Disclaimer: "Okay, here goes. I do not own any of the Grimm Fairy Tales. I do not own any of the new and reworked versions of these fairy tales that Disney has turned into movies. I do not own any of the characters here in. The only thing I claim are the twists and turns I included in the story that were obviously not part of the original tales told by the Brothers Grimm or Disney. And also, my description of the main character."

*Warning: Sexual references and situations implied later in the chapter. I don't think it's anything terribly graphic, but if someone reads it and disagrees or finds something offensive, please let me know. And if this isn't something you don't want to read, skip the chapter, or at least the latter half of the chapter.

Okay, I think the rest of it should be good. Enjoy! :)

How Peter Became Pan and the Jolly Roger Romance

Some in the room are stunned to silence, but not all for the same reason. Luke, Snow, Aurora, Phillip, Pinocchio, Rapunzel, Rose, Timothy, and even Henry are all shocked to find that Robyn Hood is in fact a girl. Ariel and Eric are shocked too. Eric because Robyn Hood is a girl, but Ariel because she recognizes the look of this Robyn Hood as the look of the Robyn who gave her legs. Marian is simply smiling, having known the most about Robyn Hood, the fact that she was a girl and that she had magic as well.

Rumpel and Belle are staring at her in shock too. Belle mostly because she's wondering along with Snow how she came across the chain, but Rumpel is staring because he's still putting the pieces together in his head. And James is sitting in the chair next to where Robyn currently stands, and is pondering why something about this hooded figure feels familiar.

Snow is the first to regain her bearings. Holding up the chain again, she points to Robyn and says, "You're a girl?"

Robyn sighs as though already exhausted of the topic, but responds and says, "Yes."

"And you gave this to him, to Rumpel, in exchange for my protection."

"The deal itself is a tad more complicated than that, but essentially yes. That is why I went to him."

Snow grips it tighter in her hand and asks, "Where is she?"

"Who?"

And now Snow glares, not enjoying whatever game Robyn is trying to play at. She obviously already knows who Snow is talking about. Heatedly, she asks, "Where is she? Where is Red?"

"Snow, I'm right here." They both turn to look at Red Riding Hood, or Rose as Robyn and Snow have always called her.

Snow shakes her head and says, "Not you Rose. Where is my sister?"

Rose tilts her head and asks in surprise, "Wait. Back up a minute. You have a sister?"

Snow nods hesitantly after a moment and says, "Yes, I had a sister."

James sighs and stands up while looking at Snow. "You may as well explain it to them. They don't know anything about Red Robyn except for maybe what they might've heard on their way in." So, Robyn was right. This town, her old kingdom, still hates her name.

Snow looks at Hook, and when he nods she sighs and says, "Fine." Looking out at everyone, Snow says, "Everyone has at least heard of the massacre that took place many years ago right?"

Ariel is the only one to shake her head and Eric says, "A knight set the town meeting hall on fire and killed the thirty or so people that were trapped inside." She gasps and puts a hand to her mouth.

Snow nods and says, "Yes, and because whoever did it was dressed as a knight, it was believed that the king had to have given the order for the building to be burnt down."

Phillip folds his hands on the table and asks, "Dressed as a knight? Are you saying it wasn't?"

Snow looks over at Phillip and says, "We've never actually figured out who really set the fire. He got away."

'Damn'. That's all Robyn can think. She gave up everything, and the bastard still somehow got away.

Sighing, Snow continues, "Anyways, the town wanted my father, King Arthur, to stand judgment for the crime. They wanted to kill him."

Henry nods and says, "But he didn't. They caught the real culprit. I always thought that much was true."

"No, they didn't." Snow takes a deep breath, though tears still come to her eyes. Robyn clenches her fist tighter to resist the urge to go and put a comforting arm around her. She is not Red Robyn. She is Robyn Hood. "My sister was fourteen at the time. And even then, she had a deep love for her people. She cared for everyone that would ever let her. The knights adored her, were some of her best friends." Pointing to James, Snow adds, "Hook was her best friend of all."

Robyn glances over at James briefly, remembering her time on the ship with him, remembering being so close to him. She remembers how she had almost believed that she could simply sail with him forever, and leave all the rest of the world behind. But that had changed thanks to Ursula's vendetta.

Snow continues, "Her name was Red Robyn. She was and still is the most wonderful person I've ever met." James smiles at her gently and nods for her to continue. Nodding, she takes another deep breath and says, "When she realized that nothing else would appease the people but to find the person responsible and to kill him, she knew that we would have to give them someone to blame. And by then they were already certain that it was the king's fault, so it couldn't be just anyone. It had to be a royal."

Sighing, Snow says, "And Red decided that it had to be her. The knights were her friends. It would be easy to believe that she had convinced one of them to help her. The town had always seen her as different. She would rather shoot arrows and ride horses than go dress shopping or looking at fine jewelry. She was so smart… so smart."

Luke puts an arm around her and continues for her. "Red formed a plan in which she would have the knights chase her from the kingdom. The next day, her father decreed that she was banished and outlawed from the land. Red made the town believe that she was the cause of the massacre in order to assure that they would not tear themselves apart, and to ensure that they would still have a king."

Hugging Snow closer, he adds, "She is the bravest young woman I've ever heard of." And he turns to Robyn and says, "And I'm sorry Robyn, woman or not, but if you stole from her I will bring charges up against you." Lifting his sword, he asks, "Now, did you take it from her?"

Robyn remains quiet for a moment, and then turns her attention back to Snow. "No, I did not take the necklace from Red Robyn."

But Snow shakes her head and declares, "She would not have given it to you."

"I assured her I would return with the pendant. She did not think of the chain as being the most important piece."

Snow stares at her for a moment, and then asks softly, "Is that why I felt as though I knew you when we first met so long ago? Was Red with you?"

"Red lived in Sherwood Forest among those cast out from the kingdom for a time, yes. Only I ever knew her full name though."

