Chapter 14 'Bae Tells Peter'
Tigerlily grabbed Peter by the scruff of his shirt and smashed her lips onto his. There was no resistance as he placed his hands on her waist, backing her against a tree. Their tongues moved in sync to the beat of their hummingbird hearts. Before, their dalliance had been a slow burn and never to be as quickly heated as this.
Her long, raven locks flowed freely as Peter had slipped off the bands which contained them. He threaded his fingers through her hair and gently put distance between them. He came in close again but this time to nuzzle his nose with hers, a gesture she came to love over the course of the year.
Yes, it had been a year. The wedding was tomorrow and Tigerlily, fueled by the inevitable, wanted to have one last kiss. She knew she wasn't going to see him again, and so released the desire she had pent up for too long. Though she would never take it as far as engaging in 'private activities' in the treehouse. Now that, if snuffed out by her tribe, would be unforgivable.
She pulled away to look at the boy before her and sadness struck her heart. She was starting to see the finality of it all, of how serious their last night was.
"Tigerlily?" Peter asked softly, "Are you alright?"
She nodded and pecked him on the nose like nothing was wrong. They stopped kissing for now and they just stayed in each other's embrace in sweet silence. Tigerlily wanted to take in the sights and sounds, keeping them locked in the back of her mind. Maybe on dark days she could uncover the memories and relive them for only a second.
"I wish we could stay like this forever," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Me too," he agreed, "But we'll always have tomorrow."
No. We won't, she thought, Tomorrow will be different. She tried to voice it but she couldn't get past the lump in her throat. She had a year to tell him, but she was so damn afraid. Oh how truth can be so terrifying. She could slay beasts and battle pirates, but the one thing she could never do is tell the truth and that was by far the bravest act known to man.
Peter could tell she had something on her mind and tried to pry it from her, "You're doing it again. Closing off when I know there's obviously something wrong," he went on, "I can feel your throat tighten whenever we kiss as if you're holding back tears. Are you not happy with me? With this?"
"No. I am!" she insisted.
"But you're holding back. What is it? I can help,"
"Peter, I have to go," Tigerlily refused to face him. She twisted free from his hold and went to leave the seclusion of the clearing. She halted, turning to give him a final kiss, "Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Peter said after her.
When her body disappeared into the darkness, the Lost Boy slumped against the tree. His mind was swarming with thoughts of Tigerlily. He yearned to find the source of the problem that was causing friction between them, then maybe their dalliance would run smoothly. At times, he would think there was a barrier keeping him in Tigerlily apart. A barrier constructed by Tigerlily he opted, but now his thoughts drifted to another reason. There was some exterior force keeping them apart and he had none of the wits to figure this out.
Tigerlily jolted awake at the sound of something slamming onto her desk. The rattling shook her workplace, sending her picture frames onto the floor. Looking up, she saw a frowning David putting a stack of papers on her desk. She groaned, a lecture was coming.
"Tigerlily…" he began.
"I was going to file them. I swear, David!"
Sighing, the prince stooped to gather the two picture frames. The glass had shattered but the pictures stayed in tact. One was of her, Grace, and their friends. The other one was of Graham posing with a dart, ready to throw it at the target. Tigerlily had taken that picture during one of her visits. They had plenty of fun that day. She smiled at the memory, momentarily forgetting David's lecture,
"You've been putting these off since last week." There had been lots of action last week. For one thing, Hook had escaped and was now hiding somewhere in Storybrooke and there had been a mishap with a giant running rampant on the streets. A couple of cars and buildings were destroyed during both occasions resulting into a paperwork party at the station.
"Were you hoping Emma was going to take of it when she gets back?" he asked. Since the night of her return, Emma let Tigerlily keep her position as deputy. The petty grudge she had back when the curse was in play had basically dissipated. It was mainly spurred by the feelings of her cursed self.
