Chapter Fifteen – Memories, Past and Present
"I got dibs on the red one!" Partly called, running after the yelping fairy.
"I got purple!" Mouse squeaked.
Len looked over and checked the boy's hands. "…you caught a stink bug." Grimacing, he walked away.
Mouse looked into his hands at the little creepy-crawler and sniffed the insect. "…not that stinky!" he insisted indignantly.
"I caught the green one!" Mikey gasped, clutching the struggling creature in awe.
"I got it! I got it!" Jon cried, running after a wildly darting orange fairy.
"I got it!" Lump declared, reaching for a panicking silver fairy.
WHAM! The two ran directly into one another, smacking their foreheads together and collapsing into a puddle of mud. The other boys pointed at laughed, some clutching their sides as the fairies stuck out their tongues at them and dashed away.
"Owie," Lump whimpered, rubbing his face.
"Ow!" Jon growled, shaking his head, aware of someone standing before him. "Ruff, give me a hand, would you?"
Reaching without seeing, he gripped the person's arm, surprised at the feel of a soft, smooth hand that helped him to his feet. Blinking his eyes open, struggling to see past his mud-stained lenses, he squinted, paled, then stammered, "L-L-Lily?!"
The Indian Princess stood face-to-face with the mud-coated boy, biting back giggles as she observed him. "Not very good at hunting, are we?" she asked, raising both brows at him.
"W-What?! Hunting? Well, technically, I'm not hunting, I'm just, ah…we were…" Attempting to wipe his face clean, he caused another smear of dirt to cover his forehead as he sheepishly asked, "So…what brings you here?" He winced as he heard the boys snicker behind him, blush flaring on his face when Tiger Lily used her sleeve to wipe his face.
"I heard Peter brought his friends back…I was hoping to see you again," she admitted, blushing slightly as she cast her eyes to their feet.
"Oh…" Jon swallowed, hearing the crickets chirp off in the distance.
All was silent until Mouse screamed, "GOT ONE!" and tripped flat on his face.
Ruff shook his head at them, chuckling as he and Violet watched from a nearby tree, sharing berries. "I tell them to quit harassing the fairies. Do they listen? Nope. Is the result funny nevertheless? Hell yeah."
Violet laughed at this, watching the awkwardness between Jon and Lily as well as the boys' shenanigans. "This life must never get boring," she commented, allowing a pink fairy to sit upon her shoulder.
"Nope," he grinned, handing her more fruit. As they continued to watch and eat their snack, Ruff pursed his lips in contemplation. "Hey, Vi…?" When she turned to face him, he looked her in the eye and asked, "You hang out a lot with Wendy…and you said you live with your aunt…you don't have to answer, but…what happened to your parents?" Seeing her eyes dim, he quickly tumbled over his words. "Sorry! Sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"It's fine," she said softly. It was the first time he'd ever seen here so unsure and upset. "My parents were driving home one night during a storm and the car skidded out of control…I moved in with my aunt a while back. I love her, and I know she tries her best, but…I miss them a lot." She hugged her knees to her chin, closing her eyes tightly as if to block out the memory of losing them.
"It's nice that you all loved each other so much, though," Ruff said, his own eyes darkening at the memory of his past. "I didn't have that with mine."
Her eyes snapping open, she raised a brow at him. "What do you mean?"
"I lost my mom when I was seven," he confessed. "We lived on a reservation here in the States. As I got older, I saw how much of an impact my mom had on the family. My dad starting drinking and became a jerk. My sister just gave up on us and left. Became a prostitute with a bunch of ass-holes for 'boyfriends'. I always tried to stay out of the house. My dad would say that it was my fault Mom died. After she had me, she was always sick. Makes sense, I guess. He needed to blame someone."
"Ruff…" Violet whispered, reaching out and taking his hand. He felt his cheeks warm but, but he masked it with a gentle smile.
"Hey, no worries. It all turned out for the best. Pete found me and took me in. I haven't looked back since."
"So, you're happy here?" she asked.
"Well, this is our 'temporary' home. The real place is up there." He pointed to the sky, blocked by leaves and branches from the neighboring trees. There was one star in particular that shimmered brightly. "I love it there…but it's nice here, too." With a shrug, he added, "Once we get back, we won't have to worry about Shade."
"I'm so confused about this guy, it's not even funny," she admitted to him.
"Maybe someday I'll tell you and Wendy," he grinned impishly. "But for now, just be on your guard. Trust us."
