28.

Peter was laughing loudly, sitting on a rock, as some of the other boys jumped into the water, all of them springing into the lagoon water, the bright green leaves swaying in the slight breeze. It was a bright Neverland day, the kind that could make one forget about the dangers in the forest.

Peter's laughter died out but he continued to smile at the boys when suddenly he felt the coldness of a metal death against his back. The other boys were taken over by pirates, screaming, yelling, and growls of anger ensued. Soon it was quiet, all the boys having been gagged and tied, fear rippling from one to another. Peter however was in Hooks steel grip, his face set in childish determination.

"Up to another trick then Hook?" Peter spat.

"You know why I'm here," Hook growled, "Where is my wife?"

"She isn't with you? After all she is a dirty traitor. You should keep better track of her, she might be turning on you."

Hook shook him violently, "Where is Wendy?!"

"I don't know!" Peter cried in pain when the hook pierced skin.

"Don't lie! Where is she? Where?"

"With them."

"Don't you think I know that?" Hook hissed, "Where?"

Peter winced, "I can't betray them…"

"Tell me, or you all die."

Peter hesitated and Hook nodded to one of his men who held his sword closer to a smaller boy who then whimpered in fear.

"Stop!" Peter cried.

"Where is she?" although Peter couldn't see it, Hook's eyes had turned red, the bloodlust was there, he only needed to act upon it.

"Gone," Peter said shaking his head, "I can't take you. I can't!"

"You find a way!" Hook growled, "You find it now!"

"I can bring them to you," Peter said, "I can bring them."

Hook froze, "You… you met the… my…"

"Yes," Peter whispered, "I can bring them back."

"How can I trust you?"

"I give you my word!"

"Not good enough."

Peter thought, "I have nothing else to give you, Hook."

"Take the smallest one," Hook commanded, and the smallest freckle faced boy was listed up and tucked under an arm, "You take us. If you don't bring them back without any trouble what so ever, the child dies."

Peter nodded, "But you have to stay on the beach."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I can't let you near the entrance," Peter said, "If you want them back, you wait on shore."

"I have your friend's life in my hands," Hook hissed, "You take me where I need to go."

"It's not about you," Peter said, "It's about Wendy. You wait on shore or the fairies will know you're near by. I'll have a hard enough time getting them to you, that's all I can do."

Hook hesitated, "Fine. I don't want any tricks, one wrong move and that one," he nodded at the weeping child, "Is finished. Understand?"

"You betcha," Peter said brightly as Hook let go of him.

"And you bring them back soon! I want them here by tonight."

Peter nodded and flew away, the other boys shaking, but following him, all but one.

888

Hook and his men waited on the shore for hours. Smee waited slightly behind the Captain, looking behind him every few minutes to see the others giving worried looks, which faded to boredom, which soon became impatience. Hook however stood straight, pacing back and forth, his eyes still angry, and his metal hand twitching in anticipation. He was ready for anything.

He kept thinking of how long it had been since he'd seen Wendy. She was so delicate carrying the baby inside; he kept seeing her eyes brimming with concern and fear. He had brought her here, so sure she would be safe, that they would be together, that he would stop quickly aging, or even that they could live in Neverland with their child. He had let his imagination carry him, something he had never done before. He hadn't even seen the baby! A little girl the fairies had said, he wondered who she would look like, if she was healthy, or if she would even like him.

He wondered how old she was.

"Captain," Smee said quietly.

"What Smee?"

"Look."

Hook looked over into the trees, and saw a group of leaves move. He braced himself, and suddenly Peter flew out, his voice laughing as he carried a bundle of leaves.

He didn't see Wendy.

"Boy!" Hook called angrily, "What do you think you're doing?"

Peter slowly settled on the sand and walked to Hook proudly, holding out the leaves, "Handing you your child."

Hook hesitated and then almost greedily, suddenly paranoid Peter would drop her, took the baby from him and clutched her close, only seeing a tuff of black hair on the small head.

He looked into his child's face and gasped. Her eyes were two different colors, one of them had Wendy's golden brown, soft and innocent as a lambs, and the other was his own bright icy blue, both staring right at him. He had never seen such a thing before, both were perfectly healthy eyes, and yet the colors were opposite, as if her own genetics knew she was split between two worlds. She blinked and he looked up at Smee.

"She's a pretty one," Smee said, as if the eyes were normal.

Hook nodded and looked back towards the plant life, "Where's Wendy?"

Peter looked back too, "She's coming."

Soon he saw one of the lost boys coming out, waving his hand at someone behind him. Hook handed his child to Smee, the one person he would ever let hold her, and walked quickly to the group coming out.

His crew had seen a select few of Hook's emotions. Angry (they had seen plenty of angry), triumphant, prideful, brave, murderous, cruel, cunning, sly, protective, and occasionally encouraging (granted it was to get them to continue fighting, but it was there behind the bloodlust). Never before had the crew seen the emotions on their Captain's face as the ones they were seeing now now.

The moment Wendy limped out, the boys helping to hold her up, Hook's face fell. His eyes filled with love, with regret, with worry, thankfulness etched onto his face, passion in his movements, caring in the way he held her. He ran to her, not caring what anyone thought of his career from then on, he ran as fast as he could. He took hold of his wife and held her close to his chest, kissing her head, whispering things they couldn't hear. Relief was plain in his movements, but there was more, as if together he became stronger.

However Wendy just stood there, crushed against his chest, weak, and confused. He pulled away concerned, and saw the blank stare, and how her pupils were barely there. He put his hand on her face and stretched her skin, opening her eye wider, concern flooding him. She was so thin now, how long had it been since he was with her? Never before had he lost count of days, but now he worried. How fast could the fairies make her deteriorate? How easy was it for them to ruin her health?

"Wendy Darling," he whispered, "Wendy. Wendy Stroud."

She continued to stare, and he tilted her chin up to him, but she would not respond.

"She's just dazed," Peter said suddenly behind him, "The fairie land does that to those who aren't used to it."

Hook finally took a decent look at his wife. She was so tan, more so then he had ever seen her before, she nearly glowed, and he could feel the sun's heat on her skin. Her hair was nearly blonde now, and her eyes had become even brighter, even if her pupils were small. She was wearing what seemed to be a dress made out of palm leaves, falling around her like a breeze. Ropes tied around her waist to keep it together, and he saw that her hands were tied in a loose form of handcuffs. Her hair was in a tangled mess, small braids and leaves, rope tying a small bun at the top of her head, the rest of her hair falling down around her. She was thin, thinner than he ever wished to see her, her cheeks hallow, and he wondered once again what they did to her.

"We aren't safe, no matter where we go," Hook sighed.

"They're going to come find you," Peter said.

"I know," Hook said as he cut through the ropes around her hands. They fell limply to her sides, and he wanted her to do something, anything, just to move.

"You can't hide."

"I know," Hook snapped, "But what have they done to her?"

"She wouldn't eat their food," Peter said, "I had to sneak anything I had to her. The baby, her name is Jane. She loves her."

Hook nodded, still holding Wendy.

"Smee," he called.

"Yes Captain?"

"Take… my daughter. Jane. Take her away, leave Neverland, and hide away if you must. Just keep her away."

"They want the baby," Peter said, "When Wendy swallowed the dust it went to the baby. They're planning to raise her themselves."

"They can't have her," Hook hissed, "Go Smee. Get out, and wait at my house, if I'm not there in two days, leave. Understand me?"

"Of course."

"All of you leave!" Hook bellowed, "Go back. Touch my child and I'll skin you alive and feed you to the mermaids."

They left, Hook still clutching Wendy and watching as his child, whom he had known only for a short while, leave him, possibly forever.

"Why are you helping us?" Hook asked as the little boy who they had taken hostage was set free.

"Wendy is my mother," Peter stated, "She always takes care of me, even when I was betrayed. I'm always let go. Besides, you're fun Hook."

Hook nodded trying not to show the annoyance he felt.

"Wendy," he tried again, and then breathed in her ear, taking her hand and lifting it closer to his lips, "My beauty," and then slowly kissed her palm.

Wendy gasped and began to fall, but he caught her and held her closer.

"James," she said, and she began to shiver, she was cold, and speaking only made her feel as if she were about to freeze from the inside.

"I'm here," he said brushing his lips against her hair.

"Jane?" she said now suddenly full of worry and trying to pull away.

"She's beautiful," he said looking in Wendy's eyes and stroking her cheek, "She's with Smee, she's safe."

She nodded and gently pulled away, still looking weak, but refusing help. She knew she could handle herself; she didn't need Hook to help her.

"Thank you Peter," she whispered.

