~*~ The Ruritanian Isle ~*~
- Chapter 1: Modern Girl -
Kelly glared over at her florescent digital clock and sighed miserably. The thick covers were sweltering and she didn't dare move to turn on the fan. So, she stayed exactly where she was and shut her eyes tight. "There's nothing in my room," she whispered softly. "I just have to keep telling myself that. There's nothing in my room. There's nothing in my room."
Around three o'clock in the morning, the girl dozed off at last, but it was only a light sleep. Two hours later, she was awake again and managed to muster up the courage to pull down one of the sheets.
The next time she wanted desperately to see the latest horror movie, her hand had to remember to hit her face numerous times. Note to self.
A sudden thud by the foot of the bed caused Kelly to throw the blankets over her head in alarm. Blood pounded ferociously in her temples and in her ears, and she feared that perhaps everyone in the entire world could hear it. Minutes crept by, and at last, Kelly removed the sheets. It was probably safe, but…
"Is anyone there?" she asked cautiously, feeling stupid for even thinking such a thing. When no one answered, a strange, tingly feeling settled deep in her stomach. She could almost…feel…that someone was there. Kelly's leg dangled from the edge of the bed, testing the water. Finally, all of her was standing on the floor. She slunk silently across the carpet and rounded the post at the foot of the bed.
"Don't hurt me!" cried the person curled up there.
"Oh my god!" Kelly gasped, stumbling over dirty clothes and falling on her back. A little man in the fetal position was looking up at her with a panicked expression. "How did you get in here?"
"The window," he said, pointing. Indeed, it was open. But how did she not hear when it became so? Kelly bit her lip and crossed the room to close it. "No, don't!" he yelped. "If you do, I'll never be able to get back!" Of course, she didn't know what he was talking about, so she left the window open.
"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm supposed to take you to Never Land by way of Captain's ship, and he's waiting for us, but I knew this was going to be a bad idea, so—"
"Your name," Kelly pleaded, shaking her head in confusion. "What's your name?"
"Um, Smee," he replied, crawling to his feet and brushing himself off. Smee was a short, portly man with fluffy white sideburns, eyeglasses, and a rust-colored cap.
"Looks like you got kicked out of Snow White, didn't you?" Kelly said sarcastically, not at all realizing that the joke went right over Smee's head. She grinned foolishly. "I'm only playing, Mr. Smee. But what's all this about a ship, anyway?"
Smee straightened his half-moon spectacles and blinked. Kelly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, smoothed out her pajama shirt and pants and ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Well," Smee began simply enough. "Captain's been talking for a while about bringing someone to Never Land; a young someone, you see. Someone he might be able to use against Peter Pan. We've been sailing the skies for a few days, and we stopped right outside your window. You seem to be exactly who Captain's looking for, because he asked me to take the rowboat up to your window and all."
Kelly's head spun for a second or two; just long enough to disorient her properly. She rubbed at her forehead. "I'm not quite understanding what you're saying," she muttered. Smee took her hand and pushed the window all the way open. There, floating mere feet from the house, was a little boat with oars. Smee directed her towards it, and Kelly instinctively leapt aboard.
None of this was making any sense, but she hardly paid any attention to that. She didn't know who Captain was, or who Peter Pan was, or what Never Land was. Before she could open her mouth, Smee was rowing the tiny boat through the sky and up towards a mighty-looking pirate ship nestled among the moonlit clouds.
~*~
"Now, let me clean you up a bit here," Smee was murmuring as he pulled a brush through Kelly's chocolate-colored hair. She let him, mostly because she was too preoccupied chewing her fingers. "You have to be presentable to Captain, after all."
"Who is this Captain, Mr. Smee?" she inquired.
"Captain James Hook," Smee said rather matter-of-factly. "The fair captain of this ship, the Jolly Roger."
Kelly's eyebrows rose in a silent "oh" and she returned to her jagged nails. There was something about Smee that was extremely calming, as if she had known him prior to this meeting, and they didn't say another world to each other until the door flew open with a thunderous crack. Smee stood and gave a sharp solute.
There, standing in the doorway, was the person who was undoubtedly Captain James Hook. Kelly's eyes trailed up his body. He was thin and elegant with a young waist. His black hair fell trimly around his shoulders. A prominent nose almost hid two shining blue eyes and the mouth was drawn up into a grin. Kelly threw a hand up to cover her collarbone as she saw that he was staring straight at her. How unbecoming she must've looked!
