Primrose's Shadow

After Mr. Darling had left for his business outing and Aunt Millicent had settled downstairs with a book, Wesley tucked his sisters into bed that night. He'd finished telling them their usual bedtime story and was turning on the nightlights, when Moira grabbed his sleeve.

"Wesley, are you really going to Scotland next year?" she asked, tearfully, while clutching her new teddy bear to her chest.

"Of course I'm not," said Wesley. He would not abandon his sisters to the mercies of Aunt Millicent or study abroad, no matter what his father said. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"We heard Father yelling at you," said Joan. Her hair was tied up in her new ribbons and made her look lovely, but they did not conceal her worried face. "Is it true Father's sending you away?"

Wesley sighed and took Moira into his arms after she reached for him, and then he sat on Joan's bed. "Listen to me, girls, no matter what Father or anyone else says, we're a family and family sticks together. I've been taking care of you for a long time now and that's never going to stop, not ever. Mother wouldn't have wanted us to be separated, so therefore, we won't. I'm not going to Scotland, not now, not ever."

"You promise?" asked Moira.

Wesley nodded. "I promise."

Joan smiled at him as he rocked Moira in his arms as the little girl clutched him like the teddy bear she held.

"You're a brave man, Wesley Darling," said Joan.

Wesley chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not brave like the men in my stories, Joan." He couldn't even stand up to his own father. What did that say about his bravery?

"But Mother used to say that there're many different kinds of bravery. You might not have brandished a sword or fired pistol to save someone, but you've always put family first and put away your dreams," said Joan, reasonably.

Moira looked curiously at Wesley. "You have? Where did you put them?"

"I put them in a drawer," replied Wesley. "And sometimes, late at night, I take them out and admire them. But I always close the drawer because my family matters more to me than my dreams." In truth, he'd written down many hopes and dreams for his life and placed the paper in a drawer in his room and it always got harder to close the drawer.

"You do it because you're brave," said Joan, softly.

Wesley could not help but nod. His sister had become somewhat wise over the years and she was right about this matter.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter right now. It's time for bed and you two should be asleep," said Wesley, as he placed Moira back into bed. "Everything's going to be just fine. One day, we'll all be free and we'll live happily ever after in the world of our dreams. I promise you."

He kissed their foreheads and hugged them good-night before closing the door and waiting for what he hoped would occur that night.

XXX

Late that same night, Primrose watched cautiously from a cloud high in the sky, waiting for it to be safe for her to enter the house so that she might retrieve her shadow. It was a risk returning so soon, especially when she'd almost been caught last time and had to return to Neverland before the next two days were over, but it was also just as dangerous for her to be without her shadow in Neverland. She hadn't meant to lose it. She hadn't even known you could lose a shadow. But now she did. And it was all because of her fascination with the Darling boy.

When the coast was clear, and Mr. Darling had left the house, she sent in Terence to do a quick search for her shadow. Moments later, she slipped in through the only open window and landed in the nursery. No sooner had she arrived, Terence came up her, jabbering in excitement. He led Primrose to a drawer in the hall and kept pointing to it.

"Ter, hush!" whispered Primrose, sharply. Fairy wings tended to jingle sometimes and if Terence didn't stop jingling, he'd give them away and wake the whole house. "On the count of three, okay?" She grasped the drawer handle when Terence nodded. "One…two…three!" she yanked open the drawer and her shadow shot out of it. It tried to escape, only for Primrose to grab on tight. "Oh, no you don't! I've got you, you pesky little thing!"

But the shadow was stronger than Primrose had anticipated. It dragged her kicking and screaming through the hall until she hit her head, causing her to lose her grip and the shadow slipped free for a moment, only to be spotted by the "Grouchy Old Woman," as Primrose preferred to call her. While Primrose took cover by hiding high up on the ceiling, the shadow pretended to be the old woman's shadow, fooling her until it slipped away the minute the woman's back was turned. It tried to flee elsewhere, but Primrose managed to snatch it and this time, she did not lose her grip on it and nor did it escape.

The things I have to go through, just to catch a dratted shadow! She then took it into the empty nursery and tried numerous ways to reattach it, only to fail miserably. It did not help when the shadow mocked her, which only hurt her further.

Nothing's working and it'll be dawn in a few hours. What the devil am I going to do?

At this point, Primrose was very tired as well as frustrated and upset. She hugged her knees to her chest and started crying into her knees until a voice said, "Miss, why're you crying?"

