Author's note: I can't believe we're almost done with this story. It seems like forever since I started it, but it's only been a few months. Again, thank you everyone for your amazing comments. There's only a couple chapters left. As always, let me know what you guys think and thank you are all the support. See you next week!

29.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder...or forgetful." – J. M. Barrie

Dahlia reached down gently, cradling the small heart in her hands. It was so tiny: the heart of a child. It beat softly, vibrating in her hand. This little thing was what all the fuss was about. All the pain and violence had been caused by this minuscule object. People had lost their lives for this. Dahlia wondered if it was worth it.

"Lia."

Dahlia glanced up at the female voice, dazed. Her eyes caught sight of a small figure floating towards her. Dahlia blinked, recognition dawning as a face so much like her own came to stand beside her.

"Wendy?" Dahlia could barely utter the words, starring at the blond woman before her.

The woman merely smiled. Dahlia could see now why everyone was saying they looked alike. Wendy was more fragile and small, but she shared Dahlia's nose, mouth, chin, and eyes.

"Lia, the time has come." The women's voice was a mere whisper, and yet it echoed against the walls of this magical, timeless cave.

"The time has come for what?" Questions grew in Dahlia's mind. She had so much to ask, and yet the shock of seeing this spirit of her birth mother was just too overwhelming.

Wendy continued, "You must make a decision. Will you save Peter or will you choose to kill Pan's shadow?"

Dahlia blinked. "How do you know all this?"

"I have been watching you. From the moment you arrived on the pirate's boat, I could sense you. When you fell into the ocean, it was I who saved you. But I could not touch you on the island. The shadow is too powerful there. So I waited and watched. I understand so much now that I did not understand when Maxwell took you."

Feeling at a loss for words, Dahlia felt almost calmed by the gentle beat of Pan's heart in her hand. "Wendy, how did you come to be on this island?"

"Some people say the soul goes where it longs to go the most. I had unfinished business here, you see. And I hoped that Patrick would find his way here too. But he did not. I alone have waited here, watching for when you would return. Maxwell promised me you would."

Dahlia clenched her fist. "Really?" Why was she not surprised? It explained why Yriaf had been so anxious to see her do this mission before her retirement. At least he could have had the decency to tell her. "But where is this place? I was falling in the water and then I just appeared here."

Wendy turned and gestured around the cave, her ethereal white gown glistening in the air. "This is a place out of time and space. It is the only place where Pan's heart would be safe. The shadow cannot reach us here, because this place does not exist on the same plain of reality."

"If so, how did I get here?"

"Patrick created this place. He was brilliant, my Patrick. He spoke of creating a transporter which could travel to different dimensions. He wanted to save the island, but he couldn't. Time would eventually waste away on all things and the shadow would destroy Neverland. And yet, by stealing Pan's heart, but hiding it here inside this place, it slowed down the process of destruction."

Dahlia had a lot to process. First, Patrick had created the transporter. Well, she supposed Yriaf never actually told her who had invented it, but at least he should have told her when he'd dropped by in Neverland what Patrick had done. He had made it seem as if her father was just a worker of LEA, not the creator. Second, "Wait, you mean Pan's heart disappearing hasn't been the reason the island is dying."

Wendy shook her head. "Indeed, no. This place, Lia, is a dream. And no dream can last forever. The shadow creates many worlds, but even he does not have to power to suspend time forever."

"So…even if I give Pan back his heart, it won't save the island." The cold realization dawned on her. "If I destroy the heart, the shadow will die, but so will Pan. Wendy, what should I do?" Unbidden, tears sprung up in her eyes. Dahlia was so tired. She just wanted to fix things, but how could she when there seemed to be not solution. "All I want is a happy ending. The happy ending that I never got."

Wendy's face darkened and she took a step forward. Delicately, her slightly glowing fingers touched Dahlia's face, wiping her tears away. "Oh, my child, what have I done to you? I abandoned you, hoping to give you a better life. Maxwell promised to keep you safe, and yet here you stand before me, a wounded deer who has never learned to love."

