Archive of Our Own

London, 1904

 

All children, except one, grow up.

 

They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Blaine knew was this. One day when he was two years old he was playing in a garden, and he plucked a flower and ran with it to his mother. I suppose he must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Anderson put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this forever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Blaine knew that he must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

 

Of course it was not long after this that Blaine was able to see the business of growing up first hand. His elder brother, Cooper, was quite a few years older and was soon off to school.

 

“Cooper’s doing a fine job at school, dear,” He would hear his mother talking to his father over tea.

 

“Yes, as befits an Anderson.” His father would reply, barely looking up from his paper.

 

Blaine watched as Cooper went to school, then university, and then followed his father into the world of business. It was made clear to Blaine that he would be next, and that his twin sister Rachel would have a slightly different but no less important path that would end in a marriage befitting an Anderson girl and a family of her own.

 

And so Blaine knew, from the age of 2 onwards, what would be expected of him.

 

Someday soon he would have to grow up.

 

Whether he wanted to or not.

 

***

 

The plan had been for Blaine to go to school at 13, just as Cooper had. That was the age that Eton would accept boys of Blaine’s class. But that year, after spending what he thought would be his last few days playing in Kensington Gardens with his twin sister, Blaine grew ill. Far too ill to attend school that fall.

 

Instead he stayed home. His mother called in every doctor in London and over time he slowly grew better, though he was still sickly. Rachel’s governess Miss Pillsbury taught them both during the day, and the twins continued to entertain themselves in the same way they always had: by telling stories.

 

Their nursery was practically a library, it was so full of books. Rachel loved to act out stories for her brothers, not so secretly wishing she could be an actress (despite knowing she could never do so). After Cooper left, the twins and their Newfoundland dog, Pavarotti, would play-act their favorites and pretend to be anyone other than who they were.

 

“Blaine! Go stand over there. You’re going to be the charming prince who rescues fair maiden from the dragon.”

 

“Are you going to actually let me rescue you this time, or are you going to take my sword and kill the dragon yourself again?”

 

Rachel rolled her eyes from her perch on the nursery’s window seat, a paper crown on her head.

 

“I haven’t decided yet, obviously. I need to see how I feel in the moment!”

 

Blaine, a wooden sword on his belt, sat on his bed in the corner with Pavarotti’s head in his lap. The dog was too content to play his part as the dragon.

 

“We’ve done this one too many times, Rach. Can’t we do another story?”

 

Rachel hopped off the ledge with a huff.

 

“Fine. What do you want to play? A different fairy tale? A myth? Shakespeare?”

 

“How about something where I don’t get upstaged again?”

 

Blaine grinned at his overzealous sister.

 

“Sorry, I can’t help that. I’m simply a master storyteller.”

 

He laughed. “Yes, you are.”

 

Rachel plopped down next to her brother, grabbing a spare sword from the floor and playfully batting him with it. The siblings played together, Pav barking at their feet, oblivious to the shadowed figure watching them outside the window.

 

***

 

Blaine was nearly 15 when his parents called him into the parlor to speak to him.

 

His father was in his usual chair, high backed and lording over the room. His mother was on the couch nearby, her ankles crossed, sitting lightly.

 

Blaine stood in front of them, trying to keep his back straight but unable to look either in the eye.

 

“Blaine,” His father greeted him.

 

“Hello Father. Mother.”

 

“As you know, son,” his father began, “you were meant to follow the Anderson tradition of going to Eton when you were 13. Obviously that did not happen.”

 

Blaine blushed, feeling guilty of his illness and how it had shamed his family.

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

“But you’re nearly a man now, Blaine. And a man cannot continue to live at home in his nursery. You’re growing up, and your sister is growing up.”

 

A cold feeling crept into Blaine’s stomach.

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

“At this point, it is too late to get you into Eton, and your mother would rather not send you that far from home. But we know some people at The Westminster School. You’ll be starting there next month.”

 

“Sir...”

 

“This will be good for you, Blaine. Away from your family, going to school, becoming a man. The boys you’ll be in school with will help harden you into the person you’re meant to be.”

 

Blaine looked up. His mother was smiling at him. His father’s face was neutral, but determined.

 

“I... “ his mother nodded at him. “Yes, Sir.”

 

“Good. You may go now, Blaine. You should start to go through your things. You may take a few books to school, but most of your things are far too childish to be necessary.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Blaine mumbled as he quickly left the room. Once he was clear of the door he ran for the stairs and up to the nursery. He fell face first onto his bed, his eyes burning with unshed tears.

 

“I’m not ready...” he whispered into his pillow. “I’m not.”

 

“Blaine?”

 

He shot up, wiping furiously at his eyes. Rachel took a tentative step into the room.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I... I’m fine. I...”

 

Rachel sat down next to him, rubbing a hand up and down his back.

 

Blaine sighed, his shoulders falling.

 

“I’m not fine. Father and Mother told me that I’m to go away to school next month.”

 

“Oh! But that’s... isn’t that a good thing? Like going on a grand adventure.”

 

“Some adventure. The way that Father and Cooper always talk about school, and they say that it turns young men into gentlemen, but their stories are so...”

 

“They don’t sound much like gentlemen.”

 

“No, they sound like those boys in the park who yell things at you and call me names. I’m small and I was sick and I’m to be sent away to a school full of bullies.”

 

“You don’t know that! It could be wonderful! You could make so many friends and have a grand time.”

 

“But then what?”

 

Rachel looked confused. “What do you mean?”

 

“What happens after school?”

 

“...You get a fine job as a barrister or in a bank and you marry a fine lady and she’ll have your children. Just like Father and Mother.”

 

Blaine sighed again, unable to even look at his sister.

 

“Yes. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

Rachel grabbed her twin in her arms.

 

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Blaine.”

 

Blaine clutched at Rachel’s arms.

 

“I’m going to miss you.”

 

“Of course you are.”

 

Before he could respond, they were interrupted by a knock against the window. The twins turned to look as the wind blew the nursery window open, leaves flying in with the gust.

 

“Oh my goodness!” Rachel cried.

 

Pavarotti, who had been quietly sleeping in his kennel across the room, ran to the window with a savage bark.

 

“Pav!” Blaine cried, sprinting to his dog and pulling him in from the window ledge. “Rachel, get the window!”

 

Rachel slammed the window shut as Blaine got Pav in his arms, trying to calm him down.

 

The wind settled, the twins breathing heavily and clutching their dog in the middle of the room.

 

“What was that?” Blaine asked aloud.

 

“Blaine... there’s something in Pav’s mouth!”

 

Rachel pulled something from Pavarotti’s grasp, falling backward with a grunt.

 

“What is that!?”

 

Rachel seemed to be holding a gauzy piece black fabric. She held it up to her brother, her eyes wide.

 

“I think... it’s a shadow.”

 

***

 

Neither Blaine nor Rachel had any idea where the shadow came from. They hid it in the back of a drawer, not wanting the maid or Miss Pillsbury to find it.

 

Rachel used the mystery of the shadow to distract Blaine from his upcoming schooling.

 

“But it must have belonged to a child!” she said one night.

 

“Why do you say that?”

 

“I held it up and it’s just my size.”

 

Blaine gave her a look.

 

“Alright, it’s a bit taller. But still, whoever it was, they’re around our age. And as much as Father likes to talk about the future, we’re still children.”

 

“For now... Anyway, what kind of child loses their shadow? And at a third story window?”

 

Rachel grinned. “A special one.”

 

***

 

On the night that the twins’ adventures can be said to have begun, they sat in their parents’ room watching their mother get ready for a party. Rachel, ever the fan of dress-up, lived for nights like this. She loved trying on her mother’s jewelry and spinning around as if she were Cinderella at the ball. Blaine simply loved that his mother was more open and happy when she was preparing to go out. Rachel had certainly inherited her love of pageantry.

 

Pavarotti, ever the valiant guardian, sat at Blaine’s feet.

 

The three humans and their dog moved around one another in harmony, until their father arrived.

 

“Mary!” He yelled, stomping into the room. “I cannot tie this tie! If I do not tie this tie, then we cannot go to dinner tonight. If we do not go to dinner tonight, I’ll never be able to show my face at work again. If I cannot show my face at work then you and I shall starve and our children will be thrown into the streets!”

 

Obviously Rachel had also inherited a dramatic flair.

 

Blaine and Rachel froze, each looking stricken, but their mother simply rolled her eyes and sighed.

 

“Come here, George, I shall tie your tie for you.”

 

The family seemed to fall back into peace. Rachel grabbed another bowtie from her father’s dresser to tie around Blaine’s neck so that they could match, even though he was already in his nightshirt. Perhaps things would have turned out differently if they had remained in harmony. But fortunately for this story, all of that ended.

 

Blaine, trying to entertain Pav, pulled out a ball and threw it into the hall. Pav ran out to fetch it, running back into the room just as Blaine’s father turned to walk out of the door. The two collided, Blaine’s father tripping over the dog and landing hard on the floor.

 

“Dammit!” he screamed. Blaine gasped, grabbing Pav and pulling him half into his lap.

 

Blaine’s father stood up and turned angrily to the pair.

 

“That dog is a menace! Let go of him, Blaine.”

 

Blaine shook his head, too afraid to speak.

 

“Do not coddle that damn dog, boy! This house is no place for a mongrel like that, he’s going outside!”

 

“Father, no!” Rachel yelled. “It’s cold out and-”

 

“I have said all I am going to say on the matter. Blaine, let go of that dog!”

 

Blaine still refused. His father pulled his arms from around Pav, grabbing the dog’s collar and dragging him from the room. Blaine tried to go after them, but Rachel stopped him.

 

“Blaine, no.” She hugged close to him. “You can’t.”

 

Blaine blinked hard. He looked over at his mother who simply sat at her dressing table, looking pale but not speaking.

 

The damage was done. Pavarotti was tied up in the yard, left to bark uselessly. Blaine and Rachel escaped to the nursery, trying to distract themselves from the noise. Before it was time to leave, their parents came to say good night.

 

Their mother tucked them each in, wishing them sweet dreams and lingering at Rachel’s bed. That was when Blaine’s father came to speak to him.

 

“Blaine. The next time I tell you to do something, you do it. Understood?” Blaine nodded. “And tomorrow you will be going up to see The Westminster School and meet with the headmaster. It’s about time you grew up and faced your responsibilities as a man. No more childish games, no more playing with your sister and that mutt in this nursery. Time to act as an Anderson.”

 

Blaine lay down silently, not noticing as his parents left the room, the lights going off and the night lights turning on.

 

He lay in silence for a while, listening to Rachel’s breathing across the room.

 

He finally fell asleep late into the night, just as a small ball of light seemed to grow closer and closer from the field of stars across the night sky.

 

That little ball of light flew up the window, hitting the pane of glass with a light tinkling sound. After a moment’s tinkering, the window flew open and the light swept inside.

 

A second later, a slightly larger gust of wind blew in, carrying a larger figure.

 

It was a boy, clad entirely in a green and brown hues as if his clothing was woven from a forest. His hair was windswept high on his head in a wave of chestnut, and his stormy blue-green-gray eyes flitted around the room in search of something.  

 

“Quinn.” he whispered. “Quinn, where are you?”

 

The ball of light flew towards him with the sound of bells.

 

“Quinn. Do you know where they put it?”

 

The light moved up and down. The boy grinned.

 

“Show me.”

 

He followed Quinn to a chest of drawers, opening one and rummaging until he pulled out the shadow.

