After six months I finally decided to make a deviant art account so you can find some of the pictures for this story in there. Account name is the same as this one Goldyfox101.

There's a picture of the last chapter there if anybody wants to get a good visual. It will also be on wattpad….after I've published all other 31 pictures.

Speaking of Wattpad the prologue and chapters 1 - 5 are all out now with pictures, and can assure you, I've had a lot more time to progress and these ones blow the last story's out of the water.

Happy fourth of July to all my fellow American users, let us be on with the second to last chapter.

Chapter Thirty Two

Night's End

Cubby POV

I was racing through the Neverland forest, way ahead of Skully, Peter, and Nikki. I could barely hear Skully squawk, "Hey matey! Slow down!"

I turned my head to check on them, but all I saw were trees and bushes. I had really left them in the dust. Just when I thought about slowing down, I tripped on a tree root.

"Woah!" I shouted, flying through the air. I crashed onto something. It felt weird—part soft like fabric, part smooth and wet. Whatever it was, it smelled awful, like, seriously bad. I shut my eyes tight, cringing. Had I landed on a dead animal? Maybe a deer or a goat? Gross. But then, it started wiggling and breathing fast. It was alive. And making noises. At first, just whimpers, but then I started to listen closer. Was this a talking deer?

"...Keloffee..." the thing said.

"Uh, can you say that again? Please?" I asked, eyes still shut tight. It took a shaky breath.

"...Geloffeme..." it mumbled.

"One more time, please?" I squeaked.

"...Get off me!" it said, loud and clear, sounding pretty miserable. That didn't sound like any animal I knew. I snapped my eyes open and saw—it wasn't a deer I had landed on. It was Izzy!

"Holy coconuts…" I whisper, taking a glance at my matey. "What in Neverland happened to you?" I quickly roll off her, realizing I probably just squashed her like a bug and jabbed my knee into her stomach. That must've hurt.

Izzy starts to whimper and sob, and I finally take a good look at her. Her once fluffy, warm hair is now wet, drenched, and smells disgusting. No more delicious strawberry cotton candy scent. Her perfect, beautiful face is smeared with blue and red makeup in a mocking way. That must've been what those makeup brushes in the room were for. Her nose is bleeding, the blood dripping into her mouth, staining her teeth and lips crimson. Bruises cover her arm, her neck, and probably more places I can't see. Her clothes are barely holding together, threatening to rip apart any minute. Poor, poor Izzy. Sick, captured, and now beaten up.

"K-k-kill me," Izzy blurts through tears. "P-please." She begs, and I feel my heart start to crack all over again. That's when the others finally catch up to me.

"Cubby, there you are!" Peter says as he flies in. "Why did you…" His voice trails off into silence when he sees the battered body on the ground. Skully's beak drops open in shock.

"Izzy!" Nikki cries, tears streaming from his eyes as he's about to go over to her when Peter gently stops him.

"Hold on a minute, Nikki," Peter says, gently leading him away. "Give her some air." He then ironically approaches Izzy. Pulling a small purple vial from his green tunic, he gently puts it to her lips. "Here, Izzy, down the hatch."

The girl doesn't respond, but when her mouth falls slightly open, Peter takes the opportunity to shove the liquid down her throat. Luckily, she swallows it.

"There," Peter says with a heavy sigh. "Now come on… we're all going home." He's about to take both of her hands and pull her up when she flinches at his touch.

"No, no, don't touch me!" she cries in pain.

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you," Peter whispers softly, attempting to pull her up again, but she stops him.

"No! Don't!" she pleads. "It hurts too much…" She bursts into sobs. "Just… just go away," she says through tears. "And leave me here!"

"We're not gonna leave you here, Izzy, especially after I almost died trying to get that medicine for you," Peter says, frustrated but still softly. "I'll be gentle, I promise. But you have to work with me, okay?" Izzy shakes her head, but Peter continues. "Now, on the count of three… one… two… three…" With that, the redhead pulls Izzy up, getting her to stand. She lets out a cry that hurts all of our ears, but she stands up.

