Chapter Seven

When I woke up, I remembered everything. I grinned weakly; Neverland hadn't been able to steal my memories from me. I shifted in bed, then moaned softly at the pain that originated in my womb. I looked up, seeing Van Helsing sitting on the edge of the chaise lounge, watching me carefully. "I beat it...I beat it!" I said, smiling triumphantly. "Neverland can never take my memories from me again." I moved to get out of bed then moaned once more, at the pain.

"Neverland...the odd, almost living thing that is it; took something in return," Van Helsing replied quietly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning.

"You were with...child. You lost it last night," Van Helsing explained.

"I was...p-preg...pregnant?" I whispered, lowering my hands to my abdomen. "And Neverland stole my last link to James?" I asked, gritting my teeth.

"Yes...I'm sorry," Van Helsing said, standing up and leaving me alone.

I climbed out of bed, every joint screaming out in pain, but I ignored it. I walked over to my desk, sitting down, staring at a dagger lying on the desk. Picking it up, I desperately wished that Neverland could take human form, so that I could carve my name into its chest. I slammed the dagger into the wood of the desk, releasing the handle, leaving it to stick up in the air. Ignoring the pain, not only in my body, but my heart, I climbed to my feet, sliding out of the nightgown. After pulling on my harness, I changed into a long black dress, fastening a purple corset around my torso, sliding my feet into a pair of black boots. Just as I was heading for the door, there was a knock, surprising me. I opened the door to find Bill White fingering his cap nervously. "Yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, Cap'n, before Smee died, rest his soul, he told us to never bother the six by two foot crate in the hull. As I was making my morning rounds, I noticed that the lid of the crate was torn off, in splinters on the floor. Like there was a great explosion inside. But no one heard it." Bill rambled.

I stormed past him, my eyes wide with confusion. I hurried down into the cargo bay, past the crates containing supplies of all kinds, and treasure. I slowed down, seeing the crate I had my previous crew place James in, for I had not the stomach to bury him. Leaning over the side of the crate, I saw that it was, indeed, empty and I felt my stomach churn. Turning to Bill, I said in a demanding voice, "Search the ship. From stem to stern. Do not stop until you find him."

"Find who, Cap'n?"

"You'll know him when you see him. He is not of this crew. I want him sent to my quarters immediately," I said briskly, my mind elsewhere, before turning and hurrying from the cargo bay.

Hours later, the crew had searched the ship, from stem to stern, twice and still hadn't found James' body. Unnerved by the strange circumstances, I wondered if he was to become a zombie. I feared if I had the nerve to shoot him in the head, if he was a zombie. Exiting my cabin, I passed by Gabriel, who I had announced as my bosun earlier, after the crew had searched the ship the first time. "I'm going to shore for a while," I informed him in a low voice. Gabriel turned to me, his dark eyes searching mine.

"If I may ask, why, Cap'n? We destroyed the vampires' nest," Gabriel replied.

"I'm going for a walk. It doesn't involve killing creatures of any kind. I just need to clear my head," I blatantly lied.

"Alright then. Is an hour enough time?"

"No. I shall signal on the shore with a lantern," I said, pulling one off a hook, holding it up.

"Do you have matches?" Gabriel asked, worrying about me like I was ten instead of twenty-one, holding up a small box of matches.

Taking them from his hand, placing them in my pocket, I replied, "I do now," before climbing into a rowboat, having two crew members lower the boat to the water.

Rowing to shore, I pulled the boat up high enough so it did not, with the pull of the tide, wash back out to sea, leaving me stranded. Walking deep into the jungle, I headed towards the cabin, taking off my shirt, leaving me in my bra as I unhooked the harness, pulling it off my shoulders. Sliding my shirt back on, I carried the harness, cradled in my arms as I trudged through the snow, towards the cabin.

I stopped by the fairy tree first, setting the hook down, biting my lower lip hard, but not breaking the skin. My eyes closed, I let a tear fall, hitting the hook. Unbeknownst to me, the iron hook shimmered with its own internal light while my eyes were closed.

