Disclaimer: I still don't own OUAT.
"Captain, he was here," Smee said, as soon as Killian left the room.
Killian only paused for a moment, knowing exactly who "he" was.
"What did he say?" he asked, involuntarily looking back at his own quarters, where Jess lay, asleep.
"He said that the girl belonged to him, and that he wouldn't tolerate thieves in Neverland," Smee replied, also looking back at the quarters.
Killian immediately saw what his first mate was getting at.
He hadn't liked Bae's presence, either, because he was sure Pan would rip the entire crew's shadows off. He probably thought the same about Jess's presence on The Roger.
"Anything else?" he asked.
If Pan didn't give any outright threats, he could always argue that Pan didn't specifically say that he and his crew were thieves. Once or twice he was able to worm his way out of Pan's anger by playing on Pan's words. Pan, always appreciating a good game, would allow Killian to walk away.
"He said that betraying the girl will get you a reward," Smee explained. "And that if you try to keep her from him, he will have to take a crew member in turn."
There was that threat Killian had hoped to avoid. And it hit him where it hurt. His crew.
Since Liam's death on the island, Killian's crew had become his family. He had vowed never to return to Neverland, especially after hearing that the strange boy he and his brother had met was the infamous Pied Piper, who lured children away from their families to live on Neverland with him. After revealing this to the crew, all agreed again that none should ever set foot on Neverland's shores.
Then Milah was murdered.
Agony was not even close to what Killian had felt, when he saw the Dark One crush her heart without remorse. Killian was sure that he was going to die with Milah, as he watched the heart which he had loved for years, become ash in the crocodile's hand.
Her death had taken a toll on everyone. Milah was family to the crew, just as much as Killian. They all wanted to see the Dark One's corpse at their feet. He had heard the mutterings of crew members after her burial at sea, of deaths good enough for the crocodile. None had seemed good enough to Killian.
He knew only three things: the Dark One was immortal, he didn't know how to kill the Dark One, there was someone who may know how. If anyone knew how to kill the Dark One, it was the boy from Neverland.
So, he returned, but promising to himself that he would watch over the rest of his family in Neverland. He didn't know just how much danger he had put them in by returning to Neverland. And how much Pan would insist that they could not leave without his permission.
He lost several men-friends-to Pan, until he handed Bae over to him.
He had hoped, now armed with the knowledge of how to kill the Dark One, that he and the rest of his men would be able to leave Neverland. But every time they tried, Pan would kill more and more men. There were only seven members left, including himself and Smee. The dead's blood was on his hands.
Then he met the girl today. He had realized instantly that she was harmless, and that she was alone. He saw by the way she recoiled from Pan and the Lost Boys that she was as much a prisoner on Neverland as he was. That made her his ally. He knew that she would help him escape Neverland, because she wanted to get out herself.
But, when he saw her break down earlier, he had felt things he hadn't felt in a while. She was scared, hurt, and alone. Pan was toying with her head and feelings, and would not leave her alone.
When he and Pan talked before, he knew that Pan had plans for her, which meant Killian could use her as a bargaining chip at least.
But seeing her like that, he wanted to find Pan and hurt him so much, his grandfather would feel it. He didn't want to betray her to Pan, and was relieved that she had so willingly given him her trust.
Maybe, he thought, by saving her, I can wash away the blood of my crew. Maybe, I can redeem myself for not saving Milah.
"Captain?" asked Smee, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"We're not handing her over," Killian said, firmly.
Smee looked stunned.
"Captain," he protested. "If we hand her over, Pan will help us. She has little value to us, and he obviously doesn't want her hurt. If we were to hand her over, we would be rewarded, and she wouldn't be in any danger."
Killian turned to him, almost angry.
How could someone even think of handing anyone over to Pan, knowing that Pan would get under their skin like a knife through butter?
"Not in danger," he repeated, incredulously. "Mr. Smee, there's only one place where she'd be in less danger, and that's at the Dark One's mercy. Would you hand her over to the crocodile, knowing what he would have in store for her?"
Smee looked away, and the other men looked at Killian warily.
"Gentlemen," said Killian. "What is the one principle we live by?"
"Good form," they all replied in unison, Mr. Smee shuffling guiltily.
Good. Despite all their time on Neverland, they hadn't lost what he had taught them.
"And is it good form to hand over a defenseless girl to the likes of Pan?" he asked.
The reply was not in unison, but muttered and hesitant.
Unbelievable. Had they all considered giving Jess to Pan? Had their fear of him really affected them that much?
