x. back to you

━ ❝ get out my head ❞

━━━━★✼☆｡━━━━

EMMA STARED DOWN at the map, clutching it in her hands tightly like she expected it to magically work. She was trying to do what Pan told her to do but it just didn't make sense. Who was she really? What was she denying? No matter how long she thought about it, an answer never appeared. With each passing moment, she just got more annoyed. How could Pan not leave a hint? But Hook was right, Pan is playing a game. And they were going along with it because they had no other options.

No one said anything, but Arabella had been acting odd since her return. She was pacing one minute and then sitting and staring off into space the next. It didn't take much to realize that she was on edge. Regina thought for a moment that something happened between the two. In fact, she still thought that but didn't say anything to avoid making the girl upset. Because clearly, something was bothering her.

"My name is Emma Swan."

Arabella looked up from where she was sitting with a weary look. "Pan's riddle isn't going to be that easy, Emma. If so, the map would've appeared already." She laid her head in her hands, still trying to bury any thought of Pan she had. He probably knew too and was most likely smug about it. 

"Don't hold anything back," Mary Margaret told her daughter. Everyone was watching. They all expected for the big reveal of when the map appeared. Nothing happened and it remained blank. Hook had dealt with the immortal boy for centuries. So he knew what they were feeling, staying the most calm out of all of them. Everyone else was just extremely annoyed.

Emma nodded, looking back at the map. "I'm Henry's mother. I used to live in Boston, and I was a bail bonds person. I'm now the sheriff of Storybrooke."

Regina scoffed, throwing her hand up and letting it hit her leg. She was by far the most agitated out of them all. Apparently, she still thought that using magic was an option. "That election was a sham. Are we really doing this?"

They all acknowledged her yet no one replied to it. Arabella turned back to Emma, smiling softly and providing a motivating look through he tired eyes. She was already exhausted and she knew the rest of them were too. Getting sleep in a time like this proved to more difficult than they initially thought. Then again, Henry's life could possibly be at risk because none of them knew what Pan wanted with him. "Don't you think maybe you're leaving some things out?" Arabella questioned.

She made a face in reply, sighing. "I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, which apparently makes me the product of true love. I was born in the Enchanted Forest and I was sent through a portal in a tree so that I could break a curse."

Nothing. Once again, the memory of Pan came back to her. Why couldn't she stop thinking about her? Maybe he did know her. So what? There was no way he was the father of Rumple. Arabella wouldn't ever — would she? He might have seemed vicious. But what if he wasn't once you got to know him? What if she had — no. The kiss he gave her kept making her question everything. His touch felt so nice. It was so gentle. And the way his green eyes pierced into her's with such admiration, it was blinding. 

He also seemed kept quite entranced by the sound of her English accent she hardly ever used. She remembered how Ivy got her into the habit of keeping it buried, only using it when needed. Old habits died hard. But why were her thoughts plagued by him when he was so evil? He kidnapped Henry who was only an innocent kid who did nothing wrong and just wanted to be a hero for once.

"And you were able to break the curse because you're the..." David trailed off, bring Arabella out of her fantasy. She blinked to clear the memory.

Mary Margaret caught on to what her husband was saying and smiled. "Come on. You don't need to be embarrassed to say it."

"Say what?" Arabella questioned, deciding to join the conversation.

Regina rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip. "The s word."

Emma took a deep breath. "I'm the savior." Everyone peered over to watch. The parchment remains blank. They all let out sighs of disbelief. Arabella threw her hands up, standing up and beginning to pace. "I don't get it. I said I'm the savior. There's nothing I've denied more than that."

"No, it's okay. We'll figure it out," Mary Magaret said softly.

The ex-Evil Queen seemed to be having enough and snatched the parchment from Emma. "No, you won't." Her expression expressed that she was done with them sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. All she could think about was Henry. What if he was hurt?

"Regina!" Arabella sighed, spinning to her.

She ignored her. "But I can. I'm beginning to think there isn't a map on here. That doesn't mean it can't lead us to Henry."

"I thought we decided that using magic was a bad idea," David pointed out. Everyone else nodded in agreement. They understood where she was coming from, but they had to stick together. That was the only way they would ever defeat Pan. And yet the look on Regina's face displayed that she was more than willing to do this all on her own.

"For once I agree with the prince," Hook spoke up. They all looked at him. Arabella raised an eyebrow. David looked at him surprised and Hook looked back at him. "Well, I told you we're getting along."

David rolled his eyes, looking back at Regina who started using magic on the map. Emma stood up, going over to her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"A locator spell. This parchment belonged to Pan. It'll lead us to him," Regina explained. She lifted the map into the air and it floated. They followed it until they saw go into the Dark Jungle.

