AN: We're nearing the end of this story, folks, just one more chapter to go. I want to thank all of you who have continued to support this story for so long, and I hope you'll continue to throughout the sequel that will be released. If there is anything in particular that you would like to read in that next story, situations or requests, feel free to let me know.

~Isle of Thorns~

"Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me,"

— Elton John, "Don't let the Sun Go Down on Me"

Chapter 21: It's Like the Sun (going down on me)

Felix resented Wendy more than ever as Emma took charge of the camp and turned all the Lost Boys against him, against Pan, even though his argument is lacking even to his own ears. But it was what Pan would have wanted him to do. He resented her when the Queen, Emma, and Snow White took off after Pan to his Thinking Tree. Resented her when she woke and asked Baelfire where Pan had gone, and told him she needed to go after him, that she needed to stop him. That it was the only way of fixing what had been done.

She stood up and ignored many of the Lost Boys vying for her attention and help out of their bonds. Felix understood that to her, they had broken her trust the moment they threw her into the cage and left her alone. They tried to claim it was in fear of Pan, but both she and Felix knew better. The reason why they did it, did anything, was out of loyalty to Pan. He was their leader, their brother who had saved them from a life of misery.

She passed Felix last on her way out of the camp, and he lowered his voice and said, "You'll have to kill him if you want to stop him." He could do no more than try to make her see; her efforts would be useless, because what Pan wants, Pan gets. Without question. At this point, Felix had done all he could to honor Pan's wishes, to do his bidding. He was finished, as far as he was concerned. Until Pan came to collect him.

"I don't want to kill him," she said softly, so the others wouldn't hear. He looked up and caught the earnest determination in her gaze. "I want to save him."

Peter clutched his chest focused on regaining his breath while his vision continued to blur. He could feel that time was almost up. He had…maybe twenty minutes.

The Evil Queen, Swan and Snow White had taken back the heart and he had failed. The stubborn part of his mind demanded he get up and go after them, stop them before they left Neverland.

But with how he was now, his strength was fading. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again shapes became clearer. He heard footsteps, light and quick coming towards him, and he almost sighed in relief at seeing Wendy come to him and kneel at his feet. His eyes were finally able to focus on her stern face.

"Where did you hide your heart?"

Despite his better judgment, he told her.

"In the tree."

She gave him a puzzled look, but went over to the "Thinking Tree" and ghosted her hands over the trunk, trying to read the spell. She eventually found the hidden pocket and pulled out the box. She went back to him and took out the heart, setting the box down beside her. Gently this time, she slid the heart back into his chest.

It was still painful. He caught his breath and she smoothed his hair away from his face.

"Do you trust me?" she asked. Peter's eyes searched hers, and she saw the vulnerability in his.

"Magic is all I have. It's what I am."

She shook her head.

"It's not. You're so much more...we can be more—together, once this is over."

It took him a while to respond, but when he did, he surprised her with the bit of tenderness in his eyes, despite his hidden trepidation, and a slight smile.

"We'll travel to all the worlds together. See everything you never got to see." Her eyes widened, and there were tears in them when she nodded.

"If something goes wrong, you pull away immediately." She nodded and laid one hand on his chest, over his heart, and the other slid into his hair near his temple, thumb pressed on the middle of his forehead.

With her magic she sought out the source from which he drew his power—the link that connected his will and the island's magic, deep within his mind. She touched every door of every shape, size, and design she came across on the stretch of a never-ending hallway with connecting corridors. It was mazelike, but her reach continued, zipping through at a speed not unlike flight with pixie dust. Finally, she came to a door that seemed at first unassuming. It was plain, but fortified with steel. A golden glow escaped the bottom of it, as if there was a light turned on inside. Laying a hand against it, the door was warm to the touch despite the metal. She could sense that the inside pulsed with life.

She touched the doorknob and steel chains appeared and startled her a bit as they crossed over the door. Wendy stubbornly began tugging on them.

For long, agonizing moments they wouldn't budge, but she called upon her magic to heat the iron, eventually melting through the chains and breaking the pieces off. Only then did the knob twist under her grip and scrape open.

Inside the room was small, a single wooden trunk occupying the center. She hurried to it and took another few moments to melt the lock before opening it. Wendy almost let out a noise of frustration at the smaller box that lay inside, but strangely enough, it wasn't locked.

However you will find it—the source, the Shadow had said. You must destroy it. Cut its strings, shatter its contents, pour out its light. Let it flow through you.

Upon opening it, she found a small orb lying on a velvet cushion that glowed a piercing gold, pulsing with a power that hurt to look at with its brightness. She closed her eyes and turned her face away from it, but as instructed, she began squeezing hard on the glasslike orb.

