Chapter 4: Guilty

Peter never flew faster.

"Lost Boys! Tinkerbell! Slightly! Get up!"

"Too early…" mumbled Slightly, waving a hand. "…sleep time now."

"I said!" Peter seized Slightly by the scruff of his fox costume. "Get! Up! The pirates attacked Wendy!"

Heads popped up from under pillows. Blankets flung to the floor and Peter's ragtag army roared to life.

"Pirates?"

"When?"

"Captain Hook?"

"Where's my club?"

"There!"

"Where?"

"There!"

"Mother?"

"Is that…?"

"Blood!"

"AH! Blood!"

"Wendy!"

Quickly Peter waded through the Lost Boys, hefting Wendy onto his chest so their grubby hands could not reach her. Blood smeared over his leafy tunic, staining the green an angry red. Alarmed by Wendy's wound, Tootles and Michael started to cry. The Twins raced for toy swords. Nibs ran in panicked circles. The oldest boys were hysterical with revenge.

"Stop it! Lost Boys! Hey! Blockheads!" Peter dodged a wooden tomahawk as John and Slightly argued over invasion strategies, and Michael sobbed against his knee. Wendy stirred. Her cheeks burned with fever. Frustration growing, Peter shot a glance at Tinkerbell's knot in the tree. Why wasn't that pixie ever around when he needed her?

"ATTEN-TION!"

Watery sunlight pushed through the tangle of roots as the lost boys reeled to a halt. Adjusting Wendy in his arms and trying to ignore Michael's heartbreaking whimpers, Peter spoke quickly and forcibly.

"Get a grip, all of you! All of you!" He glowered as Cubby stopped biting his nails and hid his hands guilty behind his back.

Again, Wendy stirred, moaning softly into Peter's chest.

"We need to move fast, boys!" Peter said loudly, tilting Wendy and hiding her face in his shoulder. Soon the pain would wake her and the lost boys would loose all control. Peter glanced down worriedly at the girl. Wendy would be scared enough without the lost boys shrieking and bawling. He needed to clear the tree house.

"Slightly! John! Go to find the Chief. Tell the Indians what the pirates have done. Caution the tribe! Ban them from the ocean."

"Right, Pan!" John saluted, grabbing his umbrella as Slightly slipped out of the tree house with a swish of a fox tail.

"Twins." Peter crouched, trying to catch both pairs of eyes. "Wendy is hurt. Can you get water and firewood so we can help her? Can you do that?"

The twin's rowdy faces hardened as they looked at Wendy. Resolutely, they bumped fists and nodded eagerly at Peter.

"We sure can, Pan!"

"We'll take care of Mother!"

"Fast!" Peter called as the Twins blustered out of the tree house. "Remember – water and firewood! Don't go near the ocean! We don't know where the pirates…ah! Where is Tinkerbell?"

"Don't know Pan." Nibbs hopped down from the pixie's bedroom. "She's not here. Must have left this morning."

"She's usually our scout." Peter cursed quietly to himself. Suddenly inspired, he looked to Nibbs. The Lost Boy returned the gaze quietly but expectantly.

"Nibbs. You're pretty fast." Peter leaned close to enforce the importance of his request. "Can you spy on the pirates? Let me know what they're up to and if they're coming ashore?"

Nibbs swelled with uncharacteristic hubris. "Aye aye, Peter!"

"What about Wendy?" Michael blinked tearfully as Nibs vanished. Tootles cast a sad look as Michael clenched his teddy bear. "Why isn't she waking up? Why did the pirate hurt her?"

Peter's heart sank. Risking precious time, Peter knelt in front of the littlest members of his troupe. Wendy flinched, wrestling painfully to consciousness.

"I don't know Michael." Peter said, wondering the same questions himself. "But you and Tootles can help. Can you go find an Indian healer? Tiger Lily? Or..." Peter made a sour face. "Or Black Antler?" The brave's name was rancid in his mouth. Black Antler was friendly with Wendy, which Peter disproved whole-heartedly. However, although pride was a bitter thing to swallow, Black Antler was a healer. And Peter ached to see Wendy in such pain.

Rolling his arms tighter around Wendy, Peter returned to Michael. "Can you and Teddy do that for me?"

Michael's lower lip trembled. But hugging teddy under his chin, the little boy nodded.

"Hey…" Peter grinned, shaking Michaels arm. "None of that, Muscles. Be like Tootles. He's not afraid, right Tootles? Right. And neither are you, are you Mikey?"

Michael gulped. His eyes jumped back and forth between Peter and his injured sister. "…n…no."

"Sure!" Peter said, rising to his feet and ushering the boys to the stairs. "Those are my brave lost boys. Come on now. Go on."

Peter watched as Tootles, Michael, and Teddy hiccupped sadly out of the tree house. Smile fading, Peter rose. Wendy squirmed, slowly regaining consciousness. Voice dropping an octave, Peter glared at an imaginary pirate. "I'll take care of Wendy."

