*Chapter 2*
As the beautiful ship set sail and pulled away from the dock, Rose watched her old life drift away. She remembered exactly why she was leaving and turned away. The crew set to work, making sure everything was how it should be. Rose walked around, watching, noticing how organized everything was, especially for a pirate ship.
She watched Killian as he walked about the deck, checking his crew's work. He walked to the wheel, and then sought her out, catching her eyes. He extended his hand as an invitation to join him. She obliged him, stepping into the space between his body and the wheel. He closed the circle by wrapping his fingers around a spoke. He whispered in her ear.
"Wanna learn to pilot the ship, love?" She felt his warm breathe on her ear and neck. He rested his chin on her shoulder. She gave a sharp intake of breathe and a small nod.
"Killian?" she whispered tentatively.
"Mmm… my name on your lips is a prayer." He answered, again sending warm breathe down her neck. He turned the wheel a bit, just to get them past a small barge.
"Can I keep you?" she whispered, leaning back so she could kiss him and feel his body against hers. She wished this moment could go on longer than it would.
Killian's first mate, Mr. Smee, ran up to tell him that a sail had ripped. Killian sighed and snuggled closer to Rose's throat before releasing her to follow Smee. Rose started backing away from the wheel, but Killian turned back to stop her.
"You stay here; keep her straight for me love." Killian smiled, a truly beautiful sight to behold. Rose looked down, but not before he could see the colour rise in her cheeks. She watched him walk away. She envied him for his life, his ship and his crew. They were like a family, something she'd never really had.
She watched him across the ship, watched him where he really belonged, really fit. The ship lurched as if something very large had bumped it. Rose tried to turn the wheel back to where it should have been. It was no good. The ship started turning, spinning toward a massive vortex of water. Killian ran back to her, running into everything on the way. When he reached her, he could see the tears streaming down her face, the absolute fear in her eyes.
Killian grabbed the wheel, forcing it to turn. They spun still, no matter what he tried. Rose saw fear flash across his perfect features before being replaced by sheer determination. He's not giving up, so quit whining Rose. Rose took hold of the wheel too, giving the Killian the push he needed, faith.
The ship listed to the left, but didn't give in. Rose and Killian kept hold of the wooden wheel, willing the ship to survive. For what felt like an eternity, the ship and crew were frozen in time. Rose looked up to see a shadow fly away from the top mast.
"Killian!" she shouted. "Look up there!" But Killian was frozen too. The shadow flew down, looking menacing somehow. It grabbed her, pulling her from the deck. She screamed for Killian, seeing a flash of recognition on his face. He strained to look up, like he was pushing against a restraint. She saw the fear there, as well as a black anger. He knew what this was.
The shadow drug Rose through the tops of the trees, giving her cuts and bruises. It dropped her in a clearing, about a foot from a huge bonfire. She rolled over, away from the heat. There were boys standing around her, most were younger than fifteen.
"Welcome to Neverland, Rose Alexia." A slightly cultured British accent rose above the din. A boy stepped away from the throng to stand above her. Rose suddenly remembered all the fights she'd been in. She spun on the ground, knocking the boy's legs out from under him. She jumped up to straddle him and push her knee against his throat.
She was suddenly glad for the knife Killian had made her take. It was thrust against the soft skin at the base of the boy's throat before he could push her off. Three or four boys grabbed her from behind and pulled her off who she guessed was their leader. The boy smirked and wiped a line of blood off his throat.
"You think you can harm me, princess? Let's see what you think when Hook comes for you." A heavy object hit the back of Rose's head, knocking her out.
