The Playwright: The Escapades of JM Barrie
Chapter 3
The Last Dance

Inside: A story, an entry, and a dream.

A/N: A bit of a longer chapter. I feel I owe you all one. Oh, and attention POTC fans (wink). I hope this flows nicely...I'm afraid I might have made the ending too...well...you read it.

Congratulations to Jan Kaczmarek for winning 'Best Original Score' for Finding Neverland! You deserved it, I LOVE that soundtrack!

Johnny Depp at the Oscars: (love this pic) h t t p : i m d b . c o m / f e a t u r e s / r t o / 2 0 0 5 / g a l l e r y / o s c a r 0 5 - r e d c a r p e t / 1 3 (just delete the spaces) OH And ask me about the "Funny Hat" in a review if you want to see the pictures!

Now, onto the story!


Sarah was ten. She had been at the orphanage since she was a baby; it had been an accidental pregnancy, and neither her mother, nor her father, were interested in taking on a child. Her mother had dumped her there, with high hopes for her baby girl, then fled town. Sarah still maintained a sparkling smile and a good disposition and mood during the day, though way deep down she was hurting, wishing to be loved. But she put this aside while she stood, thrashing at the boy who was restraining her, a twelve year old boy named Patrick.

"She's putting up a mighty fight, Captain Sparrow!" James turned his head, an umbrella grasped tightly in his hands, to look at his crew member struggling with the young lady.

"Well, hold onto her then!" He said simply. His voice bounced off the walls as it carried itself around the room. He and a few other children were on one balcony, while another crew, led by an older boy, was on the other side of the room, looking over the other railing. If you went over the railing, you were thrown into the sea...and probably would be badly injured on the floor below...

The boy holding onto the girl, who was wearing James's shawl, held tighter. Boys and girls on the other side of the room, lined up along the railings with umbrellas and long sticks were making noises and yelling commands at each other. James's crew did just the same. The orphanage seemed to swirl away...

"Watch out for that island!" Red the Ragged shouts to the boy at the wheel, Cuthbert the Clumsy. Cuthbert looks out at the roaring sea, gives a yelp, and makes an effort to get away from the green piece of land they're coming up on. But it's too late. The ship crashes violently into the island and slowly, the giant boat begins to fill up with water.

"We have to jump ship!" Captain Sparrow shouts over the waves and breaking of wood.

"But what about the enemy?" Benjamin the Brave shouts.

"If they really are such cowards, they'll steer clear of us! Men, stay armed!"

"Men!" A girl named Molly said, lowering the barrel of her umbrella gun, and looking sternly at James.

"An' Lasses o' course." James added politely.

"Thank ye, Captain!" Molly the Modest shouts. Captain Sparrow gives a grunt in reply and shoves his gun under his arm.

"Now! One by one, jump into the water! And be careful of the man-eating...goldfish!"

A younger boy and girl giggled. James gave them a wink.

"Goldfish, Captain?" Matthew the Mischievous yells.

"Yes! Australian! They can tear off heads with a single bite!"

More giggling. James smiled.

"I'm doing the best I can," he said apologetically.

"No, go on," Red said.

"What should we do with the hostage, Captain Sparrow?" Red says.

"Take her with us, Red! If the enemy doesn't show up on the island and we're stuck there, she'll be first on the silver plate!" Sparrow grunts back, his face twisting into what should look like a smile. "Let her jump first, and if she dares try and get away, be after her like a dog and a bone!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Sarah began walking down the stairs to the first floor and obediently waited at the bottom for the rest of the evil crew that was keeping her captive, only to be grabbed by the arm. She looked, and saw it was James's hand. It made her smile, really, to see that it wasn't the grimy, bony hand of Captain Sparrow, but the kind and gentle one of Mr. Barrie. James paid no mind to the smile in the meantime, as he was trying his best to keep in character.

The two swim to shore together, while the rest follows and crawls up on shore after them. Sparrow gets to his feet, turns to check if everyone's present, keeping a tight grip on Lady Isabel's arm.

"Where's Cuthbert the Clumsy!" he bellows.

"Captain!" David the Daring points.

James followed David's finger, to see Cuthbert sitting on the floor, hands cupped over his knee.

"He fell down the stairs," David said. James sighed, and went to David.

"Are you alright?"

Captain Sparrow throws Lady Isabel back to Red the Ragged and swims out to sea to find Cuthbert the Clumsy.

"What are you doing, lad?" he shouts into his ear.

"I got bitten by a man-eating goldfish, Captain!" Cuthbert the Clumsy shouts back.