Reaching the cabin, a swell of emotion swept over me as I recalled all that had happened in the cabin, naught but a month ago. I opened the door, stepping inside, my bottom lip quivering slightly. Walking over to the nearest lamp, I struck a match, lighting up the room. Hearing the rustle of clothing, I gasped as six vampires stirred from their spots, seeing me. I took several steps back, hoping the door was closer than I thought it was. The six vampires pounced, simultaneously, and I felt a pair of strong hands pull me out of the cabin. I fell to the ground, my hair falling out of the bun and into my face, watching the stranger wearing all black, with a hooded cape fight the vampires off. Using two swords, the stranger decapitated each vampire quickly with only a few scratches to speak of. When the last vampire turned to dust, the stranger turned, their face shadowed by the hood and the trees surrounding us, blocking out the moonlight.

Climbing to my feet, I moved to thank them and they pulled away, sheathing both swords at the scabbards at their hips, their pale hands seeming ghost-like in the near darkness. "It's not safe in the woods. Leave now," They said in a low, hoarse voice.

"Thank you..." I trailed off, before turning and heading back into the woods.

The walking taking up most of my time, I thought back to the stranger in the woods. They sounded nothing like Gabriel, so he couldn't have followed me. They were a man, though. That much was for sure. I frowned, puzzled, as I walked on the beach, over to the rowboat. Ten feet from said boat, I saw a small being wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the beach crying. Walking over to them slowly, I knelt next to them, pulling the blanket away from their face, revealing the tear-stained face of a five-year-old girl wearing an old-looking dress, like from the Edwardian era: slightly rounded sleeves, laced up the front. "Do you know where my mommy is?" The little girl asked me, her bottom lip quivering, her bright blue eyes meeting mine.

The motherly instinct in me, which I've tried long and hard to suppress, rose up, causing me to tuck a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry honey, I don't," I replied, as kindly as possible, imagining how I'd want someone to treat my niece if she was lost. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was with my mommy...and then I was taken away..." She cried, throwing her arms around my waist, crying into my side.

My heart breaking for her, my face melted into one of compassion. "What did the bad people that took you look like?" I asked, stroking her dark hair softly.

"One of them, a boy, had blue eyes and yellow hair. The other...looked like several different people, changing into a woman in a pink dress one moment, then a girl with a nightgown the next," The girl replied, sounding much more grown up than she seemed.

"What's your name?" I asked, rubbing a tear away, down her cheek.

"Drusilla..." She sniffled in reply.

"That's an awfully grown up name for a little girl..." I smiled.

"I'm not little...I'm five," She said, holding up her hand.

"Well. It's nice to meet you, Drusilla. You see that ship over there?" I asked, turning slightly, pointing to the Jolly Roger.

"Mm-hmm," Drusilla nodded.

"That's my ship. Would you like to come with me and stay on it?" I asked, looking down at her.

Drusilla nodded again, and I stood up, taking her hand and led her over to the rowboat. Placing her inside, I pushed the boat into the water, climbing inside and began rowing back to the ship. I lit the lantern, waving it about for a few minutes before rowing again.

After hooking the ropes back to the ends of the rowboat, Drusilla and I were lifted into the air, making our way up to the deck. I helped Drusilla out of the boat and saw the looks the crew were giving me. I looked down, seeing my bare right hand then looked back up at the crew. I smiled, climbing out of the boat, standing next to Drusilla. "I am not the real Captain Hook, as you can tell by my right hand. The real Hook died a few days before you joined, making me captain. I took on the appearance to prove to you that I am frightening in my own way. I am still your captain even though I have both my hands. Do any of you have a problem with that?" I said, loud enough for all of them to hear me.

The majority vote was 'no, they didn't mind'. I must have scared them enough that they feared me, hook-handed or not. I smiled, then noticed that the crew were staring at Drusilla. "This is Drusilla. She is a guest on the Jolly Roger and you will treat her like a princess. Do you understand me?" I said, introducing her. The crew 'aye-aye'd. And, letting them return to their work, led Drusilla up the stairs to my cabin.

Drusilla uttered a small gasp, at how lavish the cabin was. "It's so pretty!" She said, turning to smile at me. I smiled, nodding slowly. She ran over to the bed, jumping on it for a few minutes. She stopped, turning to face me. "What's your name?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, her hauntingly familiar blue eyes meeting mine.

"Emma. You can call me Emma," I smiled, walking over to the bed.

"Is that your real name? Or is it a name you gave those men out there?" Drusilla asked, nodding in the direction of the door.

"Oh, no," I chuckled. "It's my real name. They don't call me that, though. They call me 'Captain'. You don't have to though. Emma's fine."

