Peter Pan The Killer

Chapter 39: Peter Pan On The Run

Gwen felt sick to her gut watching James leave. Everything seemed to crumble before her eyes, just when she was fixing things. The way James had said crucial evidence made Gwen more than fearful. He seemed confident with whatever information he got. What was she supposed to do? Fretting would not help, yet she could not help but fret.

Gregory Skul was dead. She vividly remembered the photograph James had shown her. If Skul was dead, what was the point? There was no way his crimes would come to light and somehow justify Peter's actions. There would be no reason. The criminal was dead. As much as she felt she almost penetrated the surface, she was dragged back down to the trenches. Nothing seemed to work her way.

She had no help this time. She had to figure this out on her own. Stopping James from completing his investigation would have to be the first option. She had to recalculate her entire plan to bring Gregory Skul down. Her goal was to keep Peter safe for as long as possible.

Gwen's mind went into deep thinking. Worrying would have to wait.

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A summer rain had wetted the streets that night. It was warm and damp. An uncomfortable weather, further degrading Gwen's mood. Despite the rain, Gwen's window was open. It was not stormy; hence, the rain only wetted the smallest region of the floor near the window. The sound of wet sneakers hitting the floor aroused her from her thoughts. Peter turned and shut the window, preventing more splashes of rain into her bedroom.

Gwen masked her worry. "Hey," she greeted, and he met her with a questioning look. Peter stalked over to her and sat beside her. His hair was a little wet as were his clothes. He ran his fingers through his damp blonde hair.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His perceptiveness was frustrating. She could hide nothing from him. She looked away and shook her head. "Nothing."

"It's about me isn't it?" he asked. She swore he could read minds, which was probably true. He was a hypnotist.

"Stop reading my mind," she said in a slight pout.

"I'm not reading your mind. You're just easy to read," he replied, tucking a finger under her chin and lifting it to face him.

"Tell me," he said, it had no sound of authority, but she felt compelled to tell him. She pulled away from his touch.

"You're hypnotising me!" she exclaimed.

"You wouldn't tell me if I didn't," he said with a shrug.

"What happened to trusting me?" Gwen retorted.

"I could ask you the same," he fired back.

He was right. Gwen sighed in surrender. But if she told him, God knows what he would think. It was her fault he was getting pursued. It was his life at stake. No matter what she did, she could not save him. She kept on failing, all thanks to her rash decisions. Whatever trust they had between them would probably shatter to pieces if she told him.

However keeping it a secret would be much worse. He was right, they had to have a mutual understanding. She let out a shaky sigh, "I'm... sorry, Peter... I messed up," she said her voice trembling.

"But I'll fix this, I promise!" she added hastily. Peter tilted his head, then pinched her cheek.

"Ow!" she yelped at the twinge of pain.

"Stop fretting and tell me, will you?" Peter said, frustrated at her evasiveness.

Gwen hugged herself and thought of the most calming way she could convey it. "... You know about the case regarding you..."

"The one you started?" Peter asked, pushing her buttons. She looked down at her feet unable to state otherwise.

"Well, James received some crucial-as he put it- evidence. I don't know where he got them from, but it seems like way too much for the amount of investigating done," Gwen explained. Now that she thought about it, the way the evidence just popped out of nowhere was rather peculiar. Investigations did not work that way. Piles of evidence would not just appear and lead you to the answer.

"Which means, the investigation might be over. And your friend is planning to go on offense," Peter clarified. He seemed oddly calm about the whole thing.

"Peter, I promised I would help you. I'm not backing down on that. I will find a way out of this," Gwen said, determined. Peter shook his head, his eyes betraying nonchalance and lack of emotions.

"Don't bother. I can handle myself. This isn't the first time I've been hunted down," he said, standing up.

Gwen stood up after and took his hand. "This isn't like the last time! This time I'm not letting you do this alone. I'm here to help you!" She insisted.

Peter eyed her skeptically. He obviously would be. As much as she hoped he believed in her, it was difficult to let go of old habits. He was used to handling it himself, running away on his own. However, Gwen was determined to help him this time. She would not let him suffer in isolation, fleeing from pursuers.

"You'll regret it," he muttered, stepping closer to her till she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.

"Trust me, I won't," she said, enforcing her stand.

Peter shook his head with a sigh. "Wendy, you are the most stubborn person I've met." Gwen could not help but grin despite the situation.

"The only time I changed my mind was because of you," she replied. He had nothing to say in response and just stared at her, his green eyes questioning.

He lowered his eyes and whispered, "I still don't know what's going on. What is this?"

Gwen's heart began pounding at his low voice that shook her core. His fingers still in hers, she squeezed his hand gently. "Neither do I, but we'll figure that out soon enough," she whispered in response. His eyes met hers once again.

She questioned if he was going to kiss her. Her heart stuttered at the thought. This was not the time to be kissing. They had pursuers on the way and had to figure out how to fix the problem. Yet Gwen still leaned forward. He knew how to change her mind. Just as she felt his breath fan against her lips, she felt his finger press against her lips, stopping her. Gwen halted in surprise, embarrassment beginning to fill her skin.

"You said the evidence were too much and popped out of nowhere," he suddenly said. Gwen realised all this time he was thinking while she was daydreaming. She felt like slapping herself multiple times. What was wrong with her?

"Yeah," she responded.

"Didn't the same thing happen to your friend, Pauline?" he said, making the connection. Gwen widened her eyes in realisation.

"You think they're coming from the same source?" Gwen said, realising what he was hinting at.

"Maybe," he responded.

Gwen had to see Pauline first thing tomorrow and strangle the information out of her. It was worth a shot. If the same person gave them this information, she had to wonder who it was.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Gwen muttered to herself.

"Because you were too busy trying to kiss me," Peter replied.

Gwen's face flushed with embarrassment, her body burning up inside out. She felt like crawling into a hole. He had the nerve to tease her! She heard him chuckle.

She let go of his hand and turned away, folding her arms. "I was not!"

"Sure you weren't," he replied sarcastically. Whether or not trusting her, Peter was still Peter, a merciless tease. Gwen looked away, pouting.

"You just love to tease me, don't you?" she said through gritted teeth.

He took her chin and turned her head to face him, smiling, that notorious smile. He leaned forward and pecked her lips.

"Yes."

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A/N: Hey there, Lost Boys! Leave a vote and comment if you liked this chapter.