xii. it's called true love

━ ❝ she tried to deny it ❞

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PAN COULD TELL winning Henry over was going to be difficult. Even showing the boy how some of the lost boys were happy, playing games and enjoying the freedom they had. Henry didn't look too impressed. In fact, he looked awfully bored, not seeing anything special. Or perhaps he didn't believe a word the immortal boy was saying. That was probably the case. Yet, Pan did not give up though he was a tad angry. Trying to get the heart of the truest believer was going to be a challenge considering how his family was on the island, trying to get him back. But he would get his heart. He had to.

The short trek back to the main area of the camp was filled with silence. Henry hadn't said a word about anything, giving Pan short replies to questions and comments. Now that was infuriating. None of the other lost boys did that because they knew better. But this was Henry and he was forced to be kind and give fake comfort he despised. It was funny how much he had shifted as a person through the centuries without his wife. Love did that to a person he supposed.

When they entered the bonfire, the two of them saw boys sitting on the dirt ground, surrounding Arabella who had Jordan's head in her lap as her lips parted. Musical whispers were flowing from her mouth as she sang a song that was awfully familiar to Pan. "Come to me in the night hours. I will wait for you." He nearly fell beside the lost boys right on the spot. It was the song he heard ringing in his ears for years, a reminder of what he had lost. "And I can't sleep 'cause thoughts devour, thoughts of you consume. Ooh-ooh."

Henry's eyes were stuck on the brunette. He sat down next to the rest of the lost boys, listening, entranced by the voice. It was almost like a siren was singing. All of the boys were drawn to Arabella like moths to a flame. Her voice was so beautiful. But there was always one word Pan used for it. He would always say that her singing voice was angelic. She leaned down to press a kiss Jordan's head before rocking him, continuing the melody. "I can't help but love you. Even though I try not to. I can't help but want you. I know that I'd die without you."

Pan could recall the memories when he stayed up at night, not being able to return to Neverland due to him not relaxing. He would toss and turn, waking up Arabella in the process. At first, she didn't know what to do. But as the nights went on, she found a way to lull him to sleep. Singing. Ivy sang her the exact song and it was times like those she was convinced that her mother had humanity and did love. Pan would close his eyes and travel to the island, his girlfriend at the time, following after him. "I can't help but be wrong in the dark. 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts. I can't help but want oceans to part. 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh."

The boys had shuffled even closer to her in the few minutes she sang. Jordan was asleep, a few of the other boys about to as well. One of them fell onto another's shoulder, fighting the sleep her singing induced. Pan had a difficult time keeping the smile on his face hidden. It had become a habit between the two where they would be lying in a field in Neverland and he would ask Arabella to sing for him. She would, and they would stare at the stars, holding each other.

All of the boys smiled, looking to see the young lost boy dead asleep. Simon looked back up at her. "That was amazing!" The other boys nodded in agreement, not yet seeing their leader.

"I didn't know you sang," Henry confessed, gaining their attention.

Arabella looked over and saw Pan and Henry. She blinked a few times to show that she herself was a bit surprised. The immortal boy didn't seem angry or upset. Pray that he wasn't in any way, she tried to find the rights words. "I..." She pursed her lip and looked at Pan. "Jordan hurt himself while we were playing a game. I healed him."

Pan nodded and went over to them. "May I see?" She was confused but allowed him to crouch down in front of her. In complete honesty, he trusted that she healed Jordan perfectly. He just wanted to be close to her so this was the only excuse he could currently come up with. Arabella removed her hand from the lost boy's, revealing dry blood on her hand and nothing left on Jordan's. There was a little, faint scar on his palm but even magic could only do so much.

The former princess ran her fingers along it, smiling sadly. All of the boys were watching the two as if they were making sure Pan didn't hurt her. He noticed right away. Clearing his throat, he stood up and looked down at her. "Arabella, why don't you go take Jordan to his tent so he can sleep?"

Arabella nodded and stood up, carrying the boy in her grasp. "Of course." She walked away and they all watched her leave until she disappeared into the tent.

The moment she was gone, Pan spun to the boys who quickly stood up, seeing their leaders enraged look. It was fake, but none of them knew that. All they did know was that he looked angry. He trained them to be warriors, not puppies who bowed down to anyone who showed them love. He had to make it look that way though he didn't believe those things to be true now that he had his love back. "What's going on? What happened?" Pan demanded in a strict tone as all of the lost boys looked at one another.

