Never

Chapter Twelve

Lily stood at the peak of the highest cliff, strong wind whipping her long, raven hair into her face. One part of her wanted to raise her trembling hand, to attempt to fix her hair, to brush it out of her face, to make herself more presentable for him. Lily told that part of her to shut the hell up. She was a wild girl now, a Lost Girl. Her hair would do whatever it wanted, as would she. She cast her wavering gaze around, watching in awe as the glowing moon rose higher, stars winking into existence one by one, illuminating this moment.

And then Lily sensed him behind her. He never made a sound, never a falling footstep or a betraying breath to let her know of his location. He moved with an unnatural silence, an inhuman grace. Lily loved it and hated it. But since day one, Lily had always been able to sense where he was in relation to her, how close together they were. When Lily had begun having the feelings, which (though it was mere hours before) felt as if it had been decades ago, she'd often prayed to sense him coming closer, to somehow know that he was coming to her. She'd tried to squash this desire and her feelings entirely, but to no avail. He was Peter and she was Lily and there would always be this strange connection between them.

When Peter's hands reached out for her, tentatively wrapping around her waist to pull her to him, the strange swooping sensation rattled up and down Lily, seeming to shake her bones and squeeze her lungs until she couldn't do a thing but take a slow, sighing breath. She still faced away from him, stepping delicately backwards as he drew her off the tip of the cliff, but she kept her eyes on his hands, sliding over her hips, touching her. How had she not known from the beginning that this was how it was supposed to be?

Lily turned, melting into him. At some point since that afternoon, he'd managed to come up with another shirt, which she ran her fingertips over, dancing along the soft fabric. She sighed softly, her head leaning onto his shoulder, taking in his scent, his warmth. He was strong and sturdy beside her, and yet somehow soft enough to hold and just to want to touch, and he held her there in a crushing hug, eyes closed. Pan dipped his head, chin brushing the hair on the top of her head.

Pan pulled away ever so slightly so he could press his lips to hers quickly. After he pulled away from her mouth, Lily strained to her tiptoes, placing a light kiss on his cheek, and then his jaw, and finally his lips again. This kiss lacked the fire and sense of urgency the others had been full of. It was slow and sweet and nearly painful.

He pulled away once more, shaking hands tucking Lily's hair behind her ears as he murmured, low and broken, "We shouldn't... I'm just a villain, a monster... You deserve someone better than me-"

Lily parted her lips, pressing them against his again, this kiss a little more angry, a little more intense. He responded so enthusiastically that Lily thought she'd finally convinced him that she really wanted to be with him. He pulled away ever so slightly, to Lily's annoyance, but then he mumbled, tripping over his words, "God. God. Lily... If this--if I'm what you really want, I'll never leave you. Not in a thousand years."

"Yes." whispered Lily. "You're what I want."

And then he kissed her, again and again, starting slow and gentle and then faster, hotter. Time passed too quickly, and soon the stars in the sky were many, like a handful of fairy dust scattered on the ground. As Pan wrapped his arms around her, content now just to hold her, she looked up, counting them. He traced his hands up and down her back, gently.

The rest of the night passed like a dream, holding eachother and watching the stars like in a fairy tale, whispering quietly so they wouldn't disturb the moon's peaceful slumber. When they finally staggered back to the camp, exhausted but happy, Pan tucked her carefully into her bed of worn blankets on the ground, lips delicately touching her temple.

"You're more than what Iwant, Tiger. You're what I need."