A/N: I'm going ahead and bumping the story to T just to be safe! Happy Halloween!

.: Chapter Three :.

Henry tried to get away from her, but Wendy pushed him against the wall of the cave, watching him look over her shoulder towards the tunnels where the scream had resonated. There was a moment of silence after the scream, and then there was fainter words that Wendy couldn't make out. "Wh—what was that?" He asked, his hands on her hands that was still keeping him against the wall.

"My question first." She slowly released her grip on Henry, taking a few small steps backwards.

Henry moved away from the wall still looking over at the tunnels before finally putting his gaze back on her. "Where I'm from, no one really believes that Neverland is an actual place. You're just a story, and a movie, and magic isn't real." He explained, shifting uncomfortably. She could tell that he had thought differently, clearly from the fact that he was here now with her, but his words had startled her especially the part about magic.

Just from that explanation, she wanted to ask more questions. How did they know her name? What's a movie? Where exactly was he from? It couldn't have been where she and Peter lived surely. However, despite all her questions, she knew that getting Henry here had taken longer than it should have and she didn't have time to leisurely question him about his homeland. Peter might eventually come looking for Henry and her and she needed to have much more done by the time that happened. "Okay," She said slowly, the confusion clear in her voice, "it's an echo. My echo from a long time ago. It's called echo caves for a reason, Henry. It gathers up echoes and shouts them back at you when you make enough noise." He didn't need to know everything.

"That was you screaming?" She nodded quietly and she could see that he wanted to know more, but he didn't press for information. "Oh! Thank you for saving me." His eyes grew a little wide as if he couldn't believe he forgot to thank her. "Glad to know that you're still good. I need to get home. My family is probably trying to find a way to get to me, and—"

"Your family is here on the island already searching for you."

"They're already here?! Oh man, this is great! We can get off this island! You can come too, Wendy!" He said, his voice loud enough in his excitement that the tunnels responded in frantic whispering of a long ago conversation between two Lost Boys. "We need to go find them! Let's get out of here."

Wendy watched him for a moment, wondering if she'd ever be like that again. The childlike excitement had disappeared when her Peter disappeared. Nothing excited her to that point again after the change. It had all been about living another day and being safe. "No." It came out harsher than Wendy meant it, and Henry's eyes locked on her in surprise. "We aren't going to find them. I am." She added quickly before Henry could say or do anything rash. "You're staying here."

"I'm not staying here!" He objected immediately.

"Yes, you are. You're the one Peter wants, Henry. Peter knows your family is here too; he knows everyone who comes on to this island. He knows you want to be reunited with your family, so if you come with me to collect them…" She trailed off, gesturing for him to think.

"He'll take me back. Or, make me by hurting someone I love." He answered quietly, the excitement in his voice no longer there. Wendy nodded, giving him her best sympathy look. She had never had to really use it before so she hoped it worked. "You'll bring them here?"

"Yes. You'll be reunited with them before you know it, but you have to stay here. I mean it, right in the mouth Henry. If you go exploring down the tunnels, I may not be able to find you. You could get lost or get incredibly lucky."

"And what if you don't come back? What if you get taken? And how do I know I can trust you?" All three questions he asked were valid ones that even Wendy had to admit perhaps he wasn't as stupid as she initially thought.

However, a small smile spread across her face, a real one and she couldn't remember the last time she had genuinely smiled. "What's Peter's lackeys called?"

"…The Lost Boys?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"And what gender is occupying this island?"

"Boys."

"And what am I?"

"A girl."

"That's how you can trust me. Believe in me, Henry. I can't offer you any proof, but I think you already do trust me. And, I won't get caught. Peter Pan loves his games, and he'll want to see my move." She answered him. She knew that he wouldn't torture her for the answer. That wasn't exactly his style. "I'm the girl who's going to save us all."

Wendy did want to reunite the boy with his family, but there was much more Wendy wanted than just that. There was, however, a time and a place for things to come into the light and as of now, it wasn't that time yet. The more people on this plan the better it would be, or so she hoped. There was no trial run she could do to see if it worked or not. She simply had to believe. Leaving Henry was easier than she thought, and after getting Henry settled with some food and the cloak wrapped around him for warmth more than protection, she had left. Just in case, the Lost Boys did not go inside the Echo Caves for the same reason she assumed Peter did not go in, and that meant if Henry kept the hood up, they'd mistake him if they looked into the mouth for her.

She also did not want Henry coming along with her for what she planned to do now. Finding his family was important, but they were not the first thing she was going to do. The first thing she had to deal with was the item her shadow had snagged. She did not go a specific direction, but instead followed the path her feet led her walking where she believed she should head. The magic in Neverland was incredibly strong and Wendy and Peter had learned a long time ago how to use it to their advantage when they wanted or needed things. It was a different kind of magic though. Imagination and belief could be used as dangerously as any magic. Magic came with a price, Wendy knew, but in Neverland imagination did not, or at least it did not here. It did not take long to get here where she wanted to go. She didn't run into any Lost Boys either which meant that Peter was either binding his time or he was looking at Henry's family closely.

