a/n: Well, here's another chappie for you! I'm watching finding nemo with my dear friend Zletah.c: Fish are friends, not food!
Anywho, here you go, I hope you enjoy! Feel free to read and review!
I trudged out of the opening of the small room and ran smack dab into the flying-boy-wonder. He looked mildly surprised to see me stomping around. He was carrying a large bundle of vines and twigs in his arms.
"They want me to be their mother!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice low.
Peter looked confused. "And?"
"I can't be one!" I said.
"Do you tell stories?"
For one fleeting moment I thought he had somehow known about my collections of writings, ones that I had kept hidden from the whole world. But that would be impossible, he looked honestly curious. "Yes," I said warily.
The boy shrugged and said, "Than you're perfect."
I dug the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, frustration taking over. "I just want to go home," I said.
Peter looked unaffected. "By all means," he said. "I can have a fairy guide take you back. I don't promise that Hook won't come back looking for you again, though. He might even get your family involved."
I knew he was just saying that to get to me. Besides, this whole experience is just a dream, right? Even with those two obvious facts in my head, though, an irrational surge of fear went through me when I thought about the metal hook planting itself into the wood by my head, the crimson red shade his eyes took when he was angry.
"Ultimately, it's your choice," he continued, walking past me and into the cavern that I had just exited. "But I'd stick close until you leave. I don't think you're experienced to handle this terrain." And with that, he disappeared behind a curtain of moss and vines.
"Experience, this," I muttered, and stuck my tongue out at him. I was in no time in the near future going to do whatever he told me to do. If he wants me to follow him around, I won't. If he wants me to go home, I'm staying. I defiantly went off in search of something to occupy me until I could figure out how to get myself out of this mess.
To my wonder, I noticed a large lake a little ways away from the opening of the cavern. My intuition was telling me that I was very high up. If I squinted to see through the line of trees surrounding the area, I could see the sky: clear, cloudless blue, hints of purple and navy as twilight approached. But I saw no sign of land beyond the ground I was on now. A mountain maybe? And there is certainly no such bodies of water on a mountain.
I cautiously approached it. The water was a clear blue, but I couldn't exactly tell what was beneath the surface. I only saw my reflection as I knelt on the shore, lined with smooth flat pebbles, about the size of my fist. I noticed there were canisters to fill for drinking out of that let me know the water was safe to drink.
I cupped my hands to make a sort of bowl and drank as much water as a camel, if not more. The water was cool, refreshing, filling. I took a deep breath and stood.
I looked at my boots with remorse. They were completely ruined. I slid them off and lay them carefully to the side, not trying to damage them further. I wiggled my toes and prepared myself to step into the cool water.
I stepped into the water-
And fell straight down.
I barely let out an exclamation before I was completely submerged in water. Was there no shore here? Did the water line just cut off, like a cliff filled with water? I quickly made my way back up to the surface, trying not to dread about how I ruined my dress even more.
My head just barely broke the surface before I was dragged back down again.
I kicked and screamed- though only bubbles came out. I opened my eyes to see four or more girls surrounding me in the water. Their beautiful faces curling into wicked smiles.
They had fish tails instead of legs.
I screamed again, but water filled my chest and burned my lungs. I was going to die. The girls began to laugh and swim around me in circles, disorienting me. I closed my eyes.
Another pair of arms were around me. They let go, almost instantly, though I was barely aware. I was lying on my back. In my bed?
I felt pressure on my chest, repeatedly pushing and releasing, pushing and releasing.
A pair of soft lips met mine.
My heart fluttered for a moment, and then air flew down my throat and into my lungs.
I sat up, spewing water.
And then I remembered.
I gripped tightly onto the blanket someone had just wrapped around me- looking like a torn mast of a ship than anything else- and leaned into my rescuer, the one supporting my weight right now as I sat up and tried to regulate my breathing, though I already knew who it was.
"Okay," I gasped, not meeting Peter's eyes. "Alright, I'll be their mother."
For one instant- so short that I might have just imagined it- Peter's arms wrapped around me, holding me close, before he got up and said, "Mom's alive, guys!"
As the night enveloped the world of Neverland, Hook set off in search of the one person he needed to talk to.
Through the valleys and deserts, there rose up a large sum of volcanos. The entire expanse of area looked entirely deserted, but Hook knew better.
At the base of Mt. Kamatayan, the largest in Neverland, there was a small house, built from the molten rock at the bottom of the volcano.
Hook strode up to the door of the house and rapped it with his hook four times before listening for an answer.
"Come in, James," rang from behind the door.
Hook entered the house casually, yet he moved tensely, anxiety swelling through him as he moved to sit at the opposite end of the small table in the middle of the room.
The house was lit with hundreds of candles, casting odd glows and eerie shadows among the walls and corners of the room. Sitting amidst a pile of candles was the Witch of Neverland.
The Witch was hardly ever mentioned throughout the land, thought only as a myth to scare. But Hook knew better. He knew the stories about her were true. Of how she could cast any number of spells, ranging from something small to something seen as impossible.
"How nice to see you, James," the Witch said with a smile. In this light, Hook could almost barely make out her features until her neared her. Her wiry curly hair was spread out in all directions- it was a miracle a candle hasn't set them aflame yet- her face young, yet wizened over the years. Her piercing blue eyes shone as brightly as the candles around her. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to find his weak link. The chink in his armor, Giselle. So far I have come up with nothing." Hook shook his head wearily. "What's the point?"
"Do notspeak like that!" the Witch hissed. "Why, James," she began, "do you think I raised you from the dead?"
"To be a good sister," Hook replied.
Giselle shook her head. "Because I know that it is up to you to defeat Pan and take over Neverland." She smiled wickedly. "Think of the possibilities!"
Hook had done nothing for more than half of his life but think of the possibilities of taking over Neverland. The power, the force, the glory.. The only thing standing in his way was...
"But Pan always bests me. No matter what I do, I can't win," Hook confessed wearily, finally being able to admit it.
Giselle shook her head. "The girl," she said, twirling her hands through the smoke of the candles around her. As she moved her fingers, the smoke conjured up a picture of a girl, safe in the arms of Peter Pan, looking at Neverland with wide eyes. "Grace. She holds the one thing that has haunted Pan for years. The Kiss he shared with Wendy on your ship."
"And?" Hook asked, not seeing the connection.
"He wants that Kiss," she stated. "So to truly destroy Pan..." she waved her fingers and the smoke drifted away.
"I must steal the Kiss," Hook concluded. He grimaced. "But how?" he asked quietly.
The Witch smiled. "Luckily, I've found you an asset that would work perfectly. All you have to do is a little convincing."
"And what is that asset?"
The Witch's smile broadened, her eyes gleaming with knowledge. "Why, my dear brother," she said, "it is your son."
a/n: Oh my good golly! What shockers we have in here! A son! *gasp*! Well, I hope you guys liked it! I hope you review! I like hearing from my readers!c:
Till next time!
Peace!