Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan, but I do own Alice and her family (except Jane and Moira). I also don't own Twilight and Edward Cullen (if I did, I would've killed myself because eww).

I honestly wanted my chapters to progressively increase in page count, but Chapter 8 was 17 pages long, so I might have to make this chapter shorter. It's only supposed to be a filler chapter, so it shouldn't go past 10 pages. But we'll see. (Hehe, it's 12 pages...)

The story so far: While on Hook's ship, Alice met his cabin boy, James, who seemed to want to keep his existence a secret from Peter and the Lost Boys. Like Alice, he was a teenager from present times before Smee took him in, and the two teens became instant friends. He helped her uncover the truth about Peter's flirting habits, and she ran off in frustration. Following her arrival at the treehouse, Alice caused drama between her and Peter but they were able to make up. That evening, she told him that she needed to go home, but they found a way to keep in contact with each other. They also shared their first kiss (with each other), but realizing that left both of them in deep thought and BSOD-ing.

Something I hate about long chapters: writing the recap on the next chapter. But I hate leaving a fic and coming back to it not remembering what happened the previous chapter and having to read it all over again, so yeah.

Imou - I'm glad you like it. Actually, I'm also a reader who avoids anyone x OC, but I don't really read much anymore, so... yeah. XD

Bianca.101 - Thank you! It's okay, I didn't like James when I first made him, too. ^^; But you're right; something is definitely strange about him. :D I was actually thinking the kiss might have come too soon, but then... well, he's Peter Pan. He can do whatever he wants to, amirite?

Megan - Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate that review. And sorry to keep you waiting. Even I'm really surprised at how late I updated this. I think it's my sense of time.

Redrum

Summary: Alice is a teenager with normal teenager problems, except that she's another one of Wendy's descendants who get whisked off by Peter Pan. Will he be able to make her forget about Matt? Peter x OC, present generation. Disney-verse. Expect love triangles.

Chapter 9

Home

Dinner was unusually quiet that evening. Normally, Peter would be standing on the table or flying around while telling an exciting story to the Lost Boys. Instead, he quickly finished eating and retreated to his room.

Alice, on the other hand, was on kitchen duty with Slightly. After a food fight that had somehow manifested itself upon Peter's disappearance, the other Lost Boys were left to cleaning the dining room, though the task required a lot of strain on Alice's voice box. Thankfully, she was good at disciplining the Boys. This left even more peace and quiet inside the treehouse—enough quiet to spark up a conversation between the two children who were drying dishes at the sink.

"Golly, Peter sure was quiet at dinner," Slightly started.

Alice kept her focus on the dishes. "I guess so," she shrugged. "Everyone was quiet at dinner."

"Normally, we'd have a story at dinner," he nodded. "Tonight is slightly different." When he received no reply, he tried the direct approach. "What happened between you and Peter?"

She put down the dish she was wiping and looked at him with an assuring smile. "Nothing, Slightly," she said, pinching the Boy's cheeks. "Don't worry yourself over us, okay?"

Before Slightly could say another word, Alice left. She passed by Tink's room to borrow her iPod from Terence, and went outside the first chance she got. She had no intention of wandering from the treehouse, but she did go to the river. Perhaps the calm water would take her mind off of things.

At the river, she found a familiar mop of black, messy hair. A smirk formed on her face as she approached the figure, which held a long stick with a string thread at the end.

"Good evening," she said, nearly startling the boy.

"God, Alice," he gasped, "you almost scared the bajeezus out of me!"

"Almost?" she repeated with a pout before sitting beside him, chuckling. "Catching dinner?"

He shrugged. "Crew ran out, but everyone got their share except me."

"Lucky you," she laughed. "You get to spend some quality time with me."

"Yeah, awesome." The sarcasm was obvious in his tone. "I can't catch anything here," he groaned.

"Maybe the fish are asleep?" she offered. "I don't know shit about fish, so yeah. But I can bring you some leftovers from the treehouse if you want."

James shook his head. "Uh-uh. No can do, princess. They're gonna ask what that's for."

"They won't," she assured him. "Those kids are always just playing games. They wouldn't even notice me if I went out there and streaked."

"I'd notice you," he said, earning him a shove into the river.

Alice laughed. "I'll get a towel, too." And she left.

She soon arrived at the treehouse and took two sets of cloth from her room. Then she went to the pantry and grabbed some snacks, as there were no leftovers that evening. But as she left, she failed to notice that Terence was at the hallway, preparing to leave for Pixie Hollow.

