Authors note: For those of you concerned about characters being in character (especially Captain Hook), please be patient. There is more going on than meets the eye, and there is a reason the evil Captain has grown a heart. Its not his fault, I promise.
Chapter 4
He watched the flashing light, fascinated with how it changed when he turned the shiny thing. He liked bright shiny things, they made the scary darkness go away. The nice one had left the shiny thing, so now it was his. He touched the light with his free hand and it wasn't hot. He giggled in delight; bright things were supposed to be hot, but this was pleasantly cool and smooth, so he explored its feel with his fingers.
He heard a soft voice, saying that word that the others said to him a lot. He didn't like that voice, it was dark and mean, and it had hurt him. But right now it was soft and persistent, so he finally looked up. The dark man; the bad man. He felt his throat sting, making him remember the red stuff again. There was a sting in his hand and he looked down. Red stuff on the shiny thing. Red stuff on his hand. He had to get it off! Frantically he tried to brush it away, but it kept spreading.
Hook had been highly alarmed when he saw Peter playing with the knife. He didn't know where the boy had gotten it, and that idiot Smee had left the child unattended. He approached the boy, smiling a bit at Peter's giggle. Except for his occasional terrors, the boy was usually happy and easily entertained.
"Peter?" he called. The boy didn't respond at first, which wasn't surprising, so he kept calling until he finally looked up. "Be a good boy and put down the knife," he said softly, keeping a smile on his face. When Peter looked down, Hook followed his gaze. "Oh, no. You've cut yourself."
Quickly, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and knelt before the boy. Keep him distracted, or he's going to… Peter began screaming, frantically wiping his hands. "Shit."
Hook took the boy's injured hand and wrapped the small cut with the handkerchief. It wasn't deep, but the little bit of blood had been enough to set him off. He kept his voice calm, even though he felt his anger grow at Smee's negligence. "See Peter? All better. Just wipe your other hand on my coat…" He took the boy's hand and did it for him, wiping the blood off. "See? It's gone. You're okay."
For once, the boy wasn't fighting him and Hook looked up to see Peter staring at him strangely. He smiled again. "I'm sorry, Peter. We should be watching you better. I don't want you hurt."
"Hurt," Peter repeated. He grinned suddenly, delighted at his new trick. "HURT!" he yelled again, giggling a bit.
"Peter," Hook said softly. This was the first word the boy had spoken in two weeks, and he felt hope rekindle in his heart. He sees me… he's still an idiot, but he's at least cognizant of me now.
"Pee-dur," Peter repeated, nodding and smiling. "Pee-dur. Hurt. Pee-dur." He enjoyed making his mouth change the sounds. It was strange and the dark man looked happy. Fun game.
"You have no idea what you're saying, do you?" Hook mused softly. "But it's a start, I hope." Hook looked down again to study the cut on Peter's hand and adjust the cloth so it wouldn't come off.
Peter watched, bemused, as the dark man touched his hand. It stung, but that wasn't so bad. Today was different, colors and shapes and sounds fit together better, instead of swirling about and scaring him. The dark man had white hair – he wasn't so dark-looking this close up. Peter touched the curls tentatively, a bit wary. There was a sound he'd heard before, a sound that fit the dark man. He didn't try to remember it; he never thought about anything, preferring to exist one moment to the next. Thinking brought the pain. So he petted the soft hair, enjoying the sensations of feel and sight as they mingled together. The sound blossomed in his mind and reflexively he spoke it, "Hook."
The dark man looked up at him quickly, squeezing his hand. Peter felt the light sting explode into pain and fear filled him. He pulled back with a cry, trying to escape. The dark man let him go and he found himself in the nice man's arms.
"He spoke, Cap'n," Smee gasped, pulling Peter into his lap and letting him bury his face against his chest.
"Aye, Smee. If you'd been watching him, you would have known that by now." Hook maintained his neutral voice, but his eyes blazed with fury. "If you're careless enough to leave a knife in his reach again, I'll sheath it in your skull."
"Why do you care, Captain?" Wendy's voice cut across the deck sharply. "You killed him, so why are you being so nice now?"
