In a secret place, where the harsh wind was beating down mercilessly, and the tired pirates were wishing for hot cocoa, or perhaps brandy, James Hook was questioning his sanity. Only a fool would make a deal with a witch, a child-eating one at that...
"We don't have all day, old hag. Complete the transformation" the grumpy voice of a fed-up Captain Hook shook the dingy hut.
"So impatient, the youth of today" the witch answered clucking her tongue.
"Unless you wish to contribute to the curse, say, perhaps with your other hand, still thy voice, child" she reprimanded then began to move her hands in a theatrical way and chant "Bone and marrow now unite/Make powerless the boy with flight/Blood of the enemy, vengeance approaches/Do not forget thy wretched forces...Hahahahaha!"
She slipped the elements, including a drop of Hook's blood into an empty cauldron and kept stirring.
Hook took a look at his boys, they were terrified. Good...that meant there were likely no interruptions in the foreseeable future.
"The curse has taken place, tomorrow when the golden sun gets swallowed by the starry night, and the worms eat the flesh of the sacrificed, Pan would be weak as a kitten." the witch announced while smiling widely.
Hook's mind trailed back to the sacrificed animals before scoffing, what's a few lambs to finally getting his hands on Pan?
"Here. As promised" Hook said before giving handfuls of gold, not wanting to know what she would do with it.
He told his men to depart, acting as the quintessential leader. Jukes took a look at the fireplace and couldn't help but comment "Nice stuffed animals, ma'am"
"Why, thank you, dear. They are transfigured human skulls. Yours looks particularly thick" she observed.
Jukes started trembling from head to toe, Hook had to drag him back to the ship.
Tomorrow came swiftly. Peter opened his eyes, groaned as he tried to stand, supporting his weight on his elbows.
He felt lightheaded and wished to burrow under the covers and sleep for more then a decade.
"Maybe I caught a bug," Peter said while he got to his feet. He walked slowly, noticing that everything seemed normal.
"Silly bug, ilness is not for kids" Peter said while shaking his head.
He wanted to run, but as soon as he attempted it, his head started spinning.
He grabbed unto his desk drawer, trying desperately to stop the vertigo. And stop it did, after a few agonizing seconds.
"Tink! Tink I'm scared!" Peter said, calling his trusty fairy.
Tinkerbell flew in, a worried frown on her face.
"Tink, I think I might have come down with a bug. Make it stop!" Peter told her imploringly.
The fairy wanted nothing more than for Peter to rest while she found a solution to their troubles, so she told him to sleep for a bit and went to the council of fairies.
Peter frowned, eyes furrowing in frustration. Maybe he could catch some zees, that way he might have a pleasant dream like Captain Hook in a pink tutu dancing with the crocodile.
But he was the never-ending child and sitting around doing nothing was a fate worse than death, especially sleeping. Bad enough that he did it at night, now he had to sleep during the day too!
He tried doing some of the lessons Wendy had tried to instill in him, like saying the alphabet, but he did not have the patience not the desire to look like a mature child. If anything, it gave him panic attacks.
"A, B, Uhm, C...boring as the salty sea. And now I sound like a pirate, thanks Wend," Peter said to no one in particular, as Wendy went back home and so did the lost boys, getting homesick.
"This is a travesty! No way will I be doing nothing. I just need a bath and after that I'll feel better for sure" Peter said confidently, while smiling slightly.
There was no Tink to spray cleansing powder on him, therefore he had to clean himself the old-fashioned way.
He went to the magical lake, stripped down and slowly got inside. What he did not notice was that at that exact moment, a giant octopus started pulling on his leg, drowning him. Normally he would escape the hold but today it was just...too much for him.
'Will I die without seeing Wendy's children?' Peter wondered, remembering the promise they had made, that Wendy's descendants will always welcome Peter and think of him as a brother.
He closed his eyes, ready for water to fill his lungs and hoping Tink didn't find his cadaver in the morning when suddenly a big, manly hand, pulled him out of the water, away from the octopus.
"Thank-thank you" Peter said while coughing and trying to take in deep breaths of air while looking at the ground.
"Don't thank me yet, Pan" Captain Hook said, a malicious grin on his face.
Peter looked up and froze.
He was ill, in front of a menacing Captain Hook. He was nude... For modesty's sake he tried covering his bits, only for Hook to roll his eyes.
'As if I were interested in prepubescent little boys. Now, a curved, rosy-cheeked lady with green eyes and curly hair, that is another story' Hook thought.
"I assure you, you have nothing I haven't seen before Pan" the pirate said in a bored voice, before throwing Pan's clothing , which lay forgotten on the shore, at the boy.
"Dress" he ordered and Peter did not feel like arguing, so he did just that.
"What do you want, Codfish?" Peter asked tiredly. Now he wished he had slept instead.
"A fight, boy! So arm yourself" the pirate bellowed.
"I didn't bring my sword" Peter said in a small voice.
"Too bad," Hook answered, while grinning.
He began narrowly escaping hook's sword, he felt increasingly ill, he attempted running again yet the world began spinning and with nothing to hold his weight, he fell on the ground with a thud.
"Oh, is the little boy not feeling alright today?"
"No!" Peter shouted in indignation.
"Well cry me a river! I have exactly where I've always wanted you, Pan, and I'm not letting go".
He approached, resembling Crock the crocodile and Pan started crowling like a baby, only for Hook to take hold of his leg and pull him back. The giant octopus seemed more friendly in comparison.
Peter started crying.
"Stop. Please...Codfish"
The captain saw red, he started pulling the struggling boy in his lap and hitting his bottom.
"Smack!" resounded around the forest.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
"You will never call me by that horrible name ever again. Do you understand boy?" Hook asked shaking with fury.
Peter nodded, fear creeping down his stomach.
"Good. What to do with you?"
"You could let me go" Peter suggested, eyes red from crying.
Hook started chuckling.
He pulled the shaking boy to his feet, pulled his fingers on his jaw and started tightening his hold "Peter, how would you like to grow up?"
Peter's eyes widened he started screaming.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Hook couldn't stand the hysteria anymore so he backhanded him cruelly.
The boy clutched his cheeks, which was slowly turning red.
Tears were falling down his eyes like rivulets.
"Why?" Peter asked.
"I could kill you, little boy. But you would not suffer enough for what you did" the pirate said, glaring towards his missing hand.
"I'm sorry" Peter said understanding the reason for Hook temporary melancholy "It was an accident!"
"I don't care if a fairy made you do it Pan, you are accountable for it" Hook gritted out.
Peter saw him shaking with fury. It reminded him of one of his lost boys when Peter made a particularly not funny joke at his expanse. Wendy told him to hug the boy, and anything will be forgiven.
'What if he runs me through instead?' Peter wondered staring at the swift, imposing sword.
'Better than growing up', he decided and slowly went to the pirate who was now smirking condescendingly. Like a parent having proved he was superior. Peter never liked parents very much, since the one he had abandoned him.
Suddenly he started embracing his archnemesis, who's eyes widened and stiffened.
"I'm sorry' the child repeated.
Hook stayed silent for a few seconds, contemplating slapping the child again, before recognizing this as the boy's olive branch. Still he extricated himself from the child's hold, hands on Peter's shoulders.
"Sorry or not Pan, you are my prisoner now."
He appraised him before saying "You would make a wonderful pirate, little boy".