The Shadow's Keeper ~OUAT Peter Panfiction (Book 2)

Old Anna

Making like a blur, Anne ran past trees, her hair flying behind her and the sounds of a vicious wind whirling around and chasing her. Leaping into a shallow creek, the little lost girl planted her feet into the mud and rocks at the bottom, and hid herself under a fallen tree. The wind flew past her before an amused laugh rang out through the sky causing the fugitive to jump slightly. "Oh dear old Anna, you can't hide forever, I shall find you!" Pan's voice called. He didn't exactly sound near, his voice had been a mere echo, unlike his laugh. That had scared the lost girl, it sounded as though it had came from the trees just above her.

A moment of stillness and silence caused Anne to peek around. She couldn't find Pan and knowing how dark he dressed and looked, he could easily be hiding close by. This made her more anxious, and without a weapon she felt terribly vulnerable. Maybe she should've stayed in the cave like Pan wanted, because maybe he really was telling the truth about everything. But Anne had to know. Slowly she crept out from under the fallen tree. Quickly climbing out of the knee-deep water, she looked around some more. Hearing a twig snap, she made a break for it.

It sounded as though nothing was chasing her now, but she kept running. Unable to jump soon enough, as she leaped over a log, the top of her boot caught the bulky wood and she fell over, rolling into a ditch shortly after. Wiping strands of hair off her face, she quickly got up and rested on her knees inside the ditch. She then peered around, trying to catch her breath. Her surroundings still so dark and risky, and no matter how much Anne feared the woods, she still knew she couldn't hide out in the open the way she was. He'd find her soon enough so she had to keep running.

Hurriedly, she climbed out and started forward. The instant she re-entered the black forest, she was yanked back, a cold and white hand covering her scream. "Do you really think you could get away from me so easily, darling?" A slick and breathy voice hissed in her ear. Heart thumping thousands of beats a minute, the little lost girl squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of this all being a dream. Feeling the tightness of his arm around her waist strengthen as his hand clamped over her mouth harder now cutting off her breath, she fought to be released. "Don't worry," He pushed her to the ground and she saw his face, Peter Pan's of course. He snickered and grinned wickedly. "I'll let you have your fun," he told her, stepping closer as she crawled away some.
        "What are you doing?" She asked him, shocked and in question as to why he let her go. Thin, white strands brushed off her face some more, her dark forest orbs widened as he pulled something out from behind him, a stony and sharp knife. Quickly, Anne scrambled to her feet in preparation to defend herself.
        "Come closer, darling..." the keeper requested.
        "You've got a knife out and you're asking me to come closer?" She couldn't help but ask in disbelief, still shocked.

The keeper laughed. "It's yours," he told her.
        "What the hell do you mean 'it's yours'?"
Pan then rolled his eyes, "I meant it the way I said it, it's yours now if you'll come here..." Unconvinced as she was, the little lost girl stumbled back.
        "I think not," she lifted a brow, suspicious. "Toss it to me," she tried to compromise. Annoyed as he was, Pan then snatched her wrist and yanked it forth. 
        "Open your damn hand," he ordered. Anne remained stubborn. "Would you like me to pry your fingers open myself? Because I can promise you I won't be gentle." Still nothing and frustrated now, the keeper lashed the blade into her hand, cutting her. A gasp and a violent wince, the lost girl nearly went to knee Pan when he stepped on her foot, knowing that move. "Nice try, now take it!"

She finally did, pained as her hand stung, laying the handle into her now bleeding hand. Scared, she tried to pull from Pan's grip on her wrist when he yanked her close to him once more. Snatching the wrist of the hand that was holding the knife, he held it behind her back as he lifted her wounded hand. Gazing into her eyes, he kissed the injury and it healed. He then licked his lips and grinned darkly. "Now be a good girl and be home before sun rise," he teased, freeing her. "Don't make me have to come looking for you and drag you back myself. Understand?" He pulled off a fake parenting look.

"Screw you," the lost girl replied without holding back because she felt as though Pan wasn't going to hurt her anymore. He did, after all, just give her a knife. Clearly he trusted her.
        "That's sweet," Pan commented with a smile, a humor in his eyes. 
        "Why are you letting me go?" She asked him.
        "So you'll see it all yourself, so you'll trust my words next time I warn you of this place," he replied loudly and sternly.
        "I think you're a liar," Anne spoke, determined. Pan then leaned close.
        "Then prove it," he challenged then pulled away, picking a cloak off the ground and tossing her it. "I trust this will help you keep warm, not to mention hide from things." He snickered deviously. Anne then looked at him questionably. She didn't bother to pick up the cloak she failed to catch.
        "I don't need it," she told him with certainty.
        "Don't be silly, darling," He picked back up the cloak and wrapped it around her, "of course you do. You'll catch a cold without it," he parented some more, tying it on her. It hung warmly around Anne, reaching her ankles and protecting her arms. Pan didn't hesitate to put up the hood.
        "What's the point of this? You'll just follow me the entire night," Anne then spoke.
        "Are you suggesting going back to the cave then?" Pan asked, lifting his brows.
        "No," Anne rushed quickly. "I'm sorry."
The keeper laughed, "For what?"
        "Nothing," Anne guessed. Pan then wrapped his arms around his lost girl and hugged her tight. "Stay safe," he told her before looking at her and leaning for her lips in attempt to kiss her. A reminder hit him just then and he stopped a tiny distance. "Please," he begged, tensely, his breath hitting her lips and his ice blues flicked up into her eyes, pleading. She suddenly felt her heart lift as though Pan had been truthful. "I love you," he faltered, speaking shakily and lowly like it had been a beautiful secret. Perhaps it had been for quite some time.