"Alright, Cubby, you, Skully, and Nikki take her back home," Peter says, producing pixie dust from his fingertips and sprinkling it over us. "I'm gonna go get Jake… wherever he is…" Peter says, slumping his posture, knowing that the boy could be anywhere and it would take a long while to find him.

"Aye aye, Peter," I say, putting one of Izzy's arms around my neck, letting her limp on me. We watch as Peter quickly flies away into the night, and we begin to fly back to Pirate Island.

Jake POV

I can't understand it. What in the world kind of bizarre interaction went on in here? I stand at the doorway, scratching the back of my head, looking at Titan's dead corpse with a pair of scissors still plunged deep in his chest. Was somebody else here or not? The door was locked, there's no closet, nobody under the bed, and surely nobody could fit in the dresser. There's a window, but it's shut. Besides, only the smallest of smalls could fit through there.

Maybe Titan stabbed himself? Nah, that doesn't make sense. I swear it sounded like two people were in this room, but when I came in there was nobody but the big ginger man in here, so he must've kicked his own bucket.

But wait... when I was listening from outside the door before I broke it down, I heard Titan talking to someone—before he heard my pounding and shouted at me to go away. There's blood on the white sheets on a bed that's on the other corner of the room. From what it seems, he was stabbed right here on the floor. There wasn't a drop of the crimson liquid that was more than a foot away from him….so how did his blood get all the way over there? Unless…..unless that isn't his blood over there. And besides, there's a big dark purple circle around one of his eyes that looks to be from a punch or kick. Well that says it. He was not alone in this room when I was listening in. Somebody killed him.

My mind begins to race. Could it have been Izzy..…no, there was no way in Neverland she could take this guy on all by herself- no way I'd let her or Cubby near this scum bag in the first place but we didn't really have control over anything we do in this temple. I don't even think I could take on this mountain of a man.

Maybe it was time that I actually find my missing matey so I decided to leave this as the one mystery I'm not going to solve. I back up into the hall and shut the door, leaving Titan's stabbed body to disappear with the Temple at dawn. Then, I continue the search. I looked in every single room, closet, corner and even box, but still nothing.

I have searched every single room in this blasted temple, and she was nowhere. I found myself standing at the entrance, staring out into the night. The moon was sinking lower, almost morning. The Phantom Viper's poison would be in full swing by dawn. All that risk, nearly trading Neverland for a cure, and now, with no one to give it to? I'd run my legs to the bone searching this place, and it was completely abandoned-present dead corpses excluded.

I approached the big door to the outside world. The thought of giving up on a matey felt like a betrayal. But what else could I do? I started making my way through the Neverland forest on foot. Guilt gnawed at me too much to use Izzy's pixie dust. How was I going to explain this to Cubby, Skully, and Peter?

I pull open the heavy door to the temple, getting ready to leave. All of a sudden, a blur of green, peach, and a little bit of red charges at me and knocks me to the ground.

"Ow!" I exclaim, forcing an eyelid open to see Peter Pan lying a few feet away, rubbing his head. Peter had just crashed into me.

"Oops... sorry, Jake," Peter apologizes. "I was about to charge at the door to get it open, but... it looks like you've already handled that."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I moan, standing up and dusting my sore body off. "Let's get out of here, eh, Peter?"

"Sounds like a plan," the redhead agrees. We then proceed to exit the temple, not looking back as we climb down all the stairs to get to the bottom. I don't really feel like flying right now, and I'm too loaded with guilt to use the pixie dust pouch that didn't belong to me. "Well, I'm glad to see you're alright," Peter perks up. I don't want to kill his spirit with the bad news of my first mate still missing.

"You too," I say, trying to hide the somberness in my voice, but Peter catches on.

"You don't sound too thrilled. What's up?" he asks, his expression turning serious. I panicked, not wanting him to tell him.

"It's nothing, just…," I quickly tried to think of an excuse to change the topic. Thankfully, I found one. "Peter…"

"Yeah?"

