The Sun

"Oi! I demand another one please!"

"Ain't you drunk already?"

"Aye!"

The Jolly Roger crew jousted and indulged in the feast of food and rum before them, and they were the sole patrons inside the tavern's dining area. Despite that being so, the sound of their rowdy chatter and roaring laughter could still be heard from the floor above, where the other guests lounging in their rooms could hear. Of course, none of them dared filing complaints to the owner of the tavern, because news had spread about who the rambuncous bunch was.

Hook had already finished his meal, that he had been able to eat without assistance, and sat at the bar. He was at a safe distance from the big table in which the occupants of his ship sat and enjoyed themselves. It was more comfortable for them to not have him their immediate presence, and better for him to keep track of everyone and watch for potential threats.

At least this is what he told himself. The reality of the situation was that he just wanted to "observe" a certain someone without looking suspicious.

Earlier, Clara had chugged down her first mug of alcohol as if it was water. And at first, all the other men could do was stare, however soon they accepted her as one of them and included her in their celebration over nothing in particular. For the entirety of the night's merriment and gaiety, Clara sat amongst the crew, her nose just as red as theirs. Her eyes were half-lidded, and her mouth was frozen in a permanent, half-open smile. Her speech was slurred, and the captain could tell that her mind was growing fuzzier by the minute.

She was quite intoxicated indeed.

Bruce and Smee both stuck by her side, and without knowing they served as protective shields for her. Even if they had not been there, the other pirates would not have done anything to Clara, knowing the captain was lurking somewhere.

"I want another one!" She raised her cup, and several men laughed, showing off their rotting teeth.

"That's the spirit!"

"Yer practically one of us!"

"She's got the thirst of a real sailor alright!" More chortles from the riotous bunch. Bruce shot a concerned frown upon the girl, and Smee was too busy shoving more food inside his excessively large mouth.

"That's your fifth one." The giant belched.

"I plan on having ten." She let out a lazy laugh, her neck rolling around.

The big man shook his head, before he hiccupped.

"S'not a good idea. I think you should-" Another hiccup. "-Go to bed."

She shook her head this time.

"No...No, no, no, no... I am staying right'ere."

Bruce stared at her a quiet moment, and he was quite serious for once. And it almost appeared he possessed something called a brain.

Almost.

"You know, in Neverland when you drink too much... Your bladder explodes."

She gasped.

"No!"

"Yes." Bruce nodded in a forlorn manner, before glimpsing at his own cup, then looking away. Clara stood.

"I will not drink anymore then. I-" She hiccupped. "-Will be going to my room now. Excuse me."

Hook watched, as she stumbled out the wrong door. Sighing, he stood and trailed after her, going by his men undetected. And when he arrived, he found her sitting in the middle of the empty hallway, staring up at the small chandeliers above her. And talking to them.

"You have ugly wings you mean fairy..." She burped. Hook cleared his throat.

"Miss. Clara. I believe you've already had your bath, and yet you have already become filthy once again."

"Captain...My dear captain..." She beamed like the idiot she was before standing. The sudden movement lurched her to the side. Before she could topple over or smash into a wall, Hook caught her.

"I see you've pushed yourself to the absolute limit." He grunted as he hoisted her up again, and Clara gripped onto his coat for support. She nodded.

"Yessir... I am very drunk. Very much so in fact." She chuckled, before wrapping her arms around his neck for better stability. Hook stiffened upon noticing that there was no space between them at all, and that the girl's face was mere inches from his. Clara shamelessly stared into his eyes with a peculiar emotion he couldn't quite name.

"Captain." Her tone was serious.

"Yes?" He grew quite uneasy and was unable to look away.

She burst into another ridiculous smile.

"You are terribly handsome."

He snorted, already anticipating morning when he could recount all she had done and said. And when he could see her squirming with shame.

"Thank you darling. And you are lovely..." He cleared his throat while averting his gaze. "I think you've had more than enough carousing for the night. I'd say...The tavern immediately grew more peaceful as soon as you left."

She rested her forehead on top of his chest and closed her eyes. The action caught him off guard and made him stiffen, however he did not dislike it. After all, she was a young pretty lady, and she was clinging rather tight onto him. Why in Neverland would anyone find it displeasing?

"I am not sleepy."

He sighed.

"Then what will make you sleepy? A bedtime story?" He wasn't surprised when she nodded.

"Yes. If you promise-" A hiccup. "-To tell me one I'll sleep."

Another sigh.

"Very well. Can you walk?"

"Of course I can walk!" She opened her drooping eyes again, and released herself from his grip too quickly, and almost fell flat onto her back. Thankfully, the captain's quick reflexes prevented that. He winced upon feeling the strain in his wrist.

