By Hook or By Crook ((LitShark & princesssexci))

[LitShark]

It was just past dawn when the fae called Tinker Bell boarded the Jolly Roger, anchored at the mouth of Pirate Bay. Many of the pirates were passed out on deck, long numb to the effects of sleeping outside, their skin baked leathery and their lips chapped beyond further damage. Many still cradled the empty bottles that had contributed to them passing out at their posts.

None of the sun-scorched deckhands were the reason Tinker Bell had boarded the notorious pirate vessel, so she fluttered past them, making her way to the Captain’s Quarters. She tapped on the window above the door, throwing her shoulder against the glass repeatedly to try and get the slumbering captain’s attention.

Still in his elaborate, burgundy, crushed velvet and gold braided robe Captain James Hook threw his cabin door open, his hook raised to slash at whoever dared disturb his private time. His hair was still mostly set in curlers as he was in the process of unspooling them when he was disturbed. For a moment he was confused, finding no one at his door.

When Tinker Bell fluttered back across his vision he rolled his eyes.

“You vile little sprite, I ought to feed you to a toad,” Hook groaned, reluctantly allowing the fluttering fairy into his cabin and closing the door behind her, “you’d better have a good reason for bothering me.”

Tinker Bell nodded resolutely, fluttering over to a map of Neverland that Hook kept on his desk at all times. She hurriedly did a pantomime, fluffing her hair and canting out one hip like a flirtatious ditz.

“Something about that girl Wendy, the one they call ‘mother?’” Hook sat behind the desk, finishing unrolling his long, black hair from the curlers, “what about her?”

Tinker Bell pointed to her nose, indicating that he was correct.

After confirming that this was about Wendy, Tinker Bell ran over to the portion of the map where Hook had drawn teepees and written “Native Camp.” She stomped on this spot and then pantomimed a feather in her hair.

“She’s gone to stay with the Natives for the evening?”

Again, the fairy pointed to her nose.

Tinker Bell then rushed over to the silver facsimile of the Jolly Roger, and with some force, pushed the metal ship across the map, over to the narrow land bridge that connected the Natives’ camp to the mainland. Once the ship was strategically placed, Tinker Bell played out an entire battle by herself.

She turned her finger like a hook, swinging her other arm like she held a sword. Then she was pantomiming a feather and a tomahawk. Next she was Wendy, being dragged away by her hair. Then she pushed the Jolly Roger back to Pirate Bay on the map before going back to the Native Camp where she played the role of Peter crying.

“You’re saying that we could snatch her away before she gets back to Peter and the others?”

Tinker Bell pointed to her nose.

*-*-*

Native Camp, Same Morning.

Tiger Lily was overseeing the preparation of breakfast for their guest. Many of the men and children had been up late hearing the stories from Miss Wendy, now her father Chief Great Big Little Panther was butchering some of their smoked boar meat to be cut into rashers of bacon.

The Chief had also prepared a care package for the Lost Boys. Skins, fruits, salted abalone, a few obsidian blades—things that they couldn’t easily provide for themselves. Fair trade for Wendy’s tales from a world away. Tales of a mysterious land called Ing-Land where people rode devices called motor cars.

Michael and Wendy were still sleeping, having stayed up late by the young ones’ incessant urgings for more and more stories. Plus, the Chief knew too well that the Lost Boys weren’t early to rise. Theirs was a much more relaxed interpretation of community, but what more could be expected of children and fairies.

Chief Great Big Little Panther lightly tapped on the taught skin of the teepee that had been set up for Wendy and Michael.

“Breakfast,” the chief said, in his typical, stern way. He was a man of few words.

Just as things seemed to be settling in for another uneventful morning, the lookout gave a whoop.

“Sails! Black Flag flying!” the lookout shouted.

At this, chaos broke loose.

Mothers rushed to gather their children, braves hurried to their armaments and fathers began dismantling domiciles—loading horses with as much as they could carry—but the ship was upon them before anyone could get to safety.

The ship was sailing straight for the land-bridge. The choke point that joined the Native Camp to the mainland. The Chief gave a shout, brandishing his tomahawk aloft as the cannons offered their percussive thesis.

Heavy iron balls crashed into the ground, spraying dirt in all directions.

“Get the Ing-Landers to safety!” Great Big Little Panther shouted, trying desperately to direct the chaos.

 

[princesssexci]

“Sails! Black Flag flying!”

Wendy slowly opened her eyes to the sound of yelling and someone shaking her to wake up. John was still asleep, of course. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening though. An attack of some sort, obviously though.

“John, John wake up. Wake up! I think there’s an attack. We should wake the children up.” Wendy whispered as one of the natives ran inside.

She believed that her name was Panther Lily or something of that nature. She hadn’t paid much attention to her name, only the fact that Peter had been staring at her for a bit too long for Wendy’s liking.

Not that she liked Peter or anything. She’d only tagged along to make sure her brothers were safe. They all seemed to make foolish choices when she wasn’t around such as running off with some strange 18 year old boy who had an equally strange — what had he called her a ‘fae’??? She didn’t think they existed though she hadn’t said that out loud and Wendy was pretty certain the small creature didn’t like her because who Peter called Tinker Bell had gotten upset stomped around making a bunch of chirping sounds and for awhile refused to allow her to fly.

They’d run into the pirate ships on a few occasions Peter had always managed to gain the upper hand.

Now they were with the natives because according to the young magical boy man they’d keep her and her brothers safe from the pirates.

It didn’t seem that way though.

“W-what?”

“We must hurry.” Black Panther Lily (though really her name was Tiger Lily)said quickly. “The pirates are approaching and we must get you to safety.”

“Michael, wake up!” Wendy hissed trying to shake him awake,”Did you hear? Miss Black Panther Lily said we need to get up now.”

