Peter's fingers encircled the star, and the white light drifted between them to the cave's walls. A play of light and shadow that mirrored the turmoil inside of her.
"When I'm back in the sky ... I'll fix everything," she whispered, closing her mouth so as not to sully that momentous silence with more words.
Peter felt the tingling warmth flowing from the star into his fingertips. Pure magic that stroked his skin with formless little sparks and whispered to him. But already, his thoughts kept fraying, slipping away, and Peter remembered the last time he had been so severely wounded. Hook had injured him badly that time, and he was left alone on Marooners Rock. The water was rising, the wound would not stop bleeding, and he knew: this could be his end. The chilly breath of death brushed the back of his neck.
'To die would be an awfully big adventure,' he had always said.
But where he usually balanced on his companion's transmission and danced on the edge of that precipice with every adventure, today was a day ... when he didn't want to die.
Peter felt the star in his hands, and oh ... there were dozens of wishes in his heart.
He wished to see the Darling children again and make sure they were safe and sound back in London.
He wished his Lost Boys were back so he could look into the stupidly grinning faces of Curly, Slightly, the twins, and the others.
He wished to defeat Hook again and rid Neverland of that damned stockfish for good.
He wished to look at the starry sky, fly, and crow again.
He wished to be young again.
He wished to see his Second Star from the Right in the sky again.
He wished to see Neverland as before ... and to whisper his adventures to his star.
He had so many wishes. One of them ... however, only his star could fulfill.
"Star ..." Peter whispered and blinked several times because his vision was already blurring. His hands felt heavy and cold.
"I'm here," it murmured next to him, and Peter gathered his strength into a wry smile that could have fooled no one.
His wish ... the greatest of all. She had to grant it, or he couldn't wish her back. Not with all his heart. There was something he HAD to know.
"Name ..."
The star blinked. She didn't understand, and Peter would have laughed if he had the strength.
"Your name ... what is your name?"
The star looked at him as if he had asked an incredible question. Blue waves flowed over her shoulders, and Peter sighed as her fingers brushed a sweaty strand from his forehead. She leaned closer to him as if whispering the greatest secret of this and all other worlds. And Peter knew that secretly it was too. Tink had told him long ago: Fairies' names were powerful and gave power over them. He wouldn't have wondered if she hadn't answered or given a false name. It would have been enough for him...
Like a veil, her hair fell around her features, shielding the other star's light from his eyes. He only had eyes for her anyway. The Second Star. His very own star. Peter lifted his other hand and ran it through the blue strands with the fascination of a child. Her hair reminded him of the cascades of Neverland Falls, high in the Never Mountains. When it was night, it reflected the lights of the stars. 'So very beautiful,' he had always thought, reaching out in flight to touch the surface and reach for the lights in the water. But they escaped his grasp. So close and, at the same time, infinitely distant.
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When Stars Fall
Fanfiction** When a wish brings devastating consequences, Pan must join forces with a fallen star to stop the walking dead before Neverland sinks into eternal darkness. ** "We can sail away tonight on a sea of pure moonlight We can navigate the stars to b...
