A/N: I am on FIRE! Not literally. Please don't dowse me with water. Anyway, Chapter Three is here, and there's a special treat in it: BACKSTORY. I thought I'd bring in an essence of the show with a flashback. Also, you guys are too much on Felix's side (although I totally understand). I'm spicing things up a bit. And OMG, did you see that last episode? For a moment there I got scared. You leave my Lost Boys alone, Regina!

Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Coughing and spluttering, Abigail jolted awake like she had been electrocuted. Sucking in deep breaths, she sat up. She felt like she had been drowning. She was shaking all over. Her clothes were soaking and her hair was drenched. She wiped at her eyes, choking on the water that woke her up.

It was Peter.

"Rise and shine!" he grinned, tossing her some kind of fruit which she missed and it ended up rolling across the floor.

She picked it up and threw it back at his head. He caught it.

"Still not a morning person, then," he strolled easily into the makeshift shelter she had been put in and sat on the floor next to her. It was dark outside, so if it really was the morning, then it was still ridiculously early. She refused to look at him.

He didn't let that deter him, "Everyone's pleased to have you back, Abby. The lost boys missed you."

"Where's Henry?"

"He's safe for now," he said, although his voice became hard, "And it'll stay that way as long as you don't run off again."

She rolled her eyes, finally looking at him, "You don't care about me that much. The minute he loses his use, you'll kill him. And probably me too."

He laughed, "I'm not going to kill you, Abby! And I do care about you. Why do you think I brought you back?"

"Oh yeah, kidnap your way to a girl's heart," she scoffed.

"I'll prove it. Come with me." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief as he leapt to his feet. He held down his hand. "It's not a trick, I promise. Come on. Trust me."

She didn't trust him. She never would again. But she climbed to her feet anyway, ignoring the hand he offered her, and followed him outside, still dripping wet.

Immediately, she caught sight of Henry, sitting by himself on one of the logs and felt relief flood through her.

"Henry!"

He looked up, eyes bright, and ran straight to her. They collided and she hugged him tight. He was still alive. He wasn't hurt. And he was about as safe as he could be having been captured by the Lost Ones.

"Thank god you're ok!"

"I was so worried about you," he said, "I thought they'd hurt you. Or worse."

"I'm fine," she assured him with a comforting smile, "They're not going to hurt me. Or you. I won't let them."

He smiled reassuringly at her, like she was the one who needed comforting, "It's ok. If they wanted to hurt us, they would have done it already."

Don't be so sure, she thought but didn't say anything. As soon as they've used us, we're dead.

"We'll get home, Henry. I promise we will."

"Come on," Pan pulled her away before they could say anything else. He looked angry. "You're not doing him any favours by giving him false hope, Abby."

"It's not false," she snapped, "I'm going to get off this island again, and I'm taking him with me."

"Neither of you are going anywhere."

She had to bite her tongue. She just wanted to yell at him and maybe push him into a bush of Dreamshade. They walked in silence.

Before long, they came across a cave where a ladder could be seen attached to the rock wall. Abigail stopped, her mouth falling open. Crossing his arms with a smirk, Peter leaned coolly against a tree trunk.

She couldn't take her eyes from it, "Is this…?"

"The very same."

Tears sprang to her eyes. Part of her was drawn to it, another part told her to run. She couldn't believe that it was still there. She was sure that it had been destroyed. She was sure that the fire had taken it from her forever. But it was right there, in front of her. It was still there, exactly as it had been before.

Slowly, she walked to it, twigs and branches crunching beneath her feet. She could feel herself being pulled forward like it was calling to her. Before she knew it, she was climbing the ladder into what she considered to be the very heart of Neverland. It was her heart of Neverland.

When she got to the top, Peter was already there waiting for her. The room was just as it had been before the fire. The beautiful bed stretched out before her, covered in thick blankets. Net curtains hung around the room. A stuffed armchair sat by the bed. There was a little table in the corner, covered by a pretty tablecloth. It was perfect. She had never felt more at home than she did there. She didn't even feel about Storybrooke how she felt about that treehouse. It was where she had been really, truly happy. It was where she used to have no worries or fear. It was where her life was good.

"But I thought," her words caught in her throat and she had to swallow to stop her voice from cracking, "I thought it was destroyed. I thought the fire got it."

"I used magic," Peter replied, abnormally quiet. She wasn't used to hearing him talk so softly. It caught her off guard. She ran a hand over the bed's headboard, feeling the wood beneath her fingers. It was real. "After you left, I had Neverland reverse the effects of the fire. I wanted it to be there for you when you came back."

She didn't know what to say. She turned to him, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe that he had done that for her. He had paid the price of magic for her, just to make her happy.

"Why?" she whispered, afraid of bringing up anything too painful or giving him the wrong idea, "Why did you do this for me?"

"You know why."

"I thought I knew why when you first had the lost boys build it. But after everything… after I escaped. I thought you hated me. I don't understand."

He sighed, walking closer. He tried to take her arms in what might have been a caring gesture, but she flinched away.

"I can't hate you, Abby. No matter how much I want to. Like I said before, you're as much a part of Neverland as I am."

