Wendy Darling's Story

The stars were beautiful. Especially up close. Wendy stared around in wonder, barely paying attention to where she was going. She had dreamed of something like this since she was very small. "Second star to the right and straight on til morning," a voice said to her right. Slowly, she pivoted her head towards the source of the voice, and there he was. Peter. A smile broke out onto her face; it was something she just couldn't help. He'd had that effect on her since the first moment she had laid eyes on him. His boyishness, charm, and high spirits were positively infectious. As she looked down, the world had simply fallen away, and she was flying completely surrounded by the stars. Suddenly, she was violently jerked to the right, taking her off course. With wide eyes, she looked around frantically trying to find the source. Peter was just hovering nearby, a confused look on his face. Instantly she was jerked the opposite way. She had one last look at his face before everything went black.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Wendy opened her eyes, finding her son inches away from her face, his eyes wide. "Come on mommm," he whined, holding the 'm' of mom out for the longest time. It may have been early, and she may have wanted to sleep longer, but she couldn't ignore the precious boy in front of her. She giggled, leaning forward and kissing his brow. "Alright, alright, I'm up," she said, slowly crawling out of bed. Stephen was growing so fast, it was hard to believe he had just turned five a few weeks ago. She had been at the young age of seventeen when he was born, scared out of her mind and completely alone. Yet now she couldn't imagine her life without the little boy. She ruffled his dark locks, a trait he had inherited from his no-good father. She wouldn't let her day be ruined by thoughts of Lumiere. Not when she had her perfect little ray of sunshine in her life.

The morning was a busy one, fixing breakfast, and getting ready to take Stephen to school. She missed him while he was gone, but since she was a single mother, it was nice to have some time to think of herself. She decided to wear a light blue sun dress that morning, since it was supposedly going to be a hot day. She left her hair down, letting it fall in its natural waves.They left the house a few minutes late, forcing them to run the few blocks between Wendy's appointment and the school. Thankfully, he was right on time, and she gave him a long kiss before watching him enter the building.

Wendy didn't have any specific plans for the day, so she walked idly to the main street in town, heading to a particular favorite spot of hers; a locally owned coffee shop. No one could ever have enough coffee. Any parent would understand. As she waited in line, her mind wandered back to the dream. It had been eleven long years since she had gone to Neverland, and left Peter to grow up. She had regretted that decision many times in her life, but had a hard time feeling that way with Stephen in her life. Peter entered her thoughts daily, yet she feared he didn't even remember her. For months she had hoped to see his face at her window, but it was always empty. She forced his face out of her mind. There was no use in thinking of someone who she would never see again. She had to move on.

It wasn't for lack of trying, because she had tried more than her fair share of times. But men these days didn't want relationships, they just wanted you for one night. She had willingly given herself to men, believing love, only to be tossed aside the next day. That was the case when Stephen's father. Lumiere had no desire to know his son, and refused to even look at Wendy if the boy was with her. Wendy was past being furious about that, and now was just sad. Stephen needed a male role model, someone to look up to. It was a shame he would never know his father.

She ordered her iced mocha and took a seat by the window, pulling out the latest novel by James Patterson and opening it to her bookmarked page. She lost herself in the words, letting her mind be free of her heart's pain for just a short while.

---

---

It was too god damned early for Flynn, and yet he was awake. Sleep hadn't come easily last night, so Flynn had eventually given up on it all together, deciding to browse the television for something worth watching. Early morning tv was a bore, he came to find out. All infomercials and paid programming. So, he decided to turn on his Xbox and play Call of Duty. There were always gaming nerds online, no matter what the hour. Plus, playing any sort of action game always made him reminisce on his days as a thief. Excitement had filled every waking moment. His life now was slightly more.. lackluster.

He had tried many things to add excitement to his life. Partying, gambling, drugs, sex. Nothing seemed to satiate him... although the sex was great. He loved pursuing women, but most were just too easy, and it took all the fun out of it. He liked the mystery and intrigue, the cat and mouse games. He could walk into a bar, smile at a girl, and she would instantly want to go home with him. There was no fun in that, no thrill in the chase. So, he just stuck with flirting mostly.

