Chapter Thirty-One – Good Form
Stepping through his cabin to the backroom where his sleeping quarters were, Hook grunted as he placed the limp body of his arch-nemesis on the canopied bed. His eyes became even bigger in disbelief and horror when he saw how much Peter had been bleeding. Hooks own sleeves had been stained through. "Odds, bobs, hammer and tongs!" he gaped, his brows knitting together as he worked quickly and tore off the boy's leaf shirt and coat. Setting them aside, he noted that a bandage had been placed over the wound but it did little to protect the wound. It looked as if it had healed and reopened from the appearance of Peter's skin. He was fairly sure the boy had only just received this battle scar tonight, but for the moment, he let all other thoughts slide.
Bringing forth a bowl of water and clean linens, he tore off the bandage and clicked his tongue in disapproval. The cut was straight through – someone had run something extremely sharp through Pan, possibly skewering him. Fortunately for Peter Pan, he seemed to have more lives than a cat. It was a clean cut, and from the looks of it, no internal organs had been damaged.
As he moved to cut a piece of cloth to soak up the mess, a wicked thought passed though his mind.
"Now's my chance," he realized, his eyes returning to the sleeping boy. "One swift move of my claw, and I shall be rid of Pan forever! He is in my grasp, at my mercy…!"
The gleaming hook hovered an inch over Peter's bare chest, the boy completely unaware of what was happening or of what could happen. Oh, how long Hook had waited for a moment like this – the chance to bury his claw deep within Peter's gizzard, and here it was, on a silver platter, no less!
His eyes gleamed red as he raised the hook into the air, the boy's face in sight…
"Kill him…after all the times he proved himself to be more than just a selfish, flying brat made to make my life miserable? Kill him now that he's already practically dead? Kill him in such a dishonorable way…?" True, he had tried to poison Peter and that was not exactly honorable either. True, Pan was still a nuisance, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to let go of the fact that because of Pan he lost his hand and had a crocodile chasing after him all the time. But Peter had saved his life so many times since he became a little older…Peter actually had somewhat cordial conversations with him, discussing plans of attack and even trivial matters…Peter was vital to their success in eliminating Shade, the real cause to all their grief.
"…bad form," he chastised himself, lowering his iron hand and staring at the boy's face. Reaching out with his good hand, he felt the boy's forehead. Satisfied that there was no sign of a fever, he returned to his duties, cleaning up the mess of blood before getting a set of bandages ready.
"Cap'n!" Smee's voice called out from the front of the cabin.
"In here, Smee, and make it quick!" he shouted, wondering if it was too late. He grabbed the boy's wrist and gave a breath of relief when he felt a steady but slow pulse.
"Here we are now," Smee panted, a ball of blue light swooping in after him.
Landing on the floor, the light grew bigger and bigger until he became human-sized. Blue Falls gasped when he saw Peter, running to his side. "Oh, Peter! Tink's going to kill you herself when she finds out!"
"Tell her to get in line," Hook sighed. Shaking his head, he lamented, "I warned that boy to stay away from that monster…it's a miracle he's still breathing."
"You may be right," Blue Falls nodded, taking out his pouch of fairy dust and sprinkling it over the wound. Placing his hand on the open gash, he closed his eyes and focused his energy.
"Cap'n, the men explained what happened," Smee said, coughing as he caught his breath. "The men saw Pan and thought they would play a game of 'dodge ball,' 'cept when they aimed, Pan didn't try to dodge it. They didn't know he wasn't payin' attention."
Hook growled, muttering obscenities about his dolt crewmembers. "I see…" He glanced over at Peter, covered in a glowing blue light as Blue Falls murmured a few words. Suddenly, he stopped, and the light was gone.
