Chapter Text
With the opening of a door the world just seemed a bit brighter for both mother and daughter. Regina was use to being a mother to Henry, but when it came to her own flesh and blood it was different. There was so much time that they both had to make up for. But what always amazed Regina was that something to innocent and good came from someone like her. Gaia was all the good Regina once was, but unlike her mother she was a bit reckless. She flirted with the darkness but never was consumed by. Gaia and Regina acted as if they had known each other forever, but they learned more about one another everyday.
“So you ready to go to Granny’s or do you prefer I make you food here?” Regina asked as she stood on her daughter’s porch with the cool ocean breeze blowing in her hair.
“We can eat here, besides I have something important to tell you and I don’t want anyone else to hear it.” Gaia said with worry in her amber eyes as she bit her lower lip. Her mother raised a brow and did her best not to make waves before she knew what it is her daughter wanted to tell her. “Okay,” Regina said as she walked through the door. Gaia turned to her mother she threw her arms around her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks, as the warmth of her embrace melted her worries.
“I love you mama.” A smile grew on Regina’s lips as she free her hand to embrace her child back.
“I love you too, baby.”
They stood there for a couple more seconds before pulling away and strolling to the kitchen to get lunch started. The two worked side by side chatting about whatever came to mind as they smiled and laughed at the conversations. But Regina was curious as to what was so important. Her daughter was not the best at hiding her emotions and often wear her heart on her sleeve.
Regina watched Gaia from the corner of her eye as she diced the tomato for the salad. “So, are you going to tell me why the change of venue–it’s not that I don’t enjoy making lunch with you, I just–” but before she could finish the front door suddenly creaked open. “It’s only me, Gai, don’t worry.” A man called out as he made his way over to them.
“Hey Muir!” Gaia cheered as she leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
Muir is a tall man with lean muscle and smooth olive skin. He had short, wavy, nut brown hair that he combed back into a 1940s business look. As much as he hated to cut it to fit society standers be needed the job he did to take care of his sister. If it were up to him he would’ve kept it long and wild and spend his time in the ocean like the olden days. Speaking of the ocean his eyes are like a calm, clear, blue sea that captured on looked in their beauty.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Regina asked coldly as she neatly placed the diced tomato in the bowl and began to toss the salad, her eyes occasionally glancing up to him. He shot her a smile as he rolled up his sleeves to reveal tattoos of roaring waves on both his forearms and an anchor on the back of his left hand. Regina never liked his tattoos, but he was firm and did his best to keep her from danger. He was everything a big brother ought to be: he was caring, protective, and knew how to kick ass when it was called for.
“What can I say: I knew you were here so I had to see you, I will not hinder my love for you?” Gaia turned to him and looked at him with disgust in her eyes and a raised brow. “No, in all honesty I got off work early to get the room ready for the boys.”
Regina looked at them dumbfounded. She didn’t know what to think: was her daughter pregnant with twin boys, or was Muir having the boys with some woman, what was could it be?
“Muri!” Gaia growled.
“What–you haven’t told her?”
“Told me what?” Regina asked with a strict tone as she glanced over to her daughter.
“I am taking in Felix and Peter Pan.”
“What?”
“I already have the forms to take them out, I just need your signature.” Just as Regina was about to say something and her daughter jumped into action once more, “Mama, please listen to me–I owe it to them, they took care of me. Pan let me leave to find you! So please give them just one chance…for me.”
Regina looked away from her daughter’s pleading eyes. She knew there was something else motivating her, but she didn’t want to admit it to herself that her daughter could harbor feeling for someone like them. The chances were in fact high do to Gaia’s history for being their mother figure back in Neverland. Those puppy-dog eyes made Regina want to agree to anything. Gaia never asked for anything from her mother just time for bonding, the least she should do was reunite old friends.
Regina’s eyes fell close as she could feel regret settle into her bones, “Fine, but if they step out of line–”
“You’ll rip their hearts out and crush them?” Gaia said with a playful smile as she tilt her head to the side.
“Yes,” Regina smiled. “But after lunch.”
“Good, cause I had Muir leave them on your desk before he came home.” …
In a cold dingy cell Pan sat brooding at the bracelet that rested on his on his wrist. There were several emotions flowing through him: anger, betrayal, a strange warm fuzzy feeling, and regret. He was enraged at being confined and hurt that a person he cared for greatly was the one to do it. He, however, under stood why. Other than Felix, Gaia was the one person he could trust. She was someone that looked after him as well as worry over him. The fact that she felt cared for him so frightened him, even more so that he began to see her as more than a care take but a life time companion. Gaia was his weakness and he couldn't afford to be weak, so he allowed her to leave to find her mother. Pan wanted more for her and letting her go was the one thing he regretted the most.
