"What do you want to yell at me about now, Dave" Hook asked with mock concern as he trudged heavy footed behind the stubborn prince. He did not dislike the Charming as such, but his blood did boil at the thought of the prince thinking that he was without honour. He enjoyed getting under Charmings' skin but he would never dishonour a woman that he cared for. That was just bad form.
"Stay away from my daughter" the prince grunted ahead of him through gritted teeth and a pained expression from the dream shade coursing its way through is torso towards hid heart. Charming was a man who valued his family above everything. He would give up everything for them and this was something that only a good man and not a pirate could see.
"Oh she can take care of herself and she doesn't need your parenting, which is a good thing" Hook sneered trying to get some kind of reaction from the stubborn royal.
"What does that mean?" Charming asked breathlessly. Hook continued to jab at the princes' temper with...
"Well it means you're going to die in a day or so anyway..." Hook didn't have a chance to finish as the Charming swung around and came face to face with him...
"Well if I do die, it will be in helping my family. And that is something someone like you can't understand" The prince spat at the pirate and continued dragging his feet through the jungle paths. Hook stood still as though he had been struck in the face. Never before had something hurt so much. The fact that he was risking everything for the blonde who stole his heart the moment he saw her. Half of him knew, or at least hoped that is was the princes' temper that was flared due to his condition and that he had at least some respect for him. But with how Charming looked and spoke to him, that hope pas becoming dim. However, he would have to swallow his pride and his feelings for now and continue with the mission. This was of importance and it needed his full attention. However he could barely walk a step when he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck. He raised his hand only to feel a thin twig stuck in the first few layers of his skin. There was no time to remove it as his limbs grew numb and Hooks' body plummeted to the ground with a thud.
...
Charming heard the noise from behind him and made the effort to turn around. He saw the leather bound pirate flat out on the ground about 6 feet away. Charming rolled his eyes and trudged back to where Hook lay...
"For god's sake hook, how much of that god damn rum did you drink?" the prince seethed as he nudged the pirate with his foot in an attempt to wake him up.
"You see this is what I mean about selfish! You drink means more to you than..." Charming stopped when he saw the dart embedded in Hooks neck. The Prince fell onto his knees and managed to turn Hook over so he was lying on his back. He felt his pulse which was healthy and proceeded to shake him to try jostle him awake...
"Hook, hey come on. Wake up! Wake up you stupid pirate. Damn it" Charming grunted in annoyance and the shooting pain in his side. A rustling came from the trees further away.
Charming paused and attempted to draw his sword only to find his holster empty. The anger was building up in Charming like boiling water in a kettle.
"Show yourself!" the prince growled into the empty space expecting to be faced with an annoying lost boy. But instead he heard a familiar cackle...
"Oh do relax your highness. He's unharmed" Came the voice of Pan stood leaning against a nearby tree. He pushed himself up with his upper body and strutted towards the prince and the pirate. Pan stood next to Hooks' head and turned it with his foot.
"The good captain hasn't aged a day has he?" the boy said as Charming attempted to lunge for him. The prince may not have the best opinion on Hook but he believed toying with a man while he was down was dishonour on the battlefield. Pan quickly stepped away and laughed at Charmings' feeble attempts to scare him off. He went back to leaning against the tree and focused on Charming.
"He'll sleep for a few hours. Just enough time for us to have a little word in private" Pan chided motioning to the unconscious figure. Charming eyed Pan as he smirked and chuckled.
"Oh and you might as well get comfortable..." Pan spoke as Charming suddenly went from kneeling next to Hook to sat up on a large rock completely unable to move his limbs.
"We are going to be here a while"
...
Charming attempted to struggle from the invisible bonds with no avail.
"Struggle all you want, Prince. Magic is holding you down and only magic will release you."
"There's not much point in you keeping me here long, Boy. I've only got hours to live" Charming spat out but Pan began to chuckle at the princes' attempts to throw him off.
"Oh well I can see to that, your highness" spoke the teenager with a wave of his hand. Charming felt a warming sensation in his chest and the pain from the poison suddenly stopped. There was a glimmer of hope in Charmings' face but Pan saw this and was quick to dampen it...
