Peter Pan - Dark Neverland (Closed)

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Pan? Make children grow up? The thought actually made his stomach lurch in a most uncomfortable manner. Grown ups were very boring creatures, after all, who, Peter had observed, were reliant on something called 'tea'. They spoke constantly about the weather too, dishing out how-do-you-dos-? at every opportunity. Peter imagined it was some sort of code, or a spell - the nasty sort, naturally. Now, manners were all very well, because Peter had found that it was much easier to get exactly what he wanted when he was polite and charming, but in his not-so-humble opinion, you could only take manners so far before they became tiresome. His bows, for instance, were faultless - they had to be when one visited the fairy court, otherwise the faries would become aggitated. Likewise, his please and thank yous were usually well-timed. However, when it got to the point where everything became a pre-written ritual of polite questions, polite responses and polite gestures....Well, it was ridiculous. And as Peter detested grown up practises and was certainly not, as Wendy had said, a 'young man', it seemed even sillier to him that Wendy should accuse him, of all people, of trying to get the boys to grow up.

Illogical, even. For Peter was a selfish creature, and he seldom took the feelings or well-being of other people into consideration if it were not in his benefit to do so. And though he himself was wonderful company and needed no one, Peter rather enjoyed having the boys to boss around, and perhaps most importantly, he enjoyed the feeling of being admired. Why then, would Wendy be disillusioned into believing that he wanted the boys to grow up? If they grew up, then they would leave him. One way or another. The last Lost Boys had been lucky - they had left with Wendy and been given a home. But of course, before them, there had been other Lost Boys (little boys are, of course, very stupid, and so have been falling out of their prams and getting lost for ages). And when they grew up (as Lost Boys sometimes do...)....Well...Peter had been quite brutal. Some of them he had banished, and sent out into the forest to fend for themselves, they had been savaged by wolves. Other boys, Peter had shunned until they merely melted out of existance. Yes, in many respects, Peter could be a very cruel boy. He had forgotten all of this long ago, of course, which perhaps made him all the more cruel. But this aside, the fact remained - it was illogical of Wendy to suggest that he would want his current Lost Boys to grow up.

"No, I can't, I'll walk."

The words cut through Peter's musings, and he watched as Wendy left the underground den. Well, Peter could at least take some comfort from it all. Being so sulky and defiant all the time was really quite childish. Wendy was still just a girl, even if she believed otherwise.

"Peter...Why's the Wendy Lady so cross?" Twin One asked, a puzzled frown passing over his face.
"...Did we do something...?" Twin Two elaborated, glancing worridly in the direction that Wendy had walked.

"It was your faces - she looked at them and got scared away!" Nibs cut in, laughing while he pulled on one of his shoes.

Peter grinned at this, shaking his head cheerfully. "No, Twins. Your faces aren't that awful. She's just being a girl. They're funny like that a lot of the time. They don't make much sense" Peter replied, shrugging his shoulders, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I think their heads can't be screwed on quite right, to be honest."

The Lost Boys all listened carefully, soaking up every word, committing it to memory, and once Pan had finished dishing out his revelations, they exited the tree one by one.

--

"....You're really going to walk, Wendy?" Twin Two asked her, looking up at her a little uneasily.
"It's not really safe...There are lots of sink holes now....Curly got stuck in one just the other day, and Peter had to pull him out!" Twin One added.

"I was not stuck...I could've got out any time I wanted. I was just...Hiding!" Curly exclaimed, a light flush creeping onto his cheeks. "I wasn't stuck. Not one bit."

"She doesn't have any happy thoughts, so she can't fly" Peter explained a little carelessly, folding his arms. "She'd just drop out of the sky because all the stuff in her head's so heavy."

"Ohh...Yes...Your head's not screwed on properly, is it?" Tootles asked, wandering over to Wendy and giving her hand a sympathetic pat. "Perhaps you'll be able to get your head fixed one day."

Peter nearly laughed out loud, and he had to cover his mouth, turning the peals of laughter into a cough instead. "Uhm...Come on then. Let's go." The Boys all rose into the air, though the Twins and Tootles seemed a little hesitant.

"Peter...Don't you think we sho-..."

"Ahh - she'll be fine. It's her own fault she has to walk" Nibs stated, rolling his eyes impatiently. "She's just being a girl."

Glancing down at Wendy, Peter shrugged his shoulders. "Try not to get eaten by any hungry plants or step in any sink holes."

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy glared at Peter as she could see the contempt in his eyes as she accused him of making the boys grow up. She wasn’t about to take back her words. Peter Pan wasn’t a child, yet he insisted on acting like one and it was one of the most infuriating things Wendy could think of.

Wendy could understand a little where Peter was coming from, but she had had to accept her fate about growing up. She frowned as Peter once again reigned in the boys in utter amazement. It seemed as if Peter Pan was the greatest thing in the world and everything should revolve around him. It made her sick to her stomach that the boys couldn’t think of a life without Peter. Her own adopted brothers had found life without Peter Pan actually more enjoyable since they didn’t have to cater to his every whim.

As the boys filtered out behind her, Wendy gave them a gentle look.

“I’ll be fine boys, I may be a girl, but I’m not defenseless.” She said. “I do have happy thoughts Peter, but whenever I’m around you they seem to flee in fear.” She spoke sarcastically.

“My head is fine, I merely think a walk will do nicely. If I am to live here for the next while, I should get used to the jungle.” She said before she waved them off. She looked down at the twins and Tootles. “It’s okay boys, go with Peter, I’ll be fine.” She promised them before she began to walk through the underbrush by herself.

---

Wendy had been walking around for a while, her foul temper had her senses clouded and she didn’t realize she was being followed until it was too late. A hand clamped over her mouth as she was pulled behind a tree. She shrieked, but the hand muffled it. She looked around in fear and suddenly wished Peter was right there. She couldn’t see the face of her captor, but they had a firm grip.

For a while she was pulled and pushed through the jungle undergrowth until she stumbled upon a small and sandy beach. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized that Hook’s pirates had captured her. She began to struggle even more as she was thrust into the boat rather rudely.

“Pe-!” she began to scream but a filthy rag was stuffed into her mouth as her hands were bound.

Wendy shuddered as her feet touched down on the Jolly Roger’s wooden deck. She looked terrified.

“A, Wendy, how nice to see you again.” The voice was slurry and syrupy as a glint of silver came to brush down the side of her face.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Peter and the Lost Boys reached the lagoon rather quickly, and so by the time Wendy was unfortunately captured, most of the boys were laid about on the rocks, sunning themselves happily. Though the lagoon had become darker than it once was, Peter had found that pixie dust cleared the water a little - got rid of the shadows (pixie dust, you see, has purification properties). Still, where once there had been many mermaids, you would be lucky (or unlucky, depending on how drownable you were) to see just one or two.