Peter tripped the last steps to the fireplace. The momentum knocked him to his knees.

Wendy jolted. Her eyes shot open.

"Brine!"

Peter froze. What had she called him?

"Wendy…" Darkly, Peter probed Wendy's face. She was awake, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused as if she were still dreaming. Dismissing her outburst and trying to push the memory of the merman from his head, Peter carefully lowered Wendy onto her bearskin blanket by the fire.

Suddenly, Wendy's head reared back. "Oh!" she cried trying to prop herself up. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

Peter looked down. The hook in Wendy's shoulder had snagged onto his sleeve.

"Whoa…easy there….easy …" Carefully positioning his arms around Wendy's shoulders, Peter placed the tip of his dagger over the snagged vine. With a small nick, he cut the vine loose.

"There." Releasing a breath, Peter replaced Wendy back on the bearskin, diligently avoiding the hook. Throwing the dagger aside, Peter flashed a cocky grin.

"There." Peter touched Wendy's hair to keep his fingers from trembling. Vaguely, he felt for her hair ribbon. It wasn't there. "Everything is ok. You're safe now! I…Wendy?"

Wendy's eyes were wide. Her entire body was stiff as she stared at the hook poking out of her shoulder. Wendy's breath raced as her eyes traveled over the blood caked across her arm.

"Don't look!"

Panicked, Peter slapped his hands over Wendy's mouth. She flinched with a muffled cry as Peter turned her head away.

"Pirates are gone, Wendy." Peter said, crossing nimbly to her other side. Wendy shook her head, trying to speak through his hand.

"I saved you." Peter continued grabbing Wendy's hand. He was startled at her immediate grip. Squeezing back, Peter opened his mouth but was surprisingly interrupted by Wendy, still trying to be heard through his hand.

Peter frowned. Although he often made jest, he liked listening to Wendy when she talked too much. Often it meant he had done something clever, deserving of praise.

But he had never seen Wendy like this. The way she clutched his wrist, trying to pry away his fingers. The hysteric strain in her throat. The uncontrolled terror in her eyes.

"Calm down, Wendy." Peter said, trying to comfort the girl. Wildly, Wendy shied away as Peter reached to feel her forehead. Her muffled voice strained. Truly concerned, Peter covered her mouth with both hands.

Tears were brimming in Wendy's eyes. She squirmed under Peter's hands, trying to break free.

"P—Pet—P—!"

Peter regained his hold with difficulty. "Wendy. Wendy! Wendy what – hold on! You have to stay still!"

"Ptwmhr!"

"Your safe!" Peter insisted, pinning Wendy's free hand to her side. "Just rest, Wendy. I'm not going to let the pirates get you agai—"

"A fish ate Tinkerbell!"

Peter stopped.

"…what?"

Below him, Wendy choked as she breathed in tears. "Tinkerbell is gone!" she cried, followed by a stampede of words. "It's all my fault – I went to the ocean." Heart pounding Wendy tried to look away. But Peter's black eyes held hers like magnets. "I went to the ocean and Tinkerbell came looking for me. She told me to come back but when I didn't she became angry and flew over the ocean and then – and then – and then –"

Terrified at the repercussions, Wendy barely managed to finish the end of the horrifying story. "And then a fish jumped out of the water and swallowed Tinkerbell!" Wendy's small body sagged as if a cannonball had been dropped on her chest. "I looked for her. But I couldn't…I didn't…and then the pirate…"

Peter's expression was hard and unreadable. Tapering away his grip, Peter slowly withdrew.

The silence cut a deep schism between the children. It was only worry for Tinkerbell that Wendy ventured fearfully for a response.

"Peter…I…"

"You went to the ocean."

It was not a question. It was an accusation.

Wendy's heart dropped. Dread strangled her like a noose.

He knew.

But the boy was dissatisfied with a silent verdict. Turning he burned Wendy with a charred glare. "Why?"

"Peter…" she shook her head, unable to disguise her guilt. "…Peter…I…"

"WHY?" Peter yelled, flinging aside an upturned chair.

Wendy cried out as the chair crashed into a pile of broken weapons. She turned and Peter was over her, growling like a wolf.

"Why?" Peter hissed, clenching her too close. Fire smoldered behind his black eyes. "Why did the pirate want you for Tinkerbell? Why were you at the ocean? You tell me why, Wendy."

The tunnels under Hangman's Tree rustled. Emptied from them emerged Tootles and Michael, followed urgently by two children of the Indian Tribe: Tiger Lily and Black Antler. Insistent to see Peter's request, the princess and the healer rushed forward but stopped short at Peter's aggressive bearing over the bedraggled girl.

Unnoticed Peter gouged his gaze into Wendy's eyes, reading her guilt easily as a scar.

"Brine."

Hissing like a snake, Peter threw Wendy aside.

Wendy slammed against the floor, not bothering for forgiveness as Peter tore into the sky.