"Well done, Mr. Smee," the man said, contented. "Who is this charming young lady?"
"Kelly McClure, Captain," Smee introduced, looking a bit perturbed. "I thought you wanted me to present her to you in your private quarters." Kelly, having a naturally warped highschool state of mind, flushed deeply at Smee's words, even though he didn't mean them in that way. Captain Hook shrugged nonchalantly.
"I changed my mind, Mr. Smee. Is that a crime?" he hissed gently. Kelly decided right then and there that the captain of the Jolly Roger made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Well, no, Captain," stuttered Smee. "But the girl's not decent at the moment…"
"She appears fine to me," Captain Hook said, approaching her. Kelly tried not to sink back against Smee as the man inspected her with keen eyes. "Come, girl. Follow me." He gripped her wrist and forced her to stand. Kelly lurched forward and managed to straighten herself before he could get the chance to. She didn't want that man touching her any more than he must.
As Captain Hook dragged her towards the door, Kelly glanced longingly back at the soothing security that she saw in Smee. Again, she couldn't help but feel that she had met him somewhere before, a long time ago.
~*~
The two of them crossed the deck of the ship. Kelly had to step twice for just one of Captain Hook's long strides. He had very nimble legs, and she wondered if perhaps he danced. The thought seemed absolutely absurd at the moment, and Kelly rolled her eyes for thinking it.
"So what are you going to use me for?" she asked hesitantly as they reached his quarters. Captain Hook pushed the door open and led her inside.
"You're a tool," he replied easily, throwing open the large closet after he let go of her. Kelly massaged the skin and grimaced.
"A tool," she repeated sourly. "I like how Mr. Smee said it better."
Captain Hook was rummaging through some drawers, but caught what she had said. "I thought you might," he muttered. "Since I told him what to say." Kelly glared daggers at his back and started to bite her fingernails again. Then she realized she was hungry.
There was a rather ornate clock mounted above the four-poster bed. Her eyes did a double take. It couldn't have been seven in the evening already…right?
"I think your clock is wrong," Kelly informed him. Captain Hook examined it and raised a thick, dark eyebrow in response.
"My clock is never wrong," he said.
"But when I left with Mr. Smee it was about five in the morning," she argued.
"Yes, it was. But time never behaves as it should in Never Land, my dear," he stated, tossing a wad of fabric at her. Kelly caught it with her face and shook it out. "It's a dress; used to belong to someone I knew."
Kelly crinkled her nose at the fact that it was a dress. She just about never wore dresses, except on fancy occasions like Christmas dinner and Easter breakfast, and that was only because her mother wished her to. If no one ever required her to wear a dress ever again, she'd be fit in pants for the remainder of her life.
"That someone isn't dead, are they?" Kelly inquired suspiciously. Captain Hook was still for a moment, and then shook his head.
"No, I'm pretty sure that someone is still alive, more or less."
Kelly didn't much like that answer, but she neglected to say anything else. An awkward pause passed between them and ultimately ended with Captain Hook saying, "Well, aren't you going to put it on?"
"Not with you in the room, I'm not," Kelly barked. Blood warmed her cheeks once more and she waited for the man to exit. Once he was gone, she stripped down and pushed her neck through the dress. The soft cotton was plain lavender and awfully pretty. There weren't any useless frills, nor were there any bows, which was a relief.
She tentatively let Captain Hook back into the chambers and did a little twirl. He looked her over and nodded briskly. "I see you two were the same size," he said under his breath. "How odd."
Kelly eyed him funny. "Why is that odd?" she asked.
"Nothing. Forget it."
Captain Hook folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side. "Yes, I do believe that dress fits you quite well. In any case, it was better than what you originally had on," he huffed. Kelly stamped her foot indignantly.
"Hey, I bought those pajamas with my own hard-earned money," she complained. Captain Hook merely chuckled, which made her even more furious. Oh yes, she didn't like him in the least.
"Anyway, I might as well tell you why you're here before you explode or some such thing," he commented, smirking at her gleaming eyes. Kelly calmed down quite considerably, but she continued to frown with disdain as he spoke. "Mr. Smee probably explained that we need a young person to aid us in doing away with Peter Pan. And the reason is thus: you will have to earn his trust, which should be effortless, and then, at the last moment, betray him to us and then leave the rest to my men and me. Take my word for it, dearest, your efforts will not be in vain."
