25/4/2004

Title: Necromancer
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter One: The End and a Beginning

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Authors Note: This is a ghost story, of sorts - I read an article that put forward the theory that Peter Pan was actually not alive at all, but a ghost of JM Barrie's dead brother, so tragically taken at a young age. The idea obviously intrigued my muse because she threw this at me while I was in the shower last night, then made me sit down and put digits to keyboard and get it all down. Needless to say I had a very late night. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The house in Bloomsbury, with its ornate, stained glass windows and its neatly swept steps was unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon. There was none of the running and pattering of youthful feet, nor the cries and shouts of energetic boys about their playful business. The curtains were drawn and the lamps lit despite the hour being still early and the sun still bright. The occupants moved slowly about the house with exaggerated care, their eyes downcast, their mouth's turned down. Once in a while a glance would be met, but the welling of tears quickly broke the connection and the eyes once more turned to stare blindly down at the carpet.

A figure garbed in black descended the stairs with a heavy tread, his lined face drawn and tired. His worn hands held a small, rounded bag, his initials stamped in scratched gold against the side. As he reached the bottom step he released a sigh, his eyes glancing up to meet those staring out of the parlour at him. He had no words to comfort them, only a shake of his head before resuming his course to the front door and the world beyond.

The house seemed to sigh with him as he left, the door clicking shut with a finality that seemed to shake the occupants, their minds trying to comprehend the magnitude of the sorrow to come.

In a pretty bedroom upstairs the recipient of all this parlous grief lay thin and pale against her pillows, her once bright hair, her crowning glory, limp and dull where is lay, spread in a halo around her head. Her face was turned to the window, her once rosy lips curved into a sweet smile, her ocean blue eyes unfocused as if the owner had stepped out of the room and would return soon.

She sighed, her chest rising only slightly to accomplish the feat, her wasted body barely managing to disturb the covers, so slight the breath needed to fill her lungs.

Faintly she could hear people moving about the house. She wished they wouldn't be so quiet, she was tired of being quiet, she wanted noise to fill the room, to fill the long minutes between breaths, to give her something other than her heartbeat to listen to. But she wished in vain, her family too shocked at the appalling speed of events to think straight or ask the dying what they really wanted, really wished for before they died.

For she knew she was dying. It was there in the eyes of the Doctor who tried to smile and pretend it wasn't so. It was there in the eyes of her mother who bravely smiled and pretended there was hope. But she knew, she knew it was all pretend.

To her way of thinking, she was one of the lucky ones. She at least was to be allowed to die in her own bed, in her own home. Others that had been afflicted by this latest influenza outbreak had been shipped to the local hospital and put into isolations wards, in a hopeless attempt to stem the epidemic. It had proved useless. She had caught it from a school friend, had quickly succumbed and now lay, mere hours, maybe minutes from the end of her life.

It was a shame she would never get to have her eighteenth birthday after all. She had been looking forward to it, had planned her gown, had written out the invitations in her careful hand, the small pile even now sitting in her desk drawer, never now to be posted. The dress she and her mother had so carefully created hung inside her wardrobe, the dress too big for her now, its beautiful lace never made into the fichu for the neckline, instead that too languished, unwrapped, a forgotten bundle under the bed.

Closing her eyes, she daydreamed that she was whirling around the flagstone courtyard outside the dining room, the old tree hung with gaily flickering lanterns, her partner whispering sweet compliments quite improperly in her ear about her beautiful eyes and elegant gown. As the dream progressed the music for their dance seemed to well up and surround them, her partner twirling her in his arms, her hand warm in his, her eyes almost closed as she relaxed into his arms. She could almost feel the hard steel of his muscles as he pulled her in closer, the music swelling and becoming louder, the dance faster until she was breathless, her heart pounding.

Feeling giddy, she opened her eyes, blinking up at the ceiling of her room, the images still so vivid in her mind. The sun outside her room had gone, replaced with the chill darkness of the evening, her window shut but the curtains left open. She had insisted on that small detail, hating not to see the sky, even if it was just stars. Someone had come in and seen to the lamps, their soft glow bathing her in imagined warmth, her skin a pale gold in their forgiving light.

As she lay there she became aware of a figure standing in the shadows of the corner by the window. She tried to lift her head to see who it was, but even that small effort was beyond her, her head barely able to turn to the side.

"Who is there....please come forward to where I can see you?" Her softly spoken words, so quiet the listener had to strain to hear them, reached out to the figure, drawing him inexorably to the bed and its occupant.

As he slowly padded across the thick carpet, his eyes caught and held hers, their colour still a mixture of green and blue, as changeable as the ocean and as clear as the sky.

"I've come to take you with me to Neverland.....are you ready?"

Wendy Darling stared up at the golden haired angel standing beside her bed and smiled, her eyes twinkling up at him, disbelief and resignation fighting for dominance, both losing to the feeling of relief that swept over her.

"I have wished that I could see you one last time....hoped and prayed that I wouldn't die before looking upon you again. Now that you are here...I don't believe my eyes.....I think I must still be asleep, dreaming that you are here.....or maybe I am already dead and you are my angel come to guide me to heaven."

Peter Pan looked down at the girl in the bed, his eyes skimming over her well remembered features, disregarding the changes wrought by her illness, only seeing the girl he'd left behind so many years before. Rising into the air, he floated above her bed, just as he had when he'd visited her room all those years before. Wendy looked up into his face and marvelled that she could have such a vivid dream, that her imagination could supply such detail and such changes. For she remembered Peter Pan as a boy, a rascal and rogue who charmed and cajoled, who wheedled and won her heart with his courage and a butter-melting smile. The young man that impudently floated a scant few inches above her bed was no boy, his features more defined, older, his body certainly no longer that of a child, but of a grown man, the shoulders broad, the arms sleek and corded with muscle. Only his eyes remained the same, thickly lashed with a hint of mischief lurking in their depths.

"I'm not your angel Wendy....but I have come to take you away....it won't be long now...you'll be free of this world soon, free to come to mine....to stay there, forever if you want to."

"For a dream you are remarkably rude to mock someone when they are dying...for that is what I am doing here. If you had a crumb of decency you would not tease me so cruelly."

"I'm not teasing you Wendy.....I have come to take you with me...you only have to wish it and it's done."

"Only have to wish it......wouldn't that be a nice dream...to only have to say the words and everything would be as it once was....but no, I would not go back to being a girl...even if there was the faintest chance of doing so....you are impertinent to suggest it."

As she lay there frowning up at the youth hovering over her, she wondered anew how her dream could be so real when his mobile lips parted and formed a cheeky grin, his teeth gleaming whitely in the lamplight, a chuckle issuing forth, washing over her and making her skin prickle with awareness.

"You really don't believe I'm here....do you?"

"I believe that I am delirious, dying, and that I have wished so hard for this to happen that my mind has finally succumbed and given in to my demands...." She smiled wistfully, her eyes half closed, their brightness dimming as she retreated into herself.

"Give me your hand,"

Ignoring the apparition, Wendy turned her head to the side, closing her eyes completely. It made the shock of his touch that much greater. She could feel the roughness of his palm, the calluses from the sword handle, the dry rasp of his skin against her as he entwined his fingers through hers and tugged her limp hand up from the coverlet, lifting it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on her fingertips. Wendy's eyes flew open in surprise, not only at his being able to touch her, but at the press of his lips against her skin.

Peter still had her hand in his, his thumb stroking lazily against her palm.

"How can you do that.....you're not real, you're just a dream?"

"Get up Wendy......it's time to leave.....this world is finished for you....mine awaits......come with me!"

"I want to.....but I can't get up Peter...I'm too weak!"

"You're not weak Wendy.....you're strong.....you want to see Neverland again, don't you? The mermaids, the Indians, the Lost Boys?"

"The Lost Boys......but....they came back with me.....years ago."

"These are a whole new collection.....all excited to meet you."

"Meet me......but they don't know me."

"They know you from the stories I've told them.......so many stories of our adventures together......but they need new stories, new adventures......."

"I can't Peter......I'm too....." Wendy tugged her hand from his, covering her eyes as tears welled, her bottom lip trembling uncontrollably, her breath hitching as she fought back the lump lodged in her throat.

"You can Wendy......you just have to let go." Once more he took her hand, prising it from her face, tugging her upwards as he floated away from her. Blinking she let herself be pulled upright, Peter lowering his feet to the carpet, his arm outstretched, her fingers trapped in his. "Swing your legs out, don't worry, I won't let you fall.....get out of bed..."

Slowly she allowed herself to be coaxed and cajoled, Peter's eyes drawing her up, his hand holding hers so gently but insistently until she found herself on her feet, the tears that had swum on her lashes, spilling over and sliding down her face unnoticed. Now Peter reached down and took her other hand, pulling her towards him and the open window behind him, his face alight with laughter, his teeth flashing as he cast a glance over his shoulder before turning his head back to gather her bemused stare with a sparkling one of his own.

"You're nearly there Wendy....only a few more steps and you'll be free."

"I don't understand this Peter.......how can I be doing this....how can you be here?"

"Because you wish it Wendy........because this is what you've wanted to happen all this time......"

"Peter......." A whispering sound came from behind her, drawing her attention, one hand slipping from his as she turned to look back at her bed.

A pale girl lay against the pillows, her face calm and untroubled, her eyes closed, her hand hanging off the bed, limp and still. As Wendy stared in shock, the door of the bedroom opened and she saw her mother appear.

"She can't see you Wendy.......you have finally cut the strings of this world.....there is no reason to stay anymore..." Peter's voice washed over her, his lips close to her ear, his words making no sense. Rooted to the carpet, Wendy watched her mother approach the bed, her steps faltering as she neared the girl laying so still and quiet. She heard her mother call to the girl but the words were too soft for her to hear, her mother reaching out a hand to touch the girls face, drawing back sharply, then reaching again, this time to stroke the pale cheek with unbearable tenderness. Wendy watched as her mother gathered the girl to her breast, rocking the body in her arms, her face buried against the girls for a while before lifting her head, her face contorted in grief, her mouth open on a cry before lowering it and pulling the girl close again.

Too frightened to move, Wendy watched as the door flew open and her father entered the room, his eyes wild and staring, his movements jerky and uncoordinated as he stumbled across the room and fell to the floor by the bed, his face ghastly in its grief, his arms enfolding his wife and dead daughter, both parents engulfed in their unbearable pain of loss.

"It's time to go Wendy......come away with me.....to Neverland."

Like a sleepwalker, Wendy allowed Peter to pull her around and back towards the window, his arm firm around her shoulders, his fingers entwined with hers. As she stepped onto the sill, she glanced once more over her shoulder, her last view of the mortal world too bewildering to comprehend.

"Wendy...?"

She turned her head back to find Peter in front of her, his eyes gleaming darkly, his mouth for once not smiling but wistful and a little unsure.

"I'm ready Peter...take me with you..."

With a sweet smile and a quirk of his irrepressible eyebrow, he gathered her to him, her unresisting body pulled against his, her hand held as if in a dance, his arm around her waist, her hand rising to rest tentatively on his shoulder. Slowly they spiralled upwards, away from the window, out into the night, rising quickly above the smoke stacks and rooftops, their bodies invisible against the cloudless sky as they flew towards the brightest star in the heavens.

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Title: Necromancer
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Two - Return to the Beginning

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Wendy's return to Neverland was as exhilarating and terrifying as her one and only trip when she had been a child not quite thirteen. She gripped Peter's hand until her knuckles turned white, her body as tense as a bowstring, the planets and stars turned into streaks around her, plunging them into the heart of the Never-star in a shower of light. Just as suddenly they were flung into the void, the brightness turning to dark, the very air spangled with glittering stars, surrounding them endlessly, so she could tell neither up nor down until Peter let his hand drop and ripples of water proved one surface false, a mirror to the sky above. As they flew, light started to trickle through the clouds, the sun rising behind the tallest peak, the dawn rays sweeping down it's slopes like honey spilled from a jar, the island coming alive with the return of its reason for being.

Wendy felt the air rushing past her body, felt the warmth of the sun on her face, Peter's arm around her waist. All this she felt but still her mind struggled with the confusion clouding her perceptions. She had always thought that her trip to Neverland the first time had been as real as her life before and after. But if what had just happened, did just happen, then Peter and Neverland and everything in it was just a dream, what had happened to her as a child had been -just..a..dream, a fantasy woven from her hopes and desires, her unconscious regret at having to grow up. But if that was reality, what was this place they were flying over, and why was she the only one being brought here? Did she even want to be here if she was now dead, was this her afterlife? It was all too confusing and worrying and she fretted over the logic as Peter guided them to land on a wide sandy beach, nodding palm trees shading the foreshore, crystal clear waves lapping the shell strewn beach that felt gritty and warm between her toes. As soon as she found her balance Peter withdrew his support, taking several steps away from her, his arms folding across his chest, his face holding an expression that Wendy could only describe as resigned.

Looking down at herself, she noted that once more she was clothed in her nightdress, the hem brushing her ankles, her bare toes curling into the soft grains of sand.

"Oh.......drat it......!"

"Wendy?" Peter's inquiring voice broke through the tumult of her thoughts.

