|| This FF uses characters and themes from both the original book, the Disney version, and another live action version where Peter was a blonde (not Hook) I do not own any of the characters besides my OC Kate and the general plot||
Ch8
Meanwhile…
Slightly watched in horror as Kate leapt into the water after the person walking the plank. He grew more frantic when she didn't resurface. Thinking fast he rushed through the forest, calling out for Peter. The other boys heart his cries and materialized one by one out of the underbrush asking him what he was shouting about.
Soon the whole gang was sprinting through the forest shouting for Peter. All worried that Kate had drowned trying to save the Hooks prisoner. "Where could he have gotten to?" Slightly said, looking to his comrades for ideas, then tootles spoke up. "Did anyone check the hideout?"
Slightly smacked him self on the forehead and the boys set off. It didn't take long to find Peter after that; he was sitting outside talking with Tink. The boys didn't know it but things were back to normal between the two.
Tink was glad Peter had come to talk with her instead of letting her calm down herself. "Peter! Kate is in trouble!" Slightly panted, rushing towards him. "What has she gotten into now?" Peter shouted, jumping up from the ground and helping Slightly to his feet. "She was spying on Captain Hook and when he made a prisoner walk the plank she went to go save him and she didn't come back up!" Slightly said.
The twins piped in, both talking in unison "What if she drowned Peter!" they said, worried. Peter shook his head. "Search around the shore where the boat is anchored, I will search the water. Lets hope the mermaids didn't get to her." He said, taking off, Tink close behind looking hopeful in a bad way.
The boys searched for ages, and Peter from the air. The sun was beginning to go down and his search became frantic. Once or twice he dove into the water in the hopes of spotting her floating about but he was without luck in those attempts.
Then, he heard it. One of the boys was whistling. He turned about and followed the sound to the far shore of the island, in the shadow of the cliffs. Nibs was standing over two forms and waving his arms. The other boys were already there, checking on Kate.
Peter landed and moved the boys out of the way, rolling her over. He placed his ear to her heart and closed his eyes. Much to his relief it was beating strongly. "She must have tired herself out swimming to the shore" He said, resisting the urge to hug her, he couldn't do that with the boys watching though. He would never hear the end of it.
"Uh Peter…this guy doesn't look so good" Curly said, poking the boy with a stick. Curly was right, and Peter winced at the sight of him. "Looks like Hook had an issue with this one…but" Peter paused "Where did he come from?" He said, looking at the boys clothes he could tell he wasn't from Neverland. Then it hit him.
"He is from where Kate came from!" Peter said, frowning. It was very odd for someone to enter this world, unless he or the pirates brought them here. "Yeah, well he needs help…. they both do." Nibs said, casting a concerned glance at Kate.
"Alright, you guys carry him and I will carry Kate, we need-" the boys gave him a look and he stopped. "What?" he said. Nibs stepped forward. "He is really heavy. That's a job for you. We will carry Kate." he said. The boys hefted her up, each one holding her up from the ground. Peter frowned and looked at the boy on the ground.
"Fine" he said, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him from the shore.
Kate felt warm; it was a good kind of warm. One you feel after being in the cold for a long time. Like playing in the snow and then running inside to sit by a great fire. Memories flooded her mind of a good time, a time before all the bad things.
She remembered a great big dog, and a caring woman, and a man that gave her nice things. All was sweet and full of bright colors. Then came the fire, she knew the peace could not last. It ate everything, and all she could hear were the screams of the people, and the howl of the dog as she was dragged away, far away, to where everything would always be cold and hollow.
Kate woke with a start, covered in sweat and staring into the painted face of an Indian. "Nightmares plague your mind young one" He said, black hair pulled back into a neat braid, a good way to show off kind eyes that crinkled on the edges from a lifetime of smiling.
"I'm used to them." She said, pulling her legs close to her body and hugging them. "You obviously aren't if they still trouble you so long after your eyes have opened." Kate ignored his remark and looked all around his small tent. A fire sat in the center with a pot of sweet smelling herbs hanging over it to boil. At the other end was what she guessed was his bed and opposite her slept the boy.
"How is he?" She asked, feeling oddly comfortable with this tan man. "He will live, though he has been through a lot." The man said. "A dark cloud hovers over him, and I am still unsure why" he said, handing Kate a wet rag that smelled strange to place on his forehead.
"It will take time, but he will wake." The man stood and held out his hand to Kate. "You on the other hand, are now well and can leave the healing tent." He said leading her out. "What about-" she began to say but he held up his hand to stop her. "I will call upon you and your friends when he is well enough to be seen." He said. "Now go to your friends, they have been worrying so much you would think you had died and I was trying to bring you back from the spirit realm" The man said kindheartedly.
