Bebelle was furious. No, not just that; she was outraged, enraged and every other adjective used to describe the word angry.
A frustrated screech as she threw her head back, sent crackles of thunder and lightening shouting in the sky. She knew for the sake of every living soul on the island that she had to calm down, but Bebelle didn't even know how to begin in doing so.
Hook's words rang over and over again through her mind, and she knew she shouldn't let it get to her, she shouldn't have allowed him to get her so angry because that was why he had said such things in the first place. From the time Hook had last came to the island and found Bebelle he had tried to plant paranoia and doubt in her mind by feeding her insecurities.
And she had stupidly allowed herself to get caught up in the trap. Because the smallest sliver of her being that didn't believe Peter loved her, was slightly more sure that it was just her magic he was after.
She shook her head trying to rid herself of those thoughts, shrieking this time through muffled hands.
Fury was coursing through her veins, sending a burning and uncomfortable feeling through her limbs and to her fingertips which started to itch. It continued to build, affecting not only her but the island, as the flowers and plants started to shrink away as she stormed passed them.
Inside the camp the lost boys had witnessed the sudden change in weather, also noting that the vibrancy of the island had dimmed. Bebelle was not in a good mood. Peter hurried to finish up his conversation with Henry, handing him a small scroll and then setting out to locate Bebelle.
When he found her she was pacing, hands raking through her hair, then itching her arms and then clutching at her chest and throat as she breathed heavily.
"Bebelle." He called her name, the first step to breaking her out of her distracted spell. She spun abruptly away from him, head in her hands and refusing to look his way.
"Bebelle look at me."
He called her name again, and Bebelle hesitated turning to him and he saw the brief glow of her eyes before she placed her head in her hands and turned away to pace again.
The gust of wind surrounding them was blowing so icily, and so fiercely that even the usually strong and stationary trees were starting to shiver.
Peter ignored it, instead paying all of his attention to Bebelle. Her eyes were lit with fire and he wondered what had happened to make her so angry.
"What's got you in a temper Dolly?"
Asking her Peter realised, was the wrong move as the sky blackened and the expression on her face became murderous.
"You know what, it doesn't matter, just forget about it and calm down."
"I'm trying!" Bebelle screamed a response at him and the earth wailed with her as it trembled beneath their feet.
"Then try harder." Peter hissed, starting to lose his patience and temper himself, usually it was easier to get through to her.
"I can't. I can't think properly at all, other than how much I hate that stupid pirate and then I get so angry and...and-" Bebelle cut herself off swallowing hard and panting heavily, fisting the silk fabric wrapped over her chest in one hand as the burning hot feeling wrapped around her heart. "And it feels so suffocating."
Peter sighed.
"You know I told you not to go to them alone."
Bebelle glowered at the leader of the lost boys.
"Is that supposed to be helping? , because it's really not."
Bebelle's mood was worsening, as well as the conditions of the island. At this rate it wouldn't be a surprise if a tsunami swallowed Neverland whole.
"Dolly, stop thinking about how much you want to murder the pirate and think happy thoughts."
Bebelle's temper faltered, and just as Peter thought he had done enough to pacify her, Bebelle's anger flared up again.
"Bebelle if you don't calm down then you're going to end up killing yourself and everything on this island that you wanted to protect."
"I know that!" She shouted, and her eyes glowed again and the bubbling hot feeling wouldn't go away. The bracelet around her wrist glimmered, sending waves of a counteracting coldness to douse out the flames. But Bebelle didn't think that this time it would be enough.
"I can't do it Peter. Every time I try to think of happy memories the bad ones come back."
Bebelle's mood was now interchanging between rage and fear, a deadly combination-Peter knew he had to take a new approach and fast. Stepping closer to her, he took her by the arm and pulled her towards him.
"Well then don't think Dolly."
Before Bebelle could register his words, Peter had tilted her chin upwards and pressed his lips to hers. Shock had caused Bebelle's mind and body to still, though her heart pounded loudly as her eyes fluttered shut.
Smug, Peter realised that the kiss had worked, because the skies were clearing and the wind and rain had stopped.
When he was certain that she was no longer going to be a danger, he pulled away, smirking at her dazed expression and flushed cheeks.
It took Bebelle several moments to collect herself and give a verbal response-though she wasn't completely put together as she did.
"You...you kissed me?" She said, though it sounded like a stunned question.
The corner of Peter's mouth lifted slightly.
"Yes I did."
"Ah... why?" Bebelle's mouth opened and closed in a fishlike manner and she blinked, still trying to process Peter's sudden action. He had never kissed her before; well there had been forehead kisses and kissed on the back of her hand, but never kisses where she had wanted to be kissed.
"You were going to end up destroying everything if you didn't calm down."
"Wha- but kissing me is not going to make me calm!" She announced with a pout, her hand pressing against her jutted out lips and blushing.
Peter found Bebelle's reaction just too amusing and couldn't help but tease her further.
"What you didn't like it?"
