"Take my hand,
Nothing can come between us,
We were always meant to be,
Forever, you and me"

(Be Mine Tonight - Blackmore's Night)

THUCK

THUCK

THUCK

THUCK

"How long has she been at it?"

"Well Cap'n... the gal' started at sundown and we're deep into night now, so ... 6 hours give it or take."

THUCK

"And you, as a doctor, didn't see fit to stop her before she collapses?! What do I pay you for man?" Hook exclaimed at the doctor, furious that he had done nothing.

After the shout from the crow's nest confirmed his previous musings and calculations in regards to their arrival at the island, Samantha got up from his bed, which he was now more than elated to say "their" bed, and began to dress herself in front of him.

He admired the view from his position, relaxing on the bed with his back resting at the wall but straightened up when he noticed her smooth back, where it previously bore scars from the whipping incident.

"Your back…" he whispered, getting up to touch it.

Sam glanced over her shoulder to him with a sweet smile on her lips.

"They healed it at Pixie Hollow, along with a few other bruises."

As he caressed her back with his fingers he also noticed that there were a few other spots on her body from their performed activities throughout the day and it made him swell with that primitive male pride. He smiled at that and kissed her back, sending shivers all over her body.

"You should stop doing that. I'm trying to dress myself, you insufferable pirate."

"Siren." He retorted.

"Half true." Was her answer.

He stopped kissing her body and dropped himself back on the bed. A few minutes later, when Sam was fully dressed, her movements caught his attention. She had reached for her bow, which had been forgotten for a few very enjoyable hours in his opinion.

"Love, what are ya going to do with that aboard my ship?" His eyes trained on her grip at the wood of the bow, her knuckles white with the strength she was holding it with.

"I'm going to train Killian." She answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Who knows what danger lies in that maze, or in the land itself. I've been coddled up at Pixie Hollow without practicing my sword skills or my bow skills. I've lost my magic, which was of no use anyway since I couldn't do shit, but it at least could come in hand and in here I just -"

"Slept with the most handsome pirate in all realms?" He cocked his eyebrow, wiggling it and licking his lips, making her legs tremble only at the memory of what they had done. She blushed profusely at that.

"Yes, that too but, working some chores and one sword fight is hardly training Killian and I need to get back into shape." She sighed, coming to sit at the edge of the bed, dejected.

"If I'm truly to save Neverland I will devote myself to it. I'm still pissed off that this is my task, one that I did not ask for, but when was life ever fair with what I wanted?" A small smile graced her lips at Killian's huff.

"You forgot that your life made you cross paths with my life. That wasn't so bad, was it?" He mentioned while making his way towards her and kissing her shoulder. "From what I've gathered in the past few hours you sure as hell wanted me. Very much."

She swatted lightly at his bicep, leaning down to give him a brief kiss.

"That's true, but don't get too cocky." At that she got up and retrieved her cape, placing it over her shoulders.

Killian felt a sense of deja vu, like she was about to disappear in front of his eyes, just like the last time they saw each other at that alleyway in the village. He didn't like that one bit, so he got up with one swing of his legs.

Sam noticed the movement with the corner of her eyes and once again blushed profusely at the sight of the man she loved in all his glory. He winked at her, knowing exactly what the sight was doing to her.

The bastard was enjoying every minute of it and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of teasing her any longer.

"I'll be at the deck."

And with that she was out of his sight, leaving him to change his garbs. He had to go around the room to find his trousers, boots and flannel shirt but once he finished his search and placed the contraption that held his hook on his forearm he went over his desk to, once again look at the map Ealdhun had given them.

The King had been right, his ship was the fastest in all the realms and they had arrived at the island one day ahead of schedule. It would probably take a few more hours to reach land but he was certain that once they did Samantha would go running to get the bloody job done.

Was he worried?

Aye, very much so.

The island felt like a trap already! He hadn't even set foot on it and he already knew it. The whole thing felt like a big scam to him and he feared that something was about to happen. Something that would change all their lives, forever. So he had to make sure that everything was in order if anything went amiss on their quest.

After hours of checking every crook and nail of his Jolly for anything that might be useful on their quest he found himself admiring Samantha's skills with the bow and arrow, despite his concerns for her well-being.

He had never seen her using it before. How she arched her back, pulled her arm back and sinfully let her lips kiss her hand before breathing out and letting the arrow go. It was magnificent and his nether regions, by the way he felt the tightness in his breeches, felt the same.