Kate smiled and thanked the man for his help and followed his directions to the big campfire. Various tribesmen sat around, talking, eating dinner by firelight, or just thinking. They saw her before she saw them. Tootles attacked her first, the small boy hugging her by her calves. "Your alive!" the twins shouted, she hugged them all. Except for Nibs and Slightly, the two closest to Peters age.
She could tell they wanted to, but she knew they wanted to look tough in front of the littler ones. Peter showed up last, looking impassive as ever, if not a little angry. "Why were you spying on the pirates?" He said bluntly, no hello, no glad your better.
"They were hurting someone, I wanted to help." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and putting a scowl on her face. The boys could smell a fight a mile away; just by the way Kate changed her body language. "Well the good thing is that everyone is Ok lets go home and get some rest" Nibs said, pulling on Peter whom looked like he had a lot more to say.
Kate allowed herself to be led away by Curly, scowl still in place. 'One day I will be the one saving him' she thought darkly. She wasn't a baby to be scolded and told what to do. She figured she would have woken up eventually and then she could have dragged the boy back to the hideout for help. Peter just happened to butt in.
The clubhouse was an inviting sight and she stepped inside ready to flop on her bed but couldn't cause Peter was already in it. Curbing her anger she went over to the hammock he usually slept in and got in it, rolling over so her back was to him. He was trying to get a rise out of her and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of sparking her anger.
Peter swore, he thought the bed thing would really kick her in the butt. She just crossed by him without giving him a second look and went to bed. Frowning he put his back to her as well. He was mad at her, he told her multiple times to stay away from pirates and she still wouldn't listen to him.
All she did was get into trouble! Sometimes he just wanted to tie her to a tree so she couldn't get anywhere. 'Then she would figure out a way to get loose and then come beat me up' Peter thought with a frown. Thinking of ways to keep her in check till sleep took him.
The boys didn't know what to do. Kate and Peter were acting strange. They didn't fight, they didn't laugh, or play. They barely talked at all. Now the boys sat on a fallen tree watching Kate try and teach Curley how to sew but she wasn't having very much luck.
"I think they said two things to each other yesterday" Slightly said. "Kate said pass the butter, that's six things you dolt!" Nibs said, smacking Slightly on the shoulder. "Well whatever number it is its annoying" Slightly said, rubbing his stinging shoulder.
"How are we going to get them to talk to one another again? I mean…Peter is mad at her for disobeying him but we do that all the time and he doesn't get half as mad at us as he does with Kate" Slightly said. The twins had joined in on the sewing lesson and Tootles was playing with the fabric Kate had collected.
"I guess its cause Kate is a girl…and girls are fragile?" Nibs said, shrugging his shoulder. "Kate is everything but fragile, she takes a punch better than Peter sometimes" Slightly shook his head. "That can't be the answer." The boys thought, and thought but couldn't come up with anything good.
That was until they were all out playing and Tootles tugged on Slightly's pant leg. "Kate is really sad" He said, frowning. Slightly knelt down. "What do you mean, she doesn't look sad?" Slightly said, looking over at Kate trying to get a needle out of Curly's bleeding hand.
"When we aren't looking, she gets real sad…she misses Peter" Tootles said matter-o-factly. "Peter misses her to but you know how he is" he said, it took Slightly a moment and then it registered in his brain and he turned to Nibs, a goofy grin on his face.
"Peter likes Kate" He snickered, boisterous laughter threatening to burst forth. Nibs looked at him and tilted his head "But…Peter likes Wendy" he said confused. "You can't like more than one person" Nibs said. Slightly was thrown for a moment but come back strong.
"Yeah, but Wendy is gone. You know how you liked that slingshot for a really long time." Slightly explained and Nibs nodded "Well you were really upset when it broke, but then you found some more wood and made a new one that looked better?" Slightly said. "Yeah and I really like that slingshot" Nibs said.
Both boys looked at one another and burst out laughing, their leader liked Kate. They didn't see Kate in that way, she was one of the boys to them. "What's up boys?" Kate said, holding a bloody needle in one hand and holding Curly's wrist in her other. "Oh nothing" they said mischievously.
"Well I need bandages before Curly bleeds to death." She said blandly. Curly was throwing a sort of fit, no tears just a lot of fear at the amount of blood he was loosing. "I'm going to die aren't I?" He said forlornly.
"Your doomed" Kate said, causing the rest of the boys to break out into fits of laughter.
||Yay another chapter and its longer than the last one, If you haven't noticed I went for the longer plot. Its fun and gives me more time to develop the PeterXKate relationship. =D ||