She narrowed her eyes knowing fine well what he was doing, what he was trying to get her to say. And if he wanted to play that way then she would too.
Nearing closer to him she leaned up on her tiptoes so their noses were just touching.
"How many girls have you kissed before?"
Her question had caught Peter off guard and his eyes widened for a fraction before he composed himself.
"Plenty."
Bebelle frowned at his instant response, who were all these girls that he had supposedly kissed? Where they pretty young mermaids, princesses-had he kissed Wendy? Bebelle who almost forgot that she was the one supposed to be teasing him, suddenly remembered upon hearing Peter chuckle.
Shrugging she pretended to regard the information with a hum and a pensive look, giving herself more thinking time to respond back.
"Well I think you're out of touch."
Peter scoffed raising an eyebrow.
"How many boys have you kissed?"
Bebelle grinned, he'd given her the perfect opportunity to get a rise out of him. Twirling her hair around her finger to sell the story better she giggled, looking away from him.
"Plenty."
When she glanced back at Peter to gauge his reaction, he had turned on his heel and was leaving her. Shaking her head she hurried to pick up her skirts and follow after him, but couldn't help laughing as she called out.
"Oh goodness...you're not jealous are you Peter?"
Henry's family followed the path they were on through the dark jungle, stopping outside a cave upon seeing Regina and Tinkerbell.
Instinctively they held up their weapons, aiming them at the suspicious looking fairy.
"You mind lowering those, you may stick me but i'll take you down with me." Tinkerbell said, her eyes narrowed and tone dry.
"She's okay she's not going to hurt us."
Regina explained and they looked between the queen and the fairy before they lowered their weapons.
"Is she going to help us?" Hook asked impatiently. He doubted it, and wondered if the clue from Bebelle was actually a red herring.
"Well, look who the Queen dragged in," Tinkerbell said snidely, looking over the pirate with disgust. "Hello Hook."
"Tinkerbell" He nodded, unable to continue the introduction further as Regina huffed.
"She's not going to help us."
"Why not?"
"Tink, after all we've been through through, a little assistance?" Hook pleaded with a glance.
Regina through her hands up. "She doesn't have any magic."
"No pixie dust?"
"Not even her wings." Regina shook her head.
"How?"
"I guess people just stopped believing in me," Tinkerbell muttered, sending a pointed look Reginas way.
The Queen dropped her gaze to the ground guiltily.
"And even if I did want to help you, we've got no chance now he has Bebelle, she's too powerful."
"She helped us find you, maybe we can persuade her to help us?" Snow said wistfully and Tinkerbell let out a laugh.
"That's not going to work, she's not going to leave Pan's side for anything, especially not for you." The fairy cocked her head towards Hook.
"Why not?"
Tinkerbell shook her head.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Snow widened her eyes in realization.
"Because she loves Pan."
"Exactly, and if you try to go against him, she'll stop you before you can even get close."
"You know an awful lot about the girl." Emma narrowed her eyes at the fairy in an accusatory stare.
"We used to talk a lot."
"Used to?"
"Pan stopped letting her see me, he wasn't too happy with her suggestion of using her magic to give me my wings back, now we rarely see each other."
"Isn't giving magic to others dangerous?" Regina asked, puzzled.
"In most cases yes, but Bebelle is different."
"How do you mean different?"
"Well we all know there are different forms of magic, true love, genie's magic, witchcraft, fairy magic-"
"Get to the point."
Hook snapped and the fairy frowned glaring at him before continuing.
"Anyway, I could never figure out the exact origin of Bebelle's magic but what I do know is that it's old and extremely rare."
"And that means...?" Emma asked with a puckered brow, making the fairy roll her eyes.
"Well it's kind of like she has a sort of agreement, to tap into her own magic she has to plug it in somewhere, so she draws from the plants and trees and Never Beasts and they lend her their eyes and their strength. In exchange she gives them life." The fairy explained, trying to make it as easy to understand as she could.
"That's how Pan knew we were coming, because she's connected to the island?" Emma realised, some of the unexplained occurrences now making sense to her.
"Exactly. And you can imagine, with Neverland being an island built from magic, just how much power she has."
"Is there anything we can do, I mean what if we try block her connection with the earth, it'll cut her off from her magic." Regina said, trying to form some kind of plan since at the moment they had nothing, and needed something.
"Are you not listening to me? She can sense magic, she already knows where we are, she could even be watching us right now, not to mention your plan can be very dangerous." Tinkerbell snorted in disbelief.
"I'm willing to risk my life for Henry."
"I'm not talking about it being dangerous for you Regina, it'll be dangerous for Bebelle."
The group looked at each other, equally confused and Tinkerbell huffed.
"You really are stupid people, you're talking about cutting Bebelle's contact with the earth, severing the line will mean you're stopping the power from having a steady flow throughout Bebelle and the island. It could have several outcomes, either she'll lose her magic forever, the island will die, Bebelle will die, or both will. And then you'll never get your son back."
The group looked at each other exchanging troubled looks.
"So here's the tough question, are you willing to risk killing her."