“That’s not my name…”

Wendy glanced behind her and frowned, “is that really important right now?”

The native girl rolled her eyes as her youngest brother wiped the sleep from his eyes. “But I’m still tired.”

“You can sleep later, you have to get up now.” Wendy said gently as Tiger Lily went to go wake up the other lost boys.

 

[LitShark]

There came a terrible groaning of timber as the hull of the Jolly Roger ground to a halt in the sandy shallows approaching the bottleneck which linked the native camp to the mainland. Several ropes could be heard snapping in succession, freeing long planks from the bow of the ship that were held under tension by wound ropes. The timber planks thudded into the sand, planting deep, iron hooks into the ground.

Some of the Lost Boys were taking to the air already and natives were firing arrows at the bow of the ship. Teams of pirates came sprinting down the gang planks onto the shore brandishing black powder firearms, sabers and axes.

One of the pirates in the vanguard took an arrow to the chest and tumbled into the surf, his blood creating crimson blooms in the crystal-clear waters. The one they called “Toodles” flew in from above, wielding an obsidian hammer that he’d been gifted by the natives. Toodles flew low, swinging his hammer in a downward arc to knock four pirates off of one of the planks in a single pass.

The sound of flint striking iron was followed by a loud pop!

Toodles tumbled from the air like a wounded duck, belly flopping into the water as Hook tossed the expended flintlock rifle onto the deck for someone else to reload.

“Think a happy thought now, boy” Hook sneered, the corner of his mustache twitching faintly, “charge!”

By now, the Vanguard was on shore or wounded, so James Hook led the infantry down the gang planks to join the battle. Sabers, tomahawks, war-clubs and hammers crossed as muscular natives and sunbaked pirates fought with brutal intention and ferocity. The feud between pirates and natives was much older than the Lost Boys appeared to be. It was a blood feud with long lists of unavenged martyrs on both sides.

It was a killing kind of hate.

Hook hissed and flicked his tongue in the air as his hook split open the ribcage of a strong looking brave whose name had been Hopping Crow. The mist of Hopping Crow’s blood spattered James Hook’s face as he charged through the natives’ lines with terrifying efficiency.

Pop! Hook fired a flintlock from his hand side. At point blank range, it was easy to knock the charging brave off of his horse.

What hook failed to notice was the one they called “Rufio” leading Michael and Peter onto the deck of the pirate ship by flying over the top of the pirate lines. They stayed quiet and used obsidian knives to cut the ropes that joined the gang planks to the deck of the ship.

Hook was climbing into the saddle of the painted horse who had so recently lost its rider.

He hadn’t seen the Wendy girl go skyward yet, in fact, she seemed still to be on the ground. Apparently, Tinker Bell hadn’t been quite as generous with the fairy dust for the Wendy-Lady. The horse’s hooves pounded the grass as Hook rode the horse into camp, drawing his long saber from its scabbard. Instead of continuing to kill, Hook opted instead to create as much chaos as possible. He hacked the lashings keeping the other horses tied up. He toppled over a row of teepees. He rode straight through the campfire where breakfast was being cooked.

He rode toward Wendy with reckless abandon when he spotted her. He sheathed his saber before leaning over to snatch her off the ground.

Hook was so focused on snatching up Wendy, he nearly caught a tomahawk from Tiger Lily with his face. Only the metal hook that replaced his hand was able to deflect the tomahawk at the last second.

“Retreat!” Hook shouted, reigning the dappled horse sharply and digging his heels into its flank.

With fires burning, horses running free and fighting happening on all sides, there was little resistance to the pirates’ retreat. That was, until they tried to ascend the gang planks again.

The first few pirates stumbled—almost comically as the ropes failed and the planks tumbled off the ship and into the water. The ship even started to unmoor itself and shove back from the shore. Worse yet, Rufio was flying back and forth, stabbing and slicing with his rapier, poking any and every pirate that hit the water full of holes.

Hook loathed that boy.

He vowed to kill him one day.

“Ladders!” Hook shouted, adjusting his grip on his captive, swinging her over his shoulder instead of under his arm.

Those blasted Lost Boys, they always seemed to know just how to push him. By now, there was much too much blood in the water. The pirates who managed to climb their way onto deck were already steering away from the shoal.

Tick – tock

Hook felt a cold chill run down his spine. His hand closed around the back of Wendy’s thigh.

It was here.

All the blood, all the thrashing—they had wakened the devil.

Tick – tock

“No…” Hook hissed under his breath, his horse kicking up wide sprays of water as he rode after the ship, riding directly toward the V-shaped wake of the approaching crocodile.

At the very last second, the surface of the water exploded between Hook and the ship. A gaping maw full of jagged, yellow teeth, like the maw of hell rose up, eclipsing the sun for an agonizing moment where it seemed that all three--man, woman and horse might be swallowed up by the massive, forty-foot monster.

Sheer terror and not any great skill for horsemanship led Hook to kip up onto the saddle, planting his boots on the horse’s back and springing skyward with Wendy still slung over his shoulder.

“No!” Hook shouted, louder this time as he watched the entire horse consumed in a single snap and splash.

He seemed fated to fall down, likely land on top of the animal, to surely be devoured, except that his loyal First Mate Smee leaned out of his cabin window and snatched him around the waist, pulling him aboard just as the ship slipped free of the sand and the sails bellowed outward.

Smee, Hook and Wendy all lay in a pile atop Hook’s black and red silk sheets.

They were all panting.

“That was awfully close, sir!” Smee whined, looking down to see Hook’s toes wiggling, the front of his boot bitten clean off by the crocodile that followed them out to sea.

Tick-tock… tick-tock… tick-tock…

 

[princesssexci]

“No, no, no…” Wendy hissed as she watched Pirates already coming through the camp. Rufio was doing his best to fight the other pirates. “John, Michael…find Tinkerbell and see if she can use that …”

Wendy waved her fingers around indicating what was supposed to mean the ‘fairy dust’ though the little fairy girl didn’t give any to her. She was starting to think the little fae didn’t like her.

