In a land of ageless magic a pirate sails on his beloved ship, a smile on his face and a young brother as his second and protege.

“Killian look,” the young boy yells to his older brother from the crows nest.

“What is it, Issac?” Captain Killina Jones calls looking up as the boy continues staring into the scope.

“Mermaids!” He yells down, removing his eye from the tool and beginning the descent from the nest. “It’s okay, though,” he says as he reaches the bottom, “they have very colorful fins and are enchantingly beautiful.”

“Not sirens, then. Good job, Issac!” Captain Jones ruffles his younger brother's dark hair, walking to the edge of the Jolly Roger. “Turn a little to the east, Smee!” He calls over his shoulder, “They may be true mermaids, but it's best not to intrude on them.”

Smee turns the ship just enough and their journey continues. The young man and younger boy continue enjoying the steady sail. Issac sits in the crow nest monitoring the weather and Killian returns to the wheel. 

As night falls Killian is the one watching the skies; he uses the stars to navigate. This world is different from the ones he’s used to. They call it Neverland because no one ever grows up. It’s only been half of day and a few hours of night of sailing when Issac calls down to his brother again.

“Land!” He calls from above. Killian orders his crew about and they work in tandem to bring the great Jolly Roger to a slow stop. Killian approaches the bow and stares ahead to the sand beach and tall trees.

“We’ll anchor here for the night!” he calls loudly to his crew. “Get rest. Tomorrow we row inland and begin the hunt for Blackbeard Bill’s hidden treasure! People have searched for the hidden treasure for a hundred years at least. The map to it is well known, but no one knows what land the map belongs to. Only that the hunt starts on an island covered in trees and caves.” 

“We know all of this,” one of the men call out.

“Yes, we do.” Captain Jones replies calmly and continues. “Island after island across many realms have been ruled out. No one, though, has been brave enough to venture into Neverland. That changes now!” the hollars. “I will brave this journey. We of the Jolly Roger will be, not only the nastiest pirates that sail the realms, but the richest too!”

“Yeah!” the crew calls back, returning the enthusiasm. They part then after, to drink and sleep. Killian Jones, though, remains at the helm, staring into the island as a shadow darts across the sandy shore and into the jungle. 

“What’s wrong?” Issacs soft tone sounds from just behind Killian.

“Nothing,” Killian says with a sigh. “Why would anything be wrong?”

“Your tense,” he replies, sidling up beside the captain.

“You're eight. What do you know?”

“I know you,” Isaac answers. “And you’re tense. You’re nervous about something.”

“There’s a reason no one has searched Neverland yet. You know that.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re braver than the other captains.” He faces Killian, looking for answers the pirate captain will never reveal. “Right? You're too brave to be afraid.”

A grin spreads across Killians face at those words. “That’s what you don’t understand about bravery, my dear younger brother. Bravery does not come from a lack of fear; that is stupidity. Bravery comes from being afraid and following through with the frightening act anyway.”

“So you are afraid.” It wasn’t a question. The boy turns back toward the island, wondering now about what they might see on the infamous Neverland.

“Promise me something, Isaac.”

“Sure.”

“Whatever happens, if you come in contact with Pan: do not make any deals with him.” Isaac’s brow furrows and he turns his head toward his brother again. “He is manipulative and whatever he promises he will not fulfill in the way you expect. Promise me, Isaac.”

“I promise,” Isaac whispers quietly, returning his eyes back to the sea.

*

Hours later in the dead of night none other of the crew swallow rum or play cards. The celebrations have ended and all the pirates slumber under deck. All except the Captain and the first mate who stay in their private quarters above. Killian paces his room, walking wall to wall, his head full of concern for his crew.

Issac, in the room just below him, slumbers peacefully. Until he doesn’t. A sound startles him awake, his eyes shooting open. He moves to pull himself up, but remains frozen on his back. He can only watch as a figure steps out of the corner. A boy only a few years older than him stands at the edge of his bed in green trousers and an oversized green tunic. Pan, Isaac tries to say, recognizing the boy from the tales, but no sound comes out. His eyes widen in terror and he tries again to shout or scream but makes no noise. And Pan just smiles. 

His grin is feral as he stares at Isaac, saying nothing at all. Isaac begins wondering if it’s all a dream, but when Pan finally moves from his stance at the end of the bed and waves his hand, sprinkling a sparkling powder onto Isaac and in a motion that forces Isaacs body to move against his will, he knows that isn’t the case. 

Pan uses magic dust as easily as lumberjack wields an ax. Flicking his wrist he forces Isaac up, out the door, and onto the deck. Trying to fight the magic the whole way, Isaacs body jerks, but Pan has him under control; Isaac isn’t strong enough to fight it. As his body hits the railing and Pan uses his power of the fairy dust to lift them into the sky to fly away, the door to the captains’ quarters bang open.

