A/N: Right, hey, everybody. I'm new to the Peter Pan fandom with this story. The weird thing is, though, I wasn't originally going to write this story. Because, well, it came to me in a dream in a way. Only it was me in the dream instead of an OC, obviously. And well, it was a bit trippy, with all these fragmented images that made little sense. So, what I did here was connect these images and tried to make this story less dream-influenced. Kind of weird.
I originally was not going to put this up either, but I decided to anyway. By lightly book-based, it basically means I looked the book plot up on Wikipedia. Sad, I know, but I've actually never read Peter Pan in its entirety. Only part of it as a ten-year-old girl with a short attention span. XD
Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the story or the characters mentioned.
A Villain's True Nature
Part 1
While Neverland remained eternally unchanged, Earth went through numerous changes since Wendy Darling's encounter with that realm. Her daughter Jane had gone through the same thing, but like her sensible mother, she chose to grow up as well. Not only that, but as someone far more adventurous in comparison, she immigrated to America with her husband Frederick. There, a new generation thrived to present day.
In an uneventful Iowa small town, Jane's daughter Melinda Lane and her husband Bill lived outside the town on a farm. Their daughter Victoria, Tori for short, was yet another generation from the Darling line of women. Eighteen years of age, she was to go to college in Cedar Rapids that fall.
All she had was this final quiet summer to take stock of her life and reconcile with the fact she would abandon childhood. That one thought secretly terrified her. Outwardly, Victoria seemed relatively calm, even excited about going to college. Yes, she would miss her comfortably sized group of friends, but it was time to move on. She liked to call herself the optimistic type.
But, there was one thing that Tori would miss most of all about childhood. Like her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother before her, she had visited Neverland, thanks to the elusive, impish Peter Pan.
He had taken her on adventures that were the stuff of dreams, dreams she wished she could hold tightly forever. Initially, she had been charmed by him, what with his jokes and his ever interesting ways to thwart Captain Hook. The past couple of years, therein lay the problem.
How many times had that man attempted to keep her as his own, steal her away? It had happened ever since Tori was around fifteen or sixteen, and the frequency of these attempts almost alarmed her. They keenly reminded her of this beloved movie she watched as a child, when a certain goblin king tried to lure a teenage girl away from his labyrinth. To be his forever. Tori constantly wondered why the heroine refused to accept him. Now, fairly recently, she knew why.
Frankly, this Captain Hook was extremely insensible that bordered on obnoxious. He used tricks such as treating her to this fantastic dinner once, and then when he showed her this exotic island where he had buried his treasure. As Tori pondered over this on her morning walk to the stables, she realized that Hook, in these moments, became less one-dimensional. When he fought with Peter, on the other hand, he behaved cruelly by threatening to feed her to the sharks. Did he have a split personality? It sure felt that way to her. There was a striking parallel between him and that goblin king.
Ageless yet...She shook her head as she reached her destination.
Was daunting perhaps the word? Crafty? Sly? Any of those adjectives could describe Hook to a tee. Yet, he seemed quite desperate at times to show another side, one he was too proud to show. How idiotic!
First of all, Tori internally rationalized, Hook appeared unappealing. His hat was too gaudy and that awful mustache too greasy. The hairy mustache aged him twenty years, and oh, how Tori hated facial hair! Not to mention the hook...
"Hm, a love interest? Yeah, right," she muttered to her favorite horse Mabel.
She would soon be surprised by what was to come.
On a ship in a different world far, far away, Captain Hook impatiently gazed into a crystal ball. The reason why he detested the blasted thing was that too many clouds gathered around the image inside. That marketer had ripped him off! Such a shady dealing even he, as a wicked captain, would never sink himself down to. All he desired was to see what she was currently up to...
Oh, blast it all, why did he care? Victoria Lane had come from a line of perplexing women: Wendy the clever one, Jane the bold, and Melinda the sarcastic one and the one who Hook liked least. To him, all three were quite abominable, really. What made Victoria so unique?
