Author's Notes: OMG, I am so excited to post this chapter! It is a personal favorite of mine and I can't wait to hear what you all think about it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OUAT characters, however the story is entirely my own : )

Chapter 10

"No!" The scream tears through her throat until she can no longer breathe. It is filled with such desperation and despair that she hardly recognizes her own voice.

The shadow turns to Wendy and slowly stalks towards her like a predator hunting prey. The emerald eyes that she would know anywhere shining brilliantly at her. Not a minute ago, she would have given anything to see those emerald eyes again. Now, she wishes nothing more for them to stop looking at her as though she were a meal to be devoured.

She backs away, searching around the room desperately for anything that could be used as a weapon, but comes away empty handed. The shadow continues its advance until it backs her into the wall, it's black mass hovering above her. She reaches out her hands in front of her in an attempt to push the shadow back, but she doesn't feel anything.

Wendy hesitantly opens her eyes and finds that her hands are inside the shadow. She waves her arms around and lets out a choked laugh. It's a shadow. And shadows do not have bodies.

She darts through the black mass, shivering when she feels a cold presence surround her, but it quickly disappears. Her eyes frantically search the room until they land on the dagger that is still lodged deep within Peter's chest, the handle pointing upwards, beckoning to be grasped. I'm sorry, she silently pleads as she races to the side of the bed and grimacing, grips the blade, pulling it from Peter's body. Wendy holds the dagger in front of her, the blade trembling within her hands. She slides in front of Peter, blocking him from the shadow's path.

The shadow stalks towards her. There is no longer any mischief in those emerald eyes, but irritation. It gets closer and closer until it is once again upon her, it's dark presence pressing against her. Even without a physical body, she can still feel him.

Wendy is terrified. Never has she raised a weapon against another living thing. She has always insisted on protecting all life and now, she cannot help but think that this shadow used to be a boy. And she is holding a dagger pointed straight at his chest. Her entire body is shaking and she bites her lip to keep it from trembling. She braces herself for an attack that is sure to come, but several tense seconds of silence pass and nothing has happened.

She hesitantly peers up at the shadow. He is staring back down at her, his emerald eyes studying her. He tilts his head, very much resembling the behavior of a confused dog. She would giggle if it weren't for the fact that she is completely terrified and Peter is dying behind her. Please hold on.

She focuses back on the shadow, still gazing at her curiously. She sucks in a breath, not daring to move, as he lifts a dark hand to her face. She flinches away instinctively, expecting pain, but when none comes, she hesitantly turns back to the shadow. With her heart beating rapidly in her chest, she stays completely still as he lifts his hand and caresses her cheek. She gasps when she feels the cold presence against her skin and is startled when the hand brushes a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

The touch is gentle, soft. It shows no sign of aggression or fury that she was expecting. She only feels more than sees the confusion and curiosity from the shadow. "Who are you?"

The hand is still on her cheek, showing no intention to move from her skin. "Why did you bring me here?"

The other hand comes to rest right against her chest, over her pounding heart. "Why do you want to harm Peter?"

She is not expecting a reply. She is not even sure that shadows can talk. But what she isn't expecting is the animalistic growl that resounds through the room. She has little time to even blink before she is tossed across the space and lands harshly on the floor, her head hitting the wood. Hard. Stars dance across her vision and she tries to clear them as she looks to where she was standing not one second ago.

Wendy is sure that what she is seeing is a dream. It has to be. There is no reasonable explanation for how Peter is hovering several feet above his bed and glowing. It is the same thing that happened the previous night when she told Peter about her nightmares. He had glowed then, too. But not of this magnitude. And he definitely was not flying.

She watches in awe as he dives for the shadow, the two crashing to the floor. It is a tangle of limbs and fists. They are both moving so fast that her eyes cannot follow the swift movements. All Wendy can see is blurs of gold and black as the two boys fight brutally and savagely. She tries to right herself, but the hit to her head is making the room spin and she collapses back onto the ground in a heap, utterly helpless to stop the fight that is rampaging not three feet from her.

She cannot tell who is winning, she only prays that Peter would be all right. She is not even sure how he can be awake right now, let alone flying and fighting. He has suffered two very fatal wounds in less than a day and still manages to be throwing kicks and punches with such brutal strength. It should be impossible.

After what feels like an eternity of fighting, she hears Peter let out a powerful roar of frustration. She concentrates on focusing her blurred vision long enough so that she may see what Peter is about to do.