Today the lagoon had seemed rather quiet, and neither the mermaids, nor any other creature, save for the gulls circling over head had been anyway to be seen. So Peter had methodically pushed each Lost Boy into the lagoon, laughing cheerfully as he did so. On this occassion, though, he didn't really fancy a swim himself. After splashing around for a significant length of time, and after they had tried to pull Peter in, each Lost Boy pulled himself up onto his favourite rock to dry out. Peter himself sat on Castle Rock (quite fitting, really, for the self-proclaimed king of Neverland), looking out at the lagoon, ready to give the order to 'fly' at any moment. True, the scene seemed rather serene and relaxed, but Peter knew that could change in an instant; danger was never very far away.

For the moment, it had quite slipped his mind that Wendy should have arrived, and the Lost Boys, most of whom had fallen asleep in the sun, had almost forgotten that there had ever been a Wendy Lady in Neverland. Upon noticing a ripple in the water, Pan promptly flew down off the rock to investigate. Hovering just above the water, he cautiously pressed a hand to the disturbed surface of the water, and almost instantly, a colder, wetter, clammier hand grasped his wrist. This would have frightened or shocked many people, but Peter merely tugged his hand away, chuckling. "Hello" he chimed, his dialect switching easily to that used by the mermaids.

The mermaid poked her head above the water, her wet hair long, and dark, like the seaweed that floated in the lagoon waters. She grinned and returned the greeting before enquiring as to why Peter hadn't visited in a while, and whether he wanted her to drown any of the Lost Boys.

With a smile, Peter declined her offer (he knew what happened to those drowned by mermaids - they were eaten!). Once, of course, this hadn't been the case. The mermaids had, admittedly, drowned people when they could, but they had just done that for fun; they had lived on a diet of fish. Many of the fish had gone away, though, and as Neverland became a darker place, the mermaids had resorted to darker habits.

The mermaid, half-pouting, half-scowling, sighed in the most melancholy way, bid Peter good day, and was off. Peter returned to his rock.

--

He had not long been sitting there, when a shiver ran the length of his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Danger. Eyes darting about quickly, Peter was confused to see that everything at the lagoon still seemed peaceful. He could spot no danger there. The Lost Boys were basking in the sun, Wendy was...."Oh - Wendy!" Peter closed his eyes, slapping a palm to his forehead. She had never arrived. Jumping to his feet, Peter cupped a hand to his mouth, and the word "Boys", loud and sharp was soon echoing about the lagoon.

At once, the Lost Boys had sprung to attention, all eyes turning to Peter.

"What's wrong, Peter?"
"Should we fly?"
"Is there danger?"
"We're to fly?"
"Where's danger?"
"Who? What? Where?!"

Peter shook his head impatiently, floating through the air and coming to rest on a rock closer to the Boys. "Wendy hasn't arrived and I think she's in trouble" he stated, folding his arms.

"Ohh - Wendy! I'd forgotten!"
"I hope she isn't hurt!"
"Hmph. That's girls for you. Always getting into trouble."

Peter ignored all these responses, brushing them aside with a wave of his hand. "I don't know where she is, so Twins and Tootles, you stay here in case she turns up - but fly at the first sign of danger. They were the youngest, and more inclined to get captured, so Peter thought he'd give them the easiest job.
"Curly, Slightly, you can check the forest - see if she's gotten stuck in a sink hole. Ask the fairies if they've seen her."

The Twins, Tootles, Curly and Slightly all saluted, all assuring Peter that they would do their very best.
"What about Nibs, Peter?" Tootles asked, pointing to the last Lost Boy.

"Nibs - you're with me." Peter stated, rising into the air.

Nibs puffed himself up with pride, unable to help shooting smug glances at the other boys, who all glowered back at him.

"Well! What're you waiting for? Fall out!" Peter commanded, and with that, off he flew.

--

"So you've not seen her?" Peter was conversing with a passing bird, a troubled expression on his face.

"Noooo-ooo-ooo-" the bird replied, before flapping off back to it's nest.

"They must've got her" he stated, voice a little flat. "It's the only place we haven't looked."

"Who, Peter?" Nibs questioned, raising his eyebrows a little, flying alongside Peter.

"Who do you think, dummy? The pirates, of course" Peter replied, rather irritated by this time.

"Oohh..." Nibs faltered, chewing at his lip. He prided himself on being the bravest and usually most capable of Peter's Lost Boys, but the thought of the pirates - of their swords, their pistols and most of all, Hook- made him grow pale.

---

Before very long, the two were perched atop a cloud, surveying the pirate ship below them, watching its nasty inhabitants go about their horrible, daily business. Two of them seemed to be having some sort of fist fight, while others sat nearby playing cards. Another pirate was scrubbing the miserable deck, and another was sitting in the crows nest, singing a gruesome pirate song, that even Nibs could tell was extremely rude. The ship itself was at anchor, and the wood creaked every time a wave hit against its bows. A tattered pirate flag fluttered from the mast, accompanied by various other bits of cloth and animal skin. These piece of animal skin and other assorted materials had once belonged to Lost Boys - boys that Peter had been too late to save, and now probably occupied Davy Jone's locker. Hook had taken bits of their clothing and had hung them about his ship like awful tropheys, wishing to taunt Peter.

The sight of the tropheys made Peter's blood boil, and he narrowed his eyes, stomach squirming uncomfortably. It was only one or two boys, he thought, but it was proof that the pirates were getting worse. There were more of them now than before, and rather than capture a boy and hold him hostage for a while, they would slit his throat or put a bullet through his head straight away and send him tumbling into the sea. They were merciless, and Peter hoped that for once he was wrong (for he never was) and that Wendy was simply stuck in a sink hole somewhere.
"Stay here" he hissed at Nibs. "I'm going to go and get a closer look."

Luckily, pirates do not have manners, and unlike most people, they believe that drinking at lunch time is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. It was lucky for Peter, then, that they were not alert and on the look out, but were mostly going about their business in a drunken stupour. Taking care to hide himself from sight, Peter skirted round the boat, occassionally daring to look over its side, trying to locate Wendy.

Unluckily, when Peter's eyes lighted on his old, hook-handed foe, he also spotted Wendy. He scowled, uttering a soft fairy curse (one he had learnt from Tinke bell, actually, who had been rather foul-mouthed). Hiding behind the figure head, Peter observed the scene, trying to formulate a plan. Somehow, he had to let Wendy know that he was nearby...

Peter's eyes flickered to the pirate in the crows nest, who had stopped his cawing. That, Peter decided at once, would be his vantage point. Flying behind the sail, so as to remain unseen by the unsuspecting pirates, Peter dropped down into the crows nest behind the pirate. The pirate turned around and opened his mouth to utter a warning cry, but quick as a flash, Pan had slipped his dagger between his ribs. The pirate's eye widened in shock, and he crumpled to the floor of the crows nest.

