Grim (A Peter Pan Fanfic)

Chapter 12: My Household

"Any fool can know. The point is to understand." –Einstein

***

"Who's Hook?" Joro asks between cups of tea. She'd been lost on her way back from target practice because the rain was coming down too hard, but luckily Sahara found her before anything drastic happened.

"Captain Hook is the captain of a ship that used to be around this island," Elly explains. "He hasn't been seen in years according to books and sources. It looks like he's back via shadow."

"Why is it a problem?" Menthol asks.

Elly sighs. "It's just his shadow, which is sort of suspicious. Why would he send his shadow here? Nonetheless, his shadow is destroying things around the island, including ships we trade with. It's obvious he's up to something."

"How do we stop him?" Cyanide asks next.

Elly shakes her head. "He's a shadow; weapons will go right through him." There's silence as they all think about how to defeat a shadow. Elly is more distracted by the fact that Pan almost kissed her. Was that really Pan, or was it a scheme to try and get close to her to destroy her group? She's not sure. A part of her wants to believe it's all made up, but another part wants it to be real. Rumpelstiltskin warned her about this; was he right?

"Deadshot? What are you thinking?" Sahara asks her. Elly proceeds to tell them the events of the night. She doesn't want to keep her friends in the dark about it. Secrets always stir up trouble.

"He kissed you?" Bubbles shrieks. "I'm not sure whether to be disgusted or delighted!"

Elly is surrounded by giggles and excited girls. She responds, "Almost kissed me. I don't know. That's a problem for later. We need to defeat this shadow."

"What about magic?" Cyanide suggests. "None of us can really do it, but I think that would work. Can anyone on the island do magic?"

Everyone shakes their head until Elly says, "Pan." They all glance at each other, realizing what this means.

They have to ask Peter Pan for help.

***

Peter is concerned about more than one topic.

One: Hook. He thought he'd driven him away a long time ago. Apparently, pirates don't understand when they're not accepted. Hook sending his shadow is a sneaky way to spy on Peter and the Lost Boys. It also means he's planning on coming back. To do what? Who knows? All Peter remembers is that Captain Hook is not his favorite tourist.

Two: Elly. He's not sure if it was the rain or the humidity that made his brain foggy, but all he knows is that he should've almost kissed her at another time. Also, because of Hook's shadow's interference, he's not sure how Elly feels about him. Sure, she didn't push him away, but does she feel the same way?

"What do we do?" Felix asks gravely. He was there last time Hook attacked. He remembers.

Peter stares into the fire. "We fight back the only way we can."

"How do we defeat a shadow without sewing it back to the owner?"

"This is my island. I'm not letting a pirate interfere with the flow of things. Not again. We defeat his shadow with magic. Then, we prepare for the real fight."

***

"I need advice," Cyanide says at dinner that night. "Serious advice."

"Bananas help with cramps," Menthol responds. "So does light exercise."

"Not about that," Cyanide says, putting her fork down. "Last night, when I was searching for Joro, Felix found me on the beach."

All the girls pay stark attention now, their dinners forgotten as they lean forward to hear the rest of the story.

"I didn't want to talk to him, but he insisted, and I knew we'd have to talk sometime anyway. I thought we should get it over with, you know?" They all nod. "Here's what's up with him and me. Back in Missoula, we were neighbors. Always had been. Practically raised together. We started dating when we were fifteen, and about two years after that, he disappeared. He just left everyone with no explanation. He'd talked about running away with me before because his parents were abusive alcoholics, but I always thought we'd go together. So when he left without me, I hated him for it. I never found him until, obviously, a few weeks ago. And I didn't know how to feel."

During a pause, Sahara asks, "What happened last night?"

"He explained to me how Peter came to him one night and told him to come here to Neverland. He had to go that night or he couldn't come at all. So he went. Didn't even leave a note. He apologized for simply leaving; he said he still loves me."

Elly holds back a smile. "Do you still love him?"

Cyanide nods. "He kept calling me Anna. I told him to call me Cyanide. Anna is dead; I left her in Montana. Then I kissed him."

Bubbles cheers. "Yes girl! I'm writing a song about you two!"

"I don't know what will happen!" Cyanide interjects. "I left right after. I don't know."

"It'll unfold," Joro says excitedly. "I'm so excited for you!"

"Me too!" Elly exclaims.

"It must be fate that you ran into him again," Menthol adds. "It's true love; it has to be."

Cyanide just shrugs. "We'll see."

All this talk of relationships makes Elly think of Peter. How he almost kissed her last night, how he looked in the pouring rain, how his eyes were brighter than they'd ever been. Peter had been different. He wasn't the malicious creature she was used to meeting; he was a human bursting with emotions.

"Deadshot?"

Elly meets Sahara's gaze. "Yes? Sorry, I was thinking."

"It's okay. But what should we do tomorrow about this shadow?"

She sighs. "Like I said, I think we should go to Peter for help. He's the only one who has experience with this, you know? He can teach us more magic; maybe that can help." Upon noticing their worried expressions, she adds, "Don't worry. Peter can help us, I swear."

Bubbles smirks at her as she raises her cup to her lips. "Since when is he 'Peter'?"

Elly purses her lips as she realizes that she's been calling him Peter all night. "Dammit."