"I seemed to be doomed to spend my afterlife in a nightdress...I wish I could have been wearing my new ball gown, it was so much more elegant."

She raised her head, her eyebrows creased in a frown, only to find Peter's face wreathed in smiles, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

"I don't see what's so funny......you spend your days clothed in leaves and acorns, fine for flying about and fighting, but that's not remotely practical for me, and I never got to wear it...and stop laughing at me."

"I think its a beautiful dress......" Peter chortled, flicking his eyes over Wendy's attire, his eyebrow quirking as she fumed at him. "But hardly practical for here."

"What do you mean, it's only my old nightdress......." Wendy glanced down at herself, her arms going wide to indicate her plain cotton shift only to stall in their movement, her mouth forming an oh of astonishment as she beheld her new ball gown, the full skirts now hiding her sandy toes, the close fitting bodice emphasising her slim waist and flaring hips.

Peter took advantage of her stunned silence to circle around her, his eyes approving as he raked them over her bare shoulders and the swell of her bosom above the lace edging of the bodice. "Very beautiful..."

Wendy's head shot up and she stared at Peter, her eyes rounded in surprise. "But...but....but......" Peter stepped forward and used a finger to close her mouth, her teeth clicking together as he tilted her chin.

"You never listen to a word I say......typical of a girl!" Peter clucked his tongue, a roguish glint coming into his eye as Wendy's mouth took on a militant line, forgetting her previous questions and confusion in the face of Peter's flagrant male chauvinism.

"What do you mean typical? Just how many girls have you known Peter Pan.....and for that matter, brought to this island, I'd like to know?"

Still grinning, Peter rolled his eyes, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he canted his head to one side. "I mean, how like a girl to ask a bunch of silly questions that have no relevance or logic to them. How many girls I've known is neither here nor there." Peter voice suddenly dropped an octave, as he leant towards her, his eyes turning a deeper blue as they clashed with hers. "...there's only ever been......one Wendy."

"Oh Peter," feeling a foolish rush of warmth flood her cheeks, Wendy gave in, easily wooed by his careless charm and too emotionally worn out to fight over such a pointless argument. Ducking her head, she lifted her hands, plucking at the lace and ribbons on the bodice, suddenly shy to be wearing her treasured birthday dress which revealed far more of her than she had ever done before.

"There was going to be dancing, and music and so many friends......that won't happen now will it?"

Peter shook his head, his hands now hanging at his sides, his eyes still carrying a hint of amusement, but not mocking her as she twitched her skirts, swinging them to the side and lifting them above her ankles. Slowly, as if hearing her own music, Wendy started to sway as if dancing, her feet moving over the sand, her skirts swirling gently around her as she circled first to the left, then to the right. So caught up in her pretence, she forgot about Peter until he suddenly circled her waist with his arm, his hand finding hers, his feet following hers in the movements of the waltz.

"Why Peter....you can waltz!" Again logic intruded and she frowned up at him, "Why can you waltz?"

"You would be surprised, Wendy Darling, what I've learnt in the years since you last saw me.....haven't you noticed anything different about me?"

"Well.......yes.....but as this is not real, or atleast, I don't think it's real.....I assumed that you were the way you were because that's what I wanted....isn't it?"

Peter turned her in the movements of the dance, their bodies dipping and swaying, their feet keeping time with the music in their heads.

"Partly......I am the way I am because of you.....do you remember when you kissed me on the deck of the Jolly Roger?"

"Of course......but now I realise that was a dream too....so it didn't really happen either.....did it?"

"Oh yes.....it happened.....in all the time that this world has existed, there has never been such an event as that kiss, it changed more things than you can possibly imagine."

"Oh.......I'm sorry...."

Peter gave her a lopsided smile, his eyes quizzical.

"Why are you sorry.....would you rather I was still the child you remember, still uncaring of love, unbearably conceited and deficient....just a boy?"

"You were never deficient Peter.....I was angry......hurt.....I never meant....can we stop dancing please, my head is swimming?"

Abruptly they stopped, Wendy finding the world still spinning as she rested her head against Peter's shoulder, her cheek hot against his smooth skin.

"I can't think.....I'm so confused.....am I dead....or just dreaming? Why am I here Peter.....why after all this time did you come for me?"

"Because you still believed Wendy.....you wished for this to be true, and it is. You life has started again......been renewed. Neverland is your world now, as it is mine...you can shape it, or change it, or sweep it away, but it will be forever yours."

"I don't understand!" Wendy wailed, her hands beating against his chest as she slumped, his strong arms holding her up as she wept her bewilderment against his neck. "I want to go...home!"

For a long minute Peter remained silent, Wendy's hand changing from a fist to an open palm, her fingers playing with the leaves entwined over his shoulder.

"You can't go home Wendy......you can never go home....that way is closed to you now. It was only ever a one way trip, this time. Neverland is now your home....for as long as you want to stay here."

"You mean there could be somewhere else for me?"

"No Wendy......this was always to be yours, whenever you chose to return to it."

Wendy closed her eyes, shutting out the blue sky and white sand, her senses all focused on the young man holding her so tenderly.

"Are you real Peter.....did you ever exist in my world?"

"I did once.....a long time ago......I'm now as real as your stories, as real as your imagination. Did you believe that your stories of pirates, and crocodiles and fairies were real?"

Peter felt Wendy nod her head slowly against his shoulder.

"Then accept that I am real too....that Neverland is as real and alive as you are now. Don't look any further, don't try and fit what you know from you old life into this one.....for it will never make sense. Accept the truth of what you feel.......and see, the rest is unimportant."

Slowly, Wendy raised her head, pushing away slightly but keeping within the easy embrace of Peter's arms.

"If I asked you for a kiss......would you give me one?"

A smile as bright as the rising sun stretched Peter's mobile lips and made his eyes dance with merriment.

"What is it with girls and their preoccupation with kissing!"

Outraged, Wendy parted her lips to blast him with a pithy riposte but found instead that Peter, ever the opportunist, had negated any need for speech by the simple expediency of his lips sealing hers, her body melting as he supped sweetly of her lips, his own warm and soft and incorrigibly impertinent.

When they parted a few minutes later, their lips clung for a second, Wendy blinking up at Peter in a fog of heady confusion, before she pulled back suddenly, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Who taught you to kiss like that?"

Peter sighed, his lips twitching as he tried to control his amusement at her lightening changes of mood.

"You did........don't you remember?"

"You can hardly equate that tiny kiss on the Jolly Roger with what we just did.....they're nothing alike....."

"I'm not referring to then.....that wasn't the last kiss you gave me.....in fact, the last kiss before this one was only a week or so ago, if I remember rightly."

Wendy put a hand up to her head, plainly at sea once more with his cryptic explanations.

"I didn't kiss you last week.....I haven't seen you for years."

"Yes you have Wendy......on a very regular basis, last week was..." Peter's face slipped into a wistful smirk, his eyes faraway. "You and I were back at the black castle, but instead of me flying off after we fenced.......we....er....we...."

As Wendy listened to his account of their last embrace, Wendy felt a dawning horror creep up her spine, as snatches of images suddenly careened through her minds-eye, of a dream she'd had of her and Peter at the Black castle, the dream so vivid she'd awoken flushed and breathless.

"But....but......but...." Once more she found herself without words to fill the silence. "That was a dream....only a dream.....we didn't.....you couldn't have......"

"I could....and we did....it happened....that kiss happened....."

"No......no, no, no.....that's not possible."

Overcome with mortification, several rather vivid dreams intruding on her conscience, reminding her in all their embarrassing glory of their existence, Wendy whirled around and dashed off down the beach, her skirts up around her knees as she ran, stumbling and choking, her face flaming.

The confines of her dress slowed her headlong flight very quickly, her lips parted to gasp in much needed air while she slumped against an outcrop of rocks, her hand pressed to her side against a stitch that dug into her long neglected muscles.

As she sprawled inelegantly against the hard granite, she mentally reviewed her parade of memorable dreams, some revisited more than once in the five years since she'd last visited Neverland. As a child her dreams had all been adventures, some more vivid and longer than others, but all of them tinged with the innocence of adolescence, the thrill of excitement overwhelming the desire for romance. But as Wendy grew older her focus shifted, and her dreams did too...the adventures started to take on new elements, her romantic heart wanting her to be rescued by her hero, to be held and cherished and kissed. "Oh God no.....don't let him know about those......please no." Her plea went unheeded as she dwelt on the tone and substance of some of her more recent dreams, often with her dream lover never having a face, only a body and arms and lips that thrilled her and left her shaking and trembling in her bed with an ache she didn't know what to do about.

"They're all true.......each and every one." Peter's voice made her push away from the rocks and whirl around, the owner of the voice standing a few feet away, his eyes gently mocking hers as she glared at him.

"How could you......they were private.....my dreams, mine alone......not for public exhibition!"

"Your dreams are what kept Neverland....kept me alive Wendy....don't you realise that? Do you remember when you first started telling stories about me.....where did your ideas come from....what made you invent those characters....didn't you wonder how, having never seen me, or Hook or Neverland....how we came to be?"

"I-I-I....." At Peter's telling look, Wendy paused, her pithy reply dying on her lips as she considered his question.

"I did wonder......but I forgot why....and you never came back...so I stopped telling the stories."

"You stopped telling the boys.....but you never stopped dreaming them...nearly every night you thought of me, or of Neverland....and every night I was there.....with you."

"But Peter......the boys.....the Lost Boys.....they're real, as real....I mean...if they were once dead......oh I'm not making any sense."

"Yes you are....and yes they were......dead once. But you see I broke the rules....by bringing you to the world you'd created I broke every rule in the book. I didn't mean to bring you.....I should have left and just gone back and told the boys the end of the story."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because....." Averting his eyes, Peter stared out over the ocean, recalling that far off scene in the nursery. "You looked so excited and beautiful and I think I wanted you to love me....even then."

Wendy blinked, her heart hammering. "So you broke the rules and took me to Neverland."

Peter turned his head to face her again, his eyes swirling with emotions that Wendy couldn't start to decipher. "You were right when you said that my not growing up was my biggest pretend. Before you, I didn't want anything to do with grown-ups or getting older, but after you had been there awhile I didn't want you to go....despite everything I said....you changed everything."

"I didn't mean to....I didn't realise."

"Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, you kissed me."

"Why was that bad?" Wendy asked, her own worries forgotten as she strained to hear his answer. Taking a step towards her Peter bent down until his mouth was beside her ear, his body so close she could feel the heat rising from his sunbrown skin.

"It changed everything......it changed me, something inside broke free and nothing was the same again."

Pulling back, Peter stared into her eyes, his own as fathomless and indecipherable as the stars.

"You made me want more than I had here.......I wanted to know what you knew about your world, about growing up, about adult things. You had created me, but when you kissed me......I became something more."

"Was that so bad?"

Peter smiled as her anxious expression, his thumb coming up to smooth the wrinkle between her eyes.

"No, it wasn't bad......and by living in your dreams I was able to be part of your world...albeit vicariously for the most part, but when you started to change me in your dreams....I changed here too."

"Gracious.....I did all that?"

"Yes Wendy.......you did all this....and now you are part of it again."

"But.....if I'm dead....how can this still exist?....I can't dream anymore.....I can't sleep."

"The stories you told to the boys live on, in their dreams, in their stories....you will never die....not in their memories..in your parents memories, in all the people you have known and have known you.....those dreams are eternal."

"Does that mean they will eventually come here too?"

"No....this is your Neverland.....your creation.....when the time comes, they will go to their own version of Neverland, with their own stories and dreams that they've created and desired."

"But.....I still don't.." Sighing exasperatedly, Peter placed his hand over her mouth, silencing her.

"All your questions will be answered...all in good time...but not right this second. There's a bunch of Lost boys waiting to meet you."

Pulling his hand away, Wendy drew in a deep breath, her head tilting to the side as she accepted his rebuke. "Can I ask one last question?"

Pressing his lips together, Peter gave her a resigned nod, barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Looking down at her gown, Wendy shook out the skirts, her hands smoothing over the bodice. "This is lovely, but as you say, quite impractical. Can I change it?"

"If you wish it. What would you like to wear?"

"Well...I did rather like what the fairy...." she got no further, Peter's eyebrows climbing into his hairline as he stared at her.

Looking down at herself, Wendy gasped then turned a bright pink, her hands coming up to cross over her breasts, despite the fabric covering her. It shimmered and seemed to have numerous colours in its weave, in all quite lovely, the only drawback being that it was almost completely transparent.

Wendy was mortified, Peter's face splitting into a wicked grin as she gasped and tried to cover herself quite inadequately with only two hands. The fairy dress, like the one worn by the fairy Queen in the tree, was almost translucent in the morning sun, draped enticingly around her nubile curves, highlighting and enhancing every dip and hollow.

Peter whistled appreciatively, his eyes raking up and down as Wendy glared back at him, embarrassed and furious all at once.

"You could at least look away.....any gentleman would!"

"Oh....would they?......I must say, it's an improvement on the nightdress......but not any more practical than the ball-gown."

"Turn around Peter.......now!"

