Listen, James, you know I’m not supposed to be talking to you. And, if I’m being honest, I’m not all that sure that I really want to, since you and Father still cannot seem to at least acknowledge mine and my husband’s relationship, Wendy started, growing rather impatient with the way her brother was stalling. Just tell me what you need to tell me, then I’ll go back to the boys and you will go back to Father’s ship. 

James sucked in a breath. Really, all this time, and Pan still had her wrapped around his finger. So, he crossed his arms. 

Really, Wendy? You’re still letting Pan control you? I think Father and I had a right to try and stop your relationship with him. 

James... Wendy warned. 

He threw his hands up in surrender. 

Alright, alright! Did you know Blackbeard’s back? 

Wendy’s eyes widened. Peter’s back straightened and his hands tightened into fists around the leaves he was holding apart slightly. 

Wha-what? 

Oh...you didn’t know. 

Does this look like the face of someone in the know? He’s back? 

James nodded. 

He visited Father in his cabin. It seemed as though he was trying to rile him up - probably to manipulate him into doing what he wanted. Though to do what, I’m not entirely sure. 

Wendy heaved a sigh. 

What did he say to him? 

Wendy, you know Father doesn’t like me spilling about his conver-

James! This is important. Please!

Peter’s ears twitched. He was unsure of what to make of the sound of his queen pleading with a filthy pirate. 

Blackbeard tried persuading Father that one of the Lost Boys was your biological son with Pan, James admitted. 

Wendy started trembling as her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. 

Wendy? James asked, concerned by the sudden change in her state. 

As she slowly lowered her hand, Wendy asked her brother: 

Who did he say was mine, James? 

Does it matter? the boy asked, completely lost. But, the deadly glare Wendy gave him quickly made him shrug off his confusion and answer her. I think he said his name was...Rufio...

At that, her big brown eyes widened, realisation dawning on her. Peter’s expression mirrored hers almost perfectly from behind the leaves. Blackbeard...the murderer in Rufio’s dream was Blackbeard! 

Peter was snapped out of his thoughts when Wendy stated: 

I have to go. 

With that, she spun on her heels, ready to dart back into the jungle to find her king. Before she completely submerged into the green foliage, she looked over her shoulder to call out to her brother: 

Whatever you do, make sure Father doesn’t fall for it!

As she disappeared, James’ brow furrowed before he shrugged, deciding he would do as his sister asked. He knew that look in her eyes well enough to know when something big was going on and doing what she requested would determine the outcome. Shrugging, he turned on his heels and headed back to the Jolly Roger, mind swirling with unanswered questions that his sister hadn’t seemed to have the time to answer.   

Meanwhile, once he saw Wendy was heading back in the direction of the jungle, Peter pushed up off the ground, soaring up into the air. He considered making it look like he’d accidentally bumped into her, but instead, he allowed his queen to believe no one had heard her conversation with her brother, allowed her to run back to Camp, while he headed for Skull Rock, aiming to talk to the Shadow.  

Ideally, Wendy knew, she should have headed back to Camp - with the boys waiting for her. But, she couldn’t. Not right now. Not when she was shaken up from the news her brother, well, half-brother had told her. No, there was only one person she could go to, talk to about it until she’d calmed down enough to face the boys without them suspecting anything. She didn’t want them to worry too soon. She was the one girl whom she shared everything with, a girl who’d stuck with her through thick and thin, given her advice when she needed it, shared laughs with, a girl who was, by definition, her best friend. Tink, the wingless fairy. 

On the way to her friend’s home, Wendy began to think. She remembered the stories her father had once told her - back when they were closer, when their relationship was stronger - about his former captain, the awful things he did to others, the things he’d done to his own wife. Wendy’s mother. Although she’d never met him, Wendy had been given a rather vivid image of the most feared pirate to ever set sail from her father. She’d been told that, while his eyes were an icy blue, they held nothing but blackness - the colour of his soul, of his heart. He was the first pirate to practise necromancy at such extreme levels, to use it for controlling his ship. At a young age, the man’s face was weatherbeaten and his hair had already started to fade from black to a dark silver. Why? It was the price of exerting such strong, dark magic so often. 

