*present*
The Jolly Roger landed in the rough waters that surrounded Neverland. Emma was speaking with her parents while Kyla stood next to Hook, who was steering the ship.
"This is not a good idea," she muttered.
"Oh, believe me, love, I know," he agreed.
"What do we tell them?" She asked, looking at the Charmings.
"Nothing too detailed," he answered. "I understand why you don't want them to know of your past on this island, but you may not be able to hide it once we're there. Especially once he discovers you're there."
"He already knows," she snapped in a whisper. "He always knows."
Then, a distant cry caught Kyla's attention. It was followed by others echoing it. It was becoming nightfall, though the sun didn't rise or set. A shiver shot down her spine as the noise became louder and louder in her ear.
"Rapunzel," Hook said, but it was a muffled sound. Kyla was still staring off at the sea, searching for the island. "Rapunzel!" He said again, snapping her out of her trance. She looked up at him, the cries silenced in her head.
"Yeah," she said, "yeah, he definitely knows I'm here."
Regina, then, walked over, anger rising in her system. "Why are you slowing down?" She scolded. "In case you didn't know, my son's life is in danger."
"Oh, I know, my hotheaded Queen," Hook said which made Kyla crack a smile. "My plan is to bring us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river," he explained. Kyla nodded as she understood. "We sail right through-"
"And take him by surprise," she finished. Hook nodded.
"Just because he knows you'll be here, it doesn't mean he knows you brought your whole family," Hook said, winking at her.
"Shut up," she sneered.
"Who knows you're here?" Regina asked.
"It's a long story," Kyla explained. "One that will be shared with you all very soon, I'm sure."
"Will it help find Henry?"
"Nope," she answered quickly.
Hook was shaking his head to himself. When Kyla looked up at him, he smiled. "The irony," he started, "I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place and to kill Rumplestiltskin. And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guest of honor. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for."
Kyla and Regina were silent after the solemn realization. Then Regina's head turned.
"Greg Mendell said something funny to me. He said I'm a villain," she said.
"And that's a surprise to you?" Kyla asked.
"No, but he said that villains don't get happy endings," then she looked at Hook. "Do you believe that?"
"I hope not, or we've wasted our lives," he answered.
That left Kyla to contemplate if the roles were reversed, if she were not a neutral being, would she be a good guy or a bad guy? Would she get her happy ending? And what kind of happy ending did she want?
Gold appeared to them in the jacket that Rumplestiltskin wore way back in the Enchanted Forest. He interrupted Emma's conversation.
"I'm gonna get Henry," he stated.
"We agreed to do this together," Regina said, the anger coming back.
While they disagreed for the moment, Kyla imagined what would happen if Gold went head to head with Pan. If he couldn't defeat Pan and save Henry, she was afraid no one could.
"Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild," Gold explained to Emma. "And sadly, yours doesn't."
As he began to spin his cane to poof himself out, Kyla ran down and grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Take me with you," she said in a hushed voice. She could feel everyone watching her, but she didn't care.
"So you can get in the way?" He asked, his voice in the same tone.
"You need me," she said. He paused, not knowing what to say.
"I can't let you get hurt," he whispered, his eyes showing the slightest bit of concern.
"Are you kidding me?" She said, tightening her grip, "You abandoned me and sent me to Neverland-"
"To protect you!"
"From what?!" She yelled. The ship was silent, listening to their every word. "You still won't tell me," she said, shaking her head. "If you were really concerned about me, you wouldn't let me walk in there without you and with the Charmings as my back up."
Nobody said anything. Gold was concentrating on the ground below him. He was so focused, Kyla thought his eyes were going to pop from his head. Then, she heard his voice in her head.
Henry.
Kyla's body went cold. "No," she whispered.
"And I'm the only one that knows how to defeat him. Kyla, you're just going to have to trust me," his voice was low, but sincere. She could feel that much. "And I'm afraid that once you see him-"
"No," she stated strongly. He shrugged his shoulders.
"We just have to be smart about this. This is it," he said.
Kyla released her grip on Gold and he nodded, understanding that she would let him go with no further protest. He spun his cane and was gone in an instant.
"Are you going to tell us what that was all about?" Regina asked, in her usual impatient tone.
Kyla shook her head. "All you need to know is that Neverland isn't safe. Unfortunately, we're all going to have to stay together."
"What? Is Peter Pan going to kill us all?" Emma asked. Kyla could hear her sarcasm, but she still answered honestly.
"I'm not sure," she said.
"Oh," Emma said in surprise, then whispered, "not what I was expecting."