"Always mother."

Faintly Hook could see the glow in the forest, the bell sounds coming closer.

"They're coming," Hook said and took Wendy's hand and pulling her against him, "I'm so sorry for what I've done," he said, "I love you so much, more than anything, I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you."

"This isn't your fault," she said reaching up and touching his cheek, "It isn't. I love you, you know that. You're the world to me," she brought her lips to his and he kissed her deeply.

"Ahem," Peter shuffled his feet, "There is a child present."

Wendy pulled away first, looking towards the fast approaching light. She hated to feel self pity, but she felt this was her fault, not Hook's. She wouldn't think about it now though. She may not be able to think of it ever again.

The fairies rose around them, small angry faces, and bells chiming. Wendy nudged closer to Hook, her eyes fearful.

"I'm here," Hook said again, holding her waist.

The fearful look left, "I know."

She stood up straight, her face determined, and it only made Hook hold her closer, scared she would do something drastic. The bells rang louder and Wendy narrowed her eyes, "I don't like them."

"You can understand them?" Hook asked surprised.

"Sadly," she nodded. They were saying foul things, and she wished she could reach out and hurt them, to keep Hook from hearing these things. If it was any other time she would have been amused by this thought, keeping Captain Hook from hearing foul mouthed fairies.

The fairie Queen seemed to part the sea of glowing bells and looked at them angrily.

"You have abandoned us," she said, "And taken our child."

"She's ours," Hook growled.

"She's a fey child now," the queen laughed and then stopped, her eyes full of mischief, "Your tale is one of romance. I don't think I've seen such a strong love."

Peter stepped forward glaring, "Don't harm them."

"Oh I won't."

Wendy felt a chill from her words.

"James Hook," she started, "I will allow you to age normally once again, Neverland's power shall now be taken off of you. However, Neverland's sea will forever flow through your veins, but you will never again command it as you once have."

"What are you doing?" Hook demanded.

The fairie merely ignored him, "Wendy Stroud, I grant you the gift of words, but your tales of the fey world will never be told."

They both stood motionless, waiting. That's when the fairie grinned.

"I grant Jane the gift of childhood. May she and every one of her descendants find their way back to Neverland. Their soul shall always be split, and the fairie dust inside them will forever be unsettled. They will all return to us, though if they return to your world is yet to be determined."

Wendy gasped, "How could you do such a thing?"

The fairie merely laughed, "Oh it may not seem entirely upsetting yet, but just wait. Your family will never fall into normalcy."

Wendy disagreed with the fairies announcement about it not being upsetting and started to pull foreword, but Hook held her back.

"I'll kill you," Hook growled at the fairie.

"But you never will!" together the lights all sprang above them, and then falling into the trees, disappeared with the last ringing of a bell, and the last breeze of salt water.

"I hate them! Wendy cried, "I hate them!"

"I know," Hook said trying to control her, both arms around her waist as she kicked against him, "But you can't go after them. You can't."

"To hell I can't!" she screamed, "I want them dead! I want them dead!"

"They don't mean too much harm Wendy," Peter tried, "They're just fairies."

"Fairies that plan to steal my daughter," Wendy sobbed, and stopped fighting, letting Hook pull her to him.

"I'll keep her safe," Peter said, and putting a fist to his heart, "You have my word."

"Thank you Peter," Wendy said miserably, and Peter beamed, and with a bow, took to the sky.

"We're doomed," Wendy cried against Hook's chest.

Hook, who had been frozen stiff at the Fairies oracle, could only hold his wife. He had no comforting words, no hope, only desperate thoughts.

"Come on Wendy," he said taking her hand, "We have a daughter to get to."

She nodded, and both clinging to each other took the last boat on shore, and rowed their way to their child, the girl with the different colored eyes, the broken soul, fairie dust within her, and an open ended future.

I hope you guys like this story! It's not fully over, although Hook and Wendy's part about falling in love is. I have two more chapters coming up (I have this thing about having to have it be divisible by 5), which are mainly, but not really, about Jane. It's not so much a sequel, because Hook and Wendy are still the main characters, its more like an extended epilogue I guess. So officially this story isn't over. If I didn't have OCD with numbers it might be, but since I do, there's still more to come. Gosh I'll be so sad when it ends! I've had so much fun writing this, and I couldn't have done any of this without my WONDERFUL reviewers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!