One Day Later…
"You've lost the plot if you think this is a good idea," she hissed at her mother from across a table at Granny's Diner. Snow sighed, looking at the girl that she now had to treat like her daughter. While she was scared of setting off the girl, not wanting a replay of the magical explosion from yesterday, she knew that she had to treat the girl like her daughter.
"No, we haven't. If we do this, no one has to die and we get rid of the threat."
Reyna glared. "You are going to send me to school with the boys that tortured me! And after all the power he has shown? You have to eliminate the threat before he can hurt us all!"
Snow shook her head. "He doesn't know he is Peter Pan anymore. He doesn't even know that magic exists. All he knows is that he is a foster kid, under the impression that he came to join another family. He will be taken care of by Neal, who isn't going to let him get out of hand. He is now Malcolm Cassidy, and he won't be any more of a threat to you than any of the other boys at your school, which I believe you have no problem with."
Reyna just pouted through lunch, before going with her mum to go clothes shopping (she didn't know what happened to hers). She wasn't looking forward to school tomorrow.
Neal sighed, angry that he had to take on the nuisance that was Pan. Most of the Lost Boys got rooms at Granny's Inn, Felix was thrown back in jail, Reyna was with the Nolans, and he got the worst of the bunch, his uncle! He never, in a million years, would have guessed that his papa had a brother, let alone Peter Pan.
He opened the door, allowing his 'foster son' to pass in front of him. "This is my place, your new home, I guess."
Malcolm gave him a dull look before looking around the apartment. He couldn't say he was impressed, and he definitely wouldn't call it home. He had been in and out of homes since he was five, the longest being six months before he was thrown into the system again. He had to say that what he saw of the small town wasn't at all exciting. He was looking forward to causing trouble in his short time there.
Neal quickly gave him the tour– which wasn't long, only a living area slash kitchen and two bedrooms and a bathroom. Then he told him the rules.
"You'll start school tomorrow, and no trouble. You'll come back here right after, unless I tell you otherwise, and you'll leave people alone, got it?"
Malcolm hummed in response, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And what am I to do after school?"
"Homework, or just stay out of the way, as I said. No. Trouble."
"How boring. Of course I get a tight ass guardian."
Neal's eyes narrowed at Pan, surprised by his blatant use of curses, which was something he hadn't really done before he had false memories. Malcolm rolled his eyes. "If that's all, warden, I'll be heading to bed."
"Uh, yeah," Neal said, "Go ahead. Be up early so I can drive you to school."
Malcolm just shrugged, getting up and walking into his new bedroom.
Reyna wasn't happy. She had the misfortune of having 'Malcolm Cassidy' in most of her classes, and he was obnoxious and disrespectful, and he hit on just about every girl at the school, though no one seemed as bothered by him as her, except for some of the boys that had gotten off the ship a few days ago.
She was currently sitting in the sheriff's office, filling out an arrest form despite the cuffs on her wrists. Felix leaned against the bars with a smirk, going ignored by Reyna. Emma was taking Pan home, needing to explain the situation to Neal.
Emma came in with a sigh, slumping into the plush chair. "Why?" Reyna just raised an eyebrow. "Why did you threaten the kid with a plastic knife? And hit him?" she expanded. The new information made Felix smirk at the idea of Reyna pinning Pan down and threatening him with a plastic knife to his throat, looking like a kitten trying to be a lion.
Reyna didn't look up from the paperwork. "Are you seriously going to keep me cuffed? Mum will bail me out. As for why I did it, the tosser stared at my arse for longer than I appreciated, told me I was fit, and had the nerve to hit on me. I almost chundered after watching all the other girls fawn over the bloke. And it isn't like I can take an actual knife to school."
Emma shook her head, "Sign this," Reyna said, passing over the finished paperwork. Emma grabbed and pen and scribbled her signature, before setting it to the side to be filed. "Well, as soon as Mary-Margaret gets here to bail you out, you'll be free to go. Lucky for you, Neal and Malcolm agreed not to press charges, but try not to get into anymore trouble." Reyna didn't bother answering, knowing that she wouldn't follow her directions.
