Sorry for the long wait! I had most of this written right after I posted the first chapter, but I've only just been able to finish it and update the story. Hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot more quickly than this one. I plan to have this story finished soon. Thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate them.

Now read! I know you want to! ;} Enjoy!

Peter & Wendy

Chapter Two - What to Do About Wendy

By: June Goddess

Wendy sat in stunned silence. She had no idea how the 'kiss' could have turned up in the Kensington Gardens. All motion seemed to halt for a moment, but soon continued on, as it must. Bird song filled the trees and children's laughter rang out from the ground. But she heard nothing.

Noticing that an unknown amount of time had somehow passed unnoticed, she gathered her wits and stood. She proceeded to straighten her clothing and make minor adjustments to her hair, before sedately walking home in a dazed and bewildered frame of mind.

Upon her return home, she was greeted with warm kitchen smells and muffled bustling sounds. She ignored everything, however, and ascended the stairs to her room. She said hello in passing to the Darling family's dog, Nana, who had become quite advanced in age. She continued along before coming to her bedroom, where she sought refuge.

Being inside the familiar confines, however, did not improve her thinking facilities in the least. She spent her time wearing a hole in the carpet with her pacing. Her mind stumbled over possible explanations, but nothing was acceptable.

Lunch went rather smoothly. The boys related their day to Mr. and Mrs. Darling, and there were few arguments over who ate the last dinner roll or strawberry, etc. During lunch, Wendy was very silent and contributed nothing to the table conversation. Such an attitude worried her dear mother, though she did not inquire in regards to her daughter's mood.

After lunch, Wendy fell into a fit of brooding. The wonderful morning had dissipated and all that remained was a gloomy and overcast afternoon, which perfectly suited her mood. She was still agonizing over the matter of how the thimble had come to be in the Kensington Gardens. Her mind, unfortunately, refused to yield any reasonable explanation. So for the rest of the day, she passed her time by pacing, pulling at her hair, flopping onto chairs (in a lady-like manner, of course), and basically driving her mother mad.

Mrs. Darling, still worried by her daughter's behavior, checked frequently on the girl's activities. These check-ups only served to worry her more, since she knew Wendy was not inclined to such brooding intensity. After about two hours she approached Mr. Darling with her qualms.

"George, dear," she began fretfully, "I am beginning to become terribly worried about Wendy."

Mr. Darling looked up from his desk of papers. "Hmm? What's that, love?"

"Oh, George! Do pay attention!" she said irritably. She calmed down slightly. "I'm worried about Wendy."

"What's wrong with Wendy?" Mr. Darling asked in surprise.

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Mrs. Darling's voice had taken on a rather pitiful note of despair.

Her husband waved her concerns away with a negligent hand. "She seemed fine at lunch. Perhaps you're just seeing things, sweetheart." With that, he turned back to peruse his papers.

A look of near outrage passed over his 'sweetheart's' face, and she straightened as a soldier off to battle might. "Fine, you say? She came to the table late, barely ate two bites off the scant portions on her plate, didn't speak a word, and excused herself early!" she exclaimed, her voice rising steadily and her arms wildly gesticulating. "Yet you say she seemed fine?!"

Startled by his wife's fierceness, Mr. Darling could only stare dumbfounded at the normally sweet-tempered and gently woman he had married so many years ago. "I... I'm sorry, love," he whimpered meekly. This was the correct way of dealing with the tigress, for she appeared to deflate before his very eyes. Continuing in a stronger tone, he said, "Do you have any ideas to lift her spirits?"

She shook her head in despairing frustration as she turned away from her husband. "No. No, I cannot think of a single-" she broke off suddenly, and a smile of delight lit her face. "What about the masque!" She turned to face Mr. Darling. "George! The masque at the Farthington's is tomorrow evening. I just know Wendy would love to attend! She's been after me for months to allow her to accompany us to a party. Oh, dear, do you think we could take her with us?"

Under the force of Mrs. Darling's compelling misty-blue eyes, Mr. Darling could hardly say no. Instead he sighed resignedly, knowing they would have to send word to the Farthington's to make arrangements to fit Wendy in with everyone else. It would be such a hassle, but it was what his wife wanted, and Mr. Darling almost never went against her wishes. "Very well."

Mrs. Darling, a lovely and dignified lady, let loose a squeal of delight so high pitched the glass mantle piece above the study fireplace shook alarmingly. "Oh, I just can't wait to tell Wendy! She'll be so excited!" She fairly floated out of the study, making plans to herself. "We'll have to go shopping immediately for her dress today, of course. My, but that will be costly, since it's so last minute, and all. I do hope there is something she likes available..."

Mr. Darling's eyes and mouth became round and wide circles of horror. "Shopping! Oh no!"