I posted this over on AO3 after seeing 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and it seemed to get a good reception so I decided to add it here. Hope you enjoy.
Summary: We know how the story of Caesar and Will starts. This is how that story ends. Set between Rise and Dawn.
Warning: Major Character Death! I am not kidding here.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Home
It was a warm word, a human word. One Caesar remembered as happy, as safe. As a friendly, human face smiling at him, as a pair of arms holding him. A small house in a quiet street, a round window from which he could watch the world.
Glancing around at the colony, Caesar found his eyes drawn to the round circle of sticks hanging over the entrance. His people's symbol of hope.
This was Home.
But it wasn't.
This was the sanctuary of Caesar's people. The safe place they had made their own as the human's attempted to find them. It had been a rough few years since Caesar and his people had escaped the city and into the Redwood forests, their numbers dwindling in those early years under the humans attacks and their struggles to find food sources for all.
But now, as the Humans treks into their territory grew less and less and the first of their children started to grow, Caesar was confident his people would survive.
Still, some days he wondered what would have happened if he had accepted Will's offer to return home.
Standing at the edge of the cliff on which the colony sat, the ape looked out towards the faint lights of the human city in the distance, disappearing slowly as the sun rose in the sky, signalling the start of another day.
Behind him, there was a soft snort. Caesar turned, looking into the green eyes of his mate, Cornelia. Slowly, the female ape moved closer to her mate, one arm carefully cradling something against her chest. Caesar looked down at the tiny bundle, the newly born ape that was their first child. The infant was asleep, snuggling against his mother's soft chest.
Caesar felt himself soften a little, looking down at the tiny creature. Had he accepted Will's offer, he would never have had this. Cornelia looked at her mate, and then towards the faint glow of the human's city.
'You miss them' She signed carefully, trying not to disturb the infant.
Caesar followed her gaze, looking out at the dark.
'Sometimes' He signed.
Cornelia nodded her understanding. Leaning forward, she briefly rested her forehead against her mates before turning and leaving him to his thoughts. Caesar sighed, his eyes once again scanning the city.
Smoke was rising from the human habitat. It seemed to be a more and more common occurrence these days. Caesar wasn't sure what was happening but something was going on in the city. He only hoped Will and Caroline were safe.
There was a sharp snap of sticks breaking behind him. Caesar spun around, ready to growl at whoever had disturbed his thoughts. He caught himself as he recognised the red hair of Maurice, his long-time friend. The orangutan watched him silently for a few moments before raising a hand.
'Humans disappearing. Something wrong.' Maurice signed.
Caesar nodded.
Maurice snorted.
'Go. Answer questions. May not be other chance.' The orangutan continued.
Caesar shot him a look.
'No. Needed here. Needed with Apes.' He replied.
Maurice shook his head.
'Apes safe for now. Caesar needs answers.'
Caesar sighed.
'Where Koba and Rocket?' He signed.
'Koba out with hunting party. Back in three days. Rocket here. He keep Apes safe while Caesar gets answers.' Maurice replied. He gave Caesar a look.
"Go." He muttered aloud.
Caesar pursed his lips, briefly thinking. It would be nice to see Will and Caroline again, to know they are safe. He turned to Maurice.
'Keep Cornelia and the baby safe' He signed. Maurice nodded, moving out of the way for Caesar to pass, the leader moving down the path towards the middle of the colony. At the entrance, Rocket sat, watching the other apes move around. He nodded as Caesar passed, but didn't ask where the other ape was going as Caesar turned his back on the safety of their home. Climbing into the nearest tree, Caesar turned towards the sloping hill, beginning his trek towards the human city.
As he reached the edge of the forest, Caesar felt his hair rise, his senses heighten as he scanned the area for any humans. Although his first few years around humans had been positive, he was very aware that not all humans were kind to his species. And that fear could make even good humans do bad things.
Keeping to the trees, Caesar navigated the branches towards the bridge, the scene of the first confrontation between his people and the humans.
The bridge itself was rusted, the road cracked. There were no cars on the bridge, no people in sight. It seemed odd. Caesar sniffed the air. There was an unfamiliar smell in the air. Almost like the smell that had hung around Will's father just before the incident that had seen Caesar forced from his family. Caesar had learnt that the old man had died shortly after. Caesar didn't like that smell.
