A/N: Here it is, finally! Thankyou to my lovely reviewers Tarah Draconiger, CaptainHooksGirl, Annabeez. The next chapter will be up in the next few days as I'm attempting to always be one chapter ahead of what is posted. Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Wendy sat down, perching nervously on the edge of the chair as she watched James in intrigue. A small thought popped into her mind as to the irony of Hook telling a story when she was, in fact, the storyteller, but she brushed it away, too curious to care.

"Before Neverland, before Peter Pan ever even existed, I was once a sailor aboard a merchant vessel. The Golden Swan we called her. She was the pride of the King's fleet, and we were his most favoured crew. From a young age my true passion had lain at sea. I was destined to be a Captain, perhaps even one day lead the fleet, but fate had other plans."

James shifted uncomfortably, catching Wendy's gaze as he began to pace the cabin, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I had another passion also; her name was Lucy. She was the love of my life. We were childhood sweethearts, and our relationship only blossomed as time went on. I often found myself away on business but it appeared that no distance was too great, no stretch of sea too far, to dissuade our love. We cherished every moment together."

"What happened?"

James looked up sharply, having almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. His gaze once more caught Wendy's.

"We were married, and within a year we were expecting our first child. We would often spend hours simply imagining what they would look like; whose features they'd possess. She had the most beautiful blue eyes and yellow hair. It was my fondest hope that the child looked as much like her as possible."

He trailed off once more, but this time Wendy wouldn't dare to interrupt; instead she allowed James to dwell in his memories, her hand resting supportively on his arm as he came to sit beside her.

"About a month before the child was due, she began to have complications. To both of our misfortunes, around the same time an opportunity arose for me to Captain one of the fleet's smaller vessels. It was my one chance to prove I would be a capable and adequate leader. If I had turned it down, I would have never had another chance to prove myself. My choices were severely limited.

"But your wife…"

"She promised me the nurses were content with her condition, that it was not as severe as they had previously depicted. No matter how hard I tried to dissuade myself, she worked twice as much to encourage me otherwise. She was adamant that the child would not arrive until after I had returned, and, more importantly, her condition would be stable enough to cope with during my absence. And so, I accepted the position and left her, my angel, in the care of others.

That was my greatest mistake.

As soon as I left, no later than two days to be precise, her health began to rapidly deteriorate, and by the time I had been informed, she had already departed this world."

Silence fell as Wendy studied the figured before her, his lips twitching as he recounted his pain. She let the silence linger, allowing them both to bathe in its healing quality, however it wasn't too long before questions once more before to fill her inquisitive mind.

"But the child. Did they…?"

"No. He was too fragile to save."

A long, said sigh escaped James' lips. "My love and my child, gone; and I hadn't been there to protect them."

James stopped in his tracks, for he had only rested for a moment or two before continuing to wear away at the cabin floor with his insistence pacing, and Wendy stood to meet him, entwining her fingers in his. He looked down at her, and for a second she could have sworn that his eyes had turned grey, the colour having simply drained out of them in his depressed state. As if in a trance, James' hand subconsciously raised, stroking Wendy's cheek before pulling her into his chest and holding her close.

"On returning from the voyage I found myself sorting through her possessions, attempting to keep my memory of her alive for as long as I could bear to. Hidden away in one of her journals I discovered a letter, addressed to me and, as she always did with her communications, scented with her favourite perfume: elderberry and lilac; a scent I have never truly forgotten."

"What did it say?"

"The letter?"

James paused momentarily, glancing vacantly out of the window. Wendy presumed he was trying to recall his wife's words, however, in truth, they had long ago been seared into James' mind and conscious: a permanent reminder of the decision that had lost him not only his love, but also his life.

"Dearest James," the Captain sighed, stroking his hands through Wendy's soft locks, "I pray that you should never have to read this letter, and hope that I will be well enough to await you on the docks, as I always do upon your return, our children tucked warmly into his perambulator so that the cold winds do not redden his delicate skin. Despite this hope, I must confess that a certain fear has engulfed me as of late. Although the doctor continues to assure me that Victoria's Empire has made wondrous advances in medicine in the past few decades and that it will not be long until my symptoms are diagnosed and curable, I fear that these advances will not be reached in time to save me. The nurses tell me that with each passing day, my body is growing weaker and the child I am bearing is also losing strength due to this ever debilitating illness I have somehow procured. Despite the assurances of others, I can feel it in my bones when I awake, as if my body is being drained of its life source by some cruel and un-Godly demon. Our child has stopped moving also, I can no longer feel him kicking my stomach, reminding me of his wondrous presence. It is this that scares me most.

