storiesimadeup | RPF: The Incredibly True Adventures of Padapan & Acklebell (Part I)

Betty White is an American icon, beloved by audiences around the world. In addition to being a talented comedian and actress, once best known to audiences for her portrayal as the lovable Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, White's already impressive career was given an unexpected boost in 2005 with the release of the first book in the children's series, PadaPan's Neverland Adventures. With translations in over thirty different languages, and millions of copies sold world-wide, White's PadaPan series is considered a modern classic.

What people don't know is the real story behind PadaPan's fantastical escapades, or how much truth White's tales hold. But not every story is suitable for children's eyes and ears, even if they do start with,

All in all, Jared Padalecki has a lot to be thankful for. At twenty-five, he has a house of his own, two rescue dogs that mean the world-and-a-half to him, and a promising acting career that's just starting to pick up steam. Jared has more than his fair share of blessings to count, so when he finds out his house has termites, he handles it with a great deal of aplomb and adds "can afford to have my house fumigated" to the checklist of awesome things about his life.

The other upside to the fumigation is it gives Jared an excuse to stay with his Nana White. He's pretty stoked to be hanging out with Nana, which might seem dorky to some, but pretty much everyone in the world knows Nana White is awesome. She's the one who adopted Jared when he was twelve, the one who fostered his love of animals, and the one who got him into acting. Jared doesn't really remember his life before Nana took him in, but he figures it probably sucked.

Sadie and Harley are as excited as Jared is to be there, spoiled rotten by Nana's love and affection every time she sees them. If Jared didn't feel the same way, he'd be a little resentful that they are loyal to Nana first and Jared second. They're so wound up that even after a long afternoon of playing in Nana's spacious backyard, Jared can hardly get them settled down at bedtime.

"You'd think they were puppies the way they act," Jared says over a bowl of pre-bedtime ice cream.

Nana reaches over and pats his hand. "They're lucky to have you, dear."

Jared grins and ducks his head down, knowing how much of a compliment that is coming from her. "Thanks. I feel pretty lucky to have them."

It's the truth. Sadie and Harley make his days bright beyond measure. Jared's not sure what he would do without them. He goes to bed feeling warm and loved, surrounded as he is by his quirky little family.

The next morning when he wakes up, Sadie and Harley are gone.

On the wall above their beds, there is a dagger with a note attached. It's signed by a Captain Misha C. Hook. The note is completely nonsensical and nine kinds of crazy.

Fucking L.A.

"What the actual fuck?" Jared asks Nana as he studies the note. "How did they even get in here? And why would anyone kidnap my dogs?"

"Oh dear." Nana wrings her hands and then grabs Jared's wrist and leads him over to the kitchen table. She sets some coffee cake and a glass of chocolate milk down in front of him before saying, "JareBear, there's something I need to tell you. About where you came from."

"Okay," Jared says warily. He's really too upset about his babies to eat, but then he figures if he's going to find them, he'll need to keep his strength up, so he digs in. Nana always has good coffee cake.

"I was fourteen when we first met," Nana says.

"Um. What?"

"When we met, I was fourteen and you were in Neverland." She reaches out and puts her hand on his wrist. "Jared, you aren't Jared Padalecki. You're Jared PadaPan."

"Right," Jared says slowly. On top of everything that has already gone wrong that morning, Nana's finally gone 'round the bend. It doesn't really make her any less awesome, but, at least in this instance, it makes her far less helpful.

Jared spends all day talking to the police and the local animal shelters. Nobody can give him anything substantial to go on, and after scouring the neighborhood several times, he's completely exhausted and heartsick. He wonders if his babies are scared, if they're hungry, if they know he's out there looking for them.

Nana has some Chinese takeout waiting for him when he gets back to the house, but he's too sad to eat more than a carton of General Tso's and an egg roll before going upstairs to pass out.

