A/N: Here you go! Thank you for all your kind words and especially to wondergirl329 for reviewing. Expect another one soon!
Chapter 15
"I know what has to be done."
"What is it Peter?"
"Yes Peter, what's the adventure?"
"It's far more than an adventure, its Neverland's ultimate cry for normalcy."
The new boys, not impressed with Nibs' interruption, sniggered in response. Peter, however, did not. He knew Nibs' words to be nothing more than the truth, although admitting this fact was something that the boy found rather difficult.
As was to be expected, the gangs of present and past had neglected to come together in harmony. True, Curly and Tootles were beginning to regain their childish vigour; however none of the visitors had been taken to too kindly by the new Lost Boys. Peter could sympathise: if he hadn't been so intrigued by their presence, he would have banished the intruders from the island without a moment's hesitation.
"You should banish them all Peter, look how grown up and ugly they are!" One boy complained, peering at the stubble that had barely begun to adorn John's chin.
"Yes Peter, we can do far better without them. We are the Lost Boys after all."
"You are all the Lost Boys."
Silence filled the underground home at Peter's words. Nibs, and the remainder of the clan he had travelled from London with, smiled cheerfully at them, whilst the new Lost Boys each took on an expression that was reminiscent of being slapped across the face.
"Peter?"
Now, as we know, grownups are often known for their wisdom and decision making, both negative and positive. However, on rare occasions, it has been said that a child, upon discovering something particularly important about themselves, is able to channel this wisdom from somewhere deep within their hearts, prompting many curiosities as to the definition of 'growing up'. Can a child have wisdom beyond their years, or is it a sign of the start of their descent into adulthood? I'll leave that for you to consider.
Nonetheless, as Peter stood in the Home Under the Ground, one set of children to his right and another set of not-quite-children-but-close-enough to his left, a sudden sense of clarity engulfed his whole being.
"We must prepare to fight. If we don't the pirates will win."
A few of the Lost Boys expressed negative ideas at the thought. Peter turned to them, a serious expression on his face.
"We will also lose if we do not work together."
Surprisingly, this time there was no outwards resistance to Peter's words.
"When we defeat the pirates, will they go?" One boy asked, pointing, rather rudely, to John, Michael, and their adoptive brothers.
"Yes," Peter replied.
"Then it is agreed. We shall fight together and then banish the oldies!"
The new Lost Boys cheered in response, Peter contributing to their celebration with a weak smile, his concerned gaze catching Nibs'.
"But what about Wendy, Peter?" Michael suddenly interjected, "You can't just pretend you didn't kill her!"
"He should be tried in court for murder," John agreed.
Before they could get too ambitious in their vengeance, Peter had drawn his sword, holding it inches from John's throat. John, however, did not relent.
"Go ahead Peter, strike true. Kill me like a man."
Peter studied John's anger for a moment before lowering his weapon, withdrawing from the challenge John had set forward.
"I will not be a man; not now, not ever. Wendy is alive. Hook rescued her."
The two brothers gasped, their shock quickly dissolving into happiness as Peter's words sunk in. Then, just as suddenly, Michael frowned.
"How do we know you're not telling a lie?"
"The mermaids told me. They know everything."
The two brothers turned to each other, happy that Peter was not, in fact, fibbing. Nibs rose.
"What else did they tell you?
Peter, both somewhat astounded that Nibs could tell he hadn't quite revealed all, and annoyed for exactly the same reason, sighed.
"The Indians are looking for us."
For not the first time that day, chaos erupted as the boys digested Peter's words.
"Why? What do they want?"
"We have to fight the pirates and the Indians?"
"But they outnumber us, Peter! What are we going to do?"
"They don't want to fight us," Peter finally answered, "they want to fight alongside us."
"But the Indians are our enemies. That's the rule of the game."
Peter snapped. "The rules have changed. Today the Indians are on our side."
The rest of the boys looked on curiously as Peter, sick and tired of this new found sense of responsibility, rushed into his bedroom alcove. True, their leader changed the rules often, but never had he done so in such a furiously demanding manner. Even the boys who had bypassed Peter's earlier attempts of seriousness were now beginning to comprehend the lack of childish vigour in his tone. The chorus of whispers that erupted soon after Peter's exit could attest to that.
Meanwhile, Peter had begun his frantic search for Wendy's kiss. The previous night, in an explosion of anger and guilt, the boy had hurled it furiously across the room, its presence unbearable to the distraught child. Now, however, he needed it, and fast.
The sound of bells suddenly interrupted Peter's search, and he looked up to find Tinker Bell hovering above him, a confused expression on her tiny face.