James, if the worst shall arise whilst you are gone, I pray you do not remember as I am during these dark hours, but recall instead the many joyous memories we have forged during our time together. You have provided my life with wellbeing and happiness, and I am both grateful and humbled by your dedication and love for me. You will be a fine Captain and perhaps one day you may marry again and finally become the wondrous father that I know you are capable of being. No matter your decision, we shall watch over you from Heaven and perhaps, one day, the three of us will be together again in a place where illness and pain will no longer tear our love apart. May you forever be guided by the love and compassion in our hearts,

Lucy & little James."

James finished his reciting, halting momentarily in the warm feeling that had encroached him as he had revealed his closest kept secret to the woman before him. His gaze lowered to Wendy's the soft blue orbs that were her eyes glistening with sorrow, her smooth hands assuredly squeezing his as James' heartbreak drifted around them: finally free, finally at peace.

After a while, though neither could be certain quite how long, Wendy rose, breaking the silence as she moved across the room, situating herself at the cabin's bay window, watching the rhythm of the sea as it pitched to and fro.

"I'm sorry, James. I didn't know."

"You weren't supposed to, my dear. Even I was forced to forget. Neverland isn't a place for the past, Wendy. It exists solely in the present."

Wendy's brow furrowed, "But how did you come to be here, and how did you regain your memories?"

Approaching Wendy from behind, James carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head as they both continued to study the sea.

"In an ill-judged attempt to find peace, I tried to end my life. All of my hopes and dreams had vanished in that instant: I no longer desired to be faithful to my fleet, to the King, and my only aim was to wreak vengeance upon myself for the terrible distress my beloved had suffered. I collected her letter, and the engagement ring I had one betrothed to her, and fled, commandeering a small fishing vessel and sailing as far out to sea as the winds would carry me. And there I waited for starvation to take hold, or a storm to arise and drown me in its watery depths, or…"

"James."

"Sorry. The longer I waited however, the more time I had to dwell upon my thoughts. By the time my body finally succumbed to dehydration, I had managed to convince myself that it was not I, but the child, that was to blame for my sorrow and pain."

"What happened James, did someone rescue you?"

"Not in the sense you are anticipating, my dear. I awoke here, in Neverland, with no clue as to my identity or past. The only thought that resonated inside me was that of vengeance, and a certain hate towards children. And that was when I met Pan for the first time: the impossible child, with eyes as blue as the sky and hair the colour of sand, just as I had imagined."

"Does that mean…?"

"No," James interrupted, "Neverland is cruel, Wendy. It brought me here because Peter needed someone to fear, and because the constant reminder of my failure would allow Pan and I to remain enemies for as long as time itself. The island feeds off of us; we are its energy source, and, without us, Neverland would not exist."

"Does that mean neither of you can ever leave?"

"Not for long, no. The magic that keeps our minds and bodies frozen in time would fade. Pan would grow up. We would lose all purpose."

"How can you be sure?"

"I can't be, but as I have already told you: we are two sides of the same coin, neither of us can exist without the other."

Wendy allowed James' words to filter through her, the secret hope that the Captain would return to London with her dissolving into a pile of ash before her very eyes. She felt a finger on her chin, lifting her gaze to James' as she attempted to blink back the emotion that had suddenly engulfed her.

"Wendy? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head in response, Wendy sighed, not wanting to burden James even further with her thoughts.

"How did you regain your memory?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you awoke with no memory of the past. How did you remember?"

James studied Wendy's expression momentarily before continuing sceptically.

"Her possessions: I found a safe place for them in the depths of the Black Castle and worked to ensure that I returned to them often. The closer I was to them, the stronger my memories were, but now they are gone, destroyed by time, and the magic that encases them is fading. Soon I will forget, and I will revert permanently into the monster that Neverland has destined me to be."

"James, I don't understand. What do you mean by that?"

"I will lose my desire to be free, Wendy. My will shall transgress to that of the others on this island: I shall be content with fighting and stealing and will no longer want to leave, to seek an alternate life and begin anew. I will be trapped here forever."