Startled, Primrose immediately flew up to the ceiling and ended up hitting her head. The boy she'd been watching for moons was closing the door to the nursery and turning on a lamp. He was quite handsome with a mess of dark brown hair, deep blue eyes and charming features. He was dressed in a plain white shirt, black trousers and shoes. He had, no doubt, been standing there for quite some time. However, instead of telling people she was there, he just gazed upon her in both amazement and shock.

"I don't believe it. You can fly!" he said, in awe. Then he noticed she was still gazing at him warily and he looked apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"It's okay," said Primrose, as she floated to the floor. I've faced pirates, the workhouse, the police and so much more than just a boy. Why do I feel so nervous around him? It's not as though I haven't been around boys before now. Remembering her manners, she curtsied as he bowed respectfully to her.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"What is your name?" she asked. Despite her infrequent watching of the house, Primrose had never actually caught the Darling boy's name.

"Wesley Michael Alexander Darling," he said, as he held out his hand.

After a brief moment's hesitation, Primrose shook his hand, feeling a little less nervous as she did so. "Primrose Pan-Hook."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Pan-Hook," said Wesley. "Where do you live, if I may ask?"

Seeing as there was no real harm in telling him, Primrose pointed to the night sky. "If you know where to look, it's the second star to the right and then straight on until morning."

Wesley frowned in confusion. "That's where you live? How do they put that address on letters?"

"They don't. No one gets letters in Neverland," said Primrose. Why on earth would he think that's a normal place to live after how I just told him where it is?

"Not even your mother?" asked Wesley.

She shook her head. "My mother died when I was three."

Wesley looked sympathetically at her. "I'm sorry. Is that why you were crying?"

Primrose's temper flared as she felt embarrassed to have been seen crying. She didn't like it when people saw her crying as it always made her feel weak when she was supposed to always be strong and fearless.

"No, I was not crying about my mother!" she said. "If I was upset about anything, it's because I can't get my blasted shadow back on! And I wasn't crying!"

She then tried and failed yet again to get her shadow reattached and glared at the dark figure as Wesley sat beside her. She then felt bad and sighed under his kind look. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just frustrated."

"I understand," said Wesley. He frowned in thought for a moment before his face lit up with an idea. "Do you think sewing it on might work?"

"Sewing?" she repeated. She thought for a moment and then nodded. Why not? Nothing else has worked. "It just might do the trick."

"I could do it for you if you'd like," offered Wesley.

Primrose stared at him as her shadow clutched her in fear. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her shadow's antics. I cannot believe this cowardly thing is my shadow. Instead, she just looked curiously at Wesley and said, "You know how to sew?" In her young life, she'd rarely met a male who knew anything about sewing. She'd always been told that sewing of any kind was only a female's task.

Wesley blushed in embarrassment. "My mother taught me. She thought everyone should learn. But, enough of that. May I help you?"

Primrose nodded. Though she could sew herself, she knew it'd be easier if he did it. Despite barely knowing Wesley, Primrose just knew she could trust him and she no longer felt shy near him. (Well, maybe just a little.) She said very little as he sewed her shadow back on for her until he announced he was done.

She smiled when she tested it and found that everything was just as it was supposed to be. "Oh the cleverness of me!" she said.

Wesley chuckled. "But, of course, I did nothing."

"You did a great deal. I owe you one now. Thank you very much," she said. "I'm afraid I don't have much to give you at the moment, but perhaps you'll like this until I can return with something better." She slipped off an acorn that was on a chain on her neck and placed it on him. She felt a little silly about giving it to him, but she had nothing else except her father's watch, her dagger and panpipes with her.

"Thank you. This is great," said Wesley, smiling. He beckoned for her to sit down with him on the bed, and she did just that. "Tell me about yourself, Primrose. How old are you?"

"Quite young. I'm fourteen for all of time," replied Primrose. She would've been fifteen now, had she been able to age properly. Not that really mattered. She was a child forevermore.

"Must be nice."

She shrugged. "Sometimes." Much of the time, Primrose loved her newfound freedom and life of adventures. Other times, she felt lonely. But that was perfectly normal of anyone's life.

"So, what happened to you? How'd you get to Neverland?" asked Wesley. "Are there others there with you?"

He seemed quite eager to know and before she knew it, she found herself telling him her whole life's story up until she lost her shadow and she'd actually spoken to Wesley. He hung onto every word and was the perfect audience.

"It sounds like you've had an exciting life," said Wesley, as she nodded. "So, if the orb doesn't work anymore, how'd you come here, then?" That was the one thing she hadn't spoken of.

