Pan's Never-Neverland

Thimbles and Kisses

Chapter Thirty-Seven – Thimbles and Kisses

It was quiet that night in Never-Neverland. There were few visitors wandering about, and perhaps it was better that way. Peter sat atop a booth, staring out at the ocean with sad, blank eyes. Having led the others to the park, he took Ruff to the hideout where the fairies could work on him. Violet nearly had a heart attack when she saw him limp in Peter's arms. When the boys asked Wendy where their father was, she had to use all her strength not to break down in front of them. Peter made sure they were comfortable in the house inside the tree before taking off. He was certain that they wanted to be alone for a moment, and he knew that he certainly wanted to be alone.

Never had he felt so guilty about a grown-up except for the first Wendy. Every time he thought of Mr. George Darling, he couldn't think of a single kind thing to say. The fact that George had pleaded him to take care of his children rubbed salt into the wound, and he was nearly positive that Wendy would hate him for not being able to save her father. Hugging his knees, he hid his face, angry with Shade and most of all, himself.

"Peter…"

Lifting his head, he opened one eye. Hook, Christine, and Smee stood below him on the ground, all gazing at him with sympathetic eyes.

Christine felt her heart tear in two when she saw the frustration, shame, anger, hurt, and fear in his eyes, a tear escaping and sliding down his face. "Boy," she asked quietly. "Why are you crying?"

Peter gave a dark chuckle, remembering another time, another place, another person who had asked him the same question. "I'm crying because I couldn't save someone…because of me, Wendy, Jon, and Mikey are orphans…even Violet's aunt's death is my fault!" He sniffled, harshly rubbing his tear away. "…besides, I wasn't crying!"

Smee smiled sadly at the boy. "'T ain't yer fault, Peter…Shade is responsible-"

"Maybe I should give myself up," Peter cut him off, doubt flickering in his eyes. "Everyone would be better off-"

An iron claw sliced through the air, snagging onto the boy's shirt and yanking him down. He tumbled, bumping into Hook's chest. The man glared down at him, his eyes flashing red. "Don't you darestart with that, you bilge rat!" he bellowed. "Without you, we can't survive! Without you, we don't exist!" Seeing Peter stare at him in confusion, he grabbed the boy's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Are you not Peter Pan, the scurvy kid who cut off my hand and fed it to a crocodile? The boy who never grows up? The boy who lives in every child, who lives with fairies, who protects little urchins that need saving…?"

Peter gawked at him, unable to believe his words.

"You saved those children," he told him. "You're giving them a second opportunity…what about that baby you gave away, hmm? Didn't you just give him everything a child could have wanted in this world? And Miss Violet…and the Darling children…they're going to live and have adventures of a lifetime so long as they're with you. You saved all those Lost Brats from dying, from abuse, from a world that didn't seem to care…" Glaring cruelly at him, he sneered, "If you do not at least accept that, then you're not even a shadow of Peter Pan…the cocky Eternal Youth which will bear my hook in his chest when we return to N-!" He stopped, frozen, as Peter grabbed him.

Hugging the man, Peter knew that Hook was right. After coming so far, he would not give up. He needed everyone just as badly as they needed him. Pulling away, he smiled at Hook, patting the man's shoulder. "Thanks, Captain…you're right."

Hook blinked, his jaw dropping. What did he just say?!

Grinning, Peter began to float off the ground. "Don't get any bright ideas and start blabbing to everybody. I'll just deny it! And you can expect no more sappy hug moments from me!" Laughing, he shot off into the night sky, a crow echoing in the air.