Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan, or else I would be very rich.

A/N: Ooh, ominous title. Let's see if the chapter itself is so terrifying.

Summary: When Peter comes to take Jane to Neverland he notices something is troubling her. She's about to turn thirteen, turn into a young lady. And who is this new pirate out for revenge? Will Jane choose to grow up and forget Peter, or stay with him forever in Neverland?And is it just Jane or does Peter look…older?

Forever in Neverland

Chapter 10:

Tears and Goodbye

Tinker Bell was lost.

Everything had happened so fast. Everything became so dark all of a sudden. Even the pirates seemed to sense the difference in the darkness, the one who held her let her slip away as they all muttered nervously. She quickly made her way to where she knew Peter was. He had to still be there, but everything had happened so quickly.

Sapphire was taunting, Sapphire was holding her sword over Peter's head, then there was a loud noise and the lights went out and Sapphire was screaming.

None of that mattered!

It would serve that horrible girl right. Tinker Bell didn't have Peter's memory. She didn't remember if that ominous, pale girl truly was one of his companions once upon a time. They all seemed to blur into one singular rival over time to her. But if she was… if she was how dare she turn against him? He never did anything wrong, he only ever wanted to have fun. It didn't even matter to her that Neverland couldn't survive without him as a permanent fixture. It didn't matter that it was probably falling apart right now and that was what was causing the darkness.

What mattered was that he was Peter, her Peter.

She could barely light up the darkness, but she could see his form on the ground. Her heart threatened to beat out her chest and the deathly silence was drowned out by her frantic chiming when she noted he wasn't moving. She quickly flew to his head, then to his neck. They were still firmly attached to one another.

The adrenaline rush was over and she breathed a sigh of relief. She flew down and perched onto his shoulder, enjoying how it slightly shifted with his every breath. She needed a nap.

Sapphire had never believed that you actually saw your life flash before your eyes when you died. Well, she had never believed she would ever die. But here she was, she was sure she was dying, and she was seeing everything again.

She wasn't sure what had happened. She was seconds away from her greatest victory, from avenging her fallen mentor, when everything fell apart. From the corner of her eye she had seen a sudden movement. She chose to ignore it but then a gunshot rang out and she felt an intense pain in her side. She could hear herself scream out – like a child! Her mind growled – and then she was falling backwards.

The torches went out with her downfall and everything faded to black.

Only it didn't stay black for long. One second she was wondering why it was that she felt somewhat wrong with how she had acted in her life and the next she was a small child again. Barely old enough to go to school without crying, until she met a girl with bright blue eyes and bouncy brown curls, and then school became an adventure.

Mary.

She remembered that name. In the state she was in, she didn't hold it any malice. Mary Darling, her very best friend. The girl who taught her that the monster in the closet was really just an over-sized bunny that wanted to be her friend but was too shy to come out and play. The girl who could turn her plain, perfectly trimmed backyard into a safari or an underwater wonderland. The girl who held her as she cried for hours when her parents told her they would be moving to America. The girl who told her about Peter Pan and Neverland.

Peter Pan.

She remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on him. He had snuck in through the open window with a little light chiming after him in what seemed like anger – if you could speak 'twinkling' angrily. He smiled at their story, telling them he would gladly take them with him to spend forever together as children. Neither she nor Mary did well at flying at first, which caused Tinker Bell to practically radiate with joy, but then they held hands and helped each other fly across the night sky towards the second star on the right.

They had a wondrous time in Neverland. Not counting the unwanted bath from the mermaids, but they got back at them by tricking them into believing that mud was used on earth to give them luxurious silky hair. – She wanted to laugh at that, but she couldn't find her voice. - The Lost Boys of her time were quite energetic and she prided herself on the fact that they considered her a better storyteller than Mary; not that she would ever rub it in her face.

