Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Hello, Wendy."

Amber eyes sought Peter out as the honey haired prisoner from within the cage stepped out into the light. Accepting his offered hand, slim fingers grasped his own as she stood, gaze meeting his own. "You're letting me out?" She stared at him as if perplexed. "Am I free?"

His lips twitched at the comment, dark eyes watching her in amusement. "You always ask that when I open your door."

Her expression dimmed at the response, even if she had known the prospect of freedom was nye impossible to begin with. Not once in all the times Wendy had asked that particular question, had he ever once responded yes.

"However…."

(At least, not until today that is).

With a Cheshire-like grin, Peter added, "I find myself feeling rather bored and generous today Wendy, so what you say we play a game? If you win…" He released her hand, moving to point one finger against her chest where her heart lay. "I'll let you go."

She blinked.

Eyebrows knitting together in response, eyes filled with confusion frantically searched his face for any signs of trickery or deceit – yet, she found none.

"What? Just like that?"

"Just like that." He repeated with a sly smile. Stepping backwards, he gestured both arms out widely on either side dramatically – if there was one thing Peter did love, it was theatrics. "So." A pause. "What do you say?"

Wendy continued to stare at him cautiously, one foot even inching backwards as she spared a glance back over her shoulder to where the cage lay. A moment passed, before she slowly returned her attention forward where Peter remained watching her silently. Praying she wouldn't regret this, lips formed words hesitantly. "What sort of game?…"

He smirked. Gotcha.

"A game of Hide and Seek of course." He replied without missing a beat, feet breaking into movement as he began to slowly walk around the clearing, circling her. "The rules are simple. I count and you go hide somewhere on the island. If I can't catch you before sunset, you win, and can go."

"And my brothers?" Turning her body around to keep up with his circular pacing, she stared at him with a guarded expression.

"I'll leave them alone too." Peter replied without bothering to even look at her. "So what do you say? Are you in?"

It had to be a trick. It just had to be. Wendy knew this with every fiber of her being, there's no way Peter would ever let her go just like that. His heart was corrupt. That much she had become certain of during her time on the island.

But even so… When would she ever again be given a chance like this in her lifetime? Any possibility to be reunited with Michael and John again?

"I'll play..."

"What was that?" Coming to a stop some feet away to her side, Peter glanced in her direction, staring at her from beneath stray locks of hair.

"I said…" Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I will play this game with you." A pause in which time, Peter's lips had quirked upwards into a triumphant smile. "But I have some conditions."

The smile vanished.

"Oh?" Raising an eyebrow in amusement, he resumed his pacing once again. "Go on then. What are these so called… conditions?"

"No cheating." She stated. "It has to be fair and square."

"Of course. I thought you knew me better than that Wendy, I never cheat in games. It would spoil my winning."

Undeterred by his confident tone, she went on. "No using magic."

Peter cocked his head to the side, catching her eye with a questioning look. Before he could speak, however, she added, "I can't use magic, so neither should you…" Voice fading away, she waited for his answer.

Much to her surprise, he nodded without much hesitation . "Very well, anything else? Dessert? A unicorn? A castle?" Words laced with mockery, he cast her a belittling stare which only hardened her resolve.

"Yes." She replied unwaveringly, standing motionless as he continued to pace, moving out of sight behind her. "My last condition is that if I win this, you have to keep your word and let me go, and never try and interfere with me or Michael and John ever again. I want your word."

"Fair enough, I agree to your terms." A pause. "But if I win." Hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders from behind, eliciting a gasp from Wendy as Peter held firmly onto her. Heart thumping wildly, she tried to keep her breathing normal as his lips moved to brush against her ear from behind.

"If I win Wendy, you have to stay here with me." His fingers clenched tighter upon her shoulders, threatening to leave crescent moons indented upon her skin. "Forever."

She froze.

"So I take it we have a deal?" Releasing her, Peter moved to stand in front of her as if he hadn't just proposed her remaining with him eternally. Smiling, he offered a hand once again, though this time accepting it meant so much more.

