The Lost Boys huddled together in clumps, eyes directed at the hard ground rather than at each other. They knew they would just see their own unease reflected back at them and so they focused on their own thoughts and tried to breathe. Since the abduction the air in Neverland had become thin, as if even the island was holding its breath. Or maybe he was trying to suffocate them slowly, either could be likely. Once they had been at the mercy of Peter's uncontrolled emotions, withstanding the torrential downpours and frequent storms but every single boy wished for that misery back if it meant the end of the slow torture they were enduring. There was hardly any food, the vegetation and wildlife sparse. Any that were lucky enough to get a bird or pig in their sights were disgruntled and unnerved to find them simply vanishing as if they had never been. Whatever dark corner of the island Peter was hiding in he was still playing cruel games, making them suffer as he was. Even the seas had frozen, so the plentiful fish and crab were uncatchable. It was freezing and that was unprecedented.

Before Peter had been unable to control his pain but now it was directed inwards, a stubborn will to keep it contained, to keep in control but the act was suffocating the island, making it truly stagnant and that was what he wanted. Nothing started until she was back because only then would the icy, slow beat of his heart start again. Slumped in the shadows of the tree house Peter stared at his heart and for the first time in many years it truly hit him that he was dying. He felt weak and his bones ached with the years on them and in his hand his heart beat feebly, black and pitiful. When he thought of Wendy small cracks of light shone through and bathed his sickly face, illuminating the dark sockets of his green eyes.

Punishing Jefferson, using all the magic he could channel to keep the Realm Room connected to Neverland had sapped him of strength he had taken for granted. He had been sick in London once but this was different, the act had meant sacrificing the magic keeping him and Neverland alive and now he could hardly move. He lifted his head as the large dog on the bed snorted in her sleep and he gave a weak smirk. Nana was the only thing on the island or in the seas content, she was warm and well feed and after the initial fight for dominance Peter had relented. Rather than bite him she had laid her large head down on his lap for a moment, her eyes strangely pitiful, before moving to lie on the bed. People said that dogs could sense if people were sick or dying and Peter suspected that was behind her change of behaviour. Since then the two had remained in the room waiting for their loved ones to return with unwavering patience.

As he returned his blackened heart back the room started to tremble and with a whooshing noise a portal opened up above him, batching him in an eldritch green light. Wendy fell to the ground, landing on her knees and rolling forward, just as he had taught her once. He watched her from his position on the floor, his back against the wall and said nothing as she stood and fixed her eyes on him. Her expression shifted like a kaleidoscope, too fast and too many for him to decipher, but the relief and love shone bright, cutting through the gloom of the room. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him and the scent and the feel of her soft hair against his face snapped him out of the daze he had been sunk in.

"Peter!" she cried and pulled back, her hands cupping his face and she stared at him with a large, watery grin that slowly started to fade as she took in the sight of his pale face. Peter lifted his hands and cupped her face and pulled her to him until their foreheads touched. He stared hard into her eyes and he could see the rising worry and panic in them.

"You're alive," he breathed, exhaling finally and Neverland shuddered around them in relief. Her fingers were bruising but he could not exhort such strength, even as he wanted to crush her to him ad never let go. Wendy relaxed her grip and brushed his hair back, gaze deeply worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, just over exerted myself…" he managed a smirk before he gazed at her with a stark, raw expression, seemingly unaware that he had other company. "I couldn't see you in dreams, I couldn't get to you at all. You were gone for so long…"

Wendy shook her head in confusion while her brothers shifted behind them, sharing a knowing look. They watched as the couple on the floor ran their hands over each other, as if to make sure they were both real. As she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his the brothers and Felix looked away. The kisses were feather light at first and darting, as if she did not want to damage him further but as she rained them over his face he wanted to grab her and kiss her furiously, pour everything he had been feeling into it, wreck her sweetly but he could not. He brushed his fingers down her arm and looked at the area that had been poisoned so long ago and saw that her skin was now unblemished. He looked back up with a frown.

"It's gone?"

Wendy's lips thinned slightly at the question before she answered. "I – I'll tell you everything later," she whispered, averting her gaze and his frown deepened but he pushed the confusion away. Wendy was alive and she was back, for now that was what mattered. She got on her feet and seeing that he struggled to get to his own she wrapped an arm around his waist as he leaned against the wall for support. Arms around each other they turned to the other people in the room.