 

He plopped onto the ground, sticking the foot of the shadow to his own foot. When nothing happened he began pushing the two together, more and more desperate.

 

“Darnit! Quinn, do they have a needle and thread?”

 

The light moved back and forth.

 

The boy groaned, dropping his head into his hands. He began to shake a bit, crying quietly.

 

But not quietly enough.

 

Blaine, just barely asleep, shot up in bed at the noises. His eyebrows rose in surprise at the figure on the floor.

 

“Boy,” he asked, “Why are you crying?”

 

The boy’s head shot up. He gracefully stood up and bowed to Blaine, the picture of polite manners.

 

“What’s your name?” he asked.

 

Blaine shook himself, feeling ashamed of his own manners.

 

“Blaine Devon Anderson. What’s yours?”

 

“Kurt.”

 

Blaine cocked his head, confused. “Is that all?”

 

Kurt’s eyes flashed with anger. “Yes.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“It’s just... is that what they put on your letters?”

 

“Don’t get any letters.”

 

“But your mother and father get letters.”

 

“Don’t have those either.”

 

“You don’t... oh Kurt, no wonder you were crying!”

 

Blaine jumped out of bed, wanting to give this boy some kind of comfort, but Kurt took a step back out of his reach.

 

“I wasn’t crying about that! I was trying to get my shadow to stick and I didn’t have a needle and.. and I wasn’t crying!”

 

“Wait, your shadow? The one Rachel and I found, that was yours?”

 

Kurt nodded, pointing to the crumpled gray form at his feet.

 

“You wanted to sew it? You know how to sew?”

 

“Of course I do. So I can make things. But I don’t have a needle or thread with me.”

 

“We’ve got some!”

 

Blaine ran to his sister’s dressing table, pulling out a small sewing kit.

 

“Our mother always wanted Rachel to learn, but she kept pricking herself.”

 

He handed the kit over.

 

“Do you need any help?”

 

Kurt shook his head, grabbing the kit and plopping back onto the floor. Blaine sat cross-legged across from him, watching as Kurt slowly (and perhaps painfully) re-attached his shadow.

 

When he was done, Kurt jumped up and shook out his feet, grinning at the sight of his firmly connected shadow.

 

“Oh, I am clever!” he crowed.

 

Blaine rolled his eyes. He was used to conceit, living with Rachel.

 

“And I didn’t do anything?”

 

Kurt looked over at him, as if remembering that Blaine was there.

 

“Oh. Well. You helped a little?”

 

Blaine smiled despite himself. There was something enchanting about this odd boy that had appeared, as if by magic, in his room. Rachel had been right, he was special.

 

“Kurt,” he asked, “how old are you?” he appeared, as Rachel had guessed, to be around their age, but it was hard to tell.

 

Kurt shrugged. “I’m not sure. Young enough.”

 

“How can you not know?”

 

Kurt’s eyes sparkled as he sent Blaine a wicked smile.

 

“I ran away.”

 

“You ran away?!”

 

Kurt nodded. “I was little, like a baby, and I heard everyone talking about me, about what I was meant to do when I became a man. And I never want to grow up and become a man.” he sounded quite indignant. “So I ran away.”

 

“But where did you go?” Blaine had never heard of someone running away from growing up.

 

“To Kensington Gardens. I lived there for a while with the faeries.”

 

“Wait, you know actual faeries, Kurt?!”

 

He preened, reveling in his superiority. “Of course. I know all about faeries. You see, Blaine, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of faeries,”  Kurt leaned toward Blaine as if imparting some great knowledge. “And so, there ought to be one faery for every boy and girl.”

Blaine cocked his head in confusion. “Ought to be? But I’ve never seen one so...”

“You see children know such a lot now, they soon don't believe in faeries, and every time a child says, 'I don't believe in faeries,' there is a faery somewhere that falls down dead!” Kurt smiled at Blaine’s shocked face. But then he looked thoughtful, jumping up and beginning to look around the room.

“I can’t think of where she’s gone to...” Kurt muttered to himself.

“Wait... do you mean... Kurt, is there a faery here?” Blaine stood up, excited.

“Of course. She was just here...”

Blaine looked around the room, trying to catch sight of what he assumed a faery would look like.

“Do you hear her?” Kurt asked.

“The only thing I hear is... it sort of sounds like tinkling bells.”

“That’s her! That’s the faery language,” Kurt grinned.

“Oh! Well, it’s coming from... near Rachel’s bed I think.”

“What’s a Rachel?”

Blaine tried to stifle a giggle.

“My sister. She’s over there,” Blaine pointed towards his sister’s bed. Kurt quickly flew over to it, Blaine running at his heels. There, hovering over Rachel, was a little ball of golden light. Blaine squinted and could see the form of a lithe blonde woman in the center of the light, which was coming from within her. She had a pair of gossamer wings and a short leaf dress. She also seemed to be glaring down at Rachel.

“Quinn! What are you doing?” Kurt hissed so as not to wake Rachel.

The response was more bells.

“What? Who’s who? What ‘great ugly girl’?”

Blaine frowned. “Did she say that about Rachel?”

Kurt shrugged. “She’s not very polite. And she doesn’t seem to like your sister very much.”

“But she doesn’t even know her!”

“Guess she’s just not used to ladies.”

“Aren’t there any where you live?”

“Nope. Quinn and I live with the Lost Boys.”

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s arm, pulling him away from Rachel’s bed, where his sister still snored in blissful ignorance of the magical happenings of the evening, and over to the chairs in the corner.

“Who are they?”

“They’re children who’re lost. If, say, a baby falls out of their baby carriage when the nurse isn’t looking and they aren’t claimed in seven days then they’re sent far away to Neverland. That’s where we all live,” Kurt sat up a bit straighter. “I’m captain.”

“That sounds like so much fun!”

“Sometimes.”

“And there are no girls?”

“No. I guess the girls don’t get lost.”

“Don’t let Rachel hear you say that. She’ll take it as a compliment to her intelligence and demand to give you a kiss.”

Kurt squinted. “What’s a kiss?”

“Oh!” Blaine blushed. “It’s... it’s like... a thing you give someone that you like. A person that you... think is pretty and want them to know. It’s nice, I guess.”

“What’s it like?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. I’ve never gotten one...”

“That doesn’t sound fair.”

Blaine looked away. “It’s fine.”

“But what do they look like?”

Blaine looked back, puzzled for a moment, before he remembered. “Oh. Well...” He stammered before spotting a thimble from Rachel’s sewing kit. “Like this!” He handed it to Kurt.

Kurt examined the thimble before smiling. “Does this mean you think I’m pretty?”

Blaine flushed. “Uh, I uh...”

Kurt laughed. “You’re funny. I like you, Blaine.”

Blaine felt himself grinning.

“Kurt... why did you come here anyway?”

“For my shadow, of course.”

“No, but, the first time. When you lost it.”

“Oh. Well, to listen to the stories. I don’t know any, and none of the Lost Boys know any either. ”

“That’s terrible!”

“You and your sister know so many. You were acting out a lovely one the other day.”

“Which one?”

“The one with a lady who lost a glass slipper.”

“You mean Cinderella? She found it, Kurt! The prince gave it back to her and they lived happily ever after.”

Kurt jumped up and ran towards the window.

“Kurt! Where are you going?”

“To tell the other boys.”

“Wait, don’t go yet! I... I know lots more stories!”

This seemed to be the turning point that Kurt was waiting for. He walked over to Blaine with a welcoming smile.

“Come with me!”

“What?”

“Come with me to Neverland. You can tell the other boys your stories! It’ll be easy, I can teach you to fly with me.”

“But I...” Blaine wasn’t sure how to respond to such an invitation. “I can’t do them without Rachel.”

Kurt shrugged. “She can come too. We’ve never had a girl with us before. I guess she could be like... like a mother!”

“I thought you didn’t want a mother?”

“I never said that! Now, wake her up!”

Blaine rolled his eyes.

“Rachel!” He went to her and shook her. “Wake up! There’s a boy here that’ll teach us to fly!”

“Wha- Blaine?” Rachel blinked her eyes open. “What’s going on?”

“The boy with the shadow. He came back for it, and now he wants to teach us to fly and take us to Neverland. Like a real adventure!”

Rachel sat up like a shot. “What boy? Oh! Hello there. I’m Rachel Barbra Anderson. Lovely to meet you...”

“Kurt.”

“Is that all?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Yes, we’ve done this before. I’m Kurt, I’m from Neverland, and I’m inviting you and Blaine to come with me. He can be a Lost Boy and you can tell the rest of us stories.”

“Tell you stories?”

“Yes, and tuck the boys in at night and, I don’t know, darn pockets and things.”

“Like a mother?”

Kurt nodded.

“That sounds wonderful!” Rachel jumped out of bed, heedless that she was dressed only in her nightgown. “Blaine, we must go at once! OWWW!” Rachel grabbed her hair. “Something’s got me!”

Kurt flew over and plucked Quinn out of Rachel’s hair.

“Quinn! Don’t be so rude!”

Quinn tinkled angrily in response before flying off.

“Thank you Kurt! You saved me!”

“It was nothing.”

“Well, I believe it was quite chivalrous. You may give me a kiss if you’d like, as a reward.”

Rachel stuck out her cheek in Kurt’s direction. He looked between it and Blaine with a puzzled expression before plucking an acorn from his shirt and sticking it into Rachel’s hand.

“Oh. Um... thank you, Kurt.” She sent Blaine an amused look before grabbing a string from her sewing kit and turning the acorn into a necklace.

“So Kurt,” Blaine changed the subject, “how do you fly?”

“It’s easy. You just think lovely wonderful thoughts and they lift you into the air!”

“That doesn’t sound very scientific.” Rachel scoffed.

“What’s scientific?”

“Is that really all it takes?” Blaine asked.

He jumped onto his bed, trying as hard as he could to think of something wonderful, like being able to leave with Kurt that night. But considering he next found himself face-first on the floor, the thought must not have been happy enough.

He looked up to see Kurt laughing uproariously.

“I think you’ll need faery dust first!”

Blaine frowned. “What are you waiting for?”

Quinn was not very amenable, but luckily Kurt had quite a bit of dust on his person. He blew a bit into Rachel and Blaine’s faces. After a moment they found themselves slowly rising from the ground, the very fact of their flight enough of a happy thought to lift them.

“Oh, this is lovely!” Rachel called.

Blaine simply cheered in response.

As the twins flew around the room, Kurt watched with crossed arms and a smug expression from the window seat. He nodded to Quinn, who opened the windows, neither of them paying attention to Pav’s endless barking below.

Blaine noticed the open window. “Should we go out?”

Rachel stopped suddenly.

“Oh. Should we really?”

Blaine landed next to her. “Only... only if you want to.”

“There are mermaids.” Kurt piped in.

“Mermaids?” Rachel’s eyes grew wide.

“Yes. And pirates.”

Blaine’s eyes followed suit.

“Come on!”

Without a second entreaty, Rachel flew out the window and into the night. Blaine lingered a moment longer on the sill, Kurt floating in front of him outside.

“How long will we be gone?” Blaine asked.

“However long you want.”

“I’m meant to go to school soon. To leave home and... and grow up.”

A dark cloud passed over Kurt’s face.

“Come with me, Blaine. Come with me and you’ll never have to.”

He put his hand out, fingers wiggling. With a shy smile Blaine grabbed hold, his grin growing more confident as Kurt smiled back.

“Let’s go.”

