Author's Note: This is my first one-shot! And all these characters are owned by JM Barrie or Disney. Enjoy! (And perhaps review? I ask hopefully)
Captain Hook scanned the horizon, searching for the bane of his existence: Peter Pan. There was no sign of the boy yet, but Hook knew he was coming. The clear blue sky and sparkling waters were just the calm before the storm. Peter Pan would, in fact, come. Hook had the one thing Peter loved the most: Tinker Bell.
The little fairy flew around in circles in her golden cage. As hard as she tried, she couldn't find a way out. Tiny water droplets formed in her eyes as she realized how helpless she really was. Mr. Smee, Hook's first mate, held the cage and felt sympathy for the fairy.
"Oh, don't cry Miss Bell!" said Mr. Smee.
"Smee! Shut up!" exclaimed Hook, irritated.
"But she's crying," bumbled Smee.
As if Hook cared.
"Shut up and ignore the pixie. Pan will be here soon," growled Hook.
"You got that right."
Hook realized it hadn't been Smee who spoke those words. He whipped around to see Peter Pan grinning wickedly at the pirates. Peter stood on top of the masts, very clearly enjoying the encounter.
Hook drew his sword as the sun shined on his hook, making the replacement hand look even more deadly as it seemed to glow. The pirate ship began to rock back and forth more so than normal, as Hook was no longer at the helm. Smee pulled out his very stumpy sword. The other crew members ran to aid their pirate captain. All that need to happen was for somebody to make the first move.
"Don't just stand there. Get him!" yelled Hook.
The pirate crew quickly tripped over each other trying to climb the mast. Peter simply flew into the air and hovered above them. He took out his dagger and flew straight for Smee who had been holding Tink's cage. Smee gasped and accidentally dropped the little cage, but Peter caught it before it hit the ground.
"C'mon Tink," he said, opening the cage.
The pixie flew out immediately and angrily pulled Smee's hair. Peter stared at Tink's antics with amusement. Unfortunately, Hook seized Peter's distracted attention as an opportunity to finally be rid of the boy once and for all.
Hook struck Peter with his sword. Peter hovered high enough that the blow wasn't deadly, but extremely painful. Blood dripped from above and Peter, gasping for breath, landed on the ground. The boy for a moment forgot his surroundings.
Hook prepared to strike the boy down with his sword. Time seemed to slow as Hook saw himself getting his revenge after all this time. Hook forced the blade down and felt it drive into flesh. Peter gasped what Hook thought would be the boy's last breath. Hook pulled the sword back and was shocked to see Peter still alive and breathing. However, even more shocking, was the boy was crying.
"You're the only thing I really care about," whispered the boy.
Captain Hook, perplexed, began to realize that it hadn't been Peter he'd hit. The tiny, bloody form of Tinker Bell lied lifeless in front of Peter. She had flown in front of the blade at the last second, sacrificing herself to save Peter.
By now the other pirates had surrounded the scene. Everyone was completely silent, waiting for orders from Hook. The captain, however, just looked at his sword, stained with human and pixie blood alike.
Tink's light faded, and a tiny, silver tear fell to the ground. She was in much pain, but still managed a faint little jingle. This was her good-bye to Peter. Tinker Bell's light went out.
Peter couldn't stop the tears from running down his face. The boy was shaking uncontrollably and couldn't find the strength or will to move. He didn't care that he was in danger. He, for the first time in his extended life, didn't care about anything.
"Captain, should we kill him?" asked one of the crew members.
Captain Hook dismissed the crew, still staring at the lifeless form of the fairy. Mr. Smee looked curiously at his captain before attending his duties on the ship. Hook was faced with the decision to kill the broken-hearted boy or to let him be in his misery.
"You're free to go," growled Hook suddenly.
Peter, comprehending, met Hook's gaze. Hook looked away and turned his back. He heard a shuffle and turned back to see Peter had gone. A little bit of blood stained the deck where Peter had been. The boy had taken Tink's body with him. Captain Hook stared at the blood on the ground.
"Smee!" he called.
"Yes, Cap'n?" asked Smee.
"Mop this up," Hook ordered.
Hook turned and went into his cabin. The middle-aged captain wearily sat down. He felt a little guilty for killing Tinker Bell, but guiltier for causing his nemesis so much pain. Tink hadn't been his target. Still, Hook was more disturbed that he had let the boy go. The fact was, he felt there was something wrong with throwing away Tinker Bell's sacrifice and killing the boy. Really, taking Tinker Bell away from Peter was revenge enough. The boy's heart was broken, as was his spirit. Still, he was alive, just as Tink wished.
Even though Hook's heart was filled with revenge, he recognized the powerful act of love. As villainous Hook was, and however much his heart was corrupted by revenge, Hook did still have a heart. After all, Captain Hook is still human.