Tinkerbell wrapped her arms around her sparrow-man friend whose cheeks glowed red as she did. 'Be careful on your way back, okay, Terence?' she said. 'The music box is a bit more complicated than the last one, but I'll get it up and running in no time.'

He smiled sweetly at her, clearly mesmerized by her twinkling bright eyes. 'I'll come to pick them up in a few days,' he replied. 'I'll bring extra pixie dust too.'

When he turned around, he saw Alice run out to the porch and disappear down the trunk of the tree. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and went out to the porch as well. The girl disappeared into the forest and he decided to follow her. He reached into his leather pouch and sprinkled himself with a handful of pixie dust. Then he began glowing gold with the golden sparkling around him, and he followed Alice through the woods.

It was only until Alice reached James that she noticed Terence following her. She was in a hurry so she didn't notice the sparrow-man, even though he glowed brightly in the shade of the trees. In fact, it was James who pointed out that a strangely large firefly was following her.

"Or Edward Cullen," he added as he dried his black hair with the cloth Alice brought him. "It glows and sparkles, so either works, I guess," he shrugged.

Alice turned around and immediately recognized the unidentified floating object behind her. "Terence!" she called. "You followed me all the way out here?"

'I heard you yelling earlier,' the blonde explained, 'so I thought maybe you and Peter had a fight again. You might need someone to talk to, but I guess—' He glanced at James. '—you've already got that covered.'

"This is James," she said. "James, this is Terence."

"You're friends with a fairy?" the other teenager asked, with an eyebrow raised at the glowing sparrow-man.

'I'm not a fairy,' Terence corrected. 'I'm a sparrow-man, and it's nice to meet you.'

"Whoa, he sounds like Jesse McCartney!"

Alice laughed. "Take a closer look—he doesn't just sound like him."

"Holy fuck!" James exclaimed. "It's a tiny vampire Jesse McCartney!"

'Vampire?' he repeated, confused.

"Because you're sparkling," Alice said. "It's a long story—sort of."

"And trust me, it isn't worth your money," the other teenager added. "Don't ever read Twilight. Kill it. Kill it with fire."

"I'm starting to wonder if you ever actually read it."

James shook his head. "There were Twi-tards at my school back then. Creepy fucks." He chuckled. "A—anyway, Sparkles said you were yelling a while ago?"

Alice glanced at Terence and gave him a scolding look. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs, her head resting on her knees. "He's Peter Pan," she mumbled. "I can't… I don't have the right to like him."

'What do you mean, Alice?' Terence asked, landing beside her and gathering the pixie dust that covered him. 'You can like anyone, as long as you like them. For example, I like…' His voice trailed off as he gazed at the treehouse in the distance.

"It's different in the real world, Terence," she said, turning to look at James. "James, you understand, right?"

The boy only shrugged. "Girls are the only mystery greater than life itself."

'Well, you sure got that right…'

Alice looked at her two companions. They were both male—of course they wouldn't understand what she was thinking. She groaned inwardly and decided to just tell them.

"Peter kissed me."

"He WHAT?" James yelled, getting on his two feet. "You want me to beat him up or something?"

She stood up as well and flailed her arms defensively in front of her black-haired friend. "N—no, it's not like that! It's—Peter's just a kid!" she blurted out.

James raised an eyebrow. "And who's to say you're not a kid either?" he retorted. "He's technically and biologically older than you—"

"He had no idea what he was doing!" she explained. "I asked him if he knew what a kiss was, and he said no, so I told him that—that—what he did was a kiss."

'And how did he take it?' Terence asked calmly.

"BSOD," she answered lamely. Then she grunted and crossed her arms in frustration. "This isn't supposed to be happening! I'm supposed to go home tomorrow, and everything will be fine, and I'll come back next weekend, and nothing will be awkward!"

She turned to James and leaned her head on his chest. Though his clothes were still wet, he followed her lead and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.

"Hey, nothing's gonna be awkward," he consoled. "Is that really what you're afraid of?"

"I have a boyfriend back home…" she mumbled. "Ugh, but that douche cheated on me with some blonde ditz—" She touched her dark hair. "Because I'm not pretty enough—I'm not stupid enough—I don't have big enough boobs—yeah, well, fuck him! In case he hasn't noticed, he isn't exactly the hottest hunk of flesh either!"

'So it's about her boyfriend?' Terence whispered near James' ear.

