Then we'll find a way. Peter Pan always does," he tilted his head. "What about you, Wendy Darling?"

Wendy cleared her throat uneasily. Even when they were attempting to get along he would try to intimidate her.

"I want to close these stories off as much as you," she said, meeting his eyes with glowing confidence.

He smirked, the familiar light of mischief returning to his face.

Thank. God.

"Then it's settled," he announced excitedly. "We'll meet at my place tonight and get stated."

"Tonight?" Wendy scoffed.

"Did you have anything better to do?" he teased.

"No," Wendy rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tonight then."

"Right," he returned, his smile becoming gentler. "Until then."

Wendy couldn't suppress the grin that spread over her face as she exited the roof. Even passing by Gold and Belle's room didn't damper her spirit.

She and Pan—after nearly two months of hissing and spitting at each other—were finally getting along.

They'd probably try to rip out each other's throats while working on their cases, but for the time being she could relish in the fact that they were on mutual ground. That he was listening to her and willing to work with her.

Maybe it wouldn't fix all the damage between them, but maybe it could create some much-needed healing.

So enthralled with the concept of the future, she didn't see the patch of ice that the dropping cold had laid out just outside the hospital.

She didn't have a chance to resist it, and she already felt the sharp pain the asphalt would bring before she even hit the ground.

But she never did fall, as a pair of arms caught her around the waist before she had the chance.

"Easy love," a lightly accented voice laughed as he pulled her to her feet. "There are easier ways to injure such a pretty face,"

Wendy wiggled from the mysterious man's grip, her adrenaline demanding she panic.

She swirled to lay eyes on her rescuer and met a pair of the iciest eyes she'd ever seen.

She instantly thought of Belle's, so disturbed by all they'd seen that they looked through their target.

These however looked right at her.

Like, really at her.

He was staring at her like he knew her, his mouth slightly agape.

"I…thank you," Wendy breathed, demanding herself to relax. Not every person who lurked in the shadows was a monster, she reminded herself.

Just almost everyone.

And she made sure that she had a clear path to an open business just in case he struck.

The man blinked and flashed her a bright toothy smile.

"I apologize for staring, dear lady, I just wasn't expecting such beauty,"

Wendy chuckled. What a line! This man was obviously used to seducing high-class woman, and certainly had the charm and good looks to do it.

Blue eyes, a gorgeous smile, and silky black hair? Who wouldn't fall for that?

Her.

"What were you expecting from someone about to bash their brains in?"

The man laughed good-naturedly. "Something much differently, I assure you."

Wendy smiled. Charming indeed.

"Well, maybe you'll find it later on," She teased. "But if you'll excuse me, I have prior engagement,"

He nodded, taking a respectful step back. "Of course. I do apologize for keeping you."

"No, not at all," Wendy returned, almost hating to have to walk away.

Almost.

"Maybe I'll see you around," she offered half-heartedly.

"I believe you will," the man nodded. "Good night."

"Bye," Wendy breathed, her heart skipping a beat as she (much more carefully) walked away. It occurred to her that she hadn't asked his name, or even that he offered it.

Peculiar, but not totally unsettling.

The man didn't take his eyes off her until she was safely around the corner.

He chuckled as he rubbed his chin and made his way to the cozy bar tucked into a nearby alley. If there was any time for a celebrator drink, it was certainly now.

The bar, thankfully, was near-empty, with only a few poolers moving about in the corner.

He signaled for a beer before pulling out the gently used and lightly damaged beeper from his inner coat pocket.

He hummed in irritation when he saw that he already had a message. Couldn't a man get five seconds of peace?

Did you find the targets?

The man licked his lower lip. He certainly had.

One of them. He replied.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Did you really think I was going to do a DP fic without Hook? Scoff.

Yeah, I wanted to include him long before, but the show really ruined him for me and I had to do a cleanse. I actually liked him before S4, but…yeah. So I'm going to have to do some soul-searching to figure out just how to write him.

Christ in heaven give me strength!