Title: The Forever Dance
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Five - Opposites Attract
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Authors Note: Again, many thanks for your effusive and very satisfying reviews, it give me the warm fuzzies to know that my stories are so appreciated and enjoyed.
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P
The Moonshadow set sail the next morning, her rigging replaced or repaired, her crew subdued in the face of their Captains wrath. Lilliana had railed at the men who failed to bring back Paolo. Her rage enough to make the strongest heart fail as she lashed out in her fury, four men now in the infirmary with broken bones and missing teeth. As the black ship rounded the headland they spied the collection of shacks huddles against the shoreline, spirals of smoke testifying that the hovels were inhabited. The Moonshadow stayed outside the harbour, the rotting hulk of the old ship an indication of the shallow draught of the bay. Once more Captain Moon and her men set out in the boats, armed to the teeth, this time expecting trouble and prepared to meet it with force.
On reaching the beach the men poured out of the boats and quickly dispersed among the huts, kicking in flimsy doors and taking little care with the belongings inside. All returned to where Lilliana stood on the rickety dock with the same report, the village was deserted.
From the smoke still rising from the fires, it was supposed that the inhabitants had fled at the first sight of the Moonshadow, which suggested to the Captain that they had been forewarned of her presence. Striding to the first house, she flung open the door and inspected the contents. What she saw confirmed her suspicions.
"Look's like some of Hook's crew are hiding out here.....that wreck out there must be the Jolly Roger, what's left of her goddammit!"
"What about her Captain?" Asked Trent, picking up a brass tankard that had rolled out of the door. On the side of the drinking vessel were initials. Trent held it out to Lilliana who stared then tossed the tankard away.
"James must be dead.....he would never have allowed this rabble to use his personal effects......something drastic must have happened."
"A mutiny?" Suggested Trent, his gaze, like all the men, sweeping the bay and the village, ever vigilant for the return of either the former pirates or the flying boy.
"More likely that brat we saw last night.....he has alot to answer for Mister Trent....I want him alive for when he does!"
A shout alerted them and they saw two of her crew dragging an old man between them, his body held up by the men's grip under his armpits, his feet scraping through the dust. Captain Moon stepped to the centre of the narrow street, her booted feet apart, her head high as the crew deposited the man at her feet.
"We checked him for weapons, he only had this." The crewman handed over a small paring knife, the ivory handle inscribed with James Hook's initials, just like the tankard. The man in the dust raised his head, looking up at the men surrounding him, his eyes finally coming to rest on the woman in front of him.
"Captain Moon....." he breathed in awe, his eye widening before he ducked his head once more.
"I don't know you......you're not one of the Jolly Roger's crew."
"I was ma'am, a recent addition you might say."
"Where's Captain Hook?"
"Dead ma'am.....deader than dead.....inside a crocodile."
"You've just earned yourself a reprieve.......you can tell me what happened."
Signalling to her men, Lilliana lead the way back to the boats, the man held firmly between two of the crew as they rowed back to the Moonshadow.
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Peter sat on his heels, staring at the young man at his feet.
He'd carried him back to the Stitch Bird trees, placing the youth in one of the rooms, then bound him securely. As his blood lust ebbed he remember Wendy, his heart thumping as he recalled the reason he'd rushed pell-mell to the Moonshadow in the first place. Leaving hurriedly, Peter raced to the mountain, finding Wendy gone from where he'd left her. He flew down the narrow track, seeing her footprints occasionally in the dust. When he got to the bottom he lost her tracks and had to search before finding them again. Dawn was breaking when he found her, curled up against the base of a tree, her face wan in the faint light, her hands and feet scratched and dirty from her long climb down.
"Wendy.....wake up.....we have to go home." Peter shook her gently, his face creased with concern and apprehension.
Wendy's eyelids fluttered and she sighed, her hand coming up to rub at her gritty eyes before registering that Peter was squatting directly in front of her.
"Oh Peter.....I'm sorry......." She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck before he had time to do more than gasp, both of them falling backwards onto the leafy ground. Still unsure, Peter held her while she hugged him fiercely before lifting her head to stare into his bemused features.
"I was so worried....I saw the flashes of guns on the Moonshadow, I thought you'd be hurt....." She pushed herself upright, her hands touching his arm where a long scratch ran from his shoulder to his elbow. "You are hurt....oh it's all my fault.....if I hadn't turned my back on you.......if I'd only said something sooner...."
"Wendy.......it's only a scratch.......I'm fine....."
"No you're not.......you left before I could answer you......why did you leave me there?"
"I thought......I thought you said no." Peter whispered, in an agony of apprehension.
"You didn't wait for my answer......"
"What is your answer.....?"
Unbelievable, a blush crept up Wendy's face, her eyes lowering as she drew in a deep breath.
"My answer is......yes."
"Yes?" He asked a trifle confused, not sure which question she was answering.
"Yes Peter.....I'll stay with you....here...in Neverland."
Hardly believing his ears, Peter's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"What about your family....your brothers......everything?"
"I decided that I would have had to move away soon anyway...either to my Aunts or to a finishing school...or worse, that I would be expected to enter society and find a-a-a......"
"Husband?"
