****
Two Days Later
"I've figured it out!" Pan says suddenly, standing up. Even though there's no one else in the room, he proceeds to voice the plan that Kasey had so quickly formed. Or, at least, he's pretty sure this was the plan she had so quickly formed.
Now all he has to do is find her. Pan rushes out of the crypt and shoots into the sky. He flies over the town and neighboring woods three times before landing back in the cemetery. Then he searches the town mentally for her presence, which is usually like a beacon due to her magical necklace. But now he can't find it, and the only way that that's possible is if -
"She's blocking me," he says, understanding registering in his mind. "Well, crap." He smiles as he realizes that that's something Kasey would say.
A idea strikes Pan, making his smile disappear. No, he thinks, definitely not. I step one foot too close and he'll kill me. Then another person comes to mind. Yes, he thinks. Henry will do just fine. He knows what I'm capable of, so there's no way this won't work.
Pan sighs at the thought of his Kasey. Her beautiful black hair. Her soft blue-green eyes. Her pale skin that begged to be stroked and caressed. And most of all, her fiery attitude and high levels of unpredictability. He hadn't expected her to defend Felix, considering what happened the last time she had been taken advantage of by a male that fancied her. If anything, Pan had expected her to side with him. He sucks in a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he mutters, gathering what little dignity he has left, and transports himself to Henry's room.
Henry lays across his bed, his front end at the foot of the bed and the feet at the head. He doesn't see Pan materialize in front of him because he's reading his huge book of fairy tales.
"Doing a bit of light reading?" Pan asks casually, making Henry jump, look up at him, then scramble back to the head of the bed. "Don't bother screaming," he tells the boy, "no one will hear you."
"What do you want, Pan?" Henry demands, unable to keep the tremer out of his voice.
"I'm not here for you, if that's what you're wondering," Pan says boredly, taking three small steps closer. "I've come for a favor."
"I'm not doing anything for you, Pan," Henry says with finality.
Pan smirks. "Actually, yes, you will," he says, summoning an arrow and holding it out for Henry to see. "Because if you don't, I'll use this arrow to kill one loved one after another until you do."
Henry gulps. Takes a moment. "Okay," he growls. "But how do I know I can trust you?"
Pan smirks. "You don't."
Henry stares at him with wary eyes before sighing. "What do you need me to do?"
Pan's smirk turns darker. "You remember Kasey, don't you?"
****
It's hard to live outside when you're stuck in Maine. It's cold, wet, noisy - even in a town as small as Storybrooke. I barely get any sleep at night, and I have to sneak into Granny's to get food. It's not as easy as it sounds, people. I get caught within five minutes of getting inside.
"What do you think you're doing in here?!" a girl's voice demands, making me jump. I turn and immediately recognize the girl in front of me. Oh, crap, it's that werewolf girl. "Answer, or I'll get the Sheriff down here," the girl says.
I can't stop staring at her. I'm not scared of her. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm in awe. I've always wondered what it's like to be a werewolf. It's hard not to ask. I realize that I still haven't said anything and start. "Uhhhh...."
"And why are you wearing a hood?" she snaps. "Take it off."
My hands immediately comes up to brush off my hood, revealing my tight, high-rising pony tail, which is probably a frizzed mess by now. The girl's eyes flash with understanding and she slowly comes toward me.
"You could've just asked for food," she tells me. "If I had known it was you -"
"Y-You know who I am?!" I stutter. "How?"
"The whole town knows about that little hostage situation," she says, as if it's obvious. "It must be hard."
"What must be?" I ask cautiously.
"Being stuck with with such a monster," she says, confused. "Isn't it?"
My face burns with barely contained fury. "Peter's not that bad, actually," I snap. "Why is everyone so quick to judge him?"
"He did try to steal Henry's heart," she points out.
"Well, yeah, I guess that is a fair point. But he actually really isn't that bad."
She stares at me weirdly. "What?" I ask after a minute.
"You talk about him as if you like him," she says in a suspicious voice.
"I do," I say, fighting back a stupid grin. "I mean, we are a couple and all."
Her eyes widen. "Seriously? Wow. Is that hard?"
"Is what hard?"
"Being in love with him."
