Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! Hmm… Let's see if I can answer some questions…

Arein… Yeah, I never really liked the character Wendy either. She does seem rather stuck up. But to keep this story close to the movies/books Peter does find Wendy interesting, so I'm not sure how that will affect Kat and Peter's friendship.

hefalump… Thank you very much!

Tymiko the Pirate Girl… Whoa lots of questions! ;) Neverland needed a female Peter Pan, don't you think? Well, that's my idea of Kat anyway. Hopefully I shaped her character a bit better in this chapter. Tell me what you think! I put that she is the least remembered character because I want to stay true to the movies/books. And since Kat is my OC…Well you get it.

Zeldy… I totally agree! There are too many males in Neverland! Via la Girl power ;)….. Wendy and Peter are definitely becoming good friends. Where it goes from there… Keep reading!

OKAY! So the reason why this chapter rocks so hard is because of the time Julian Read spent on editing, for she is my beta reader. So I give her props!!!

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"Peter…what is this place?" whispers Wendy. She looks up at the setting sun, which is half-covered by the dark clouds in the sky.

Peter spent the last hour telling her to think happy thoughts. Unfortunately for her, those thoughts couldn't lift her off the ground. Her ankles hurt and she felt woozy from all of the attempts. During one of the sessions, a loud noise sounded in the distance, startling her and Peter. He mumbled something about Pirates and grabbed her hand. Ordinarily, she would be thrilled to be in his private company, holding hands. However, Peter had taken her to a dark and damp cave, off of the northwestern coast. Not exactly romantic by her standards.

"This is Skull Rock," he replies. "Look down there."

Wendy looks beyond the huge, dark rock she was crouching under. There is one long boat in the shallow water, but it is deserted. She scans the bottom of the cave, but sees no one.

Peter stands up. "Wait here." Before she has a chance to argue, he flies off into the shadows below.

"Of all the nerve!" she mutters to herself. "I came to Neverland to have an adventure, not to sit around creepy caves by myself!"

She climbs over a large boulder and lowers herself onto the next rock. She glances down and realizes it would be an awfully long fall. Suddenly, a faint noise is heard throughout the cave.

It sounds like Daddy's pocket watch, she thinks to herself. She studies the water below for any movement, when another, louder noise startles her. Something rocks the boat below, the water splashing on the rocks with more intensity. The ticking becomes more faint, until she hears nothing at all.

Whatever that was, seems to be gone now, she reassures herself.

Wendy tries once again to climb down, much faster this time. She reaches the thin ledge above the water and carefully walks out of the cave. She reaches the shore, right outside of Skull Rock, when she hears another sound.

She freezes in fear, unsure of what to do. The noise is approaching quickly, but it is not ticking… it is a frantic yell. Wendy looks back into the cave and sees a long boat speeding her way. She takes a few steps back, away from the water, as the boat passes her. She counts four passengers.

Before she can react to this sight, an enormous crocodile swims past her. She watches as the salt-water giant pursues the band of pirates.

Behind her, she hears echoing laughter. Peter emerges from the cave, carrying someone. He nearly flies away, but Wendy shouts and frantically waves her arms in the air. Peter circles around and lands on the shore, releasing his embrace from a young girl.

"Oh, sorry, Wendy. I forgot you were here!"

The girl walks toward Wendy. She has tanned skin, and braided black hair frames her face.

"This is the Piccadilly Tribe's Indian princess, Tiger-Lily," he explains, nonchalantly introducing the girl standing in front of Wendy.

Tiger Lily smiles sweetly at Wendy. Wendy doesn't return the smile.

"Peter, what happened in there?" she asks, ignoring the princess.

Peter draws his sword in a dramatic reenactment. "There I was, in hand to hook combat with the evil pirate captain. Two other pirates held Tiger-Lily captive, their swords to her throat! Then…"

"Then WHAT, Peter?" Wendy asks excitedly.

Peter loops his sword back in his belt. "Then that crocodile had to ruin all of my fun and scare the pirates away."

Wendy nervously giggles at Peter's disappointment. She turns her attention to Tiger Lily, who is inspecting Wendy's attire. She brushes the Indian's hands away from her clothes. "Do you mind?"

"This…fabric," Tiger-Lily says, attempting to speak English.

"What about it?" Wendy cautiously asks.

"It reminds me of Her."

Wendy's face contorts. "Who?"

Tiger-Lily straightens and turns to Peter. "I must return to my tribe. I must warn them!"

Peter grabs her arm. "I'll take you."

Wendy grabs Peter and pulls him closer to her. "Peter, you must not leave me again!" she demands.

He shrugs her off, and takes the princess in his arms. "I can only hold one person, Wendy. You'll have to walk to the tribe," he insists. "But it's not safe to wander these woods alone. Take the path to Kat's tree, and she'll take you the rest of the way."