It didn't bother Peter that he was stuck in a crows nest with a now-dead (or very nearly dead, at any rate) pirate. And it didn't bother Peter at all that he had been the cause of death. In Peter's mind, the pirates absolutely deserved it. And besides, Peter had never really had a conscience. And if he did have one, it was very, very immature. Glancing over the edge of the basket, Peter could see the top of Wendy's head. At least she was still alive.

"Peter Pan to port bow!" Peter bellowed, immitating the pirate whom he had just slain. He was really a very good mimic, and on cue, a majority of the pirates turned in the direction he had indicated, rushing to the sides of the boat.

"Idiots..." Peter whispered, watching in a very satisfied manner. Then, pulling an acorn button from his clothing, Peter took advantage of the fact that the pirates were all distracted, and dropped it from the crows nest, aiming it so that it would fall on Wendy's head. That way, at least, she would know that Peter was here and that he had a plan.

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy struggled as much as she could in her current state as Hook was glowering at her. She tried screaming at him, but no words came out as the filthy rag was still in her mouth. Her eyes were glaring daggers as she tried swinging her fists at Hook. Hook caught her bound hands with no problem and he narrowed his own eyes. For a moment the two just stared at each other, and then he ordered that she be unbound and ungagged. The moment Wendy was free she began to pound her fists against Hook with very little fear as she was mostly just angry with him.

"Our dear Wendy has developed a bit of a temper." Hook snided before clucking his tongue as if scolding a child. He once more took hold of her small hands in his large one before sliding his hook around her small neck. "I wouldn't be doing that love, you don't know what I could do to you." He snarled and the pirates laughed as the fear came back to Wendy's face.

For a moment Hook let Wendy go and looked her up and down before a sinister smile came upon his face and he laughed rather darkly which made Wendy's skin crawl uncomfortably. "Well what do you know boys, Wendy has grown up." His voice sent chills down Wendy's spine. He suddenly grabbed her wrist before pulling her over to the bow of the ship.

Wendy didn't dare say anything as Hook merely watched his men on the ship. She wasn't sure what Hook wanted with her. She just stared at him, waiting for him to do something, anything. She wondered what was going through his head.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it now," she whispered fiercely. She never thought she'd die in Neverland, but if she was, she wanted to die sooner than later as the suspense was making her feel very sick to her stomach.

"Kill you?" Hook suddenly laughed as he turned his dark eyes upon her. "Now why would I kill you? Maybe if you were still a child, but you don't realize that we haven't had a proper woman aboard our ship in a very long time." He growled before tugging a strand of her hair lightly.

Wendy was frozen in fear as she stared at him in disbelief. She didn't dare even think about what he was implying. She shuddered and took a step back from him, but Hook put his massive hand at the back of her neck and pulled her close to him.

"Besides, Peter can't be too far behind if we have you with us." He whispered in her ear.

Wendy was left to wonder in silent fear as to where Peter was. It felt like an awful long time since she had been on the ship and Peter still wasn't there. Had they really forgotten about her that quickly? Had she made him that upset with her that he decided to let her fend for herself? Were they sick of her that quickly?

"Peter Pan to port bow!" the sudden shout sent waves of relief running through Wendy's body. Peter had come back for her, she'd be okay!

Suddenly Hook pulled her tight to his side and she realized she was more of a prize than anything and he wasn't going to give her up that easily. The other men may have been drinking with their midday meal, but Hook was as alert as ever, and more deadly than he had ever been. He knew that Peter would risk just about anything to get his Wendy back. Besides, if Peter Pan had once had feelings for her, than he would surely have them now and to see his Wendy at the mercy of Hook would drive Pan insane. Wendy wasn't the only one who had noticed the changes in Peter, Hook knew Peter was slowly growing up, and that surely meant his feelings for Wendy had intensified even if he wasn't going to admit them yet.

Wendy refrained from making a sound as an acorn fell on her head. She didn't dare chance a glance to look up at where Peter must surely be as that would give his position away to Hook, but she did smile.

Unfortunately Wendy was so close to Hook that he noticed the small motion of the acorn and looked up in the sky.

"Pan!" he hissed, he pulled Wendy even tighter to his side before positioning his hook right upon Wendy's delicate neck. All of the pirates quickly looked at Hook before looking where he looked. They all shouted and ran in a drunken stumble to the crows nest.

"You brought her to Neverland Peter, this is your fault if she dies. You shouldn't have brought her back, because she's mine now!" Hook called up to Peter with a harsh laugh. "I captured her fair and square, you shouldn't have left her alone Peter, even if she did bother you. She's grown up, she's surpassed you, and now she's mine." He continued to laugh. He knew that Peter had probably aged just the same with Wendy, but if Peter wouldn't admit it, Hook would use it to his advantage. He pressed his hook closer to Wendy, one drop of blood escaped and she gasped in surprise before looking at Peter helplessly. Hook really wasn't planning on killing her, he just wanted to make Pan hurt.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Peter remained where he was, surveying the drunking pirates stumbling towards him with an air of surprising calm. His eyes flickered to Hook as he spoke; Hook had just accused him of being at fault. Peter's jaw clenched - he was never at fault. He never did anything wrong, so he liked to think. As for Wendy being Hook's property, well, that was almost laughable. Wendy was undeniably Peter's. He had brought her to Neverland in the first place, and she had been in the company of Pan. She had shared adventures, big and small with Peter and he had taught her how to fly. She was his Wendy - or, at least, a part of her was - the not-so-grown up part.

"Wrong, and wrong again, Captain Codfish" Peter mocked, striding about on the edge of the crows nest, arms folded. He really was the most awful show-off. The pirates, of course, began firing shots at him, but their aim was off due to their drinking, and Peter avoided the little lead bullets with relative ease. "Firstly, Captain Cowardly Codfish, you did not capture her fair and square - you, and your band of drunks against one Wendy? Rather bad form, I'd say..." he mused, still wandering about, barely sparing a glance for Captain Hook and his captive. Peter had always been rather cunning and manipulative, and he knew, that even now, 'good form' was something Hook prided himself on.

"Secondly," Peter continued, counting off his points on his fingers, "She is not your Wendy at all. Does she wear a collar, or have a tag that states 'property of Captain Codfish'? No, she doesn't." Peter halted his pacing, jumping back into the crows nest as he noticed that some of the pirates were beginning to climb the rigging. Pan grinned down at them for a moment, and then disappeared from sight, ducking right down into the crows nest. He re-appeared a moment later, hoisting the body of the unfortunate pirate up so as to tip it over the side of the basket. He waited for the opportune moment, and then with one massive shove, the body hurtled over the edge of the crows nest, taking those who had been climbing the rigging with it. There was a loud, sickening 'THUD', and Peter hopped up on the edge of the crows nest once again, dusting off his hands.

