::::::::I'm back already people, no need to go to a therapist, your not hallucinating. I'm getting really caught up in this story, as I hope you all are. I constantly think about it at school and such. I'm very proud of this story for two reasons: one, my readers like it so much, and two, this story really shows how much I've grown as a writer. I was reading the whole thing over the other day and I realized that I wasn't a very good writer in the earlier chapters compared to where I am now. So, I suppose this is my learning story or something. Well, now that I have all that sentimental stuff off my chest, on with the next chapter!

Chapter Twenty Two

The clouds that drifted around them seemed to be to solid to be real. A lovely pink glow illuminated them as the sun slowly rose over the distant horizon of arching hills and mountains. Even from the sky, the trio could see the island opening up. Greenery flared to life and the chilled winds calmed and were replaced by the usual pleasing spring temperature.

Alex came to a halt in the sky and looked down at her home searching for any change that might have taken place while she was off rescuing Peter Pan. So far she hadn't spotted anything, but she was quite a ways up and this was only one side of the island. Oh, she could just feel the suspense.

"What's happening?" Peter asked softly coming up beside the girl. His head was tilted down watching Neverland unfold its beauty below them.

"It's waking up."

"Waking up?" he asked with a quirked brow.

"For you. Your back, and it's waking up for you." she answered and turned her eyes toward him. The only thing that showed that he heard what she said was the small smile that spread on his face. The island was opening up for him? All this just for him? Hmm, maybe being this Pan character wouldn't be that bad.

"Come on," Alex pulled at the sleeve of his sweater, "we gotta go find the Lost Boys and the girls." without any more explanation, she took off down toward the island followed by Tinkerbell who paused for a moment to gesture to Peter with a smile. Slowly and cautiously the Pan followed behind the two females still a bit unsteady. According to those two, Wendy, Jane, and the book, this was suppose to be his home. The place where he spent countless summers fighting pirates, swimming with mermaids, and dancing with Indians. But no matter how much he strained, Peter couldn't remember one event that went on. Sure he had small dreams about different people and voices, but never about the adventures he was supposed to have had.

Sighing to himself, the former protector of Neverland floated along the wind down toward the island. As he got closer, he could make out the form of Alex standing stationary in the sky, looking over at the now more visible land. Swinging his arms about in an attempt to stop, he collided with the ex pirate and grabbed onto her arm so he wouldn't continue on his unwanted uncontrolled flying adventure. Shaking his head, he looked over at Alex and then noticed Tink right beside her. Both of their faces were glued to the island with a similar expression. An expression that held both rage, failure, and sadness.

Below, smoke circled a bare area of the island that contained what seemed to be debris of some kind. Along the shore, stumps of trees covered the ground where lush trees used to stand, and the remains of fires were dotted here and there among the still intact fauna. The crystal waters framing the spot of land were littered with old rum bottles, rotten food, and dead fish. The cove off to the side that served as a home for some of the more popular sea life of the island was filled with rocks, so many in fact that only a small amount of water could leak in and fill the gaps. The lovely formations that protruded from the water which served as a sitting place for Peter and Alex all those nights ago were destroyed, leaving only a few jagged peaks in the water.

Alex shut her eyes and clenched her jaw in an attempt to keep herself from screaming out profanities. In her head she cursed herself for thinking that Hook would just sit and wait until they returned. She should have known that she needed to get Peter back as soon as possible, and to not go taking Neverlands sweet time to get him to remember back there. Opening her eyes, which were now set in a venomous glare, she sped off toward the ruins of the Indian camp.

Landing on the burnt, blackened ground, the girl looked around at the torn remains of teepees, and the broken up totem pole that was scattered all over the ground. The dirt ground gave small crunching sounds under her bare feet as she moved slowly across the barren patch of land. Nobody gave out a battle cry at the sight of a pirate, Tiger Lily didn't run up with a knife and try to kill her, and the chief didn't order her to be burned alive. None of these things happened because there was no one around to do them.

The whole camp had been deserted. No one was around trying to rebuild anything or planning an attack on the pirates that surely did this. The only sign of life was a few insects crawling along the ground. Behind her, Alex could hear Peter landing awkwardly on the ground, and Tinkerbell fluttering up beside him. Turning stiffly back toward them, the girl inhaled deeply.

"We have to find everyone, now."

"Ah, Smee! Can you feel that?"

"Um, feel what Cap'n?" the small voice replied.

"Victory, Smee, victory!" the black haired man exclaimed and swung his arms out in emphasis. "I've finally done it! Pan is gone, those Lost Boys are useless without him, and that retched girl is off searching for her precious Peter. This island is mine, and no one is around to change that!"

