Crowley's POV
Crowley grinned at his best friend, who was leaning up against a tree glaring at him."Come on, it's not that funny.", he grouched. Crowley laughed.
"Oh, but it is! The mere thought of you, grouchy Halt, flirting is just too much to bear!" Halt rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a crash. The other Rangers looked up from their various tasks. Leander broke the silence, saying,
"What was that?!" Crowley glanced at Halt, and he mouthed,
"Swords." Crowley nodded in agreeance, then stated,
"It sounds like a fight. Berwick and Samdash, come with me and Halt. The rest of you stay here." The two men stood, brushed off quickly and grabbed their gear. Then the four Rangers slipped into the shadows to investigate. They quickly made their way in the direction they had heard the crash from. When they found what it was, their eyes widened in shock and horror.
? POV
The red haired girl stood back to back with the blond one. They were surrounded by Morgaroth's soldiers, all with swords drawn and pointing at them.
"Caitlyn," the redhead whispered,
"You ready?" At the slight nod from the blond girl, she breathed,
"I love you. One, two, three!" On three the girls both shot out, spinning staffs that seemed to appear from nowhere. Almost immediately, four of the fifteen men were down, struck by one of the girls. They looked like whirlwinds, spinning, knocking people away, and ducking blows. They continued to take out the men until finally each one was left with only one man to deal with. Both girls were cut up and bruised, but fortunately nothing serious. Suddenly, Caitlyn, the blond girl, gave a short cry of pain. The red haired girl looked over immediately and gasped. The man Caitlyn had been fighting had stabbed her. Now he was standing over Caitlyn, about to kill her. In desperation, the red haired girl threw her staff, knocking him back. She would protect her sister until her last breath. She drew her knives and tried to advance on him, but the soldier she had been fighting took advantage of her distraction and swung his sword in a deadly arc. As it was coming down, the girl remembered him and turned, changing where it hit her in a split-second before it did. The heavy blade crashed down on her right shoulder, leaving a horrible wound and breaking her collarbone. Her eyes flashed, but she threw the knife in her left hand, hitting him in the throat. His eyes widened, but she didn't stay to watch. She stumbled to Caitlyn and fell on her knees beside her. She tried to form words, but the world seemed to be spinning. The last thing she saw before it went black was a few blurry shapes running out of the trees.
Halt's POV
There were a bunch of Morgaroth's soldiers surrounding two girls, one with red hair and one with blond. Suddenly, the girls burst apart, spinning around too quickly to keep track of. They took out the majority of the soldiers, slowing down a bit each time they defeated one. Finally, each was left with just one soldier facing them. Both fought bravely, but the soldier fighting the blond girl stabbed her. She cried out briefly in pain before falling to the ground. The other girl whirled around, and seeing the soldier standing above the blond girl, she threw the staff she'd been fighting with. It struck the soldier's head with such force that a crack rang throughout the forest. Halt's eyebrow shot up.
"Remind me not to mess with her," he whispered to Crowley, who was staring thoughtfully at them. Halt turned back to watch just in time to see the soldier the redhead had been fighting bring his sword down hard on her shoulder. It obviously broke her collarbone, but she barely flinched and threw her knife into his throat with her left hand. Halt's brow creased.
"Isn't that a Ranger technique?" Crowley nodded distractedly as the girl turned and limped to the blond girl. She reached the girl's side, but she was clearly weak from blood loss, which was confirmed a moment later when she lost consciousness. Right before she fell, Crowley's eyes widened and he whispered,
"No…" Then he broke into a run towards the injured girls.
"No!" he shouted. Halt ran after him. When he caught up, Crowley was kneeling, holding the red-haired girl in his arms. There were tears running down his face as he rocked back and forth, holding her close.
"Crowley?" Halt asked tentatively. His best friend looked up and said, his voice breaking,
"Halt...this is my sister, Joscelynn. Joscelynn Meratyn."
Hal's POV
Halt's face drained of color.
