Sorry for the EXTREMELY late update. Had some business to attend to, my own personal adventures.

Enjoy. Music is truly inspiring. The original thought process of singing came from Red's "Hymn for the Missing". It's truly beautiful. Very haunting. Listen to the females vocalizing and you might be able to really see what Peter is doing. Also, it's how I imagine Melody sounds after her practicing. Sweeter then Ariel's, more innocent then her mother's outgoing one.

Chapter 9
"Stolen"

Peter thought he heard singing. Hypnotized by it's beauty and the sense it gave him, like it was familiar, forgotten. His eyes gently opened to complete white light that felt like it should've blinded him, but didn't. He was unaware but aware, a conflicting peace resting inside his chest. It was warm but the sense of ease made him nervous. When things were at there best for him they always seemed to crash and burn. So he floated forward, on an invisible and soft current.

Suddenly he heard strange echoes of voices. Or just one voice. She was singing again, that lullaby worthy soft voice of hers. She was so beautiful, he thought, even though all he saw was white before him. But the warmth on his chest came with pressure and was uncomfortable until he saw an outlined shadow breaking up the glow around him. She was far away, but Peter knew it was her who sang to him. He started heading towards her, desperately but the current suddenly jerked back at his attempt to break free of it. For an achingly painful moment he was frozen, suspended.

Then she turned to him, raven hair and all, looking him in the eyes with her piercing dark blue ones. She could be his destruction but she was also his creation. Peter was unable to comprehend the rush of emotions in his body as he saw her so far away, but felt her so close to him. Her eyes were so clear. It was scary. Then her chest arched forward as she gracefully turned away from him, walking as her hair moved behind her, almost waist length.

"Wait!" Peter cried out, and felt his body shoot forward. She turned abruptly in surprise and then things seemed to slow. Her hair, whipping around her shoulder from her surprised movements, began to move slower. Peter was moving slower. He came almost face to face with her, unable to look away from her eyes when the glow engulfed both of them. Peter felt his face heat up.

He woke, startled, in the dark. Thankfully, he wasn't scared of the dark, and sat up. Making sure he kept quiet so as not to wake anyone, Peter lifted himself from his bed, glad Melody hadn't wrapped her arms around him in the middle of the night like she did every once in a while. Peter decided he just needed some air, to shake himself from the terrifying beauty in his dream. She reminded him a lot of Melody, except . . . less real. More terrifying then Melody could be, but definitely not prettier. Peter preferred the way Melody looked over this forest-fire type of appearance. It scared him, though he'd never admit fear to anyone.

When Peter went outside, he was shocked to find it was more or less morning. The cold chill of the morning air flooded his lungs and he quickly lost his panic to the brightening morning as he stretched his limbs. It was uncomfortably peaceful. Then Peter realized something.

Was Neverland always this . . . soft looking?

A sharp pain officially woke Peter up this time.

Melody had woken up to a noise outside, far earlier then Peter had. She'd almost woken him from his slumber.

Almost.

But she hadn't and now she was here, screaming at the top of her lungs while a filthy pirate covered her mouth and laughed wickedly. Her hair was down, ruffled now from the fighting and her bare legs kicked at anything that came near her.

"Peter sure picked a funny one," One of the men who weren't holding her noted, eying her oddly. She glared back at him, daring him with her eyes to try something. But he continued in a voice that was sort of respected admiration. "Even when she's screaming it sounds kind of . . . musical, huh?"

"Yeah," another pirate agreed, slowly, eying her as if for the first time in suspicion. They all knew Melody was dangerous. But now she was something they seemed to be appreciating, now that she wasn't a threat to them (for the moment). "Look at her hair. It's got a kind of blue tint in the moonlight."

Melody's eye flashed with an idea and she quickly looked away before any of them could see it. They hadn't moved from in front of the hideout and Melody partially wonder why. She prayed Peter would wake up, anyone who could help her, but she was stuck for now.

But not for long, she thought to herself.

