A heartless trick and a nice dose of regret. lovely.

Chapter 14

Jane

I made my way back to the hideout in a daze – what had I agreed to? The look in Hooks eyes had been terrible to behold and the thought of his 'condition' made her stomach flip, but she must get home, she knew that much. She had to.

She was approaching the hideout so she forced herself to make her voice light and careless

"Peter?" No reply. She carried on walking.

Just as she was about to reach the hideout there was a scuffle in a bush directly in front of her, then Peter emerged looking panicked but as he began to run she heard a crack and a bullet flew through the air and into his back. With a strangled cry he fell to the ground and rolled onto his side.

"NO! PETER!" She ran to him and lifted his head onto her knee, tears of disbelief and panic were rolling down her cheeks and onto his motionless body. His eyes were closed. She gripped his shoulders and shook him slightly, it couldn't be real. He couldn't be dead! But still no movement. The sound that escaped her was a cross between a howl and a sob as she buried her face in her hands.

A sound from the bush made her look up then she screamed as Peter sat bolt upright. Scrambling to her feet Jane stared at him in horror

"But you were – Peter! You were -"

"Dead?" He was laughing, Jane opened and closed her mouth several times but no words formed. Peter was looking more cocky than she'd ever seen him look – and that was saying something! What was going on? Peter grinned,

"Turns out, the kiss you gave me is better than a normal one."Jane shook her head in confusion and went to put it into words but Peter placed grubby hands over her mouth.

"Tink says it's a kiss of life! Can't die while you have it, we thought we'd test it out and give you a bit of a shock. Nice to know you care by the way." Jane pushed his hands away in fury

"A BIT OF A SHOCK? A BIT OF A SHOCK? YOU ARROGANT NUMBSKULL!" knotting her hands in her hair she turned her back to him, fuming.

"Aw come on Jane, it was a joke."

"No. Jokes are when you jump out at someone from behind a tree, not when you get shot and, even if you don't actually die, lie there pretending to be dead to the distress of some poor girl who then sits crying over what she thinks is your dead body. That is most certainly NOT a joke." Peter actually managed to look contrite,

"Alright, sorry, I shouldn't have done it."

"No."

"I'll never do it again."
"Damn right you won't!"

"Just couldn't resist."
"Well you should have resisted."

"Yes, I know."

Jane looked at him from the corner of her eye, he did look sorry...his head was literally hanging...

"Okay, lets forget it shall we?" His head snapped up and he beamed at her

"Yes!" Jane couldn't help but grin back, sometimes his boyishness was so endearing. Looking at his open, childish face Jane felt a pang of regret for whatever she'd promised Hook, she would be betraying him no matter what it was. Bowing, Peter offered her his arm, she took it with a curtsy and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked to the hideout in guilty (at least on her part) silence.