A tear slips from Snow's eye, and she asks, "Do… do you know where she is now?"

Robyn grits her teeth for a moment, and then says, "Red prefers for her whereabouts to remain hidden from any and all people who would know her true identity."

Snow sucks in a breath and asks, "Why?"

And Robyn answers in a softer tone, "Because it is safer that way. That has always been her answer to me."

Rumpel stares at her a bit longer, and then stands up and says, "Since you are here, come with me for a moment. I will show her where the weapons are being made and be back shortly to see if together we've come up with a better plan than the one we currently have."

Aladdin tilts his head and says, "We don't have a plan."

To that Rumpel rolls his eyes and says sarcastically, "Exactly." Outside the doors, as soon as they are closed, Rumpel turns and points his finger at Robyn. "Now, don't lie to me Robyn Hood. What is your real name?"

She glares at him from under her hood, but lifts it off anyway to reveal the cap she's wearing. Rumpel stares for a moment, and then realizes that the hair she is hiding remains that way because of the unique color it possesses. The color that had only ever belonged to two people, Red Robyn and her mother.

Smirking, he says, "So, I'm right. You are Red Robyn."

"Father, you can't keep doing this."

Peter watches as his father, Rumpelstiltskin, locks yet another trinket into one of his display cases. Turning to look at his son, Rumpel says, "But of course I can Peter."

"But father, all of this is changing you. You used to only want magic to help people. Now all you care about is keeping this castle and making deals and the things you can get these desperate people to give you."

Rumpel sighs as his son tries to point out the bad that has come of his acquiring magic. Turning to look around his room, Rumpel says, "Look Peter, I don't go looking to make these deals. All of these people come to me."

Peter huffs and says, "And you could just help them if you wanted. But no, you have to make them give you something in return."

"Well what is the point in helping someone else when there is nothing in it for yourself?"

Peter shakes his head and says, "That is the point dad. You're supposed to just help people because they need it. That's what a good person does. They help people without expecting anything in return. And sometimes you do get stuff in return, like friendship and love."

Rumpel looks at him dumbfounded and asks, "How will those things help in adding to my collection?"

Peter leans back, and as a tear falls from his eye, he shakes his head again and says, "Why can't you see how wrong this all is? Why won't you listen?"

"Peter, I know you must mean well son, but you're also wrong."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. People in this world aren't ever going to help you out of simple kindness. If you want something, you have to pay to get it. People should be grateful that what I ask for is always something they happen to have."

"The things most precious to them?"

Rumpel grins and says, "Well, it must not be that precious if they are willing to part with it for my help."

Peter watches his father turn around, back to admiring his 'precious' items. It's all he does now. He admires the objects that people give him in order to ask for his help. And those poor people. Half the time they never actually get what they want. Their wishes are granted, but then things still don't turn out the way they had hoped.

Turning away, Peter runs up to his room in the castle and grabs the bag of supplies he'd been gathering periodically over the past few weeks. He can't take it anymore. All Rumpel cares about anymore is magic and the things it can get him. Peter is almost certain that he won't even be missed when he runs away.

He has two containers of rations that he'd stolen from the kitchen, all in small amounts so his father wouldn't notice. He didn't want to get any of the servants or delivery men in trouble after all. Pulling out his back pack, he fills it with whatever clothes he can manage to carry. Then carefully, walking very slowly so he makes no sound on the floor, he goes back down the stairs and into the hall. He looks in at his father, still walking around admiring all of the items that people have given him in the past. This is it. No turning back.

Taking a deep breath, Peter walks past the room, and then quietly opens the door, steps out, and shuts it behind him. Peter isn't entirely sure where he's going. He hasn't planned that far ahead yet. All he knows is that he has to get away, before his father's obsession with magic becomes one of his own.

It's weeks later, in the woods, lost and alone, when Peter sits down in the cold and leans back against a tree. Curling up on himself, he presses his head against his knees and lets his tears fall from his eyes. He's cold, he's hungry, and even though he doesn't want to go home, he's considering caving and calling out his father's name. Rumpel would hear him. He might be angry, and probably would scold him for a week and lock him in a room where he would never be able to leave again. He'd probably put him somewhere and keep him there forever like he does all of his precious objects.

Crying harder, he's about to speak it, about to say the name, when a light passes in the corner of his eye. Lifting his head, he gasps and jumps back slightly as a bright little fairy floats in front of him.

Her head tilts slightly as she watches him, and then in a tinkling sounding voice, she asks, "Little boy, why are you crying?"

For a moment, all Peter can do is stare. His hands still shake at his sides from the cold, but there is a slight fear in them as well. What would this fairy want? He'd heard from some people that had come to his home before that fairies could be wicked creatures. But this fairy didn't look wicked. No, she just looked concerned.

Her eyes look down to his hands, and then she zips up into the air above his head, and then over to a small patch of clearing to his right. A fire springs up in the middle of a pile of branches and twigs that she pulls together, and then she comes back to him. Floating down, she grabs his finger in her tiny arms and tugs on him slightly. "Come on. You're very cold. The fire will make you feel better. Maybe then you will stop crying."

He follows her as he finally gets to his feet and she leads him over to the fire. She makes a stump appear in the ground and he sits down on it while still staring at her. She comes to float in front of him again, and then asks again, "Why are you crying?"

Peter sniffs after a moment, and then sighs and says, "Have you ever heard of Rumpel… well, I won't say his whole name or he might show up here."

The fairy nods and asks worriedly, "I know of the one you speak of. Has he hurt you?"

Peter sighs again and says, "I don't think he understands that he has." He proceeds to tell this little fairy about how his father was obsessed with magic, so much so that no matter how much he'd tried to talk sense into him, Rumpel had been able to rework the conversation so that Peter was wrong. "I couldn't get him to see what it was doing to him. So I ran away."

"And now you are cold and hungry and have nowhere to go?"

Peter nods and says sadly, "That would pretty much sum it up, yeah." Looking her over, he asks, "What about you? Why is a fairy way out here?"

