“I don’t like the fact that she knows what it feels like to have what’s mine.”

I smirk and pull her closer. “I’ll never live that down, will I?”

She glances back over her shoulder at the fire that’s raging at a rapid pace.

“If we make it out of this, I promise to never bring it up again.”

“If we make it out of this, I promise to never stop making it up to you for as long as we live.”

She looks back in my eyes and smiles. “Deal.”

Kissing her lips softly, I pull back and sternly stare into her eyes as I urge her to my back and guide her hands over my shoulders. “Hold on tight, Darling. I may not be able to fly, but I swear I’d lay down my life before ever letting you slip through my fingers again.”

She does what I say just in time, as the bathroom succumbs to the fire. Quickly, I start to scale the wall, pulling us through the water as flames threaten to ignite at our feet. She screams as one singes the hem of her nightgown but is quickly quenched by the waterfall.

I struggle at first, with her holding on to me. A few rocks crash to the ground breaking into pieces below, but I’ll be damned if I’ll ever give up. Pushing through the heavy downpour from above, I pull us higher and higher until I can almost see the sky.

My arms shake. Wendy trembles. My name desperately leaves her lips in a plea. I look in her eyes and see she’s just as worried as I am that we won’t reach the top alive. My foot slips, and I lose my grip on the rock to my right. The bolder falls out from under my feet and explodes with a deafening boom once it reaches the bottom, which is now far below our feet. Wendy screams as I tighten my grip and hold on to her tightly, balancing us both on a small ledge. My fingers fiercely grip the rocks and I hold on tight for both our lives.

“Darling,” I hiss out through clenched teeth, “grab a hold of the top, quickly.”

She looks up stunned and sees the ledge. With all the strength I can manage, I hoist her up in my arms and give her a boost. She grabs ahold of the earth and claws her way to freedom just as my left-hand slips and I start to fall.

“Peter!”