When he turned away, she felt a tingling in her arm where the Folicur was still wrapped. He walked to the ladder, but looked back over his shoulder, "The treehouse is yours. Get some sleep. I'll send someone for you in a few hours."

He left her alone. How could he trust her like that? But honestly, all ambition to run had seeped away since Peter found her. And especially as she stood in the middle of the treehouse, amidst all of its beauty and homeliness. This was where she belonged. She could feel it in her bones. This treehouse was her heart.

Remembering the tingle on her arm, she pulled up the sleeve of her still-wet jumper and peeled back the Folicur bandage. The wound was gone. Peter had healed her, just like Felix said he would.

Without any more thought, she pulled back the thick duvet and snuggled down amongst the cushions. Outside, something howled as she drifted to sleep.

Before.

"Come with me".

Abigail beamed, taking Peter's outstretched hand without a second thought. He pulled her to her feet, leading her towards the jungle. She could feel her heart racing as it always did when they were so close. His hand in hers – they fit together perfectly. It was right.

"Where are we going?" she asked, feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"It's a surprise," he said, tantalisingly, knowing that he was just making her ever-impatient mind more curious.

"Does it have something to do with the reason the boys keep disappearing and whispering about some big secret they can't say anything about?"

He chuckled, "Maybe."

The further they ventured into the trees, the more intrigued Abigail became. What had they been doing out there? And what did it have to do with her? She didn't recognise this part of the jungle. She was sure that she had discovered everywhere, but as always, Neverland was full of surprises. The trees in this part of the jungle were more spread out, and greener. They encapsulated more light than the rest of the trees. Rays of sunshine broke through the leaves, creating dappled patterns on the ground.

"How much further is it?" she asked, in awe of the foliage around her.

"Not much."

Finally, they stopped. Peter moved behind her, holding a piece of old cloth. She felt his cool fingers linger on the back of her neck as he brushed her wild, copper curls to the side. She complied without being asked, holding her hair out of the way as he tied the cloth over her eyes. She giggled.

With one hand holding hers and the other resting gently on the small of her back, he guided her through the rest of the trees. She had complete faith in him. She had never trusted anyone – not even her father – as much as she did him. He was her friend, her saviour, and her soul mate. He had always told her so. And she believed him. Why wouldn't she?

Again, they stopped, and this time he disappeared completely. She was left alone, lost and blinded in the middle of the jungle.

"Peter?"

There was no reply. Her heart started pounding against her chest. Where had he gone? Why had he left her so suddenly? Had she done something wrong?

But then his voice called down from somewhere above her, "Take it off!"

Without hesitating, she tore the blindfold from her eyes and found herself facing a ladder. He must be up there, she thought, and began to climb.

As she emerged at the top, her eyes widened in wonder. She was in a bedroom. And it was the perfect, little, picturesque bedroom she had always dreamed of. She had never been in anything like it before. Every tiny detail took her breath away. It was beautiful. And to top it all off, Peter was stood leaning against the wall, watching her.

"This is…" she didn't know what to say. It was so stunning. No words could describe how she was feeling at that moment. "It's beautiful."

He smiled, "It's yours."

"This is what you've been building for me? You and the boys?"

He nodded. Before she could realise what she was doing, she had crossed the room and thrown her arms around him.

"Thank you, Peter!" she breathed, feeling his arms wrap tightly around her waist. She looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes full of admiration, "Thank you so much."

For a moment, they just stayed where they were, enjoying their closeness. Their warmth. Their shared solitude and the feel of their arms around each other.

And then she kissed him.

Review Responses

Guest "i know its only the second chaper but im on team felix! gotta love him!": I love writing him! He's so cute and creepy and evil but misguided and AWWW. Anyway, I hope you don't mind there's no Felix this chapter. I promise there'll be more of him in the next one. I miss him. :-)

Joompan98: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last.

KillerJill04: There'll be more Felix in the next chapter, I promise. I hope you enjoyed a little bit of Peter though. :-)

JasperControlsMyEmotions: Here you go! I'll try to write the next one just as quickly.

ElektraMackenzie: I do too! Who doesn't? :P

Yueres De Leo: Thank you! I hope you think the same with this chapter :-)

Abi (guest): Thank you very much. I think the name Abigail is super pretty. :-D

orcafan1: Here you go! Let me know what you think of this one :)

Calla Mae: Thank you so, so, so much. This review absolutely made my day and made me write this entire chapter. I'm so pleased you're enjoying the story and characters. I was a little worried that Abigail would turn out to be annoying, but I must say that I really enjoy writing her. She just seems to take over the keyboard. Also, yep, she's his daughter! :-D

Honeydewmelon56: Thank you! What did you think of this little snippet of backstory?

Kira Tsumi: Thank you, I'll try to write the next chapter as speedily as possible.

A/N: Thank you for reading, guys! It really is all of your reviews that are pushing me to keep writing this story instead of coursework, so keep 'em coming! I really can't thank you enough. The response to this has been astounding. Find me on Tumblr or Twitter, I'd love to chat to you about OUAT. None of my friends watch it so I'm all alone in this crazy, amazing, beautiful fandom.

Until next time!

Beth Mae =] xx