Kelly raised her hand. "Question."
"Speak."
"Who's Peter Pan? Is he some sort of half beast half man creature?"
Captain Hook's expression grew darker and Kelly feared that his eyes would disappear into the shadows. "Only a beast would sever another human being's hand without cause," he said passionately. It was then, for the first time, that Kelly became aware of the reason he was called Captain Hook. There, where his left hand should have been, was a lustrous metal hook that dared anyone to look upon it twice.
"Oh," was all she could say. Words were entirely lost on her, and as she searched for them, the captain went to leave the quarters.
"I relinquish my room for tonight," he told her, taking hold of the doorknob. "No more dreadful thoughts, agreed?" And then he was gone. Kelly put a hand to her lips and sank onto his bed, which was by far the most comfortable thing she had ever sat on in her life.
"How did he know I wasn't sleeping well?" she mused aloud. As soon she closed her mouth, her stomach started to protest its recent lack of food. She had hardly eaten enough dinner at home as it was. Pasta was never her favorite, and her mother loved to cook it as often as humanly possible.
Kelly stood up and cracked her back and neck and fingers and every other joint she could think of. She figured she might as well try and get a bite to eat on the ship, so she, too, left the captain's quarters and headed below deck. As she descended the steps, Smee was ascending them with a tray in his hands.
"Oh, Miss McClure!" he cried in surprise. "I was just bringing this up to you." Kelly backed up and allowed the man to get up on the deck.
"Thank you so much," she said, smiling wide and taking the tray from him. "You read my mind."
"Has Captain spoken with you yet?" Smee inquired, pushing up his glasses. "About the plan, I mean. Nice dress by the way."
"The captain let me borrow it," Kelly beamed. "And yes, he told me all about what he wants to use me for."
Smee for quiet for a moment, and then he snapped his fingers. "Now I remember where I've seen that dress before!" he exclaimed in revelation. "There's a picture in the captain's study of a young woman wearing that same dress. It's his youngest sister, I believe."
Kelly almost dropped the tray right then and there.
"But, oh! Your meal will get cold out here," Smee said. "Best take it back inside and eat it quickly." She turned mechanically and marched back into the captain's chambers, said goodnight to Smee, and then closed the door behind her. She set the tray down on the desk with a dull thud and then took a seat on the bed once more.
"His sister," she moaned, putting her face in her hands with a sigh.
~*~
After eating, Kelly came out on deck to take a curious look around. The sailors were cleaning up the ship for the night, and their song carried crisply through the air.
"Heave ho, my lads, the wind blows free
A pleasant gale is on our lee
And soon across the ocean clear
Our gallant cap'n shall bravely steer
But till we part from Freedom's shore tonight
A song we'll sing from home and beauty bright."
Dusk grew apparent as the sun barely hung onto the distant water. Kelly had heard once that, at dusk, all time stops and for a moment everything is exactly the way it should be. She held her breath just as the sun sunk and a sudden flood of shade poured over the deck.
To her right, the dark-headed captain was leaning against the wooden railing, still fully clad in his fancy attire that made him look like an officer of the late seventieth century French Guard. To her surprise, he began to sing in a low tenor, obviously unaware that she was standing rather close to him.
"At the dawn of the morning
My ship will be sailing
To take me far away from the place of my birth
And the feeling of sorrow
That has now come o'er me
Seems to rob me of all I held dearest on earth
Oh, these are the last hours—"
He stopped for no apparent reason and continued to look out over the ocean. Kelly watched him a little more, but turned to head back to the room as the weather grew colder.
"Why don't you stay out longer?" came Captain Hook's icy voice. She froze. "It's only breezy for thirty minutes at most, and then it warms again."
Kelly wrapped her arms around herself and stepped towards the captain. "Mr. Smee said that this dress belonged to your youngest sister," she said, hoping to get a reply out of him. "Why let me wear it, then, Mr. Hook?"
"James," he grunted.
"Huh?"
"Forget that 'Mr. Hook' business," he ordered. "You've got more maturity in you than all of the men of this ship combined, and you deserve to call me by my rightful name." Kelly flushed for what seemed to by the hundredth time that day and smiled shyly.