"Well, three months ago, Terence found a way back. There's a path that opens up for five days every month that allows people to journey between this world and mine," explained Primrose. "Since I can only be away for so long from Neverland, and only those who know the way and can fly are able to use it, it works perfectly for me."

"That sounds incredible." Wesley smiled but then frowned. "So, when you say Terence's a tree spirit, what exactly do you mean?"

"Well, tree spirits are more commonly known as fairies," explained Primrose.

"Fairies?" he repeated, in disbelief. "But there's no such thing as—"

He was cut off when Primrose suddenly covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't ever say that! Whenever those words are said in a fairy's presence, said fairy's light goes out and they die. I'm not about to lose Terence and I can't exactly find him if he's dead."

Wesley looked a little excited. "Are you serious? There's actually a fairy in this room? My sisters would love that."

"Yes, I'm quite serious. He's my guide and one of my best friends," said Primrose. "When I found a way back to London, I found myself drawn here. I can only stay for a little while and even then, it's not often, but when we do come here, we listen for hours to your stories and then retell them to our friends in Neverland."

"So, you do listen to my stories," said Wesley. "But out of curiosity, why listen to mine? Don't you have greater stories to tell after all you've seen and done in Neverland?"

Primrose shrugged. "Perhaps, but you're a good storyteller," she said. "One of the best, in my opinion. And the ones I retell the stories to, enjoy them greatly."

"That's very kind of you to say, ma'am," said Wesley, smiling. "So, what story, do you like best?"

Primrose blushed as she felt just a tad embarrassed. "Don't tell anyone, but my favorite is Cinderella." She never knew exactly why she liked it so much. Perhaps it was because she knew what it was like to have nothing and then suddenly gain everything she'd ever dreamed of and more in her life.

"Long as I live, I shan't tell a soul," said Wesley. He then looked hesitantly at her. "Prim, might I give you something?"

"If you'd like," said Primrose, wondering what it could be.

Wesley stood up and had her stand up with him, he then leaned forward just a little, only to yell when he suddenly found himself being pulled by the back of his shirt and he was getting his head knocked into the bedpost, because of a certain fairy, who'd been knocked into the hallway drawer and was now free.

"Ter!" yelled Primrose. "Ter! Terence, no!"

She quickly grabbed Terence and flung him into the pillow. The fairy just got back up and looked quite agitated. He was glaring at Wesley while angrily yelling telepathically and miming out his words.

"You'll have to forgive him. He's usually more polite than this, but he can be quite protective of me," said Primrose, apologetically. "Apparently, he thought you were going to kiss me and he says if you do anything to hurt me or if you try to do that again with my permission or his or my father's, he'll kill you."

"And to think, people say fairies are charming," said Wesley, glaring at Terence, who just made a face at him.

Primrose chuckled as the fairy sat on her shoulder. "Well, thank you for everything, but Ter and I must be off now. Dawn's approaching and I can only be away from Neverland for so long." She walked towards the window and was about to take off when Wesley grabbed her hand.

"Primrose, wait, please," said Wesley. "Don't go."

"I can't stay. I've already been here far too long and I have to leave before the sun rises or I'll be spotted," said Primrose. As much as she'd enjoyed finally conversing with Wesley, she needed to return to Neverland. She would've left sooner had her shadow not been lost.

"But I know so many stories and I can make up countless more to tell you and your friends in Neverland," said Wesley. "Let me come with you, please."

Primrose hesitated. She knew Wesley was craving an adventure and she was very tempted to take him to Neverland, but did she dare let him come with her? She was about to refuse, but the look in his eyes made her heart melt and ache with a slight longing so she said, "You really want to come with me?" she could not keep the hopefulness out of her voice.

Wesley nodded, looking excited and eager.

"Then if you wish it, so shall it be," she said. "But unless you wish to stay for more than a month, you can only stay for two days. After that, the pathway won't open up again for an entire month. Do you understand?"

"Of course," said Wesley, eagerly. "But how're we to get to Neverland? I cannot fly and I don't think you're strong enough to carry me."

"I'll teach you how to fly. We'll ride the wind's back and then away we'll go," said Primrose, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. As long as one had the proper instruction, flying was quite easy.

"Could my sisters, Joan and Moira, come as well?" asked Wesley.

Primrose considered this for a moment and then she nodded. "They may. But you'll have to keep watch over them. Your family's your first priority in Neverland," she said. She understood his need to bring his sisters. They were his family and family stuck together.

"But, shouldn't we go find yours, Prim?" asked Wesley. "Don't you miss them?"

