Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**The Second Star to the Right**

The sky was riddled with purple clouds that were flying out across the horizon. The sun was setting upon and endless day. As the first stars dotted the sky, a pair of brown eyes surrounded by eyelashes dotted with sea water opened to see a ruggedly handsome face staring down at her. The dull aching pain in her back gave realisation to the wooden timbers that served as her bed of unconsciousness. As well as the awkward position of her tied hands that was digging into her spine.

"Well Garcia," his husky voice came, "I was not expecting to see you again."

The young woman groaned and turned over onto her face, ending in a muffled sneeze when grains of sand made their way up her nose. "Go away Hook!" she answered, voice muffled by the deck of the Jolly Roger.

"Unlikely," Hook answered, using his boot to roll the girl back onto her back. She was getting thoroughly annoyed by her hands that were bound behind her restricting all mobility. She was appreciative of the ability to breathe properly but she was going to make sure Hook regretted not gagging her. "You're on _my_ ship."

"Not again," she groaned, struggling to sit up. She looked up at Hook and manoeuvred her hands around to show him, adding a smile and saying, "These aren't really necessary are they?"

Hook looked down at her with an eyebrow cocked. "You know as well as I do that you don't need me to untie you."

"This is true," she replied, bending her foot back to her hands and pulling a small blade from her boot to slice through the ropes. "I still don't know why you bother."

"It brings back fond memories," Hook smirked, eyeing her knowingly. She rolled her eyes and shrugged out of the bonds, standing to meet him at the wheel. He was steering the ship in an endless circle around Pan's Island as day turned into night. "Never mind me though. Why are you back in Neverland, love?"

"Oh really?" she responded, walking towards him, "No hello or welcome."

"Yes, how silly of me," Hook said, his good hand fly out in a flourished bow. "Welcome back to hell Indigo Garcia. Although, I do question how you left last time. Considering Pan didn't know you were here, it's curious that he'd let you leave."

"That my dear Captain is a lie," Indigo answered, walking slowly across to the side of the ship and leaning back into it. "Pan may have control of the island, but not the entire world."

"So you found a loophole?" Hook enquired, genuinely intrigued.

"There are multiple ways out of here Hook," Indigo answered, inclining her head towards Hooks coat pocket. "But you know that."

"I will never get used to you doing that," he mumbled in annoyance of her intuition, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a single magic bean.

"Where are you headed?"

"The Enchanted Forest," he replied. "You're lucky I was here to save you love. Who knows where you would've ended up if I'd left earlier?"

"I would've had to ensure that the mermaids made good on their promise."

Hook looked over at her curiously. Nobody made deals with mermaids – mermaids hated everyone. He'd tried, using every method humanly possible, but they resisted his charms.

"Come now Hook," she continued, sashaying forward, "You don't honestly think that I did nothing the last time I was here."

"I don't know what you do Garcia," Hook said as she placed her hand upon his on the wheel. He looked back at her carefully, "You've aged," he finally stated.

"Leaving Neverland does that to you," the young woman said, smirking. "You're going to get older Killian."

"Oh don't give me that look." He shrugged off her hand and called over one of his few crewmen to take the helm. He made his way down the length of the ship with Indigo right behind him. He swung around quickly, catching her off her guard, her hand caught in his hook. He slid it towards her wrist, finding a chain there, with several charms that glittered in the last rays of sun, disappearing quickly to be replaced by a low moon.

"You still have it," he murmured as pulled her hand out of his hook, leaving her bracelet in his grasp.

"So? It looks nice. People compliment me on it back home."

"I have extremely good taste," Hook nodded.

"Well," Indigo started, snatching it back and sliding it onto her wrist, "you probably stole it from someone completely innocent."

"And that doesn't tarnish your attraction to me at all." His hand came around her waist, pulling her in close. He smelled of the sea, and she had missed it; not that she was able to admit that to anyone, least of all herself. Their foreheads were barely touching as Hook asked once more, "Why are you here Indie?"

"You know I didn't come back for you," she muttered.

"You never would," he said knowingly.

"I came for him," Indigo said, looking Hook dead in the eye.

"You're one in a long line of dead people Indigo," Hook replied, pushing her away and turning. "And you do realise that this is a suicide mission. No one kills Pan."

"I never said that was my mission," she answered, beginning to walk away.

"Indigo," Hook protested, walking after her as she grasped her hand around the rigging, stepping up onto the wooden rail. His eyes followed her direction, seeing the outline of Neverland beneath the moonlight. Small telltale signs of fire could be seen through the foliage and Hook saw that Pan's camp was exactly where Indigo was headed.

She spun round lightly, placing a light kiss on his frustrated forehead before turning back to the ocean.

"Have fun in the Enchanted Forest Hook."

"But there's-"

"Oh and don't worry," she said with a smirk that she had learnt from him, "You're not coming back here for a while."

Indigo leapt into the water gracefully, resurfacing a few metres away in the black water and beginning her silent swim to the shore.

"You and your intuition," Hook murmured, turning his head to face the starboard side of the boat. He pulled from his coat pocket the small bean that had come into his possession many moons ago. Throwing it overboard he watched the water swirl in the distance, creating its own incandescent light.

"Alright mates," Hook shouted, "once more unto the breach!"

"What Captain?"

"The portal you idiots," he groaned, pointing his hook at the bright glow in the water. As the boat swung a sharp right, Hook took one last glance at the girl making her way to Pan's Island. She moved slowly but steadily further away from him as he pulled out one more thing from his pocket. A small silver dagger carved just like Indigo's favourite weapon made its way from his hand to the chain around his neck just as the ship made its way into the portal.

And he was gone.

A/N: New story! Haven't written anything in a while! Not too sure where this is going, but its-gonna-be-good. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Oh my goodness! The response to this has been epic in comparison to any other fan fiction I've ever written. Thanks for all the follows and the reviews, keep 'em coming! xx

**Pan's Island**

Indigo Garcia landed on the shore, waterlogged and sore. It wasn't a habit of hers to swim long distances on a regular basis as evidenced by the breath that she couldn't seem to catch. But the water was lapping at her feet as she rested. It was well into the night, the moon high in the sky, and Hook and his ship were long gone. Right now, her muscles were seizing up because she was too tired to stretch and instead was enduring sharp pains up and down her body.

She stifled back yelps as she tried to massage the pain out of her calves enough for her to walk. It didn't feel safe out here in the open. But it didn't exactly make her feel safe that she was heading into the hands of the enemy either. She knew it wasn't going to be the most fun of times.

By the time the pain subsided, her tiredness had begun to take over. Indigo knew she had to move before she fell asleep and so it was with great reluctance that she began to make her way through the jungle towards a small fire that had burnt out over the hours. The camp was asleep and the very thought of the action wasn't helping with her need for rest. In fact, there was something about the forest, every metre looked the same – blurry.

Sleep.

**_One thousand years ago…_**

_The flowers were blooming as spring approached quickly. The night of the Spring Solstice was fast approaching and the people in Hainor were eagerly anticipating the festival. The Queen took daily walks amongst the people, demonstrating the affection and care that the royal family had for their people. Days before the festival was due to occur, the Queen's daughter turned sixteen._

_On that day, she joined her mother on her venture through the towns that surrounded their castle. The forests were filled with light and the chirping of new life. Her wide eyes were astounded by the joys of their beautiful world, and also the sights of new people._

_It was in Panenai that the young girl first saw him._

_A group of musicians sat upon a wall, before them a crowd of dancers clapped as the music filled the streets. Ribbons and banners were being set up in preparation for the festivities. There were five men playing instruments, and almost silently from the back, was a young boy playing the pan-flute._

_The girl and her mother clapped along with the music. When they had finished, the Queen was eager to move along before the sun set, but the young teenager had other ideas. Rushing quickly to the young boy she complimented, "You play beautifully."_

_He seemed confused, as though he had never heard those words before, "Thank you. You…you heard me play?"_

_"Of course," the girl smiled. "Softly, but beautifully. You should play louder."_

_"Oh, I don't know," the boy seemed uncomfortable with the notion._

_"Don't be afraid to make music," she smiled. "Your group is playing in the capital for the solstice festival, aren't you?"_

_"Yes," the boy said softly._

_"Then I shall see you there," she said, "And I hope you play louder."_

_"I'll play for you Princess," the boy said, finally connecting what she was wearing with the lady who was waving at her a few metres away. _

_"Thank you," she said, with a small curtsey as he bowed. "But what is your name?"_

_"Peter," the boy replied, "Peter of Panenai."_

**_Present Day_**

"She's waking up," a young boy's voice came from behind Indigo. A prod came at her shoulder, then a second at her cheek. She wormed her head away, blinking blearily through sleepy eyes as, in the light of a new day, she found herself surrounded by a team of teenage boys. They ranged in age from early to late teens, walking at a steady pace through the jungle, undoubtedly towards Pan's camp.

Indigo opened her eyes wide to finally realise that she was being piggy-backed to the camp. Both her hands and feet were tied around the older boy who was burdened with carrying her, ruining any chance she had of reaching the knife in her boot without it being stolen.

"You know," she started, muttering into the boy's ear, "You could let me go. Pan doesn't really need to see me or, you know, torture me or anything. I could just leave."

"Peter Pan requested we find you," the drawling voice came back. "He's curious to meet the person who managed to enter Neverland without his permission."

"Because he intends to never let me leave," Indigo sighed, leaning her head into the boy's back in order to fall back to sleep.

"Pan doesn't favour girls," the boy said, turning his face back to look at her. "You're lucky to still be alive."

"Well," Indigo replied, with a tilt of her head, "I wouldn't exactly call it luck."

Pulling her hands back using the full force of her weight, the ropes tightened on his throat. She made sure that the boy couldn't speak as she said to the one next to him, "Cut the ropes or he doesn't speak again."

Half of the boys looked at each other as though that would be a good thing and in that moment, Indigo knew that her plan could actually work. In fact, she probably wouldn't need to do anything except be present in Pan's camp to watch it unfold. If Pan thought she was such a commodity, it wouldn't be hard to stick around long enough.

But one of them leant forward to cut the bonds at her feet and she was extremely glad for the freedom to walk. She looped her own hands off the boy's neck, watching him take in a deep breath. "Sorry," she winced as he rubbed profusely at his neck.

"She got you good Felix!" one of the younger boys said. A sword was at the younger boy's throat in a second. It was only a warning, but still, Felix had a temper.

"What purpose did that serve?" Felix growled as he grabbed her forward by the arm, hands still bound in front of her.

"I honestly just wanted to be able to walk," Indigo smiled at his seriously annoyed face. A few minutes later she wasn't walking any longer. Instead she was on her knees, dirt marring the jeans that she wore. As the boys stood in a wide circle around her, met by even more who hadn't gone to retrieve her, Felix called out, "The lost boys call on Peter Pan; our mission complete."

"Now now," a laughing voice called out from above in the trees. "Felix, there doesn't need to be any formalities."

Indigo looked up into the trees, turning away from the sunlight that filtered brightly through the foliage. She heard the rustling of movement and then the light _thump_ on the ground that signified Pan's arrival.

"And you are?" she heard from very close to her. A hand pulled her face up towards his, darkened by a halo of light behind him. As she took in every part of his face, she stared defiantly at the boy. But Pan was waiting expectantly.

"Indigo Garcia," she said finally, looking into his cold eyes.

"Indigo Garcia," he repeated, stepping back and turning to Felix, "Put her in chains."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm really loving Once Upon A Time in Wonderland at the mo. But anyway, here's the next chapter. I should probably be writing practice essays for my HSC but this story simply needs to be written. Thank you again for all the follows and reviews! xx

**The Lost Boys' Fight to Be Found**

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_Fireworks dotted the sky as the sound of uproarious laughter filled the streets. Inside the castle courtyard, candles dotted the walls like fairy lights, the stars themselves hidden by clouds that were threatening rain. But it hadn't arrived yet, and so the people danced._

_Peter stood upon a block at the back of the group still. But when the princess caught sight of him, she smiled and waved. In return, he played his melodies louder. The others shot him looks of disdain as he began to move his way around them. The crowd clapped as he began to dance. He was lucky enough to play a small instrument with sound that followed him wherever he went. _

_The young princess dance with many that night, but as the fires were lit at the ending of the festivities, she merely stood aside; her small silvery crown glittering in the firelight as her braids caught the colours of her auburn hair. And there, Peter stood in awe of her beauty._

_But when the princess sought him later that night, or early into the morning, she couldn't find him. The musicians had cleared out of the castle quickly. It was a measure of her determination that she was able to hightail her way out of the palace on the back of a food carriage in nothing more than her nightgown and petticoat, and not be discovered. _

_Peter thought, as soon as he saw her walking into the inn, this girl was amazing. _

_And yet as soon as he thought it, he regretted it. This girl, she wasn't ordinary, a peasant like him – she was a princess…_the _princess. One day she would rule Hainor, and he would die a pauper's death._

_But of course, at that moment, as she ran inside and took him by the hand, glowing with what could only be described as new love, those thoughts were wiped from his mind. And they danced._

**Present Day**

Indigo's wrists were being rubbed away and she had the funniest feeling that these cuffs were enchanted because everything she tried, magic or physical, was not working to get her out of these chains.

It was the most she could do to try and make herself comfortable and not move. It was entirely frustrating though, to be bound. She wasn't entirely helpless, after all, this point could be advantageous. It would only take a mild illusion to gain pity from some of the lost boys, and perhaps even more from the older ones.

There, in a dingy tent, connected to the trunk of a tree by rusted chains, Indigo began to hatch a plan, better by far than the one she had been given back home. Now that she was here, surrounded by the people who it applied to, she knew she could do it. She knew that she could free the lost boys.

And yet…

The day wore on. And as Indigo slipped in and out of sleep, all she could feel was bored. There was only a certain amount of time she could spend memorising the patterns of a dirty tent that let limited light through. There was a blanket in the corner, which led her to believe that she wasn't the first prisoner that had found themselves in this position.

Of course she wasn't, she reminded herself, Wendy had been here.

The sudden opening of the tent forced her face to turn to the back of the enclosure, recoiling away from the light, and the image of Pan's face. But he merely shut it behind him and began pacing the dirt floor. Slowly, Indigo turned back, eying him curiously.

He seemed to be choosing his words with extreme care, although why, she didn't know. With these chains inhibiting her power, she was effectively rendered powerless.

"You swam to shore," Pan started, not looking at her. "And I know that that's feasible. But what eludes me is how you got into Neverland. I am this world. Everything that happens here, I feel. So how did you get in?" By the end of it he was looking directly at her, accusing and menacing.

"I escaped," she answered meekly, lying through her teeth, yet acting the victim. Hopefully Felix hadn't shared her earlier escapades with the world. It would work to her advantage if Pan didn't know exactly what she could do. "I escaped from Hook."

"You were Hook's prisoner," Pan's eyebrows raised, "Plausible, but flawed. Hook hasn't left Neverland in almost twenty years."

"Time means nothing here," Indigo said quietly.

"You're quite right of course," Pan started up his pacing once more. "And so Hook just let you go?"

"He was leaving Neverland and said he had grown tired of my limited uses," she simpered, looking at the floor. It was surprisingly easy to turn Hook into a bastard, a concept she inwardly smiled at. "He said it was better to leave me to die in the jungle than to take me with him."

"Yes, his leaving Neverland was a welcome endeavour," Pan answered, looking over at her again. His face was unreadable. For a moment she'd thought he was smiling, but as he turned, she saw the hardness of his lines. "We shall speak again soon my dear."

The tent flap closed, leaving her alone. It was growing increasingly warm beneath the dark material which was not conducive to fighting off the naps that had attacked her all day. And yet, when footsteps echoed outside the tent, she knew they were much too heavy to be Pan's – so she took a risk. She didn't need her hands for this kind of magic.

It was Felix who entered the tent, carrying a carved wooden bowl filled to the brim with water. When he saw her, his eyes blinked twice. But that was the only sign that he noticed the illusion she had placed upon herself. The small colours of black and blue that dotted her collarbone; the cuts that leaked blood onto her shirt. It was enough to make him falter – a momentary second guess – and for now, that was enough. The plan was in motion – the lost boys' fight to be found.

And yet, Indigo questioned his presence here. Surely this wasn't Pan's kindness.

"He doesn't want you dead," Felix said as though he had heard her thoughts, or had perhaps seen the illusion and assumed Pan had already begun with her torture, "Yet."

She manoeuvred her hands forward to take the bowl, wincing as the shackles slid down her wrists slightly. That was no illusion – they were burning with every attempt she had tried to get out of them.

Felix dropped the bowl into her hands, eyeing her wrists carefully before starting, "You probably shouldn't keep trying. He'll let you go when he's ready."

"Any clue as to when that will be?" Indigo questioned, lowering the bowl from her lips, before returning to it quickly, eager to quench her thirst.

"Only he knows," Felix answered, holding his hand out for the bowl. Indigo returned it with a small, "Thanks," to which he nodded and left the tent as she took down the illusion that covered her to save her energy should a real emergency arise.

It was only a few minutes later, when the novelty of his appearance had worn off that Indigo realised what she was truly thanking him for. The throbbing pain in her wrists had subsided. Looking at them, she noticed that the redness faded into nothing, and all that remained were the lightest of scars that were disappearing before her eyes. It had to have been Felix, she assumed. And yet it was curious, if he could heal this, how come the scar that marred his face still stood prominent and menacing?

At that moment though, it didn't particularly matter. All she knew was that one lost boy might not be too lost for much longer.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I legitly spent two hours late last night planning out the entirety of this story so that I don't get half way through and write myself into a ditch that I have to write myself out of. AND, nobody told me that I'd been using 'distain' instead of 'disdain' for years which makes me feel incredibly stupid considering I took the highest English subject possible. Anyway, thank you guys for your reviews and follows, it means so much! xx

**The Music**

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_The candles lit up her room as the young princess waited in anticipation at her window. Moonlight lit up the tops of the trees as she watched the town falling asleep. Her brown eyes shone with excitement that made the moment she saw him that much more important. _

_He himself was sneaking out. The musicians were like his family – like several protective uncles. But as of yesterday, he was a man. Sixteen years old; now he could go wherever he wanted. He could travel the world and see foreign lands and people. He could learn their songs. _

_Only she had to stay, one day she would be queen, and he knew he couldn't leave her._

_He made his way through the woods warily. His eyes were glancing around furtively on his path. There was little that he could use to defend himself should someone attack him, not that he would know how to in any manner. Perhaps he could throw his flute at them, but that wasn't something he'd do until he had no other option. _

_He managed to reach the outermost wall of the castle without any trouble, except an acute growing fear of the things that moved in the darkness. His princess stood at her window, looking out past him. He didn't call her to gain her attention, but pulled out his flute and began to play._

_Her eyes snapped to his as he played a melody that she had come to think of as hers and hers alone. And she smiled as he played, but others found the music not so appeasing to their ears. The sound of movement on the third floor of the castle forced her to make a stopping motion to Peter, and point at a small side door towards the south as she mouthed, "I'll meet you down there!"_

_It was a feat to get past the guards that had suddenly realised someone was present in the castle that shouldn't be. But they unlike the Princess, had no idea where the boy was coming from, and so she snuck down past the servant's stair into the delivery door and opened it. _

_Peter climbed in through the smaller door and lit up when he saw the Princess. His ecstasy was cut short however by the finger she placed to her lips in silence. Suddenly he was fearful again, for silence with his feet was not the easiest of tasks for him. But with the Princess leading the way, they found themselves quickly hidden away in her room. _

_Peter looked around in awe, once more shocked by the divide between their lives. He looked at her properly once more to find that she had made an effort to do her hair in braids for him, and smiled sadly. How long could this last? The Princess and the piper – surely she would be married off soon – _

_His thoughts were cut off by her hand, tracing his nimble fingers. _

_"Perhaps," she started, thinking of the importance of secrecy, "I could find a special flute for you, one that they can't hear."_

_"I could simply play softer," Peter suggested._

_"No," she stated solidly. "No, you should never play softer."_

**Present Day**

The haunting sound of music floated into Indigo's sleep, waking her gently. The night had crept up on her; the barest rays of light creeping through the tent surface to tell her that it was clear – the moon and the stars were out – and not a cloud was in sight. She kept count in her mind; it had been one day.

But Pan's flute was making its way into her tent, and outside she could see the scarlet tones of a raging fire. Boys beat rhythms onto whatever they could find as they danced. It was tribal and it was primitive, but Indigo wasn't afraid; this was merely Pan, reminding his lost boys of the reason why they came to Neverland in the first place.

The sound was darkened by the taint of loneliness in the music. Indigo supposed, to the lost boys, it was familiar and welcome, but to her, it dug cold shards into her heart. The call of loneliness was a reminder of a life that she would much rather forget. And Pan wasn't putting her in a fantastic mood.

She had no chance of seeing what was going on, but with a little concentration and a small flick of her head, the tent opened as though wind had flowed through the campsite. The boys were wild, and yet they were free. Her eyes followed them in keen observation, only a few did not dance, but they moved – they heard the music just as she did.

The notion made her shiver. She knew Pan's music only called to the lost ones. She didn't want to be lost, and yet she was. She always had been.

It wasn't something that she wanted known to them; not yet.

Night turned into early morning as the music slowly died and the lost boys found themselves back in their treetop houses. A single pan flute lulled the boys to their sleep as the fire dulled into embers. It was almost daybreak by the time Pan left his music to silence and walked into Indigo's tent, his face marred by blurred paint as he put aside his flute on a small hook in the tent.

"Did you enjoy the entertainment?" Pan asked. "I saw your magical display earlier. You aren't quite as secretive as you think you are."

"It was the wind," Indigo answered quickly, a little bit too much force and disdain in her voice compared to how she'd spoken to him earlier.

"Ah," Pan breathed with a little relief, walking over to her, "There's the fire that Felix told me about. I must admit, I was hoping you weren't going to be just another Wendy."

Hearing Pan talk about Wendy wasn't a welcome experience for Indigo, considering everything her new plan contained went against the old plan that Wendy had instigated.

"Has today been boring for you Indigo?" Pan continued belittlingly. "Surely you wouldn't mind, getting out of here." Giving in to the loneliness. She saw the unspoken words in his eyes but she looked past him, eager to ignore his words. He made it harder to look anywhere but at him with the closing proximity between them.

"I'll find out what you want," Pan whispered, close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek. "I can see through your lies. I _will_ find out your power. And eventually, I will be the one to kill you."

She barely had a moment to gasp after his promise when she found him blocking her airways. Pan's lips were hard on hers – forceful – his movements driven by a force that she couldn't comprehend. It wasn't love, it could've been passion – but it took only a moment more for her to realise that it was nothing more than possession. This was his way of telling her that she couldn't leave; that from this moment on, she was his.

His hand held the back of her neck tightly and she tried, in reflex, to push him off, but Pan was smart – and he had trapped her with no loose chain. When he eventually let her go it was on his terms, and with a small tilt on the corners of his mouth on his mouth, he smiled darkly. Indigo glared at him icily – nothing she could say would be any help in this situation, especially since the only words going through her head were insults of varying degrees.

"I'll see you when the sun rises," Pan said as he walked out, his flute in hand.

She watched the instrument closely for a moment before the tent closed on her, plunging her into darkness. The chains around her, like snakes, strangled any hope of freedom. And lying awake in the moments before the dawn, she found herself examining her own thoughts curiously. Pan was right; she wouldn't mind giving in…if only to get out.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This is the longest chapter I have ever written for a fanfic. I started, and then just kept writing and it ended up two pages more than what I normally write. =P. Thank you for your reviews and follows!  
Also, I had to check the rating guidelines to set my mind at ease, and realised that the ones for this site actually differ from what I thought they were. Here I was thinking this was 13+, not 9+...  
SO, I'm sorry guys, but I have to push it up to an M rating. There isn't going to be anything explicit, but I feel like this story isn't going in the direction that nine year olds would enjoy reading...not that i think there are many nine year olds on this site...(hello if you are!)  
But here's the next chapter! xx

**The Ones Who Remember Wendy**

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_The princess was covered by a hood that she struggled to keep around her face as her horse flew through the night. Wearing a dress and cloak she had borrowed from her lady's maid, she was nothing more than a princess in disguise in pursuit of the world's best magician._

_She'd spent days upon days in the library. The King and Queen seemed glad that her mind was elsewhere but on that minstrel they had found in her room a few nights ago. After many a lecture, they had begun talks with a neighbouring kingdom to entwine the nations. The princess was no fool; in order to separate her and Peter, her parents were going to marry her off to a royal stranger._

_She pushed the thoughts aside as she travelled into the night, the maps that she had memorised swirling around in her mind as she headed into the one place nobody wanted to go – Avalon._

_In all the books she'd read, the princess had pieced together that Avalon was one of the only cross-realm places that still existed in the universe, accessible from Albion and the Enchanted Forest. There, in a shack built into the side of a cliff, she would find the master of magic._

_Merlin._

_It was after passing several dark and some abandoned farmlands that she came to a lake. Allowing her horse to rest, she swung onto the dark sand, watching the moonlight shine eerily over the lake. Walking slowly along the wet sand, she headed towards the cliff face looming menacingly in the distance. The princess knew that this trip was a long shot; Merlin had ceased to be of much help to anyone since the fall of Camelot. It was said that his love Nimue had banished him to this place and that was why he was bitter._

_That view of him was all the Princess had to go by as she found a small rock door, carved into the rock face. Tying her horse to some of the jutting rocks, she called out to the darkness. Above the door, in the language of old magic, were the runes of his name. Beneath it, in a language more familiar to her, were the words, 'Danger. Keep Out unless you want to be a toad'._

_Moments later the door slid sideways as though of its own accord. The princess was wary, but not scared, after all his magic was the reason she had come here. But the room beyond had been plunged into darkness. She called out, "Mage Merlin? I have come with a request. Please if you're here…I can pay you."_

_The lights flicked on with a small click. Mere metres away, a young man stood with a pan flute in his open palm. His old eyes shone with a spark at the mention of money_

_"Thank you very much Your Highness," he began with a smile. "Money is a language everyone understands."_

_"You…you are Merlin?" The young woman seemed put off by the youthful nature of the boy. He could be no older than twenty and five. Certainly not the all powerful mage she was looking for._

_"If I was an all powerful mage," he replied, sinking into a soft chair, clearly having just read the thoughts passing through her mind, "don't you think I could just appear any way I want to?"_

_"I've heard of such magics," the princess answered. "I simply was not expecting – "_

_"That I would be so ruggedly handsome," Merlin replied jokingly._

_"Well – I –" The princess was flustered. Nobody had ever spoken to her so openly about such things. Merlin however laughed it off._

_"You've already got your man," he smiled, holding out the flute to her. "I believe this is what you came for. I prepared it earlier today; it should do what you need."_

_"It will play only for me?" the princess confirmed._

_"It will play for those who have lost their hearts," he rectified. Joy lit up the princess' face. At that moment, Merlin's words meant all that she wanted them to mean. And now, only Peter and her would hear his music._

**Present Day**

Pan avoided her for the entirety of the next day.

Instead, she found herself meeting other lost boys, ones that she hadn't spoken to before. Felix of course, came in the morning with a plate of berries and some water. He seemed to be the only person who wasn't intent on letting her starve to death. He gave her a once over with observational eyes before seeming content with the fact that he didn't have to heal anything of Pan's doing today.

He held out his hands for her wrists which had begun to chaff in her sleep and healed them with a light glow of blue magic.

"How did you learn that?" Indigo asked softly.

"Pan taught me," he lied without thinking, standing up and walking out of the room suddenly. It didn't seem strange that he should walk out on her, but it did pique Indigo's interest. Felix was the one lost boy whose past remained a mystery. She had learnt of some of the others in preparation for this mission, but Felix was an enigma. No records existed of him beyond eye-witness accounts; and they weren't the pleasant side of him that Indigo had seen.

Over the course of the day, various lost boys entered the tent. At first it was an older boy, like Felix, who came to take away Indigo's empty plate. She thanked him but he ignored her, his brilliant blue eyes not making eye contact. He was newer than some of the others. She was told by two boys who came in later that his name was Andrew. These two were younger, talkative and certainly less malicious than the older boys. To them, being lost meant adventures across Neverland. Using weapons meant that they were soldiers.

These boys would be the easier ones. Their names were Hayden and Will. Their tongues weren't accustomed to the idea of keeping secrets because they weren't used to having restrictions. But unlike Andrew, these boys were lost in Neverland's wonder. Perhaps, once upon a time, they had felt that distance from their loved ones, but they had found Neverland. These were the boys who never thought to look back. Maybe they just needed a window.

Indigo joked with them, chatting about life on the island until a two note bird call came from outside. As though possessed, they suddenly fell into silence, their ears listening intently for something that Indigo couldn't hear. Their eyes flashed and they ran, without goodbyes, out into the camp. The sound of clattering metal alerted her to fact that this was a hunt, and those boys were called to the hunting party.

There were two others who came by whilst the hunting party trekked across the island. Felix assigned a boy named Lainor to watch Indigo carefully so that she could not escape. She tried explaining about Pan's enchanted chains, but Lainor held no interest in any words she spoke. Instead, he spent the entire hour carving into a piece of wood from outside her tent. By the end of it, she was sure that her study of his technique meant that she might be able to do something half decent one day. She was surprised though, that when his place was taken over by another, he left the piece of wood on the floor by the door. Crawling as far as the chains would allow, Indigo stared at it curiously. He hadn't carved her face exactly, but everything that surrounded her. The swirling mass of chains wrapped around a tall, tall tree. She was in awe of his workmanship, but thought that he was an interesting guy, wondering why he chose to not speak to her.

The feet that came in next pushed the plaque aside gently, placing two bowls, of water and of roots, in front of her. Her face was impossible to hide when she saw the plant roots, and the boy laughed when he saw it.

"Don't worry," he said. "I never liked them either."

"You are?" Indigo asked.

"Meron," he replied without qualms, sitting down in front of her easily. Indigo watched the boy, so at ease with her sitting there in chains and kept her wondering to herself.

"Meron means warrior," Indigo said without thinking.

The boy didn't fear to speak, "Really? I did _not_ know that. That's pretty cool!"

"I'm sorry about Lainor," he continued as he jerked his head towards the entrance where Lainor had just left. "He's a little uncomfortable around people. He hasn't spoken since he came here. We're not too sure if he ever did."

"Not to seem rude or anything," Indigo started. "But you're the one who seems easiest around me, at least amongst the older boys."

"I don't know about that," Meron shrugged, "We're all pretty used to girls. It hasn't been that long since Wendy came."

Indigo bit her tongue that wanted to reveal it had been almost fifteen years since Wendy had been to Neverland.

"That's why Lainor did this for you, you know," he continued, pulling the plaque over to her. "We liked Wendy. It was a shame when the shadow took her home because she, well, wasn't a boy. She told the best stories. We all sat around the fire and there was no dancing that night, instead we were lost in the worlds that she described."

The wheels were turning in Indigo's mind. Perhaps Wendy was the key after all. She hadn't tried to make them found, but reduce the connection they had with Pan by losing them to something else – to imagination. That still held something over the lost boys; there was a reason why they were intrigued by her.

But as the boys returned from their hunt, victorious, Meron said farewell. Later that night, the party started earlier because of the early hunt. And because of that, five lost boys made their way from the party, to Indigo's tent. Her face lit up when she saw them. They sat around her in a circle. They knew that Pan hadn't explicitly ordered them not to be here, but it wasn't the safest of ideas. Still they were here. And she knew what they wanted.

She told them there, the story of a princess named Snow White, fleeing for her life from an Evil Queen.

Indigo was careful though. Every so often she would throw in allusion to the idea that only love would save Snow White when she found Prince Charming. She painted the Evil Queen with a heart so they would know she wasn't truly evil…

Not like the boy whose eyes were staring her down from the tent doorway. He eyed her with pure venom. He didn't remove her from his sight as he said to the five boys, "Meron, Will, Hayden, Lainor, Andrew – I will deal with you tomorrow."

They stood up sullenly. None ran – because to run was to show fear of Pan – and the boys were to be without fear. That wasn't Indigo's mantra, but she followed it anyway. Pan clicked his fingers and she felt her chains fall away. Thinking it was some trickery, she stayed exactly where she was, looking up at the boy questioningly.

"Get up," he ordered. She was surprised when she realised that a momentary delay caused Pan to use his magic, moving her body like he was a puppeteer. A second later, he was manoeuvring his hands with a magical glow and ropes flew around Indigo's wrists.

"Where are you taking me?" Indigo finally asked, adamant that her feet would not move until she told them to.

"You can't be trusted around the lost boys," Pan stated, beckoning her out of the tent. She followed, eager for a chance at freedom. But Pan merely took her around the side of the tent and offered her a ladder – to a treehouse.

"What makes you think I won't just jump," she suggested.

"Do you honestly believe I'd go to all this trouble if I wanted you dead just yet?" His hands glowed with the magic that told her he was prepared to save her life until he took it.