Glancing down at Wendy, Peter heard her gasp, saw the blood, and saw the helpless expression on her face. He swallowed, but somehow, he managed to keep a cheerful grin intact. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, seeing her so scared, and having Hook there, leering at her, taunting him was almost more than he could stand. Feeling his own blood heat up, coursing through his veins, it was becoming increasingly hard to keep a cool head. Fingering the kiss that he still wore around his neck (or was it a thimble? Peter was not really sure - it was one or the other), Peter surveyed the ship, calculating his next move.

One wrong move, and he knew that the hook could be pulled right across Wendy's throat. He did not want to see a patch of Wendy's dress fluttering pathetically in the breeze with the patches of the lost Lost Boys. He would not allow it. "Well, Codfish, if you intend to keep Wendy on the ship, then I hope you are prepared to endure all the bad luck - she is a lady, after all" Peter stated a little dryly, leaning almost lazily against the mast now. He knew that pirates were susperstitious by nature, and was pleased to note that the other pirates were now shooting their Captain uneasy glances.

"That be true, sir."
"She is a woman, and they bring bad luck to ships."
"Make 'em sink."

"And the nagging - you can't imagine the nagging!" Peter elaborated, shaking his head, almost pityingly.

The pirates frowned, looking to their Captain, wondering if perhaps he had not thought his plan through. What was the use of bringing an unlucky, nagging woman aboard the Jolly Roger? Though the pirates were cruel and heartless, they were not the brightest bunch, especially not after so much to drink.

"So, I shall do you all a favour and take her away" Peter stated, stepping off the mast, only to float through the air and land on the deck. The pirates took steps forward as though they were about to try and grab him, but then halted, unsure of what to do. Didn't they want him to take this Wendy Lady away?

Confidantly, and in the most arrogant fashion, Pan strode over to Hook and Wendy, and circled them for a moment, before stopping, green eyes scanning Wendy's face. "You're wrong, Hook, she is not so very grown up at all. And she is not your Wendy, she is mine, so release her or..." In an instant, Peter was holding his dagger in his hand, and he did not think that he needed to complete his sentence. He merely moved back a couple of paces, motioning with his hands. "Do you dare to fight me alone, Hook, or are you really just a fat, old, ugly codfish?"

[Sirius Baren]

Peter Pan had irritated Wendy as of late, but if Wendy was merely irritated by him in her almost-grown-up state, it was impossible to imagine just how much the irksome boy bothered Hook, especially since the boy had managed to live so long after feeding Hook's hand to a crocodile. However, Hook kept his cool. He knew that letting Pan get to his head would only make the tables turn, and it wouldn't be in Hook's favor. He merely shrugged that horrible grin away. He refused to let Pan bother him, he did have Wendy after all.

Some of the pirates had started to climb the rigging up to the crows nest as Peter was continuing on in his minor rant about how Wendy didn't belong to Hook while pushing a pirate over the rail of the crows nest. Hook didn't even bat an eye as his men tumbled back to the deck in a disorderly heap of bodies. He stared at Peter for a moment, and then he laughed and that probably made Wendy more scared than anything. If Hook didn't have his blood boiling now, then surely they were in trouble if he was managing a laugh.

"Oh and I'm sure you're the one keeping a collar with a tag around her neck Pan." He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye before wrapping his arm tightly around Wendy's face. "Come now Pan, how can she be your's? You all ready gave her up once, I'm surprised you managed to get her back here. I do believe she's found Neverland to be a far darker place than it used to be. Your Lost Boys would know." He nodded to the trophey's blowing in the wind at the top of the mast.

Hook waited patiently as the men suddenly became uneasy as Pan declared having a woman on board was bad luck. Hook didn't believe in supersticions, not one bit, but it made him smile as Peter suddenly said she wasn't even that grown up.

"Calm down you filthy maggots! Didn't you hear a word Pan just said? There he goes, ranting about Wendy being a lady, when in fact he denies her growing up, so either she is a lady, or Pan is a liar." He sneered. "I won't let you have her Pan, I won her fair and square, or as fair as you play." He smirked. Hook made no suggestion to his men to grab Pan, he had a plan that would make the boy squirm for years to come and he knew he wouldn't be able to forget.

"Look men, Peter holds out a dagger!" the men laughed with Hook, but they didn't even know why. "You're names do not bother me anymore Pan, not for a long time. Why would I give up my advantageous position with Wendy to fight you? You can't do anything against me unless you risk harming her." To prove his point he forced another drop of blood from Wendy's throat.

By now Wendy didn't know what to do. She was in blind fear and panic as Peter was completely careless. He just grinned like a fool and it was hurting her inside. Couldn't he at least do something to get her out of Hook's hands? Or rather, his hand and hook? She felt bitter anger in her as they both were speaking like she wasn't there, and not only that, but it was as if she were a possession, or a prize, not a person.

"Watch me closely Pan, for you may be a boy, but you feel as if you're a man even if you won't admit it. I'll definitely mark Wendy as my own, and you'll have to watch on because one slip of my hook and she's dead. I may not tag her, or write upon her skin that she's mine, but you'll know that she is mine because you'll have witnessed this!" Hook barked.

For a moment nothing happened, and then suddenly Wendy felt the most awful thing upon her lips. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as Hook pressed his lips roughly against her's, his beard scratched at her face and she felt as if she was going to be sick. It was as if nothing happened, as if time had stopped, but in the worst imagineable way. Wendy thought she'd never be free of the man until she suddenly was breathing again.

"Go ahead Peter Pan, have Wendy back, but she's forever mine, I've now marked her and stolen something she'll never get back!" Hook laughed like a madman as he shoved Wendy back over to Pan before he moved back and seemed to relax. This indicated to his men that Peter Pan could go with no harm.

But harm had been done. Wendy was in utter shock and repulsion as she was thrust back towards Peter. She quickly put her hand up to her neck to stop the bleeding as she looked back at Hook as he laughed wildly. Her eyes brimmed with tears. He was right. Hook had marked her, and it was an ugly mark. He had stolen her kiss, her hidden kiss, and she'd never get it back. There was pain upon her face, and sadness, but most of all she felt anger. Hook had stolen something very precious, and to Wendy, it felt like the end of the world.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Hook spoke, and much of the time, all Peter heard was 'blah, blah, blahblah, Codfish, blah, blah blah blah.' Peter did not really speak the adult language very well, you see, and so to him, a lot of it merely sounded like gobble-de-gook. It was another way of shunning adults, he supposed; refusing to hear a word they were saying.

However, something that did make it through all the blahing, piercing Peter's ears, causing him almost physical pain, was the part about his lost Lost Boys. It quite literally made his blood boil, and his anger and these words actually made his hair stand on end, as though he had just suffered an electric shock, or as though someone had just attacked his head with a balloon. Narrowing his eyes, Peter's fist tightened around his dagger. That had not been his fault; it was not his fault that the lost Lost Boys were lost. He could not watch all of them for...However many hours there were in a day!

