White Lily - A Peter Pan Fanfiction [2/3]

Chapter 12

Hercules thought it wasn't his place to explain what he meant and with Pan deciding we had bargained long enough in the open, it was time to head back home. I gave Hercules a quick hug before Pan emerged from the darkness, standing all proper in his black suit and red tie. I looked his way, smiling a little before walking over to him.

"You're lucky Jane didn't decide to attack," he grumbled and swallowing down the lump in my throat, I shrugged.

"Doesn't matter," I said softly and I heard him sigh, taking hold of my hand as we weaved ourselves through the town.

"It does because with every waking second we're out here –"

"Peter," I cut him off, pausing in my footsteps. He stopped as well, looking back at me with a tired yet...somewhat gloomy expression. "We can't keep living in fear."

"We're not even living," he said quite sternly and I dropped my gaze. He had an unfortunate point...

For the rest of the journey, it was silent until I chirped up, "where'd Felix go?"

"He returned to work," Pan replied simply and I nodded, finally reaching our house. We walked inside and when he closed the door behind me, I stopped again. He shoved his hands into his suit pockets, staring at me for a moment while I glared out into nothingness. I couldn't get what Hercules said out of my mind. Would it be rude of me to ask who...she was? Of course I knew it would be Rumple's mother, but...I was curious and...yes, I admit, was jealous. Why? Because she – whoever she was – and Pan shared something we most likely never could, considering our current fates: a child. "Are you okay, my love?" Love...who had he loved before me? Why hadn't he mentioned anything before? Gulping, I took a deep breath and took hold of my arms, looking up.

"Hercules mentioned something interesting," I started and already, Pan rolled his eyes.

"You're believing a lot this boy says."

"Because he knows what he's talking about."

"Does he?" Listening to the tone of his reply, I wondered if...Pan knew what Hercules said. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but his sudden anger died down a little and his expression showed self-annoyance; his eyes didn't meet mine for a while but when they did, they were soft and genuine. "I had no reason to ever mention her." So he does know...I took a step forward and took hold of his hands within my own, trying to read his exhausted expression. When would they day come where I would see him alive again? Where we would be together and happy? Would that day ever come?

"You don't have to," I choked out but deep down, I wanted to know and he could tell: he shook his head gently, sighing as his hands escaped mine and his back turned to me.

"It was centuries ago," he started, and I raised my chin a bit, holding my non-existent breath. "Serena..." I knew he was struggling and I walked back over to him, rolling back my lips as the back of my hand gently caressed his arm from behind. When he turned around, his hand placed itself against my cheek and to my surprise, I could see his eyes welling up with tears. "My heartbreak has destroyed me twice. When I lost my first love...Fiona...I turned into someone – something horrible and you know what that monster did. " I did know. It was the monster that had kidnapped me, destroyed my family and destroyed my entire kingdom. But he was merely a broken boy who masked himself behind a veil of darkness and villainy. I'd always thought he was born and destined for evil, but the saying remains true: evil isn't born, it's made. "And then, when I lost you..." My death broke him even more... didn't it? Pan pulled me into an embrace and I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around him. "I never thought I could love again...until I met you." And through my own tears, I smiled, digging my face further into his suited chest. I wished I could feel his warmth, his heartbeat, but I couldn't feel nor hear anything. It added to my heartache and the thirst for life both of us shared and always would share.

Our moment was shortly ended when he pulled away, his hands grasping my shoulders and his eyes filled with an unknown determinedness...and sorrow. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

He smiled and took hold of my hands in his like I had done so before, placing a kiss against my knuckles.

"When we leave here, alive..." he stopped and I patiently waited: we had eternity, anyway. "I want a second chance at life with you." And with those words, my smile only broadened as I nodded.

"Yes, yes, Peter," I said and threw my arms around his neck, closing my eyes as his arms wrapped around my torso.

"No pixie dust, no island," he started and I could feel tears stinging from happiness. But just as I thought the moment couldn't get any better, his next words seemed to heal every broken memory and painful heartache I'd ever known. "Be my wife, Serena."

And I clutched onto him more, starting to feel a sense of happiness and hope. Was the Underworld giving an exception to his moment? I didn't care and nor did I worry about it.

"Yes," was the only word I needed to say and the only word he needed to hear.

And in that moment, the two of us knew we would do anything to escape the Underworld...no matter what it took, we'd get out alive so we could have our own happy ending...and our own second chance at life, together.

+++

I spent centuries with Peter, living a life in Neverland I never wouldn't exist. I'd expected to roam the island with him until time itself was brought to a stop. And he expected the same. But there was something I had secretly hoped for and that hope was now blossoming between the two of us: the possibility of living a normal life with the person I loved. I didn't need the king of Neverland, I didn't need the fairy tale life I'd expected to only live. I only needed him to be happy.

After his proposal, he sat down and explained how Fiona's death affected his relationship with Rumple. It all pieced together and made sense, how he blamed his son for the loss of his love and how he couldn't be a parent without Fiona's pillar of support. His story crushed me, as I never knew about his true past and now that I did... I felt horrible that I couldn't do anything about our situation. Heck, we even had a rabid Jane who was fuelled with revenge and out to 'kill' me, but I tried not to think about that: we'd worry about it when the time came.

Felix came around after his shift came to an end, accompanied by Hercules (which mildly annoyed Pan until we realised what he'd brought with him). Placing down a book, Felix folded his arms and wore a smug expression.

"We found something," was all he said, sharing a confirmed glance with Hercules before Pan reached out, snapping the book from the table and flicking through it's pages with utter desperation.

And that's when he found it.

"Oh my," he mumbled and holding my arms close to my chest, I looked over to Hercules; with a smile, he nodded once. Huh? What is it that they've found? My gaze met Pan's just as his gaped mouth turned into a sinister smirk.

"This changes everything," he sneered, slamming the book closed and getting to his feet, his fingers momentarily stroking his chin.

"What is it?" I annoyingly butt in. Why is it always me that's confused and left out of information?

"I know how we can escape the Underworld."