She even enjoyed joining them in their battles against the pirates and Captain Hook. It was almost routine to go against the crew of the Jolly Roger and emerge victorious. But then, one day, the routine changed. Instead of attacking them directly, Captain Hook lured them into a dark cave and the pirates surprise attacked them. The Lost Boys – and girls, she always had to remind them – were tied up and Peter was taken to the sacrificial altar. The only difference was that Hook couldn't command the Darkness – with a capital D, because she was sure it was sentient in Neverland – and his pirates were bumbling fools.

Sapphire herself escaped from their grasp and charged at Hook. She struggled with him – a little girl half his size – but he was too much for her. He stabbed her, ran his sword clean through her stomach, and pushed her down a crevice. She could hear Mary scream in pure terror, could hear the Lost Boys cry for the loss, and in a moment of pure rage – probably the only one he has ever experienced – Peter broke through his bonds and took down Hook. Sending him and his men fleeing in terror. She could only think, 'This was a good death.'

But she didn't die. Not quite conscious, but still very aware, she saw how Peter and Mary, and even little Tinker Bell, frantically searched for her for hours. With regret, they gave up the search and she couldn't call out for them. She watched as Mary broke down in tears and Peter awkwardly tried his best to comfort her, and she knew it was this loss that led Mary to abandon Neverland and face adulthood and she was accompanied to London by a few of the Lost Boys.

She said her farewells and tried to fade away knowing that she had done well. Her memories faded, but her life did not, and somehow Hook discovered her. He helped her, nursed her back to health, taught her everything she knew, and when she absolutely adored him he took her to the looking glass and showed her only half truths. She saw herself beaten and broken and Peter and Mary flying away. It was quite the convenient coincidence that she didn't see that Hook was the one who broke her.

She was ashamed. She wanted to cry. Hook tricked her – he used her – and she hurt perfectly nice people because of that. If Mary could see her now, she would be disgusted.

Forgive me, everyone…

When she woke up – why was she waking up again? – she thought for sure she was in hell, or Nowhereland, wherever it was that evil Neverlanders go. She thought, for a second, that if she was able to see Hook again and was able to hit him at least a hundred times for each person she had hurt in his name, dying and eternal torment would be worth it. But then, the torture never began, and although a throbbing pain began trailing over her body it didn't seem anywhere near as bad as what she knew she deserved.

Suddenly, as if she had opened her eyes just then, she realized she was lying over a bed throw inside a canvas tent. In all of Neverland, only the Piccaninny tribe lived in canvas tents. Now that was even more confusing. Why would she be in a Piccaninny tent? She should be rotting in a ditch or thrown to Davey Jones' locker. Her lips twitched into the semblance of a smile when it occurred to her that her crew would have enjoyed that. Her crew, her crew. How could she simultaneously be ashamed of and worried for them?

It didn't matter, they had probably abandoned her the second her downfall was apparent.

With her body screaming at each moment, she struggled to her feet. Dizziness overtook her, and as the colors spun and mixed she thought she could see Mary standing before her and smiling at her. She shuffled towards the vision in her delirium and only stopped when she saw something glinting in Mary's hand like a diamond in the sun. Allowing her brain to settle, she saw not Mary smiling before her, but a grim-faced Jane, and in her hand was the knife she had dropped when Sapphire had kidnapped her.

Kidnapping, it did not make her chances at receiving mercy seem very good. Not that I deserve any. She bowed her head and waited for whatever punishment Jane would bestow on her. She briefly wondered if she would stab her, run her through like Hook, but the instant she thought it she knew it would never happen; Jane was not like Hook, she was too good.

"What are you doing?" Jane's voice held no emotion, and before Sapphire could explain that she wasn't trying to escape, she continued, "You're still very injured, you need to stay in bed."

Sapphire's head snapped up so she could look at her, wide eyed and with a look of innocent surprise that had not graced her face for many years. She looked younger, Jane noted. "I… I don't understand." Her voice was no longer the dangerous, deep, confident tone that she had spoken in the last time she was awake. It was tiny, weak, and uncertain.

