Second Star to the Right

Chapter Twelve: That One Night

"RUMPELSTILTSKIN: What kind of world is without magic?

BAELFIRE: A better one."

~ 'Once Upon A Time' Season 1, Episode 19

Chapter Twelve: That One Night

Baelfire had been with the Darlings for just a few weeks, but he felt like he had finally found a family that would accept him. The Darlings took him in, with minimal questions about his past. He lived in a world without magic, and that almost drove away the nightmares. Almost. 

For the past few nights, Baelfire felt as if something was watching him. He would hear something at the nursery window, and find it open. Bae ignored it. He was in a world without magic, so it had to be the wind. Baelfire had no idea what was truly going on, until one night when his peaceful life with the Darlings came to a horrible end.

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Wendy stood by the window, looking out at the London night sky. She turned and saw Bae sleeping peacefully. Bae was her best friend. She wanted to tell him about her secret, the most wonderful secret, Neverland. 

"Psst, Bae." She whispered softly, "Come to the window." Bae got up off of the floor, and walked towards her. 

"What is it?" Bae asked. John and Michael woke up, and excitedly moved closer to the window. 

"The shadow, is it coming tonight?" John asked. 

"Oh, I hope so!" Wendy replied, smiling as wide as she could. 

"Uh, what?" Bae asked, obviously confused as to what they were talking about. 

"A few weeks ago, right about the time you got here," Wendy explained, "This, shadow, it came to the window. Only, it's not attached to a body. And it can do so many wonderful things, like fly and travel between worlds." Bae smiled at Wendy's amusement. "And do you know why? Because it has magic!"

Bae turned from happy to terrified in a moment. "Whatever you do, promise me you will never open that window again. Promise me you won't talk to the shadow." Bae both warned and begged. 

"Don't be silly." Wendy replied. What was there to be afraid of?

"Magic is dangerous!" Bae yelled. "It always comes with a price." Michael shrank back, but John wasn't convinced. 

"You're just saying that because you don't believe." John told Bae. 

"No! I do believe!" Bae replied. "That's the point, I've seen magic." John, Michael, and even Wendy were quiet. "I come from another land. A land where magic is everywhere." Bae's face turned into a frown as he remembered where he was from. The Enchanted Forest was a dark place. 

"Is that really true?" Wendy asked, not able to see Baelfire's misery. "Because that sounds wonderful!" She smiled. 

"It isn't what you think," Bae answered, staring blankly out the window. He turned to Wendy. "Magic is the reason I left." Wendy was quiet. "I lost everything because of it." 

"Your mother and father." Wendy guessed, suddenly understanding why Baelfire was so upset. 

"Magic destroyed my family. I don't want it to do the same to your's." Bae said, and the children were silent. The quiet air of the London night was still in that moment. "Promise me you won't go anywhere near it." Bae begged after awhile. 

Wendy sighed, then nodded her head. "Alright Bae, I promise." Wendy lied. Bae turned and went back to bed, and the boys did the same. Wendy stared out the window for just a moment longer. Magic? Evil? That couldn't be true. 

She had flown high above the trees and transported to different locations in a whirlwind of magic. She had seen mermaids and fairies and boys that didn't grow old. She had met a shadow without a body, and a mysterious boy that ruled it all. Magic wasn't evil. It couldn't be. 

Wendy returned to bed, and dreamt of a far off land where children never grew up. 

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Three nights later, Wendy laid in her bed while staring out the window. Where was the shadow? Had Pan grown tired of her? Then, she came up with a theory. Baelfire had locked the window every night since she told him the truth. Maybe the lock kept the shadow away!

Wendy sat up and looked over to where Bae was sleeping. He looked deep into slumber, so Wendy quietly got up and walked to the window. She unlocked it, and swung it open. A gust of wind blew through the nursery and awoke Baelfire. 

Wendy noticed, but didn't care. She saw a dark figure approaching the window from the sky. Smiling in glee, she turned and looked at Bae. 

"Bae! Look!" She said, and Baelfire shot up. "It's him. The shadow." Wendy turned back to face the shadow. 

"No..." Baelfire whispered. He quickly got out of bed. He wouldn't let magic ruin his family. Not again. "No! Wendy get away from there." He ordered, rushing up to her. 

Wendy turned to him with the shadow right behind her. "You don't have to be afraid, he doesn't want to hurt us." She reassured Bae. He didn't look convinced. "He's from another land; a land with magic." She saw Bae's horrified expression, and tried to take his fear away. "It's different from where you came from."

"Wendy, please," Baelfire begged, but Wendy grasped on to the shadow's hand. "Don't listen to him!" He said desperately, but Baelfire knew his attempts weren't going to work. 

"It's called Neverland," Wendy said while ignoring Baelfire. "There are no grownups there and children never grow old, and we can do anything we want! Even fly!" Wendy turned, and the shadow began to fly away. Baelfire grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back.

"It's a trick! Don't go with him! You don't need magic! You have a family right here!" He yelled while pulling her as hard as he could. "That's the only thing that matters!" Baelfire felt like he had said those words before, because he almost had. Wendy was so different from his father, but she was falling down the same tunnel that he had. Baelfire wouldn't lose Wendy like he lost his father. He wouldn't let her lose her family. 

"This is what I've always dreamed of!" Wendy yelled, and yanked her hand away. "You just don't believe!" She called back to Baelfire as she flew off, and he called her name. It was too late. Wendy was gone into the darkness. Baelfire lost her to the shadow, and he slumped down in defeat and sadness. He stayed still by the window for hours until he finally fell asleep, waiting for her return.