[5 years later]

From that day forth, Peter was everywhere.

He was the breath of wind in my lungs, the heartbeat that thundered in my chest. I could feel his presence in the forest, a watchful King reigning over his wondrous kingdom.

Neverland was beginning to blossom in the brightest of colours. The jungle was stained in shades of green as the sky bled from blue to purple to gold.

More plants had begun to grow and pink, red and blue adorned the forest. As if fairy dust danced in the wind, the island has begun to glow in magic.

Peter and I had noticed that more creatures had begun to appear. Small forest animals inhabited the forest as more birds circled the skies. The sound of crickets chirped after sundown and the occasional owl hooted through the silence of the night.

There was a cave-like structure that sat at the top of the mountain. Peter and I had decided to live inside of it and the cave served as our home.

The hollowed out walls served as windows and the dip in the centre of the room was perfect for a kindling when the nights were cold. The sea breeze blew through the windows of the room, bringing the taste of ocean to the forest; it was the bittersweet harmony of salt and ash.

Peter's Shadow followed him everywhere. Admittedly, I was a little spooked by the dark figure that followed us around but Peter adored it so I said nothing. However, it disappeared at night.

"Where does it go?" I had asked Peter one night as we lay side by side next to the fire. The wind shook the forest and waves crashed far in the distance below us. I turned my head. "The Shadow."

Peter moved his arm from under my head as he rolled over to face me. "It likes to explore, I guess."

"You're not sending it somewhere?"

"James, where would I send it?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. "To the human world."

"Is Neverland not part of the same realm?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Peter laughed softly, turning his head back towards the stars. "I wouldn't want to be here if it was."

We didn't talk for a moment after that. Rolling onto my side, I watched as the shadows from the fire danced across Peter's face as he looked up at the sky. It was a marvellous sight.

"James," Peter whispered with the hint of a smile. "You're staring."

"Sorry," I whispered, turning my head away in embarrassment as my cheeks flushed red.

A hand under my chin gently turned my head back to face Peter. He smiled at me, the light from the fire crowning his face in a warm celestial glow.

"You're beautiful." he said.

Without warning, Peter's lips met mine. They loved gently and tenderly, as if each kiss may be the last. I pulled him closer, Peter resting his palm on my chest in the small space between our bodies. The heat was greater than that of a thousand fires.

Suddenly, a golden breeze rushed through the cavern, breaking Peter and I out of our reverie.

"Did you see that?" Peter asked, sitting up quickly as he stared after the object.

My gaze dropped to the floor below where I noticed sprinkles of glitter had been left behind. "What was that?" I asked.

Peter had made his way over to the window where he stared down on the island. "James." he breathed.

I hurried to his side, eyes falling upon the forest below us as I gasped. "Oh my."

Below, the island was alive in a technicolour hue. Rushes of light lit up the forest as small golden objects dashed through the trees like a thousand fireflies. It was as though magic was dancing in the trees, a revel of its own nature.

"Is that-" I asked.

"Fairies." Peter gasped, eyes widening as he gawked at the scene below the mountain.

And he was right. Looking closer, I could just make out tiny bodies whizzing through the trees, illuminating the forest in rich shades of golden yellow as they passed by. There had to be at least a hundred of them.

"How is that possible?" I pondered out loud.

"I learnt to stop asking questions long ago." Peter replied before taking off towards the exit. "C'mon!"

I scrambled after him. "Where are we going?" I called after him.

"Down into the forest!" Peter beamed excitedly. "I have to see them!"

"Peter!" I cried in alarm, chasing after the wild spirit that was Peter. "We can't climb down the mountain in the dark. We can't see!"

"Look around, James." Peter laughed, gesturing with his hands. "We have the light of a thousand fairies to guide us."

We scrambled down the mountain side, Peter running as I slipped and tumbled behind him in the effort to keep up.

The bottom of the mountain led us right into the trees and Peter came to a stop just outside of them.

"Shh," he hushed me, a finger on his lips. "Listen."

We stood in silence, eager ears listening for the careless revel of laughing fairies between the trees. A flash of gold to the right and Peter was off.

I chased after him, Peter's light hair being my only indicator of his whereabouts in the dark of the night. We ran all the way to the beach where we burst onto the scene of a merry celebration.

The island was alive and thriving, shaking with the weight of joy and delight. Laughter echoed all around us as small beings whizzed through the air and burst into colourful fireworks that lit the night sky brighter than a hundred lanterns.

"Amazing." Peter grinned, watching the world burst into a parade of colour.

Three fairies stopped short in front of Peter and I, hovering in the air as sparks showered from their small bodies onto the pale sand below.

"Lord Peter, Lord James," the middle fairy said, eyes twinkling green. "How nice it is for you to partake in the celebrations."

"Celebrations?" I asked.

"Of Neverland!" the fairy said with a corrupt grin. "Of youth, beauty and joy. This night, we remember our homecoming, and it is all thanks to the both of you. You have brought this island to life and restored the imagination of young minds."

