Hook'd

Chloe Takes Flight

In a tiny town not too different than normal, there lived a young woman who was both hard-working and a child at heart. Her name was Chloe Holly, and while her family believed that she was changing into a young woman, she felt like being a kid again with whatever free time she had. When her office job was stressing her out, including a boss and coworkers who didn't try to comfort her after she lost both of her parents, she left it and became a storyteller at the local childcare center. Working at the childcare center was a perfect way to be happy again, complete with telling the children stories in both book and song, and the children loved her. One of the kids' favorites was the tale of Peter Pan, and the more times she told the story, the more Chloe wished she could go to Neverland and escape the struggles of adulthood.

It was now the night before her 25th birthday, and having donned her favorite blue nightgown with her hair in braids, Chloe decided to say her evening prayers. Even though she hadn't done such a thing since she was a child, she knelt at the side of her bed and thanked the Lord for 24 years of ups and downs, hoping that her next birthday would be fun as well. She then climbed into bed and turned off her bedside table light, promptly rolling over and falling asleep afterward, not even aware that somebody was watching her through the window.

Little did she know that Peter Pan himself was right outside, having traveled from Neverland because he heard there was someone telling his stories. He hadn't been to America before, but since he heard that his story was being told in a daycare center, he would come for visits and sit outside so nobody caught him. It was during those visits that he heard her wishes about going to Neverland, and he decided to grant her wish as a birthday gift. Having overheard when her birthday was thanks to a conversation she had with a coworker, he sent his fairy friend Tinkerbell to watch Chloe as she went home, so he would know where she lived. Disguising herself as a firefly and flying over Chloe's chimney, Tinkerbelle signaled Peter that she had found the right house before they peeked in the window, which is when they saw her sleeping. After a gust of wind opened the window, Peter and Tinkerbell floated into the room and hid in a few places, waiting for a good moment to wake Chloe up.

Luckily for them, the cold breeze entering through her window was enough to arouse Chloe from her sleep, and she had just shut the window when she thought she saw that her bedside table light was turned on. As it turns out, Tinkerbell was hiding in her light and playfully glowing bright enough to trick Chloe, only to cut the brightness when she saw Chloe's hand reaching to turn off the light. Confused by what was going on, Chloe was looking around her room when she noticed what looked like a life-sized doll flopped by her window, which she didn't realize was Peter. Intrigued by the new toy, she walked over to Peter before examining his face, which is when he glanced over at her and winked.

"Hello, Chloe!"

Peter chuckled as Chloe stumbled back in shock, and she blinked her eyes before rubbing them to make sure she wasn't dreaming. When she dropped down and crawled over to Peter, he could see in her eyes that she was still a little unsure, so he decided to have a little fun. What followed was like a game of mirror reflection, because as her hand touched his with her fingers closed together, he did the same thing while smiling as he gazed at her. This continued this foolery as they stood up at the same time, and since it was clearly confusing to Chloe, Peter smiled as he gently took her hand before holding it out with the palm up. With that, Tinkerbell flew into Chloe's hand with a smile before curtsying to her, and she blushed and curtsied right back before giggling a little.

After apologizing for her shocked response, Chloe was amazed at how Peter knew that she was telling his stories at the daycare center, and she giggled as he spoke about how he wanted to meet the storyteller. When Peter mentioned that the lost boys in Neverland wanted to know if she had other stories to tell, Chloe's eyes widened before she explained that she had lots of tales either memorized or made up, and Peter smiled before taking her other hand. Once Tinkerbell was given the signal, she floated into the air before sprinkling the other two in her pixie dust, causing the wide-eyed Chloe to look around in awe.

"Wait! Are we actually going to..."

"Yes, we are, Chloe! As our birthday gift to you, we're taking you to Neverland!"

Hearing the news about her upcoming trip, Chloe was so happy that she floated off the ground immediately, and she gasped before squealing as she did a somersault mid-air. After Peter re-opened her window, Chloe followed Peter and Tinkerbell outside before flying off with them, and Tinkerbell closed her window before the three of them traveled to Neverland.

For someone who rarely flew, Chloe handled the journey like a professional as she soared with Peter through the night sky, and she was amazed at how tiny all the cars and houses looked beneath her. Peter was delighted to have someone so happy flying with him, and unlike how she was when Wendy and her brothers flew along, Tinkerbell loved having Chloe along for the journey. The journey was a nice leisurely one, and they were soon entering Neverland before Chloe even knew it, with the first stop being Peter's hideout.