"We were playing hide and seek," Alex explained, shrugging his shoulders with his usual nonchalant attitude. Training the redhead lost boy was probably the most difficult yet. He always disobeyed and never wanted to listen. With time he became somewhat loyal but still didn't do as Pan said at times.

"Mommy thought it was a good idea to play a game," Curly explained with a frightful look. "We were just playing hide-n-seek when Jordan got hurt. It was an accident." Just like the Disney movie, Curly was short and rounded with curly hair. He was a bit timid but deep down all he wanted was a mother that he never got the chance to have after his birth one threw him on the streets. Many of the others boys wished for the same thing though none of them voiced it.

All the older boys noticed how the younger ones were all nodding in agreement. They had thought about Arabella being a mother figure, but they didn't say that out loud. Pan expected them to be the strongest and most vicious because of their age. If he ever found out what they wished for, he'd crush it like he always did.

"Excuse me?" Pan scoffed, hearing the word roll off of Curly's tongue. On the inside, he was full of pride and admiration at the fact that the lost boys already thought of Arabella as a mother. But he couldn't seem weak. He always was mean and cruel, having his rare moments of caring nature.

One of the younger boys sent Curly an encouraging nod. So the lost boy bravely looked up at Pan and said, "Arabella is our mommy." For the first time ever, he felt a shred of happiness that he stood up to the immortal leader. Years past by and he remain one of the weakest lost boys due to his big dreams of having a mother. Some of the boys teased him about it because they wished for the same thing, they just wanted it to look like they didn't.

Pan continued to hide the smile on his face, now feeling slightly guilty for snapping at them. The only response he could come up with before his wife returned was, "Oh."

On cue, Arabella exited the tent and walked back over to them. She sensed the tense atmosphere and narrowed her eyes at Pan. "Everything is okay?"

"Mommy!" the younger lost boys exclaimed as they ran toward her. Curly was one of them and brushed past Pan, stepping on his foot. The arrogant teen hissed at the impact, glaring at him but not acting on it. After all, what would Arabella think of him?

The brunette glanced at the boys who were hugging her. "Mommy?"

"You're our mommy right?" Curly whispered, clutching onto her shirt with a strong gleam of hope in his eyes. Something that wasn't seen on Neverland for years was that very thing. Hope. What was there to hope for besides to want to feel at home somewhere? What was there to do except for cry every single night in the hopes for something to change the next day?

Arabella looked at Pan whose eyes held what looked to be love and respect. But the thing was, he was concealing it and didn't think she could see it. She was observant. And no matter how deep he dug those feelings, she was the only person who could see them. Looking down at the boys again, she smiled. "Yeah. I am."

———

Even after Arabella's moment with the boys, Henry was still wary. He hardly listened as Pan led him over to where some boys were messing around. The scene was annoying. Why couldn't he just believe in him so he could have his heart already? "Look at the fun they are having. The thing with this place, Henry, is that no one tells you no. You can do as you want."

They began to walk over to some logs. Henry's eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Do they never hurt themselves?" He sounded worried because he didn't want to join a band of crazies who got their arms chopped off and were cool with it. If only his moms could save him before whatever Pan had planned for him took effect.

"All the time," Pan told him, trying to sound causal so he didn't get afraid. But he couldn't help himself so he added, "One time I had four boys with missing fingers. Cost of the game. They don't mind."

Henry's eyes went wide as they sat down. Instantly, he shook his head. "I don't belong here." Something was off about this whole situation. Why hadn't his family come for him yet? Arabella was here, so did that mean they were on the island too? It made sense. The former princess wouldn't just leave without her son.

"Actually, you do," Pan insisted, placing a hand on his leg and facing the boy. "We've been waiting for you a very long time, Henry. Long before you were even born."

"I don't believe that."

He scoffed lightly, but not in a good way. In his head, Pan kept telling himself that he had to be calm with Henry. Any sign of hostility from his edge could screw up any chance of gaining the young boy's trust. Quite frankly, he was pissing the leader off; constantly questioning everything he said. It was infuriating. How Arabella managed to stay relaxed in most situations was a mystery to him. "You should. This place runs on imagination, on belief. But your world stopped believing. Magic is dying and you, Henry, need to save it."

