Henry didn't quite remember falling asleep, but he woke up in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room with the smell of pancakes filtering through the vent. Slowly yesterday's events caught up to them, and his heart clenched. Would he ever see his moms again? His dad? His teachers? His friends? He didn't know, but he quickly pushed that aside, trying to remember the lessons his mama gave him if anything like this happened.
Slowly he stood up, deciding it best to stay put and play along until he could think of a better plan. He walked to the door, looking both ways down the deserted hallways before creeping down the stairs, following the conversations he could hear. He paused in the middle of the kitchen entry way, seeing a girl twirling around as she poured cups of juice, milk, and water, all the while flipping pancakes and plating them. Felix carried the finished plates and drinks to the table in the adjourning room where Henry could see about half the house's occupants in various stages of eating. Pan sat at the head of the table, fixing what appeared to be a toaster, occasionally reprimanding the boys at the table.
"Good morning, love! You must be Henry!" the girl spoke, her violet eyes standing out from her pale skin. Now that she was facing him, he could she was wearing an apron that read The secret ingredient is pixie dust. Her black hair was braided in two.
Henry nodded blankly, uncertain of what to make of the new woman. Unbothered by his silence, she smiled again, drying her hands on a towel. "Come, come. Have a seat at the table, l will bring you some pancakes. Felix! You sit down as well and eat with your brothers. Henry, love, would you like juice or milk?"
"Uh... Milk, please, ma' am!
She giggled at that, patting his shoulder as he passed, "some of the boys call me Tiger lily, or you can call me Reyna, Henry."
Henry stiffly took one of the open seats at long dining table as Reyna flitted about, giving him a plate of pancakes, syrup, butter, and milk. She patted a few heads of the other boys as well. As she walked by the head of the table, Pan's arm shot out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his lap.
"You should eat too, love. The other boys are late sleepers," Peter said, pressing a kiss to Reyna's lips before returning his focus to the toaster. Reyna adjusted herself to sit more comfortably, a soft smile on her face as Peter pulled her a little closer and nudged a plate towards her. She entwined one of her hands with his around her waist before picking up a fork and digging in.
Henry observed everyone quietly before picking up his own fork and taking a small bite.
Breakfast with the Lost Boys was a decidedly loud event, and Henry slipped out as soon as possible back to the room where his stuff was. He pulled out one of his school hole books and began to write. He needed a plan to get out of here.
—-
All hands were on deck at the precinct to find their chief's missing son. Tech analysts were searching the washed computers, CSIs were tearing the mayor's house apart, and the coroner was looking for any DNA from Sydney's killer as well as the cause of death. An Amber Alert had already been issued and Regina was giving a press conference to warn the public and ask for her son back.
Graham walked in to the conference room, where she was staring blankly at her son's photo amongst the 6 other missing children she could link to the case. She already had officers contacting the families for interviews. "Emma, there is a Captain Killian Jones from the A- 15 precinct here to speak with you, says he knows about this case." Blinking to focus, she forced a smile, standing up and headed to her office without preamble.
Staring at a photo of Henry and Emma on the wall stood a tall man in a leather ensemble, his dark hair and beard short and scruffy. He wore his holstered weapon on his left side, and as he turned to face her, Emma realized why. Where his hand should have been, a metallic hook glinted. Emma scanned him, and other than an earring, nothing else stood out. Shaking her head, she closed the door and crossed her arms. "How can I help you, Captain?"
"Its more how I can help you, lass," Killian said, "I understand the bloody demon has 'napped your boy." He tapped his hook on the picture. "I've been investigating the demon boy for 4 years now and figured I may be of assistance."
"4 years, huh. Clearly you haven't done a very good job," Emma scoffed.
Killian stepped into her personal space, crowding her against the door with an icy look in his blue eyes. "Careful, Swan. You don't know what this boy is capable of." Stepping back, Killian pulled a thick file out of an inner pocket on his coat, dropping it on her deck with a loud thud.
She watched him closely as she walked around her desk, flipping open the top. She looked at him one more time before examining the contents of the file.
—-
Henry watched silently from the corner of the room as the other boys played. Tootles was coloring in Rufio's lap, who was typing away on a laptop with scrunched eyebrows. Devon and the twins were playing outside. Ace was reading a book and John and Michael were building a pillow fort around him. Nibs, Curly, and Cubby were playing a card game on the floor. The remains 4 boys were watching TV, occasionally arguing over what to watch next. Felix had left with headphones and a duffel bag, and Pan and Reyna had yet to be seen.
Henry found it odd that none of the other boys were bothered. Why were they not scared? Had they all forgotten their homes? Their families? He remembered his mom telling him how some people got so scared the developed a family with kidnappers to help them feel better. He couldn't remember the name, but wondered if that was what he was witnessing now. Whatever it was, he knew he wanted his moms back. And he would be a hero like his mama and save the others too.
"Hey, Henry, do you want to play Go Fish with us?" Nibs asked, smiling kindly at him.
Henry caught himself before he said no, thinking that he would need to know more about them if he was going to help them. He nodded his assent before moving to sit with the small group. As Nibs passed out the cards, Henry decided to start asking his questions. "So, how long have you guys known Pan?"
Nibs looked at Henry a little funny while Curly answered first," I met Pan 3 years ago, when I was 8. My grandma had just died..." Curly trailed off awkwardly.
Cubby patted Curly on the back sympathetically. "I've been livin' with Pan and our brothers for almost 2 years now."
Nibs shrugged," I don't see why it matters, Henry. I've been here 5 years now. Pan has given us a family," he said after a brief pause.
"I'm just curious is all, "Henry deflected, pulling out a pair of 2's and 5's from his hand. He decided he wouldn't ask anymore question it Nibs was already suspicious. He missed his mom and hoped she would find him quickly.
—
"This is almost 3 times the amount of kids I thought! Are you sure all these kids were his victims?"
"Aye, Swan. The demon has been bloody busy for almost 7 years now."
"But no bodies have been found. Does he traffic them? Is he some kind of pervert? What these kids must be going through! "she rubbed her temples, feeling a headache brewing. "what about this girl here. That's not his usual M. 0." She pushed a picture of a purple-eyed girl towards Killian who winced.
"Aye, She's not. That is Reyna, my baby sister. She went missing 4 years ago. Like you, she was taken as punishment for my actions," he rubbed a hand through his beard; scratching his chin, "I haven't stopped looking for her since, Swan. That is why I figure we can help each other. You're as invested as I am."
Emma looked through the rest of the testimonies and evidence Killian had given her with a hard look in her eyes.
"Okay, let's bring him down."
