Hook sighed as he made his way into the Echo Caves, a place he had learned to dislike years ago. Pan had came and told Hook about Neal being alive, just minutes after finally kissing Emma. He knew he shouldn't have fallen for the trap, but he had to tell Emma. And of course once they all knew, they wanted to search for him. And where would Pan take him? To the Echo Caves. Damn you Pan.
Regina had protested going after Neal, she only wanted to find Henry. So she left the group, and found herself saving Rumpelstilitskin from Pan's Shadow, who was pretending to be Belle. Pan and Felix watched the two talk, and Pan sent Felix in to deliver a message. Pan didn't trust himself around the Dark One without his Lost Boys. He knew he would lose track of his games, but he didn't want to. His game was too much fun to give up now. He wanted to make the man suffer. When Felix returned back from the two, he was smirking.
"It seems the Evil Queen is quite determined to defeat you." He said, an amused smirk on his face. A smirk then formed on Pans face, mimicking Felix's.
"I guess no one's told her yet, Peter Pan never fails."
~~~~~Flashback~~~~~
"Lost Boys! Let's play a game!" Peter said, returning to the camp after walking around with Felix, scouting for any changes made to the island. Instantly, the boys jumped up from their sitting positions. They all looked excitedly over at Peter, and Amaryllis smiled at the scene. She jumped down from a tree branch, landing next to Peter. He looked over at her, and smiled. He took her hand in his and then turned back to the Lost Boys.
"What game Peter?" A Lost Boy named Jimmy asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Hide and seek." Peter said. The boys all cheered and took off running, already searching for places to hide. Felix and Amaryllis chuckled at the boys, and soon followed after them, leaving Peter to count. Before the girl disappeared behind the trees, she turned back briefly to Peter.
"Try and find me, Peter." She teased, and then she was gone. Peter smiled widely, loving a challenge. He closed his eyes and counted to one hundred, and then he reopened his eyes. He made his way into the woods, easily finding some of the smaller boys. They would whine as he found them, but made their way back to camp to start the bonfire.
As Peter got down to the last ten boys, he decided to just find Amaryllis. He knew that she hated when he cheated, but he never said that he wouldn't. So he closed his eyes and thought of her, before appearing right behind her. She was peaking around a tree, looking if anyone was around, when Peter grabbed her from behind. She screamed and spun around, ready to hit her attacker. Once she saw it was only Peter, she playfully glared at him.
"God Peter, don't do that to me." She exclaimed, smacking his chest. Peter just laughed at her wholeheartedly, holding his stomach. "Oh shut up." She exclaimed, smacking him again.
"Sorry Love, I had to." He told her, smiling down at the girl. She pouted in response.
"You cheated Peter!" She cried, but she wasn't actually upset at him. "Don't you know that cheaters never win?" She asked, sticking her tongue out at the boy. He rolled his eyes playfully and pulled her to his chest.
"I'm Peter Pan love, I always win!" He said proudly. She shook her head in amusement at the boy. "Go on, say it." He said, tilting his head. She shook her head, shutting her mouth tightly. "Come on my flower. Just four words." He said. She once again refused, so he playfully growled as he tackled her to the ground. He trapped her body under his, and used his fingers to tickle across her stomach. She immediately started laughing, trying to get him off of her.
"Say it! Say it!" Peter said, continuing his assault on her stomach. The girl squirmed under him, laughing loudly.
"I can't breath!" She exclaimed through giggles, and Peter couldn't help but laugh himself.
"Just say it!" Peter said, tickling her sides. She gasped out quick breaths between laughs, and finally gave up.
"Fine, fine!" She said, and instantly Peter stopped. She caught her breath quickly before playfully glaring up at him. "Peter Pan never fails." She said. Peter grinned down at her, and before she could speak the sarcastic remark forming in her mind, Peter leant down and kissed her. She smiled against his lips, melting into the kiss. Her hands reach up to his hair, and her fingers ran through his soft brown locks.
"So I guess the game is over?" Felix's voice sounded, amusement clear in his tone. Amaryllis immediately pushed Peter off of her, blushing brightly. Felix and Peter both burst into laughter.
"Oh, shut up you two."
~~~~~End of Flashback~~~~~
David, Mary Margaret, and Emma all followed Hook through the forest in search of the Echo Caves. They found it pretty quickly, and Hook warned them about what lies in store.
"We're going in." Emma said sternly, not caring about what could be inside the cave. Hook sighed, but continued inside. The rest followed him slowly, on alert for anything. He had faced many challenges in this cave, but was shocked when he was met with none. He sighed, knowing what Pan was doing. He wanted them to tear themselves apart with their secrets.
The group entered the main area of the cave, and the first thing they saw was a cage sitting in the middle of the cave, with no way to get to it. Inside the cave, sat Neal, alive. Everyone shared disbelieving glances, and Neal finally looked up to see them all standing there.