He opens his clenched fists and holds out what looks to be a golden globe of light, as if he were carrying the sun in the palm of his hand. Wendy stares in awe as he thrusts the bright light at the shadow. She raises her hands to cover her eyes from the almost blinding light emanating from Peter. Through her fingers, she can just make out the shadow slowly disintegrating, it's deafening shrieks piercing the room. Holes are burning through the dark form until there is nothing left but the echo of his cries.

Wendy stares in shock as Peter collapses onto the floor, his breathing ragged. His fists are still clenched and when he opens his eyes to look across the room to her, his eyes burn a furious golden flame, no longer the brilliant emerald green she has grown rather fond of.

She is lying immobile on the floor, either from the shock, fear, or pain, she did not know. Peter slowly and carefully makes his way over to her like one would approach a wounded animal. The golden glow that surrounded him slowly fades and his eyes return to the brilliant emerald green.

He crouches down next to her and gently places his hand on her cheek, the warmth seeping into her skin and Wendy instantly relaxes. She does not know how long they stay that way, with his hand on her cheek. But she chances a glance at his chest and her heart lurches into her throat.

There is so much blood. It has seeped through the bandages and it now paints his body in a gruesome visage. She immediately shoves his hand away and before he can protest, she grabs his arm and wraps it around her shoulder, guiding him to the bed. She can hear him grumble something about not being an invalid, but she chooses to ignore it. She almost would have laughed if it weren't for his ragged coughs and gasping breaths. She gently lays him down onto the bed and as she looks down at the blood soaking into the furs, she does not know what to do.

"I will go get Felix." Wendy makes to leave, but she stops when a hand grasps her arm, preventing her from taking another step. She turns to see that Peter is sitting up. It happened too fast for her to be sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Desperation.

"Don't leave." Was he… asking her to stay?

"But, Peter… I don't know what I'm doing."

He shrugs, the movement causing another wave of pain to crash through his entire body. Through gritted teeth, he says, "I'll tell you what to do. Just… don't leave." Her heart was pounding and she was sure that that was the only sound in the room as he stared at her with such an intensity, it made her legs wobble.

A chuckle runs past his lips in an attempt to release the building tension in the room. He winces at the searing pain. "Besides," he says, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Felix's bedside manners are sorely lacking." She rolls her eyes, slipping back into their usual routine, trying to ignore the moment they had just shared.

Wendy hesitantly comes around the bed and she can feel his eyes tracking her every movement, studying her intensely. When he comes to the conclusion that she is not leaving, he lets his eyes close, too exhausted to find the strength required to keep them open.

Sensing her unsurety, he says, "Peel… off the bandages." His breathing is ragged.

Wendy swallows nervously, her teeth biting her lower lip as her trembling hands lower to his heaving chest, covered in dirt and blood. Carefully, she removes the bandages, fighting the rising bile in her throat. The wound is so much worse than she could have ever imagined.

His skin has been torn to shreds and blood oozes out of the wounds in a steady stream. A large gash runs across his abdomen and another deep one is carved into his side, just below his ribs. It must have been where the shadow had stabbed him with the dagger. Her entire body is shaking as she looks at the gruesome scene in front of her. How can he even still be alive from something like this?

"Peter… " She has never dealt with anything like this before. She doesn't know what to do and the idea that her ineptitude could get him killed was making her extremely anxious. She needs to get help right away.

Peter must have been sensing this. "It'll be… fine," he whispers. "I'll… guide you through it."

Wendy nods her head, even though she knows he cannot see her. I can do this. He won't die. Everything will be alright. She repeats this over and over to herself as she continues to remove every last bloody bandage from around his torso, stopping any time Peter hisses between his teeth. He ushers her on, coaxing her to continue until his ravaged skin is completely bare for her.

"I need you to… clean the wounds." She looks to his face. She can see the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and the unnatural paleness of his skin. He's getting worse. Gritting her teeth, she grabs a cloth and a water bucket and places it by the bed. Before she can think twice on what she is about to do, Wendy gently wipes the wet cloth across his torn flesh. Peter clenches his fists until his knuckles turn white and he lets out a low, miserable groan.

"I'm sorry," she pleads, her chest aching every time a moan escapes past his lips.

"It's fine. Keep… going." Wendy does. It was a slow and painful process and that ache in her chest only intensified as time passed. But she kept going until the dirt and blood had been wiped away and nothing remained except for the two deep and angry gashes on his torso.

"Good. Now just… put clean bandages on." She hesitates and looks around. With his eyes still closed, Peter says, "Dresser. Top drawer."

Wendy crosses the room and pulls on the knobs, opening the drawer only to have her face burn a brilliant crimson. The bandages were nestled amongst Peter's trousers. She stares at the clothes for longer than she really should until she hears faint chuckling from behind her. Her cheeks are on fire as she quickly grabs the roll of bandages and shuts the drawer.