“Fairy dust?” John supplied.

“Yes, that.” She wasn’t dumb, she was trying to be secretive about it in case there were any pirates around to hear her. Though she could’ve sworn she heard him mutter under his breath something like ‘it’s no wonder she doesn’t like you.’

Her eyes narrowed as Michael giggled.

“Hurry, move ahead and go find them and see if you can spare some for m—“

“Wendy behind—“

“No leave my sister alone you fiend!” Michael yelled thrusting his wooden sword towards the horse but Tiger Lily pulled him back before the horse could hurt him.

“Eeeeek!” She screamed.” Let me go!” She screamed struggling to get out of the older man’s arms though perhaps that wasn’t the best idea unless she wanted to fall straight off the horse and break her head open.

“Wendy!!!!” John and Michael yelled.

“FIND PETER!!!” She screamed.

“Ladders!”

How did they find them so quickly? They were supposed to be in hiding? Peter had assured them they would be safe with the natives!

She tried one more time to get free. Wendy couldn’t just sit there like…well, a sitting duck. Wendy tried to break free from his grasp only to be thrown over his shoulder like a piece of meat. So, she began hitting his back as if that would do her any good.

“Let. Me. Go. You. Old. Decrepit. Man.” She said with each hit to the back.

Tick – tock

The sound of ticking seemed to name the usual scary and deadly pirate slow and grip grip her thigh.

Tick – tock

Of course, the sound of clocks never much bothered Wendy and she never quite understood why the sound of a clock annoyed the ‘Oh so scary Captain Hook’

“I said let me go!” She snapped

“No…”

She wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or the looming crocodile, both perhaps? The one she had missed in her attempt to get out of Hook’s grasp. However, in that moment she would rather be in Hooks hands then between the teeth of a crocodile.

Everything else seemed to happen in a flurry of motion. Wendy seemed to disassociate she wasn’t sure when she ended up on Hooks boat. She was certain he’d drop her before becoming the next meal. Soon however, they were pulled up the window and onto the bed.

Wendy felt rather ill from it all.

“I think I’m going to be sick…” she mumbled. Seeing a crocodile eat a horse was going to be ingrained in her mind forever, wasn’t it? “Perhaps I should become a vegetarian now.”

Wendy blinked a few times before realizing where she was and with whom she was with. Her blue eyes widened and she scrambled off the bed and to a corner of the room and grabbed the first thing she could think to grab as a weapon.

A butter knife. It wasn’t exactly a weapon but it would have to do. She would have grabbed his sword but…he had it on him already.

“What do you want with me?”

 

[LitShark]

“What do you want with me?”

It seemed such a straightforward, almost obvious question, now. Why? Why her? Why then? Why sacrifice so many of his men? What did he want with her? What were the ends that this fabled Wendy-Lady was to be means to? Why hadn’t he considered any of these questions until now? It had seemed obvious…

The Wendy-Lady was from the lands of Elsewhere, she carried with her stories beyond counting, she wielded the power of the “mother,” which had made the Lost Boys so much more formidable in recent weeks.

If he really thought about what he specifically knew for certain, this whole plan had originated from that damnable fae. For how much ink was spilt over the great and terrible James Hook, it was remarkable how inevitably he ended up carrying out the whims of the fae or the mer or the indigenous-es… Indi-genesis? Indy-geny-geniuses? The Injuns.

For his own sake, Hook didn’t really know what he wanted from her. He certainly didn’t like the present scene, her brandishing a blade between them, tucked away in some dusty corner of his cabin. Not much of a blade, but her intention was very clear. What Hook wanted was a fresh start—what he needed was a scapegoat. Lucky for him, Hook had the G.O.A.T. of scapegoats onboard his ship with him.

“Damnit, Mister Smee! Can’t you see that you’ve frightened our guest? As usual you have been too aggressive and spoiled what might have once been a proper introduction!” Hook berated his subordinate while he rolled out of the bed on the opposite side as Wendy had rolled off.

With his good hand, Hook straightened out his waist coat and then slicked his moustache hairs into meticulous order.

“If not for that great, grey beast I might have wished to introduce myself more properly. I am Captain James J. Hook—yes, the one you’ve heard of. This is my ship, the Jolly Roger, named after our flag, the Jolly Roger, after which all other pirate flags have been patterned. Suffice to say, I did not go through all the trouble of capturing you to harm you, so please. Set aside the knife.”

Captain Hook snatched his hat from the bed and put it on after holding it to his chest for a moment, then suddenly deciding to bow, then aborting mid-bow to place the hat on his head. He finished by leaning against one of the pillars that held up the vaulted ceilings of his captain’s corners. The whole performance seemed forced and awkward.

“If I wanted to hurt you, you’d be hurt by now,” a shadow fell across Hook’s face, this tone felt much more natural.

“Smee, go fetch a double portion for the Captain’s Table. And rum! Bring a bottle of rum. Tonight I would host the Wendy, if she would join me. I pray only that you take me as I am and not as you heard I might be.”

Hook was talking himself in circles. He decided to just dive in.

“Do you know any songs?” Hook crossed the cabin deliberately and slowly so as not to alarm the Wendy-Lady. He swept back his coat tails with his good hand as he sat on the piano bench set before a miniature organ, sometimes called a harpsicord, “I don’t play as well as I used to, but I suppose I could follow your lead.”

Hook held up his hook to illustrate why his abilities as a pianist had fallen off.

He began to play a gentle but haunting vamp, his fingers moving instinctively from one chord to the next.

“Won’t you sing for me, please Miss Wendy? I’ve heard that you know songs that echo in the halls of the ever-after.”

