Note: As a longtime fan of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, I decided to write a fic that combines the protagonists of both stories. I'm quite aware that J.M. Barrie has written a somewhat origin story of Peter Pan, involving him being raised by fairies when he was just an infant. However, I wanted to recreate Neverland through my own viewpoint, that uses both Peter and Alice. Therefore, if you're searching for something that stays loyal to Barrie's and Carroll's works, then I suggest you don't read this. And just to be clear, this fic does not involve Wendy. I've completely removed her from canon for the purposes of my story.

On a last note, the versions I'll be sticking most true to are the Disney versions.

Warning: This story is unbeta'ed, and written rather quickly. Hopefully it will suffice, and if not, I will probably edit it further.

Chapter I | Peter

Alice lay on top of a roof; her blonde hair that was once pulled into a tight bun, courtesy of her sister, now entangled loose in a mess. The white pinafore overtop that hung around her blue dress was covered with black soot from the countless hours of playing outside. The baker of the shop she was on top of opened the window, causing the aroma of bread to mix with the unpleasant smell of polluted smoke rising from the chimneys. Removing the hand previously covering her left eye, Alice pinched her nose.

For the last few hours, she had been playing hide-and-seek, a game she often admitted at being quite good at. However, due to the significant lack of players, the game was continuous, dull, and because the weather changed drastically since the morning, very cold. Shivering slightly, Alice longed for a sweater. She contemplated on leaving her hiding place and returning to her home, but overruled the idea when the thought of losing crossed her mind. No, Alice never lost. Not at hide-and-seek.

Her hands moved from covering her face to her arms, rubbing against them to produce warmth. She sighed, hoping Hamish would quit searching for her. The red-haired boy was relentless, and despite the sky darkening, she doubted he had given up. Sometimes Alice wished for more friends, better friends. Anyone, even the orphans her mother warned her about, would be much better company than Hamish.

It wasn't that Hamish was a bad person. He was just insufferable, monotonous, and boring. His nose was far too big for his face, his eyes much too close together, and his red hair was always perfectly styled; not one strand out of place. But the characteristic that bothered Alice most was not his snooty personality, nor his nasal voice, but his frown. Not once had Alice seen a trace of a smile etched on the boy's face. How a child could look so unhappy all the time was beyond her.

She crinkled her nose at the thought of him. Their families had already arranged them to be married once she reached eighteen, a moment she would undoubtedly be dreading for the five years leading up to that event.

Lost in thought, the sound of running feet surpassed her for a split moment. As the shoe clacking grew louder, Alice sat up and turned towards the direction of the noise. She thought she heard the faint sound of a pan flute. Then what seemed out of nowhere, she spied a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy running towards her roof. The flute she had heard was in his mouth, and his hands were occupied with bags of what she could only assume was food.

"Hello!" Alice called unthinking. But the boy didn't seem to hear her or notice her, or if he did, he didn't show any signs of acknowledgment. Instead, he continued running, jumping from roof to roof. Alice couldn't help but stare in awe. If only she had the ability, and courage, to perform such acrobatics. With a final leap, the boy fell onto Alice's roof, pulling the flute from his mouth and panting wildly.

With flaming orange hair and bright blue eyes, he flashed her a crooked smile before putting his bags down on the roof and taking a seat only a few feet away from her.

"Hello?" Alice asked, curiosity overwhelming her.

She had never seen the boy before, but from what she noticed, he looked poor and probably of a lower class. His clothing looked more like rags than anything else, and his hair was ruffled and dirty; much unlike Hamish's despite the similar color.

"Hi," The boy replied, brushing the dust off his shirt. Though because of the amount of grime clinging to his clothing, the action was useless.

"Why, I don't recall ever seeing you before. Do you mind telling me who you are?" She wondered, casually inching closer to the boy. Alice knew well her mother would not approve of her talking to a stranger, but considering she had been to Wonderland and met a plethora of mad people there, conversing with a child her age didn't seem all too bad.

