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The pirates had been quiet and Henry sadly didn't come back again to find the lost kids. Everything was as it should be and that was how Peter wanted it, even though Tiger Lily's threats and warning still dug deep in Peter's mind.
Little did Penny or Peter know that there was a plan to take over Neverland in play since the day Peter and Darla left to have their child. Then again once Peter had convinced Hook otherwise. But Hook was done waiting and changed his mind, he wanted to end this territory reign once and for all.
Hook knew the lost kids would stay strong and be more wild and energetic without Peter there to control them. So he would have to wait until they lost their faith in Peter. Peter was growing up, Peter was leaving them, the kids would soon fall into line behind Hook and his pirates. But Peter kept coming back and leaving and the lost kids hope came and went, came and went. They were still so loyal to him. Hook now knew that the only way to make them follow in line behind him, to make them into the perfect rebellious pirates was to kill Peter Pan once and for all.
He wouldn't make Peter walk the plank, no, that had too many possibilities for failure again. He wouldn't capture Tinkerbell his precious fairy, she was too slippery and would get in the way. He wouldn't dare touch his kid, she was after Hook's blood since the moment she was born. Hunting pirates was in Penny's devious blood.
"First Peter and then his daughter, she will be weak with him gone, she will be vulnerable and miserable. An easy kill." He stated to his men, all smug with joy, Neverland would soon be theirs.
One snickerdoodle cookie was to be left on Peter's doorstep with a note that said 'Darla's was better but I tried my best.'
"Who's Darla?" Henry asked his father as Hook attempted to wrap up the cookie in a palm leaf.
"Darla was a very nice lady," Hook said honestly down to his son but was unable to hide his devilish grin. "She was Peter Pan's wife." Henry looked down, Hook was unable to tie the leaf closed so Henry took it from him.
"His wife?" he questioned, thinking of his own mother. Hook and his mom were not married when they had him but that didn't matter now...
"Yes," Hook noticed his son's sadness and tried to show compassion but he was never good at emotions and confrontation. "She died, just like your mother." He bit out, his eyes glistening with fake compassion.
"Mom was a terrible cook," Henry said remembering the constant smell of burnt food in kitchen. Henry slide the cookie towards his father as he finished tying the cookie closed.
"Yes, yes she was." Hook said thinking back to the woman he once thought he loved or at least lusted over. He had tried to find Peter, to end him on his journey around the world but while enjoying some deep dish pizza in a suburb of Chicago he met a woman that weaseled her way into his life. His scarred face, fake hand, and jet black askewed hair was never appealing to anyone but she thought he was corky and funny. She was no mermaid but she was interesting and worth putting off his search for Peter for a bit longer.
"How long has it been?" Henry asked as he stood heading for the end of the ship, Hook rose a brow confused. "Since Mom died," he added, not turning back to his father as he spoke unable to look at Hook's misshapen face.
"A very long time." Hook said as he turned away from the deck and to survey the area. "Now hurry up and deliver it, make sure Peter eats it... please," he added. Hook's son was nothing like him, his son was soft and sensitive, Henry wanted real friends, Hook wanted to give him friends; the lost kids would be his friends as soon as Hook turned them into little pirates, miniature versions of himself.
"Hey!" Penny called out accusation crusted her voice.
"Um, hi," Henry stated, he hadn't met another kid since being brought here and now he met this one girl twice. He had already left the cookie for Peter and was heading back, he was taking his sweet time in hopes to see one of the lost kids again, but he didn't know what to say to them if he actually met one.
"Who are you?" Penny put her hands on her hips and feet stretched out wide. She looked just like the cover of the Peter Pan book. Henry opened his mouth but Penny didn't give him time to answer, she knew who he was. "I am the leader of the lost kids, and you" she pointed an accusing finger at Henry tapping his nose. "Are not one of mine. No one knows you and you disappeared last time we played."
"No, I'm not I-I was ju-just..." Henry was stammering, his eyes wavering to the direction of the tree house then back to Penny.
"You are the son of Captain Hook." Penny said clearly, showing no signs of weakness or fear from the pirate kings, son.
