The Jewel of Neverland

Chapter 24

Peter had transported us to his Thinking Tree, away from Skull Rock and the others. Hours ago we had been under that same tree, wrapped in each other's arms.  Now, we both stood there, silent.  Images of Henry's lifeless body made me my head feel heavy and my legs weak.

The silence between us was numbing.  Peter stepped closer to grab onto my arm, but I pushed him away and he let me. We stood there, under his tree.  My eyes were trained onto the ground, trying to focus on anything but Henry. Peter had turned his head up to the darkened sky.  The moon was still eclipsed. 

He flicked his wrist and the moon's light resurfaced. "I always win," he whispered.

Unable to stop myself, I let out a fumbling whimper. I felt his eyes focus on me.

"You're still shaking," he commented. "You know; I didn't think it was possible for you to get any paler."

I ignored him.  I didn't care what he thought of me.  My legs were too weak, I had to sit.  I strode over to the tree's large trunk, my knees buckled underneath me and I dropped to the ground. After a few more minutes of silence, I brought my eyes to him.

His eyes had once been green, now they were a dark black.  "Don't be afraid of me," he said softly.

I tried to speak, I really did. I opened my mouth, but my throat wanted to keep the words away.

He walked over to a nearby rock and set down the little box that had been in his hands.  The same box that contained Rumpelstiltskin.  He walked back over to me, closer to where I sat, but still kept his distance. Peter took his steps slowly and carefully towards me, as if I were a bomb that would explode at any minute.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Amy," he whispered. The closer he became, the harder it felt to breathe. My chest was heaving.  My thoughts replayed Henry's body hitting the cave floor.

Peter knelt down in front of me and for a while, he just stared as though he were trying to decide what to do.

Finally, he reached out and touched my cheek. I flinched in response, squeezing my eyes shut and turning my head away.

He pretended not to notice and that it didn't bother him.  But I knew it had.

"I would never hurt you," he swore, the silence of the island making his words seem louder than my thoughts.

Of course I knew that he wouldn't hurt me.  He'd saved my life more than once.  I turned my head to look at him once more.  He was so clueless.  Did he not understand that it wasn't myself that I was concerned about? Could he not see how my heart ached for Henry? For him?

After my silence, he let out a frustrated roar.  "Why won't you talk?!" His anger sent the leaves on the forest floor flying away from him. 

His outburst had startled me.  He'd always known me better than I did.  He'd always known what would happen next.  But he had never seen me like this before.  I had never been like this before.

And it scared him.

I breathed deeply and tried to calm myself down.  I realized I had been crying.

He stared at me for a few moments. Then, slowly, he seemed to understand that I was trying. His expression softened and he carefully brought his hand to my neck. His fingers were cool against my hot skin and his touch calmed the storms of my breathing.  I shut my eyes peacefully.  His fingers trailed down to my throat and he brushed some hair aside. "I left quite the marks on you, didn't I?"

After a few seconds, I managed a nod and we chuckled. He ran his thumb back and forth across his bite marks, pressing down slightly. At first, the tenderness of the bruises made me wince, but a warm tingling feeling spread and made the pain fade away. Slowly, I reached up and poked at my neck, my fingers brushing against his. The bruises were gone. Henry's heart had made him more powerful after all.