"Um…back at Mount Destiny…when Ria accused you of, y'know, banishing every early inhabitant of Neverland all those years ago…." I began nervously. Silence.

"Well?" Peter asked, seemingly eager to hear the question.

"Did you?" I finally asked. Peter sighed heavily, looking down at the ground.

"Jake…I've never told this to anybody in my entire life, and I don't even know how old I would be if I never came to Neverland. But you cannot tell anybody about this, okay? Not Cubby, not Skully, not even Izzy."

"Believe me, that won't be much of a problem." I muttered, feeling bitter again.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Go on, Peter. I promise I won't tell anyone." I assured him.

"Well…a long, long time ago, I lived here in Neverland with a bunch of fellow unique beings and animals. One night, I went exploring and I found something, a seed. I brought it back and planted it, and it grew into the Forever Tree. It made Neverland magical… It even gave me the ability to fly with the help of happy thoughts. It turned the whole island into a magical wonderland. But I never thought that such magic would erupt a war between species. Many creatures at the time battled each other in order to try and steal its magic for themselves. I explained that I had brought it here for everyone to share and live in harmony…but…that didn't go so well. One of them even ended up cutting down the Forever Tree completely in hopes of harvesting its magic. But when it was cut down, it disappeared and not long after, so did all the magic in Neverland until it was just a regular old island again. And when everybody saw there was no more magic up for grabs, they all left one by one—with the exceptions of the fairies. Each disappearing beyond the Neverseas until it was just me and the pixies. But luckily, with their help—more specifically Tinkerbell's—I was able to grow a new Forever Tree, just like how you and your mates did. And as the decades went by and Neverland evolved into what it is today, I made sure that the Tree was hidden in a door that only I could open to avoid anything like that happening again. And it worked…well…until now at least."

Peter's story sat heavily on my mind. The thought of him shouldering that kind of responsibility and keeping it a secret for so long was mind-boggling. But it also made me realize something: Peter had always been trying to protect us, to keep Neverland safe, even if it meant hiding the truth. Maybe, in his own way, he understood the burden of growing up better than any of us.

"I had no idea," I said quietly. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

Peter looked out at the sunrise, his expression thoughtful.

"Sometimes, Jake, it's better to keep some things hidden. To protect the ones you care about. But now... with everything happening, I jus thought it was time you knew."

I nodded, feeling a mixture of gratitude and sadness. Even if all my mates left one day, I would still have Peter.

"Thanks for telling me, Peter."

"Ah, I figured you deserved to know, after all you've done for this place. You saved it, what? Twice now?" Despite everything, I can't help but feel a small swell of pride.

"Now come on, let's go to Pirate Island. Cubby, Izzy, and Skully are waiting for you."

"Izzy? You found her?" I ask, shocked.

"Did I not mention that?" Peter asks, head cocked.

"No!"

"He he…my bad," Peter says, before levitating off the ground. "Now come on! All your mates are eager to see you! So yo-ho let's go!"

When we finally reach Pirate Island, the sun is about to rise. My heart pounds harder with each step we take to the bedroom. I open the door. Cubby is passed out on the floor, limbs sprawled out like a starfish. He's covered in sweat and looks like he's having the sleep of his life. Izzy—battered and bleeding, absolutely covered in wounds is sitting in a chair, eyes closed. Skully is perched on the bedpost that the little Nikki boy is sitting on. His face lights up when he sees Peter.

"Peter, you're back!" the little boy exclaims.

"Shhhhh!" Peter shushes him gently. "We don't wanna wake them up." he whispers, pointing at the resting Izzy and the passed-out Cubby, who stirs in his sleep and moans.

"It's alright," Cubby says as he groggily sits up. "I'm awake," he says, rubbing his eyes.

"Cubby, what happened to you guys?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing, Jake. Me and Skully just ran and flew about fifteen miles on foot and almost crushed Izzy here by accident." Cubby says, pointing back at the girl, who groggily starts to wake up. I figure Peter must've given her the cure for her snake bite, but still, where did all those bruises and cuts come from?

