We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us." ~Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)
It was quite painful to walk even with Rumple's magic. Sarah kept her mouth shut about the pain, especially if Rumple made the effort to help her somewhat. She never thought he of all people would help her. She did owe it to Neal who asked his father to heal her with some magic, but still… Rumple did not have to do anything no matter who asked. There were times when she felt like stopping and resting, but she did not want the group held back because of her although Mary Margaret did ask her a couple times about how she was holding up.
Regina kept her distance as usual, not even glancing her direction or even a thank you for helping with Henry. She wasn't even sure why the woman disliked her to begin with. She was… the Evil Queen, right? Sarah thought. And she adopted Henry, who is the complete opposite of her? Henry did not speak of either parents too much. Sarah only saw Regina as someone who tried to kill her before but perhaps she was as scared for Henry as Emma and Neal were. Can't really blame her for being over protective of him. Nevertheless, Sarah wished to avoid the woman for the time being.
Things between her and Rumple remained awkward, and somewhat distant ever since the confrontation with Pan. The man would not look at her, or even acknowledge her existence. As if it could not get any worse with Regina doing the same thing almost. It was a mystery to Sarah as to why the two of them never got along with each other but again, she did not know the way things worked. They were alike or so it seemed.
"There it is," Regina said, pointing to a misty covered place on the other side of the island. "Skull rock."
It looked way more demeaning in the movie, Sarah thought. The rock itself had aged overtime, growing moss all around it, and contained tiny cracks here and there, but she did not find it the least bit scary. Skull rock did have the same similarity in terms of shape, and physical features but she imagined it was only scary when she was younger.
Before they left, Hook, Mary-Margaret and David had to stay behind while the rest went to Skull Rock. David was apparently hurt from nightshade, needed Rumple to cure him with special water. It was an awkward boat ride, sitting in between Regina and Emma, while Neal used the row paddles. Rumple was at the front of the boat, staring off into towards their destination.
"These are Henry's shoes," Emma said, after the boat arrived at the shore. She pointed to sneaker footprints left on the sand leading up further into the cave. "Wendy was right. They're here." She marched forward, but before going any further, she hit something… an invisible wall of sort and fell backwards.
"Are you okay?" Neal asked her, helping her off the sand.
"I think so…" Emma replied, sounding a little out of it.
"What was that?" he said, looking towards his father.
"Pan cast a protection spell," Rumple said. He would do that. He wouldn't make it easy on us to retrieve Henry, Sarah thought. Her eyes were glued on the barrier where Emma hit it.
"There has to be a way to break it." When Regina opened the palm of her hand, a ball of fire appeared. She threw it at the barrier. The fire ball bounced off, nearly hitting everyone else.
"Be careful, would ya?" Sarah snapped at her but the woman was far too focused on the fact it did not work than Sarah's comment to care. "I don't feel like being barbequed."
Rumple shook his head at Regina's efforts. "Try all you want but Pan's magic is too powerful." He pointed at her. "At least for you." He walked towards the barrier, easily going through it without using any spell.
"How did you do that?" Emma asked him.
"The spell is designed to keep anyone who casts a shadow from entering," Rumple explained.
"And you don't have one," Neal said. "You were telling the truth about ripping your shadow off."
"And Pan knows it. That's why he cast the spell he did. This isn't about keeping you out. It's about drawing me in. He knows I won't give up the chance to finish what came here to do."
"You… really did come here to save Henry," Neal said.
"I gave you my trust with that box. Now I need you to give it back." Maybe he isn't as bad as other people think he is, Sarah thought, aside from the fact he did try to kill me… but that was once.
Neal was about to return the box to him until Regina snatched it from his hands. She gave him a weary look, handing him Pandora's box. "You better come through, Gold," she warned him. "Or I'll make whatever Pan has planned for you look like child's play. You understand me?"
Rumple shrugged her threat off with ease. "Well, a simple 'good luck' would have sufficed." They all watched him disappear into the depths of Skull Rock. Sarah sat on the sand, wondering why she even came along with them. It wasn't like she had powers to save Henry or fight off Pan. Her ribs were aching uncontrollably, although the magic Rumple gave her did slowly down the pain quite a bit.
