Unshadowing Pan

Evan's Happiness

As per usual, fate seemed to bring me back to the same place over and over. Well, maybe not fate but Emma's orders. I kept staring up at the clock from my desk, waiting as every second went by to meet up with Emma before she left. 

After Pan and I ran from Gold's cabin, we arrived at the same just as everyone else did and saw Cruella's body at the bottom of the cliff. Emme was shocked, but she was not dark. I think we're all relieved she is still okay.

I had snuck a call in the stall of the bathroom where Pan filled me in on what happened. Maleficent met the others at Granny's diner. Something about a girl named Lilith. As it turned out Mary Margaret and David didn't kill her baby after all, instead banished her to Minnesota. Who would have thought... 

Now, Emma planned to go find her and I was strictly told to remain here in Storybrooke. She even warned me to not try and follow her. Sending me off to school was her way of making sure of that. So here I was again, doing everything to remain calm knowing damn well Emma and Regina were already on their way to find Lily. 

So what if she was told to stay here, she had other things to worry about. This time, however, I'd do it on her own. Pan was back working at Granny's diner again so I'd have nothing to worry about. 

As soon as the final bell rang, I was the first one out of the door with my bag. I told Evan to meet me. I was done waiting for whatever he had in store. So as soon as I walked down the steps of the school, I saw Evan, leaning against a car waiting for me. He had his hands in his pocket and a smug grin on his face. 

"Whose care is that?" I asked. 

Evan looked behind him. "This is my car. Well, it is now."

"I am not getting in a car with you."

"Why? Don't want to worry your boyfriend. I'm surprised he's not here."

I didn't tell him that Pan was at Granny's. The less Evan knew, the better. 

"Just get in," he said. "I can't do anything to you anyway. I don't have power, unlike you."

That was true. As hesitant as I was I walked to the other side of the car and slid in. Evan who seemed amused started the car after getting in. He looked at me for a  moment, deep in thought. It was hard to figure out what he was thinking, but that didn't matter. She wanted to know some things. 

 We began our drive through the town, ending up near the edge of town by the docks where he parked by a lookout to the sea. He walked out first, standing outside, hooping on the hood of the car, and sitting down. I followed him and did the same. Coming around the front of the car he extended his hand to help, but I could easily get on on my own.  

"You always were very prideful," he commented. I rolled my eyes. 

"Do you remember that time we almost got caught at the movie theater? We snuck in and took two random seats, but then there were a couple of complaints and the usher was about to kick us out. We left before they even noticed."

I did remember that. We didn't even get to watch the movies and only sat for the previews. We went back later that week and saw the movie without getting caught. She had so much fun that day. It was thrilling. It was also a simpler time. 

"I should have never made you go to Neverland. That was stupid of me, cowardly even. I should have gone on my own and taken care of him." 

"Yeah, you both put me through hell," I said referring to the dark Peter Pan.

"I blame him for the death of my sister, but just like I made you leave, I also made her," he said. I frowned, unsure of why he was saying all these things now. It's like something happened. He was calmer and aware of himself.

"Evan, are you okay?"

He began to laugh. His eyes shined when he smiled, it was one of the first things I liked about him. He turned to look at her directly now, taking a sigh. 

"You never once asked me what my sister's name was. Her name was Maimie. She was polite, honest, and brave. I would have done anything for her had it not been for my selfishness. There came a point in time when she needed me and I ignored her. I knew she had become lost, but I was too preoccupied with my problems. One day she told me she was leaving to a place named Neverland where she would live with a boy named Peter Pan. I thought she was delusional...but when she disappeared, I snapped. As soon as she was gone I realized the one thing I had left to call family, I took for granted. I went after her, which wasn't very hard. I was also lost, you see. When she was killed, I was kicked out of Neverland. Pan's ultimate punishment was for me to live with my vengefulness and have no way to get it. When I met you, the first thing I realized was how similar you both are. I wanted to be closer to you. I don't know, maybe I thought somehow it would make me feel better if I did for you what I could never do with Maimie. I taught you how to fight and fend for yourself. I was by your side when you needed me and we worked together to have a roof over our heads at night. Then one night I had a dream about Maimie. She was alive and she was happy, the three of us were happy. We became a family... I want that. I want to be able to fix everything and have my happy ending."

"Evan, Maime is dead. Issac can't rewrite the past." It was hard not to be bad for him. He made mistakes, but for once he was sharing his feelings with her. She wanted to guide him and teach him that he could live on without revenge. 

"You're right," he said. "Nothing I can do can bring back my sister, but you can believe. In Neverland Peter Pan could believe. It was limited, but what if it wasn't? What if the author made it so that the realities in Neverland could be altered to be stronger...  more believable."

"I would think you're insane," I told him, clenching my fist. They was he looked at me, he was so sure of what he said. It made me afraid. "So what? You're going to ask Issac to return you to Neverland so you can make believe your sister? That's an illusion, not reality."

He scoffed. "Reality is what you choose to believe, Aria. Don't you get it? And I'm not going to return to the same Neverland, it's gone. What I can do, is create one where I am King. And as soon as Issac can get his hands on Emma's blood to create ink, he will write for me. And I know, you will be right beside me. Because in my reality, I get anything I want." 

His eyes were the darkest I had ever seen him. I was scared of Peter Pan, but with Evan, I was petrified. I moved away from him, feeling the tears in my eyes. I should react. I should be able to do something instead of standing there like a lamb waiting for slaughter. I'm the one who has magic... I'm the one who can fight. Instead, I used my magic and teleported.