"Oh sorry, David. Not even I can cure dream shade completely. I've only put the effects on a temporary pause whilst we have our little chat. Can't have you dying on me now can I?" the boy said with a scolding expression and Charming returned his attention to his captor.
"What do you want, Pan?" Charmings' voice was low and threatening as the pain in his chest was no longer his first concern. Pan began to smile as he looked down at Hooks body.
"You know, I have to say I'm a little disappointed with your behaviour the past few days, prince. I mean I'm certainly not one to hand out praise to people but the pirate here has gone out of his way to ensure you and your family's safety. He has risked everything he hold dear including his pathetic little life to try and help you get your grandson back. And all you have done is discriminate and bully him because of his life as a pirate. Tut tut" Pan began to wave is finger at the prince as if telling off a child. Charming felt sick with anger as pan began to question the morals of a royal. However it was as if the adolescent demon could read his thought as not a second later, pan put another hole in his ego.
"...After all, you were a low life shepherd before you took your brothers place as prince, were you not? You came from a bad place and made something of yourself. Is it so wrong that our own Killian Jones can do the same?" Pan raised his eyebrows as if he was actually expecting an answer from the prince. Charming began wanted to say something but just as he opened his mouth, he began to think. Was he really being a little harsh on Hook? After all he was the man who imprisoned his wife and daughter in Rumplestiltskin's cell back in their world. And he was in league with Cora before turning against her and Regina and he shot Belle causing her to forget who she was. All these reasons were swirling round in Charmings' head until the he thought again about what Pan just said. And he was right. He had come from nothing. He wasn't born a prince just like Hook wasn't born a pirate. Maybe he had more in common with the pirate than he cared to admit... No! He couldn't accept that! He wouldn't! Charming was nothing like Hook and he would prove that to Pan.
"That pirate has done despicable things..." Charming tried to back up his spite but Pan beat him to it...
"Your people named that queen evil for a reason, Charming. That doesn't stop you all being chummy chummy with her" Charming closed his mouth once more and thought. Regina was evil and yet they all trusted her. Why shouldn't he do the dame with Hook?
Pan let Charming consider thoughts for a few moments before interrupting his thoughts...
"However, I'm not here to tell you how you should feel about Hook, I'm merely here to tell you something about him that might make you change your mind about him for yourself" Pan said as he pushed himself up from his tree again and came to sit on another rock around two feet away from Charming.
So, where should I start?...
...
"Mother! Father! We are almost there!" the two young boys belted out as they were running around the ship's deck like to little mice. As they barged past the sailors they laughed at the boys' energy. The ship's captain and his wife stood at the helm and watched a young Liam and Killian run around and try and start swordfights with the crew with broom handles, which the crew happily complied with.
Captain William Jones was a broad man with a round face and dark blonde hair; he was tall and powerful and had the physique of a leader. His wife Victoria was truly stunning. She was a tall thin woman with fair skin, raven hair, bright blue eyes and a white smile with a square jaw line. William worshiped his wife as they were so different. William was often stubborn and refused to listen to anyone except his wife. Victoria was level headed and made sure her husband thought things through rather than charging in head first. She had saved his life and reputation more than once and they were the perfect couple
Their two sons shared this trait too. The older brother took after his father in both looks and personality. Broad and strong for a young boy and often refused to listen to his parents which often resorted in trouble. His little brother, Killian was much more reserved, often shy. The younger boy doted on his mother and shared her calm nature and wisdom. He would often try and talk his older brother out of whatever he was up to but it the outlook was often the same. Even though these two boys were different in many ways, they fed off of each other like a moth and flame. They both had good hearts inherited from both parents and were seekers of great adventures.
The two boys finished their fights with the crewmen and ran up the wooden steps towards the helm. Liam ran towards his father and leapt into his arms. William hitched the boy onto his one shoulder and they both let out hearty laughs as Killian ran to his mother and wrapped his little arms around her waist which she returned with love. Victoria loved both of her boys more than anything in the world but her and Killian shared something that was shared between Liam and William. There was an unbreakable bond between this mother and son and Killian treasured it. Their father could never favour one of his boys over the other but he could see that Killian was mother's boy to the bone...
"Come on, little sailor" he said as he popped Liam back on the floor. "Why don't you come down with your brother and me to load supplies onto the longboat?" But Killian gripped tighter onto his mothers' waist and shook his head. Making both his parents chuckle.
