Hello! So sorry for my absence, it's been way too long between posts of late and I apologize profusely! However I hope you like this chapter, it's quite short but the next will be longer and up very soon :) As always I beg for reviews - they're so important and useful and all those good things so please tell me what you think :D Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Peter's eyes flickered as he woke slowly from the deep sleep that had engulfed him. He saw a figure sat beside him and blinked.

"Jane?" He muttered groggily. The figure raised a hand and smoothed the hair out of her face.
"No Peter." Wendy said sadly. Peter sat up.

"Oh. Hello Wendy." He said, suddenly seeming shy.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, placing a cool hand on his brow but he pushed it off, scowling.

"I'm not ill." He persisted, "And why are you being nice to me?" He asked suspiciously.

Wendy sighed, "I am sorry Peter, I was too hard on you but you must understand that I was only doing what I thought best for Jane. You hurt her very badly, you know."

"I know." He said but it was so quiet that Wendy wasn't sure whether she really heard it at all.

"You are much changed, Peter." She said quietly, looking at him.

"I know." He said again, closing his eyes. "I've seen things now that I wish I hadn't seen." he opened his eyes and they were tortured and tear-filled, Wendy's heart wrenched. "And I couldn't stop them, Wendy..." He said, "For the first time things weren't alright in the end, I didn't save them like I did all those other times...I couldn't." His face crumpled and Wendy reached for his and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"This was different Peter, it was beyond your control. Please, please don't blame yourself." She said fervently.

"But I'm Peter Pan." He whispered, "The boy who never grows up, who always saves the day, only I am growing up and I couldn't save anyone. It's all wrong." He finished in a broken voice and as he looked up to Wendy she was reminded so vividly of Micheal when he was a boy and something had upset him that Wendy sobbed once.

"I'm so sorry." She said, smoothing his hair. "So sorry."

At that moment Jane walked in and stopped short to see her Mother and Peter embracing, a ridiculous twinge of jealousy entered her mind (after all he had loved Wendy once upon a time) but she quickly pushed it away.

"I've brought you some tea." She said in as normal a voice as she could muster, putting the full tray in her hands down on the bedside table..

"Thank you." Peter said quite sweetly and she smiled at him. Peter looked at her and smiled back but his smile faltered as she smoothed the hair from her face, unwittingly echoing her Mother's actions. In that instant Peter saw Wendy in Jane's features more than he ever had before.

"Is everything okay?" Jane asked, seeing his shift in expression. Peter nodded and Wendy stood up, shaking the creases out of her skirt.

"I'll leave you two to chat." She said, Jane looked at her in confusion.

"Why are you being so nice?" She asked, genuinely confused, but Wendy just smiled.

"Peter asked much the same thing. Well because I think I may have been wrong to be so harsh, love can't be stopped after all." She said with a hint of sadness and almost longing or regret, Jane couldn't place the emotion that colored her Mother's words.

Wendy left the room and Jane raised her eyebrows at Peter as she sat down on the end of the bed, tucking her knees under her chin.

"Odd." She commented and Peter chuckled.

"Definitely." He agreed, sitting up properly.

"Are you feeling...better?" Jane asked, unsure of how to approach the sensitive topic of his health.

"Much better." Peter replied and then stopped as if he was struggling for words. "I shouldn't have -" He tarted to say and then broke off, he was still new to the whole apology thing. Jane just smiled.

"It's okay, just accept that you are unwell and all shall be forgiven." She bargained and he grinned.

"Fine, I am not my normal self – is that alright?"
"Good enough." She said, nodding. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her down to lie next to him and shifting so she was tucked safely in his arms. She smiled and breathed in his earthy scent but her happiness was bittersweet – she knew she'd have to voice her suspicions soon, but who was she to ruin this perfect moment? No, she thought as they dozed in and out of a contented sleep, for now they would be happy. Peter deserved that much.

Meanwhile Wendy and John were sat at the kitchen table, Wendy was perfectly fine with just sitting and drinking her tea but John was pacing. After a few minutes she sighed,

"Will you stop that!" She asked heatedly and he sat down grudgingly.

"Well you should be the one who's pacing!" He exclaimed, "They could be doing anything up there."

Wendy rolled her eyes and put her mug down on the table. "Don't be silly John." She said tiredly.

"Well then don't be naïve." He countered.

"John, the boy is ill and Jane knows better." She placated him but John huffed sceptically.

"Ill or not he's still a boy." He retorted.

"Not just any boy, remember, he is not like other boys. He does not know about...well, you know." She trailed off in embarrassment. "Well anyway we don't need to worry." She finished hurriedly, John did not look entirely convinced but he let it go.

The house grew silent as brother and sister sipped their tea whilst upstairs in contented innocence lay Peter and Jane, their hands lightly clasped and their breathing soft echoes of the others. Jane turned her head slightly and smiled.

"Tommorrow we'll venture outside if you'd like." She suggested and Peter nodded his agreement.

"I'd like that." He answered quietly. Jane closed her eyes then and was soon asleep, worn out from the days drama, but Peter stayed awake that night. He didn't move but memorized how she looked then, the delicate purple veins on her closed eyelids, the light hint of red on her cheeks, how her mouth was slightly pursed and held the promise of a smile, her hair falling in soft ringlets around her slender shoulders.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful.