Pan's POV

I was reeling from an onslaught of emotion. For someone who never felt emotions to begin with, I sure was doing a good job of accounting for them all.

Anger- How had Felix failed me? He'd never failed a search-and-possibly-rescue mission before.

Dispair- If Felix had failed, Lily really didn't want to be found.

Frustration- There was nothing I could really do, if she didn't want to be found. Contrary to popular belief, if one took proper precautions even I couldn't find them on Neverland. That was the beauty of the place.

Powerlessness- Why didn't she want to be found? What had I done wrong?

And, dare I say it: heartache. It was embarrassing how much I missed Lily, and how much I needed to know where she was. Of course, the Savior had picked now, of all the times, to figure out the map. She was the queen of terrible timing. And, of course, I had to make an appearance. I was beginning to hate my life.

I transported from my room to the dark forest. The Savior was there, picking berries of all things. I gave myself a second to get a handle on everything and put my trademark smirk back on my face.

"Don't eat the blue ones," I said quietly. She turned quickly, on her guard. Honestly, hadn't these hero types figured it out yet? I wasn't one of the violent ones. Being tense and wary around me made them more susceptible to manipulation. Morons. "Congratulations, you did it... orphan. You don't mind if I call you a lost girl, do you?" Ow, ow, ow, painful memories are apparently literally painful. Don't do that anymore.

"Call me what you like, it won't stop me from finding Henry," she snapped.

I laughed a little. Of course that was what she was fixated on. "Oh, I'm counting on that. There's a reason I tested you."

"Really?" Her cynicism was getting irritating.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "You haven't forgiven your parents for abandoning you. Dont deny it," I said when she got defensive. "You haven't. That's good. Really good. 'Cus when you find Henry, you'll understand him."

Her eyes widened by a fraction of a centimeter. "What's that supposed to mean?"

You moronic woman. "He hasn't forgiven you either. By the time you get to him, he'll never want to leave this island."

"We'll see." She picked up her berries and started to walk away from me. Oh no, lass. You picked the wrong time to mess with me and act like you can get away with it.

"And as for you, Emma? When we're finished, you won't just feel like an orphan. You'll be one," I snapped before transporting.

I wished I could have said more, but if I stayed there a second longer, I would have killed her or done something else to ruin the game. I flopped heavily on my bed with a frustrated groan.

A quiet snicker alerted me to someone else's presence. I stood and looked over to see a pair of striking blue eyes and jet black hair. Lily.

"Hi," she said with a grin. "I hear you're looking for me."

*~*~*

Lily.

I reached out to touch her hand, to make sure she was really there. She caught my fingers and brought them up to her face. "Yeah, it's really me. I promise."

I was overwhelmed with the urge to hold her close to me, but I couldn't. There was no way to pass my behavior off as a dream this time. "Where the hell have you been?" I snapped, grabbing her chin.

Her eyes wandered from the floor to the wall... Anywhere but my eyes. "I--I've been around."

She was afraid of me, I realized. Afraid of what I would do to her. Were she anyone else, that would be a good thing. As it was, it made me sick to my stomach. I released her face like I'd been burned. "Why are you even here? I thought you said you didn't want to be found."

"I said you'd find me when I wanted you to." She took a small, almost imperceptible step away from me. "To be honest, Peter, you need to know that I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to. You need to calm down."

"When wasn't I calm?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Felix?"

She saw that? "Oh. I gave him an assignment and he failed me," I said darkly. "For another boy, you know how it would have ended."

Her eyes glassed over, but she looked at me steadily. "I want a straight answer, Peter. Why are you looking for me?"

Why was I-- Could she really not know, after all this? "I think I've made it pretty clear already, love."

"I want an answer."

"And you have it." I knew she wanted me to say it, but... "Just don't leave again, Lily."

She smiled sadly and sat down on the bed. "Sit with me."

I did as I was asked, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned her head on my shoulder and for a while we just sat in silence. It wasn't enough, not nearly enough, but I made due with what I had. I hoped that she wouldn't leave again, but realistically I knew better.

"I've been practicing my magic, you know," she said, breaking the silence. "Regina is giving the... Savior... All sorts of helpful tips."

So she was spying on the group as well. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Wanna see?" She asked quietly.

My arm tightened around her as I nodded. "Are you going to sing me a song?" I asked, teasing. She lifted her head and looked at me seriously.

"I think I owe you at least that much. Who knows? Maybe I've gotten even better than you." It was almost a joke, but it had more dry humor in it than I'd come to expect even from Felix. Maybe the two were more alike than I thought.

