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Grace felt extremely lucky to be a hospital worker. Well..technically she was a volunteer. No money for her. But she liked to feel she got paid in experience! She might be young; but, she knew she wanted to be a doctor one day! She wanted to help those in trouble, save lives! Yes, she’d love to have a more adventurous aspect to it, be a hero! But doctors were always needed regardless! She could be a hero like Henry and still have some medical skills to patch up those who got hurt!

She blushed slightly at the thought of Henry. Even as Paige, she’d had a crush on him. And as Grace, she was liking him more and more all the time. But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts! She was on the clock! Well..it was a late clock for sure. She was a bit surprised the staff had been willing to schedule her so late at night. But that only meant they’d trusted her, that she’d proven herself! But yes, age meant little. It was what you did with those years that mattered. And Grace was one determined little girl! She was young; but, she was hell bent on learning everything she could about medicine! Already she’d been certified in CPR; and, she was learning a ton working here!

No, for the most part she wasn’t actually allowed to touch the patients. But she could watch most procedures. She knew the medical supplies and could hand them to Dr. Whale, bandages and the like. She supposed they didn’t scoff at a child’s help because the hospital was so understaffed. And well Dr. Whale wasn’t conventional to begin with. He approved of Grace’s enthusiasm and work ethic and found her useful.

So here she was! She’d already taken care of her homework which was a good thing. She figured she’d be exhausted by the time she was released. But she’ never in one million years think of leaving early! She took her work very seriously!

She’d been more busy tonight than expected. There were three new patients. She hadn’t been given all the details right away since there was a lot of prep work. She’d been running all over the place helping to prepare things. But now things had settled down. Finally she was given a proper briefing before being placed on a very intriguing new assignment.

Grace wasn’t supposed to engage the man she was ‘guarding’. She was merely supposed to call for help if there was an issue. But for once...She wasn’t content to comply with hospital regulations. Against orders, she slipped inside, a smirk playing across her lips.

“Well, you’ve seen better days, Captain!”

Yes, Grace knew that she didn’t have any choice as to where the crew went. She wasn’t so deluded. But she’d wanted to make it clear that she’d never presume to ask them to change course. All she wanted was to be somewhere else. And the Jolly Roger could grant that wish. By itself it couldn’t take her to new worlds. But it could travel to new lands like Arendelle or Agrabah or...Anywhere in this world. Well anywhere you could get to by boat. This ship had weathered some of the fiercest storms if stories were to be believed.

Grace didn’t care one way or the other where she went next. She'd exhausted every last resource here. She was confident there were no portals besides Papa’s hat in this kingdom. And Papa’s hat was unobtainable. So she had to go somewhere else. Where didn’t matter. She’d have to conduct research and investigations to determine if the next place had what she sought. All she could do now was gather information and look.

“Beans aren’t the only portals. Portals can take many forms. There are mirrors and even hats,” she enlightened him. Her tone wasn’t patronizing but calm and collected, informative, a tone one might use when giving a presentation not to show off but to educate. She simply wished to make it apparent that this wasn’t some whimsical quest. She was taking it very seriously. She’d put a lot of hard work into this so far, a great deal of time and effort. There were many sleepless nights and dreary mornings. Grace was determined! Even as her hope was prone to fade and slip after countless failures after so much time staring into the mirror knowing how much Papa was suffering..Even still she refused to give up! She couldn’t!

She understood that the world wouldn’t be handed to her on a silver platter. If she didn’t fight for her reunion, who would? The neighbors weren’t willing to get involved. It was up to her and Papa! Even if they were no longer connected...She wouldn’t let him do this alone! She had to do her part too! And she would! She’d fight forever if she had to, until her very last breath! Papa was worth it, all the time and effort and even the tears! Papa was worth everything! No one was more important in Grace’s world!

She nodded her head in understanding when he explained they were quite rare. She knew that all too well. “That’s why I came here. There are no portals in this land. I need to look somewhere else.”

Grace shook her head when the pirate asserted she had expectations. “No, I don’t expect anything from you,” she repeated. “But as you’ve discovered me, what can I do but negotiate? I understand I’m at your mercy; and, you’re free to throw my overboard. I can swim; but, that wouldn’t save me, not here. I’m too far from land.” No...Eventually she’d tire herself out. When she was too weak to stroke..Perhaps she’s sink. She knew how to float. But even if she floated on her back she’d likely starve to death before anyone found her.  No, she'd be a bloated corpse by the time someone passed her by.

Her words had been serene. Yes, she was still terrified. Pirates weren’t exactly known for their kind hearts. Being a child was no guarantee of safety. Young or old, male or female...Some people simply didn’t care. And everyone knew pirates hated stowaways.

“I’m not expecting anything; but, I am hoping that you’ll listen.”  Hopes and expectations were entirely different things. At least so far, things seemed to be going well. He’d been decently polite, never trying to interrupt her. He hadn’t tuned her out or written her off as some silly little girl. So hopefully he was open to the idea of exchanging services. She could be useful!