"Peter," The boy responded. He rolled his eyes as if it was Alice's fault to ask and not know beforehand.

"My name's Alice," Alice introduced, but couldn't help feeling slightly self-conscious and slightly annoyed at the way Peter gazed at her. It was a blank stare that emitted his lack of desire to know anything about her.

Peter took out a soot-covered hand from his pant pocket, spat on it, and then extended it as a greeting.

Repulsed, Alice took the hand since it was the proper thing to do, and cringed at the feeling of saliva mixed with sweat and dirt.

Satisfied, the boy ended the gesture, rubbing his hand on the pant leg, and saluted her with his left hand extending from his forehead.

"Goodbye, Alice," He waved, giving a toothy grin. Slinging the messenger bag over his shoulder and holding the other bag in his hand, Peter ran towards the edge of the roof, put his free hand on the gutter and swung into a nearby window.

Alice had to blink twice to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But the traces of saliva still dripping down her fingertips proved a point all on its own.

A couple of weeks passed and Alice grew more tiresome with the boring life she lived. Every day she would go to the library where her sister would tutor her on English and arithmetic. Then, she would head off to the kitchen to grab a snack and meet Hamish on her way out the doors. He would undoubtedly follow her, because she assumed he had no other friends (not that she would admit he was one of hers in the first place), and stare at her judgingly as she ate her crackers whilst sauntering down the cobbled streets.

"Hamish?" Alice asked as they walked. "Do you think a place like Wonderland exists? Not actual Wonderland, but a different one. Do you think there could be many Wonderlands yet to be discovered? With strange queens and—"

"No."

Every time she met Hamish, Alice would have higher expectations, hoping he grew an open mind overnight. But the truth was that he had no imagination whatsoever and resembled an adult in a child's body.

"Do you think there's a possibility that humans could fly? A place where we could just jump out the windows and the air would carry us?"

"No."

"What about a place with mermaids and fairies? Oh, I've always wanted to hold a fairy, but Lorina always tells me they don't exist and that I need to get my head out of the clouds. I can't imagine why though. Dreaming is so wonderful."

"No."

Even when "no" was not an appropriate answer, Hamish would use it anyway, at least when talking to Alice. She didn't understand why the boy even bothered to be around her if he seemed so miserable and bored in her company.

"Do you think Lorina will make us tea today? I do love tea, especially with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Oh, and the Dormouse too."

"Alice."

The change in vocabulary confused Alice for a second, as though it was a figment of her imagination.

"I don't care about Wonderland. Or whatever you've been pretending about," He continued.

"Well, what do you want to talk about Hamish, if you can think of so many more interesting topics?" Alice asked. She couldn't help the tinge of venom that bled into her voice. Thankfully, it went unnoticed.

"Nothing, really. I was thinking we should play hide-and-seek again like we did a long time ago. Though I think you should do the seeking this time. I'm afraid you might get lost again if you hide."

Alice gritted her teeth at the jab. "I did not get lost. You're just very bad at hide-and-seek."

"If you really think so, then maybe we should play right now and see how long it takes you to find me."

There was a new determination in Hamish's voice that had escaped Alice's ears in the past twelve years that she had known him. And although there was no excitement laced in his tone, there was an upbeat shift that seemed suspiciously out of character.

"Alright, I'll count to ten, and you hide."

"Try not to take too long. Your sister Lorina will grow worried if I'm not around."

1…

Alice could hear leaves rustling as Hamish stepped on each. She imagined him tripping over a stick and falling flat on his face in mud. Giggling to herself, she continued counting.

2…

3…

4…

5…

6…

7…

The footsteps were unheard now, but she could hear the faint sound of a door opening. Alice could picture him, hiding behind a curtain in the corridor, cackling to himself in his nasal voice at the ingenious hiding place.

8…

9…

10…

Alice peered through her hands before returning them to her pockets. She strolled towards the household but paused only a few inches from the door.

"If I look for him now, I'll be left to entertain him for the rest of the evening," Alice reasoned to herself.