Still grinning, Peter did as she asked, his broad shoulders shaking as he faced back along the beach.

"You may turn around now....."

When he faced her again, he couldn't quite hide the droop of his mouth in his disappointment at seeing her quite sensibly clothed in a simple gown that left her arms bare but covered the rest of her quite modestly.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Wendy sent him a look which caused the comment to remain unspoken, his mouth shutting hurriedly.

Instead he held out his hand, which she took, albeit reluctantly.

"They'll be waiting for us at the hidden tree. Ready?"

Nodding, Wendy tightened her grip on his fingers as he lifted them both into the air and started to fly inland, skimming the tops of the trees, taking it slowly to give her time to take it all in.

The island was as beautiful and lush as ever, the forests and trees stretching away beneath them, the tall peak of the volcano dusted with snow half way down its steep slopes. She saw smoke curling up into the morning air, presumably from the Indian camp, but Peter was drawing her away from the coast into the dense jungle interior.

"Almost there......there's been a few changes."

Wendy cast Peter a quizzical glance but he just grinned and turned his head away, leaving her wondering what he meant.

They started to descend and Wendy saw a tall tree that look vaguely like the one the Lost Boys and Peter had used for a home when she'd visited before, but with all the hanging creepers and dense bushes it was hard to tell. As they touched down, Peter let go of her hand and walked to the edge of the rough clearing. Taking his pan pipes, he played a melody and instantly a section of the ground lifted slightly, betraying a trap door cunningly hidden in the leaf litter.

"This way......we had to modify the entrance," He held a hand above his head as if measuring his height. "Got too big for the old one."

"Oh......yes.......I can see that would have been a problem." Following him, she found herself walking down a series of steps cut into the earth, the trap door fitting neatly over their heads without a chink of light showing. She felt Peter take her hand, leading her onwards, their feet scuffing against the warm earth. Very quickly she saw light ahead, soft and muted, outlining an archway that led into the main underground room, its roof still covered in twisted roots, the floor the same dirt of the stairs. She was surprised that it seemed to large and airy, her memory of the old hideout being one of rather cramped quarters for the boys with a huge dining table at the centre. Here there was no dining table, but several broad benches covered in various materials from skins to moss. She was also surprised by the fact that she could move around without her head brushing the ceiling, despite being several inches taller than the last time she'd been there. Obviously Peter must have expanded the room downwards to accommodate his altered appearance.

"Wait here.....I'll fetch the Lost Boys."

Not waiting for an answer, Peter disappeared behind a hanging skin covering another archway, leading goodness knew where.

As she looked about her, she saw that the room was not just a big communal living area, but a bedroom as well. Several beds were carved into the walls, one or two even sporting skins to act like curtains for privacy. In one corner she saw what she supposed was Peter's bed, the ledge much wider and longer than the others, thickly covered in furs of every persuasion, all heaped haphazardly, Wendy unable to work out what animals they belonged to without a closer inspection.

Voices coming from the other room forestalled any more curiosity, her ears picking up the piping sounds of children interspersed with the deeper timbre of Peter replying. She smoothed her dress, not at all sure of what to expect.

Peter entered first, glancing warmly at Wendy, holding the skin curtain to the side to allow the children beyond to come into the main room. At first, nobody appeared, and Peter beckoned with his fingers for someone to come forward.

"This is Pebble.....he can't remember his name from before, so he picked Pebble for himself." A grubby face peaked around the corner of the curtain under Peter's arm, the tousled black head a riot of loose curls above dark eyes. After an encouraging smile from Peter the child, roughly eight or nine years she guessed, shuffled into the room, casting brief glances at Wendy before rushing across the room and diving into one of the curtained beds before Wendy could say hello. Peter shrugged and gave a self-deprecating smile. "He's a little shy."

Choosing to ignore the dark eyes peeping at her from the alcove, Wendy turned her attention to the next entrant.

"This is Twig, he's the eldest of the younger boys....likes to keep them in order, don'tcha' Twig?" Peter ruffled the toffee coloured mop of the boy who appeared, the lad flinching away from Peter's hand, grimacing at the attention. Peter only chuckled and pushed the boy forward.

"Hello Twig...I'm Wendy."

"I know who you are......Peter's told us all about you. Are you going to make us wash every day?"

"Well.....ur....don't you think its a good idea to be clean?"

"No I don't....and the others don't either......you can't make us wash if we don't want to."

Wendy recoiled slightly from the boys animosity, her eyes finding Peter's who raised his hands in a helpless shrug.

"Well I'm not here to make you wash or do anything you don't want to."

"You aren't? But Peter said....."

"Yes Twig.....what did Peter say?"

Swallowing, Twig dropped his head and dug his grubby toes into the dirt of the floor. He mumbled something but Wendy couldn't make it out, eventually bending down to try and see the boys' face.

"Tell me Twig.....what did Peter say?"

"That you were going to be our Mother...." Suddenly his head shot up and Twig stepped forward, bringing him almost up against Wendy, his head as high as her shoulder, his face set and angry, "We don't need no stinkin' mother.....we do very well on our own....so you can just fly back to wherever you came from and leave us alone!"

Peter had moved forward at the boys' outburst, his face angry, but Wendy gestured for him to stay back. Twig looked to be the same age she had been when she first came to Neverland, his moss green eyes daring her to try anything, his body tense as Wendy took a step back and sat down on a stool, her demeanour calm and patient. She had had plenty of experience dealing with recalcitrant small boys, their little power plays and changeable behaviour.

"I haven't come here to be your Mother.....not if you don't want me to. I didn't even know I was coming to Neverland until today. I'm sure you've done an excellent job looking after the Lost Boys, Twig, and I'm happy to leave all that responsibility for their care with you. I'm sure I'll have lots to do with exploring the island and making a home for myself somewhere."

Twig looked at her, not sure how to reply. He'd been sure she would get angry and try to make him do something, anything, but instead she'd praised him and told him she wouldn't change a thing.

"You're not like any girl I've known.......why is that?"

"Well.....I don't know what sort of girls you've known Twig. I'm sure Peter has told you that the first time I came here the Lost Boys did want me to be they're Mother, but it was only pretend. I wasn't much older than you, too young to be a real Mother."

"What did you do then?"

"Well....in between fighting Captain Hook's pirates, and talking to the mermaids and playing with the Indians.....there wasn't alot of time to do very much. I told them stories, helped gather food...all sorts of things like that."

Intrigued despite himself, Twig sat cross-legged on the floor and stared up at Wendy.

"Did you really fight Pirates?"

"Well yes......at the Black Castle and on the Jolly Roger."

Twig asked her to tell him about the Black Castle, and while she related the tale, another figure inched it's way into the room, the child being not much more than five or six and as fair as Pebble was dark. Careful not to catch the newcomer's eye, Wendy focused entirely on Twig. As she continued, the new child sidled up and sat next to Twig, its blue eyes round as it listened intently. Welcoming the new child with a warm smile, Wendy carried on with her tale, the small group eventually joined by Pebble, his dark, thickly lashed eyes as rapt as the others, one finger finding a home in his mouth which he sucked contentedly.

Keeping her attention focused on the three children, she didn't see the fourth until she was standing directly in front of her. Wendy broke off her story, waiting patiently for the child to sit.

"My names Bane......I'm not a Lost Boy....I'm a Lost Girl."

"I can see that Bane.....and a very pretty one too."

Bane was a girl in her early teens, her pale blond hair laying loose on her shoulders like spun gold. Her eyes were a rich brown, currently appraising Wendy in a similar fashion, holding a faintly derisive gleam in their dark depths, as if finding Wendy wanting in some way.

"Would you like to sit down and hear the rest of the story?" Wendy asked at last, indicating the floor next to Twig.

"No.....stories are for babies......and don't think you can steal Peter from me, either. He's mine, has been for ages and I'll kill you if you try anything."

Startled at the girls vehemence, Wendy looked over at Peter, who grimaced and shook his head.

"I see......well Bane.....as I told Twig, I won't be staying where I'm not wanted......and I certainly don't take kindly to threats against my life two minutes after I meet someone. I suggest that if you don't want to hear the story, you take yourself off somewhere so that the others can." Putting on her best "Miss Fulsom" face, Wendy returned the girls stare, her blue eyes unflinching in the face of the girls open hostility.

It was Bane who broke the deadlock, flinging herself away from Wendy and flouncing out of the room, sending Peter a dark look before the curtain dropped into place behind her.

"I'm sorry about Bane.....she usually not so.......prickly." Peter explained, sighing gustily as he sat down heavily on one of the sleeping couches. "She's been here the longest and I think she has......um.......a crush on me." He tried to look mournful, as if much put upon.

"How clever of you to notice." Wendy's wry tone brought a smile to Peter's lips, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. The younger children watched the exchange with interest. They'd heard so much about the Wendy lady from Peter and were impressed with the way she'd handled Bane, the girl often making the younger children's lives difficult at times with her sudden flares of temper and cruel pranks.

"Is this all of them Peter.....or should I brace myself for more of the same?"

"There's two others, the older boys are out hunting at this time of the day, hunting or fishing, I can never remember which."

"Fishing." Volunteered Twig.

"Thank you Twig, knew you'd know. Anyway, Briggs is the eldest and Topper about a month or so younger than him."

"Briggs is in love with Bane, but she won't give him a kiss....despite him asking her everso many times." The blond child chimed in, grinning toothily up at Wendy, "I'm Pip."

"Hello Pip.....thank you for telling me about Briggs....er...and Bane.....now, would you like me to finish telling you about my adventure at the Black Castle?"

A chorus of piping voices urged her to carry on, Peter getting to his feet as Wendy launched back into the tale, Twig having told her where she'd got up to, just in case she'd forgotten.

Leaving Wendy with the younger children, Peter passed through the arch into the next room, finding Bane standing with her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You weren't exactly polite Bane."

The girl spun around, her gilt-blond hair whirling around her face.

"She's only here to take you from me.....it's not fair.....I've been here the longest....you're mine.....not hers!"

Not wanting to hurt the young girls feelings, Peter stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her a little.

"That's not true Bane.......you know that. This world is Wendy's world, you know that from what I've told you....which makes me Wendy's as well. I was never meant for you Bane.....I'm too grown up for you now."

"And that's her fault too.....you weren't so big when I came here....you were like me.....now you're all tall, and hairy and horrible!"

"Thank you for shredding what was left of my ego Bane," Peter smiled down at the tearful girl in front of him, his hands still resting on her shoulders. But Bane wasn't to be placated. She twisted and dislodged Peter's hands, stepping back to glare up at him, her bottom lip trembling as she fought back her tears.

"I won't let her have you......I don't care if this is her world, it's my world too.....you brought me here......you took care of me.....I don't want anyone else."

"Bane......" Peter reached for her again but she darted away, ducking around a tree root and disappearing into a tunnel that led up to the surface. Peter stood there for a moment, his hands hanging by his side. It was his own fault that Bane was behaving this way. She was quite right, he had taken care of her, treated her in his usual cavalier fashion, not realising that the impressionable girl had nursed an adolescent crush on him, all her emotions focused on him and no-one else. Peter hadn't recognised the signs, his own attention entirely focused on events outside Neverland, never seeing what was happening under his very nose. He heard the curtain rustle behind him, Wendy coming to stand next to him, her hand resting on his arm, sending delicious shivers up his limb and all over his body.

"I heard Peter.....just give her time....she'll get over it....she just needs time."

"I remember you had a crush on a boy when you were about her age."

"Good grief, do I have no secrets?"

"Not from me......I remember you brought him along on one of our adventures....but he didn't like it much....in fact....."

"He wet himself when the crocodile chased us." Wendy laughingly ended the anecdote, remembering that fact but little else of that particular adventure.

"You weren't so impressed with him after that."

"Poor Thomas....he was the brother of one of the girls at school."

"I know...."

"Anyway...this is all beside the point. Bane will come to terms with things....eventually....." She paused, biting her lip. "Unless you would prefer her to be here instead of...." She stopped, unable to continue, picturing Peter kissing the beautiful blond girl, a frown marring her forehead.

"What's the matter?" Peter saw the frown and peered intently into her face, noting her heightened colour.

"Peter.....how much have you changed....I mean......what do you feel for that girl?"

"I don't know.......I guess.....she's one of the Lost Boys, the first to arrive of this lot.....she was so scared and vulnerable, I was already growing, visiting you every night." Peter stopped, "I feel for her the way I did for Tootles and Curly and Nibs......they're the Lost boys....I take care of them, I'm responsible for them."

"You love them."

"Yes.....I suppose I do....you once asked me about feelings.....a long time ago. I was afraid then to even speak of them....I thought they were only for grown ups, that boys weren't supposed to feel, weren't supposed to love. But then you came and turned all those ideas topsy-turvy. The more I became a part of your world, the more I wanted to know about love, wanted to be loved."

"You are loved Peter......certainly by that girl."

"And by you?"

Wendy returned his intent look with eyes that swam with so many conflicting emotions he found himself drawn towards her, his face lowering to hers, their lips touching only feather-light at first, Wendy's eyes closing as he pressed more firmly, his tongued sweeping across her bottom lip, hers parting to let him deepen the kiss until she felt she was drowning, her arms clinging about his neck, his arms about her back, holding her crushed against him.