The climb was difficult with handcuffs, but the ladder was built almost like steps that led to a house overlooking the others around the campsite. It was a large room, built by many she assumed. There were bookshelves and a desk, a chest of weapons open at the foot of a bed, windows that gave a fantastic view of the sea – and the exact same chains from her tent were now attached to Pan's wall.

He was quick about putting her back in them. He gave away no expressions though, and Indigo gave a small smirk that he didn't see. She liked the idea that she'd made him angry.

So as he put up a shield around the room to stop her from escaping the tree house, she smiled. And when he pulled out his flute, to lull the lost boys to sleep, she fell into a deep slumber with them, knowing that tomorrow she would have to find herself a way out of these chains.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey team! So this is the reason for upping to the M Rating. I actually really like this chapter, it really emphasises the different type of person that Pan is now to how he was then. Anyway…  
I actually wrote out the lullaby that Peter plays for his princess as well as the one that he plays as the lost boys' lullaby. Pop me a review if you wouldn't mind hearing them and I'll upload them to Youtube. =D xx

**Destroy **

It was late afternoon by the time Indigo awoke. Sunlight streamed in through the window as she tried to take a step forward. But apparently she had no more leeway than she had in the tent. She could take only a few steps forward and that barely allowed her to reach the bowl of water that was sitting in the corner of the room.

And so throughout the day, she wondered the ways that she could change Pan. She knew that over the years, people had come to kill him and none had succeeded, but that had never been her intention. Wendy had wanted her to convince Pan that the heart of the truest believer could be found back home, and get him to leave Neverland for a land without magic. There, he would be powerless, and she could uphold his demise.

But Indigo knew that wouldn't be easy. Pan thought he had her in the palm of his hand, which, if she was to truly admit it, stuck in these chains she kind of was.

Her day was lonely and the camp was quiet. No lost boy came to find her, but she suspected they didn't know where Pan was keeping her anymore. Only one person came to see her, and that was Pan, as the sun was setting and the camp flooded with sound.

"How was your day?" Indigo asked, feigning interest as she leaned into the wooden wall.

"We fought some mermaids in the cove," Pan replied as he dropped his bow and arrow on the chest at the foot of his bed. He looked at the dark blue blood on the end of his sword and continued evenly, "They should learn to not touch land."

"You really don't want to talk to me do you?" Indigo enquired, in reference to his unfeeling statements as Pan sat on his desk, facing her. His face returned to its interested façade, gazing at her curiously. Wheels turned in his mind, she could see it as he watched her. She was too strong – too adept at lying – for him to trust anything she said, so he simply wasn't going to talk to her. He was simply going to try and break her. He didn't know she was beyond that.

The boys' fire roared into the night as usual and she ticked off mentally her third day on the island. They all retired to bed earlier than normal, Pan's music turning melancholy and slow much quicker than it normally did. It was barely midnight when he returned to the tree house, his flute thrown on the ground, as he turned upon her, the night in his eyes.

For a moment, Pan looked at her, touching her face tenderly, but the next his lips were on hers, hungrily. His hands weren't holding her in place this time, but rather her chains. If this was going anywhere near where she thought it was going, she was hoping they wouldn't stay there for too long.

But as Pan pulled her closer and she felt his need for her, she realised that this was a teenage boy trapped on an island from a time long past. And he may try to fool her, but he had never done this before.

She began to smirk into his kiss as the boy pushed her back against the tree house wall.

"What's so funny?" he murmured, breathing so closely to her.

"You're not as intimidating as you think you are," she smiled.

Pan pushed her against the wall once more. It was acutely uncomfortable, but she wanted to hear his reaction. Only there was none. It came physically, his lips assaulting her neck and collarbone. He tried to prove that he wasn't as innocent as she thought he was, but she doubted him; her intuition was quite attuned.

"Let me out of these chains Pan," she ordered softly.

"So that you can run off?"

"So that we can do this properly," Indigo replied, staring at him evenly. She knew that with his magical barrier surrounding the tree house she'd take a while to figure out how to get out of there. Pan knew this too, so it was only a matter of time before she found her hands free. At that moment she could've done anything. Indigo could've called upon any training she had, to fight Pan – to make him feel pain. She could have attacked him with magic so forceful that his body would crack and turn to dust.

Instead, she pushed herself off the wall and into him – kissing him back.

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_"Peter!" _

_The young princess was running up the hill on the other side of the forest. When he saw her he held out his open arms. They embraced warmly, the girl almost crying with happiness. It had been almost a week since her engagement to Prince Fiori and she had been scared, oh so scared, that Peter would not have come for her._

_"I have a gift for you," she said as they sat side together in the grass, her head lying restfully in his lap. She passed the flute to him from her bag as he looked at it carefully, examining the runes carved into the underside of the pipes and observed, "It's magic, isn't it?"_

_"It will only sound for us," the princess said, looking up at his face with a wide smile. "Will you play my lullaby? No one can hear us now – this is our time."_

_He put the pipes to his lips and began to play her tune. Her eyes began to close with the sound of it. But as he played for her, she heard a different tone in the song, and it was saddening. The Princess knew that the music was all Peter's own, and she wondered why it would suddenly become sad – why, perhaps Peter had become sad._

_"Peter," she started suddenly, turning to sit and face him. "I'm not going to marry the Prince."_

_Peter stopped playing abruptly as he looked at her with dropping eyes. "It's already been arranged. The entirety of both kingdoms knows the news."_

_"I'm going to run away with you," she explained as though it was the simplest thing in the world. But Peter turned his eyes away. The princess pulled his face back to hers gently, whispering closely to him as the grass surrounding them moved quietly in the breeze. There was nothing around for miles. "I will go anywhere with you Peter."_

_"I love you Princess," Peter muttered._

_"Please Peter," the girl smiled, touching his face gently, "No more princess."_

_He breathed in gently as she said with a cheeky smile, "I love you, Peter Pan."_

_Peter gave a small laugh at the sound of the name his princess had given him. He supposed, he no longer had to be Peter of Panenai if she no longer had to be a princess. _

_"I love you too…Anabelle."_

**Present Day**

The morning revealed Indigo's place in an empty bed. She didn't know when Pan had left, but she didn't particularly care. But, as she used the sheet to cover herself, she tried to find her clothes around the room. Of course, that led her to realise that the room around her had changed.

Pan's belongings from his desk were strewn across the floor and one of his smaller bookshelves had fallen onto the floor. She crawled over onto the bed and saw hand prints that had pulled imprints on the headboard. Her eyes widened as last night's events hit her suddenly and she remembered what her and Pan had done. One look around the room and you could see the destructive nature of it.

She used the bowl of water that hadn't moved from the corner yesterday to wash her clothing, but it was a few more hours of laying it on the windowsill before she could even touch it. Instead she found herself a few strings and, wrapped the sheet around herself in a makeshift dress. She had to assume it looked good because there was no one around to tell her otherwise.

But as she sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the empty chains, she only hoped that she knew what she was doing. She had to make Pan trust her. She had to make him see that once, he wasn't lost. Once upon a time, he was one half of the greatest love story ever told.

Only now, he had forgotten how to love.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey hey team! I am loving your continued support of this story. I am literally so pumped for writing this every day.

However, I'm super eager for tomorrow's episode and I'm not going to upload the next chapter until after I've seen it. I have this thing about trying to keep my fics as canon as I can. If it completely destroys everything I have in mind I'll have to make it AU. BUT ONLY IF I HAVE TO!

Until then, I have a present. Head on over to YouTube and type in "Anabelle's Lullaby Anita Grassy" and it'll be the first there! Or at least it was on mine...

Enjoy the chapter! xx

**When You Won't Give In**

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_"ANABELLE-"_

_A sharp blow to the side of his head cut off Peter's words quickly. His cries were cut short by the bag that was thrown over his head, doused in some sort of smell that forced him into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw before he slipped away was Anabelle, calmly speaking with one of the guards._

_The guard in question happened to be a childhood friend of hers. And she was reasoning with him to let Peter go. As his body was hauled out of sight, she was torn between arguing and chasing after him. But the guard, her friend Friedrich, was as stubborn as a mule. His duty meant more than she did now. And she knew it would make no difference what she did. She couldn't even pull rank anymore – no one respected the princess who fell in love with the piper._

_So instead, she was confined to her room with guards posted outside her door day and night – anything in order to stop her from seeing Peter and escaping to be with him. It was two days to the wedding…or at least, it _had_ been two days to the wedding._

_Word had reached the neighbouring kingdom, and the engagement had been broken. Now Anabelle, in the eyes of two kingdoms, was nothing more than a traitor. It wouldn't surprise her if her parents never spoke to her again. _

_And it was with the idea that she had nothing left to lose that she finally tied her bed sheets together using nothing more than strings and climb slowly, but surely out of her second story window._

_Her hands were red and raw with the effort of keeping herself on the material and off the ground, but when she finally landed on her two feet, she breathed out in relief after all the exertion. Glad that her parents had stationed no guards outside – not expecting her to have the capability to climb out of a window – she ran around to the servants' stair. It wasn't hard to find some rags, a cloak and meagre rations to take down to the dungeons. The guards didn't question her as she slipped past them and down towards the cells where a young boy sat, playing a pipe that no one but they could hear._

_The moment he saw Anabelle, he grasped hold of the prison bars, his eyes wild and desperate._

_"You can't be here," he hissed. "They'll lock you up!"_

_A key flashed from beneath her cloak. She'd swiped it from one of the guards as she walked past. Anabelle whispered to Peter, "They can't do anything more than what they're already doing. Unfortunately for my family, I'm the only heir. Until my mother has another child, they have to keep me safe."_

_"But if you're caught helping me, that won't save you Anabelle." Peter's eyes were saddened by the mere thought. She didn't know yet. She didn't know what he'd done to deserve this. "You don't know what I've done."_

_"You've done nothing," Anabelle reassured him as she clicked the key into place and the door swung open with a small hiss. She was glad it didn't make a loud enough noise to attract any attention, but she turned to Peter and pointed him around the corner into the shadows. He got the idea and went to hide._

_"Help!" Anabelle cried, putting on a slight accent, "Help! The prisoner has escaped!"_

_The sound of two guards in heavy metallic armour came echoing down the stairs and as they searched the cell quickly, Anabelle jumped into action, locking them in and grabbing Peter by the hand. It would only give them a few moments, but that was enough._

_Or at least, she thought it was until Friedrich stopped them at the top of the stairs._

_"Please," Anabelle pleaded, looking up at him. In that moment, that young man held their fates in his hands. He said nothing; but stepped aside. "Thank you," Anabelle whispered, touching his hand as they ran from the castle, out the delivery door and into the night. They ran alongside the castle and into the forest. Peter was no longer afraid of the things that moved in the dark. After all, he felt something much darker stirring within himself._

_They hid when they heard the King's patrol searching through the forest, calling amongst each other, "The Princess is to be captured unharmed. But the boy; the moment we see him, we kill him."_

_"We have to leave Hainor Peter," Anabelle muttered, looking at his face in the dark, a cool wind sweeping over them. "We have to leave and never return."_

_"Remember, he is dangerous. The medic says that he killed the Prince with nothing more than a flute."_

_The sound of horse's hooves echoed across to them, along with one of the soldier's voices. Anabelle turned to Peter with wide eyes, astonished by what she had just heard. But he refused to look at her. That explained the pain in his eyes, she thought, the pain when we were in the dungeon. But at that moment, she couldn't feel sorry for him. All she could ask was, "Why?"_

_"I wasn't good enough," he muttered in response. He didn't tell her of the Prince who searched him out in the night, baring his knife and sword in a planned attempt to do away with him for good. He didn't say that he had tried to fend him off with calming words, with excuses, with promises that he didn't want to keep. Peter didn't say that he had used his flute to fend off the Prince's attack, flicking him over the head with it barely. He didn't say that the prince had fallen with a sickening crack upon the corner of the table, dying slowly upon the floor before his eyes as he tried to stop the endless bleeding._

_Instead, he hated himself._

_And looking at the girl next to him, whose eyes were tearing in response to his actions, he knew he could not give her what she wanted. She wanted his heart; but his heart was weighed down with that small action of violence that he knew could only grow. It was the curse of darkness – to grow. _

_Anabelle turned his face to hers, and pressed her lips lightly to his. Her desperation to keep him was plain upon her face, but he did not want to taint her. He knew, this was their first kiss, and it would be their last. Peter looked at her face once more, imprinting it upon his memory, and stood up. Without turning back, he said forcefully as he walked away, "Run Anabelle. Run and don't ever look back."_

**Present Day**

The boys were playing with their weapons the next time Indigo glanced out the window. Some of them were shooting arrows at a target on the wall, others were throwing knives at each other in some sort of either training or fun – either way it looked more than a little dangerous.

"Jealous?"

Pan's voice shocked her out of her watchful stance. She hadn't thought she'd be seeing him for a while. It didn't seem like his style. But when she realised he'd asked her if she was jealous of the lost boys, she scoffed, "No."

"So, you don't want to be free then?" Pan asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching her.

"Well it isn't like you're going to let me, so why bring it up?"

She didn't realise how defeated her words sounded until she heard the smile in Pan's voice as he replied, "You're learning fast."

At that moment, all she wanted to do was turn around and backhand the smug grin off her face. But Indigo merely clenched her fist to prevent it, before flexing her hand to let the magic her rage had brought forth dissipate. She had to calm herself. Her plan certainly didn't involve blowing up the camp by accident.

"You see Indigo," Pan began. "I have this problem with you."

"You're sure I'm not the problem?"

He swiped his hand gently through the air causing her mouth to seal shut momentarily. She pulled her lips apart, but didn't speak anyway.

"My problem is your attitude Indigo Garcia. I think you forget constantly that you're actually a prisoner here. You should know that you aren't leaving for a while."

"Gone soft Pan?" she goaded, remembering his death threats to her two nights ago.

"I've found other uses for you," he replied simply, before jumping out of the room down the ladder and leaving Indigo to her own thoughts. A moment later however, his face popped up again saying, "Love the dress."

She wanted to throw something at him, and Pan could feel it, laughing all the way down the ladder before landing lightly on the ground.

"What news have we got on those two magic hating pawns?" Peter asked Felix, straight back into business.

"They're in Storybrooke now," Felix answered, "The Shadow says it shouldn't take too long."

"Excellent."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Goodness, that episode of Once Upon A Time was literally amazing. I'm shipping Hook with everybody now. The chemistry between him and Peter was insane and then that kiss with Emma - I legit was on the edge of my seat the entire episode. But then there was a reference to something I'd written into chapter nine and I was like 'DAMN YOU KITSIS AND HOROWITZ THAT WAS MY IDEA' and then I realised that I hadn't uploaded chapter nine yet and have some sort of seer ability because this story can continue on the straight and narrow without me having to change anything. No AU! *yays*

And I never have to set foot in my school ever again as a student after 11.30 tomorrow morning because my HSC (end of school/university entrance exam) is finished. I'm going to go frolicking out the gate in joy - just thought you all ought to know that.

So here's the next chapter!

xx

**The Lies of a Writer**

**_A thousand years ago…_**

_"Merlin!"_

_A wild-eyed young woman stormed into Merlin's cavern, opening his door with a swift opening charm and standing in his doorway, dirtied by a day of fleeing across the country. On the shores of Avalon, she stood before Merlin, who looked up at her from a bowl of soup a little confused._

_He pulled out a long sheet of paper from next to the table and glanced at it quickly, checking his destiny charts before saying with a mouth full, "I was never supposed to see you again. Says so right here on the charts."_

_"Then you read them wrong," Anabelle accused, walking swiftly across the room and grabbing the paper out of his hand. Merlin dropped his spoon into his soup and started to protest but Anabelle had already seen the blank nature of the sheet. _

_"What is this?" she asked forcefully, shaking it in his face._

_"Look Your Highness, I really don't know why you're-"_

_"Not anymore."_

_"Excuse me?" Merlin enquired curiously._

_"I…I gave up my throne."_

_"For the boy with the flute I'm assuming," Merlin replied with a nod._

_"Don't mention him," she replied vehemently, her hand sitting upon the dagger at her belt. Merlin took a moment to look at her curiously. In the space of a few weeks, a calm girl who wanted to save her relationship with a minstrel had turned into a ticking time bomb._

_"What are you doing here then, Anabelle?" _

_"I want to learn from you," she stated, looking at him firmly passing him back the destiny chart. "Show me how to read this Mage Merlin; teach me how to do magic."_

_Merlin simply looked at her and laughed. She didn't move as he chuckled himself into silence, "You're joking right?" he finally smiled, but upon seeing Anabelle's nonplussed face his own fell and he continued._

_"Look, I haven't taught anyone since Camelot fell, and considering that was _because_ I taught someone, I'm not too keen to repeat it."_

_"I'm not Nimue," Anabelle responded, referring to the woman who burned Camelot and expelled Merlin from Albion. "Besides, if you won't do it then I'll teach myself. I've turned from my country and I need to know how to fight the guards that come after me. I've already started – watch."_

_She raised her arms where Merlin's fire roared. From it, a single spark lit up in her hand, burning into a small fireball. She shaped it for a moment, but within a few seconds, sparks had begun to fly off onto Merlin's stone floor. They grew in their scope and Merlin waved his hand, extinguishing the fire with a light glow._

_"You're going to be dangerous if you don't control that," Merlin mused, picking up the destiny chart once more. "Oh would you look at that?"_

_Anabelle looked at him as though he was an idiot, but his words afterwards made her smile._

_"Looks like destiny wants me to take on a new apprentice."_

_Days turned into weeks in Avalon, and weeks turned into months. One night, Anabelle and Merlin sat out on the lake, watching it turn to glass as their magical imperviousness prevented them from freezing. _

_"How long has it been since Camelot fell Merlin?" Anabelle asked curiously._

_"Oh…five hundred and forty-three years? Give or take a few months."_

_"And you're still here?" Anabelle frowned. How could Merlin still be alive? "Is that part of Nimue's punishment?"_

_"Oh no," Merlin smiled, "the nymph was a bitch but she didn't have that kind of power. I did this to myself."_

_"But…why?" Anabelle couldn't imagine living forever. Not aging would be nice, but Merlin was over five hundred years old. That was longer than Hainor had even existed._

_"It's not a specific choice exactly," Merlin explained. "But once you reach a certain threshold of magic usage, your body comes to regard it as a sustaining source. Every time you use your magic, your body rejuvenates, rendering you essentially, eternally young. In that way, you can never die of old age."_

_"You can never die…" Anabelle looked out to sea, "That has to be lonely."_

_"Well," Merlin hesitated, "I _can_ die. I mean, if someone stabs me with a sword that I don't disintegrate in time, or I get shot by an arrow that I don't see and I die before I can heal myself, I will die. In fact, it's almost certain that someday I will. You just stop using magic, and your body stops healing itself. You start ageing again – time starts passing – and you die."_

_"But why would you hide out here? For centuries – alone. Why wouldn't you let yourself age?"_

_"I'm waiting for someone," Merlin replied, looking out to sea. _

_"Arthur?" Anabelle whispered, looking up at Merlin._

_"No," Merlin scoffed. "I mean, yeah, he'll come back someday. But I'm waiting for Nimue. I'm hoping that when she comes back this time she won't be so-"_

_"Evil?"_

_"Yeah," Merlin murmured. Their conversation faded into silence until Anabelle started up again, "Wait. What's the threshold of magic?"_

_Merlin refused to look at her for a few moments until he said, a little sheepishly, "You passed it two months ago."_

_Anabelle erupted, her eyes flashing red in anger. _

_"Control," Merlin reminded her. She took a few breaths and let the rage go – a soft breeze across the lake. _

_"Why wouldn't you tell me?"_

_"I thought I could train you to train the one who comes after me."_

_"Stop speaking in riddles Merlin," Anabelle said impatiently, pulling him to his feet as they made their way back inside. _

_"The thing about power," Merlin began, "Is that it continues long after we die. In some cases, most definitely mine, it moves on to another person, often ancestral based, and becomes theirs. My power was not always mine. An ancestor of mine, only two hundred years old, passed on magic to me when he died, and I built upon it. Now I know that when I die, some poor child will be burdened with magic. And I want them to have a teacher."_

_"You want me to teach your descendant magic," Anabelle repeated as they walked. "Who knows how many centuries that could be?"_

_"It shouldn't be too long," Merlin answered as they entered the cavern. He pulled out the destiny charts and handed them to her. With the months of training now at her fingertips and the magic swirling through her body, she now found it no problem to see the letters fashioning themselves into words on the page. And there she saw Merlin's demise – by winter's end._

_"Merlin," she muttered looking up at him pitifully. "I'm so sorry."_

_He winced, "It's soon isn't it."_

_Anabelle realised as she looked back at the page, that nothing there said her name. She could only see the destinies of others, and only then if she was trying really hard. And if the same applied for Merlin…he hadn't known he was going to die._

_"But you're waiting for Nimue," Anabelle whispered._

_"She'll find someone else," Merlin replied with a small shrug, but she could see the loneliness in his eyes. "She's strong and beautiful – it won't be hard for her to find someone else."_

_And Anabelle looked at the pain in his eyes, the kind that never left, and wondered if that was really true. Would it be possible to find someone else who wasn't Peter?_

_She honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to._

**Present Day**

She had found some matches hidden in Pan's desk drawer. And whilst being tempted to burn down the tree house, she had merely lit several candles to give her a little light as the sun went down. Now back in her own clothes, she felt much more comfortable exploring Pan's belongings, feeling as though her plan was back on track…somewhat.

Pan's bookshelves were lined with books from across the centuries. The oldest volumes dated back to the times of the Middle Ages and the newest, to the present day. It was as though the shadow, when it wasn't off doing Pan's bidding, simply collected books for him to read. She was surprised by the scope of them, finding some that seemed incredibly familiar.

But before she could go any further, a head popped its way into the tree house. Felix made the room seem tiny as he swept across it. He saw the marks upon her skin and went to heal them silently but she stopped him with a light push of his hand. His facial expression made no change however, and he took a few steps back before turning and walking across the room, swinging his rocky mace as he went.

She couldn't help but recognise something about Felix. A spark; something about his magic that seemed…old. His power didn't come from Pan as he had lied to her days ago. No, this was something far more powerful…

Indigo put it out of her mind for the moment and returned to the books. She ran her fingers over Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, even a copy of Grimm's fairy tales. And behind all of them, a large illustrated book entitled _Peter Pan and Wendy._ She let out a laugh as she skimmed through the book. Personally, she'd never read it. She'd expected tales of gore and horror, but this heavily romanticised version of Pan was pure fiction. A boy who was best friends with Tinkerbell, flying through the skies having adventures with Wendy and the Lost Boys? Battling Hook because he fed his hand to a crocodile?

She snapped the book closed and put it back where she found it, almost insulted by the incredulity of it all. But as she did, she spotted another book. It was old, the pages turning yellow, and the leather binding of it was worn, as though it had been read one too many times. The binding was fragile, but she treated the book delicately, knowing it had been decades since she last held it in her hands. Opening the front page, she saw her own handwriting staring back at her, _"A present far less than your new love, on your wedding day. All my love, Indigo."_

It wasn't her best writing. Merely a tale of a mermaid she'd once befriended, but the newlyweds had adored it. She felt almost threatened when she realised it was here. She hadn't seen them in years – she dearly prayed they were alright.

She looked up suddenly when she heard approaching footsteps, and Pan's face appeared through the floor followed by the rest of his body. He cocked his head when he saw the book open in her hands. His eyes quickly met hers, his face a mask of utmost malice.

"You lied to me," he said, stalking forward like an animal, as he realised that the Indigo who wrote the book was the Indigo who stood before him. And he would know the mermaid in the book. Ariel was the only one who ever turned into a human on this very island. She left it open on the desk, afraid that any sudden movements might destroy it.

He pulled her across the room, tightly holding her arms in a painful twist. But as soon as Indigo saw that he was taking her back to the chains, she twisted herself out of his grip and leapt out of his reach. She was not going back to being a prisoner – not in those chains which inhibited her magic.

Pan reached for her once again, but she ducked, using her surroundings as an obstacle course between them. A few minutes later Pan, still angry, but also having some kind of twisted fun, stopped trying to chase her and merely used magic to pull him towards her from across the room.

Or at least, he tried. Indigo was quick to swipe away the attempt, going on the offense to push Pan back onto his own bed, keeping him there with a layer of magic. Only, he pulled the layer off like it was some sort of bad adhesive. She supposed they were fairly evenly matched then, the two of them. Pan realised it too as the glowing in both of their hands subsided and he pulled her down to the bed with him.

Neither of them slept much that night.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey team! Thanks for the reviews, they're much appreciated! Here's the next chapter - covering a long space of time in one very long chapter. =]

Enjoy! xx

**Finding Neverland**

"So Indigo," Pan said, as he pulled his pants on, "I'm going to ask you a question."

"Can we talk fully clothed?" she returned as she searched for her shirt. She found it being thrown at her from Pan's side of the room. "Thank you," she grumbled. A few moments later she turned around to find him waiting expectantly for her.

"Clothed enough?" he asked, continuing without waiting for an answer. "Now, I've come up with a simple enough solution to our problems. _I_ will tell you my plan, if you will tell me yours."

That plan was flawed and Indigo knew that he knew that. She tried to figure out what he could gain out of this but came up short. The only bonus was, both of them could lie. But somehow, she knew if she didn't, she might gain his trust faster. So a half truth was better than no truth. She already knew his stupid plan anyway.

"I came to free the lost boys," she said quickly, folding her arms defiantly. Sure, that was part of the plan. But she was just hell bent on making Peter Pan human again and if the lost boys wanted to go free, that was a bonus.

Pan nodded, "Interesting. Well, I'm waiting on the heart of the truest believer to bring magic back to the world. And you're going to help me do that."

"What kind of lame-arse plan is that," Indigo said, finally voicing what she thought of his plan. "You do know that the heart of the truest believer is in a land without magic. I'm not much help there."

Pan eyed her. He knew that the boy was there, but how did she? She had magic…surely she hadn't come from there? But he was tired of her talking, and crossed the space between them quickly, pressing his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. It was one of those 'quit-asking-questions-you-belong-to-me' type kisses that she had come to know quite well over the past few days.

"I don't know what game you're playing Pan," Indigo said weakly as he left. "But I need to know the rules."

Slipping out of the room down the ladder he said, "I'll let you know as soon as it's your turn."

**_Neverland - Seven hundred years ago…_**

_"How long have we been here Felix?"_

_"I'd say about two years but I'm not too sure that time passes the same way here as it does back home."_

_"We haven't done anything here yet," Peter started, looking up at the stars beneath which they slept. "We came here to build a kingdom in a land where we never age. Instead we've learnt which berries are poisonous and which ones are safe."_

_"I've started figuring out how to start fires," Felix began as he rubbed his hands together and sparks lit up between them. In a moment a fire roared upon the ground._

_"Yes, very well done," Peter sighed, rolling over. "There has to be a way to get those blasted tribesmen off the island. All they do is sing and dance and kill all the good food."_

_"Did it ever occur to you that that's all we're going to do?"_

_"Don't be stupid Felix," Peter responded, flipping over restlessly once more. "We're going to live as kings!"_

_"Sure Pan," Felix scoffed. "And I'm going to grow up to be a fairy princess."_

_"Just you wait Felix."_

**Present Day**

Felix was standing on one side of the camp throwing his dagger repetitively at the target on the other side of the camp. Pan knew he only did that when he had nothing better to do, so he walked directly towards him. Felix looked up, sensing his presence, and quickly sheathed his knife. The look in Pan's eyes meant business.

"She's still lying to me," he said, sitting down next to him. "She's good, I'll give her that. She told me it was her plan to free you all." Pan scoffed, laughing at the fact that the girl even thought she could. "I told her it was my plan to find the heart of the truest believer, but she knew that. Her plan goes beyond freeing you all. It's something to do with me…but either way, she didn't seem as opposed to the idea of helping as she would have a few days ago. I think we're getting somewhere."

"You think she's ready then?" Felix enquired, keeping his sentences short and to the point.

"I let the shield down yesterday," Pan revealed, looking up at the tree house. "Which means she hasn't tried to escape because otherwise she'd be gone. I don't think she wants to leave, which means I've got her right where I want her."

"And we can work that to our advantage," Felix said.

"Indeed we can Felix," Peter answered with a small smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now however, I need you to do a quick scout of the island. The shadow tells me the boy's been found. It's only a matter of time before the boy comes and I want all possible traps laid out for anyone who might follow."

Felix nodded stonily, clasping Peter's arm in a handshake before taking off into the forest, two lost boys trailing behind him. The next second Peter found himself met by someone else. Meron came out of nowhere, jumping onto Peter's back. He threw him to the ground in response and Meron's smiling face suddenly became a mask of pain.

"I told you to be quieter when you're doing a surprise attack, otherwise it's not exactly a surprise," Peter said quickly, ignoring the pain that had shot up his back when Meron jumped him. It was strange that such a small thing could hurt him, and for a moment, he worried that his magical imperviousness had worn off. But that was idiotic, so he pushed it away; but the pain didn't move.

He hauled Meron to his feet, ordering him to run to the beach and back silently. The moment he was gone, he began to sidle over to his ladder, clutching at his shoulder in pain. Pan found it hard to climb his ladder for the first time in his life, and the moment he was up the stairs, he sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shirt in an effort to find out what exactly was wrong with him.

"It's the middle of the day."

Indigo's voice came from across the room, where she looked at him questioningly from over the top of Pride and Prejudice.

"Not now Indigo," he groaned in annoyance, waving his hand to create a mirror upon the wall. Turning his back to it, he twisted over his shoulder, horrified to see the raw mess that existed on his back. His skin was torn, some already healing – but some blistering with the heat of fresh burns. He was astounded at what could have done it; that was, until he glanced over at Indigo whose neck was dotted with soft red marks that he had made and whose eyes were wide and staring guiltily at him. Looking back at the mirror, he saw the patterns of lines that existed across his back, and he matched them with her fingertips. He turned upon her in both appreciation…and anger.

"_You _did this?"

_**The Enchanted Forest - 300 years ago…**_

_"C'mon Rumple!" Pan was saying to the boy across the field. "It'll take two minutes, honestly. Two minutes in Neverland and you'll never want to come back here."_

_The teenager's face almost seemed genuinely tempted by the offer. That was, until he caught sight of the boy who appeared out of the shadows next to Pan. Felix stared at Rumplestiltskin for a moment before turning around and walking away._

_"You're befriending wizards now Pan!" the young Rumplestiltskin pointed at Felix's retreating back. "So this is how you repay me for carving your new flute. Were we not friends?"_

_"We are," Pan answered earnestly, "the best of."_

_"Then why do you betray me like this?"_

_And with those words, Rumplestiltskin turned on his heel and ran from the field, back to a house where Pan was no longer welcome. _

_Pan turned to Felix, who had returned once Rumplestiltskin had turned away and asked him quietly, "What did you do?"_

_Felix seemed extremely more morose than usual as he watched the still farmhouse. There was a moment's silence before he muttered monotonously, "I killed his grandfather."_

_Pan's eyebrows raised. Not in judgement, because how could he judge when he himself had killed, but questioning why his friend had never told him. "You didn't care to share this fact before I befriended the boy."_

_"It didn't seem relevant," Felix answered, turning round. But Pan stopped him, clutching his arm to prevent him from going anywhere. _

_"You may have magic Felix," Pan began, extraordinarily evenly, "But you aren't invincible. I'd advise you not to lie to me in the future."_

_"I wouldn't Peter," Felix replied honestly, his dark eyes wide. He turned Pan's hold on him into a firm grasp on his arm. At first it seemed like an ordinary handshake, but the next moment, Pan felt something flooding his veins. He wasn't too sure what it was at first, but it took a moment for him to realise that it was pure magic, infusing itself with his blood. After a few moments, Felix let his hand drop…and Pan felt strong._

_"What was that?" he asked quickly, looking Felix dead in the eye._

_"I've never tried that before," Felix replied, shaking his head as though it was all blurry. "If I did what I thought I did, I just infused my magic with your blood. It's your magic now."_

_"Is this what you feel like all the time?" Pan asked in astonishment, strength flowing through his veins. "It's amazing!"_

_Felix actually smiled for the first time in a while. "We're pretty unique Peter. It's a different kind of magic. Most magic users wield it from anything they can find but ours is better. It comes from within."_

_"Excellent," he smiled, waving his hands through the air with the intent of creating a small breeze. But a large gust of wind shot through the field. Felix held his ground as it subsided before muttering, "I think I gave you a lot more than I thought Peter."_

_"It's an extraordinary gift my friend," he replied, clapping Felix on the back. "Thank you."_

_But as they began to walk away, Pan spoke up saying, "One more thing Felix. Don't call me Peter."_

**Present Day**

"I'm so sorry Pan!" she spluttered genuinely, having left the book behind and begun walking towards him. It looked horrendous – she wouldn't have wished that kind of pain upon anyone, even her worst enemy.

