Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan and the characters associated with it. I do own Alice and James, however. But I have to admit; they were both inspired by characters I don't own. Naturally. Oh, and a few more things I don't own: the Nintendo DS, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (and all the characters related to it), Anybody, Beautiful Soul, and Why Don't You Kiss Her? all by Jesse McCartney, and Color Blind by Matt White.
I feel bad for this chapter because I know I'm going to enjoy it the most. Compared to all the previous chapters, at least. I'm also sorry for bombarding you guys with things I don't own (and about a billion JMac references). But then again, this is a fanfic, so…
A side note for those who don't know much about Kingdom Hearts (actually, I'm not much of a fan, and I'm really frustrated cuz my emulator keeps lagging, so I can't play it): All you need to know about it is that Jesse McCartney voiced Roxas in the English dub of Kingdom Hearts. (And that Roxas looks a lot like Terence.)
I don't know anything about KH, so there probably won't be any spoilers. I hope…
The story so far: Alice and Terence spent most of the evening bonding. The next morning, Alice discovered that she brought her iPod and DS and recharged both so she could share them. After sharing a sweet moment with Peter, she was left confused about her own feelings for him. Coincidentally (perhaps?), she ran into Captain Hook who chatted with her about Peter. Apparently, Peter was something of a playboy around Neverland, and this changed Alice's view of him. She followed Hook to his ship for lunch, but was left alone in the captain's quarters with a mysterious presence about.
Logical Fallacy - When I started writing this, I knew there would barely be any reviews for this because, as you said, generally OC = Mary Sue. I dunno if it's hypocrisy or whatever because I think the same thing. But I'm afraid you might get disappointed with this chapter because Alice is kind of Suish here. Then again, she's actually quite Suish by my standards. I'll try litmus-testing her and if I have to change anything, well... at least you can expect character development. XD Thanks for the recommendation. I'll get to reading that when I have time.
Redrum
Summary: Alice is a teenager with normal teenager problems, except that she's another one of Wendy's descendants who get whisked off by Peter Pan. Will he be able to make her forget about Matt? Peter x OC, present generation. Disney-verse. Expect love triangles.
Chapter 8
James
Alice jolted in surprise and nearly dropped her cup when the figure behind her cleared its throat. She cautiously turned to the source of the sound and felt relieved when she found it was only a boy.
The boy was around the same age as her and Peter, though he might have been older by a year at least. He had an air about him that reminded her of Peter, but in a confusing way was also nothing like Peter. He was taller than Peter, but skinnier—lankier—as though not having as much to eat as any normal boy. His jet-black hair nearly covered his bright blue eyes (which was really a shame since they were quite a view). He wore the clothes of a cabin boy—a simple dirty white shirt and dark trousers—and his dark hair was tied in a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck.
It took a while for the entire image of the boy to register in Alice's mind that she could only gaze at him with her own blue eyes, mouth agape. She had to admit, at least in the back of her head—he was cute.
He broke the silence first, gesturing to the nearly empty dishes on the table. "Are you done with that?" His voice was already rather deep, and somewhat gruff, as compared to the Lost Boys and even Peter Pan. Unlike those boys who were still children, this boy was already a teenager.
"Yes, please." Alice leaned back to give him space to get the dishes.
A faint pink blush tinted her cheeks as the boy reached over to collect the dirty plates and cups. His shoulders were broader than Peter's and his arms, though thin and bony, had just enough muscle to make a girl swoon.
Shifting in her seat, she cleared her throat and looked up at him. "What's your name?"
He paused, as if in thought, before answering, "James."
"Are you Hook's son?" she asked, puzzled. She recalled that Hook's first name was James as well.
James raised his eyebrows incredulously and shook his head. "The hell? Of course not, I'm just their cabin boy."
"I see." Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you with Captain Hook? I'm sure Peter Pan would gladly accept you into the Lost Boys. Or… have you outgrown playing with younger kids?"
"It's not that." It seemed like a sigh, albeit a confusing one. "Smee found me, actually. And once you're one of the pirates, Pan would never take you in."
"Well, maybe you only think that because you've never tried," she suggested. "Just go up to him and ask him."
"Look, lady," he grunted, "I don't mean to be rude or whatever since you're the Cap'n's guest, but… it's better if you stop asking about this. Judging by your views of Peter Pan, you won't like what I'll tell you."
She was taken aback by his reply and decided to stop meddling. After all, they had just met, and she was in no position to ask about his life story. Instead she opted to help him with the dishes.
"Are you the only cabin boy?" she asked.