Breaking apart minutes later, Wendy blinked up at him, bemused at the sensations coursing through her, so like her dreams but also so much more.

"Yes Peter......by me as well."

Grinning triumphantly, Peter picked her up and swung her around, her upper body squashed against his chest, her legs flying out behind her as he twirled them around, Wendy's arms holding tight to his neck.

"Peter!"

"I knew you did.......I just knew it....."

The sound of laughter stopped the giddy whirling, Peter and Wendy finding themselves the object of three pairs of laughing eyes as the younger children crowded the doorway, avidly watching them.

"Does this mean your going to stay with us?" Asked Twig.

Disentangling herself from Peter's arms, Wendy turned to face the three children.

"Would you like me to stay?"

She watched as the three children held a silent conference, exchanging loaded looks before facing her again.

Twig stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "Will you make us wash all the time....and tidy our beds.....and.....and....."

"I will only ask you to wash before you eat.....and if you want to sleep in a rumpled bed with grit and bugs, that's your choice."

Twig appeared to consider her reply. After a second his frown turned to a smile. "Yes please....we'd like you to stay."

The other two started to whoop and holler, leaping about like frogs while Wendy and Peter watched indulgently. Leaning towards him, Wendy spoke in an aside, her eyes still watching the youngsters gamble about the room.

"We'll have to sort out somewhere for me to sleep Peter."

"Already sorted.......my bed's big enough for two....and the nights get cold even here."

Wendy met his laughing eyes with a startled look.

"Are you suggesting......I mean.....do you expect....oh good grief, I can't sleep with you....it wouldn't be....proper!"

"You still don't understand do you......everything "proper" has been left in your old life.....it's dead and gone. Here everything is proper, everything is as you dreamed it......and you will sleep with me.....it'll be just like when we camped out among the whisper trees, remember?"

Wendy watched a smug smile curl Peter's mouth, her heart starting to thump as images of that particular adventure started to present themselves, their activities in that dream bringing a fiery red glow to her cheeks as she stared back at him, her lips separating on a gasp.

Leaning down, Peter kissed her parted lips, grinning cheekily before leaving her standing in the middle of the room, still blushing, her hand pressed against her rosy cheek.

"Oh Lord....."

Gathering her scattered wits about her, Wendy slowly followed him, the curtain dropping behind her, the room once more empty.

In the tunnel under the tree roots, Bane pushed herself back up the slippery shaft to the surface, bracing her feet against the walls, grunting as she worked her way upwards. She had heard and seen everything, her eyes burning with unshed tears as she pushed open the trapdoor and rolled through it onto the leaf strewn ground, laying on her back for a second before clambering to her feet.

"You won't win.....you won't win this time.......you had your chance and you threw it away....now it's my turn...and I'll kill you if you come between us."

Pulling her knife from her belt, she drew a line across her forearm, the blade leaving a red trail in it's wake, her muscles flexing as she watched the thin ribbons roll along her skin before dripping to the leaves below. With a flick of her knife she carved an semi-circle against the straight line, creating a crude "P" on her skin. Tucking her blade back into her belt, she watched the blood clot and scab, leaving a raised wound on the smooth skin of her inner forearm.

"Just you watch out, you may think he loves you.....but he'll forget you soon enough......I'll make sure of that."

Turning around, her long hair swirling around her shoulders, Bane stalked out of the clearing, her back rigid, her head high.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Title: Necromancer
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Three - Settling In.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wendy met the two remaining boys later that morning as she sat in the sunshine at the base of the tree that was her new home.

She had been absorbed in her thought, oblivious of her surrounding, her fingers plucking the petals off a pretty flower when she noticed the two pairs of grubby feet standing in front of her.

"Oh......hello......I'm.."

"Wendy.....yeah, we know......Bane told us you'd arrived."

Standing up, Wendy found herself eye to eye with the eldest boy, his torso cris crossed with leather straps, various knives and other weapons secured across his chest.

"You must be Briggs......are all those weapons really necessary? I thought with Hook dead....."

Wendy found herself regarded by a pair of green eyes under a mop of reddish-brown hair in need of a trim, their expression derisive. "Obviously you haven't been here long......there are other dangers than just the obvious ones, and who told you Hook was dead?"

"Don't tease her Briggs......you heard what Bane said......" the other boy nudged the elder, his blue eyes darting up and down Wendy, an unmistakable gleam of appreciation bordering on a leer in his eyes, his lips curved in a half smile.

"And you must be Topper......did you catch anything?" Wendy tried again, ignoring his impertinent stare.

Topper tossed back his shoulder length brown hair that had a habit of flopping over his face, lifting his arm to show off the rope carrying a dozen or more fat, gleaming fish threaded through the gills.

"Breakfast!" He grinned, revealing a gap in his bottom row of teeth.

"Peter said you were going to be our Mother......catch!"

Without warning Briggs tossed his string of fish at Wendy, her hands automatically reaching for the slippery fish, and just as quickly pulling away letting the fish slip to the ground as she felt their cold wet bodies, one or two still jerking in their death throws. Briggs and Topper threw back their heads and roared with laughter, Wendy wiping her hands on her skirt, glaring at the two boys as they laughed loudly at her squeamishness.

"What use are you if you can't even catch a fish!" Briggs snorted, picking up the string and shaking it to knock the dirt off the silvery catch.

"Well if you'd handed it too me I might have had a chance, but I've yet to see anyone scale a fish when it's thrown at them." Wendy replied with spirit, her face flushed.

"Hoity toity 'aint she Briggs?" Topper started to walk past Wendy, his lip curled, the fish once more over his shoulder.

"And not as pretty as Bane either.....don't know what Peter sees in her."

Wendy flushed at the eldest boys parting shot, her fists clenching in her skirt as she waited for them to leave. She found herself trembling, whether in anger or fear she wasn't entirely sure. She had met boys of her own age on several occasions, and dealt with her younger brothers, but in all those cases the boys had been polite to her, treated her with respect. Even Peter had treated her from the start with a wary admiration, but these boys were downright horrid, their sneers and knowing eyes unnerving her, sending a shiver down her spine as she rubbed her arms, her skin prickling.

"They're just boys......nothing to worry about.......they're just trying to get a rise out of me...." She muttered to herself as she walked away from the tree, the sun warming her chilled arms as she started along a faint track that led beneath the trees.

Above her head the treetops swayed in the faint breeze, the sound of birdsong loud, the air full of a variety of different tunes, somehow all melding together to create a wonderful harmony, as if they were singing together just for her. Relaxing, she let her thoughts drift, her hands reaching out to touch the tree trunks as she passed. She saw something moving among the trees and froze, her eyes searching the shadows. After a second she released the breath she'd been holding when a deer raised its head from the bracken and bounded away, Wendy laughing in relief, chiding herself for being so nervous.

Entering a small glade where the path widened she spied a fallen tree trunk, its mossy surface bathed in sunshine. Gathering her skirts, she sat down at one end where it lay buried partially in the earth, tilting her face up to absorb the warmth.

She thought about the children she'd met, the littlies Pebble and Pip, still at that adorable stage. Of Twig, so hostile at first, but warming to her quickly, the others following his lead. As she sat with her eyes closed, she thought of Bane, the young girl convinced she had some sort of right to own Peter. Wendy laughed quietly to herself, as if anyone could own a wild spirit like Peter. It was that untamed wildness, that devil-may-care courage that had drawn her to the adolescent boy, had coloured his adventures, his lack of fear and outrageous arrogance only adding to his charm, his fearless bravado as intoxicating as champagne. To a girl strictly brought up, albeit liberally for the times, Peter had represented everything that was free and unfettered. He was reckless but courageous, selfish but generous too. She wondered now how much of that was Peter, and how much her influence with the stories she'd fashioned and her own foolish romantic longings. He was certainly quite different from when she last knew him, his body that of an athletic young man, his boyish gangliness all shaped and moulded with long limbs and lean muscle, his skin sun browned and as soft as velvet. Just thinking about it, how it felt under her fingertips was enough to make her blush, her body squirming slightly as she recalled another dream she'd had involving Peter, her lips curving into a smile as she remembered waking up with the feel of his kiss still on her lips.

"Thinking of me?"

With a jerk she opened her eyes and found the object of her musings standing in front of her, his eyes dancing, an unbearably smug smile curving his lips.

"No......why would I be doing that?"

"Because you love me.....and you always think about me."

"Good grief......I see some things never change....your conceit appears to have grown in equal measures with your height!"

Instead of appreciating the set down, Peter only laughed, his folded arms dropping to his side, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Seeing the number of weapons secured about his body, Wendy opened her mouth to ask why he still needed them but barely drew a breath into her lungs before Peter clamped his hands over her lips, silencing her. In a lightning move, he pulled her off the tree trunk and threw himself on top of her when she landed on the thick layer of leaves behind, his eyes briefly meeting hers with a shake of his head, his hand still clamped over her lips. Completely pinned, Wendy could only stare up at him, his face only a inch from hers, his eyes turned to peer through a tiny gap between the fallen tree and the ground giving him a narrow view to the path running alongside it. She turned her head to follow the direction of his eyes, his fingers loosening on her mouth, his open palm coming to rest beside her cheek as he rested on his elbows, his attention all on the path.

"I thought I heard laughter Sir.....it wasn't far away...not far at all!"

"We've been at this since first light Mister Greer, and I'm still not convinced the Pan is even in this vicinity.....or even back in Neverland..."

"But you saw yourself......it's spring again......every damn bloom is in flower.....smells like a whore's boudoir in these woods."

"Yes......well, as colourful a description as that is.....we still have no proof that the brat...or should I say.......youth, is anywhere near here."

The sound of booted feet crunching over the fallen leaves coating the path paused beside the fallen tree, Peter's eyes swivelling to meet Wendy's, his lips pulling into a wicked grin while she stared up at him round eyed. In silence he confirmed her worst fears by mouthing the word "Hook", her lips parting on a gasp as she turned her head to stare through the tiny gap, noting it was now possible to see several pairs of legs standing about on the path, only feet away from where they lay.

"I weary of this searching....if we could only capture one of his scurvy brood we could dangle the brat from the mast and Pan would come to us.....not the other way around."

"As slippery as eels they are......like trying to catch ghosts!"

"An unfortunate turn of phrase, Mister Greer......I think it is time we moved on......we need to find a wider path, my palanquin can't possibly get through here."

The peevish voice continued to bemoan its fate, Wendy nearly giggling when Hook's voice could be heard complaining about some bird doing it's business all over his best green velvet. As they lay there, waiting for the sound of the pirates to fade away, Wendy became very aware of the male body laying protectively over her, his hard thighs straddling hers, knees either side of hers, his torso resting lightly against her ribs. As the sound of the forest reverted to its former noises, Wendy reached up with her hands to push Peter off. She might have well tried to move the fallen tree for all the impression she made.

"Are you going to get off me?"

"Nope.....I'm rather comfortable....aren't you?"

"For heaven's sake......this is ridiculous..." Wriggling furiously, she worked to dislodge him, her knees coming up, along with her hips to buck him off, but she only succeeded in letting her dress slip up to the top of her thighs while pressing herself rather intimately against his nether regions.

"If I'd known you were wanting to play mothers and fathers I'd have worn less leaves." Peter pulled his bottom lip in under his top teeth, his eyes half-shut as Wendy wriggled. "You know this reminds me of that time we were playing hide and seek with the pirates, and we hid in the hollow tree.....do you remember?"

A myriad images suddenly appeared in Wendy's minds-eye, her body ceasing its struggles as several images lodged in her mind bringing a flush to her skin and a light to her eyes.

"You are no gentleman to keep reminding me about these dratted dreams we supposedly shared....."

"Not supposedly....we did. Every last, tantalising one.....just you and me....and me and you...." Peter kept up his teasing until a sharp whack across his ear sent him tumbling to the leaves, his hand rubbing the offended body part while Wendy scrambled to her knees, panting, her face furious.

"It's quite bad enough that I'm dead and can never go home, and that I'm doomed to spend the rest of eternity here....but do I really have to have my past dreams thrown in my face every five minutes."

Laying on his side on his elbow, Peter regarded Wendy with a sombre expression.

"I'm sorry Wendy...I didn't mean to make you cross.....I thought it might help you remember if I told you about the dreams and what we did."

Mollified, slightly, Wendy rose to her feet and brushed the twigs and leaves from her dress.

"Now tell me.......why is Hook still alive?......If I recall, he was last seen disappearing into the gullet of the crocodile....and I know I've seen him since, the crocodile that is....so how can Hook be here?"

Still on the ground, Peter rolled onto his back and hooked his hands behind his head, sighing gustily.

"The crocodile didn't like the taste of him after all. Only a few days after I took you home, he was found washed up on the shores of Mermaid Lagoon. He was in a bad way, the croc having chewed him up some, but he recovered and has been seeking both it and me ever since."

"But if....oh I'm getting so confused....Peter if I'm dead....if we're....well....dead.....how can Hook hurt us? If all this," She swung her arms wide, "isn't really real......then Hook is powerless, we can't die.........can we?"