But you must not let it consume you in the process.

Pressure cracks began to form, and she heard the echo of it bounding in the walls of her ears. Light began to filter out of them, like rays of sunlight beaming out.

Otherwise, the power will have no way to return to the island.

More cracks appeared, and she pressed down with all her might to further its progress.

It must use your body as a funnel.

Finally, the glass shattered, letting the orbs power spill out and into her. Wendy withdrew from Peter's mind but still kept her hands where they were, so that she could continue absorbing the island's magic. It was fire running under her skin and through her veins, blurring her vision and tearing her apart from the inside.

If you cannot contain its power long enough for it to leave you, it will destroy you.

She opened her eyes when she felt Peter grasping her wrists in attempt to push her off.

"Wendy, stop!" he pleaded, and it was the first time he'd ever done so, especially with fear in his eyes. He was afraid for her.

"I…can't," she gritted out. "Have…to…finish it."

"It's killing you!" he shouted, and maybe that was true. It was agony and tears were streaming down her face, and she could see black spots in the edges of her vision and feel herself burning out. She was so tired, but she needed to finish.

Just a little bit longer…

"Wendy!"

Maybe…maybe not…

She knew she was on the cusp of blacking out, too tired to finish, she wasn't going to…

And then two hands covered her shoulders, though their touch was almost nonexistent, the effect was instantaneous. The power surged but was kept contained—it flowed steadily through her instead of the maelstrom it had been and the pain was beginning to abate, enough that she could look up at the Shadow.

"Thank you," she whispered tearfully. It said nothing, but continued to lend his strength while the river of magic returning to the island neared its end.

"How much longer?" Peter asked weakly. His grip on consciousness was starting to wane, his eyelids drooping with how much magic was leaving him at once.

"Just a little bit more—"

"Wendy!"

She turned at the sound of Neal's voice, but the ball of fire that came their way was Regina's doing.

Her eyes widened as it hit the Shadow, sending it crashing into a tree and dissipating into the earth. That alone wasn't enough to kill a shadow, but the second its hands fell away from Wendy, the searing heat began to ignite within her again, making her cry out in the worst pain she'd ever felt.

The next thing she was able to register was Neal pulling her away from Peter and into his arms. The last thing she saw was his concerned gaze looking down at her until she closed her eyes, the last bit of golden thread leaving her and disappearing into the ground.

Blissful cold and silence.

Peter could only stare at her lifeless body with wide, vacant eyes. When Neal picked her up, Peter tried to move, to stop him from touching her after what he'd just done. Regina looked down at him with contempt even as he caught the barest hint of concern for Wendy that she tried to hide. He was the master of deception; he knew an attempt to conceal guilt when he saw it.

"What should we do with him?" said David, nodding at the boy who lay powerless, glaring at them with everything he could muster.

"You did this," he seethed coldly. "You did this!"

"No, you did this," Regina said sharply.

"She was fine until you interfered!" Peter tried getting his arms under him to lift himself up, but though he was regaining the use of his muscles, his arms were still weak.

"The Shadow was attacking her," she said.

"It was helping her control it!" And then the ground shook. The three looked to one another in silent agreement.

"It's time to leave," said Regina.

"Don't think I will forget!" Peter called after then. "There is nowhere you could hide that I will not find you!"

The only one that mattered, who he'd given almost everything to save…she was gone. Everything he'd worked for, the empire he'd made…it was gone now. Torn down and pillaged.

And it was their fault.

Reflexively he pulled on what used to be his reserve of magic, but he found it…nearly empty. He couldn't believe it. There was still the slightest bit—

What will you decide? asked the Shadow.

Peter looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"Why did you help? I thought you wanted me to fulfill my deal?"

You would have stopped at nothing to break it. She would have done everything in her power to save you. She was not strong enough. The backlash would have made the island unstable, and eventually all would have been destroyed. Including me.

"Is that not what's happening now?" Peter asked as another tremor ran through the ground.

No. It is attempting to right itself after the process was interrupted. There is still some of its power within you, said the Shadow. What will you do?

Peter's smirk was both cold and predatory.

Regina had healed all she could when they brought her onto the ship and found that she wasn't dead. Just in a sleep so deep it reminded the queen of her sleeping spell.

Neal had tried to stop her from shooting the Shadow so hastily, in her defense, she'd thought it was attacking Wendy or forcing her to…well, she didn't really know, but it hadn't looked like anything good. Not that she was usually so quick to come to Wendy's defense, but he had explained her attempt to stop Pan from coming after them—for good. Regina would do anything to ensure that reality. The majority of her felt a measure of satisfaction with her cousin's plight; serves her right for double crossing them and giving Pan enough time to take Henry's heart. But now that Henry was all right, that he was awake and resting, a smaller part (a very small part) felt the least bit of pity.

