It was nearly midnight when Wendy was startled from her needlepoint by a loud din echoing through the forest. She jolted upright in her chair and looked around wildly, thinking for a moment that the raucous was right next to her.

Placing the needlepoint down on the table, she padded over to the window. She stuck her head out and turned towards the noise. Unsurprisingly, it was coming from the camp. The Lost Boys were always shouting and taunting each other; they loved violent games and to jeer each other on. Playing doctor to them got tedious with all their minor bumps and bruises, which wouldn't be as big an issue if they just washed themselves to ward off infection. They seemed to think, however, that she could fight off whatever medical ailment they had and made no effort to take care of themselves. She had tried to convince Pan years ago that she had minimal medical training, having barely started nursing school. Pan wouldn't hear any of it, and there she was, grabbing her coat and medical bag, to fix up any cuts and slashes before they got infected and became even more tedious to deal with.

As she trekked further and further into the woods, she began to realize that these shouts were not like the normal ones. They were filled with terror and anger and they shot daggers into her heart. She could feel in the malice in their voices. She deftly ran through the forest, avoiding the snares of the roots and rocks. The moon was always full, but the heavy tree canopy blocked out its light. The forest was cast in shadow as she raced towards the camp.

Soon, she burst out into the camp to find the whole of the Lost Boy clan in a complete state of disaster. The clang of swords rang out, and arrows flew haphazardly through the air. She was right. These boys are out for blood, she thought.

Dropping her bag, she began to weave through the Lost Boys, trying to decipher what exactly the problem was and also, where Pan was. He didn't usually allow the boys fight for real. Fighting divided them; a divided kingdom was harder to rule and control, Pan had explained.

If anyone caused division, he usually just killed them off to appease the Lost Boys. "It's simple, but so effective," Pan had explained to her. That was how he kept peace, or whatever the hell the Lost Boys and their king lived in. However, this time, he was nowhere in sight. She instead searched frantically for his second-in-command, Felix.

She and Felix disliked each other even more than she and Pan did, which she supposed was an accomplishment. Not only was he heartless like Pan, he was infinitely loyal to Pan. Felix obeyed Pan without question, following him around like a lovesick puppy. Pan had created the lie that was Neverland, but Felix truly believed in it… worshipped it. At least Pan had some sense that it was all an illusion.

She knew that Felix saw her as a threat to his relationship with Pan. She knew Felix was jealous of the attention Pan paid to her. She told him on several occasions, however, that he could have all of Pan's time and attention—she wanted none of it. He had not taken kindly to those comments.

Finally, she found the slim, blonde boy at the edge of the crowd, not contributing to the violence, but cheering it on. She grabbed hold of his arm and shook it.

"What the hell is going on?" she yelled over the racket.

Felix just looked down at her and grinned. "The boys are teaching one of the newbies a lesson," he explained. He folded his arms and looked out on the melee with satisfaction. Felix, like Pan, thrived on chaos. But Felix's fascination with Pan often caused to be a poor imitation of Pan; he didn't understand, like Wendy, that this division would bring far more chaos than could be handled.

"They need to stop fighting, someone's going to get hurt!"

Felix looked at her as if she was stupid. "That's the point, Wendy. That's the lesson," he said calmly. She stared at him for a moment. Two decades and she was still surprised by Felix's hunger for violence.

"Pan won't like this," she warned him. Felix shrugged. His adoration of Pan meant he often forgot that Pan's reign was not as secure as he'd like it to be. He had seemingly forgotten that just before she had arrived on the island, Baelfire had almost lead a revolution against Pan. It was squashed and most of the boys who sided with Baelfire were killed, but nevertheless it had happened.

"Where is Pan, anyway?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Recruiting. Where do you think?" Of course, the more boys, the stronger his army.

Turning back to the chaos, she watched as the Lost Boys screamed and cursed and knocked each other's teeth out. It had been a while since the sight of the blood and gore churned her stomach. What sickened her still was the pleasure they took in it, how she could see the ecstasy they felt as they sank their knives into each other.

They didn't recognize each other as humans.

She felt the sickness turn to anger. It was easy to give into the fury rather than be sickened by the fact that she lived in the midst of all the violence. She wanted it to end.