Dahlia bit her lip to try to hold back the tears, but she couldn't. Instead, her burst into tears. Gently, Wendy took her in her arms and hugged her tightly. Dahlia couldn't remember when she had truly been hugged by anyone…except for Pan. Thinking of him made her cry even harder. She could not save him. She could not save anyone. All those Lost Boys who had simply welcomed her into their dysfunctional home without asking for anything in return. The Indians who were as much victims as the Lost Boys were. Hook and his pirates, who had done nothing wrong but fight a childish war with a mere kid. Smith, who could only see his lust for eternity and not how many people his quest hurt. They were all people who had just as much right to live has she did.

Finally Dahlia had cried all the tears she had inside her and Wendy led her to sit on a rock. Dahlia still held the small heart in her hand. "What do I do?"

Wendy shook her head, gently patting her daughter on her back. "I cannot tell you want to do. I am merely a ghost, a shadow of my former self. This decision is yours to make."

"Is there not a way to save everyone?"

"Perhaps. If so, I do not know it."

Dahlia shook her head. She pulled her bag around and opened it. Nothing was destroyed. Even the empty scroll was still in her bag. The only thing missing was her transporter which was still in Smith's possession. Taking the scroll out of the smaller bag, she placed Pan's heart gently inside and zipped it shut. She just wanted to make sure it was protected. As she was doing this, Wendy leaned forward and gently touched the scroll.

"Where did you get this?" Wendy asked, starring at the scroll as if it were some priceless relic.

Dahlia glanced at it. "What? This? It's just an empty scroll. Yriaf…I mean Maxwell, sent me to get it. It was on Hook's boat behind a fake wall. Why? What is it?" Since Dahlia had first learned that the scroll was empty, she had been wondering why Yriaf had sent her to get it.

Tears flew to Wendy's eyes as her fingers gently touched the page. "This…this is Patrick's. I thought it was lost. After he left for the war, I could never find it. But here it is. Another piece to the puzzle." She let out a cold laugh. "My Patrick was ingenious, wasn't he?"

"What is it, Wendy?" Dahlia demanded, taken aback by her mother's strange reaction.

Wendy looked up at Dahlia. "Your solution, my little one."

"My solution?"

"You wish to save Pan and everyone on Neverland, and yet you wish to destroy the shadow. This is a piece of a puzzle Patrick was carefully putting together."

"Puzzle. What puzzle? Was Patrick trying to do what I'm trying to do?"

Wendy laughed again, this time warmly. "You know, you may have my face, but you have Patrick's heart. He was going to fix everything. He told me. And yet he ran out of time. If we had stayed, the shadow would have killed my brothers and me. It is funny. Did Patrick know you would come and finish his mission?"

Dahlia's thoughts went back to Yriaf's words about Patrick: "He said he hadn't been able to finish things. He mentioned that he had had to make a choice between saving Wendy and saving Peter, and that he'd chosen Wendy." She turned back to her mother. "But what was Patrick's vision? If this is one piece to the puzzle, what are the others?"

Wendy shook her head. "I never fully understood it. I was a young girl when Patrick explained it to me." She closed her eyes, and started to recite an interesting grocery list, "The heart of a boy, saturated with a shadow's kiss. A scroll white as snow, evil in disguise. The soul of a lover, risking life for life. The will of a creature broken between two worlds, but never a part of one." Wendy opened her eyes and turned to Dahlia. "Those are the pieces."

Dahlia blinked. Pan's heart and the scroll were obvious. The other two, though, weren't so clear. For the fourth one, it almost sounded as if Patrick was talking about her: a creature broken between two worlds. But how could he know she would be born? And who was the soul of a lover, risking life for life?

"Lia!"

Dahlia jumped at the echoed, distant voice in the cave. Pan's voice. "What the hell?" Where was it coming from? She couldn't see him in the cave.

Wendy let out a laugh. "Go back, Lia. Go back and finish your father's plan. I cannot help you anymore." She reached out to stroke Dahlia's cheek. "But remember, even when you cannot see me, I will always be by your side."

Dahlia looked towards her mother.

Wendy gently took the scroll in her hands and placed into the zit-lock bag with Pan's heart. Then, she placed the bag inside Dahlia's larger bag. Dahlia made no move to stop her.

Suddenly, Dahlia's vision became more blurry. She couldn't fully make out her mother anymore. Wendy's face went from being blurry to blending completely into the darkness. Finally, everything became dark around her.

