***
12
***
Billy and Mullins had fallen into step quite easily, side by side, with Mullins' hand never quite leaving the dagger he kept at his waist. Slightly found himself for the first time in his life unconsciously purged from the conversation. Their plan had formed slowly in the air for Billy as they walked. Over Hook they had two advantages; one was Slightly's knowledge of the terrain, and the other was Billy's quick wit to hide them. Hook had the advantage of brute strength if it came down to it. With Starkey and Mason at his back, even if neither man fought with much enthusiasm, there would be little chance of victory without forewarning and a trap.
Over the searching Lost Boys they had no advantages. That party had not been mentioned by Billy and Mullins in their dialog, because they out of everyone were not after blood and warranted no second thought to the pirates. Slightly thought of them, though. If Peter found him the only thing that would be ruined was Slightly, because the boy didn't think he could handle the look of betrayal on Peter's face, or the quick shift to hate and disgust that would come from after it. Sparing a glance up to Billy and Mullins, completely ignored as he was at the moment, Slightly's gut wretched with the worry he had made the wrong decision.
Billy didn't need him now that he had Mullins to fight with him. Mullins was stronger than Slightly, he knew more, too. Slightly was obsolete.
He'd drifted to the left and behind of the pirates, trailing now a good twelve feet. It would be very easy to fly away. He vigorously tried to stomp down the renegade part of his mind that told him this but it was a loud and obnoxious part. Slightly wasn't used to being ignored. Toodles was. He thought if Toodles was in this situation he wouldn't once think about running off.
Or would he?
Toodles had never been quite so happy as the other boys. Something had gone wrong with him. Tink told him that Toodles had become a Lost Boy a little too late, that something of his old life stayed with him after Neverland took hold. He still remembered when they'd gotten Toodles. Peter had dragged him home from somewhere or another and the boy had sat down in the corner and cried. His eye had been black and his lip split open on his teeth, and Nibs had asked him if he'd lost a fight with a redskin, and Toodles had only cried harder. They hadn't known what to do until Peter took a piece of charcoal from the fireplace and drawn a patch over Toodles' eye, covering the bruise, and somehow after that it was all right again.
Three times at night Slightly could remember they'd been awakened by wailing, and it hadn't been Peter. Toodles would scream and fight off their hands, and only after he opened his eyes did the struggle stop. His eyes would be…very strange…for a moment, then he'd tumble over Peter off the side of the bed and hide his face against the wall, shaking. By the time he turned around again he couldn't remember what he'd been screaming about. Or at least, he never said he did. The other boys never had nightmares like that, and even so infrequent as they were they made Slightly wonder.
"Slightly!"
"What?" He said automatically, raising his head from his moping stare at the earth. He blinked. Mullins had gone to a dead standstill in front of them, arms crossed impatiently, and Billy was the mysterious voice to his right. Slightly had the impression he'd been speaking to him for some moments now and immediately turned red.
"Sorry?"
"You didn't hear a word of it, did you. Are you alright, cully?" Billy asked suspiciously.
"Y-yeah. I'm just…slightly worried." He said with an apologetic (and somewhat forced) smile. "What were you saying?"
"The boy's heads a bloody sieve." Mullins muttered. Billy shot him a sharp look and they started walking again.
"I was asking about the mountains. There's caves under them, we found them when we were mapping the island, but we never found out how far they go. Did the Lost Boys ever scout them out?"
Slightly shook his head. "Peter tried. He thought there might be secrets or treasures inside them, but when we looked it took too long and the torches burnt out. We all got slightly lost. If it hadn't been for Tink we would've never gotten out of there." He explained.
"They're big then?"
"Very."
"Perfect." Billy's face turned to a malicious grin. "Then we should have plenty of time to set up traps. If we can get the captain lost in there a while we can snatch him up and anyone else who comes after us. They'll be at our mercy!"
Mullins looked back and frowned. "And how do you propose WE find out way in these caves, Billy boy? Without a guide we're no better off than the captain."
"Leave it to me." Billy grinned.
***
The inside of Mason's hat was very dark. It was also very unpleasant, having absorbed several years worth of sweat with very few intermediate washings. To Captain Popper, being tied up in a pirate's sweaty garment was a relatively new experience. He supposed it wouldn't have been for Picadilly, but fortunately for him the blasted little fairy hadn't been balled up with him. He would have had to bite off his own tongue and bleed to death if he was stuck to the little bugger again.
However, the sheer repetition of events in his life this past twenty four hours had the eerie feeling of being orchestrated by an irritating, mildly sadistic deity who liked shoving his beak in the dirt and tying him up with various means. Someone was going to have to be talked to about this.
Despite Popper's predicament of being tied up in Mason's hat, the fairy seemed to be getting on rather well with their captors. He'd proven cooperative, something Popper was seriously considering having him tried for treason for, and had been speaking with the pirates as they walked. Captain Popper had only been able to hear bits and pieces through the thick knit of the cap but he certainly heard the long train of swearing and threats that erupted when Picadilly described the pirate they had met earlier. In fact, at the pirate captain's request, Picadilly seemed quite happy to reiterate all of the night's events despite (or probably because of) Popper's muffled warnings not to say a word. A more clever bird might have learned by now that reverse psychology would work best to manipulate the spiteful thing, but Popper wasn't quite the sharpest knife on the block even if he was by far the flashiest.
When Picadilly reached the point where Detecto Brand Detecting Potion Number Two Seventeen revealed its secret, he did hear quite a commotion from the pirates, and not some small amount of disbelief. Picadilly kept talking. Popper wished he could hear what was going on.
