Wyatt saw a shadow shoot across the moon and he gasped. Abandoning his sisters, he leaped into the air and called for his father to wait for him. Peter slowed down and hovered as Wyatt approached him.
"Weren't you supposed to be watching your sisters?"
"Am I my sisters' keeper? Where are you going?"
"I have some business to see to with the fairies." Wyatt's eyes widened.
"Can I come? I've never met the Fairy Queen!"
"Of course you have. Many times."
"I was a little boy when I last saw her. Please, Dad, can I come with you? Maybe I can help?" Peter sighed and studied his son's anxious face. No doubt about it, he was staring at himself before he had met Wendy. Poor Wendy, to have to deal with two Peters.
"Dad, I'm worried about Aunt Lily too. I want to help." Peter saw the worry etched in his face and nodded.
"Go tell your mother where you are. Tell her not to worry about us and tell her we…tell her I love her." Wyatt nodded and raced back to the ground. Farrah's hands were on her hips.
"WHERE have you been?"
"With Dad. I'm going with him to see the Fairy Queen about Aunt Lily!"
"You are not! Mum said you're supposed to stay home tonight."
"Dad said I could go. You girls better get inside, I need to talk to Mum anyway." The girls followed him inside, bickering. Wendy came out of the kitchen, her face scrubbed clean.
"What are you three up to?"
"Mum! Mum, Wyatt says Dad is taking him to see the Fairy Queen."
"You caught up with your father?"
"Can I go with him, Mum? Please?" Wendy sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"If he says you may, then go ahead. Girls, you come in and help me tidy up."
"Mum! I want to see the Fairy Queen too," Farrah whined.
"Dad didn't say you could go," Wyatt said, sticking out his tongue.
"Then why is he letting YOU go?"
"Cause I'm the Prince!"
"CHILDREN. Settle down. Wyatt, your father is waiting for you so go ahead. Farrah, you may go another time. Really, all of this fighting has got to stop." The three kids looked up and saw how exhausted their mother looked and so they did not argue. Wyatt jumped into the air, gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, and smiled.
"Dad says he loves you," he said quietly before taking off into the night air. Wendy watched as he met up with Peter in the sky and sighed as their shadows took off across the stars.
"Girls, how about we bake something delicious for your father and brother?"
"Can we try that cookie recipe the mermaids gave me last week," Farrah asked excitedly.
"Mermaids eat seaweed," Adette said, wrinkling her nose.
"That's not all they eat dummy!"
"I am not!"
"GIRLS," Wendy closed her eyes, exhausted. "We will try your mermaid recipe, Farrah. And your new chocolate chip, Adette. No more arguing. Let's have a pleasant evening together." The girls shut their mouths as they followed their mother into the kitchen, determined that they would keep from arguing to make their mother happy.
Peter and Wyatt touched down in the Glade and Peter let out a loud crow. Wyatt smiled up at him.
"I hope I get to be that good one day." Peter laughed.
"It will come naturally to you. You're a Pan, after all."
"Like flying and my other powers?" Peter nodded.
"You started flying when you were just a baby. You came into your other powers shortly after that. I remember your mother telling me the funniest stories about you scaring the wits out of her." Wyatt laughed alongside his father.
"I don't mean to be so much trouble, Dad, but it's so much fun, being so carefree." Peter smiled down at him and tousled his curls.
"Just remember to act like the prince when the time calls for it. You can have your carefree moments, as long as you have those serious times as well. Ah, Your Majesty." Peter bowed low as the Fairy Queen appeared and Wyatt followed suit.
"Why, Peter. And Prince Wyatt. What a pleasant surprise. My goodness, Prince Wyatt, you have gotten so big."
"All thanks to Dad. I guess it's a good thing he decides to age us everyday, or else we'd still be toddlers!" The Fairy Queen smiled and nodded.
"Your age has always been somewhat of a complication, Wyatt. You are the firstborn of Pan, after all." Wyatt looked proud and Peter's hand rested on his shoulder.
