Peter Pan was flying around Neverland early the next morning. He loved flying high and fast in the clear air, where the pinks and oranges of the sunrise were fading away. He was quite pleased with himself after completing a particularly daring dive and loop when he spotted something peculiar in the water. Since the thought of there being anything in Neverland that he did not know about horrified him, Peter swiftly darted towards the small object. Once he drew nearer and realized it was a small boat, a new curiosity took over that made him want to know what this unfamiliar vessel was doing out here. He saw that there was something that was a different color inside the boat, so he approached it with as much caution as a young boy could. He glided near the surface of the water, so close that his toes occasionally dipped in and left little rippling trails. He crept closer and peaked over the edge of the boat.

The sight of a sleeping young woman was slightly disconcerting to him. He was not used to visitors that he himself had not brought. He was about to crow to get the lost boys' attention when he clapped his hand over his mouth. He would never admit it, but deep down, women frightened him. They were so unpredictable and emotional, and they always wanted him to grow up so they could marry him. That, and the fact that he didn't want to have to face the girl alone if he woke her. He had no idea if she was bait set out for him by the pirates, with a pistol or dagger ready to spill his guts. He winced inwardly at the thought and flew high into the air before releasing his call.

Back aboard the Jolly Roger Captain Hook was brooding. He hated the fact that the insolent brat Pan called him old. Everyone older than Pan was considered "old" to that pest. He knew he wasn't old, but hearing it day in and day out was starting to wear on his nerves. He couldn't stand the idea that he was seemingly doomed to live out his days chasing the twit around Neverland. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it irked him to no end that even that puling child, who never wanted it and wasn't even able to love, had found his Wendy while he had no one. He was pulled out of his ruminating when Smee burst through the door to his cabin.

"Cap'n!" Smee hollered, "We've heard Pan crow and have set a course towards the sound!" Hook sighed a bit and stood from the chair at his desk. "I don't see what you are so pleased about Mr. Smee" He glared at his oldest companion; the only man it seemed who could escape the captain's wrath. "Who knows Captain, today could be the start of something new." The white haired man beamed before heading back out on deck. 'That man is far too cheery' Hook thought as he shook his head.

Peter was quite occupied pushing the dinghy towards the shore and did not notice the Jolly Roger appear on the horizon. He was beginning to tire when he saw the lost boys gathering on the beach. That is when he had an idea. As he got close enough to the shore he unfurled the grimy and decrepit mooring line from the front of the boat. He passed it to the first lost boy, who passed the end to the next, and so on, until the lost boys were hauling the boat the rest of the way and Peter had nothing to do but pride himself on his genius.

Once the boat and the person inside where far enough up the beach, or "in to where the tide won't get 'er, no matter how high it gets!" as Peter had said, now that he was not the one that had to get it there, the boys crowded around it and looked to him for direction. "Well", he said, hovering above the group, "I guess we should wake her first." He grinned mischievously at his little gang and, as if through some unspoken understanding, they all started hooting and hollering at the same time.

Clarissa bolted upright. She was having some difficulty figuring out where she was, having been woken up in such an unpleasant manner. "W-wha?" she stuttered, trying to rub the blurriness out of her eyes. She peered at the figures around her. They looked like little boys dressed in furs and the tallest seemed to be flying, but she knew that couldn't be right.

"Who are you and who sent you!" Peter shouted, trying to sound brave and impressive, but only succeeding in scaring Clarissa. "What are you talking about!" she cried, "Where am I?" Peter was growing increasingly irritated and hissed at her once she stood. "A grown-up!" the game was no longer fun. He hated adults. They always ruined everything. "I'm the one asking the questions!" Peter snarled and pulled out his sword, with the lost boys quickly following suit. "Now tell me who you are!"

"I..." Clarissa faltered. She was sure this must be some terrible dream, but everything felt so real, she didn't dare chance it. "My name is Clarissa, I don't know how I got here, I was running awa-" Suddenly Peter cut her off. "You lie!" He pressed the tip of his blade to her throat. "I know the pirates sent you!" Clarissa could not believe what she was hearing. True, she had dreamt of a roguishly handsome privateer whisking her away to adventures and far off lands, but she had not thought of pirates in years. Certainly a proper young lady such as herself would never fall in with a band of murderous brigands! "I know not of what you speak! I am telling you the truth…" she did not know what it would take to convince the strange flying boy. She was lost in thought when she realized he was speaking again. "Do you stake your life on it?" he demanded. She was facing away from the water and could not see the approaching pirates, nor could she hear the worried murmuring of the lost boys due to the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears.

