A/N: Howdy Team!
So, this is one of those chapters that probably should have been split, but I spent all day writing it and kinda don't wanna split it. Therefore, yes, it is the longest chapter of this story to date. (Please excuse typing errors, I'll get around to fixing them when I'm not dead on my feet.)
And thank you so much for the reviews. I can see loads of you rooting for Pan/Indie. Let me just say, every time I get to write their scenes now, I fall in love with the two of them a little bit more. (None this chapter I'm afraid. ) =[
Enjoy the longest chapter ever! xx
When Love Turns to Hate
The Enchanted Forest – 290 Years Ago…
"I'm not loving the company around here Milah," Indigo began, leaning her stool back against the wall, a drink in her hand and her friend beside her.
Milah laughed as she looked across the room appreciatively, "I don't know. There's an incredibly handsome view over there."
Indigo's eyes followed hers to the corner where she saw a small group of men that made her choke on her drink. Coughing loudly to the side, Milah came to her aid, pushing on her back harshly as she tried to clear her lungs.
"I must admit," Milah commented, "I wasn't expecting that reaction."
"Aren't you married?" Indigo wheezed, returning to a sitting position.
"To the biggest joke of a man that the universe ever created," she scowled.
"Well," Indigo started, "those guys over there – they're pirates. And pirates aren't the best news, no matter how good looking they are." She knew she was just running her mouth, refusing to look at the man across the room. She was keeping her head conveniently turned away, so even if he looked up he wouldn't see her.
"Pirates eh?" Milah asked, genuinely intrigued. "I'm going to go for it."
"Come on Milah," Indigo pleaded, watching her fixing her hair in the window. "I thought this was supposed to be our catch up."
"We did catch up," the woman replied as she kissed Indigo's cheek. "And I will see you again on Thursday."
Indigo sighed as the woman walked over to the men, putting on all the charm she could muster. Almost as if she saw Killian's face look up, Indigo disappeared from the spot by the window and reappeared outside the tavern. His eyes rose to the space she had occupied in confusion, having sworn there had been a person with Milah, but within seconds his attention turned to her.
Indigo walked away silently with her head down, kicking loose cobblestones as she went.
Present Day
Indigo's feet were sore from having walked across the island for days. Her body was weary with the exertion, but she didn't feel like she could stop. The island itself felt like it was clawing at her, the trees limbs looking suspiciously like Pan's hands reaching out through the night. They tried to make her fear; the island was trying to confuse her…to make her lose all hope that she would ever escape – and take the dreamshade to escape.
But as her third night alone on the island came to pass, Indigo simply couldn't press on any longer. Her body was so utterly exhausted that she could do no more than collapse into the curved hollow of a tree and sink into oblivion. She was so far gone that she didn't hear the crying wails in the night.
Pan sat at his desk as he watched the lost boys climbing into their beds. His pan flute sat across the room as he tapped his fingers on the hard wood. The fearful and sad moaning began with the younger children first, and gradually it spread, awakening Pan to his lapse on routine. He drew the flute to himself and began to play. With each mistake he made, fuelled by a frustration he didn't know existed, the lost boy's cries grew louder.
Eventually he began again, playing softer; playing clearer. It wasn't until he was finished, and the boy's cries had faded into silence that he realised that for the first time in almost a thousand years, he was playing Anabelle's lullaby. Purely Anabelle's lullaby – with no variations, nothing changed. Just simplistic notes that carried with them so much meaning…
Pan threw the flute aside and jumped out of his window, carrying with him a blank piece of paper as he flew over a sleeping Henry. There was more to be done with his family. That night, he soared over Neverland to clear his head – preparing himself for the fight that was to come.
The Enchanted Forest – 290 Years ago…
"There isn't much I need Killian," a female's voice laughed as the door to her shop opened. Indigo almost didn't want to walk out into the shop, but she didn't trust the pirate not to steal all her wares.