"Not now Tink, I'm busy."
The fairy refused to budge, instead shouting childish obscenities at Peter until he finally returned his attention to her.
"What do you want, Tink?"
Abruptly flicking fairy dust in Peter's face, and subsequently making him sneeze, Tinker Bell flew over to the tiny tree hollow she had adopted as her resting area. Her jealousy of Wendy a distant thought as she focused on making Peter happy, the fairy, after a short struggle, suddenly pulled the necklace that held the kiss from the alcove, presenting it cheerfully to Peter.
"You found it? Thanks, Tink!"
Tinker Bell smiled, her tiny body too overcome with Peter's appreciation for her to be able to verbally recall the moment he had flung the object straight at her in the first place. Tink instead fluttered into the air, saluting to Peter before imitating Hook and Wendy doing something that was anything but child appropriate. Peter grimaced.
"Wendy once spoke of growing up. She said that when you grow up your feelings start to change. You start to love, Tink. I don't ever want to love. Just the thought of it offends me."
Tink nodded gaily, her excitement erupting as she lifted up into the air and this time mimed herself shooting Wendy with an arrow. Peter cocked his eyebrow in response.
"Again? But what if she has a kiss to save her?"
Tink pointed to the necklace in Peter's hand, rubbing her own hands together evilly. Peter grinned back at her, but only for a second before a new thought filled his mind.
"I can't kill her again, Tink."
The little fairy let out a jealous whine.
"Tink, I can't! She has to go home, with her brothers. Hook, however…" Peter trailed off as Tink jingled excitedly. A smirk formed on Peter's lips.
"The old man is going down."
It was not until a few hours later that the boys finally found themselves leaving the underground home and beginning their journey to the Indian's camp. Upon their arrival they were promptly ushered into the Chief's hut, partly due to his impatience to plan their attack, but also because of the dark, threatening clouds that had filled the sky, foreshadowing the dark and turbulent times ahead.
As each boy introduced himself to the Chief, John, in particular, found himself distracted, his eyes searching desperately for a young princess he hadn't seen in a very long time.
"John. John!" Michael nudged his older brother hard in the ribs. "John, it's your turn."
Blushing red in embarrassment, John hastily introduced himself and turned to join the rest of the boys. As he did however, he suddenly found his way obstructed by a rather surly looking Indian.
"You speak to Tiger Lily."
John blushed once more, but the man was not going to take 'no' for an answer, instead taking a hold of the boy's shoulders and ushering him back out of the hut and into the trees.
"Wait."
"But Sir…" John began to protest, but the man had gone, his muscles seemingly glowing in the remainder of the sunlight. Despite not being one who cared for looks over intelligence, John found himself eyes them somewhat jealously, wondering how easy it would be for him to find a fiancée if his body had the same proportions.
"John?"
A tender voice brought John out of his subconscious, but before he could fully assess the woman before him, Tiger Lily had leapt into his arms, her laughter echoing through the trees.
"I knew you would return one day!"
John, whose face was now almost as red as a tomato, returned the princess' rather forward embrace. As he did he noticed something quite strange: she appeared to be taller. However, before he could pursue the thought further, Tiger Lily had taken a hold of his hand and was beginning to pull him further into the forest.
"Come."
It wasn't long before the noisy collaborations and compromises of their acquaintances had all but faded away, leaving the two of them in silence. As he followed her, John tried desperately to ascertain how the princess had changed, but the more he thought about it, the less he could remember how she had looked before.
Suddenly, Tiger Lily dropped into the undergrowth, sharply pulling John down with her. Studying his surrounding, John found himself sitting in a small clearing which appeared to have, at one point, been a camp ground. From their position, they had a beautiful view over the island, from Skull Rock and Mermaid Lagoon, all the way over to the lower forest, where the underground home was safely nestled away.
"Can you see it?" Tiger Lily whispered, her stare fixed on something far off in the distance.
"See what?" John replied curiously.
"The black line dividing the horizon and sea."
John refocused his faze, spotting exactly what Tiger Lily had been referring to merely seconds after he had done so.
"Is that not normal?"
"Take a closer look."
John obeyed, squinting hard. For a few moments nothing appeared to change, but then, slowly, the line began to move upwards, almost like a wave, penetrating the already darkening sky.
"My goodness."
"Do you see?" Tiger Lily asked, fear lacing her words.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Neverland."
"But…"
"We have many myths and legends regarding the origin of the island, but there is only one we have come to observe closely as the truth. We were all led here for a reason: we were needed."
"Needed? By whom?"
"Peter. We are products of his desire to remain a child for all eternity."
"Even Hook?"
