Hooked

Deep in the dense forest of Neverland, Peter Pan stood in the cave he used as a shelter and stared out at the boys he had collected over time—the Lost Boys as they were known by most. The title fit them too; none of them had anywhere to go, bound now to Peter Pan to follow blindly and do what was asked of them until their number was up. They served no other purpose.

Today was a special day though, and Peter grinned as he watched his boys, none of them knowing that luck had finally taken pity on them.

He was suddenly distracted by a bright light zooming towards him and his grin widened as the familiar fairy flew to his side, waiting for her to morph into her human size. If Neverland did anything right, it was producing fairy’s that could actually escape the pint-sized bodies they were given, unlike the fairy’s of the Enchanted Forest that Peter had heard of.

If he hadn’t been so occupied with his own looks and worries of aging, Peter may have been able to admit that Tinkerbell was beautiful… but there were always more important things to talk about.

“Did you hear the news, Tink?” Peter asked, meeting the bright eyes of his closest… friend (of sorts). She stared at him in wide-eyed curiosity. He knew that she knew exactly what the news was, but she always allowed him to say it anyway because she knew how happy it made him.

“What news?” she questioned. Peter’s grin seemed to broaden.

“The boy I’ve been looking for,” Peter said. “He’s been found. The boy is with two others who are of no importance to me, but he’s here. And not too far either. My shadow is staying with them until they reach here.”

“I’m so happy for you Peter,” she said, smiling at him. Peter’s grin faltered after a moment.

“So why are you here, Tink?” he questioned suddenly, looking at the fairy suspiciously. “You usually don’t come unannounced unless you have something to tell me.”

“The man that was found on the beach managed to escape during the night,” Tinkerbell answered without hesitating. She knew Peter wouldn’t be happy about this, and it was always best to get straight to the point.

“Was there no one watching him?” Peter asked, looking suddenly annoyed.

“One of the boys, I’m sure,” she answered, gesturing to the boys in front of them who were going about their business, glancing nervously at the pair every so often.

“Well, find which one it was and bring him to me,” Peter said darkly. Without another word, Peter turned and stalked back into his cave, the darkness enveloping him quickly.

Tinkerbell looked after him with longing in her eyes. Even after everything he had done and despite everything that he was, Tink could not help but still love this troubled young man. It was hard to believe he had loved her as well at one point. Now all he loved was youth, and Tink was more than willing to give him what he wanted. It was all she had left to give Peter that might make him happy.

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They had been traveling since the sun had just barely started to rise, moving quickly with little to no breaks. They were tired, thirsty and hungry but they knew there was no time to waste. They needed to get as close to Henry as they could before he could be brought to Peter Pan.

It was times like this that Ariel was thankful she was completely used to her legs. She couldn’t help but think of when she first got them, how she had stumbled around, clumsily walking around. At the time, Eric had been there for her, helping her walk, thinking she was just merely weakened from whatever had caused her to end up unconscious on the beach.

They were all silent as they picked their way through the dense forest that belonged to Neverland, focusing on not tripping and with not much breath to spare on words. Ariel didn’t mind the silence either; it gave her time to think.

Her mind traveled quickly to the growing relationship between her and Killian. She wasn’t sure what kind of future they had, but she was definitely going to be cautious seeing as the last relationship she had been in hadn’t ended so well. Ever since Eric, Ariel found it hard to trust most people. She was surprised she had even let Killian in as much as she had.

She was sure everyone was surprised. She recounted to herself, just that morning how Emma had barged into Killian’s room, clearly worried and in search of Ariel, only to find her curled up in his bed. Ariel had given the blonde women a nervous smile… and Emma, she just looked surprised, unsure of how to react to this situation. And then there were the stares from everyone else as she had exited the cabin not much longer after that. Her cheeks had burned red, matching the shade of her hair, as she averted her gaze from theirs.

She knew and understood exactly how they felt about Hook. They didn’t trust him, and she knew that this was caused by good reason. But she could see that he had changed a great deal from when he had first arrived in Storybrooke, and she could tell that the rest of the group, while still wary, were softening a bit to the idea of trusting Killian, if only just slightly.

Gold was leading their group, as they marched in line through the ever thickening trees. Ariel was surprised at how quickly and nimbly Gold could move over the forest floor, which seemed to be nothing but fallen tree branches and exposed tree roots, despite his limp and cane. Regina was directly behind him followed by Emma, then Ariel, Killian, Mary Margaret, and David.

Killian was following close behind Ariel, and every so often she’d feel a firm hand on her waist to steady her if she stumbled even slightly. The first time it had happened, Ariel had flashed Killian a small smile of thanks before continuing on. It still surprised her that someone could be so kind towards her, and it really helped to show just how much Killian had changed. He wasn’t merely a dangerous pirate anymore. Ariel knew now that there was so much more to him if you got past that wall he hid himself behind so well.

Eventually, it started to grow dark once in Neverland and seeing beyond the trees became difficult.

“I would recommend setting up camp here for the night,” Killian said as the group slowed before coming to a stop. “Neverland is not somewhere you want to be wandering around during the night, especially in the forest.”

They didn’t have much to work with in terms of setting up a camp. They had each brought a blanket to at least bring some comfort from the hard ground, but they would basically be sleeping under the stars, so to speak. You actually couldn’t see the stars from within the forest, the tops of the trees dense enough to block off the sky. It was lucky they had two people with them who were capable of using magic. They had been able to make some torches, using magic to light them and not have to worry about them burning out so that they could walk a bit in the darkness. Now they made a small campfire to give off some light and warmth.

Everyone set up their blankets and packs in a circle around the fire. Ariel ignored the gazes of everyone as she set her things up directly next to Killian. There was no way she was going to put distance between them, especially out here in the middle of an unfamiliar place that set her on edge. The only part of Neverland she was truly familiar with was the ocean. She didn’t get to explore much when she had legs.

Eventually everyone’s eyes left Ariel as they settled themselves on their blankets and Ariel laid down, trying to find a comfortable spot… or at least a position that would have less tree roots and rocks poking into her back. When she was as comfortable as she could get, she was surprised when Killian threw an arm around her and moved closer. She smiled at him, enjoying the warmth he was providing her at the moment. It was slightly chilly in the forest.

They didn’t say anything, knowing that everyone else was trying to get some sleep and that they should do the same. There would be a lot more walking in just a few short hours.

Ariel was almost asleep when she thought she heard something out in the woods. She sat up quickly, startling Killian as he sat up as well, and she listened carefully.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked, looking at her with concern.

“Did you hear that?” she questioned, not even bothering to try and quiet her voice. She could see the others in her peripheral vision propping themselves up to stare at her.

And then they all heard it: the unmistakable sound of someone running, of leaves rustling and tree branches snapping. They were all on their feet in a matter of seconds, forming a loose circle and staring out into the darkened forest where the light of their small fire did not reach.

There was no doubt that whatever was moving so quickly was headed straight towards them, and they prepared themselves for whatever was coming for them. Ariel had a firm grip on Killian’s left arm, his right hand firmly planted on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it if need be.

Out of the blackness, a man appeared before them, out of breath and a wild look in his eye. They all stared at him in shock, unsure of what to do. It was Emma who spoke first.

“Neil?”