“Isaac!” He shouts, alarm in his voice. As he sees Isaac in Pans grasp his eyes widen in shock and he dashes for the stairs. “Isaac,” he shouts again, but he’s too late. When he reaches the deck of the ship Isaac and Pan are already in the sky, on their way toward the island. 

Killian was quick to wake the crew and raise the anchor. It was still dark out when Killian moved the Jolly Roger as close to the shore as was safe. He had the men lowering the two row boats into the water as he finished packing his bags, preparing for whatever lies ahead.

Killian’s fear has practically left him now. Adrenaline rushes through his veins at the prospect of Isaacs death. He can’t accept that anything bad would happen to his baby brother, so as the adrenaline courses he doesn’t feel the fear for his life or anyone else's. He only feels the need to save and protect his brother.

The strongest members of the crew lower themselves into the small row boats at the side of the ship-Killian included, and begin the trek to the island. A man at the center of each boat wields the paddles, propelling them forward in order to arrive at the island quickly. 

When they arrive Killian wastes no time. All of the men already have their orders so as Killian leads the first group into the jungle he trusts that the two rowers will make quick work of returning to the ship in order to retrieve the second. And he trusts that his third in command-lady Smee- will protect the Jolly Roger at all costs while they venture into the ageless island. 

The group only contains four men and two women, including the captain. It isn’t long before the trees and vines grow crowded and Killian pulls his sword to cut the growth and continue. 

He searches through the hours of the day, never slowing down, before the members of his group convince him they need to stop. Squatting beside a rushing stream as the light falls below the horizon, Killian fills his canteen. Snares have been set, and a fire is lit and the members that joined Killian now rest beside it, eyes closed from exhaustion.

The captain remains by the water even once his canteen is full. He stores it away, and as he watches the movement of the stream: the water flowing over rocks and out of sight, he pulls the bottle of rum from his pocket and takes a long swig, nearly emptying it. When his eyes return to level and he’s staring across the stream he notices a boy sitting on a rock.

Pan. Killians eyes glaze over and fury courses his veins as he stares at the blond boy dressed in greens to match his bright eyes full of mischief and cruelty.

“Killian Jones,” Peter Pan says, drawing out the name. “Captain Killian Jones.” The ageless boy’s voice is full of humor as he adds the title. Full of humor as if Killian being a captain is somehow funny to him.

“Where is my brother?” Killian skips past the bull sh*t introductions and gets straight to the point. 

“Safe,” Pan replies, a smile quirking his lips. “For now.” Killian’s face burns through his fury, but before he can say anything Pan pulls a piece of parchment from his pocket and speaks once more, “A map. It will lead you to my camp. To where I keep your brother.”

“What?” Killians voice is full of exasperation and confusion. And he snatches the paper from Pan. “This parchment is blank!”

“It needs something to activate it. The blood of a boy,” he enunciates the last word and glances at one of the young men in his crew. The only one who is still under eighteen. Killian’s eyes widen with shock at the prospect and he spins back to Pan to refuse his offer, but the rock is empty.

So he lays awake that night still, not only thinking about Isaac and the danger he is in, but also what Pan told him. The captain would never admit it, but he truly considered picking up his knife and ending the boy's life.

He couldn’t go through with it, though. He may be a pirate but Killian is no monster. So, being the pirate, he is. He does what he does best. Captain Killian Jones finds a loophole and plans out everything. Pirates steal so he’ll just have to steal the blood of a different boy.

When the members of Killians crew wake from their slumber in the early hours of the morning it’s to a shout just outside their camp. Each member of the crew looks to their captain as he sits against a tree, a smile blooming on his face.

“That doesn’t sound like breakfast,” Jamie, the older boy, says as he rubs the sleep from his eyes.

“Nope,” their captain says, “but it is your saving grace.”

No one knows what to say to that, but a response isn’t necessary because their captain is already up and moving toward the sound. They all follow behind him, leaving the majority of their things behind as they walk a short distance to find a boy snared up in a tree.

“When I cut the rope, restrain him,” Killian directs as he pulls a knife from its sheath and moves to cut the vine that holds the child aloft.

 When the lost boy falls with a crash and a grunt the men are quick to grab him. They make their way back to camp and tie him to the tree, all the while their captain smiles.

“Did little Peter Pan really think I was that stupid?” He asks. “Did he truly not think I would find another way?”

“Well you’re obviously not intelligent. Peter will retaliate if you don’t do as he said and kill me instead.”

