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Chapter Text

Wendy knew she shouldn’t have trusted Tink.
Wind rushed past her as she fell from the flying ship, which had mysteriously lost all of it’s pixie dust, but maybe it wasn’t as mysterious as she thought. After all, Tink was flying beside her, a smile on her tiny face. At that moment Wendy knew why the ship had started to fall and what Tink intended to do.
That thought crossed her mind as Tink smiled at her with a saucy smirk before pressing her delicate tiny hands against Wendy’s nose and pushing her away. Then all of Wendy’s thoughts turned into stark terror as she realized her imminent death was staring at her in the face. She was plummeting, faster and faster as the sharp pointed rocks below became crystal clear to see. She let out a piercing scream because this time Peter wasn’t going to be there to ca-

***

Peter shrieked.
He had no idea was capable of making such a noise until the sheer gravity of Wendy’s situation hit him and then he felt a horrible fear that he’d never experienced before. It was as if all the air was being sucked out of his lungs and he was trying so hard to hold on to the last bits of oxygen that were escaping his desperate fingers. What he saw was so awful it was forever imprinted in his memory.
A glimmer of hope at first, because Tinkerbell was flying down towards Wendy. The other fairies had saved the falling Lost Boys. They were safe, returned to Hook’s flying ship, which had somehow been corrected to its original position. Only Wendy was still falling. Peter watched from a distance, held back by the world’s strongest gust of wind. Then to his complete shock, Tink flew away as Wendy still plummeted toward the rocks below.
For one last second he could see her beautiful slender form, gracefully extended towards the ground. Her blue eyes were wide with terror and her red mouth was in an o shape as she screamed. Then she hit the rocks.
A burst of red. A scream that was cut off. Peter Pan had never heard a more horrible sound than silence.

***

Tinkerbell knew she shouldn’t be so gleeful as she stroked Wendy’s nose as the child was plummeting to her death. It was difficult, because the solution to her problem was about to be solved in less than ten seconds. She leaned in, soaking in the expression of horror on Wendy’s face as the child realized her fate. Those eyes had suddenly held so much in them: hope, terror, and hate.
“You won’t feel a thing,” Tink whispered, mustering a voice as reassuring as she felt able to. In her heart she felt somewhat saddened. In another universe she and Wendy probably could have been friends. It wasn’t her fault that Wendy had made such a problem by threatening the safety of Tink’s friends and kin. How could Wendy possibly know the true stakes of her actions?
Still, Tink felt stung a little by the amount of hate in Wendy’s eyes, so she reached out and pushed the girl so that she was falling headfirst. The child let out a final scream that was cut off with a horrible crunch and the bright color of red as her body collided with the sharp rocks. Tink winced as she watched. She felt she had to, to make sure that the deed was truly completed this time.
In the distance she could hear the piercing cries of the Lost Boys and Wendy’s brothers, who had been returned to Hook’s ship in the sky. The loudest cry of them all however was Peter’s, who swooped down after Vidia freed him from her wind sphere. He flew so quickly Tinkerbell had a moment of fear that Peter was planning on joining Wendy. To her surprise however he slowed in time to approach the mangled body of his friend. He reached for Wendy, slowly, then picked her up, flying away.
“What’s he doing?” Iridessa asked, as she fluttered towards Tink.
“Saying goodbye probably,” Tink replied shortly. They watched for a moment as the others, Rosetta and Vidia joined them. “Come on, let’s go deal with the aftermath,” Tink said.

Chapter Text

Peter Pan carried Wendy as far as he could. Tears blurred his vision and when it got too difficult to see he eventually landed on the ground, trying not to hurt Wendy. They were amongst a field, pretty far into Neverland. Wendy had fallen amongst the rocks along the coast, so the distance they had traveled was significant. He gently laid her down on the grass, trying to be as careful as possible.
He leaned back for a moment, trying to gauge how badly she was hurt. She wasn’t moving, which wasn’t good. People had to be moving and breathing to be living. He tried to calm his panicked breaths as he suddenly felt his vision go red because all he could see on Wendy’s form was awful sickly red. He reached, touching the blood on her side and was shocked to feel how warm and sticky it was. He hastily tried wiping it off on his shirt and then realized he was covered in Wendy’s blood.
Trying to calm his gag reflex, he turned back to Wendy. Her eyes were open and she wasn’t blinking, just staring out into a mysterious nothingness. Peter tried listening for any signs of breathing.
Nothing.
The reality set in, slowly at first, then in a horrible sinking way that began in his head and circled around his heart. The shock wore off and the tragic fate of Wendy finally settled into his mind. He began to shake uncontrollably and cry. Sobs that wracked his small body and made it difficult to breathe. He reached for Wendy again and pulled her close, hoping desperately for a heartbeat. She only felt limp in his arms. Her skin was beginning to chill but her blood was still sickly warm.
“Oh Wendy,” he whispered, rocking her. “Wendy.. I’m so sorry. .”
There was no response. Peter sat there for the rest of the evening, holding Wendy Moira Angela Darling in his arms till his sobs were gone.

***

Tinkerbell opened the door to her home and stepped inside. She felt lighter, as if a huge weight had finally been freed from her shoulders which had been bearing a heavy load for far too long. Wendy was dead, finally. Third time had been the charm and her last plan had achieved her goal: protecting her friends.
She collapsed in her chair and rested her head on her table. She felt so very tired. The past couple days had taken a lot out of her. She’d been so focused on getting rid of Wendy she’d barely taken care of herself.
Tinkerbell rose and dragged herself to her closet, where she changed into comfortable leggings and a cozy blouse. Then she walked over to her bed, flopping down amongst the soft pillows. She sighed, allowing herself to sleep for the first time since Wendy arrived.