"Majesty, have you heard about our Princess Tiger Lily?" The Queen nodded her magnificent head.
"Treelore came straight to me as soon as she returned to Neverland. The Chief sent pleas asking if I knew of any way to help her."
"And do you?"
"As you well know, we may age someone here on this island," she flicked her eyes to the young prince, "but reversing age is a different matter entirely. Bring the Indian Princess here, tomorrow night and we will see what can be done. By the light of the full moon, we may yet help our dear princess." Peter bowed low.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will tell the Indian Chief in the morning."
"Oh Peter, a word, if you please?" She started flying in the opposite direction and Peter glanced at his son.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." Wyatt nodded and watched his father follow the fairy queen away from the glade.
"Peter, I don't want to pry into your private life. But I must ask, is everything alright?" Peter looked surprised.
"Um, yes, I think so?"
"At home, I mean." Peter bit his lip.
"Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"
"As you well know, I can feel the emotions of the royal family of Neverland. I have felt that the Queen has been…less than happy as of late." Peter swallowed. Now the Queen of the Fairies was telling him how his wife was feeling? What sort of husband was he turning into?
"I…um…"
"Peter, do not mistake me. I understand the toils that ruling has on you and your family. And your people love you, we are grateful for all that you and Wendy do. Just don't sacrifice your love for your people. You must find a balance within it all. Do not forget that Wendy is a mortal woman and she needs to be reminded of your love. We all know how much you cherish your queen and she knows it as well, but the mind of a woman…well, it can be deceiving. That is all I am saying." Peter nodded, his heart racing.
"Thank you, Majesty. Wendy understands that Neverland comes first. It's what makes her the perfect Queen."
"A perfect King and Queen you may make, Peter, but you once made the perfect Husband and Wife. Do not lose sight of that." Peter was starting to grow uncomfortable. How much did the Fairy Queen know? And did she know what was in Wendy's heart? He opened his mouth to ask but closed it again. The Queen cocked her head.
"Ask what you will, Peter."
"I know that Wendy has been unhappy. And tonight…she mentioned that a part of her has been telling her she does not belong here anymore. Do you know…can you tell…I mean—"
"Ask, Peter," she said gently. Peter closed his eyes.
"Would Wendy ever leave me?" His heart thumped as he waited for an answer, fear and dread settling over him. The Queen flew closer to his face.
"Your Wendy has always remained loyal to you. That will never change. With her children always fighting with each other and her husband never around, she has been craving some kind of companionship and has contemplated returning to London for a visit with her family. I have felt her heart and she no longer feels like she is enough for you. She sees your face, Peter. She sees how you look when you watch your young son. You miss being a boy. You miss those times before Wendy came to Neverland." Peter's jaw dropped.
"Wendy thinks that?"
"Wendy knows it, as do I. I am not saying you regret growing up because I know you do not but a part of you, the young immature part of you, misses those days before you had such responsibilities and obligations. Whether they are to your island or to your family, your priorities have changed and Wendy senses a sort of restlessness in you. You know that she has had certain reservations throughout her time here. When Prince Wyatt was born, you remember, she felt unattractive and worthless."
"Which is absolutely ridiculous because I've never—"
"And when you were turned into the beast, she had to rescue her son and lead her people through battle. She didn't think she would know how to and felt like she completely failed as a queen and a mother."
"And yet she saved the Astrumi and Wyatt! She—"
"And after the princesses were born, when we asked if we could age Prince Wyatt even more so that he may be further ahead of his sisters in development, and she expressed her worry that she may not make a good mother. You proclaimed that she was the Mother of Neverland and therefore should not have any worries."
"Which is true, she's a terrific—"
"Peter, do you understand what I am saying? Wendy has always had reservations and she has never left you. Why do you worry that she will now?" He mouthed wordlessly, unable to find the words.
"Maybe I'm the one…who no longer feels like I'm enough for her. Maybe I'm the one who has reservations about if I'm being a good husband and father."