Hook drew in an annoyed sigh. "So it appears we will be venturing into the Dark Jungle after all."

"The same place you said you didn't want us to go into?" Arabella questioned, already knowing the answer. From just looking at it, she got chills. It was definitely spooky and she didn't want to know what lurked inside. But the Dark Jungle hadn't existed up until the point where Pan started to become evil. With his love not being with him, he lost himself. All of his anger, sadness, and pain formed the place Hook feared to enter.

He nodded. "That's the one."

Arabella made a face, looking over at him. "Are you positive that this is a good idea? What if we walk into one of Pan's traps?" The chances of that happening were high. What choice did they have at that point though? It was either they took risks and fought back or just sit there and wait. And yet the uncertainty of breaking the immortal boy's rules made her want to run back to the camp.

"Relax princess."

She glared at him. Regina stepped forward and waved forward, looking at Emma. "Well, Emma, you said you wanted to be the leader. Lead."

———

Trekking through the Dark Jungle was not fun. With every step they took, they all looked around just waiting for something to jump out. And the longer they followed the map, the longer Arabella thought about how this was way too easy. Nothing had tried to kill them or kidnap them. Everything — for once — was going smoothly. It seemed as though Hook had the same feeling because his shoulders were tense. His posture gave away the fact that he too was suspicious.

"Ready to thank me?" Regina asked them.

Emma was the only one to reply. "Actually, yeah."

Arabella looked to the side and she could've sworn she could see someone watching them. The feeling never stopped and continued to grow. Unbeknownst to her, Pan was the one who was following them. The lost boys were obeying Felix's orders as he led them to the spot Pan told them to go to. But he wanted to see his wife again. And he knew that she could tell someone was nearby. That made him smile because she always knew things. She was observant.

"If you'd let me do it sooner, maybe we'd have found him by now," Regina said, then she stopped. "Wait." Everyone did so. "He's there. Pan. I can feel his smugness."

David pulled out his sword and Arabella flexed her fingers. There was going to be a fight. She could practically feel it. Pan wouldn't be very happy about them breaking his rules. Hook warned them. And now they were going to pay the price. They were being too hasty about this. They needed a proper plan.

"Shall we? While we still have the element of surprise on our side?" David asked as he went to walk forward, Hook stopped him.

"Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon."

Emma looked nervous and Mary Margaret noticed. "Hey. We can do this. You can do this." The savior nodded to her mother and stalked forward, everyone else trailing behind her. Arabella looked to the side again, catching Pan's eyes. Before she could react, he was gone. She relaxed her shoulders and followed the group.

Ominous sounds were the only thing they heard as the group continued through the jungle. They stopped at one clearing, looking around and not seeing Henry anywhere. Mary Margaret was the first to say something. "No one's here. Maybe your spell was wrong, Regina."

"Yes. Blame me...again."

Arabella lowered her hands from their place in front of her chest. "Maybe we should've listened and not broke his rules," she suggested. "We could've actually found Henry."

Emma suddenly turned in the opposite direction and saw a familiar looking figure up on the ridge. She stepped closer and narrowed her eyes. "Guys...Hold on. Is that..." A sudden realization hit her. "Henry!"

They all spun to see what looked to be Henry, standing up on the hill. But as Emma ran towards the figure, the less Arabella was positive that this was the boy. Her skepticism was proven worthy when the person turned to them, revealing it to be Pan in Henry's clothes. Emma stopped and so did the rest of them, going wide-eyed at the sight. So they had been tricked after all.

"Hi, Emma," Pan greeted smirking.

"Where the hell is Henry?" she questioned.

Pan began to make his way further up the ride and they all follow him with their eyes. "You broke the rules. That's not fair." He cast a glance down to the former princess. "You should've listened to Arabella." He gave her a small grin before continuing his journey. "Bad form. I expect more from you, Captain."

Hook glared in response, gritting his teeth together. If anyone was to figure out that this had been too easy in the first place, it would've been him. But he too had fallen for the trap. And sadly, he always had despite his better judgment. "Aye, and you'll get it."

"Give Henry to me," Emma demanded.

"Sorry. Can't." Pan stopped and turned back to face them. "Don't you know?" He extended his arms, making a face, and then looked right at Arabella. "Cheaters never win."

Arabella gave him a nasty look. The lost boys appeared from behind their leader, carrying weapons and torches as they shouted. They were excited to finally get a fight. Pan looked on amusedly, smirking. Regina flexed her fingers, David prepared his sword, Mary Margaret drew her bow, Emma and Hook both got out their swords, and Arabella decided to follow suit, deciding not to use magic on these boys.

"Watch out for their arrows. They're laced with dreamshade," Hook warned.

