Pan stood in position at the top of the hill, his back turned and clothes transfigured to look like what Henry had arrived in. From the back, one could easily mistake him for the twelve-year-old, from far away that is, which was all he needed. The Lost Boys stood scattered in the forest, waiting for their cue to attack.
"Henry!" Emma shouted only a short distance away. Pan spun, revealing himself with a smirk to the savior and company. "Hi, Emma."
"Where the hell is Henry?" she demanded.
Pan ignored the question, starting to walk along in a small path. "You broke the rules; that's not fair. Bad form, I expect more from you, captain."
Hook glared, knowing exactly what the demon was playing at. He replied with a clipped, "Aye, and you'll get it."
"Give Henry to me," Emma ordered.
"Sorry," he apologize, not sorry in the slightest, "I can't. Don't you know? Cheaters never win." He chuckled quietly just as all the Lost Boys came out, shouting and hollering, falling from trees and running from behind bushes. Some carried torches, arrows, or swords, all starting to fight the mixed-matched crew from Storybrooke.
Hook took on Felix, muttering something about Rufio, Regina used magic to fight off small groups that ganged up on her, the Charmings fought back to back, Snow with her bow and David with his sword, and lastly, there was Emma, who simply ran through, fighting whoever was necessary.
Battle waged for several long minutes until she tackled a boy, shouting for her son, only to freeze upon actually seeing him. Snow asked if she was okay, her voice laced with concern, when a loud whistled sounded, and all the Lost Boys began to retreat to stand behind Pan.
"Remember what I told you. That map will show you where Henry is, only when you stop denying who you really are. I'll make sure to send Henry your regards." With that last word, he turned, and they all took off back towards camp, the boys cheering over their small victory all the way back.
Upon hearing their return, Reyna got to her feet, her eyes wide with worry, all the anger that she had about Peter making her stay at camp draining to give way to the worry that one of her boys got hurt.
The first to get to the clearing was Felix, a scowl on his face that could kill anyone. She frowned as she wondered what had gotten into him, only to turn away as more boys poured in, her eyes, while roaming over each to look for any wounds needing immediate attention, sought out one boy in particular.
She finally spotted him near the back, dressed in the oddest of clothes; she preferred his regular attire. She hurried towards him, occasionally stopping to check on a boy with a scratch or cut, a bump or bruise, but made it to Peter fairly quickly.
Throwing her arms around his neck, she began looking him over, unsure if the savior had a trick up her sleeve (or if Pan let his ego get the better of him). He chuckled, pulling her face to his in a quick kiss before working to reassure her. "I'm fine, love, no need to worry," he spoke softly, calmly smoothing over any doubts she had with a look into her eyes.
Finishing her assessment anyways, and coming up with the same results, she allowed her anger to spark again as she hit him in the shoulder, glaring at him as he flinched, not hurt but surprised, obviously confused. "What- "
"Don't you ever do that again, Peter Pan! I thought that we had established a long time ago that I could take care of myself! And then you just expect me to stand by while you go off and face 'the savior', who is known in many realms of having powers that exceed the Dark One's?" she shouted, her face becoming red from the emotions running rampant in her skull.
Peter opened his mouth, only for Reyna to start her rant again. "And I'm not some wench that will just nod like a trophy-wife when you run off to do something stupid, or play a game, or whatever the hell you want to call it! And not just you, but all the boys! Not everyone has magical powers that will just get their arses," her slight British accent thickened in her anger," out of 'sticky situations'! Any of them, li-like Felix," she had to take a breath here, not only from the need of oxygen but the idea of losing those most important to her, "or Nibs, or little Tootles, could have gotten hurt all because of you and your goddamn theatrics! Honestly, I get that your protective, possessive, so I stayed behind with little protest, can't have the enemy find out your weakness and all that shit, and the whole 'I'm superior and I make the rules' complex whatever, I get it. But -"
She was cut off there as Peter placed his hand over her mouth. Her shouting had attracted the attention of many of the Lost Boys, Felix being the main one as he seemed unsure between three emotions: impressed (no one ever mouthed off Pan), surprised (with a hint of worry for his little sister), and his specialty, annoyed.
