A/N: Howdy Team! Pretty busy tomorrow, so I figured I'd update this now.

These next two chapters are just a little plot that needs to be put out of the way. But lots of little character interactions. =P

Hope you enjoy! xx

Mama

Hook sailed them onwards, breathing in the new air as they headed towards the nearest port. With it having been ten years of the pirate being missing, Hook wasn't too worried about being recognised, so they were heading straight to the capitol of Shayan. His thoughts were all about Ella; if she couldn't have Shang, at least she could have her family.

But the moment they made port, Tink was the first off the ship, happy to be standing upon solid ground. She stretched her arms and gazed around, giving a nod of satisfaction before walking off without them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ella enquired, as she came out of Hook's cabin, sliding her daggers into their sheaths.

Hook shrugged, taking his own glance around, "Shayan's changed since they lost the war." He frowned. It had changed a lot; definitely for the better. In fact, it was flourishing almost as greatly as it had been twenty years ago. But before either of them could board land, they spotted Tink once more.

She was at a standstill amongst the people walking past her. Her face was a mask of shock, a single leaf of parchment waving in the wind as she clutched it in her hand. Slowly, she began to walk towards them. She was hesitant almost, her bare feet hitting the dirt time after time as Ella and Hook watched her approach with bated breath.

Eventually, she was close enough to hand the paper over. It was written in Shayan Chinese, which both Ella and Hook could read, but it didn't particularly matter to either of them. What mattered was the sketch above it. A sketch of the Shayan Princess and her consort.

Shang.

Ella let the paper go in shock, her muscles releasing as tears sprang to her eyes. Pan had been right. Shang was alive. She turned to look up at Hook, whose gaze was locked on the distant castle, mouth open unattractively. But Ella couldn't hold it in.

Throwing her arms around him, Hook caught Ella and circled his arms around her waist. She sank into his embrace, feeling the rippling muscles through his shirt move as he clutched her body to him. She was laughing and he was smiling. Picking her up, he spun her around in joy, letting her back down when he felt himself grow dizzy.

"He's alive," she breathed through her laughter. Her purple eyes seemed to have a slight golden hue as she looked up at the pirate. "He escaped Bahnen Nain!"

"He's alive," Hook repeated, looking back at Ella with the same happiness. It was easing his guilt, knowing that the man was safe and unharmed. But seeing Ella so hopeful for another man wasn't one of the best moments of his life. In fact, this news was both the best and worse he'd ever heard.

Stop that, he berated himself. She's happy. Let her be happy. Let yourself be happy.

But those two comments seemed paradoxical in his mind. Because Ella's happiness lay with Shang. And Hook's was with her.

xxx

Pan was as glad as Tinkerbell to find dry land. The moment he heard Ella's laughter filling the ship, he used their distraction to slip underneath the dock and use his hands to swing underneath the wooden slats nimbly. Eventually, he jumped back onto the right side and walked casually through the streets.

With his hands in his pockets, and a whistling tune coming from his mouth, Pan was looking extremely satisfied with himself. And to be perfectly honest; he was. This was the first holiday he'd taken in hundreds of years! Well, really it was a working holiday, but still, a change in scenery would do him wonders. At least this world wasn't dying.

Pan couldn't deny that he had missed this. The livelihood of the simple people. Not much had changed in three hundred years, even if he was hundreds of miles away from his hometown. The people here lived their lives in peace, unaware of the undeniable fact that they were going to die.

Well, he wasn't going to die if he found the Neverfall Stone, so that was all that concerned him.

He slipped into a nearby shop and walked nimbly over to where clothes were hung up on a rack. He wasn't particularly keen on changing, but his clothes were a little too inconspicuous for Shayan. And pulling out a shirt and breeches, he took a pair of boots and used his magic to disappear from the store.

The shopkeeper found a selection of coins sitting on his bench moments later. For all his shortcomings, Pan was no thief. And as he watched over the town from a hillside by the castle, he realised that he would never want this world. He wouldn't trade Neverland for anything. Shayan's clothes were made of the worst material he'd ever felt and he was itching like he had fleas; which was pretty much the final straw in the allure of his homeworld. Pan knew now that it was good for a holiday and nothing more.