Tinkerbell glared at the girl that was holding Peter’s hand. Her name was Wendy. Wendy Moira Angela Darling, apparently. Peter Pan had brought her from the mainland and was excitedly showing her the sights of Neverland from the sky. The two of them held hands, whilst Wendy’s brothers, John and Michael flew in and out of the clouds. Tinkerbell watched from a distance, glowering at the pair gliding through the air.
She wasn’t sure why but something about the way Peter was looking at Wendy rubbed her the wrong way. Wendy was very nice. Too nice. All Wendy did was look up at Peter and smile and Peter suddenly turned into a blushing mess. It was ridiculous.
Wendy was trouble, of that Tink was absolutely sure. The girl loved to talk about being grown up and grown ups were the enemy. Being grown up meant no more believing in fairies and that meant death. Death for fairies in the form of a sudden loss of consciousness and then just death. It was sudden and horrible and Tink had seen it happen too many times.
“Tink!”
Peter’s voice jerked Tinkerbell out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the boy waving her over to himself and Wendy. Reluctantly, she fluttered over.
“Hey Tink, go to the hide-out and tell the Lost Boys I’m coming home! And that I’ve got a surprise for them,” Peter added a wink towards Wendy.
Wendy smiled back, which emphasized her youthful beauty. She turned towards Tink and spoke in the mainland accent that Tink thought incredibly dull. “She’s so stunning, I hope I’ll be as beautiful as her when I grow up.”
Peter laughed. “Who? Tink? All fairies are pretty. It’s part of who they are. It ain’t nothing special.”
Tink scowled, crossing her arms. There went Wendy again about growing up. Couldn’t the girl get anything else out of her mind? And what in Mother’s name was she saying? Was Wendy mocking her?
“You’re just a great big ugly girl,” she muttered under her breath.
Unfortunately for her Peter had amazingly keen hearing. “Uh oh Wendy, I think Tink’s mad at you.”
“Oh no, really?” Wendy asked, big blue eyes wide. “What did I do?”
Peter shrugged. “How should I know? Fairies are still pretty mysterious to me. But I wouldn’t take any offense. Tink’s just naturally grumpy.”
Wendy turned to Tink, concern etched on her face. “Please, accept my apologies for whatever it is I did to offend you.”
Tink ignored her.
“Hey Tink! You be nice to Wendy! And go on and do as I told you to!” Peter interjected, gently swatting at Tinkerbell. Tink scowled even further. Peter was not her master, but he enjoyed acting like it. If it wasn’t for the fact that Tink had actually grown incredibly fond of him and that he was also the reason Tink was alive she would’ve sent him home long ago. However, the situation wouldn’t condone it.
Tink nodded briskly and zipped out of there before her glow could turn red from rage.

***

Peter carried Wendy back to Hangman’s Tree. He had wiped away the blood as best he could, he felt that Wendy would have wanted to be presentable even in death. Girls always seemed to care so much about their appearance. He wanted to respect her wishes, even ones she had never expressed.
Peter landed lightly outside of the entrance of the hideout and stepped inside. The Lost Boys and Wendy’s brothers were gathered inside. He didn’t see Tinkerbell, which was strange. He’d hoped that his best friend would have been there. He bit his lip, hoping that Tink wasn’t somewhere hiding because of her failure. Obviously she just hadn’t judged how quickly Wendy was falling and therefore hadn’t been able to save Wendy. Honest mistake.
Peter only wished that honest mistake hadn’t cost Wendy her life.
There was a gasp that echoed throughout the innermost chamber of the hideout as the boys present saw Peter and his companion. John Darling stood, trembling, and walked over slowly. Peter froze, unsure of what to do. Wendy still lay in his arms, now looking as if she was sleeping. John looked down on her, tears rising in his brown eyes. He took off his glasses and reached for his sister, cupping her pale cheek.
“I’d hoped that somehow she made it,” he spoke in a raspy voice, obviously trying to hold back his tears.
Peter only shook his head.
The boys moved apart so that Peter could lay the dead child on the bed in the middle of the room. Michael approached, clutching his stuffed bear. He looked up at John, blue eyes wide. “We were supposed to go home,” he reminded his older brother.
“Hush now chap,” John whispered. “We can’t go now.”
“Why’s Wendy sleeping?”
“She’s not sleeping Michael,” one of the Twins piped up.
Michael looked confused and turned to his sister. “She looks like she’s sleeping to me,” he insisted, clambering onto the bed before Peter could stop him. “Oh, she’s awfully cold. Don’t worry Wendy, I'll keep you warm.” Michael settled against his sister’s corpse and lifted one of her broken arms so that it wrapped around him.
John choked and Slightly pounded him on the back. Peter didn’t know what to do. It was an awful feeling. Peter Pan always knew what to do, that’s what made him so important. That was why he was leader and the others his Lost Boys.
To his relief a familiar sound of bells suddenly rang through the entrance.

***

Tinkerbell flew through the entrance of Peter Pan’s hideout to come face to face with her deed. She came to a screeching halt as she saw Wendy’s pale face lying on one of the Lost Boys’ beds. A lump rose in her throat and a sudden feeling of inexplicable rage. Then she saw that Peter was watching her, a relieved smile on his lips. His eyes were greatly swollen and red from crying. His clothes were bloodstained and dirty. Tink resisted the urge to plug her nose, breathing deeply. Obviously Peter suspected nothing on her part, that smile said enough.
She was safe.
“Oh Peter,” she said, swooping over to land on Peter’s shoulder. She made herself look as sad and apologetic as possible, summoning her best doe eyes to raise to Peter’s hazel ones. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t make it in time.”
To her amazement, as she looked into Peter’s eyes, a jolt shocked through her at the sight of his face. She’d never seen him so distressed before, it was distressing for herself. She fluttered up and hugged his cheek.
“Tink. .” he murmured, shudders coursing through his small body, “I failed her.”
“No, no,” Tink reassured him as sobs began to arise from her friend. “You didn’t fail. I did. I failed her.”
“No kidding,” Slightly interjected bitterly. Tink peered over, sticking out her tongue. Slightly only scoffed at her. Tink frowned, narrowing her eyes at the small boy. The comment had been too sharp, too on point.
Did Slightly know the truth?
“I did my best,” she snapped. “You know that.”
“That’s not how it looked to me,” Slightly replied, turning his body so that it faced her. Tink’s heart raced. He knew or suspected. That was increasingly apparent according to his body language and tone, which were posed threateningly.
John piped up. “What’s going on? I can’t understand.”
The others looked uncomfortable. The Lost Boys did not often confront in public like this. It could be used to Tink’s advantage.
“I’m accusing Miss Innocent Fairy over here of letting Wendy fall to her death!” Slightly blurted.
“WHAT!” was the general response from the group. Tink glared at Slightly who only scowled right back at her.
“Slightly you’re accusing Tink of something highly treasonous,” Peter snapped, stepping forward. “If you’re wrong, you’ll be kicked out of the Lost Boys.”
“And if I’m right?” Slightly replied.
For a second Peter’s face fell and he glanced over at Tinkerbell, who was still perching on his shoulder. She read his face and was nervous to see a hint of doubt appear in his eyes. It flashed away after a moment but it had been there and that was all Tink needed to get very very uneasy. She reached out, grabbing hold of one of Peter’s locks of hair and began to stroke it. She did it mostly to calm her own nerves, as stroking was a nervous habit of hers.
Peter gave her a quick smile before answering Slightly’s question. “Then, Tink will be banished. So think a little before continuing what you were about to say.”
Tinkerbell gulped.