Her breathing was heavy and her face flushed, as the anger slowly seeped out of her as she stared into Peter's forest green eyes, his face solemn. "All of you, back to it," Peter called over her shoulder, his eyes not straying from hers. She heard a few murmurs behind her, followed by some footsteps.
She couldn't tell if Peter was angry or not as he pulled her through the trees, heading in the direction of Hangman's Tree, the home they shared. While she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, she couldn't help but think that she had crossed a line with all the insults and anger she had thrown at him. She followed silently, not daring to break the silence he had put them in. Back at the camp his eyes had given away no emotion. She could usually read him easier than a book, and she found it off putting to be unable to do so now, and she definitely didn't like it; it was uncomfortable to not know what he was thinking, especially when it concerned her.
He opened the door into their tree house, pulling her underground after him and closing the door. Unable to take the silence any longer, she spoke up in her defense. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you angry," she said, her tone deflated, as she avoided looking in Peter's direction, "but I just was worr-"
For the second time that night, he stopped her from speaking, this time with his lips on hers as he spun them around to pin her smaller body against the door. Taken off guard, it took her a second before she responded, her fingers fisting in the front of his shirt, his tangling into her hair, her lips moving in sync with his. Her breathing picked up again, this time for a different reason.
When the need for air became too strong, Peter pulled his face from hers, keeping his forehead resting on hers, their breath intermingling between them. His eyes met hers, which were startled, and nudging his nose against hers, he began to apologize, a rarity for him. "No reason to apologize, love. I was out of line in insisting you stay here, but I couldn't have you in harm's way, not with the captain on the opposing side. As for the others, they can take care of themselves as well." She sighed knowing he was right, but waited for him to continue. "Sorry to have worried you, but there is nothing to be angry with. Forgive me?"
She rolled her eyes at the puppy dog ones he gave her, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth against her will. They both knew he would win this argument; it was his turn to win one anyways. "You're an idiot, Peter," she said instead of coming right out with it, using their small inside joke as answer.
Peter laughed, leaning in close to steal another kiss. "Perhaps, but I am your idiot."
"That you are. All mine," she murmured possessively.
She leaned up, catching his lips in a more passionate kiss than before. "I love you, Peter Pan," she breathed as her lips partially detached from his.
He led her into the bedroom he had managed to add in to their living quarters in the (surprisingly) large underground space, stealing kisses all the while.
"And I love you, Reyna Jones," he replied.
Reyna glared as she stood with Felix in the forest, watching as Pan confronted the girl the shadow had delivered from London, England– from a realm without magic. Felix continuously looked down at her amused, knowing, even if she didn't, that she was jealous. Her eyes didn't waver from the two chatting at the beach, the blonde bimbo smiling brightly as she spoke to Pan, who smirked as he spoke in an uncharacteristically kind voice to the bitch in question. She snarled under her breath as Pan brushed a hand over the girl's arm, making her swoon, her smile growing as she leaned in towards the boy who made no move to get away, only making Reyna grind her teeth in anger. She would kill her. Slowly. Painfully. And then him. Twice.
"It's time to head back," Felix drawled, looking down at the girl who was glaring daggers at the pair walking along the coast, just beginning to head towards them. "We have to make it to camp before them, Pan's orders." He grabbed her arm and began to drag her back the way they had come, earning him a slap to the shoulder, "Let go of me, Felix! Let go of me!" She struggled against his grasp, before he smacked a hand over her mouth, a loud smack sounding as it collided that instantly shut her up as pain blossomed in her abused jaw.
Felix proceeded to drag her, unbothered by her struggles. She screamed against his hand, tears springing to her eyes– she had not been treated like this since before arriving on the island, especially not by Felix, who she trusted. She had been on Neverland for three months now, and he had become her best friend, almost a brother, though this was a setback. "Shush, you heard the orders; you're going to get us in trouble if the girl hears you. We don't want to make Pan mad, you know that," Felix snapped, not loosening his grip on her as they made it to the outskirts of their current camp.
