A/N: Here is the oneshot for MeganatShafer, and I hope that I have done your prompt justice - I know that you asked for the first time that Jeff heard one of Nick's stories, and I promise you, that it is in there, even if it does not seem like it at first :) This prompt is, of course, set before my Peter Pan!Niff storyline from Second Star to the Right so you do not really need to have read that first, but it would be nice if you had :)
The title of this oneshot comes from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan Fairytales, and I suppose that it doesn't have too much to do with this story, it just sounded nice and I guess that I feel that many dreams do come from stories :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and I do not own Peter Pan.
All was dark and quiet in the Warblers' hideout; Neverland was sleeping soundly, and the only creatures awake were the fairies who lit the paths of the forest, their tiny lamps swinging silently as they flew. Away to the west, the bright flames of the Indians' campfire had been extinguished as the braves retired for the night to their beds; and on the pirate ship, all of the men were sleeping.
But if we go deeper into the hideout, we'll see that all is not so; careful now, don't trip over where Thad is lying closest to the door, for he believes that it is his duty to guard the entrance, and do not wake David as we creep past his room.
At the very back of the hideout is Jeff's room, with Sebastian's alcove just off to the left. Now, if we take a closer look, we shall see that not everyone is sleeping peacefully, for there is a faint light dancing behind the pixie's curtain, and Jeff is only pretending to be asleep.
Jeff had never actually fallen asleep in the first place, having been too worried that he would not wake when he wanted to, and would therefore miss this opportunity; and so, he had lain awake while his friends went to bed, and had waited until he was certain that they were all sleeping. Yes, there were Trent's rhythmic snores, and the sound of David rolling over and over in his sleep; further down the hall, there was no sound from Thad, but he was a deep sleeper, and as long as he made no noise, then he was asleep. From Wes, all Jeff could hear was even breathing, but he was positive that he was also sleeping.
"Sebastian," Jeff hissed, quietly throwing his blanket off of him and sitting up in bed, "Sebastian, I can see your light."
The pixie in question poked his head around the side of his curtain.
"I know that you can see my light," he snapped, "I'm awake! Now, I've just got to find my other boot."
He disappeared again, and all Jeff could see was his light darting around, until there was a dull thud and an exclamation of delight.
"Found it!" Sebastian cried, peering back around his curtain, "I'm ready to go."
"You could have been quieter," Jeff remarked, "This is a secret adventure, remember?"
Sebastian waved his friend's concerns away.
"It's fine," he said, "I can't hear anything, so I assume that I didn't wake anyone up."
Jeff rolled his eyes.
"That's not the point," he said, "Now, let's go before you knock anything else over."
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" the pixie asked, as Jeff pulled on his own boots and headed for the main room of the hideout.
"No, it's a surprise," Jeff said, "Now, stop asking questions until we're outside."
Sebastian huffed in annoyance but did comply.
Together, they headed across the room, Jeff pocketing his knife as they passed the shelf which it was sitting on, and then to the exits at the end of the hideout. Carefully, Jeff stepped over Thad and opened the door just a little, before turning around and surveying the scene in front of him; all of his friends were sleeping, and the room was still.
He nodded to Sebastian, and they slipped out of the door unnoticed; of course, their absences would be discovered in the morning, but then it would be too late for anyone to persuade them not to leave.
"Are we flying to wherever it is that we are going?" the pixie asked, once the door was securely fastened again and they were standing out in the open air.
"Of course," Jeff said, "There is no other way of getting there." But still he would not divulge the whereabouts of their destination.
They flew up into the air at the same time, and hovered for a bit above the island while Jeff got his bearings. Below them, the light from the fairies' lamps, and their bodies themselves, lit the woods with an eerie glow; a beacon that would guide them home if ever they got lost.
Across the bay was the pirate ship, moored just offshore and blocking out part of the moonlight like a huge great symbol of darkness. Not a single candle was lit inside, and the hull was like a black rock that had been washed up by the surf; if Jeff had not had plans for another adventure, exploring the ship by night would have been one of his priorities.
