Chapter 14

Thank you so much for your responses to that last chapter, guys :D they made my day. Okay, here it is: drama ahead. Also, moderate/mild coarse language warning.

Everything will change

Nothing stays the same

And nobody here's perfect

Oh but everyone's to blame

-In My Veins, Andrew Belle

(shout-out again to Pallavi for creating an awesome CS playlist which happens to work very well with this!)

"There you are," he said, stepping out to greet her from behind a neighbouring tree. "Pan's been looking for you." She started a little at his sudden appearance- not that she should have been surprised by it. Felix had a habit of being around when she would rather he wasn't.

"Well, congratulations," she said dryly. "You've found me."

"So I have," Felix mused. "Well, Wendy, you've put me in rather the awkward position here."

"I don't see how I have," she said, straightening up.

"Oh? Allow me to explain," Felix said, with an unpleasantly gleeful tone. "You see, Tinkerbelle is no friend of Pan's- and therefore no friend to any of us. I thought this was made quite clear to you upon your arrival. Yet here you are, sneaking away from a cosy chat with none other than the devilish fairy herself." Wendy caught her breath. Apparently the Lost Boys had not been as unobservant as she'd thought. Not all of them, anyway.

Felix smiled at her- ever so coldly. "You see my predicament now? I'd really rather not have to tell Pan that you've been making friendship bracelets and daisy chains with the enemy- but here you have given me no choice."

This wasn't good. This really, really wasn't good. If Peter found out that she and Tinkerbelle were friends, there was no knowing what he would do- and he'd already proven he had no objections to tormenting Tinkerbelle. Wendy couldn't let him go after her again.

"Wrong," she said, thinking fast. "You do have a choice. You always do. But you're so used to serving Pan it's become second nature to you, hasn't it? Don't you ever get bored of doing everything he says?"

"Don't you ever get bored of making a mess wherever you go?" he retorted. Wendy flinched, taken aback by the loathing in his voice.

"Ouch. Well, seeing as we're being honest with each other," she folded her arms, "maybe you can tell me why you're constantly following me around like an obsessed puppy. It's really quite irritating. Obviously, I would understand if you were infatuated with me, but-" she said it derisively, but Felix pounced on it, nonetheless.

"Infatuated with you?" he said incredulously. "This was never about you. Nothing ever was, don't you see? You're nothing! Why doesn't everyone see that? Why doesn't he see it?"

Never about you.

But it was about somebody.

Why doesn't he see it?

Wendy tilted her head, surveying Felix's expression. He was angry- face red, chest rising and falling quickly, fingers curled in. He was too passionate. Too emotional for this not to be personal.

Wendy laughed softly, wondering why on earth she hadn't seen it before. There was something different about Felix, she'd known that from the beginning. Something that made him different from the other Lost Boys. Something that made him pale and anxious and angry and cold. Something that glued him to Pan's side, even when he wasn't ordered there.

"Good god," she whispered, a little sadly. "Is there anyone on this island whose life doesn't revolve around Peter Pan?"

He caught his breath just as he caught her meaning, a thin-lipped smile contorting his face.

"I have no idea what you mean," he hissed, recoiling from her like a frightened wild animal. But he did, and Wendy knew it.

"You hate me," Wendy said. "You've been out to get me since I arrived. Did you follow me to this tree? How long have you waited to find some excuse to point a blaming finger at me? And for what? So that Peter won't become more interested in our game than he will ever be in you?"

She heard the slap that landed on her cheek before she felt its impact- like the snap of a branch in the trees. Unprepared for its force, she stumbled, hands out in front of her to stop herself from falling. She winced at the stinging that warmed her cheek, but she pulled herself up, facing Felix so that he could see exactly what he had done. He even looked a little guilty- but not enough so that it vanquished his fury.

"Never," he gasped, "say anything like that again."

Wendy, for the first time in a long time, was speechless. She cupped her slapped cheek in the palm of her hand, mouth still open in shock, and she stared at Felix, not sure of where this left them.

It was with a sinking heart, then, that she realised they were no longer alone.

"What's going on here?" Peter demanded, taking in Wendy's frozen expression- her injured cheek, and Felix's shaking hand. He went to Wendy at once, removing her hand from her face, taking in the red mark that was rapidly blooming there. He let out an angry noise at the sight of it, and he placed an arm around her shoulder as he turned to Felix- a sign: that she was under his protection.

