Author's Notes: I am sooo sorry for the long wait! Truth be told, I had some difficulties writing this chapter. I couldn't quite get it the way I imagined it in my head, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer so I went ahead and posted this chapter. Please let me know what you guys think about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

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

Chapter 13

He is lost. Utterly and completely lost. The past few hours have sent him soaring high through the skies only to have him crashing to the ground the next moment. And he is left disoriented and confused. A torrent of emotions that he can not hope to put names to. Something in him has changed and it is quite clear to him that the reason behind his bewilderment is the girl walking beside him.

He had left her in that clearing for her own safety. Although the pirates posed no threat to him or his Lost Boys, she had no training or skill in combat. If she were to attempt to fight the pirates, it would only end in her being captured or killed. That was something he could not have. He knows he was harsh with her. He knows he had hurt her. But it was necessary. She needed to stay as far away from the pirates as possible and at the time, he thought that that was exactly what he was doing. He should have known better.

He had underestimated the pirate's intelligence. When he arrived at the camp, Felix trailing after him, he immediately knew something was wrong. Only about half of the pirate crew was there fighting his Lost Boys. And Hook was not one of them. He would never miss an opportunity to capture Peter. He turned to Felix. "Where is he?" he demanded.

Felix shrugged, uncaring. "Probably still on the ship, waiting for you to be brought to him." But Peter shook his head. "No. He wouldn't leave these spineless fools the task of capturing me. He would do it himself." Peter glanced around, an idea dawning on him. "Hook is on the island." An inexplicable feeling of dread twisted his insides until he could barely breathe. He had left Wendy alone. Completely defenseless.

He darted through the forest, blindly scrambling over upturned roots and through gnarled branches to get to the clearing. To get to her. The few minutes it took to reach the open area were painful, but the mere seconds it took to realize that his Wendy had been taken were complete agony.

He closed his eyes and tried to sense her presence, coming up empty. He couldn't feel her anywhere. He ran his fingers through his hair, frantically, his eyes crazed as he looked for any signs of where the pirates had taken her. He noticed the marks in the dirt and the snapped twigs. Signs of a struggle. She had been dragged away. His precious Wendy carried away like some savage beast.

His hands clenched into fists as he followed the tracks through the forest. He had a sneaking suspicion where the pirates would take her and his thoughts were confirmed when the trail stopped at the entrance of a dark cavern. The Cave of Echoes. Of course they would pick the one place on Neverland where I cannot access my powers, he thought bitterly to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he wiped all emotion from his face, burying all of the rage and possession and longing that plagued him so that no one would be able to see such troublesome emotions. After a few moments, he felt a cruel smirk pull at his lips.

He stepped into the darkness of the cave, chuckling.

Beside him now, he examines her disheveled golden hair. Her red-rimmed eyes. Her tear-stained cheeks. Peter comes to the startling conclusion that she is beautiful and the realization hits him hard, as though he were walking into a solid brick wall. He knew she was considered "pretty" in the conventional sense, but looking at her now, he can see for the first time that she is truly beautiful.

Perhaps sensing his intense gaze, her eyes dart to his and he immediately looks away, pretending to admire the afternoon sunlight flickering through the canopy above them. By now, the Lost Boys must have taken care of the pirates at the camp and sent them back to their ship, tails between their legs. He sighs internally. They will have to relocate again now that the pirates know about their current hideout. But he does not have to worry about that just yet. They will not try anything for awhile after this complete failure.

He and Wendy walk in tense silence, neither wanting to acknowledge what was exchanged between them in the Cave of Echoes. Before Peter can attempt to make conversation, needing something to fill this infuriating silence, he hears a low rumbling next to him. They both stop and glance down at the sound emanating from Wendy's stomach.

He smiles at the deep blush that paints her cheeks, as she hesitantly looks up at him. He raises an eyebrow, amused at her obvious embarrassment, but finding it endearing all the same. Peter does not say anything, he simply changes directions, leading her deeper into the Neverwoods. Wendy, still unfamiliar with the land, follows him silently, oblivious to the deviation in their path.