Hook pushed himself back from the rough-hewn table. He had to dwell on this problem.
Perhaps it was because her intriguing personality consisted of the three traits that the women before her had. There was so much more to her than what met the eye. And the most shocking miracle of all was that she never aggravated him...for the most part. The only times he had been irritated by her were when she would leave. She always left, never stayed. On one occasion he recalled quite vividly, he asked her why she always went.
"If you want to know so badly," she teased cruelly (in his opinion) with a glint in her eye. "I guess I'll tell you."
He shouted at her, "Get on with it then!"
How could he forget the moment when seventeen-year-old Victoria's eyes met his evenly? His blue eyes clashing with her hazel—though, if one looked carefully, one would see a hint of green.
She hardly suppressed a giggle. "Hook, you're really a silly man—actually, more like an idiot. In fact, no, you're unbelievably stupid. I have a family. I'm sure you've heard of one of those. It's two parents who love each other very much—"
"Silence, you wicked girl! I know full well what a family is. Now why won't—?"
Here, Victoria smiled. "You don't understand. I care about my parents. I'm going now."
That smile...Hook managed to resist the urge to shudder. For, that smile broke him or threatened to, as he could never truly be broken.
Considering he met with—no, tried to lure—the girl once since that moment, he could hardly stand it. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she with her parents to give them comfort that their only child was still there? Did she go to that school place?
Did she have a beau?
Grimacing in horror, he proceeded to grab the crystal ball and shake it as hard as he could, demanding that he observe Victoria. Eventually, the misty clouds inside parted at last to reveal the very face he sought.
Victoria currently patted a gray horse on the nose and appeared to be engaging in conversation with it. How deplorable! She preferred the company of a filthy animal to him? Frowning out of annoyance, Hook wondered why this troubled him. Honestly, it shouldn't have since she shared a close friendship with that Pan. He needed to win against that boy at some point.
Shaking off the fury from his vendetta, he studied the image further, finding himself gazing at those glittering eyes and her brown hair thrown into a sloppy ponytail. From what he could make out, she stood in a stable in the middle of nowhere. Cornfields lay beyond the exit to those stables.
How dull a place. No wonder she escaped to Neverland throughout her adolescent years, lasting far longer than Wendy, Jane, and Melinda. Maybe the fact she had family kept her in this terrible place. What sort of life was there to return to each time she left Neverland? Virtually nothing but farm animals. This caused the gears in Hook's head to turn. Suppose he pinpointed the exact location of the farm where she lived out her tedious existence? In her own world, she could give in to the prospect of staying with him at last.
He could convince her. He must. And so, Hook formed his plan.
Later that afternoon, Tori's parents left for a bigger city to celebrate their twenty-third wedding anniversary. They trusted their daughter enough to watch over home while they were away.
Her mother cradled her face in both hands. "You'll be all right on your own, won't you, baby?"
She sighed at this embarrassing gesture. "Yeah, Mom, I'll be fine."
"You probably know my cellphone number by now. Don't burn down the house while we're gone, Tori," her father joked.
"I won't, Dad. Bye, you two."
"Bye," they echoed as they finally walked out the door.
Even though she would be leaving for college soon, Tori couldn't help but get the sense that her parents still treated her like a child. Once she puzzled it over, she supposed she could understand. They would deeply miss her when she was gone, attending classes and living dorm life. As an only child, she would be more susceptible to that kind of treatment. In the meantime, she had the whole house to herself.
"Nothing to do around here," she said to herself, opening up the fridge to get a can of soda. She longed for the vast expanse of Neverland, a magical place where she would never have to worry about boredom.
A pinch of pixie dust, and she would fly over the islands, the lagoons, the forests, and a pirate ship that sailed on the seven seas. If she could come back to visit for at least ten minutes, she would trade this humdrum farm life. Peter Pan would be there to greet her once again, and a new set of adventures would commence.