Eyes dropping to his hand, she clenched and unclenched her own that remained by her sides. The idea of seeing her brothers was so tantalising, but the risk if she lost was so great. Could she really win against Peter?

Head lifting to meet his gaze once more, she found him watching her like a cat would a mouse. He lived to toy with her. The only times he ever brought her out of her cage to begin with were when it suited to entertain him.

…And that was exactly the reason why she had to escape from here.

Not just for her brothers sake, but for her own.

So with a deep breath, she nodded, hand lifting to take his own as they shook upon it and struck the deal.

"We do." She murmured quietly, hoping she hadn't just signed over her life for eternity.

"Very well then, Wendy." Leaning forward, he tugged her closer by the hand, faces sparsely apart whilst he offered a sardonic smile and mocking gaze to match. "Better start running."

The game had begun.

Chapter Text

Bare feet pounded against earth as Wendy Moira Darling leapt over roots and ducked beneath branches, honey-like hair flying out chaotically behind her. Out-stretched twigs seemed to reach out to grasp her, catching her nightgown and yanking her backwards as she tumbled roughly to the floor.

"Ow…"

Pushing herself up, blood and dirt mingled together on her hands as she wrenched her outfit free, tearing through fabric and resuming her wild running.

She could almost delude herself into believing she was hearing Peter's counting echoing inside her head. No doubt he must be nearing one hundred any second right now – but it was okay, he couldn't fly or use magic to catch up with her or he'd be breaking the rules. The only advantage he held over her right now was the fact he knew the island better.

She simply had to survive until sunset, which judging from the angle of the sun in the sky, couldn't be more than a few hours away.

Running until it was impossible to do so any more, and the stitch burning in her side could no longer be ignored, Wendy came to a halting stop. Collapsing against a nearby tree trunk, she bent over, fingers digging into bark and only serving to irritate the scrapes on her hands further.

"Michael… John…" Panting their names for strength, she squeezed her eyes shut. She could do this. She had to do this!

Confident she had placed enough of a distance between herself and Pan, Wendy resumed at a walking pace, only stopping when she came across a wide river that ran to the ocean that surrounded the island. Dropping to her knees, the young girl rinsed her hands in the cool waters, cupping her hands to bring some of the liquid to her own lips.

The water had barely made its way into her mouth before a twig snapped behind her, and she whirled around.

"Oh. It's her."

At the sight of a small group of Lost Boys, she stood up warily, eyes flickering from one to the other until they finally landed upon Felix in the center.

"Hello Wendy." He greeted coolly, stepping forward in front of the group as their leader. If there was anybody on this island who you should watch out for other than Pan, he would be it. "It's not often I see you walking about, why ever would you be this far out from your cage?"

Her lips pressed together. "I have permission from Peter, if that's what you're asking. I'm doing nothing wrong."

"I know."

She frowned.

"Peter already informed me beforehand about you and the little game he wanted to play..."

Feet shifting back until she was at the very edge of the river, fingers tightened into the fabric of her dress. She had a bad feeling dwelling in her gut…

"I wonder how thankful he'll be if we return you to him as a present?"

Her eyes widened in panic, whilst Felix's lips twitched upward into a smirk.

"Get her."

The lost boys leapt forward.

…and she jumped.

Body falling backwards into the water, she kicked her legs fiercely as she was swallowed up by the river. The current forced her rapidly along, and when she surfaced and frantically turned her head around, she took solace in the fact none of the boys had jumped in after her and remained on land.

No sooner had she taken a gulp of air was she dragged back under, the weight of her gown pulling her beneath. Limbs kicking and flailing, she fought frantically, head bursting through the surface once more to take another breath before she was pulled under once more.

This was ridiculous! She wasn't going to die through drowning! Not after everything she had gone through to survive this far.

But… no matter how much she resisted, she just couldn't stay afloat, and the current proved too fast and strong for her to swim to shore.