Wendy blushed again, her fingers wringing together as she nodded. Peter remained silent for so long Wendy glanced up, seeing his face sporting the biggest grin she'd ever seen. In a flash Peter was on his feet, pulling her to hers and dancing around as the sun cleared the horizon, flooding the woods with bright light. Peter's laugh rang out and Wendy found her heart lifting as she joined him, their hands clasped together as their feet left the ground and Peter drew them both up to whirl madly around in a spiralling dance until they cleared the treetops and hung suspended in the morning sunshine
"You really truly want to stay here with me?"
"Really truly.....forever."
Drawing her towards him, Peter, still smiling impossibly smugly, wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her so that she was now at his eye level, his own sparkling with a combination of fairy dust and pure happiness.
"Wendy?"
"Yes Peter..."
"I want to give you something....." His eyes sparked mischievously, causing Wendy's heart to give a little leap as she remembered their first meeting in the nursery.
"Yes Peter?"
Leaning forward, Peter pressed his lips to hers, his eyes sliding shut as he kissed her. Wendy felt something melt inside her, her own eyes fluttering closed as she parted her lips, welcoming his embrace. For a long minutes they hung suspended in time and space, their lips moving over each other, Peter tilting his head to give him greater access to her softness. As he moved, Wendy felt the tip of his tongue sweep across her bottom lip, making her gasp a little from the sensation, her mouth widening as he pressed his advantage, his mouth sealing hers as the kiss took on a life of its own.
Several flushed minutes later, they broke apart reluctantly, their eyes opening to find each other with a similar feeling of wonder reflected in their eyes.
So caught up in the moment, Peter had forgotten about the boy back at the Stitch Bird tree. As they smiled foolishly at each other, he leaned forward and kissed Wendy again, this one not so intense as they giggled at their less than accomplished attempts. Peter made a game of kissing the corner of her mouth, Wendy wriggling to stop him succeeding but finding herself kissed every where else instead. It was a silly, but very satisfying game.
Tink arrival put an end to the game, but also served to remind Peter that he had something important to show Wendy. As he listened to Tink scold against the impropriety of humans floating about in the morning doing nothing more important that playing silly nonsense, he suddenly remembered his captive. Batting Tink away, he started to pull Wendy back towards the forest.
"Where are we going Peter?"
"I have something to show you......from last night!"
"What?"
"It's a surprise......come on."
Too drunk of his kisses to worry what he could have possibly found during the night, Wendy smiled happily as Peter tucked her into his side, his arm tight around her waist, and flew off with her back to the jungle.
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".....and then the ship glowed all over and lifted off the water, flying it was, damn fairy dust dripping off ev'ryfing."
"And the crocodile?"
The man shuffled his feet, his tongue snaking out to wet his dry lips. "We never saw it or Hook again....not these two years since."
Lilliana sat back in her chair, her leg hooked over the arm, her eyes narrowed as they swept the man from head to toe before waving him away.
"Take him to the brig...I'll decide what to do with him later."
Ignoring the prisoner's protests, she waited for him to be dragged out before turning to her the two men who'd been listening to the whole sorry tale.
"Is he telling the truth?" Asked Trent, his arms folded over his chest as he waited for his Captain to speak.
Lilliana looked up from her introspection and smiled grimly.
"I fear that it is all the truth.....James Hook is no more, and its all because of this..." she screwed up her face and spat out the name as if it tasted foul. "Peter Pan!....I want his head, but before that I want to see him suffer......not just for damage last night, but for the death of my brother.......James deserved a better end."
Both men exchanged a glance, their Captain finally laying to rest the rumours about her relationship with her notoriously mentor.
"Gentlemen.....we are going on a hunt. Find out from that man what he knows about Pan's movement, his haunts, his whereabouts.....once we know all there is to know, we will take this battle directly to the enemy!"
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They landed in the glade with the sun starting to gild the hanging baskets, Peter tugging Wendy towards one of the other trees, lifting her up to fly into the wide doorway, dropping her hand before the bound youth on the floor could see them. While Wendy stood at the entrance, Peter checked the boy's restraints, noting the darkening bruise on his jawline from the hilt of his sword.
"Peter, who is he?"
"He from that ship..the Moonshadow."
"Why did you bring him here?" Wendy moved into the room, keeping her distance from the body on the floor. She tried to hide her shock at finding that the surprise was actually a prisoner. She was still humming from the moments shared with Peter above the trees, but the sight of the trussed, unconscious captive was rapidly dispelling her buoyant mood. Peter rose from the floor and took a step back, but before he could move further away the boy pulled his legs up and lashed out, kicking Peter on the knees, sending him crashing against the wall and almost out of the door.
Snarling, Peter pulled the knife from his belt and leapt to his feet, advancing on the fully conscious youth, his eyes blazing.
"Peter......NO!" Wendy rushed forward, putting herself between Peter and his captive. Behind her, unseen by Wendy, but seen by Peter, Paolo's eyes opened wide in shock, staring at Wendy's back as if he'd seen a ghost. With an inarticulate cry, Paolo started to push himself backwards, his bound hands and feet making it almost impossible for him to do much more than wriggle his way across the woven matting of the floor. His anger draining away, Peter watched as the boy struggled to get as far away as possible, Paolo's neck straining as he twisted and turned. Wendy's saw that Peter was no longer in a rage, his expression more surprised than angry. Turning to see what he was looking at, Wendy faced the boy on the floor, only to be greeted with another, louder cry from the captive and another attempt to get away.
