Author's Note: First off, sorry this is so late. I had 2 exams and a paper, which took up a lot of time. :/ Secondly, this chapter may be edited later (I will let you know if it is) because I tried to get this up as soon as I could and I may make small changes to it as far as wording. Thirdly, if I haven't answered your review/message yet, I will ASAP- I'm just incredibly sleep deprived (last exam was today) and I need a nap. I want to make sure you get personal messages because you are kind enough to take the time to review.
Finally, and most importantly, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!
~ladykikyo1792
Chapter 10: Kings & Queens
Peter Pan, in his element, stood before Regina in her office. He was resplendent, cocky, and triumphant all at once. He eyed the room like it belonged to him, and his gaze raked over the space as if he was appraising the values of priceless objects she would cede to him, the conqueror. Regina wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out. It was a shame that he was unlike other beings, and that it would not kill him. Too bad Wendy Darling hadn't known what would kill him.
"This is what the Evil Queen uses at her throne room now?" Peter scoffed, "I believe you're missing a throne." He gestured around the chamber, giving a mocking glance to where she was seated at her desk. Her simple rolling chair was definitely not a throne.
"I believe you're wasting my time, Pan," Regina growled back, "You should have stayed dead."
"And you should have known," Pan smirked, "the game wasn't over." He met her stony glare for a long second, dancing green eyes staring into angry black. At last, Regina stated:
"I won't let you have my son." Her voice was like ice, and any other human's blood would have run cold. But Peter merely smiled and shrugged, "You don't have a choice in the matter, really. But I'll give you a chance. Let's make a game of it." He leaned towards her over the desk.
"No!" Regina insisted, standing up to face him, "No more games." At that moment, Emma walked into the room, slamming the doors shut behind her. She strode to the pair, then said:
"Or at least no more games unless the game has an end." Ensuring that there was an end to the "game"- and that Peter promised one -was the only way Emma felt the clever, stubborn eternal teenager would ever abandon his quest for Henry's heart.
Impressed by Emma's condition, Pan raised an eyebrow, "I knew you would have made a good Lost Girl." He somehow managed to make it a compliment and an insult simultaneously, and Regina resisted the urge to slap him. Emma managed to keep a her expression neutral and waited for his decision.
"Very well," Pan crossed his arms nonchalantly, "The game can have an end. If you win, I give up Henry forever. If I win..." he trailed off, the implication clear.
"Absolutely not," Regina hissed, "I will not let my son be a pawn." The very thought enraged her. Quickly, she summoned a fireball, then made as if to attack Peter. Amused, Pan merely moved backwards out of her range. Emma, sensing the fragility of the situation, grabbed Regina's arm. Holding her back, she whispered:
"Regina, this is the only way out," then inquired more loudly, "Will you play fair, Pan?"
"I always do. Cheaters never win, as you know, Lost Girl." Unbelievably, he winked at her. Undoubtedly, he was referencing the time that he had given her a map to find Henry, and Regina had put a spell on it. It hadn't worked in the Charmings' favor.
"So you agree that you won't ever go after Henry again," Emma affirmed.
"If you win," Peter stipulated.
"Done," the Savior said, "Let's discuss the rules." She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. The faster she did, she reasoned, the more lives she could save.
Regina, who had no desire to play a "game" with Pan again, protested, "Emma! No!" The outcome of the last time they'd played a game with Pan had nearly cost Henry's life. She wasn't willing to just rush into a game she wasn't sure they could win.
"What if we don't play? What then, Pan?" Emma asked. She did this more so Regina could see how dire the situation was than to gather information for herself. Pan, as he knew she would, shrugged;
"I keep coming back for him until I get him."
Emma asserted, "Fine. We'll play your game. Let's settle the rules. We'll pick one, then you, and trade off. We each get three. Agreed?"
Peter, looking deranged and delighted all at once, said, "Agreed. You first, Lost Girl."
"You can't kill anyone," Emma answered. She was deathly serious.
Peter smirked, "All right." She was surprised how quickly Pan had agreed, but she was satisfied with his response. That meant no one could die. In the wake of two murders- murders that she now knew had been orchestrated by him -it was the thing she most wanted to hear: the serial killer had sworn off killing.
Completely unfazed by her rule, Peter said, "You get the day; I get the night. From sunrise to sunset, Storybrooke is yours to run and do with as you please. From dusk until dawn, it's mine-"
"To do what?" Regina narrowed her eyes. Storybrooke was hardly Neverland. It was a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere, cut off from the rest of the world. There was no resemblance between it and a realm where something could come into existence if you only just believed- her curse had deliberately taken them to a land without magic.
