"Millicent must have already taken her off!" Daniel added, his voice filled wit both anger and frustration. The two men had been so caught up in their anger that they were surprised when Danny finally spoke. "Father, what are we to do know?" the little boy asked sadly.
Peter watched as tears started flowing down the young one's cheeks. Sadness suddenly replaced his anger, as Peter pulled his son in for a tight hug, Danny's arms instantly wrapping tightly around Peter. He gave a smile, remembering that Danny hadn't wanted either of his parents' help, too stubborn like his father, Wendy has always said.
The only other time that Danny ever needed his parents' comfort was when the haunting noises began appearing on the island, along with the eerie fog. Danny had come running in the room, tears streaming down his face. Instantly hopping on the bed between them, and buried himself deep within the furs. It took a while to calm him down, but he slept with them the rest of the night.
A small smile came to Peter's lips as he remembered that night, both Danny and Wendy were a bit frightened, but he tried to reassure them as best he could. Peter began rubbing Danny's back in comfort as he felt his son tighten his hug. "Everything will be alright Danny, I promise" he soothed.
"Maybe the Darlings have any ideas on where Millicent is!" Daniel suddenly interjected, having suddenly been forgotten for the moment. Peter thought for a moment, remembering the boys once telling him of the tricks they would play on the potential suitors that would come to see Wendy.
Peter also remembered how Mr. Darling was so angered at the thought of them getting married, the first time they announced it. "Yes, that's a good idea!. They must know something!" Peter said proudly, shooting a thanking smile to his old time friend.
Quickly, they began to make their way through the busy streets of London. The crowds now a bit less then what they were at noon, but still there was no sign of either Millicent or Wendy. They made it to the house a few minutes later, all three boys suddenly bursting through the doors.
At first, the house seemed relatively empty. Peter searched the entry room, and the living room, but there was no sign of anyone. "You two go upstairs to the nursery and find the boys!" Peter began instructing to the other two. "Tell them what happened, and bring them down here, I'll see if I can find the parents!" Peter said, the two nodding in responce and then hurrying up the stairs towards where Danny learned to be the famous nursery.
Peter began his search downstairs. "Mr. Darling?" he called, hoping that the man was still somewhere's in the house, he'd know the most information about the crazed aunt. However, it wasn't a gruff low toned voice that answered him, instead it was a sweet, high one. "Boys?. What is with all the noise?" Mrs. Darling's voice rang out through the hall from the kitchen.
Peter shrugged, it was the best they'd got right now. He wished it to be Mr. Darling but he also knew that Mary Darling had almost just as much experience with the lady than her husband. Footstep clung through the hallways as she came closer, the sweet smell of whatever she was baking, radiating off of her.
Mary Darling's first intent was the stairs, thinking that the boys had broken another lamp in the nursery. However, she stopped once she caught sight of Peter. "Oh, your home!" she greeted happily, yet somewhat surprised.
She was about to extend her question when she was suddenly caught off guard by Peter suddenly lunging forwards.
"We've found her!" he said, suddenly coming face to face with the woman.
Mrs. Darling's face turned from surprised to confused. "Who, dear?" she asked curiously, wondering if this was all another one of the games he and the boys had played once. "Wendy!" Peter continued. "We saw her walking down the street with Millicent!" Peter said, wanting to take hold of the woman and shake her.
Mary's eyes suddenly widened with surprise. "She does have her!" se suddenly whispered, but the moment was suddenly gone when the boys could be heard thundering down the stairs, along with Danny and Daniel.
"You said you found her?" Nibs suddenly questioned, wooden sword still firmly in hand from when they were playing.
"Yes, but I'm afraid that your aunt has her" Peter said sadly, watching as all the boys' faces suddenly darkened with sadness and surprise. "Then we must go and get her back!" Michael suddenly cried, his weapon also in hand. "But we can't just expect to barge in there and expect our aunt to just hand her back!" said Curly. "She must still want revenge for the little spat the two of them had here in the kitchen!" Mrs. Darling added.
"Then she'd be wanting revenge!" Nibs said, sounding quite agitated. "But the one thing I want to know!" Tootles suddenly butted in. "How did she get to Neverland and caught her?" he asked, concern now spreading to all their faces as an uneasy silence now took over the group.
"What if Hook is back?" Michael suddenly spoke, causing the silence and concern to thicken. "No, I would have known something already" Peter dejected the idea quickly. "Besides, we already got rid of him twice now!"
he continued somewhat angrily. "Well, what about the haunting noises we've been hearing on the island?" asked Danny, his little mind thinking up dangerous things that could happen.