Chapter Text

Peter wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation unfolding in front of him. 

  Slightly, one of his most trusted Lost Boys was making a serious accusation against Tinkerbell, his right-hand fairy. According to Slight, Tink had killed Wendy Darling, Peter’s friend. His special friend. She hadn’t even been buried, in fact, her corpse was laying on a bed in the middle of Peter’s headquarters. The other boys, Wendy’s brothers included, just watched the scene solemnly. 

  Peter’s heart ached. This was not how he’d imagined this day going. Not at all. It was a nightmare, but he was still alive and he had to keep going. Keep breathing, keep moving. It was beginning to feel like torture. Over and over in his mind he kept replaying that awful moment of when Wendy had hit the rocks. 

  How on Neverland was he going to recover?

  Peter rubbed his temple with his fingers and sat down on the bed beside where Wendy lay. He looked at her, her pale face and broken body. Just a few hours before she’d been alive and warm, full of joy and happiness. Something hardened in Peter as he looked at her sweet face. Her expression was one of pain. Wendy was going to be forever in pain and Peter couldn’t help but blame himself. Reaching out, he grasped her small hand and began to rub her knuckles. 

  He looked at the others, from Tinkerbell to Slightly. Taking a deep breath, he gestured to Slight. “Slightly, anything else you have to say about what you think Tink did will be considered an official accusation. If you are gonna say it you better mean it.”

  Slightly looked at Peter and Peter stared right back at him. They both knew the gravity of the situation. Slightly could either back out now or commit entirely and risk his or Tink’s place in Peter’s band.

  Peter hoped Slight would stay silent. 

  Slightly opened his mouth and raised his right hand. “I,  Slightly of the Lost Boys, officially accuse Tinkerbell of one of the most horrible actions I’ve ever seen: the murder of Wendy Darling, our mother.”

  Peter swallowed a moan. He was a leader and leaders do not show signs of weakness. He only clutched onto Wendy’s fingers tighter. “Ok,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Does Tink deny the accusation?”

  He turned to the pretty little fairy on his shoulder. She didn’t hesitate a beat before twinkling out, “I definitely deny it.”

  Slight’s expression darkened at that and Peter had a flash of realization. Slightly really did believe Tink was guilty of killing Wendy. This wasn’t some sort of sick prank, as Slight was known to pull amongst the boys. This was really and truly something Slightly believed in and was defending. 

  He waved towards Slightly. “Make your case, Slight.”

  The Lost Boy began to pace, while the others sat on the ground, watching tensely. Peter had rarely seen Slight so worked up, but it was obvious by his body language that the boy was distressed. “We all know how today began,” Slightly spoke softly, “we were gonna go fly to the mainland. Wendy had promised to take us there to live with her family. Yesterday we defeated Captain Hook, the codfish. We did it pretty spectacularly, I might add.”

    “Get on with it,” Tink interrupted.

  Slightly glared at her. Taking a deep breath he continued, “Sorry, I just want to remind us all that something good did happen to us recently. Anyway so as we were flying on Hook’s ship, which Tink did get into the air with her pixie dust, I suddenly noticed that our little fairy friend here was gone.” 

  Tink scoffed. “I wasn’t gone, I was with Peter the whole time.” 

  Realizing all eyes were on him, Peter shrugged. “I honestly can’t remember about where Tink is all the time. But you say she was gone, Slight? Then what?”

  “Well, we were getting pretty high you remember, and we were all pretty excited and all that. I remember Wendy especially was really happy because she was going to see her mother.”

  Peter nodded. He did remember that. 

   It was the evening following Hook’s defeat. The remaining pirates had fled into the depths of Neverland’s forests and would probably be hunted down by the Indians. Peter and the Lost Boys were celebrating on the deck of Hook’s ship, with food and drink discovered from the ship’s hold. The boys were dancing around, laughing and cheering. Peter and Wendy watched from above on the ship’s mast. Peter had flown up, tired from the fun and wanting a chance to speak to the lovely girl. 

  “Oh Peter, this is so wonderful!” Wendy exclaimed, clutching onto his arm as she watched her brothers. “I’m so excited to return home tomorrow!”

  Peter smiled at her. “You are? Why?”

  She looked at him, a twinkle in her eye. “Why Peter, surely you know why. I’ve mentioned it to you lots of times.”

  Peter shrugged his shoulders. “Mention it to me again please,” he said saucily, floating up into the air and crossing his legs. 

  Wendy sighed, rubbing her slender fingers together. The sun was setting, casting an orange and pink glow on her youthful face. “I’m excited because I get to go home to my mother.”

  Peter flipped upside down. “Aaaand.?”