Grace was a little surprised he cared about her reasons. But he’d asked so she would answer. It wasn’t wise to try and avoid a pirate’s question, not when you were corned on their ship at least. “Someone important was trapped there. I want to get back to my papa,” she replied, voice stoic even as she felt like crying. Her eyes betrayed little trace of her intense feelings. They didn’t moisten or water. She was in deal making territory. Strong emotions had no place here. She must be level headed, resolute.

“Pirates are opportunists, are they not?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “I might be a child; but, you shouldn’t underestimate me,” she said boldly. Grace might not be a fighter; but, she did have confidence in certain skills, skills they could put to good use. She could smile at the thought. Good obviously not meaning moral in this context.

“My desperation makes me strong not weak. There’s one thing I want to do, get to Wonderland. And to see that done, I’ll do anything.” Her tone was fierce as her eyes blazed with her unwavering determination. “I take it you’re a clever man, Captain Hook. I smuggled my way aboard with none the wiser. I knew both yours and Mr. Smee’s name without an introduction. I’m sure you can guess what that means. Don’t be so quick to write me off as useless or a liability.”

When she confirmed that she’d run away, Hook raised an eyebrow. She could guess why. He was a bit surprised that she’d left something supposedly safe. But what she’d had with the neighbors, that wasn’t a home. Home was where Papa was. And if the neighbors couldn’t accept what Grace needed to do, couldn’t understand it, then she had no place there. Nothing was more important than getting back to Papa! She wouldn’t sit idly by while he worked so hard! She would give this portal hunting mission everything she had!

“I’m willing to die for what I want.” She understood she’d taken that risk sneaking onto the Jolly Roger. And this was hardly the first time she’d done something dangerous. Acquiring information wasn’t always safe, not the type she wanted. “Someone willing to die is strong. You can use me,” she assured him. “I won’t complain, won’t falter even if it’s risky because death can’t hurt as much as this. And like I said, I’m willing to do anything to get what I want.”

Sneaking onto the Jolly Roger hadn’t been all that complicated. Perhaps it was because Grace was adept at moving slightly. Perhaps her small size aided her. And the lighting was never ideal at night which also helped. But part of it was her information network. Well...That sounded too grand didn’t it? It wasn’t like she had all these connections or anything. But children were often overlooked. People would speak as though they couldn’t hear or wouldn’t understand. And a sweet smile went a long way. So long as you didn’t ask things children obviously shouldn’t, people were more willing to indulge your whims. Although for Grace it wasn’t a whim. She was on a serious mission here, portal hunting for Papa!

Grace had learned the Jolly Roger’s patterns. Not like they were being particularly discreet about them. They stayed in the same types of taverns. And the ship was pretty much unguarded at night. They left maybe one stray person behind to stand watch. It shifted depending upon the night. But the rest of the crew were...otherwise occupied.  (Sometimes even those supposed to be standing guard were otherwise distracted. Although she hadn't been so lucky.) She knew that night was the time to strike and that they’d likely be setting sail first thing in the morning. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were headed. That part they were much more secretive about, likely because it involved their work. Or maybe they themselves hadn’t figured out where they were going. But in any case...It wasn’t here. The ship would take Grace somewhere else where she could look for portals.

Some people might wonder why exactly Grace had chosen to infiltrate the Jolly Roger of all ships. Captain Hook and Captain Blackbeard had the fiercest reputations as far as pirates went. But that was exactly why Grace had chosen this ship. Captain Hook’s crew was clever, capable, and resourceful. Odds were good, they could get her somewhere in one piece so long as she wasn’t discovered ahead of time. And besides that, pirates were best for what she wanted. Most people didn’t know the first thing about portals or magical artifacts like that.

Grace knew a bit about portals thanks to Papa. If Papa’s hat hadn’t been taken...She could use it to get to him. But Papa had brought it with him for the queen’s assignment. And Grace knew thanks to the sorcerer that the queen had it still. She wasn’t insane enough to try and steal something from the queen! No, she knew she wasn’t that good! Although she wasn’t entirely certain it would count as stealing since it belonged to Papa and not the queen. But the point was the queen would consider her a thief! If she was caught...She’d be in BIG trouble!  And asking the queen nicely for it was out of the question. 

Grace had spoken with the queen about a week after Papa's disappearance.  She'd been stunned the queen was actually willing to see her.  But the woman hadn't been honest.  She'd only said that yes, she'd sent Papa on an assignment but didn't know what had become of him.  If she went back, even assuming the queen would see her again, she'd be upset that Grace was asking for the hat. It would mean that Grace didn't believe her.

She didn't blame the queen for what happened to Papa. How could she?!  The queen had lost her own father.  And when Grace had met her, the woman had seemed so sad and lonely in her eyes.  She'd wanted very much to make her smile, to make her happy.  And family was really important!  Besides, the queen's father was much older than Papa! It would be awful if he died in a faraway land with no family to comfort him.  Being younger, Papa had more time to make it back!