"If ye' can't walk, yeh're no use to us! Make the decision now - stay here to be swallowed up by the briny deep, or join us and risk your life!"

"I'll join you, Captain!" Cuthbert says. Sparrow grunts, and brings the member of the crew to shore.

"Look, Captain Sparrow!" Molly the Modest says. Julie the Jubilant follows her gaze and gasps. "They're stopping on the island!" she shouts.

"Come on, then! Don't just stand there!" Sparrow grabs back onto Lady Isabel and the party runs through the forest, the enemy now jumping off of their own ship and leaping after them.

"Run! Run!" Sparrow calls to his crew. But he is unsuccessful in his intentions, and trips dramatically on a tree root, falling to the dirt. Lady Isabel goes with him, but forces herself up, and tries to escape, only to be caught again by Red the Ragged. Julie the Jubilant and Molly the Modest kneel down next to Captain Sparrow.

"Out of the way!" comes a shout from behind. A gunshot rings out. The ladies dodge, but Sparrow is hit. They crawl back to him, though, and try to get a word out of him.

"Captain!" Molly says. But no words are passed, and Sparrow's head falls to the ground, his eyes closing and his body already beginning to grow cold...

James heard something he would never expect to after that. The sounds of hands clapping themselves together. He picks up his head to see where the applause is coming from. Five nuns had just stood from a bench, and had apparently been watching the entire time.

"Thank you," James said, smiling, and getting up. He took off his hat and the hook from his hand, and bowed to them. The children did the same.

"Mr. Barrie, I presume?" A nun said. James walked over to her and nodded, shaking her hand.

"Oh, what an honor it is! Just a few months ago, a group of children attended your play! They came back that night with their eyes sparkling. Just sparkling, Mr. Barrie! Even the weakest of children were feeling the strongest, and the saddest, the most joyous! We really can't thank you enough. They're still talking of it!"

"Oh, well thank you very much, Sister..."

"Margaret."

"Sister Margaret. Yes, thank you. I'm so glad the children enjoyed my play."

"I see you've been recreating a kind of play right here," Sister Margaret said, all smiles. James chuckles.

"Yes, well...I figured that the children would like to have a bit of fun, that's all."

"Oh no, it's fine! You're welcome to come back anytime soon." James smiled and nodded. The toothless girl, who had been a member of the other crew, dashed up to him and pulled on his coat once again. He looked down at her.

"Look, Mr. Barrie!" The girl opened her mouth wide and wiggled a loose tooth with her tongue.

"They're dropping out like flies, aren't they, lassie!" James said. "Don't forget to leave it under your pillow for the tooth fairy when it comes out!" The girl just gave the biggest smile she could muster and ran off.

"Please give Mr. Barrie his costumes back, children! I'm sure he doesn't want you running off with them!" Sister Margaret said for the children to hear, and they all began putting everything in a pile on the floor.

"Excuse me, Sister...what's that little girl's name? The one missing her front teeth?"

"That's Gretchen. She has been losing an awfully lot of teeth. This'll be her fourth."

"Will you notify me when she loses that one? I live at 100 Bayswater Road. If you would just send a message to me, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course, Mr. Barrie."

"Oh, yes - and one more thing. What room is she in?"

"Room 4."


Later that night, after James put the boys to bed, he retreated to his parlor, dressed in his bathrobe, and and lit a fire in the fireplace. He sat himself in a cushy chair in front of the dancing orange flames, and just watched them for a while...waltzing with each other, to the sound of a silent tune, flying around the hearth and carrying on. When it was completely silent, and the only sounds in the room were from the fire, James slowly reached over to his table - slowly, as if his motions were to interrupt the silence - and curled his delicate fingers around the spine of his black journal and fountain pen. He moved them both to his lap, and opened the journal to a blank page. He had had a good day over all, not counting the morning's events. He watched the fire again for a few quickly passing minutes, then let his words pour out onto the paper.

December 1905

What bothers me is the manner in which it is done. Stomping in, nose in the air, back as straight as a wooden plank, and then speaking in that mocking, almost accusatory drone. "You and the children should move in with me, James. It's out of the question for me to move in here." I don't want to leave my home, and I'm sure the boys don't either. I haven't told them of their grandmother's visit as of yet, and I don't plan to until tomorrow. They all had good days in school today, and I had a great day of my own. There's no sense in spoiling the day, or changing their dreams from the proper things little boys should dream of, to evil, wretched thoughts of life with that...that...woman.