"Eat bullets!" he yelled at the screen, pressing the trigger and spraying bullets at his enemies. He was seated on the very edge of the couch, eyes intently focused on the screen. His team needed five more kills, the other only needed two. He laid down in the grass, aiming at the nearest door. A figure appeared, and he took him down. Four to go. Another appeared, looking at his fallen comrade. Instead headshot. Now only three. He inched closer to the tv, looking for any sign of movement. A teammate died, and he swore loudly. Two members of the opposing team rushed him, and somehow he took them down without dying. "One more... one more..." he whispered, running around the map like crazy. Bullets flew at him, but somehow didn't hit their mark. Finally, he saw someone in the window, and took his aim. They had a shootout, and Flynn won. "YES!" he screamed in triumph, throwing his controller down and pumping his fists in the air.

His stomach grumbled, interrupting his victory dance. He glanced at his phone, realizing it was now later than he thought. Damn, it was time for breakfast. He changed, putting on a black t-shirt with a slight v-neck, and a pair of skinny jeans. He left the apartment, donning a pair of black shades. The walk was quiet, since it was still early. As he passed by the coffee shop, he saw Wendy sitting by the window, nose stuck in a book. He approached the window and tapped lightly on the glass. Her head shot up, and she smiled at the sight of his face. He waved, a goofy grin on his face, and she waved back, before he walked on by to head for the local diner. The bell above the door jingled as he entered, and he took a seat in a booth next to the door. When the waitress approached, he ordered pancakes with an extra side of bacon and coffee. He threw the menu aside afterward, staring around the practically empty diner. He vaguely wondered what he was going to do with his day.

Paris woke in his bed. He knew it was most likely morning but he couldn't tell how light it was, considering it was oddly dark. He rolled over and found himself landing face first on the flow with a loud thud as it knocked the air out of him. Letting out a small whine, he reached up and noticed he still had his sleep mask over his eyes. After a small sigh, he stood up fast and took the purple mask that had stitching that was meant to resemble eyes off his face and set it on his pillow. He looked around the now lit room and was pleased to see his lovely Snow still seamlessly sleeping on the other side of the bed. "I hope I didn't wake you, sweetheart." Paris whispered as softly as he possibly could as to no wake her anymore than he possibly could.

He walked around to Snow's side of the bed and pulled the blankets up gently over her shoulder and gave a quick soft peck on her forehead before scampering off to the large walk-in closet. Paris crossed an arm over his chest to put the elbow of his other arm in his hand and put his free one under his chin as he examined the clothes in the closet with a thinking look on his face. "What to wear. What to wear." He spoke, putting together in his head what he should wear. He carefully put together outfit after outfit together and decided between each one before raising his eyebrow as a smirk spread across his face. Grabbing a black tank-top with "I'm Fabulous!" cursive design written on it in a sparkly pink, a light leather light-pink gold-zipper jacket, black short-shorts, black studded short heeled boots and his favorite smoky-purple contacts, he skipped over to the 'powder room'.

Once there, Paris got right to work fixing his hair. Today though, he felt a little too lazy to gel it up, so he simply combed his bright pink hair over to the left of his face. He put a bobby-pin in the back to insure it from falling back over. He then left his bangs to fall in his face. After the hair was pretty much taken care of, his put in his contacts then went on to putting on the rest of his face. Mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, foundation, blush, lip stain, lip liner, lip stick, you name it, Paris Prince has it. And he uses it. He went in that room his almost-natural self with the copper-brown eyes and the tan-colored lips, and he came out his now usually purple-eyed pink-lipped self. He smiled to himself as he went as quietly as possible to the door of the bedroom before turning back to check if Snow was still there. Smiling as to see she was, he scampered down the stars and into the kitchen.