"All the time," said Primrose, as her throat tightened. "But I mustn't see them again. It's better if they don't know I'm here, for a lot of reasons. They're happier in London and I can't greet them just to say good-bye again. And besides, they'd probably kill me or hug me to death the minute I came into view."

"You've got that right, Prim!" said a voice.

Primrose froze when the door to the nursery suddenly flew open, revealing all of her boys, who looked the same as she remembered, except they were a year older, and they appeared to be both angry and happy all at the same time.

Immediately realizing what had happened, Primrose shot an accusing look at Wesley. "You little rat! They've been here the entire time, haven't they? You were stalling me, weren't you?"

Wesley looked innocently at her, but before he could speak, the Lost Boys pinned Primrose down in a very tight group hug. Primrose returned the hug, as she had desperately missed her lads greatly in the past year.

"Alright, get off of me, you snipes. I can't breathe!" said Primrose, good-naturedly, after a few moments. They all pulled apart, but no one moved any further than two feet away from one another. Primrose smiled at them and they all smiled back. "I'm glad to see you, but what're you all doing here?"

"What do you think, you half-wit? We're here because we want you back. We've been trying to find a way back to you for ages and now that we've got it, we're never ever letting you go again," said Curly, proudly.

"Who says you get to go and have all the fun without us? Oh, and thanks for the box of stuff you sent us. We loved it. We really did," said Fox.

"You're-Welcome," said Primrose. Somehow she wasn't surprised that they knew she'd been the anonymous sender of the package and food.

Nibs frowned at her appearance. "Prim, what on earth are you wearing and what've you done to your hair?"

Primrose glanced at her attire and fingered a strand of her auburn locks, feeling slightly confused by Nibs' frowning of it. She didn't look like a tomboy anymore, but surely her appearance wasn't that bad?

"I needed something a little more practical to wear in Neverland, so Tiger Lily and Terence helped me make it a day or two after you left and I like my hair this way. Everyone said it suited me better," she explained. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, except you look like a girl, especially with that hairstyle," said Tootles, grinning.

"What do you mean I look like a girl? I am a girl!" said Primrose, annoyed. But her tone was light and she was even laughing a bit.

"Yeah, but for once you look it!" said Slightly, making everyone laugh.

"Oh, hush, Slightly!"

"Well, I think you look beautiful. Just wait until Jimmy comes up and sees you!" said Twins, excitedly. "He'll be so happy!"

Primrose's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Jimmy."My father's here? But I—"

"Primrose?"

Silence fell as Primrose looked up and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Jimmy, her father, standing in the doorway. Everyone then gave father and daughter room as Primrose got a proper good look at her father for the first time in a year, and not just a mere glance through a window. Jimmy's hair was a little longer and ragged, he had a bit of stubble, he seemed tired and his eyes had a bit of pain in them that was slowly being replaced with joy. He looked as though he were awakening from a dream.

"Father," said Primrose. Is he angry with me or happy to see me? Does he hate me for leaving as I did? I can't read his face. Why can't I? "It's good to see you."

"You're back," said Jimmy, as though she hadn't spoken. "You haven't aged a day and yet you look so different."

"I've only changed a bit on the outside," she said. She was fighting back fresh tears as she felt her throat tighten up. "I'm still me. I'm still your daughter. Father, I—"

She was cut off when Jimmy suddenly crossed the room and swept her into his arms, holding her tight and shedding a few tears in the process.

"My girl. My little girl," said Jimmy, sounding choked as he wept into her hair. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," said Primrose, as she returned the embrace. Her heart felt heavy knowing the pain she had caused him and she wished she could undo it. But she also felt happy at being reunited her father at long last. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Father. Forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive," murmured Jimmy.

After a few more moments, they pulled apart and then Jimmy knelt down to her level and grasped her shoulders as he looked quite stern. "Primrose Pan-Hook, what in heaven's name, were you thinking when you sealed off the orb and withheld the truth from us? Why didn't you tell us you were back at the first chance you had?"

"You've no idea how much I wanted to, but I just couldn't. I thought you were all happier here London. I thought you wanted to come back here," said Primrose, as a tear slid down her cheek. I was a complete fool. How could I have thought they'd be alright with me gone? "Do you hate me now?" The childish question escaped her before she could stop herself.

Jimmy's face softened as wiped her tear away. "How can one hate that which makes it whole?" he said, making her smile. "And how can our family be happy when one of our own is missing? All we wanted was to stay together as a family. You must promise me that you'll never leave us like that again, Prim. As soon as you do that, we'll all go home with you to Neverland."

