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    KAELYN NEVER would've thought she'd do something so stupid as jumping into a portal for the benefit of anyone but herself, yet here she was, spiralling through the folds of the universe after Henry, throwing her fate to the wind with no idea of where she was going, only that she could save Henry. It was as if nothing had happened– as if she hadn't been on her knees mere moments ago preparing for death, bleeding out, accepting mortality.

    Her fall abruptly ended as she hit the ground, roughly, letting out a hiss of pain as she landed on her wounded side, the flashing colours of the portal fading and the rushing in her ears disappearing. This was followed by an immense swell of power that rippled through her body, under her skin, along her veins; a swell she hadn't felt in years. And it was that that told her exactly where the portal had led. The twisted trees around them, the suffocating darkness, the distant smell of the ocean, and the damp smell of the forest floor mixed in with a sweet, sticky poison only helped to confirm it.

    Henry scrambled to his feet, sand kicking up. Greg grabbed him roughly. "No, no, no, slow down, pal. You got nowhere to go."

    "We made it," Tamara grinned. "Mission accomplished."

    "You fucking idiots," Kaelyn spat.

    "You," Tamara hissed, realising the immortal teenager had managed to reach the portal in time, looking at the brunette on her hands and knees in the sand in disdain.

    Kaelyn glared back at her, feeling hot anger boiling her blood. Neal's death, shooting Kaelyn, bringing her to her knees like no one had before, kidnapping Henry and then bringing them back to the place she had vowed to never fucking ever return to all culminated together to make Tamara the most vulnerable person alive. She could not be allowed to get away with anything more.

    "Yes. Me."

    Kaelyn got to her feet with ease, eyes catching the light in blazing indigo. Tamara and Greg backed up as Kaelyn straightened herself, and her exposed bullet wound slowly closed up before their eyes, the swell of power flooding straight into her weakened body. The immortal teenager couldn't help but relish the looks on their faces, the fear, as they recalled all the rumours and stories of her they'd always carefully believed, and now were viciously forced to.

    Tamara raised her gun and fired, the gunshot cutting through the night air. The bullet ricocheted off Kaelyn's chest, the charged piece of metal falling to the forest floor, the brunette glancing at it unbothered. Henry had moved away by now, as Tamara looked at her useless firearms in shock, just as Kaelyn shot a hand forward, pinning the woman to a tree. She let out a strangled gasp, hands flying to her stomach as if she'd be able to pry the invisible force away.

    "Henry, don't look," Kaelyn instructed.

    "Let her go!"

    Kaelyn glanced to see Mendell charging at her. The brunette simply jerked her chin upwards, and Mendell's head snapped to an unnatural angle, a loud crack sounding as his neck broke and he fell to the ground, dead.

    Tamara let out a distraught cry and Kaelyn turned back to her at the predicted reaction. "Please," she begged, tears visible in her eyes.

    "You wish it would be so quick," Kaelyn sneered, eyes darkening.

    "Kaelyn, stop," came a meek voice. Kaelyn squeezed her eyes shut and breathed through her nose.

    "I told you not to look, Henry," she said, firmly, but didn't look in his direction. She didn't need to see his face, not right now.

    "Kaelyn, please, you have to know I didn't want to shoot Neal," Tamara tried. "I had to." Kaelyn laughed, mockingly, causing Tamara to visibly wince. And as quickly as the laughter started, it ended, Tamara noticeably unsettled, the exact reaction Kaelyn was hoping to gain.

    "No. You didn't," she said, lowly, her eyes still gleaming a fierce indigo. She raised her voice, as if presenting to the trees around them, "You wanted to know what made me worthy of a red star? Of all those horror movies about me?" Kaelyn curled the fingers of the hand she was holding out to Tamara, and the woman let out a scream of agony. "I want you to know you brought this on yourself," she hissed.

    "Please," Tamara gasped.

    Kaelyn jerked her hand back and Tamara screamed again as she fell from the tree, her knees buckling as she landed back on the ground. She clutched at her stomach, where blood from a wound Kaelyn had mentally inflicted was pooling from. Kaelyn heard Tamara let out a sob and turned away, not willing to watch it play out as she died slowly.

    She'd done enough.

    She took a few steps away, seeing Henry take a purposeful step back from her, face blanched. Kaelyn pretended not to care and held her chin higher, knowing they'd have to talk at some point. They needed to get out, leave, go far, far away from this place.