A little thing to know about Paris is the fact that the only things be can coke is anything sweet (like cake, cupcakes, cookies, etcetera) and fabulously juicy and tasty roasted chicken. That being said, Paris got out the ingredients to make blueberry pancakes. But, of course like any fabulous person, he needs a little fabulous music to cook to. Paris, in the most fabulous way possible, picked up the remote to the stereo system and turned the radio on. With much surprise and a great big smile on his face, an old favorite came on. 'My Pumps'. So, as Paris cooked, he danced slightly to the music as he slightly sang along and started putting pancake after pancake on a large plate in the middle of the island in the kitchen. Once they were all done, Paris grabbed a couple plates, forks, maple syrup, powdered sugar, chocolate syrup, and strawberries out and put them all nicely out on the island. Smiling and nodding slightly as he put his hands on his hip, giving a little hip pop and looking over his work. He then worked his way over to the stairs and yelled up with a smile. "Snow, darling, breakfast awaits!" He yelled with a smile before going back into the kitchen and starting a kettle of tea and pulling a picture of pink lemonade out of the fridge.

---

---

Phillip awoke to the sound of the birds chirping. He smiled as he woke opened his eyes to the first morning air and the sun just coming into view. Stepping down from his hammock and heading to house. It was a nice little wooden cottage. Once inside, he got himself a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Yes, Phillip, unlike most people, still read the newspaper. He didn't have a computer or laptop at his home. He didn't even need a T.V. there, but he liked to watch Sunday night football sometimes. After he found coffee grans in his coffee, he wrinkled his nose then sat the cup on the little table by the kitchen along with the newspaper.

Looking up at the calendar, Phillip was a little disappointed. It was one of those days where he had to go to the city. Letting out a sigh, he stood from his seat and walked off to the back room. At the moment, he was wearing an old worn out flannel shirt and old worn out brown pants with no socks or shoes. He was in a, what some people would call, homeless look. He grabbed his suite and laid it out on the bed before grabbing his black dress shoes and black dress socks. He stopped in the bathroom and shaved his face then went to put the suite on. He was all nice and situated.

Now, Phillip grabbed the briefcase from the floor of his closet. It didn't really hold much but paperwork for his fathers business, a few fountain pens and a few pictures of the city and it's people. This was Phillip's way of giving back by helping with the city's website. Now you know one of the reasons Phillip distances himself. Though, there was also Aurora. Phillip shook the thought of Aurora from his mind as he picked up his car keys and wallet. He then went out to his Cadillac and started out of his long drive to get to the dirt road that lead to the highway that lead into the city. One of the difficulties of living far into the wood.

As he drove, he put in his favorite CD in and his favorite song and part of his motto came on. 'Simple Life'. It would probably be an understatement to say this song was just Phillip's theme song. It was more like his way of life. He got to the city with a few hours to burn. So he did what he usually does while in the city. He parked his car in a parking lot building, he was on the third floor. He was fine with it though. With the song stuck in his head, he was fine with it. He grabbed his briefcase and started the long walk down.

After a while, maybe twenty minutes, he reached the sidewalk. It was obvious he was in a good mood today as he greeted everyone he passed. He then ducked into a coffee shop to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading off to work. Once in there though, he saw a familiar face. Wendy Darling. Nice girl, darling name. Phillip thought as he smiled and chuckled slightly at his comment about the girl. He walked past her on the way to the cash register. "Good morning, Wendy." He said to her with a smile before going up to order his black coffee and walking back to her. "I wish you a pleasant day." He added as he paused slightly in front of her table with a smile and slight nod.

"Well, I haven't the time to chat at the moment for I'm off to work, but it was a pleasure seeing you this fine morning." Phillip added, smile still on his face and a glow just steaming off him as he enjoyed his good mood. He then headed out of the coffee shop and down the sidewalk towards his work. He was certain nothing in the world could dampen his good mood. Nothing.

Snow laid in a relieving sleep, not caring for the light that was beginning to shine from the window. The loud 'BANG' of Paris' face to the floor only caused her to simply turn over and get a tighter grip on the duvet. Being a very deep sleeper, there wasn't much that could wake Snow up. She felt Paris give her a light peck on the forehead, making a small smile appear on her resting face. By the time her husband had come back to check that she still lay in bed, she'd swapped sides and was now hugging his pillow unknowingly. You see, although she'd never admit it, Snow hates to be alone - especially in bed. In fact, every time Paris leaves the bed for longer than five minutes he'll return to her once again; hugging his pillow. She's a sleep-hugger, and sometimes doesn't even realise it.

