Arthur let out a heavy sigh, looking longingly out of the window in his room. Very few good things came with being orphaned. One of those being that you can stay in the house for as long as you're a kid. The really bad part came once you grew up.

Arthur scoffed, looking up in the sky. He was going to turn 18 in a month or so. That was way too soon. He would have to get a job, a house, live on his own. He would have to grow up. That was far from what he wanted to do… He wouldn't even be out of school by the time he turned 18… So he had to pile schoolwork onto his soon to be hectic schedule…

"I don't want to grow up…" Arthur muttered into the sky through the opened window. It was still a little cold, a few traces of snow everywhere. Arthur's nose was red from the cold, but he couldn't really care less. He just wanted to escape all of these problems, never to turn back.

Arthur waited at the window, as if half expecting the sky to respond to him, like in the movies. There would always be someone there to cheer him up when he was sad. Or maybe go on some adventure. But he was an adult now. He couldn't allow himself to have dreams like that anymore…

Arthur shook his head and started to his bed, which groaned heavily under his weight. Everything in this house was old… He looked back at the open window as his eye lids started getting heavy. His mind was filling with dreams that he knew he would have to sacrifice soon enough. He slowly rested his head on the dusty pillow, not caring he wasn't under the blankets and that there was no heat in the room. That window was just going to have to stay open…

Soon enough, Arthur had drifted into sleep.

Arthur woke up some time in the middle of the night. He had no idea why, it just felt like there was something in his room. He leaned up on his elbows behind him and saw that the window was still open, the cold wind making it rattle against the wall. He sighed, it was probably just some squirrel. Maybe it could give him rabies and he really wouldn't have to grow up after all.

Arthur let out a small laugh and let his head fall onto his pillow. Like he was lucky enough for that to happen…

"You have a nice laugh," someone's voice said suddenly and Arthur bolted so that he was sitting up in his bed. He tried looking around, but he couldn't find anyone in his room.

"Wh-who's there?" Arthur managed out. Had some murderer made his way into his room through that window? He was 4 stories up, for crying out loud!

The voice let out a small laugh. "No one really does look up, do they?" Immediately, Arthur looked up and saw some sort of shadow in the inky darkness of his room at night. Arthur felt his breath quicken and his eyes widen. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but the shadow quickly moved in front of him, and something that felt like hands covered Arthur's mouth. He still screamed, but the shadow made it quiet. He tried backing up further on his bed, still screaming, but the shadow kept following him.

"Please don't be scared, I'm sorry," the shadow apologized. Now that he was between Arthur and the window, the moonlight coming in washed over his face, allowing Arthur a simple look at him. He had a young face, probably as young as Arthur, and mildly wild hair with one strand that seemed to defy gravity. And it seemed like he had glowing blue eyes.

What scared Arthur the most about this boy, though, was the fact that he was hovering about a food above his bed. Hovering! Arthur tried to scream again, but the boy's hands were still covering his mouth.

"Why do first meetings have to suck so bad…" the boy groaned, hanging his head. "Please, just stop freaking out," he pleaded, looking up at Arthur with seemingly depressed eyes. "I swear I'm not going to do anything to hurt you."

Arthur shakily moved to shut his mouth. He had no idea why he suddenly trusted this boy, but his face just made him relax. When he proved that he wouldn't scream again, the boy shakily removed his hands and looked at Arthur worriedly.

"Who…who the bloody hell are you?" Arthur managed out quietly.

"My name is Alfred," the boy stated, moving so that he stood on the ground in front of Arthur's bed.

"How can…how can you…fly?" Arthur muttered, breathing heavily in anxiety. "H-How did you get in here?"

"It's a long story," Alfred rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Basically, all you need to know is that I'm not from here, I'm from somewhere different. I-It's a place where time practically stops, where people never grow up." Arthur widened his eyes at that. Now that seemed appealing, but he couldn't let that on to some complete stranger who broke into his room. "I can fly because of this stuff that…I don't quite have on me…"

"What is this 'stuff'?" Arthur deadpanned.

"I know you stopped believing in fairies a long time ago, Arthur," Alfred kicked his foot at the ground. "But it-"

"How the bloody hell do you know my name?" Arthur demanded, starting to freak out a little bit inside. Alfred winced, like he didn't want to have that come out, like it was an accident.

"Sorry…" Alfred sighed. "I…I've always liked coming here, seeing the kids. I used to be here…a long time ago… I've seen you here since you got here, when you were dropped off at 2, I'm pretty sure…"

"I was…dropped off?" Arthur's voice cracked. Didn't his family care about him?