"Milah!" Indigo exclaimed in surprise, rushing out past the counter to embrace her friend. Milah smiled when she saw her, it having been weeks since she had last seen her. "So much for meeting me on Thursday."
Indigo was pointedly ignoring Killian who had stopped moving any muscles when he saw her. She couldn't let herself feel guilty – it was better if he hated her.
"I er, well…" she shrugged as Indigo nodded in acknowledgement. "You seem to be doing well."
"Yes," she replied sarcastically, "It's flourishing. You're the first people I've had in here in three days."
"Well," Killian began, finally regaining control of his tongue, "If you weren't perched in one of the most remote places known to man, you might make a little more money."
"Nobody asked for your opinion Captain," Indigo sighed wearily. Milah looked between the two of them with a furrowed brow. She hadn't seen Indigo since learning who the pirate was, so how did she know he was a captain?
"My apologies Princess," he said mockingly, a sharp glint in his eye as he gave a small bow and walked straight out of the shop.
Milah stayed behind, turning back to her curiously, "Why did he call you princess?"
"It's a…a reference to my past," Indigo struggled, "Oh what the hell, I'm seven hundred years old Milah. I met Jones four years ago. So yes, I did try and warn you off him the other week, but evidently you're head over heels." Indigo threw up her hands before finishing honestly, "I've got nothing to say. He's a great guy. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you Indigo," Milah said honestly, hugging her friend tightly, but looking at her with eyes that seemed confused with a little hint of the idea that she missed her. Milah made to leave as Indigo said suddenly, "What about Baelfire?"
Milah stopped in her tracks, her face falling and she finally muttered, "I will go back for him."
"Please do," Indigo muttered in response, "Everyone needs to know that they are loved."
Present Day
Indigo slept the day through. With the sound of dusk came the sound of Pan's music from a place other than where she'd heard it before. Pan was quick on his feet now, his manipulative mind working the island for all it was worth – he'd moved the camp. Indigo felt as though she was closer to him now than she had been yesterday, and the thought scared her. So as she got up, her muscles straining, she began to run once more through the jungle, away from the beating of the drums.
And headlong into a man running towards her.
Her head collided with his arm, forcing Indigo to stumble off the path and draw her dagger quickly upon him.
The man looked at her in shock. Indigo supposed she looked pretty wild having struggled through the forest for days.
"You're a girl," he stated, his hands up in surrender.
"Why is that such a surprise to everyone?!" Indigo groaned, stepping around him. "It's obvious and it doesn't need to be said. I mean, you're an adult." Indigo frowned. "Are you here to rescue Henry?"
"What do you know about Henry?" the man asked curiously, his hands lowering slowly.
"What do you want with Henry?" Indigo returned harshly.
"I'm his father," the man replied. "I want him safe."
"So you came with the others?" Indigo frowned. Why was he alone then?
"I actually fell through a portal to the enchanted forest and had to call the shadow-"
"Voluntarily?!" Indigo was dropping her knife slowly.
"It was the only way I knew how to get here."
"You…you knew," Indigo repeated curiously. "You've been here before?"
"Long time ago," the man shrugged. "Name's Neal."
Indigo tilted her head as she examined him up and down, realisation coming to her mind as she finally recognised who this man was. Of course, it had been so much time since she'd seen him…he'd grown up.
"No," she said with an exhalation of astonishment, "You're Baelfire."
He looked up at her in shock, his face a mask of astounded curiosity. "You know me?" he asked incredulously.
"I met you when you were just a boy," she replied, "You were barely seven." It was then, that with a small gasp she realised where she recognised the bracelet in her back pocket from. It was hand crafted – braided – with a small charm upon it
From her hand, Neal reached out and brought the threads to his eyeline.
"Hook gave this to me. I thought I'd lost it when I came to the island."
"You did," Indigo affirmed. "Pan had it."
"Why do you have it?" Neal asked curiously, putting the bracelet into his pocket.
