Log; Complete

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

When; December 24th.
Rating; PG (Jr.'s language!)
Characters; Jr. and Wendy.
Summary; Jr., after learning Wendy is in trouble, comes to her rescue and then is nice enough to give her a place to stay.
Log;

Jr.; After double checking to make sure Sakura was asleep in her bed, Rubedo was grabbing his coat and running out the door. He really felt bad... How many times did he have to leave Sakura alone in the middle of the night?

The only comfort was knowing that MOMO was across the hall. ...Not so much knowing that Albedo was next door.

With a sigh, he skidded down the banister to make the trip quicker, quietly promising Sakura that this wouldn't take too long. He doubted she would have wanted him to ignore a girl in distress, anyway. Especially when it was the middle of the night.

And, if this was actually Wendy Darling....she was probably in a nightgown and barefooted or something. Considering all the snow on the ground, frost bite seemed like a more dangerous possibility than man-eating animals.

His chest ached from how fast he was running, as the air was frigid and made breathing like this an exercise. When he got far enough into the forest, though, it was pretty damn easy to pinpoint where Wendy was.

It was always a good thing when people did as he suggested. He wasn't Little Master for nothing, damnit.

When he saw her, he was disappointed to find that it wasn't much of a clearing. The trees were still thick, and that would make fighting a little more difficult without injuring her. He was afraid to tell her to run, for fear that something else would find her.

So instead, Rubedo just yelled out "DUCK!" and skidded up behind her, two silver Makarovs cocked and firing without any hesitation at the large...--what the hell was that? A tiger/crow? It was so ugly that it was definitely better off dead.

Which it soon was, thanks to the assistance of one last well aimed and promptly energized bullet.

Wendy; While the idea of playing a damsel in distress wasn't entirely pleasing to Wendy, she found that she had little choice in the matter. Fighting giant beasts was much different than crossing swords with pirates, no matter what angle she chose to look at it as, especially when she was already shivering from the cold and without a weapon to boot.

So it was only natural that she, after hearing the voice behind her, dropped to her knees in the snow and clasped her hands over her ears. She had heard cannon fire before, and even had the privilege of nearly being hit with a cannonball, but these shots were foreign and carried a deadly sort of precision.

And foreign, unfortunately, was always in the equation that made up Wendy's vast and sometimes dangerous curiosity.

She peeked one eye open and lifted her head just in time to see the beast meet a dramatic end before she inclined her face to observe her rescuer. He was, she inwardly calculated, much shorter than she imagined, if he even was who she thought him to be, but that didn't make her any less appreciative.

"Jr, is it?" She spoke audibly and crossed her eyes to observe the fog that followed her breath before rising to her feet to dust a few snowflakes free of her nightgown. "Your aim is brilliant!"

There was no further worry over the monster. Rather, she seemed much more curious about him.

Jr.; With a grin, Rubedo spun the pistols in a much-too-showy fashion before sliding them into their holsters hidden behind his coat. "It damn well better be. Been perfecting it for fourteen years now. I kinda sucked at first, but we'll just say I'm a quick learner. Nice to meet you, Wendy."

Jesus, he was not fond of this curse. People didn't need to know that he had ever been a beginner, thank you very much.

"And, ah, sorry. Guess I better watch my language. And man, did I call it or what? I knew you'd be in a nightgown. Your feet are gonna freeze off at this rate. Here..." Swiftly, he pulled off the long red and black trench coat to wrap it around her somewhat like a burrito, then barely gave her a chance to adjust it before he effectively swept her off her feet so that he could carry her off.

"Nothing injured you before I got here, right?"

Wendy; "Fourteen years?" Wendy spoke aloud, not quite quick enough to catch herself, as she had been too surprised at suddenly being scooped off of her feet. While not entirely displeased, as the newfound warmth was most welcome, she did furrow her brows and shoot him a mildly disapproving look.

"Honestly, Jr, must you always speak so rudely? Surely you mother does not approve of it." The look softened after a short time as she, out of habit more than anything else, looped her arms around his neck to retain her own sense of balance. "Even so, thank you, for saving me. It was very kind of you."

"Oh, nothing but my own clumsiness. You see, that was how the creature found me; I tripped over a tree root. It isn't easy walking through the snow with bare feet when I'm hardly able to do so in my boots at home."

She laughed then, gaze adverting to the crumpled form of the beast ahead of them.

Jr.; He was glad that she hadn't actually been injured, but her scolding actually made his cheeks tint a nearly as red as his hair in light shame. He didn't usually get lectured on his language, so at first he wasn't sure how to react.

