Innocence (OUAT/Peter Pan)

Chapter 23: Treasure

HELLO! SPECIAL CELEBRATORY DOUBLE UPDATE!! Why? Well, why not? Haha well one reason is because this story has over 3,000 reads!!! I sobbed in happiness. I also got asked on a date by this really sweet funny cutie<<<333 Don't worry, he does know that no matter what I will always love Robbie Kay, Colin O'Donoghue, and Parker Croft more, he's okay with it :D Haha so to channel my good mood, here you go!

Also, special shout out to vanessa5836 for being awesome, CHECK HER OUT and her Peter Pan fic, Second Star to the Right!! I love it!!

As always, your comments and reads make me feel so great, please keep 'em coming! Enjoy!

PETER PAN'S POV

Peter grinned as he cast the curse, trapping the ship in its own little bubble on the edge of Neverland. The pirates couldn't sail out, not even with magic beans, and their bubble was heavily inhabited with all sorts of miseries: mosquitoes, sharks, no wind whatsoever, relentlessly hot days, freezing nights, rodents, and he'd alerted the mermaids. As beautiful and neutral as they might be, mermaids considered human blood a rare delicacy. The pirates were tortured by these things, seeming fairly little, but they could't leave Neverland, so they would deal with them for eternity. Peter preferred this over just slaughtering them all. Watching them slowly go mad was far more satisfying, and a far more adequate punishment for even thinking of hurting her. He grinned as the sun was almost finished setting, beginning their first of many freezing nights.

A nervous cough and shuffling of feet made him turn, eyebrow raised. One of the boys, Colin, climbed out of the bushes and stood next to him on the cliff. Peter hardly considered him new by now, a week or two and the boy had adjusted well to Neverland life.

"What?" He could've, should've, been kinder, but he wasn't in the mood.

"The captain really does have that thing, the little box," he suggested hesitantly, looking down.

"Pandora's Box?" Peter scoffed. Colin nodded quickly.

"When we were f-fighting, one of the, the, windows to the quarters b-broke, and, and, and I saw it," he stumbled. Why was he so nervous, Peter wasn't being that scary? "Little gray box with lots of gears and stuff. And a red light on top."

"Ah," Peter let out a breath. So Jones hadn't been bluffing. "He does have it then," he said slowly, eyeing the ship. Then a plan formed.

"What's it do, Pan?" Colin asked, voice stronger with his curiosity.

"Oh, it's a cute little piece of magic, really," Peter smirked. It was actually very dangerous to him, but none of the boys except Felix would know how to use it if they even had it. And as for the girl, well, she could work it, definitely. Without knowing how, she could get it to open on accident. But she wouldn't. He doubted Jones even knew. But Jones could give it to others in the Enchanted Forest who did, like the Dark One. "People think it's worse than it is," he said quickly to Colin. The boy nodded, dirty blonde hair flopping against his forehead. Then went still.

"There's another thing, you're not going to like it," he said so quietly Peter, even with his magically enhanced hearing, almost missed it.

"Well, spit it out, then," Peter rolled his eyes.

"Hook knows how to use it, I think Elle might've said or done something," Colin said quietly, eyes on the floor. Peter felt anger boil.

"What?" he growled.

"I, I, I mean, he was so determined to get information, and you saw what he did," Colin shook as he spoke. "Any of us would've cracked under that, I think e-even you. And she's a girl," he drifted off, but Peter elbowed him to keep it up. If he was going to incriminate a fellow Neverlander, especially another under Peter's reign, he had to have some damn impressive reasons. "She's so powerful, she could've even shown him on accident. And he did cut her hair, he probably used it before. A-and, she stopped you from killing him on the ship."

Peter felt his mind go blank and numb. Jones did have the box, and Colin was right, odds were he figured it out. If she helped or not, and intentionally or not, was just another thing Peter didn't like not knowing for certain.

Would his princess really betray him?

 He did kidnap her from her home. But she said she hated it, she never spoke of it.

He did intend to use her for her magic, and even said so. He hadn't yet, but they both knew he still would--and could--if he wanted. Did he want to? Yes, magic is power.

He'd given her freedom, a new life, brothers to play with and be with. Would she betray him?

"I just think that, maybe-maybe Hook offered her something else, even just to stop hurting her. She was so awful when you first brought her back," Colin didn't want to say anymore, and Peter didn't need him to. His vision blurred but he blinked and it cleared again. Well, she was one of them. Peter didn't tolerate betrayal, not from anyone no matter what the circumstances. He'd killed only two boys in all the years he'd been on the island, but they were all aware of the rules and the consequences of breaking them.

"You called him Hook?" He glanced to the side at Colin, eyebrow arched and a smirk forming.

"I heard some of the men yelling it, and I thought it made an appropriate nickname," Colin smirked right back, a sudden confidence now that they had another topic.

Peter chuckled, "Definitely does."

 Peter gestured for him to go back to camp, while he transported himself onto the top of the ship's mast. Unaffected, he reveled in the men's moans and curses as they scrambled to shelter themselves from the air, mosquitoes, and rodents.

He only had to wait a few minutes before sauntering into the captain's quarters, shutting the door and admiring how well insulated it was. All the windows sealed and candles lit, the cabin was of decent temperature. Peter decided to let it go, it would be harder for them if they had little hopes like this. Jones straightened and sneered at him.

"What can I help you with, boy?" the pirate bowed mockingly.

"Sweet dreams," Peter chuckled at the pirate's confused face as he threw a handful of powder at him. Jones collapsed on the floor, sitting against the desk, fast asleep. Peter stepped over him and dug through the room until he found the box. Believing in the magic of Neverland, he created a fake one and placed it where he found it.

Appearing back in his tent, Peter sent Pandora's Box with his Shadow to hide and care for it and flopped onto his cot. Grumbling slightly, he ignored how cold and big the empty thing felt as he tried to sleep. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, he was waking everyone up for a little show.

COLIN'S POV

Colin trudged back to camp, trying not to let his heavy heart show. The boys greeted him normally, not sparing any second glances. This made him smile to himself, he had a usual. He really was part of them now, free to play with the boys and stay young for eternity.

The only twinge was that he had had to blame the girl. But Pan would know if Hook ever acted on his knowledge, Colin had to give him something to throw his scent off. He just thanked whatever gods may or may not exist that Pan had believed his crappy performance. He was so scared, and so undeniably guilty! Colin again thanked the gods for his own skills, perceptive and quiet as he was. He knew Pan definitely had specific feelings toward her, even if Pan himself didn't, and they were allowing Colin to easily sway the great boy.

Oh, he was going to be the cause of such pain. But he'd learned Pan's nature by now, tough and selfish and dominating. And he knew Elle's, quiet and gentle and forgiving but with a core of steel. He'd get over her, and she'd survive on or off the island without him. Colin promised himself he would make sure she didn't die, or Pan didn't kill her. He had to do something to redeem himself, even just a bit.