Author's Note: Hey! Long time no write, eh? I am sorry for keeping you waiting, but the school year is over and I have a ton final exams and Regents to take. It is quite bothersome, really. When I am done, though, I promise the chapters will come faster. I hope you enjoy this one. Merci beaucoup for all the fantastic reviews, which consisted of constructive criticism and ideas for the story! You guys are great! Peter looks adorable without his messy hair – so don't be sad! Hehe! Happy reading, readers! (Oh, and if anyone had a question, I answered it at the bottom of the page!)
Chapter 16: The Faint Tinkling of Bells
Peter gazes back at the girl in the window, smiling at her tearfully. She wanted to come home and there she is, safe and sound. She did not want to stay with him. He feels warm inside when he looks at the scene behind her. It is that of a family, rejoicing that the children are back. He hovers in the air as envy washes over him. He flies away from the Darling house, shooting up in to the star-studded sky. A tiny sphere of golden light flutters behind him as they ascend higher and higher. Peter turns once more to look at the city before returning to his home, the Neverland.
Suddenly, Peter is back in the nursery, standing by the fireplace. The room has indeed changed. The children's beds are not there anymore. A simple-looking bureau is near the door and an old-fashioned crib sits cozily opposite the window. Peter hears soft humming and he spins around. A young woman is sitting in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth, back and forth. She is holding a white bundle in her arms and she smiles brightly from time to time. Peter approaches her cautiously and she looks up. It is Wendy. Wendy has a baby! She glances up at him and smiles.
"May I?" he asks and is surprised to hear a man's voice instead of his own.
"Of course," Wendy replies, her blue eyes sparkling. Peter's arms slide around the bundle, bringing it in to a loving embrace. He peers down in to it and is surprised to see two blue-green eyes staring straight up at him. It looks just like him…in every way possible. The baby gurgles and coos happily. Peter is in shock.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Wendy murmurs, and Peter feels her head on his shoulder. "He looks exactly like his father." Peter gulps and his mouth feels dry. He is a father; the baby is his son.
"Yes, he is." A tear rolls down Peter's cheek as he watches him. Wendy is his wife, and this is his future. Someone taps him on the shoulder and he spins around. Mr. Darling is standing there, looking particularly grim. Blue pools of malice stare straight at Peter.
"You will never have that," the man snaps and Peter is not holding the child anymore. Wendy is not there, either, and it has become so cold and dark. Peter rubs his hands together for warmth as Mr. Darling circles him. "Never will you be loved!"
"No! That's not true! I am loved…and I do love!" Peter yells in anger.
"Never will you have a family! You will die old, alone, and unloved," he says, and right before Peter's eyes, Mr. Darling becomes Captain Hook. His hook gleams sharply as he makes his way to Peter. He grabs his hair and pulls his head back, exposing his throat. Peter collapses to his knees, staring at the pirate in defiance. This is not real, it cannot be.
"I won't!" Peter shoots back. A clouded image of Wendy drifts into his view and he holds onto it as long as he can. "Wendy…I love Wendy." Peter clutches Hook's arm and tries to push him away. The strength in him is fading. "Stop!!" Hook grits his teeth and the sharp point touches Peter's skin. He gasps, writhing under the pirate's grasp. "NO!!" Peter yells one last time before Hook gashes his throat, spilling his blood everywhere.
Peter shoots up out of bed, the cold metal hook slashing his neck. He grabs his throat with clammy hands - only to find that nothing is there. It was all just a dream, a nonsensical dream. He finds that sweat is running down his forehead and he wipes it away. Rays of sunlight peek through the burgundy curtains and dance on the bed sheets. He lowers his head on his pillow, faint recollections of the dream creeping past his vision. He does not want to remember. Could it have been a premonition of the future? Someone enters the room and Peter rolls to his side.
"Good morning, Master Eddington," the butler drawls, walking to the window. He does not show any emotion as he thrusts the curtains aside and a thick flood of light pours over him. Peter groans, shading his eyes with his hand and straining to see the butler. He leaves the room rapidly, off to do another boring task. Peter shuts his eyes tightly, blocking out the morning sun and the torments of his dream. Overtime, he forgets about Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, but the vague picture of his son still remains.
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Wendy runs her hand down the beaded cloth, sighing in distaste. She loathes shopping for gowns, especially when it is with Aunt Millicent. Yes, poor Wendy has been dragged on yet another one of Millicent's escapades. The family is readying their house for the gathering in two weeks and Millicent has taken over most of the preparations. She is becoming quite passionate over all of this marriage business. Wendy is trying so much to keep calm during these confusing times.