That was when Melody clamped her teeth on the pirate's finger, hard, ignoring the idea that he probably hadn't washed his hands in a while. And who really knew what a pirate did when she or anyone else weren't around. But he released her, stumbling away for a few seconds and dropping Melody back onto the floor. She would've tried to make a run for it but she was already tied up. The rest of the pirates made a move to grab her but before they could she opened her mouth and let out a soft but pronounced balled of her voice.

They froze, most likely amazed. Melody's voice had developed from all the singing she did for the Lost Boys, and especially Peter. Some of the mermaids had helped her with it, as all mer-people had siren in them and even though Melody was a hybrid, she hadn't lost her mermaid genes. Even if human was her dominant, her body and soul still belonged into the ocean around her. And the sea repaid her faithfulness in sound.

She forced her vocals to their greatest, pushing them harder then ever. Even Melody had to admit that she was impressed with the echo of voices that came around her. The fragility she had managed to incorporate into the sound made her seem defenseless, or at least that was what she hoped. The mermaids had warned her that what you incorporated into song could be dangerous. They'd taught Melody mainly how to sound pretty, but on a few occasions they'd spent their time teaching her how to play into an emotion. She was good at portraying innocence, but by far she was best at playing into mourning noises. Melody was fairly happy almost constantly, unless their was something wrong, but the mermaids had complimented her greatly on her very first attempt at heartbreak. She added part of that into her voice now, hoping the combination of the two would have an effect on the pirates. Melody kept her eyes closed, starting on high notes, dropping down three notes, holding it, and then going back to high. Pace was also important if you wanted to keep someone's attention. A song too rushed would sound hasty, unfinished and chopped. Slow singing created far better a result.

When she opened her eyes to see the result, she saw the pirates staring at her in a sort of awestruck stupor. What could they do to such a helpless and fragile creature such as the one before them? They slowly began to fall under the spell of an amateur siren. Had Melody been practicing longer then they probably would've been asleep long ago.

Suddenly wicked laughter and a flame lighting up in the darkness appeared. Melody forced herself to keep singing as she watched the approaching flames and thanked her lucky stars the pirates hadn't noticed, still entranced. But she nearly lost her reserve when Hook appeared, illuminated by a torch he held in his hand. He was now humming to himself and his crew scowled and flinched at the contrast of Melody's voice and Hooks. Hers was far the worst in comparison and they hated it, practically curling away from him but refusing to cover their ears, lest they be deprived of the much more enticing noise. It might as well have been hard-metal compared to the sweetest of lullabies.

But Melody knew what he was doing. Hook was blocking out her noise, though she could see the internal struggle in his eyes to shut up and listen trying to break free from underneath his logical side. Melody started to sing louder, locking eyes with Hook. She had learned on her own that when you were watching someone when singing, divulging your attention to them and making them feel as if you were singing to them alone, it often worked better. And it did. Hook was moving shakily, straining against her abilities. He reached her shaking, falling to his knee with the torch in his shivering hand. And it wasn't even cold.

Melody wished they were in a cave. This would be easier in a cave.

Things echoed and became more magical there.

The smoke from the flame made her eyes start to water though, and Hook wasn't giving up yet. He wasn't broken entirely and Melody couldn't push herself anymore, focusing her eyes with his and trying to build an intensity there. With what must have been all the resilience he must have had left, he aimed the torch in her direction, the smoke drifting directly into her face and sending it down her lungs. She cut off abruptly, coughing violently then and jerking her head away. She struggled to try and breath again, shoving her body backwards and out of Hook's range. But the clear air couldn't get in fast enough.

Hook seemed suddenly tired but the effect was wearing off now. His crew had lied down, as if ready to go to sleep. But now they were sitting up slowly, groaning, trying to blink the sleep out of there eyes. Melody had fallen onto her side in her desperate attempt not to get burned and breathe, squeezing her pained eyes shut as her body shook with coughs. When she opened them again, others were holding the torch, and Hook had a gag in his hand.