I think for a moment, grabbing my backpack from the floor and swinging it over my shoulder. "Sometimes," I say. "Actually," I laugh, "more often than not. But that's just because he's really stressed out. I don't really have much patience for him, but I know what he's doing wrong. He's trying to stay in control - of everything, the town, the Boys, his emotions - and it's just weighing him down. Sometimes he's got to let his anger out, and sometimes it's on me, which can get pretty scary, but it's alright in the end. We fight, but we usually make up within five minutes or something." I laugh again. Then I realize that I've been rambling and blush. "Sorry for rambling. I tend to talk too much."
The girl smiles. "Ruby," she says, holding her hand out for me to shake.
I do. "Kasey." I pull my hood back up. "I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Ruby," I say, then turn to leave.
"Come back any time," she says, and smiles at me, and I can't help returning it.
I go outside and start for the small park in the center of town. There is a single swing, and I sit there heavily, getting out the chips (french fries?) I had rolled in wax paper and a piece of pie. I watched the flickering lights of the town. It's a really peaceful sight to behold if you're really stressed out. Which I am. Majorly. I don't know if I should go back to Peter, or give him more space. I don't know if he's mad at me, or mad at himself, or mad at Felix. I don't know what to think and it's giving me a headache so I focus again on the flickering lights.
"Hey, Kasey!" chirps a small boy's voice, making me jump and whirl around.
"Henry," I sigh. "You startled me."
"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "I wasn't trying to." He sits in front of me and I offer some "fries". He politely refuses. After a few moments of awkward silence I reseal my fries and put them back into my backpack. "Peter sent you, didn't he?"
Henry's smile disappeared and the light went out of his eyes. "Yeah. He... threatened me."
"Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry," I say, going to my knees in front of him and wrapping my arms around him. He tenses up for a moment before relaxing and returning the gesture.
"Thanks, Kasey," he says gratefully as we pull away from each other. He smiles at me the same way, and it makes me feel really bad for him. I smile back and kiss his forehead before standing up and brushing my knees off. He stands beside me, his eyes glued to something behind me. I know who it is before I turn, so I tell Henry he can go home. He smiles at me again and runs off.
I cross my arms over my chest. "Wow, Peter. Send a twelve-year-old kid to find me. Real smooth. I'm not at all angry that you threatened him."
An abrupt pull of my backpack makes me stumble back into Peter's chest. He grabs my wrist and spins me around, and his lips are hard and hungry against mine. His arms are tight around my waist, keeping me against his chest. I'm surprised for a second, but then can't help kissing him back.
"You," he says, pulling back just enough to see into my eyes, "are the smartest," - he kisses me - "bravest," - again - "strongest," - again - "amazing-ist," - again - "beautiful-ist," - again - "girl I know." He kisses me again. "And I love you." He kisses me again, for much longer, making my brain buzz.
I pull away forcibly. "Stop kissing me!" I order. "I'm mad at you."
Peter's smile doesn't disappear, or even waver. "Oh, come on. You won't be mad for very long." He pulls me tighter against his chest and suddenly we're in the crypt. Peter picks me up slightly and sits me on the bed, crouching in front of me, looking deliriously happy. It's actually kind of scary. "You're an absolute genius," Peter mumbles, staring into my eyes in a way that makes me blush slightly. He tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I love you so much."
I cross my arms over my chest again. "If you love me so much, why didn't you come find me yourself?" I snap.
He doesn't even flinch. "I couldn't sense your presence anywhere," he explains, and his finger come up to stroke my necklace. "You were hiding yourself from me."
I frown. "How is that possible?"
He shrugs. "You must've been doing it unconsciously." His index finger hooks around the neckline of my shirt. "But who cares anyways? I haven't seen you in two days...." His eyes wander down to his finger. "I've missed you, Kase."
I pull his finger from my (lack of) cleavage and stand. "Actually, I'm quite tired. I'm going to take a shower and then get some sleep."
Peter pouts, wrapping his arms around my back and nuzzling his head into my stomach. "But it's so early...." he whines.
"It's three in the morning," I say flatly.
"No it's not!"
I ruffle his hair. "Just join my dream again. You do it all the time, what makes this time any different?" And with that, I remove his arms from my body and go to the bathroom, locking the door behind me just in case.