He quickly found that it was near impossible to sleep without Wendy in his arms and he wondered if she was having the same trouble. He rolled his eyes and shifted again.

Come on Peter, you've lived without her for over a year and now that you've found her, you can't go two seconds without having her in your arms? What a codfish you're becoming. With that final thought, he closed his eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

His eyes shot open and he knew in an instant that something was wrong. He was no longer in his bedroom in the Goldberg mansion but he seemed to be in a cell of some kind. Jumping to his feet he grasped the bars in front of him and his eyes frantically searched the room.

"What's going on?" he spoke aloud to the empty room. He glanced down beside him and suddenly became sick to his stomach. A skeleton was chained to the wall, its bony hand reaching out toward the bars. Peter backed against the bars and the door swung open. Wanting to get away from that room as fast as he could, he burst the door open and traveled down a long hallway. He could hear the water and decided he must be on some sort of ship. But why? Who would have stolen him away in the night? He could hear noises coming from one of the cabins on his left and he stopped in his tracks. He heard a woman crying, even pleading. A man's grunting made him blush as he realized what he had stumbled upon. Hesitantly, he continued and peered into the room. What he saw made his heart drop. A woman was chained in the middle of the room, the chains pulling her hands toward the ceiling. She was stark naked and a man was thrusting into her from behind. She let out a chilling scream as a hook appeared around her and sliced at the flesh of her belly. Peter's eyes widened and it became immensely difficult to breathe. The woman's long blonde hair covered her face but Hook stepped back from her and standing in front of her, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up. Peter's heart stopped.

"Wendy," he whispered.

"Look into my eyes, wench," he heard Hook say and he backhanded Wendy roughly.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Peter yelled, bursting into the room. Wendy's head snapped up and her tear-filled eyes met his.

"Ah, Peter Pan as I live and breathe. I was wondering if you were going to join us, boy." Peter searched for some kind of weapon but he decided he could just kill Hook with his bare hands. Hook read Peter's mind and his hook flew to Wendy's throat. Peter stopped, his hands reached out, his eyes widening in terror.

"Take one more step, Pan, and I finish her right here."

"Hook…I swear to you one day I will be the one to kill you. And I won't do it quickly…I'm going to do it nice and slow and watch the light leave your eyes. I won't rest until I have your blood staining my hands."

"I look forward to it, Pan. But for now, I think I'll relish in your pain. Let's see how strong you are without your dearest Wendy." Before Peter could move, Hook's deadly hook plunged into Wendy's throat and she let out a gasp. As Hook stepped back, blood spurted out of Wendy's neck and her front was quickly covered in red. Peter let out a yell and held his hands to her neck, attempting to stem the gore. His hand covered her wound and his clothes were soaked in her blood.

"P-Peter…Peter—" she managed to get out as she shook in her chains. Tears streamed down Peter's face as he pulled her close, knowing she was moments from death.

"Wendy, please don't leave me. I'm lost without you. Stay with me, please."

"I…l-love you," she gasped and her head suddenly fell backwards. Peter let out a heart-wrenching yell as he cradled her in his arms, while she dangled from the ceiling. He rested his head on her breast and blood covered his face. He didn't notice Hook coming up behind him, preparing to plunge his hook into the boy's back.

"WENDY!" Peter sat straight up, his clothes drenched. Panting, he pressed his hand to his heart and could feet it racing. Realizing it had just been a dream, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. It had been such a vivid dream and he jumped up, deciding he had to see Wendy, no matter how inappropriate it may be.

Tiptoeing down the hall, he stopped at a room not far from his where the door was ajar. He peered in and let out a deep sigh of relief when he saw her safe and sound and asleep. The sight of her brought tears to his eyes and he crept into the room and closed the door behind him. He slid into the bed beside her and stroked her hair lovingly. He supposed it was just because they remembered now but he had not had a nightmare about Hook in quite some time. His heart still racing, he leaned down and softly kissed her lips. She let out a little moan in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing she was awake, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. He didn't try to stop the tears from rolling down his face as he nuzzled deeper into her. She didn't say anything; her arms went around his neck and she sank into his embrace.

"I'm here, sweetheart. Shh, it's ok. We're ok." He shook his head but didn't speak. She pulled back and examined his face.

"Peter what is it?"

"I just had…just had a nightmare, that's all."

"I don't think I need to ask what it was about." Her hand rested on his cheek and he closed his eyes at her touch. He needed to be inside her. Needed to remind himself that she belonged to only him. That she would never belong to any other man but him. He pressed his lips to hers and his hands quickly slid underneath her satin nightgown, meeting the soft flesh underneath. Wendy moaned as one of his hands rested on her firm breast and he teased her mercilessly underneath the smooth material.

