Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan.
A/N: I actually had most of this done on schedule. And then the day before my deadline my family came over for the summer and I basically haven't touched my family computer in over a month!
Luckily I got a new lap top for college! So I can write all I want in the privacy of my own room.
Summary:
When Peter comes to take Jane to Neverland he notices something is troubling her. She's about to turn thirteen, turn into a young lady. And who is this new pirate out for revenge? Will Jane choose to grow up and forget Peter, or stay with him forever in Neverland? And is it just Jane or does Peter look…older?
Forever in Neverland
Chapter 11:
Forevermore
"Good morning, B.Y.T.," Jane teased and smiled widely at Sapphire's resulting blush.
It had been a week since they had arrived from Neverland, a week since she confessed to her parents what she had been doing for years – and the subsequent confession from her mother and shock from her father – and a week since she had last seen Peter…
Well, enough of that! Now was a happy time, not a time to be thinking of how disastrous that particular talk had been.
"Jane, dear, don't tease her so," Wendy chided from across the dining table. Sapphire, despite seemingly being in a fifteen year old's body, and having the lifespan of someone her grandmother's age, had seemingly reverted to her childhood self. She was painfully shy and insecure. Doubly so because she felt that everybody – everybody sitting around the table in particular – had a reason to hate her and want to hurt her. The first time Danny had hugged her she had flinched away as if she had expected an attack.
At the moment, the raven-haired girl was sitting demurely with her hands on her lap, staring at her bowl of oatmeal as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Teasing is a sign of friendship, mum." Jane replied and pinched Danny's arm, to his great annoyance, as if to prove it.
"It is quite alright," Sapphire's now almost whispery voice sounded out. Strangely enough, despite weakening, her voice seemed to have retained the Neverland trait of sounding like it was coming from everywhere at once.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence at the tone of utter defeat the girl spoke in. Only Danny was seemingly oblivious to it, and he rescued the day by saying, "Don't worry Sapphire, you and me can team up against Jane from now on!"
Jane pretended to be affronted, and her parents smiled, but it was the hesitant and first real smile that Sapphire offered that made it seem like the start of a good day.
"Today's the big day, huh?" Edward offered at the sight of his, now three, children heading off to school. It was Sapphire's first day back to school but they all knew that wasn't what he was talking about.
"Yes, sir," Sapphire nodded, still not comfortable with the idea of calling him father or anything like that. Edward had pulled some strings with a lawyer buddy of his to find out anything about the Haydens. It turned out that Sapphire's father was a big time actor, which was why they had decided to move to America back then, so it wasn't hard. Her parents had never given up on finding her, deciding to forego the trip and stay in London and search for her. They were dead now and had never had any other children. The only family Sapphire had left was some old, twice-removed cousin in Glastonbury. She didn't want any contact with him.
Edward and Wendy had offered to take her to see her parents' graves but she had resolutely refused and cried for hours in her shared room with Jane when the fact that her parents were truly gone finally hit her. One day she would go visit their graves and somehow let them know she would be okay, but not any time soon.
With no family to turn to, Edward had asked her if she would like to be adopted into their family. She was more than reluctant, but accepted since she had very little other choice. No job, no family, and no education; she would be dead within a week, and she needed to live long enough to atone. She was now, officially, Sapphire Hayden Darling Aster, with Hayden as a second name, rather than a family name and taking the last names of both her adoptive parents. Most of his friends had found it strange that he allowed his children to bear his wife's name before his own, but he knew that the Darling name was more widely respected than the Aster name.
Jane Darling Aster could achieve much more than Jane Aster, especially since most of the time she usually introduced herself as simply Jane Darling.
"We'll be back in time for dinner," Jane announced, grabbing onto Sapphire's hand and squeezing. As they walked out of the house Danny forcefully grabbed Jane's other hand and Edward smiled. His family sure was strange, and he supposed he should have suspected something when he discovered that the Darling family had become insanely wealthy overnight at some point in Wendy's childhood – according to his wife, it was the result of her own journey to Neverland and her brothers bringing back sacks of gold and jewels – but like most others he had suspected foul play, not magical fairies and pirates!