"No, you cannot walk. Why am I surprised?" Hook grumbled more to himself. After the girl sat on the ground again, he knelt while turning his back to her.

"Get on."

Clara obeyed. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. His curls tickled her skin, and so she giggled.

Because his left wrist was still weak, Hook depended on his other arm, and he had to exercise more caution than usual to not leave even the slightest scratch. After securing her, he stood and began walking. And he tried his best to ignore the fact that a young lady had her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Tell me my story now." Her whispers tickled his ears.

He cleared his throat and continued on, thanking his luck that no one noticed him or Clara walking past.

"Once upon a time, there was a young lady who was quite intoxicated. Her balance was so terribly poor that she had to be hauled up to her room. The end."

A snort from her.

"What a beautiful story! I shall tell you one now."

Hook huffed as he began treading up the stairs.

"Once upon a time, there was a very bitter and angry pirate. But he was just a lonely man that just needed some love. The end." She snuggled closer to the warm thing that was carrying her, not entirely aware of who she was talking to or what was happening.

Something stirred inside of Hook, and he didn't know why he found himself at a loss for words.

"You are so very interesting. I've always found you interesting. Has anyone told you how interesting you are?" Clara babbled on more, and he only half-listened.

When they arrived in the modest room, the captain placed the girl on the queen-sized bed. She sat for a little bit, dizzy and not knowing or caring about her whereabouts. There was a small lantern with a candle on the night stand next to the bed, and that was the first thing Clara noticed that was new.

"Tinkerbell? Is that you?" She stared at the flickering light, her eyes growing more distant and foggy with each passing second.

"That is just a flame, my dear girl." Hook pushed her down against the pillows, and then struggled to get her body under the blankets.

"Oh the cleverness of you! I never would have known that." Her lids grew heavy, and yet she still struggled to fight sleep. "Oh, you have earrings!"

The half-conscious lady jolted upright, and her pointed finger lurched forward at the ornaments.

"How pretty!"

"What extraordinary observation you have. Now, please lie back down." He gently pushed her back again. She yawned and her eyes shut all the way. She almost melted into the softness of the bed while releasing a sigh of content, and the captain was able to free the covers crushed under her weight, and tuck her in the way a mother would.

"You are so kind to me...I think I enjoy your company very much." Her voice was a low murmur, and she couldn't reopen her eyes.

"And I think you are foolish and naïve. You trust me far too much when you shouldn't...My dear child, I am a cruel pirate. For the majority of my life, I have been perceived as a terrible and evil enemy meant to be defeated. The villain, so to speak." Hook whispered so not to rouse her. He noticed how the girl's breathing started growing slower and steadier.

"That's what they thought you were...But that is not what you are."

"And what do you presume I am, then?"

"A man. What else?" A final yawn, as she turned over to the other side facing away from him. Her last words barely reached his straining ears, and soon sleep overtook her. And something strange overtook Hook.

Her fiery hair was sprawled all around her, creating a halo of curls. She was quite a lovely little thing, and Hook couldn't help admiring and appreciating her comeliness as any human would.

For some odd reason, she almost never perceived him to be a threat, despite the glimpses of anger she had seen in his outbursts. He remembered all the times she's thrown herself into his arms, and how she had almost grabbed a hold of his maimed arm a week back. She had gazed at him with such a pained expression etched onto her features, and Hook still didn't quite understand what had come over the girl. Was she not disgusted by his disfigurement? Did she not find it horrendous?

She was just so unpredictable. Most of the time, she presented a happy smile that dazzled like the waves. And at others, she was dragged to the very trenches the despair, and into the pit of murky emotions Hook knew too well. She was more than capable of feeling malice, jealousy, and disappointment. But how could she not?

"I'm not going back to that prison."

He remembered her distress the first night he met her. Like him, she was bound to her world. Chained inside of a glittering cage disguised as an opulent mansion. But unlike him, she had been able to break them.

Clara turned over towards Hook in her sleep, and she giggled. The captain stiffened, and still didn't move when he saw that the girl did not stir from her slumber. The lantern's light flickered across her features, casting a golden glow.

No. Clara was not like the ocean. She was like the sun, everything she touched grew warm. Being around her blinded one from anything else, and made one forget about shadows and crocodiles.

Without him knowing, his hand reached out and his fingertips grazed the top of her head.

"James..." She breathed his name in the faintest of whispers, and if Hook had not been paying attention he would've missed it. He blinked, before his eyebrows scrunched together. Had he heard correct?

He scrutinized her lips, watching to see if she'd speak up again. She did.

