Chapter 12: The Lost Girl
The quite frankly confused and mildly frustrated captain stared at the green eyed girl, his ocean blue orbs boring into hers. Who was she? Why was she involved? Why did she seem so familiar? Give him answers already!
"I wanted to pay ya back, ya big numpty." Rem said making him believe that all women were mind readers...the smart ones at least.
"For what?" He asked genuinely confused.
He didn't recall ever meeting her, so what debt to him was she trying to repay. She was in her late teens, maybe early twenties so he was in Neverland for a good chunk of her life.
Neverland...an image of a little girl covered in dirt and leaves, scratched to hell and bleeding in the middle of the jungle that made up most of the island's surface. The eyes...their eyes were the same, could it be? Was it possible...here of all places?
"I reckoned ya wouldn't remember me. We met a long time ago...i was just a tyke then. Lost and alone, hurt and scared...until ya found me." Rem spoke smiling softly at him,
"You picked me up and carried me to safety. I was able to go home to me mum and dad because of you. I wanted to do something to pay ya back for saving me...for caring.
When I heard ya asking about Madame Red over there...I figured ja fancied her but you wouldn't go to her...not even to introduce yourself and then she was mucking about...not wanting to cause ya any problems because she's the Savior and all."
Killian stared at the girl...no, young woman...she had grown up so much. She was quite the looker too with those orange curls…the true ginger of the two of them. Her eyes were a lovely forest green with just a touch of lime green. Incredible...it really was her...wait a second...
"When did you start calling yourself, Rem? You said your name was Maria." He asked momentarily forgetting to project his cowardly blacksmith persona.
Her face brightened and her eyes sparkled with happiness. He was not prepared for the Celtic woman's sudden launch at him, hugging him tightly.
"Ya do remember!" She cried happily.
He wasn't really certain what to do so he just sort of awkwardly returned the hug. Her cheek pressed against his...he felt it when tears began to trickle down her face.
"Hey now...i think there's been enough rain today, don't you think?" He suggested trying to get her to stop crying.
He remembered how he had heard her in the jungle. He had been on the run, trying to escape the lost boys and he had found her curled into the roots of a tree, whimpering in fear. So small...she had been so tiny. She couldn't have been any older than three maybe four and even then, she was small for her age.
She had been covered in scratches and scrapes. She was dusty and dirty, quite a bit of mud caked on her arms and legs, but it was the tear tracks on her cheeks that had made him stop...despite the lost boys being only a few minutes behind him.
For a man hell bent on revenge, he certainly did care a lot...especially back then. It had taken only a moment, a brief meeting of their eyes, and he made the decision to take her with him. He rushed over to her and held out his arms...she didn't even hesitate. She practically leapt into his arms, crying in relief.
He wasn't really sure what happened afterwards. It was all a blur but he did remember how it felt to carry that little girl in his arms, the lost boys right behind them, arrows and rocks whizzing passed them. A fair few hit him because he had used his own body to shield her.
"I never got a chance to thank you." She said softly and a few nearly inaudible words reached his ear, "Thank you...Captain."
His eyes widened as his body tensed. Shit...this wasn't good! He didn't know that someone from his past would be here! No! That meant that he had to kill her in order to keep his cover intact...but he already knew...he couldn't hurt her. She did accidentally try to kill him but that was no fault of her own.
"Mister blacksmith… I'm grateful to ya for saving me and all but…" Rem started pulling back and then smacking him in the back of the head, "You ever make her cry again and I really will kill ya! Ya got that, ya bloody idiot?!"
His eyes softened and his body relaxed. She wasn't going to rat on him...definitely dodged a bullet on that one but still...they fucking played him and he had been completely and utterly duped! This was why you never get a feisty wench with a sharp mind and an even more deadly and positively gorgeous probability mapper within five feet of each other! Chaos, complete and utter chaos!
"Yeah, I got it. Now answer my question. Rem? Then explain how you two even crossed paths in the first place." He replied giving her a look.
"Guess ya don't remember that bit, eh? It was the name that Fang gave me before ya had to leave. As for her and me…" she started becoming rather put out, "She bested me and with me favorite weapon too...the bow."
He let out a short laugh at the Celtic woman pouting like a child. She stuck her tongue out at him before crossing her arms and looking away in a huff, making him smile. Well that explains the meeting part and for his lack of presence. He had left to grab some food while his goddess had been taking on challengers at the archery range.
"Tell him the rest, Remaria." The ginger goddess instructed smirking again and making him remember the growing dilemma in his pants.
Damn it, woman! Stop smirking already! He did not need an agonizing erection right now!
"Before we started our battle of skill...i told her that I knew ya and I could introduce ya to each other but she declined so i made it a wager. If I won, you two would be meetin' and greetin' but if she won…" Rem started but then stopped.
"If i won then she had to fire up the gossip mill into a frenzy, leading straight into a confrontation." The red head explained… still smirking...he swore she was doing it on purpose.
"I was supposed to play the villain and she swoop in and save ya from me, forcing ya to interact with her since the gossiping didn't spur ya into action. Again...your own bloody fault for being a sissy." Rem elaborated glaring at him but without any heat.
"I get it. It's my fault for being such a coward." He replied receiving a slap to the face from his ginger haired goddess, making him blink in surprise...his left cheek stinging from the impact.
"Call yourself a coward again and I'll show you what true cowardice looks like. Is that clear?" The red head stated her tone leaving no room for argument so he just nodded.
He would admit it...that had actually surprised him. He never expected her to have such an immediate reaction...a rather passionate one at that.
Then she smiled at him and he kind of forgot how to breathe...his stomach felt like he had swallowed a swarm of butterflies and he couldn't look away.
The Dark Captain had found some answers, only for more questions to arise. Now he was faced with his greatest challenge...The Crimson Savior, an enchantress seeking to claim her Captain. Can he resist the woman that has captured him with her eyes alone?
