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    WAKING UP from sleeping spells had never been Kaelyn's favourite thing, but given the context this time was even worse than usual. As control and consciousness spread back into her body, the brunette woke with her blood boiling and energy simmering at her fingertips. She forced her eyes open, pushing through the cloudy residue of the spell, until she felt it disperse, and she woke as suddenly as if she'd been dumped in cold water.

    She blinked rapidly to assess where she was, and realised she was home. Kaelyn's face fell, as the covers hugged her body and her face rested against the pillows she'd once spent every night with next to Peter. It was foolish to let herself feel homely in the treehouse, but she couldn't help it. She slipped out of the covers, noticing her shoes had been removed so she was more comfortable to rest. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd been put to sleep.

    Kaelyn took a moment to steady herself on her feet, before she drank in the sight of the room, properly. So many memories in such a small space, that now only caused her so much pain. Like so many things on the island, yet something about the treehouse struck her the most.

    The many days she had returned here, laughing, falling into bed with Peter while their room glistened with trinkets and collected memories of their adventures and travels. The stones on the window sill they had kept as their best skimming rocks, her jewellery she had stolen with him as a child, anything in the room was a memory. It was a collected representation of their life together before everything had changed and twisted.

    Kaelyn swallowed thickly as she felt the presence, and slowly turned to see Peter now seated on the edge of the bed, watching her look around. Her fingers twitched, her eyes narrowed, as she recalled the last time she'd seen his face, flickering into view as he'd incapacitated her, taken her control from her, taken Neal away. While Kaelyn crackled with anger, Peter only looked at her curiously, as neither made a move to do or say anything.

    "Did you mean it?" Peter asked, breaking the tense silence.

    "Mean what?" Kaelyn hissed.

    "You hate me."

    Kaelyn blinked, regarding the blonde boy and his soft tone, recalling her final words before she'd been forced to fall asleep in his arms. She tilted her head, giving him a stony look. "Where's Neal?" she asked, instead. Her fingers twisted at her side, indigo dancing around them, Peter's eyes flicking down to look at them briefly.

    "He's fine," Peter said, firmly.

    "Not the question," Kaelyn snipped.

    Peter shook his head with a satisfied smirk, pushing himself to his feet and slowly coming to stand in front of Kaelyn. "You didn't answer mine, either," he said, lowly, looking down his nose at her.

    She ignored the jab and raised her hand so it pointed directly to his throat as it hissed with energy. "If you kill him, I'll do worse than Greg and Tamara," she told him, voice low.

    "Where you broke his neck and tore her aortic artery?" Peter said, darkly, leaning down so his lips were right against her ear, breath fanning her neck.

    "Worse," Kaelyn snarled.

    And to prove a point she shoved him backwards without touching him, slamming him back against the frame of the bed. She hated how much energy she had to expend to achieve even that with him. He'd become so much more powerful overtime.

    She also wondered how heavy her threats were now. Because Rumpelstiltskin, the bastard, had been correct. When it came down to it, she hadn't been able to hurt Peter, despite her absolute capability to. Kaelyn could make him bleed, she already had, and if anyone could beat Peter directly, it was her. It was just a matter of bringing herself to, as not even Neal being recaptured had been able to force her into action.

    Kaelyn ignored the look from Peter and spun on her heel, wringing her hands behind her back, and swaying on the balls of her feet, indigo eyes trailing where the wall met the ceiling of the treehouse. She could remember the day they'd constructed it together, made out of blood and sweat, finished with a bind of potent magic and a tired embrace.

    The brunette turned back to Peter. "There's a barrier spell on the treehouse," she stated, voice and body language light now.

    "Yes," Peter confirmed, pushing himself off the bed, looking disgruntled. She'd sensed it the minute she'd focused even a bit on her surroundings, a harsh restriction of energy that vibrated when she got too close.

    "I'm a prisoner?" Kaelyn asked, innocently, walking over to where her shoes were.

    "No," Peter said, indignantly as the brunette crouched down and tied her laces.

