Autumn's Fall

by jayfeather12345

Peter Pan: the boy who wouldn't grow up - until Wendy breaks his heart and he finds himself growing up all too fast. Autumn Captain: the girl who was born into and lives in the shadows - until she breaks and is forced into the light. Can two broken people heal each other in this broken world, or are happy endings really only the stuff of fairytails?

Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan

Hey there! This is my first Peter Pan story because I've always loved the fairy tale but never really been inspired to write a fic about it... Until now! The Prologue is basically setting the scene for the two main characters so please give the story a chance despite it starting off slow.

Enjoy.

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Prologue

The stars are always so far away, like glittering shards of a shattered crystal scattered over a dark stain of ink blotting out the sun's light and turning it into a mere shell of itself - the moon. I like to imagine that the stars are all tiny parts of the same big crystal and that one day all the pieces will finally unite. To be part of something so massive, however small that part is, would be exhilarating.

As I stare up at the night sky a soft sigh escapes my lips. Everything would be so much easier if I was a star, shining down on the Earth and observing but never interfering. I sometimes wonder if stars are actually the spirits of the dead, and all I have to do to join them is to die - and then I realise how stupid I'm being and push the thought to the back of my cluttered mind. Even despite knowing it will never be possible my never-failing wish is still to join the stars one day.

A chill passes through my body and I shiver, the thin fabric of my nightdress offering little protection against the night wind. I close the window reluctantly and yawn, knowing I should sleep but not wanting to leave the windowsill. In this moment, where the silence is deep and anything seems possible, is where I could realistically spend eternity - if I didn't have to wake up early for school the next morning.

Dragging my eyes from the sky I close the heavy curtains reluctantly and turn around to find my bed. As I slip under the covers I feel warm and cosy, cocooned in blankets like a caterpillar on the edge of transformation but knowing I'll look the opposite of a butterfly when I emerge with a bedhead tomorrow morning. The darkness surrounds me, protecting me, making me feel safe. It was into the shadows I was born and it's in the shadows I belong. Not in the light, under the sun. I'm more of a shell of myself, like the moon; broken, but perfectly so.

"Goodnight," I whisper to myself as I feel sleep tugging gently at my conciousness. "Maybe tommorrow will be better."

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Neverland

"Peter, are you sure this is wise?"

The red-haired boy swatted Tootles' concern aside with a scowl in his direction. "I'm your father, Tootles, and boys don't question their fathers," he replied haughtily.

"But Peter-" Tootles began, only to trail off under the taller boy's glare.

"Don't you want to see Mummy again?" Peter asked him impatiently. When Tootles hesitated, Peter turned to the rest of the boys and put the same question to them. They were sitting in a semi-circle around their self-proclaimed father inside the hollow Oak tree which housed them. All the other boys nodded excitedly, and Nibs leaped to his feet.

"When do we leave?" he asked, eyes shining.

Peter smiled in satisfaction. "As soon as Tinker gets back. Remember, we're only going to visit Wendy though. She made it clear last time that if we try to persuade her to come back with us again she'll stop us even visiting." Despite reminding them all of the only negative to the last time they visited Wendy, Peter's eyes sparkled. He would never admit it, but things hadn't been the same since she left Neverland. Time was non-existent there but Peter still counted down the hours until his next visit to the girl who had stolen his heart. He could never stay in the real world too long though or he would begin to age - and even stronger than his desire to spend time with Wendy was his desire to remain immortally young. He may have fallen in love with Wendy but he wasn't so in love that he would give up everything to be with her. He was only twelve - forever twelve, never to reach his thirteenth birthday - and he remained obstinate that he was never going to be old enough to love, which is why he chose to stay in Neverland when Wendy chose to leave.

Peter visited Wendy alone as much as he could but he brought the Lost Boys with him sometimes because they missed the girl who had been the only mother-figure they had ever known. Wendy always loved to see them too, although recently she had been less enthusiastic about their visits... Peter frowned. He wasn't going to dwell on that now. Instead, he was going to focus on seeing Wendy again. Tonight it was all about her.

"I'm back!" Tinkerbell's melodious voice rang throughout the Oak and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Finally! You got the fairy dust, Tink?" he checked as she fluttered into his outstretched palm. The tiny fairy nodded, and the Lost Boys all scrambled into a line so she could sprinkle the fairy dust over them one by one. After receiving her gift, new energy surged through each boy's veins and they bounced around until Peter was finally also graced with the gift of Tinkerbell's fairy dust. Then he rose into the air, a wide smile on his face as he led the Lost Boys out of the Oak and up, up, up into the sky and beyond.

"I'm coming Wendy," Peter murmured under his breath, "wait for me - I'm coming."

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Author's Note: Please review and tell me what you think - reviews make my world go round (and they also make me update faster).

Thank you so much for reading!

~ Jay