"Have you figured out the directions yet?" Sebastian snapped suddenly, "Or was your great plan actually to just hover up here until you get bored of the scenery?"
"Don't you have any patience?" the blonde boy grumbled, "I'm thinking."
Sebastian snorted in disbelief.
"Patience?" he cried, "Because you've got plenty of that, haven't you?"
Jeff tried to snatch the pixie out of the sky at that, but his friend darted away, laughing at him as he did so. They continued for several minutes, before Jeff remembered that they had somewhere else to be.
"Come on," he said, suddenly pulling up short in midair and almost crashing straight into the pixie. "We need to leave now."
"Fine," Sebastian said, "Maybe now you can tell me where we're going."
"In a bit," Jeff said, as he flew off into the darkness without saying anything else.
"Jeff," Sebastian whined, poking his blonde friend repeatedly for what might have been the millionth time, "We're out of Neverland now, could you tell me where we're going?"
Jeff rolled his eyes.
"We're going to London, stupid," he said, "If you'd been down instead of poking me, you would have seen that."
"It's not my fault that I can't recognise a place that I've never actually been to; I never came all the way to London with you and Thad," the pixie said, to which Jeff shook his head, as though that wasn't a good enough excuse. "Anyway," Sebastian continued, "Why did you want to come here again? Not to find another parent, is it?"
Jeff screwed his face up in disgust.
"Not likely," he said, "No more parents for me. No, I just wanted to do a bit of exploring instead, like, over there, for example, look at that clock."
Suddenly, he changed his flying direction and headed straight for where he had been pointing a minute ago, Sebastian following close behind him.
"It's just a clock," he muttered, "We have those on the island, and I doubt that they're more exciting on the mainland."
Jeff, however, did not hear him, and continued to fly regardless. They reached the clock tower and the blonde boy immediately flew as close as possible, right up to the clock face, and just stared at it for a few moments.
"It's huge," he whispered in awe, reaching out and running his fingers over the large piece of metal. "Do you think it'll take my weight?"
And before Sebastian could answer his question, or warn him away from trying, the blonde had already climbed up onto the minute hand and was crowing happily at his triumph. However, it was mid-crow that the minute hand decided that it did not like being stood on, and Jeff's weight shifted it around by almost fifteen minutes, causing it to make a great tolling noise.
In shock, Jeff flew up into the air, trying to regain his breath, while Sebastian hovered a short distance away trying to get the ringing out of his ears.
"I knew you shouldn't have started messing around with that," the pixie muttered shaking his head side to side, as though trying to dislodge the sound inside. "I could have been mortally hurt. Actually, I think I am, it feels like I'm going to explode."
"Don't be so dramatic!" Jeff cried, suddenly appearing next to him and snatching him out of the sky. "Look, if you're that worried, then I'll carry you."
"No, that's not what I meant!" Sebastian said urgently, but his efforts were in vain, as he found himself hurtling in a downwards direction, but Jeff's jacket was obscuring his view.
Several moments later, they slowed down a little.
"Look, Seb, look at the palace!" Jeff cried in excitement.
"I can't see anything," Sebastian retorted, "Your arm is in the way."
"Sorry."
Jeff let the pixie fly free, and then pointed out the building beneath them.
Sebastian turned his nose up at it.
"I've seen better," he said, even though he'd never left the island before and there were no palaces in Neverland.
Jeff, not wanting to be outdone by Sebastian's disdain of something that he had found wondrous, said loudly:
"Well, of course, I could make one that was much more impressive than this one." Which he couldn't, obviously, but when Jeff got an idea into his head like this, he believed that it was possible and true.
"Sure, sure," Sebastian shook his head, "Is there a destination that you had in mind, or are we to fly around aimlessly until you decide that you've had enough?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Jeff said, "Of course I have a plan."
"Oh, good. What is it?"
"Kensington Gardens, I want to go there."
"Oh, and do you know where it is?"
"Yes."
He didn't.
"And I take it that we're heading there now."
"Obviously."
They weren't.