"But your home's here," protested Primrose.

"Wherever we are together is our home," said Jimmy, as the Lost Boys nodded in agreement. "So, what will it be?"

For a brief moment, Primrose hesitated, but then she saw the stubborn look in her family's eyes and she knew at once that there was no hope in persuading them to stay in London. Not that she wished to, anymore. She could see now that she'd been completely wrong in her previous conclusions about the kind of lives her family wished to lead and for once, she was glad to be so wrong. So, she sighed and smiled.

"Okay. All those who wish to go to Neverland and live with me there forever and have adventures, raise your right hand and shout, 'Neverland!'" said Primrose.

"Neverland!" said everyone in unison, as they raised their right hands.

"But before we go, I think you should have this back," said Jimmy, as he handed Primrose her beloved flute. "It's been without its proper owner for far too long."

Primrose smiled as she took it. "Thanks, Father."

"Wesley?" said a soft voice. "What's all the noise? Who're these people?"

Primrose turned around and saw that Wesley's two younger sisters were standing in the doorway, in their nightwear and Moira was clutching a teddy bear to her chest. Wesley knelt down in front of his sisters.

"Joan, Moira, these are my friends I told you about, Jimmy and the Lost Boys. The girl is Primrose Pan-Hook, Jimmy's daughter. Primrose is going to teach us to fly," said Wesley. "We're going to go away to Neverland for an adventure and we'll stay there for as long as we like."

Moira looked excited, but Joan looked quite disapproving.

"Neverland's just a story, Wesley. Don't offend reason," scolded Joan.

"If he's lying, then I can't do this, now can I?" said Primrose, as she flew up into the ceiling, making their eyes widen. "Still think he's offending reason?"

"No," said Joan, looked quite happy. "In fact, I should like to offend it with you both!"

"Yes, teach us! Teach us, please!" said Moira, eagerly.

"It's easy to learn," said Primrose, smiling. She couldn't help but feel a little excited about it all. "As Terence spreads his dust on you and sings his song, you must think of whatever makes you happy, and then you'll fly!"

Everyone looked excited and did as Primrose instructed. Within moments, the entire nursery was full of flying children and one flying adult. Primrose had a handful of Terence's dust in her hand, which she sprinkled on her father and Wesley with a large smile on her face before she positioned herself at the window.

"Follow me. Follow me as we fly away to Neverland," she said.

"What'll be there when we arrive?" asked Joan.

"Oh, just mermaids, Indians, pirates and fairies," said Primrose, casually, making them all cheer in excitement as they flew out of the window in ones and twos. Wesley was the only one who lingered, as he gazed at the nursery for possibly the last time. It seemed rather bittersweet to leave, something Primrose knew all too well.

Primrose floated beside him as she whispered into his ear. "Come on, Wesley. You'll be back soon. Come with me to where you'll be able to forget everything a grown-up worries about for a while," she said. She wanted to tell him to forget everything and worry about nothing, and just stay with her, eternally young forever, but she didn't. She held out her hand for him to take as he faced her. "Take my hand and come with me to Neverland."

"'Never,' is an awfully long time," said Wesley, softly before he smiled. He took her hand and then together, they flew away, leaving the world of growing-up behind.

Within moments, there was laughter and smiling all around as Primrose and her friends and family flew all over London with her leading the way. After performing a series of impressive aerodynamics, Primrose flew in between her father and Wesley, who held onto her hands as they soared higher and higher above the city. Soon, they were higher than even the cloud and they entered space itself and it was incredibly beautiful with countless bright stars, brightly colored nebulas and many planets of all colors and sizes.

Primrose then let go of their hands and flew above them. She turned her head back to them. "Everyone, form a chain! Grab each other's ankle and whatever happens, don't let go!" she yelled.

Everyone did as they were told. Jimmy grabbed Primrose's ankle and it went on from there and then suddenly, everyone yelled as they took off faster than ever before straight into a bright light that seemed to explode around them. Then, the chain was broken as they arrived in the fantastical world of Neverland.

The sea was like a mirror as it perfectly reflected the sky and the land itself was incredibly beautiful as the sun shined and springtime bloomed.

"It's even more incredibly than I remember," murmured Jimmy.

Primrose squeezed her father's hand. "And it's all the more exciting. Wait until you see our new home, Father. You'll love it."

Jimmy just smiled as he returned the squeeze. "I'm sure I will, Prim."

What awaited them, no one knew for certain, only that it was going to be perfectly thrilling.