"Of course you are. You have always had those concerns. From the moment you asked her to marry you, you worried about that. And yet you prove, everyday, that you are a wonderful father and husband and king. It sounds as if you two just need a little time alone to remind yourselves of how much you love each other. Speak to the Indians about watching over the children. Take Wendy away for a few days. Bathe her in your love. Before things get any worse." He looked up at her quickly and sighed.
"Why are you the one who tells me all of this? And not her?"
"Wendy does not wish to burden you with her troubles. You know that she looks to you as King and she puts everyone else before herself. She has always been quite selfless."
"She's the most selfless person I know. But that doesn't mean she shouldn't tell me when she feels unhappy. We should be sharing everything, not hiding secrets." The Queen nodded.
"Tell her that. Make her understand that hiding secrets from you does more harm than good. And remember that while you have always been a little boy, you are much older than she is. While you had no worries or cares, she grew up with the troubles of a grown up. English society is strict on proper young ladies and she still feels a duty to those rules. It is strange to her that age is such a complication on this island. She just celebrated her twenty-seventh birthday, did she not?" Peter nodded slowly and the Queen gently patted his cheek. "She still looks like she is twenty. Age does not affect either of you and yet your children must be aged a little everyday. It is a strange thing to get used to and she is having trouble adjusting to it."
"Why does age even have to mater," Peter said with a scowl.
"Because you are a father and what will happen when your children catch up to you in age? You and Wendy did not think about all of the repercussions of having a child." Peter opened his mouth angrily but the Queen held her up her hands quickly, cutting him off.
"Neverland is blessed to have a royal family, Peter. Do not think for a moment that we fault you for it or that we wish things were different. I am just asking you to look at it in a different light. From Wendy's point of view. Your children are growing up in a place where no one ever ages. How is that going to work in thirteen years? When Wyatt is twenty, the same age you seem to be? Wendy worries about that, you know. She worries what will become of her children. As you said, she is selfless. She worries for Wyatt and the princesses and for you as well."
"She doesn't need to worry so much. I told her when we first found out she was with child, we would take it all one day at a time. I remember she was terrified because she didn't understand how it could even happen. How I could have…well, how we could even have a child together."
"It is true, Peter. We were all quite surprised when we found out the news. We never thought it would be possible." Peter's brow raised.
"And you never thought I would grow up, either. Yet here I am."
"Yes. And it is all for Wendy. Still, a child being born in Neverland is something that has never happened. And it has now happened three times. We didn't think it would be possible, for you to father a child."
"It happened before…a long time ago," he said quietly. The Queen froze; even her wings stopped and she floated downward a bit.
"You never said—"
"No. No, I never told anyone, out of respect for Wendy. It was during…well, it was when Hook was alive. When he kidnapped her…tortured us and sold her into slavery. Neverland doesn't know the details of our captivity and the horrors that we faced. But Wendy was with child…and her captor made her lose the child. She told me after we were reunited and she didn't think it would be possible for her to ever have children. That's why Wyatt is our miracle. Why we were overjoyed and we didn't care about the repercussions of our three miracles. I wish she would remember the joy instead of thinking about the negatives to life. I'll never understand that burden of worry."
"Ah Peter, think again." Peter opened his mouth but closed it again. He was wrong and they both knew it. The time he felt worry, the time he felt dread, was when his family was involved. Whether he chose to believe it or not, Peter Pan had grown up both in body and mind. And Neverland knew it. It is why they stood behind him through thick and thin. It is why they accepted and loved Wendy as his queen, despite the fact that she was a mortal woman. And the Neverlanders said nothing when the king had announced there would be an heir to the throne of Neverland. As strange as it was, everyone was overjoyed for their king and never questioned it. Which is why no one believed him when he said he never worried about anything. Everyone knew better. The fairy Queen rose into the air again and folded her hands, looking calm.
