Disclaimer: It depresses me to inform you that I do not in any shape or form own anything that lives in or visits Neverland.

"I thought you left."

He was out of his chair before Wendy could reply. He moved like a predator; aggressive and graceful. His eyes flashed red. Before she could move he had her pinned to the wall. Wendy swallowed hard, trying to ignore the hook at her throat.

"I- I went to see Peter-" she tried to explain, but he shook her once, hard. Her head hit the wood and left her momentarily stunned and seeing double.

He glared down at her, snarling, "Did I tell you that you could leave?"

"N-no." Since when am I a prisoner here? Angry now, Wendy glared back in defiance, her chin raised so she could look him in the eyes. "I would have told you had I thought I'd be gone as long as I was!"

The hold he had on her tightened. "What do you mean?"

Wendy could tell he thought she wasn't being truthful. "I only wanted to ask him a few questions! What did you expect me to do while you were avoiding me?"

The sneer melted into a frown of distaste. "I never avoided you."

Wendy gave him a droll stare. Briefly, he looked away. When his eyes met hers again his face was carefully arranged into a mask of indifference. "Why didn't you stay with the boy?"

Wendy looked down, sheepishly. She mumbled, "I couldn't find him."

"So you did intend to leave." It was a blunt statement and not a question.

"No!" Why was he being so difficult? "Why are you so angry? I thought my very presence annoyed you? You should have been celebrating my absence!"

He gave her a wicked smirk. "Who says I wasn't?"

She glared angrily at him, pushing the hook away from her throat. Captain Hook arched a brow and placed the blunt edge against her hip, as if daring her to move it from where it rested. "I am not an expert, but lying half dressed and half drunk hardly looks celebratory."

He smirked, "You've obviously never been on a pirate ship."

In the few moments of silence that followed, Wendy realized suddenly that the man was no longer looking at her in anger. He still had not backed away. His hook still rested on her hip and his hand on her upper arm, however, his grip had loosened considerably. She could push him away if she wanted to, and yet, even with frustration he inspired in her, she didn't want to move. For some reason, she liked being close to him. There was a spark of indecision in his eyes as he brought his hand up to her face. It hung in the air a few inches from her skin like a puppet abandoned mid-action. What is he doing?

The Captain's fingers hesitantly caressed her cheek, following the path from her cheekbone down the side of her face. Wendy closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into his hand, giving him permission to touch her. His fingers slid into her hair and tangled themselves in her glossy locks. The hooked hand moved around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I don't want you to leave, Wendy Darling," he breathed into her ear. His lips met hers briefly and then more forcibly. "Say you'll stay with me."

She was dazed from the kiss and didn't answer for several seconds. "I'll stay."

He kissed her again, languidly. It was tender and almost loving. Her mind reeled from the feel of being so close to him. His bare chest pressed against her fully clothed form. Her arms had gone around his neck at some point, fingers toying with his curls. What would Aunt Milicent think? She blinked as he pulled away. His hand loosened itself from her hair and both arms fell to his side. There was a strange expression on his face. There was longing in his eyes. For the first time, Captain Hook looked vulnerable. "Thank you," he said softly, before turning and leaving the cabin.

His shifts in mood were so sudden that Wendy felt completely confused. When she entered the cabin he was drinking himself into a depressed stupor, then he was threatening her very life, before suddenly kissing her. It didn't make any sense. She ran after him, scanning the deck for him. She spotted him sitting in the shade of one of the masts; his head bent forward and his hair shielding his face from view. He sat with one leg straight and the other pulled close to his chest, with both arms loosely draped around it.

The crew, she noticed, kept well away from the man. Experience told them that he was still as dangerous as ever. She made her way slowly towards him. "Leave me be," he said when she was only a few paces away.

"No. You thanked me. Why?"

"There must be a reason for manners now?" he evaded.

Wendy was so confused and frustrated that she felt like slapping him. "For what did I deserve your thanks?"

He stood slowly, drawing himself up to his full height. He looked down at her. Emotions she had no name for were swimming in his bright eyes. "You are pure, while I rot with sin," he looked at his hook, briefly, "You are whole, while I am lacking. You are young--there is much out in the world for you-- the real world. I have lasted centuries and likely will last centuries more on a cursed island ruled by a child. An angel stands before me, the monster, and yet she stays."

That look; for now she could name the emotions, nearly brought tears to her eyes. There was such a complete longing and a promise of perpetual despair in his gaze. Wendy reached up to brush a strand of hair away from his forehead. "You are no monster, James Hook. You play the role that was pushed upon you."

He sighed, looking like a lost child, "I have played this role for so long, I hardly remember how to be anything else."

Wendy put her arms around his waist, knowing he needed comfort that he wouldn't ask for. His body was tense, but only for a short time. He relaxed and brought his arms around her, careful of his hook, and pulled her closer. She cared for this man more than she ever thought was possible. He needed her and she would be there for him. They stood together in a tight embrace with the world around them completely absent. Wendy Darling closed her eyes and did not dare hope that Captain James Hook could ever love her in return.