Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry haven't updated this story in so long since people obviously want to read more but I had finals all of last week and was very busy/stressed. But now they are over and I am back home and it is officially summer for me! Yay, so happy about that!

So here's the much awaited next chapter. Hope you enjoy and as always please review!

Chapter 3

Peter Breaks Through

The small queue of admirers outside had long dispersed but this did not stop Firmin and Andre from waiting outside Wendy's door in order to formally congratulate her.

It appeared that James Hooke had this very same idea as he strode up to her door without even seeing the two managers.

"Ah, Viscount!" called Andre, getting the young man's attention. "I think we have made quite a discovery with Miss Darling, don't you agree?"

"Were you going to congratulate her?" Firmin asked before James could answer. "If so, we would very much like to accompany you, the girl certainly deserves it."

"Yes, I was but gentlemen, if you don't mind this is one visit that I would like to make unaccompanied," James replied smoothly. "So if you will excuse me." Then, he turned his back on their surprised faces and knocked politely before he entered and shut the door behind him.

Wendy had been kneeling by her wardrobe, studying the strange object that she had stowed in one of the bottom drawers when she was startled by the knocking at her door. Quickly, she stuffed the item back into the drawer and stood up to see who her visitor was.

"James!" she cried happily when she saw him.

"Hello, Wendy," he answered, a smile spreading across his face. He stood straight and tall as she walked toward him, not making a move toward her until she was standing right in front of him. Then, he grabbed her and hugged her tightly against his chest as he exclaimed. "I thought I'd never see you after that summer in Wales! After I heard about your family, I wondered what would happen to you." Here, he released her and held her at arm's length away from him. "But it appears you've been doing very well since then." He added with a small smile as he glanced around her elaborate dressing room, where nearly every inch was covered with vases of blooming flowers. Looking down at Wendy again, he said, "I'm sure you're tired of hearing this but I allow me to congratulate you on an excellent performance!"

Wendy smiled at his praise but it was only a small, polite smile. "Thank you, James. It's so wonderful to see you again!"

"It is the same for me, Wendy," he replied. "And such a debut as your performance and our reunion deserves a celebration! Come, we shall go to dinner and you will tell me how you learned to sing so beautifully. My parents would love to see you again. Wait here and I'll go tell them to order the carriage."

"No, James, I—I can't," said Wendy suddenly. "I don't think my teacher would like it."

"Teacher?!" James scoffed. "With a voice like yours, you don't need a teacher, Wendy! Especially one who forbids you from going out at night."

"He is very adamant that I get plenty of sleep, especially after a performance," she explained.

James rolled his eyes. "Well, I am sure you can escape for night. Besides, you will be with me and I shall see that you get back at a decent time. Now, wait here, I shan't be gone more two minutes!" He was already heading for the door, so Wendy didn't bother to point out that it was very late already and that she could hardly get back at what might have been considered a 'decent' time anyway.

Sighing heavily, Wendy sat down to wait for James to return or her teacher, the phantom to appear. She secretly hoped that it was the latter that arrived first.

From a secret hiding place known only to him, Peter had watched those that had come and gone from Wendy's room. So of course he had seen the Viscount's son enter and exit and he was instantly perturbed by it. It was so very ironic that on the night that he had planned to reveal himself to her, that another boy had entered her life. But Peter would not allow this new arrival to upset him for long because Wendy had refused his offer to dine with him, meaning that she felt that Peter would visit her that very evening…which was exactly what he was going to do.

Now, he was standing outside her room and in making sure that the boy (Peter's instant dislike of James, made him not want to even think his name much less refer to him by it) did not disturb them, Peter turned the key silently in the lock, successfully locking it. Smiling devilishly, he slipped the key into his cloak and was about to turn around and present himself to Wendy in his own unique way when a voice hissed.

"Peter! What the devil do you think you're doing?!"

Peter pivoted around and was not surprised at all to see Slightly glaring back at him from behind a thick curtain.

"It's high time that I introduce myself to Wendy, Slightly," he replied calmly. "And I don't want that boy to interrupt us, so I locked the door. It's very simple, really."

"Are you going to take her to Neverland?"

"Of course."

"Peter, you can't! That's called kidnapping!"