"Care to explain, Felix?"

Felix grimaced, eyes lingering on Peter's arm around her, and Wendy thought of what Tinkerbelle had told her not a moment ago. Suddenly, she felt hot and itchy under his arm. She shrugged it off her in irritation, refusing to look at him. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

"Yes," Felix cleared his throat. "I do. I have bad news, Pan. You see, Wendy here was just returning from meeting Tinkerbelle here. I have reason to believing she has been regularly conspiring with the fairy."

Wendy scoffed, practically seething with hot anger at Felix. Her heart was hammering as Peter turned to face her, eyeing her closely.

"What's this, Wendy?" he inquired. "Is there any truth in what Felix is saying?"

Wendy stared at him incredulously. As if she would tell him the truth! Yet he was looking at her as though he thought that she would. Even worse- like it wasn't true. Like Felix was lying to him- Felix, who looked at him like the god he thought he was. Felix, who had stood at his side for longer than Wendy could even guess.

"Pan," Felix spluttered, "of course she's not going to say it's true! She wants to save her own skin." She glared at Felix- even though, to be fair, he was completely correct.

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it," Peter said heatedly, "after you slapped her."

"Are you- are you seriously angry at me for that?" he said, eyes wide.

"I've told you before- whilst the bet is in order you are not to interfere," he said. "You know what happens when you disobey the order."

"Have I lied to you?" Felix whispered dejectedly. "Have I ever, Pan?"

Peter did not answer. "Leave us, Felix. Make yourself useful. I believe Nibs has got himself stuck in a tree not far from here. Seek him out."

"Pan-"

"Felix," Peter said with an air of finality. "Leave us." He wasn't looking at him as he spoke- but Wendy was. As much as she hated Felix in that moment, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for him at the forlorn look on his face- as though it was he who had taken a slap to the face, and not her. His hood fell to cover his features as he walked away- tripping as he went, as clumsy as Wendy had ever seen him, each step heavy and without direction.

Broken-hearted.

Yes, that was the word. She watched him go with blank eyes until she could no longer even hear his footsteps; just the slow, steady breathing of the boy who stood beside her still.

"Wendy." His voice was too kind for comfort.

"Why?" she said thickly. "Why did you send him away like that? Don't you believe him?"

"I don't understand," he said with a furrowed brow. "I expected you'd be pleased that I sent him away." There it was again; that tone of voice, that well-meaning question. It made Wendy shiver.

"Why does it matter if I'd be pleased or not?" she said. "I am on this island to be tormented- that's your job, isn't it? That's what you've been trying to do, every day since I got here!"

"Torment? Such a strong word," Peter said, and she shook her head vehemently.

"Nevertheless, that is exactly what you are trying to do to me," she said wildly. "Don't tell me I'm wrong." Please don't. Absent-mindedly, she wondered if Tinkerbelle was still here somewhere, listening. She hoped she was. Maybe then she would have the good sense to return to Hook's protection for a while- at least until they knew for certain that Peter was not going to go after her.

"As you wish," Peter bowed his head. He was probably just trying to be diplomatic. He probably didn't even mean it kindly. But Wendy was shaken from her conversation with Tinkerbelle, and, as strange and illogical as it was, every second that she was with him that he was not trying to hurt her in some way was making her incredibly on edge.

"No, not 'as you wish' anything! Don't- ugh. What's the matter with you?" she said, pulling her hair in frustration. He blinked at her, surprised.

"Me? What's the matter with you? You ought to be grateful I'm not taking Felix's accusations against you more seriously."

"Oughtn't I?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter narrowed his eyes. "Was Felix telling the truth?"

"If he was, do you really think I would tell you?" she cried.

"If you know what's good for you," his voice was low, "you would."

Wendy threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "Alright, then. I'll tell you. Just as soon as you tell me why you sent Benjamin away."

"You've got to be joking," he said darkly. He didn't elaborate; and Wendy couldn't help but feel relieved for it. She didn't want to hear the answer- unless that answer was 'because I felt like it'. And that, she knew, made her a terrible person indeed.

"Where's Rufio?" she said, trying to regain her composure.

