Hey everybody,

so..to make up for the last terrible chapter, here is something just for you!

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Once upon a Time, only the crazy ideas in my head that I incorporated into this story.

Chapter 24

The only source of light in the room was the magical glowing eyes of the strange man. At the moment, they were scanning the room, as if searching for something, but as soon as I coughed involuntarily, they shot straight to me and bore into my eyes. I cowered to one corner, pressing my back against the cold stone walls and hugging my knees. Only now did I notice how weak I was; my skin was ghastly white, the bones of my arms were protruding and I could barely keep my eyelids open. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder, a warmth spread through my body; my heart started to glow. As soon as I saw it was Peter sitting next to me, the glowing faded and the heat vanished, replaced by a dull feeling and I flinched away from him.

'I'm sorry.'

My eyes fluttered open, forcing me to the real world. The last thing I remembered was lying undressed in Peter's arms on a soft bed, but then why was there cool stone ground underneath me? And why did it seem so familiar?

Shivering from the chilly air and stone surrounding me, I curled up into a ball to preserve the warmth in my body. Someone had dressed me up in layers, and I was grateful.

I skimmed the area around me. Completely encircled by stones, I saw the darkness permeated by only a fraction of light. The echo of water drops dripping from the ceiling filled the never ending silence. From the looks of it, I was in a cave.

Why was I here?

Turning to my side, there I saw an entrance. Too weak to stand up, I tried crawling towards my escape, but I soon reached an edge. I was on a lone standing island, around me the abyss into the unknown. Certainly death. On the other side was my passage out, though jumping there was out of the question; it was simply too far away. I would fall to my death long before I reached it. I was trapped.

For some reason, I felt relieved to be stuck in a cave with no escape – except death – than to be in the dungeon from my dreams.

It had been three times now that the room had been the home of my unconscious thoughts, but this was the first time someone beside the creepy man was in my dream. It was him; Peter. And why did my heart fade? Why had I felt so empty; it was simply a dream…

Where was he?

I was skittish and on edge. Maybe the Lost Boys were just playing some weird joke on me and I was hidden in some secret cave Felix had found. Perhaps someone would arrive any second and help me. This could've all been possibly a game, a riddle for me to figure out.

I crawled back to the middle of the island, where I deemed it safest, and stayed there. Waiting for someone; anyone…waiting for Peter.

Several times I had slipped in and out of sleep on the uncomfortable ground before I realized things could be much easier since I was on a magical island.

Just believe.

Suddenly, I was laying in a cozy bed with a wool blanket covering me. Platters of food appeared next to me. The smell of fresh bread and sizzling meat made my mouth water. Unladylike, I gobbled the food as fast as possible until my stomach slowly stopped growling.

I waited. And waited.

To pass the time, I made books materialize and delved into a different world for many hours. Princesses with frogs and powerful wizards with white beards made me forget my troubles for a while. But after setting the stories aside, I was beginning to get impatient. There was no way of knowing how long I had been in the cave because no light shone from outside.

I waited. And waited.

Biting my lip anxiously, I started thinking about Peter. Our kisses and touches. Last night. Something in my gut told me it would be the last time before we saw each other for a long time, but I explained myself it was only the ache I was feeling of being separated from my true love. I yearned for him, for his presence, his touch, his love.

But then…why had I flinched away from him in my dream?

And then there was Felix. We had a special bond, we had saved each other. But him not being present at the celebration gave me the feeling he was ignoring me, deliberately. I didn't want to throw away the brother-sister like friendship we had built in my time in Neverland. For some reason, I had a feeling it wasn't only based on those few days, but we had a deeper connection I couldn't explain. But I feel as though he most likely did. The way he had been looking at me since the dreamshade incident wasn't the same as before. Or maybe it was because of the disapproval of my relationship with Peter.

Just the thought of those people should've made my heart beat faster and glow bright, only this time the magical glow was very weak. Barely noticeably, like the flame was dying…

Maybe this wasn't a game after all. Something must've gone terribly wrong.

Peter's POV:

'I love you, with all my heart.'

As soon as she had said those powerful words, I sensed a surge of magic run its course through my veins. I was getting infinitely stronger. I could feel everything happening on my island; I had become one with my home.

It was that simple. My plan had succeeded. Now the game had to change. Making her fall in love with me had been easy, getting rid of her but still having her heart belong to me would be much trickier.

There was only one place for her to stay hidden and safe and that would be the Echo Caves. Unless she decided to jump into the dark unknown, and knowing her, she wouldn't. Satisfied with my plan for now, I blew some pixie-dust in her face, making her drift into unconsciousness.

She was still naked, and being all alone in that cave would make her body temperature drop. So, despite me wanting to gaze over her beauty, I refrained myself and imagined some warm clothes on her. With the snap of my fingers I too was wearing my usual attire.

Tucking my arms under her knees and around her waist, I was able to transport us even faster than usual to the hidden Echo Caves. All the while I kept repeating her last words in my head.

'I love you, with all my heart.'

She truly did, her heart glowing was the proof. And the pixie dust...for some time I chose to ignore the magical dust, saying it was only fake, something to make Aura believe, but even deep down, I knew that pixie dust never failed.

Since our picnic at the cove, my empty heart felt...something. The powers of Aura's heart were extraordinary; bringing back things lost and healing all ailments. But it was also healing me; my damaged heart.

Maybe I did feel more for Aura than I cared to admit. It did pain me to see her unhappy, and whenever we were together, I felt more alive.

What?

Quickly shaking the thoughts out of my head, I gently placed her body on the cold ground in the middle of the stone island. The rules of the Echo Caves were to tell them your darkest secret, but rules were always meant to be broken, and since I was now the most powerful person in Neverland, I didn't have to do anything of the sort. I pushed some strands of hair from her forehead, and she moved slightly.

I walked through the entrance, not even glancing behind as I heard Aura whimper and thrash around in her nightmare. That was what he would want. I could deal with the pain in my heart later.

Now I had to find the Heart of the Truest Believer.

Reviews are always appreciated!

Love you all,

aureaborealis