***

If you think it strange that Rachel and Blaine would so willingly follow a strange boy to a place they’d never heard of, then you are missing a crucial piece of information. For of course they had heard of Neverland before. Every child who has played pretend in their room knows about Neverland. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.

 

It is the home to every pillow fort and pretend sword fight, a safe place for adventuring before you were called to nap or dinner or bedtime.

 

But as Blaine and Rachel flew far, far away in Kurt’s wake toward that island surrounded by glittering golden arrows, they were faced with the alarming fact of Neverland made real.

 

A snug, compact island (for a short distance between adventures), what was friendly when it was made of chairs and a tablecloth took on a slightly more threatening presence as an actual place full of wonders, mysteries, and very real dangers.

 

The twins squeezed each others’ hands. Despite this new reality, they were both vibrating with excitement. Neverland was real, and they were finally there.

 

Kurt flew in the lead, Quinn flitting around him, neither of them paying much attention to Blaine or Rachel. The siblings worked hard to keep up over their flight, holding each others’ hands to not get lost in the clouds. At times Blaine swore that Kurt would sneak a look back at him with an unreadable expression, but then he’d be back to looking straight ahead towards their destination.

 

Finally, with Neverland in full view and the twins eyes wide with wonder, Kurt stopped short and threw his arms out to stop the others.

 

“Hold on!” he warned.

 

“Oh, Neverland!” Rachel cooed. “It’s just as I imagined it.”

 

Blaine nodded. “It’s amazing.” But then he noticed Kurt’s eyes narrow. “What is it?”

Kurt pointed down below them. There was a ship.

 

“Pirates.”

 

Rachel gasped.

 

“Oh no! Who?”

 

Blaine shot her a look. She sounded a bit too excited about the prospect of facing bloodthirsty pirates.

 

“That’s the Jolly Roger,” Kurt explained. “It’s captained by a pirate who used to be called Schuester.”

 

“Used to be?” Blaine asked.

 

“He’s got a new name now. To match his new accessory. Hook.”

 

“Do you mean...” Rachel began.

 

“I mean I cut off his hand,” Kurt responded, “and fed it to a crocodile.” He grinned. “And now he’s stuck with a hook for right hand.”

 

Kurt glanced down at the ship with a cold look in his eye. Blaine shivered.

 

They were then interrupted by a cry from below.

 

“KURT! KURT AHOY!”

 

“They’ve spotted us!” Kurt yelled. “Run for it!”

 

“Run from what?”

 

“Cannon!”

 

Just as it hit Blaine what Kurt was warning them about, a boom sounded from the Jolly Roger as a cannonball hurdled up towards them. Kurt pushed Blaine and Rachel away as he flew back, all three scrambling to get out of the way.

 

The wind whipped around them and the air was full of shouts and explosions as the pirates tried to shoot the children out of the sky. In the chaos Blaine heard Kurt call out.

 

“Head toward land!”

 

By the time Blaine found his bearings in the sky, a safe distance from the shooting, he was completely alone. After searching the clouds in a panic, he took a deep fortifying breath and made his way toward the island.

 

“Please,” he prayed to no one in particular. “Let me find Kurt or Rachel soon...”

 

***

 

Blaine was not the only one thrown off course and left alone. Rachel found herself flying above the trees of Neverland with no idea where to look for her brother or their enigmatic host. She’d even settle for his temperamental faery if it meant a familiar face. She landed softly in the underbrush, wary of calling out in case pirates or other dangerous people were about. Neverland may be full of wonders, but after nearly being killed upon arrival she knew that it also contained its fair share of monsters.

 

Just as she decided to try climbing a tree to get a better look around (forgetting for a moment that she could still fly), she heard the rumble of approaching footsteps. Before she could run or fly off, the leaves in front of her parted.

 

“Hello! And what do we have here?”

 

***

 

Kurt was annoyed.

 

He’d gone all the way back to the Mainland, fought his own shadow, flew right back with two full-sized children in tow, and had to listen to Rachel whine the whole time.

 

He was tired.

 

And now Schue and his ruffians had tried to kill Kurt and his new friends, which just annoyed him more. It was unsportsmanlike and no fun to shoot at people without giving them warning or a chance to fight back. And now Kurt had lost Blaine and Rachel. It would probably take hours to find them, and by then it would be nightfall and time for dinner and bed, with no more daylight to play.

 

Kurt sighed as he flew over his island.

 

He hoped to find them soon. The Lost Boys would love it when he showed them Rachel, and then they could start playing house and having her tell them stories and all the stuff the Boys claimed to miss from a mother. Kurt would rather not think of it, to be honest. But then there was Blaine. There was just something about the other boy that intrigued Kurt. He couldn’t wait to make him an official Lost Boy. Then he could show him the island, all his favorite places, and they could have fun and play together. Kurt smiled.

 

Yes, he hoped to find Blaine soon. Then the fun could start.

 

***

Blaine was starting to get scared.

 

He’d been wandering the woods for some time, sometimes flying and sometimes walking, and dusk had fallen. But there was no sign of Rachel, Kurt, or even Quinn. Though thankfully he hadn’t seen any pirates either. He hadn’t seen anyone.

 

For the first time in his life, Blaine felt truly alone. And it was terrifying.

 

He tried to remember who would be around the island that he could look for for help. Hopefully the pirates stayed on their ship. And the mermaids would be in the water as well. He could try to look for the Lost Boys, or maybe more faeries like Quinn. And he knew that there was a tribe that lived here as well. Rachel had called them Indians, but Kurt said that wasn’t right. He said they were more like Amazons, which was a name Blaine thought he remember from mythology but didn’t know much about. Maybe he could find them and they could help him find Kurt.

 

With that new hope to hold on to, Blaine continued his wandering.

 

***

 

Rachel had been scared at first, being surrounded by a small crowd of men. Until she realized that they were no more than boys, just like Kurt and Blaine.

 

“Who are you?” one of them asked.

 

She stood up straight, though she was still smaller than the lot of them. “I am Rachel Barbara Anderson. And who are you?”

 

“We’re the Lost Boys,” one of them, with a rather strange haircut, replied. “Aren’t you a girl?”

 

“Of course I’m a girl!”

 

“Then what are you doing here?” a blonde one asked.

 

“Kurt brought me.”

 

“He did?”

 

“Yes, he did! He brought me here to tell you stories.”

 

At that the boys all seemed to perk up.

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” one of them called. He had a round face and a rather sunny disposition. “Quinn came and told us that there was a big ugly beast running around that Kurt wanted us to shoot, but then we found you! She must have been kidding.”

 

Rachel frowned. “Yes. That must have been it.”

 

“Oh, we should introduce ourselves!” he continued. “I’m Trent. This is Puck,” he pointed to the boy with the haircut, “and Sam,” the first blonde, “Mike, Nick, and Jeff.”

 

“Where’s Kurt?” Mike interjected.

 

Rachel’s face fell. “I don’t know. We flew here, me and Kurt and my brother, but the pirates shot at us and we all got lost.”

 

“Well, we’re all lost here.”

 

“No, Jeff,” the one named Nick said, hitting Jeff on the arm, “she means like lost like you’re alone and you don’t know where you are.”

 

“Oh. Well, Kurt always knows where he is!”

 

“Right, but does he know where we are?”

 

The boys all looked at each other, confused.

 

“Don’t you have a way of contacting him?” Rachel asked.

 

“Not really,” Mike explained. “He just finds us whenever he needs us.”

 

“Well, let’s hope he finds us soon.”

 

***

 

After searching for a long time, Kurt was growing more and more impatient. Quinn flew up to him, looking just as annoyed.

 

“Well there you are! Any idea where those kids went?”

 

She glared at him.

 

“Fine, be that way. I’m going to go find the other Boys and get them to help me. This isn’t fun anymore.”

 

He turned on the spot, flying in a straight line to where he knew the Lost Boys were. They’d been his long enough that he always knew where to find them. That and they never wandered far from their home when he wasn’t with them.

 

“Oh boys!” he called. “I am back! And I’ve got a surprise!”

 

He landed in a clearing, hands on his hips and a smile on his lips, expecting to be greeted like a returning hero. But that wasn’t the case. Instead he saw the Boys crowded around Rachel, all enthralled with her.

 

“Hey! Over here!”

 

They finally looked up.

 

“Kurt!”

 

The boys rushed over.

 

“Rachel told us you brought her here.” Sam said.

 

“Yeah, to be our mother!” Trent added.

 

Kurt frowned. “She does talk a lot.”

 

“Have you seen Blaine?” Rachel asked.

 

“He’s not with you?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“Please, Kurt, you must find him!”

 

Kurt looked up, thoughtful. He’d much rather go find Blaine than stay around and hear the Boys fawn over Rachel. Better to return when they got over the novelty of a girl. But he still wanted to find Blaine fast.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find him. Boys, take Rachel home, I’ll meet you there.”

 

Without another word, he rose into the air. If he could find the Lost Boys easily on his island, then he must be able to find Blaine if he tried hard enough.

Everything on this island is his. Even Blaine.

 

***

 

Blaine was just about to give up when it happened.

 

He’d been walking around the island for hours with no sign of Kurt or Rachel anywhere. The forest was growing dark and Blaine thought he heard animals rustling in the undergrowth. Blaine sucked in a breath, fearing what might appear, when he heard a voice.

 

“Geez, tiny, are you a small person or an over-grown faery?”

 

Blaine’s eyes widened as a young woman stalked out from behind a tree. She was dressed in a makeshift red dress, with long black hair and tanned skin. She grinned at Blaine like a predator grins at prey.

 

“Wh-who are you?” he asked.

 

“Aw, are you lost?”

 

“No..”

 

“Right, sure. Any little boy wandering these parts is automatically Lost. Which also means you’re one of Kurtsies’ kids.”

 

“I’m not little...” Blaine grumbled.

 

“Oh no, better change your tune. Your buddy Kurt doesn’t like when his friends grow up.”

 

“Who are you?” Blaine demanded.

 

“Name’s Santana. My people live on this half of the island. You’re infringing on our turf, short stuff.”

 

Blaine remembered his manners, bowing slightly towards the young woman.

 

“My name is Blaine. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

She laughed. “Well aren’t you a little gentleman. Where did Kurt pick you up?”

 

Blaine frowned. “He didn’t pick me up anywhere. But I did... get a little turned around. Could you point me back in the right direction? I need to find him.”

 

“Sure I can, if that’s what you really want. You don’t exactly look like you have what it takes to be one of Sue’s warriors like me, but I’ve been wrong before.”

 

“You’re part of that tribe? Kurt said you were only women.”

 

“Right now we are. None of Kurt’s little boys have what it takes for Sue to let them join the ranks, and those pirates are cowardly slobs. And you seem a little too attached to your little captain.”

 

Blaine blushed, looking down to his feet.

 

“He’s just... he’s interesting.”

 

“That he is. Just a warning, Blainers: Kurt’s not what he seems. He lies, and he only looks out for himself. Watch your back, little one. It’s every man for himself in Neverland.”

 

Before Blaine could respond, he heard another voice calling his name.

 

“Blaine!”

 

Blaine and Santana looked up to see Kurt flying down to join them.

 

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. C’mon, this isn’t fun anymore.” It was then that he noticed they weren’t alone. “Santana. What are you doing here?”

 

“Patrolling my land, faery boy. You need to learn to keep better track of your things. We’re on guard for marauding pirates, and from afar your little boys just look like short men. If they’re not careful, they could get an arrow to the back.”

 

Blaine blanched, which only made Santana’s grin wider.

