"Her?" he asked. "HER? We're having a girl?" John grabbed her waist and rolled her over and over through the grass, laughing and smiling.
He stopped, pinning her tenderly beneath him and stroked her face with his hand. "Now how do you know that?" he asked.
"I just know. You wait and see." She kissed him.
"Well, I guess I'll have to!"
"She will be fierce, and smart; quick and beautiful. I love her."
"So do I."
He bent to kiss her again, when he heard Wendy's voice calling for them.
"John! Tiger Lily! Where are you? Please answer! Is everything all right?" Both John and Tiger Lily leapt up to run for their clothes, just as she came into the clearing with Peter.
"OH!" Wendy gasped and turned away her hand over her eyes, as the two pulled their respective articles of clothing over their bodies.
Peter burst out laughing. "I told you they were probably discussing something important!" He fell to the ground with his joke.
Tiger Lily glared at him as she smoothed the leather of her dress over her legs. She mustered all the dignity she could, and walked past a laughing Peter and a blushing Wendy into the forest. She gave Peter a little kick in the side, which made him double over even more.
"John, I'm sorry..." said Wendy. She turned, her eyes still covered.
"You can uncover your eyes dear sister, I'm dressed now," said John, pulling his shoes on.
She took a deep breath and removed her hands, still blushing furiously. "I came to apologize, and I never meant…"
"It's alright Wendy, I'm glad you told me."
"Well, we were worried so we came to find you…"
Peter was still laughing on the ground, holding his knees, rocking back and forth. "They seem fine to me!" he cried.
She frowned angrily at him. "It's not funny Peter Pan! You don't even have the decency to be embarrassed!"
John's lips began to twitch, and he let a smile slowly creep onto his face. He put his hand on his forehead and began to chuckle along with Peter letting his English sensibilities drift away. After all, he was a Neverlandian now. He had to stop taking himself so seriously. Both he and Peter were now laughing uncontrollably in the grass.
Wendy huffed and followed Tiger Lily into the forest, leaving the boys to rollick with amusement.
Peter wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry! But I think I needed that," he said wheezing. He fell flat on his back, his arms outstretched.
"Me too!" John lay on his face, breathing heavily into the grass. "Don't tell the girls, but crying was going to be the alternative. I had to let something out," he said. He began to crawl along the ground, his hands feeling around for his spectacles.
"I know the feeling," said Peter. He sat up, and regarded John as he searched for his glasses. "What was Wendy so upset about? She wouldn't tell me. She just kept pacing and saying she'd made a mistake."
John had found his lost eyewear and rubbed them thoughtfully on the thigh of his pants. "She told me a secret about Tiger Lily."
"What secret?" Peter was loathe to be the last one to know anything.
"You told me about Wendy in confidence once Peter. I can't deny myself the same privilege. Tiger Lily and I… Did it. The thing we talked about, that you wanted to know about. You know. Consumation? Sex."
Peter raised his eyes to the sky in response to the obviousness of John's words. "Yes John, I figured that out," he said, gesturing to the place where they'd been caught moments before.
"Well, this was the second time. The first was a few days ago."
Peter's eyes flew open. "And you told Wendy, and not me?" he asked.
"No, no, Tiger Lily told Wendy. And well, she told her something else." John looked at the ground. Peter leaned forward. "She's going to have a child. My child."
Peter stood suddenly, floating off the ground. "From having sex?!" His stomach dropped.
John stared at him in surprise "Yes, that's where children come from Peter. Did I neglect that information in our discussion?"
"You certainly did," said Peter, pacing in the air. Wendy, oh God, Wendy. What if she was pregnant too? The implication left Peter staggered, and yet, a little warm from the glow of the thought. He squelched it quickly however. They would deal with that later if they came to it.
He turned back to John. "You must be scared."
"Yes."
"Are you happy?"
John smiled. "Yes."
"Good." There didn't seem to be anymore for him to say. No more on the subject of feelings anyway.
"I'm staying here with Tiger Lily," said John.
"Naturally," said Peter. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a man like you."
John puffed up a tiny bit with pride from Peter's words. "Truly Peter?"
"I respect you very much John." He looked away, hiding the emotion in his eyes at the thought of not seeing his friend again. He cleared his throat. "You're like a brother to me," he said quietly at the ground, half hoping he wouldn't hear him.
"I feel the same commander," said John, fidgeting with his hands.
They looked up at each other for a moment and then smiled at themselves. Why did they feel so uncomfortable? They'd been through too much together in the past few days to let some female type emotions get the best of them. They laughed and embraced with much patting and slapping on each others backs, and then drew away.
"I'll miss you, you scallywag," said Peter.
"I'll miss you too."
"Who's going to show me how to be a man in London? I was counting on you," said Peter suddenly.
"You'll be alright. I don't know much about being a man either."
"I guess we're learning."
"Against our will!" John started laughing again, and Peter joined him as they exited the clearing.