Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Peter Pan, Captain Hook, or any of Mr. Barry's other wonderful characters. I write about them solely for my own amusement, and make no profit from it except that which I receive from knowing my writing has been enjoyed by others.

Chapter 14

Sailing from Neverland

Very early the next morning, if the watch had looked up, they would have spotted a white falcon perched in the rigging of the Jolly Roger. The bird did not sit still for long. She sensed a current of warm air blowing past her, spread her wings, and let the wind carry lift her up and carry her towards the island.

She veered away from the course the current would have had her take, and began to beat her wings. She flew over the forest, her sharp eyes on the lookout for anything unusual. She saw nothing, but did not let herself be discouraged. Sophia had spent a long while looking over Hook's map of the island, and she had a good idea of the places where the Lost Boys were most likely to be holed up. Though she knew from her time with the Darling children that James had finally discovered the location of Peter Pan's home, he apparently hadn't had time to record it. Sophia had searched his papers to no avail, and she wasn't about to ask him about it. In fact, she wasn't about to let him know that she was planning to seek out Peter Pan at all. And so, she was left to find the hideout for herself. The center of the island seemed to make the most sense. The hideout would be surrounded for miles on all sides by dense woodland, and no one who did not know the land well would ever be able to get close, though one unassuming bird might have a chance. And so, she waited, circling above the forest and waiting for a Lost Boy to show himself. When she grew tired, she caught an air current and let herself be carried, or she dove down into the trees and found a branch to rest on.

At last, her patience was rewarded. Three Lost Boys appeared, hooting, yelling, and chasing each other through the air. Sophia followed them, though she took care not to get too close. The boys touched down none too gracefully on the beach and began to play in the water. She perched on a piece of driftwood and waited as they scampered up and down the beach, collected shells and polished rocks, and engaged in uproarious water fights. When they tired, they started back through the trees on foot. Sophia followed, ghosting through the forest like a white shadow.

The boys took a meandering path, sometimes walking, sometimes flying, often stopping to climb trees or explore secluded caves. After journeying through the forest for much of the morning, the boys led Sophia to the base of a gigantic tree. She watched as one of the boys pulled on a branch and opened a trap door, but she did not follow them inside. Instead, she landed on a nearby rock and waited for the boy she wished to see. The Lost Boys came and went, alone and in groups, for another hour before Peter appeared. Sophia smiled inwardly when she saw him and took wing after him. Luck was with her. He was alone.

When Peter had traveled far enough from the Lost Boys' home that he could not easily call for the others, Sophia surged forward. The undersides of her wings brushed his head as she flew over him. Peter ducked instinctively and threw his arms up in defense. While he was still confused, Sophia took her natural shape. Peter scowled at her and drew his knife.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm not your enemy, Peter." She spread her hands to show that she was unarmed, but the boy had seen her use magic, and so he continued to watch her warily. "I just wanted to have a talk with you," Sophia said. She sat down on a fallen log and patted the mossy bark next to her. "Come and sit with me?"

Peter did not trust her enough to come so close to her, but he did put away his knife. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked, obviously curious to hear what the grown up lady wanted with him.

Sophia studied him for a few moments before answering. She could almost feel the magic of Neverland surrounding the Eternal Boy and molding itself to his wishes. He wreaked havoc with her magical senses, and being around him was quite disorienting.

"Tomorrow, the pirates are going to leave Neverland," she said at last. "I'm asking you not to hinder them."

Peter took a few steps back, and his face contorted in childish anger. "Go? They can't! Hook just got back! It won't be any fun if they go."

"If you show yourself to the pirates, they will want to fight you. Hook will want to fight you," Sophia said. And if you so much as come near James tomorrow, I'll do my best to drop you from the sky myself, she wanted to add. However, she knew that threatening the boy would not work, and she wasn't sure that she could make good on her promise.

"Of course they will," Peter said. "That's how it's always been." He looked surprised that she did not appear to understand this simple fact.

"Peter, listen to me." Sophia got up and approached him cautiously. She her hands on his shoulders and bent her knees until her eyes were level with his. "If you try and stop them, you will be successful. Hook will never leave Neverland if he thinks there's still one last chance for him to defeat you. Please…"

The feeling in Sophia's voice was making the boy uncomfortable. He wriggled away from her. "Why should I?" Peter asked. "How can we have adventures without the pirates? Without Captain Hook? We need them, or else we won't ever have any fun at all." He glared at her defensively.

"If I'm right," Sophia said, "you won't be without an enemy for long. Neverland will provide you another source of adventure, I'm almost sure of it. Someone new. Someone you've never fought before."

Peter grinned at the possibility. "That would be fun," he admitted.

"Then you'll let Hook sail away without a fuss?" she asked. "I'll have your word before I go."

Peter stared off into the distance and pondered her offer.

"Let him go, Peter," Sophia murmured. "You've had him long enough. I want him to myself for a while." By this time, she was pleading with him, and her eyes were desperate.