"B-But sir, what if Alex does find Pan?" Smee asked wringing his hands out in front of him.

"Bah! Even if she does find him, he won't remember who he is, or what he is. All she is accomplishing while looking for him is leaving this island alone, and helpless. And my dear Smee, I am an opportunist." the Captain replied and sat down in his chair behind his desk. Scattered across the top of the piece of furniture were various pieces of jewelry that once belonged to the Indian tribe. Gold, silver, and even some precious stones were formed into lovely trinkets that Hook just found irresistible.

In the days that Alex and the fairy had been gone, the Captain had run a muck on the island of Neverland. Finally free to do whatever he pleased, Hook took no prisoners. His first hit was the Natives. Burning their homes, destroying their weapons, and leaving them deserted was something the man wanted to do for quite some time. The next target was the Mermaid Lagoon. After crumbling those sea rocks in days past, he ordered the crew to turn that spot of water into a gravel pit. And so it was done. Trees were chopped for repairs for the Jolly Roger and trash was done away with in the sea.

Oh, a life without Pan was working out splendidly for the Captain. Though he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that he should have been more careful in hiding Peter. If Alex ever DID find him, there was always the possibility of…No, the Indians were always sure to make fault proof potions, so one girl couldn't possibly reverse the memory loss. Could she?

However, Hook had no time to ponder this further. Out on the deck, he could hear the crew shouting and then someone pounding at his office door. Gesturing to Smee to open the door, the Captain stood with his hands on his desk and let out a sigh.

"Cap'n! We got a problem!" the crew member announced as he raced through the now open door.

"What is it, Mullins?" Hook droned.

"Its Pan! Pan and tha' girl! We spotted 'em flyin'!"

"What!" the man screamed and stepped back so quickly that his chair clattered to the floor. "That's impossible! Where were they?"

"Over the savages ol' camp, sir, last we saw. Tha' pixie was with 'em too, and Pan looked mighty unsteady up there in the sky, sir."

"Unsteady you say?" the Captain raised a hand to his chin in thought then grinned. "I do believe we have nothing to fear of Peters return. If he has troubles flying, then he will have troubles fighting as well." Hook said logically.

"But, sir! With the girl back, won't the Lost Boys rise up against us?" the lesser pirate asked nervously. Opening his mouth to reply, Hook stopped and thought to himself. If Peter was so fond of the girl, then the boys might be as well. If Peter lost his memory, Alex would want revenge. If she wanted revenge, she would want to attack him. If she wanted to attack him, then the Lost Boys would follow right along side her. This could be a problem.

"Peter!" a loud cry rang out over the tree tops. Children rushed toward the newly landed Alex and Peter in a wave of hysterical happiness. Peter instantly took refuge behind the girl and clung to her shirt, looking over her with wide eyes. At this new development the kids froze and all stared up with the same wide eyes the confused one had. He should be happy to see them, not scared. This was Peter…wasn't it?

"Um, everyone…" Alex started then pulled Peter from behind her. "You remember Peter. Peter, this is Claire, Jenni, Sara, Honey, Nibs, Toodles, the Twins, and Cubby." she introduced while pointing out each one. They all just stared at one another for a few moments. The children with confused looks, and Peter with a look that was a mix of confusion and frightened. Alex swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. She had been dreading the moment they would all meet again, but she figured that Karry would break the ice. Wait…Karry, Slightly?

"Where's Karry and Slighty?" this question only earned her a shrug and no change of expression from the younger kids. Rolling her eyes, Alex pushed her way through the still staring group and over towards the still standing hideout. Of all things on the island, she thought Hook would burn it to the ground first. Shrugging it off, she slid down the entrance and into the main room of the tree.

"Ya think Alex and Tink will find Peter?" a voice echoed through the chamber. Stopping mid step, the girl crept around the corner to the bear skin door of Peters old room.

"Yeah. I know she will." replied a female voice that Alex instantly recognized as Karry. With a smirk slowly growing on her tired face, she peered in through the small space between the wall and the animal pelt.

The two were sitting side by side on the old hammock that was swinging back and forth. She could barely make it out, but between them their hands were firmly clasped together. Karry's head was hung a bit and her long hair covered her face from the older girl, but seeing the look on Slightly, he could clearly see her face. A goofy smile filled his face when Karry rested up against his shoulder with a exasperated sigh. The image of the two made Alex's smirk grow wider.

"I can't believe you left me with them!" Peters voice suddenly broke the peaceful silence as he stumbled down the entrance and over to the crouching girl. Alex grumbled and stood, her cover now blown. Inside the room, she could hear the children rustling about, separating from each other. Leaning against the wall, Alex gave Peter an annoyed look.