After several more minutes of flying, Sebastian became suspicious of whether or not Jeff actually knew as much as he had said he did.
"Jeff, what does this Kensington Gardens place actually look like?" he asked curiously.
Jeff opened his mouth to answer immediately, and then closed it again when he realised that he hadn't seen it in a long time.
"Well," he said slowly, "It looks like a garden, I guess."
Sebastian sighed heavily.
"You don't have a clue where you're going, do you?" he said.
"I do!" Jeff cried insistently, but his friend could easily see that he was lying.
"No, you don't. And we need to land soon before it is completely light, otherwise everyone will see us."
"Fine, do you have a great idea, then?"
"Actually, I do," Sebastian said, revelling in delight at the fact that he'd come up with a plan that was potentially better than one of Jeff's own. "I say that we land in the most garden-ish looking patch of ground, which, funnily enough, happens to be right over there."
Jeff looked over at where the pixie was pointing, and noticed that it did look rather like a large garden.
"I was about to suggest that," he said, refusing to admit that he was wrong, "Let's go then; what are you waiting for?"
Sebastian shook his head in exasperation, and then followed the blonde boy down to the ground.
"Excuse me, is this Kensington Gardens?" Jeff asked a passing fairy, as she flew past on her way to another ornamental flower bed.
The tiny girl looked him up and down several times before whispering:
"You mean that you don't remember?"
Jeff frowned.
"Remember what?"
The fairy hovered in midair, about a foot away from Jeff's face and studied him curiously.
"You are Jeff Sterling, aren't you?" she asked.
"Of course," Jeff replied, seemingly unfazed by the fact that she knew his name; for in his mind, everyone knew who he was. It was understandable, I suppose, for on the island, everyone did know him.
The fairy made a funny sort of noise, partly a gasp and partly an excited squeak.
"I've always wanted to meet you!" she cried, perching herself on Jeff's shoulder, almost displacing Sebastian, much to the pixie's annoyance.
"You have?"
"Of course, I wasn't born when you left for Neverland, but I've heard all of the stories," the fairy said, "You're somewhat famous among us magical folk in these parts."
"Oh," a smile spread across Jeff's face as he spoke, "Well, it's very nice to meet you. And I take it that this is Kensington Gardens, then?"
"That, it is," the fairy said, "And it's a pleasure to meet you too. My name's Celeste, and I'd be honoured if you'd let me take you to see everyone else."
Sebastian rolled his eyes so forcefully at her formalities that he almost fell backwards from Jeff's shoulder; this fairy was doing nothing but inflating Jeff's ego, and no one needed that to happen any time soon.
Jeff agreed to follow her to wherever she wanted to take them, and soon both he and Sebastian found themselves in the middle of a decorative flowerbed receiving an audience with the rest of the fairies who inhabited the Gardens. News clearly travelled fast considering how quickly they had all arrived, and a loud muttering could be heard among the gathered magical creatures:
"It's Jeff Sterling, returned from Neverland."
"I never thought I'd see the day."
"I still remember when he left."
"Maybe he'll stay for longer this time?"
Suddenly, one voice, louder than the rest asked the all important question.
"Have you come to play with us?"
Jeff's eyes lit up at the prospect.
"Yes!" he cried, happy to be given the chance to do something that he'd always relished doing.
And so that's what they did for the next few hours, Jeff and Sebastian played with the fairies among the flowers in Kensington Gardens, just as Jeff had done when he was much younger.
It was just after lunch that Jeff actually began to take some notice of his surroundings.
He and Sebastian had eaten with the fairies, the magical creatures having been greatly insistent that they would provide them with refreshment, and although all of their food was delicious, it was never quite enough to fill Jeff up. The fairies, seeming to have forgotten that Jeff was a lot bigger than any of them, gave him similar sized portions to everyone else, and he'd learnt long ago that asking for more was a great affront to a fairy, who would then assume that you were displeased with their show of hospitality.
And so, still feeling especially hungry and cursing himself for having not brought some food with him from the store in the hideout, it was the smell of human food that caught Jeff's attention suddenly. Somewhere in the park, someone had brought a picnic and the blonde boy could smell the aroma of freshly baked bread.
