11.

Once, while at the zoo with her family, Wendy witnessed a snake being fed a small, white mouse. Mother gagged, and then gripped Michael's hand to tug him towards the monkeys. John seemed amused, staring as the poor mouse was dangled over the snake's awaiting mouth. Father cleared his throat, saying that, "maybe it is time to go". Wendy wanted nothing more than to leave, but even afterwards she couldn't shake the image from her mind. So when she fell into the snake pit after being pushed by Jonas, she immediately thought of herself as a white mouse.

She lifted her face to meet the beady, dead eyes of a snake. Wendy screamed, backing up to the far wall of the pit. There must have been at least five snakes in there, all of which staring directly at her. One stretched its mouth open, flashing its fangs at Wendy. Her stomach churned as the image of the snakes at the zoo returned.

"Please!" she yelled, lifting her face up to the grate, which she knew Scar had made Jonas lock shut. "I don't know anything!"

There was dark laughter from above, and then Scar hissed, "I don't believe you, petite fille."

Wendy looked back to the snakes, which her approaching her with terrifying slowness. "Oh God...please! Help me!"

Sitting there, waiting for whatever was going to happen next, Wendy began mentally listing all the regrets she had. She regretted not saying, 'I love you' to her family before going to bed the night she left for Never Land. She regretted not trying horse-back riding, like her mother tried to get her to when she was ten. She regretted all the times Michael wanted her to play with him and she'd lie, making up some sort of excuse about homework. Most of all, though, Wendy Darling regretted all the time she could have spent with Peter Pan, while instead she left to go fetch the Lost Boys.

Foot steps shook the ceiling above her, dust dropping from the ancient floorboards. A face appeared in the gate to the pit, a face Wendy recognized as Jonas, the silver-eyed pirate. She gave him a questioning look, but it fell to disbelief when he unlocked the gate, lifting it up and dropping a ladder. "Come on!" he urged, glancing over his shoulder. "Hurry before Captain Scar comes back!"

"Where is he?" Wendy questioned, but hurried to get her feet up on the ladder before the snakes could get any closer.

Jonas continued looking behind him, as if Scar would appear at any moment. "He's plotting in the chambers with the other Pirates." Returning his gaze to Wendy, he rolled his silver eyes and scowled. "Pick up the pace, little girl! Or else we're both going to be right back in this damn pit!" even though she was terribly annoyed with him calling her 'little girl', Wendy obeyed, climbing up the ladder without looking back at the snakes.

When she reached the top, Jonas grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. "Okay, here's your stupid fairy." He thrusted a small pouch at her, and when Wendy took it, she could feel something moving beneath the fabric. "Get out of here before Scar notices I've let you go."

"One question." Wendy looked at him, seeing the silver-eyed man differently. "Why are you doing this?"

Jonas fell silent, staring at her. And then he spoke. "Honestly, I have no idea. Better go before I change my mind."

He didn't have to tell her twice; clutching the pouch, Wendy ran towards the ramp, running down it and onto the docks before letting out the breath she'd been holding. Once hidden behind the same barrels she and Peter had hid behind, she loosened the draw strings of the pouch. Tinker Bell flew out of it, her tiny face scrunched up with fury. She looked at Wendy, and it softened into a relieved look.

"Let's get out of here." Wendy whispered, and Tink nodded, agreeing. "I may need some dust, though."

Tinker Bell understood, and flew to hover above Wendy's open hand. She shook her wings slightly, the tiny movement sending a rain of dust into her palm. Once Wendy thought she had a good enough amount, she sprinkled it over her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Peter Pan, Peter Pan, Peter Pan... then, she was flying.

They were swarmed when they entered the hideaway. Peter first examined Tinker Bell thoroughly, making sure she hadn't ingested the potion to turn her against him. When he was sure she was fine, Peter turned to Wendy and without warning, opened his arms. She ran into them gratefully, pressing her face against his shoulder and pretending she'd never left. "I can't believe Jonas let you go." Peter murmured, shaking his head. "I've always considered him as terrible as Scar."