She ignores the soft laughter as she delicately places her hands on his feverish skin. The laughter stops abruptly and both of them are silent as Wendy's fingers dance across his torso and abdomen, wrapping the wounds with layers of cloth.

She should not be enjoying this. She should not be enjoying running her hands across his skin. She should not be enjoying the hitching of Peter's breath whenever her hands accidentally brush lower. No, she should not be enjoying this one bit.

Wendy releases a breath she didn't know she was holding when she finally finishes bandaging Peter. Her fingers linger on his skin more than necessary, not wanting to leave the warmth they have found there. But she lets go and collapses into a chair, releasing the tension and anxiety that has been plaguing her ever since she stepped into this room.

She sighs, letting her heart slow down to a steady pulse while she listens to Peter's breathing. His eyes are closed and it looks as if he might be asleep, but his skin is no longer sickly pale and his temperature has cooled down considerably.

She watches him sleep peacefully, admiring the way his wild, golden hair frames his face. He is rather attractive, she thinks to herself. There was no denying the fact that she was drawn to him. He stirs something deep inside of her that she cannot explain nor define. But it is becoming more and more prevalent the longer she is with him. She has tried to stop it, but she can't whenever she sees his mischievous smirk or fiery green eyes. And at night when his back is facing her and she can trace all of the muscles in the silvery moonlight…

"What are you thinking about, Wendy?" She snaps out of her daze and looks to see that Peter is sitting up in bed, a knowing smile on his face. Her cheeks burn a deep shade of crimson and she looks away quickly, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

"N-Nothing." She inwardly berates herself for the trembling in her voice.

Peter lifts an eyebrow and opens his mouth to speak, but she cuts him off before he can get another word out at her expense. "Who was that shadow? Why was he trying to kill you?"

His eyes harden, no longer alight with amusement, and his mouth becomes a grim line. "Felix told you."

Suddenly feeling frightened for her friend, she blurts out, "He didn't tell me everything and I pushed him."

"I know. He would never disobey my orders." Wendy stays silent while Peter sighs. He drags a hand down his face, completely exhausted. "You won't let this go, will you?" She shakes her head and he almost laughs. He finds that he has been doing that a lot recently. Laughing. And it was always around her. She was… entertaining.

Wendy can see the debate inside Peter's head on how much he should tell her. "That shadow," he says. "Isn't like the others."

"What do you mean?"

"I am assuming that Felix told you about who those shadows used to be?" Wendy nods. "Well, you can rest assured that that one was not a Lost Boy."

She was confused. She had thought that all of the shadows used to be Lost Boys. When she voiced as much, Peter shook his head. "Did it not occur to you that someone actually has to create all of them? Lost Boys don't just turn into soulless monsters on their own." Wendy shivers, remembering the one from her dreams.

"So… you're saying that the shadow you killed was the one creating all of the others?"

Peter shook his head. "I didn't kill that shadow for good."

Her brow scrunched in confusion. "But, I thought that-"

"They are shadows, Wendy. Nothing can kill them-at least, nothing that I know of."

"Then what do we do?" she whispers. The situation seems hopeless. There were hundreds of shadows roaming around the Neverwoods and there was no way of ridding them. It pains her to think about killing what once were Lost Boys. Innocent children who were taken away and turned into monsters. Perhaps there was a way to revert them back…

"It's impossible, Wendy."

She looks to Peter and sees something that almost looks akin to sympathy in his eyes. "There is no way to make them human again." She detects a note of sadness in his voice, almost as though he were actually missing the boys who were truly gone.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?" She can tell he is growing tired, fatigue and pain wearing him down slowly.

"How do you fly?"

He smiles as his eyes glaze over, his mind travelling somewhere far away where she cannot reach. "I've forgotten how… I think," he muses to himself. "Someone once told me that all you need to do is… think a happy thought."

Think a happy thought? "But, Peter. That makes no sense. How-" She is cut off by the sounds of light snoring. Wendy startles as she looks to the bed and sees that Peter has fallen fast asleep, his lips parted slightly and his hair tousled in every direction. Another snore echoes throughout the silent room and she holds a hand to her mouth to cover a giggle.

She was beginning to see more sides to Peter that she never thought existed. There were times where emotions would flash in his eyes only to be immediately masked behind a wall of arrogance. But they were there, no matter how hard he tried to pretend otherwise. Wendy often found herself searching in that gaze for what lay hidden underneath the facade.

She wishes that he would not deny his emotions. She wants him to open up to her. She wants him to share his personal thoughts and feelings and ideas with her. She wants him to be close to her in a way that she has never wanted another and it thrills yet terrifies her.