"I don't know your back story, I'm sorry," Alfred put his hands up in surrender. "Anyway…I've just kept coming every so often to check on the kids. You've stayed here longer than anyone. And…tonight…I heard you fighting with the parents about you turning 18 and having to move out soon. And then…you said you didn't want to grow up. I figured you might want to come with me."

"Come with you?" Arthur scoffed. There was no way he would go anywhere with this strange flying boy who'd been stalking him his whole life and broke into his room! "Where?"

"Where I ran away to," Alfred smiled slightly. "I…I think it's called Neverland. Or…that's what's been passed on to me from some of the older Lost Boys… It's a place to have fun, to never grow up."

"Why ask me to come with you?" Arthur asked. "I'm sure you've heard plenty of people say that. Why do you want to bring me?"

"You've just been the most interesting person here in…a very long time," Alfred smiled slightly. "You're almost 18, but you're still clinging to being a kid. I was the same way. I've been 17 for…actually, I shouldn't tell you that… But, seriously, you are the only person here in years that's fought back, that's wanted to stay and just be a kid. I want to help you."

"I'm not just going to go off with some stranger to a place that sounds like a dream," Arthur scoffed.

"Really?" Alfred smirked, a sudden change of attitude that put Arthur a little bit on edge. "There are a lot of things you'll miss out on. The feeling of flying, having nothing beneath your feet and the wind blowing through your hair. The ability to do whatever you want when you want to do it. Lazing in the sand under the forever sun. Being able to be a do whatever you want for however long you want. True freedom."

Arthur tried not to drop his jaw as Alfred went through the list of things that made this place seem so amazing. But…it sounded just like a dream. That was all it was, all it could be…

Arthur shook his head. "I don't believe in fairy tales anymore," Arthur sighed.

"It's not, Arthur," Alfred said. "I'm living proof. I can fly. I've been there and back multiple times. If you want, you could just try it out once. You won't be gone for very long down here anyway. No harm will be done. You'll be back before morning."

"That still leaves the fact that I'll be trusting a perfect stranger with bringing me to a place come out of a dream," Arthur stated.

"I know you have problems trusting," Alfred slowly pulled a hand up, in front of him, and extended towards Arthur. "But I can assure you, you can trust me. If anything happens to you, I swear I will pay the consequences. You aren't losing anything by just going once."

Arthur stared at the hand for a while, trying to think through what was going on. It was completely insane, just going off on some "adventure" with some person he'd never met in his life. But, just looking into those sapphire eyes in the darkness, he felt something just click.

So, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Arthur extended his hand and took Alfred's. Almost immediately, Arthur felt a rush of air as he was pulled off his bed and almost all the way to the window. He opened his eyes and looked at Alfred in wonder, only to find that the moon light was resting just perfectly on his face so that his smile seemed almost…magical.

"One night," Arthur said, looking away and blushing slightly. "This does not mean I trust you in any way."

"Right," Alfred laughed lightly and easily stepped out of the window, hovering slightly. "So, since I don't have the flying stuff, you've got to really pretend you're trusting me and let me carry you to Neverland."

"Carry me?" Arthur sputtered, reeling back slightly, still holding Alfred's hand, though.

"Only way this'll work," Alfred shrugged. "Like I said, if anything bad happens, I will be fully responsible for it."

Arthur closed his eyes, exhaling deeply, before he nodded. "Alright, fine."

"Ready?" Alfred asked and Arthur nodded. Soon, he was tugged out of the window and closed his eyes tightly when he didn't feel the ground or movement around him. All he felt was Alfred's arms around him as he pressed him to his chest. "Don't worry, I got ya."

"Just shut up and move before I change my mind…" Arthur grumbled. He couldn't believe he was doing something like this. When he was only a month away from becoming an adult…

Woot! New story! I'm so sorry to you all, taking this long to come back. That story for my friend took FOREVER and now I'm really happy to be back! My updates will we once a week, usually on the weekends. A lot different from my usual, but that's because this new writing style I'm trying out takes a while, and I'm writing three stories right now. This one, "Swapped" another USUK fanfic, and a real novel. Anyway, I'm back and I can't wait to keep writing for you guys!

Please review! I know this is a little weird at this point, but I'm going to explain the whole layout of Neverland as it is now. Because this is quite a few years into the future from the movies (it's in the present day, omg) and a little different. But do please tell me if you like the beginning or not!

And the title for this is based on the song "Somewhere in Neverland" by the band All Time Low. You should seriously check it out! It's amazing!

And I don't own Hetaila, Peter Pan, or All Time Low!