Title: Asking To Be Panned

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: The Seventh - Neverberries and Noses

Rating: PG

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Author's Note: I'm on fulltime nightshift now which means I don't have the time for writing that I did....hence the long delay with this chapter, and possibly even longer delay for my other story, Whither by Moonlight. I've never not finished a story yet, so patience, dear readers, I will do the best I can to wrap this puppy before the years end (that's a joke, I hope)...in the meantime, enjoy.
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Tiger Lily pushed back the branch and watched with narrowed eyes as the figure of the Wendy Lady skipped down the narrow path, a basket swinging in her hand. The Indian princess had, like Tinkerbell, been looking for Peter and Wendy's new hideout, not necessarily to make more mischief, but maybe to find out what the Wendy girl had, that the princess hadn't. It irked Lily that she'd had failed to illicit any feeling beyond friendship from Peter Pan, having grown up to idolise the boy all her life, she had woven fantasy that centered on him and her and a life spent together, but that had all been shattered when Peter had returned to Neverland with the Wendy Lady in tow for the second time.

Part of her ire had been whipped into a frenzy by the fairy's own fear and rage at losing her long-time companion to the newcomer, and Tiger Lily sympathised with Tink's plight, making her a willing accomplis to any mischief suggested in the heat of the moment.

Now she realised the futility of their efforts to drive the girl away. In point of fact, it had driven Peter and Wendy closer together.

The object of her scrutiny had disappeared from Tiger Lily's view, but the Indian girl knew where she was going. Slipping down from her hiding place, she jogged along the trail until she saw the flash of Wendy's dress further ahead. Cutting off to the side, she crouched down and ran across the carpet of dead leaves until she reached the edge of a clearing. There Wendy had placed her basket on the ground and was humming to herself as she picked the fruit from the laden bushes crowding under the trees.

Neverberries were a sweet and juicy fruit, much favored by the Indian's themselves, this grove a popular destinations when the bright blue fruits were in season. Wendy was humming to herself as she delicately picked the fruit from their stalks, every third or fourth juicy fruit making its way between her lips, leaving behind a sticky smear until she looked like she was wearing alarmingly hued blue lipstick.

Tiger Lily watched her for a few moments, her own mouth watering with the thought of eating some of the ripe berries. She must have made a sound because Wendy suddenly paused in her picking, her head turning to stare at the bushes hiding the Indian girl.

"There's plenty for everyone......"

Feeling a little silly to be crouching in the bushes, Lily rose gracefully to her feet, smoothing her fringed skirt over her hips as she straightened.

"Oh....Princess Tiger Lily....how nice to see you again...it's been awhile."

"A very long while, Wendy Lady, I had heard you were back in Neverland."

"I suppose Tinkerbell told you....I haven't seen her since I arrived...is she still here?"

"Oh yes.....Tinkerbell is most certainly..um..around."

Wendy turned back to the Neverberry bushes, plucking several off as Tiger Lily drew closer, the Indian girls slim brown hand reaching out to pick several before cramming them in her mouth.

"Sweet aren't they?" Wendy commented, popping another between her lips.

Lily nodded her head in agreement, her dark eyes taking in Wendy's glossy hair and glowing face.

"You look very happy?" Lily said, keeping her attention on the laden bushes.

Wendy turned to look at the Indian Princess. She had no proof it was Tiger Lily that disrupted their night at the house by the pool, only her instincts and what Peter had told her about the Princess trying to kiss him.

"I am happy, Princess. What more could a girl need, a cosy home, a handsome beau, and Neverland. It's like a dream."

"Yes....I suppose it would seem like a dream." Lily agreed, popping another berry in her mouth. "Is Peter around?"

Wendy smiled to herself. "Yes....Peter is around. He's checking on Hook and his pirates. After our run in he wants to make sure they're no where near here."

"You saw Hook?"

"Saw him," snorted Wendy, "got close enough to be caught by him....but Peter saved us." Wendy's voice sounded dreamy. "He set the monkeys on Hook's men and got us away."

"I had heard that Hook had returned. He's not been to the Indian village yet." Lily cast a sideways glance at Wendy. "Aren't you afraid that Hook will try to capture you again?"

"Peter will keep us safe....he defeated Hook before, he'll do so again."

Lily grimaced at Wendy's smug assertion. Sighing, Lily flipped her long black braids over her shoulders, her fingers dipping between her lips as she licked off the sticky juice.

"Well....I have things to do....."

Wendy gave the Princess an arch look. "Things?"

Lily waved her hand in the air. "Oh you know....things. Goodbye Wendy Lady."