"Okay..." Drusilla smiled.

"So...where's your mommy?" I asked, sitting on the end of the bed.

Drusilla plopped down, sitting cross-legged on the bed, her eyes tearing up slightly. "I don't know. The bad people took me before I could meet her. One minute, I was in a warm, dark place, the next I was in a white room with the blonde boy and the changing woman. I was there for a long time then I found myself on the beach," She replied, sounding a lot older than she was.

"That's awfully big talk for a little girl," I frowned slightly.

"The boy and the woman talked to me like I was an adult. They're the ones that taught me how to talk," Drusilla replied, yawning slightly.

"Tired, hon?" I asked, thinking about what to use for a nightgown for her.

"A little..." She nodded, rubbing sleepily at one eye.

"Well, let's get you something to sleep in..." I said, standing up, walking over to the armoire.

Searching through my old clothes, I found a t-shirt of mine that was kinda long and handed to her, grabbing a white tank top and green pajama pants for myself, sick of the nightgowns that reminded me so much of James. When I turned around, Drusilla was in the t-shirt, the dress hanging off the end of the bed. She looked over at me, smiling tiredly. Without having to say anything, she climbed under the covers, on my side of the bed, forcing me to sleep on James' side. I gulped audibly, walking over to the right side of the bed, climbing under the covers. Drusilla fell asleep almost immediately, snuggling up against my side, like any child would. I soon drifted off to sleep, a tear slipping down my cheek and landing on the pillow where my love's head used to rest.

I woke up the next morning, to Drusilla jumping on the bed, singing for me to wake up. Repressing my urge to maim those that wake me, I opened my eyes, seeing Drusilla smile down at me. "Good morning!" She sang, the light filtering through the windows, making her blue eyes brighter. Sniffling slightly, I scratched lazily at my hair, sitting up in bed.

"Morning..." I yawned.

"Did you sleep well?" Drusilla asked, ceasing her jumping, her eyes watching me.

Flashes of a more mature dream involving James and myself in the very bed that Drusilla and I sat on surfaced in my mind. I blushed slightly, smiling, "Good, I-I slept well. What about you?"

"I had a dream about a boy who could fly!" Drusilla replied excitedly.

"Oh, really?" I asked, arching an eyebrow, reaching over onto the bedside table, picking my glasses up and putting them on my face.

"Uh-huh! And he thought me all sorts of stuff about this place. About fairies, and mermaids, and Indians!" Drusilla said, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"Well, sounds like you had a very entertaining dream."

"I did!"

"Good. So...what would you like to do today?" I asked, leaning against the headboard, threading my fingers behind my head.

"I don't have to do the dishes, do I?" Drusilla asked, worriedly, lowering her face.

I laughed. "No, of course not! Why would you think such a thing?" I replied, reaching up and tucking a lock of her dark brown hair behind an ear. Drusilla shrugged.

"I dunno. I was just worried," Drusilla replied.

"Someone so young shouldn't worry so much," I said, placing two fingers under her chin to lift her face, smiling at her. "Say, why don't I let Gabriel give the men their chores and you and I can go play on the island?"

"Really?" Drusilla asked, her forget-me-not blues widening.

"Of course. Little girls shouldn't be stuck on a boat with a bunch of smelly old men all day. Besides," I leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "I'm getting kinda tired of the smelly old men myself."

Drusilla covered her cupid bow lips with a small hand, giggling. I smiled, climbing out of bed to inform Gabriel of my plans. "You get dressed for a day of sun and sand. I'm gonna go tell Mr. Gabriel what we're gonna do," I said from the doorway. Drusilla nodded happily, climbing off the bed and hurrying over to where her clothes lay.

Exiting the cabin, I walked out on deck, my dark eyes searching for the tell-tale black attire of Gabriel Van Helsing. I found him on the bridge, talking with several of the men. Walking down the stairs from my cabin, I strode across the deck in my bare feet, then sauntered up the stairs, stopping next to Gabriel, looking over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?" I whispered in his ear. I chuckled when he jumped.

"Oh! Cap'n. Good morning," Gabriel smiled politely.

"Morning. Hey, Gabe, do you think you could handle the crew until...say, noon-ish?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Of course. Why?" Gabriel asked, resting his hand on my bare shoulder. "Are you feeling okay? It was just two nights ago that you--"

"I'm fine," I replied quickly. "I wanted to take Drusilla to shore, let her play on the beach until the sun set. I don't her hanging out with the crew. She might pick up their lingo."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked, frowning slightly.