Since Wendy had appeared Peter only had eyes for her and anything else that was not her might as well not exist for all he cared but as he settled his eyes on the Darling brothers something in him snapped. They had been plotting against him for years but he never really considered them a serious threat. He had taught Wendy to fight as a precaution but he had not known they were so well connected or that they would dare breech into his own realm and take the one thing he valued most. He had a long time to think over what had happened and he could concede that he had underestimated them, believing himself to be untouchable. That was a flaw and now he was paying dearly for it. He could admit his mistake but that did not mean he would let them get off lightly, whether they're her brothers or not. Wendy was his and no one took her from him. He stared at the smaller one, noting the cut on his forehead and smirked before lowering his head down and gazing at each in turn like a ravenous wolf would before sheep.

"I'd say it's nice to see you both again but I'd be lying. You're both very brave to confront me after what you've done, I'll give you that but even brave people can be stupid," his voice was low and silky smooth with menace. Next to him Wendy stiffened, her hands tightening around his arm.

"Peter," she began in a low warning voice but he overrode her.

"No, I won't forgive this and the only reason they still breathe is because they're your brothers," he growled out and staggered a little when Wendy left his side and moved in front of him. The loss of her beside him was painful but her expression was doubly so.

"If you dare hurt them I will leave and that's final," she threatened and with a sinking feeling he could see she meant it.

"They almost killed you. You would have died because of their stupidity."

"It was a mistake! They thought I needed saving but we both know I did not, not from you," she answered plaintively and gripped his hands in hers. "I'm well now Peter. I – I'm cured because of them and that – that would not have happened if they had not taken me."

Peter narrowed his eyes, flicking them from her to the men standing at her back. For some reason they could not meet his eyes and even Wendy could only stare at him for more than a few seconds. Guilt hung around them like a cloud and even more peculiar was that it practically rolled off Felix in waves. His second in command had barely met his eyes since returning.

"What's going on? Felix?" he demanded. Even weak his tone was effortlessly commending and Felix wavered, eyes moving up to his. He had known Felix for many years and had never seen such behaviour from him. It bordered on cowardice and Peter felt like shivering in disgust. What had happened?

"Peter I don't know - I don't where to start," Felix began haltingly but Wendy lifted a hand for silence.

"No, I will tell him."

"It's not just yours to tell," he snapped and Peter shifted on his feet, prickling at Felix's tone.

"He is right Wendy, we all take some part in this, a share of blame," Michael said and John nodded stiffly, his mouth downturned in a harsh expression. "If we had not set this plan into motion none of this would have happened...We were just trying to put things to rights but we made it happen. We made it happen," he repeated in disgust, turning to Peter beseechingly. It was not often that Peter experienced confusion but now he was truly bewildered. He hated it.

"Someone better start making sense soon because I have no patience today," he meant it, he was itching to inflict damage. But his latent violence faded as Wendy captured his gaze again. There were tears in her eyes.

"I'm the reason you're cursed Peter," she finally confessed and then closed her eyes as her accomplices moved forward, mouths open to correct her. "We all are," she added grudgingly and they stopped. Peter stared at her, not comprehending. He smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your heart Peter, you sacrificed it so I could live," she explained very quietly and pressed her fingers against his chest. He could feel it beating and it half scared him, half disgusted him how weak it now was. If he dared look at the hourglass he knew it would be pouring in a torrent. His heart had been black for as long as he could remember, since he had seen the organ with his own eyes and witnessed the corruption spreading. Magic comes with a price and he had always known that his heart was it but it did not matter because soon another heart would be his and it was untouched by darkness and brimming with power and strength. So to hear her confession was so nonsensical that he laughed.

"I was cursed long before I met you bird," he said with a smile and for some reason her face crumpled into a look of misery. She shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Peter but it was cursed because you met me," she whispered gutturally and in halting phrases and long pauses she told him what happened after she had been taken through the window. Peter listened quietly, his disbelieving smirk slowly transforming until he stared at her with a mask of passivity and it was an awful expression. Only once had Felix seen it before, just before Peter had pushed Slightly off a cliff for trying to kill Wendy. It was not something he ever wanted directed at him but he stood and took it resolutely until Peter's stone like eyes moved back to Wendy who was shaking, her voice croaky and hoarse with the telling. As her story faded Peter finally spoke and his words were weighted and careful.

"This makes no difference to me," he answered with no emotion and Wendy tilted her head sadly.

"Of course it does Peter. You must wish you had never met me. If you hadn't none of this would have happened."

"No, let me tell you something," he said with heat and stared deeply into her eyes. "The past is not something that can be controlled, not even by me. Events are stuck in the past and only the future is fluid. If you're smart you can navigate them, anticipate them and that is what I have been doing for centuries. None of this would have been possible if the past had been changed, do you understand? It's impossible and for that I'm glad," he said with a soft smile, cupping her wet cheek.

"How can you say that?"