Now that Wendy had a chance to see the boy properly she had difficulty stifling a cry herself.
"Peter.....are you sure this boy was from the Moonshadow?"
Snorting, Peter glanced at Wendy, annoyed to see her fixed interest in the boy from the ship.
"Yes.......I have the injuries to prove it."
"Haven't you noticed Peter.....his face.....he could be...."
"Could be what?"
"He could be you...or your brother.....it's amazing."
"What? He doesn't look anything like me......" Folding his arms across his chest, Peter peered at the boy over Wendy's shoulder, noting that the captive was now staring at him, blue and green clashing with the same fiery antagonism.
Wendy knelt down on the floor, her hand extended as if trying to calm a wild animal.
"What's your name?"
Paolo only stared at her, shaking his head. Perplexed, Wendy tried again.
"My names Wendy.....Wendy Moira Angela Darling.....please tell me yours?"
Again the boy just shook his head, his blond curls bobbing as he moved his head. Peter snorted again, drawing the boys' gaze back to him. Exasperated, Wendy rounded on Peter, surprising him.
"What are you planning to do with him?"
Keeping his face blank, Peter shrugged.
"We can't keep him tied up like this.....he's not an animal." Wendy argued.
"If he gave his word not to try to escape, I'd free him right away."
Wendy turned to smile at Paolo, but again the boy only shook his head, his eyes flicking away from hers to stare at the floor.
"Peter......did he speak at all when you captured him?"
"No."
"Well....doesn't that strike you as strange.....didn't he cry out or say anything?"
"Nope."
Wendy pursed her lips, an idea coming to her.
Turning to face the boy, Wendy smiled encouragingly. "Are you able to talk...can you speak."
Slowly the boy shook his head, his eyes never leaving Wendy's.
Wendy smiled and clapped her hands, pleased to have solved the mystery. Peter just scowled, twirling his knife in his hand, drawing the prisoners attention back to him.
"Peter.....can't we free him.....he doesn't look any older than you or me....maybe he was their prisoner too."
She turned back to ask the boy but he was already nodding his head, anticipating her question. As she sat there, another idea came to her. Leaning forward impulsively she touched him lightly on the chest, Paolo flinching back from the slight contact as if burned. Taken aback, Wendy sat back on her heels, her hand clenched in her lap. "I only wanted to ask you if you can read and write."
Behind her back, Peter relaxed, her previous gesture raising the hackles on his neck, his knife coming up, the protective gesture noted by the boy on the floor.
Paolo turned his attention back to the girl, nodding his head in answer to her question.
"Peter....he can write......he can talk to us by writing his answers down."
"So now you want something for him to write with, and on?"
"Is there anything here we can use?"
"If I leave you alone with him, you're not going to try and untie him?"
"No Peter.....I won't do that...." Wendy rolled her eyes at him, receiving a smirk in reply. Getting to his feet Peter left the wicker room, Wendy settling herself more comfortably, while Paolo watched her with his intensely green eyes.
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Paolo was sitting crosslegged on the matted floor, several skins and cores of a variety of fruit scattered over the floor. Reaching for a wooden mug he downed its contents, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth before replacing it on the floor.
Wendy was sitting with her back against the wall of the hut, a sheet of paper in her hand, carefully reading the lines of broken English scrawled over the surface.
Paolo could read, and write, just not very well. Peter sat beside Wendy, listening as she read out deciphered passages to him, her forehead creased as she tried to understand what their former prisoner had written.
"I think he says here that he was captured during a raid on a Spanish fishing boat.....but that could be another word...." She glanced up at Paolo, asking him to clarify. The boy leant over, his finger pointing to the word Wendy couldn't read before sitting back and writing again on the sheet in front of him. He drew a picture this time, not a word, Wendy craning her neck to see the drawing.
"That looks like a union jack.....do you mean an English fishing boat, not a Spanish one." She saw Paolo nod his head.
"Oh....so was the boat fishing near England?"
Paolo shook his head.
"Never mind, it's not important.....he goes on to say he was only a child when he was taken aboard the Moonshadow. As a cabin boy?"
Again Paolo nodded his head. Wendy sent him a smile and the young man grinned toothily back at her.
"What happened to your parents?"
Paolo pantomimed his throat being cut and Wendy shuddered in horror.
"How old were you when you were taken?"
Paolo held up all the fingers of one hand, then four more on the other.
"And do you know how old you are now?"
This time he held up both hands, fingers spread, then lowered them, then raised both hands with one hand spread and the other with only one finger raised.
"You're sixteen? I'll be fifteen on my next birthday."
Paolo pointed to Peter and raised his eyebrows.
Wendy glanced at Peter, receiving a shrug in reply. "We don't know how old Peter is."
Paolo pointed at Peter, then back at himself, then repeated the gesture, ending with a pantomime of his hands on either side of his face before pointing to Peter's face as well.
"Yes I had noticed.....you are both very much alike." Wendy bit her lip, not sure whether she should ask the next question. Drawing in a breath, she faced Paolo again.
"Paolo......have you always been mute?"