She tilts her head again, and then floats closer and lands on his shoulder to sit down. "I'm searching for the one I love. He's a genie, and his lamp was taken from the place where we fairies had put it to keep it safe. Now no one knows where it is." Peter watches as a tiny tear falls from her own eye, and he pulls out a little handkerchief and holds it up to her. She takes it and says softly, in a tinkling voice, "Thanks." She dabs her eyes, and then looks up at him. "I have an idea."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you come with me to Neverland? There are plenty of other children there, children who don't have homes. You would be welcome there."

Peter ponders this, and then asks, "But what could I do for you in return?"

But the fairy shakes her head and says, "I ask no favors of you. I simply want to see you happy. You look like a boy who deserves to be happy."

Peter smiles, happy to see his father proven wrong. There were people, even fairies, who helped people simply because it was the right thing to do. "Okay. I'd love to come. But how will we get there?"

The fairy laughs merrily and says, "We will fly of course." She zips into the air, and suddenly Peter feels himself being covered in the dust that falls as she circles over him.

A little worried, he asks, "What is this?"

"It's fairy dust. All you have to do is think of a lovely thought, and you will be able to fly with me. I would carry you, but it is a far way away."

"You can carry me?"

"I can grow to be your size and I'm stronger then, so yes. But I prefer this size. Now, what is your name?"

"Peter. What's yours?"

She smiles merrily and says, "I'm Tinkerbell. Now, think of a lovely thought Peter, and then we will fly to Neverland."

Peter thinks back on his short life, thinks back over his few experiences. What would be happy enough to allow him to fly? He finally settles for a happy, and yet slightly sad thought. He remembers the time when his father and he had been in the stables tending the horses, and Rumpel had been teaching him how to ride. It's sad because he knows it will never happen again, but it's the happiest memory he has of him and his father. When Peter opens his eyes, they widen as he realizes that he is floating off the ground.

Tinkerbell laughs merrily, and then pulls on his collar and says, "Come on Peter. We're off to Neverland."

Hook looks down from the helm of his ship at his crew. Well, down and up. His lookout is up at his post, and a few other men are currently hanging from the riggings to look out over the water. Some of his men are down on the deck, some snacking and some working on the ropes for the anchor that is currently worn. Eventually, the rope will have to be replaced.

Truthfully though, in spite of all the other movement and work on his ship, his eyes continuously return to his newest crew member. It's been two months since Marian joined his crew. They'd docked at a harbor he knew of nearby, and in town he'd taken her to shop for new clothes.

Most women he'd ever bought things for had always gone for extravagant clothing, clothing that would never be helpful or even wise to wear on a ship. But Marian had only looked through clothes that were practical. She didn't even look at the skirts. That must've been something Captain Thomas had insisted she have. Maybe after a while he hadn't even let her buy her own clothes.

Not only that, but Marian only wanted the clothes that she would need aboard the ship. Everyone on the crew had a different set of clothes for each day of the week. Marian did the same, making all of her choices as cheap as she could. Hook is in no way poor or low on money. Smee had told her as much, but that apparently didn't matter.

Looking at her now, swabbing the deck with a mop, he sees the dark blue top that she'd bought and the pair of black pants the cling to her legs all the way down to her ankles, past where her black boots cover them up. He hated to admit that he liked the way she preferred dressing. She didn't want dresses and frilly things. She didn't see the practicality in them, or the purpose of having them at all really. And she didn't need all of those revealing dresses anyway. She had undershirts that she wore beneath the tops she'd bought, and on hot days she often removed her heavier top in favor of just wearing those.

When she does that, one can still see the marks left behind from when Thomas had been her Captain. After she'd patched him up from his wound, and after they'd set her friend out to sea, he'd requested that she let one of his men tend to her wounds at her instruction. She'd chosen Smee, because out of everyone he and Hook were the only two she knew very well at all. Now all that remains are the scars, and chances are that they will never fully go away. She doesn't seem all too concerned about that though.

She straightens up from where she had been bent over a moment ago, and takes a moment to look out at the ocean before them. She had a true appreciation of it, like she wasn't just here to get away from something, but she truly felt that she was in a beautiful place.

Her deep blue eyes casting out over the water always made something in Hook's stomach twist. Not in a painful way, but in a curious way that he wasn't used to. He hadn't really felt it for a long time, not since he was a child.

Not since Red Robyn had taken her leave and been banished from his home land.

Shaking his head, he pushes that thought aside, though he touches the hook on his left wrist for a moment before putting his hand back on the wheel. Red. She had said her goodbyes to him in the only way she'd known he would let her. And that had been to not let him know she was planning on leaving. It was one of the few times he can remember that he hadn't really been able to tell what she was thinking.

And the arrow that she'd shot directly at his feet, the one he had helped her make, is still one of his most prized possessions. It remains on the lower decks, behind protective glass, never touched by anyone else, and only rarely taken out by himself.

Marian starts working again. When Hook had handed her the mop on the first day he'd expected her to complain, or at least sigh because it was the same work she had done on Thomas' ship. But she simply took it and asked where the rest of the cleaning supplies were. That way, she didn't have to keep asking for other people to bring her what she needed.

The ship has never been so spotless. One day, as she'd been working, Hook had come up beside her and touched the rail that she had just finished cleaning. Her frozen stance gave him pause, but he continued in his action and then said, "I don't think the Jolly Roger has ever seen a finer shine than this." Marian had relaxed back down, and Hook had asked, "If you were always this good, why did Thomas take you to his quarters for punishment?"

He hadn't elaborated on what had happened to her. It was clearly something she didn't want to talk about. But when her eyes met his this time, he saw her own confusion as she tried to think of an answer. Finally, she'd simply sighed and said, "It wasn't good enough."

"I don't see how it could get better."

