AU: In which Peter, Wendy, and several others work at the Daily Mirror in Storybrooke.

Takes places a few hours after the Firefly migration

prompt: Wendy meets Lily Tigress

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Wendy could not find the exact words to describe the woman currently and obviously flirting with the boys, as Tink liked to dub them. Meaning, Pan and Felix and excluding a few others Wendy barely recognized.

She was beautiful with her olive skin and midnight-black braids that hung down her shoulders like two protective serpents. Her smile glowed with confidence and strength and a tinge of something much darker.

Wendy watched with a tight throat as she ran her perfectly manicured hand down Felix's arm. She turned to Tink with nervous eyes but found the pixie of a girl smirking as she refilled Wendy's mug.

"You're not…concerned?" Wendy whispered.

Tink shrugged. "I've stated my claim on Felix. Lily knows that."

Wendy relaxed some, turning back to the lovely woman who was all but in Felix's lap. "Lily. That's a nice name. She's very pretty."

"Lily Tigress. Half Cherokee from her father's side. He runs a museum in Boston. I think her mom is a gypsy or something; we don't hear about her much."

Wendy nodded, trying to gather some sympathy but barely succeeding when she saw her rubbing Felix's shoulders, him leaning into her like a cat as she worked her nimble fingers into his shoulders. Tink still seemed unconcerned, so Wendy tried to push it aside, focusing on not scalding herself with the hot coffee.

"How does she know them?"

"She works in the paper. Miscellaneous mostly, for sales, found animals and stuff."

Wendy slowly shook her head, freezing when she watched the raven-haired beauty glide her way to Peter, who smirked at her with a predatorily, lustful grin. Wendy felt a pressure build in the pit of stomach as the beauty wrapped her arms around Peter's neck, holding him close. The pressure tightened into a hot coil as she nuzzled into his neck. Pan leaned into her, apparently comfortable with the rather graphic PDA.

Wendy tried to look away. She felt like she was invading this moment of theirs, but at the same time she felt obligated to watch. She couldn't rationalize the feelings swimming in the depths of her soul. Why should she care if Pan and Lily Tigress have their way with each other in the middle of the café? He shouldn't be (and wasn't, she told herself) her priority. She shrugged and raised her mug to her lips, wanting to get lost in the taste of caffeine. It's by total accident when she glances back at them. Her mind goes completely blank at the site of Pan leaning his head back, Lily's face hovering barely an inch above his…slowly closing in together…

Why…

Wendy shrieked as boiling coffee splashed onto her leg, soaking into her jeans, her mug crashing to the ground. She keened and jumped off the stool, walking in a circle in a lame attempt to ease the pain. Tink's familiar hands took hold of her shoulders leading her out of the public view.

"Calm down calm down calm down!"

"Tink you're the one's who's freaking out!"

Tink lead her to a small cubby in the kitchen. She sat Wendy on a box and started pillaging through the shelves.

She keened as she pressed down on the hot blotch on her pants. Though her jeans protected her from any real damage, Wendy could feel the beginnings of a scald mark forming. It would be skirts and dresses for the next few days.

Tink brought out a brown peroxide bottle and what looked like an apron. "It's the best I can do. Are you okay?"

Wendy too the items with a smile. "Yeah. I can fix myself up. You go back to the front."

"You sure?"

Wendy chuckled. "Yes Mum."

Tink hesitated a second more before leaving Wendy in the dimly lit cubby, closing the door just enough for attempted privacy.

Wendy carefully eased her wet pants off, holding her breath when she reached her thigh. Her skin was bright red like a tragic case of sunburn. She sighed and splashed some of the peroxide on the burn, screaming at the wild sting. It hurt fifty times as much as she thought it would.

Someone whistled through the crack in the door.

"Now that looks painful."

Wendy shot up to find, much to her disturbed relief, Lily Tigress. If it had been Peter, Wendy was sure she would have passed out from embarrassment. Still, she covered herself with the apron Tink had given her for modesty's sake.