"All right then," she said. "James."
"To answer your question," he continued. "I allowed you to wear my sister's old dress simply because I wanted it out of my closet. Having it around often brought up displeasing memories whenever I would find it."
Kelly finally decided to join him at the rail, but she didn't look him in the face. "You could've always burned it or thrown it in the sea or something," she suggested. James laughed dryly and patted her shoulder and he pushed away from the side of the ship.
"You see, but then," he replied. "I would not have had it here for you to wear." Kelly opened her mouth to protest that his words didn't make a bit of sense, but the man was off hounding at the crew to finish and get below deck. She resolved to settle into the captain's bed and not wake up for a good long while.
~*~
Ah, but Kelly didn't have the chance to see the little man crouching, hidden, in the crow's nest. If she had, she most likely would have found him charming, for he was exactly that and would never change. The caramel orbs of his eyes fixated upon her as she retired to the quarters, but they were distracted suddenly by the vision of Captain Hook shouting at his sailors and pacing across the creaky, wooden boards.
The lad's expression erupted into a mischievous grin at the sight of him, for it had been he who had removed that pirate's left hand ever-so craftily that fateful day.
Peter Pan pulled his moss green cap closely to his head of auburn hair as a gust of wind threatened to seize it. He would not strike at night, for that wouldn't make for a very interesting battle. Perhaps tomorrow, when the sun was at its prime, he might gather his band of Lost Boys and they'd row their swift canoes up to the ship before the pirates knew what was happening.
Of course, however, he would have to save the girl. She, in his eyes, was clearly a prisoner and needed a good rescuing. The thought of doing so excited him so much, that he had to cover his mouth to keep from crowing with glee.
For now, he would return to Hangman's Tree and contemplate his eventual victory.
~*~
Coming in Chapter 2 – Peter attacks the ship, Kelly is taken away, Hook broods, and more Mr. Smee (yay!).
A/N: All I had to go on for this first chapter was the Disney film, and the first few chapters of the novel. The further I read, the more I'll know, so I might come back after a while to change some things if they're wrong. Also, I found the sea songs at this great website: http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/shanty.html
- Chapter 1: Modern Girl -
Kelly glared over at her florescent digital clock and sighed miserably. The thick covers were sweltering and she didn't dare move to turn on the fan. So, she stayed exactly where she was and shut her eyes tight. "There's nothing in my room," she whispered softly. "I just have to keep telling myself that. There's nothing in my room. There's nothing in my room."
Around three o'clock in the morning, the girl dozed off at last, but it was only a light sleep. Two hours later, she was awake again and managed to muster up the courage to pull down one of the sheets.
The next time she wanted desperately to see the latest horror movie, her hand had to remember to hit her face numerous times. Note to self.
A sudden thud by the foot of the bed caused Kelly to throw the blankets over her head in alarm. Blood pounded ferociously in her temples and in her ears, and she feared that perhaps everyone in the entire world could hear it. Minutes crept by, and at last, Kelly removed the sheets. It was probably safe, but…
"Is anyone there?" she asked cautiously, feeling stupid for even thinking such a thing. When no one answered, a strange, tingly feeling settled deep in her stomach. She could almost…feel…that someone was there. Kelly's leg dangled from the edge of the bed, testing the water. Finally, all of her was standing on the floor. She slunk silently across the carpet and rounded the post at the foot of the bed.
"Don't hurt me!" cried the person curled up there.
"Oh my god!" Kelly gasped, stumbling over dirty clothes and falling on her back. A little man in the fetal position was looking up at her with a panicked expression. "How did you get in here?"
"The window," he said, pointing. Indeed, it was open. But how did she not hear when it became so? Kelly bit her lip and crossed the room to close it. "No, don't!" he yelped. "If you do, I'll never be able to get back!" Of course, she didn't know what he was talking about, so she left the window open.
"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm supposed to take you to Never Land by way of Captain's ship, and he's waiting for us, but I knew this was going to be a bad idea, so—"
"Your name," Kelly pleaded, shaking her head in confusion. "What's your name?"
"Um, Smee," he replied, crawling to his feet and brushing himself off. Smee was a short, portly man with fluffy white sideburns, eyeglasses, and a rust-colored cap.