He wakes up in the middle of the night with the vague impression of having dreamt he was a gigantic teddy bear. His cheek stings like a bug bit him, but when he rubs it, there's no tell-tale bump. The room is dark, save for a yellow light hovering in front of his face.

"It's about frickin' time," the light says.

"Um." Jared squints at it and realizes it's actually a fairy. A tiny dude fairy. "I don't remember drinking absinthe. Hey, aren't you supposed to be green?"

"Dude, wake up already. We have to get your dogs back," the fairy says. "Hook has 'em."

He must still be dreaming some fucked-up, crazy, MSG-induced dream. Jared reaches his finger out to touch the fairy anyway. "What's your name, little fella?" he asks softly. He doesn't want to scare it.

"Try it and I will break your finger, so help me," the fairy says. He hovers in front of Jared's face for a moment, hands on his hips before saying, "Really? You don't remember me?" He runs a hand through his hair and starts yelling again, but all Jared can hear is a pleasant twinkling sound, like wind chimes. It dies off after a moment with a sigh of resignation. "I'm Acklebell."

"Acklebell? Really?" Jared snorts and Acklebell gives him a withering glare, which is pretty impressive, given how wee he is. Jared sits up in bed and Acklebell lands on his bent knee. "So what are you doing here? If I can ask that?"

"I'm here to take you to Neverland. You're the PadaPan." Acklebell pauses and looks Jared up and down. "Wow, haven't you gotten big all over?"

Jared blushes. He's pretty sure the fairy just leered at him.

"Anyway, Hook has your dogs. He wants a rematch or something. So, c'mon. Chop chop. We've got to hit the second star to the right and then fly straight on 'til morning."

"Uh, right." Jared shakes his head. "Sorry, tiny fairy dude, but you're a dream and I'm not going anywhere with you."

Acklebell gives him another irritated look. "Are you—" and then the wind chime noises start up again and Jared's whole world flashes bright yellow.

Jensen's life sucks. Hard. If anyone were to ask, Jensen would tell them all the ways in which being a fairy is complete shit. Nobody ever bothers to ask, though, so Jensen has to recite the list to himself.

Jensen reserves the right to add to and/or alter this list at any given time. For the moment, the one thing he's grateful for is the flying. Though, all anyone needs to fly is some of his totally-manly-don't-you-dare-call-it "pixie" dust and a happy thought. But it's definitely useful for hauling his unconscious ex-BFF to Neverland.

He dumps the still-sleeping Jared in the lair of the Lost Boys. It's before noon, so they'll all be abed for a few more hours anyway. He'll go back and provide explanations later. For the moment, he has to head over to Hook's ship to see what sort of harebrained scheme the Captain is up to now.

Unbeknownst to most everyone, Captain Misha C. Hook didn't get his name from the hook he wears—he still has both his hands, he just likes the aesthetics of it. Thinks it's more "piratey". The nickname is actually derived from his penchant for crocheting. In fact, the stocking cap that First Mate Beaver wears is one that Hook knitted for him for Christmas. Jensen knows all of this because he gets bored sometimes and likes to watch through the portholes. Danni calls it creepy, but he thinks she's a little jealous she can't get away with it.

When Jensen arrives at the ship, Hook is on deck, Jared's dogs seated in front of him, their tails wagging.

"Tell me what I want to know," Hook says in a booming voice, addressing the larger of the two dogs. He cocks his pistol and points it at the other dog. "Tell me right now, or the bitch gets it."

The large dog thumps his tail against harder against the deck while the smaller one cocks her head and gives the barrel of the gun a tentative lick.

Hook gives the girl dog a considering look. "Heroics will get you little more than a hole between the eyes."

She yips at him.

Before Jensen can intervene, Beaver clears his throat and says, "Beggin' yer pardon, Captain, but the dogs can't talk."

"That's just what they want you to think."

"No, sir. None of the animals in Neverland speak."

Hook lowers his gun and turns to Beaver. "Of course they do. They don't?" he asks when Beaver shakes his head. "Since when?"