Malcolm was impressed. No one had ever treated him like that, especially not a girl. She was fierce and good looking; he would have her.
Neal hadn't been happy when the sheriff had told him that he got into a fight on his first day, and already he was grounded for starting fights. Had he not been so invested in plotting to get the girl, he would have laughed at the sexual tension between the two.
He had gone over to talk to her at lunch, where she was sitting alone on a table, her feet resting up on the back of a chair in front of her. She stood out to him amongst every other person, what with her passive-provocative outfit and obvious outcast personality. She hadn't even given him the time of day, rather rudely ignoring him and giving him snide or clipped answers. It was obvious that she didn't appreciate his blatant perusal of her body, or his comments on her fit arse.
It had been sudden, one second he was talking confidently, a smirk on his face, the next his back was on the table, her hand tangled in his hair, pulling it forcefully back, the other holding a dull plastic knife to his throat. After he got over the initial shock, his smirk returned.
"Feisty and sexy. You've got fire, I like fire." She snarled, digging the flexible blade deeper into his skin. While it would score his skin, it wasn't sharp enough to draw blood, as least with the way she was using it. She was seconds away from doing something she would regret.
Malcolm just couldn't keep his mouth shut. "I'm always up for foreplay, love."
She jerked his hair harshly, pulling him up and removing the knife from his throat, only to punch him square in the jaw. She was going in for another hit when she was pulled back by one of the teachers. "Miss. Nolan! Mr. Cassidy! What is the meaning of this?"
He smirked from where he stood, a hand cupping his jaw, blood beading from the corner of his mouth. Reyna struggled against the principal's grasp, but he held strong. "One of you, call the sheriff. A detention isn't punishment enough for a physical fight. Both of you, to my office. The rest of you get to class!"
When they arrived at the principal's office, Reyna sat as far as she could from him as possible, glaring at the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, giving him a better view of her breasts, and her legs crossed, though one bounced up and down in her impatience and anger. Malcolm smirked at her as he slouched in his chair, tuning out the lecture that the principal was giving them both. Even with all the girls that were practically falling at his feet, something about the girl in front of him intrigued him. He didn't even know her name, but he vowed that she would be his.
The blonde sheriff had walked into the room, glaring at the two in the chairs before thanking the principal. She cuffed Reyna, who had been the one to assault him, before leading them both from the room, Reyna looking bored. Emma gave him a warning, saying that he would be in cuffs too if he didn't behave, to which he rolled his eyes. He got to sit in the front of the cruiser, while Reyna had to sit in the back, glaring at him with a look that could kill.
She only stopped at the station to drop off Reyna, exciting the car to open the door of both the car and the office. She came back, before starting off to Neal's apartment. They rode in silence, the only break was when he tried to turn on the radio, only for his hand to be slapped away. "My car, my rules."
He huffed, taking notice to the fact that Emma was particularly short with him, acting as she knew him and thought he would only cause trouble, though he filed it away as how adults acted around teenagers.
They arrived at Neal's place, and Emma led him up the stairs, knocking on the door and shooting him a look. It opened a second later, revealing Neal who looked surprised. "Emma, what are you-" "Malcolm got into a fight at school today. It is customary for a sheriff to bring the victim," Malcolm scoffed at her terminology, "home and explain the situation."
Neal looked shocked for only a second longer. "You got into a fight? I thought I said no trouble!"
"It isn't my fault that some nutter held a knife to my throat. I was a perfectly good boy," he said with fake innocence. Neither adult looked convinced. Neal sighed. "Who did he provoke?"
"Reyna." Neal shook his head, and looked like he was about to say something, only for his eyes to land on Malcolm. "Get to your room, do your homework and what not. You're grounded for a week for starting fights."
Malcolm rolled his eyes and stormed past them, shouldering his bag and marching over to his door, slamming it shut.