Before I could reply, one of the crew members shouted from the rigging down to one of the others on the deck, "Osbourne! Ya great ugly bastard! Your face looks like a hen's arse from up here!"

"Are ye gonna throw me down the rope or go play 'Shiver me timbers' with the cook Smithy, ye great poofer!" The other replied, laughing.

Turning back to Gabriel, I arched an eyebrow, as if daring him to challenge me. Gabriel chuckled, "Alright. I'll have a boat prepped. Go get dressed. Captain or not, you're still a woman, and some of the men are staring." I laughed, turning and headed back to my cabin.

Once inside, I saw Drusilla sitting at the desk, fingering all the little grooves in the wood from where James or I had slammed the hook or a dagger down in anger. Drusilla looked up, wearing her underthings: light bloomers that gathered at the knees and a matching camisole, both of a faded white color. "Is that what you're wearing?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, yes. I didn't want to get my dress sandy or wet," Drusilla replied, reminding me of Laura in how she talked.

"Well, I suppose that's best. But what should I wear?" I asked, walking over to the armoire.

Drusilla hopped off the chair, running over to me, only stopping when she bumped into my side. She ducked under my arm, fishing through the clothing and found a knee-length sky blue dress with spaghetti straps that James had picked out when we were in London. "This? Really?" I asked, frowning slightly, remembering James hold it up to his chest then mine, saying how it'd look better on him but I'd better wear it. I chuckled weakly, taking the dress off the hanger and headed into the bathroom.

After changing into the dress, I brushed my hair, and exited the bathroom, walking back over to the armoire, pulling out a pair of my sneakers. Sliding those on my feet, I hooked my cross necklace around my neck, and turned to Drusilla. "Turn, please..." She said, smiling. I did as she said, spinning once, slowly. Drusilla beamed, her smile lighting up the room. "You look really nice," She said.

"Well, thank you," I chuckled, grabbing two pistols and James' sword.

"What are you doing with those?" Drusilla asked, frowning.

"Well, there's lots of things on the island...some are good, some aren't. These are to protect us from the bad things," I explained.

"Oh...okay," Drusilla nodded, heading for the door.

We exited my quarters, walking down the stairs to the rowboat waiting for us. It would be a lot easier to maneuver without the hook on. I helped Drusilla into the boat, then climbed into myself, having two of the men lower the boat to the water. Before they began, Gabriel walked over to me, with a strange look in his dark eyes. Leaning in, his mouth brushed my ear as he whispered, "Be careful. I spoke to the mermaids not five minutes ago. They say someone dangerous is on the island."

"I will. We won't stray any further than the beach," I promised him.

"You look very nice...Cap'n," Gabriel added before pulling away.

I blushed, nodding once. The boat was lowered to the water and I rowed to shore. Pulling the boat up onto the beach, I watched as Drusilla ran twenty feet and stopped, and began doodling in the sand with a stick she had found. Kicking my shoes off, I left them in the boat, feeling the sand between my toes as I walked over to where Drusilla knelt, drawing stick people in the sand. Kneeling next to her, I picked up a stick as well, drawing a little house for the stick people to live in. Drusilla giggled as I made a huge house, with large windows and a chimney.

The hours passed slowly, and unbeknownst to Drusilla and myself, the cloaked stranger watched us from the shadows of the jungle, his eyes, which mirrored Drusilla's watching me act more like a mother in my entire life. The stranger gasped softly, realizing how much Drusilla reminded him of a photograph that he had seen not a few weeks before. He wanted to step out of the shadows, but feared it would scar me, mentally, emotionally.

Three o'clock rolled around and the sun had not set. I frowned, looking down at my watch then up at the sky. "Huh..." I muttered, worrying my bottom lip. Drusilla looked up, her eyes watching me carefully.

"What's the matter?" She asked, licking her lips.

"Oh, nothing...it's just...it should be dark already," I replied, looking up at the sky once more.

"What time is it?" Dru asked, climbing into my lap.

"Three o'clock. The sun usually sets three hours ago. It's usually as black as midnight about this time," I replied.

"The boy with the blue eyes said it's my job to fix Neverland...so the dark doesn't come so soon during the day," Drusilla said, twisting her hands nervously.