Nervous now, Pan waited. Anne's gaze went blank in response and that set off some relief but hurt like hell for Pan. Saying those three words always had with Anne, merely because she had yet to say them back, and Pan feared she never would.

Shocked inside, Anne stared into Pan's eyes a moment, debating in her head. Quickly, Pan cut her off by turning her around and pushing her forth. "Get moving, before I change my mind," he tried to sound untouched. Truth was, he had been touched far too deeply and decided to run from the pain he felt beneath the brace of his chest, as he usually did, and it was just eating away at him that he couldn't kiss his lost girl to numb himself. Disturbed and slightly annoyed she was shoved, Anne glanced back at Pan. "Are you deaf? I said GO, what are you waiting for?" Pan spoke to her rudely.

Frowning slightly, the lost girl looked down. "Nothing," she turned away and tried to clear the fog in her head. Managing, Anne then looked straight ahead in determination before finally gaining the motivation to run off, and so she did. Relieved he didn't have to feel that pain, Pan then left the scene himself, flying back to their special cave.

Not long after, a fire was lit. Picking up Anne's old black sweater, Pan brought it over in preparation to toss it into the flames and watch it burn, but something was holding him back. He tried, he couldn't. The sweater had been something special to him for a long while, not because it was Anne's, but that it was a reminder, a reminder of who Anne used to be, and what they had, or supposedly had. The sweater had been a lingering question since Anne's memories had ceased. It dangled, obscured most the time in Pan's mind. It merely asked him whether or not he thought Anne would be better off knowing everything, and that included who she really was, who he really was...and what Anne used to live for, and that was to save her brother. But what if she began to chase after something else before her memories were taken?...Something like acceptance, a place she felt she belonged to, a place she felt loved?

Pan remembered that last outburst Anne had before she was stolen by the shadow. Her acting had been real, clearly, she was in tears. She kept cutting everyone off like she felt suffocated, like she needed to free herself from restrains that had been on her for so long. She practically hated Felix for leaving, and not to mention her parents. What if when Anne had clung to Pan for comfort, that had been real? What if she was finally starting to see just how much she needed Pan...needed his love, his devotion to keeping her when her whole life, she had fought to keep others. Someone had finally started to fight to keep her, because she was needed and wanted, finally. Anne heard Pan's pipes for a reason because she belonged in Neverland as a lost girl, as Pan's lost girl. And maybe she was beginning to see that herself.

Pan thought back to that first night she was in Neverland. The way she looked sitting all alone, and quiet, lost in her head. And so beautiful, so intriguing because she had been so suppressed, she was so numb to it all, the boys with the crazy masks as they chanted and danced their heart's out, the loud drum sounds and howling like wolves, it had all been a blurred picture to her, a boxed up dream. Hopelessly swimming around in her thoughts trying to find some comfort, and drowning, not even noticing the opportunities before her very eyes. She must've been crying inside but she was so numb she didn't even know.

So lost in what could be, Pan failed to notice the dying fire before him. The cold air began to wake him up, and it pinched at him trying to bring him back to his surroundings. A breeze blew past him just then, putting out his fire. Suddenly he realized and lit the fire again with his magic. His thoughts now clouding with memories, his brows knitted together when he began to think of that time he had took Anne aside and made out with her. He upset her by telling her she liked to feel wanted. Then...before he could even blink twice, she told him she'd break him and with so much hatred in her voice. Pan shook his head free of such painful thoughts. No one could break him, he could never be so weak.

Finally, he tossed that lingering question into the fire and it roared with life. All of that was nonsense to Pan now, no matter how bad he wanted it all to be true, it could never be. Anne loved her brother more than anything and that was it. No longer did Pan want to think about changing up his plans. She'll hate them all when all ties are cut. The only thing left would be hatred for them, and she'll be Pan's eternal doll. He grinned wickedly at the thought before watching the rest of what had been the last bit of his sanity, burn. 

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A.N. So there was some Pan and Anne, and well, shid. So Pan did all that worthy thinking for nothing, and now what? Well, he's going to continue his evil little plan, w/out thinking about giving Anne her memories back, and some things went down! Pan got a little soft on Anne, PLUS, he's let her go out into the wilderness!! What if she's found by Henry's rescuers and/or her family? Or worse, Hemlock who's out to kill her. OR even Anwen herself and the other freaky, weird children. That can't be good! Thanks so much for reading and I'm sorry for my slow updates, I've just been a bum this summer lol and have been tired, plus busy rping on twitter :), but I thank you all for your patience and luff you very much. 

Any questions on this chapter, don't hesitate to ask me!