Second Star to the Right

Chapter Eight: Bae and Wendy

 "I won't let anything bad happen to you or this family."

~Baelfire, Once Upon a Time, 2x21

Chapter Eight: Bae and Wendy

 Bae awoke to the sound of banging on the secret door. He rubbed his eyes, and stretched out his arms. 

"Bae," Wendy whispered into the wall. 

"Hmm?" Bae mumbled, still trying to wake himself up.

"John and Michael have gone to the park and my parents went to brunch with the Smithsons. Would you like to go for a walk?" Wendy asked, and Bae mumbled some form of a yes. "Well come on then, we have to return before my parents do!" Bae sat up and crawled out of the wall.

Wendy had already gotten dressed in a light blue dress, one of her favorites, and tied her hair back with a bow. Bae still only had his torn up and grimy clothing, but at this point, he didn't even care.

Bae followed Wendy down the stairs into the parlor. Wendy opened the window, and looked around to make sure that no one was watching. They walked out of the window and left it slightly open, so that they could get back into the house. 

Bae and Wendy talked as they walked through the busy streets of outer London. Wendy stopped at a street vendor's cart to buy apples for Bae and herself. They continued further into the labyrinth of alleyways as they ate. Bae finished his apple, and stopped walking. 

"Think I can make it?" Bae asked Wendy, looking at a barrel in the middle of the alley. Wendy examined the situation and smiled. 

"I'll give you two pence if the core lands in the bin."  Wendy said. Bae laughed and chucked the apple core, which landed perfectly in the bin. Wendy frowned.

"You don't owe me anything if you can make it." Bae offered, having little faith that she could make it. Wendy shrugged, then threw the apple core as hard as she could. It missed the barrel, and hit something else with a loud thud.

"Ow!" An angry voice cried out. Wendy looked at Bae and they ran to see what had happened. They came upon a very angry homeless man who was rubbing his head.

"Are you alright, sir?" Bae asked as he kneeled down to help the man.

"I'm so sorry. We were playing a game and-" Wendy tried to apologzie, but the man waved Bae away and stood up.  Bae slowly got to his feet, and stood by Wendy.

"That's the last time you rich children will mess with me," The man growled as he reached into his pocket. A thick smell of alcohol came from his mouth and his words slurred. " 'We were just playing a game,' " The man mocked Wendy and spat at her feet. 

"It was an accident!" Bae yelled. The man walked toward Bae.

"Watch your tone boy," the man started, then actually saw what Bae was wearing. He laughed."Oh, you must be the girl's latest charity project." The man's hand was still in his pocket, and Wendy saw his hand grasp around something. 

"Bae! Run!" She yelled, just as the drunken man pulled out a knife. Wendy screamed, and Bae grabbed her arm. They ran through the narrow streets to get away. The man chased them and pushed people out of his way in an effort to reach them. Wendy's heart raced and she sprinted as fast as she could. They ran into a dead end, and Wendy watched Bae quickly searched for a way out, but there wasn't one. 

"I've got you now," the man sneered, and Bae stood in front of Wendy to protect her. Wendy reached forward and grabbed Bae's hand. They were in this together, and she wasn't going to let go.

*********

THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER IN NEVERLAND

"Pan," the shadow said, swooping down to be next to Pan. 

"What is it, Shadow?" Pan asked as he tied together a net for the Lost Boys to fish with. 

"Your precious Wendy is in trouble. Pan stopped what he was doing momentarily, then continued to work on the net.

"What do you mean, 'in trouble'?" Pan asked.

"She is going to be killed in just a few moments by a man in an alley." The Shadow predicted. 

"FELIX!" Pan yelled. He dropped the net and stood up. "FELIX!" He called again. An annoyed Felix came up to him.

"What do you want, Pan?" Felix asked. 

"Wendy is in trouble. Find her. Now." Pan ordered, and waved his hand. In a cloud of green smoke, Felix disappeared.

Felix landed in the middle of a busy street. People shoved him out of the way and jostled him around. He resisted the temptation to take  out his knife on the next person to shove him. Felix knew where he was, he had been in London before. 

Felix darted down the closest alleyway next to him, and searched relentlessly for Wendy. He wasn't going to let Pan down. Not after all that Pan had done for him. 

"Bae!" Felix heard a familiar voice yell from not to far away. He sprinted in the direction of Wendy's scream.

"Run, Wendy!" He heard a boy's voice yell. A strange feeling welled up inside of Felix, and it made him angry. Felix ran faster. Don't let Pan down. He kept repeating in his head. Finally, Felix saw them, just in time. The man had Wendy and who Felix assumed to be 'Bae' trapped in a dead end. 

"I've got you now," the man said and raised his knife. Felix attacked. He ran and jumped on the man, knocking him over. The man screamed and tried to defend himself, but he had dropped the knife on the ground. 

"FELIX!" Wendy screamed. She tried to get to him, but he held out his hand. 

"Go Wendy!" He screamed at her. "NOW!" He ordered, and Baelfire grabbed Wendy's hand, and pulled her away. Felix held down the struggling man, and watched Wendy run off. She turned back to look at him one last time before she turned out of the street. Felix turned to face the man. 

"Now, what to do with you?" Felix asked the man.

"Sir, I wasn't going to harm her, I swear." The man promised as his voice shook. 

"It didn't look like that was the case." Felix said, as he took out a knife. He held it to the man's throat.

"I'll do anything! Just please don't kill me!" The man pleaded. Felix rolled his eyes and got off of the man. The man stood up, and Felix grabbed the neck of his shirt.

"If I ever need a favor from you, you'll do it? You hear? If not, I'll have Pan deal with you." Felix threatened. The man nodded, but had a questioning look on his face.

"Who's Pan?"

"Your worst nightmare." 

*********

Safely back in her home, Wendy and Baelfire sat in the secret room. They sat in silence.

"Wendy, who was the boy who saved us?" Baelfire asked.

"Just a friend."

"There's something you're not telling me." Bae replied, and Wendy remained silent. All of a sudden, Bae and Wendy heard footsteps coming up the stairs. 

"I'll bring you food later," Wendy said, then quietly sneaked out of the room without getting caught by her parents.

*********

Felix reappeared with the shadow on the shores of Neverland. Pan had been waiting for him. Rushing up to Felix, Pan asked, "Is she alright?" 

"She's fine, Pan." Felix said. "She was with that boy again and-"

"Was he the one who almost killed her?" Pan asked, infuriated.

"No, Pan. He helped her get away." Felix replied. Pan clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. He was feeling something that he hadn't felt in a while. Jealousy. 

"We need to get rid of him. As soon as possible." Pan said. Felix nodded in agreement, and they formed a plan to get Baelfire out of Wendy's life.