"Just got set free by Felix a few days ago," she commented. Neal looked at her curiously, pointing back over his shoulder, "The same Felix I just knocked out for trying to take me to Pan's camp?"
Indigo nodded and Neal looked at her appreciatively, "Well done."
The sound of the barest movements from behind Neal made Indigo turn and jump in his way warning, "Get out of here – run. I can take Felix easily."
"No offence but so can I," Neal shrugged. But as she summoned fire to her hand wordlessly, looking at the man's face over her hand he continued, "Point taken."
Beginning to run, he turned back to her just before he left her sight, "Thank you…"
"Indigo," she said with a wide smile. "Good luck Baelfire."
And he ran as she turned back to the dark forest.
The Enchanted Forest – 283 Years Ago
"You have not changed a bit Indigo," Killian Jones said as she crossed the boards to land lightly on the ship's deck.
"I got myself a last name," she replied. "Wait for it – Garcia."
"You gave yourself the last name that means young," Killian looked at her doubtfully. "Well if that isn't the definition of irony I don't know what is."
"You're older," she commented with a smirk. It had been seven years since he'd stepped foot in her store.
"Time does that," he commented drily, the fact that he'd turned thirty a week ago not something he wanted to share with the girl who looked seventeen years old in front of him.
"Where's Milah?" Indigo enquired quickly, feeling that standing there with Killian was growing increasingly awkward. "I hope you haven't done anything to her."
"Why such lack of faith in me love?" Killian answered, looking at her with dark eyes. She knew he wasn't only referring to Milah, but to the night when she'd run out on him eleven years ago. A night which she not only avoided talking about; but also thinking about. And so, she pushed past him in the same fashion as she had the night they met and made her way to the captain's cabin where she knocked politely on the door. A light "come in" came from inside and Indigo pushed open the door to find her friend looking up at her from Killian's desk with a wide smile.
Indigo couldn't help but be happy with her friend's happiness. Everything about her screamed freedom and adoration of this life, and Indigo missed it, but she wanted to see her friend more. It had been too long since they had seen each other.
"How have you been?" Milah enquired, coming out to hug her. "How's the shop?"
"I sold up a couple of years ago," Indigo sighed. "It isn't what it used to be. Everyone's associating magic with the dark arts now that the Dark One's raging about. So my simple little store was nowhere near thriving or giving me any revenue to be honest."
"So what have you been doing?" Milah asked, leading her out onto the deck where they sat atop some barrels. "In your apparent ageless self."
"Well," Indigo shrugged, "I may be dealing more potent magics on the black market as I search for a way into Neverland."
Milah frowned. "You want to go to Neverland?"
"A realm where you never age Milah," Indigo smiled, not letting the woman in on her true agenda, "Why wouldn't you want that?"
"Killian said that the boy there, Pan, he killed his brother."
Indigo hesitated momentarily before looking up at Milah through shocked eyes, "What?"
"Yeah," she returned, "Apparently when he was still working for the king, his brother died because of Pan's manipulation. He's very against that world."
"I'd imagine he would be." Indigo looked up at Killian on the helm. He'd never told her why he had such a hate for Neverland. But he had told Milah. She supposed, he actually did care for her – he cared enough to let her in.
And as she sat with them for dinner on the deck that night, she saw their brief touches – their smiles – and the soft whispers of, "I love you" that were whispered between them. All she could do was look at them happily, ignoring the twinges of pain that sat behind her heart.
The next morning, as she awoke with the dawn, lying in a makeshift bed on the deck, Killian Jones came walking out to speak to her.
"Now Indigo," Killian began, a swing in his step, "I realise that it must be hard for you to see Milah and I in love but please, no jealousy."
"Oh no," Indigo breathed, truly hurt by the fact that he had though she was jealous of them. Indigo replied with a small smile, "I'm not jealous Jones. You two deserve each other – really."
