Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan or any of J.M. Barrie's characters.

Peter's excited shouts interrupted Wendy's thought.

"Look! There it is Wendy! Can you see it?"

He brought them down almost to the ground. They were nearing a very tiny house settled on a grassy hill.

"Is that?" Wendy began tentatively.

"It's your house Wendy!" he answered proudly.

Peter set them down in front of the small dwelling. Wendy approached the window and peered inside. It was much like she remembered it, but it didn't have the look of being completely un-lived in for years either.

"My house…" She suddenly felt such a deep longing for a home that was her very own. She wanted it so badly. It was something she couldn't see any possibility of having back in London. But here it was, and it was her very own. A place she didn't have to answer to anyone else in…unless…

" Is it somebody else's house now?" She asked him

"Nope." He smiled.

"No lost boys?" She probed.

" No boys anymore, they're all gone, just like you were."

Wendy still doubted him, and continued with her questions.

"And Tinker Bell?"

"She's around, but not here. She never really liked this place."

"And you? Do you ever stay here?"

"Because if your visits to my house in London were as frequent as I'm starting to think they must have been…"

He smiled. Wendy thought he might be blushing, but it was hard to tell, he was looking at the ground now.

"Well, sometimes…it reminded me of you. When you were here with me." He looked up at her and she saw the dreamy look in his eyes.

" Of course, mostly I stay at my other place."

Wendy sighed. She really didn't want to hurt his feelings. She knew she had to let him know how she felt about him and his apparently stronger feelings toward her. She knew there would always be a part of her heart reserved for Peter Pan. The rest of her heart though…. sadly, she knew she couldn't give that to him. She knew her initial reactions tonight had told her so. She needed to let him know that she didn't think they had the same agenda. She didn't want to give him the sort of harsh treatment she had. doled out to some of her potential suitors. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Peter, if I stay here in this house-it's going to be completely alone."

Judging by the look on his face, this was already a contradiction of plans he had.

"What? But you used to be there when I-we all slept. You were there to comfort us. That was nice wasn't it?"

"At the time, yes, ,it was very nice."

"And now? Not now?"

"Peter, I hate to say it again ,but I'm older and-"

"You're not grown up!" He said angrily. Wendy remained calm.

"Peter, I'm seventeen years old. Tonight I fought with my father because I want to study at university this fall."

Wendy could see the confusion on Peter's face.

"School Peter. University is a school-" She stopped because now Peter was frowning.

"Well, Peter, my father didn't like it either. He would rather I find a husband and marry."

"Married? What are you talking about?"

"My parents want me to settle down and marry. They would like me to act like the lady they feel I should be by now."

Somehow just saying the words here made her feel a little defeated. It felt like her parents had followed her here with all their plans and expectations for her.

"Well if they say you're not acting like a lady then that means you're not one!"

"Okay Peter, yes, that's true-but it doesn't mean I'm a little girl either .I mean-I want to make my own choices. My future should be mine to decide on. You brought me here to be something else I don't want to be either-Oh this just can't be what I –this is just so-!" her voice was showing signs of her frustration.

She sat down on the grass abruptly, shaking her head. She put her face in her hands, unwilling to look at Peter any longer. His childish stubbornness combined with his not so childish affections was proving hard to handle with calm and restraint.

" But … but Wendy…I thought it would be fun to have you here. I really missed you taking care of me. That's what I wanted again…like before. Don't you want to take care of me?"

"No!" she stood up and found herself shouting at him."

"No, I don't want to spend my time taking care of you! Not you , or anyone else! Fun? That's what you thought might be fun for me? And I didn't think you were like all the others? You're the same! No, you might be worse-because you tricked me here. I know you did."

As she spoke she gestured wildly with her hands. She was reminded it was something her mother found very unbecoming. She began pacing back and forth before Peter. She was ranting.

"At least I know what they want when they come and size you up! Size you up based on-what? Charm? Beauty? Can you play the part of gracious hostess? Will you be quiet and good, and obedient? They're actually impressed by a lack of opinion. Just agree with theirs!" She turned and glared at Peter.

"And you-you saw what on all your visits? Rescued me." She let out a snort.

"You want me to' take care of you'-have I got that right?' She said with deliberate sarcasm and mockery.

Peter looked more that a little hesitant to answer her. But he did, and his voice was much colder than it had ever been.

"You took care of me before. You liked it. You-you wanted me to be a man and have me to take care of. I remembered that all this time. I did this all for you. Why else? You know I never wanted to grow up-I still refuse to be…"

She cut him off there. There was no way she was going to accept this line of defense from him.

"You never wanted to grow up, right Peter? Well guess what? I refuse, too! I'll see if it works as well for me as it did for you. You can't even see it's happening. And I'm not going to play Mother or Lady or Wife for anybody! I just want to be alone and do what I want to do! So don't expect anything from me-I AM NOT HERE FOR YOU!"

She pulled the door open to the house-

"My house" she reminded herself

She looked back at his devastated face.

"THIS IS MY HOUSE!" She screamed and then slammed the door behind her.