AN/ There's something over in Can't Escape (ch62-65) that you might want to read. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I know a couple of you have been really looking forward to it. That's right folks, we're finally having the major characters meet each other. (Also it's Slightly Plot Important but you really will survive without it if you don't want to read it)

Chapter 183: Grown Up

Peter and Sora resumed their pseudo tour of Neverland, and Sora made sure to not be tricked near any ledges again. Or just anywhere where he could be shoved and fall. Flying would be great and all, but he'd rather not break any bones…

"How'd you end up in Neverland, anyway?" Peter asked. He'd turned around so he could look at Sora, hands behind his headd and basically sitting in mid-air, still floating backwards down the path.

"Ahh…" Sora considered his answer for a moment. "Ran away?"

It wasn't a total lie. If there was anything he was doing right now, it was running away from Maleficent. He'd missed his chance to escape when Roxas was here—which was a pity—but how bad could staying in Neverland be? It had to be better than staying with her!

Besides, maybe Roxas would show up again.

There was a small tug in his pocket from the charm, but Sora didn't pay it any attention.

"Oh!" Peter lit up entirely. "You can stay here if you want, you know! There's always room for one more lost boy! Well…" He frowned a little. "You're a little old… oh, but they'll love you! Everyone's been down since Wendy left, but you'll be the perfect thing to cheer 'em up!"

Sora chuckled a little. He remembered dreaming of being a lost boy when he was a kid. Not that'd he really want to become one now.

"Aha, thanks for the offer, but—"

Peter crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at him. "You said you ran away, didn'tcha?"

"Yeah."

"Then why do ya wanna go back?"

"I- I never said I wanted to!" Sora said, quickly. "But I'm not so sure I want to stay here…"

"Well, there's plenty of room for you if you wanna stay!" Peter assured him. He circled around Sora once. "And just think of how much fun it'll be! No parents, no responsibilities—you getta have fun all day! We gotta figure out how to get you to fly though, first…"

Peter flew so he was right behind Sora and picked him up under the arms. To Sora's surprise, they both took off from the ground, even though he should've weighed Peter down. There wasn't any way Peter was strong enough to carry him… at least not far.

"How are you carrying me?" Sora asked, looking up at Peter.

"The pixie dust is doing what it's supposed to! Makes you basically weightless!" Peter explained. "But you still need the happy thoughts to fly!"

"…right," Sora said, slowly. Had that been in the stories? He couldn't remember… "Why are you doing this, anyway?" he called, trying not to look down. They were flying over a large valley now, and it was a long way from the ground.

"You're slow when you have to walk!" Peter said, sounding very annoyed about the matter. "I'd thought I'd fly us to Mermaid Lagoon instead."

"Oh, good," Sora sighed with relief. "I thought you were gonna drop me or something."

"That's a great idea!" Peter laughed.

Sora's eyes went wide. He instantly regretted saying anything.

"No—"

Peter let go.

Sora screamed, flailing a little, the ground below him coming up way too fast. The thought didn't even cross his mind that he was supposed to try and fly. He just hoped that the drop didn't look as bad as it did and that he'd somehow not die when he hit the ground.

"Oh quit your screaming!" Peter laughed, diving down so he was next to Sora. He grabbed Sora by the arm, slowing down his fall until they were about two feet off the ground. Then Peter dropped him.

Sora pushed himself up, brushing himself off. He glared.

"Thanks for saving me," he said, "but you shouldn't have dropped me in the first place!"

Peter slowly crossed his arms over his chest, scowling long and hard at Sora. He looked angry. Really angry.

"You're too grown up," he says. "That's why you can't fly. You think this is all kid's stuff!"

"I- no!"

Peter's face had almost gone as red at his hair. "You worry too much! You don't understand how to have fun—"

"You dropped me!" Sora protested. "Not to mention shoved me off a—"

"See! That's your problem! You're thinking of it as me dropping you, or shoving you—you forget the fact that you asked me to teach you how to fly!" Peter was shouting, rising a little in each air with each shout. "That's all grown-ups do! Focus on the bad stuff!"

"But you dropped me!"

"Because getting in the air is the hard part! Staying up is easy! I was trying to-"

"Did you hear that?" Sora asked, cutting him off. He'd heard… footsteps. Were those footsteps? It was definitely something!

Peter paused, only for a second. "Hear what? No!" His eyes narrowed at Sora. "I'm not falling for it! You're trying to make me forget that I'm mad at you!"