  She looked at him, brows furrowed. “And I’m very happy to see my father too you know.”

  “Aaaand..??”

  “Of course Nana too. I shall never forget my adorable nurse!”

  “AAAANDDDD..???”

  “Peter!”

  “Wendy!” Peter answered in his best imitation of falsetto. 

  Wendy huffed and crossed her arms, facing away from him. She really was quite sensitive, and Peter always used that to his utter advantage. He flew over to her side, waggling his fingers in her face. She simply spun away and scoffed.
  “Oh Wendy,” Peter said, trying desperately to get in her line of sight, “I was only teasing you know. You do know how much I love to tease you, don’t ya?”

  She looked up at him. That was the beginning of the victory. “I suppose,” she agreed, “but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

  “I know Wendy.” Peter landed next to her and stared off into the distance. They were quiet for a moment, drinking in the scenery. 

  “I only just wanted to get you to say that you’d miss me,” he confessed. 

  Wendy gasped, causing Peter to jump. “Why, Peter! What do you mean?”

  “What do YOU mean?” 

  “I thought you were going to come with us to the mainland.”

  “Oh. I haven’t made up  my mind about that yet,” Peter replied. “I’m still thinking about it.”

   They were silent again for a moment. Wendy cupped her chin and leaned against the mast, seeming to be in thought.
  “I want you to come,” she said finally. 

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Not forever, if it’s not what you want, but I do want you to come Peter.”

  Peter Pan smiled broadly. He then reached out, slowly, and took hold of her fingers, tangling them with his. He squeezed and watched as Wendy’s breath caught. The two of them looked at each other, Peter imagining about what the next day would hold for them.

  “So, as we were flying up into the sky this afternoon, I suddenly look down and what do I see? Tink! But this time she had company.”

  Peter looked down at Tink. He’d been around fairies  long enough by now to know that fairies, especially Tink, were very obvious with their emotions. Supposedly it was because fairies were so small that they only had room for one emotion at a time. So, he looked at her, hoping to get a read on her reaction. 

  To his amazement, her glow was beginning to bleed from yellow to purple, the sign of guilt. She seemed to be trying to keep her face expressionless and quickly her glow returned to normal. He’d never seen anything like it. 

  Feeling a sense of dread, he focused back to what Slightly was saying. “Then, as you all know the ship started falling for almost no apparent reason.”

  “There was a really big wind that blew!” Tootles piped up.
  Slightly pointed to Tootles. “Yes! There was wind! That may have been what caused the pixie dust to blow away!”

  “And where did this wind come from?” John asked, ever the skeptic.

  Slightly looked up, considering the question. Then his features relaxed and he blurted out, “Vidia!”

  “Vidia?” the group chorused.
  “Yes!” Now Slightly was getting excited, he was pacing up and down the room faster than ever. “Vidia blew off the pixie dust, and we started to fall. I’ve never been more scared in my life. I was falling and falling but then I wasn’t. Rosetta saved me.”

  Some of the other boys jumped in, agreeing. They’d also been saved by some other fairies, including Vidia, Iridessa, and Rosetta.
  “But how had they known we would need rescuing, Tink?” Slightly demanded.
  She shrugged. “Ok fine, I did invite them along. I needed help getting the ship into the air. I couldn’t do it myself.”

  “Then how do you explain what happened to Peter?” Slightly countered. 

  Peter paled, recalling that awful moment when for a moment, he’d been trapped by a freak wind gush.  He hadn’t been able to help anyone. He’d never felt so completely powerless in his entire life. 

  Tink was at a loss for words. She eventually stammered out, “I..I don’t know. It was an..an accident.”

  Her glow was turning purple again. The others noticed and began to whisper. Peter stood, releasing Wendy’s hand. He brushed Tinkerbell off his shoulder and turned to face her while she fluttered in mid-air, entirely casting a purple glow on the room.
  “How do you plead, Tinkerbell? Did you do it? Did you kill Wendy?” he demanded, pointing to the corpse on the bed.
  Tink shrugged again. Peter’s heart dropped. She’d done it. Tinkerbell killed Wendy. She wasn’t even denying it. Before he could think, he reached out and grasped the tiny fairy in his hands. She gasped and struggled aloud. The other boys clamored and tried to reach Peter, but he floated up into the air, out of their reach. 

  Tink pleaded and wept as Peter slowly began to crush her. He could hear Tink’s wings begin to shatter  and a tiny crack as her arm broke. He kept going, fueled by a blind rage. He ignored the tears and screams coming from his former best friend. Suddenly he was wacked on the side of the head by a heavy object. Stunned, he dropped Tink and she desperately flew out through one of the hide-out’s many escape holes. 

  Peter dropped, realizing that John had thrown his umbrella at him. He snarled as Tink escaped and he flew up again, but Tink was too quick. The hold was too small for Peter to fit and only his arm was able to shoot through. It wriggled and felt for a tiny fairy body, but found none.
  “I’LL GET YOU TINKERBELL!” he screamed. “I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS!”

Chapter Text

   Chapter Four

    Tink flew awkwardly all the way back to Pixie Hollow. She passed fields that had once been filled with flowers and streams that no longer bubbled and frothed. The animals were hiding and the tinker fairies workshops were mostly empty. She was used to this by now though and the only thing on her mind was how much her arm throbbed. She was also furious.

   When she arrived at the healer’s grove she landed on the ground with a grateful sigh. It was now quiet when only a few summers ago it had been a busy buzzing place, but most of the healer fairies were dead now. The few that remained were now required to assist the remaining garden fairies in gathering and planting crops. However, Tink didn’t see any of them in the healer’s center of the grove. 

  She trudged towards one of the more private areas and was relieved to find a cot and the standard first aid. Wishing she had someone to help her she began to examine the true extent of her wounds. She was still in shock from what Peter did. She could still feel his fingers slowly crushing her, suffocatingly so. She’d genuinely never expected such a reaction like that from him. She’d known that if she was discovered, Peter would be very upset. 