He looked around in the hope of seeing whoever was eating it, and quickly spotted a family, all seated on coloured blankets around an open hamper of food. Jeff stared over at them for a few moments, his interest piqued by the sight of the parents handing out food to their two children.
"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked, alighting on a flower next to his best friend and trying to pinpoint what exactly the blonde was staring at, or, more precisely, who.
"I'm hungry," Jeff said, without taking his eyes from the family. "And they have food."
Sebastian laughed.
"What are you going to do?" he asked, "Go over there and ask if you can borrow some of their picnic?"
"I was going to steal it," Jeff replied, "But I can't work out how."
"You're never going to be able to steal some food which is being surrounded by other people," the pixie pointed out, "They'd see you immediately."
"I could fly over there."
"Oh yes, in broad daylight in front of the several hundred people," Sebastian snorted sarcastically, "Flying sounds like a splendid idea, Jeffy-boy, don't come running to me when several women faint, and you get arrested and sent to a circus."
Jeff looked at his friend, finally taking his eyes off of the brunette boy to frown in confusion.
"What's a circus?" he asked.
Sebastian shrugged.
"No idea, I heard Wes say that sort of thing once," he explained, "He'd know what it was."
The pixie paused for a moment, and watched as Jeff's gaze slipped back across to the family, seemingly mesmerised by the sight of children actually interacting with a pair of loving parents.
"You know," Sebastian said, "You could go over there and ask to play with them."
Jeff looked at him in surprise.
"No, I couldn't," he said, "I don't even know them, and they could be bad." His eyes widened, as though suddenly realising that they could be his enemies, and he began assessing them in the same way that he did with every visitor to Neverland.
"I doubt it," Sebastian said, "Look, they're playing together; I sincerely doubt that they're up to no good. If you want, we could always ask who they are, the fairies might know."
"Know what?" Celeste's voice interrupted them and she came to a stop on Jeff's left shoulder, much to Sebastian's displeasure.
"Who are those children?" Jeff asked, motioning towards where the large group were still sitting together.
"Oh, them," Celeste smiled, "I've seen them around once or twice, I don't know much about them though.
"I want to ask them to play with us," Jeff said, immediately assuming that because they were also children, the fairies would take pity on them, and would agree with his suggestion.
But fairies are possessive creatures, in much the same way as mermaids are, and Jeff, especially, is their little prodigy; he is their own achievement and they are rather proud of the way in which he has turned out. They also dislike it when things are not done in the way in which they want it to be; they will choose the children that they reveal themselves to, but if someone else comes looking for them, then they will hide away.
And so, when Jeff decided that he wanted to ask the other children to play with him, the fairies instantly responded negatively, wanting to keep him all to themselves, and to share him with no one else at all.
"You don't want to do that," Celeste said, her voice a sickeningly sweet tone that made Sebastian want to gag violently. "You don't want to play with them. You want to play with us; we have better games than them, and we are your friends, Jeff, they're not. You don't even know them, what if you go over there and they say no? Or what if they run away from you? How will you feel then?"
Jeff bit his lip indecisively.
"I…" he trailed away, "Maybe, I shouldn't."
"No, you shouldn't," Celeste said, "Come on, let's go back to our own game."
Jeff nodded, and turned away from the other children, Sebastian flying beside him as they retreated back into the depths of the flowerbed.
"It's getting dark," Sebastian observed, "We should probably start heading back to the island."
"I guess so," Jeff said, sounding rather reluctant to leave Kensington Gardens, "Do we have to go now?"
"It's probably best," Sebastian replied, "We can see all of the lights of London if we go now."
Jeff nodded, and turned around to address the fairies and thank them for playing with them that day. After both he and Sebastian had persuaded the creatures that they did really need to leave at that point, they did eventually let them go.
They'd just got up and were heading for the edge of the flowerbed, when Celeste halted them.
"Do you have to leave?" she asked, looking up at them from her spot on the ground. "Can't you stay here with me?"