They are all family? Sarah thought and almost laughed at the prospect. They sure act like it. Henry was an extremely lucky boy.
Malcolm doesn't seem that bad, Sarah thought, while trying to her mind back on track as her training with Zoso continued. She was in a better mood than last time, finally able to make some progress. Although, every time she did manage to open a rift, it led to Summer Fell. Always. "Why that is you only open rifts to that specific city?" he asked. "It seems the only time it opens is if you really want to go to that place."
She shook her head. "Not true," Sarah said. She did not want to go back there, at least she constantly told herself that to contradict what she thought of Malcolm. "I just… liked walking around on my own is all." Zoso said nothing more about it, and still the rifts never seemed to change their destinations. And she never understood the reason why.
Another nosebleed. Sarah wiped the blood from her nose, pretending nothing was wrong. If they found out she did have memories of some sort, they might treat her differently or suspect her again. "Hey, are you okay?" Emma asked. "Another nosebleed?" Sarah shook her head.
She nodded. "They happen a lot," she said. "At least ever since I came here. It's the humidity change."
It was almost like Pan wanted to be found by a certain someone. Sarah knew it was Rumple. It had to be, because he went through the barrier without any trouble. Rumple had no shadow but the rest of them did and would be unable to go in unless the barrier was removed somehow. People without shadows can go through? Then how would somebody get rid of it? How did Rumple? She noticed something out of the corner of her eye… a rip of some sort out in the open. When she touched it, the rip surprisingly transformed into a door.
She saw the kind of doors before in the past when Zoso trained her ability. Sarah quickly hid her surprise. However, she was not quick enough for Regina. "What in the world? How did you do that?" Regina demanded. "I thought you would have no magic abilities."
The door was real, as she saw in the flashbacks. But how? She shook her head. "It's not… I don't…"
"You're lying," the dark haired woman said bluntly. "You are hiding something from all of us."
Sarah crossed her arms, returning the same glare she had whenever the woman said something nasty to her. Regina wasn't wrong about the hiding secrets part, but she had no idea how the door appeared. "I did nothing. I swear. I don't know why the door is here but it could help us get in." She tried touching the knob, and to no avail, it disappeared quickly.
"It disappeared?" Emma said. "What is going on?"
"You are asking the wrong person…"
"Tell us what's happening," Regina ordered, her hand already forming a fireball. "Or I will - "
Emma came in between the two of them before any battle broke out. Not like it would be much of one, because Sarah knew she would lose against Regina, who had knowledge in magic. "Regina…" Emma said, pushing her back from Sarah. "Leave her alone. Now is not the time to ask her questions. We are still stuck out here with no way in."
They stood in the cave for a while in complete silence. Trying to figure out a way to remove the barrier was aggravating enough but the raw nerve to throw something at it ate at Sarah. Every time she moved, her ribs jabbed at her skin reminded her of how brittle they were despite the healing magic from Rumple. There would definitely be no fighting for her anytime soon and no doubt she'd be sent to the hospital for recovery once back in Storybrooke. She cursed at herself, remembering how she jumped off the cliff in order to distract Rumple and Pan. Was it even a good idea? She thought.
Too late to kick herself. Sarah made a choice because one needed to be decided at the time. She had to face the consequences and for her choice, she received an injury. Maybe it would have been worse if she had not jumped but who really knew?
Why did I come to Storybrooke? She constantly thought repeatedly. There was a good reason most likely but her memories did not give her any answers thus far. She still did not comprehend why her nose bled after a memory. It happened too often. The others - especially Regina - were suspicious of her and it scared her to know more of the truth. Sarah cautioned herself to avoid any unnecessary mistakes. If she did not have background in the Enchanted Forest she doubted it was anything important. Most importantly, the memories involved Pan, who went by the name of Malcolm back then. Who is he really? The questioned gnawed at her like hunger pains.
