CHAPTER IV - Off To Neverland

We now find out why Peter reacted so badly in the last chapter - and why he wants to take Elsa to Neverland with him.

Please R&R - and most of all, enjoy reading.

"Your hair!" he cried incredulously, leaping up.

"What?" said Elsa, shocked. She felt her head in case there was something perched on top of it that was causing Peter to fly away from her. "WHAT?"

"You - you -hair!" spat Peter, now backed against the ceiling. Tinkerbell zipped around like a lightning bolt,squealing and babblingfuriously.

"Why my hair?" demanded Elsa angrily, getting to her feet. "And what is wrong with you?"

"You have - but, oh my - Tink - you don't think -?" babbled Peter urgently, switching his address from Elsa to Tinkerbell.

The pixie jingled crazily, looping and twisting wildly in the air, seemingly frightened. Maelstrom crouched and wiggled his rear, eyes fixed on Tinkerbell. Celestria clawed at her grey brother to warn him not to do anything stupid, and Captain rebuked them both with a hiss.

Peter ignored both Tinkerbell and the cats, and instead frowned at Elsa. "You say you don't know your parents?" he repeated.

"Of course I don't! I've said, haven't I?" exclaimed Elsa, hoping that she wouldn't start crying again. She already felt a fool for bursting into hysterics the moment a strange boy and his pathetic fairy mentioned her mother and Neverland.

"Well - oh, come on, we've got no time to waste!" shouted Peter, seizing a by now dizzy Tinkerbell and flying towards Elsa, who ducked.

"Stay still!" commanded Peter, accompanied by a high-pitched squeal from Tinkerbell, who was dangling from his grip by her insubstantial green dress. "And you," he instructed the struggling pixie. She sighed and rolled her eyes, and Peter released her with another order:

"Pixie dust, Tink! Now!"

Obligingly, Tinkerbell sprinkled golden shimmering particles over an opened-mouthed Elsa. Some landed on the cats, who all sneezed violently. Maelstrom, who had been keeping an eye out for this likely-looking meal, saw the pixie dart above and his eyes lit up.

"Mal!" screamed Elsa. Celestria and Captain hissed wildly. Peter laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation, and Tinkerbell jingled.

For Maelstrom, aided by pixie dust and a very happy cat thought indeed, had risen into the air. He was now hovering about ten inches off the floor, his eyes still fixed on Tinkerbell. When he realised that he was not on the ground, he tumbled down with a yowl of surprise. Elsa leapt forward to catch the terrified cat, but was saved the trouble by Peter, who darted across with the speed of lightning and plucked Maelstrom from his fate.

"It's OK, kitty," soothed Peter, trying to restrain the cat. Elsa watched as Maelstrom, normally so collected, struggled and screeched. She held out her arms for the cat and Peter gave him to her, glancing ruefully at the scratches he had received for his troubles.

"What happened - and what's - " began Elsa, gawping at Peter.

"It's pixie dust - if you get sprinkled with it, and then think a happy thought, you can fly," explained Peter. He sounded a little hurt. "Don't you remember from the stories?" he asked in a small voice.

"I - " Elsa was about to say, "I don't, and I'd thank you for not mentioning those childish tales," but thought better of it when she saw Peter's dejected expression.

Then another odd thing happened - suddenly, she did remember something about a happy thought….something spoken in a gentle, mother-type voice…

"Think happy thoughts…"

"I think I do," answered Elsa, not looking directly at Peter and busying herself with placing Maelstrom on the floor. Peter grinned again.

"It's easy! Come on, then!" he urged excitedly, taking hold of her hand.

"But - but I can't leave them here!" cried Elsa, looking towards her cats, who stared back balefully. Captain strode forward boldly, meowing loudly as if to say, "You dare leave us behind."

"Well - they won't fly, will they?" Peter told her impatiently. "So come on - "

"No! Wait! I think I've got their harnesses and leads somewhere…wait a sec…" Elsa bustled off to rummage through her drawers. Peter rolled his eyes and turned to Tinkerbell to conduct a silent conversation.

"Do you think she is his daughter?"

"I'm fairly sure of it, Tink. Look at her hair! We need to take her to Neverland and make her our Mother, before Hook comes for her!"

"But - but you don't even know her name!"

"I can find out."

"Oh, Peter, you're so stubborn! Listen to me - she doesn't know who or what she is herself - what if you're wrong?"

"Just trust me on this, Tink."

"Oh! And while we're at it, how can you remember her mother and her stories? It was nearly fourteen years ago, Peter!"

"Well, she was born to be a Neverlander. She believed and - "

"But you've been thinking about her, haven't you, otherwise you wouldn't have remembered her and dragged me on this wild goose chase."

"You sound jealous. Tinkerbell…"

"Hmph."

"Tinkerbell?"

"Do you - do you think she's pretty?"

"That's why you're acting so strange! Don't sound so hurt, Tink! She would make a good Mother, but you still mean more to me than anything in this whole world."

"Thank you, Peter."

Captain and Maelstrom watched this soundless connection with suspicion. Celestria licked a foreleg absently.

"Ah - here we are!" announced Elsa, emerging from under her bed clutching a handful of velvety straps.

A few minutes later, the three cats were harnessed and leashed, and Tinkerbell re-applied the pixie dust to them and to a nervous-looking Elsa.

"Now - hold on tight to my hand and the cats and think a happy thought," instructed Peter.

"But - but I don't…" Elsa faded away. Did she possess any happy thought at all?

"Of course you do! Everyone has a happy thought! Well - except…" he broke off, then gazed intently at Elsa, who narrowed her eyes in uncertainty.

Elsa thought for a second. Then she remembered her mother's voice, and immediately she rose into the air, followed by three complaining, but securely harnessed, felines.

"Off we go!" cried Peter excitedly as the party, cats, children and pixie, soared out of the window. Elsa fought back a scream that was half-terrified, half-elated.

"Oh my God!" she gasped. "I - I'm flying!"

"Of course you are," snorted Peter, as if it would be stupid for anyone not to know they could fly.

"We've got a long way to go now - and I don't even know your name." Tinkerbell rang out in order to make Peter acknowledge the fact that it had been her who had pointed this out in the first place.

"My name is Elsa," replied Elsa. "And that is Celestria, that is Maelstrom, and the big black one is called Captain."

Peter threw a nasty look at Captain, who stared back icily. Peter shrugged and turned back to Elsa.

"Now, you see that star - up there." He pointed up to an immensely bright star, twinkling merrily and looking grandly beautiful amongst the other, seemingly duller, constellations.

"Yes?"

"That's the Second Star to the Right: the way to Neverland. And that's where we're headed!"

"Second star to the right - and straight on till morning!" gasped Elsa. "I remembered!"

"I knew you could!" cried Peter, laughter sparkling in his eyes. Tinkerbell tinkled joyfully. Elsa laughed and wept at the same time, tears glistening and falling to the world below as she sped ever closer towards her past.

And off they go…next chapter, "A Flash Of Red" will be here soon. Thank you once again.