2.
Wendy was sitting at her parent's kitchen table, her hair in a tight bun. The sun was about to go down, the sunset causing the clouds to go pink. Her face held the charm of being a young healthy woman, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes were large and round, soft brown. She held the sad look on her face though, the day was almost over, and she felt as if something important was supposed to happen but she couldn't remember. She had turned twenty one, and yet she felt the day hadn't finished.
And yet, she had just been proposed too.
Her parents had been thrilled, perfectly thrilled. Proposed to the boy next door, it was perfect really. She couldn't bring herself to answer though. Poor Charles, still waiting for the fatal yes or no. her parents weren't thrilled about that.
Her father had yelled when Charles left, her mother had cried. Her brothers, away at boarding school, knew nothing. She was alone with this.
By the tie darkness came around her anger was too much to contain; she didn't know she was storming out on the dark streets of London until she was there. The fog was rising around her, but it was something she was used to living here. It didn't scare her. It should have, if it had she might not have been the prey of a night stalker.
Two rough hands grabbed her around the shoulders and pushed her against the wall roughly.
"Let go of me!" she cried angrily, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you, I swear it!"
"Come now," a sudden rough and refined voice said from the fog, but it wasn't the man holding on to her shoulders, "Let the girl go. You may not think she would be strong enough to kill you, but I most certainly am."
"What's that?" the man holding her shoulders asked drunkenly, the smell of alcohol fleeing his mouth.
"I said, let the girl go."
Wendy couldn't see a think from the dark or fog, but she did see a curved shining metal piece flash, and the man let go of her shoulders. She didn't hesitate, she bolted back to her house, stumbling against the cobblestone, but she wouldn't stop, she had to get home.
When she slammed her door behind her, her chest was heaving quickly, her hair had come loose. She locked the door and fled upstairs, not stopping until she was safely hidden under her covers in her bed.
If this is what being twenty one held, she was most defiantly not going any further. The panic was slowly starting to ebb away, but her heart continued to pound heavily. She felt her breathing even out, but her head started to throb.
She hadn't even noticed her open window, it was hardly ever closed, it was so natural. So when she fell into a fitful sleep, the figure from years ago was able to return.
Hook stood looking over the shadows to the small lump in one of the beds. He walked over quickly and set his hook down on the covers, tracing the figure's form.
He pulled down the covers, as he did nearly seven years ago and looked at the girl with an amused look. She was curled up into a ball, her arms covering her face, her hair spread out across her sheets. He thought about that hair being mistreated by the man he had killed on the street earlier. Foolish of the girl to be out, but he found it convenient to take her from the streets, until the other man attacked.
He picked her up in his arms again, she was small in comparison to him, and he realized how small she must actually be. He hadn't gotten a good look earlier, and as he carried her over the threshold he actually felt excited to see the face on the new woman who was Wendy. He stopped and shrugging his shoulder so that the heavy sleeper's head turned away from his chest and more towards his arm, he gasped. It was such an angelic face, he thought, and he felt as if she would break. Her brows however were pulled together in a small grimace he could only assume was caused from earlier events. Yet, her face looked peaceful, and he knew he had to take her now before he changed his mind. But when he stepped on his ship, the small amount of crew that was awake watching him, he suddenly felt possessive of the little creature in his arms, he wasn't going to give her back.
"Captain," Smee appeared next to him, "Do you want someone to take the child?"
"She isn't a child Smee," Hook said quietly, so as not to wake her, "She's grown."
He walked towards his cabin where he laid her gently in his bed, and from there commanded the ship to head back to Neverland. He would be watching the Wendy girl for the rest of the night.
When Wendy woke the next morning, Hook was shocked to see her repeat the same events as she had her first night here.
"Oh," Wendy said exasperated, "Really?"
Hook walked over to her, and Wendy stared at his boots for a few long moments before lifting her eyes to meet his.
"Good morning Wendy Darling," Hook said smiling more at the color of her eyes then at anything else.
"Oh!" she said breathless, small fear in her eyes, "You're not nearly as old as I remember!"
He cocked an eyebrow, "It seems to children I grow a few unrealistic feet."
"Well you're tall," she admitted as she pulled herself out of the bedding, not accepting his hand, "But I imagined you as very old. You must be in your early thirties, late twenties?"
He looked taken aback, "I don't… know."
"Oh. Well you don't look old. Now then, shall we get this over with?" she asked as if tired.
"Get what over with my dear?" he asked with an amused smile.
"Where Peter comes to defeat you, and then I go home."
Hook laughed loudly, and Wendy felt the chills crawl down her spine.
"You wont be going home any time soon Miss Darling," Hook said, "No I should think you'll be here a very long while."
Her eyes narrowed, "Excuse me?"
"It seems fit, since I saved you from your doom last night," he said nonchalantly.
Her eye brows rose, "Saved me? That was you?"
"Yes," he said shrugging, "Can't have my plan die right before me. You were going to kill him were you?" he said amusement in his voice.
She stopped cold, "I am not a violent person, unlike yourself."
