Chapter Text
He felt the wind run through his hair, the cold air, the water droplets from the sea hitting his face- was it really happening? He tightened his grip, if he fell now, he'd... Well, it'd still be an improvement compared to Neverland.
How long had he been there?
The portal was so high up in the sky that Baelfire didn’t even dare to look down anymore. He should be feeling ecstatic, victorious- he had captured the shadow and he fucking made it out. No one had ever escaped from Pan- no one before him. He had done the impossible- or, well, he was about to- but all he felt was dread.
He squeezed his eyes shut and held on as tightly as he could. Part of him wondered why the shadow hadn’t seemed to even try to throw him off. He was sure it would be capable of getting rid of him, but he wasn’t going to question his luck. No matter what, getting out of Neverland would be an improvement, even if he died trying.
He felt the air get colder and risked a glance down. He still saw that damn island down there in the distance. It felt- weird. He had spent more time there than anywhere else- if his counting had been even remotely accurate.
But what would that mean for the other world?
When Wendy had returned, she had been surprised that she was only gone for one might. Even after the eternity that had passed since his time with the Darlings, he remembered perfectly. Wendy had said that it felt much longer.
He didn’t do it often, but he allowed himself a bit of hope. Maybe the Darlings were still alive. Maybe it wasn’t even long and he could just go back to them, back to the only real home he had ever had.
Maybe it had been years, maybe even decades- Maybe Wendy and her brothers were all adults now, deep into their own lives. But maybe, it was just months- He didn’t want to get too hopeful. It was... unlikely. And he knew it.
He didn’t want to face what he expected the most; that it's been as long as he counted and the Darlings were all long dead by now. Maybe even the graves would be too old to find.
The only solid thing, the only real solace he could find was the escape- Never, ever would he step foot on Neverland again. Not over his dead body.
He looked up ahead, the shadow was headed straight for it- the so-called "Second Star to the Right"- Baelfire had always thought it was an odd name for a portal, but he was glad he had learned about it at all. Questioning Pan about the name wouldn’t have helped him.
It got closer and brighter- the light of it was blinding. It was completely different from the magic bean he had gone through back when it all started- when he had lost everything the first time.
Maybe that was just his destiny; to lose everything, again and again and again. He had to squint, he barely managed to keep his eyes open as they approached the portal. Maybe it was the adrenaline and the nerves, but the journey hadn’t felt this long the first time-
He tried to calm his breathing even as he knew it was futile- he could barely feel his hand anymore from how tightly it was clutched onto the shadow’s leg.
He closed his eyes and waited-
He saw white even through his eyelids. And as soon as it started, it was over. It was… louder? And darker.
Was that it? Were they through it? Had he… really done it?
He steeled his nerves, even as his heart hammered away frantically, and looked.
His eyes snapped immediately to the big clock tower- He couldn’t believe his eyes, even if he had no reason to distrust what he saw. Was that really Big Ben? Had he made it back to the right city, in the right country, in the right realm?
Everything else gave him pause as he looked over the city- it all looked… similar, but different.
He felt a pit forming in his stomach. It must have been decades, at the very least- Possibly more. There’s no way he’d ever see the Darlings again- or anyone he’d ever known.
Magic ruined his life. Twice. He always lost everything when magic was involved.
He almost had to laugh as he felt tears prick at his eyes. He’d escaped the most evil person he’d ever met- or would ever meet- and he was sad. He felt like an idiot, this should be a moment of joy- of amazement. He hadn’t seen anything but that cursed island for longer than he could really describe- he saw civilization and people- actual, different, real people- in the distance. They were tiny from up there, but they were there!
He looked up at the shadow again. It looked back at him, too. Was it going to drop him to his death? He clung on tighter and was about to speak when the shadow dived down- the descension was sudden and rapid and Baelfire was sure he screamed pathetically. But now, he had no savage Lost Boys around who’d laugh at him for it. It was just him and the monster he took as a ride.
It halted again soon and it neared a miracle that he managed to hold on. The shadow hovered in place and Baelfire barely even managed to register the traffic sounds from below him.
Soon, it’d be just him alone again- like back when he’d first ended up in London. He’d be homeless and lost like a fish out of water. Would he ever find a place in this world without magic? It was as if magic always chased him, but- he wanted to have hope. He wanted to believe his escape was real. He wanted to believe the horrors were finally over.
He looked up again and in the precise moment, the shadow shot forwards again. He got closer and closer to the ground, but the people still looked tiny.
Was it going to put him down or drop him to his death? Baelfire tried not to think about it- but the flight was long and that was really all he could do on the way.
The city got closer and closer and he allowed himself to keep looking- it was night, but that was unsurprising. He hadn’t expected a specific time of day, but night seemed fitting. The streets were illuminated with bright flights flashing by quickly- some faster even than the shadow itself. Baelfire couldn’t see a single normal carriage. The buildings looked different- cold, sleeker, he couldn’t describe it differently. Some, of course, still looked normal- like he generally remembered them, at least- but it was hard to make out any specific ones when the shadow was shooting over them so fast. With every single older looking house, he felt a sliver of hope; if those still stood, maybe the Darlings’ house was also still standing?
They came closer and closer to the ground- The shadow hovered over a park. Baelfire couldn’t remember the name of it, but it looked like one he’d seen back before Neverland. He wrecked his brain, was it… before he met the Darlings even?
The shadow shook its leg, the one Baelfire was still clinging to- It was a drop he’d probably survive, but he couldn’t loosen his grip. The shadow seemed to get annoyed and flew down even lower before kicking its leg with a strength that made the choice for Baelfire- he fell and out of pure luck, landed in a bush. He scrambled to get up and barely even caught a glimpse of the shadow flying off. If it could throw him off that easily, why had it carried him all this way…?
He decided not to dwell on the question. He’d get no answer either way. Instead, he looked around. He couldn’t see too much of the park in the dark- but even if he’d been there before, it was a park. It probably didn’t look the same now as it did back then.