She nodded, shivering as a breeze rippled through the air. "It's cool out." She held back a gasp when he removed his leather jacket and placed it on her shoulders, his dark chest exposed to the night air. "Has he got muscles or what?" she thought to herself as he placed an arm around her.
"Feel better?" he asked, looking into her amethyst eyes.
"Almost," she murmured. "Come closer…"
He obeyed, their eyes closing as their lips neared. She felt herself shiver once again when their lips met, leaning into his chest, allowing him to embrace her tightly. His tongue darted out, tracing her bottom lip. Her lips stretched into a smile as they began to French kiss, tightening their hold on one another until they heard giggling. Pausing, they pulled part, looking down to see all the boys either gawking in horror or pointing and laughing at their public display of affection.
"Getting busy?" Lump guffawed.
"Aw, blow it up yer cake hole," Ruff snapped, resuming the kiss. Violet didn't protest, smirking as she bit his tongue. "I wonder how Wendy's doing with her man…er, boy."
~NEVER-NEVERLAND~
"Peter…have we ever met before?"
The question dangled in the air, waiting for a response. She sat there, her heart frozen, waiting for his answer.
Peter pressed his lips together in a thin line, chewing the inside of his cheek as he stared at his boots.
Gip gave a whimper when he realized Wendy had stopped rocking him, causing her to cradle him once again. She was about ready to open her mouth and repeat the question when Peter spoke.
"Do you remember Kensington?" he said, looking off at a distant torch.
She blinked at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Um…Kensington Gardens? In England? Yes, of course-"
"Do you remember when you went to Kensington when you were about five, maybe four, years old?" Peter continued.
She stared at him, completely off guard. "I…think so." Frowning, she struggling to bring up her past, fighting to remember that particular time. "I went to Kensington several times as a child…"
"There was one day," Peter said, a gentle smile on his face. "I came to see you, but you were in trouble…"
Where was Daddy?! He went off to take a call, and while he was away, some boys came over to her. She'd been perfectly happy on the little hill where she had been reading her 'Peter Pan' picture book, but they yanked it from her hands and tossed it around, making her run after it frantically.
"Please, give it back!" she cried as it flew over her head.
"Listen, she's got manners!" one of the three delinquents laughed. They were at least twice her age, and twice as tall. They enjoyed taunting her as she fought for her book. One of the boys opened the item and saw her name written inside. He laughed cruelly. "Get this – her name's 'Wendy'! Just like the girl in the book!"
"Where's your Peter Pan now, Wendy?" another jeered, giving her a harsh shove so that she stumbled backwards. "What's he gonna do? Feed me to a croc?" Sneering, he grabbed a handful of pages and ripped them out of the book, eliciting a heart-wrenching sob from the child. "It's just a fairy tale – he's not real, y'know."
"NO! Please!" she wept. "That's my birthday present!"
"Oooh, a 'present'?" the others laughed.
The boy who'd ripped her book stepped forth, making her falter backwards to the edge of the slope. "Why don't you fly for us?" he smirked, pushing her off.
She stared at them in horror as she fell back. She was too scared to scream. She was falling…she could get hurt…why wasn't Daddy there to catch her…?
She squeezed her eyes shut as she collapsed into a pair of strong arms, mistaking them for the ground. Opening one eye, she could see the three boys staring in amazement and terror as she flew back towards. She could hear someone gnash their teeth angrily at them, a magical voice hissed, "You do this again, and I'll make sure Captain Hook guts you all before the Crocodile eats you up!"
Shrieking like girls, they took off, abandoning the book.
Befuddled, she raised her eyes, sensing the new presence as he gently placed her atop the slope. She gaped at him, her mouth forming a little "o" of surprise, her eyes wide as saucers. He was a handsome young man, a teenager – "A big boy," she thought. "Bigger than the others!" – and he smiled down at her with glistening emerald orbs.
"Are you ok?" he asked, kneeling beside her.
She nodded dumbly, too in awe to say anything until she noticed a page from her book lazily floating her way. Immediately, her eyes welled with tears, a cry ripping from her mouth as she scrambled to collect the ripped sheets of colorful parchment.
"They broke my book!" she cried, tears streaming down her little cheeks. "They made fun of my name! Why am I Wendy?! I hate my name! I hate it!" She sobbed some more, clutching the hardcover and loose papers to her chest. Sniffling, she felt the stranger's arms wrap around her from behind.