He was heading for the door by now, but he paused and glanced at her. "Now? Yeah."
"I'll help you," she said. "With the dishes, I mean."
"You're a guest," he stated bluntly, struggling to open the door. "Guests aren't s'posed to wash dishes."
Alice stood and went to the door as well. "You can't even open the door with all those dishes you're holding." She opened the door and smirked at him.
James only rolled his eyes and gave her a pair of glass cups to hold. "Fine, help me carry these."
Instead of going out to the deck, the boy turned to the left and led her to a set of creaky wooden stairs leading down to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty, however, as the cook had gone out to the deck. James went to the sink and set the dishes down, and Alice followed suit. They were alone.
"I take it you haven't been here long?" she asked as she grabbed the old sponge and soaped it. "The way you talk… you sound like someone from back home in—"
"America," he finished for her. "Yeah, Smee found me a few months ago… well, it would be months if time actually passed here. I was an orphan. Parents just died in a fire."
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I—I didn't know…"
"It's fine," he mumbled. "Honestly, sometimes I wish I'd just gone with Peter Pan and gotten it all over with. Instead I chose to stay here, and Hook's kept me a secret from Pan and the Lost Boys ever since."
That was an odd thing to say, she thought. "Why?"
He paused again, eyes widening as if he said something he shouldn't have. "It's nothing. Shouldn't you be going back to your boyfriend? Peter might get lonely." He rolled his eyes again.
"He's not my boyfriend," she snapped with her own roll of eyes. Alice set the dishes down on the counter and put all her attention to James. "I understand you all must hate him for—well, whatever Hook hates him for, but—"
He made a sound between a grunt and a growl. "I have my own reasons not to like him," he muttered. "But if you're so concerned about the rumors, why don't we consult the source themselves?"
"The source?" she repeated.
His answer was ominous, as though foreshadowing some important turn of events. "The mermaids."
She hesitated. "But the Lost Boys told me that the mermaids would drown anyone—except Peter, probably."
"They don't try to drown him because they like him," he explained. A smirk formed on his pale lips when the girl beside him raised her eyebrows in agreement. "I'm a guy, too, y'know. It's worth a shot."
"Fine, but…" she murmured reluctantly, "if it doesn't work, we make a run for it, ayt?"
He raised an eyebrow at her and scoffed. "Are you doubting my manly charm?"
"Why doubt something if it doesn't exist?" she retorted with a cheeky grin. Before James could reply, she changed the subject. "Anyway, would Hook allow you to leave the ship?"
"There's not much going on right now," he said. "I think it's ayt as long as I come back in one piece. And as long as I can still swab the deck." He set the dishes down beside the sink and headed for the door. "C'mon, I'll show you where the mermaids live."
Mermaid Lagoon was a beautiful little area in the vast island of Neverland, where mermaids bathed and sang their hearts out. They rarely had visitors apart from Peter Pan, and in those rare times that they did, the visitors couldn't leave to tell the tale.
Naturally, James and Alice couldn't just saunter in and chat with the scaled maidens; they had to be stealthy. The two teenagers hid in the bushes as they whispered their plan to each other.
"So how exactly are you going to charm those pretty ladies while hiding in a bush, Captain?" the brunette asked skeptically with a hand on her waist.
"The head-on method," he replied with a grin. "Apply directly to the forehead," he added.
Alice opened her mouth to retort, but her companion had already rushed out of the woods and into the lagoon. He had on his best smile and tried to speak in a charming, almost flirty tone. Though he clearly wasn't used to it, it seemed to be working.
"I take it this is Mermaid Lagoon," he said loud enough for the mermaids to hear.
A black-haired mermaid with matching black eyes turned to him and smiled. "Hi, handsome," she greeted. "Well, there are mermaids here, aren't there? That alone should be enough of an answer."
"Brains and beauty," he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Well, since my little icebreaker wore off pretty fast, I'll get straight to the point with you ladies. I'm sure you've heard of Peter Pan."
"Oh, Peter!" a blonde mermaid squealed excitedly. "He's the dreamiest thing ever, isn't he?"
"Those mysterious, dark eyes," a redhead swooned and rolled over a protruding boulder in the water. "His soft red hair—"
"That smile!" a brown-haired one murmured. "Oh, his smile is definitely the best in existence."
The raven-haired mermaid joined her kin and swooned as well. "He visited us just the other day," she sighed dreamily. "He was such a gentleman."