The first time, she didn't even realize she was trying to stop them; she just felt herself getting knocked back and having the wind forced out of her lungs. She skidded across the forest floor and waited for her world to stop spinning. She slowly sat up and reasoned that perhaps that was not the best tactic. The next time she tried to force her way into the crowd, she didn't run in. She slipped between the colliding bodies. They didn't seem to even see that she was there, which was most likely why she ended up getting elbowed in the face. She didn't even realize that her nose was bleeding until she tasted it on her lips.

She then dropped to the ground and began to crawl on her hands and knees towards the centre of the fight. She didn't even know why she did it. For all she knew, the 'newbie' had started all the violence. But someone innocent may have been in danger. There was so little innocence on Neverland that she had to protect it, even if it was hypothetical.

She made her way slowly, painfully. Boys stepped on her hands and tripped over her multiple times. She continued on, until she arrived at the centre of it and she let out an audibly gasp that was lost in the shouting.

In the centre was one of the small, younger boys who she had actually come to like. Gavin. He was only four. He was small and quiet and kind. He hadn't even come to Neverland of his own volition, he followed his older war-like brother, Christopher. What a terrible thing for their parents, to lose both boys, she thought to herself.

He had been on the island for only a few months, but he had quickly become a favourite of hers. He followed her around the camp when she came in, sitting quietly, observing her. He sometimes even came to her treehouse for bedtime stories and cookies. She distantly recalled that Pan was quite fond of him, too. He joked with the child and made funny faces around him. It was a strange sight to see.

Gavin was in the centre of the mess covered in his own blood. Some of his teeth have been knocked out and his should appeared to be dislocated. She crawled forward and when he saw Wendy, he began to cry. He reached out for her, as she reached out for him, but before she could grab his hand, he was pulled back by the collar. She fell forward as she jumped out to grab him. She got up immediately and reached out for Gavin again. He was being held by one of the older boys, Gregory. Brutish and large, he was one of the most violent boys she had ever come across.

She rushed toward Gavin and grabbed at him again. She was able to wrench Gavin's collar out of Gregory's hands. His tiny hands tangled in her hair. He cried out her name. "Leave him be!" she shouted. "He's too young to be involved!"

Gregory just laughed and shoved her. In the fall, her grip on Gavin loosened and before she could even react, Gregory had grabbed him by the neck. He shook him once and Gavin's eyes bulged. His neck was so small and Gregory's hands were so large.

"Let him go!" she demanded. She rushed forward and tried to wrench Gregory's hands away from Gavin. She belatedly realized that the din of the battle has quieted down and that all the Lost Boys are now standing silently watching her stand-off with Gregory.

Gregory narrowed his eyes. "Oh, the fearsome Wendy! So terrifying!" he mocked.

"Let him go, Gregory. He's done nothing wrong," she commanded.

Gregory threw his head back and laughed. "No, he's what caused all of this," he said vehemently. He shook Gavin. "Because of him Christopher's dead." Her stomach dropped.

"He's four years old," she said.

"Gavin went after Christopher, tried to told him back while he was sparring with some other boys. He thought Chris was in danger. He ended up distracting him and Chris got a sword through the chest," Gregory explained. She tried again without effect to pry Gregory's hands off of Gavin, but fingers clenched tighter around Gavin's small neck. Gavin began to cry. "Do you hear that!" he shouted. "You're brother's dead because of you! You're a murderer and you have to pay!" He shook her off, tossing her to the ground.

"He didn't mean hurt anyone! He was trying to help!" she yelled. She stood up and stalked towards him again, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Now you let him down right now or else you'll be the murderer," she yelled.

"Oh yeah? Says who?" Gregory sneered.

Before she could form an answer, a voice came from behind her and she almost jumped out of her skin. "Says me, Gregory," Pan said, stepping around her. "Put him down." Gregory's eyes bulged and he immediately dropped Gavin, who ran as fast as he could to Wendy. She scooped him up and held him tightly.

"It'll be alright," she whispered again and again. Gavin's tiny hands curled into her hair and his tears soaked the shoulder of her dress.

"No one gets to decide who lives or die here except for me," Pan said stalking toward Gregory. He loomed over Gregory, who cowered back. "You should be killed for that."

Gregory gulped. "If I die for that, so should the kid. He killed his brother," he says, pointing frantically at Gavin. In a matter of moments, Gregory had shrivelled up with fear. All because of Pan. "If not for him, Christopher would still be alive."

"Stop lying," she called. "Whoever shoved a knife through Christopher is responsible." She looked at Pan. She knew he would kill just to keep the Lost Boys in line. "Pan, please. Gavin didn't understand and it was not his fault."

