Never Never

It was almost midday and the boys were rough housing after begging Peter to tell them the story of what happened at the Black Castle again. Peter himself was currently sitting in the large chair that had been made just for him, playing the pan flute he took with him everywhere he went.

“Peter, what’s wrong with mother?” The twins asked as they landed in a heap at his feet. Their question prompted him to look over at the figure of Rei, who was curled up in a ball and sleeping soundly on his bed.

“She’s just tired, she has to get used to all the adventures!” He responded, watching as the girl muttered incoherently in her sleep for a moment as she rolled onto her back, dark hair a mass of curly tangles against the furs. During the night the girl’s bruises had darkened to varying shades of deep red and purple, though the one on her face was nearly gone already.

“So she’s okay?” Nibbs asked next as one boy after another disengaged from their rough housing to inquire about ‘mother’.

“Of course she’s okay! She was with me was she not?” He asked, receiving nods in return, “And aren’t I careful?” He asked next and each boy looked at one another in turn before shaking their heads. “Well, I suppose that’s true. But she is fine, none the less. A few bruises and scrapes, nothing we don’t get on a regular basis.” Peter asserted with a nod before going about playing the same jaunty tune he had been previously occupied with.

“She has been sleeping an awful long time. Suppose we wake her up?” Slightly said and Peter shook his head slowly and continued to play. He hadn’t a clue when the boys had decided to call Rei ‘mother’, but it did make him smile. He supposed that, after so long, they needed a girl around to make it seem more normal, though Never Land was anything but. The boys returned to their play, pulling out swords and knives to duel with one another around the room.

Finally, he heard the tell tale groaning of Rei, signaling that she was close to waking. He kept his eyes trained on the girl as he played and watched her lithe body stretch out of it’s curled up position before her eyes fluttered open. She sat up slowly, no doubt against stiff, protesting muscles, and ran a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught knots. All at once it seemed, the lost boys became aware that Rei was awake. Before he could stop them they rushed over to where she was still seated on his bed.

“Good morning mother!” The boys chorused and Peter snorted to cover a laugh at the look on the girls face.

“Mother?” She said questioningly. Each boy nodded in earnest.

“Every boy needs a mother.” Peter snickered, and it turned into a full blown laugh when she glared in his direction. Rei then turned her attention back to the boys.

“I’m not old enough to be your mother.” She said to them as Peter looked on.

“Can you tell stories?” One of the twins asked.

“I suppose I can.” Rei answered.

“And you can sing to us, right?” The second twin asked.

“Of course.” She looked a bit confused by the questions now.

“Then you’re perfect.” Curly said and Rei let out a long sigh.

“Alright. I’ll do my best.” She caved faster then he thought she would, and the boys all erupted into cheers before running about their little house underground, collecting up the weapons they had been using and resuming their play. It was then that Peter abandoned is flute and stood, walking over to Rei and taking a seat next to her on his bed.

“How long was I asleep for?” Rei asked, stretching her legs out and adjusting her skirt.

“A long time, but it’s alright. I didn’t expect you to wake up early. You must be hungry by now though.” He said and watched a thoughtful look cross her face.

“Now that you mention it, yeah, I’m starving.” Rei said with a laugh before inspecting her clothing. “I think I’ll change first though…” she continued, pulling at her tattered and dirty clothing with a grimace.

“It doesn’t really make much difference, look at the boys, their clothes are way worse off then yours.” Peter said as he watched her, she just shrugged though and got up, pulling her bag out from under his bed before kneeling down to go through it.

“Are we going to be doing any practice today Peter?” He thought for a moment before responding.

“I think we should. I need to teach you how to fight while flying! I know just the place to go too.”

“Okay, no light colors then.” He heard her mumble before she tossed a black tank top and an old looking pair of knee length black shorts onto his bed. When she stood and gathered her things she looked around the room with a frown. “This is a problem.”

“What is?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Well, I’m in a room full of boys, and I’m not a boy,” she started, pursing her lips, “I need to change and I can’t very well do that here.” She finished and he nodded in understanding.

“Lost boys!” He yelled and in an instant he had their full attention. “Time to go out and collect food for mother!” He could help but laugh when they all practically ran over one another to leave, and once the sound of their yells had vanished he turned to Rei. “Better?”

“Wow that was fast.” She laughed, and when her laughter died she looked at him expectantly.

“What?” He asked, quirking a brow at her.

“You’re still in here.”

“And?”

“And, if you didn’t notice Peter, you’re a boy too.”

“Right, should I leave?” He asked, smiling at her.

“That might be a good idea.” Rei responded, laughing again.

“I’ll just turn around or something.” The girl let out a long sigh and shook her head.

“Whatever, just don’t peek.” She muttered and walked past him to the very back of the room. He stayed where he was but did as he said he would do and turned so that his back was facing her. He heard the rustle of clothing as she changed and he simply tapped his hands against the wood beneath the thick furs on his bed.