"I'm serious Peter!" Sora hissed. It sounded like—

"Just like a grown-up! You get paranoid and starting hearing things that aren't there and—" Peter stopped, eyes going wide. Without hesitating, he grabbed Sora by the arm and dragged him into the bushes, forcing him down so he was hidden, and ducking down so he was hidden himself.

"It's Maleficent," Sora whispered, peeking out of the bushes.

Peter joined him, though he was a lot less cautious with his peeking. "Isn't she that witch Hook was talking about a while back?" he asked. "Hah! I bet I could take her! Anyone working with that old codfish has gotta be—"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Sora interjected.

"Aw, there you go again!" Peter shot a glare over at Sora. "Getting all paranoid over nothing! You need to—"

"Sora," Maleficent said, addressing him calmly. She knew he was there. She knew he'd come out. Sora's blood ran cold.

Peter rounded on him. "You know her!?"

"I… well…"

"She's the one you ran away from?"

"Yeah…" Sora sighed, started pushing himself up. "But I better go with her—"

"Why would ya wanna go back!?"

"Well, I don't," Sora said. "But she's gonna hurt someone if I don't go with her…"

"Stop acting like a grown-up!" Peter hissed, grabbing Sora by the arm and yanking him back to the ground. He was surprisingly strong enough to hold Sora there, too. "Do you want to go back or not? No buts!"

"No," Sora said. He couldn't help himself, though. "But—"

"I said no buts!" Peter shouted, and he launched himself out of the bushes, drawing his dagger as he went. Sora watched him go with horror.

"Now listen here you old hag!" Peter laughed, brandishing his dagger. He was floating about three feet off the ground, looking very confident with himself. "This is my land and you best get out of it!"

"Oh?" Maleficent just raised her eyebrows, smiling a little. "And what will you do if I don't?"

"Why, I'll—"

"Peter! No!" Sora jumped out of the bushes. "No, it's- it's fine I—"

"Sora, you and your grown-up-thinking stay out of this!" Peter scolded, sparing only a glance in his direction. Tinker Bell had shown up and was flying around Maleficent's face, trying to distract her. Thankfully, Maleficent didn't seem to notice.

Sora ignored Peter, turning to Maleficent. He sighed again. "I'm comi—"

"You gotta run, Sora!" Peter shouted, over him. "I can handle her!"

"Peter, there is a time for games and a time to be serious!" Sora shouted back, face scrunching, fists clenching.

"I know!" Peter's voice was completely serious, and he turned and looked Sora in the eye. "And you gotta stop playing grown-up and get out of here!"

He turned his attention back to Maleficent, swinging his dagger at her, now. Tinker Bell attempted to kick Maleficent in the face, but was promptly swatted away. Maleficent sent a blast of magic at Peter, but he was able to avoid it.

Sora watched for a second longer, before deciding that Peter could really handle this, and running as quick as he could away from there. He wasn't going to get another chance like this. And Peter was a hero—of sorts, anyway. He knew what he was doing.

But how far can I run? Sora thought. Then he smiled.

"Not as far as I can fly," he whispered.

He closed his eyes for a second, not stopping, and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and leapt off the ground, summoning the happiest thought to him that he could—

Something hit him in the side mid-jump. It wasn't something small, either. It felt about the size of him and hit him with enough force to knock him off balance. He hit the ground, hard, his vision blurring. He only managed to register that he was, somehow, no longer in Neverland.

Then he passed out.

xxx

Maleficent hadn't expected Sora to go far. She'd figured she'd be able to deal with these two nuisances—Peter Pan and his fairy—before Sora could get far at all. At worst, she maybe had to use the darkness to stop him.

In fact, Peter Pan was now on the ground, his dagger far from his reach. He was rubbing his head, face contorted in pain. Maleficent reached over and caught his fairy by its wings, holding it well away from her so it couldn't be any more of an annoyance.

"Hey!" Peter Pan shouted. "Let her go!"

"I—" Maleficent began, but stopped short. Her eyes went wide with fury.

Sora was no longer in this world.

She'd felt him go.

His presence didn't exactly stand out or anything, but it still left a very obvious hole where it should've been.

Something—or someone—had taken him from this world.

Taken him from her.

That damn Shadow!

She threw Peter Pan's fairy to the ground in disgust and vanished from that world immediately. She would need to hunt Sora down again, and would rather not waste any time.