 

[princesssexci]

“Damnit, Mister Smee! Can’t you see that you’ve frightened our guest? As usual you have been too aggressive and spoiled what might have once been a proper introduction!”

Wendy’s eyes averted to the other pirate and frowned. Had it not been he who kidnapped her and had taken her from her brothers, Peter, and the other lost boys or so they were called. She still wasn’t quite sure why they were referred to as ‘lost boys’. None of it made any sense.

Though, nothing seemed logical in this Neverland place.

She watched, still heavily suspicious as the other pirate looked alarmed but not surprised at all by the elder pirate’s words.

“If not for that great, grey beast I might have wished to introduce myself more properly. I am Captain James J. Hook—yes, the one you’ve heard of. This is my ship, the Jolly Roger, named after our flag, the Jolly Roger, after which all other pirate flags have been patterned. Suffice to say, I did not go through all the trouble of capturing you to harm you, so please. Set aside the knife.”

Wendy stared at the knife in her hand and then looked back at the elder pirate, still ever so hesitant. Who could blame her? Again, the man had stolen her from her brothers of whom she was in charge of.
“I think I’ll keep the knife thank you.” Wendy said, gripping it even tighter with her small hand. “Surely, you understand my hesitation as it was you who did kidnap me from my charg—“

“If I wanted to hurt you, you’d be hurt by now,”

There was something in that tone of voice of his that sent a jolt of fear through her body. Every bit of womanly instinct told her that she should keep hold of the knife especially since she would have to protect herself. There was no Peter, no Rufio. Just Wendy.

Though, he did have a point; if he wanted her hurt he could’ve easily just thrown her to the crocodile. Slowly, she walked over to the table and set the butter knife back on the table. Wendy told herself that she would probably need to find a better weapon anyways. Butter knives weren’t that sharp after all.

“Smee, go fetch a double portion for the Captain’s Table. And rum! Bring a bottle of rum. Tonight I would host the Wendy, if she would join me. I pray only that you take me as I am and not as you heard I might be.”

Peter had insisted that Captain Hook was a horrid man who was the definition of dangerous. He didn’t put it quite like that but he may as well have. With all the stories that were shared from the lost boys and Peter, it was hard to look past that.

“Do you know any songs?”

Of course she knew songs. She eyed Captain Hook as he made his way to the piano. She was required to at least learn to play the piano if she was to marry well. It was a ridiculous requirement. What husband would care if you knew how to play the piano.

“Maybe.” She said slowly.

“I don’t play as well as I used to, but I suppose I could follow your lead.”

Her movements continued to be slow and cautious much like a small animal uncertain on whether it was going to be eaten alive by a predator or not. Her eyes stayed glued on the hand or lack there of with a hook attached. Clearing her throat, she looked away from it silently chastising herself for being rude.

Her parents had always taught her it was rude to stare at one’s deformities. It made them feel less than human.
“Won’t you sing for me, please Miss Wendy? I’ve heard that you know songs that echo in the halls of the ever-after.”

“This doesn’t mean I trust you.” She said stubbornly.

As he played the haunting tune, she frowned and still sat quietly. “I’m not certain I know that song though. I used to sing lullabies to my brothers when they were younger, though Michael still tends to enjoy listening to them every now and again.”


“Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the way to high,

Like a Diamond in the sky…”

Her voice was soft and serene, some had even compared her singing voice to that of an Angel.

When she looked back at the pirate Captain she cleared her throat. “You never did answer my question really. Why am I here? You seem much too old to sing lullabies to or read fairy tales.”

 

[LitShark]

When Wendy started singing it was as though everything else rushed away. The collective breath left the room and before anyone knew it, they were all holding their breath. Not just Hook and Smee—but every pirate on the entire ship, were all holding their breath at once. For a moment, it was like Wendy’s voice reached up out of the cabin and spread invisible wings to pick the Jolly Roger up from the sea and float above the water—they were doing eight knots and the masts were groaning. Smooth sailing.

Her voice reached the soft hearts of hard men who closed their eyes and turned their faces toward the sun. Scars stopped throbbing, phantom limbs stopped nagging and overused muscles stopped aching. For one, brief, magical moment, every single pirate—most of whom had never had one, found their happy thought.

“Like a diamond…” Hook’s voice was a whisper as a single tear rolled down his face, “in the sky.”

There was a sudden impulse to clutch at his chest, but that would have caused a fatal injury when his hook landed in the center of his chest. Instead, he used the back edge of the hook to wipe the single tear away from his face.

“My word… I’ve never heard anything so beautiful. Could you perform that tonight? For the crew?” Hook quickly, but awkwardly, tried to find the notes for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on his harpsichord.

“Smee has a squeezebox and I think that Jimmy Bones has a ukulele…” Hook was already plotting the performance before Wendy could answer, “no wonder they’re trying so hard to keep you to themselves.”

To Hook, the strategic value of having a Wendy on one’s side was painfully obvious, now that he’d heard her ballad of twinkling stars. She did more for morale than a dozen prizes. She was, in fact a treasure—trite though that may have been.

“I’m getting ahead of myself. You’re right, I didn’t answer your question. This morning, I wasn’t totally sure why we wanted to capture you—but now it’s so obvious. You say that we’re too old for lullabies—and that may be true, based on the tradition you come from, whereby lullabies are sung to children who then grow up into adults—but things don’t work that way in Neverland.

“The children are children forever and the grown-ups are hard men and women. How long one has lived cannot be so easily discerned just from appearances alone. Most of us pirates come from the world that you have known—from Eng Land and other such places, but we lived rough lives before that world forgot us, misplaced us and let us sail beyond the final sunset.

