Shadows in the Moonlight

'You're filthy.' Pan declared in disgust. He'd forced her walk all the way back to her cage, taking great satisfaction in watching her struggle on her injured knee. She had done it though, through sheer will power Wendy Darling had managed to get back to the clearing by herself. She hadn't seen any of the lost boys or shadows on the way back, just Pan walking casually a couple of paces behind her.

'I know I am filthy thank you very much.' She muttered. The cage was now in front of her, the door open, beckoning her to enter. She braced herself for the pain of bending her knee so that she could crawl into her cage. The humiliation of having to crawl in front of Pan showed in her coloured cheeks.

He almost allowed her to, but a hand grabbed her arm as she began to kneel.

'Lets get you cleaned up.' He said a little too cheery. Green smoke immediately engulfed them.

He took her to one of Neverland's lagoons and in the moonlight, with the coral reefs and the stars reflected in the water, it could have easily mistaken for a romantic gesture. Wendy of course knew better than to think like that but she still inhaled a sharp breath as she took in Neverland's beauty.

'Get undressed.' His voice made her jump and she scowled at his smug face.

'I will do no such thing.' She hissed.

'Either you undress yourself or I shall do it for you.' He smiled as Wendy's eyes widened. She unconsciously gripped the material of her night gown in her fists.

'Turn around.' Wendy demanded. Pan raised an eyebrow at her and in return she stared at him expectantly.

Struggling to hold back a laugh, Pan held his hands up in mock defeat and turned around. He waited only until he could hear her entering the water and he turned before Wendy was fully submerged, his eyes fixated on the sight of her bare back as it disappeared inch by inch into the dark water. She looked ethereal with the moonlight casting a soft light over her small frame. For a moment he was completely lost in the sight of her.

Keenly aware that Pan wouldn't take an order for long, Wendy tried to ignore the freezing cold water as she walked further in. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stifle a whimper as her knee came in contact with the freezing temperature.

Once she was neck deep Wendy turned to face him but he was no longer stood where she'd left him. Panicking she glanced immediately to where she'd left her clothes, not trusting Pan's cruel sense of humour. Relieved that they were still on the ground by the side of the lake, Wendy had barely registered a second set of clothes before she was forcefully pulled under the water by her ankle.

Kicking as hard as she could, arms flailing everywhere as she fought off her assailant. The grip around her ankle loosened and then released her as she kicked harder and fought her way back to the surface.

Taking a deep breath Wendy spluttered and spat out water. Laughter emitted from behind her and she spun round to find Pan only metres away from her. Wendy scowled at his enjoyment.

'That wasn't funny.' She said causing him to laugh harder. Frustrated Wendy splashed him making him splutter.

'Is that a challenge Miss Darling?' Pan asked, a playful smirk appearing before he splashed her back. Wendy instinctively closed her eyes and turned her head away from the onslaught of water. He was laughing again.

It was a genuine laugh, one she hadn't heard in over a century. Wendy found herself smiling at the sound of it.

Losing the battle, Wendy dove underwater and came back up nearer to him on his left side. By the time he'd turned around she'd already begun to drive waves of water towards him. His laughter gone while he defended himself but a wide grin took it's place.

The lagoon was filled with laughter and shrieks as the two fought each other. Grinding to a gradual stop, they stared at each other ready for any sign of restarting the game, each taking deep breaths. It was then that Wendy couldn't help the thought that crossed her mind.

Pan wasn't wearing his shirt. She could see his bare arms as he treaded water. Her cheeks reddened as she considered that he too might not be dressed.

Trying to be inconspicuous Wendy tried to swim backwards and put more space between them. She'd forgotten all too easily during their water fight that she had no clothes. Mother would not have approved.

The realisation of how much he'd be able to see of her caused her cheeks to redden further, her whole skin felt on fire in embarrassment. She most certainly had more skin than she would have liked on show, her breasts were barely covered by the dark water as she stayed afloat.

'Where do you think you're going little bird?' Pan asked before lunging forwards and eliminating the space between them.

'Peter I'm not, decent.' Wendy hissed. Pan laughed.

'That's alright, neither am I.' He said enjoying her expression as he confirmed her suspicions.

'That is certainly not alright.' Wendy said frowning. She tried to swim away but Pan followed her. He laughed again.

'Oh Wendy, must you ruin everything?' He made to grab for her but she kicked water at him with her feet and put more distance between them.

'Pan.' Wendy started. She paused unsure of what to say. 'Turn around I'm getting out.'

Pan frowned as she used his nickname. He went to say something but decided against it and spun round so he wasn't facing her.

'Thank you.' Wendy said. Pan didn't say anything in return.

