Hase - Before Ever After

Chapter 13 - Into the Woods

The heroes followed Peter through the island until he told them to land next to a very big, old tree.

"Whoa, that's a tree you don't see everyday". Travis said, shocked by its size.

Pulling down a rope that was hanging on the tree, a secret door opened and Peter told them to follow him inside. Ling-Ling, Travis, Astoria and Joy went right behind him, but Hawk didn't seem to like the idea.

Noticing the reluctance of the raven haired boy, Rose came closer to ask him if everything was okay.

"Hawk, what's wrong? Aren't you going with the other?" She asked.

"I-I don't know... I just don't trust that guy". He replied, his face looking down.

Rose cupped his cheek with her hand and slightly pulled his face up to look at her.

"I know it's difficult to trust someone you've just met, but he's our best chance to get the coin from Hook. We agreed to take the risks when we first came here, I guess this is just one of them". Rose said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Her touch on his skin felt like a soft pillow brushing against his cheek. The smile she gave him made his heart pound, and just like that, a memory of what had happened before all the fuss started crossed his mind.

Leaning into her touch, he placed his hand over hers and squeezed it a little as he looked into her ocean blue eyes with confidence.

"Rose, there's something I wanted to tell you before...".

But before he could finish, a brown haired boy with a pointy green hat appeared on the door.

"Hey, you're there. Come on in, I want to introduce you to my friends". Peter said as he got sight of the two teens, who immediately dropped each other's hands, fighting a flush that threatened to tinge their cheeks.

Peter flew towards Rose and took her hand, dragging her into the tree. He wouldn't know, but his touch was almost uncomfortable, her hands still feeling the warm touch of Hawk's.

Hawk stood there for a second, taking in the frustration that took place in his brain and body.

This is the third time I stand and watch her get away from me.

He thought to himself and took a deep breath before reaching the others inside.

The tree had a slide right before the front door, leading to the bottom of it. Down there, a bunch of boys dressed with animal skins were swinging in happiness by the presence of the unexpected guests.

"Guys, settle down". Peter said and the boys immediately settled down and got themselves in line.

"Everybody, this is Rose. She's a new friend, and I happened to discover she is a very big fan of fairytales and knows all of them by heart." The lost boys looked at her with puppy eyes and Peter blinked at them with a smirk on his face.

"And those guys are..." He tried to continue.

Realizing he didn't even get their names, Peter looked at the others, waiting for them to present themselves.

Understanding what the dramatic pause and the questioning look on the boy's face meant, Hawk, Astoria, Joy, Travis and Ling-Ling presented themselves.

"They're here searching for the coin of the wishing well. As we all know, it's being held by our dear nemesis, Captain Hook, in a secret cave inside the Skull Rock. Are you ready to help us get the coin, soldiers?"

Peter asked with enthusiasm.

"Yes, sir!" The boys replied with a lot of energy put into it.

"Great, now all we need is a plan to get there".

They all gathered around the table and started to search for a way to get to the Skull Rock without getting caught by the pirates.

Deciding to get help from the mermaids, as it was already dawn and they had to cross the sea in the dark, the heroes headed to the forest, leaving their dragons behind because of the unwelcome attention they would attract.

It was almost night, the forest was dense and dark, the wind was chilly and very quiet, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the animal life that habited the place.

Peter and the lost boys, knowing too well their path, led the way, while the others followed them, sticking close to each other in case anything happened.

Silently, the heroes made half their way through the forest without any problems. Nobody seemed to notice their presence so far.

But suddenly, a bush moved beside Rose and the sound of the rubbing leaves startled her. About to let out a shriek, she felt an arm pulling out her waist from behind while a hand was pressed against her lips.

Looking wide-eyed to see who it was, her body heated up and her cheeks got flushed by the proximity of Hawk's face to hers. He gave her a soothing look with his mesmerizing icy blue eyes that almost took her breath away.

Inhaling deeply, Rose nodded to let him know she had calmed down and felt Hawk's grip loosen up, immediately feeling colder as her body longed to stay within his warm embrace.

Hawk reluctantly released her, fighting his own will to keep her close a little longer. But not wanting to let her go completely, he held her hand and felt a light squeeze from her, letting him know that she was okay with it.

They comfortably held each other's hands all the way across the forest, taking advantage of the fact that it was so dark their friends couldn't really see the unbreakable contact without paying a certain amount of attention.

When they finally made it through, the mermaid's lagoon could already be seen from a certain distance as the moonlight illuminated the path. But the lagoon was far from the only thing that could be seen now.

Acknowledging the fact that Hawk and Rose had been holding hands, Travis leaned against Astoria's shoulder, getting her attention and pointing out the couple with his head.

"Ahem", Astoria cleared her throat and dragged the others attention to them as well.

With everyone's stares placed upon them, Hawk and Rose looked at each other, searching for an explanation as their hands seemed to belong together that it passed unnoticed by them.

Before they could even realize what was going on, Peter came towards them with an annoyed look on his face and placed his arm over Rose's shoulder, pulling her apart from Hawk.

"Come on, Rose. I want you to meet my mermaid friends." He said to her.

Taking a moment to sink it in, Hawk gave Peter a death glare and the brown haired boy could almost feel it burn a hole into his back. That feeling, though, only put a mischievous grin to his face.

Well, guess I pissed a little bird off.