Soulmates. The word rings through my head until it's spinning along with the world around me. I push myself up and pace in front of Peter, who is staring at me with worry. "This is—it's not possible. My whole life I've been told that they weren't real. They're nothing more than legend." I cry in frustration before quickly realizing the major flaw in my logic, "Then again, Neverland isn't supposed to be real either. Are you—are you sure?"

"He's sure. We're rarely wrong, and this is something we all agree on." The same pink faerie from before tells me as she spins through the air with a giggle. "You two are MFEO."

"What does that even mean?" I question and tug on my hair to avoid doing something foolish.

"That you're 'made for each other.'"

My eyes meet Peter's, and I swear my stomach fills with that warmth that I'm starting to think is love. It feels like the world that I thought I was starting to understand seems to be crumbling around me. "I-I need a minute."

Peter's and the faerie's shouts follow me as I run out of the secluded clearing in search of air. I barely manage to make it far before I fall down. A pair of strong arms wrap around my shoulders and Peter's soft voice whispers, "Breathe, just take a second and breathe."

"I'm sorry. This is just—"

"A lot to process? Trust me, I know, and you have nothing to apologize for." His voice and touch is soft, and I lean into him as I finally regain my breath and senses. Just in time apparently as Peter's head snaps up and bodies stiffens while hearing something I can't. "Come on, we've got to go."

"Why? What's wrong?" I question, but the only answer I receive is a harsh look that tells me to not ask questions just yet.

"Nothing will be if you come quietly." A burly man with sunburnt cheeks and tattered clothing taunts as he and a group of other gruff looking men appear out of seemingly nowhere. "Cap'n wants a word with you, Pan, and the lady, of course."

"As much as I'd hate to disappoint the Captain," Peter replies as he pulls me close behind him, which would make me the slightest bit annoyed if the situation weren't any different, "but I have to say no."

"Shame, cause he specifically said that ain't an answer."

"Please, tell me this is some sort of weird test." I beg Peter as I put my back to his and watch as the men form a loose circle around us. "'Cause if it is, we're gonna have to have a serious conversation about your training methods."

"I wish it was." He whispers and presses something into my palm. I look down to find the dagger he always wears on his belt resting in my grip as he continues, "Take this, you know how to use it. When you get the chance, run and get out of here. Don't worry about me, okay? Just run."

"You and I both know," I whisper as the first wave begins to launch, and I have to shout to be heard, "I can't promise that." The adrenaline hits me full force as the past weeks of training with Peter and the others comes to mind.

Except, this time it's not practice and there's more than one opponent.

This time, I fall within the first few minutes.

Tears build in my eyes as the stench of the brute fills my nose and the chill of the blade against my neck. "Look what I caught!" He shouts, which sends his rancid breath into the air and causes me to gag. "Cap'll be so pleased."

"No, because you're going to let her go." Peter snaps, clearly losing his temper as his knuckles turn white from gripping his dagger so tightly.

"Not today, Pan. Either you leave her or come with us." The original pirate teases as he circles Peter. "'Cause Cap'n said to bring her no matter what. You ain't stoppin' us—not today."

"Go, Pete." I call and try my best to keep my voice even and hide the fear in it. "Just go, please. I'll be fine."

"Listen to the lady," The pirate in red states with a rotting smile, but Peter stands firm. There's a pain in his eyes that I can feel echoing in my own chest, and it makes me wonder if he can feel my pain like I feel his.

I'm so focused on Peter that I miss the surly pirate sneaking up behind him until Peter's already fighting back. It offers me a glimmer of hope, which I quickly put into action as I swing my head back to collide with the stinking pirate's jaw.

He quickly reels back to clench his jaw, which leaves me free to escape in the process. My feet move as quickly as my brain can command them to, but it doesn't seem to be fast enough. The butt of his broken cutlass collides with my temple sending me colliding with the ground and into the sea of black spots dotting my vision.

"Y/N!" Peter's yells echo as the world fades into an inky black.

The first thing I feel when I wake up is the throbbing emanating from my temple. It sends a wave of nausea through me, and I immediately reach out for anything to properly stabilize myself. My hands make contact with the soft sheets beneath me, which makes my eyes snap open to wonder and investigate my surroundings.

"Good to see you awake," The familiar voice makes a fist tighten around my heart as he continues, "I was starting to worry about you."

"This isn't real. You're not real." I whisper as I dare to look up and meet the eyes of my brother. "You're gone. I must've gotten my head hit so hard that I'm imagining you."

A low chuckle escapes him as he shakes his head, "Not exactly. I'm really here, monkey." I stiffen at the old nickname, only Kellan called me that. It feels strange hearing after all these years. "I always told you I'd come get you, didn't I? It took me a while, but I did."