His fingers danced along the jade beads as the thought of her filled his head. Pan could hear her voice singing to him, like in the good old days when they were in Neverland and had not a care in the world. That thought was broken with the heavy clicking of the lock as the door let out a moan as it opened. Pan looked to the door expecting to see the head nurse, who he found cold and extremely unpleasant to look at, but his eyes went wide to see his dark haired beauty stand in the door way with a sweet smile on her face. Pan's heart fluttered as he mentally cursed his heart.
"Couldn't stay away could you, ‘mother’ dear." Gaia rolled her eyes at him as she skipped over to him and plopped down besides him.
“Well, your charming personality is hard to resist.” Gaia said as she rolled her head causing her ponytail to swing and nearly hit the boy.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
“It’s a surprise. I know how much you love surprises.” Gaia took his hands and freed him from his retains. “C’mon, Panny-Pooh, or did you forget how to use your legs?”
Pan rose to his feet and turned to her and held out his hand for her to take, with a smile on her face she took it and proceeded to lead him out the door. He couldn’t help his eyes from wondering. He loved the way the fabric of her skirt barely touched the skin of her thighs, or the tightness of her shirt that exposed half her abdomen. Pan didn’t know much about this new world but he loved the away the woman seemed to dress.
As they turned into the hallway an irritated Felix was leaning against the wall with Muir looking at him just as annoyed. ”This is my brother, Muir Conway, he is also my muscle." Gaia told in a cheery chirp as she then took Felix by his callused hand and looks to her brooding brother. "Ready?" He asked as his arms fell and slithered into his pockets. She gave a nod and skipped ahead of her brother with a puppy like demeanor about her. Muir watched the boys carefully the whole way out of the building.
Felix couldn't take it anymore, it just didn't seem normal, he was on pins and needles as to why. She helped put them away and now they were out, free. What was the meaning of all this?
"What his going on!" Felix demanded as he planted his feet.
Pan was shaking his head at the poor timing of his friend. They were almost out and could make an escape by slitting the girl and her brother, but he had to know why. Pan rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.
"You both are now under my care, so we're all going home."
Both Felix and Pan's expression went blank. They had not expected that of all things. Pan's chest tightened, the thoughts to escape flew out of his head, and to his disgust he wanted to stay with her.
"Why? You betrayed us." He hissed.
"You kidnapped my brother and tried to kill him! As to why, you both are my friends and I believe there is good in you two...it just might be berried deep, deep, deep down."
Felix was quit. He was fond of Gaia, and felt as if she were the little sister he secretly wanted, and would do anything to make her happy. He remembered their time in Neverland as if it were like yesterday: they would laugh and talk about everything and anything, even family. Felix knew her fears of never being as good as her sister and about her feelings for Pan, he knew her like a brother would his sister. They were thick as thieves. The day Pan sent her back home Felix was crushed, he never knew lose until she was gone, but he knew Pan was hurting more.
"Besides, I'm here to help you adapt to Storybrook which mean you guys are gonna get part time jobs." That wanted to make both the boys head for the hills, but Gaia's grip turned into a vice and her brother was ready to strike. "It'll be fine."
Not before long they found them selves in a car on there way to Muir and Gaia’s home. Pan hated the power he had over him. She could bat her eyes at him and part of him turned to melted butter. He often wondered if she knew the desire his heart held for her, but she was too dense to truly see it. Pan kept looking at her from the corner of his eye. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but he refused to her know that.
They arrived at a white house with blue gables and shutters. It was a small house situated near the edge of a cliff. It was beckoning to them and seemed to admit a welcoming warmth, like a hot cup of coco after a long day out in the cold. Gaia turned around with huge beaming smile the flaunted off her pearly whites. “Welcome home boys.” She chimed as she unbuckled her seat belt and popped open the door, causing Muir to abruptly step on the break.
“Can you at least wait till I stop the car?” She just turned to him as her smile closed and her lips curled between her teeth.
“Sorry, Mew,” she said in a baby voice as she closed the door and rested her head back.
Pan could see the corner of her lips struggling to go back to their once relaxed state as a blush rose to her cheeks. He alway loved how she tried to held back a smile. Part of him was hooked on her every move, being away from her for so long made everything she did seem like the time he ever saw it. The fluttering in his heart and the knot in his stomach was this foreign, yet familiar, discomfort that he hated to admit that he actually missed.