Suddenly, Felix materialized beside her, shaking his head. "He was the instigator, Peter. He needs to pay for what he's done. Maybe the boys were wrong to try and punish him, but he deserves it," Felix urged. She felt like hitting him. How could they not see that this was just an accident? Were they that hungry for violence?

"No, he does not!" she yelled. She turned to Pan. "He's done nothing wrong, and you know it. It was a horrible accident. You can't kill him."

"The rules state that anyone who causes a death must pay," Felix implored. He shot her a half grin. She would not have Felix win. She had to protect Gavin.

"He didn't know any better. He thought his brother was in trouble," she urged. "Have some mercy." Pan narrowed his eyes at her. He was not merciful.

"Pan, it's clear-"

"Shut up, both of you!" Pan burst. "And let me think!" He turned around and took a few paces away from the crowd. For someone who hadn't known Pan for two decades, he might have just looked contemplative, but she'd never seen him so torn. He spent a few more moments pacing before saying, "He lives."

She almost laughed when he said it. The crowd erupted into an uproar, tossing the scene into chaos and she clung tighter to Gavin. Pan grabbed her by the arm. "Take him back to your place. Fix him up," he said into her ear. She nodded, picked up her supply bag and ran as fast as she could back to the treehouse.

She began work on Gavin quickly, who'd calmed down sufficiently by then. He didn't cry and was a brave little boy when she begin to stitch him up. He hardly objected to the relaxant she needed to pop his shoulder back in and didn't protest when she did. There wasn't not much to do about his teeth though. She told him new ones will grow in. She paused after that, wondering if he'll grow at all on Neverland.

She ran a warm bath and scrubbed away the dirt and grime. She washed his hair and made sure he was cleaner than he was before. She got him out and dried him off, wrapping him in the best towels she had before getting him into a nightshirt. She scooped him up and wrapped his tiny arms around her neck.

It was a gesture that made my heart ache. If she were back home, she'd have had children his age and older by now. She would know exactly what it felt like to do this for her own child. She squeezed him tight and whispered comforting things to him. Soon, she lay him down in her bed and tucked him underneath the covers. He stared up at me with big blue eyes. He looked so small just then. Barely four years old and he had just narrowly escaped death.

"Thank you for saving me, Wendy," he said quietly. She smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"You're welcome, Gavin. You didn't do anything wrong," she told him softly. "You'll be okay." At this, Gavin began to cry. She thought less about his injuries and much more about his brother. She wasn't sure what would happen now. Instead, she gathered Gavin into her arms and rocked him, telling him that he did nothing wrong, that Christopher was in a better place, that he was safe, far away from Neverland. She rocked him and kissed his head until his crying stopped. Soon, he was calm enough that she began telling him bedtime stories. His eyelids grew heavy and soon, he fell asleep in her arms. She tucked him back under the covers. She drew the curtains, closing off the area around her bed and began to pick up all the bloodstained clothing and bandages. As she went to wipe down her kitchen table, she finally noticed Pan, sitting at the table, examining her needlepoint. It was not an uncommon occurrence for him to show up like that, but it still made her jump, how he seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"You scared me," she said, trying to keep her voice low.

"It was stupid what you did, bird. Stupid and reckless," he ground out without looking up.

"Gavin needed to be saved," she told him, crossly.

"Doesn't matter. What you did was stupid, and it was even stupider trying to convince the Lost Boys otherwise," Pan explained. "You didn't see, but all of them had their weapons trained on you. You could have died."

She sat down at the table across from him. "Not much I have to live for here. If I died saving Gavin, I'd be fine with it." Pan finally looked up and glared at her.

"I wouldn't be. I need you for the Lost Boys," he told her.

"So, that would be worth innocent blood being shed?" she shot back.

"You don't realize your importance," Peter said, his teeth gritted. His cool and calm demeanour was slipping. He was barely hanging on to it. She was surprised to realize how much this had affected him.

She ignored the realization, unsure about what it meant. "If it's important to you, it's unimportant to me," she said, unfazed.

"You can't just go around challenging everyone," he continued on, ignoring her.

"I was doing what was right. Something you actually did for once," she told him. She had to give credit where credit was due.

