Chapter 10

Peter looked at Wendy he could see how sad she was at the thought of losing her mother, it was a pain that he himself had known all to well. As much as didn't want to admit it he didn't want Mary to die either, he actually liked her quite a bit, well for a mother anyway, she was the first mother to actually be what he often dreamed his mother would have been to him.

"I am sorry" Peter said in a rather heartfelt tone

Wendy looked at Peter and smiled, he actually did look genuinely sorry for her, she could never understand why Peter tried so hard to cover up his emotions, it was like there was something that he wanted to keep locked inside and he never wanted it come out. For Wendy Peter was not the only one who seemed this way, she felt the same way with Hook as well, that deep down there was a man of feeling in there and she also saw that deep down Peter Pan was a boy of feeling. Wendy could not understand what could be so terrible for a boy that he has to lock his feelings away like that, that he can't even open up to someone who loved him.

"Thank you" Wendy told him

Peter gave a quick smile but then did his best to take it back as he really didn't want to give Wendy and more importantly himself any reason not to go back to Neverland, should he even be invited back, though it was to late as Wendy had already seen it, though she decided it would be best to not make a point of it, like John said things have to happen little by little

"So why do you think someone would want to set my brother up?" Wendy asked

"I have no idea" Peter said as he started walking, he motioned for Wendy to follow him, "all I know is that the boy who got killed was a rich boy, he was placing bets here?"

"Why would a boy be wasting money on placing bets?" Wendy wondered aloud

"To make more money" Peter reasoned "lots of people, boys and men come here to make bets and make money"

"Have you placed any bets?" Wendy asked curiously

"No I just fight, but I can often get some of the winnings, it is how I feed myself since I can not just hunt here"

Wendy couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile, Peter always had to do everything the hard way, all she could think of was that there must have been some part of him that just enjoyed the challenge of it all.

"So why would someone here kill a rich boy especially if they valued his money?"

"Like I said Wendy, I do not know, all I know is that Nibs saw Boots and the rich boy fighting and when Nibs went to see what was going on someone hit him over the head, when he woke up there was a knife in his hand"

"Someone must have seen something" Wendy reasoned

"Lots of things happen in these alleys that no one sees and those who do, do not want to say anything, I suppose people are to afraid" Peter said showing off just how much of his new environment he had learned about

"And I suppose whoever it was wanted to frame Nibs in order to keep themselves from getting caught" Wendy added

Peter nodded in agreement

Wendy then started to wonder just how long Peter had been here and what happened in Neverland that he got banished from it, and what her own role in it might have been, though she herself suspected what it might have actually been.

"So you were just banished from Neverland?" Wendy asked

Peter didn't like the change of subject, it was not something that he wanted to talk about especially with Wendy since he felt that once she caught on to the reasons he was banished she would use it to try and catch him and make him a man.

"Well no I was not just banished, the fairy court just felt that I had changed is all"

"Change is not always a bad thing" Wendy said

"Well I happen to like myself just fine" Peter said though he knew that he was lying not only to Wendy but to himself as well, he had been wondering ever since she had left whether or not staying in Neverland was the right thing, and his emotions and desires were starting to shake the balance in Neverland, its way Peter was told that he had to leave.

For Peter leaving Neverland was very difficult for him, both Neverland and Kensington Gardens were the only homes he had ever truly had, the fairies and magical creatures were the only family that he had, the only ones he was ever really close to. He didn't think that he could trust humans or his human emotions especially when they had lead him so astray once before, and not just any emotion but the very emotion of love, every time he heard the word it bought up nothing but hurt feelings and bad memories, memories that even Neverland were unable to get rid of. Peter never understood how he did it or why he did it, how it was that he was able to remember his mother while everyone else forgot there's, if there was a riddle behind Peter Pan that was it, the fact that he remembered the very thing everyone else forgot.

Wendy could see that Peter was conflicted again, she tried to study him as much as she could hoping that maybe just maybe he would let something out. Wendy believed that whatever was going on with Peter there was more to it then never growing up, she often wondered what his relationship with his family might have been like, were they cruel to him, was he mistreated, is that way he ran away, did he think all adults were like that, did Peter even remember his family, all these questions and possibilities couldn't help but make Wendy feel just a little guilty about how things went when they initially parted ways.

"Sometimes we have to hear things we do not want to hear, especially if they are the truth, sometimes it is the only way we can better ourselves" Wendy thought to herself, not that it made the whole thing any better for her; she did not like to hurt anyone feelings especially someone she found herself caring so deeply for, she wished that Peter would just open up to her even if just a little.

Wendy then noticed the street clock, "oh dear" she thought "it is getting rather late" she then turned to Peter

"I have to be getting home Peter" Wendy told him "But can I possibly meet you tomorrow after school?"

Peter nodded his head and with that Wendy turned and headed for home, Peter stood and watched her leave, "what am I doing?" he thought to himself "am I really going to let her get to me again" as much as he tried to fight it he once again started to find himself falling prey to his emotions, "if only Solomon were here" he thought "he would know what to do, he always knew what to do" Peter then turned and walked in the opposite direction

Out of the darkness of the nearby alleyway Boots slowly came out, he had noticed Peter and Wendy from across the street and wondered what could a pretty girl like her be doing talking to a strange boy like him and it didn't look she was lost or getting directions. Not to mention that there was something about Peter that made Boots uneasy, he couldn't put his finger on it but Peter Pan felt like trouble, and he wanted to know as much about him as he could, Boots was always liked to be cautious that way, being raised on the streets it was how he learned to be.

While keeping to the shadows he had managed to hear Peter and Wendy's conversation, especially the parts about the boy that they had killed and the other one that they had framed. And the whole thing about Fairies and Neverland only made his head spin more, "who was this boy" he thought to himself and more importantly who was the girl and was this all going to lead to trouble. Boots then started to head back to the club, he decided that the best thing to do was to tell Mr. Weasel what was going on, they weren't going to let that rich kid try who decided to develop a conscious cause them trouble, there was no way he was going to let some strange kids who apparently believed in fairies cause them trouble either.

To Be Continued