    Kaelyn didn't want to think about what being back meant. She had left this place in ruin. How was it still standing? Did that mean he was still alive? If so, did he already know she was here? Did his power stretch that far? Could she even get them out? It had been so incredibly long, it hardly felt like the home she'd left behind.

    "C'mon," she finally said, "we need to untie your hands." Henry quietly held them out, Kaelyn's magic releasing them in an instant. Tamara's noises had ceased, her body now curled in on itself feet away from Greg's, his eyes open and unseeing in the moonlight. "We have to move away from the beach," Kaelyn told him, using her hand to move Henry's head away from the bodies.

    "This is Neverland, isn't it?" Henry asked, softly, as she led him away by the hand.

    "Yes."

    "Well, that's a good thing, right? You and Pet–"

    "There is no me and," she snapped, refusing to hear the words.

    "In my book there is!" Henry insisted. Kaelyn clenched her jaw. At least he was still talking to her. "He's your true love and he's yours, and Neverland was yours to run!"

    "Henry, in case you hadn't noticed, now really isn't the time for your fairy tales," Kaelyn said, firmly, turning to face Henry and stop him in his tracks. His eyes widened a tad. "Neverland isn't a part of the Enchanted Forest, not really, not properly. A lot of things work differently here, including time, and most importantly, your bedtime stories. Happy endings don't happen here, and people are so rarely who they seem."

    "Yes, but–"

    "No. Whatever you've read about this place is wrong," Kaelyn continued. "Does this look like the Disney movie? Like the happy-go-lucky Lost Boys freed from growing up playing all with the mermaids and Tinkerbell?" Her tone had gone bitter, as she held her hands out to the trees around them. Henry just blinked at her. "No. Accept that and move on," Kaelyn concluded. "We have to find a way to get off."

    "My mum will come to get us. Both of them," Henry insisted, voice full of hope as they returned to their journey away from the beach.

    "They'll come to get you," Kaelyn couldn't stop herself from spitting.

    "They're still coming."

    Kaelyn bit her tongue. Henry was beyond young, and returning to Neverland had hit her. "They've got Hook, it's not impossible," she chose to say, calmer now.

    "Exactly!" Henry exclaimed. Kaelyn ignored his optimism. She remembered the effort it had taken to leave Neverland last time, and had no clue if her body could take that again, or if the place would put up more of a resistance this time. "What happened, anyway? If you say it's not like my book, then what is it?"

    "If we get off this island, I'll tell you," Kaelyn said, loosely, just wanting to move on from the questions. She had seen every record of herself in folklore she could imagine, every villainization of her, every heroic twist, every cartoon and re-envisioned movie. But none had ever gotten it right.

    Perhaps that was better. The lack of a constant reminder who she was and where she'd come from.

    An arrow struck the ground at Kaelyn's feet, immediately breaking her out of thought. "Fuck," she breathed, before whipping around to Henry. "Run!" He didn't need to be told twice as they sprinted into the trees, Kaelyn catching up to him soon enough. "Just stay close to me."

    Kaelyn could hear them. Lost boys. Their feet thumping around them, the foliage brushing against them as they sprinted towards Kaelyn and Henry from all angles. She knew they couldn't outrun them, a small immortal teenager and a literal child with no athletic predisposition. But of course, it wasn't them she was afraid of.

    A weight suddenly slammed Kaelyn to the side, sending her spiralling down a ridge, Henry being torn from her sight. She hit the ground; the wind being knocked from her chest as she landed on her back. She let out a frustrated scream as she threw the person off her, finding a Lost Boy she didn't recognise grasped in her indigo hold.

    "You're new," she mused.

    "Who the fuck are you?" he snarled through her invisible choke hold. Kaelyn tilted her head and increased the pressure, the boy's neck cracking as he fell to the ground, limp. She had forgotten what the power of Neverland felt like under her skin. For all its faults, it still sung a song she felt deep in her veins.

    "Kaelyn," came a familiar voice. She tensed, turning to see a tall figure emerging from the leaves.

    "Felix," she regarded, looking up at him, their height difference beyond severe as he came closer to her.

    "Welcome home," he said, softly, removing his hood. He hadn't aged a day, and his scar still gleamed in the moonlight, pale and stark against his skin. He looked briefly to the former Lost Boy's body, but hardly looked phased.

    Kaelyn's eyes darkened. "This isn't my home."

    "We've missed you," Felix continued, ignoring her bitterness.

    Kaelyn sneered. "That's sweet."

    "You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

    Kaelyn's fingers twitched, indigo gently radiating from them. "I don't believe anyone from here." Felix noticed her threat, the grip on his club tightening.

