Keeping Fantasia: The Third Book of the Fantasia Series

Chapter 66: Baby of Mine

Chapter 66:  Baby of Mine

Wendy rose so fast her chair tipped. Peter caught it easily, setting it right before it fell. For once the calm one, Peter took Wendy's shoulders. Leaning forward, he smiled at Gwen while whispering warmly in Wendy's ear.

If Wendy heard she didn't respond. She was staring at Gwen, too afraid to blink for fear the moment would disappear. She would have never looked away...had Michaleen not peeked from behind.

Wendy saw her son. It was love at first sight. Half expecting to feel a little kick in her womb, Wendy stepped towards Michaleen. 

Gwen doubled back, hands held protectively on Michaleen's head.

Wendy faltered, her shadow working arm suspended guiltily before her. Imploringly she looked to Gwen, silently questioning her strange behavior.

Gwen wanted to scream. She wanted to scoop up Michaleen and run far away as possible. But she couldn't. She could only stare back at her mother and remember that night. That night her mother turned into a monster. That night her mother hurt her. That sick, twisted, perverted nightmare of a night...

"Gweny? Gweny?"

Gwen blinked. She looked down. Michaleen was pulling her wrist. He was also staring at Wendy, but completely wonderstruck, as if he'd found a fairy princess.

"Who is she?" Michaleen whispered, edging around Gwen. "Gweny, who is she?"

Gwen hardened. She grasped Michaleen's hand.

"Nobody. She's nobody" Gwen ushered Michaleen away. "Come on. Let's do your exercises upstairs –"

Abruptly, Michaleen pulled away. He looked at Wendy. "Are you she?"

Gwen's stomach dropped. 

"Michaleen...." she said, feebly guiding him back. "Michaleen don't. Michaleen..."

For the first time in his short life, Michaleen didn't listen. A carefully hidden memory had surfaced the moment he saw Wendy. The memory was an unhappy one, and unbeknownst to Gwen, it was a memory that Shadow (Michaleen's 'imaginary' friend) opened every other night.

It was the memory of his birth. The memory was amorphous, composed of feelings and sounds rather than images, but Michaleen remembered Wendy. Whether it was the sound of her crying as he was ripped from her womb, or the distress he felt when Wendy was held captive, he remembered her.

Michaleen approached Wendy. He strode directly to her, little legs jerking as he forgot to walk heel first. They stood opposite, hardly a breath apart, each entranced with the other.

Then shyly, Michaleen smiled. "Mommy?"

Wendy gasped, tears falling into her smile. Kneeling, she gathered Michaleen and pressed him into her heart.

Happiness poured from every corner of the room. Aladdin and Flynn actually applauded, and Peter blissfully joined. Grinning, he looked expectantly at Gwen.

The anger he found surprised him. Gwen was smoldering. Her eyes were narrowed like bright blue spears.

Peter cocked his head. "Gwendolyn? Gwendolyn it's okay...we're here now."

Thickly, Gwen swallowed. She turned on a heel.  "I'm going to my room."

"Hey." Peter wove around Wendy, intent on following, "Gwendolyn – "

"I'm going to my room!" Gwen turned upstairs, skipping the first step in a panic, "I need to study! Leave me alone!"

She disappeared, storming upstairs and slamming her door.

BANG.

Michaleen jumped. He looked around.

Suddenly, he noticed Peter.

"Daddy?"

Peter beamed. Dismissing Gwen's misconduct, he squatted aside Wendy.

"That's right!" he said, tapping his son's nose, "Hello Pete!"

The Darling family smiled behind Peter. After nudge from Lilo, Michael kindly cleared his throat.

"Actually he goes by Michaleen. Gwen's called him that forever, since day one."

"We decided to adopt it," John Darling added. His bespectacled children nodded as he explained. "You see, we thought no one could carry the name Peter better than you. Similarly, Michaleen fits Michaleen like a glove. A right proper glove indeed."

"His real name is still Peter," assured Tigerlily.

"But everyone calls him Michaleen," recapped Lilo. "Right Stitch?"

"Ih!" Stitch agreed from the pizza box. He gave a greasy-tomato thumbs-up, "Graazi!"

Peter was clearly crushed. Michaleen had been named after him, just as Gwendolyn had been named after Wendy. Their children were their living legacies. Peter's vanity took a little hit. 

However, on the same token, Peter couldn't really argue that he carried the name Peter better than anyone. So...

"Oh well...that's okay." With bittersweet acceptance, Peter traced Michaleen's pointed ear, "Because my name is Peter too. You better stay Michaleen...if you want...no sense in confusing people with two Peters."

Michaleen's eyes widened. "Your name is my name?"

Peter nodded. "Yup."

Michaleen looked like Christmas had come early. "Then can you call me Pete?"

Peter looked like Christmas would never end.

"Little Pete – " Peter embraced his son and wife, "—it'll be our thing!"

Family and friends cheered as the Pans reunited with their baby boy. Songs were sung. Hugs were exchanged. Pizza was passed. It was a celebration that had just started, but was sure to go straight on 'til morning.