Peter leads her through the forest, helping her traverse the difficult terrain. When he grabs her hand to assist her in stepping over an upturned root, his heart races as a fiery sensation sends all of his nerves ablaze. When she releases his hand and gives him a small, timid smile, he feels an overwhelming urge to grab her again. He wants to feel her soft skin as their fingers intertwine. He wants to trace meaningless patterns with his thumb on the back of her hand. He wants her to smile at him every day just so he can feel that warmth pulse through his body again and again.

He shakes his head at these overwhelming and unbidden thoughts that continue to rise in his mind. What is wrong with him? He has lived for over a millenia, most of which was spent in solitude on this island. Never once has he been plagued with such… emotions. Sure, there were times when he felt the need to fulfill his sexual desires, but those were rare over the centuries. And he certainly did not feel any attachment to the girls that he brought here. Once satisfied, he would send them home, erasing any memory of what had taken place. They would only think the whole encounter was a strange dream. He did not dwell on the girls he lured into his bed, nor could he conjure any faces or names. So Peter does not understand why this one is so different.

Yes, she saved his life, and he is grateful for that, but it is more than just gratitude he feels. He admires her strength and her defiant nature. He finds her diffidence endearing. He loves her laugh and the way she smiles. And the sensation he receives when they touch is easily becoming his favorite feeling in the world. His heart pounds just thinking about it.

Peter knows what this emotion is. He has heard enough tales and read enough stories to know, but he refuses to acknowledge or speak it-even within the confines of his own head because the thought is ridiculous. He is Peter Pan, King of Neverland! He is one of the oldest beings in existence and he is not going to let mere sentiment impede upon his plans. He will shut it out, pretend it never existed, and carry out his plans. He will live forever. And nothing is going to stop him.

Having strengthened his resolve, Peter resists the urge to lend Wendy his hand when another tree root blocks the path and pretends to ignore her small frown at his disregard for her safety. Walking onwards, he smiles when he sees what he has been looking for and turns around. "Close your eyes," he orders. She crosses her arms defensively and asks, "What for?"

He raises his eyebrows, amused at her resistance. "Don't you trust me?"

Wendy's cheeks turn a deep crimson at the memory of everything she had revealed in the Cave of Echoes, her trust in him being one of the revelations. She does not respond and instead sighs dramatically, while still closing her eyes.

Peter grins in spite of himself and turns to search. Wendy can hear the rustling of branches and the faint sounds of footsteps nearing her. At first, she has a dreadful thought that the pirates had returned to take her, but then she sadly remembers that most of them were killed. It is highly unlikely that they would be foolish enough to attempt to capture her again.

Before she can sink too deeply into such depressing thoughts, she feels a warm hand on her shoulder while another rests on her lower back. Wendy tries and fails to hide the gasp at the jolt she feels from his touch.

Peter gently pushes her forwards and she walks slowly and hesitantly with him guiding her. When the next step she takes is against solid rock instead of the soft earth of the forest floor, she pauses and frowns. She feels Peter brush a stray strand of hair off of her cheek and tuck it behind her ear while whispering, "Open your eyes." Wendy most definitely should not be enjoying the way his breath tickles her neck and sends pleasant shivers down her spine, but she opens her eyes regardless and gasps.

They are standing in a cave. Water trickles out from the cavern walls and flows quietly into a small pool nestled in the back of the space. Wendy briefly wonders where the source of the water is coming from, but all thoughts leave her head at the most breathtaking scene she has ever witnessed.

Dangling from the low roof of the cave are luminescent flowers. Their smooth, silky petals glow an array of blues and greens and whites, casting the dark space in a soft light. In the center of each flower is a nectar of sorts that also glows. It drips from the roof of the cave into the small pool, sending ripples of light into the water from its luminescent qualities.

Wendy stares in awe at the amazing flowers, wishing that she could pick one, but they are too high for her to reach. So she only stands and admires their beauty from a distance, until one of the flowers hanging above her head drips onto her cheek. She gasps at the surprising warmth of the liquid. She touches her cheek and pulls away to find her fingers bathed in a soft white light. Her mouth opens in astonishment.