Tori looked fondly out the window, pretending the farmland was the forest where the Lost Boys hid out. A few thoughtful sips of soda later, she decided that maybe another walk would satisfy her.
She put the soda back in the fridge, took out an apple—red and shiny—for Mabel, and unlocked the door. To breathe fresh country air was one of the few perks of living out in the middle of nowhere.
The lowing of cows in pasture, the singing of swallows and sparrows alike, and even an occasional whinny from one of the horses redeemed this place for her. Attending college in the city would give her the sense of being a fish out of water. Yes, she realized as soon as she walked on the bright green grass, she would miss this place, too. So, she would miss two places at once: her home and her escape. Nothing could ruin the sweetness of her solitude. Except maybe an intruder.
Which was exactly what Tori acutely felt as she meandered toward the stables. A pair of eyes surely watched her because sharp tingles went up and down her spine. There was no possible way anyone could be here now. After all, she stood by herself on one acre of two hundred, her family's property. And it was in Iowa, the most peaceful spot in America or so she thought. The sky looked big here, hardly any skyscrapers or air pollution to disturb it. No one knew her parents here since the closest neighbor lived two and a half miles away.
Unless it was someone from Neverland.
"Maybe Peter's come to visit me for a change," Tori mused, tossing and catching the Macintosh apple. Knowing Peter, he probably hid in the stables to surprise her.
So, on she went inside her cherished refuge, hoping that her friend from long ago would surprise her.
She called, "Peter! Hey, Peter, is that you? I know you're in here! Come on, you're usually quicker than this. Yo, Peter Pan!"
"I'm afraid, my dear," another familiar voice sneered. "Peter is unavailable at the moment. But, guess who else from Neverland is here?"
Tori didn't need to guess. That slick voice she would recognize anywhere.
She had to play it cool before she panicked, though. Screaming in high pitches was the typical girl's way out. However, she knew this other guy quite well, and she would deal with him accordingly. Besides, if he dragged her back to his ship, Peter would drop in to save the day. Then again, it wasn't like she couldn't handle the situation herself. Tori came from generations of strong women. Those genes were on her side.
Sarcastically, she commented, "Nice of you to drop by, Hooky. Since I'm polite and all, what can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Milk?"
Sure enough, Captain Hook emerged from the shadows of an empty stable toward the back. Tori smirked—figures, he would conceal himself where she was unable to initially see him.
Hook slowly, deliberately stepped toward her until he stopped just a few, short feet away. It was appropriate now to apply the word daunting here. He removed his feather embellished red hat and gave her a mocking bow.
"I apologize, Victoria, but I haven't the time to chat. I'm here to fetch you from this pigsty."
Tori bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing. Did he mistake her for some damsel in distress who needed to be "rescued" from miserable Iowa? He could not have shown up at a worse time. After all, she realized that there were benefits to being where she was.
Finally, after feigning that she actually considered running off with him (probably the last person she would ever choose), she replied, "Wait a second, Hooky, I need to explain some things to you. K, first of all, since when did you want to play hero? You're the least heroic man I've ever met—you can't even overcome your phobia of crocodiles. Yes, it's a phobia, and don't admit to it being something else. Then, number two, I like it here in this pigsty. There's no way this kidnapping scheme of yours is gonna work. How many times have you done this now? I've never fallen for it."
Oh, that mouth on that girl would get her in trouble yet, Hook thought to himself as he felt himself get angrier and angrier with everything she said. Despite her age, she was no more than an ungrateful, ignorant child! Couldn't she see what he planned to do here? This was a rescue mission, not a kidnapping one. As he crossed his arms, he knew that he had nothing to gain through capturing her. He inwardly admitted that that idea had been quite the cliché after a while. This time, though, he believed the difference was that he looked at things from a different angle.
"I would be careful using that tongue, you insolent girl, if I were you. But, since I'm not you, I would just as soon cut it off!"
"Aw, really?" Tori playfully batted her eyelashes at him. "I thought you enjoyed the sound of my enchanting voice, Hooky."
