Disclaimer:J.M. Barrie's characters are still not mine.

The long hike back to her own dwelling gave Wendy more time to think.

As if I need more time to contemplate life and all its lovely quirks…

She had thought it would be easier here. She had thought she would have been able to leave arguments behind. She didn't ever think she'd be fighting off unwanted kisses here. She had been kissed exactly once before. To Peter's credit, at least his had been fueled by emotion. Her first, a dry, tight-lipped peck that had been bestowed at the end of a particularly horrendous evening of male companionship could only been inspired by the memory of a particularly sour grapefruit the man must have been forced to eat at some low point in his life. The pompous git had the nerve to act like she should have been grateful for his generous gift to her.

I think Peter understands now…I really hope he does…

Wendy continued her trek through the forest. She was oblivious to the set of eyes watching her this time. Tinkerbell was far too quick, small, and agile to be noticed by the casual observer. She had noted the Captain's trips to visit Wendy-both those before and after he began speaking to her. He had been just as intrigued as she had guessed he might be-maybe more so. She hated to admit it but the young woman seemed even more beautiful today than the day she first returned. It was hard to imagine any male not being drawn to her. That woman-child oozed something she didn't even seem to know she possessed. She had watched sadly as Peter had thrown himself at Wendy. Tink thought she would have stopped him from…doing something that couldn't be reversed if Wendy hadn't seemed to be able to manage it herself…probably without hurting her too badly, even. She hoped he finally could see that Wendy wasn't pining over him the way she once had. He just wasn't her grand destiny…

But what will her destiny be? How long will she disrupt our lives? I want to yank out every last curl on her head…

But even Tink knew that would do no good.

She has her own magic, that one…

As Wendy came up over the hill, she saw James sitting on one her chairs in front of her house.

It must be later than I thought.

He immediately stood up as her saw her. She could see his smile, and then she watched it fade, as she got closer to him. He began walking briskly towards her.

"Wendy, are you all right? Did you fall?" he looked at her with concern.

"I-no, I'm okay."

"What happened? You're filthy. Your face…have you been crying? Wendy,what happened?' His voice had gotten very dark and serious.

Wendy looked down at her clothing; she saw the large dirty stains on her skirts. She put a hand to her face and felt the grime there. Most likely there were muddy looking trails down her cheeks from her tears.

"I-did fall. I fell down…" she couldn't look at him as she spoke

"Are you hurt?" he reached out for her hand, she winced as her touched her wrist.

"You are hurt. What are these marks from?"

Wendy looked at the slightly red marks circling her wrists. Then James turned her hands over. Her palms were scraped and dirty from the fall.

"Before I tell you I want you to make me a promise."

"No, I'll make no promise. Tell me what happened to you."

"I-I went to talk to him. He was very upset." Wendy looked up at James. His face was filling with fury. The look he gave frightened her.

"James, please, he thought I- thought I was in love with him!"

"What. Did. He. Do. To you?" the rage was definitely building.

"I stumbled-he wouldn't let me up and"

"What do you mean he wouldn't let you up?"

"He…he was over me and"

"His whole body?"

"I suppose," she paused, but knew it wasn't worth denying, "Yes."

"Did he do anything else?"

"Well, he…"

James yelled at her.

"What did he do?"

"I won't say if you yell at me!" she snapped back at him.

James softened his voice as much as he could. He spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, but he had no right, no right."

"He kissed me." She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the explosion.

"Kissed you?" his voice was tight, but there was no explosion.

"James, he thought I loved him as much as he loves me…he loves me…. He wants to have my love." She sighed, "He held my wrists. He let me fall. He- he kissed me. He is sorry. He's very sorry, and I don't think he would ever do something like it again. I told him I couldn't be what he wanted. I asked him not to fight you anymore."

"I suppose you were going to ask the same of me just now? The promise?"

"Yes."

"Just tell me you really are all right."

"I'll be fine."

"You're certain?"

"Yes James, I'm certain. I told him I needed to trust him again. I-I also told Peter that you were someone I believed I could trust. I asked him to give me the chance to test both."

James took a deep breath and exhaled it.

"I give you my promise that I will not harm Peter-unless he harms you. This is the promise I can give."