"No, not that either!" Peter cried suddenly angered. "We would have heard them here in London if they did!" Peter explained. The group was once more put to silence as they begun to dig in deep to think of how Millicent had gotten to Wendy in the first place. Peter suddenly let out a cry of frustration. "I wish Mr. Smee could help us with this!" he suddenly cried. "He'd know everything and everyone on the island like the back of his hand.
"Mr. Smee?" Mrs. Darling suddenly inquired. "Isn't he that professor that teaches specific mapping or something?" she asked suddenly. "He does continental mapping"Daniel explained. "For people who want to be on ships or study the sea and islands outside of England" he continued.
"Great!. He could still help us!" Peter cried. "Does he still teach at the Boys' Academy?" he asked excitedly. "Um no. He quit that job for a better one down at the university" explained Daniel. Peter watched as Daniel's face fell, and felt his own as well.
The boys had found that Mr. Smee had become their favorite of all their teachers. He put real excitement into teaching them the subject, Peter thought he also seemed to use real life experiences into the lesson. Peter had learned so much about the old first mate. He'd defiantly had under estimated the man during their many years of battle.
"It's not too much farther than the Academy" Daniel suddenly explained. "Ah!. But first we need to come up with a plan!" Peter suddenly burst in.
"We cannot expect Millicent to just hand over Wendy!" Curly also butted in."Then we'll come up with a great plan!. To the nursery!" Michael suddenly shouted, his wooden sword raised high into the air.
Mrs. Darling watched as all the boys suddenly began running up the staircase. "Wait!. I don't mean to be downhearted on your little plan" she began sadly. "But what if your outnumbered?" Mrs. Darling finished sadly.
All the boys looked at each other before Peter explained "Don't worry about it!. We'll be fine!", and with that, the boys begun back up the stairs.
The bell had rung only a few moments ago, but still the old man still seemed to have a million things to do. Mr. Smee gave a tired sigh as he noticed ho cluttered his desk had become. He couldn't remember when he'd had so much paper!.
Sitting down at his desk with a plunk, he began his helpless sorting. "Term papers!" he began, as he realized what they were. He gave another sigh.
"So much for my weekend!" he sighed, letting the paper he was holding gently drop to the cluttered desk. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. This time, Smee's sigh turned to frustration as he lifted himself from the chair. "If this is about that term project again Andy..." he began opening the door rather roughly.
However, he was taken by surprise once he was met with Daniel and Peter standing quite surprised in the doorway. "You give term projects Smee?" Danny asked. "What have they done to you?" he joked, as he and Peter let themselves inside.
Smee hadn't spoken yet, just stood there and let them inside. "You were never one for the homework Mr. Harper!" Smee joked back with a laugh, turning back towards the two. "How are my two favorite boys?" Smee suddenly said, reaching out and engulfing the two in a huge, brotherly hug. The two settled into it, and giving the aging man a great hug back.
"How's miss Wendy doing?.Good I should expect!" Smee asked, suddenly turning his attention to Peter. Peter's smile faltered a bit. "They were married and had a kid!" Danny suddenly blurted out, Peter suddenly lashing out and hitting his old friend with a slap on the arm. Smee gave a laugh. "Well I saw the wedding, I should know!" he began with a chuckle.
"But a child!. That is the greatest news in the history of all the island!" Smee explained simply. "And a great accomplishment!. Only the fairies have ever been known to reproduce, that is until you!" said Smee, giving the man a little nudge. Danny joined in and they began their fun little teasing. But remembering the seriousness of the situation, Peter suddenly shoved them off.
"Um, speaking of Neverland Smee!" Peter began suddenly. "There seemed to be these very strange things happening!" Peter explained. He told of the strange noises and the eerie fog thats surrounded the island for quite some time. Along with how they found out Millicent took Wendy and their pondering of how she'd done it.
"You've been on the island with the pirate crew for longer than even I have Smee!. Do you know anything about any of this?" Peter asked curiously. Smee stopped for a moment. "Peter, there seemed to be the dark magic coming back to the island!" Smee explained suddenly quite sad at the news. "Dark magic?" Danny and Peter said in unison. "As you know, the island cannot function without some evil and good balancing it out!" Smee stated, Peter agreed.
He'd remembered the fairies telling him that once, and the mention of "dark magic" seemed to have triggered something. "Well, there is also good magic and dark, or evil magic!" Smee explained. "...and since the final defeat of Hook, some of the dark magic had to take his place, but it seemed to have triggered something else!" Smee explained on.
"What kind of something else?" Peter asked, suddenly very worried. "The dark magic is controlled by the dead, they are another kind of pirate crew that came to the island!" Smee explained. "But then you came and so that complicated things!" he said.