 

“Noted.” Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand. “Now back off.” He rose into the air, pulling Blaine with him as they flew back towards Kurt’s home.

 

***

 

As Kurt was taking Blaine home, ready to start their adventures, someone else was planning their own not far away. Just off the island, floating past Mermaid Lagoon, the Jolly Roger sat in wait. In his cabin, Captain Will “Hook” Schuester made his plans.

 

“Is everything set, Finn?”

 

“Aye, Captain,” his first mate replied, standing uncomfortably by the doorway as Hook stood at his desk, maps and papers strewn around him.

 

Hook nodded. “Good. Once the trap is ready and in place, there’s nothing that boy or his little friends can do to stop us.”

 

He looked down at his hook, a shadow passing over his face.

 

“We’ll strike, and I’ll finally have my revenge.”

 

***

 

When Kurt and Blaine eventually arrived at Kurt’s home, Blaine was ready to curl up and sleep. Unfortunately that wasn’t part of Kurt’s plan.

 

“We’re here!”

 

“Um, Kurt. There’s nothing here.”

 

“Yes there is.”

 

Blaine looked around, confused.

 

“There’re just trees.”

 

Kurt rolled his eyes. He reached up and grabbed a branch from a large tree, pulling it down towards him. It worked as a lever, causing an opening to appear in the trunk.

 

“Not just trees, Blaine.” Kurt replied before pushing him into the darkness.

 

Blaine tumbled over and over as he fell down a chute inside the tree. He finally rolled to a stop, his feet propped above his head, in a warm room carved into the earth.

 

“This,” Kurt said, flying in after Blaine, “is where we live. The Home Under the Ground.”

 

Blaine flopped over and sat up, taking in the room around him. There was some carved wooden furniture like a large table, some stools, and a large chair. There was a small bed hidden in one corner, and a much larger bed in the middle of the room. There was also a rocking chair nearby. What surprised him most was the in that chair was his sister Rachel, and a group of boys sat in a crowd at her feet.

 

“Blaine!” she called, jumping out of her seat and running to him. “You’re alright!”

 

“Rachel!” The twins hugged, clutching at each other.

 

Blaine peeked over her shoulder to see the boys staring at him.

 

“Um...”

 

“Boys!” Kurt called, standing at the large chair with his hands on his hips. “This is Blaine. He’s gonna be a new Lost Boy.”

 

“Why is he hugging our mother?” a boy with shaggy blonde hair asked.

 

“Yeah, is he her new favorite?” a chubby brunette replied.

 

“Oh, no! Blaine’s just my brother. Real mothers don’t have favorites.” Rachel appeased. The boys seemed mollified at that.

 

“Blaine,” she continued, “this is Jeff, Trent, Nick, Sam, Puck, and Mike.” The boys continued to stare as Blaine gave a half-hearted wave. “Now come on, I’m just finishing the story of Cinderella for them. I may need you to help act out the prince.”

 

Blaine nodded, following his sister’s lead. As she prattled on and the boys hung on her every word, Blaine couldn’t help but look over at Kurt in his chair. He watched the proceedings with smug satisfaction, as if this was the outcome he had been hoping for, a game he had won. For the first time since he’d met the strange boy, Blaine found himself unsure. Santana’s words rang in his ears and he wondered if he and Rachel ever should’ve come in the first place.

 

***

Life amongst the Lost Boys took on its own kind of routine. Every morning Rachel would wake the boys up for breakfast, where they would all look to Kurt for what adventure they were to attempt that day. The first adventure of the day usually lasted until tea-time, and the second until dinner. After that, Rachel would sit in the rocking chair and tell the boys a story, sometimes forcing Blaine to help but sometimes having him sit with the others. During this Kurt would sit in his own chair, sometimes pretending to smoke a pipe, playing “father” to Rachel’s “mother.” Blaine often wondered where Kurt got this idea of what a father is, but he never had the nerve to ask.

Then Rachel would exclaim about the lateness of the hour, pushing the boys to wash up and tucking them all into the large bed. Kurt slept in his own bed, and Rachel had her own cot in the corner.

“It would be unseemly for a lady to share a bed with so many gentlemen!” she proclaimed, ignoring Puck’s assurances that none of them were very gentlemanly. She’d wanted to force one of the boys, likely Blaine, to sleep in a bassinet so she could pretend to have a baby, but none of them were willing.

Blaine found very quickly that he liked the other boys. Trent  was often quiet when they were all together, but he was sweet and rather sensitive, and great to talk to when you were feeling down. Nick and Jeff never went anywhere without the other, and the group jokingly called them “The Twins.” Mike was the best at climbing trees, but he always made sure to help the other boys when they went out. Sam tended to jump into things without thinking, but he always meant well, and Puck was the loudest and most conceited of the lot. But everyone one of them fell in line when Kurt gave them a look, and they all deferred to him. And, much to Blaine’s amazement and joy, they all seemed to like Blaine immediately and he easily joined the fold. Rachel was overjoyed at the chance to lord her “womanhood” over the group who seemed to both idolize her and ignore her in equal measure depending on the game. Blaine often caught Kurt rolling his eyes at his sister’s eccentricities. And there was still Quinn, who spent a lot of time on her own, or else spent her time making faces at Rachel and then blatantly giving her the cold shoulder.

Though they spent most days all together, Kurt would often disappear on his own adventures. The others would entertain themselves, always staying near their home, but Blaine was constantly looking out into the trees, waiting for Kurt to return. Sometimes, and these were Blaine’s favorite times, he would get to talk to Kurt by themselves. Kurt was still a giant mystery to Blaine, and one he wanted to uncover. At night he would hear Kurt toss and turn and sometimes cry out in nightmares, but Kurt swore that he never cried and he never dreamed. It ached Blaine to hear it and know there was nothing he could do, so he spent most of his free time attempting to carve trinkets or cook dishes or tea over the fire to cheer Kurt up. Then Kurt’s eyes would go a brilliant blue and he’d flash a grin, and Blaine’s heart would warm.

All in all, life on the island with Kurt and the others was everything Blaine and Rachel could ask for. And while they had many adventures that could be recounted, it would take days upon days to do so, and who has the time for such a venture? Instead, it seems best to start at the Lagoon, on the day that would unknowingly lead to the inevitable end of their time together in Neverland.

The boys and Rachel often took trips to Mermaids’ Lagoon to swim or bathe or lay about lazily in the sun. Rachel was enchanted at first when she heard the name, until Kurt and the others warned her of the truth. Mermaids were not the friendly magical creatures that she had heard of. They were capricious and dangerous, as like to drown her as say hello. But they feared and respected Kurt, as did most inhabitants of the island, and would not harm his friends as long as they all stayed between the shore and the great outcrop of rocks in the center of the lagoon known as Marooner’s Rock.

“Why’s it called that?” Blaine had asked on their first trip.

“Because when the tide comes in the water rises and covers the rock. Pirates would maroon mutinous sailors there, they’d chain them right to the rock, so when the tide came in...” Kurt made a motion slashing his hand across his throat. Blaine gulped, not needing anymore explanation. He tended to stay close to the shore on their visits, watching as Puck and Sam would race to the rock and Mike would do flips off of it. But they only came during low tide, and never at night, which was when the mermaids would swim freely. But on this particular trip, there was an unforeseen evil.

They came to the lagoon just after lunch, and Rachel forced them all to sit out and wait before they could go swimming.

“Half an hour!” she yelled, “or you’ll all get cramps!”

“But that’s forever!” Jeff whined.

“Can’t we at least rest out on the rock? Otherwise it’ll be boring!” Nick interjected.

Rachel relented, allowing the boys to swim to the Rock to rest there. Seeing everyone, even Kurt and Rachel, swim out, Blaine quickly joined them so as not to be left behind. The boys, including Kurt, laid down in a pile and took their afternoon nap, Rachel promising to wake them up in half an hour so that they could play. While the boys slept and Rachel attempted to darn a sock (and failed miserably), no one noticed as a shadow slowly began to steal over the lagoon and a chill entered the air. Rachel was finally roused from her sewing when she heard the slap of oars in the water coming toward them. She was scared, but adamant not to wake the others because she knew they needed to rest before swimming.

“You simply must stick to your rule about half an hour after the midday meal.” she said to herself, trying to ignore her fears.

Luckily, just as the end of a small boat came into view, Kurt sat up.

“Pirates!” he hissed, a strange smile on his face. The other boys woke quickly at his word.

“Dive!” he called. All of them jumped into the water, hidden.

At that moment the boat entered the lagoon. Lounging at the helm was Captain “Hook” Schuester. Rowing were Hook’s first mate Finn, a slightly dim-witted but oddly loyal oafish young man, and a sailor called Karofsky. In the middle of the boat sat Santana, one of Sue’s warriors, who was tied up from head to toe and gagged. She glared daggers at the men around her, making it clear that the ropes were as much for their protection as to keep her captured.

There was, of course, only one reason for pirates to bring a tied-up captive to Marooner’s Rock. Blaine, where he floated unseen in the water, grabbed Kurt’s wrist. Oddly, Kurt allowed it.

“We have to save her.” Blaine whispered.

“Stay here” Kurt commanded before flying close to the edge of the rock, planting himself just below the pirates’ line of sight. Blaine sucked in a breath as he watched Kurt, the others just as still around him where they were hidden under a line of low-hanging trees. He absently felt Rachel’s hand grab his under the water.

“Alright, men,” they heard Schue call out, “leave the savage woman here. And make sure she’s tied up tight!”

Finn and Karofsky manhandled Santana, dragging her from the boat and sticking her forcefully on the rock. She glared at them all the while, and if looks could kill they would have been long dead.

“Now what, Captain?” Finn asked, cracking his back and wiping his hands off.

“Now we go back to the ship.”

“But what about her?” he motioned to Santana, who growled at him from behind her gag.

“Are you that dumb, Hudson? This is Marooner’s Rock. She’ll be left here until the tide comes in.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “But if she’s tied up here when the tide comes in, then…”

Schue nodded. “That would be the point.”

“What did she do?” Finn asked, looking at Santana with a puzzled expression. Karofsky shoved him slightly toward the boat.

“Quit asking questions, just do what the captain says. Now let’s get out of here, this place gives me the creeps.”

From his spot in the water, Blaine could practically feel Kurt’s menacing grin.

Out of nowhere an eerie whistling began. It took Blaine a moment to realize that the source of the noise had to have been Kurt. But the pirates had no idea.

“What’s that?” Karofsky asked, jumping.

“Now who’s asking questions?” Finn retorted.

“Quiet!” Schue commanded. As his men cowered near their boat, he stalked across the rock, his eyes out on the water.

Kurt’s whistle turned into something like a banshee call.

“Who’s there?” Schue called out into the lagoon.

“I am the spirit of these waters,” came the reply. It was high and uncanny, but Blaine knew it came from Kurt. “You are trespassing.”

“Are we, Spirit? This rock exists for sailors like myself to dispose of mutinous dogs.”

Santana’s growl grew, but Schue ignored her.

“You are no sailor. You’re nothing but a pirate.” Kurt replied.

Schue’s face grew red with anger. “Here now, Spirit, I am a true sailor and a noble captain.”

“Oh, a captain you may be. But not so noble, Hook.” Kurt sneered the name with malicious joy. Schue balked at it’s use, and Finn tried and failed to hide his snickers.

“Quiet, Hudson, or you’ll be joining this savage!”

While Schue yelled at his second, Kurt slowly made his way around the side of the rock to where Santana was captive. He continued his distracting taunts, loving the new game.

“That is your name, isn’t it, Hook?” he asked.

