A/N: A stupid amount of revisions, a lot of editing, and a crazy real life workload are the soul reasons this chapter took so long. I hope it was worth the wait. As always, thank you to my lovely reviewers CaptainHooksGirl, Miss Savvy, Tarah Draconiger (x2!) and KittyHawk09 for your words of loveliness Also thank you to those who continue to favourite and follow this story even during times of inactivity. You are all an inspiration. Now... get reading!

Chapter 12

The words seemed to echo around Wendy's mind, each syllable scorching deep holes into her heart. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes as she tried to comprehend what Peter had just told her. It couldn't be true, and yet, when she turned her head to cast her gaze down upon Hook's body, there was no sign of movement.

Pushing Peter away, Wendy let out a scream.

"No! Please."

She took a step towards Hook's body, intending to run over and check his pulse; see if there was any way to save him, but the touch of a sword at her chest stopped her in her tracks. Peter was stood before her, his face unreadable, somewhere between determination, anger and confusion. He stepped forward, giving Wendy no choice but to retreat back into the shadows of the archway, stumbling backwards across the ledge she had only just crossed.

Peter smirked. "I gave you fair warning lady, but now you must die too."

Wendy stiffened, part of her wanting to beg Peter to remember who she was, but another knowing that there was no chance of him ever doing such a thing. She was an adult now; therefore she was an enemy of Peter's. She took another step back, unsuspectingly unaware of how precariously close she was to the edge of the ledge. Peter, on the other hand, could see the danger as clear as day.

He lunged.

Wendy stepped back once more, finding no stone but only air beneath her feet. With no time to regain her balance or even call out in shock, she slipped and fell, hurtling down towards the cold dank water below, Peter merely watching as a deathly scream forced its way out of her lungs.

She landed with a loud splash, the impact sending water in all directions. The boys, who had been listening to the events, left their hiding placing momentarily, John and Michael gazing down with particular concern at the place where Wendy had disappeared but before they could move any further Peter had turned around to them, ordering them to remain in their hiding places.

For a moment, a deathly silence filled the ruins, all eyes focused on the place where Wendy had disappeared. Suddenly, Wendy broke the water's surface with a strained gasp, her lungs reaching out for any morsel of air she could find. The height and speed of which she had hit the water was almost enough to knock her out cold, but thankfully the fall had merely stunned her, for otherwise she most certainly would have drowned. Believing herself to be alone she began to struggle her way over to the rock, unsuccessfully attempting to brush away her sodden hair as it clung to her face. She slipped under the water a further two times before she reached her destination, having never been either a confident swimmer or in possession of the ability to remain calm in dangerous situation, especially those that were life-threatening. Eventually, however, Wendy felt her hand scrape against stone and it was with a well-earned sigh of relief that she began to clamber up onto the rock that Hook, many years previous, had left her brothers and Tiger Lilly to die upon.

Using one of the long sacrificed skeletons to aid her, Wendy pushed upwards out of the water, her other hand reaching out to stop her from slipping back in. However, it was not stone that met Wendy's grip, but skin. Looking up slowly and with a look of pure dread plastered across her face, Wendy's gaze caught Peter's. Tears began to fill her eyes as he looked down at her with nothing but contempt filling his features. His gaze was so overpowering that Wendy daren't even move in case it prompted him to attack.

There is a phrase not so commonly used in the fantastical world of Neverland but rather popular among the inhabitants of London and their friends and enemies in the other developing countries. It goes something along the lines of: 'my life flashed before my eyes' and is a phrase Wendy came to use quite often when describing this particular moment of her return to Neverland. Her words could not be further from the truth however, as, although Peter certainly looked ready to kill, no stream of images coursed through Wendy's mind at the acknowledgement of her extremely limited time left in this existence. Instead, her eyes, wide and panicked, caught those of the boy towering over her. His blue irises glistened coldly in the limited light surrounding them and, for the smallest of moments, Wendy could have sworn she saw a red tint steadily gaining prominence within his eyes. Within a blink it was gone, and within another Peter had crouched down, bringing his face as close to Wendy's as possible.

"You have outstayed your welcome lady. Goodbye"

With that he rose once more, withdrawing his sword and tracing it along Wendy's neck. She trembled, her teeth chattering in the process, although whether this was down to fear or being soaked to the bone was impossible to decipher. Looking past Peter, Wendy could have sworn she saw movement further back in the castle's ruins, however she was given little time to dwell on it as Peter suddenly raised his sword, preparing to strike.

"PETER!"