"Sadly not," Sebastian said sharply, "We have to get back to Neverland."
"I have to see the Warblers," Jeff added.
The fairy pouted.
"But I want you to stay," she said petulantly.
"Unfortunately, that can't happen," Sebastian said, rather unsympathetically. "Let's go, Jeff."
He nodded to the blonde boy, who seemed oblivious to his dislike of the fairy, and then they flew off together into the night.
But not, of course, before Sebastian had let go of the flower stem which he'd been holding onto, and it had hit Celeste in the face as she tried to fly after them.
"I hope that was painful as it has been having to spend time with you today," Sebastian muttered as they flew off into the night.
"The lights aren't quite as pretty as that of the fairies' nightlights on the island," Sebastian remarked, looking out across the sea of lamps that lit the London skyline below them.
"You have no imagination," Jeff remarked.
Sebastian scoffed.
"I don't need imagination for this," he said, "It's just a lot of lights in a city. Give me the countryside any day."
"I suppose I do prefer the countryside," Jeff said, "But there's plenty of adventure to be had in the city too; like now, we can go exploring in the dark!"
"Wait!" Sebastian cried, but it was too late, and Jeff had already dived off into the darkness, spiralling downwards towards the nearest street corner. "Come back!" the pixie called, flying rapidly after him as he hurriedly tried to catch up as quickly as possible.
He finally caught up with the blonde boy just above a street, not far from Kensington Gardens, he noticed, in which all of the lights had been extinguished, not even the streetlamps appeared to have been lit.
Except one, that was.
This light was halfway up, on the second floor of a house, towards one end of the street. The window of this room was open, and the sound of laughter was drifting out.
When Sebastian found Jeff, the blonde was staring down at the window, seemingly transfixed by the sound of voices; children's voices.
"What are you staring at?" the pixie asked, but his friend did not answer, instead, he flew even further down and landed in the branches of the large oak tree, directly opposite the open window.
Jeff peered out from between the leaves at the room from which the light was coming from, he'd heard the noise of children laughing, and the sound had drawn him in, desperate to know if there was someone there who he could play with.
But instead, he was met with the sight of a brunette boy walking past the window, and taking a seat on a chair, while a great number of other children filed into the room and sat on the floor around him.
The boy surveyed the children sat in front of him, and then smiled widely at them.
"So, which story would you like to hear today?" he asked.
Jeff's interest was caught, and he leaned further forward in the tree to try and hear as much of this upcoming story as possible. He'd heard of stories, sure, Wes was always saying how wonderful it would be if the fairies would one day bring him back a storybook, but while Wes knew what a story was, he could not actually remember any tales to tell the other Warblers.
"Cinderella," a small voice within the room spoke up, "Can we hear Cinderella, please?"
"Of course," the brunette boy said, "Cinderella it shall be."
"Can I sit on your lap, Nick?" another voice spoke up, and the brunette looked down at a little girl who was sitting beside him.
"You may, Cecilia," the boy said, picking up the girl when she lifted her arms up to him, and placing her onto his lap. She sighed happily and leaned into his chest.
"So, let's begin," the boy, clearly named Nick, said.
Jeff settled comfortably into the oak tree, preparing himself for the story which Nick was about to tell. Sebastian flew down and sat on his shoulder, still wondering what his friend was waiting for.
"Jeff, what are you doing?" he asked.
Jeff shushed him hurriedly.
"Nick is about to tell a story," he said.
"Nick?" the pixie frowned, "Who's Nick?"
"That's Nick," the blonde boy pointed at the brunette inside of the room.
"And why are you so interested in listening to him tell a story?" the pixie asked.
Jeff did not answer and hushed him again as Nick began speaking.
"Once upon a time," he started, "There lived a young girl by the name of Cinderella. She was very pretty and kind-hearted, and she had a loving mother and a loving father, but one day, her life changed forever."
"What happened, Nicky?" a little boy asked, and he was quickly told to wait and see by another child.