The Queen Anne’s Revenge, his ship, itself sounded intimidating without knowing who her captain was. It was bigger than Killian’s ship by far; it wasn’t a frigate, it was a galleon. The largest ship a captain could possess. The entirety of it was black - even the sails - with a strip of red running through the middle of the whole length of it. 

Now, Wendy had been told such a dreadful pirate was in Neverland and wanting to wage war on its king and his queen. Though why, Wendy wasn’t sure. She wanted to believe that he couldn’t possibly know that his wife’s child whom she’d had with another of his crewmen still lived and breathed, but she wasn’t sure. From what she’d heard about him, he was among the least predictable of pirates, so she knew she couldn’t be certain that he didn’t know of her. But, maybe it wasn’t just revenge against her. That was highly likely. Perhaps he wanted revenge against Peter as well. Though why, Wendy wasn’t sure. Her king had never mentioned the pirate before. She supposed she’d have to put her foot down and speak to Peter about him, demand that if he did have a past with Blackbeard, he tell her about it. 

Eventually, the girl came to Tink’s treehouse. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Wendy called up and waited for a few minutes. Not a moment later, the fair-haired fairy poked her head through one of the windows and looked down. 

What’s wrong? she asked. 

I need to talk to you, Wendy replied. Can I come up? 

Sure. 

Once Wendy had climbed up, the pair took a seat in two of Tink’s chairs to talk. 

So, what’s wrong? the fairy asked again. 

Wendy started explaining her meeting with James and what he’d told her. She then expressed her thoughts and concerns. Especially about Rufio. She didn’t even know how Blackbeard could have known so much about Neverland. However, she noted how Tink’s expression shifted slightly when she mentioned about Peter possibly having a past with Blakcbeard before she quickly covered it back up. But, she wouldn’t call her out on it until Tink had contributed her thoughts. 

So what you’re saying is that Blackbeard was Rufio’s killer in his nightmare. Blackbeard wants to use him to get to you and Pan and he’s using Hook as his puppet. 

Tink, Wendy warned, hating whenever someone referred to her father as ‘Hook’ or ‘Captain Hook’ because of what the Dark One had done to his hand. 

Tink rolled her eyes. 

Sorry. 

She shook herself, taking them back to their previous conversation. 

Anyway...Blackbeard’s using Hoo...Killian as his puppet for something you can’t figure out. And you think he is doing this to wage war against you and Pan in some act of vengeance. That’s what you’re saying? 

Wendy nodded. 

Tink sighed heavily. 

As much as I want to disagree with you and offer you some sort of comfort, I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. It certainly does make sense. Maybe you should talk to Pan, find out if all of this is somehow connected to some sort of past he has with Blackbeard. 

Maybe you could help me there...

In that moment, Tink looked like a rabbit who’d realised she’d just been caught by her stalking predator. 

What? 

Come on, Tink. From that look you gave me when I mentioned the possibility, I think you know something about it. 

Tink gulped and looked down at her lap. 

It’s not my story to tell...

Please, Tink, Wendy pleaded. 

Tink returned her bright-green-eyed gaze to her friend and shook her head. 

I’m sorry, Wendy, but as much as I want to tell you, it’s really Pan’s place to tell you what happened. Besides, no one in Neverland knows the full story except him. He’s the right person to go to. 

But what if he refuses...

I’m sure he won’t. As much as I dislike him, I know he cares for Rufio and when it concerns his safety, he won’t hold back, Tink assured her. 

Wendy sighed in defeat. 

All right, I’ll talk to Peter. 

Meanwhile, back at Skull Rock, Peter had summoned the Shadow, wanting answers. Indeed, the Shadow confirmed his fears. Blackbeard, the pirate all pirates feared, a man of the shadows, a dead man, had risen from the depths of the Underworld and was out for revenge. Not just on Pan - oh no, that would be too easy. He wanted revenge on Wendy, and he already knew a way to get to them, a way to strike at their hearts. 

