Chapter 2: A Mother for Marzi

Peter sat crosslegged on the ground, using a mortar and pestal that he had borrowed from the Indians to mash the bananas into something Marzi could eat. She was barely older than a baby, and was only up to semi-solid foods. Much of what was given to her had to be mashed up or crushed before it could be fed to her.

And it was almost never easy. Peter's hands became blistered, brused, and cut as he worked the slim, stone hammer in the stone bowl. If it was not for Dusty's Healing Dust, Peter would not have delayed in finding a mother for them until Marzi was so used to Petra that he could leave without worrying about the child.

Peter stopped long enough to glance at Petra and Marzi. The child sat on Petra's lap, facing her, and playing a game of Peek-A-Boo with the Lost Girl. Peter could not help but grin at the sight. Little Marzi had grown accustomed to his sister very quickly. Prehaps tomorrow --or even today-- he could carry out his plan to bring back a mother for all of them.

The banana mash was finished, so Peter poured the fruit paste into another bowl and added some milk, mixing it up so that the mash was super-soft, just right for feeding a baby. That done, the eternal boy floated up and moved to sit next to Petra.

As soon as Marzi saw Peter, she reached for him. He smiled, then offered her some of the banana mash on a spoon. Eagerly, the baby accepted the offered food. Gently, with Petra holding her, Peter fed Marzi.

Nibs and the Lost Boys looked on in wonder. Who would have thought that their leader would be feeding a baby her food with a spoon? Should not a mother be doing that?

But Peter did not seem to mind. He knew that Marzi had to eat, and that the solid foods that the boys ate would not do for the little girl. Coming up with food that she could eat was a real challenge, and had even become a game for Peter. Feeding her the food could be quite an adventure, as well, because if the food was something new, there was a chance that Marzi would not like it, and refuse to eat it. This happened most when Peter would mix fruit together.

Soon, the baby had ate all she wanted of the banana mash, and pushed the spoon away.

"All full, now?" Peter asked. She answered by reaching for him again. He put the bowl aside, then let her come into his arms. Petra pantomined something to him, holding her arms up to her shoulder, as if holding a baby, and patting it on the back. Peter had done this often, and was a little annoyed at Petra for thinking that she had to remind him to burp the baby. Glowering at her, Peter did just that.

"I'm going to have to go and find a mother for her...us...soon," Peter said. "I can't put it off any longer."

Tinker Bell was alarmed at this news. Another girl? Like Wendy, and Jane? But the little pixie girl had found out early that her jealousy was not as strong as it once was, mainly due in part to the presence of Dusty, Petra's boy fairy companion. This often made her wonder what was going on with her feelings.

"Sorry, Tink," Peter replied to her angry jinggling. "But we do need a mother. I delayed finding one because I wanted to make sure Marzi would be comfortable with Petra and the boys while I'm away. But I've got to go, now." He handed Marzi to Petra and stood up, ready to fly. "Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dusty flew up to him, a pouch in his hands. It was heavy for the small pixie, for to him the pouch was as huge as Santa Claus' sack of toys. Peter quickly took the pouch from Dusty.

"Healing Dust," the healer fairy told him. "Just in case..."

"Okay, Dusty," Peter smiled. He did not think he would need it, but, you never really knew. The boy tied the pouch to his belt. "See you later," Peter smiled, then flew off, Tink right behind him.

*~*~*

Amy Rhines sighed. Another day, another stack of homework. And she had to get groceries for her father and herself. Between seeing about her household chores and her schoolwork, it was a miracle if she ever got any time to herself.

Amy's homelife was not like most kids her age. While most twelve-year olds were playing a sports, going shopping at the mall, or just hanging around with friends, Amy had to keep house and buy food for the two of them. Her father was on disability, but blew a lot of the money on gambling and alcohol, and was almost always drunk. Amy wondered if he even knew he had a daughter.

As for Amy, she had a three day a week babysitting job, earning about fifty dollars a week. Not much to live on, but they managed.

Her father was not home yet. Good. That meant that she could go and get the groceries --what little that was of it-- right now. She had an arrangement with the grocer: She would be allowed to use a shopping cart to carry the food home, as long as someone walked with her and brought it back. This arrangement worked very well, especailly since she did not have a car.

*~*~*

Amy flopped onto her bed, all the day's work done. She had even time to get her homework done early. Now, she just laid on the bed, tired out from all the work she had to do. Luckily, this was not a baby-sitting night.

Tiger --short for Golden Tiger-- lept up onto the bed, and curled up next to her. Amy looked over to her kitten, and smiled tiredly.