"Yes"

She had barely gotten the word out before a shot rang through the air. Startled, she turned towards the source of the noise as Peter swung his sword and left a devastating wound across the upper part of her left arm. She fell to the sand outside the boat and clutched at her wounded arm. Before Peter could come back for another blow, the pirates had hit the beach and were running full tilt towards him and the lost boys.

The skirmish was short as Peter was in a foul mood and did not care to fight. His morning had been ruined by that stupid adult and now the pirates were keeping him from finishing her off. He just wanted to get back to the lost boys' hideout and sulk, though he would tell the gang he was resting up for their next big adventure. Peter and the boys retreated into the forest, knowing that even if Hook and his crew pursued, it would not be long before they lost the trail.

"Blast that Pan!" Hook knew it was futile to follow them in the forest. The little hooligans knew every nook and cranny of the island and were small enough to hide in most of them. He turned, still cursing under his breath when he finally saw what Pan had made such a fuss about. Of course, he had seen Pan threatening someone, but he had been too blinded by his hatred of the boy to fully realize what had been going on. The girl was huddled by the boat she had arrived in. By her dress Hook could tell that she was not merely a native Neverlandian that had gotten lost. She was from the outside. The rest of the crew was almost back to the longboats when Hook stopped next to the hurt woman. She was curled up very tightly, as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible and perhaps even disappear into the shadow of the boat. Her face was incredibly pale, in part from fear, though mostly due to the wound she was still holding. The sleeve of her pale blue dress was dyed bright crimson with her blood. Hook could see from the way she was convulsively clenching and unclenching her fingers that everything was still connected, but the wound was deep.

Being the gentleman that he was, he could not leave her there to bleed out, so he stooped towards her and tried to get her attention. "My lady?" he questioned as he reached out to brush her hair out of her face. No response, her eyes vacant. He leaned in and placed his left hand on her back while carefully slipping his right arm under her knees, mindful of his hook as he did so. As he picked her up he noticed she was trembling. He realized she was going into shock and strode purposefully towards the longboats. His glares kept his crew from questioning him for the moment and he urged them swiftly on, lest he decide to punish them.

Once they returned to the Jolly Roger, Hook made a beeline for his cabin. He beckoned for Smee to boil some water immediately and then shut the door behind him. He set the injured girl down in front of the fire and set out looking for a needle and some thread. He was by no means a master surgeon, but unless she wanted to bleed out, he was her best bet.

After a few moments, Smee came bustling in with a pot of boiling water. Hook located a curved needle in a drawer of bandages, disinfectants, and other medical sundries. He then threaded it before lowering them into the boiling water to sterilize them. He walked back over to the girl and used his hook to cut the lacing on the back of her dress. Her arms automatically went up to hold the fabric to her chest as Hook and Smee tried to remove it.

"Shh my dear" Hook cooed as soothingly as possible. "We're trying to help you; we just need to get your arms out of these sleeves." Her eyes were still blank and Hook realized her movements were purely instinctual. He gently removed her arms from her chest and peeled the bloodied cloth off her arms. The top of her dress was now draped around her waist and she was sitting, supported by Mr. Smee, in her corset and skirt. Hook sat by her side and pulled the curved needle out of the water.

"This is probably going to hurt a little," he warned. "But we have to get this closed up before you lose any more blood, do you understand?" The girl nodded drowsily and Hook got to work stitching her up. He tried to work as neatly as possible to minimize scaring, but it was a nasty wound and he knew some scarring would be inevitable. He used a simple running stitch and finished quickly, deftly knotting the thread with one hand and then cutting the end with his hook. He went back to the drawer where he had gotten the needle and grabbed some bandages and a cloth. He dipped the cloth in the still warm water and tried to get as much blood off the girl's arm as he could without rubbing too hard and aggravating the injury. Once he was finished with that he wrapped the bandages tightly around her arm.

Hook realized that his patient had fallen into unconsciousness and he was momentarily concerned until he saw the steady rise and fall of her chest and felt a strong heart beat when he touched his fingers to her neck. Hook knew that what she needed most was rest, so he dismissed Smee and scooped her up, heading for his bed. He set her down on top of the sheets and began to slip her filthy dress off of her, leaving her laying there in her undergarments. He considered removing her corset as well, as he couldn't imagine it was comfortable to begin with, let alone to sleep in, but he did not want to inadvertently offend her potentially delicate sensibilities, so he settled for loosening it before tucking her under the blankets and heading back out on deck to begin the morning inspections.

One of my friends informed me that while I got Pan spot on, I made Hook "too nice". What do you think? (Please keep in mind that I am mainly drawing inspiration from the original book and 2003 movie, not the foppish Disney version, for Hook's behavior and mannerisms. I know he is a pirate, but he is also a gentleman and a scholar)

Please review and help me make my story better ^-^