"Your... what?" Crowley's voice shook with emotion as he answered,
"My sister. My baby sister. I haven't seen her in twelve years." Halt knelt by his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then he looked up at Samdash and mouthed, Leander. He nodded and started running back to the camp to get Leander, the Ranger with the most talent for healing. Berwick approached them from where he'd been standing with a roll of bandages. He knelt next to the other girl and tried to staunch the blood seeping out of the deep wound in her side. Halt nodded in appreciation as he tried to comfort his best friend, who still had tears running freely down his face. As he murmured encouraging words, he studied the girl. She had long, dark red, curly hair. At the moment it was tangled and matted, with leaves and twigs stuck in it. She had clearly been out here for a while. She also had a scar running diagonally across her left cheekbone, giving her face an sharp, ragged, angular look. Her skin was tan and freckles, much like Crowley's. In fact, she had a lot in common with Crowley as he looked closer. The same face shape, same red hair, although hers was darker, but while he was built for power, she was slender and lithe. From what he'd seen, she was also slightly short. Suddenly, footsteps thudded behind them. Leander, not bothering to move silently, had arrived. He took in the scene quickly-soldiers' bodies scattered around- before his gaze lighted upon the two girls and three men in the center. He strode over to them and immediately went to work sterilizing and bandaging the blond girl's wounds, then reached for Joscelynn. Crowley pulled back, holding her, and snapped,
"No! Don't touch her." Halt and Leander exchanged worried glances, before Halt reached out and touched Crowley's arm. Crowley's eyes met his, and what he saw scared him. Crowley was clearly not in the present, and his eyes were filled with fear, pain, and anger.
"Crowley. Listen to me. Leander can't help her if you don't let him." The wild look in his eyes faded and he seemed to realize what he'd said.
"Sorry. Here. Just- be careful, please?" It came out a question instead of a request, but Leander nodded understanding. He carefully slid the neckline of the girl's tunic over to reveal the wound and his eyes widened in shock. The skin on her shoulders and back was scarred almost everywhere. When Crowley saw this, he made a low keening noise and bowed his head over his sister.
"No... I'm so sorry... This is all my fault...if only I had stayed... I thought... Jo, oh Jo I'm so sorry..." he crooned softly through his tears. Leander gave him a concerned look but said softly,
"Crowley, I'm gonna have to set her collarbone. It's broken pretty badly. It will hurt her, so do you want to go somewhere else until I'm done?" He shook his head firmly.
"I want to be here if she wakes up." Leander nodded and took a deep breath. Then he slid the broken bone back into place, and when it clicked, he wrapped her shoulder and across her upper back firmly in bandages. When He lifted her arm to make a sling, her eyes flew open. Amazingly, they gave no sign of the pain she was feeling, just wariness. Her eyes darted around until they rested upon Crowley. Her eyes widened, and she whispered,
"Crowley?" He tried to hug her, nodding, but she pushed him away with her left hand, backing up towards the blonde.
"Don't touch me! You abandoned me, Crowley!" her eyes filled with tears as she whispered,
"You're no better than Daniel." He looked away, clearly shaken, and Halt cut in, anger surging at this strange girl.
"How dare you?!" he shouted in anger.
"The only reason you aren't dead is because he heard and came to help you!" As he said this, he pushed her away from him. The moment he touched her, all the fight left her and she turned as white as a ghost. She uttered a short cry of fear and backed away from him as fast as she could. When Crowley saw this, he stood up and got in front of Halt, who was on his feet, furious.
"No! Halt, she's- she's right. And do not lay a hand on her. You don't understand." The anger left him, and he looked at Crowley in confusion.
"What do you mean, she's right? And what exactly don't I understand?!" The shouting had awoken the second girl, who opened her eyes and immediately tried to sit up. She gasped and fell back, and Jo scrambled to her side.
"Caitlyn! Caitlyn, it's me. Jo. Look at me. How do you feel?" She made a face and grinned weakly.
"I feel phenomonal. How about you?" Jo smiled briefly before saying,
"We need to go. Or Daniel will catch up with us again, and I can't..." She trailed off, with a look of terror on her face, and Caitlyn reached for her hand in support.
"I know. Can you help me?" Before Jo could answer, Leander broke in.
"No. There is no way you two are going anywhere. You," he said, pointing to Caitlyn,
"Got stabbed, and you," pointing to Jo,
"have a broken bone and other injuries you aren't letting onto." She jerked her head up, startled and he waved away her protests.