    "I am not your enemy," Felix told her.

    "You're also not my ally," Kaelyn hissed.

    "You won't hurt me," the blonde boy breathed, but even he didn't sound so sure.

    "Wanna bet on that?" Kaelyn said, arching an eyebrow. Felix stared her down before she mock-lunged, grinning as he flinched. The brunette abruptly whipped around a second later, stopping an arrow mid-air inches from her face.

    "I said not to shoot!" Felix yelled into the trees, and scattered foot falls could be heard fading into the trees. Kaelyn grabbed the arrow from mid-air; the tip was not coated in Neverland's signature poison, she noticed.

    "Home, huh?" she mused, looking to Felix and holding up the arrow.

    "I did tell them not to shoot the girl," he sighed, turning back to her.

    "Looks like they don't listen to you," Kaelyn tutted, playing with the arrow in her fingers with a smirk on her face.

    "But everyone listens to Pan," Felix taunted, the name hitting a chord in Kaelyn, like it always did. She didn't show a visible reaction, as she mulled over if it was bait or telling that he was still around.

    "Oh, I'm sure they do," the immortal teenager responded, evenly.

    Felix smirked. "Even you did, for a time." He was baiting her. Kaelyn knew he was. But he was hardly the most manipulative person she knew, and his words were quite empty to her.

    "Then you never really knew me, did you?" she said, sounding disappointed as she looked up at the boy. "He never gave me orders. No one had control of me here."

    Felix looked at her sadly– pitifully. "But he used you."

    Kaelyn felt her stomach twist but kept her voice steady. "He told you that?" she asked, lightly.

    "I figured it out," Felix said as he stepped right up to her, her chin practically against his chest.

    Kaelyn regarded him carefully. "Maybe you're too smart, Felix." Her eyes darkened just as she stabbed the arrow into his thigh, causing him to crumple to his knees. "I know we used to be best friends, so I'm sorry, I guess." She crouched down to his level, hand still gripped around the arrow embedded in him, and using her other hand to grip his chin and force him to look at her. "What does he want with Henry?"

    Instead of answering, Felix laughed. "The Shadow was right. All those stories about you were true!"

    "Yes they are," she said, increasing the pressure from her hand against Felix's jaw.

    "We couldn't believe it. Not you, it couldn't be. But here you are," Felix continued, moving his head against her hand.

    Kaelyn stared down at him, eyes glistening. "Answer the question."

    Felix's demeanour changed, eyes narrowing, smirk falling away. He looked angry. "It's your fault he needs him," he snarled. "This... this all your fault." He grinned cruelly up at Kaelyn, who pursed her lips.

    "Liar." She yanked the arrow from his leg, causing him to let out a strained yell. She rose to her feet and looked down at him, chucking the bloodied arrow to the side.

    "He'll find you," Felix warned as she turned her back to him. Kaelyn stopped. "He already knows you're here. You can't run, not like last time."

    She glanced back at him, moonlight catching the indigo gleam in her eye. "I'll take my chances."

    And then she was gone, sprinting away into the forest after Henry blindly. She had to make him her goal, she was only here because of him and for him, otherwise she was alone and lost on Neverland. She tried not to think too much on what Felix had said, God knows he was trying to bait her. All she knew for sure was Henry wasn't safe and she wanted to get the fuck off this damned island.

    She had left Neverland in ruin. If Peter was still around and Felix could be believed, he would barely be able to stand. And who was him? Did Henry need Peter for something important? And it was her fault? Nothing made sense and she couldn't imagine what the plan could be, but Felix would only waste her time and she wasn't committed to torturing him for information when she could find Henry on her own.

    She only accepted that she was lost after almost a half hour. Kaelyn tried not to panic as she looked in a circle, unable to get her bearings through the dark fog and the towering canopy. This place was not hers anymore, nothing was familiar or anything like the forest she had lived in decades ago. She had no way of knowing where she was anymore. Kaelyn at least hoped there was enough distance between her and Felix now, though she doubted he'd even be able to manage a few strides with his leg.

    Kaelyn bit her cheek, drawing blood. She had to keep moving– the second she stopped she opened herself to being a target. Henry couldn't wait. She had only taken a single step when the presence suddenly pushed against her and a second later she heard it.

    "Welcome home," came a chilling voice, causing her to stop moving immediately, freezing up, one foot in front of the other. It felt as if she had been doused in cold water, everything ceasing at the unmistakable voice.

    Kaelyn sighed out her nose. "Oh, fuckin' hell."