"Are you sure that it is okay for them to go to school together?" he asked quietly. Emma shrugged, she had been on the side of killing Pan. "They hate each other."
"So did your parents," Neal felt he needed to point out. Emma just shot him a disbelieving look. "Pan couldn't possibly feel for Reyna the way David feels for Mary-Margaret." Neal wasn't convinced, but he let it drop.
"You sure you can handle him?"
"Honestly, Emma? I got this. Go take care of whatever it is you need to. I can handle a seventeen-year-old kid. I'm not thirteen anymore, Pan doesn't have any of his powers either."
Emma just sent one last look at him before she nodded, gave a goodbye, and left the building to go make sure Reyna didn't cause anymore problems.
Pan never put any thought into how he would express his feelings because up until Reyna, he didn't have any. Even more surprising, he had been first to utter the three words that everyone dreaded.
It hadn't been intentional. They had been walking home, hand in hand, from camp after Reyna had finished telling all the boys different stories. They were walking in silence, further proving the old Pan wrong about girls always needing to talk, neither bothering to fill the comfortable silence between them.
He couldn't help but stare at her as she stared at the stars, something she did when she became lost in her own little world. Lights danced in her eyes, which had once held no emotion. She wore a soft smile and her cheeks were flushed with a content blush. Her pale skin glowed in the moon light, the rays seemingly directed at her (they most likely were, with Pan controlling them). Pan got his own sappy smile as he stared at his beautiful Lost Girl.
It was then that he said it, not once thinking as it slipped out before he could stop it. It wasn't magical, like in the movies, nor premeditated to the perfect moment, but there was no taking it back. "I love you." His voice was oddly breathless, but with a goddess like Reyna, he wouldn't expect anything less.
Her head snapped towards him, her violet eyes wide, her face becoming dead serious as she jerked to a stop, her whole body tensing. "Wh-what?" Okay. Not the reaction he expected. He didn't back down from her stare though, not even answering. He knew that she had heard him, and he couldn't bring himself to repeat it, especially with her reaction.
"Y-You love m-me?" she questioned shakily, the tension still in her stance. Pan nodded slowly, not bothering to answer in words. She opened her mouth, floundering to put her thoughts into words.
Instead of replying, she rushed forward and pulled Peter's face to her own, attacking his mouth with her own. While Peter knew, deep down, that she was avoiding the subject, at the present time he couldn't complain.
He had not acknowledged the events of a few days ago, but he was soon being fed up with that it seemed he was more invested in the relationship (shocker, he knew it). While he could understand that if she didn't return the sentiment, he couldn't help but be angered that she just dropped the subject all together. It had taken a lot for him to admit that, and she just brushed it off. She had been avoiding him, he was sure of it, though it was hardly noticeable. She was more distant and Pan finally snapped.
He cornered her against a tree as all the Lost Boys left camp.
"You've been avoiding me," he accused, his eyes narrowed.
"No, I'm not." she automatically denied. Pan didn't believe her.
"It's because of what I said, isn't it? When I told you that I loved you." Reyna's eyes hardened, but she turned away, trying to duck under his arms, which he simply moved to cage her in more.
"Stop avoiding the subject! If you don't feel the same way, just say so! I can't stand this distance though. Either end it or tell me something, anything!"
"Just give me a little longer, Peter, please."
While he didn't want to do that, he dropped his arms, stepping away. She stared at him with an odd look, her head tilted to the side. Pan just gave a dramatic look and gestured after the Lost Boys. After offering a quick smile, she pecked his lips and ran out of the clearing. He leaned against the trunk of the tree, a frown on his face as he watched her retreating figure.
"Who do you think you're kidding?"
Reyna jumped at the sound of Felix's voice, looking over her shoulder from her position on the ground. "You almost gave me a hard attack, you arse! What are you talking about anyways?" she asked, eyeing his knowing smirk warily.
