Chapter 17

Separation

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Outside the teepee at the edge of the Indian encampment, the birds chirped and sea pounded heavily against the rock face below. Inside, a heavy silence lingered in the air.

"So," Leah started, staring a Tiger Lily who was focusing on the sky above her through the smoke hole. Slowly, Lily lowered her gaze to the girl sitting across from her; Leah's fingers were knitting together in a nervousness that she couldn't understand. "After Pan was killed, what happened?" Lily sighed and looked back up at the sky.

"Eidn tried to give all of her Celestial power to Pan to bring him back. But his physical body was already too far-gone to save. In her pain, Eidn created a place that Pan's spirit could live, a world that he himself had dreamed of and wished so desperately for."

"Neverland." The single word escaped her lips in a puff of air. Lily simply nodded, not bothering to advert her attention.

"Neverland and everything that it contained. All the plants, the animals, the landscape, everything. Eidn drained herself completely, and in the end, she fell next to Pan."

"Eidn…also died?" Leah asked, a sinking feeling clutching her insides.

"Or some say." Lily sighed again and looked down at her hands. "My people were the first inhabitants to enter Neverland. We were the outcasts during the war, hidden by our parents from both sides. Finally finding sanctuary here."

"What do you mean?" Leah's mind reeled at all the information that Tiger Lily was giving her. She was trying to grasp and understand everything, but there were still blanks in her story.

"Abominations, we were called. Children of the forbidden love between Celestials and Mortals."

"Abominations? But weren't you exactly what the Mortals wanted?" Lily's eyes snapped to Leah's face, trying to see if she truly understood the extent of what she had just uttered. But all she was met with was innocent curiosity.

"No. We were neither Celestial nor Mortal. But when we heard Eidn's cry, we left the worlds that hated us, and found our own. Even Celestials that hated the war, hated what they were becoming, left the heavens and joined us in Neverland."

"Who…?" Sudden understanding swept over Leah. "The faeries? They are Celestials?" Lily slowly nodded, studying Leah, admiring her for figuring it out so quickly.

"Yes, many generations later at least." Once again Lily sighed. Leah was beginning to see that the telling of this story was wearing on her nerves, and that the entire purpose of telling her the history of Neverland, was getting closer to being revealed. "But one thing happened that no one ever expected." She paused and looked Leah straight in the eye. "The Captain that killed Pan was standing to close when Eidn created Neverland, and was swept up along with many others in his crew." It felt as if Lily had just dumped ice cold water over her, the sinking feeling, the nervousness that she felt, they were all beginning to make since. "Hook barely remembers the days of the war, but the feelings of animosity and the great desire he has to kill Peter, still runs wildly through his system." Leah stared at the mat below, digesting what Lily had told her. The Captain that had killed Pan in the first place, was Hook. And after all this time…

"I still don't understand," Leah began after a few minutes of silence. "How did…Peter and Pan…how do they…how did…?" She was struggling to even form the question, let alone try to even begin to understand the connection.

"Pan's spirit was roaming free, without a body he couldn't begin to enjoy the world that Eidn created for him. It was years later when Pan's spirit happened upon a young boy who's life was slipping away, and Pan promised the boy that he could live a long and happy life, full of joy and youth, if the boy would allow for Pan to live inside him. The young boy agreed. Then a few months later, Tinkerbell came and brought the boy, Peter Pan, to Neverland." Lily took a breath and once again looked up at the sky, noticing that it was beginning to grow darker. Turning her eyes back to Leah, head lowered in deep concentration, Lily began to doubt herself. Did she do the right thing in telling Leah this? Was she even right in her assumption about Leah's part in Hook's plan?

"Thank you, Tiger Lily." Her voice was soft, kind even, not distressed at all as Lily would have guessed she would have been. And it hurt her.

"I know you must have more questions,"

"Hundreds." Lily nodded to herself, that she was expecting and glad, for once, she was right.

"But I am afraid that it is getting dark and you should be going, but there is one more thing that I would like for you to –"

"Lily?" Leah interrupted, picking her head up to look at the young woman sitting anxiously across from her. She had a feeling anymore questions that she had for Lily would be put on hold for another day, but one question nagged her and she needed the answer. "You said that Hook was trying to mold fate, do you mean that he is trying to kill Peter?"

"Leah I don't think that now is – "

"Please. Can't you tell me?" For the first time the intense concern in Leah's eyes over took Lily's better judgment. This was the path of the conversation that Lily did not want to approach, and she could tell that Leah saw that.

"Hook can't," Lily paused and Leah saw the internal argument that ravaged Lily's mind, but despite not wanting to push her, Leah had to know. "Hook can't kill Peter." That was something that she definitely was not expecting.

"What?"

"Eidn's love protects Pan's spirit, in turn protecting the body that it inhabits. No matter what Hook will try to do, he can't kill Peter."

"But then why has-"

"Please, Leah." Lily stood and took a few steps towards Leah, then kneeled down and took her hands. "Please, don't ask me anymore questions. At least, not today." There was a vice grip on Lily's insides, squeezing tighter and tighter the further into the conversation they were going. She was almost certain now what lie in the future, and somehow, by any means necessary she had to prevent it from coming.

"Alright. I'm sorry for pushing. I just," She clasped the girls hands that encircled her own. "I just want to know how I fit in all of this. If there is anything I can do to protect Peter, please let me know." Lily closed her eyes to prevent from seeing the girl's worried expression. It has to be done, she told herself.

But was it the right thing?

"There is one thing for now, that you can do."

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The sky was growing darker by the minute and the moon was slowly beginning to rise over the horizon, and yet, Leah still had not returned. Peter paced at the rivers edge, absentmindedly kicking small pebbles into the water.