“No one is quite sure how we pirates reach Neverland—as none of us can fly. The Fae spare no love for us—nor us for them. In the infinite vastness of the ocean, it’s not impossible to imagine that there exists some overlap, somewhere on the high seas, past Fiddler’s Green but just before Davey Jones’ Locker, where hard men who made their lives on the sea can cross over. We don’t age, but we suffer still, Miss Wendy. We pirates suffer every day.”

There fell something of an awkward silence, made more profound by the beautiful music that Wendy had made with nothing more than her own voice. Only the groaning of the mast and the lapping of waves against the hull filled the silence. Fortunately, it didn’t last for long, as Mr. Smee returned with rum, fresh water, citrus fruits and a bowl of cane sugar.

“But let’s not be so formal and direct. You, unlike most of this lot, are civilized. It’s something I have missed—the company of civilized people.”

Hook used his hook to stab a small log and toss it into the small stove at the far end of his cabin. He set the kettle on to boil before returning to the table and pouring two small, crystal glasses on stems full of rum.

“Please, join me. Won’t you?” his hook stabbed a lime and he drew his knife through it, cutting into quarters which he deposited into the bowl of granulated sugar.

 

[princesssexci]

Wendy had never seen anyone react like that to her songs before. She stared at Captain Hook with concern. Was he crying? The blonde was very much confused by what was happening. It was just lullaby. Though she couldn’t stop the the faint blush due to his compliment.

“My word… I’ve never heard anything so beautiful. Could you perform that tonight? For the crew ?”

She opened her mouth frowning at the way he was playing the cords and shook her head. Gently she pushed his hands away from the piano and showed him the correct keys to hit to find the melody.

“Smee has a squeezebox and I think that Jimmy Bones has a ukulele…” Hook was already plotting the performance before Wendy could answer, “no wonder they’re trying so hard to keep you to themselves.”

“The melody is here, you see?” She was momentarily distracted from showing him
what to hit even with just one hand.”It’s a bit more difficult and not as melodic with just the one note but it would still work.”

“I’m getting ahead of myself. You’re right, I didn’t answer your question. This morning, I wasn’t totally sure why we wanted to capture you—but now it’s so obvious. You say that we’re too old for lullabies—and that may be true, based on the tradition you come from, whereby lullabies are sung to children who then grow up into adults—but things don’t work that way in Neverland.

As he spoke she lazily let her hand glide along the piano keys as he went into further explanation and her mind became more curious.

“The children are children forever and the grown-ups are hard men and women. How long one has lived cannot be so easily discerned just from appearances alone. Most of us pirates come from the world that you have known—from Eng Land and other such places, but we lived rough lives before that world forgot us, misplaced us and let us sail beyond the final sunset.

At some point she’d stopped playing just to listen.

“No one is quite sure how we pirates reach Neverland—as none of us can fly. The Fae spare no love for us—nor us for them. In the infinite vastness of the ocean, it’s not impossible to imagine that there exists some overlap, somewhere on the high seas, past Fiddler’s Green but just before Davey Jones’ Locker, where hard men who made their lives on the sea can cross over. We don’t age, but we suffer still, Miss Wendy. We pirates suffer every day.”

That was an incredibly sad tale. Even more sad was that they had no one here. She shouldn’t feel pity for the villains. They had kidnapped her, taken her from her brothers but she couldn’t help herself. Her mother and father said that was what made the best of her was that she had a soft heart for those in need.

Her eyes darted to the door as the other pirate came back with the refreshments as required.

“But let’s not be so formal and direct. You, unlike most of this lot, are civilized. It’s something I have missed—the company of civilized people. Please, join me. Won’t you?”

Wendy got up from the piano bench and moved to the table.. she was a bit boggled by everything. So far, Captain Hook was nothing like Peter Pan had portrayed him. Had he…gotten it wrong all along?

Taking a seat on the right side of the sea captain, she smoothed out her dress.

Wendy bit her lip and then finally answering his question about performing for the pirates. “I suppose I could perform…” she murmured slowly. “I mean, I’ve never really performed for anyone outside of my family. Why I haven’t even attended my first ball yet.” Did he know what a ball was? Surely that wasn’t something she’d have to explain to him like she would Peter, right? “It might even be fun?” She risked a smile at him.

Perhaps Wendy was being too trusting but right now she was alone and the Captain didn’t seem that bad.

Besides, if she made him happy perhaps he’d let her go and she could get back to her brothers and Peter and Rufio. That was the plan, appease the pirate and get back to her brothers and the lost boys.

 

[LitShark]

“Ah yes! A performance! How wonderful!” James grabbed his hook at the middle and wrung his arms in the air like a celebration, “the men will be delighted!”

Captain Hook took a moment to compose himself, curling the ends of his moustache before raising his small glass, offering a toast. Glancing down to Wendy’s untouched glass of rum.

“A toast to you, Wendy—our most welcome guest. And we’ll soon have your brothers to join us—of that you have my word!” James was almost too enthusiastic to be believed, “I never break a promise. Ask anyone.”

It wasn’t so much that Hook never broke a promise as it was that no member of his crew would accuse him of it. In this way, Hook was a bit delusional. He still saw himself as the victim in his struggle against Peter and his merry band of foundlings.

“As loathe as I may be to lose your company, once we have your brothers aboard, we will find a way to get you all home. That is what you wish for, isn’t it? To find your brothers, to return home to your family. That… that…”

Hook fumbled for a word to describe Pan that wasn’t sailor speak.

“That faery friend would sooner grow grey hairs than let any of his playmates leave. That is why he’s so dangerous, Wendy! He lures you children away from your homes—your loving families, to replicate the family that he lacks. We used to call him the ‘Prince of Faeries’ until we knew him by name. The Fae are vile, deceitful creatures and that boy is the worst of them.

