Disclaimer: None of the characters in the story belong to me! They belong to J.M Barrie. Enjoy! Review please! Dedicated to those who reviewed my last two stories, thank you! I really appreciated it! This is probably going to be a short story, maybe 3-5 chapters? ~Nightingalelynx
Pairing: We'll see ;) And if you've read my previous stories you'll know which slash I'm in favour of! :D
Summary: He never thought he had to choose between them so soon… in fact, he never thought he ever had to choose, period. It all started the moment Wendy Darling had enough of seeing Peter and Tigerlily grow closer than ever.
Of Tigerlilys and Wendys
His stomach was greedily swallowing all food that came into reach. That was one of Peter's favourite things about dining with the Indians—the abundance of the most interesting foods. And the mock-fights, what fun! As his hand reached out for yet another piece of whatever was in front of him, a loud cheer caught his attention. Forgetting completely about the food, as children often do when something more interesting is happening, Peter floated curiously above the heads of the crowds to see what was happening.
Tigerlily was happening, that's what. To be exact, what was happening was that Tigerlily had finally accepted a challenge from the most worthy of braves to fight tonight.
And what a powerful figure she cut, as she swirled around the brave in the heavy humid night air, landing precise, powerful, well planned blows that quickly knocked the brave to her feet. Peter watched with fascination, his blue-and-grey flecked green eyes narrowed and trained on the Indian Princess with such eerie focus that he never noticed the small shadow that sat clumsily down on the littered forest floor, slumping against a tree in her exhaustion.
Tigerlily gave a shrill victory hoot that sounded to Wendy Darling's ears like the perfect companion to Peter's famous crow. Why, Tigerlily is the perfect companion to Peter, Wendy thought bitterly. They both love danger, fighting, and anything related to adventure while Wendy preferred stitching, maybe, next to a warm fire at night, listening fondly to the Lost Boys' snores. Maybe that's why, in the moment of fun, Peter was more interested in Tigerlily than in her.
Wendy's own plain blue eyes turned to Tigerlily. That dark, powerful figure… was a great match for Captain Hook, Wendy thought in a rare burst of spitefulness. She instantly regretted it, like the kind, proper English lady she was, deep inside. She sighed.
Peter did not hear her sigh. At the moment, all he could hear was Tigerlily's voice, smooth and elegant, yet bold and brusque at the same time, inviting him into her tent for the night.
"Now if we pretend to be asleep until Father himself falls asleep, we could sneak out later and have so many adventures! What do you think of visiting the Mermaids, Peter? Or do you prefer my telling you stories all night long? Oh, Peter, I have so many stories I could tell you…"
Peter absolutely loved both options. So they snuck out of camp, walking, of course, since Tigerlily didn't have Tinkerbell's fairy dust to make her fly. They headed towards the wolf den, not too far from the current Indian camp, deep in conversation. The little figure in the dirtied white nightgown hesitated, but ended up following the other two, more adventurous children.
"My favourite weapons are swords and arrows, as I wield them the best." Tigerlily was telling Peter. Why, Wendy wondered, did Tigerlily's eyes have to be so golden-brown in the moonlight?
"I wield all weapons the best," Peter boasted proudly, still not aware of a clumsy little girl in the shadows, walking behind them.
"Of course you do," Tigerlily purred, for that was what her tone sounded like to Wendy, who was going greener by the minute. Peter Pan lifted into the air and showed Tigerlily a few of his best flying tricks, the clear black sky being his backdrop. Tigerlily, in turn, praised him until the eternal boy's head was swelled up about the size of Neverland.
And that was how the night went, until Wendy finally dropped of exhaustion right onto the uneven forest floor, falling asleep almost instantly. The skies cried for her, which wasn't exactly helping her at the moment. As she gradually became soaked, Tigerlily and Peter were curled up inside the wolf den with furry companions, sharing many exaggerated stories of the wonderful Peter Pan. Not once did Wendy cross Peter's mind.
