Peter looked at Alexandria intently and wondered how long it would take for him to get used to her presence. He was still having trouble grasping the idea that there was a baby girl on Neverland. It was… different.
Through the corner of his eye he could see Wendy look up at him expectantly. What could she possibly want from him now?
As if to answer his question, Wendy asked, "Would you like to hold her?"
Dread surged through Peter, remembering the day he had found her. How she had cried persistently without end and then...peed...on him. "Oh, no, I-" Peter began to say, but Wendy cut him off when she stood up and put the baby in his arms. Not knowing how to resist, he took Alexandria into his arms. He was petrified that she would start screaming again the moment he held her, but to his relief and surprise, Alexandria didn't make a sound. Peter held her awkwardly in his arms, unsure of how to handle her. Peter was well-experienced in many areas, but babies were probably the last on his list.
"Here," Wendy said, and showed him how to hold her in the proper way, and soon enough, he was cradling her in his arms. He found himself lightly bouncing up and down in place, but stopped immediately, feeling quite foolish.
He looked down at Alexandria. Her eyes were shut as she lolled her head in a peaceful dreamy-like manner as she sucked on one of her thumbs. The hand that was not pre-occupied reached out grabbed Peter's shirt, and he was surprised at how strong she was for such a small creature. As he stood there quietly, a strange sort of peace came over him and he felt as though in that moment, there was only him and Alexandria and nothing could come between them.
The moment ended abruptly when Alexandria started crying again. Peter shot his eyes up at Wendy, panic and stress undoubtedly evident in his face. She gave a slight giggle, then held out her hands, taking the girl back into her arms. Peter let her go without hesitation and watched as Wendy held Alexandria close to her, quieting the baby with silent "hushes" and "there, there's." Wendy picked up the toy boat that Peter had made and held it up in front of the baby. She wobbled it in front of Alexandria, adding little "Whooshes" for sound effects. It was shocking how quickly the baby changed moods. One second she was sobbing pathetically, and the next she was giggling joyfully as Wendy maneuvered the boat in front of her, watching it intently with her deep-set green eyes. Peter smiled at the sight of his gift already being put to use. As he watched them, he realized something that made him a little uncomfortable. Nervous, even. Wendy was happy. Wendy hadn't been happy since she'd come to Neverland, yet there she stood, walking around with a giant grin on her face as the baby laughed every time she did something new and interesting with the toy. In that moment, Peter knew that this girl was going to have much more of an impact on the island then he was ever expecting.
Alexandria had been on the island for a little over a week and was learning very quickly. She seemed to be catching on to her name. Alex was the nickname she had been given, and Wendy had carved it on the bottom of the toy boat with her finest calligraphy skills. She was overwhelmingly happy to have Alex. They played together on a daily basis, and she was practically the only thing keeping Wendy sane. The only thing worrying Wendy was what Peter was planning on doing with Alex. She was almost certain that he wasn't planning on keeping a baby on the island forever, and if he was letting Wendy keep her for now, it meant that he had plans for her. Either that or he was completely clueless and was just stalling for time. But Wendy didn't like to think about what Peter's thoughts on the girl were, so she pushed out the thought.
Wendy was watching Alex walk slowly, step-by-step, along the bed, using it for support as she made her way through the room. She would be walking all by herself any day now. Wendy had even started introducing Alex to small bits of solid food here and there, letting her slowly get used to it, although her main courses still included soft foods.
With a completely random and sudden burst of enthusiasm, Wendy knelt down next to Alex and lifted her up, nuzzling their noses together, and Alex laughed playfully. Her weight tired Wendy's arms, and she seemed to be getting heavier with each new day.
That was when it hit Wendy. How could she not have seen it before? It was so obvious!
Alex. She was growing. Alex was in Neverland, and Alex was growing.