"Well, one day, Cinderella's mother died, and her father was forced to quickly remarry so that he and Cinderella could still afford to live," Nick continued, "But unfortunately, Cinderella's new stepmother was a horrible and nasty person, and she brought with her, Cinderella's two new stepsisters, who were even worse than their mother."
All of the children gasped in horror, even though they'd all heard the story many times and knew exactly what was going to happen.
Outside, in the tree, Jeff gripped a nearby branch with the anticipation of what was about to be told.
"Is this a story?" Sebastian asked, his brow furrowing in confusion, "It's not very exciting."
"Be quiet," Jeff said, "It's only just beginning."
The pixie huffed crossly when being told what to do, but he couldn't deny that he was quite fascinated by the prospect of hearing a story for the first time as well.
"Now," Nick said, "Cinderella's stepsisters and her evil stepmother were very horrible, and they mistreated Cinderella while her father was away on business; they made her scrub all of the floors, wash the dishes, clean their clothes and do their hair for them." He paused. "One day, the King and Queen of the kingdom announced that they would be holding a ball for every young girl to attend, for they wished to find a bride for their son, the prince."
"Does that mean pretty dresses?" one of the girls asked, and Nick nodded immediately.
"Of course," he said, "What would a ball be without pretty dresses?"
There was a happy and thrilled murmuring through the children on the floor as they excitedly thought of their own outfits for such a ball, were it to ever happen to them in their lifetime.
"The news of the ball reached the house of Cinderella," Nick continued, "And it should have been an invitation which was extended to all three of the young girls in the house, but after Cinderella's stepmother had made her stepdaughter wash all of her stepsisters' finest dresses and get them ready for the ball, she announced that Cinderella could not attend the ball, since she would be remaining at home to clean the house entirely. Of course, Cinderella tried to protest, but as her stepsisters pointed out, she had no fine clothes to wear, for her only garments were worn rags, and so she could not present herself to the King and Queen dressed as she was."
"Poor Cinderella," a girl muttered.
"But do not fear," Nick said quickly, "For there was someone nearby who was able to give her a helping hand. As soon as her stepsisters and her stepmother had departed for the palace, Cinderella sat down in the cellar and began to clean the floor with a dirty cloth. She sat alone in the dark and cried to herself because she could not go to the ball. But suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light and the sound of tinkling bells, and suddenly a fairy stood before Cinderella. 'Who are you?' Cinderella asked, terrified of the stranger. 'I am your fairy godmother,' the newcomer said, 'And I have come to take you to the ball.' Cinderella's eyes widened in surprise. 'But I cannot go to the ball,' she said, 'I have no clothes to wear, and no means of getting there.' The fairy godmother smiled. 'Do not fear, my dear,' she said, 'First, would you fetch me a pumpkin and meet me outside?' Cinderella nodded, and she ran to find a pumpkin in the garden; she found the biggest one, and she dragged it out to meet the fairy godmother. The fairy promptly waved her wand and the magic dust turned the pumpkin into a magnificent carriage."
"What did the carriage look like?" the girl sitting on Nick's lap asked.
Nick smiled.
"It was round and white, like a giant pearl," he said, "And there was ornate gold piping covering the entire framework."
"What else did the fairy godmother want?" a boy prompted, encouraging Nick to get on with the story.
"Well, she then asked for four white mice," the brunette said, "And a large toad. Cinderella complied, and with a wave of the fairy godmother's magic wand, the mice became strong white horses, and the toad became a handsome footman. At last, the fairy godmother turned to Cinderella and said: 'Now, you shall go to the ball.' But Cinderella realised that there was still a problem. 'What about my clothes?' she asked. The fairy godmother remembered that she still had to fix Cinderella's clothes, and she waved her wand once more, and suddenly, Cinderella was standing there in the most beautiful dress that anyone had ever seen."
"And what did the dress look like?" the girl on Nick's lap asked.
"It was a pale blue," Nick said, "And it was very long, with several drapes of lace and ribbon; and her hair was curled neatly on top of her head. And, remember this children, on her feet were two very dainty glass slippers."