"Nope. I told a couple friends to catch up and help take y'all back." Jo shot Caitlyn a panicked look.
"No. I will NOT go anywhere with him.", she stated, gesturing to Halt. Halt was thinking, and putting puzzle pieces together in his mind. The scars, the lack of emotion, and her fear of him touching her left one conclusion. He leaned to Crowley and whispered,
"Was she abused?!" His eyes widened and he said,
"What makes you say that?" Halt shrugged- Crowley's answer implied that he was wrong in his assumption. He dismissed the thought as the Ferrell and Jurgen arrived. When Ferrell appeared, Jo gasped.
"Ferrell!" she cried, joy in her voice. He ran to meet her and embraced the slightly built girl. Then he pulled away and inspected both girls carefully.
"Jo! Caitlyn! I was so worried! I thought something awful had happened! Where have you two been?" She shuddered and said,
"Daniel found us while we were out riding." He sucked in a breath sharply.
"He didn't- are you-Jo?" The last words was said as she leaned on his chest and began to cry. He held her gently and rubbed her back soothingly.
"That bad?" he murmured. She nodded through her tears. He held her close and picked her up.
"Come on. We can go back to the camp and talk, okay? I won't let anyone hurt you." She nodded again, and leaned her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head in a rare display of affection and Jurgen reached down and picked up Caitlyn. She smiled gratefully at him, but flinched when he stumbled. To each muttered
"sorry", she shook her head and breathed,
"It's fine," through gritted teeth. When they finally got back to camp, Jo had fallen asleep peacefully against Ferrell chest. He laid her gently on his bedroll and had Jurgen put Caitlyn next to her on an extra in his tent. He sat next to Jo until he was sure she was asleep.
Jo's POV
Jo eased into consciousness, and as she did so she became aware of several things. Most prominently, breathing. She listened more carefully, and realized there were two people- Caitlyn and someone else... someone familiar. She slid an eye open and caught a glimpse of Ferrell. Ferrell was her mentor, and a father figure to her. He had adopted her in a sense five years ago and they were never apart. Her other eye popped open and she tried to sit up to greet him. As she did so, however, pain seared through her shoulder, upper chest, and her arm on her right side. She let slip a small gasp of pain and instantly Ferrell awoke and reached out to her. He slid a hand under her lower back carefully, avoiding her upper right side completely, and helped her into a sitting position. She smiled at him before saying,
"Thanks." He nodded, concern in his deep blue eyes.
"How do you feel? Leander said he needed to make sure the impact didn't break any other bones once you were awake." She frowned.
"Leander?"
"He's a Ranger." Ferrell explained.
"So are you," she pointed out. He nodded acceptance of the fact, then clarified,
"He's the Ranger with the most healing talent." She raised her eyebrows and nodded in understanding.
"What's he like?" Ferrell but his lip.
"Well... he drinks wine with his dinner-"
"No." Ferrell sighed.
"Look, it's not much. Not even enough for him to have any problems, nothing like Daniel. Speaking of which, what did he do to you?" She looked away.
"Are you sure you want to know?" He gave her a reassuring look.
"Jo. Tell me." She shuddered.
"He- he- I can't. Ask Caitlyn, but I need some time alone." Ferrell nodded understanding. Jo was an introvert and needed time to recover from being around people. She called it social exhaustion. He helped her stand and get out of the tent, then she left to find somewhere quiet.
"Take Oakleaf," he called after her. She nodded slightly and whistled sharply. A huge shape appeared next to her as her Bernese Mountain dog, Oakleaf, joined her silently. Oakleaf was trained to protect Jo and Caitlyn and come get Ferrell if either needed help. Ferrell knew Jo was safe with her.