She stopped right before she came up on him, crouching in the bushes quietly, watching him have a conversation with what appeared to be nobody. She was on the verge of affirming her suspicious that he might be crazy when she suddenly felt her body stiffen and be pulled upwards. "Pan, you've gotten sloppy. Snooping on me now?" The man asked, turning with his fingers poised as her feet left the ground and she was moved magically forwards towards him.

It was understandable to mistake her for Peter when they looked at the clothes. When Peter and her went together to Neverland, she had slipped herself in some of Peter's younger clothes, knowing that dresses would not do for Neverland. Looking down at the man, she almost did not recognize him. He was so much older than her, and she wondered if she had never gone to Neverland, what she would have looked like at his age. He still had smudges of the black on his face, but she knew deep down this was the same person she knew when she still lived back at home. She could also see the realization flicker across his face for a moment as he recognized her. "It's been a long time, Rumplestiltskin."

"Did Pan send you to spy on me? To be honest, I actually forgot about you." He said, eyeing her suspiciously, lowering her slightly so she was being held in front of him face to face.

"Peter didn't send me. I came looking for you." She explained, clenching her hands before forcing them into an upper arc, breaking the spell and landing nimbly on her feet in front of him. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but she continued interrupting him. "There is no Lost Girl on Neverland, Rumplestiltskin. I want to stop Peter just as much as you do."

"I doubt that. If I remember correctly, and I do, you and Peter were the best of friends and heading off to Neverland together. Neverland not as wonderful for you two as you initially thought?" He asked, smirking before he eyed her warily. He had tried to ask her how she had managed to break that spell, but he hadn't tried to ask it again.

"Something like that." There was nothing more that Wendy wanted than to wipe that smile off of his face. "I came to you for help." She continued.

He laughed at that. "You think you can ask for my help because we were friends once? We're not friends anymore. I'm here to save my grandson, and him only. I'll kill Pan if I have to, and I'll kill you too if you get in my way." The way he said if he had to sounded more like he wanted to. There was something that happened between the two of them, something after Peter had changed she guessed, but that wasn't important.

Wendy crossed her arms over her chest. "I wasn't asking." She told him, raising her head defiantly at him. She had no doubts that Rumplestiltskin would hesitate to kill her. He had been a different boy back when they were friends, and now he had become something else. She had heard the conversations between Peter and his Lost Boys. "You will help me. I can be very persuasive."

He smirked at her. "You've grown more annoying here in Neverland, but please, persuade me."

"You need me. If anyone can outwit Peter, it's me. I know Neverland better than anyone else, including that stupid pirate captain you brought along. Peter is already your enemy, you don't need to be putting another one on the list. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She began, circling him.

"Is that your persuasive attempt?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her, keeping her in his sight.

"I wasn't finished, and for the record, no. Since you're so impatient, I'll just cut straight to the really persuasive part." She said, giving him a smirk of her own. "You're smart, but my shadow is much quicker." With that, she sat down on one of the rocks around them, crossing her legs and waited for the inevitable. Her eyes were trained on his face and it took only moments for his eyes to cloud with uncertainty and slight confusion.

"I have no idea what—" He began, his tone careful and controlled.

"Yes, you do." She stood up quickly, covering the distance between them and standing in front of him. Her hand slid into her vest and pulled something out that glinted in the moonlight, holding the sharp end to the bottom of his neck. "Nice try with that dagger, Dark One." His eyes caught hers and she leaned a little closer. "You see, I was right. You will help me. And if you think you can trick or defy me, I will kill you without hesitation."

There was a long silence between the two of them, and Wendy took that to take a few steps back, holding the dagger up in the air. Her shadow jumped from it's place and grabbed the dagger, beating a swift retreat and going to hide it in a place only Wendy knew. She could see him trying to figure a way out of this and coming up with no solution. "It seems," he finally began, his voice sounding different from before, "that Neverland hasn't only turned Peter into a villain. Who knew you had it in you, Wendy?" He couldn't do anything and so he had to rely on his words, and that stung too close to Wendy. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and she cried out, lashing forward and pushing Rumplestiltskin as hard as she could. Her fury only heightened her power, making her push him far more harder than she would ever physically be able to push. He flew backwards, falling hard on the ground on his back.

"I am not a villain. I'm only doing what I have to. I have to do this." She couldn't help but say, standing over him. The sound of her own voice made her cringe and she tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths. "If you do what I say, I'll give you back your dagger. From what I've heard, I shouldn't give it back, but I will. You have my word."

"Tell me what you want me to do." He said icily. She knew he didn't care to hear and she was sure in his mind, as soon as she would give him back his dagger, he'd probably try to kill her. It wasn't impossible to kill her in Neverland, but she was hoping that when everything worked out, and she refused to think it wouldn't, he wouldn't want to kill her when she gave it back.

