Hi there :) SO it has been quite a while between updates - I apologize! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it took me ages xD Also, Hook makes reference on the woman he loved before she died - her death is one ofthe many reasons he's such a jerk :P If you want to know more I've written a backstory on Hook, kind of just me imagining what could have happened to mess him up so much really...it's called the life and lies of captain james hook if you want to look it up :)
But yes - enjoy the chapter and pleeeease pretty please tell me what you think :D
Chapter 17
Peter's crow rang out, clear and strong, through the tree house and Jane uncurled herself slowly, raising a trembling hand to brush her hair out of her face. Hook grabbed her and hauled her to her feet, noticing despite his livid state that she was too weak to protest. That at least was in his favor – that infuriating boy wouldn't dare do anything to harm his precious Jane.
"Stay quiet girl," he sneered, pushing her forward.
Jane stumbled, the room spinning in front of her unfocused eyes – her legs faltered. She could feel the bruises spreading over her skin like distorted ripples and could pinpoint every dull ache in her body, count the stars she'd seen...but none of that mattered because Peter was here.
Peter was here and he would save her and Johnny and everything would be alright.
She repeated that mantra even as Hook caught hold of her before she fell and yanked her upright by her hair.
Everything would be alright.
-000-
Peter was flying low, scanning his surroundings with furious concentration as he listened for anything that would give him a clue as to Jane's whereabouts. Anything at all. He swooped even lower, skimming the ground as he searched but nothing revealed itself.
What was more, he could feel the pixie dust beginning to fail him – it had almost run it's course and soon there would be none left. With a shudder than ran the length of his body Peter Pan fell for the first time in his life.
Luckily he hadn't far to fall but it was more the depressing principle of the thing that made him unable to immediately get up. He was Peter Pan for god's sake! Lying sprawled on the forest floor.
Pathetic.
Jane, he thought firmly, get up for Jane. Now.
With a groan he hauled himself to his feet, staggering slightly. He had to steady himself on a tree and breathe for a while, despising his own weakness.
"Find her. I have to find her," he muttered as he stood upright and looked about, his fists clenched and his eyes wary.
"JANE!" he shouted suddenly, surprising a few birds who shot up into the sky. He was past caring, tired and worn out. He called for her with reckless abandon, not caring who heard him – if only she would.
Suddenly overcome with a trembling anger he smashed his fist into the tree he'd been leaning against.
"Peter!"
He looked up, wide-eyed and trembling, beads of sweat pricking against his tanned skin.
That was Johnny's voice.
-000-
Jane was limp in Hook's arms, unable even to muster up the strength to reply to Peter, even though she so desperately wanted to.
That and she had been warned against it by the gun Hook had pressed to her temple.
She could not seem to control her breathing – it came in stutters and gasps, her chest heaving as she fought against unconsciousness. It was just when she thought she couldn't hold on any longer that she heard Johnny's voice, earnest and exultant, call Peter's name.
There was a silence and then Hook growled under his breath.
"Shut the little brat up," he hissed, tightening his hold on Jane.
But the little voice sounded again, growing in volume and desperation as a large pirate began to unlock the door to his room.
"Peter! Peter help, Peter!"
The pirate grew tired of fiddling with the lock and kicked through the door, striding through the wreck to pick up the screaming boy by the scruff of his neck.
"No you fool!" Hook seethed, gritting his teeth, "the idea was to make less sound! Silence him."
The pirate looked back at his captain with a gormless expression on his face and then reached for his knife.
Jane gasped and began to struggle as she realized his intention and Hook growled at the mans stupidity.
"Not in that way, you idiot," he yelled, forgetting they were supposed to be quiet.
To Jane's extreme relief (and Johnny's) the pirate dropped the knife, opting instead to cover the boys mouth with his large grimy hand and carry him to Hook. The sight of him was almost too much for Jane to bear and it was all she could do not to snatch her little brother out of the mans arms.
Johnny was struggling madly, kicking out at the man holding him and twisting. Jane could see the pirate growing more and more irritated – he looked like he wanted to swat Johnny away as he would a fly. After a few moments Johnny grew tired of struggling and instead bit down on his captors hand, releasing a blood-curdling yell when the hand was removed from his face.
Hook pushed some hair out of Jane's face with the barrel of the gun; a disconcertingly gentle gesture that caught her off guard. She could feel his breath on her cheek and sense his presence behind her as he whispered roughly in her ear.
"Tell him to quieten down if he wants to stay alive to be a nuisance another day."
Jane swallowed, the action painful against her dry throat. She took a deep steadying breath.
"Johnny, don't scream anymore they'll hurt you," she said earnestly, beseeching him to listen to her with her eyes and, for once, he did.
The little boy snuffled and became silent, fixing his fearful eyes on his sister.
"Good girl," Hook breathed, a menacing presence just out of her line of sight.
"You disgust me," she said under her breath, using all her self control not to crumple to the floor.
God how she ached.
And it was pure, agonizing torture to know that just outside this prison Peter paced, looking for her and worrying. Hell to stand in silence whilst he searched. Torment to see her brother suffer.
She hated James Hook – he was the first person she had ever hated and he would be the last. This hate was strong enough, she was sure, to last for several centuries.
Johnny had been seeking reassurance from his sister for quite some time now but the burning look in her eyes along with her defeated stance scared him more than anything that had happened so far.
And a lot of things had happened that had scared him recently. The little boy started to cry in earnest and Jane snapped out of her reverie, beginning to pull against Hook's hold.
"Let me hold him," she pleaded, "he's only small – he's frightened."
I was small and frightened once, Hook thought bitterly, not relinquishing his hold on the girl, and nobody was there to hold me.
"Please," Jane begged.
A small part of Hook that had lain dormant for a long time spoke up in the back of his black mind. Yes, you had nobody to love you and look how you turned out. Save this boy because nobody saved you.
No matter how hard Hook tried to overcome the voice and push it back it just kept going.
Come on, James, do what Annie would have wanted. You know what that would be don't you?
Hook physically flinched, as if he had been punched at the mention of her name. Annie...he had avoided thinking about her for so long since...
The only person he had ever loved...
And now it was her voice – Annie's voice – speaking to him in the soft, silvery way she always had.
What have you become?
Hook shuddered. His eyes stung, his heart ached. All at the sound of her voice.
He pushed Jane away and staggered to lean on the door frame, waving at her with shaking hands to take the child if she wanted to.
Startled by her sudden release Jane stumbled forwards and swept Johnny into her arms, collapsing onto the floor but cradling him safely all the while, holding him against her chest until his sobs subsided.
-000-
Peter, meanwhile, was not crying but he was damn close to it.
As soon as he had heard Johnny screaming the sound had vanished and although he knew it had been very close to him he could not find the source. The only things around were the blasted trees!
Peter stopped pacing. Something clicked.
Trees...
His head shot up and he snapped his fingers – of course! The old hideout!
Memories began to trickle back into his mind, memories of before.
Tentatively he laid a hand on the tree he had been leaning against and grinned as his senses screamed at him – that was the one.
He was just about to pull the lever Tootles had made (cleverly concealed by leaves of course) when he heard a rustling from behind him and turned, dagger in hand.
It was a fairy.
Her hair was long and matted and her skin was almost completely covered with dirt and grass stains, her green dress tattered and frayed – barely concealing her body anymore. Her face showed no recognition and her eyes were wild and savage, far from the docile blue they had once been, but Peter knew her straight away.
He didn't loosen his hold on the dagger.
"Tinkerbell."
