It was night when they arrived at the southern part of the island. Felix let them to the cave where he had hidden Sophia in. He got a bit nervous every step they took. Last time he came to visit her this late she was curled up and crying, he didn't want to see her that way again. But this time her parents where there to comfort her. The thought of her no longer needing him made him sadder than he thought it would.
He entered the cave, Hook and Emma not far behind him. "Sophia?" he called softly through the cave. She didn't answer so he walked further until they were inside. He looked around, her fire was out and he didn't see her anywhere.
"Where is she?" Hook said from behind him, the impatient and anger clear in his voice.
"She was here before I left…" he didn't understand, where could she be? Did Pan find her? Is she in trouble? He began to worry that something bad might have happened. He didn't dare look behind him at her parents. If something had happened to her it was all his fault. He should have stayed, should have told Pan to send someone else, should have protected her more.
"Felix, look at us," Emma said. How could he look at them? After a moment of hesitation he turned to face them. Hook as always glaring at him but Emma put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sad but hopeful smile. "She is strong, she can take care of herself. Wherever she is we'll find her."
"What if Pan took her?" Hook said in a less gentle tone.
"I can go to the camp," he said. "If she is there I'll bring her back here."
"Then we'll wait here till you return." Hook was about to argue but one look from Emma shut him up. It still surprised him how easily this woman could make the one and only Captain Hook back down. Emma gave him a nod and he walked past them out of the cave.
As soon as he was out of their sight he began to run. He had to make sure she was alright. A part of him wanted to find her in the camp but another part didn't. If she was in the camp that means Pan had found her and he could have hurt her. he knew she was strong but Pan had magic and although she had too she didn't know how to use is.
He slowed down when he heard the laughter and the music of the lost boys. Trying to slow down his breathing he walked past some trees and shoved away some leaves. What he was when he entered the camp was something he didn't expect. There she was, Sophia, sitting on a throne and looking down at the lost boys dancing before her. She clapped on the rhythm of the music and now and then some of the lost boys screamed 'long live the Queen!'.
She noticed him standing there and the smile on her face grew. She stopped her clapping and got down from her throne. He could do nothing but follower her with his eyes as she walked over to him. When she was standing before him he snapped out of his daze and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the camp.
"If you want me alone you could have just asked," she laughed and he knew this wasn't her. He stopped and faced her when he was certain no one could hear them.
"What going on?" he asked.
"Pan challenged me to a battle for the crown, I won." She was looking in a way that was just wrong. She looked careless, too relaxed, like she someone else thought and moved for her.
"Where is Pan now?" she gave him a sloppy smile and walked closer to him.
"Does it matter? I'm the Queen of Neverland now and he is nothing."
"Sophia your parents are here, they came to rescue you and bring you home," that seemed to break through to her.
"My parents?" she looked at him with wide and hopeful eyes but then it changed to something dark. She looked away from him, like she was focusing on something. The whispers, he realised. They must have taken control over her while he was gone. "They can leave the same way they came her, without me."
"Don't you want to see them?"
She snorted, "why would I? They sent me through a portal when I was only a baby. They didn't recognise me when I found them 16 years later. They don't care for me, why would they?" This was definitely not Sophia speaking. She would never say such things. When she looked in in the eye again he saw the light in her eyes completely out. She really didn't believe they love her, that they are here to rescue her, to bring her home.
"Sophia you have to come with me-"
"I don't want to see them," she hissed at him. He had to do something. He couldn't just come back to them and tell them that their daughter doesn't want to come with them. Her eyes looked away from him and unfocused. The whispers where talking to her, he could see it.
"Sophia don't listen to them," she still didn't look at him. "look at me, listen to me." He put both his hands on her arms and she snapped out of it, looking up at him with wide eyes and the light slowly returned. "There you are," he said and smiled.
She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, he did the same. "The whispers drive me crazy," she said softly and he stroked her back. "they make me do things I don't want to do."
