Disclaimer: I own nothing.

All children really do grow up. Even Peter Pan.

The New Adventure of Peter Pan

Peter hated leaving Wendy at the window. Of course his decision to return to Neverland was correct, but why did it have to be so hard? If only Wendy would realize how difficult she was making things for him. Would it really be so terrible for her to remain in Neverland with him? Certainly not, Peter thought to himself. All of his anguish originated with Wendy. If it wasn't for Wendy, Peter never would have encountered that feeling.

Peter Pan was accustomed to many feelings. Anger, Hatred, Happiness, Jealousy. But there was that one of which Wendy spoke of. One that he had never come in contact with. Love. Such a stupid thing really, Peter thought. Although he didn't really think it was stupid. He just didn't know what it was.

Peter felt odd around Wendy. Something churned inside him that never had before. And now that Wendy was gone, the feeling just intensified. He didn't like this feeling at all. It was very uncomfortable and made him only think about Wendy. Constantly daydreaming, Peter pretended Wendy was back, along with the boys, and they resumed their family status as Mother, Father, and children. It was all good fun until Peter awoke from his dream and found himself utterly alone. Tink was there, but something was missing. He couldn't figure it out, but there was something about Wendy and that feeling he felt around her. Could it be that Love that she spoke of? Certainly not, Peter told himself. But that left him with no answers, so he made a rather clever decision. He would return to Wendy and ask her what was wrong.

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"Oh, Peter! How lovely!" Wendy exclaimed and threw her arms around the boy. "There's nothing wrong with you, you're just in love with me!" She twirled around in excitement, smiling brilliantly.

"No, that can't be it!" Peter would not accept this. "It has to be something else. Maybe you're a witch who's put some kind of spell on me!" Yes, this was a very plausible explanation.

"Stop that nonsense," Wendy said with narrowed eyes. "You know perfectly well that I am not a witch."

She was correct, but Peter didn't say this out loud. He couldn't give her the satisfaction of being right. Maybe if she could just explain this whole Love thing. "Perhaps you're not a witch, but just to make things clear, what exactly is this 'Love' you keep buzzing about?"

A bright smile spread across her face. "Well, I hear it's the most wonderful thing in the world! But there are several types. For example: I love my family and I love my friends, but in two different ways. And there's also…" Wendy paused to look directly into Peter's eyes. "There's romantic love."

Peter found this all very confusing, but decided that the problem was that he loved Wendy as a friend. "Well, then, that solves it. You're my friend, so I guess I love you as a friend." But Wendy didn't like this at all and threw daggers at Peter with her eyes. "What's the problem?" Peter asked.

"Don't you think I could be romantic love?" Wendy asked, opening her eyes wide.

Once again Peter found himself ignorant to this strange subject. He didn't know what romantic love was, but it sounded rather folly. "I don't think that's it, Wendy, but maybe you should explain it just in case."

"Oh, well…" she began to blush, which Peter thought odd. Girls always do silly things like that. "…romantic love is when a boy and girl or man and women grow to be quite fond of each other, and feel very happy around each other, and get a scary but lovely feeling in their heart when the other smiles at them, or holds they're hand, or…kisses them." At this she batted her large blue eyes in Peter's direction.

Peter was afraid of this. No matter how much he tried to push it from his memory, that thimble kept popping up in his mind. Although apparently thimbles were kisses and kisses thimbles, but the fact remained that Peter did get a "scary but lovely feeling" when Wendy kissed him. And he enjoyed Wendy's company above all others, except when she acted particularly girly or beat him in a duel.

"Well, then, I suppose…" But Peter didn't know what to say. London had an odd effect on him. He felt himself taller, stronger, deeper voiced, and different. He felt things that he only felt twice in Neverland, when he danced with Wendy and when she kissed him. And when he was around Wendy he didn't just think of her as not ugly, but as rather pretty.

The two looked at each other for a very long time, not saying a word. To avoid the present awkwardness, Peter cleared his throat and said while flying out the window, "Well, Wendy I think I shall return to Neverland now."

"But Peter, please. Can't you stay?" Wendy ran up to the window which Peter now hovered outside of, tears forming in her eyes.

Ach soared throughout Peter's chest. This was worse than the first good-bye. He flew gently to the window and, leaning in close to Wendy's ear, whispered, "Don't worry, I'll be back." Yet Peter wasn't entirely sure if that was true.