Reyna, Peter, and Felix sat side by side on a log, sharpening arrows for hunting. Peter sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath, a smirk forming on his face as his eyes dazed slightly. "What is it?" Felix and Reyna asked the same time, looking at the boy between them.
"Someone's leaving Neverland."
At the same time Reyna asked, "Where?" Felix asked, "How should we stop them?"
Peter waved them off. "It's too late. But don't worry. We simply need to get word to our friends on the ground."
"In Storybrooke?" Felix questioned, not sounding convinced.
"Please Felix, they can handle this," Reyna said, knowing that the employees would not want to make Peter angry. "All it does is move up our time table a touch," Peter surmised, "We need to get Henry ready." Felix nodded, while Reyna's face fell. Peter got to his feet, the others following suit.
"I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage." All three heads turned to the opening where the cage could be seen. Reyna scolded, moving closer to Peter who smirked down at her anger. No, she was not looking forward to allowing Peter near that wench.
"Pan's shadow, that's how you got off the island the first time." Neal nodded. "We thought you navigated the stars," David said, perplexed. Neal looked confused. "Why would you think that?"
They all shared a look, baffled, before Snow held up the coconut she had been carrying. "When this was lit up it looked like the night sky. We thought that you had encoded it or something."
Realization dawned on Neal as he realized what they were holding. "That is the night sky, but I sure as hell can't read it. A friend of mine encoded it when she came up with the plan to get us off the island. She didn't teach me how to read it. And even if I could, I can't fly, so it would be impossible to get off otherwise."
Everyone seemed surprised by this revelation, Hook gulping as he caught on to the fact that it was his sister who made the map. If that were true, he knew there was no way they would be able to use it. The code would be too intricate, impossible for anyone but herself (and maybe Pan though he didn't actually consider that. He refused to believe that the demon loved his sister) to translate.
"You had help the last time you got off the island? From some girl?" Emma asked, having not known the details of his escape. He nodded his answer once more. "But stealing Pan's shadow, that seems a little crazy, we couldn't get within ten feet of him unless he wanted us to."
Hook almost applauded the savior, finally she was thinking as she should, but it did leave him to question why she thought kidnapping his sister was a good idea but the shadow wasn't. Figuring it was his only way from the island, he offered what information he knew.
"Well that would be difficult, if the shadow was actually ever with him. It is an entity unto itself, and runs on his will from miles away."
"Meaning?" David asked.
Neal answered, "Meaning we can capture his shadow without being anywhere near Pan. As long as we know where to look, and I know where to look."
They quickly split off into groups, agreeing to meet at Tink's once their tasks were done.
She cried out as a hand came down on her cheek, and the shouting started. "You worthless- You little-!" This continued, but all the insults remained unfinished. She fell down as his hand continued to hit her, none of the crew daring to speak out against their drunk captain, even after the horrors that the now six-year-old was put through.
It had been like this off and on for the last two years, since their older brother had died. "Get up!" He shouted, and as she tried to get unsteadily to her feet, his hand came down once more, sending her sprawling to the floor once more. "I said get up!"
She whimpered as she worked to move quicker, her brother towering over her short frame of 37 inches. While she was used to the treatment, it still hurt every time it happened. She had tried to condition herself to not cry, but it was useless.
The worst part was that he seemed to black out when it happened, so in the morning he hardly remembered doing so, and if he did, he either pretended she deserved it or that it never happened, period. He never apologized, why should he? It was her own fault; she never should have been born.
She had come to accept that perhaps he was right, and she didn't even scream or beg the crew to save her or ask him to stop. She had come to wish that she had never been born, what kind of human would want to curse a child with a life in this cruel world?
It was when she was seven that she stopped feeling it all together. She acted like a machine, no longer showing any emotion. She woke up, did the chores, cooked the meals, then allowed him to use her as his own personal punching bag, before she limped back to her room to start the cycle over again. Then Milah came into the picture.
"There you are, care to take a stroll? There is a special place I'd like to show you."