Halt's POV
Halt had been watching the tent for about an hour, waiting for movement. He was curious about the red haired girl and didn't trust her. Something about her seemed a bit off, and he was determined to find out what. She when she emerged alone, he obviously followed her. As she lumped into the forest, a huge dog emerged from in the trees. It was at least a meter tall at the shoulder, and on its back legs was probably taller than Jo. He made a mental note to avoid the hulking animal, although Jo reached out her hand and the dog nuzzled it with its head. They keep walking, Jo slowly and carefully, and Halt silently and meticulously. They reached a small clearing and Jo sat down, using only her left hand. She reached up to the bandages around her right shoulder and began to unwrap them. Now that she thought she was alone, she let her mask fall, and flinched when she accidentally rubbed against the wound. At last the wrap fell away and the injury was revealed. The blade of the sword had sheared through her right collarbone, cutting it all the way through. Halt grimaced in sympathy, despite his strong dislike for the girl. She ignored the wound and instead rolled her right sleeve up to reveal her upper arm. Running her hand carefully down it, she paused a few inches from her elbow. Gently, she probed it more thoroughly. Halt frowned, puzzled. She sighed and began re-wrapping the wound in her shoulder, then left a good portion of the bandage hanging and grabbed her elbow. Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and slid what Halt now realized was a broken bone back into place. A small cry escaped her lips, but she kept going, wrapping her upper arm snugly to avoid the bone moving out of place. When she was done, she sat back and reached up with her left hand to wipe the tear that had escaped one of her eyes. The dog got up from where it had been laying a few feet away and approached her. Butting her with its head, it licked her face encouragingly. She laughed brokenly, and Halt found himself drawn to it. He hadn't heard her laugh, or even seen her smile. It was very different from the afraid, angry girl he doesn't seen the previous day. He almost spoke up, when a figure stepped out from behind the trees across from him.
"So your friends took care of you, did they?" The voice rang out, and yet was soft and menacing. Jo's head shot up, and she clumsily stood up.
"How did you find me?" She cried, her voice trembling. The dog slipped into the shadows as the man advanced on Jo.
"Do not speak to me like that! You will address me with respect, do you understand?" As he said this, he slapped her. There was a deathly silence, then she whispered,
"Yes sir." He sneered, then said,
"What's wrong with your arm? Someone poke you because you're weak? You probably tripped and scraped yourself. Your so called friends can only help you for so long. You aren't worth it anyways." She only hung her head, not replying. Angered, he pushed her by the shoulders and she stumbled back into a tree.
"Answer me! I want to hear you say it." She whispered something, and he punched her in the stomach.
"Louder!"
"I'm not worth it!" She cried in desperation. Halt watched with horrified curiosity. This Jo was entirely different than anything he'd seen from her so far. She was submissive, terrified, almost helpless. As he thought this, the man said,
"That's right. You. Are. Worthless." With each word, he punched her again, getting harder and harder. Finally, she fell to the ground and he laughed in contempt. He kicked her right lower side, and she doubled over, her breath suddenly coming in ragged gasps. Halt finally decided it had gone far enough, and stepped out to stop him, when someone caught him from behind.
"I don't think so. Can't have you meddling with her punishment." They tied his hands and feet and gagged him, then set him to where he could see her. As he watched, the man yanked her up by her hair and tied her hands together. Then her tied the rope holding her hands to a tree branch so her hands were held above her. She watched in fear as he retrieved something from the edge of the clearing. When he returned, Halt's eyes widened. The man was carrying a whip. He held it in front of Jo's face so she could see it.
"Remember the last time?" He asked. The last time. Jo had been through this before. Halt felt any animosity towards her evaporate. No wonder she disliked him. He had done something that reminded her of this man.
"I won't stop unless you beg." He said in the same low voice. She held her head high and ignored him. He unfurled the long whip and reached back. Then he swung it around with all his might, bringing it down on her already injured back without a sickening crack. Jo didn't make a sound. He struck her again and again, each time harder than the first. Finally, after forty-seven of these horrible lashes, she said,
"Okay! I give up! Just let me go!" He struck her again.
"What's the magic word?" He sneered. She lowered her head, shame engraved in her face.
"Please." She said. He laughed cruelly and cut the top rope holding her up, but left her hands bound. Then her started to circle her, and when she didn't look at him he slapped her. Immediately after his hand made contact, the dog from earlier burst out from the direction of the camp. Directly behind it was Ferrell, battleaxe in hand and swinging. He had a murderous look his face, and the man who had been torturing Jo signaled to the man with him and they ran off, and they heard hoofbeats fading quickly. Ferrell ran to Jo and knelt by her.