  But she never imagined being almost killed by her best friend.

  Shaking, she tried to raise her left arm but it was agonizing to do so. It was definitely broken, hanging at awkward angles in not one but two places. She grimaced and began to inspect the first aid. There were splints and plenty of bandages amongst other supplies. 

  Tink began the process of putting her arm together, placing a stick in her mouth as a precaution. It turned out to be a good thing because just moving her arm was so incredibly painful that tears streamed from her eyes. She was about move the bone into place when she heard a sudden flutter of wings, signaling that a fairy had arrived.
  “Tink? Tinkerbell? Are you here?” a small voice whispered.
  “I’m in here!” Tink shouted.

  The curtain parted and in stepped Iridessa, her dark brown eyes brimming with concern. “Oh Tink! I thought I saw you as I was passing by the Pixie Dust tree, are you-” her questions came a to halt as she screeched at the sight of Tink’s arm.

  Tink sighed, “No, Dessa, obviously I am not okay. Do you think you could help me with this?”
  “ME?!”

  Tink looked from side to side. “I don’t see any other fairy here and I can’t do this with one hand.”

  “I saw you about to try.”
  “I was desperate! Can you please please help me Dessa?” Tink begged.
  Iridessa nodded, kneeling beside Tink. She silently did the preparations of getting the splint and bandages ready. She gritted her teeth at the sight of Tink’s scrunched wings but said nothing.
  “Peter did it,” Tink mumbled,  trying to offer an explanation.
  “So, he found out?”

  Tink nodded.
  Iridessa made no response but instead took a firm grasp of Tink’s arm. She thrusted a stick into Tink’s mouth. “Keep still,” she said. “This is going to hurt.”

  Tink nodded, closing her eyes.

  ***

   When the arm was set Tink was out of breath and tense. The agony had been like nothing she’d ever experienced. Iridessa had apologized profusely the whole time, but Tink didn’t blame the inexperienced fairy for not being the best at setting a bone.

  She blamed Peter.

  Iridessa stepped outside the room for a few moments, saying she needed time to breathe. Tink nodded, understanding the request. She too needed time to think and regather her plan. Her arm throbbed painfully, causing her to wince and lose track of her thoughts. She leaned back against the cot she was resting on until she was completely laid back. That allowed her body to truly rest for a bit while her whirlwind of a brain began to process everything. 

   “Tink?” Iridessa’s voice peeped in.

  Tink moaned. She didn’t mean to but it just escaped her lips before she could catch herself. 

  “Sorry, am I bothering you?” Dessa’s voice was just a hush now.

  “No, no, come in,” Tink said, attempting to sit up.
  “Stay down Tink, you need rest.” Tinkerbell obeyed gratefully, resuming her original position.
  “So, what happened?” Iridessa asked.

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.
  “Tink-”
  “IRIDESSA! Please.”

  Iridessa scowled, her glow contorting into red. However after a few seconds she took a deep breath and her glow returned to normal calm yellow. The fairy was very sensitive to criticism and negative responses. Tink and her other friends had to be very careful how they spoke around her because of her tendency to go quiet and react emotionally when she felt threatened. It was exhausting to be around the fairy. Tink didn’t like to treat others like babies.  

  The others, Vidia and Rosetta, at least weren’t like that. They were different however, versus how they used to be. The years had gradually worn them all down. Tink often felt like she was an entirely different fairy than the one who had been born from Peter’s laugh. Watching hundreds of fairies and sparrowmen die, including two of her closest friends, had sobered them all to the extent that it was acutely painful to even mention the others’ names. 

   The fairy deaths had risen so quickly and suddenly that everyone had been completely off guard to it. Tink could remember her first experience with a death with crystal clarity. She’d been in one of the dining areas, happily ordering some hazelnut soup when the sparrowman who brought her meal suddenly collapsed on the ground in front of her. The other fairies screamed, but Tink leapt up and pulled the sparrowman so that he was propped up against her. To her shock and horror he was cold to the touch and his glow had disappeared instantaneously. His eyes had turned from a golden brown to gray and his wings faded away from existence. Tink dropped the sparrowman, horrified by what she had witnessed. One of the other fairies stepped up, saying that he had only been four summers old. 

  That was only the beginning of the nightmare. 

  ***

  The Lost Boys buried Wendy the next morning. 

  It was a solemn moment when Peter gently laid her in the ground and the rest of the boys began to cover her body with the turned-over earth. Michael was crying and he wasn’t the only one. Tears were shed by all but more discreetly. Peter didn’t help with the burying. He stood in the back, watching. The others pretended not to notice, knowing that bothering their adored leader in this time of grief would be a foolish move. 

  Peter felt like he was in a dream as he watched Wendy slowly be swallowed by the ground. He wanted to reach out and stop it. Stop this whole entire nightmare that threatened to consume his body and soul. How was it that only twenty four hours prior Wendy had been alive and happy? Now she was cold and dead in the ground, alone.

  “She’s going to be lonely,” he mumbled to himself. 

  The other Lost Boys looked up at the sound of his voice, but when they realized he was only talking to himself they turned back to the completed mound. John was giving a small speech about his sister, mostly her goodness to himself and Michael.
  “The only thing,” he said, “is that I wish she would be buried at home, so our parents could see her.”

  No one knew what to say to that. Peter hadn’t made up his mind on what to do with Michael and John. There was some definite trauma there. After all, no one was quite sure why the fairies had really attacked the ship and killed Wendy. Wendy had presented some sort of problem, one that Peter had presumed to be jealousy. But could jealousy really drive someone to kill? Paired with Tink’s reaction from yesterday, it seemed that there were pieces missing to the story. In any case both John and Michael had been through enough and Peter had no desire to place them back in danger before he figured out what had caused Tink to kill Wendy. 

