The next morning, I grinned at Killian with an elation that I didn't feel. I'd successfully changed the currents so that the ship was moving through the ocean at an astonishing fourteen knots (yes, it's actually very fast for a ship) and the crew cheered me on.

I couldn't find it within myself to care much about my new sleeping arrangements, though. I missed the boys horribly and it had only been a day. This was going to be an incredibly long trip, even if it was only two weeks. I patted the pan flute at my waist absently, taking comfort in the little piece of home. A hand on my shoulder jerked me back to reality.

"Ellie?" Killian asked. "Are you alright, love? You've been standing there for hours. We're almost to the portal and the day's half gone."

"Ellie..." I said instead of answering. "You call me that because you don't like the name Uriel, right? I don't either, honestly. Never did."

"But I never really liked Ellie. It was better, but not really me, you know? Too... Girly. It was just something you seemed to like, so I went with it." I gripped the flute tightly. "Don't call me that anymore, okay?"

Killian nodded slowly, noticing that he was on thin ice. "What was it that Pan called you? Lily?"

I smiled. "Lily's fine. I like it a lot better, actually."

"You've really changed from the girl who was afraid of everything," he said quietly. "It's a little disconcerting."

I shrugged, loosening my grip on the flute. The last thing I wanted was to break it. I had no idea what I would do if I did.

"What's that you're holding, lass?" he asked. "You haven't put it down since you got on the ship, even when you went to sleep last night."

"It's nothing," I said, putting it in its bag quickly.

Not quickly enough. Killian's hand darted out and he grabbed the flute from my waist, brushing the slightly exposed skin on my hip. I jolted in surprise before pulling a dart from its pouch and pressing it to his throat. He held his hands up in surrender, holding the instrument like a peace offering. I pressed the dart into the skin, drawing a bead of blood.

"Let me get this absolutely clear, Killian," I hissed quietly, snatching the flute from him, "If you or any member of your crew even attempts to touch this again, I will kill you all. I don't care how long I've known you or how much I ever cared about you. Do you understand?"

He gulped slightly. "As a matter of fact, the message came across quite clearly. Has anyone ever told you how scary you are for such a small person?"

I laughed a little and put the flute and dart away. "Many times, actually. Both Pan and the boys have mentioned it."

He didn't seem to know what to say, but whether it had to do with my sudden change in mood or with what I'd said, I didn't know. Men hustled around, performing tasks they'd undoubtedly done hundreds of times before. The ship rocked slightly, pressed forward by my unnatural current. The wind blew across my face, blowing strands of hair in my face annoyingly.

"So do you know how to play that or do you just carry it for decoration?" He asked eventually.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

He crossed his arms and looked at me darkly. The spot of blood on his neck had dried to an ugly back color. "I would. It's not a terribly big favor to ask, is it? A song or two for my men in exchange for your new living quarters. Or has life on Neverland changed you so that you think you're one of the Lost Boys and can't help anyone else?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're finally figuring out that I'm not the same girl you loved all those years ago, Killian." When he looked at me in surprise, I laughed. "Of course I knew. And in a realm like the Enchanted Forest where people who live exciting lives don't age, it wasn't that unusual, was it? You just had to wait until I grew up."

"Yes, well, that was s long time ago," he said. "And you never grew up. Now are you willing to play for us or not?"

"Oh, I'm willing," I sneered. "Hell, I'll even sing for you if you ask nicely, but you don't really want me to."

"I think I do. And if you need me to ask, I will." He bowed, mocking but polite. "Miss Lily, would you please grace our humble ears with a song?"

I glared at him. "Get up before I kick you where it hurts."

"Well, I asked." He straightened and looked me dead in the eye. "Your move."

I winked at him, going through the ever-increasing list of lyrics in my head, searching for just the right one. One song stood out among the rest, and I knew it was it.

"Whenever you decide your crew could use a break, captain, I'm ready." I smiled at him dangerously. "I don't think you are."

"We'll see," he grinned. "Men!"

Everyone turned toward him and stopped what they were doing, pretending that they hadn't noticed everything we'd said and done since Killian started talking to me.