“I am doing exactly what that blond demon said,” The captain scowls at the figure and pulls the parchment from his pocket. “Before I do, though, I’d like to say thank you for leading me to him.” The boy begins struggling against his binds again, realizing Killian truly is going to follow through with his plan. “And if you are somehow being controlled or manipulated by Peter Pan, then I am truly sorry, but somehow I don’t believe that’s the case.”

Killian only takes a second to reach for the knife at his belt, and only hesitates for another half second before drawing the blade from its sheath and slicing it across the boy's throat. Several members of his party gasp behind him as they watch the scene, but the captain ignores them and lifts the paper to the child’s wound, letting blood color the sheet.

When he pulls the parchment away and turns to his people the paper is no longer blank. And it is not just covered in blood. Red lines form a map, outlining the shape of the perilous jungle, marking their current location with a line that leads to a deep red X.

Killian swallows as he folds the now dry paper. “We’ll bury the boy and pack up the camp. We leave as soon as dawn has settled.” Still unsettled by his actions, the crew hesitates before following their captain's orders. Not for long, though, because they all know this isn’t as shocking as it seems. They could all imagine the lengths Killian Jones would go to for his brother. And they may hate to admit it, but many of them wouldn’t be much better when it comes to the beloved boy that has sailed by their side for 8 years now. 

*

The group of pirates spend nearly every hour of the day following the map to Peter Pans camp. When the sun has already begun to sink behind the horizon and night is only an hour away, they remain just outside the camp preparing to go in a bargain with everything they own or fight with their lives.

Killian wastes no more time and soon leads three members of his group straight toward the entrance of Peter Pan's fortress while the other two remain behind preparing to cover their exit or sneak around the potential fight and get Isaac out. 

As Killian prowls in, hand on his sword, it doesn’t take long at all for him to be noticed. He doesn’t notice the lost boys staring, though, the only thing he can see is Issac, strung up by his wrist. The younger boy is pale and noticeably dehydrated. Killian sees only red for a second but forces himself to look past it and face the boy standing beside his brother. Peter Pan. 

“You look,” Pan pauses for a moment, “well I was going to be nice and lie, but I just can’t. You truly look like sh*t Captain Jones.”

The captain doesn’t say anything as he stares at the child who appears to be no more than twelve years old, but probably has more years than himself and has a heart darker than the darkest hours of night. 

Then Killians gaze drifts to Pan's other side. Another boy stands slightly behind Peter. His hair the same color and his face the same shape: it was clear this boy was Pan's infamous twin known for being the only person able to sway Peter Pan's violent impulses.

“One of my lost boys didn’t return from his scouting mission,” Peter speaks again. “He was scouting near where your camp was settled at that time.”

Killian doesn’t say anything in response, refusing to incriminate himself, even though his silence does just that. Peter's face turns a violent shade of red.

“And the boy you were supposed to kill is lurking outside of my camp, yet here you are.” he punctuates the last few words, drawing them out slightly.

“You said I have to kill a boy. Not that it had to be Jamie.”

“Is that what you think?” Peter clenches his jaw and not even his twin could stop what he does next if he wanted to. Peter pulls a dagger from his belt and quicker than anyone can act he shoves it into Isaacs chest: stopping the beating muscles in its rhythm, and ending his life. 

The only sound for a moment is the gurgling of blood in the eight year old's throat before he stills completely and his brother screams, pulling his sword from its sheath. Killian charges forward but the lost boys step into his path, blocking the path to Peter. He cuts down all the boys brave enough to stand in his way but a minute later he is in the middle of the woods, two of his men dead behind him and his brother's body right before him.

“Pans magic,” Clementine says. “I heard a legend that he could move all of the lost boys and his stuff with only the snap of his fingers.”

Her captain ignores her as he falls to his knees before his brother. Clementine can only watch. She doesn’t have any siblings but it was difficult for her to watch Isaac die, so she can’t imagine the pain she would be in if she were Killian. She waits several moments before going out in search of the other two survivors of their traveling party to help bury their friends. They’d like to set them out to see in the way a pirates funeral should be, but that’s not an option right now. 

So later when the stars are in the sky and they can barely see in front of them, they settle. Clementine is just about to start a fire when all but Killian turn to the sound of a branch snapping a short distance away.

Killians three remaining subordinates stand to defend him as a short girl stumbles into the clearing. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight bun and she dresses in sewn together leaves from the large trees on the beach. She looks a little too similar to the Pan twins for any one's liking, but the broken wings on her back prove she is of no relation. She’s a fairy. Or she was, at least.

“I’m Tinkerbell,” the girl introduces herself with a high pitched voice and soft smile.

“You’re a fairy,” Jamie states the obvious, already swooning. Tinkerbell smiles in way of response, blushing slightly under his gaze. 