His family was strange, but he could tell it would be just fine.
"It's not something a CHILD could understand!"
Jane shook herself out of her thoughts. Whenever she was given too much time to herself she went back to the same conversation, and the same sentence, and it was driving her mad!
Right now, she really should be focusing on the fact that her best friends were staring at her as if she had grown a second head.
"A long lost sister?" Lavender finally questioned.
Kaley shook her head, as if to clear it, "But you've never said anything!"
"It happened a really long time ago, it's not something easily talked about." Jane lied smoothly, and she wondered if she should be worried about that. Besides, they were more like half-truths; it did happen a long time ago, and Neverland is not something easily talked about.
"How'd you find her?" Kaley asked, looking ravenous for a good story.
"I found her," Sapphire surprised her by answering, "At Uncle Mike's country house."
Jane winced, no one called Michael Mike, but she was impressed that she even remembered that much. Sapphire was smart, after all; she shouldn't have been so surprised.
"How?" Even Lavender seemed interested in that story. Now all attention was on Sapphire and she stood up to the challenge. Now Jane understood what Peter meant when talking about Sapphire's awe-inspiring storytelling skills. She wove a story so unbelievable that it must be true without missing a beat, answering questions expertly and her face so emotive that Jane had trouble remembering that she was telling a completely fictional story.
Still, it was more believable than the truth.
"I guess you're just not right for Neverland."
"Do you think I could go someday?" Danny asked with wide eyes and a hopeful smile. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she chose to feign ignorance. Unfortunately, his youthful naiveté meant that he couldn't tell when someone was trying to avoid a subject. "To Neverland, I mean. Could I go with you next time? Do you think the Lost Boys would like me? Or Peter…"
The questions went on and on and Jane wasn't sure if she wanted to yell at him or cry. In the end, she did neither; she just kept on walking with her head held high and her mouth shut tight.
It was Sapphire that put an end to it, by telling Danny that she was nervous and would appreciate silence in a way that sounded kind instead of bossy.
They passed by their house and kept on walking to the house down the street. A small but elegant house that only housed one woman and a maid. The house of Mary Darling.
The moment that Mary set eyes on Sapphire, the breath seemed to leave her body. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open into an o in a very unladylike fashion. Jane was worried for a second that they may have given her a heart attack, she stood so stiff and unseeing, and then suddenly a small cry escaped her and a flood of tears was released down her cheeks.
With speeds previously unseen in the older woman, she ran and embraced Sapphire, who buried her face in Mary's neck in response and cried with equal vigor. But now, their tears were of joy.
Jane smiled; things were turning out so wonderfully, how could she go on moping?
In a swift two weeks, it was time for Jane's thirteenth birthday, and her birthday ball.
Things had happened so quickly, that she felt like she had taken no part in planning her party at all. She was sure, in fact, that her mum was the one that had done everything. She was grateful, to be honest, she really didn't have the head for it at the moment.
She was right about Sapphire getting along with Kaley and Lavender, although she preferred to spend her afternoons with Mary. They couldn't play tag anymore, but Sapphire had matured greatly and was content to simply sit and have tea with her best friend. It was hard to explain why a young lady would consider her "grandmother" her best friend, but all any of them had to do when anyone questioned was mention the word "kidnapping" and the inquiries stopped. It was considered very uncouth to speak of such things in polite company, after all.
The Darlings were once again the talk of the town, appearing in the newspapers even, when news of their "long lost daughter" reached public ears. Much like Wendy's trip to Neverland, Jane's had some unexpected fallout the entire family had to deal with. For Wendy, it had been to explain away the considerable fortune that mysteriously appeared in the possession of the Darling family, catapulting the once wilting family to the top of the upper class. Darling was an old name, and had once been considered almost synonymous with wealth until the time of Mary and George Darling – and yes, Jane found it pretty weird that her grandmother married her cousin, as distant as he may have been – when George lost his job at the bank. If it were not for his children's fortunate conquest of Hook and his pirates, they may have become homeless! Instead, they became wealthier than they had been in decades.