"She's good Cap'n. Don't worry ya self." David spoke beside him. "Whatever she's supposed to defeat has no way of seei'g her coming, sir."

Hook gave him a nod in acknowledgement, patting his back as he made his way past him to the stairs.

"I hope you are right David!" He said in passing. "I hope you are right."

-x-x-x-

Her arms were screaming with exhaustion. Her legs were cramming and asking for her to give up and lay down and her eyes could barely keep themselves open. But she had to push harder. To try harder.

They were already anchored near enough for her to get a boat and row to shore. But Killian had announced a few hours back, she had no idea how long that had been, that they were rowing in the "morrow" or whatever pirate dialect he had in store for that moment anyway.

Her hands were pulling on one of her arrows, lodged at the lid of a barrel, courtesy of a very disgruntled Killian once he saw that she had intended to shoot her arrows at his mast. "It's only a piece of wood!" She had exclaimed to him after he had screamed bloody murder at her before letting one arrow loose at his "beloved ship".

She had never seen him run so fast as he had before she shot her first arrow. He gave her the lid and a small sigh of relief when she took it. It had been such an endearing expression that she pecked him in the lips. In front of the entire crew.

After that the whistles and catcalls had made her color rise from head to toe, but Hook smiled as wide as the Cheshire Cat, leaving her with a wink and a small bow to his crewman.

She scoffed at the memory, still trying to pluck the arrow out when she felt a warm hand at her heavy shoulders.

"Having some difficulty with that, love?" She heard him whisper in her ear as his breathing kissed her cheek sending shivers down her spine.

A strangled "yeah" was all she managed to come up with, remembering how his lips had blown a gust of hot breath at her clit that same morning/afternoon.

Focus Sam.

His right hand suddenly held hers and together they managed to retrieve her stubborn arrow.

She whirled around, too fast for her liking and just like that she found herself loosing balance. It was a daunting sight as the floor came nearer and nearer to her face but Killian managed to catch her before she made a fool of herself.

"I see you over exerted yourself with the training and your morning activities huh? I came to retrieve you and bring you to bed." His voice was a little playful and his face was just a little relaxed. Although she could see that his eyes were concerned for her. She thought about arguing with him but she was tired and he was so warm, so the only answer she could come up with was the nod of her head before she rested it in the crook of his neck.

He led her through the deck, his right arm circling her waist, up the stairs and inside his cabin, until finally they reached their final destination. His bed. She threw herself and moaned in delight as soon as she hit the mattress.

"Ugh, this is heaven."

"It can be pretty close to it, I won't fight you on that lass."

"Good, cause I'm beat."

Killian chuckled at her antics but let her be.

"If you need anything just scream. I'll be outside if you need me." He said, giving her forehead a kiss before leaving Sam, already deep in slumber.

Once outside his cabin, Killian walked back to the mast and started taking the lid of the barrel down. While he worked on it, the breeze softly kissed his skin, and goose bumps spread all over. He raised his head and stared at the island.

It looked like any other island he had encountered in his piracy days. Full of trees, sandy shores and uninhabited. But he knew better at this point.

"Creepy lil place." Stated David, leaning on the mast in front of Killian. "I hope the girl will be al'ight tomorrow."

"Aye."

-x-x-x-

The next day, at sunrise, everyone was already up and about on the Jolly, making sure everything was in top shape for when the Cap'n and the miss returned from their journey.

Not far ahead, on the tranquil ocean waters, was a boat, being rowed towards land by Jack and Smee. David had been summoned to accompany the team if anything should happen. A precaution, really. Also aboard were Killian and Sam.

Sam was equipped with everything she could get her hands on. A sword, two pistols, a few daggers hidden here and there, her bow and arrows and a few meters of yarn. This last item was an afterthought that came to mind minutes before their departure. She had read the myth of the labyrinth and the Minotaur and remembered how Theseus used it to mark his way through it. She only hoped that there would be no magic involved to make her idea useless.

Her hands were clammy from cold sweat and she couldn't stop bouncing her leg from nervousness. Killian's hand rested on her thigh, giving it a squeeze, reassuring her that he was there with her. She looked at him and smiled faintly, thanking him for that little gesture and rested her head on his shoulder.