"Fine, then. I won't stop them," Peter said. He shrugged cavalierly. "I was getting tired of pirates anyway." Peter started to walk back up the trail the way he had come. When he had gone a few steps, he turned and looked over her shoulder at Sophia. "Who do you think will come to take their place?"

"Oh, I don't know… a dragon, maybe? Or a giant, or a cruel king in the Black Castle…"

"How about an evil wizard? Or a Black Knight?" Peter added. His eyes had grown large at the thought of the new adventures he would surely have. "Or all of them?"

"I suppose you'll just have to wait and see," Sophia said.

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "When will you go?" he asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We sail with the tide."

"And then, Neverland will be all mine!" He grinned from ear to ear.

"For a while, at least," Sophia reminded him. She didn't think it wise to mention that he'd still be sharing the island with fairies, mermaids, and Indians. He wasn't listening to her, anyway. He was streaking away through the trees, crowing at the top of his lungs. Sophia waited until she could not hear him any more, then blurred back into her falcon form. She broke through the tree tops and caught a current of air that would carry her back to the ship.

She could see from the air that the Jolly Roger was astir with activity. The crew hurried back and forth as they finished their preparations to leave the harbor, and even from her height she could pick James out from among them by the bright red coat he was wearing. As she veered downward, she thought she heard someone calling her name. She drew closer.

James was pacing back and forth across the deck of his ship. He looked worried, almost frantic, and just as Sophia landed on the railing a few feet behind him, he put one hand to the side of his mouth and shouted, "Sophia!" He advanced several steps and called her name again. She transformed hastily and hurried to him.

"I'm here, James," she said. "What's wrong?"

Without answering her, James took her in his arms and crushed her against him. When he didn't show any sign of letting go, Sophia accepted his embrace and slipped her arms around his waist.

"I couldn't find you. I thought you'd gone again," he said quietly.

"No!" Sophia was horrified at the thought of putting him through such pain a second time. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." She stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "You see? I'm still here."

He loosed his hold on her a little, but he still did not let her go. "As a personal favor, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me next time you plan on disappearing."

"Of course," she said.

James stepped back from her and offered her his arm. The two of them wandered around the ship, inspecting the progress that was being made. The sails were mended, the rigging was tied fast, and everything on deck was lashed down in case they ran into rough weather.

"Where did you go?" he asked her.

"I thought I'd have a look around, make sure Peter Pan wasn't up to anything."

"Did you see anything?" His eyes had a hopeful gleam in them.

"Nothing much," Sophia said. "I don't think Pan will be giving us any problems." James tried to hide his disappointment from her, and she pretended not to notice.

When they passed by her cabin door, Sophia stopped. "I need to rest and get ready for tomorrow," she said. "This will be the first time I've ever cast a spell this large, you know."

James let her go reluctantly. "You'll still dine with me tonight? One last dinner in Neverland?"

Sophia smiled and threw her arms around him one last time before stepping into her room. "Of course, Captain. I wouldn't miss it."

-----

The next morning, the crew gathered in the chill autumn dawn. Though they were bundled up in blankets and coats and had to stamp their feet to keep warm, every one of them was eager and anxious. Tiny puffs of steam rose from their mouths as they laughed and talked amongst themselves. James stood at the head of the crowd with Sophia, wrapped in a heavy wool cloak, beside him.

"Quiet while the lady speaks!" Hook shouted.

Sophia stepped forward and pushed back the hood of her cloak. Her hair was down, and her face was calm and serene. She waited for the last whispers to die down. "I would like for all of you to help me," she said when it was silent. "I would like you to try not to think strongly about Neverland as we sail away. In fact, it might be best if you didn't think of Neverland at all." It was a difficult thing she was asking them, she knew, but she needed all the help she could get.

"Will it muck up your spell if we do think about it?" one very nervous crewman asked.

"You don't have to worry about that," Sophia told him. The crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. "The greatest burden will fall on me and the shield I'm casting. It will simply be easier for me if I'm not working against strong feelings here on the ship."

"We will ALL do our best," Hook assured her, eyeing his crew commandingly. The pirates were quick to agree with their Captain.

"Very well then," Sophia said. "Whenever you're ready…"

"To your posts, all of you!" Hook shouted. The crew scattered, and when every man had taken his position, he ordered, "Hoist anchor!"

For the first time in years, the heavy chain was pulled from the water. The metal was dark and wet, and the links were overgrown with seaweed and small sea creatures. When the anchor finally broke the surface of the water and was pulled on board, the pirates cheered. The tide was with them, and the ship was soon drifting away from Neverland.

Sophia took her place at the prow of the ship. Her face was still calm, but her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness.

"Something is troubling you," James said.

She nodded slowly. "Hawk Dancer left the ship last night. He knew we were sailing away, and I believe he's gone back to his own folk. I… had hoped I'd get to say goodbye."