"Well, at least you're all safe." Peter concludes.

"Crackers, Peter, what about the Temple?" Skully asks.

"Aw, it'll disappear at dawn. Since the Mistress and the Heart of the Viper necklace are gone, thanks to Jake here, it'll stay that way. Without her and her magic, the temple will cease to exist." Peter tells us, with a swipe of his arm.

"What about the big door on top of Mount Destiny that Ria blasted open and destroyed?" Cubby asks. Peter rubs his chin.

"Yeah… I'll have to work on that and figure out how to make it witch-proof."

"And what about the Forever Tree?" I ask. "I did do some damage to it after all." I say, feeling guilty all over again.

"Not enough damage to make even the smallest Neverflower disappear. Like I said, I'll take care of it," Peter says confidently. "But for now, you guys need to rest. Nikki and I will be outside if you need us." he says, prompting the little boy to follow him outside. But before he leaves the bedroom, he stops and turns around real quick, shooting us a warm smile.

"And you guys…" Peter's voice drifts off as if he can't even get the words out. "Thanks… I sure do owe you one…again," he says warmly, before turning back to the small blue-eyed boy. "Come on, Nikki." They both head outside.

"Hah! Rest?!" Cubby repeats, arms crossed. "Who does he think I am? Some weak child? I don't need rest!" he declares proudly.

"Right there with ya, matey!" Skully squawks, flapping onto Cubby's shoulder.

I glance over at my other mate, still sitting and shivering in the chair, blood oozing from every cut and bruise that marred her. She looks so cold..so miserable.

"Well, in that case, Cubby," I begin, turning back to face the others. "Think you guys could go with Peter while I take care of this frozen fish stick over here?" I ask jokingly, pointing at Izzy.

"Sure matey, c'mon Skully." Cubby says as he and Skully head outside, leaving me and Izzy alone. Despite the fact that I have a panic attack when any member of the crew is missing, I gotta admit, after the fight that went down between us, I wasn't really sure if I really wanted to see her, and I bet she felt the same. She might still be mad, but this wasn't about that right now.

I head over to the little lass and gently shake her.

" Um… hey there, Izzy." I say as she groggily opens her eyes.

"J-Jake?" she mutters weakly.

"Yeah, it's me… so, uh… how've you been?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Matey… your face," Izzy whispers, noticing the scrapes and slashes on my cheek and the whole left side of my face. Yeah they hurt but I was taking it like a pirate. "It's all…scratched up."

"My face? Have you looked at yourself!?" I try not to yell, not wanting to scare her. Her eyes shut in fear, and I realize I need to stop snapping and actually help. I very gently put one arm under the crook of her legs and the other under her back, hoisting her up like she's a newborn baby. A faint blush spreads across her face when I do…..that was weird.

I carry her over to her bed and lay her down, tucking her in and taking a quick glance at all the gross wounds that had been made.

I grab the first aid kit—something we've been using way too much lately—and get to work. As I clean and bandage the little cuts on her hands and arms, she starts to wake up again. When she sees what I'm doing, her cheeks go bright red yet again, and also yet again I can practically hear her heartbeat racing inside of her chest.

She's completely avoiding my eyes, staring off at the other side of the room with this nervous, vulnerable look on her face. Every time I glance away and then look back, I catch her staring at me before she quickly looks away again. This is getting weird. What's going on? Is she blushing like crazy because she's embarrassed she needed help or is it….something else?

I have a feeling I know what it is, and it's something I definitely should not and will not mess with if I want to stay in Neverland and not have Peter jumping down my throat.

Izzy POV

When I wake up, I feel something I haven't felt in a while: warmth. Warmth on top of me, underneath me, and all around me. There's also this slight stinging and tickling feeling on one of my arms. I open my eyes and see I'm back at the hideout, in the bedroom, swathed in my pink and purple blankets. The last few things I remember are...that horrific carnal interaction with Titan...breaking out...falling in the forest...Cubby finding me and almost squashing me...that's about it. I see that it's Jake who was cleaning me, gently rubbing my skin with the little cotton swab, but why would he do so after the horrible way I talked to him?

