Peter's Return
by: Tiger Lily21
A/N: I wrote this little piece a while ago, when I was on a little Peter Pan spree. I never liked the idea that Peter didn't come back until Wendy grew up and then took her daughter instead. So I imagined a bit of a scenario where he did come back. I hope you'll like it. It's based on the latest Peter Pan movie, where Peter is played by an actual boy. I hope you like it. Anne
She had taken to sleeping on the window seat. She would take her pillow and blanket there every night, though Mother and Nana both disapproved of it. It was the only way she knew to make sure that, if He came back, he would be able to find her, even if the window was closed. For a while she had wanted to keep the window open but Mother had made her close it as soon as it started growing colder. Wendy knew that her mother was right. She could not catch a chill, for then Nana would make sure that she stayed in her bed and there would be even less of a chance that He would come back.
Every night she looked out and found the second star to the right to make a wish on it, hoping that if she used that particular star, her message might have more of a chance of getting through. Peter, she thought, Peter, come back to me. Please. Please come back. I need you. You don't have to stay here, just come and take me back to Neverland with you. Just come back and see me.
One night, she made her wish and then settled down to sleep. She would feel the window open if he came. He could open it from the outside, she was sure, or if he couldn't, he would knock and wake her up. She snuggled down under her blanket, buried her face in her pillow, and was soon asleep. That night, Peter Pan finally remembered his promise to come back and visit Wendy. He flew to the nursery window and peered in. No Wendy. There were quite a few more beds in the room, and he could see Michael, John, and all the former Lost Boys sleeping in them, but no Wendy. He knocked on the window. One of the boys stirred. Peter knocked again. The boy—he saw now that it was Michael, grown taller since he'd last seen him—sat up in bed. Michael looked at Peter's face in the window and jumped out of bed. He clambered up on the window seat and unlocked the window. Peter pushed on it. It opened.
"Hello, Michael," he said. "Where's Wendy?"
"She moved to a different room, Peter," said Michael. "Mother and Father said that she had to, because she was turning into a lady."
"You mean she's growing up?" asked Peter, horrified.
Michael shook his head. "Mother and Father want her to, but I don't think she will. She's trying very hard not to."
"Can I go see her?"
Michael nodded, grinning. "Her window is the next one over. She sleeps on the window seat."
"Thank you, Michael," said Peter.
"Good luck," said Michael and clambered off the window seat and back into bed, leaving the window open.
Peter flew to the next window, which was closed. He peered in and saw Wendy, curled up on the window seat under a pale pink blanket. She had gotten older. Her face had lost some of its roundness and her golden brown hair was longer and wavy. She was smiling in her sleep. Peter hoped she was having a pleasant dream, but he wanted to wake her from it. He knocked on the window.
Wendy woke with a start and saw the face of her beloved Peter Pan peering in at her. "Peter!" she cried in delight. "Peter, at last!" She pushed open the window. Peter flew in before she could grab him.
"Oh, Peter," she said with tears filling her blue eyes. "Why did you wait so long to come?"
If Peter had been any other boy, he might have blushed or at least looked away. Instead, Peter met her eyes and said, "I had other things to do."
Wendy smiled shakily. "I should have known. But you didn't forget about me, Peter." There was a hint of a question in her voice.
"Of course I didn't forget," said Peter, though he almost had. "I never forget anything."
Wendy laughed. "You're still as conceited as ever, Peter Pan. Did you bring Tinkerbell with you? Where is she?"
"She stayed home," said Peter. "She still doesn't like you very much."
"Oh dear," said Wendy, who had been depending on Tinkerbell's pixie dust to get her flying again. She had tried flying without it. She had thought of the most wonderful things she could think of—mostly memories of Neverland—but it had never worked. She had not risen an inch off the floor.
There was silence between them then. Wendy looked at Peter and thought that he had not changed a bit. He still looked only thirteen years old, while she was nearly fifteen. His dirty blonde hair was still a mess. He wore the same suit of skeleton leaves he had the last time, and his green eyes still managed to pierce straight to her heart. He looked wonderful.
"Michael said you're supposed to grow up," said Peter, tired of the silence. "He said your parents had said you had to, but that you're trying not to."
"That's right," said Wendy. "I had to move into this room and I have to go to a special school now to learn how to be a lady. In a few years I'll have my coming out, and start courting and things. Mother and Father desperately want me to be grown up and distinguished and to become a wife and mother and all those things. But I don't want to grow up, Peter."
Peter felt his heart rise in his chest. "So come with me!" he said. "Come back to Neverland and stay forever this time! Please, Wendy!"
It was the first time Wendy had ever heard Peter Pan say "please". She smiled. "Of course, Peter," she said. "Of course I'll come. I've been waiting for you to come back and get me."
Peter took a step forward. "Do you remember how to fly?" he asked.
Wendy nodded. "I made myself remember. The other boys—except maybe Michael—have all forgotten. They think you're only a story I've made up. But I know better. Do you have pixie dust for me?"
Peter reached a hand into a pouch he wore at his waist. He pulled out a handful of shimmering dust and flung it at Wendy. She rose into the air almost immediately, for her thoughts were already so happy at Peter's return that she didn't have to think of anything else. Peter rose beside her and took her hand.
"Do you remember the way to Neverland?" he asked.
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning," said Wendy, grinning.
"Right. Now don't let go of my hand. Here we go!"
Peter zoomed off and Wendy held tightly to his hand. Michael watched from the nursery window as his older sister flew off with the boy who never grew up. She wouldn't be coming back this time, he thought. He would have to explain to the other boys in the morning and they could come up with a story to tell Mother and Father. Wendy was going back where she'd wanted to be the past two years. She was going back where she belonged, to be the queen of Neverland and never grow up. Michael almost wished he could have gone with them.
A/N: And that is the very end of that. Oh, I'm sure Wendy and Peter had many adventures in Neverland, but since they lived there for ever and never, ever grew up, there are entirely too many adventures to tell about. So you will have to make them up yourself. :-)