(You guys don't know how happy I am to get such awesome and helpful reviews. And it really makes me happy that a lot of people like my new story J. Now, I've promised a certain reader that there would be no cliffhangers…THIS chpater ;) Lol! And I know m chapters are short. I don't like that either. Trust me when I say I'm trying to make them as long as possible. Anyways, enjoy this chapter and let me know how I'm doing.)

Chapter 3

Not As You Remember

"What are you doing here, Henry?"

The little boy looked up at Whitney with an innocent expression, hoping it would make her tone soften up a bit. He walked a bit closer and Whitney could see he was holding the book that he was rarely seen without.

"I didn't get on the bus. I need to talk to you Wendy."

"Henry, for the last time. I am not Wendy from your storybook. I'm just Whitney."

Henry's face turned to one of disappointment. Not even a week had the curse been broken and for some strange reason Whitney had not regained her memory.

"Uh, sorry Whitney. You just seem more like a Wendy. That's all!'

Henry tried to cover up his "mistake" as best he could, but Whitney could see right through it. But just like all the other times, she blew it off. Whitney glanced at the grandfather clock that began to chime the hour.

1 o'clock

Whitney could feel the rumbling of her stomach and she was sure that all of Storybrooke could hear it. It rumbled again and she took that as her cue to leave.

"Well, as fun as it is cleaning up after children and talking about names, I really need to silence the monster in my belly. Belle, I will bring you back an iced tea and you mister should get going before the school and Regina have a heart attack."

Whitney grabbed the phone and purse that Tiffany had dropped off for her and fled the library so she could get to Granny's as soon as possible. As the door closed and when Henry was sure that Whitney was out of hearing range, he turned back to Belle and began to speak.

"Why doesn't she remember? The spell has been broken but she still acts as though nothing has changed."

"I don't know, love. I don't know."

TO THE PAST

Wendy stared at the man in front of her. He looked dangerous. Even the child's eye could see that. But as the other children and their parents ran away, Wendy just stood there and continued to look at the stranger. He wore mostly black with a bit of red here-and-there. A leather belt was strapped firmly around his waist and Wendy could see that, not only was the belt holding up his trousers, but, it held onto a magnificent sword. He had an ear ring that hung from his right ear and the eye liner he wore seemed to enhance his forget-me-not blue eyes. He was handsome, indeed. But there was something else that seemed to attract Wendy to him.

"Can I hear the rest of this story?"

"I'm not suppose to talk to strangers."

"Where are my manners? My name is Killian Jones. And what, pray tell, is yours my darling bird?"

Wendy giggled, but soon responded with a curtsy.

"My name is Wendy Darling."

"See, now we're not strangers. Now may I hear your story?"

Wendy was about to reply but was interrupted by her mother frantically calling out to her. Wendy turned on her heal to see her mother stop at the corner and stand there, a look of pure horror written on her lovely face. Killian stared back at the worried mother, then back to Wendy. He kneeled down so that he was close to he height and looked at her with kindness in his eyes.

"Maybe another time."

Killian stood back on his feet and began to walk in the opposite direction. Before he turned the corner and disappeared, he turned back to Wendy and gave her a dashing smile that she could never forget . When he was gone, Mary dashed towards her daughter and enshrouded her in her arms. Mary pulled away and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Wendy, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?!"

Wendy was a bit frightened by her mother at this moment. She was almost too scared to talk.

"B-but he's m-my frriend."

The look of pure horror was evident in Mary's eyes. She stood up and clenched her daughter's hand with a strength she didn't know she had. Her mother walked, nearly ran, home with Wendy behind struggling to keep up. Once they returned, Mary looked at her daughter and ordered her to pack her things, that they would be leaving this place for some time. Apparently, her father owed some money to a group of thugs and they had to leave before they did something unfathomable. Wendy tried to protest but all she ever got was silence. She finally gave up and retreated to her room with tears in her eyes.

When Wendy had no more tears to shed, she decided it was about time she started packing. As she put the last article of clothing in her hand-made bag, Wendy noticed that a rustling sound outside her window. She stood frozen in her place. Scared to move an inch. She continued to watch the window, and moments later there stood a dark figure she couldn't quite make out.