"I can see right through you, little sis," he said, not answering her question. She knew what he was talking about, but she really didn't want to talk about it, let alone with Felix. Seeing that she wasn't going to say it unless he spelled it out for her, he continued. "I know how you're feeling."
Her lip curled, wishing Felix would mind his own business. Felix sat down next to her, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "What are you thinking of?"
"Not a chance, Felix."
He just hummed in response, giving her a look, a grin on his face and his eyebrows raised. She couldn't help but laugh, shoving Felix's shoulder. "No way, I won't say it."
Felix shook his head, giving her a look of blatant disapproval. "With Pan? Please with the way you swoon, why deny it?"
"I don't swoon," she said with a roll of her eyes, "And even if I did, which I don't, it's too cliché, I won't say it."
"You can't deny it, Reyna, who you are and your feelings. And sis, I'm not buying it." She huffed, suddenly annoyed by the stoic boy's positive relationship with her.
"Unless I'm dying, I'm not about to cry my heart out," she said matter-of-factly. Felix snorted, ruffling her hair lovingly, to which she tried to swat his hand away. "When are you going to own up to the fact that you've got it bad?"
"I won't say it," she said stubbornly. Felix groaned dramatically, slumping against her.
"Give up, just give in. Honestly the way you two dance around each other. You're in love!"
"Oh and you know so much about that! This scene won't play. And even if I was in love with Peter, I won't say it."
Felix just smirked. "I won't stop bugging you until you admit it, preferably to Pan to get him out of his bad mood."
She snorted. "I don't doubt it, but you're way off target. Just get off my case, I won't say it."
Felix sighed, not good with the whole emotional aspects of relationships. "Stop being so proud, Reyna," he looked up; his face falling as he got more serious and considered his words. "I know that you haven't had the best experiences, but when Peter is with you, he's different. He is serious about this, and he would give up everything for you, I know that for a fact. I've been with Pan for a very long time. It's okay, you're in love."
She shook her head, annoyed that he was right, and she knew it. She sighed, leaning her head on Felix's shoulder. Quietly, being her stubborn self, she mumbled, just barely loud enough for Felix to understand her words, "At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love. Not yet." Felix gave a sad smile, knowing he shouldn't expect anymore, and just rested his arm around her.
Felix wasn't happy with being the middle man between the two, a common friend. The two were both insecure and stubborn, and neither accepted things they didn't like.
He hadn't enjoyed the last few days with Pan interrogating him about Reyna's feelings, and while he thought that Reyna was causing Peter unnecessary harm, unintentionally, he understood her reservations, but it seemed that Pan wasn't willing to believe that, simply putting it down as something he was doing wrong.
He knew that Pan was going to try to morph the relationship to try and fix any problems that Reyna might have with it, and he just hoped that she would tell him soon. It was sweet, but not needed; they just were a little out of sync recently, since Pan admitted his feelings.
"You know, you're an idiot," she said, falling onto the bed next to him. Peter was half asleep, but was wide awake the second Reyna hit the mattress.
"Why are you waking me up to insult me?" he said, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face. He was glad to have her back, if only for the night.
She slid in next to him, and he put an arm around her waist, guiding her against his chest. "I didn't wake you up just to insult you," she snapped, running her fingers through his hair, tightening them, and pulling his face down to hers. She kissed him softly, having missed the feeling of him against her. He moved willingly, kissing her like a thirsty man drank water. She pulled away, intertwining one of their hands and resting it on her thigh as she used her other elbow to prop herself up. "I've spoken to Felix, quite a bit; he likes to complain about you to me, and you are an absolute idiot, Peter Pan."
He put on a face of mock hurt. "You wound me, milady. But why is it you wish to inform me of my poor intelligence levels at such a late hour?"
"You are an idiot, but I wanted to tell you something." Peter raised an eyebrow, allowing her to speak. She took a deep breath, steadying her heart rate.