But the curse seemed to do the talking for him. "Sorry. I never had a mother. Well, I mean... Genetically me and my brothers did. I know she had a healthy ovum with a perfect set of chromosomes, but no clue what she looked like or anything." He sighed as he found himself quoting the line he'd told Sakura so many years ago.

In order to try to make up for what might have just been too much information, he shrugged. "But that's boring. So, Wendy, I'll bet Sakura's clothes might fit you. We can at least get you a bath and into warm clothes, then tomorrow we'll see if we can find someone you know. And seriously, don't worry about it. I couldn't sleep anyway and was just reading."

Really, if Wendy was here, he had to wonder if Peter Pan was, too. That would just make his damn night. Even the thought made him snicker to himself as he headed out of the forest.

Wendy; "Oh," She spoke quietly at first, as if she were suddenly shamed herself. What right did she have to judge, she wondered, especially when he was unable to recall his mother. How old could he have been? Twelve, maybe thirteen years old? To have a mother and not remember her, it must have been relatively hard on him.

"That would be wonderful!" To be on an adventure and to actually be able to take a bath, it was a wondrous concept. In Neverland, it could only be little more than a dream. She could have tried, but would always have a nagging worry eating at the back of her mind. Would she be caught by pirates? Drowned by a mermaid? Or, worse yet, seen by the Lost Boys?

The Lost Boys.

It was then, suddenly, that she peered up at him with such a look on her face that one might have thought that she had just solved the mystery of life. But that, however, was far from the case.

"Jr, while I haven't had much experience with the matter, and have little more than my stories to offer, I have taken care of six other boys. If you wish it, I will be your mother." Judging by the look on her face, she was far from joking.

In fact, she looked downright determined.

Jr.; He wasn't sure why, but that offer completely threw him for a loop. Rubedo should have seen it coming. He knew the story and her character, after all. And yet when she made her suggestion, he was so surprised he just stared at her and forgot to watch where he was going. The result wasn't as graceful as he would have liked.

Rubedo's boot caught an icy patch, and without the careful stepping, his feet flew right out from under him, knocking him flat on his back to land in half a foot of snow. It was only out of reflex that he'd kept his grip on Wendy, leaving her relatively unharmed.

Though, of course, doing so had only made the fall that much harder on him. And ohhhhh, suddenly he was freezing.

"What?! You're kidding! How old do I look? Don't answer that. But trust me, I'm like twice your age, Wendy, despite the looks." Sitting up, Rubedo shook the snow from his hair and shuddered. "Plus, to be my mom, you'd have to be the mom of my brothers, and belieeeeve me when I say you don't want that. And don't even try to list off everything you did for the Lost Boys because I already know."

Wendy; The outburst, not to mention his sudden absence of grace, caused her to do little more than stare at him for quite some time. She wasn't particularly displeased, or so it seemed judging by her expression. Rather, she went from looking completely and utterly surprised to looking something along the lines of amused.

This place, wherever it was, was full of unique characters.

Despite her best effort to refrain, she broke into a brief fit of laughter and found herself wriggling free of his hold. It was then, once she found her footing, that she unwound his coat from her shoulders and crouched to drape it back over his own. "I think, Jr, that you need this much more than I do right now."

"I figured as much, that you weren't all that you seemed. You see, you're quite a bit smarter than other boys your--well, the age that you appear to be, at least." After making sure he was bundled up nice and tight, as she would do to Michael before he left home, she rose back to her feet and turned to look towards, or so she imagined, the forest's exit.

"This is the way we ought to be going, right?" Then, after a tiny pause, she shot him a smile. "If Peter is here, I'll have to introduce you."

Jr.; "Well, uh... Thanks." He sure hoped he was smarter than other boys who looked like him. Really, if only this had happened yesterday, when he had actually looked his age! That would have been so much cooler.

With a sigh, he stood back up so that he could grab her and pick her up again. He didn't care how stubborn Wendy was. He didn't need a young girl running around barefoot in the snow. "Yeah, it is..."

Then his smile returned. "Peter, huh? Yeah, that would definitely cheer me up, if for a little while. You have no idea how completely fu--uh...messed up this past month has been." All right, his entire life had been messed up, but the last month was certainly in a special league of it's own.

He was quick to head to building 6 after that, not wanting to risk running into someone he knew when he was hit with this curse. Sure, the sun wasn't even up yet, but he knew people kept odd hours here. Once they were finally inside the building, he carefully set her down. "You okay to take the stairs, or do you want the elevator?"

Wendy; "If you are, indeed, twice my age then you needn't play such a pretend on me," Wendy mused, steadying herself once more as she was placed upon her feet again. "You surprised me, is all, I've only ever heard father utter such words maybe once or twice. Speak as you like, I would feel awful if I was making you act unnatural."