To her surprise the boy shook his head, vigorously. Grabbing the paper, he arduously scratched with the pencil, handing it to Wendy when he finished.
Peter looked over her shoulder as she read the scrawl.
"Only since you were taken aboard the Moonshadow."
Wendy then had a horrible thought and she blanched. Seeing her expression, Paolo seemed to read her mind and suddenly opened his mouth, sticking out a very healthy, pink tongue for her inspection, waggling it around before tucking it back behind his white teeth.
Wendy felt a wave of relief flow over her, her hand resting on her thumping heart as she laughed at his antics. It was uncanny how he reminded Wendy of the Peter, even to his mannerisms and gestures. Peter had also laughed at Paolo's expressions, his own still a little wary as he'd never had a boy his own age in Neverland before, and the novelty was taking its time to sink in.
Since they'd started to communicate and freed the boy, he'd shown no burning desire to escape, accepting the fruit and water without any sign of hostility towards his captors. Seemingly happy to talk with Peter and Wendy without any attempt at violence or in a hurry to return to the Moonshadow.
Peter had largely let Wendy ask the questions, but now he had one of his own.
"What do you do aboard the Moonshadow?"
For a moment, a shadow passed over Paolo's face before he reached for the piece of paper and started to write. He paused at one point, glancing up at Wendy before bending his head and continuing to write.
When he handed it over, his expression was almost hostile, as if expecting a bad reaction to his explanation.
Wendy read through what he'd written, her head jerking up to look at him, his eyes sliding away from hers as if embarrassed.
"What does it say?" Peter asked, noting Wendy's sudden stillness.
Wendy glanced down at the paper again, as if not believing what she'd read. Clearing her throat, she relayed to Peter what Paolo had written.
"He says that during the daytime he is the captains bodyguard and servant......" Wendy stopped. Paolo looked up briefly, before resuming his contemplation of the floor.
"Is that all?" Peter asked, nudging Wendy with his elbow.
"No.......he also says that at night he is the captains..er..the captains.......bedmate."
"Bedmate?"
At Peter's slightly confused expression, Paolo lifted his hands, on one hand he closed his thumb and first finger to form an oh. On the other hand he used his first finger to poke through the hole in a crude representation of the sex act. As Peter and Wendy were complete novices in the arts of love, the gesture was largely lost on them. Frustrated at their lack of understanding, Paolo suddenly moved from sitting down to crouching on his haunches. He grabbed Wendy's hand and before she could voice a protest, placed it between his legs, directly against his genitals, jerking her forward as he did so, making it easy for him to plant his lips on hers and kiss her.
The kiss lasted only a second or two, but she stayed frozen, her eyes wide while her hand remained clamped against his body, her fingers registering the hardness beneath the clothing before she was wrenched back and Peter roared past her, taking Paolo down in a flying tackle.
The two boys wrestled on the floor, a flurry of arms and legs as they tried to pummel each other, rolling from one side to the other, evenly matched in strength and cunning.
Wendy could only watch helplessly as Peter and Paolo continued to rain blows down on each other, their grunts and the thump of fist against flesh making her want to scream at them to stop. Seeing a nearly full bucket of water in the corner, she dashed past the flailing arms and legs and snatched it up. Getting as close as she dared, she flung the contents over the boys, the results immediate as they spluttered apart, water dripping from their heads and down their flushed faces.
"STOP IT!.....both of you......for heavens sake!" Wendy cried, flinging the bucket down, her body trembling in reaction to the violence. Both boys scrabbled away from each other, each sporting a new injury from the tussle. Peter's bottom lip was bleeding, the trickle snaking down his chin to drip onto his chest. Paolo had a bruise above his eye to match the one on his jaw, his eye starting to swell even as she watched. Snatching up a couple of rags, Wendy soaked them in what remained of the water before flinging the wet clothes at the two youths, hitting them on the face and neck respectively. They both grabbed at the rags, looking up at Wendy with something like surprise on their faces.
Furious, Wendy stood with her hands on her hips, the picture of outrage. Still trembling, she pointed a finger at Peter. "He was only trying to explain what he meant by bedmate, there was no reason to try and kill him...." She ignored Peter's attempt to remonstrate, her finger now pointing directly at Paolo, who had the good sense not to allow his true feelings to show on his face when Wendy fixed her fiery blue eyes on him. "And you.....don't do that again. I mean, don't kiss me again. I don't care what you're trying to explain."
Peter and Paolo exchanged a conspiratory glance, both of them trying hard to stem the urge to grin insanely at Wendy as she stood over them, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. Infuriated by the smiles she could see about to break out on their silly faces, Wendy turned on her heel and stalked out, her head held high.
Paolo barely held it together long enough for her to leave before curling up, his shoulders shaking, tears brimming his eyes as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress his mirth. Peter was having a similar problem, his hand coming up to dab at the cut on his lip, but it shook too badly from the giggles rising into his throat and he had to lay down, clutching his sides as he shook with silent laughter. It was a natural release of tension after the fight, but Wendy found little comfort in that thought, her sensibilities quite offended by the muffled snorts and giggles coming from the Stitch bird room she'd just left.
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(aaaaaaaah gotta love the fluff........glad you're all enjoying the ride.......tally ho!!)