I won't say she doesn't have a right to take them to her house to live with her. On the contrary, she has as much of a right as I do to move them if I wished to (which I don't) because of Sylvia's "joint guardianship." What on this Earth had been going through her mind when she decided on that? She knew perfectly well how much her mother hates me. Ah, but I can't be angry at her now; God rest her soul. But then again...if she had only asked ITALICS me ITALICS to watch her boys, and not her mother, Mrs. du Maurier would snatch them away anyway. The entire thing is a bloody mess, if you ask me. But onto the better parts of the day...

I decided to take an outing to the orphanage today. I was glad I did too. The lot of us had a grand adventure on the sea. I was the captain, and we all used umbrellas to try and shoot down the enemy ship. It was most exciting. And when we were finished, a group of nuns that had been watching were applauding us, and the one I talked to invited me back another time.

A girl there - Gretchen - has two missing front teeth, and one extremely jiggly one ready to pop out. I told her about the Tooth Fairy, but realized before I left, that this was a terrible thing to do. To tell her about the Tooth Fairy when no one knows to place anything under her pillow for her. I'm afraid to let her down. Though I do think I have an idea to fix my folly. It's a bit crazy, but if I'm not caught and put in jail, it actually might work.

The rest of the night was uneventful for the most part. Dinner went as it usually did. Laughing and joking, and a perfect ham. One of the best, I'd say.

I'm sorry my thoughts are seeming a bit frayed now, and my writing a bit scrawly, but I'm awfully tired, and I could slip off at any time now. So I'll bid adieu for the night. Sweet dreams.

J.M. Barrie

James closed his journal, setting it and his pen back on the table. He directed his attention back to the flames, watching them dance again. They seemed so happy. So unlike what he was feeling right now. He just couldn't stop thinking about Mrs. du Maurier. About the boys.

A log fell, causing cinders to be spit out onto the carpet. James had forgotten to put the screen up again. But that would destroy the picture, distort the fire, choke the smell, dim the light. It didn't matter, really. A few cinders would clean up easily.

His eyes were becoming extremely heavy now. But he didn't want to fall asleep. Not now. He needed to think. What could he do to get away from Emma du Maurier? What could he possibly do?

The lights now seemed to turn themselves up to their full potential, stinging James's eyes. He closed them to clear the burning, and when he opened them, he no longer was in his parlor, but standing atop a balcony, looking over a dance floor. A string quartet was playing Handel's "Water Music" on one end of the circular room, though the sound was equally heard from every angle in it by the dancing, laughing attendees of this grand party.

The room was spectacular. It seemed to be made of pure gold, the way it was sparkling. A chandelier hung over the dance floor, as big as a cathedral. There were two staircases leading down to the dance floor, one on either side of the balcony. Red velvet, completely free of stains, sloped down both of them to the very bottom.

James couldn't remember what this party was for, though. Was it for him? Maybe a birthday party? Or had he written another successful play?

While he was thinking, trying to identify his surroundings, he gazed out across the grand floor below, and after a while of absentmindedly searching for what he wasn't sure of exactly, something caught his eye. A woman. A particularly elegant woman in a flowing blue ball gown. She had white gloves gracefully and delicately covering her hands. One, grasping a glass of champagne, and the other, resting at her side. She wasn't talking to anybody. Her bright red lips remained closed, and her icy blue eyes seemed to be busy looking for someone as well. She turned in James's direction, and he saw who the woman was.

Sylvia. His Sylvia.

His heart gave a leap, and a smile came to his face. When he thought that he caught her eye, he lifted a hand and waved to her. She smiled up at him, and waved back.

James couldn't move fast enough. He pushed through a small throng of people laughing with each other, excusing himself as he did, and began skipping down the velvet stairs, feeling completely undeserving, having his polished shoes soil the heavenly things in such a way.

When he reached the shining floor, he seemed to sprint to Sylvia, and only when he was standing there in front of her, did he realize that he hadn't seen her in what seemed like years.

They now exchanged the first words they had spoken to each other, after such an awfully long time.

"Mr. Barrie."

"Ms. Davies."

"You look wonderful, James."

"As do you, Sylvia." She smiled at him, gazing deep into his dark, excited eyes. The sight almost made her laugh, but she kept that to herself. "Dance with me," he said after a while. It wasn't a command; it was a request. A request that, not to James's surprise, she accepted gladly.