"Peter," she whispered against his mouth. His tongue trailed down from her lips to the flesh of her throat where he sucked gently.

"God I want you, Wendy."

"Peter, we can't. They'll hear us-"

"Not if we're quiet. I'll be sure to stifle your screams," he gave her a mischievous grin and his eyes sparkled. She started to argue but his mouth was upon hers again and she didn't fight when his hands slid underneath her gown again and trailed down her body. His roughened palms were driving her crazy as he took his time reacquainting himself with her body. He propped himself on one of his elbows and one hand trailed across her hip bone and came to her nether region. Still going excruciatingly slow, his finger entered her, making her gasp in delight. Adding a second finger, he leaned down and covered her mouth, stifling her moans. His fingers increased in pace, driving Wendy over the edge. It didn't take long for her to reach her peak and she let out a scream that was muffled by his kiss. Leaning back, he grinned at her and brought his fingers to his lips. Wendy bit her lip as Peter's tongue darted out to taste his fingers and he gave her a seductive glance.

"So bloody sweet." Wendy grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers, her passion taking over. His hands pushed her nightgown up her body and over her head and she tugged at his nightshirt and threw it aside. Peter felt himself getting harder as he watched her take control and become more aggressive than he had ever seen her. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him. Lowering herself down onto him, his eyes closed as they became one. Her nails trailed down his chest and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. If Mr. or Mrs. Goldberg walked in right now…oh god he didn't care! Wendy was driving him insane. She was riding him with raw heat and she placed her palms over his nipples. Tossing her head back, Peter thought it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Her head thrown back in ecstasy, her long curls cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall, her breasts were bouncing in rhythm as she continued to ride him. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Seeing her take control like this sent him over the edge. He felt her shudder and knew she was close. His hands went to her hips and he clutched her closely as they came together. She collapsed on his chest, her breathing heavy and her heart raced against his.

"My god," he panted, "you're incredible."

"Right back at you, love," she said with a smile. She slid off of him and leaned down to kiss him. His hands went to her hair and their tongues did a furious dance against one another. He couldn't seem to get enough of her. Quickly and silently, he flipped her over and pressed her against the bars of the bed. His fingertips traveled down her back and down the curves of her round bottom. She glanced over her shoulder and felt him pressing his manhood against her thigh. It took him no time to become fully aroused again and he reached around and squeezed one of her breasts. Using his knee to spread her legs apart, he slowly slid into her from behind and when she tossed her head back, sending her curls over his shoulder, he started thrusting deeper and deeper. She grasped the bars with both hands and groaned as he quickened his pace.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear, nipping on her neck.

"Peter," she moaned, quite loudly.

"Sweet, they'll hear you."

"Oh god!" Peter's hand moved up from her breast to cover her mouth and her eyes shot open. Peter had no idea that that minuscule action had made something snap inside her and didn't notice that she started to resist him. She gripped the bars tightly but that only seemed to increase her panic.

"No…please." Peter didn't hear and continued his frenzy of passion.

"Let me go!" The words echoed off the walls and she had snapped up to get away from him. Peter was thrown back onto the bed, his eyes wide in shock. He could only stare at Wendy, who was now curled up into a tight ball in the corner of the bed. His brow furrowed in bewilderment. What was going on?

"Wendy?" he asked hesitantly, reaching out a hand toward her but stopping. Suddenly he understood. How could he have been so stupid?

Very slowly, he reached out a hand and cupped her chin. When she lifted her face, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were closed tightly.

"Wendy, sweetheart. Look at me." She shook her head, trying to pull out of his grasp.

"Look at me," he said a bit more firmly. When she opened her eyes, he gave her a loving smile and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm such a fool."

"I'm sorry, Peter. Things have changed so much-" she glanced behind her, at the bars of the bed and she shuddered.

"I've been taken against my will too many times against bars like these. Even the night before you rescued me." Peter's teeth clenched and his blood started to boil. He made a mental note to go back and beat the living daylights out of the warden. "And that's how they would stifle my screams. To keep me from pleading for them to stop. To keep me from screaming your name. They'd cover my mouth until it was over and I was still and silent." Peter's eyes closed in anguish and he pulled her against him again.

"We're going to get through this, Wendy. I promise. I'm here now. No one will ever hurt you again." He stroked her hair and allowed her to continue to cry her tears out. He stretched out and lay down in the bed, pulling her down beside him and keeping her encircled in his strong arms. His fingers brushed against her soft skin and every time he touched her, he seemed to find a new bruise or scar. It brought tears to his eyes. Ashamed, he brushed them away but she had noticed and she sat up and looked at him.

