Wendy's Return Chapter 11

"Look!" A pirate scouting ahead shouted, making everyone draw their weapons.

Wesley shoved Wendy into the crowd so she would be protected in case of an attack. They quickly made their way to where the scout was already scrambling across a few rocks to a clearing in the forest.  

Wesley narrowed his eyes as the man ran across the sandy-coloured ground. There was a pillar in the middle with a small golden key on top of it. Wesley pulled out the map and studied it for a second, then folded it back into his shirt, shaking his head. Putting out his hand, he told the rest of the men to halt.

"Just watch," he said, smiling.

Something in his voice made them obey without a thought, even with the tempting gold key seemingly there for any to take.

The scout made it to the pillar and reached out to grab the key. His hand closed around it and he looked back, smiling at the rest.

Wesley chuckled.

The man tried to lift the key from the pillar, and that's when things went horribly wrong. The ground became soft-- it already had the color of sand, but now it had the texture of it also. The scout began sinking. He let go of the key, panic setting in. The more he struggled to get free, the faster the sand seemed to devour him.

"'Elp mates, I'm sinkin'!"

Some of the men looked like they were about to do just that, but Wesley stepped in front of them.

"Going after him will only cause you to lose your own lives." He laughed as the man's frantic screams became louder. "Let the foolish bastard die."

Wendy watched in horror as the man made one last clawing grab at the sand before his screaming was silenced forever.

The men looked ashen. After all, it could have been one of them that sunk beneath the earth. They began mumbling among themselves. Wesley knew there was going to be trouble. A tall, burly sailor by the name of Trent walked up to him.

"We ain't 'elpin' wit' this anymore. I don't be knowin' if yer plannin' on us gettin' thet key for ye, but I'm tellin' ye it won't 'appen."

Wesley just smiled. "Your right you wont be getting that key for me." He whipped out his pistol and shot Trent where he stood. Then he raised his voice to the rest of the crew. "Anyone else feel as Trent did?"

Nobody said a word. Wesley smiled. "Now, if Trent had just kept his damn mouth shut, he would have found out I'm not going to let any of you get that key."

He pushed through the crowd to Wendy. Pulling her out, he shoved her toward the clearing, reloading his pistol and pointing it at her. "Let's see if the legend of the pure heart is correct, shall we?"

Wendy stood staring across the clearing to the pillar. She could feel the pistol at her back, but thought Wesley probably wouldn't use it. He wanted the key too badly to kill his only link to it.

Suddenly she had an idea. Why give the key to Wesley once she had it? She knew once he got his hands on it he would most definitely kill her and the rest aboard the Jolly Roger. He did say whoever possessed it would have complete power. If she kept it she could banish him or something, then return the key to the pillar so nobody else could get their hands on it. Not even James.

James.....

She didn't want to believe Wesley, but what if it was true? Maybe the key was the only reason he had pretended to care for her. Or maybe he hadn't at all, maybe in her naive mind, she had imagined the whole thing. He had saved her life, but as Wesley pointed out, so had he.

"Get going whore, I don't have all day." Wesley was impatient to get this over with and get back to the ship as soon as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Wendy started to walk along the hard ground toward the pillar.

                                           

  

James and his men watched the whole scene from the cover of the trees. They had seen the scout be swallowed up by the quicksand and how Wesley had murdered Trent. None of those things bothered Hook in the least. Those men hadn't been worth the food they ate; he would have done away with them had they lived. The thing that got to him was Wesley. From killing Trent, he managed to keep the crew on his side. Now he was forcing Wendy to get the key--the key that was rightfully his.

He let his gaze shift from his enemy to where Wendy was slowly walking across the clearing. He loved her. He hadn't wanted to admit it, even to himself, but when Wesley had a pistol pointed to her head aboard the ship, he knew without a doubt he did. And that was another thing that made him angry. He had almost risked everything to save her life. He'd never done that for anyone. Wesley had asked him when he'd ever cared about someone other than himself. He would have answered never, until he met Wendy Darling for the second time.