James gave the sparrow-man an unsure look but nodded. "Told ya—women are crazy," he said, earning him a punch in the gut. "Wa—wait a minute," he grumbled with a hand on his stomach. "Hold up. You're going home?"

Alice nodded. "But I'm leaving my address so Peter can visit me any time," she explained, "and I told him if I'm free on weekends, I can visit you guys here too."

She noticed the other teenager grow pale and gulp nervously. "Y—you didn't tell him, did you?" he stuttered. "About me?"

"Peter?" she asked. "Of course not. But I still don't see why you don't want to meet him. He's a good kid, y'know."

"I'm sure he is," he grinned, "but I don't think he'll like it if he found out you have another guy friend."

"I guess not," she mumbled. "Hey, James, do you wanna come home with me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Whut?"

She scrunched her eyebrows and answered unsurely, "I mean, well, maybe you miss the States and stuff…"

James reached out and ruffled the girl's brown hair, a reassuring smile forming on his pale lips. "It isn't that easy, kid," he chuckled softly. "I don't have a family to come home to."

Her eyes widened and she looked down in a mixture of shame and guilt. "I—I'm sorry," she stuttered, "oh God, I'm so sorry." She leaned over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I know I'm not supposed to start hugging guy friends on the same day I meet them—" She hiccupped. "—but I've been here for so long without anyone to relate to and here I am making you feel bad about your entire life!"

Alice sobbed into the boy's shoulder for a few more moments before letting go and wiping her tears. James just froze—after all his time in a ship full of pirates, he forgot how physical contact felt. And how much it made his ears burn red.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'll just—I'll bring my laptop here next weekend so we can watch movies and sitcoms and everything you'd miss."

He grinned at her and took a side-glance at Terence. "Let's make Prettyboy here watch Twilight, too."

She gave him a look and giggled. "Why, do you hate him or something?"

He shrugged. "Not really, there's just—"

"Something about Terence that makes me wanna torture him indefinitely," she finished for him with a maniacal grin.

Though he had no clue what the two teenagers were talking about, Terence was rightfully scared out of his wits. He needed a distraction or at least an excuse to leave.

'U—uhh, well, I'd—I'd love to stay and chat,' the sparrow-man stammered, 'but it's a long way back to Pixie Hollow a—and I'm on dust duty again tomorrow morning, so—g'bye!'

It was something of a disappointment that they weren't able to continue their chat with Terence, but the absence of the blonde dustkeeper made Alice more serious. Maybe she needed the comfortable atmosphere to make her open up—to make her focus on the growing tension between her and Peter, and even on the pain that wouldn't fade away.

"I do like Peter…" she murmured, hugging her knees as she sat beside James. "Really, I do."

"But?" He knew it was coming, so he said it anyway.

"But—" She closed her eyes and buried her face into her knees with a defeated sigh. "—I don't want to get into something while I'm on the rebound. I still technically haven't broken up with Matt…"

James was speechless. He didn't know what to say to comfort her, to make her feel better. Instead he put a hand gently on the girl's shoulder and tried to just say whatever was on his mind.

"It doesn't have to be like that," he said, attempting to muster a smile. "I mean, like you said, the guy cheated on you. This—this doesn't even count as cheating. You're mentally broken up with him, aren't you?"

She nodded, face still sunk into her knees. "I was going to break up with him as soon as I got home."

"Then it's okay to like someone else. And it's not like you like Peter because he reminds you of that Matt guy, or whatever he's not," he continued. "You barely even thought of him in your entire stay here. I mean, well, it didn't seem like that, since you never mentioned him to me. At least, not in detail. Wait, sorry, I'm rambling."

The boy shook his head, as though trying to shake off his rambling. "Anyway, like I said, it's fine. You like Peter. It's not because you're on the rebound. You just like him. That's the only thing that matters. Sure, you're going home, but you're going to see him again, right?"

"But it'll be awkward," she whined.

"Talk to him," was his response. "Say what's on your mind. It'll work out."

She glanced at him and smiled, before standing up and looking up at the sky. "I guess I should…" she mumbled. "But he—I shouldn't… uhh, I'm not making sense. Ma—maybe I should just sleep this off…"

"You should." He stood up and grinned at her. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

When Alice turned around to walk back to the treehouse, James crouched down. He stared at the river, at his reflection in the water. He couldn't believe himself—he was giving advice to Alice. Advice about Peter Pan and relationships, no less. If Hook had been watching, which he probably was, he would've had James walk the plank.

