Hey guys! So the story continues. I'm not going to lie I am losing slight momentum. I like writing Sarah's interactions with the other characters and I am starting to miss it. However, we continue on. Let me know what you guys think and if you are still enjoying the story. Hope you guys like it. Thank you my lovelys.
Sarah sat beside a tree watching the lost boys running around playing god knows what. It was almost scaring her just how comfortable she was beginning to feel here. She hated to admit it but this place did feel familiar to her. She hadn't felt like this since New York. But if she came here after Regina sent her away how did she end up leaving? There were so many questions left unanswered and Pan seemed to be keeping his cards very close to his chest. Maybe the teen had to make the best of the situation, especially if her parents weren't coming. Sarah was starting to doubt her family as much as she fought it, it made sense: Zac would be free to go back to New York, Emma had her parents and Henry, and Regina could finally stop feeling guilty about not wanting her around. Henry might put up a bit of a fight but he would soon forget just like everyone else. Before she could dwell on it anymore, one of the lost boys, who she had come to know as Devin, approached her. He was about the same age as the teen and had an angry streak in him that made Sarah keep her distance.
"So, you're the girl Pan's been looking for all this time," the boy scoffs giving the girl a slight nudge. Against her better judgement Sarah took a step back: the last thing she needed right now was a fight.
"Afraid a girl might have more power than you," the teen smirked unable to help herself. With that Devin lunged for the girl but she managed to jump back just in time. "Dude, what is your problem? I guess chivalry really is dead."
"If you can't take this, how are you gonna handle what Pan has in store for you?" The boy laughed before spotting a stick on the ground. He nodded his head towards it, indicating the girl should pick it up in her defense. Sarah didn't need to be told twice, picking up the piece of wood. Right now she couldn't rely on her magic and beating ignorant teens with sticks had been one of her past times back in the city. Without a second thought, Devin lunged for the girl once more and the fight commenced.
"Not bad," the pair paused to see Pan staring at them from a distance. "But wouldn't it be more fun, if you had real swords?"
"That's more my Grandfather's thing," the teen explained.
Pan considered the statement for a second before walking towards the teen. "This is Neverland and you have the heart of the most powerful soul to walk any world. You can use whatever you want," he placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder looking her in the eyes. "You just need to believe in your magic, Sarah. Close your eyes and feel your magic flow through you." With slight hesitation, Sarah closed her eyes and tried to focus on her magic. She felt her fingertips start to tingle and opened her eyes with a smile. "What are you waiting for?" Pan returns the smile. "Go on."
Sarah turns to the boy she had been fighting her eyes turning black with power. It was times like this when all she could feel was magic, all morals and clarity flying out the window. The lost boys began to cheer her on only encouraging the magical take over. She raised her hand and aimed for Devin sending him flying through the air. With a smirk, she walked over to the boy, grabbing him by the throat and holding him in the air. She felt her magic begin to pull the energy from her fellow teen and she loved how powerful it felt. Suddenly blood began to form from the boys nose before she also noticed a gash on his head where he had hit the ground before. The red liquid seemed to snap the girl out of it. She quickly dropped the boy to the floor taking a step back and staring at her hands like they didn't belong to her.
"I'm sorry. It was an accident," she quickly explained, turning to Pan to see how angry he was.
Pan's face remained soft as he took a step towards the girl. "Sarah. Don't you know the best thing about being a Lost Boy?" Sarah shook her head slowly. "You never apologize." The teen stared at her hands once more before looking up with a smile. It was nice to not have to feel guilty about her magic. It was nice that someone could finally understand.
Meanwhile, the girls family where in Baelfire's cave still looking for clues. "I've looked everywhere," David stated as he reentered the cave. "I can't find Zac anywhere."
"Humans," Regina scoffed. "Always have to wander off."
"What if something has happened to him?!" Emma snapped. Despite the bickering the pair did, Emma cared about the man. He was her partner and one of her best friends.
"He's probably been caught by Pan," Hook stated matter of factly only to be greeted by a glare from the group. "Just saying."
"Emma," Mary Margaret took a step towards her daughter. "Let's focus on finding Sarah. Once we find her we will be able to find Zac.
Emma sighed before reluctantly carrying on her search. She threw some pillows across the room exposing some scribbles on the wall. "Wow," she gasped.
"What is it?" David questioned.
"It appears Neal marked his days trapped on this island," Hook explained taking a closer look.
Mary Margaret saw her daughters face turn into a frown. "What's wrong?"
"Look here," she pointed. "Neal stopped counting."
"Cause he got off the island?" Snow asked hopefully.
"He was here longer," Emma shook her head.
"Then why would he…" David was trying to understand.