"I expect he's down by the sea at the minute," he replied- apparently attempting to do the same.

Wendy nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Pan." He did not correct her. Although there was much more than he wanted to shout at her- and much more that she longed to scream back, neither of them said anything else, allowing Wendy to slip peacefully down to the seaside, where, sure enough, Rufio was, running manically into the water with his spear waving in the air.

Wendy exhaled at the sight of him there. He, she knew, would not have run to Peter, had he been to one to spy her talking to Tinkerbelle. He was her friend- and that made a grand total of two. At the sight of her, he grinned, waving his free hand at her and beckoning her into the waves.

And she smiled. That was the thing about friends. However dreadful and confused one feels, one cannot help but smile in the presence of a good friend.

Of course, if Wendy had known then what the true consequences of the messy confrontation between herself, Peter, and Felix were to be, not even Rufio could have brought a smile to her face.

"Tink," Wendy hissed, unable to keep the nerves from her voice as she wandered through Neverland, looking up, down, around- all in vain. "Tinkerbelle." It was very dark on the island- so much so that even Rufio had found it impossible to stay awake any longer. The Lost Boys had all retreated- to the soft branches of trees, to hammocks, to the solid ground- each snoring with open mouths. Felix had been nowhere to be seen- but then, Wendy had not really expected him to be. Apparently, Peter had. When Wendy and Rufio grew bored of playing in the waves and returned to the site, he was already there- demanding to know where Felix had gone- completely oblivious that perhaps his sending Felix away earlier had left more of a scar on the Lost Boy than he'd intended. He had been staring at her since she returned- but he had not approached her. It seemed that even Peter Pan didn't know what to say at this time. So they had eaten in silence until at last, even he grew tired and left- leaving her to go- searching for Tinkerbelle. Seeing Peter at the site had calmed her a little, for it surely meant that he had not gone hunting for Tinkerbelle. But her mind would not truly be at ease until she found her friend.

So, when she heard, at last, her own name called out in response, she began to sigh in relief. Too soon. Indeed, Wendy was half-way through her sentence before she found Tinkerbelle and stopped in horror.

"Oh, thank god! Where have you been? Listen, I don't think Peter will be coming after you, but-"

But.

But it didn't matter. Because there she was- curled in on herself against the stump of an old tree, skin pale and laced with sweat, hands pressed uselessly over a shoulder seeping blood from a wound that, in itself, was small- yet the dark veins that seemed to stem from its centre spoke of upmost urgency. Wendy had never seen it before, but Peter had told her enough that she knew exactly what this was- what evil had taken hold of the girl in front of her.

"Dreamshade," she uttered the name under her breath. Suddenly, she felt very light-headed. Her legs gave out from beneath her, and she crumbled- hands scrambling uselessly to Tinkerbelle's arms. "Let- let me see."

"Wendy," Tinkerbelle said weakly. She tried to take Wendy's hands, but Wendy shook her head.

"No, don't- don't try to talk," her voice was very thick. She prised Tinkerbelle's hands away from the cut at her shoulder. It was thin but deep- obviously no accidental brush against a thorn. No, this had been a very deliberate act. Wendy felt bile rising in the back of her throat. Blood was all that she could smell.

How about that, she thought hazily. Fairies bleed, same us the rest of us.

"Shit, Tink," she said coarsely. Her lip was shaking badly. Her whole body was. It took her a moment to realise that it was because she crying. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him." She grit her teeth, fighting against the sobs that wrenched themselves from her body.

"Wendy," Tinkerbelle said again, a little more firmly. She was wheezing, every word a struggle- but there was no missing her resolve. "It's okay."

"Okay?" she laughed without any humour. "Unless you're about to tell me that there's some cure- that there's a way I can help you-"

"Wendy, he didn't do this for the sake of killing me," Tinkerbelle interrupted, speaking with great difficulty. "He wants me to… fly you out of here. Out of Neverland."

"What?" Wendy shook her head, disoriented. "Why would he-" she gasped. "So you were wrong. He does want me out of here. So much so that he couldn't even try to win the damn bet."

"No," Tinkerbelle coughed, leaning onto her side as she spat blood on the ground. Wendy winced, rubbing her back- for that was as much use as she could be right now, as much as she hated it. Tinkerbelle rolled back her, continuing her story with determination. "Not Pan. It was the other boy- the Lost One."

