Hi! So the plot thickens :D I once again shamelessly beg for reviews, constructive criticism is so, so helpful and I really do love knowing what you think.
Enjoy!
Chapter 15
Jane woke with a small cry, remembering everything that had happened – Johnny being threatened, her abduction from her home, Hook carrying her to Neverland, Noodler taking the struggling Johnny away from her...She clasped her head in her hands and brought them down to her mouth, stifling the sobs that shook her.
With a trembling hand she wiped the tears away from her cheeks and stood up, looking cautiously around her. There was something very familiar about where she was but at the same time she couldn't quite place it, smells of earth were all around her and yet weapons were strewed left right and center and rough laughter could be heard. Tentatively she placed one hand on the wall and frowned – it felt like...the tree house, but it couldn't be! Jane looked around once more and gasped, sure enough she was in the old hideout of the lost boys – the pirates must have taken it over. There was nothing comforting about it anymore, they had made it dark and threatening. The little room she was in had been blocked off by a large slab of wood acting as a door and judging by the shadow she glimpsed under the door she had a guard. She bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself to shield herself from the biting cold.
Cold?
"...it's never cold in Neverland." she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again. At that moment the 'door' opened and Hook stepped into the room, a black smile on his face.
"It's like I said, my dear," he crooned, "times have changed."
Jane turned round and glared at him fiercely despite the tears swimming in her eyes.
"Where's Johnny? What have you done with him?" she demanded, terror for her little brother making her tremble.
"Oh, he's safe for now," was the sinister reply but Jane breathed a sigh of relief all the same – at least no harm had come to him yet.
"If you hurt him I swear to God I'll kill you," she whispered, hatred flashing in her eyes as she looked at the pirate.
"I don't doubt it – sisterly love is quite remarkable," Hook agreed casually, not looking in the least intimidated by her threat.
Jane pressed a hand to her temple and sighed, blinking the tears away from her eyes, "why am I here?" she asked quietly. Hook looked at her shrewdly, he obviously wasn't going to tell her the truth but ran through several possibilities of plausible sounding lies in his head.
"Because taking you away from Pan is the worst I can presently do to him," he answered, tapping his fingers lightly on the wall. He had expected her to fly into a rage at that, call him a beast, maybe try to hit him...the usual but instead she began to laugh. Hook furrowed his brow, looking at her like she was mad but Jane just continued with her derisive laughter and even when she stopped she still looked at him with scorn.
"I don't believe you," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Hook raised one eyebrow, maintaining an outward appearance of calm even whilst he shouted curses at her in his head.
"I assure you, my dear, I am sincere," he said silkily, placing his hand over his heart.
"I am anything but assured," Jane replied, crossing her arms, "so why don't you go ahead and tell me the real reason you brought me here?"
Any trace of the more pleasant side of James Hook that had previously been present on his face vanished and his eyes took on an almost flinty hue as his lips pulled into a scowl.
"I have been kind up until now," he growled, moving nearer to Jane with slow, deliberate steps, "but if you continue to push me -" he grabbed her chin roughly and pressed his hook hard against the soft skin of her cheek, "- then you won't have a tongue left to tease with."
Jane gave a soft whimper at the threat and she began to regret her earlier attitude; she had been playing with fire. Careful not to let the sharp blade harm her she gave the tiniest of nods, looking anywhere but at Hook as he let her go and shook out his cuffs as if nothing had happened.
"I'm glad we cleared that up," he said with a smirk, "now would you like to see your brat of a brother?"
Though her heart was still pounding with fear Jane immediately nodded fervently, "yes, oh yes I would, he's only little and -"
"Stop your blabbering," Hook snapped and Jane forced herself not to say anything else.
"This way," he gestured for her to go ahead of him but caught hold of her upper arm to prevent her from running away. As they walked through the main part of the tree house Jane was shocked and saddened by the changes the pirates had wrought; it was dark, dank and miserable, none of the natural light and feeling of space she remembered were there. The pirates were sprawled all over the room but not one of them was doing anything. Either they were staring into space with a scowl or leer twisting their haggard faces or they were playing with the tip of a knife or sword, some making small cuts in the bark walls of the hideout but none realizing what they were doing. Then as Jane emerged, guarded closely by Hook, their eyes snapped to meet hers and she uttered a small scream of horror for each and every one of their eyes was red. They didn't move or acknowledge her scream, just continued to stare with their disconcerting eyes until Jane couldn't stand it any longer.
"Make them stop!" she squeaked, backing away but finding her way barred by Hook.
"I don't remember you being this jumpy, dear girl," he sneered, applying a painful amount of pressure to her arm as he bore her away, stopping when they reached another makeshift door.
"Is he in there?" Jane said eagerly, looking from the door to Hook and back again, her heart pounding. If they'd hurt little Johnny...
By way of response Hook opened the door and Jane gave a cry of relief that shook like a butterflies wing when she saw her brother, tearful and scared but unharmed, sat in the corner of the small room.
"Johnny!" she ran to him and gathered him up in her arms, fiercely kissing every part of his dear face that she could reach. He simply clung to her with as much strength as his little body possessed.
"I don't like this adventure, Jane," he sobbed, burying his face in her hair, "I want to go home."
Jane felt her heart was breaking; she felt like crying herself, but all she could do was hold on to him.
"I know, little one," she soothed, stroking his hair, "no harm will come to you. Shhh, shh, we'll be home soon."
Hook had not moved from the doorway and was staring, tight-lipped, at the emotional scene in front of him. He knew now that Jane was putty in his hands, it was clear that at the smallest threat to her brother she would do anything she could to keep him safe.
The little boy was crying into Jane's shoulder, he was tired and frightened and bewildered.
"Hush, hush now, it'll be okay," Jane's voice had turned soft and smooth as honey as she comforted her baby brother and it hurt Hook to hear it. The words that nobody had ever said to him, care that nobody had bothered to take over the young boy he had once been, and love...no-one had spared him the love he'd so desperately needed, nor the compassion. And this girl could sit before him, cooing out soft words of comfort to her brat of a brother. It was all he could do not to rip them apart.
In truth, Jane had forgotten the pirate captain was there at all, she was too busy blaming herself. She couldn't believe that her brother was going through this because of her refusal to co-operate, she could have spared him. How could she have been so selfish?
A tear ran down her cheek and Johnny looked up at her, snuffling gently as he tried to catch his breath from tears.
"J-Jane?" he said, reaching up to touch her cheek gently where the tear was, "are you o-okay?"
Jane gave him a watery smile and quickly dashed the tear away, nodding. "Yes, don't worry about me," she assured him.
The little boy did not look convinced.
"Peter will come and save us, won't he?" he asked, the trust in his big brown eyes almost more painful for Jane than the tears had been.
"Something will happen, everything will be okay in the end," was all she could say, but it seemed to be enough.
"Like in the stories?" Johnny said, beginning to calm down.
"Yes, darling, like in the stories."
"Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust," he said, counting the three things on his chubby fingers.
"That's right, dear one."
Hook rolled his eyes – how sickening.
"Time's up," he snapped, resisting the urge to physically drag them away from each other.
"No!" Johnny's lower lip began to tremble again but Jane kissed his forehead and stood up after one last embrace.
"It's okay Johnny, I'll see you soon," she promised. Hook went to take her by the arm but she evaded him, she knew it would be better if Johnny saw her walk out of her own accord as if she had nothing to fear.
The last thing she saw of him was his little, scared face before the door swung shut and she took a deep breath, turned round, and punched Hook in the face.