"She sounds lovely," another girl breathed in delight.
"She was lovely," Nick nodded, "And she got into her carriage, and was about to drive away, when the fairy godmother appeared at the window. 'Cinderella,' she said, 'You must be home by midnight, for that is when the magic will wear off.' Cinderella agreed, and then she was on her way to the ball. When she arrived, she was greeted by the prince himself, and he was so taken by her that he danced with her all night, much to the anger of the other girls there, especially the two stepsisters, who had been hoping to dance with the prince as well."
Nick paused to survey the faces of the children in front of him.
"But then, the clock struck midnight, and the bell rung out across the ballroom. Suddenly, Cinderella remembered the fairy godmother's warning, and she ran from the room and the prince's arms without so much as a word, and as she hurried down the stairs, one of her glass slippers fell from her foot and lay on the palace steps. She reached her carriage just in time for her to get in and be driven almost all of the way home, before her clothes turned to rags again, and the carriage became a pumpkin; the rest of the way, she ran, and when her stepmother found her again, she was already at home, scrubbing away at the floors."
"But that's not it, is it?" a little boy piped up.
"Of course not," Nick said, "You see, the prince found the slipper, and he knew that he had to find the owner, for it was she that he wanted to marry, but, to his dismay, he discovered that no one knew who the mysterious girl was. And so, he proclaimed that he would visit every girl in the kingdom, and he would find his bride by seeing whose foot fitted into the slipper. He travelled far and wide with the slipper, but no girl's foot would fit the shoe; he was beginning to despair, when he called upon Cinderella's house. Her stepmother bade him welcome, and she sat him down by the fire while she went to fetch her two daughters, who then came hurrying down the stairs, fighting over who would face the prince first. Eventually, they both were able to try the slipper, but one girl's foot was too large, while the other was too small. 'Is there any other girl living here?' the prince inquired, to which he was told that he had seen all of the girls of the household. He nodded sadly, and was preparing to leave, when Cinderella accidentally dropped one of the kitchen pans onto the floor, causing a loud ringing noise to echo throughout the house. The prince, startled by the clattering, ran to see if whoever had dropped the pan needed help, and he stumbled upon Cinderella in the kitchen. 'There is another girl in the house,' he muttered to himself, and he asked Cinderella if she would sit and try on the glass slipper. She did so, and, of course, it was the perfect fit."
"Did they get married?" a child asked excitedly.
"The prince proposed on the spot," Nick said, "And they lived happily ever after."
The children all clapped, while, outside in the tree, Jeff sat with the biggest smile on his face.
"Wasn't that wonderful?" he turned to Sebastian, "I love stories!"
The pixie rolled his eyes.
"It was tolerable," he said grudgingly, "I mean, whose fairy dust lasts only until midnight? And surely there must have been other girls that had the same size feet as that slipper?"
"You're ruining it," Jeff snapped, but his attention was quickly taken by whatever was now happening inside the room.
"Tell us another story, Nicky, please?" a little boy was asking, his face pleading as he looked up at the older boy.
"Yes, tell us about Peter Pan, Nick," another boy asked, this one much older than many of the other children, but still younger than Nick. "Come on, it's not that late yet."
"Alright," Nick agreed, "I'll tell you about Peter Pan."
"Can we leave now?" Sebastian asked, "We really ought to be heading back to Neverland."
"But I want to hear about Peter Pan," Jeff insisted, "So, I'm staying, and I think you should too."
With a few unsavoury comments, the pixie did eventually settle down back on the branch.
"Now, would you like to hear about Peter Pan's adventure with the pirates?" Nick asked.
All of the children nodded eagerly.
"Well, Peter Pan, as you know, lives on an island a long way from here," the brunette began, "And moored just off the shore is a huge pirate ship, manned by one of the fiercest pirate captains that the world has ever known. Every day, Peter goes down to the shoreline to keep an eye on the pirates, and to make sure that they are not causing trouble for any of the islanders. But one day, the blonde boy arrived at the edge of the beach to see the pirates disembarking from their ship, and heading for the Red Indian camp on the hilltop. The Red Indians at this time were in the midst of one of their great festivals, and so not one of them was out on lookout duty, and the loud singing and drumming drowned out any sounds of anyone approaching, such as the noise of the pirates' oars as they rowed. Peter knew immediately that he had to do something to warn the Red Indians, and so he flew away as fast as he could, back to his hideout, where his gang were waiting for him."
