A/N - This chapter is basically like another side to chapter 7, while Wendy was having her own troubled in chapter 7, Peter was too. Now you will also find out what happens to Wendy after she passed out in the street . And did you notice this is the first chapter with a happy title?

Sickness of the heart

Chapter 9 - Hopeful

The storm had finally calmed, but the snow still clung to the land. Everything seemed to be frozen in place. The land was finally balanced again, unfortunately, the same could not be said for Peter and the lost boys. Everything inside the underground home was unusually quiet. Tinkerbell hadn't sensed such a nervous air in the house since Peter cut off Hooks hand. Peter had been so nervous that the pirates would come back after him that he kept the whole house quiet so that he could hear any approaching foot steps, but that was a long time ago. The stillness in the air was enough to drive the lost boys insane, but none of them dared to say a word. Especially not to Peter. Even if it was freezing outside, the room was warm due to the radiating heat from the fireplace.

And there Peter sat, stubborn as ever. His arms were crossed as he sat in the chair in front of the fireplace. He had not moved for a long while. Whenever the others tried to reason with him, he lashed out at them. So the boys all kept their distance from their leader.

Nibs, who grew restless from just sitting across the room from Peter with nothing to do, got up and walked over to the tiny cove in the wall where Tinkerbell lived. Peter watched Nibs out of the corner of his eye, wondering what the boy wanted with his fairy.

No light came from behind the leaf that served as a door to Tinkerbells room, meaning the fairy was asleep.

"Tink..." Nibs whispered. A small light from within flickered on. He saw the silhouette of a tiny winged women. The leaf was pulled away from the opening as Tinkerbell greeted Nibs with a warm smile.

"Why did you wake me?" Tinkerbell chimed. Nibs nodded his head toward Peter and flashed Tinkerbell a worried look.

"I'm worried about Peter, it's been three days since he's gotten any sleep." Nibs leaned closer to Tinkerbell so that Peter could not see his lips moving, since he knew Peter was watching, He could sense it.

"I wonder why he's acting so strangely?" Tinkerbell whispered back. Nibs saw Peter almost close his eyes, but then he popped awake as soon as he realized that he was dozing off.

"It all started when he came back from Wendy's house three days ago. He's been nodding off all day, but won't go to sleep. He's still a little sick and needs his rest!" Nibs said. Tinkerbell was defiantly worried for her boy. Peter looked exhausted and the lack of sleep only made him very irritable.

"Did you talk to him?" She asked.

"Only like a thousand times! All he said was to leave him alone...so we did!" Nibs hissed. Tinkerbell turned her back to the boy and began to search the cove for something. Inside her home was cozy and warm. Tinkerbell used melted away candles that were to low for the lost boys to use as lights. In the center of the cove, a large open oyster shell that served Tinkerbell as a bed and mirror. She made sure to polish the shell everyday so that she was able to adore herself in it. She overturned her oyster shell and stashed under it was a small bag.

"If that silly ass won't listen to reason, I'll just have to make him listen!" Tinkerbell poured something from the bag into her hand. A beautiful mixture of crimson red and gold dust lay in the fairies palm. She closed her tiny fist around it and flew over to where Peter sat. The pixie found a resting spot safetly on the boys shoulder. Peters eyes remained transfixed on the warm dancing flames before him. Tinkerbell saw him close his eyes again, He once again snapped awake and rapidly shook his head to stay awake.

"Why don't you go to sleep Peter?" Tinkerbell asked him calmly.

"I won't!" Peter shouted. "I'll never sleep again!" He stubbornly turned away from her. When Peter set his mind to something, he always carried it out, no matter what anyone said. Headstrong was one thing you could call him. It was just in his stubborn nature.

"You can't live your whole life without ever sleeping silly." Peter considered her words. It had only been three days and already he was very weak from lack of sleep. But then he remembered the dreams. Those awful nightmares that haunted him. They just kept replaying themselves in his mind.

The fear

The Pain

The blood...

Peter could still hear and feel them as if he was right there. He put his hands over his ears to drown out the horrid screams of a young girl being unmercifully killed by Hook. He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of these frightening images.

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Peter repeated " I will Never ever go to sleep !"

