Pan's Redemption

Chapter 22 ~What Syrena Has Lost*

Wendy awoke to Pan's arms around her. She remembered a second later about Syrena. She remembered her telling her that Tink had screamed for her life the day she died.

Tinkerbell was dead.

She couldn't stop the sobs. Pan's arms around her tightened. She should have known he was awake.

"Wendy?" She didn't answer. She couldn't answer. She needed to talk to Felix. She had to tell him what the mermaid told her.

"Wendy, please talk to me. Tell me why I found you on the beach unconscious. Tell me why you're crying." She looked up at Pan. Tears and all, she looked up. He was Peter. His green eyes were pained. He was desperately trying to figure out what she why she was so sad. His bronze hair tousled from sleep. Pan's strong arms were wrapped around the small of her back allowing her no escape.

"I can't..." She said hoarsely. He raised his perfect eyebrows as she spoke. Clearly he didn't think she would answer him.

Pan crushed her toward him. Her face was buried in his neck. He smelled like jungle and ocean. It soothed her, strangely. She suddenly became aware of his lips against her forehead. She felt the blush, but didn't exactly understand how it got there.

"You can tell me when you're ready." He whispered in her hair. The sound of his voice was not impatient the way she had thought it would be, but calm and content.

Something in Wendy just wanted to lay there. Not necessarily crying, but just to stay there in his arms. It was one of the most comfortable places she could imagine. The realization of what she wanted scared her.

"No." She said clearly. Wendy struggled to lift her head up to look at him. The closeness of both their faces caught her off guard, but she regained control over herself.

"No?" He asked in confusion. His green eyes burned in curiosity. It was like he wanted to see inside her soul.

Nothing much to see, she thought.

"I can't tell you because I'm not anything to you." She lied. Lies came easy to her now. Pan couldn't know anything about Tink. Her secret would be kept even in death. "I'm just property to you. I'm Wendy Bird, not Wendy."

Pan grabbed both sides of her face and brought her close to him. She could feel his breath on her lips.

"Is that what you have been thinking all this time?" He asked enraged. She looked at him stunned. Why was he so mad?

"How can you possibly think that I thought of you as an object?" Peter winced. Yes, Peter. He wasn't Pan, not right now he wasn't. Wendy was in a trance. One where she only looked at his lips and maybe, just maybe, wanting them closer.

The door to the hut swung open and Felix stood there. He looked away warily as if walking in on a romantic moment.

Instinctively, Wendy removed herself from Pan and sat up in bed. All the guilt came crashing on her again. Felix didn't know. Wendy had to tell him.

Felix glanced from Pan and settled on Wendy. At first it was questioningly, but then he saw the tear streaks across her face. Wendy's tear exploded for the fiftieth time. She darted across the small space and into Felix's chest.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Tink. Tink. TINK. TINK!" She whispered just loud enough for only Felix. Felix swallowed lump after lump in his throat preventing himself from crying with her. Pan couldn't see it. For Tink.

"I need a moment." He said as he pried Wendy off of him. Wendy watched him run out of camp.

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