"Because you're here, you were always meant to be here, do you get it? From the moment I saw you, when I saved you from the sea, I knew you were something special but I couldn't see then. You remember?" he asked and she managed a half smirk. He had been dismissive of her love, too scared to admit he felt the same because love makes you vulnerable. Now he was at mercy to it but having her by his side made him feel invincible.

"But your heart…" she whispered, rubbing his chest.

"Is replaceable," he answered flippantly and pain shone in her gaze. He gripped her face harder, eyes fierce. "If I sacrificed it for you than so be it, I have no regrets. It doesn't change anything Wendy. The boy will come and his heart will be mine. I won't be cursed."

"I wish that were true but we both know it's not. You will be cursed, the sisters said so and it will be even worse than the price you had to pay for saving me," she spoke forcefully, willing him to accept it but Peter shook his head.

"Once I have it I can wield a power you can't imagine. The island and more will be mine and no curse will touch me. Pay their words no mind, they can only see the future in bits and pieces like a jumbled puzzle. They get it wrong," he stressed and kissed her forehead, fingers threading through her hair. Under his lips he felt her head moving from side to side and he pulled back. She looked up at him miserably.

"Say you're right, say you can hold back whatever this curse is but there's one thing you're forgetting. You might claim a heart able to love but it won't be yours Peter. Do you understand? You won't love me because it won't be your heart."

In the centre of his withered and dark heart he felt a flare of pain, a ghost of the loss that he could experience if he goes through with it. Magic comes with a price, he knew that but he had not considered what it could be. He loved her with everything he had and while that was dark and twisted it was felt deeply, it consumed him as much as he desired and coveted the island and the power it granted him. Could he really chose between them?

Unable to face the horrible choice he directed his attention back to the other people in the room and Wendy slumped a little. John and Michael stood arm to arm, backs straight but their eyes were downcast. He would not fault Wendy for the part she had played, it had been his decision to take the heart and curse himself but he could not let their interference go unquestioned. He stared at Wendy for a moment, considering and then sighed.

"For your sister's sake I won't harm you but I cannot let this pass," he said softly and the brothers nodded even as Wendy turned on him. "You're honourable men, I can see the guilt clear on your faces for what you've done. In time you'll learn to let such feelings go but you're young," Peter said haughtily and Michael lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Peter what are you doing?" Wendy asked nervously as he motioned for Felix to come forward.

"Oh, something quite clever," he said, feeling more like his old self. The dark clouds that blotted out the sky started to drift apart slowly. "The flask," he said to Felix and after a pause the tall boy handed it over before moving to his side. The three Neverlanders stared at the brothers with very different expressions. Wendy stared nervously but was on edge, ready to attack if any hint of harm came to her brothers. Felix gazed calmly but there was a palpable sense of relief about him, a burden lifted. Finally the ruler of Neverland smiled with wicked glee.

"Long ago, before I had even stepped foot on the land, before I created it, the only thing that existed here was a fountain…and possibly a phoenix," he added after some thought. "It was the fountain of youth but it was impossible to get to it, no one could…until me," he said and the words seemed to give him power, his face reclaiming more colour and his eyes shone with vitality. "You drink the water and you are granted eternal youth but at a price. You live and watch everyone you love die, friends and family until all that's left is you..."

"What does that have to do with anything?" John asked, looking confused but Michael stared at the flask in Peter's hand with wary curiosity.

"Well I need help with something soon and you're both in your prime and I want it to stay that way. I need more of a presence on Earth, I need people to keep tabs on certain people and places and I can't think of anyone better for the job," he grinned as the brothers considered his words, staring at the tempting flask with ill-disguised longing.

"We would never age?" John asked, never taking his eyes off the flask.

"As long as you drink the water regularly. Once the job is complete, once your debt is paid, you are free to live as you wish," he answered softly and Wendy rounded on him, appalled.

"There is no debt! You promised me once that you would not drag my brothers into this life!" she yelled at him and he opened his mouth to argue, his eyes flashing with a hint of guilt but Michael interrupted.

"I will drink. Not because I owe you a debt, I care nothing for you…but because I knew that my meddling would come with a price and I will not baulk at paying it. We won't leave you again Wendy and maybe, just maybe we will be able to start again," he said and stared at John significantly before turning his attention back to Peter. "Just promise me one thing?"

"What's your price?" Peter asked while Wendy threw her hands up in disgust.

"Once the job is done you will let Wendy go," Michael said sternly and John nodded. Wendy's eyes flashed, now at the end of her tether.

"I'm not something that he can release, I'm not a bloody bird! No one owns me do you understand? If I chose to leave that will be my decision! I swear to god Peter if you pull them into your schemes I really will leave," she warned and his eyes flashed, his jaw clenching. He had just got her back and he was not going to let her out of his sight again. But he wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

"Wendy this is not your decision. If we had not done this our parents would still be alive. Our actions created ripples that we had no control over and I can't live with that," John admitted softly but Wendy shook her head violently.