Pan shrugged, "To play, of course." He gave Regina a brilliant smile. His face was the picture of innocence, but behind the mask she thought he was making fun of her.
Emma, meanwhile, was confused as well. Regina had already implemented a curfew- all Storybrooke citizens were confined to their homes after nine PM now anyway. And he'd agreed not to hurt or kill anyone. What else was Pan planning on doing? His idea of playing was torture and death, and he couldn't do that if he'd sworn not to harm anyone.
"Agreed," Emma finally said, "No curses." She was trying to cover all of her bases. Physical safety, set. Now she had to focus on magical.
Peter laughed, "Why would I curse you? Besides, if you really want to feel better, the only magic I have now is the power to fly." To demonstrate, he floated a few feet off the floor, then gracefully landed before the two women.
Taking his reply for acceptance of her rule, Emma waited for his, and he demanded, "No locking up the Boys."
"Why not?"
"It's not a game if you get rid of the players," Pan explained, "Besides, I already told you I won't kill anyone. What more do you want?"
"Henry's safety," Regina said darkly. She did not trust Pan, nor negotiations with him.
The boy snickered, "If you play nicely, maybe you'll get it."
Emma racked her mind for any last possibilities. She had one last rule to curtail Peter Pan and whatever his designs were. One last chance to keep the town, its citizens, and most importantly, her son, safe. So it was that she settled on:
"No kidnapping Henry."
Before Emma could say another word, Pan breathed out, "Agreed," then, eyes dancing, he gave his own final condition: "I want your holdings."
"My what?" Regina blanched.
"Your holdings."
"He means your house," Emma explained. She stared directly at Pan, and he merely stared back.
"Why would you want my house?" Regina demanded. It seemed a ridiculous request, not when he could forbid them from cursing, imprisoning, or killing him- all things that she was hell-bent on doing.
Peter replied, his voice charming, "I am the leader of the Lost Boys. They need to live somewhere. I've always provided a home for them. Aside from that...I know what a throne room should look like."
Before Regina could protest, Emma whispered, "Think of Henry, Regina. He's worth more than any damn horse statue." Still, to be sure that this contract would be ironclad, she said, "We'll write it in blood. Every rule as the requesters said."
"As you say, Lost Girl," Peter gave her a mocking bow.
Sighing, Regina retrieved a scroll from her desk. She unrolled the parchment, then waved her hand over it. It hovered in the air between Emma and Pan. Confidently, Emma summarized her rules:
"You won't kill anyone. You won't curse anyone. You won't kidnap Henry." Her voice rang throughout the office.
"Storybrooke belongs to me from dusk until dawn. No one will imprison the Lost Boys. I get Regina's holdings." Peter removed his dagger, then cut his palm. He offered Emma the weapon, and she did the same. Pressing their hands together, they sealed the contract with blood. A bright light flashed around them, and Regina muttered, "It's done." She cradled the scroll in her arms, forcing herself not to shudder. The ink, made from the blood of Peter and Emma, oozed shiny and red.
Somehow, the contract made the Evil Queen herself afraid.
Wendy and Tink sat on their couch watching the morning news. Each girl was in pajamas. Wendy had a plate of untouched toast on her lap, while Tink had a bowl of cereal. She made an effort to eat it, but her eyes were glued to the screen, so sometimes the spoon never quite made it to her mouth. Regina had called an emergency press conference to alert the citizens of Storybrooke about Peter Pan's return. She was currently informing them that the curfew was still in effect, but that they had come up with a way to appease Pan and ensure their safety. She encouraged them to go about their lives as normal. Emma, sporting her sheriff's badge, then took the mic. Sidney Glass fired a barrage of questions at her, and a pensive Wendy pressed the mute button on the remote.
"Do you believe it?" Wendy asked.
"Not for a second," Tink replied, "I believe they think they've ensured everyone's safety, but I know there's no way they've done it," she swallowed a gulp of cereal, "What do they mean, go about our lives as normal? Do they seriously want us to go to school like nothing is wrong?"
"Wait, you're coming back to school now?" Wendy inquired, stunned. Tink had attended school briefly after their arrival in Storybrooke, but she'd dropped out in two weeks or so. No one had bothered forcing the fairy to go back, and as far as Wendy knew, Tink had had zero interest in doing so.
