PROLOGUE
Wendy Moira Angela Darling let out a sigh of relief as she tugged on each string of her corset. She hated the uncomfortable garmet, but her Aunt Millicent had insisted that she wear one, now that she was "a woman". Wendy did not see herself as a woman, but as a girl.
However, on her thirteenth birthday, her aunt had taken up the responsibility of presenting Wendy with an entirely new wardrobe. Gone were the days of loose-fitting dresses that allowed their wearers to breathe. She had moved into a room of her own now, with no toys lying around, no books scattered. This was the way of a young lady.
Now she was freeing herself from the corset, two weeks into her regime as a woman, two weeks after her 13th birthday. Her nimble fingers thumbed at the catch and the corset came free. Wendy felt the feeling of relief as the corset fell to the floor and her torso was wonderfully free. Off came her petticoats and hose, and she was free from confinement, wonderfully light...
Then she slipped on a nightdress, the one garmet that hadn't changed after her 13th birthday. She held the material to her face for a moment, as she liked the smell of the lavender. Then she buttoned up the front and slid on a robe.
Carefully padding down the hall to the nursery, she pushed open the door and was greeted by the too-familiar sight of toys strewn around the floor. She crossed over to her brothers, who were in bed. She went over to Michael first.
As she fluffed his blankets and tucked them around him protectively, Michael spoke almost fearfully, "D'you think he's forgotten about us, Wendy?"
"Who, Michael?"
"Peter Pan."
Wendy, who was not expecting this, merely replied, "Peter? Michael, I hope not. But one cannot always be certain of such a thing. I pray not."
"So do I." he said tearfully.
Wendy sat on the edge of his bed, and stroked his hair. The next thing she knew, Michael was in her lap, sobbing into her shoulder. She put her arms around him and rocked him back and forth gently.
"W-wendy! I m-miss h-himm!" he sobbed. "And n-now you're g-growing up! You h-have to go b-back to N-neverland! I don't w-want you to g-grow up!"
Wendy was startled by his concern. She gently raised his face and thumbed his tears dry. "Why Michael," she questioned, "why do you not approve of me growing up?"
Michael's tears had subsided to sniffles. "Because, Wendy, then you shall leave home and marry, and do "woman's work", and won't tuck me in or make me breakfast or tell me stories. I will miss you. I love you tucking me in, I love your stories, I love YOU!"
Wendy was moved by this response. She never knew how attached her little brothers had grown to her since Mother and Father had gone to visit a friend for a few months, leaving the children with Aunt Millicent. Both her brothers did not particularly care for their aunt, and began to rely on Wendy as the role of their mother, just as they had done in Neverland. She drew Michael further into her hug, as he snuggled against her chest and layed his head on her shoulder.
"Shhhh. While it is true that I will leave home and marry, Michael, it shall not be particularly soon, not as I have yet to meet a man whom I want to beau, let alone marry. Besides, by that time you will be older and shall not need me to tuck you in."
Michael still looked at her. "Wendy, you must go back to Neverland! Peter can keep you from growing up, I know it! Then you can stay young forever, and I shall always have you here! That was why I inquired if Peter might have forgotten us! Maybe he hasn't forgotten, and will come to take us back to Neverland, where we will stay forever young!"
"Oh, Michael. We have had our fun in Neverland, let us now have fun growing up." she soothed as she layed Michael back in his bed and tucked him in. She kissed his forehead tenderly, and whispered in his ear, "Sweet dreams. I love you." Michael kissed her nose and replied, "I love you too, Wendy."
Wendy then went to say goodnight to John, and after she kissed his forehead, he whispered, "Please, Wendy, tell us a story."
Wendy started to protest, saying she was tired, but then she looked into the eager faces of her brothers and gave in. "Alright. Which one would you like?"
"Neverland! With Hook and Peter and us!"
Wendy settled onto John's bed, where both boys could see her, and told the story that still made her long to see Peter again.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl and her two brothers..."
~~~~~
After her story was over, she got up, kissed John and Michael one last time, and switched off the lamp. "I love you John, Michael." she whispered and then, checked that the window was unlocked, then carefully shut the door. Then she crossed the hall and entered the Lost Boy's bedroom.
"The little angels," she thought, seeing as how they had gotton into bed by themselves and were all sleeping quietly. They had put all their clothes into their trunks, and lined their shoes up next to the sides of the beds. She went over to each one of them in turn, and stroked their hair for a minute, and kissed their foreheads.
She approached Toodles in his sleep, and kissed his forehead. His eyes opened, and he drew Wendy into a child's hug and kissed her all over her face.
"I love you, Wendy." he whispered.
"I love you too, Toodles. Now go to sleep. Sweet dreams."
After she checked that the window was unlocked in there too, she crossed out of the room, turned in the doorway and looked at the boys. Her eyes misted as she thought of Peter and prayed that, wherever he might be that night, that he was safe and still happy in his boyhood. She went back to her own room, and, like all the nights before for a year and a half, she sat next to the window and looked for the second star to the right, her hands pulling out the chain with Peter's kiss on it. She held the acorn button as she located the star.
"Goodnight, Peter. I love you, and my kiss still belongs to you, and it always will." she called, quiet as a prayer, to the star. Then she got up, double-checked that the window was unlocked, and got into bed, falling into a deep slumber.
