"Did the Crocodile just get eaten by the Buffalostrich Rex, or was I hallucinating?" One of the twins asked, rubbing his eyes.
"That's what I saw," Noodler confirmed with a grin.
"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Said the other twin.
Slightly peered outside and wiped a tear from his face. "That's my boy," he said. "I knew there was a reason to keep him alive. I knew someday he would make me proud."
Wendy got to her feet but immediately had to sit down again. Captain Hook had restored the power, but everyone was still a little unstable. The effects of that gas were wearing off, and she was trying to sort out what had been real and what had been fabricated. She was fairly certain the dancing llamas were fake, but the kiss had been real. At least she hoped it was. She stole a glance at Peter, who was already up and trying to help the others. Nibs had a big gash above his eye and Smee looked like he might have twisted his ankle, but otherwise, everybody seemed alright. Peter turned to face everyone.
"Thanks for saving me," he said sheepishly, his face growing pink. "I really owe you all."
"Wendy was the reason we were able to do it," Bill Jukes admitted. "She unlocked the ship's cabin and already had a plan. All we had to do was gather up the supplies and turn the Weather Tree to winter."
"Yeah, that way the snow would hide us from coming!" Trevor piped up.
Everyone turned to stare at Wendy, and she shrank back. "Captain Hook gave me the key," she said quietly.
"Captain Hook?" Peter said dubiously, raising his eyebrows at the pirate.
"Yes, Peter," the man responded. "I don't hate you that much, you know." He smiled weakly, and then looked as if he were about to cry. "But now that Matilda's gone, I don't know what I'm going to do."
"I'm sorry, Captain," Smee said, putting his hand on the man's shoulder, "You must have really loved her after all."
"Loved her?" Hook scoffed. "Absolutely not. That woman was the devil's apprentice. No, I'm worried about myself! That information she was hiding is now going to be released and they'll be after me and I'll have to go back to that prison and rot!" He exclaimed, his shoulders shaking.
"We'll see what Tink can do about it," Peter assured him.
Wendy gasped, and comprehension dawned on Peter and Captain Hook at the same time.
"Tink is still trapped in central control with no air!" Wendy cried.
"I'll go get her!" Curly volunteered, a little too quickly. He pulled Slightly's belt from off his hips, grabbed a cord hanging from the shattered glass walls and slipped out of sight.
The others began to prepare to leave and Peter came over to Wendy.
"You are amazing," he said, taking her hand and helping her to her feet, "in more ways than one, it appears."
"Oh, it was nothing," Wendy said jokingly. Truthfully, the events of the last few hours had completely drained her. "Do you think I could stay the night before I head back home tomorrow?"
Peter frowned. "You're not staying?"
"No, Peter. And I'm taking Tootles with me."
He searched her face, and whatever he found there apparently stopped him from trying to persuade her otherwise.
"Well, you are welcome to visit anytime you like," Peter said softly. "The boys will miss you."
Wendy raised her eyebrows at him. "Will they?"
"Of course. But not as much as I'll miss you." He pulled her to his chest, and Wendy was sure he was about to kiss her, but Slightly interrupted.
"Will someone go turn off the Weather Tree already? I can't feel my bum anymore!"
*****
It had been hard work getting Trevor to leave Neverland, but once his medicine started to wear off he was glad that Wendy had taken him back to Mrs. Nancy's. Over the next few weeks, however, he frequently asked if they could go back.
He had entertained the other boys at the home with his adventures in Neverland, and Wendy had to make them believe that it really was some amusement park on the other side of town. Mrs. Nancy had scolded him for running off, but in the next instant she had taken him in her arms, crying tears of relief that he was safe and back in her care.
Wendy's mother had fully recovered and had been released from the hospital, and everything was back to normal. Almost.
Wendy thought about Peter a little more than she should, and while she knew she couldn't live in Neverland, she had thought maybe she would go back and visit from time to time. The first two weeks had flown by with taking care of her mother and putting everything back in order at Mrs. Nancy's, so when Wendy finally tried to make her way back to Neverland, she found that the tunnel had been completely sealed up. She had been severely disappointed, and she felt betrayed. Maybe Peter didn't care that much for her after all. After being bitter about it for a few days, she had decided it was best this way. She couldn't spend her weekends frolicking around in some hidden wonderland with the lost boys, regardless of how much one of those boys meant to her. She had responsibilities. She had to grow up.
"What are you thinking about?" Trevor asked, tugging on Wendy's sleeve. Wendy started, realizing she had been staring out the kitchen window.
"Neverland," she whispered, ruffling the boy's curly hair. She turned back to the sink to continue washing the dishes.