"I'm impervious to any kind of magic," he turned to her, swiping away the mirror. "You shouldn't have been able to burn me."

"Well..." she started, backing away slowly as he slowly stepped forward towards her. "It's a different kind of magic to yours."

"A _different_ kind of magic?" Pan repeated, stalking forward. "_Mine_ is a different kind of magic. So different that nothing has ever beaten me. Nothing hurts me."

"I'm sorry Pan," she repeated, finding herself backed against the desk.

"How did you do it?" he asked, meeting her there.

"When my emotions are high, my magic kind of multiplies…exponentially," she hesitated before adding quickly, "If I don't control it, but I can."

"My back says differently," Pan countered, finally leaving her to go and sit on the bed, wincing as he walked. She sighed in relief as she watched him go, but knew she couldn't leave him like that. It might help her case anyway. If he saw her do something genuinely caring, it might trigger something in him that made him remember what it meant to actually care.

At least, that was what she told herself afterwards. At that moment however, she just couldn't stand to see him so pitiful. That was the difference between them, Indigo realised suddenly. Pan wouldn't hesitate if she was in pain, he'd simply walk away and leave her. Was that what it meant not to care?

"Lie down," she said gently, sitting on the bed beside him.

"I can heal myself," Pan responded sharply.

"Not as quickly as I can do it," she answered, showing him her hands that glowed with light blue healing magic. He relented and lied down upon his stomach. The magic caused him to shiver and wince in pain, but after five minutes, the burns had turned into red skin that left only mild imprints of her fingernails. Some of the scabs turned into scars and the cuts into scabs. Finally, wearied by the exertion, she stopped. It wasn't hurting him anymore, in fact, Pan seemed to be genuinely enjoying it.

"This isn't a massage parlour," Indigo said suddenly, frowning and climbing off him.

"Come on Indie," was his response, spinning over and grabbing her by the waist. She was more shocked by what he called her than the action, and pulled herself out of his grasp easily.

"Don't call me that," she responded, feeling a pang when he did.

"Why?" Pan responded, pulling his shirt back over his head as he stared at her retreating back. "Because it's what Hook called you?"

Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to face the boy whose smug smile took up most of his face. She didn't even need to splutter out questions because Pan was already answering them. "I told you I would see through your lies. And remember, I am Neverland. I heard every word that you whispered in the night; every touch that you beheld."

"That's creepy," she let out before she could stop herself. "And it was also private."

He smirked easily saying, "I also never knew any of it." She realised that he'd just been looking for confirmation of his own musings. She berated herself inwardly; it was an easy trick – one she should have seen coming. He'd known of some of Hook's exploits, but never cared to inquire who.

"Don't think you can lie to me Indigo Garcia," he replied, referring to the first day she'd been captured. She's said she was Hook's prisoner and now, her lies were being uncovered. First the side plot to free the lost boys, and now her past with Hook…what else was Pan going to find out?

"And thanks for the scars," Pan replied with a tainted grin as he slipped down the ladder. "They may hurt now, but it was worth it."

He was playing her like a game, Indigo suddenly realised. Make her care and then drain her of what was all she had, her disguise. And it was wearing incredibly thin.

She was never going to get her turn.

_**Neverland - 284 Years Ago…**_

_"The echo caves are ours boys!"_

_Yells erupted amongst the lost boys as Pan jumped down off the rock where he had watched the mermaids flee in terror. _

_"Come now Felix," Pan commented, looking at the leader of the lost boys. "You aren't still feeling the shame of your loss to the chief? We ended the tribesmen years ago."_

_"It hasn't been years though, has it Pan?" Felix frowned. "It's been months. And out there," he pointed beyond the horizon, "It's been centuries. We're centuries old Pan."_

_"Don't go sharing your musings with the world Felix," Pan responded sharply as they followed the excited lost boys back to their makeshift camp. "We don't want the lost boys to start missing their parents."_

_"But maybe there's a different way to go about taking over the island. I mean, look at the blood in the water." It stretched throughout the caves, dark blue tainting the light coloured ocean._

_"They'll be back," Pan said with a shrug. "They aren't gone for good. Stop stressing Felix, you need to lighten up."_

_"Please Peter – "_

_Felix was cut off by the knife that Pan held to his throat. He was quicker than Felix imagined, and also much changed from the boy who had run away from a life with a Princess in Hainor. Felix saw the change that Neverland had caused him in his eyes as he said dangerously, "You may have once held the powers of Merlin, Felix, but he never taught you how to use them. He died. Therefore you can die just as easily." Pan dropped the knife from his throat as he said, "Oh, and don't forget, you gave most of your power to me."_

_"It wasn't supposed to be for this," Felix said as Pan walked away._

_"You're free to leave whenever you want Felix," Pan brandished his hand towards the endless sea that existed beyond the caves. "But don't forget the reason you came with me in the first place, or have you forgotten the mother who threw you out on the streets."_

_Felix was silent as Pan looked down on him, "I'm sorry Pan," he finally sighed, knowing that he never wanted to leave his friend alone._

_But within seconds Pan had his knife out again. He took two steps forward and swiped it out in front of Felix's face. The young man cried out in pain, falling to his knees as blood gushed between the fingers that clutched at the skin around his eye. Pan sheathed the dagger as he bent down to his friend's aid. There was no remorse in his face as he placed his hands on the side of his friend's face and concentrated. Immediately, Felix felt the blood pouring from his face begin to stop as the wound itself began to heal. _

_"Never say you're sorry Felix," Pan said, as the boy pulled his bloodstained hands away from his face. Pan's healing was good, but a scar still remained, cutting across his face, marring a once honest look. Felix stared up at Pan, drying blood upon his cheek and said nothing, but glanced over at the dagger Pan had used to attack him._

_"Keep it," Pan ordered without a moment's thought, untying the belt that held it and handing it to Felix. To anyone looking on, it would have looked like recompense for his actions. But Pan only did it because he knew he couldn't be the leader of the Lost Boys. They were the ones who were lost, and had to remain so. Pan, well, he'd forgotten what it felt like to be lost._

_Felix though, as he took the symbol of his leadership from Pan felt even more lost than he once had. His loyalty to his best friend remained still, but his best friend was gone. Perhaps, it was time that Felix lost himself to Neverland too. He feared he wouldn't survive if he didn't._

_But as he held the dagger in his hands, he felt a surge of magic wash over him. His magic told him that the dagger wasn't ordinary, but had been forged from something else, something that the magic he had earned from Merlin told him held great power. This dagger came from the shards of Excalibur._

_And as he followed Pan back to camp, he realised that it wasn't Pan's magic that left him with a scar, it was the sword that made cuts that never truly healed. His face would always carry the consequence of his apology – he would never apologise again. He would take on his role – he would train the lost boys. They would rule the island, his loyalty to them._

_But Felix would not fear; he would not even fear Pan._


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Love you guys! Reviews are my best friend. =]  
And I'm so sorry, but I've got heaps of stuff jam packed into the next two days and I'm sitting here, almost 11, needing to awaken early in the morning with chapter eleven maybe 2/10 pages done. So the next chapter will be a minimum of two days, my time (which, considering most people don't share my timezone looks to be less for you) but it will be up definitely by Saturday (again, my time, so possibly Friday for you). In the meanwhile, enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!  
xx 

**Lost in the Wild**

**Present Day**

"I left clothes for you on the bed!" a voice cut into Indigo's sleep. "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes."

Indigo's eyes snapped open as her body shot upwards, her heart beating irregularly in excitement at the prospect of freedom. No way. Had Pan just said –

She was quick about getting washed up and slipping into the clothes that Pan had dumped on the bed. She had to admit, they seemed a lot cleaner than the rags the Lost Boys seemed to wear. But then again, she mused as she pulled on the pants, they probably hadn't been worn in a while. The shirt and tunic Indigo pulled on over the top were massively huge but it only took minor adjustments using household magic and a belt to fix them. Looking at herself in a temporary mirror she nodded appreciatively at the girl staring back at her. What she wouldn't give for a hair brush though…

"Indigo!"

She practically jumped down the stairs at the sound of Pan's voice, landing almost as lightly as he seemed to do it. With a little more practice, perhaps she could do it silently. However, her thoughts were broken by something that came flying at her, catching a spark of light as it flew. She jumped aside to avoid it, finding a sword fallen on the ground next to her.

"You were supposed to catch it," Meron almost sang as he ran past on his daily ten laps around the campsite.

Looking up at Pan who had obviously thrown the sword from a few metres away, Indigo questioned him. He wasn't aiming at her, which she found oddly strange, instead he had thrown the sword hilt first, intending her to catch it. Of course, her co-ordination wasn't that attuned if she wasn't expecting it.

"Pick it up," he ordered, as the sound of him unsheathing his own sword rang through the campsite. Taking a quick glance around curiously, Indigo noted that all the other lost boys milling about the camp didn't carry swords – only Pan. So as she leant down to pick it up, she was a little confused about why he was letting her hold it.

"I take it you know how to swordfight," he grinned.

**_The Enchanted Forest - 294 Years Ago _**

_"Is she awake yet?"_

_"She swallowed an awful lot of water Captain. Honestly, I've never seen anyone's lungs hold that much."_

_"Well the girl simply fell out of the sky. I have no doubt she has other hidden talents we've yet to discover. Why isn't she bound? Do I have to do everything around here?"_

_There was a sound of multiple pairs of scuffling feet as Anabelle's memories came rushing back. The skyward trip to Neverland hadn't taken her beyond the Enchanted Forest as Tinkerbell had suggested, but rather headlong into a storm that threw her out of the sky. She woke up on the deck of a ship, coughed up the ocean from her lungs and fell into darkness again, the sudden collapse of her magic causing a chain reaction in her consciousness._

_She'd heard that a hidden menace was stalking the other world, and having gotten sick of fighting the Enchanted Forest's problems, she wanted out. Anabelle needed a different view and a different problem to solve – Neverland seemed the easiest way out._

_But now, as she heard the footsteps walking away, she was eager to open her eyes and see where these people had taken her. Judging by the salty smell, she was still upon the ship. The one thing she hoped she didn't see though, were pirates._

_Anabelle had met pirates before. Conniving thieving bastards they were – stealing the only money that she actually had pettily whilst they were drunk. She'd been out on the streets for a while after that. And by out on the streets, she meant under a tree._

_So when she opened her eyes and the room was empty, she breathed a sigh of relief, only to find that she was lying on a hard wooden floor, trapped behind bars. It didn't take very much time for her to simply melt the lock and swing the door open. Creeping into the darkness, she heard footsteps making their way back downstairs and the moment she saw a body, a magical wall appeared in front of it, knocking the man to the ground._

_Stepping over his unconscious body, she made her way up the narrow staircase only to find her way blocked by a man in a dark jacket. Looking up at his figure she asked hesitantly, "Pirate?"_

_"Captain Killian Jones," the man answered. She didn't wait for him to say anything else, but pushed him aside with a swift force of magic. He staggered momentarily before taking a few steps after her and pulling a dagger from his boot that she heard and turned around._

_"Seriously?" she questioned, her hands open in front of her, beckoning him forward. She'd just broken out of the brig effortlessly and he still wanted to fight her. He ran at her directly and she pushed him aside easily, not seeing the dagger that he threw as he fell. He had good aim, she thought as her sleeve connected with the wood of the ship, pinning her. She pulled it out quickly, but not quick enough. The captain was back, sword at her heart, and a pistol in his other hand just in case._

_ "I'm not taking any precautions," he started, shifting his weapons pointedly, "I thought your falling out of the sky was a little too magical, so we aren't on the best of terms at the moment."_

_Jones took a moment before asking, "So where are you from?"_

_"Not here."_

_"Funnily enough," he commented, "We're in the middle of the ocean so I had figured that much out for myself. How did you get here I should say? People don't fly."_

_"Where is here?" she enquired, not worried about the sword before her, "Did I make it to Neverland?"_

_"Neverland?" Jones asked, "I should think not. That place is a living hell. No, this is the Jolly Roger."_

_"Oh!" Anabelle suddenly realised, "You're _that_ Captain Jones!"_

_"You know me?"_

_"The Queen complains about you a lot," she replied, having just come from giving magical assistance to her in the form of a healing plant. "Probably because the King won't shut up about you."_

_"You know the _Queen_?" he continued, a little shocked, relaxing his grip. "And the king?"_

_"Truth be told, he's a little put out," Anabelle explained, "but that happens when your best Captain dies and the crew turns pirate. It seems like a rather horrible existence Captain," Anabelle continued as she stretched her neck in a round circle before flinging the sword from him with a quick wave, stopping the bullet that came from his gun with her other hand._

_"You would've shot me?" Anabelle asked, feigning an affronted look._

_"Who are you?" Killian said, taking a step back it what could almost be described as fear. His footing slipped and he stumbled into some netting and onto the deck. She took one look at him and said, "My name's Anabelle. And my dear Captain, you are one pirate I happen to not have the predisposition to hate."_

_"Lucky me," he said, shifting up onto his elbow._

_"You are lucky Captain," Anabelle replied, putting out her hand in his assistance. "At least _I'm_ not going to shoot you." _

_He eyed her curiously for a moment before taking her arm. _

_"What do you want from me?"_

_Anabelle looked at him out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't a bad view to have for a while. And she was surprised by the idea that hit her next. If she was to fight the shadow that plagued Neverland, she'd need a little more than magic._

_"Swordfighting," she replied, a gleam of excitement in her eyes. _

_"Sure," the Captain replied, a little taken aback at her sudden eagerness for violence. "But I think you might want to get some sleep. You flew through the night."_

_"I'm fine," Anabelle replied. "Besides, I don't trust you not to kill me in my sleep. Honestly, I can last on a few minutes sleep for a-"_

_She stumbled back as a wave of dizziness hit her. Surely she hadn't been using that much magic to get there. And yet, her body was feeling the effects of it. The last thing she saw was Killian Jones' face as he caught her and she faded, once more, into unconsciousness._

_Anabelle awoke in a bed. Her pounding head was healed away in seconds as she stood up and began to explore the room. It took a few moments for her to adjust to the rocking ship as she walked around a desk and a few bookshelves before the doors opened and she spun around, hands raised and ready to defend herself._

_The captain had his hands out, weapon free, and she lowered her own. "I see you're feeling a little more lively," he said. _

_"When did you want to start training?" Jones asked, walking to his cupboard._

_"Whenever you're ready," Anabelle replied, finding herself shocked as he threw a sheathed sword at her. She used magic to slow down its descent, catching it easily and pulling it from its sheath. _

_"Rule one," Jones said as she followed him out onto the deck. He turned on her and said with a smiling gleam in his eye. "No magic."_

**Present Day**

"Fight back Indigo!" Pan cried as he spun Indigo's sword from her for the umpteenth time. "This is child's play. You have no idea how to even keep your sword!"

"Well maybe if you taught me rather than just attacking me," Indigo replied heftily, severely annoyed, "then I'd have a chance."

"I'm not even attacking you," Pan replied, handing her back her sword, "If I was, you'd be dead. Now, again."

She raised her sword as he came forward once more. She blocked his every thrust, dodging every blow – and yet this time she saw why he was consistently on the upper hand. His feet barely touched the ground. Pan wasn't worrying about footwork – he was simply flying.

Indigo knew that Pan didn't fight fair, she just didn't realise that he was doing it now. And so, channelling her power through the sword as an extension of herself, she found herself no longer underhanded, but taking the offensive. It was mere seconds before she had him pinned against a tree, his sword in her left hand and hers at his throat. He was breathing heavily as a wide smile graced her face as she murmured, "You need to tell me the rules before the game starts."

She let Pan go, twisting her sword around loosely in her hand. As he watched Indigo's retreating back, he rubbed at his neck with a smug smile. She was lost alright – lost and loving it.

"What next?" she asked, turning around as she looked up at the various things set up around the camp. Indigo let the sword go throwing it back to Pan who caught it easily and threw it on a pile of weapons a few metres away. From the same pile which he rummaged through, he pulled out a crossbow and grinned, swinging back to Indigo's excited face.

"Target practice."

**_The Enchanted Forest - 294 years ago_**

_ "The first boy I ever loved left me."_

_They were sitting beneath the moon. A few days had passed and Anabelle was beginning to feel at home upon the Jolly Roger. Two empty bottles rolled across the ship as she finished telling the Captain her story. They sat across from each other, so close that their knees were interlocked. Beneath the stars, Killian saw the shine of her hair escaping from her braid and reached out to touch it. Anabelle looked back up at him curiously as brought his hand down to touch her face gently. _

_"You don't have to love him forever."_

_The words hit home to Anabelle as she looked at the man in front of her. He was one of those weird people who got incredibly philosophical when he was inebriated. And he was so close…_

_His lips closed the distance between them swiftly. He was the first man she'd kissed in seven hundred years – she couldn't believe she'd waited that long. Anabelle kissed him back momentarily, tasting the rum on his breath, before pulling away and biting down on her lip apologetically._

_"Maybe we should try this again when we aren't drunk," she admitted._

_"I'm not drunk," Jones replied, a little too loudly and fervently._

_"I'm a lot older than you Captain," Anabelle answered with a small, standing up. "_I_ know how to hold my liquor."_

_"Come on Anabelle," Jones began before realising he was a little unsteady on his feet as he stood up. "Okay…maybe sleep is a good idea."_

_"And maybe if you're lucky I'll heal away the after effects tomorrow morning," Anabelle continued as he walked into his quarters. She followed him inside saying, "I think you should have your bed back tonight. The window has to be uncomfortable."_

_Jones was disinclined to refuse Anabelle's offer, and collapsed drunkenly on the bed as she took the blanket at the window and curled up on the cushions, staring out into the darkness as she drifted off to sleep._

**_Present Day_**

Indigo had no problems firing an arrow at Pan. He was right – it was exhilarating. So exhilarating in fact that the moment he caught the arrow she threw the unloaded crossbow at him and said, "Shoot it at me."

Pan loaded the crossbow quickly, lining it up with Indigo's heart. Her hands were glowing with magic in order to catch the arrow. Pan was fully prepared to pull the trigger until, well, he hesitated. He'd spent centuries honing his magic and abilities. Catching an arrow was a trick that took him almost a hundred years. This girl was nowhere near his age. She may have been older than she looked, but even if her magic was extreme, this was refined. So he lowered the crossbow momentarily before turning and shooting it across the campsite at a target.

"Archery and daggers," he continued, dumping the crossbow and nodding his head towards the targets. "Move it."

Unfortunately for him, Indigo saw his moment of weakness. She'd wanted to see just how willing he was to keep her around and boy, did he want her. As she grabbed a bow and quiver as well as several daggers, Pan set up the two targets, one six metres away, and one fifteen.

"I'm not expecting you to hit the fifteen," Pan explained as he pulled out his own dagger and threw it fifteen metres in a straight line, cutting through the air like butter. It landed only centimetres from the direct centre of the target. At first Indigo thought he'd missed, but the next moment she realised that that was where a human heart would be.

"You might need to re-evaluate your expectations Pan," Indigo smiled, taking her position in front of the target. Almost worried that she would out do him, Pan touched her arm saying, "New rule: no magic".

"I don't need magic for this," she replied, closing one eye and letting her arm fly. Pan had thought she was aiming at the six metre, but when he saw it land in the centre of the fifteen, his jaw almost dropped. For a moment he simply wanted to take Indigo back upstairs and ravish her. He never thought that a girl throwing knives would turn him on.

"Lost girl," Pan suddenly said.

"What?" Indigo questioned spinning around.

"I'm going to go," Pan said suddenly, taking a few steps back.

"You're leaving me alone?" Indigo was confused. He'd seemed so intent on keeping her around and now he was giving her the opportunity to leave.

"It's clear you don't need anyone Indigo," Pan smiled as he turned away. "Stick around – we're having a party for you tonight."

She turned back to the targets with her bow and arrow and began shooting at them targets easily. The lost boys began flooding back into the camp as sunset came around. Felix began the fire with quick friction between his hands. Initially, she sat on the side of the circle. A few of the lost boys who had visited her in the tent smiled and said hello, but it wasn't until the food came out that she realised how much she genuinely missed eating. She'd been surviving on water and berries for the last week and the meat that was being passed around suddenly seemed like the most appetising thing she'd ever seen.

The boys laughed loudly as they ate, sharing stories of what they'd done across the island during the day. It was almost an hour later that Pan came up behind her to sit beside her. Stealing some of the food off her plate he asked, "Having fun?"

"Not much happening," Indigo replied honestly, her eyes turning to Pan in expectation.

"Boys!" Pan called out, "The party needs livening up!"

Cries of 'Dancing!' echoed amongst the boys. Catcalls echoed through the night as the boys grabbed their sticks. Felix, seeming tired with the entire thing turned away and began to climb up his tree to his perch above his tree house.

"Come on," Pan started, pulling her up by her hand.

"I don't dance," Indigo protested as she pulled her hand out of his.

"For me?" he asked, his hand held out and a sparkle in his eyes.

She sighed loudly before relenting, running into the melee and beginning to feel the rhythm the boys were beating. The dance wasn't as chaotic as she'd first envisioned. In fact, each boy knew the steps, and she didn't. It was Pan who held out two sticks to her and stood extremely close to her, muttering into her ear, "Feel the rhythm. That's all it takes my lost girl."

Indigo began to shut him out, but she found that she couldn't. It was like his words were infused with the beats of the music…and her body began to move. Jump forward, jump back, touch sticks, jump back, turn around…

She realised it was a lot like fighting. Pan was grinning at her as he jumped away into the middle of the circle and began to play sharp notes into his flute. He danced on his own as the party continued, eyeing Indigo intently over his flute. He couldn't help but admire her quick descent into the feel of the lost boys. Her hair flew about her face, catching the light of the fire as she smiled. For the first time in a long time, he felt his lips tilt in genuine happiness.

But Pan caught it quickly, the music changing abruptly with his mood. The boys around the fire began to slow their tempo and the dancing petered out. Felix was looking out over the party in interest. Pan was turning the tables on a celebration of the lost. Less than an hour later, the lost boys were climbing up their ladders into the treetops and it was only Pan and Indigo listening to the lost boy's melody.

Pan's breath held the last note as he looked directly at Indigo, not with a ulterior motive, not because he was intrigued – he just looked.

"How long have you been able to hear this?" Pan asked finally.

Indigo almost didn't want to answer, but watching the fire die she admitted, "I've always heard it."

Pan's feet shuffled through the dirt as he returned to his home without another word. Indigo was lost in the glow in the dying fire and didn't realise that Pan hadn't pulled her away with him. He gave her space. But a few moments later Indigo climbed up the ladder. She kicked off her boots and undid her belt and tunic as though she was simply getting ready to go to bed at home, almost forgetting that Pan was there. But as she saw him, back to her with nothing but his pants on, she closed the space, reaching her hands around his waist and kissing the healing skin of his shoulder. His hands pushed hers off him, and wordlessly he crossed to the bed.

Her face looked almost affronted as he walked away. He knew better, and she thought she did, but the truth was, after the epic night she'd had, she wanted him. But he climbed into the bed, and pulled the sheet up over his shoulders.

Indigo stared at him blankly. It was as though he was a different person lying there. Pan didn't want to look at her, closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep.

"This isn't like you," Indigo began, crossing her arms and leaning against the desk. She spoke to his back, rising and falling with his breath. "What's wrong?"

There was a moment's silence before Pan's voice threw back, "You're a lost girl now Indigo."

"Wasn't that your intention?" she asked, approaching him slowly. "You wanted my help didn't you?"

Pan flipped onto his back uncomfortably, staring at the ceiling. "You belong here Indigo. But I still don't know you. Each of my lost boys have told me their stories – but what about you?"

Indigo walked towards him and began to climb onto the mattress. He shuffled over, pulling himself upright into a sitting position against the headboard. At first she was hesitant to touch him, confused by his sudden tenderness and genuine curiosity. Indigo wasn't used to feeling this safe in Pan's company – each moment was supposed to be dangerous.

But as he threaded his arm around her, she felt a thrill of familiarity. His heartbeat calm and comforting as she leant into him and he began to ask questions gently about who Indigo Garcia really was.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 years ago…_**

_"You're an enigma wrapped up in a mystery with just a dash of honest magical ability," Jones said curiously, his eyes awed as he watched Anabelle's moulding of fire within her hands. She smiled through the flames, blowing out a small dragon from it that dissipated with the magic she had in her hands. With a small bow, the ship's crew gave her a round of applause._

_"Thank you gents," she smiled, as they returned to their conversations. Some found their way below decks and others milled about, the moon continuing on through the night as the ship stood relatively still on the quiet night._

_"You could go anywhere," Captain Jones said from next to her, "And you choose here?"_

_"It's as good of a place as any," she said, giving him a winning smile before retiring to his cabin and closing the doors behind her. She smiled both outside and in as she fell into sleep that night dreaming of an incredibly handsome pirate._


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey Team! So I managed to play fashion director for my friends formal outfit, lose my phone in a massive city department store, go for a job interview, regain my phone from department store in the space of about 24 hours.  
So I'm good and tired. And loving your reviews - its fantastic when I hear people like my stuff. =]

This chapter ended up being heaps long by the time I finished it, so long that it could probably be its own novella, so I split it into two parts. =P

I'll upload part two tomorrow night!  
Enjoy. xx

**For the First Time: Part I**

**Present Day**

A shiver ran up Indigo's spine as a cool breeze flew through the camp. Indigo's eyes blinked open in the night, the stars of Neverland casting an eerie glow into the room. Her head was using something unusual as a pillow and it was a moment before she realised that the steady rise and fall beneath her was Pan's chest.

As she turned her head to look up at him, she found herself enraptured by his face. It was a curiosity to see him so peaceful and innocent – so beautiful.

She turned her eyes away suddenly, the movement causing him to stir. He turned into her, still asleep, but his body moulding into her shape as he held her in his arms. "Go back to sleep," he finally murmured waking up momentarily, "The sun's hours away."

Indigo knew it was, but she also didn't know when the next time she would see Pan like this would be. And so she had no hesitations in reaching up towards him and pressing her lips to his gently. His inhibitions down, he kissed her back slowly and held her tightly before pulling away and whispering, "Go back to sleep."

Sleep found Indigo quickly. It was hours before the sun came up and she was deeply out of it before then. However, the dawn woke Peter to the sight of Indigo's face, scrunched in frustration, as though she was having a bad dream.

His hand traced the outline of her face in her sleep, curling her hair in his fingers. He wouldn't let it show, but he felt a pang when he genuinely realised the length of it. It barely reached her shoulders now; he supposed, she'd moved with the times. But there was a time when her hair had glowed as she danced. When her skin was soft and new and she was young-

But he had to remind himself once again; however much she resembled her, this was not his princess.

When Indigo finally awoke half an hour later, it was to find Pan at the edge of the bed, knees curled up to his chest, looking the most vulnerable she had ever seen him. Certainly there had been moments in their talking last night but this was under the light of day. At any moment, he could be called by the lost boys and this boy would never be seen again.

As though he heard her eyelids open, he said strongly, "Anabelle."

Indigo's heart skipped a beat as he said the name. He turned around to face her, his eyes the most humane she had seen them; and also the most pained. "You asked me last night if I'd ever loved anyone. Her name was Anabelle."

"What…what happened to her?"

"It was a long time ago," he said softly, not having thought about it in a long time and not too sure what to feel. "I guess she's dead."

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 years ago…_**

_"You've improved," Killian complimented as Anabelle jumped out of the way of his sword. "That's good. Parry, parry, thrust, duck…" his voice trailed off as she continued with her movements without his input. Killian Jones was reluctant to admit it, but she was a fast learner. It had been weeks on the sea and the only problem left were her feet. But that was a lesson for tomorrow._

_As they came to the end of their fight, her sword at his neck and his beneath her ribcage, Jones smiled, "Very well done Princess."_

_Anabelle didn't mind Killian calling her that. He did it mockingly usually, but the genuine nature of his comment threw her off. Taking a drink from her water skin, she went to lean back against the railing as Jones took a seat on the stair beside her._

_"I'm not too sure about Anabelle anymore Jones," she started, looking out across the horizon as the sun set. "It just seems so…"_

_"Remnant of an age of your life that is long past?"_

_"Why do you speak like that?" she enquired, shaking her head. "Anyway, I was thinking I need something newer. Moving with the times."_

_"You don't want to pick your own name?" Jones asked._

_"I didn't get a choice the first time," she shrugged, turning around to look out over the sea. Killian walked over to join her saying, "Well, my parents gave me the name Killian – I don't think I'm the best authority on names."_

_"I like Killian," Anabelle answered, looking over at him with a small smile. As he looked down at her, he saw the colours of the sky reflected in the water of her eyes and said smoothly, "Indigo."_

_"Indigo," Anabelle repeated, looking over at Killian with a smile spreading across her face. "I love it. See, you ought to have more faith in your naming abilities."_

_"Well then Indigo," Jones began, seeing the shine in her eyes, "shall we have dinner?"_

_"One moment," Indigo said, stopping him as he began to walk towards his quarters. "We're both completely sober now."_

_"What do you-"_

_This time it was Indigo who closed the distance between them, threading her hands up around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. Killian's hands wound themselves around her waist as she moved her lips against his. As she felt the thrill of it, Indigo wondered again why she'd never found anyone else. With that, she stopped to breath, his nose touching hers affectionately as he said, "I did actually want to have dinner."_

_"Let's go then," she replied with a smile. His hand didn't leave hers as they walked to his quarters._

**Present Day**

Pan left abruptly after his admission. Indigo's astonished eyes looked after the empty space behind him in horrified realisation. He remembered.

Somewhere, deep inside of him, a heart still existed. Covered by darkness that was slowly fading, the boy was changing. And yet, he didn't see that she stood right in front of him. It was as though the years of darkness had clouded his eyes. He remembered the word of love…but did he remember the feeling?

This was no longer the boy she knew, just as she was no longer the simple princess. Indigo had spent so long looking at him and not even seeing Peter – this boy…this ancient and eternal boy…was Pan. His heart was cruel and hardened by Neverland. And now, as she felt her heart's shock fading into a sense of calm, all she could question was her resolve. Now, more than ever, she wanted to make Pan see his own heart.

And yet the marks upon her neck had barely faded, and her resolve was faltering. She questioned if this was Pan undoing a thousand years of the world changing her. She was weak here – turning back into Anabelle. Indigo needed the strength – the strength to free the lost boys. But she didn't know if she could. She didn't know if she could send Pan to his demise. No, that was her problem. She was falling back in love with the boy…

The boy who once told her to never look back.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 Years Ago…_**

_"What's this?"_

_Indigo held between her fingers a fine silver bracelet that she'd discovered in Killian's desk drawer. It glinted with the light of the morning sun through the open window. _

_"It's beautiful isn't it?" Killian replied, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms sneakily around her waist. "I couldn't bring myself to sell it."_

_"Because you stole it," Indigo replied haughtily, the moment broken. She dropped it back in the drawer._

_"Would you believe me if I told you it was given to me?"_

_"Someone expected you to wear it?" Indigo almost laughed._

_"Actually, it was a thank you," he replied, "for saving someone's life."_

_"Do you do that often Killian?" Indigo enquired doubtfully. "There isn't exactly anyone around here to save."_

_"We don't always spend our days upon the sea Indigo," he continued, walking towards the window. "To be honest, I've been avoiding land until you're ready to fight."_

_"You don't think I'm ready yet?" she said in shock, sliding her sword from its sheath quickly. "Do you want to test that?"_

_The captain looked at her and burst out laughing._

_"So maybe yes, you _can_ get me in a position where you could possibly kill me," Killian began, "But could you do it without killing yourself? And when you think about it, would you slit my throat princess?"_

_"Don't call me princess," she said angrily, backing away from Killian and out of his quarters. But he followed her, goading her into an argument. She had a new name; he shouldn't be calling her that anymore._

_"You're so afraid of who you are," Killian continued. "If you aren't certain, that will get you killed someday."_

_"I'm a seven hundred year old sorcerer that you really don't wanna get pissed off," Indigo replied, turning back to him. He saw a flash of red in her eyes as her fists clenched. But Jones had given away his fear of her magic over a week ago. Sure, he'd never seen her really angry…frustrated maybe, but angry, no._

_"So you know I'm right then," Jones answered. _

_"I know that you have no idea what I'm capable of," Indigo answered, feeling the rage building into heat in her palms. _

_"I know that you have no idea what Pan is capable of!" Killian almost yelled in frustration. "That shadow that you want to fight, the one that stalks Neverland, is a boy. Manipulative and magical, yes, but he controls that island. And if you want to live, you have to be able to beat him at his own game."_

_"Then I'll simply play my own game," Indigo replied forcefully, her rage fading as Killian's words began to make sense in her mind._

_"Fine," Jones said, giving up and beginning to walk away. But a moment later, he felt a sharp nudge at his spine and realised Indigo had her sword at his back. _

_"You questioned whether I could kill?" her voice came from behind him. He was quick at ducking her sword and flicking his foot out to trip her. Pulling her sword from her grasp, Killian held her there with it hovering above Indigo's heart._

_"Your footwork needs attending to," he reminded himself, avoiding her question before dropping the sword on the ground and walking away, leaving her with her own reminiscent thoughts._

**Present Day**

It was a lazy day in Neverland. Nobody was doing much as the sun shone into the camp. As Indigo walked out of her treehouse, she glanced around for something to do, finding most boys were still sleeping. Except one, who was lying on a log, blowing small magical clouds into the air.

