Chapter 2: Old times

Michael sat at his desk working hard when he noticed his boss was coming by and decided it might be time for him to perhaps create a little chit chat just like his father use to do, he walked up to his boss clearing his throat

"Good day sir" he said "nice weather we are having"

"I suppose it is" his boss said looking rather uninterested

"And you are?"

"Michael Darling sir, I'm one of your clerks"

"Well then you should probably be getting back to work, I'm not paying you to talk about the weather now am I?"

"No sir, I'm sorry sir" Michael said apologetically before returning to his sit

"Michael" said a voice from beyond him, Michael turned around to see Peter, Wendy and Jane

"Peter, Wendy, Jane what bring you to my place of business?"

"We were hoping we could have a family dinner just like the old days" Peter said "do you think you could come over tonight?"

"Well I am rather busy" Michael replied

"Oh please Michael just one dinner its been such a long time since we have seen you" Wendy said

"Yes well like I said I have been rather busy, the life of a bank clerk never ends" Michael said trying to hold on to his dignity

"Everything all right?" Peter asked

"Yes I am fine, doing my best to raise up the corporate ladder just like father, I mean someone had to since John decided not to do it"

"Michael" Wendy said

"I should probably be getting back to work now"

"Can we except you for dinner?" Peter asked

"Well like I said I am rather busy"

"Emily will be there" Peter said

"Oh well then it is probably best that I don't come, I mean we did not part on the best of terms"

"I'm sure you can manage for just one dinner" Peter replied

Michael looked at Peter "I know what your trying to do Peter" Michael said "but we cannot all live happily ever after"

"Just please think about it" Wendy said "we are meeting at 8" just then the three turned to leave and Michael sighed as he tried to get back to his work

"Perhaps going to dinner wouldn't be such a bad idea" one of his friends and co workers told him

"I just don't know" Michael said "I mean we all have separate lives now, especially Emily, what if she has found someone else"

"You are never going to know if you don't see her now will you?"

Michael thought about this, his co worker was right he was never going to know unless he at least tried, time had gone by perhaps him and Emily could bury the hatchet.

Later that night there was knock on the door and Peter opened for John who came on in the two smiled and shook hands

"glad you could make it John" Peter said

"no problem old chap, after all we are family"

"that we are" Peter said, just then Emily arrived at the door

"My dear sweet little sister" Peter said with a smile

"I'm not so little in case you haven't noticed" Emily said teasing her brother

"I know" Peter said "but you will always be my little wide eyed sister no matter how big you get" Peter said

Emily came in and hugged Wendy and of course she hugged Jane

"did you get me anything?" Jane asked

"I got you this novel" Emily said handing Jane a book

"Alice in Wonderland" Jane said reading the book title

"It is about a girl who goes on a magical adventure in a wondrous world called Wonderland, and it has a mad hatter and a cat who disappears every time he smiles"

"How wonderfully adventurous" Jane said with a smile

Just then to everyone's surprise Michael came to the door "Hello everyone" he said "am I late?"

"Michael" Peter said delighted "I'm so happy you could make it"

"Yes well I decided to put my busy schedule on hold to join you all for dinner" Michael said, he then looked at Emily

"Emily" Michael said

"Michael" Emily said back

"What do you say we all sit down and have dinner" Peter said breaking the awkward moment

"Yes lets all have dinner" Michael said going to the dinning room where Wendy was putting the food for everyone

At the dinner table everyone chatted

"So Peter how is life as a school teacher?" John asked

"Quite good" Peter said "the children are all great and I enjoy teaching them a lot, though they can be handful at times" Peter said

"How is life running a book store John?" Michael said

"Quite good" John said "I have Emily as my assistant and we are doing quite well, how is life working at the bank?"

"Also quite good" Michael said "I just made conversation with my boss just like father use to do with his, I have no doubt I'll be getting a promotion quite soon"

"That is wonderful" Wendy said with a smile

"And how has my little niece been?" Michael asked looking down at Jane

"Well we are learning hand writing in school" Jane said "my teacher says that I am quite good at it"

"Wonderful news" Michael said "perhaps one day that handwriting can be used at the bank, you know more and more woman are entering the work force"

"Yes its a changing world" Wendy said "and I am sure Jane will be ready for it when she grows up"

"Actually I would like to write my own novels" Jane said "just like mother"

"Jane I only ever wrote one novel and that was while your father was away"

"How come you never got it published?" John asked

"Well with this one having been born and Peter having just returned from the Great War, I thought my focus was best kept within the family" Wendy said

Peter took Wendy's hand and smiled at her, "you know that anything that you decide to do I will fully support" Peter said

"I know" Wendy said

Michael then turned to Emily "so" he asked "have you been seeing anyone?"