She'd shrugged and said quietly, "Neither did I, but apparently it could've been." She's not a wench. That much has been made very clear. But Thomas had obviously wanted her to be, and he'd tried to beat it into her. And she hadn't budged.

The fact that she hadn't cried during any of her beatings is still something that confounds him. Crying would be understood, especially for her. And yet he can see her jaw tense and her muscles brace against any sign of that reaction. She'd once been hit by a weighted rope by one of his men, a clumsy mistake that the man was quickly scolded for.

The impact had knocked her off her feet, and sent her clean across the ship, slamming her into the railing. The impact itself would've made a grown man's eyes water. Coupled with her already bruised and injured back, Hook had been certain she would've screamed. But she did no such thing. She sat there quietly and waited while they pulled it off of her, and then stood to her feet and said that it was okay.

She was fine. Not in the sense that she actually was okay and fine, but in the sense that she was determined to make everyone else think that she was. Problem with it was, Hook could see past it. And he didn't buy any of it.

Marian looks out over the water again, watching the waves roll by, and then tentatively turns her head and looks up to where Hook is standing at the helm. His attention is now currently turned towards one of his men who is adjusting one of the sails. Taking a deep breath, she tells herself again that if he comes over to talk to her she won't become any softer. She's felt it every time he's come into her space. Her body shifts, as though opening up to welcome whatever attention he's come to give her. He can merely be asking a question or making a request, and she still feels her hard exterior come down as his eyes seem to study her, always studying her.

So obviously, her repeated mantra of, 'I won't be soft', isn't working, since it still always happens. Sighing, she returns to scrubbing the deck. But no sooner has she done that then the ship suddenly rumbles and shakes, as though it had hit something. Or something had hit it.

Hook moves over to look over the port side, and then to starboard. Sure enough, another ship is in sight, and they apparently want a fight. "Get ready lads!" His crew rushes around to gather their weapons and arms. Hook calls to Smee to steer the ship, and then rushes down himself. He hooks Marian's left elbow and pulls her back to him. "Get below deck."

"I can help."

But he shakes his head to her and says, "I want you below deck until this is over. Understood?" She glares at him, the first time she's shown any aggression towards him at all, but doesn't argue. Well, as long as you don't count her jerking free of him as arguing.

Once she's below, Hook orders Smee to bring them up alongside of the enemy ship. "Steady lads. We don't know who we're up against yet, so be on guard. Don't underestimate them and give them the upper hand." And while that would be a good plan, the other ship happens to have many more men, and they already have the upper hand. The battle lasts a long while, the sound of metal clashing with metal and fists connecting with jaws endlessly playing out even from down below where Marian is waiting. But in the end the greater numbers of the other man's ship wins out and Hook and his crew drop their swords in the interest of staying alive.

Captain Vincent laughs harshly as he walks about Hook's ship. "Let's see if there is anything of value on board this hunk of wood that might actually be useful. Search it boys." He sends three of his men down to the lower levels to search. Hook's immediate thought is of Marian. She's still down there. Hopefully she's hiding somewhere. He may not fully understand why he can't keep her out of his mind, but he does know one thing. He can't lose her.

But everyone's attention turns back to the latch door when it bursts back open, slamming against the deck as one of his men scrambles back out. And even when he is finally out, he can't even make it up to his feet, and crawls on all fours back to Vincent. The Captain stares at his crew member in confusion and asks angrily, "Mason, what in the hell is wrong with you?"

He gags for a moment, and then swallows tightly and says, "The wench did something to me."

"Wench?"

Hook glares at both of them and says, "You've apparently pissed the lady off."

Vincent raises an eyebrow and says, "I see. You four. Get down there and bring her back up here."

Hesitantly, four more of Vincent's crew obey his orders, and descend into the hull to find Marian. And after a few minutes with no sign of them Vincent sends three more. Glaring at the doorway, Vincent is about to send two more, but then notices that Mason is now spitting up blood. He drops his sword from Hook's neck and bends down to him. Glaring back up, he snarls at Hook, "What did she do to him? Whatever it is, she had better be able to undo it."

"I can." And all heads turn to her as she comes out of the hold. "Well, I can fix him at least. I'm not helping your other boys."

Vincent glares and asks, "What are you talking about?"

She turns to look down into the hole, and then says, "Get out here." All nine file out slowly, all of them sporting wounds and wincing as they try to move. It's not even like it hurts, but it looks as though all nine men feel as if they're weighted down with something.

Vincent glares again as he watches his crew drag themselves around and says, "What did you do?"

But Marian doesn't answer. Instead she looks up at Hook, and tilts her head in question. Hook lowers his hand and hook from the defensive position they had been in and motions for her to come to his side. She does, and then he asks, "What did you do?"

To him, her captain, she answers, "I infected those nine idiots with a special toxin. They're basically like anchors themselves, dragging against the ocean floor. That's how they feel anyways." Looking down at Vincent, she says, "And there's nothing I can do for them. You just have to wait for it to wear off."

He huffs in aggravation, and then says, "Fine, but fix him."

"In good time."

"What do you mean in good time? Do it now."

But Marian doesn't budge, and instead looks back up at Hook. He grins down at her and then looks to Vincent. "Get your men off of my ship. Then she'll see about helping your mate."

Vincent smirks now and says, "Hate to break it to you Hook, but you're still outnumbered."

Marian sighs, and then pulls her arrow from behind her back and knocks it into the bow she's been holding. Aiming it right at his shoulder, she says, "Maybe. But now I have you."

Vincent's eyes actually widen as she aims it at him. And Hook can't keep the smug look off his face. But Vincent simply glares and says, "If you kill me then my entire crew will attack."

But Marian stays calm and says, "This won't kill you. It'll infect you with the same thing I put into Mason here. He has about another two hours before he dies. You will have two and a half, maybe three once it hits you."

Marian turns her head to look back at Hook, a slight glare in her eyes, but not necessarily at him. She's tired of this now. She wants them gone. Hook puts his hook at her back, not in a threatening gesture, but in one of comfort. For a moment he worries that she doesn't take it that way, but instead of worrying about the hook at her back, she simply sighs as if to ask when this will finally be over.