"It's okay, they're gone now," she pulled far enough back from the hug so that she could see his face.
"They're not," he saw the battle she was having to control herself behind her eyes. "If I don't listen them the headache returns. The next worse than the one before. They said that if I don't listen they would kill me."
"Do you have a headache now?" he asked softly and she nodded. The tears were forming in her eyes and he couldn't stand it to see her this way.
Suddenly she let out scream and jumped back out of his arms. Her lands moved to her head as she fell to her knees. "Please help me," she whispered before her body went still. Her hands left her head and she stood up. The light was gone again and she sloppy grin was back.
"You can't save her," she said but there was a second voice who accompanied it. "her power is ours now and you can't stop us." Slowly she rose from the ground and magic was forming in her hands. "Leave or face your end." One hand rose and it's palm was moved towards him, the magic in it threatening to escape.
He had to leave, go back to her parents, figure something out. He turned and ran, ran as fast as he could, not looking back, not stopping for anything.
As soon as Felix left Emma turned towards him. "Why are you so hard on him?" He knew this question was coming. Maybe he was a bit hard on him but still. They had a past and it isn't a pleasant one. "You saw how he reacted when he saw she wasn't there."
"I'm just worried," he said and Emma walked over to him, putting her hand on his cheek. He leaned in to her touch.
"I am too but that doesn't mean you can be an asshole to him," he felt a bit of guilt forming. "he is worried too you know."
"I know him, Swan. That boy has stolen, betrayed and killed. I don't want him to hurt her too."
"I don't want her to get hurt either but I don't believe he will hurt her," she smiled at him with a knowing look before turning and looking around the cave. He followed behind her. Still there was something that he wanted to ask her.
"What did you say to him on the ship?"
"Just something he should think about," he raised an questioning eyebrow but she didn't say more about it. Instead she asked him a question; "If he wanted to come with us, would you let him?"
He was silent for a moment. Would he let one of his enemies who fancy's his daughter come with them to their home? He would normally say no in an instant, but now he was hesitating. Emma clearly sees good in him. He himself is also a quite surprised by how much different he is. The last time he saw Felix was before he left Neverland. He had just killed one of his crewmembers and had the man's blood on his face, looking more animal than human.
But now… now he was just a unloved teenage boy, a lost boy who had finally found someone to care for. And yes, he saw it too. Felix did care about Sophia, he cared enough to break his loyalty to Pan to keep her safe. He knew how much love can change a person, he was an example of it. From vengeful pirate to loving husband and father. Maybe he did deserve a second chance too.
"If Sophia wishes for him to come than who am I to stand in her way," he said finally. Emma seemed to be satisfied with his answer and looked at the wall where a dragon was painted.
"She has it from you," she said softly as she followed the dried paint with her fingers. He came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
"You are not that bad at it either," she leaned into him and sighed. He held her close against him, not wanting to let go just yet. He did let go when they heard something from behind them. They both turned around to see a panting Felix appear from the entrance. He steadied himself against a wall before speaking.
"Somethings very wrong," he panted and Killian saw the panic in his eyes. "She is…. whispers an-and…m-magic." Emma moved to him and helped him on the stone that she had probable used as a bed.
"Calm down, breath in and out," Emma told him softly and he seemed to calm a bit. "Now tell us what happened." Killian walked closer to them and crossed his arms, waiting for him to speak.
"The whispers she was hearing," he started, "they got stronger, they are telling her what to do. Pan had challenged her for the crown of Neverland and she won and is now the Queen of the island. Her magic is also under the control of the whispers," He was silent for a moment, hesitating if he should tell more but continued eventually. "I was able to bring her back in control of herself for a moment and she told me that if she didn't listen to the whispers they were going to kill her. Every time when she is in control of herself she get this headache that gets worse."
They were silent for a moment, Emma and Killian sharing some looks. "We need a plan to save her," Killian said eventually.
