Peter's Flame

Part 56

-Alina's POV-

I watched as Regina left in Hook's cabin, my ears drowning out his concerns and all of Henry's questions.

Even when Henry shook me by my shoulders, I could not hear him over the screams in my head.

Torturous screams. Oh, how they echoed over and over again in my head, leaving no room for useless thoughts.

No room for the time of day either.

Coming back was harder than I had originally planned and it took me four hours in the real world to escape my own brain.

Hook still sat by my side, leaning me on his shoulder and rubbing his hand up and down my arm to give me some warmth and a fake sense of comfort.

I sprung up and quickly backed away from him.

He reacted quicker than I thought and was already trying to reach out for me again, my palm barely in his grasp.

I yanked my hands away.

"No," I whispered. "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No."

I couldn't stop. I tried to explain, to tell him that I couldn't be a part of a family that never existed but my voice failed me.

Hook grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me as hard as he could.

"Listen," he yelled.

My voice ceased.

"Please," he asked.

My body froze. I could not move as I listened to his pleas.

"I know that you hate me," he explained, hanging his head down low in shame. "I know that you have suffered. I know that you have been alone for your entire life. I know about Pan and what you did."

He gritted his teeth and began to grind them together.

"Whether he deserves you or not is your opinion but I do not think that he is worthy yet. And he will never be. All that I know is that I have not done anything that a father shoulder be doing for you. I have been selfish and tried to hide you away from the world as soon as I saw you again."

He paused and took in a deep breath.

"I just wish that I could be worthy enough to even hold you like this."

He dropped his hands.

"I saw the scars. I saw what he did and what it had done to effect you. Even while you are asleep, you're spell tried to continue doing its job but was unsuccessful and I thank it for that. I prefer to see my real daughter before she is taken from me again."

Tears formed in his eyes and slowly spilled out onto his cheeks and dropped down onto the wood deck.

"You are my daughter. My blood. Why would I want anything more than to keep you safe? All this time I tried to keep you safe but it helped no one. I was worthless. As a friend. As a father. Even... even as a husband."

Tears were flooding now, never once hesitating to drop to the ground and soak the ground below us.

"You deserve so much and I can't give you anything. You gave up you're own heart for someone you love and even as I was told that you were dying, I still wished that I could have gotten you're heart again. I wanted to see your day at school. I wanted to be there when you learned to drive. I wanted to be there to help you on you're first period or when you needed help in the fashion world. I wanted to be there but I wasn't and I can't be forgiven for that unless if you are willing to let me show you."

He looked up, his cheeks damp and his eyes slightly red. His jaw was clenched and it showed in the slight veins that popped out.

"So please? Can I be a father even if it is just for a few hours? Will you give me a chance that I don't deserve for even five minutes?"

I couldn't move no matter how badly I wished to tell him that I had forgiven him a long time ago.

He was about to walk away, his body hunched as he took one step but stilled when I grabbed the edge of his clothes in one hand.

"If I give you a chance," I muttered, not quite sure that he would hear me, "will you walk away when this is over?"

He turned around and embraced me, digging his face into the space between my neck and shoulder.

"I will never give you up again, so long as I shall live."

I nodded more to myself than to him.

"Then... understand that you have a long way to go in order to pass my expectations."

He laughed. "I know! I know! But that doesn't mean that we can't start now!"

He grabbed my hand and there we were.

Two family members, a father and a daughter, trying to connect once again after being separated for so long.

Oh, how I wished that the time I learned to steer a ship and how to climb up a rope the old fashioned way could have stayed like that forever.

With him cheering me on from the sidelines, never once taking his eyes off of me even when we were forced to go down and eat.

It seemed like the most serene picture that I had only dreamt of but it couldn't last.

Time had eluded me and the blood did not help.

Hook was rushing over to me but as usual, he was always slightly late as my body crashed against the deck.

Blood dripped out of my mouth, my throat forcing me to cough to get the blood and mucus out it.

The blood on my hands was only a small piece of what was happening to me as my organs began failing one by one inside of me.

My vision blurred as my eyes started to close, a nice darkness that I had grown familiar with.

Even Hook couldn't bring me back, nor could anyone at Storybrooke as I fell into an eternal sleep.

That's it for right now!! I hope that you all are having a wonderful day and I can't wait to see you guys in the next chapter!! I promise that some smut is coming soon but this story wasn't originally meant for smut! If you want smut, I will post an extra chapter for all you dirty minded folks!! I love you guys!! See you later!! Ta taaaaaaaa!!