"Do you want to hear another story about James Diamond?" I asked my seven-year -old brother, Kendall. Kendall loves to hear my stories and since I dream of being a writer someday, he is the perfect person to tell my stories to.
"Of course I do, Logie" Was his eager reply. He loves my stories about James Diamond the best. I had heard these stories from my great aunt, Wendy, when I was a little boy. I promised her before she died that I would keep the story of James Diamond alive and I have been.
"Which one would you like to hear?"
"The trip to Never land."
"Alright," I said giving Kendall a smile before I began the story.
"This story has happened before, and will all happen again, only now it will happen in Shorewood, Minnesota, in the neighborhood of Heffron Drive, where George and Mary Darling's preparations to attend a party are disrupted by the antics of the boys, John and Michael, acting out a story about James Diamond and the pirates, which was told to them by their older sister, Wendy. Their father, who is fed up with the stories that have made his children less practical, angrily declares that Wendy has gotten too old to continue staying in the nursery with them, and it's time for her to grow up and have a room of her own. That night, they are visited in the nursery by James Diamond himself, who teaches them to fly with the help of his pixie friend, Tinker Bell, and takes them with him to the island of Never Land.
A ship of pirates is anchored off Never Land, commanded by Captain Hook with his sidekick, Mr. Rocque. Hook boldly plots to take revenge upon James Diamond for cutting off his hand, but he trembles when the crocodile that ate it arrives; it now stalks him, hoping to taste more. Hook also forms a plan to find James' hideout using the knowledge of Tiger Lily. The crew's restlessness is interrupted by the arrival of James and the Darlings. The children easily evade them, and despite a trick by jealous Tinker Bell to have Wendy killed, they meet up with the Lost Boys: six boys in animal-costume pajamas, who look to James as their leader. Tinker Bell's treachery is soon found out, and James banishes her "forever" though she is eventually forgiven. John and Michael set off with the Lost Boys to find the island's Indians, who instead, capture them, believing them to be the ones responsible for taking the chief's daughter, Tiger Lily. Big Chief, the Indian chieftain and Tiger Lily's father, warns them that if Tiger Lily is not back by sunset, the Lost Boys along with John and Michael will be burned at the stake.
Meanwhile, James takes Wendy to see the mermaids. Wendy is considering leaving when the mermaids try to drown her, but things change when the mermaids flee in terror at the sight of Hook. James and Wendy, who quickly spy on Hook, see that he and Rocque have captured Tiger Lily, so that they might coerce her into revealing James' hideout. James and Wendy free her, and James is honored by the tribe. Hook then plots to take advantage of Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy, tricking her into revealing the location of James' lair. However, his plan to kill James becomes a bit compromised when Tinker Bell makes him promise "not to lay a finger, or a hook, on James." He agrees, and then locks Tinker Bell in a lantern as a makeshift jail cell. Wendy and her brothers eventually grow homesick and plan to return home. They invite James and the Lost Boys to return to Minnesota and be adopted by the Darling parents. The Lost Boys agree, but James is so set against growing up that he refuses, presumptuously assuming that all of them will return shortly. The pirates lie in wait and capture the Lost Boys and the Darlings as they exit, leaving behind a time bomb to kill James. Tinker Bell learns of the plot just in time to snatch the bomb from James as it explodes.
James rescues Tinker Bell from the rubble and, together, they confront the pirates, releasing the children before they can be forced to walk the plank. James engages Hook in single combat as the children fight off the crew, and finally succeeds in humiliating the captain. Hook and his crew flee, with the crocodile in hot pursuit. James gallantly commandeers the deserted ship, and with the aid of Tinker Bell's pixie dust, flies it to Minnesota with the children aboard.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling return home from the party to find Wendy, not in her bed, but sleeping at the open window; John and Michael are asleep in their beds. The parents have no idea that the children have even been anywhere. Wendy wakes and excitedly tells about their adventures. The parents look out the window and see what appears to be a pirate ship in the clouds. Mr. Darling, who has softened his position about Wendy staying in the nursery, recognizes it from his own childhood, as it breaks up into clouds itself."
"That story gets better every time you tell it." Kendall said once I finished. I always love to see his reaction after the story is done. It reminds me of how I reacted when I was younger. I have always dreamed of meeting James: it is a dream I still have not given up on.
"Kendall, what are you still doing up?" My dad asked from the door way of mine and Kendall's room.
"Logie, was telling me a bedtime story about James Diamond."
"That childish nonsense again?" My dad sighed.
"Dad, it's not childish it's true." I said. We have had this argument a lot lately. My dad felt that now that I was thirteen, it was time for me to stop believing in James and all those other 'childish stories' as he so delicately put it.
"Logan, James Diamond is a fictional character. There is no such thing as Never Land and all children grow up someday."
"Well, I say you're wrong. Great Aunt Wendy told me those stories and I believe her."
"I should have never let her tell you those foolish stories."
"Well, according to her, you used to love those foolish stories." I snapped. My aunt used to tell me how my father would listen to her stories and pretend he was one of James' Lost Boys but as he got older he stopped believing. She told me that had always broken her heart.
"I grew up and it is time you do the same, Logan." My dad said.
"If growing up means giving up on the things you believe in, then I want to stay a child forever!"
"Like it or not Logan, someday you will have no choice in that matter. And tomorrow you will be moved into the guest room."