"Due to the... Useful current, we're currently going faster than ever. I think that deserves a reward, lads. Our resident songbird has agreed to sing us a little tune, then back to work!" he barked. "Whenever you're ready, lass."

I had the strangest feeling, like someone had just given me a warning. I shook my head a little. No one had, but it was a good idea to be careful with music. It had strange effects on people. In my annoyance with Killian, I'd forgotten that.

To be fair, he was being obnoxious; apparently, I wasn't the only one who'd changed over the course of time.

"Hope you like it, boys," I winked. I took a breath and started.

I never thought that you'd

Be the one to hold my heart.

But you came around and you knocked me

Off the ground from the start.

You put your arms around me,

And I believe that it's easier

For you to let me go.

You put your arms around me, and I'm home.

How many times will you let me

Change my mind and turn around?

I can't decide if I'll let you

Save my life or if I'll drown.

I hope that you see right through my walls.

I hope that you catch me,

'Cus I'm already falling.

I'll never let our love get so close.

You put your arms around me and I'm home.

I opened my eyes and, as I'd expected, there were men twice my age (probably) looking at me in ways that made me pretty uncomfortable. Killian was no exception; he was probably the worst of the bunch. When I stopped singing, though, he managed to shake off his trance.

He coughed. "That's quite a voice you've got on you, Ell-Lily. Very impressive. Back to work, boys! Break time's over, don't expect another one until tomorrow, when we reach port!"

Groans. Hm. Lazy asses. A little hard work never killed anyone. Or maybe it did. I wouldn't know.

I felt a little shiver of pride going up my spine. It had very little to do with my own accomplishments, though; I didn't know why I even felt it, but it was there. It was almost like... another person. Familiar, somehow.

I rolled my eyes at my own absurdity. There was no one around that would be proud of what I'd done. Pan and all the boys were far behind us at this point, and the crew didn't care. Something was wrong, though. There was something distinctly off about the way Killian acted about my powers.

It was almost as if he'd expected it.

I couldn't seem to sleep that night. The day hadn't been all that crazy, hadn't even been exciting, really, but something kept nagging at the back of my mind. There was something ominous about this ship. Had Pan felt it too, when he sent me on this errand? He couldn't have, or he wouldn't have left me on my own.

I missed him, I realized. It was easier for me to admit it to myself, alone in the dark cabin. It was like there was literally a piece of me missing, and the piece was shaped like a short, annoying British boy. Why did I miss him so much? All he did was annoy me and piss me off and—

And he's the only one who knows exactly how to help you whenever you need it.

Go away.

Like now, for instance. He'd tell you to get your ass up and go something, and you'd do it and stop complaining because it's exactly what you need and you know it.

No one asked you. But... I guess you're right.

Of course I'm right. I'm

I pushed the blankets off and padded my way onto the deck of the ship, barefoot. There was another twinge in the back off my mind, telling me that this was probably a bad idea, but I ignored it.

The wind had gotten colder after the sun went down; goosebumps rose all over my arms and legs and I shivered. I was the only one awake besides the man at the wheel, who barely counted, as he was nodding off too. Then a cold hand landed on my shoulder and I gasped in surprise, the sense of danger increasing my edginess. I relaxed when I saw that it was just Killian.

"What are you doing up, love?" he asked. "It must be past midnight."

I shrugged silently. I wasn't about to explain my problems to someone else so soon after I'd accepted that the problems even existed. Anyway, it wasn't Killian's business to begin with, so I didn't feel inclined to share.

"Well you should be getting back to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"I'll go in a few minutes," I said. "I just needed some time to think."

He looked at me with an expression even icier than the night air. "I really think you should go back to bed, Ellie."

The pieces finally clicked together and the warning sense tripled in intensity. This isn't Killian. "Get off me," I snapped, throwing the impostor's arm off. "I don't know who the hell you are, but get off this ship."

The person laughed and showed me his hands exaggeratedly. "You've gotten better, dearie. More... observant." A purple fog surrounded me before he changed shape into a person that I knew... and hated.

