2nd Date - Chapter 4: Love is Blind

Wendy was livid, fit to be tide! How dare Tinkerbell tease her friends! How dare Tinkerbell steal her belongings! Furiously, Wendy laced her bow. But one step into the magical night air eased her agitation. Disney World was the happiest place on earth (aside from Disney Land). No one could be really unhappy. It was company policy. Plus, the children –

Wendy settled on a park bench. She smiled at the children, bouncing around in costumes, sparkling with excitement, waving at parade princesses, making their grownups feel less adult. This was the secret magic of Disney World – the children. Not the princesses, not the pixie dust, and not Cinderella's Castle. It was the children. They breathed life into the magic.

"Gonna be a long parade."

Jim Hawkins materialized on the bench beside her. Moodily, he gazed at the parade. "Cruddy night for stargazing. Damn ambient light."

Wendy glossed over Jim's profanity. Whilst she did not approve of his language, she was accustomed to Neverland pirates and therefore fluent in 'Sailor's Mouth.' Jim was a brusque, salty character, but Wendy discovered him also very kind and extremely perceptive.

True, Jim was no Peter Pan. But Jim and Wendy shared a common pastime – they liked to stargaze. Peter was far too impatient, he was rather like a shooting star himself. Peter's patience was very combustive, in an out, always chasing another adventure. But Jim could spell every constellation across the sky. He even made his own. Wendy found that very impressive.

"The parade won't last long." Wendy said. She looked up. Jim was right. The lights from the parade obscured the night sky. "It's only the Princess Parade."

"Yeah but then you have the never ending autographs, and pictures, and autographs, and pictures, and ooos, and awes, and autographs, and pictures…"

Wendy swung her legs. "The children like it. Look how precious they are."

Jim grunted. He watched the parade. The Little Mermaid float strolled by, and he glanced down as Princess Ariel waved.

Wendy smiled. Jim was saved from her comment as three little fairy princesses swarmed their bench. "Wendy! Wendy! Sign our wings?"

"Oh look at you! Look at your sparkly wings!" Wendy took the marker. "Of course!"

"Where's Peter Pan?" asked Little Fairy Princess One.

"Where's Captain Hook?!" growled Little Fairy Princess Two – obviously the tomboy of the group.

"And where's Peter Pan!" squeaked the Littlest Fairy Princess Three.

"Would you stop copying me?!" said Little Fairy Princess One. "I just asked that!"

Wendy smoothed a fairy wing on her knee. "Peter Pan is coming soon. I'm waiting for him right now. Probably chasing that silly shadow. But…"

Wendy signed the last wing. She offered the marker to Jim. "But, look who else is here! Jim Hawk – "

"Thanks Wendy!" Little Fairy Princesses One, Two, and Three squealed as Elsa and Anna's appeared on the Frozen float. "Tell Peter Pan we love him!"

"Love!" giggled Littlest Fairy Princess Three as her sisters started singing Let It Go. "Bye!"

"Bye…" Wendy bit her lip. Apologetically she turned to Jim. "Oh, Jim. I'm so sorry. I tried…"

"Eh." Jim reclined. "Forget it. They have no idea who I am. My movie was a flop."

"Oh goodness! No!" Motherly, Wendy turned. "Jim! That's not true."

"Um, actually it is."

"No! Actually it is not!" Wendy reprimanded. "Peter and I watched Treasure Planet. Why, Peter was so engaged! I hardly had to remind him to sit still – certainly not like the time we watchedEnchanted."

"Shock."

"And you were so brave!" Wendy continued. "With the dreadful pirates, and frightful aliens, and exploding planet! Oh Jim, it is a lovely movie and you should be proud. After all…it is your story."

Jim consented. A little. "It had it's badass moments I guess."

"Thrilling moments." Wendy corrected. "And yes. Quite a few."

"And a gold star from Peter Pan." Mockingly, Jim waved his hands. "Woo hoo. Boy I'm going places."

Wendy sighed. "Jim. Oh dear."

"I say it like it is, Wen." Jim motioned to the dressing rooms (hidden inside a magical tree behind a magical trash bin, of course). "Where is Peter Pan anyway? It's getting kinda late. You shouldn't walk home alone. Villains don't have curfew."

"Oh." Wendy fixed Rapunzel's sash. It was wider than her usual one. "Peter is always late."

"Yeah. Noticed." Jim said. "Someone should surgically fuse him to the mirror."

"Well…" Wendy said a little defensively. "Not without reason you know, Peter is very handsome and it's only natural that – "

Wendy turned seven different shades of red before Jim's eyes. She covered her cheeks.