"So Felix," Indigo began, sitting beside the stoic boy. "Now that we're on the same side, mind sharing the truth behind your magic?"

"We're not on the same side," Felix replied monotonously, sitting up and looking at her curiously out of the corner of his eye. "I was willing to help you while you were still fighting him. But you're the same as him."

Indigo thought for a moment before realisation came crashing down upon her. "You're a traitor to Pan?" she hissed.

"That's such a strong word," Felix replied, swinging backwards, "I prefer...disillusioned."

"Then we're still on the same side Felix," Indigo said eagerly. "You want out of here? We can do it together."

"I never said I wanted to leave," Felix replied. "I still remain loyal to the lost boys."

"You're going to let Pan boss you around because of some sick sense of loyalty?"

"You do," Felix replied, looking at her pointedly.

She stopped for a moment before conceding, "Point taken. But you're not in my position, so why are you still here. It couldn't be that you believe Pan can change."

"No," Felix said wearily, the barest hint of emotion in his voice. "I don't."

"But you still have hope?" Indigo asked curiously, gazing at Felix in a questioning manner. How long had this boy been here? To believe that Peter could change…he must have known him before he became Pan. And that…that was a very long time.

"Look at me," Indigo said gently. Felix glanced up at her quickly before returning his eyes to the ground. It was as though he didn't want to look at her because he was adverse to the mere thought of her being a lost girl – she supposed, she was the first of her kind. And yet, in that moment, Indigo realised the truth of Felix's nature; his actions in helping her, his loyalty to Pan.

She remembered the glimpse of ancient power that she had seen in his eyes and breathed in a slow gasp before letting out, "Merlin's power. It passed to you."

It wasn't a question. Her words were merely a confirmation of everything she'd missed in the past week. His powers in healing, his wordless fire-starting – it was simplistic – but it had true magic written all over it. And the only people who knew true magic were her and Merlin-

"And Pan," Felix said. For a moment he almost looked surprised with himself.

"You gave away your magic?" Indigo asked, turning to face him more comfortably, getting ready for a sit-in with Felix. She crossed her legs and sat easily upon the log, waiting to hear what he had to say. To her, letting go of magic was extremely hard. And she wondered why…and how…Felix had managed such a feat.

"I didn't need it." Or want it, Indigo realised, or even know how to use it properly. That was what let him give it away. Indigo had never had the want to get rid of her magic. She had been the one to seek it out, yet Felix, well; he didn't exactly have the biggest choice.

"I'm sorry," Indigo admitted finally, her face a little frustrated. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to train you."

"That's impossible," Felix replied, staring up at her. "You would have to be a older than a thousand years-"

"So would you," Indigo said, feeling stupid for letting on how old she was. "But that was one of Merlin's last requests; that I train the one who came after him. And I'm sorry. When he died, everything he left became mine to pass onto you. But in the days when magic was outlawed, I couldn't risk people finding it – so I burnt it all. There's nothing left now."

"Would I have been more powerful?" Felix asked after a moment of taking in her words. "If I'd been trained."

"You probably wouldn't have unintentionally given away so much magic to Pan," Indigo confessed. With all of Merlin's magic he could have flown like she could, he would be able to bring people back from the brink of death and he could have created portals with his bare hands. Now however, those abilities were gone. Merlin's magic was split between Pan and Felix and Felix had been reduced to barely anything.

"We could start," Indigo said suddenly. "Training you I mean. Merlin built upon the magic he inherited, I'm sure we could do the same for you."

"It's too late Indigo," Felix replied finally. "Besides, this world is dying. There's a reason why we need the truest believer. There is more to magic than channelling our souls."

"Is there really?" Indigo's brow furrowed. "It seems an awful lot like channelling belief. Did you ever think that you and Pan have the ability to fix the world without this child?"

"Oh I did," Felix replied, finally standing up. Looking back at the girl he replied with a small touch to the scar on his face, "Then Pan gave me this."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey guys! Part two is here! Thanks for the reviews. =]

And again, for canon reasons and the fact that everyone's back story episodes seem to be airing precisely when I need them not to, I won't be updating again until after I've seen the next episode and probably drastically altered my mermaid subplot. In saying that though, look forward to the introduction of Ariel!

More Hook action in this chapter; and more Pan regression. *cheers*

Here we go! xx

**For the First Time: Part II**

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 Years Ago_**

_"I'm sorry Killian," Indigo started, looking at herself in the reflection of the window pane. "I was being a jerk, even though I was definitely right." She stopped there. That wasn't the way to work an apology. Starting her rehearsal again she said, "I'm really actually sorry about what I did the other night…I'm sorry for – I-rrgh!" Indigo groaned, collapsing onto the window seat in frustration with both herself and Killian. She knew he was right about her footwork, but that didn't mean she wanted to admit it._

_As he walked into the room, she bolted upright to her feet. He didn't look at her as she began, "Killian, I'm-"_

_"Sorry," he finished. "It would have been more effective if you hadn't spent the last twenty minutes figuring out how to say it. These doors don't exactly keep sound in."_

_"Well...I am okay," she said, frowning and crossing her arms defensively. Looking over at her, he laughed at her frustration, which didn't make her feel any better. But he crossed the room quickly, taking her hand with his own and said, "Apology accepted. And yes, I could have handled it better too. So I'm sorry as well."_

_Indigo sighed as she looked up at him, "It's been a week and you're already making me mad."_

_"Isn't that the beginning of all great love stories," he laughed, leaning into her and touching his lips gently to hers. Maybe it was, she thought, or maybe it was the precursor to all tragedies. _

**Present Day**

"Hey you," Pan said happily, coming up behind Indigo as she flicked through the pages of Dracula, a little bored by Stoker's writing. She was backed up against a tree as Pan leaned over and formed a face of disgust when he saw what she was reading. "I don't know why I kept that book."

"It's a signed copy," Indigo said without looking up, pretending to be rapidly immersed in the book. She'd calmed herself down over the course of the day and Pan's humanity was almost a distant memory. But she knew that the moment she looked up at him, all of her work would be undone.

"I have a present for you," Pan tried again, to get her attention, but still she didn't move. "Indigo."

Resigned, she closed the book and looked up at him wearily, "I don't need anything Pan."

"This isn't about a need," Pan answered. "This is a want. Come on, there's only a few hours before the sun sets."

Indigo look out at the sky and was shocked at how low the sun had already gotten. Time passed differently in Neverland, but she guess she'd never realised _how_ differently it passed. It was only a few moments before she remembered that she'd forgotten to count the days she'd spent here. Indigo tried counting back. It couldn't have been more than a week…could it?

She reached out to take Pan's outstretched hand hesitantly. To forget to count…what else was she forgetting? She couldn't forget her mission; she couldn't forget that Pan was a monster – could she?

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 years ago…_**

_"Don't leave yourself unsteady at any time," Killian as saying as she fought one of his crewmen. "Keep your feet light but firm."_

_"That's an oxymoron and you know it," Indigo called back as she jumped out of the way of an oncoming attack._

_"Did you just call me a moron?" Killian asked as he continued circling the fight, examining her feet carefully._

_"_Oxy_mor- never mind."_

_Her concentration returned to the fight. Indigo's eyes followed the sword as she felt her feet. She knew her surroundings, and it was a matter of knowing whether or not she was going to be able to use them to get the upper hand and not be hindered by them, that would let her win this fight. When she saw a rope curling its way across the deck, Indigo manoeuvred her way across the deck, still crossing swords with the pirate, before he slipped and tripped, the fight over as Indigo flung the sword from his hand. It landed with a clang on the deck._

_A slow clap from Killian made her smile. But as he did so he said, "I mean, you were supposed to be watching _your _footwork, not his. But I admire your thinking."_

_"Alright," she continued, barely even puffed. "Your turn."_

_His eyes widened in a question before he warned, "I'm not going to hold back."_

_"I wouldn't ask you to," she smiled, her arms wide as he pulled out his sword and swung it about. "Showoff."_

_"Pirate," he smirked in response before lunging towards her._

**Present Day**

"Pan," Indigo warned as his hand covered her eyes secretively. "If you're leading me to my death, at least let me watch."

"You're an impatient one Indigo. Just wait a few moments."

Indigo sighed as Pan let her forward in complete darkness. She'd never realised how soft his breath was until now. It seemed the loss of sight had made her other senses a little more attuned. So attuned that she could smell Neverland blooming around her and taste the scent of newness in the air. How could Felix say that Neverland was dying?

Pan stopped suddenly, whispering, "Alright. We're here."

"Are you going to push me off a cliff?"

Pan laughed, "It would be interesting to see if you avoid it."

She felt her cheeks reddening in a blush. Wait…blushing? She, Indigo Garcia, was _blushing_? That was almost a human impossibility. And yet, Pan, complimenting her on magical ability, made her a little embarrassed. She shook the thought from her mind as he removed his hands suddenly. Indigo blinked her eyes momentarily before they adjusted to the light of the setting sun.

The sky of Neverland was lit up in a rainbow of coloured clouds. And whilst she was standing on the edge of a cliff; oh what she would have given to jump off and fly across Neverland. From here, the entire coastline could be seen for miles. From the Echo Caves to the Eastern Bay, the land was dotted with a sea of trees and rivers…

Pan looked at her face as she took in the surroundings. It turned from confusion to wondrous awe. Dusk was the most beautiful time of day in Neverland, it was the reason why he'd not left the island in centuries. He found himself waiting for it every day, and now, as he saw Indigo's happiness, he found himself anticipating tomorrow that little bit more.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 years ago…_**

_"You aren't ready yet," Killian said with a sigh, breathing out heavily as Indigo's sword lay dangerously close to cutting through his windpipe. She sat atop him with a smug grin on her face that faltered as he said that. Sheathing her sword, she leaned down, channelling the tension into a searing kiss._

_"You're only saying that," she answered against his lips, "So that I won't leave."_

_"No," he answered softly, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately as he looked at her carefully, "If I wanted that, I'd tell you that I love you."_

_"And do you?" she inquired, curious to hear his response, but also a little scared._

_"Oh Indigo," he replied, sitting up as she got off him quickly. He moved to walk back into his cabin._

_"No Captain," she stated adamantly, the sword that he'd left behind now at his back. "I asked you a question."_

_"You still wouldn't," he murmured, looking back at her over his shoulder, referring to the sword at his back and her resolve to kill anyone. She sheathed it quickly and grasped at his arm firmly, forcing him to face her._

_"I would," she said lowly, eying him carefully as the words she was reluctant to admit finally graced her lips, "I have."_

_"You've stared someone in the eyes and watched them die by your hand?" Killian asked, he sounded almost guilty. Dealing out death was a scar upon him, just as it was for her._

_She was quiet for a moment. "Yes."_

_"Then do you really want to darken your heart any more?" Killian asked quietly, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear as he gazed at her tenderly, the care he had for her plain across his face._

_"If it served the greater good," Indigo said slowly. "Then yes I would. I _will_ free Neverland."_

_Killian Jones looked at her with a hopeless sigh, before turning into his cabin, and closing Indigo out._

_She paced across the deck for almost two hours, the barest glimpses of dusk around her turning into night. He was a pirate! As if he could judge her like this. Indigo's frustrations mounted, turning momentarily into rage until she let it go, a breeze across the open water, and came to face the carved wooden doors in anticipation, pushing them open easily with a new found resolve._

_Indigo's eyes immediately zoomed to where Hook sat, watching the night fly past through the window. He was annoyed with her, but he was still going to let her have the bed. Indigo wasn't quite tired yet, and sitting next to him with her knees on the cushions, she started, "I'll only do it as a last resort."_

_Killian, whose eyes had avoided her up until then nodded and replied, "Thank you."_

_"You never did answer me," Indigo continued referring to her question before his large sidetrack. "I think I deserve an answer."_

_"Yes you do," Killian replied, looking up into her eyes and seeing in her, the same spark that fired in him. He leaned forward and kissed her. He was gentle, her innocence plain upon her face for a seven hundred year old sorcerer, but she'd waited for so long that she wanted him, all of him._

_Grasping at his shoulders, her lips moved with ferocity that he struggled to challenge. Holding her by the waist, he pulled her closer and held her against him as he fell back into the wood on the corner of the window seat. Indigo wasted no time in climbing on top of him, breathing heavily as he grew distracted momentarily by her hair. Pulling it from its tied confines, he let it fall about her shoulders as she bent down once more to his lips. She attacked them fiercely as Killian's hands began to roam up and down her body. His lips kissed their way down her neck and to the edge of her collarbone._

_ "Indigo," he murmured into her skin as she fought to control her breathing, shocked by the escalation of events. She looked down at his face and brought his lips to hers gently. Killian almost groaned at the loss of her as she climbed off him, but taking him by the hand, she merely crossed the room, the rest of the night lost in far better times._

**Present Day**

Indigo Garcia and Peter Pan sat atop that cliff until every star had appeared in the night sky. Her head sank into his shoulder comfortably as they watched the moonlight racing down the waterfalls and into the rivers that led to the ocean.

"Why are you like this Pan?"

"Hmm?" he questioned, looking down at her glowing auburn hair. She tilted her head back and her deep blue eyes met his.

"Why do you bring me out here to show me the wonders of this world? You already call me a lost girl, but you feel the need to lose me to Neverland still."

"You still carry a love of the old world," Pan replied. "You spend your days reading books."

"Books that belong to you," she commented, finding it a little bit stranger now that she thought about it. If Pan was so happy here, why did he carry remnants of other worlds and other times? Was it not better to live in the moment – to be lost? Unless of course, he was beyond that.

But how could you be beyond lost? It would be a dark hole of nothingness. To not belong anywhere, but to not care…

"We'd better head back," Pan said in response, shifting out from underneath her. She took the outstretched arm that he gave to help her up with ease. And with a glint in his eyes he said, "Wanna take a short cut?"

"A short cu-"

She gasped as Pan took her by the waist and jumped off the cliff. It was a long way down and she laughed the entire way. But it was as though they were challenging each other, to see who would be the first to pull out of the fall.

It was Pan who began flying instead of falling first. Mind you, ten seconds later he was flying up beside Indigo over the forest with an open rose in his hand. Within a second, it was blurring into a blue colour, mirroring the sea and falling apart in a shower of petals that flew about her in a whirlwind of beauty. She looked at them in wonder, and over at Pan's face shining with glee, before smiling brilliantly.

She sped through the air towards the camp, Pan chasing her the entire way. He finally caught her feet as they tumbled into the camp, dirt spinning around them as they landed, laughing in the dirt of the floor. Pan wiped away the hair from her face and kissed her passionately through their laughter.

"Eww!"

Meron's voice led the lost boys' cries as they spotted Pan and Indigo, who hurried to stand up and dust themselves off. Felix came walking past casually, eyeing Indigo with wide knowing eyes and a voice that would have been whistling offhandedly if he hadn't been eating as he went.

"Alright boys, back to your food. Nothing to see here," Pan said, jumping into the circle and grabbing some of the collection for himself. Indigo looked at them all and smiled before settling down between Lainor and Felix and pulling up a plate.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 Years Ago…_**

_"Oh God Killian," Indigo said as she looked at what he had hidden in his cupboard. She pulled out a short piece of thin rope that he had stashed in there and asked, "Do I even want to know why you have this in here?"_

_"I don't know," he murmured, coming up behind her and kissing along her shoulder distractingly, "_Do _you want to know?"_

_She hesitated for a moment before putting it back and closing the door quickly, wiggling her way out of his grasp and back into the clothes that she picked up from next to her bed. Indigo threw Killian's shirt back at him hurriedly and pulled her own clothing back on. Jones seemed confused, making his way over to her and gently touching the back of her shoulder. _

_"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly. "I didn't hurt you or anything…"_

_"No," she replied softly, "I imagine that hurt less than it was supposed to because of my magic."_

_"Then why – "_

_"How many were there before me?" Indigo asked suddenly, turning around sharply and sitting on his bed, looking up at him expectantly. He didn't look much older than she did, three or four years at most and it was a question that had plagued her for a while. Killian Jones was a handsome man with a charisma that had forced an entire crew into piracy, surely he'd had women before her._

_He replied quickly, "The rope is actually just for prisoners."_

_"How many Killian?," she repeated calmly as he knelt down to her and touched her face gently. _

_"Only you," he replied honestly. "I haven't exactly had many women aboard this ship in the year that we've roamed the ocean. A decent reputation takes time to establish."_

_"And before then?"_

_"It would've been bad form," he replied with a small smirk._

_Indigo breathed out as she kissed him lightly. She wasn't sure she believed him; after all, he was a pirate. But as she looked up at his satisfied smug face she merely asked, "And what shall we do today then Captain?"_

_"Well," he started, "Perhaps it's time for your final trial. Let's see if you're really ready-"_

_"Captain!" a voice interrupted from the crow's nest. "Land ho!"_

**Present Day**

"You know, Indigo," Pan said coming across the camp to sit next to her as the lost boys threw darts at a nearby tree, "that name doesn't suit you."

She raised her eyebrows at him and enquired, "Oh? And what would you have me called Pan?"

"Do you know what they call the animal who stalks the night in another world?"

"There are a lot," she frowned, wondering where he was going. Was he calling her an animal?

"Tigers," Pan began, walking towards her. "Tigerlily."

"Lily?" Indigo screwed up her face in distain. Although, the irony was not lost on her – the flower of purity and progress as her name when with one look at Pan and herself you could see that that was definitely not the case.

"You don't like it," Pan stated, his face falling before he realised and hardened it once more.

"No," Indigo hesitated, "I do. It's just…I feel as though a new name…"

She trailed off. A new name meant it was real. It meant that she'd finally given in to him. It meant that everything she had been feeling for the past two days was actually verified. She would actually be a lost girl. She wouldn't be Indigo anymore.

But maybe that was a good thing...

"Tigerlily?" she repeated before asking, "Can it be a middle name?"

Pan laughed, before turning to her, a cheeky glimmer in his eyes, "Only if I can call you Indie."

"Deal," she smiled, standing up as the fire began to die. This time it was her who left Pan sitting by the fire as she went upstairs. She caught a petal that had wound its way into her hair and looked at it once more. It carried a certain air about it – a remnant – a mark of Pan's magic. She placed it in his desk draw for safe keeping as he began to climb the ladder. Indigo crossed the room lightly as he came up the stairs.

His eyes were smiling as he reached for her face, cupping it delicately as he placed his lips upon hers. Pan held her head lightly without force as hers clutched at his waist, undoing his belt slowly as he learned the contours of her face.

"You don't have to do this," she murmured as she pushed at the material of his shirt. She wasn't sure why she said it, but Pan was taking his time to know her. This…this felt right. This should have been their first time.

"I need you," Pan said lowly. It was the closest thing that he had in his vocabulary to the word love. And in anybody else's eyes, that night, Pan and Indie made love for the first time.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 294 years ago…_**

_Killian Jones was fast asleep as Indigo slid from her bed that night._

_As she put on her clothes, she stared out the window, seeing the land to which she was headed. She didn't have very much on her, sheathing a sword in her belt, a dagger in her boot and her hair in a braid. But as she crossed the room quietly, a small flicker of silver caught her eye. Killian's treasure was still hidden in his drawer. And as she stared at his sleeping body, she looked back down at the bracelet and grasped it between her fingers, sliding it over her wrist as she made her way out of his cabin. _

_Jones had said, that to beat the enemy in Neverland, she'd need to be manipulative and magical. She'd learnt all she could here; now it was time to save Neverland. It was time to leave this pirate to go pirating without her plaguing his mind; and him plaguing hers._

_Indigo didn't look back as she took to the sky, landing in a small town miles away where she broke down, realising what she had left behind - the guilt burning and eating at her soul - simply for the greater good. And she cried._

**Present Day**

Pan's eyes shot open as he felt the sharp pain in his palms that meant someone had torn a hole in the fabric of Neverland. He jumped out of bed quickly, causing Indigo to stir in her sleep.

"What's wrong?" she murmured.

"Nothing Indie," he replied, brushing aside her hair affectionately. "Go back to sleep."

He pulled out his desk draw quietly, spotting a blue petal that Indie must have put there and gave a small smile, pulling out the small vial that lay beside it. Holding it up to his eye level he gave it a small shake as it glowed green. Ah Tinkerbell, he thought momentarily, this was indeed a marvellous gift. Stringing it about his neck, he pulled on his clothes quickly and went down the stairs, giving a short melodic tune on his flute. A selection of lost boys – the elite, older ones – led by Felix made their way quickly down their ladders to meet Pan in the middle of the campsite.

"Grab your weapons boys," Pan said, "But be quiet about it. This is a task of stealth."

"What would you have me do?" Felix asked, standing before Pan, awaiting orders.

"These people, you know they're a liability. But I need the boy alone to check the true nature of his heart. I'll send the shadow with you. Do what you must to the pawns; but leave the boy to me."

Pan shrugged a scarf out of his pocket and wrapped it around his neck as he asked Felix, "I need a hood or something. You got one?"

Felix waved his hand downwards and a thick rag came flying out of his treehouse, landing in Peter's outstretched hands. As he threw it on over his clothes Felix stated, "You look like a lost boy again."

"And that, Felix," Pan said, covering his identity with the raggedy cloak, "is exactly what I need to get Henry."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Howdy Team!

Been prepping myself to get my first tattoo(s). I can't do my first one until next February, and cause I'll get kicked out of the house if my parents see it, I'm thinking of getting it on the back of my neck so my hair will cover it – just a smallish cross.

BUT, I've also had sudden inspiration to get a Peter Pan one. *Yays*  
I'm thinking of getting two stars behind my left ear; the second star to the right. Excitement!

And after watching that episode – OHMAHGERSH! All the Hook feels. I feel like Swanfire will destroy me because, whilst I love Neal's cuteness, Colin O'Donoghue is downright sexy; and Irish.

Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter; apparently a lot of you loved it. And that makes me happpppyyyy. =]

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Quite literally had to re-write in the last three hours, so it hasn't been edited. But meet Ariel; a long time before she met Snow.

**The Little Mermaid**

**The Enchanted Forest – 293 Years Ago…**

_"Hey Ariel."_

_"Indigo!" the sound of splashing surrounded her as she came swimming for Indigo sitting on the shoreline. Her hair swirled about her in the water as she waited there, her face downcast. "What's wrong?"_

_Indigo sighed as she looked over at the mermaid. _

_"I keep trying to fly into Neverland like Tinkerbell told me," she began, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. "And every time I try, it's like someone is leaving a wall there. I've swum through a lot more ocean than I'd care to admit and threatened a lot more black market dealers than I'd like to say – but no one can get me a way into Neverland."_

_"You don't want to be there Indigo," Ariel warned. "It's a bad place. The mermaids there…it's almost as though they're tainted by Pan's magic."_

_"So the shadow is moving?"_

_"He's going to take the echo caves," Ariel murmured, "He's taking over the island. There's no way to stop him. You know, it's probably his power that's keeping you out."_

_"I heard he was just a boy," Indigo breathed, looking up at Ariel is astonishment, "how can he keep me out?"_

_"You clearly haven't felt his power Indigo," Ariel replied, shivering as though she herself had felt it. But she never ventured into his reach, into Neverland, yes, but never close enough for her to be harmed._

_"I'm sorry Ariel," Indigo sighed once, as an idea came to her, "But I'm going to need to start calling in the favours you owe me."_

_Ariel nodded, knowing that having Indigo as a guardian angel could only last so long. "I'm going to give you a single power," Indigo continued steadily. "When you touch dry land, your fins will turn to feet outside of the one day a year that Ursula allows. And I'm sorry – I'm so, so sorry – but I need you to bring me back something from Neverland."_

_"What could you possibly want from there?" she asked, terrified at the prospect of stepping foot on Pan's Island._

_"I need a poisonous plant," Indigo replied, pulling a page she'd ripped from a book from her pocket and holding it up to the mermaid. She quickly made it impervious to the water before handing it to Ariel quickly. "In ancient times and other worlds, it's called Mors Somnium. But in the common tongue, it's known as dreamshade."_

_"You want me to travel to another realm in order to get you the deadliest plant known to man?" Ariel asked in astonishment. "You'd better be on hand if I swim back here about to die because Pan catches me."_

_"Oh, that won't be a problem," Indigo replied with a quick wave of her hand, "You'll also be invisible."_

**Present Day**

Indigo woke up to the sound of the lost boys packing up their things into bags. Looking out the window after quickly pulling on her clothes she saw all of the younger boys moving about as though preparing for travel.

"Meron!" she called finally, spotting someone who would talk to her. "What's going on?"

"We're moving out to a makeshift camp in the south east," he replied loudly. "Pan's got the boy."

Indigo's brow furrowed for a moment. What boy? He hadn't said anything –

And then she realised something. She realised that Wendy's plan had been stupidly flawed. She assumed that Pan would just keep sending the shadow to bring back boys until he had the right one. But all this time, he had been actively seeking him.

Pan wanted the heart of the truest believer – and now he had it.

Indigo grabbed her sword from the desk and found herself rummaging through Pan's drawers until she found where he'd hidden her dagger. With its intricately carved handle, she slipped it into the side of her boot, feeling the comfort of its position once more.

In that same drawer she found her silver bracelet, glittering with charms alongside a second bracelet that surely didn't belong to her. It was plaited and carried a single charm on it. She recognised it, but couldn't remember where from. And so it was with that curiosity that Indigo slipped it into her pocket with hers and jumped down the ladder.

She landed silently with a smug smile, meeting the boys with their bags. At least half the camp was empty already, the tree houses abandoned for another, less homely place.

"I take it you boys know where we're going?" Indigo inquired.

"Pan sent out a message this morning via telepathy," Meron said curiously. "You didn't get it?"

"I was asleep," she said defensively, trying to remember if perhaps Pan had spoken to her in her dreams. But Indigo really had slept well last night. "Either way, I'm going to head off."

"Follow Hayden," Meron suggested. "I know we're the lost ones but that doesn't mean we want you falling into any of the mysterious rock cuts on the island."

"Thank you Meron," Indigo said, "I'm glad to see you have so much faith in me."

"Oh I do," Meron replied with a wide smiled. "But Neverland's a dangerous place. Even for us."

**_Neverland – 293 years ago…_**

_Ariel swam easily into Neverland, finding herself surfacing in a cave on the coast of Pan's Island. It was with hesitant eyes that she looked around before jumping onto land and watching her tail turn into a scraggly skirt. Within a few seconds her hands had begun to turn transparent and eventually her entire body faded from sight._

_As Ariel heard shuffling from a few metres away, she turned, her feet surprisingly steady as she prepared to run. She spotted there, a young looking boy, no older than his late teens, searching with his eyes, undoubtedly, for her. When he couldn't see her, his eyes narrowed as his hand sent out a pulse of magic designed to tell if anybody was there._

_"Someone's invisible," he said finally, taking a few steps forward before looking directly at her. "But why?"_

_Ariel refused to say anything, although evidently the boy – who she assumed to be Pan with this power – already knew exactly where she was. It was only a few moments before he'd removed the mirage of invisibility that Indigo had placed upon her and eyed her up and down saying, "You evidently haven't paid heed to my warnings. It's only a matter of time before your kind is expelled from Neverland for good. Trust me. When I have my army, you will never return to these caves."_

_"I'm not from here," Ariel said suddenly, her hands up in a surrender. "I'm from another realm where-"_

_"You met an incredibly powerful witch," Pan finished, taking a forward step with the last three words. "You wouldn't be here voluntarily mermaid – at least not with legs. So who sent you?"_

_Ariel bit her tongue. No matter what Pan asked of her, she would not reveal Indigo's plan._

_"Oh," Pan's eyes widened, "A mermaid _loyal_ to a witch. Now there's a first. Tell me your name girl."_

_Her silence was met with Pan's hand moving over her mouth. Not of her own volition, she finally found her voice speaking monotonously, "Ariel."_

_"And who's the witch?"_

_Ariel's lips remained tightly shut, Pan's magic not being able to find that information by coaxing it from her with persuasion. It intrigued him that this witch had a failsafe in order to protect herself. Pan's eyes narrowed as he began to walk around her slowly. "What are you here for Ariel?"_

_"I came for the poison," she answered at the same pitch. "Mors Somnium."_

_Pan looked at the girl curiously. "No one has called the plant that it over four centuries. How old is your witch Ariel?"_

_Again, Ariel's lips remained shut. Pan was growing frustrated by the lack of information he could draw from her. Finally pulling his sword from its sheath, he held it to her throat. "The most basic of human instinct," Pan began as his magical hold on Ariel was broken by her own fear. "Survival." _

_She was on the edge of the rocks, the water right behind her and Pan's sword before her. Ariel's heart beat faster in fear, her survival instinct battling with the magic Indigo had placed upon her to protect herself. _

_And in the end the magic won out. Pan grunted in frustration, taking Ariel's shoulders harshly in his hands and shaking her roughly. "Who is she!"_

_"Evidently more powerful than you," Ariel replied, shaking his intrusions from her head, channelling a little of Indigo's defiance before she twisted out of Pan's hands, turning out to the ocean and whispered into the shell from her bag, "Help."_

_Pan knocked it from her hand into the shallow water. "What did you do mermaid?"_

_"Oh, you're going down Pan."_

_"You think that the mermaids are going to come back," he laughed. "Clearly you're living in a dream Ariel. If the mermaids were willing to fight me again for the echo caves-"_

_"Do you want to know what's going to happen if I lock you up there?" Pan threatened. Ariel's eyes looked upwards seeing the endless rock faces above her that went on beyond what she could possibly see. _

_"I'll most probably die," Ariel said, trying not to let Pan see the fear in her eyes. _

_"That you will," Pan smirked. "But I'll make you a deal Ariel. I'll give you what you need, if you promise to keep your kind off my island."_

_"I have no power in that."_

_"Well," Pan sighed, "Apparently you have some power." The sound of rippling water alerted Ariel to the arrival of her help in the form of innumerable mermaids surfacing from the depths. "You've called the family."_

_"Leave her Pan," one mermaid hissed. _

_"You know Sirena," he commented, feigning real consideration. "No."_

_"You have brought the ocean upon yourself Pan."_

_He let out a sigh, waving his hands over the mermaids and freezing the water momentarily._

_"You want them free?" Pan asked, seeing Ariel's horrified face. _

_"Free?" her face dropped in shock as he disappeared and reappeared before her with a jar. "Concentrated dreamshade. Take this, and make sure your witch gets it." _

_"You're giving me what I want?" Ariel asked in astonishment._

_"If you promise me one thing," Pan replied, holding the jar just out of her reach. "Tell her to cease trying to get into Neverland. Every time she does, I reinforce the shield that keeps her out. This is my world Ariel. Warn her; if I ever meet her, I will kill her."_

_Ariel nodded slowly as Pan tossed the jar to her. Clicking his fingers, he melted the ice around the mermaids within a split second saying to Ariel, "We're done here."_

_Turning to the mermaids he threatened, "Stay away from here or Felix and I _will_ wipe you out."_

_With that he turned around. By the time he climbed up the stairs out of the cave, Ariel and her people were gone. Felix came traipsing through the foliage quickly._

_"Felix," Pan said, seeing him. "We need more recruits. I want an army. As soon as we get rid of those tribesmen, we're heading back to The Enchanted Forest. I want the Echo Caves in my hands and those mermaids gone."_

_"How do you intend to do that Pan?" Felix asked._

_"You remember that pan flute that Rumplestiltskin made for me?" Pan said, reminding Felix of the events of seven years ago, making him flinch slightly and nod in acknowledgment. "I've infused it with a certain power inspired by a gift I was once given. I think we'll find a lot more people like us now Felix." He looked out on the sea and smiled. "This island's going to be ours."_

**Present Day**

Pan had the boy walking around the camp with guards posted at all exits. When Indigo arrived with Hayden, the new kid looked up at her curiously, the first girl he'd seen in a while.

"Indigo," Pan said suddenly, jumping down from the tree above her and handing her a flower, kissing her on the cheek. "Morning."

The flower was natural, untainted by magic as he walked away. It sat in her hand, its pink hue bright against her tanning skin.

"Lost boys," Pan said, rallying them all to him as they stood in a circle around Henry. Indigo was standing by a tree, joined quickly by Felix, standing aside from the pack. "Meet the truest believer, Henry."

"Now boys," Pan continued, "Henry is our honoured guest. Let us treat him as one of our own. Start building him a place to sleep."

Pan split from the group, turning round to Henry, "Welcome Henry. Last night was perhaps not the best meeting, but under the light of day, it's time for you to meet Neverland."