"There are worse things than dying Wendy."

"Oh tosh.....what nonsense.....what can be worse than dying ?"

Sitting himself up, Peter rested his arms across his bent knees, his head turned away from her. When he spoke his voice was low, without a hint of teasing.

"Hook has found a way of making us die......there's something here, we don't know where....but there's something in Neverland that can kill us....and I don't mean a quick, easy death."

"I don't understand....what do you mean?"

"Here in Neverland, we exist as you did in your world. We sleep, we eat, we feel everything as if it was real. If we're injured, we still feel pain and it have to heal, just as it would in the living world. We feel everything there is to feel....forget that fact that we're all ghosts....here we are alive again......really alive."

"Alright, I understand that......I think.....so what...what is it that Hook has?"

"It's called the Necromancer....no-one has ever seen it, or knows where it is....only Hook. The Indians call it the Soul Eater because it steals your spirit or soul and uses it to create magic, an evil magic that could eventually destroy all this.....destroy us."

"So Hook want's to capture you....all of us....to feed this Necromancer?"

"Yes......which is why the battle is still going on between us and Hook. We've only lost one to this evil.....and it was enough to cause total devastation."

"What did it do ?"

"I'll show you."

Getting to his feet, Peter held out his hand and Wendy took it, his fingers warm against hers.

Slowly he pulled them into the air, threading their way through the trees then up above the canopy, the forest spread out below them. As they flew across the island, Peter pointed out various landmarks to her, the sun dappling the land with patches of shadow and sun as the clouds floated languidly across the sky. A high ridge of rock appeared down one side of the island and Peter brought them to a halt before crossing it, the jungle still verdant and green below them, the rocks climbing dark and bleak above them.

"This is the divide.......it used to mark the end of the jungle and the beginning of the plains, there's a natural canyon that cuts right through its heart to allow animals to cross, but that has been blocked off now."

"What happened?"

"See for yourself."

With a tug he was pulling her up the sheer face of the rocky escarpment, leaving the greenery behind them. When they reached the top Peter stopped again, hovering at the peak giving Wendy an elevated view over the land beyond.

"Oh Peter......how awful!"

From where they hovered they had a clear view to the sea, the land below sloping to the foothills of the ridge, before flattening out and making a wide plain with evidence of deeply cut streams flowing through it.

"It used to be so green.....the grass was almost as tall as I am...it was like an ocean when the wind rippled the surface......now...well you can see what it's like."

Wendy stared, seeing nothing of the grass he spoke of, only an endless plain of blasted earth, the ground cracked and riven, the stream beds dry and bare of any sign of life. Every shred of living matter had been scoured away, as if in a blast of some sort, the rocks themselves split open and charred like the earth. It extended as far as the eye could see from left to right, only a thin strip of green visible in the distance at the edge. The contrast with the rest of the lushness of Neverland was shocking.

"Heaven's above.....how long ago did this happen?"

"A couple of years.....I think......we don't exactly keep track of the days here....but I reckon it was at least two years."

"But nothing has regrown....there's not even weeds or grass."

"Not a thing.....the streams haven't flowed either, it never rains on this side of the ridge, it's like a bubble, where nothing can grow, or exist. This is what one soul can do in the hands of the Necromancer."

"Who's soul was it, Peter?"

Peter brought them in to land on a ledge, the wind tasting acrid and gritty, the scorched earth sending up waves of heat that washed over Wendy, the desolation all around casting a pall over her spirits.

"One of the Lost Boys......he hadn't been here long, and wouldn't listen when we tried to tell him....Hook caught him not far from the shore and they had him back at the ship before we could mount a rescue."

"What was his name?"

"Dak.......he was alot like Twig, so angry all the time."

"What happened?"

"When we got to where the Jolly Roger was berthed, we found they'd already sailed. I found the ship anchored off this piece of the coast the following morning. I don't know exactly what happened next, I was spying on the ship from this ridge, waiting for the others to catch up when there was a scream....I don't know if it was Dak......it was not a sound I'd heard ever before...high and piercing....it went on and on, then there was this bright light, so bright I had to bury my head in my arms and even then I could still see it, it spread everywhere. When I opened my eyes again I saw this....every blade of grass consumed, every animal dead, even birds out of the air, all charred to cinders."

"How awful.....and Dak?"

"We never saw him again....we even had a chance to search the ship once, but we found nothing, not a trace. When we captured one of Hook's men, he was only able to tell us that Dak had been taken by the Necromancer. Hook had shut his crew up in the hold, confined them all to quarters, so they saw nothing, only heard that terrible scream and saw the evidence the next day before sailing back around the island."

"But Peter......if what you've told me so far is true....and I have no reason to not believe you.....where did this...this Necromancer come from. I'm sure I've never told any stories about it, or dreamed about it.....I'm sure I'd remember."

"Not a dream Wendy......a nightmare. That's what Hook told his crew, that it had come from a nightmare."

"But......"

"I don't know anything more, Wendy.....just remember this if you're ever tempted to be invited to piracy again."

"Am I never to be allowed to live that down?"

"No.....but I might just be coerced into forgetting?" The teasing note was back in his voice, his eyes twinkling as Wendy stood up and brushed out her skirts.

"And how would I coerce the great Peter Pan?" She asked nonchalantly, turning away from the devastated landscape to face him.

"Oh I'm sure I'll think of something?" Reaching out his hand, he grasped hers and pulled lifted them into the air, turning them away from the black plains, heading back to the jungle.

They arrived back at the tree with each of them carrying as roughly woven basket containing fruit. They'd stopped several times to harvest the bounty of Neverland, Peter weaving together some vines to create makeshift nets to hold the fruit. Now he led the way down through the trapdoor, Wendy close behind him. They heard voices as they approached the entrance to the underground.

"I don't agree, Bane...." Twigs piping voice easily reached them in the passage, Peter slowing as he approached the archway.

"Well nobody cares if you agree or not, Twig...what I say goes round here."

"No it doesn't.....Peter is Captain....and I know he wants her here."

"What he wants doesn't count...he's blinded by lust anyway!"

"And what are you blinded by Bane?" Asked Peter as he stepped into the light, surprising the small group of children.

Wendy felt her cheek burning as she halted suddenly, still hidden in the dark passageway, the net dropping from her nerveless fingers.

"I'm not blinded by anything," Bane spat, coming up to Peter, who slowly dropped the vine basket on the table, some of the fruit rolling out and onto the floor. "She doesn't belong here....not with us....she's not a Lost Boy or Girl....she's a grownup."

"Then I must be a grownup too, by your reasoning. Do I not belong here either?"

Bane scowled at him, swinging away so fast her long hair brushed Peter's chest before she stomped away. "You're the Pan...of course you belong here."

Peter stared at the children ranged around the room, his hands on his hips. The two older boys were watching him cautiously, Briggs whittling a stick while Topper just watched, his eyes lit with glee at the disharmony. The littlies were ranged behind Twig, who stood bristling and angry, staring at Bane's retreating back.

"We don't want her to leave Peter.......please tell Wendy we don't want her to leave?"

"She won't be leaving Twig, so calm down. Bane was only teasing, she knows, as the rest of you do, that Wendy is here for good."

Judging it a good time to put in an appearance, Wendy picked up the fallen fruit and stepped into the room, careful to avoid looking at anyone, her tone light as she spoke.

"I'm afraid I dropped half of them coming in.......oh....are we having a meeting, goodness what's that wonderful smell?"

Knowing full well that she had heard everything, Peter threw her a grateful glance, pleased that she'd not embarrassed the children further by revealing she'd heard their less than complimentary remarks. "The boy's usually cook the catch, I expect its ready...isn't it?" He looked meaningfully at Briggs who stopped his whittling and stomped off through the archway leading to their kitchen. Wendy dropped her armful of fruit on the table and looked about her.

"Is there a bowl or something I can put these into?"

Pip scrabbled to his feet, snagging a bowl lying upside down on the floor beside him before walking over to Wendy and tugging at her skirt.

"Thank you...that will do nicely....now if we're going to eat, I suppose we ought to clear this table......don't you think?"

Bane watched sullenly from one of the sleeping benches as Wendy and the three younger children set about wiping the worst of the scraps and mess from the long table, Twig using his knife to prise off some of the gobs of melted wax that sat like stalagmites rising off the table top. Peter watched for a second or two before gathering up the empty vine baskets and tossing them into a corner. Topper was still sitting to the side, watching all the activity with a lopsided grin on his face. Peter walked over to him and kicked his foot.

"Go get a bucket of water."

"What for?"

"Washing."

"But....."

"Now!" Not waiting to see if his order was obeyed, Peter walked off, disappearing through one of the arches.

Grumbling, Topper sloped off, returning shortly with a bucket. Plopping it down on the floor, he waited while Wendy and the others finished preparing the table before picking the bucket up and setting it on the newly cleared surface.

"Oh..thank you Topper..just what we needed....now that we've got a clean place to eat, I think its time to wash those hands."

A chorus of groans greeted her request, but Twig instantly dunked his hands in the water, rubbing them together vigorously before pulling them out, and presented them to Wendy for her inspection. Pip and Pebble followed suit, giggling when water slopped over the edge of the bucket. They too presented their hands to Wendy who smiled approvingly before dipping her own hands in the bucket and performing her ablutions.

"I don't suppose you have anything like a towel around here?"

Twig, Pip and Pebble all shrugged and shook their heads.

"Never mind.....I'll sort that out later, just shake them dry for the meantime......Bane? Topper?"

Topper grinned and made a great show of dipping only the tips of his fingers into the water, delicately flicking the drops of water off before returning to his couch and flopping onto it. Wendy ignored him and turned to Bane.

A strange look came over Bane's face before she rose to her feet and approached the table. It looked to the others as if she was doing as they did, dipping her hands in to clean them, but just as Wendy turned away to speak to Twig, Bane grabbed the bucket and flung the contents directly at Wendy, soaking her from head to toe, the bucket clattering to the floor as Bane laughed loudly.

Wendy stood, her dress soaked, her hair dripping, staring in shocked surprise down at herself. Twig and the littlies were staring at her, horrified, Twig marshalling the two behind him, stepping back out of range of any danger as Wendy turned to face the girl convulsed with laughter in front of her. Topper was also giggling, his eyes leering at Wendy's chest as the wet dress became semi-transparent, plastered to her breasts, their dark centres clearly visible. Briggs suddenly entered the tableau, carrying a platter heaped high with steaming fish, taking in the scene, his lips curled into a half smile, although he was more concerned with the food in his hand at the time.

Her cheeks burning with humiliation and anger, Wendy crossed her arms over her chest, pointedly glaring at Topper who blushed and looked down at his feet. Bane was still laughing, the sound high-pitched and slightly hysterical. Peter chose that moment to re-enter the room, only to find the air in the room filled with tension.

"What happened?"

No-one spoke, until Twig's piping voice broke the silence.

"Bane threw the water over Wendy."

"Shut up you little bug...or I'll squash you!" Bane hissed, her laughter cut off with the appearance of Peter. Everyone's eyes were on him.

Walking to his bed he whisked off one of the covers and brought it over to Wendy, tenderly placing it around her shoulders and pulling it shut at the front, their eyes meeting for a second before he turned to face the silent group behind him.

"This ends right now. Bane......you are banished for a day. No food, unless you find it yourself, no company unless someone seeks you out. I don't expect to see you until dusk.......and when I do, I suggest you come back with an apology for Wendy and a change in attitude for me."

"But Peter.....you can't..." Bane started, only to be cut off with a slash of Peter's hand in the air.

"Go....now.!"

Her eyes swimming, Bane rushed out of the room, the others not following, all still watching Peter intently.

Turning back to Wendy, Peter placed his hands on her shoulders, his expression rueful. "Are you alright?"

"Just wet, and a little cold.....I'm sorry Bane has taken such a dislike to me Peter....I didn't want to upset her for the world."

"I know......she has to learn....she'll come around, I'm sure."

"I'm glad you think so......I'll reserve judgement, if you don't mind."

With his arm around her shoulder, Peter turned once more to face the room.

"That fish smells great Briggs, lets get to it."

While the others sorted themselves out around the table, Peter led Wendy over to his bed and sat her down on the edge.

"Don't worry about Bane....she won't go far. She has a tree she goes to, she thinks it's a secret, but I know where it is. She'll sit up there and sulk for the rest of today, quite safe."

Wendy shivered slightly, pulling the blanket more closely around her.

"I can see I'm going to have to create a new wardrobe for myself if I'm going to live here."

"I may have something you'll like to wear."

Getting up, Peter went around the end of the bed and reached down to heave a leather bound sea chest onto the covers.

"I stole this from Hook's cabin, along with some other stuff. I thought it might contain treasure, but instead I found these."

Flipping back the lid, Peter pulled out a length of fabric, and laid it on the bed beside Wendy.

"Oh Peter....its lovely."

She held the dress up, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. The style was old fashioned, the fabric richly embroidered with tiny blue flowers against a cream silk background.

"Its very nice.....but hardly practical." Said Wendy, fingering the material wistfully.

"It's dry....which makes it very practical. Come on, while this lot feed their faces, I'll take you on a proper tour of the underground."