"Oh come on Killy! Don't be such a girl" his older brother sniggered but William drew the line there...
"Don't tease your bother, Liam" William said with a raised eyebrow to which Liam responded with a nod and his eyes glued to the floor. William may have been a stubborn man but he did not wish his boys to be anything other than what they were. He would die a happy man if one of his boys was as calm and wise as his true love. William leaned forward and kissed his wife before ruffling the younger boys black hair...
"He is becoming more and more like you everyday" He spoke in a whisper which made is wife smile back at him.
"One of them had to be" She whispered back to him. Victoria was about to say something more to her husband but was interrupted with William being yanked back by the arm by Liam...
"Dad come on I wanna see the guns and the swords being loaded" the enthusiastic boy shouted and William had no choice to obey. He blew a kiss to his wife before being dragged below deck by the little captain. Victoria looked down at the raven haired boy still clinging to her waist. She knelt down to his level and kissed his small nose.
"Are you exited for the adventure, little one?" She asked her youngest son. He smiled with what little of his baby teeth he had left and gave an over exaggerated nod. Victoria laughed and picked up her son and sat him on her hip as she walked up to the side of the ship. They both stared at their destination in wonder...
"There it is my darling. Neverland"
...
Charming sat engulfed in what Pan had just told him. Hook had been here when he was a child? This couldn't have been right surely. But Charming didn't have time to contemplate anymore than that...
"Weren't expecting that, Prince? That the man you despise was just as weak and sickly as any other child?" Pan smirked at Charmings' sudden revelation. Killian certainly wasn't born a pirate; he was born into an honourable and loving family. He loved his bother as much as Charming loved his own. But Hook had never mentioned anything about being here before. He never mentioned his parents either or the fact that he had an older brother. This Prince began to feel sick again but this was due to the fact that he had never seen the man behind the pirate That Hook was and is a man loved my many people. However this made him question further...
"What happened? Hook has never mentioned anything about this to any of us" Charming said with caution as not to anger Pan. However Pans' smirk only grew larger...
"I'm not surprised he told you nothing after the way that you have all treated him" Pan shot at the Prince who could think of nothing to say so simply stared at the ground.
"What happened" Charming asked again looking up a little. So Pan continued with the story...
...
Everything was loaded onto the long boat to head to the mysterious island to explore. William had picked half a dozen of his best men to accompany him and his family to see what treasures this land had to offer. Two of the men sat in the centre to row the boat as William sat with Victoria with their two boys sandwiched between them. Killian was sat still while Liam was bouncing in his seat gripping his father's arm with his little fingers...
"Father, are we going to see and sea monsters. If we do, ill hunt them down and slay them all" the boy hollered raising his little wooden sword in the air gaining another laugh from the crewmen. While Liam was going on and on about all the monsters he would slay, Killian glanced between his mother and father and eventually tugged on his mothers sleeve...
"What is it sweetheart?" Victoria asked with concern
"What if the monsters are nice mother? What if they want to help us?" Killian asked with such worry in such a youthful little face. His mother smiled at him and ran her hand over his head.
"My boy with the sweetest heart" Victoria swelled with pride at the compassion her son possessed. She turned to William with mock seriousness...
"Captain, your first mate has just made a good point, what are we going to do if the monsters are nice and want to help"
William chuckled and calmed Liam down before answering his younger son...
"If the monsters wish to help us, son, then we will listen. Our venture here is to explore a new land and not to cause any threats" William smiled at Killian who beamed at him and nodded in agreement. William ruffled the boys' hair and continued to stare towards the island as the small party got closer and closer to the shore.
Charming continued to listen to what Pan was saying as well as glancing over at Hooks unconscious body. Charming couldn't help but see how much younger he looked like this. His face was no longer burdened with worries or thoughts of Neverland. Charming no longer was the face of a pirate but a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders. However this did not excuse the fact that He had become a man of pillaging and theft throughout the realms...
"Do I have your attention, Highness?" Pan suddenly asked with spite. Charming shot a glance back at him and lost his patience once more...
"I don't see what this has to do with me. Why tell me about Hooks' past?" in truth the prince would want to know a little more about the pirate but right now, they had more important things to do. But Pan wasn't done yet...