"Jo, I am so sorry I shouldn't have have you go alone." She didn't respond, but she was clearly in way too much pain to. She was laying on her left side on the ground, her left arm wrapped around her stomach and curled in a ball. She was trembling slightly. Halt fought hard against the ropes holding him hostage to little avail. He did, however, fall over and Ferrell must have heard the thump because he looked up up in his direction. He didn't move, however, until Leader ran towards him from in the trees with his bag. Ferrell reached down to Jo and said,
"Leander is going to help you, okay?" She nodded slightly and gasped,
"Please, just help me." Leander got right to work and Ferrell stood and approached Halt. He drew his saxe, eyes scanning the area, but lowered it when he saw Halt. He quickly knelt and cut through the ropes.
"Thank you." Halt said quietly. He nodded, then said,
"You were here the whole time?" He nodded, ashamed that he hadn't tried to stop him sooner, but Ferrell just sighed.
"So I take it you've figured it out?" Halt nodded again. It made sense now. Of course Crowley wouldn't tell him something like that. Now that he thought about it, could that be because Crowley been through that too? As he mulled this over, Ferrel returned back to Leander and Jo. Leander looked up at him and said,
"Ferrell, she's hurt bad. In addition to the wounds she got yesterday, he beat her and whipped her." Ferrell's fists clenched. Anger was woven into his face, and Leander waited a moment before saying,
"It shouldn't be fatal, not if we're careful enough. She won't like it though. I'm going to have to clean the cuts." Ferrell's lips thinned but he nodded agreement.
"Can we go back to camp first?" Leander nodded, relieved that Ferrell hadn't protested. Ferrell gently lited Jo and took her back to camp. She groaned softly every time he stumbled and he choked back a sob. Halt watched, feeling horribly guilty about letting this happen. They got back and Ferrell immediately went towards his tent, but Leander stopped him.
"I have an extra tent I set up as a makeshift hospital. Caitlyn is already in there, and it is bigger so they'll get more fresh air circulating." Ferrell nodded dumbly. They wove through the tents, finally reaching the larger gray one on the edge of the group. Leander went in first and held the flap open for Ferrell and Halt, who was following behind him. Ferrell sat down, still holding Jo, and Leander sat next to them.
"Ferrell, I know you want to be here, but I need you to go make dinner." Ferrell opened his mouth to protest, then realized Leander was trying to gently say that while he was treating Jo, he didn't want Ferrell interfering. He nodded silently and left. Halt went to follow him, but Leander grabbed his arm.
"Halt, wait. I'll need your help." Halt blinked and sat down on the other side of the wounded girl. Together they reset her collarbone and Leander carefully inspected where she had set her own arm. He grunted in satisfaction, and said,
"She's done this before." Halt looked up.
"How do you know?" Leander thought carefully before answering, the slowly said,
"The break itself was uneven and had jagged edges. She set it exactly where it needed to go, a very difficult job to do on oneself." Halt nodded his understanding, then they longed onto her other injuries.
Ferrell's POV
As he walked away, Ferrell heard Leander explain how she must have set bones before. He grimaced. In a sense, he thought, she had. He had taught her what to do if she ever needed to. After the incident with her rib, he didn't want anything happening to her. Shorty afterwards, he heard Jo cry out in pain. It took all his willpower not to run back in and stop Leander. He knew that the deep cuts in her back needed to be cleaned, and the way to do that was with a type of alcohol. He knew Jo would probably be in a ton of pain and the smell would terrify her, but he couldn't go back in until they were done. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Leander called,
"Ferrell? You can come back now." He stumbled back in the tent where his daughters lay injured. Jo was laying on her left side, her right shoulder, arm, and her back wrapped in a clean bandage. He sat heavily next to the girl he considered a daughter, and a few tears found their way down his face. Leander noticed this and placed a supporting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"She'll be okay." Ferrell looked up at his longtime friend with gratitude.
"Thanks." Then he looked at Halt.
"And thank you." Halt looked surprised.
"Me? But I didn't do anything!" Ferrell shook his head.
"You would have if they hadn't tied you up, right?" Halt nodded. Now that he understood Jo's reaction, he wasn't mad at her. Suddenly, Jo's eyes flew open and she gasped.
"Ferrell?" she asked in confusion.
"I'm right here. What's wrong?"