"I can't tell if you're being genuine or sarcastic…"
"Genuine," she answered, turning to face him completely. For the first time, she looked him in the eye and said, "You're a gentle soul Killian Jones, and she needs you as much as you need her. It was my fault for walking out on you eleven years ago and I have no right to fight for you now. You love her," Indigo finished. "I can see it in your eyes – and you tell her it every day. That's something that yes, I may envy, but I'm so incredibly happy for both of you."
"Nice tattoo," she added, flicking her head at his arm, having seen it earlier that morning.
"Could we, possibly, be friends Indigo?" Jones asked, holding out his arm. Indigo eyed it carefully before biting her tongue and bracing his forearm with her own.
"Yes," she said with a small smile.
She lied.
Present Day
"Indigo."
"Felix."
"Are you really still hanging around?" Felix asked. "If Pan finds you and you're not dead, you'll get a fate worse than death."
Couldn't be worse that the last thousand years, Indigo thought as she turned away from Felix almost taunting, "You'd better go. Don't you have to tell Pan that you were attacked by Baelfire?"
"Yes," he said, a little disgruntled. He reminded himself once more that he wasn't Pan's lapdog and that he was doing this out of loyalty to the Lost Ones. That Pan's rule of the island; that this new boy Henry would fix everything. But by the time he looked up to tell Indigo this, she was gone.
Neverland – 283 Years Ago…
Killian Jones clutched at Milah's body, his own shaking as he fought back tears before his crew. His life was a curse – every person he knew left him. But Milah…Milah had been stolen from him. He had no chance to mourn the loss of his hand to the crocodile, no chance to mourn her. Instead, as Indigo watched from across the ship, her heart caught in her mouth, noise impossible to express…feelings impossible to express. Another friend gone.
And Killian seemed to ignore her completely as he set her aside delicately upon a board of wood. He saw the small bracelet upon her wrist and pulled it off for no other reason than to remember. Indigo began to slide closer then, crouching down beside her friend's body and touching her skin lightly. She was already turning cold, fuelled by the wind upon the seas. Killian said to her without looking at her, "Will you…"
He couldn't finish his sentence but he didn't need to. Indigo waved her hand slowly and Milah's body was wrapped instantly in an old sail. It was the crew who then took away her body, setting her at rest in the sea; finally free. Indigo watched as they sailed on whispering, "Goodbye my friend."
Killian finally turned his face away and climbed up the stairs. Everything he said at that point was a blur to Indigo. All she remembered was grasping hold of the rigging as the ship travelled through the glowing portal upon the sea. This was the chance that she'd been searching for. Years and years had led to this…
But it was tainted by what it came upon the heels of. As she clutched at the rigging, tears building in her eyes, Killian steered them through the portal one handed, his own face ignoring the stump that she had healed to take the place of his left hand.
As they arose in Neverland, Indigo began to walk across the deck unsteadily to see the island that arose before her. Her mouth widened in shock. It was too much. To be so relieved and so sad…
Killian sunk to the ground upon the stairs, his head in his hand as he cleared away the tears from his eyes. He pulled Milah's bracelet from his pocket and passed it between the fingers of his hand as Indigo came closer.
"Killian," Indigo began, her voice sounding disused. "What are we, doing here? You hate this place."
"I need time Indigo," he replied without looking up as the waters of Neverland swirled around them. His face was hard, old tears hidden in them that still hadn't been shed, and probably wouldn't ever be, she realised. He replied forcefully, with murderous intent in his eyes. "I need time to figure out how to kill Rumplestiltskin."
Present Day
Indigo clambered through the forest as the night wore on. Sitting aside momentarily, she closed her eyes, the calm of the night welcoming sleep. But as her ears became more attuned with her lack of sight, she heard the sound of far off chattering. The voices weren't trying to keep quiet, but neither were they children. And judging by what Indigo knew of who was currently on the island, she had to assume that these people were allies.
Dusting herself off, she began to walk slowly towards them, towards a small clearing where a cave perched itself atop an outcrop and an unfamiliar face stood in waiting with an unfamiliar sword.