"Oh your highness, I haven't told you the best part yet..."
...
The longboat drew up on the sand and slid to a halt. The crewmen jumped over into the shallow water and began to heave the boat more and more onto the shore to save the tide taking it out. William jumped out and lifted Killian and Liam out then offered a hand towards his wife. Victoria smiled and placed her slim hand in his. Once she was standing, William placed a kiss on her knuckles. She began to chuckle then let out a small scream as William picked her up bridal style and carried her over the water to the sand. She began to giggle at her husband's romantic nature.
"This is pointless, my love. We are both dressed for adventure" She said and motioned to her attire which consisted of brown leggings, a white shirt kept in place with a black corset and black knee high boots. She avoided wearing dresses as much as she could.
William placed her back on her feet as they reached the shore. Liam and Killian were attempting to help the crewmen lift the supplies off of the long boat. They were ordered to pitch a camp near to where the greenery of the jungle began to avoid the supplies getting dampened by the sea and soon after the William and Victoria lead the party into the jungle. The two boys were asked to stay behind with a crewman but they were both stubborn when they wanted something so their parents gave in and allowed them to come and explore.
After an hour or so, the group had travelled deep into the depths of the jungle. William and Victoria lead the party with the crewmen keeping close with their eyes on their surroundings in case of nearby danger. Killian and Liam were asked to keep in between the crewmen and their parents for protection. They spent the trek whispering to each other about the creatures they would like to see until the party was brought to a halt as they reached a steep incline. Soon enough ropes and hammers and chisels were brought out of canvas bags and the biggest and strongest crewman named Thomas began to climb with ease up the cliff until after about 10 minutes, he was completely out of sight. The end of a long rope soon came tumbling down until the end landed on the ground. William gave the rope a couple of sharp tugs to test its strength and gave a nod to the group. He knelt down to his boys and smiled...
"Me and your mother and three of the men are going to carry on up the cliff, boys. You two must stay down here with John and Samuel" he said eyeing the two remaining men who gave a nod of understanding. It took the boys less than a second to star moaning...
"But father we wanna see the monsters..."
"...we wanna help you fight them off..."
"We are old enough to..." The boys' protests began to merge into one high pitched wine until William raised his hand to stop them talking...
"No buts, you two. This is a dangerous climb and we are not going to risk your safety, understood?"
Liam and Killian looked at each other then at their father and gave a disapproving nod. William smiled and ruffled their hair before moving towards John and Samuel. They were both young men and he could see a glint of fear in their eyes. William placed a hand on their shoulders and spoke to them...
"If we are not back in 5 hours, return to the shore and let off a gunshot to signal the ship for help. Do not attempt to climb after us and do not under any circumstances let those two come after us. Am I clear?" the two men gave a confident nod and William stepped over to his wife who was kissing Liam and Killian on the top of their heads and they both began to climb the rope up the cliff.
...
William, Victoria and the three men, Matthew, Jack and Mark, reached the top of the cliff where they were met by Thomas who hauled them up with his strength. With all their feet back on the ground they began to walk up the path winding a little higher up the cliff. However they had not got ten feet before a dagger came flying through the air and embedding Mark in the shoulder. He howled in pain and fell to the ground and in less than a second, swords were sheathed and aimed at the bushes where the dagger had been thrown.
"Who's there, show yourself!" William barked at the empty space. Victoria stood next to her husband and Matthew and Jack stood the other side until they formed a circle around Mark who was biting his lip to avoid further howling. After a few moments, it was clear that the party were alone again and they turned their attention to Mark, the wound in his shoulder was not fatal but if he continued bleed out, death would come in a matter of hours. Victoria tore a strip of cloth from small bag and checked the contents of her water bottle...
"We need more water, Will. There is not nearly enough to clean this sort of wound" she said to her husband, her beautiful features stained with worry and a hint of fear. William glanced around and suddenly heard a faint sound of a waterfall a little higher up. It didn't sound too far and William promised he would be as quick as he could as he dashed further up the hill until he reached the source of the sound. It was a small spring that could be seen through an arch of rock. He quickly rushed to it and filled his own bottle before turning and preparing to dash back down the path but his way was suddenly blocked by a wall of black branched infested with thorns dripping with black fluid. If William had the time he would have been curious as to how the branched had grown over the arch so quickly but right now there was a crew member dying and he had to get to him. He quickly pulled his sword out and lifted it up to strike the growth...