Getting up, Peter extended his hand which Wendy took, the blanket slipping off completely, the cream dress now clutched against her chest as a shield.

"I don't want anyone leaving this room until I return." Peter ordered, the children pausing in their meal before nodding and resuming eating. All eyes watched them leave through one of the archways, whispers breaking out as soon as the leather curtain dropped into place.

"Told you.....she won't be leaving here, not if Peter has anything to say about it," announced Twig, his voice lowered as he addressed the table.

"Whatever," Briggs muttered, "Bane's not going to like it......she's only going to cause more trouble....why did he have to bring her here?"

"Briggs you dope...because he's in love with her.....and her with him, I'd say...." Topper replied, grinning around a mouthful of fish.

"Your daft.....anyway, I still say Bane's a darn sight prettier, Wendy's just plain fat."

At once a heated argument broke out, food flying as apposing camps hurled insults over Wendy's looks and figure, the fight as amicable as ever, standard behaviour during any meal.

Peter led Wendy along a passage and showed her where they stored their food and supplies, the rooms dug out of the soil and lit by candle lanterns. Several of the rooms were dark, Peter lighting a lantern and showing her a small room she could use to change in.

"Its funny....I tried to do what I did at the beach, when we first arrived, but it didn't work.....why is that Peter?"

"The longer you're here.....the more normal everything becomes. Sorry, its just the way it is."

"Oh....that's a shame. I would have liked to have seen that ball dress one last time."

"Get changed, there's more to see."

"Um....you don't happen to have a hair brush anywhere?" Wendy lifted her still damp hair, the strands sticking together limply.

"I'll see what I can find." He turned to go, then stopped. "You don't....um....need a hand, do you?"

His outrageously hopeful expression made Wendy laugh before she pushed him out of the room, the curtain swinging behind him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Title: Necromancer
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Four - Afternoon Delight

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wendy had her grand tour of the underground, and was impressed with what she saw. On her first trip, the hideout had been crude in the extreme, the central room unfinished and crowded. In the intervening years Peter had expanded with passages and side rooms and multiple concealed entries and exits, so that they had several choices for escape if their home ever came under siege. By the time they returned to the main room all of its occupants were gone, the table scattered with dirty plates and empty platters, food everywhere.

"Is it always like this?"

Peter grimaced, seeing the chaos through her eyes. "More or less...I was hoping you'd take them in hand."

"I'll do my best Peter....but I'm not sure...I mean..apart from my brothers and the original Lost Boys, I've not had that much experience as......as a mother."

"That's okay.....I'm not exactly a good father either."

"Well....father.....help me clear this mess up and we might be able to find ourselves something to eat."

They set to, Peter taking the empty platters to the kitchen while Wendy cleared the table of food scraps, sweeping them into the bucket to be disposed of later. With the table cleared, she replaced the uneaten fruit back into the bowls and dusted off one of the rough wooden stools before sitting down, the small mountain of candles still burning merrily as a centrepiece. Peter came back carrying some cleaned plates and a jug, along with some cups. Sitting down on the opposite side of the table, he poured her a drink and passed it over.

"Only water, we have a spring not far from here, so its fresh every day."

Wendy took a sip, then chuckled. "Do you remember me filling those flower cups with water and pretending it was medicine?"

"Of course....that blasted drip was one of the reasons I decided to enlarge on what we had.....plus it gave me something to do until a new Lost Boy turned up."

"In between invading my dreams of course."

"Yes.....inbetween our adventures."

"I'm amazed you had any time to yourself at all."

"Oh, I managed. Here, use this," He handed over a bone handled paring knife which Wendy proceeded to use, peeling the skin off a ripe pear-like fruit, the flesh juicy and sweet.

They sat there in companionable silence while they consumed their meal, the air around them redolent with the scent of the candles and warm earth. Their eyes meeting and sliding away, their hands frequently reaching for the same thing, touching and withdrawing, like a dance that only they knew the steps to. Finally satisfied, Wendy piled the fruit peelings on her plate and got up.

"Where have they all gone to?"

"Oh......out.....probably to avoid doing what we just had to do."

"Hmmm......in that case, I think I'll take the opportunity and see what supplies we're going to need. I warn you now, Peter Pan...I don't intend to put up with a dirty bed and perpetually grubby clothes."

Peter pretended to be outraged. "What...you don't like bugs in your bed, and mud on your skirt?"

"No, silly.....I don't. What I tolerated the first time I was here, is a far cry from what I'll put up with now.....that's if you still want me to live with you.....I mean, stay here....oh, you know what I mean."

Flustered, she picked up their plates and walked to the kitchen, Peter holding the curtain back for her to pass under before following her in.

"Just give me a list.....and I'll see what I can do. I suppose towels are top of the list?"

"Well something to use to dry my hands, other than my skirt, would be nice."

Peter shook his head, a mock gloomy expression on his face. "Girls!"

"Oh you....now make yourself useful and fetch me some water......please, and that bucket of food scraps needs emptying, and I'll need some help shaking out those covers on your bed if you expect me to sleep there tonight...and...."

"Wendy......you don't have to do this.....you're their mother, not their servant."

"You're quite right Peter.....so you can have the task of organising those children and getting all those chores done....otherwise you'll be doing them all yourself."

"I thought you might say that." Leaning forward, he pecked a kiss on her cheek before turning and leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen, her hand held to her face and a small smile curving her lips.

The rest of the morning and into the afternoon was spent spring cleaning the underground. The younger members all pitched in, although Wendy had to admit they were sometimes more of a hindrance than a help, so she tried to make it as fun as possible, the air often rent with shrieks of laughter as they worked. Briggs and Topper also helped, reluctantly as first, before themselves joining in the mayhem, throwing off their assumed dislike of her for the time being and getting into the spirit of the occasion.

By the middle of the afternoon, Wendy was satisfied that she would be able to sleep quite comfortably that night, her bed freshly laid, the covers brushed and shaken, a new curtain of privacy created to shield her and Peter from the rest of the room. Topper had smirked when she'd first proposed it, but a nudge from Briggs stopped his snigger in mid-snort. The younger Lost boys had enjoyed flinging their bed covers about, ostensively getting rid of crumbs and dust, but mostly just jumping about and screaming, until Wendy shooed them outside and the dust with them. Briggs fashioned a broom and set too, sweeping out the remnants of past meals, Topper scooping up the dust and debris into a bucket which was carried away from the tree to avoid leaving evidence of their existence too near to the hideout.

Finally, it was done. Everyone was hot and tired and very dusty, their faces smeared with streaks of dirt, appearing a little like chimney sweeps, just not so black.

"All done......and thank you, all of you for your help. Now we need to get cleaned up before we think about something for supper."

"Not washing......again!" Whined Twig, wiping his hands over his jerkin, adding to the dirt already ingrained into the fabric.

"Yes a wash.....good lord, you're so dirty I don't know who is who under the grime." Laughed Wendy, licking her thumb and running it down Twig's cheek, leaving a broad streak of clean skin.

"We use a stream usually, for swimming. There a big waterhole, deep enough to bathe in." Said Topper, exchanging a look with Briggs who shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Sounds wonderful......you'll all need a change of clothes of course."

"Change? But we only have these?" Said Twig, pulling at his grubby trousers.

"Well that will never do.....your clothes all need a wash."

"We could all run around naked?" Suggested Topper, getting a rude glare from Briggs and an elbow in the side.

"I'm sure if you don't mind......I certainly don't." Replied Wendy with aplomb, the boys mouths all dropping open, Briggs blushing furiously.

"I should qualify that by saying that I won't be bathing with you. But I still suggest you take something else to wear, your clothes will be damp for some time, and I believe it gets too cold at night for running about without a stitch on."

"We'll use the dress-up clothes, they'll be good enough until our clothes dry. Come of you lot, lets get it over with."

Wendy watched as the boys rummaged in a large chest, pulling out an assortment of adult clothes, each choosing several items before Briggs shut the chest and started to chivvy Topper and the littlies out of the room.

"Don't forget to wash your hair, and behind your ears." Wendy called after them, grinning to herself as a fresh wave of muttering broke out as they left.

She was just getting to her feet, preparing to sort out something for herself to change into when she heard a chorus of greetings, Peter having obviously returned as the boys were leaving. Within seconds Peter appeared with a deer carcass draped over his shoulders, the body skinned and dressed, already missing its head, feet and innards.

"I've been hunting!" He announced proudly, although entirely unnecessarily.

"I can see.......um....where do you propose we cook it?"

"In the fireplace of course."

"Oh.......on what?"

Grunting, Peter lifted the carcass and dumped it on the table, Wendy squeaking in dismay as it ruined the freshly cleaned surface. Peter didn't notice and marched over to the wide fireplace set into the wall. It had been swept the same as the rest of the room, but Wendy hadn't realise it was also used for cooking. She had stacked a collection of metal poles to one side, meaning to ask Peter what they were for. As she watched, Peter assembled a spit, positioning it over the empty grate.

"I'll get the fire going and we can cook it over the coals."

Eyeing his gory shoulders, slick with blood from the deer, Wendy swallowed hard before heading for the stack of wood neatly placed against the wall. Within minutes Peter had a blaze going, the smoke drawn up a concealed chimney.

"What about the smoke, won't it attract the pirates?"

"They're back at the Jolly Roger......I checked. The trees will disperse most of the smoke, don't worry."

When the fire started do die down, Peter threaded the carcass onto the long metal pole and carried it to the fire, positioning it on the side braces. Immediately blood started to drip down onto the flames, making them sizzle and flare.

"We need the boys to turn this, otherwise it'll just burn. Where are they?"

"Oh....I sent them to wash.....we've been cleaning all day."

Peter looked around the room, noting the changes.

"Sorry about the table." He finally said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, leaving a gory smear over his face.

"I'll get a cloth. I think you should have a bath yourself Peter."

Looking down at himself, Peter laughed. "I do look a sight...I'll wait for the boys to get back, then I'll show you where you can bathe as well."

"Thank you.....I was hoping to get washed up."

While Wendy cleaned the table top, Peter squatted by the fire and turned the spit, the smell of cooking meat filling the room, making Wendy's mouth water. The Lost boys appeared all in a tumble a little while later, their freshly washed bodies encased in an odd assortment of ill fitting garments, their wet hair slicked back off their scrubbed faces. Peter rose to his feet and indicated for Topper to take over. Wendy took charge of their wet clothes and hung them around the room, close to the fire to dry off.

Pebble walked up to Peter, his pink face squeaky clean, and looked him up and down, before wrinkling his nose and annoucing, "you smell bad....and you're covered in blood."

"Thank you Pebble......I know. I'm off to take a bath. Briggs, you're in charge, don't let that burn."

Wendy was already by the door, a bundle of clothes clutched in her arms, waiting for Peter.

As he approached she wrinkled her nose at him. "Pebbles right, you do....um....pong!"

Peter laughed and made to grab her, causing her to jump back and give a little shriek.

They kept up the game of catch and grab outside, Peter leading her down a path that wound its way through the dense shrubs until it opened out into a grassy clearing beside a wide pool, the stream feeding it at one end, a natural dam emptying at the other. It was private and very inviting.

"Oh Peter....this is lovely, is this where the boys came?"

"No.....they go further downstream....this is where I bathe."

Not bothering to do more than remove the various weapons about his person, Peter tugged off the top half of his leaf outfit and dived into the water, Wendy staring after him. When he surfaced, he shook his head, water flying in all direction, his sun-kissed curls flat against his head.

"Come on Wendy........its wonderful."

Putting her bundle of clothes on the grass, Wendy stepped forward, dipping her toes into the edge of the water.

"Aren't you going to take your dress off?" Peter asked curiously.

"NO!......er......no.....it needs a rinse, anyway."

Shrugging, Peter turned and dived under the water. Taking the opportunity, Wendy waded into the pool, the water quickly reaching her waist, then her breasts, until she floated, her skirts tangling around her legs as she trod water. It was awkward, swimming in her clothes, but the alternative was too shocking to contemplate. She had been taught to swim by her brothers on a visit to a cousins' country house several years before. Her initiation taking the form of being pushed in fully clothed and having to learn the rudiments or drown. Since then she'd had only a few opportunities to swim, so felt quite nervous for several seconds before she relaxed.

It dawned on her after several minutes that Peter had not surfaced. Fearfully she started to call his name, her body twisting as she tried to peer into the green depth, her voice becoming shrill with anxiety. Just as she was about to scream for help, Peter erupted out of the water behind her, making her scream in relief and surprise, her arms clutching him around his neck, too pleased to see him to worry about the propriety of clutching a wet, half naked boy to her bosom.

"Where did you go....I couldn't see you anywhere?"

"I swam to the side, to take the rest of my leaves off."

"W-w-h-at?"

Peter's arms were loosely holding her to him, her arms firmly wrapped around his neck, their lower bodies not quite touching.

"I-took-my-leaves-off," Peter carefully enunciated, grinning at Wendy's shocked expression.

"You....er....you...." She darted a look down to where the water reached, half way up his chest. "You're.....naked?"