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Five - Opposites Attract
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Authors Note: Again, many thanks for your effusive and very satisfying reviews, it give me the warm fuzzies to know that my stories are so appreciated and enjoyed.
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P
The Moonshadow set sail the next morning, her rigging replaced or repaired, her crew subdued in the face of their Captains wrath. Lilliana had railed at the men who failed to bring back Paolo. Her rage enough to make the strongest heart fail as she lashed out in her fury, four men now in the infirmary with broken bones and missing teeth. As the black ship rounded the headland they spied the collection of shacks huddles against the shoreline, spirals of smoke testifying that the hovels were inhabited. The Moonshadow stayed outside the harbour, the rotting hulk of the old ship an indication of the shallow draught of the bay. Once more Captain Moon and her men set out in the boats, armed to the teeth, this time expecting trouble and prepared to meet it with force.
On reaching the beach the men poured out of the boats and quickly dispersed among the huts, kicking in flimsy doors and taking little care with the belongings inside. All returned to where Lilliana stood on the rickety dock with the same report, the village was deserted.
From the smoke still rising from the fires, it was supposed that the inhabitants had fled at the first sight of the Moonshadow, which suggested to the Captain that they had been forewarned of her presence. Striding to the first house, she flung open the door and inspected the contents. What she saw confirmed her suspicions.
"Look's like some of Hook's crew are hiding out here.....that wreck out there must be the Jolly Roger, what's left of her goddammit!"
"What about her Captain?" Asked Trent, picking up a brass tankard that had rolled out of the door. On the side of the drinking vessel were initials. Trent held it out to Lilliana who stared then tossed the tankard away.
"James must be dead.....he would never have allowed this rabble to use his personal effects......something drastic must have happened."
"A mutiny?" Suggested Trent, his gaze, like all the men, sweeping the bay and the village, ever vigilant for the return of either the former pirates or the flying boy.
"More likely that brat we saw last night.....he has alot to answer for Mister Trent....I want him alive for when he does!"
A shout alerted them and they saw two of her crew dragging an old man between them, his body held up by the men's grip under his armpits, his feet scraping through the dust. Captain Moon stepped to the centre of the narrow street, her booted feet apart, her head high as the crew deposited the man at her feet.
"We checked him for weapons, he only had this." The crewman handed over a small paring knife, the ivory handle inscribed with James Hook's initials, just like the tankard. The man in the dust raised his head, looking up at the men surrounding him, his eyes finally coming to rest on the woman in front of him.
"Captain Moon....." he breathed in awe, his eye widening before he ducked his head once more.
"I don't know you......you're not one of the Jolly Roger's crew."
"I was ma'am, a recent addition you might say."
"Where's Captain Hook?"
"Dead ma'am.....deader than dead.....inside a crocodile."
"You've just earned yourself a reprieve.......you can tell me what happened."
Signalling to her men, Lilliana lead the way back to the boats, the man held firmly between two of the crew as they rowed back to the Moonshadow.
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Peter sat on his heels, staring at the young man at his feet.
He'd carried him back to the Stitch Bird trees, placing the youth in one of the rooms, then bound him securely. As his blood lust ebbed he remember Wendy, his heart thumping as he recalled the reason he'd rushed pell-mell to the Moonshadow in the first place. Leaving hurriedly, Peter raced to the mountain, finding Wendy gone from where he'd left her. He flew down the narrow track, seeing her footprints occasionally in the dust. When he got to the bottom he lost her tracks and had to search before finding them again. Dawn was breaking when he found her, curled up against the base of a tree, her face wan in the faint light, her hands and feet scratched and dirty from her long climb down.
"Wendy.....wake up.....we have to go home." Peter shook her gently, his face creased with concern and apprehension.
Wendy's eyelids fluttered and she sighed, her hand coming up to rub at her gritty eyes before registering that Peter was squatting directly in front of her.
"Oh Peter.....I'm sorry......." She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck before he had time to do more than gasp, both of them falling backwards onto the leafy ground. Still unsure, Peter held her while she hugged him fiercely before lifting her head to stare into his bemused features.
"I was so worried....I saw the flashes of guns on the Moonshadow, I thought you'd be hurt....." She pushed herself upright, her hands touching his arm where a long scratch ran from his shoulder to his elbow. "You are hurt....oh it's all my fault.....if I hadn't turned my back on you.......if I'd only said something sooner...."
"Wendy.......it's only a scratch.......I'm fine....."
"No you're not.......you left before I could answer you......why did you leave me there?"
"I thought......I thought you said no." Peter whispered, in an agony of apprehension.
"You didn't wait for my answer......"
"What is your answer.....?"
Unbelievable, a blush crept up Wendy's face, her eyes lowering as she drew in a deep breath.
"My answer is......yes."
"Yes?" He asked a trifle confused, not sure which question she was answering.
"Yes Peter.....I'll stay with you....here...in Neverland."
Hardly believing his ears, Peter's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"What about your family....your brothers......everything?"
"I decided that I would have had to move away soon anyway...either to my Aunts or to a finishing school...or worse, that I would be expected to enter society and find a-a-a......"
"Husband?"