She no longer blamed the Savior for the death of Graham. Now awakened from the curse, she had found that Regina was the guilty party. No one had seen much of the mayor/queen since the curse broke. The few instances she did emerge from hiding was to see Henry and that was it.
"Oh come on, David," Tigerlily plucked the first paper on the stack and skimmed it through with disinterest, "I know you have some stuff lined up for Emma to do too." she pointed out, which silenced the temp Sheriff for a second. She knew she had them there. The prince had yet to figure out how to input the records on the computer. She would hear him cursing at the monitor, "Damn technology," he often said.
Emma and Henry had went on a trip with Mr. Gold to New York last week. David was made Sheriff again and things proved to be more difficult than before, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss Swan," The warrior princess admitted. She lazily spun around in her chair before stamping a few forms from the stack.
"I miss her too, but just because she's absent doesn't mean you can slack off, Tigerlily,"
"You know how I like putting things off until the last minute," It was true. Tigerlily liked to procrastinate. She found that it took the seriousness out of her responsibilities, "Besides, my reading is not up to par."
"Seriously though, the next time you-" The ringing of the phone disrupted David's sentence. Saved by the bell. The deputy picked up the phone and answered it according to protocol. Expecting to hear a frantic voice on the phone, she had a notepad ready. Her orthography lacked, but it was because she was still grasping how to read and write.
She waited for the caller but a crash sounded on the other end. Some fumbling with the phone she guessed, "Lily?"
It was Emma, "Swan? What's going on?"
The Savior kept the chat on a low volume, "We're back in Maine. There's trouble in Mr. Gold's shop, and we're caught in a crossfire,"
"Mom!" Henry's frantic voice made her blood run cold, and her muscles tensed upon thinking what was transpiring at Mr. Gold's.
"Henry? Emma, are you guys in-" She was cut off by the distinct sounds of gunshots. The line went dead.
She set down the phone, her mouth agape, "Oh my god."
She sent word for David, but the prince had already left once he heard 'Emma'. For Tigerlily, Emma had always been 'Swan' or 'Sheriff'. Only in times of distress and seriousness was when the girl called the Savior by her given name.
Pushing paperwork aside, Tigerlily swept the gun from her desk and, turning the safety off, she ran after the prince. Hopefully, they could get to them in time.
"Have you said goodbye?" Moon-Eye talked while she and other girls from the tribe combed and braided Tigerlily's hair, "You will regret not having told him."
'Those feelings will soon pass with time," Today was the day. The tribe sprang to life at the edge of dawn. Without so much opening her eyes, she had been whisked off to get ready for the wedding. She was in Moon Eye's tent having her hair tugged and pulled by the girls who had dismissed her before. They whispered with each other, hearing firsthand about Tigerlily's dilemma. The females of her tribe loved gossip.
"Time?" Moon-Eye scoffed, "Time does not exist here. And you simply cannot wash away regret. It is the rock where the waves crash upon, wearing it down for years yet still remains."
"Let us continue with the arrangements," Tigerlily's tone made it clear the subject should be left alone. Her hair was finished, and now...for the dress. She crawled to the garment folded in the corner of the tent. Moon-Eye shooed the girls away for privacy. After, the young shaman was in the midst of putting away the comb when she heard a commotion. Turning, she saw Tigerlily was rummaging through a wool sack.
Probably looking for her vows, Moon-Eye thought. She didn't sense the worry until she craned her head to peer into the bag. It was empty.
"You have forgotten to collect your symbols?" The vows were the most crucial part of the ceremony. Both the bride and the groom must have seven items symbolizing their love. It could be anything. A piece of grass, a dew drop, a breadcrumb even. As long as it had a deeper meaning.
Tigerlily clamped her hand on the shaman's mouth, "Sh. Any louder and Mama Fire will hear. Would you like to be here when she explodes?"
