A/N: So this story was requested by user retro mania. He asked if I could do a fanfic inspired by a book he'd seen. It was one of those Disney short story books which was about Wendy having a penpal. I haven't read it myself so I don't know how that turned out, but I was willing to work with the idea. I have a pretty good plan for this fanfic, and I hope retro mania likes it. I have to clear a couple things up. This story is odd because it's a mix of different Peter Pan interpretations. It takes into account the real book by J.M. Barrie, the 2003 film with Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood, and the Disney movie. This is set about four years after the original Peter Pan storyline, and I'm assuming Wendy was 12 then so she is now 16. This story does not include that Nana went to Neverland, like in the book, but she stayed back like in both movies. I know this first bit is a little depressing, but I think that would happen to Wendy if she thought she'd made a mistake in coming back. I hope you understand my description of Michael and John and the grownups and how they think of Neverland. They have less imagination than Wendy so they've convinced themselves that when the children left they were really at summer camp or something. They know something is up with Wendy, but they don't know what triggered it. I hope you don't think I'm making the story unnecessarily dark with the whole neglectful parents thing, but you have to admit they were shit parents. I mean no one leaves their kids with a dog. Also i forget if the movies addressed "spring cleaning" thing, but I'll explain it. In the books Peter promised to get Wendy every year for like a week to help him with spring cleaning. However, he either forgot or time works differently, I can't remember which. Anyway, when he did finally come he didn't find Wendy, he found her daughter Jane. So Jane went with him and it went on like that for generations. I wanted to expand on this idea and how betrayed Wendy would've felt when Peter never came. Anyway this author's note has been way too long. I hope you all enjoy this, especially Retro Mania.

Sometimes Wendy didn't think about Neverland. Yes, sometimes when she was doing a particularly arduous chore, or thinking through a hard maths problem, or when she slept. But most of the time, her thoughts were filled with nothing but flying boys, adventures, and magical islands. Her dreams about Neverland were simultaneously her best and worst dreams. She couldn't tell whether they made her happier or sadder. When she dreamt of Neverland, it made her so happy, she could finally be where she felt she belonged. However, when she woke up, the aftermath was brutal. She would spend the whole day in a melancholy daze, just continuously dreaming of the golden sands, the sapphire waters, the powder blue skies, and the emerald green eyes that she couldn't shake from her consciousness.

Whenever she woke up from one of those dreams she pulled out her moleskine notebook that she kept beside her bed. This was her "Neverland" book. It contained every dream she'd ever had about that hallowed place. It also held other things like sketches of the pixies, the rules of Neverland that she could recall, a crude map of the land, and anything else she could remember about the island. She looked at this book when she felt like life was too much. Often, she felt like it was possible she'd dreamed the whole thing, like maybe she'd never even left her bedroom. Michael and John were of no help, her parents had long ago convinced them it was a fanciful dream. Wendy was the only one who'd held on to the dream despite her parents constant reprimands against daydreams. This journal kept her sane.

Another journal sat beside her bed at well. This was her "Return" Notebook. It was a notebook that contained stories and fairytales she'd collected to tell the Lost Boys when she went back to Neverland. It also contained letters, letters she wrote daily to Peter. Every day, she'd take it out and write about her day as if she were writing to Peter. This way, when she returned, she could show Peter how badly she'd missed him.

She'd thought so badly that she wanted to grow up and stay with her family, but it'd been four years since she'd last seen Neverland, and she was quickly realizing her family wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Her parents had left her and her brothers with a dog for God's sake! At twelve, her parents had been her life. Now that she was sixteen, she realized she'd truly been the one to raise her brothers. Her parents were rich aristocrats and were always out at some fancy party or another. To her parents, Wendy, John, and Michael, were like precious jewels, nice to look at, and have out sometimes, but you couldn't really do much with them. Yes, their parents bragged about them, but in a way one would describe their riches, and not in a loving way.

"Angel," Wendy's mother called, as she put topaz earrings into her ears.

"Yes, Mum," Wendy answered sweetly. She acted so differently in front of her parents. She played the part of the doting daughter, willing to do anything she was asked. Away from her parents though she acted less like a princess. Ever since she'd come back from Neverland she'd felt a wildness in her that couldn't be tamed. She felt like she wanted to take risks, do reckless things, and forget about her life here in this world.