Her eyes landed on Jack, rowing their boat with little to no effort, only to find his eyes staring at Killian's hand on her thigh. Once he noticed she was looking he averted his eyes and kept on rowing, his heart heavy from knowing that he had fallen for a girl out of his reach.

A few more minutes in silence and they had reached the beach. Sam's boot splashed on the water, followed by everyone else's. Her heart beat frantically inside her chest but... no matter. She let out a puff of air and dislodged her bow from her back, preparing herself for whatever awaited her inside that forest.

"Samantha!" Killian called, coming to meet her at the edge of the forest while Smee and Jack pulled the boat to shore.

"Were you going to head into that forest without me and David? What about your food supply, love?" He questioned, raising with his hook a small pouch with a few fruits, bread and cheeses.

"Ugh, I had forgotten!" She moaned and looked at him, annoyed at her own stupidity.

"No need to fret darling, I've got you." And pecked her cheek.

Killian had been very invested in showing his affection since yesterday when they finally agreed to establish themselves as a couple. Don't get her wrong, she would never complain about his affection for her. Never. It's just that it felt too... predatorial and she might have an inkling on the why, but that was no matter to be discussed right now. They couldn't waist any more time if they wanted to get back to Pixie Hollow on schedule.

"I'm happy that you do, but can we go now?" She said, impatiently.

Killian gave her a knowing look and nodded before turning back and calling for David to 'come along'.

Exhaling a breath of fresh air she gathered herself. With a last look behind her shoulders she nodded a goodbye to Jack and Smee who tipped their heads in acknowledgment, and started marching after Killian, following the path to hers and Neverland's fate.

-x-x-x-

The forest was sparse and dark.

The more they entered it the more it felt like they were being led to a place with no return. The trees were taller than anything she had ever seen. The sky was nowhere to be found and there were no sounds of birds or any animal whatsoever.

It gave her the chills.

"Killian, are we positive that this is the right path to the maze?"

"Love, trust me. This, beneath our feet is the closest thing to a trail that me and David have found and I'm pretty sure that in a couple of hours we will reach some kind of sign or something."

"Like that?"

The three of them stoped and looked at a stair, built within the soil itself as if by magic. The steps were all built in stone but, as if to show how ancient that place was everything was covered in moss and grass. At the end of the stairwell was an arch, enveloped by a thick wall of grass that stretched far and wide.

The arch was beautifully crafted. It was made of stone, the same one as the steps but these had a few swirls and markings which reminded her of Pixie Hollow somehow.

Of course. She mentally scoffed. No wonder this place was built by the pixies.

"Well, you were right Killian. This was the path." She said, none too enthusiastic.

"Are ya going in miss?" David asked, looking between her and the stairwell.

"Yeah…" but she was none too happy to go right at that moment.

Killian examined her carefully. Every gesture and look. She was not ready. At all. His warrior was scared and he could not help her in this task. They could not be a team in this particular quest but, he could make her feel better before anything she would have to face inside that place.

"David?" Killian called.

"Aye Cap'n?!"

"I think it would be best if we had something to eat before Samantha faces her big task." He looked at her as he said that and she smiled back at him, relieved that he at least understood that she needed a moment to digest it.

"I agree sir. It would be the best for her. Restrain her energy and all that." David nodded in acknowledgement.

"Right. Since all is settled I will go collect some firewood with Samantha."

Sam looked at him with confusion but he only stared at her with a smirk on his lips.

She knew that look.

"Right… firewood." David laughed to himself as he sat on the grass and started sorting through their supply pack.

Samantha left her bow and quiver near David, feeling a blush creeping in at the way he was looking at her.

"Oh, shut it!" She snapped at him but he only laughed at her as she and Killian moved farther from him as possible.

They walked for a little while, back through the same path they had come. Killian had a few logs in his arms when she stopped following him.

"Killian… if anything happens to me I wan- "

He turned around to face her and dropped the logs as he stalked back to her, his eyes burning with all of his passion.

"Nothing is happening to you Sam." He said this while framing her face with his hands and looking deep into her eyes. "Okay? I'm saying nothing is happening to you and that is it!"

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. From fear, from love, from despair. She leaned in forward, touching their foreheads together and breathing him in. His scent a mix of rum, sea and that manliness that made her feel heat all over her body.

"I just want this to be over and for us to be together with nothing on our way."

