The Land of Dreams

30: BELLE

James rushed towards her, a flabbergasted expression on his face. "What in the-" he started and then looked at Peter, who had fallen onto the ground, clutching his bloody nose. James laughed and so did the pirates.

A few boys hoisted Peter up to his feet and James handed him a spare napkin to staunch the blood that oozed down his face, staining his dirty green shirt a nasty dark auburn. Cara, her temper having now dissipated rather quickly, walked up to the crying boy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She gushed and took the already blood soaked napkin away from Peter, who stared at her through teary eyes. She made the boy sit down on her rock and dabbed gently at his broken nose with a handkerchief she got from Andy-Smee, who stared up at her with admiration.

"I missed you Mama Cara," he'd said adorably, before backing away, a little green from all that blood coming from Peter. Cara made a mental note to hug each and every one of her boys later that day. She'd missed them dreadfully as well.

Her violent outburst, followed by her compassionate spirit, stunned the pirates, as well as James, who frowned inquiringly at his love. Her mood swings will forever confuse me; he thought listlessly and then chuckled. She has a good arm on her though.

"I lost control, I'm sorry." She said and then snorted a bit. "I'm a lot stronger than I thought, I suppose." And to her utter surprise, Peter started to wail. Great, heaving, hiccup-inducing howls very much similar to James'.

Peter wailed not only in shock of seeing his first love breathing again, not just because his nose throbbed in time with his heart beat, but for all the suffering he'd caused over the past few decades. Seeing James Hook, a boy who Peter had always, in some sense, looked up to suddenly shatter completely due to something Peter made happen, destroyed him.

He bawled for all the Lost Boys he'd massacred, wept for the anguish he'd inflicted and stunts he'd pulled. He also cried for the Lost Boy named Peter, who had only wanted to be appreciated and loved, but was later besieged by the darkness that lurks inside all of us.

Wiping away his tears, he looked up at Cara, who had a supportive look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Cara. For everything. The shadow told me to, forced me to do all of those unspeakable things to you, to all of you." He looked out at the horde of pirates and Lost Boys that stood before him.

"I've built myself a wall made of deception, of envy and loathing and I've caused all of you so much destruction for no reason. And I'm sorry. I swear right here, right now I will never do that again."

"Oh Peter," Cara cried and wrapped the boy up in a strong, motherly hug. In spite of it being challenging for her to say – he had killed her after all – she said the words that she knew he needed to hear: "I forgive you, Peter. We all do." And then pressed her lips to his cheek.

With that little peck on his cheek, the last bit of Shadow left in Peter swarmed out, forming a face of a screaming boy, the yells of which were subdued and echoed faintly, the agonized screams seeming to come from far away. Cara yelped, jumping away from Peter and into James' arms.

They all watched as Peter, now sober with a sincere expression on his face, turned to the demonic face. "Be gone, Shadow," he said, glaring at the vile creature. "You have brought me nothing but misfortune and distress. You have wreaked devastation over these poor, innocent people, destroying all that they love dear. Love that you will never experience," he said and pointed at Cara.

"That's Cara Darling, and that other girl you met was Wendy Darling. It was lack their love for me that both brought you into this world, and now it will be their love for me that will kill you. Think of this as your only hope at ever being loved. Leave me and this world and if you dare come back, I will make sure your death, fit for a thousand demons, shall be placed upon you. Now go, you repulsive beast!"