He looked away quickly and forced her out of his mind. He needed that key. Only it could make him complete ruler. No longer would Peter Pan fly around like he owned all of Neverland. The first thing he would do after he made Wesley pay for crossing him, would be to send Peter to hell. He was past caring how he did that, as long as he could finally be rid of that annoying boy.



Wendy stopped in front of the pillar and stretched out her hand. She tried to steady it as she took a deep breath. Her fingers closed over the solid gold key and she lifted it easily from it's place on the stand.

The pirates watched, almost expecting the ground to grow soft and swallow her like it did the scout. Nothing happened. Wendy walked back halfway, then stopped.

Her voice rang out steady and determined across the remaining distance. "I'm not giving you this key."

Wesley smiled as always, though clearly annoyed. "Get over here with that, or I'll kill you and take it myself."

"I don't think that would work. The scout sunk in the quicksand that appeared because he touched the key. What makes you think that won't happen to you?"

Wesley glared at her. "I'd just send one of my crew to get it."

Wendy turned to the men standing behind Wesley. "Do you gentlemen hear him? He says he would just 'send one of the crew'. He thinks you all are expendable. He doesn't care about your lives."

The men started murmuring to each other, agreeing with Wendy. Wesley's eyes grew cold. "Now listen. See what she's trying to do here?  She's trying to get us against each other. She doesn't want us to have that key. We would be rich, men, rich and powerful. She wants to keep it all for herself."

"Keep it for myself? I don't want any of this. All this key has brought so far has been death and heartache. You want to use it to create more." She looked at the sailors again. "Believe me, he is only using you to get what he wants. He doesn't care about you. He wants this key's power all for himself."

The men began to confront Wesley.

"The reason we was with ye was because ye made us feel like men stead of damn dogs meant only to obey. But that be all ye really thought."

"Ay, he be much worse than Hook!"

"Never should 'ave trusted ye Wesley. Ye 'aven't changed. Still lookin' after only yeself."

Wendy held the key high, stopping the men's angry words. She spoke to Wesley. "You said this key would make the holder all powerful. I have it and I'm going to banish you from Neverland forever!"

As she was talking, Wesley had been moving slowly out of the reach of the angry crew. Now he smiled. "Nice try angel. What do u plan to do? Say 'banish him' and point the key at me? You don't know how to use the power you hold in your hands."

"She might not know how to use the key, but I do!"

All heads turned at the sound of James Hook's voice. He and his four men strode out of the trees. James had a pistol pointing at Wesley's head.

The mutineer didn't look in the least surprised to see his old captain standing in front of him. "So Hook, I see you managed to escape."

"Yes I did, but you won't be as lucky."

Wesley smirked. "Shoot me and your dear little Wendy gets shot also."

James took a swift glance at Wendy. She was pale and dirty, but she had a sparkle in her eyes that somehow told him more than words she was relieved to see him.

Without taking his eyes off Wesley again, he spoke to the crew. "Who's side are you lot on? Chose now!"

All the men walked over to Hook. Wesley shook his head. "Pirates, such a fickle group. Always want to be on the winning side."

"So you admit you've been beat." Hook narrowed his eyes. "Give up."

"Not yet!"

As they were talking, Wesley had taken his eyes off Wendy to look at James. Seeing this, she slowly inched her way toward the safety of the crew. She got as far as the rocks at the edge of the clearing. Wesley happened to notice she was no longer on the dangerous sandy ground and took advantage of it. He grabbed her, holding her in front of him as a shield.

"Drop all your weapons or she dies!"

James stared at Wendy for a moment, then told the men to do as Wesley commanded.

"Looks like I won after all. Sorry you won't be getting any more second chances Hook, but unlike you, I never leave my enemies alive to come back." Wesley's eyes took on a cruel glint. "Oh and just so you know--Wendy helped me pull this whole thing off. She brought me the map and told me valuable information. Guess you could say she betrayed you."

Wendy could feel James' eyes on her. A single tear fell from her long eyelashes and ran down her grimy cheek.

"I'm so sorry." She found the courage to look into his piercing stare.