Despite hating to lose, Alice decided it was better than to waste her entire afternoon with Hamish following her around like a tail. After all, she had better things to do than busy him with conversations about maths and sciences.

Walking down the steps leading to her home, she reentered London. Horse carriages were drawn out of the way as she wandered down the street, arms folded across her chest. The thing about London was that Alice knew every corner, every alley, every street, and every household. There was nowhere new to adventure to, and Alice seldom repeated adventures.

The only thing she didn't quite know about London was the boy jumping over the roofs. Not once had she seen him again while on her daily walks. Not once had she seen a glimpse of messy red hair or the sound of shoes and panpipes.

"I wonder," She thought for a moment as she stopped by the bakery shop. Aimlessly at first, she climbed the ladder leading to the roof. The biting sensation of cool wind on her ears and nose was almost enough to send her back down. But a new tenacious fire lit itself inside Alice, and she knew she needed to keep going. The chances of finding what she was looking for were slim. And she knew it the back of her mind that it was ridiculous to even believe there was anything awaiting her on the roof, practically impossible.

No, impassible. Nothing's impossible.

The wintry air brushed against her back, but Alice ignored it. Her eyes wandered over at the window the mysterious boy had jumped into. Peter. Peter with the untidy tomato hair and the freckles that crossed his nose, Peter with the tattered clothing and the pan flute, Peter with the bright smile that seemed to turn her stomach over uncomfortably.

Peter Pan.

Climbing over to the window, she placed one foot on the ledge before shifting her weight completely over, making sure not to look down as she did so.

Fortunately, there was a latch on the outside of the window, prompting Alice to fiddle around with it. Unluckily, the window was frozen shut and wouldn't budge despite hearing the clicks on the lock. As a second option, she bumped against the glass, attempting to push herself into the room forcefully. But that didn't quite work out either.

"Peter," She whispered as though he could hear her.

With a grieving sense of disappointment, she climbed back over to the ladder, holding her breath as she did so. With a swift swing, her hands gripped the handlebars and propelled herself up to the rooftop.

Sitting on the ledge of the building, Alice let her legs swing freely into the open, imagining the feeling of flight and the wind carrying her up and up for as long as she liked. She imagined flying with Hamish, watching him gasp and pant in the air, telling her to wait up. But Alice wouldn't wait. Not for Hamish. The more she ignored him, the more he seemed to be sinking back down to the ground. The distance between them soon grew farther and farther apart as she flew higher, until he was just a small dot in the vast universe.

"Alice."

She expected it to be Hamish's voice, but it wasn't. Looking down, she noticed the dot that represented her friend grow bigger, heading towards her and growing more recognizable. Then, the image of her monotonous companion was altered into a familiar boy with a crooked smile. He soared into the sky, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I'll race you," He declared bravely, speeding up to Alice.

"Though I hardly think you'll win," She replied, flashing her own grin.

Without another word, the boy zoomed off ahead of her, leaving Alice to float by herself.

"Cheater!" She called after him.

The vision blurred and the sounds of London and the smell of polluted air fizzled out her dream for good.

With a newfound purpose, Alice brought her legs back up and lay down on the roof, closing her eyes. She would wait for the memorable sound of panpipes before opening them again. When the time came, she'd look over to see Peter, who'd wave and salute to her like he did the weeks before. He'd unlatch the window of the adjacent building, the window that was impossible –impassible- to open. She'd walk over to him, a bright smile on her face and they'd have a mutual understanding. He'd outstretch his saliva-covered hand, which she would gladly accept with less revulsion, and they would climb into the dark window together, embarking on a new adventure. She would leave the boring life she lived, never seeing Hamish again. Never seeing Lorina again. Never seeing London again. Together, she and Peter would discover new Wonderlands, magical places with mermaids and fairies and tea parties, and places where they'd be able to fly. They would never grow old and she'd never be Hamish's bride. Or if they did have to grow up, they'd grow up together, taking their children on adventures too, and never confining them in London.

Alice would see Peter again, not because she wanted to, but because she needed to.