“A boy in semblance only—he’s been here in Neverland longer than even the longest tenured pirate. Even the mer-folk speak of him as an ancient being… Your friend Peter may look like a boy, talk like a boy, even act like a boy—but he’s older than anyone you know. Never forget that.”

It seemed only fair, since Peter had no doubt campaigned against him, that James should give Wendy a better idea of what they were up against.

“No matter what he might tell you, Peter has no intention of letting you or your siblings leave here. But you, Wendy Moira Darling, you are special—you came to protect your siblings, not quite a child, but scarcely a lady. This is why he and I prize you so highly. To him, you are a mother—to me…”

What was she to him? What did he want her to be? There was carnal desire there, a spark between them, or was he imagining it?

“To me, you are a trusted friend. With a potential to be more, if you only but wish it.”

Hook refilled the rum glasses before cutting a lemon into wedges and dumping the wedges into the sugar bowl. He raised his filled glass.

“Do you… do you wish it? To be my…” his face nearly cracked forcing the word past his lips, “friend?”

 

[princesssexci]

“A toast to you, Wendy—our most welcome guest. And we’ll soon have your brothers to join us—of that you have my word!”

For a minute he was almost believable, except he was using that tone her father would use when he’d say something good like how she was supposed marry the Jones heir. It was said happily. The man in question though worked with her father and was a few years older and though Wendy had never met the man face to face. She knew that any friend of her fathers was as straight and narrow as a board. Boring. “I never break a promise. Ask anyone.”

That was most definitely the truth because he seemed so assured in his words bit something in the way he said her brothers would join them. Could she trust that? Pirates weren’t known for being…good people.

“As loathe as I may be to lose your company, once we have your brothers aboard, we will find a way to get you all home. That is what you wish for, isn’t it? To find your brothers, to return home to your family. That… that…”

“I..I dont know what I wish, to be honest. I wished that I didn’t have to…” she blushed a bit,”my parents and I got into an argument you see. They wish for me to marry a family friend and I got upset.” she laughed a little.

“I started screaming foolish things and throwing tantrums.” Now? She wanted to go home. She had to play nice with a pirate who was scared of an 18 year old boy who flew around with a faery.
She still was hesitant to touch her glass of rum. Her father used to tell her that ladies didn’t drink such things.

“It was silly really.” She had a wistful smile. Eventually, she reached for sliced orange and began to remove the rest of the peeling off as the Captain seemed to go on a tangent about Peter. They seemed to have that in common, going on tangents about the other.

“No matter what he might tell you, Peter has no intention of letting you or your siblings leave here. But you, Wendy Moira Darling, you are special—you came to protect your siblings, not quite a child, but scarcely a lady. This is why he and I prize you so highly. To him, you are a mother—to me…”

She wrinkled her nose at the idea of being a mother to anyone this soon in life.

Wait…

She’d never given him her full name.

Something was strange about this whole situation and her instincts told her not to fully trust him again.

BUT he didn’t need to know that.

“To you…” she pushed slowly.
For instance, how did he know where to find her? It was a strange coincidence that it happened to be when Peter was not anywhere near the Injuns.

“To me, you are a trusted friend. With a potential to be more, if you only but wish it.”

“Oh but Captain, we’ve only just met. Truly met. You’ve…yet to …court me.” Wendy stammered. Was he attempting to woo her at some point?

Her heart raced and not in a good way. It wasn’t that Captain James Hook was ugly for an old man. Older man. He wasn’t that old probably in his late 40s maybe. No—he was quite easy on the eyes. However, how did one partake in adult activities with his..? Without realizing it, her eyes swayed to his hook for a brief second. Surely, it must’ve been diff— Good lord. Why was she even considering that? Where in the bloody hell was Peter and why wasn’t he here to rescue her yet?

“Do you… do you wish it? To be my…” She watched as he ate the lemon dipped in sugar “friend?”

“Yes. We can be friends Captain Hook.”

She reached for the knife again and smiled imitating what he’d done with his hook and stabbed her orange as if to make him feel more comfortable.

 

[LitShark]

“Well then! I guess there’s no rush—while you’re deciding I mean,” Captain Hook seemed genuinely pleased by Wendy’s uncertainty, as uncertainty was valuable currency in Neverland, “if you trust that Fae-friend Peter with the care of your siblings there is no rush to rescue them. And if you’re not certain that you wish to return home, there’s no rush to that either!”

Hook laughed heartily as Wendy used her knife to stab one of the citrus wedges from the bowl of sugar and bite it with enthusiasm. A small dribble of juice from the very ripe fruit trickled down her chin and Hook reached up with his good hand to wipe it, gloved fingers laying gently along her jawline as his thumb passed slowly under her full, luscious lower lip.

His green eyes held her oceanic blue gaze for a long moment. The conversation halted and the entire cabin seemed to swell and contract with their equally tense breathing. As though they shared one breath, shared one body, one chest—one heart.

Captain Hook was beginning to lean closer, as if to kiss her when he caught himself suddenly and pulled his velvet gloved hand back from her face.

“Ahem, at any rate. We should consider what we need for the performance tonight. Best not to tell the men—better if it’s a surprise. They won’t know what hit them!” Hook refilled his own rum glass, Wendy’s having not yet been touched, “do you know any other songs?”

*-*-*

“How did he know they were here?” Peter stamped his foot on the ground, with his arms crossed over his narrow chest.

“I know not, Child of the Forest. I know only that she, the one called Wendy was the target. Many strong braves were badly wounded in the fray.” Great Big Little Panther said resolutely, there was no uncertainty in his resonant baritone, “we did all that could be done to repel them, but they had the element of surprise and used the geography of our own land against us.”

“Why didn’t you go after them?”

“We do not cross the water that our horses cannot drink.”

“Coward!”

Several of the strongest braves tensed or rose to their feet, even among those having their wounds tended to. Whether magic or otherwise, no one called the great chief a coward. But Great Big Little Panther just raised his hand, relaxing those who were loyal to him.