Climbing along the rusted bridge, Caesar carefully looked for any sign of humans. Somewhere in the distance, there was a soft rumble. A car. Caesar froze, gripping into the rusted metal as his eyes scanned the road. A truck rumbled slowly towards the bridge, slowing down as it hit the edge. A few meters along the bridge, the truck stopped. Two figures climbed out. They were dressed oddly, in white plastic suits. The humans faces were covered with plastic and glass. Their hands were blue.
The two humans walked around the truck and opened the back, pulling out something wrapped in white. It was big and heavy, both humans wrapping their arms around it to lift it out of the vehicle. Sliding down the metal towards the truck, Caesar hissed as the two humans awkwardly navigated to the edge of the bridge. There was a shout as something fell from the folds of white. Caesar blinked. It was as human arm. The thing wrapped in white was a human body.
Another shout and the two humans pushed the white wrapped body over the edge. The two humans turned and ran back towards their truck, climbing in. The engine roared as the humans retreated, the truck fishtailing as it turned and roared away.
Gripping the metal, Caesar let himself slide down the rest of the way to land on the road. Standing at his full height, he peeked over the edge of the bridge. The water as still, no sign of the human body that had been thrown over the edge.
Caesar stepped back, looking from side to side. On one side, was the human city, the place where he had his people had been tortured and violently driven out. On the other was the forest, his new home.
Setting his shoulders, Caesar turned and began to climb again, making his way towards the city.
It took an hour, but finally Caesar found himself in a familiar street. At least, it had once been familiar. The road, like so many others, was cracked and breaking. Trees had grown uncontrollably along the road. Fallen leaves and grass had built up, turning the once clean street into a forest of green and brown. The houses seemed empty, yellow and black plastic strung from some of the fences. Several houses had been covered with black paint.
Dropping out of the tree, Caesar looked around, his eyes falling on a familiar house. Weeds grew over the footpath and scraps of yellow plastic hung from the letter box. Climbing onto the porch, Caesar made his way up to the front door. Reaching for the handle, the ape slowly pushed the door open and entered his once home.
The room the ape entered was very different from the house Caesar remembered. Dust covered everything in a fine grey powder. The light filtering through the dirty window made dark shadows creep into the corners.
Stepping into the living room, Caesar found his eyes automatically drawn to the mantelpiece. Photos lined the top of the mantelpiece like a timeline of events. Stepping closer, Caesar looked up at them. Pictures of Will, pictures of Caroline, pictures of Will's father, even pictures of Caesar were visible. Reaching up, the ape selected one, lifting it with care away from the forest of family pictures. It was of Caroline and Will, arms wrapped around each other, both smiling at the camera.
Carefully, Caesar brushed the picture, his fingers leaving a faint impression on the dusty glass.
Something fell upstairs, almost causing the ape to drop the precious picture. The ape looked up towards the top of the house, suddenly on edge at the noise which shouldn't have been there. Placing the picture back carefully, Caesar stepped towards the spiral stairs. Grabbing the banister, the ape swung himself up the stairs and towards the roof.
As he drew closer, the ape thought he could hear the sound of heavy breathing. His hair standing on edge at the thought of someone invading his former home, Caesar climbed the last step. The ape stopped, looking at the place that was once his domain.
A human sat on the bed that was once Caesars, a dark blanket wrapped around its shoulders. As the ape watched the figures laboured breathing became a hacking cough. The human lent forward protectively, dark hair falling from the pale face as shudders ran through the human's body. In the pale light, Caesar recognised the human.
After another shudder, the human straightened, trying to regain his breath. Something red was lowered from view. Slowly, Caesar stepped forward.
"Will?" He called softly.
The human started, turning his pale face to look at the ape.
"Caesar?" The human asked, blinking red rimmed eyes as he studied the ape.
Caesar studied the human carefully. Will's normally carefully kept hair was greasy and dusty, his face unnaturally pale, even in the dim light and his eyes were red. The human had lost a lot of weight. He looked worse than Caesar had ever seen him.
There was a crack as Will attempted to climb to his feet, a small camera sliding off the man's lap. Several pieces of paper soon joined it on the floor. Even in the light, Caesar could see the splatter of red blood on them.
For a moment, Caesar watched the human struggle to rise before moving forward, carefully taking Will's hand and helping the human to his feet. Grabbing Will's free hand, Caesar placed it on his shoulder, letting the man rest his weight. Finally, Will looked into Caesars eyes.