James only stood rooted to his spot, mouth agape at all the mermaids around him who almost seemed aroused by the mere mention of Peter Pan's name. He glanced back at the bush where Alice had been hiding and noticed it rustling. The brunette emerged from the leaves looking as if she would be the one to drown the mermaids instead of the other way around.
"That womanizing prick!" she shrieked.
She was clearly headed away from the mermaids, but she still caught their attention. It was then that they began yelling and screaming incoherently and splashing her with water from the lagoon. However, the human girl was preoccupied with her thoughts and only managed to yell curses and swears after each splash.
"Hey—" James called out to her. He didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he grabbed the girl and carried her in his arms. Though she was soaked from the splashes, he also noticed that she was crying.
As he ran through the woods with the sobbing girl in his arms, she struggled to break free from his grip. It was a weak struggle, but he immediately let her go.
"Look, princess," he began, "I know Peter Pan's this dreamboat or whatever to you—"
"It's not that," she hiccupped through her sobs. "Matt… he—he—I can't believe he—I haven't… I promised myself I wouldn't cry over something so stupid!"
"If there's something I learned living in the streets before I was taken to Neverland," he sighed, stroking her honey-brown locks, "it's that it's okay to cry." He cleared his throat. "Now, c'mon, I have to take you back to the Lost Boys."
"But I thought they weren't supposed to know you…"
"I'll hide," he answered with a grin, offering his hand to her.
Surprisingly to James, Alice took his hand and let him lead her through the woods. When they reached the river, he let her take over the journey since he didn't know where Peter and the Lost Boys lived.
But as they neared the treehouse, James made his leave, not wanting to see Peter Pan face-to-face. Though Alice still didn't understand why her new friend wanted to avoid Peter at all costs, she made no attempt to keep him from leaving. Instead she continued to the treehouse, her sweater still soaked and her eyes still puffy from crying.
As she climbed the base of the tree, a pair of rabbit ears appeared on the wooden fence on the treehouse. Nibs poked his head out and gazed down at the girl.
"It's Alice!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. He turned around to call the other Boys. "Alice is back!"
He repeated this statement several times, his voice diminishing with each repetition. The other Lost Boys echoed it, the most distinctive being the Twins since they spoke at the same time. Soon they were climbing down the tree that held up the treehouse and flocking over Alice. First came Nibs and the Twins, and Cubby followed, giving Alice a huge bearhug. Slightly soon emerged, carrying Tootles on his shoulders. When Peter appeared and floated down to the crowd of children, Alice ignored him the best that she could.
"Where've ya been, Alice?" the Cubby asked.
"Yeah," one of the Twins nodded.
"You disappeared right after breakfast," the other Twin finished.
She smiled at all the commotion over her return and decided to distract herself with the Lost Boys rather than think of what had happened. She was able to cry, and that was enough for her. Now she had to enjoy with the Boys and ignore Peter so it wouldn't hurt. After all, he was just a reflection of Matt, it seemed.
"Do you guys know what a video game is?" she asked, her big blue eyes twinkling with excitement.
The younger children looked up at her and shook their heads.
"Games?" Nibs repeated. "Well, we know what games are, and games are fun!"
"Well, video games are games that are played with…" She paused. "… on a screen? I'm not really sure how to explain it to kids who don't even know what a TV is. Uhh, yeah, I'll just show you."
She gestured for them to follow her back up the treehouse. When they reached the main room, she showed them her DS. She wasn't able to bring all her game cards since she left most of them in her home in the States. Fortunately, she brought her favorite game, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
"That doesn't look like a game," Cubby stated skeptically when he saw the DS. "It's just some ol' box."
Alice grinned. "You'll see."
The Lost Boys all gasped in amazement at the glowing screen when Alice turned the DS on. It was expected of them to be surprised, but her reaction became a bit of a shock to the Boys. Alice was quiet when the first cutscene played, but she suddenly started squealing in the next cutscene that followed—a conversation between Axel and Roxas.
"Oh my God, why is Roxas so cuuuute?" the brunette shrieked excitedly.
The Boys stared at her, visibly scarred from her deafening screech. The racket once again caused Terence and Tink to emerge from their room. Upon seeing the sparrow-man, Alice put down her DS and glanced at the two fairies.
"Terence," she called, "come look at this. It's a video game character voiced by Jesse McCartney!"
She returned to the DS and showed the cutscene to Terence.
'That's odd,' Tink murmured, floating just over Alice. 'The boy with blonde hair sounds exactly like you, Terence.'
"He even looks like him!" Slightly exclaimed before breaking into a high-pitched giggle.
Cubby, who sat beside the boy in a fox suit, scratched his chin as though in deep thought. "Maybe he's actually another Terence stuck in that box."