"Don't say that," he said softly, his breath tickling her ear. "Wendy's the most beautiful name in whole, wide world!"
Hiccuping, she turned around, shyly looking up at him. "R-Really?"
Grinning from ear to ear, he asked, "Would Peter Pan ever lie to his Wendy?"
At the mention of his name, her jaw dropped. "You're…you're really Peter Pan?"
He bowed to her, smiling all the while. She giggled and curtsied back.
"May I see your book?" he asked, opening his hand in expectation.
She surrendered it at once, letting him view the damage, giggling as he made silly faces of contemplation. "Well…this looks like a job for a tinker." With a wink at the ecstatic child, he gave a sharp whistle. A ball of green light dashed to him out of nowhere, sparkling and tinkling like a glowing bell.
"Tinker Bell!" Wendy gasped, clapping her hands in glee. "Oh, she's beautiful!"
The fairy gave a smug look to the girl, sniffing the air primly.
"Be nice, Tink," Peter scolded her. Showing her the item in question, he said, "Some boys ripped this book apart. Can you fix it?"
She peered at the cover, beaming with pride when she saw the name of the book, the artist's interpretation of her pleasing her. She nodded, darted off, then returned with a leaf. Motioning for Peter to set the book down, she got to work, cutting the leaf when necessary and squeezing the sap to the spine. Wendy handed her the first page, taking the following from Peter. So went the assembly line until the fairy ran out of sap and had to get another leaf. When at last they'd put the book together, she sprinkled some fairy dust on it and gave a flourished twirl. Wendy watched in amazement as the sap dried and the book was as good as new.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried, taking the fairy and pecking her head with a kiss. Tinker Bell wriggled her way out of the child's grasp, jingling indignantly and turning cherry red.
Peter laughed at her, shaking his head. He froze, however, when he felt the little girl wrap her arms around his neck and boldly place a kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you, Peter," she said shyly, pulling away and scuffing the grass as her cheeks became pink.
He gawked at her, touching his face in disbelief. A smile grew on his lips as he said, "Anything for you, Wendy lady."
She giggled at him, cocked her head and asked, "Peter…where is your hat?"
"My what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You wear a green cap with a red feather…and your clothes are different…why are you wearing Captain Hook's coat?" she said, rather certain of herself and very inquisitive.
He was perplexed about the whole matter until it hit him. Ruff had shown him pictures of a version they'd made of him that was extremely popular, though it barely looked a thing like him. "Oh, well…I lost my hat. And one day, I stole Hook's coat right off of him!" he laughed cheerfully. It wasn't a complete lie – he'd found Hook in the forest one day, offering him the article of clothing as a sort of peace offering and thank you for saving him (though he was embarrassed to admit it), so Peter had snatched it from his hand and flew off without so much as a "thank you."
"Oh, Peter!" Wendy smiled at him, shaking her head. "You always get into trouble!"
"Of course!" he chuckled. "But where's your father and mother?"
"Oh…Mommy's at home watching Jonny, that's my baby brother, he was just born," she informed him very practically. Her eyes dimmed as she looked around. "Daddy had a phone call…"
"Then would you like me and Tink to play with you?" he asked, looking just as eager as a small child.
Her face lit up at once as she nodded vigorously. "I wanna play hide and seek!"
"That's the best game!" he crowed, making her squee in delight. "Ok, I'll count, and you hide!" Covering his eyes, he counted to ten, letting Wendy run off and take to the trees with Tinker Bell close behind. Peeking from behind his hand once he said "ten," he looked around, sensing their nearness. Making sure no one else was around, he flew to the nearest tree, catching sight of a shadow…a shadow of a girl crouching in wait. Grinning, he looked the other way and pretended to walk off. "She can't be here," he said a little loudly. Hearing her giggle, he flew up into the tree's branches, sneaking up behind her. Snatching her off of the ground, he spun her around, a cry of surprise and glee singing out from the child's mouth.
"Fly me to Neverland, Peter!" she exclaimed, flapping her arms as he spun with her.
"To Neverland and beyond forever, Wendy!" he laughed, his heart filled to the brim with a happiness he could not describe. It was different from the kind of happiness he'd felt when he'd returned home at last…this was stronger…
"Wendy?!"
The boy stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing her father's voice, looking up to see one horrified George James Darling catching sight of a stranger with his little girl.
"I think it's time for me to go," Peter said suddenly, setting the girl on the grass once more.
"But why?" she asked, clueless. "We're having fun-!"