"Ye-yes" Henry stuttered avoiding her eye, his palms were clammy and he was shaking in his oversized boot's, how did she find out?
"So what are you doing here, boy?" Penny was younger then Henry, both physically and otherwise, but she sounded larger than life and Henry was speechless against her.
"I'm.. I was just," but he couldn't get full sentences out, everything he thought to say seemed stupid and unbelievable. He was bringing Peter some cookies, well a cookie. Would she believe the truth?
"Well?" she pressed on staring deeply at him. He sucked in a breath and shoved out his cold clammy hand.
"My name is Henry..." he swallowed the lump in his throat and tried not to stutter, "Henry Hook," he stated more clearly and waited for Penny to shake his hand but she didn't. Her eyes moved down to his hand momentarily then back up to his salty skin and stiff black hair. "I was just heading home, I am sorry to have come here..." he dropped his hand turning away from her but she was fast and blocked him from leaving. He wished she hadn't found out, then they could still be friends, then everything would be fine.
"Penelope Jones," she jutted out her hand with a small smile, "nice to meet you... officially." She didn't indicate that she wanted their conversation to discontinue, she just jumped up into the tree and disappeared from sight. Henry wasn't good at climbing or else he would have attempted to follow her but he had already been gone longer than his father wanted, so he returned home a smile tugging at his thin lips.
"Did you deliver it?" Hook asked eyes crazed. Henry nodded, he wasn't going to tell his father he met one of the lost kids again, not yet anyway. "Good, good, very good my boy." Henry knew his father was acting way too happy for just a cookie delivery but he didn't know what else his father had planned.
The next day Henry made a plan to go out again, to meet Penelope and other kids. He just needed a distraction, drunken pirates were harder to sneak away from than he expected. He would fake being sick he decided, and would pretend to lay in bed all day, then he could sneak out without worry. As he closed his eyes for the night he seemed to be the happiest boy alive. Tomorrow, he thought as he the light from the candle blew out, tomorrow everything changes.
"Penny," Peter called through a mouth full of cookie crumbs. "Pen," Penny was busy planning a war against the pirates, not listening to Peter, she was talking to her pet crocodile about possible attack plans. "PEN-EY" Peter beckoned from their tree house.
"Yeah FATH-ER" Penny repeated as the flung herself through the open door.
"Did you see who the cookie was from?"
"What cookie?" Peter opened his mouth revealing the last of the cookie. "Gross and no." She turned away thinking nothing of it but then Henry came to mind. "What was on the note?" Penny asked rushing to the paper in his hand.
'Darla's was better but I tried my best' Penny read aloud. "You said mama made them," she stabbed a finger out the door and Peter adjusted her finger to be pointing towards the ocean. "Them," she repeated lowering her dirty calloused hands, "snickerdoodle cookies right?"
"Yeah," Peter didn't understand the comparison.
"Spit it out!" Penny screamed as she jumped on the bed and pounded on Peter's back trying to get the remaining cookie out of his mouth but it was far too late. The cookie was all gone, besides a few crumbs that Penny forcefully pounded out of him.
"Penny stop it!" Peter said coughing, grasping at his throat. "What's gotten into you?" She jumped off the bed and stared at him unmoving, unblinking, her little face examining him intently. Once Peter recovered from her random attack he removed his hand from his throat and reached for his water. "Well?" He took a long sip washing down the rest of the cookies debris. Penny opened her mouth but didn't know what to say, her dad seemed fine. He was angry, but still alive.
"Sorry," she said measly and patted Peter gently on the arm, "I won't try and save your life again," Peter rose a brow at her as he leant over to put his glass down but before the glass hit the table, Peter's body hit the ground!
"DADDY!" Penny screamed and Tinkerbell came blazing in, along with some close by lost boys and girls.
"What happened?" they screamed as Penny bent down to Peter.
"Please wake up!" She said hitting his stomach, hoping she could pound the poison out.
"Penny what's going on?" More kids came piling in, their gasps made Penny tense up even more.
"Daddy," she said again softly removing her hands from him. His breathing got heavy and staggered, his eye lids were fluttering open and close, his eyes were rolled back making Penny more scared then she had even been in her whole life.
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