Peter chuckled softly. "It's hardly kidnapping, Slightly. I'm not taking her outside of the theater. Besides, I'll have her back safe and sound by morning."

"I could follow you, you know and make you bring her back," Slightly threatened.

Here, Peter laughed again and it was louder this time. "Ha! That's a hollow threat if I ever heard one! If I remember correctly, you did try to follow me to Neverland, Slightly. And what happened? You ended up finding one of my traps and up to your waist in water, was it?" Even in the low light from the lamps, Slightly could see the large grin spreading across his face. "Yes, that was it! Ah, I laughed for a week after that!"

"I'm sure you did," Slightly mumbled, preferring to not remember that embarrassing time.

"So, I think for your own safety it would be best if you did not try to follow us," said Peter. "Now, it is time for me to make my entrance, so if you will excuse me!" Then without another word, he turned and walked down the corridor until he was swallowed up by the darkness.

James had not yet returned and Wendy waited anxiously. But while she waited, fatigue wrapped around her like a blanket and she felt her involuntarily begin to close and before she could stop herself, she had fallen asleep, her chin on her chest.

From his new hiding place behind her mirror, Peter could help but smile at this. He had hoped she would fall asleep because he wanted his entrance to be a surprise and it would also give him time to find his shadow.

He gripped the edge of the glass with his fingertips and pulled it slowly back. It slid easily and silently on its track, making no more noise than a whisper in the dark. When it was open wide enough for both of them to pass through, Peter took a deep breath and boldly stepped into her room.

Once inside, his eyes flicked over to Wendy where he noted with relief that she was fast asleep. Then, he turned away from her to face her wardrobe which he felt was the most logical place to hide such a thing as a person's shadow. Striding over to it, he crouched down, opened one of the bottom drawers and promptly gave a soft cry of delight.

There it was! A little crumpled perhaps but still completely intact. His very own shadow! Peter reached in to take it out but when his fingers brushed against did it shoot out of the drawer and flatten itself on the ceiling. His shadow's sudden escape caused Peter to fall backwards in surprise but when he had gotten over the initial shock, he scrambled to his feet and began to chase it about the room.

He was so intent on catching it that he forgot to be quiet about it and when he managed to grasp out of his shadow's ankle, he pulled it free from where it clung to the wall. Yet he pulled so hard that when his shadow finally came free, he was thrown backwards onto his back and he yelped in pain and surprise.

This, in turn caused Wendy to wake with a start and when she saw the boy lying in a crumpled heap in a corner of her dressing room, she was immediately intrigued as to how he had gotten there.

"Are you all right?" she asked concerned.

His head shot up at the sound of her voice and Wendy gasped softly at the sight of the white mask that covered half of his face.

"It's you!" she cried. "You're the phantom!"

"I am," said Peter as he rose clumsily to his feet, having become tangled in his cloak. "I am also your teacher." He added when he was standing and tightly clutching his shadow in his fist.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew you were one in the same!" Wendy yelled happily. "Oh, I'm so happy to finally meet you! And I see you've found your shadow!" she added, glancing at the fluttering thing beside him.

"Yes, thank you for keeping it safe for me," said Peter. "It got caught in you mirror when I had to flee more quickly than I thought."

"It got caught in my…mirror?"

"Yes." And he strode over to it and showed how easily it could be pushed back to reveal the secret passageway behind it.

"Oh, my, I wonder where that leads," said Wendy, although she felt that she had pretty good idea as to what was at the end of it.

"It leads to Neverland," Peter told her. "My home." He stepped just inside the passageway and then turned to Wendy saying. "Wendy, I believe it is high time that, considering our long relationship that I take to my home and we celebrate your amazing surprise performance from this evening's gala. I feel it is long overdue and I have so many wonderful things to show you! And I'm sure you have many questions to ask of me!" He held out his hand expectantly as he spoke with a small encouraging smile on his lips.

Any fatigue that Wendy had had evaporated instantly at the thought of seeing her teacher's home and talking with him face to face (or as much as she could since he wore a mask) and she eagerly took his hand and stepped through her mirror, allowing him to lead her to wherever it was that he made his home.

Author's Note: Oh, snap! Cliffy! Ha ha, I'm so mean! I will update as quickly as I can but the next chapter will be much longer (hopefully it all depends on what I want to include or not) but in the meantime please review! They make me so happy!