Tinker, Pirate, Princess, Pan - Chapter Three
Chapter Three
No one really knows just how the Black Bear Tribe or the Sato Clan had come to be a part of Neverland. The mighty chiefs of the Cheyenne speak of a great windstorm during which an entire village disappeared. One can only assume that the tribe residing in Neverland must have been one in the same.
The Samurai of the Sato Clan, on the other hand, were on their way to a piece of land that the emperor had given them as a sign of honor. Since it would dishonor the clan to wait until spring, they left just as the first snow fell with their women and children beside them. Lost in a freak snowstorm at the top of the Hidaka Pass, they took shelter in a nearby cave only to emerge in Neverland once the storm had passed.
Both of these events occurred after the gateways to Neverland had been closed, and since the faeries were unsure if they had enough magic to transport the entirety of the two groups back, the leaders of both groups had formed a truce and over time, many of them had intermarried. The current chief of the Black Bear Tribe was married to a lovely woman of the Sato Clan, and their daughter Princess Toshiko Tiger-Lily was their pride and joy. As princess she invited Jack, Owen, Andy, Gwen, and the Lost Boys to join her at their encampment for a feast to celebrate their escape from Captain Hook. She even promised Andy that they would find a way to fix teddy.
Andy sat before an elder of the tribe who sang an ancient song of healing, calling forth the eagle spirit to heal the fallen warrior as she stitched him back together. Owen watched her in fascination, all the while sneaking glances at Toshiko over his glasses watching her blush in response. When the song was finished, the old woman held the teddy out to Andy who hugged the bear tight before turning to hug her as well.
A great cheer went up over the encampment and Ianto watched from the shadow of a nearby tree as Gwen sat in his place beside Jack and clapped. When they got up and started to dance around the fire with the others, he couldn’t take it anymore. With a sigh, he turned and flew to the Great Oak of Faerie Hollow where the Neverland faeries were holding a moonlight ball in celebration of Pan’s return. He flew down to join the others, and even conceded to dance with Lisa, the silver clad winter faerie who always seemed to be sending him acorns and rose petals as a sign of her affection.
But his heart wasn’t in it.
Unknown to him, Jack had seen his light as he left and had hurried after him, Gwen following close behind. Jack was certain he had punished his Tinker long enough, and had decided to unbanish him. But when he peered between the roots of the Great Oak into the grand ballroom, he found Ianto dancing with a beautiful cocoa-skinned faerie and felt a pang in his chest to see his best friend having fun with someone else.
“Oh they’re lovely,” Gwen whispered, watching the faeries dance. “Your friend Ianto seems to be having fun,” she answered sliding her gaze to where Jack was staring at him with a sad expression.
Ianto turned to meet his gaze and Jack quickly pulled back, hoping that he hadn’t seen how sad he really was. Pan’s didn’t get sad, darnit! They were invincible. If Ianto could dance with a girl, so could he.
“Jack?” Gwen asked, as he turned to face her with an odd expression. “Is everything alright?”
“May I have this dance?” Jack asked, as he bowed and held out his hand.
Gwen curtsied in kind and smiled. She slipped into his arms as they rose off the forest floor.
As the two of them danced, Jack had to admit it was rather fun. Not as fun as fighting Hook or diving for pearls at the bottom of Blue Moon Bay, but nice nonetheless. The only thing missing was Ianto to share a laugh and make it a game.
Far below them, Ianto watched them dance. He had left Lisa on the dance floor as soon as he saw Jack watching them, hoping that he had been forgiven. But when he found Gwen and Jack dancing, he could only sit alone on a branch and watch in despair, wondering if his Pan was truly lost.
He was so caught up in his own misery he didn’t hear Hook slide up to lean against his tree until he spoke.
“Jack done it again, Eye Candy?” Hook asked with sympathy.
Ianto closed his eyes and sighed.