The scream was shrill, shriller than Wendy had ever screamed before. As it echoed across Neverland, filtering into the ears of the pirates, the Indians and the fairies, each one was able to pick a different characteristic from the plea: its hope, its strength, its love. To any who were fortunate enough to be gazing into the sky at that particular time, they would have also noticed the ripple of energy exerting from the Black Castle, encasing the land in one swift movement that brought with it peace and a sense of clarity. Something big had just occurred.

Back at the castle the weapon stopped, mere inches from Wendy's chest, its owner staring dumbfoundly at the girl before him, her eyes squeezed tight and a single tear rolling down her cheek. Inside his mind, something strange was happening; memories were appearing out of mid-air, building an intricate web within his mind, connecting all the loose ends. Peter studied the frozen girl before him, the waters lapping at her body, her thick hair matted and dripping, yet still framing her face, the face that he had long forgotten but never truly left behind. It had always been there, somewhere, hidden in the back of his mind. Shakily, he turned himself away from the figure before him, glancing up into the darkness where the Lost Boys where hiding. A few of them were peeking out from their hiding places, looking down upon the scene before them in expressions that ranged all the way from excitement to horror. One boy, however, had removed himself from the shade entirely and was standing square on, his eyes fixated on Peter, the beginnings of a smile decorating the corners of his mouth. Nibs had always had the uncanny ability to realise the truth before Peter himself had; it was the reason why Peter had been so close to the boy, and why he had remembered him first.

With a sigh, Peter turned back to Wendy, a gasp catching in his throat as he saw her eyes were now open, those bright blue orbs staring up at him. In that instant, the world seemed to freeze around them, time and space coming to a complete standstill as their eyes locked. It was only as the water began to rise further up Wendy's torso, almost reaching her chest, that she broke free of her stupor, a strangled cry escaping her throat.

"Please, Peter. Help me."

A single tear formed at the corner of the boy's eye, but it was gone in a blink. His voice softened.

"Wendy… You're grown up."

A ripple of excitement flooded Wendy's chest. He remembered! And yet his tone was enough to dissipate Wendy's excitement the moment it appeared. She lowered her head, using all her strength as to not slip back into the freezing water.

"I had no other choice Peter."

Peter crouched, his sword forgotten as he surveyed the girl before him, wanting , but unable, to reach out and touch her, longing to see if her hair and skin felt just how he remembered it to be.

"You could have stayed with me forever, Wendy. We could have had adventures every day for the rest of our lives!"

"No, Peter. My adventure was to grow up, I'm sorry."

"Why are you here, Wendy? Why are you with Hook?"

"I…"

This time Wendy's life did flash before her eyes, or at least the previous set of days did: her awaking on board the Jolly Roger; her realisation of Hook being alive; her initial hatred and then growing acceptance of him; his protection over her. A lot had happened, and yet she still didn't know why she had been brought to Neverland. Or perhaps she did, and perhaps she wanted to embrace it.

Peter wouldn't have approved of that though, especially now.

"I don't know Peter. He kidnapped me, I had no choice."

Peter's expression softened slightly and after a moment's hesitation he reached forward to take her wrist, his face brushing up against hers as he leant down to whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry Wendy."

Before she was even able to fully comprehend Peter's words, the metal cuff had clasped around Wendy's wrist, pinching her skin as the sound of metal locking in place echoed around the ruins. As the realisation of Peter's actions struck her, no sound escaped Wendy's lips, the desperation in her eyes being the only way she could plead with him as a lump rose in her throat that almost left her gasping for air. He averted his gaze, stumbling slightly as he stood, confusion filling his features. Glancing down at the trembling girl before him, silently struggling to remain in position on the slippery rock, Peter sighed. He didn't know whether he had made the right decision, but there was nothing else he could do: he had allowed his confusion, his fear, to take over.

With a flash, he was gone, the Lost Boys following him in silence, the newer members of the gang 'aiding' John and Michael with their exit. As silence once again settled, the only noise the gentle lapping of the waves as they steadily rose up her body, Wendy let out a shuddering sob. Confusion and fear wracked her brain, yet, somewhere in the deepest recesses of her heart, she was at peace. Hook was gone, and now it was her turn to go too. A thought pushed itself into Wendy's mind, one which made her suddenly grin from ear to ear.

She wouldn't go down without a fight.

With all the strength that remained inside her, Wendy pushed herself upwards, her nails scraping against the wet rock, its sharp edges digging into her side as she attempted to pull herself to safety. She slipped slightly, only stopping herself from falling into the water at the last moment, her fingers clasping onto a slight groove in the rock's surface. She froze, taking a moment to catch her breath before her fight for survival began once more.

