Thank you all for sticking with me. Comments are welcome!
Earlier that night:
Peter left the clearing disgusted. He had made the understanding of the island and the lake his life's work for the past 10 years. And now at his most desperate he could not threaten, beg or cajole an answer out of the water. Now that she was awake and it was clear that she wanted to return to London that is what he would try to do. Once Wendy had been told her story and she was safely in Slightly's care he threw himself from the tree and blazed toward the mountains. He had spent the last many hours trying different questions to try to pry the secrets from the pool. Nothing had worked. He had only one option left.
The setting sun was a perfect backdrop as the sky burst into shades of his anger. He would later wonder if he had ever flown as fast as he did at that moment as he hurled himself toward the coast. What was normally a half hour journey at full speed took but a few minutes.
"Hook!" He bellowed once the ship was in sight.
He stopped midair a few feet above the aft deck. He did not have long to wait before the disheveled Captain came running up the stairs to meet him.
"Is she alright?" He pleaded breathlessly.
"She is fine, but she is also none of your concern. How did you do it James?" He asked throwing away the formality of his title.
Hook gripped the railing of the ship with his good hand and slowly ground his hook into the polished wood. He looked as if he was in deep pain.
"That, boy, is none of YOUR concern."
Peter was overcome by a deep desire to run him through. But this man had information and that if nothing else was worth keeping his alive. For now.
"I don't know what you were thinking bringing her back here. You know as well as I she does not know any of this anymore." He said gesturing toward the island. "What did you hope to accomplish?"
"I have my reasons, one of which affects all that linger here. I believe that bringing her back will stop time again."
Peter's vision started to blur before he realized that he had stopped breathing.
"How?" He asked in a whisper.
"The island needs her. Almost as much as you and I seem to need her. I think the island began a period of unrest when she was barred from returning." He said with a pointed look. "I theorize that now she is back it will be content and stop changing."
"You have no proof of this."
"No I do not. But there was a small window of opportunity to test the theory and the only way was to bring her back."
"Can you bring her back to her world?"
At this Hook scoffed. "Why on earth would I want to do that?"
"For her sake! She is frightened and you have ripped away everything she knows!" He yelled.
Hook bowed his head in shame and ran his fingers through his unbound hair. "I had hoped to speak to her when she arrived. I had hoped…"
"You had hoped what?" Peter asked after a pause.
"Nevermind." Hook drew himself up once more. "I may be able to return Wendy to London, but not yet. I will need to calculate when if ever the path will be open to us again. And I warn you if it is even a possibility, it will come at a great cost."
"I will pay it, whatever it is."
"No you cannot. You see when you made your horrid rash decision to bar the way back to Wendy it seems you instated some caveats that you did not realize. You cannot return to London. Nor can I, now. It seems the way is only open to those who have never been there before. Therefore you, me, my crew and I daresay your band of miscreants are also barred."
"Find a way back and I will find someone who can take her."
"The mermaids and the natives do not fly Pan."
"I will find someone." He said through gritted teeth.
"Fine. I will try. But not for you."
"Now promise to leave her alone. She is having a hard enough time being back here without looking over her shoulder in fear of you."
"I would never intentionally harm her. But once again for her sake I will promise. On one condition."
"What is that?"
"That you will deliver something to her from me." Hook's discomfort at asking Peter for a favor was evident.
"What makes you think she will want anything from you."
"Why not let her decide for herself."
"If it will keep you away, you have my word."
From the sleeve of his crimson jacked he pulled a large scroll with his seal emblazed on the side. He held it out in the air. Peter snatched the thing from his hand.
"I care for her as much as you, perhaps even more." Hook sneered dropping his hand.
"Doubtful." Was Peter's retort before he flew back into the darkening sky.
He did not return at once to the tree. He sat on a high cliff overlooking the bay. But he did not see the graceful waves, nor did he notice how late it was becoming. He stared at the seal on that potential bomb made of paper trying to will it out of existence. Finally he stood, he had given his word to deliver this, and if he was to be worthy of Wendy he needed to be the man she would grow to care for, not the boy she had forgotten.
The next morning:
Wendy had slept deeply despite her conflicted feelings upon reading the letter and had woken late. She was somewhat embarrassed to notice how high in the sky the sun was when she finally opened her eyes. She dressed for the day in a flowing green dress. She tucked the necklace and thimble into a small pocket sewn into the dress. While she wanted it with her she was not sure she was ready to discuss the implications of the gift with Peter. She then had a cup of tea and pondered what to do. So far she had been fetched every time she had left her room. Perhaps she could call for someone. She opened her door and stepped into the warm morning. Sunlight glinted off Peter's hair as he sat comfortably at the end of the branch, softly playing his pan flute. Noticing Wendy he stood with a slight bow.
"Good morning Peter. You haven't been waiting for me long have you?"
"Waiting for you has never been a hardship Wendy." He said this with such sincerity Wendy could not doubt his words.
Blushing wildly Wendy accepted his outstretched hand and was lifted into his arms.