Jim grinned. "Whatever you say. He doesn't do it for me."

"Me neither." Wendy stammered, a little too quickly. "We're friends after all. Just friends. Good friends. Fine friends. In the shows. Just for – "

"Okay." Jim covered her mouth. "Don't get tongue tied, I'm convinced."

They returned to the parade. Wendy rubbed a wrinkle in her dress.

"Jim…" she began. "Jim. I um...Please don't tell anyone that I said – "

"Hey!" Peter popped behind Wendy. "There you are!."

"Peter!" Wendy jumped. "Peter! You startled – "

"Hi'ya Wendy Lady. Hi. Listen – can you wait a sec?" Peter nodded. "I gotta talk to him."

"Jim?" Wendy was puzzled. Peter disproved of Jim, mostly because of his affiliation with Long John Silver, the cyborg pirate. "This Jim?"

"Yeah. Him." Suspiciously Peter looked between Wendy and Jim, trying to connect the dots. "What were you two talking about anyway?"

"Nothing." Jim said, winking imperceptibly at Wendy. "Definitely not how attractive you are."

Peter angled a brow. "Huh?"

"Mr. Hawkins." Wendy stared lethally at Jim. "I believe Peter and I were just going – "

"Oh we will. In a sec." Peter crouched on the bench. "This'll be short."

Wendy started to protest. But luckily, she was mobbed by five Disney Punk teenagers armed with their smartphones.

Peter regarded Jim. He did his best to act intimidating.

"So. You know all about dates huh?" Peter struck a daunting pose. "Wanna prove it?

Jim peered. "…sure?"

"Okay. I accept your challenge." Peter crossed his arms. "Whatsa date?"

Jim frowned. "You take a girl out."

"Explain. IF you can."

"Okay…" Jim shifted. He had never been on a date, but had envisioned the perfect one often enough. "Rock concerts. Trade band Ts. Listen to CDs. See a movie. Eat pizza. Walk on the beach. Talk all night. I dunno…you do special stuff and non-special stuff to make memories. "

Peter nodded. It seemed accurate to Prince Edward's account.

"I challenged the princes to go on dates!" he informed Jim.

"Interesting." Jim said. "Why?"

Peter scoffed. "They said I didn't know what first base is!"

Jim was surprised. "Excuse me?"

"They said I didn't know what first base is! Ha! Me! Peter Pan not know? Ha!"

Jim's eyes flickered to Wendy. Carefully, he spoke. "Do you?"

"Do what?"

"Do you know what first base is?"

Peter grimaced indecisively. "Do you?" he finally retorted.

Jim considered. Again he looked at Wendy. "What else did you tell them?"

Peter puffed his chest. "Only the truth! I told them that I not only knew what first base is – but I rounded it!"

Cringing, Jim made a sound like a dying engine. "Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggg God. Oh good god…okay um…oh boy...why me?"

Jim steepled both hands over his nose. He looked up at the sky. Then, cursing his lucky stars, Jim turned to Peter.

"Okay. Peter…"

"Pan."

"Whatever. Pan: First base – and let's just stick with first base – means…it means a kiss."

Peter relaxed. "Oh. Is that all?" Relieved, he fished Wendy's thimble from a silver chain. "I knew that! See? A kiss!"

Jim sagged. Fail.

"Okay that's not….Oh what the Hell." Jim groaned. "Okay I'll play your sick little game of make-pretend. Jesus, you two are ridiculous. Okay. Pan. Listen very carefully. That thing – "

Peter lifted the thimble. Painfully, Jim nodded.

"Yes that. Pan: that is a kiss. The object. The noun. The princes – when they said first base – they were talking about the verb. To kiss. The action of kissing. Make sense?"

Peter blinked.

Jim tapped his mouth. "You do it with your lips."

Peter looked mildly revolted. "Huh?"

"Don't knock it. I hear it's a blast. But…" Jim nodded at Wendy, escaping from her teenage punk fans. "I wouldn't try it on Wendy. She's a good girl. Strikes me as a slow mover. She'd probably punch the pixie dust right out of you."

Peter turned. Tucking away his thimble, he smiled as Wendy approached. "Wendy? Punch? Nah she's a lady! Plus, she likes me too much!"

Kicking upwards, Peter seized Wendy's hand. "Right, Wendy?"

Wendy smiled. "Certainly!" she curtsied, unsure (and uncaring) as to what she was agreeing.

Jim watched them depart. Sighing, he hunched into the darkness as a hoard of princes stormed Cinderella's Castle in search of Mickey Mouse.

"Youth."