He released her as they made it into the camp, and her hand flew up, rubbing her aching jaw, knowing she would have bruises on not only it but her sides and wrists as well (he had tried to stop her struggles, his grip becoming too tight in the process).
Knowing she had nothing to lose, she spun, her fist jerking back, only for it to snap forward in a fast motion, flying into Felix's jaw with a sickening crack, showing surprising force for a girl of 5 feet 3 inches. She shook out her hand as she winced in pain, seeing the blonde crouching and clutching his face.
"Don't ever handle me like that! Ever! Or else I'll make sure you regret it," she glared down at him, her breathing rapid.
The camp was silent as Felix stared at her wide eyed, slowing nodding in agreement.
The silence was broken by Pan making an entrance by shouting, "Oi! Boys! Gather 'round, we have company," oblivious to the shocked silence of the camp.
No one moved as Pan broke through the trees, Wendy Darling in tow, and looked around the camp, his eyebrows rose, taking in the tense atmosphere. Wendy's smile slowly faded as she looked around the camp, but no one paid her any mind.
Pan took a few steps forward, finding Reyna and Felix at the heart of the matter. Felix simply stared at Reyna, too shocked to speak, while Reyna stared right back, her skin already coloring oddly in the shape of Felix's fingers, tears swimming in her eyes. Pan's jaw clenched as he took in the broken look on her face and the tears that threatened to fall.
They both seemed to snap out of it at the same time. Reyna took one look at Pan, eyes lingering for a second, before flickering to Wendy, which caused her lip to start trembling. Trying to remain strong, she stormed past Pan, not sparing a glance, and shouldering roughly past Wendy, who followed the girl with her widened eyes.
At the same time, Felix straightened, a terrified look crossed fleetingly over his face, knowing his actions, especially after she started to bruise and tear up, would have far worse consequences with Pan than he had intended when he dragged her back. Pan stared shocked after the girl for only a second, making sure she was safely under the canopy of trees before rounding on his second. Felix had never seen the boy so utterly pissed (and he had seen Pan pretty angry considering how long he had been a Lost Boy), his whole body tensed and eyes flashing dangerously. All the Lost Boys on either side watched with bated breath, Wendy confused as she massaged the shoulder that had been shoved.
"I-" Felix began, wanting to defend himself, hoping Pan would understand once he explained. Only to snap his mouth closed with an audible click as Pan snarled, his voice low and menacing
"Shut. Up."
Felix nodded jerkily as Pan waved his hand carelessly behind him towards Wendy, his death glare not moving from Felix. She glowed red for a second, gold glitter shimmering around her, before she froze completely, allowing Pan's full attention to be on Felix.
The couple didn't resurface until early in the morning/late in the night (one could never be sure in Neverland), finally returning to camp hours later. All of the boys sat around the fire, doing something to occupy their free time, some cooking, others making weapons, a handful training off to the side. Only one boy wasn't with the group, and Pan quickly spotted him, a smirk forming as he made his way over, grabbing a cross bow that rested against a tree, pulling Reyna with him by their interlocked hands.
Releasing her only when they were within a few feet of the tree that Henry was currently sleeping under, Pan cupped his hand around this mouth, as to amplify the sound, and made the noise of a morning rooster as to rouse him from his slumber on the hard ground.
Holding out his hand, to which a blood red apple appeared, he shouted towards the groggy boy, "Wake up. Catch." He tossed the apple at the boy, who looked confused as he picked it up.
"I don't like apples." Reyna snorted at the comment from behind her hand, unable to control it. Peter ignored her in favor of talking to the Truest Believer.
"Who doesn't like apples?" he questioned, not seeing the logic to hating the succulent fruit.
"It's a family thing," Henry explained, practically spelling out what he meant for Pan.
"Well don't worry, it's not for eating," Pan said, kneeling down in front of him, "it's for a kind of game, a really fun game. I call it target practice," he informed Henry, giving a pointed look towards the cross bow in his hands. Henry stared down the shaft of the arrow at Pan, fear in his hazel eyes.
