Welcome back, I'm back with chapter 25. Please R&R and I'll see you at the bottom of the page.

POV: Peter, Hook

Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan

Opening my eyes I look around feeling groggy as if I had slept for hours. My body feels stiff, and at the same time I feel so passive and calm as if nothing in the world could bring me down. It's an almost hollow feeling that's in a way soothing, as if nothing could ever get me angry or sad, not even happiness could fill the void within me. It is at that instant that my eyes truly focus as I wait in fear as to what they may see.

Thankfully instead of finding a thick liquid darkness that had held me captive before I am greeted with the universe around me, at least that's what it seems to be from where I'm floating. All around me specks of bright stars litter the void around me giving light and a greater sense of peace than the darkness I had previously encountered. Nebula paint the black canvas before me and stars shoot across my vision in their own rhythmic dance as I watch in awe. I've traveled through space before, I do it every time I cross the border between Neverland and the human world, but never has it been a surreal as what lies before me now.

"Beautiful isn't it," a voice grunts next to me and with a yelp I turn to find Hook staring up at the twinkling balls of gas that seem to drift around us. I raise my sword with my right arm and find that I'm still holding onto the faerie stone with my left. I wait for Hook to attack but he never does, he just lies there drifting and staring up at the vast portrait that surrounds us. Eventually, after I put my sword down, he turns to look at me with such sad peaceful eyes and I'm taken aback a bit, "Did you see that," he asks and I don't know how but I understand immediately what he's asking.

Nodding I ask, "What was that," while looking down at the endless void beneath me and I wonder how far down it goes, probably for eternity.

"Memories," Hook murmurs while looking back up, "A few memories of your mother and I and how we met and grew up," he sighs so deep that I feel it deep within me like a hateful sorrow, "I loved her so much,"

"Then why did you kill her?" I ask not bothering to hold back the venom that taints my voice, "If you loved her so much why did you allow her to die?"

Hook winces at my words as if I had just stabbed him with my sword and for all I know I probably did, "She got in the way," he simply says without emotion, "You know, I tried to drown myself after I left you in the park."

"Were you scared to die?"

He chuckles a throaty chuckle that it almost sounds as if he were coughing, "On the contrary, I was ready to accept what awaited me on the other side. Besides, if I had turned myself into the police I would have died either way,"

"Then what happened?" I press on hugging the fairy stone, Nellie, close to me as I watch her pulse lightly in my hands.

"I was saved by a foolish old man," he says with another throaty laugh that I look up wondering why it was so amusing; "It had been Smee who saved me that night. He had asked me why I wanted to stop living and I had said that I saw no reason to live a life I had so selfishly destroyed. I had to suffer for what I had done. I told him everything, a man I hardly knew, and he listened to every word I said as if he truly cared," that sounded like Smee, "and before I could say anything else he stopped me by shaking his head vigorously. He looked me straight in the eye and said 'If you kill yourself you're only running away like a coward, and you sir do not give the impression of a coward. If you truly loved her you will stand up and live with what you've done,' With that he got up and walked away. After a month of considering his words I became a pirate. I had always remembered how Scarlett always told me that she wanted me to become a pirate so we both could sail the seas together taking treasure from people and going on endless adventures and with that I had asked Smee to join me and he never once hesitated to join me. I had also taken in to wearing the color red making it my signature color,"
"I've always wanted to ask you why you always seem to wear the color crimson," I say and he smiles while shaking his head lightly.

"Not crimson, scarlet. It represents the scarlet blood I first spilled. It's something that prevents me from forgetting the scarlet blood I made your mother shed," a small tear slides down his cheek and then slowly drifts away into spacious void, "It's also the color your mother liked, she always loved to wear the color red. There was never a day that she wouldn't wear at least even a hint of the color red,"

I lean back into the vast emptiness pondering what I've just learned about my mother and knowing it will anger him I have to, I just have to ask, "And my father?"