Pulling his hands away from Peter, Blue Falls smiled as he saw that nothing was left of the gigantic gash – only a prominent scar. "That should do it…but just in case…" Taking a chalice that Hook had, he asked Smee to fill it with water. After the pirate did so, he added more fairy dust and a few herbs, chanted a little song, and stick his finger in the liquid. Licking the fluid off of his finger, he nodded, satisfied. Handing the drink to Hook, he raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him. "I trust you won't try to poison him like the last time?"
"That was a thing of the past," Hook scoffed, taking the drink. He gave it an odd look and asked, "Just what exactly is this concoction?"
"It's medicine, that's all you need to know," Blue Falls replied, pulling the blankets up to Peter's neck. "When he wakes up, give him the whole thing."
"Y'mean ya won't be taking him?" Smee asked, scratching his head.
"It's best not to," the fairy shook his head. "Moving him around might cause the wound to reopen and put more stress on his body. It's best that he stays here." Taking note of the cut on Peter's forehead, he rubbed his thumb over the scratch and left a trail of fairy dust on his head. "I'm off to tell Tink where to find you all. She'll want to be here with him."
As he turned to leave, he bowed to Hook, startling the pirate. "Thank you, Captain, for helping."
"Bah!" Hook spat. "You misunderstand me, Blue Falls. I wish for him to get well so I can kill him, and I assure you, I can kill people quite properly, unlike this amateur, Shade."
The fairy smirked at his words. "Mm-hmm. Right. Well, don't get any ideas or Tink will be the one killing you." Spinning, he shrunk and flew away.
"That little pixie thinks he knows me better than anyone?!" scowled the captain. "Hardly." Snatching a bandage, he was ready to smack the next thing he saw. However, he decided to have a seat and lay the cloth over the boy's head.
"Anything I can do, Cap'n?" Smee offered. "Amputatin'? Keelhaul? Patch 'im up?"
"A kind offer, but I'm afraid I shall have to refrain from taking any of your services, Mr. Smee," Hook rolled his eyes. "For the time being, we shall have to just-"
"W-Wendy…"
The two pirates' lips clamped shut. Turning their heads, they saw Peter's brows knitting together, his lips parting as he murmured in his sleep. "Wendy…Mikey…Jon…"
Hook and Smee gave a breath of relief as they realized he was dreaming. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Hook cocked his head and raised an eyebrow at the child as his head began to toss and turn. "Odd…what's he dreaming about?" He began to worry when Peter thrashed about more and more, shouting out names of people he knew and cared out. Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, Blue Falls, Flameburst, Ruff, the Lost Boys, Conch and the mermaids, Wendy once more…
"He's 'aving a nightmare, he is!" Smee whispered, hopping back when Peter began to punch the air.
"NO!" the boy screamed, gnashing his teeth. There was fear and despair in his voice, something Hook had never heard before in his life. Here was the cockiest, happiest boy in the world, crying out and fending for himself desperately in a nightmare. Normally, this would have given Hook several ideas for blackmail and the like for the future, but then, out of the blue, Peter shouted a name he never thought he would hear.
"HOOK!" Peter called out, making the man's eyes go wide as saucers. "LOOK OUT! DON'T!"
"Cap'n…what's going on?!" Smee asked, stunned by Peter's behavior.
Hook blinked, his stomach twisting within him. "He's…trying to help me, Smee. I'm in his nightmare, except…I'm not the cause of this." He was certain that Shade was the one most likely causing this little dark dream, and he didn't care for it.
"WENDY! TINK! RUFF! HOOK!" Peter continued, thrashing so hard that Hook was frightened he would not only reopen his wound by break the bed. Grabbing the boy's shoulders once more, he shook him and bellowed, "WAKE UP, PAN! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Grinding his teeth, he finally gave the boy a harsh shake and shouted, "PETER!"
His eyes snapping open, Peter gave a great gasp, his body trembling. He panted heavily, as though he had been running for his life. There was fear and panic on his face – Hook didn't like it.
"Scurvy brat," Hook growled. "What's the big ide-"
"Where am I? What happened?" Peter demanded, cringing suddenly from the pain shooting through his side.