"Protect Peter Pan. Save him from harm and death," At her words, she could see the fury build beneath his eyes. "Until Peter has returned to me." She finished, knowing that it completely went against what he had come here to do. She needed this though to make sure no one tried to kill Peter behind her back before she exhausted every attempt to bring Peter back to her. With that, she turned and walked away from him before he could say another jape.

It was with a heavy heart that Wendy did this. She had never imagined she'd become the person she was today with a plan like this, but then again she had never imagined what had happened would happen to them. This time she was just walking to get some distance between Rumplestiltskin and herself. Henry's family was next on the list, but his cruel words at struck her hard. After what had happened, she had spent long nights wondering what could have been if Peter and her had never gone to Neverland. Would he had worked with his father or run off and find the life that he wanted. Would he had taken her along? Would this had happened if Rumplestiltskin came along with them? She could spend night after night wondering about it all, but she had soon learned that it did no good thinking about the what-would-haves.

"Don't be such a girl, Rumplestiltskin." Peter said exasperated, digging the toe of his boot into the dirt. "Wendy said it's a magical place, and the Shadow there wants boys. Go on, tell him," He continued, nudging Wendy's arm with his elbow.

"He said I couldn't stay because I was a girl, but I told him that tonight I'd bring friends. I don't want to be a liar! You'll love it there, I know you will." She said, nodding her head vigorously. "There's magic, Rumplestiltskin. I flew."

Rumplestiltskin looked at the both of them, hair covering his eyes, leaning against the building. "I don't know. It sounds like a great place, but— I don't know if I want to stay there."

Wendy glanced over at Peter, who straightened up a little, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why not? It's better than this place. We're going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives. We'll be miserable then as we are now. Wendy said the Shadow is only coming back once. This is our only shot." He took a step towards Rumplestiltskin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No one is going to miss any of us. Wendy's parents are too busy with the other kids to pay any attention to her. I'm surely not going to be missed. If you go to Neverland with us, you won't have to live with your father's brand hanging over your head."

She closed her eyes a little when Peter mentioned his father. She knew how much that Rumplestiltskin's father had been branded a coward bothered him. "You're one of my best friends, please, come with us." Peter continued, his voice dipping into pleading territory. She was surprised. Peter didn't plead for anything.

"Can I just think about it?" He asked uncomfortably, looking up at them.

"Of course." She answered in unison when Peter said, "What's there to think about?"

The different replies caused both Peter and Wendy to look back at each other. "It is kind of scary to think about leaving, Peter. But it's exciting too, and if he needs some time to realize that, let's give it to him. Goading him isn't going to help him choose any easier." She gave a small smile his way before looking back over at Peter.

She knew that the idea that his other best friend wasn't going to come hadn't occurred to Peter when he heard her story in the morning and came up with the idea for them all to go and stay in Neverland. She wasn't sure why he seemed to be indifferent to the idea of Neverland though he had acted strange since he began to grow more popular around the village girls. He was often seen doing things for one of the girls, Milah, and had hung around with others. She had a small fear that perhaps their friendship was over, but Peter quenched the idea when she brought it up. All the boys she knew were beginning to act stranger than they usually were when she thought about it for a long period. All the boys except Peter. Her mother said he seemed to have taken a shine to her, whatever that meant.

"Of course it's exciting. What did the Shadow say? We'll never grow up? And that Neverland is full of magic? Sounds like the perfect place. Come on, Wendy, let's leave Rumple to his thoughts." He said, grabbing for her hand bringing Wendy out of her thoughts. "We need to gather a few things before we go." With that, he pulled her along, but she pulled her hand out of his and hurried back over to Rumplestiltskin before they went too far. He looked up at her when she approached him.

"Whatever you decide, we'll still be friends. No going to a different land is going to change that. Peter's just going to miss you, that's all." She said, keeping her voice soft. "You never know, you might change your mind later and maybe the Shadow will come pick you up too. Or, we can hopefully visit you." She didn't want him to think that he had to join them. With a soft smile, she turned to look at Peter, who was watching them curiously from afar. She ran back over to him grabbing his hand before letting him lead her.

"What did you say to him?"

"Something hopefully to help make up his mind."

She continued walking through the jungle, trying to gather her thoughts and concentrate wholly on finding Henry's family. She had just changed course in her direction, stepping over several exposed roots when she felt a presence behind her. She barely had a chance to whirl around when she was shoved backwards into the tree, her head knocking loudly against the trunk and causing her to bite down on her tongue. Her mouth filled with blood and she spat it out, trying to stop the swimming in her head. She wiped her lips and closed her eyes, fighting off an urge to moan in pain. She didn't need to look to know who it was, and she knew that despite the shove she was in no immediate danger. There were few times where it ever got physical between them and that was only when he was extremely angry. She took her time to stop the dizziness that the hit to her head created, but even the small break did not manage to lessen her heartbeat. Her heart always quickened when he came around.

She opened her eyes and was met with that stupid smirk Peter was always wearing. The change had not taken that from him and she wasn't sure if that made it worse. It was as if he had a secret joke and he thought everything was hilarious. He was at her level, crouching in front of her, watching her carefully as always. "It's always you, isn't it, Wendy?"