Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short! Get excited… you'll get to meet some new characters! I hope you like it anyway… read and review!

Chapter Four

"We're home!"

Jenna sat at the desk in her room, marking another day off her calendar, when she heard the front door open. Out of curiosity, she walked out to the foyer to investigate, only to find her brother and sister entering the house.

"Jenna!" Kayla squealed as soon as she saw her, pulling the youngest Parker into a great hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Jenna replied, her voice more subdued, although she was equally happy to see her siblings. She gave her brother a hug as well. "Good to see you guys… how's school?"

"You know how it goes," Evan responded with a sigh. "Absolutely crazy! It'll be so great to have time off with everyone."

"Harvard's pretty intense too," Kayla told Jenna. "I love it. But man, vacation couldn't have come sooner."

"Wow." Jenna was amazed at how much pressure her older siblings could undergo without falling apart, and hoped that if there were ever one thing she could learn from them, it would be that. "I can't even imagine college right now. I'm still hoping high school turns out okay."

"Hey," Evan said firmly. "It will. Just take things one at a time, and you'll be just fine." He smiled at his sister as though he was about to say more, when suddenly….

"Do I hear Kayla and Evan at the door?" Elizabeth Parker's voice was evident in the other room, drawing nearer with each word.

"I think so," Daniel Parker responded, and soon appeared entering the room with his wife.

"Dad! Mum!" Kayla and Evan dropped the remainder of their belongings and ran to greet their parents, and once again, Jenna felt like an afterthought. She loved her brother and sister, of course, and they were always dependable when she needed them, but around their parents, Jenna was always forgotten. Between their impressive majors in law and medicine, Kayla's musical talent, and Evan's all-around athletic skills, their parents seemed to be only impressed with their eldest children.

It wasn't that Jenna was ever completely ignored – she excelled in her own activities and was recognized for her own strengths. But whenever she and her parents discussed her future, it always included following in her siblings' footsteps.

It was almost as if she had to fight to be her own person. To them, her writing was merely a pastime, something she could do for fun. Plenty of times, when she tried to explain that writing was something she wanted to pursue as a career, her parents dismissed the idea almost immediately.

"You are talented, yes," they would tell her, "but the chances of being published – they're so slim, no matter how talented you are. You want more stability… get a job where you always know for sure how well you'll be doing!" Jenna would then sigh and barely listen as her parents rattled off choices that her siblings had made in the past.

She could tell this was going to be a repeat of all the annual visits made by her brother and sister, so while Kayla and Evan headed into the kitchen with their parents, Jenna moved back into her room and signed onto the Instant Messenger on her computer. She doubted that she would be missed.

By now, Tinkerbell began to wonder if Peter had forgotten she was lost. She knew that in the past, the flying boy's memory was never worth much, but ever since Wendy's arrival in Neverland, Peter's memory had improved greatly. Tink could only hope that she was still in his mind, and would be rescued as planned.
Everyone has their stupid away message up. That was the first thing Jenna realized when her buddy list appeared on the screen. The second thing she noticed was that Adam was logged on, as well. Curious as she was, Jenna clicked to read his away message.

"Not here right now. Call the cell if you need me. Looking forward to tomorrow!"

Tomorrow. What was happening tomorrow? Jenna had to think for a minute. Today was now Thursday, so tomorrow was Friday. Friday was –

Lanie's party, Jenna realized. She could feel her heart lifting.

Something in Peter's senses told him that Tinkerbell was nearer to him now than before. From the skies overhead in Alabama, he kept flying in the direction from which he felt most comfortable, trusting that he would eventually find Tink. Where or when that would be, he did not know, but the thought alone was reassuring enough at the moment.
After five minutes at the computer, Jenna figured out that the people on her buddy list worth talking to were probably not going to return for a while, so she typed out her automated response to anyone willing to leave a message.

"Bored. Can't wait until the party tomorrow! Call if I'm needed. – Jen."

Maybe ten minutes later, her phone began ringing. She waited until the second ring so that she could see what it said on Caller ID, to decide if she really wanted to pick it up. "COHEN," it read, and Jenna knew exactly whom it was. She clicked on the phone. "Hi, Allie."

"Jenna! I saw your brother and sister getting in a little while ago. Have you been catching up with them at all?" Allie's voice was lively on the other end. "Or are your parents making a fuss, as always?"

"Right on the second one. You're so lucky, Al. Your parents never compare you and Becky!"

"Hello, I hate to be the one to remind you, but Becky's like, eight years old. It would really suck if my parents started comparing the two of us."

Jenna had to smile about that one. "Well, at least you're the older kid. What happens when Becky gets older – will she always be evaluated next to you?"

"Ah, how should I know? At least you and your siblings are friends. At least you don't have to baby-sit them," Allie pointed out.

"True." Jenna paused for a moment, knowing that her siblings had babysat her in the past. "Okay, so what's new at your house?"

"Absolutely nothing. I was hoping you could come over or something… I would've just knocked on the door, but speaking of my little sister, I'm supposed to be watching her now. So come over?"

"Let me ask." Jenna set the phone down and ran out to the family room, where her father and siblings were sitting on the couches having small talk. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear." Elizabeth Parker stepped out from the kitchen for a moment, smiling to see her youngest daughter.

"Can I go to Allie's?"

Elizabeth's smile now faded into a deep frown. "Oh, honey," she said after a slight pause, "you know your brother and sister just arrived, and we were about to eat a nice dinner to welcome them home. Won't you help me set the table?"

Jenna sighed and walked back to her room. "Sorry, Al, but I guess I'm stuck listening to everyone gush over my siblings some more. I'd invite you and Becky, but I know my mom only prepared for five people."

"That's fine," Allie replied, her voice casual. "I'll see you tomorrow, anyway, before Lanie's. You asked your mom about that one, right?"

Jenna had to think for a second before responding. "Yeah," she recalled. "I know it's Kayla's twenty-third birthday, and all, but I asked my mom beforehand, and she said it was okay to go with you guys. I can't wait."

"Me neither. Now I've got to go; Becky's begging for me to make her some Mac & Cheese. Talk to you later."

"Bye." Jenna had gone to parties hosted by Lanie even back in elementary school, but she had never been nearly as excited about going as she was now.

Now, in Tinkerbell's mind, her thoughts were no longer preoccupied with comparisons between her perfect physique and the chunky-bodied china dolls she hid behind. She did not point and laugh at their flaws anymore, nor did she plot schemes she would use against the Wendy girl as soon as she knew what her future would bring. For Tinkerbell thought only of Peter, and despite her worries, could sense that he was near and would come for her soon.
Acknowledgments:I would like to thank DanishGirl, Lady Radcliffe, Blackcat69, Tallemera Rane, and JESSEK for your reviews on Chapter 3. Hope you like Chapter 4!