We drift in silence for what seem like hours before Hook finally speaks, "I didn't really know the man. In the few hours I knew him I can compare you to him without hesitating," he grunts before looking over at me, "You're more like your father than your mother, but for one I can say that you have her charisma, her nose, and eyes," he says having a bit of difficulty saying eyes, "Other than that you're entirely your father,"

"Hook, do you know who's behind all of what's been happening lately," I ask skeptically, "I mean, I know it's that strange girl with raven hair, but..."

"Neverland," he says abruptly cutting me off.

"What?"

"Her name is Neverland. She is the sole existence of the island, in fact, she is the island entirely. She brought us to the island because she was lonely and wanted to play. Of course she was immediately enamored with you and before you knew it you were held prisoner along with the rest of us on that island for almost three decades," Hook thinks for a minute, "You should be originally around Molly's age, Wendy's mother,"

"But because of the islands magic I stayed young for a long time,"

"Precisely,"

"Wait, do you mean to say that girl is in love with me?" I ask making him roll his eyes clearly annoyed at my question.

"Foolish brat, a child does not know what love is. Children only know the joys of a non-existing world." His voice lowers as he looks down at his withered calloused hands, the very hands that ended my parent's lives, "It's the very world you've been trapped in all these years, well the world we all have been trapped in, but now you're free,"

I look over at him confused, "What do you mean about that? When was I ever trapped in the first place?" I ask angrily.

Hook just smiles and it looks so warm on his face that for a moment I don't even recognize him. The only smile I've ever seen on him has always been sadistic and cruel, but this one is warm and kind and it makes his eyes twinkle like the stars around us instead of burn like fire.
"When we all first got to the island Neverland got a special liking to you, you were the hope that kept her alive and happy. She had asked you, and only you, to stay on the island while everyone else she disregarded telling us that if we wanted to stay or leave we could do as we pleased, but it was you she wanted. I mean why do you think it was always so hard for you to leave Neverland for long?" Realization dawns on me. He's telling the truth and there's no doubt about it, but I just can't remember about any of that. All I know is that since I can remember there has always been a voice at the back of my head that would always seem to call out for me whenever I would visit London. It's the very same voice that had me racing back after I left Wendy and the boys. It's the very voice that tricked me into thinking that I never wanted to grow up, when in truth I did, "She erased yours and everyone else's memories and after you cut my hand off and condemned me to sailing Neverocean forever she convinced you that I was your true enemy and that I had to be disposed of,"

I look down at my hands feeling disgust swirl deep in the pit of my stomach when something dawns on me, "Why did you stay behind?" I ask looking down at the small blue sphere again which has begun to pulse faster and has now grown warm within my hands, "Why didn't you leave along with Molly and the others. I always presumed that you never left because you wanted to get revenge for me cutting your hand off," I admit.

"It's time to go Peter," Hook simply says after a few minutes of silence and when I look up he's facing me entirely holding out his hand toward me. At first I don't understand what he's asking for until he whispers, "Hand Nellie over to me," and as I look down at the pulsing sphere I get the urge to hold her closer and try to fly away, but I'm stuck in place.

"You didn't answer my question," I say looking up at him and am surprised to see a much younger version of Hook. He doesn't look old like a mummified skeleton if not a healthy man who's whole with both hands that are outstretched towards me.

"Peter..."

"Why did you stay behind?" I yell angry that he didn't want to answer my question. It was a simple one at that and he didn't want to answer.

With a sigh, Hook takes Nellie from my hands and hugs the sphere close to him and smiles kindly at me, "I stayed behind to protect you Peter. After all, I promised myself the very night I abandoned you that if I were to ever find you again I'd watch you from the shadows for as long as I had to. Why do you think I never truly killed you," That does explain a lot. I mean, how an experienced pirate can lose to a child, "I played along to your make-believe games just so you wouldn't get suspicious, or the crew for that matter, just to keep you alive on the island. I waited for years for the girl to find a new boy to take your place. I guess all that waiting finally paid off," he looks around us and I do the same as we both notice more stars shoot around us in different directions as if trying to tell us, "It's time for you to go," Hook says with an almost happy sigh.

"Go where?"

"Back, you still have people that need you back home Peter," Hook turns and starts to somehow walk away towards the shooting stars and I panic. Why is he walking away from me when we should both be heading back together?

