AN: I'm back... About a month too late I know but, I am still back. Which is both great and not so great for you guys. Also Rumple is purposefully misgendering Nibs, simply because he's a Grade A asshat right now. Most likely because this is very newly Post-Belle!Rumple and he got his feeling crushed. Just remember: motive is not an excuse! And don't ever purposely misgender someone. Or Nibs will find you, kill you, and steal all your stuffed animals.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. I love you all, seriously I love you all so much. Happy Reading!

~Luna

Chapter 22: Despair as Black as Night

Once again I was at the mercy of Rumple. Peter was at the foot of the stairs, body tensed to strike. I was hyperaware of everything. The sharp bite of the dagger, the stillness of every creature on Neverland, a small trickle of blood running down the side of my neck. Eyes trained on me. I couldn't move without fear of dying, no one else could move without a fear of inadvertently killing me. Even Hook, who was always good for a "let's gut Rumplestiltskin like a fish!" jaunt was down for the count, after being brained by Felix.

Rumple waved his free hand, causing the rigging to come to life and ensnare the boys. They were suspended above the deck, weapons clattering to the ground.

The entire ship seemed to hold a collective breath. The Lost Boys were as useless as a dull blade, Rufio was dead, and Peter appeared to have absolutely no plan, what so ever. I couldn't tell you which terrified me more.

"Comfortable dearie?" Rumple snarled.

"Go to hell," I spat.

"Ah-ah-ah. Word to the wise," he held the blade flat to my neck. "Never get cheeky to the man with the most power."

"Let them go Rumple, or I swear-" Peter began.

The crocodile harshly cut him off. "Or what? You're going to blast me with a little magic?"

"I'll kill Belle," I assumed that was someone close to Rumple, as I saw that knowing little smirk. I hoped he knew what the hell he was doing.

"Struck a nerve, have I?" Peter laughed. "You really thought you could keep your little girlfriend away from me? You should know better, Rumple. You can't keep secrets from your family."

With a dramatic sigh, Rumplestiltskin pushed me down the deck. I unceremoniously tumbled down the stairs. Even the intense pain couldn't distract me from my one thought: he was giving up too easily. He wanted to push us off our guard.

"If you must, you win," Rumple sighed again, pacing the upper deck.

Peter had pulled me up and at this statement, his hand clenched tighter around my back. "What's the catch? There's nothing free about your deals."

"And there's nothing fair about your games," he countered. "It's not much I ask in return. Something you were going to do anyway."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Peter drawled.

"We'll see."

With a flick of Rumple's wrist, the dagger came flying towards us. Almost too fast to even see, I heard a sickening crunch of bones to find the hilt of the dagger buried into Peter's hand. Blood poured out every which way from the wound, staining anything in range a dark red. My side blossomed into pain as of someone had decided to light a bonfire in my veins. I risked a look down to find that the rest of the knife had sunk into my side.

"Peter..." I manage to say before my knees buckled under me.

•••

Peter caught Nibs just in time. The two had realized that they had taken the brunt of the injury at the same moment, but it was all he could to catch them as they fell to the floor.

Stop the bleeding, stop the fucking bleeding! Was Peter's thought process. Carefully he removed the dagger from their side and then once more with from his own hand. He hissed as the sensation of even more bones in his hand being broken hit him. Rumple was going to die. That was on top of Peter's list at that moment. Next would be torturing the bastard until the end of time.

Peter gritted his teeth, ripping off two pieces of his shirt. One for his hand, which he wrapped tightly. The other for Nibs' side. As he was laying the cloth down, a force propelled him backward, only to be pinned to the wall.

"You're going to give me her," Rumple said, peering down at the barely breathing Lost Boy. "And then you'll let me leave."

"Like hell," Peter spat, gathering up enough magic to throw a warning fireball.

Rumple giggled again. "See any other options, dearie? You and I both know you won't take her to the fountain. You're just not that powerful to save her yourself."

"And how exactly do you know that?" Peter broke free of his brother's magical hold, letting go hand burst into flame. The orange fire caused an unnatural glow in the boy's eyes, making him appear more monster than human.

Rumple giggled. "You won't trap her here, oh! As if the poor girl had any intentions of leaving anyways." Rumple smiled as he scanned Peter's face. "But your little hero complex would never let you. You aren't a hero, little brother. You're the villain."

Peter could see the blood pouring out of Nibs at an alarming rate. Soon they'd lose enough to completely pass out, and then a few minutes later they'd be dead. He didn't have a choice. And that might have scared him the most.

"Just- keep them safe."

Rumple grinned with delight, making all the Lost Boys disappear into a cloud of purple smoke. But before the boy could protest against the imp's malicious smile, the smoke was already engulfing him. Peter choked on the smoke, as if it was trying to invade every part of him.

He found himself lying on the dirt in the middle of camp. Surrounding him were the Lost Boys, minus two. The two he didn't want to lose, one he'd go to end of time for. As he got up, the other boys looked on in silence. All to scared to move. Felix couldn't even look at him in the eye. The rest were in various states of shock, looking to him for guidance.

"Treat the wounded," he ordered. When no one jumped to action, he scowled. "Or would you rather spend the night hanging by your toes? Get to work!"

The boys scrambled in all directions, some running into each other on their race to treat the wounded. It would have been comical if Peter hadn't just given up his one true love. The person he lived to see every morning. The person who kept him from doing even more heinous acts.

They were gone. Really, truly gone. He'd never hear their laugh, or see them run through the trees alongside, or even speak to them. Peter braced himself against a tree with this realization. Thousands of emotions and millions of thoughts ran through his head, each one darker and more destructive than the last. He found himself laughing at the irony of the situation. Here he could now have his reign of fear, his complete dominance over Neverland. All it cost him was the person he loved most. Who was also the person that kept him from establishing lasting terror.

He'd find them. He knew he would, villain or not. After all, Peter Pan never fails.