Lily smirked and sauntered in, her hips swaying in a way that was both seductive and dangerous. She lifted her nose in the air, making an exaggerated sniff. "Do you smell that?"

Now that Lily had brought it up, Wendy did smell something. It was greatly familiar, salty and tangy, like her mother's kitchen. Wendy found the source coming from the burn on her leg. That was defiantly not peroxide.

She heard Lily snort as she took the "peroxide" bottle and studied it. "Looks like Tink got the medicine cabinet mixed up with the pantry. You've gone and poured vinegar on your leg."

Wendy hissed and used the apron to wipe most of it off. It still stung a little, but not nearly as much as before.

Lily clucked her tongue and put the bottle on a shelf. "Don't worry, she might have done you some good. I burned my hand on a stove once and my dad spit tobacco juice on it. Barely felt it after that."

Wendy made a face. "What does that have to do with vinegar?"

Lily took a moment to think on that question before shrugging. "New methods of medicine?" She snorted and strolled to Wendy's side and moved her over just enough so that she could squeeze onto the crate. "Tradition is so overrated."

"…Uh huh." Wendy edged away as far as she could without ending up on the floor or seeming rude. Lily didn't seem to mind the lack of distance in the slightest. In fact the idea of having any space between them at all seemingly made her uncomfortable. She rolled her head in Wendy's directed, nodding her head in a sort of greeting but kept her arms crossed.

"Lily Tigress."

"Wendy Darling." Wendy contributed.

"Oh I know who you are. You earned yourself a pedestal of fame for smiting Pan the way you did."

Wendy shrugged uneasily. She really didn't like the idea of being know solely as the girl who smarted off to Pan, though she would forever agree with herself that he deserved it.

"You um…been working for the paper long?" Wendy inquired in an attempt to ease the mood.

Lily shrugged, looking at her nails instead of Wendy. "It's more of a hobby. Puts a little extra cash in my pocket." She smirked. "Plus it sets up perfect opportunities to fuck around with Pan."

The room was suddenly much hotter, either from the heat coming on or the extensive blush that had rather quickly spread on Wendy's face, she wasn't sure.

"Ah…how long have you two been…dating?" Wendy was certain that if no one had ever died from embarrassment, she was about to make a breakthrough in medical science.

Lily nearly toppled over from laughing so hard. Through her confusion, Wendy was able to admire the trace of her Native American culture in her laugh even if it did make her feel uneasy.

"I was talking about the theoretical fucking around, Miss Darling. Peter Pan doesn't do relationships." Lily said, a hint of bitterness in her tone, "Unless of course there's something that can benefit him. Sex, information, stuff like that."

Wendy gawked at her and Lily smirked at her quite lewdly. "Quite innocent, aren't you Miss Darling?" the very tip of her tongue brushed her lip and Wendy shivered. What was with this girl?

"Naïve, precious girl." She put her finger under Wendy's chin, manually closing her mouth, "Entirely too tightly wound…an absolute pity." She shrugged and jumped off the cart, straightening her clothes. "It's for the best. Pan's not the most stable of sort. He doesn't know how to take care of his toys." She smirked at Wendy, "He'd destroy you. Trust me Miss Darling, you give him an opening, he take it and more before you had the chance to say 'no'."

Wendy stared at the Native beauty. She'd known Pan for over a week…well, had been in his presence to be more descriptive. She knew he was an ass, rude, cruel and thoughtless when it came to her feelings, but not one had he made any sort of…attempt to violate her. Even at her apartment when they had their scrap while she was in her bathrobe, he had backed off.

Most of what Lily said sounded legit enough, but even Wendy couldn't see Pan as a scoundrel. A power-abusive perv maybe, but not the monster Miss Lily Tigress was labeling him as.

"Well um…" Wendy coughed as she stood, making sure the apron was tight around her waist. "I really should go home, get some proper clothing."

Lily nodded, standing and following her out of the cubby. Wendy felt her dark gaze on her back as she left, picking up speed just enough to get some distance between her and the very odd woman. She nearly ran over Tink.