"I… I love you. I know that it took me a long time, but I need to work some things out and it is ju-" She was cut off as Pan rolled so he was on top of her, his lips connecting with hers in a fierce kiss. He pinned her arms over her head and she moved her leg to hook around his waist. He only pulled away when oxygen became an absolute necessity.
"I love you too."
She beamed up at him, before pulling him back down, locking their lips again.
She sat by the fire, trying not to look up at Pan. He had been nicer to her after that day with the blanket, and she was still unsure how to act about it. He was sitting opposite of her, playing his pipes, which called out to her, something that Pan had explained as unusual when he first tested his theory.
She couldn't be sure, but she felt as though eyes were on her, coming from his direction. She simply ignored it. She stared into the fire, imagining the pictures in the flames as she thought, the train stopping at a million stations a second.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by something tapping on her shoulder. She lifted her head, which had been resting on her knees, catching Pan's eyes for a split second before tearing her gaze away to see one of the smaller boys, Tootles, standing, staring at the floor, oddly bashful for a Lost Boy.
"Hello, Tootles. Can I help you with something?" she asked politely, giving him a small smile.
He looked up, giving her a shy look. "You always tell us great stories. Can you dance with me?" he asked, twisting slightly as he clasped his hands in front of him. Her eyes darted towards the hollering boys dancing around the fire.
While she didn't particularly enjoy the prospect of breaking into the throng of wild boys, she wouldn't deny the little boy's request. "Of course, Tootles," she said, getting to her feet and ruffling his hair. He looked up with a huge smile, perhaps the happiest he had ever been.
"How about if you teach me how to dance like a Lost Boy, I'll teach you a dance that I know." He nodded vigorously, his hand shooting out to grip hers tightly, pulling her towards the fire.
"I go first," he informed her. She just nodded, listening as he explained. "First, you take these," he said, handing her some of the sticks. She nodded, taking hold of them as he showed her. "Now you dance and scream and have fun, like this." He then went on to give a demonstration, jumping into the line of boys between Nibs and Slightly.
He stopped when he got back to her, putting down one of his sticks, followed by one of hers. He then gripped her hand, pulling her in, shouting and whooping, cheering and jumping to Pan's song. She followed as best as she could, following a beat of her own as she struggled to keep up with Tootles who was waving his stick as he 'danced', practically dragging her around the fire.
He only stopped when she nearly tripped into him, looking concerned as he pulled her away from the others. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned, and she just nodded, dropping the stick to the ground. "Thanks," deep breath, "for teaching me," deep breath, "how to dance like a Lost Boy." Tootles looked very happy at this, nodding.
"Now you teach me! Is it like my dance?" She smiled at his eagerness, but shook her head. "It is a little harder than your dance. But I'll teach you. I was once told that it didn't matter the song or dance, only the person you dance with." Tootles nodded, his eyebrows scrunching as he processed her words.
She made quick work of teaching him a simple waltz, nothing too fancy, and changing it to make it more Lost Boy style. She had fun, dancing and laughing with Tootles, who was one of the more innocent Lost Boys she had met, though she knew that many were still innocent and that Pan cared for them, even if only in his own way.
She sat back down on the log, her face flushed, as she watched Tootles join in the ranks of Lost Boys.
"Having fun?" Pan asked, making her jump.
She spun, jumping to her feet, pulling a dagger from her boot and holding it out, relaxing as she realized who stood behind her. He smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't sneak up on me," she grumbled. Pan just chuckled. "Are you going to answer my question?"
She gave him a smirk, shaking her head. "I didn't answer the first time, did I?"
He gave her a mock glare. "Cheeky," he muttered, looking hurt.
She rolled her eyes. "Done with the music then?" she asked, looking at the pipes in his hand. "For now. My boys weren't bothering you, were they?" She shook her head hurriedly. "Of course not! Tootles and I were exchanging dance methods." Pan gave her a confused look. She stared at him for a second.
"I grew up in the king's castle under the navy's captain, I had to learn a few different dances, and Tootles agreed to show me how the Lost Boys dance." Pan nodded slowly, not looking convinced. She sighed. "Here, I'll show you."