"Snow, darling, breakfast awaits!" She heard Paris call up from the stairs. This somehow managed to wake her up, putting her into her zombie-like morning state. Her hair that was once in a neat-ish bun at the back of her head was now flailing out all over the place (but mostly in her face). She was still rapidly blinking the sleep from her eyes as she made a massive yawn. "Ugh..." She complained, not liking that she had to awaken so early. She managed to drag herself from the bed and didn't dare take a look in the mirror. Her stomach rumbling, she could careless about how she looked. This was shown by how she simply made her way straight from the room and down the stairs in her tight plain black tank top and green short shorts.

She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes lighting up at what she saw: pancakes! Yes, Snow is a pancake lover. And her wonderful husband had made her pancakes for breakfast, and to top it up it was her favorite kind! Grinning like a fool ,she skipped over to him with a sudden burst of energy and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love your outfit by the way." She greeted happily, and as if in seconds she was sat at the island ready to eat her breakfast; its smell almost making her drool.

---

Anastasia woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Quickly jumping up from the bed, she was suddenly full of energy. With a small, excited dance (that made her look like she really need to pee, she stopped the once on going alarm clock with a gentle tap to the 'stop' button that seemed to grow larger every morning. Shrugging it off a her crazy imagination, she ran over to the closet and pulled open the doors in her polka-dot shorts and plain white tank (an outfit choice she'd learnt from Snow). It wasn't a giant, walk-in closet but it was enough to fir all her clothes; which was good enough for her.

She quickly grabbed her black tank top, her checkered shirt, basic denim jeans and black converse. Pulling them on from top to bottom, she smiled in satisfaction of her attire in the full-body mirror she had hanging on the left closet door. When she saw her hair, she almost burst into fits of giggles. It was spiked up in almost every direction but her face, that being why she hadn't noticed its state before hand. She grabbed her brush from her dressing table and was soon taming her wild hair. After she'd attacked it with her brush, it fell nicely past her shoulders with small ringlets shown in the bottom area. With her clothing and hair done, all she now had left to sort out was her make up.

She headed to the average, small bathroom across the hall and set to cleaning her hands, face and teeth before grabbing her make-up purse that she'd kept stored on the sink edge. Opening the zip, she traced her fingers across her choices before settling for her beloved lipstick, mascara and eye liner. She applied all but the lipstick lightly, keen to hide her pale lips from her world. Returning to the bedroom, she checked the time and got her folders from the desk before then leaving the flat with a skip to her step, making sure to lock the door behind her. On the way out, she also made sure to put her purse in her front right pocket.

Anastasia made it from the flat building and realised she'd forgotten breakfast. She groaned at her idiocy and made her way to the coffee shop not to far from her flat building. Entering, she noticed Philip and Wendy chatting at the register and got in line behind Philip. She then set on patiently waiting for her turn to order.

Flynn still sat in his booth, waiting for his food to arrive. His stomach grumbled unhappily at him, and he absentmindedly patted it with his right hand. 'Don't worry, you'll get fed soon enough,' he thought, staring out the window. Various people passed by; some he knew, others he didn't. Staring at the street made him think of his past, something he really didn't like to reminisce on. The streets had been his home not too long ago. After his father had passed away unexpectedly, his mother had existed in a permanent drug-induced high that was sometimes accompanied by a drunken rage. She practically stopped caring for him, using all of her money on drugs or alcohol. So he ran away. Life on the streets wasn't pretty, but it was a hell of a lot better than being ignored and unloved at home. At least he got to feel alive.

At the beginning it was rough; he had no idea how to live on his own. He spent nights sleeping in abandoned subway stations, stealing unused food from dumpsters behind restaurants. It took time, but eventually he learned how to steal, acquiring more than one outfit and food that wasn't in the trash. He began to thrive, more than he ever had at home. And he began to feel alive, a true free spirit. He traveled all over the world, seeing places he could only ever imagine. He stood on top of the Eiffel Tower, saw Big Ben, walked along the Great Wall... and that was just a few examples. The one thing that each place had in common was that he didn't stay for too long. He didn't want to become too familiar with people, and eventually get caught because of it.