Henry, not bothering to look at Pan, said, "I'm not going anywhere with you."
This was odd, just yesterday (?) he was getting along with all the Lost Boys, what had changed? "And why not Henry?"
"I think you're lying to me. My family, they are looking for me, I know it."
Pan narrowed his eyes at the certainty in Henry's voice. "What makes you so sure?"
"Does it matter?"
"No, I guess not. But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out what does. If your family is here Henry, why haven't they come for you?"
Henry seemed to lose some of his resolve, turning to look at Pan. "Maybe…Maybe you're keeping them from me," he offered as explanation.
"Henry, I promise you I'm not holding your family prisoner." It was the truth, he didn't have them locked up, they weren't prisoner (to him, they were trapped on the island).
"You're hiding something, I know it. I'm going to find out what it is," Henry vowed. He got up, walking away from Pan, his temper rising. Why wouldn't the boy just be honest? He had almost thought better of Pan after speaking to Reyna so much, but he knew that Pan was hiding something.
Felix and Reyna sat watching the pair interact from beside the fire, Reyna resting her head on her pseudo-brother's shoulder.
As Henry walked away from Pan, Felix spoke. "It seems we are losing the boy." He didn't sound happy about it.
Reyna got a soft smile on her face as she stared at Peter, who was walking towards them, answering with, "He just requires some effort. Given his lineage, I would expect nothing less." As Peter stopped in front of them, she sat up straighter, allowing him to peck her on the lips as he took a seat next to her.
Felix, wanting to get down to business spoke up when Pan still hadn't said anything. "Do you want me to bring the cage here?"
Pan, a gleaming in his eyes, shook his head. "No, I have a better idea."
Reyna glared at the back of Peter's head as he lead Felix to the edge of camp, holding a bag filled with multiple supplies out for him to 'deliver'. She did not approve of the plan that Peter had cooked up.
"Head to the other side of the island and deliver the supplies," Pan told Felix, handing him the bag.
"Understood, anything else?"
Knowing Henry was listening, he leaned in speaking in a hushed tone. "Just make sure Henry doesn't find out what you're up to."
Felix nodded, heading off into the forest, and as Pan turned to return to Reyna's side, Henry snuck out from behind a tree and followed him. With Henry taking the bait, Pan settled himself into the seat next to Reyna, throwing his arm around her shoulders. She simply glared, not shoving him off but not leaning into him either. "Come on, love, no need to be so bothered."
She looked over at him, not calming down. "I will stop being angry about it when you stop using that horrid bimbo you keep prisoner." Peter rolled his eyes. "No need to be jealous, love," he told her, pulling her closer to his side. She moved willingly, sighing. "I'm not jealous," she grumbled, "I just don't like that girl."
Peter shook his head getting to his feet. "I have to go get everything set up, will you be alright?" She huffed, clearly unhappy about his leaving, but stood up and nodded with a roll of her eyes.
"I'll be fine; I'll probably go to our clearing, or home. Just hurry back, okay?" He smirked, nodding, and was about to leave when she grabbed his arm, pulling him down into a kiss. "I love you," she told him, giving him a small, half-hearted smile. He just smirked, pecking her lips once more before leaving to release their prisoner.
Pan opened the cage, the blonde girl shrinking back from the opening. "Am I- Am I free?"
Pan smirked, "Not yet, Wendy, but that doesn't mean you can't come out and play."
Felix just threw the bag down right outside the small tree house, before veering left and heading back to camp as planned.
Henry, who had quietly followed Felix unnoticed, came out of his hiding space cautiously, looking to make sure he wasn't seen. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he hurriedly moved towards the bag. Looking inside, he found a canteen of water and some fruit and various other food items. He looked up when he heard a cough coming from inside the hut.
Carefully climbing the ladder, he came into what appeared to be a small house, a table off to one side and a bed at the center. What surprised him was the blonde girl that lay in the bed. She looked sickly, her hair messy, face tired. "Who are you?" he asked shocked.
The girl tensed, her eyes darting around. "You aren't supposed to be here."