"It was odd." Wendy agreed. "But I really don't care as long as I'm free."

They both turned when the doors to the hideaway opened, and Tiger Lily appeared. She ran right past Peter and Wendy to meet with the Lost Boys, bending over the map and plotting the battle routes. Wendy looked at Peter, who shrugged, as if to say he didn't know what was up with her either. And then, he took her hand, leading her away from the crowd and into the back room where his hammock was. They were totally alone. Like before, Wendy felt electricity surge through her body at his touch, which lingered on her hands.

"You sure you're okay?" Peter asked.

Wendy shuddered. "Yes; the snakes never got the chance the bite me."

"Good." He looked relieved. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Peter glanced at Wendy's hands. "They handcuffed you this time?" remembering, Wendy felt her heart sink.

"Ugh, yeah. Metal is a lot harder to escape from than rope, I suppose."

"you escaped anyway." Peter pointed out.

"But I'm still handcuffed."

"I'll deal with that in a second. Right now though..." Peter trailed off, lifting her handcuffs and resting them around his neck. Then, he bowed his head to kiss her. Just as Wendy began twirled her fingers in his hair on his neck, footsteps approached them, and stopped instantly; she didn't have to look, though, to see who it was. Peter broke away from the kiss and gasped, apparently unaware.

"Tiger Lily! This..." he didn't even know what to say.

Wendy sneaked a peak at Tiger, seeing her hurt face staring wide-eyed at Peter. None of them spoke. And then, Tiger Lily fled, running back to where the Lost Boys were. As soon as she was gone, Peter sighed loudly. "I should have told her myself. She should have had to find out like this. Oh God, she's going to be devastated...!"

Holding up her hand, Wendy murmured, "Don't worry; this is a girl thing. I'll go talk to her."

Tiger Lily wasn't in the hideaway; Wendy found her sitting against the trunk of it outside, her face in her hands as she sobbed. Hesitantly, Wendy said, "Um, Tiger Lily? Peter told me to talk to you, and I just wanted to say that he was going to tell you. He just never got the chance. What with the battle, me being kidnapped-"

"Can I say something?" Tiger Lily suddenly said, interrupting Wendy sharply.

She stared at her, unsure. "Okay...?"

Tiger stared at her hands, trying to compose herself enough to speak. When she did speak, it was hesitant and soft. "I know you think I like Peter." The words made Wendy want to snort; it didn't matter how much Tiger liked Peter, because he liked Wendy. She stayed silent all the same, allowing Tiger to continue. "But I don't. I mean, once I really liked him. I actually thought I'd marry him some day." She fell silent, and Wendy was confused.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked.

Tiger Lily gave her a sad smile. "When I saw the way he looks at you. At first, I didn't notice, because I was thinking he was looking at me. When I stopped to, though, I saw it. He looks at you like you're the sun, the stars...his everything." Giving her a sad smile, Tiger Lily shook her head. "To Peter, I'll always be the girl he skipped rocks with, the girl he climbed trees with, and the girl he told his secrets to. But you, Wendy; you're his life. I never really noticed before, but you are the one person in this world that can give him something I can't; love." She sighed tiredly. "I'm his friend, and I always will be. But there's something between us, stopping me from loving him truly. And I know now that it is because he's not meant to be with me. He's meant to be with you."

"And you aren't angry?" Wendy asked, choosing her words carefully.

Tiger Lily laughed once, without humour. "I was. But then I realised that maybe this is what the spirits want for me. My ancestors work in mysterious ways you know. A broken heart brings us one step closer to happiness, right?" Tiger Lily shrugged. "I'm getting there, one break at a time."

As Wendy digested her words thoughtfully, all the hate she'd ever felt towards her dissolved slowly into something more along the lines of appreciation, almost admiration. She knew she would never be able to accept something like that, and it must have taken a lot of self-power to be able to do that. There was a lot more to Tiger Lily than what Wendy knew, and she was only just beginning to appreciate it. "Thank you," she said quietly, "for understanding."

Tiger merely smiled. "As long as Peter's happy, I'm happy."