For Jane, the fallout was Sapphire and the story they had come up with to explain her sudden appearance. Her father's lawyer friend had found the adoption a bit strange – especially so soon after seeking information about another Sapphire Hayden – but couldn't put the picture together. After all, they couldn't possibly be the same girl! Edward assured them all he could be trusted, and after a few half-truths and some don't you remember when I said and he was willing to go on record that Sapphire was in fact the daughter of Mary Darling and Edward Aster.
All of this drama served to set the stage for a very interesting birthday ball. Every newspaper in the city was sure to be there, as it was not only Jane's birthday, but Sapphire's first social outing since her tragic childhood and heroic escape. Jane rolled her eyes whenever she thought of how the reporters described it. A few days ago, the Darlings had finally issued an official statement, using Sapphire's fabricated story, and it must have been the greatest story anybody ever heard with the way they acted! Cameras were sure to be flashing all night long, and already she knew it would be twice as legendary as Carleigh's. Lavender was loving every second of it.
Jane just wanted it to be over.
Her birthday ball was on Saturday, but her birthday itself was on Sunday. After that she would officially be a young lady, officially on the road to adulthood, and when that happened whatever fleeting hopes she had about going back to Neverland – hopes that she didn't want to admit to herself that she had – would be lost forever.
Better for it to be over quick, than to languish in this uncertainty for any longer.
Neverland wasn't the same. Everyone knew it, even if they didn't know why.
The mermaids weren't really in the mood to pull any pranks, the Piccaninny tribe hadn't celebrated the latest solstice yet, and the Lost Boys weren't being their usual rambunctious selves. Everyone could feel that something was different, but things were normal enough that they didn't question it.
Only Tinkerbell knew the truth.
She huffed internally and fluttered frantically around Peter, hoping to get his attention but it was no use. He was moping! Honest to goodness moping! In all the very long time that Tink had known him, he had never moped. Not when Sapphire had supposedly died, not when Wendy chose to leave, not when Lost Boys came and went. Peter Pan was the eternal youth; eternal innocence and joy.
Neverland could not exist without Peter, and it could not be the bright and cheery place it was known to be if he was not so as well. It was a very little known fact, only the fairies knew it. Tink was secretly very proud that she was the friend and protector of the center of Neverland.
But, at the moment, she was only concerned.
It was no secret that she, like most Neverland females really, was more than a little infatuated with Peter. She would glow with happiness that could outshine the sun if Peter ever decided to say three little but important words to her, or if he ever gifted her with a kiss – or thimble, as he still believed it was called. But she knew very well that it would never come to pass. At first he had been too young, and now it was too late for her to ever have a chance.
She had kept his secret. The Lost Boys and the Neverland natives were too entrenched in their magical lives to notice a natural process taking place. She had noticed, as she noticed everything about him, and she knew exactly why it happened. It was half from selfishness on her part and fear on his part that she hadn't told him, but enough was enough!
She dive-bombed him! Angrily flying fist first into his nose. She lacked the physical strength to cause any real damage to him, but enough to pull him from his melancholy thoughts. He swatted at her, intentionally missing and rubbed his nose. "What was that for?"
She felt her face burn with anger. This would be the hardest thing she ever had to say, but she knew she had to say it. As she spoke her twinkling language that only he could understand – outside of the other fairies, of course – she watched recognition dawn on his face, which was quickly replaced by abject horror. His face turned bright red, "Why would you mention that?"
She huffed and placed her hands on her hips, her right foot tapping angrily in the air. It was the closest she would probably ever come to looking like a proper adult – angry at a child that she had spoiled for too long. He would not escape this conversation no matter how hard he tried, she would not let him.
"But I don't want to talk about puberty!"
A handsome boy was dancing with her.