But he wouldn't lie when he got back to the ship. He did once, and look where that led him. He shook his head. He wouldn't lie. He never would.

What the hell was he doing there, talking to himself by the river? James shook his head. Was he going crazy? After so long living in a ship full of old pirates and hiding from Peter Pan, he was bound to end up like that. But there was no point in rambling to himself. Instead he grabbed his fishing pole and headed back to the ship.

"Where've ya been, Alice?" That was always the first thing she heard as soon as she got back to the treehouse, especially after meeting James. It was natural, of course, for the young boys to wonder where she disappears off to. This time, it was the Twins who caught her upon her return.

"Just, y'know, taking a walk," she shrugged with a smile. "It's pretty late though. Why are you two still up?"

"Peter's been awfully quiet," one of them said.

"So Slightly had us all meet up to figure out what's wrong with 'im," the other one finished.

Alice couldn't find it in her to respond right away. She had to think about her situation and to word her reaction carefully. "Uhh, well, would you happen to know if Peter's still awake?" she asked as casually as she could. "Maybe I can talk some sense into him."

The Twins glanced at each other and had some kind of telepathic conversation with their eyes for a split-second before turning back to their mother. "Well, his room's still lit up, so…"

She nodded and headed off to the hallway that linked hers and Peter's rooms. Peter's peculiar attitude was so new to the boys that she wasn't even surprised to see Slightly standing outside in the hallway and spying at their leader. He noticed Alice approaching, so he quickly turned around and dragged her into her room.

"Are you here to talk to Peter, Alice?" he asked in a whisper. "Oh, please fix him Alice. He's been so quiet, and he's been pacing back and forth in his room since you disappeared again."

She nodded again, and Slightly released her. Though she felt so confident while assuring the Lost Boys that she would speak to their leader, she had no idea how to go about it. She didn't know what to say to him, despite James' advice. She was even worried that her voice would become a squeak out of her nervousness. But she had to press on.

Alice pulled back the curtain at Peter's doorway and peered inside the room. As Slightly had said, Peter Pan was pacing back and forth in his room, a hand under his chin and his eyebrows scrunched in perplexity. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat to catch the boy's attention.

"Peter?" she murmured.

He nearly fell in surprise. Thankfully, he was quick to recover by flying and sitting midair. "A—Alice," he grinned.

"Can we talk?" both asked in unison.

It seemed such a familiar scene to Peter. Alice had those same eyes, that same voice… His oddly shaped eyebrows rose; the girl in front of him had to stifle a laugh, perhaps to the growing tension between them.

He didn't understand if he "hadn't meant to kiss her" because he knew he enjoyed it—and longed for it again—but if that short moment of bliss meant having to sacrifice the comfortable feeling he got whenever they were alone together, he would much rather ignore that it ever happened.

"A—about last night, I—" Even their stuttering seemed uniform. Hearts were pounding, fingers trembling, breath uneven, eyes avoiding the other's own.

He had experienced this scene before, years ago with Jane. Of course, being Peter Pan, he would be the first to actually speak.

"W—we can just forget it ever happened," he blurted out.

He saw the surprise in her eyes, the surprise he had almost expected when he decided this just moments ago. What he did not expect, however, was a sudden movement—a very small movement that one would surely miss in the blink of an eye. But he could barely look away from her, so of course he noticed her flinch.

Alice would have trembled in fear, writhed in pain, maybe even slap Peter for suddenly saying something like that. Maybe she was the only one who felt that way about the other. Maybe she was just imagining all these "signs" that the Boy Who Never Grew Up could possibly like someone like her.

She shook out such thoughts. It didn't matter now. She was going home soon, and she at least wanted to leave Neverland as a friend of Peter Pan, not some girl he gets all these awkward silences with. She forced herself to look at him—not stare into his beautiful dark eyes, but just stare at him. Blankly. And he avoided her gaze.

"Of course." She had to stop her tears. No, she won't cry in front of Peter Pan. Never again. "A—anyway, if that's all—" She paused to sigh, rather than waiting for her to hiccup and burst into tears. "I'm pretty tired," she forced a grin, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Peter."

He glanced at her and murmured an inaudible goodnight as well. Peter was confused. The butterflies in his stomach wouldn't stop. The mild headache throbbed in synchronization with his heartbeat. Heartbeat? His heart hammered in his chest. What was happening to him?

