Lightning, green with infection, lit the colorless sky. Thunder growled and for a moment Tinkerbell thought the world was going to shiver into pieces. When it stayed together, she let out a breath and flapped her gossamer wings harder while glancing down at her precious cargo. His body, seemingly made of nothing more than bones, bruises, and almost transparent skin, was limp, supported by nothing but her pixie dust. Only the thin wisps of mist coming from his mouth told her it wasn't too late.

Yet.

The sky beneath her faltered and for a brief moment she was plummeting through a void. And then her wings found purchase, tendons straining at the abrupt stop. Gritting her teeth, Tinkerbell glanced up. There was a crack in the world, thin as air but a crack all the same. Time was crumbling away and she had yet to spot…The island peeked through the fog and Tinkerbell adjusted course.

"Only a little longer," she promised, though whether it was for the sake of the boy or herself there was no way to know. Nor did it matter as long as she kept it.

Time neither flew nor crawled, it didn't seem to make a difference, but Tinkerbell knew she was balancing on the edge of a dagger. Finally, finally, the island's great forest was beneath her and she tumbled down to it, searching for the last living piece of the world. Color, painfully vibrant against the emptiness, flashed in the corner of her eye and she angled for it as her strength gave out. Together with the boy, she hit hard, earth and vegetation tearing at her wings and flesh.

Blood oozed down her forehead, but she couldn't stop now. Not when her mission was so close to completion. Staggering to her feet, Tinkerbell half fluttered half limped to the human's side. Tiny hands searched his neck, stopping to press against the skin beneath his jaw. A heartbeat, fading and tired, pushed back against her and Tinkerbell sighed. He was still alive. Eyes gentle, she stroked his hair. "It'll be okay," she whispered before stepping back to face the forest.

A pond, its surface glimmering with strange flashes of color, rested in the center of the remaining life. The island's heart. Head spinning, Tinkerbell staggered to the pool, flapping her abused wings for balance. At the edge, she knelt and, carefully, skimmed her fingers across the surface. The ripples fell away from her, sinking into the pearlescent water. A moment later thin bubbles floated up to her, swaying and shifting.

"It isn't too late," she protested. "I found someone." She gestured to the boy. Leaves slipped from the trees to land on the still figure as the grass swayed in a breeze as weak as a dying breath. Once more the bubbles flashed.

"There's darkness here!" Tinkerbell countered. Clambering to her feet, she glared at the bubbles. "He still dreams. Powerful, living dreams!"

Pulsing, the bubbles hovered, one of them bursting into scattered pieces of life. Tinkerbell flinched. As several bubbles sank to the ground, the pool, the fairy cradled one in her hands. Blues and purples played across its surface and she shook her head. "No," she said, eyes hard. "If you won't I will."

The bubble stilled for a moment before rising from her hands and, moving as if pained, floating to the boy. Several beats passed, the island crumbling, Tinkerbell swaying, color fading, before it turned as if to face her.

"Yes," she whispered. "I am."

Another breeze brushed her wings and ruffled the boy's hair. Reaching out, she sent her pixie dust swirling over to the human. Its usual sharp green was now drab and it strained to lift its charge. True fear ran cold down the fairy's spine. If her dust failed it would be over. She wasn't strong enough to carry a human. And then the boy's limp body rose and began to drag across the forest floor.

Each inch sapped more strength and by the time she'd gotten him to the pool, Tinkerbell was on her knees, trembling. With one final burst of strength, the boy was submerged. As he sank beneath the surface, Tinkerbell collapsed, watching through half lidded eyes as the color continued to drain from the forest. The pool's surface remained still. For the first time her hope wavered. It had taken so long just to get here…was she really too late?

And then the water began to stir, slowly at first, with only a few ripples, and then wilder and wilder, waves crashing within the small circle. Unable to move, Tinkerbell held her breath, not daring to hope. The pool exploded with light and Tinkerbell was forced to close her eyes and turn her face towards the ground. A strange soundless roar rippled through the world, the air, her very being. Then, silence.

For several moments Tinkerbell stayed where she was. Then, gathering her strength, she eased herself onto her hands and knees. Blinking the grit from her eyes, she stared about her, a hesitant, disbelieving smile flickering on her lips.

A breeze, warm and carrying the scent of salt water, danced with the thick blades of grass and gossiped with the foliage. Insects buzzed as they tested their wings against the restored air. The trees, which had looked old and lank, now held themselves with pride, their leafy crowns adding a sense of dignity. Above the island the sky was clearing, clouds drifting apart to make way for the sun.

It had worked. Tinkerbell let out a soft, breathless laugh even as a single tear fell down her cheek. It had really worked. The island, while still not as vibrant as it had once been, was alive and healing. If it hadn't accepted the boy…

The boy!

Whirling around, Tinkerbell searched the now placid waters for the human who had saved the island. Where was he? Where…? Her gaze found the still form sprawled at the edge of the pool across from her, half in half out of the water. The fairy staggered to her feet and stumbled over to him. Once she'd reached his side, she knelt beside his face. A faint breath stirred the wisps of hair escaping her bun and she relaxed. He was still alive.

His hair was plastered to his forehead and beads of water clung to his skin. The bruises that had colored his skin with blues and purples and yellows were faded to almost nonexistent browns. He wasn't fully healed, his bones still far too prominent to be healthy, but here he could rest, eat, and be restored. Ghosting her fingers across his temple, Tinkerbell kissed his cheek.

"Welcome home, Peter," she whispered.

The boy stirred, eyes fluttering open and Tinkerbell found herself staring into bright pixie green eyes. Magic swirled beneath his skin, behind his eyes. The island lived within him and him within the island.

"Welcome to Neverland."