"Who's there?"

GRANNY'S DINER

Whitney sat at the counter at Granny's, scanning the menu for anything that appealed to her. She was contemplating on whether to order the Sunshine Garden Omelet or the Good Morning Breakfast Platter. Hr stomach growled, telling her to hurry up and pick something!

"Shhh, tummy! Shhh…"

She began patting her tummy, but stopped when she heard a giggle. She looked up to see Ruby with an amused look on her face.

"Expecting a little bear anytime soon?"

"Heh, more like a crocodile."

( :-P )

"What can I get you two?"

Before Whitney had a chance to speak, the bell at the door chimed and an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"Excuse me, Miss. Is there a telephone I can use?"

Whitney's head snapped to her right to get a look at the stranger. He was gorgeous! No, perfect! He had a beautiful mess of golden hair, sun kissed skin, AMAZING muscles form what she could make out, and a stunning pair of green eyes that made you want to melt. Whitney was completely lost in her train of thought, or should say gawking. It wasn't until Ruby spoke that she regained her composure.

"Yeah, it's near the bathrooms. To the left."

The beautiful god, I mean, stranger nodded his head to Ruby in appreciation and began walking in that direction. But everyone in the diner could see that as e made his way through, his eyes were directly on Whitney.

"Whitney…WHIT! Hello?"

"Sorry, what?"

"What do you want to order?"

Whitney made anther glance at the guy and turned back around in her seat.

"Can I have him to go?"

Ruby laughed at her friend's comment, but her soon turned mischievous.

"Why don't you talk to him?"

A funny moment turned horrific when Whitney saw that Ruby was serious. When it came to hanging around friends and people she knew, Whitney was a ball of crazy and confidence. But boys? That was a different story.

"You're not funny, Ruby."

"I'm not trying to be! Come on, just act like your headed to the bathroom and then "accidentally" bump into him. Easy!"

"But I-"

But before Whitney could finish her protest, she was pulled out of her chair and shoved in the direction of the bathroom. Ruby gave Whitney one last shove which caused her to collide into a strong, broad chest. She thought she would cause the person to fall, but whoever it was held their stance and enveloped their arms around the girl. Whitney looked up to the person, so she could apologize. But speaking was not an option. Once she saw who it was, her voice suddenly disappeared.

"Careful there."

The stranger smiled down at her, showing her that he was okay. When Whitney's voice still refused to make ay noise, he decided to break the ice.

"Hi, I'm Penn."

"Uh, um, Whitney."

THE DARLING COTTAGE

"Who's there?"

When the shadow did not reply, Wendy began to step back and nearly ran out of the bedroom but was stopped when it spoke.

"Wendy, it's okay. It's Peter!"

The little boy climbed through the window and plopped onto her bed. He grabbed the candle that stood proudly by her bed and lit it with a match he kept behind his ear. When the room was surrounded with light, Peter looked at Wendy's usually beautiful face. Tonight, though, it had been distorted by her tears. Truly concerned for his friend, her ran to her and hugged her tight. She broke down in his arms and the tears that had dried up had once again began to pour.

He rubbed her back in a comforting motion, as if telling her that all would be fine. But in his heart, he knew that something horrible had to have happened. Wendy was such a happy person. She never had a reason to cry unless it was something truly terrible.

Once there were fewer tears and her breathing became shallow, Peter sat her down on the bed.

"What's goin' on Wendy?"

"I'm leaving."

"Well, when will you be back?"

"That's just it, Peter. I don't think we are coming back!"

"But you can't leave me! I won't let them take you away. I'm gonna talk to your parents. Maybe we can convince them to let you stay with me."

"How?"

Peter looked at Wendy's face. His best friend was going to leave him, but there was no way he would let that happen. But how? He took Wendy in his arms for what might be the last time ever.

"I'll find a way."

And with that, he gave Wendy a squeeze, kissed her forehead, and retreated through the window.

(I'd like to thank SilverStarFire15 for the support and some really great ideas.)