When Wendy had come back from Neverland, it'd been really difficult for her to adjust. Everything had looked like it was in black and white compared to the vibrant colors of the distant island. Wendy had definitely become depressed as the days wore on. Her parents had hardly paid her any mind. They told her she was being silly, that no one believed in fairytales at her age. It was especially hard when Michael and John admonished her as well. They'd been there, and yet their minds had been poisoned and warped by this world. Oddly, the only one who seemed to understand was dear Nana. Nana was a logical dog, and she knew she'd seen her children fly out the window with a boy and a small shaking light. Only she also seemed to understand how sad Wendy had become. She often slept with Wendy when she cried, and nudged her awake when she had bad dreams.

"I need you to watch the children tonight," Wendy's mother didn't even look at her daughter as she spoke.

"Of course mother," A phrase that might have seemed rude or sarcastic from another child, sounded authentic and respectful from always articulate Wendy.

"How long do you plan to stay out?" Wendy asked, trying to keep the accusation and anger from her voice. It must've worked because her mother didn't look bothered.

"Hmmm, a couple days. The Westwicks are having a party, and I hear it's lasting at least three days."

"So you're leaving your children alone for three days, to go to a party?" Wendy couldn't manage to keep the incredulity from her voice this time.

"Nana will be here," My mother laughed as she added a matching topaz. Wendy wondered what it would be like to be so carefree all the time. To have responsibilities, but to just simply not care if they were addressed.

"Of course," Wendy sighed. "Nana."

…..

Though the Darlings were very well to do, they only had two servants for their large estate. Wendy often helped the servants, Jenny and Tabby, with anything she could manage. This meant that currently she was on the floor, scrubbing the pantry tiles, as Tabby flittered around the kitchen making dinner for the family. Nana was with the boys in their room. Jenny was tidying up the rest of the house.

"What's that tune yer always humming Ms. Wendy?" Tabby asked as she darted around Wendy to get a loaf of bread.

"It's a song," She said plainly.

"Well I know that," Tabby scoffed. "I may only be a servant, but I can detect that much."

"It's a song, a song a boy taught me," Wendy said cryptically. This was technically true. It was the song Peter was always playing on his reed flute. She found the haunting tune was always running through her head.

"Oh a boy!" Tabby loved the Darling children, and she would've been happy if Wendy told her she had a boy she could confide in sometimes. The young Wendy always seemed so sad, and Tabby wished she could help.

"Yes, but he wasn't a normal boy. That's why the tune is so unique" Wendy said dreamily. Tabby stopped her hurrying, and stood still, looking at the young girl diligently cleaning the floors. She remembered when Wendy had been like a delicate flower. Wendy used to be pale, with soft skin, and a gentle manner. She still was fair skinned to be sure, but now she played outside much more, and the sun had browned her a bit. Now she also had calluses, and thickened skin from the many chores she took on around the house. Tabby and Jenny were a bit ashamed to admit that they couldn't keep the house nearly as nice as it was without little Wendy. She took on a large portion of the work and Tabby got the feeling it was to distract her from something. Wendy had been different when she was younger. However, when she'd been twelve, something had changed. Her and the boys had gone….. Somewhere. It was odd, when Tabby brought up the disappearance of the children, she could never remember what it was due to.

This of course you must know was not Tabby's fault, often when adults cannot give a reasonable explanation for something, they make up reasons that fit their narrative. This was why Tabby, Jenny, and the older Darlings never thought of the children of having been kidnapped by a small, flying, blonde boy. When they thought back on the two months the children had disappeared; their minds told them maybe the children had been a summer camp, on a vacation with a friend's family, or something more natural than the real story in which they flew out the window.

"Ms. Wendy," Tabby said slowly. "Was this boy named Peter?"

"Yes," Wendy replied promptly. One thing to be known about Wendy was she wasn't afraid to tell anyone who would listen about her adventure, but she'd gotten used to people dismissing her.

"Is this that fairy boy-" Tabby stopped herself. When Wendy was younger she'd created an imaginary boy named Peter. Her parents had been rather concerned when Peter continued to exist in Wendy's mind, and she even created a whole world for him. Her parents wanted to send Wendy to a home for people who had gone a bit off their rocker, rather than deal with the shame of having a daughter who came off a bit differently than other people. Tabby and Jenny had actually been the ones who convinced them to let Wendy stay. They said if the whole family just stopped paying attention to Wendy's stories about Peter, she'd forget also. Tabby hadn't heard of him in a while, but it was obvious he was still prevalent in Wendy's mind.

"Wendy," Tabby changed directions quickly. "I want to ask a favor of you."

