Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan or any of its related characters. This is just for my own enjoyment and the potential enjoyment of other Paniacs like me, and no monetary gain was expected or received.
Rating: Oh, this one might go M. It really might. But consider it T for now.
Spoilers: This takes place after the real story leaves off and goes completely AU from there, so aside from a little necessary back story for exposition's sake, shouldn't be many spoilers.
A/N: This is another take, more or less, on the concept of the story Captain Hook: Damnation and Redemption, which I wrote long, long ago and just recently edited. This has an entirely unique plot, but is predicated on the same basic underlying premise, which I will not reveal, since that would be telling. Since I am writing this at age 34, and I wrote the other at age 19, I am hoping that this at least shows an improvement in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Whether it shows any improvement in imagination is an open question.
Prologue: What Happened After the Crocodile
Captain James Hook was, of course, swallowed by the giant crocodile, and that, as far as everyone was concerned, was the end of him. Wendy, John, and Michael returned to their home along with the Lost Boys, who were destined to grow up at last, leaving Peter Pan quite alone in Never Never Land aside from the Indians and the fairies and the mermaids, not nearly as much fun to play with as pirates. The Jolly Roger was in the lagoon when Peter returned from London, and the first things Peter saw were pirates, climbing up the loose mooring lines to the deck. This was excellent news. Of course, the crew of the Jolly Roger were stupid, stupid fellows. They were not nearly as entertaining as Hook. Wait - where was Hook? Had something happened to him?
Peter thought hard, fighting against the curse of the Neverland. The…crocodile. Yes, the crocodile. Ate Hook! Oh, no! Now who would he taunt and mock and dodge all around the island? Feeling rather glum now, Peter allowed himself to sink down to the shoreline, where he sat with his knees drawn up and his arms around them, Tinkerbell on his shoulder. He looked out upon the waves…and saw…
The crocodile. Floating, upside-down, on the surface of the water. With its guts ripped open, seemingly from the inside, judging from the way the torn flesh was shredded outward. Suddenly elated, Peter rose back into the air and zoomed straight toward the Jolly Roger, laughing and crowing. "Hook! Oh, Hook! Come out and play, Hook, you smelly old codfish!" he called, revving up his mockery.
James Hook did not answer, if he was on the ship at all. Mister Smee came ducking out of the Captain's cabin and took the helm. He brought the ship hard about and the rest of the mates scuttled, making certain they were under full sail and all was shipshape. As swiftly as the big ship could move, she set out to open water and put the Neverland behind her. Peter watched them go, puzzled, then flew back to the island, wondering if they would return. But they did not.
Not for a long, long time, long enough for Peter to gather to him a whole new crop of Lost Boys and to forget all about the pirates.
When the Jolly Roger sailed slowly, almost reluctantly, back into the lagoon and cast anchor, Peter watched and wondered who these new arrivals were and whether they would be fun to play with. Peeping through the undergrowth cautiously, he watched as a longboat was readied and set out upon the water, with one oarsman and one man seated at the bow. Peter watched curiously. Something was ever-so-slightly familiar about that man. He looked tall, broad of shoulder, unusually thin, and had long, extremely dark curls that hung past his shoulders. He was dressed in a ruffled black shirt and a black waistcoat trimmed with gold piping. He was back-to, and Peter could not yet see anything else about him.
The longboat was rowed up to the shore and the man got out and directed the oarsman back to the ship. He then walked into the jungle, staggering, reeling, and now Peter could see his deathly pale skin, his black moustache and goatee, and most importantly, the hook he had in lieu of a right hand. A tickle of recognition struck the boy, and he started to grin. "…Hook," he said, after some thought. The memory came back to him little by little. Hook. Now the real fun could begin again.
Giggling, Peter flew over, staying just out of reach of the pirate captain. "Hook - you're drunk," he said, still giggling.
"I am not drunk," James said, with asperity. "I have been aboard ship for quite some time, and I have lost my land legs. They will come back to me, should I remain ashore long enough."
Peter drew his sword. "Have at thee!" he said, and brandished it. The pirate merely swatted it away with his hook and with a sigh most melancholy. He leaned against the trunk of a tree, one boot kicked across the other and his arms crossed over his chest, hook tucked safely away in the crook of his left elbow.
"Go away, Peter," he said. "I came ashore to be alone. Not to have anyone knocking at my door and most assuredly not to have a swordfight with an eleven-year-old."
Peter sheathed his sword and, confused, landed gently on the ground some feet away, safely out of reach just in case. "Come on, Hook - play with me," he said. "I'll cut the other one off," he mock-threatened.
James just looked at him, and Peter could not fully grasp the expression in those blue forget-me-not eyes. Exhaustion? Defeat? "Peter," James said, and his voice emerged like a sigh on its own. "The crocodile is dead. I no longer have any reason to fear. And what thirst for vengeance I had? Seems to be sated, or otherwise extinct. What I'm trying to say is, go play with someone else."
"Hook…" Peter said, more confused than ever.
"I mean it, Peter. Go play with Tinkerbell. Go run through the jungle with Princess Tiger Lily. Go do anything, Peter. Just leave me alone."
Now a bit miffed as well as still terribly confused, Peter flew off. Tinkerbell, however, stayed behind, fluttering in the air and looking at James as he stood there leaning against the tree with his eyes now closed. Finally, she flew up to him and landed on his left shoulder, right next to his ear so he could easily hear her tiny, tiny voice. He opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise.
"What do you care what's wrong with me?" he asked.
She spoke again. He sighed. "I don't care about Pan any longer, that's what. You should be happy, yes?"
"What made me come back to the Neverland after all this time? If you truly want to know then I'll tell you. When I sailed beyond these waters at last, I found myself in a world far different to the one I barely remembered. I don't know how long I spent on this cursed island, chasing after Pan and being chased by that bloody crocodile, but it was long enough for the world to change significantly. I took it in stride at first, but the world kept changing. The first thing that happened was a war - a bloody big one, encompassing most of the globe. And shortly after that one ceased, another one started, even bigger. And the ships that plied the seas…just kept getting bigger, and uglier, and less and less like anything I'd ever known, and the only ones actually 'sailing' were mere dilettantes, men who believed captaining a ship was a sporting activity. I was quite out of work for a very long time, and soon enough I discovered that I and my ship were considered…'historical.' Antique. I don't belong anywhere any longer, but this is as close as it gets. So I'm back. With nothing to do and nowhere to go."
"Don't give up? Shouldn't you like this new incarnation of me? You are on Pan's side after all, are you not? What do I want? I want my crew to rise up against me and kill me, so that I can finally go to Hell where I belong. What do you mean 'Don't say that?' You're acting rather peculiarly, don't you think?"
Dumbfounded, he stared at the fairy for a long moment. "Come again?" he said at last. "Yes, I heard you, but I cannot believe that anyone would say such a thing to me. You actually are telling me to try and be…good? Isn't that like telling Lucifer not to steal souls?"
"A new adventure," he said, and rather interestedly despite himself. "I… suppose I could… give it some thought. Not that I'm saying I'm even capable of it. My eyes turn red before I kill and my tears are deadly poison. I'm fairly certain that if that doesn't make me the living incarnation of evil nothing does. Plus… well… heroes are boring. They're moved by the plot. Villains move the plot along. So even if I do this, I would never go good completely. But… taking a step or two in that direction… I could give it a try. Just to have something to do."
Tinkerbell kissed him on the cheek and flew off after Peter, glittery dust trailing along behind her. James raised his hand to his face and watched her go in wonderment. He had never been kissed in his life.