Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time

Chapter 12: Rise and shine

When I regain consciousness, I instantly become aware of the taste of bitter acid of my mouth, the mildew smell in the air, and the fact that my head pounds, pounds, pounds.

As I attempt to reach out to it, I flex my hands in the bonds I now realize are holding them together, gauging their tightness when twisting my wrists.

Groaning, I force my eyes open, squinting at first, slowly letting them adjust and focus.

It takes a while for the usual sharpness of the objects around me to be restored, and even then they seem blurrier than they should be.

The pouncing against my head is preventing me from thinking properly; though the familiar bed resting to my right, and the door at the other end of the compact room allow me to quickly realize I'm in Pan's tree house.

The complaint of my limbs from the hard surface they are lying on drives me to push my body into a seating position, and though it takes me much more time than it should I finally manage to use the wall behind me as a support for my back.

The action reminds me of the bounding of my hands and, after noticing how the chain twisted around them stretches from behind me, I quickly turn my head around to see how it ends attached to nothing but a metal ring on the wall.

From the corner of my eye, I catch the sight of a body sitting against the wall to my left, merely a few feet away from me. My heart almost comes out of my chest when my eyes meet with Peter's, who's been studying me coolly for who knows how long.

"I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly," his voice is blank, almost dead. I can only manage to stare at him in response, studying the nonchalant way in which his body is positioned.

I don't say anything as I struggle to grasp the situation -but having not eaten, and with the water not yet in my system, everything seems a little fuzzy.

"It's amazing how you keep finding a way to surprise me, love," he continues, but his words are enough to trigger something strong enough in my mind to make me forget his presence for a moment.

The events of the previous day come crashing into my mind, and my stomach seems to twist inside out. Felix walking away from our argument, the stress of having to keep dealing with his hatred on top of everything else, accidentally using magic to transport myself in front of him, and then going through an unbearable pain that immediately left me lying unconscious.

As soon as I appeared in front of Felix, the sparks of magic flowing through my body as it was turning back to life were compressed by the emptiness of the cuff.

Acting like a virus inside me, it immediately repelled and expelled all of the precious magic I'd gathered, and I only managed to have a little taste of it before it disappeared all at once into thin air –the usual emptiness of the past few months settling in once again.

The bloody demon in front of me is to blame for that, being responsible for the fact that my head is about to explode, the ringing in my ears, and the slow painful death that awaits me.

The cuff is still killing me, and I still haven't made any progress in getting him to remove it. Back when I was talking to Felix I decided the only way to make him do that is to act like I'm broken, though it would be a definitely long process and I'd have to keep pretending for a while before I could figure out a way to escape.

Now that I was able to use magic, though, everything changes. He will find another way to keep me powerless, and that means he'll eventually remove the cuff from me. If he does, then I won't find myself slowly dying, though I still won't have my magic with me. And I'm not sure anymore if I can wait any longer to have it back after having a small taste of it only few hours ago.

I can feel my chest rise and fall with struggled breaths as the memories are brought back to life, and I catch Peter's deadpan expression twisting slightly into that of concern.

"How," I whisper, knowing it will be enough for him to realize what I mean.

"I'm still trying to figure it out," he replies calmly, too calmly. "Even with the cuff blocking your magic, you still somehow managed to make it flare inside you long enough for it to work before it was repelled. That's something no one, not even me, has been able to do."

I try my best not to show my surprise, but it's useless. With my head still pounding strongly, it's too hard to process the new information, let alone pretend it's not affecting me.

I repeat his words in my mind over and over, trying my best for them to make any kind of sense. I knew from the start that overcoming the magic of the cuff, even if it was merely for a split second, was a big deal –I just didn't understand the magnitude of it.

"What does it mean?" I don't even bother hiding my curiosity anymore. Being able to do something the immortal teenager in front of me can't never even crossed my mind before –I never imagined it could be possible.

"It means you are far more powerful than I initially gave you credit for, love," he says proudly, his tone making me instantly weary. "I can't pretend like this new knowledge doesn't make me happy, since it means the shadow did an amazing job convincing me during all those years to bring you here. I never thought you-,"

"-Wait," I interrupt him, surprised by how fast my aching head had processed the new information. My mind rushes back to the night when I met Peter, remembering pieces of our intense conversation. "You said the shadow was never planning on bringing me here, that it was an accident."