Peter chuckles at her reaction, walking up to her and swiping his hand across her cheek to show her his own fingers, now glowing as well. She watches in rapt attention as his tongue seductively licks the nectar on his hand and disappears back into his mouth. She is momentarily disappointed until he gestures at her to do the same.

Wendy brings her fingers to her mouth, hesitantly licking a small amount of the liquid. She immediately feels a warmth in her belly, chasing away some of the ravenous hunger and relaxing her entire body. Her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"I found this cave long ago. On one of my first nights in Neverland," Peter explains. "I have searched the entire island and this is the only place where these flowers grow."

She glances around. "What are they?"

Peter shrugs. "Not sure. But the nectar that they produce can satiate any hunger."

Wendy doesn't respond. She only watches in wonder as another droplet of nectar lands in the small pool, causing the waters to glow.

"You are the only person who knows about this place."

She whirls around. "What?"

Peter is not looking at her. His eyes are staring far off into the distance, lost in his own world. "You are the first person I have ever brought here."

Wendy is not sure what she should say. Every time he reveals something to her, he pushes her away, immediately denying that anything ever happened. She does not want him to push her away.

They stand in silence, surrounded by sweet nectar, trickling waterfalls and luminescent flowers. The sound of rustling fabric breaks the silence and her eyes widen in alarm when she sees that Peter is removing his shirt, revealing his defined muscles and golden skin to her ravenous eyes. When his hands move to his trousers, she lets out a small squeak and turns away, clapping her hands over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she gasps.

She can hear Peter chuckling behind her. "Relax, Wendy. I still have my undershorts on." A pause and then, "Unless you want me to take those off, too." She can hear the suggestive tone in his voice and for a moment, briefly lets her mind wander to the possibilities. But she shakes her head to ward off those tantalizing images.

Once her cheeks have cooled down, she hesitantly peers from behind her fingers. Peter is in the small pool, the water lapping at his shoulders and hiding the rest of his body from view. He is smiling at her in amusement and raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming in?"

She bites her lip and his eyes catch the movement. He stares expectantly at her and before she can think better, she begins to unbutton her shirt. Unlike when she went swimming with Felix what felt like ages ago, Peter does not turn around to offer her privacy. He watches her with an intensity that causes her heart to pound rapidly in her chest. Every new inch of skin that she exposes, Peter traces with his eyes, mapping and committing it to memory until she stands in nothing but her underthings.

She crosses her arms over her bare stomach, feeling utterly exposed to his hungry gaze. She shuffles to the edge of the pool and hesitantly dips her toe in the water, finding it surprisingly warm. She slowly slides into the pool, conscious of Peter's eyes on her body the entire time. When the water reaches her shoulders and she still has yet to touch the bottom of the pool, she realizes too late that she cannot stand. Before she can begin to tread water, she feels an arm slide around her waist, pulling her tightly against a strong and muscular body.

She gasps as her chest becomes flush with Peter's. On instinct, her hands reach out and grasp his shoulders as she lifts her head to look into his eyes. The unrestrained lust she finds there causes a dull pulsing between her legs and she presses her thighs together to relieve some of the building pressure, but it isn't enough. She wants… more.

"Peter, I…" She is not sure how to express what she feels. What she has felt for several days now, but has been too afraid to admit.

His arms tighten around her and she gasps at the sensation of his skin against hers. Every place their bodies touch has electricity coursing through her veins and she has no idea what to do with this connection between them. She does not even know if he feels the same thing when they touch, but she has to believe that it is not just her who feels this energy between them.

They now share the same breath, their heads growing closer until she can see the golden flecks in his emerald eyes. She knows what is about to happen. Twice they have come close to the very thing that she has been wishing for, only to be interrupted and her left unsatisfied. She wanted this desperately, had dreamed about this for so long. But now, as she sees Peter leaning down to claim her lips, she blurts out something that she immediately regrets. "Do you care for me?"

Peter pulls back and frowns at her, his arms loosening from around her waist, their chests no longer touching. She misses the warmth of his body, suddenly feeling cold from its absence.

