I don't own Hook, or Tink, or any other fun characters like that... And if anyone is wondering, I haven't done any real research about the Victorian time period, which is Mary's time, but I remember reading that women were just starting to become assertive, but it was very rare, and they were still seen as lower class citizens. Also, this chapter is fairly mushy, just warning you guys! But like I said, this is in the romance category for a reason.

Rolling Thunder Rose: Yeah, Ryan's Rant was always one of my favorite songs to play when I was taking lessons, that and Devil's Dream, which is an American tune, and not nearly so fun to dance to. And I definitely agree that Hook fics are generally very depressing, but Hook himself is a fairly dark character. A bit of Mary's history as well as some of what I invision to be Hook's is in this chapter... You must be psychic, too!

"Miss Williams, may I ask you something?" he asked, startling her from her thoughts. She nodded, taking a sip of orange juice. "I know that England has changed since I came here. But would I be right in saying that society is somewhat... oppressive towards women?" Mary sighed and put her glass down.

"Yes and no. Women are given respect when social status demands it. But someone like me, especially someone outspoken, is little more than a pretty face. To be a woman..." Mary searched for the words to describe it. "To be a woman is like spending your life as a ghost; men act as though we aren't there unless it suits them. We can't do much of our own accord, except maybe sewing or something stupid like that. Fighting is definitely out, so you see, I have no real training. I just watch and mimic the boys... until I get in trouble." Hook shook his head, anger at such insanity rising in him.

"That's absurd! Natural talent such as yours should be nurtured, not squashed!"
Mary was silent for a moment. Every bit of her agreed with him... but he was still a man, wasn't he? He wanted what every other man wanted; a bed warmer, under the disguise of wife. "Captain... James..." She sighed, looking down at her boots. "What do you want from me?"

Hook was silent as well, cleaning under his fingernails with his hook. "To be quite honest with you, my dear, I'm not sure anymore. I think that the best use of our time would be to help you to find your place in the world." His voice was uncharacteristically kind, the bit of his heart that hadn't gone entirely black beginning to show itself. "Like I said, it would be a shame for your natural talent to go to waste, so I'm offering to teach you." He raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes watching her closely.

"What do you want in return? Fair trade..." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

"That's the deal breaker, isn't it? Payment. Well, for starters... Would a kiss be too much to ask, for the moment?" He moved closer, laying his hand over hers on the table.

"No, but not here! All these people, not to mention the crew!" Hook chuckled, sitting back again.

"So I presume that if I had kissed you like I wanted to while we were dancing, you would have been less than thrilled?" Mary started to answer, but stopped, a smile tugging the edges of her mouth.

"I guess we'll never know. I may have been angry, but then again, perhaps I wouldn't have been." Hook looked at her incredulously, hardly believing what he was hearing.
Mary smiled as Hook tried to grasp her words. He baffled her quite often; it was high time she returned the favor. He began smiling himself, quite devilishly, making Mary a little uneasy.

"What are you thinking, James Hook?" she asked as he took her hand and led her out of the inn. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see in a moment." Mary looked around at the island, astonished at how fast the weather had changed. When they had gone into the inn, it had been the dead of winter, but now flowers were blooming all around her. Hook pushed aside some leaves and motioned her to follow him into the jungle.

They went past an Indian encampment, Hook walking carefully so he didn't step on any branches and get them scalped. Soon, under the shade of the trees, Mary began noticing little balls of light around them.

"What are these things?" she asked. They were quite beautiful, though she couldn't see what was making the light.

"Fairies," Hook answered softly, moving to stand behind her.

"But there's no such-" Hook quickly motioned her to stop.

"If you say you don't believe in them, one will die. And then I don't think we'd be very welcome. Come look," he said, kneeling down at the base of the tree they were by. Mary knelt beside him, looking down between the roots. Inside were hundreds of the fairies, all more beautiful than any mortal being could hope to be. They were having what appeared to be a ball of sorts, with music floating out from the tree; a haunting melody that entranced her immediately.

Hook stood up and offered her his hand. Mary took it and they began dancing to the fairy music. He turned her around, keeping his arms around her. Mary leaned back against him, enjoying a rare moment of happiness.

"I keep thinking that all of this is a dream, and I'll wake back up in that horrible place. I don't think I could bear that. Not now that I know there is a better place, with- with better people in it." She looked out towards the ocean, where the sails of the Jolly Rodger fluttered in the sunlight. She'd almost said a better place with him in it. He gently moved her hair behind her shoulder with his hook, turning Mary around. She'd started crying, something she clearly didn't do often; she was too proud to let the horrible world she lived in reduce her to tears.

"Mary, don't worry about ifs. People our age can't get to Neverland in dreams alone, only children can. You came here the same way I did." Mary looked at him through her tears, clearly puzzled.

"How do you know that? How did you get here?"

"When I was in England, I was a pirate then too. I got caught and had been sentenced to be hanged. The night before, I thought to myself that I would give anything to be somewhere else, anywhere but that foul jail. Granted, I had spent most of my life wishing I was somewhere else, whether it was when I was in boarding school or during family dinners before the sea beckoned, but I had never wanted it so badly before that night. And when I woke up the next morning, resigned to the noose, I was on the beach where you were two days ago." James looked at her questioningly.

"My father had arranged a marriage for me. Yesterday was to have been my wedding day," Mary said shakily. "The man was a brute. He drank... I'd seen him beating our maid once... He- he was a pig." Mary swallowed hard, allowing him to dry her tears.

"But he is there, and you are here, with me..." James said softly, tilting her face up toward his. "If you wish to be." Mary smiled.

"You spoke of my place in the world... Do you think there's enough room in your crew for me?" James smiled to her darkly and took her by the hand. He pulled her close to him, his pale blue eyes looking down into her green ones. He kissed her gently, pulling away far too soon for his liking. When he looked down at her, she had a smile on her face.

"Now, perhaps we should return to the crew before they get too drunk to follow orders." Or before I get too entranced by beauty to stop myself... Hook thought to himself. His plan was unraveling more and more as his cold heart was beginning to thaw.

Behind a tree, a blonde fairy watched the couple with interest, Peter Pan's fairy and best friend. Tinker-Bell watched him kissing the girl. What a change that is, she muttered, Hook being nice! Peter will be so interested! She continued to watch until Hook and the girl walked back toward the town. Tink rubbed her hands together with glee for the mischief Peter would do with Hook and his new girlfriend and flew off in search of her friend.
The song is the same music as was played when Peter and Wendy danced in the movie. Yes, I know the scenario is very similar, but there's a method to the madness, I promise.

I needed some way to get them to the island, other than Peter, and it will play in as to the other pirates as well. If you think about it, Peter got there almost the same way; he didn't want to grown up, was terrified of the thought, and he got to Neverland.