  Once the burial was over the group began the hike back to Hang-Man’s Tree. The day was overcast and gloomy, a perfect setting to a gloomy day. The boys barely spoke, the weight of the previous events weighing heavy on their minds. Peter floated in the back, trying to push back the overwhelming grief he was experiencing. A wind was blowing through the trees making a gentle rushing sound. Birds twittered in the trees and Peter could smell flowers in the air. He took it all in, trying to remind himself that Wendy surely was still in Neverland, sharing her beauty with it all. 

  Then he saw a fairy.

  It was like something snapped in him. He saw the fairy, one that was unfamiliar to him, yet the sight of her glow and wings suddenly filled him with an uncontrollable rage. She was minding own business, picking berries from a bush that had recently burst. Before he could think he was flying over to the fairy with a rage-filled scream. The fairy, who appeared to be a light fairy, threw her berries up into the air in fright and turned around to see Peter rushing towards her at top speed. With a squeak she began to fly upwards, but not fast enough. Peter grasped her in his fingers and let out a victory crow.

  The other boys shouted and came over to see what had caused Peter to react in such a manner. Tootles let out a horrified gasp at the sight of Peter holding the squirming fairy.
  “Peter!” Slightly yelled. “What are you doing?!”

  Peter didn’t respond, but only continued to hold the fairy, leering at her. She was screaming in pure terror, shaking her legs as hard she could.
  “Do you know who I am?” Peter demanded, giving the fairy a squeeze.
  She whimpered, but answered. “No.”

  Peter looked at her, her petite tiny figure and delicate wings with beautiful swirling patterns. She looked like any normal fairy, but to Peter any fairy signified a monster. He raised his free index finger and flicked it across her face, the impact the same as a human getting slapped. The fairy screamed again, totally confused why this human was attacking her.
  “PETER!” Curly shouted. “Stop!”
  “NO!” Peter yelled back childishly. He flew up higher, in order to get out of the reach of the boys.
  “What do we do?” John whispered to Slightly.
  Slightly only shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  Peter focused on the fairy, squeezing her tighter. “Did you know Tink was going to kill Wendy?”

  The fairy shook her head. Tiny tears dripped onto Peter’s fingers from her green eyes. Peter closed his eyes, recalling Wendy falling and Tink flying away. His anger and grief burst, fueling him. He took hold of the fairy’s wings and began to pull them off. She shrieked, begging him for mercy. He paid no heed, even as the Lost Boys screamed at him, telling him that the fairies would surely curse them after this.

  When the wings were ripped from her back and tucked into his pocket, Peter lifted her up in his palm up to his eye level. They faced each other for a moment, the fairy looking like she might faint. Then, Peter dropped her. 

  The fairy let out a horrible scream as she plunged to the ground and for a moment Peter could hear Wendy in her voice. Then it was quiet.

Chapter Text

   The Lost Boys were scared. 

  In the past twenty-four hours fairies had killed their mother and then their courageous leader had killed a fairy. The whole sequence of events seemed to be a sign of the times ahead. Peter was gone, saying he needed to clear his head and the rest of them were back at the hide-out, considering their options.

  Michael was crying quietly in the corner, the full impact of everything finally seemed to be settling in his mind. John was speaking with Slightly, who was automatically in command when Peter was gone. John wanted to leave Neverland, he’d had enough. He wanted to leave this place that had caused him and his siblings irreversible damage. However without Tinkerbell there was no source of pixie dust to fly and Peter was being no help. Wendy being killed was the most devastating thing he’d ever experienced. It felt like a piece of himself was missing and according to science that would be the case. Wendy, as the oldest child, left a significant amount of DNA in the uterus of their mother, which John and Michael also inhabited at one point. Therefore a piece of Wendy truly did live on in her brothers. John had learned this amazing fact in science class back in London. 

  John didn’t know what to do. He’d always relied on his parents and older sister to tell him how to do things. If they weren’t around he’d also use the lessons he learned at school to give guidance to his decisions. However in Neverland, the land of magic and danger, he didn’t feel like those lessons would actually help him. They wouldn’t be able to bring Wendy back, and they wouldn’t help them figure out why the fairies had killed her. They also wouldn’t be able to take them home, which was where John was sure he and Michael would finally be safe. 

  John had a headache now, with all his spinning thoughts swirling around in his mind. He looked around the hideout to watch what the others were doing. Michael had seemed to calm down and was now whispering to his teddy bear. Slightly and Curly were conferring in the opposite corner, doing their best to keep their voices quiet but not doing a very good job at it. John couldn’t hear everything but he could tell they were having an argument of sorts. The Twins and Tootles were preparing to hunt, sharpening knives and arrowheads. John stood up and walked over to Michael, sitting down beside him. Michael nestled against John gratefully, and John welcomed the warmth of his younger brother. In this land that had once seemed so magical and inviting, tt seemed they had only each other now. 

  *** 

  Peter flew down from the top of Hangman’s Tree into the center of the hideout. The voices of the Lost Boys hushed as they noticed his arrival. To his displeasure none of them saluted when he landed on the ground. He could see the distrust and wariness in their eyes and he felt a wave of guilt. He sat down, trying to present himself as non-threatening as possible and raised his hands.
  “Men, I have something to say,” he addressed them. He swallowed a lump in his throat before he continued. “I made a mistake, earlier.”

  “You mean when you killed a fairy?” one of the Twins piped up. 

  Peter frowned. “Yes, that was my mistake. I see that now.”
  “What are we gonna do?” Slightly jumped in. “The fairies are going to be upset.” A collective shudder passed through the group, with the exception of John and Michael. Even Peter winced, knowing what Slight meant by that comment. 

  John was the one who asked, of course, “Why? What’s so wrong with the fairies getting upset? They’re the ones who killed Wendy.”

  Peter looked at the other boys. “It’s a long story.”

  John shrugged. “So? Let’s hear it.”

