Chapter Twenty Eight
-Peter Pan's POV-
I gasped as the pain shot through my spine and caused me to sway slightly as my eyes drooped shut. My wrists were tied up with a metal chain hung above my head and I was left to dangle in the air, my feet only hovering above the ground.
"Come on, Pan. We're only getting started." Hades spoke in mock disappointment and I fought the urge to spit on the man standing in front of me who was holding a metal pole and battered me with it for what felt like ages now since my arrival in the Underworld.
"Why aren't you fighting back? You used to be really tough when you were alive." Hades mused curiously as he stepped closer to me.
I barely had enough energy to look at him, and so he planted his palm against my throat and started to choke me.
"Answer my question." He growled as I gasped for breath.
Once he let go, I violently coughed and spat out blood on the floor beneath me.
"People change when they die." I spoke weakly and Hades laughed.
"No, trust me, they don't. You've only gotten soft – because of that girl, Elisa Emerson."
My head suddenly snapped up and I glared at him with so much hatred and fury.
"Don't mention her name on your foul tongue." I spoke scornfully and he smirked.
"My, my, Pan – she really has changed you! I wonder what would happen if she died too. I will certainly have a special treat for her when she arrives here." He spoke with a grin and I found myself smirking at him.
His eyes narrowed at me when he saw my expression and I soon started to laugh weakly with whatever energy I could muster up.
"What? What is it? Why are you laughing?" He snapped at me in annoyance and demanded an answer.
"She won't be coming here at all, Hades." I spoke, a grin on my face, although I was in so much pain – physical pain, as well as mental pain for the love of my life.
"She has to. What nonsense are you talking about? She's done so many terrible deeds; she has to come here at some point!" He yelled.
I smiled at him in success. "Ah, but she found a way to escape death after my murder. When I die, so does Neverland, and everything alive on that island will evaporate into thin air and will cease to exist in this world – it will be like they were never born in the first place."
Hades' face darkened and he groaned angrily and approached me quickly with the metal bar.
"You will pay for this!" He roared and slammed the metal bar against me, but to both of our alarm, the metal bar went right through me and I felt nothing at all.
I frowned and looked up at Hades, who was staring at me in shock.
"What just happened?" I asked.
Hades frowned deeply and pulled the metal bar away from me before he slammed it against me again, but once again, it went right through me.
"What the hell?" Hades murmured as he stared at me perplexedly.
I looked down at my body and gasped lightly. My body was starting to fade away and my eyes widened and I looked up at Hades.
"How ... what ... is this part of your torturous plot against me or ...?" I asked quizzically and Hades looked at me in panic.
"No! It's not! What the hell is happening to you?!" He shot.
I rolled my eyes. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"
Hades glared at me. "Why you little –"
My hearing and vision started to weaken gradually until I was absolutely blind and deaf, and my body felt completely numb.
I couldn't see anything.
I couldn't hear anything.
I couldn't feel anything.
-Elisa Emerson's POV-
I clutched Pan's cold, lifeless hand as the tears streamed down my face and the world around us quickly getting destroyed. It didn't work. He wasn't moving, nor giving any signs that he was alive. He had no pulse. Nothing.
I shot my head at Regina and glared at her.
"You said it would work." I spat.
"It was supposed to work! I promise! I don't know what happened!"
"Was this some kind of sick joke?" I asked, pain laced in my voice as I held Pan's hand tighter.
"What? No!" Regina protested.
Felix stepped forward and glared harshly at Regina.
"You just wanted to give us hope, but really, you just wasted our time." He growled.
"I was only trying to help –"
"But your help was deemed useless." Luke snapped as he too stepped towards her.
Regina took a step backwards and I glanced at Pan, but he was still lifeless.
"You give us one reason why we shouldn't just fucking slice your head off with an axe." Luke spoke with a disgusted expression on his face.
"What, so I just get threats because I was trying to help?" Regina spoke sarcastically.
"Guys." Connor piped up.
"You are in no position to throw jokes at us!" Felix yelled.
"Guys!" Connor spoke louder.
"I say we just finish her off before Neverland finishes us off first." Luke suggested.
"Excuse me?" Regina spoke, feeling offended that they were discussing her death right in front of her with no damns given.
"I agree." Felix nodded.
"GUYS!" Connor yelled and finally, everyone focused their attention to him, including myself.
"The ground stopped shaking and I don't see any more trees disappearing, and there's no thunder or lightning. It's just cloudy." He spoke shakily.
I frowned and just realised that Connor was right. It's like everything was eerily still and silent.
"What on earth..." I mumbled but snapped my head at Pan the moment I felt him squeeze my hand back.
"Guys, I think he's waking up." I spoke in utter disbelief and hope and all the Lost Boys gathered around Pan and I, while everyone else hung back a few feet away from us, watching us curiously, and painfully (thanks to the pain I mercilessly inflicted upon them, and no, I don't regret it).
We all stared at Pan, unblinking, waiting for anything to happen.
A few seconds later, Pan's eyes shot open and he gasped deeply, his chest heaving up and down and my eyes widened as my brain tried to register the fact that he was awake.