"Emma!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the cave. Emma stumbled back, in complete and utter shock.
"Neal." She whispered, her voice coming out weak.
"It must be 100 feet across.
"Even if we fashioned some sort of rope, there's nothing to attach it to." David said, looking all around the cave trying to find a way to get Neal. "No way to swing over."
"So what do we do?" Emma asked desperately.
"I know what needs to be done." Hook said, and everyone's attention snapped to him. "Consider this the moment of truth, literally. We all have to tell our darkest secrets, something that you don't want to tell. Now, who wants to kick things off?" Hook asked sarcastically, already knowing what he would have to say.
"So what? Someone tells their secret and they sprout wings?" Emma asked, annoyance clear in her voice.
"I don't know the particulars." Hook responded back. "I only know what I've been told." Hook finished.
"Well how do you know it'll work?" David asked Hook dubiously. Hood sighed and turned to face Neal. Here goes nothing.
"There's only one way to find out I suppose." He said, looking over at Neal. He closed his eyes briefly, and then turned around to face the others. "I kissed Emma." He told the group.
"You did what?" David exclaimed, taking a step toward Hook. Mary Margaret stopped him, rolling her eyes.
"I already told Mary Margaret, so technically it's not a secret. It was just a kiss, how's that your darkest secret?" Emma asked the pirate.
"It's what the kiss exposed." Hook explained, shocking everyone. "My secret is... I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love. Of my Milah. To believe that I could find someone else." He paused, letting it sink it. "That is, until I met you." As soon as Hook finished, the ground shook and a stone walkway formed from Neals cage to them, about a quarter of the way over. From there it was a blur to Hook. The rest told their secrets, and Emma had her heartfelt confession with Neal. Hook felt his heart twisting painfully, but he pushed it aside like he did best.
As soon as Neal was free from the cage, he pulled Emma into a tight hug. Hook looked away, walking from the cave with David and Mary Margaret trailing. Soon, Emma and Neal joined them outside the cave.
"Thank you." Neal told the group.
"Don't thank us yet, we still need to find a way off the island." Hook said, his voice defeated. Emma felt guilt flash through her body.
"Get me to Henry, I'll get us off the island." Neal responded.
"Then let's go get Tinkerbell and retrieve the boy." Hook said, not meeting anyones eyes as he turned away. The group followed, and soon they ran into Tink, Regina and Rumple. Neal and Hook glared at Rumple, which made him uncomfortable. Emma ignored the tension and instead turned to Tink.
"Can you lead us to Pan's camp now? We're ready." Emma said, having full faith in whatever plan Neal had. Little did she know, it had to do with a girl that they all knew, a girl who was Henry's best friend.
"Yes. But it's too dark for us to go there now. We should all wait until the sun comes up." She said. The group agreed, leading her back to their camp. The group trekked through the forest quietly, no words were spoken. Once they made it to the camp, they sat down around the fire.
"I wish I could get off this damn island." David complained, irritation clear in his voice. Regina, Tink and the Dark One looked at him in confusion, and he explained to them about the Dreamshade. They briefly discussed possibly being able to find a way for him off the island, before the group went quiet again.
"How does a young boy that looks so innocent, be so evil?" Mary Margaret asked after a little while, breaking the silence. "How can someone be born so evil?" She went on. Hook and Tink immediately shook their heads.
"Evil isn't born, it's created." Hook said, making everyone look at him in shock. He shrugged.
"He wasn't always a demon." Tink added on, attention shifting to her. "He created this island in his dreams. He had the most creative imagination, and the greatest belief. He came here hundreds of years ago. The island used to be bright and alive. When he started getting lonely, he began bringing in boys without families, and giving them a new family. Everyone used to be so happy living here." Tink said, staring off into the fire, as if reliving a memory.
"Then what happened?" Emma asked, genuinely curious.
"He lost hope. He lost her." Tink replied. Hook and Tink lowered their heads in respect.
"Her? Who was she?" David piped up from next to Mary Margaret.
"His one true love, Amaryllis." She replied. Rumpelstiltskin flinched at the words, but no one noticed. The rest of the Storybrooke group looked shocked.
"How?" Emma asked, rebounding from the shock quicker than the rest.
"We don't really know. Someone took her fifty years ago from the island. I remember the day like it was yesterday. The moment she was ripped from Neverland, a terrible scream sounded through the island. And then storm clouds rolled over the trees. The light left the land, the flowers died. The wind picked up and destroyed everything in its path. The Neverland you see now, it hasn't always been like this. It all happened the second she was ripped from Pan." Tinkerbell told them all. They all sat, digesting the information.
"But how did that happen?" Regina asked. She too had lost her true love, but nothing like that had ever happened in the Enchanted Forest. Life went on like it did every other day, leaving Regina to deal with her grief alone.