His hair was perfectly trimmed, his suit perfectly pressed. His cologne was heady but not overpowering, and the hand that held hers as they waltzed across the room was soft and smooth. Truly, he was the type of boy that girls her age would do anything to dance with. Jane just wanted it to be over.
It wasn't enough that the flashing lights were giving her a headache. It wasn't enough that complete strangers had come to her party in an attempt to be close to the current hottest story. It wasn't enough that her dress was too itchy and her heels – her first set of real heels – pinched her feet. She had to smile and pretend that none of it was bothering her. She had to dance with boys that she barely knew, and smile like if she thought she could fall in love with them. All the while, in her head, all she could think was that they seemed too perfect; their hair wasn't wild enough, their knees not skinned enough, their hands not tough enough. The soft and gentle hands that held hers were the hands of someone that had never fought pirates or built a sandcastle large enough that they could walk into it.
How could anyone expect her to love any of these boys? As far as she was concerned, none of them had ever really lived.
She wondered how her mum had gotten over Neverland. How did Mary and Michael and John? They had all grown up, gotten married and had kids. They seemed happy enough, she supposed. She was certain that her mum loved her father, but even that didn't answer her question. Edward Aster was a soldier; he was excitement and adventure in another way. It may be that her mum was never the same after Neverland either, only in a different way.
She would have to talk to them. She would have to do all of that someday herself. Everyone had to grow up eventually. Well, maybe not everyone.
Wendy smiled at her husband as he twirled her around on the sidelines.
She loved Edward and the life she had lead up to then, but as she watched Jane, the fake smile she had pasted onto her face, she was hit with a pang of nostalgia. She remembered a time, when a young girl on the bridge to becoming an adult had chosen to face her future head on and regretted it. For the days following little Wendy Moira Angela Darling's adventures in Neverland she had hoped Peter would arrive to ask her to go back with him.
Being an adult was difficult, and she had been so fearful back then. Especially when people had sent "investigators" to discover how her father had acquired his surprise fortune. There was no crime to discover, and despite their best efforts, George was eventually freed from scrutiny. A few months after that the Darlings were just another family. One that found themselves in a completely new social circle, but a normal family nonetheless.
As time went on, she began to realize that she had made the right choice. Growing up was the right thing to do for her. She was already mother material at twelve, after all; she should have known that she would love motherhood for real when her turn came. And she was right. She couldn't call her life a fairytale after visiting a land made up of fairytales, but she knew it was about as close as anybody on Earth could ever dream. And she knew that Michael and John were happy with how their lives had turned out too.
The truth was that, knowing what she knew now, if Peter had come for her back then and prevented her from leading the life she had she would have hated him! Neverland and its inhabitants – yes, even those rude mermaids – would always have a special place in her heart. Her adventures there helped shape her into the woman she was now, and she would forever be grateful, but she would not trade her life for all the hidden treasure in the world.
The song ended, and Edward pulled her to the glass doors leading to the gardens they had rented. "So," he began, as nonchalantly as possible, "Explain to me again how all this works again." He waved his hands towards the sky vaguely and she couldn't help but smile.
Just like a curious child! "That one," She pointed, "Is the second star to the right; if you fly all the way to morning in that direction, you will find yourself in Neverland." She could see his mind working furiously. In the war, he had worked with the ground forces, but many of his friends had been fighter pilots. He knew a thing or two about flying and she was sure the vague descriptions that her stories gave nettled him fiercely. "But you can only get there by flying with the help of some pixie dust."
His eyes shined with barely contained curiosity, "And you're family has been doing this forever?"
"I'm not sure if forever," It had come as a shock to Wendy as well that her mother and even her grandmother had visited Neverland at some point in their youths. Some of the comments her mother had been making recently, now that they could speak of it more freely in their home at least, indicated that even her father of all people had fought some pirates at one time. "It's difficult to explain. Time moves differently there, and it's easy to forget just how much time has passed." Her heart clenched as she thought of Peter crying when he finally came to find her and found a woman grown with two children of her own.