"No! You had no idea what would happen! Don't listen to him! For all his words he's enraged at what we've done and he's doing this to punish you!" she fumed and pointed her finger at Peter who cocked an eyebrow in delight. Oh he loved the fire dancing in her eyes and suddenly he just wanted everyone gone. He wanted her to himself, he ached for her with a terrible fierceness.

"Punish them? All I'm asking them to do is to keep watch and report back. They won't be doing anything...dishonourable," he fished around for the word as Wendy stood her ground, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Peter jerked his head at Felix as he moved closer to Wendy.

"Take them home Felix, use the Shadow."

"No!" Wendy shouted, suddenly panicked and hugged her brothers. Peter sighed, head cocked to the side and stared at her steadily.

"I know you don't believe me but this is for the best. I will not make them drink, that is their choice but if they want to live as long as you, if they want to stay in contact with you, they know what the right choice is. Say goodbye, for now," he stressed and handed the flask to Michael. The brothers kissed and hugged their sister, promising that they would not be gone for long and after a teary farewell they left, following Felix.

Peter and Wendy were left alone in the room, but for Nana who still lay on the bed. She had slept through the whole thing. Peter came to Wendy and brushed his thumb along her cheek, wiping her tears away.

"I'm saving you from a pain because if they don't drink there will come a day, many years from now hopefully, where you'll be the only Darling left. I don't want that for you."

"But it's wrong Peter. You want them to help you with the boy, with Henry," she forced his name out of her mouth as Peter tilted his head with a small frown.

"Wendy you've known for years what I've been planning and you've been going along with it. If you can why can't they?"

"I haven't been going along with it Peter, I've been ignoring it," she confessed tiredly and ran her fingers through her hair, clutching her head. She eyed him with a heavy searching gaze, one that he usually reserved for her. Finally she lowered her hand and sighed. "I made myself forget them, the pain of not seeing them everyday, of missing them grow into men and there is a part of me that just wants to keep them here. I don't want to lose them again."

"You won't and now that you're cured you can leave with me, we can visit them. I told you once that we don't have to be stuck here and now we won't be," Peter said happily, gripping her face again. He smiled and exhaled. "I was worried about you."

"I'm okay…I just can't believe this has happened. You said this was meant to happen, that being cursed was fate but there must be a part of you that blames me. I left you, I slept with you and I left without saying goodbye. You must have hated me, you must have been so hurt...I think that's why you're doing this to my brothers, deep down you know I'm the root of this," she whispered bitterly and he cocked his head. He only had a faint impression of his early years in Neverland, echoes and whispers that only existed in dreams. Was she there? Had she been haunting him in his sleep for years without him knowing it? He had felt resentment once, that was a bitter wound that had stayed with him for years but he had no resentment for her. Strange for someone labeled incapable of love he found it impossible to hate Wendy. He could never.

"Why would you say goodbye? You were coming right back to me. You're free to leave, like you said you're no bird in a cage…but I know you won't," he added assuredly and Wendy's mouth thinned at his arrogance.

"Don't underestimate me Peter, not ever. I love you and I hate what I have done, even if it was unintentional, but do not think that excuses this. They're my brothers."

"Yes, grown men who can make their own choices. I meant it when I said they won't be doing anything wrong, it's practically officious business…but I won't lie to you, I want to reprimand them. They took you from me, sneaked in under my nose. I don't care who they are no one does that and gets away with it. They're lucky, they got off light compared to…someone else," he offered cagily as Wendy slowly pulled out of his embrace but he gripped her to him convulsively.

"You're so wicked but what can I do? This is the price you paid for saving me," she motioned at his chest sadly but he had heard enough about the price of his heart. He did not care, he only cared that she was back and in his arms again. He pulled her to him and captured her lips forcefully, hands ringed around her upper arms. She was stiff and unresponsive at first, filled with too much denial and hurt but soon she twined her arms around his neck with a moan and he wrapped his arms around her body and picked her up off the floor. All the tension and guilt both had felt burned away under the strange angry lust that ignited and soon they stood pressed nude together, kissing frantically. They fell on the bed and Nana was rudely awoken. She jumped down and left with an air that could almost be called prim.

Outside the frost that covered the leaves of the great oak began to thaw as the sun pierced through the clouds and in the distance the cracking of great ice plates covering the seas boomed through the island. The heat of the jungle rose until all sweltered, the island ignited by the passion of its creator and his consort.

a.n:

Okay so maybe one more chapter before I go on a break. Thanks for reading, I'm super grateful to everyone! :D