Pan was shook awake by Felix. Black soot on his face, Felix looked like he had just come back from a war zone.
"Felix what-?"
"The camp is on fire." Felix's eyes were crazed. Panic because nothing dangerous ever happens to Lost Boys.
"That's impossible!" Pan ran outside the hut onto the wooden balcony. The forest was set a blaze. When Felix said the camp was on fire, he pictured the bonfire catching a couple of tents on fire. The fire had licked up the tallest of the jungle trees. Pan was surprised his hut wasn't on fire.
He nearly fell off the ladder getting to the center of the camp. He gathered all of the Lost Boys and counted to make sure no one was left behind.
"Get to the beach!" He hollered over the roaring fires.
They took off. It was only halfway there Pan remembered the dream. Wendy curled up against him in a meadow. Picking flowers and naming shapes in the clouds. Laughing and smiling a perfect smile.
He forgot her.
He spun on his heel into the opposite direction ignoring Felix's calls. He reached the tree and lifted off the ground. He levitated in front of her cage and swung it open.
She was sitting there. A blank stare full of tears. Her cheeks were coated in them. Her eyes were raw and puffy. It made him remember the reason for her sorrow. Guilt stabbed him in the gut like a knife.
"Wendy, come here." He pleaded with her. She looked at him crazed.
"No, I can't." She was shaking. Pan's brow furrowed in confusion. Something was wrong with her.
"Yes, you can. Come on, we have to get you to the beach."
"No! I did this! I don't know what happened, I just looked at the fire and then it caught. I don't know how to stop it!"
Pan looked at her. Really looked at her. The Shadow was right. She was powerful. She had magic! No one on the island had magic except for Pan and his Shadow. Wendy was scared, he could see that. He reached out and touched her hand.
"I can stop it, you just have to come with me. You have to trust me." He said carefully.
"Why should I trust you with anything? You're going to take my brothers." Her voice broke and she looked away from him so she wouldn't cry.
"I won't."
"What?" She looked at him in surprise. Her brown eyes widened, but she wasn't convinced. She could never be sure of him again.
"If you come with me right now, I will leave your brothers be." As he said this, the tree next to Wendy's crashed down and burst into flames. Wendy gasped and looked at him with wild eyes.
"Wendy, please." She hesitated at first. He could see her fear. But then she scooted forward toward the cage door. Toward him. He felt his chest tighten in satisfaction.
Wendy rapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to hold on to her waist tightly. He clutched her against him to make sure she wouldn't fall and then together they flew to the beach.
Wendy had carefully tucked her chin in the crook of Pan's neck. The air was icy cold and it stung her when she lifted her head. She found the that the only warmth was Pan's throat. When she couldn't take the cold anymore, She had placed her cheek there. She felt him tense from how cold she was, but let her rest her cheek there. It surprised her that he didn't say anything.
The question Wendy wanted to know almost came out then. But she restrained herself. Instead she thought it to herself.
Why do you hurt me, but then protect me?
He saved her again. It started to happen in a way when every time she was put in danger and he saved her, he would endanger her himself. She felt safe with him, ironically. She set his kingdom on fire, and he didn't look at her like she was a monster. He looked at her like she was powerful, which made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.
She mainly cried. The shock of almost dying became too much. She sniffled by mistake. Pan turned his head toward her face. He turned his neck to where Wendy couldn't hide her face from him.
"We're almost there, I promise," he whispered in her ear. Five minutes later he landed. He was holding her to wear only her toes barley touched the ground. He gently let her bare feet touch the sand and then released her all together except for her hand. He grabbed her wrist and led her to where the Lost Boys where gathered watching the jungle burn.
He let go of her wrist and stepped toward the fire. Wendy sat down in the sand and stared up at him scared. Why would he want to step toward it? Wasn't he trying to fly away from the fire? Wendy then remembered him saying that he was going to put the fire out. She watched him intently.
Pan threw his head back to the sky. He lifted his hands above his head with the palms of his hands out towards the sky. Wendy looked up at him amazed as the incredible sight before her. Pan pulled lightning bolts out of the sky and redirected them above his island. A crack of loud thunder made Wendy shudder, but she watched in amazement as rain came pouring down on the fire, extinguishing it completely.
