The Demon Archer - OUAT Meripan Fanfic

Far Away

Been far away
for far too long
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Pan paced in the hall outside of Merida's room, his face dimly lit from the torches that hung along the cold stone wall. He was muttering to himself as he tried to think of something; anything, that would get them out of this predicament. So far as ideas, he was running up against a moldy brick wall. He swore loudly and slammed his fist into the rough stone of the hallway behind him, leaning against the wall for a moment. He could hear Merida's faint groans of pain from behind the heavy wooden door, and he winced in sympathy, biting his lip in nervousness. He finally turned around, seeing Maudie, the maid, with a wide-eyed look on her face. She let out a squeak of fright and scurried down the stairs out of sight. Pan sighed and ran his hand through his hair, sliding down to sit against the stones. Suddenly every noise stopped, and he slowly got to his feet, staring at the door. He reached out a hand to push the door open just as Elinor came out. He backed up a few steps but she didn't meet his eyes as she brushed past him, disappearing down the stairs. He glanced back at the open door, his nerves building as he slowly walked across the threshold. The first thing he saw was Merida, pale and tired-looking, but alive. She was holding a tiny bundle of blankets and she looked up at him as he tentatively entered. Pan hesitated before walking forward, his gaze flicking down to the tiny child that she held in her arms. "He's a boy," she said softly, giving him a tired yet content smile. "What shall we name him?"
"I believe 'he belongs to me', is a very nice name."
Pan spun around as another voice came from the darkest corner of the room where the light from the fire didn't reach. Rumple stepped out of the shadows, locking eyes with Pan for a moment before looking directly at Merida and the baby.
"You're not touching them," growled Pan, moving quickly in between Rumple and Merida, his dagger sliding out of its sheath with a raspy sound.
"You see dearie, I warned you about this. I said that I don't let people go back on their promises. I'm simply here to collect what is mine."

"He's not yours," Merida hissed warningly at Rumple, her blue eyes darkening.
"That's where you're wrong dearie," Rumple said, holding his hand up in the air. "My dear old dad promised him to me. Now come come. Give him to me."
"No!" Merida and Pan said at the same time. Rumple gave an annoyed roll of his eyes and made a gesture with his hands, the baby suddenly appearing in his arms. Pan's eyes flashed and he lunged forward with his dagger, only to be thrown back against the wall by Rumple. He groaned as he tried to drag himself to his feet, his head starting to bleed where he'd cut it on the rough stone. Merida was still too weak to do anything as she tried to summon a shred of magic.
Rumple glanced down at the tiny bundle in his arms. "Let's go, brother."
Suddenly a loud 'clang' broke the horrified silence in the room, and Rumple's eyes glazed over before he crumpled to the floor. Pan jumped forward and snatched the baby, a look of relief washing over his face before it turned to one of puzzlement. Merida and Pan glanced towards the door where Rumple had been standing. Maudie stood there clutching a frying pan in her hands, a look of pure terror in her eyes. Pan tilted his head at her, a small smirk starting to spread over his features.The maid gave a startled sqeak before dropping the heavy iron pan, which just so happened to land directly on Rumplestiltskin's head. She opened her mouth, no sound coming out for a moment, before she shrieked and scurried out of the room, her arms flailing in the air.
Merida snorted in laughter, looking at Pan with an amused expression. He grinned, the look fading as he glanced down at the tiny boy he was holding. "Did you have a name in mind for him?"
The redhead smiled slightly. "Aiden. It means Little Fire."
Pan smirked at her, his eyes twinkling as he tugged on a curl of her hair, watching it bounce back. "It's a good name. Very accurate."
Aiden made a quiet noise, stretching his tiny hand towards Pan's face. The boy's lips twisted up into a small smile. "Aiden Pan."