Peter rises off the ground and flies into the northern sky, leaving Wendy alone on the beach. She watches Peter and Tiger-Lily disappear through the clouds before walking toward the forest. She makes her way through the tall grass and thick trees until she reaches the path. She walks along the path quickly, but not quietly.

"Just how many more girls are there in Neverland?" Wendy mumbles to herself. "No wonder Peter would rather carry her than me… look at me! I'm still in my night clothes, and I have branches entwined in my hair!"

Wendy furiously tries to untangle her hair with her fingers. She gives a forceful yank on a tangle and winces in pain.

"Ouch!" she cries.

While her eyes are closed, she trips on a protruding root. She falls face first into the dirt. She moans as she lifts her head. In front of her is the biggest tree she's seen in these woods. She rises to her feet, her eyes still fixated on the tree.

Is that a house? she wonders to herself.

Wendy approaches the huge timber, and finds a rope ladder. She grasps the ladder and gives a few tugs. Seems sturdy…

She slowly climbs up the rope ladder, finally reaching the ledge of the tree house and lifting herself onto it. As she sits on the floor, catching her breath, Wendy examines the one-room house. There are two paneless windows on the adjacent wooden walls. A very large, very worn black carpet lies on the floor. On the opposite wall is a single-size bed and a small dresser.

Wendy gets to her feet and wanders over to the far wall. The bed is unkempt, as sheets and pillows are tangled together. Wendy picks up a corner of the sheet and brings it to her face.

"It's…silk!" she marvels. "But how…?"

Wendy drops the sheet and moves to the dresser. Ribbons of a variety of colors are scattered across the top. There are dried dead flowers bundled together, hanging half off the edge. On the other side is an old hairbrush on top of a broken vanity mirror. She picks up the brush and moves it aside. Wendy leans in closer to the mirror. It is so dusty; she can barely see her reflection. A sound from outside interrupts her concentration. She turns around to be face to face with a glowing red pixie.

Tinker Bell darts at Wendy's face, causing her to fall over, landing on the bed.

"We were looking for you."

Wendy sits up, and looks past the angry pixie. A girl around her age stands in the open doorway, wearing pants that barely reach her ankles and a stained white top. At her side is a sheathed sword. Her undressed feet take a step closer to Wendy.

"Are you…Kat?" Wendy sheepishly asks.

"I am Katharine, yes." She offers a hand to Wendy to help her out of the bed. Wendy stares at Kat's dirty outstretched hand. She declines it, ungracefully helping herself up. Kat shrugs as she drops her hand.

"Where's Peter?" Kat asks.

"He took Tiger Lily to her village. We're to meet up with him there." Wendy answers, attempting to smooth her hair.

She feels a slight tug at the back of her head. Before Wendy can react, Tinker Bell pulls out a couple strands of hair and flies out the window.

"Ow! What does that little pixie have against me?"

"It's nothing personal, I'm sure. It's just…you're a girl." Kat crookedly smiles. "Shall we leave? Or would you rather snoop through my things a little more?"

"I…I wasn't…" stutters Wendy.

Kat leaps out of the house and lands on the ground. She looks up to see Wendy carefully making her way down the ladder. Once she is safely on the ground, the two girls advance down the path. Wendy nervously looks at her companion.

"Katharine?"

"Hmm?"

Wendy looks down at her feet.

"What did you mean about Tinker Bell not trusting me because I'm a girl? This is my first day here, and already I've met Tiger-Lily, and you."

Kat sighs heavily. "Yes, well… The Indians and I were born in Neverland, as well as the creatures here. We are all used to each other. However, we are not used to girls like you."

Wendy looks up. "Girls like me?"

"Girls from your reality," Kat states.

The two continue on silently down the path. Wendy's mind reels from Kat's last statement. 'Girls from your reality…your reality…' The more Wendy thought about it, the heavier she felt. Her free hands slowly bunched into tight fists.

She peered down the path and saw smoke rising from the trees. They were nearing the Indian village. Wendy shakes her head as she builds up the courage to speak again.

"MY reality?" she calmly asked.

Kat throws her hands in the air. "You have always been prepared to grow up, Wendy. From the moment you were born, you anticipated the adventures life had in store for you."

Kat glances at Wendy, who has her head bowed, a perplexed look on her face.

"It's not like that here," Kat continues. "In Neverland, an infant takes its time to grow to adolescence. And even then, it depends on the individual how far they age. That's why the pirates are grown men, the Indians are young men, and the Lost Boys are children."

Wendy looks up as they past the tall totems, admiring the many animals carved into the logs. They soon stop in front of two large wooden doors, decorated in painted handprints. Wendy begins to pull one door open, and can see the glowing fire and hear the many voices of children. Kat pushes her body to shut the door. She leans heavily on it as she stares straight into Wendy's eyes.

