Chapter Eleven
The Magician Reveals His Secrets

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, they are very encouraging! And, although I started this story without much knowledge on the victorian-era I knew an unmarried woman would not likely live by herself, but Wendy was never very conventional was she? Why would she be any different as an adult? Hope you all like chapter eleven!

"I want to go to Neverland."

Peter's face doesn't falter for a second, then he's in shock, "Ne-Never-What?"

"Neverland! Can't we go Peter?" I beg him. "Can't we leave this world forever and just live together in Neverland, just us?"

A look of struggle possesses his face and he looks pained, "Wendy, we can't-"

"Why not?" I'm panicked now. "Please, what do we have to live for here?"

"Wendy, we can't. Daniel- and your family-"

"NO! I hate Daniel, he was with another woman! Don't you understand that! My family is falling apart! Please Peter, take me to Neverland," I'm crying now, and he looks as if he's considering it.

Peter takes my hand in his and kisses it, "Wendy, we can't just-"

I yank my hands away from him and stand up, "Why are you doing this? Why are you so different! What is so different this time that you can't run away to Neverland with me?"

"Nothing's different-"

"No, Peter, you're different. You've changed."

Peter shakes his head, "No I haven't."

I'm about to respond, but Peter cuts me off.

"You want to go to Neverland?" he asks. "We'll go to Neverland."

He grabs my hand and pulls me right out of the house. I'm still soaking wet and coughing, but we don't stop. Before I can even realize it we're out of the nicer parts of London and into the slums.

"Peter, where are we going?"

He doesn't reply, only continues to pull me along roughly.

Finally, we reach a larger, nicer house, on the outskirts of the city. Peter doesn't go to the front door, he goes around the back and looks around into the yard. I'm not sure what he's looking for, but it's sending chills up and down my spine.

"All right," he says, pulling me closer to him and opening a side door. "He's not home, but I don't know when he could come back so we have to hurry or we'll never get a chance to do this again, ever."

"Peter, who-"

He shushes me and pulls me into the house. It feels as if no one's home, no sound emits itself from the dark rooms and all I can hear is the distant ticking of a clock. In a flash, we're going up a flight of stairs and down a pitch black hallway. He opens the door at the far end of the hall and we go inside the room.

It's dark and cold, there's no outline of anything, the moon's light isn't even cast into the area because the curtains are pulled tight and they are thick and shielding.

Peter marches into the room and throws open the curtains, immediately I see a bed, a table filled with papers and unknown objects, a fireplace, and a few chairs scattered around the room. Peter walks over to a wardrobe and thrusts open the door, from there he pulls out a small glass box which contains none other than Tinkerbell.

He taps on the glass until the fairy stirs awake and stands up, "Tink, do you think you can help take us to Neverland?"

She looks so tired and worn out but she nods.

"How do we get her out of there?" I ask.

Peter unscrews a bolt from the side and the whole thing falls apart, and Tinkerbell flutters into his hand.

With his other hand he takes mine and pulls me downstairs again, "We can't be here, we need to get away before he comes back."

"Before who comes back, Peter!"

"Before I come back?"

The voice is deep and it sends chills down my spine, it's familiar and eerie at the same time and it's dripping with menace. The worst part is, it's coming from the shadows of the hall in front of our gateway out.

"No..." Peter's scared voice trails off.

"Did you think you'd get away from me Peter? Just by taking the fairy and running? Oh no boy, we had a deal, and you're mine until my end of the bargain is fulfilled!" the man steps into the dim light of the moon and he looks so familiar.

"Who are-"

"You have you're little beau, Peter," he snarls. "Now you're going to wait until I kill Daniel Shaw when he's vulnerable so I can see this premonition come true!" he smirks. "I will get all the money in these banks."

It doesn't make sense. How could he- Wait! He's the man that I bumped into in the restaurant.

He looks at me and sees my puzzled expression, "Yes, pretty little thing didn't you know!" he comes very close to my face and I can smell something warm and foul on his breath. "I had Peter here break up your engagement so you're fiance would be wounded and upset and weak!"

I look at Peter with tears in my eyes, "That's not true Wendy, I didn't mean for that to happen-"

"Oh but it worked out for my benefit, didn't it!" the man shouts. "It was so easy to kill the old windbag- You're father," he says to me. "Just slipped a little something in his drink at the restaurant, no one even noticed. Of course, it took a little longer to work then I expected, but that's all right, it still worked!" his smile is maniacal and the tears are flowing freely from my eyes.

Peter's looking at the far wall, away from me, shame etched on his face.

"And now I'm going to kill Daniel Shaw."

"B-But why?" I ask.

The man pauses for a second and then says, "There will be these little missing pieces in all these banking staffs, someone has died, they'll be just somewhat distracted by it... That's when I come in, wriggle my way into the system and make sure something gets messed up, turned a wrong way, they'll focus on that as I go through my plan to embezzle as much money as I can from right under their noses."

A wet sob escapes me, I can't look at Peter, I can't believe he was working with this man to do all this, ruining my life completely in the process. They killed my father, they ruined my engagement, they're going to kill Daniel.

"I should never have trusted you," I spit the words at Peter.

"I didn't do this Wendy, I didn't know he would do all this! I thought he was just going to steal the money, I thought that wouldn't matter if we were togeth-"

"Don't talk to me," I sniff. "I hate you," I turn to the man. "And you? You're insane!" and I run from the house before either of them can chase after me.

I have to warn Daniel, I have to get him back, I have to- I have to stop thinking about Peter Pan and Neverland and things that just aren't real. I have to fall into my safe, normal, predictable life again.

Author's Note: And that's still not the end! Chapter twelve is coming soon!