"No" Emily said back "I have been taking a break from gentlemen" she then looked back at him "how about yourself?"

"I have managed to court a few ladies" Michael said "but at the moment I am still single"

"As am I" John said "But I have no doubt that one day the right lady will come along for me"

"I have no doubt" Peter said smiling at his brother in law "a toast, to finding the ones we are meant to be with"

"Indeed" said John as he toasted with Peter

"Indeed" said both Michael and Emily rather sheepishly

After Wendy served desert, she gave Jane a bath and got her into her nightgown, "are you ready for a story?" she asked her daughter as she put her into her bed

Jane nodded her head eagerly

Meanwhile in the living room everyone sat together in uncomfortable silence

"so here we all are together again" John said

"just like the old days" Peter said

"not quite like the old days" Emily said

"So Peter nothing new in the world of Neverland?" John asked

"I haven't spoken to Tinkerbell in years, you know that"

"Yes it has been a long time hasn't it" John said looking at Peter "I know you probably don't want to hear this from me, but I rather miss the old magical island every now and then"

"Yeah sometimes I do to" Michael admitted "I mean we did have the adventure of a lifetime, didn't we?"

Peter looked at them rather bewildered, Emily saw her brother's expression and smiled at him

"come on Peter, tell me you don't miss it just a little bit, I mean I admit that it wasn't easy but finally standing up for ourselves showing Hook and his crew what we were really made of, it was our moment"

Peter smiled a bit. "yeah we pretty much did the impossible didn't we, I mean who would think a bunch of children would stand up against one of the most dangerous pirates and his whole crew"

"Well it was really you and Wendy who saved the day" Michael said "we were just along for the ride"

"but what a ride it was" John said

"and what is going on here?" Wendy asked, she had just come from putting Jane to bed

"just remembering old times" John said smiling at his sister

"remembering our old adventures in Neverland" Peter said

"we had a few good ones" Emily said

"nothing ever beat that first one" Michael said

"we never had to deal with something like Hook after wards" Peter said "every other time was just to see our old friends and that really wasn't much"

"but you know I like just having my peaceful existence, especially after The Great War, fighting in those trenches made Hook look like a walk in the park"

"Yeah I know" John said "I may not have seen as much fighting as you, but as I radio operator I saw my share of fighting"

"I had my hardships as well" Michael said "I may have been a messenger, but it was anything but easy"

"Yes well this is why I think we should leave Neverland in our past, I think we've seen enough violence to last us the rest of our lives"

"Does Jane know the story about us?" Michael asked

"She knows the story, she doesn't know it was actually us" Wendy said

"And its her favorite story" Peter said "but hopefully the real lost warrior can just spend the rest of his days enjoying his family" he said putting his shoulder around Wendy

"Yeah hopefully we can all move on" Michael said pulling out his pocket watch "look at the time I should probably get going, I do have the early shift at the bank"

"Yes I and I have to open the store tomorrow" John said

"and I have to help him open the store tomorrow" Emily said

everyone gathered up there things and left one by one saying goodnight to both Peter and Wendy, as they walked outside Emily noticed something up in the sky

"What is it?" John asked

"The sky, what are those red streaks moving through it, I don't think that is normal is it?"

"I suppose not" Michael said

"perhaps it is some kind of cosmic event" John suggested

"Maybe its some kind of omen" Emily said

"for what?" Michael asked

"that something is coming"

"lets not get ahead of ourselves" John said "Lets wait and see what the experts have to say about it first"

"I suppose you are right" Emily said she then started to head in the direction of her apartment, Michael then followed after her

"You really think this is something to worry about?" he asked her

"Honestly I don't know" she said looking at Michael "I keep having these feelings, bad feelings, its way I've been updating myself on my magic again"

"Have you spoken to Peter about it?"

"Well no, thing is I think he might be having them to, I just think he wants to try and ignore them, maybe its something about us both having been in Neverland so long, Peter being the lost warrior me having use to practice magic there, maybe something is warning us"

Emily looked at Michael, "what do you think I should do?" she asked

"I suggest you should talk with your brother" Michael said "if something is happening it could effect all of us"

To be Continued