"And stop calling me that! It's Hook or Captain or, better yet, sir. You really ought to know your place. You are clearly not taking this situation seriously, I can see that."
"No," she acknowledged, tossing her apple up in the air again. "I'm not. I never could, honestly. After all, the only reason I let you kidnap me all those times was that it was too much fun. Pretending to get into a massive scrape like that, letting you be your version of 'nice' to me, Peter rescuing me..."
Hook had been degraded to a fool in his own eyes, when once he had pompously deemed himself clever. This girl managed to hoodwink him every time he went about capturing her. And the only reason he had been "nice", as she put it so snidely, was that he enjoyed winning. In the end, he had been losing and nowhere near to satisfying his lust for revenge against Pan. Somewhere in that crooked heart of his, he felt betrayed by Victoria who played it like a game that often. To say the least, this downright infuriated him.
"Sadistic wench!" he nearly screamed, closing the distance between them.
Meanwhile, Tori had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she crossed the line with her teasing. However, Hook misunderstood her, as such a silly man would. Or maybe she misunderstood herself. Gathering all her recollections, she astounded herself by coming to the conclusion that being captured had brought about benefits. Thanks to him, she got to see more of Neverland, and he allowed her to with an observant eye. As she ended up on the ship more and more often, he would even point out some sights to her, such as a flock of brightly colored macaws. If anything, she truly enjoyed these moments.
"You wouldn't hurt me, Hook," she declared as though unaffected by his anger. "You had many chances to in the past, but you never did. I don't fear you at all."
Sunlight from a nearby window reflected itself in the metallic silver of his hook in place of a right hand. Boiling ire contorted his facial features to the extent that Tori wondered if she should have been so confident in his harmlessness.
He may have lost his hand to a crocodile, thus his fear of all crocodiles, but that must have hardened him further. So, her refusal to go with him irritated him beyond relief, because he needed to have control along with getting things his way. She had witnessed how he would bark out demands to his crew, who would complete whatever task he had in store for them. No questions asked. No opposition. Hook had become a glutton for power, and that had clearly spoiled him.
Before she was remotely aware of it, Tori had taken a few steps back from him to obtain some breathing room. This was getting more intense than what she bargained for. She had expected banter that would perturb Hook enough to surrender and retreat to Neverland. Unluckily for her, not this time.
His blazing blue eyes scorched her. "You find me pathetic, do you, Victoria? I only amuse you? Well, you haven't the scarcest idea of how terrifying I can be."
"How?" She promised to test him.
He smirked. "You will find out soon enough."
Proceeding to pace back and forth, Tori struggled to grasp what he planned to do. Why was he so calm all of a sudden when he threatened to explode a couple minutes ago? This made no sense.
Until he gave her an ultimatum. "Victoria"—a very stern tone—"This is your last chance. Will you go back with me?"
She shook her head. "I can't. I've thought it over and...I have to grow up. I got to go to college. Granted, I have no idea what I'm going to do but—"
"Silence! You dare defy me?"
"Ah, you're pissed again. And here I thought you'd be mellow."
Despite her taunts, she dropped the apple and ran with him in pursuit.
Tori had the advantage since she was accustomed to roaming out of doors, out in the country air. There was something about that air that rejuvenated her limbs each time she went out. Hook, being on his ship most of the time, probably hadn't run in quite some time. Yet, he gained on her and fast.
Luckily, the house stood a few yards away, and it didn't take long for her to reach the door. Hook was not far behind, approximately ten feet away and closing in. Tori slammed the door shut, breathing heavily.
"Damn, he's mad," she panted, proceeding to sprint upstairs to her room in a last-ditch effort to save herself, as much as she hated running away.
Her room was simple with soft lavender for the color of her walls and a bed with light blue sheets. The bed took up most of the space, though there was also a TV on a small entertainment center, a bureau, and a closet with shuttered doors. Well, she supposed she would have to hide in the closet until Hook cooled off. Just as her hand touched the knob of one of the closet doors, however, he had made his way upstairs and into her room. Tori barely had any time to scream before he slammed her against the bureau, knocking the breath out of her in the process.