"Looks like you got kicked out of Snow White, didn't you?" Kelly said sarcastically, not at all realizing that the joke went right over Smee's head. She grinned foolishly. "I'm only playing, Mr. Smee. But what's all this about a ship, anyway?"
Smee straightened his half-moon spectacles and blinked. Kelly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, smoothed out her pajama shirt and pants and ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Well," Smee began simply enough. "Captain's been talking for a while about bringing someone to Never Land; a young someone, you see. Someone he might be able to use against Peter Pan. We've been sailing the skies for a few days, and we stopped right outside your window. You seem to be exactly who Captain's looking for, because he asked me to take the rowboat up to your window and all."
Kelly's head spun for a second or two; just long enough to disorient her properly. She rubbed at her forehead. "I'm not quite understanding what you're saying," she muttered. Smee took her hand and pushed the window all the way open. There, floating mere feet from the house, was a little boat with oars. Smee directed her towards it, and Kelly instinctively leapt aboard.
None of this was making any sense, but she hardly paid any attention to that. She didn't know who Captain was, or who Peter Pan was, or what Never Land was. Before she could open her mouth, Smee was rowing the tiny boat through the sky and up towards a mighty-looking pirate ship nestled among the moonlit clouds.
~*~
"Now, let me clean you up a bit here," Smee was murmuring as he pulled a brush through Kelly's chocolate-colored hair. She let him, mostly because she was too preoccupied chewing her fingers. "You have to be presentable to Captain, after all."
"Who is this Captain, Mr. Smee?" she inquired.
"Captain James Hook," Smee said rather matter-of-factly. "The fair captain of this ship, the Jolly Roger."
Kelly's eyebrows rose in a silent "oh" and she returned to her jagged nails. There was something about Smee that was extremely calming, as if she had known him prior to this meeting, and they didn't say another world to each other until the door flew open with a thunderous crack. Smee stood and gave a sharp solute.
There, standing in the doorway, was the person who was undoubtedly Captain James Hook. Kelly's eyes trailed up his body. He was thin and elegant with a young waist. His black hair fell trimly around his shoulders. A prominent nose almost hid two shining blue eyes and the mouth was drawn up into a grin. Kelly threw a hand up to cover her collarbone as she saw that he was staring straight at her. How unbecoming she must've looked!
"Well done, Mr. Smee," the man said, contented. "Who is this charming young lady?"
"Kelly McClure, Captain," Smee introduced, looking a bit perturbed. "I thought you wanted me to present her to you in your private quarters." Kelly, having a naturally warped highschool state of mind, flushed deeply at Smee's words, even though he didn't mean them in that way. Captain Hook shrugged nonchalantly.
"I changed my mind, Mr. Smee. Is that a crime?" he hissed gently. Kelly decided right then and there that the captain of the Jolly Roger made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Well, no, Captain," stuttered Smee. "But the girl's not decent at the moment…"
"She appears fine to me," Captain Hook said, approaching her. Kelly tried not to sink back against Smee as the man inspected her with keen eyes. "Come, girl. Follow me." He gripped her wrist and forced her to stand. Kelly lurched forward and managed to straighten herself before he could get the chance to. She didn't want that man touching her any more than he must.
As Captain Hook dragged her towards the door, Kelly glanced longingly back at the soothing security that she saw in Smee. Again, she couldn't help but feel that she had met him somewhere before, a long time ago.
~*~
The two of them crossed the deck of the ship. Kelly had to step twice for just one of Captain Hook's long strides. He had very nimble legs, and she wondered if perhaps he danced. The thought seemed absolutely absurd at the moment, and Kelly rolled her eyes for thinking it.
"So what are you going to use me for?" she asked hesitantly as they reached his quarters. Captain Hook pushed the door open and led her inside.
"You're a tool," he replied easily, throwing open the large closet after he let go of her. Kelly massaged the skin and grimaced.
"A tool," she repeated sourly. "I like how Mr. Smee said it better."
Captain Hook was rummaging through some drawers, but caught what she had said. "I thought you might," he muttered. "Since I told him what to say." Kelly glared daggers at his back and started to bite her fingernails again. Then she realized she was hungry.
There was a rather ornate clock mounted above the four-poster bed. Her eyes did a double take. It couldn't have been seven in the evening already…right?