"Who the HELL is she!" Wendy hissed-whispered.

Tink chortled. "I see you've met Lily's playful side. She's harmless. How's your leg?"

"Burning." Wendy growled. She smothered the part about the vinegar, not wanting her one friend to feel guilty over an honest mistake. "I'm going home. Maybe a bath will ease it." Wendy jumped as a hand slapped down on her shoulder.

"Need a lift?" Lily beseeched, too close for Wendy's comfort.

"Thank you." Wendy returned with a stressed smile. "It's just up the street though."

"You sure?" Lily pressed, her arm circling tighter around Wendy's shoulders.

"Easy girl." Tink teased, separating Lily from Wendy's side. "She can handle herself, can't you Wendy."

"Yes. Goodnight all." Wendy dashed out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. That was enough of strange company for one night. She stopped when she saw that Pan and Felix were still at their table, completely unconcerned and unaffected from the events that had just taken place. Wendy though for a moment about what Lily had said on Pan and relationships. Was his bond with Felix disposable? Poor Felix had nearly made himself sick when he helped her, all for Pan. If Pan didn't realize just how much Felix treasured his friendship, or whatever they had, than he was the king of fools in her book.

"Nice skirt, Miss Darling."

Pan's eerie voice snapped from her from her thoughts. He approached her slowly, sipping on his mug as his eyes trailed up and down her form. "Still as tasteless as those feather contractions, but honestly a bit of an improvement."

The boys that were at Pan's table erupted with laughter and Wendy's face went scarlet, the glare she wore each time Pan came into her line of sight intensifying. She wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of her hurt. She held her head up high, bumping his arm as she stomped past him out the café and into the night.

Felix stood, as if to go after here, but stayed rooted only to watch her storm down the street.

"Can't you go one day without insulting her?" Felix inquired carefully.

Pan shrugged, still sipping his much as his eyes followed Wendy. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"You know," came a sultry voice just outside the kitchen, "it's said when a guy constantly picks at a girl, he's harboring an immortal passion for her."

Pan rolled his eyes and turned to Lily Tigress. "Most guys aren't me, Miss Tigress."

"Oh too true, Peter Pan."

They were closer now, to predators that sensed blood and were ready to kill each other for it.

"What exactly did you tell her that had her so flushed?"

"Exactly what she needed to hear." Lily answered simply. "It's only fair to give the dear girl fair warning."

"Tried that." Felix called out. "It's pointless Lily, the girl's stubborn."

"No," Lily insighted. "Not stubborn, just…opinionated." She smirked at Pan. "She's somewhere between wanting to claw your eyes out and kissing you senseless."

Pan was frowning now. He couldn't explain why the mention of Wendy Darling left his skin crawling and his head pounding even in the most casual of conversation. However, Lily was talking about her like she actually felt something other than distaste for him. He couldn't handle that. Not yet anyway. Screwing with her psyche was too much fun at the moment.

"Stick to your ads Lily. And keep your mind-games at minimal when it comes to Miss Darling."

"Aye, aye chief." Lily agreed with a mocking salute, gathering her coat from the back of Felix's chair. Felix offered to help her with a false gentlemanly manner. She simply gave him her middle finger as she began to strut out of the café, however Sheriff Graham's police car sped past the café in a way that was too fast for his nightly surveillance.

Lily turned back to Pan, her eyebrows raised in question and her lips curved in mischief.

"It could be nothing." Felix warned even as he fished out his ever present camera bag.

"Yet it could be something." Pan added. "Let's go!"

Felix and Lily headed to Lily's convertible but Pan stayed back just for a moment. He wondered if he should call Wendy, let her join in on the stakeout. However he decided that he and Lily and screwed her enough for one evening.

Next time.

Maybe.

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To I found sometime in my maniacal schedule to write a filley chapter ^-^. Who am I kidding; I'm blowing off studying for five damn minutes! Already working on the next installment, stay tuned!