Mama Fire was Rufio's mother and was no doubt the most infuriating woman Tigerlily had ever met. While most cowered under her beefy figure and imperial gaze, Tigerlily was rather annoyed by the mammoth matriarch of the Bog Dwellers. It had been part of custom to go her betrothed's house and prove her worth as a good wife to his parents. It was clear Mama Fire didn't like her from the start and had Tigerlily commit to rigorous chores. She didn't complain, she couldn't. With so much at stake, the safety of their two tribes, she couldn't afford to blow it by killing her mother-in-law before the wedding.
"She will be furious. My mistake. That is why I shall go," She briskly walked to the tent flap but Moon-Eye prevented her from leaving.
"No. You and I are needed here,"
Then Moon-Eye hatched an idea. Searching for the symbols herself would take up majority of the day. If she could slip out of the village unnoticed then she could get someone who can. She ordered Tigerlily to stay put, "I know someone who can help."
He had done it. Rumplestiltskin actually did it.
The proof was standing across from her in the back of Mr. Gold's shop, yet Tigerlily couldn't comprehend how this could happen. She had heard gunshots coming from the pawn shop and went in to investigate. She and David had found Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret huddledover an injured Rumplestiltskin, along with an unknown man. Two people held their guns at them, one being Greg Mendell the tourist visiting Storybrooke and the other an African American woman.
They scramed once they caught sight of the police. Tigerlily was ready to chase after them when she heard her name being called.
"Tiger, stop. We'll get them, later,"
It had been the man at Rumplestiltskin side. She spun and saw an older man, in about his early 30's staring back at her with curiosity and happiness. She then noticed how close he was to Rumple, how the Dark One allowed him to be near. This had to be someone he trusted.
Could it be? she wondered. She wanted to feel his face, rubbing past his the stubble on his chin and ignoring the wrinkles time had bestowed upon him. Hopefully, she could find the boy underneath.
It didn't take long to find him though. The man broke into a smile. It was the same lopsided yet splendid smile that held a scarring past they both shared.
"Bae?" Tigerlily tackled the grown man with an emotional hug. She dug her face into his shirt and sobbed. In return , he kissed her temple, tears brimming his own eyes.
Rumple stood to his feet after magically healing his gunshot wounds. He stared at the two hugging in mix hurt and envy. His son would embrace Tigerlily, a friend, rather than his own father. Then he wondered what happened to these two, who had hurt them to make them feel all emotional.
But the answer was obvious. It had been his brother's fault.
"You're old," she sniffled into his shirt. His laugh hummed against her ear, sending ripples to her heart. It was weird having to stand on her tip-toes to hug her friend who had been the same height as her before.
They parted. Bae patted her head as if she was a child. She craned her neck up at him, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. She had always had a vision of Bae in her head, the fourteen year old boy. He was an adult now.
"Henry has told me how you've been, deputy," he punched her shoulder lightly and Tigerlily smiled. He did see her as a friend, "I guess you'll be the first to call when we run into Greg and Tamara again."
Henry came forward, and , apart from having been in a shootout, was emotionally intact. He smiled and held Bae's hand, "Tigerlily, meet my dad."
Felix didn't have many friends. Correction, he didn't have any friends. He was fine being on his own and thought he made that point across to anyone who tried to speak with him.
It was after rescuing the shaman from Hook when Felix noticed he gained a tag-along from that little excursion. It had been the damsel herself, Moon-Eye, who became intrigued by his brooding manner and would incessantly follow him around. She would accompany Tigerlily and Rufio to the compound and when the time came for Felix to collect firewood or to do some task of that sort, she would break away and began to trail behind thinking he wasn't looking.
The first stalkings annoyed the hell out of Felix. He tried veering off the path to trick her, deliberately setting up traps to prevent her from walking further, he tried telling her upfront to stop but it didn't work. The next day she would return, more driven than ever to follow the Lost Boy. Now, months later, Felix had gotten used to this little game and even indulged the shaman. Occasionally, tucking flowers in the most inconspicuous places. If she found 13, he would talk to her, easing her ever growing curiosity of him.
Moon-Eye never came short in collecting the flowers.
