Disclaimer: I don't own any Peter Pan characters.

Note: Same old.

Chapter Two

Tinker Bell slipped down into the luxurious softness of her bed. The downy mattress cushioned and conformed to her figure and the silk sheets laid lightly atop her. The comforter concealed the warm glow of her body and her little room was pitched into darkness. Her wings fluttered gently, compulsively, and in a minute she was sound asleep.

What woke her not even an hour later was a hard knocking by her door. She groaned and turned over, but the knocking continued insistently.

Tinker Bell growled and threw the covers away from her body. She stomped over to the doorway and tore aside that velvet rabbit hide. "What is it," she snarled at whoever was there.

It was Idlana, one of the small honey harvesting fairies. Idlana was several years younger than Tinker Bell and timid by nature. Tink had never liked her very much but Idlana had always insisted on liking Tink.

Idlana didn't shrink away from Tink's iciness. She was excited and too worked up to be intimidated.

"Tinker Bell, you have to come see," she said. She reached for Tink's hand but Tink yanked back.

"The hell I do! How dare you show up here in the middle of the night and expect me-"

"It's important, Tinker Bell!" Idlana's hands were clenched in front of her. She was practically vibrating with energy. But whatever it was couldn't have been too dire. She was biting back a grin like a damn idiot."I'm telling you, you need to come right now."

Tink fixed her with a frosty glare. In any normal situation no pixie would have dared visit Tinker Bell in her own home. Idlana would have been the last to attempt it.

"Fine. Let me get dressed."

"Just hurry, please."

Tink followed Idlana back to the fairy village. Most of the village was dark at this hour except for the Honey Cup tavern and the sentry houses. Tonight there was another light on at Bixer's house.

Bixer was the oldest fairy in the village. He and the second oldest fairy, Rubyglade, comprised what could be called the village's council. Bixer lived in a little thatch house on a branch overlooking the village's main market area. As Idlana and Tink came near to the house, Tink could see that there were fairies surrounding the house on all sides and peering into the windows.

"I found Tinker Bell," Idlana announced as she landed just behind a group of other girl fairies who were pushing each other to get a look inside one of the windows.

Tink landed behind Idlana. She closed her robe tighter around herself and yawned. "What's this all about anyways."

Idlana wedged her arm between two fairies to try and make a space. "Hey, let Tinker Bell see."

The fairy Katli shot a snarky look at Idlana. "What'd you bring her for. She wouldn't care about this." However, Katli stepped aside and gestured her hand to the window, her gaze following Tink with mild amusement. "Go on, get your look."

Tink came forward and pressed her nose to the window. Bixer was sitting in his armchair with Rubyglade standing beside him. Polcat, owner of the Honey Cup, was also there. And standing in front of them was a pixie like no other Tinker Bell had ever seen.

Was he even a pixie? Tink wondered. Pixies were supposed to be slight and dainty little things but this one was nothing but size and muscle. He was a full head and shoulders above everyone else. And those wings! Ugly, leathery things that reminded Tinker Bell of a gargoyle's. He did not emit the pleasant glow of a pixie. In fact there only seemed to be a shadow surrounding him that sucked the light out of everything he came close to. The shadow was so dark that if it hadn't been for Bixer's glow, Tink wouldn't have been able to see the stranger at all.

Neither Bixer nor Rubyglade looked too happy. Bixer's hand covered his mouth and the creases in his face looked deeper than normal. His brow sagged low over his eyes. Rubyglade held her hands at her back. She was saying something, but Tink couldn't read lips.

"Pale says his name is Graver," Idlana whispered by Tink's ear. "Isn't he the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?"

Tinker Bell looked at Idlana with disgust. "Seriously?" Had there ever been a male that Idlana didn't fawn over? And this stranger was, in Tink's opinion, absolutely wretched. Graver. Wretched name for an ugly, wretched creature, whatever he was. He dressed like a common thief and probably smelled like one too. What kind of garments were those anyways. Plain cotton pants, obviously dirty. Boots, there was no surprise. And a black shirt opened at the chest like a pirate. How charming.

Tinker Bell had seen enough. She straightened and turned from the window. "Is this what you dragged me out of bed to see? Because I've seen Peter scrape more interesting things from the bottom of his foot."

Idlana held Tink's arm to keep her from walking off. "It's not just him. It's why he's here. Listen," she said, pointing to Pale who was crouched with his ear pressed to the front door.

"And why should we believe you," said Pale, who was using his heightened hearing to eavesdrop. "And now Graver's saying that he's seen enough of the war and...he wants to keep what happened to his home...from happening to others."

"War," Tink repeated. "What war?"

"Shh." Idlana squeezed her arm.

Pale frowned. "Rubyglade is saying it sounds far-fetched...She's never heard of a war anywhere near Neverland...Bixer is...hold on..." There was a pause. "Graver says he can show them proof...He can show proof to the whole village...that...that the war is heading this way..."

Tinker Bell shook away Idlana's hand. "What war is he talking about?"

Idlana looked concerned. "Pale heard them talking about it. Graver says there's been a war going on for the past five years. He says it started where he's from, a place called Neitherland."

Tink didn't buy it for a second. "That's ridiculous. If there had been a war going on, someone would have mentioned it by now. We would have gotten word from one of these people who pass through every now and then. Isn't that right? You can't have a war and keep it a secret. It's a fucking war."

Pale pushed away from the door and struggled to get to his feet. "They're coming," he said. Right then the door was pushed open and Bixer stepped out. He'd known the fairies were crowded there and that they'd been eavesdropping.

"Let everyone know. There's going to be an assembly tomorrow evening. Everyone is required to attend." His eyes settled on Tink. Tinker Bell scoffed and crossed her arms. Everyone knew she didn't conform to standard fairy protocol. Town hall meetings and assemblies didn't apply to her anymore. Idlana grasped her hand. "You'll come, right?"

"Fine, fine." Tinker Bell waved the girl off. Maybe she was just the slightest bit curious about that war nonsense, but not much.

Graver walked out from behind Bixer and nodded at the surrounding fairies. His gaze passed across Tinker Bell and Tink shot him a dirty, hateful glare. Nasty thing he was. He was up to something, she was sure. There wasn't any war. Peter would have known about it and told her. Peter knew everything that went on in Neverland.

Graver took off and the gust of wind from his wings pushed Tink and Idlana back a step. If he was a pixie, he was an unfortunately cumbersome one.

"Well this has all been very wonderful," Tinker Bell said. She fixed her hair and retied the belt of her robe. "But it's past midnight and I'm tired."

Idlana smiled and slipped her hands back to herself. "Sorry for waking you up. I just thought it was something you needed to be present for."

Tinker Bell frowned at the shy pixie. "It wasn't. Next time don't bother me unless someone is bleeding from the neck, or the fate of Neverland is resting on a broken kettle in urgent need of repair."

In a burst of air, Tink shot off back towards Peter's hideout. Tomorrow evening she supposed she would have to be back for whatever it was Graver wished to show the village. She only hoped it wouldn't take too long. She had better things to do than concern herself with the troubles of fairies.