Author's Note: So I've been trying to outline the chapters, and I think we'll come to a total of thirty. Just to give you an idea! I still can't believe how far the story has come… but hey, I'll try not to get too sentimental until the very end. Anyway… this chapter contains the lyrics to the song "Friends Never Say Goodbye" by Elton John… don't sue me! It kind of alludes to the story's title. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 25

There isn't much I haven't shared

With you along the road

Jenna shook her head to herself as she hurried back onto the ship. Klutzy was wrong. Ever since she had met the green-eyed pirate, she was immediately attracted to him… and he had clearly felt the same for her. If she was planning on staying in Neverland, then James had to be her future. There was no other way.

And through it all, there'd always be

Tomorrow's episode

Peter hated the fact that Jenna wasn't there to balance him out. As the mother of the Lost Boys, Jenna had always threatened their "sons" with medicine (as Wendy had) when they did not listen to their elders… while Peter would threaten to kill the whole lot of them. He enjoyed the easy way he got along with Jenna, the way she could be kind and nurturing, but at the same time enjoyed a good adventure. And he hated the fact that now, since she was no longer here, he would not be hearing any new stories tonight.

Suddenly, that isn't true…

Peering through one of the ship's windows, Jenna noticed Smee sitting alone in a chair, sewing the lacy wedding dress she was to wear in three days. She smiled in spite of herself. She could only hope that Smee might work miracles on that dress.

With a sigh, she turned into James' cabin, where he was still reading Captain Hook's logs. "After we go to your Isle of the Golden Roses," he told her, not even looking up from the book, "I want to see the Dragon Coast."

Jenna nodded, taking a seat beside him. "That sounds like fun," she agreed, peering into the book. She noticed an intricate sketch of a dragon breathing fire, which she could only assume Hook had drawn himself.

"It's a good thing I found this book," James said, finally looking up. "I had never even heard of the Dragon Coast before."

Jenna smiled. "I could only imagine the stories I could tell of such a place," she replied, knowing that the change in scenery would do wonders for her creativity.

There's another avenue,

Beckoning the great divide…

"We even saw a mermaid!" Flint exclaimed, laughing as he told the tale. "Course, we were near devoured…"

Peter half-listened as the Lost Boys recounted their adventures from the day's hike. He wished he could have mustered the energy to join them, but of course he had spent the day thinking about Jenna.

Wasted the day is more like it, Peter thought to himself bitterly.

He wanted to see her, wanted to grab her hand and pull her into the air. He wanted to fly with her, sword-fight with her, swim with her, defeat pirates with her… but of course, she had no intentions of coming back, and he had no intentions of following her.

Maybe I do miss her, he finally admitted to himself.

Ask no questions

Take no side

Lying in bed that night, Jenna couldn't help but wonder if she was making the right choice. Surely Klutzy had made a point earlier… by marrying James and having his child, she was rushing into adulthood, whether her body was growing or not. Was this the right way to go?

Maybe if Peter hadn't screwed things up, she thought to herself, turning over onto her side. But after another moment of thought, she didn't know what would be different. If Peter hadn't blown up at her at the first mention of feelings, she would have stayed with him and the Lost Boys for the rest of her life. Was that her destiny?

Maybe not, echoed Klutzy's voice in her head. But neither is James.

Who's to say who's right or wrong?

Whose course is braver run…

The next day came and went. Peter contemplated his actions with Jenna and wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake. After all, he'd nearly lost Wendy ages ago at the first mention of feelings. Maybe he needed to lighten up?

It wasn't that he didn't care about Jenna. Deep down, despite all masculine protests, he simply knew that wasn't true. If an evil villain were holding Jenna captive, Peter would be the first to rescue her. If those soulless mermaids had brought Jenna down to the bottom of the sea to drown, Peter would have risked everything to dive down below and save the girl.

It was that whole "I love you" thing that had thrown him off. Thoughts of love and emotion had offended Peter ever since he could remember. Reflecting on it now, Peter knew that Jenna probably meant those words to be taken positively (and he would have happily disregarded that she'd ever said them), but when he first heard them, he thought they were intended to offend him.

And no one ever offended Peter Pan.

Still we are, have always been

Will ever be as one

As time passed and wedding preparations continued, Jenna knew that she was making the more proper decision. She would marry a boy who would happily tell her he loved her, who would go to the ends of Neverland for her, who would not be afraid to comfort her when she needed him. James was well mannered and charming, and inside, she knew, he had a deep sensitivity about him. He needed her as she needed him.

And yet, whenever they dropped their mature acts for even a moment, Jenna was only reminded of Peter. Oh, how she missed the boy. He was always boasting, and never serious about much, but she could always have fun when she was with him. And despite the fact that he protested his feelings for her, Jenna knew that he was a true and loyal friend.

She only wished that things could have been different.

What is done has been done for the best

Peter tried to forget about her, he really did. Sometimes, forgetting things was easy for him – he often needed someone to correct his memories when he talked about things he had done earlier in the day. But when it came to Jenna Parker, forgetting her was easier said than done.

Though the mist in my eyes might suggest

"I'm thinking of a chocolate cake," said Smee one day on deck. "I can decorate it just so that it'll be perfect for the wedding. What do you think?"