"There is nothing on our way now."

Killian leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. Sam's hands grabbed his wrists for support but she quickly bypassed them and rested her palms to his cheeks, enveloping his face, just as he did with her.

At first they explored each other with abandon but at some point Killian started backing her up until she felt the rough bark of a tree on her back. His hand went from her face to her waist, squeezing it and pulling it towards him.

She felt it then, through his trousers as he was grinding against her and, if she wanted him before, now she was desperate for him. She raked her fingers through his hair and down to his back, scraping her nails against his shoulders, eliciting a growl of approval from him.

His teeth were on her throat now and she arched it a little more, to give him more access as his hand went down its path to the clasps of her trousers, undoing it and reaching in, sliding his hand between her legs.

The moan he elicited from her just at the mere touch of his hand were music to his ears, better than any siren's call.

"Killian…" she began but suddenly his mouth was back on hers and he was fucking her with his fingers and she had only the sense to move against his ministrations. She keened and whimpered but that did not stop nor slowed his fingers. She shuddered, feeling the pleasure begin to build and the only thing she could do at that moment to even the odds was to place her hand on his cock and press at it gently.

His hand faltered for a bit and he stopped kissing Sam to pant at her neck as soon as her hands grabbed at him. "You…are…mine." He heard her pant at that little pause but that did little to appease his hunger for her and with no time to loose he yanked her pants down and with the help of her fingers freed himself from the restrictions of his own pants.

She eyed him hungrily, pumping him slowly while his hand went to explore what he could of her breasts, pinching at her nipples and making her cry out in pleasure.

"I love these" he managed to say before diving and sucking one of them, paying the attention they deserved for a while, but he didn't last for long because as soon as her pants became more erratic and his cock was throbbing he spread her legs with his knees and slid into her with no warnings, in one smooth thrust, making Sam cry out in pleasure.

He filled her completely and with every thrust he pushed himself deeper and deeper and she didn't have a care in the world to try and be silent when she felt the way she did. He filled her vision and her entirely, with his scent, his skin, everything. She felt him speed up his thrusts until he was pounding into her relentlessly and she moved as best as she could against him, giving as good as she got. There was a moment the pleasure was just so intense that she had to bite at his shoulder to stop the scream that threatened to leave her. He groaned at the feel and with his hand, fisted her hair, pulling her head back to kiss her fiercely, feeling her nipples bouncing against his chest.

"You are so good…taking it all in.." he purred, slamming into her time and time again. His words were her undoing. She felt herself tighten around him and he kept whispering against her ear those dirty little words and with one few sweeps of his fingers at her clit…

"Yeah, that's right… that's right Sam, cum for me love." And she obeyed, losing control over her own body her pleasure hit her and she arced, seeing white and coming so hard that she couldn't even speak.

He kept going with a few more thrusts, riding through her orgasm as he sought for his own release and with a deep groan he fell apart inside of her.

They were both spent and panting. His head resting on the hollow of her collar bone as she leaned her whole weight at Killian's body, her own feeling like jelly. When he made to move from inside her she groaned at the loss of him.

Killian kissed the top of her head, holding her to him as best as he could while producing a cloth from the pocket at his overcoat to clean Sam and him from their activities.

"Now I really don't want to go to that infuriating maze." She sighed, pulling at her trousers and adjusting her blouse.


HELLO TO THOSE WHO WERE AT SOME POINT STILL HOPING TO GET A CHAPTER FROM ME IN THIS LIFETIME.

So, I know its been a year since I've last posted a chapter and there is really no excuse for the lateness but here I am. Back form the dead.

I've currently found some time in my life to keep going with this fic and I'm so happy with that. I quitted my job for a while now because I'm having trouble passing my bar exam and I am also trying to figure out if law is really the career path for me (just after I graduated and everything haha I'm nuts, but hey, that's the life of a 23 year old, am I right?)

Anyway, I'm rambling.

Please, if any of you would like to add what they would like to see at the maze chapter, what Sam will be facing and that kind of stuff, please, feel free to say it on the review or to PM me. I'm cool with either one of those.

I have a playlist on Spotify for this fix as well, feel free to check it out! it's called THE HEART PLAYLIST, username: Beatrice Elizabeth Hager.

And please review, like, follow, subscribe, whatever you feel like it!

Missed the fan fiction world.

Trice out!