"Why?" He asked, his voice hose from the coughing.
Letting go of Will's hand, Caesar carefully signed 'Home'
Will smiled softly. Now Caesar could see the man's teeth were covered with blood.
'You are sick' The ape signed.
Will nodded.
"Dying." He muttered.
Caesar looked around for a moment.
'Caroline?' He asked.
Will closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. Caesar felt his heart sink. Slowly, the man opened his eyes again.
"Home is gone Caesar." Will said. "Humans are dying. It's the end for us."
Caesar watched as pain flashed across Will's face. Maybe it was a physical pain or maybe it was from the knowledge that he was facing the end.
Reaching forward with his free hand, Caesar placed it on Will's neck. Leaning in, the ape rested his forehead against Will's in a comforting gesture.
After a few moments, Caesar became aware that the human was shaking uncontrollably. Will's breathing was becoming more laboured, indicating a coming coughing fit. The man swallowed heavenly.
"Come." Caesar said. He had made up his mind.
"Where?" Will both asked and signed, his voice so soft it was almost impossible to hear, even in the silence.
'To Caesar's home.' The ape signed.
Will slowly looked around the room, almost as if he were going to protect. Then he looked at Caesar, his shoulders slumped.
'Ok.' The man signed.
Knowing how independent Will was, Caesar let the man's arm go, letting the man slowly trudge his way towards the stairs. Looking around the room that was once his own, Caesar noticed the camera. He reached over and picked the camera off the floor. A long cord was attached to the back, the wire connecting to a wall socket next to the bedside table. Placing it on the table next to the bed, the ape turned to help the human down to the ground floor.
Leaving the man to slowly make his way outside, Caesar ducked into the kitchen, looking for anything Will might need. A search of the cupboards revealed a few packets of biscuits and some bottles of water. Caesar grabbed these items and placed them in a plastic bag.
Ducking into the living room, the ape pulled a blanket off the couch and placed it in the bag as well. He stopped for a moment before reaching over to the mantelpiece and picking out the picture of Will and Caroline. He put that in the bag with the rest.
By the time Caesar was finished, Will had made his way outside and was leaning against the fence, his face scrunched up in pain at the bright light.
Walking up behind the man, Caesar placed his hand on Will's shoulder. Will turned.
He gave the ape a small smile.
Slowly, the ape led the human to the car, keeping one eye on Will while listening intently for the possible arrival of any other humans. Caesar was not sure what would happen if he was spotted taking Will away. Caesar stopped as the two reached the car, Will stopping next to him, close enough to brush the apes fur. This was the main problem with Caesar's plan. Will would not be able to move far on foot. Caesar could only hope Will would be able to drive the short distance to the woods.
It seemed that Caesar was right, as Will felt his side and made his way towards the vehicle which had no doubt been sitting abandoned for some time. Slowly, the human opened the car and after a few deep breaths, climbed into the driver's seat. Caesar followed carefully, watching the human to make sure Will would not fall as the human took a few laboured breathes.
"Ok" The human said to himself. He turned the car on.
Climbing into the passenger seat, Caesar closed the car door as Will carefully steered the car onto the road.
The trip was slow, Will too sick to drive safely at high speed but finally, the car pulled up in the old parking lot where Will used to park when he brought Caesar here as a young ape.
Opening the car door, Caesar hefted the bag over his shoulder before climbing over the roof and opening the door for Will. He landed softly on the ground, looking up at the driver's seat. The human was leaning against the steering wheel, eyes closed and gasping for breath. A wet sound was heard every time the man tried to inhale.
Caesar reached up and touched Will's back, hoping the comforting movement would help Will through the pain. Will opened his eyes and glanced at Caesar. He nodded, indicating he was ready to move.
Helping Will out of the car, Caesar took most of the human's weight as he directed the man into the forest.
The walk, Caesar knew, would be long. Will would need all his strength.
It was an hour into the walk when Caesar saw a face watching him from the trees. The ape stopped as more and more faces appeared, watching the two from the trees. There was a soft thud of feet hitting soft dirt. Caesar turned to look at the figure. He dropped his defences.
'Maurice' He signed.
'You have answers?' The Orangutan asked. He looked from his leader to the dying human. Caesar raised himself to his full height.
'Taking him home' The leader signed.