Unbeknownst to her, Peter Pan was not currently second-star to the right, and straight on 'till morning, but hovering right outside her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviews! Please! I'll try to begin the actual story ASAP. Let me know what you think!
luv, hugs, and kisses, Kathryn
Wendy Moira Angela Darling let out a sigh of relief as she tugged on each string of her corset. She hated the uncomfortable garmet, but her Aunt Millicent had insisted that she wear one, now that she was "a woman". Wendy did not see herself as a woman, but as a girl.
However, on her thirteenth birthday, her aunt had taken up the responsibility of presenting Wendy with an entirely new wardrobe. Gone were the days of loose-fitting dresses that allowed their wearers to breathe. She had moved into a room of her own now, with no toys lying around, no books scattered. This was the way of a young lady.
Now she was freeing herself from the corset, two weeks into her regime as a woman, two weeks after her 13th birthday. Her nimble fingers thumbed at the catch and the corset came free. Wendy felt the feeling of relief as the corset fell to the floor and her torso was wonderfully free. Off came her petticoats and hose, and she was free from confinement, wonderfully light...
Then she slipped on a nightdress, the one garmet that hadn't changed after her 13th birthday. She held the material to her face for a moment, as she liked the smell of the lavender. Then she buttoned up the front and slid on a robe.
Carefully padding down the hall to the nursery, she pushed open the door and was greeted by the too-familiar sight of toys strewn around the floor. She crossed over to her brothers, who were in bed. She went over to Michael first.
As she fluffed his blankets and tucked them around him protectively, Michael spoke almost fearfully, "D'you think he's forgotten about us, Wendy?"
"Who, Michael?"
"Peter Pan."
Wendy, who was not expecting this, merely replied, "Peter? Michael, I hope not. But one cannot always be certain of such a thing. I pray not."
"So do I." he said tearfully.
Wendy sat on the edge of his bed, and stroked his hair. The next thing she knew, Michael was in her lap, sobbing into her shoulder. She put her arms around him and rocked him back and forth gently.
"W-wendy! I m-miss h-himm!" he sobbed. "And n-now you're g-growing up! You h-have to go b-back to N-neverland! I don't w-want you to g-grow up!"
Wendy was startled by his concern. She gently raised his face and thumbed his tears dry. "Why Michael," she questioned, "why do you not approve of me growing up?"
Michael's tears had subsided to sniffles. "Because, Wendy, then you shall leave home and marry, and do "woman's work", and won't tuck me in or make me breakfast or tell me stories. I will miss you. I love you tucking me in, I love your stories, I love YOU!"
Wendy was moved by this response. She never knew how attached her little brothers had grown to her since Mother and Father had gone to visit a friend for a few months, leaving the children with Aunt Millicent. Both her brothers did not particularly care for their aunt, and began to rely on Wendy as the role of their mother, just as they had done in Neverland. She drew Michael further into her hug, as he snuggled against her chest and layed his head on her shoulder.
"Shhhh. While it is true that I will leave home and marry, Michael, it shall not be particularly soon, not as I have yet to meet a man whom I want to beau, let alone marry. Besides, by that time you will be older and shall not need me to tuck you in."
Michael still looked at her. "Wendy, you must go back to Neverland! Peter can keep you from growing up, I know it! Then you can stay young forever, and I shall always have you here! That was why I inquired if Peter might have forgotten us! Maybe he hasn't forgotten, and will come to take us back to Neverland, where we will stay forever young!"
"Oh, Michael. We have had our fun in Neverland, let us now have fun growing up." she soothed as she layed Michael back in his bed and tucked him in. She kissed his forehead tenderly, and whispered in his ear, "Sweet dreams. I love you." Michael kissed her nose and replied, "I love you too, Wendy."
Wendy then went to say goodnight to John, and after she kissed his forehead, he whispered, "Please, Wendy, tell us a story."
Wendy started to protest, saying she was tired, but then she looked into the eager faces of her brothers and gave in. "Alright. Which one would you like?"
"Neverland! With Hook and Peter and us!"
Wendy settled onto John's bed, where both boys could see her, and told the story that still made her long to see Peter again.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl and her two brothers..."
~~~~~
After her story was over, she got up, kissed John and Michael one last time, and switched off the lamp. "I love you John, Michael." she whispered and then, checked that the window was unlocked, then carefully shut the door. Then she crossed the hall and entered the Lost Boy's bedroom.
"The little angels," she thought, seeing as how they had gotton into bed by themselves and were all sleeping quietly. They had put all their clothes into their trunks, and lined their shoes up next to the sides of the beds. She went over to each one of them in turn, and stroked their hair for a minute, and kissed their foreheads.
She approached Toodles in his sleep, and kissed his forehead. His eyes opened, and he drew Wendy into a child's hug and kissed her all over her face.
"I love you, Wendy." he whispered.
"I love you too, Toodles. Now go to sleep. Sweet dreams."
After she checked that the window was unlocked in there too, she crossed out of the room, turned in the doorway and looked at the boys. Her eyes misted as she thought of Peter and prayed that, wherever he might be that night, that he was safe and still happy in his boyhood. She went back to her own room, and, like all the nights before for a year and a half, she sat next to the window and looked for the second star to the right, her hands pulling out the chain with Peter's kiss on it. She held the acorn button as she located the star.
"Goodnight, Peter. I love you, and my kiss still belongs to you, and it always will." she called, quiet as a prayer, to the star. Then she got up, double-checked that the window was unlocked, and got into bed, falling into a deep slumber.
Unbeknownst to her, Peter Pan was not currently second-star to the right, and straight on 'till morning, but hovering right outside her house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviews! Please! I'll try to begin the actual story ASAP. Let me know what you think!
luv, hugs, and kisses, Kathryn