"I doubt that, but lets see," I smirked a little. This was more like the old Lily: quick to challenge, slow to back down. "Sing me a song, Nightingale."

(A/N: Do I really have to tell you what to do at this point?)

She smiled at me-- a real smile, not one of her usual smirks --and when she sang, I knew she really had gotten even better then before.

Lily's POV

It was weird, being this close to Peter again without the six leaf clover charm's magic. I couldn't say I minded though. My plan to calm him down was working perfectly: reappear, banter a bit, and finish it off with a magic show and tell session. After all, if he'd tried to lead the boys against the adults in his state, we would have all gotten killed. Now that my job was done, it was time for me to go.

But I don't want to. The thought entered my mind, unbidden.

You put way too much stock into this whole idea of True Love magic, Rosalie.

What's your point? It's True Love magic. If it wasn't meant to be, it wouldn't be, Lily. Why can't you get this idea through your thick skull?

Because I don't want it to be be true. I don't want to be in love with him.

Well, I do. And tough luck for you, I am you.

Go away.

Yeah, because that's ever worked.

Rose laughed at me before retreating into the shadows of my mind. I looked at Pan, who'd miraculously let my silence go unnoticed. His brow furrowed in concentration, as though he were thinking about something grave.

"Peter?" I waved my hand in front of his face and he blinked back to attention. "What are you thinking about?"

Instead of answering, he stood up and walked to a basket on the other side of the room. "You're leaving again, aren't you?" he asked numbly, rummaging through it.

Was it really that obvious, or was he just that smart? Probably the latter; if I was that transparent, he would have figured out my Felix ruse long before this. "I am. I have some stuff I still have to figure out."

He straightened up and turned to face me. "I need you to do something for me then."

"Name it." He pressed two small objects into my hand. Beans? "What--"

"I need you to go to another world and stay there until you're ready to come back," he said, avoiding my gaze. "One bean will open a portal to wherever you want to go. When you think you're ready to come back, then do, but I don't want you to be here just because you can't leave."

"What about the--"

"I purged the springwater from your system a long time ago, love." Peter smiled a little. "You have an immunity to dreamshade, so there was no point in keeping it in your body. I've only ever seen one other person who could have as much dreamshade in their system as you do and survive it."

"So I've been free to go for a while then?" I asked. It was surreal, but it explained why Peter had picked me to go on that mission with the pirates so long ago. Peter nodded. "If me leaving is what you really want... Then goodbye, I guess."

I turned to leave and he caught my shoulder. "Don't say goodbye," he choked out. "Not if you're coming back."

I looked at him seriously. "I'm coming back. I promise."

"Then don't say goodbye."

I nodded and transported back to my tent without another word. The beans in my palm glowed with magical energy that I had no plans on using. I stuck them in my bra (it was the safest place, let's be real) and put the clover charm back on, once again wearing Felix's skin. Obviously, the bra was nowhere in sight.

There was no way I was leaving Neverland. Absolutely none. But the knowledge that I'd be able to... It was almost a relief. With a snort, I realized that it was a little like walking a trained dog without a leash: the option was there, but there was no way I was going to run away. I sat on my bed of furs and tried to understand why Peter had been so adamant that I not say goodbye. Then I remembered:

Never say goodbye, because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.

It was Pietro's favorite line from Peter Pan. When he heard Rosalie read that the first time, he made her promise never to say goodbye to him.

"I don't want you to forget me, Rosie," he'd said. "I dont know what I would do if you did."

And now Peter had essentially said the same thing, probably hoping to get the same meaning across. My eyes burned with unshed tears. As if I would ever forget him, especially because of my own issues.

"You don't need to worry," I whispered, so quietly that I could barely even hear myself, "I'll never say goodbye."

TEARS. The tears are real, guys. Early update for y'all because I AM CELEBRATING THE DAY OF MY BIRTH. How old am I? Meh. I dare you to guess. I feel old, but I'm really not. That's your only clue. As a present to all of you, I decided to add in a little angsty fluff. Enjoy.

The seven questions option from last chapter is still open, btw.

ALSO. I'm going to be holding a contest. Whoever can guess the most of these will be featured as a character in the third book, called Remember Me! Only one person isn't eligible, and she knows who she is. *coughs* KIM. *coughs* Here are the things:

Biggest Fear, Favorite Author, OTP (its on my profile), Hair Color, State of Residence, and Extracurricular Activities (there are two).

Whoever gets the most right by the end of the month will get their character.

Happy Commenting! :))