A/N: Howdy Team! Last night of my holidays! A little saddening. =[

On the bright side, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it! ;)

Thank you for all the follows and reviews! xx

Indebted

Tinkerbell was flying over Neverland's water with keen eyes, searching for a place to land when all of a sudden, it was like she was shot out of the sky. Her heart was giving palpitations as the blond fairy fell towards the caverns that surrounded the western coast. Her green eyes widened in fear as the world rose up to meet her, the flexing of her shoulder blades having no effect on her wings keeping her in the sky and instead, she fell to the rocky floor. The force of impact caused cracks to echo throughout her body, the sound of bones breaking and skin being cut. Tinkerbell screamed in pain when she crashed to the earth.

Shattered bones led to unconsciousness. And from her broken body, bronze blood flowed.

xxx

Ella woke up in the morning with one of those rare smiles wide upon her face.

Brushing her black hair from her face, she got about her morning routine quickly. Bathing in the river, she slipped into her clothes and began to walk down the path with an air of confidence about her. After last night, she'd retrieved her slave band. She attached it to her arm with some sticky sap and resin, and as long as Pan didn't look too closely, he wouldn't know the difference.

Although, Ella probably should have realised that she wasn't wearing any weapons. She was floating on a cloud as she headed down to the camp. As Pan walked past her approaching figure, he seemed surprised to see her so early. He glanced her up and down before an easy smirk graced his face, "No shoes?"

Ella hadn't actually noticed that she was barefoot. Goodness, she'd let her guard down almost completely this morning. She needed to remember to be at least slightly wary, or Pan would think something was up very quickly.

"No snakes," she answered by way of explanation. It was true, all the snakes had started dying two years ago, but she hadn't ever walked around the island barefoot – at least not with Pan's knowledge.

"I suppose that's true," he shrugged. Maybe she was trying something new. Well as long as she wasn't off hanging with the pirate, it was all fine. He slid over to her quickly, murmuring lowly with suggestive eyes, "I've missed you."

Not even Pan's advances could hinder her good mood. In fact, she felt a deep seated satisfaction in knowing that whilst Pan thought she was still his, Ella was actually worming her way out from under him.

"You should come and see me tonight," he murmured, reaching out his hand to trace lightly down her face. Her eyes didn't even widen; Ella merely looked up at him as though he'd asked her to walk to the river and get him a cup of water. With a nod, she gave a sad little smile. It affected him more than usual.

And as Pan watched her grab an apple and walk out of the camp, he watched her in curiosity. He had never seen her so...light? Free…Her walls were still there and definable, but when he touched her, she didn't pull away. Something was building within him that he didn't want to admit had been growing for years. He tried to quash it every chance he got, but it was almost like he was tired of doing so.

Maybe he was starting to care.

And that caring blinded him to the sinister assumptions that usually would have caused him to narrow his eyes and order her to tell him exactly why she was acting the way she was.

"Pan," Felix's drawl came from behind her. "The girl, Wendy, she's a hundred years in the future."

"A hundred years is nothing for the shadow to jump," Pan answered, breaking away from his thoughts as Ella disappeared from view. "This girl's going to fix things Felix. I can feel it."

"You're positive Pan?" Felix questioned. "You used to say that only Ne-"

Pan's face darkened.

"That only she could heal the world," Felix finished hastily.

"She is the reason things have fallen to pieces Felix," Pan spat, anger seeping in as he thought of the woman who had cursed Neverland. "I'm not waiting for her to just waltz back in and fix things. It's been fifty years since Neverland started dying. We're going to fix the world ourselves."

And with those words, Pan turned on his heel and left his friend alone.

xxx

The moment Ella turned away from Pan, she was enveloped with a crashing sense of reality. She couldn't look back at him, she didn't want the look misconstrued, but instead, she remembered; and it was dulling her good mood severely. If there was one thing she couldn't bear, it was to be in debt of another man. In the early days, Pan had held his buying of her from prison over her head like a constant raincloud. And she couldn't have that again. She wanted freedom too much.

So, the swim over to the Jolly Roger gave her time to think, and by the time she was climbing over the railing, she was resolved in what she was going to do. Hook had said he needed no payment; but that was untrue. What kind of pirate would refuse payment?