"I know it's a silly question, but-I just…" She is not sure how to continue. All Wendy knows is that she has just ruined the fragile moment between them and there is no way to get it back. She made sure of that with her ridiculous question.

Peter pulls away from her completely. She should shut her mouth, tell him to forget the entire thing, but of course she does neither, her mouth still betraying her brain. "I know that you don't care about other people." Somebody please stop her now. "But I just thought that maybe you do care for me because when we were in the Cave of Echoes you said that you didn't want me to leave and I know that you also said I was nothing to you but you were just fooling the pirates so they would let me go and-" She stops before she can say anything else and Wendy silently scolds herself at her ridiculous rambling.

She hesitantly looks at Peter, his face completely void of emotion as he stares emptily at a spot behind her. She twists her hands nervously under the water as more time passes and he remains silent. She is about to ask if he is alright when Peter begins chuckling. Wendy is not sure what she should do as his boisterous laughter echoes around the small cave. When he calms down after several uncomfortable minutes, he says, completely unfeeling and cold, "You actually believed I cared about you?"

At his words, devoid of any and all emotion, she can feel her heart cleave in two. "That was all an act, Wendy. I could never care about someone who is as ignorant and naive as you. You don't know anything, do you?" Peter chuckles and shakes his head. "You really are such a foolish little girl."

It feels as though every word that leaves his mouth, takes another part of her with it, until she is left with only scattered dreams and crushed hopes. Peter is right. She really is foolish to believe that he would ever care for anyone other than himself. She is nothing more than a pawn in his game and she played her part perfectly.

She feels hollow, as though everything that made her who she is has been scraped away until she is only a shell crafted out of rage and frustration. She does not deserve this. Captain Hook was right when he said that she deserved much better than what Peter could ever give her. If only she had listened to him sooner, she might have been able to spare herself from this agonizing pain that threatened to claw its way out of her throat.

As Wendy sits there in the small pool, a burning hatred towards Peter begins to consume her every thought. She wants to make him feel the pain that she feels, even if only a minute or so. She wants him to suffer.

Peter continues to laugh and joke of her ignorance and foolishness, but she is no longer focusing on him. She turns and steps out of the water, grabbing her clothes and covering herself, uncaring that she is still wet from the pool and that her clothes will get damp. She does not care if she has to walk back to camp cold and shivering. Anything will feel better than this pain and anger.

As she is about to leave the cave, Peter demands, "Where do you think you are going?"

Wendy does not turn around. She does not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing tears collect in her eyes. "Back to the camp."

"Why? I thought we were having fun. I thought you liked to swim." She can hear the mocking in his tone. Wendy grits her teeth and clenches her fists, resisting every cell in her body that is telling her to scream and shout at him until she cannot breathe. Instead, she says with no small amount of satisfaction, "I do like to swim, which is why I think I'll ask Rufio if he would like to accompany me." She would never ask that boy to swim with her. She has seen the way that he looks at her body with a ravenous hunger. But she wants to make Peter feel something, so she says what she knows will anger him.

"Or… maybe I will ask Felix. We never did get to finish our swim the other day and I was so hoping that he would teach me more. He has quite a talented mouth." She places a finger to her lips. "Hmm… I wonder what other talents he has."

She knows she is exaggerating to epic proportions, but she is not lying. Wendy does wonder what else there is beyond kissing. She is not naive in the pleasures to be had between a man and a woman. She is sixteen after all. Her mother made sure she knows what to expect when she takes a husband, but she made it sound as though it were a duty, nothing more. Wendy wants to know what it would be like when it is solely for pleasure. And she wants Peter to be the one to show it to her. But he does not need to know that.

"Well… I suppose I will see you later. Please do me a favor and use one of your other Lost Boys to do your bidding for the next few hours. I suspect that Felix will be otherwise occupied." She has not even taken a single step out of the cave before she feels a hand grip her wrist and tug hard, her entire body spinning around. She slams hard into a warm and solid chest. She places her hands on his feverish skin to push them apart, but she makes little progress. He keeps his grip almost bruising on her as anger radiates off of him in waves.