Maurice ducked his head. Will, not aware of the other apes, took a step forward. That was the moment his legs gave out. Caesar grabbed the human before he hit the ground.
Suddenly, Will's weight disappeared. Caesar looked up at Maurice, who had stepped forward to take the humans weight. Nodding to his leader, Maurice carefully lifted Will over his back, carrying the human. Caesar nodded his thanks to his friend before turning and leading the two up towards the colony. In the trees above him, the rest of the apes turned and followed.
With Maurice's help, it was an easy trip to the colony. Rocket met the party at the entrance, Caesar's second in command eyeing the human slung over Maurice's back. After a moment, he nodded to the leader. Caesar had told Rocket of his past, living alongside good humans.
Rocket would not fear Caesar's judgement in bringing Will to the Colony. Turning, Rocket called a few apes away towards the lookout point.
On the platform in the centre of the colony, Cornelia stood the infant hanging from her back and looking around with interest. The female ape watched her mate approach, gripping the infant as she spotted the human.
Caesar nodded to her as he made his way past, heading to the small area which he and Cornelia had claimed as their own. Maurice followed, stopping only as Caesar stepped into the small living area and began pulling the soft bracken which made up their resting place apart.
Selecting the softest pieces, he carefully fashioned them into a suitable nest for the human to rest on. Pulling the blanket out of the bag, he draped it over the nest before indicating for Maurice to lower Will down. Carefully arranging the human to be comfortable, the orangutan nodded to his leader.
'I am sorry.' The red haired ape signed. 'This not the answer you want'
Caesar nodded and shifted forward, sitting himself down at Will's side. Grabbing the bag once more, the ape pulled out the picture he had taken from the mantelpiece. Gently, he placed it next to Will's head where the man could see it when he woke. The bag was then folded and placed where the ape could retrieve it, should it be needed. He turned back and started. The human's eyes opened.
"Caesar?" He asked in a faint voice.
Caesar moved closer, ensuring Will could see him clearly. The man sighed. Then he started to cough, more painful heaving as he struggled to breath though it. Feeling helpless, Caesar watched, waiting for the cough to subside before grabbing the edge of the blanket to help Will wipe his face. There was a lot of blood.
Slowly, Will closed his eyes, slipping into a light sleep.
Caesar wasn't certain how long he sat there, watching the human sleep. After a while, he became aware of another presence. He turned slowly. Cornelia was standing at the entrance to their living space, watching her mate. Their infant was hanging from her neck, looking over at his father. Standing, Caesar made his way over to his family, lightly patting the infant on the head. Cornelia reached forward, pressing her forehead against Caesar's in a comforting gesture.
Caesar allowed the comfort for a few long moments before backing away.
'Humans are dying' He signed. 'Not many left now'
Cornelia looked past her mate to the human for a moment before moving closer to Caesar hoping to comfort him. Like Rocket and Maurice, she knew how much Will had meant to Caesar. The two apes stayed close for a time.
There was a small squeak from their son, breaking both from their thoughts. Caesar turned, looking for his child. Behind him, Will let out a groan. Caesar turned and froze. His son had slipped from his mother's grip when both parents had been distracted and had made his way to the sick human.
Will had awoke, no doubt to find the infant ape looking at him with interest.
The baby reached up and poked Will in the face, squeaking at him. Will closed his eyes.
Shifting, Will managed to lift his hand towards the infant. Caesar stepped forward as his son, surprised by Will's movements, jumped back. He knew Will wouldn't hurt his son but Caesar didn't want his son to accidentally bite the human in fear. The little ape, on the other hand, had other ideas, ducking forward and grabbing Will's hand as the human forced his eyes open once more.
The infant studied the human's hand, no doubt fascinated. As the baby continued to explore, Caesar noticed the small smile on Will's face.
"Blue eyes." The human muttered, looking at the little ape. Caesar felt his own joy as Will smiled at the little ape. Then, Will's eyes turned to Caesar.
The ape stepped forward, gently taking the baby and handing him to his mother. Carefully, Will turned his hand, offering the palm to Caesar.
"I'm so sorry Caesar." The human said. "For everything"
Caesar looked down at the offered palm, their symbol when asking for forgiveness. But there was nothing to forgive. Lowering himself to sit by Will's head, Caesar signed as much, knowing that the man was watching him.
Will sighed and closed his eyes. For a moment he was silent. Then he gave a small, choked cough.