"I never claimed to be kind Miss Darling," James Hook grinned, "As it is, I hope you make yourself comfortable, Smee should be in with your breakfast."
"Oh Smee," Wendy gave a small smile, "He's a nice man. I'm glad I'll be seeing him, as I never stay for too long, I don't expect this time to be much different."
Hook felt a twang of something, though he wasn't sure what. Why should Wendy be so partial to Smee, he wondered, but chose to ignore his feeling.
"You'd be surprised how many secrets can be kept from Pan."
She stopped talking and a cold confused look bled in her eyes, "Secret? Why would this be a secret? Aren't you going to tell him you captured me?"
"It would ruin the surprise," he said.
"Surprise?" she said breathless, "What?"
"Miss Darling," he said bowing to her, "I am very sorry but I must take my leave and see to my crew. Good day madam."
"Wait a moment!" she cried as he shut the door behind him.
"The Captain doesn't wait," Smee said suddenly appearing next to her.
She jumped, "Where did you-"
"The side door," Smee nodded to a narrow door, and Wendy wondered how he even fit, "For when Captain needs to attend to… private matters."
"Oh," Wendy said nodding, not understanding at all.
"It's locked for you though Miss Wendy," Smee said it as if she was four.
She just nodded, and quietly ate when Smee pointed to her breakfast. Her head went through different scenarios where she escaped and found Peter. Laughing at the world's darkness that lingered on this ship, for she could not be part of that world. Her mind worked wildly, until she finally resigned herself to a plan small enough, she hoped it would work.
"Mr Smee," she sighed and looked up at him sadly, "Do you know that yesterday was my birthday?"
He looked taken aback by the fact that she was speaking, "No I did not."
"Yes," she said in a wistful tone, "No one told me happy birthday. Not one at all."
Smee's kind face turned down in sadness, "Why is that Miss?"
"I was being proposed to," she said, and then she began her story, "To a most horrid man. He did not love me a whit, and all he wanted was a young wife to take care of his other children. His first wife died you see, and he has been a most cruel man ever since, he is much older than I, and needs someone to take care of those five children. My parents wanted to sell me off to live such an exhausting and loveless life, and on my birthday no less!"
She silently apologized to Charles, who really was just slightly boring, but none of the things she said.
"Oh Miss Wendy, that is a most horrible thing to be told on ones birthday!"
"It is indeed Mr Smee. Then on top of that, me brother John is sick at boarding school," she hoped that was a lie, "But I cant do that now, because to top it all off, I was kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped! By who?"
Wendy stopped a moment before giving Smee a blank look. He looked back with a good about of pity, and then looking at her a moment longer gasped in realization.
"Of course Miss Wendy, terribly sorry, I was lost in your tale."
"Sadly it is not a tale Mr Smee, but the truth!"
"Yes Miss Wendy. If there was some way I could help…"
She smiled slightly, "You could help me leave."
Smee then burst out into fits of giggles, "Nice try Miss, but I do value my life, and yours too, if you tried leaving, the Captain would hunt you down before you hit the sand. It's much safer here from what you've just told me."
She tried to bite back the burst of frustration.
"Well then," she said and turned away.
"Anything else Miss Wendy?"
"Something to tie up my hair if it's not to much," she sighed, her hair was in her face, and it bothered her when it went its own way.
"I believe I could do that," Mr Smee said gaily and left her alone, locking the door behind him.
Wendy quickly went to the desks and riffled through the drawers for something to let her out. She searched over the desks and shelves, looking for something, anything, to help her escape.
"Ah Miss Darling," said a cool voice from behind her.
Wendy spun quickly, slamming a drawer quickly and wincing as it shut loudly.
"Captain," she said breathless, her face pink with embarrassment.
His mouth held no smile, but his eyes held a hidden laugh she wasn't sure she liked.
"What could you be looking for?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Um, something to tie my hair up in…"
"See that just will not work," he said almost reprimanding her, "Because Smee already asked me if it was alright to provide you with something. I had told him no, of course, I rather like your hair down. But I had to see what young girls do in strange rooms when left alone, and here you are, looking for an escape. Silly girl. I wouldn't dare leave you with something of violent character."
Wendy struggled against any form of anger, but she soon found her anger was minimal. All that was left was defeat.
"Don't you have something better to do?" she snapped.
"It's a calm day, what with no Pan coming to rescue you."
"Why do you hate him?" she demanded, "He's just a child!"
Hook's eyes narrowed, "It is my own business."
Wendy narrowed her own eyes, and Hook just laughed her off, "You don't scare me Miss Darling. You are most amusing to me. We are more alike then you think."
"We are nothing alike!"
Hook shrugged, "I suppose if that's what you choose to believe," he turned to leave and before opening the door added some last words.
"Do not try to trick Mr Smee with your false stories Miss Darling. I might bring in my First Mate."
"Isn't Smee your first mate?" Wendy asked confused.
"My boatswain," Hook grinned, "My First Mate is much more… impatient with childish acts."
He laughed, and once again slammed the door with a "Good Bye Madam."