    "Sure feels like it." Kaelyn got to her feet again and shrugged, holding out a hand to the wall, pulling back at the numbness it gave her hand. She looked to Peter, who was watching her cautiously. "It's a strong barrier," she admitted. "Just how much of your power are you using to keep it up?"

    "Enough," Peter said, sharply.

    "I'm sure you are," she teased, and she saw his jaw clench. Kaelyn crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, what the fuck has possessed you to imprison me here?"

    "I want to talk," Peter told her, ignoring her jab even if she saw him twitch to correct it.

    Kaelyn laughed, the false, jarring kind, tilting her head back, before shaking it. "You mean you want to manipulate me," she responded. "Or, try to, at least."

    "You're infuriatingly immune to anything I say," Peter said, raising an eyebrow. "So, no, I just want to talk for now."

    "Go for it," she said, an edge to her voice. She leant back against the window sill, looking across at Peter sitting on the bed. There were a few moments of extended silence as she waited for him to speak, eyes not leaving him.

    "I want to make this right," Peter finally spoke.

    Kaelyn just narrowed her eyes at him, considering how serious he was being. "I should've known," the brunette said, shaking her head and spitting in the face of Peter's softness again. "I'm a fucking idiot. You want me to play into your game."

    "Everything's a game," the boy responded, dully.

    Kaelyn bit back her snark, looking evenly at Peter, before softening. "Was I?" she dared to ask.

    Peter met her eyes. "No. You were the only thing that never was."

    It was the first time she'd believed anything he'd said since she'd returned. Something about the way he looked at her, and his forest green eyes shone, the way his face was relaxed, features soft and downturned.

    She wondered if she was suddenly becoming naïve, or just better at reading him, or if believing him was a bad judgement. Probably all of them.

    "Then why?" Kaelyn asked, her voice cracking. "Why did you do it?"

    Peter sighed, now looking to the floor. "Same reason I do everything," he said, quietly. "Power."

    And just like that, the moment shattered, and Kaelyn sneered at him. "You haven't changed a bit." Her mind flashed back to the earlier encounter with Rumple, and she delivered the blow she knew would be killing. "You're starting to sound like Rumple."

    Peter's face darkened, his features hardening again. "Don't compare me to that coward ever again," he snarled. Kaelyn smirked, seeing the nerve she'd hit.

    "Oh, but it's such a good comparison," she mocked, making her voice high-pitched in a way she knew would get under his skin. "Immortal, magic thief loses everything he cares about in pursuit of power because he isn't capable of choosing love," she hissed, voice changing in a second. She pushed herself away from the window sill, stepping forward to stand above Peter and look down at him for a change.

    "We're not the same," Peter said under his breath.

    "But you are," Kaelyn whispered. "And I hate you both." Peter's face changed, but Kaelyn hardly acknowledged it, looking down her nose at him with a dark look in her eyes. "Now, tell me what's going on."

    "I can't do that," Peter responded.

    Kaelyn's lip curled. "I wasn't asking."

    Peter didn't have time to react before she'd gripped the rest of his body with her magic, holding out her hand and thus him against the wall above the bed, slamming him there with force enough that the barrier shook. Indigo gleamed around her fingers as she put in the effort to pin him, more than she had to for normal victims.

    "The only reason my grip can be so strong right now is because you're already expending so much energy keeping this barrier up," Kaelyn informed him. "Release it and I release you."

    "Is that a threat?" Peter mused despite the situation.

    Kaelyn didn't say anything, she simply raised her other hand to channel more precise energy. She curled her first hand towards her, palm to the ceiling now, as Peter's arms were locked to his side and his legs were held in place. And then with her second hand, she squeezed. She watched his eyes widen as she constricted his throat, pressed on his air supply, began to force the life out of him. It rendered him wordless, unable to conjure sounds other than struggling breaths.

    She could've done it. He was beyond vulnerable right now with his energy being used to trap her in the treehouse, she could overpower him and take the advantage. Kaelyn could've killed him, and she continued to press, because she knew he'd give in. Just like Rumpelstiltskin, just like her, their sense of self-preservation was too great.

