AN: Sorry it took me a few weeks. i just wanted to be able to submit 2 chapters at once. im already working on chapter 6, so hopfully that will be up soon. but i hope you all enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Do You Believe?

Peter and Autumn had finally arrived in Neverland… Flowers were blooming everywhere; the sun was shining beautifully in the blue sky, which was scattered with fluffy white clouds. The water was a deep blue-green and the trees were taller than any tree Autumn had ever laid eyes on. It seemed as though magic was settled in the very air they breathed. They landed upon a cloud, looking down on the Land Autumn had always dreamed of…

"Do you believe?" Peter asked, with a charming smile. A desperate, yet hopeful, impatience had overcome him and he couldn't wait another second.

Autumn smiled gleefully, "It seems like a dream!" she said, "a very good dream…"

"I assure you, it's no dream, Autumn." Peter said, in a more serious tone.

Autumn just looked at him, her heart pounding with excitement that she was there with him.

Peter getting anxious asked once more, "Do you believe?"

Autumn nodded with a smile… "Yes, I do."

Peter grinned with delight as he reached over and took Autumn's hand. She smiled warmly as she looked into his eyes and saw a twinkle of amusement with her. Playfulness filtered in as he verbalized his next words;

"Would you like the grand tour of the island?" Peter asked.

Autumn smiled and nodded giddily.

His charming, mischievous smile came to his lips as he then said; "Then follow me!"

He swooped down off the cloud, nose-diving towards the jungle-like forest below. At the last moment, just a few feet from the tops of the trees, Peter angled his path over them, looking behind him to see if Autumn had done the same. She was right on his heels. Peter laughed playfully as he saw that she been a quick learner at flying and already adjusted her gracefulness in order to do tricks and stunts with agility and speed. Almost as though she were a natural-born flyer… like him.

Moments later, Peter landed; it was in a clearing, directly in the middle of the island. When Autumn landed, he led her by hand down to the beach to see the mermaids, the dark and mysterious creatures, who knew every thing that went on that was anything of interest.

"Oh, how sweet!" Autumn cooed, as they knelt to greet the maidens of the sea, as they swam up to them. Peter looked at her with warning eyes… as though he couldn't believe she didn't know the mermaids were creatures of distrust for strangers and could become potentially dangerous if they felt in any way threatened. You had to be very careful when approaching a mermaid. Except for Peter of course, he was the center, the life of the island, he was allied with all of its nature, and all loved him.

That was, excluding the Pirates. Autumn was confused at his expression… "Are mermaids not sweet?"

"They'll sweetly drown you if you get too close." Peter said. Autumn looked at him in frightened disbelief, so Peter clarified; "Mermaids are not as they are in story books."

Peter spoke to the mermaids for a bit, using clicking, signals and gestures until he realized one of them was eyeing Autumn. Peter hissed at her and the mermaids screeched and dove into the water and swam off.

"What were they saying? Were you talking to them?" Autumn inquired as they walked back into the forest.

Peter nodded. "Yes, I was…"

Autumn was surprised at this. "What were you saying to them? What were they saying? What were you talking about?"

Peter laughed at her inquisitiveness. "I'll tell you another time. I promise."

With that he took her to see the Indians… Peter introduced her to them and made an interesting gesture. They nodded and smiled, turned to Autumn and greeted her warmly by hugging her and bowing to her. The female Indians put red paint on her cheeks and a feather in her hair. Then they sang and danced around a fire in honor of Peter's return. After a small feast, they were off to see the fairies…

Tinkerbell was more than excited to see that Peter had returned. She jingled and glittered and danced all around him. She wasn't as warm to Autumn though. Tink scowled and was rude to her. But the Fairy King was very pleased to meet her when Peter introduced her. Autumn wondered to herself why everyone had treated her so highly… was everyone just so extraordinarily nice, or was it their way of greeting new comers or… --? Her thoughts were interrupted when a few words had jolted her of Peter's conversation with The King… "She's the one," Peter had whispered, lowly.

Autumn's eyes widened, her thoughts flew… she tried to calm herself to not look conspicuous, for Peter didn't think she had heard him. "My dream…" she wondered to herself. --- "But you wouldn't kill her… she's the one…" --- The words echoed in her head as Peter announced they were moving on.

She was silent as they walked through the forest…

"What is it? Are you alright?" Peter asked.

Autumn was silent, thinking, placing her words carefully before she responded. "What were you speaking to the fairies about?"

Now it was Peter's turn to be silent. He stopped. They stood there, looking at each other… "I'll tell you later. I promise, please trust me."

Autumn nodded. Peter started to walk again, but her voice came suddenly again… "What about the Indians?"

Peter turned around to look into her eyes. He sighed, as inevitability set in… "Do you trust me?"

Autumn nodded. He'd brought her this far, he was Peter Pan, he couldn't possibly disappoint her. Peter stepped closer to her and put a hand out to her, she walked towards him and he pulled her closer and bent down to meet her eyes… Sincerity, a reassuring tenderness and calmness in his voice…

"I will tell you. Not yet, not here, not now… but I will. When them time is right, you will know. Believe me; I have every intention on sharing this whole island, its secrets and my life with you… just be patient."

Autumn nodded once more. Peter smiled at her as his hand slid down her arm and into her hand as he led her through the forest again. Soon they came upon the shore and Peter pointed in the short distance at a boat. Pirates…

The sun was beginning to set, so they turned around and headed back into the forest. They made their way deep into the woods when Peter suddenly stopped at a large tree.
"Well, this is it…" Peter said.

"What's it?" Autumn asked, a little confused.

"This…" Peter said, stretching out his hands at the tree. "This tree."

She raised one eyebrow at him; he sighed and took her by the hand to show her what he was saying. There was a rope hanging from the tree, Peter pulled it and the middle of the tree lifted up to reveal a doorway.

"You mean to tell me we're going to huddle inside this little tree?" she inquired, instantly embarrassed that she probably had underestimated him. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that… I …"

Peter cut her off, "It's ok…" he soothed, rubbing her arm. He led her inside, then braced her as he placed her in front of him, "Watch your step…"

"What?" Autumn asked; his warning had again come so abruptly. But was too late, as soon as she began to utter the question, she slipped down the slide-in entrance into the underground-home. Peter followed her moments later.

"Welcome to the Underground Home." Peter said, stretching out his arms in show.

She smiled brightly, "Thank you." She said with the utmost gentleness.

"We shall sleep here tonight and in the morning we will go exploring and I will teach you things." Peter said.

Autumn looked around and noticed something was oddly different. "Where are all the lost boys?"

Peter sighed. "The original crew grew up. I tried to round up more, but it was hopeless, there were no worthy specimen. And none that could fit the standard stayed for very long. A few years at best… that's why I decided to leave, after Wendy; I was lonely… None other could meet her company. …" he paused, looking up to meet Autumn's eyes. "Until you," he finished solemnly.

All Autumn could do was stare at him. Abruptly Peter spoke again. "Well, my room is back this way, so I'm going to go there, you just make yourself at home where ever you like."

Autumn wanted so badly to stop him, and ask him to finish his thoughts about her, but she knew the time would come.