So, after explaining to Emma the truth behind Pan, they rode on the Jolly Roger, coming into contact with a dangerous storm, mermaids and trying to save Emma's life after she jumped into the waters of Neverland in an attempt to stop the storm.
Because of the storm, the Jolly Roger couldn't sail anymore and they had to forget Hook's original plan.
Hook's new bright idea: sleep before looking to Henry. He knew better than anyone how difficult sleep could be on Neverland. Emma and Regina of course protested, but in the end, they agreed they could all benefit from a night of sleep.
Kyla, of course, had different plans.
As she gathered a bottle of water and a knife to carry, she felt a hand grab her arm.
"I thought we agreed on sleep," Hook's smooth voice said to her. She shook her head.
"If I can find him now-"
"Rapunzel," Hook said in a fatherly way. She jerked her arm from him.
"I can't do nothing," she said through her teeth. He sighed and looked away from her. She could feel the pity he felt for her. "Don't," she answered his emotion.
"You're the one who said that we need to stay together. That's the plan for now. Your time will come, love. You'll face him soon. But for now, just get some rest."
She stared at Hook, knowing for once in his life, he was being sincere. He knew what the island did to people like them - to people who were lost.
"Fine," she conceded and followed him to the campsite.
Kyla couldn't tell how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but in Neverland, it could have been minutes. After endlessly tossing and turning from her sleeping bag (that of course, Mary Margaret packed), she had had enough. She sat up from the ground, looking at the rest of the camp. David and Snow were snuggled up with each other. Regina actually seemed peaceful in her sleep. Hook was lying on his back with his head drooped to the side - it was the quietest he had ever been, really. Emma was understandably restless in her sleep, like she was having a never-ending nightmare.
Or she was hearing the voices.
Kyla noticed it almost immediately. The cries of the boys at night. It was a sound that only called to lost children, like Kyla. When she lived on Neverland, the cries would keep her up for days. But, like everything else, she learned to block it out. It had been decades since she had last heard them.
Then, she felt a familiar pull to the woods: the ones Hook claimed to be so dangerous. She knew better. As quietly as possible, she stood up from her bag and walked into the brush.
Though muggy and damp, she felt a cool breeze run through the air. She turned, hearing a branch snap.
Anxiety took over her body as she walked toward the sound ever so slowly. Then, in a huff, she stopped.
"I know you're there," she said to the woods.
Suddenly, he appeared.
He was like a dream. She was taken back almost 40 years, staring at the boy with wide eyes. Of course, he hadn't changed one bit. A smile appeared on his face as he sighed.
"Rapunzel," he almost sang.
"What's with the song and dance?" She asked, growing impatient. "The freaky wind, the call to the woods, the ever-so cliche branch snap and the lost boys cries? Really?" She was unconsciously walking closer to him. "If you really wanted to see me-"
"I didn't know if you'd want to see me," he said, his English accent as thick as ever.
"I still don't know if I do," she admitted. They were now together, their faces inches from each other. Kyla wore her familiar grimace, which made the boy smile.
"Your sour face will always be my favorite of yours," he said.
"Drop it," she whispered, "Peter."
Then, he kissed her. And instead of pulling away, she kissed him back fiercely - a kiss that was decades too late.
She did eventually pull away, biting her bottom lip and placing her hands on his chest to prevent him from making another move.
"No," she said, taking a step back, "no, we can't."
"Rapunzel," he started.
"Where's Henry?" She asked.
"You know I can't tell you that," he answered.
"Why?" She asked, getting close to him again. "What's your play? Tell me what you're really doing with Henry."
"I wish it were that simple," he said.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're with the heroes right now," he pointed in the direction of their camp.
She couldn't speak for a moment as the shock hit her. "You can't trust me anymore?" She asked, taking offense to the claim.
"It's not that," he promised, taking her hands, "but they're your family. You're telling me you wouldn't choose them over me?"
She hesitated, almost proving his point. Then, she exhaled the breath she felt she had been keeping in for a lifetime.
"You know family means nothing to me," she finally said.
"Not even this family?" He asked with a smirk. She peaked up at him, fighting back a smile.
"Owning my words," she teased, "but Henry's just a kid. You can't hurt him."
"Weren't you just a kid?" He snapped, pulling away from her. "Wasn't I? Weren't they all? Who cared for us?!"
She could feel the anger rising within him.
"You really want to repeat the pattern?" She asked.
Peter sighed, turning back to face her. "My plan will lay itself out soon. I can't have you in the crosshairs."
"Why not?" She asked. "It was so easy for you to give me up before."
"Rapunzel, I had to do that."
Suddenly, memories of her final days in Neverland struck her. The abandonment - the heartache - came rushing back in an instant. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again.
