Sorry to keep you waiting! I've had zero time to write! Enjoy!
...
"I know Peter, I know where it is," Wendy tried to stand up, but her head whooshed. Peter caught her in his arms.
"Don't move Wendy, don't say anything. Just rest for a moment." He laid her back down and put his hands on either side of her cheeks looking into her eyes. He half expected them to roll back again, he was so terrified. But he had to be strong for her right now. Nibs was lying on his side hold his stomach.
"I'm going to be sick," he cried. Tiger Lily put Michael down, and knelt beside Nibs, stroking his head.
"It will be alright," she said. Then she thought of something. "I'll be right back." She jumped up and ran into the forest.
"Don't leave me!" cried Nibs rolling from side to side. The vibrations had stopped, but his head pounded and his stomach felt as though it was burning. John sat next to him and took his hand.
"She'll be right back Nibs, I promise," he said.
Wendy sat up again amidst Peter's protests. "I know where it is; where the fairies are. I saw it," she said.
"Me too," groaned Nibs, still holding his stomach, rocking back and forth.
"Where?" asked Peter.
"We passed it. It's at the base."
"What? There's no possible way," he said, pushing on Wendy's shoulders to make her stay down. She was still trying to stand, and she still looked as though she felt wobbly. "We checked the rocks all the way up."
"I know. When I saw it just now though, I knew we had passed it. I just didn't see it before."
Peter knit his eyebrows together.
"I don't think we were meant to see it," she continued. "It didn't want to be seen. The entrance I mean. We might have even looked at it. But we couldn't see it."
"I don't understand," he said.
"Neither do I," said Wendy. "I just know we passed it. We need to head back down."
Just then Tiger Lily came bounding back into the clearing with a sprig of herbs in her hand. "Here Nibs," she said kneeling beside him. "Chew this. It will take away the pain in your stomach." She handed him some of the leaves, and he gratefully gnawed on them.
Wendy cleared her throat. "May I have some too Tiger Lily?" She put her hand in front of her mouth and tried to hold back her heave.
"Oh!" cried Tiger Lily, and ran over to give Wendy some of the herb.
"Thank you," she said chomping appreciatively on the sweet, effervescent leaves. Her stomach began to settle, and she stood up a little wobbly. Peter held out his arms to catch her. "I'm alright Peter, I'm fine."
"Where do we go?" asked Curly.
"Back where we came from," said Wendy. She started to walk back down the mountain. Peter was wary, but followed behind.
Nibs walked ahead with Wendy to speak to her. "Why us Wendy? Why did the mountain choose us?"
Wendy shook her head. "I don't know Nibs. I honestly don't know. I came because I had to. This is the last place I want to be, but I had to."
"Me too," he said. "I don't want to be here either. I just want Tinkerbell to come back and have everything the same as it was. Can't we do that?"
"I hope so Nibs." Wendy sighed.
An hour of walking downward led them to a small clearing surrounded by yellowing birch trees. The sun was filtering through them, and the breeze had picked up making the coined leaves shimmer like undulating copper. The change of weather was in the air, and it felt altogether wrong.
"It's here," said Wendy. "It's somewhere around here." She turned her head this way and that, but didn't seem to see anything. Nibs looked at her knowingly, and pointed to two birch trees that were still green and flourishing.
"There," he said. "It's there."
Wendy nodded her head. "That's what I saw." In between the two trees was the mouth of a small cave, the entrance just high enough for the tallest person in the party to crouch to go through.
"I don't see anything Wendy," said Peter worried. There was nothing where they pointed.
"Peter, it's as plain as day!" she exclaimed. "Take my hand." She held it out. Peter looked at her tentatively. Everything in him wanted to turn and walk away. It was a strange feeling, like he had to fight his body to will it to walk forward.
"Wendy," said John. "Peter's right, there's nothing there, just the rock face."
Wendy looked at Nibs and they shared a moment of confusion. "Don't you see it?" he asked the other lost boys.
"See what?" asked Slightly. His eyes had grown hazy, and he awakened to Nibs' voice as if he'd been asleep. In fact, all of the boys were rubbing their eyes, and smacking their mouths, as if they'd just woken up.
"Where are we?" asked one of the twins.
"Yeah, where are we?" asked the other.
"Peter, why are we on Never Peak?" Curly turned towards his leader.
Peter looked around blinking. He found he didn't know. He was just thinking about it, wasn't he? Wait, what was he thinking about? "Wendy, what's going on?"
Wendy and Nibs looked around confused. Wendy looked again at the cave entrance thinking maybe she'd made a mistake. Maybe there was nothing there. But no, there was the crack in the rock, clear as day, and it seemed to be calling to her. She turned to Nibs. "What shall we do?" she asked him.
"We need to take them inside," he said.
"Take my hand," said Wendy again, turning to Peter. "Come with me."
Peter looked at her still blinking. He didn't know what was going on, and he didn't trust where she wanted him to go. But he trusted her.
He took her hand like a child and allowed her to lead him to the wall of rock stretching high up to the mountain. Something extraordinary happened. They walked right through what he perceived to be solid stone into darkness dripping with magic and moisture. He shook his head, as all of his memories of the past few days were restored to him.
"What just happened?" he asked, talking a hold of Wendy's shoulders to steady himself.
"I don't know," said Wendy. "It's like the entrance still didn't want to be found."
Peter smiled at her. "What would I do without you Wendy Darling," he said. He drew her closer to softly kiss her.
"I love you Peter Pan," she whispered. Just then, the rest of their party joined them, all holding hands in a line led by a smiling Nibs.
"See, I told you!" he said triumphantly. They all blinked their eyes, adjusting to the dimness of the cave. The weight of magic pressed on them from all sides.
Michael held onto John's hand on his right, and Tiger Lily's on his left. She felt his little hand squeeze hers, and she bent down to attend to him. "It will be alright, little one," she said running her finger down his cheek. "I will not let anything happen to you.".
He smiled and pulled on John and Tiger Lily's hands.
Peter looked into Wendy's eyes, searching for reservation from her. Any hint of it, and he would abandon their scheme. She squeezed his hand and they started walking.
The cave was not a normal cave. John glanced around as they marched through the tunnel. The ground was smoother than he would have guessed it would be from the years of dripping water, and instead of getting darker, it was getting lighter. The walls seemed to be glowing with unearthly lights. Pinks and greens and blues were growing brighter and brighter the deeper they walked.
A noise behind them like a click sounded, and Tiger Lily's head snapped back, listening. There was a drip, and it echoed through the cave.
"It's just the water," said John. Tiger Lily was unconvinced, but she kept walking.
Wendy held onto Peter's arm to steady herself. Her nerves were coming undone the farther they walked into the cave. She could feel the magic of the place thick and sweet. It reminded her of when she tried to make toffee in her house in London, and it burnt, filling the whole house, choking her with smoky, sugary sweetness. She made an effort to breathe deeply, concentrating on that alone.
The path curved, the light growing brighter and brighter. As they walked, they began to notice foliage sticking out of the ground against the walls of rock. They wondered at this phenomenon. Ferns here and there were scattered around, and then there were large bushes, green trees, lush and growing. There was a buzzing in the air, and bells were chiming and tinkling. They rounded a corner and gasped.