"That smell... I know that smell..." Ferrell inwardly flinched- he'd almost forgotten.
"Leander used a type of alcohol to clean your back and shoulder. That's what you're smelling." She relaxed at his explanation and reached out her shaking left hand to grasp his. He held her hand and rubbed it soothingly until was almost asleep. Then she moved again and said,
"Where's Caitlyn?" Ferrell squeezed her hand to calm her and said reassuringly,
"She's in here too, just behind you. Don't worry. She'll be just fine." Jo nodded and laid down again. This time, she really did fall asleep, and as he sat gazing at her, Leander broke the silence.
"I noticed she has a deformed rib." Ferrell shook his head.
"It's not naturally like that. That evil man broke it five years ago and it healed wrong."
"Ah." Leander stated simply. Ferrell nodded distractedly, still holding Jo's hand. Leander motioned to Halt, and they left the tent.
"I think you should go get Crowley. He deserves to know this." Halt nodded his agreement and went to fetch his best friend. He found him sitting at the campfire staring dully at the flickering flames.
"Crowley. You need to come with me." Crowley looked up at him and Halt realized his friend had clearly not slept the previous night. There were dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were red-rimmed, like he'd been crying. He stood and followed Halt back. When they got to the tent, he ducked under the flap. Halt heard his soft cry of shock, then saw him fall to his knees beside his younger sister as he entered.
"Jo?" he whispered. Ferrell began explaining what had happened, but when he said Daniel, Crowley visibly flinched and Ferrell stopped.
"Crowley? Are you okay?" Crowley nodded after a moment, but Halt remembered something.
"When she said you left her, does that mean he hurt you too?" Crowley bit his lip but nodded again.
"It was years ago. I left when she was five. Twelve years, to be exact. But he was never this bad when I was there." Caitlyn's weak voice spoke up, making them jump.
"It got worse because you left, Crowley. She told me. I'm the one who found her five years ago, and she was almost dead. He's been trying to kill her ever since." Crowley hung his head.
"If I hadn't left her this would never have happened. This is all my fault." Ferrell laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey. I don't think Jo meant what she said. She was just hurt and afraid. She used to talk about you all the time, about her amazing big brother. She never said she was mad at you." Crowley met his eyes.
"Really?" Ferrell nodded.
"Really." Jo's eyes fluttered open.
"Really." she whispered. Crowley gasped and embraced his sister carefully, tears streaming down his face. She reached her good arm up and hugged him back tightly, her own tears mingling with his.
In the morning, Caitlyn groaned softly as she awoke. Her entire body ached, and her midsection felt like it was on fire. As soon as she made the noise, she was joined by another person. He said softly,
"Drink this. It'll help with the pain." Caitlyn opened her mouth and swallowed the bitter liquid. She made a face, and the man chuckled. He held something else to her lips, and she realized it was a skin of water. Gratefully, she sipped it, and despite her thirst, she drank it slowly. Leander noticed this with curiosity. That was something learned by years of fighting. Gulping down the water would make you sick, whereas sipping it was a significantly better alternative. After her thirst was parched, she whispered,
"Thank you," as she opened her eyes. The man beside her was the same man who had been with Jo the previous night when she'd awoken for a brief amount of time. He noticed this and said,
"You're welcome. I don't think we ever got introduced. I'm Leander." Caitlyn smiled.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Caitlyn, Jo's adopted sister." He raised an eyebrow.
"That's not an Araulen accent. Is that Hibernia I hear?" She nodded shyly.
"You know, one of our Rangers is Hibernian." Caitlyn's interest was roused at this.
"I don't suppose his name is Halt?" Leander nodded.
"Why? You looking for him?" Caitlyn immediately responded,
"Yes. Is he here?" Leander nodded again.
"He was there when you were first injured, before we brought you here. He's the one with black hair." she frowned.
"The one that hurt Jo?" Leander sighed.
"He's very loyal, and Jo hurt Crowley's feelings- understandably, of course, but Halt overreacted." She nodded, distractedly. Leander smiled.
"Well, as nice as it was to meet you, I've kept you talking far longer than you needed to. Rest. Next time you wake up, I'll send someone to fetch Halt if he's not in here." The girl smiled drowsily at him before drifting back to sleep.