"If my memory is correct," he continued, growing louder and more forceful."I'm still the captain, am I not? Well, I expect good form from all of you! The girl is not to be harmed in any way. You will not touch her, you will not say a single rude word to her, you will not even look at her if your mind becomes dirty. And you will not betray her to Pan. Doing so will be betraying me as well.
"Do I make meself clear?!"
The answer was a definite "Aye, Captain!"
Killian nodded, but couldn't fight the sense of déjà vu.
Hadn't he said something along those lines, before he handed Bae over? Wasn't he guilty of what they had just considered doing? How was he any different, if not more guilty?
That was different, he told himself. She's a girl. She isn't the Dark One's spawn. As far as I can tell, she isn't planning on stealing a cutlass and waving it at me for finding that sketch of Milah.
"Captain!"
Killian turned at the urgency in Smee's voice.
He saw at what Smee was pointing at, and felt his heart sink.
A light, on the sea, coming towards them.
To be sure, he pulled his spyglass out of his belt, and looked. Yes, it was the Lost Ones.
"They're coming for her, aren't they, Captain?" asked Smee, looking more frightened than usual.
They were. And if Killian didn't hand over Jess, they would not hesitate to kill any of them. And he wouldn't be able to kill the crocodile if he was dead.
"Wake her up," he ordered.
Smee, looking relieved, ran to the Captain's quarters, where Jess was. He probably thought they were going to betray her after all.
He didn't want to, but the Lost Boys may have gotten him, this time.
This was going to be interesting.
For a hint of courage, he took a swig of rum.
I wake up to Smee shaking me by the shoulder.
"Wake up," he hisses. "You have to get up."
I open my eyes, sit up, and yawn. I still feel very tired, and I don't think I slept that long.
That probably means something is wrong. I can tell by the urgency in Smee's voice.
"What is it?" I ask, climbing out of bed.
Almost instinctively, I search for the twisted feeling of Pan or his shadow, but get nothing.
"Come and see," he replies, leading me to the deck.
That isn't comforting at all.
Hook wouldn't wake me up for nothing, and I can't sense Pan…
I see the pirate standing on the left (no, port) side of the ship, and looking at something through his spyglass.
"What is it?" I ask again, hoping that Hook will give me a clearer answer than Smee.
"The Lost Ones," replies Hook, handing me his spyglass. "Guess they found you."
I look through, at the approaching light.
Sure enough, there's a raft of about seven or so Lost Boys, all armed to the teeth. At the head-surprise, surprise-is Felix.
I sigh, lowering the spyglass.
"What are you going to do?" I ask, turning to Hook.
Forget what he's going to do, what am I going to do?!
I'm not just going to let Pan's legion of dorks take me back to his camp. He also is planning something else. He was here when Hook and I arrived, and could have taken me then. Why didn't he?
"Pan wants me to hand you over," replies Hook. "It looks like this is his way of seeing if I'll come through."
Right, Pan wants Hook to betray me so that I won't trust him. Funny thing is, since I know about it, it turns the plan around in Pan's face. I know that I can trust him.
"So hand me over," I reply, without hesitation.
Hook raises an eyebrow at me, and even Smee looks surprised.
"Look," I say, firmly. "Pan wants me to not trust you. I know that I can, but he doesn't know that. Hand me over, and Pan will have his 'betrayal' and I can just escape him and come back."
"Except he'll know the minute you're back," points out Smee.
I'm about to protest this, when I realize that the guy is right. It was no coincidence that Pan found me in Bae's cave. Or that he was here when I first arrived. But he couldn't have known that Hook would take me under his wing. He couldn't have known to come here.
Maybe he tracked Bae and I, but he couldn't have tracked Hook and I that fast. It took him and the Lost Boys hours to do that, when I first arrived. And both times I was with Bae.
"So I'll hide out for a few days," I reply, shrugging.
"Lass, have you tried hiding from Pan?" asks Hook, looking at me like I'm crazy.
"Yeah, and I've done alright," I reply.
I look back at the lights that are getting closer.
"Look, I can take care of myself," I insist. "Pan wants me alive, and as much as he'll try to mess with my mind, even if he catches me, he won't hurt me. But if you don't hand me over, he will probably kill everyone on this ship, and take me anyway."
I look at Hook, hoping that he'll see that this is the only way that we can all hopefully get out alright. I may be in the hands of the Lost Boys, but at least I can try to escape them. If Pan was here, it would all be over, but I can probably take down a couple of Lost Boys.
I hope.
Hook gives a sigh of resignation.
"Alright," he says. "Hide yourself below, and I'll tell them that you're here and all theirs."