"I have to," Tink shrugged, "It's not like you're going to drop out, and neither of us can be alone anymore. Even if Pan doesn't want to hurt you-"
"He never said he wouldn't hurt you," Wendy finished her statement softly. Hurriedly, the fairy looked away. She flushed a bit, almost ashamed. Tink thought that to Wendy, it would seem like she was using her to ensure her own safety. Although it was true that being in Wendy's presence would probably make Tink safer than leaving her alone, Wendy didn't begrudge Tink for it. She understood the desire to live in spite of horrific circumstances. She understood the desperation that clawed at your heart.
"Tink, it's okay," Wendy said, "Don't worry about it." She gave a small smile to the fairy, which Tink reluctantly returned. She didn't like being indebted to Wendy Darling. She wasn't sure if they were friends yet- more like allies -and they had never been friends in Neverland. Even if Wendy was gracious enough to let the past go, Tink still felt a bit awkward.
Just then, Wendy's cell phone beeped. The screen lit up, indicating she had a text message. Wendy reached for the phone, then read the message:
FERDINAND: So...am I ever getting an answer about the dance?
The dance! Wendy had completely forgotten in the chaos of Peter Pan's arrival. Her life in Neverland had crashed into her life in Storybrooke, and already Pan was superseding everything. She sighed. Apparently, Ferdinand was taking the directions to "go about your lives as normal" to heart. That meant double-checking he had a date to the Halloween dance.
Wendy Darling had never been normal, and so she wasn't quite sure how to react to this. Gwen would have said yes. Gwen would have immediately texted Gretel and Grace, this time to go shopping for her costume.
But Wendy Darling had never worn a costume, and the only dresses she ever wore to dances had been picked out by someone else.
The first thing Peter thought, upon seeing Wendy, was that Tink had done a fine job with her hair. Wendy's hair, such a lovely combination of honey gold and lightest brunette, was done up in curls in an elaborate bun. It wasn't like Peter Pan to note things that were pretty, but he noticed, in that moment, that Wendy Darling was pretty.
He wasn't quite sure what that meant about himself or what to do about it.
Wendy herself was currently admiring Tink's dress. Tink sported a green gown made out of interwoven leaves. She too had her hair in a high bun, but pink flowers were braided into it. They matched the pink flowers that encircled her waist, cinching the dress in, and emphasizing the fairy's tiny figure.
"Tinkerbell!" Wendy gushed, "You look lovely!" The fairy barely gave her a glance. Instead, she gave a snort of disdain, then went about adjusting some of the flower petals on her gown. She disliked Wendy as a rule- there had never been a girl on the island, before her (she felt Tiger Lily didn't count), and she hadn't liked giving up her special status. While she disliked Wendy, though, she hated that Peter was bringing her to a fairy ball. Worse, he was bringing her in a muddied nightgown, and Wendy, being the stupid girl that she was, would talk to Tink all night, desperate for information about the fairies. Peter knew about fairy society, of course, but he wasn't a fairy, and Wendy would want to hear all about fairies from a real fairy. Tink was embarrassed at the thought of being seen next to her.
Wendy was oblivious to Tink's contempt, but she stared at Tink's dress with unabashed admiration- and, if Peter was seeing things correctly, a bit of sadness. She wasn't jealous- it wasn't like Wendy to be jealous -but she certainly felt second best in her nightgown.
Peter would not allow for second best. Second best was simply not something he did.
So with a barely perceptible flick of the hand, he gave Wendy Darling a ball gown. He pulled the image straight from her dreams, though he did add a dash of Neverland magic and his own imagination to make the dress truly special. It was made of finest white silk, with layers of organza and tulle forming the skirt. There were the smallest flecks of gold- Peter's idea- embedded in the top layer of the fabric, so that when Wendy moved, she seemed to emanate light herself. Shocked and in awe, Wendy gasped:
"Oh, Peter!" She threw her arms around him, and he stumbled back from her embrace. Giddy like the child she was, she ran before her mirror. She spun around, and the tulle flew up into the air around her as she giggled with delight. Peter raised an eyebrow. He'd had no idea this would make her this happy. She was ridiculous, really. So excited over a gown. Such a girl-
Though Peter scoffed at the concept, and though he was not very fond of girls, he also knew that there was something missing from her ensemble that every girl dreamed of. He sighed, and again, he flicked his hand. At once, a golden tiara settled itself among the curls on Wendy's head.