He wasn't on the deck when she arrived, and she felt a little disgusting from her swim anyway. Lying out across the empty deck, she dried herself off waiting for Hook to emerge from his cabin. But an hour later, after tanning under Neverland's sunny blue sky, she grew impatient and stood up, walking straight to his door. She rapped her knuckles on it lightly without waiting for a response and pushed it open.

At first, Hook didn't look up from the book he was reading as he walked across the room. But when the person who entered his cabin didn't speak, he realised that it wasn't just Smee and actually looked up. He was a little shocked to find Ella standing there, her knee crooked against his closed door as she stared at him intensely.

"Wasn't expecting you back here so soon, love," he commented, covering up his shock with a smirk that seemed a permanent fixation on his face. Except for last night, Ella thought momentarily, before pushing aside the thought. Hook closed his book and dropped it on his desk. "Thought you'd be enjoying your freedom."

"I am," she answered with a small smile as he settled himself against his desk opposite her. He wasn't wearing his usual attire. Ella realised that he'd probably only just woken up. She wasn't exactly working to the same schedule as him.

Not that it really mattered with what she was about to do. She took a moment, gnawing at the inside of her lip before pushing herself off the door and crossing the room quickly. Ella had to give him something in return, and it came in the form of a forceful kiss on his entirely surprised lips.

Ella's lips attacked Hook's through his surprise which quickly turned into something else. But he couldn't help but feel she was giving him all she had. This was all she knew how to pay with; physicality – sex. She didn't want to be in his debt; she didn't want to owe her saviour. She wanted the feelings looming inside of her gone.

Hook was enraptured by the feel of her lips; worn yet soft as they moved against his. Ella tasted him; the rum and the sea, as he in turn, begged entrance to her mouth. His tongue ran lazily along her lower lip before she let him in, her hands clutching at his collar with all her strength. Ella ran her hands down the front of his thin black shirt, dealing with the buttons nimbly as she went.

Her body was flush against his, their hips separated only by their clothing. Hook groaned lowly when she pressured him with hers momentarily, and a spark of appreciation was seen in Ella's eyes. This could work; she could repay her debt easily.

Trailing her hand down his bare chest with her fingernails, she travelled further southward and clutched the hardening bulge in his pants with her hand. Hook's muscles were clenching as he continued to kiss her forcefully, his arousal being palmed by her deft hand through his breeches. It was all he took not to moan; but he wasn't going to give her that satisfaction.

Only it wasn't satisfying for her.

Opening his eyes, he saw the look in her eyes, unclouded by lust or any form of want, Ella was simply looking at Hook like he was a chore, something for her to do to get out of the way. It took all the strength Hook could muster to pull himself away from the assassin's lips as she was beginning to work at the ties of his pants.

"I freed you so that you wouldn't have to do this anymore," Hook murmured, pulling her hands away from his straining jeans with difficulty. He couldn't deny the effect she was having on him, but it wasn't what he wanted; not like this. Not with the look in her eye that said that she was grateful and duty bound to repay him.

Ella's eyes widened as she stepped away from him quickly. Hook couldn't deny the fact that he wanted her and Ella could see it in his dark eyes. She wouldn't say anything to him, opening and closing her mouth momentarily before spinning on her heel and walking out of the room. She hadn't said a word.

Hook ran his hands through his hair as he let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. This girl was something else. Generally when he said he didn't want payment, girls didn't come to visit the Captain to give him favours of that sort. It was generally accepted that his word went – so don't come back with thanks. Just take your goods and go.

But he still wasn't too sure why he'd turned Ella away.

Maybe it was because he knew it meant nothing to her – and that it possibly never would – that he turned her away. Sure, he'd had meaningless fucks, but Ella…

Ella didn't like to be touched. And that meant something in Hook's black pit of a heart. Only now he knew, every time he saw her, he might not be able to think straight. And that was a worry. Because he needed off this island, and he needed her help to do that.

He couldn't help but hope she'd stay away – at least for a little while – so that he could get whatever his feelings were for her under control. And get over it.