"No, you didn't." I snap and push myself to my feet. "Peter brought me here; he and the lost boys are the ones that have been helping me. You—you just helped kidnap me, and now you're just trying to take credit for everything else."

Kellan's features darken at my accusations, and he rushes to me poised to strike before he thinks better of it and speaks, "Careful, sister. My temper isn't what it used to be."

"Neither is mine, brother, and I'm certainly not the little girl you remember." I retort. "Now tell me why I'm here."

"Can't I just have missed you?"

"Maybe, but you've had ten years to do something about it and weeks since I came here. So tell me why I'm here."

"Because—as loathe as he is to admit it—we need you." My head snaps to the doorway to find another familiar figure—Charlotte, who fell in love in love with Kellan and gave up everything to be with him. She smiles at me as she looks me up and down. "You've grown up since we last saw each other. I can't believe it's been ten years for you."

"How long has it been for you?" I question warily. There's an edge to her smile that reminds me too much of a viper readying to strike.

"Time's hard to track here in comparison with back there."

I let out a heavy sigh and grit my teeth, "Okay, then at least tell me what you need me for so desperately that you had your goons kidnap me. I mean, you could have just sent a letter."

Charlotte lets out a pitying laugh and she attaches herself to Kellan as she speaks, "We're sorry about that. The boys are still a little eager to please their Captain and his 'left-hand-woman.'" She lifts his left arm to reveal the polished hook on the end.

"No matter how many times you say that, it's never funny." Kellan growls, clearly touchy about the subject. "You're lucky I love you." His mouth forms the words and the feeling gleams in his eyes, but when I look at the pair, I don't see the purity and care that love should be. In it's place is a twisted, darker form of it.

"We never answered her question though." Charlotte pauses as that wicked grin tugs at her lips, "Should we?"

"I think so." He turns to me and his lips curve into a subtle smile. "What we need from you, dear sister, is your heart."

My feet move me backwards before I can think better of it. "What do you mean, 'you need my heart?'"

"Well, that's more up to you. It can be figuratively by you giving up your allegiance to lost boys and your love for Peter and become a part of the crew, or we can take it from your chest—magically, of course."

"You see, since you came here, Neverland has been slowly reviving itself, and we can't let that happen. It needs to be destroyed to be rebuilt on stronger foundations without Pan's lies and corruption."

"He's not corrupt." I snap as anger. "Peter's a good, kind person. He cares for people in ways you clearly don't understand."

"You don't know him like we do, Y/N." Charlotte coos as she brushes a hand over my hair. "Trust me, he's not who you think and neither are we."

"It's a choice. One that you can make, or we can make for you." Kellan whispers with his voice deceptively soft. "It's up to you."

My heart lurches in my chest, unable to take the weight of so much responsibility in so much time. Kellan and Charlotte both watch me, and I can feel the unspoken threats of what will happen if I disagree. It makes it hard to breathe, and I barely manage to push out a whisper of, "Can I at least see Peter first?"

"Of course," Charlotte interjects with a pointed look at Kellan who was about to protest. "Follow me."

We leave what I assume are the Captain's quarters, weave through cramped hallways, and down stairways until we reach a damp, open space with barred off sections. "I brought you a present, Pan!" Charlotte calls as we enter and steps aside so that Peter and I can see one another. "I'll give you two a few minutes. Tick, tock, Y/N."

The moment she's out of sight, I rush to Peter and hastily look him over for any injuries. A sigh escapes me when I find none and my hands find his through the bars, "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"I was just about to say the same thing. There's no way of telling what Hook and Charlotte will do." He tells me and a frown tugs at his lips when he notices something on my temple. I reach up to find what's so puzzling and find a bandage over the still rising bump. His brows furrow as he tries to put together the pieces of a puzzle that he doesn't understand just yet. "Wait, what exactly is going on."

"Long story short? The man you know as 'Hook' is my brother, Kellan, and Charlotte is the girl he ran away with when I was just a kid. Now, they're trying to convince me to help them," My voice trembles as I move my hand to Peter's, "but I don't think there's a way out of it." I rest my forehead despondently against the bars.

Peter's expression softens and his thumb traces my knuckles as he leans his forehead against mine. "Don't think that way. I promise you that you'll be okay."

I shake my head as the tears build. "No, promise me that we will be okay."

Peter's eyes meet mine full of determination and that same emotion in myself that can only now identify—love. "I promise you," he whispers, "we will all be okay."

"Aw, how sickeningly sweet," Charlotte's voice echoes and interrupts the moment, which rekindles the fear in my chest as Peter and I tighten our grip on each other. "Time's up, and the Captain wants to see you both. He's quite anxious to hear your answer, pet."

Peter's eyes meet my own as a silent understanding passes between us, a reminder that he promised we'll be okay. As Charlotte unlocks the door and leads us out, I let myself believe in him, believe that well be okay.