"You abandoned me too," she said in a quiet voice. Peter put his hands out.
"Remember what the island does," he warned, "it takes the heart of a lost child and draws out the pain. It was especially worse for you, what with your empath powers," then he walked to her again, putting his forehead against hers. "You are feeling an exaggerated version of your emotions." He cupped her chin in his hand. "It's perfectly normal, yet not at all real."
"No," she breathed, backing away from him, "no, you left me to a fate worse than death. I was trapped in another realm, captured by a wicked witch, then cursed in a land without magic for 30 years. And now I'm right back here," the last sentence she said to herself.
"Which was your choice! You knew where the Jolly Roger was headed," he debated.
"No, I never had a choice," she said. "You always have the final say in who comes and who leaves. It's always up to you," she finished. Then, the realization hit her. "You want my magic," she whispered.
"No!" He contested, moving suddenly to grab her hands. "You can't use your magic here, you know that."
"Because the island will suck it up and you'll have my powers."
"Rapunzel, stop. I am not the bad guy here. Hey, look at me," he said, turning her chin up, forcing her gaze to meet his. "Maybe I just wanted to see you again."
"Really," she answered, doubtful.
He sighed. "You're the only happiness I've ever truly known. I needed to see you."
She didn't react, which made him chuckle.
"Go ahead. Check if I'm lying."
He wasn't. His feelings were true.
"And it has been a while since Neverland has seen her Queen."
She scoffed. "They remember?"
"They miss you terribly," he said. "Just remember: anything that happens with the Boys getting violent, it's all a show. You'll never be in any real danger. I mean, how could they betray their Queen like that? I'm assuming your family doesn't know about your time here," he questioned.
"It's better that they don't," she whispered.
"I agree," he said. "Maybe you could help me yet."
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"A battle is about to begin. I need you to do what you do best: remain neutral."
"What battle?" She asked.
"I'll be meeting with Emma in a few moments, sending her the same call as I did to you. The orphan will have to answer it. You're going to go back to your camp, pretend to rest, and follow whatever plans Emma has, do you understand? Stay out of trouble and please for the love of the gods, stay alive!" He instructed.
"Peter, wait!" She exclaimed as he began to turn around. He stopped. "I can do more than just that."
The wheels were spinning in her head. Peter Pan was the first person - other than Rumplestiltskin - to show real love and concern for her. And she felt in him that he was sincere. She had never felt that way about the Charmings or Regina. They were out for themselves. Kyla knew if she never showed back up at their camp, they would barely know she was missing. After years of being pushed to the side and out of the way, she decided she had had enough. It was time to do something for herself.
She wanted to be a Queen.
So, she looked onto Peter Pan, her first love, and sighed. If she had to choose a side, it was going to be his.
"Can you?" He asked.
"I'll lead them to you," she whispered.
"You're going to betray your family," he said and caught himself, "the heroes," he corrected, "and bring them to me?"
She took a moment before answering. "You really just wanted me back?" She asked.
He smiled, cupped her face and kissed her as if it were the last time he could ever do so.
"I love you," he whispered to her and meant it. "If you mean what you say, then I know the Boys will more than welcome their Queen back with open arms. Now, go. Follow Emma's instructions and get her to me."
She pulled away slowly, refusing to take her eyes off of him.
"Let the games begin," he said with a sinister grin.
Kyla, cautiously, moved back to the campsite. Everyone was exactly as they were. It was like time hadn't moved a second while she was gone. Her ears continued to ring as the cries of the boys grew louder. She watched Hook move in his sleep. He must have been hearing it too.
Emma began to move more ferociously, gripping her sword in her sleep. Kyla knew Peter would wake her soon, so she quickly moved to her place and laid down.
She covered her ears, trying to drown out the cries to no avail. She hadn't had the practice in ages. Her head ached and wished for silence, but it wouldn't come. Soon, she found herself so overcome by the voices in her head, her body couldn't take it anymore and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Not long after, she was shaken awake by a concerned David. Kyla gasped and shot up from the ground, taking a moment to get her bearings.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Her head wasn't pounding anymore, but she could still hear the voices. They were dulling as the night was ending, though daylight would not come.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Emma found Pan in the woods. It's starting."
Kyla slowly sat up, looking around. Emma was sitting, looking at a blank piece of paper, one that she recognized immediately.
It was time.
"You sure you're okay?" David asked, though she didn't answer the first time. Kyla looked at him, trying to disguise what she was feeling.
"Yeah," she said, and accepted the hand he held out to help her up.
She walked behind him and quietly echoed Pan: "Let the games begin."