    She turned, eyes reluctantly finding him amongst the shadows of the forest. He had, like her, not changed at all, and looked just as boyish and young as the day she had left Neverland. The moonlight caught his features perfectly, just as she remembered them, even down to the smug smirk he was wearing in the moment, and the cloak draped over his lithe frame only reminded her more of when they were younger.

    He was fucking beautiful and Kaelyn hated him for it.

    She must've looked a real treat in that moment. Her entire left side was drenched in blood from where she'd been shot, with bruises around her neck from where Greg had strangled her, blood crusting around her nose and mouth from when she'd pushed herself back at the cannery and a bandaged hand from smashing a mirror.

    Kaelyn couldn't gauge his tone, if it was one of surprise or simply just recognition, if this was preempted or whatever. She wondered if she could still possibly read him like she used. She wondered if he was happy to see her. She knew she sure wasn't. Her last moments in Neverland were fresh in her mind as she stood amongst the trees, and suddenly the space they were in felt claustrophobic and dangerous.

    "Huh. You don't look dead," she mused without thinking, cutting into the silence that had enveloped them. Her face was relaxed, but her stance was tense, magic ready to spring, hardly at ease seeing him again.

    Peter gazed at her, face soft, but eyes dark. "You do," he responded, gesturing with his hand to her, as if nothing had happened. The banter felt familiar until she remembered the last time they had talked decades ago.

    Kaelyn narrowed her eyes at him. Neither of them moved, but Kaelyn's heart was racing, muscles taught and ready. The only thing she wanted to focus on was Henry and getting to him, but that was hard when Peter was staring her down like a hawk and mouse. She had to tell herself that he couldn't touch her– her power far outweighed his if he tried anything.

    But that wasn't guaranteed. She had left Neverland years ago, believing she had left him for dead. If the island remained after this long than she couldn't trust his abilities had also faded and had to treat him as a threat. Long ago he had gotten under her skin, leaving a wound that was now reopened and gushing. She had to be alert, not underestimate him. Turning her back had cost her everything before.

    "What's the matter?" Kaelyn crooned. "Not happy to see me?"

    She watched him carefully, the way he shifted his weight as he took a small step forward, how he moved his eyebrows and his face was suddenly youthful instead of harsh and shadowed. "Surprised, is all," he said with a shrug.

    Kaelyn narrowed her eyes. Could she trust what Felix had baited her with and what Peter himself said? If she wasn't part of the plan, then what was? How did Henry and his kidnappers fit into everything?

    "I had no idea those magic beans were coming here," Kaelyn responded. "Wouldn't have jumped if I did," she added, lightly. She didn't like that he was slowly moving forward, advancing on her, and her eyes never left him.

    Peter gave a mock wince. "When did you get so mean?"

    "Oh, I wonder," Kaelyn sneered, watching as he moved forward again. Frustrated, her hand lit with indigo. "Take another step, I dare you," she snapped.

    Peter blinked at her, eyes going to her magic, before slowly moving back to her face. She looked for the fear she was so used to seeing, but there was nothing there, not even recognition. It was as if he was looking right through her– a stranger.

    "I saw your work back in the clearing," he said, abruptly.

    Kaelyn pursed her lips. "And?"

    "What'd they do?" he asked.

    "Your dirty work," she said, hoping her hunch was correct.

    "I won't deny that," Peter mused.

    "They deserved it," Kaelyn told him, firmly, searching for something, anything to show he acknowledged the magic she had. But there was nothing. Was he arrogant or stupid?

    "Probably," Peter said, uncaringly.

    Kaelyn ground her teeth "Where's Henry?"

    Peter's eyes glinted, the ghost of a victorious smirk on his face. "Can't tell you if I'm dead, can I?" he challenged.

    "I wouldn't kill you," Kaelyn tsked. "But it wouldn't be very pleasant."

    "He's at camp. Completely intact," Peter told her after a moment. "I can show you the way," he offered, voice soft.

    Kaelyn scowled. He knew she couldn't find her way around anymore and that she was at his mercy for directions to what she wanted. Her hand stayed poised, staring him down, waiting for any hint of an immediate threat, before the indigo faded.

    "If you must," she relented, dryly.

    This time he didn't hide the smug look on his face, and it made her stomach twist. "Follow me." Kaelyn glared at him before he slowly turned away and strolled away. Her feet wanted to stay planted where they were, far away from him, but then she thought of Henry and she had to follow the demon through the jungle.