“Spirit, you know me not! I am William Schuester, Captain of the Jolly Roger.”

“Ah, yes. Captain Hook indeed. Bested by a boy and leader of traitorous sea dogs.”

Schue glowered. “What do you know of it, Spirit?”

Kurt had made it to Santana, and with a finger to his lips he quickly untied her. He nodded his head towards the just hidden boys and Rachel. Santana nodded in response. The whole while Schue had Finn and Karofsky looking out into the water after the “spirit.”

Santana slid into the water and quickly swam off. Kurt grinned, not ready to give up his fun.

“Much.”

Schue’s eyes narrowed. “Have you another voice, Spirit?”

Blaine held his breath as Kurt answered in his normal voice. “I do.”

He never could resist a game.

At this point Karofsky and Finn noticed that Santana had escaped, but Schue waved them off. He had moved on to something else.

“And another name?”

“Aye.”

“Vegetable?” Schue asked. He spurned his men on in their search. He began to walk the edge of the rock as well.

“No.”

“Mineral?”

“No.” Kurt taunted.

“Animal?”

“Yes.”

“Man?”

“No!” Kurt called out scornfully.

“Boy?”

“Yes!” came the gleeful response.

“Ordinary boy?”

“No!” Kurt sounded indignant. Blaine grabbed his sister’s hand as he felt himself pale with fear.

“Wonderful boy?”

To Blaine’s pain the answer rang out: “Yes.”

“Are you in England?”

“No.”

“Are you here?”

“Yes.”

He was nearly on top of Kurt now.

“You ask some questions!” he hissed to his men.

“I can’t think of any!” Finn replied.

“Do you give up?” Kurt asked.

“Yes, yes!” Schue responded, Finn nodding behind him. No one noticed how Karofsky had gone still and pale.

“I am Kurt!”

Kurt flew upwards into Schue’s face, a mischievous grin shining forth. Before Schue could grab his sword, Kurt twirled in the air with his dagger, slicing the pirate’s shirt.

“Lam into the pirates, boys!” Kurt called.

At that, the lost boys swam forward and took the rock, weapons out to battle. Rachel swam to shore, pulling Santana behind her. The warrior squirmed to get into the fray, but she was still injured from her captivity and Rachel was a force to be reckoned with when she went into mothering mode.

Blaine wasn’t sure where to go. Nick, Jeff, and Trent were fighting with Finn. But what surprised him was that Puck, Sam, and Mike were trying to hold off Schue. Kurt was fighting solo with Karofsky at the other end of the rock.

Sam was pushed back from the fray, but Blaine was there to catch him.

“Why are you fighting the captain?”

“Kurt’s orders. Hook’s his, but he has to deal with Karofsky first.”

“But why? He’s just a pirate.”

“He is now. But he wasn’t always. He used to be a lost boy called Dave.”

Blaine’s stomach dropped into his feet.

“He was like us?”

“Mmhmm. But something happened. He got scared or angry, he wanted to grow up and didn’t want to follow Kurt anymore. So he ran off, joined the pirates, and got older. And there’s only one rule for dealing with traitors.”

Sam brushed himself off and went back into the battle, leaving Blaine starring wide-eyed at Kurt as he fought Karofsky, dagger against sword. He crawled forward to try and help, not knowing what else to do.

“Happy to see me, Dave?” he heard Kurt jeer at the pirate.

“You shouldn’t even be here! You know this was just a trap by Schuester to try and get you again.”

Kurt laughed. “So what? He’ll never beat me.”

“You don’t know that. You’re just a kid.”

Kurt glowered. “There’s no ‘just’ to that. What, you think that old Hook can beat me? Is that why you betrayed me?”

Karofsky threw his sword up to block Kurt’s blow.

“Maybe! Maybe I didn’t want to follow a child anymore.”

“You were a child, too, Dave!” Kurt lunged again, but was deflected.

“All the more reason! What gave you the right? How do you know how to lead them?”

“So that was it? You were scared? You didn’t trust me?”

“Why should I? It’s unnatural, Kurt. Not growing up, never looking at Sue’s girls, killing adults-“

“Killing pirates, Dave. Which is what you are now.”

Kurt was barely holding in his anger.

“You think I’m unnatural, Dave? So what does that make you? Not a lost boy, not a real pirate, and just as much of a freak.”

Karofsky blanched.

“I…”

Kurt took advantage of the lapse. He struck swiftly, stabbing Karofsky in the gut. The pirate fell hard and fast. Kurt knelt beside him, sweeping the hair from his face. Blaine strained to hear his whispers to the fallen young man.

“I’m sorry, Dave. But you betrayed me. You… you left. You were practically dead anyway.” Kurt looked away as Karofsky stilled. “That’s what happens when people leave.”

Blaine stared at Kurt’s back, unable to make himself move after what he’d seen and heard. He knew that Kurt and the others fought and sometimes killed pirates, but he had never seen it, nor imagined it to be so… cold.

He was broken from his revelry by a cry from Schue. He’d seen Kurt kill Karofsky and was now running from the other boys towards Kurt, his eyes wild.

“How dare you, boy? Kill one of my men!”

Kurt flew straight up into the air, dodging Schue’s blow. Schue screamed his anger.

“Scatter, boys!” Kurt yelled.

Smiling, Nick and Jeff pushed Finn into the water before the boys all jumped into the lagoon to swim for shore. Their work here was done.

Blaine was still too shocked to move. He watched as Kurt brought his dagger down, fighting Schue from a few feet in the air.

“Go home, Hook!” he taunted. “You’re done here. Your trap failed, I’ve won the day.”

“You’ve won nothing, brat. You think saving Sue’s savage was worth anything? She was simply a pawn. And killing Karofsky was practically doing me a favor. Why would I want one of you on my ship? Just a boy, playing at a man, an unloved motherless welp.”

Kurt froze for a moment as his anger grew. But it was just enough for Schue to have an opening. He lunged, striking Kurt and making him fall to the rock. That was what finally shook Blaine from his stupor. He yelled Kurt’s name, running forward with his weapon, a short sword, drawn. Schue dodged his attack, smiling as he jumped into his boat, where Finn waited with the oars.

“We shall meet again, boy!” he called. “Quite soon!”

Soon the lagoon was quiet, just the sounds of the rising waves lapping against the rock. High tide was coming in. Blaine crawled over to where Kurt lay, his hands pressed to the wound on his side.

“Kurt?...”

“I’ll… I’ll be alright.”

“Can you swim? Or fly? If we got back to the house I’m sure Rachel could-“

“No Blaine. I’m too weak to fly or swim.”

“Then I’ll carry you.”

“Blaine.” Kurt gave him a look. “You can barely stay afloat on your own, in the water or the air. How would you possibly get me across?”

“I… I don’t… I can’t just leave you here!”

“Yes, you can. If I say so.”

“Kurt!”

“Blaine! I’m your captain, you have to listen to me.”

Blaine bowed his head, unable to look Kurt in the eye.

“Not if it means you’ll die.”

He looked up through his lashes and saw Kurt gazing off into the distance.

“To die would be an awfully big adventure.”

Blaine had not known Kurt very long, and he was still shaken from what he’d witness during the battle, but this was too much for him to take. He grabbed Kurt’s hand.

“And an awful lonely one too.”

Kurt started, turning to Blaine as if just realizing he was there.

“Blaine, I…”

He sighed.

“Just go, Blaine.

“Not without you!”

“Blaine, get out of here!”

Kurt pushed Blaine into the water, where he sputtered and tried to right himself, working hard to keep himself afloat.

“Go home, Blaine! Leave!”

“Kurt!”

Kurt turned his back on Blaine, leaving him cold in the water.

“Why are you giving up?” Blaine called.

Kurt’s shoulders tensed.

“I’m not!”

“You are!”

Kurt turned around with a glare.

“I never give up!”

“You are now!”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed.

“Fine then. How about this: I’ll race you back home.”

Blaine quirked his head in confusion. “What?”

“You swim back, and I bet I can beat you there.”

“Really?”

“Loser has to wash Puck’s socks.”

Blaine crinkled his nose in disgust, but he could not hide his grin.

“Promise?”

Kurt nodded. “I promise. And I’ll even give you a head start.”

“If you’re not back when I get there…”

Blaine couldn’t finish the thought. Instead he simply frowned, frozen, before finally turning in the water and heading for shore. Kurt watched him get smaller and smaller as he left, but stood unmoving on the rock. When Blaine had disappeared, Kurt sat down with a sigh.

“I’m not giving up.” He said aloud to himself. “I’m not.”

The lagoon was rising now, the space on the rock growing smaller and smaller. He looked out into the water, avoiding the spot where he’d killed Karofsky, though it was already covered. Kurt looked down at his hands, fidgeting.

“I’m sorry, Dave. I…”

The lagoon was quiet.

“You left. And now you’re really gone. And soon I’m gonna be leaving.”

Kurt stopped. He frowned, his face scrunched up in confusion.

“I… I’m the one who’s leaving now. I’m leaving the boys and Rachel and… and Blaine and… and Quinn. I’m the one leaving.” He stood up. “No!” he yelled out into the empty lagoon. “No, I’m not gonna. I said I wasn’t giving up and I won’t.”

Kurt began stalking the small area of rock still above water. He tested his strength, but he was still too weak to fly or swim. That’s when he saw it: the Neverbird.

The Neverbird was a large bird native to the island. Kurt and the boys had chased her and teased her whenever they’d met, but then the bird laid eggs and Kurt had commanded that she be left alone. She’d built a great big nest near the lagoon, and sometimes Kurt would bring her bugs to eat or interesting leaves to add to her home.

Kurt had a soft spot for mothers.

But now Kurt noticed the Neverbird peeking down at him from the tree line. He pointed down to his feet, which were beginning to be covered by the rising tide. Suddenly the bird disappeared. A moment later there was a thump, and her nest fell from the branches and onto the water.  The bird floated behind it, pushing it with her beak toward Kurt. When they reached him, she pecked at his hand and motioned to the nest.

“But what about your eggs?”

She motioned back to the tree. Kurt could hear the sound of little chirps, the noise of baby birds waiting patiently for their mother to return.

Kurt curled up into the nest, his hands around his knees, and the construct held.

“Thank you.” He told the bird, who simply pecked at him again. She pushed the next toward the shore before flying back to her tree. Kurt turned his eyes towards his island, his struggles already forgotten, only thinking of how he could get back before Blaine to avoid losing the race.

***

Life in the Home under the Ground quickly returned to normal. Santana and the rest of Sue’s warriors were grateful for Kurt’s help, and promised their assistance if he ever needed it. But Kurt generally didn’t like to ask for help, so he and the Lost Boys stuck to themselves. Their adventures continued as before, though Blaine kept a closer eye on Kurt, constantly worrying about him. And Rachel also began to change. She realized that she was beginning to forget what her life had been like before. So she started a game with the boys where she would ask them questions about “home.” Since Blaine was the only one who could possibly know any of the answers, it didn’t seem like a very fair game, but the others still found it interesting, even if just as a chance to come up with the most ridiculous answer.

“What color were the walls in the nursery?” Rachel would ask.

“Mud colored!” Trent cried.

“No, puke!” Puck countered.

“Rainbow!” Jeff yelled, giggling and falling over.

She would end the game by telling them a “special story” about a beautiful girl and her brother who went on many magical adventures only to return home to their loving family. Blaine always got uncomfortable during that part. He tended to fidget whenever Rachel spoke of going home.