As though on cue, a man with a silver tray walked by, and Sylvia set her unfinished champagne on it, not willing to waste another minute. He placed his hand on her back, and held her hand in the other, while she did the same with him. And then, they danced. Oh, did they dance. The world seemed to pause in its rotation for them, to cease spinning in outer space. And James couldn't keep his eyes off of her. A sweet smile adorned her perfect face, and poked slightly into her rosy cheeks, while her eyes sparkled with happiness. And the light - the way the light was being reflected onto her from that chandelier, you would think that the hand of God itself had brought this angelic figure straight down from heaven just for him. Just for James. Just for him to see her once more. Just for him to touch her once more. To feel her breath on his neck just one last time. It was all so real, and he had absolutely no doubt in his mind that it was. That she was really there in front of him, and he was there in front of her, and not sitting before the mesmerizing fire in his parlor, deep in what was just a dream.

The room spun around, faster and faster, James and Sylvia taking in every moment they were allowed with each other, moving effortlessly across the floor, through everyone, everyone who couldn't possibly be in love as deep as they were.

Soaking in the moment...
Recalling their memories...
Exchanging silent thoughts...

Until it all stopped. Like all good things, it came to an end. A sad end.

The music stopped, their feet stopped, and conversation and applause hammered in James's ears once more. He still refused to direct his attention elsewhere, and found that his Sylvia was becoming lighter, paler, sadder. He looked at her longingly, thinking that maybe he could hang onto her with his gaze.

"I never got to thank you, James," she said, her voice now dying away, becoming softer.

"For what?" he asked, holding her hand tighter.

"For taking me to Neverland. For letting the final day of my life be with you. For taking care of the boys for me. For so many things, James. Just so many things." She closed her eyes, and he thought that maybe this was it. His absolute last moment with her.

"I love you, Sylvia," he said. She opened her eyes again, smiling, then rested her head on his shoulder, becoming completely motionless. Right there. In the middle of the dance floor.

No one noticed. No one cared. They just continued dancing away like nothing had ever happened, when the music began again. But James stood there with her in his arms. He wouldn't forget...

James opened his eyes, and looked around his parlor. The fire was dying down, and the room was much darker than it had been when he had fallen asleep. The clock ticked silently on the mantle, throwing each second into his face. He sat up straight, and looked into the hearth. What a dream. It didn't feel like one, though; it felt completely real.

James crossed his right arm over his left, reached up to his shoulders, and began rubbing his arms. Without the fire, the room was freezing. He stopped suddenly, though, and looked at his right arm. There was a tiny dab of wet there. Something he hadn't put there. He felt it again with a finger, and then realized what it was.

A tear.

A/N: Tell me what you think.


REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 2:
(and 1)

Katie - Wow! I'll add this one to my favorite review list! I'm glad you like this; I'll make sure the rest of it stays just as good and true to the movie! I usually don't write anything otherwise...I don't do slash or plot variations or anything, and if I do, it's a joke and most definitely nothing close to serious. I hope you stay to the end! Thanks for reading and doing the thing you rarely do, and reviewing!

H.M. Chandler - (for 2 reviews - but that doesn't count as 2, only one...since it's from the same person ;-) ) Thank you so much for adding me to your Favorite Stories! The Peter Pan Idea - I was going to make him just say JM Barrie and end it there, but that wasn't much irony, we all know his name. So I just laughed to myself and put Peter Pan instead, because of course, it fit! I did watch the Oscars last night (27th of Feb.) to the very end to see Best Actor and the Best Original Score...but was very disappointed through the thing because almost everything Neverland was nominated for was shot down by the Aviator! Did you see that movie? Ugh! 3 hours and just so...WEIRD. Well anyway, thanks again! (I do wish you'd add me to author alert ;-) )

Writing Muse - Wow! Reading someone else's story really does pay off! I'm glad you took the time to read, because I loved your story a whole lot and I hoped to add you to the list of reviewers to show off! Just kidding - I'm always happy to get compliments on my work, or criticism to fix things. Thank you so very much, I hope you read and enjoy the rest! And unless you check back often, do add me to author alert! Thanks!

oi-oi-oi - Hear hear, friend. I was so upset when Johnny didn't win. The Aviator like...DOMINATED. And I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet, so I can't judge that. But I really didn't like the Aviator... Anyway, thank you so much! I always LOVE reading your reviews and I'm SO happy when I see one from you. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I did get your review for The Authoress. Thanks to you AND your friends for all the kind things! More warm and fuzzy feelings! I wrote half of chapter two of that...and I'm not sure about continuing, but if you really want me to, I will!

KatrinaKaiba - I know I speak for everyone that writes in this category when I say that James is always fun to write. He's...he's very deep. lol and playful - which makes him one of the few fun adults in the world. I know it is an absurd thing to call him, as quoted from YOUR story - "Well if you don't want to be referred to as, them..." hah - Thanks for reading/reviewing!