All the boys watched from across the room, they were all truly worried for him. They had never seen Peter this upset before. It pained them to watch, but none of them dare go near him. Tinkerbell was now their last hope if they wanted to help their friend.

"if you will not go to sleep willingly..." Tinkerbell said as she flew in front of his face and put the hand that contained the dust in front of her lips. "Then I will make you sleep ..." She blew the contents of her hand in his face. The dust swirled in the air before finding a finally landing spot on his face. As soon as the colorful dust hit Peters face, it dissolved into nothing. Peter felt a magic binding him, it wound itself around the boys mind and began to serve its purpose. His eyelids started to get heavy. He shook his head to try to get rid of the heavy air of tiredness that surrounded him, but he could not fight off the magic. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

"What was that?" Slightly asked as he got up from the floor.

"A sleeping spell, maybe now he can get the rest he needs." Tinkerbell said before she flew back into her cove.

----

Peter felt much different then he had just a few minutes ago. His muscles felt fresh and relaxed. His eyes no longer dropped from exhaustion, but that wasn't the only difference he sensed. He almost felt as if he was in an alternate existence. Everything around him felt so real but at the same time, everything felt so fake. It was unlike any other feeling. He looked around at his surroundings. They were much different then what he was used to . Rain fell hard and fast from the starless night sky. Not many trees grew in this town, except for the occasional tiny nothing of a sprout that was on every other corner. The only thing that occupied the side walks were a mass of ugly brick buildings. Then Peter looked up and saw a familiar sight, a giant clock tower stood out in the dark fog.

"I'm in London!" Peter said.

"Peter come back."

He heard a familiar voice call out. Peter looked down and was barely able to make out the dark shadow of a young girl, shouting and pushing against the strong winds. "Please come back!" The girl looked around wildly. Peter finally recognized the voice over the loud boom of thunder.

"Wendy!" Unfortunately the girl couldn't hear him. A thick layer of fog in the air also prevented the girl from seeing him. "Wendy, please look up!" Peter attempted to call out again. Wendy still couldn't hear him. She gave one last confused look around the area before she took off down the dark street as if she was chasing something. A powerful wind prevented Peter from flying off toward her. Another powerful gust hit him dead centered, and Peter was thrust backwards into the night sky.

----

Peter snapped awake and looked around. He was propped up in a chair by the dyeing fireplace. All the candles that normally covered the room had been put out in preparation for bed. The lost boys all slept together in a large hammock on the far side of the room. Each of them were safetly curled up as they snored away. Peter grabbed a stick and poked that the embers in the fireplace. As soon as the fire began to grow, Peter leaned back in the chair and let his muscles relax.

'That dream felt so different ...' He thought to himself as he watched the lost boys sleep. 'It wasn't like any of my other ones. I wonder if Wendy's OK' Peter turned toward Tinkerbells cove. No light were on within, which let Peter safetly assume that the fairy was fast asleep on her oyster shell bed. He was the only person awake in the house. Peter quickly turned his attention back towards his dream. He wanted so badly just to peak into Wendy's window to make sure she was ok. Even if it was a dream, it wouldn't hurt to look.

"They won't miss me for a few minutes..." Peter smiled mischievously and flew from his underground home into the snowy Neverland sky.

----

Peter finally reached London after what seemed like forever. Shocked to find it in the same state it was in his dream.

'It's just a coincidence. ' Peter tried to assure himself. The strong winds made a normally short trip to the Darling household seem like forever. Soon he arrived at his destination. he was more then happy to find a small light coming from Wendy's window. But then Peter saw something strange. A shadow was reflected on the far side of the wall, much to large to be Wendy's shadow. Then Peter saw a large figure step up to the window. A man was standing at Wendy's window. The man reached his hand up toward the lock.

"No!" Peter shouted and charged toward the window. The man jumped back in shock when he saw Peter rush in front of the window. Peter grabbed the bottom of the window and tried to force it open, but the man was fast. He used his strength against Peter to force the window back down. The wind unmercifully blew against Peter, causing several skeleton leaves to fall from his attire. With one final push from Peters enemy, the window closed. The man smirked evilly at Peter before he locked the window and closed the curtains.

