"We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die." – W.H. Auden
Sarah stopped struggling long enough to come to the conclusion Pan was serious about killing Henry's family. The boy was capable of a lot of things and cruelty was among them. He released his hand from her mouth. "You're doing something to Henry," he whispered in a low growl. "You changed his mind. I thought I told you – "
"What do you want from me? The boy makes his own decisions," Sarah replied, expecting him to hit her. If looks could kill, she'd be dead already from the cold stare Pan gave her. "You are completely two-faced, Pan. Henry already knows what you are. He figured it out LONG before I said anything to him. In fact, it was me who told him to listen to you." His face became extremely close to hers, and if he came any closer to her, their noses would touch. The beating of Sarah's heart overpowered the thoughts buzzing in her mind.
"Then try harder," he said. "I am not playing around. I will kill Henry's family. Keep this up, Sarah and that person will definitely be the first to go."
"You are in over your head, Pan," Sarah said, resisting the urge to smack him for threatening a child. "Didn't your parents ever tell you about anything? What's right or wrong?"
He grabbed her wrist tightly. "My father sold me to a blacksmith," he replied. "After that, I was on my own! Don't think of lecturing me on my beliefs." He let go of her wrist, drawing away from her.
"Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked him before he left. He had many chances to do so and instead wasted time threatening her for all the good that was worth. Sarah wondered if it might have anything to do with what he told her before… how he apparently knew her a long time ago.
Pan halted, not turning to face her. "If I did," he said, "would Henry willingly go along with the plan? No. He'll try escaping back to his family. I can't have that happen."
Is that the real reason? She thought, or are you holding something back? The following day, she was afraid to approach Henry. Anything she might say could affect him somehow and Pan would follow through with his threats. She wished there was a way to help him without showing it.
Henry noticed Sarah's distraught look when she did not talk to him first thing in the morning. He wanted to ask her why but thought better of it. He instead sat away from the lost boys dancing around the fire, trying to think of some sort of way to find his family. He knew they were coming for him. Sarah confirmed it. He needed to give them a sign. Pan approached him, interrupting his thoughts. "You don't want to join in the celebration, Henry?"
"Nothing to celebrate."
"Nothing to celebrate? Henry, this whole party is to celebrate you."
"Me?" Henry was not entirely convinced that was possible. Pan had him taken and the act in itself already made the boy weary. "Why?"
"Because you've come to save magic, of course. And I, for one, can't think of a reason more deserving of celebration than that." He can't be telling the truth, Henry thought. He wished he asked how Emma used her superpowers to tell when someone was lying or not. "Just look at them." They were having fun and as fun as 'dancing' was, Henry wanted no part of it.
Henry merely shook his head at Pan, who he thought might lose his temper but he kept patient with him. "I'm not like them," Henry replied. "Or you."
"Sure you are," Pan reassured him. "You're still a boy." Henry didn't respond, not caring for what he had to say anymore. "Maybe a song will get you on your feet." He started playing the musical instrument or at least Henry thought he did.
"Sorry, I can't hear anything."
"Interesting," Pan said. "You see, this pipe's enchanted, Henry. It can only be heard by certain children."
"Like who?"
Pan was about to reply when he averted his gaze elsewhere. "You'll find out soon enough, I promise."
Without a doubt, Pan almost had a hold on Henry. Sarah saw them talking not too long ago before it was interrupted by Felix. "You find it funny I can't convince him?" Pan asked her. Sarah rolled her eyes, walking away before it got out of hand. Pan took her by the arm. "Sarah, his will is powerful. If it can't be broken you know what happens."
She said nothing to him. Giving him the satisfaction of replying only made things a lot worse for her and also for Henry. She wished he would cease his staring at her. His eyes were like daggers as if she did something terrible to him. She ignored it for a while, dwelling into her thoughts to calm down the nerves. Ever since she came to Neverland, the uneasiness she had in Storybrooke, did not subside and grew even worse around Pan.
She watched Henry for a bit longer. He eventually looked her way but only for a mere moment before turning the opposite direction. Sorry, Henry, it has to be this way for now.
About to leave the premises for a while, the boys stopped dancing. All of them, including Henry, fell to the ground as if someone knocked them out. A series of dust made it difficult to see anything. Everyone except her and Pan were out like lights. There was a silence for maybe a couple of seconds before Pan realized what was going on.
"We have guests!" he announced. "No doubt someone who knows how much I like guessing games. Who could it be? I guess… the Dark One." He turned to the same man who almost killed Sarah. Not him. Rumple didn't say anything in response, allowing Pan to continue. "Come to save Henry have you, laddie? How exciting. The Dark One ready to sacrifice his life for his family. Speaking of family…" He pointed to a torch behind Rumple, igniting it with fire. "You can come out now Baelfire."
Baelfire emerged from the bushes with a crossbow aimed at Pan. "Name is Neal now," he replied.
"Henry's father?" Sarah asked out loud. Neal pointed the crossbow at her in return.
"I thought you only took boys in," Neal said to Pan.
"I got stuck in between," she replied, her eyes stuck on Rumple to make sure he did not try killing her again.
