From Your Tower ➛ OUAT

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Tinkerbell!" Rapunzel yelled, running through the woods of Neverland. Peter told her the direction, told her where to go to find the fairy, but she could only think bad things as she ran around screaming her friend's name for the last ten minutes.

"Find Tinkerbell and try to get the fairies to help. Then go to the lagoon and get the mermaids to help. Tell everyone we will be leading Hook and his men to the west side of the island." Peter had told her.

"Why the west?"

But Peter was rushing to do something, so he didn't give a answer to that. "And come from the North to West, not South to West, got it?"

"Peter-"

He just kisses her quickly. "Rush, love. I'll see you soon."

And that's all she's trying to do. Peter is trusting her to get help, and she's been help behind because she can't find the darn fairy.

"Tinkerbell, dammit!" She screamed, still trying to find her. She felt the frustration fill through her body and she ran her hands through her hair. "I need you and you're not freaking here!"

"You don't understand this, do you?" A voice asks, and she turns around. There, before her, is Tinkerbell in her full form. "He's stalling you."

"What?"

She rolls her eyes. "It's not Peter. It hasn't been since he brought you through your dreams last night."

That means during all of the lessons that Peter had taught her- it wasn't Peter at all, but Pan. Why would he want her to learn defense?

"How do you know? That he brought during my dreams?"

"He told me." She crosses her arms and shrugs. "Pan's already starting to take over. The island is starting to go rogue."

"Does that mean...?" Rapunzel whispers, looking up to Tinkerbell in fear.

"That's right, girl. There's no one you can trust." She smiles, amused at all of this.

"I thought you were my friend."

"I was. I was when I was Tinkerbell." She takes a step towards her, but Rapunzel takes a step back.

"Then what are you now?" Rapunzel whispers.

"Well, I haven't figured that out yet. Maybe you'll be able to help me when you go rogue too."

"Did Peter give up?" She had to ask. Tinkerbell raises her eyebrows at the long haired girl for a few seconds, then laughs when she realized what actually is happening.

"You thought you could have helped him?" She laughs even more. "Pan never fails."

"But did he give up?" She asks her again.

Tink thinks for a second. "It's not like you're going to be good much longer anyway, so I'll tell you the truth. Yeah, he is. Fighting like a bitch. Pan said he loves the fight though."

It both hurt her and thrilled her. Hurt her because Peter is fighting so hard and Pan is keeping him inside. Thrilled her for the fact that he is fighting.

"I have to find him." She whispers to herself.

She said I love you to Pan. The thought sickened her.

"Oh, no you don't." Tinkerbell says, blocking her way.

It was instinct what she did, and she felt nothing but sadness afterwards when she saw her knife going through Tinkerbell's thigh. It wasn't enough to kill her, just stall her.

Tink screams and falls to the floor. "You won't win! You'll never win!"

"We'll see about that." Rapunzel smiles, and runs away.

❧

All of the facts jumbled in her head when she ran towards where she left off Peter- ahem, Pan.

Pan is extremely smart. Which means he will expect her to go the direction where he told her not to. So not to go that way.

And then going the right way, what could that bring to her? He might expect her to then after knowing about the wrong way. She shouldn't go that way either.

Facing it straight on may be the way she needs to go. That may be the only way to go.

So she kept on running straight. She knew what she was doing, she knew her plan, and she needed to find Pan to animate it.

"Peter!" She screamed once again.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!" His voice made her stop in her tracks and turn around.

"Peter." She sighed in relief. He was right there, right in front of her. The innocent look was in his eyes, but she knew the truth. She wanted to clap for him, because Pan knew what he was doing.

But she did too.

Rapunzel ran to him and hugged him tight. "I love you." She whispers and feels him stiffen against her. "I love you so much."

"What is this about?" He asks.

"I'm scared." She admits. "I want you to know the truth, just in case something... happens."

"With Pan?"

"No. Pan is not worrying me at all right now." She had to imagine it was Peter. She had to imagine it was his good nature, for what she is about to do next.

"Why is that?"

"Never mind that." She says, pressing her lips against his. The feelings she felt in her stomach was for Peter, and she had to imagine that he was Peter himself.

He kissed back. Pan actually kissed back, and that was the most shocking thing to her. She was expecting just for him to push her away, but it wasn't like that at all.

Not only did he kiss her back, he pushed her back roughly to the tree, where the kiss only intensified. The kiss kind of made her sick to her stomach, but she didn't stop. She knew it would all go down hill if she stopped.

But he was the one who stopped. His gaze went back and forth from her lips to her eyes. "I love you too." He finally says, then pushes his lips back to hers.

Was that Peter? Telling her that he loved her? Was he in control again?

Or was it Pan?

Does Pan love her?

Oh god.

Rapunzel did this. This is her fault.

But she couldn't stop now.

She had to save Peter, and the only way to do that was with love.

It came down to the thing she hoped she would never had to succumb to.

She has to love Pan.

And there was only one way for her to show him she loved him.