"Wendy!" He shouted. "Evil grown up!" Peter gave the window a hard kick before he flew up higher to look for another entrance into the house. Soon he spotted another window on the side of the house that appeared to be unlocked. He began to fly in the direction of the window, but then he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Peter!" The eternal boy looked down and saw Wendy. Just the same as he had seen her in his dream.

"Wendy! I'm up here!" Peter yelled, but he knew she could neither see nor hear him. A skeleton leaf blew in the air toward Peter. Wendy looked up in the sky towards the leaf and began to run after it. He caught the leaf as it drifted close to him. Wendy stopped dead in her tracks and looked around wildly for the leaf. A thick layer of fog hugged both Peter and the leaf making them impossible to see.

"Please come back Peter!" Wendy yelled before her knees buckled from under her and she passed out onto the cold hard concrete.

"NO!" A sudden burst of unexplainable strength coursed through Peters veins. he pushed passed the heavy storm winds and landed beside the fallen girl. He gently picked her up in his arms and held her close to his body in an attempt to keep her warm.

"P-Peter?" Wendy's eyes fluttered open Peter smiled awkwardly to her. Wendy suddenly felt the wonderful sensation of fly through the air. She looked over Peters shoulder to see the ugly brick building slowly fading away in the fog as Peter flew higher. "Where are we going?" Wendy whispered.

"I'm taking you back home." Peter said. He wanted nothing more then to take Wendy to Neverland with him, but he couldn't do that when he knew Wendy wanted to be with her family for however long she had.

"I wanted to talk to you ...but you left." Peter heard the girl whisper into his chest. "come to Kensington gardens tomorrow... I need to tell you something important..." Wendy rested her head against Peters body and closed her eyes, falling fast asleep.

----

The bright sun peaked in through the nursery window, causing the girl in the nearby bed to open her eyes. She stayed in her laying down position, admiring her ceiling which had been painted to look like a clear blue sky with fluffy pinkish clouds.

"What a strange dream... Why did it feel so real..." Wendy sat up and let her eyes adjust to the bright room. No more toys littered the floor. Her father took them all away when Wendy came back from Neverland. It hurt her badly. It was like he took her childhood and dumped it in the nearby trash can. Her toy box had been replaced with a large oak vanity table She was told that a young women should be very concerned with her physical appearance. Of course Wendy did care for her appearance, but she also didn't mind a good dirty run in the forest. After her parents had found out she was sick, her brothers were moved into the guest room so that Wendy would have a nice big privet room to herself to do whatever she pleased and have privacy while doing it. This made the room seem very empty. Looking around at what used to be the most exciting and fun room of the house, and seeing what it was now, was rather upsetting to her.

Wendy reached her hand up to pull her curly hair out of her eyes. Her hair felt wet and course. She thought it might just be because she was hot in the middle of the night, but then she looked down at the rest of her body. She still wore her velvet ball gown and tan raincoat. All of which was soaking wet. Wendy once again thought back to the dream. She was running ... in the rain and if she was wet and in her rain coat now, then the dream had been true. Peter really had come back or her.

"It wasn't a dream..."Wendy walked over to her vanity and grabbed a towel off of her stool. She began to dry her wet body off as she thought back to the dream.

'He flew me home. It really wasn't a dream... it couldn't have been a clothes and pick out new ones.

"Oh No!" Wendy shouted aloud. "I told him I wanted to meet him in Kensington Gardens!" She quickly finished her dressing and ran for the front door. Her mother, who was sitting in a large stuffed armchair by the door, greeted her daughter warmly.

"How are you feeling dear?" Mary asked.

"I'm feeling a little better. " Wendy pointed towards the door. " I think I'm going to go out for a while to get some fresh air." Wendy stepped outside into the bright sunny streets. It was always so beautiful after it rained, and it smelt so fresh and new. Wendy spun around once in the street, enjoying the breeze before continuing on her way.

----

Peter remembered what Wendy had told him about meeting him a Kensington gardens. He was beginning to wonder if the whole thing had been another crazy dream, because he had been sitting on a bench in front of a large grassy area for longer then he cared to wait. People in fancy suits and pretty dressed began to stare at him. To them, Peter looked like all the other parentless street urchins that roamed the park at this time. Most of them stealing and looking for donations. His messed up hair, dirty feet and strange clothing defiantly made him look the part. Every time an adult walked by and gave Peter a look of utter disgust, he would wait until they passed, then he stuck his tongue out at their backs. It was actually quiet enjoyable. but no matter how fun it was, Peter hated waiting. He was just about to give up and fly back to Neverland, when a soft voice stopped him from fleeing.