Wendy blushed again, her fingers wringing together as she nodded. Peter remained silent for so long Wendy glanced up, seeing his face sporting the biggest grin she'd ever seen. In a flash Peter was on his feet, pulling her to hers and dancing around as the sun cleared the horizon, flooding the woods with bright light. Peter's laugh rang out and Wendy found her heart lifting as she joined him, their hands clasped together as their feet left the ground and Peter drew them both up to whirl madly around in a spiralling dance until they cleared the treetops and hung suspended in the morning sunshine
"You really truly want to stay here with me?"
"Really truly.....forever."
Drawing her towards him, Peter, still smiling impossibly smugly, wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her so that she was now at his eye level, his own sparkling with a combination of fairy dust and pure happiness.
"Wendy?"
"Yes Peter..."
"I want to give you something....." His eyes sparked mischievously, causing Wendy's heart to give a little leap as she remembered their first meeting in the nursery.
"Yes Peter?"
Leaning forward, Peter pressed his lips to hers, his eyes sliding shut as he kissed her. Wendy felt something melt inside her, her own eyes fluttering closed as she parted her lips, welcoming his embrace. For a long minutes they hung suspended in time and space, their lips moving over each other, Peter tilting his head to give him greater access to her softness. As he moved, Wendy felt the tip of his tongue sweep across her bottom lip, making her gasp a little from the sensation, her mouth widening as he pressed his advantage, his mouth sealing hers as the kiss took on a life of its own.
Several flushed minutes later, they broke apart reluctantly, their eyes opening to find each other with a similar feeling of wonder reflected in their eyes.
So caught up in the moment, Peter had forgotten about the boy back at the Stitch Bird tree. As they smiled foolishly at each other, he leaned forward and kissed Wendy again, this one not so intense as they giggled at their less than accomplished attempts. Peter made a game of kissing the corner of her mouth, Wendy wriggling to stop him succeeding but finding herself kissed every where else instead. It was a silly, but very satisfying game.
Tink arrival put an end to the game, but also served to remind Peter that he had something important to show Wendy. As he listened to Tink scold against the impropriety of humans floating about in the morning doing nothing more important that playing silly nonsense, he suddenly remembered his captive. Batting Tink away, he started to pull Wendy back towards the forest.
"Where are we going Peter?"
"I have something to show you......from last night!"
"What?"
"It's a surprise......come on."
Too drunk of his kisses to worry what he could have possibly found during the night, Wendy smiled happily as Peter tucked her into his side, his arm tight around her waist, and flew off with her back to the jungle.
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".....and then the ship glowed all over and lifted off the water, flying it was, damn fairy dust dripping off ev'ryfing."
"And the crocodile?"
The man shuffled his feet, his tongue snaking out to wet his dry lips. "We never saw it or Hook again....not these two years since."
Lilliana sat back in her chair, her leg hooked over the arm, her eyes narrowed as they swept the man from head to toe before waving him away.
"Take him to the brig...I'll decide what to do with him later."
Ignoring the prisoner's protests, she waited for him to be dragged out before turning to her the two men who'd been listening to the whole sorry tale.
"Is he telling the truth?" Asked Trent, his arms folded over his chest as he waited for his Captain to speak.
Lilliana looked up from her introspection and smiled grimly.
"I fear that it is all the truth.....James Hook is no more, and its all because of this..." she screwed up her face and spat out the name as if it tasted foul. "Peter Pan!....I want his head, but before that I want to see him suffer......not just for damage last night, but for the death of my brother.......James deserved a better end."
Both men exchanged a glance, their Captain finally laying to rest the rumours about her relationship with her notoriously mentor.
"Gentlemen.....we are going on a hunt. Find out from that man what he knows about Pan's movement, his haunts, his whereabouts.....once we know all there is to know, we will take this battle directly to the enemy!"
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They landed in the glade with the sun starting to gild the hanging baskets, Peter tugging Wendy towards one of the other trees, lifting her up to fly into the wide doorway, dropping her hand before the bound youth on the floor could see them. While Wendy stood at the entrance, Peter checked the boy's restraints, noting the darkening bruise on his jawline from the hilt of his sword.
"Peter, who is he?"
"He from that ship..the Moonshadow."
"Why did you bring him here?" Wendy moved into the room, keeping her distance from the body on the floor. She tried to hide her shock at finding that the surprise was actually a prisoner. She was still humming from the moments shared with Peter above the trees, but the sight of the trussed, unconscious captive was rapidly dispelling her buoyant mood. Peter rose from the floor and took a step back, but before he could move further away the boy pulled his legs up and lashed out, kicking Peter on the knees, sending him crashing against the wall and almost out of the door.
Snarling, Peter pulled the knife from his belt and leapt to his feet, advancing on the fully conscious youth, his eyes blazing.
"Peter......NO!" Wendy rushed forward, putting herself between Peter and his captive. Behind her, unseen by Wendy, but seen by Peter, Paolo's eyes opened wide in shock, staring at Wendy's back as if he'd seen a ghost. With an inarticulate cry, Paolo started to push himself backwards, his bound hands and feet making it almost impossible for him to do much more than wriggle his way across the woven matting of the floor. His anger draining away, Peter watched as the boy struggled to get as far away as possible, Paolo's neck straining as he twisted and turned. Wendy's saw that Peter was no longer in a rage, his expression more surprised than angry. Turning to see what he was looking at, Wendy faced the boy on the floor, only to be greeted with another, louder cry from the captive and another attempt to get away.