And then, just as Peter was feeling that he should like very much to cut off Hook's head and stick the ugly thing on the mast for the gulls to have their way with, Hook point-blank refused Peter's challenge. Hook never refused a challenge. There was something very wrong; the devious old man must have some sort of -

Hook began to speak again, and focusing on the words, Peter, this time, managed to discern words that meant rather more than 'blah'. The hated 'man', for instance, and 'one slip of my hook'. And then it happened. Peter watched, horrified, his own lips twisting into a disgusted sneer. He could feel his anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach now, and the air had actually began to crackle a little about him. It was a wonder that storm clouds had not appeared above his head. Peter wanted nothing more now, than to run Hook through. Torture him! Kill him! Yet Hook was right; Peter could only stand and watch, and that, perhaps, was the worst thing.

As Wendy was shoved towards him, Peter hesitated for a moment. She was ruined now. Hook had undoubtedly marked her. Peter had seen it, and looking at Wendy's face, he could see it still. She looked different. And not just because she was crying and miserable. There was something missing. Swallowing, Peter wrapped one arm protectively around Wendy's shoulder. "Don't cry - please don't cry" he whispered, glancing down at Wendy and then glaring hard at Hook. "Let's go..." Peter trailed off, realising that he probably did not have enough happy thoughts to get both he and Wendy off the ship.

Not yet, anyway.

Leaving Wendy for just a moment, he strode quickly over to Hook, and saying nothing, punched him hard in the jaw. "One day, Hook, one day I shall cut off your other hand; then I shall cut off your left leg, followed by your right. I'll do away with the limbs and leave you lying on the deck, just a torso and a head. I won't kill you or put you out of your misery. That is a promise" he hissed, venom dripping from every last word. Before Hook could make his reply, Peter was back at Wendy's side.

"Come on, Wendy. Let's...Let's go" he muttered, shooting one last murderous glare at Hook. Peter thought that the satisfaction he had derived from hitting Hook, and from all the murderous fantasies he was entertaining in his head would be enough to get he and Wendy back to the tree.

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy glanced at Peter's face through her tears as he whispered to her. She shook her head. She couldn't help the tears. Hook had gone beyond every boundary, beyond every common decency, and she hated him for it. She felt as if she had no energy as Peter trailed off before he let go of her. She didn't even bother to look at where he had gone, she knew he was going to give Hook a piece of his mind.

Wendy didn't have the heart to look around her. She felt so ashamed and disgusted with what had happened. She heard a fist come in contact with another person and heard what Peter said to Hook. It made her feel slightly better, but not enough to stop her tears. She kept her face buried and cringed as Hook began to laugh again. Neverland was no longer a place of carefree fantasy, and Wendy was finding that she'd rather go back to her reality then stay here even though the war back home was terrible.

Peter's voice penetrated Wendy's mind and she looked at him, she wiped her eyes before she wrapped her arms around his neck and they took to the sky. Hook's maniac laugh kept ringing in her ears as they rose higher and higher from the pirate ship. She clung tightly to Peter, but not because she was scared from falling. She merely clung to him in hopes that her childhood hero could make things better, but Peter Pan couldn't.

Silence hung in the air aside from an occasional hiccup from Wendy as Peter took her back to the tree. When he touched upon the ground and let her go she slumped to the dirt in an emotional heap. She didn't want anyone to be around her when she felt so miserable and disgusting.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

All the way back to the tree, Peter had clung grimly to the memory of hitting Hook, and how he would make the horrible man suffer. Not only for what he had done to Wendy, but for the lost Lost Boys too. Peter felt Wendy's grip around his neck tighten, and he thought he could, hear her heart beating. It was like...Like a fast, fluttering sound. Peter felt his own chest tighten, and he clenched his jaw, trying not to focus on how heavy Wendy was becoming. It was as though she was being drained of every single happy thought or something, because Peter could've sworn that she became heavier every second.

"Peter? What's wrong with her?" Nibs, who had been hiding in the clouds, now swooped down so that he was level with Peter, a faint frown on his face. "She doesn't look so good - what happened?" he continued, eyes travelling to Wendy.

"Doesn't matter. Go round up the others and keep them at the lagoon for a while, would you? Tell them it's Pan's orders" Peter instructed, and Nibs, without hesitation, agreed and headed off in the direction of the lagoon.
Somehow, Peter thought it would be best not to have the boys clamouring around Wendy for the moment. He was not sure what exactly told him this, but he decided to trust the notion anyway.

---

A while later, Peter deposited Wendy down on the earthy floor and stood back, running a hand through his hair. He winced, taking a step forward when Wendy merely crumpled to the ground, but then held back, chewing his lip. Whatever was he to do? Peter was not used to comforting people. That was a lie. He knew how to deal with the boys, but...Wendy seemed different somehow. Something had been stolen from her, and Peter was not sure that there was anything he could say that would make her feel better.

Hovering nervously for a moment, Peter then crouched down by Wendy, giving her shoulder a somewhat-awkward pat. "I am sorry, Wendy, really I am," he began, sighing heavily. "I didn't think Hook would do that. Usually I taunt him, he gets mad and then I challenge him to a fight and win..." Peter trailed off, glancing round the clearing. "I'm very sorry he thimbled you, but if I'd tried to stop him, he would've..." Once again, Pan found himself lost for words.

He remained silent for a few minutes, getting to his feet and taking a few paces back, giving Wendy some space. This was horrible. For once in his life, Peter felt very unsure of himself; awkward, even. And that was not something he was accustomed to. Quite suddenly, a thought entered his head; perhaps it would have been better if he'd never taken Wendy away from her home. After all, she seemed quite ruined now, and try as he might, Peter could not help but replay Hook's laugh and the awful scene in his head. Hanging his head, yet another sigh left Peter's lips, and he scuffed at the ground unhappily. "I shouldn't have left you by yourself."

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy managed to clear some of the tears away and she looked up, surprised. Peter was patting her shoulder awkwardly, trying to give her some semblence of comfort. She gave her own heavy sigh as Peter said that he didn't think Hook would do that. Wendy shook her head. Hook had said that he wouldn't kill her, and Wendy knew he wouldn't have. She also knew that Peter didn't know that. Hook knew how to weasel his way with Peter just as much as Peter knew how to taunt Hook. The two knew each other so perfectly from being foes for so long that they knew just what would make the other crack.

Peter spoke once more and Wendy managed to pull herself up into a sitting posistion. She watched him as he scuffed the ground and looked absolutely miserable with himself. She frowned for a moment before she sighed. It all happened because Peter had left her alone to walk through the jungle by herself, but it was Wendy's fault that she was walking through the brush by herself as well. Her and Peter didn't have the same relationship as they had had before. They were constantly butting heads and made each other so thoroughly frustrated. Why didn't Peter just take her back home if she made him so wound up all the time?

For a while Wendy just sat there. Her tears had begun to slow and her shallow breathing disappeared as she took deeper and steadier breaths. She sighed for a moment before she looked back up at Peter's face.