He smirks at my comment, the slight tilting of his head letting me know I was naïve to believe what he said to me the night of my arriving to Neverland.

From the very beginning, the fact that the shadow would do something improvised and against Pan's wishes seemed suspicious to me, though I was far too worried on surviving to give it any more thought.

"This may come as quite a surprise to you, but I have a history with the man who taught you how to use your magic, Rumplestinskin," his voice is utterly serious, and I suddenly know he is not lying like he did before. For some reason, he now wants to tell me the truth about how he knows me.

I'm taken aback by the mention of Rumple's name, and words pop out of my mouth before I can stop them. "What kind of history?"

"Not a nice one," he replies enigmatically, and the darkness that suddenly creeps into his grey eyes lets me know I shouldn't keep pushing the subject.

Not for now, at least.

"A few years ago, The Dark One and I came across each other's way during one of my many visits to the Enchanted Forest to retrieve new Lost Boys. That night Baelfire heard my pipe's music, and I would've ended up taking him to Neverland if his father hadn't intervened."

When Peter tried to make me dance, my mind was too busy fighting the luring magic to connect it to the past and remember that I'd heard the same music back when I was living with Bae and Rumple.

Now that he is bringing up that night, I remember it all too well. Bae's sudden disappearance, Rumple and I hearing the rumors of a magical piper in town, myself struggling so much to fight the music Rumple was forced to find Bae alone and put me under a sleeping spell so that I would be safe.

They both came back a few hours later when the music had thankfully turned off, Bae overwhelmed by anger towards his father for not trusting him in making the decision to stay.

"How am I connected with this?" If the music hadn't been affecting me so badly, if back then I'd been as powerful as I am now, I would've gone with Rumple to find Bae and met Pan then and there. But I didn't, which means there's no way he knew who I was because of that night.

"Because that night not only did I left with at least ten new Lost Ones, but also with an overwhelming sense of your special magic. It only took for us to be in the same town for me to feel your power calling me from miles away; it's strong pull making me so curious I couldn't get it out of my head.

I kept thinking how useful it could be for me over time, and what I could do with it if I had it under my grasp. I returned to your home a couple times in an attempt to get near you, but The Dark One protected you like his daughter. He never told you I wanted you, did he?"

For a moment I feel like I can't breathe, though I can clearly hear my heart beating -striking my chest with every uneven contraction.

I'm left completely speechless.

I've always known Rumple cared a lot about me, but not to that extent. If Pan was truly as driven to meet me as he claims, then it must've been severely hard for Rumple to keep him away during all those years –all that time fighting to protect me.

I was only a little girl when Bae was almost taken to Neverland, and I can't imagine how horrible my life would be like if Pan had succeeded in dragging me to this hell sooner, being as defenseless as I was back then.

Pan gives me a moment to think through what he said, all that time studying my face intensely, before continuing. "Being that I couldn't approach you with The Dark One on the leech, the time when he was imprisoned in a castle was my only chance to take you, and I chose the night before the curse arrived to act –taking advantage of the unevenness I knew everyone would be under."

"So that's why I'm here, then," I state as bitterly as I can manage, venom dripping through every word. "You just couldn't be satisfied with the power you already had, but you felt the need to get mine too."

The greedy bastard already has power coming out of his hears, but he chose to add mine to his possessions just for the sake of it. He separated me from all the people I ever cared about, maybe permanently, only so his curiosity to find out more about me could be satisfied.

The hatred in my voice seems to take him aback for a moment, but he recovers quickly. "Believe me, Zoe, I didn't bring you here for nothing. I'm sure your magic can be of great help for me in the future, and having someone like you on my side can determine whether I win or lose a battle."

I can feel the frustration rise within me. "What battle? What are you talking about?"

Instead of giving me some crap about how I'm not ready to here it yet, that it's confident, or that I'll find out soon enough, he turns his gaze to the floor apologetically. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at his behavior, and it gets even higher when he rubs one of his eyes, as if having this conversation is tiring him.

"It's all just an act," I tell myself, though I have to repeat it more times than usual to end up believing it.