Looking down at Vincent, Hook says, "I'd listen to her mate. She's pretty good with her little remedies. Get your crew off of my ship, and she'll give you what you need to fix up your mate Mason. Then we can all be on our way."

It takes another few minutes before Vincent realizes that there's no way he's winning this fight, not while Marian has her bow trained on his right shoulder. Once his crew and he are off of the ship, Marian lowers her bow and pulls out a small vile with a brown colored liquid inside. Bending down to Mason, she says, "Drink this." He does, and then hurries his way back to his own ship.

Once they're back out at sea, well beyond the reach of Vincent and his crew, Hook gives Jackson the helm and moves to the bow of the ship where Marian is standing and looking out over the sea. Others of the crew had come up to her since they'd finally gotten away, but they all left her side looking rather dejected, though understandingly so. Like they were upset that she wouldn't talk to them very long but they understood why she didn't want to.

Coming up to her side, he says, "A penny for your thoughts Love."

But she doesn't even turn to look at him as she says bitterly, "Don't call me that."

Turning to face her fully, he says, "It wasn't a problem before."

"Yeah, well, that was when I thought you actually felt like I was more than a stupid wench."

Hook pauses, and then his jaw locks in anger. "I know you're not a wench."

She turns to face him, the anger evident in her eyes, but more than that is the hurt that he can see there. "Then why did you shove me away into the hull of the ship? In case you didn't notice, you were kind of screwed before I started coming up with something."

Hook moves closer until she's backed against the railing behind her. Leaning closer, close enough for his breath to wash softly across her whole face, he says, "I didn't send you down there because I was ashamed of you. I sent you down there to protect you."

"You hid me."

"So he wouldn't think to take you should he find you during our little scuffle."

Her glare softens, but her voice is still tight when she says, "I can take care of myself."

Hook smirks slightly and says, "Of that, I have no doubt Love. But on this ship, we can't work together properly with that mentality. We take care of each other. And like it or not, I do try to behave like a gentleman when possible, and a gentleman doesn't put a lady's safety at risk so carelessly." Her eyes soften further, and she slumps in defeat. She's not unhappy with his answer, but she's still bothered by something. Tilting his head, Hook asks, "What troubles you Love?"

She looks up at him, but then shakes her head and says, "It's nothing. I'll work on it."

"Work on what Love?"

"Being a team player I suppose you could say." He tilts his head again, and Marian mumbles softly, "It's been a while since I've been with other people. I'm used to being on my own; taking care of myself."

Hook watches her bite her lip, and the urge he has to replace her teeth with his own catches him by surprise. Instead, he gently raises his hand and pulls her bottom lip from her teeth with his thumb. Her eyes return to his, and he smiles gently before saying, "You'll get used to it Love."

She hesitates a moment longer, and then says, "Please don't put me down there again."

He ponders it for a moment, and then asks, "Why?"

"It makes me feel useless. Like you don't think I'll be of any good use, or you think that I'll be in the way up here."

He can't help but chuckle, and Marian smiles slightly in relief because he obviously thinks her concern is a ridiculous one. "Oh Marian. You are a great many things, but useless is not one of them."

She smiles up at him, and then sighs and says, "I'm going to swab the deck now."

"No, not tonight."

"But…"

He cuts off her protest though and says, "I am the captain, and I said not tonight Love. You've earned one night to relax I believe." And he chuckles again when her eyes widen. "I take it you wouldn't know what to do with yourself."

She nods after a moment, so Hook wraps an arm around her waist while taking a step back from her. Smiling gently at her, he says, "Join me at the helm Love. I'll teach you a few of the finer points of sailing the Jolly Roger." And for the first time ever, he can see that she actually looks eager and excited about being on this ship, not just pleasantly okay with the situation.

It's as she's turning the ship two knobs to port when Hook asks, "So, why are you so determined to make everyone feel like you don't need them?" She turns to look at him, raising an eyebrow in either question or confusion. Hook just shakes his head and says, "Let's not pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. I've seen all of my men try to offer you comforts or simply a helping hand and you refuse them. You aren't rude about it. You simply insist that you're fine."

"I am fine."

Now Hook raises an eyebrow, and puts his hand gently against her back. Marian pauses for a moment and he nods and says, "Someone who has been through what you have is not simply fine. You are tough and stubborn, and you can take it. But that doesn't mean you're fine."

Sighing, Marian asks, "What exactly do you want me to say?"

"I want to know why you refuse any attention from anyone."

She pauses again, and then says, "I suppose I'm afraid."

He leans against the railing in front of the wheel to her right and asks, "Afraid of what Love?"

"Depending on people."

Nodding, he asks, "You've been hurt or abandoned before then?"

She pauses, and then shakes her head. "No. No, people don't abandon me." Hook studies her features, trying to discern exactly why depending on people should be such a scary thing. Finally, Marian sighs and says, "It's difficult to explain."

Nodding again, he says, "Well, we have an entire afternoon to look into it Love."

She glances at him again, and then back down at her hands on the wheel. Taking a deep breath, she says, "I'm alone."

Confused, he says, "Not here. There are many other people here."

"And yet I'm alone."

He takes a step forward and pushes her gently back from the wheel. Leaning his back against it to keep it steady, he looks to her again and asks, "Alright. Why are you alone?"

"Choices I made in the past."

"Bad choices?"

At that she shakes her head, and her shoulders slump again as she says, "No. No, not bad choices. They were necessary."

To that Hook shakes his own head and says, "Necessary choices should be hard, but they shouldn't leave you alone. If what you did was the right thing…"

But she cuts him off with a sad huff before saying, "Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't reap any reward or bring any comfort and peace. Sometimes that's all it is. It's the right thing."

Hook stares at her, confounded by her logic. "And what you did, it has left you alone."

Huffing again, she crosses her arms and says, "I lost everything."