"Why did you bring me here?" her voice was calm, but a bit forlorn. She had asked him this question before, but the way she asked it now was different. "I obviously bother you Peter, I can see that, we're always bickering with each other unlike we used to. Why do you put up with me? Why not just take me home? Why let me suffer here when I obviously don't fit in?" she wrapped her arms around her knees.

Wendy fell silent again. She just watched him and observed him. It amazed her how much he had changed. Peter Pan wasn't supposed to change, and yet there he stood. He was taller, most of the lean baby fat had disappeared from his face, and he looked like a very handsome young man. Why was he so dead set on staying a child? What was so bad about growing up that kept him here for endless ages of time?

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Peter was rather taken back by Wendy's question, and by the words that followed. Chewing his lip, he glanced at Wendy's face, opened his mouth as though he were about to answer...But then closed it abruptly and fell to pacing about the small clearing, hands clasped behind his back, a troubled expression on his face. He stopped suddenly, turning back to Wendy, seeming about to answer, when he once again, decided against it, and fell back to pacing like some sort of caged animal.

At length, however, Peter threw up his arms, letting out a cry of pure frustration. "Oh, I don't know! I thought you could help and....Oh, Wendy..." Peter groaned, folding his arms. "I don't know. I don't know why I do half the stuff I do - I just do it!" he exclaimed, sighing heavily. "I mean...No. That was a lie, I kind of...Well, I thought...I thought if I brought old stuff - not that you're old!- back to Neverland, it would be like old times and..." Peter trailed off, sitting himself down on an upturned log. He was silent for a moment or two, and his eyes seemed to darken a fraction.

"And I couldn't take you home now. Even if I wanted to" he stated at last, bringing his knees up to his chest. "You're far too heavy for me to carry. It was hard enough getting you back from the ship but....All the way to London...Impossible" he continued, shaking his head slightly. Ah yes, Peter Pan was a very crafty, and cunning boy, and could use lies to his advantage whenever he pleased, all the while making them sound sincere. He did not want Wendy to go, and he was sure that she could fit in, just as she had done; she had just not had time to adjust yet - to get used to everything again.

"And besides...You don't bother me...Well, you do, but.." Peter shrugged, getting to his feet, looking pointedly away from Wendy.
After a few minutes, he remembered that Wendy was rather upset, and crossing over to her, Peter held out his hand, indicating that she should try and get up. "Anyway. That doesn't matter. None of that matters. Are you feeling any better now?"

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy watched him closely as he paced around the clearing, clearly frustrated. She waited patiently and sighed as he spoke. Peter spoke and the answer was not what Wendy had wanted, and she could tell it was only a half truth. She frowned but kept silent. It didn't seem right to her that Peter was keeping her in Neverland. Neverland was the home for Peter Pan, Pirates, and Lost Boys, not a silly girl who was almost grown up. Wendy knew she would never fit in, not with how old she was.

She looked at Peter as he offered his hand to her. She took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. She wiped her face once more before she looked at Peter carefully. "I don't belong here Peter." She spoke quietly. "I never have. I couldn't stay before and I can't stay now. I would love to, but even Neverland has grown wild and untameable, you said so yourself." Her tone was gentle. "I have to grow up Peter." She said.

For a moment she waited before she continued. "I would love to stay here, truly I would, but if Hook and his filthy pirates aren't going to do me in, then the indians will, or the sink holes, or the wolves. I'm not safe here Peter. I'm not a child anymore, I wish I were, but I'm not. I have grown up." She kept her eyes trained on him. "Why is Peter Pan so afraid of that? Why won't you grow up?" the words were whispered as her face was full of innocence in her curiosity.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Wendy spoke, and Peter was only half listening. He had resolved that Wendy was not leaving - not yet, anyway, and he was determined that nothing should break that resolve. Besides that, Peter's earlier lie had been so convincing that he'd quite managed to convince himself it was the truth. That happened rather a lot in Neverland; everything became topsy turvey. The truth dissolved into lies and the further lies replaced those lies, and so the lie soon became the truth. It was a very warped reality, really, but it was one that Peter had gotten used to. It was part of him; in such a way that when he left Neverland, he felt like he were dreaming, or like he wasn't quite all there.

And then Wendy began her talk of growing up. It baffled Peter - confused him to the stars and then back again. Why was it that Wendy's head was full of these ridiculous rules, where she was obliged to do this, or do that all the time? It was no wonder she was miserable (for she was, Peter had decided). She had far too many people telling her what to do - telling her untruths in order to enforce responsibility and other such nonsenses on her.

"I would love to stay here, truly I would..."

Peter's eyes gleamed as Wendy spoke these words, and a smile appeared on his face, but as she continued, the smile faded, and Peter's countenance darkened once again. The pirates, the Indians, the sink holes, the wolves...What could Peter do or say to convince her that it really was safe? That she really could live quite happily in Neverland - that it could be as it had been before. Mind whirring, Peter realised that not even he could come up with a lie to mask the one firm truth; Neverland had become a very dangerous place.

Yet to Pan, it was home.

"Why is Peter Pan so afraid of that? Why won't you grow up?"

Peter recoiled instantly, springing back a few paces, as though he had just been shot. "I will never grow up - not anymore than I have, anyway - taller, that is..." Peter hissed, taking another couple of steps away from Wendy and her hated words. "To live an existance where one of your sole concerns is the weather, or shares and stocks, tea or 'how-do-you-dos', work or... I can't - won't..." Peter trailed off, a shudder running down his spine. "You don't get to do anything just because you want to - it's as if you have string attatched to you, like a puppet, and you are made to do this, and that, and then this again...And then someone snips your strings and you just crumple to the ground and are useless" Peter halted his rant, a scowl on his face.

"And you, Wendy - why do you want any of that? What's so marvellous about 'how-do-you-dos' and drinking tea all day? If you were completely grown up, as you say you are, I wouldn't have been able to bring you here. Why are you so keen to grow up?"

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy was completely shocked and taken aback by Peter as he sprung back from her and gave her a look as if she had shot him clean through the heart. She sighed as she listened to him. He ranted for a moment but it didn't help. Wendy still didn't understand why he couldn't fathom the idea of becoming a grown-up. Wendy had accepted that fact a while ago, and the more she was with Peter, the more she realized growing up wouldn't be so bad, especially since she had all ready had a handful of adventures with Peter.

"But you're looking at it the wrong way Peter." Wendy told him calmly, much like an adult would in speaking to a child. "There's so much more to being an adult then having to drink tea and talk about the weather all day. You get to do so much, and you can become whatever you want to be. You can find love, have a family, are you so bent against the whole idea that you never even thought of having a family?" she asked him.

Peter's question caught Wendy off guard.

For a moment Wendy said nothing. Why did she want to grow up? What was out there for her that she was so ready to grasp? All of it was pain and hurt, and worry and feeling anxious all the time that your stomach became sore. Why was she ready to become an adult so readily?