He just wants me to feel sorry for him so that I leave the subject alone, but he doesn't get to do that to me. I'm the one who past out only a few hours ago because of him, the one who's been trapped in this island with the most possessive person I've ever met for almost a year now.

If someone deserves to feel like crap, it's me.

"So what? Your saying I'm doomed to be at your side for eternity to help you with something you don't even want to tell me about?" I say incredulously, a hint of dry sarcasm in my voice.

Silence. Pan is still glancing at the floor, but for some reason the room suddenly feels at least ten degrees hotter. His gaze finally matches mine, and the darkness in his eyes almost forces me to look away.

"You make it sound like staying here is the worse thing that's ever happened to you," he states accusingly, a dangerous hint of anger in his voice that makes me instantly uneasy.

If his tone weren't so dark, I would've mistaken what he said for a joke. I would laugh right now if Pan didn't look like he is about to jump on top of me and attack me with all he has.

He is implying that I'm being ungrateful in wanting to leave, as though he hadn't kidnapped me and ripped me away from my home. He knows how much I hate to be here, and now he is acting like I should be ashamed of that feeling.

"I saved you from that curse, Zoe," his tone is rising with every word, and he is suddenly on his feet, pacing in front of me. "I'm not sure how it works, but I do know everyone you care about is probably going through hell right now. You could've easily suffered with them for eternity, but I took you away from that horrible fate.

Now that they're all gone, The Enchanted Forest you so long for is empty, so even if I did let you go there will be nothing waiting for you there. You don't have anything to go back to."

His words are a punch to my stomach, one that leaves me hurting for a few seconds.

Because of Regina, the curse has everyone trapped in constant suffering. I feel tears threatening to rise, but I will them away, sucking my emotions in and locking them tight. This is not the time to feel sorry for them; I must focus on surviving for now.

And he is right. Even if I could somehow leave this place, no one would be there to receive me. I would find myself all alone, just like I was when my father kicked me out of the house after my mother died.

But being alone is better than having him as company, because if I do end up staying here forever I know his manipulations will eventually turn me to his side, which can't be good.

"Saved me? I'm not naïve, Pan," I'm surprised at how I'm able to push my fear away and make my tone match his, refusing to back down. "We both know all you care about is my magic, so don't pretend like you took me from the goodness of your heart. All I am to you is a weapon, and that's all I'll ever be, so quit acting like a bloody hero."

I'd rather be alone for good than stick with someone who wants to use me and treat me like I belong to him, manipulating me to do as he pleases. That's why he want's me to break; so he can use my power to his every will.

Anything is better than being here.

I don't remember standing up, but I'm suddenly on my feet, our bodies far closer than I expected. The realization makes me instantly take a few steps back until the wall prevents me from going any further, though I never break his gaze.

Pan actually looks hurt at my comment, and when he comes closer the anger that had been flashing through his eyes thankfully appears to be gone, replaced by a bemused smile across his face.

"You couldn't be more wrong, love. Why do you think I chained you to the wall instead of just throwing you in a small cage like garbage?"

His words grab me by surprise, the intensity of the conversation having made me forget the bounding of my hands. Yeah, well, maybe being chained this way is more comfortable than being on a cage since I can have more mobility, but the fact that he had mercy on the subject doesn't mean he actually cares about me.

"I don't even know why trapping me was even necessary in the first place," I confess, truly having no slight clue to the reason why he would want to do such a thing. This island is already my cage, is any more bounding really necessary?

Pan sights, as if the whole subject made him uncomfortable. "If you managed to outcome the cuff once, there's no reason for you not to do it again. I'll keep you here until I figure out another way to temporarily remove your magic, and this is the only way I could come up with to prevent you from doing anything stupid in the meantime."

He doesn't need to say it explicitly for me to know what the real message is.

He means he knows I'd be tempted to attack him if I had my magic back. Being unable to use my hands won't prevent me from trying to use magic again but, should I succeed, it will prevent me from trying to kill him.

But even if I did get my magic back, I still believe trying to use it to find my way to get out of here would be a much better choice than attacking Pan right away, though I'm certain that with the increasing desperation to escape over the years it will all come down to a fight between the two of us.

It's something that's bound to happen.

Guys...I'm so sorry, I really am. I kind of forgot this story existed for a while, but I'm back now with lots of new chapters! Please keep following :) Reviews are greatly appreciated!