"And clean.......see." He glanced over his first one shoulder then the next, before turning back to face her, his eyes reflecting the sparkles on the water. Wendy gulped and made to push away from him.

"I think I'd better......er....better get out."

"And I think you should get this dress off......you can't wash it if your wearing it."

"Peter!"

As she strained to get away, Peter reached around and undid the buttons at the back of the dress, his face scant inches from hers as she twisted to avoid meeting his eyes. With her attention elsewhere Peter took advantage and kissed her, his mouth hungrily devouring hers, his teeth nipping at her lips, keeping her too occupied to worry about what his hands were doing.

Having disposed of the buttons, Peter lowered his arms and started to bunch the material up in his hands, dragging it up over her legs almost to her waist before she started to struggle in earnest.

"Peter please.......stop.."

"You'll feel more comfortable without this dragging you down," he murmured, his lips still engaging her, her senses drowning in an avalanche of feeling, his busy hands pulling her dress up further.

"Raise your arms."

So drunk on his nearness and his lips, Wendy concurred before she realised what she was doing. By the time she did Peter had her dress off over her head and it was floating across the surface of the pond. The sensation of being completely naked in a tepid pool with a handsome young man was something Wendy simply had no defence against. Her skin tingled and she felt unbearably aware of her entire body all at once, the water seeking out and finding a host of sensitive places as she moved in the water. Peter was still holding her lightly with his hands on her waist, the movement of the water making his fingers tips drag back and forth over her skin. Blushing so hard she was sure she would burst into flames, Wendy ducked under the water, coming up almost instantly, but now able to push her saturated hair back off her face, sweeping it behind her ears, studiously avoiding meeting Peter's eyes.

"Peter......this is.....well....this is...."

"Delicious.....yes I agree..." Pulling her against him, Peter claimed her lips again, his hands reaching around and flattening against her lower back, pulling her into his body, her hands reaching up and tangling in his hair as the kiss deepened. They were so caught up in their own responses that they didn't notice the person standing on the grassy bank, her brown eyes taking in the scene with a jealous gleam. As Peter's mouth left her lips and started on her face, chin and neck, Wendy languidly opened her eyes, only to meet Bane's glare, shocking Wendy into jerking away from Peter, who raised his head in surprise.

"What's the...."

"Bane." Wendy whispered, ducking down in the water until only her head was above the surface.

Peter slowly turned around, his back to Wendy, shielding her from Bane's view. "You're early Bane.....I thought I said dusk."

"It's as near as maybe.....and I wanted to bathe.....but I see your occupied with her....so I'll come back later."

"Use the lower pool....the boys have already had their bath for today."

"But I prefer this one......"

"Well I'm using this pool......so use the other one."

"Ooooooooh!" Furious, Bane stamped off, scowling horribly. Peter sighed and turned back to Wendy who was having a difficult time keeping a straight face.

"Oh dear....another black mark against me," said Wendy resignedly.

"She'll get over it.......now.....where were we."

Peter made to grab for her, but Wendy pushed off from the bottom and kicked away, laughing as Peter growled and set off in pursuit. Being the better swimmer Peter quickly overhauled her, diving under the water and coming up, his arms around her, their bodies sliding over each other like otters. Pulling her towards him, Peter wrapped her legs around his waist, the intimate contact shocking Wendy and making her gasp before she found herself once more drowning as his mouth made love to hers, her eyes sliding shut as his tongue sought hers, her heart setting up a rapid tattoo in her chest pressed hard against his. After several pleasurable minutes, Wendy broke free, gasping and trembling, overwhelmed with her bodies responses.

"Oh Peter.....what are we doing.....I feel.....so..."

"So what?"

"So out of control.....its frightening."

"Not frightening......exciting."

Nuzzling her neck, Peter kissed his way to her ear, sucking on the lobe, making her groan, her arms tightening around his neck. She felt on fire, her body overwhelmed with need, for what she wasn't entirely sure.

"We have to stop....Peter....oh....oh yes, just there...."

Peter grinned against her skin, nibbling at her jaw, working his way back to her mouth. Feeling languid and relaxed, Wendy loosened her arms, her body sliding down Peter's a little way. Abruptly she tightened her arms and her eyes opened wide, her body tensing in his arms. Sensing the change, Peter lifted his head and met her shocked gaze.

"Wendy?"

"Peter....I.....I think we should stop....right now."

Grinning Peter moved his hands up and down her back, each stroke bringing his hands down until he was able to cup her backside in his palms. Wendy squeaked and flushed crimson, burying her face against his shoulder as he pulled her more firmly against him, his arousal pressing against her most private centre.

"I think...." Peter started to say, a rustling sound alerting him to someone's approach, his bottom lip pulled into his mouth for a second before he continued. "I think........ we should get out of this water, and find somewhere a little less.......exposed." Turning slightly, Peter saw Bane stomp past the river bank, her eyes averted from the pair in the water, her face set and angry. Almost immediately, he heard his name being called by one of the boys and felt Wendy shaking in his arms. Lifting her head she turned her brimming eyes to him, her mouth stretched into a wide smile, a muffled giggle escaping before she buried her face against his shoulder again, shaking with laughter.

Peter pinched her bottom, making her jump in his arms, her head coming up to admonish him, her words never said as their eyes locked.

"We will finish this...."

Wendy felt adrift, drowning in his blue-green eyes, a hint of fairy dust dancing in their depths.

"Tonight," Wendy whispered back. Slowly they separated, her legs releasing his body, his hands letting go of her hips. Feeling instantly bereft, Wendy chewed her lip, her eyes still locked with his. As if by an invisible signal they came together again, lips and teeth clashing, tongues duelling in a kiss that set their hearts thumping and their senses swimming. Breaking apart more slowly, they swam back to the shore, stepping out of the water together, hardly noticing their state of undress. Peter reached for her hand and drew her towards him, her body slick and warm, igniting his own in a fever of want.

"Tonight, my Wendy....."

"Until tonight...." she replied.

Stepping to the bundle of cloths, Wendy pulled out a pair of trousers and a loose shirt, tossing them to Peter.

"I thought these might be more.......convenient than your leaves."

"Thanks.......they will be."

They quickly dressed, Peter helping her with the buttons of the new dress. Wendy suddenly remembered the one she'd been wearing the turned back to the pond.

"Oh no.....my dress!" she wailed, seeing the fabric snagged on the dam. Peter lifted off and flew over to the collection of logs and branches, hanging upside down to untangle and retrieve the sodden gown, careful not to get himself wet again. He wrung it out and carried it back to the bank.

"Oh dear......just as well I wasn't planning on wearing it to a ball anytime soon." Squeezing the worst of the water out, she rolled it up and they set off back to the hideout. When they entered the underground the smell of cooking meat was mouth-wateringly overwhelming. The boys were all clustered around the fire, watching the carcass turn on the spit, juices running down and hissing into the flames. Wendy hung her dress up besides the boys clothes, turning to see where Bane was. The girl was lying on her stomach on one of the sleeping couches, her body tense, pointedly ignoring everybody. Wendy went over and stood beside the bed and waited for the girl to notice. Bane chose to ignore her.

"Do you have any clothes to hang up Bane?....They should be dry by morning if I hang them up now."

"Here." Bane handed Wendy a bundle of damp clothes, the fabric as torn and worn as the boys. Bane was wearing another refugee from the costume chest, a large frilled shirt that came down to her knees, the long sleeves with their lace cuffs flopping over her wrists. As Wendy moved away to hang up her clothes, Bane suddenly moved, swinging her legs over the side and sitting up. When Wendy turned back to the room, Bane was leaning back on one hand, the other dragging a comb through her pale hair, the shirt hanging wide open, almost unbuttoned to her navel, exposing a large expanse of chest and barely covering her still immature breasts. Wendy glanced over at Peter, but he was absorbed at the table, checking over his weapons, rebinding a knife handle. Bane continued her preening, her arm raised as she combed her hair, the movement of her arm pulling the shirt open with each move. Wendy then looked over at the fire and saw Briggs eyes staring at Bane, his hand automatically turning the spit, but his attention all on the lovely girl and the teasing glimpses of her body. Walking over to Bane, careful to keep herself between the fire and the bed, Wendy stood infront of the girl, forcing her to stop her combing and look up at the older girl.

"I think you really should button that shirt Bane....I wouldn't want you to catch a chill."

Leaning back on both hands, Bane smirked up at Wendy, the shirt now barely covering her at all. "I like it like this.....and I know the boys do."

"I'm sure that Briggs does....if that is who you are trying to attract."

"Oh him.....he looks at me all the time.....he's just a boy," Bane dismissed her beau with a roll of her eyes, tossing her head to make her hair flick back over her shoulder.

"He may be a boy.....but he also a young man, and its not fair to tease him like this. It does no credit to you or show respect for him."

Bane looked up at Wendy for a second as if not believing her ears. "Respect?...who the hell cares about respect?"

"Well I do for one.....and Peter certainly does."

"What would you know about Peter and what he likes?"

"I have known Peter for a very long time Bane...many years before you arrived in Neverland. If this display was intended to garner his interest, then look for yourself if it has been successful." Wendy stood back and Bane looked over at the table, seeing Peter totally engrossed in trimming the feathers of an arrow, not once glancing up from his task.

"I'm sorry you have taken a dislike to me Bane.....but the fact is, I am here to stay and will be living here, with you and the others and Peter for quite some time. I will also be sleeping with Peter, in his bed, every night." Wendy moved to sit down next to the girl, Bane's head now tilted down, her eyes staring at the floor. Slowly, as if dealing with a nervous fawn, Wendy softly fastened all the buttons on the shirt, her slender fingers closing each opening until Bane's chest was demurely covered and her modesty restored. "I don't want to be your enemy, and you're too old for me to baby you like the others. I can understand that you don't want a mother, I'm not exactly sure I'm ready to be a mother either. But I would like to be your friend. It's nice sometimes to have another girl to talk to about things....things that we simply can't talk to boys about. I'm just the same...."

"Why doesn't he love me?....why does he love you?" Bane's softly uttered whisper reached Wendy and she felt a lump in her throat at the poignancy of the question. Still cautious, Wendy reached for one of Bane's hands and took it between her own.

"Bane, Peter does love you, he cares for all of you, he would be devastated if any of you were hurt of captured. He told me about Dak, it still hurts him that he couldn't rescue the boy."

"I knew Dak......he wasn't here long...he didn't...wouldn't understand the dangers here."

"I know, Peter told me. Would you like to hear how I met Peter?"

Bane lifted her head, her expression chastened.

"Why are you being nice to me?.....After all I've done."

"Because I was a girl, much like you, not so many years ago, and because I think we can be friends."

"He does love you...I mean, really love you....doesn't he?"

"Yes Bane.....he loves me, and I love him, so very much."

"Did you really give him your hidden kiss....and did you really save him from Hook?"

"Well it all started one night, in the nursery, when I awoke to find Peter hovering over my bed. Of course, I didn't know who he was then, and I thought I was dreaming, but Nana barked at him and captured Peter's shadow as he flew out the nursery window, so he had to come back to get it......"

As Wendy told the story of her first meeting with Peter, sitting on the bed holding Bane's hand, the other children shuffled over, leaving Briggs to turn the spit. Peter looked up and smiled at Wendy and her small audience. Bane was listening raptly to the story, her face turned towards the older girl, her hands still held between Wendy's. Turning back to his arrow, Peter chuckled to himself, once more in awe of the girl who had so easily beguiled and won his heart all those years ago. It seemed her magic hadn't dimmed one speck over the years.

Briggs called a halt to the story when he announced the meat to be cooked, the boys instantly leaping up and crowding around, Peter clearing the table before coming over and shooing the youngsters away.

Together, Peter and Briggs lifted the spit away from the fire to give them access to carve the meat from the bone. Wendy rose and gathered the children to go and fetch the plates, coming back with a platter for Peter to put the slices of roast venison on. Bane hung back until Wendy asked her to fetch the water jug and mugs, a task she set to with a willing spirit, setting the table and replacing the candles that had burnt to the stub. Finally Briggs carried the groaning platter to the table and everyone gathered around, sitting themselves on the benches and stools. Topper made to grab a share but his hand was stayed by a glare from Peter.

"Wendy.......is there anything you'd like to say before we eat?"

Startled, Wendy looked up, not quite sure what Peter meant.

"Oh....I suppose so.....er....thank you to Peter for bringing this food to our table, and thank you to Briggs for cooking it so well." She darted a look around the table, noting the intent expression on the faces around her. "And thank you for bringing me here to Neverland, if this is my heaven, then I'm well pleased."

As she ended, everyone's eyes swivelled to Peter, who grinned back at them. "Dig in!"

The table erupted and hands made a grab for the steaming platter, Wendy sitting well back to avoid being splattered by grease and gravy as the boys filled their plates. Peter, at the head of the table, leant negligently back in his chair, one leg thrown over the arm. He too waited for the first flurry to pass. Bane, sitting to Wendy's right, also hung back, her initial move to grab her share stopped when she saw that neither Wendy nor Peter were making a move. When the first wave of eager hands had filled their plates and retreated to munch, Wendy passed her plate to Bane and asked her to put some on for her. Looking at the meat, then at her clean hands, Bane hesitated. A knife thunked into the table in front of her, her startled eyes looking up to find Peter indicating for her to take it. Quickly she pulled the knife from the wood and speared several slices of the meat, passing the plate back to Wendy before filling her own. The boys were too engrossed in filling their bellies to notice the small byplay, their clean faces rapidly becoming grease smeared and as grubby as before.