Peter was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hardly even noticed that Alice did not actually go back to her room. Instead she sat on the floor in the hallway, leaning her head on the wall. She was out of his sight, though she sat just beside the doorway.

Why would she go back to her room? She couldn't sleep anyway. Might as well spend the time to think. She wanted someone to talk to, but who would be awake at that hour. Though she knew the Lost Boys would give anything to stay up late, she also knew that they were still children and grew tired quite easily when the sun was down.

"Where've you been, cabin boy?" a large pirate asked as James climbed aboard the small ship. He leered at the young boy with one eye for his other was covered with an eye patch and probably nothing but a socket from his experiences of battle with Pan and his Boys.

James kept a straight face as he walked across the deck, despite the complaints and glares of the pirates around him. He was the only one who had to leave the ship for his own dinner, and though that resulted in running into Alice and meeting some bizarre fairy thing, he was still mighty pissed with Hook's crew. In fact, if they hadn't taken his portion of dinner from him, he wouldn't have had to fish on his own. But he did and now he had to report to Hook everything that happened.

He sneered in his mind. These people were all crazy. Or maybe he was the crazy one. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted to go back to his old life, even though he knew he never could. Not alone.

Upon sensing the boy's presence, Hook stood from his piano and greeted him with open arms. Smee followed the Captain to their cabin boy, carrying a mug of hot cocoa.

"James, my boy," the Captain's hammy voice boomed as he approached his cabin boy. "I gather you've news about Alice?"

He raised a jet-black eyebrow at his superior. How could someone's voice be so hammy despite his small frame? Hook wasn't exactly large. He was tall, at best.

But James shrugged those thoughts off. "I was kicked out of the ship and forced to get my own dinner thanks to your wonderful crew," he huffed. "But yes, I ran into Alice."

"Have a seat." Hook gestured at his dining table where a meal had been, apparently for James. "Tell me everything that happened."

The smell of roasted chicken and mashed potato seduced the boy to obey and eat. However, unlike how Hook had expected, the boy ate slowly in a sophisticated manner. He was not refined like Hook was, but he was certainly not a complete savage like the crew outside. If anything, he seemed like a young lord being taught table etiquette.

"Where the hell do you get gravy in Neverland?" he asked after swallowing his third spoonful of mashed potato. "I mean, this place is practically devoid of civilization."

"I've my ways," the longhaired man answered with a knowing grin, stroking his thin moustache with his hook. "Now tell me what happened, boy."

"Uhh… well," he started, scratching the nape of his neck. He honestly didn't know how to begin, not that he wanted to even if he did know. "Pan seems to have a thing for her."

"A thing for her?" Hook repeated.

"I—I believe it means he fancies her, Cap'n," Smee interjected, wagging a plump finger. "Would you believe that, Cap'n?" he chuckled. "Peter Pan likes Alice!"

The red-clad Captain Hook took his first mate by the hands and both men began to prance about in a bizarrely cliché victory dance. "Brilliant, brilliant!" he exclaimed in glee. "You see, Smee? In no time, our young boy Peter will—"

"And Peter kissed her," James added, immediately stopping the two men on their tracks.

It must have been a miracle—or a curse, rather. Captain Hook was shocked, so shocked that he could only stare at his cabin boy, his mouth agape. He could barely imagine Peter Pan getting a crush (falling in love, perhaps, but getting tongue-tied in front of a girl was out of the question), let alone kissing a girl. No, he was not just shocked. He was outraged.

The man grabbed James by his shirt and pulled him up so that they were at eye level. Dark eyes pierced the boy's icy blue orbs. In Hook's eyes, James noticed a twinkle that he had also noticed in Peter Pan's eyes from afar. His eyes widened at the thought.

"Do you remember the backup plan, boy?" the captain asked in a hiss. After a few seconds of silence, without a response from the boy, he shook James and asked in an angrier tone, "Do you remember the backup?"

James nodded. "Aye, Captain," he mumbled, looking away.

It was one of those days—the kind where you wanted to sleep in and to stay in bed all day long in your pajamas. It felt like one of those days for her. It was definitely one of those days for her.

Of course, she couldn't do that. It was her last day in Neverland, and she expected that the Lost Boys would want to play with her until she couldn't move. She could imagine the pain creeping across her—no wait, it wasn't just her imagination. She was feeling the pain.