"I thought we might get something to eat before starting on our tour of Neverland. I have told the mermaids that I would bring you by if you were feeling well enough. Then we can visit the mountain pool before the day is complete. Does this sound amenable?"
"That sounds wonderful."
Peter flew them directly to the place they had eaten the night before. Tootles was the only one there and was busy in the kitchen. They sat at the table and ate fresh berries and some delicious nut scones. Tootles joined them for the meal and spoke with Peter about his latest harvest. It was comforting to Wendy watching how much interest Peter took in his friends' efforts. The twins had left medicine to help her with the pain through the morning. When the meal was over and they had helped clear the table, Peter again offered his hand and they were soon flying high into the sky. Soon they hovered high enough that the whole island was spread out before them.
Wendy found herself clinging tightly to his neck as she tried to estimate how high above the sea they were. In an attempt to comfort her Peter tightened his grip around her waist and legs.
"To the far right on that high ridge is the Piccaninny Tribe encampment. Their territory extends all the way down to where the bay begins. That is the mermaids' lagoon. They have almost no use for actual land so they keep to just that small area. On that ridge right in front of us is the Never Tree. The rock that the tree grows from is not actually connected to the island; it made it the perfect place for us to settle in the beginning since only those who can fly can reach it."
"Not everyone in Neverland can fly?" Wendy had taken for granted that it was akin to walking for all that lived here.
"Not initially. Since you left almost everyone can fly now. But before you arrived only the fairies and I could."
"Why did it change?"
"I believe it has something to do with the general change the island undertook. Because I changed and grew the magic on the island did as well. The magic grew thick and fairy dust became unnecessary for flight. All you need now is happy thoughts and the will to fly. I would be happy to teach you if you would like." Peter smiled at her.
"Oh my I would be happy to try but I fear I would never learn." She said in surprise.
"You were once a very natural flyer, I have no doubt it will come back to you in no time at all."
It would be nice to no longer burden everyone with her transportation. And flying on her own was a very intriguing thought. She nodded happily in agreement. Peter then continued pointing out areas on the island. He showed her that toward the back of the island was where they huge snow capped mountain range began. In the middle of the island stood a solitary mountain out of which streamed a grand waterfall. That was where the fairies lived.
"And that to the far left is Buccaneer Point. That is where Hook moors the Jolly Roger."
Wendy recognized the cove from the map Hook had given her. She stared at the ship on the sapphire water and wondered if she should tell Peter what was said in the letter. Before she had the chance to make up her mind Peter broke her reprieve with a question.
"Shall we go visit the mermaids now?"
Wendy lit up at the prospect. For all her years she was still fascinated by the idea of them. "Yes, please." She beamed.
He began their decent toward the lagoon.
"There are 5 mermaids here. Their leader is Nerida then there is; Sereia, Atargatis, Coralie and Seraphina. They are difficult to understand sometimes. Our language is certainly not their native language. But they will try hard to help you understand. Although mermaids are vain creatures, you won them over when last you were here. They count you among their greatest and few friends."
"How remarkable. Is there any way I can tell them apart? I would hate to insult them by not knowing them when they consider me such a close friend."
"They are aware of your lack of memory and understand but there is an easy way to tell them all apart. They each have different colored hair and tales. Nerida is green, Sereia is pink, Atargatis is yellow, Coralie is purple and Seraphina is blue. But truly, they will not be offended if you do not know them yet. They are eager to become close once more."
Peter landed on a huge rock and they were almost immediately surrounded by 5 bobbing heads. While he had told Wendy about their hair color Wendy was unprepared for the beauty of their jewel toned hair. They were pale and ethereal looking with pointed ears and large eyes. All were smiling brilliantly. Wendy turned her attention to the green headed beauty and said "Hello Nerida, thank you for welcoming me." At this she broke into laughter and climbed upon the rock to embrace her long lost friend.
Wendy and Peter spent a large part of the day with the mermaids. They swam in the crystal water and basked on the clean white sand. The mermaids showed Wendy as much as they could of their homes under the waves while helping her learn to hold her breath longer. They had built beautiful spaces of coral and decorated with other trappings from the sea. Wendy had a wonderful time and was grateful to add such kind women to her expanding group of friends in Neverland. When Peter told them it was time for them to leave they made her promise to return soon and gifted her with a bracelet of perfect blue pearls. She embraced them all one last time before joining Peter to fly back toward the tree. She waved to them until she lost sight of them through the trees.
"Thank you Peter, that was a lovely visit."
"You are welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it so much. Are you still feeling well enough for a visit to the pool?"
"Oh yes I am feeling quite well."
"We will stop by the tree first if that is alright, if we are going to head into the mountains you may want to dress more warmly. Also the twins will want to check on you and I am sure that lunch will be ready when we arrive."
"It would be nice to change into something dry. Will it be very cold where we are going?"
"It will be at least for a time. Flying over the mountains will be chilly but once we are by the pool the temperature warms."