Edward cleared his throat and shifted nervously, "Do you think I could go someday?"
Wendy laughed openly, and then covered her mouth with both hands when she remembered her manners. Her eyes were full of such joy, such life, that Edward didn't mind. "I'm afraid that only children may go to Neverland."
He pretended to be insulted, looking scarily like his daughter for an instant, before poking her in the ribs. "I'll have you know, Mrs. Darling-Aster, that I am very in touch with my inner child."
"Oh?" She played along flawlessly, "Truly? I must say then, Mr. Aster, you have done a fine job of hiding that poor child."
He lunged at her and she shrieked with laughter as he spun her around by the waist shamelessly. This was why she had fallen so deeply in love with him. As mature and responsible as he was, there were moments that reminded her of the joy that she thought she would never experience again. As he set her down, once she was properly dizzy, she knew people must be staring and whispering some not so nice things about them. But she didn't care, she was happy and in love and it almost felt like she was… almost like she was…
"Oh my," the realization dawned on her and she was struck by what she had done. A hand flew to her mouth and the other to her chest as she felt her heart constrict. Edward reached for her, placing a hand on her shoulder, and worriedly asked her what was wrong. Tears pricked at her eyes and she didn't know how to begin, so she settled on what had inspired her revelation, "It feels like I am a child again."
He looked at her strangely and she knew it made no sense for that to cause her so much apparent discomfort, but that was only the beginning. Being with him, being happy felt like being a child, being in love felt like being a child. And she had just held Jane as she cried, more strongly than Wendy had ever cried over Neverland, and told her it was alright, that she did the right thing. Because it wasn't until that moment that she recognized the forlorn attitude that had been following her daughter around, that she realized why none of those boys she was dancing with could so much as pull a chuckle from her.
Oh, what had she done?
She looked at the nearest clock and realized she didn't have much time left. She had to fix this now!
But she never got the chance to because a light falling from the sky caught her attention, "Oh my!" And the light was accompanied by a tall youth, much taller than he had been the last time she saw him. "Peter, you look older."
Tinkerbell shook with chime-like laughter and Peter glared at her.
"This is Peter Pan?" Edward asked incredulously, "He doesn't look like he has all his baby teeth."
By now Tink was rolling around the air, nearly dying of laughter. Peter swatted at her, but didn't make any contact, "Yes, I know." He replied through gritted teeth.
Wendy thought that perhaps she should question why that was, but she could tell that it was a sore subject. Instead, she chose to focus on what she hoped was obvious, "You're here for Jane?"
Oh dear, was he blushing? He looked away but nodded.
Wendy smiled, glad that this was happening, "It is almost midnight, if you wish to take her to Neverland, it has to be quick."
Edward jumped at that, "Now hold on a minute! Take her to Neverland? I thought there were rules and –"
"Yes, and once that clocks strikes twelve she will never be able to go again," Wendy interrupted, and then had to swallow around her own sorrow in order to continue, "But if you take her now, then she can stay with you forever."
Both males looked at her in shock for a second, and then Peter smiled happily while Edward began arguing. She tried to drown him out. Did he think she truly wanted this? She wanted to hold onto her daughter, watch her finish her studies, get married and have children of her own. She didn't want to let her go, but how could she deny her the happiness that she knew?
"Please, darling," Wendy started quietly, placing a hand on his cheek and smiling sadly, "If you want your daughter to be happy, then this is what has to happen."
Edward looked ready to argue, but no one could ever say that he didn't love his children. Closing his eyes, he nodded sadly.
Wendy turned to Peter and Tink, a bittersweet smile graced her face, and couldn't help thinking that it was fate that they were the first to encounter him. After all, it was tradition to ask the father for permission to court his daughter.
He caused quite a sensation.
Peter fumed inwardly as he heard the hushed words flying from one side of the room to the other. Stupid adults with their stupid rules of propriety! So what if his hair was messy and he was wearing clothes made of leaves? It was perfectly "appropriate" in Neverland!