"What? What'd I do?" he asked obliviously. As Karry and Slightly ran out of the room with beet red faces, they looked from the boy to the girl and back again.

"Peter, your back!" Slightly yelled and lunged. If it weren't for Alex standing it the way, the excited boy would have tackled his leader to the ground. Fortunately, he paused just in time to avoid Alex.

"What's wrong?" the Lost Boy asked backing away toward Karry, who had a look of understanding on her face. With a nod of Alex's head upward where the rest of the boys and girls were waiting, Karry nodded back and grabbed onto Slightlys arm pulling him toward the exit.

"Come on, I'll explain everything up there." with that, the girl dragged the still confused Slightly away leaving Alex and Peter alone. Plopping down on the unmade bed, the girl looked down at the book in her hands.

"You have any questions Peter?" she asked looking back up at him. Standing there with wide brown eyes, he looked more innocent then the Lost Boys. He shrugged and sat down on the bed next to her with a sigh. With his eyes averted away from her the Pan hand a hand over his arm.

"How did I get these scars?"

"Well…" Alex started and looked down at her scar infested legs. Taking in a deep breath, she told the tale from beginning to end. From when they met at the Mermaid Lagoon all the way up to the night on the rock. However, she was careful to leave out parts that would bring up questions about how she became a pirate or how she came to Neverland. Peter was confused already, he didn't need to feel guilty too. Between the story telling, Pan had stopped her a few times with questions about the Indians and Tiger Lily. He also had questions about the mermaids when Alex mentioned them. He just couldn't see why they acted that way around him. The girl had to laugh at that. Some things never changed.

"So…why were we on the rock?" Peter asked when the story ended.

"Uh, well…um…" she stuttered and bit her lower lip. "You took me flying that day. And we got tired so we stopped and sat on the rock for a while."

"We just sat on a rock? That's it? No talking?"

"No, no, we talked…" Alex wasn't sure what to do in this situation. It seemed kind of embarrassing to tell him about what he said to her that evening. But if it would help him remember then… "You asked me if I was gonna go back to Hook, and told me that if I wasn't I could stay, I mean we, could stay with you boys."

"And?" he urged on.

"And, I asked you if you wanted me to stay…and you said you did. You really did." she added looking straight ahead.

"I did?" Peter asked quietly, if not embarrassedly.

"Mm hmm." she nodded and tapped her fingers on the cover of the book that was still in her lap. Looking over at him from the corner of her eye, Alex nearly jumped a foot in the air when she found him in total violation of her personal space.

"Um, Peter…?" she mumbled toward his still too close face. Facing the other directing she gulped and closed her eyes trying to gather herself. Where was the shy little boy she brought back? Shaking her head a few times, Alex turned back around only to find him even closer then before.

"Peter?" she said again, this time a bit louder. She felt a blush rise up her neck, and spread over her cheeks. Blushing? She was blushing because of this 'Vincent' Peter Pan? If this was the REAL Peter, things might be different, but this was 'Vincent' Peter. Not Peter Peter. However, he seemed to think nothing about that as he grew closer and closer until Alex could feel his breath on her lips. Her gray eyes concentrated on his own lips which were dangerously close, and in that moment she saw the real Peter. Hoped it was the real Peter, and thought it was the real Peter. That is, until her gaze traveled up and locked on his plain brown eyes.

Plain brown. Not the sparkling honey gold that she had stared in so many times. This wasn't Peter. He may look like him, he may sound like him, but this wasn't Peter…not her Peter. As she watched his eyes slowly shut and his lips close in, she pushed him back and stood from the bed. With her back turned to him, she shut her eyes tight.

Coming back to Neverland, she had expected to face Hook, the pirates, and other potential dangers they may come across. But not this guilt soiled romance. If it was the real Peter, she would have let his lips meet hers. Her and Pan weren't really…you know, but getting comfy with this new Peter would be far to close to cheating for her taste. Between the old Peter and this new, less improved Peter, she would pick the arrogant over the dull every time.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…I knew you wouldn't…" the boy rambled behind her, tripping to his feet.

"No, no, its okay. Its not your fault." Alex half turned and shook her head. "Look, why don't you go upstairs and get to know the Lost Boys again. You're their leader. They need you." she gestured toward the door with a smile. Nodding his head quickly, Peter took off through the door like he was told.

Sighing heavily, Alex rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. Between getting Peters memory back, getting Hook and the rest of Neverland in line, figuring out her love life was not something she needed.

::::::::And there we have the 22nd chapter of the story. Come on, you all saw it coming. You knew 'Vincent' Peter wasn't the good little boy you thought. Hehe, well, I gotta get outta here and go watch Peter Pan again. So, whilst I do that, raise my spirits and…REVIEW!!!!