Ahem This is only a little prologue thingamy – just thought you ought to know.
'Silence all! For a Wendy's goodbye.'
Wendy glared up defiantly into blue eyes of Hook. His lips were curled into a snarl, his thick black curls framing his face in a fierce lion's mane. The pirates were silent. The Lost Boys were silent. Wendy bowed her head, looking down at Peter. His eyes were so sad and grey, so tender and innocent, and yet scarred, as if he were a child whose childhood dreams had been utterly denied of them.
He would not look at her, nor did would he cry, as she did, the tears splashed down her face and her body shook.
'Peter.' She whispered, suddenly realising that whatever time she had was running short and she must give him what she knew was his.
'I'm sorry I must grow up. I cannot forever live in your world, because it is yours. I wish it were mine as well.' She paused, biting her tongue to push back the tears.
'This is yours.' She whispered, her hand cupped over something, at her breast.
In a swift, strong movement, Hook seized her wrist and pulled her up, eyeing the fist that undoubtedly clutched some last resort inside.
'Tis just a thimble.' Wendy whispered, her eyes wide and innocent.
Hook rolled his eyes but looked and saw that she was not lying.
'How like a girl!' he said dismissively, inspiring laughter from some of the pirates.
'Of course, my dear,' he said, pulling his lips in a pout like a babies and mimicking a pathetic toddler voice, 'Give Peter Pan your precious thimble.'
He released her wrist, and she sank back down to lean over him, her hair falling softly over his face, her lips at his ear.
'This is yours.' She whispered, 'And always will be.'
Gently she pressed her cupped hand to his cheek and, hesitantly, she pushed the hidden kiss onto Peter's lips. In that moment, the two of them travelled to heaven and back, just as Aunt Millicent said they would. There was no one but them, and nothing else to be bothered about. It was simply Wendy and Peter and the shared kiss, that was hers and his and theirs and no one else's, and they were lost to the sound of the sea and the glint of her own life to come and his that would always be.
And suddenly Peter knew that Hook was wrong, and that Wendy did love him after all, and that, true as it may be that Wendy would grow up, he would love her too, for always. And that is when the spark began to shine.
….Lalala. Now, onto chapter one…