It's my biggest regret, and I'd give anything to take it back. But really. After all that,he was still taking care of me. At the thought of that I felt whatever blood had not dripped out through my hemorrhaging nose rush to my cheeks. My entire body went stiff with nervousness and something else I'd never felt before. Uh oh. Could he see me blush!? What if he thinks that I'm...oh no!

Now this is a topic I'd never really thought I'd get into-especially at a time like this but I can't help it. Look, aside from the obvious fact that a certain redhead in a green tunic would not be happy to see that we were growing up more than we already have, there wouldn't necessarily be anything wrong with something like this...that is if Jake felt the same way. Which I know he most definitely doesn't. Mostly because, one, he's a boy who would never dream of disappointing Peter Pan, his hero, his idol and two, lately I've been nothing but a weak, whiny, jealous brat to him. No way in Neverland could we ever be more than crewmates.

"Y'know...you don't have to do this." I say bitterly, still avoiding his gaze.

"Oh, I know, but I better or else 'I'm a huge douchebag,'" he jokes before going back to cleaning my wounds. "So just sit tight and let me help you." I feel my heart flutter a little bit at his gentleness. Several months ago, he beat my corrupted form up so hard, almost to the point where I couldn't breathe—though it was for my own good. But now, he's working with gentleness I didn't even think he had.

As Jake begins to bandage one of my fingernails that had broken off when I was scratching at the door to escape Titan, I see he's looking down at it, so I take this as the opportunity to really look at him now. And boy, his features are something else.

His tall frame. The upturned nose. The bright emerald eyes that clash perfectly with his olive-gold skin tone. His face is still perfect—even with all the cuts and scratches that had been made, but they will probably heal in time. The full spiky jet black hair that probably smells like the ocean. But it wasn't just his looks that sold it for me, no it was also the fact that he was second to no one in Neverland when it came to bravery and truthfulness. Even to this day, he never gave up on anyone or anything. He could have just declined the challenge of the Forever Quest but he didn't. He could've just let me and Cubby let on with our miserable lives a couple months ago but he didn't.

Had I not noticed this all before? Maybe I did and it was just hitting differently now. Why? I don't know. Sure, a couple months ago he was a little agitated with me for being so tired and whiny-which was all completely on my part-but I guess it's only because we were mates and we were supposed to be fussy if one of us was acting erratic.

But aside from that, everything about him looks just perfect. Woah woah, hold it, Izzy. Let's not get carried away. But oh, a girl can dream, can't she? After all, Neverland is an island of dreams, and my strong and brave hero—I mean friend!—had just saved it once again. Stop that! Shiver me timbers this was gonna be harder than it looked.

Jake POV

Cleaning all Izzy's oozing cuts was, if I'm being honest, pretty gross (the broken fingernail almost had me gagging) but it had to be done. When I finally cleaned up what seemed to be an endless number of scrapes on her arms, she tucked them back in and I went to work on her face. There were only a few wounds there—unlike my face—so this should be quick. The moment I pressed the cotton swab on Izzy's face, I felt the heat radiating off her skin, and her cheeks flushed red. Her eyes were closed, but I could tell she was pretending to be asleep.

What was going on? How could she blush after everything that had just happened to her? I had to admit it the little pink tint did make her look kinda cute—oh nonononono! NO! Don't even start that now. Thoughts like this were against everything I stood for by living in Neverland.

I had already done the unthinkable: grow up. Although, had I really? Eight to fifteen wasn't even that much of a jump…..right? Well, Peter was also fifteen, so he was in no place to talk about me being a "grown up". And besides, it wasn't my fault that an evil spirit put a crack in Neverland's magical exterior and caused us all to age a few years.