"I think your clock is wrong," Kelly informed him. Captain Hook examined it and raised a thick, dark eyebrow in response.
"My clock is never wrong," he said.
"But when I left with Mr. Smee it was about five in the morning," she argued.
"Yes, it was. But time never behaves as it should in Never Land, my dear," he stated, tossing a wad of fabric at her. Kelly caught it with her face and shook it out. "It's a dress; used to belong to someone I knew."
Kelly crinkled her nose at the fact that it was a dress. She just about never wore dresses, except on fancy occasions like Christmas dinner and Easter breakfast, and that was only because her mother wished her to. If no one ever required her to wear a dress ever again, she'd be fit in pants for the remainder of her life.
"That someone isn't dead, are they?" Kelly inquired suspiciously. Captain Hook was still for a moment, and then shook his head.
"No, I'm pretty sure that someone is still alive, more or less."
Kelly didn't much like that answer, but she neglected to say anything else. An awkward pause passed between them and ultimately ended with Captain Hook saying, "Well, aren't you going to put it on?"
"Not with you in the room, I'm not," Kelly barked. Blood warmed her cheeks once more and she waited for the man to exit. Once he was gone, she stripped down and pushed her neck through the dress. The soft cotton was plain lavender and awfully pretty. There weren't any useless frills, nor were there any bows, which was a relief.
She tentatively let Captain Hook back into the chambers and did a little twirl. He looked her over and nodded briskly. "I see you two were the same size," he said under his breath. "How odd."
Kelly eyed him funny. "Why is that odd?" she asked.
"Nothing. Forget it."
Captain Hook folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side. "Yes, I do believe that dress fits you quite well. In any case, it was better than what you originally had on," he huffed. Kelly stamped her foot indignantly.
"Hey, I bought those pajamas with my own hard-earned money," she complained. Captain Hook merely chuckled, which made her even more furious. Oh yes, she didn't like him in the least.
"Anyway, I might as well tell you why you're here before you explode or some such thing," he commented, smirking at her gleaming eyes. Kelly calmed down quite considerably, but she continued to frown with disdain as he spoke. "Mr. Smee probably explained that we need a young person to aid us in doing away with Peter Pan. And the reason is thus: you will have to earn his trust, which should be effortless, and then, at the last moment, betray him to us and then leave the rest to my men and me. Take my word for it, dearest, your efforts will not be in vain."
Kelly raised her hand. "Question."
"Speak."
"Who's Peter Pan? Is he some sort of half beast half man creature?"
Captain Hook's expression grew darker and Kelly feared that his eyes would disappear into the shadows. "Only a beast would sever another human being's hand without cause," he said passionately. It was then, for the first time, that Kelly became aware of the reason he was called Captain Hook. There, where his left hand should have been, was a lustrous metal hook that dared anyone to look upon it twice.
"Oh," was all she could say. Words were entirely lost on her, and as she searched for them, the captain went to leave the quarters.
"I relinquish my room for tonight," he told her, taking hold of the doorknob. "No more dreadful thoughts, agreed?" And then he was gone. Kelly put a hand to her lips and sank onto his bed, which was by far the most comfortable thing she had ever sat on in her life.
"How did he know I wasn't sleeping well?" she mused aloud. As soon she closed her mouth, her stomach started to protest its recent lack of food. She had hardly eaten enough dinner at home as it was. Pasta was never her favorite, and her mother loved to cook it as often as humanly possible.
Kelly stood up and cracked her back and neck and fingers and every other joint she could think of. She figured she might as well try and get a bite to eat on the ship, so she, too, left the captain's quarters and headed below deck. As she descended the steps, Smee was ascending them with a tray in his hands.
"Oh, Miss McClure!" he cried in surprise. "I was just bringing this up to you." Kelly backed up and allowed the man to get up on the deck.
"Thank you so much," she said, smiling wide and taking the tray from him. "You read my mind."
"Has Captain spoken with you yet?" Smee inquired, pushing up his glasses. "About the plan, I mean. Nice dress by the way."
"The captain let me borrow it," Kelly beamed. "And yes, he told me all about what he wants to use me for."
Smee for quiet for a moment, and then he snapped his fingers. "Now I remember where I've seen that dress before!" he exclaimed in revelation. "There's a picture in the captain's study of a young woman wearing that same dress. It's his youngest sister, I believe."