"For what?"

She turns her eyes back to him and says softly, "For my family and for the people in my kingdom."

"Your kingdom?"

Marian blanches for a moment, and then Hook can see the defensive wall that has been slowly dropping start to rise back up. "The kingdom I lived in Captain."

"Ah." They stare at each other for a moment, and then Hook stands up again. "Come here Love." She steps forward and takes his place at the wheel again. He stands right behind her, placing his hand and hook at her waist while leaning closer to speak into her ear. "Do you see Smee?"

She looks down to see him polishing the swords of the crew. "Yes."

"And what is he doing?"

"Cleaning the swords."

"Just his sword?"

"No. Everyone's."

Hook nods and says, "And Jackson?"

Marian looks around and then finally finds Jackson adjusting the front most sail of the ship. "Adjusting the sail to catch the wind."

"And why is he doing that?"

"Because we want the ship to go as fast as possible right now."

"And why do we want to do that?"

Grinning, she says, "So Vincent and his crew can't catch up to us."

Hook chuckles and says, "Yes. That is true. Where is Paul?" He continues to ask her about each crew member, waiting for her to find them and point out what each of them is doing.

Finally she just asks, "What's the point here?"

Hook chuckles again and says, "The point is to make you see that being alone is not an option here." She glances back at him, and then back at the crew. Each one had a job. Each one did it without even really being told. Everyone worked together for the good of the ship, the good of each other, the good of their fellow man. For the good of their family, even if they are a family of pirates.

Marian swallows thickly after a moment, and then asks, "And what of you Captain?"

He pauses briefly at her question, and then answers, "I steer the ship. I keep us on course. I provide direction when needed. And if necessary I provide a firm hand and voice if people get out of line."

She nods, and then asks, "And what of me?"

His hand at her hip squeezes gently, and the warmth that spreads from his touch makes her stomach flip. "You are my healer. You tend to those who are hurt and ill. You are also the heart of this ship now Love."

Confused, she asks, "The heart?"

Hook nods and whispers in her ear, "You can't really see it Love. You don't really see yourself very well at all in fact. But I'm the captain, and I see everything that happens on my ship." His nose brushes against her ear, and Marian's hands tighten on the wheel. "There have been women on this ship before. Some belonging to a few of my men for a time. Some only because they needed passage to a place we happened to be going. But regardless of reasons why, none of them ever had such a great effect on my crew. They long to ease your pain. They want you to know that they have your back, because it is already very apparent that you have all of ours."

Marian swallows again, this time trying to calm her heart. It fails miserably because his hand slides up her side a little, the warmth from his touch spreading further through her body. It suddenly feels hard to breathe, like the air is suddenly thicker than before. Hook sees the pulse point of her neck, is close enough to feel it tapping out a rapid rhythm. Grinning against her ear, he whispers, "Your heart is racing Love. Why is that?"

She takes a deep breath and says, "Just anxious to get back to sailing I suppose." But she can't help but smile as Hook chuckles.

He leans back finally, his hand sliding around to her back. He doesn't go far, but the thick air lifts and Marian feels both relief and a slight disappointment come with that realization. Yes, she is falling for her childhood friend. Her childhood friend that doesn't even realize she was once his childhood friend.

Still smiling at her, he says, "Two knobs to starboard Love."

She turns the wheel, and then asks, "Why do you call me that?"

"What? Love?" She nods and he shrugs and says, "Seems to suit you. Why? Does it bother you?" Marian shakes her head, but Hook keeps on going, saying, "I suppose I could call you by other names that are as equally fitting. Beautiful would serve the same purpose." Marian glances at him from the corner of her eye, and then smirks while shaking her head because she knows he's teasing.

Grinning at her, he adds, "Of course there is also stubborn or hard-headed." He laughs when she reaches out quickly and punches him in the chest. "I take it you don't approve of those."

"No, not really." But she's laughing too. Looking back out at the crystal blue sea, she sighs and says, "It really is beautiful out here."

Hook lets his hand rise so it's resting higher up on her back. It runs in a gentle circle there, and he can feel Marian relax even further at his side. "Yes it is. Even more so now."

And when she turns to face him again, about to ask what he means, his eyes are trained on her, the ocean right now being the furthest thing from his mind.

"Captain, he's coming."

Marian can't help but almost laugh at the urgency in Smee's voice. It's only a game, but he makes it sound like life or death.

Hook turns to look at her and though he makes his voice stern, the smirk on his face reveals that he's only teasing. "If I lose because you give us away you're going to have to give me personal back massages for the next month."

Marian tilts her head and asks, "And this is bad because?" And he himself almost busts out laughing. She'd gotten better about this, about being open and a part of the crew. It had taken her nearly another three months to do so, but she'd done it. Hook could even come up right behind her, bump his knee against her back side, grip her sides and all, and she can still keep her voice level and talk as though nothing is going on inside her head. Of course that takes a little effort, but at least now she can do it. Her stomach still flips and swarms with butterflies, her cheeks still heat up sometimes, and her heart still skips beats, but she can at least hide it from the rest of the crew.

Whether he realizes that his every move still affects her so greatly has yet to be seen. If he does know exactly what he's doing, he's very good at keeping most of it hidden.

Suddenly a booming laugh sounds overhead, and all three duck down as Peter Pan flies overhead. "I'm going to find you Hook. I'm the best at this game."

Smee turns to them and says quickly, "I'll distract him. You two should get to the caves where he won't be able to find you."

Hook grabs Marian's hand and pulls her with him towards the caverns that rest behind the waterfall they've been heading towards. It is one of the only places on this island of Neverland that Peter Pan has trouble searching because of the rules of the game.

Hook and Peter had met a long time ago. At first Hook and his crew been seen as trespassers, but in the end Peter had convinced the fairies to release them on good faith. Hook had revealed to Peter how he'd truly lost his hand, and the story had touched him. They'd been released on the deal that they return at least once or twice a year to play the game.