"I would be careful if I were you" came a sudden voice from behind him. He spun around to meet the face of a boy who couldn't have been any older than 16. Now William was curious. First a plant appearing from nowhere and now a boy? The Stranger pointed to the thorns...
"Those there are laced with poison. Incurable and agonising. If I were you, Captain Jones, I would simply ask that the thorns be removed from your path" the boy said with a raised eyebrow. William frowned in frustration. He was being manipulated by a boy! He did not have time for this! But he didn't have time to think further for with a wave of the boys arm, the branches began to dissipate. William glanced at the boy with a questioning look but then made a bold for the arch but as quickly as they retreated, the branches returned with a vengeance. There were at least twice as more branches this time.
"Ah Ah Captain" the boy spoke in a sing song way.
"You didn't ask. Now to another matter. What gives you the right to steal the contents of my water fall?" William could tell now that he had to play his hand. It was the only way William would get free from this trap.
"I need the water to treat a crewman, he will die otherwise" He spoke with strength and seriousness. The boy stood there and considered what William said and nodded.
"Very well. You may have the water to treat this man. However, you must know that this water not only belongs to me, but to the island itself. The payment must be returned in some shape or form" the boy Spoke with caution. William hardly had time to process this as he was too concerned about Mark. He quickly nodded...
"Alright, I will pay you somehow. Now I'm begging you, please remove these branches..." before William could finish, the boy vanished into a cloud of black smoke and the thorns once again withdrew into themselves, allowing more than enough space to get through. William wasted no time in running back down the path
...
William collapsed to his knees next to Victoria who continued to mop up as much blood as she could.
"What kept you?" she asked with worry but William didn't hear her as he was busy grabbing fresh cloth and soaking it with the water. He placed the soaked bandage on Mark's wound and to everyone's shock, the wound began to close up. The wound transformed from a gash to a thin cut to a scar and then to nothing. The party was silent as they stared at each other in wonder. Mark let out a gasp and began panting for breath. He settled after a few moments and managed to sit up.
"Sir, I... I'm Sorry ... I wasn't alert... I..." Mark stuttered but William placed a hand on his shoulder and silenced him.
"There is nothing to apologise for. This was unexpected and none of us were prepared". William patted Mark's shoulder again. And stood up to address the others...
"The sole purpose of this mission was to explore and discover. It was not to be injured and threatened. This is not the mission we were instructed to carry out so as of now we will be returning to the ship and returning to our own world. This is not the place for our crew or our children to be" As this was said, Victoria placed her hand gently on her husbands' shoulder to give him strength. She placed her other hand on his chest and He covered it with his own. The party glanced at each other and they all nodded in agreement.
...
William and Victoria lead the way back down the rope followed by the crewmen with Thomas assisting Mark as best he could. They finally reached the bottom and were greeted by the remainder of the party along with Killian and Liam. No sooner had their feet touched the ground, Liam leapt up into his father's arms and Victoria bent down and welcomed Killian with open arms. After a brief check that everyone was okay and fit to travel, the group proceeded to make their way back to the shore to pack up the equipment and return to the ship. They walked for around half an hour before a strange rustling was heard around them. The group quickly halted and retrieved their swords in a blink of an eye. They stood there for a moment guarding the children before the silence was broken by hollers and screams. The calmness of the area was shattered as boys holding bows and spears poured out form every space in the trees. There were hundreds of them surrounding the group and they finally stopped and began to stare at the party. As William and Victoria stood their ground and pushed Killian and Liam behind them, a laugh was heard from the distance and from the crowd of boys, emerged the boy that William had seen at the top of the cliff. He pushed his way through the crowd and proceeded to pace towards the group.
"Now I could have sworn that I told you Captain, that the water you procured from the spring required paying for, or were you trying to sneak away without settling your dept? The boy spoke in a patronising tone. William thought and remembered that he had promised payment to the boy but before he could explain, his wife showed her bravery...
"Who is this boy, Will, and what is he talking about?" she spoke whist eyeing the boy...