“It’s been a most evil day, and to top it all off Pan has found himself a Gwen,” Hook said, waving his good hand in their direction. “And now Hook is all alone,” he added watching the faerie’s wings droop in sadness. “You too?”
“Banished,” Ianto finally spoke. “And please don’t call me Eye Candy.”
“Of course,” Hook answered politely. “Ianto is such a regal name I forget when Jack seems to always be ordering you about, and treating you as if you were his butler.”
Ianto sighed again and started to stand up. He had enough trouble as it was without Hook taunting him.
“If you’re only here to make me feel worse, you’ve succeeded,” he said as he started to fly away. “Now piss-off.”
“Wait Ianto,” Hook pleaded, knowing he had to play his cards right if his plan was to succeed. “I have an idea on how to fix this. I think you and I should talk.”
Ianto turned around and nodded. Even if he was a smelly old codfish, at least Hook listened to him. Maybe he would have a solution to sending Gwen back home once and for all.
~~~~~~~~
While Hook was drawing the Tinker in, Jack was dealing with something he had never experienced before; the overactive imagination of a nearly teenaged girl.
As they danced, Gwen snuggled closer and Jack made a face, realizing that he might have carried the game a bit too far.
“Gwen?” he asked.
“Yes, Jack,” she whispered.
“You know it’s only make-believe, right?” he said hoping she wouldn’t cause a fuss.
“What is?” Gwen asked as she twirled her fingers in the back of his hair.
“That you and I are-“ he stopped and cleared his throat as she leaned back to look at him with starry eyes. “You see it would make me seem so old to be the real father of the Lost Boys,” Jack hurriedly explained. “It was just a game you see.”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “What are your real feelings, Jack?” she asked.
“Feelings?” he asked confused.
“Yes Jack, what do you feel? Happiness? Sadness? Jealousy?” she prodded.
“Jealousy…” muttered Jack suddenly realizing what he had done to Ianto.
“Ianto!” he called, assuming he would come.
But there was no answer.
“Jack, are you even paying attention to me?” asked Gwen, with her hands on her hips.
“Have you seen him?” he asked her, more concerned about Ianto being lost than her silly game of feelings.
“Pay attention!” Gwen snapped and Jack stilled to look at her with his eyes wide. “I am going to say a word and you are going to tell me the first thing that pops into your head. Ready?”
Jack simply nodded.
“Anger.”
“Hook.”
“Love.”
“Love?” Jack answered confused. “Never heard of it.”
“I think you have Jack,” Gwen replied smugly. “I daresay you’ve felt it yourself,” she added smiling at him. “For something or for someone?” she prodded certain he would say her name.
Jack made a face. “Never. Even the sound of it offends me.”
“Ja-ack,” Gwen drawled out reaching for his hand. “There’s no need to pretend.”
“Why do you have to spoil everything?” Jack demanded pushing her away. “We have fun, don’t we?” he asked as Gwen stepped back in surprise. “I taught you to fight and to fly. What more could there be?”
“There is so much more,” Gwen replied stepping closer. Surely Jack would be willing to find it with her?
“What?” he snapped pushing her back. “What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” Gwen finally admitted. “I think it becomes clearer when you grow up.”
“Well then I will never grow up!” Jack shouted. “You cannot make me! I will banish you like Ianto if you do.”
“I will not be banished!” Gwen shouted back.
“Then go home,” Jack answered as he lifted off the ground. “Go home and grow up if you want to so bad, and take your feelings with you.” With that he flew away leaving her in the forest alone.
Later that night Peter once again visited Gwen’s home, to see if Mr. and Mrs. Darling had closed the window yet. For you see, even if she was confusing, Jack had brought her to Neverland himself, and was too proud to admit he had made a mistake and let her leave. But as before he saw Mrs. Darling in her chair by the window, her eyes tired with searching the heavens as she whispered the names of her lost children.