"Go home to your wife, Peter. We will discuss the matter of the Indian princess tomorrow." Peter nodded, bowed low, and returned to the Glade, where his son was floating in the air, surrounded by fairies. Peter crossed his arms and grinned.
"Made some friends, have you?"
"Dad, this one's name is Silver Bell. Didn't you tell me you had a fairy when you were a boy? Something Belle, wasn't it?"
"Tinkerbell," Peter said in a sad voice. "She died."
"We knew Tinkerbell," Silver Bell chimed softly. "She was like a sister to us. Of course all fairies are sisters in a sense but we were close. She spoke of you often, Peter Pan." Peter smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, Silver Bell. Tink often spoke well of her sisters." Silver Bell bowed her tiny head and smiled.
"Dad, I don't understand. I can only understand Silver Bell but the rest of the fairies sound like chimes to me. Why can I only understand her?" Peter glanced quickly at Silver Bell, who floated above his son's head.
"I think that means you're supposed to understand her. She's going to become one of your good friends. You two can help each other out."
"Like you and Tinkerbell, you mean?" Peter looked around at the fairies, his heart missing his dearest friend.
"Yes. Just like Tink and me." Wyatt looked excited.
"I'd love to have a fairy friend! Silver Bell, you want to meet up here tomorrow? Maybe we can go flying and I can introduce you to the Indians or the mermaids or the—"
"I'd be honored to be friends with the prince of Neverland," Silver Bell said with a smile, bowing her head. Wyatt held out his hands and Silver Bell landed in his palm.
"We'll be the best of friends," he said excitedly. Peter patted Wyatt on the shoulder.
"Come on son, we should be going. Good night to you all, fairies. We'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Silver Bell!" Wyatt waved to his new friend as he and his father took off into the air.
When they landed in the forest, Peter put a finger to his lips as he opened the door and saw all of the lights were off. They walked into the kitchen quietly and Wyatt let out an exclamation of "awesome" when he saw a tray of cookies on the counter. Both of them grabbed one and stood there enjoying the sweetness for a moment.
"Wonder why Mum doesn't make these more often," Wyatt whispered.
"Your Mother stays busy enough. We don't thank her enough for all that she does." His eyes raked over the spotless kitchen and Wyatt grinned.
"I'll finish the dishes, so she'll be surprised when she wakes up," Wyatt said, glancing around at the dishes in the sink. He knew his sisters weren't going to do them and they had all probably gone off to bed. Peter smiled and tousled Wyatt's hair, leaving him to delve his hands into the soapy water and scrub at the pans.
Peter made his way to the bedroom he shared with Wendy, hoping she was still awake so that they could talk. He hated leaving her on a bad note and was feeling nothing but love and appreciation after his talk with the fairy queen. He stopped when he heard a gentle snoring and he leaned against the threshold, his arms crossed over his chest. Wendy lay on top of the blankets, wearing a simple cotton nightgown. It reminded him of what she had worn when he had first brought her to Neverland, so many years ago. He edged closer and stared down at her. Her blonde curls spread around the pillow, brushed out and shining. Her hand rested on her stomach, her wedding ring sparkling in the moonlight. Her chest rose and up and down with her gentle breathing and her long lashes rested against her cheek. Peter reached out and very softly, cupped her face. Sighing, he dropped to his knees and stared into her face.
"You are still the most beautiful creature that ever existed," he whispered, "you're still my ultimate weakness. My perfect love. I love you so much Wendy. I could never stop loving you. I hope you will always know and believe that." Wendy shifted in her sleep and turned her head away from him. Peter's hand hovered over her face but he lowered it and quickly stepped out of his clothes and lay down on the bed beside her. He watched her sleep for a moment before turning away and tucking his hand underneath his chin, closing his eyes and falling asleep quicker than he had anticipated.
Thank you SeddieGal for joining us! And it's wonderful to see you here too April! I've really missed Peter and Wendy too, it feels great to return to Neverland with them and their kids. Here's a nice long one-have a great weekend everyone!
:-)