Now that Wendy had a chance to see the boy properly she had difficulty stifling a cry herself.
"Peter.....are you sure this boy was from the Moonshadow?"
Snorting, Peter glanced at Wendy, annoyed to see her fixed interest in the boy from the ship.
"Yes.......I have the injuries to prove it."
"Haven't you noticed Peter.....his face.....he could be...."
"Could be what?"
"He could be you...or your brother.....it's amazing."
"What? He doesn't look anything like me......" Folding his arms across his chest, Peter peered at the boy over Wendy's shoulder, noting that the captive was now staring at him, blue and green clashing with the same fiery antagonism.
Wendy knelt down on the floor, her hand extended as if trying to calm a wild animal.
"What's your name?"
Paolo only stared at her, shaking his head. Perplexed, Wendy tried again.
"My names Wendy.....Wendy Moira Angela Darling.....please tell me yours?"
Again the boy just shook his head, his blond curls bobbing as he moved his head. Peter snorted again, drawing the boys' gaze back to him. Exasperated, Wendy rounded on Peter, surprising him.
"What are you planning to do with him?"
Keeping his face blank, Peter shrugged.
"We can't keep him tied up like this.....he's not an animal." Wendy argued.
"If he gave his word not to try to escape, I'd free him right away."
Wendy turned to smile at Paolo, but again the boy only shook his head, his eyes flicking away from hers to stare at the floor.
"Peter......did he speak at all when you captured him?"
"No."
"Well....doesn't that strike you as strange.....didn't he cry out or say anything?"
"Nope."
Wendy pursed her lips, an idea coming to her.
Turning to face the boy, Wendy smiled encouragingly. "Are you able to talk...can you speak."
Slowly the boy shook his head, his eyes never leaving Wendy's.
Wendy smiled and clapped her hands, pleased to have solved the mystery. Peter just scowled, twirling his knife in his hand, drawing the prisoners attention back to him.
"Peter.....can't we free him.....he doesn't look any older than you or me....maybe he was their prisoner too."
She turned back to ask the boy but he was already nodding his head, anticipating her question. As she sat there, another idea came to her. Leaning forward impulsively she touched him lightly on the chest, Paolo flinching back from the slight contact as if burned. Taken aback, Wendy sat back on her heels, her hand clenched in her lap. "I only wanted to ask you if you can read and write."
Behind her back, Peter relaxed, her previous gesture raising the hackles on his neck, his knife coming up, the protective gesture noted by the boy on the floor.
Paolo turned his attention back to the girl, nodding his head in answer to her question.
"Peter....he can write......he can talk to us by writing his answers down."
"So now you want something for him to write with, and on?"
"Is there anything here we can use?"
"If I leave you alone with him, you're not going to try and untie him?"
"No Peter.....I won't do that...." Wendy rolled her eyes at him, receiving a smirk in reply. Getting to his feet Peter left the wicker room, Wendy settling herself more comfortably, while Paolo watched her with his intensely green eyes.
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Paolo was sitting crosslegged on the matted floor, several skins and cores of a variety of fruit scattered over the floor. Reaching for a wooden mug he downed its contents, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth before replacing it on the floor.
Wendy was sitting with her back against the wall of the hut, a sheet of paper in her hand, carefully reading the lines of broken English scrawled over the surface.
Paolo could read, and write, just not very well. Peter sat beside Wendy, listening as she read out deciphered passages to him, her forehead creased as she tried to understand what their former prisoner had written.
"I think he says here that he was captured during a raid on a Spanish fishing boat.....but that could be another word...." She glanced up at Paolo, asking him to clarify. The boy leant over, his finger pointing to the word Wendy couldn't read before sitting back and writing again on the sheet in front of him. He drew a picture this time, not a word, Wendy craning her neck to see the drawing.
"That looks like a union jack.....do you mean an English fishing boat, not a Spanish one." She saw Paolo nod his head.
"Oh....so was the boat fishing near England?"
Paolo shook his head.
"Never mind, it's not important.....he goes on to say he was only a child when he was taken aboard the Moonshadow. As a cabin boy?"
Again Paolo nodded his head. Wendy sent him a smile and the young man grinned toothily back at her.
"What happened to your parents?"
Paolo pantomimed his throat being cut and Wendy shuddered in horror.
"How old were you when you were taken?"
Paolo held up all the fingers of one hand, then four more on the other.
"And do you know how old you are now?"
This time he held up both hands, fingers spread, then lowered them, then raised both hands with one hand spread and the other with only one finger raised.
"You're sixteen? I'll be fifteen on my next birthday."
Paolo pointed to Peter and raised his eyebrows.
Wendy glanced at Peter, receiving a shrug in reply. "We don't know how old Peter is."
Paolo pointed at Peter, then back at himself, then repeated the gesture, ending with a pantomime of his hands on either side of his face before pointing to Peter's face as well.
"Yes I had noticed.....you are both very much alike." Wendy bit her lip, not sure whether she should ask the next question. Drawing in a breath, she faced Paolo again.
"Paolo......have you always been mute?"