"In my world, you mean?"

Pan shook his head. "In every world." He pointed at Henry's chest for a second. "You need to bring it back." When he let his hand fall, he looked over at his love who was sitting with Curly and a few of the other lost boys. He did it in the hopes of Henry seeing that he wasn't the bad guy. Maybe if he saw that the immortal teen was capable of love, he'd trust him. "That's your destiny. To return the magic." He looked back at the boy. "To be the savior."

Henry still was not convinced. In a way, he looked annoyed himself. All of this blabbing on about how he was going to save people? No. That just wasn't him. "My mum Emma is the savior. Not me."

"She broke some curse, yeah." The reply came out too fast and Henry looked alarmed, sitting up straighter and looking at him questioningly. Pan quickly fixed his mistake. "Oh, I know more than you think. But what if breaking the curse wasn't the thing that made her the savior. What if having you was. Think about it." He made motions with his hands to emphasize his point. "You both descend from the greatest of light and of dark. Believing that's a coincidence that the sprout of the Dark One met your mother? You were created for a reason and I can help you find it."

The boy processed it all and then responded with, "So you're thinking I'm supposed to save magic?" He pointed to himself.

Pan continued with his act, growing more and more tired of it by the second. "I'm not thinking. I believe. Remember, I've said I've something to show you." He reached into his vest and grabbed a scroll. "Here. I had this for a very long time. Long before you were even thought about. Take a look and you'll know why I'm so sure you're the hero magic has been waiting for."

Henry stared at it for a bit before taking it. Pan got up and began to walk away. Without so much as glance at it, he dropped it on the floor near the log. "I don't believe you," Henry said.

Pan turned back around to look at him and laughed. "You remind me of your father." What he said hit home and he knew it, continuing to walk his way through the camp. During this moment, Arabella had stopped talking in the conversation with the lost boys. Her mind was off somewhere else. She saw Pan looked at her while talking to Henry. The look he gave her made her remember a sliver of a memory.

It was anything major, just a little detail. Evidently, the teen leader was in it. The only thing was that she didn't call him Pan. She called him Malcolm. A simple name change was nothing to be worried about. He must've just not liked his name and altered it to what it was now. But what struck as surprising and also interesting was that he looked vulnerable, scared even. He had woken up from a nightmare and asked her to sing for him. Laying his head on her stomach, she played with his hair and sang the same exact song she had sung to the boys. Eventually, he fell asleep and then the memory ended.

The way they looked at each other in that memory was something she couldn't forget. Something had been going on between the two. And Arabella wanted to know what. Her first initial thought was that maybe he was the father of Rumple. But then it was erased. Then what in the world was he doing on Neverland? Why did her son hate the boy so much? So then she started thinking how maybe at one point, Arabella and Pan were together, they broke up, then she moved on and fell in love with someone else which resulted in her son. Then the teen came to Neverland to escape his troubles. And after all this time, he still cared about her.

She got up when she caught sight Pan walking away from Henry. "Pan!" The immortal boy stopped in his tracks and looked her way as she approached him. She stopped in front of him, looking around, avoiding his eyes. "Can we talk?"

Pan looked hopeful for a split second. "You remember?"

Arabella shook her head slightly with a sad smile. "I remember something. But it's small memory. Can we please talk somewhere private?" Pan looked around before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the woods. When they were far enough, he stopped so they could face each other. He then prompted her to tell him and she looked at his green eyes. "We knew each other, that much is clear. What were we?"

The sad look he tried to contain failed and surfaced. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." His voice was just above a whisper. Suddenly she was reminded of the memory of how scared he was when he woke up from a nightmare. It was nearly the same expression.

"Try me."

Pan licked his lips and he looked nervous. Cautiously, he reached into his pocket and brought out a small box. Arabella stepped closer, peering at it. The wait nearly killed her as he slowly opened the lid to reveal two rings, two wedding rings placed next to one another. Her finger ran across them and she put a hand over her mouth as a gasp escaped her. Tears pricked her eyes. Pan watched her and then whispered, "We were married. I'm Rumple father."