"I will stay with you. I will remind you!" Wendy scowled, not wanting to believe a word James was saying, but unable to tear herself away from his tale.

"You cannot. I will not condemn you to this life."

"But James…"

He lifted his hand, resting a finger on Wendy's lips to silence her.

"Wendy, there is one more thing I would like to tell you."

"Yes?"

"My reason for bringing you here."

For the first time that day an uneasy silence filled the cabin, memories of the past few days resurfacing in Wendy and James' minds.

"You wanted revenge on Peter?"

"No. I desired to leave Neverland."

"But you can't, you said…"

"I know. I believed that if I found someone to replace me, I could be free."

Wendy stiffened at James' words, her mouth dropping open and her heart breaking into a million pieces.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew Peter would react negatively to you having grown up, and if I could persuade you to detest him in the way I do, perhaps he may have adopted you as his new rival."

"I don't understand. You locked me up. It was not Peter I detested. I sympathised with him."

"Yes, but he wouldn't accept your sympathy, would he? And as kind hearted as you are Wendy, even the strongest of wills can snap when bent too far. You would have broken your resolve sooner or later, and attacked Pan."

Turning her face away from James, Wendy wiped away the tears that had begun to sting her eyes.

"Why did you stop?"

James smiled, the warmth of his features resonating around the two of them as he carefully brought Wendy to face him, softly stroking the tears from her cheeks.

"You reminded me of her; your determination, your spirit. I could not bear to continue hurting you, because I would only be repeating my past failure, and that would cause me greater pain that you could ever imagine. This is my fate for all eternity. It is my burden to bear, not yours, and I'm sorry for trying to burden you with it."

A smile played across Wendy's lips.

"Captain Hook, defeated once more by the cleverly witty Wendy Darling."

James let out a laugh, pulling Wendy close.

"I do declare Miss Darling a cheat: seducing is not fair play!"

"I think you'll find you seduced me, Captain."

"Dearie my, foiled by my own admiration and charm!"

The two of them shared a laugh, Wendy wrapping her arms around James as they both returned to looking out to sea.

"Neverland is beautiful."

"Beauty can be deceiving."

"Like the mermaids?"

"Yes. Beautiful but deadly."

A sigh escaped Wendy's lips, "Will you ever be able to leave?"

"Wendy, the ring is gone. It was my only hope. Soon I will forget, and even if I don't I cannot leave. Peter's presence attests to that."

"But you can't kill him. Even if you did, he would return, just as you did."

"Yes, you're right. It's a never ending cycle, my dear. I am trapped. Unlike you."

Wendy froze, shock pulsing through her veins. "I will not leave without you James. I could be a pirate: Red-Handed Hill, the storyteller."

A sad smile crossed James' lips, knowing deep down that as long as Wendy was in Neverland her life would be in danger and, as a man of good form, he could not allow her to be so. However, now was not the time to fully reveal his plan, for some of the Captain's darkest secrets needed to remain just that: a mystery. After all, Wendy would never permit his actions if she knew their full details, and so, for now, James adhered to Wendy's pretence.

"You would make a wonderful pirate."

"What about Peter? Did you mean it when you said you and him would have to battle?"

"Yes. I meant it when I said that Neverland exists in the present, and for Peter to remember his past," James let out a whistle to express his exasperation, "well, that's a dangerous thing. Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what, James?"

Instead of instantly offering a verbal reply, James merely raised his Hook towards to window before him, tracing the horizon.

"Can you see it? Between the sea and the sky; the darkness?"

Wendy studied the sky before them, her eyes following the path of the hook as she observed the horizon. True to James' words, directly in between the sea and the sky, a thin line of black had formed, almost as if someone had begun to build a border around Neverland, further inhibiting its inhabitants from voyaging beyond the island's edges.

"What is it?"

"I do not know, but it's getting closer with every passing minute."

For a moment, James and Wendy stood in silence, holding each other close. Sensing Wendy's growing distress, James tightened his grip on her, once more nuzzling his chin against the top of his head.

"I don't want to leave you." Wendy whispered sadly, resting her head against James' chest.

James sighed in response, "The fight will end, and we will see each other again, I promise."

"How do you know?"

A smile filtered onto James' lips as he leant down and whispered something into Wendy's ear, her eyes lighting up at his words and a grin crossing her features. James chuckled.

"The time has come, Miss Darling. Are you ready?"

"Aye Captain, let the battle commence!"