"Calm down, lad," Hook ordered, motioning for Smee to hand the chalice over. "Here, drink this." Placing it to Peter's lips, he steadied the back of the boy's head with his hook. If Peter was suspicious or uncomfortable with Hook and his actions, he didn't voice them. The boy gulped the liquid down, making a face as he finished the drink. "Yuck! What was that?!"
"Apparently, medicine," Hook muttered, sniffing the empty container. It had a rather sweet smell, so he couldn't understand as to why Peter disliked it.
"Huh, of course," Peter coughed, placing his hand on his forehead. "It's the sticky, sweet kind…gross." He winced, feeling light-headed, but one face popped into his mind. "Wendy…" His eyes became huge as he remembered everything that had happened. "I've got to go…find Tink…fight-" He had begun to move, planning on leaving the bed when Hook stopped him. He huffed in pain, squirming against the pirate's arm. "Let me go!" he protested.
"I case you haven't noticed, Pan, you're injured and still recovering," Hook frowned, forcing him to stay in the bed.
"You don't understand!" Peter cried, wriggling and twisting weakly, only serving to put more pressure on his wound. "I gotta stop Shade, protect Wendy and the island-!"
"They're all safe for now, lad," Hook said gently, trying to get him to lie down again. He was beginning to wonder if he should tell Smee to get a sedative or even a bit of brandy. "It's all right-"
"NO! It's not 'all right'!" Peter snapped, startling the grown-up. "I have to stop Shade or he'll hurt and kill everything and everyone I care about! I won't go back to him, not ever! I have to fight now or I'll lose Wendy, Tink…everybody! Even you!" Hook's eyes widened once more that night as Peter spoke. The boy weakly punched the man's chest in a final struggle, fatigue and despair filling his eyes with tears. "I have to do this…I can't fail…"
"You won't." Hook wrapped his arms around the boy, remembering all the times Peter had laughed, teased, smiled, and joked. Most of all, he remembered how Peter had saved him without a second thought. Holding the boy's head to his chest, he hushed him as he patted the boy's head. "There now," he murmured, feeling Peter's breathing slow down. "You will stop Shade, but you won't do it alone…you have all of the island with you to fight…but you can't fight like this. Perhaps if you hadn't gone off looking for trouble, you wouldn't be injured." He really wanted to scold the boy and give him a lecture, but he refrained, comforting the exhausted teenager in his arms. "Sleep now, Peter. Your fairy will be here soon enough."
"Tink…?" Peter mumbled, his eyes closing once again.
"Aye. Tink. And your darling girl is just fine, I'm sure," Hook reassured him.
"Wendy…" Peter felt himself drifting out of consciousness, the darkness surrounding him again like a thick, warm blanket. Before he passed out, he managed to mutter, "Thanks…Cap'n."
Hook went stiff for a moment, glancing over at Smee. The bosun had a handkerchief out, dabbing his eyes.
"That was…lovely, Cap'n," he sniffled, blowing his nose a little too loudly.
Hook grimaced, pointing his hook at the little old man. "If I find that you start blabbing about this to the men and all of Neverland, Bosun Smee, I'll bury this hook into your skull!"
Smee happily saluted, nodding his understanding.
Heaving an agitated sigh, Hook gathered Pan in his arms and laid him back, tucking him in once more. He stared at Peter's serene face as he gently breathed, something pricking inside of him. Getting up, he placed his hand over his chest, look of pure confusion on his face. "Smee…I do believe that blasted boy's got an influence on me. ME! Captain James Hook!" Pointing his iron hand at the boy, he snarled, "That boy had cost my more trouble in one lifetime than anyone can imagine…! And I want to help him?" Looking to the little old man, he touched his forehead and asked, "You don't suppose I've come down with something?"
Smee gave a little chuckle, shaking his head. "No, Cap'n. Ever since Pan came back from his imprisonment with that beast, he's changed…and he's touched everyone's lives. He's still that cocky boy y'hate, but there's much more to him that y'see…"
Hook blinked at his assistant. "Smee…since when have you become so philosophical?!"