12
***
Billy and Mullins had fallen into step quite easily, side by side, with Mullins' hand never quite leaving the dagger he kept at his waist. Slightly found himself for the first time in his life unconsciously purged from the conversation. Their plan had formed slowly in the air for Billy as they walked. Over Hook they had two advantages; one was Slightly's knowledge of the terrain, and the other was Billy's quick wit to hide them. Hook had the advantage of brute strength if it came down to it. With Starkey and Mason at his back, even if neither man fought with much enthusiasm, there would be little chance of victory without forewarning and a trap.
Over the searching Lost Boys they had no advantages. That party had not been mentioned by Billy and Mullins in their dialog, because they out of everyone were not after blood and warranted no second thought to the pirates. Slightly thought of them, though. If Peter found him the only thing that would be ruined was Slightly, because the boy didn't think he could handle the look of betrayal on Peter's face, or the quick shift to hate and disgust that would come from after it. Sparing a glance up to Billy and Mullins, completely ignored as he was at the moment, Slightly's gut wretched with the worry he had made the wrong decision.
Billy didn't need him now that he had Mullins to fight with him. Mullins was stronger than Slightly, he knew more, too. Slightly was obsolete.
He'd drifted to the left and behind of the pirates, trailing now a good twelve feet. It would be very easy to fly away. He vigorously tried to stomp down the renegade part of his mind that told him this but it was a loud and obnoxious part. Slightly wasn't used to being ignored. Toodles was. He thought if Toodles was in this situation he wouldn't once think about running off.
Or would he?
Toodles had never been quite so happy as the other boys. Something had gone wrong with him. Tink told him that Toodles had become a Lost Boy a little too late, that something of his old life stayed with him after Neverland took hold. He still remembered when they'd gotten Toodles. Peter had dragged him home from somewhere or another and the boy had sat down in the corner and cried. His eye had been black and his lip split open on his teeth, and Nibs had asked him if he'd lost a fight with a redskin, and Toodles had only cried harder. They hadn't known what to do until Peter took a piece of charcoal from the fireplace and drawn a patch over Toodles' eye, covering the bruise, and somehow after that it was all right again.
Three times at night Slightly could remember they'd been awakened by wailing, and it hadn't been Peter. Toodles would scream and fight off their hands, and only after he opened his eyes did the struggle stop. His eyes would be…very strange…for a moment, then he'd tumble over Peter off the side of the bed and hide his face against the wall, shaking. By the time he turned around again he couldn't remember what he'd been screaming about. Or at least, he never said he did. The other boys never had nightmares like that, and even so infrequent as they were they made Slightly wonder.
"Slightly!"
"What?" He said automatically, raising his head from his moping stare at the earth. He blinked. Mullins had gone to a dead standstill in front of them, arms crossed impatiently, and Billy was the mysterious voice to his right. Slightly had the impression he'd been speaking to him for some moments now and immediately turned red.
"Sorry?"
"You didn't hear a word of it, did you. Are you alright, cully?" Billy asked suspiciously.
"Y-yeah. I'm just…slightly worried." He said with an apologetic (and somewhat forced) smile. "What were you saying?"
"The boy's heads a bloody sieve." Mullins muttered. Billy shot him a sharp look and they started walking again.
"I was asking about the mountains. There's caves under them, we found them when we were mapping the island, but we never found out how far they go. Did the Lost Boys ever scout them out?"
Slightly shook his head. "Peter tried. He thought there might be secrets or treasures inside them, but when we looked it took too long and the torches burnt out. We all got slightly lost. If it hadn't been for Tink we would've never gotten out of there." He explained.
"They're big then?"
"Very."
"Perfect." Billy's face turned to a malicious grin. "Then we should have plenty of time to set up traps. If we can get the captain lost in there a while we can snatch him up and anyone else who comes after us. They'll be at our mercy!"
Mullins looked back and frowned. "And how do you propose WE find out way in these caves, Billy boy? Without a guide we're no better off than the captain."
"Leave it to me." Billy grinned.
***
The inside of Mason's hat was very dark. It was also very unpleasant, having absorbed several years worth of sweat with very few intermediate washings. To Captain Popper, being tied up in a pirate's sweaty garment was a relatively new experience. He supposed it wouldn't have been for Picadilly, but fortunately for him the blasted little fairy hadn't been balled up with him. He would have had to bite off his own tongue and bleed to death if he was stuck to the little bugger again.
However, the sheer repetition of events in his life this past twenty four hours had the eerie feeling of being orchestrated by an irritating, mildly sadistic deity who liked shoving his beak in the dirt and tying him up with various means. Someone was going to have to be talked to about this.
Despite Popper's predicament of being tied up in Mason's hat, the fairy seemed to be getting on rather well with their captors. He'd proven cooperative, something Popper was seriously considering having him tried for treason for, and had been speaking with the pirates as they walked. Captain Popper had only been able to hear bits and pieces through the thick knit of the cap but he certainly heard the long train of swearing and threats that erupted when Picadilly described the pirate they had met earlier. In fact, at the pirate captain's request, Picadilly seemed quite happy to reiterate all of the night's events despite (or probably because of) Popper's muffled warnings not to say a word. A more clever bird might have learned by now that reverse psychology would work best to manipulate the spiteful thing, but Popper wasn't quite the sharpest knife on the block even if he was by far the flashiest.
When Picadilly reached the point where Detecto Brand Detecting Potion Number Two Seventeen revealed its secret, he did hear quite a commotion from the pirates, and not some small amount of disbelief. Picadilly kept talking. Popper wished he could hear what was going on.