"Since always, Captain."

"Huh." Hook uncocks the pistol and puts it back in his waistband. "Where were we that the animals spoke? I distinctly remember having a rather interesting conversation with two pigs."

"The Animal Farm?"

"Right." Hook strokes his mustache and frowns. "Nasty bit of business, there. I remember why we left now." He looks back at his prisoners and asks, "What's with the dogs then?"

"They're Jared PadaPan's dogs, Hook," Jensen answers over Beaver's long-suffering sigh. "Kidnapped by you in an attempt to get PadaPan to return to Neverland, I assume."

"Acklebug!" Hook goes to clap with delight, remembers he has his hook on and hastily brushes his hand over his coat instead. "Operation Dognap. I didn't realize I'd put that into effect. Good initiative, team!"

The crew mostly ignore him.

Jensen lands on the Captain's outstretched hook and sits down, his legs dangling in the air. If he's being honest, Jensen gets a kick out of the ostentatious pirate. He's pretty harmless, war-mongering dognap plans aside.

"Is the PadaPan here, then, fairy?"

"Sort of," Jensen hedges. "He's here but..."

Hook gives him a questioning look.

"He remembers nothing," Jensen finishes, wincing at how much that bothers him. "He doesn't remember me or you or the Lost Boys. He doesn't remember that he's the PadaPan."

"He doesn't remember me?" Hook asks. "That's absurd. I've been told I'm quite unforgettable."

"Yeah, well." Jensen kicks his legs out, sullen and tired. "He doesn't. I'm going to need some time to try and jog his memory."

"Oh." Hook sounds genuinely hurt. "Oh," he says again, his eyes widening. "That must really suck for you. I mean, weren't you two like best friends forever? Well, clearly not forever, eh?"

Jensen hops off his perch and hovers in front of Hook's face. "Yeah, well fuck you and your stupid fucking games and your goddamn cyborg alligator, anyway. Just make sure the fucking dogs are fed and safe until I can get his goddamn memory back."

When Hook raises an eyebrow, Jensen sighs and repeats himself, leaving out the profanities so that Hook can understand what he's saying.

"It's a robot crocodile!" Hook says as Jensen starts to fly off. "Still can't get the damn thing to stop ticking."

Jensen flips him off, which causes his whole body to glow so brightly that the gesture is completely obscured to the casual eye.

Being a fairy really fucking sucks.

The first thing Jared's aware of upon waking up is that nearly every part of his body hurts in new and interesting ways. His arms ache and his chest feels heavy, making every breath an effort. It takes him a moment to realize it's because someone is sitting on him. He opens his eyes to find a lanky red-headed girl straddling him, her knees pinning his arms to his sides. Well, her knees and what feels like a whole lot of rope. Her attention is focused on the dagger in her hand, her expression caught between thoughtful and mischievous.

It occurs to Jared that if someone were to take a picture at that moment, his career would be over for good. He can see the headline now: Actor Jared Padalecki Enjoys Underage Bondage. Crap.

"Are you awake then, pirate?" The girl grins down at him and presses the tip of her dagger against his chest, which is alarmingly bare. "We were just discussing what we should do with you."

Jared looks around and realizes he's surrounded by children. They're all dressed up in animal costumes, and Jared looks back to the girl who, as it turns out, is dressed like a fox. Jared really really hopes there are no paparazzi in the area.

"How did you find our hideout, pirate?" She slaps his cheek hard. "Be honest and I might show some mercy."

"Ow," Jared says when she slaps him again. "Would you stop that? I'm not a pirate, and you need to put that dagger down before you hurt yourself or, y'know. Me."

"Not a pirate?" The girl seems to find this amusing and the boys around them start to laugh as soon as she does. "Well, you're not a Lost Boy, and you're not a fairy." She looks behind her and then shakes her head. "Definitely not a mermaid. Who exactly are you trying to fool, pirate?"