"It was against the rules," he said. He barely even looked at her, as if he was ashamed. His jaw was set and his mouth wan in a thin line. "If one of them breaks the rules and gets away with it, then all of them can."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If I hadn't been there, would you have sacrificed Gavin for stability?"

"I think you forget that I don't care about morals," Pan explained. "I don't care about Gavin, or anyone else for that matter. Gregory was wrong and I couldn't let what he was trying to do come to fruition. They can't make decisions without me. That was more egregious than what Gavin did. More of a threat to the stability of the group. But if it had to be done, it would have been."

She felt her stomach twist and a wave of nausea washed over her. His answer had been roundabout, but she got the gist. Yes, he had said essentially, I would have sacrificed him. For his power, his control over the island.

She shook her head. She was still surprised at how callous and uncaring he was, even after all this time. She truly had been stupid to have believe even for second that he cared about anyone.

Seeing the look on her face, he continued, "Don't be disappointed or surprised with my answer. I'm not a merciful or moral man. It's been two decades. When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours?" He tilted his head to the side, considering her. "Are you so determined to see me that way?" He had shown mercy because it had suited him, not because it was the right thing to do.

She no longer wanted to contemplate the amorality of Pan or why he had chosen to spare Gavin. "Why are you even here anyway?" she asked. "I know spending time with me isn't exactly your favourite late night activity." Pan's eyes slid over her, glaring.

"Came to see Gavin." He stood up abruptly and made his way over to the curtain. He tossed it back and she followed him.

"If you wake him, there'll be hell to pay," she whispered.

He ignored her threat. "I'm going to punish Gregory accordingly," he told her over his shoulder before turning to Gavin.

When he looked down at Gavin's tiny figure though, she couldn't imagine any thought of punishment remained on his mind. She had never seen his face soften like it did then. Seeing him look at Gavin, it was hard to imagine Pan didn't care for him. Perhaps he cared about Gavin, if only a little bit.

He bent down and tenderly brushed back his tangled blond halo. "He looks better. You did a good job."

She murmured out a thank you and then they both let the silence hang in the air as they watched Gavin sleeping. They didn't say anything and it was the longest silence she'd ever experienced with Pan. Her thoughts turned back to his morality or lack thereof. She couldn't believe he didn't care for Gavin. Pan was a monster, but monsters can still cared for others. Didn't they?

Soon, Pan left with orders to keep Gavin with her for a week, which she was delighted to do. She soon finished cleaning up and collapsed into the cot that she kept for Pan. She felt as if she had only closed her eyes for a second before she was being shaken awake. She flailed around before she came face to face with Felix. He grabbed her by the hair and covered her mouth with his hand.

"You bitch," he sneered. "You made me look stupid in front of everyone today. You've ruined everything." She bit down on his hand, but he continued to talk. "I've never seen Pan act this way, and I know it's because of you. You're changing him, weakening him." He tugged at her hair and her scalp burned painfully. She bit down even harder, tasting blood. "I've hated you from the moment you came here, and if I had any say in the matter, you'd have been six feet under as soon as I could get my hands on you." His hand moved from her hair to her neck. "You haven't gotten away with it this time. Someone's got to pay." He then threw her back down onto the cot, leaving just as abruptly as he came.

After that, there were no more unexpected visitors. She and Gavin spent the week together. They cooked and played. At night, without all the fun activities to keep his mind busy, he cried and she held him and rocked him. She whispered comforting things in his ear and when he calmed down enough, she read to him from the books she had. He fell asleep each night cuddled up to her.

Pan dropped in several times during the week, bringing food and toys. Each time, he played with Gavin. Wendy watched in awe as Pan interacted with the child. He was wonderful. He was more than decent. He was kind and caring and attentive. He was… human. She stood stock still during this time, not wanting to move or else the spell that fell over the three of them would be broken.

The first couple of times, the spell broke and Pan's humanity seemed to shatter. He would rush out, almost angry. However, with each visit, the anger seemed to dissipate and by the end of the week, he didn't rush out. Instead, Gavin clung to his leg as Pan tried to leave, jokingly trying to pry the child off of him. This time, unaware of herself, Wendy let out a laugh. Immediately, Pan looked up and for a moment just stared before breaking into a smile that made her breath catch in her throat.

By the end of the week, she argued with him that it still wasn't safe for Gavin to return. Perhaps it would never be safe. She had prepared a whole speech, but Pan gave in quickly and easily. She tried to suppress a smile when he agreed that Gavin should stay indefinitely.