𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 | ✓

| 𝐂𝐇. 𝐎𝐍𝐄

"you come find me in my dreams, you come find these aching, tired bones of mine and take me to paradise."

[SECOND PERSON]

            𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑, 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒. Well, not always, but it certainly felt like a long time. The arguments and pointless bickering seemed endless and continued to prove itself to be that way. You had good memories of when the crew worked together—when Regina and Emma unified their forces, when time was never put to waste, when it all felt steady and stable. It was the adrenaline, the rush you received in those moments where everything seems to fall into place perfectly whenever on an adventure. It was gratifying, it was rewarding. However, that never lasted long, because pettiness and tension remained consistent.

            It became easier and easier to ignore the fighting after some time. When you were younger, you thankfully had Henry to keep you company. You both bonded a lot during those times, considering that you were just distracting each other. The friendship created between you and Henry was one positive outcome in this big mess. He was not only a friend, but family. The entire crew was your family, but unfortunately, not the picture-perfect television one.

             "Don't drag me into this!" A voice yelled from another room. Occasionally, little snippets of conversation would be able to make their way past what was already being tuned out. There was no context, but it really didn't need any. Usual accusations, usual hot-headed claims.

            For a while, you desperately wanted the disputes to end. There were moments in your youth where you would run into the circle of defensive arguments and plead for them to genuinely hear one another. Though, it never seemed to work. They always brushed you aside or called for Henry to come play with you. And then, somebody always came back to apologize and promise that it won't happen again. Even young and inevitably naïve, you knew that they were empty guarantees. It always did happen again.

             Unsurprisingly, dealing with these constant fallouts and breakdowns lead to you developing quite the imagination. It would provide quality entertainment for whenever you and Henry were together. On the other hand, it provided itself a nice escape from reality. Your mind seemed to trail back to one fateful, unfortunate, and stuck-up mission.

Neverland.

            Thinking back on the adventure felt so strange, so odd, so exhilarating. Like never getting tired of reading a certain book or watching a movie. It was exciting for many reasons: the fact that it was one of your very first adventures, Henry was the one in need of saving, but also the strange experiences you faced. You aren't able to recall much memory of the adventure, for you were ultimately sheltered from most of it. The moment you remember the best, however, has stuck with you since.

            "Well, well, well... I'll be damned! If it isn't the savior, the evil queen, and the rest of the jolly gang. Ah, even old Hook himself? I'm rather surprised that you're able to step onto Neverland without flopping about, seasick and stupid. Alas, you were always full of surprises, weren't you, Captain?"

            At the time, this voice was unfamiliar and cold. The adults had warned you about being seen by the immoral "creatures" that roamed this dangerous land. They enforced heavily that you should not be trying to get sneaky with them, or it could end up fatal. But curiosity overcame you and you figured that one little peek wouldn't do much damage, right?

            It was confusing to you because once you saw what this rumored wretched monster looked like, he simply looked human. He looked no different than anybody else nearby. Perhaps it was your imagination that conjured up a humongous, exaggerated horrific specimen, but he was the opposite. Utterly normal- as normal as it can get in these circumstances- and quite human.