It all started on a small boy's second birthday. This particular boy is called Peter. Now, Peter is not the only boy in this story, for he had a brother named James, who was six years old when this story begins.
They were both sitting in their nursery on the night of Peter's birthday, listening to their father and mother talking right outside the room. Peter was to young to understand much, but James was curious, and listened carefully. He soon realized that they were talking about him and his brother, and what they were to do when they became men. James was revolted at the idea of growing up, and quickly told Peter about their parents' plans. Peter scrunched up his face and burst into silent tears of frustration. To calm him, James made a promise. James swore to his brother that he would never let him grow up. He said he would find a way to make it so that they could stay little boys forever. Even though he didn't really understand the older child's words, Peter pretended as if he did, and smiled.
The morning after that, James woke to an incredible sight: they were not in their nursery anymore. He looked around and saw that he and Peter were surrounded by leaves and grass and small woodland creatures of all types. At first he thought he was dreaming, but after a few minutes he realized that this must be the answer to his promise. This must be the way to prevent his and Peter's growing up! He quickly woke his sleeping brother, and the pair set out to explore the land.
Two years passed, and the boys adjusted quickly to the constantly changing weather of the island. James noticed that it had a lot to do with his brother's mood: if Peter was happy, there would be clear skies and sun. If he was angry, there would be a great thunderstorm. When he was sad, it snowed. This attachment to the island worried James a little, but mostly he tried to keep his brother happy to ensure sunshine.
One day, Peter was walking through the woods, exploring alone, when he stumbled upon a small grove. Small glittering lights were scattered everywhere, and Peter's eyes stretched wide in awe. As he got closer, the small boy realized that these lights weren't lights at all - they were tiny glowing people! Even though he was just four years of age, Peter understood that these glowing people were fairies, and this was their Pixie Hollow. He quickly met a young fairy called Tinkerbelle, who told him that she was his fairy. Being his fairy, Tinkerbelle had no problem being understood by Peter, and she followed him back to the great oak in which he and his brother lived.
Now James had two things to be jealous about. But because he loved his brother, he tried not to show it too much. In fact, he found that Tinkerbelle was very easy to love after he learned that she could able him to fly.
About a year after his younger brother had met the fairy, James decided that he was lonely. With just him, Peter, and Tinkerbelle, he felt the group was small and wanted more company. He told Peter that he would fly back to London to look for little boys who had been abandoned or fallen out of their strollers. When Peter asked if he could come, too, James told him no, that it was too dangerous. Then Peter argued that if he was left in the Neverland - for that was what they had decided to call their island - he would be in even more danger. James realized that with the Indians, wild animals, and mermaids, his little brother couldn't be more right. So he had no choice but to bring Peter along on the adventure.
They came back with three two-year-old boys who had all fallen out of their strollers and been lost. James was only nine years old, and Peter only five, but they tried their best to raise and care for these boys.
Every few years, they would do this: fly to the mainland to collect the boys who had been lost, and then bring them back to the others, who were called the Lost Boys. James and Peter were of course the co-captains. By the time James was sixteen, they had a group of thirteen boys ranging from three to nine years old. Now, at sixteen, James knew that he was growing up whether he liked it or not, and was angered by this. But what fueled his anger even more was the fact that Peter was almost twelve, and still had all his baby teeth! James realized that, unlike himself, Peter was never going to grow up because he had no sense of time. All this plus the fact that he was more connected to the Neverland than anyone else on the island made James so overcome with jealousy that one day, he just decided that he was going to go off on his own and become a pirate. He gathered a long sheet to use as a temporary sail for his temporary ship, and also some long planks of wood. Peter, although not knowing why his brother wanted to leave him, was understanding nonetheless, and donated five boys who were getting to old to be Lost Boys as part the crew.
After James left on his own, Peter took full captainship of the Lost Boys. Tinkerbelle was the only girl, and somewhat of their princess. They played pretend all day and night, and went on many adventures among the mermaids and Indians. He still went to London every year to collect more boys, but he now took the journey alone, James wanting nothing to do with him. When the boys grew to old for Peter's liking, he left them on a rock for James to pick up to join his crew.
Peter never thought of his brother and band of pirates as enemies - even though that's exactly what James thought of Peter and the Lost Boys. He and his pirates would search for them at least once a week, looking for a fight, or otherwise to capture a Lost Boy for ransom. Of course Peter would always win these fights, mostly because he thought of them as fun and pretend. But once, when James and Peter were fighting, sword in one's hand, dagger in the other's, Peter accidentally swung too fast, and cut his brother's hand clean off. James howled in pain and fled, and Peter, not sure what to do, cast the hand aside into the waiting mouth of a crocodile, and set out to find the other boys.
James had a favorite crewmate, a plump young man whom he called Smee. Smee was somewhat gentle, and had hair that was prematurely graying. Nevertheless, James liked him, and when he came back to the ship that day, covered in blood and lacking in a left and, Smee tended to his wounds. It was Smee who had suggested a hook as a replacement a few weeks later as the captain was recovering. James ravished the idea, and immediately had his men make him an iron hook. From then on, the young man wanted no longer to be called "Captain James" but "Captain Hook". And so that was what he was called.
Many years after, while on his journey to London to collect the lost boys, Peter and Tinkerbelle (who of course went with him everywhere, being his fairy) flew past a window of a nursery. Inside the room, he heard the lovely voice of a little girl. Peter flew to the window, and decided to listen in for a little while. The girl was telling her two younger brothers a story about a princess - Cinderella. Peter was intrigued by this story, and listened until the girl stopped talking. Then he flew back to the Neverland, and told the Lost Boys of this princess Cinderella. Every night after that, Peter and Tinkerbelle would fly to the window of the little nursery to listen to the little girl's stories. Then in the morning, he would fly back to the Lost Boys and repeat what he had heard.
This is how the story involving the Darlings begins. But since I expect you all to have heard it in some way or another, I won't worry about including it here. I'll skip to the end, because where that story ends, so does this one, and every good story needs a nicely written end.
It was the very last day of Captain James Hook's life, but he didn't know it yet. He and Peter were having their last fight, throwing taunts at one another. Hook hadn't thought of Peter as his brother since the boy cut off his hand, and Peter had long forgotten the relationship they had once shared. So they swung their swords - and in the captain's case, hooks - at one another with fury and strength. Hook shoved Peter aside, and ran to grab a bomb. He set it and exclaimed that Peter and the Lost Boys would all be blown up in a matter of minutes. Then he heard the Crocodile, and in fear, ran off the end of the ship, bomb in hand. Peter watched, and as he saw the explosion, he thought he remembered for minute. He thought he remembered the love that Hook had once shown him, the promises they had made to each other as little boys, and the adventures that they had had together. But then as the smoke cleared, he forgot again, and cheered with the other boys at the death of the man he had once called a brother.