Alice let out an excruciating yelp. She hated cramps. She hated cramps more than she hated everything else that she hated—more than she hated the fact that Matt cheated on her with some blonde idiot. Though the memory was painful as well, it didn't quite matter to her at the moment because it felt like her intestines were being pulled out of her through her—

"Alice, are you okay?" Peter asked by the doorway. His hair was a red mess on his head and he lacked his green hat, indicating that he had just woken up. He was also panting, leading Alice to conclude that her screech caused his wake-up. Panic was evident in his dark eyes.

"I—I'm fine," she answered hastily, though her uneasy breathing told him otherwise. She tightly gripped her abdomen in a desperate attempt to ease the pain, but she maintained a forced grin to reassure Peter that she was okay.

Her tongue clicked in her mouth when she remembered that she had forgotten to bring any painkillers to Neverland. It was a stupid thing to forget that. She could have survived on those peculiar leaves in Tinkerbell's room as sanitary napkins, but nothing in this fantasy world could replace painkillers.

The boy's red eyebrows furrowed. "You don't really look—"

"I'm fine, Peter," she breathed. "I just—I just need a bit of fresh air."

"Do you want me to take you outside?" he offered.

Alice forced a grin. "No, thank you. I can manage."

She didn't wait for a response. Before Peter could open his mouth to insist, the brunette had jumped out the window and was climbing down the treehouse. As she descended, she overheard a group of muffled voices—the older Lost Boys were conversing in the dining room.

"He doesn't seem that different to me!" Cubby stated in his large, almost cracking voice.

The Lost Boy was shushed by another. "Keep it down, Cubby," a rather high-pitched voice—belonging to Nibs, perhaps—whispered, though Alice could still hear him. "We can't let Peter hear or he'll—"

"I'm just sayin' he's still the same!" the larger Boy argued.

The younger Boy scoffed. "Of course you wouldn't notice. You have the attention span of a teaspoon."

Slightly giggled in his equally high-pitched voice, despite being older than both Cubby and Nibs. "Well, the change was real slow," he explained. "It started around the time Wendy, John and Michael left—"

"Went really fast when Jane arrived, but it slowed down again when she left," Nibs added, "and now it's back again because we met—"

"Alice?"

Alice looked down and saw Slightly gazing at her from the window. Somehow, she forgot the pain from her cramps and climbed in through the window with some help from the Lost Boy in a fox suit.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Is… is Peter changing?"

Nibs shot a look at the eldest Boy in the room, but Slightly took no notice. Instead, he moved to explain the situation. "Peter usually forgets about things."

"A lot of things!" Cubby agreed.

The Boy in a bunny suit sighed in defeat and finished for his older friends. "But now he remembers all these things."

"He plays with us less now, too," Slightly added. He looked at Alice more worriedly than she did him. "What's happening to him, Alice?"

She examined each of their faces. Nibs bit back a scowl, but crossed his arms stubbornly—he had a vague idea of what was happening, though he must not have known consciously. Cubby was clueless though he seemed to notice the signs. And Slightly was, above all, worried for Peter.

"How often does Peter go to E—" she stopped herself. Did they call it Earth in Neverland? "To the mainland? And for how long?"

The three Boys glanced at each other, as though having a telepathic conversation, and turned back to her. "Once a month," they said in unison, "he only stays for about three hours…"

Alice took note of the details and reached into her bag for her phone. Thankfully, she didn't even use it when she came to Neverland, so the battery was fully charged. She mumbled figures to herself as she used the calculator application in the phone. The result made her widen her eyes in shock.

"Peter had grown three years…" she murmured inaudibly. "And not just biologically. I'm sure after three generations, his mind also…"

Slightly's eyebrows rose, noticing that the girl was whispering to herself. "Alice? What's wrong?"

She shook her head and forced a smile. "It's nothing. I don't know, maybe Peter's just… like that. I'm not exactly in any position to compare him."

"Can you fix him?" the Boy asked.

"I'm not really sure how… but I'll try. I'll try."

Nibs was about to open his mouth to speak, but Alice suddenly fell over. She was able to hang onto the wall to support herself, and Slightly and Cubby sprung to her side to help her up. The girl gripped her abdomen with a pained expression. The bunny's eyebrows rose in anxiety and he rushed over to his friends to help her as well.

"Alice, are you alright?" each Lost Boy asked in panic.

It was definitely one of those days—she wanted nothing more than to be in her own bed, back in the States, curled up in a blanket and watching nonstop TV. She hated being away from home. She hated her cramps. She couldn't even concentrate on standing—all her consciousness was busy with the excruciating pain in her lower abdomen.