    So, it was no surprise when after only a minute, the hold was released, the energy field in the walls of the treehouse disappearing. Kaelyn immediately released her hold on him, and he stumbled back to his feet as power flowed back into him. But he had no time to react before Kaelyn had sprinted out the door and practically thrown herself off the balcony, landing at the foot of the tree with a resounding thud.

    She tried not to think about Peter's face as she strangled him, and instead focused on the sight in front of her, which was almost just as horrifying. The bonfire had calmed down now, but that was no indication of how long she'd been out for. Henry was holding a sword out in front of him towards a boy with a stick, while another boy with a spear circled him. The rest of the Lost Boys were egging them on.

    The rage Kaelyn felt inside the treehouse could finally be released, as she grasped the boy circling Henry by the throat and held him up slightly above the ground, his toes scratching the forest floor. The boys cheering the scene on went silent as their comrade gurgled, before his head limply flopped to the side with a crack. Kaelyn unclenched her fist, the body crumpling to the ground.

    She turned her cold stare to the other boy with the stick, and took a step towards him. "Hey, I didn't touch him, he touched me!" he exclaimed, desperately, turning his head and pointing at the horizontal scratch on his cheek.

    Kaelyn hesitated. "You're new here, right?"

    "I am," he nodded, quickly. She contemplated the information for a second before flitting closer, pressing the boy up against a tree and looking up at him. Kaelyn could feel his quick, frantic breaths, and see the look in his eyes. He feared her.

    "Don't cross me," she said, lowly. "Or you'll end up like your friend there." She gestured with her head to the body, before pulling away, hearing the boy release a sharp breath.

    "Kaelyn," Henry said, quietly, dropping the sword as she turned back to him.

    She gave him a small smile, remembering what the Lost Boy had said about him cutting his face. "Henry, hey. You're awake," Kaelyn greeted softly.

    "Of course, I am," he said, brightly, as she placed a hand on his back and gently escorted him away from the scene. He was so unlike the first time he'd witnessed her violence, so wistful and nonresponsive. She looked back at the Lost Boy she'd threatened, and the blood dripping down his cheek that Henry was responsible for.

    "What're you still doing here?" Kaelyn asked, not bothering to keep the concern out of her voice as she sat them down on one of the logs.

    "What do you mean?" Henry asked, sounding bewildered.

    Kaelyn blinked at him, a terrible feeling sinking in her stomach. "Henry, your dad's alive, the others are here," she told him, watching his face for his signature grin, or that hopeful look in his eye he always seemed to carry, like the optimist he was. But there was none, just a barren look.

    "No, he's not. And no, they're not," he said, shaking his head. "It's just a trick." Kaelyn just stared at him, as Henry slipped off the log and back towards the party, which seemed to be never-ending. Her stomach dropped as her worst fears were confirmed. She'd failed.

    "He hears the music now," Peter said, bemused, appearing out of nowhere on the log next to Kaelyn. She refused to look at him. "It's like I told you... I've got him."

    And as quickly as her face had fallen, it reassembled to cold, and unreadable. She had to be strong. She had to believe there was still something she could do. She may have failed to stay at Henry's side, but there were still others on the island, all there for the boy. It could still turn around. Kaelyn turned her head to Peter, eyes dark. "Where's Neal?"

    "Safe," he said, dismissively.

    "Do better," she snapped.

    Peter regarded her carefully. "He's not important right now. But when the time comes, there will be a chance to save him," he elaborated.

    "You want me to let it go and things to play out?" Kaelyn asked, barely even a question. She knew how Peter worked.

    "Yes. But he'll be okay," Peter told her. "I promise."

    "That means nothing." She wanted it to mean something.

    Kaelyn tried to think desperately where her friend could be, but truth be told there were too many corners and twists in Neverland she didn't know anymore, Peter had turned the place inside out, and back in their days they hadn't held people prisoner.

    She clenched her fists, knowing Peter was in complete control of what was going on, as he always was, and she had no idea what he was planning exactly. All she could do was make sure he didn't hurt Henry until something happened and she could take an opportunity to act.