"Because he lost hope," Emma said sadly.
"You got that from scribbles?" Regina interjected.
"I got that because it's what I did," Emma stared at the ground remembering her childhood. "Every time I went to a new foster home. I counted the days until counting seemed pointless."
"You think the same thing is happening to Sarah?" David asked concerned for his granddaughter.
Emma thought of her little girl all alone somewhere on the island, waiting for a family that wasn't coming. "Pan said it would."
"Hey," David walked over to his daughter. "We are going to rescue her."
"Yeah, I know that," Emma tried to sound confident but she couldn't muster the strength. "And you know that, but Sarah doesn't know that. Pan wants her to lose faith."
"So what? You want to send her a message? Because I haven't seen a Neverland post office," Regina rolled her eyes. "What are you suggesting?"
"We take a page from Pan's book," Emma explained. "And we start being clever. We need to send a simple sign. A sign that we're coming."
"With lost boys running around trying to kill us all?" Regina swore the blonde never thought anything through.
"Maybe it's time we use that to our advantage," Snow smiled.
"How," the mayor questioned.
"Follow me," Mary Margaret began to make her way out the cave. "I'll show you."
Mary Margaret lead the team to a clearing before instructing Regina to make ropes. "A trap?" The mayor questioned as the last piece of rope fell to the ground. "That's your plan?"
"The lost boys want to come after us, we need to go after them," the teacher explained.
The pirate looked on from a distance assessing the new plan. "You really think the lost boys are going to betray pan?"
"Thanks for the advice," Mary Margaret gave Hook a fake smile before instructing the men to go and find vines to be used as more rope. It's wasn't long till they returned and Hook explained he knew how to find a sextant that would be bale to decode Neal's map to send them home.
"A sextant?" Emma questioned. "And you're telling us this now?"
"How do we know you're not lying?" Regina added.
"Oh, you don't, but I'm not. It's the best hope yet we've had of an exit plan, and don't forget we're going to need one," Hook argued but the mothers still didn't look too convinced.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Emma sighed, deciding to give in. After all, it was the only plan they had and right now she would take anything if it meant getting her daughter back.
Hook moved closer to the blonde lowing his voice. "Emma, you were right. We need to get that message to Sarah. Everyday without hope is a day closer to becoming lost. Your father and I should go."
"Hook's right," David agreed.
"You want to split up?" the teacher didn't know much about Neverland but she was pretty sure there was strength in numbers.
"It's the last thing I want to do," David said sadly. "But there's a chance he can get us home," he motioned to Hook.
"Okay," Mary Margaret gave a reluctant sigh.
"And Emma," David turned to his daughter. "While I'm gone just…"
"Listen to my mother?" Emma interrupted with a laugh.
David chuckled giving his daughter a sweet smile. "Be careful."
"Always am," she gave the man a reassuring smile of her own.
"And when you send that message to Sarah, add something to it for me would you?" Emma gave her dad a slight nod. "Tell her… tell her that her grandpa loves her," and with that he gave the blonde a hug goodbye.
The three women didn't have to wait long before they saw Devin running through the jungle in search of food for the camp. He had spotted his prey miles away and his focus was captured. Before he realised what was happening a net fell from the sky locking him inside. He began to fight before he saw three women surround him. "Are you trying to start a war with Pan," the boy grunted.
Emma got closer staring the boy down. "Pan started the war when he kidnapped my daughter."
"But that doesn't make you our enemy," Regina smiled, opening her hand to reveal a chocolate bar.
"What's that?" Devin felt his stomach begin to rumble.
"Chocolate," Regina replied. "I thought you might like the taste of something sweet."
"We don't want to hurt you," Emma insisted. "We just need you to deliver a message to Sarah."
"Why should I help you," the boy spat.
"Because you had a home and a family once and you stopped believing you could get back to them," Emma softened her voice. "Now we're here. We can help- not just Sarah, all of you. We can get you home," as the blonde finished Regina stepped forward with the chocolate for the boy to sniff.
Out of nowhere, Devin began to chuckle to himself. "Don't you get it? I'm here because I don't want to go home. None of us do."
"Pan's a monster," the blonde tried a different tactic. "Look what he did to you," the blonde pointed to the scar on the boys head.
Devin looked up at the blonde with an evil smirk. "Oh, Pan didn't do that. Sarah did." That was enough to make Emma snap, dragging the boy out of the net and tying him to a near by tree with the vines the men had collected. "It's too late!" Devin began to shout. "Sarah is a lost girl now! Your girl is one of the most vicious recruits we've had in ages," the blondes eyes began to darken as she grabbed the boy by the throat. No one spoke about her kid like that. No one is more caring and selfless than Sarah. No one had showed her as much love as the teen had in her whole life and she'd be damned if she let this boy try and convince her otherwise. It wasn't long till Mary Margaret dragged the blonde away.