"You've got it made, don't you, Tiger?" she said. "Three meals a day, and nothing is expected of you, except maybe chasing mice." She reached over and scratched the cat behind the ears. "I just wish..."

*~*~*

Peter and Tinker Bell flew all over the world that night, searching for the right girl to become the Lost Boys' new mother. There were not many girls in this new time that wanted to be mothers. They wanted to be everything from pilots to movie and music stars to even soldiers. Finding someone that wanted to be a mother was getting increasingly more difficult each time he went to the "real world".

He was about to turn around and return to Neverland --as Tink was bugging him to do-- when he found an old house that looked like it had seen better days. On a hunch, Peter flew down to the only window that had a light coming from it, a window on the second floor.

When Peter peeked into the room, he saw a girl of about twelve laying on a bed, petting a golden-colored striped cat. Her skin was tan, and her hair was golden-blond, with light-blond streaks running through it. She wore her hair in a side ponytail, held by a whimsical fairy-hair tie. She wore shorts, cloth shoes, a short-sleeved tank top, and a vest.

Peter and Tink had arrived just in time to hear the girl say, "I just wish someone would come and take me away from all this! Oh, I don't mind the work, and the babysitting is not so bad, but sometimes I think it's Dad that needs to grow up!"

She's the one! Peter thought happily. They had found the mother they were looking for! Now, they just had to get in and get her to come to Neverland...

Peter gently tapped on the window. When the girl looked up, he gave her what he hoped was a friendly smile.

Amy's eyes openned wide in fright. What was a strange boy doing looking at her through her window, especially when the window was on the second floor, and there was no tree or any other way for anyone to get up there on?

One window pane was broken, covered with a thick piece of cardboard stuck on with duct tape. Amy removed this piece of cardboard so that she could communicate with the boy.

"Who are you?" was the first thing she asked.

"Peter Pan," he answered. "May I come in? I won't hurt you. I just want to talk."

"We can talk just fine like this," she answered. She searched her mind for the stories she had heard about a boy named "Peter Pan". A boy that would never grow up, an eternal child always on the lookout for a mother, for himself and his friends, the Lost Boys. There were even rumors of an eternal girl, Peter's twin sister.

"What do you want?" she asked him.

"To grant you your wish," he answered. "You wanted someone to come and take you away from here? Well, I'm the one to do it! I can take you to Neverland!"

"How?" She looked at him, suddenly interested.

"Teach you to fly, of course!" he smiled, sitting crosslegged in the air. "But you gotta wanna come! I can't take you if you don't wanna go."

"Wellll..." Amy seemed to be thinking about it. Maybe if she did leave, her father would learn to do for himself again.

Finally, she openned the window. Grinning, Peter flew in, followed by Tinker Bell.

"I'd like to take a few things with me, if I may," she said.

"Sure," he agreed. "Anything you can carry." He watched as Amy loaded up a pink backpack with all kinds of things. When she was done, she put the pack on, then picked up Tiger.

"Would it be okay if we take Tiger?" she asked. "I'm afraid of what might happen to him if Dad finds me gone."

"Okay," Peter smiled. Anything to make the new mother happy. He reached over and let the kitten sniff his hand. Tiger licked the fingers of the boy's hand, wondering who this new person was. Whoever he was, the boy was friendly.

"Ready to go?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Amy replied, holding Tiger close to her.

"Okay, Tink; Pixie dust time!"

Tinker Bell flew around Amy, covering her and the cat with the shimmering, golden dust.

"Now," Peter instructed. "Think any wonderful thought."

Closing her eyes, Amy thought about the warm, wiggling kitten in her arms. Instantly, she lifted up into the air.

"Come on," Peter grinned. "Off to Neverland!" Flying out the window, Peter and Tink led Amy out into the night.

As they flew over the city, Peter asked Amy where her mother was. Amy saddened, and pointed below. The sudden sad thought made Amy begin to sink toward the ground, so she immediantly thought of Tiger again, and that lifted her back up.

But Peter did not pry any further. He did not have to. Even he felt Amy's saddness when she had pointed toward the ground below them, for he was, at heart, a kind, gentle boy.

For what Amy had pointed to in reponse to his question was the city graveyard.


In Chapter 3: Amy's Kids, Amy meets Petra, Marzi, and the Lost Boys, and begins her role as their new mother. Meanwhile, Captain Hook (What? You didn't think I forgot about him, did you? :) ) finds out about the new mother. What will he do about her?