He was broken from his thoughts by a plate of food being set in front of him, a stack of warm pancakes with strips of bacon. He inhaled the scent, stomach awakening loudly. He took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth run down his throat, and he sighed contently. Dousing the pancakes with syrup, he began to practically inhale the food, shoving big forkfuls into his mouth. The bell over the door jingled, and looked up from his food to see a redhead entering the diner. It was none other than Ariel. A grin spread across his face, even though his mouth was stuffed with food. He figured he looked like a chipmunk, but he hardly cared. Her eyes met his, and she gave him a slight nod. Well, at least it was acknowledgement, but it wasn't too overly friendly. Sure, he knew she didn't really care for him. But her disinterest only made him want to pursue her even more. If girls were too easy, it made the game of cat and mouse practically nonexistent.

His eyes followed her, even though she made a point to not look at him as she picked a booth on the opposite side of the diner. As soon as she sat down, she grabbed the menu and threw it up to hide her face. Flynn just chuckled, shaking his head slightly. That wasn't going to deter him, not in the slightest. She was approached, spoke briefly with man, then was left alone once more. This time she held a paper up instead of the menu, conveniently blocking her view once more. Although, he didn't fail to notice that she took another peek at him before pretending to be absorbed in the paper. Hell, she was practically begging for him to come over. So he'd give her what she wanted.

As he stood up, he briefly thought of Rapunzel. She had been his first love, since he hadn't allowed himself to love before he met her. Love meant connections, and he would want to stay instead of move on. Only after he got caught did he allow himself to feel again. She had been a bright, shining star in his dim world. And yet he had left her. Frankly, he knew she was too good for him. Even her parents knew it, which was why they had forbidden their relationship. Sure, she had defied them and ran away, but eventually duty took her back to her parent's legacy. He couldn't have made her happy, truly. His parents had seen it from the beginning, and he should have as well. He pushed all thoughts of her from his mind. Their relationship was over now.

He grabbed his plate and mug and carried them over to her booth, sliding in beside her instead of sitting across the way. He knew she would pretend to be unhappy about it, but she had been looking at him multiple times, sending him signals. He set his plate down, and taking a sip of coffee before setting that down as well. "Good morning, Ariel," he said with a smile on his face. He began eating once more, but this time restraining and having more manners than when he was alone. "I must say, you are looking positively radiant this morning. How has your day been so far?" He figured he's start with idle, typical chatter. Perhaps it would warm her up to him a bit.

---

---

Wendy snapped the book shut, her heart aching. The story had a happy ending, of course. Most novels did. The couple was reunited, the killer got the justice he deserved, good triumphed over evil. She wished the world actually worked the way it did in books. Perhaps she's still be with Peter in Neverland, or he would have followed her, decided to grow up and live with her. Make a life with her. Frustrated, she shoved her book back into her bag. It had been ten years and counting, and still Peter invaded her thoughts on a daily basis. Somehow, she still wasn't able to forget about the love they had shared when they were both only eleven. She was twenty two now, with a child, and still no love had ever come close. She had tried, numerous times, only to be taken advantage of and then tossed aside like trash. It aggravated her to no end. Perhaps it was only meant to be her and Stephen.

Her thoughts were broken up by the appearance of a familiar face. Phillip. The sight of him brought a smile to her face. He was handsome, and one of the nicest men she had ever met. Why she had ended up with all of those losers and not the guy before her was a question she asked herself frequently. Of course, someone like him probably wouldn't want to end up with the likes of her. She was tainted, multiple times over, and came with baggage: her son. He approached her when he entered the coffee shop. "Good morning, Wendy," he said simply, giving her a genuine smile. "Morning Phillip," she returned, smiling back at him. "I wish you a pleasant day." He paused at her table briefly, still smiling. "Well, I haven't the time to chat at the moment for I'm off to work, but it was a pleasure seeing you this fine morning." She nodded, glad he had at least stopped to say hello. "Thanks for saying hi, Phillip. It was great to see you," 'I wish you would stay...' she thought briefly, although she didn't dare to say the words out loud. He would just laugh at her.