"I know, but I don't think your daddy likes me," Peter said, his eyes still glued to the grown-up. George glared angrily, running in their direction.
"But-!" Wendy protested.
"I promise, Wendy, we will see each other again in the future," he vowed, Tinker Bell pouting as she sat upon his shoulder.
"Promise? Cross your heart?" she asked with her big, watery eyes.
Standing erect, he crossed his heart, raising his hand in the air. "Promise," he said with a gentle smile.
"Wendy!" George was getting closer now, Peter could sense him.
Kneeling before the girl once more, he leaned forth and pressed his lips to her forehead, a sharp pain shooting through his heart. "Until next time, Wendy lady…" Placing the girl's book back into her hands, he ran off into the trees, not looking back once. Wendy felt her bottom lip tremble as she watched him vanish, wanting to cry out to him.
"WENDY!" George Darling snatched his daughter into his arms, squeezing her tightly in his protective embrace. "How many times have I told you to keep away from strangers?!" he harshly scolded her. She paid him no mind, staring off into the distance. Heaving a sigh, he picked her up and began to walk out of the park. "Let's not mention this to your mother, ok? Let's go home…"
What he didn't see was his daughter's face lighting up when she saw Peter's face up in a tree. Raising one hand, she curled her fingers into her palm repeatedly, waving goodbye. Peter mimicked the action, a sad smile on his lips, determination burning in his eyes. He WOULD see her again…soon…
They were silent for a moment after Peter concluded his tale. The boy flicked spots of dirt off of his boots while she stared at him, the memories of those lost years coming up in a foggy haze in her memory. "…that's why you wouldn't come in the other day when you stopped by our house?" she asked, feeling Gip squirm in her hold. She rocked him again, settling him once more. "Because he would recognize you?"
"Pretty much," Peter shrugged, still avoiding eye contact.
"…the year my mother died…that very night…I opened my window and found a bouquet of wildflowers, with an acorn button…and I heard…some sort of magical sound. Like a pipe…" She watched him hand, her eyes growing wide, as he pulled a set of panpipes from the pouch hanging from his belt and placed it to his lips. A haunting melody came from the pipes, filling the air around them, causing Gip's eyes to droop. When he stopped playing, his eyes wandered to Wendy.
She kept staring at him, her mind still processing everything. "…I've known you since I was little…and you've been keeping watch over us? Ever since we met?"
"Since you were born, actually," he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he offered a lopsided, uncertain smile. "I must sound weird…what was it Violet called me? A 'stalker'?"
She giggled at this, pressing her lips together as so not to laugh, miserably failing. "Well, when you think about…" When he grimaced, she laughed, touching his shoulder. "You've been like a guardian angel…thank you." Blush returned to her face as she stammered, "I…still have that book, by the way."
"Oh, really?" Peter grinned. "That's good…too bad your dad threw out the flowers and button, though." When her jaw dropped, he shrugged. "I came back to visit, but that night your father broke down and ended up throwing away some of your stuff…remember Mikey's teddy bear?"
"He tossed it out the window…Mikey cried all night…but in the morning, it was in his arms!" She gasped, a smile growing on her lips. "That was you! He still has that bear, too – on his bed in his room!"
"Yeah, I saw it," Peter chuckled, grinning like his old self.
"Oh Peter," she smiled. Gip snored, causing them to laugh, only to cover their mouths as they strived to remain silent for the baby.
"C'mon, his crib's over here," he said, helping her up and guiding her to a basket by one of the beds.
Wendy tucked him in, kissing his forehead, a vision flashing through her mind. "…I don't suppose I had an ancestor you met with the same name?" Looking over her shoulder at him, she added, "Mum told me I was named after a great-grandmother, or something like that."
Peter gave a wry smile, shaking his head at the memory of the prim and maternal girl. "Yeah…something like that." Plopping down on the bed, he sighed. "I didn't realize how much I really wanted Wendy…the other Wendy to stay until it was too late…years after she'd died. That's actually when I met your parents for the first time."
"You what?!" she yelped, stunned at the information.