Kurt usually left for walks or to gather supplies when Rachel played these games. But one fateful night it had started raining and he chose to stay inside and play his panpipes in the corner.

Perhaps if he had gone out, this story would have been quite different. But he stayed, and the future was set.

“All right boys,” Rachel began, sitting primly on her chair while the others sat at her feet. Blaine rolled his eyes from his spot near the back, looking over toward Kurt every few minutes. “What was the name of the school that Cooper went to?”

“School is stupid!” Puck yelled, flopping onto his back.

“That’s not an answer.” Sam pushed at him.

“Is so. Stupid School.”

“Well, I say… Never School!” Sam grinned.

“That’s right, Never Go To School!” Nick giggled.

The boys cheered.

“Now now!” Rachel tried to quiet them, “let’s take this seriously.”

“This game isn’t any fun, Rachel.” Blaine protested.

“Fine. Then I’ll just tell the story.”

The other boys calmed down, all eager to hear a story. Blaine fidgeted, looking over toward Kurt. He was surprised to see that Kurt had put down his pipe and was watching with interest. Then Blaine remembered that Kurt had never heard this story before.

“Once upon a time,” Rachel started. “there was a beautiful young lady who lived in London.”

“Where’s that?” Trent asked.

“Don’t interrupt!” Mike hissed.

“Sorry!” Trent whispered.

“Ahem! Anyway, this beautiful young lady, who was a wonderful performer as well, lived in London with her brother. They loved to play and tell stories, but they were ready for an adventure. One day they were visited by a magical boy named Kurt.” She smiled at the boy in question, but he didn’t reciprocate. “He took them away to Neverland where they had many amazing adventures with the Lost Boys.”

“The Lost Boys!” Sam cheered. “Was one of them named Sam?”

“Yes, one of them was!”

“Hear that, Mike?” Sam asked, “That’s me!”

“Indeed! Well, this young lady and her brother stayed there for many moons, having fun and playing and doing wonderful things. And then one day, when they were ready, they flew back home to London. They saw that their window was left open and their mother, father, and brother were waiting for them inside. The family hugged and the parents cried with joy at the return of their children. The end!”

The boys clapped.

“I like that story” said Trent.

“I don’t,” Puck replied. “There weren’t any battles in it. Or white rats.”

“But it had a happy ending!” Trent grinned. “I love happy endings.”

“It wasn’t happy, they left Neverland.” Said Jeff.

“It’s just a story, though,” Nick assured him. “Stories aren’t real.”

“This one is.” Rachel interjected. “One day Blaine and I will go back home and it’ll happen just like that.”

That was when they all heard a loud scoff coming from Kurt’s corner of the room.

“You don’t know anything about it, Rachel.” Kurt said quietly.

“What do you mean?” she asked defensively, hands on her hips.

“I mean about parents. Your family. You think they’ll still be waiting with the window open? Do you think they’ll remember you? That’s not how it works.”

Her arms dropped to her sides. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that when you run away your family forgets about you. They close the window, they lock it, and they’re gone forever.”

“That’s not true! You’re lying!” Rachel yelled. But Kurt was unphased, still sitting primly on his bed.

“No, I’m not. I tried going back to my window once, not long after I’d left. It was locked and barred and there was a new family inside. Mine had forgotten all about me.”

The room was silent.

“Leaving means forgetting.” Kurt whispered to himself.

“That… that’s the truth?” Rachel asked no one in particular. “They’ll forget? They… they may have forgotten already?” Kurt nodded.

Rachel blanched.

“We have to go back!” She reached down, grabbing Blaine by the shoulders. “Blaine, we must go back! I don’t want to stay here forever, and I don’t want mother and father to forget me!”

“I...” Blaine was unsure. Rachel seemed so adamant, but he still looked to Kurt for guidance.

But Kurt wouldn’t meet his eye.

“If you wish it.” he said.

The lost boys all began talking at once, yelling at Kurt to stop them and at Rachel and Blaine to stay. Blaine barely heard any of it. He couldn’t stop staring at Kurt. Did he really want them to leave? Blaine wasn’t entirely sure about going. He didn’t want to be forgotten, nor did he want to hurt his parents. He’d never truly considered what his leaving would mean for them, but never coming back would certainly hurt them. And Rachel, his twin and his oldest friend, wanted to go back. It was true, Blaine didn’t have much a life to return to, but the only life he really had in Neverland was with Kurt. If Kurt didn’t want him to stay... then why should he?

The other boys seemed bewildered.

“You can’t go tonight, though!” Sam yelled.

“Yes, at once!” Rachel replied, dramatic as ever. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. “Mother may be in half mourning by now.”

“Kurt,” she turned to him, “you’ll make the necessary arrangements?”

Blaine’s stomach dropped into his feet. Why was she being so callous to him? But then again, maybe he truly didn’t care. Maybe they were just another game to him.

Kurt nodded. “If you wish it.”

What Blaine didn’t notice was the barely-hidden pain behind Kurt’s eyes before he turned away and flew to Quinn.

Rachel ran to begin putting her things together, leaving a stunned Blaine frozen amongst the angry lost boys.

“It’ll be worse than before she came!” Mike lamented.

“We should keep her prisoner!” Puck yelled.

Trent shook his head, “I am just Trent, and no one listens to me, but the first who does not behave to Rachel like an English gentleman I will blood him severely.”

Rachel smiled kindly at the boy.

“Dear boys,” she said to the group, “if you will all come with us I feel almost sure I can get our mother and father to adopt you.”

“Won’t they think us rather a handful?” Nick asked.

“Of course not! They’ll love you!” Rachel assured them, convincing herself of the fact. Blaine was not as certain.

“Quinn is going to lead you across the sea.” Kurt interrupted, his voice showing no emotion. Quinn, on the other hand, was as fiery as ever, tinkling loudly and flapping about in indignation. Kurt similarly ignored her.

“Can we go, Kurt?” Jeff asked timidly. Kurt gave a slight nod in response. The other boys jumped up in excitement, running around the room getting their meager things together. Blaine still stood still, unmoving.

“Kurt,” Rachel said with a smile, walking over to him, “you could come as well. I’m sure mother and father would love you.”

He shook his head.

“Kurt, please.”

“Suppose they didn’t want me. Suppose they thought I was too old...” He shook his head again. “No. I’m staying here, where I can always be a boy and have fun!”

He yelled the last bit, threw it at Rachel with anger. She turned away, trying to hide how it hurt her.

“Kurt’s not coming.” She told the other boys.

“Kurt not coming?” Trent was appalled. They all ran to Kurt to try and sway him.

“If you find your mothers,” he said darkly, “I hope you will like them.”

Kurt turned his back on the lot of them, sitting on his bed facing away and playing his panpipes. One by one, Rachel and the boys sadly followed Quinn out of the room with their things until only Blaine was left.

“One moment,” he said to Rachel, pushing out the door in front of him.

He walked over to Kurt, unsure, but even he knew that he had one last chance to find the truth. It had all happened so fast, but he wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

“Kurt...”

There was no answer.

“You... you won’t forget to use an extra blanket when it gets cold, will you?”

Kurt shook his head.

“And... and to take your medicine?”

It was stupid, really. When Rachel heard that Kurt had lived his whole life in Neverland without ever having taken medicine or vitamins she was appalled. She concocted a mixture of rainwater and berries that she made him drink every night, an odd tonic that she called his “medicine” and assured him would keep him healthy. Blaine thought it was ridiculous, but at this point he was clinging to anything.

Kurt merely nodded again.

“Kurt, I... why can’t you just come back with us?”

“I ran away once. I’m never going back.” he replied without turning.

“But... you just told Rachel that you did go back.” Blaine felt himself starting to get angry. Kurt had become the center of his world and he was being lied to. “Tell me the truth, Kurt. Why did you leave home? Why did you come here? Why won’t you come with us? Is it so much better to be alone? So much better to not have a family or anyone to love you?” Blaine was practically yelling by the end, his small body shaking.

Kurt flung around, his eyes wild. His words seem to puncture the air.

“And what’s so great about family? People who tell you they love you and just leave you? I ran away just like I told you. I never wanted to get old, so now I never will. I never needed them, they never needed me. I don’t need anyone, Blaine! And now you, all of you, you can go back to your precious London and your precious family who probably didn’t care that you were gone. You’ll grow up and go to an office and then one day you’ll...” his voice cracked a bit, “you’ll die and everyone will forget all about you. I’ll forget all about you. But I’ll still be here, I’ll still be young and happy and having fun. So go Blaine, just leave! No one wants you here anyway!”

Kurt turned back around, his shoulders a tense line. Blaine was frozen once more, his heart feeling both cold and shattered like fractured ice. He almost missed Kurt’s last whisper.

“It’s better to be the one who leaves than the one who gets left.”

Blaine shook his head, blinking back tears.

“Then... goodbye, Kurt.”

He waited for a moment to see if Kurt would say goodbye in return, but he never did. After a few minutes Blaine grabbed his bag and walked from the room, his blurring thoughts having died down to a numbness.

He never heard Kurt’s whisper after he left.

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”

***

Blaine walked outside expecting to see an impatient Rachel waiting, perhaps fighting with Quinn while the boys watched.

But that’s not what he found.

Instead he was faced with a crowd of pirates bearing down on him, his friends and sister tied up and gagged off to the side. Before he could cry out, one of the pirates grabbed him and covered his mouth. It was then that Schue walked forward, a menacing grin on his face.

“Hold him tight, Hunter.” he said to the pirate. “This is the one who seems to care about the boy as much as their little ‘mother.’” he sneered.

“Do you, boy?” he said into Blaine’s face. “Do you care about the welp? Have you deluded yourself into thinking he cares for you in return? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that brat cares for naught but himself. He is a wretched, villainous child. He won’t miss you for a moment now that you are gone. And, of course,” Schue stood back, pulling a vial of vicious looking liquid from his jacket pocket, “he won’t be feeling much of anything soon.”

Blaine struggled against his captor, but to no avail. He was thrown into the pile of the other boys, tied up and gagged along with them, and left helpless to watch as Schue entered the tree. He emerged a moment later, his vial now empty.

“There we go, lads! The welp’s been taken care of. When he drinks that poison he won’t last five minutes before we’re rid of him once and for all.”

Why, you may ask, was Schue so against poor Kurt? Was it merely revenge for his lost hand? Or something more? For this pirate was a man like any other, and all men have one common fear. As a pirate on the run, Schue was intimately acquainted with that fear. It followed him as the crocodile who had eaten his hand followed him. Death, who we all must one day face, was a fate that Kurt had made himself safe from. And Schuester found it intolerable for a boy like that to be so carefree and happy where Schue was besieged and miserable, and to be spared the fear of the beyond while Schue struggled in his sleep every night in fear of it. He knew that he could never defeat Kurt face to face in the light of day. The boy was practically incandescent with spirit and vigor, it blinded Schue to see. The man clung to the relative youth of his crew, but the life of that one boy haunted him all of his days. Instead, much like a coward, he had left a deadly gift for his enemy and would steal away with the boy’s own crew. It may have been bad form, but Schue would ignore the voice of his former society’s rigid rules in the back of his head in his endless quest to live one more day.

Thus with a crooked grin Schue led his men away, with a miserable crowd of children in tow.

***

Quinn alone was left behind, hiding in the trees until the pirates and their prizes were gone. She quickly flew back inside, hoping that she wasn’t too late.

Inside, Kurt lay in a fitful sleep, not knowing what had just befallen them. He sat up with a crack, his eyes wide and fearful.