In the silence, a couple of loose rocks splashed innocently into the water from above, causing Wendy to shift her gaze upwards, seeking their source. As she squinted into the darkness a flash of light caught the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to survey it. A slight grunt echoed through the ruins accompanied by the sharp sound of metal clanging against stone. Wendy raised an eyebrow. Surely not?

Suddenly, out of the darkness lurched a figure, pale but very much alive, his breathing heavy and blood staining his clothes. But there he was, looking down at her from the archway at the top of the ruins. Hook was alive.

As Wendy's eyes focused, Hook's gaze locked onto hers, his forget-me-not blue eyes staring down in a mixture of worry and hatred, although it was clear the latter emotion had little to do with her. Wendy felt her body go numb, her mind racing as it tried to piece together the impossible puzzle. Why did she suddenly feel so complete? Like a rush of warmth had encircled her, pushing away the waters that were slowly creeping up her shoulders, encasing her in a beautiful bright glow. The twenty metre gap between the two of them seemed to shrink into nothingness as Wendy smiled, Hook's expression quickly altering to match hers. Forgetting her situation for the smallest of moments, Wendy relaxed, her grip loosening as she lost herself in the Captain's gaze.

And that was when the moment of beauty was torn away from them.

Hook saw the danger first but it was all he could do just to stand there and watch as Wendy's eyes widened in panic at the sudden realisation of her actions. She gasped, reaching out, but it was too late, and with a sickening scraping sound Wendy slid off the rock and disappeared from Hook's sight, her chained wrist, which was flailing dramatically, the only thing illuminating to what was going on. As fast as his injuries would allow him, Hook clambered down over the ruins, the sound of Wendy's drowning droning into his ears, its volume increasing with every step he took towards her. He made it to her in very little time, although for the both of them it must have appeared to take forever. Kneeling down and wrapping his hook in the chain that was limiting her self-escape, the Captain reached down, his free arm wrapping around Wendy's torso as he heaved her choking body out of the water. With a grunt he ripped through the chain that bound her, leaving only the metal cuff which encased her wrist and allowing her the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck as she trembled in his arms. He slowly lowered her down onto the rock, his hand caressing her shoulder in an attempt to calm her breathing. As she relaxed, he brushed the damp locks out of her face, stroking her cheek, his fingers lingering on her lips. Their gazes locked once more, but this time there was no danger separating them, and so Hook lowered his face towards Wendy's, his eyes closing as their lips connected, warmth coursing through both their veins at each other's touch. Wrapping his hand around the back of Wendy's head, Hook sighed into the kiss, wanting nothing more than to remain in their position for ever more.

"Captain…"

Hook lifted his face from Wendy's, his lips still tingling from their moment of intimacy.

"James. Call me James, Wendy."

Wendy blushed, scarlet filling her cheeks as the handsome pirate captain smiled, his body still leaning over hers in a protective stance.

"…James. You were, I mean, Peter said that you were dead."

"Children lie; Pan is no exception. Did he hurt you Wendy? Was he the one who did this to you?"

James gestured to the cuff which, in Wendy's struggles to stop from drowning, had dug rather badly into her wrist, the dark bruises already starting to form. Wendy gasped, using what was left of her strength to pull herself into a seating position, Hook's arm wrapping around her in order to stop her from falling once more.

"I… I don't know James. It was all such a rush. I'm sorry."

They both knew that Wendy was lying, for who else could have done such a thing, but in that moment, neither seemed to care. Instead of questioning her further, James pulled the sodden Wendy into his warm chest, stroking her hair as she relaxed into his embrace, her hands finding their way under his jacket as they entwined themselves around the Captain's waist. Hook closed his eyes once more, breathing in Wendy's scent.

"Don't be sorry. You have nothing to apologise for, my dear. Just know that from now on, I will always be there to protect you. Pirate's honour."

The softest of giggles escaped Wendy's lips as she buried her head even further into James' warm chest.

"I did not realise pirates were so honorable."

James grinned at her response, chuckling softly to himself at her wit, however Wendy had once more spoken before he was able to execute an appropriately teasing retort.

"But what about Peter?"

James frowned, "What of him?"

"He remembered."

A short silence followed, during which only the gentle breaths emitted by Wendy as she cradled herself against James could be deciphered. The Captain thought for a moment, turning his head to look out beyond the castle's portcullis, surveying the starry sky that was draped like a blanket over Neverland.

"Then I'm afraid, Wendy, the fight has only just begun. Very shortly Pan will have to choose his destiny, and Neverland will have to decide who will survive the battle. The end, my dear, is nigh."