Frustrated, Jack started to slide the window shut. Maybe if Gwen couldn’t come home, she would stop with pestering him about feelings and stay with him in Neverland. But as he pushed the window down, Mrs. Darling woke up and rand over to keep it open.
“George! George help me!” she called to Mr. Darling.
“What is it?” he asked, running in with his tie askew. “Have they returned?”
“The window is closed!” she said in panic when she could not push it back open due to Jack still pushing against it. “It must always be open for them. Always,” she said as they managed to push it back up.
Jack heard the tears in her voice as she turned to Mr. Darling and he held her in his arms whispering to himself a quiet prayer for his children’s safe return. Jack watched in silence, rubbing away tears he would never admit existed as he saw how much they missed their children.
~~~~~~~~
Gwen, still irritated with Jack for not admitting he had feelings for her, decided to sleep in her little house as she was not in the mood to deal with the Lost Boys and their questions of where Pan might be.
Later that night she awoke to the sound of a sea-chantey being sung and when she opened the door to her house found herself on the deck of Captain Hook’s ship the Jolly Roger.
“This way Miss,” said Mr. Smee as he escorted her to the captain’s quarters where Hook was playing the pianoforte, quite well she noticed, as the crew sang along.
“I fear we have not been formally introduced,” said Hook with a smile as he turned round to greet her after the song was finished. “Captain Jonathon Hart at your service,” he said as he kissed her knuckles. “Though these days I am better known as Captain Hook,” he added with a saucy wink.
“Gwendolyn Darling,” she replied with a curtsey. “But Gwen is fine.”
“Muscat, Miss?” Smee asked as he poured two glasses of wine.
“But I’m a little girl,” she protested.
“Rum then?” he asked as Hook rolled his eyes and gestured for him to leave.
“No, thank you,” Gwen replied warily.
“I heard you ran away from home,” Hook said as he sipped from his glass.
“I...I never thought of it that way,” Gwen replied. “But I suppose I did.”
“How wonderful,” said Hook with a smile.
“My parents wanted me to grow up,” Gwen tried to explain.
“Growing up is such a barbarous business,” answered Hook as he swirled the wine in his glass. “Full of inconvenience and pimples. Things were simpler when I was younger, and then the mess starts, the feelings come,” he continued lifting his gaze to meet Gwen’s eyes. “Jack is so lucky to be untroubled by them.”
Gwen’s eyes widened in realization. “You mean?”
“Oh, no my dear,” Hook said in sympathy. “He cannot love. It’s part of the riddle of his being.”
Gwen started to tear up as she realized that none of what she thought Jack had felt for her was real.
“There, there,” Hook consoled her, gathering her into his arms. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“It doesn’t?” Gwen sniffled.
“Dist thou ever want to be a pirate, my hearty?” he asked with a grin.
“I always thought if I became a pirate I would call myself Red-Handed Jill,” She answered drying her tears.
“Why, what a perfectly marvelous name!” Hook replied with glee. “That’s what we’ll call you if you join us.”
“But what would my duties be?” Gwen answered all worries about Jack forgotten in the face of this new adventure. “I could not be expected to pillage of course,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You don’t perchance tell stories do you?” Hook asked with a smile knowing he had her. Leading her out onto the deck, he gathered the crew to listen as she began her tale.
“And they all lived happily…ever…after,” Gwen finished her tale with flourish.
“Bravo! Bravissimo! You must join my crew!” Hook said when she was done.
“Might I have time to consider your generous offer?” Gwen asked, hoping she could get her brothers to join as well.
“Absolutely, of course you must,” said Hook as he led her back to her little house. When they reached it he lifted her hand to kiss it in farewell. “My fellows will return you to whence they found you. None of my crew will follow you, I swear it,” he said with a fond smile. “Until we meet again.”
Gwen blushed and curtsied before going back inside. As she settled back down to sleep, she wondered what her mother would think of her becoming a pirate. But the more Gwen thought of her mother, the less she could remember.