Reaching over, Caesar took Will's still outstretched hand in his own, hoping to give some comfort.
"Sleep" The ape said, reaching with his free hand to touch Will's face.
Will slowly nodded, his eyes still closed.
For a while Caesar sat by his friend, the world around them silent except for Will's increasingly heavy breathing. After a little while, Cornelia joined her mate, sitting at Caesar's side. Their boy, Blue Eyes, rested at her side.
Outside, the sun was setting. The sky turning a bright orange like fire in the sky.
The seizure took all three apes by surprise. One moment, Will was sleeping, the next, he's body was wracked up uncontrollable spasms. Caesar reacted fast, using his free hands to pin down the human so that Will couldn't hurt himself. Behind him, Cornelia shouted in alarm, gripping Blue Eyes to her chest.
Will's eyes were open now, blood gushing from his nose and mouth, his body still shaking as he choked.
Putting as much of his weight on the man's chest as he dared, Caesar tried to hold the human still.
Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Will's body went limp, his eyes staring, unseeing.
Caesar held his breath, waiting of the man to start struggling for breath again. To begin the fight all over again.
A drop of blood slowly ran down Will's cheek. He still wasn't breathing. Caesar shook him, gently at first, then harder.
When that failed, the ape grabbed the man's dusty shirt, shaking him hard. A hand grabbed his arm. Caesar bit back a snarl as he turned to face Maurice, the other ape drawn to the scene by Cornelia's screams. Slowly, Maurice shook his head. He reached forward with his free hand, untangling Caesar's grip from Will's shirt. With care, he lowered the human's body back down onto the blanket.
All Caesar could do was stare at Will's face as Maurice worked around him, moving the man's body until he was lying flat on his back. Slowly, Maurice reached towards Will's face, covering his eyes. Caesar bowed his head.
Grabbing the edge of the blanket Will had been lying on, the orangutan laid it over the body.
Stepping forward, Cornelia gently took Caesar's shoulder, guiding her mate away as several other apes entered the living space. Under Maurice's instructions, they lifted the man's body, carrying it outside.
Slowly, with Cornelia still holding onto his arm, Caesar turned to follow the group taking Will's body. Outside, in the far corner of the colony where Caesar had stood to look out at the human city, several apes were working to dig a hole, Rocket watched the work, making sure it was done to his satisfaction. The other ape looked up as Maurice led the group with the body. He then looked passed them, towards Caesar. Rocket bowed his head, indicating his sorrow at the loss. Caesar returned the gesture as Maurice halted the apes carrying the body. The apes digging the hole quickly climbed out, making room. As the last traces of light disappeared from the night sky, the body was laid carefully in the freshly dug hole.
Maurice and Rocket both looked to Caesar. After a few moments, the leader nodded. Dirt was quickly poured into the hole, covering up the body. Caesar stepped away from his mate, walking towards the hole. He looked down as more dirt was poured into the hole, the last traces of the old blanket disappearing from sight. Soon, it would be filled. Soon the weather would solidify the ground and all evidence of the man buried here would disappear.
A hand gripped his own. Caesar looked down. Blue Eyes was standing at his father's side, looking up at him. The baby ape was watching his father intently. After a moment, the infant raised his arms, indicating that he wanted his father to pick him up.
Reaching down, Caesar hugged his son to his chest. Slowly, his own green eyes turned to look up at the stars which were appearing in the rapidly darkening sky, the moon peeked over the horizon and shining its white light over the forest. A single tear finally escaped from the green eyes, rolling down the apes cheek. Caesar closed his eyes, bowing his head and cradling his son close.
Will had been one of the most important people in Caesar's life. Because of him, Caesar had been taught the value of family. And because of him, Caesar had been able to create his own family. Will had protected Caesar when he had needed it and had let him go when Caesar was ready.
Will had protected Caesar. In Will's honour, Caesar would now protect the other apes. He would bring about a new dawn for his family. One that Will would have been proud of.
I am so, so sorry. I have no excuse for writing this other then I was disappointed that in 'Dawn', when Malcolm asked Caesar about Will, all that was said was he was 'A Good Man'. So I decided I would write what I think happened to him after Ape Gate and during the Pandemic.
I then found out that the original ending of Rise of the Planet of the Apes featured Will's death and Caesar's reaction but I've already written my take here and I hate to change it now.