“We do not fly with the dust of faeries like you and your foundlings, Peter of the Pan. Our canoes are fitted for rivers and shallows, not open waters. Your contempt is misplaced.”

“And what about you?” Peter turned expectantly to Tiger Lily, “where were you when pirates kidnapped my friend?”

Michael and John shifted uncomfortably as Peter berated the natives on their sister’s behalf. Having seen the battle, they know that the natives should not be blamed, but they did not caution Peter to hold back, since they would stop at nothing to save their sister—even if it did seem slightly wrong to blame the natives.

“Perhaps the mer would know more—since salt water is their domain?” John timidly intervened before Tiger Lilly got a chance to respond.

 

[princesssexci]

Wendy was slightly relieved that the captain wouldn’t come near her brothers. If it meant she’d never see them again but they’d be safe then so be it. She was their older sister after all. Of course, there was the fact that Peter had just left her to get kidnapped. With her mind wondering she didnt realizing the juice from the orange was sliding past her lips until she felt Captain Hooks gloved finger brush it away.

Wendy’s blue eyes widened as his gloved finger brushed down her bottom lip. Her heart pounded quickly from just a simple touch. He was leaning forward and Wendy swallowed back her nerves.

Good lord, was she nervous? There was no reason to be.

Was he going to kiss though? All thoughts of Peter and her brothers slowly disappeared as she watched him. She should stop him. It would do no goos to get his hopes up. Peter would come save her eventually and then Captain Hook would be left alone.

Besides, she still clung to the hope that Peter would give her her first real kiss, not a thimble like she’d given him when she’d gotten nervous.

Wendy ducked her head and reached for her glass of rum, her cheeks turning a bright pink when he’d pulled his hand away.

“Ahem, at any rate. We should consider what we need for the performance tonight. Best not to tell the men—better if it’s a surprise. They won’t know what hit them!” Hook refilled his own rum glass, Wendy’s having not yet been touched, “do you know any other songs?”

She took a few slow sips of her rum cringing as the liquid burned her chest. It was certainly not something she was accustomed to but it didn’t seem like there was much else for her to drink.

Still, that didn’t stop the complaint.

“This is utterly disgusting! Is there anything else I can drink?” She paused and thought over his question,”Well, yes of course I do. Let me think…”

Yes, it was best not to think that the greatly feared Captain Hook had prepared himself to kiss her and then pulled back.

Though she was partially to blame for that wasn’t she?

“Hm perhaps it would be more so entertaining if you taught me one of your pirate songs? We could alternate between one of my songs and one of yours.”



~~ Tiger Lily~~



Tiger Lily leaned against the tree as Peter Pan threw his tantrum and had to roll her eyes.

“How did he know they were here?”

He’d brought up a good point. How did the pirates know Wendy lady was with them? Only they knew. Her eyes flickered to the fluttering green faerie and her eyes narrowed.

She’d never trusted the blonde Fae. There were quite a few times that she’d been in danger because of something the little magical creature had caused though Peter always stuck up for her and said it was an accident or misunderstanding.

“And what about you?” Peter turned expectantly to Tiger Lily, “where were you when pirates kidnapped my friend?”

Tiger Lily calmly looked at Peter not letting his tone bother her. He was upset that his new friend was missing. That was understandable.

If John had not cut her off, she would have responded with

‘She told me to run, told me to take her brothers to safety.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t care that Wendy had been taken, but Peter should’ve been there to help.

But instead she responded with:


“We will help you find her and get her back but do not take your anger out on my people. Perhaps you should direct it elsewhere. Obviously, there is a traitor here. Someone who gave the pirate captain his information.”

 

[LitShark]

“Oh how delightful! I mean, our pirate songs aren’t as lovely and melodic as yours, Miss Wendy. We mostly sing about hoisting sails and pulling barge, but it would mean a lot to the men—especially if you pretended to like it,” Captain Hook smiled.

To her objection over the Rum, Hook halved a blood orange and used his hook to juice out the middle of the blood-red fruit into Wendy’s glass, diluting the liquor and spreading out the taste. They would be at sea for at least another half-day and they hadn’t exactly stocked up on supplies the last time the made landfall.

“I’m sorry to say that our fresh water stores have been depleted. On a pirate ship, rum and wine are for drinking except for extreme emergencies,” despite his objections, Hook extracted a small, silver flask from inside his jacket. It was the kind that people smuggled liquor in ordinarily, but Captain Hook’s was filled with cool, clear stream water, “but what I have, I’ll share with thee.”

Hook tossed back the rest of the rum in his small glass and wiped the interior with his silk pocket square. He jealously poured the small glass half full from his secret water stash, the flask had to tip steeply before any water came out. Any pretense of courtship was abandoned temporarily as Captain Hook was stingy with his sharing of fresh water.

“There. Please don’t tell the others that I have that,” the flask was capped and slipped back into his jacket.

Hook stood up suddenly, his height was always something spoken of.

“I will let the men know. They’ll want some time to prepare.”

*-*-*

Peter considered what Tiger Lily was saying, his skinny arms crossed over his chest, still pouting like a brat. He reluctantly followed Lily’s glance over to Tink but quickly shrugged off any doubt on Tink’s character. Tink’s loyalty was absolute and he trusted her completely. He suspected the Natives of betrayal before his beloved Tinkerbell.

“I doubt any of the Lost Boys sold us out to the pirates. Your people still trade with them regularly. Perhaps something slipped out,” Peter’s tone was salty, “but that’s a different adventure. First we need to get Wendy back.”

Peter lifted off, thinking about a rope swing, he held out his arms, approximating a compass rose.

“If they sailed away westward,” he looked down the length of one arm before turning and looking the other way, “by tomorrow they’ll have gone around and be headed back, West-Southwest… which means…”

Tinkerbell made an ugly face, realizing what it meant.

