Starlight

29

"You shouldn't have rejected that offer, you know?" Peter's voice broke the silence which was surrounding Hook. The pirate was on his own, sitting against a boulder. He looked up at the teenager in front of him. Peter stood with his arms by his sides, smiling lightly.

Hook toasted the bottle to him before drinking some of the rum inside it. "I would have, if I needed your help. But I don't need your help with Emma."

Peter laughed. "You honestly think that kiss meant anything?" He shook his head in disbelief.

Hook looked thoughtful. "I perceive it as Emma finally seeing who I really am."

"Hm, yes, a one handed pirate with a drink problem. That sounds so appealing doesn't it?" Peter smiled.

"No, I am a man of honour." Hook countered bluntly.

"A man of honour wouldn't break someone's heart again." Peter turned and winced. "Oh, oops, sorry, I shouldn't have let that slip." He looked mock worried while putting a hand to his mouth to cover his grin. Hook looked at him seriously. Peter smiled and held his arms up. "Poor Aoife, must you make her suffer so? All she's ever done is be loyal, and to some degree tolerant, and how do you repay her? Abandonment which leads to heart break, which only leads to further heart break when you return." Peter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wonder if she'll join me now. Could try it, couldn't I? I mean, what is she really getting from you lot?" Peter mused and shrugged, "Lectured, ignored, treated like a mental patient, and oh yes! How could I forget the previously mentioned heart break?" Peter pulled a face. "Even for my standards, that's a lot of suffering for one person."

"She wouldn't side with you." Hook said eventually finding some words to use.

Peter pouted. "Really? What's stopping her? You do realise that Aoife is a most caring individual? If I say, oh I don't know," Peter rolled his hand thoughtfully. "That we have Tink, and she has hurt herself, she'll come running. Because Aoife values her friends, if Tink is hurt, she'll come, and I don't see any of you stopping her really." Peter smiled, Hook frowned. "Enjoy the awkward atmosphere, I'm sort of gutted I can't stay and witness it first hand." Smiling he turned and waved over his shoulder. "Oh! I almost left something out. I know how you've got all this attention suddenly on you, but you say you are a man of honour?" Peter questioned with a nod. "How honourable would you be if you kept the information I'm about to tell you secret?" Hook looked up interestedly. "It may conflict your budding romance with Emma though, Neal is alive, and he's in Neverland. Do what you will with this, you can tell Emma if you wish, or not, but either way we'll all see what sort of man you really are." With this Peter fully disappeared leaving the pirate on his own again.

Hook sat there in silence for several moments before standing up and walking back to the campsite. Looking around he noticed that Aoife wasn't present. She wouldn't have sided with Peter already, or if at all. He ran a hand through his hair, he was annoyed, with himself, with Peter, with Neverland in general. He had no idea that being on Neverland would cause Emma to return some of his feelings, nor did he realise that Aoife was still hanging around when the kiss had happened.

Tapping his head he tried his hardest to remember something from long ago. Looking slowly up he sighed. When things got bad, Aoife went up. Sure enough there she sat, she had created a nest out of branches and leaves, the top of her head was the only visible thing. Ticking one thing off of his problems, he could safely say she wasn't going to Peter. Walking over to where Mary Margaret and David sat he coughed awkwardly. "May I have a talk with you both?" They exchanged confused looks before looking up at him. "I just had a brief encounter with Pan," he said in a hushed tone so only they could hear. They naturally looked startled by this. "He says Neal is alive and in Neverland."

They still looked perplexed by his words. Mary Margaret shook her head slowly with a light frown. "Impossible, I mean, Emma saw Neal get shot and fall through a portal. No one can survive that."

"I propose Neal did and Pan's captured him." Hook said while looking around, he was still sceptical about anyone appearing and hearing him.

"Why would Pan let us know this?" David asked, he wasn't following. This was a curve ball for what reason, exactly? Just to further pull them to their limits, or something else?

"I do not know his reasons," Hook answered, it was the best answer he could give, and the most honest.

Mary Margaret let out a thoughtful noise and stood. She pottered around looking over things. "He's telling the truth." The two males exchanged a look. Pointing to a branch which was snapped she walked over to it. Looking down at the ground near it she crouched slowly. "There was a struggle." She stated and looked over the footsteps and distressed signs of a struggle which were etched into the dirt. "We have to tell Emma."

"Hold on," David pulled her back to him. "She's already lost him once, she cannot lose him again. For all we know this could be one of Pan's games."

Hook nodded slowly. "I agree. Pan obviously wishes Emma to know."

"If we want to look for Neal, we cannot lie to her." Mary Margaret stated obviously.

"It's not a lie, it's keeping a secret until we have confirmation." Hook said. He turned and left them to their little discussion which had started. Frowning he walked forwards and pushed some branches out of the way. "Where are you off to?"

"Hm?" Aoife turned and pulled the hood of her cloak up. "Somewhere." Was her rather noncommittal reply, casual even as she shrugged. She wasn't sure what business it was of his where she went, or why. He never seemed to care before, at all.

"Somewhere being?"

"Just somewhere...why does it matter? You're not my guardian or anything. I can go wherever whenever."

"Aoife-"

"Go and do whatever it is you're doing." Aoife waved her hands at him. "We need food, all right? I'm off to get food."

"The most flimsy lie ever." Hook smirked, trying to lighten the moment. Anything to dispel the sudden coldness that was radiating from her. It was more than just the neutral hate which was bubbling, this was something so much more worse. Something so much more cutting.

"Whatever," Aoife walked away from him. She pushed branches out of the way. Hearing footsteps following her she narrowed her eyes. "Go away."

"I just had a talk with Pan."

"That's nice."

"Aoife," Hook sighed and went to clutch onto her arm. He had never truly seen Aoife fight, not since that time on the Jolly Roger and the skirmish with the Lost Boys, her movements were fast. Before he could even react she had drawn her sword and pressed it against his neck, it didn't help being pushed against a tree too.

"I don't care if you talked to Peter, leave me alone. Let me go get food and stop following me." She said while looking at him unblinkingly. She was being deadly serious, she wanted to be alone. She didn't want a constant buzzing in her ear, she didn't want to listen to whatever rubbish he was to come out with to cover his own back. Hook just looked down at her. Emotion wasn't exactly something he had known Aoife to truly show. Not deep set emotion. The kind of emotion which had caused tears to leave tracks on her cheeks and for her to look at him with such hate. Pushing away from him she sheathed her sword. "If it's any consolation, I talk to Peter all the time." She said bluntly. "Don't see me promoting it. What is this this? A bloody popularity contest?" Bitterly she jumped up into a tree and disappeared within the branches. Hook couldn't see her then, she had such a way of travelling by tree branches that he wouldn't be able to see her, even if he knew where to look.

——

(Edited: 24/August/2020)