If only she could get this darn thing off!

No sooner had the thought that she might possibly die entered her head, that a hand grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her out of the water and onto a near embankment. Gulping down air greedily, she blinked up, a familiar figure coming into view.

"Tink!"

The blonde haired fairy gave an unamused look, kneeling on the grassy ledge and holding onto her tightly enough to leave bruises.

"And they say blondes are dumb." She remarked.

.

.

.

"Should we go after her?"

Staring downstream, Felix narrowed his eyes. She really was a stupid girl, did she not know how strong the currents of the river were? She was lucky Tink had rescued her and pulled her to land on the opposite side of the rushing waters.

He didn't particularly care if the young girl died, but Peter did. And it would be his head on the line if she lost her life.

"Felix?"

Turning around, he began walking away. "Come on, let's go. We're going after her."

"There'll be no need for that."

Felix span around at the sudden voice, coming face to face with Peter Pan watching the group from a few feet away. Recalling the words he'd just said, Felix stepped forward. "What?"

Golden eyes raised to meet his own, chin lifting in the air. "The help’s appreciated boys, but I'm gonna take this game on by my own."

Felix opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Pan told him that would be an unwise decision so he quickly shut it.

"If you see her, feel free to report her position to me and keep tabs. But make no move to catch her, understood?" Both eyebrows rose with his questioning statement.

A pause. Sometimes Felix questioned if the amusement Pan found in the girl was something to be worried about.

"Yes, understood."

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.

.

Not only did she have to worry about Peter, but now the Lost Boys too? This game just kept becoming more and more impossible to win.

"What were you thinking, anyway? Were you trying to drown yourself? Because if that's the case, all you need to do is go pay a visit to the mermaids off shore."

Wendy glanced aside at Tinkerbell, who was currently still making comments regarding her 'suicide attempt'. "I wasn't trying to drown myself." Sighing, she returned her attention forward as they walked through the forest, wet fabric clinging against her skin. "I simply made a little error in judgement is all…"

Tink scoffed. Turning her head, green eyes fell upon the younger girl's face, studying her for a moment. "You say Pan offered you your freedom if you agreed to play this game with him?"

Her gaze dropped. "Yes."

"And you actually accepted?" Disbelief lacing her words, Tink shook her head. "This entire island is under his control, do you honestly expect to win?"

Coming to a halt, Wendy frowned, eyes downcast and directed at the forest floor. Had she really?

Realising that her companion was no longer following along, the blonde turned around, stern expression melting fractionally at the sight of Wendy's face. With a sigh, she stepped forward, one hand reaching out to grasp her shoulder.

At the comforting gesture, Wendy glanced up, their eyes meeting.

"I may not be able to believe anymore, but I'm sure you can believe in yourself. If anybody can win such a game against Pan, it'd be you."

A tentative smile appeared on the Darling girl's face. "Thank you, Tink."

"My place isn't far from here, so I'll lend you some spare clothing. But after that, you better keep running."

Another smile, this time more determined however. "I intend to."

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Time passed by and later found Wendy once again pacing through the jungle, though this time dressed in a cotton dress of pastel green that fell past her knees. How much time had passed by now? An hour? More?

Walking on and on, her bare feet bruised and battered, she was almost near to collapsing until the smell of salt and ocean caught her senses. Head perking up, she moved forward, body suddenly feeling lighter as she quickly pushed through foliage and trees until bursting out onto the sandy shores of Neverland.

A wide smile encompassed her face as she stumbled forward, eyes scanning the waters under the hastily dimming daylight. It had been so long since she saw the ocean… It stabbed her with such a sense of longing, that it almost took her breath away.

She'd forgotten how beautiful the ocean was.

Remaining rooted to the spot, Wendy wasn't sure exactly how long she stood there in awe. She could have stayed there, lost in her memories forever, if not for the sudden prickling sensation of being watched. Head slowly turning and gaze lifting upwards, eyes searched the expanse of tree tops upon the sloping hill behind.