He saw her a second before she saw him. She was dancing with some boy - and he felt a surge of emotion when he saw that - until Sapphire ran up to her, tugged on her elbow and whispered something in her ear. Jane turned swiftly, forgetting the boy entirely, and locked eyes with him. Then a surge of an entirely different emotion filled him.
Her eyes widened and her mouth moved again and again, forming a word he couldn't quite hear.
Then she lunged forward, crying loudly, "Peter!"
Anyone who had been pretending to not notice him didn't even bother with that anymore. But it didn't matter because Jane was in front of him and then she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and vaguely he heard shouts of surprise over the beating of his own heart, and then she gave him a thimble and nothing else in the world existed.
And, because deep down Tink was a romantic at heart, she flew over them and sprinkled pixie dust over their forms. Vaguely, he felt the happy, floating feeling that had enveloped his insides spread to the outside and though neither of them knew it they were flying.
Sapphire smiled up at them and offered Tinkerbell a shoulder to land on as the fairy looked up, her features a cross between happy and chagrined.
Wendy smiled as well, and wrapped her arms around one of Edward's, determined to make sure he did not interrupt this so important moment in her daughter's life.
Mary sighed exasperatedly. Finally, she thought, and set about convincing the gaping crowd that this was all part of a show.
Slowly, Kaley and Lavender approached Sapphire and stared at her awaiting an explanation. She just shrugged, unsure of what if anything she should say. Both girls turned their dumbfounded gazes upward at the happy, oblivious couple.
Finally, Lavender lifted her arms up and cheered, "This is so much better than Carleigh's!"
"And so that is the story of our family's ties to Neverland." Danny, well Daniel by now, smiled down at his own daughter, Margaret, and her cousin Molly - Sapphire's daughter. "That's why your Aunt Jane looks so young. She left that night to Neverland, and stayed forever thirteen. Peter looks... fifteen I believe."
Both girls were laying on Margaret's bed on their bellies, their chins propped up by their elbows. They were enraptured by his story and he knew he should wait a few moments before leaving.
"Um, Uncle Daniel," Molly asked shyly, her sharp green eyes wide and curious, "Why did Peter Pan age?" She was only eight, but sharper than most kids twice her age. Sapphire waited so late in life to have children because it took her so long to accept that she was entitled to some happiness as well. Her husband had dated her for twelve years and proposed three times before she finally accepted. Her daughter inherited her clever mind.
"Tink explained it was because love is a very complicated emotion. It can come in many forms, like the love a parent feels for their child," He smiled down at his precious little girl, "or like the one Sapphire felt for my grandmother," He smiled at Molly and she smiled toothily as well. Mary had lived for a long time, but unfortunately not long enough to see Molly be born. But Sapphire was determined she would know about Mary and told her stories about her every day. It helped that Sapphire had become an author; most famous for the series of short stories about a family's adventures in a magical land. All she had to do was tell Molly that one of those characters was actually Mary under another name and the little girl fell in love! "But romantic love is powerful, and not something a child could easily understand. Even if it feels like being a child again, it takes a certain maturity to accept and act on it."
The girls looked up at him and said, "Ohhhhh!" in understanding. He doubted they actually did, even his Margaret was only ten.
"Daddy!" Margaret shouted like she usually did. His mum always laughed sweetly and said she was as spirited as Jane. "Did you ever go to Neverland?"
He smiled at the memories, "Yes, I did, a few times. But my place was here in London." To be honest, he had been more than tempted to join Jane a few times but he couldn't. At first, it was about his parents. His father had been more than reluctant to let him go the first time when he was eight, but mum insisted it was only right. Even so, every time he left he saw the fear shining in her eyes that perhaps she would lose both her children to Neverland. But, and he was a little embarrassed to admit it, what really convinced him to stay in London was meeting a pretty girl named Victoria the summer before he turned thirteen.