“You can call me Tink too. I’m here to help.”

“Help?” Killian speaks for the first time since the fight, his voice coming out with a choked laugh, sounding hoarse from his screaming. “How can you help?”

“We have a common enemy: Peter Pan. And I know how we can hurt him.”

The captain looks up at that. “If he’s your enemy then why are you just now looking for revenge?”

“I can’t use magic anymore. No kind of magic; Pan stole that from me. But if I tell you how to perform the spell, you can do it.”

“You said it will hurt him. Will it hurt him enough to get close enough to kill him?”

“No. I’m not talking about physical injury. We’re going to do something far worse to him. We’re going to take the thing he loves more than anything else. That’s why it needs to be you.”

“What do you mean?” Killian asks, finally rising to his full height.

“In order to take the thing he loves most and truly hurt him, the spell needs to be cast by someone he has done the same to.”

“Okay, then. Let's do it,” the captain wastes no time asking questions or thinking this through. All he knows at the moment is that his brother is dead and all he feels is the need to avenge that death and hurt Pan.

“Killian, what if this is a trick? What if she’s working for him?”

“She’s not. And if she is, then get back to the Jolly Roger, Smee’ll be your new captain.”
“Killi-” He cuts her off with a look before grabbing his things and preparing to follow Tinkerbell as she moves back toward the crowded trees of the jungle. The crew follows behind, loyal to their captain.

When they arrive at Tinks tree house they immediately get to work, sitting down and discussing the semantics of what is to happen. And so the next day when the sun is high in the sky the group of five travel a short distance to stand within a cave as Tinkerbell prepares the spell. 

“Are you ready?” Tink asks as she steps away from the circle on the floor. In the center lies a bowl, and around it the various ingredients: a lock of hair, obsidian dust, pixie dust, and a sharp wire. Killian sits down in front of the bowl and takes a deep breath, putting the first three ingredients into the bowl. “You remember what you’re supposed to say?”

Killian nods, picking up the wire, he wraps it around his wrist. He begins speaking the words Tink taught him and pulls the wire tighter even though it’s painful. He pulls the wire so tight, as he holds it over the bowl, that soon enough his hand falls into it with the other ingredients. 

Captain Killian Jones doesn’t stop, though. He chants through the pain as blood spills from his wrist and into the bowl. In a matter of seconds after the spell is complete, magic erupts from the circle and spreads out of the cave and into the jungles of Neverland, searching for it’s target. It doesn’t have to go far, though. On their way to the cave with a few of the lost boys, the Pan twins are only a few yards away. 

A scream echoes through the land as the pirates and fairy walk from the cave to witness Peter Pan's brother turn into a shadow. The spell worked just as Tink said it would. Peter Pan's brother turned into nothing but darkness; a shadow contrasting the sun, identical to Peter Pans’ himself. 

The pirates wasted no more time dallying after that. They all ran, executing the exit plan with far less time than they initially expected. Soon enough, though, the crew makes it to the beach, where luckily the other pirates wait. As many as can fit into the boats, do so while the remaining few push them into the water and swim alongside. 

It’s a short distance to the Jolly Roger and soon enough they all climb up her side and onto the decks. It escapes no one’s notice that the crew came back with less members than left, and make note of all those they lost. 

Killian looks back at the island only once he is standing on the deck. Even from the distance he swears he makes eye contact with Pan, and so he smiles. He smiles because the hole in his heart where his brother used to be is filled with pain, anger, and cruelty. 

Unsurprisingly, Pan doesn’t give up. He blows into a large shell as he holds Killians eyes, summoning the most vicious creatures from the depths of the sea to do his bidding. With Smee behind the wheel, Killian fastens the hook onto the prosthetic belt that wraps around his still healing wrist. He pulls his eyes away from Pan and makes his way to the wheel, taking control of his ship and directing the crew below.

“Wax your ears, lads and ladies. And get into position; it’s going to be a difficult journey.”

“Ay ay, Captain- Hook.” Smee leads the chant by his side, adding the new name to the end with only a second's hesitation. Hook doesn’t respond, though. He stuffs the protective wax into his ears just as the gray, hairless heads break the surface and begin singing their devilish siren song while banging their powerful tails against the ship. 

Hook captains the bravest and most dangerous pirates the seas have ever seen, though. So soon enough his crew has the sails set right and with the last of Tinkerbell's pixie dust, Jamie coats the white fabrics, willing the Jolly Roger into the air. And so Captain Killian Jones may have been the finest pirate in all the seas, but now he is Captain Hook: the cruelest pirate to sail the seas and sky. 

He is Captain Hook: a one handed man, a pirate, a captain, a killer, an only child.