"I like chocolate," James replied absentmindedly, peering through the window to Jenna's cabin. She was combing her hair and seemed oblivious to the whole situation. "I'm sure she will, too."

Smee smiled. "I'm almost done with her dress, you know."

James nodded. "She's going to be lovely."

"I'm proud of you," Smee told him, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Your father'd be too, I'm sure. I can't believe you've finally found the one."

"Me neither," James said, turning to watch his future bride again. He couldn't help but smile.

Just a little confusion about what I'll lose

But if I started over I know I would choose

It was the morning of her wedding, and Jenna had awoken to the singsong of Smee's voice as he burst into her cabin.

"Rise and shine!" he had exclaimed, setting the dress down on a chair across the room. "How's the lady doing, eh? Well rested?"

Jenna squinted as the morning light poured in. Stretching in bed, she sat up straight and mustered a smile. "I'm great," she told him, climbing out of the bed. "How's the dress?"

Smee grinned triumphantly. "I think you'll be quite pleased," he responded, motioning to the dress he had just set down. "Why don't I let you try it on for yourself?"

Jenna nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she said, waiting for the older man to leave the room. Shedding her clothes from the night before, she slipped into the long, lacy white dress to find that… it wasn't so long or lacy anymore. Hobbling over to the mirror, Jenna was amazed at what she saw.

The dress was at a perfect floor-length (not like before, when it was at least a foot too long and was easy to trip over), and the majority of the lace was gone. The dress flattered her body perfectly – not nearly as loose as before, but not so tight that she couldn't breathe, either. She smiled at her reflection.

Of course, she had never expected to become such a young bride, but at least she would enter her marriage in style.

The same joy, the same sadness each step of the way

That fought me and taught me that friends never say…

When Klutzy woke up that morning, he recognized something important right away… that three days had passed since Jenna announced that she would be marrying in three days.

Oh dear, he thought to himself nervously, jumping up at once. The rest of the Boys were still asleep, so he hurried out of the tree house immediately.

Though the wedding announcement had worried him, Klutzy hadn't taken it completely seriously. After thinking about his last discussion with Jenna, he thought he might have convinced her to give it some more thought, if anything. He had expected her to burst into the tree house by now, with her mind changed and her feelings for Peter rectified.

Of course, that had not happened, and so Klutzy only had one chance left.

Rushing through the jungle of Neverland, Klutzy avoided every vine and animal and tree that he could. He was prone to tripping over such things, but nothing would stand in his way today. One of the best friends he ever had was about to make a very important decision, and she wasn't going to do it without him there.

Sensing the sea approaching, Klutzy increased his pace. Soon, he could see the Jolly Roger ahead of him.

"Why can't she be here just this once?" he asked aloud, wishing Jenna had gone for one last walk before her wedding. He slapped himself in the face. Of course she wouldn't do that, he thought miserably. She's got to get ready!

He sighed. Making his way through the bushes, he approached the dock and climbed aboard the ship.

"Aye, what do you think you're doing?" asked a chubby older man. Smee. He seemed appalled that someone he didn't know had climbed aboard without permission, but he wasn't entirely threatening. "We didn't invite any guests to this wedding…"

Klutzy shook his head. "No," he panted, out of breath. "I'm here… for Jenna…" Taking another deep breath, he regained his composure. "I mean no harm. Jenna is my friend."

Smee sighed. "Very well," he conceded, pointing toward her cabin. "She's in that door."

Klutzy thanked the man before rushing in the door.

"Jenna!" he exclaimed, shutting the door quickly behind him.

"Klutzy?!" Jenna replied, spinning around in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"It's your wedding day!" Klutzy replied lamely, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't know if you were going through with it."

Jenna frowned. "Of course I'm going through with it," she responded, crossing her arms. "Can't you see I'm kind of dressed for the occasion?"

Klutzy gave her the once over. "You make a beautiful bride, you know," he told her softly, after much thought. "Even Peter would say so."

Laughing, Jenna shook her head. "I doubt that," she replied, but she smiled nonetheless. "Does he know about it?"

This time Klutzy shook his head. "Not yet," he said, "but he's going to find out sooner or later."

Jenna nodded slowly. "I still can't believe it myself," she admitted. "I mean, it's so… I mean, I'm so…"

"Young?" Klutzy offered.

"Yeah," Jenna agreed, though she hated to admit it. "But I don't regret it or anything!" she added quickly. "It will be a nice change."

Klutzy knew the idea of marriage made Jenna more uncomfortable than anything, but he tried not to let on. "Right," he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "Anyway, I've really got to go back. The Boys are waiting for me. I just wanted to know if you were getting married today or not." He began to open the door.

"Wait!" Jenna called suddenly.

The boy turned around.

"Come back in a little bit, okay? I want you to be at my wedding… at least at the end to say goodbye before we set sail?" Jenna asked.

Klutzy gave her a small smile and nodded. "Of course," he answered, and with that he left the ship.

... Never say goodbye.

Acknowledgments: I want to thank AkemixHanako, Tallemera Rane, NobleBrokenBeauty, EragonPeep, SuperWafer, andimagine everything for your reviews on Chapter 24. Hope you enjoy this!