A/N: Spent twenty minutes changing my computer desktop to a collage of Robbie Kay and Colin O'Donoghue pictures.
I regret nothing.
So, anyway, after I updated last night, I ended up continuing to write half of this chapter and so, we do in fact have an update today.
Yays!
Scorpion Girl: Hehe, even I find it hard to choose between them. Every. Single. Time. And thank you so much! xx
Aureaborealis: Dem plans. Let's watch them unfold. =D
Here it is, my lovelies! Enjoy! xx
One Night
xxx
Four Years Ago
"So," Evie said with a smirk, "Now that I've got you here all on your own…"
"One would think this was your tree house and not mine," Pan answered, mocking offence as he walked into the room after her. He went around the room lighting candles with a match before turning back to Evie who was meandering about the room as she looked around curiously. Pulling her jacket off absently, she dumped it on the end of Pan's bed.
She felt his presence behind her as she looked out from his window at the view beyond the tree tops. His breath was hot on her bare neck, his smooth hands running up and down her arms. He wanted to make her forget all about the stars, they were none of her concern, not really.
His lips brushed against her shoulder, skimming the collar of her dress and Evie tensed. It was the first time Pan had kissed her anywhere but her lips and it shocked her a little, as did the jolt of pleasure that ran through her body.
"Pan?" There was a slight tremor to her voice. He still hadn't removed his lips from her skin and was simply moving along the curve of her neck, brushing aside her hair.
"Yes, Evie?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm kissing you," he murmured into the skin just behind her ear and she gasped. His hands were running up and down her sides now, from her hip to her ribs, edging to more forbidden places an inch at a time. "Don't you like it? It feels like you do."
"It feels…" Foreign. Strange. Intoxicating. "Good."
Pan smirked into her skin. Exactly what he wanted to hear.
He ventured further then with his hands, brushing across her stomach and pulling it up to her collar, down towards the swell of her breasts where he traced delicate patterns into the skin. She was shivering beneath his touch as he continued to trace his lips along her flesh. Finally though, he needed to see her face, and spun her around in his arms so that he could look into her eyes.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes darkened with a hint of lust even if she wasn't quite sure what it was that she was lusting after. Pan brushed aside a curl that was lying in front of her eyes before placing a kiss on her temple and slowly moving towards her lips where he kissed her hungrily.
He was pleasantly surprised when he found that she was crushing herself to him, kissing him back with equal, if not more, fervour. At some point, she'd slipped her tongue into his mouth, trying to gain the upper hand, but Pan always had that. And he was pulling her backwards towards where the mattress was welcoming them.
Evie didn't seem to notice until her knees buckled and she fell onto the surface with a gasp of surprise. Realising where she was, her face flushed into a deep pink and she rolled over, away from Pan's approaching body. Sitting cross legged, she tried to calm her breathing as Pan bit down on his lip.
Too fast.
"Sorry, Evie."
"No, no," she breathed, "It's fine. It was…" she hesitated, looking up at Pan, still hovering on the side of the bed. "I've only known you a few days, and I really don't know that much about you except for the fact that every time I look at you I get really distracted and feel things I've never felt before."
"Those feelings are good feelings, Evie," he said, sitting down and trying to reassure her.
"Are they?" she frowned.
"If you want to know me, Evie," he said, fully prepared to lie through his teeth. "Just ask."
Evie thought for a moment then, before leaning forward until she was lying on the comfortable mattress with her face upon her hands. Patting the space beside her, she motioned for Pan to join her. It was only a second before he settled there and she started off a long train of questions that he inwardly cringed at, but he knew he had to answer.
She just needed time. Someday, she would love him. She had to.
He needed her heat; he needed her love.
That would give him power enough to take over the kingdom.
xxx
When Evie disappeared to go home, Peter heard the sound of the Lost Boys in the distance. As they came closer, he headed downstairs.
"Excellent boys!" Pan congratulated them all. Taking the pouch from them, he quickly counted the amount. Five stars ; five lost boys. That would have to do for now. He sighed inwardly in relief. At least he had time now. Time to let Evie fall in love with him without pushing her too fast. Everything was working out.
"Slightly, Devon, James, Tim, Zip, you know what you have to do," Pan started, gathering them around himself. "I want you to take the treasure store and purchase that inn at any cost. We need a foothold in that realm and that's going to be it. I'll contact you when necessary. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads and Pan smiled darkly.
"Good."
xxx
"I have it," Emma said, the minute she met a yawning Killian in the stables the next morning.
"Have what?"
"The plan, Jones."
"Oh." He yawned once more. "Did you stay up all night plotting?"
"I may or may not have fallen asleep three minutes after arriving back at my room. But it came to me in my dream."
Killian eyed her doubtfully, "We're working off a dream."
"If it makes you feel better, call it a vision."
"It doesn't," Killian replied, leaning against a stall, "Continue."