Back in Wendy's room she surveyed her clothing. She changed into a long sleeved deep blue dress and grabbed a long white cloak. Having no pockets in this dress she slipped the chain over her head and tucked the thimble into the neckline of her dress. She rushed back out to Peter energized by the events of the day. They flew down to join the others for lunch. She sat with Peter and Slightly and talked more about her life back in London as she ate her vegetable stew and bread. The twins changed the bandages on her wrists and were hopeful they could be removed in a few days. They were satisfied that the wound on her head was healing quickly to remove the linens from her head.
Once more Wendy found herself in Peter's arms as the set off into the sky.
"Thank you." His voice was thick with emotion and it took her off guard.
"For what?" She asked surprised.
"For accepting my gift." He glanced toward her chest where the thimble had become un-tucked from her neckline.
"Peter, I…" She began.
"No, please. I know it does not mean to you what it means to me. But I am happy that you like it enough to wear it." He replied with a sad smile.
Though Wendy wished she could sooth him, she had no reply. They flew in silence for some time. As the first foothills appeared below them Peter hesitantly broached the topic Wendy had been anticipating but also feared.
"I visited the pool yesterday to see if there was a way I could bring you home. It gave me no answer. Though I am happy beyond measure that you are back I am sure living here was not what you would have chosen for your life. I am hoping that if you ask the water for a way home it will give you answers that it denied me. I am so very sorry to put such a burden on you. But I do want you to know that if there is no way home for you we will all do whatever we can to make your life here a happy one."
"Thank you, I will ask. And if there is no way, back, I would be honored to live with such a fine group of men." She said this with a smile though her heart was pounding at the prospect of having to ask such an important question of a magic she did not understand.
Without meaning to Wendy snuggled into his chest. She did not know quite what she was seeking. She told herself it was warmth, as the air had chilled considerably. But she knew more than that she was looking for comfort and a connection she could not help but feel even though she did not remember it. Peter responded instantly and held her close to his heart.
They landed in a small thicket of pine sagging with snow.
"The lake is just through there." Peter said gesturing at a small path carved into the white ground.
"You are not coming?" Surprise flooded her.
"The pool is, particular. It seems to only allow one person to interact with it at once. Just kneel at the edge of the water and ask your questions out loud. The surface of the water will give you your answers. Just don't touch the water. Strange things have happened to those who have." Peter reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Alright ask, look but don't touch." Wendy said with a smirk. Peter nodded as she turned and strode down the path reluctantly letting her fingers untangle from his.
She did not look back at the man waiting for her. She was afraid that if she did she would lose her nerve. Wendy walked out of the trees into a clearing and was surprised to find grass growing and the air warm. She shed her cloak and set it in the grass. Before her was a perfectly round lake. It was small, she would have been able to circle the water in less than half an hour. The water seemed to hum with energy. If wisdom could be tamed into liquid form, Wendy felt it would look like this.
She walked through the ankle high grass to the edge of the water and knelt down. Leaning forward she looked into the depths of the bank. Clearing her thoughts she listed what she wanted to ask the water.
"Is there a way for me to get home?" She asked in a wavering voice.
Ripples formed over the surface, translucent images began to form. She saw flashes of a white beach, an image of Peter smiling. His expression suddenly changed and the sky turned black with his rage. She then saw a speck of light speeding into the clouds. Suddenly Wendy heard a voice in her mind clear and strong.
"There will be, but not until the correct choices are made." The water went blank.
"Wait! What does that mean?!" She pleaded but all the water would show her was her reflection.
A tear crawled down her nose as she composed herself. As frustrated as she was she had other questions to ask.
She cleared her throat and spoke again. "Is Michael alright?"
The water shifted and the water showed a bored looking boy shifting through paperwork at a small desk. He perked up in apparent hopefulness and someone walked by but slumped down again when he was not acknowledged. Sighing heavily he began to pound away at a typewriter.
"He is well and whole, and will remain so." The voice washed over her like a spring breeze.
She sat back on her ankles and turned her face toward the sky. Michael was unhurt. And he was going to stay that way. In her happiness she almost decided to not ask the final question that weighed on her mind.
She steeled herself, looked into the water and asked. "May I see where John rests?"
The water churned and Wendy was met with a confusing image. A bright room with injured men lay before her. The water focused in on a heavily injured man being tended by a lovely blonde nurse. Most of the man's face was hidden by bandages but when the nurse spoke he opened his eyes to look at her. Wendy's heart stopped beating in her chest. She would recognize those soft brown eyes anywhere. Unconsciously she reached for the image as a drowning man reaches for a life raft. She remembered Peter's warning the moment her fingertips entered the clear water.
The jolt froze Wendy to the spot as her body shook with the power of the pool. She was powerless to move or speak. All she could do was wait for it to stop as she convulsed with the terrible energy. When it was finally over, she fell to her back on the soft grass staring blindly into the sky. In this moment she knew only three things; Michael was safe, John was alive, and she remembered everything…