The next morning, Peter had forgotten all about his nightmare and woke up wondering where he was. When he glanced down and saw Wendy snoring softly next to him, memories from the previous night came flooding back. But Peter Pan is a cocky boy and with a scowl, he tossed these memories aside and jumped to his feet. Brushing himself off, he cast Wendy a quick glance before he flew out of the hideout.

When Wendy awoke, she noticed immediately that she was alone. In truth, she loved falling asleep next to Peter. The feeling of his arms wrapped around her gave her a sense of safety and love, something she had been missing since she had left her home behind. She was terribly homesick and had often wondered if she had made the right choice. She missed her brothers and her mother and her father and her dog, Nana. She missed her school and her friends (what few friends she had, that is. People at school had always thought her a bit strange because of her overactive imagination). She missed Aunt Millicent with all of her proper ways and rules. She even sometimes missed the polite society she had been born into.

Peter had been determined to show her all of Neverland so she would not be a stranger to any part of it. It was his home and his paradise and he wanted to share it with her. He hadn't thought what it might mean to the island, to keep a girl there with him.

Sighing, Wendy silently dressed and wondered where Peter would take her today. She didn't feel very welcomed by anyone. Tink and the fairies were quite cold to her, the mermaids were as dangerous as ever. Princess Tiger Lily had been nice enough but Wendy could barely understand her people and they all seemed too interested in her for comfort. The pirates were banished to the opposite of the island, and the strange little men that Wendy could only know as leprechauns (though Peter insisted they were not) seemed vastly disenchanted with her. She didn't really have any friends, other than Peter. When she tried to mention this to the boy, however, he brushed it aside and told her she would get used to his home very soon. She wished the Lost Boys were still here—at least they would give her some sort of familiarity. But Peter seemed to be angry and offended that they had chosen to grow up; he hadn't mentioned their names since they had returned to Neverland. Wendy did not want to anger him but the fact was that Peter was just a boy and his mood swings were unpredictable. If Wendy said something wrong, she could find his blade at her throat. Not that she was afraid he would harm her—she knew in her heart that Peter truly did care for her and would never hurt her. But the angry expression on his face would be enough to make her cower and take back her words.

One such incident was the night that Tiger Lily and her people had thrown a large feast, as a sort of welcome party for Wendy. She had a lovely time and had allowed the Indian girls to paint her face and decorate her hair with beads and feathers. Peter couldn't keep his eyes off her…and finally asked her to dance toward the end of the night. But as soon as they had broken apart, a handsome brave of the Village had bowed low and asked Wendy to dance and Peter's eyes flashed as he watched her place her hand in his. He had stormed off before the end of the party and when Wendy had returned to the hideout only to find him sulking, she asked him what was wrong and he yelled at her that she should mind her own business. Wendy had gone to bed in tears that night, wondering what she had done to displease Peter so. And Peter had eventually apologized for upsetting her but he refused to tell her what had upset him.

For his part, Peter had never experienced feelings so strongly before. It was new, exciting, and frightening. He didn't like the way his heart raced when she was near, how his palms became sweaty and shaky, and how his words started to become stuck to his tongue. She was changing him and he didn't like it one bit. But he also wouldn't let her go. He often thought of returning her to her home and attempting to forget her but he knew that wasn't possible; her kiss had changed him. He wasn't stupid and he knew this to be certain. The whole island knew how selfish Peter was; they knew once he claimed something, he wouldn't let it go. In her heart, Wendy knew this as well and though she sometimes felt like Peter's property, she continued to stay by his side and endure the endless loneliness she felt in Neverland.

Wendy finished dressing and glanced at her reflection in the piece of glass Peter had set up for her to use. She made sure her necklace, her "kiss" from Peter was secure, she patted her hair, and flounced downstairs.

Peter was coming through the door, holding two very large bows in his hands.

"About time! I thought you would sleep all day."

"It's still early," she said defensively. Peter laughed.

"Alright lazy-head, time to get going." She stared at the bows.

"Er, what are we doing?"

"I'm going to teach you how to hunt. The Indians have taught me some really useful tricks and it will be good for you to know how to find yourself some dinner, in case I disappear for awhile."

"Why would you disappear?"

"Miss me that much huh," he said in a cocky tone, his eyes shining. Wendy straightened up and crossed her arms.

"No, Mr. High and Mighty, I wouldn't. But I'm still new to this island and don't know anyone. Why on earth would you just leave me alone?" Peter laughed again; he loved to see her riled up.

"Calm down, Wendy. I didn't say I was leaving. I just said in case something comes up. I want you to be able to defend yourself, if necessary. Take care of yourself. You're strong and independent and I know you can handle yourself well. There are still dangers around here and I don't want anything to happen to you." Wendy looked stunned at the compliment and he smirked.

"Here," he handed her one of the bows and she struggled for a moment before flinging it over her shoulder.

"And here are the arrows. That's a pretty heavy bow so it might take you awhile at first. Here's some fairy dust to help you fly. You ready?" She nodded, shouldering the quiver of arrows as well. Peter sprinkled some dust over her hair and grabbed her hand, pulling her through the air and toward the forest.