Wendy swam over to the waters edge and just before she reached the swallows, something brushed past her. Jumping Wendy panicked and momentarily fell under the water. Rising back up she gasped and turned round to look for Pan.

He was where she'd left him with his back turned to her. Wendy looked down half expecting to find a school of fish swimming past but instead she noticed the water seemed darker, almost cloudy.

Like a cloud of ink, she thought. It took only seconds for her to realise what it was that brushed past her.

'Peter!' She shouted. Pan turned round to face her but before she could warn him, it was too late.

Giant squids were not known for making their way into the rock pools in Neverland, but this one had snuck in, no doubt attracted by the abundance of crabs that lived there. It might have even been sleeping before being woken by the two teens who had caused quite a stir in the water.

Pan hadn't sensed the creature in time and the ink had already touched his skin. Wendy watched as a red aura covered him and he froze. One large tentacle raised up from the water and slithered around the boy holding him there, almost taunting him, allowing him to breathe for a moment longer before it would plunge him under the water.

So this was how Peter Pan was going to die, not loudly in glorious battle but silently in the dead of the night. If Wendy said nothing, no one would ever know what happened to him. The disappearance of Peter Pan would forever remain a mystery.

If Wendy did nothing. She turned from where he struggled to remain afloat and looked at the shore where their clothes were. She glanced back, his eyes staring at her, unable to do anything except watch.

The last thing Pan saw before being dragged under was Wendy climbing out of the lagoon.

She should have left him there to die, but the idea of abandoning him only crossed her mind for a spilt second before she made a mad dash to Pan's clothes, retrieving his knife from his belt. She ran back into the water, diving under once she was deep enough.

The moonlight seemed to shine brighter than before, allowing her to at least distinguish which direction to swim in. Whether it was luck or Neverland's magic she didn't know but she could see Pan and the creature just ahead of her.

Without hesitation Wendy lunged at the squid's beady right eye, driving the knife in as hard as she could. It's beaked mouth twitched, and Wendy pulled the knife back, and struck the squid again. The squid tried to strike her with one of it's tentacles and she slashed at it's skin. It's grip loosened around Pan and with a final slash aimed at it's other eye it released him. The squid disappeared deeper into the water leaving only a thick pool of ink around them.

Grabbing Pan under his arms, Wendy began to swim to the surface. He was too heavy for her and it felt like an eternity before the cool night air hit her face. Using every ounce of strength she had left, Wendy dragged Pan out of the water and collapsed next to him panting for breath.

She was about to check if he was breathing but as soon she turned to face him, the red aura that surrounded him disappeared and he jolted forwards, violently coughing.

Wendy scrambled to her feet grabbed her night dress and practically dived behind thick greenery to hide herself before Pan had time to notice her. Her night dress had just covered her when he appeared in front of her. He was fully dressed but his wet hair stuck to his face and he ran a hand through it as he stared at her.

Without warning he strode over to her, grabbed her by her waist and pulled her to him. He leant down and kissed her fiercely.

Wendy didn't know what possessed her to kiss him back but she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with the same intensity as him. Her fingers grabbed at his hair. They didn't stop until they had to pause for breath. Pan didn't let go of her waist, keeping her pressed against him. Wendy's hands moved down and rested on his chest.

He was staring at her again.

She didn't know what to do except stare back at him and wait for him to speak. He looked frustrated.

'Why?' He finally asked. Her eyes widened in surprise.

'Why?' She repeated. 'Why what?'

'Why would you save me?' Pan's eyes narrowed.

'Because I'm not like you.' She said. She supposed she could have chosen better words, the scowl on his face told her that.

'You should have left me.' He was challenging her and she chewed her bottom lip as she fought the urge to agree with him. Pan would surely only punish her for doing so.

'You could have been free.' He taunted. 'You could have lived happily ever after.'

'I can still have those things.' Wendy spoke softly. He looked surprised for a moment before a cruel smile crossed his face. He leant over to whisper in her ear.

'I can assure you that you will have to kill me before you get either of those things.'

A cloud of green smoke surrounded them and when it disappeared they had moved back to the clearing, her cage patiently waiting for her.

'Why?' She asked him. Pan looked at her cage and then back to her.

'Because I'm not like you.' Pan repeated her earlier words. Wendy glared at him and then silently she went over and crawled into her cage.

When Pan knelt down to close the cage, their eyes locked. She couldn't read his face but he didn't look as confident as he normally did.

'You owe me your life.' She whispered. Pan ignored her and quickly shut the door before disappearing.

Author's Notes

Bet you didn't see this update coming! I really hope you've enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait. Please let me know what you think and I'll try not to leave it quite so long before updating again.