"Don't let him get to you, okay?" Snow said calmly but the blonde barely seemed to hear her.
"Move aside," Regina growled.
"Why?" Mary Margaret asked, scared of what the Queen was capable of.
"So I can rip out his heart!" Regina explained like it was obvious. "Then he'll do exactly what we want."
"This is not how we do things!" Mary Margaret snapped. "Emma," she turned to her daughter. "We can find another way."
"Really," the other brunette scoffed. "And what do you think Emma?"
Emma thought about it for a second before turning to Regina. "I think we need to talk to our daughter."
"We can't do this!" the teacher exclaimed. "This is brutal-" before she could say anything else Emma shoved her out the way.
"We can't but she can," the blonde nodded towards the mayor. "Do it Regina!" Mary Margaret tried to make her way over but Emma soon held her back whispering sorry into her ear. The next thing that could be heard was Devin grunting in pain as Regina removed his heart.
Mary Margaret walked away from the pair, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened. "Mary Margaret I'm sorry," Emma tried as she followed the brunette.
"You don't have to apologise to me," her mother kept her gaze in the distance. "It's Sarah I'm worried about."
"I know. That's why I'm willing to let Regina do whatever it takes," the blonde explained.
"When we get to her," Mary Margaret turned to look at her daughter. "I just want to make sure the line is still there."
"What line?" Emma asked as Regina approached the pair.
"The line between what Regina is willing to do, and what you are willing to do," Snow explained. She didn't want her daughter to turn out like Regina. There was a fine line between good and evil, one she knew all to well.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get her home!" Emma snapped.
"But the cost cannot be this family," Snow retorted.
"It won't be," the blonde insisted.
"Second thoughts?" Regina questioned as she interrupted the mother daughter team.
"Let's get her that message," Emma nods after a second.
"Oh we are going to do more than that," Regina gave an evil smile. "We are going to see her," the mayor took a mirror out her pocket breaking it in half before handing one half to Devin.
Back at the camp Sarah sat on the ground drawing random shapes in the mud. It had felt good to use her magic, really good, but all she could think about is what her family would say. She hurt someone, a kid of all people, and the worst thing about it was she couldn't even bring herself to feel bad about it. As if sensing her thoughts Devin made his approach. Sarah spotted the boy and began to stand. "Seriously kid did you not learn your lesson earlier?"
"I didn't come here to fight," Devin said calmly. "I came to deliver a message."
"I didn't realise your were the postman of Neverland, my mistake," the teen was seriously creeped out by this kid.
"Your family is here," the boy stated simply.
"What?" now he had her attention.
"They're on the island," he explained. "Trying to find you."
Sarah almost let herself be hopeful before she finally saw sense shaking her head. "Okay I get it, your ego's bruised from earlier, but making up stuff like this really isn't funny."
"I'm not making it up," Devin insisted. "Look," with that the boy handed the teen the mirror before going to stand guard.
"Sarah! Can you hear me," Emma shouted as her daughter came into view on the mirror.
"Sarah, are you okay?" Regina quickly added.
"Mom?" Sarah couldn't believe what she was seeing. "This has to be a trick. The humid air has finally got to me."
"No, Sarah this is not a trick," the blonde insisted. "Sarah, I promise you this is real. Kid, it's Operation Pegacorn rescue. It's us."
Sarah felt a smile begin to form on her face. Only her mom would know about the codename. "You're here?"
"Yes," Emma sighed in relief. "We are coming to get you."
Before Sarah could answer she heard a noise in the distance. "There's someone coming," she whispered before she heard Pan's voice. "It's Pan. I've got to go."
"We love you," Regina quickly said before Sarah dropped the mirror to the ground and smashed it. Her family were coming after all. She just had to hold on a little longer. She glanced at the smashed mirror on the floor. "Well that's seven years of bad luck… who am I kidding I've been kidnapped by a man child who plays imaginary instruments while making little kids fight like gladiators, I've never had any good luck."
Little did the teen know her other parent was not far away dangling in a cage. Felix made his way over to Pan to deliver the news. "How's our guest?" Pan asked as he approached.
"We drugged him. He'll be asleep for a while. Where do you want him?" Felix asked.
"Hang him up next to the other one," Pan gives a slight laugh as the lost boys begin to hang Zac right next to a sleeping Neal.
The dads are together! Next chapter there isn't much to write about so I'm going to use that time to unlock more of Sarah's backstory in Neverland. Plus Emma makes her way to Neal and Zac. Stay tuned guys.