"Oh forgive me, my dear lady, I didn't introduce myself. Peter Pan at your service" He said while over exaggerating a bow to the group. This unnerved them and the crewmen planted their feet further into the ground. William did not wish any more violence so he was quick to speak next...
"We have sufficient riches, boy; we can pay you anything you wish for the water. Name your price" as Pan looked at him as he spoke, he considered what it was that he wanted. His lips twisted into a sickening smirk as he pointed to the two small boys hidden behind the crewmen. William and Victoria glanced at each other and at the boys and quickly turned their attention back to Pan. Their faces contorted with sickness and fury...
"You must be crazy, Boy!" Victoria spat at Pan as she approached him. "You think we would give up our children? What would you want them for anyway" She was struggling to keep her composure at this moment as she began to tremble. Pan began to laugh...
"Look around you, my dear. Every one of my tribe is a boy. Lost boys to be exact. Boys that have no reason to return to their world" as Pan was speaking, he was staring at the boys. Matthew and John quickly concealed them and raised their swords higher but pan just laughed them off.
"You can threaten us all youwant; nothing is going to stop us getting those boys. We will train them into the best lost boys that will kill anyone without mercy" Pans voice seemed to gain some volume and this statement earned a cheer from his crowd. They all began to laugh but this was cut short when suddenly, William grabbed Pan by his hair and pressed the blade of his sword to his neck. Fury blazing in his eyes...
"You will let everyone here go free, or i swear on everything I love, I will kill you" Williams voice was full of menace but Pan broke into another smirk...
"Not the best promise to make, mate. By the time this is done, you will have nothing left to love" and with that Pan snapped his fingers. An arrow shot out from the crowd and straight into the stomach of Victoria. William howled in despair as his beloved wife doubled over and fell backwards into the arms of Mark. He gently passed her to William whose eyes were over flowing with tears. By now, Killian and Liam were shedding tears in silence as the shock of seeing their mother fall was overwhelming. They were too young to grasp what real death was like.
William caressed Victoria's face willing her to hang on and that everything was going to be fine, but she knew better. She gathered what strength she had and brought her blood stained hand up to her husband's face...
"Protect them, my love" she whispered before her hand fell away and her eyes slowly closed. William brought her head up to his and kissed her forehead before sobbing uncontrollably. He sounded like a pained animal as he continued to hold his dead wife. As Thomas grasped hid shoulder, the crying seized and was replaced with burning anguish. He carefully laid Victoria's body on the ground and brushed the strand of raven hair from her face. He slowly stood up to face Pan once again. There was a silence capable of being cut with a knife and William and pan continued to stare each other out. After a tense few moments, madness Kicked itself into William's mind and he grabbed Pan's shoulder and thrust his sword through his gut. Pan too doubled over as William glanced at his sons...
"Run!" He shrieked as he scared his boys into bolting in terror. As the boys ran they heard fast footsteps behind them but they quickly ceased as though their chasers had been struck down. The sound of arrows slicing through the air and the metal of swords mixed with cries and shouts began to quieten. The boys continued to run hand in hand as the last thing they heard was the cry of Captain Jones falling with his crew.
...
Charming sat in silence with his head in his hands as Pan finished the tale. He covered his mouth with his hand as he looked up at the smirking teenager. What he had just been told had been worthy of a nightmare and he had held so much against Hook never knowing what had happened to him as a child? Charming had to be careful not to retch in shame after thinking what he had said to the boy who lost everything.
"Not quite the tale you were expecting mate?" came a smug voice. Charming stared at Pan in disbelief...
"You killed his parents in front of him" Charming whispered as he was unable to gain enough strength to speak properly. He glanced down at Hook who was still unconscious.
"How could you" Charming shook his head as he spoke to both himself and Pan as he was struggling to believe anyone could do something like this.
"I did it, Prince, because his father defied me and then threatened me. I don't know about you but I take those actions as offensive" Pan said with mock hurt and flamboyance as he placed a hand over his heart. Charming wanted nothing more than to gut the little brat where he stood but Pan carried on...
"And then the idiot had the nerve to stab me through the stomach, I knew it wouldn't kill me but still. Wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world" he mumbled as something snapped inside of Charming as he began to struggle violently against the magical restraints.