"Peter, your really here!" Peter turned around and looked into the soft face of the girl. She looked absolutely stunning. her hair appeared lighter then it normally was due to the sunlight. It elegantly fell around her shoulders with a slight curl at the bottom. Her eyes shined bluer then the frozen forget-me-not falls back in Neverland. She was dressed in a pretty little white summer dress with tiny pink flower prints scattered on it. The dress fell just below her knees, showing off her matching heels. Peter had never seen hr in everyday clothing, just her trademark white nightgown.

"You look beautiful..." Peter said as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up with embarrassment. He was indeed turning a very bright shade of pink. He averted his eyes toward the ground to hide this most embarrassing situation.

"Why thank you Peter. I'm so glad to see you again." Peter looked up and received a giggle from Wendy when she saw just how pink Peters cheeks had grown. She sat down on the bench next to him, just taking in the beauty of the park for a few minutes. Peter decided to break the awkward silence.

"What did you want to tell me?" He asked eagerly. He noticed Wendy take a deep breath before answering him.

"I want to go with you..." Wendy said "Forever." She looked away as if it pained her to say. Wendy loved her family with everything she had. Imagining her new life without them was enough to bring tears to her eyes. But she needed to go with Peter, he was her only hope. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at Peter.

"Are you sure?" Peter asked.

"I just need a chance to tell my family goodbye and gather my belongings. I want to leave tonight before I change my mind, or my dad sends me to that stupid hospital, and I'll never see you again!" Peters eyes widened but he nodded his head in agreement. Peter stood in front of Wendy and bowed.

'Then would you like me to walk you home Lady Wendy?" Peter held out his arm to her. Wendy smiled and curtseyed in return.

"That would be lovely, Mr. Pan."

----

Wendy finally got home at around sunset, since her and Peter decided to walk extra slow through the park before heading home. Peter smiled and waved a goodbye at Wendy's house.

"Remember... Tonight!" Peter shouted. Wendy unlocked the door with a huge grin on her face, but the second she saw what waited for her on the other side, he grin quickly faded.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked. Her father and Aunt sat on opposite sides of the sitting room couch. Each of them gave Wendy a cold hard look. Sitting in the middle of the couch was a strange women Wendy had never seen before. The women wore a large smile that frightened Wendy quiet a bit. Aunt Millicent stood up and ushered Wendy toward the strange women.

"Wendy, this is Doctor Beth. She's from the girls hospital I told you about. " Aunt Millicent said .The women held out her hand, but Wendy didn't accept it.

"I told you I'm not going!" Wendy shouted. The women recoiled her hand and sighed.

"Now I know going to a new place is scary but I'm sure you'll fit in fine with the other girls." The doctor said as she rested her hand on Wendy's shoulder. Wendy quickly pulled away from the women.

"I'm going to my room."Wendy hissed at the women and headed for the stairs.

"Wendy Moira Angela Darling!" Wendy stopped dead in her tracks when she heard an angry voice yell her name. She slowly turned to see the angry face of her father. "I want you to hear what the doctor has to say. " Wendy didn't get any closer to the doctor, but she didn't flee either. Doctor Beth leaned down to Wendy's level and looked her straight in the eye.

"Wendy, your father has told me all about your Hallucinations, but- "

"Hallucinations?" Wendy took a step back from the doctor and glared at her father. "So that's what you think of me? Do you really think I'm crazy? You think Peter is only a hallucination!"

"I think you believe to strongly in something that is clearly nonsense." Mr. Darling said calmly.

"Peter Pan is not nonsense! I'll even prove to you that he is not, because I'm leaving with him tonight!" Wendy let tears freely run down her cheeks. " I just wanted to tell you goodbye Daddy..." Wendy turned on her heels and ran from the room. She needed to find her mother and tell her she had finally made up her mind.

She was going to live in Neverland forever

A/N - Plot twist . Mr. Darling denies the existence of Peter Pan, yet he saw Peter at the window while he was locking it! Just wanted everyone to catch that.