The rules were quite simple. Peter would get dusted so he could fly, and Hook's entire crew would scatter and hide on the island. If Peter found everyone before sunset, he won. If two or more people were still missing, Hook won. And if only one person was left missing, they agreed to call it a tie. The rules were that Hook and his men weren't allowed any help from the fairies on the island. Peter's catch was that he couldn't stop flying until he'd found everyone.

Which is what made searching the waterfalls a chore. If he got wet, the fairy dust began to wash off, and so does his ability to fly. That doesn't mean it's impossible for him to search, but it will probably be one of the last places he looks.

Marian and Hook walk carefully along the rocks until they are behind the waterfall, and then he pulls her down into a small and narrow opening that is barely big enough to fit them. Marian finds herself lying down on the bottom, and Hook eventually gives up on trying to give her some space and moves to lay overtop of her. Holding himself up as best he can, trying to keep his weight from crushing her, he says, "If we need to switch places just let me know Love."

She nods, and then shifts slightly as she feels something poking her in her stomach. "Are you wearing your sword?"

Hook pauses for a moment, and it looks like he doesn't know what to say to her for a moment, like maybe he's even embarrassed. But that passes after a few minutes of him looking down at her face. Now he simply smirks down at her before leaning closer so his lips are right next to her ear. "That's not my sword Love. At least, not the one you're referring to anyways."

It takes her a moment to catch on. But when she does, her hands that are currently resting on his biceps clench before she can think to stop herself. Her entire body tenses, her pulse races, and it's as if her months of working to hide her reactions to him just go straight down the drain.

Hook's chuckle is evidence of that. His lips brush against her ear, and then his tongue sneaks out to brush against the lobe. Marian's breath catches sharply, and Hook's smile widens. "Do I make you nervous Love?"

She doesn't answer. She can't. It's like her throat has gone on lockdown. Words just won't come out. But a throaty moan does come out when Hook latches his mouth onto the curve of her neck. And that only spurs him on to bite and suck and lick that section of skin until Marian is sure she's going to bite a hole through her lip from having bitten it so hard.

When Hook finally pulls back to look at her and sees her bottom lip tucked tightly in her teeth, he can't resist his impulse anymore. He reaches up and tugs it from her teeth gently with his thumb, and then leans down and tenderly places a kiss just barely over her now swollen bottom lip.

And any semblance of control Marian had at that point snaps in an instant. She shouldn't pull him closer. She shouldn't kiss him again. She shouldn't let her body beg and ask for so much more. But she can't stop herself. Her arms reach up and wrap around his neck and pull him down closer so his lips are on hers again.

His body lays down to be flush against hers while they kiss, and the rather hard appendage of his that was poking her in the stomach slides down to press against her now rather sensitive center. She moans into his mouth before pulling back and letting her head rest against the rock beneath her. "Damn it."

Hook chuckles as the curse escapes her lips. She gasps as he rocks against her slightly, teasingly, and then she starts to bite her lip again. Hook looks up to see her face again, and then says, "You should be nicer to your lip Love. It helps make some of the most enticing sounds fall from your lips."

As he rocks again she hums with desire, and manages to say quietly, "We're supposed to be hiding though."

He chuckles again, his lips returning to the curve of her neck, the light scruff of couple of days old shave gently scratching against her skin in the most invigorating way. "It's true Love, we are hiding. So, how quiet can you be?" His hand and hook begin moving about her sides, brushing against areas of her body that no one else has ever dared touch.

Marian knows they stay in the cave for an hour. It feels like so much longer though. Hook had turned their hiding into a game all his own. How far could he push her before she finally caved and stopped trying to be silent? And he'd taken his sweet time, using his lips and hands to find every sweet spot that she might have. And what made the game even more fun was that Marian is so stubborn.

However, when his hook slips just under the hem of her pants, the cool metal brushing against the sensitive dip at her hip bones, she loses it. She gasps and then groans in what, to most, would sound like agony. Hook looks up in honest surprise at her reaction, but then smirks and twists his hook in that spot. Marian's hands tighten into fists at his sleeves while she whimpers.

At that moment though, a voice from beyond the waterfall before them calls out, "Hook?" They both freeze, and then Hook slowly removes his hand from under her shirt and his hook from the top of her pants. Her body tenses again, this time in what he's sure is to get ready to pretend like nothing happened. Staring down at her, his eyes bearing directly into hers, he leans down slowly and presses his lips back to hers. Her eyes close as she relaxes again, that tension leaving and a new one taking its place as Hook takes her bottom lip between his teeth and nibbles slightly before releasing her.

Leaning back to look at her again, he says softly, "Once we've set sail and gotten underway, report to my quarters Marian." They stare at each other a moment longer, and then Hook kisses her swiftly one last time before moving over and peeking out of the cave.

Smee waves his hand excitedly at them and hollers happily, "We won. Peter couldn't find you or Marian."

She's not in his quarters when night falls and the ship is finally underway again. And for a brief instant he's hurt, confused, and a tad angry. But Hook shuts his eyes and decides to go and see if she merely forgot. Somehow, he doubts it, but it's possible.

And when he gets to her room, his heart breaks a little. Her cabinet full of herbs is wide open, and she'd obviously been trying to busy herself with some kind of work. But now one bottle lies on the ground, the contents scattered, and Marian's hands are shaking as she tries to gather them up again in a glass of sorts.

Gently, so as to not startle her too much, he asks, "What happened Love?" She freezes instantly, and then her entire body shakes. "Marian…"

She cuts off whatever else he was about to say and starts rambling. "I'm sorry. I was coming, but then it broke, and it's hard to pick up, but I know it costs good money, and I was trying to not miss any of it, and…"

He kneels at her side and puts one of his hands over hers. "Marian… Love… calm down a bit."

And while his touch is soothing, Marian closes her eyes as though so confused and in pain. Taking a breath, she says shakily, "I don't know how to do this."