"Particularly Hook. In every tale there is good and evil, hey exist in a delicate balance, and Peter and Hook are no different."
"But if you were all brought here, what happened to Hook to make him detest Peter so much?"
Tiger Lily smiled, "The tribe has spent many years exploring the island and learning of its inhabitants, but Neverland is clever, she has complete control over us: we can only discover as much as she wishes us to."
"You cannot be suggesting the Neverland is alive!" John laughed, his amusement cut short at Tiger Lily's stern expression.
"There is no suggestion. She lives off of Peter. Without his imagination and desire, the island would not be here, and neither would the tribe, or Hook, or Wendy… or you."
"How does all of this relate to that though?" John asked, gesturing towards the ever expanding darkness.
"Peter may only be a child, but he is a child who has experienced events no human ever should. In making his imagination real, Peter lost something very important: perception. He no longer has the ability to define real life from that he has created, and there is nothing but danger associated with that."
"I do not understand."
"There is darkness inside Peter, darkness which innocence cannot detect, but wisdom and age can. As Neverland feeds off Peter, it has the ability to multiply his emotions. When Peter is sad, it rains; when he is gone, the island hibernates and Winter falls; and when he returns, the sun rises and the scent of Spring fills the air."
Tiger Lily paused, looking hopefully to John to see if he understood. A blank stare returned her hopeful gaze.
"Wendy's returned troubled Peter greatly. He has been forced to remember memories and people who have long been forgotten. His mind is fraught with feelings and thoughts and confusion, and now the island is doing the only thing that will end his frustration and return everything to normal."
"Is that not a good thing?"
"No. John, the darkness is ancient, powerful magic. It will destroy everything that does not belong and return everyone to their original state of being. This Lost Boys, all of them, will be sent to Limbo, we will all forget our tribe's history and heritage, and, worst of all, you and your brother and sister will die."
"That can't be true."
"It is; every word."
"What can we do? I will not let Wendy or Michael succumb to this evil, and neither will I give up my brothers."
"You must leave, all of you, before the darkness consumes the sky."
"We will go immediately!"
"You must all go together, Wendy too. If you do not leave as a whole, the curse will not be broken."
John paused, digesting Tiger Lily's words.
"We will rescue Wendy, and then take our leave."
For a moment, the two of them shared glances.
"You will never be able to return. She can never see Hook again."
"Wendy? Why ever would she want to do that?"
Tiger Lily sighed, "because she is in love."
John snorted in disbelief, "With Hook? Preposterous; he kidnapped her!"
"The mermaids never lie, John. Hook and Wendy are in love."
Silence filled the air as John, desperate to find a counter argument, weighed the evidence before him, finally coming to the conclusion that Tiger Lily was telling the truth.
"Is she safe?"
"Yes, but she will be hesitant to leave."
"I understand. Thank you."
John, ever his father's son, proffered his hand for Tiger Lily to shake. The princess looked at it somewhat dubiously before laughing and shaking his hand.
"I do not think I will ever understand your strange customs."
John smiled back, "They only get stranger as you grow up."
Suddenly, as if a light switch had suddenly been turned on in the back of his mind, John found himself realising something that had been staring him directly in the face for quite some time.
"You've grown up."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Peter cannot guide you home. Besides, it would be far too dangerous to fly. I shall be guiding you across the sea. It will be rough, but it can be done."
"Will you be able to return."
The princess dropped her gaze, her eyes scanning the soil at her feet as she continued. "No. But that is my fate. I have chosen to save you, and defy the magic of Neverland, and therefore I shall have to accept the consequences of my actions."
John opened his mouth to protest but before he could speak a word, Tiger Lily had risen to her feet, her gaze once more fixed on the sky.
"The sun is setting."
John looked up, eyeing the remainder of the sun's rays as they stained the sky orange, eerily illuminating the ever rising darkness. As they stood, a cheer rang through the trees, followed quickly by Peter's infamous crowing.
"It is time," Tiger Lily whispered.
As quick as a flash, John was on his feet, his hand grasping Tiger Lily's as she turned back towards the camp.
"Live with us."
"I…"
"We'll tell stories and I'll teach you all about London."
"Really?"
"I'll look after you, I promise."
Tiger Lily paused, focusing hard on John's expression, smiling as a blush began to creep up his cheeks. In a moment reminiscent of one of Wendy's fairy tales, the pair suddenly found themselves kissing, Tiger Lily's soft lips more tender than John had ever been able to reminisce but ever just as passionate. As they pulled apart and turned back towards camp, a beautiful silence fell between them.
For now, no matter what the outcome, the unlikely sweethearts had finally found peace.