To her surprise the boy shook his head, vigorously. Grabbing the paper, he arduously scratched with the pencil, handing it to Wendy when he finished.
Peter looked over her shoulder as she read the scrawl.
"Only since you were taken aboard the Moonshadow."
Wendy then had a horrible thought and she blanched. Seeing her expression, Paolo seemed to read her mind and suddenly opened his mouth, sticking out a very healthy, pink tongue for her inspection, waggling it around before tucking it back behind his white teeth.
Wendy felt a wave of relief flow over her, her hand resting on her thumping heart as she laughed at his antics. It was uncanny how he reminded Wendy of the Peter, even to his mannerisms and gestures. Peter had also laughed at Paolo's expressions, his own still a little wary as he'd never had a boy his own age in Neverland before, and the novelty was taking its time to sink in.
Since they'd started to communicate and freed the boy, he'd shown no burning desire to escape, accepting the fruit and water without any sign of hostility towards his captors. Seemingly happy to talk with Peter and Wendy without any attempt at violence or in a hurry to return to the Moonshadow.
Peter had largely let Wendy ask the questions, but now he had one of his own.
"What do you do aboard the Moonshadow?"
For a moment, a shadow passed over Paolo's face before he reached for the piece of paper and started to write. He paused at one point, glancing up at Wendy before bending his head and continuing to write.
When he handed it over, his expression was almost hostile, as if expecting a bad reaction to his explanation.
Wendy read through what he'd written, her head jerking up to look at him, his eyes sliding away from hers as if embarrassed.
"What does it say?" Peter asked, noting Wendy's sudden stillness.
Wendy glanced down at the paper again, as if not believing what she'd read. Clearing her throat, she relayed to Peter what Paolo had written.
"He says that during the daytime he is the captains bodyguard and servant......" Wendy stopped. Paolo looked up briefly, before resuming his contemplation of the floor.
"Is that all?" Peter asked, nudging Wendy with his elbow.
"No.......he also says that at night he is the captains..er..the captains.......bedmate."
"Bedmate?"
At Peter's slightly confused expression, Paolo lifted his hands, on one hand he closed his thumb and first finger to form an oh. On the other hand he used his first finger to poke through the hole in a crude representation of the sex act. As Peter and Wendy were complete novices in the arts of love, the gesture was largely lost on them. Frustrated at their lack of understanding, Paolo suddenly moved from sitting down to crouching on his haunches. He grabbed Wendy's hand and before she could voice a protest, placed it between his legs, directly against his genitals, jerking her forward as he did so, making it easy for him to plant his lips on hers and kiss her.
The kiss lasted only a second or two, but she stayed frozen, her eyes wide while her hand remained clamped against his body, her fingers registering the hardness beneath the clothing before she was wrenched back and Peter roared past her, taking Paolo down in a flying tackle.
The two boys wrestled on the floor, a flurry of arms and legs as they tried to pummel each other, rolling from one side to the other, evenly matched in strength and cunning.
Wendy could only watch helplessly as Peter and Paolo continued to rain blows down on each other, their grunts and the thump of fist against flesh making her want to scream at them to stop. Seeing a nearly full bucket of water in the corner, she dashed past the flailing arms and legs and snatched it up. Getting as close as she dared, she flung the contents over the boys, the results immediate as they spluttered apart, water dripping from their heads and down their flushed faces.
"STOP IT!.....both of you......for heavens sake!" Wendy cried, flinging the bucket down, her body trembling in reaction to the violence. Both boys scrabbled away from each other, each sporting a new injury from the tussle. Peter's bottom lip was bleeding, the trickle snaking down his chin to drip onto his chest. Paolo had a bruise above his eye to match the one on his jaw, his eye starting to swell even as she watched. Snatching up a couple of rags, Wendy soaked them in what remained of the water before flinging the wet clothes at the two youths, hitting them on the face and neck respectively. They both grabbed at the rags, looking up at Wendy with something like surprise on their faces.
Furious, Wendy stood with her hands on her hips, the picture of outrage. Still trembling, she pointed a finger at Peter. "He was only trying to explain what he meant by bedmate, there was no reason to try and kill him...." She ignored Peter's attempt to remonstrate, her finger now pointing directly at Paolo, who had the good sense not to allow his true feelings to show on his face when Wendy fixed her fiery blue eyes on him. "And you.....don't do that again. I mean, don't kiss me again. I don't care what you're trying to explain."
Peter and Paolo exchanged a conspiratory glance, both of them trying hard to stem the urge to grin insanely at Wendy as she stood over them, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. Infuriated by the smiles she could see about to break out on their silly faces, Wendy turned on her heel and stalked out, her head held high.
Paolo barely held it together long enough for her to leave before curling up, his shoulders shaking, tears brimming his eyes as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress his mirth. Peter was having a similar problem, his hand coming up to dab at the cut on his lip, but it shook too badly from the giggles rising into his throat and he had to lay down, clutching his sides as he shook with silent laughter. It was a natural release of tension after the fight, but Wendy found little comfort in that thought, her sensibilities quite offended by the muffled snorts and giggles coming from the Stitch bird room she'd just left.
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(aaaaaaaah gotta love the fluff........glad you're all enjoying the ride.......tally ho!!)