Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Nine: In the Name of the Brother

Neverland
Roughly 17 Years Ago...

It was dark outside, the only light being the stars that seemed to glare down at the wooden decks of the ship. The big bright moon was now blocked by the clouds, causing an almost eerie glow to cast down onto the Jolly Roger. Said ship was anchored not far from the island, it swaying peacefully as the wind caught onto the sails. The pirates had all been relieved of their duties for the night, them either residing in the dining room of the ship or the cabins, where they all slept. Their captain, on the other hand, was sat in his own quarters, though he wasn't there to rest. Instead, he was sitting at his desk with a map sprawled across it, him formulating a plan for when he and Smee would go back onto the island at dawn. If he was lucky, the two of them would make it out of there alive. The captain didn't like it when the odds were against him and so he took plenty of time to prepare for it.

He was soon disturbed though by a light knock on the door. Judging by the soft sound of the knock, Hook knew who it was, and so he didn't hesitate before calling out, "Come in." He placed the bottle of rum he had been holding back down onto his desk as he heard the wooden door slowly creak open. Not long after, a soft patter resounded throughout the room, proving Hook's suspicions. He turned back to face the child, his eyes meeting with her bright blue ones as he noted the curious expression she held. Normally when she came looking for him, it was about a question or that she was simply bored. I mean, Hook couldn't blame the lass, as a life of piracy can get boring at times, especially when you're only four and a half feet tall.

"Mr. Hook, what's this?" Grace asked, her question causing him to rise up from his seat and walk over towards the girl. He lowered himself onto the foot of his bed as he looked at her expectantly. After a short moment, she revealed something she had kept hidden behind her back, and just by seeing the small golden medallion, Hook grinned.

"I take it you've found the treasure room." He stated, and upon hearing his accusing tone, Grace grimaced. Hook could tell that she felt like she had done something wrong, and so he simply shook his head. "Oh, don't worry. Being on a ship full of pirates, you were bound to go down there sometime." He commented lightly. After analyzing the object she held further, he lightly took it from her hands and rubbed his thumb across the engravings. The black thread of the medallion made a slight whipping sound as it fell from her hands and hung loosely in the air. "To answer your question, this here is a medallion. I vaguely remember seeing it on one of my first voyages." He said as he stared at the skull imprint on the medallion. Grace kept her eyes on the object, the golden glint clearly intriguing the girl as she climbed onto the mattress beside him. She sat on her knees and pointed at the object once more.

"What's this symbol mean?" She asked, as she ran her own fingers over the skull and crossbones.

Hook watched as she slowly took the medallion from his hands, admiring it. "It's the symbol of a pirate, of course." He spoke, and he wasn't even sure if she was listening at this point. She was clearly drawn to the necklace, and so he didn't hesitate before saying, "You can have it, if you want. It would look better on you than the floor of the treasure room."

Shock ran throughout the girl and her eyes tore from the necklace to meet with his. "Really?" She asked in complete astonishment.

Hook only shrugged, him not wanting this whole thing to turn sentimental on him, though it was clear that Grace treasured the item. "I have no other use for it." He said passively. The girl didn't hesitate before jumping up off the bed and running over to the mirror in the corner of the room.

She struggled with the clip at first but finally unclasped it. She then brought the two ends around her neck before hooking them together once more. Grace watched as the medallion fell down her chest, it ending just in the middle of her ribs. It was a little long for the girl, but Hook knew that she would grow into it. Grace didn't seem bothered by it and simply continued to admire it in the mirror. Finally, she turned back towards the pirate with a beaming smile. "Does this mean I'm a pirate now?" She asked, and the question honestly shocked Hook to the core.