"Because you can't feel love as a child Peter." She finally breathed out quietly. "Even among all of that, it's all worth it for love. The pain and the hurt mean nothing if you can be with someone." She looked at him after a moment. "I want to be in love Peter, I want to have the kind of love I'm always telling about in stories. Wouldn't that be worth giving up your childhood? After all, you've lived an eternity of childhoods that you've become so biased against growing up. It's really not that bad Peter." She wished he could see more than just one side of it all.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

This was not the kind of conversation Peter Pan enjoyed. It was too serious. He, of course, was not used to such serious conversation - to such meaningful thoughts, and they made him uneasy. Growing up - why, it was the notion of growing up that had driven him to Neverland in the first place. He could not recall much about his parents, but he remembered why he ran away. They had been talking - discussing what he was to be (a lawyer, or something to do with banks, actually), and then he was to get married - have a family of his own and move in all the best social circles...
It had always baffled Peter - he had only been a baby, yet his parents had planned out his whole life before he was old enough to have a say in any of it.

Whether it had been the expectations or the lack of freedom that had frightened him so, Peter could not quite remember. He did know, however, that he had run away for a reason, and above all, that he did not want to grow up. An eternity of childhoods had not felt like so very long, anyway. He was in the habit of forgetting most things, after all, and so time seemed rather irrelevant.

However, despite the fact that Wendy's words made him want to put his hands over his ears and begin 'laa-ing' at the top of his voice, or better yet, simply fly away, he remained where he was, listening. Already, counter arguments were beginning to form in his head. Love? Ha - Peter was very skeptical when it came to this little matter, and he almost scorned Wendy for thinking so highly of the irksome concept.

"Of course I have never thought about having a family" he stated, throwing his head up, as though he were completely above the idea. "What would I want with one of those?" he snorted, rolling his eyes, as though it had been an utterly stupid question to ask. Well, in his opinion, it had been. All families entailed were obligations, guilt, hurt...And surprisingly, Peter did not wish to experience any of those things. No again - not as he once had, when he had returned to his bedroom window one night, only to see his own mother and father, cooing over a new little boy who was sleeping soundly in Peter's own bed.

He then turned his attention to Wendy's whispered answer, shaking his head slowly, almost pityingly. "The love in your stories...? But that's just it, Wendy - it only exists in stories. Reality is so...So much more real and practical. Your parents will plan things out for you. You'll have no say in the matter. Oh, you'll get to wear a white dress like the ones in the stories, and you'll have a ring and get called 'Mrs'...But it will all be planned. And that - that is not the kind of love you read about in books, is it? Where everything, right down to the man you're to marry is planned by your parents...And possibly an interferring aunt or two" Peter paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "The point is, Wendy, reality does not permit fairytale endings."

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy suddenly felt very angry with Peter. His words and his arrogance just made her want to scream or hit him. He was so insufferable and was so focused on staying a child that he wouldn't even hear of a different direction in his life. She shook her head, the anger obvious in her stance. She let him finish before she shook her head once more and walked over to him.

"How can you say that? Love does exist Peter, it's out there. I know my parents are going to play a huge part in guiding my adult life, but they love me and I know they won't make a silly decision. They'll do their best to help make me happy because they love me and want to give me the world." She tried to stay calm as she spoke, but she was finding it increasingly difficult. "Reality is supposed to be practical Peter, we can't all go off to an island and pretend reality doesn't exist. Why does having a life scare you so much?" she said a little frustrated.

For a moment Wendy just watched Peter before she felt the anger nearly burst. "I don't want to be here Peter!" she exclaimed. "I can't stay here, and I don't want to. Everything is so off balance, and so twisted, I don't know how to make it better. I've changed, I can't make things the way they were before. You saw what Hook did, and because of that I'll never be the same! Do you realize that is your fault? I blame you for that Peter. Do you have any idea what that was like to be at the mercy of him?" she suddenly slapped Peter since she felt she needed to hit something. "I want to go home." She spoke rather weakly as she sunk to the ground again. "Everything is so wrong." She mumbled.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

Peter was not listening to Wendy. He could tell by her face and her tone of voice that she was speaking words that he would not care for in the slightest. Arguing with him. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He was not used to being argued with; not used to having someone to argue with! The Lost Boys wouldn't dare, and they regarded Peter to be the source of all knowledge. As for the faries? Well, they were easy to swat away if they became annoying. Yet here was Wendy, and despite being shorter than he, it was clear that she was going to hold her ground.

Yet so was Peter. There was nothing so shameful as defeat in his eyes. It followed then, that they might have been stuck, arguing back and forth, back and forth for a year and a day...Or two, or three....Time could be strange in Neverland. It was as though it had never quite grasped what exactly it was supposed to be doing. It was rather lucky then, that Wendy stepped forward and did something altogether unexpected and unheard of (mostly because as Peter was chosing to ignore her every word, he would probably have tried to argue back the wrong point).

The slap echoed through the trees for a moment, and Peter merely stood where he was, green eyes wide, an angry pink hand mark forming on his cheek. Honestly, it had left him completely stunned. It had hurt - not necessarily on his cheek, where he had been slapped, but he felt his chest tighten, and a lump form in his throat. Never, in his considerably long life, had he been slapped! At least...Not so far as he could remember.
He did not see Wendy crumple to the ground, for his own eyes had swiftly found his own, rather grubby feet. Lifting one hand slowly, he gingerly prodded the now-red cheek. It stung a little, but not so very much. So why did it hurt so much? Whatever the reason, Peter certainly could not fathom it.

"Everything is so wrong."

Finally - it seemed that there was something they could both agree on. Hadn't he been trying to tell her that all along? That everything was wrong in Neverland - everything was different? Yet now, it was as though they spoke different languages. Wendy did not understand Peter as she once had, and Peter was unable to see why. She was taller, yes - older too, apparently, but why the change had been so great...It all escaped him completely.

Peter swallowed, but couldn't quite find words to express exactly what he was thinking. In fact, he hardly knew exactly what he was thinking. He felt....He felt utterly miserable. Dark. That was the only word Peter could think of - or...Perhaps heavy, too. As though in sympathy to Peter's plight, the sun seemed to retreat behind the clouds, and the previously white clouds turned grey. As has been said, Peter was a part of Neverland, and it, in turn, was part of him. Pan's shadow sat itself down, drew it's knees up to it's chest, and proceeded to rock. Shadows cannot make sound, of course, not even in Neverland, but Peter could tell it was crying.

Peter would not sink to that level, however. He turned, as though he were about to leave Wendy sitting where she was, but stopped, hands curling into fists. No, no, no. This was what had happened last time, and Hook had taken advantage of it. So he merely sighed, leaning back against the trunk of a tree, averting his eyes from Wendy.