It was so dark, she almost missed it.

But then she saw.

The piercing white eyes of the Shadow.

Dread engulfed her heart, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the dark presence moved aside to reveal something arguably more sinister.

Peter Pan.

Stood upon a branch top, she couldn't see from this distance, but she knew without a doubt he was grinning smugly at her, eyes latched onto her form.

And though impossible, Wendy would swear upon her life she heard his voice echoing inside her head as if he was right next to her.

Found you.

Chapter Text

Grains of sand flew into the air around her feet as she ran.

He'd found her.

She'd known it would happen eventually - but not yet, not now. Not when she was close to victory, she could almost taste it! The sunset couldn't be more than fifteen minutes away from setting, the fiery object on the brink of vanishing from the horizon. If she could just avoid him for that long, then...

She let out a strangled cry as her foot caught on a piece of driftwood, body crashing against the ground and pain flaring up her leg. Wincing, she pushed herself up, brown eyes shooting towards her left ankle with dismay as she noted how painful it was to move. If Wendy were to guess, she'd assume she'd sprained it.

Nononono, not now!

Lifting her head, she glanced down the beach from the direction she'd come. She couldn't sense any malevolent eyes staring out at her, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

Had Peter used The Shadow to find her? If he had, wouldn't that be cheating? Ah, but then again, there hadn't been any rules specifying the use of third parties - hence her run in with the Lost Boys, and her aid from Tinkerbell.

With a grimace she pushed herself to a standing position, head turning in all directions for a safe place to hide and stay low. Noting some craggy rocks nearby in the shallow parts of the water, she slowly limped over, moving to sit down behind them. Hugging her legs against her chest, she allowed her head to fall back against the hard surface of the rock, eyes staring half-lidded up at the darkened sky. Shallow waves of water moved to and fro around her, dampening her feet and the fabric of her dress.

She was so tired.

Of not just this, but everything.

How many years- how many decades had she been kept here?

She should have been an adult by now. Maybe... maybe if she was, she would have been able to better handle this situation. She felt so helpless as a child, surely if she was older she would have been able to figure something out by now.

A pause, as her thoughts threatened to dig into more upsetting memories.

"Mother... father..."

Wendy wasn't even aware her eyes had drifted shut until they snapped open at the touch of a clammy hand around her ankle, head snapping down only to come face to face with a pair of slender blue eyes drilling into her own.

Lips parting, she didn't even get the chance to utter a word before the mermaid yanked her by the foot, pulling her body further into the ocean. Scrambling to get a hold on the rocks, she released a piercing scream as they slipped past her fingertips and she was pulled completely under. Eyes squeezing shut on instinct, she quickly held her breath, limbs kicking and flailing unrestrained.

One of her kicks seemed to hit its target, since in the next moment the tight hold on her ankle disappeared, eyes finally snapping open as she used the chance to push herself to the surface. Mouth opening, she gasped for air, head spinning around in the near-darkness to find land. When she saw how far away the shores were, a weight dropped in her stomach. It seemed the tale of mermaids being known for their quick speed through water was true - even when dragging another body along with them.

"No..."

A moment later she was pulled beneath the waves again, finding herself face to face with the same pale faced, dark haired mermaid smiling cruelly at her. It was with a rising panic that she then noted a handful of others watching the spectacle, a pair of slender arms wrapping around her torso from behind and holding her in place. Lips parting, bubbles blew out of her mouth as she shook her head, more and more hands seemingly coming out of nowhere as they grasped onto her limbs and ran fingers through her hair. Oddly enough, the latter gesture was soothing, almost reminiscent of when her mother used to brush her hair...

She was going to die.

Had she been above water, she would have been crying by now, as it was however she simply closed her eyes, body gradually becoming limp in their hold. At least this way Peter wouldn't have her to blackmail John and Michael into doing his bidding.

'Mother...'