Indigo halted the minute it even got close to her neck, the sharp glint of it reflected in the moonlight.
"Regina," the woman called lowly, "Can you come out here?"
There was the sound of footsteps as a familiar face appeared in the opening of the cave muttering, "Look Emma, I'm not here to stand around looking at caves. I'm her for Hen- Oh."
She stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of Indigo.
"You look terrible," she commented in disgust.
"Right back at you my queen," Indigo answered with a contemptuous smile, turning back to the girl with the sword. She began lowering it before Regina told her to keep it up.
"You really think I pose a threat Your Evilness?"
"I never know what to expect with you Miss Garcia," she answered. "That's why I find it best to keep you prisoner. Here however, that isn't really going to happen. How did you get here?"
"Been here a while," she shrugged adding, "Two weeks maybe."
"I'd hardly classify that 'a while'," the girl with the sword scoffed.
"I'm sorry," Indigo directed at her, the sword resting comfortably a few centimetres from her windpipe. "You are?"
"Emma Swan," she answered, eyes narrowing. "And you're lying."
Indigo shrugged, "If I told you the whole truth we'd be here a very long time. And by that comment, I'd be assuming you're Henry's mother, the walking lie-detector."
"You've seen Henry?" Emma's sword was dropped within seconds. "Is he okay? Pan's not hurting him?"
"Pan wants him alive," Indigo replied, looking at the two of them. "He needs the boy to fix Neverland. Unfortunately he's going to do something more than that though."
"What?" Regina and Emma's voices rang out.
Indigo looked at the two of them apologetically, "He's going to make him a lost boy."
Neverland – 183 years ago…
"How long has it been Jones?" Indigo began, standing beside him at the helm. She leant against the wood casually, knowing that it wasn't a question he wanted to answer.
"I don't know," he muttered in response.
"Really?" she answered. "I know you've been working for Pan."
Killian turned to her harshly as she taunted, "For someone who hates him, you've been doing an awful lot of his dirty work."
"And what are you doing here Indigo?" he returned harshly. "Biding your time until someone else kills Pan for you?"
"I feel like that's what you're doing with Rumplestiltskin," Indigo returned. "Have you even found a way to kill him yet? Because in case you haven't realised, we've been sitting on these seas for a hundred years in other worlds' time. And I don't fancy a hundred more."
"Really?" Killian said, eyeing her carefully, a glint in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Aren't we friends?"
"We were never friends Captain," Indigo said sharply. "And we never will be."
He turned upon her, his eyes dark and heavy as he closed the space between them, roughly pulling her into him. "I know that love." He traced the curve of his hook across the bare skin of her neck, chasing it with his teeth as he finally whispered in her ear, "But what about friends with certain benefits?"
Present Day
When the two women saw how tired Indigo was they let her collapse into the dirt against the rock, resting her worn limbs in an effort to regain some sort of strength. More voices came down from the cave as a person appeared, stopping when he saw her, his mouth forming a smirk.
"Look at you, older once again Captain," Indigo commented, glancing up at Killain Jones. She wasn't bothering to get up; she was quite comfortable.
"Can't say the same for you Garcia," he replied, not knowing that for her, it had only been two weeks since they last spoke.
"Do you two know each other?" Emma inquired as Indigo stared Hook up and down with a fierce defiance. Indigo looked over at her with a quick glance of appreciation. The subtle tone in her voice was almost possessive. Interesting.
Two more voices echoed around the clearing. A man and a woman laughed as they appeared in her eye line and at their appearance, Indigo pushed herself off the rock and stood up. These were two people she was genuinely happy to see. She breathed a sigh of relief before she began walking over to them. Snow looked up and dropped the bag she was holding along with her jaw. Laughing, she threw her arms around her friend in astounded happiness.
"I thought you were going to a world without magic Indigo," Snow started as Indigo quickly hugged David. "But you're in Neverland."
"I did go there first," Indigo smiled, not elaborating, "For years. But then I felt my uses better served fighting Pan."