But it wasn't just pouring over the jungle. Within ten seconds everyone on the beach was soaked. Wendy rapped her arms around herself and stood from her seat in the sand. The sand began to turn to mud, and soon Wendy felt like she was standing on mushy rocks.
The Lost Boys didn't seem fazed by the rain at all. It was freezing because of Pan's presence, but they dressed as if every night was warm. She shivered violently, but still watched Pan's face. He was looking to the sky, his hair black from the rain. He was smiling...and it was genuine. Not some dark twisted sneer, but a smile of triumph. He had dimples Wendy didn't know he had.
As if sensing her stare, Pan turned to stare at her. He stood there for a second and then approached her.
"Pan I-" and then she was pushed to his chest in a hug. She stood there, unmoving. Not because she didn't like it, but because she couldn't believe the actions of the person standing before her.
"You're cold." He stated simply and let his hand rest at her waist while turing to the Lost Boys' stare. Wendy looked at his pale hand for a moment.
"Find a dry place to sleep tonight, boys. Trust me, the rain won't be letting up till the morning." He began to turn when Felix stopped him.
"And what about her?" He snarled. His heated gaze made Wendy want to turn around and run. She breathed in deeply to calm her nerves while never taking her eyes off Felix.
"I'll take care of her." He said flatly back. Wendy's eyes widened and she looked at Pan in fear. Wendy didn't know if she would rather go to Felix or stay with Pan. Pan didn't meet her gaze, he just stared at Felix until Felix gave up and stalked off into the jungle. Pan went the opposite way taking Wendy's cold fingers in his.
"Come on, I know a dry enough place." He tugged Wendy's hand. It wasn't as close as she thought and Wendy contemplated running away multiple times. The only problem was in the rain, Wendy could only see about a foot in front of her. She realized with a sudden dispair that she couldn't run anymore. She had to stay with Pan, for her brothers' sake. Pan soon led her to a massive cave. It had a huge interior that made Wendy feel uneasy. With a flick of his wrist, Pan illuminated the cavern into a yellow glow and guided Wendy inside.
He let go of her hand and wandered a bit deeper into the cave to check if it was occupied. When he came back he stopped a bit short and stared at her. No doubt looking at her dripping form. Wendy looked down at herself. Pan's old blue shirt was soaked and sticking to her skin. His leather pants felt like they shrunk to her legs. His boots she was wearing where filled with rainwater.
"You need to change clothes before you freeze to death." Wendy hugged her small frame unsure what he wanted her to do. Especially in front of him.
"Here," He handed his red nightshirt with the ripped collar and some wool pants that resembled pajama pants.
"Where did you get these?" She asked in a confused voice.
"Magic. It's simple, really. If you possess magic on the island, you simply have to believe in whatever object you want to conjure up. See?" He clenched his palms into fists and then opened them. When the green mist lifted, he had his own clothes in his arms. They were identical to Wendy's but no nightshirt.
"Um..." Wendy looked at the clothes and then Pan.
"Oh, yah. Um I'll be outside, tell me when you're decent." With that he walked out to the mouth of the cave, but didn't go outside to stay dry. Wendy moved deeper into the cave for privacy. She striped off the leather pants first and then the shirt soon after. She found that her underwear was soaked. There was no way she could wear them to bed, and also no way she wasn't. She thought about what Pan showed her.
She closed her eyes and imagined the thing she needed. She felt the same tingle right before she lit the fire and opened her eyes to see the underwear in her hands.
She quickly put the rest of her clothes on and placed her wet clothes on the ground to dry. She combed through her knotted curls with her fingers and found that her hair was almost dry. She walked outside to get Pan. She found him all ready changed. His wet clothes were laid on the ground and he stood before hero in the wool pants. Just the pants.
Wendy blushed and forced her gaze up to his face. She did see though, as much as she tried not to. His strong muscular build caught her off guard.