Peter had asked him if he wanted to stay, and Jane even looked a little hopeful despite the fact that she felt a little guilty about mum and dad as well, but he just thought about Victoria's golden curls and high laughter and he gained the strength to turn them down. Unlike Jane, he didn't find true love at twelve and after a rather violent falling out he almost regretted turning down eternal youth for a girl!
He thought that would be the last time he would see them, since there were no more Darling children to send to Neverland, but he was wrong. Jane and Peter came by every once in a while and, as if driven by some all-knowing force, their visits usually coincided with major events in their lives. Sapphire's graduation from high school, Kaley's wedding with her high school sweetheart a few months afterward, a few years later for Danny's graduation and even later for his graduating business school, the fifth birthday of Kaley's firstborn, Lavender's wedding to "some fool that she managed to trick into believing she was a good person," Daniel's wedding and the moment he had to explain to his new bride why his big sister was a teenager, the publishing of Sapphire's first novel, Mary's passing, Edward and Wendy's fortieth wedding anniversary...
Every time they were wanted, every time they were needed, for both the good and the bad, they were there. He was a fool to think that they would ever forget family.
And there were children to send to Neverland. And now they weren't even exclusively Darlings. At some point, Jane had approached her childhood friends and they had worked out a plan so that their children could see the wonder of Neverland. Her friends were quite put out when they found out that she knew the real Peter Pan and had hogged him all to herself. By the time of Jane's birthday ball they were already thirteen and couldn't so much as go visit her afterwards!
By now, Kaley's three children had already gone for "sleepovers" at Uncle Daniel's house, and Lavender's twin girls had done the same.
Daniel had inherited the Darling home, as his parents retired to a small cottage in the country. Sapphire inherited Mary's manor just down the street. Margaret and Molly were best friends in a way that reminded everyone of Sapphire and Mary. Even in their likeness.
Maybe this time it would all go more smoothly. Because he knew, oh how he knew, what they were planning even before he stood from his chair. Even before Molly asked, "Do you think we could go to Neverland someday?"
He smiled and kissed both of them on the top of their heads, "I'm sure of it." Then he turned off the lights and left to his own bed.
The next morning he found Margaret's room empty, the bed slept in but cold. The window was slightly ajar and he saw a candle had been blown out by the windowsill. He smiled as he remembered another story with a beginning much the same.
A light to lead the way.
It had been a long time since Peter and Jane visited.
He took a deep breath and prepared to tell his wife what their daughter and niece had done. Oh yes, they were very much like their predecessors, but he was sure that this time the story will end much more happily.
THE END
A/N: And so concludes Forever In Neverland! I'm a little sad, but also proud I actually finished it. I'm a little ashamed about how long it took me to do so.
So, it wasn't until I was writing the Sapphire adoption scene that I realized I had made both Jane and Mary a Darling, even though they shouldn't be! I can't believe no one called me out on that. But we have no canon last name for them, so I wrote a complete history of the Darling family to explain it away. In the book, it does give hints that both Mary and George knew Peter, so if we choose to believe that traveling to Neverland is a Darling exclusive thing it does stand to reason that they were family - especially since at the time marrying distant cousins wasn't such a strange thing, especially amongst wealthy families. Since in this half-book/half-movie 'verse I created, the Lost Boys didn't come along with Wendy and her brothers, all that treasure they brought had to go somewhere so the Darlings became super rich!
I got the name Aster from Peter Pan and the Starcatchers where Wendy's mom is named Molly Aster. Molly being a nickname for Mary at the time. And yes, that does mean that Sapphire named her daughter after Mary. I am a sap! And the afterthought of the original book names Wendy's granddaughter as Margaret, but since Danny exists I thought why not give him Maggie as a daughter?
I've given so much thought to this little universe, that I feel obligated to write something else existing within it.
Not a sequel, but more like an AU to my AU. Yes, I'm super complicated.
Thank you to everyone who read this story, favorited, alerted, reviewed, and especially those who were with me from the beginning.
I love you all, and I hope you enjoyed the story!
- Destiny's sweet melody