Captain's Quarters (Sequel to The Piper Boy)

The shore was lit with a thousand shining stars. Amily supposed everything was brighter in Neverland, everything was clearer and more defined. The eerily perfect crescent moon seemed to make every shadow jump out at you.

Pan's essence was everywhere. He was the living embodiment of the island and he existed in every part of it. He lived in the trees and the sand and in every scared soul that thought they were clever enough to evade him but were proven wrong in an instant. Neverland was the place of dreams, why would anyone want to leave? The hypnotized stayed. The brave never held back.

Amily couldn't remember what she was running from or if that thing had found her yet. She was entranced by the brightest of the stars and the pull of the moon. She sat down on the sand and forgot. There was nothing but her and the tide and the sky.

Despite everything she had been through, Amily was sure that Neverland was her favorite place in the universe. It sure was the most beautiful. But what had happened here... she couldn't forget it fast enough. But it was inked to her memory, it would never fade.

Amily breathed in deeply and put her hand to her face. She didn't recall crying, but the tears stroked her face tenderly like the hand of a lover. She laid back on the sand and looked up at the sky. What she wouldn't give for just a little bit of fairy dust.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" said a voice beside her. Amily didn't get up. She wasn't afraid. This night was so perfect, nothing bad could happen here.

"It sure is. I can see why you like it here, Pan" The moon cast his shadow across the sand like spilt ink. She heard no noise as he laid back down on the sand beside her.

"I love it here" he corrected her. "But there's always been something missing" Amily knew what he was referring to and almost laughed.

"Something you'll never find" she pointed out. Pan chucked beside her.

"You really think that's true? Don't you know? Peter Pan never fails" Amily detected something in his voice. It was flat and lifeless, like instead of proving something to her he was trying to prove it to himself.

Amily sat up to look at Pan. She'd never give in to any ploy but the dullness in his voice sounded genuine.

He could've been asleep but Amily knew he wasn't. He had that playful smirk on his face yet his eyes were closed. Pan's eyelashes cast spidery shadows across his cheeks. He looked paler than ever in the moonlight. In that moment, if she tried hard enough, Amily could probably convince herself that she loved the boy in front of her. This was no monster. He was every bit as vulnerable as she was.

But Amily knew first hand. This was another one of Pan's games and never again would she fall for them.

"I do think it's true. I believe it with every fibre of my being. You have no heart nor soul" Pan opened his eyes at her words yet he said nothing.

"Yet you fear something. I know it because I've seen it flicker across your face when you think I'm not looking. You fear dying alone, unloved" Amily realized she was still crying and she willed her body to stop. Pan just stared.

"And I feel nothing but pity for you, Pan. If things had gone differently, maybe I could've been yours. Maybe we could've had a life together" It wasn't completely true. Things couldn't work between them anyway, Peter Pan was a monster. He could only hate. Amily froze as Pan lifted his hand to stroke her face.

With his thumb her traced patterns across her cheeks and wiped the tears aside. He grinned and leant in close to whisper something, never tearing his luscious green eyes away from her blue ones.

"Don't you see, Amily? You're already mine. And you always will be" Pan leant in a little closer, his eyes closed.

'Oh, god' Amily thought to herself. 'Wake up... wake up!'