Abruptly, Wendy stopped spinning. Her dainty mouth open in a slight o, she raised a hand to the tiara. It was made of solid gold, and woven with a pattern of intricate flowers. It was delicate and lovely and yet seemed so important, somehow, though if anyone asked her, she could not state why.
At the sight, now Tink was the one who gasped. She whirled to face Peter, her face angry and red:
"Titania won't be happy!"
Peter shrugged, and an irate Tink added, "Peter, she's the queen-"
Peter retorted, darkly, "There are no queens in Neverland. There are no kings in Neverland. There is just me." It was a battle of wills, for a moment, with Tink and Peter staring each other down. Yet Tink knew in her heart that the island was Peter's, and the island would never fight for her.
Besides, Wendy added, "Oh, I would never want to offend the queen! I'm just a guest, after all." Quickly, she removed the tiara and set it on her dresser. She looked at it reluctantly for an instant, but then smiled at Peter once more.
"Are you sure, Wendy?" he inquired. Knowing he had won, he moved away from Tink, "You can wear the crown." He would never share his throne, ever. But for one night, if Wendy Darling wanted to be a princess, he would permit her that. After all, he'd shot her. And while Peter Pan was never one to feel guilty, or to feel regret, he did have a concept of payment. He had terrorized her yesterday, and she'd let him come into her treehouse and treat her wound. She hadn't demanded to be returned home. She'd impressed him in that way, and so he would grant her this.
"Yes, Peter," she affirmed, "I'm sure. I'm not a queen anyway. I've never even been good at playing one." Still, she slipped her hand into his arm, and despite every instinct in him screaming at him not to go with her, they set off for a fairy ball, a grumbling Tink stomping along behind them.
Hours passed by, but to Wendy, they seemed like only seconds. She'd entered on Peter's arm, and endured the fairies' scrutiny. Their faces scrunched up at first in scorn- what a silly human; who could ever come to their festivities but Peter? -but when they continued to look, their eyes grew wide with wonder. Wendy was innocent and pure and so very happy. Her dress glowed, and so did she. Curiously enough, so did the boy beside her. He sat back and watched for a while as she chattered to Tink and the other fairies. Crossing his arms, he couldn't believe that the Bird found this entertaining. He'd always found balls to be so droll. A lot of talking and cozying up to a "king" and "queen"- he used the terms loosely, and only in his head, for Oberon and Titania were in Neverland only by his permission -with occasional dancing. And Peter did not like to dance. Why should he dance when he could play and hunt and fight pirates?
Wendy, however, had no such qualms. She spun and talked and was so merry that Oberon himself requested a dance with her, to which the eager Bird had immediately agreed. The fairy king smiled as he took Wendy's arms and waltzed with her around the clearing. The girl blushed prettily as he lead her into an elegant turn.
At this, Peter frowned. Why was the Bird smiling at Oberon like that? Why wasn't she smiling at him? Peter had saved her from drowning- twice. Peter had taught her to fly. Was that nothing in comparison to a mere dance?
Oberon pulled Wendy in closer, and Peter's blood boiled. He had no idea why, but he suddenly was enraged that Oberon dared to touch Wendy like that. Didn't the king know that Wendy was Peter's? Didn't he know that the Bird came here with him? How dare Oberon hold her close like that! How dare Wendy smile at him like that!
For once, Peter was upset that he didn't know how to dance. He stood there in an angry silence for a few minutes- Wendy waltzing all the while, this time with a fairy nobleman, as Oberon had returned to his wife -before he came to one conclusion:
Maybe Peter Pan did not know how to dance, but Peter Pan knew how to fly, and unlike any fairy, he knew how to fly without wings.
When the song ended, the fairies politely clapped. Peter strode towards Wendy, then grabbed her hand:
"Come with me." At first, she was surprised and a bit saddened to be taken out of the clearing. When she realized they weren't coming back to the ball, she was even more disappointed. She'd been having such fun! If Neverland was supposed to be a place of eternal fun, why had Peter taken her away from it?
"Why are we leaving?" Wendy asked. She sounded crestfallen, much to Peter's displeasure. Lips set in a straight line, he continued to lead her to the Neverland shoreline. The waves lapped gently against the sand, and a mild breeze- warm as always -rustled her hair. A few curls fell from the elegant bun Tink had spent ages creating.