All of us gasped and clung onto Pan as he sat upright and snapped his head around us, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Elisa?" He asked in disbelief when his eyes landed on me.
I smiled, tears brimming my eyes as I squeezed his hand and nodded.
"You're alive." I whispered and the tears started to roll down my cheeks as I laughed happily.
"You're alive!" I exclaimed and the Lost Boys cheered around us.
Without giving me a chance to figure out what he was about to do, Pan pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around my figure tightly. I felt his lips against my shoulder as he kissed it repeatedly, and felt my cloak get wet, indicating that Peter was crying too.
I pulled away slightly so I could look at his face. His lips quivered as he sobbed in front of me.
"I thought I lost you forever. I thought I lost all of you." He looked around at Felix, Luke, Jason and Jake who were all grinning widely at his return.
"We thought we lost you."
"I was in the Underworld – I – how? How did you get me back?" He asked, his green eyes boring into mine, his full attention on me and I felt my half of my heart hammer against my ribcage in pure affection and adoration towards this boy.
"Regina ... she split my heart in half and placed one half inside your chest and the other in mine." I spoke slowly for him to register what happened clearly.
Pan's eyes widened slightly, and he slowly placed his hand on his chest, feeling the heartbeats.
His other hand touched my chest lightly as he felt my heartbeat too and his eyes started to water again.
"You saved me." He whispered.
"I couldn't have done it without Regina." I replied truthfully and at that moment, our vision was diverted towards Neverland's intruders.
Pan frowned slightly and slowly stood up, and I stood up with him in case he needed support. But he didn't. Because his health was returned to him and was alive.
He stepped towards them slightly and scanned them over with his forest green irises.
His eyes surveyed Regina's cuts on her cheeks and her split lips. They then landed on Hook's leg that had no foot, then at David's burnt arm, and finally, at Snow's wounded waist.
Pan raised an eyebrow and chuckled as he turned to look at me.
"Well someone threw a fit without me." He spoke amusedly and I stared at the ground sheepishly.
"They deserved it." I muttered and Pan laughed then turned to look at them again.
He stared at Regina for a few seconds.
"Thank you." He spoke softly to her, his eyes filled to the brim with sincerity.
In one swift movement with his hand, Regina's cuts were healed, Snow White's wound faded, David's arm was cured, and Hook's foot reattached to his leg like it was never chopped off.
They all looked so surprised at his kind gesture and Keith frowned at him.
"Why did you help us? We did kill you, after all." He asked and I narrowed my eyes into slits at him irritably.
Pan shrugged. "And I did kill Henry. And Regina helped save me, and so I helped you. I guess we're even now."
There was a ghost of a smile on Keith's face and he nodded. I stepped forwards to stand beside Pan and he looked down at me and smiled, his hand holding mine and interlacing our fingers together.
I diverted my gaze back at Keith and the others and sighed deeply.
"Now that we are even, would you be so kind to leave Neverland and never disturb us again?" I asked exhaustedly, and it seemed like everyone thought it was a good idea, because I heard murmurs of agreement and they all got ready to leave.
I smiled and Pan and I walked towards the Lost Boys.
"Elisa?" I heard Keith's voice behind me and I turned slightly to look at him.
"May I have a word with you?" He asked cautiously and I looked at my family.
"I'll be back in a minute." I told them with a smile and left them and walked to a corner with Keith walking along with me.
"I'm sorry we had our differences and went against each other." He apologised, his ocean blue eyes staring at the ground and his large hands behind his back.
I smiled softly and placed my hand on his shoulder, causing him to snap his eyes towards my own brown ones.
"We've been away from each other for years, Keith. It's only natural that we won't agree on many things." I spoke lightly and he smiled.
"I've been searching for you this whole time, Elisa." He sighed and cast a glance at Pan and The Lost Boys.
"Can't you come back with me to Storybrooke?" He asked pleadingly, hope lingering in his beautiful eyes and I smiled sadly and clutched his hand.
"You know my home is here in Neverland, Keith. I can't leave – not when I've finally found the family I've yearned to have for years. And I know you're my brother, and I will always love you – but I need to stay here." I reasoned with him and he sighed defeatedly.
"I guess I understand that. I heard Pan has the ability to visit realms – how about you visit from time to time?" He suggested and I grinned.
"I'm sure he won't mind bringing me along." I stated with a wide smile.
"Goodbye, sister." He smiled at me and I returned it.
"Goodbye, brother."
I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him as he wrapped his arms around my tiny body to return the gesture. We pulled apart a few seconds later, exchanged smiles again, then walked our separate ways.
I watched him as he walked away with Rumpelstiltskin, who did not exchange any words with his son and simply turned his back on him and walked towards Snow White and the others. He may not have bothered conversing with his son, but I knew his son was happy, because the moment I set my eyes on him when I reached him and the lost boys and Neverland started to blossom and bloom once again, he was laughing, and his eyes twinkled in happiness and delight – the same childish gleam in his eyes that I grew so familiar with and came to adore more than ever.
I love you, Peter Pan. I will always love you.