While smoothing out a wrinkle in her nightgown, Wendy inclined her face to admire first the stairwell and then the elevator. "Whichever you prefer, I would be perfectly fine with taking the stairwell. If you want to arrive faster, as I imagine you left without telling your friend first, then maybe we should take the elevator."

Ah, yes, Wendy knew boys all too well. Or, perhaps, it had been the fact that it was early morning and any normal person would have been asleep that led her to the conclusion.

"Yes, Peter! I should like you to meet him, as I'm sure he'll be quite curious about you," she practically beamed as she linked her hands behind her and stepped towards the elevator. "You will have to excuse him, however, he'll think you a boy just as I have, I imagine."

Jr.; Rubedo chuckled and led her over to the elevator. He figured that would be nicer to take, despite what she said. She was probably tired. So he hit the button and waited, stretched his arms above his head before linking them behind.

"Eh, well... Watching my language wouldn't hurt, I guess. I just don't usually have someone tell me what to do... Well, I guess sometimes Mary and Shelley do, but they always know juuust how to make it so that I can't argue."

The elevator opened with a ding and Rubedo stepped in, waiting for Wendy before selecting the 6th floor. "Heck, Peter Pan? I don't care if he thinks I'm a kid! Most do, anyway. In fact that's what we want people to think back in my world. But here there's no reason, so I'm pretty honest with that much at least. It'll just be an honor to meet him if he's here. I loved you guys in that story. I haven't read it in years, though."

Wendy; Truth be told, she almost thought him to be a mind reader when he made his decision, as her toes were starting to ache from the chill. Once the doors closed behind them, she heaved a sigh and settled back against one of the walls, quietly taking in what minimal warmth it had to offer.

"Are they your guardians? Mary and Shelley, that is. Girls are quite clever, are they not?" Wendy joked, peeking an eye open before she shut it again. "Well, I can't very well threaten you with medicine, can I? You know all about that, since you read that novel. I've no way to keep you from arguing."

Feigning defeat, she pushed free from the wall and moved closer, to examine the buttons that flickered along the panel ahead of them. "Boy or not, he'll be absolutely thrilled by you, I imagine he may even want to be friends." However, at the last part of his explanation, she couldn't help but find her curiosity bubbling up again.

"My father wanted nothing more than for me to grow up and, yet, in your world, it's frowned upon?" No, she didn't quite get it yet, but she certainly trying hard.

Jr.; Thrilled by him? He doubted that. It wasn't like he could fly or anything really cool like that.

"My guardians? Nah. Shelley's the navigator and helmsman of my ship, the Durandal. Her and Mary are more or less my second-in-command. I'll bet they're doing a great job right now in fact, keeping everything in order. And probably worrying like heck over where I ran off to. And now that Gaignun's missing? Man, I hope they aren't being snappy with anyone."

Rubedo stretched again when the doors opened, and he led the way to his room. His voice became softer, than, considering how late it was. On top of that, he didn't want to wake any of their neighbors. He didn't want to inconvenience MOMO, and Albedo and Citrine would just be bad news for Wendy.

And of course, Sakura was still asleep. At least, he hoped she was. "No, that's not it. But...there's a reason I'm like this, and if I masquerade as Gaignun's son, then it makes it easier on us, and helps hide our identities." Pulling out his key, he unlocked the door and peeked in before stepping back to wave her inside.

Wendy; While he had spoken the word ship, Wendy knew better right about now. By ship, he probably meant something extreme and futuristic -- very much unlike the ships that she knew and had boarded. Perhaps, when it wasn't a ridiculously early hour, she would ask him more about his ship and the two women. For now, without a sound, she did exactly as she was signaled to do and entered the apartment.

It was much more elaborate than she imagine it would have been, so much different from her own home. Where she recalled mountains of books, she saw a television set and other electronic devices. While it didn't deter her, it did make her feel quite a bit homesick, if only for a short while.

Her voice fell to a hushed whisper.

"Gaignun is another friend of yours? I should like to meet him, as well." She smiled. "Are there many here, Jr.? Many of your friends, that is. I only know of Peter and Captain Hook from my own world, but there could very well be more. I would explore, were it not so cold out."

Jr.; "Hm? Oh... Gaignun... His real name's Nigredo. Mine's Rubedo. We don't like to go by those names anymore, though. Bad memories." Leaning back, he shut the door and locked it, then tossed the key into a small tray set aside. "He's my younger brother. A few others from my world are here, too... My other brother, and sister, but the three of us don't have a good relationship."

Happily pulling off his damp coat, he hung it up and wandered over to the thermostat so that he could adjust the heat a little higher. "MOMO, who's sort of like Sakura's sister in a way, is here too. They all live on the same floor as me. Well, 'cept for Gaignun. He felt like being different and lives one floor down. Can you hold on a sec? Feel free to sit on the couch and use the blanket there."