Hook had pressed one of his arms against her chest to prevent her from moving. Even though that first trickle of fear seeped through her, she managed to steel herself to look at him, to study him.
If not for that disgusting mustache, he would be quite handsome and even appear younger. There were hardly any wrinkles on his face, save for the corners of his eyes. Sweat plastered strands of his rather girlishly curled black hair to his forehead, and his hat sat askew atop his head. He still looked infuriated all right but tired, very tired. His shoulders slumped.
"Why do you insist on playing with me like this?" he asked loudly as he gulped for air. "You will go back with me because I wish it!"
Tori's hands gripped the handles of the bureau drawers as something to hold on to in her disbelief. This was insanity, how Hook was arrogant enough to think he held power over her. She wasn't some feeble-minded, weak-hearted girl who would up and leave home on command.
Her fury rising now, she resolved to yell back. "What you wish? I'm not your possession, Hook, or worse, your pet! You think that I would do what you tell me to like I'm a crew member or something! I've been trying for the past four months to move on from Neverland. Then, you come and ruin everything. I'm not a child any more, so stop treating me like I'm one!"
Hook lifted his arm until it rested against her neck, most likely a signal for her to shut up before he would choke her. At this point, nothing could surprise her.
"Victoria, you're quite foolish, frankly. Do you know what I would have done if you'd agreed to this proposition of mine? I would have given you everything—adventure, treasures, and so forth—everything! Yet, that isn't good enough for you, is it? You always have to toy with me. Insufferable tease!"
How much had she betrayed him in his eyes? Tori felt her heart ache for him, and yet, she didn't know why. There seemed to be a certain pleading in his eyes, blue like the ocean. That emotion burned intensely, as every other emotion caught fire in his eyes. Hook seemed to be studying her as intently as she studied him. His face was close to hers, close enough that she noticed his eyes flit down toward her lips.
Her face flushing light pink, Tori gathered her wits. "You're so spoiled. I mean, why else would you try to win me over with things? Yeah, I guess you don't see me as a child, but I can't go with you. As much as I want to..."
With a whisper of a gasp, she stopped herself and said no more.
What was she saying? Captain Hook was known throughout Neverland as a menacing pirate, an unholy terror on the seven seas. He would do whatever he could to thwart Peter Pan and probably plotted to use her. Right? Everyone called him a villain, and he was arrogant, pompous, cowardly, overbearing, and sometimes rude. From her experience, though, the more times she was captured, he would reveal another facet to him. He could also be courtly, charming, witty, and surprisingly approachable. Maybe underneath his vile exterior as that infamous villain, there existed a man who yearned for a genuine friend to help him get rid of his loneliness.
Currently, Tori was amazed at both how silent Hook was and the proximity of his face to hers. More heat inflamed the back of her neck while she could barely breathe.
She finished, "I can't. I don't want to be caged, because that's always what you've wanted to do to me every time you drag me to the Jolly Roger. I would want to be treated like an equal. But, even with that condition, I still can't."
His left hand, the one that remained intact, reached up to sweep aside a particularly damp strand of her hair. Very subtly, his blue eyes softened.
As her heart impulsively pounded at his touch and how softness flattered those eyes, Tori felt the warmth of his breath on her ear.
In a gentle tone, he whispered, "I truly cannot deny you. As stubborn as I am, you are the only person to whom I will ever admit defeat. Mind you, I don't want to, but I will if I must."
Her heart stopped from shock. Hook gradually proved that he could be vulnerable. And suddenly, she no longer minded their closeness.
She yielded, too. "All right. Fine, you'll have to surrender then...Actually, I'm sor—"
"Hush." His British accent, low and rich, reverberated throughout her entire being. "No apologies."
His lips ever so slightly brushed her ear before he pushed her off the bureau.