Henry nodded. "I know. I thought Pan might be keeping my family here. Why are you so far away from the camp?" He would have thought that at the very least Reyna would want some form of girl companion.
"I- I'm sick, and he's afraid someone else might catch it."
"Who are you?" he asked again, actually receiving an answer this time.
"My name's Wendy."
"Wendy. Darling?" At her miniscule nod, he moved around to sit on the side of her bed. "I'm Henry. What's wrong?"
"It's the island Henry. Its magic is fading. I've been here a long time, but, well, it seems to be affecting me more than the others. You look like him."
"Like who?"
"Your father."
"You knew my dad?"
She nodded. "We were friends. A long time ago, when he was just a little bit older than you, actually. He saved my brothers from danger. He would do anything for my family." She stopped to cough loudly.
"Are you going to be okay?" Henry asked worriedly.
"Maybe you should go."
"But maybe there is something I can do to help."
"Please, I don't want you to catch what I have. Pan is already doing everything that he can. But the magic here, it is not enough."
"There has to be anoth-"
"Please. Go. Before you too become ill." Nodding, he got up walking to the ladder. At the last moment he said, "I'll come back for you, I promise."
She stared after him sadly, tensing when Pan appeared his ever-present smirk adjourning his face. "Well done. I couldn't have played the part better myself. And that bit about dear old dad. Excellent job."
"I don't like lying to him," Wendy whined.
Pan rolled his eyes. "Don't think of it as lying, think of it as providing motivation."
"Motivation for what?"
Pan didn't answer her question. "Back to your cage, Wendy."
Across the island, events were about to take an unfortunate turn.
Peter stood over a wooden crate, an old deck of cards lying to side, three lying face up in front of him. "Follow the lady, gents." He said, keeping his eyes on the man that was currently playing as he flipped over the queen and jokers.
He began moving the cards, changing their places to play a little guessing game. He flashed the lady towards them with a smirk before continuing to mix them. He came to a stop after a minute, waving a hand over them and taking a step back.
The man across the makeshift table glanced once at the seventeen-year-old before slamming a coin down in front of the middle card, a cocky smile in place.
Peter reached for the card, turning it over to reveal a joker. At the sight he sucked in a big breath, tsking his tongue quietly. "What?" the man asked flabbergasted, he had been sure he had the right one. Peter smirked up at him. "Don't feel too bad. You're not the only one being spurned by the lady tonight."
The man's anger was evident when his eyes darted towards Peter's sleeve. Being one step ahead, Peter snatched the bag of gold the man had set down at the beginning, grabbing the coin he had laid down. He then turned, darting off. "Stop! Cheat! Thief!" There was a pounding of many feet hitting the pavement as the men who had gathered all chased after him.
He turned down an alley, only to find that it was a dead end. Cursing under his breath, he searched for a way out. A hand closed around his arm, spinning his around as a fist came in contact with his face. Swearing once more, he was shoved against the wall behind him, the man he had tried to trick glaring angrily in his face, his hand closing around Peter's neck. Panting, he hands grabbed at the wrist around his throat, trying to keep it from constricting any farther. The man's hand jerked back, forming a fist as he was just about to slam it into Peter, who turned his head and closed his eyes to prepare for the impact.
"Stop! Please stop!" the voice of a young child with a Scottish accent shouted, and Peter opened his eyes to see an eight-year-old kid walk over, wrapping his small hands around the man's arm. "Please, don't hurt him. He's my brother!" He cried on the verge of tears. The man looked between the two, his face softening as he looked at the kid. "You'd be better off without him."
With that, he shoved Peter forcefully against the wall once more, making him grunt, before throwing him to the ground, prying the bag of coins from his hands. Peter glared as he struggled to keep his grip on the bag, making the man lose his temper and punch him in the face. "Fuck!" Peter swore loudly, using one hand to pinch the bridge of his bleeding nose.
The boy fell to his knees beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Peter waved him off. "Cost of the game."
The boy looked scared. "But he took all of our money."