"No, Daddy, I want Logie to stay in here!" Kendall cried.
"I'm sorry, Kendall, but your brother needs to grow up and maybe putting him in his own room will help with that."
"Kenneth, don't you think you are being too harsh?" My mom asked coming into the room. I guess she had heard the yelling.
"No, Jennifer, I'm not. Logan needs to start acting his age." My dad said softening his tone.
"You can't do this." I said trying to fight back my tears.
"Logan, sweetie, maybe your father is right. You do need to start realizing that those stories are in fact just stories." My mom said.
"Oh, so you're against me now, too?" I asked accusingly. My mother had never been against my stories before tonight.
"Logan, I am not against you, but you will be fourteen soon and you still think James Diamond is a real person."
"That's because he is!" I shouted.
"Logan, honey, I am sorry but he isn't." Mom said coming over to try and give me a hug. I shrugged her off.
"Logan, we only want what is best for you." My dad said before turning around and leaving.
"We will be back from the party at midnight." My mom said. Her and my dad had a birthday party for a business partner to go to.
"Bye, Kendall." Mom said kissing my brother on the cheek.
"No. If I am too old for childish stories, then I am too old for my mother to kiss me." I said stopping my mom as she tried to give me a goodbye kiss.
"Alright, then." My mom sighed as she left the room. I could tell I hurt her and I wanted to feel bad but she and Dad had hurt me first. They were trying to take the things that mattered to me away.
I was lying in my bed thinking about my relationship with my dad. He has been acting this way towards me ever since I came out to him and Mom a few weeks ago. I know he isn't against gay people in fact he has friends who are gay. So I was clueless as to why he had become cold towards me. A crash pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned on the light, hoping I wouldn't wake Kendall. There, on the floor with his back turned, was a boy who looked to be about fourteen wearing what looked to be an outfit made of leaves with brown hair and hazel eyes on our floor, wrestling with his shadow. I grabbed the hockey stick and tip toed my way towards the stranger.
"Whoa, chill." The boy said grabbing the hockey stick I had swung at him.
"Chill? There is a stranger in my room, wrestling with his shadow at ten o'clock at night!" I said staring at the guy like he was crazy which he probably was.
"Good point, Logan." The stranger said as he stood up holding his shadow in his left hand.
"How do you know my name?" I asked raising my eyebrow.
"I, um, heard the conversation with you and your parents." He answered.
"How? Our room is on the second floor."
"I can fly." He answered shrugging his shoulders. Then it hit me: he was James Diamond.
"I must be dreaming." I mumbled. There was no way James Diamond was in my room right now, holding his shadow.
"Why do you say that?" James asked.
"Because you can't be here." I stated.
"And why not?"
"Because, what reason would you have to be at my house?"
"I love to hear you tell stories about me."
"Y-you listen to my stories about you?" I asked a blush coming onto my cheeks.
"Of course I do. It has been long time since I have heard those." James said losing the cheery tone his voice held earlier.
"So, you really did do all those things with my great aunt?" I asked.
"Of course, I did." James said, giving me a look that clearly asked if I was stupid. I knew she wasn't a liar but hearing another person confirm the events made it even more magical in my eyes.
"Logie, who is that?" Kendall asked from his bed.
"Kendall, come here." I said my voice filled with excitement.
"This is James Diamond." I said picking my baby brother up once he was out of his bed.
"The one from the stories?" Kendall asked, his eyes full of excitement and wonder.
"The one and only." James laughed.
"Say, Logan, I don't suppose you know how to sew?"
"I do, why?"
"Could you maybe sew this back on?" James asked, shaking his shadow. I nodded, then sat Kendall down to go get our mom's sewing kit. When I returned, I began sewing James' shadow back on.
"Why did you learn to sew? Wendy always said girls sewed" James asked.
"Well, our parents work a lot and I always had to fix Kendall's stuffed pig, Yuma." I answered as I sewed the last part of James' shadow on.
"So, I heard what your mom and dad said." James said standing up and testing my handy work out.
"What are you going to do?" James asked once he was done flying around the room.
"I don't know." I sighed.
"You could come to Never Land and live with me." James said giving me a smile that made my heart melt.
"But we can't fly." Kendall said with a pout.
"I have a friend who can fix that." James answered.
"Carlos, could you come here?" James called. Just then, a fairy flew into the room and landed on James shoulder.
"I thought your fairy was named Tinker Bell?" I asked staring at the male fairy on his shoulder.
"Tink died a few years ago." James answered the sadness returning to his voice.
"I'm sorry." I said feeling like a jerk for bringing it up.
"It's ok."
"Carlos, could you sprinkle some pixie dust on these two?" James said pointing to Kendall and me. Carlos nodded before tossing a tiny ball of dust at me and my brother.
"I assume you both know to think of a happy thought." James stated as he began to float.
"Of course" Kendall and I answered right before we, too, began to float.
"To Never Land!" James shouted.
"To Never Land!" Kendall and I cheered.
Author Note: I do not own BTR or Peter Pan
Gustavo is taking Smee's role and Griffin is Hook.
So I was innocently watching Peter Pan a few months back and this idea popped in my head. I tried to ignore it since I have other stories but the idea would not go away so this fic was born.
This is dedicated to OuToFmYmInDbAcKiN5MiNuTeS