"James..." There! She did said it! Why? Was she dreaming about him? Why on earth would that happen? Perhaps she was just dreaming about everyone on the ship... Or, maybe she had a male friend back in London who happened to share his first name, which was also perhaps why she had the foolishness and audacity to call him that when they first met. Yes, that was probably it.

Hook struggled to try and come up with a sound reasoning to no avail. He couldn't help but stare at her, and he didn't notice how agitated he had become. Every part of him was on the edge, and the slightest of sounds would send him into a flight or fight mode.

"You better...Keep...Promise... Sword fighting..." She grumbled, before falling silent again. And the captain released a sigh. He decided to think more of it the next morning, when he was soberer and more clear-minded. And so he decided to just enjoy the view.

The woman had a sweet, mocking mouth with a hidden kiss perfectly conspicuous at the right corner. It symbolized the greatest adventure that Clara had yet to go on, which was finding the one it belonged to.

The adventure that Hook had missed long ago and had always wished for.

Wendy's mother, Mrs. Darling, had always had her special spot and not even her husband had access to it. It was something most husbands did not have access to, and yet Wendy had given hers to Pan. Wendy had given hers- Her "thimble," to him. And the boy never understood just how precious of a gift it had been; a lady had chosen him, out of all the other men in the world. Out of everyone else, he had been the lucky one whom Wendy had truly shared all of herself, her longings and her dreams to.

The captain grazed his fingertips across the curve of Clara's soft cheek, marveling at how much warmth radiated from her. And eventually, they trailed down until they brushed against her lips. He stroked his thumb across them, and discovered they were smoother than he imagined them to be, and cold from the all the rum she had consumed. And all the while, the special spot stared up at him in a tantalizing manner and he found himself unable to look away. The longer he regarded the hidden kiss, he more curious he grew as to what it would feel like against his own.

Why in Neverland would such an absurd thought even cross your mind?

He froze. No, it...It couldn't be that.

What other reason is there? You've already lost your sanity years ago, have you lost your intelligence too?

A small voice lurked at the back of his mind. He shuddered. Oh no... No, it couldn't be. Could it? Why...Why yes... What other reason is there? Why else would he always think about her and nothing except her?

Hook recounted all the times he caught himself studying her from afar. He recalled all the times they locked eyes, and how his stare lingered longer than necessary. And how Clara was the sole occupant of his mind. Ever since she had arrived, his entire focus in life had changed. He had practically discarded his original goal of vengeance, and the sole being who stirred any emotions whatsoever in him was her. She was not Peter's replacement, no. Still, he thought of her as much as he had thought of Peter in the past. The familiar habit of obsession was starting to creep over him again.

Hook was always watching the girl, worried of her leaning too far against the railing and falling into the water. And he worried over her getting lost as she always did, but somewhere he wouldn't be able to find her. And James Hook knew that he worried because of...That.

As terrible as it was, he was struck with the horrendous epiphany that...That, was the reason why.

You are a supreme idiot. How could you have not noticed until now?

Gulping, he glanced down. His hand still had not moved away from the girl.

He abandoned the room as fast as he could. Despite how much distance he put between himself and her, he was unable to keep his mind from wandering back to the image of her smiles and playful eyes. He already knew that his escape was futile, because she had already gotten under his skin. She truly was the sun, and like a fool he had already gotten too close.

Close enough to burn.

My Fair Readers,

I had extreme difficulties writing this chapter and the one prior because romance oh my. I hope it wasn't too much, and I hope I did okay enough for you not to cringe. I am quite new at writing romantic relationships, and funny friendships are more my speed. But I hope that so far I have not completely failed in terms of creating believable chemistry/attraction. If there are any pointers or any thoughts on what you would like to see more of or less of, feel free to badger me. And your comments are always so sweet and kind and polite! So far no one has ever said anything mean so far which is amazing since I've asked people to directly insult me because some attention is always better than no attention lol.

But all jokes and self-criticism aside, I thank all of you for your very helpful reviews and the wonderful amount of support you all give. MusicalsandMordreds, theusualguest, and VelvetGoldie, you are all such lovely people who keep on cheering me on and motivate me to work hard and not be lazy. I am honored for those who follow this story as well, because that means you actually read my writing and that really keeps me going too!

Anyway, I'm sorry for rambling. I hope your days are filled with happy thoughts!

-StrangelySilentSoul

-P.S, I hope this wasn't too long yo.

-P.P.S, the next few chapters are long chapters, and because of that(and because I'm still writing them) their updates would be a little longer than this one, and so I apologize ahead of time.

-P.P.P.S you are all such lovely people.