"I- I don't kn- know." Henry stammered, looking around for anyone to help him, his eyes boring into Reyna's, who only offered a sympathetic smile and an encouraging nod. Pan grabbed onto Henry's bicep, dragging him into a standing position before shouting 'Boys!' at no one in particular. One of them ran up, bearing a jar full of a black liquid, to which Pan dipped the tip of an arrow.
"Wha- What's that?" Henry asked, curiosity now relieving him of some of his fear.
"Dreamshade. It's a nasty poison," Pan told him, blowing on the tip, before moving to reload the bow. "We have a story here," he looked fondly at Reyna (she had told them the story at one point), "about a man who shot an apple off his son's head with an arrow. Let's find out if it's possible."
"If you're shooting for the apple, what's the poison for?" Pan, lifting the cross bow to eye level to check that it was loaded properly, answered with a wicked smirk twisting his features.
"Motivation not to miss." Henry felt fear trickle down his spine as Pan turned, yelling over his shoulder, "Felix! Get over here." Felix walked over from his position behind Reyna, coming to stand next to Pan.
Henry's eyes flitted over the hulking boy with fear before looking back at Pan. "I- Is Felix g- good? Is his aim good?"
"Doesn't matter," Pan started, making Felix laugh and Reyna to cover her face to hide her smile. "You're the one doing the shooting."
Henry blanched at the idea as Pan handed over the cross bow, taking a step away from the crowd. "I- I don't want to shoot." Pan ignored him, tossing the apple to Felix, who backed away and placed the apple on his head. The Lost Boys began chanting 'Shoot!' over and over, as Pan took his spot next to Reyna.
Taking pity on the boy, Reyna spoke up. "You won't hit him. Trust yourself, go on. It's exhilarating." Henry, looking terrified, turned both his body and the bow to face Felix, who joined in on the chanting.
Pan waved his hand as Henry lined up the bow, effectively cutting off the chanting while they all watched, waiting for the boy to make his shot.
At the last second, Henry changed focus, whirling to aim at Pan, pressing the trigger to send the poisoned arrow straight towards his heart. The older male didn't even flinch, a hand suddenly catching the arrow only millimeters from his chest.
As all the Lost Boys cheered, Reyna glared up at Peter as she pulled the arrow she had caught away from his heart, snapping it over her knee. "Knew you'd save me, love," Peter joked quietly, knowing what she was thinking, before turning to address Henry. "She told you it was exhilarating." He seemed proud as he smirked, walking towards the boy. Henry swallowed hard as he stood shocked, the bow hanging limply from his hands.
It was only an hour later, as Pan had been showing Henry around the compound, that they returned, Pan informing Henry more about the island. Most of the boys were simply doing nothing, talking and laughing, throwing knives. Reyna stood at the center over the fire with Felix at her side, Henry suspected they were cooking dinner.
"Look at the fun their having. The thing about this place, Henry, is that no one ever tells you 'no'. You can do whatever you want."
"They never hurt themselves?" Henry questioned, forever the buzz-kill.
"Oh all the time, at one point I had four boys with missing fingers. Cost of the game, they didn't mind," he said with an accompanying shrug.
"I don't belong here," Henry pointed out.
"Actually, you do. We've been waiting for you for a long time, since before you were born in fact. Magic is dying, and you Henry, need to save it. That's your destiny. To return the magic to every world." At Henry's disbelieving look, he continued. "I have something to show you."
Pan reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of weathered and folded parchment, offering it to Henry. "Here. I've had this for a very long time, long before you were even thought of. Take a look and you'll know why I'm so sure that you are the hero magic has been waiting for." Henry took it, staring at it for a second while Pan got up to leave.
Throwing it to the ground behind him, he looked up at Pan. "I don't believe you." Pan smirked, just as Reyna came over and grabbed his hand, smiling kindly at the two.
"You remind me of your father," she said, causing a scowl to appear on Peter's face as they turned and walked away.