At this Peter frowned , rolling his shoulders as he sat up. "Yes, well, I'll figure something out, I always do. Nothing to worry about, Rumple." He got to his feet, pulling his younger brother up as well. "Let's go, I'm starved."
Reyna was not happy about the need to use Wendy Darling in the plan to save Peter. She hated the girl with a passion and wished that instead of using her for control, Peter would have killed her (or let her do it).
She walked out of the camp right after Peter left to get everything in place, deciding to go for a walk to see where it would lead her. She didn't bother telling anyone, Peter knew she would be out and would be able to find her in a heartbeat anyway.
She didn't like her jealous tendencies, but that didn't mean that she wanted Peter near Wendy. While she could suffer through watching him around Tinkerbell or some other girl (there hadn't been many), after their first encounter, she never wanted to see Wendy again (or let Peter see her). She would admit that she was possessive, but it would be lie to say that Peter wasn't, for gods sakes, he was worse than she was! She knew of the speeches he had given the new boys when she was introduced to them, the fear in their eyes, before they found that it was okay as long as they didn't cross any boundaries.
To know that Peter wanted to use Wendy to further their plan made her feel oddly self conscious, and while she knew it was irrational, she was almost scared that a part of Peter liked– possibly even loved– Wendy, and that was why he kept her around. She knew it was irrational, she really did, but she couldn't stop thinking along those lines, no matter how hard she tried.
David and Emma had been patrolling the camp for the last time before they would break into Pan's compound. Snow and Charming had already brought Tink back to camp, and Neal, Hook, and Emma caught Pan's Shadow. Rumple and Regina had run into them along the way and were currently waiting for their return to storm Pan's compound.
They were walking, swords drawn and at ready in case there were any Lost Boys, when they heard the sound of someone talking. Sharing a look, they moved forward silently, the sound of crickets literally following them, until they came across the source.
Walking through the forest, a black-haired girl was mumbling quietly to herself, something about 'Peter' and 'no good, rotten man stealers'. Seeming to be on the same thought wave, father and daughter nodded to one another, taking a guess that this was Pan's weakness. Putting a finger to her lips, in a universal sign of 'be quiet', she slowly started towards the girl, whose back was turned.
Bending down, she picked up a large stone that rest at her feet, readying herself to knock the shorter girl out.
Reyna tensed when it was too late. Coming out of her thoughts in time to sense someone behind, she spun around to see a blonde woman and man standing behind her. The woman's eyes were frantic while the man's looked slightly sad. "What are y-" was all she got out as the woman brought a rock down on her head, making her black out immediately.
Emma watched as she crumpled, falling to the ground, a small wound forming on her forehead where she was hit. David caught her just before she hit the ground, swinging her into his arms to carry her back to camp.
"Let's get back to camp," David said, Emma nodding furiously as she followed after him.
Peter opened the door to the spinsters' cabin, leading his younger brother inside. "What are we doing here?" Rumple asked looking nervously up at him.
Peter smiled, nodding towards the women. "These nice ladies are going to take care of you for a while."
Panic crossed over Rumple's face as tears welled in his eyes. "Please don't make me stay here! I'll be good, I promise."
Peter sighed, shaking his head, ignoring the pitying looks from the three women. "This will give me a chance to get a real job, one that will allow us to be together. It will only be for a little while."
Rumple stamped his foot, a few tears leaking from his eyes. "We can be together now!"
Peter shook his head sadly. "Don't worry, they will take good care of you. Here, I got you something." Reaching into his pocket, Peter pulled out a doll, wearing a blue coat, made from corn husks. "Here, this will protect you and keep you company until we see each other again. Give him a name."
Rumple looked down at the doll, a soft smile on his face. "Really?"
"Of course, now I must be going, I will come back for you soon, I promise."
Rumple nodded, tears now flowing from his eyes, as Peter walked out the door. As soon as it closed behind him, his lip curled. He was not meant to take care of a child, and he was more that relieved to have him out of his hair, at least for a little while. He didn't look back as he walked to the next town and into the grungiest pub he could find.