Remy's POV:

If Peter was trying to make me feel guilty about having friends by staring at me all night, it wasn't working. In fact, it made my blood boil even more than when he tried to stop me getting to Sean. Although once we had taken Sean and the others back to camp for the welcoming and sorted them out with tents, I finally got to drag Sean away from everyone to my cliff top, the one I had once been accompanied on by my dead sister. At this stage it was night, and it was beautiful. The moon was huge, more outspoken and closer than it seemed back home. And right there and then, I told Sean everything (bar Martina's visit). I told him about when I first came to Neverland, my fights with Peter, and when I died and came back. He sat patiently and listened at first but when I spoke about my death he reacted in the exact way I hoped he wouldn't. He leaped for me and practically smothered me with responses like "why didn't you tell me" and "I could've been there" or "you could've told me" or "you didn't have to go through this alone". He was trying to comfort me even though it should have been the other way round. I saw the pain in his eyes when I finally managed to get him off of me. They were strained with worry and sadness, and suddenly I felt incredibly guilty. He was my best friend and I was supposed to tell him everything, no matter what. I had before felt I was protecting him, but protecting him from what? The truth, which out of everything he most deserved? I knew then, what I really needed to protect him from.

"Sean, you have to take the lads and go back ho-"

"Nope," he interrupted, dismissing me immediately. "I'm not leaving you. I don't care what you say, or what you do. I'm staying."

I groaned. "You don't understa-"

"Then help me understand! Why are you here again, after everything that happened" – he swallowed –"before?"

So I told him. I told him about the so-called "bond" that joined me to the others, and how I had to break with the Sword of Anmil which had been missing for years and how I also had to find it. Plus my two week deadline.

He gave a low whistle.

"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate."

To my surprise I smiled. "Of course not," I scoffed. "This is merely a crumb on my plate."

He cracked up at my very unfunny joke and it started to feel like old times again. We talked for another while, avoiding any mention of what I had done, and what I had to do. Eventually we decided it was time to go back to camp, seeing as how the burning top of the sun was peeking above the sea, threatening to rise at any given moment. Sean headed into the tent he and the lads had been given, and I crept into mine, tiptoeing at the sight of the gently breathing Aaya, sound asleep. I kicked off my shoes and simply lay back on the covers of my bed, too tired to climb underneath. For a while my eyes traced the two mirrored patterns that were painted right above my head on the roof of the tent. They seemed to be dancing, twisting this way and that, changing course sharply away from each other whenever they threatened to touch. I knew how they felt. Peter and me were history, and I was determined to keep it that way. The whole point of me being there was to break the bonds that held us together, not to give them even more strength.
I pondered the fact that even though everyone else including Peter was growing with me, he seemed to be the only one who had truly changed. Aaya, Curly and Tootles had only minor differences in the way they looked, but their personalities and voices had hardly changed. Peter was like a different person and had experienced the seemingly same amount of growth I had. Then what if…

I rolled off of the bed and onto my feet. I pulled my shoes back on and got out of the tent as quickly and as quietly as possible and ran to Raybha's tent, keeping light on my feet. The sun had risen but nobody was awake. I slowed when I reached the tent and stopped, listening for any sounds. I heard nothing to my utter disappointment, and mentally decided I would be back later. I was turning to walk back when a voice stopped me.

"Enter, Remy."

I jumped, remembering that although Raybha was brilliant she also had her utterly terrifying moments. I faced the tent and unbuttoned the button that held the flaps together before proceeding cautiously.

Various candles were lit among the tent, and Raybha was sitting cross-legged on the middle of the floor. It looked like she was meditating before I had come. The look on her face also told me that she was deeply annoyed at my appearance.

"H-hi R-Raybha," I stuttered nervously. "I-I didn't mean to interrupt you-"

She held her hands up to stop me.

"Child, I knew you were coming ten minutes ago. I was simply preparing for your arrival." She gave me a friendly smile and I was relieved. I didn't even bother asking her how she knew I was coming, but sat down in front of her, returning her smile.

"Now," she said. "I know there is something you need to speak to me about, is there not?"

I nodded, unsurprised. "Yes, there is. Well, it's just a thought, I might not even be thinking straight."

She was unconvinced. "Well?"

"I…Raybha…what do you know of the strength of bonds?"

She frowned. "Well…they differ in strength, if that is of any use to you. Some are more powerful than others, some are harder to break…" she trailed off, her face full of thought. Then she understood what I was getting at.

"You're afraid the sword won't be able to penetrate the bond you and Peter share."

By the knowing look on her face, I knew I didn't have to confirm it.

"Then you must have realised by now that there is a fair possibility that your bond cannot be broken."

"You – you mean you knew already?" I spluttered. "Why didn't you tell us? Tell me?"

She simply shrugged. "I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. Peter already knows."

"PETER knows?" I repeated, my words filled with rage. "And it didn't cross his mind to let me know?"

Raybha frowned. "As I said, he knew you would figure-"

"Even so! Maybe if you guys would stop keeping secrets from me and instead of waiting for me to FIGURE things out you TELL me this process would be moving faster and I would be home quicker!"

I was about to give her another piece of my mind when I realised it wasn't her fault. I wasn't even that mad about her not telling me, but Peter? It wasn't Raybha's fault we had let the bond become too strong.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to yell."

"It is fine," she said briskly. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, and I could see I had wrecked her inner concentration.

"It's not," I said, my face letting the red hot anger flush away. "It's not your fault, none of it is."

She didn't answer me, and I guessed she was either trying to regain her inner peace or she was just in a huff. Either way I decided to leave her be and she certainly didn't object.

I left the tent, ducking under the buttoned flap. I would make it up to her later.

I was too awake and alert to even consider returning to bed, so I took on the woods. I recognised a few trees and clearings but most of the woodland was new to me, because it had grown. I sighed. Everything was so confusing. I thought it was Peter's number one ambition to never grow up, and when he found that he possibly had no way out of it he didn't think to tell me? Why did he even bring me back if he knew there was no way out of it for him?

Suddenly, I wanted to slap myself. Peter was in no way self-centred, I knew that from the moment he told me how he had come to Neverland to save his friends. I wondered why my judgement was clouded when it came to him. Perhaps it was out of the trigger of annoyance I felt whenever I thought of him.

Then I realised something else. When Peter had called on me again he knew there was no hope for him. He was saving his family, and his world. He knew his years might one day catch up with him, and he could crumble. But before that happened, he had to save his family from the same fate.

I was afraid I was going to cry.

I had been so, so wrong.