A/N- Just so you know, this chapter is a little abbreviated in the battle department- why, you ask? Because I suck at writing fights. I am very good, however, with angst. So be prepared!



Chapter 10





It was still dark when Levi awoke. At first she thought she was still on the cliff- the sound of ocean waves filled her ears. But then she realized she was curled up in a soft bed with what felt like a hide blanket over her, fur against her face.

Peter was wandering around the small chamber, looking for something. Apparently it was a clean tunic- he was only wearing boots and leggings. Levi blushed and pulled the blanket over her head.

"If you're coming, you'd better get up," said Peter, knowing full well she was awake. "The three armies meet at the cove in a quarter of an hour."

That woke Levi up. She jumped up, suddenly hyper-aware. "Where-"

"They're passing out weapons at the cliff where we did the training," Peter continued. "Tie your hair back with something, don't bother getting cleaned up."

Levi nodded absently. "Meet you there," she said, and vanished through the entry-hole in the floor. Peter didn't pay any attention, he was busy trying to get his tunic on.

It took Levi five minutes to find the dormitory where she'd been staying, three more to make a sloppy braid of her hair, and then she was off and flying again, not caring a bit that she stuck out like a sore thumb. No one else wore jeans and Linkin Part t-shirts, just her.

When she reached the cliff-top, it was as if the entire armory had moved their forge. Armor and weapons were everywhere. She landed near a basket full of swords and looked around in confusion

"You there! I know you!"

Levi turned and saw the tall redhead, Desiree. She was dressed in a chain-mail tunic and a helmet, a sword at her belt. She looked absolutely terrifying.

"What?"

"Don't just stand there, get your helmet and weapons and armor, girl," said Desiree, irritated. "We have only a few minutes!" She tossed a sheathed sword and belt at Levi, who caught it easily and buckled it around her waist. "Where's the other stuff?"

"Chin-mail that way, plate armor that way, helmets that way, other weapons that way," Desiree replied, pointing in each direction in turn. "I'd suggest a chain-mail tunic and light helm."

"Mm."

"Get moving!" Desiree barked. Levi jumped and did as she was told- you don't argue with a female Viking.

It took only a moment to find what she needed, and then it was off to the beach she went. Redskins were assembled there with canoes in the pre-dawn darkness, their tomahawks newly edged with iron. The mer-folk were just beyond the shore, the siren song gone now- low, angry murmurings had replaced them. There were no Fae present- the touch of iron burnt like them like red-hot coal.

The pale light of false dawn was lighting the western horizon when Peter appeared, the last of the Lost with him.

"Start out to the ships," Peter commanded, no longer a teenage boy- now he was a war veteran, leading his troops into a deadly battle. "Gaius, stay deep- those cannon balls pack a punch, even under water. Seneca, you know the drill. We'll be up in the skies, picking them off." Peter waved broadly, and the Lost all went floating away up into the clowds, Levi included. She hadn't a clue what she was doing, but she was glad she'd snagged some chain-mail and a helmet beforehand.

"Archers! Get 'em in the heart- it won't kill them, but they'll be down for the count at least," Peter hollered through the fog.

Levi nocked an iron-tipped arrow and dipped below the sparse clouds, aiming carefully at the helmsman of the first ship. She saw twenty or so other archers around, all squinting at their targets, hands rather shaky.

Not her. She was as calm as if she was merely taking a stroll through the woods.

Release!

Watch the arrow, hold breath, see the helmsman fall, grab another, aim and release. Watch, wait, see the strike, do it all over again.

Hoarse yelling filled the air. The pirates swarmed over the ship's deck, running madly for the cannons, the rigging. Those hit were curled up in agony, but not dead.

The sea began foaming with mer-folk, swimming up to shoot the pirates and punch holes in the ships.

Canoes were coming closer.

"DRAW YOUR SWORDS!"

A green blur rocketed past, sword flashing. Levi put away her bow, drew her own blade, flew as fast as she could towards the ship below.