"I'm surprised you aren't dead then," Hook's voice came from behind her. "You've lasted a long time here on your own Garcia. And you're looking pretty good for it."
"Time passes differently here," she reminded him. Before turning to the others and explaining. "It's been about two weeks since, well, since I saw Hook last."
"Really?" Hook enquired, coming around to stand by David's side. "So, while I've spent a year in the enchanted forest, then another 28 frozen in time, it's been a week."
"Don't complain Hook," Emma replied, "A lot of people went through the same thing." Everyone's eyes suddenly glanced towards Regina as she followed Emma down the path.
"Well don't look at me," Regina replied. "It's not my fault your friend here told Rumplestiltskin about a curse that he shared with me."
Everyone's eyes turned to Indigo who stepped back sheepishly, "I maintain that it was taken from me without my consent. Stiltskin's got a lot of power to make people talk."
"He's on the island Garcia," Hook shared, making her turn upon him. Her eyes were heavy.
"Please tell me you aren't still seeking revenge," Indigo almost pleaded. "Do you know how long it has been?"
"Well apparently it's been a few weeks for you-"
"Children!" Regina said, holding up her hands to separate Indigo and Hook who were obviously getting on each others' nerves rather quickly. Indigo found it ironic that Regina would call them children when they were both hundreds of years older than her.
But Indigo supposed, if Hook had spent 28 years suspended in time then that explained it. He still had the brain capacity and behaviour of a ten year old.
Neverland – 100 years ago…
"We need to avenge Milah Indigo," Jones began, a fire in his eyes. "The Dark One must pay for what he's done. With your help, your magic, and this poison, he could suffer – he could –"
Indigo watched as Killian's resolutions formed in his mind.
"I can't fight this battle for you Killian," Indigo said calmly. She didn't mean the battle for revenge, it was the battle within himself – the refusal to grieve for Milah and let her go…
"Too bad Garcia," he said suddenly, looking straight past her. "It could've been grand."
"You know this isn't the way Hook," she replied, before clapping her hand across her mouth in shock. She'd sworn never to call him that. But it was as though it was retaliation to him calling her by her made up last name. And as he looked at her, with the smallest hint of pained disdain in his eyes she knew she was no longer welcome there.
With those words, the sorceress and the pirate returned to being perfect strangers.
And the next day, as soon as everyone was fast asleep, she crept out onto the deck, and looking out at the endless sea she said strongly to the darkness, "Ariel. Please; I need your help."
It was a few moments before the mermaid appeared in the water.
"Indigo," she began in shock. "How did you get here?"
"Take me back to the Enchanted Forest please Ariel," Indigo began, slipping over the rail and eyeing the depths carefully.
"Did you do what you had to here?" she asked curiously and a little bit hopefully. If Pan was gone…that was joyous news for all mermaids. Indigo looked from the island to the captain's door with the barest glimpse of regret before she replied to Ariel.
"I'll be back," Indigo said, as much to Neverland as to herself before she jumped into the water, only Ariel's arms keeping her afloat. After all these years, she still couldn't swim. With Ariel's words warning her to take a deep breath, it was mere seconds before they were beneath the water, crossing realms with the power of Ariel's mer-blood fuelling the trip.
Indigo understood why most people didn't travel by mermaid after that. She arrived in the Enchanted Forest unconscious; only awakening when Ariel began compressions on her chest and she spluttered out the sea from her lungs.
As Ariel left her on the shore, Indigo breathed out carefully. She'd watched herself closely in Neverland…she'd seen the way her hair had begun to grow again, her body aging, as she didn't use magic. She'd had no need to – and in turn, everything that kept Neverland's inhabitants young, simply didn't work on her. It had taken her numerous weeks…but she knew why now.
Indigo was scared lying alone upon that beach. And she began to walk away, to a place where she knew she had to survive without magic. For the first time in her life, she was just like everyone else – no more magic…
Because nine months later, she was gifted with one last present from Killian Jones.