"Rumpelstiltskin," I snarled. "What do you want?"

He grinned at me like he was an old friend instead of the creature that had ruined my entire life. "As a matter of fact, I'm just here for you. I was... commissioned, you might say, to make sure that you didn't constitute a threat to anyone else."

"You won't kill me," I said, putting as much power into the words as I could.

"No, I certainly won't," he agreed, the smile never leaving his face. He didn't seem to be affected in the slightest by my magic. "That wasn't a part of the deal, and believe it or not, Uriel, I have developed a... fondness for you over the course of your life. I wouldn't kill you just because I was told to."

Blue fog that looked black seeped out from under my feet. The humidity in the air heightened noticeably and the Dark One tutted. "Now now, none of that, dearie. I just explained that I wasn't gonna kill you, shouldn't I be getting a thank you?"

I shot him a look of pure loathing. "I'm a Lost One. We don't say thank you."

"You really are an ungrateful girl," he said brightly. "And naive, too, if you think that those boys have really accepted you. After all, Peter Pan and his little troupe are hated across all the realms for their cruelty toward outsiders. Did you really think you were any more than a game to—"

"I suggest you stop there, laddie. You don't want me to hear more than I already have."

That is an incredibly annoying, irritating, amazing habit, I thought amusedly. How does he manage to show up at the most convenient times?

"Pan," I said submissively.

He barely acknowledged me, focusing entirely on the reptile in front of us. "Lily is one of the most important members of my little troupe, as you call them. There's no limit to what this girl can do, and the boys love her."

"And I love them," I said defiantly. "Now leave us in peace!"

Rumpelstiltskin looked back and forth between us, then laughed giddily. "I see."

"What do you see, you psychopath?" I snapped. But I had the sinking feeling I already knew.

"Because I am such a fantastic person—"

Pan snorted. "Use that term loosely, laddie."

"—I'll give you two minutes to be honest with one another."

Two minutes before what? I had time to think before the world changed. Rumpelstiltskin and the ship were gone, replaced by an unfamiliar forest. Old, worn out wanted posters decorated every few trees, each with a faded drawing of a very pretty woman who was wanted for some crime or another.

"What did he mean, be honest with each other?" I asked Pan. "I thought you couldn't lie."

"I can't," he said quietly. "But I don't always tell the whole truth. I can't say I've always told you everything, love."

Now that I knew. I always had known that Pan just knew too much for him to tell any one person. A dark purple fog started to form in the sky.

"The Dark Curse," he said grimly. "That damn boy... And he's disabled my powers too."

"What's the Dark Curse?"

"It's a curse that sends anyone in casting distance to a land without magic. I sent you with Hook to retrieve it so that it couldn't be used against anyone again. In retrospect," he said, almost to himself, "it wasn't the best idea to send you of all people on this mission."

I glared at him as the ominous fog came ever closer. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me and I was stupid enough to put you into a situation like this," he snapped, turning away. "I don't see the harm in saying it now that we're both doomed anyway."

The fog was almost here, but I needed to take a moment to process what had just happened. Had Peter Pan just... confessed to me?

I put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to face me. He refused to look me in the eye. "I would ask if you were joking, but that would be stupid since you don't have a sense of humor. So I'll settle for this: You're a damn idiot, Peter Pan."

He looked at me, startled out of his pouting. "What?"

"You're a moron," I repeated slowly. "From the way you're acting, I wouldn't believe you were even the age that you look, much less the age that you are. You're acting like a schoolboy with a crush, but here's the thing. We don't have school."

"You aren't making any sense."

I looked up at the fog, just ten or twenty trees away at this point. "We don't have time, so I'll make this quick. There isn't a female alive that wouldn't see you that way, so stop being so damn self-deprecating and do something about this... whatever this is... before we get hit by this—"

And right as the fog hit, he slammed his lips onto mine with a force only he could have managed.

Anyway, the epilogue is where you'll get to see what Rumple really did to them. (Hint: it wasn't just a transporter spell, guys!) and then... It's over. It'll really be over.