Never Land
Tiger Lily
As the group all seemed to split up, saying their goodbyes, Tiger Lily simply tried to vanish into the trees. She should have known not to let Niall into her heart, she should have known he was just going to leave her. But the memory of him, swearing he wasn’t like Peter, that he wasn’t going to hurt her, had given her false hope.
She should have known he’d come running after her again, but she still was somehow surprised at the feeling of his hand on her shoulder. She turned to be met with those perfect blue eyes as he just looked at her.
“Where are you going?” He murmured, she pulled away from his hand, this scene all too familiar.
“I’m going home. I did my part, I got you here-”
“You weren’t even going to say goodbye?” He whispered. She looked back into his eyes and say that this was killing him just as much as it was her. But she kept on her strong face.
“Why should I?” She growled, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice.
“Don’t do this, don’t shut me out again.” He begged, reaching forward and setting his hands on her arms. She just shook her head, knowing he was going to see her cry as her eyes stung with tears.
“It’s easier this way, you can go back with Evelyn and forget all about me. It’ll just be like a dream.”
“Tiger Lily,” He whispered. “I never want to forget you.” He reached one of his hands up, wiping away a tear that had slid down her cheek. “I don’t know how, but we’ll make this work-”
“Would you listen to yourself?” She asked, her eyes narrowing at him. “You live in a completely different world Niall. The best thing you can do is pretend this never happened.”
“No.” He said, his authoritative tone picked up from the beautiful woman before him. “I found you once and I’ll do it again. I don’t care what it takes Tiger Lily, I will not abandon you. I won’t be like Peter.” She blushed at the determination in his eyes as he looked at her, his hand still gently cupping her cheek.
“How?” She whispered.
“I’m sure Louis will come back to see Evelyn all the time, I’ll tell him to bring us back so we can visit you.” Tiger Lily just shook her head.
“Niall, I don’t age here. You do. One day you’ll just be an old man and then you’ll die and…” She stopped, trying to compose herself as tears rolled down her cheeks, unable to be stopped. “It would be cruel to both of us.” Niall looked at her for a long time before his eyes moved to his sister, she was gripping Louis as tightly as she could, sobbing into his chest. He then turned back to Tiger Lily, his eyes twinkling.
“Then one day we just won’t go back.” Her eyes went wide as he pressed his forehead to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Once I get out of university and move away, I’ll come back for good. I’ll just go visit my family on holidays and such.”
“Niall, I can’t take you away from them-”
“And I can’t leave you behind.” He whispered. “In our world, people move away and grow apart. As far as my family knows, I just moved away.”
“They’ll notice you’re not aging Niall, it’ll never work.”
“Why are you fighting me on this?!” He demanded, looking into her dark eyes. She moved to look at the grass below them, but he tilted her chin back up.
“I’m scared, Niall. The last man who I loved never came back.” He gripped her tightly in his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I will.” He swore. “I don’t know when, but someday I’ll come back and we can be together forever.” She hugged him tightly, and when she pulled back he saw a completely genuine smile on her face.
“Okay.” She murmured. He wiped her tears away as she looked into his eyes, smiling widely. “You’re going to have to work on your leadership skills though, we need a good, strong chief.”
“I thought you were the chief?” He asked.
“Not if I get married. It’s a rule that my husband would take over.” Niall beamed at her, running his thumb over her lips.
“How about we lead your people together?” She grinned, resting her head on his chest.
“I’d like that.” She whispered. He leaned down, kissing the top of her head before nuzzling his face in her silky hair.
“I love you, Tiger Lily.” He whispered. “And I will come back for you.” She pulled away, blushing wildly as he just looked at her with those perfect eyes.
“I love you too Niall.” He beamed again at that, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
She should have known he’d come running after her again, but she still was somehow surprised at the feeling of his hand on her shoulder. She turned to be met with those perfect blue eyes as he just looked at her.
“Where are you going?” He murmured, she pulled away from his hand, this scene all too familiar.
“I’m going home. I did my part, I got you here-”
“You weren’t even going to say goodbye?” He whispered. She looked back into his eyes and say that this was killing him just as much as it was her. But she kept on her strong face.
“Why should I?” She growled, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice.
“Don’t do this, don’t shut me out again.” He begged, reaching forward and setting his hands on her arms. She just shook her head, knowing he was going to see her cry as her eyes stung with tears.
“It’s easier this way, you can go back with Evelyn and forget all about me. It’ll just be like a dream.”
“Tiger Lily,” He whispered. “I never want to forget you.” He reached one of his hands up, wiping away a tear that had slid down her cheek. “I don’t know how, but we’ll make this work-”
“Would you listen to yourself?” She asked, her eyes narrowing at him. “You live in a completely different world Niall. The best thing you can do is pretend this never happened.”
“No.” He said, his authoritative tone picked up from the beautiful woman before him. “I found you once and I’ll do it again. I don’t care what it takes Tiger Lily, I will not abandon you. I won’t be like Peter.” She blushed at the determination in his eyes as he looked at her, his hand still gently cupping her cheek.
“How?” She whispered.
“I’m sure Louis will come back to see Evelyn all the time, I’ll tell him to bring us back so we can visit you.” Tiger Lily just shook her head.
“Niall, I don’t age here. You do. One day you’ll just be an old man and then you’ll die and…” She stopped, trying to compose herself as tears rolled down her cheeks, unable to be stopped. “It would be cruel to both of us.” Niall looked at her for a long time before his eyes moved to his sister, she was gripping Louis as tightly as she could, sobbing into his chest. He then turned back to Tiger Lily, his eyes twinkling.
“Then one day we just won’t go back.” Her eyes went wide as he pressed his forehead to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Once I get out of university and move away, I’ll come back for good. I’ll just go visit my family on holidays and such.”
“Niall, I can’t take you away from them-”
“And I can’t leave you behind.” He whispered. “In our world, people move away and grow apart. As far as my family knows, I just moved away.”
“They’ll notice you’re not aging Niall, it’ll never work.”
“Why are you fighting me on this?!” He demanded, looking into her dark eyes. She moved to look at the grass below them, but he tilted her chin back up.
“I’m scared, Niall. The last man who I loved never came back.” He gripped her tightly in his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I will.” He swore. “I don’t know when, but someday I’ll come back and we can be together forever.” She hugged him tightly, and when she pulled back he saw a completely genuine smile on her face.
“Okay.” She murmured. He wiped her tears away as she looked into his eyes, smiling widely. “You’re going to have to work on your leadership skills though, we need a good, strong chief.”
“I thought you were the chief?” He asked.
“Not if I get married. It’s a rule that my husband would take over.” Niall beamed at her, running his thumb over her lips.
“How about we lead your people together?” She grinned, resting her head on his chest.
“I’d like that.” She whispered. He leaned down, kissing the top of her head before nuzzling his face in her silky hair.
“I love you, Tiger Lily.” He whispered. “And I will come back for you.” She pulled away, blushing wildly as he just looked at her with those perfect eyes.
“I love you too Niall.” He beamed again at that, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.