    "Remember when you became friends with him just to spite his father?" Peter chuckled, swiftly diverging from Kaelyn's bitterness, snapping her out of her thoughts.

    Kaelyn sent him an annoyed kind of look. "Still do, cause it still does."

    "Oh, I'm sure," Peter mused, sounding almost proud. They lapsed into silence, Kaelyn watching Henry numbly. There was nothing she could do but wait. "Gonna have to find some new Lost Boys," Peter cut in, and Kaelyn could tell by the tone where the conversation was going. "You've removed far too many since you came here."

    "Just two," Kaelyn corrected. "And you mean slaves."

    "I mean Lost Boys," Peter said with a click of his tongue and a mock tone of disappointment. "They have lives, too, you know? Just because they're brainwashed doesn't mean they're lifeless and don't count for anything."

    Anger lanced through her system at the way he talked about them, but she pursued a different conversation path. "Do not talk to me of killing," she hissed at him. "I'm not the only monster here."

    Peter smirked. "Trust me, I know."

    "Good." She looked away from him and back at some of the Lost Boys watching her cautiously. They'd removed the body now, and were giving her the looks of caution she was so used to.

    "Never imagined the boys being scared of you," Peter remarked.

    "Right back at you," Kaelyn retorted, hating the way her chest tightened.

    Peter tilted his head. "So, while we wait for everything to fall into place, how about an adventure?" he proposed now that he had her attention.

    Kaelyn only needed to look at him once to make up her mind. "No, thanks," she deadpanned.

    "You always were stubborn," Peter sighed.

    "You weren't always a liar," she said immediately.

    Peter clicked his tongue. "There's worse things to be," he told her.

    Kaelyn rolled her eyes. "Do you ever get bored of saying cryptic ass shit?" she snapped.

    "Did you not hear me say you're the one thing that was never a game?" Peter scoffed, as if the fact changed anything.

    "I did," Kaelyn said with a sigh. She took on a new tone. "But I also know that makes me an area of concern. I wasn't supposed to be here, and you still can't control me, not really. I bend your rules because I know I can, because if anyone on this damned island could match you it's me. And because if it truly came down to it, you couldn't hurt me, in the same way I can't hurt you. That's what scares you, more than anything." She sighed. "You fear me because I'm a weakness to you."

    Peter's silence was answer enough, and Kaelyn looked back at the Lost Boys, thoughtfully, eyes following Henry as he succumbed to the power of Neverland. "You're not playing me, but you're trying to keep me passive and uninvolved, out of the way. It's all you can do to keep the power and control you so desperately need," she concluded, not even looking to him. Kaelyn already knew she was right.

    After a few seconds, "You are more than welcome to try and leave–"

    "Not without Henry," Kaelyn snapped, still not looking at him.

    She heard Peter get to his feet, and a moment later he entered her field of vision, standing above. He held out a hand and she looked up at him. "Come with me," he said, quietly. Kaelyn's eyes flicked back to Henry, unsurely. "You know nothing will happen to Henry if I'm gone," he reassured. That was true.

    Kaelyn relented, "I'm going to regret this." She accepted his hand, and as soon as they made contact, the familiar blitz of teleporting took her over, and the next moment she was standing somewhere else with Peter.

    She released his hand, eyes scanning her surroundings. Stood before her was a massive tree with towering roots and a canopy that was unmatched by anything else on the island, reaching for the clear, starry sky. Kaelyn looked wistfully at the thick branches, flashing back to days spent carelessly clambering through them, and then she turned to see the view. The Thinking Tree was the highest point on the island, at least in terms of a clear, uninterrupted view of the rolling jungle and the ocean at the edge of the world, melting into the sun in a brilliant sunset of bright pinks and oranges.

    "You remember this?" Peter asked. Kaelyn's silence was answer enough as her features were lit up by the setting sun, face downturned as her stomach twisted. It felt like mourning, in a way, mourning for a time she longed to return to but knew she could never have again.