“Why do you wear so much black?” He questioned loudly, leaning back against his elbows and forcing himself to look forward.

“I don’t know. I just like the color I guess.” She answered quickly, “You can look now.” And he did so, watching as she headed back towards him with her old clothes in her hands. She tossed them haphazardly into her bag before grabbing up her sword and wrapping the belt around her slim waist. He decided then that he liked the black clothes on her. The color looked good against her pale skin, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before she was as tan as he was.

“So, where are we going exactly?” She asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

“It’s not far from here, you’ll see when we get there!” He responded as he practically leapt from his bed and walked over to pull out one of their many swords.

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like this very much.” He heard her mumble while he slipped the sword across his back.

---------------------------------------------

Rei had been surprised with the lost boys calling her mother, and it had brought up thoughts of her own. It was then that she realized that the more she thought about her mother, the less she could remember. She didn’t really know whether she should be happy, or alarmed by this revelation. With an inward smile of triumph she went with happy.

Finally in clean clothes and filled up on fruit she headed out with Peter. She didn’t know what to make of the way Peter acted with her. He seemed a bit protective at times and flirtatious as well. But since she was the only girl living with them she didn’t know if that was how he acted with all girls.

She followed Peter through the air, leaving thoughts of his behavior alone for the moment and concentrating on the view she had. Everything looked different, better somehow, when she was flying.

“We’re here!” Peter suddenly shouted and she directed her attention to him as he halted mid flight. She stopped with him and looked at their destination. There was a small waterfall, beautiful blue-green water slashing down into a large pond that filtered out into the stream she had been to twice before. It was a sight to see and she smiled as she glanced at Peter again.

“It’s lovely.” She said and he smiled in return.

“You won’t think so pretty soon. This is how this training session is going to go. If you lose your concentration or get upset, you fall into the water. You have to be able to maintain flight while fighting.” He said with a smirk and she could feel the smile drop from her face.

“I knew I wasn’t going to like this.” She said, shaking her head as he laughed. She pulled her free flowing hair back into a high ponytail before pulling her sword free from its sheath. “I’m going to get more bruises today aren’t I?” She grumbled, pouting a bit.

“Most likely.” He said honestly, flying a few feet away from her and brandishing his own weapon.

“Just great.”

A few hours and more then a dozen falls into the water and Rei was finally learning a bit more about controlling her body in the air. She had none of Peter’s grace and ease, but she was doing okay. She parried what would have been a hard blow to her left arm and used whatever strength she had in an attempt to knock him off balance. It failed though and he simply spun through the air and used his momentum to swing his sword in a two handed grip towards her midsection.

“Damn!” She yelled, fumbling to block his strike. Once again she lost her concentration and found herself falling into the cold water below them. She came up sputtering, her hand still locked tightly around the hilt of her sword. It wasn’t long before Peter was hovering in front of her, sitting Indian style in the air right above the water.

“Maybe we should call it a day.” He said, sympathy dancing across his face.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She grumped, pulling her hair tie from her wet hair and pulling it over her hand to wrap around her wrist instead.

“Hand me your sword and the belt.” Peter said suddenly and she quirked a brow at him in question. “Don’t you trust me?” He asked, smiling in that way that always seemed to melt her insides. She conceded and pulled the belt from around her waist and slipping her sword into its sheath before handing it over to him. She stayed afloat in the water and watched as he flew off. When he reached dry land he tossed both of their blades down before flying quickly back to her and allowing himself to fall into the water.

She laughed loudly, her mood lifting slightly as he broke surface right in front of her, smiling broadly.

“Couldn’t let you have all the fun!” He said, laughing along with her. With a mischievous smirk playing across her lips she cupped her hands and pushed against the water, sending it to splash Peter full in the face. He sputtered and spit out water, staring at her for a moment before smiling.

“Don’t do anything rash now!” She said, not liking the glint she saw in his eyes. She propelled herself backwards slowly in the water, letting out a yelp when he came after her quickly. Laughing loudly she swam away from him as quickly as she could. She dared to take a look back and stopped when she saw that Peter was no where to be seen.

Her eyes immediately swept across the sky, and when she didn’t find Peter there either she went back to scanning the water.

“Peter this isn’t funny!” She called out, screaming when she felt something latch around her ankle under the water. There was no time to even take a breath before she was yanked under the surface. It took a moment for her vision to clear, and when it did she saw Peter floating in the water near her, looking like he wanted to laugh. She did her best to glare at the boy as she kicked her legs hard. When she surfaced again she took a deep, gasping breath, coughing out a bit of water. Peter came up laughing so hard she thought he might burst from the effort.

“Jerk.” She muttered, not able to help the smile that spread across her lips. She swam off then, the sound of his joyous laughter following her as she headed towards the waterfall.

“Wait up would you?” Peter half yelled behind her and she had the urge to kick him when he grabbed her ankle again. Another yelp passed her lips as he yanked her back towards him and she spun onto her back to try and twist out of his grasp. “Settle down.” He chuckled, releasing her ankle just to grab a hold of her wrist.

