Chapter 3:
~Jolly Roger~
Captain James Hook looked up at the blue sky, dotted with wispy clouds. He frowned, twirling the tip of his mustache around the point of his sharp silver hook. Something was amiss. It was too quiet on the waters. The wind was too still. The birds were singing too halfheartedly. He was pondering all of this when Smee, his first mate, tapped him lightly on his broad shoulder.
"Pan has returned, sir."
Ah, so that was the reason for Neverland's short period of silent gloom. He turned to face Smee with a bored look gracing his elegant features.
"Tell the boys to load the cannons." He said softly, turning back around to continue his observation of the sea below them. Smee cleared his throat nervously.
"Begging your pardon, Sir, but why?"
"Because, Smee, I am your Captain, and you are my first mate. I have given you an order, now you must follow it. It isn't difficult." The Captain replied icily. "But, if you must know, if that insolent twat has returned from frolicking around London, he will most likely stop by our lovely vessel to try and stir up trouble of some sort."
"I see, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I'll tell them right away, Sir." the round, little man spluttered, backing away slowly from his temperamental employer. Hook smiled to himself as he saw the blasted Boy flit across the sky. He saw the cannons in his peripheral vision and his smile grew wider. He chuckled as he saw the Boy's form dip nearer to the Jolly Roger. He glanced at his crew, who were already perched at their cannons.
"Get ready, boys." he called as Peter Pan was in clear range of the pirates and their ammunition. But he paused as he saw another person flying alongside the Boy. Who was it? He squinted against the sun, but the figure was unrecognizable. He put up a hand to stop his crew.
"Hold fire." He said, now thoroughly confused. As Peter hovered slightly above the boat, hand on his hips, Hook scanned the area for his mysterious companion.
"Hey, Hook! You old Codfish!" the Boy yelled. Hook rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Little Boy? Have you come to fight?"
"Of course, you fiend! Prepare to lose your other hand as well! I hear the Croc is always hungry!"
"Damn and blast you, you foolish child." Hook seethed, putting a hand upon his sword. He stopped short when Peter's friend came into view, stopping beside the Boy. It was a woman. A woman who was much older than Peter. She was a beautiful women, no doubt, with long brown hair escaping the hairpins and bows trying to confine it. Her face was bright and full of the Sun, her figure small and wispy. Her lavender nightdress was wrinkled, probably from her flight to Neverland. What was the Boy doing with such a fine looking young lady as herself?
"Say, Boy! Have you found yourself a lovely wife? You've surely become man enough to behold such a beauty!"
"Never! Peter Pan will not grow up, or find a wife, as you call it."
"Ah, just as arrogant and stupid as you always have been." Hook replied airily.
"Of course, you know who this is." Peter shouted, pointing at the girl. Hook raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I do not." He said thoughtfully. "Bring her closer."
"This isn't one of your dastardly tricks, is it, Hook?"
"No, not at all, Child. I simply would like to meet your pretty little friend. Here, now, bring her over." he repeated, mustering the kindest voice that he could. Peter eyed him suspiciously, but pushed the girl forward to the edge of the ship. Hook examined her sweet face for a moment.
"I'm afraid I do not recognize her."
"Nonsense, Hook! This is Wendy! Surely you remember Wendy."
"Ah! Wendy Darling!" he said, realization dawning over him. "Or more appropriately, Red Handed Jill."
"You remember." she whispered, the smallest of smiles ghosting over her pink lips. Hook found himself enamored. He reached out and brushed her pale cheek with the smooth side of his hook. She didn't wince, much to his surprise.
"Yes, Miss Darling, I remember. You are, after all, the one who sent me to the Crocodile." Hook said bitterly. Wendy gasped.
"Oh, I did, didn't I? I must apologize, James Hook, for doing so."
"Your apology is accepted, my dear." he said, grinning at her. Before she could speak, however, he had grabbed her and dragged her over the side of the ship, clasping his good hand over her mouth to stifle her shriek. Peter lunged, only to be confronted with the many swords of Hook's pirate crew.
"Foolish, Boy. This woman is lovely. Too lovely for you to appreciate. She was your mother once, was she not?"
"Yes she was! Hand her over!"
"Oh, no. Make one wrong move, Boy, and I will slit her throat in one swipe."
"You wouldn't!" Peter spat. Hook merely laughed.
"But," he continued. "Fly away to your precious Hideout, and I will leave her glorious neck intact, as long as she stays my prisoner."
"How long?" Peter inquired, clearly planning to come and retrieve his Wendy Lady after a few days. Hook pondered the Boy's question, gripping onto Wendy a little bit tighter.
"Indefinitely."
"No deal, Hook. Give her back!" Peter hollered, lunging again at the Captain, who, with one swift motion, sidestepped his blow, but moved his hook closer to Wendy's throat.
"I'm warning you boy." He hissed. "You're digging her grave when you do that."
"Do you promise to give her back to us, unharmed, after you decide to let her go?"
"Yes, if she is willing to leave me after I am finished with her." Hook answered, his crew laughing knowingly at their Captain. Wendy turned to glare at him, blotches of red coloring her cheeks.
"I will not become your Mistress, you use and defile as you wish!"
"Ah, so you get my drift."
"Yes, and it offends me, Sir!"
"I didn't mean to offend." he assured her, turning on his charm. "If you will allow me to rephrase-"
"My answer will still be the same, no matter how eloquently you put your words." she interrupted, turned her nose up at him. Peter watched the pair, completely not understanding the exchange. The crew looked on with awe. No one had ever defied their Captain's wishes before, and it was quite entertaining to watch.
"You will discover that I get what I want, my pet. It matters not if your answer is 'yes' or 'no', I don't need your consent to travel on those waters."
"You wouldn't!" she whispered, her eyes growing wide. Hook smiled widely at her.
"Oh, I most definitely would."
Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter! Personally, I adore this pairing with all my heart, simply because Captain James Hook is so attractive, because Wendy and Hook could go so well together. He completely contrasts Peter's character, the Child, and represents something so mature and adult-like. (:
Thanks to all who have reviewed and all who have alerted this story! I appreciate you!
KAY(:
