“A statue for a statue, Hook,” Maggie called out. “Those were the terms, weren’t they?”
Hook eyed her, his head tilting as he looked over the statue. “I believe it was.” He drew forward, the blade catching the moonlight’s ray on its edge. The tip drew nearer, coming excruciatingly close to the center of Maggie’s chest. Hook looked her over, his eyes lingering on the statue.
And then, in a surprising turn, Hook sheathed his sword. “And if there is one thing pirates are known for, it is how theyalwayslive up to their end of the deal.”
Hook handed the statue to Peter. They eyed each other with a growing aura of stubbornness. Maggie watched with a narrowing gaze, ready to lunge when both of them refused to entirely let go of the other’s statue.
Peter took the mermaid statue and handed over their good luck charm, the corner of his lip unable to stop itself from twitching into a smile. Though they did not dare to exchange a look of friendliness, the exchange went by smoothly, allowing Hook to gratefully place their statue back on its respective shelf. The crew of pirates cheered and celebrated in front of their good luck charm, hollering and leaping into each other’s arms. Hook tossed a final look over his shoulder, giving Maggie and Peter a quiet wink before turning to his crew’s celebrations.
Before Maggie had the chance to take another breath, Peter gathered her up in his arms, and shot up into the sky. She clutched the statue onto her lap as the stars grew brighter overhead.
“I can fly myself, you know,” Maggie said.
Peter shrugged, but the mischievous glint in his eye was speaking a thousand words.
“What’s got you smiling like that?”
“Like what?” Peter asked.
She rolled her eyes and reached for his cheek, making sure to poke at his growing dimple. “That smile, cheeky,” she teased.
Peter was silent for a few moments as they neared the Everything Plants. “I’m just thinking,” he finally said. “I told Neptune that you were my bride, remember?”
“Sure,” Maggie replied, though her voice was a bit high. Of course she remembered that, but she was in the process of burying it far beneath her skin. It was only a means to an end, something Peter came up with on the fly to get them out of a sticky situation. Maggie struggled to keep herself from thinking it wasn’t anything more. “What about it?”
“Something tells me that the King won’t be happy if he finds out I was lying about our engagement,” Peter continued with a nonchalant shrug. “The only solution I can think of is to really get married.”
Maggie stared up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck. A laugh blurted out of her mouth. It sounded only slightly amused, the rest of it more like a startling crow’s caw. The longer she watched him the more she became aware of a fact she never expected: he was entirely serious.
“You’re joking, aren’t you?” she asked.
Peter raised a brow, not at all offended. “If you really want me to be joking, I suppose I could be. But…”
“But what, Peter?”
He eyed her with a seriousness she had never seen in his youthful expression. “But why shouldn’t you marry me?” Peter beamed. “Can you answer me honestly, Maggie? Because I don’t think you can!” He leaned closer to her, warm breath fanning her chin. “Whyshouldn’tyou?”
Maggie was speechless. Months ago she might’ve had a countless list of reasons as to why she shouldn’t marry Peter Pan. At the top of it sat all the responsibilities that remained within the human land, the future she had once imagined for herself. She tried to picture it now but the picture was drastically warped. Where she once sought a bakery in a small human town was now easily replaced with the restaurant the Lost Boys built for her. In the moments that she imagined having a partner to walk through life with, Peter’s face quickly came into shape. There was a life for her here in Neverland, a life she had dreamt of, even if it was shaped a bit differently.
And what was wrong with Peter anyways? He was, in all forms of the term,perfect.The way he treated her went unseen in the human lands. All of her dreams and aspirations quickly became his own. He infused her life with happiness, but never once took away the fiery need to work and grow that she carried so close to her heart. Perhaps it was not the life of adventures he once had, but he was trading it all away for a future with Maggie. Everything that happened over the last few months, since Petertook her away from the human lands, brought her nothing but joy and friendship. Things that were impossible for her to have in the human lands came as easy as the rain on Neverland.
Why shouldn’t I marry him?
Maggie’s hands tightened nervously around his neck. “We’d have to have a long engagement, you know.”
“A long…” Peter’s voice drifted off, his eyes widening. “D-Does that mean?”
Her nod was short and firm.
Peter released a holler that pierced the sky above before booming across the horizon. He was barreling through the air, carefully making sure to hold Maggie tightly against his chest. He rolled and flipped across the heavens, shooting through clouds and collecting mist along his blonde hair and eyelashes. Maggie clutched the statue as he leveled out, the beach where the Everything Plants stood growing closer.
“You will be getting a proper proposal, mind you,” Peter finally said, once their laughter subsided.
Maggie sighed. “I-I don’t –”
“Yes, Maggie Hart,” he firmly interjected. “You deserve something more special than a question in the air but a decision made in front of a king to remedy a punishment.” His feet landed against the sand softly. “But there’s something I need to ask.”
Maggie stood on her own two feet, a bit dizzy from his excited leaps and rolls. “What is it, Peter?”