It didn't take long for Wendy to feel the weight of the weapons on her shoulders and being a delicate girl from London, she winced from the pain but kept quiet and showed no sign of her discomfort when Peter glanced at her. Of course he had seen her wince; he knew it would be too heavy for her but it was yet another test to see how strong the girl was. He had seen her hold her own on several occasions; she had even stood up to him with a sword. But he had spoken the truth when he said he wanted her to know how to defend herself. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. The fact was that there was very little danger in Neverland now. There had been no sign of the pirates and that was the only real danger Peter had ever faced. Still, Peter wanted to see it. He wanted to see how tough she could be. He suddenly stopped, his hand flinging in front of her and his eyes narrowed at something below him.

"Let's take a closer look," he hissed before he angled his body downward and took off toward the ground. Wendy sighed and followed, doing her best to keep up. When she landed, she didn't see Peter anywhere. Huffing, she flung the heavy bow and arrow off and looked around.

"Peter?" She called and received no answer. She didn't see him anywhere. "Peter!"

"Shhh," she heard a hissing noise below her and peered over the cliff. Peter was hidden in the bushes and he beckoned for her to follow. "Come on," he whispered. Wendy tried to rise into the air but found that the dust had worn off already. She looked down but Peter was already gone. Heaving a great sigh, she slipped the bow and arrows over her shoulder again and started to climb down the steep cliff. She looked around for any sign of the boy but he was clearly far ahead of her. Wendy took a step and gasped in pain; her shoe was caught on a tree root and ripped right off. A long gash in her foot caused her eyes to well up with tears. She continued to climb down, scratching her feet further, and found the bow weighing her down. Struggling to adjust it to balance her weight, her hand slipped and she suddenly found herself plummeting toward the ground.

She let out a scream before she was about to hit the hard ground beneath her and felt arms close around her. Peter gingerly set her down and gasped as her knees buckled and she fell in front of him.

"Wendy, are you alright?"

"Mm," she moaned in pain, inspecting her injured feet. Peter saw bloody gashes and his eyes widened.

"What did you do to yourself?" She glared up at him, attempting to wipe off her dress.

"I didn't mean to do it. The bloody dust wore off and I tried to climb down the cliff."

"I should have known not to leave you alone for more than a minute," he said under his breath, leaning down to help her up. But Wendy had heard his mutter and she yanked her arm out of his grasp.

"I can get myself up, thanks." Peter crossed his arms and watched her struggle to her feet. Using the bow, she pulled herself up and stared at him coldly. "Well? Aren't we going somewhere?"

"Yeah, home. You're in no condition to—"

"I'm fine," she snapped. She ignored the stabbing pains in her feet and stomped off in front of him, leaving him to stare after her. He huffed and shook his head. Fine, if she wanted to be stubborn, he wouldn't stop her.

"Alright then. Come over here." He took off into the sky and flew ahead of her; he glanced behind him to see her hurrying after him, panting and nearly out of breath. Peter landed a ways away from her and ducked behind a tree. A large doe was grazing near the end of the path and Peter pulled an arrow from his quiver. Wendy caught up to him and clutched the stitch in her chest. Peter glanced at her, his brow raised, and gestured for her to come closer.

"Ready for your first lesson?" Nodding, she moved closer and peered out into the path. She gasped and recoiled.

"I won't shoot that creature."

"It's food, Wendy. It's what we eat to survive."

"It could be a mother," she protested loudly. Peter hissed at her to be quiet and he turned to make sure the doe hadn't moved. He turned back to her, his brow furrowed.

"You're going to learn to shoot. And you'll kill it for our dinner."

"I'll do no such thing. I'm not one of your Lost Boys you can command, Peter Pan, and I don't take kindly to orders."

"You live in Neverland where I rule over the island. So you WILL obey my orders." Wendy looked shocked.

"How dare you presume—"

"I presume nothing. I expect you to listen to me. If it's you or the deer, which would you choose?"

"Peter that's ridiculous—"

"No it's not!" He had turned very red-faced, his fists were clenched. Wendy could tell he was getting angrier by the minute. "I've told you, it's what we eat to survive. Why are you being squeamish about this?"

"I'm not squeamish," she said heatedly. "I won't kill an innocent creature, especially when it might have a young baby somewhere." Peter gritted his teeth for a moment and let out an angry sigh. Turning from her, he pulled his arrow across his bow and aimed for the doe. Wendy knocked into him, causing him to miss his target. The doe's head snapped up and she ran into the cover of the forest. Peter was fuming.

"You foolish girl! What's the matter with you?"

"Would you shut up for one moment and look," she practically screamed at him. They both turned and saw the doe peering out of the forest, a tiny fawn at her side. She nuzzled at her baby and went back to grazing. Peter tucked his bow and arrow back into his pack and shook his head.

"It shouldn't make a difference. It's survival in Neverland, Wendy. It's what we do."

"It's what you do. It's not who I am. And it never will be. Perhaps you've brought the wrong girl to Neverland." Despite his anger at her, Peter's face softened and he saw her lip trembling. She turned away from him, quickly wiping at her face. She wouldn't let him see her tears. He already thought she was weak. She hobbled away from him and sat on a stone, tucking her aching feet under her dress. She heard footsteps and saw a shadow appear over her. Peter watched her for a moment, his arms crossed over his chest before he bent down and picked her up. She protested for a moment and kicked but it just caused her more pain and so she relaxed in his arms and allowed him to carry her to their next destination.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be writing again and to see wonderful reviews from new and old fans! Thank you guys so much! Off to bed now, but I'll try to post more this week! Enjoy!

XOXO