"Because this island was created by Pan. It thrived off of his belief. The moment she was taken from him, he stopped believing. So Neverland died with his belief." Hook told them, looking directly at the Dark One. Neal was looking at his father too.
"That's- that's so sad." Mary Margaret said, grabbing David's hand in hers.
"Did you know her Tink?" Emma asked.
"Of course, so did Neal and Hook." Tink said. Eyes snapped in between Neal and Hook in shock. The two men shrugged.
"You both knew the girl?" David asked.
"She was the first one to start calling me Bae. I was a Lost Boy before she was stolen. I guess she got taken away right after I did." Neal said, bitterness in his voice. Under his breath he added "And by the same person too."
"I've known her for many many years. Years after my brother died, I went back to Neverland with intents of setting it in flames. But then I met the girl. She was so kind and gentle. She kept Pan grounded, so I formed a friendship with the two. I too remember the day she was taken. My crew and I have never had an easy day at sea since. The waters have been rough since then, as if they were in constant turmoil." Hook told the group.
"All of this because some girl left." Gold said, voice muffled slightly.
"No, all of this because all of Pan's happiness was stolen from him." Neal snapped at his father, fire burning in his eyes. Tink began telling tales about the young girl, making the group smile and laugh.
~~~~~Flashback~~~~~
"Oh Tinkerbell!" A girls voice called from the ground, making the fairy peek her head out from her window. She saw the blonde girl waving below her, and she couldn't help but smile. Tinkerbell quickly made her way down the ladder, and onto the ground. She turned around and went to hug her friend. But before she could, something wet and gross was thrown on her chest. She looked down at it, and saw it was mud. Tink looked back ups nd saw her friend smirking.
"LIS!" Tink exclaimed, disgusted. She tried wiping off the dirt, only to get more thrown on her. She groaned and glared at the young girl, who in turn smiled innocently back at her.
"Opps." She said, before she threw mud right in Tink's face. Tink screamed and the girl took off running. The fairy rubbed the mud off as best she could, before she too ran into the woods, following the girl.
"Lis you come back here!" Tinkerbell exclaimed, only hearing laughter in return.
"Can't catch me Tink!" She yelled back, giggling. But before Tink could even catch up to her, she was suddenly picked up and thrown into the lake ten feet from her. Amaryllis came up sputtering in shock, only to see Felix laughing loudly.
"You should have seen your face." Felix exclaimed between laughter. Before he could continue on with what he wanted to say, Tink appeared behind him and pushed him into the lake. He resurfaced seconds later and spun around. When he saw the fairy laughing, he glared.
"Karma, dear Felix." Lis said, jumping onto Felix's back. Felix just shook his head, smiling back at the girl.
"Look out below!" A voice screamed, before Tink was picked up and carried into the lake with another body. The two came up, and Tink saw it was Peter. Everyone just laughed as Tink splashed Peter in annoyance. Peter took the young girl off of Felix's back and into his own arms. She jumped up, and dunked his head under water. Peter retaliated by pulling the girl under by her legs. He used magic to keep them under the water, and they took turns making faces at each other.
As Peter left the lake that day with the now sleeping girl in his arms, he knew that he had found his other half.
~~~~~End of Flashback~~~~~
As the group continued talking, Rumple slipped away unnoticed. He walked a little ways into the woods, before he stopped and summoned his Shadow. Seconds later, Rumple's Shadow appeared in front of him.
"You know what to do." Rumple said to his shadow, eyes determined. The shadow obeyed, turning around and flying off into the nights sky. The Dark One turned around and headed back to the group.
"There you are Gold. We thought you abandoned ship again mate." Hook said upon seeing the older man walking back into the clearing. Rumple just rolled his eyes and joined the others.
"I thought I heard something. False alarm." He replied, and the others let it drop. Neal was still angry at the man, as well as Hook. They both knew who the girl was, who Pan's girl was. And now they both know who took her. They knew why the boy had turned so evil, and neither one of them was taking it lightly. They wished they had brought the girl here when they had the chance, maybe they would have all been home now. Maybe Pan would be happy again, maybe he'd believe.
As the group began relaxing around the fire, a sudden shudder went through the forest, as if the island was awakening. All of the people on the island, adults and boys, stopped what they were doing to look around. The Lost Boys stared up at the trees in confusion, along with Peter Pan. Felix looks over at his leader, seeing the faraway look on his face.
"What is it Pan?" Felix asks after hearing his leaders sharp intake of breath.
"Someone's just arrived in Neverland." He replied, eyes unfocused.
"Who?" The blonde asked, awaiting further instructions on what to do.
"I don't know. Whoever it is, they have a trace on them. I can't find them."
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where darkness goes, light follows | PETER PAN ✔️
FanfictionWhat if Peter Pan wasn't always evil? What if something, or someone, was stolen from him? What if the reason Peter Pan was dying, was because he lost hope? Mary Gold was the niece of Rumplestiltskin, or so she believed. She was treated poorly b...