Five more minutes. He told himself. Then I am going to look for her.

Worry for Leah had occupied his mind all day to the point where he couldn't sit still. He had tried to train his body with the water exercise he had been practicing, but no matter how long he did it for, his mind was too distracted to concentrate. He had given up hours ago and had settled on pacing by the river, trying not to count the seconds as they ticked by.

A rustle of leaves from behind him caused him to stop his pacing and perk his ears for whatever had caused the noise. Turning slowly towards the direction the noise had come from; he instinctively reached for the dagger in his boot and tensed his muscles for a fight.

"Peter?" Her soft voice came from the darkness of the trees in front of him, hesitant but not afraid. A few moments later she emerged from the trees, pushing a branch out of her way, and stopped a couple of yards away from him on the riverbank. Tension released from his shoulders and he replaced his dagger in its proper place, she was alright, no harm had come to her. Standing in the moonlight, she was the vision he had been waiting to see all day long and without hesitation he began making his way closer to her. But as soon as she was in arms length of him, she stepped back.

A biting pain shot through him, rooting him to the spot. Her eyes were downcast, focusing on the gravel next to his feet rather than on him, her expression was sad, depressed almost. What had happened at the Indian encampment? What had Tiger Lily said to her?

"Leah…what?...Why?" There was so much hurt is his voice that Leah had to bite her cheek, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She didn't even want to look at him for fear of changing her mind, but Tiger Lily was right. There was no other choice in the matter.

"Peter," Her voice sounded hoarse, strained even to her ears. At that moment, Peter knew he didn't want to hear the rest of what she was going to say. "Until we understand what Hook is planning to do," She took a deep breath. "I think that we should, part ways for a while."

There was nothing but silence between them. The leaves of the trees rustled quietly as a soft breeze blew through them, the water of the river flowed gently towards the sea. A minute passed. Two. Three. Peter still said nothing. With as much courage as she could muster, she dared a glance at him. His eyes were focused out across the river, an unreadable expression on his face, but she noticed that by his sides both hands were fisted tightly.

"Why?" His voice, almost inaudible, caused her to shift her eyes to his face, still turned away from her.

"Tiger Lily believes, and I agree with her, that Hook might try to use any bond that we created against you." Leah had to look away from him when she saw his brows knit together, her throat was beginning to tighten as everything began to settle. She was too off balance to really understand what Tiger Lily had asked her to do when she first left the encampment, but now, standing in front of Peter, the distress began to overwhelm her. "For the moment, it…it can keep us both safe. You can go stay with Tiger Lily, Slightly and Nibs. You can be with them."

"And you?" Again his voice was quiet, distant.

"I'll stay here. Tiger Lily said that she would have one of her guards keep watch over me. Just in case." The last sentenced came in a whisper, the anxiety of being alone again, in a world she didn't know or could even begin to understand, in a world where there were foul men who wanted to cause her harm, in a world where she couldn't be with Peter, over took her and the tears begin to slip. Silently she cursed to herself and tried to stop them from falling by focusing on her hands tightly clasped in front of her.

Then, without warning, she was enveloped in the warmth of Peter's arms. He held her tightly against his chest and tucked her head under his chin. He knew that she was trying to hide her tears from him, that she once again, was trying to be the strong one. But one person could only take so much.

He knew that this was going to eventually happen. Hook had been targeting everyone that he cared about, just so that he could hurt Peter. And now, with his feelings for Leah growing stronger every day, it was only a matter of time before Hook tried to use Leah. The idea of leaving her killed him, but the idea of losing her completely, hurt even more. Deep down, he knew that Tiger Lily was right; this is what they had to do. Pressing her even closer to him, he felt her hands fist to the front of his tunic and bury her face in his chest.

"How long?" He asked softly.

"I don't know." Came her muffled response. Framing her face with his hands, he pulled her away from him only so much that he could look her in the eyes. To him, even though tear filled and red rimmed, her eyes were still the most beautiful he had ever seen. Gently he brushed away the tears that marred her face with the pads of his thumbs. Standing there with her in his arms, he studied her, committing every detail, every plane of her face to memory. As much as he tried to push the disturbing thought to the back of his mind, a nagging voice was warning him that he might never see her again.

"When does Tiger Lily want me to leave?" He watched her advert her eyes away from his and study the trees beyond. Realization hit him, and he clutched her to him again. "I see." He said into her hair. Now.

Leah didn't want him to leave. And with her own heart and his, pounding in her ears, she realized that it was the first time that that was so. With a deep breath and everything she had in her, she placed her hands flat on his chest and pushed him away.

Quicker than he wished, the warmth of her against his chest was being replaced by the cold night air. An emptiness began to fill him as she stepped further away towards the darkness of the trees.

He didn't know what had caused it, or what had even made his feet move, but the next moment he had crossed the space that was growing larger between them, pulled her back into his arms, and gently pressed his lips to hers.

It was tender and soft, and then over as suddenly as it had began. Peter rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. Leah's heart ached, but her lips tingled where they had touched his, causing a warm blush to fill her cheeks. Resting her hands by his ears she drew him down to her and placed a kiss to his forehead, one to the corner of his mouth, and then finally captured his lips with her own. There was more pressure to her kiss, more urgency as if it would be their last. Then abruptly she broke off and stepped away from him.

"One of Tiger Lily's guards is waiting for you. Goodbye Peter." Without a second glance, or waiting to hear his goodbye, she turned into the trees and disappeared into the trunk that lead to the tree house.

"Goodbye Leah." With a heavy heart, he made his way towards the row of trees that she emerged from where he found an Indian guard waiting for him.

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There you have it, took 17 chapters, but they finally kissed. And look at that, another update in under ten days, and you thought you would have to wait another six months.

-Star and Glade

8-21-07