𝒜ngela paused and her eyes fixed on Hook's. She found his oceanic eyes strangely comforting to look at. It wasn't difficult or awkward to hold his gaze, for some reason—even though he was technically her captor.
"Neverland is real," Hook said slowly, looking into her eyes. "This entire ship you're on is real, and I know for a fact that I am certainly real." As he said this, one sporadic stronger wave rocked the boat from side to side. Wood creaked with the motion, and the sounds from the rolling waves were heard from outside.
Angela didn't say a word, and squeezed the soft bedsheets, felt her own hair, and then looked at the hook replacing the captain's hand, trying to establish her reality. She was now aware that she was indeed awake, because the sensations in her hands were so vivid.
"If you're real, why haven't you tried to kill me?" She asked cautiously.
"Kill you?" Hook responded, surprised. "Oh no, no, no, my dear. Far from that. Jane never told you about Neverland, did she?"
"N-no, they were only stories," Angela said and shook her head. She was confused. He knew her grandmother?
"Doesn't surprise me," Hook replied. "But she did so with good reason."
"What do you mean?"
"She tried to protect you."
"From who?" Angela's eyes widened.
Hook paused for a short while, then gave her a cautious look. "From Pan."
"I'm so confused," she said. "You're supposed to be the villain, and Peter Pan is supposed to be good. Besides, how do you know my grandmother?"
"Not everything that glitters is gold, my dear," Hook replied. A certain expression of melancholy momentarily washed over his eyes.
"Or pixie dust," interrupted Smee with a goofy smile. Hook shot him a glare, as he hated to be interrupted.
"Leave us alone, Smee," he ordered.
"Right—sorry, Cap'n," he said apologetically and left the cabin.
Before she had a chance to process her reply, Hook continued.
"Aye, I knew Wendy and Jane," he continued. "I remember them flying through the air with Peter Pan, and those rascals John and Michael. Oh, but you should've seen the way Wendy adored Peter—oh, it almost broke your heart to watch."
Angela was surprised that he knew all of their names, and the more she listened to him, the more her curiosity grew. But part of her was still in disbelief. How had Captain Hook not aged all these years?
"Wait—how is it possible that you knew my grandmothers when they each were little girls? You don't look older than ..." Angela paused, examining his face. "Than 35, maybe 40."
He looked at her, then said, "Time is strange here ... it flows slower than time on the Mainland. What is here a moment, may be days there ... what is here a year, may be years there."
"I see ..." Angela said, then looked down at her food. She tried to process the information but there were too many questions. "But what do you mean, protect me from Peter Pan? How does all this make any sense? Can you tell me everything?"
Hook gave her a look. He found her endearing—so curious and even sweet, but also feisty if need be.
"I suggest you finish your meal first, Miss Angela," he replied. "You'll need your strength for this."
YOU ARE READING
Hook and Angela: A New Story of Neverland (ON HIATUS)
Fanfiction"All children grow up, except one," my grandmother Jane would tell me, as my great-grandmother Wendy would tell her. "Wendy had Jane, Jane had Moira, and Moira had me-Angela. For decades after the initial meeting with Peter Pan, the Darling women wh...