When she first arrived on Neverland, she wanted nothing more than to slap him for the insults and cruelty that he had shown her. Then, she wanted to get close to him for the sole purpose of finding a way off the island for her and her brothers. Now, what she wants from him is much more innocent. Pure. With no ulterior motives.

She wants him to care for her.

Her heart pounds rapidly at the admission. Her mind tells her to refuse. To turn around and walk away from the warmth flowing throughout her body. But she knows that she cannot ignore the feeling that grows stronger the more she is around him.

When she saw him collapse at the door, blood pooling beneath him, her world had stopped. Her entire body had gone numb. The only thought that was running through her head was Please don't die. She did not-could not-imagine her world with Peter Pan no longer in it. He had wrapped her around his finger effortlessly and she was caught in his cage. There was no escape for her now.

She was trapped.

The world has gone dark and he cannot see. Not the ground he walks on nor the sky above him. Oblivion surrounds and suffocates him. He cannot breathe.

He cannot breathe.

He cannot breathe…

He is brought to his knees as his entire body goes numb. He feels so heavy and he is so very tired. He would like to go to sleep… it would feel so nice to just rest for a moment… his eyes begin to close and he plummets head first into a dreamless sleep… but something stops him. He hears a noise. It's quiet at first, but grows louder and louder until it reverberates throughout his entire body. "No!"

It was a voice. Her voice. Wendy…

As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew something was very wrong.

Standing at the foot of his bed was a trembling girl pointing a bloody dagger at his shadow.

He ignored the searing pain that was coursing throughout his entire body, setting all of his nerves ablaze. He ignored the fiery inferno of his power, screaming at him to lose control and devour everything. The only thing that he could see through his blind fury was his shadow laying a hand on Wendy. His Wendy.

His shadow was touching what does not belong to him!

He knew the tight leash he kept on his power was slipping and he paid it no mind. His hands clenched into tight fists and he felt himself lift from the bed. Without thinking, he dove for his shadow, pushing Wendy aside and out of his shadow's reach. He opened up his palm, feeling the familiar pulse of his power coursing through his body and concentrating in his hand. He looked down to see the distinct golden ball of light and smiled menacingly at his shadow.

He was going to enjoy this.

After that, his mind had gone blank. He does not remember much except for burning pain being chased away by soft, gentle hands. He had drifted off to sleep, being comforted by those delicate hands. But his dream was not nearly as pleasant.

"Peter!"

He kept running. "Peter! Where are you going?"

He ignored her.

He didn't want to talk to her. She was betraying him. They all were. But as fast as he was running, she was faster flying. She caught up to him in no time, planting her hands on her knees and breathing heavily while he stood with his arms crossed, refusing to look at her. Stubborn as always.

"Why… do you run… from me?" she asked between gasping breaths. He remained silent.

She sighed. "Peter…"

"I don't want to talk to you! To any of you!" He was angry and hurt. They were casting him off. He would never see them again. "You're abandoning me just because I'm different!"

Her green eyes widened. "Peter, that's not true. We all love you."

Angry tears were running down his face. He did not bother to wipe them away. He wanted her to see that she was hurting him, so she would always feel ashamed for what they were going to do. "Then why are you sending me away?"

She smiled sadly at him. "We are fading, Peter. Humans do not believe in magic anymore." She pointed a delicate finger at his chest. "You have the heart of the truest believer. You are the only one who can preserve the last remains of magic before it completely disappears forever."

He sniffles. "But I don't have any magic like the rest of you."

She smiled. "Peter, you are the child of both worlds and the truest believer. You have more power than you will ever know."

"But I can't even fly. I don't have wings like you."

"You don't need wings, Peter. All you need to do… is think a happy thought."

He smiled brightly at her. "Then I'll just think of you."

Her heart was breaking. She knew that sending him away would ensure the survival of magic, but she would miss him dearly. He was her best friend. She loved his natural curiosity and adventurous spirit. She loved the mischief they caused together. But he was their only hope.

He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and she smiled into his unruly, golden hair. "I will miss you, Peter. More than you will ever know."

Another tear slid down his cheek. "I'll miss you too, Tink."

Author's Notes: What do you think? I really love this chapter and I hope all of you do, too! Please let me know what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions and it motivates me to update faster!

Anyways... things are slowly starting to progress between Peter and Wendy. I probably should have warned you all that this is definitely a slow burn, but for all of you who have been waiting for Peter and Wendy to FINALLY get together... you'll have to wait a little longer! BUT there is definitely some more mature content in the next chapter so hang in there everybody! Please let me know what you guys think! Until next time!