**_The Enchanted Forest – 293 years ago…_**

_Ariel arose from the water, choking on it for the first time ever. Her lungs found it hard to breathe as she landed on the beach. Indigo quickly appeared as though she had sensed the mermaid's return and with the soft glow of healing magic, calmed Ariel's breathing and healed the small cuts across her arms._

_"Who did this?" she demanded. "How did they find you?"_

_"I warned you," Ariel panted, the journey out of Neverland having done her more harm than good, "I warned you about the boy. He is pure evil Indigo. He isn't even human."_

_"How did he see you?" Indigo asked in astonishment._

_"It took him all of a minute to undo your spell," she said, before coughing loudly and continuing, "You can't beat Peter Pan, Indigo. It's best that you stop trying."_

_Indigo stepped back from Ariel in shock. No. The girl was lying; how could she know. It was impossible…Peter of Panenai could not still be alive. It had been 850 years…_

_"Peter Pan," Indigo choked out._

_"Have your dreamshade Indigo," Ariel almost spat, throwing her back at her forcefully. "And I don't care where you go. But please; don't send me again. He warned you too. Stop trying to enter Neverland."_

_"I won't," she promised sadly, "I'm so sorry Ariel – I thought I was strong enough to protect you."_

_Ariel began to wiggle back into the ocean with a small wave to Indigo. "Thank you for healing me Indigo. But know now what you face." She held out her hand, Indigo grasping her forearm in farewell, as she did so, feeling a jolt of magic up her arm. Indigo knew that, as a mermaid, Ariel had certain powers, but this was more than that. This was something she could read – easily – as rebirth._

_"I'm glad that you didn't turn out evil this time," Indigo smiled as Ariel's face furrowed in obliviousness of what she meant, asking, "What?" edgily._

_"Oh," Indigo's eyes widened. "Never mind. I'll see you soon."_

_"Not too soon," Ariel reminded softly as the mermaid swam off into the sea. Indigo blinked a few times as she left before she murmured to thin air, "She's as strong as you'd hoped Merlin." The girl who swam off into the distance didn't know it, but in her was the spirit of Nimue reborn. Merlin was long dead, Indigo looked to the stars as she finally understood what she had to do. She had to get to Neverland to defeat the shadow, but she had to do it in a different way. She couldn't keep fighting this boy…this boy who obviously could not be her Peter. This person was a monster._

**Present Day**

Pan sat on the ground before the open fire as Indigo came to meet him, night swift upon the day's heels. He opened his arm for her to curl into him, feeling the warmth of his arms as she breathed out in relief.

"What will you do with him?" she murmured quietly.

"Well, soon enough his family will come for him," Pan replied, looking into the fire, "But we'll take care of them easily. All we have to do is make sure our newest member doesn't try to escape. Or want to escape."

"You don't just want him," Indigo surmised, "You want him lost."

"Isn't it better that way?" he asked, looking down at her and kissing her lightly on the forehead, tracing his lips down her nose until he found her lips. "Isn't _this _better?"

"Mhmm," Indigo murmured, holding him tightly as they kissed. Felix came walking into the camp at that point, averting his eyes from the couple who were sitting there in plain sight making out. He coughed loudly to get Pan's attention. He pulled back and sighed as Indigo leaned back into the log looking at Felix upside down.

"Yes Felix?" Pan asked.

"There are adults here. The shadow's been on the lookout. They just touched land."

"Yes," Pan replied, "I felt a mermaid's storm a few hours ago. Which obviously means there is dissension amongst the ranks. Also I felt the power of a Dark One who I am incredibly interested to meet. Do we know who these people are?"

"I gave them a quick once over with my magic. One is the boy's mother, three others his family, and the last, you really won't believe Pan. He's back."

Pan's eyes widened as a gleeful smile spread across his face. He glanced over at Indigo with a smirk, "It looks like your ex-lover has returned Indie."

"Hook?" she asked in astonishment. Somehow Hook had ended up chasing after the truest believer as well. That was not welcome news. Her brow furrowed as she questioned herself. She remembered telling him that he wouldn't be back for a while, and she knew that to be true. Her magic didn't lie. So what was he doing back here?

"Indeed," he replied, turning back to Felix, "Neverland itself will keep them at bay for tonight. But I'd put Lainor on watch. If he spots anyone; he's quickest with a knife."

Indigo knew that the thought of killing people should have made her flinch. And yet, Pan said it so easily and she realised she'd grown used to it. She'd grown used to the rampant violence – she'd grown used to being here…Indigo Tigerlily…

As Felix began walking away, Pan turned back to her and muttered, "Did you want to go somewhere else?" Her eyes followed his to where, up in the sky, houses lined the leaves of the extremely tall trees. It was a lot higher than before, and a lot easier to cover with a mirage, she realised. Taking his hand they both pushed off the ground, using their magic to float through the window. In this room, there was no door, knowing that neither of them needed it.

"Did you build this?" Indigo asked, landing lightly as she looked around, spotting the same furniture from before. His hand gave a small wave, lighting up the candles around the room. "But this was from the other camp…"

"Magic," Peter grinned, spinning her around as he pulled her in closely, looking into her eyes deeply. In them, he saw his own reflected – wide and honest. "You're beautiful Indie," he muttered genuinely. Indigo's face looked up at him curiously, a small smile forming at the corners of her mouth as she leaned up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and feeling his heart beating steadily with hers. As he kissed her back, his hands tightening on her waist, she pulled away momentarily.

"What's the matter?" Pan breathed softly.

"Nothing," she breathed, a full smile upon her face. "Nothing at all. No one can hear us now. This…this is our time."

Pan smiled and pressed his lips to hers gently, the night still and silent – the aura of the calm before a raging deadly storm.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey Team! Thank you so much for your reviews. And this story has got over a hundred followers so I just want to thank you all for reading this. I really did not expect this to have such a response. So, I'm not gonna keep blubbering - but thank you. =]

Here's the next chapter! xx

**Carried Away**

Indigo awoke the next morning to the breaking of dawn. Gently removing Pan's arm from around her, she slid off the bed, pulling her clothing on quickly, realising that her bracelet had fallen out of her pocket. Quickly, she slipped it back on, realising as she did so that a charm was missing from it. Her dagger.

Looking curiously over at Pan she wondered if he had taken it – but it would have no significance to him. She could only assume that she'd lost it somewhere on the way to his camp, or perhaps in the swim to the island. But either way, she put the other bracelet, the one she didn't recognise, back in her pocket, and flew out of the window, landing silently on the ground.

The camp was still asleep in the moments before the dawn. Upon the ground, a half built house was growing as a place for Henry to sleep, but at that moment, he lay upon the ground, the weather warm enough to sleep without a blanket.

"You're quite bad at pretending to be asleep," Indigo commented, bending down to his height. He peeked open one eye and sighed, sitting upright as she sat down in front of him.

"You don't seem like the others," Henry commented.

"Indigo," she replied, holding out her hand, "Or as Pan likes to call me, Indigo Tigerlily."

"Tigerlily?" Henry asked, taking her hand and shaking it quickly. "Are you one of the Indians?"

Indigo's brow furrowed, "If you mean the tribespeople…they were wiped out almost three hundred years ago."

"Oh," Henry's face fell. "Never mind."

There was a moment's silence before Henry continued, "You're the only girl here."

"Yep," she replied with a large smile, "So don't feel like I'm intimidating."

"I'm not scared of Pan," Henry answered, "My family's coming for me."

This child was so sure. In curiosity, Indigo held out her hand, palm open. It was an innocent gesture, but as Henry stared at her curiously she said, "I just want to find out who you are Henry. I guess, you could say I'm a friend but I doubt you'd believe me. Let's just say I'm not an enemy."

Henry's eyes still looked at her doubtfully, but he said, "My mother's pretty good at telling when people are lying. I feel like I can trust you." His hand dropped onto hers lightly and she felt the quick zing of dormant magic.

"Trust isn't a word to throw around lightly in Neverland Henry," Indigo warned as she read all she could from him and dropped his hand. Her face became a small smile as she discovered the basics of who this boy was. Heart of the truest believer? Definitely. But where did that belief come from-

Why from the most optimistic people that she knew.

"Your family," Indigo began in hopeful anticipation, "they include Snow White and Prince David?"

"Yes," Henry said slowly, taking a small inch backwards. "Why?"

"They will definitely come for you," Indigo smiled. "I know them."

"You know my grandparents?" Henry asked in shock.

"Your grandparents…oh no," Indigo gasped. "Did…did the curse get cast?"

"Twenty eight years ago," Henry frowned. "How could you possibly know my grandparents?"

"You're sitting in a world that doesn't move Henry," Indigo explained. "Also, I'm a pretty powerful sorcerer."

"Just like my mum."

"Your mum is a sorcerer?"

Henry nodded, "Regina."

Indigo's eyes widened before she looked at him doubtfully, knowing that the ancestry didn't make sense. Henry rectified it quickly, "Adoptive mum."

"That makes more sense," Indigo nodded. "I'm actually, well, I was, pretty good friends with Snow and David. I was there when they got married; gave them a pretty epic book about an old friend of Snow's. As well as being the token performing magician. Henry, that was a very good wedding."

"My mum crashed it," Henry frowned. "I don't remember reading anything about you."

"Well I wasn't exactly one of the most important people of the night was I?" she laughed, finally seeing Henry crack a smile. Movement behind her alerted her to the waking of the camp. Indigo quickly said farewell to the boy, hoping that whatever Pan had in store for him would be revealed to her quickly.

Hayden and Will were climbing down their ladders towards the ground as she jumped up through her window, sliding back into bed with Pan and stroking him lightly on the arm.

"Morning," she murmured gently.

Pan didn't reply to her, or even open his eyes. Instead he began to frown and flipped over onto his back. After a few moments of Indigo waiting for him to open his eyes she asked, "Are you alive Pan?"

"Yes," he replied coldly.

"Are you angry with me?" she prompted, looking over at him. His eyes faced the ceiling. Indigo couldn't tell what was going through his mind until he began to speak with a curious evenness that she hadn't seen in days.

"You're an interesting person Indigo Garcia," Peter began, "You have so many skills for someone so young. You've travelled a lot."

Indigo turned onto her side to face Pan, eyeing him curiously, "Your point?"

"Well," he shrugged, still half ignoring her. He spoke as if he knew something she didn't. "You seem to have knowledge far beyond your years. Sometimes I feel like I'm not actually talking to a child."

"I'm 18," she responded, sick of him not looking at her and climbing onto him. He responded by turning her over onto her back and pinning her with his body. Indigo looked at his eyes, sadness seeping into her own as she saw them darkening; she saw darkness clearly in his eyes.

"So am I," he answered evenly. "For a thousand years. I've travelled worlds and gained new powers. I took control of Neverland and maintained it for centuries. But of course, you knew that. He cocked his head as a smirk graced his cold and hard eyes that she was surprised to see. In confusion, she tried to move out from under him but he held her tightly, forcefully even. His lips made their way to her ear, whispering quietly, "_No one can hear us now."_

Indigo gasped as she realised the words that she'd said last night, so close to what she'd told him over a thousand years ago. Horror flooded through her as she realised what that meant.

"You knew a lot more coming here than you let on. Didn't you Princess?"

She pushed Pan over onto his back, holding his wrists above his head, saying hopelessly with the utmost conviction, knowing that they both knew the truth now, "I am _not_ Anabelle." She was trying to convince herself of it, afraid of what it meant to turn back into the pitiful princess, but also scared of what Pan would do to her.

"I never said you were." Pan examined her mockingly, seemingly unperturbed by his current state of submission. His attack wasn't physical. This was simply wordplay. "But of course you're right. Anabelle took five months to kiss me, and you, well, you gave it up after three days."

Indigo's hands released his, only for him to find himself with a burning sensation across his face as her hand made contact with his cheek. It shone red but he ignored the stinging.

"You had to have gotten your disdain for me from somewhere," Pan continued, pushing her upwards onto her knees. She began to move away from him, backwards off the bed. "At first I thought it was impossible; how could you still be alive? I thought it was one of those freak of nature things – how everyone in life has a doppelganger – because you were just so different.

"But then I looked at myself and knew it was entirely possible," he advanced towards her, his eyes shining with a newfound glee. "A thousand years is a long time Indigo. Here it passed quickly, but for you, time passed slowly. Your body may not have aged, but your soul has. You write like an old person," he commented, pointing at the bookshelf. "All reminiscent; so many words. Don't you remember what it meant to be free?"

"Don't you remember what it felt like to love?"

Pan stood in front of her, looking from her shining brown hair to the blue eyes that stared back at him with the barest glimpse of hope in them.

"If I did," he whispered completely honestly, knowing himself, "You would've been killed the moment Felix threw you into the camp."

He pulled his hand back and forced her out of the room with a strong wind that swept her to the ground where she landed, crouched on the ground. Pan jumped down in front of her as he yelled out, "Boys, we have a liar in our midst. Get her; bind her."

The boys were almost hesitant to take Indigo, but Felix echoed Pan's orders and they moved slowly to take her arms. There Indigo knelt, on the ground before Pan – betrayed by all of those who had felt like family. She pushed against the boys arms that held her, the shock that she felt not allowing her much access to her magic.

"You deserve what's coming to you Pan," she spat, struggling against the two lost boys hauling her from the camp. She would give him hell for this. This boy who changed his face with a moment's thought. The arms around her, sick of her struggling pushed her to the ground where she leant on her knees, looking up at Pan, held down by dirty boots upon her back. "You've been in control of this island for too long."

"But I'm still here," he replied, walking with a lilt in his step, "I've survived a thousand years little Princess. Don't think that I won't live through whatever you have planned. You fear me. So much that you can't ever bear to use my name."

"The monster that stands before me killed Peter a long time ago," Indigo threw at him as he got closer. Oh how she wished it wasn't true. How she wished that she could've done more to bring Peter back…but he was gone.

"I know you don't believe that," he replied with a spark in his eye. His smile didn't reach his eyes, they merely shone with a mischievous malice, proving to her that this was Pan. And nothing Indigo could do was going to change that. Stepping closer, his lips made their way to her ear where he whispered, "I thought I told you to run and never look back Anabelle."

"I said I wasn't-"

"You have no say here anymore," Peter said loudly, stepping away from her. He threw her a small bottle of black poison saying, "You'll want this after a few weeks roaming the jungle. Take her away! Throw her to the mermaids or something equally as horrible. Whatever you want Felix."

Indigo inwardly jumped in ecstasy but still showed Pan a look of complete disgust. With Felix behind her, she was safe. And as she was taken from the camp towards the ocean, Henry staring after her in sadness, a look mirrored by the lost boys, she felt the bonds around her wrists being removed, "It's time for you to go Indigo Garcia."

She spun around and threw her arms around him. His response was awkward, like he wasn't quite sure where to put his hands or how to react. "Come with me Felix," she proposed.

Felix pushed her away, stepping back and looking at her with a small smile. "Something in me wants to do nothing but help you Indigo. But you and Merlin might have been friends; we aren't. I can't leave the lost boys."

"Then…I'm sorry for this," she said sheepishly. With one swipe to his head, the teenager was unconscious on the sand. Indigo was playing along with Pan's game, fleeing into the jungle as he'd hoped – the deadly poison safe in her pocket. She would never take it; but it did give her an idea. An idea that involved magic and death.

Sick of crying over her lost love, Indigo wasn't afraid to channel all of her pain into one single motive. She was off to find Henry's family. If Hook was amongst them…even….Regina…

The Lost Boys could be hers. Pan could potentially be dead by the end of the week.

And with that, Indigo Tigerlily Garcia headed off into the jungle, ignoring the guilty subconscious that told her she was turning into everything she had ever detested.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Howdy Team!  
So, this is one of those chapters that probably should have been split, but I spent all day writing it and kinda don't wanna split it. Therefore, yes, it is the longest chapter of this story to date. (Please excuse typing errors, I'll get around to fixing them when I'm not dead on my feet.)

And thank you so much for the reviews. I can see loads of you rooting for Pan/Indie. Let me just say, every time I get to write their scenes now, I fall in love with the two of them a little bit more. (None this chapter I'm afraid. ) =[

Enjoy the longest chapter ever! xx

**When Love Turns to Hate **

**_The Enchanted Forest – 290 Years Ago…_**

_"I'm not loving the company around here Milah," Indigo began, leaning her stool back against the wall, a drink in her hand and her friend beside her._

_Milah laughed as she looked across the room appreciatively, "I don't know. There's an incredibly handsome view over there."_

_Indigo's eyes followed hers to the corner where she saw a small group of men that made her choke on her drink. Coughing loudly to the side, Milah came to her aid, pushing on her back harshly as she tried to clear her lungs. _

_"I must admit," Milah commented, "I wasn't expecting that reaction."_

_"Aren't you married?" Indigo wheezed, returning to a sitting position._

_"To the biggest joke of a man that the universe ever created," she scowled._

_"Well," Indigo started, "those guys over there – they're pirates. And pirates aren't the best news, no matter how good looking they are." She knew she was just running her mouth, refusing to look at the man across the room. She was keeping her head conveniently turned away, so even if he looked up he wouldn't see her._

_"Pirates eh?" Milah asked, genuinely intrigued. "I'm going to go for it."_

_"Come on Milah," Indigo pleaded, watching her fixing her hair in the window. "I thought this was supposed to be our catch up."_

_"We did catch up," the woman replied as she kissed Indigo's cheek. "And I will see you again on Thursday."_

_Indigo sighed as the woman walked over to the men, putting on all the charm she could muster. Almost as if she saw Killian's face look up, Indigo disappeared from the spot by the window and reappeared outside the tavern. His eyes rose to the space she had occupied in confusion, having sworn there had been a person with Milah, but within seconds his attention turned to her._

_Indigo walked away silently with her head down, kicking loose cobblestones as she went._

**Present Day**

Indigo's feet were sore from having walked across the island for days. Her body was weary with the exertion, but she didn't feel like she could stop. The island itself felt like it was clawing at her, the trees limbs looking suspiciously like Pan's hands reaching out through the night. They tried to make her fear; the island was trying to confuse her…to make her lose all hope that she would ever escape – and take the dreamshade to escape.

But as her third night alone on the island came to pass, Indigo simply couldn't press on any longer. Her body was so utterly exhausted that she could do no more than collapse into the curved hollow of a tree and sink into oblivion. She was so far gone that she didn't hear the crying wails in the night.

Pan sat at his desk as he watched the lost boys climbing into their beds. His pan flute sat across the room as he tapped his fingers on the hard wood. The fearful and sad moaning began with the younger children first, and gradually it spread, awakening Pan to his lapse on routine. He drew the flute to himself and began to play. With each mistake he made, fuelled by a frustration he didn't know existed, the lost boy's cries grew louder.

Eventually he began again, playing softer; playing clearer. It wasn't until he was finished, and the boy's cries had faded into silence that he realised that for the first time in almost a thousand years, he was playing Anabelle's lullaby. Purely Anabelle's lullaby – with no variations, nothing changed. Just simplistic notes that carried with them so much meaning…

Pan threw the flute aside and jumped out of his window, carrying with him a blank piece of paper as he flew over a sleeping Henry. There was more to be done with his family. That night, he soared over Neverland to clear his head – preparing himself for the fight that was to come.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 290 Years ago…_**

_"There isn't much I need Killian," a female's voice laughed as the door to her shop opened. Indigo almost didn't want to walk out into the shop, but she didn't trust the pirate not to steal all her wares._

_"Milah!" Indigo exclaimed in surprise, rushing out past the counter to embrace her friend. Milah smiled when she saw her, it having been weeks since she had last seen her. "So much for meeting me on Thursday."_

_Indigo was pointedly ignoring Killian who had stopped moving any muscles when he saw her. She couldn't let herself feel guilty – it was better if he hated her._

_"I er, well…" she shrugged as Indigo nodded in acknowledgement. "You seem to be doing well."_

_"Yes," she replied sarcastically, "It's flourishing. You're the first people I've had in here in three days."_

_"Well," Killian began, finally regaining control of his tongue, "If you weren't perched in one of the most remote places known to man, you might make a little more money."_

_"Nobody asked for your opinion Captain," Indigo sighed wearily. Milah looked between the two of them with a furrowed brow. She hadn't seen Indigo since learning who the pirate was, so how did she know he was a captain?_

_"My apologies Princess," he said mockingly, a sharp glint in his eye as he gave a small bow and walked straight out of the shop._

_Milah stayed behind, turning back to her curiously, "Why did he call you princess?"_

_"It's a…a reference to my past," Indigo struggled, "Oh what the hell, I'm seven hundred years old Milah. I met Jones four years ago. So yes, I did try and warn you off him the other week, but evidently you're head over heels." Indigo threw up her hands before finishing honestly, "I've got nothing to say. He's a great guy. I wish you the best of luck."_

_"Thank you Indigo," Milah said honestly, hugging her friend tightly, but looking at her with eyes that seemed confused with a little hint of the idea that she missed her. Milah made to leave as Indigo said suddenly, "What about Baelfire?"_

_Milah stopped in her tracks, her face falling and she finally muttered, "I will go back for him."_

_"Please do," Indigo muttered in response, "Everyone needs to know that they are loved."_

**Present Day**

Indigo slept the day through. With the sound of dusk came the sound of Pan's music from a place other than where she'd heard it before. Pan was quick on his feet now, his manipulative mind working the island for all it was worth – he'd moved the camp. Indigo felt as though she was closer to him now than she had been yesterday, and the thought scared her. So as she got up, her muscles straining, she began to run once more through the jungle, away from the beating of the drums.

And headlong into a man running towards her.

Her head collided with his arm, forcing Indigo to stumble off the path and draw her dagger quickly upon him.

The man looked at her in shock. Indigo supposed she looked pretty wild having struggled through the forest for days.

"You're a girl," he stated, his hands up in surrender.

"Why is that such a surprise to everyone?!" Indigo groaned, stepping around him. "It's obvious and it doesn't need to be said. I mean, you're an adult." Indigo frowned. "Are you here to rescue Henry?"

"What do you know about Henry?" the man asked curiously, his hands lowering slowly.

"What do you want with Henry?" Indigo returned harshly.

"I'm his father," the man replied. "I want him safe."

"So you came with the others?" Indigo frowned. Why was he alone then?

"I actually fell through a portal to the enchanted forest and had to call the shadow-"

"Voluntarily?!" Indigo was dropping her knife slowly.

"It was the only way I knew how to get here."

"You…you knew," Indigo repeated curiously. "You've been here before?"

"Long time ago," the man shrugged. "Name's Neal."

Indigo tilted her head as she examined him up and down, realisation coming to her mind as she finally recognised who this man was. Of course, it had been so much time since she'd seen him…he'd grown up.

"No," she said with an exhalation of astonishment, "You're Baelfire."

He looked up at her in shock, his face a mask of astounded curiosity. "You know me?" he asked incredulously.

"I met you when you were just a boy," she replied, "You were barely seven." It was then, that with a small gasp she realised where she recognised the bracelet in her back pocket from. It was hand crafted – braided – with a small charm upon it

From her hand, Neal reached out and brought the threads to his eyeline.

"Hook gave this to me. I thought I'd lost it when I came to the island."

"You did," Indigo affirmed. "Pan had it."

"Why do you have it?" Neal asked curiously, putting the bracelet into his pocket.

"Just got set free by Felix a few days ago," she commented. Neal looked at her curiously, pointing back over his shoulder, "The same Felix I just knocked out for trying to take me to Pan's camp?"

Indigo nodded and Neal looked at her appreciatively, "Well done."

The sound of the barest movements from behind Neal made Indigo turn and jump in his way warning, "Get out of here – run. I can take Felix easily."

"No offence but so can I," Neal shrugged. But as she summoned fire to her hand wordlessly, looking at the man's face over her hand he continued, "Point taken."

Beginning to run, he turned back to her just before he left her sight, "Thank you…"

"Indigo," she said with a wide smile. "Good luck Baelfire."

And he ran as she turned back to the dark forest.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 283 Years Ago_**

_"You have not changed a bit Indigo," Killian Jones said as she crossed the boards to land lightly on the ship's deck. _

_"I got myself a last name," she replied. "Wait for it – Garcia."_

_"You gave yourself the last name that means young," Killian looked at her doubtfully. "Well if that isn't the definition of irony I don't know what is."_

_"You're older," she commented with a smirk. It had been seven years since he'd stepped foot in her store._

_"Time does that," he commented drily, the fact that he'd turned thirty a week ago not something he wanted to share with the girl who looked seventeen years old in front of him. _

_"Where's Milah?" Indigo enquired quickly, feeling that standing there with Killian was growing increasingly awkward. "I hope you haven't done anything to her."_

_"Why such lack of faith in me love?" Killian answered, looking at her with dark eyes. She knew he wasn't only referring to Milah, but to the night when she'd run out on him eleven years ago. A night which she not only avoided talking about; but also thinking about. And so, she pushed past him in the same fashion as she had the night they met and made her way to the captain's cabin where she knocked politely on the door. A light "come in" came from inside and Indigo pushed open the door to find her friend looking up at her from Killian's desk with a wide smile._

_Indigo couldn't help but be happy with her friend's happiness. Everything about her screamed freedom and adoration of this life, and Indigo missed it, but she wanted to see her friend more. It had been too long since they had seen each other._

_"How have you been?" Milah enquired, coming out to hug her. "How's the shop?"_

_"I sold up a couple of years ago," Indigo sighed. "It isn't what it used to be. Everyone's associating magic with the dark arts now that the Dark One's raging about. So my simple little store was nowhere near thriving or giving me any revenue to be honest."_

_"So what have you been doing?" Milah asked, leading her out onto the deck where they sat atop some barrels. "In your apparent ageless self."_

_"Well," Indigo shrugged, "I may be dealing more potent magics on the black market as I search for a way into Neverland."_

_Milah frowned. "You want to go to Neverland?"_

_"A realm where you never age Milah," Indigo smiled, not letting the woman in on her true agenda, "Why wouldn't you want that?"_

_"Killian said that the boy there, Pan, he killed his brother."_

_Indigo hesitated momentarily before looking up at Milah through shocked eyes, "What?"_

_"Yeah," she returned, "Apparently when he was still working for the king, his brother died because of Pan's manipulation. He's very against that world."_

_"I'd imagine he would be." Indigo looked up at Killian on the helm. He'd never told her why he had such a hate for Neverland. But he had told Milah. She supposed, he actually did care for her – he cared enough to let her in._

_And as she sat with them for dinner on the deck that night, she saw their brief touches – their smiles – and the soft whispers of, "I love you" that were whispered between them. All she could do was look at them happily, ignoring the twinges of pain that sat behind her heart._

_The next morning, as she awoke with the dawn, lying in a makeshift bed on the deck, Killian Jones came walking out to speak to her._

_"Now Indigo," Killian began, a swing in his step, "I realise that it must be hard for you to see Milah and I in love but please, no jealousy."_

_"Oh no," Indigo breathed, truly hurt by the fact that he had though she was jealous of them. Indigo replied with a small smile, "I'm not jealous Jones. You two deserve each other – really."_

_"I can't tell if you're being genuine or sarcastic…"_

_"Genuine," she answered, turning to face him completely. For the first time, she looked him in the eye and said, "You're a gentle soul Killian Jones, and she needs you as much as you need her. It was my fault for walking out on you eleven years ago and I have no right to fight for you now. You love her," Indigo finished. "I can see it in your eyes – and you tell her it every day. That's something that yes, I may envy, but I'm so incredibly happy for both of you."_

_"Nice tattoo," she added, flicking her head at his arm, having seen it earlier that morning._

_"Could we, possibly, be friends Indigo?" Jones asked, holding out his arm. Indigo eyed it carefully before biting her tongue and bracing his forearm with her own. _

_"Yes," she said with a small smile._

_She lied._

**Present Day**

"Indigo."

"Felix."

"Are you really still hanging around?" Felix asked. "If Pan finds you and you're not dead, you'll get a fate worse than death."

Couldn't be worse that the last thousand years, Indigo thought as she turned away from Felix almost taunting, "You'd better go. Don't you have to tell Pan that you were attacked by Baelfire?"

"Yes," he said, a little disgruntled. He reminded himself once more that he wasn't Pan's lapdog and that he was doing this out of loyalty to the Lost Ones. That Pan's rule of the island; that this new boy Henry would fix everything. But by the time he looked up to tell Indigo this, she was gone.

**_Neverland – 283 Years Ago…_**

_Killian Jones clutched at Milah's body, his own shaking as he fought back tears before his crew. His life was a curse – every person he knew left him. But Milah…Milah had been stolen from him. He had no chance to mourn the loss of his hand to the crocodile, no chance to mourn her. Instead, as Indigo watched from across the ship, her heart caught in her mouth, noise impossible to express…feelings impossible to express. Another friend gone._

_And Killian seemed to ignore her completely as he set her aside delicately upon a board of wood. He saw the small bracelet upon her wrist and pulled it off for no other reason than to remember. Indigo began to slide closer then, crouching down beside her friend's body and touching her skin lightly. She was already turning cold, fuelled by the wind upon the seas. Killian said to her without looking at her, "Will you…"_

_He couldn't finish his sentence but he didn't need to. Indigo waved her hand slowly and Milah's body was wrapped instantly in an old sail. It was the crew who then took away her body, setting her at rest in the sea; finally free. Indigo watched as they sailed on whispering, "Goodbye my friend."_

_Killian finally turned his face away and climbed up the stairs. Everything he said at that point was a blur to Indigo. All she remembered was grasping hold of the rigging as the ship travelled through the glowing portal upon the sea. This was the chance that she'd been searching for. Years and years had led to this…_

_But it was tainted by what it came upon the heels of. As she clutched at the rigging, tears building in her eyes, Killian steered them through the portal one handed, his own face ignoring the stump that she had healed to take the place of his left hand._

_As they arose in Neverland, Indigo began to walk across the deck unsteadily to see the island that arose before her. Her mouth widened in shock. It was too much. To be so relieved and so sad…_

_Killian sunk to the ground upon the stairs, his head in his hand as he cleared away the tears from his eyes. He pulled Milah's bracelet from his pocket and passed it between the fingers of his hand as Indigo came closer._

_"Killian," Indigo began, her voice sounding disused. "What are we, doing here? You hate this place."_

_"I need time Indigo," he replied without looking up as the waters of Neverland swirled around them. His face was hard, old tears hidden in them that still hadn't been shed, and probably wouldn't ever be, she realised. He replied forcefully, with murderous intent in his eyes. "I need time to figure out how to kill Rumplestiltskin."_

**Present Day**

Indigo clambered through the forest as the night wore on. Sitting aside momentarily, she closed her eyes, the calm of the night welcoming sleep. But as her ears became more attuned with her lack of sight, she heard the sound of far off chattering. The voices weren't trying to keep quiet, but neither were they children. And judging by what Indigo knew of who was currently on the island, she had to assume that these people were allies.

Dusting herself off, she began to walk slowly towards them, towards a small clearing where a cave perched itself atop an outcrop and an unfamiliar face stood in waiting with an unfamiliar sword.

Indigo halted the minute it even got close to her neck, the sharp glint of it reflected in the moonlight.

"Regina," the woman called lowly, "Can you come out here?"

There was the sound of footsteps as a familiar face appeared in the opening of the cave muttering, "Look Emma, I'm not here to stand around looking at caves. I'm her for Hen- Oh."

She stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of Indigo.

"You look terrible," she commented in disgust.

"Right back at you my queen," Indigo answered with a contemptuous smile, turning back to the girl with the sword. She began lowering it before Regina told her to keep it up.

"You really think I pose a threat Your Evilness?"

"I never know what to expect with you Miss Garcia," she answered. "That's why I find it best to keep you prisoner. Here however, that isn't really going to happen. How did you get here?"

"Been here a while," she shrugged adding, "Two weeks maybe."

"I'd hardly classify that 'a while'," the girl with the sword scoffed.

"I'm sorry," Indigo directed at her, the sword resting comfortably a few centimetres from her windpipe. "You are?"

"Emma Swan," she answered, eyes narrowing. "And you're lying."

Indigo shrugged, "If I told you the whole truth we'd be here a very long time. And by that comment, I'd be assuming you're Henry's mother, the walking lie-detector."

"You've seen Henry?" Emma's sword was dropped within seconds. "Is he okay? Pan's not hurting him?"

"Pan wants him _alive_," Indigo replied, looking at the two of them. "He needs the boy to fix Neverland. Unfortunately he's going to do something more than that though."

"What?" Regina and Emma's voices rang out.

Indigo looked at the two of them apologetically, "He's going to make him a lost boy."