Stunned, Peter backed out of the cave in a manner that was so unusual, unlike, out of character for him; green eyes wide, he staggered back until he was out of the cave. He just couldn’t believe it. His queen, his wife, his love...Rufio...his family was in danger. All because of an old enemy. 

As he turned on his heels and took off into the sky, soaring into the air, he shook himself. No, Blackbeard would not get to him that easily. His eyes darkened at the threat the pirate posed to his family. What he couldn’t understand, what the Shadow failed to tell him, was exactly why Blackbeard wanted revenge on Wendy as well. He guessed he’d have to talk to her about it. Then, they would plan their next course of action. He would not let Blackbeard take away what was his.   

While Peter was flying back to Camp, and Wendy awaited his return, Rufio made his trek through the jungle, pushing away large overgrown leaves, stepping over logs and snapping stray twigs, old fallen leaves crunching underfoot. More dried dirt jumped away from Rufio’s boots as he strode further through the jungle. Why was he alone? Why was he so far from Camp? He was meeting his dear, close ‘friend’, Tiger Lily. He didn’t think he time was right to tell Peter and Wendy. He wasn’t even sure how he would when the time was right. How could he, when he was encouraged to see Tiger Lily as an aunt - nothing more? He couldn’t tell any of the Lost Boys either - not when all except Felix were after Pan’s favour. 

Eventually, Rufio came to the clearing where Tiger Lily had instructed hint o meet her. It wasn’t close to her village, and it wasn’t close to Camp. It was the last place anyone would think to find them. He waited at the centre of the clearing until finally, he heard another set of footsteps. His ears pricked up and he strained his eyes forward. There, appearing from under the shade of the trees, was Tiger Lily.  They walked towards each other and embraced with compassion. 

Little did they know, as they broke apart and practised their combat, archery and target skills, a boy with brown hair and silvery eyes was watching from under the shade of the trees where Rufio had previously emerged from.   And he was long gone before either of them had the chance to sense his presence. 

However, Rufio did get the feeling of being watched. So, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowed, trained on the place where he’d emerged from, with suspicion.  Tiger Lily turned her attention away from the bullseye Rufio had carved with his dagger on the tree in the middle of the clearing when they first met there, lowered her bow and approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  Rufio snapped his head back to face her. 

Rufio, what’s wrong? 

Rufio glanced back behind him, then back at her. 

Never mind. Just a funny feeling. Now...where were we? 

Little did he know, that in returning their attention to the target after finishing their small combat, he’d missed his chance of stopping the intruder from spilling the truth to the people he least wanted to know about his relationship with the Native princess. 

And I never expected that you could have a broken heart and love with it too, so much that it doesn’t seem broken at all.

-    Jodi Lynn Anderson, Tiger Lily

    Tiger Lily was gathering some water at the stream when she first heard the rustle in the bushes.

The huntress came to a stop in her tracks, her hatchet poised in her hands with her chin held high. She was not afraid and she was rarely afraid of anything. The crowed girl spent several years on the run from the white men that tore her tribe apart and after experiencing slaughter and murder at a young age, there was not anything that did frightened her. Her weary feet were tired, but her heart remained strong as a stone that had yet to be cracked. I hid myself in her braid and listened with sharp ears.

Her dark brown eyes settled upon a bush a yard away from her. The leaves shivered and she raised her hatchet for attack, but what stumbled out at her feet surprised her. A boy her age with hair as dark as the night sky with a fiery red streak above his brow landed at her booted feet, his cheeks stained with dirt and a lopsided grin on his lips. Tiger Lily stared at him with her hatchet raised, unsure of what to do. The only people she knew on the island were Peter, Felix, and I, and she had never seen this boy before. I did not recognize him either.

Someone yelled from the direction he came and the boy hastily stood, his hazel eyes darting from one route to another. He didn’t have much time, not with Peter at his heels. The sun had begun to set, painting the sky yellow, orange, and pink with the clouds blocking any light that could possibly give way to his location. Tiger Lily knew that voice; it was Peter’s.

