Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic. The only character that I can own up to is Wendy whose name I borrowed from JM Barrie.

A/N: Here's chapter two! Took some time for me to make since I wasn't eeling up to it but here it is anyway!

Chapter Two: Creature of Terror

"Why didn't you tell me, Charles? You knew it wasn't any good."

"Ah, why didn't you tell me James? You knew it was no good."

Without another moment's pause, Charles and James stood idly on the steps leading to the theater discussing last night's agreeable disaster. As they stood there, their voices humming with insecurity, Wendy took to exploring the theater.

It was old and run-down. If it weren't for the cleaning staff and the weekly plays, the theater would've seemed haunted, abandoned and forgotten. The chairs were made of red velvet and the curtains of the same material and color. The stairs that were made of wood would creak in some places while the ceiling, on the other hand, looked distraught from sheltering years worth of rain.

Slowly, Wendy climbed the steps that led to the stage. This particular platform was not as elaborate as one might like. In her dreams, Wendy had seen better. But they were dreams, of course. Only dreams. Nothing more.

And as unexpected as it might seem, Wendy no longer saw an old theater. Instead, she saw a beautiful lagoon with flying fish and mysterious mermaids. She saw a periwinkle sky dotted with little bright gems and a silver crescent moon smiling down on her. The lagoon was a beautiful shade of cotton blue with clear waters. The lagoon had smooth, white pebbles as its bed and a few plants here and there. The mermaids were gathered near large, glimmering rocks. They were dark, mysterious creatures with long hair and sharp fangs.

As Wendy approached them, they fled, every one of them jumping into the water to escape the sight of this strange intruder. They all fled…except one. She sat there, looking intently at Wendy as though she was a piece of meat. Her cold, silver eyes pierced through Wendy's warm, brown ones and it seemed as though she was luring Wendy to the lagoon. She had long, yellow hair that covered her torso and stretched on to her fins. Her scales were of a bright green color while her fins were sparkling orange. But it was her eyes…her piercing silver eyes that scared Wendy the most. It was impossible to break eye contact and slowly, it seemed like nothing else existed at that point in time. Nothing else existed until…

"Wendy!"

And it vanished. The lagoon, the periwinkle sky and the mermaid. They were gone. In turn, she found herself looking at the run-down theater once more. She looked around and realized that her father was carrying her in his arms.

"Where'd you run off to, darling? You almost fell off the stage." James smiled as he placed her on the floor.

"To Neverland, I presume." Wendy replied as she rubbed her eyes.

"Really now? And what may I ask did you find there this time?" James asked.

It took some time for his daughter to reply, "A creature of terror, father. A creature of terror."

With a puzzled look, James decided that this was not the right time to confront Wendy about what she had seen. Neverland was not filled with dark, enticing beings or creatures of terror for that matter. It was James' sanctuary. Neverland always had clear, blue skies and impeccable surroundings. So it was a mystery even to him as to why his daughter had seen a creature of sheer horror in such a delightful place. It was not possible.

After promising Charles that he would have a play as soon as possible, James and his daughter left the theater and headed home. It was almost nightfall when they reached the small, black gate that led to their humble abode. As James pushed the gate open, he looked back at Wendy and eyed her conspicuously. Wendy's brows met with pure uncertainty.

"Is something wrong, father?"

"You'd best be on a hurry when I open the door. You wouldn't want your mother to catch you wearing those clothes. It might lead to another long lecture about growing up and turning into a lady and we certainly wouldn't want that now, would we?" James explained.

Wendy smiled and nodded. That was the last thing she wanted right now.

Slowly, James opened the mahogany-brown door as Wendy darted past him, running quickly up the stairs. She would've been safe…if she remembered to lock her bedroom door. Unfortunately, her mother invited herself inside and took to rearranging the figurines on the bedside table.

"Finally home? Where've you been the entire day?" Mary asked as she folded a white cotton shirt and placed it on the foot of the bed.

"Mother, I—"

"She went to the park with me, after which we headed to the theater to settle a few things with Charles. Is there a problem, Mary?" James interrupted.

Mary smiled disdainfully, "Yes there is, James. If you hadn't noticed then shall I fill you in? Your charming daughter has been walking the streets the entire day wearing men's clothing." She looked at Wendy who, in turn, opened her cabinet to take out her black evening dress.