No..If anyone was to blame it was her.  She'd asked for something she should have known was too expensive.  (Although she'd never dreamed it would cost as much as one silver!) And...This really wasn't helping anything!  She was depressed enough today. There was no reason to repeat that awful day, the worst day in her life, recall all those things she'd done wrong.  Focus on her portal hunting quest!

Papa’s hat was unique though, different from most portals. You typically only got one use per portal. You’d throw something like a bean and then it disappeared forever when you go to some new world. There were mirrors that worked much the same way. But...Grace hadn’t found any of them! That was another reason she’d smuggled herself onto one of the best pirate ships in all the land. If anyone was likely to know about portals, it was a pirate. To be a good thief, information was your bread and butter. (That was another reason Grace had always wondered if perhaps once Papa had been a thief. He really seemed to know a great deal about many rare, hard to come by things.) So it was possible they’d heard something about a portal or even had one. And while Grace hid away on their ship...She might overhear something important!

Grace’s tears had dried by the time she heard someone head down into the cellars. She held her breath and tried her best to keep still. With a little luck the person would pass straight by her. She was well hidden behind the barrel. So long as the barrel wasn’t moved...

Of course fate wasn’t so kind. Soon she was staring up at a man with a funny little red hat. It wasn’t anywhere near as nice as the ones Papa had. But it was still pleasant enough. More importantly, she knew who the hat belong to, a certain Mr. Smee. Yes, she’d done her research. She’d tried to learn as much as possible about the Jolly Roger and its crew before smuggling herself aboard.

Rather than address her, Mr. Smee screamed for the captain. Grace’s heart sunk. She’d been hoping she’d have a little more time before the captain was called for so she could potentially think up a plan. Running was pointless. Mr. Smee had seen her. Maybe she could hide somewhere else for a little while; but, the crew knew every inch of this ship. Even assuming she continuously moved around, if they wanted to find her they would. She knew from her research that the captain very much valued the Jolly Roger. It was more than just a ship. So there was simply no way to avoid detection now that the crew had been made aware of her presence.

That being the case, it was best to face the captain boldly. She was terrified because she knew pirates were rarely fond of stowaways. But if it was between finding her now or cornering her later...She figured the captain would be in a much better mood if she didn’t force his crew to suffer a long search. Perhaps she was being conceited; but, she did believe it would take them some time to find her. Papa always felt she was exceptionally good at hide and seek. And her small size would be an asset as she could squeeze into tiny spaces most of the crew couldn’t.

The “What the bloody hell is wrong?” did nothing to settle her nerves as the captain descended the stairs. But she kept all her fears locked inside, smiling sweetly up at Mr. Smee, the man who’d found her.

And then here he was, the infamous Captain Hook. The way she heard it, he was much older than he looked. Apparently he and his crew had spent a number of years in Neverland, centuries if the stories were to be believed. But now certainly wasn’t the time to get into all that!

Now..If she had funds now would be the ideal time to offer them. But..Papa and her had been poor; and, the neighbors weren’t any better off financially. With her quick reflexes and her ability to move silently, she probably could have stolen something. But...She felt bad enough about smuggling herself aboard someone else’s ship. And she’d only done it because it was absolutely necessary! There were no portals here. She was sure of it! So she had to widen her search!

So yes...She couldn’t offer money in exchange for a ride. Even as Grace assessed the situation, calmly reasoning out her best move, her heart was beating like mad. She was..simply put very frightened. She had absolutely no idea what the captain intended on doing with her. But her face was as complacent as ever. By now, she was all too good at hiding her feelings.

What she did know was when dealing with pirates, it was best not to reveal even the briefest trace of fear. They’d take advantage, poke and prod until you were nothing but a shivering bundle of nerves. So she stood tall and proud, looking up to meet the captain’s gaze. Stare him in the eyes! Do not break connection!  Show no fear!

But being bold didn’t mean you couldn’t be civil. Grace smiled warmly up at Hook before curtseying.

“Hello Captain Hook! It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance! And you as well Mr. Smee!” she said kindly, nodding in his direction as well.

“My name is Grace Hatter!” she added brightly. She knew their names; and, they might find it rude if she kept her own to herself. Besides, she liked giving it. Her name was one of the few connections she had left with Papa. The two of them shared a last name. And he and Mama had picked her first name together.

“I am terribly sorry about stowing away like this!” Accept responsibility. It might earn her a shred of goodwill. She couldn’t deny that she’d sneaked her way in here anyways. “I need to go somewhere else to look for something important, you see. But I don’t have the funds to pay you. Perhaps it would be possible to exchange services for a ride.” That was really all she had to offer. She hoped it would be enough. At least Captain Hook did seem the type to look past appearances. He’d accepted Mr. Smee as part of his crew after all. Most would just write Grace off as a child, assuming there was nothing useful she could do. Hopefully, Captain Hook would be different and actually consider what she had to offer.

“Children can be pirates too,” she said smoothly. Not all children were as fortunate as Grace, to have been raised in a loving home. She knew there were children who did all sorts of things to survive. Age alone told you almost nothing. Surely a captain who had lived for centuries would realize this. She could help him!