Hook turned and saw that everyone on deck was staring at him. All of the children were present. It was a beautiful day, and he'd decided the sunshine might perk them up. They'd been excused from duty and allowed to play on deck. The children were adapting, doing what they were told and settling in to their new lives. But they tended still to be quiet and withdrawn, especially John. Now they watched Peter and him… considering that they never looked up at him, much less spoke to him, this was an improvement.
"I've hurt all of you in a way I never intended," Hook answered sincerely. "I killed Peter, yes, but somehow his life has been restored. I also have my hand back. I have no reason now to hurt any of you, and I'm not very well going to let you rot in the brig. If we ever find civilization again, any of you that wish to leave will be allowed to. I'll se to it personally that a good family adopts you. And until Peter comes back to himself one day, I consider him my responsibility. His condition is my fault."
Curly looked up at Mullins and gently tugged on his sleeve. When the pirate bent down, the boy cupped his hands and whispered in his ear. Mullins looked surprised and stood up. "Th' lad wants ta know if Peter'll be alright."
Hook smiled. This is turning out to be a good day. It may be babbling, but Peter spoke. Curly opened up to Mullins. The children don't seem as afraid of me right now. "I think he will be fine, in time. He was hurt worse than the rest of you, and he's withdrawn more. We all just have to keep an eye on him and not upset him. He needs his friends to be strong for him."
All of the children turned to look at Nibs. The boys stared at Hook for a few moments, considering what the man had said. Finally he nodded. Ever since that day, he's tried to help us. He lets Mr. Smee take care of Peter, and he hasn't yelled at us or done anything bad. Maybe he really has changed. And Peter does need us… I'm his second, I have to help him. Cautiously, leery of Hook, he walked to where Peter sat in Smee's lap, watching. "Peter?" he called softly. "Its me, Nibs."
Peter stared at the boy and repeated in a lisping voice, "Nips."
Nibs grinned, ignoring that Peter mispronounced his name. Peter mimicked his grin, enjoying the game. One by one, all the children came by, saying their names for Peter to repeat, even those boys who had ceased to speak. Peter had trouble enunciating, saying "Slyly" instead of Slightly, "Winnie" for Wendy, etc, but no one cared. For the first time, Peter was relatively lucid, aware of others even if he didn't seem to understand. But sometime after the children introduced themselves, his attention wandered and he slipped back into his mindless existence. It was a better group of children that returned to the brig that night, and for once none of them had nightmares.
Wendy carefully sat up, making sure she didn't wake Michael or Tootles lying to either side of her. Quietly, she crossed the cell to where Nibs lay, smiling at the empty space Curly had left for her between them. She settled in beside Nibs, laying her head on his shoulder and letting him wrap his arms around her. This was the only time they could devote to themselves, and they took comfort in each other until morning came. They lay in each other's arms, content just to have the other close, occasionally whispering back and forth until sleep came.
Slightly and Billy sat in the crow's nest, staring up at the stars. They sat shoulder to shoulder, clasping hands.
"Slightly?" Billy whispered. He gave a small, tentative smile when the boy turned to look at him. "I love you."
Slightly returned the smile, feeling relief wash through him. "I love you too, Billy." He gasped a bit when Billy leaned into him, giving him a brief but firm kiss on the mouth. He'd kissed Billy earlier today, and the look on his friend's face had hurt him deeply. Billy had told him boys didn't kiss boys, and had stormed off angrily. Slightly, in shame, had avoided him ever since. But a little while ago, Billy had woke him and gestured for him to follow him up here. They'd sat in silence until just now, and he was suddenly afraid.
"What's wrong, cully?" Billy asked when he felt Slightly tense up.
"I thought you were mad at me," Slightly whispered.
"No," Billy shook his head. "I was mad at me. But I love you, and I'm here for you." He kissed his friend again, and felt warmth when Slightly kissed him back. He pressed his tongue to the other's teeth, and smiled softly when Slightly opened up, allowing him access and trying awkwardly to reciprocate. Hesitantly at first, but with increasing boldness, they let their hands wander, exploring each other gently.