He hadn't been able to escape camp until much later; the chatty broad would not leave him alone, much to his dissatisfaction. It seemed there was only one girl who didn't grate his every last nerve. Once the search started though, it was easy to find her, considering his powers and knowledge of the island.
He teleported straight to the area that he knew all too well. As he appeared just inside the tree line, he heard a quiet sniffling, and automatically he wanted to go kill Felix. He had made her cry, and from the sounds of it, she was just now stopping, hours after she had left camp.
Clenching his fists and taking a deep breath, he forced the tension from his body as he stepped into the clearing, a large tree as the center piece. Sitting against the trunk, Reyna was curled in on herself, legs bent and against her chest, arms wrapped around them, her forehead resting on her knees. He frowned at being unable to see her face.
Making a show of acting as was expected of him, he called across the clearing towards her. "So this is where you'd run off to." She tensed, her head flying up, and Pan had to force himself to repress a growl.
Her eyes were puffy, her face blotchy and red, tear tracks leading down her cheeks, her eyelashes soaked in salty tears. Her violet-blue eyes were broken, but that wasn't the worst of it. Her jaw and cheeks were covered in purpling bruises, the shape of fingers that would line up perfectly with those on Felix's right hand.
She pulled her sleeve fully over her hand, not before Pan caught a glimpse of the bruises there as well, using it to hurriedly wipe her cheeks and eyes of all evidence that she had been crying. It only seemed to irritate her cheeks more, but as she finished that task, she got to her feet, brushing off the back of her pants, looking at Pan as though she was an abused animal. "What you doing here? Your whore leave the party early?" Her tone had gone from curious and cautious to bitter and annoyed in the blink of an eye. Pan couldn't stop the smirk at the blatant jealousy in her tone and eyes.
"Jealous, love?" he asked, an eyebrow raising, his tone mocking.
Her eyes flashed at the comment, her reply coming too fast. "No!" she shouted defensively. Pan's smirk became larger, and her cheeks reddened with blush, as she glared. "What do you want? I wasn't trying to escape, and you never ordered me to stay at camp, your majesty."
This surprised Pan, he hadn't realized that she thought so poorly of him. "There are no royals in Neverland, love."
His face softened as he moved closer to her, her eyes following him warily. He walked up, lightly placing a finger under her chin to tilt her head up, allowing him to look at the bruises. His jaw clenched before he answered her question. "I came to make sure you were alright and hadn't gotten lost, captured or, worse, killed. Can't have that, now can we? As for my whore," his nose wrinkled as he said the word and images of Wendy popped into his head, "she decided to return home, missed her brothers. I wouldn't say I am particularly sad to see her leave."
Reyna's eyes were dazed as he guided her head back down to a more comfortable position, leaving his hand under her chin as he gazed into her vibrant eyes. Her breathing was rapid, her face showing her confusion.
On impulse, his gaze not leaving hers, he began leaning his face closer to hers, his eyes flickering down to her lips for a second. She made no move to get away from him, actually taking a step closer, tilting her head more so to get a better angle.
His lips were a hair's width from hers, which were parted slightly, when she suddenly jerked away, her leg catching on a fallen branch on the ground, sending her tumbling to the ground. "Ouch," she cursed quietly under her breath. Pan took a step closer looking concerned, unsure if he should apologize, when she suddenly got up, shooting him a terrified look before, with a quiet 'see you later', taking off into the forest at a run.
Peter could only stare dejectedly after her, knowing it would only make the situation worse if he went after her. Where had he gone wrong?
"Welcome home, Baelfire." Felix said as he shrugged off the tree. Neal had just crashed down at his feet, exactly where Pan had said he would land. "Pan will be so happy to see you."
Felix made quick work of tying Neal's hands together in front of him before herding him up and into the forest, his club slung over his shoulder. He had been quietly whistling one of the songs Reyna always hummed, but chose, after about 15 minutes into the walk, to break the silence. "Feels like just yesterday I welcomed you to Neverland the first time, Baelfire. Got to say," Felix shoved Neal with his club as he slowed down slightly, "I hoped I'd never see you again."
"Maybe Pan shouldn't have taken my son," he replied calmly.
