Yours, now and forever.

Chapter 23

Bella's POV.

I sat watching the fire. Oliver's arm around my shoulders and Noah sitting on my lap. since Pan's little confession, me and Oliver had grown even closer. AS FRIENDS. I didn't love him in the same way he loved me, and he knew that, but I needed someone to just hold me at the minute, and he was the one I trusted the most. Noah was turning the pages of my Charlotte's web as I read it to him. It helped him to sleep without his nightmares. Unfortunately, my coping mechanism had left, so I was still trying to look for one, and going back to my ways of wandering off and staying up through the night. That old feeling of exhaustion and sick greeted me like a toxic old friend, and it all came rushing back. The comments on looking tired. The bags under my eyes. the slow and unmotivated moment.

"why did you do all this for me? he asked. I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."  I read slowly as his little fingers fiddled with the pages.

"Bella." Oliver mumbled, concern in his voice.

"what's up?" I whispered to him. His head nodded upwards. It was only now that I noticed the tall figure of Felix shadowing me. "what do you want?" I asked rather sourly. I know he had been telling the truth, but I still wasn't sure how I felt about him.

"I have to talk to you." he mumbled, his eyes dotting around, probably looking for Pan somewhere.

"make it quick." I said rudely.

"not here." Felix protested through gritted teeth. what did he want to tell me? Is it really that urgent? "we need to go somewhere that Pan won't find us." well that sounds unbelievably sketchy. Ah well it's only Felix, I can beat him up if I need to.

I picked up Noah from on my knee and placed him down next to Oliver where I knew he was defiantly safe. Then, though I really had no patience for it, I followed Felix into the shadows of the trees.

We had been walking for around 10 minutes before I finally said something. "Felix I think we're about a mile into the forest, he's too scared to follow me anyway." Felix stopped abruptly and had a quick look around us. "just tell me for goodness sake." Felix decided that the spot was good enough for his secret and he walked towards me with purpose.

"Do you want to go back?" my mind went blank as I tried to process how random and unplanned his question was.

"um....what?" I said back to him, shoving my neck forward in question.

"Go home. do you want to go back home?" I took a little longer, thinking hard about what he was asking me. On the one hand, where I had lived before was beyond awful and going back there was something I promised I would never EVER do. But on the other hand; going home didn't mean I had to go back to my dad. I could survive on my own, and on top of that, I could hardly wake up in the morning in fear of having to go and face Pan. I pondered my answer looking back into his impatient eyes.

"why, can you get me there?" I said, admittedly, not answering his question. but I wanted to know why he was asking first. He sighed, shooting looks back over his shoulder.

"There's a ship, it'll take you home." his sentences were separated, just in case Pan perhaps caught him off guard. "it'll take you to a new family who will welcome you in, you AND Noah." my heart skipped a beat. the thought of a new family was brilliant. but a new family AND I get to still have Noah with me? It was  a dream. "I'm not saying you have to go. but if you do, the ship will wait for you at skull rock tomorrow night." I listened intently to the instructions. "Pan can't stop you from going either. So even if you told him. He can't force you to stay."

"why are you doing this?" I whispered.

"I can see that you're miserable. I know you loved him and I'm sorry he didn't love you back. but that doesn't mean you should suffer." for the first time ever, words I never thought I would say to Felix left my mouth.

"Thank you."

"It's fine. Now get back to the camp. And make sure you aren't followed." I nodded and began sprinting back in the direction we had walked. Leaving Felix on his own in the clearing we had been stood.

I arrived back at the camp. Pan had now joined the boys and was playing his pipes. Over the past few months I had been able to hear them again. I never did find out why. I sat myself down in my original position. Noah being passed back over to sit on my knee and Oliver wrapping his arm around me once more. I glanced to the side to see Pan scowling through us. Attempting to burn a hole into our brains with his glare. I brushed it off and rolled my eyes so obviously that I knew he had seen it. "so, what did Felix want?" Oliver said in my ear. I thought for a second, pondering a way to phrase it.

"I.....think I'm going back home." Oliver leaned away from me, his eyes widening in shock and his jaw dropping open.

"what?" he nearly shouted, catching the attention of a few boys near by.

"shshsh!" I said harshly. "He said he's found a way for us to leave. And a knew family for me and Noah." I whispered.

"Bella, please tell me you're joking." he breathed, worry in his eyes that I was being serious.

"Oliver..." I grabbed his face, moving it to make straight eye contact with me. "I am deadly serious." his mouth was still gaped open.

"well, y-your not gonna actually leave are you?" he interrogated me as if the answer was a simple yes or no. He had no idea the thought process that was going on in my head. questioning every little detail.

"I don't know." I said with a sigh. "I mean, of course I don't wanna leave you." he forced an awkward smile onto his face as I reassured him. "but, Noah has lived long enough without a mum, and I have lived my whole life without a functioning family. Both of us have!" I pleaded my case in an annoyingly desperate tone. "Don't you think we deserve to have a happy life? where were taken care of?" guilt slowly morphed itself onto his face. He knew I was right, but I knew he didn't want to admit it. "please try to understand Oliver." I whispered sadly. There was a long pause as he stared, emotionless at the blazing flames;  while Noah played with the pages of my book, blissfully unaware of the conversation we were having.

"When do you leave?" he finally mumbled, turning again to face me.

"Tomorrow night." his eyes shot up behind me, then back to mine. he nodded his head forward at whoever was behind me.

"Does Pan know?" I turned around to see Pan's head snap back to stare into the fire, wrath and rage in his eyes. He had obviously been staring over. He had been doing that a lot lately.

"I don't think so." I shook my head. He looked down and nodded his head a little, whispering under his breathe and letting his eyes dot around, making a plan in his mind.

"Right." He said suddenly. "If Pan doesn't know then we're basically safe. you can get away easily, no one has to know." I listened intently. my heart beating at 1000 miles an hour at the thought of actually escaping Neverland. "If he does...well we have an issue. He's gonna try to convince you to stay so during the day, you have to make sure he knows. YOU. ARE. IN. CONTROL. HERE." I nodded at every emphasised word he spoke. "if he still doesn't let it go...tell me. I'll keep him away from you when you're getting to...wherever it is you need to go with Noah." I smiled slightly at him. He really was amazing, he was willing to put himself in Pan's way so I could get us home, I had no idea how I could repay him. "You just worry about getting Noah and you home ok? I will hold Pan until midnight, then I'll let him free. So make sure you are where you have to be before then. ok?"

I nodded. "Ok." he breathed in and out before pulling me into a suffocating hug.

"I'm gonna miss you so much." he muffled into my hair, letting a few tears roll down his cheek and splash onto my dress. I tightened my arms around him, and pulled him even closer.

"I'm gonna miss you too." I let the same tears roll down my own cheek and settle onto his mucky shirt. we pulled away, sniffling and laughing a little at ourselves.

"Alright." he said. "Let's get you two out of Neverland."