Forever Young

Chapter Sixteen

Days passed. Hook sailed the waters of Neverland as he had for decades, centuries. The mermaids called to him, with their beguiling smiles and razor teeth, hungry for the flesh of the man who had evaded them for so long.

Once or twice, he thought that it might not be such a bad way to die. To be torn to shreds by beautiful women while the sea filled his lungs. It certainly would be a fitting end for an old pirate.

Unfortunately, he had something to accomplish first. The culmination of his life, the purpose for which he now existed, the crescendo of years of torture at the hands of the imp, the demon, Peter Pan.

He hated that his mind shied away from planning the final act.

Hook had loved Pan, once, long ago. That love had turned into a burning obsession, a guiding flame of anger toward which he steered his ship without fail. Even from across the veil between realms. He couldn't rest until Pan was dead at his feet.

Would it really fix everything, though?

Pan's death would surely stop the abduction of children by a forest demon bent on malice and excitement.

But would it allow Hook to finally find peace?

He doubted it. Removing Pan from the equation would simply give him no end goal, nothing to work toward. His life would be hollow and meaningless without the imp's sparkling laughter and sadistic grin. He knew that as surely as he knew every inch of the Jolly Roger.

Then, after Pan was gone, put into the ground where he belonged, Hook could join the mermaids and finally be one with the sea.

***

The Jolly Roger eased up to the dock on the far side of the island. Why either of the two docks that were on Neverland existed was anyone's guess. As far as Hook could tell, they'd always been there. They were certainly well-worn and barnacle-covered. Peter didn't have any idea where they came from and if Peter didn't know, it was likely that no one did.

Had Hook been a more introspective sort, he might have felt some unease at Neverland's murky origins. As it was, though, he was too busy fighting down the rising tide of anxiety inside of him.

He knew what he needed to do.

Whether or not he could look into Pan's face and do it was another matter entirely.

He didn't trust himself around the demon. He'd been manipulated before. Many times. Not just into falling in love with the little beast. Attacks he'd planned, strikes he'd made...they all seemed to play into Pan's hands in the long run.

He should've learned his lesson when he'd rescued Smee and Tock.

Hook sighed and pulled off his hook, rubbing at the stump.

At least Smee had been steadfast, rest his soul.

He wondered vaguely if the mermaids had gotten Tock before he drowned. Walking the plank had seemed like such a fitting punishment for betrayal.

The wooden mooring came close to the Jolly Roger's hull. After dropping anchor, Hook swung himself over the side of the ship, not bothering with the docking board, and landed solidly on the aged wooden planks. He tried to convince himself that he was walking with purpose, a swaggering figure of distinction and determination, but his stomach was the kind of queasy it had never been on the sea.

As soon as his boot crunched onto the sandy beach, he felt a ripple flow outward, faint but unmistakable. The island itself letting Pan know that he'd arrived. He knew he'd never have the element of surprise, not here, not in Neverland.

Waves lapped at the shore, trying to reach his heels even as he walked away from the coast.

Come back to us, they gurgled plaintively.

"Oh, I will. Don't you worry about that," Hook said.

The seawater sighed in pleasure.

The finality of it all helped steel Hook's spine.