Two tiny streaks of light coming toward the ship at high speed caught James' attention, and he pointed them out to Sophia. "Perhaps you'll get to say your farewells after all," he said.

Not one pixie, but two eventually caught up to the ship. Hawk Dancer nearly ran into Sophia in his excitement. When he regained enough composure to communicate, he fluttered in front of her face and chimed angrily at her.

"Of course I didn't mean to leave you!" Sophia said. "I thought you'd already gone!"

Hawk rolled his eyes and tapped his fist on her forehead, as if wondering if she had any brains at all.

"I think," James said, "that he went home to get a lady friend." He pointed at the other pixie, who had made herself quite at home atop the ship's figurehead. Her hair was shockingly red, and she looked even more mischievous than Hawk, if that was possible.

Sophia smiled and held out her hand. The fairy looked at Hawk Dancer for approval, and when it was given, she flew over. "Why don't you introduce me to your friend, Hawk?" Sophia asked. He exuberantly obliged her.

"He says her name is Moon Flower," Sophia said a few moments later. "They'd like to come with us, if that's all right with you." She looked at James for an answer.

"This won't interfere with your spell, will it?" He eyed the pixies doubtfully.

"Oh, I shouldn't think so. They're very small, and I imagine they'll be more of a help than a hindrance."

"Then, as friends of yours, they are welcome on my ship," he said.

Hawk Dancer snorted indignantly. He grabbed Moon Flower's hand and darted up into the rigging.

"Hawk's rather offended that you don't consider him a friend," Sophia said.

James snorted indignantly as well. "Pixies… hmmph," he muttered under his breath. He then stalked off to see about steering his ship.

A few minutes later, Sophia looked behind her and saw that Neverland was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Soon, they would be out of sight of the island. She cleared her mind of all but the spell she was about to cast, held her arms in front of her, palms facing out, and began to chant. A small, incandescent circle appeared in front of her hands. She chanted louder, and the circle began to grow. It arced up over the ship and surrounded it on all sides until it seemed that the Jolly Roger sailed under a bowl of sparkling glass. The pirates stopped what they were doing to gape at it.

"Neverland is nothing. I do not care for it. I do not hate it. I feel nothing for it." Sophia whispered the words over and over again, feeding all of her calm and apathy into the shield. Standing at the front of the ship, she was the first to feel Neverland's encompassing wall pass over her, and the shock of the magical field coming into contact with her spell sent her to her knees. But still, the shimmering light around the ship held.

Every man on board shivered a bit when the barrier passed over him, and Sophia did not dare turn around to see what would happen when it encountered James for fear it might break her concentration. She only hoped that her shield was strong enough to mask him from the magic that would keep him on the island.

She need not have worried. James stood at the wheel of his ship, thinking of nothing but the feel of the polished wood under his hand and how good it was to have the salty air stinging his face. He did not even notice the curious boys who were following the ship at a safe distance. When the barrier passed over him, he gasped as if he had plunged through a sheet of icy water. The sensation only lasted for a split second, and by the time he realized it was gone, the ship was through. Neverland was nowhere in sight, and he felt clean and free, as if an enormous burden had been lifted from him.

Sophia did not release her spell immediately, just to be safe. When she could hold it no longer, the dome over the ship collapsed inward until it was a quavering circle in front of her hands. Then, it faded away completely. The ship was surrounded by thick, roiling mist, and all was silent except for the sound of creaking timbers and water slapping against the hull. Sophia pulled herself to her feet. Her knees were a little weak, but she carefully picked her way over to James.

"Don't fall over, now," he said gently and pulled her close so she could lean on him.

"We did it," Sophia breathed. She laughed suddenly and pulled James' head down to hers so she could kiss him. "We did it, James!" she repeated. Before she could say much else, he kissed her again, and neither of them attempted to say anything for a quite a long while.

"Where do we go now?" he asked at last.

Sophia cleared her throat, straightened her glasses, and brushed her hair away from her face. "If we sail straight ahead, we should be through the fog very soon," she said.

"And then? You said you knew some other ports we might visit, did you not?"

"Well… I do have some… suggestions. But, you're the Captain…"

He laughed. "Where do you want to go, Sophia?" he asked. At that moment, she ship passed out of the fog, and onto a clear sea. Though it had been dawn when they left Neverland, it was night on the Sea Between Worlds. The water was black and calm, and the stars seemed to be close enough to touch.

Sophia studied the heavens for a moment before pointing to the west. "If we head that way, I believe we'll run into some… very interesting places. Worlds where I have friends. Worlds I think you'll like…"

"Very well, then, west it is," James said. He turned the wheel a few degrees, and they began to change direction. When he was sure that the course was set, he reached out and took Sophia's hand. She curled her fingers tightly around his and joined him in gazing at the horizon.

A wind from the east sprang up and filled the Jolly Roger's sails. The great ship cut through the water, leaving only a frothy wake to mark its passing.

The End