Terence stared at them all, mortified. He initially refused to look at Alice's game, considering what traumatizing activities she put him through the previous night. (A/N: She made him rap, remember?)
'There's only one me!' he scoffed. 'Maybe this is just a really big coincidence.'
Alice seemed too engrossed with playing to take part in the conversation. But after the first few seconds of silence, she paused the game and looked up. "I have this conspiracy theory that Terence is secretly Jesse McCartney," she declared. "He even raps like him." She stared at the blonde sparrow-man. "I'm right, aren't I? Admit it, Jesse!"
'What?' he replied in exasperation. He honestly had no idea what the girl was talking about.
Unfortunately for the dust-talent, nobody paid any attention to his disgruntlement as Alice continued her game. None of the children even noticed when Peter entered the room. Alice, however, caught a glimpse of him through her peripheral vision and paused the game. She turned to the Lost Boys and offered her DS.
"Who wants to try playing?" she asked in a noticeably miffed tone. "I'm pretty tired from my, uhh… walk earlier, so I'm gonna go take a nap or whatever."
Since Cubby was the closest to her, she handed it to the large Lost Boy.
"Just button-mash or whatever," she muttered. "Press the buttons. You'll get used to it eventually."
Without another word, she exited the scene and went off to her room. She went straight to her makeshift bed and took off her damp sweater. But instead of taking a nap as she had told the Lost Boys, she took her iPod out from her bag and began scrolling through the songs, looking for the one best suited for her current mood.
The Lost Boys paid no heed to their cranky mother, assuming that she really was just tired. But Terence was quick to notice that something was wrong. He excused himself from Tinkerbell, even stating that he was worried about Alice, and walked all the way to her room.
'Alice,' he called in a soft, gentle tone, 'are you okay?'
She glanced at him and shifted her eyes back to the iPod. "You noticed, huh?" she mumbled.
'Tink gets like that, too, sometimes,' he said as he made his way to the bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but he noticed his surroundings and his mouth hung open in shock. 'This room's a mess!' he exclaimed.
"Uhh…" She looked around her. "Thanks for noticing."
She watched as the little sparrow-man began walking around to tidy up the room. It was most amusing to watch him struggle with the sheets, but she decided to stand up and take over for him. She folded the sheets and looked expectantly at the brown-clad boy.
He noticed her gaze on him and continued the conversation. 'A—anyway, what's wrong?'
The girl sighed and ran a hand through her light brown hair in annoyance. "It's Peter…" she admitted. "Y'know, he treats me like I'm the most special girl he's met…"
'Yeah,' he nodded with a knowing smile, 'I've seen the way he looks at you.'
Alice paused, her azure eyes fixed on the sparrow-man's smile. When he smiled like that, he really looked like Jesse McCartney. He even made her hear J-Mac songs in her head. But she quickly snapped from her daze and cleared her throat.
"It's not that. When I went out, I heard some…" She paused again, this time to think of how to word her explanation. "Well, they weren't exactly rumors. Basically, I heard some people talk about him."
'And?'
"Apparently, he's a real ladies' man," she scoffed bitterly. "He supposedly 'falls in love' with every girl he brings to Neverland, and he flirts with the natives here too. It's so frustrating."
'Are you completely sure about that?'
"I heard the mermaids talk about him themselves," she whined. "They kept going on and on about how dreamy he is. God, if I asked them to, I bet they would even come up with a ten-page essay describing all his features and what they like about each. And someone even told me about Peter's first kiss. I mean, for someone who denies that he's going through puberty—for someone who refuses to grow up and shit like that, he sure does a lot of grownup things!"
Then it was Terence's turn to pause. He thought about what to say and carefully worded his advice to her. 'Well, maybe this is something you should hear from him yourself,' he said. 'Maybe he doesn't mean to "flirt" with them, and the mermaids just happen to really like him.'
Alice looked at him unsurely.
'Talk to him about it.'
Terence stood up and walked back to the doorway. He took one last glance at the brunette sitting on the now-tidied bed and smiled reassuringly, before exiting the room.
As soon as the sparrow-man left, Alice turned back to her iPod and continued searching for songs. She soon settled on playing Jesse McCartney's Anybody, putting the iPod on its maximum volume so that it blared into her ears. Of course, she preferred it that way.
"She left me hanging by a thread again;
I stood there waiting like a fool for her.
I never dreamed that I'd be in this place,
But here I am alone.
It's not the first time that she's walked away.
And changed all our plans within the blink of an eye.