"How?" Emma asked a little hopeless.
"We need Pan," Felix said and they both looked at him questioning. "he knows every inch of this island, every creature that lives on it. He must know something about the whispers."
"Where is he?"
"My guess is that Sophia is holding him captive somewhere close to the camp."
"Then we're getting Pan," said Emma and Killian gave her a unbelieving look.
"You're serious? Pan is the most evil little imp on this island!"
"He is also the only one that may know how to save our daughter," she crossed her arms and he saw Felix snicker a bit out of the corner of his eye.
"Good to see you got your humour back," he sneered at Felix and he held his hands up.
Emma slapped his arm, "be nice because you two are going to get Pan."
"What?" they both said in unison.
"You know the island and the camp better than I do, I'll probably just stand in your way," she gave them both a look that said the discussion was over.
Killian sighed and turned to Felix, "When do we leave?"
"So… how was Neverland when I was gone?" Hook said a little awkward.
"Are you really trying to make small talk?" Felix asked with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged, "Than let's get strait to the point, if all this is over what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" he asked a bit dumb. Fist her mother now her father, why do they want to know? Are parents always so overprotective? He wouldn't know. He never had parents who cared for him like Sophia's parents do. They went to Neverland for her!
"You know what I mean."
He sighed, "I don't know… I don't really belong anywhere else…"
"And if Sophia wanted you to come with us, would you?"
That question again. He has thought about it. He had also thought about that Sophia's mother had said to him. That short moment when he could get through to her he knew he could make her smile brighter, knew he could make her laugh happier and knew he could make her feel cherished. But one thing he still wasn't sure of… could he really make her feel loved? Could he love?
"I don't think she would."
"But what if she did?" Hook pressed on and he was beginning to get annoyed of the way he acted. He would rather have the cutthroat pirate right now.
"Maybe," he knew Hook wanted to asks further but they heard voices not far from them and he had never been so relieved for this distraction. He turned to Hook, "I'll go in, say that the Queen sent me to take over, get Pan and you stay here on the watch out. Got it?"
He nodded, "This discussion isn't over yet."
"Of course it's not," he sighed and walked into the clearing where a cage was with Pan inside. "The Queen sent me to take over, you can return to the camp."
The two boys nodded and left him alone with Pan. When he was sure they couldn't see or hear him anymore he ducked down. "Felix," Pan said surprised. "I knew I could count on you."
"I need your help," he looked behind him and back at Pan. "do you know anything about whispers?"
"Whispers?" Pan asked confused but shook his head. "Just get me out of here first."
Felix moved over to the lock, trying a few things to open it but failed at al attempts. "Stay here," he said and stood up, walking towards Hook.
"I don't really have a choice!" Peter called behind him.
"Where's Pan?" Hook asked as he came into view.
"I can't open the lock," he said and walked back to the cage, Hook following him.
"Hook? What the… What's going on?" Peter asked in confusion. Felix couldn't help but laugh a bit at the scene before him. Captain Hook is trying to free his greatest enemy Peter Pan from a cage that his daughter, Queen of Neverland, put him in. The lock clicked open and Peter was free. "Anyone's going to explain me what the hell is going on?"
"I take it you've met my daughter," Hook said a bit proud.
"Yes I have, but that doesn't really explain anything."
"Well, she hears voices, whispers, they tell her what to do and control her. We need your help to free her from them so that we can take her home."
Peter nodded, "I see, but that still doesn't explain why you are helping him." He was looking at Felix with a raised eyebrow.
"It's kind of a long story," he said and rubbed his neck.
"You two can catch up on the way back to the cave. We need to go before any one catches us," Hook said and walked back towards the cave. Felix followed behind him and after a bit of hesitation so did Peter. He wasn't sure where to start but one thing he was sure of; he rather have the conversation he had with Hook than the one he was about to have with Peter.
A/N: Thank you all for reading this story! Please leave a review, a penny for your thoughts. ;)