"Oh, thank ye, Cap'n!" Smee beamed, bowing before his master.
It was at this moment that Blue Falls returned with a frantic Tinker Bell, both tiny orbs of light. She flew to Peter's face, screaming and scolding him, coming out in long-winded chimes and tinkles. She shook her head and wrung her hands and flew around him several times before landing in his hair and curling up into a ball.
"Hmph. That boy really doesn't know how he troubles everyone," Hook said, pursing his lips in thought. Blue Falls joined Tink on Peter's head, snuggling into the mess of wild brown hair.
"Smee, bring me my book and a cup of tea," the captain ordered, dragging a chair over to the bedside. Sitting down, he sighed, looking at the boy and fairies. "This is going to be a long night…"
~NEVER-NEVERLAND~
The sun shone softly though the crack in the window of Hook's bedroom. It stretched over the floor, up the bed, and across Peter Pan's eyelids, teasing him with its brightness. An irritated moan was stuck in his throat as he felt the sunlight, turning his head just so.
Tinker Bell and Blue Falls felt the shift in their sleep and tumbled off, yelping as they woke up and flapped their wings before they could hit the floor. Rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, the fairies looked to see Hook snoring away in his seat, Smee nowhere to be found.
"T-Tink…?"
Tinker Bell squealed in ecstasy as she flew over to the boy, kissing his nose. Rubbing his eyes, Peter groaned as he sat up, making a face at the pinch in his side. "How long have I been out?" he yawned.
"All night," Tinker Bell responded in the fairy language.
"Captain Hook kept watch over you all night, too," Blue Falls added, motioning towards the sleeping pirate.
Blinking, Peter gawked at the man snoring in his chair, his book forlorn on the floor. He recalled somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind that he had awoken in a panic from a nightmare and Hook had been right there to calm him, getting him to fall back asleep. He gave a small smile at the man, nodding his head at him.
"Peter, we should be going,"Tink pleaded, tugging at his ponytail.
"She's right," Blue Falls nodded. "You should be resting at home, and who knows what mood HE'LL be in when he wakes up." He pointed at the pirate, still unable to believe that Hook hadn't killed them or Peter in their sleep.
"Right," Peter whispered, cringing as he moved. Throwing off the covers, he placed his feet on the ground and stood, steadying himself before he tried flying. The pain had diminished sufficiently that he could manage moving so long as he went slowly, but he still felt sore, his side burning as his body repaired itself.
"Hurry, Peter!" she urged him, heading for the window.
"Hold on, Tink," he replied, grabbing his coat and torn tunic. Touching his belt, he felt for the little sack that hung on his belt. It was filled with fairy dust, but at its bottom were two items. Sticking his fingers inside, he dug around and pulled out the little trinkets. One was an old thimble, shining from the magical dust. The other was a golden locket, an 'H' engraved on the lid.
"What're you doing?" Blue Falls asked, cocking his head in curiosity.
"I'm leaving a 'thank you' gift," Peter smiled, placing it on the pillow.
"You said you'd NEVER give that back!" Tinker Bell gasped.
"Like the saying goes, Tink – never say 'never,'" Peter chuckled. Hobbling over to the window, he opened the shutters, looked back at the slumbering man one last time, and jumped out after the fairies.
The breeze wafted in through the open window, moving Hook's hair so that it tickled his face. He shifted in his sleep, comfortable…
Smee knocked lightly, sticking his head into the room. He smiled upon seeing his captain asleep until he noticed that Pan had vanished. "CAP'N!" he yelled, bursting into the room.
The shout made Hook jump out of his seat, stumbling forward as he struggled to wake up. "What? Where?" he demanded, still disoriented.
"Cap'n, he's gone!" Smee proclaimed, pointing at the empty bed.