“I wasn’t having a nightmare!” he called out before he remembered that Blaine would not be there to offer comfort. Unsettled by the silence in the room, Kurt hopped out of his bed. He saw the cup of his “medicine” sitting on the table, unaware of Schue’s tampering. He began to pace back and forth, obviously not looking at the cup.

“I don’t need to drink that. They’re gone, I have no one to force me. No one can ever force me to do anything.”

He continued to pace, unnerved.

He finally stopped in front of the medicine, his eyes narrowing onto it.

“Well... I suppose I should drink it just this once. So as to not waste it.”

As Kurt reached for the cup he heard a shrill noise. It was Quinn, flying as fast as she could into the room.

“Quinn? What’s wrong? What happened?”

She buzzed in front of him, her arms frantic, as she relayed to him what had happened.

“Rachel and the boys kidnapped? By pirates? I’ll rescue them!”

All bitter thoughts of their leaving flew from Kurt’s head. All he could think of was swooping in and being the hero. That is when he noticed the medicine again. He would drink it, as that would please Blaine.

As he reached for the cup, Quinn flew in front of his face, still yelling.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, annoyed. “Poisoned? How could it be poisoned? By Schue? That’s ridiculous. That old Hook couldn’t’ve poisoned it.”

He tried to push Quinn aside, now determined to drink it. But before he could get the cup to his lips, Quinn got between the two, draining the liquid in a flash.

“Quinn! You drank my medicine!”

But Kurt’s indignation faded fast as Quinn fell to the table below, her light already beginning to stutter and fade.

“Quinn?” he asked, fear tinging his voice. “What’s the matter?”

Her tinkling answer was faint.

“It... it really was poisoned. And you... you saved my life.”

She nodded, the small action draining the last of her energy. Kurt held her in the palm of his hands, tears filling his eyes as he looked down on his oldest friend.

“Quinn, you can’t die. You can’t... you can’t leave me. You’re the only one I have.”

Her answer came like the distant sound of bells on the wind.

“Do I... do I believe? Of course I believe! I have faith, Quinn.”

And he did, down to his very bones. Kurt had the pure, blind faith of a child. Unlike the modern children of today, his belief in magic never wavered. His devotion to Quinn, though marred slightly by his selfishness at conceit at times, was absolute. But it seemed like faith alone would not be enough to save her.

“What did you say?” He asked, straining to make out her words.

“Faith and.... oh.”

Kurt’s heart fell. It was not simply a nursery rhyme that one needed “faith and trust” to use a faery’s power. Faeries were made of it, of the joy, faith, and trust that came from within children. But Kurt, while he was the pinnacle of childhood, lacked only one thing.

Trust.

And he knew it.

“There has to be another way!”

Quinn shook her head, her light nearly gone.

Kurt began to panic.

“I trust you, Quinn! Who else do I need to trust? I don’t have anyone else!”

That was when Kurt’s walls began to crack.

“I didn’t have anyone left before you! My mother died and the only person I had left was my father. And he promised, he promised me he would never leave me. But then he got sick and I got scared and I left! I left because he broke his promise and I was going to be alone. He would be gone and I would grow up and forget him and everyone I loved would go away too. I would forget them and I’d be old and alone. So you can’t go, Quinn, if you go then I could forget you. And I love you, Quinn!”

He began to cry, tears rushing and falling on Quinn like rain.

“You can’t leave me. Everyone else left me, Blaine left me. He’ll leave me, he’ll go home and forget about me and he’ll grow up. And I... I never told him the truth. He asked me to and I didn’t tell him. I... I didn’t trust him. And now he’s gone, so what does it matter?”

Quinn blinked up at him, weak but still able to send him a judgemental look. He placed her gently on the table.

“How can it matter? That I want to trust Blaine? That he’s the first person since my dad that I want to trust, that I care about, but he’s just going to leave me like everyone else? Even... even if he didn’t look like he wanted to. Even if it shouldn’t matter, that I should’ve told him anyway. Because why would he stay if he didn’t think I cared?”

Kurt turned away, dropping down to his knees.

“He’s gone though, so it doesn’t matter that I wanted him to stay, that I do trust him more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. That I... need someone. Need him.”

Kurt’s head fell into his arms, his shoulders shaking as he cried.

He didn’t notice the growing light behind him.

For it is one thing to learn to trust another person, to find the strength to put your heart into someone else’s hands, knowing full well that they could break such a fragile thing. But it is quite another to trust yourself, to admit your fears and your faults. Kurt, like any self-centered and self-important child, denied his vulnerabilities. But now he not only embraced them, he had realized that in trusting himself and trusting Blaine, he needn’t be afraid anymore.

And that is why Quinn felt her magic stirring, her light glowing, her bells chiming.

“Quinn!” Kurt cheered in shock after the faery flew to him, pulling on his fly-away hair. “You’re alive!”

Her tinkling laugh filled the room as Kurt jumped into the air, the two of them flying and wrestling and embracing with pure joy.

When he finally landed, grin planted on his face, Kurt’s eyes hardened with a newfound resolve.

“Now I will go and save Blaine and the others.”

He grabbed his sword from where it lay near his bed, his face determined.

“Schue or me this time.”

***

Out across the waters of Neverland sat the Jolly Roger, her captives tied to her main mast, quiet in their mourning for their thought to be fallen leader. In his cabin, Schue sat in silence, melancholy despite his apparent victory.

Finn walked in, pouring a glass of wine for his captain.

“No little children love me,” Schue lamented to his first mate.

Finn looked up at him, dumbfounded. That was not a surprise to Schue. Though Finn was one of them, a pirate who had kidnapped and pillaged, the children outside seemed most at ease with him, even the girl. He was loveable in his simplicity.

“I’m... sorry, sir?”

“Forget it, Hudson. It matters not. Those children are at my mercy now, with their leader dead. Let us see to them.”

Schue stalked out of his cabin, Finn at his heels. The children glared at him.

“Hello, my young friends! You are to walk the plank tonight, but I offer you another option: join my crew and swear fealty to me as your captain. Wouldn’t you like the life of a pirate?”

The boys looked at each other, taking in Rachel and Blaine’s appalled expressions.

“I don’t think my mother would want me to be a pirate,” Trent finally answered. “Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Sam?”

“I don’t think so. Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Mike?”

“I don’t think so. Puck, would-”

“Enough!” Schue cried. “Then you’ll all walk the plank!”

He turned to Rachel with a malicious smile.

“So, my dear, you are to see your ‘children’ walk the plank.”

“Are they to die?” she asked.

“They are. Silence, all!” he yelled to the ship, all eyes on him, “for a mother’s last words.”

Rachel turned to the boys, avoiding eye contact with Blaine. It was too painful for her to look at him. But she squared her shoulders and tried to be brave.

“These are my last words, dear boys. I feel that I have a message to you from your real mothers, and it is this: "We hope our sons will die like gentlemen”'

She closed her eyes with a sigh, not noticing Blaine’s slight grimace.

“I’m going to do what my mother hopes!” Sam said. “What about you, Jeff?”

“I’m going to do what my mother hopes. What about you, Nick?”

“I-”

“Quiet!” Schue snarled. “Time for the plank!”

The children tensed as the pirates started to close in on them. It was then that they all heard the noise. The ticking of a clock.

“The crocodile!” Schue hissed.

Everyone knew what that noise meant, though none could locate the source or even the direction. The dread crocodile that had swallowed Schue’s hand when Kurt cut if off had chased the pirate ever since, but the clock he’d eaten soon after warned of his approach a “tick, tock, tick, tock.” That same noise that was currently bearing down on the ship, warning of the impending beast.

“Hide me!” Schue screamed, dropping into a heap on the deck. His men descended upon him, piling over him in a human shield. They were so busy looking at their captain for orders that they missed Kurt climbing silently over the edge of the ship, clearly ticking, motioning to the other children to stay quiet. Blaine felt his heart soaring at the sight.

It seems that on Kurt’s way to the ship, he passed the crocodile in the water and noticed a lack of ticking. The clock must have run out. So Kurt had the idea to tick in its place as a way to unsettle the pirates. Obviously, it worked.

Once on the ship, Kurt quickly slunk into the cabin, just in time to not be seen by the pirate crew. As soon as he was hidden, the ticking stopped.

“It’s gone, captain!” Finn said, the crew stepping back from Schue. The pirate stood, brushing himself off and trying to act as if nothing had happened.

“Alright! Now, time for the plank!” He glowered over the children, but saw their lack of terror. He grimaced. “Or perhaps we’ll have a bit of fun first. Hunter!” he called to one of his men, “fetch the Cat.”

The lost boys all went pale. Rachel turned to her brother with a quizzical look.

“The Cat is a cat o’ nine tails.” he explained in a whisper. “It’s... it’s a whip.”

Rachel gasped.

Hunter grinned maliciously. “Aye, captain.”

To the children’s growing horror, he walked toward the cabin where Kurt was hidden.

They waited with bated breath for a fight to occur, but as the minutes passed, there was nothing from the dark cabin.

“Hunter!?” Schue called, wondering what was taking the pirate so long.

It was then that they heard it. A terrible crowing coming from within the cabin.

The ship froze.

“What was that?” one pirate asked.

“Where is Hunter?” said another.

They started rumbling amongst themselves, their fear palpable.

“Quiet, you dogs!” Schue yelled. “Sebastian, go find out what’s wrong!”

The man hesitated.

“Do it, or face my hook!”

Faced with either certain doom or an uncertain one, Sebastian took out his knife and walked into the cabin.

“It’s Hunter!” he cried from within. “He’s dead!”

The pirates started mumbling to each other. Suddenly they heard a scream, and then the crowing.

They froze once more.

“Someone go in there and fetch me that... that doodle-doo!” Schue demanded. None of his crew stepped forward.

“Azimio! Get in there!”

The man shook his head. “No way, captain. That’s a monster in there.”

“Get in there, boy, or face my hook!”

Azimio shook his head again. With one last terrified look toward the cabin and his captain, he ran for the edge of the ship and jumped overboard into the waters below.

“Coward!” Schue screamed. “Fine, I’ll go in there myself!”

He grabbed a lantern from the deck nearby and stomped to the door. The children waited, hoping to hear a triumphant crow, but they were saddened when Schue emerged moments later, his lantern out and his face white and trembling.

“Captain?” Finn asked.

“Something blew out the light.”

“And Sebastian?”

“Dead. Just like Hunter.”

The other pirates were clearly terrified now.

“It’s the devil!” one yelled.

“It’s a cursed ship!”

“We’re all doomed.”

The lost boys couldn’t stop themselves from giving a little cheer, clearly pleased at the turn of events. It was then that Schue noticed them again.

“Quiet, lads!” their captain called, trying to calm his frenzied men. “I’ve an idea. Let’s drive the children in. Let them fight the doodle-doo for their lives. If they kill him, we're so much the better; if he kills them, we're none the worse.”

The children tried to look scared as the men’s fear turned to wicked grins. The pirates descend, cutting the ropes and pushing them towards the doors, but leaving Rachel still tied up outside. With one last look between Blaine and his sister, the group was forced into the cabin.

Once the door is shut Kurt appeared with a candle, smiling at his friends.

“Shh!” he whispered. “I have a plan. Stay here until I say.”

The lost boys nodded, but Blaine wasn’t so quick. He rushed to Kurt and grabbed him in a hug.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered into Kurt’s neck. “I didn’t want to leave, but...”

“It’s alright. I’m sorry too.” Kurt responded. “Now wait here. I need to go save your sister.”