She was tolerable. Felix gave her that. And she made good company. If that's a friend, then Felix could safely call her that. Without the others' knowledge of course. The concept of friendship was fairly new to him.
He was whittling away at a statue at the compound. The other day Moon-Eye had confessed to him that she never had a toy to play with when she was young. Being deprived of a childhood, huh? Felix could relate. He opted to make a wooden doll for her just cause. Girls liked dolls, right?
"What's that you got there, Felix?" Devin stalked over. He inspected the carving and stifled a laugh, "Do you have something to tell us?"
The towering blonde scowled and hid Moon-Eye's present underneath his cloak, "You came here with a purpose, didn't you?" he quipped.
"Yeah. Pan just got back from an outing with Tigerlily and he asked for you to get some Fairy Root. With the start of the new winter, the healing tents will be overflowing with sick boys. Be a doll and retrieve some for us?"
Felix sighed. That joke was going to stick for a while. He tucked the doll into his trouser pockets to keep it from falling. Fox provided him with a sack and he was off to find Fairy Root.
He traveled as far as Butterfly Bluff, a well-known spot for collecting medicinal plants. It was where the mushrooms as large as dinner tables sprouted., the berry speckled bushes occupied the field, and the flowers stayed in a permanent bloom. It was a healer's paradise.
Damn it, he inadvertently thought of Moon-Eye again. Shaking his head to rid of her name, he used his machete to saw off pieces of Fairy Root that grew gnarled around a patch of poison ivy. In the dark, the Root and the ivy looked the same, but Felix was careful. In no time, he gathered bundles of Fairy Root.
He pivoted, retiring to the compound after a night of hard work. He passed by Bae's cave on the way. Normally he wouldn't give a second thought about the traitor, but he caught wind of hushed voices radiating from his home. Under Peter's orders of alerting him of Bae's activity, he forced himself to shuffle to the side of the cave.
The conversation was in Picaninny. How Bae managed to learn a wide range of the language was beyond Felix. He listened carefully. The words were tossed around at great speed, it proved difficult to catch sentences. So he took heed to body language.
Moon-Eye, in her ambitious nature, kept shoving a sack similar to Felix's towards Bae's hands. He refused, yelling profanities at her in her native tongue. Then, the shaman sighed, her brown eyes glistening with tears. She whispered something before turning away. For many nights after, Felix would wonder what she had said because whatever it was, it changed Bae's mind. He pulled her back, claimed the sack, and marched off in the opposite direction.
Their meeting were a thing to be suspicious of. Felix could recognize a secret a mile away. There was a secret Moon-Eye wanted to keep, one Bae already knew.
Felix stealthily approached Moon-Eye, tapping her shoulder. She whirled around, so surprised that her hand went to her heart, "Felix," the hint of Picaninny in her accent.
"What were you talking with Bae about?" The shaman kept her mouth closed. She knew she had been found out.
"Moon-Eye…" he said sternly, as a warning. Pan had to know. And throwing his new friendship to the wind, he held the machete to her neck, "Tell me." The whimper that emitted from Moon-Eye's mouth almost made him put his weapon down. This girl was meek, her sensitivity was the epitome of innocence. And here he was, holding her at knifepoint. The words 'I'm sorry' couldn't come out.
"Pan must not know," she wheezed, "Tigerlily wishes it for it to be a secret. Please, Felix. Stop." His machete was shaking. It was either their friendship or Pan. He was at war with himself until he remembered his vow from long ago. He had pledged his life to Peter Pan and to Peter Pan alone.
The machete grazed her neck and she cried, "Tell me." he tried again. Moon-Eye tilted her head back and nodded in submission.
Bae didn't know how they found out, but they did.
From what started out as a race against the sun turned into a full on chase. The moment he had set foot off of Pixie Hollow with the last of Tigerlily's vows,, he knew he was in danger. He felt his every move being watched by eyes in the jungle canopy. He tried to assure himself that it was Neverland playing tricks on him, but it couldn't soothe his fears. It was Neverland playing tricks on him. He nearly forgot who Neverland was. It was him, all Peter Pan.