Peter seemed to have heard the commotion as he came in flying through the window. He took Alice's arm and wrapped it over his shoulder, letting her use him as support.

"Does your tummy hurt?" he asked, walking her over to the dining table.

She shook her head. "I just need some painkillers, that's all…" she mumbled weakly.

"Painkillers, what are painkillers?" He was beginning to panic.

"It's fine. I can survive this. Just… yeah, I have some painkillers back at home. Grandma is bound to have some, too. I can wait 'til tonight."

The Lost Boys, their leader included, could only trust her words, despite the doubt in their eyes. They had never seen this kind of pain befall someone, and none knew what to do.

Much later that day—in fact, it was in the late afternoon—Alice once again snuck away. She made her way to the river and followed it to Hook's ship.

But as she approached, she noticed that something was off. For one, it was quiet. Normally, the pirates would be eating, drinking, singing, whistling, wrestling—basically anything that involved loud noises and stories that were probably untrue—and when they noticed her presence, one would inform Hook. In fact, it wasn't just that they were quiet. The pirates were nowhere to be seen. She had assumed the time was perfect for swabbing the deck or lazing about on deck, but it seemed that all hands were elsewhere.

Instead, she was met with a single head of messy black hair. She beamed when she saw James and ran towards him to engulf the boy in a tight bearhug. Though he was taken aback, he was able to return the gesture, however awkwardly.

"I'm leaving tonight," she said before letting go. "I was hoping to say goodbye to you and Hook and Smee. Believe it or not, I was able to find friendship in pirates."

He chuckled and pointed to the captain's quarters. "Unfortunately, the Cap'n's inside formulating a plan to regain his treasure from Peter Pan." James stepped forward, though it was so subtle that Alice didn't even notice. "A—are you leaving for good?" He refused to meet her eyes when he spoke.

"I'm not sure…" her voice faltered. "I'm going to try and convince my mother to let Peter visit me in the States, and well, I'll worry about going back to Neverland after that." A smile tugged at the girl's lips. "But if ever, I'll bring my laptop so we can watch movies here. I know how much you miss pop culture."

He rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you have no idea."

However, soon silence took over. It was a few minutes after that Alice broke the silence and spoke.

"Okay, well, I can't really stay here for long," she said. "Peter and the others might come looking for me because I, uhh… I haven't exactly been feeling my best recently." Before James could react, she added, "I'm fine though. Perfectly fine."

"A—anyway, could you just tell Hook that I passed by?" Alice stepped forward and hugged him again, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "Goodbye, James."

He didn't seem to appreciate the physical contact, though he feebly let his arms circle her figure. "Yeah…"

She released him and grinned. "I'll see you when I see you, 'kay?"

He nodded. "Take care. On your way home, I mean. Yeah. Bye."

It was late in the evening and yet the lights were still on in the old Darling household. Of course, the people in that house no longer used the name Darling, since the owner was a woman born with that name. Jane sat patiently in the nursery as her daughter paced the room furiously.

"What makes you think Peter will bring her back, Mother?" The brown-haired woman struggled not to yell at her aged mother. Though she grew up in the States, she still had traces of the British accent. "You made us grow up away from here because you were afraid he might take us."

"Moira," the old woman spoke, pushing back a lock of short gray hair that had fallen in front of her face, "I'm positive that Alice will come back. She's smarter than that."

Her daughter, Moira, sighed. She was the spitting image of Mary and Wendy Darling and of Jane when they were at her age. Jane suspected Alice would one day grow up to look like them as well. She watched as the brunette calmed herself down and sat on the bed that Jane and her mother before her once used as children.

"I know, Mother," Moira murmured, "but I've seen that boy. I've seen Peter before. I didn't think he was real, but I actually saw him."

Jane's blue eyes widened in surprise. Her daughter had met Peter before? She had always had confidence that, unlike her mother, she was able to protect her children from meeting and falling in love with Peter Pan. Perhaps she was wrong.

"But I hid from him because I didn't want him to take me away," she continued. "But Alice… she left with him. And to think she is more rational than both of us combined. She would've thought she was just seeing things! And—and she had just found out about Matt. What if she rebounds?"

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared, crawling through the window and disappearing behind the bed. Both women stared at the bed curiously, unsure if they had really seen a shadow.

And then a faint "I lost him again!"

Jane perked up. She knew that voice. Noticing her mother's quick reaction, Moira bounded to the window, looking up and expecting to see her daughter. And true enough, she saw Alice being carried by a redheaded boy clad in green, followed by a glowing gold light. It was him. It was Peter Pan.