"Look, I'm not—Could you—" Jared struggles to sit up, but his bindings hold tight. "I'm not a pirate. I'm an actor."

"What's an actor?" one of the boys asks. The others murmur to themselves and the girl gives him a narrow-eyed look of interest.

"I, um. An actor is someone who plays different characters for shows and movies and stuff. I've done mostly TV, but I'm hoping for some bigger movie roles..." He trails off as they start murmuring again.

The smallest boy gets shoved forward and he stumbles before catching himself. He looks back at the others before turning to Jared and asking, "You play make-believe?"

"Sort of," Jared says, because the kid's tone sounds a little impressed. "Yeah, I pretend to be other people and they give me money. It's pretty awesome."

The girl snorts and taps his chest with the flat side of her dagger. "Other people like, say, someone who isn't a pirate?"

"I've never been a pirate! Get off of me! Where the hell am I?" Jared rocks to the side in an attempt to knock her off, but the girl maintains her balance easily, her expression turning from amused to irritated as she does so.

Before she can respond to his outburst, however, a yellow light flies in through the window.

"Danni! Hold on. Wait. He's with me." The yellow light drops the bundle it's carrying and flies closer, placing itself between the girl's face and Jared's, and Jared's fucked-up dream comes back to him full-force.

The boys start making coughing sounds and it takes Jared a minute to realize they're saying, "Ack! Ack! Ack!"

For a moment the fairy glows bright enough that all Jared can see is the light, emitting a furious chiming as the boys all laugh.

"Okay, Acklebell, chill," the girl says. "Explain what's going on now, please."

Acklebell's light fades until Jared is staring at the flutter of his gossamer wings and the lovely curve of his pert little ass. Which is too weird for Jared to contemplate on top of everything else.

"He's the PadaPan," Acklebell says, sounding weary and resigned. "Hook lured him to Neverland by taking his dogs. He's just here to get them back."

Someone coughs bullshit and Acklebell flares bright again, making Jared's eyes water.

The girl studies Acklebell for a long moment before sighing and bringing her dagger down to cut at the ropes across Jared's chest. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asks, clearly not addressing Jared. "I could've helped."

"I thought he'd remember," Acklebell says, so quietly Jared almost misses it. "He doesn't."

"Oh." Her mouth pulls down into a moue of displeasure as she finishes with Jared's bindings. "I'm Danni, by the way," she says dismissively as she climbs off of him. "These are the Lost Boys. Mayhem, TomTom, Rosey, CandyKane, HodgePodge and Steve." She rattles off the names too quickly for Jared to associate them with faces, but he trips up on the last one.

"Steve? Really?"

The kid dressed like a ferret shrugs, so Jared has at least one of them identified.

"Here, I brought you some clothes," Acklebell says, dropping a bundle into Jared's lap.

Jared gives him a grateful smile and dresses quickly, aware that he has been mostly naked for way too long, and that everyone is still watching him. The shirt is some billowy pirate thing, tight across the shoulders, but at least his chest is covered. The pants are about three inches too short, but a far sight better than running around in his boxers. Somehow, though, the fairy forgot to bring him shoes.

"Are you sure he's the PadaPan, Ackleberry?" One of the kids who isn't Steve asks. This one is dressed like a raccoon. "Personally I think you've been huffing too much pixie dust."

"Mayhem," Acklebell says. Then he starts chiming as the boys laugh.

"Seriously," Mayhem continues when he's recovered from the joke Jared clearly missed. He walks over and peers up at Jared, his face scrunched up in contemplation. "You're really fuckin' huge. Get down here, will ya?"

"You've got quite the potty mouth," Jared says, but kneels obligingly, putting himself at eye-level with the rest of the boys.

"Hmmm." Mayhem strokes his chin as the rest of the boys crowd around, studying Jared's face from this angle and that. "Smile," he says then pokes Jared's chin when he does. "Yeah, it's him. Fuckin' dimples."