Regina walked back and forth in the cage while Emma and Neal discussed possible ways of getting around the barrier. If Pan was smart he would have had all of Skull Rock covered. "I have an idea," Regina said. "The moon is what causes our shadows right now… if we can cover it, we may be able to get through the barrier."
"Cover it?" Emma said, puzzled by the idea. Sarah was not too sure what Regina planned on doing. "How would you even do that?"
"Me? No, Miss Swan. It's we. You and I have to cover the moon with clouds."
"And how is that possible?" Neal asked.
Regina smirked. "With magic, of course." Emma stood beside her and they both gazed up at the moon. "Follow my lead." Sarah watched as both women concentrated hard on the moon, and soon enough, clouds covered over it completely. Amazing what magic can do when you know how to use it, Sarah thought.
They were able to go through luckily as Regina's idea worked. She heard two people talking, recognizing both as Pan and Rumple. They were in some kind of an argument, looking like they would fight each other at any moment. Pan held out a box, opening it and watching in great pleasure as it absorbed Rumple inside of it. Sarah almost gasped, but she covered her mouth in time. He would do that to his own son? Then again, he did want to kill his own great grandchild, so it was not out of the ordinary for him but still.
"Let me go talk to him," Sarah said. It was the least bit she could do after all she put Henry through. "I distract him and you guys find Henry."
Regina frowned. "This better work."
"It will," Sarah hissed at her. "Just don't waste any time."
She gulped as it had been a bit since she last saw Pan. He nearly killed her… instead leaving her to die. Before she was able to confront him, Pan showed Rumple a box in his hand, smirking victoriously as he opened it. Rumple was gone within seconds of Pan opening it.
"What are you doing?" she asked him. "That was your son."
"Funny you mention that," Pan replied. "I don't believe we ever discussed about who you are."
"Oh, you know who I am. My name is Sarah. I am nobody else." Pan shook his head at her, and began to laugh. Sarah furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What's so funny about that?"
"Because you have no idea who you truly are," he said.
"And who would I be?"
"You're not just Sarah, the girl from an orphanage. You are from the Enchanted forest," Pan said. "We have met before. As much as I want to reveal more, I am afraid it's going to have to wait."
"What's the point? Whether or not you tell me, it will never change the way I feel about you. My intense dislike for you and what you have done," Sarah replied, shaking her head. "You have nothing over me nor do you have anything I want, because when I return to Storybrooke, I am leaving for good."
"Wonderful. Then you won't mind if I do this?" He placed his hand through her chest, trying to pull out something within her body, but as he tugged, nothing happened. He pulled his hand away, staring at it. "You don't even have a heart."
Sarah shook her head. She felt her heart beating. She knew she did. "That can't be…" she replied.
"Then, I guess it's time for Plan B."
He pushed her aside, green smoke smothering her lungs as it engulfed her. The next thing she knew, she was in another part of the forest. Sarah knew it was still Neverland because she could see Skull Rock from the tree line. I have no heart, she thought, putting her hand to her chest. It was there! It made no sense why he said it to begin with. "Just what am I… anyway?" she asked herself.
Something pushed her to the ground with a force so powerful, it knocked her out for a moment or two. Her ribs ached. Her mind could hardly gather what happened. Pan… it has to be him, she thought. And all her efforts to save Henry, was lost completely.
Pan appeared to her, standing over her. "I found you again," she heard him say. He offered a hand to her, which she reluctantly accepted.
"What do you want with me?"
"My initial plan was to rid of you but seeing as you are a stubborn fool, I can think of other ways. Like leading me to Storybrooke." His hands touched both sides of her cheeks, bringing himself closer to her face. "I need you to help me."
"Help you…. You're crazy."
He curled her blonde streak around his finger, and gently let it unwind. "If you help me, I will let you leave. You know the others won't want you to. They may even stop you. This way, we won't see each other ever again and you can live the life you want."
A|N: No, this story isn't dead, but I have been having issues as to how to write it... So I am sorry for taking so long. Thank you to the people who have been reviewing/fav/and following it. Please, keep reviewing. It puts a huge smile on my face. =]