With one last jaunty grin, Kurt flew silently out of the cabin window, leaving the boys in silence and darkness.

Outside on the ship, the pirates wait with all eyes on the door. None of them noticed Kurt sneaking over to Rachel, motioning for her to be silent, as he untied her. He quickly flew her up to a different part of the ship and out of the way, but not before grabbing the traveling cloak she wore. Then he took her place against the mast, hidden within her cloak.

Once he was in place, he let out another crow.

“That’s it!” Finn yelled. “The children are done for. The beast lives!”

The pirates started rumbling again, their horror rising.

Schue knew that he needed to reign them in.

“Lads, I’ve thought it out! There’s a jonah onboard.”

“Yeah,” one of them, Adam, grumbled, “a man with a hook.”

“No, no,” he assured, “it’s the girl! Never was luck on a pirate ship with a woman on board. We'll right the ship when she's gone!”

The men seemed to agree.

“It’s worth trying,” Finn acquiesced with a shrug.

“We’ll throw her overboard,” Schue proclaimed. He turned to who he thought was Rachel. “There’s none can save you now, missy.”

“There’s one.” a high voice replied from within the cloak.

“Oh? And who might that be?” Schue asked with a laugh.

“Kurt the Avenger!” Kurt exclaimed, pulling the cloak off and revealing himself to the startled crew. “Down and at ‘em, boys!” he called, and the lost boys and Blaine ran out from the cabin, each with a weapon in hand.

It was then that the battle commenced, boy against pirate, with Rachel cheering them on from her perch. The boys, despite their lack of size or strength, had the advantage of surprise. The pirates were also off-kilter from their fear of whatever mysterious monster had been picking them off not long before. Some of the men jumped overboard, others fell to the boys’ swords. Finn was quick to jump into the sole life boat. One pirate, Brody, attempted to go after Rachel to gain the advantage but met with his untimely end when she stepped on his foot, jabbed him in the gut with her elbow, and pushed him over and into the water. Blaine, where he stood on deck, cheered his sister on. She responded with a little curtsy and a wave. Blaine himself was locked in battle with a pirate called Chandler, but in the end he forced the man overboard, turning to Sam for a high-five over their impending victory.

Just as Schue found his bearings and raised his sword, not realizing that he was the only man left standing on deck, he swung his weapon round at the boys nearby. They stood back and formed a small circle around him,  broken only by Kurt’s entrance.

“Put up your swords, boys. This man is mine.”

Thus Schue found himself face to face with Kurt.

Schue breathed raggedly, his eyes narrowing with distaste on his enemy.

“So, boy, this is all your doing.”

“Aye, Hook, it is all my doing.”

Schue raised his sword.

“Proud and insolent youth, prepare to meet thy doom.”

Kurt raised his with a smile.

“Dark and sinister man, have at thee!”

The two began to fight, blade against blade in a fearsome battle. The boys stayed in formation around them, keeping the assailants locked within the circle. Rachel rushed down to stand next to her brother, her hand clutching his.

“He’ll be alright.” she whispered, barely heard over the sound of clashing swords.

“He has to be,” Blaine answered, eyes never leaving Kurt. “I need him to be.”

“I know.”

Blaine finally turned to his twin, surprise etched on his face.

“I’m not stupid, Blaine. Though sometimes I think that you are. You know that I want you to come home with me, but I also know that you look at Kurt as if he hung the moon. And he’ll never leave Neverland.”

Blaine looked back at Kurt. “I know that.”

“Do you think he’d even want you to stay?” Rachel wasn’t trying to be cruel. She truly wanted what was best for her brother.

“I don’t know.”

“Would it matter if he did?”

Blaine hesitated.

“I don’t know.”

Rachel turned her attention back to the fight, giving Blaine’s hand one last squeeze but not letting go.

It seemed like Kurt had Schue on the ropes. The old man was sweating, his fighting becoming erratic as he floundered against the boy’s unwavering attacks.

“Who and what art thou?!” Schue cried.

“I am youth! I am joy!” came Kurt’s gleeful reply as he struck Schue in the arm. The pirate jumped back, clutching at his now bleeding shoulder. He took a step back, eyes wild as he looked back and forth from Kurt to the others and noticed just how alone he was. Soon he backed into the edge of the ship, the children pushing forward around him.

Schue jumped onto the edge of the ship, hoping for some kind of relief, not knowing that the now silent crocodile waited in the waters below.

“Get back, you dogs!” he called out, his sword held uselessly against the crowd. “Stay back. I’ll not have my fate decided by children.”

With that, he jumped from the ship to the waiting jaws below.

Thus perished William Schuester.

***

With the pirates all gone, the lost boys took the run of the ship. Kurt took delight in donning one of the captain’s old hats, yelling at the boys to hoist the sails and other such maritime commands. Rachel watched primly from the upper deck, giving Blaine significant looks whenever he passed her.

“Talk to him!” she hissed.

“Do you... not want me to go back with you?” he asked.

“I want you to be happy, Blaine.”

He didn’t have any words for her, grabbing her in a tight hug and hoping it was enough.

As night fell, the children went below deck to sleep in the bunks. Rachel decided she would take the captain’s quarters, and no one felt the need to fight her. As the others went to bed, Blaine found Kurt standing alone on deck. With a deep breath, he walked over to him.

“We’ll be in London by tomorrow.” Kurt explained, looking out towards the darkness where sea met sky.

“Oh.”

“Blaine, I-”

“Kurt-”

They both spoke at once, before stopping and laughing awkwardly.

“You, uh, you go first.” Baine said timidly.

Kurt sighed. “Blaine, I... I need to tell you the truth. I didn’t really run away from home. Not like I said I did.”

Kurt couldn’t look Blaine in the eye, fidgeting from foot to foot. Blaine reached out and took one of Kurt’s hands in his own, giving him a comforting squeeze. Taking heart, Kurt continued.

“When I was little, I was... happy with my parents. My mother was loving and my father was kind. But then my mother got sick, and she died. My father and I were miserable. I didn’t... I never knew that people could be so sad. He tried to be strong for me. He said we would be alright, that I’d get older and it would hurt less. And I did start to get older. But I was also starting to forget my mother. What she smelled like, what she looked like. Getting older meant forgetting. And then...” Kurt’s breath hitched slightly. “then my father got sick, too. I knew he was going to die, just like my mother. I got scared. I didn’t want to forget him, I didn’t want to be alone. And I didn’t want to grow up without him. I wanted to still be their little boy, just like they remembered, too. So I ran away. I ran away to Kensington Gardens and met Quinn and the other fairies. They took me to Neverland where I would never grow up and where no one would leave me again.” he smiled sadly, taking an unconscious step forward towards Blaine. “But I missed my father, my family. I went back to see if maybe I was wrong, that he had gotten better and was missing me as well. But like I told Rachel, he was gone and there was a new family there. I really was alone. So I came back here and I never wanted to go back.”

He finally looked up and into Blaine’s eyes.

“Until I met you.”

Blaine inhaled sharply. His hands tightened on Kurt’s.

“Blaine, you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You’re so kind and bubbly and sweet. You’re full of stories and fun and... you’re perfect.” Blaine blushed. “You’re the first person who’s felt like family.”

“So you... you’d go back with me?”

Kurt ducked his head.

“I can’t, Blaine. I meant what I said. I don’t ever want to go back. I’ve seen what happens when people grow up. They change. They grow apart, they get hurt. But here, in Neverland, here I’m safe. I don’t think I could ever be safe in your world.”

Blaine thought of his father, of the school waiting for him, of the other boys and their cruelty. He knew Kurt was right.

“But Blaine... I didn’t want you to go back without knowing that... that I’d much rather you stayed. With me.”

Blaine felt his eyes begin to water.

“Kurt. I... “

Kurt smiled sadly. “It’s ok. You have a family and a home. You have Rachel and your parents and your brother. You’ll go back and you’ll grow up and I hope that you’re happy. You’ll get married and be a father and you’ll tell your children the greatest stories about all of our adventures.”

Blaine could see how Kurt’s heart was breaking.

“Kurt, I don’t think any of that is going to happen.”

The other boy narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“I won’t ever get married. I don’t think I could ever really be happy over there, as an adult. I’d... have to be something that I can’t ever be. And I do love Rachel, and Cooper, and my parents, but... Rachel said I need to do what’s going to make me happy. And there’s only one thing that will do that.”

He pulled Kurt into his arms, wrapping around him in a tight embrace.

They stood like, wrapped up in each other, until the sun began to rise and the others woke, London just visible in the distance.

 

***

Rachel closed the book and looked up at her children with an expectant smile. It was far from the first time they’d heard this story. She’d written it down long ago so as not to forget a single moment, but the memories had barely faded.

 

She was a mother now for real, and a wife. She’d been Mrs. St. James for a long time. Marrying without her brother there had been painful, almost physically. She had half expected to see Blaine smiling at her from the front pew, no older than a child.

 

But she had not seen her brother since Neverland.

 

The Lost Boys had, sadly, not taken well to London at first. They ran from home at the first opportunity, and she worried about them for quite a while. But her father found them quickly and sent the lot of them away to school, where all six of them thrived. They all did well, and moved on to successful adult lives. The only loss was of their memories of their time in Neverland, a fact that still saddened Rachel.

 

She never regretted her decision to leave. Looking at her children now, she couldn’t imagine life any other way. Artie was too young still, he’d fallen asleep halfway through the story, curled in on himself and sucking his thumb. Kitty was a little too old, rolling her eyes at a tale she deemed childish. But Marley, whose sweetness and kindness reminded Rachel so much of Blaine, looked up at her with wide eyes.

 

“Did all that really happen, Mama?”

 

“Of course it did, Darling. Just as I said.”

 

“No it didn’t.” Kitty turned to her sister and gave her a little push. “You’ve heard Uncle Cooper. Uncle Blaine died. He was sick for a while and then he died. It’s just a story.”

 

Marley looked back at her mother, her eyes growing wet.

 

“Uncle Blaine’s not really dead, right Mama?”

 

Rachel shot a glare at Kitty.

 

“Of course not! He’s alive and happy living in Neverland.”

 

“Where he’ll be a kid forever.” Kitty interjected with a scoff. Like so many other children, she wished to grow up too soon.

 

“It sounds like it would be fun.” Marley countered.

 

Rachel was suddenly filled with dread.

 

“It was, for a time. But eventually everyone has to grow up. One day, my darlings, you will all grow into beautiful ladies. But for now, you can stay my little girls.”

 

“And Artie.” Marley giggled.

 

Rachel picked her up and carried her over to her bed, Kitty grabbing her brother and helping to put him to bed as well.

 

“Of course. He’ll be a grand gentleman!”

 

“If he stops sucking his thumb.” Kitty smiled, showing her softer side as she tucked her brother in before going to her own bed.

 

“Goodnight, darlings. Remember that I love you, for always.”

 

Rachel gave each child a kiss before turning on the nightlights and quietly leaving the room, her book in hand. She missed her brother every day, but she would never give up the life she had.

 

As Rachel left, she did not notice the small face peering in the nursery window.

 

Outside on the ledge, Blaine looked into the room at his nieces and nephew’s sleeping form.

 

“I’ll never have that.” He whispered, not turning away.

 

Kurt, ever at his side, shook his head. “No.”

 

Blaine looked over at Kurt with a small smile. He grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

 

“But we don’t need it.”

 

Kurt slowly grinned as he nodded.

 

“We don’t need anyone else.”

Because, you see, all children grow up. Except two.