And looking back it's always been the same,
But I refused to see it all for what it was.
Has anybody ever felt this way?
Has anybody ever been ripped apart?
Anybody gave everything to the one they love?
Am I the only one left behind?
Am I the only one who hates goodbyes?
God, I know this can't go on forever."
A few seconds after the chorus ended, Peter appeared at the doorway. The green-clad boy grinned mischievously at her and tried to start a conversation.
"I though you said you were going to sleep," he laughed. "We can hear you from the living room, y'know."
She shot a glare at the redhead. "Oh, I'm sorry," she grumbled with constant rolls of her eyes. "Was I disturbing you, Peter?"
Thankfully, the boy noticed how she hissed her words at him—as though they were acid that would burn his skin upon contact. He cocked his head to the side and entered the room.
"Is something wrong, Alice?" he asked cluelessly.
"Nothing, nothing at all," she groaned sarcastically. "Whatever made you think that?"
He floated up and sat midair with his legs crossed. Then he looked at her and scratched the back of his head, perplexed with Alice's peculiar behavior. "Well, you just seem a bit irritated…"
She set her iPod on pause so there was a sudden silence, and she stood up. "You think?" she asked, her tone getting harsher by the second. "God no, I'm perfectly happy!" She pointed to a twisted grimace on her face that was made purposely to exaggerate a forced smile. "Can't you see how big my smile is?"
Peter was taken aback by her reaction and landed on the floor. Then he slowly approached the bed and gently put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Tell me what's wrong, Alice…" he murmured.
Alice jerked away from him. "Peter," she started, but she paused to breathe deeply in an attempt to cool herself down. "Peter," she repeated, more calmly this time, "is it true that you—"
She stopped again to consider how odd the question would sound. Instead she opted to explain to him. "I met the mermaids today, which kind of explains that," she started, pointing to her sweater. "Before they tried to drown me, they were talking about you. Th—they really seem to like you, Peter. And they wouldn't like you so much if you didn't lead them on or anything. I mean… Peter, you flirt with them."
He said nothing. Alice couldn't tell if Peter's lack of a reaction was because he was guilty or because he felt that flirting with the mermaids was a normal thing. Either way, it meant that he did flirt with the mermaids.
"And it's not just that," she went on. "I found out that you wouldn't grow up if someone kisses you. And how do I know? Well, it's only natural, because you've already gotten your first kiss."
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came.
"Not just that, I even found out who the lucky girl was. One would think it was Mary or Wendy or Jane—any one of the girls you brought to Neverland. But no, it's a local. Tiger Lily kissed you first, am I right, Peter?"
"Yes, but—" He grabbed her by the wrists. "I don't see how that would upset you, Alice."
"Of course it would upset me!" she grunted. "How would you feel if I went out and flirted with every guy in Neverland?"
His thick eyebrows scrunched up and he crossed his arms. "As if you don't already do that," he mumbled.
"I mean, I know I'm not in, like, any position to be jealous or whatever, but you're a child, Peter, and I'm supposed to—wait, what?" She nearly choked on her own breath in the middle of her rant when she noticed what Peter had said.
"You do go around and play with other boys more than you play with me," he said, turning away to hide the faint blush on his cheeks. "It's kind of annoying…"
"Peter, are you—are you trying to tell me you're jealous of the other boys?" she asked.
He turned to glance at her for a split-second. "Slightly, especially," he murmured. "Y—you're always with him and—an' you even let him sleep here last night."
Her face went pale when she heard that last part. "Y—you wanna sleep here?" she repeated. "Peter, that's—no, just no. A—and besides, I'm only with him a lot because we have similar interests. We both like music."
She was already feeling better, but something inside her told her that she shouldn't let him off so easily. She crossed her arms as well. "Besides, that—that's nothing like what you did," she stammered. "The mermaids even told me that you went to visit them just the other day."
"They're my friends," he explained. "Of course I have to visit them. But you, Alice—you're something else."
Her cerulean eyes widened and she felt the blood rushing to her face, but she was quick to turn away from him. She calmed herself down by fiddling with her iPod on its minimum volume. "Yeah, I'm your mother," she snapped, "and I have to make sure you don't lead any girls on with your…" She cleared her throat. "… boyish charm."
"Lead girls on?"
"Make them think you like them a certain way," she said. "It's really annoying, and girls really hate it. I mean, they may not show it, but deep down—ugh, hate it."
Peter's feet lifted from the floor and he floated to the direction Alice was facing. "So you're not mad at me anymore?" he beamed.