Henry looked up from his position on the bed when he heard the sound of footfall behind him. He gasped when he saw Pan, haggard and eyes rimmed red.

"Hello, Henry." His icy tone gave Henry chills.

"What do you want?" Pan's eyes narrowed and his mouth pressed into a line.

"Where are they keeping her?" he demanded. "Did they bury her on the island?"

"What—bury? Who?"

"Wendy." Henry's eyes widened.

"Why…she's…she's dead?"

"Thanks to your family," Peter spat. Henry's eyes were sympathetic and Pan hated it.

"Look, I know…I could tell she mattered a lot to you. I understand—"

"No. You don't," Peter said darkly. She'd been everything.

Henry's eyes widened nervously as he stepped closer to the bed. "…But she will be avenged."

Before Henry could move, Peter reached out to try and pull out his heart, but a spell repelled his fingers, forcing him to pull back as if he'd been burnt.

"Oh, how clever," said Peter. But there was more than one way he knew to take a life. He reached into Henry's back and began tugging hard on his shadow. Peter didn't know if he was strong enough, but it was now or never again.

"What…are you doing?" Henry said as he struggled against him.

"I'm sorry, Henry," Peter exclaimed through the strain, "but someone must pay the price—"

"Black magic works both ways, Father." Peter turned in surprise at the sound of his son's voice, but his eyes widened further at the sight of Padora's Box in his hands.

"So he's really okay?" Emma asked once the Jolly Roger was up and flying. Pan's shadow was nothing if not efficient.

"Yes, he's fine," Regina said with a sigh. "Pan's not getting out of Pandora's Box anytime soon, and he failed to rip out Henry's shadow."

Emma hummed in response. "And Wendy? I'm sure he would've tried to get to her."

"Still sleeping like a rock below decks. Tinkerbell is sitting with her."

"Are you sure she's sleeping?"

"That's what it seems like…more like comatose, but you get the idea."

Tinkerbell rolled the glass vial between her fingers. Each minute that rolled by was another mile they flew away from Neverland. It had been her home as much as her prison; something she knew Wendy could relate to. As brief as their friendship had been, the fairy had been grateful for it. Not that they gossiped like sisters or shared their inmost secrets, but simply sharing company for tea once in a while or taking a walk, talking about their day. It was nice, simple. Almost normal.

And then it was over, and Wendy no longer visited. Afternoons became cold again without tea.

And now they were leaving. What they'd both dreamed of since the beginning, and she couldn't see it.

"I never wanted to help him you know," she said quietly to the sleeping girl beside her. "Truth is, I was more afraid of him than I valued my convictions. See…I tried to do what I thought was best in the past or, what I thought was good. It sort of bit me in the ass."

She chuckled a bit, but there was no humor in it. She rolled the small bottle in her palm.

"I tried to make it right," she said. "I would have given you this. We never made it, but I did try. I just…just wanted you to know that, and…whatever it takes, I'll try to help you now. We'll reunite you with your brothers and we'll figure out a way."

This time I will…I know I can.

Maybe they would be able to start over.

Tinkerbell saw a green glow in her peripheral vision, looked down, and was surprised by what she saw. She had to show Regina.

"Go away, boy. I'm not hungry."

The boy smiled.

"But I came to thank you."

Felix looked over at him blandly.

"No matter what those other traitors do, I'm on Pan's side," he said. "And Pan—"

"Never fails."

Felix looked at Henry in dull shock.

"…What?"

"You heard me," said the boy. "Peter Pan never fails. He can't be stopped. Even when they think he's defeated, when they think they've won. He finds a way."

This was sounding more and more…strange by the moment, but Felix still wasn't sure.

"So you feel you're not safe?" he asked slowly.

"No, I'm perfectly safe. During our struggle my fate was sealed," Henry replied. "The one who is in trouble…is Henry."

"…You're not Henry."

"Not anymore," Peter said with a small smirk.

"You," Felix said in awe, "You switched."

"You sure you're not hungry?" Peter asked, once again holding out the bowl of food. Felix took it with a knowing smile.

"Thank you…Pan."

"Now," Peter said lowly. Now he would get his revenge. A greater one than he'd originally thought possible. All thanks to Rumpelstiltskin's little failed trap. And Henry. To Henry he owed his utmost thanks, and Regina his utmost wrath.

"Let's play."