“What are you doing?” Rei asked, her eyes wide as she was straightened out and pulled in closer to the heat of his body. Images flashed through her mind of the way he often looked at her, how he took her hand in his almost constantly as if he didn’t even think of the way she would take it.

“I don’t want you to leave the hideout without me or the boys with you. If you’re with the boys I want you to hide that you’re a girl. It’s fine if you’re with me though.” He said, holding her firmly in place and looking directly into her eyes.

“How come?” She was startled to find her voice breathy and small, but Peter didn’t seem aware of the effect he had on her. Her heart rate soared dramatically and she was afraid he might be able to feel how frantically it was beating.

“Until you get the hang of flying and fighting I don’t want you to be caught out alone. And I’m not sure what the pirates would do with you if they knew you were a girl.” The look on his face was a serious one, so she agreed with a simple nod, not knowing if she could speak now.

They were so close in the water, their bodies aligned and pressing lightly together. The grip he had on her arm loosened a fraction but he didn’t move away from her, instead he lifted his hand out of the water and very cautiously traced her lower lip. The touch was gentle, almost non-existent, but it made her skin tingle slightly and her breath caught in her throat as she watched his eyes drift from her own down to her lips.

“Peter?” She breathed out, but got no response. His hand moved slowly to cup her cheek causing her heart to start hammering against her ribcage until it was almost painful. Rei watched as he leaned down and finally allowed herself to take in air as her eyes fluttered shut.

The first brush of his lips was hesitant, and when she didn’t pull away from him he pressed them more firmly to hers in a warm kiss. She barely felt the arm that was still under water wrap around her waist, to lost in the feel of soft, moist lips. The hand on her cheek slowly made it’s way into the wet tangle of her hair as she felt his lips part. She didn’t even hesitate to part her own as well, gasping when she felt the hot slide of his tongue against her own.

His hold on her tightened and let loose a low moan as their tongues battled for dominance. Despite how cold the water was around them her entire body was on fire, and ever inch of skin Peter touched tingled. She pressed her hands flat against his chest, finding his skin to be just as hot as her own felt, and melted further into their kiss, allowing him to dominate it completely.

-------------------------------------------------

He had never in his life felt something so wonderful. The hot, moist cavern of Rei’s mouth felt silky and tasted faintly of the fruit she had eaten before they left the hideout, and her small body fit so perfectly against his that he couldn’t help but pull her to press even tighter against him. She made the prettiest noises into his mouth as his tongue slid across her lower lip, making him shudder against her. He pulled away briefly, just long enough to catch his breath, before dipping down to capture her lips again.

Every little noise the girl made sent him spiraling just a little more out of control and he finally had to force himself to pull away completely. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his chest as he kept her held firmly to his body, unwilling to release his hold on her just yet.

“What are you doing to me?” He mumbled, pressing his forehead against hers and finally opening his eyes. She didn’t respond to his question, and he knew her effect on him wasn’t intentional on her part. He leaned down one final time to place a chaste kiss to her slightly swollen lips before letting her go and putting a little bit of space between them.

“That was…Unexpected.” Rei sighed out, the right corner of her mouth turning up in a small smile. He smiled slyly in return.

“Sorry.” He said, not really meaning it. Just then, the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs reached his ears and he reacted to it by pulling Rei behind him in the water and yanking his knife from it’s sheath. He let out a sigh of frustration as Slightly and Nibbs stumbled out into the open.

“What are you two doing here?” Peter asked, highly annoyed with their sudden appearance.

“Looking for you.” Slightly responded.

“Where is mother?” Nibbs asked as Peter stowed his knife away.

“Right here.” He heard the girl say before two delicate hands grasped his shoulders. He looked now to see her peeking over his right shoulder at the boys and smiled.

“Lets just head back, we’ll continue practice tomorrow.” Peter said to her and she nodded.

The trip back was mostly quiet, and he could see Rei shivering a bit in her soaked clothing.

“I don’t think my clothes are very suited for this stuff.” She said, as if sensing his eyes on her.

“We’ll figure something out.” He said with a shrug, turning his gaze to the boys crashing through the foliage ahead of them. Once back home he ordered the boys out again as Rei pulled out dry clothes to change into. As before he sat on his bed, keeping his back to her. She joined him when she was finished, now in a pair of tight, light colored pants and a dark grey tank top. For the first time in his long life he actually felt awkward and was at a loss of what to say. Rei seemed fine with the silence though, and simply leaned against him, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. Slowly he relaxed and wrapped an arm loosely around her.

“You’re warm.” Rei sighed out, and he looked at her face to see her eyes closed.

“Don’t tell me you’re tired already?” He said with a laugh. She smiled at the comment and shook her head a little.

“Not tired, just comfortable.” Was her response. He didn’t really understand why he felt so strongly for this girl, but he couldn’t find it in himself to hide the feeling. He could only do his best to protect her and teach her, and hope that it would be enough.