Screams, clashes of metal, splashes, the boom of cannons, the 'whoosh' of disintegrating wraiths, all meshed into a cacophony that did nothing but confuse. Levi shut off her ears.

Pirate, just ahead, back turned. Run, swing, block, chop of his head, pull the pirate's would-be victim up and move on.

Conscious thought vanished. It was all a whirl of noise and blood in the darkness. The redskins climbed into the ship, their battle-cries both heartening and terrifying.

Duck, roll, jump up, block, kick, chop their head off. Fly into the rigging, picking off the sailors trying to raise sail.

Strange thoughts were spinning through Levi's head at warp speed. We're just kids, what are we doing fighting a war? Eww, yuck, this ship smells nasty. Ow! Die, fiend!

She was too busy to notice the gold fairy.





* * *





"Where is that wench?" Tink muttered, flitting about the carnage without paying attention. All she could think about was ridding herself of the girl with the jewel-bright eyes.

Ah. There she was. High up, slicing the pirates in the rigging into bite-sized pieces. Tinker-Bell almost quailed at the sight of the flashing iron-bladed sword. Almost.

Someone on their last wits doesn't pay attention to anything like odds.

The fairy grabbed an arrow, hefted it up, trying to balance the long shaft and not drop it. Then, grinning like the insane maniac she was, the went full-tilt at Levi.

"LEVI!" Peter yelled.

The next three seconds went as follows:

Levi turned, face stretching into an expression of shocked horror, mingled with fear. The pirate she'd been fighting fled, scrambling down the rigging like a translucent monkey.

Peter flew hard and fast, dodging rigging and pirates and Lost, one thought in his mind- stop Tink.

Tink flew faster, the iron-tipped arrow aimed right at Levi's heart.

Peter was a blur of speed.

Levi began turning, looking for a way out; she was trapped between rigging and a crazy fairy- there was no way out.

Peter reached Levi at the same instant Tink did. The arrow went straight into his ribs, sinking in deep. Any idiot could see that it was a fatal wound.

Time suddenly came out of its deadlock, sped up.

"Peter! You idiot!" Tink wailed. "Now I'll have to kill both of you!" She gave the arrow a vicious twist.

Levi's hand shot out, caught the fairy in her fist. Squeezed. "You," Levi growled, eyes flashing like molten sapphire. The fairy grinned madly at her, her crazed laughter like wild bells.

Without another word, Levi pressed the iron blade against Tink's bare skin. The laughter turned into a long death-scream.

The lifeless, suddenly dull body fell to the earth. Levi dropped her sword heedlessly and grabbed Peter by the arms- he was starting to waver, to fall.

"Peter, look at me," she pleaded. Peter looked dazed, in shock. He brushed his fingers against his side and they came away dripping with blood. He looked up at Levi blankly.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" Levi screamed, terrified at the all-consuming emptiness in Peter's eyes. "SOMEONE HELP!"

Four different Lost came instantly. "What-"

"We have to get him out of here," Levi said desperately. "He's bleeding too much, the arrow probably got a lung-"

"Come on." The largest boy of the four grabbed Peter and flew towards shore in the dawn light, Levi beside him. Every instant was an eternity, as Peter's life fell away in drops of red.

They had just touched the sand when it started.

The earth rumbled, shook like a wet dog, came a hoarse, creaking roar; Levi cried out.

"Never-Land..." Peter murmured, drifting farther towards the Dark Border. "Falling down..."

"I'll fetch a doctor," said the boy urgently, then vanished into the sky. Levi held Peter close as the very earth bucked.

"The magic..."

"You'll be okay," Levi said desperately. "Don't die, don't, please-"

The waves roared, crashed, soaked the earth. In an instant the sky clouded over, winds began blowing long and loud, sounding like a widow's wail.

Peter's gaze was blank, unfocused, but fear filled his face. "The hole-" he muttered senselessly. "The anchor..."

Levi gasped.

"Peter is the anchor, which quadruples the problem."



"He's the anchor! I was right! If he dies, Never-Land goes with him!" Levi said to the howling winds.

The sky was being ripped apart, dying even as Peter was.