The boys all make noises of agreement and disband, their interest waning at that conclusion having been reached. When Jared stands up, he finds Danni still watching him, Acklebell perched on her shoulder.

"Welcome to Neverland," she finally says. She doesn't really sound like she means it, though, and Jared wonders exactly how long this dream is going to last.

Jensen sighs as he watches the Lost Boys attempts at teaching Jared how to be the PadaPan. He's impressed they even believe him considering the lackluster results. Jared pretty much sucks.

"So that's your boy, huh?" Danni asks. She winces in sympathy as Rosey pushes Jared from the treehouse platform in an effort to get him to fly. Jared hits the ground hard and stays there for a minute before slowly pushing himself up.

"He's not a boy anymore." Jensen twirls a blade of grass in his hands, wishing it were a sword. Not that a sword that size would do any sort of damage anyway. God, his life is shit. "The sooner we can take him to Hook and get this whole ordeal over with, the better."

"Oh, Acklebell," Danni says sadly, too perceptive by half. "He'll remember eventually."

"Maybe." Jensen opens and closes his wings as he considers it. His whole body feels achy and awful, but like everything else, it's too much for him to know what to do with. He's too small to handle anything but the edges of it, and he sighs again, forlorn.

"Come on," Danni says, her voice artificially chipper. "Let's go teach the PadaPan how to fly before the Lost Boys kill him." She leaps into the fray, charging Jared with her dagger out.

Jared notices her at the last second and jumps aside, narrowly avoiding a blade in his gut. "Jesus, what's wrong with you?" He sounds completely exasperated as Danni spins neatly and starts after him again.

Jensen isn't sure if she's trying to teach him to fly, or if she's trying to kill him before the others do. Either way, he's warmed by her show of loyalty, and leaves his perch, determined to stop the fight that's about to break out before there's actual bloodshed.

"Okay, enough!" Jensen has to shout in order to be heard over everyone else. "This obviously isn't working." He hovers in front of Jared in a somewhat pitiful attempt to protect him. "We need to figure out another plan."

"A higher platform?" HodgePodge suggests.

"Maybe we should take him to the mermaids," Rosey says.

"Pervert," CandyKane coughs into his fist. Jensen waits out the ensuing fistfight before continuing.

"What is your earliest memory?" Jensen asks Jared, looking away when Jared fixes his gaze on him.

Jared's scrutiny makes Jensen feel hot and flustered, which makes it difficult to concentrate. It's a feeling Jensen doesn't care for at all.

"Puberty, I guess? After Nana White took me in. Why?" Jared sounds mystified.

"Nana White?" Jensen asks.

"Betty?" TomTom asks at the same time.

"How did you know her name was Betty?"

Mayhem snorts. "So he's gigantic and stupid. This is pointless. I say we sneak the dogs off Hook's ship tonight and send Sasquatch on his way."

Jensen isn't entirely sure he disagrees, and feels immediately filthy for even mentally siding with Mayhem. But Betty White is a definite sore spot, so his judgment on the issue isn't to be trusted. Jensen shakes his head. "It won't work. The dogs are well-guarded. Beaver's in charge of that," he adds for clarification and the Lost Boys nod.

"You know what?" Danni claps her hands and grins. "I think we should break for lunch."

A look of utter relief passes across Jared's face, and Jensen figures with his size, he probably doesn't skip too many meals. Jensen hovers in front of Jared as the boys scramble around to get the midday meal ready.

"You really don't remember anything?" He knows it's a stupid question, some form of self-torture to make Jared repeat it over and over again. He just can't fathom the fact that Jared could forget him so easily. Not a day has passed where Jensen hasn't thought of him.

"I'm sorry, Acklebell." Jared sounds genuinely regretful, which just makes Jensen angry.

"Whatever." He flies over to snatch an apricot off the table, absconding to a tree branch high enough to keep him safe from the Lost Boys' atrocious manners.

