The Darkest Hearts

Peter Pan and the Black Fairy engage in their yearly tradition.

Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day, Oncers. I had this idea as I have been sitting here during parent-teacher conferences, and I hope you enjoy it!

"Thank you, Felix," Peter Pan said, taking a covered wicker basket from his most trusted associate and placing it by the cave wall.

"No problem," Felix replied in his usual deadpan manner. "I hope I polished the hourglass to your specifications."

Pan gave the massive hourglass a look up and down. The crystal was so clear it was almost invisible, and it would have been if not for the shine from the glowing, golden sands within. "It will do nicely. Keep the boys in line this evening."

Felix nodded and descended the path inside of Skull Rock to his waiting rowboat.

Pan waved his hand, conjuring a well-laden dinner table with two chairs on opposite ends. For the past 100 years, he had been preparing dinner for two at Skull Rock. It was not a hassle, but it was certainly more trouble than he usually expended on his evening meal.

He opened the wicker basket to see a baby sleeping softly as he walked towards the precipice. Then, holding the basket aloft, he recited:

Let the night sky tremble, as the Dark Star shall fall

Awake, Black Fairy, and heed my call

Peter Pan looked up at the night sky, and indeed, a dark star detached itself from the heavens and came careening towards Skull Rock. As it came closer, it was revealed to be a beautiful woman in a long black dress with black swan feathers in her hair.

"Hello, Malcolm," said the Black Fairy.

"Hello, Fiona," Pan replied, kissing her hand. "101 years, and you still haven't aged a day."

"Thank you for always stating the obvious," she said, pulling her hand away and sitting at the table. "What have you made me this year?"

Pan seated himself across from his estranged wife. "Pasta with bolognese sauce and salad."

Fiona removed the lid from the sterling silver tureen that held the pasta, causing steam to belch forth in all directions. She gingerly lifted some of the sauce onto her finger and brought it up to her mouth for a taste. "Perfectly adequate."

Pan ladled some onto her plate before serving himself. "How is the Dark Realm?"

"The same as ever," Fiona replied. "Much as Neverland, I'm sure. Have you heard from our son or our grandson?"

Pan scoffed. "I don't want to hear from either of them. I do know that they're both in a small town in the Land Without Magic."

"Baelfire is in Storybrooke?" Fiona showed genuine interest for the first time since arriving. "So Rumple finally succeeded after all of these years." The ghost of a smile played on her lips.

"Don't tell me you're happy for him," Pan rolled his eyes. "You and I both understand how much better it is to be unattached."

Fiona smirked. "And yet you keep summoning me on this day, year after year."

Pan glared at her. "You and I haven't been attached for a long time. It makes for a nice change of pace to spend time with someone on my level. The only people I ever get to talk to are the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell."

"I find it amusing that you think you're on my level, Malcolm. I mean, what do you really do? You just exist on this island." Fiona vented her feelings by grabbing the champagne bottle from the ice bucket in the center of the table, sending the cork bouncing off the walls, and pouring the bubbling liquid into her flute.

"Oh, come now, wife, at least I don't spend the majority of my time in a combination nursery and mine."

Fiona laughed. "If that helps you to sleep at night, you go ahead thinking that. I am accumulating dark fairy dust. It won't be long until my plans come to fruition. No, enough of your feeble attempts to one-up me. I think the real reason you want to see me is because of that." She pointed to the hourglass. "You are running out of time, husband, and I think you're getting sentimental in your old age."

Pan simply smiled. "For your information, I am not concerned about my time in this world. Before long, I will truly be immortal and all-powerful."

Fiona raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yes?"

"My agents in the Land Without Magic have finally located the Truest Believer." Pan smirked triumphantly. "It won't be long until he and his heart will be in my grasp."

"I always thought that was something you made up," Fiona said.

"No, he's quite real, and I haven't even told you the best part."

Fiona made quite a show of yawning and taking a sip of champagne.

"The Truest Believer is Baelfire's son."

Fiona spit her champagne all over the table. "You must be joking!"

"Not at all," Pan smiled wickedly. "The Truest Believer, Henry, I believe, is our great-grandson."

Fiona finished dabbing herself with her napkin. "If that is true, there is a silver lining."

"Oh?" Pan asked, placing his salad in front of him.

"No one would ever think we're old enough to have a great-grandchild."

It was the first time the two of them had laughed together in centuries.

"It's true," Pan said. "Anyway, our great-grandson was adopted as a child by none other than the woman who cast your Dark Curse."

"Regina." Fiona rolled her eyes. "Such a disappointment. Undone in a mere 28 years, by True Love's Kiss no less. Rumple must have tampered with the curse when he transcribed it, because my original version was not so easily undone."

"Of course, Rumple did want the curse broken so that he could find Baelfire," Pan remarked.

Fiona finished her last bite of pasta. "There's that sentimentality he got from you."

Pan rolled his eyes. "Once I rip out the heart of our great-grandson, you tell me if I'm sentimental."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"You'll do much more than believe it," Pan postured. "When my powers are limitless, I can free us both from our respective realms. There's nothing we would be unable to accomplish."

Fiona smiled. "If you succeed."

"When I succeed. Fiona," Pan began, "I wish-"

Fiona raised her index finger and placed it over his lips. "Don't."

Some of the malice left Pan's face. "Why not?" Her still-present finger muffled his voice slightly.

"Malcolm, our agreement since you started this rendezvous tradition is that we don't bring up the past." The customary bravado in her voice wavered slightly. "So, don't."

Pan looked at his feet. "And the future?"

Fiona rose to her feet, looking from the glowing hourglass to the night sky, which she felt beckoning her back to her dark realm behind the stars. "Focus on getting the heart first. Then, maybe we can talk about the future."

Pan also stood, feeling an otherworldly breeze begin to enter the cave. "It's time, isn't it?"

Fiona nodded grimly, picking up the wicker basket. "Thank you for dinner and the baby."

"Likewise," Pan said with a mischievous, ironic twinkle in his eyes.

Fiona knew that twinkle. She had not seen it for longer than she cared to think about, but she would never forget the first time she ever encountered it. And that's when all the trouble really started, she thought.

Wordlessly, she took one step forward and kissed Pan on the cheek. Fiona turned towards the precipice of Skull Rock and flew up into the night sky, basket in hand.

Pan stood silently as he often did on clear nights, gazing at a fixed point in the firmament.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story! I do not generally consider myself to be a romance writer, so this was a bit new for me. Thank you for reading, and if you feel so led, please favorite and review!