A.N. Wow! Can I just say, I have some of the best reviewers ever? DarkNightChilde completely ownzors the "On the Ball" award, she read and reviewed the last chapter, no kidding, like ten seconds after I'd put it up. I wasn't even done skimming through it (which I do right after I upload to make sure nothing randomly blew up or something) when her review was just…there. Impressive, to say the least, and I'm most grateful! Thanks!

And of course, there was liar's review poem. It's brilliance flattered me beyond words…and that's quite a feat…^_~ teehee. Thanks so much!

Lost-Girl89 threatened that, if I didn't update soon, she'd hunt me down and read the next chapter from my brain…which was inventive! And I love creativity…in all it's…um…gruesome forms! So thanks to you as well! Hope this is soon enough for ya..0_o

To everyone who has read and reviewed…thank you all so much! I appreciate the time you take to let me know what you think! I was nervous about that revelation, and am so happy it was well received. You guys are the best!

***

The world spun, the tree house tilted, and before I knew it, I was staring up at the ceiling with a cool cloth over my forehead, Teaken staring worriedly down into my face.

"Mary?" he called, and his voice echoed strangely in my ears, as if my head was submerged in water. "How do you feel?"

Our earlier conversation came rushing back, and my emotions overwhelmed me. I began to cry silently. I was too exhausted to sob and throw the fit that I wanted to, so I just closed my eyes and let the tears drain out, one after the other, until the hair at my temples was soaked.

I felt Teaken stroke my hair, trying to calm me. "It won't be as terrible as you may imagine, Mary," he whispered, knowing the reason for my tears without asking. "Peter loved Wendy very much, so there's no reason to think he won't love you…in some way," Teaken assured me and dipped the cloth on my forehead in cool water again, then ran in gently over my cheeks and eyes.

The tears didn't stop. I was powerless to control them. I really didn't even understand them. I mean, Teaken had told me the situation, and now it was up to me to accept it, or to say 'no thanks and please take me home'. It was more than that, I knew. If I said no, I would be condemning an entire island of people. Not just people, in fact, but dreams. I'd be killing imagination itself. Who was I to do that? Could I allow that to happen and still live with myself? But on the other hand, why me? I certainly hadn't asked for this, and I certainly hadn't done anything to deserve it. But had they done anything to deserve total annihilation? Complete erase from existence?

"God, isn't there another way?" I whimpered, raising my hands to cover my face. I had to stop thinking, it was all too much for my mind right now. My head was sure to explode any minute now. "Any other way?" I begged.

I heard Teaken sigh weakly. "I'm sorry, Mary," he whispered. "I know you don't deserve to have to make a choice like this…"

"A choice?" I interrupted, looking up out of my tear stained eyes. "You think I still have a choice?" I asked quietly, blinking in surprise up at him.

"Well, of course," he said, sitting back a little in order to dunk the cloth in cold water again. "I mean, it's your body, your child, isn't it? It has to be your decision." He moved to place the cloth on my forehead again, then stopped suddenly, and sharply jerked his hands back. "Did you think we would force you?" he asked, angry now. "Is that why you're crying?"

"No, no that's not it," I assured him, though now that he'd mentioned it… "But, you wouldn't, would you?" I asked meekly.

"No. Never, Mary, and you should know that. If that's all we'd wanted, don't you think we'd have had it by now?"

"You're right, I know. I never thought that anyway."

"So, if that's not it, then why are you crying?" Teaken asked carefully.

I sighed and ran my hands down my face before raising myself up on my elbows. "I don't really know. I guess, just the hugeness of it all, you know? And…lots of other things. I guess I've just kept a lot of things inside for too long," I trailed off, picturing my mother's face, but put a stop to that thought string, it would only lead to more tears. "And it all finally spilled over, I guess." I tried to smile at Teaken, but could only manage a weak smirk.

"Emotions have a tendency to do that." Teaken nodded.

We sat in silence for a while, me just trying to take everything in, and Teaken letting me, and looking skittishly at me as if I were a land mine just waiting to be tripped by the slightest movement or vibration.

I really didn't have anything to choose, and deep down I knew that as soon as Teaken had told me that Neverland needed my help. I couldn't just let the entire island disappear. I would never sleep again, could never live with myself. I would do what they'd ask…I just never dreamed it would be…this.

A child. My child. It seemed impossible. I was only a teenager. I couldn't have a child. Well, I could, I mean, I had the technology and everything of course…but I just couldn't, you know? But, turned out, I had to. And not only that, but I had to make it with a complete stranger. This particular line of thought brought some rather squicky questions to mind.

"Teaken,"

"Yes?"

"You said that Peter has to be the father of this child…"

"Yes."