This entry was originally posted at http://moonfirefic.dreamwidth.org/51838.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
No one really knows just how the Black Bear Tribe or the Sato Clan had come to be a part of Neverland. The mighty chiefs of the Cheyenne speak of a great windstorm during which an entire village disappeared. One can only assume that the tribe residing in Neverland must have been one in the same.
The Samurai of the Sato Clan, on the other hand, were on their way to a piece of land that the emperor had given them as a sign of honor. Since it would dishonor the clan to wait until spring, they left just as the first snow fell with their women and children beside them. Lost in a freak snowstorm at the top of the Hidaka Pass, they took shelter in a nearby cave only to emerge in Neverland once the storm had passed.
Both of these events occurred after the gateways to Neverland had been closed, and since the faeries were unsure if they had enough magic to transport the entirety of the two groups back, the leaders of both groups had formed a truce and over time, many of them had intermarried. The current chief of the Black Bear Tribe was married to a lovely woman of the Sato Clan, and their daughter Princess Toshiko Tiger-Lily was their pride and joy. As princess she invited Jack, Owen, Andy, Gwen, and the Lost Boys to join her at their encampment for a feast to celebrate their escape from Captain Hook. She even promised Andy that they would find a way to fix teddy.
Andy sat before an elder of the tribe who sang an ancient song of healing, calling forth the eagle spirit to heal the fallen warrior as she stitched him back together. Owen watched her in fascination, all the while sneaking glances at Toshiko over his glasses watching her blush in response. When the song was finished, the old woman held the teddy out to Andy who hugged the bear tight before turning to hug her as well.
A great cheer went up over the encampment and Ianto watched from the shadow of a nearby tree as Gwen sat in his place beside Jack and clapped. When they got up and started to dance around the fire with the others, he couldn’t take it anymore. With a sigh, he turned and flew to the Great Oak of Faerie Hollow where the Neverland faeries were holding a moonlight ball in celebration of Pan’s return. He flew down to join the others, and even conceded to dance with Lisa, the silver clad winter faerie who always seemed to be sending him acorns and rose petals as a sign of her affection.
But his heart wasn’t in it.
Unknown to him, Jack had seen his light as he left and had hurried after him, Gwen following close behind. Jack was certain he had punished his Tinker long enough, and had decided to unbanish him. But when he peered between the roots of the Great Oak into the grand ballroom, he found Ianto dancing with a beautiful cocoa-skinned faerie and felt a pang in his chest to see his best friend having fun with someone else.
“Oh they’re lovely,” Gwen whispered, watching the faeries dance. “Your friend Ianto seems to be having fun,” she answered sliding her gaze to where Jack was staring at him with a sad expression.
Ianto turned to meet his gaze and Jack quickly pulled back, hoping that he hadn’t seen how sad he really was. Pan’s didn’t get sad, darnit! They were invincible. If Ianto could dance with a girl, so could he.
“Jack?” Gwen asked, as he turned to face her with an odd expression. “Is everything alright?”
“May I have this dance?” Jack asked, as he bowed and held out his hand.
Gwen curtsied in kind and smiled. She slipped into his arms as they rose off the forest floor.
As the two of them danced, Jack had to admit it was rather fun. Not as fun as fighting Hook or diving for pearls at the bottom of Blue Moon Bay, but nice nonetheless. The only thing missing was Ianto to share a laugh and make it a game.
Far below them, Ianto watched them dance. He had left Lisa on the dance floor as soon as he saw Jack watching them, hoping that he had been forgiven. But when he found Gwen and Jack dancing, he could only sit alone on a branch and watch in despair, wondering if his Pan was truly lost.
He was so caught up in his own misery he didn’t hear Hook slide up to lean against his tree until he spoke.
“Jack done it again, Eye Candy?” Hook asked with sympathy.
Ianto closed his eyes and sighed.
“It’s been a most evil day, and to top it all off Pan has found himself a Gwen,” Hook said, waving his good hand in their direction. “And now Hook is all alone,” he added watching the faerie’s wings droop in sadness. “You too?”
