A/N: Well this interlude ended up quite a bit shorter than I anticipated, but I think it does a good job of setting up what's to come. But I'll let you decide.
Interlude: Let the Game Begin
The years that followed were tumultuous for all involved. The evening after Henry told young Nicholas Zimmerman of Neverland, Emma told Henry of his father's death. Emma had no way of knowing of course how one lie for the sake of her son's image of his father would spiral out of control and send him down a path that would impact them all. There was one who knew, one who had a suspicion, and one who was no more than a helpless observer, powerless in his position.
The one who knew for certain was the same one who was pulling the strings, the one who had a greater hold over the boy then even his own mother realized, the game maker. As the years progressed and more ice cream sundaes, cookies and after school snacks were enjoyed at the diner, this one simply continued filling the boy's mind, watching the resentment, the anger and the confusion grow, fertilizing it as if it were a garden, priming him for harvest. The one who knew was biding time, playing the part to perfection, a chameleon in their lives. They wouldn't know until it was already too late.
The one who had a suspicion was in a perfect position to watch, to observe, to advise the boy. The one disadvantage of this position is that he was just as easily ignored, just as easily dismissed, and overpowered by the game maker's greater position in the boy's life.
The one who was an observer was also a ghost. The position decided long ago by one who sought to protect them all. Like many ghosts, he could reappear, but his decision would shake and shatter their paths. It is not until this arrival that the game maker can take the first turn. His pieces are in position, the rules are flexible, and his mind is full of tricks and traps. Let the game begin.
The stakes are as follows: One family, many secrets, two boys across two generations, two fathers, one devil waiting in the wings, and one land that does not part easily with those that venture forth.
Do you understand these risks? Of course. Do they? One can only hope, believe, trust. For belief is the prize and trust the tool needed to survive. For as they say in Neverland: all it takes is faith and trust… and well… the rest is child's play.
A/N: Any guesses as to these three "ones" ? As for a bit of a sneak peek into what's next: we get glimpse into everyone's life now, what Henry and Emma are up to, David and Mary Margaret, where Neal's been, and we meet some others.