The former princess clutched onto her sword and stared up at Pan with a glare. "That was my line you asshole!" As soon as she ran up the hill towards Pan, the fight started. He looked upset that she was going to fight him. Before she could get far, a lost boy pushed her down. She landed on her back with a groan of pain. From the hill, Pan stared the lost boy down. The boy knew he would be in for it the moment they got back to camp.

She got up and tackled the boy, punching him in the face so he would be stunned. Besides him, no other lost boy had tried to attack her. It was Pan's doing and Arabella knew it. When she glanced over at him, he was eyeing the boy who tackled her who was now being grabbed by two other lost boys. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she made her way back up towards him.

Just before she could, Hook's fight with one of the boys caught her attention. One was about to attack the one-handed pirate so she ran forward and kicked the back of the boy's legs. He collapsed and she punched him too.

"It's been a while, Captain," the lost boy said from where he and Hook were fighting.

"Not long enough," Hook replied.

Their sword fight continued and Arabella began to creep up behind him. Hook hadn't seen her, too involved into the fight to notice her. Little did she know, Pan was studying her every move. "You remember what I did to Rufio. Well, it's a far worse fate for you," Hook taunted.

He received a sharp hit from the lost boy who was clearly angered by the comment. Arabella nearly changed her mind before she tapped on the boy's shoulder. He turned to her and she punched him across the face, making him fall to the floor. Hook raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. She curtsied and then smirked, sending a wink. "You're welcome, Captain."

Oh, how she wished she could've seen Pan's expression when she did that. She had done it just to piss him off. Hook smirked back and returned to the fight. Pan was furious, his eyes gleaming with anger. How dare that pirate to get close to his wife? Arabella was his love, not Hook's. If only the lost boys hit him with their dreamshade arrows instead of hitting David.

"Where's Henry?! Where is he?!" Emma yelled.

The fighting ceased and the boys stopped to look over. Pan whistled and the lost boys assembled back up at the top of the hill. Felix was rubbing his cheek where Arabella had punched him. It hurt really bad.

"Remember what I told you," Pan said, still looking enraged. "That map will show you where Henry is only when you stop denying who you really are. I'll make sure to send Henry your regards." He turned to walk away and Arabella was watching him go.

Despite everything she buried, sadness and disappointment clouded in her eyes. He wouldn't even look at her. She looked away from him and back down at the ground. The lost boys retreated, whooping. When the group turned to leave, Pan took one last glance at his true love who wasn't even looking back at him.

———

The boys got back to camp and were still cheering from their little victory. Pan had used his magic to change into his normal attire, sitting down at one of the logs. He stared at the fire that was still burning from their little celebration of retrieving Henry. Of course, the boy wasn't awake just yet but he would be soon.

Felix sat next to him as he rubbed his jaw. "Man, Arabella can pack a punch." His usual stoic expression faded away. Usually, Pan would react in some way to it, this time he did. Through the years the leader had entrusted him with secrets that he hadn't told anyone else. And that included his past where Arabella was present for most of it. They always had a good laugh when Pan told him about how good his wife was at hand—to—hand combat.

So when the immortal boy didn't laugh or show any sign of amusement, sitting there like a stone wall, Felix frowned. "Something wrong Pan?"

"Of course something's wrong Felix," he snapped in reply. "My wife is all cozy with the one-handed pirate with a drinking problem. She's not here with me she's with him." His tone was venomous. Just thinking of Hook ever touching his wife made his blood boil. "If he lays a hand on her—" He stopped himself to clear of the thought.

His second in command looked confused. "Well, then why don't you go and get her back? Make her remember?"

Pan clenched his teeth and stood up. "Watch the boys. I need some air."

Without another word, he stood up and walked into the forest. At that point, he didn't even care where he ended up. If he entered the heroes camp, so be it. At lest Arabella would be there and he could see her one last time before the group stopped him.

———

At the camp, Hook approached Arabella who was sitting down at a rock, staring off into the woods. Everyone was chilling, still trying to recover from their failed attempt to rescue Henry. It was embarrassing and even Regina looked pissed that she even fell for the trick in the first place. Hook stopped in front of her, gaining her attention. "I never did thank you for the help back there, love."

She turned to look at him. "It's okay. We gotta stick together in a time like this. Besides, I would hate for you to die when you and Emma are just starting to get close." Arabella smiled at him teasingly.

Hook chuckled. "That was quite a hit you threw," he complimented.

That made her smile fall a tad. She knew where he was going with this. "Hook... aren't you a little too old for me?" Arabella knew what he was trying to do. It was obvious. He was trying to find some entertainment because he didn't want to admit how he felt about Emma. There was something between them whether he liked it or not. She wanted him to know that.