As the car finally stopped, or when Muir deemed it fit that it was safe to get out, they all fell out and Gaia was more than happy to show them around their new home. Muir looked at her and rolled his eyes as she looked at his bubbling sister as she pulled them along. One of the most feared villains in all the lands and here she was treating Peter Pan like a lost puppy dog. Muir couldn’t be hypocritical about the whole thing because just like Pan, Gaia too took him in from the kindness of her heart; but unlike the demon boy he was born a killer and a danger to those around him, he was born a merman.
Muir opened the door, but waited for the princess to prance by, yet to no ones surprise she took them by the hand and pulled them in with her. It was a small but cozy. The living and merged with the kitchen, and the "dinning room" was nothing more than a long wooden table planted between the two. Both were well decorate with an ocean theme clearly influenced in the choosing of the furniture.
"This is the living room—slash—kitchen." Gaia introduced as the boys stared in awe, not fully used to some of the furnishings or the large plasma-screen TV on the wall. She giggled as she pulled them into the hall. She pointed to the first door, "That's my room, so if you need anything just knock—not kidding knock." Her eyes went to Pan as she shoot him a glair, which only caused him to smirk. "Down the hall is the bath room, towels are in there. The door next to that is Muir's room, so this is your guys room." She pointed to the door that was right across from her's. She skipped over and opened the door.
The room was a descent size and could comfortable fit two bed with a trunk at the foot of each bed. "If you guys need a thing else let us know. We'll go shopping tomorrow for clothes. But you two need to shower—one of you could use mine if you like, just bathe you stink." Gaia said slipping passed them as she patted them on the shoulder.
As the door closed Felix turned to his friend. "I didn't expect this." He said in disbelief. The boys just stood there taking it all. They knew which bed was theirs just by the bed sheets. One was green while the other was brown with blue squares, it practically had their names written on it. "Oh—if you open the trunks I got you all a welcome home present, I hope you'll like." Gaia cheered as she swayed on her heels and eagerly waited for one of them to open their trunks. Muir stood behind her and rolled his eyes.
"Forgive my sister, she is a princess which means she is naturally pushy. Take your time to settle in.” Muir said before hoisting her up and threw her over his shoulder and carried her out.
"Bathe at least you stink!" She roared as her brother lead her down the hall, kicking and screaming all the way.
Pan and Felix both looked at each other not knowing what they just witnessed. Felix turned back to what he suspected to be his bed and the trunk that was stationed before it. He knelt down before it and let his curiosity get the best of him as he pulled open the lid. Pan peered over to see what was in it and to both of their amazement there was some clothes and suits, but what got their attention was the club Felix always carried by his side. It was his most prized possession and yet here it was back by his side where it belonged. Pan could no longer take the nagging curiosity and opened his trunk, and sure enough he too had all the niceties, but on top of it all was his pipe with the note that said: please play me a little diddle when you have the time. The boys looked at each other once more, neither saying a word yet they both knew they had no desire to leave and were curios to see how this all plays out.
“Hey, you guys like tarts?" Gaia said peering her head in. "Their cranberry and Muir won't let me make any unless there are more takers— cause he is a meanie!" She yelled over her shoulder.
"Last time you ate one you ran around the castle throwing fireballs!" He yelled back.
Gaia's brow frowned as she looked to the ground to shift through her thoughts. "When did that happen?" She yelled to her brother.
"You were eight—and it took six guards to restrain you." A smile appeared on her lips as she let out a giggle.
"Right, haha, I remember. Good times." She sighed as she turned back to boys, her face lit up to find them with their treasures in their hands. "Oh, you like it? The clothes may not fit so try them on and let me know, but don't abuse those trinkets I went through a lot to get them. Okay?" She gave them a warm smile before turning away and yelling back to her brother saying that they wanted tarts.
"She seems awfully happy." Felix said smiling to himself knowing that Pan's presents alone made her giddy. His friend scuffed, "At least she isn't all weepy, now that is truly annoying." Felix rolled his eyes as she placed his club on the bed and began to shuffle through the rest of his new things. Pan quietly got up and peeked his head out from the door and watched her talk withe her brother as she placed a tarts in the oven. He could practically see the soft blush of her cheeks, but he could differently hear her laugh and that set a shock wave though out his inter body. He hated himself for feeling the way he did about her, but he couldn’t help himself, she captured his eye.