"I think about it a lot too," Trevor sighed, leaning against the cabinets. "Will we ever get to go there again?"
Wendy looked down at the boy and for a moment she thought she might cry. She swallowed the lump in her throat and picked him up. "No, Trevor," she replied quietly. "Only in our dreams."
"Oh, I dream about it all the time."
"So do I," Wendy admitted.
"I bet you dream about Peter."
"What?"
"I know that you love him," Trevor said, his nose wrinkling. "I saw you kiss him. Yuck!"
Wendy laughed, but still felt a tightness in her chest. She couldn't love Peter. It was impossible. A peculiar boy living far beneath the city in an unreal world. A boy she would never see again. No, she didn't love Peter, but she would always remember him as the boy who kidnapped her and forced her to have fun again.
"Alright, it's time to do your schoolwork," she announced, setting Trevor back down. Trevor groaned, but slowly went to his room. Wendy finished cleaning the kitchen and began to gather her things.
"Wendy, I've just received the best news!" Mrs. Nancy said, nearly knocking Wendy over as she rushed into the kitchen. "We're not going to be shut down!" She exclaimed.
"That's wonderful! I knew everything would work out."
"Yes! Apparently that woman, Mrs. Carnivera, has disappeared, so she wasn't able to refute our appeal!"
"Well, isn't that odd?" Wendy replied, hiding a smile. She shouldn't smile, really. The woman had been devoured by a massive, hybridized animal. But her untimely death seemed to be advantageous to both Neverland and the Grey World.
"It's absolutely serendipitous!" Mrs. Nancy cried, pulling Wendy into a nearly bone crushing hug. After the woman had calmed down a bit, Wendy started for home.
She was so lost in thought as she walked along that she almost didn't notice him. She glanced over at the street corner and saw a boy with bright green eyes sitting there, holding a sign. At first she thought she was seeing things, but no, it was Peter, right there in the place she had first seen him only a few weeks before. She read his sign and her jaw dropped.
LOST MY WENDY. NEED HELP.
She crossed to him slowly, wondering what she was going to say to him. Apparently he couldn't wait for her to reach him because he jumped up and ran to her, meeting her in the middle of the street. He scooped her off of her feet and spun her around. When he'd finally returned her to the ground, Wendy wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him or slap him.
"I have so much to tell you!" He exclaimed. "We've made a ton of changes and improvements and I can't wait to show them to you. Plus, I want you to build some things over by the silver mountains."
Wendy's eyes lit up and she quivered with excitement, but she had to remind herself to stay rational.
"I tried to come down to Neverland," she said coolly, "but the tunnel was shut."
Peter clapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh no! I should have told you. We made a new entrance. Those tunnels took way too long."
"A new entrance?"
"Yeah, it's right there!" Peter said, pointing to a nearby uncovered manhole.
"You're joking."
"I'm not. We can go down right now!" He looked at her hopefully and took her hand, but Wendy gently pushed him away.
"Peter, I can't go with you."
His smile only faltered a little. "Okay, tomorrow then. I'll meet you right on this corner..."
"No, Peter, I can't go back to Neverland. Ever."
Peter looked so forlorn that she was tempted to kiss him, but she restrained herself. She wasn't sure when she had reached this conclusion. Perhaps it was when the real world had been such an unpleasant shock. Maybe it was because it had taken her so long to adjust back to her responsibilities, and she didn't want to have to go through all that again. She had just consigned herself to a life of mediocre normalcy, one that was largely mundane but sprinkled with the small joys of spending time with her mother and taking care of those rambunctious boys at the children's home.
"Wendy, come with me," he pleaded, his eyes intense and beseeching.
"I can't. I'm not a child anymore," she responded, almost choking on the words.
Peter laughed. "Of course you are! The only people who have stopped being children are those who have stopped dreaming."
Wendy cocked her head to the side, considering his surprising wisdom. He reached up and brushed her hair out of her face, then gently pulled her closer. But before the moment got too tender, Wendy noticed a large truck heading straight for them. She cried out and pushed Peter into the manhole, then jumped in after him just as the truck rumbled above.
She was falling in darkness for several seconds, and then she landed next to Peter on the back of the Neverbird. The smells, the colors, and the excitement all hit her at once. She peered down and took in the wonder, the thrill of the unknown. Maybe it would make going back home worse every time, but wasn't the adventure worth it? Catching her breath, she looked over at Peter and smiled.
"Alright, then," she conceded. "But only for a few hours."
Peter broke into a lopsided smile and kissed her cheek, then flew the large mechanical bird through the air and down to Neverland.