In the morning, Peter Pan returned to their hideout to see a fast asleep, still-soaking (the boys had found and carried her into the shelter not two hours ago, the rain still pounding mercilessly) Wendy Darling in his bed. Indignant, he flew over and yanked the poor girl right out of her… um, his bed.
"That's my bed!" Peter shouted as possessive children sometimes do.
Wendy followed him meekly as he marched her over to her own bedding on the hard floor, at least until she finally shook off the final grasps of slumber.
"Oh, really? Then why didn't you sleep in it last night?" Wendy yelled back, jerking out of his grasp suddenly, catching the boy by surprise.
"Because—because..." Peter stuttered for an excuse. "I was with Tigerlily!"
The moment the words left his lips, Wendy couldn't help but feel all the frustration from last night return to her in one brutal blow. "Then why don't you just move in with her? Marry her? Forget about us, about me? You know she'd want that!" Wendy spat at him, her voice raising an octave by the end of the mini rant.
Peter's mouth opened and closed like a fish. He gave up trying to think up an explanation and instead studied the only Lost Girl. Her cheeks were flushed rosy pink, her hair matted and still slightly wet, her usually gentle blue eyes seemingly brighter and bluer in her anger. His gaze travelled down slightly to watch her purse her lips together in an effort to stop them from trembling.
When Wendy gasped, Peter realized that they were standing only inches apart. Instead of flying backwards like he usually would have done, however, Peter only leaned in closer and murmured; "What's wrong, Wendy-lady?"
A few things happened at once.
Wendy flushed a deeper red and something unknown to Peter flashed across her face.
Peter's blue-and-grey flecked green eyes never left her face.
The door burst open and the Lost Boys piled in.
"Mother! We couldn't find Father, but—"Slightly stopped short at the sight before him. "Oops, silly me. Father is right there! Mother's just first class, isn't she? She found Father even while she was sleeping!" The Lost Boys echoed their praises for Wendy, which made her feel just a tad bit better.
"Nothing," she said curtly to Peter, and turned to the boys in one fluid motion. "Boys, what would you like for breakfast today? Oh, my, Tootles, all prepared, are you?" She added at the sight of Tootles carrying a large basket full of strawberries and blueberries and such. "Very well, it'll be berries for breakfast today! Oh, and Michael? Get bathed at the river and change into the outfit I made for you, will you, dearest? It's on your bed—John! Get your muddy hands off Curly's bed!"
Peter was swept aside (unintentionally) by the Lost Boys as they clambered for their Mother's attention. He grabbed his panpipes and left the hideout, running for once, instead of flying, his eyes narrowed in thought. What had happened back in the hideout? Suddenly, Tigerlily came running up to him, panting slightly but still looking every bit like the Indian Princess she was.
"Peter!" She called. "I was looking for you! I heard there were bears—grizzly bears, Peter!—near Dead Man's Cove! And the mermaids said they discovered part of Hook's treasure, just outside the Black Castle!"
A smile lit up on Peter's face. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he demanded. "Let's go!"
Wendy Darling sat next to the fire, patiently stitching, and waiting for Peter to come home. She didn't really expect a reward for her patience though. It had been three days since Peter had left after he had roughly shook her from her much needed sleep. He wasn't back from his adventures, though Tinkerbell would occasionally fly in to report that he was in the middle of yet another adventure and wouldn't be returning just yet.
It broke her heart each time. What had she done to anger him so much? It was his fault, forgetting all about her in the midst of adventure with Tigerlily, and he had the nerve to come back and try to dominate everything again, like he owned the place! As if I didn't even matter to him, Wendy thought suddenly, startled at the thought.
But Wendy, being Wendy, didn't do anything particularly evil, choosing instead to plan what she was going to say—yell—when Peter came back. If Peter came back.
Tinkerbell, on the other hand, being Tinkerbell, began to brainstorm something for poor Princess Tigerlily.
To be continued… soon! I promise! :D