Author's Note: Chapter's a little boring, meaning no sex yet — Sorry folks! But like all good fics, you gotta have a storyline. Thanks for the reviews. And Jess you can tickle me all you want. ::evil grin:: (J/K) Read the story.

I flew down into the lush trees of Neverland's vast forest. My eyes rested on a small, lonely figure huddled behind a large boulder. It was a small boy as Tink had said; his hands wrapped protectively around a grungy teddy bear. He reminded me a lot of Michael, Wendy's youngest brother, with his disheveled golden hair. Then again, Michael never drew his knees up into a fetal position, never looked so damn vulnerable.

I darted down towards the boy and landed none too quietly beside him. He looked up then, startled, and as quick as a rabbit being hunted by a fox, he scampered away from me.

I reached out one long arm and caught him by the collar. He thrashed and squirmed as though he could get away. I smiled.

"Well now," I said. "Who might a little Indian brave like you be?"

The boy suddenly stopped thrashing. He squinted in the bright sunlight peeking through the forest trees and stared up at me. His eyes were a strange mix of green and brown, one color layered on top of the other to give his eyes a kind of starburst effect. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his hair wasn't actually golden, but more light brown, like cream in tea. His eyes made a slow progression down my body until they settled over the sharp dagger strapped to my hip. His eyes shot up with sheer terror.

"Y-Y-You're not going to . . . " He swallowed hard. "You're not going to rip out my heart and eat it, are you?"

I frowned. "No. Why would I do that?" This boy certainly has a vivid imagination.

His eyes became even more terrified. "You're going to rape me!" His small hands circled my wrist and tried to pry my fingers off his collar. I stood frozen and utterly dumbfounded.

"Rape you?" I shook my head in disbelief. The scenarios the little tike comes up with. "Why in God's name would I rape you?"

He kept struggling to free himself from my hold with no success. "Because—" He finally stopped and crossed both arms over his chest. "Because you're just like the crazy boys in the book Lenna read to me."

"What crazy boys? Who's Lenna?"

"The crazy boys from Lord of the Flies. They started killing each other, eating body parts, and I think they would've ended up raping each other just like Lenna says. Oh yeah, Lenna's my sister and she's super smart." He hugged his teddy bear. His words were so at odds with that tender gesture.

"Does your sister tell you stories?" I asked.

A bright smile spread across his fair face. "Lots of stories!" he proudly exclaimed. "But Lenna doesn't read me any of those mushy happily-ever-after stories. She thinks they're too super. . .superfi-ci-al and lack depth—whatever that means. And so do I. I think mushy stories are boring." An idea struck him and his smile grew even brighter. "You wanna know what's my favorite story?" I nodded slowly. "It's Animal Farm by George Orwell. Lenna says the book reflects the rise of the pro. . .prole. . .pro-le-ta-ri-at against the boog. . .booog—"

"Bourgeoisie?" I supplied.

"Exactly!" he shouted happily. "Hey, did you read the book too?"

"No, but I have come across a few writings by Marx." I released my hold on the boy's collar. "What's your name?"

He shook his head back and forth. "Nuh-uh. No way. Dani told me to never give my name away to strangers."

"Who's Dani?"

"She's my other sister. She and Lenna are twins. Cool huh?"

"I suppose so," I said warily. "How about this: If I tell you my name, will you then tell me yours?"

He tilted his head to the side as though considering my proposal. "I guess it's all right. Sounds fair." He looked at me expectantly.

"I am Peter Pan." When that sprouted no reaction from him, I elaborated. "The boy who never grew up?" He shook his head. "Pixie dust? Neverland? Flying?" Nothing rang a bell. "You've never heard of me?"

"Nope, sorry. But your name's kinda cool." Another idea struck him. Joy. "Hey, did ya know that the initials of your name are P.P. Ha ha, pee-pee!" He laughed wildly on the floor, clutching his mossy bear. I waited until the worst of the laughter passed.

"Yes, I'm sure that's very amusing." He giggled every now and then and sat his bottom on the grass-covered ground. "Now do you mind telling my what your name is?"

He wiped at his eyes. "Justinian Bromvosky," he blurted between giggles. "But everyone calls me Justin." He smiled up at me.

