Peter Pan OUAT One-Shots/Imagines

Mum (Request)

Request for @Violet_Wonder 

I called the Shadow and left home seventy years ago. It hadn't been an issue with my family, like most of the Lost Boys, but rather an issue with my circumstance. The war had been raging across Europe for years and my city was constantly bombed by German planes. It wasn't safe and after my father was sent to war, it was just my mother and me. 

When I was a little girl, she used to tell me stories about a magical place called Neverland where people never grew up and everyone was safe. So one night, hopeless and lonely, I whispered, "I believe" and let Peter Pan's shadow take me away. 

Neverland wasn't exactly what she had described. Peter Pan was ruthless toward his enemies, there were plenty of threats, and the magic that flowed through the island wasn't pure. But I couldn't leave, and it wasn't like I had a home to return to in London anyway, so I made the best of it. 

Most of the children there left home because of a difficult relationship with their parents. As someone who had always treasured mine, I felt awful for them and took it upon myself to nurture them. They accepted me readily, even though I felt shy around them at first, but once we all got to know each other, we had tons of fun and I could be stubborn with them. How else was one to get Toodles to wash his hands before eating, after all? 

"Violet!" 

Speak of the devil, Toodles came toddling up to me, grinning from ear to ear.

I crouched down. "What is it, love?" 

"Look!" He opened his hand to show me a beetle he caught, but when he did so, it flew off, causing him to pout. 

Chuckling, I scooped him up. "Awww, that's alright, darling. You can catch another one tomorrow. For now, it's getting late. What do you say we put you to bed?" 

A nearby boy huffed. "No! Really? Already? If Toodles goes to bed, we all have to go to bed." 

I put a hand on my hip. "I've already let you stay up far later than I ever should have." 

"But Violet!" Whined another little one, "We're not tired!" 

"Hush. All of you lot, it's time for bed!" 

Groans and complaints echoed around the camp. At the same time, my friend and crush, Peter Pan, came back from his walk in the woods and gave them all a stern look. "Listen to Vi." 

They sighed, collectively disgruntled. 

To console them, I said, "If you're good, I'll sing you all a lullaby before bed." 

That made them feel better. They scrambled around camp, getting into pajamas before congregating by the fire so I could sing to them before sleeping. 

"Which song do you want?" I offered. 

Rufio gasped. "The gold one!" 

"Fields of Gold?" I asked. 

"No, no," One of the older ones said. "Let's hear Greensleeves!" 

"I want the one about horses!" 

They all started shouting out suggestions, piling on top of one another, and arguing about which lullaby was best. I held up my hands to silence them. "How about we do more than one? Does that sound good?" 

The collective cheer indicated yes, that did sound good. 

I started with Scarborough Fair, an old English folk song, and ended with All the Pretty Little Horses. As I went through my repertoire of lullabies, the younger boys nodded off and the older ones relaxed, slowly getting sleepier and sleepier.