So, here she is, stuck in a dressing room. Aunt Millicent and her mother are waiting for her outside. She leans against the door, wishing she did not have to go out. She puts her hand on her waist and realizes how much she is changing. The corset enhances the hourglass figure her body is taking on. She does not feel pain anymore when the laces are tied. Slowly, she is becoming accustomed to the new challenges every girl must face in womanhood. Wendy, after all, is growing up. She finds herself thinking about Peter…not the boy, but the young man. A childish grin comes to her adult face as she reminisces the ball. She imagines him standing opposite her, watching her with prying eyes. Wendy puts her hand to her cheek because she is quite warm.
"Why do you look at me so, Mr. Eddington?" she asks, standing erect against the door. Peter raises his eyebrow, a cunning grin playing on his equally cunning lips. Wendy reaches out to touch his face, but he fades away until all evidence of him is gone. Wendy pulls her hand away, embarrassed by what she thinks of. How foolish of me to think such things about Peter! She looks down at the gown, which does not suit her in the least, and opens the dressing room door. Maybe, they will not see her and she will be free to leave the store unnoticed. That can never happen, because Aunt Millicent is waiting a few feet away. She sees her niece and sighs in annoyance.
"You are a slow dresser, dear! Oh, Mary, come and look at this gown!" Millicent cries joyfully. She does not seem to care who hears her because she keeps on yelling. Mary appears from behind a rack of petticoats and smiles at the two. She observes Wendy's dress and her smile disappears. She glances at Millicent in apprehension and sighs. "Don't you like it, Mary?"
"Aunt Millicent, it is a bit much, isn't it?" Wendy, being the sensible girl that she is, says with a questionable air. The top of the dress is yellow and ruffled, with tiny diamonds sewn into the hem. It is a grand piece of clothing, which would look nice on her aunt, seeing as Millicent thinks herself quite grand.
"Wendy does have a point, Millicent." Thank goodness for Mary Darling, or Wendy would have been put down for speaking against her elder, as one can call her. A mother and daughter will always prevail over the aunt. Millicent beckons to her niece, her face stricken in distress. She is determined to convince them that this is the perfect dress.
"Walk towards me, dear," Millicent orders and Wendy obeys. She turns around for the foul woman, recalling when she began laughing the last time Millicent did this. She could not believe she had a woman's chin…Wendy chuckles to herself and Millicent grabs her hand. "Why are you laughing?"
"I remembered something Michael said this morning."
"Walk around the store and tell me if you like it or not. Is it too uncomfortable?"
"Yes, Aunt Millicent," Wendy replies sadly and begins her trek around the shop. Every time she looks back, Aunt Millicent is watching her. She feels incredibly stupid walking around the store in this dress. It is itchy, and it is too long. It sweeps past her toes and to tell one the truth, it is not very nice keeping a constant watch on one's feet. Wendy keeps pulling the dress up and making sure it does not get stuck under her shoes. As she walks back to Millicent, she hears the shop door open. The man from the ball walks in…Philip Winston. An older woman follows him in; she must be his mother. Wendy swallows nervously and hurries away from them. She does not really like him and she does not want to converse with him in any way. Hopefully, her aunt will not see him. Hopefully, they will leave before…
Wendy has declined to pull up her dress again. Some of the material gets caught underneath her shoe and she stares down in terror. She takes one final step to steady herself before tripping and collapsing to the floor. Wendy can see the ornate carpet rising to meet her and she puts her hands out to avoid further injury. This is so unladylike of me! Aunt Millicent will surely have a fit! This is the only thought that runs through Wendy's mind as she hits the floor with a thud. She rolls on her side and lies there for a second, thoroughly mortified. Wendy hears footsteps crowding around her and she brushes a stray hair out of her face. This is a wonderful situation to be in, just perfect.
"May I be of some assistance?" a forceful male voice reverberates in Wendy's ears. She props herself up on her elbow, half-expecting it to be Peter. Peter will rescue her for sure. Wendy looks up into the face of another man, Philip Winston. His gray eyes are the two things that stand out the most and she shudders when she looks at them. She wishes she had not fallen for a moment. Philip holds out his hand and Wendy takes it unwillingly. She stands up and she feels his other hand on her back. "Are you all right, Ms. Darling?" he asks kindly. Wendy clears her throat and shrugs off his hands.
"Yes, I am fine, thank you," Wendy answers, when she notices all the women around her. She rubs her arms reassuringly and smiles at them. She does not like this sudden attention she has received.
"Are you sure, dear? You took a nasty fall," an elderly woman states.