"Clever girl," he said, with a smug grin. He tied the gag quickly around her mouth and Melody noticed the pirates seemed almost sorry. She smirked within, knowing there might be a good chance one of them might slip up with a little pleading and untie her. But she'd have to remain innocent, or the effects of the song would snap away abruptly. So she didn't struggle, or attempt to scream again, and as Hook slipped the tie around her mouth, she pretended to collapse.

The Captain caught her, and she heard the frown in his voice when he talked. "Well I certainly didn't mean to suffocate the lass."

"Um, Cap'n, if I may be so bold?" someone else said. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad an idea if we, em, let her sing again. Once she's recovered, a'course. Nobody sounds really good when they've just inhaled a bit too much smoke."

Hook didn't say anything for a few seconds, as if debating with himself. Melody remained limp as he carried her with one hand on her back and the other under her legs. She knew her charm was still wearing off, even on him. Otherwise, she'd probably be slung over his shoulder. Finally though, he said, "No, it's far too dangerous. We can't have her hypnotizing us until she's well restrained."

Melody inwardly prayed that she could still convince someone to untie her later.

It was around this time she actually did manage to fall asleep, her head slumping backwards.

She hoped that scared the heck out of at least some of the pirates.

Peter panicked, tearing apart the house as soon as he saw Melody was gone and recognizing that strange song from his dreams with the coming awareness. That was Melody he had heard in his sleep. She must have been in trouble!

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He mumbled to himself, shooting up into the air.

And then the Great Peter Pan was just in time to see the ship flying off towards the exit of Neverland, and a bright shine for just a moment.

Then it was gone.

"MELODY!" He shouted, unable to contain himself as he shouted down into Neverland, praying she would pop up somewhere in confusion as to why he was so upset and panicky, with some other sort of surprise. When he got no response Peter once again screamed, "MELODY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

But he didn't get any response. And he knew deep down that no matter how hard he yelled, or how far he searched for her in Neverland, he wasn't going to find her. Because she was with Morgana, the one person she was afraid of in the world, and Captain Hook, the one person who would do anything in his power to hurt him. He felt himself floating back towards the ground and when his feet touched the floor, he fell to his knees and then onto his hands. His fingers reaped the dirt, shaking in his fury that he hadn't done something. That he hadn't woke up sooner to save her, in her beautiful distress call.

"This is my fault," Peter growled to himself. "This is my fault."

Suddenly an urgent tinkling filled his ears and he looked up to come face-to-face with Tinkerbelle, who was looking at him with obvious alarm.

*Peter* she demanded. *What happened? Where's Melody? Why is our house in shambles?*

"They took her, Tink." He breathed, so furious his voice was a strangled whisper. "They took her right under our noses, when we were all sleeping. And I even heard her distress call! I heard it Tink! But I was dumb, and asleep, and I was too late when I woke up!"

She stared at him. Then composed herself. *It's not your fault, Peter. We all could've saved her. We'll get her back though, I know it!*

"How, Tink!" He shouted, his back arching further as his anger grew and he pounded a fist on the ground. "I couldn't save her then, how am I going to save her now?"

*BECAUSE!* Tink shouted back, turning bright red at his self-hatred. *We don't give up! We don't leave anyone behind. Rain or shine-."

"Each other we'll find," Peter finished quietly, remembering the saying he had made up so long ago he couldn't remember how exactly that had come about.

*Right* Tinkerbelle agreed, crossing her arms as her red color began to fade. *And I know we can do this, Peter. I know we can.*

Peter shook his head before glaring up defiantly at the sky, jumping abruptly to his feet. He began shouting at the sky with a determination that both comforted and frightened Tinkerbelle and she watched with wide eyes.

"You hear me, Hook!" He began, though it was obvious Hook could not hear him. "You've gone too far this time! We're going to get Melody back and put an end to you and your plans once and for all! And not just you is gonna pay, Morgana is to! Your whole crew! We'll get you!"

Wow, its been forever since I updated.

SO, I scrapped together this and am shoving it at you. Don't expect another update soon.