"Felix?" Wendy mumbled, and Tinkerbelle nodded confirmation.

"I don't know what happened to make him so angry. All I know is he showed up at the Jolly Roger- not long after we spoke, Wendy. He… he demanded that I come with him." She swallowed hard. "Hook said no- at first. He was even prepared to fight for me. But Felix said that if I refused him, Pan would have the mermaids kill the entire crew this night- myself included. That is was to be me alone, or all of us."

"Oh, no, Tink," Wendy breathed, hand clasped over her mouth as she listened.

"When he took me from the ship- that was when he… cut me with that poisoned thorn," she croaked. "Not to kill me- but as… as motivation. He told me to find you, Wendy. To fly you from Neverland." She reached around her neck, where a gold chain lay. Attached was a tiny glass bottle, filled with what looked to Wendy rather like green sand. "Pixie dust. Felix gave it to me. With the extra power, I'd be able to make the journey. If I do it, he'll give me a cure. If I don't- I. Well, I'll be killed."

"I'm so sorry, Tink," Wendy whispered. "This happened to you because of me." She held out her hands to her. "When you're ready," she said. "We'll go."

She may have been in terribly bad shape, but not so bad that she wasn't perfectly capable of fixing Wendy with a fiercely judgmental look.

"That's it? You're just going to give up? Go home?" she said. "Did you hear the same story I did?"

"I heard it," Wendy said tightly. "I heard everything. And I can't let you die for this stupid game, Tink- I won't."

Tinkerbelle shook her head. "No, no, you're missing it. Wendy- it doesn't make sense."

"None of it does!"

"Pan cares for you," Tinkerbelle continued, so factually that Wendy wanted to slap her, in spite of her weakened state. "It doesn't make sense that he would order you off the island."

"Peter doesn't make sense," Wendy said hastily. "He's insane. But you didn't see him earlier. He was mad at me, Tinkerbelle. And I've had enough of it. Not long ago you and I spoke of returning to my world together. You wanted me to go, anyway."

"You trust Felix?" Tinkerbelle tried instead. "Do you honestly think that he has access to a cure- never-mind that he would actually give it to me? There are no guarantees, Wendy. And I haven't forgotten what you said earlier."

"Well, I have, so you're going to have to remind me," Wendy said. Tinkerbelle had a point- there was no way of knowing that Felix would follow through with his promise. Somehow, that didn't make the situation any brighter.

"You told me that you hated that world, Wendy," Tinkerbelle said spiritedly. "That you would be alone there. If we're going to leave Neverland, I'm going with you- I won't leave you alone."

"Well, we've got a dilemma then," Wendy sniffed. "I won't leave you alone, either. And I won't let you die." Her mind was racing, frantically searching for answers- for any way out. She hesitated. "Tink- how long has Hook been on the island?"

"I- I don't quite know. A long while, I imagine."

Wendy nodded, hardly daring to have hope as she leapt to her feet feverishly, grabbing Tinkerbelle around the shoulders so that she too was standing.

"I'm going to take you somewhere safe," she told her, speaking very quickly, "alright? And then I'll go away. Get help. Maybe Hook will know of a cure."

"I- maybe," Tinkerbelle said. She didn't sound optimistic, but Wendy was too frantic to be put off by it. The Treasure Cave, she decided. It wasn't far from where they were- and it should be safe. Safer than Tinkerbelle had been lying on a tree stump, anyway.

"I'll be back," Wendy promised, once they'd arrived there and she had lain Tinkerbelle down across the largest, flat rock. The lights were all there, dancing across her poisoned skin- making it look not so bad after all. She took a deep breath, managing a fleeting smile. Tinkerbelle just closed her eyes, nodding- too drained now to do anything else. Wendy stood there a moment too long, nodding and smiling as tears streamed down her face. "Okay," she whispered, and she turned around, walking out of the cave. She shivered, and she didn't know if it was from the cold around her, or the cold feeling that was making itself at home inside of her. "Okay. Okay."

Everything will be okay.

It's rarely a good idea to let a lie comfort you. But sometimes, the alternative is worse.

#SaveTink :P.

Another dramatic-ish chapter next. Plus, Hook's back!

Do let me know what you think :) reviews are always appreciated!