"How touching," Wesley said, sarcasm oozing from his words. He managed to get the key from Wendy's hand. He held it up and shouted something unintelligible into the pale sky.

At first nothing happened. Then a blinding glow was emitted from the golden object. The rays shot out from the key with bright intensity flying toward James.

"James!" Wendy screamed, clawing out of Wesley's hold. She ran toward him as the light encompassed the clearing.

The pirates all fell to the ground, and even Wesley had to use one hand to cover his eyes. He could no longer hold on to the key. It floated out of his hand and shot up into the sky.

"No!" Wendy clung to James as the light turned white and then faded completely to black.



She didn't know if it had been hours or only a few minutes, but the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to find herself sitting at her window. Confused, she looked around. Everything was just as she left it. Paper and ink on the desk, dress on the floor, window wide open. Wendy shot up from the window seat. No, no, no. It just couldn't be....

She ran through the house and out the door into the street. She didn't care she was still wearing her corset, didn't care that the neighbors would hear her and think the worst, she just stood in the middle of the dark cobblestone street and screamed.

"James! No, please, no! Jamesssss!" Wendy sank to her knees, the tears running down her cheeks like rain. She didn't see her parents and brothers run out to her, or feel her father picking her up and caring her back to her room.

"John fetch the doctor!" Mrs. Darling shouted to her son as she followed her husband up the stairs to her daughter's room. "What on earth do you suppose happened?"

Mr. Darling sighed as he set Wendy on a chair. "I don't rightly know-- It's the middle of the night. Maybe just a nightmare?"

Mrs. Darling shook her head as she put a cool cloth to Wendy's forehead. "No, this was not because of a dream. Look at her."

Wendy's eyes were wide open, but it was as if she wasn't aware of anything that was going on around her. She just sat lifeless, staring out in front of her.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and Mr. Darling opened it to find the doctor had arrived. The doctor whispered something in his ear, and he and Mrs. Darling quietly left the room. Slowly the doctor walked toward Wendy, stopping in front of her. She didn't move or show any signs she knew he was there.

"Carrying on like this is not in the least healthy."

That voice....Could it be?  Wendy's head jerked up. "James!" She screamed. She fairly jumped from the chair into his arms, holding him as tightly as she could. "How did you get here? I thought for sure you must have died."

"Takes a hell load more to kill me than just a magic key." He paused, his eyes shadowing. "I'll never be able to kill him. Or Peter." He untangled her arms and went to stand by the window.

Wendy felt like she was losing him right after she found him. "James," she whispered, "remember what you said to me the first night I was in Neverland?" She didn't wait for him to reply, but continued, "You said if you ever found a way to get out of Neverland, you would leave and never look back. You finally found a way out, through Wesley and that key."

He didn't look at her, but she could hear the bitterness and anger in his voice. "I suppose you think I should thank him for giving me a way out of my hell. I should probably thank Peter also."

There was sadness in Wendy's voice. "No, you should not be thanking them, but you should not want revenge either. Revenge will only eat you up inside till there's nothing left. In time it will destroy you. I don't want to stand and watch that happen." She paused, taking a deep breath, then hurried on. "James, I love you. I know you don't feel the same about me, but I just wanted you to know." Now that she finally said that, she felt peace. She turned to walk out of the room.
James grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Wendy Darling, who in hell gave you the idea I don't love you?" He didn't allow her to reply, but kissed her.

Though he had kissed her several times during her stay in Neverland, this was the first time Wendy allowed herself to relax in his embrace and kiss him back with every bit as much passion. She closed her eyes, but James was already pulling away.

"Wendy, I love you. Don't let anyone or anything ever tell you differently." He brushed her hair gently back from her face, pausing. "I know a pirate has no right to ask this, but will you be my wife?"

Wendy smiled at the reference to his occupation. Yes, even with his hair tied back and him dressed in the common clothing of a doctor, he still held that dangerous and adventurous air of a pirate. She gazed into those entrancing blue eyes she had come to trust. "Yes James, I would be honoured to be married to a pirate."