He quickened his pace, bursting into a full sprint when he heard footsteps (besides his own) pounding against the vacant path. It was the Lost Boys. He risked a look behind his shoulder. They were armed with their bows and torches. They looked like monsters rather than children. One look at them reminded Bae why he distanced himself from them, making distinguishing him from the Lost Boys much easier. At least, he wasn't uncouth.
Nothing stopped him from putting more distance between them now. He pushed on despite his muscles telling him otherwise. He blurred past Cannibal Cove. Tigerlily's village was just over the next couple of turns. If he made it to the Picaninny, he would be safe from the Lost Boys. Taking a gamble, he swerved to the left and bounded over the foliage to unmarked paths. He was taking a shortcut.
He was far too ahead for them to notice him taking another path. Bae weaseled between trees, which were too close for his comfort until he reached a clearing. He hadn't been thinking when he planned this out. Being cooped up in his cave for so long, he forgot where everything was. The trees surrounding the clearing were spinning, confusing him and making him nauseous.
Realizing his mistake he went to retrace his steps, he turned to the path he went on but couldn't find it. The plants had grown to an unbelievable height, trapping Bae inside the clearing.
"Oh no," There was only one person capable of this.
"So this is what I need to do to get you to talk to me?" Peter swung down from the treetops and landed in front of Bae. His nephew inched away from him, "Hello Baelfire."
Bae's shoulder slump in dread, "Great,"
"It's been a while, laddie. You need to visit your dear, old uncle more often,"
"Dear and old are not words to describe you," Peter laughed mirthlessly. He loomed over Bae, taking long short steps towards him. He walked with anticipation. He appeared calm, seeming to want to reconnect with his nephew. But he had about him an eeriness.
"Now, I understand Moon-Eye tasked you with something."
"What's it to you?" With a discreet hand, he tried hiding the bag behind him.
"It seems odd that she came to you for help." Peter wasn't dumb. He was knowledgeable of his activity since he broke away from the Lost Boys. He knew of his position on the island as the "middle man", as one would call it.
"This involves Tigerlily, doesn't it?"
Bae wasn't a fan of this new romance, but he encouraged it. It was bound to end in a disaster anyway, and he only hoped that Peter would get burned in the end. Someone was bound to snitch and their love would be in turmoil. Although, he never would have thought that someone would be him. His pondering didn't give Peter any answers, wearing out his patience. The Lost Boy's temper flared, and his composure broke. His need to find out was making him act so desperate. He pointed an accusing finger at Bae, his rage-filled eyes piercing him,
"Don't lie to me. I didn't believe him before but Felix's run-in with Moon-Eye confirmed it!"
"Him?" Who was this? This couldn't have been a Lost Boy. He would have been killed for a comment like that. That left one probability, "As in Ombra?" Bae asked.
He nodded. Deep growl rumbled in his throat, ""For weeks he had been telling me she will deceive me in the cruelest way possible. And I'll see to it that it won't happen. Now, give me the bag."
"Why would I do that? I have a good setup with the Picaninny and don't forget, I loathe you," He took a courageous step back and looked Peter straight in the eyes, " Why the hell would I give you anything?"
"I'll let you see your father again,"
His nephew did a double take, thinking he misheard. Peter smirked, "You heard me. I give you my word, Bae. You get to see Rumpelstiltskin again. All you have to do is give me the bag."
There were a number of reasons not to trust Peter Pan but when it came to his word, he kept it. That was why when Peter's hand reached for the bag, Bae didn't move. He let him have it, not knowing he played a part in a devastating day in Neverland history.
A/N: A Baelfire tribute. A bit overdue. I am still reeling from 'The Jolly Roger'. And fingers crossed that instead of Cora, it would be Peter Pan coming back to life! Miss him.
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*Peter Pan Never Fails*