Wendy watched as the Princess spun on her heel, her braids flying, and sashayed out of the grove, the jungle quickly hiding her from Wendy's view.

"Things.......hmmmmmm." Returning to her task, Wendy plucked some more of the berries, popping several into her mouth before moving onto the next bush to fill her basket. Wendy had no plans to make the sticky morsels into a pie, she was more than happy to eat the fruit raw, but Peter had mentioned that Neverberries were his favourite, and she planned to smear the fruit on several strategic area's of her delectable body and let the dear boy indulge his sweet tooth to their mutual content. After filling the basket with enough berries to fill half-a-dozen pies, Wendy tripped back along the path, albeit not quite as sprightly as before when the basket was empty, and wended her way to the hollowed out tree that was her new home. By the end of her trek she was very hot, positively damp with perspiration and quite heartily sick of the smell of Neverberries, having indulged in one too many, leaving her feeling rather nauseous. Hoping that a dip in the stream might refresh her, Wendy left the basket on the table, snagged a clean dress and a towel, and tripped happily towards the sound of water.

The stream gurgled merrily, enticing Wendy to strip off and plunge in, screaming at its icy chill. The water felt heavenly, sluicing over her sticky face and rinsing the dust from her long hair. Her skin tingled in the cool water, her feet slipping on the rocks that formed the bottom of the stream bed. Happily splashing, she twirled around, her fingers trailing in the water making whirlpools. Sunlight sparkled through the leaves of the overhanging trees, blinding her for a second. When she ducked under the water, she didn't notice the figure crouching on the bank making himself comfortable beside a familiar looking basket. On surfacing she pushed the mass of her hair out of her eyes and squealed loudly.

"Peter!"

Lounging on his side, Peter Pan tossed another berry into the air, catching it deftly between his teeth before sucking it into his mouth and chewing with obvious pleasure. Waggling his eyebrows at her, he repeated the process, the berry missing his mouth and hitting him on the chin instead before bouncing down his front and onto the grass. Wendy giggled. Peter scowled and snagged another plump berry. Once more he tossed it into the air, this time concentrating, and once more he caught it effortlessly in his mouth, smiling smugly as he turned back to face Wendy.

Unable to resist his smug smile Wendy batted her eyelashes and coyly swam a little further into the stream.

"That's very clever Peter.....I'm not sure I'd be able to catch any of them."

"Of course not.......you're a girl."

"Well really...that's not a very polite thing to say...I'm sure I'd be able to catch them as easily as you...if I practiced."

"No you couldn't." Peter retorted, tossing another fruit and catching it between his teeth, biting down so that juice spurted out and splattered his chin. Wendy licked her own lips, her eyes fixed on his as he snuck out a tongue and lapped at the blue juice around his mouth.

Indignant, Wendy turned her back on him, lifting her feet to swim the short distance to the other shore, the current tugging at her hair as the water swirled around her, making her shiver. She heard a splash and twisted around, Peter was gone from the shore, his clothes piled in a heap beside the basket. Within seconds he had surfaced in front of her, tossing his head to fling the water out of his hair and eyes. Parting his lips he grinned at her, showing her a Neverberry clamped between his teeth. Wendy smiled at him a little uncertainly before leaning forward to place her chilled lips on his warm ones. Peter released the fruit and pushed it into her mouth, his tongue following, chasing the sweet berry around her mouth before withdrawing, the kiss ended before it really started. Wendy popped the fruit against her palate, the juice sliding down her throat like honey.

"Hmmmm that was nice."

Peter grinned and leant in again. Before his lips had a chance to touch hers, Wendy's foot slipped on the rocks below her and she disappeared under the water. Seconds later she surfaced, spluttering and coughing from taking a mouthful of water, her hands flailing, landing Peter a smack on the side of his head, her fingers catching in his hair and yanking hard.

"Ow!!"

Finding her feet after another ducking, Wendy scrubbed her hair out of her eyes with one hand, still coughing.

"I slipped..hack..blast it!!"

"Wendy, let go of my hair!"

"Oh I feel sick....choke"

Peter took in Wendy's rather bedraggled appearance and pale face and tugged her towards the grassy bank. She was still coughing when he hauled her out to flop weakly onto the grass.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked, patting her half-heartedly on her shoulder, not sure what to do for the best. Wendy groaned.

"I must have swallowed half the river.......oh dear."

With an inarticulate cry Wendy pushed herself to her feet then, with a hand clapped over her mouth, she scrabbled behind a bush, sounds of retching heard clearly over the rush of the water behind them.