    She finally tore her eyes away from the nostalgic view, and looked at Peter. "Why would you bring me here?" she asked, solemnly.

    "Because it's here," he responded, simply.

    "You can't make this right," she hissed. She turned away and slid against one of the massive tree roots, eyes drifting to the sunset. Peter swallowed thickly and moved to sit opposite her, looking more like himself than she'd seen him in a long time. She supposed this was their first real conversation.

    "I'm sorry," Peter murmured. Kaelyn turned her head slightly to look at him as she rested it back against the tree. The blonde boy wrung his hands together in his lap. Kaelyn said nothing. "After you left... I never thought I'd ever have another chance to show you just how sorry I was. And now I do."

    The brunette wanted to curse as she felt the back of her throat tighten. "I can't," she said, shaking her head.

    "What?"

    She swallowed against the lump in her throat. "I can't forgive you," she said, voice stronger now. Peter blinked at her. "I loved you, Peter," Kaelyn told him, and she watched his face shift. "I really did." She shook her head. "But I can't let myself forgive you. After what you did, letting you back in would be letting myself down, disrespecting myself and everything that's happened to me. I'm better than that."

    "What can I do? To make it right?" Peter said, so earnestly, and in a way that Kaelyn had waited for for years. Too little too late.

    "Take it all back," she said after a moment.

    Peter's eyes widened. "What?"

    "Give up your power. Take it all back. Undo what you did," Kaelyn told him, hating the exasperation in her voice, the turmoil behind it.

    She already knew the answer from the way his face shifted, from one of hope from getting close to a real conversation, to one of disappointment as he realised he couldn't fix this. Because he too knew how this would play out. "You know I can't do that."

    Kaelyn gave him a sad smile. "I know. Guess I was hoping you'd changed for the better."

    She turned her head back to the fading sunset that was slowly turning into dusk, with darker shades of blues and purples painting the sky and reflecting off the glistening waves. Kaelyn heard Peter move, before she felt him against her, having moved to sit next to her in between the roots. This time, she didn't shy away from his touch or presence, allowing them to be close.

    "We've both changed," Peter said after a moment.

    "We have," Kaelyn murmured, before turning back to look at him, faces tantalisingly close. "All of us," she added, and she saw that familiar dark glint in Peter's eyes that showed whenever the last part of their shattered trio was mentioned. "Demons trying not to drown, keeping ourselves afloat with the bodies of others." She managed a weak chuckle. "Who knew, all those years ago, all three of us would still be alive and some of the most powerful sorcerers in existence?"

    Peter gave her a small, wistful smile. "Who knew."

    And then Kaelyn's face fell, as she realised how right being like this with him felt, how much she wanted to forgive him but couldn't. Oh, how she wished none of it had ever happened. She slowly lowered her head, so it came to rest against the crook of Peter's shoulder, fitting like a missing piece against his body. She felt Peter shift so she was at a better angle, and then his head tilt to rest atop hers.

    "You did this," Kaelyn whispered.

    "I know."

    And they stayed there, folded into each other, perfectly shaped to fit together, overlooking the sun dipping into the ocean and night falling across Neverland, a place they had once shared. For one, fleeting moment, Kaelyn allowed herself to feel at home, head against his shoulder, his head resting atop hers, their hands entwined in her lap. As if nothing had ever happened, as if they were still young and in love and both untwisted by power, hearts still glimmering and pink.

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this is just 4000 words of pure kaeter angst i'm not sorry

also there's no good time to mention this but i just want it out there i have an ex who looks like robbie kay (and thomas brodie sangster) and rewatching these episodes and his expressions sometimes trigger me lmao

getting closer and closer to the beefy part of the 3A, and the next flashback chapter and present day ones are both very nice and beginning to build up everything. also going forward basically all my updates will be batches of two (a flashback and present day) so something to keep in mind

anyway, the next update won't be nearly as soon. the next month is pretty hectic for me with exam revision and such, and i do also have other books, so we'll see.

with all that said, thank you for the continued support on this book!