She returns his glare with one of her own as she continues to shove and kick, anything to release him of her. He grabs her other wrist and begins to turn her around and push her backwards until she is pressed against the cavern wall. His chest is pressed against hers, demanding and insistent. He pins her hands on either side of her head and leans in, his still dripping body soaking her clothes. "What," his hot breath coating her face, "did you and Felix do exactly?" His words are venomous. Quiet. Lethal.

Wendy knows she should back down and beg for forgiveness. But what comes out of her mouth is not an apology. "We kissed." She practically spits the words in his face and she takes great pleasure in seeing his expression twist in pure, unadulterated rage. His emerald eyes turn obsidian.

"You would rather kiss him than me?" She stares at him incredulously. "Yes," she exclaims. "You don't care whether I live or die. I am nothing more than a toy for you to play with until you get bored. I am sick of it. Felix is kind and gentle and honest. He does not manipulate people or use them to get what he wants! You are nothing more than a spoiled child playing at king!" Her voice rises with every word, until she is screaming in his face. All the anger and frustration from the past several days pouring out of her. It feels good.

"I am not a child. I am a king."

"Then starting acting like one!" she cries out. Tears are streaming down her face. She can no longer hold them in anymore. "Kings are fair and kind. They grant mercy. They do not go around killing people who anger them!" They both know that she is referring to the pirates, whose blood still stains Peter's hands.

She is still crying and gasping for breath as he stares at the tears running down her cheeks. "Is that what you want," he whispers. "For me to be fair and kind. To grant mercy?"

She looks at him through the tears, her lower lip trembling. "I want many things. None of which you can give me."

Peter scowls. "But Felix can, right?" His words and tone are meant to hurt her, but she can no longer find the energy to care. She is exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She wishes to be in a soft, warm bed, sleeping dreamlessly for hours until the sun rises and this horrible day can finally end.

She sighs. "Yes. Felix can love me. Something you will never understand." Peter releases his grip on her and she steps away from him, relieved that he is no longer pressed against her. She walks to the entrance of the cave, Peter still frozen in place behind her. As she makes to leave she hears him say, "I can learn."

She whirls back around, exasperated. He has the audacity to say that he can learn to love after what he said to me in the pool? She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest, indignant. "Prove it."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

She shrugs, enjoying the feeling of finally being the one in control. "I don't particularly care. But if you can't prove to me that you can love, I am leaving to go find Felix."

Peter grits his teeth, his fists clenching. "It was my lie in the Cave of Echoes," he blurts out.

"What?" She has no idea what he is talking about.

"It was my lie in the Cave of Echoes," Peter repeats. "It was me who caused the cave to fall apart."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am the one who lied!" Peter yells. "When I said that you meant nothing to me. When I acted like I didn't care. It was all a lie! What do you think caused the cave to collapse?"

Wendy's brow scrunched in confusion. "But, I thought you were doing that with your power..."

Peter shakes his head. "I told you, I don't have access to my power in that place. Not much of it anyway," he revised.

"But I saw you mumbling under your breath. What were you doing then?"

Peter glares at her. "It was my feeble attempt to use what little power I did have to stop the cave from completely collapsing with you still inside it. I saved your life." She hears him mumble something under his breath that sounded like "much good it did me", but she chooses to ignore it. "So when you said that I meant nothing to you…"

"It was a lie."

Wendy raises an eyebrow. "So... you do care about me?" She tries not to let the hope creep into her voice, but she cannot help it. He was lying.

Peter does not answer her and she grows frustrated. If he cannot say it then… "I wonder where Felix is right now?"

She turns to leave, but he grabs her shoulder and whirls her around. She rolls her eyes and sighs, exasperated. "Pet-" But before she can even finish saying his name, she is cut off by his lips crashing against hers.

Author's Notes: Another cliffhanger! I'm sorry I keep doing this to you guys, but they are just too much fun! As I am sure you all could guess, the next chapter is going to be a bit more intense, so read at your own caution! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think! I enjoy reading your reviews! Thank you to everyone who has read up to this point! I appreciate it so much! Until next time!