"Why don't you have a shirt?!" She gasped in surprise.
"I never where a shirt to bed. Is that a problem with you?" His tone turned dark. It was then she realized she had almost told Peter Pan what to do. It was a fatal blow she jut managed to escape.
"No, it just surprised me." She mumbled. Pan brushed past her inside the cave with a cocky smile plastered on his face. Wendy took a few seconds before going in. She felt as if they weren't alone. She was about to yell to Pan when a huge gust of icy cold wind almost knocked her on her butt. She scurried inside to find Pan had been busy.
The little bed he had imagined up consisted of fur pelts scattered in one corner of the cave. It was far away from the opening, but it was still drafty. She looked around.
"Where's my bed?" She asked. She saw his smile and figured he was going to force her to sleep on the rocks.
"This is your bed." He said with a with a eyebrow raised smile. The sentence was phrased so innocently, she knew there was a catch.
"So where's your bed?" He winked.
"No. Absolutely not."
"What's the problem?" He asked with fake concern.
"I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you." Wendy said in a hard voice.
"I need to keep an eye on you. You are my runaway, remember? I have to make sure you won't leave in the dead of night."
"I won't leave."
"Do you want to test my patience, Wendy?" He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were cold. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She bowed her head in fear.
Pan gripped her chin and made her look at him. He paused for a moment, seeing the fear in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that." His voice sounded wounded. For the shortest second Wendy felt her chest squeeze.
"How do you want me to look at you?" She asked looking into his green eyes.
He looked at her for a moment and finally said, "Never mind, climb in," he nodded towards the furs and removed the light from the cavern. The cave was bathed in complete darkness. She sat there dazed for a moment before climbing in. Wendy let the furs rap around her shoulders and faced the cave wall, her back to Pan.
"It's going to be freezing within the hour." Pan warned her.
Not missing a beat, Wendy said, "Stay on your side of the bed."
"Ok, whatever you say." He teased. Wendy burrowed deeper into the furs and fell asleep.
She only slept for about an hour. Just like Pan said, it became freezing. The Arctic air blew over Pan's body and hit her even through the blankets. She started to shiver violently and was surprised to see she hadn't woke Pan up with her teeth chattering.
She tried to remain stubborn. He wanted her to crack, and she did not want to give him that. Even if he did use her brothers against her. Ten minutes of agony trying to fight the icy winds before her resolve crumbled.
"Pan." She kneed his side. He grumbled and reluctantly turned to her.
"What do you want?" He asked with his eyes still closed in sleep.
"It's cold." Was all she could get out before her teeth slammed themselves together.
"I tried to tell you. I guess I could give you my body for the time being. It's the only way-" he was cut off by Wendy's freezing body slamming against his bare chest.
His green eyes shot open immediately, "Shit, you're like ice." He squirmed a bit to adjust to her temperature. Wendy was surprised that his body was warm, even a little hot, like he was feeling stuffy from all the furs against them. She fitted herself against his chest making sure any bare skin that was not covered by her shirt was touching his skin.
She was only acting on instinct.
Pan let her clutch to him. He laid there looking at the cave wall basking in the sensation. She intwined there bare feet and then her breathing slowed. When he was certain she was asleep, he relaxed some.
He let his fingers run through her effortless curls. He thought about today and how scared she was when he rescued her from the fire. How his chest tightened when she had clung to him. These emotions were dangerous, even for him.
Wendy's purpose was to give him immorality. It was for her to die when the ritual was ready. Pan thought back to when he saved her from drowning at the hands of the mermaid. When he thought she was dead. He had panicked. He never lost control until then. Not even when he abandoned the most important person in his life.
Looking down at Wendy, Pan realized two things.
One, that he could not kill her. The prophecy claimed that there was more than one heart of believer's. He would take them in replace of Wendy.
And two, no matter how much Pan wanted to drown himself for his emotions, he had feelings for Wendy Darling...
In the shadows of the jungle next to the entrance of the cave, a figure watched the scene angrily. They turned and ran back into the jungle with thoughts of murder on their mind.
I will end Wendy Darling.