"So, Evie gets a birthday ball amongst the innermost trust circle next week. It's not in my place to say, but she's supposed to find a suitor, who'll court her for two years and then marry her."
"What?!" Killian's mouth dropped open in horrified astonishment. He didn't realise this whole thing started now! He thought it started when she was sixteen.
"Shh," Emma looked around in annoyance. "So, we need to find someone who will take her mind off Pan long enough for her to realise that she can stay here, safe and protected."
"No offence, Princess," Killian frowned, "But Evie has hated every Prince she's ever come across."
"Which is why we're going to find the least pompous and most easily corruptible of everyone at that ball, and we are going to make them act like you."
"Like me?!"
"Well," Emma reworded it, "The more, adventurous traits of you."
"I'm not exactly a role model, Princess," Hook answered. The horse behind him decided to snort awake at that point. "See, even Starry agrees."
"Yeah, well, that horse obviously doesn't want us to succeed," Emma answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Its loyalties plainly lie with Evie."
"It's a horse."
"Really?" Emma said sarcastically, "I hadn't realised. Are you going to help me or not?"
Killian wrestled with himself for a few moments before giving a resigned sigh. Starry was poking her head out from the stall and he patted her neck and answered Emma, "Fine, Princess. You win."
"You're in?"
"Yes I'm in."
"Fantastic," Emma grinned, taking a step closer to him, "Well then, Jones, we'd better get started. Start dealing out the charm. I need to know what to teach out prince."
"I don't need to prepare myself for that, love," he said, a smile pulling his lips upwards. "I am charm."
And Emma, staring at his shit-eating grin, couldn't help but wordlessly agree.
xxx
Present Day
Evie was braiding Kala's hair that night as the storybook passed around the room. Along with Tara and Kala, Freya, Hayley, Sara, Dena and Jasmine had all tagged along to the reading lesson. Even though they all had varying degrees and abilities, they all wanted to hear the story of Snow White.
Eventually, when Kala's hair was tied off down her back, the young girl placed a kiss on Evie's cheek and sat down at her place in the circle, only to be replaced by many pleading eyes and Evie beckoned the next girl, Freya to take Kala's place. Freya had extremely long hair, but Evie's hands were well practiced after having so many girls around her for the past eight months.
When they reached the end of the tale, Evie tucked all the girls in and went back to Ash's room. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching as Ash reached up to tug on Killian's hair. The man had fallen asleep with the child in his arms, but Ash wasn't so easily placated.
Peeling her carefully away from Killian, Evie looked down into her eyes with a sad little smile.
"Oh, little star," she murmured with a soft smile. "You really love Killian don't you?"
And her green eyes widened as if to say, 'Yes Evie. Of course I do!'
"Time for bed though," Evie said, rocking her in her arms and humming her soft lullaby until she fell asleep. Placing her back in the crib, Evie considered waking Killian up as she went to go to her own room, but she knew he'd wake up the minute Ash cried, so it wasn't really a problem.
That was, until Evie heard a knock on the door.
Her heart began to beat fearfully as she heard it. No. Not so soon. He couldn't be here…
The knock came again.
She considered waking Killian once more, but he'd have his hook in Pan's body before Evie could even get in a word sideways. His protectiveness was good sometimes, but this…
This was something she had to do herself.
Closing the door, she walked her way down the corridor and creaked open the door cautiously. To her relief, it wasn't Pan. However, it was another face she wasn't looking forward to seeing.
"Felix?" Evie said stonily. She wasn't surprised; someone had to drop by soon, be it Pan or one of his minions. Instead of lingering in the doorway, she shut the door, stepping outside and wrapping her shawl tightly around herself as she felt the coolness of the night.
"He wants to see you tomorrow." Felix didn't dance around the problem. He respected Evie more than that.
"Of course he does," Evie said, folding her arms to avoid the shaking running through them. "He's here for his bloody takeover isn't he?"
"He is."
"So why does he fucking want me?" Evie couldn't help the hiss of anger that escaped her.
"Only he knows," Felix answered. "So, will you be there?"
Evie sighed, thinking of everyone inside her stronghold that she was trying to protect. She couldn't let them down, not now after everything she'd done to keep them safe. All of her lost girls…
"What time?"
"11.30 tomorrow night; the tavern."
Evie bit her lip as she thought back to the first time she'd seen Pan. If this was his way of trying to be poetic it was only making him seem more twisted in her mind. Nevertheless, as she backed into the door, opening it slightly, she answered Felix:
"I'll be there."
And when she slipped in through the door, closing it and locking it behind her, it was with a fearful longing that she slid to the floor, her back against the wood.
And that was how Killian found her, hours later when he awoke with a crick in his neck. Her head in her hands; her knees at her chin.
"Leave me alone, Killian," Evie whispered when he asked her what was wrong. "I didn't need your fucking help eight months ago and I don't need it right now. Just…just look after the girls."
She left off the unspoken end to that sentence.
Look after the girls…
Because tomorrow night I might not be coming home.