She raised an eyebrow at him skeptically and ruffled his red hair. "Fine," she sighed. "But really, you're jealous of Slightly?"
"Well, y—you're always with him," the redhead whined. "It's supposed to be like this—" Landing again on the floor, he took her hands and clasped them within his. "—you're the mother and I'm the father. So how come you're always with Slightly instead of me?"
Alice chuckled. She knew Peter was still just a boy, but she could see that he was growing up as well, even though he himself didn't notice. When she looked at him, she could see two different sides to him—the boy and the teenager.
She was about to say something, but she accidentally raised the volume on her iPod. Her eyes widened as the second verse of Color Blind played between the two teenagers. The boy followed suit and stared at the pink iPod in the girl's hands, but his gaze shifted and he met her eyes.
"When you look at me that way,
Behind those eyes is what I crave.
I feel no weakness, hear no lie.
I see your reflection in a stranger's eyes."
It was peculiar how Peter only snapped out of his daze when the verse ended. He let go of her hands and turned around, scratching his head awkwardly. It was even more peculiar that he felt awkward—Peter was never awkward.
"The song seems to like you," Alice joked with a weak chuckle. "Anyway, I did mean it when I said I was gonna take a nap…"
He turned to her again with an inward gasp. "Of course, yeah, I mean—" He cleared his throat and continued with a more composed voice. "Yeah, I'll go back to my room. I was just—Alice, I'm really sorry."
"It's okay," she smiled.
She continued gazing at the boy until he disappeared into the hallway. When she climbed back into her bed with her lips curved into a smile, she thought of Peter—the warmth of his hands when he held hers, the gentle way he would take her by the wrists—
"Oh dear God," she muttered to herself. "I have to go home and kill myself for this."
Her eyes fluttered open and it was evening. She got out of bed and followed the closest source of light—a lone candle in the hallway. When she was close enough to the doorway, she turned her back to the candle and glanced at her rear in case she had a stain. Thankfully, her shorts were clean.
Clean. That reminded her—how long had she been in Neverland? She hadn't changed her clothes since, though she was able to wash her shorts and panties on her first day. Regardless, she was in serious need of a proper bath with soap, shampoo and conditioner. Her hair felt disgusting.
But she could only take such a bath elsewhere—that is, back on Earth and not in Neverland. That reminded her as well—her flight back home with her mother was coming up soon. She had but two days to return to London and pack for her flight back to the States where she would resume her life as though this was all a dream. It probably was.
By the time she snapped form her thoughts, Alice had already made up her mind about leaving Neverland.
She exited her room and went to Peter's doorway. She peeked in first to see if he was inside, and sure enough, the red-haired boy was asleep on his own makeshift bed. His head rested on his crossed arms on a pillow and his green cap covered his eyes. But when Alice neared him, her shadow covered him and he woke up. Peter lifted his cap slightly so he could glance at her, and sat up when he recognized the figure before him.
"Peter," she murmured, "can I sit?"
He nodded. "Of course. What's up, Alice?" he asked as she sat beside him.
She was reluctant to tell him. After all, they had just made up from a fight. "I… I have to go home, Peter."
"What?" he asked incredulously. "You can't. Alice, you're our mother now. We need you!"
"I have to go back to my family, Peter," she said. "My flight to the States is in two days, and I have school, and I—Peter, I can't stay here."
"Why not?" he pouted, honestly confused.
"I love Neverland," she started, "but I don't belong her. I know you might not want me to, but I have to grow up, Peter."
But she found she couldn't continue when she saw the sadness in Peter's brown eyes. She stared at her feet for a moment before looking up at him again with a reassuring smile.
"Don't give me that face," she said, caressing his cheek with her hand. "How about this: I'll give you my home address so you can visit me in the States whenever you want. And if I can get away with it, I'll even go to Neverland on weekends."
Then the boy's face lit up and he stood there beaming at Alice. "I've never been to the States before," he stated with a huge enthusiastic grin. "I wanna see your home, Alice!"
Her smile became uneasy and she sighed, inwardly smacking herself for even suggesting that. "Well, if you can survive my brother, why not?" she muttered under her breath. "A—anyway, first we have to find someone who actually knows how to get in the country."
Peter nodded. "I only know London," he stated, putting his hand under his chin as he thought. "What about the fairies?"
"Fairies?" she repeated.
"Yeah, some fairies go to London a lot," he explained excitedly. "I don't know much about it, but maybe we can ask Tink! There's gotta be a fairy who's been to the States!"
