Tapping again. Smiling to himself, Slightly pulled the blankets aside. He hadn't dared expect Pan to show up again this quickly – it had only been a few nights!
"Do you want me to wake the others – and go get Wendy?" he asked Peter in lieu of greeting. Peter shook his head vigorously.
"Not the others, not just yet. How… how is everyone doing?"
"Quite similar to how they were on Monday, actually, sir," Slightly said pointedly. "If you don't mind my asking, how have you been?"
Peter shrugged. "I've been living with the Indians. Learning their ways. I've become absolutely marvelous with a tomahawk, in my opinion."
"No-one there to fight, though," Slightly observed.
"No, not right now," Pan admitted. "I think some of the younger braves are going to start a rebellion soon, though. Not sure which side I'll fall out on. Probably wherever Tiger Lily goes – she's saved my life a bunch of times." Slightly nodded. In his opinion, it wasn't nearly as grand as fighting pirates – for one thing, nobody was exactly evil.
"How is she?" Peter asked suddenly, desperation in his voice.
Slightly sighed, unwillingly relating news. "She is to be married soon."
"What? Married?" Peter was frantic. "She's far too young!"
"Not so far as you think, sir. Only a few years, and she'll find a husband."
Peter went white as a sheet. "No! Slightly, can't you put a stop to it?"
Slightly smiled wryly. "No, sir. I cannot."
"Slightly," Peter sounded quite upset -- he was never very good at hiding his emotions. "You could call me 'father' like you used to."
"Sir," Slightly said gently, "I have a real, grown-up father now."
Peter looked enraged for a moment, but then turned toward the moon, gliding up onto the railing. He turned back to Slightly.
"Very well, brave Slightly. I shall return soon, though not before you think." Slightly saluted, and off Pan flew.
Now Slightly was no fool – he was in fact rather shrewd, which is why Peter had chosen him as second over the bigger boys. He had heard the longing when Peter asked about Wendy and, less expected, when he crossly asked about being called "father" again. Peter sounded very lonely; the Lost Boys and the Indians had been allies, and Pan and Tiger Lily had liked each other well enough, but nobody was a friend to him like the Lost Boys, and Slightly had never seen Peter treat anyone the way he'd treated Wendy. Peter had Tink – come to think of it, where was she? Still sulking? – but he needed more. Slightly saw that Peter needed his friends again, and resolved to tell him so upon his next visit.