"Ha," I say, though somewhat weakly. I really don't like the idea of being back in Pan's hands, but at least we're a step ahead of him, now.
"Lass," says Hook. "Are you sure that-"
"Yes," I say, cutting him off. "Pan will spare you if you comply, but he will kill you if you come between him and his weapon."
With that, I run below decks, to a small, hidden cellar Hook had shown me earlier.
I hide behind a sack of something smelly, and hold my breath. My heart seems to be pounding way too loudly.
Please, I think. Let this work. Let them buy it.
I can vaguely make out voices, but can distinguish who is speaking, or what they're saying.
Come on, Hook. Don't back out to protect me. You won't win. You know that as much as I.
I hear footsteps above me, and bite my finger to keep myself from crying out.
Yes, Hook came through. Now, I just have to escape Pan's minions. Pan's highly trained, psycho, ruthless minions, who probably think of me as the weapon they need to retrieve for Pan.
Piece of cake, right?
The trapdoor above me opens, and my mind whirls.
I've got to get away, but after I'm off the ship. I need them to think that Hook has betrayed my trust. However, if we reach the island, Pan will probably have all sorts of lovely surprises in store. My best chance is to get away on the water.
I'd have to-
I'm pulled from my thoughts by two pairs of strong arms grabbing me around my forearms, and hoisting me to my feet.
Immediately, I start struggling, kicking, and screaming, as if I'm really afraid.
"No!" I shriek. "No, let me go!"The boys say nothing, but half carry, half drag me up to the deck. Their faces are hooded, but I can just tell by the hardness in their grips that these are a couple of the rougher ones.
"Found her," one grunts, as I'm pulled out to the deck, where the other Lost Boys wait.
"Hook," I say, acting like the panicked girl that I cannot be, if I want to live. "Hook, help me!"
Hook, not missing a beat, glances at me, somewhat guiltily, then turns to Felix.
"He'll be pleased?" he asks, purposefully avoiding looking at me. He's good at this.
"So long as you don't get between him and the girl," replies Felix, his monotone drawl the same as ever.
"Hook?" I ask, keeping up the act. "Hook, what are you doing?"
"Never knew Pan had a thing for girls," remarks Hook, ignoring me.
"If he needs them for his plans, he'll kill for them," retorts Felix, as the Lost Boys drag me to the side of the boat.
"I trusted you!" I shout, squirming against my holders' grips. "I trusted you to help me!"
"Sorry, lass," replies Hook. "But a man has to consider his priorities. And living is on the top of my list."
Before I'm dragged over the side of the ship, I give Hook a small, unnoticeable wink.
"Gently, Rufio," calls Felix, as they put me in the middle of the raft. "Pan wouldn't like it if his Dreamer got hurt."
I continue trying to struggle, but one of the Lost Boys shoves a sack over my face, effectively blocking my sight.
Now that's just unfair.
They don't bind me, but I can feel my burly guards sitting on either side of me. Any attempt to remove the sack won't go unnoticed. And by removing the sack, they'll know that I'm going to try to escape.
I could try escaping with the sack over me, but I won't be able to tell how close we are to shore, so I can know when to try to escape and swim.
I hear and feel the other boys climbing into the boat, and roaring away from the ship. I feel the back of my neck prickling, as if someone is watching me. Probably Hook, looking over the side of his ship.
I wait for a couple of minutes, before trying a different tactic: talking.
"Is this really necessary?" I ask to no one in particular. If I could see, I would direct the question at Felix, but being blindfolded confuses a person.
"Pan's orders," says the guy on my right. At least, I think its my right. I can't tell under here.
"Right, because blinding me will be really effective in convincing me that I want to stay with the Lost Boys," I reply, sarcastically.
Plus, it's hot under here. If I'm not sweating by now, I probably will in a minute.
"It's not supposed to convince you, Vin," says Felix's voice from...in front of me?
"Pan is mad at you. You ran away and left your younger brothers alone. Don't you hear them crying?"
Yes, I hear them. I've heard them all night. But I'm not going to let Pan or his minions know how much it hurts. That is at least one pleasure I can prevent them from having.
"Like Pan cares about any of you," I say, bitingly. "To him, you guys are more weapons and tools than I am to him."
"Pan is our family!" Felix replies fervently.
Whoa!
The guy does have emotions.
"Oh please," I sneer. "Pan cares about no one but himself, and he is using you guys to get what he wants. He justifies it by calling it a family."
"Pan found those who were unloved, and unwanted," Felix says, almost passionately. "He gave them a family, and a home in Neverland."