He needed that stone so he could live in a place that he actually liked – with Wendy alongside him – ruling forever.

xxx

Ella leapt off the dock with Tink and the rest of the crew. Hook elected to stay behind to watch the ship which Ella thought was generous, but wasn't going to let it deter her from stepping foot in her hometown. It was about a twenty minute walk to her house, assuming nothing much had changed, and Tink went with her through the town, but when she started heading off on her own, Tink fell behind.

Ella tried to calm her own breathing as she saw the walls of her house in the distance. Blossoms were beginning to bud, which told her that it was close to winter's end. Her speed slowed as she stepped closer towards the large doors. Raising her hand, Ella saw that it was shaking. As she was about to knock, a harsh voice came from behind her.

"What do you want?"

Ella spun around, seeing a young girl walking towards her. She had a basket filled with fruit tucked under her arm. With it sitting on her waist, she looked at Ella expectantly, awaiting an answer.

"I'm looking for Zhanshi Jia," Ella said to the girl, her hand still raised at the door.

"She isn't expecting visitors," the girl answered, coming closer. Her hair was tied off her face, tendrils escaping onto her face that she huffily pushed back. She couldn't be older than her early teens, but she acted aged. To be honest, she acted like a protective mother. "I'll let you in, but I can't promise she'll be awake."

Awake? Ella was unused to the concept of her mother sleeping in the day. Her brow furrowed as the young girl pushed open the door slowly. Following her through the garden, Ella noticed that it had grown. It was a little wilder than it used to be…then again, her mother was older.

"I'm sorry," Ella said finally, catching the girl's attention. "I forgot to ask what your name was?" Ella tried to be polite about it, but quite frankly, the girl didn't really want to speak.

"Liling," the girl answered, eyeing Ella carefully through her wary brown eyes.

"Ella," she replied quickly, hoping it would ease the girl's discomfort. All she did was nod and continue to work forward. Ella untied her boots at the door before quickly catching up with Liling. Ella kind of missed the easy slip-on shoes that she had once worn. They were easy in situations like this.

After placing the basket in the kitchen, Liling motioned for Ella to be quiet as they entered the bedroom wing of the house. It was eerily silent, as though Liling was the only person living in the house. As they walked down the corridor, Ella felt the aura of ages past emanating from the wooden walls. She ran her fingers over the slats until they came to rest on a familiar door.

Searching the door, she found the engraving of her name just above her head. She remembered when her mother had held her upon her hip, laughing as her father carved out the characters, stubbing his fingers more often than the man should have. Her eyes followed the characters to where a childish knife had stuck markings in the wood, spelling out the name her father had given her.

"Ella Hart."

Liling's mouth was open in shock behind her as Ella's hand grasped around the door handle, pushing the door open.

"You're Ella Hart?" It was a question this time, and Ella nodded her head slowly, staring around the room as though she were seeing it for the first time. But it was oddly uncomfortable, the idea that nothing at all had changed save for the thick layer of dust that had grown over the years. Nobody had set foot in this room in twelve years.

Ella shook the haze of memories from her mind and stepped out of the room, closing the door softly without saying a word. She didn't need to follow Liling to her mother's room. She knew her own house well enough.

When she slid open the door, it was to peek inside, her purple eyes illuminated by the sun pouring in through the window. The woman standing at the window, looking out on the wild garden wistfully, was weak. Her limbs shook with the effort of standing up.

And Ella felt a surge of emotion so strong that she was almost winded. She hadn't thought herself capable of this much affection in a very long time, but when the woman's eyes turned to her, so filled with a loving sadness, Ella couldn't stop the rush of feeling.

"Mama!" Liling pushed past Ella and went to Zhanshi Jia's side, grasping her by the arms and assisting her back to bed. "You know better!"

But Jia's eyes were unable to move from Ella's as Liling helped her back into the bed, pillows piled behind her head. Ella pieced together what she had heard Liling say, and realised that the girl was…well…she had to be her half-sister.

To be honest, she looked more like their mother than Ella did.