Rubedo held up a finger to her, and took a little breath. He was saying way too much. There were certain details that a girl like Wendy really didn't need to know. Personal things... And he had to deal with this curse for 24 hours? Man. He just shook his head at that and wandered down the hall so that he could open up the bedroom door and peek in.

The moonlight was drifting in the window just enough to allow him to see a bit, and he smiled when he saw that Sakura was still asleep. Shutting the door, he cleared his throat and walked back into the living room. "Sorry. Ah... You want something to eat, or drink? Or maybe a tour of the apartment? It's not a big place, but it's always good to know your surroundings."

Wendy; Family, it seemed, was definitely not going to be a topic of discussion between them anytime soon. She seemed to take the information in thoughtfully, nodding occasionally and smiling at other times. He had an interesting story but, for whatever reason, she felt she had asked him enough.

Some things were meant to be kept private, were they not?

When he returned, she had moved to one of the windows and seemed to be attempting to count stars, or something silly like that. Even so, when he spoke up, he was quick to regain her attention again.

"You needn't apologize for something like that and, oh, I'm not particularly thirsty, but a tour would be lovely." Even if only for a short time, she would be much more comfortable if she knew where everything was and where the proper place for it was.

Jr.; He nodded and smiled, then waved a hand around. "Well, as I'm sure you just might have noticed, this is the living room. Although I can't say a lot of living goes on here." Ugh, that had been the worst joke ever, but it had just slipped out. The curse even affected stupid crap like that? Rubedo was quick to turn so she didn't catch his flinch.

She would probably take the joke differently, though. He hoped. "And over heeere...is the balcony, and the kitchen. It's not too big, but I try to keep it well stocked. I've been getting seriously addicted to those rainbow marshmallows lately, so there's like a whole cabinet full of 'em. Aaand..." His voice quieted as he moved down the hall, pointing at each door while he walked.

"That's the bedroom I share with Sakura. If you want, you can have my bed." That would probably scare the crap out of Sakura in the morning, though. "There's the bathroom. There's plenty of girly junk in there I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing. That's supposed to be a walk-in closet I think, but it's sorta become a mini-library since I started living here. In the time I'm from, books with actual paper and stuff is pretty rare. I think my book collection might be bigger than my gun collection now." Rubedo chuckled.

Wendy; At first Wendy was rather quiet after said joke but then, perhaps much to his relief, she cracked a smile and said nothing more about it. More so, maybe, the reason was because she was currently feasting her eyes upon a rather impressive collection of books and not on the fact that the joke had been awful.

It was only when the concept of rainbow-colored marshmallows came up that she turned, curiously seized him up and then continued. "Rainbow marshmallows? Michael would love them, and maybe John, too. How curious." She couldn't help but laugh at his suggestion, however.

"I have yet to formally meet her. I don't imagine her waking to find me instead of you would be very good at all, Jr., but thank you. Your couch is quite comfortable." But the books. The second he took her to them, she shot him a look, one of question but she proceeded to visually thumb through the titles.

They were brilliant, fantastic even! She even recognized a title or two, judging by the almost giddy smile that stretched across her mouth. "If I am careful, might I read one of them?" Then almost on perfect cue, though she hadn't quite meant it, she turned a pair of wide, blue puppy eyes on the older boy.

Jr.; Of course, he wouldn't have said no anyway, but the pair of wide pleading eyes made him chuckle. "You don't even have to ask! Help yourself. Half the fun of books is being able to share the stories. Just...yeah. Don't tear 'em."

Rubbing at the back of his neck, he sighed and glanced over his shoulder towards the bedroom. He'd been having trouble falling asleep earlier, but after running around and shooting things in the snow, he was actually a little worn out now. Definitely ready for bed.

"I keep a pillow out here with the blankets because I tend to crash out here a lot while reading or watching movies... So feel free to get as comfortable as you like. Any of the food's yours, and in the morning we'll fit you into one of Sakura's outfits before you go back out. You gonna be okay out here if I head to bed?" He didn't want to be a bad host, but...

Wendy; "Oh, thank you, these are magical," Wendy sighed before selecting one of the thicker texts and clutching it to her chest. "I'll be just fine, don't worry! You do look tired, so I hope you'll sleep well?" She smiled, caught up the end of her nightgown with her free hand and gave him a curtsy.

"Goodnight, Jr." She lingered a moment longer and then retreated to the couch, but not before she did well to bundle up with the blanket. It was only when she flicked open the cover page of the book that she sank back into the couch and seemed to become almost completely entranced.

Ah, yes, this would be a perfectly lovely story to tell Peter later.