"What are these tears for?"

"For you. I'm so sorry Wendy."

"Sorry for what?" Peter didn't look at her; he couldn't. From the moment Hook had kidnapped her from her bedroom to lure him onto the Jolly Roger, she had been through hell. And he felt guilty for all of it.

"It's my job to protect you. I promised you…years ago, when I first brought you to Neverland that I would protect you. And I failed. I came to your window every night to make sure you were alive and happy. And everyone in Neverland knew that I was falling in love with you. And Hook used it. He kidnapped you to get to me. He whipped you to punish me. He forced me to do things to you so that you would hate me. And he sold you into a life of hell because he knew you were the only one who could rescue me. Everything you have suffered…everything you've endured is my fault. And I haven't been there to protect you. I don't even know half the things you've been through and I don't know that I want to because it will just make me want to go on a killing spree and will make me sadder than ever because I failed to save you from all of it. It's all my fault, Wendy, my fa—" her finger rested on his lips and he fell silent. She leaned down and kissed him deeply, her fingers going to the silver chain around his neck.

"Stop it now. I begrudge you none of it, Peter. And Neverland knew how much I loved you as well. Yes, I've been through some terrible things but you found me and brought me back. Your face is what keeps me going. I will never feel like I'm enough for you. You deserve so much better, Peter. Better than anything I could ever give you." She sat up and looked away, not wanting to look at him when she spoke the next part.

"I was going to leave you tonight, Peter. Now that you remember who you are, you need to go back to Neverland. You're their Prince! You've never wanted to be a man, Peter, you told me you wanted to always be a little boy and have fun. The life of a grown up will make you miserable and I don't want to be that cause of your pain. I don't want to be the one who holds you back from your world of fantasy and of joy. You deserve the world. A world that I cannot give you." She succumbed to her tears again and turned away from him. Her legs dangled off the edge of the bed and she was strongly considering running away as fast as she could. She knew she wouldn't get far. She felt Peter rise from the bed and she was sure he was going back to his bedroom. But she saw him standing in front of her and then he sat on his knees and took her hands into his.

"Look into my eyes and hear my voice. Listen to every word that I say." Her eyes met his and they held her gaze. She could see the waves tossing about in that sea of blue.

"I love you, Wendy Darling. I think I've loved you from the first moment I saw you. The moment my shadow escaped into your bedroom. I was a fool and denied any feelings because they meant growing up and it was against everything I believed in. I screamed and cursed you when you mentioned love to me because I didn't know how to believe someone could love me. The reason your kiss saved me was because I knew you loved me and that helped me defeat Hook. And your kiss awoke something inside me that day. So when I took you and your brothers home, I was surprised when whatever this light you had ignited didn't go out. So I visited your window often, meaning every night to come in and talk to you. But again, I was the fool. I thought you had forgotten me and couldn't bear the heartache. So I pretended not to care and only grew weaker each time I came to visit. When I heard that Hook had you in Neverland, my only thought was to get you to safety. When you told me you loved me the first night we made love, I foolishly didn't answer because I didn't want to hurt you even more. I should have told you every single day how much I love you. I've never said it to anyone and now I can't stop saying it. I started to grow up because I came to your window too many times. Neverland became less of a home for me and more like a prison. I stayed more out of duty than anything else. I didn't know where else I could possibly belong. Life without flying is hard, I'll admit…but life without you, Wendy, would be no life at all. Even now as I stare into your eyes, I fall more and more in love with you. Maybe it's all of the passion I have ever had for silly things like flying and shadows and pirate ships but every fiber of my being wants to be with you for the rest of our lives. I don't ever- EVER- want to hear you say that I deserve better than you because there is no such thing. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Wendy. And I am so grateful to you for changing me and making me realize there is so much more to life. I'm only sorry it took me so long." Tears continued to leak from the corner of her eyes and he wiped them away with his thumb. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head in her lap. Her hands ran through his ruffled curls and ran down his chiseled back. They tenderly ran over his scars- scars that Hook had given him, that he had received when he had surrendered himself to save her life. Peter could have flown away and saved himself but he had refused to leave her side and allowed himself to be captured. She suddenly realized that she had the true undying love of Peter Pan, the Prince of Neverland. She gently lifted his face to hers and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Not saying a word, she moved to the side of the bed and allowed him to lay down beside her. Curling into his arms, where she felt the safest, she drifted off the sweetest of dreams.