"Mei?" her mother questioned weakly.

"I'm here Mama." Ella dropped onto the side of the bed, sitting close to her mother. She was ill; sickly…and with just one look at her, you could see she was dying.

It wasn't the welcome home she'd been expecting, but it was better than the alternative.

"You're alive," she smiled, her eyes creasing and sparkling as she gave a light cough, using her hand to cover her mouth as her body convulsed. "You survived the war; and still…so young…"

"I was taken to Neverland Mama," Ella explained, the pain in her mother's eyes torturous. "But I've come back. I've come home."

"Oh Mei," she said softly, "My brave little soldier. You have to know before I go…"

Jia trailed off, her head looking out the window as she fought back tears.

"Your father called you Ella," her mother said, avoiding her gaze. "Because that is your name."

"What…what do you mean Mama?"

"You were-" A series of coughs wracked her body before she continued after Liling tipped a little water down her throat. "We found you on our doorstep twenty-five years ago. You have to know Mei-" This time the coughing lasted longer, and when she pulled her handkerchief away from her mouth it was spotted with blood.

"I'm…" Ella frowned. "I'm not yours?"

"You were always ours, my love," her mother reached up the hand that was lying lifelessly on the mattress, but got no further than a few centimetres. Ella pulled the weak hand up to her face, letting her mother touch her face for what seemed like the last time. Jia locked eyes with liling and gave a small nod. The young girl gave her mother a kiss on her forehead as she closed her eyes.

And Liling and Ella stayed by their mother's side, each on a side of the bed as she drifted off into sleep. They sat in silence for hours, until she gave her final breath with a short hitch…and was still.

After that, Ella and Liling cleaned the room in silence. Until Liling saw fit to break it. Ella supposed, she'd had more time to get used to the idea of her mother dying. But Ella was shaking as she moved around, the happiness at seeing her mother painfully sullied. And yet, it didn't hurt as much as it should…

I really can't feel, can I?

"Mama re-married shortly after you went to war," Liling was murmuring as she cleaned the blood from her mouth. "I was born ten years ago."

"What will you do now Liling?" Ella glanced up from her mother's lifeless face, to the girl who was trying not to cry.

"I'll stay here," she said almost silently. "My father will be home later."

"And, you'll be okay?" Ella was genuinely concerned. As two daughters of the same mother, they had both been raised by the same strong woman.

"I'll be fine," she answered with a small smiled. Ella took the girl's hand and held it tightly with both her own as she said earnestly, "If you ever need anything…"

"I'll come find you Ella Hart."

xxx

Heading back down to the docks that night, Ella ran into a most unwelcome face.

"I really don't want to deal with you right now Pan."

"Come now E," he pouted. "I'm only here because I have something to offer."

"If it's your bed, I'm good thanks."

"Oh no. I think it'll be more to your liking. I could…" he shrugged, "Maybe, go and book you a meeting; with your prince."

"Princess's consort," Ella corrected quickly, although that didn't exactly make her feel any better.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Pan waved away her intrusion. "But I'm heading up there anyway."

"What's in it for you?" Ella asked, her face wary. She was still disinclined to believe Pan would do anything for her of his own volition.

"Me?" Pan acted affronted. "Why, I get to see my lovely ex-partner back in the arms of the man she's pined over for ten years."

Partner? It was an odd choice of word for the boy. But she supposed, if they were trying to sound a little more civil…

"And you don't expect anything?"

"Well," Pan hesitated, his face taking on its usual look that he got around her, his eyebrow rising as he gazed her up and down. He left the rest of his sentence hanging.

"Never again Pan."

He sighed. He had expected nothing less from the strong-willed girl before him. Or at least, she liked to play at being strong-willed. He had broken her long ago, and after tomorrow, she would be broken again. And she would come running back to the one person who would always want her.

With a smug smile, he brought her hand up to his lips and brushed a light kiss over her knuckles before saying, "Goodnight Ella."

And the girl was left staring after the boy, torn between wanting to thank him and wanting to beat him.

In the end, she merely sighed, still suppressing the grief of the passing of her mother, and returned to the Jolly Roger sullenly.