"Peter Pan?"

Teaken hesitated. "Yes…"

"The boy who refused to grow up?"

"Right,"

"So let me get this straight: you expect me to have sex with a ten year old?"

Teaken's eyes bulged and he barked out a laugh. "No! No, no, Gods no! Peter's not ten. Gods, Mary!" Teaken continued to snicker.

"What is he then, eleven?" I snapped back.

"No, Mary, he's much older than you. Now, follow me here, he hung around with your great-great-great grandmother. So he has to be older than ten, and yes even eleven years of age," Teaken smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "So I'm supposed to get down with a five-hundred-year-old in the body of a ten-year-old?"

Teaken shook his head. "Peter used to look that age, you're right. But ever since Neverland began losing it's magic, we've all been growing older. Look at me, do you think I'd be second-in-command to a twelve year old?"

Hmmm. He had a point there. "So how old does Mr. Pan appear to be now?" I asked.

"Around how old I appear to be, maybe a bit older."

"Ah," I nodded and sighed a bit in relief. "Well, at least there's that."

"So," Teaken began hopefully. "Does this mean you'll help us?"

"Hell, Teaken, how can I not?" I sighed, putting my face in my hands. "How can I let an entire dwelling just fade from existence?" I shook my head and looked out the window. "I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen."

Teaken smiled brilliantly and immediately gathered me up in a hug. I nearly choked as he squeezed all the air from me. He pulled back and kissed my cheek, causing me to blush. "Thank you, Mary. From the bottom of every heart in Neverland, thank you. It will be all right, you'll see! We'll all help you through this! You won't be alone for a single step of it, that's a promise. You rest for a bit in here, and I'm going to spread the good news. Let me know whenever you feel up to it, and I'll introduce you to Peter, all right?"

"I guess that had better be as soon as possible, so that we can, erm, get to know each other a bit, maybe," I stammered, embarrassed.

Teaken smiled kindly, and nodded. "He'll like you, I know it. And you'll like him. He's more than what they say in the stories." Teaken smiled brightly at me again, and left the room.

I sighed and shook my head, terrified and excited at the same time. I was going to be the hero of an entire world! I was going to be a mother.

"Sweet Mary mother of Christ," I moaned and fell back against the pillow again, my hands over my face. What had I gotten myself into this time?

****

There was no way I could have known it then, distracted as I was, but someone else had listened into our conversation, and they could personally vouch for one certain heart in Neverland who would not be thanking me for what I was about to do. Quite the opposite, actually. As far as this heart was concerned, I'd just signed my death warrant.

****

Birds and animals of all imaginable shapes, colors, and sizes darted out of the way and squawked or growled their annoyance as a middle-aged, round and clumsy man bowled through the forest in earnest.

He'd done it. Oh, his captain would be so pleased! He'd done exactly as he'd been ordered. He'd found the girl, he'd heard their plan, and now he was on his way to update his beloved captain on what he'd discovered. He was sure to get rewarded for this. Jewels, perhaps, or extra port after dinner even!

The man salivated as his imagination ran away with him, and he nearly lost his way off of his path before he finally pulled himself out of his fantasies and backtracked to find his path again. He mustn't be late, oh no indeed, his captain would not like that one bit.

The man shouted for his captain as he stumbled aboard the ship at last, nearly bursting with importance and excitement as he made his way through the crowd of other men on the ship in his need to relate his news to his captain.

"What's the hurry, there, Mr. Smee? Find some pretty flowers for the captain, did ya now?" On man with an old fishing hook in his left eyebrow and a patch over his right eye sneered at Smee, tripping him up with the scabbard of his sword.

"Remove yourself from my way, Mr. Starky, or the captain shall be very angry with you. I have information for him from my completed secret mission." Smee stared up at Starky unblinkingly.

"Is that so?" Grinned Starky, showing off all of his seven remaining teeth. "Hear that, boys? He thinks the captain will be pleased to see that he's found his way back to the ship after his little errand!" The crew guffawed at this, shaking their heads at the slight body they were slowly surrounding.

"So what's the big news, Mr. Smee? Are the bunnies upset at the miceies again?" The crew laughed harder as a large man with tattoos covering his body leaned in towards Smee and tapped Smee's cheek with the flat of his sword.

"Oh, I know what it must be, boys. You see, the redskins feel real bad for killin' all those bears and buffalos lately, so they's all become those cutesy vegemitearianers!" The crew shouted laughter even louder as they began to close in on Smee.

Smee, however, took no notice of the violent glints in their eyes, and only looked down his nose at the man who had just spoken (a hard thing to do when one is barely over five feet tall). "I believe you mean 'vegetarians', and no, that's not what my information is about, you nasty brutes. You're all just jealous that the captain gave me a secret mission and not-any-of-you." Smee smirked, pointing his finger around the circle to emphasize his point.