Peter still sat on the bank, rather stunned by the sudden shift in events, the basket of berries forgotten beside him. The sound of Wendy emptying her stomach lasted only a short time and Peter, his ardor considerably cooled, pulled on his clothes.

"Peter?" Wendy's voice called weakly to him from behind the bush.

"Are you okay now?"

"Er...I will be.....can you hand me the towel and my dress...I think I need to get dry."

"Oh....sure....do you need any help?"

"No...no Peter.....I'll manage."

Gathering up the requested items, Peter handed them to her, only her arm visible through the dense foliage. Within minutes Wendy emerged, rubbing her head with the rough towel to dry her hair, her dress rather askew and buttoned incorrectly.

Peter gestured vaguely at the buttons but was waved away, Wendy tottering forward before sinking onto a convenient rock, her face still alarmingly pale. Seeing the basket of berries sitting innocently on the grass, Wendy quickly looked away, her composure ruined by a particularly violent sneeze.

"Oh no..." Wendy wailed as more sneezes caused her to press her damp towel to her face to quell another that threatened to blow her nose off. "Dow I've dot a gold."

"A gold? What's that?"

Wendy looked at him blankly for a second before burying her face in the towel again as a sneeze erupted, muffled by the cloth this time.

"Not a gold, a cold. It beans I've caught a chill...drat it! My poor dose will be as red as a-a-a tomato tomorrow....oh damn and blast it!"

Slightly alarmed at the noises coming from her, as well as the strong language, Peter stayed a cautious distance away from Wendy, his expression confused. Wendy, for her part, was starting to shiver, the sudden onset of her cold making her miserable.

"I want to go home..." She croaked, her throat raw from being sick.

Peter looked startled. "Home? You mean back to London?"

Wendy scowled, the effect rather diluted when a sneeze erupted and forced her to bury her face in the towel.

"What? No....you silly ass...back to the tree."

"Oh....oh right....I'll take the basket then?"

Wendy ignored him and rose to her feet, tottering past him and heading up the path back to their hollow tree. Every few steps Wendy bent over as her nose exploded, almost rocking her on her heels. Peter followed behind, not sure what to do for the best, his brow furrowed in concern.

On reaching the tree Wendy stumbled inside and headed straight to bed, the towel discarded for a square of soft linen which she used to stem the steady flow of fluid coming from her abused nose. Moaning, she curled up on her side and burrowed into the pillows, dragging the furs over her shoulders so that she all but disappeared. Peter had followed, replacing the basket of berries on the table before coming to stand in the doorway to the bedroom, not at all sure what to do for her.

Every now and then Wendy would sneeze, the sound muffled by the covers. After a while the strange sounds decreased until Peter crept forward and found that Wendy had fallen asleep, her usually pretty mouth hanging open, her normally pert nose rather red and swollen and wet. Touching her cheek he found the skin felt very hot. Alarmed, Peter snatched his hand back and stood undecided for a second. Sickness was not something he knew how to deal with. Injuries from fights and falls were common, easily treated with poultices of moss and mud and bandages of leaves, but true illness was unknown to him. Despite that, even he could tell that Wendy was not well, her skin holding an unhealthy flush, her breathing uneven and labored. Biting his lip he watched her for a few more minutes before turning away and heading out of the tree. Leaping into the air he flew the short distance to the Indian Village, heading straight to the tepee of the medicine man.

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Someone was holding a cup against her lips, the liquid inside smelling strongly of honey and cloves and something she couldn't identify. A hand held the back of her head and lifted her, tipping the cup so that some of the hot drink passed into her mouth, her sore throat swallowing the tincture before a cough made her jerk her head away. Through it all her eyes remained tightly closed, her head feeling thick and woolly as she moaned quietly, burrowing under the covers as she shivered.

Peter placed the beaker on the box beside the bed, having followed the medicine man's instructions to the letter. He'd been told that Wendy would have to let the cold run its course, the wise man advising him to keep her warm and feed her regular drinks of his herbal concoction. Peter had been assured that the illness was not fatal, only messy and noisy and that Wendy would recover in due course. The Indian had been right about the messy and the noisy, Wendy having recourse to the bucket beside the bed several times despite having nothing inside her, plus the continued eruptions and moans driving Peter to wish, rather uncharitably, that he had some ear plugs. After giving her the drink, Wendy seemed to quieten down a little, her breathing becoming easier and her poor red nose ceasing to drip continuously. Satisfied that he had done all he could, Peter grabbed a handful of the offending Neverberries and sat just outside the tree's entrance, close enough to hear Wendy if she called. The day was drawing to a close, another glorious sunset painting the sky with streamers of pink and orange. He frowned to himself as he thought about what he'd seen regarding the pirates and Captain Hook. He'd spotted the long boats pulled up on the beach and a quick check of the Jolly Roger showed only a skeleton crew manning the ship. Intrigued, he'd flown over the jungle in the direction of the tracks leading from the shore, careful to keep himself from being spotted from the ground as he searched for the pirates. He'd found them further inland than he'd expected, thinking that they had only come ashore to replenish food and water supplies. Instead he found the crew of the Jolly Roger slogging through the jungle armed to the teeth and carrying a small cannon, along with supplies that looked enough to stave off a siege. They had traveled a fair way into the island, in the general direction of his old hideout, rather than the pond clearing where Hook had found Peter and Wendy before. Peter was intrigued and watched them for some time to see what they were going to do when they reached the old tree.