"Well, this is really no good. I'd take you back now - I really would, but I can't" he stated, his voice dripping with misery, despair and woe. Peter always had been a dramatic, and no one could sulk like Pan. Peter prodded at his cheek again, as though he were trying to wipe the slap-mark away. "I knew, I knew as soon as I saw you that I shouldn't bring you here, but...." Peter allowed himself to trail off, still not sparing a glance at Wendy. "I had to try. Neverland has to be saved - I have to...Have to find a way. If there's no Neverland, then there will be no place for the lost children, and it's a very terrible thing to be truly lost" he mumbled, though he was talking more to himself now, chewing on his bottom lip.

And with that, Peter allowed himself to slide down the trunk of the tree, so that he was seated neatly amongst the thick roots. "Oh, I feel so heavy..."

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy was completely lost in her own thoughts now after she had slapped Peter. She was thinking, like she usually did. Her mind was darting from one idea to another, trying to find a way to escape this magical land that suddenly seemed to have become her prison. There was only one companion to Wendy at the moment, and that was silence. Peter hadn't really said anything, he had kept quiet. She wondered why. If she had hit him before, for whatever reason, she was sure he would retaliate with his words or maybe even hitting her in return just to prove a silly point.

Yet that didn't happen. Peter was in shock, just as much as Wendy. Finally Peter spoke, and it brought Wendy out of her reverie. She stared at him. He was right, all of this was no good, no good at all. It really was quite miserable. For a moment Wendy found herself wishing that Neverland didn't exist, at least to her it didn't. She was tired of this, and she was tired of Peter.

"I know Peter, and I want to save Neverland too, but I had even less of an idea to save it than you do. You've lived here for a very long time, and you know this place like the back of your dirt stained hands...you've got to know a way to save it Peter." She frowned and got to her feet. "It is awful to be lost, but maybe there wouldn't even be lost boys if Neverland no longer existed. Since they would have no place to go, they wouldn't be lost." She tried to reason out loud, but even in her head it sounded all wrong.

A thought suddenly occured to Wendy that nearly made her fall over. It was quite a strange thought, a very bizarre idea, but it suddenly made sense. She took in a deep breath and her eyes took pity on Peter as he slid down a tree trunk and declared that he felt heavy. Wendy walked over to him and took a seat next to him. She put her hand on his arm in a consoling manner, and suddenly felt her stomach take a lurch as it erupted in butterflies. Wendy stopped breathing for a moment and quickly took her hand away. It had been such a startling and strange sensation that she didn't know what to make of it, but she quickly realized it was because of Peter.

Wendy quickly shook the feelings away, but she didn't return her hand to his arm.

"Maybe you'll have to grow up to help Neverland." She said softly. "Not all the way Peter, and please don't be mad at me, but maybe you need a little more perspective. This is, after all, too much for a child to carry." She murmured close to his ear.

[mad_as_a_hatterx]

It was foolish, really, Peter realised. Why he had ever thought that Wendy would be able to help, he didn't know. If anyone could save Neverland, as Wendy so rightly pointed out, it was he. He knew it - knew every cave, cove, mountain, tree, hill, rock pool. He knew it all so well. It was a strange thing, really, because although Peter forgot numerous other things, he could never forget Neverland. He sometimes suspected that he knew it better than he knew himself. Indeed, especially recently, it had sometimes happened that Peter had looked at his reflection, only to be very surprised by the face that stared back at him. It was odd, that, because Peter had always supposed that you would know yourself better than anyone. Even in Neverland, where so many things were topsy-turvey, that should have been the case.

And that was why it was so frustrating to Peter that he seemed unable to do anything. He did not know how to make Neverland better - how to cure it. He had tried, he really had. He'd sat in the same place for two whole days, just trying to imagine it better. When that failed, he had gone to consult Girl in the the Moon, to see if she could offer any useful advice. Again, that had failed, and that was when Peter had had his next idea. Things often go wrong when something at the centre is rotten, and so Peter had launched the expedition to the centre of Neverland. Ah - the mazes of tunnels he and the boys had dug! They went round in circles and swirls for a few days, but eventually had managed to dig right through Neverland and come out the other side. And though they found hoards of treasure (enough to build and fill the finest palaces), and though they very nearly disturbed a sleeping dragon, they still could not find the source of the problem.

Peter was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, that he was a little startled when Wendy placed her hand on his arm. He flinched, just slightly, almost as though he were afraid she would slap him again. He supposed that this was why she quickly withdrew her hand. Then she moved a little closer, and Peter could feel her breath warm breath on the side of his neck. As the words tumbled from her lips, however, Peter's face grew pale, his eyes wide and his breath caught at the back of his throat. The thing that chilled his blood most of all - the thing that sent shivers down his spine, was the awful feeling that Wendy might be right.

His shadow had jumped up, and was nodding it's head emphatically.

"I...I..." Peter stammered, looking very much like he wanted nothing more than to run away. Or be sick. Certainly, he suddenly felt very ill. The confident, arrogant Pan seemed to have vanished completely, and Peter was left looking utterly terrified. He felt it. The prosepect of growing up - the thing he'd sworn never, ever to do. Gettingly slowly, and carefully to his feet, Peter walked back a couple of paces, not taking his eyes off Wendy; as though she were a wild animal, or something else very dangerous. "Stop being so sensible..." Peter whispered, shaking his head slightly. "Please."

[Sirius Baren]

Wendy saw the sudden change in Peter as she had finished whispering to him. He suddenly wasn't the cocky Peter Pan who was taunting death all the time, he truly was a little boy, complete with terror in his face. She was glad his shadow at least agreed with her. She waited for a moment, unsure what to do. She didn't know how to comfort him, especially since it was her fault he was suddenly so distressed and panicked. She sat there, still, as Peter got to his feet slowly before walking backwards a few steps and pleaded with her to stop being so sensible. Wendy frowned and got to her feet and walked back over to Peter so she was within a foot of him.

"I don't know how Peter. That's the way I am. I think I'm right, would it be so terrible to grow up, just a little bit? If it saves Neverland, why not do it? I'm just trying to help, just like you wanted me here for." She whispered because she felt that if she said it in a normal toned voice, Neverland might shatter. "I'm not asking you to become a man, I'm just suggesting that you become less like a child." She felt sympathy for him. For the first time since she had known Peter, she understood him as he allowed the fear to be prevelant upon his features. She understood why he was so scared to grow up, and she now understood why he was always so overly confident.

Once more Wendy placed her hand on his arm. The butterflies in her stomach rolled around very uncomfortably in her stomach, as if trying to escape, but she ignored them. She moved her hand from his arm and took his hand.

"You asked for my help, before you say no, just think about it." She squeezed his hand comfortingly. "It's okay to be scared Peter, but you've got to face your fears, otherwise you'll always be imprisoned by them." She stared into his green eyes, her own eyes showing sympathy for him as she didn't want him scared. To see Peter Pan frightened, it made Wendy uncomfortable. Peter Pan was a hero, someone you could count on in all of his arrogant glory, but now he was being faced with his worst fear and Wendy felt all the guilt for presenting him with this confrontation.