"You son of a bitch, he was a child!" he growled at the teenager but before he knew it, the restraints faded and with the strength he was using to fight them, charming lurched forward and fell face first onto the ground. Pan strutted over to him and grabbed his shirt front and hauled him to his feet. The smugness faded and in its place was true menace
"His father defied me and he paid the price. Now let that be a lesson to you, Charming. A man lost the woman he loves before losing his own life and the lives of his friends. Be careful you don't travel down that path" Pan said through gritted teeth and he pushed Charming backwards. Pan began to walk away but suddenly turned round.
"Oh there is just one more thing, Prince..." Pan brought out a silver locket about the size of a large coin attached to a silver chain...
"I think it's time Hook had this..." Pan tossed it to Charming who caught it with one hand. He ran his thumb over it and opened it to reveal a small miniature of Victoria and William with Killian sat on his mother's lap and Liam stood next to her in front of his father.
"It belonged to his mother. I always like to keep a trophy from my victims" Charming looked up only to find a cloud of black smoke where Pan used to be. The space around them carried the echoing sound of Pan's laughter as it faded into nothing and the dream shade returned to Charmings' chest.
...
Charming continued to look at the locket as he soon heard Hook grunt. The pirate rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and scrunched hid face in effort to sit upright. He glanced around only to see Charming sat on a rock holding something.
"What happened, mate? How long have I been out" Hook muttered with concern as he was still in a haze from whatever had drugged him. Charming looked mournfully at him as if he just killed a dog. Hook was puzzled as the princes' silence and sad look. Charming got up and walked over to Hook offering him a hand. This confused Hook even more considering what went down before he was knocked out but he was grateful for the help and quite honestly, he knew he probably would not have been able to get up without some assistance. He Grabbed Charming's hand and managed to haul himself up.
"Mate you seem quiet, what's..." Hook paused as Charming held up the locket for Hook to see. Hooks expression went black as he slowly brought his hand up to grasp the locket. He stared at it for a moment and stared at Charming.
"How much did he tell you?" Killian connected the dots quickly. Only he was knocked out and his mother's locket was returned to him. As his mother quickly entered his mind, thoughts of what happened that day came flooding back. This hit Hook like a ton of bricks as he Collapsed to his knees and began to shudder violently as tears began to fall. Charming knelt down quickly and encased the leather bound man in his arms. He could not believe that the man who put on the bravest face he had ever seen could have harboured all this grief for over 300 years. Hook began to cry harder and Charming pulled him tighter as Hook let out his grief. The broken pirate tried to get his words out about it being his fault. That if he and Liam had stayed on the boat things may have been different but Charming quickly shut him up...
"You can't blame yourself for anything that happened that day. It was Pan and Pan alone" Charming began to Rock Hook as if comforting a child. But in reality that is what he was. An innocent child who lost his parents to the hands of a monster. And yet he still came back to this land to save a boy who was falling in to the same fate that he almost did. Charming cursed himself again for not seeing it before. Hook was terrified of this place and no one saw it.
Hook forced himself away from Charming's hold as he suddenly become embarrassed...
"I'm sorry mate, you shouldn't have had to listen to this bloody tale..."
"Shut up Pirate" Charming said while smiling...
"I can't even imagine what it was like for you. And I am so sorry for the way I spoke to you. You have my word it will never happen again. I couldn't have been more wrong about you" he said with as much honesty that was in him. Hook smiled and nodded which meant his apology was accepted. They both stood and Charming held out his hand which Hook happily took and shook firmly. But the heartfelt moment what quickly interrupted by Snows head popping out from behind a large leaf
"There you two are! We were getting worried" she walked over to them and put her hand on Charming's shoulder. However she could tell that something was different between the two of them as they weren't fighting like cats and dogs...
"Is everything okay?" she asked with caution but both men smiled and assured her that everything was fine.
"We were just discussing how wrong I was about Hook, it's amazing how much more there is to him than meets the eye" Charming said while smiling at Hook who was trying to avoid eye contact due to more embarrassment. Snow was suddenly intrigued and asked Hook what they were discussing. Hook gave his word to tell his tale as soon as they got back to the camp. Snow shrugged and began walking back to the base. The two new friends followed her after Charming handed Hook his mothers silver Locket.
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