He really believes it, doesn't he? He truly believes that Pan is his family.
"Oh?" I reply. "Is that what he said when he kidnapped Abby? 'Yeah, this little girl is unloved and unwanted, and totally wants to be here. We'll just tie her to a tree until her older sister gets here, because she is even more unloved and unwanted, and she'll practically beg to be one of us.'"
"Pan needs you," argues Felix. "He needs you to make sure that we don't lose our magic until he gets the heart of the truest believer."
Okay, he lost me at the part of not losing magic. How does that even work? I can tell just by being here that Neverland is full of magic. Sure, using it may come more easily to me than to most, but Neverland is certainly not losing any magic.
"Right," I reply, sarcastically. "Because that totally justifies two kidnappings, manipulation, and who knows what else."
"At least Pan doesn't abandon us, like you did the younger ones," retorts Felix.
"If Pan weren't so insistent that he needed a Dreamer, those kids would be safe with their families, not crying because they're scared," I point out. "Besides, how can you argue that Pan cares for all of you if he allows the children to cry at night, instead of trying to help them himself?"
"Don't-," starts Felix.
I feel him stand up in the boat, causing it to shake under us.
Now!
I immediately imagine the sack off my head and over Felix's. Its easier than I would expect. I've focused on the picture of him standing up this entire conversation, and the darkness is just as good, if not better than having my eyes closed.
I've also been imagining the dim light of the stars, and the rafts light hitting my eyes, and the cool night air hitting my face. All I had to do was hold off until he was angry enough.
Within a second, the sack is not over me, but over Felix, the same way my hairband was out of my hair and on my wrist.
I've already steeled myself for the light and air, and waste no time.
Felix stumbles to the side in surprise, severely rocking the boat.
I dive to the side with him, and our sudden combined weight causes the raft to capsize.
All of us are plunged into the salty water, and I immediately duck under the boys, and break to the surface of the water.
The island isn't too far, but whether I can make it or not by swimming is an entirely different matter.
Either way, I duck back under the water, and start to swim.
I had the element of surprise on my side when I tossed the boat over. If I can escape now in the confusion...
I seem to be going into water a lot lately. Then again, I can't tell how much time has passed since I've been in Neverland.
At least two days.
I come up for air again, and check to see how the boys are doing.
They have the boat turned back up, and Felix is trying to direct them back into the boat. Two or three try to climb in from different sides, but slip.
One, whom I recognize as one of the guys who got me, tries to climb in with a few others from one side, but the boat just capsizes again.
I would laugh if it wasn't so important that I not be found.
I go back under, and start to swim. The salt water makes me more buoyant, so its harder to cut through the water by paddling and kicking, but at least the current helps carry me.
Once I get to shore, I'm going to be on the run. I don't want to endanger Bae, and I can't go back to the Jolly Roger for a few days at the least.
It will be hard, especially if Pan starts trying to track me. I really need to find out what exactly he did to be able to find me.
I feel something rush under me, and I immediately know what it is. Another mermaid.
I imagine a knife in my hand, and can feel it forming when one grabs me around the waist.
I open my eyes, and know the knife is in my hand.
Let them try to kill me, I will dice them to little pieces of sushi.
I can't make out the features of the mermaid in the dim light, but I don't have too. I just need to know where to stab.
I kick out, and twist like an eel in her grip, before reaching out to stab.
Something grabs my arm from behind, and forces it back before I can stab my holder.
Two of them. Crap.
I squirm in the two grips, when I feel another grab my other arm.
No! I've come too far to drown like a rat!
"Calm down."
I hear the voice on my right side. It sounds eerily melodic, and I have know idea how I can hear it underwater, but right at this moment, I don't care a bowl of sugar.
Suddenly, I feel the one who holds my waist grip my face tightly.
I continue to struggle and kick, when she kisses me on the mouth.
A/N: Uh-oh, something's getting fishy! Theories of what the mermaids are doing, anyone?
Just as a heads up, I'm starting to update every five days instead of every three days. Just so y'all know.
A special thanks to Lovely-Daisy, Mehan-Smith, and Azulish for putting this story on alert, and to SunnySideUp25 for favoriting it. Also, thank you Female whovian, and scorpiongirl92 for your awesome reviews. And, a big thanks to my betas Uncommon fairy and Can't-Escape-My-Fandoms! You guys are amazing, you keep my computer running!
Please follow, favorite, or review, or whatever y'all want! Opinion's of Hook's point of view are especially appreciated; he is such an awesome character! :)