The Monster Under My Bed • Peter Pan, Once Upon A Time •

Epilogue

Guess what! You were right, there's more!
——————————————————————

Pan found himself awakening on the shoreline of an unusually cold beach. The sand was soaked enough to stick to his skin. Immediately, he coughed; water escaping his lungs as he sat himself up and took in his surroundings. It was the daytime; the sun beaming down, and yet the clouds drowning out its blinding touch. Right away he jolted up and began searching around. He knew that the curse would transport everything from the island, and that regardless of if she was dead, Adelaide's body would have come with him.

As he walked along the shoreline he knew already that this island was different than his Neverland he'd grown oh so familiar with. He searched as far as he could and when he caught the slightest glimpse of a body, he tested his magic and appeared next to it. He looked down at her motionless body, and instantly grief overwhelmed him. Nobody else resides on the New Neverland; at least, not yet, so he had no worries about showing emotion and allowed tears to brim his eyes. He dropped to his knees and turned her to face him, staring at her sadly. As he leaned down, he felt a heartbeat from her chest. It was in that moment he remembered that his heart resided inside of her.

His next point of action was to search for her impaled heart. He knew that because of the curse being cast, and the addition to time standing still, he only had moments left to stop the dreamshade from entirely consuming it into nothing. His eyes darted from tree branch to rock, pebble to sea, and then he saw it. He flicked his wrist and it evaporated into his hand from its hiding place on the shore; the knife still sticking out of it and the pitch black vines of the dreamshade trapped in a time loop of stillness. He removed the dagger quickly and right away he placed her heart, and her, under a sleeping curse by pricking her finger on a needle he laced with magic in order to preserve everything he could about her: her youth, her body, her soul. He then made it a mission of himself to search for a place on this new island where he could keep her.

This Neverland wouldn't be like the old. He'd no longer keep his valuables in a chest inside a treehouse. He needed a cavern for safe keeping. He appeared at the top of the highest peak of the tallest mountain, and as he stared on; he couldn't help but allow a grin to creep up on his face. This was no mere island. This was it's own realm.

Though he knew he had time for admiration later. He turned around and began climbing, searching for a place. That's when he found it. He cautiously paced into a hidden cave. A very large cave. As he entered, he saw something truly beautiful. The cave was large enough to be the throne room of a king. That he was, but no throne room would this be. When he looked up, the cave was flooded with light. There was crystals of various shades of blues and turquoise glowing and glistening across the whole roof of the cavern, making him smile. A pool of water trickled down from a breach closer to the peak of the mountain. He knew she'd be safe here. He flicked his wrist once more and she appeared, clean, healed and glowing beautifully in a white dress, laying, but hovering in suspended green magic.

Next, he took her heart and placed it in a glass box, enchanting it so that only he could open it. He knew he'd make plentiful enemies in the future- in his journey to get her back. He knew those enemies would take their revenge on him by going after her. And he knew that the only way to someday wake her would be with true love's kiss. He knew he may not posses the power to bestow it.

It was his only choice.

He took the crystal box in his hands and with a wave of his hand elevated a stone staircase to her resting place; stepping up and up until he reached her and placing the box under her hands; which lay gently across her chest. He leaned his face close to hers and took in her delicate features, putting his hand tenderly against her soft cheek. Her eyes were closed, and he made it his personal vengeance against himself to once more gaze into them. As he stared at her, fast asleep and trapped within time, he spoke the words that he would once more repeat when he finally got his little lost girl back. He spoke them so softly, that in the enormous cavern, there was no echo to surround him in his remorse.

"To live would be an awfully big adventure,"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: ofc I couldn't leave y'all without a heartfelt, venge ridden Pan: who do you think I am?

HOLY JESUS MY HEART HURTS.

this was so emotional for me to write but I got in the zone and it only took me 4 days and 17 hours!!

guyyyyyyyys im gonna miss this book so much!!

I'm lowkey already having ideas for a sequel but I don't want it to fizzle because the sequel is never as good as the original- BUT STILL I SET IT UP JUST IN CASE THERE IS A HIGH DEMAND FOR MORE

If requested: I am open to bonus chapters but I don't wanna overdue it... yeah

ALSO: By the time this is published there will be a playlist up on youtube (and if requested than I will also post it on spotify) for the "soundtrack" to this book. I made a separate youtube account just so that I could make it, so if you'd like to read and listen along than simply search up "The Monster Under My Bed 'soundtrack'" and it should appear with the user being the same as my account on here

yes, I realize there is no A/N on the previous chapter BUT I FRIGGIN HAD TO MAKE IT DRAMATIC, OKAY?

Anyways, I really enjoyed taking you all on this journey and I look forward to hopefully writing more content in the future (other books coming,,, TBD)

I Love EVERY single one of you so very much. The support and love I have received on this book over the years truly means the world to me, and without it, I honestly would not have continued this into a fricken 55 chapter book! I mean it when I say every ounce of my heart loves all of you!

-Rose! :D Xx

P.S. We've had a good run. To write for you would be an awfully big adventure.