The crew growled and immediately drew all their weapons and had them pointed at Smee before the small man could blink. Smee noticed the violent glint now, and gulped.

"As entertaining as you all no doubt are, your energies would be better used doing your JOBS!" a commanding voice roared from the upper decks of the ship. "Get to work you cowardly curs! Smee! In my chambers, NOW."

The crew grudgingly put away their weapons and got back to their own jobs and positions, a bit more light hearted now that they'd had their daily dose of Smee baiting.

Smee 'humphed' at all the men and walked importantly up the step towards the Captain's quarters.

"SMEE! NOW!"

Smee jumped and stumbled quickly up the rest of the steps. "Y-y-yes, Cap'n?"

A dark haired man stood imposingly in the corner of the room, his left hand resting on the desk in front of him on a map of the island. His other hand missing, but harboring a hook in its place which lay imbedded in the table through the map, in order to hold it in place. He inhaled deeply from the cigar in his mouth, and the glow of the embers lit up his sinister smirk. He exhaled the smoke onto a corner of the island, and the foliage on that part of the map immediately curled, dried, browned, and died. He smiled again.

"Look at it, Mr. Smee. Shriveling, crumbling, decaying…but most importantly, dying." He yanked sharply as he turned, tearing the hook from the table. He took the cigar from his mouth and bared his yellowing teeth in a volatile smile that made Smee gulp nervously. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"No, Cap'n…I mean, y-yes, Cap'n! Lovely, indeed." Stammered Smee as he nervously twisted the bottom of his shirt in his dirty hands.

"We shall soon be free of this bloody perpetual playground. Free at last, after a millennia of torturous waiting and useless scrabbling with those incorrigible boys," he sneered, his one fist clenching in anger. He suddenly looked down at Smee, as if remembering suddenly that he was there. "Unless, of course, you have bad news to report, Mr. Smee."

"B-bad news, Cap'n? N-no! I mean, yes, news, but not bad, quite, I mean to say it isn't bad for you, persay, because you can conquer any adversary-"

"Oh stop your bumbling compliments, they sicken me." The dark man barked. "Report at once! What have you found, Mr. Smee?"

Smee gulped and hurried to reply. "The, the g-girl, Cap'n. They have her. And they've told her what she has to do, to…to try and save the island sir, and Pan. She's accepted, sir…" Smee trailed off, frightened of the Captain's reaction.

"Found her, have they? And what might be this young lass's name, Mr. Smee?"

"Mary, Cap'n. Mary Lynn Darling Bennington. She's the great-great-great granddaughter of-"

"I know who she is, you great idiot!" The captain snapped as he shoved Smee down with the blunt end of his hooked hand. "And I asked for her name, not her lineage!" He'd bristled immediately at the mention of the 'Darling' name. Oh how he'd hated that impertinent Wendy girl. She'd made Peter so disgustingly happy, and so damn invincible.

He wandered back towards the table that held the map of Neverland and once again stuck his cigar between his teeth. "So, the would be savoir of Neverland is here, is she? Well, then we shall have to give her a welcome truly reminiscent of Neverland," He stubbed out his cigar on the table next to the map and turned around, once again grinning nastily.

"And what kind of welcome would that be, Cap'n?" Smee asked carefully.

"Well, Neverland makes the brats forget, does it not, Mr. Smee?"

"Yes Cap'n, so I've heard,"

"Aye, Smee. So we'll welcome her to Neverland by making her forget everything!"

"Ah a potion from the redskins Cap'n! Brilliant as always, sir! I'll go-"

"Ah, Mr. Smee, while those potions could indeed make that little girl's mind swim, I do believe I have a better method."

"You do, Cap'n?"

"Yes indeed, Mr. Smee."

"Do tell, Cap'n!"

"Why, it's simple Mr. Smee. One cannot remember anything when one is dead." The man chuckled mercilessly as he dragged Smee out of his chambers and shouted at the crew to prepare to launch the boats to shore.

****

As soon as the first dingy hit the water, Peter Pan sat straight up in his hammock, his mind clearer than it had been in days. Tinkerbell, who had always been watching over him, immediately flew to his side, inquiring as to what had disturbed his sleep.

Peter only had one thing ringing through his mind. He turned to stare out the window, and he lowered his eyebrows in a scowl of challenge and smirked slightly with pleasure. "Hook."

***Ta-daaaa! Want an encore? Leave a review! ^_^***

Oh, and P.S….those of you hoping for a Teaken/Mary romance…I wouldn't give up just yet…^_~