"Well seeing as you are older than me in reality—"

"I meant by looks," she interrupted. "And I don't think I could be with anyone. Not until I find who Rumple's father is. He probably isn't even alive but I just want to get my memories back, you know?" She sighed. "And I'm just a distraction because of Emma." Hook looked guilty which proved her thoughts. "We can be friends Hook. But I can see something between you and Emma. And if I were you, I'd go for it."

She got up and left him there to think about what she said. No one stopped her as she entered the woods. It wasn't like they were paying attention anyway. Arabella sighed, stopping in a random spot. Making sure she was a good distance from camp, she lied her back against the nearest tree, sighing again. Pan was still on her mind. The fact that she didn't know why only made her angrier. He was the enemy and yet he intrigued her so much.

Pan had been walking through the jungle when he stopped. He looked to his side and saw Arabella in front of one of the many trees. Her eyes were closed but once he entered the little clearing, she opened them and saw him. Pretending like he had planned this all along, he smirked. "Congratulations. Your friend finally got the map to appear. It's shame that they did listen to you Aria."

A scoff passed her lips though he heart started beating fast, a smile threatening to overtake her face. "Don't call me that. Only people I care about call me that." The comment hurt him, she could tell from the look on his face. It was unknown to them, but somehow they found their way to each other because one was thinking about the other and vice versa.

"What if I told you I could help you get your memories back?" Pan said bluntly. His smirk had fallen and was replaced with a serious look. At that point, he didn't care if he looked vulnerable or that she could take him back to the heroes. It was the desperation held in his eyes that made Arabella stop and listen. Because she could see it. Unbeknownst to her, she was the only person to ever make Peter Pan look weak and innocent. She always would be.

"Well, then I'd ask what's your price? What's the catch?"

He studied her expression to see if she was genuinely curious and interested in what he had to say. She was. But while Arabella did want to get to know more and possibly learn what past they had together, she was thinking about Henry. Rescuing him was too risky considering that the StoryBrooke gang had no way to return home. So she'd just have to watch him and make sure he stayed alive. And it was like she knew what the price would be.

"All I ask is that you come and stay at camp with me and the lost boys."

There it was. She was right. Pan shifted onto his other foot, trying to push away every thought he was having about her. He couldn't control himself, especially not now considering what he had become. His confidence had boosted up, he had magic, and his insecurities were buried for the time being. Arabella noticed his movement and stepped forward. "And why do you care whether I get my memories back or not?" She allowed her accent to seep through slightly to see if Pan would act strange again. And he did.

He smiled, a tint of color on his cheeks which made her smirk. Arabella stepped forward again. "Is there a problem with my accent, darling?" she asked innocently, letting her accent fill every word.

Pan's face went red and he stuttered. "O-oh..u-uh..I—" She made him crumble right there. Every ounce of dominance he had fallen apart because Malcolm was appearing. Being with Arabella made his old self-appear.

Arabella found herself smiling and she bit her lip. "If I'm correct, and please do correct me if I'm wrong." She stepped closer so she could put her mouth close to his ear. "I just made the one and only Peter Pan weak to his knees." Then she laughed. "Because of my accent. Am I wrong?"

The blush increased. "Ye-yes," he stuttered. She raised an eyebrow at him, pulling back to look at him. He cleared his throat when she moved her nose to his cheek, teasing him by grabbing his hands and pinning them to the tree he didn't realize he was against until now. "No," Pan admitted, without any stuttering. And there went his dignity.

She smirked. "Well then. I think you better show me the way to camp." Her eyelashes fluttered innocently as she took a few steps back to look at him. Ivy may not have been the best mother, but again, she did teach things that came in handy. Pan was still against the tree, watching her as he caught his breath. He wanted something else to happen, she knew it. "Pan?"

He got off the tree and nodded. "Ri-right. This way."

———

Emma looked down at her map as the group got ready to move on towards the real location of Pan's camp. Stopping and looking up, she realized that there are only three people with her, excluding David who excused himself to use the bathroom. "Guys..where's Aria?" she spoke up.

Hook, Regina, and Mary Margaret looked at her and then around them, not seeing the former princess anywhere. The former bandit became concerned. "Arabella!" No answer. "Arabella." Getting the same result, she looked at her daughter with worry. "You don't think..."

"Unfourtantly," Hook confirmed. 

"But why would Pan want Arabella?" Regina asked confused.

No one seemed to be able to come up with an answer. Emma sighed, looking back down at the map. "Well whatever Pan wants with Henry and Arabella, it can't be good." The rest of them knew she had a point. Neverland was a dangerous place, a realm where they would be tested again and again. David was now dying from dreamshade and soon things would get more complicated. And Pan was doing all of this for Arabella.

———

This chapter didn't take me all that long to finish surprisingly. I just other stories to update so yeah.

What did you think about those little Parabella moments? And yes, that's their ship name. It's pretty awful but oh well!

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