She looked up at him to see him looking away. The tears flowed freely as she struggled to find words. Here he was, the person she had spent the few days since her arrival trying to remember. And he was the same person who had kidnapped a child for an unknown reason, the same person who she thought was the villain in this situation. He still was. But now Arabella had to face the truth. This was her husband.

Arabella put her hands on his cheeks and moved his head toward her which had lowered down so he couldn't see her face. His green eyes stared into her own and she smiled at him. "I will remember. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow. But I will." Stepping forward, she hugged him tightly.

Pan hugged her back and put one of his hand on the back of her neck and the other on her back. The tears were in his eyes but he didn't let them fall. But this changed everything. While he was worried that once she did remember and once she found out what he had planned, she wouldn't love him anymore. Arabella didn't know what to do. The only reason for staying in the camp was to make sure Henry was as safe as he could be. Now she wasn't too sure what to do or how to feel.

They stood there for a while, holding each other until she pulled back. Pan had started to cry, or at least a few tears fell. She wiped them away with her finger, setting her hands on his cheeks. Quietly, she promised, "I will remember."

He looked back at her and put his hands on her hands. Nodding, his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of warmth her touch gave him. She was just so perfect. Arabella was everything to him. Just with the heart of the truest believer and the heroes trying to save Henry, Pan was questioning his plans. Because now she knew the truth. "I know. But Henry's family, they'll take him away."

Arabella frowned. "Why do you need Henry?" Her accent flowed through her words but he didn't get flustered that time. It only helped soothe him from all of the sadness that overwhelmed him. At times it did this so it wasn't rare. She removed her hands from his face and moved so she could hug him again, putting his head in the crook of her neck.

Pan inhaled and said nothing for a moment. "I need Henry to save magic," he lied.

Despite her usually knowing when he lied, she believed him and smiled softly as if she were trying to assure him nothing bad would happen. And she was. Pan let her hold him, revealing in her touch again. He really didn't want this to end anytime soon. She played with his hair like she saw in the memory. "I'm sure his family would understand, Peter."

He smiled and sighed in relief. "You might not remember but, I do love you, Arabella. And I always have, and I always will. This island was meant to be for the two of us. We used to visit all the time." Removing his head, he looked at her to see her smile still in place. She believed him.

"I might not remember, but I think I love you too." When his eyes lit up she laughed. "I said think. Don't get too excited."

Pan chuckled, soaking in her body as he stared. He could stay in her arms for the rest of eternity or until he died at least. But he would die happy. "I missed you so much," he confessed. He wrapped his arms around her waist again and laid his head on the top of her's. She laughed slightly, giving in to him. Who would've known Peter Pan was a softie? Nothing could break this moment.

He knew Emma and her family wouldn't stop until they got Henry back. And there was a chance they would take Arabella away from him too. He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let them take her away. Even if it meant he had to kill them to do so.

———

At Pan's camp, Henry finally decided to pick up the scroll Pan had given to him earlier. He unraveled it and went wide-eyed when he saw what it was. The picture was of him, probably done in charcoal or pencil. He looked up at the other lost boys but none of them were paying attention.

In another place on the island, the shadow dropped Neal on the ground with a thud. Felix was waiting in the trees for the adult to arrive. He got off of the tree he waited by and Neal looked up at him. "Welcome home, Baelfire. Pan will be so happy to see you," he greeted.

Meanwhile, Arabella sat next to Pan as they looked up into the night sky where the stars shone. It was the meadow that they used to visit together when they visited Neverland in their dreams. At least that's what Pan told her. Everything was quiet. Her green eyes stayed on the sky as she gazed at them. There was a sense of deja vu in her veins and Arabella figured that this probably happened before in her past.

Pan looked over at her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She looked at him, smiled, and laid her head on his chest. Even if she didn't remember him, she couldn't help but feel something strong for Pan. The memories they had together was in her reach and she so desperately wanted to get them back. In time, it would happen. She just needed to be patient. But sitting there with him made her feel like she already had them back. Because she did feel something for him. After all, it was true love.

———

Obviously, the song Arabella sang is a real song. She didn't actually write it, lol. If any of you were curious, it is War Of Hearts by Ruelle aka the song in the iconic Malec scene. But anyway, this book is going to be my first priority in terms of updating. So that means I will most likely be working on chapters for this book and hopefully finishing it sometime before school starts for me.

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