Peter was startled to realise the pirates were expecting him not to be there as they made no effort to be stealthy in their approach. Instead they decided to make camp in the clearing around the old oak, Hook sitting on one of the gnarled roots as his men hurried about, getting a fire going and placing a kettle over the flames to heat. After a while Peter grew bored with watching the pirates set up their camp, no wiser as to their plan of action other than to spend the night in the jungle around his old home.

He thought he heard the sound of a fairy as he flew away lazily over the tree tops, leaving the pirates to their domesticity, but when he called none appeared and he quickly forgot the sound as he turned his attention to what he was going to do with Wendy when he got home. Just the mere thought was enough to send his blood singing through his veins, his lips curling up into a broad grin as he put on a burst of speed and fairly shot around the mountain and dove down to the grove of tree's hiding their new home. He saw smoke curling up from the Indian encampment not far away but he had only one idea, to find Wendy and make love until they couldn't see straight.

He'd rushed into the hidden tree and quickly searched the rooms, finding the basket of berries waiting for him. Snatching several of the ripe fruit he picked it up and carried it outside, having a good idea where Wendy would have gone on that hot afternoon. Whistling jauntily he'd swaggered down the path to the stream, the basket swinging by his side. As he approached the bank of their water hole he heard Wendy splashing and squealing, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he settled himself silently on the grassy bank to watch her as she frolicked in the clear water.

Shaking his head dazedly, Peter pulled himself out of his reminiscences as he heard Wendy call his name. Jumping to his feet he hurried through the underground rooms to her side to find her blinking up at him blearily, her poor swollen nose looking a little less like a tomato and a little more like a cherry.

"Oh Peter....I feel awful."

Peter smiled sympathetically. "You look awful."

At his bald statement, Wendy's eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled pathetically. "Oh you wretch.....how can you be so cruel."

"Well you do.....but I'm sure Crazy Owl's medicine will get you up and fighting fit in no time."

Wendy sniffled, her nose leaking once more. "I don't want to be fighting fit. I just want to get better."

"Oh....well I'm sure you will.....eventually."

Patting her hand, Peter fidgeted, unsure what to say that wouldn't make the situation worse. Wendy stared up at him with a watery gaze, sniffing indelicately.

Peter tried again." Um.....can I get you anything?"

Wendy's hand disappeared under the covers only to emerge with a very wet piece of cloth which she held out for Peter to take.

"I need a new hanky...this one is soaked."

Gingerly Peter took the offending rag between his thumb and first finger, carrying it out of the room and flinging it into the wash bucket before assiduously wiping his hands on his trousers. Finding a dry cloth he returned to the bedroom and handed it over, Wendy immediately blowing her nose noisily into its depths. Peter winced at the assault on his ears before pinning a hopefully encouraging smile on his face.

"All better now?"

Wendy glared at him, tucking the cloth under the covers. "No....I have a cold."

"Yes....I know....but don't you feel even a little bit better?"

"No...."

"Oh.....how about some more of this medicine...." He held out the beaker for her. Wendy took it from him and cautiously sipped at the now cooled brew, pleasantly surprised at the taste, downing the whole draught before handing it back.

"More please."

"Sure....won't be a tick."

Hurrying out of the room he quickly refilled the mug and took it back. As he set it down a loud snore announced that Wendy was once more asleep. Sighing, Peter leant over and placed a quick kiss on her damp forehead, tucking the covers more snuggly about her before tip-toeing out of the room.

Settling himself once more outside the tree, he gazed up at the stars starting to twinkle above the forest. Disappointed at the way his day had finished, Peter pulled out his pan pipes and played a mournful tune, the notes wafting over the trees to be swallowed up by the sounds of the night.

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TBC....Thank you to all those that review, and Happy New year to you all.