**_Neverland – 183 years ago…_**

_"How long has it been Jones?" Indigo began, standing beside him at the helm. She leant against the wood casually, knowing that it wasn't a question he wanted to answer._

_"I don't know," he muttered in response._

_"Really?" she answered. "I know you've been working for Pan."_

_Killian turned to her harshly as she taunted, "For someone who hates him, you've been doing an awful lot of his dirty work."_

_"And what are you doing here Indigo?" he returned harshly. "Biding your time until someone else kills Pan for you?"_

_"I feel like that's what you're doing with Rumplestiltskin," Indigo returned. "Have you even found a way to kill him yet? Because in case you haven't realised, we've been sitting on these seas for a hundred years in other worlds' time. And I don't fancy a hundred more."_

_"Really?" Killian said, eyeing her carefully, a glint in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Aren't we friends?"_

_"We were never friends Captain," Indigo said sharply. "And we never will be."_

_He turned upon her, his eyes dark and heavy as he closed the space between them, roughly pulling her into him. "I know that love." He traced the curve of his hook across the bare skin of her neck, chasing it with his teeth as he finally whispered in her ear, "But what about friends with certain benefits?"_

**Present Day**

When the two women saw how tired Indigo was they let her collapse into the dirt against the rock, resting her worn limbs in an effort to regain some sort of strength. More voices came down from the cave as a person appeared, stopping when he saw her, his mouth forming a smirk.

"Look at you, older once again Captain," Indigo commented, glancing up at Killain Jones. She wasn't bothering to get up; she was quite comfortable.

"Can't say the same for you Garcia," he replied, not knowing that for her, it had only been two weeks since they last spoke.

"Do you two know each other?" Emma inquired as Indigo stared Hook up and down with a fierce defiance. Indigo looked over at her with a quick glance of appreciation. The subtle tone in her voice was almost possessive. Interesting.

Two more voices echoed around the clearing. A man and a woman laughed as they appeared in her eye line and at their appearance, Indigo pushed herself off the rock and stood up. These were two people she was genuinely happy to see. She breathed a sigh of relief before she began walking over to them. Snow looked up and dropped the bag she was holding along with her jaw. Laughing, she threw her arms around her friend in astounded happiness.

"I thought you were going to a world without magic Indigo," Snow started as Indigo quickly hugged David. "But you're in Neverland."

"I did go there first," Indigo smiled, not elaborating, "For years. But then I felt my uses better served fighting Pan."

"I'm surprised you aren't dead then," Hook's voice came from behind her. "You've lasted a long time here on your own Garcia. And you're looking pretty good for it."

"Time passes differently here," she reminded him. Before turning to the others and explaining. "It's been about two weeks since, well, since I saw Hook last."

"Really?" Hook enquired, coming around to stand by David's side. "So, while I've spent a year in the enchanted forest, then another 28 frozen in time, it's been a week."

"Don't complain Hook," Emma replied, "A lot of people went through the same thing." Everyone's eyes suddenly glanced towards Regina as she followed Emma down the path.

"Well don't look at me," Regina replied. "It's not my fault your friend here told Rumplestiltskin about a curse that he shared with me."

Everyone's eyes turned to Indigo who stepped back sheepishly, "I maintain that it was taken from me without my consent. Stiltskin's got a lot of power to make people talk."

"He's on the island Garcia," Hook shared, making her turn upon him. Her eyes were heavy.

"Please tell me you aren't still seeking revenge," Indigo almost pleaded. "Do you know how long it has been?"

"Well apparently it's been a few weeks for you-"

"Children!" Regina said, holding up her hands to separate Indigo and Hook who were obviously getting on each others' nerves rather quickly. Indigo found it ironic that Regina would call them children when they were both hundreds of years older than her.

But Indigo supposed, if Hook had spent 28 years suspended in time then that explained it. He still had the brain capacity and behaviour of a ten year old.

**_Neverland – 100 years ago…_**

_"We need to avenge Milah Indigo," Jones began, a fire in his eyes. "The Dark One must pay for what he's done. With your help, your magic, and this poison, he could suffer – he could –"_

_Indigo watched as Killian's resolutions formed in his mind. _

_"I can't fight this battle for you Killian," Indigo said calmly. She didn't mean the battle for revenge, it was the battle within himself – the refusal to grieve for Milah and let her go…_

_"Too bad Garcia," he said suddenly, looking straight past her. "It could've been grand."_

_"You know this isn't the way Hook," she replied, before clapping her hand across her mouth in shock. She'd sworn never to call him that. But it was as though it was retaliation to him calling her by her made up last name. And as he looked at her, with the smallest hint of pained disdain in his eyes she knew she was no longer welcome there._

_With those words, the sorceress and the pirate returned to being perfect strangers._

_And the next day, as soon as everyone was fast asleep, she crept out onto the deck, and looking out at the endless sea she said strongly to the darkness, "Ariel. Please; I need your help."_

_It was a few moments before the mermaid appeared in the water._

_"Indigo," she began in shock. "How did you get here?"_

_"Take me back to the Enchanted Forest please Ariel," Indigo began, slipping over the rail and eyeing the depths carefully. _

_"Did you do what you had to here?" she asked curiously and a little bit hopefully. If Pan was gone…that was joyous news for all mermaids. Indigo looked from the island to the captain's door with the barest glimpse of regret before she replied to Ariel._

_"I'll be back," Indigo said, as much to Neverland as to herself before she jumped into the water, only Ariel's arms keeping her afloat. After all these years, she still couldn't swim. With Ariel's words warning her to take a deep breath, it was mere seconds before they were beneath the water, crossing realms with the power of Ariel's mer-blood fuelling the trip._

_Indigo understood why most people didn't travel by mermaid after that. She arrived in the Enchanted Forest unconscious; only awakening when Ariel began compressions on her chest and she spluttered out the sea from her lungs._

_As Ariel left her on the shore, Indigo breathed out carefully. She'd watched herself closely in Neverland…she'd seen the way her hair had begun to grow again, her body aging, as she didn't use magic. She'd had no need to – and in turn, everything that kept Neverland's inhabitants young, simply didn't work on her. It had taken her numerous weeks…but she knew why now._

_Indigo was scared lying alone upon that beach. And she began to walk away, to a place where she knew she had to survive without magic. For the first time in her life, she was just like everyone else – no more magic…_

_Because nine months later, she was gifted with one last present from Killian Jones._


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey Team!  
So this is the part where I grovel and plead with you all not to hate me because I haven't updated. I ended up being a costumedesigner/partyplanner/photographer - plus had some post HSC plans to get out of the way.  
But here is the next chapter! #threedayslate #haven'treadoverit #feellikeineedabeta #dontactuallyknowwhattheydo #newbie #hashtag

I'm tired. I'll let you read.

P.S. If you have time, check out my new profile pic. I went to the costume party as the TARDIS. =]

Enjoy xx

P.P.S. Thank you for the reviews! I love you guys!

**Convenience in Hell**

**Present Day**

"But what does Pan want with Henry, Indigo," Snow was saying. "What could he possibly be to him?"

"Think about it Snow," Indigo answered, leaning back with a blanket curled up around her. "Who is Henry's family? Look at all of you."

"I suppose," Snow continued hesitantly, "Rumplestiltskin being his grandfather might have helped too."

"The Dark One is his grandfather?" Indigo opened her mouth in shock. She hadn't caught that when she'd read the boy. The ancestral lines were confusing even her and she'd been alive when every person around her was born.

"Who around here doesn't have magic?" Indigo asked with a frown. Snow pointed at herself, David and Hook across the circle.

Indigo nodded, cogs turning in her head. "Your daughter…she wasn't frozen like the rest of you?"

"She escaped before the curse hit," Snow said, looking from Indigo to Emma with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I have her now I guess. Oh, I'm so sorry Indigo," Snow said apologetically as she remembered her friend's past. She'd once showed her through a magic mirror, the image of the young girl with the glowing eyes.

"Don't be," Indigo said, a small sad smile creeping onto her face. "I met her."

"You did?" Snow asked in shock and excitement. "When? How?"

"She grew up," Indigo answered, looking at Snow knowingly. "When I met her again…she wasn't the same. She wasn't; she wasn't mine."

Snow looked at her curiously. How could a mother say that? But Indigo was staring up at the sky wistfully, wishing against the very fabric of nature itself that she could have raised her daughter. That she would not be so consumed by a hatred of magic; that she could have known that her mother loved her.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 99 years ago._**

_"How could you ever tell me this was easy Cora?!" Indigo cried out as another contraction hit her. _

_"Don't shoot the messenger!" she replied, her face worried and flustered. "I've never had a child."_

_"Don't have a child," Indigo moaned, the contraction subsiding. She knew it wouldn't be long before another hit her._

_"The midwife?" Cora inquired. "It would have to be soon."_

_"Fine," Indigo grunted, watching the young woman leave quickly, returning with an old woman who looked far beyond working age. They were muttering quickly in a language other than English that she quickly attuned to._

_"I speak Old Farthian," she murmured, shifting into a more comfortable position as another round of pain attacked her abdomen. Once more she found herself desperate to use magic to heal her pain – but in doing so her entire body would heal itself; in doing so she would kill her child._

_And so she persevered on through the night. Hours upon hours of screams and calming words. Just the Farthian midwife, the miller's daughter and Indigo; a sorcerer without magic._

_But as daybreak arrived, Indigo held within her arms a bloodied body, coated in a small blanket, writhing and wailing with the newness of life. She was beautiful. And in that moment, Indigo didn't care that she had so much pain behind her and so many years ahead of her. Instead she looked at the face of her little girl, and smiled._

_"What are you going to call her?" Cora asked, sitting by Indigo's bedside._

_"I should name her for her father's mother," Indigo mused quietly, having given it a lot of thought over the past few months. Her own mother's name held no meaning for her, but Killian's had stood by him; Milah had told her that. Finally, she revealed to the baby's closed eyelids with a soft kiss, "Wendy."_

**Present Day**

Indigo was pacing across the campsite as thoughts whirled around her head. What was their plan of attack? How did they kill Pan? How was Henry supposed to escape the lost boys? Was it still possible that Felix was on her side?

"Please stop pacing," a voice cut through her thoughts, "You're making me naus-"

Regina was cut short by Indigo's hand wave that blocked her voice from speaking. Regina kept moving her mouth, but no sound came out. Indigo turned to face the Evil Queen with a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking we're friends Regina. We want the same thing; this is convenience. When we get off this island it is war between you and I. And you know I'm going to win."

As she turned to walk away, Regina tried to speak once more, the words catching on Indigo's spell.

"Ariel's payback," she replied over her shoulder before swiping away the charm as Regina regained her voice, the thought of the mermaid bringing about newfound ideas within her mind as Emma and Snow returned, still elated by the victory in seeing Henry.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 99 years ago…_**

_Indigo clutched her crying baby to her chest, the mounting wails muffled in her blankets as she looked around furtively, clouds overhead threatening rain. Since giving birth her magic had been askew, he was out of practice – and out of money, food and shelter._

_As she trekked the long roads through the woods, the occasional carriage passed her by – her raggedy clothes and downcast face taking no place in their hearts. Indigo walked on as her baby cried herself into soft hiccups murmuring, "Mumma" in her small voice. Indigo hushed her gently, rocking her to sleep despite her hunger as they came to a fork in the road. Putting her in the sling around her back, Indigo turned left, continuing with the vainest of hopes towards a looming castle in the distance. It was smaller than many she'd seen in her vast lifetime, but it was the home of the only person she feared could help her._

_There had been rumours surrounding the new princess. Rumours that she had power, first to turn straw into gold, but then other – more miraculous – happenings had begun…the kind that only appeared when people sought out magic._

_It was a flavour in the air that signified it. The Dark One used it and now, Indigo shuddered in fearful regret when she thought of the sorcerer, Cora. _

_How far she had sunk; how malicious she had become. From the poor girl who stood by her as she gave birth; to the woman who now sat upon the throne. _

_And as she knocked upon the doors of the castle, she was turned away with a few loose coins that could have bought her nothing more than an apple at the markets a mile away. Until she grasped hold of the guard's sleeve desperately. "Cora," she murmured, looking up at the man pleadingly. "Please, I must speak with-"_

_The man made to push her out of the doorway but Indigo couldn't allow that to happen and using all the strength she could muster, she pulled her dagger from her boot and swung it into his leg. It wasn't deep, but it would hurt, and it allowed her to slip past him to where she was caught by other guards and rather than being thrown from the palace, was taken to the dungeons._

_Soon after, she was taken to see the princess._

_Forced onto her knees before a glistening throne, Indigo stared down at the floor, not too sure if she wanted to look up at the woman who said, "Indigo Garcia."_

_"Your majesty," Indigo replied, not looking up._

_"You've been on the streets my dear."_

_"You haven't."_

_"No." Indigo heard the cold smile in her voice as Cora looked around from her place upon the throne. "I have taken a few steps up in the world. I didn't want my child to live like me," Cora continued, looking down at the pitiful girl and saying disdainfully, "And certainly not like you."_

_Indigo looked up then. Cora was showing already. Soon, her daughter would be loose upon the world. And if she was anything like her mother…then the world would suffer dearly. For the woman who stood before her was no longer the meek girl whose friendship came free – this was a heartless queen._

_"What happened to you Cora?" Indigo asked softly, her voice having lost its punch over the years. _

_"I learnt the cruelty of the world Indigo," she replied, standing up and walking to the girl who knelt before her throne, Indigo's pride and hope disappearing at a quick pace. _

_"You think the world has been any less cruel to me?" Indigo asked, looking upwards to the woman with creased and frustrated eyes. She held no warmth within her eyes. No sympathy, no love, not even the barest glimpse of what she could have once called friendship. And in that moment Indigo knew, Cora would turn her away._

_It was at that moment that Wendy stirred in Indigo's arms. Cora's eyes shot downwards as though she'd only just realised the girl was there._

_"That child," Cora said with tight examining eyes, "She's going to have a great deal of importance in the future."_

_Indigo clutched Wendy closer to her chest, her small face burrowing into the crook of her neck. She'd lost the destiny charts to the Dark One long before they could say anything about Wendy. But it was something she feared beyond all else – that her daughter would be burdened with anything of this world; magic and curses…_

_Cora eyes Wendy possessively, a greedy glint in her eye as Indigo clutched her tightly. "What would you say if I were to offer you a way out of your…predicament."_

_"The price?" she replied quickly._

_"Nothing now. Perhaps, in the future when your daughter, and mine, are less…dependent, I may need your help with some manipulations of a darker sort. I believe you have quite strong magic from what I heard from the Dark One."_

_Indigo gulped. Cora didn't know that her magic now dwindled, but if it was future payment she asked, maybe she wouldn't have to. Maybe, in time, her magic would return…_

_"Very well," Indigo said, looking down at Wendy's small face sadly, "I agree."_

_If there was one thing she had learnt from Killian Jones, it was that sometimes dealing with the devil was a necessity to get what you wanted. And sometimes, it was the only thing that would keep the ones you loved alive._

**Present Day**

"Oh God Jones," Indigo groaned as she walked into the same area of the jungle as him. "Must you insist on being in my back pocket all the time?"

"I thought you rather enjoyed it," Hook commented, immediately making her regret her choice of words.

"Please don't start with that again Hook," Indigo retaliated. "We had sex a lot. _In the past._"

"I believe they have a more colloquial word for it in the land without magic," Hook smirked.

"Well I don't swear," Indigo answered with an annoyed sigh.

"I recall various expletives coming from that mouth of yours Indigo Garcia."

Indigo turned to face him suddenly. "Please don't talk about us. It doesn't bring back great memories."

"Really?" Hook enquired. "I recall various kinds of fun to be had by both parties."

"Yeah," Indigo said pointedly. "You _recall_. So please, stop talking to me like we're still on good terms."

"Aren't we?" Hook continued, taking a step forward as she stepped back. "The way I see it, we were both free agents. Besides we were on fine terms before I left Neverland."

Indigo scoffed, "I talked to you for all of five minutes before you fled a world. How can you call those good terms?"

Hook shrugged, "I've had worse."

"Just," Indigo turned away from him quickly, "Go away Hook. You're bugging me."

"_I'm_ bugging _you_-"

Indigo cut him off sharply with a quick magical barrier, tired of his snarky retorts and reminiscing of their past exploits. Held up by a blue force field, his arms and legs were immovable, and no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't move. Indigo blew him a kiss as she backed out of the clearing and into the darkness with a smirk upon her face.

"She's really something isn't she?"

Pan appeared, watching the space that Indigo left behind her as Killian Jones hung suspended in mid-air. Feigning obliviousness of his state, Pan acted surprised and removed the spell Indigo had cast to hold him in the air.

"Three greetings in one day Pan," Hook began as he fell neatly into a crouched position before dusting himself off. "You should know that I _am_ in fact going to tell them about Neal – wait…" Hook frowned, realising what he'd just said. "What would you know of her?"

"What would _you _know of her Hook?" he returned, taking a few steps forward. "Don't you want to uncover how exactly she's survived so long on this island?"

"You obviously fancy her Pan," he said stonily.

Pan shrugged, "Not particularly. Although, I do love the fact that she left you hanging here because you're on bad terms."

"We aren't on bad terms."

"What?" Pan asked in mock disbelief. "Were you not present for the entire conversation that just occurred? You're a little stupider than I remember Killian. And older."

"If people don't stop commenting on my face I'm going to murder someone."

"Your girl just walked that way," Pan said, arm indicating the path as a dark smile graced his face. "Be my guest."

"She isn't my girl."

"I know that," Pan scoffed. "Everyone on this island knows that. You've got your saviour. But the sorcerer," his eyes darkened as he smirked, "she's mine."

There was more to his look than mere possession and Hook knew it. He was playing him at a game; a strength of wills. Did Hook want the truth? Or did he want to fight Pan and kill him.

"What did you do to her Pan?" Hook asked finally. "Did you let her roam the island, let it turn her into this harsh-"

"Oh no," Pan returned smiling, "Nothing of the sort. I'm offended you would think so lowly of me Killian. I was incredibly hospitable, and so was she. If you want you can ask her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing a few more details. After all, you've been so _intimate."_

"In the past," he added as an afterthought watching horror grace Killian's face.

"I'll leave you to it then Killian," Pan said, walking past the stunned man with a clap on his shoulder. "My best to the trapped Prince."

And just like that, he disappeared, leaving Killian staring at the space in front of him where Indigo stood, fireball in hand, having just missed her chance at harming Peter Pan. Now, she would have to deal with the aftermath – the one-handed pirate who was staring at her with the fire of hatred in his eyes.

"You've been with Pan all this time?" he asked dangerously. He stepped forward and she instinctively stepped back. "Weren't you the one being all judgemental when I worked with him? Although, from what I gather, you weren't exactly working."

"Careful now Hook," Indigo warned using her brave façade as a cover up to the shock of seeing Pan once more. She quickly disappeared and reappeared on the other side of Jones on the path which led to the camp. "One might think that was jealousy in your voice."

He closed the distance before she could turn and walk away, grabbing hold of her arm tightly. Rather than shaking him off as she should of, she turned her arm into heat and let him jump back with a blistering hand.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he cried, staring at the skin on his hand that was glowing red.

"What I do with my life isn't any of your business," Indigo yelled in response. "We had a thing once. You're quite plainly over it. Don't think I didn't see you making out with Emma an hour ago."

Killian looked from his hand to her eyes in shock. There was no judgement in them, only the face of a person who knew him all too well. Indigo seemed to have calmed down by that stage, sighing before passing her hand over his and healing it murmuring, "Sorry."

"I slept with Tinkerbell."

"I heard," she answered as she pressed her blue thumbs into his palm, watching him wince. His revelation was meant to clear his head – to let Indigo back in – but instead it just felt like they were slipping back. "I didn't exactly spend 98 years in a hole. I had to work for someone."

As she pressed down harder into his skin again, he grunted in pain saying, "Were you jealous?"

"No," Indigo replied quickly and not entirely honestly. "Remember that whole jealousy talk we had about Milah?"

"Yes," Hook gave a reminiscent smile, "I think I was more jealous of your friendship with her."

"You were," Indigo agreed as she stopped healing his hand. "But I do question Tink. You loved Milah with all your heart. Tink was just convenience."

"And what were you love?"

"I was…" Indigo trailed off, and Hook seemed pleased with the fact that he'd stumped her until he realised he'd just insulted her and his face fell. But for Indigo, all she could think was that that was what Pan thought of her too. Convenient. There she was, the convenient person. That was a horrible description to have – but it was true. Neither of them would ever go out of their way for her. But at least Hook wasn't out to kill her.

"We didn't leave it on good terms Hook," she said as she realised that, beginning once more to look upon him as a friend, "How could it still be so easy to be with you?"

"I was a fool," Hook replied with a shrug. "But that's my fault not yours. You were right about the whole revenge thing."

"Well that's a first," Indigo laughed. "Truth is, I didn't leave because of that." And there she was, on the verge of letting the truth slip from her lips…

But she couldn't.

Instead, she sighed, "You never loved me Killian. And that pains me – but I understand how destiny works. First Milah, now Emma. You take the lost ones."

"You were just as lost as they were Indie," he replied.

"I guess," she answered with a shrug. "But I wasn't someone that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. I _was _convenient; I was there. And it's taken me three hundred years to realise that. Milah drove you mad; and Emma…I can see it in you once more. She does the same."

"You did once too," Killian reminded her, it was like he was trying to convince her that he did love her. And as he thought back to it, maybe he did. Maybe once he felt the beginnings of love.

"Then I left you," Indigo said suddenly, looking up into his eyes. "I left you just like your father did. And you grew bitter. Even if you cared about me once…I betrayed you, and in turn you couldn't love me." She gave a soft laugh. "When you said that our madness was the beginning of a love story, all I could think was that we were going to end up a tragedy. Look at us now."

"I wouldn't say we're tragedies Garcia," Hook returned with a frown. If only he knew, she thought as Snow and Charming arrived in the clearing on their way back to the camp. They smiled at them talking before walking back to the camp. As Killian made to follow, Indigo said suddenly –

"You know, I like her."

Killian glanced up at her in confusion.

"The Swan girl, Emma," Indigo continued with a nod. "I approve."

"You approve of my love life?" Killian repeated momentarily distracted. It seemed to be her duty as a friend to constantly be that person. There; convenient – and exactly who you needed at all the right times.

"Ah, so you do love her?"

"I never said that," he said much too quickly with a small smirk as they trailed after Snow and David. Indigo took one last glance at the clearing, having sworn she heard the sound of scampering footsteps amongst the trees. For a moment, wistfulness crossed her face.

Then it was gone; and Indigo followed the heroes back to their makeshift home. It wasn't much, but it was better than what she could have hoped for on Pan's Island.

The place Killian Jones so fondly called Hell.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is remotely on time. =P  
We're back on track with Pan next chapter which is very exciting.

Stick with me to the end guys; we're almost there.

Enjoy! xx

**Secrets**

**_The Enchanted Forest - 94 years ago..._**

_"Wendy," Indigo laughed, reaching for the bracelet that her daughter was fidgeting with. Each year, Indigo had made a new charm for the bracelet. _

_"But mummy," the five-year old whined, still slipping the charms between her small fair fingers. _

_"When you're older," Indigo replied haughtily. Her daughter pouted at her, a tantrum storming in her eyes as she reluctantly handed the jewellery back over, jumping down from her stool and running out of the room. As Indigo clasped it around her wrist, she was greeted by the sound of a light cough from behind her._

_Spinning around slowly in painful anticipation she spotted the mirror that had begun to show Cora's face. Gulping, she said, "Yes my queen."_

_"I require payment my dear," Cora said sharply._

_"Whatever you desire," Indigo replied, looking at the woman with the same cold eyes she showed her. Inside this cottage she had lived comfortably for years – she knew it couldn't last forever._

_"I need a problem…eradicated."_

_Indigo breathed in deeply, hearing her daughter's happy babbling and looking up at Cora saying with the most forced smile she'd ever had to perform, "Just tell me who."_

**Present Day**

"Look ladies and gents," Indigo started, "I don't want to spill my deepest secrets so I'm sure you'll understand if I stand back."

"But you could be so much help Indigo!" Snow exclaimed.

"We don't have time for this. Neal's trapped – "

"Let's go then." David was tired of the talking and eager to get into the action, despite Indigo knowing that they were all going to hate each other when they came back to her. As they all filed out of the clearing, Hook caught her arm and asked, "If you don't want to come, at least help."

"What do you want me to – Oh! Distract Pan?"

"Read my mind love," Jones smirked before following after the others.

Indigo outwardly groaned as she was left alone before she looked up into the foliage of the trees and jumped upwards, landing lightly in the trees.

"Oh Indigo," she muttered to herself as she stood up, watching the heroes, like ants trekking through the jungle, "You're far too much like Pan."

Spreading herself across the island, jumping from tree branch to tree branch, from limb to limb, was an incredibly freeing experience. Until of course, the distinct sound of chattering began to echo through the camp. Indigo smiled with the knowledge that she still had access to the camp; her status as a lost one was unable to be retrenched by Pan. Perhaps that was only able to be done by Felix…or even herself.

Either way, as Indigo got closer, she saw the boys milling about, a little less lively than they should be. It was as though they were being cooped up there, Pan's plans excluding them far too much for their liking. They should have realised in the past few centuries that he worked alone.

Indigo supposed he had some sort of relationship with him beyond them being minions. But it didn't mean much when the boy didn't know how to feel.

Of course, with those thoughts came the presence of a lightly muscled chest leaning against her back as a hand covered her eyes…the other winding its way around her throat. It was both playful and a warning.

"I wasn't expecting you back again so soon Indigo," Pan whispered dangerously in her ear.

"Do you really think I came unprepared?" she replied, her dagger in her backward bent hand, digging sharply into the cloth covering his stomach.

"Of course not my dear," he replied, taking his hand from her eyes and attempting to wave away the knife, allowing her time to twist around to face him, bringing it up to his face, impervious to the magic he'd tried to use to rid her of the weapon.

"Do you really think I'm that weak?" Indigo asked in astonishment. "Come now Pan. We understand each other."

"You know why I want to kill you," Pan responded, trying to cover up the fear that flashed through his eyes.

"Yep," Indigo smiled cheekily. "But you haven't. An entire island under your control; a fleet of lost boys to do your bidding – and still you haven't killed me."

"I was actually rather hoping you'd follow your friends to the Echo Caves. No matter," Pan shrugged. "I'm sure their secrets will destroy them. I was just curious to know yours."

"We're going to get Neal back," she said strongly.

"I don't doubt it Garcia," Pan smirked. "In fact, it's already accomplished. And everyone revealed their darkest secrets just in time for tea," Pan continued with a shrug. "I don't know about you, but I think that's a job well done."

"Oh," Indigo nodded in appreciation, playing Pan at his own game. "It is. And congratulations. One thing you didn't factor into account was me though." She spread her fingers loosely, imitating the jazz hands of the land without magic. "No deep dark secrets here."

"Really Indigo," Pan said with a smirk as he pushed aside her dagger and pulled her to her feet; his arm held tightly around her waist. She didn't bother struggling as he tilted his head close to her. "You've lived a long time." He was too close now; his breath was on her cheeks as Indigo gasped in a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Pan began to trace his fingers up her arm, gently teasing her with a malice that came in his words. "There has to be something you've hidden," he whispered, his mouth in her hair, moving against her ear. "Many things." His teeth nipped at her earlobe, her heart beating increasingly faster as she fought the urge to react to him. "All that darkness," he murmured against her jaw line as his hands caught her hips and pulled her closer. "How much you want me."

Indigo sobered up at that, looking up at him with both hands firmly placed on his chest and saying, "I feel I could never match how much you want yourself Pan. Your ego needs its own world; I understand why you insist on owning Neverland now."

Pan let out a breath that sounded curiously like a laugh. "Well, you'll tell me sooner or later Indie," he continued, kissing her on the cheek and stepping back. "Until next time, lover."

And as Pan disappeared only to find himself back in his tree house across the campsite, his smile fell. His racing heart began to slow, and he collapsed onto his bed, not willing to admit just how empty it was – how empty he was – without the girl with the glowing hair.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 92 years ago…_**

_"I've paid you Your Highness," Indigo whimpered, the princess scowling at her through the mirror. "I've…executed all of your plans."_

_"You think I haven't realised what you've been doing?" Cora responded. "You've been lazy; leaving trails. I expected the simplest of magic from you Indigo Garcia. Instead you act as a commonplace assassin. Tell me honestly, you have no magic."_

_"I do!" Indigo yelled back at her, before clapping her hadn't over her mouth in shock at the tone she had just used. "Your highness, I'm so sorry-"_

_"You're required at the palace Indigo," the princess said coldly. "Bring your daughter."_

_It was mere hours before Indigo was ascending the palace steps, through the gates easily with Wendy's hand clasped tightly in her own. She could not refuse royalty - especially particularly magical ones - however much she wished that Wendy never set foot there again._

_"What are we doing here mum?" the child asked, as she continuously tried to pull her hand from her mother's. "Isn't this the palace of the evil-"_

_"Shh Wendy."_

_The guards opened the doors quickly and they ascended to the throne room directly._

_"Seize her," the princess's voice came lazily._

_Indigo let go of her daughter's hand quickly as her wrists were placed in chains. Wendy cried out for her mother but a woman came to take her away._

_"What shall we do with you Indigo Garcia?" Cora began. "Your misdirection…your lies…I cannot let them go unpunished."_

_"Then punish me," she begged, looking out at the corridor down which her daughter had disappeared. "But please don't hurt Wendy."_

_"Oh," Cora shook her head. "I assure you. No harm will come to your daughter. In fact, she is merely befriending Regina as we speak."_

_Indigo looked down as she was thrown to her knees before Cora's feet. Her bright red shoes strolled around her in a circle. "Banishment?"_

_She winced as the word was thrown at her. Banishment to where? Neverland? The land without magic?_

_And what of Wendy?_

_"Your daughter still has value," Cora mused. "She'll make a good asset."_

_She's descended from far purer royalty than you, was all Indigo could think in that moment until the full impact of Cora's words hit her._

_"Please," Indigo asked, looking up suddenly at the heartless woman. "Let me say goodbye."_

_"By all means," Cora continued, vanishing her cuffs with a swipe of her hand. "Second door on the left."_

_Indigo practically ran to find her daughter, Cora safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't run. No. This was a bargain that Indigo knew was the only way to save her daughter from the streets and give her…a mother._

_Tearing into the room, Indigo fell to her knees, her arms surrounding her daughter in a suffocating hug._

_"Oh my Wendy-bird," she murmured into her honey coloured hair, clutching her to her body as she fought back tears. "Be brave."_

_"Mum?" she asked quietly, fear in her eyes._

_"This is for you," Indigo said hurriedly, trying to remove the bracelet from her wrist, but her shaking hands making it impossible._

_"Don't mummy," Wendy said, placing her hand gently on the chain before pulling a small charm from her pocket saying, "I made this for you."_

_And there upon her palm lay a small dagger, moulded in the shape of hers – the one she had carried for centuries. Indigo felt a single tear slip down her cheek as Wendy hooked it onto her bracelet. Her daughter leaned up to kiss her cheek saying, "Be brave mummy."_

_"I'll come back for you," Indigo promised, pulling her back into a hug. "I swear I will."_

_Looking over at the young girl who was watching them across the room with innocent observational eyes and dark hair, Indigo muttered, "Look after her Regina."_

_She nodded as Indigo stepped out of the room, walking slowly to the throne room with Cora looking down at her from her throne._

_"You've said your goodbyes?"_

_Indigo nodded as Cora said to the apparently empty air, "Use the bean; send her through."_

_She braced herself for the sudden magic of the portal, but it didn't come. Instead, she felt the barest whisper of air coming from down the hall. Opening her eyes, Indigo looked up at Cora curiously before the direction of the wind hit her and she ran back down the hall._

_But by the time she reached Regina's room, her daughter was long gone._

_Indigo fell to her knees, hopelessness spreading outwards from her heart as Cora's hand touched her shoulder. Her skin was like ice; the notion not even remotely comforting. _

_"What have you done?" Indigo breathed so lightly it was almost impossible to hear. Her breaths were coming in gasps, catching in her throat much too often to constitute normal breathing. This couldn't be happening._

_"I sent her to a place where she'll be safe; a land far from here."_

_"You can't know that Cora," Indigo said suddenly, standing up and turning to face the woman. "You can't know she'll be safe." She began to advance, a fire burning in her fuelled by her place at the lowest point of her life. What else could she do, but feel rage? "What have you done?" she repeated angrily, her palms heating, beginning to glow red._

_Cora's lips began to slip into a cold smile as small flames burned in Indigo's palm. As Indigo looked down at the magic escaping her for the first time in eight years before looking up in shock as Cora spoke again._

_"I did exactly what I intended my dear. Now, I expect you to do exactly what I say."_

**Present Day**

"Baelfire," she commented, acknowledging the new addition as everyone arrived back. "Nice to see you."

"Likewise Indigo," he replied.

"So that went well," Indigo said to Hook as the group came filing back to the campsite, all stony faced and silent.

"I told them that I may feel something…more, for Emma."

Indigo nodded, needing a distraction from her recent encounter with Pan. "That was brave."

"It was my secret. I understand why you didn't want to go," he continued, shivering as he watched Neal pass by Emma carefully.

"No one needs to know more than necessary about me."