"Yes, I am quite sure," Wendy assures her and Aunt Millicent pushes past the crowd. She eyes Wendy irritably and looks at Philip in awe. Her whole attitude changes when she sees him; she favors him greatly. He might just be Wendy's husband one day and this will benefit both families. Millicent takes Philip's hands in hers and smiles broadly. Seeing this makes Wendy nauseous.
"Oh my, Mr. Winston. Thank goodness you were here to help my niece in her time of need." Mary arrives into the little circle and touches Wendy's shoulder soothingly. While Millicent is showering praise over the venerable young man, Mary lets Wendy change in to her former attire. It is a simple blue dress with a slight ruffle at the shoulders. Wendy fixes her hair after some of it slips out of the twist she had it in. When she comes out, Philip and his mother are waiting for her. Millicent takes Wendy over to them and she introduces them once again.
"It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Winston," Wendy greets pleasantly. "I am grateful for your son's help in that unfortunate incident." She behaves like a lady, a compliment to Aunt Millicent. She engages in small talk with Philip for a little while, until Mary says it is time to go.
"I will see you at the gathering, then?" Philip inquires. Wendy nearly falls over in shock. He is coming to the gathering? Aunt Millicent left out this important part of information.
"Yes, I suppose you will," Wendy responds weakly. If he goes, how will she be able to speak with Peter? Philip is already a possessive man as it is…what will he do when he meets Peter. Wendy will have to tell Aunt Millicent about Philip. She does not want anything to do with him and she is sure that her aunt can see the tension. Philip kisses her hand before she goes. Wendy does not feel the familiar shiver she felt with Peter. A cold sweat forms on her neck as she peers at Philip and feels what only can be described as fear.
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"Are you going to the Darling party in two weeks?" Charlie yawns, glancing over at the young man lying on the garden bench. He does not answer at first and Charlie thinks that he is sleeping. " 'ey Peter, are you alive?" Peter stirs and turns his gaze to Charlie.
"What? Oh, yes, I'm going." He stares up at the black sky, two or three stars dotted in the universal landscape. A group of night clouds hover far above him and a light breeze washes over him. It seems to touch every part of his body and he actually feels like he is floating upwards into the black abyss. Peter sighs, and he is brought back down to reality, to his backyard bench on which he now lies.
"Rumor has it that it's another introduction ceremony for potential husbands. Marriage is a popular subject these days."
"Do you want to marry someone out of love, or someone for status or money?"
"Dunno." Peter sighs, sliding his hands underneath his head. No one knows anymore. It is as if people do not care for why they get married, only that they marry and settle down. No one thinks about the consequences an arranged marriage can bring or the benefits. It is not easy to be a teenager during this time, as one may have already found out.
After a few more words are shared between the friends, both fall to sleep. Peter avoids it at first, but finds it is quite hard to keep sleep-deprived eyes open. He shuts them after a while, and loses consciousness. When Big Ben strikes eleven o'clock in the distance, Peter wakes up instantly. He hears bells tinkling somewhere near and he looks around in confusion. He gets up from the bench and finds that he has gotten a terrible backache from the hard surface. Peter keeps his silence as he listens for the tinkling of bells once again, his mesmerizing eyes darting to and fro. It is faint.
That sound rekindles something in him, something from his past. He has forgotten it, set it aside. Growing up means losing sight of some memories one holds dear. It is a natural part of life, like dying. To Peter, Tinkerbell is only a name, a silly childhood name. Too many other memories have been made with his new family and with Wendy. Peter stands there for a minute, trying to figure the mystery out. Only when Patricia comes out telling him that it is time to come in, does he set the bells aside. He has forgotten about fairies, seeing as they never really existed in the first place. There was a fairy there, but he did not see it. She was there to look on the face of her Peter, all grown up and deprived of all memories of Neverland. Her name was Tinkerbell.
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Author's Note: I do hope you enjoyed it. Philip and Wendy make a cute couple, don't they? I know you'll want to flame me after reading that. I wanted to put some awkward adolescence moments, so I let Wendy fall. No one's perfect after all. After all my tests, I'll update. You'll have to wait a teeny bit for the next chapter. Thanks for reading!
To The Legend Keeper, Tigerlilly might be involved, but not in a love triangle or anything, Allele, thanks for the info and I write in the present tense because I want the reader to feel like they are really there, experiencing everything the characters are, Alyndrya, thanks so much for the offer, but I'd like to keep the story on fanfiction.net, and only on fanfiction.net. Come back to read the next chapter, okay? Bye!