"Out of the way, Mom!" Alice shrieked.

With wide blue eyes, Moira jumped out of the way and Peter entered the room. Alice escaped the boy's gentle grip and bearhugged her mother and grandmother on the bed.

Peter, on the other hand, disappeared under the bed, looking for his shadow. He saw the shadow sneak to the dresser and accidentally bumped his head on the bottom of the bed. Alice released her huggees and pulled Peter out from under the bed.

"What the hell, Peter?" she yelled, holding him by the collar.

"M—my shadow!" he stammered, not wanting to face the wrath of a female who had allies with her. "My shadow got away!"

"Where?"

He pointed a finger to the dresser and his gold light flew toward the top drawer. It seemed a major déjà vu for Tinkerbell, but at least now she knew better than to come flying in through the keyhole.

Alice, with a firm hand on her abdomen, took in a deep breath and said, "Okay, if you don't get out of there and go back to Peter, I swear I will make your life a living hell!"

The shadow curiously peeked at her from behind the dresser.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been holding back?" she asked. "I've been having cramps since day one, and while I was certainly able to give Hook a good verbal beating, I am so ready to berate you until you come out of there! Do you really want that?"

Then the shadow reluctantly left its hiding place and attached itself to Peter. Even Peter stared at Alice, his mouth agape and eyes riddled with fear. But he also realized that she really had been holding back. He remembered her struggling in her sleep when they slept together at Piccaninny Tribe and even when he watched her take naps after playing with the Lost Boys.

"Alice," a brown-haired woman called. She looked very much like Mary did when he met Wendy and like Wendy did when he met Jane. Just from that, he knew exactly who she was—Alice's mom. She ran to the younger brunette and embraced her warmly. "Alice, you're home."

"Not quite, actually," her daughter grinned, her left eye closing to avoid Moira's long brown hair. "Mom, can we give Peter our address in the States?"

Moira hesitated. She glanced at Jane for a sign of confirmation or refusal, but the old woman only smiled at her. It was her choice. Then she turned back to her daughter and nodded. "We'll talk to your father about it when we get home so we can arrange whether or not you're allowed to go to Neverland again. Until further notice, he can visit you, but you can't come with him." Her voice was soft yet stern. "Is that understood, young lady?"

Alice nodded as well and hugged her mother again. "Thanks, Mom." Then she walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from the top drawer. After scribbling her home address onto the paper, she handed it to Peter. "If you can't read, get Hook to read it for you," she said with a wink. "Or Terence. Yeah, I think if you gave it to Terence, life would be easier."

Peter chuckled at the girl's added monologue at the end. "I can read, Alice. Mary taught me."

Her lips curled up. "Of course you can, Peter."

For the last time that evening, he flashed her a pearly white grin and stepped out of the window to float in the air outside. With his legs outstretched, he crowed and Tinkerbell followed him. Alice watched as the green-clad boy ascended to the evening sky, approaching the second star to the right, flying into the night.

Finally done! I'm sorry it took so long. I've been really busy with school and I tried my hand at Young Justice fanfics. Summer vacation is coming soon for me though, so I might be able to finish the next chapter in time. Yeah, hopefully.

The reason why I took so long with this chapter (apart from being busy and all) is because I didn't really know what to write for this one. I knew what to write for the next chapters, but I didn't know how to "get there". I meant for this to be a filler chapter, but it seemed to be substantially important plotwise.

By the way, if you'll notice, Alice's mother's name is Moira Carlisle. She was named after two people: Moira, who is Jane's canonical daughter (in the book as well as in the movie Hook), and Gwendolyn Carlisle from the Disney Fairies books. I've never read any of those books, but I did see Hook. (You guys will understand why I used Carlisle in the next few chapters, hopefully.) By the way, keep in mind that there has ever been a Darling girl with no siblings (except Gwendolyn, I think). That's why Moira keeps saying "we" and "us".

I also discovered Spieling Peter Pan very recently. I feel bad that I was never able to meet him, but I do have the means to communicate with the actor himself (like anyone does... lol, thanks to Twitter). But like I said, it's just too bad that I never got to meet him as Peter Pan. Well, I guess that's because I've never even been able to the USA, let alone Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.

Unfortunately, I can't base the Peter here on Spieling Peter. I'll try to emulate him though.

R&R, my lovelies.

~ froggy