Hook puts two fingers under her chin and pulls her head up to look at him. "Do what Love?"

She holds her hands out in front of her hopelessly, like the answer to that should be obvious. "Any of it."

Patiently, he says, "Love, you're going to have to explain it to me." She bites her lip, and Hook instantly reaches for it and pulls it back out. Smiling gently at her, he says softly, "I told you to be nice to that lip of yours."

She pauses, and then closes her eyes and sighs. Softly she asks, "Can you move your hand please?"

"Why?"

"Because I can't think straight with you doing that."

And though he lets his hand fall from her face, he still smiles and says, "That's a good sign."

Looking up at him, she asks, "Is it?" Her eyes meet his again, concern mixed with curiosity. And Hook realizes that when she says she doesn't know how to do this, she's referring to the entire situation of being with him. Or not him specifically, but with any man really. She'd never been in a relationship. She'd never felt this before.

So she doesn't even understand that as far as Hook is concerned, that just makes her all the more desirable. She was his, completely, in every way.

In the back of his mind, for a brief moment, he remembers Red Robyn, the girl he'd loved as a child, the girl that he still thought of often. Well, he had thought of her often, before Marian had arrived anyway.

Pushing that aside, he reaches up to her face again and holds it gently in his hand. His thumb wipes away what few tears she has finally allowed to fall, and he says, "I will let you in on a secret Love." She opens her eyes again to look at him, even as her head tilts to rest more fully against his hand. He grins and says, "You're not supposed to know anything. It's not something you can figure out in your head beforehand." Tipping her head back, he leans in closer to her, and as his breath washes over her face, her eyes flutter shut again. "You just feel Love. You feel and you don't think. You let your body guide you on its own for a change."

He stands to his feet, and reaches down a hand for her to pull her up as well. He glances down briefly at what remains on the floor from her broken jar, and then pulls her back out the door with him. Following his lead, she asks, "Where are we going?"

"To my quarters Love, where I intended to have you in the first place."

Once inside his room, she asks, "Why?" But he can tell she's more comfortable again by the tone in her voice, the teasing way she asks the question, as though demanding that he admit his attraction to her finally. He smirks before turning to face her again.

Backing her into the wall on the other side of his room, he presses against her so their bodies are flush to one another, no space in between. In her ear, he whispers, "To continue our game from earlier Love. How quiet do you think you can be?" She shrugs, but can't help but grin and laugh a little nervously when he picks her up and moves her over to his bed. Holding his body up over hers, he says, "Well, let's find out shall we."

When Hook wakes up later, he turns his head to look and finds Marian moving about in his cabin. She's wrapped herself up in one of the blankets from the bed, the back of which falls low behind her, revealing much of her soft skin. In spite of all the scars that still remain and all the beatings she had endured, her skin had retained its gentle and soft texture. He feels certain her healing herbs that she'd allowed Smee to apply to her wounds over the first three weeks have something to do with it.

Smiling as she moves around his cabin looking amongst his things, he says, "If you have any questions let me know."

She turns to look at him and smiles before asking, "You don't mind do you?"

Leaning his head back into the pillow again and closing his eyes, he says, "To have you look around? No, not at all."

And so she continues, occasionally picking up a few things and turning them over to look at them before setting them back down. It's when she reaches the cabinet against the back wall that she pauses and stares in true interest at something for more than just a moment. Turning back to Hook, she asks, "You have an arrow in here?"

He freezes for a moment, but then can't help but smile and says, "Yes. It was a gift from a very old friend of mine. And while in terms of money it may not seem worth much, it is one of my most prized possessions." She nods, and then moves back to him and sits on the edge of the bed.

Looking down at him, she asks, "What others do you hold in high regard?"

Grinning, he asks, "Why so curious?"

She shrugs and says, "You can tell a lot about a person by seeing the possessions he holds closest to his heart."

Hook raises an eyebrow and then nods before smirking and putting an arm in front of her. She shrieks briefly when he swiftly pulls her across him and back down onto the bed, turning himself so that she is beneath him. She laughs after that though and wraps her arms around his neck as he looks down at her.

He grins back and then says quite seriously, "If you must now, I really only have three prized possessions. The rest are simply a part of making me the pirate I am."

She nods in understanding and asks, "And they are?"

Hook smiles and says, "The arrow is one."

Marian grins and says, "Got it. Next?"

"My hook is another."

"Your hook?"

Hook nods and grins at her confused expression before saying, "I lost my hand trying to defend the honor of a friend, and for doing so I was ridded of my hand. The hook is a reminder to me of how I wish the world could be, and a reminder of who I really am behind the pirate that everyone now knows."

Marian nods and then asks, "And the third?"

He smiles gently down at her, and kisses her forehead before saying, "That would be you. And in truth, I hold you in much higher regard than the other two."

She stares up at him for a moment, but then grins and asks, "Does that mean I have to remain in here with the arrow from now on as well?"

He chuckles and says, "No. You have a much tighter leash."

"Oh really?"

"Indeed Love. For if I have my way you will never leave my side again."

And he presses further down to kiss her lips, holding her mouth captive with his for a few minutes before pulling back and making his way to her throat. And as he slowly starts pulling the sheet from around her, she sighs and says, "I actually like the sound of that."

"Good to hear Love. Now, remind me of something. Where is this sweet spot that causes you to lose control of your vocal chords?" She laughs a little, but it's quickly cut off by the sigh and hum of pleasure she makes as his hook presses into the dip of her hip again. Smirking he whispers teasingly in her ear, "Never mind Love. I found it."

And in his cabin is where they remain for the remainder of the night and much of the following morning. And if Marian (or Robyn as we know her to be) hadn't been sure about her luck changing before this day, she's certainly positive that it's turned around for the better now.

Chapter 10! Yay! Okay, so only two more to go; Chapter 11, and then the Epilogue. Hopefully they won't take as long to post. I promise I'm working on it.

Hope you're still enjoying the story. :)