The pain in her voice was a knife to my heart. I moved closer and gently touched her hands, relieved when she didn't pull away.

"I'm here now," I whispered. "So tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Everything." She adjusted herself, stretching her feet out in front of her and for the first time I noticed deep cuts near her ankles, that looked like they were from heavy chains. I forced myself to look back at her face and was saddened when she refused to look at me.

"I stopped calling for you and tried to forget you…but the damage had been done. People thought I was mad for the stories I had told. John forgot so quickly. The rest of the boys wanted to fit into society so they listened to Father when he told them to forget about their past. Michael had some trouble adjusting and for awhile, it was him and me clinging to Neverland like a wonderful dream you forget when you wake. After awhile, he forgot too. But I couldn't. I had a wealthy gentleman from Salisbury come to London to ask for my hand in marriage. But he heard the stories and he doubted my sanity. So when Father arranged our betrothal, he took it upon himself to have me committed to an asylum." My jaw dropped but she didn't notice and continued on.

"White hands held me down and stuck me with needles that dripped poison. After awhile, I stopped calling out for you. I stopped talking. I stopped feeling. My family would visit and would remark on how 'improved' I was. Only my dear Michael knew something was wrong. And I was kept in that dreadful place for several months…when I was finally released, my mother informed me that my wedding was to take place in several weeks. My betrothed came to my house to inquire about my health…when I accused him of leaving me in that place, he became angry and hit me and left in anger. My family was furious with me for ruining my chances with 'such a nice gentleman'." I heard the bitterness in her tone and winced but I allowed her to keep going.

"When I appeared in town with a black eye, people insisted that I had done something to deserve it. I must still be mad and should be returned to the asylum. I ran away before they could send me back. I reached out to my Aunt Millicent who lived several hours away but she immediately called the police. I was gone before the bobbies reached the house. I had no other family and nowhere else to go so I ventured up North, to Durham where I searched for work. But as a society girl from London, I didn't have a lot of experience and no one wanted to hire me. I became desperate and became a barmaid in a tavern on the docks. Sailors offered me money to spend a night with me but I refused, telling them I was betrothed. You see, Peter, had you been listening and not ignoring my pleas, you would have heard me crying at night, begging for you to come and rescue me from this horrid life. Not only did I remember you, I needed you. I still believed, or at least a tiny part of my heart believed, that you would come bursting in and save me. But you never did. So I began to lose myself. I didn't even go by 'Wendy' anymore, people knew me as Moira or wench. Do you know what it's like to be in a strange place with no friends, no family, and no identity? And Moira was nothing like Wendy. She drank, she cursed, she teased, she flirted. She drew the attentions of a one-handed captain who came in for a drink. He was smitten with her and offered her a huge amount of money to bed her." At this, I just wanted to cover my ears and fly away. I was in tears at Wendy's story. I had no idea, none at all, how her life had been. I was kicking myself for not coming to her when she had called. Fuck staying with her and growing up. I should have flown her away to Neverland the first time she had called to me. I didn't want to know the answer but I asked anyway.

"And…what did Moira do?" I hated how weak and pathetic my voice sounded. She was still refusing to look at me.

"I needed money, Peter. And he had a lot of it. I went to bed with him. I pleasured him and he paid me. I told him I wanted to go no further and then went back to using my betrothed story. He asked me the name of my betrothed and I lied to him. He immediately knew who I was and bound and gagged me. I admit I didn't recognize him immediately but once he had me on this ship, I knew who he was and where he was taking me. He kept me in his cabin and questioned me endlessly. When I refused to tell him what he wanted to know, he became angry and started to beat me. He threatened me with worse things and beat me some more. After several days, I suppose he grew bored of just beating me so he told me of a plan to lure you here to kill you. I tried to tell him that you had forgotten me, and that you wouldn't come but he brushed it aside. So I've waited several weeks in this cell, having no idea what my future holds. When I heard you speak last night, I prayed it wasn't you. I prayed that you had managed to escape. As angry as I was with you, I kept silent when Hook questioned me about you. When you said my name, though, I knew."

"So why did you go on insulting me and talking about how horrible I was?"