But, laying all that aside, you didn't have to be a grown-up, and you most certainly did not have to be "infatuated" to notice how striking the girl before me was—regardless of her injuries. Even Captain Codfish and his crew admitted it. But who wouldn't be drawn to her flawless sun-kissed skin, her long flowing hair that always smelled like cotton candy, her petite and fragile feminine frame, and her little button nose which I had just wiped clean from the remaining blood. And let's not forget those big, reddish-brown eyes. Yeah all that was great but despite the fact that she could be a pain sometimes, it was her sweetness, gentleness, intelligence and patience that really made her a prize that anybody would want, but not a prize that anybody could have.

I knew I was absolutely losing my mind but I just couldn't help it. Any other idiot would feel the same way. Oh cut it out Jake! It was just like Ria said, why did I care so much about her? Why did I get so mad at her when she put herself in dangerous situations like coming to the temple or almost getting shot by Captain Hook that one night? I knew it wasn't to be mean to her, but I was hesitant and even reluctant to wonder if it was more than comradeship.

I finally snapped out of whatever kind of crazy thoughts those were when I finished cleaning Izzy up. Her eyes were still closed, but this time she was actually sleeping. I quickly tucked her in once more, pulling the covers up to her chin, and then stood up. I collapsed into a nearby chair and let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh...what a night."

Before I knew it, I was fully asleep in the chair. That battle with Ria had really drained me. How does Peter manage this every day? He keeps Captain Hook in check, watches over all of Neverland, goes exploring, and barely sleeps. The guy's something else.

I started thinking back to the first time I met the flying boy on the mainland. I had gotten into some trouble in grade school—not my proudest moments but when you're ridiculously lonely and always picked on, you start to do stupid stuff. And let's just say my family was furious. They were ready to beat me senseless. It hit me then that they nor that city never truly cared about me.

One night, I couldn't take it anymore. I opened my bedroom window, jumped out, and ran away without any intention of returning. I had no idea where I was going, just that I needed to get away. After a few hours, I found myself lost in a rainforest. Just as I was about to turn back, I heard a rooster crow. I looked up and saw a silhouette flying across the sky. The shadow stopped mid-flight and descended into the jungle, right where I was standing. It was a boy with fair skin, red hair, and dressed in green from head to toe.

"Peter Pan, pleasure to meet you, good sir," he said in a cocky tone. That night, I ended up flying through the skies alongside Peter, heading to my new home and family in Neverland. He was my hero and mentor. When I was little, it was always my dream to go on adventures with him. But now, we were the same age and had both saved the Forever Tree. In some ways, we were equals, and there was no way I'd leave Neverland and my crew to follow Peter around. Still, I did miss the good old days when the timeless boy would visit us occasionally.

I would've kept thinking about those times, but then I heard Izzy stir. I quickly opened my eyes, pretending I hadn't been as knocked out as she was for the last fifteen to twenty minutes. She was still shaken from everything that had happened tonight, and she needed help and I had to keep my head straight. Alright. No distractions. No stupid feelings. Feelings like that had no place here—not now, not ever.

Izzy stirs in her sleep, her movements slow. She forces herself to sit up, and as she does, the blanket slips off her shoulders, pooling around her waist, leaving her shivering slightly in the cool early morning air.

"Hey, you're awake." I say, heading over to her bedside. I tug the blanket up to cover her, wrapping it around her shoulders while she sits up. Izzy blushes again at the gesture, although not as strongly as before.

"Um…. ," she says nervously, her cheeks flushing red again. "I have something for you," she says in a very weak tone, despite all the rest and care she's received. "Here." Izzy's voice draws me back, and I turn to see my red bandana in her hand. It's a little wet, but still in one piece.

"Hey...," I say, a small smile making its way onto my face as I take it from her hand and then aggressively shake it in the air to dry it off. "Where'd you find it?"

"I...snatched...it...when Morgan was dragging me...down to the...basement," she says before she tucks her arm back under the lavender blanket.