"Grub's on!" Steve shouts.

The Lost Boys dig in without ceremony, filling their plates and bowls with very little regard for what they're grabbing to eat. Jared approaches the table, clearly at a loss as he sits down.

"Where is the food?" he finally asks, and for a moment he looks very much like the boy Jensen once knew as he stares mournfully at his empty plate.

"I thought you played make-believe all the time," Mayhem says suspiciously.

As much as Jensen hates him, he doesn't begrudge Mayhem his anger. Next to Jensen, he was the hardest hit by Jared's disappearance.

"I—Are you serious? You don't even have real food?" Jared throws his hands up in frustration. "What is this place?"

"It's Neverland," Danni snaps. "And the food is as real as you want it to be."

Jensen takes a bite of his apricot, ignoring the juice that runs down his chin. The fruit is perfectly ripe, but Jensen takes no real pleasure from its sweetness. His own disappointment in Jared is reflected in the faces of all the Lost Boys, and Jensen feels a sense of unexpected solidarity. He still hates them, of course, but it's kind of nice all the same.

"You're not even trying!" Mayhem shouts, throwing his spoon onto the table. "Why are you even here? Why don't you take your stupid grown-up stupidness and go be friends with Hook and get your stupid dogs and just GO!"

Jared sputters for a moment before coming back with, "You're the stupid one!"

Mayhem's mouth quirks up. "I know you are, but what am I?"

"Stupid!" Jared shouts, half-standing as he leans over the table.

"Yeah, well, so's your face!" Mayhem jumps up on the bench and turns to shake his ass at Jared before jumping back down.

"Yeah, well..." Jared looks around at the table and reaches down, scooping a handful of pudding out of the bowl next to him. He flings it directly at Mayhem's head, and it hits with a very satisfying splat.

Everyone's quiet in the seconds that follow and Jensen leans forward, his heart fluttering in his chest as Jared looks around. He watches Jared's face, watches as Jared sees, and for the first time since the whole ordeal started, he feels a burst of hope.

"FOODFIGHT," Rosey yells.

Jensen moves to a higher branch, just to be on the safe side, and happily eats his apricot as he watches the chaos below.

PadaPan licks his lips and crows as he surveys the damage. The table is covered with food, sloppy and colorful, and his whole body feels like it's expanding with the force of his mirth.

"What shall we do now?" he asks the Lost Boys as he traces little smiley faces into the frosting covering his arm.

They all seem confused by the question, so PadaPan doesn't wait for them to come up with something. He jumps up and says, "To the mermaids!" He shoots into the air and flies off, aware that none will follow him to Mermaid Lagoon. Despite his repeated assurances that the mermaids are really quite friendly, the rest of the Lost Boys prefer to appreciate them from the safety of the cliffs overlooking Marooner's Rock.

Once he's over the clear blue water, PadaPan dives down, his hands out in front of him. He slips into the waves, moving nearly as easily through the water as he does through the air. Soon enough he is surrounded, and he hears the mermaids' laughter as he kicks his way back to the surface for a much-needed breath of air.

"Is it really you? Surely it can't be!" One of the mermaids bobs in front of him, her bright blue hair floating around her shoulders.

"But it is!" PadaPan grins and wipes his hand over his face.

Most of the food has washed from his skin without much effort, and the rest is being gently brushed away as the mermaids skim their hands over his body, cooing and whispering to each other in their own language, focused on him but somehow ignoring his presence at the same time.

"Have you come to play with us, then?" a pink-haired mermaid asks. She splashes him and darts away.

PadaPan doesn't have the power to withstand such a tempting invitation, and he dives after her. The rest of the mermaids giggle and scatter, and PadaPan chases after them until his limbs are heavy with exhaustion. One never has a chance against mermaids when it comes to swimming games, but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable.

