How to Love ➳OUAT

10 ➳Heat*

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I stared up through my camera lens and captured the sight of the sun beaming down on town hall. Fanning myself with my hand, I waited for my camera to load the image. My bare legs crossed over each other as I inspected the final result. I needed to distract myself from thoughts Peter, Adellia, and the UR, so I decided to focus on my blog.

I took up photography just as it was introduced in the world. Before women's rights, there were not many job opportunities. I was lucky to find the opportunity to become a photographer for a local newspaper. I traveled with my assigned reporter and took the photos for the stories he wrote.

That's how I found my love of travel; I never wanted to stay in one spot for too long. But I always had the desire to see the world. It grew from hot summer days locked in the castle's library and sitting by the fire with a book on cold winter nights. Ironically, I got my wish when I was cursed with immortality.

"So you're the blogger everyone won't stop talking about?"

I looked up from camera to a man, who seems to be in their mid-thirties. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and gave him a shy smile, "That's me."

He took a seat next to me on the bench and put his hand out, "I'm David Nolan, I think you've already met my daughter, Emma."

My mouth made a small 'o' as I shook his hand, "You're Emma's father?"

"I'm older than I look," David laughed. You and me, both, I thought to myself almost immediately. "But you, on the other hand, also do not look two hundred years old."

My eyebrows scrunched up and a question formed on my lips, "How...?"

"Regina and Emma have been suspicious of you since you had no trouble crossing the town border. They've been trying to figure out who you are for the last week."

"Wow," I laughed quietly to myself, "I blew my cover since day one."

His knee nudged mine in sympathy, "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. If it makes you feel any better, they didn't have the slightest clue to who you are until Emma's son, Henry, came into the picture.

"Well, I don't think cursed queen of a forgotten kingdom would've been their first guess anyways," I attempted to joke.

"Look, the reason I'm here is to warn you," David switched to a tone of more seriousness, "They're going to confront you about your past with Adellia, but they cannot find about your relationship with Pan."

I widened my eyes in shock and my voice lowered to a whisper, "How do you know about that? I never told anyone about Neverland."

"Your son, Felix, could tell quite a tale. I didn't believe it at first, but here we are now."

Felix.

Hearing his name out loud for the first time in years almost brought tears to my eyes. I dropped my gaze to my lap, "Felix was here, in Storybrooke?"

"Along with Pan," he added, expecting me to be surprised, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Pan wasn't very... popular among the citizens of Storybrooke. He kidnapped Henry and tricked him into giving up his heart. When that didn't work out, Pan switched bodies with him and almost put us under another Dark Curse."

I snapped my head up at him in confusion. The Pan I left behind would've never done that. However, the Pan I first met wouldn't think twice about the opportunity to gain power.

"When Emma and Regina confront you, you can't mention anything about Pan or Neverland."

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I wiped the sweat off my brow as I removed the arrows from my target. After my confrontation with Pan, he delayed lunch for everyone, so we would train even more than we usually do.

I placed my crossbow and arrows in their respected baskets and stepped around the bush of dreamshade to get on the path to my treehouse. There was nothing more that I wanted in the moment than a bath in the cool spring waters and a nap in the serene of my bed.

My hair stuck to my forehead as I felt droplets form around my neck and back. I instantly regretted wearing a black top but, at least, it was sleeveless and flowy, allowing some air circulation. Overall, I was exhausted and disgusted with my own self from the heat.

Corbyn's voice rang in my head from my first day on Neverland: Blame the weather on Pan, he controls it

It wasn't any surprise that Pan would make today scorching hot. Obviously he was still heated from earlier. I snickered quietly to myself at my pun as I continued to trek along the path. It seemed endless, I should've reached my hut by now.

I caaught the same thicket of dreamshade I passed earlier. Was I going in circles?

No, it was heat exhaustion, I reminded myself that I'm fine and the treehouse shouldn't be any further.

"You don't look so hot, Cass."

I peered up at the boy in green sitting on a high branch with his back against the tree trunk.

"This is what you call your 'worst', Pan?" I spread my arms out and chuckled, clearly completely out of it, "Heat exhaustion and dehydration? And here I thought you were going to lock me up in a cage or something."

Pan shifted his head side to side while pursing his lips, "The cage can be arranged, if you really wanted it. But it's just the beginning, princess."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes then hurried past the tree. I wasn't in the mood to entertain him. My body was sticky with sweat while dirt freckled my bare arms and legs; I desperately wanted to get away from him and take a bath.

"You're going the wrong way," he singsonged.

"No, I'm not."

"Your treehouse no longer exists, princess."

"First of all, stop calling me 'princess'," I stopped in my tracks and turned around only to have Pan's face merely inches away from mine. It didn't affect my confidence though, "Second, what did you do?"

He took a step past me and did a little spin with his arms out, "You told me to stop treating you differently, so that's exactly what I'm doing."

I gave him one last glare and walked in the opposite direction, toward the camp. I should have seen this coming. It was so predictable. I should have known that my hut was the first thing to go. However, nothing could have prepared me for what came next in his game.