Chapter Two: A Dagger and a Poker versus Swords and Guns
Pirates were floating outside the window. Wendy jumped from her seat, the cats scattering, and Peter stood protectively in front of her. Nana kept up her vigil of aggressive barking. She wished her father hadn't put the Saint Bernard outside.
"'Ello Pan, 'Ello girlee," said the biggest of the men. The three pirates flew through the window, jumped down from the window seat, and landed on the floor of the room. They were huge and ugly and armed with swords and a gun. And one of them held a struggling Tinkerbelle in their hand.
"Tink!" Peter cried as he pushed Wendy behind him again as she tried to move forward. He pulled his dagger from his belt.
"Let her go immediately," Wendy said in a regal voice that was so strong she wasn't sure it was her own. "And get out of my house at once."
The adults burst into laughter. "Not until we get what we came for. Our boss wants a Pan an' we're gonna get im one. Took us a long time to get the fairy 'ere to direct us to you but she did so as we wouldn't pull off her wings."
Tink chimed in dismay and Peter shook his head. "It's alright, Tink, you didn't have a choice. As for you," he sneered at the buccaneers, "you're after me, so let Tinkerbelle go and leave the girl out of this."
"Sure thing." The pirate holding the pixie threw her into the toy bin in the corner. The lid slammed shut, locking her inside. And then the men sprang forward.
Peter flew into the air, attacking the large bandit and the one-eared one. "Wendy, get out of here."
"I will not." Wendy said indignantly. She lunged for the fireplace and picked up a poker and wielded it in front of her like a sword, hand shaking only a little. The third pirate, the black-teethed one, moved toward her, leering. Li jumped at him, biting and clawing and jumping away before the pirate could retaliate. The cat moved to his next victim while Wendy stood ready, hoping she remembered the sword lessons Peter had given her on her last visit to Neverland. The door to the nursery opened and she glanced at it.
"By Jove what is all the racket—" John stopped in his tracks. "Bloody heck."
"John! Watch your language," Wendy scolded as she simultaneously dodged the sword of a pirate.
John left the doorway and returned shortly, brandishing an umbrella. "En guard!"
"Don't leave me out," Michael's eight-year-old voice sulked from the hall. "What are you playing?"
"We're fighting pirates!" John cried happily. Wendy grabbed him and pulled him out of the way of a sword that would have beheaded him.
"I'm sorry, boys, but as your older sister I must ask you to keep out of this."
"But Wendy," John cried indignantly. "You're the girl."
"Yes," she snapped, poking Black-teeth in the stomach with her weapon. "And I'm also the least likely to be decapitated."
Wendy grabbed John by his shirt collar and shoved him out the nursery door, locking it behind him. A few seconds later there was banging outside as her brother's bashed on the entryway. Wendy and Peter had other worries, however. They were outnumbered and more specifically, out-armed. Especially when the lead pirate pulled a gun from the back of his trousers and aimed it at Peter, who was too preoccupied with the other two to notice.
"No!" Wendy cried and slammed her slight frame into his arm, making the shot go wide, out the window. In saving Peter, though, she had gotten too close and the pirate wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. Peter, who had looked over when she yelled to see her rescue him, cried out when the barrel of the gun was against her throat. Both cats yowled and hissed, fur bristling and outside Nana howled.
"Freeze, Pan," Black-teeth yelled.
Peter released One-ear, his fists clenched. "Leave her alone."
"You jest come with us nice un quiet," Big-one said, grinning.
Wendy narrowed her eyes. "Don't listen to them Peter, they're pirates—"
Her captor raised the gun and hit her in the head with the butt of it.
"Wendy!" Peter cried as her blue eyes rolled backward and she slumped forward. The pirate kept his hold on the unconscious girl in his arms. Before even thinking about it, Peter had flown forward, ready to kill the man that had hurt her, but the bandit put the barrel to her head. The green clad youth stopped in mid-attack. For a moment, the room was silent save for the growling of the two felines and a dog's incessant barking.
"Surrender, right now," Black-teeth sneered.
"And if I don't?" He replied bravely, dagger in hand.
"I kill her. An' that'd be a shame cuz she's right pretty," he used the gun to softly stroke her cheek. Peter gritted his teeth and willed himself to be calm. "So what'll it be?"
"If I give up—"
"Without a fight."
"You'll let her go? You won't harm her?"
The man nodded. "I swear."
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"You don't have a choice do yeh? But I'm telling the truth; I don't much like killing lasses. So what'll it be? You give in or you let the girl die? Your choice."
Peter looked at Wendy's still face and the bruise already forming on her temple. Wordlessly, he floated down to the ground and let his dagger drop to the floor. The other two pirates seized him.
"Now let her go," Peter ordered.
Black-teeth dropped Wendy and she fell to the floor heavily, unmoving. Both cats rushed to her and tried to rouse their mistress. She didn't move. The buccaneers bound Peter tightly and used the last bit of the fairy dust they had to lift into the air, carrying the boy between them.
But Peter, although tied and being forced back to Never Neverland as a captive, was entirely focused on the motionless, crumpled form of Wendy on the floor of the nursery. He watched her until he couldn't see her any longer and they were headed toward the second star to the right.