"Young minds?" I questioned, frowning.

The green fairy only winked at me before turning her attention to Peter. "My Lord," she said. "It is a pleasure to have you with us tonight."

"What is your name?" Peter asked.

"Tinker Bell." the green fairy responded with a charming smile and dipped into an airborne curtsey. She gestured to the blue and yellow fairies on either side of her, "And this is Blue Ivy and Merrigold."

The two fairies greeted Peter and I with the same curtsey as Tinker Bell's. "It is a pleasure for us to finally meet you, My Lord." Tinker Bell continued. "We are at your assistance."

Peter turned to me with a grin. "I like this one."

I didn't grin back but Peter no longer desired my attention.

"How did you get here?" Peter asked the fairies. "Why have we never seen you before tonight?"

"You awoke Neverland," Tinker Bell said sweetly. "The island's power grows with each day you are here. You've woken the fairies of Pixie Hollow. The heart of Neverland where fairy dust is created."

"I thought Neverland ran on dream power?" said Peter.

"It does." Tinker Bell nodded. "The dreams of children are the island's main source of sustenance. Fairy dust however, is the source of other magical properties such as flying."

"Flying?" Peter exclaimed excitedly. "I want to fly!"

"In time, you will young King." said Tinker Bell. "But there is more than magic that runs through the roots of these trees, Peter. You must learn to harness the island's power in order to control it."

My friend nodded eagerly. "I will. I can."

The lead fairy held out her small hands to Peter. "Join us, my Lord. Share with us the magic of this island. Tonight, we celebrate the Kings of Neverland." Her eyes sparkled dangerously. "And may we pray for those who disrespect him."

My stomach did a violent flip upon hearing the fairy's words of warning. Weren't the Fair Folk supposed to be sweet and kind? Perhaps that's what made them dangerous.

"C'mon James!" Peter cried in excitement as he was pulled towards the festivities on the beach.

I followed after him, thousands of fairies exploding in colour around me as they showered the ground in multi-coloured sparkles. I admit, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

After that night, Neverland kept growing in power as well as beauty. Each day that passed brought on new adventure. The following week, Peter and I found mermaids in the cove, just like Peter's vision atop the mountain. Fairies flittered amongst the trees and more animals began to appear in the Neverwoods. The island was no longer populated by just Peter and I.

One morning I had awoken to find the space beside me vacant. Rolling over, I sat up in concern and looked around for Peter, but my friend was nowhere to be seen.

Stumbling out of the cave, I glanced around frantically. "Peter? Peter, where are yo-"

I stopped short. Peter was standing a little further up the mountain, staring off into the distance.

I approached him carefully. "Peter?" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"The rock out there," Peter spoke, mesmerised. "I want to get closer to it."

My eyes followed his gaze towards the large rock-like structure that sat out in the bay. Shaped like a skull, the rock formation resembled a small piece of land one could stand upon.

"Peter," I said. "We can't get to it. It's too far out to swim."

"No," Peter agreed, eyes twinkling. "But we can fly."

"Fly?" I asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

Peter turned to me, a grin on his face. "I've been speaking with the fairies, James. They've shown me things about this island, things you would never think of in your wildest dreams."

"Like what?"

"Tinker Bell was right," said Peter. "The island and its inhabitants run on different forms of power. Dreams fuel the island whilst fairy dust powers the magical properties we consume."

"Peter," I took a step back, nervous. "What are you saying?"

Without warning, Peter's body suddenly levitated and I stumbled back in shock. Grinning at me, my friend rose slowly into the air until he's hovering above the mountain.

Beaming down at me, Peter cried, "Isn't it incredible?"

I didn't return his enthusiasm. "Peter, no."

"James, what's wrong?" Peter questioned, frowning in concern. He touched back down on the ground and took my hands in his. "Do you feel ill? Perhaps you should lay down."

"I feel fine." I shook my head. "Peter, you were flying!"

"The fairies have been teaching me." Peter grinned. "At night, when you are asleep. They can show you too, James."

"No," I stepped back, shaking my head vigorously. "No, this is wrong, Peter."

"Why is it wrong?" Peter asked. "You can learn to fly, James. Imagine what this means!"

"It means that things are happening that shouldn't be possible." I shot back. "What's next? Are we going to magically fly home? We don't even know where the island is located. It may not even be a part of the same world!"

Peter gripped my hands tightly, bringing himself closer to me. "There's nothing to be afraid of, James. This is good."

When I didn't say anything, Peter pulled me into his arms, stretching up to rest his chin on my shoulder.

"The answers we've been looking for are out there," Peter said, gesturing to the rock out at sea. "I'm sure of it. We can go there and see for ourselves what's really happening with this island."

"And what if nothing's there?" I asked.

Peter shook his head, determined. "I know there will be, I can feel it. It's like the island's power calls to me, begging me to discover its secrets." He pulled back, looking deep into my eyes. "Trust me, James."

That was the first time I doubted Peter Pan.