Jane looked abashed for a second, "I sort of shot you, sorry. I stand by my actions, but I'm glad you did not die."

"Why?" It was the only thing she could think of in her shock. How could she even think that after everything Sapphire had done?

Jane smiled and nonchalantly slipped her blade into her belt, "I have a proposition for you." She let a silence fill the space between them, but when it became apparent that Sapphire was not going to say anything she continued, "Come with me to London when I leave. My grandmother, Mary, she still lives there, just down the street from my home. I'm sure she will be thrilled to see you again, and maybe this can be a fresh start for you. You can join me at school, and I'll introduce you to my friends – they're so funny, I'm sure you'll love them – and we can be like family! After all, you have known the family long enough." She chuckled.

Throughout her declaration, she had failed to notice Sapphire's composure slowly crumbling even further. By the end, she was outright crying! "Why?" She repeated, her voice cracking, raw with emotion.

Jane looked at her, confusion on her face. "What do you mean? It seemed like the only logical idea. You can't stay here. You won't be allowed to rejoin the pirates, and Peter and I have been having trouble keeping the Piccaninny tribesmen from attacking you. Don't you want to see London again?"

"Yes!" Her response was instantaneous. As much as she resented her past, there had always been a part of her that missed her old home, her parents. Oh, her parents! If Mary was already grown with grandchildren, then her parents were more than likely… gone. "But how can you just forgive me like that? After everything I've done, how can you help me?"

Jane didn't even miss a beat, and her voice was gentle, "You saw it too, right? The looking glass showed me what Hook did to you. I can see it all over your face, the regret. You're no longer Sapphire, captain of the Jolly Roger, now you are Sapphire Hayden once again; and Sapphire Hayden deserves a chance at a happy life."

It was so simple, when she said it like that. There was a part of Sapphire that thought, and would always believe, that she didn't deserve happiness. But another part, a selfish, childish part, wanted so badly for Jane to be right. So she didn't respond, at least not directly. She couldn't bring herself to be so selfish out loud, so instead of saying yes she fell to her knees and cried for her parents, for her best friend, for Peter and Tink and the Lost Boys, and for all the years that had never been. She cried for the little girl that was begging to be released from within her, and she allowed Jane to hold her as she cried.

In a few days, she was strong enough to fly; and it was so thrilling learning how to again! Especially with Jane holding her hand and the current Lost Boys cheering her on, as if she was an old friend and not an old enemy. She was having so much fun, discovering that girl that had run away to adventures and told great stories that put even the greatest of the Darlings to shame, that she almost didn't want to leave. But, she reasoned, Neverland was for the innocent, and it was long past time for her to grow up and spend the rest of her non-immortal life atoning for actions that she would never be able to explain in London. At least, not outside the Darling home.

Jane had a bittersweet smile as she bid everybody goodbye. All the time Sapphire had spent watching them, she was sure Jane had never worn that expression at the end of "spring cleaning." There was always joy and anticipation for the next time, but now there wasn't and the air was filled with uncertainty and tension because of it. Toodles held tight to her for longer than was strictly necessary, as if he knew something that no one else did, but Jane gently pried him off and kissed him on the forehead.

Soon they were off to the sky, and in a blur of light and colors London appeared beneath them.

A/N: Before you kill me, there's still one more chapter!

I was kinda surprised how this ended up. Sapphire was always supposed to survive and repent – because I think Neverland is a place of innocent hearts and innocent hearts forgive – but I didn't think she would overtake the second half of the chapter like this! I hope it came out ok.

So, the Sapphire part is over (it'll go more or less how Jane described it), but there's still Jane's choice which was always at the core of this story… dun dun dun!

Next chapter, she and Peter will have to have a little talk, and it'll also be the last chapter! (Yay! And Aww!)

I'll try to put it up by Saturday!

Please read and review!

Destiny's Sweet Melody