"Peter can fly?" an especially young child asked, clearly having forgotten all of the other times that the character had flown.
Nick nodded.
"Yes, he can," he said, "And so can all of his friends, so they all flew together to the fairies of the wood to seek their advice. The fairies immediately agreed to accompany them to the Red Indian camp, and on the way there, they devised a plan in which to prevent the pirates from surprising the Indians and capturing them. They flew all of the way there, and once they arrived, they set themselves up so that Peter and his friends would wait in the surrounding bushes, while the fairies flew up into the sky. Many of the fairies carried bright nightlights, which shone even brighter than their natural glow, and they darted about the sky, blinding the pirates as they tried to climb the hill to the Red Indian camp. In the bushes, Peter and his gang were lighting small fires to create a smoke screen, which confused the pirates, and sent many of them scrambling back down towards the beach in confusion; the hidden boys then began to howl and wail terribly. Frightened, the pirates reconvened with their captain. 'The Indians are conjuring the spirits of the dead,' one pirate said, trembling, 'Can you not hear them howling, so?' 'Don't be ridiculous!' the captain said, 'They cannot bring back spirits. Go back up there and bring me my prisoners; I want the chief and his daughter in particular.' And so, the pirates climbed back up the hillside, but, by now, the alarm had been raised in the Red Indian camp, and the braves ambushed the pirates, taking them by surprise."
"Did the Indians win?" a boy asked, "And what happened to Peter and his friends?"
"Of course, the Indians won a decisive victory," Nick said, "And the pirates went running back to their pirate ship. Peter, meanwhile, was forced to leave while the pirates and the Indians were fighting, he wanted to stay, but his gang would not let him and they persuaded him that he had done his bit already, and did not need to get involved anymore."
"Can we have another story?" one child asked hopefully.
Nick laughed.
"I think not," he said, "Too many of you are already yawning; it's time for bed now." And he rounded them all up and shepherded them all off to their beds.
Outside, Jeff sat with his mouth open in shock.
"Sebastian," he said, "That sounded awfully like one of our adventures."
The pixie nodded thoughtfully.
"It did sound a lot like Neverland," he said in agreement, "What with the flying, and the pirate ship, the Indians and the fairies."
"It's just odd that my name was changed," Jeff said, "For I'm sure that this 'Peter' person was supposed to be me."
"He did sound like you," Sebastian said, "He did exactly what you did in that adventure, and we really did have to drag you away from that battle."
"It's decidedly strange," Jeff said, "That such a boy should know about what we get up to in Neverland, but I like it and I like his stories."
"They were alright," Sebastian said, reluctant to sound enthusiastic for anything. "Now, we really must get going."
Jeff agreed this time.
"Fine," he said, "But I plan on returning every night to hear Nick's stories, or at least as often as I can. I want to hear more about these girls who have pumpkins that turn into carriages, and I want to hear what he has to say about me and my adventures."
"And I suppose that I shall have to go with you," Sebastian said, "Since you probably couldn't be trusted to go on your own without getting distracted and flying round and around in circles."
"Then it's settled," Jeff said, "We'll return tomorrow."
And with that, he and Sebastian flew away into the night; the blonde boy vowing that one day he would gather up the courage to enter Nick's room and speak to him so that he could know exactly how he'd learnt so much about him.
Behind them, the brunette boy in question was locking his windows and drawing his curtains, completely unaware that the blonde boy that he dreamed about at night, was now dreaming of him.
FIN
A/N: So, MeganatShafer, and everyone else, I hope that was okay and that you enjoyed it :) And maybe I will do another competition for oneshots soon :)
Thank you for reading and please leave a review to tell me what you thought :)