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Present

The sound of Charlie's…Peter's crying could be heard throughout the house. With the realization of who he actually was and then his mother's true identity, the young boy felt betrayed. All he could do was cry about it. This time nobody has to ask why. Isabel knew why. The boy had found out that Isabel, his mother was in fact Tinkerbell. She always knew the truth would come out eventually. She only hoped it would be in their own time…after Peter tired of Neverland. He would eventually. It would take centuries perhaps, but at least, it would be on much better terms. She could have prepared him, but now the truth was being forced on him. Isabel wouldn't wish that on anyone. Then there were her own memories that she didn't want to deal with yet. She needed to deal with one thing at a time, and Peter was her priority.

Trudging up the stairs, Isabel stopped outside Peter's bedroom door. Her heart broke as he sobbed. If they were in Neverland, she would do something to cheer him up. She didn't have her magic back. Well, she couldn't get it to work properly just yet, and Peter wasn't having anything to do with her. She had been banished indefinitely. That's what he'd yelled at her. Isabel figured it was best to oblige. As Tinkerbell, she had no choice. As his mother, she didn't have to play into the game. She had lied to him so playing the game seemed more than fair. She leaned against the wall. It all just felt so hopeless really. He was bound to have questions, the same ones as before. And she now had the answers, though some of which she knew he wouldn't like. Maybe it would be better if she just told him everything. Get it all out there. Peter appreciated honesty at least that's what Isabel kept telling herself. If she were honest with him, maybe he would find it within himself to not be so angry with her. After all, there was a time when she was more his best friend than his mother. Sometimes it was easier to forgive your friends of their faults than it was to forgive your family. Of course there was the matter of his father. Isabel had to start the search for Peter's father. If he had made it to Storybrooke, she would have to explain everything again. Even worse, she would have to prove to him that she meant nothing negative behind her leaving. After all, she had left while he was gone; never saying goodbye.

Opening the door to Peter's room, she sat on the bed next to him. His tiny body shook as he cried, and he didn't dare turn his head to face her. Instead, he scooted as far away from her as he could without falling off the bed. When she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off. "I said you were banished."

"I know," she said, quietly. "I'm not here as your mother. I'm here as Tink."

Peter shook his head; still not facing her. "You must not get it. Tink messed up too, and she must be punished too. I banish you double. You cannot talk to me, look at me, or come near me until I say."

"Peter, this isn't Neverland anymore," she sighed. "As much as you want to, you cannot call the shots like before. I am your mother, and you're gonna have to speak to me eventually. You're gonna have to listen."

Peter shook his head again. "No! Not if I don't want to!" He gave her a defiant look. "I don't have to do anything you say because you lied to me."

"I know. I lied to you to protect you," she told him. "I lied to you to help you, to help both of us."

"You don't lie to someone to protect them," he closed his eyes. "You lie because you're too cowardly to tell the truth."

Isabel looked down at her son. A coward. He thought she was a coward. Well, she guessed he had a right to think whatever he wanted about her. Nodding, she started to put her hand on his back, but she pulled back with better judgment. She left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Isabel waited until she was inside her room to let the tears fall. This banishment felt so much more worse than those in Neverland. They never felt permanent. They never were real. Peter would turn her away for fun, but now her son was turning her away for a different reason. Peter was angry and hurt. Two of the very things that were never allowed in Neverland really. Peter didn't allow them. It was partially why Peter never did like Captain Hook hanging around. He was an adult who felt anger, hurt, and hate. Those emotions were what could bring Neverland down completely. It was a place built on happiness, and Peter wanted to keep it that way. One slight change in the island's core could make everything change.

As she lay in bed, she tried to prepare herself for the day ahead. School was indefinitely canceled it seemed since everyone would be too busy trying to kill the mayor or scrambling about to figure out their lives. Isabel too had to do a bit of the latter. She needed to go see if her husband was in town. She didn't remember seeing him around, but it could just be they never crossed paths. In her defense, Isabel kept mostly to herself. She was a kindergarten teacher. She had a couple of friends, but she mostly had the same routine every day. Go to work. Be a teacher. Go home. Be a mother. She didn't have much time for anything else so it was highly possible she wouldn't have seen her husband anywhere. Sitting up, she carefully tiptoed over the wooden floor of her bedroom to a dresser. On top of it was an old jewelry box that she kept her favorite trinkets in. It was amazing how just a little bit of her own powerful magic allowed her to bring so much from Neverland with her. She turned the key in the box, opening it carefully. Buried underneath some old letters and a few of Peter's old toys, she found exactly what she was looking for. Holding up the silver ring with its intricate design, she looked at it in sadness and wonder. Her wedding ring. It glimmered in the little bit of light coming into the room from outside but so did something else. Reaching into the box, she pulled out the necklace that had been her mothers. She unclasped the necklace to run it through the ring before putting it on. Two of her most prized possessions from before she became Tinkerbell.

The door opened behind her, and she saw Peter's small frame standing in the doorway with a teddy bear in his arms. Isabel clasped the necklace around her neck, turning to him. His face was wet and splotchy from crying. She tilted her head to the side as she studied his face. Peter wasn't angry. He was sad. It was as if Wendy were leaving him all over again. Isabel rushed over to him, taking him in her arms, and he cried harder. She held the boy so tightly she half feared she would crush him, but he held on just as tight if not tighter. She left kisses over his face, looking him in the eyes.

His lip trembled as he began to speak. "All I've ever wanted was a mother."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she told him, fighting back her own tears.

"I don't want things to change," he squeaked. "I don't want you to be all Tink again."

A small smile formed on her face. "Oh, Peter." She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I can be Tink and your mother."

His fingers touched her cheek and he grinned at her. "Tinkerbell."

"Hello, Peter," she grinned, pressing her forehead to his.