"Eh?" Hook growled, ready to skewer Smee, when he turned and saw that Pan was indeed gone. His jaw dropped as he noticed the trail of leaves from Peter's shirt that led to the open window. He scowled, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, that's gratitude for you…"
"Cap'n, what's that?" Smee pointed. "On the bed?"
He raised an eyebrow at the bosun, turning to face the bed. His eyes widened at the sight of a familiar locket laying on the pillow, shining in the light. "Can it be…?" he whispered, taking shaky steps to the bauble. Taking it in his trembling hand, he clicked the locket open and was rewarded with a miniature painted portrait of a beautiful woman with her son staring at him from within.
"Is that…?" Smee asked, going to his side.
"Aye," Hook nodded, a tear escaping his eye. "'Tis, Smee. My mother's locket…the first thing Pan ever stole from me, even before my hand." His thumb brushed against the picture, memories of his childhood returning. His mother was still young and beautiful in this portrait, and he was a rambunctious child, wishing he didn't have to sit still. He gave a hearty laugh, clicking the locket shut and gripping it in his palm. Looking to the window with a grateful grin, he nodded once more. "Good form, Peter…good form."
~NEVER-NEVERLAND~
"If you keep pacing like that, you'll make a hole in the floor," Violet teased Ruff as he continued to circle the room of the home inside the tree.
"Yeah," Lump nodded, chewing on his breakfast. "That's what I hear. Don't worry, Ruff, I'm sure Peter's ok."
"He vanished last night and there's been no word from him," Ruff frowned, stopping for a moment to stroke his chin, considering all sorts of ideas. "And in case if you guys forgot, Gip is missing, too."
"Maybe they got lost?" the Twins suggested.
"Baby pooped a lot?" Mouse offered, licking his fingers clean.
"I'm sure if we went to speak with the fairies, they could find out," Len theorized. "Or even Tiger Lily!"
Getting up from her seat, Violet went to Ruff, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I know you're worried, but he's Peter Pan. He can handle anything, right?"
"That's what I keep hearing," Ruff sighed. Hanging his head, he crossed his arms over his chest. "If anything ever happened to him…and I wasn't there to help…" He was stopped by Violet's lips, distracting him for a moment. When she pulled back, she embraced him.
"You're cute when you're worried," she giggled. "Look, we'll go find him after breakfast, deal?"
He chuckled, giving her an apologetic smile. "Yeah…sorry. I should be more focused on you." Taking her hands in his, he asked, "You're sure you're ok?"
She nodded, smiling sadly. "I miss her…Aunt Kelly…but I'm happy here. I love being with you guys…to be honest, my only dream for my future was to go out and explore, to travel, meet new people and have great experiences…and what better way than to be…what was it Peter called me?...'The very first Lost Girl in the history of Lost Children'?"
A cheer went up from the boys, showing that they had been eavesdropping. Both she and Ruff laughed, shaking their heads. "C'mon," she grinned. "Let's finish eating so we can fine Peter."
"Found me."
Everyone gasped as Peter flew in with Blue Falls and Tinker Bell hot on his heels. His coat and tunic were torn and bloodstained, his chest bare, exposing his bandaged wound. He looked to be a little tired and worn but happy to be home.
"PETER!" the boys exclaimed, running to him and tackling his legs when he landed. Even Neko, who had been napping in a corner, came bounding over and began to howl happily. He grimaced at the pain from his side but patted the boys' heads and scratched the gray wolf behind his ears.
"Thanks, boys," he said, smiling at the lot. He caught Mouse in his arms and held him up, grinning as the child embraced him. "It's good to be home. Before you start-" He held up his hand at them, seeing them opening their mouths to bombard him with questions. "I'm tired, and a lot's happened, so-"
"What the HELL did you do?!" Ruff exploded, shock and fury filling him.
"Easy," Peter winced, putting Mouse back on the floor. "I'll give you the short version. Last night, I snuck out and gave Gip away to a family-"
"What?! Why?" Violet asked, stunned.