“Banished,” Ianto finally spoke. “And please don’t call me Eye Candy.”
“Of course,” Hook answered politely. “Ianto is such a regal name I forget when Jack seems to always be ordering you about, and treating you as if you were his butler.”
Ianto sighed again and started to stand up. He had enough trouble as it was without Hook taunting him.
“If you’re only here to make me feel worse, you’ve succeeded,” he said as he started to fly away. “Now piss-off.”
“Wait Ianto,” Hook pleaded, knowing he had to play his cards right if his plan was to succeed. “I have an idea on how to fix this. I think you and I should talk.”
Ianto turned around and nodded. Even if he was a smelly old codfish, at least Hook listened to him. Maybe he would have a solution to sending Gwen back home once and for all.
~~~~~~~~
While Hook was drawing the Tinker in, Jack was dealing with something he had never experienced before; the overactive imagination of a nearly teenaged girl.
As they danced, Gwen snuggled closer and Jack made a face, realizing that he might have carried the game a bit too far.
“Gwen?” he asked.
“Yes, Jack,” she whispered.
“You know it’s only make-believe, right?” he said hoping she wouldn’t cause a fuss.
“What is?” Gwen asked as she twirled her fingers in the back of his hair.
“That you and I are-“ he stopped and cleared his throat as she leaned back to look at him with starry eyes. “You see it would make me seem so old to be the real father of the Lost Boys,” Jack hurriedly explained. “It was just a game you see.”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “What are your real feelings, Jack?” she asked.
“Feelings?” he asked confused.
“Yes Jack, what do you feel? Happiness? Sadness? Jealousy?” she prodded.
“Jealousy…” muttered Jack suddenly realizing what he had done to Ianto.
“Ianto!” he called, assuming he would come.
But there was no answer.
“Jack, are you even paying attention to me?” asked Gwen, with her hands on her hips.
“Have you seen him?” he asked her, more concerned about Ianto being lost than her silly game of feelings.
“Pay attention!” Gwen snapped and Jack stilled to look at her with his eyes wide. “I am going to say a word and you are going to tell me the first thing that pops into your head. Ready?”
Jack simply nodded.
“Anger.”
“Hook.”
“Love.”
“Love?” Jack answered confused. “Never heard of it.”
“I think you have Jack,” Gwen replied smugly. “I daresay you’ve felt it yourself,” she added smiling at him. “For something or for someone?” she prodded certain he would say her name.
Jack made a face. “Never. Even the sound of it offends me.”
“Ja-ack,” Gwen drawled out reaching for his hand. “There’s no need to pretend.”
“Why do you have to spoil everything?” Jack demanded pushing her away. “We have fun, don’t we?” he asked as Gwen stepped back in surprise. “I taught you to fight and to fly. What more could there be?”
“There is so much more,” Gwen replied stepping closer. Surely Jack would be willing to find it with her?
“What?” he snapped pushing her back. “What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” Gwen finally admitted. “I think it becomes clearer when you grow up.”
“Well then I will never grow up!” Jack shouted. “You cannot make me! I will banish you like Ianto if you do.”
“I will not be banished!” Gwen shouted back.
“Then go home,” Jack answered as he lifted off the ground. “Go home and grow up if you want to so bad, and take your feelings with you.” With that he flew away leaving her in the forest alone.
Later that night Peter once again visited Gwen’s home, to see if Mr. and Mrs. Darling had closed the window yet. For you see, even if she was confusing, Jack had brought her to Neverland himself, and was too proud to admit he had made a mistake and let her leave. But as before he saw Mrs. Darling in her chair by the window, her eyes tired with searching the heavens as she whispered the names of her lost children.
Frustrated, Jack started to slide the window shut. Maybe if Gwen couldn’t come home, she would stop with pestering him about feelings and stay with him in Neverland. But as he pushed the window down, Mrs. Darling woke up and rand over to keep it open.