    She followed him in silence, biting her tongue and never taking her eyes off him. He, too, remained quiet, but it didn't take away from the dangerous air around him. Kaelyn hated it. Nothing had faded after she left, if anything, the presence of twisted magic was stronger than ever and the way Neverland had deformed only proved it. For all she knew, he was stronger than when they had last met. That or he was bluffing.

    "It's unfortunate you were caught in the curse," Peter said, abruptly. Kaelyn said nothing– she refused to have a conversation with him needlessly. "Before that, I would visit. And my Shadow would look around. We heard stories but I couldn't be sure."

    Kaelyn narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. "Are you sure now?"

    "I warned those two," Peter sighed.

    Kaelyn stopped walking, Peter turning when he realised she'd stopped trailing him. "The red star came from you," she concluded.

    "Not as a threat, but a threat from me," Peter replied, sounding more sentimental than he deserved.

    "Oh, what, if they hurt me they'd pay?" Kaelyn scoffed.

    Peter rolled his eyes at her response. "Apparently that didn't stop them," he said bitterly, looking her bloodied form up and down. A weak effort to protect her, she thought.

    "The bitch had it in for me," she jeered as they continued walking, Kaelyn having to skip a bit to catch up and clear a fallen log. Peter snorted from up ahead as the trees began to become more sparse, and she noticed the paths ran through the foliage. They must have been getting close to camp by now.

    Maybe if Peter learned to take a hint. "I'm glad you made it," he said, wistfully.

    "Liar," Kaelyn snapped immediately.

    Peter looked over his shoulder at her. "Liar?" he inquired.

    "Yep," Kaelyn said, simply.

    Peter almost looked offended. "You think–"

    "I know," she cut off, voice sharp. Peter blinked at her as she brandished an orb of indigo energy. "I know exactly who you are and what you want," she snapped, stepping up to him, looking him straight in the eye. "Stop lying to me like I don't know better," she finished, eyes glowing.

    They stayed like that for a few moments, eyes unmoving from the other's, dark indigo on forest green. The playfulness had vanished from Peter's face as he stared down at her through his lashes. Even he deemed it wise not to say anything.

    "Save that energy for the firepit. We're almost there," Pan finally said, coldly, as he moved past her with ease. She hesitated, before following him through the tree line.

    The campsite was, largely, unchanged from when she had last stepped foot in it when compared to the rest of the island, and brought back a wave of unwanted memories. It was larger than last time, with many added huts and tents than she remembered, bustling with Lost Boys, many of which she didn't recognise anymore.

    Peter watched her for a moment, as if gauging her reaction, to which she gave none. He turned away and strolled forward, drawing the attention of the camp to them. Kaelyn felt the eyes of the Lost Boys on her, a mixture of curious and lethal.

    "Kaelyn!" She turned to the high-pitched voice, and despite his former fear towards her, Henry still ran for the one familiar face in the campsite, arms going around her stomach as he barrelled into her. Kaelyn returned the embrace protectively, feeling a rush of relief at seeing him in tact as promised. "What's going on?" he asked, quietly.

    "Just stay close to me and they won't be able to touch you," Kaelyn told him as he clung to her, eyes still pivoting around the camp at all the Lost Boys watching their exchange curiously.

    "Okay," Henry nodded, pulling away but staying with his hand around her arm.

    Kaelyn swallowed thickly, knowing they were in the lion's den. Across the site, Peter was looking at her, and she could have framed it as a memory from long ago. Except this wasn't the past– it was a hollow shell of a place she had once called home and the boy in front of her was not the one who had nursed her wounds and showed her a way out.

    She only hoped he knew that she wasn't the same anymore either, that she had become what she needed to survive and that he couldn't best her with his tricks again. She knew better, and she was more capable than she ever was when they knew each other. He didn't fear her, not like everyone else did, but she told herself he should be.

    Kaelyn had left Neverland in ruin once before, regardless of how Peter had kept the place going, she knew she was capable. She looked back down at the small boy holding onto her, the only familiar face in her opinion. There wouldn't be an easy way off. Felix was right, Pan had complete sight of the entire island, like she had at one point in time. And, somehow, Henry was a part of his plan.

    This time she wouldn't lose. Peter Pan wouldn't win. She couldn't let him, for Henry's sake.

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i wrote this instead of doing biology and psych work please appreciate it

so now let the angst begin, the kaeter reunion, etc etc

also since i disappeared for so long comments would be appreciated to gauge who's still here + this is the chapter everyone has waited for since the beginning. i appreciate any support, however, and will see y'all in the next one!