The Dark Days

Twenty-Nine.

It doesn't take me long to find the Curse.

While I dig around for ingredients, I feel as if a hand is guiding me. I can't help smiling as I place a vial of liquid on the table beside me. I should've known Peter had a card up his sleeve for a situation such as this. I finish finding all of the needed items and begin to mash, sprinkle, cook, burn, and boil. It takes a really long time, but I was confident in what I was doing. After about four hours, I hold up the fake curse next to the real one. I'm impressed by how alike they appear.

I know you had a plan for this exact situation, Peter, I think. But mine's simply better.

****

The girl comes to the center of the town, her hands in fists and her expression grim. She fingers her pocket nervously while she waits.

"That didn't take you very long," Regina says as she approaches the girl, holding the Box in her hand. "I trust you know what the deal is?"

The girl shoves her hand into her pocket and fishes out the Curse, holding it up for Regina to see. She smiles and waves her hand over the Box. Pan's body appears when the red smoke evaporates, and Regina can see the girl's struggle to stay where she is. "The Curse. Give it to me and you can take your boy toy home, safe and sound." She tosses it, and Regina easily catches it. She studies it, then laughs. "Did you think you could get away with giving me a fake?" Regina says, venom filling her voice. "Try again." She throws the vial back and the girl catches it. She brings out another vial, and this time the queen accepts it when she tosses it to her.

"Ta," she spits, and walks away, taking the box with her.

****

I watch Peter's peaceful expression as he sleeps, transfixed. His eyes move, and then they open. He takes in a sudden breath, searching for me in the dark, then sighs, finding my hand on his chest. He takes it and squeezes it. "Kasey."

"I thought I would fall asleep before you ever woke up," I tell him, snuggling closer to him. "I'm glad you woke up before I did."

"Why are all the lights turned off?" he asks, looking at the lamp, the only light source, on the nightstand.

"Because the darkness is a comfort to me when you're not," I whisper, closing my eyes. "It helps me to think instead of see. It helps me to gather the courage to face my fears."

Peter wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. "So I guess they didn't buy the fake?"

I push away just enough for him to see my smiling face. "On the contrary; They didn't buy the real thing." I take the real Curse out of my pocket, holding it up for him to see.

Peter's eyes fill with happiness as he hugged me to his chest once again, laughing. "I can't believe it! How-? How in the world did you do it?"

I laugh too. "I added a little something to give the illusion of the fake being real. Just a little tang to trump the power of the real one. When she felt it compared to the fake, she thought the stronger one must be the real one."

Peter begins to laugh again, hugging me to his chest and rolling around on the bed. We laugh and wrestle for quite a long time before he stops, laying on top of me, and kisses me. "I knew you could do it," he whispers, kissing me again. "I could feel it."

"Of course I did," I tell him, "I basically taught you the way of a thief.  Admit it: Before I came along, it was worthless."

He kisses me a third time, this time for much longer. "I admit nothing."

I laugh and we curl up together to go to sleep.

****

"This is the real one, Gold, I felt it!" Regina yells.

"Just because this one is more powerful doesn't mean that it is the real Curse," he says evenly, holding the vial in front of him. He sets it on the table and looks up at the enraged queen. "I thought I'd taught you better, Regina. It seems that teaching you really was a waste of my time."

Regina throws a fireball right next to his head, seething. "Well then how about you actually do your job next time and confront that bitch yourself!" She stomps away, slamming the shop door behind her.

Gold holds up the vial once again, inspecting it further. "Absolutely marvelous," he mutters. "I've never seen anything like this. That girl is a true genius, Pan. She's clearly -" he crushes the vial in his hand and looks at the contents inside the vial - "a keeper." He smiles. "She's also pure of heart. Oh, you really picked a good one, Peter Pan."

He digs out a small glowing object hidden within the various ingredients of the Curse. It pulses to a constant beat.

"It appears that she put a piece of her heart into this potion."

****

I don't look back as I walk towards the town. I know who is waiting for me, and why. Peter has already been through enough, so when he fell asleep, I slipped away. He still had a bit of the drugs in his system, so he would be out for the next two hours at least. I walk confidently, and I stop when I come to stand only ten feet away from Rumpelstiltskin.

"I have to say, dearie," he says, not moving an inch, "I'm impressed. Not just anyone goes around putting a part of their heart into a vial to make it more powerful. It was quite brave if you," he says, sounding approving. "But also quite foolish. I'm sure that's why you left the safety of your new home behind."

"My only home is Neverland," I tell him. "But now, thanks to you, it's gone. I'm willing to accept that, believe it or not, but Pan isn't. I'm the only one who can make him see the light. I'm the only one who can free him from this pain and torment. I swear on the piece of my heart you now carry, that I will stop him by whatever means necessary. You can count on that."

Three more chapters :'(