"Peter, please, stay with me-"

The air began glowing, the wind howling to the point of deafening.

"Please-"

"The magic is failing..." Peter whispered. "Fix it..."

"I can't!"

And in that instant, everything changed.

The air was glowing blue, bright blue like sapphires held up against the sun. It reverberated with raw power- magic tearing itself apart. She could see the power, feel it.

"Fix it."

"I don't know how!"

Blue. Like Janus's scales. Like Levi's eyes. The color of the wind, that first and last winter.

The color of Time unleashed.

And then she knew what to do, as much as if she'd done it every day of her life. She reached out one hand, somehow caught the power in her fist.

Time. Loose and destructive. When the Fae turned back Peter's life, they trapped it, and now it wanted out. They had caged it, changed Never-Land's nature, and now it would mend things.

You cannot have it yet, Levi whispered. I can give you your due, but you must do one thing for me. Change one thing for me, before I give you back your Place of Truth.

And Time obeyed.





* * *





-Peter flew hard and fast, dodging rigging and pirates and Lost, one thought in his mind- stop Tink.

Tink flew faster, the iron-tipped arrow aimed right at Levi's heart.

Peter was a blur of speed.

Levi began turning, looking for a way out; she was trapped between rigging and a crazy fairy- there was no way out.

Desperation grew in Peter's mind.

Tink cackled.

And then-

Levi shrieked in pain, the arrow protruding from her side. Tink laughed louder, eyes wild with madness. Peter swung desperately, at the fairy fell in pieces to the deck below.

"Levi!" He grabbed her as she began to fall, held her tightly and flew for the shore without event thinking about it. Panic fueled him.

Levi didn't know what had happened- just knew that something, something within her, hand shifted. And suddenly here she was, wounded and bleeding and probably dying. She couldn't remember what had happened, but knew she had changed something.

They reached the shore. Peter cradled her gently in his arms, heedless of the blood dripping onto the white sand, staining it red.

"Stay with me," he whispered. "Look at me, Lyris- I won't lose you again."

Levi looked up at him, a vague, almost invisible smile flickering across her pale face. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered weakly.

But Peter could see her weakening, her life spilling out on the sand...

"Remember when you said-" she took a deep breath, rasping breath, almost coughed- "that if you want to fly faster, you just believe you already are?"

Peter nodded. "I remember," he said thickly.

"Well then... think I'm better," she murmured softly. "And I will be."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Why not?"

"Because..." he took a shaky breath, tried not to cry. "It never did before."

"Piotr knew how to believe," she whispered. "So did Lyris. And so do I."

Peter nodded numbly. "Yeah, he did," he said softly. "But I can't seem to find him."

"Mmm."

She was slipping away so fast, Peter thought bleakly. There was nothing he could do to stop it.

....or was there?

"You'll be okay," said Peter absently, moving so he could see the wound. The arrow shaft was still sticking out, it was in deep and to remove it would only cause more damage. But he had to do something.

Her breathing sounded rasping, blood was flecking her lips now. She's got a punctured lung. This is it- I can't do anything. My hands are tied.

All right Peter, Piotr, whoever you are- believe.

And suddenly he did. He knew, for no reason whatsoever, that Levi was going to be perfectly fine, that everything would turn out okay and he had nothing to worry about.

Levi gasped...





* * *





It took over a month for Levi to fully recover. Peter never could figure out what had happened that day, but all he knew was one instant Levi was dying and the next he was holding a bloody arrow, the deep wound in Levi's side already clogging.

The pirates were gone- that one attack completely wiped them out. Even Hook. The ships had gone up in flames before the day had ended, and charred wreckage was still washing up on the shore.

There had been deaths- Lost and redskins and mer-folk. Each group sent off their dead in their own way, but they all met on the beach for a memorial. Fires were lit on the beach, and wooden swords were burned in memory of the fallen.

But slowly, ever so slowly, Never-Land became normal again. More than normal- it was whole.

No one knew what had happened to the Fae. They vanished into the sky the very day of the Great Battle. A great plague went with them, and the Place of Truth began to recover....