A/N: this is my first ever OUAT fanfic, but I adore CaptainSwan and have always wanted to write something to do with them. Anyway, this fanfic is set in Neverland, but as if Neal had never arrived on the island.
I hope you enjoy, and if you have any comments/criticisms I'd love to know!
OUAT unfortunately does not belong to me.
Emma Swan often questioned her sanity. I mean, anyone in her position would, right? Normality was something which had long left her life, and now her days were filled with an ever present sense of dangling between the lines of reality and complete and utter crazy shit – for want of a better word. Not only had her son been kidnapped, which would have been hard enough to deal with on its own, but he had been taken by a group of lost boys and now she was being accompanied with a set of fairy tale characters on a mission to rescue him. As she stood on watch, they lay behind her – the Evil Queen was awake as usual, staring into the flames of the dwindling fire; Snow White and Prince Charming (who just so happened to be her parents) were snuggled up together, small frowns on their faces as they battled the monsters in their dreams as bravely as they battled their daylight problems and Captain Hook, who perhaps should have been better known for his sizable ego rather than his lack of a hand, was watching her from a shady corner, despite the fact her taking watch was so he could actually get some sleep.
The whole ordeal sometimes became a little too much to bear. Sure, when she was busy with plans of saving Henry and the several ways she could remove Peter Pan's head from his shoulders, she could allow herself to forget about her current circumstances and focus on her son alone. That made things easier. But, at times like right now, when everything was quiet and she was left alone with her thoughts, everything seemed too crazy for it to be true. Part of her was wondering whether this was all some twisted dream – or perhaps she had just truly gone off the rails.
Then again, the hand which was resting on her shoulder felt too real to be any figment of her imagination. The warm breath which brushed against the curve of her neck and the sight of blue eyes from the corner of her vision. Immediately, Emma flinched around, stepping to the side to prevent her personal space from being any more violated by the flirtatious pirate. His smirk was enough to drive her crazy. The way his eyes bore into her and always seemed to know what she was thinking – it was disturbing, infuriating. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a little less alone with his sarcastic jokes and effortless grin around.
"Trouble in paradise, love?" Emma snorted, folding her arms and refusing to move her eyes from the dark shadows of the treeline ahead of their little clearing. That was an understatement of the year – no, century. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead which had formed from this awful heat. The jungle had never been Emma's idea of a wonderful destination to visit – even less so when all they were doing was either trekking through it and hoping not to be poisoned or kidnapped or setting up camp and sleeping. For Henry, remember Henry. The sooner they got Henry, the sooner they got out of this hell hole.
"I'd hardly describe this as paradise – that is, unless crazy adolescents and uncontrollable heat is your thing." She enjoyed his company, most of the time. Whenever she could forget about their shared kiss, and convince herself that the flirtatious flicker in his eyes was nothing more than his seductive nature, they actually got along quite well. The pair dealt their hand in sarcasm naturally and with him were the few occasions when she actually found herself laughing in this nightmare.
"Not really, no." He grinned, "my idea of a holiday involves a lot less potential death and a lot more sea." He sighs, almost dreamily, as if wishing he was stood on his ship again and not having to trudge through fallen leaves and humid air. "I'll have to show you what I mean, once all of this is over." He looked over at Emma, but she had quickly glanced away, trying not to feel the awkwardness which entered the air every time he made comments like that. She was sure he did it on purpose, to watch her squirm beneath his subtle words. Well, no more tonight. If he wasn't going to sleep, then she was.
"Funny, Hook. But I don't think this is ending any time soon." She straightened up from her position as watch, then let out a small yawn. "Your turn for guard duties, then?" She smiled sarcastically sweet, and then made her way over to the small nest of leaves and grass she had sorted out earlier in the night. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was better than nothing. Sitting herself down, she brushed her blonde hair back over her shoulder and lay down, her eyes glancing upwards at the immense web of stars. But, then a voice broke the silence.
"If the lady wishes."
Her eye roll was definitely necessary.
In silence, Pan watched. Pan calculated. It was amusing to watch the little troop who planned to stop him. It was interesting to watch them calculate and talk; thinking of ideas which could never possibly bring him down. He did not fear any of them. This was his land after all – he knew all the secrets, had learned all the tricks. He was an insider to this place, an ever-watching eye with full control. They would not succeed, that much was certain – but that didn't mean it wasn't fun watching them try.
There was only one factor in this little equation which worried him. At first, the worry had been nothing but a mild concern, another issue to challenge him. Then, the concern had grown to an anxiety he did not want to admit to. The blonde woman stood alone on the edge of the camp, her face set into a stony resolve, determination imprinted onto her every feature. He didn't like it. Such stubbornness was rarely seen in adults, and as much as it intrigued and excited him, it scared him, too. Because Peter Pan was going to die; dying was a fate not meant for children. It was a fate designed for the old and the aged, those who had grown the wrinkles of the years they had lived and had the scars to prove it. He had none of those things.
She had to be stopped. That much was certain. Because it seemed she needed Henry just as much as he did, and only one of them could keep him. So as she watched the darkness, he watched her. How could he break her? He didn't want to kill her all together – that would be too boring, too quick. No. He wanted to weaken her, break her resolve and watched how her group of followers collapsed around her. She was the leader, the core of their power, that much was clear. This was going to be a fun game, he just needed an idea.
And then the pirate appeared. Cautiously, Pan leaned in, listening to their exchange of words. There was clearly something there, even a child could tell that. Some spark of attraction or feelings which were hidden beneath the surface. It was obvious in the way she avoided his gaze, but he stared at her all the same, his intensity never faltering. She didn't want the distraction.
The plan formed in his head in an instant.
It took Pan little under an hour to get a group of Lost Boys ready. Felix was the head of the pack, with some younger boys trailing behind them as they made their way towards the camp of the enemy. The moon was still large in the sky, casting out light into the darkness and their target was still visible – silhouetted by the silvery light. His hook was the only feature truly visible, but it was obvious he was wide awake, eyes wide and alert. No matter though, the group had no intention of being subtle.
"Three of you, round the back. Make sure to make enough noise to wake everyone at the last second." Pan's orders were sharp and precise, a smirk exchanged between him and Felix as they made their way towards the front of the pirate, coming into sight through the trickle of light filtering from the leaves of the trees. "Hello, Hook." He grinned, large and bold, a grin which held no doubt in its features. The pirate glared at him with malice, but before he could speak a word, the three boys tackled him from behind, grabbing him by the waist and pushing him forward into the grass. "Tie him up." The pirate fought viciously, flicking his body and extending his hook, but there were too many boys fighting against him; his wrists were bound together, and soon his legs, the writhing formed reduced to a few helpless movements and shouts of panic.
There was a disturbance from behind, within the camp. The rustle of wakening bodies and the drowsily-exchanged words. "It's Pan! It's Pan." The blonde came running, her eyes meeting the bewildered sight just as the pirate was hoisted into the air and dragged by the boys. Immediately Emma rushed forward, grabbing hold of Pan by the collar, shaking him roughly as he scowled in his face. "Bring him back. Bring him back now." The boy did nothing but shake his head, his eyebrows raising in amusement at the outburst of the woman.
"No can do, Emma. That would be no fun at all." And with those words he disappeared from sight, leaving nothing more than air within Emma's tightened fists and seething anger flooding every corner of her body.