"And what about the necessities?" Hook enquired. "How much does Snow really know about you? Emma knows nothing. I feel like sometimes even I don't know things."

Indigo looked up at him and gulped.

"There's something…"

"Yes love?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, getting up and going to sit with the others. Pulling him up with his good hand she said, "Let's go fill them in on me then."

As they came back into the clearing, Indigo called everyone together so that they were sitting in a circle. Lighting a small fire by magic, Indigo started slowly.

"I was born over a thousand years ago," Indigo started watching as Hook sank backwards comfortably, having heard the story before. "In a kingdom named Hainor as a Princess."

"But…Hainor was the name of our kingdom," Snow protested, "Long before I was even born."

"Times have changed," Indigo answered, glancing over at Hook as she continued, "Names have changed."

"How is that possible?" Emma asked suddenly. "How can you still look eighteen?"

"I can't age while I use magic," Indigo explained. "Every day I use it, I stay still. I stay an eighteen year old girl."

"You couldn't have shared this Garcia?" Hook enquired. It had been mere weeks for her since she'd last seen him. He had barely changed at all. As if he wanted to live for longer than he had to. Centuries was enough. She'd kill for her life to just...end.

"But, hang on," Snow began, "If you don't age or change, how did you have your daughter?"

Indigo froze, her eyes widening on Snow. Why would she bring that up?

Her eyes moved to Snow from David, darting everywhere, looking anywhere but at the one person in the group who she needed to. It was Emma who realised finally, mouth widening in an 'o' of comprehension. But Indigo didn't wait for anyone else to say anything. Instead she did what she knew; she ran.

Snow went to follow after her, immediately regretting bringing it up. But David's hand flung out to stop her looking pointedly over at Hook who was gazing after Indigo's back. His face was a mask of confusion as though he honestly hadn't realised where that was going. But he didn't need anyone's words to tell him to run after her, he was gone within a moment.

Killian Jones was pushing aside branches left, right and centre in search of Indigo, but he didn't have to go far. Down the hill, she was standing on a rocky outcrop, her arms bracing her body against the wind that was rushing through the jungle in the wake of the oncoming storm. Hook had never seen Indigo that sedate. She wasn't crying; she hadn't cried since he first met her, she was just still – looking out to sea longingly. His anger faded as he watched her like that, simply boiling in the pit of his stomach, a calm sort of rage

"She was a beautiful baby," Indigo started wistfully, not turning to look at him. "She had a smile that lit up the room. She loved the stories of the Enchanted Forest and the pirate who sailed on the seas…"

She took a breath before she turned to face him, her face looking deep into his eyes. They were the same. Indigo was torn between getting lost in them and stepping away from them. In the end, she confirmed what Hook had been concluding in his head by muttering, "She had your eyes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would I?" Indigo returned. "You had everything here. You had a life of beauty upon the seas; you had freedom. I didn't expect you to give that up; I didn't want you to."

"I would've given it all up," Hook answered, taking the few steps forward to her. "I would've given up everything for a family."

"You met her once," she continued, looking over at him, her eyes shining. "I suppose it paled to insignificance in comparison to the months you spent with Baelfire. She spent one night in Neverland. She told me that you were spying on Pan from the shadows of his island. She remembered you when I found her again."

Hook was confused by her words. Saw her…again? One day in Neverland. Nobody spent one day in Neverland unless…you were a girl.

"It was Wendy," Hook stated evenly, suppressing his anger once more and yet feeling a rush of affection when he realised that the girl was named after his mother. "Wendy is my daughter. And Cora destroyed her childhood. Pan…I hate him even more now. He's a demon in a boy's body."

"Pan never touched her," Indigo answered honestly. She'd heard that from both Wendy and Pan. In fact, Wendy had felt at home here, just like her mother. And Peter Pan had never wanted her.

Hook's hand made its way into hers as they sat out on the ledge. Eventually she grew tired of staring out to sea, holding back tears, and turned from him, letting go of his hand. Hook moved his hands to her shoulder, consoling her, as he felt her back rise and fall unevenly in silent sobs. He himself didn't know how to feel. This day was like losing a daughter he never knew he had.

"Is she," Killian breathed out, "is she okay?"

Indigo had to take in a deep breath before answering him. "She's grown up now. I missed twenty three years of her life."

Hook's fingers were running over her shoulder as he held back his own tears. He hadn't cried since Milah died. But with Indigo there, he knew in that moment it was okay. He pulled her around by her shoulder and looked her in the eyes and when they saw each other, they saw each other at their weakest once more.

Touching the dagger that he had taken from her upon his necklace she muttered, "When did you take this?"

"Before I left Neverland," he murmured as she touched her fingers to the cool metal.

"She made it," Indigo murmured, her voice catching. "Wendy made it."

And as Killian held her closely, she cried into him, and he mourned along with her – the life that they never had; and knew they never would.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Sup Team!

Ohmygoodness – another fantastic episode that made me change a little bit of Wendy's story, but possibly for the better. That amahzing Hook/Emma conversation at the beginning got ruined by the alpha male thing between Neal and Hook. I just…Hook and Emma are too perfect…

Anyway, excuse my blabbering.

Sorry for any silly typos. I have my formal in a few days so I got acrylic nails and they make everything ridiculously difficult. Particularly typing 's' for some reason.

Thank you again my lovely readers for the reviews. Enjoy the chapter! xx

**Never Let Go**

**_London – 92 years ago…_**

_The young girl was curled up in an alley as she clutched the rag tightly to her, her knees tucked into her chin as a cold wind swept through the streets. Wendy Garcia was no better off now than before. Days spent without food; weeks spent in a foreign world…she was lost. Just a seven year old girl in a grown up world._

_"My dear what are you doing?"_

_Wendy looked up at the shadow that had crossed her with wide eyes, scrounging away from the woman with wide and fearful eyes. But as she crouched down before her, genuine care in her eyes, Wendy stopped wasting the little energy she had and showed the woman her worn face._

_"You're freezing," the woman said, reaching out and touching her arm. The girl flinched away as she said quietly, holding out her hand palm open, "My name's Mary Darling."_

_There was a moment before the girl muttered, "I'm Wendy," and took Mrs. Darling's hand hesitantly._

**Present Day**

Indigo was lying on the ground as conversations surrounded her. Snow and David still weren't speaking to each other and the others were trying to figure out how to trap Pan's shadow in order to get off the island. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and went over to listen to them. . They needed to get off the island somehow.

But as Emma headed off and Hook began speaking to Baelfire, Indigo stepped away, clicking her fingers impatiently. She hated to admit it, but she was actually bored and actually feeling a sudden desire to banter with Pan.

It was fleeting and suppressed quickly, but as Hook came over and swung his arm over her shoulder easily, she said, "Do you need me to go and talk to Pan?"

Hook's eyebrows raised quickly as he said, "I was going to suggest you come with us. We could use some magic."

Indigo glanced over at Neal quickly and back to Hook before revealing, "You two need a zoo keeper."

"I resent that Indie."

She shrugged with an easy smile as she sat down on a nearby rock.

"What's your history with him anyway Indigo?" Killian inquired, looking over at her. "He speaks like he's known you a while. And not really in a way I like hearing him speak about you."

"I told you once," she frowned, looking over at him as he pulled out his flask. "Don't you remember when I spoke about Peter?"

Killian almost sprayed his rum out of his mouth, but simply began choking in shock. "Your Peter is _Peter Pan_?!" He groaned as his lungs cleared out. "Today has been too much."

"Sorry," Indigo murmured.

"It's not your fault love," he gave her a soft smile as realisation appeared in his eyes. "That's why you were always so intent on getting to Neverland."

"Well…yeah," Indigo sighed finally, "But I didn't actually realise it was him until Ariel said something a couple of centuries after I wanted to get here. At first it was just meant to be to protect Neverland. Then I grew more incensed when I realised that he was still alive."

Hook's eyes narrowed as he said, "Your path for revenge was never so different from mine."

"I never wanted revenge," Indigo returned sharply. "I want justice."

"You know that's just an excuse," Hook commented.

"You're drunk aren't you, wise and philosophical one," Indigo said, turning around to face him and snatching the rum from the flask that was rising to his lips.

"No," he smirked, taking it back, "You know this is just the way I act Garcia."

"Hook!" Emma called sharply. "Are you coming or not?"

"One minute," he replied as she followed Neal from the clearing. "Look after yourself Indie."

"I've lasted this long haven't I?" Indigo smiled as he left, standing up and looking in the direction of Pan's camp – resolution forming in her mind. She'd been dallying for far too long. She needed something from Pan; one last hope to get to the root of his power – before she finally got the chance to destroy him.

**_London – 86 years ago…_**

_Wendy reached out delicately for the hand of the shadow, ignoring the protests of the boy behind her. It had been so long since she'd been in a world with magic. Maybe…maybe the shadow could take her back to one…maybe she was going back home._

_The trip through the night wasn't as cold as she'd been expecting, dressed in nothing more than a nightgown. And it seemed like no time at all that the shadow spent flying her across England's skies and high into the atmosphere. The stars grew closer and before she knew it, the sky was rippling before her and she was flying over a new world – across seas, over a pirate ship and towards a land covered in dark trees that were illuminated by the rising sun._

_The shadow dropped her delicately on the beach, the sand rising and falling as she clambered to her feet, staring around in awe. This most definitely was not the Enchanted Forest._

_"And the shadow brought a girl once more," a drawling voice came from behind her. Wendy spun round and faced the two approaching boys. One spoke to the other, his hood covering his face. "Pan needs to reign it in or we'll have to start up a new delivery service. Bring her in Lainor. Blindfold her."_

_"Who are you?" Wendy started, jumping out of reach of Lainor who grabbed her quickly and wrapped a piece of scrappy material around her head, tying it tightly, making her flinch._

_"That doesn't matter," the monotonous voice replied. "All that matters is Pan wants to meet you and he doesn't want to kill you. Consider yourself lucky."_

_"Kill me?" Wendy asked, the fear and innocence in her voice plan to hear. But neither boy spoke as she was pushed forward, walking by the direction of the hand on her shoulder and nothing else. The sound of laughter alerted her to more people, to the children that she was headed towards. Wendy's blindfold was removed as he stepped into the clearing, an older boy swaggering toward them._

_"Thank you boys," he said with a nod to the two behind her. "I'll take it from here."_

_"Are _you_ at least going to tell me your name?" Wendy enquired, with a small smile._

_"Peter Pan," the boy answered with a bow. There was a glint in his eye that Wendy couldn't quite grasp as he took her hand and kissed it, "Enchantée." _

_Wendy blushed at the boy before her. "You must be quite something of a girl for the Shadow to have chosen to bring you here." He looked at her closely, genuinely intrigued by the young girl before him. "Your name?"_

_"Wendy Darling," she replied without hesitation. "What is this place?"_

_"This?" the boy looked upwards. "This is the lost boys' camp. But this-"_

_He took her hand lightly before making both of them disappear and reappear on the highest point of the island where the sun, casting its morning glow over the horizon, caused the sky to light up in all the colours of the rainbow. Pan waved his arm across the vast expanse of the island. "This is Neverland."_

_"Oh Peter," Wendy breathed, looking up at him in excitement and wonder. "It's beautiful!"_

_His face flinched as she said the words and as though by reflex he answered, "Don't call me Peter. Just Pan."_

_"Well then _Pan_," Wendy said, turning to him with a wide smile. "What are we going to do today?"_

_They jumped from tree to tree across the island the day passing quickly as Wendy fell more and more in love with the island. But Pan; Pan watched her intently the entire time, desperately trying to figure out why the shadow had brought her to Neverland. If the shadow was connected to his subconcious, what was it that he saw in needing this young girl?_

_"…and of course my brothers. Oh I must bring them here sometime Pan!" she exclaimed as he zoned back in to what she was saying._

_"You have brothers?" he repeated quickly as they walked side by side back to the camp, Pan holding his hand above his head, lighting the way with a large ball of fire._

_"Oh yes," Wendy said. "John's nine and Michael is six."_

_Pan scowled inwardly. He didn't want kids. The youngest ones around here were ten and even they annoyed him sometimes. But perhaps…in time…_

_Of course. He needed agents on the other side._

_Their proximity to the camp was made obvious by the sound of whimpering that Wendy heard echoing through the trees. Her face fell as she asked, "What's wrong with the boys?"_

_"Nothing I can't handle," Pan shrugged but inwardly berated himself for letting time slip away from him. It was later than he'd thought._

_"Here's where I guess I leave you Wendy," Pan said, stopping in his tracks and looking down at her. "But don't even think about saying goodbye. Because that means you're going away for good; and for good means forgetting."_

_"Trust me Pan," Wendy replied, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I could never forget today. I will be back."_

_"I will send the shadow for you again Wendy-bird."_

_"Wendy-bird?" she asked quickly, the name jolting a little reminiscence in her mind. It was familiar…_

_"Until next time," he smirked as he stepped backward into the camp, pulling a pan flute from his belt as the shadow swept her upwards into the stars and back to a land without magic._

**Present Day**

Indigo strolled into the campsite easily. Night had fallen and the boys were all milling about. Felix and Pan sat talking, Pan absentmindedly carving at a spear. When she appeared however, the lost boys all stopped in their tracks and looked at her. Will and Hayden's faces were almost smiling along with Meron's as Felix leapt up from Pan's side with the face that said he just got orders. She caught sight of Henry behind a tree, sitting alone and away from the group and mouthed to Meron, _Befriend him._

_Trying,_ the boy replied, and Indigo nodded understandingly in response. Pan wouldn't like that idea.

As soon as Felix spotted her, he was staling towards her and pushing her out of Pan's line of sight.

"What are you doing here?" Felix asked harshly, his form arm crushing her collarbone against a tree. "You really do want to die."

Indigo looked up at him and replied, "That's beside the point. I'm actually here to speak to Pan."

"I don't think you understand the point of you being banished from the lost ones Indigo."

"You know it doesn't work that way Felix," Indigo responded, tilting his head at him with a sigh. "You don't just stop being a lost one."

"I thought you found some people to belong to," Felix jolted his head towards the trail she'd come down. "Aren't you walking around with those hero types these days?"

"I've had people before," Indigo said finally, pushing his arm off her easily. "And everyone leaves. So you understand if I don't enjoy putting my faith in something so fleeting."

"You need to get out of here," Felix repeated, genuine fear in his eyes as he glanced back at Pan cautiously. "He's getting Henry on his side tonight so he's not going to look on you kindly."

"Does he ever Felix?" she enquired, walking past him as he scowled at her. She turned around quickly and muttered harshly, "When you finally get tired of playing Pan's bitch, come and see me."

Indigo crossed the camp quickly, sliding her hands softly over Pan's shoulders and feeling him visibly tense underneath her touch. "Stupid enough to come back Indigo?"

"Come now Pan," Indigo smirked, slipping to his right in order to straddle the log. "You really think I'd leave you alone after yesterday?"

"I had hoped," he shrugged, throwing aside the stick in his hand as he looked up at her. Indigo was confused by that comment. Was he really so invested in this truest believer that he no longer cared to try and kill her? She was kind of offended.

"How's Henry going?" Indigo enquired, knowing the boy was standing right behind her. What she then wasn't expecting was Pan to touch her hand and displace them into his treehouse within a moment. She shivered at being back inside the room, so familiar to the place where they had done…well…all sort of things.

But she pushed it aside and sunk into his desk chair, placing her feet up on the wood as he spoke.

"He's proving easier than I expected," Pan answered her. "It's barely going to take a single girl's lies to have him practically eating out of the palm of my hand."

"A single…girl?" Indigo frowned. She had been the only girl on the island. Or at least…the only that she knew about. She'd assumed that Pan didn't keep girls – after all, she was the first lost girl.

"Oh yes," Pan smirked, looking over at Indigo, "She's been around for a while. Not a lost girl of course, she was quite useless for anything other than leverage. But she's played her part well."

"But where do you keep her?" Indigo frowned, still confused about how she could not have known.

"You really think I'm going to share that Garcia?" Pan laughed, coming to stand in front of the desk and block the light from reaching her. "She's mine."

"And we both know how quickly you tire of things that are yours Pan," Indigo answered simply.

"Well, I suppose, I don't talk to her very often," Pan said, "It keeps her sane enough. But if I had to deal with all that talk of Neverland's beauty all the time, I may kill her and that wouldn't help her status as leverage."

"And her name?" Indigo enquired.

Pan laughed loudly again, "The most stupidly romantic name I've ever heard in my life Indigo. Wendy Darling."

Indigo smirked, knowing that Pan had to be lying. Wendy was in the other world, plotting against him and all that he stood for. "Nice try," she smirked.

Pan's face dropped in confusion, "You know her."

"Yeah," Indigo laughed. "And I know she's safe in a land without magic. She hasn't been here in seventeen years – other world time. So don't try and lie to me Pan."

Pan breathed out a laugh, "You've been greatly deceived Indigo. But regrettably, not by me."

All thoughts of what she was there for were swept from her mind as she considered the possibility. But Pan, with places to be and people to see simply said. "You can stick around here for the time being if you _really_ want to Indigo. But I've got to go. I've got a kid downstairs who needs to start believing in me."

Under normal circumstances, Indigo would have scoffed at that. But she was much too confused at what Pan was trying to say about Wendy. After a few moments, she jumped out of his window and spent the rest of the night wandering the path of Neverland.

**_ London – 85 Years Ago..._**

_Wendy approached the window slowly. A year had passed since last she had seen the shadow. Since Baelfire had gone and never come back._

_"Where's Baelfire?" she hissed at the shadow, not so innocent and wide eyed anymore._

_The shadow didn't answer. Its eyes merely glowed that little bit brighter as it swept into the nursery and took Wendy harshly by the wrists. _

_"No!" she cried. "John! Michael!"_

_The boys stirred in their sleep, but neither was fast enough to help their sister, merely watching as she struggled against the shadow's magical strength all the way across the sky to the second star to the right._

_"Her brothers, they definitely saw her?" Pan asked his shadow who nodded in response. "Excellent," he continued looking back down at Wendy with a dark smile. "Welcome back to Neverland Wendy. This time, you aren't leaving."_

_Pan turned to Felix, "Make her comfortable in the cage."_

**Present Day**

"When will you let me go Pan?" Wendy dared to ask as she was escorted back to her cage.

"When my plan is complete," Pan lied, knowing he'd most probably just kill her and her brothers.

"And how long's that going to be-"

"No more questions Wendy," Pan ordered. "But I have some for you. Why is Indigo Garcia under the impression that you're a thirty year old woman living in London, plotting against me?"

Wendy's eyes widened in both hope and shock. Indigo was here? Her…mother…was here? In Neverland? She knew that her mental projection in London had asked her to convince Pan to leave Neverland but she hadn't expected it so soon. Her heart leapt in joy and Pan noticed the hope in her eyes, his own narrowing as he stopped her in her tracks.

"What aren't you telling me Wendy-bird?" he asked, a growl in his voice as he reached out for her arm. As she felt him invading her mind, she tried to yank her arm from his, but he held it tightly, his mouth turning from anger to shock and into a precious kind of glee.

"So my Wendy-Bird," Pan smiled. "It appears you've been working against me. Quite powerfully in fact. I never guessed that your mental magic was so…potent."

"No, I never would Pan," the thirteen year old girl looked up at him with fearful eyes.

"You projected yourself into your life back home. You've been plotting against me for years."

"No – I swear."

"You're as bad as your mother," he spat, knowing now exactly what Indigo had been so confused about and seeing the woman written all over Wendy's face. How could he not have seen it before?

"I swear Pan," she pleaded, her voice shaking. Pan admired her…she played the victim well. A little better than Indigo even had. But she'd been stuck here for years and she'd been plotting in her solitude. Planning a way to get someone into Neverland to save her; and to take Pan down.

Fourteen years old she may have looked. But it had been more than half a century she'd spent on this island. Slowly gaining power; slowly controlling it – enough to start a war upon him.

But Pan pushed Wendy forward harshly, back into her cage and closed it quickly. "Don't expect to hear from me any time soon," he said, turning swiftly and walking away. Watching his every move was Indigo from high in the tree tops – almost a little too afraid to approach the young girl, curled up alone in the cage. But her need to finally see her daughter, truly, was too great - and Indigo jumped down to the ground. Their eyes locked and she stretched her hand through the bars, touching her daughter's face lightly.

"You could have just told me that you wanted me to rescue you Wendy," she whispered, placing her face against the bars. "You told me that he never harmed you…but look at you! He's been keeping you here! I could have come sooner! You didn't have to go through all that planning, that façade of growing up…it was just your magic. I could've been here with you, not talking to a mirage."

The fourteen year old girl sighed. "Your need to find me wouldn't have fuelled your magic enough to break through Pan's shield," she replied, touching her forehead to her mother's, her face almost pained. "Please mummy. Just get me out of here."

"I will Wendy-bird," she said delicately, a relieved smile breaking across her face as she broke through the bars of bamboo easily, pulling her daughter through the gaps. As she looked at her face and hugged her, she knew it would have looked strange. The motherly eighteen year old clutching her fourteen year old daughter. But they'd both been through so much more than that.

And it was only moments before Indigo took Wendy's hand and led her back through the tunnels of Neverland's trees, not letting go for a second.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey hey!  
Thank you guys for reading! I've got my formal tomorrow, so next chapter might be a little delayed, but I'm writing it now so I don't have to do too much tomorrow. =]

If you have time, go check out my new online shop. Head on over to Etsy and type in 'Knightsandchains' to take a look at my jewellery. If you're interested and you live outside Australia, send me a message and I'll see what I can do about sending it out. =D  
Yes - shameless self promotion - but I'm new at this sahhhh...

Also! This fic just reached novel length *Cheers*.

Anyway, enjoy my lovely readers! Reviews always appreciated. xx

**Where Allegiances Lie**

**Present Day**

Indigo and Wendy caught up quickly over what Indigo had been doing on the island, Indigo skimming over the finer details of her and Pan as they approached the campsite where Indigo stopped just short and turned to Wendy.

"Erm," she hesitated, "I'm not too sure how to say this…"

"Really mum?" Wendy looked at her doubtfully, "A thousand years and you don't know how to say something."

"Well, I guess I never told you who your father was."

"I never asked," Wendy replied honestly. "I assumed he wasn't good for anything; certainly not good at being a father."

Indigo looked over at her daughter. "Judging by your timing I'm assuming he's on the other side of those trees," she nodded her head towards the camp. Indigo nodded once again before saying, "Don't judge him too harshly Wendy. In all honesty, he only found out you existed yesterday."

"You've gotten better at lying mother," Wendy said, pressing on, "Perhaps a little too good."

Indigo tried not to let the words affect her as she followed her daughter into the fire-lit campsite. It was Neal who jumped at first spotting her. For a moment she was confused but then she recognised the boy and smiled, running to hug him, "Bae!"

"Oh my goodness!" he replied in shock, looking at her youthful face. "How long have you been here?"

"Um…Pan's kept me here since I was fourteen…" Wendy trailed off.

"That's almost 85 years!" Neal gasped, looking at her face, "Neverland's magic has certainly worked on you."

"And you too," Wendy replied. "You were here for a while before you left, otherwise you'd be dead by now, or at least really old."

"Yes well, I think most of us have had some kind of age suspension over the course of our lives. Some of course, more than others," he looked at Indigo who merely smiled.

"Not me," Emma pointed out. "I'm 28 and am still aging."

"Not for the past six days you haven't love," Killian interjected.

"Thank you for that Hook, like six days is going to make a difference in the long run. Who is this by the way?"

"I'm Wendy," the girl smiled, looking at the group assembled before her and looking at each of them in turn. "By what Indigo's said I'm guessing Emma?" She nodded. "Snow and Charming." Her eyes moved along then to the man standing with a hook hanging from his left hand. "And Hook."

The man was looking at her strangely and it was then that after glancing back at her mother she realised she was looking into eyes very similar to her own. "Oh," was all she could say.

"Alright let's break," David said as the father and daughter simply looked at each other. "Let these two have some privacy. Snow and I are going out for firewood."

"Emma," Indigo said suddenly, "Can I talk to you?"

The two of them left quickly as Hook and Wendy sat down to talk, both hesitant about each other.

"Indigo named you after my mother," Hook began with a small smile.

"It's a good name," she replied, frowning, "Yours isn't actually Hook is it?"

"No," he chuckled. "It's Killian Jones."

"Killian," she repeated, not willing to call him father just yet.

"So I've heard some of your story from Pan," Wendy continued. "It was fro, his point of view, but I can read between the lines. However, something Indigo never told me, is why Indigo left you?"

"You don't call her your mother?" Hook enquired, noticing that Emma did the same thing with Snow.

"When you spend half your childhood without her, it does become hard to."

"She," Hook frowned. "She didn't want to leave you."

"I know that," Wendy said with a sad smile. "I remember her saying goodbye to me and giving her a dagger…that is currently upon your necklace." Her face brightened when she realised he had something of hers.

"I can't say the same for me however," Killian answered. "I think, she just sincerely didn't want to raise a child with a pirate."

Wendy's brow furrowed. "I don't think it was that."

"Hmm?"

"She came to Neverland to fight Pan," Wendy said thinking out loud. "But with a child, she had to stop using magic and that meant she had no way to fight him. So she left because she no longer had a purpose."

"You certainly know how to make your father feel better Wendy," Killian scoffed. "You're saying she never felt anything for me?"

"No," she continued, "I'm not saying that at all. But it's not her primary motivation. It never has been. I always thought it was revenge that fuelled her, but it wasn't, it still isn't."

"I have no idea what you're on about Wendy," Hook replied honestly. "You get the rambling from Indigo."

"Her love for me wouldn't have been enough to break Pan's hold, nor her love for you," Wendy continued as though she hadn't heard him. "So the only way it could have been revenge, is if there was something deeper underneath it."

Killian's face was gradually falling underneath the firelight. "You don't think-"

"It has to be," Wendy said earnestly. "The only way she got here was because she never stopped loving Peter Pan."

**_The Enchanted Forest – 41 Years Ago…_**

_"Look Dark One," Indigo was saying as she paced the floor of Rumplestiltskin's Dining Hall. "I don't know what you want me to say. Travel between worlds is impossible unless you've got a magic bean, a mermaid or some massively dangerous curse."_

_"There are no more magic beans dearie. And as for a curse? Well, I've never seen anything that dark written down."_

_"I have," Indigo sighed, before widening her eyes as she realised what she just said. Immediately she put a barrier up around herself so that the Dark One couldn't coax further information from her lips. _

_"You've seen a spell that dark?" Rumplestiltskin cackled, "And here I thought you were the purest of magic users."_

_"I want my daughter back just as much as you want your son Rumplestiltskin," she answered honestly. "I'll tell you what's necessary if you can promise me that Regina will set me free."_

_"I have no power there dearie," Rumplestiltskin replied. _

_"You did once," she replied. "I was there when you fell in love with her mother. I remember when Regina called on you to be her mentor. I've been around Dark One. You've got influence – you have fear. Use it."_

_And with those words Indigo disappeared._

**Present Day**

"I got distracted yesterday," Indigo said, shaking her head as she spoke to Emma. "I need to get something from Pan."

"What will it do?" she asked. "Will it help Henry?"

"If I do what I know I can," Indigo nodded, looking up at Emma's hopeful eyes, "Then yes. It'll destroy Pan. And if we do that, Henry is free to go."

"You should be working with Rumplestiltskin and Regina," Emma commented. "They're working on a way to kill Pan."

"Yes well," Indigo stood up, "I've worked with both of them, and neither of those times were we actually on the same side. So forgive me if I prefer to work alone."

"Of course," Emma replied. "I understand that. Do you need me to say anything to the others?"

"No," Indigo replied, watching Wendy and Hook talking intently, "I'll be back before they realise I'm gone."

She sped off into the night. Looking for one simple thing that she had hidden in Pan's desk drawer. And as the camp slept, she crept into his room, and took the blue petal that Pan had magicked into beauty for her and made to leave. But as she saw him lying there, she smirked and thought she could toy with him a little before she left.

"I freed Wendy," Indigo said loudly, perched upon his desk.

His sword was in his hand as he spun up from his sleep to face the empty room. The moment he saw Indigo, he disappeared and reappeared in front of her, sword reared – only she'd disappeared too.

"Two can play at this game," she laughed from the other side of the room where she now sat on the opposite windowsill, flicking at her nails.

"Well congratulations Anabelle," he replied, feeling a twinge when he realised if Wendy got out of Neverland, his control over John and Michael was gone. But they wouldn't get out of Neverland so that passed quickly. He called her Anabelle, trying to get a rise out of her so that she would leave. He legitimately wanted to sleep to be up early tomorrow. "You just come here to gloat? Although I do find it curious why you persist on coming back here even after everything I've done to you? You have an incredibly twisted mind to still want me."

"Not as twisted as yours," she answered, keeping her anger in check, smiling as she began to poke at tender points of Pan's grand plan. "I just came here to say that it's possible that you're losing control of the lost boys. Unfortunately we carry a certain camaraderie that you couldn't possibly understand, having forgotten how to feel lost," her tone had turned patronising.

"I'm a lost girl," she said, stepping into his room. "But you made sure of that a thousand years ago. And because of your actions, you know that I have just as much right to this island as any of them. And just as much right as you."

"So why don't you just take it?" Pan asked, crossing the room to her with glowing arms outstretched. Their magic bounced off each other, rendering both attacks useless, so when he came face to face with her she simply said, "You know I'm immortal."

"So am I," Pan answered smugly.

"Mmm," she murmured. "Except yours is because of the island. And mine, well, mine's because of this."

With more power than she'd used in a while, she pushed through Pan's defences, throwing him backwards into the corner of his room where she bent the chains he hadn't taken off his wall around his wrists. He didn't bother fighting them, but merely watched Indigo curiously. As she walked past him, he caught her arm and said, "I wouldn't advise you to look in a mirror anytime soon. You're looking an awful lot like me."

She pulled her arm out of his forcefully before turning back to him. Dropping to his height, she said evenly, "And that_ lover,_ is exactly what I need to take the lost boys and this island out from under you."

And with a forceful kiss on Pan's captive lips, she disappeared into the night. Pan, for the first time, in awe of his enemy.

But he couldn't deny that as he looked after Indigo he felt a pang of regret. Yes, she did look an awful lot like him. And for the first time in centuries, he questioned why that suddenly seemed like a bad thing.

"Felix!" he called loudly, the chains inhibiting his magic. "I need you!" It was time to get those annoying good guys off his island before they started toying even more fiercely with his mind.

**_The Enchanted Forest – 40 Years Ago…_**

_"If I ever hear that you've gone behind my back to work with Rumplestiltskin again," Regina said dangerously, her magic holding Indigo up by her throat. "Even your magic won't save you from the hell that I will put you in."_

_She let her go and Indigo fell to the ground, staring up at the woman with hatred. Her magic had grown stronger, but still not strong enough to fight off the darkness in Regina._

_"You can't believe that you really need me anymore?" Indigo said, crawling to her feet as she rubbed at her neck. "You've obviously got enough power."_

_"I do Indigo," Regina replied. "But I can't just expect you to not go running over to my enemies the minute I let you go."_

_"Maybe I'd actually just like to find my daughter," Indigo replied honestly. After all those years, it was still the same quest._

_"And how are you going to do that?"_

_"Go ask Rumplestiltskin," Indigo ordered before mocking realisation, "Oh wait. I wasn't going to tell him unless you set me free. Guess we all lose."_

_"What could possible have that much power?" Regina enquired._

_"A curse," Indigo smiled a little darkly, seeing her chance. "You know, it could have advantages in your war on Snow and Charming."_

_"And your price is of course your freedom."_

_"You going to give it to me?"_

_"In time," she muttered. "When I know this curse will work."_

_Ten years later, Indigo was set free, with Rumplestiltskin having used her knowledge to alter the curse to suit their needs. Eleven years later, she called upon Ariel once more – her desperation so great that she was willing to risk even death in crossing worlds to find her daughter. And she stood before Wendy, grown up, but merely a mirage. Speaking with the utmost conviction, she recognised her mother but would not even touch her. Merely sending her on a mission of hatred – to trap Peter Pan in a land without magic. _

_That night, Indigo caught sight of the shadow, and unable to follow it without magic, she latched onto his feet, the moment she entered Neverland, flying across the dying day to where a pirate ship sat upon the still seas._

_A year later, the curse was activated. But for Indigo, no time had really passed. And 28 years passed in a week. While she plotted in the back of her mind._

_She planned the destruction of Peter Pan._

**Present Day**

Indigo walked back to the camp slowly, passing the magic filled petal between her fingers as she tried to analyse Pan's magic. It was old, and incredibly powerful. But what he had used in this was nothing like what she'd ever sensed in him. It was joy and fear fighting for dominance.

But what could Pan possibly fear so much that it would fuel his magic-

Indigo let out a breath of surprised shock as it hit her. She knew what he feared. He covered it up at every instance. "Pan fears falling in love with me all over again," she breathed ever so quietly to herself, smirking at the thought.