She led him away from the crowd, pulling the pipes from his hand and setting them down on a log. She guided his hand to rest on her waist, followed by pulling his other into her hand and putting her own on his shoulder.
She began to show him, trying to lead as best she could, though it was clear in his movements, and the way that he stumbled and stepped on her feet, that he wasn't exactly understanding the dance. "Just imagine the music, the beat moving to the steps that we take. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four," she said murmured quietly.
Slowly their movements began to sync up. "There we go, see it isn't nearly as hard as you tried to make it." He lightly spun her, making her laugh at the unexpected addition. As he pulled her back, she tripped over her own feet, falling into his chest. He caught her before they could both go down.
She gasped in surprise when she had started to fall, looking up and meeting Pan's eyes. She stared, getting lost in the forest green irises. They stayed in silence, both entranced. Suddenly snapping out of it, she cleared her throat, stepping away and dropping her gaze. "Uh, thanks. I, um, probably shouldn't keep, ah, dancing; I'm not very, hmm, light on my feet, uh, anymore." Pan nodded, his face becoming guarded as he offered a farewell, grabbed his pipes from the log, and walking away.
Reyna huffed slightly, her eyes darting around as her whole face fell, meeting a pair of crystal blue eyes.
Felix stood off to the side, a smirk on his face as he watched the interaction. Reyna met his eyes and he silently conveyed that he was on to her. Those two would fall hard for one another, he just knew it; it was only a matter of time.
She sat against Felix's legs, the fire in front of her heating her skin. Peter sat on the log next of him, and Reyna rested her head against his thigh. One of the boys came up to the group of three (Reyna wasn't good with the names of all of them, particularly the new ones), asking if Peter would play a song for them.
Peter obliged, as he usually did, bringing a soft smile to Reyna's face, not only had she just admitted her feelings a few days earlier, but she found it sweet how much he cared for his boys, even if it was sometimes a little unconventional (not to mention her love for the music that he created).
Peter held out his hand, making his pipes appear using magic. She felt him shift slightly, and she looked up to see him bring them to his lips. She turned away, closing her eyes as she prepared to let the music flow through her. Nothing came.
She tensed, looking back up, about to tell him to play it, only to find that he was in fact blowing air through them, but they emitted no noise. She felt slightly panicked, her eyes widening as she tried to process why she couldn't hear it. Some of the boys seemed to perk up, many going to jump around the fire as they always did. She looked over at Felix, who was staring stoically at the fire, unbothered by the events going around him.
She jumped to her feet, catching the two boys attention, but she didn't bother to stop moving from the clearing. Felix looked towards Pan, shaking his head when Pan moved to follow her. He had a theory as to what was wrong with her, and Pan wouldn't help at the moment. Pan didn't look sure, but remained seated, starting to play again.
She paced the area outside the clearing, mumbling under her breath. "Why can't I hear it? I-I just. Ugh!" she groaned, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.
"There's nothing wrong, if that is what you are thinking." She jumped at the sound of Felix's voice, spinning around to face him. She frowned, "What are you talking about?" She wasn't in the mood to talk right now. "The music. You can't hear it anymore." She raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
"Many of the older boys can't hear it either. I haven't heard it in a long time." She was surprised by this information. "But you are the Lost Boys, and lost boys are the only ones who can hear the music, and me, I guess, or at least I could."
Felix nodded in confirmation. "That is true, but I'm not lost anymore, not really. Neverland is my home, and Pan and the other boys are my family. I may be a Lost Boy, but I found a place." Reyna's eyebrows pulled together. "You admitted that you loved Pan, you aren't lost either. Neverland is your home and the pipes acknowledge that."
She nodded slowly, processing his words. "An ironic name then, right?" Felix snorted at her lame joke, giving a nod, "I guess so. Now come on, I had to stop Pan from coming after you, he's probably really worried." She laughed, threading her hand through Felix's proffered arm, following him back to the camp.