Gwen had to drive to Pauline's house, since she realized she had unconsciously stopped at her old apartment. The result of becoming a befuddled mess thanks to Belle dropping bombshells every two minutes. Belle ordered to drop her off and meet up at the old apartment noon the next day.

Paris.

Gwen had never been to Paris. She hadn't been outside of England. Now she was preparing to go on a crazy road trip. She did not even know how long this would take. Once Peter was found, they would have to head to wherever Skul was to save Pauline. It was unnerving, preparing to dive into the unknown.

"You're late, sweetie. Caught in the rain?" Mrs Gonzales already had dinner laid out on the dining table. Gwen's heart sank, she would leave the poor woman to take care of herself while she went on this crazy goose chase. But it was all with the intention to bring her daughter back to complete their family.

After dinner, Gwen sat at the edge of Mrs Gonzales's bed as she took her medications.

"Mrs. Gonzales, you've already done so much by taking care of me..." Gwen started.

"What's this all about, sweetie?" The old woman was confused as Gwen tucked her into bed.

"Please listen. I can't let you keep living like this because you deserve better, you deserve your daughter back." Gwen let out a shaky sigh before continuing.

"I... Will get her back, I promise you. I'm leaving tomorrow. I've gotten lead. I'm sorry, but nothing you say is going to stop me from going. I will find Pauline, if it's the last thing I do," Gwen looked up to see the confused eyes of her caretaker.

"Gwen... I-" Gwen presumed the stubborn look in her eyes made it clear to the woman there was no convincing once she had made up her mind. She clasped both of Gwen's hand together and brought them to her chest.

"My dear, I would hate for you to hurt yourself, but I know I can't stop you. Please take care of yourself. I cherish you like a child of my own," she said.

Gwen felt a sob lodge in her throat, her eyes getting watery. For Mrs Gonzales alone, she would face Skul head on and bring Pauline back. Mrs Gonzales was the mother she never had. Gwen was not planning to let her down.

She said a prayer under her breath and placed a kiss on Gwen's hands. "Please keep both my girls safe, Lord."

Gwen let out a sad smile and enveloped her in a hug. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I will bring Pauline back to you safe and sound, nothing will stop me. I promise."

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Gwen packed her backpack with whatever she deemed necessary, got on to writing an absent letter to the university, and tried to get some shut-eye.

Early the next morning, she said her goodbyes to Mrs Gonzales and informed her for the period that she would be gone, she called the hired caretaker to replace her. Reluctantly, Mrs Gonzales agreed. Gwen drove straight to the university and submitted her letter to the office.

Thankfully, she had no friends that would question her disappearance. However, as she was walking out of the admin office, she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. She shrugged it off and headed over to her car to fill its tanks with petrol for their long journey.

Little did she know; the eyes following her were far from gone.

-----------------------------

Belle was already waiting. She sat cross-legged on the pavement beside the entrance of the apartment building. A laptop was balancing on her knee as she ran her fingers along the keys of the board. Gwen pressed her car horn, signalling the girl who slapped her laptop shut and strode over. She got in and threw a backpack over to the back seat.

"We've got a four hour drive to the Folkestone terminal, we'll take the Eurostar across to Calais-Fréthun. Then on, we'd be taking buses to Marne-la-Vallée," Belle explained. Gwen nodded.

An awkward silence stretched on as Gwen drove out of town and into the highway. Trees stretched out on either side whizzing in a blur, the sky was cloudy and the roads were relatively empty. Gwen glanced at the petite figure on her passenger seat. She was typing on her laptop once again.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked, breaking the silence.

"Work," she replied without looking.

Gwen tried to start some small talk, "Oh, what kind of work?"

"None of your business."

And it was back to the awkward silence. Gwen allowed herself to fill time by figuring out Belle's situation herself. She remembered Dr. Young, the ex-scientist from the Neverland Bioengineering Foundation, telling her that none of the test subjects in the foundation survived except Peter. Then here Belle was. Apparently a survivor. Unless she was lying. Was it a good idea to trust her? Gwen had already poured her trust into a couple of people she shouldn't have. She should learn by now. Yet here she was, on a road trip to France with a girl she met only yesterday.

Who was this girl to Peter? A friend? Something more? Or was she just Skul's pawn?

Belle shut her laptop and slid it back into her bag, then leaned back against the seat, folding her arms.

"So what's the deal with you and Peter, anyway?" She asked nonchalantly.

"None of your business." If Belle was not planning to open up. Neither would she.

Belle let out a laugh, "You're witty. Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me the truth. Are you really a test subject from the foundation? My sources say only Peter survived." Gwen cut straight to chase the moment she allowed it.

Belle stared at the road ahead for a long moment before talking. Her eyes were hard and distant. "I was more than just a test subject..." She started off.

"I mean I technically was, for half of my time there. Then... Let's just say I got promoted. I was part of a project of brain development. Enhancements of cognitive functions and what not. They completed their testings and decided to use me in their team of scientists as their software developer," she explained.

"How do I know you're not lying? And that you're actually Skul's pawn or something?" Gwen asked.

Belle shrugged. "Nothing I can do to make you believe me. But here we are anyway," she said.

"Fine... So you escaped the foundation somehow-"

"By hacking the security systems," Belle added.

"Okay... And you made friends with Peter. How do I know if you're not one of the scientists still testing on him, like Skul?"

"Stop mentioning Skul will you," she said in a distaste, called him a few names before continuing, "No, I was part of another project. Peter... He... was a special case," she said trailing off.

"The project he was part of, was off-limits. Confidential. Only a handful of scientists They allowed only a handful of scientists be involved... Skul was one of them. Before he turned the company in and stole Peter away," she said glaring at the windshield as of Skul was plastered on it.

"He ruined his life even more. I warned Peter... But Skul has a way with words... He can make you believe what you want to believe."

"Hypnosis..." Gwen muttered.

"Maybe. Once Skul left him, even I could not help Peter..."

"Why didn't you?!" Gwen exclaimed. "You let him run on the loose killing children?!"

"Well I didn't know what I could do!" She retorted.

Gwen groaned in frustration, "Just be there... For him. That was all he needed..." She trailed off with a sigh. Then turned her attention back on the road, glancing at the rear-view mirror at the car behind hers.

"Whoever you are to Peter, you're definitely the first to be overly concerned of his well being."

"Any normal friend would be, Belle," she snapped back, glancing at the rear-view mirror again. Something felt off.

"Peter doesn't have many friends. He keeps the most of them at a distance anyway. I'm starting to think you're more than just-"

"Belle. I think someone is following us," Gwen slowed down slightly and noticed the familiar face in the car behind her.

"Well screw it..." Gwen muttered.

"It's James."

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A/N: Hey, lost boys! Leave a vote and comment!