  Peter sighed, but began to float up from the ground, crossing his legs. His shadow stayed on the ground in a corner. Peter had noticed that it had been acting strangely since yesterday, but it wasn’t something he felt like taking care of.
  “A few winters back there was a famine. For some reason a lot of the animals and fish in the ocean left Neverland. We were ok because I went to the mainland and brought us food whenever we were low, but the pirates and Indians didn’t really have any food. The only creatures who had food in supply were the fairies. The pirates knew better that it's preferable to starve than steal from fairies, but the Indians were desperate. They snuck into the fairies’ gardens and stole a whole bunch of food, enough to feed their tribe for a month. They thought the fairies wouldn’t mind. Oh they were wrong.

   “Within days children started falling sick. The very first victim was Tiger Lily’s younger brother. Then it was a steady decline of children’s deaths until almost every child younger than ten was dead in the tribe.”

  The Lost Boys shuddered again. Peter frowned, he didn’t like to be interrupted in his stories. A sudden thought flashed in his head that Wendy might have told this story slightly better, she had always been wonderful with details. 

  “In any case, the Indians were sure it was because of their thieving that caused all these poor deaths. They gathered up what was left and tried to return it to the fairies, but the queen refused to accept their ‘tainted’ food. It was a terrible winter.”

  Peter sat back down on the ground again. He felt like his brain was itching, trying to tell him something important, but he couldn’t quite figure out what. 

   “So, they’ve killed children before?” John whispered. Peter jumped, that had been exactly the thought that had been forming. The weight of John’s words settled in and suddenly he felt as if he was going to be sick.
  “Yes.”

***

   Tink knew that she was going to have to face the Queen at some point. Vidia, Rosetta, and Iridessa knew it. It was inevitable. She had orchestrated the death of a child, a child who had only been kind to fairies since her arrival. Kind on the outside, but with intentions that would’ve only ended badly for Tink and her friends. Not everyone would see it that way though. Even as fairykind’s population decreased every hour, the Queen and her advisors insisted on keeping “morals”. 

   Screw that. This was survival. 

  Tink was in her home, surveying her closet for the proper outfit to face Queen Clarion in. She didn’t have much, as most of the sewing-talent fairies were gone at this point. Tink only knew of one who was still alive but even she could fall at any moment. Tink selected a black bodysuit and then dressed her classic green minidress on top of it. Familiar, but intimidating. She also pulled on some knee high boots made of deerskin but tugged off her favorite pom-poms from the tips. As her final touch, she picked up Fairy Mary’s goggles and placed them on top of her head, in front of her yellow bun. 

  Fairy Mary had died a month ago. Her goggles were all that remained of her possessions. 

  Satisfied, Tink glanced over herself in the full length mirror by the door.  Besides the outfit, she looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes from sleepless nights and her arm was still in the impromptu bandage Iridessa had put together. It had been four days since the death of Wendy but Tink felt older than the fairy who had watched Wendy’s blood spatter on the rocks with grim satisfaction. However, that Tink had faded away a long time ago. The Tink that stood in the mirror now was one that had seen enough death and tragedy to become numb to it. Fairies falling from the air and landing stone-cold dead everyday was the normal.

  That was just how things were. Accepting the fact didn’t make it hurt any less, especially with the guilt of knowing that she and her remaining friends were the only ones guaranteed to survive. 

  A knock on her door rattled her out of her thoughts. She rushed over to the door and opened it to discover Rosetta and Vidia. The two of them were also dressed more formally than normal. 

  “Hey guys,” Tink said, “come on in.”

  The two fairies obeyed, fluttering and landing in the center of Tink’s living room. Tink noticed that they both seemed tense. Vidia noticed Tink’s arm and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
  “I got injured,” Tink mumbled.

  “I can see that,” Vidia said dryly.
  “How’d you get injured sugar?” Rosetta added.

  Tinkerbell sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” She tried to walk past them but Vidia grabbed her free arm and yanked it.
  “Don’t give me that Tink, we’re friends. Keeping secrets isn’t going to help us, especially now,” she snarled. Tink could see the hurt and frustration in her voice. She relented and told them what happened with Peter. By the end of her retelling both fairies’ eyes were wide with horror. Rosetta’s face was red with rage while the color had seemed to have drained completely from Vidia’s face.
  Rosetta’s features contorted and she seemed to be struggling to come up with her words. “I-I just can’t believe he would do that to you! You’re his fairy, Tink! You’re the one who brought him here!”

  Vidia slumped on a couch, still not speaking.
  “I know,” Tink said, “It doesn’t seem real.”
  “I don’t know,” Vidia’s voice was quiet. “I get it. I would’ve done the same probably.”
  Rosetta’s mouth dropped, aghast. “Vidia! You can’t be serious!”

  Vida frowned. “Of course I’m serious. If you actually stop and think about it, Peter’s reaction makes perfect sense. He trusted Tink, and she betrayed him by killing someone he loved. And the funny thing is he has no idea WHY.”
  “What would you have me do?” Tink snapped. “Give the secret of fairies’ lives away to a young boy who proved to act irrationally?”

  Vidia hesitated before answering. “I just don’t know that what we did was really what we should have done.”
  “It’s too late now,” Rosetta murmured, rubbing her forehead.
  “So, are we going to see the Queen now?” Tink asked.
  “I guess so,” Vidia said, standing up and surveying herself in the mirror. “Let’s go and make a scene.”

***

  Peter flew high in the sky, breathing in the cold crisp air and relishing the freedom. From his perspective Neverland was so small that he could pinch it between his index finger and thumb. It filled him with a feeling of invincibility to be up so high. He settled himself on a cloud, taking in the view. He smiled for what felt like the first time in ages. Four days ago had been a nightmare, but the feelings were finally going away. The grief, shock, hurt were beginning to fade away. It was a sweet relief.

    Peter caught Wendy before she could hit the rocks. 

  He could feel her heartbeat as she pressed herself against his chest, the fright of almost falling to her death obviously still prevalent. Feeling immensely relieved and proud of himself, he landed on the ground, clutching her tightly.
  “You okay?” he whispered.
  “Yes,” she said. 

  Peter was about to ask what had happened when a sudden loud noise made him jump. He turned to see the Lost Boys clambering through the bushes, all shouting at the top of their lungs. Slightly and Curly were shoving each other and screaming before Peter had enough.
  “ATTENTION!” 