Yep, the split personality made its comeback, Tori assured herself as she found herself on the floor. Although, she confessed in her thoughts, she had fully started to relish this tenderness he displayed. Obviously, it wasn't something she should have gotten used to.
"Then, this is goodbye for the last time," Hook sniffed, his back straight and his mouth in a tight frown. "I shall never see you again. Farewell, Victoria Lane. I wish you luck in growing up."
Tori rolled her eyes heavenward, a sense of weariness overcoming her at the same time. "You seriously want to say goodbye like this?"
"Yes. I do. It is better to break it off like this, you know."
As though the lack of emotion to this potentially defining moment didn't matter at all, Hook stormed out of her room without a passing glance.
"Fine, don't change!" she called out to him. "But, being a pouty little kid isn't going to do anything, you know that, right?"
A slam of the door was all she received in response, a sound so cold that she shivered. He would do this to her. What had she anticipated? That lapse in his usual demeanor was something he couldn't control, and he wouldn't let it happen again.
For some reason, that made her curl up on her bed and cry.
Back in Neverland as he so willed it, Hook stood on the shore of an island at which his ship had happened to be docked nearby. He waited for his first mate Mr. Smee to arrive with the rowboat. It was a good thing he alerted the fool ahead of time, shortly after he had formulated his plan, actually. Otherwise, Smee most likely would have been too preoccupied celebrating his captain's absence by sharing rum with the other crew members. They would have thrown a grand bash long into the night. But, no, Hook would hardly ever allow such a spectacle to take place, especially now.
That obstinate Victoria refused to stay near him yet again, as though she took delight in his misery. He should have expected no less.
Why did he utter rubbish such as the conceding of the fact he could never deny her what she wanted? Perhaps he was more to blame this time around. His heart must have interfered, the dratted thing. Well, the poor girl was about to cry, even if she ignored it. For, he had noticed one tiny tear well up in her left eye, if he hadn't imagined things. This took place after she murmured that she badly wanted to go back with him...
Curse women and their contrary natures! She insisted that he change because he acted spoiled...The audacity of that w—.
Ah, Smee came with the rowboat, excellent timing if he didn't say so himself.
With a haughty lift of his head, Hook embarked on the vessel, acting as though he valued it as much as his own ship.
"Welcome back, Capt'n." Smee saluted him before rowing onward.
Hm, and Victoria wrongly assumed that he would treat her as a crew member or as a captive if she agreed to his offer. Honestly, that would have been the farthest thing from the truth. He would have treated her as though she was the world, his world as a matter of fact. Her happiness was his.
Shaking off his sentimentality, Hook looked on toward his ship.
A pirate would always be a lonely occupation, most certainly a pirate captain with mere underlings. Of course, Victoria would say no. She apparently wished to attend this college place.
Out of the blue, Smee asked, "Where's the lass, sir?"
Hook snapped, "She wouldn't accept my generous offer! Now, tell me, Smee, why that is. I offered her riches and adventure. What more could a woman want? But, no, she has to be so contrary!"
"Hm, I'd say, sir, tha' maybe if you were more patient with 'er..."
"More patient?" The noble captain jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Why should I?"
Blast, Victoria was right! He was selfish. And proud. And he could never win her now.
A/N: K, so this was a one-shot. However, it became so big, I divided it up into two parts. The second part will be bigger but not by a whole lot. Maybe about 2,000 more words or so. XD I know. Big.
For some reason, my dream portrayed Hook as sort of young-looking, so I will go by that. I hope it doesn't jump the shark too much, but otherwise, this would be creepy. The weird thing is, I characterized him as I've seen in Peter Pan-related movies, obviously. But then, there's a bit of Jareth there and even a tiny bit of Mr. Rochester.
Pretty weird, huh? But it's more original Captain Hook plus Jareth, and I referenced Labyrinth toward the beginning. I have no idea why I did that, though. I just love Labyrinth, too.
See you at part two!