“Come,” she whispered. Her hand tightly grasped his wrist and as quick as a spider, she climbed up a tree with ease. The boy stared at her, stunned at her speed and followed shortly in suit.

Tiger Lily sat on a branch with the boy sitting beside her. She began to grow uncomfortable with his sudden closeness and quietly drew herself closer to the trunk of the tree. In the darkness, I saw Peter’s golden head pop out from the bushes. He was frustrated, his ears almost red as a poppy as he turned in a circle. He ran a hand through his hair angrily and cursed.

The boy beside her snickered quietly. I turned my head to see what he found so humorous. In his hand was Peter’s dagger.

A moment passed before another and Peter disappeared once more in to the jungle. They waited for a few moments before Tiger Lily slowly descended from the tree and landed swiftly on her feet without a single noise. The boy was clumsy and fell on his back beside her.

“You’re quick,” he said with a laugh. “I like you. Thank you.”

Tiger Lily did not say a word when he stood. He extended his hand and smiled. “I’m Rufio.”

She stared at his hand and back at him without movement. “Tiger Lily,” she said.

Sensing that she would not take his hand, Rufio pulled his arm back and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re not the one to talk much, are you?”

To prove his point, Tiger Lily shook her head and placed her hatchet at her hip.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Miss Tiger Lily.”

Tiger Lily did not like the title. “Tiger Lily is just fine, Rufio.”

Rufio laughed once more. “Tiger Lily it is, then. I guess I’ll see you around, princess.”

Before she could tell him that she did not like the title, he was already in the darkness of the jungle. Tiger Lily crossed her arms and turned towards the direction towards the tree house, but something stopped her in her tracks. Her fingers reached for her hair and in that moment, I realized it too.

He took the crowed feather from her hair without her knowledge. She fumed quietly and ran after him in the jungle. It was the first time someone surprised Tiger Lily, and I began to question if he was the only one who could take her off her feet without doing anything.

    Tiger Lily did not stop thinking about the boy with the red hair and I knew why. He came to Neverland when the sun disappeared behind the horizon at the sound of Peter’s pipe, along with a handful of younger orphaned boys in a trail. Rufio was a thief, we soon learned. His hands were skilled and quick, it surprises me more each day that he was the only one to escape Tiger Lily’s acute eye. I wondered if he was so skilled in surprising her, or if she lowered her defenses around him. She guarded herself like a secret.

Peter didn’t like him for he played too many pranks and stole his dagger. Tiger Lily did not love Rufio the first time, but I saw her heart beat faster around him, as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. She was almost afraid of him, but not the fear that paralyzes a child in the night. The fear she felt was uncertainty. Tiger Lily was never sure around him and he was always sure of himself. That only drew her to him; she was curious and he was as curious about her in return.

One day I visited a friend in the tree to bend light when Rufio fell in to her hunting net by the river. He was shocked at first and tangled his hands at his attempts to escape, but he gradually relaxed with an easy grin on his lips, his leg dangling from a hole. It was moments later when Tiger Lily found him with her bow strapped across her shoulders.

“You finally caught me,” Rufio laughed as he twirled his knife between his bony fingers, “good for you.”

The crowed girl stooped by the tree and pulled out her knife. Without a word, she cut the rope and he landed on a pile of dead leaves with a grunt. I giggled behind the leaf at them; this was the first time I’ve seen her act childish.

Tiger Lily crossed her arms as he untangled himself from her net. Rufio rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled softly.

“Hey beautiful.”

I flew in closer to hear their thoughts. Tiger Lily was always brave and stern with collected thoughts, but her mind was a blur around him. Her heart fluttered and the heat rose to her cheeks as she stared at him intently with her burning amber irises. He was handsome with vibrant hazel eyes with golden flecks dancing in them, resembling a warming fire. His heart was steady around her but his mind was as cloudy as hers, I could not hear anything.