  Immediately the boys scrambled into a line, saluting. Peter approached them, making sure he looked as intimidating and annoyed as possible. He stared them down for a moment before making his move. “Men I have just had to do something I never thought I’d do.”
  The boys immediately looked perplexed. “What do you mean Peter?” one of the Twins asked.
  “I bring you a mother,” Peter continued, gesturing at Wendy, “and my men shoot her down and I have to rescue her!”

  “A MOTHER??” was the general response. Peter was surprised, they seemed genuinely flabbergasted.
  “Yes, a mother.”
  “We almost killed the mother Pan was bringing us?!” Curly’s voice was reaching an uncomfortably high note.
  Peter rubbed his forehead, beginning to feel truly frustrated. He glanced back at Wendy, who seemed to be putting on a brave front despite her near death experience. She smiled at him reassuringly and walked over. The boys looked at her up and down, and then Curly started bawling.
  “Tink told us to do it!” he blubbered. “She said to shoot down the Wendy-bird!”

  “The Wendy-bird?!” Peter and Wendy said at the same time.
  “Yeah!” Slightly piped up. “She told us the giant Wendy-bird was going to be flying by and that you wanted us to shoot it down!”

   Peter felt horrified, but the feeling was quickly replaced by anger and hurt. “TINKERBELL!” he yelled. “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!”  

  Sure enough, he could hear the tinkle of bells and Tink’s impish face peeked down from one of the tree branches high above. She was hiding behind a leaf and Peter could see her glow was green with frustration. 

  “Tinkerbell, come down here,” he commanded. She hesitated, but eventually zipped down so fast that she came face to face with Peter. She placed her hands on her hips in a defiant manner and cocked her head, grinning from ear to ear. Peter had seen her act like this before, it meant that she was going to be difficult.
  “Did you try and get Wendy shot down, Tink?” he asked sternly.
  “Oh yes,” she replied, yawning dramatically. “I was bored and thought it would be an exciting welcome.”
  “Do you realize you might’ve really hurt her?” he demanded.
  She smiled wider and leaned forward. “I do.”

  She spun around and began to “walk” away on thin air. She sashayed about five steps before Peter made his decision. “Tink, I will banish you forever!”

  She spun around immediately, glow turning bright red. Peter felt satisfaction at seeing her upset. “That’s right Tink. You are banished.” 

  Tinkerbell stamped her foot and flew off, obviously fuming. Wendy rushed over, concern etched all over her youthful face. “Not forever Peter,” she said. “I couldn’t bear it if Tink was banished forever. She’s your best friend.”

  Peter stared at her. Girls were awfully strange. They get almost killed and then want to forgive the person who tried to kill them. He looked at Wendy, raising his eyebrows, but she just stared right back at him with pleading blue eyes.
  “Fine, a week then,” he relented, and took hold of her hands. “Only for you.” She beamed at him and Peter felt a pleasant rush in his cheeks.
  “WENDY! OH WENDY!” came a sudden shout. Peter spun to see John and Michael arriving. Wendy released his hands and ran over, scooping her brothers up in her arms. John looked over at Peter, a questioning look on his face.
  “Oh boys I’m so glad you’re alright,” Wendy blubbered.

  “I saw you fall Wendy,” John said. “What on earth happened? Did you forget your happy thoughts?”
  Wendy hesitated and glanced over at Peter. He realized with a jolt that she wasn’t sure about sharing with her brothers what happened to her. Did she want him to cover for it? Girls really were strange. He didn’t think Tink needed to be excused, she needed to be punished. That fairy really tried to go against Peter’s wishes sometimes.

  Something in his brain itched to remind him of the truth of his and Tink’s relationship, but he pushed that thought aside. He looked back at Wendy and made a quick decision. Some things simply had to be shared.
  “Wendy fell because she was shot down by my men,” he said. “Tink went and told them there was a Wendy-bird coming and that I wanted them to shoot her down.”
  John’s jaw dropped in astonishment. He turned back to his sister and exclaimed, “Wendy, that's terrible!”

  Wendy shrugged her arms. “Yes, I suppose it was.”

  “Tink will have to be punished for her actions!”

  “Peter’s already done that John.”

  John nodded approvingly. “I should’ve expected as much from Peter. Good, then that’s taken care of. What’s next, Pan?”

  Peter smiled. “Time to take you to the hide-out. Let’s move out men!”

     Peter bit back the tears by clenching his eyes as hard as he could. Wendy and her brothers came to Neverland two weeks ago and Wendy’s welcome had been a frightening adventure. There had been one more incident almost a week later after that with the mermaids. He didn’t want to think about that now, but it was difficult. Was he supposed to think that all of Wendy’s near death experiences were because of Tink? It made the most sense; she’s been trying to get rid of Wendy since day one.

  “But why. .?” he moaned, rocking himself back and forth. “Why Wendy. .?”

  He sat there for a while, moving back and forth in slow motions, trying to ease the pain. The memory replayed over and over in his brain, as if unable to be stopped. He tried so hard to erase it but the more he tried the more he could see the look on Wendy’s face right before she was impaled by the rocks. 

  By the time he opened his eyes it was dark. He didn’t know how long he’d sat there and when he looked around he could see that the cloud had moved in a circular pattern around Neverland. He’d been towards the North before, past the hideout. Now he was closer to Skull Rock. He could make it out if he squinted towards the east. 

  Peter stood up and stretched. He was surprised that that actually made him feel somewhat better. He began to pace on the cloud, as if moved ever so slowly closer to Skull Rock. He could see the Mermaid Lagoon below him and he winced. Another bad memory that he didn’t want to face right then at that very moment. He jumped off the cloud and began to fly northwest back to Hangman’s Tree. 

  He flew low, just over-top of the trees. If he reached out he could touch the green leaves as he flew by. Enjoying himself, he did a little backflip, when all of a sudden a very strange sensation happened. 

  He was falling.