"Well, I'm cleaning currently," Wendy trailed off looking up at Tabby expectantly.

"I know, not now," Tabby said with a small smile. "My sister just married a man from Japan, and he had a daughter from a previous marriage. Her name is Fay, and she's feeling a bit lonely moving to England and all."

Wendy had her head tilted slightly, and brushed her honey, auburn curls out of her eyes. Tabby had always thought she was so beautiful, with big eyes like a dolls. All Tabby had ever wanted was for Wendy to be happy. Tabby had often thought that if she had a daughter, she'd want her to be very much like Wendy.

"So I was wonderin, well, you can't really play with her. They live an hour out, but you could write her. How about that? Like a penpal, like they used to do in school," Tabby finished, and felt a bit awkward.

"That sounds good, I don't have many friends," Wendy pondered. Tabby's heart sank. Wendy had used to have many friends in primary school, but now she seemed to have cut many of them off. Unfortunately, many of her friends had become bullies to her when she'd went back to school with all her fanciful ideas of fairies and pirates.

"Yes Tabby," Wendy smiled. "I'll definitely write her, it sounds like good fun!" For a moment Tabby welled up. The grand smile Wendy had just given her had brought her back to simpler time when Wendy was younger, her curls blonder, her smile had gaps from missing teeth, and she was just starting her first day of school. Tabby would give anything to have that sweet little girl back, but Wendy had grown, and now the girl dreaded the monotony of school, and no longer smiled quite so bright.

…

Wendy lit a candle to write her first letter to Fay. Wendy bit the end of her pen in thought. She stared out her ever open window. Ever since she'd come back from Neverland she hadn't closed her windows. Dolls, books, and many other toys had been ruined by her open window. Whenever her parents came into her room, they'd shut it, and when they left, Wendy would hop up, and yank it open. She didn't want Peter to come by and think she was shutting him out. Unfortunately, for the first year or two she'd gotten many colds from the dreary weather seeping in the window. Now her antibodies were a bit more used to the damp, stiff, chill.

Wendy bit her lip and put her pen down to the page, and started the letter with a compliment.

"Dear Fay, I like your name, it reminds me of fairies. I'm very fond of fairies. My name is Wendy, it means literary, which I am. I love books, do you love books?"

The letter went on with more questions and facts about Wendy herself. Wendy enjoyed writing letters. She used to write a lot to her parents when they went on vacation, but she'd stopped that practice long ago when she'd found a pile of her letters and postcards in their bedroom wastebasket. Wendy had forgotten the thrill of having a friend. For so long she'd only had Michael and John to keep her company. Sure, there were girls and boys at school that she got on with, but she wasn't really close with them. She spoke in rehearsed sentences with them. Their families were respected and wealthy as she was, and to embarrass herself in front of them would be to embarrass her whole family. It was refreshing to speak to someone who didn't know her from her parents, but through Tabby, who was more like a mother to her than her own had ever been.

When Wendy finished her letter she promptly pushed it underneath Tabby's door, so Tabby could post it the next morning. She hoped she hadn't woken her up, though she doubted Tabby was asleep yet. More likely she and Jenny were in the servants parlor with small glasses of sherry.

When Wendy returned to her room she put on an extra house coat to warm her in her cold room, and grabbed her moleskine notebook from her bed stand. Inside the cover were the words "When I Return" in large cursive letters. She flipped through for an empty page. The book was very nearly full, and would soon have to go with the stacks of used up notebooks under her bed. She'd have to tell Jenny to pick up a new one when she went out. Jenny always got the children whatever they wanted from the shops, probably because she felt so bad about their absent parents. John and Michael often used this to procure sweets, new toys, and once even a lizard from the pet store. Wendy knew she could use their pity to her advantage, but mostly she just asked for notebooks. She didn't like pity.

She made sure her pen was still working well, and began her daily entry to Peter. She told him about how her knees didn't bleed anymore when she washed the floor, and that she was happy her body was building up resistance. She told him about Tabby's new niece Fay, and how much she liked that name. She ended her letter with x's and o's though she realized Peter probably wouldn't know what that meant. She decided she'd tell him when he came.

When she finished, she went promptly to bed, since she was tired and achy from scrubbing. She glanced mournfully at her calendar. She'd be seventeen in six months. That made only a year and six months till she wouldn't be able to go to Neverland. She hoped Peter would hurry up and come get her for "Spring Cleaning." She sighed mournfully before whispering "I do believe in fairies," which she did every night, and then letting herself fall asleep.