He stepped closer to her and pulled out something wrapped in a cloth from his pocket.

“I have something for you,” He unwrapped the cloth. Inside sat a small pastry left unfrosted.

Her brown eyes flickered from the pastry and to him.

Almost as if he read her mind, he took a small bite of it. “It’s not poisonous.”

She remained skeptical and hesitantly stepped towards him. Rufio placed the pastry in her hands and she almost jolted at the warmth from the bread. She slowly bit in to it.

It was barely there, but a trace of a small shy smile tickled its way to her lips. I always thought that Peter and Felix were the ones who made her smile, but I was wrong. Rufio did.

“It’s great,” she said. “Why did you bring this?”

“I heard from Peter that you never had a cake before and I thought I should change that.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Tiger Lily smiled again. “Thank you.”

His heart raced as hers slowed to a steady beat. She turned and walked back to the tree house with her smile never faltering.

Moments later, he realized his knife was missing. Rufio cursed and ran after her. The only sound I heard that night was her echoing laughter.

  She knew him as the boy with the bread and he always knew her as girl who ran with the crows. They grew closer whenever he came at night; I saw a small flicker of green envy brewing in Felix’s eyes whenever Rufio stayed at her side by the fire. The times I was around the scar faced boy, I saw that he felt something for her, but I was never sure of what it was. The same went for Peter, but as the months went on, their thoughts became blurred and I never understood them.

I’ll let you in on a secret. Pixie dust reveals one’s true love and it never lies. I have yet to see pixie dust fail. One night when I was in Pixie Hallow gathering some dust, the dust in my hands began to glow a vibrant yellow and slowly created a trail to my window. I hurried to it. When I looked outside, the dust connected Rufio and Tiger Lily as he wrapped a blanket around her thin shoulders.

As the months went on, Rufio continued to surprise her. He always found her at her most vulnerable with her guard down. Whenever Felix or Peter found her in a quiet state, her defenses were automatically brought up, like a wall that separated her from her friends. But with Rufio, the wall remained down. But Tiger Lily liked that most about Rufio; he was as wild as her, but she always remained a breath away from his reach. Tiger Lily was always running, but I never knew why.

I believed that someday, Rufio would catch the crowed girl, but I was wrong. The night the pirates arrived in Neverland, I was the first to see Tiger Lily slip away from the boys without a word. Her thoughts were muddled in an angry maelstrom. As I watched her run, I almost heard the wings of a raven spread from her back.

Peter kept me on his shoulder, but I could not leave him as she slipped in to the shadows of the jungle. He trembled at the sight of the crimson flag waving on the ocean; I wondered what experiences he had with pirates. There was a wall that blocked me from his thoughts. I never pried in to it. I leaned against his neck as he slowly turned away from the ship sailing on the sea. He tried to comfort me, but his words were more of a comfort to him than me. I never doubted.

The next night as I chewed on some mint leaves by Hangman’s tree, I saw Tiger Lily climb the tree in a haste. She moved as fast as an eel with her swift and sharp movement and her heart beat fast in fear. I never understood why she ran. She knew I always stayed by her but the corners of her mind was a mystery to me.

Tiger Lily landed on the ground and began to run at the sound of Rufio’s voice calling her name. I hurriedly flew after her to stop her from doing what I feared she would do. I tugged harshly at her braid as I drew near and pulled at her ear, but she pushed me aside with a strong force, I crashed in to the vines that dangled from the tree. I untangled myself from the vines quickly and began to fly to her, but Rufio caught her from the other end of the clearing.

I always thought Rufio was like a spider with awkward lanky limbs and long legs, there was not much of him with physical strength. He was not built to carry boulders on his back but his hands were strong, but not as strong as hers. He surprised me with his sudden strength to hold Tiger Lily back from the anger that viciously splintered inside of her with his arms around her waist from behind.

Tiger Lily kicked and trashed angrily, begging for him to let her go. Rufio refused and held on to her tighter, and in that moment, he was stronger than her. The huntress crumbled and sobbed with angry tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart beat fast and I saw blue.