"Because I wanted to come here," Peter explained, "where the sky's open." The boy and girl gazed upwards, and true to Peter's word, the sky was a velvet black. Stars were spangled all over it, twinkling brightly in incandescent patterns that changed with every whim of Peter's. Wendy was still staring at the stars- if she wasn't mistaken, they'd started to move -when she felt Peter take his hands gently in his own. Her eyes flicked to him, and then she gasped. They were rising into the air, slowly, and Wendy swallowed the lump in her throat as Peter drew her to him, just as Oberon had done. He wrapped one hand around her waist, careful not to yank on her dress, then used the other to cradle hers. Then, slowly, they started to rotate.
Was Peter Pan waltzing with her? Wendy could barely comprehend the thought. The boy was maddening and so confusing. He pulled her from waves, then shot her and laughed at her fear. Now he was dancing with her in the sky.
While Wendy Darling could not even begin to say what she knew of Peter Pan, if she could say anything of him at all, she could say that he fascinated her. There was an aura about him that pulled her in, helpless as one of Hook's crew was to the siren song of the mermaids. He was dark and light and everything in between, and gradually, she was learning she wanted to lose herself in him.
The day would come when she would, but for now, there was only him and her spinning in the sky above Neverland, surrounded by the stars that moved and twinkled with them.
Later that day, Wendy retrieved her books from her locker. Tink stood by her side, carrying a backpack. Although Tink had yet to officially reenroll- or buy any new books - she simply decided to attend all of the classes she had previously been in at the beginning of the year. She shared each of them with Wendy, and they were both headed for math. Wendy carried the homework she'd attempted (and failed) to do the other day, while Tink didn't even bother with the coursework. The two girls walked calmly into the classroom as if nothing was amiss. Wendy sat into her usual seat, and Tink slid into the seat of the desk next to her. An irate Grace, seeing that her spot had been stolen, demanded:
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Going back to school," Tink replied. She paid as much attention to Grace as she would a fruit fly. Zipping open her backpack, she unloaded a few of her school supplies.
"You're in my seat," Grace said coldly. Her face began to turn red. She couldn't fathom how Tink thought she could just weasel her way into Grace's life. She was Gwen's best friend, not the high school dropout.
"You should find a new one," Tink deadpanned. She crossed her legs elegantly, then placed her new notebook on the desk. She totally ignored Grace, who huffed, then walked across the room. Grace shot a hurt glance back at Wendy, who hid her face in her hands.
"I've got to say something to her," she said. She felt terribly guilty about everything that had happened over the past few days. Despite the craziness of what was going on, Grace had always been kind to her from the first day she arrived in Storybrooke. She truly was her friend, and it bothered her to see Grace so upset.
"Do you want her to die?" Tink asked, point blank. This wasn't just a school in Storybrooke anymore, filled with fairytale characters in a new life. They had to think on Neverland terms now, with the stakes equally as high. Hurt feelings were nothing in comparison to death.
"No," Wendy admitted.
"Then don't talk to her. If you show interest in anyone, then Pan will be interested in them, and we don't want anyone else to attract his attention-"
"Pan's interested in everything," a familiar voice drawled. Wendy whipped around in shock to see Felix lazily strolling into class, then taking the seat directly behind Tink. For once, even the fairy was dumbstruck. Felix smirked at their reactions.
"What are you doing here?" Wendy asked, completely flabbergasted, "You were in jail-"
"And now I'm out," Felix shrugged, "You were right, Wendy. I didn't kill the Twins. Pan pointed it out to the sheriff, and now I'm free to go." He said this as though it was the most casual thing in the world.
"You mean he commanded Emma to release you," Wendy said. As she considered the implications of that, her blood ran cold. Extremely worried, she asked:
"What else did he request?"
Felix's smirked and lounged back in his chair, "Pan doesn't request anything. People obey the king."
"He isn't the king here," Tink retorted, at last finding her voice. She stared Felix down.
At her interruption, Felix's smile disappeared. He picked up his pencil, then cocked his head, "Isn't he?" The two words hung in the air, fraught with unspoken meaning.
Tink's face drained of color, "What did he do? Oh my God, Wendy! On the news they said they'd found a way to 'appease' him. You can't just 'appease' Peter Pan. He doesn't stop playing-"
"He made a game with them," Wendy whispered, "and this morning they must have set the rules. Felix, what did they say? What did Pan say?"
In response to her question, Felix's grin returned and he asked, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Wendy turned around and her heart sank. There, in the doorway of her classroom, stood Peter Pan, arms crossed and with a smirk on his face.
Author's Note: I will do my best to get the following chapter up soon (with a flashback I really wanted to include in this one), but I figured you guys would rather have one chapter sooner than later. Hope you liked it!
~ladykikyo1792