Pan's Redemption

Chapter 6 ~Trust*

Wendy awoke to her new title. Lost Girl. Her head had been in Peter's lap when her eyes fluttered open. He simply stated that they should get back to the camp.

"But Peter, it's night. Shouldn't we let them sleep?" Peter threw his head back and laughed aloud at the sound of concern. Wendy looked at him with confusion.

"Sleep? My boys sleeping this early? Ha." She started at him with wide eyes at his change in tone. It seemed dark and sinister. Wendy convinced herself she had imagined it.

"Come, Wendy. The night is young." With that he headed off into the woods. With a sigh she followed him into the night.

The hooting of the Lost Boys could be heard anywhere on the island. Although they were not there yet, Wendy felt nervous. Why did she say yes to becoming a Lost Girl again? Maybe the longing of being accepted. Maybe it was her father's cold glare in the back of her mind.

Soon, there was an orange glow in the darkness between the trees. A fire. They had finally made it to the camp. She stopped dead in her tracks. She looked down at her bare feet to keep from running away. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Come on, Wendy." His lips tugged into a smile. She stared at him in fear. Fear of the unknown. She had read about Neverland her whole life. The Lost Boys were sweet, compassionate. They followed Peter the way she wanted to be followed. Maybe she can lead along side him.

"Peter, have you told them I've come? Do they know that a girl has set foot here?" If they knew it would be better. No shock. No chaos. No riots.

"The party tonight is in your honor. They will soon know you and see you the way I do." So that was a no. He hadn't told them.

"And Wendy?" She looked up at him. Wendy wanted to hide behind a tree at the look he gave her. It was the dark look from earlier. The one that was not to be messed with.

"Yes?" She croaked in fear.

"No one calls me Peter. It's Pan here." She nodded stiffly. She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Let's go before I change my mind," she whispered quietly looking down at the ground. Pan walked toward her and lifted her chin.

"You're perfect." With that he turned and bounded through the trees to greet his Lost Boys. Wendy blushed and walked quickly behind him. She wondered if he had meant what he said:

Perfect.

Pan's POV:

Pan leap through the trees to greet his Lost Boys. He whistled into the air and hooted, "COME ON, BOYS!"

The screamed out their answering calls and soon surrounded the bonfire. He picked out his second command Felix as he did every night. He nodded a greeting in Pan's direction as he always did.

"Tonight, we celebrate!" They all cheered, even when they did not know the reason for celebration. They continued to dance around the fire banging their bamboo sticks together to the pipe Felix held. Wendy was hiding behind a near tree waiting for her introduction.

Pan gave the signal and Felix stopped playing. The boys looked up in slight confusion.

"Tonight, we welcome. Last night as we fought against Captain Hook, The Shadow sent me to London. He showed me a special child; one of the likes I have ever seen. This person has been talked down to their entire life. They have hidden their potential. I intend to awaken it. To show them that they are more powerful than they realize. Boys, I give you Neverland's first Lost Girl: Miss Wendy." Silence filled the camp. He turned to see Wendy shuffling out from behind the tree. Her face pink from his statement. Her eyes glinted in fear.

Pan couldn't get enough of her. The fire in her eyes when she was angry. The cuteness of her blush. How beautiful her brown eyes where that contrasted against rosy skin and blondish curls. He imagined him ruling Neverland as he always did. The only difference was he had Wendy at his side. As powerful as she would become, no one would ever think of laying a hand on either of them.

The Lost Boys shouted. Pan looked at them wide eyed. He thought he saw Felix glare at Wendy from under his dark cloak.

"She's a girl?!" The shortest of the boys, Benji, exclaimed in shock.

"Girls are weak! They can't fight!" Ash, one of his oldest shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Pan's command echoed through the camp. "Boys, boys, boys. Aren't you tired of fighting? Don't you want to end Captain Hook for good? Has it not been that way from the very beginning?"

The boys murmured yeses. He couldn't help but see Wendy looking at him from the corner of his eye. She looked frightened. Not good. At least, not yet. He needed her trust.

"We can use her. We need some discipline in our group. If we want to win, we need to see things through someone else's eyes. We can teach little Wendy to fight. The pirates will think that she's just a girl. They won't see what hit them." Wendy did not relax her stiff posture. Pan gritted his teach in frustration. He needed the Lost Boys to accept her, which made it necessary to throw battle strategies at them. But what was most important was not to frighten Wendy. She was like a bird. Like a small sparrow being taught by the very snake that could kill her all to easily.

He racked his brain for the thing that will keep her from flying away to safety. Then, he got it.

"We need her. We all need her. And it is because we need her so badly that we will care for her like this is her home. Because Wendy," Pan turned to her curious gaze. He gave her a light hearted half smile. "this is your home now."

She stared at him in shock. Her brown eyes wide with surprise. Her cheeks flamed with color. It was then amongst the Lost Boys hoots and Felix's pipe song, Pan knew. He had just gotten Wendy Darling to trust him. Beside himself, he smiled.

Wendy's POV

Home. Wendy looked all around herself. Jungle vegetation, fire, Lost boys; how could this be the warm home Wendy had always dreamed of? But then she saw it. She could see herself with them.

She saw herself in a elegant white dress. Her golden hair in a crown braid. The Lost Boys looking anything in dangerous at her sides picking daises in the meadow they were sanding in. She could hear the ocean and the seagulls calling out to her. She could hear a distinct howl off toward the woods that bordered the meadow. It did not scare her, but it warned her of the presence next to her. With a daisy in hand, Peter weaved it into her braid with nimble fingers. "You are home now,"

She was instantly snapped out of it. It was a vision, a dream. She looked around grasping her surroundings. Jungle. Lost boys. They were not gaping at her now. A hooded figure was playing a pipe, but no music came out of it. She was thinking that it was Pan, but then her gaze locked onto the figure that stood in front of her. Pan flashed an all knowing smile. A smile that knew. Wendy knew without a doubt he had put the vision in her head.

Wendy knew, but didn't care as much as she should have. Maybe this was her home. Maybe she could spend the rest of her life here.