Surprised at that, I turned Drusilla towards me, frowning slightly. "This boy...did he have blonde hair?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Yes. It looked like he had been outside often too."

"Did he also have an outfit made of leaves and other green material?" I asked, biting the inside of my cheek.

"Yes! Do you know him?"

"I know of someone like that. But he died," I replied, my mind spinning.

"This boy wasn't alive. He was in the white space with the changing woman. He said a bad person killed him and I was supposed to take his place. And that the bad person needed to be punished," Drusilla said, looking out over at the Jolly Roger.

"Did he say who the bad person was, Dru?" I asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

Drusilla raised her head, turning to face me, her eyes, whose color haunted me, met mine. "The changing woman said that the bad person would be the first person I met. Then she changed into you before she sent me away," Drusilla replied, causing me to gasp softly. "Did you kill the boy?" She asked quietly.

"I'm afraid I did, honey. You see, he killed someone I loved very much. And in my anger, I killed him, in my attempt to get even. I knew afterwards that I shouldn't have, when the monsters started coming here, but I was so upset over the man he had killed, I didn't care."

"Cap'n, behind you!" I heard Gabriel shout from down the beach.

After setting Drusilla to the side to keep her safe, I whirled around, reaching for my pistols, aiming them into the foliage. "Gabriel, what the hell are you doing here, man?" I demanded, keeping my pistols pointing towards the trees.

Gabriel ran over to me, his guns drawn as well. "I had one of the men keep watch on you just for safety precautions after the sun didn't set. He kept seeing a shadow in the trees behind you move and finally decided to inform me not ten minutes ago," Gabriel explained, cocking his guns.

Glancing down at Drusilla, I lowered my guns, not wanting her to see the violent side of me. "Stop, Gabe. Give the person a chance to explain themselves," I said, placing an hand on his arm. Lowering his pistols, Gabriel took a step forward, shouting for the person in the shadows to step forward. The shadows shifted and the hooded stranger stepped from the foliage, the hood keeping their features in shadow.

Dropping one of my pistols to the sand, I strode forward, so I was just a foot away from the hooded stranger. "You. You're the one that saved me up at the cabin. Who are you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Merely a man, who wishes to be whole once more," The hooded stranger replied, his voice hoarse, holding out both hands, showing he was unarmed.

"Well, you seem to have all your limbs. So I'd say you're whole."

"But I am not. I am missing my heart. The very essence that keeps me alive. My soul. Someone has stolen it, you see."

"And who...stole your heart?" I scoffed, playing along with the crazy person.

The hooded figured raised his head, lifting his hood away from his face. "You," He replied simply, his forget-me-not blue eyes meeting mine.

Time seemed to slow to a near stop. Each beat of my heart pounded in my chest like a drum. I couldn't feel any of my limbs and my head felt heavy, like I needed sleep. My vision swam and with a small, uttered, "James?" I passed out, my eyes rolling back in my head.

James rushed forward, catching me before I hit the ground. Drusilla, worried for her caretaker, ran over, ignoring Gabriel's warning to stay away from the strange man. James knelt on the ground, cradling me in his arms. Drusilla knelt across from him, her long dark hair falling into her face. She pushed it back with sandy hands, some of the grains staying in her hair. Drusilla stroked a hand down my cheek, then looked up at James, who was watching her. Their eyes, the exact same shade of blue, met, and James cleared his throat, turning to Gabriel, saying, "Get the girl to the boat, I shall carry the captain."

Gabriel nodded, sliding his pistols back into their holsters, walking over to Drusilla and holding out his hand. Looking up at Gabriel with a wisdom beyond her years, Drusilla nodded, taking his hand and walking with him over to the rowboat she came in. James stood up, shifting his hold, one leg tucked beneath my knees, the other supporting my back. Carrying my unconscious form to the same boat, he set me inside, then climbed in right after, pushing a lock of hair away from my face. Gabriel climbed in as well, grabbing the oars and began rowing back to the Jolly Roger.

Once reaching the ship, the crew hefted the boat back up to the deck, and James, followed closely by Drusilla, carried me to my quarters, placing me in bed. James sat down in a chair beside the bed, watching me. Almost as if it was a reflex, Drusilla climbed into James' lap, hugging him. Unnerved by the child that would hug him willingly, James circled his arms around the small girl's waist, resting his head lightly on hers.