"Aren't you coming back?" I ask desperately and he turns and shakes his head, "But what about your son's, your wife, Smee?" I try to reach out to him but I'm stuck where I'm at as he stares at me from the distance he's put between us.

"Smee and Ruby understand what is going on, as for the boys they'll soon understand the sacrifices I made," he whispers but I catch every word as if he were right by my ear.

Just when he's about to turn around again I stop him, "Wait, you said that you've waited all these years for her to choose another boy, what does that mean?"

Hook looks up at the star filled sky above us as if searching for something, "Look for the queen of the faeries. She'll tell you everything you need to know, but now you must go back and save Wendy along with everybody else. Once you leave you'll finally be free Peter," The stars around us seem to grow brighter with every step Hook takes away from me, "The ticking has finally stopped," I hear him murmur and I know he must mean the crocodile that had chased him since the moment I cut his hand off all those years ago. It feels like only yesterday that that had happened.

"What will happen to you both," I finally ask right before the brightness before me finally consumes Hook and Nellie as I watch her pulse happily in Hook's hand. Somehow I already feel like I know the answer.

Hook smiles as he waves at me and then turns, "Stars, We're finally becoming stars, aren't we Scarlett," before him I see a woman wearing a long red dress with peach colored skin and honey brown hair. She's holding her hand out expectantly to Hook but she's looking at me with a wide glowing smile. She's beautiful and oddly enough deep down in the pit of my stomach I know who she is. I recognize her even though I've never truly met her. Her gaze then moves to Hook who walks toward her in a trance with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"It was you, wasn't it," I ask as I look down at my floating feet as a heavy sensation blooms from my chest flowing throughout my body slowly, "You're the one who named me Pan," I hear a deep throaty chuckle and I smile laughing myself, "See you later Codfish," and with that darkness consumes me, along with the feeling of peace.

"Promise me that one day you'll take me to the moon," Scarlett whispers next to me as we stare up at the starry sky. She holds her hands up making it seem as if she's encasing the moon within her fragile hands.

"I'll take you somewhere much more beautiful than that," I say chuckling and she turns her head toward me in confusion. 'What could be more beautiful than the moon' her expression asks and I laugh, "I'll take you to Neverland," I say and she smiles, "Have you ever heard of it?"
"In stories," she sighs with a satisfied smile, "And after we go to Neverland together on our ship The Jolly Rodger we can sail the heavens forever,"

"Sail the heavens?" I ask while wrapping my arm around her shoulders as she shifts closer to me.

"Yes, you'll be Black Stache my valiant ruthless pirate," she says happily. Most girls would go for princes and knights, not my Scarlett though; she was into pirates and adventure that they held, "While I will be the Crimson Jewel, you cunningly beautiful partner. We will conquer worlds together and in the end we'll become stars as bright as the evening sun,"

Looking down at her I smile while holding her close to me and kissing her forehead before looking back up at the dark star filled sky, "If it's stars you want stars we will become," I say and she smiles satisfied with my answer.

At least I had kept that promise to her.

"Stars are beautiful, but they may not take an active part in anything, they must just look on for ever. It is a punishment put on them for something they did so long ago that no star now knows what it was. So the older ones have become glassy-eyed and seldom speak (winking is the star language), but the little ones still wonder."

- J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

I hoped you all enjoyed that chapter. So I always wondered why Hook had become a pirate and why he had always worn the color red, so those questions led to this chapter, and the previous one, and I have to say that I'm proud of my work. Of course I had originally thought up of making the red a symbol of all the blood Hook shed to relate it to chapter 6 where Smee states 'Crimson, unlike black, was the true color of death,' and then I was searching for a name for Peter's mother's name and I came across Scarlett which is a shade of red and then this came out.

So did anyone ever guess that the mysterious girl was the island itself? No? Then I did my job well.

Shout Outs

Totalbooknerd13 - I know right.

Guest - I'm glad that you enjoyed that chapter and hoped you liked more of the information I put up.

Well that's ll the shout outs for today.

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Until next time my lovelies.