He took her by the hand and led her to Tinkerbell's room. The blonde fairy was at her workplace with a tiny wrench, tinkering with the music box. Terence, on the other hand, was hollowed out tree trunk, tidying up his friend's bed.
Upon entering the scene, Alice couldn't help but quip, "You start to wonder why he's cleaning up her bed; Tink doesn't look like she's slept much in it…"
When the fairy noticed Peter enter the room, she immediately dropped what she was doing and flew up with an excited smile. 'What's up, Peter?' she asked, blinking her bright eyes repeatedly.
"Tink, do you know any fairies who go to the States?" the redhead asked. "Alice has to go back soon and I wanna be able to visit her."
"The United States of America, that is," Alice corrected. "Although that's just the beginning—there are 50 states, so we have to look for someone who's been at least close to where I live."
The green-clad pixie shook her head and flew toward the human teenagers. 'I haven't been to Pixie Hollow in a while, so there might be some new fairies,' she said. 'Maybe they have been there.' She glanced at Terence.
'Well, there have been a lot of new fairies since Tink left,' the sparrow-man said, 'and we dispatch fairies to different places every year. If we don't have anyone who can go there, we might have contact with fairies in other areas—with fairies who don't return to Neverland regularly.'
"Places?" Alice repeated. "Like what kind of places?"
'Like London, Worcester, Burgundy, Venice—'
"Those are all in Europe," she said. "Do you know any areas farther away?"
He looked up and thought. 'Well, there's Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok… and on the other side, there's New York, Los Angeles—'
"There!" she interrupted. "NYC and LA—they're both in the US. Hey, cool, they're all acronyms. Anyway, if we can find fairies who've been there, chances are, Peter and Tink can look for my neighborhood, right?"
"Don't forget candles," Peter reminded.
"Candles?"
"You have to put candles on your roof at night so I can see where your house is."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"
The conversation was cut short when Tootles came running into the room with Slightly's guitar in hand, and the owner of said guitar chasing the little Lost Boy.
"Tootles, wait!" the older Lost Boy shouted before crashing into Peter.
As the two Boys recovered from their fall (with Peter giving Slightly a good, scolding glare), Tootles approached Alice. She assumed that he wanted her to teach him how to use it, but she was surprised when the little Boy began playing a tune on the guitar. Her eyes widened at the child's natural talent with the guitar—it was better than both hers and Slightly's combined. And oddly enough, Tootles was playing a song he'd never heard before.
"Hold up," she interrupted. "How does Tootles know how to play Beautiful Soul?"
"Wha?" everyone else in the room (excluding Tootles, of course) asked.
Alice approached Slightly, who was still getting mentally scolded by Peter, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "Exactly. I've never played that song here before, but Tootles already knows how to play with it." She paused. "Or maybe it was playing on my iPod while I was asleep and Tootles is some kind of… Mozart or something."
"Uhh, Alice?" Slightly mumbled as the girl hugged him.
"Sorry," she muttered. "Slightly's just really cute when Peter's picking on him."
"I wasn't picking on him!" Peter whined.
Amid the conversation, Tootles began playing Beautiful Soul again. Hearing the instrumental being played, Alice couldn't help but sing along to it.
"I don't want another pretty face.
I don't want just anyone to hold.
I don't want my love to go to waste.
I want you and your beautiful soul."
Her voice trailed away when she noticed everyone staring at her. "What?" she asked. "It's Jesse McCartney's best song!"
It was then that she thought of another brilliant idea. A mischievous grin formed on her lips and she stared maniacally at Terence. "And have I mentioned that Terence sounds exactly like him?"
'Oh no,' he mumbled nervously. 'You're not—'
"Oh, I am," she smirked.
"Am I crazy for wanting you?
Baby do you think you can want me to?
I don't wanna waste your time.
Do you see things the way I do?
I just wanna know that you feel it too.
There is nothing left to hide."
"C'mon, it's such a nice song," she pleaded with her big blue eyes. "Sing it as a goodbye song for me or something. If not for me, then for Tink. Pleeeaaaase?"
'But—but—'
"Tomorrow evening, then?" she giggled. "Before I leave." She turned to Slightly and handed him her iPod. "Teach him how to sing it. I want it to be a surprise for myself—sort of. Anyway, plus points, you get to use my iPod."
Before Terence could object—although he already tried twice—Alice grabbed Tootles and the guitar and ran out of the room. Peter, seeing as the conversation involving him was already over, waved goodbye to two fairies and made his exit as well. Then he heard the guitar being played outside and followed the sound to Alice and Tootles. The two were outside, both seated on the wooden floor and leaning on the railings.