"Be honest with yourself, Wendy. What are your true feelings for Peter? Do you really think a boy can return those feelings?"

Wendy looks into Kat's cold eyes, while her own tear up. Kat leans to put more pressure on the door, and it swings open. She turns away from Wendy and enters the village.

Wendy finds herself unable to move as she watches Kat greet the Indians with a smile upon her face. The Lost Boys grab her arms and drag her to the fire, all talking at once. John and Michael stay behind, looking for their sister. John looks to the opened doorway and points his umbrella in her direction.

"Wendy, there you are!"

Michael runs into her open arms, and she effortlessly picks him off the ground. She walks through the doors, and they slam behind her. She nods her head politely as John rattles on about playing with the Indians, but she is distracted. Sitting next to the illuminating fire is Peter, accompanied by Katharine. She can't understand what they are saying to each other, but Peter is laughing. Kat turns her head toward Wendy.

She puts Michael back down and makes her way to the fire. She stands behind Peter and clears her throat. He is still talking and laughing, not noticing Wendy. She tries a more direct approach.

"Peter?"

He stops, mid-laughter, and whirls around.

"Oh, Wendy! You made it. I'm glad!"

"You are?" She smiles and bats her lashes, without acknowledging Kat's stares.

Peter pats the log beside him, gesturing for her to sit. She tucks her nightgown under her as she sits, smoothing out the wrinkles and idly placing her hands in her lap. The Indians are gathering near the fire pit, and the Lost Boys have stopped talking. The Chief stands in front of the fire with his arms crossed, frowning deeply. Kat stands next to him, mimicking his expression. He addresses his tribe, speaking an unfamiliar language. The response is a chorus of loud, approving screeches from the Indians. He holds out a hand and immediate silence follows. Kat clears her throat.

"I agree with the Chief, we must take action. The pirates have gone too far in capturing the princess. The Chief speaks of war, but I stand my ground on peaceful resolution. If we just talked to the Captain, I'm sure we could make some sort of compromise."

The Chief's face darkens with rage.

"There shall be no more compromises! Every time they attack us, we compromise our safety for half of our harvest! This time we will fight fire with fire!"

The Indian warriors stand and yell in agreement.

Kat raises her voice.

"With all due respect to the Piccadilly Tribe, I do not think you are prepared to fight with the pirates. Please, listen to reason!"

The response to her is not a good one.

Peter stands swiftly, and puffs out his chest.

"I have a plan! My Lost Boys have more experience fighting the pirates. If the Piccadilly Tribe provides us with weapons, WE will go to war for them!"

The boys throw their fist into the air with their own cry of agreement.

Kat grabs him arm. "Do you know what you're saying? Those fights with the pirates were only games, Peter. This is serious!"

Peter pulls free of her grasp. "I'm sorry Kat, but it's only a matter of time before the pirates kill a Lost Boy. We have to stop them… please say you're with me," Peter adds softly.

The crowd is hushed, all eyes fixated on the two. Kat opens her mouth to argue, but her words will not allow it. She sighs deeply. "I'm with you, Peter."

Lost Boys and Indians rejoice. The Chief raises his voice above the crowd.

"By the next full moon…we shall have WAR!"

Drums startle Wendy as a celebration breaks out. The Lost Boys dance around the fire, Peter wearing a feather headband. She pushes herself up and walks away from the fire, rubbing her temples as she walks to the big doors separating the Tribe and the woods. She leans against the doors and looks to the stars. She never noticed the sun setting. She also didn't notice she was being followed.

"It's not safe to venture into the woods by yourself." Kat leans back with Wendy, watching the sky. Wendy looks to her with a raised brow.

"You're accent…is familiar."

Kat looks wide-eyed at Wendy. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Wendy takes a step back. "You don't fool me, Katharine. I know you don't like me. Not because I'm not from Neverland, but because I'm competition."

"What?" she snorts. "I already told you-"

"And how do you know what I feel for Peter? Do you know what I think, Katharine? I think you're the one with feelings for Peter!"

Kat pushes herself off the wall, closing the distance between her and Wendy. "What?"

Wendy smirks. "In fact… I think you have grown up. You're just pretending for Peter's sake."

"You're crazy, Wendy. Look at me! Do I look like an adult?"

"No, but you talk like one, and you act like one, too." Wendy leans in and whispers into her ear. "You're living a lie."

She leaves a stunned Kat and returns to the party. Kat watches as Wendy picks up her youngest brother and joins the boys in their dance around the fire.

That same fire reflects in her eyes as her thoughts burn. She closes her fingers around the protruding handle of her sword, flying blindly into the dark sky.