I inclined my head towards him. "Nice to meet you, Justin." I extended my hand out in greeting. He shook it up and down several times until my arm ached and I had to pry my fingers away from his grasp. "So Justin," I rubbed my hand, praying for some semblance of feeling to return. "How did you get so far away from home?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. I just remember sleeping in my cradle, and the next minute I woke up here." He took in his surroundings for the first time. "Wow, this place is awesome! You live here?"

I nodded. "You're in Neverland." Out of a nearby bush, Tinkerbell circled Justin and fanned her wings a few times in front of his curious face. She then circled me, leaving a small trail of golden dust to decorate the grass, and seated herself comfortably on my left shoulder.

"What's that?"

"That, or rather, she is a fairy." I nudged my shoulder for her to stand. "Justin, I'd like you to meet Tinkerbell." Tink did a graceful curtsy and resumed her seated position on my shoulder.

"A real fairy." Justin said in awe, then stepped away. "But Lenna says there's no such things as fairies."

I quickly covered Tink's ears with my thumb and forefinger, hoping she didn't catch that little comment.

"Oh fairies do exist, Justin," I assured him. I raised my hand before he could continue with his next flow of words. "And don't ever say that you don't believe in fairies. Every time someone says 'I do not believe in fairies,' a fairy somewhere falls down dead."

He paused for a moment. "Then Lenna must've killed a gazillion fairies."

My legs gave way and I fell onto the grass.

Justin peered down at me, a frown creasing his smooth forehead. "You all right, Peter?"

"Fine." I nodded and shook myself until I floated upright.

"Holy cucumbers! You can fly?"

"Yes," I stated matter-of-factly. A peculiar thought occurred to me. "Justin, where do you live?"

"San Francisco, California. Right in the middle of Ingleside," he blurted out proudly, then seemed to regret his quick answer. "Just don't tell my sisters I said that." He motioned for me to bend closer and whispered in a conspirator's tone, "I'm not supposed to tell people where I live."

"Don't worry Justin. I won't tell them." I stood and regarded him curiously. "What would you say if I told you I could teach you how to fly?"

His peculiar eyes light up, radiating pigments of autumn. "You really mean that?"

"Of course." I rested both hands on my waist. "And I'll do you one better. I'll even guide you home." Besides, I had a bizarre desire to meet this Lenna.

"This is beyond cool!" His smile revealed incredibly white teeth and sheer joy. "What do I hafta do?" he asked impatiently.

"First, I sprinkle fairy dust on you." I motioned for Tink to do the honors. "Then you just think of happy, wonderful thoughts and you fly—like this." I demonstrated, circling him once, twice, then landing on a nearby boulder. "Try it."

He clenched his little fingers into tight fists, scrunched his shoulders until he looked like an upright ball, and shut his eyes in anticipation. As his pale brows furrowed in concentration, Justin's short legs departed a good three feet from the ground until his head was nearly at the same level as my own. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped, his lips forming a soft "wow." Drifting to and fro, he made a quick surveillance of his surroundings. His green-brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

"How do you feel, Justin?" I floated a little after him to make sure he didn't drift too high.

"This is freaking awesome!" was his reply. "Lenna and Dani would never believe me. Woo-hoo!" He dipped and swerved around a large Never oak, awkwardly gliding higher toward the jagged branches. I touched his shoulder and subtly guided him back down. I had a feeling Lenna and Dani would not be so welcoming if I returned their brother in multiple pieces.

"Ready to go home?" I asked. Justin nodded his head absently. His mind still seemed to be wandering over the sights around him.

I took hold of his small hand and led him into the open clearing above the forest. Tink suddenly appeared by my shoulder.

I stopped abruptly and turned towards her.

"Tink, I need you to stay here." A ringing protest of bells. "You know why. Should something go wrong, I need someone to inform me immediately." She crossed tiny, slender arms over her stomach. "I need you to watch over Neverland while I am away." She turned away from me, huffing. I gently brought her back around and tilted her chin up. "I promise I won't be gone for long. Please Tink, do this for me."

She sighed, resignation clear in her vivid green eyes, and nodded. I laid a chaste kiss on her little blonde head.

"Don't worry, Tinkerbell. I'll be back before you know it."

I clasped Justin's hand once again and, insuring myself all was clear, sprinted towards the cerulean sky.