The sun is pink on the horizon when PadaPan drags himself onto the flat of Marooner's Rock and stretches out, his hands laced together beneath his head. A few of the mermaids join him, picking at his shirt and smoothing their hands over his chest as he dries. It's an altogether pleasant sensation, and PadaPan allows the petting, feeling lazy and content.

"Where have you been for so long?" one of them asks. "We thought you'd never return to us."

"So long?" PadaPan laughs. "Surely it's only been days."

"No, it's been longer," another one says. "Look at yourself. You're a man fully-grown."

"Am I?" PadaPan is curious enough to peer over the edge of the rock into the water that's still now that they've stopped splashing around. It's not his own face that looks back at him, but when he smiles, the reflection smiles too.

After trying out several expressions, all of which the reflection keeps up with, PadaPan realizes it is him. Gone are the sharp, youthful angles he's familiar with, features broad and mannish in their place.

"Why, I'm very nearly a pirate!" PadaPan laughs, delighted at this new game. He strongly suspects Acklebell's hand in the transformation and he can't wait to see his friend's reaction when he realizes his mischief's been discovered. "Am I very frightening?" he asks the mermaids.

Their hair shimmers in the fading sunlight as they shake their heads and giggle. For some reason, their coy smiles have him feeling suddenly wary. "Do you like it, then? My looking like a pirate?"

"You are far too comely to be a pirate," one says, and the rest make noises of agreement.

PadaPan stands, ignoring their disappointed cries as his chest moves out of their reach. "It is a fairy trick, nothing more." He starts up into the air and hovers over them, his good humor returning in the face of their exaggerated pouts. "I will return soon, the same as I ever was before." He laughs when they slide off the rock and into the water, ignoring his promise completely.

The moon is bright in the sky by the time PadaPan makes it back to Neverwood. He finds the Lost Boys huddled around the campfire, busily making s'mores.

"Hey!" HodgePodge shouts when PadaPan steals his half-roasted marshmallow and pops it into his mouth.

"Is for horses!" PadaPan hovers in the air just out of reach until HodgePodge finishes his tantrum and turns to roast another marshmallow. Then he settles on the log next to Mayhem.

"Where have you been?"

"Mermaid Lagoon?" PadaPan looks up to find Danni scowling at him.

"Acklebell went looking for you ages ago!" Danni hits his shoulder, nearly knocking him from his seat. "We were worried."

"Ow." PadaPan rubs at the sore spot and frowns at her. "I could've been found easily enough." He remembers his reflection, then, and grins. Acklebell hadn't gone off to find him at all; he was hiding away for fear of discovery.

Danni gives him a fierce look when he laughs, and PadaPan does his best to hide the true level of his gaiety.

"I will find Acklebell and make amends for causing such worry." PadaPan tries to keep his expression as solemn as is possible. He snatches the s'more Mayhem has just finished assembling and darts up into the air. "Peace offering," he says when Mayhem scowls at him.

If Acklebell is truly hiding from him, there's not a chance in the world PadaPan will find him until he's ready to be found. His dear little fairy is far cleverer than anyone else PadaPan has ever known. But he thinks that perhaps Acklebell is only hiding from the rest of the Lost Boys, so he heads for their secret spot, a hideaway known only to the two of them.

Sure enough, when PadaPan makes it through the maze of roots that hide the entrance to the underground lair, Acklebell's glow awaits him. PadaPan rubs at his shoulders as he waits for Acklebell to acknowledge his presence. The roots are rather close together and difficult to navigate at his current size. He resolves to have Acklebell reverse his trickery before they rejoin the Lost Boys.

"Have fun with the mermaids?" Acklebell mutters. Something about the way he asks keeps PadaPan from answering yes.

After what seems like an unusually long time, Acklebell sighs and looks up at him. "I suppose we might as well get this over with." He scowls when PadaPan offers him the s'more, so PadaPan shrugs and eats it himself.

It's been his experience that fairies are strange and temperamental creatures at the best of times, and Acklebell is clearly not at his best.