"Maybe you should have left well enough alone."
"I'm going to get him back."
"You really believe that? You were a Lost Boy. You know Peter Pan is not to be trifled with. You know how long he has been searching for the heart of the Truest Believer. Do you really believe he'll just give him up?"
Neal listened silently, his hand working to get the poorly knotted rope off his wrists. He finished quickly, leaving the bunched up rope hanging from one of his palms. "Maybe, if I ask nicely," he said sarcastically. Felix chuckled humorlessly.
"You may have grown up Baelfire, but it would appear you have grown up stupid. "
"I have grown up, I don't know if I'm stupid or not, but at least I do know how to tie an overhand knot." Using the rope over his knuckles, he spun and slammed his fist into Felix's cheek, knocking the boy unconscious from the force. He crumpled to the floor.
"Not a boy anymore Felix. And I sure as hell ain't lost. Glad to see your face has healed since the last time I saw you." With that, Neal set off into the forest, hoping to find either his son or Emma or maybe even his old friend, if Pan hadn't gotten to her first all those years ago.
Felix cowered under Pan's deadly look. It would seem Wendy's company was a mere inconvenience, quickly taken care of, meaning Felix would be dealt with immediately. Pan glared, making no move to attack, and Felix tried to show no emotion, though he was failing miserably. He was scared. He didn't dare try to speak again, not with Pan this furious.
"Let me make a lesson of this, Felix." Pan's voice was deathly calm, no emotion evident. "Everyone here should understand just what will happen if they lay a hand on Reyna, especially if she gets hurt because of it. You'll be begging for death," he promised, his voice raised for all the boys to hear, making Felix gulp. The other boys all seemed beyond scared for their leader when Pan was gone, no one daring to speak against him or look away in fear of Pan turning on them.
Pan's lip curled as he moved in on Felix.
Felix's mangled body was dragged out by a few of the older boys, the younger ones looking both sickly and terrified. Pan turned to them. "Get this cleaned up, we have a guest." His face showed no emotion as he gestured towards the torn, bloody fabric that lay scattered at his feet. He stepped around it as the boys hurried to clean up, walking towards Wendy.
Forcing a smile on his face, he waved his hand, thawing her. She wouldn't notice that anything had changed or that she had been frozen. He led her over to the fire, talking as politely as he could, his thoughts never far from the raven haired girl who was somewhere in Neverland, though he couldn't zone out long enough to track her fully. He couldn't wait until the girl left. All she seemed to do was talk! Pan wanted to tear out his hair as her hand lightly brushed his arm, nearly making him flinch.
"I must be getting home now," she said hours later. No, that wouldn't do.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Wendy." His voice was suddenly darker than she had ever heard it, sending a shiver down her back. "And wh-why n-n-not?" she stuttered out nervously. Pan chuckled darkly, he had been waiting for this all night. "Because, the shadow would have had a reason of bring you here. You might be of some use to me," he told her, leering at her. She gulped. "I-I would-d r-really prefer to g-go ho-home."
Pan was about to deny her request, when an image of the desolate look Reyna had given her before storming out of camp came to mind. He frowned inwardly, considering his options. "No one leaves Neverland without my permission." Wendy deflated her face filled with fear, tears filling her eyes as she whimpered quietly.
Pan smirked. "However, I can give you a way off the island on two conditions."
"What are th-they?" She looked more hopeful now.
"One, a boy will need to take your place. Two, you never, ever, return to Neverland."
Not understanding how the first concerned her, she easily agreed, wanting to get away no matter the price. "You have a deal, Peter Pan."
Pan inwardly cringed at the sound of her voice speaking his name. He could think of someone who he wouldn't mind hearing say his name, whether it be moaned, yelled, or spoken.
Shaking his head to stop that train of thought before it could take an (not-so) unexpected turn; he smirked, whistling loudly to call his shadow. The black figured floated overhead a second later, awaiting its directions. "Take Ms. Darling home," he ordered, making a mental note, as he turned away to go hunting for a certain Lost Girl, to tell the shadow of its next task concerning the Darlings.