"Y'know," she began, not sensing Peter's presence, "I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano. Captain Hook has one, and I think he can teach me. But Peter would never let me."
"You'd let that codfish teach you to play the piano?" he asked as he approached the two.
Alice looked up at him and nodded sheepishly. "He was going to teach me that time he kidnapped me," she said. "I only know how to play one song and, well, it's a song I'd rather not hear—ever." She sighed. "I don't even know Für Elise."
"I don't know how to play the piano," he replied as he sat down beside her, "but if you want, I can take Hook's piano here so you can learn."
She shook her head. "Hook and I are friends. Sort of. Peter, I know you hate him and he hates you, but… well, I guess he just wants someone to talk to. Someone… grown up."
"But you're not grown up."
"I'm a teenager," she corrected, "and according to my teachers back home, I'm 'wise beyond my years' at times. I guess that kind of counts as being grown up." She giggled and pinched his cheek. "Well, I'm certainly more grown up than you."
It was curious how Tootles somehow felt that he should leave, and so he disappeared through the window above him. Peter and Alice didn't seem to notice the Boy leave though as they were preoccupied with each other.
Alice released her grip on Peter's cheek and caressed it instead. She turned so that she was looking straight into his eyes and saw the stars twinkling in the boy's dark eyes.
Peter didn't move. There was something about Alice's azure eyes—her eyes that twinkled like sapphires—that unsettled him, but in a good way. Her eyes drew him closer and made him want to close the gap between them.
They were only an inch away, when they both heard Alice's iPod play another Jesse McCartney song at its maximum volume. They both froze.
"Why don't you kiss her?
Why don't you tell her?
Why don't you let her see the feelings that you hide?
'Cause she'll never know
If you'll never show
the way you feel inside."
Before the last line ended, the volume suddenly decreased, indicating that Slightly was able to find out how to lower the volume.
The sudden outburst left their hearts racing, though it must have left everyone's hearts racing. Alice fell back, her elbow supporting her against the railings. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. It proved ineffective as she then tried to speak to decrease the tension.
"Well," she gasped, "it's amazing how Slightly managed to find some—" She cleared her throat. "—background music for us."
She looked up at Peter who towered over her since she fell back. He leaned closer to her, grabbing her hand.
"P—Peter?" she stammered as blood rushed to her cheeks. "P—"
His lips touched hers. She grabbed a railing and pulled herself up, returning the kiss. Their hearts raced, skipped beats, and did whatever hearts do when two teenagers were together.
Alice nearly murdered her subconscious when it reminded her that this was Peter Pan. She leaned back, attempting to break the kiss, but her head was already leaning on the railing.
It was a few more moments before Peter broke the kiss, his ears and cheeks burning redder than his hair. He looked at Alice who stared up at him shyly, her own cheeks redder than Peter's. She noticed him leaning in for another kiss and pushed him back gently.
"Peter, we can't," she murmured.
"Why not?" he asked, still trying to get closer to her.
"Peter, I'm leaving tomorrow. And you're Peter Pan." She held him by the wrist. "Do you even know what a kiss is?"
He shook his head. "What does a kiss have anything to do with—"
"That was a kiss, Peter!" she shouted.
He stared at her in shock, his mouth agape. He really didn't know what he was doing? If the boy's reaction was anything to go by, it was clear that he was new to love. At least, to expressing it.
But it didn't matter. As much as she liked Peter—as a friend, of course—Alice couldn't fall for him. He was the boy who never grew up. She was a teenager in a hurry to grow up. Not to mention, she didn't want him to be her rebound after Matt. After all, even just thinking of Matt's name made her heart sink.
She glanced at Peter who still said nothing. He was either in deep thought or having a BSOD. His dark eyes were blank, staring into space, and he didn't move a muscle.
Alice cleared her throat and stood up. Her face still felt hot. She felt horrible. Thank God she was going home the next evening. She had grown to love Neverland and its inhabitants, and she even found friends in Captain Hook and his crew (in Smee and James, at least). She stole one last glimpse of Peter before going inside.
Peter, what have you done? D:
I still feel horrible for writing this chapter, not because I introduced James (which was the initial reason why I felt bad writing this), but because put in so many songs. That was probably a major reason why I went past my page quota for this chapter. Although I guess that's a good thing.
I swear, this fanfic is the reason why I started listening to Jesse McCartney. So consequently, this fanfic is also the reason why I started watching Young Justice (which is awesome, by the way) and playing Kingdom Hearts (358/2 Days, at least).
Merry Christmas and R&R, everyone!
~ froggy