“I have to do something,” she sobbed. “He killed them! He killed them all…”

Rufio did not say anything and rested his head on her shoulder. He was taller than her and his arms were long enough to hold her from behind. He gently ran his thumb over her bloody knuckles fisted at her waist, whispering words of comfort in her ears. His mind was full of her and he could not stop thinking about her. I hid myself behind the vines and as I watched, he covered her like a shield in a thundering storm. He wasn’t much for anything, but he was more than enough to her.

I realized that no one held Tiger Lily the way he held her. No one comforted her since her tribe was slaughtered by the white men. She was always alone. I looked at her and I finally saw. The times she met someone, they abandoned her, they hurt her, and they destroyed her until she was nothing. Only the crows loved her, but were the love of the crows enough to heal the endless years of pain and loneliness she experienced before Neverland? Peter and Felix loved her, but they never sheltered her the way Rufio did. Tiger Lily carried their burden, but no one ever carried hers.

She once thought that if she ran fast enough, the pain would never catch up to her. But it did. Tiger Lily believed bravery was facing the stormy waters from the high cliff but it was more than that. Tiger Lily was always brave, braver and bigger than Peter, but her true bravery was facing her greatest fear that did not deal with greedy pirates; it was allowing someone in. Rufio.

“Shhh, Tigs, it’s okay,” Rufio whispered. He kissed her cheek and she turned around, resting her head against his chest. Her eyes were red and swollen with bite marks on her lips from her attempts to silence herself, but in that moment, she was bravest she has ever been.

“Will you stay with me?” Tiger Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rufio brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m never going to leave you, Tiger Lily, I promise you that.”

And he kept his promise.

  ***

  Rufio did not love Tiger Lily the first time they crossed paths that twilight in the jungle, but Captain James Hook craved her with lustful eyes the first time he did.

I watched over the pirates at Skull Rock after Peter, Felix, and Tiger Lily departed in their canoe back to familiar shores. Her eyes were swollen from the night before and it shocked me greatly that neither Peter nor Felix showed any concern towards her. If they did see, they did not say a word. Perhaps they thought she wanted to be alone, so they granted her space. I bit their necks and tugged at their ears to tell them they were wrong, but they flicked me away with their fingers and told me to leave them alone. They did not understand the faerie language.

The way Jas Hook looked at the native princess made my blood boil in red rage. There was not much I could do to protect the crowed girl; I was no bigger than the length of her thumb. I placed the ear wax of beasts in their rum and spit stones in to their ears, but the pirates never noticed me in their drunken state. I was nothing more than a tiny insect to them, maybe just a hallucination from the opium they stole from the Chinese.

Hook watched her darkly when she hunted and ne night while I was away to nurse my sick mother, I saw the crows wither. I dropped the cup of medicine and it shattered at my feet, but the scratches on my toes unfazed me. I flew out of the tree and frantically searched the jungle for Tiger Lily, but it was too late. By the time I reached Skull Rock, her hand slipped and the waves swallowed her whole.

The boy with the bread wept. No one moved to comfort him, too stunned to realize that Tiger Lily was human, not a heartless princess. She was always the faster than the boys; she was the bravest and the smartest, but they never considered what her life was like before Neverland called out to her. I sat on his shoulder and cried until my eyes ran dry. The last night he was with her, he offered a red poppy ring made out of its step when they stood in the ocean knee-deep.

“You can be my wife,” Rufio murmured against her lips as he slid the flower ring on her finger. “You can wear your mother’s wedding dress and we can be married here.”

Tiger Lily smiled and kissed him softly. “Be patient,” she whispered. She held on to his hand as she slipped beneath the waves for a swim. He never caught her.

  ***

Rufio never forgave Hook. Blinded by his red anger and raging hatred, he vowed to kill the pirate for taking away his princess. I screamed helplessly as I ouneded viciously on the glass to be released. The thief froze and stood statically on deck when the gun pointed to his throat.

“You and I are very much alike lad,” Hook taunted him with a smirk. “You’re just like me. Angry and seeking revenge for our lost lover.”