“George! George help me!” she called to Mr. Darling.
“What is it?” he asked, running in with his tie askew. “Have they returned?”
“The window is closed!” she said in panic when she could not push it back open due to Jack still pushing against it. “It must always be open for them. Always,” she said as they managed to push it back up.
Jack heard the tears in her voice as she turned to Mr. Darling and he held her in his arms whispering to himself a quiet prayer for his children’s safe return. Jack watched in silence, rubbing away tears he would never admit existed as he saw how much they missed their children.
~~~~~~~~
Gwen, still irritated with Jack for not admitting he had feelings for her, decided to sleep in her little house as she was not in the mood to deal with the Lost Boys and their questions of where Pan might be.
Later that night she awoke to the sound of a sea-chantey being sung and when she opened the door to her house found herself on the deck of Captain Hook’s ship the Jolly Roger.
“This way Miss,” said Mr. Smee as he escorted her to the captain’s quarters where Hook was playing the pianoforte, quite well she noticed, as the crew sang along.
“I fear we have not been formally introduced,” said Hook with a smile as he turned round to greet her after the song was finished. “Captain Jonathon Hart at your service,” he said as he kissed her knuckles. “Though these days I am better known as Captain Hook,” he added with a saucy wink.
“Gwendolyn Darling,” she replied with a curtsey. “But Gwen is fine.”
“Muscat, Miss?” Smee asked as he poured two glasses of wine.
“But I’m a little girl,” she protested.
“Rum then?” he asked as Hook rolled his eyes and gestured for him to leave.
“No, thank you,” Gwen replied warily.
“I heard you ran away from home,” Hook said as he sipped from his glass.
“I...I never thought of it that way,” Gwen replied. “But I suppose I did.”
“How wonderful,” said Hook with a smile.
“My parents wanted me to grow up,” Gwen tried to explain.
“Growing up is such a barbarous business,” answered Hook as he swirled the wine in his glass. “Full of inconvenience and pimples. Things were simpler when I was younger, and then the mess starts, the feelings come,” he continued lifting his gaze to meet Gwen’s eyes. “Jack is so lucky to be untroubled by them.”
Gwen’s eyes widened in realization. “You mean?”
“Oh, no my dear,” Hook said in sympathy. “He cannot love. It’s part of the riddle of his being.”
Gwen started to tear up as she realized that none of what she thought Jack had felt for her was real.
“There, there,” Hook consoled her, gathering her into his arms. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“It doesn’t?” Gwen sniffled.
“Dist thou ever want to be a pirate, my hearty?” he asked with a grin.
“I always thought if I became a pirate I would call myself Red-Handed Jill,” She answered drying her tears.
“Why, what a perfectly marvelous name!” Hook replied with glee. “That’s what we’ll call you if you join us.”
“But what would my duties be?” Gwen answered all worries about Jack forgotten in the face of this new adventure. “I could not be expected to pillage of course,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You don’t perchance tell stories do you?” Hook asked with a smile knowing he had her. Leading her out onto the deck, he gathered the crew to listen as she began her tale.
“And they all lived happily…ever…after,” Gwen finished her tale with flourish.
“Bravo! Bravissimo! You must join my crew!” Hook said when she was done.
“Might I have time to consider your generous offer?” Gwen asked, hoping she could get her brothers to join as well.
“Absolutely, of course you must,” said Hook as he led her back to her little house. When they reached it he lifted her hand to kiss it in farewell. “My fellows will return you to whence they found you. None of my crew will follow you, I swear it,” he said with a fond smile. “Until we meet again.”
Gwen blushed and curtsied before going back inside. As she settled back down to sleep, she wondered what her mother would think of her becoming a pirate. But the more Gwen thought of her mother, the less she could remember.
This entry was originally posted at http://moonfirefic.dreamwidth.org/51838.html. Please comment there using OpenID.