"I came to see if she was still around, or is she had another kid for me to take to Neverland…but when I got into the nursery, there was a man." He frowned at the memory. "He kept raving about how it was crazy that he was seeing a flying boy…and he kept calling for 'Marian.'" He chuckled sadly, lying down on the bed. "They weren't married yet…just dating," he said in a mumble as he shut his eyes. "Your mom was the one who told me Wendy had died years ago…told me where to find her…" Squeezing his eyes shut, Wendy could see a tear leak out from Peter's eye. "I'm sorry, Wendy…" He opened his eyes and caught her staring at him, her own eyes tearing up. Roughly wiping his tear away, he turned over on his side so his back was to her, looking very much like a child hiding his temper tantrum from his mother. "Sorry…don't tell the boys I did that, ok? I'm supposed to be strong and tough…"
"You are," she whispered, sitting down beside him and rubbing his back. "It's ok to cry, Peter. Everyone does."
"But Peter Pan never cries," he said hoarsely, his voice choppy.
Moving her hand to his head, she ran her fingers through his wild brown hair, a gentle smile on her face. "Maybe not in front of others…" Biting her lip, she inhaled deeply, feeling her own throat tighten. "Peter…I…" she choked, barely able to speak. "…I may remind you of her…but…I'm not my great-grandmother…I'm not going to pretend to be her…I'm just me."
As he turned over to face her, she was shocked to see his cheeks stained with the salty water from his eyes. But he smiled at her like he always did, whispering, "I know…that's why I like you."
A sob almost escaped her and she covered her mouth quickly. Peter remained on his side, now facing her again. His eyes shut, he murmured, "Would you pet me again? It's nice…"
"Still so very much like a child," she noted with a smile, blush tinting her face. She did as Peter asked, and soon enough, she could see his chest rise and fall as gently as the tide, a soft snore passing through his half-parted lips. Grabbing a forlorn blanket, she tossed it over his frame when she noticed how he frowned in his sleep. He gnashed his teeth, curled into a ball, and cried out incomprehensible words.
"Poor Peter," she whispered, getting underneath the cover and wrapping her arms around him. He calmed almost at once, though he still frowned and growled, as though fighting off some unseen terror. "It's ok, Peter," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be your mother, too, if you like."
His face smoothed out, as if she'd spoken the magic words, and he began to snore again peacefully. Snuggling against him, she closed her eyes and felt sleep wash over her. "Just a short nap won't hurt…"
~NEVER-NEVERLAND~
"I just don't get how he keeps falling for those damn clumsy humans!" Tink fumed as Blue Falls listened to her and operated the merry-go-round.
"Try to watch your language," he chuckled, motioning towards the children riding the attraction. "After all, he is a human. A human boy, to be exact."
"He's practically Fae!" she snarled, tapping her toe in irritation.
Pursing his lips together, he shrugged and looked off. "I know it's tough on you…you love him."
"Yes…" she confessed. "I used to think I loved him the way humans do in order to have a family, but I realize it's not like that…"
"I see. Kind of like his mother, or an older sister?" Blue Falls smiled cheerfully.
"HEY! You calling me old?!" she growled.
"Well, you are older than me," he pointed out.
Heaving a sigh of frustration, she shook her head. "It's just…after seeing how he reacted over the first Wendy…and after she'd died…even seeing him with Jane, Margaret, Moira…it was hard. He would get attached, and they'd leave. They'd always leave, because in the end, they want their families and their lives, and they believe that growing-up isn't so bad. And he ends up alone…" Looking up at the male fairy, her eyes filling with tears of anger and hurt, she admitted, "That's why I was always there…because no one wanted to be with me either. I was too feisty for them back in Kensington…and in Neverland, they said I was evil because of what I did to the first Wendy. But no matter what, Peter and I could depend on one another. When Shade caught him, I blamed myself all that time until you came…you helped me save him…"
"You know you can depend on me, too," he said firmly, taking her hand in his.
"I just don't want Peter to get hurt again…because I know that this girl will stay here when this is all over and we go back home…he'll be alone and heartbroken again…like me…"
"The both of you aren't alone," he insisted, his eyes shining brightly. "You've got each other, the Lost Boys…and me."
"Falls…" she murmured, letting him lean in and capture her lips.
"Hey, mister! Can we ride the pony…?" a kid asked as he came to the gate, only to see the two "adults" making "kissy faces." "…EEEEEWWWWWW! Dude, that's how you get cooties!" he screamed, turning around and running the other way. "MOOOOOM! They're doing what you and Daddy do in your room!"
Tink and Blue Falls burst into laughter at this comment, pulling apart as so they wouldn't smack each other's foreheads.
"How about a rain check on that kiss?" Tink asked, blushing a lovely rose pink, her green glow radiating from her frame as she shyly looked away.
"No problem," he chuckled, focusing on his work again. Tonight was just full of surprises…