“We need to go see the Mermaids…” Peter swallowed hard.

It was no secret that the mermaids wanted nothing more than to get their hands on the notorious flying boy and drag him down to the bottom where no light shines and no bodies ever return from.

“Tink, Lily, will you join me? Peter, Michael, you two go back to the tree fort. We don’t want to ware out our welcome with the tribe.”

“Welcome wears thin already,” Great Big Little Panther remarked, not loving his daughter being volunteered for a dangerous meeting with the Mer-folk. The Fae were dangerous enough, but the Mer were cold-blooded killers. The history of bloodshed between Natives and Mer went back longer than the history with the pirates, “my braves will walk them to the edge of Never Woods. The Lost Boys can protect them from there.”

Peter nodded and flew higher. He cocked one knee and pointed his fist, he had to sail across the whole continent. He used the memory of Wendy giving him a ‘kiss’ to fuel the journey.

 

[princesssexci]

“Oh how delightful! I mean, our pirate songs aren’t as lovely and melodic as yours, Miss Wendy. We mostly sing about hoisting sails and pulling barge, but it would mean a lot to the men—especially if you pretended to like it,”

“Oh thats alright, my mother and father said Im a quick study!” Wendy bragged with a bright smile watching as the captain poured the blood orange juice in with her rum.

She felt a bit guilty too when he’d poured a bit of his secret water into the small glass for her swearing her to secrecy. Perhaps she was being a tad bit spoiled.

“Thank you, Captain… Erm, Mr. Hook.” well, that felt too formal didn’t it? Especially with him sharing secret water and all. He hadn’t seemed to pleased with it either. She’d seen the spiteful look on his face. He’d gone from gentlemen to pirate rather quickly. By gods, he was a giant. Her eyes widened because she hadn’t noticed how tall Captain Hook was earlier.

“It will be our secret, I promise.” She turned to look at him with another sweet smile. “Wait! You won’t be gone long will you? I don’t wish to sound needy but aside from Peter…you and that other pirate; you know the one that brought the food. I just dont want to be …”

Alone.

No. No it was bad to admit her weakness to a stranger.

“Nevermind.” She smiled again and this time reached for the glass of rum that he’d sweetened and took a slow sip. “I shall await your return, Captain.”

Wendy sighed softly when he’d left because she was alone on a scary ship with PIRATES.

At least a few minutes ago she had a pirate who didn’t seem nearly as terrifying and…mildly handsome. She stared at the water and considered waiting until he returned. Perhaps they could…share it since he seemed to be in short supply?

She’d never been courted before but if this was it; it was exhausting! The rum still burned but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been earlier and for that she was appreciative.

Still, she couldn’t let her hope fail her. Peter would come save her…eventually. Wouldn’t he?

~*~*Tink

Why did that Indian girl keep looking at her? Did she know what Tink had done? Impossible! It wasn’t her fault that the Wendy girl couldn’t run fast enough. It wss just the fae’s way of testing her and she failed.

Tink silently laughed to herself as she followed Peter to the mermaids. She knew they should’ve only brought John and Peter. Other women only brought extra problems.

No one ever listened to Tinker Bell though. No one ever asked Tinker Bell. She was pretty sure no one could even understand her.

This would teach Wendy girl though to try and steal her faery prince from her.

“I doubt any of the Lost Boys sold us out to the pirates. Your people still trade with them regularly. Perhaps something slipped out,”

Tink nodded her head emphatically only to get a glare from the indian princess. She stuck her tongue out like a brat at the princess.

This this was what she had to deal with. It wss bad enough that she had indian princess around Peter and the mermaids…sirens trying to lure him to his demise. The poor man boy was to gullible for his own undoing.

She didn’t have time to feel guilty over letting Wendy get kidnapped….okay well, over pretty much handing Captain stupid red coat Wendy on a silver platter. If the indians knew how to fight better and had better defenses up then they’d probably still have Wendy.

So really, this wasn’t Tinks fault!

Besides, Wendy probably wasn’t even dead. Pirates were horny and she had boobs. Wendy was fine!

Worst case scenario: Wendy was dead and Peter just got two new lost boys.

Tinkerbell really didn’t see why anyone was so upset.

At Peters question of if she’d go with him; (she ignored the acknowledgement of Lily) she walked across his shoulder and grinned sitting down her wings flickering with a happy ringing.

He should know that Tinkerbell would go to the moon and back with and for him. He didn’t need to ask.

~*~*~Tiger-Lily

Lily watched as the little fae sat on Peter Pans shoulder looking bright and cheery. She didn’t appreciate how he addressed her people as if they were the criminals. Her eyes narrowed and she glanced back at her papa.

“If I were harsh like the sun I would burn you for what you just said to my people but you are lucky I still consider you a friend Peter and understand you are just concerned about this Wendy. Yes I will go with you.”

 

[LitShark]

Captain James Hook stopped short of the door and turned back. His eyebrows knit together—but it was clear that he didn’t know what he looked like when he made that face, otherwise he would have avoided it. The concern on his face broke his forehead into about a million wrinkles. Just as Wendy was enjoying herself, she held back. What wasn’t she telling him?

“Unless you’d like to tell them yourself?” Hook probed gently, “might carry more weight coming from you. Show them that I’m not forcing you?”

Hook held the door to his cabin open, allowing Wendy to join him in addressing the rest of the crew.

“Men! This is Miss Wendy. For at least a while, she’s going to be joining our crew. Each and every one of you will treat her as such. By way of celebration, she will lead us in a vocal performance this evening, just before night watch. Say ‘aye’!”

“Aye!” the crew shouted, their enthusiasm genuine, even if their motives might be somewhat suspect.

“Wendy? Anything to add?”