"Thanks, Iz." I say sincerely.

"You're welcome." she replies softly. I ruffle her head playfully, eliciting a giggle and a blush from her, but it quickly turns into a painful wince, and I immediately stop. Izzy sighs heavily, her eyes on the verge of tears, but she holds it all in.

"Sorry." I squeak, feeling a pang of guilt.

"It's alright." Izzy says, trying to reassure me.

"Oh...I snagged something for you too." I say, trying to lighten the mood. I reach into my vest and pull out her golden pouch of pixie dust.

Izzy's face lights up slightly when she sees the pouch.

"My pixie dust." she whispers, a small smile on her face.

"It's all yours again." I say as I put the pixie dust necklace around her neck, so she doesn't have to exert more energy into doing it herself.

"Just a way to say….. I'm really sorry I snapped at you back there." I apologize, trying to keep my tone light but sincere.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry, Jake. I'm the reason Ria found a way back into Neverland." Izzy says, her voice trembling slightly.

I shake my head and sit down next to her.

"Hey….it's not your fault. Ria's been looking for a way back in for ages. If it wasn't you, she would've found another way. Besides, we all make mistakes. Just…don't go sneaking off again on your own alright?" Izzy looks down, clearly still feeling guilty. I gently lift her chin so she's looking at me. "Ria and all of them are finished, we made sure of it. It's all over now, so don't beat yourself up over it ok?" she nods, a few tears escaping despite her best efforts. I gently wipe them away with my thumb, which tints her cheeks pink again.

"Speaking of being beat up, what happened to you, Iz?" I ask. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I see her eyes widen and her whole body tenses up. She looks scared and nervous, like she's about to break down again. I then remember back in the temple, overhearing that struggle from behind the door, the sounds from that room echoing in my head. When I bursted into the room I found nothing but Titan's dead corpse and wondered who could have possibly taken this man down? And what horrible thing did he do that pushed them to go so far as to stab him?

"Izzy…..was it that Titan man that did this to you?" I ask, more gently this time. She doesn't answer though. Instead, she bursts into tears, and my heart sinks. I promise myself never to ask her that question again, but I already know the answer. Protective big brother mode quickly turns on, and the thought of my poor little friend trapped in a room with a six-foot-five man whose nasty intentions were clear by the sounds I heard makes me cringe.

Izzy falls forward into me, sobbing heavily. My cheeks heat up, and I feel a mix of emotions, anger, sadness, and a fierce protectiveness. After a few moments of hesitation, I tightly squeeze her back, trying to offer some comfort.

"Hey... calm down," I murmur, squeezing her gently, trying to soothe her trembling form. "He's gone now, Iz. He can't do... that... to you anymore."

"Of course he can't," Izzy sobs into my shirt, her voice muffled but heavy with emotion. "I stabbed him."

I blink, taken aback.

"You mean... you killed him?" I ask, shocked but also feeling a strange surge of pride.

Izzy nods, still crying, her tears soaking through my shirt. The image of her small frame struggling with a man like Titan flickers in my mind. She must've been desperate, using all her strength and courage to thrust those scissors into his chest. My heart aches with guilt for not breaking down that door a little sooner, but I push the thought away. What matters now is that we're both alive, and we're together.

I hold her tightly, feeling her sobs gradually subside. The early morning light filters through the window, casting a soft glow on her tear-streaked face. It was so quiet, the only sounds being her quiet sniffles and the rhythmic beating of our hearts. After what feels like forever, Izzy's cries finally turn into soft hiccups. Her breathing evens out, and I feel her body relax against mine. I look down to see her eyes fluttering shut, exhaustion taking over.

Very carefully, I lay her back down on her bed, trying not to jostle her. Her bed, with a lavender blanket and pillows, is probably much more comfortable than leaning against me. I gently tuck the blanket around her, making sure she's warm.

"There," I whisper, brushing a stray hair from her forehead. "Now you just rest and don't worry about a thing. Ol' Jake's got it all under control."

To Be Continued….