Peter Pan The Killer

Chapter 23: Peter Pan's Cruel Fate

Gwen's legs just would not work. Her body shook, staring at the blood pooling around her. The unforgiving sun reflected off Peter's dazed green eyes. He was losing consciousness.

Gwen forced herself to get a grip. She scrambled to Peter, urging him to stay awake. His eyes were out of focus, his breathing shallow.

"Peter!" She cried, "Stay with me, please. We'll just remove the bullets, bandage you up-"

"Gwen, please calm down," Crocker's steady voice anchored her from losing herself.

He dropped to his knees, beside Peter's bleeding body, and picked him up. He calmly took him into the lower deck and placed him on the floor beside a bolted bed. Gwen wished she was as collected as he was, but every second that ticked made her panic.

Crocker fished out a kit with tools. He pulled out a sharp blade and brought it to the tip of Peters collar.

"W-what are you doing!" Gwen exclaimed, then noticed him neatly slice his shirt in half. A more ghastly scene lay underneath.

There was so much blood, Gwen felt bile rise to her throat.

"You may leave if you're uncomfortable," Crocker said as he took a torchlight and a pair of forceps in his hand. Peter was dying, he was losing too much blood, how was Crocker so calm?! She exclaimed in her head.

He placed the torch between his teeth and shone it towards the wound. The forceps dove into the red, looking for bullets. Gwen turned away as Peter released a strangled sound.

One by one, Crocker removed the bullets. But that was merely the start of the show.

A few minutes after he removed the bullets, Peter's body convulsed. "Gwen, please stand back for a moment. I'm not too sure how his body responds to the defense mechanism," Crocker warned.

"Defense mechanism?" Gwen repeated.

Peter's body convulsed again, he let out a scream, his muscles tensing. It forced him to sitting, clutching his bleeding torso. Gwen wanted nothing more than to rush to his side. She could not see him like this, in pain. But Crocker firmly stopped her.

After some excruciating minutes, he calmed down at last and dropped back onto the ground. He was breathing heavily, sweat beaded his forehead, matting his hair. But his eyes were in focus. The light had returned to them.

"Gwen, help me clean him up," Crocker said. Gwen responded with a shaky nod as they grabbed wet gauzes.

What just happened? Gwen got her answer when Crocker wiped the blood off Peter's torso.

"Oh...god...," Gwen muttered in disbelief.

The three coin-sized holes had pink tissue filling the gaps faster than any human should have. The bleeding had stopped, and the wound looked to be healing. How did she not recall it sooner? Peter was no ordinary human.

Dr. Young, the scientist from the Neverland Bioengineering Foundation she met a while back, told her he was the leading subject in their research for an anti-aging drug. Which somehow turned into a far-fetched immortality experiment. Peter had brought it up too. How he craved death more than anything, but it was a wish that would never be granted. Truthfully, Gwen had a hard time believing it, but the sight before her held nothing but facts.

He was undying.

Yet despite knowing that, she could not erase the sounds of those three gunshots. She could not shake off the feeling that she almost lost him. It wrenched her insides, the fear of losing him clouded reason.

After they had bandaged him up, and cleaned the blood off the ground, Crocker placed Peter on the bed and left the room. Gwen sat at the edge of the mattress, running her fingers gently through Peter's hair. He was not asleep, but he looked quite exhausted.

"Why d'you do that?" was all she managed to whisper.

"You know why," he replied, his voice hoarse. He reached for her hand and weakly twined his fingers through hers. Gwen felt her eyes well, a sob choked in her throat. She was relieved he was alive, and the lack of adrenaline left her in tears.

"You... Scared me, idiot..." she whimpered, tears rolled off her cheek. He let out a weak smile.

"I didn't even make up with you yet," she said through sobs, Peter reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek.

He said nothing, but his passionate eyes said more than words ever could. She felt the tidal wave crashing within her. The surge of emotions she could not hold at bay. Her heart thumped rapidly, singing to the tunes of her uncontrolled feelings.

What was he to her? She knew the answer. She knew it all along. Beneath her guilt, her vengeance, saving Pauline, and her sister, she had a stronger and deeper desire to be with Peter.

"I'm... Sorry. Peter, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything I said-"

"Neither did I..." he said in remorse.

She cupped his face in her hands, and gazed at him seriously, her tears dripped onto his cheeks.

"There's more to you... More to this... Than repenting my sins. This isn't just about Anna or Pauline..."

"I just can't leave you... I... Need you. Living without you, just doesn't make sense..." Gwen didn't even know what she was rambling about. She grasped for the words to express how she felt. The desires, desperation, care all into one.

"Peter... I lo-"

He swallowed her words in a deep kiss. Pulling her on top of him, he sat up, kissing her deeper still.

"Peter..." She let out a breath when he pulled away.

"Stop... Don't say anything else..." His smile was bittersweet and his eyes were glassy. There was a sense of relief hearing her answer, but at the same time, Gwen could not shake off the feeling he was in pain.

"Why not...?" She muttered. He shook his head, and pressed his lips to hers once more.

He pulled her closer to him, Gwen worried his healing wounds would reopen. But Peter did not seem to care. He expressed his complicated feelings through his actions, desperately kissing her. His hands roamed against her skin. There was passion, but urgency as well. As if the docking of the boat would force them apart.

She worried it would. Yet, he hungrily sought her, until Gwen herself simply could not recall her worries.

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A/N: Happy New Year, Lost Boys! I know this is a short chapter, but I've got some longer ones in store. Might drop another update in two weeks or so. Stay tuned. Leave a vote and comment!