Wendy had appropriated the paring knife she'd used before, and cut her meat into smaller chunks before using the knife like a fork and eating daintily. Both Peter and Bane watched her for a minute before following suit, Bane squirming as Twig, sitting beside her, propped his elbows on the table rudely and chewed with gusto on a large slice of dripping meat.

Wendy caught Peter's eyes and they exchanged a smile, Peter lifting his shoulders in a shrug accompanied by an eye roll, echoed by Wendy before they dissolved into giggles and broad smiles at the antics around the meal table. Bane was the only witness to the exchange, her mouth drooping as she acknowledge to herself how foolish she'd been to even think that Peter held anything but parental feelings for her.

The boys finished their meals in record time, the bolting of food resulting in a burping contest which entertained the children for some time until Peter called a halt, his rib aching from laughing so much, instructing the children to go and clean themselves up before the littlies got ready for bed. There was the usual chorus of moans and a new request that Wendy tell them a story before they settle to sleep. She agreed readily and the children set to on the table, clearing it in record time, while Wendy turned the clothes still hanging around the room so that they dried evenly. The fire had made the underground very warm and she felt a need for some air while the children took care of the dishes and remains of the deer. Slipping along one of the passageways, she stepped out into the semi-gloom of dusk and drew in a deep breath, welcoming the sting of the cooler air in her lungs. She heard a noise and turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Bane had followed her, the girls over-large shirt hanging loosely down her arms and body, the shirt hiding her hands as she crossed them over her chest.

Wendy waited for her to speak, ignoring her as she remained silent, just enjoying the evening air and waiting for Bane to pluck up the courage to talk to her.

"Wendy?"

"Yes Bane."

"Wendy......would you.......um.....would you teach me to be like you?"

Turning slowly, Wendy faced Bane and looked at her. Draped in the adult shirt, the girl looked ridiculously young and very vulnerable. It reminded Wendy of her own adolescence, her fear of growing up and forgetting, of her bodies betrayal as it grew in some places and did unmentionable things in others. Admittedly Wendy was hardly as old as Methuselah, but compared to Bane she felt decades older.

"Why do you want to be like me, I'd have thought being like you was hard enough....to try and be someone else if almost impossible."

"No....you don't understand......"

"I do Bane.....you want to learn how to act like.....a lady."

"Yes....that's it......will you?"

"You know something Bane.....I wish I could be more like you, sometimes. I wish I could just throw my control to the winds and let my emotions rule my head and heart. In the years since I left my childhood behind, I've had to learn to restrain my natural impulses, to forget the sheer joy of being alive and free. I want to get that freedom back, to enjoy what is, and not worry about what other people might think, can you teach me that?"

"I don't know.....I can try."

"Then that is enough.....and I will try to help you be the beautiful young lady I know is lurking inside you."

"Pact!" Bane lifted her hand to her mouth and spat in her palm before holding it out for Wendy to take. Wendy hesitated only a second before spitting in her own hand and gripping Bane's, the two of them grinning like idiots at each other.

"You'll be sort of like my sister........I mean, you're not exactly old enough to be my mother.....even if I knew what a mother was....which I don't."

"Oh Bane......do you want......do you want to tell me about...."

"About me? Nah....not tonight.......it might scare you off."

"Nothing scares me Bane....didn't Peter tell you that?"

"No....he did say he thought you were the bravest girl he'd ever known."

"Oh......well, I think you're the bravest person I know...."

Again they grinned at each other, the wood darkening around them as the night drew in. Wendy rubbed her arms at the sudden drop in temperature. "I think we should go in....it's getting cold."

"It's been getting colder and colder every night.....isn't that strange?"

"I don't know.....I certainly don't remember the nights being cold when I last came here.....but that was so long ago, maybe things have changed. Come on, let's get inside."

They met Peter coming up the passageway. "I was just coming to get you two, the littlies are in bed and waiting for a story.....mother."

"On my way....father."

Bane made a rude noise and brushed past them, Peter watching her leave before turning back and lifting an eyebrow. Wendy just smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"Don't worry....everything will work out fine."

"Good.....I have to go out and check over Neverland, so go ahead, I'll be back soon."

"Be careful Peter....."

"I will...."

Wendy watched as he left the tree, instantly soaring into the sky on his nightly patrol of their island world.

Turning away, Wendy made her way back to the underground and the eager children waiting to hear a bedtime story.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Title: Necromancer
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Five - Beyond the Veil

Rated: R for consensual sex between two main characters.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Peter returned to find his home unusually quiet. As he approached the main room he slowed his steps, hearing the murmuring of voices, the click of something knocking together. As he passed through the doorway he saw Briggs and Topper sitting at the table, tossing a dice between them, a pile of small sticks by each boy, the pile bigger beside Topper, his luck obviously running his way. As Peter advanced into the room Briggs looked up and instantly put his finger against his lips before pointing towards the fire. Peter turned and saw Wendy sitting in a chair by the hearth, her head turned away from him, apparently fast asleep. Smiling to himself, Peter sat down at the table and folded his arm on the surface.

Looking around he saw that Twig, Pebble and Pip were all snugly tucked into their beds, already fast asleep. Bane was also in her bed, her back turned to the room, her blanket up around her ears.

Peter raised an eyebrow at Briggs who smirked back.

"Wendy hardly got to finish the story before Pebble fell asleep in her arms, Pip curled up at her feet. She put them all to bed, even Bane, when she suggested the girl looked tired, went to bed without a murmur."

"Bane went to bed without an argument?"

"Sure she did.....I don't know what Wendy did....but Bane is.....she's...."

"Changed?"

"Yeah....."

Peter chuckled to himself, Briggs and Topper exchanging a confused look.

"What?" Topper asked.

"Nothing....just that Wendy has a special way of changing people even when they don't think they need to be changed."

"Did she change you Peter?"

"Oh yes.....she changed everything." Peter swung his eyes around to where Wendy sat, her long hair cascading over her shoulder, catching glints from the flames still licking the logs in the grate.

The boys regarded him quizzically. "Why did you let her, weren't you happy the way you were?"

"At the time I thought I was......even told her, to her face."

"What did she say?" Topper asked.

"Said she thought it was my biggest pretend."

Again, Briggs and Topper exchanged a baffled look.

Shaking his head, Briggs rattled the dice in his hand before tossing them on the table. "Hah.....snake eyes, I win again!"

"Not fair.....that's the last of my sticks gone."

"Cough up loser.....you now owe me over a thousand pounds!"

"Well good luck collecting!" Topper grinned, levering himself up from the table and stretching, his joints popping as he flexed his back. "I'm off, all that cleaning has worn me out."

"Yeah....and I want to get up and out early tomorrow, before we get roped into more cleaning!" Briggs snorted, sweeping the tiny marker sticks off the table into his hand. Cupping them carefully, he carried them over to the fire and tossed them in, where they flared up briefly among the embers. Peter remained at the table while the two boys sought their beds, rolling themselves in their sleeping furs, their backs to the room. Slowly he pinched out the candles left on the table, leaving only one, that and the fire the only light left as he rose to his feet and approached the sleeping figure in the chair. Squatting on his haunches, he poked the fire, pushing the wood to the back of the grate, sparks flying up the chimney as the embers settled. Satisfied that what remained couldn't roll out of the fireplace, Peter turned to look at the girl slumbering by the fire. In the flickering light she appeared much younger than her years, her face relaxed and untroubled, her long lashes smudging her cheeks, sooty and shadowed. He touched her hand, finding it cool, his own warm as he enclosed her slender fingers in his own.

"Wendy.....wake up, its time to go to bed."

For a moment she didn't respond, then her mouth pursed slightly before smiling, her eyes still closed. As he waited, her lashes lifted and her sleep darkened eyes blinked at him, her fingers tightening on his.

"Your back...is it late?"

"No.....but everyone has gone to bed, just us left."

"Hmmmm...... give me hand up."

Gently she tugged on his fingers, his own clasping hers and pulling, bringing her out of her chair as he rose to his feet, her body swaying a little as she regained her balance, still half asleep. Peter pulled her towards him and she went readily, her head finding his shoulder, her arms looping around his waist as hid encircled her shoulders. They stood there for several long minutes bathed in the light from the fire, each taking comfort from the other.

"Come on....lets get to bed." Peter started to lead her towards his curtained alcove, Wendy still wrapped around him, only pulling away to twitch a cover back over Pebble who had flung his arm out in his sleep as they passed the child's couch.

On reaching the curtain, they pulled apart, Peter holding back the skin while Wendy crawled onto the wide couch, her hands and knees sinking into the dense furs. Peter let the curtain drop and what little light there had been was cut off, plunging the alcove into darkness.

"Peter?"

"Right here...." She heard the rustle of clothes and then felt the furs dip as Peter joined her on the bed, her own fingers shaking as she tried to reach the buttons of her dress and fumbled them in the darkness. She felt rather than saw Peter reach out and push her hands out of the way, allowing him to undo the buttons one by one, his fingers brushing her hair out of the way as he slid the dress of one shoulder, his lips tracing its departure before sliding it off the other shoulder and following that with his lips as well. Wendy felt herself flush to her toes, her body starting to tremble as Peter pushed the dress down further, exposing her breasts to the cool night air, her nipples hardening and pebbling into points. She felt Peter's soft hair brush her skin as his lips trailed down her chest from her shoulder and over the swell of her breast until his warm mouth closed over a swollen peak making her gasp out loud at the exquisite sensations coursing through her.

"Wendy...lay down...." Peter's whisper brought her back to herself, her arms lifting out of the sleeves as she shucked the dress down to her waist while Peter pulled the top layer of covers back, the dress finally removed and thrown down the end of the bed before Wendy scooted her legs under the covers and shuffled herself down into the bed, Peter pulling the covers over them both. Wendy lay as little nervously on her back, her head turned towards Peter, unable to see much in the gloom, only the sound of his breathing telling her where he was. Then out of the darkness his hands and mouth found her again, his hair once more brushing against her chest as he resumed his exploration of her breasts, her own breath gasping as he sucked her nipple deep into the warmth of his mouth, his tongue stoking and exciting her flesh, his fingers finding the other peak and stoking that as well. His body was lying flush against her side, the heat from his skin searing her as he kissed his way from her breast, up her throat until his mouth covered hers, taking what little breath she had left in a kiss that made her toes curl. Drowning in the awakening of her body, Wendy reached out and started to touch him, his skin like velvet under her fingers, the planes of his chest and shoulders providing an endless playground for her to knead and stroke, his heart now pressed to hers as they entwined arms and legs in an effort to get closer. Everything felt fluid, their limbs sliding against each other, exciting them further, their hands stroking and fondling every inch as they explored and discovered, each gasp and groan begging for that touch to be repeated and relearned. Wendy threaded her fingers through his hair, her nails raking his scalp as his mouth devoured hers, their tongues duelling for supremacy, each conceding the sweet victory to the other before embarking on another journey, lips now following hands in an effort to map and record every inch of the other, their breathing becoming harsh in the confines of the furs.

Wendy was lost, her head thrown back as Peter suckled on her neck, his hand delving down her quivering stomach to burrow through her nether curls, her legs falling open to his light touch, her core aching for something to fill it. His hand dipped between her thighs and played with the slick folds, his fingers stroking and teasing, dipping into the moistness, then stroking again. Wendy arched into his hand, his name groaned on her breath as she strained upwards, his mouth fastening on her breast making her gasp as his busy digits entered her, the sensations both alarming and exhilarating as she moaned again. Wanting to reciprocate and make him as mindless as she was fast becoming, Wendy sought out and found his hardness, pressed hotly against her hip, her fingers curling around him and making him jerk into her hand as she squeezed and stroked, the angle awkward but still pleasurable. His hand between her legs found the hard nubbin at the apex of her folds, his touch enough to make her arch again as her body responded with a blaze of spark from that light contact, his hand stilling as she mewed, her lips caught between her teeth to stifle her cries.

"P-l-l-ea-se....Peter....oh...."

Removing his hand, Peter shifted and moved over her, positioning himself between her thighs, his hot, hard sex brushing against hers, exciting her further as his mouth sought hers, sealing it in a kiss as he braced himself over her.

"Wendy......oh Wendy..."

Slowly he started to push into her, her legs coming up to wrap around his hips as he advanced, his muscles quivering as her heat surrounded him, her moist folds welcoming him, her body urging him onwards.

The feel of his body entering her was almost too much for her to process, his hardness spreading her, filling her up as he pushed into her, her body shaking as he buried himself inside her, pausing to allow her to become accustomed to this new intimacy, their chests heaving as they absorbed all the sensations of their joining. After a few seconds Peter moved, pulling out a little way then pushing back in, their bodies setting up a rhythm, Wendy's legs gripping his hips, her heels urging him on as control starte