"Consider it a tiny form of payback. I apologize for my words." I decided I couldn't fault her in the slightest. She had had the worst life and I was to blame. If only I had been there, I could have saved her from all of that. I felt like someone should just run me through a blade right at that moment. I saw her lying down and stretching out, trying to get comfortable. Something was nagging me at the back of my mind.

"Wendy," I said softly, crawling closer to her. "You said Hook knew who you were when you told him the name of your betrothed. What name did you give him?" There was the longest pause and my heart thumped loudly as I waited for her answer. I knew the answer but I admit, I wanted to hear her say it.

"Yours, Peter," she finally said quietly. I couldn't help but smile and I moved around and sat beside her. Moving very gently, I lifted her head and allowed her to rest it in my lap. She seemed hesitant at first but then she relaxed and became more comfortable. Her tangled tresses were spread out over my legs and I carefully ran my fingers through them. Her eyes closed and she let out a soft sigh that sounded a lot like my name. I leaned down and very gently nuzzled her cheek. I saw her eyes close and heard her soft snores moments later. Leaning my head against the wall, I stayed perfectly still so not to disturb her. I had to think of a plan to get us out of here. It was completely unfair to have this girl that I loved-…wait a moment…that word…that word that I hated, and barely understood…I was using it now. Granted it's only in my mind, I don't dare speak those words aloud but the fact that I was thinking about it…I loved Wendy. I had always loved her. And now that she had come back into my life, I was not going to let her go this time. I had to find a way out, to be her hero once more. Suddenly I remembered my fairy whom I had left behind at the hideout (hey, the only thing on my mind was Wendy! And Tink had always hated Wendy so if I had mentioned that I was going to find her…well, let's just say I wasn't in the mood to find Wendy dead on the forest floor) I glanced around to make sure no one was near and put my hand to my mouth. I let out a shrill whistle that I was sure would wake up the entire ship but no, even Wendy continued to sleep. There were no windows in this cell, but I saw a light coming through the bars on the other side and hoped Tink could hear my call. Sure enough, I heard jingling approaching and I perked up.

"Tink," I hissed. "In here!" I saw her lovely face appear through the bars and her eyes widened.

Peter! I've been searching for you all night! What happened?

"Three guesses, Tink." I motioned toward the girl in my lap and she stared. I saw her light go slightly red.

So you found her again.

"Purely by accident. The mermaids tricked me and said she was here. I was searching for her when the pirates attacked me. Hook has already paid me a visit."

Yes I can see that. You look terrible.

"Thanks Tink. Listen, the keys are in Hook's cabin. Can you let the boys know what is happening? See if Tiger Lily can help too. I don't want you trying to rescue me on my own."

I can do it without them. I smiled at the pixie's sass. I held out my hand and she rested in my palm.

"You can do everything and more, Tink. But I don't want you to get hurt. Please go get the others. And hurry!" Tink nodded and took off in a swirl of fairy dust. I inhaled deeply and hoped she could bring help. We had new lost boys on the island and they were good hunters. Tiger Lily was a good friend and she had taught the boys stealth and aim. I had good friends, smart friends, on my side. I just hoped they reached us before anything else happened. Wendy and I had already suffered Hook's wrath a little bit. Scratch that, I had no idea what else he had done to her, only that he had tortured her for several days. And what information was he seeking? She had said she refused to tell him anything about me, and my mind started to race. What was the codfish up to now? I decided I should probably try to sleep too and leaned my head against the wall. Wendy started shaking and moaning and I glanced down at her in concern. She was biting her lip and tossing her head and her breathing had become heavy. My hands hovered over her uncertainly. Should I wake her or let the nightmare play out? Tears started to stream down her face and she started to moan words like "no" and "please". I couldn't take it. I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead, smoothing her hair back. The moment my lips touched her skin, she relaxed and I distinctly heard her sigh my name. My arms went under her and I lifted her into my lap, her head resting against my chest. Her arms came up and wrapped around my neck and she sighed against my skin. I felt tingles all over as I held her, my heart was beating against my chest, I feared it might wake her. I held onto her tightly until I felt sleep conquering me as well.