“I’ll never be like you,” spat Rufio with a black heart.

Baelfire caught me as Hook laughed. I wanted to fly to them but my wings were gone. My heart knew where this would lead and I struggled to run, but how could I? I’m a wingless faerie and it was not a blue moon.

Hook cocked his gun. “You already are.”

The boy with the bread dropped his sword and it clattered to the ground, a tear falling from his eyes. He was silent.

              Peter Pan walked the streets alone numbly with his hands in his pocket, his breath forming white small clouds in the cold winter night. The voices of the choir inside the illuminated church echoed loudly for the entire world to hear. He left Neverland University to surprise his uncle and cousin at home, but a neighbor told him when he found the house empty that they went to visit some friends out of state. He was alone.

            A kind priest offered him a place to stay in the church’s seminary to which he politely declined. There was no place for him to go; he decided to go back to the University that was not too far from his home in Storybrooke.

            A car honked loudly behind him. Peter jumped and swiftly turned around, placing a gloved hand over his eyes as the headlights beamed at him. A blue truck strolled alongside him on the road with the window scrolled down. A familiar face leaned forward, their hair long and dark, tied back in a braid.

            “Get in loser.”

            “Lily, what the hell happened to you?” Peter asked as he drew closer. Her cheek was cut and her left eye was bruised. In the dim light, he saw that she was still in her elf costume from work.

            “You know Lily; she can’t stay out of trouble,” Felix said from the driver’s seat. “Get in.”

            Peter knew better than to ask questions and quickly slid in to the backseat with a shudder at the sudden warmth from the car heater. The hum of the radio comforted him, especially in the presence of his two closest friends since childhood.

            “Where are we going?” asked Peter. He leaned forward between the driver and passenger seat, his elbows resting on the corner of the seats. He playfully gently tugged on her braid and she laughed.

            Lily smiled at him. “Where else? Home.”

                Most students left for the holidays but there was a small handful that stayed. The mess hall was decorated elaborately that held bright Christmas lights with the comforting aromas of hot chocolate and cinnamon. The students sat in the hall bundled in sweaters and blankets by the fire place. He never felt more at home.

            Lily gave her cousin a quick kiss underneath the mistletoe before her boyfriend spotted her bruised cheek from across the room. He quickly stormed over with a cloud of worry and anger brewing in his hazel eyes, his jaw hard and his hands knotted in to tight fists.

            “Okay, who hit you-“

            “I’m fine ‘Fio,” she placed her hands on his chest to calm him down and looked up at him. “I worked overtime so I could buy everyone presents and there was this one skateboard that I wanted to get for you so badly. I worked extra hours to buy it but when I reached the store, it was the last one left. One of the stupid frat boys and I wrestled each other for it. I won but the mall cops put us in a holding cell-“

            “I had to bail her out,” Felix cut in as he walked by. “Control your girlfriend. She has a thing for trouble.”

            Rufio’s hazel eyes softened as her cheeks flushed a slight shade of pink. “Is that why you were-“

            “Yeah.”

            He cleverly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her boldly. She squeaked in surprise but gradually relaxed in to the kiss, running her fingers through his tousled dark hair and his stubborn red streak she hated. When they pulled away, a beautiful smile graced her lips.

            Peter groaned behind his cup of coffee. “That’s my cousin.”

            Rufio laughed at her red cheeks and kissed her again to piss him off. Peter rolled his eyes and turned to the fire. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Bell flirting with his RA underneath the mistletoe over two glasses of golden champagne. He sat beside the hearth and gazed in to the burning flames. It was small, but it was more than he needed.

            Someone pulled off his beanie. A girl giggled behind him joyfully and he grinned.

            “You’re getting better at this bird.”

            Wendy smirked as she sat close beside him, her legs resting on his lap as she twirled his beanie between her fingers. “I learn from the best after all, don’t I, Pan?”

            Peter chuckled and kissed her softly on the lips.

            “Merry Christmas love.”