"I can accept that James."

"I'd like you to trust me."

Wendy thought of Peter, and his unwillingness to change. She thought about the fact that he had changed, but not entirely, and perhaps not consciously either.

"James, what made you decide to change?"

"You, Pan, the boys, even Smee. I stopped enjoying the way people behaved around me. I accepted the fact that the things I wanted would never be mine if I continued to be…a cruel man. And I know I was."

" I think that's very admirable. You still haven't told me what things you want though."

James considered telling her.

Maybe…maybe I could tell her…

"Well…Wendy, I saw the children with you, and with Smee, and I wanted what they gave-I mean to say, I wanted to be worthy of love like that. To be loved. To have a woman who loved me, children who loved me. To be a person who could allow himself to be loved. That's what I wanted… still want."

"Oh…"

She couldn't find words at first, she was so stunned by his confession. Did he have any idea what effect his words could be having? How could it be that all she wanted to say to him was 'I could love you. I want to love you.' The thought of loving him had not crossed her mind before…but somehow, just hearing him say that he wanted to be someone who could be loved…

"I think you have made yourself into that person." was what she managed to say, even though her throat felt like it was closing up.

"Do you think so?"

"Yes."

He decided, against his better judgment, to through caution to the wind.

"What if I said I wanted you to be the one who could love me-in time. Do you think you could ever see yourself doing that Wendy?"

She didn't know what she should-or could say to him. Things were changing so rapidly. She wasn't sure she couldn't say yes-but wasn't sure she should say it at all.

'I –I don't know. It's…not what I came here for."

" I know, I know, I know." He ran his hand over his hair. He felt so foolish and like he was farther away than ever from being a man who could be loved.

Wendy saw his sadness. She watched him ruff up his hair with his hand as he waited. She wanted to touch his hair…run her own fingers through it…she wanted to touch his face…this was more along the line of how far her thoughts had gone…

'But…James…Do you think?…I mean I could see…maybe…"

He looked up at her. He had no idea what she was trying to say.

"I…what I would like to…I mean, I would like to see what it's like to be kissed. By you. Could you-"

She hadn't needed to ask. James was reaching his hand around the back of her neck, through her hair. He was leaning her face closer. His kissed her very softly, but with such obvious passion.

Wendy didn't think she knew words to describe how that kiss felt. Maybe because it made her feel good in places she didn't even think had names …and that feeling!

When she realized his lips were no longer on hers she asked "Does it always feel that good?" he gave her a wide smile-but she couldn't see it-her eyes were still shut.

"Could you do that again?"

"Definitely." He murmured

This time she couldn't resist reaching her hands up around his neck…letting her fingers play with his long hair. She felt as though her temperature had risen a thousand degrees, and that her brain no longer contained logical thought what so ever. His kiss was consuming her in heat, heat that was spreading throughout every inch of her body. She felt his fingers leave her neck and trail down past her collarbone. They moved down farther until they reached lace trim. A sound escaped her throat that she wasn't aware she was capable of making. A soft moan left her as his fingers brushed the skin just underneath that lace.

James moved his lips to her ear.

"Now tell me," he whispered, "Did it still feel as good the second time?"

His voice sounded liquidy and far away to her. How could she have possibly known about this? No one had ever told her it felt so impossibly, incredibly, fantastically good to be kissed this way. She barely remembered to answer him.

"Oh, yes-better."

"Good." He gave her earlobe a small nip.

"Oh!" she said in a surprised little gasp.

"Why," she said, catching her breath, "doesn't everyone spend their entire day doing that?"

James let out a hearty laugh.

"My dear, no one would ever get anything done-except for the making of more people. Whole nations would fall into ruin. Civilization would collapse, collapse with a smile on its face, but collapse just the same." He said teasingly.

Wendy believed she knew what he meant, except for the more people part…she decided it probably didn't matter much...

A/N: Okay, I've finally gotten there, the first tease of a lemon.

Thanks to all those reading and giving me encouragement. Isis33, the new Hook probably will be challenged soon. Susie, more lemony steam soon(as you already know).If anyone else who visited this fic before is still reading-hope you like it too!