"Lia!"

Dahlia opened her eyes, gasping. She sat straight up, clinging for breath that suddenly seemed nonexistent.

She glanced around, just in time to see Pan pull her into his arms, hugging her tightly. In another second, Hook grasped Pan by the back of his collar and pulled him away from her.

"She's alright now, boy." Hook sounded perturbed and a bit anxious.

Dahlia looked around her. She was back on Skull Island, her clothing soaking wet. It was as if the cave was entirely a dream. She blinked, glancing at the faces crowded around her. The pirates, Hook, Smith, John, Pan. Everyone looked the same as when she was thrown into the water.

"What happened?" Dahlia murmured hoarsely, finally gaining back her breath.

"You almost died, that's what happened!" John exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Hook. "This fool thought it was a good idea to throw you in the water."

Dahlia glanced over at Hook, who refused to look directly at her. Maybe he felt a bit guilty. Her eyes moved over to Pan, who she realized was just as wet as her.

"You saved me?" Her words were addressed to Pan.

John, however, was the one who answered. "It was amazing. Peter hit Hook in the stomach and just jumped in after you. When he brought you up, you weren't breathing. I thought you were dead, Dahlia! But Pan did something really weird. He just kept pushing on your ribs. It was so strange! But then you spit up water and woke up. I mean, it was incredible!"

Dahlia rolled her eyes and slowly climbed to her feet, slightly dizzy. Luckily, a pirate was there to grab her arm, which helped her steady herself. "I'm glad my near-death experience was amusing to you." She glanced at Pan. "Thank you."

Pan looked away and merely shook his head.

"Well, now that that's over, are you ready to tell me where the heart is?" Hook's voice was dangerously angry. "Or do I need to throw this wench in the water again?"

The focus turned away from Dahlia and onto Pan. It gave Dahlia time to wonder whether her dream was real or not. Carefully, making sure the pirate holding her was distracted, she opened her bag and glanced inside.

Thump, thump.

She stared down at Pan's glowing heart, the scroll beside it. It had not been a dream. Dahlia closed the bag quickly. She had two pieces, possibly three. She just needed the last piece.

Loud clapping echoed in the cave before Dahlia could decide what to do.

All the people glanced up, as a shadow settled over them.

Pan's shadow flew before them, as thousands of other shadows slunk out of the shadows, surrounding the party completely.

"What the bloody hell!" Hook exclaimed as the pirates drew their swords.

Pan's shadow reached near the ground and stopped several yards for the party. His voice came out the same as when Dahlia had last heard it.

"It is time. You all wish for something." He gestured his shadowy hand towards Smith. "You wish for eternal life. Will you willingly give up everything for it?" He turned to Hook. "You wish to destroy a boy. Will you risk your life?" He turned to John. "You wish to revenge your friend. Will you kill Neverland to do so?" He turned to Pan. "You wish to destroy me. Will you sacrifice the girl you love to kill me?" He finally turned to Dahlia. "You wish for happiness. If you succeed in your plan, will it truly give you the happiness you so crave?"

Dahlia clenched her fists.

Pan's shadow moved towards Dahlia, but addressed everyone. "This girl has the puzzle piece to all your desires." He formed his hand as if he was choking someone and, before Dahlia could react, she found herself quickly rising in the air.

She let out a screech as she came to rest equal to the shadow, twenty feet in the air.

"Dahlia!" John exclaimed from below her.

Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat of Pan's heart grew louder.

"What is that sound?" Hook demanded.

"The little alien has a secret," Pan's shadow announced, slowly floating around Dahlia.

Dahlia felt her heart beating faster in panic. She wasn't exactly afraid of heights, but being suspended in the air without anything to hold unto was terrifying.

"What have you done, Lia." Pan's voice sounded forced below her.

At the same moment, Smith announced, "She has Pan's heart!"

Pan's shadow came to float in front of her, stopping mere inches from her face. His voice lowered. "You cannot stop me, little one. This is my island and you play by my rules. In the end, you will all fade into oblivion and I shall remain. Now, let the games begin."

He released his hand front the choking position, and Dahlia felt herself fall towards the earth. Again, she was falling.