"I'm sorry mother. I'll change now." Wendy replied.

"And why exactly is that a problem? She dresses appropriately if the occasion calls for it. If she went running around wearing a dress then it would get brutally ruined in the dirt. So I don't think it's a problem unless you disagree, saying that even when playing a woman must be dressed to the nines." James defended his daughter.

"That's where the problem lies, James. She is sixteen years of age. She has to stop running around like a ten year old and start being a lady. How can she expect suitors if she keeps playing around in men's clothing all day? Now that would be an even bigger problem. What's worse than that is if people start talking about it." Mary flared and immediately, she looked at Wendy.

James stood there and spoke softly, "Have you ever thought of the possibility that she simply doesn't want to grow up yet?"

Mary looked back at her husband, "I have, but I'm not considering it." She looked at Wendy with anger in her eyes, "Tomorrow you shall stay home and I will start teaching you about manners and etiquette."

"Mary—"

"Yes mother." Wendy looked at her father with a retreating smile.

After a quiet dinner, Wendy got ready for bed. She put her nightclothes on, got into bed and pulled the covers over her head. Just as she was about to doze off, the door creaked open and she heard her father whistling a familiar tune.

Wendy smiled, "You used to whistle that tune all the time when I was young to put me to sleep."

"And did it help?" James asked as he sat on the bed next to Wendy.

"It helped…but I didn't fall asleep. I just pretended." Wendy giggled.

"Is that so?"

Wendy looked at her father, "Thank you for standing up for me earlier today."

"I can stay here tomorrow if you like."

Wendy shook her head and sat up in bed.

There was a comforting silence that fell over them or some time before James struck up a conversation.

"Wendy, about your trip to Neverland in the theater, what did you see there? A creature of terror, you said. But…what did this creature look like?" James inquired.

Wendy looked away for a moment, "She was a mermaid, father. But she didn't look like the ones you told me about when I was younger. All the mermaids weren't how I pictured them. They were dark and they had fangs. But there was one…who, as strange as it seemed, looked at me as though she had planned something evil for me." While she was explaining, a look of fear came over Wendy's face.

"A mermaid?" James asked. Fishing in his thoughts, he remembered the mermaids from the Neverland he knew. They were playful creatures that sat around rock formations the entire day singing songs of hope and love. They weren't dark in any way.

"Yes father. She had long, yellow hair that traveled all the way to her sparkling orange fins. And she had these cold, silver eyes that pierced through me. I think she was luring me into the water because I couldn't break eye contact with her." Wendy stated.

"Father, I thought Neverland was a beautiful place with friendly creatures. How come I saw mermaids with fangs and met one who almost tried to drown me?" Wendy asked, clearly confused.

James pondered for a moment before saying, "It is, darling."

Wendy slid down and placed her head on her pillow and drifted off into sleep, "Does that mean anything, father?" The words came out slowly and softly.

"I don't know, Wendy. I don't know." James planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead before leaving the room.

James woke up the next day quite later than he normally would. It was quarter past eleven when he ran down the stairs and entered the dining room for his breakfast.

"Good morning, Mr. Barrie." Their housekeeper said as she placed a plate of toast and jam on

the table.

"Good morning Emma," came his reply as he rubbed the last traces of sleep away from his eyes, "Is Wendy and Mary in the parlor?"

Emma looked up and just for a moment, she had a look of pity on her face, "Yes, sir."

After finishing his toast, James got up and walked to the parlor to see how Wendy was handling the 'lady lectures' from Mary.

Wendy was wearing a flattering blue dress as she sat properly on one of the chairs, sipping her tea in the most awkward position James has ever seen her in. She wasn't comfortable with this at all, he could see that. She had a look of pain in her eyes and she seemed as though she was trying to hide it. Parallel to her was her mother, Mary. She was wearing a tight, white dress as she instructed Wendy.

James smiled, "Good morning, ladies."

The two women looked at him.

Wendy seemed to brighten at the sight of her father. Her long, wavy brown hair cascaded elegantly down her back while her brown eyes concealed a look of pain.

Mary, on the other hand, looked at James intensely with her dull, gray eyes. Her long, straight blonde hair was tied into a tight bun pulled behind her head.

And at that moment, it was all clear to James.

Sitting right before him holding his daughter hostage was the creature of terror Wendy was talking about.

It was the mermaid.