"That's impossible."

Felix's voice from behind her shocked her. She turned around, arms prepared to attack, but even Felix was looking at her in the knowledge that her words could actually possibly be true.

"No it isn't," she breathed, a small smile forming on her face.

"If that's true," Felix continued, "Then maybe it's time we talked."

It occurred to Indigo then that Felix had heeded her words from yesterday and sought her out. It was time they talked; it was time they planned.

It was time to free them all from the hold of Neverland.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Got home from my formal an hour ago, removed the bajillion bobby pins that were keeping my head together, wrote the last part of this chapter and BAM!

Here it is. XD

Thank you for my reviews, I check every morning when I wake up (because immediately after I post the chapters I go to sleep. Hey, it's 12.35 in the morning, what's a girl to do?) and I love seeing them to start my day. =]

Enjoy the chapter! xx

**Wendy's Boys**

Felix looked at Indigo, the most honest she had ever seen him.

"We all have our own stories," he began, his scar not looking so menacing under the morning light. "For each of us, it contains abandonment. And because of that, every lost boy wants to be loyal and wants to belong. If that means doing everything that Pan says, then they do it."

"Except you Felix," she continued with a frown. "You've lost sight of it."

"I never had any faith in Pan," Felix scowled. "It was the island that made him this. At first he was so intent on finding a new world, on being lost, and I went with him willingly. Anything was better than the people who threw me out on the streets – and he was Peter. I believed in _him. _He was my brother in arms."

"And you've noticed the change?"

"It's been over nine-hundred years Indigo," he breathed. "Yes, I've noticed the change."

"Do you think they have?"

"Who," Felix inquired, "The lost boys? Possibly. But I don't know how we're going to get them on our side."

"Wendy would do it," Indigo said with a small smile.

"Wendy's locked in a cage."

"Not anymore," she smirked. "Tonight, at the campsite. I need you to meet me here and I'll bring her to you. I'll distract Pan while she's talking to the boys. It shouldn't take too long."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I can feel their discontent just as much as you can," Indigo replied standing up. "And Wendy's going to be the catalyst. They'll rebel. We'll get Henry. And Pan…Pan's going down."

Felix looked up at her as she walked away, knowing deep within his soul that destroying his friend could not be the only way to save him. Surely, surely, there was another way.

"I don't want him to die Indigo," Felix said softly to himself, "I just want my brother back."

**xxx**

Sneaking into the camp that night was easy. On her way in, she found herself a metre away from Meron and Henry who both spotted her. "You," Henry exclaimed softly. "You're the girl Pan banished, Indigo."

"Very astute Henry, yes."

"What are you doing here Indigo?" Meron said. "I can't believe Pan hasn't killed you yet! He's killed lost boys for less that you've done."

"Really?" Henry enquired, his eyes widening in shock.

"Never mind that." Indigo waved away his protestations. "Henry, I'm working with your family. We're going to get you out of here."

"But I can't go," he frowned. "This world is dying. I saw Wendy; sickly and – "

"Pan lied to you," Indigo said earnestly, touching his shoulder lightly. "Wendy is my daughter and she's fine. She was Pan's prisoner; she did his bidding and nothing more. It's trickery Henry; nothing more than a trick to make you believe in Pan. To make you return the magic of Neverland."

"Wendy…" Meron started, his face a mask of shock. "Wendy's been here this entire time?"

"She's coming to speak to you now," Indigo smiled. "Gather the lost boys. I'm sure they all want to see her."

"Of course," Meron said in excitement, running off, Henry went to follow him but Indigo grabbed him before he left.

"Just one more thing," Indigo said with a small smile, "I'm not sure if you know, but your father, Neal, he's alive."

Henry let out a breath as his eyes lit up in excitement. There was hope in them that had been extinguished by the lapse in contact. "Alright," she continued, motioning towards the gathering lost boys, "Off you go."

As Henry turned, Indigo disappeared from the ground and reappeared in Pan's room, laying back easily on his bed as he clutched his head in frustration, murmuring under his breath. Watching him silently, Indigo almost felt like she was watching him go crazy. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes darting across the page evenly. If she were to describe him in that moment, she would say he was adorable.

That was, until he wiped the tiredness from his face and looked up to find Indigo on his bed and literally groaned aloud in frustration muttering under his breath, "I don't need this right now."

"Aww Pan," she pouted. "You're making me feel unwanted."

"Well you have thrown out my timing a little," he shrugged, getting back to his normal self. "But I'll get it all back. I've been waiting centuries for this boy, I'm not about to let him go quickly."

"I don't doubt it my dear," she smiled, turning over onto her stomach as she sat with her head in her hands. He had his arms folded on his chest as he gazed at her carefully. His eyes were doing more than just looking though, they were trying to penetrate the very depths of her soul – trying to figure out exactly why she was there yet again.

"Are you scared Pan?"she asked finally.

"Scared?" he scoffed, creating fire within his hands; a display of his power. "I have nothing to be scared of."

"You aren't worried about people stealing Henry away from you?" Or her stealing the lost boys for that matter.

"It's impossible," he shrugged, turning his back to her as he went back to his seat. There was something of a defeated nature in his usual confident lilt. Indigo's eyes narrowed as she voiced what she knew, "You've made the boy believe in you." But with a few words and a lovely daughter she'd torn that apart.

"Yes," Pan replied easily. "Your point?"

"You had to do that," she continued, almost as though the thought was curious to even herself. "You had to do that because you don't believe in yourself."

"Don't believe in myself?"Pan repeated, with a little less conviction than usual. "I own this island!"

"What does that _really_ mean though," Indigo continued finally sitting up. "I mean as far as I can see, the island owns you. After all, you'd be a pile of dust without Neverland's magic. The Echo Caves have their own rules that you are nowhere near controlling."

"But they do come in handy," Pan smirked. "I feel I have enough knowledge of this land's power to manipulate it to my advantage."

"Even you have to reveal your darkest secret when you step into those caves," she answered knowingly.

"And of course," he said, leaning forward, "You want to know what it is."

"Well you want to know mine," she shrugged, stepping off the bed and stretching her arms above her head. Pan caught a glimpse of the skin in the small of her back and his eyes narrowed, ignoring the skip in his heart. She knew exactly what she was doing and facing away from him, she smirked.

"You didn't exactly share," he replied, slipping out from behind his desk once more and over to her. He couldn't sit still. There was too much racing around in his mind that was distracting him.

"We aren't exactly friends," she responded, walking away from him without looking at him. Indigo went to the window furthest from overlooking the campsite; one that looked out towards the islands and Skull Cave. She stared at the view curiously as she heard Pan moving around behind her. She heard something fall and spun around curiously, seeing Pan sinking into his bed, pain radiating off him, reading as she did that there was nothing physically wrong with him.

But he clutched at his head, tears forming in his eyes as pain radiated across his temples and across his skull. Indigo watched him for a moment before crouching in front of him, not exactly with the intent of healing him, but with finding out what was wrong, and why he hadn't just healed himself.

"Get out of here Garcia," he said through gritted teeth, his words carrying no weight. She placed her hands upon his, and willed away his headache. It took a few moments of the blue glow before Pan began breathing easier. Indigo stepped back as she ordered, "Tell me what that was."

"The reason," he said forcefully, looking up at her angrily. "It's the reason why I do any of this. To fix Neverland. Neverland is dying and its attacking me; my mind."

"Seems like the world and I are on the same page for once in my life," Indigo commented appreciatively.

Pand looked up at her, a calm quietness within him and nodded. "I understand you Indigo."

"What?" she inquired, momentarily put off, by his sudden change in demeanour.

"You hate me for leaving you."

She scoffed, knowing deep down that, yes, that pretty much summed up her and Pan's relationship.

"Do you want to know what I have to reveal every time I step into the Echo caves?" Pan said suddenly , knowing it would make her angry enough to leave him alone. He stood up and pushed her back, channelling all the anger he had with her, and with himself, into the words he said next. "I have to reveal every moment I spent loathing myself over the fact that I loved you and I left you."

And Indigo knew that those words should have affected her. Should have made her see sense; run into his arms and calm him; never let him go. Instead, her face broke into a harsh smile, leaning into him, "And that my dear, is all that I needed to end you."

"It means nothing to you?" Peter asked lowly, searching her face for some sign – any sign that, having just shared his deepest secret, she would look upon him differently. But she merely did what he expected, reappearing across the room as she prepared to disappear completely.

Indigo smirked back at him, her eyes cold and calculating. "Maybe you should have considered that before you abandoned me to the wolves Peter of Panenai."

And as the by watched her fly off into the night, he felt weak for the first time in centuries. His name having caught him by surprise…Peter…

Peter of Panenai.

It was becoming a very real possibility that he was fighting his way out of Pan. And Pan curled up into his bed that night, like a child clutching his pillow, reluctant to admit the reason why he was so angry.

He was scared.

**Xxx**

"So what happened?" Indigo asked Felix as they walked away from the camp.

"It took a little for them to believe it," Felix responded before the first smile she'd ever seen on him graced his face. "But they're in."

"Yes!" She punched the air in excitement.

"But-" Indigo faltered, a but was not a good sign. "We don't kill Pan."

Her face fell.

"Lock him up in the echo caves for a thousand years, I don't mind," Felix said as she looked at him in dangerous horror. "But I'm with the lost boys in this. We don't want him dead."

"That was not part of the deal Felix," she growled.

"You said there was another way to heal Neverland," Felix replied eagerly, ignoring her anger. "Then let's do it. Without the boy. You have the root of Pan's power – you know what he's made of. It's a simple enough discipline surely, to rid someone of magic."

"You want me to take Pan's magic?" Indigo asked in shock before thinking it through. Pan's magic was poisoning Neverland, and Neverland itself was poisoning him. So which to kill…the chicken or the egg? Would Neverland simply kill Peter anyway if she took his magic, and if she did that, wouldn't Felix's magic too be stripped from him? It was a major link between them, their magic. Felix the roots – and Pan the decaying branches.

To take all of that magic wasn't impossible. But Pan was powerful enough to defend himself against it, Indigo knew that. She'd have to make him weak. Weak and vulnerable. Unfortunately for them, his deepest darkest secret was that he'd hated himself for a thousand years. And considering that hadn't stopped him from being who he was...

She guessed that plan was never happening.

"Maybe in a million years," she said sarcastically. "Pan's strong enough to face off against me."

"Even if he's got a lot of power," Felix answered. "Maybe we could work together; take the magic from him."

"That wouldn't work," Indigo shook her head. "You're too closely entwined." And no offence Felix, but your magic isn't exactly anywhere near the amount that I need. Then again, she thought carefully, there were other people on the island she could turn to…

"And you aren't?" Felix broke her out of her thoughts.

"I'm far enough away to be objective," she returned, fiercely annoyed. "I know that killing Pan is the best way out of this." It was simple. Destroy the boy, get Henry home, live her life – and die.

"Even if there was something I could do to prove it?"

From the folds of his rags, Felix withdrew a simple pan flute, carved with the runes of ancient magic. It was beautiful, albeit a little dusty, and distinctly magical. Also, incredibly familiar. And as Indigo reached out to touch it, her fingers tracing the patterns, her mind was taken back in time to a thousand years ago…

_"It will play for those who have lost their hearts," _Indigo repeated Merlin's words softly, words that he had spoken to an innocent young princess who fell in love with the piper. She looked up at Felix, the relic cutting through the dangerous need to kill Pan, into something deeper – something constant – like a beating heart.

"Pan hasn't used it since he fashioned the one he uses now," Felix continued. "He once told me that it has too much magic in it – a kind that interferes with Neverland's – but even I could tell he was lying."

"Why's that?" Indigo said weakly, still staggering from the shock of seeing it again.

"Because it did to him exactly what it's doing to you now," Felix said wisely, holding out the flute to her, "It reminded him that he had a heart."

And that was a dangerous notion, Indigo thought as she took the flute from Felix, cradling it in her hands gently. Because a heart meant love. And loving meant she wouldn't be able to do what needed to be done. The two choices confused her, because she hadn't exactly told Felix the full story. Yes, she could take Pan's magic if he was vulnerable. Yes, she could begin to heal Neverland in that way.

But no sorcerer was ever meant to hold that much magic. So Neverland would probably flourish, and Henry would return home…but if she took away Pan's powers, Indigo wouldn't live long enough to see it.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey Team! I forgot to do this last chapter, but kudos to Aureaborealis for the EchoCaves/Pan'srevelation idea. So amazing.

And guys, this chapter, it's just… It took me all day but it was so worth it. I needed it to be what it is. I wish I could've done more, but it is what it is. It was pretty emotional for me.

One of the scenes was so beautiful that I immediately thought of this song. It's a poem put to music and it's so incredibly beautiful. I'd say listen to it while you're reading, but that's up to you, it's just so amazing and captures this chapter. It's called 'Weep no more'. If you type in 'Weep no more Andre Thomas' I found that to be the best version on YouTube.

But anyway, I hope you guys, not exactly enjoy it, but I hope you feel it as much as I did. xx

**I'll Try**

The night flew by faster than Indigo expected. Watching Neverland sleep from a rocky outcrop, she wrapped her arms around her legs and sat her chin upon her knees, at last coming to grips with a thousand years worth of regrets, and letting them go on the wind.

Indigo spent the moments before the dawn preparing herself for what was about to be done. Alone, sitting there, the only sound she had heard all morning was her anxious heart. She looked behind her in shock when she heard footsteps crushing the jungle around her.

It was Hook who appeared, rubbing sleep from his eyes, genuinely surprised to see her.

"What are you doing up Indie?"

"Couldn't sleep," she replied honestly, returning her eyes to where a the softest of glows was shining across the horizon, breaking apart the darkness. "You're up considerably earlier than normal."

He came and sat down next to her as she looked at the circles beneath his eyes and asked, "Nightmare?"

He smiled sadly at her, "I was hoping they wouldn't come back."

Indigo shook her head, "What was it about?"

Hook glanced up at her, his blue eyes shining in sadness as she nodded knowingly. "Right," she said. That was something else about Neverland's magic. Back when she'd been with Hook, when he'd worked for Pan, she'd seen him awaken many times in the night, scared by the images he'd seen in his dreams. But each time, the things that he feared in his dreams would come to pass. Eventually she began to have them too; the last telling her that she would leave him. The next night had been when she did.

"I'll stop this," Hook said strongly, turning to her. "You can't-"

"You and I both know that you don't escape the future that Neverland hands you," she muttered in response, not wanting to look up at him. Finally, Indigo revealed to him and herself what she knew aloud, making it truly real. "I'm going to die today Killian."

"We'll find a way to stop it. Emma has magi –"

He was cut off by the arms that she threw around his neck, the warmth of her hug, her grief filling him once again. She whispered in his ear, "By the end of today this is going to be over. And no one else will die except me."

"I want you to respect that Hook," Indigo continued, pulling away from him, looking into his eyes earnestly. "Let it be my last wish. Don't try and help me." She made to stand up, ordering him as she went. "Tell the others they've been fantastic. And tell Wendy...tell Wendy I love her."

"But can't you-"

"I don't like goodbyes Captain Jones," she laughed, remembering every time she'd snuck out in the night. Her arm went to pull him to his feet. "And you should know that better than anyone. When I'm gone, you'll have a clear walk to Henry. Talk to Felix – he'll get you off the island."

"Felix?" Hook asked in confusion. "What are you doing working with him? What are you planning on doing today Indie – you aren't…you aren't going to try and kill Pan are you?"

Indigo's silence was deafening.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself to kill him," Killian's face was a little angry. How could she? After everything that their group had gone through together; she still worked alone. "Wendy was right; you _do_ still love him."

"Maybe I do," she replied softly, looking up at Hook and continuing, "That's why I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to save him."

**xxx**

Felix was rummaging through the back of Pan's bookshelf where he found his stash of magic beans that he had built up over the years, just incredibly thankful that the boy wasn't in. Felix climbed down the stairs, calling out as he went.

"Alright boys." He walked to where Wendy was waiting on the edge of the camp. "We know what today entails. We're getting Henry out of here, and myself and Indigo are going to heal Neverland."

"No offence Felix," Meron called out, "But how exactly do you intend to do that. Your power's nowhere near Pan's."

"No it isn't," Felix admitted. "But Indigo Tigerlily's is. So I need the younger boys on Henry duty and everyone else lining the path from the base of Dead Man's Peak to the Echo Caves. Meron, you're in charge of your section, Devin, don't let me down with yours." The boys nodded before splitting as Felix turned to Wendy.

"And where are you going Felix?" Wendy asked quickly.

"I get to be Pan's bait," he sighed, before leaving without another word. Wendy shrank back into the shadows and away into the dawn, back towards her family with a weight dropping in her heart. She tried not to let it affect her, but she knew that her mother had once again chosen to fight for Pan and not for her.

But as Indigo jumped through the trees, all she could think about were the people she was leaving behind; about Wendy and Hook, Snow, David, Neal and Emma...they would be alright. They would all be fine; if she could just do what needed to be done.

Standing up on Dead Man's Peak, she cleared away the dreamshade that existed there quickly, not wanting to risk it if there was a scuffle. It took her a while to realise why it was taking so long. Her hands were slightly, but distinctively shaking. Indigo was nervous in those dark moments before the dawn.

She wasn't going to wait for Felix to be bait. In the end, Indigo didn't want him distracting her when it all went down. So before the sun had even begun to rise, she raised Pan's flute to her lips, and played.

It wasn't exactly a melody, merely separate and slightly dissonant melodies. But it was only moments before Pan appeared before her, anger plain across his face until he saw the flute in her hands and he hesitated momentarily, a glimpse of Peter of Panenai once more seeping in. She took a few steps closer to him, putting the flute in her pocket, and looked up into his confused brown eyes. His vulnerable eyes.

**_The flowers were blooming as spring approached quickly._**

Indigo placed her hands on his chest lightly.

**_It was in Panenai that the young girl first saw him._**

Her face was expressionless as her fingers clenched.

**_And they danced._**

Pan's face became a mask of pain as her hand invaded his body, reaching for his heart.

**_Joy lit up the princess's face._**

"Please," she murmured to her own magic as she felt it pulse down her arm like a jettison of pure life. The moment it hit her hand – found his heart – he screamed out in pain so great that he was completely incapacitated.

**_When he saw her he held out his open arms._**

As the magic took on a life of its own, she let go of his heart, leaving it intact within his body, but the magic stream still connected as it worked to push the magic out of his every blood cell, circulating around in the air – and straight back to her.

**_"I will go anywhere with you Peter."_**

Indigo would not let a noise escape her as she watched the boy yelling in pain before her. But ignoring her own pain only meant that tears began to stream from her eyes as she clenched her muscles tightly and bit down harshly upon her lip until her mouth was filled with blood.

**_"I love you Princess."_**

Pan's yells abruptly silenced and Indigo saw that he had fallen into unconsciousness. But she knew he wasn't dead; no, he would not be the one to die from this. He was not going to get away so easily.

**_ "You don't know what I've done."_**

He was going to live; the worst punishment of all. To live with himself knowing what he'd done. And Indigo almost groaned as she realised all the years she'd spent punishing herself. When Morgana had come searching for Merlin's power…she'd had to do something to protect him…It was her secret. What she'd lived with since the moment she'd looked Merlin in the eye, stared him down, ripped his still-beating heart from his chest and set it alight as he fell, the light fading from his eyes.

**_"That has to be lonely."_**

Pan was alone now. Lying unconscious upon the floor – not a friend in sight – the lost boys doing all that they could to work against him. And Indigo, standing over him as his blood magic was slowly drained from him.

**_"It's been centuries. We're centuries old Pan."_**

Felix appeared on the side of the rock face. He was yelling something at Indigo that she couldn't hear. Pan's magic formed almost a bubble between the two of them, separating her thoughts from whatever pleading Felix was trying with her.

**_ "Neverland?" Jones asked, "I should think not. That place is a living hell."_**

Finally, he used his own magic to push through the bubble forcefully and grasp hold of her arm. His hand burned, but he didn't let go, the adamance in his eyes only reinforced by the scar upon his face that began to turn black as he took on the poisoned magic.

**_"You don't have to love him forever."_**

"No Felix," she was muttering, the magic in the air tangible. It was metallic and harsh but Felix's hand upon her forearm was channelling everything she was taking from him – making it easier…

**_ "You could go anywhere."_**

But it was as though he didn't realise. He didn't realise that by standing there, trying to help, he was merely moving Pan's power into a new shell. It would work through him; nothing would change. All of this pain – all of this heartache – would be for nothing. And that scared her. What was her life worth if she couldn't give it up for something?

**_"You're so afraid of who you are," Killian continued. "If you aren't certain, that will get you killed someday."_**

Felix couldn't be the one to finish this. Of that she was certain. She would be the one to regret it – the one who would have to live with it if she didn't do this. And she didn't want to live with pain. Not anymore.

**_Indigo didn't look back as she took to the sky._**

"Felix!" she cried, trying to force him off. "You have to stop! Pan's magic is poison!"

**_ "Warn her; if I ever meet her, I will kill her."_**

"I'm not going to let you die for this Indigo," Felix answered, determination in his burning eyes. "This was my fault."

**_ "Could we, possibly, be friends Indigo?"_**

Indigo refused to argue with him, flinging her right hand out towards the boy. She withdrew the power Felix was trying to take from her while she continued to take Pan's. If she had to, she would do it. She would take all of Merlin's magic from both of them, like withdrawing a little more blood from a poisoned wound than she'd initially intended. It was simple; it was making sure that nothing could poison Neverland. That Neverland would stop harming them.

**_Indigo was scared lying alone upon that beach._**

It was simple belief that made the leaves blossom; that made the dawn beautiful – the belief that the world would continue to flourish. And it would go back to the way it was before Peter Pan happened.

**_And so she persevered on through the night._**

Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as Pan awoke once again, moans channelling through his body that grew into massive convulsions. The tears flowing from her eyes were no longer just tears of pain. Felix was clutching at his chest in pain whilst Pan looked as though he was dying in the most pitiful of positions.

**_"Wendy."_**

Indigo sank to her knees, the system too much in place that even she had no control over it. The magic was fuelling itself now. Out of Pan; out of Felix – and killing her slowly.

**_"You think the world has been any less cruel to me?"_**

The flow of magic from Felix ceased abruptly as the boy collapsed, breathing heavily upon the rocks. He looked up at Indigo pleadingly, a certain glow gone from his eyes. He had no more magic.

**_"Oh my Wendy-bird," she murmured into her honey coloured hair, clutching her to her body as she fought back tears. "Be brave."_**

"Get out of here Felix," Indigo ordered through gritted teeth, her blue eyes turning into a murky red as the magic began to overrun her. Soon it would be too much. "Get my family home."

He was slow to move and she yelled at him, a yell fuelled by an intense pain that was accelerating rapidly, "You can't do anything more here Felix. You use that bean and get my family home!"

**_"You've got influence – you have fear. Use it."_**

Felix took one last look at her, kneeling upon the ground pitifully and ran.

**_Wendy, grown up…_**

And Indigo knew, beyond anything she had ever known, that they would be okay.

**_… caught sight of the shadow…_**

And finally; it was over.

The magic that she had cleared Pan of filled her very being. And he was still. Despite everything, Indigo crawled over to him, using the last bit of energy she had to feel for his breath. It wasn't there.

She felt for his pulse; she couldn't find it.

"No!" she whispered, leaning over him and placing her hands in the middle of his sternum. "You are not dying on me now. I did not go through all that for you to just give up."

Indigo's tears were mingled with frustration and pain, but she pushed through it, forcing hard compressions on Pan's chest. Seconds later, he was gasping in breaths, and she fell backwards as Pan's magic began to destroy her from the inside out.

"Looks like I did it Pan," she breathed as he scrambled up onto his knees. She leaned backwards, her breaths coming in gasps as she fought for air, her vision blurring and focusing intermittently. "I destroyed you."

Peter Pan was looking at her with wide eyes – clear and most definitely, unashamedly, afraid. Not for himself, but for the girl in pain before him.

And yet he couldn't move. It was like a rush of a thousand years shook his entire being and he had no control over what he felt; the grief, the guilt –

Indigo groaned as she crawled forward to him, ignoring the pain that radiated with every movement she made. Finally, reaching him, she pulled his face up to look at her. With all the strength she had, she pleaded with him, "Please don't."

"But look at what you've done Anabelle," Pan said, looking up at her, tears marring his face, his eyes red and blurry, "I would've preferred to die. You know how much I hate what I've done. I can't just go back to being Peter. I can't live with this."

"Why did you try and live forever then?" Indigo breathed.

"Because it was easier to live as someone else than to live as who you made me."

Peter's back bowed forward as he fell into his hands, groaning, "You made me good."

"Then why would you have destroyed my memory by being the exact opposite?!" she said strongly, hissing as the pain moved up her chest and closer to her heart. It was soon; it had to be soon. "If you truly thought I would live out my life and die, why would you become Pan?"

"Why couldn't you have just been you?" she finished desperately, tears falling down her face as pain began to clasp coldly around her heart. "Why can't you just be Peter Pan? And I'll just be Anabelle."

"Because we can't change the past," Peter said, looking up at her with wide sad eyes. "I can't undo everything I've done – everything I've done to you – oh God."

"Don't you dare think like that Peter Pan," Indigo said, pulling his face upwards by his chin lightly.

"How can you even say that Indigo?"

"Because, after a thousand years of thinking that I hated you, even my own daughter could see what I couldn't."

The pain ebbed into a freezing sensation, surging through her bloodstream and turning her insides to ice. And as Indigo searched his eyes, her heart slowly being encased in the cold poison of his magic, she reached out for his face. Peter refused to look at her.

"I can't love, Indigo," he murmured.

Pan looked up at her slowly as she brought her lips down upon his delicately. It was a whisper of a kiss. Peter's tears were salty and she used her fingers to wipe them away before desperately clinging to his mouth as she lost feeling in her legs.

Finally, Peter began to hold her, desperation within him, as though to prove to himself that he could feel; that he could be more than what he was. But he broke away much too quickly, not daring to look her in the eye. But once more, she pulled him back to her, their foreheads touching as the dawn broke over the horizon and Indigo felt the coldness clenching her heart. With a small convulsion as the ice tightened indescribably, she whispered to him her last word, with the greatest of pleading.

"Try."


	22. Chapter 22

**Epilogue**

_**Five Years Later.**_

"You know, I wouldn't mind going to university," Wendy said, stirring her hot chocolate absent-mindedly. "Study something insane; like science."

Killian Jones chuckled as he lounged in the seat across from her. "We come from a world of magic Wendy," he returned. "How on earth do you expect science to explain half the things we've seen?"

"It won't," she smiled, taking a sip of the warm drink before her. "But it'll be fun to see how they try."

"Well, I'll support you no matter what, with the limited money I have," he responded.

"Pur-lease," Wendy smiled having slipped into the modern day with ease, sitting there in a pair of jeans she'd 'borrowed' from Emma and a leather jacket that she may or may not have forgotten to return to Bae after dinner last week. She was after all, the daughter of a pirate. "We both know that Emma pays for you to practically exist. If it was up to you we'd be in prison by now."

The bell tinkled lightly as a young man entered Granny's and walked up to the counter. Pulling a wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans he asked for two coffees and a piece of cake. Hook stared at the back of his head, eyes narrowing as the new arrival looked up at the menus lining the back of the counter. His side profile was enough; and within a moment Hook was on his feet, his hand reaching for the man's shoulder, which he clenched tightly.

In shock, the young man turned around, brown eyes staring into blue.

"Hook," the man breathed, a flash of fear crossing his face. The bell tinkled once more as a woman stepped into the store berating, "Peter, I told you to wait for me! Don't blame me if I got the wrong parts now-"

Whatever the woman had been holding in her hands fell onto the tiles with a loud metallic clang as she looked at the two men before her. When words finally graced her, she whispered barely audibly, "Killian?"

Before he could even say anything, Wendy was on the woman crying out, "Mum!" throwing her arms around Indigo who was looking at the girl she held in tearful astonishment. Peter and Indigo had come to this world with the sole intent of finding her. Over the past few years, Indigo's resolve had never wavered, even if the task had seemed impossible. She had never thought to see Wendy again, but here she was – and here they were. In the same world; in the same town.

All of them alive and safe. And finally together.

"So this is where you live?" Indigo inquired of Wendy, as she stared at her face. Looking nineteen years old and just as beautiful as ever, "Storybrooke?"

"The people here are all from the Enchanted Forest," she replied with a wide smile. "It's a little bit of home."

"You've gotten older Garcia," Hook commented as he let go of Peter Pan reluctantly, looking past him to the woman standing in the doorway.

"Time does that," she answered with a smile, genuinely happy that she was moving forward, leading a new life in which she could be happy. "As well as giving up your magic."

"You gave up your magic?"

"I died," she replied looking at him knowingly, stepping towards him until they were looking directly at each other, only a few inches apart. "I took in so much poisoned magic that it killed me."

"Then…" he frowned. "How are you still standing here today?"

"Just a kiss." Her eyes looked over at the man standing next to Hook who was rubbing at his shoulder as he tried to push away the pain. Just true love's kiss from Peter of Panenai.

"This…this _thing _saved you?" Hook looked between them in abhorrent shock.

"I have a name Killian," he said, with a small smile. It wasn't filled with any sort of double meaning, no evil gleam; no malice.

"What did you do to him?" Hook asked, looking back at Pan as though he was trying to see what she saw. All he actually ended up seeing was the happiness on Indigo's face as Wendy spoke to him with a childish smile, referring to what she'd told him five years ago on the day they'd met – that she had never stopped loving Pan, "I told you so Dad."

"You really are in love with Pan?" Hook looked over at Indigo, as though checking she was in her right mind. She reached out to him, entwining their hands as she said, looking up into Pan's warm brown eyes, "Yes."

"So he's not trying to kill everyone," Hook confirmed, still cautiously eying the boy.

"No," Indigo replied with a soft squeeze of his hand, talking to both Peter and Killian. "He's a good man."

"Are you planning on sticking around for a while?" Wendy asked hopefully. Peter and Indigo didn't even hesitate. This was Indigo's only want. Family.

"I think that sounds like a fantastic idea," Peter said, looking over at Wendy cautiously. She wasn't ready to forgive him yet, and he didn't expect her to. But they had time.

"You know, I don't think some people are going to take too kindly to that," Hook frowned, "Emma and Henry for example. Not to mention Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire. And me. "

"We've got time," Indigo said, looking up at Peter with a smile. She turned back to Killian and hooked her arm through his, dragging him over to the booth that he had sat in before and took a deep breath. Peter slid into the corner across from her, and Wendy excused herself to go and meet Baelfire.

"Her and Neal?" Indigo said with a small frown. "Isn't he a little old?"

"Come on love," Hook said with a chuckle. "Who even knows how old either of them are?"

"That's true," she replied as their coffees came. Peter took a little time to drown his in sugar as Hook said, with almost a laugh, "Old habits die hard."

Peter gave a friendly smile as Indigo breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this could actually work. Maybe Storybrooke could be it for them. It would be hard; but it would be family. So as Indigo sat there in contentment, her feet nudging at Peter's beneath the table, she took a sip of her warm drink and turned to Hook with a cheeky grin.

"So, how's Emma?"

**xxx**

Peter and Indigo were looking up at the small cottage. Green ivy ran up the sides of the multicoloured bricks, windows large and square allowing sunlight filling the small rooms beyond.

"It's no treehouse," Indigo commented, looking at him with a smirk.

"No," he said, casually sweeping her into his arms as she protested by wriggling against him. But he laughed, proceeding to carry her through the doorway and shut the door behind them. He finally relented and dropped her back to her feet on the carpeted floor. "But it can be home."

"I'm glad you saved me Peter Pan," she said, threading her arms up around his neck, as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm glad you came back to me."

His hands held her by the waist, pulling her closer as he said, with the deepest conviction, "I love you."

"As I love you," she answered, leaning upwards as he bent to kiss her. It was calm, no sound about them, just Peter and Indie, making a house their home. Finally she broke away and leaned into his chest, tucked safely under his chin as she murmured, "Thank you for coming here with me. For choosing this life."

A smile tugged playfully at his lips as he muttered into her glowing hair, "To live, well, that's an awfully great adventure."

Peter looked down at her peaceful face that was looking up at him as Indigo smiled in acknowledgement before agreeing with him completely.

"Adventure it is then."

* * *

A/N: You, my dear team, you have made this possible. You read, you followed, you favourited and you reviewed (especially ye who reviewed – you are the bombshiz). It's been an emotional journey – at least it has for me – and here is where it ends.

Well, I'm gonna say, _technically_, here is where it ends. I do have bonus scenes of a risqué sort that slot into chapters within the story (Both with Pan and with Hook). So keep an eye out for some one-shots which I may or may not put up. =P

I love you all! You're amazing. One last time, thank you for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

Hey Team!

If you were looking for a new PanFiction to read, I have in fact started up a new one! Just head over to my profile to check it out!

Much love! xx


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Drama, Romance