"He's a baby, Vi," Peter explained. "He needs constant attention and someone to watch him and care for him. We aren't always able to, sometimes we don't want to." The boys began to scuff their shoes on the floor, ducking their heads in guilt. "Hey, I'm not pointing fingers and I'm not blaming anybody," Peter clarified, ruffling Skipper's hair. "But it's the truth. There's a great couple that can't have kids, so I gave them Gip. But if we find out he's not doing any better with them, we're stealing him back, got it?" he grinned.
The boys seemed to cheer up at his words, giggling and nodding in agreement. "But what about…this?" Violet asked, motioning with her had at his torso.
"Ok, um…" Peter took a deep breath, ready for the scolding he was about to receive. "…I found Shade." Everyone stared at him, waiting for the rest of the story. "…I started talking to him, we began to argue and started fighting…and he kinda stabbed me with one of hands-"
"WHAAAAT?!" Ruff shouted, the Lost Boys mimicking him. "What do you mean 'he stabbed you'?!"
"Just that – he stabbed Peter," Violet repeated, pointing at his side. "But he made it out alive, right?"
"Pete!" Ruff growled, grabbing his shoulders and glaring at him. "We can't afford to have you hurt or killed! We need you! Without Peter Pan, the Lost Boys are nothing!"
"That's not-" Peter protested.
"Yes it is!" Ruff cried, anger and fear shining in his eyes. "Don't you get it? You're our leader…our hero…if we don't have you to guide us in the end, what will we do? You protect us, you teach us, you play with us…" He hung his head, shaking as he added in a low tone, "What kind of second-in-command am I that let's you nearly get killed after everything you've done for us…for me?"
Violet felt her heart twist into a knot, wanting to embrace her beloved Lost Boy. She saw amazement and surprise in Peter's eyes as he gawked at the boy, looking around to the others. All the boys nodded their agreement with Ruff, frightened and worried at the idea of losing their bold and fearless leader.
"I can't imagine Wendy being too happy with this," Violet added quietly. "She'd be heartbroken…" Looking back at Peter, she made her way towards him and said, "You've got to be more careful now, Peter…there are a lot of people who care about you. They look up to you, they're defended by you, they stand by you…we all love you, and we can't have you getting killed because of your recklessness and stubbornness. Understand?"
Staring at the girl, Peter let the words sink in. He looked at all the faces around him – Violet, Ruff, the Lost Boys, Tink and Blue Falls, Neko – and remembered those who were not in the same room as him…Deep inside, he felt a strange, warm feeling that he was unaccustomed to. It was similar to the one he felt when he saw Gip with his new family…that's when it hit him.
"I DO have a family…just a different kind."
"Ruff?" The boy began to raise his head when Peter embraced him, startling the other. "Sorry I scared you guys…I didn't realize I'd be missed." Pulling away, he grinned and punched the boy's shoulder.
"Listen, I'm beat. I'm going to sleep a little longer. I'm sure Blue Falls will make some more of that gross medicine for me…" His face twisted into a disgusted grimace when the fairy nodded, laughing at him. "Vi, I know you said your aunt's funeral is this week…if you want to go, take Ruff with you. And tell Wendy I'm ok."
"Wait, Wendy saw you like this?!" Violet asked, gaping at him.
Scratching the back of his neck, Peter winced. "She kinda saw me worse than this-OW!" he shouted as she smacked his arm.
"You jerk, she must've been petrified and now she's probably worried sick!" she screeched at him.
"I already apologized to her and I'll apologize again!" he snapped, rubbing his arm. "I was kind of in a hurry to find a place where I could get help."
Violet sighed, shaking her head at him. "Seriously, Peter Pan, what're we going to do with you?"
"Let me know when you figure it out," he chuckled. "I'm going to sleep." Waving at the boys, he floated to one of the bunks, curled under the covers and closed his eyes. This was one nap he wouldn't mind taking…