He turned to leave and she began to pack up her things, grabbing her bag off of the chair and slinging it over her shoulder. She grabbed the iced mocha, finishing the rest and throwing it in a nearby trash can. She saw Anastasia, Drizella's younger and frankly more sane sister. She gave the girl a small wave as she walked out the door and back out onto the sidewalk. She saw Phillip heading down the sidewalk, and she had a great urge to chase after him. But, he had to head for work, and she would only be getting in his way. He had stopped to say hi, and if he had really wanted to stay and chat with her, he would have. She just stood there, quite dumbly, staring as he retreated. After multiple seconds. she got her wits back and began walking in the opposite direction.

As before, she had no idea where she was headed. She had no plans for the day, having it off from work, and had nowhere to be until she had to pick Stephen up from school. She began heading back towards her apartment, walking by the school and wondering what Stephen was doing. She found a bench a few blocks from the apartment, and sat down, enjoying the air. She had no other book with her to read, so instead she just stared at the surroundings, her mind wandering many different places. Perhaps she would just sit and wait for school to be out. Normally she would be running errands or find something productive to do, but for some reason she didn't feel the need. She wanted to be here, on this bench, and nowhere else. She had no idea what it was, but something was keeping her here. Perhaps she'd eventually find out.

Snow grinned and made the attempt to wave as his head poked out from over the counter. Once she'd been helped up, she pretended to be all prideful and marched back onto her stool and it was soon as if nothing had happened. But once he asked how she'd done it, she looked up and grinned. "I... Uhm... Lost my balance whilst laughing. So, in a way, it was your sexiness' fault!" She stated to then swat him with a newspaper she'd found on the island during his "sexy" pose. That was her thing, she would constantly hit people, playfully of course, when she blames them for her embarrassment.

She doesn't care what others thought, she really couldn't care less. But she did like to make jokes on herself for a reason that not even she knew. Her hair had now completely fallen from the loose bun she'd had it in, causing the hairband to fall to the floor. Snow swiftly bent over the stool and picked it up from the floor, using her flexibility to help her. Snow, being an ex-gymnast, could do all kind of weird shapes with her body and some pretty cool stunts. She never really did them very often, only when she was exceptionally happy/excited.


As always, Snow shrugged it off and returned to devouring her pancakes. She was on the last bite when she began to choke. Not at all panicked, she simply punched herself in the back then in the back of the neck and was soon swallowing her pancake. She then looked up to the clock, realizing it was already 10:34 she leaped up. "Ooo, oooo, ooo! What are were doing today? I'm bored, like, extra bored!" She asked, jumping up and down on the spot doing a bunny impression.



Anastasia ordered herself some coffee and as soon as she'd received it she took a seat at a table for two. She was used to sitting on these tables alone, for not everyone understood that she wasn't like her somewhat crazed sister and they often avoided her. Anna didn't really care though, in fact it was something that she lived with as if everyone else did to. After finishing her coffee, she stood and was about to leave when Ariel accidentally pushed over her hot drink. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she really had to leave and walked on, feeling bad for not being able to help clean up at all. Sure, she'd done nothing to effect the mess but knew it'd be appreciated for someone to help. Anastasia left and headed straight down the path and towards her university. She noticed Phillip and Wendy a head of her, but kept on walking behind them until the path branched out and took the turn into the campus.

Now on campus, she all but ran to where she'd meant to have been over five minutes ago and silently took her seat. Getting many weird looks from the students around her, she smiled sweetly and concentrated on what the man at the front was trying to get across to them all about the human anatomy. It wasn't very interesting, but she found that nothing he ever said was, really. Anastasia was sat in the center of the group of students who never liked the man up at the front, and was constantly trying to throw things at him and instead they all hit her. Trying not to get frustrated, she continued to watch the man and did her best to ignore the guys around her.