"She means nothing to me. I just haven't chosen to kill her yet," Pan stated. Thanks, Sarah thought and rolled her eyes at him.
Rumple just shook his head. "She doesn't concern me. Baelfire, do it."
"I got this."
Sarah only caught a moment of the arrow leaving the crossbow at Pan, half expecting it to hit him. Instead, Pan caught the arrow with his bare hands before it even touched him. Being abandoned is what you're good at, isn't it? Everyone you've ever known has left, haven't they? Like Bae's mother Milah. Not to mention your own father."
"How can you even say that to somebody?" Sarah asked. "Abandonment is nothing to joke about."
Pan whirled around to her. "And you are the last person who should even say that!" he snapped at her.
"Why do you keep saying it to me? I don't know you and I never have!" she retorted.
Neal and Rumple both looked at one another, confused faces alike. "What are you two talking about? You know each other?" Neal asked.
"Never mind that." Pan's arm was paralyzed from Rumple somehow. "Take Henry!" Neal slumped Henry over his shoulder.
"Well, how about that? I'm impressed. But are you sure you're really saving him, Bae? What could be worse than leaving him here with you? Why don't you ask your father? Sometimes the people we should fear the most are the ones closest to us."
"W-What's he talking about?" Neal questioned Rumple, now with extreme caution, as he backed off.
"You mean you haven't told him?" Pan mocked.
"Told me what?"
Pan took pleasure in the fact Neal didn't know about the prophecy. Sarah knew he liked causing even more drama than what was needed. "Why, about the prophecy, of course."
"What prophecy? What's he mean?"
"The prophecy that says you've been tricked. Your father isn't here to rescue your son. He's here to murder him."
Sarah pushed herself between Pan and Neal. "You're going to kill him?" she said. "But he's your –"
"I'm not planning on it!" Rumple yelled back loud enough to cause silence, which let her know Henry might be in big trouble. "Let's just take Henry and go." They ran off into the forest, leaving Sarah with Pan to contemplate the prophecy. He won't really kill Henry… Rumple is his grandfather. But the man attempted to kill her. Anything could happen.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Sarah said.
"If you look closely, I'm stuck. So no, I can't stop them."
She crossed her arms, blowing the piece of dark hair away from her face. "Maybe if you weren't so concerned with yourself, you would have seen that coming," Sarah muttered. "How you torture them with their past… you've done enough damage don't you think?"
"You really would not be talking to me that way if I could move," Pan said rashly.
"I am not scared of you! I have been in much worse situations than this and you are far from the scariest person I have confronted," Sarah replied. She did not expect him to understand her feelings. The guy was incapable of comprehending what the definition of the word 'humane' unless it didn't make an appearance in his way of thinking.
"You're going to leave me then?"
"As much as I want to, I think staying here for Henry's benefit is wise. I don't have any powers to go up against Rumplestilskin to begin with. I hate to say this, Pan, but you can probably save Henry right now."
"You are willing to work with me in order to get him back?"
She wasn't sure why she felt so close to Henry. The boy was more than someone who didn't judge her when arriving in Storybrooke. She had no idea what the feeling was but she knew looking into it would have to come later. "Saving him from the Dark One is a good idea. The prophecy about Henry being his downfall scares me for an odd reason, and I am not even related to him." Pan continued to remain unusually quiet. She guessed he was trying to think. "Is there anything else we can do?"
"Why do you care about him so much?' Pan asked.
How was she supposed to respond? And why did he need to know the answer? "Why? Because…"
"Just as I suspected. You don't," he sneered. "He's the only key to escape Neverland." Sarah's lips quavered a little as she thought of something clever. "I'm right, aren't I, Sarah? You know it's true. Admit it."
"No," Sarah replied. "You only want me to admit to a fallacious fact. Guess what? Not going to happen."
"Have it your way." She heard footsteps from behind her. She barely had enough time to see who it was before a fist knocked her to the ground."
How do I know when I will follow into your footsteps?" a woman with dark long brown hair in a low stylized ponytail with a blue bow in it. She was neither happy nor angry when speaking to the man in the black hood.
"Patience, Sarah. That will come later. First things first, you are my apprentice and power won't come…" He snapped his fingers and in the palm of his hands, a small ball of fire appeared. Sarah took a closer look, enraptured by the small blaze. Zoso made it disappear soon after. "… So easily. For now, you must know about the basics."
"What basics?" she asked touchily. She didn't want to learn any 'basics'. "I am not expendable." The reason why she became Zoso's apprentice to begin with… to start a better life for herself instead of always working the odd job.
Zoso gently touched Sarah's bruised cheek from a fight earlier. "You're right. You aren't expendable. There is something I want you to do."
"What do you want me to do?"
She listened carefully. Zoso pointed to the upcoming town before them. "We stay there, Sarah. I will tell you everything once we reach it."
"Sorry, I'm confused. I thought you were supposed to teach me magic."
"It involves magic you already have that you didn't know about. Sarah, I would like for you to open a rift for me." He's planning something, Sarah thought. Maybe becoming his apprentice was a mistake. "It's up to you what matters more. Your part in the play or the play itself."