"They wish to take over the island, but the fighting between you and Hook got in their way, and so they tried to stay loyal to Hook through the pirate alliance, but it was just made things harder" said Smee. "So thats the spooky noises and the fog?. They've come to take over the island since Hook's dead?" asked Peter.
"However, they knew you were to take over the throne once the fairies resigned!." said Smee. "So, they needed to get you off the island to take over!" Danny caught on. "So they must have somehow met up with Millicent and planned on kidnapping the queen!" Smee explained.
"Smee!. We need your pirating skills in order to get Wendy back!" Peter suddenly implied. The man suddenly became quite nervous. "But I haven't been pirating since I left the island!" Smee explained. "But don't you teach all those classes on ships?" asked Danny. Smee became silent as he thought his options through.
"Smee, this is not only about Wendy's safety, this is now about the whole safety of the whole island!" Peter suddenly screeched. Smee still didn't seem to confident. He truly did want to help but he didn't know if he still had the skills to do so. However, swallowing his pride, the boys were put to work.
Once they had finally arrived, Millicent thrust open Wendy's bedroom door and flung the tired and crying girl inside. Wendy landed on her bed with a soft plunk, she supported herself on her right side as she began to lift herself up slowly, never taking her puffy, red eyes off of the woman in the door way.
"How could you?" she screeched, now finally making it to her feet. "How could you have lied about something like that?" she yelled, Millicent standing unaffectionately in the doorway.
"I couldn't let you spend your life with them!" Millicent yelled back. "Is that how you were raised?. Your parents wouldn't have been happy!" Millicent argued. "My parents?. I don't remember them making such a big deal about it when they learned we were to be married!" Wendy shot back.
"But to lie like that, to my face!" Wendy began again." I didn't think you could sink any lower!" she yelled. Millicent was taken aback by this. "I have done nothing but try and support this family!. I have tried to do everything in my power to help you!" Millicent argued, her face turning bright red.
"By taking me away from my family and then lying about it?. I hardly call that helpful!" Wendy yelled. "Or are you more messed up then people say you are?" she shot. That was the last straw, Millicent suddenly bolted forwards and grabbed Wendy by the collar of her dress.
"I have been trying to help my family for so long over the years!" Millicent hissed into her face. "I've been there for your parents once they'd thought they'd lost you before!. And then, you go and do this!" she raised her voice for the momentum. "But I will not stand around here and let you destroy your life when you have so much more to give!" Millicent hissed, letting her niece go with a violent push.
"If you had any decency, you'd at least leave us alone!" Wendy argued once more, watching angrily as her aunt walked back towards the door.
That was it, Millicent came charging back, and suddenly back handed Wendy right in the cheek.
The woman fell to the carpeted floor with a loud thud. Fresh tears flooded her cheeks as she clutched her burning face in both anger and sadness.
Finally, after a few moments, she raised her eyes to meet her aunt's slowly. The intensity between just that eye contact could be cut with a knife.
"You will not be seeing them again!" Millicent said gently. "Understand?" , and with that she walked out of the room without an answer from her niece. She slowly closed the door, and locked it with her spare. She stood there for a moment and listened to the woman break down in tears, still lying on the floor.
Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the front door. With a sigh, and quickly straightening herself up a bit, Millicent gracefully walked down the narrow staircase, and to the front door. Upon opening it, a mischievous smirk came to her thin lips.
"I've been waiting for you!" she said sweetly. There, was her pirate crew, their enormous ship having barely being seen through the mist surrounding it, but you could defiantly know the place of the anchor. "We've gotten everything you've wanted!" said the pirate captain, handing Millicent a huge bag of jewels they'd just collected.
"Perfect!" Millicent smirked, looking briefly into the sack. "This should just be enough!" she said happily. "Now, if you don't need anymore of our assistance!" the pirate captain bowed low. "Then we best be off!" he said.
"You might want to stay for this!" a voice boomed from behind them. All of them turned in surprise to see the eight Darling boys, all with their weapons, this time the real ones. Along with Peter and Danny. "Where's Wendy?" Peter suddenly demanded.
"Sorry!" Millicent said, the smirk perking her lips. "She can't come out and play!" she retorted and began to shut the door, when she was stopped by a sudden arrow having buried itself in the wood. With a shriek, Millicent turned to look at the pirates and the boys suddenly facing each other.
Weapons tightly in hand, fire and anger burning in their eyes.
"This means war!" Peter declared, holding his sword up high. Both the boys and the pirates shouted their war cries into the air and thus began the battle that decided the fate of all.