Kelly almost dropped the tray right then and there.
"But, oh! Your meal will get cold out here," Smee said. "Best take it back inside and eat it quickly." She turned mechanically and marched back into the captain's chambers, said goodnight to Smee, and then closed the door behind her. She set the tray down on the desk with a dull thud and then took a seat on the bed once more.
"His sister," she moaned, putting her face in her hands with a sigh.
~*~
After eating, Kelly came out on deck to take a curious look around. The sailors were cleaning up the ship for the night, and their song carried crisply through the air.
"Heave ho, my lads, the wind blows free
A pleasant gale is on our lee
And soon across the ocean clear
Our gallant cap'n shall bravely steer
But till we part from Freedom's shore tonight
A song we'll sing from home and beauty bright."
Dusk grew apparent as the sun barely hung onto the distant water. Kelly had heard once that, at dusk, all time stops and for a moment everything is exactly the way it should be. She held her breath just as the sun sunk and a sudden flood of shade poured over the deck.
To her right, the dark-headed captain was leaning against the wooden railing, still fully clad in his fancy attire that made him look like an officer of the late seventieth century French Guard. To her surprise, he began to sing in a low tenor, obviously unaware that she was standing rather close to him.
"At the dawn of the morning
My ship will be sailing
To take me far away from the place of my birth
And the feeling of sorrow
That has now come o'er me
Seems to rob me of all I held dearest on earth
Oh, these are the last hours—"
He stopped for no apparent reason and continued to look out over the ocean. Kelly watched him a little more, but turned to head back to the room as the weather grew colder.
"Why don't you stay out longer?" came Captain Hook's icy voice. She froze. "It's only breezy for thirty minutes at most, and then it warms again."
Kelly wrapped her arms around herself and stepped towards the captain. "Mr. Smee said that this dress belonged to your youngest sister," she said, hoping to get a reply out of him. "Why let me wear it, then, Mr. Hook?"
"James," he grunted.
"Huh?"
"Forget that 'Mr. Hook' business," he ordered. "You've got more maturity in you than all of the men of this ship combined, and you deserve to call me by my rightful name." Kelly flushed for what seemed to by the hundredth time that day and smiled shyly.
"All right then," she said. "James."
"To answer your question," he continued. "I allowed you to wear my sister's old dress simply because I wanted it out of my closet. Having it around often brought up displeasing memories whenever I would find it."
Kelly finally decided to join him at the rail, but she didn't look him in the face. "You could've always burned it or thrown it in the sea or something," she suggested. James laughed dryly and patted her shoulder and he pushed away from the side of the ship.
"You see, but then," he replied. "I would not have had it here for you to wear." Kelly opened her mouth to protest that his words didn't make a bit of sense, but the man was off hounding at the crew to finish and get below deck. She resolved to settle into the captain's bed and not wake up for a good long while.
~*~
Ah, but Kelly didn't have the chance to see the little man crouching, hidden, in the crow's nest. If she had, she most likely would have found him charming, for he was exactly that and would never change. The caramel orbs of his eyes fixated upon her as she retired to the quarters, but they were distracted suddenly by the vision of Captain Hook shouting at his sailors and pacing across the creaky, wooden boards.
The lad's expression erupted into a mischievous grin at the sight of him, for it had been he who had removed that pirate's left hand ever-so craftily that fateful day.
Peter Pan pulled his moss green cap closely to his head of auburn hair as a gust of wind threatened to seize it. He would not strike at night, for that wouldn't make for a very interesting battle. Perhaps tomorrow, when the sun was at its prime, he might gather his band of Lost Boys and they'd row their swift canoes up to the ship before the pirates knew what was happening.
Of course, however, he would have to save the girl. She, in his eyes, was clearly a prisoner and needed a good rescuing. The thought of doing so excited him so much, that he had to cover his mouth to keep from crowing with glee.
For now, he would return to Hangman's Tree and contemplate his eventual victory.
~*~
Coming in Chapter 2 – Peter attacks the ship, Kelly is taken away, Hook broods, and more Mr. Smee (yay!).
A/N: All I had to go on for this first chapter was the Disney film, and the first few chapters of the novel. The further I read, the more I'll know, so I might come back after a while to change some things if they're wrong. Also, I found the sea songs at this great website: http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/shanty.html