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.

.

The many arms wrapped around her disappeared.

Wendy tried to open her eyes, but it proved too much effort - floating aimlessly in the water seemed so much easier.

No sooner had that thought left her did another pair of arms entwine around her stomach, yanking her upward to break through the surface. As the night air hit her damp skin, she choked, coughing up water as she was held afloat from behind. Her throat and chest burned as the saltwater left past her lips, and she felt as if she could fall asleep right there and then.

"Always so troublesome."

She went still.

Eyes fluttering open, she slowly turned her head, glancing over her shoulder to meet a familiar pair of green eyes staring at her. Heart clenching, she coughed again before she could speak. "W-What..." Her voice felt hoarse.

"I'd wait a while before trying to speak, almost dying can be rather tiring."

She tried to pull away from his grasp, but he only tightened his arms around her. Instead, she settled for turning her gaze away from him, eyes falling on the ocean surface.

A second later, she wished she hadn't.

Eyes widening, she once again tried to rip free of him. "T-That—"

"Hm?" Following her gaze, Pan released a low chuckle. "Ah, those would be the pieces of the mermaid I punished. The rest swam off, but it should serve as an example of what happens when they touch my toys."

Wendy felt sick. Squeezing her eyes shut to the sight of the dismembered limbs, she swallowed back bile. It didn't help her situation that the very hands that had pulled the mermaid apart now remained wrapped around herself.

For a moment, the two of them remained silent, with only their breathing to disrupt the quiet - hers ragged, his content. This entire evening had had her on edge, from start to finish. She seriously doubted she could take any more of this. With a quiet sigh, she allowed her head to fall back against his chest, ironically noting she could hear his heart beating beneath his chest - what would you know, Pan actually did have a heart beneath that cruel mask.

"Look at that, the sun's set."

Wendy blinked, reopening her eyes and lifting her head. He was right, the sun had vanished leaving with it a starry sky in its wake.

"Since I didn't rescue you until after dark, I guess you won our little game."

As he uttered those words, Wendy found her own lips moving without any sound.

She'd won...

Pan chuckled behind her, finally releasing his grasp. She quickly took the opportunity to spin around, moving backward in the water to place some distance between them. He grinned at her actions, meanwhile she stared back at him, unable to hide the desperate hope beneath it.

"I'm free?"

"That was what we agreed."

Helpless to fight the growing smile off her face, she glanced down, elation engulfing her from inside-out. She was free. She had actually done it. Her chest swelled with delight, tears catching in her eyes from happiness. After all these years...

"That is..."

She stilled.

Voice trailing off, he moved towards her in the water, gliding through it swiftly whilst she in contrast remained bound to the spot. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her form, pulling her closely against him. Head resting on his shoulder, she stared ahead, dread creeping in as he spoke again.

"That is, if you can find your own way back home."

Her eyes widened, a choked sob escaping her lips as she broke into a frenzied state, hands pushed against his chest in an insistent need to to pull away - it was no use though, he gripped her shoulders tightly, clutching her in place. Eventually, she raised one hand to instead cup it over her mouth and hold back the sobs.

Of course.

How could she have ever expected anything different from him?

It would never be so easy for her to leave.

"I'll keep my promises." He spoke on, running a hand through her wet hair, each touch sending a shiver of disgust through her spine. "Don't worry, your brothers won't hear directly from me again. Although, if others happen to speak to them in my stead... well." He chuckled at the idea of the loop hole he had found, pushing her away slightly so he could fondly look upon her distressed face with amusement dancing in his eyes.

Eventually, he raised one hand to firmly grasp her chin, the other resting against the small of her back. Tilting her head up as he forced her to meet his gaze, his lips quirked up sardonically. And though she closed them immediately, he was content enough at the despair he saw in that fraction of a second.

Leaning his head down, he brushed his lips against her ear.

"You'll stay here until the day you die, Wendy."

Grinning, he tightened his grasp on her.

"I never lose."