Jo's POV
"Run!" Crowley cried.
"He's coming!" Little Jo shook her head firmly.
"I'm not leaving you." she said firmly.
"He hurt you badder last time. I'll protect you." Her brother sighed.
"Worse, Twinkle. The word is worse." The five-year-old nodded seriously.
"I knowed that." Crowley rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. A smile that was quickly replaced by a look of terror as the front door slammed open. Daniel staggered in, obviously drunk. Again. The pair watched nervously as he stumbled about before passing out on the couch. Jo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come on," she whispered to her brother, slipping an arm under his shoulders to support him as they went upstairs. Crowley lay down heavily, and grimaced. Jo's eyes filled with worry.
"Are you okay?" Crowley smiled up at her.
"Yeah, Twinkle. Just tired." She relaxed slightly. They'd only gotten about three hours of sleep last night.
"Okay. Go to sleep. I'll watch for Lizzy and Will." Crowley nodded, already falling asleep. As soon as Jo was sure he was asleep and as comfortable as he could be, on the floor and injured, she slipped down the stairs again. Just in time, too. Two bouncing children came up the path. Elizabeth, who was three, and William, who was two. Jo opened the door and held a finger to her lips. Lizzie understood the signal and whispered to Will that he had to be quiet. He nodded seriously and covered his mouth with his chubby toddler hand. Jo smiled and the three of them tiptoed up the stairs. About halfway up, William sneezed. Jo froze, and there was an ominous silence, broken by the wheezing sound of the large man downstairs awaking.
"WHO WAS THAT?!" he yelled. Jo waved the two kids upstairs, then called,
"Me." He stood and pointed to the floor in front of him. Jo shuffled to the space, and he hit her in the back of the head.
"Next time, you come faster!" Jo nodded in submission. The man slapped the five-year-old girl.
"Answer me when I speak to you." Jo held back her tears and whispered,
"Yes."
"Yes, sir," he growled. Jo looked up at him.
"No need to call me sir. Jo will do fine." Angered, the man punched her in the stomach. Jo bit her lip, refusing to cry out in case she woke Crowley. Again and again, the man struck her. After several minutes, Jo was covered in bruises and cuts. The man stopped.
"Let that be a lesson to you." he snapped. Then he staggered to his bedroom and fell asleep, snoring. Jo didn't move until he was out of sight. Then she gasped in pain and fell to her knees. She moaned and held her head in her hands. She heard light footsteps, then a gentle hand grasped hers. Crowley apparently had awoken, and he picked up his baby sister and carried her up to the attic, where they slept. When they got there, he laid her down gently on the pallet they shared. She whimpered and reached out for him when he left. Crowley made loving and soothing noises so she would calm down while he rummaged around, trying to find their cloth. When he found it, he dipped it in a pail of water and started washing blood off his sister. Jo, for her part, made no noise for fear of waking Daniel. Crowley finished his task and dried his hands. Then he came and sat next to Jo, and picked her up. He held her and hummed softly to her. Jo mumbled,
"Thank you, Alex." Crowley smiled. Jo couldn't pronounce Crowley, so she called him by a shortened version of his middle name, Alexander.
"You're welcome, Twinkle. I'm your brother. It's my job to take care of you."
The next morning, he was gone.
"Jo! Wake up!" Jo snapped awake, tears streaming down her face.
"No." she said.
"No. Alex!" Crowley, who had woken her up, said quietly,
"Twinkle, I'm right here." Jo looked at him with tears in her eyes. He gently embraced her and stroked her hair soothingly as she sobbed quietly into his chest.
"S-sorry," she stammered after she had gotten herself under control. Crowley waved away the apology.
"No, I'm sorry. You were dreaming about Daniel, weren't you." She nodded.
"The day before you left." He winced. That was the worst she had been hurt when he was with her. He distinctly remembered the day, and almost subconsciously picked Jo, who was still significantly smaller than him, up and held her. She laid her head against his chest contentedly and he hummed a lullaby he used to sing her. She smiled and dozed off in his arms, feeling truly safe for the first time in twelve years. He looked down at her, and tears filled his eyes. She was so much older than when he's last seen her. She had a scar on her left cheekbone that he knew she hadn't had before. Leander had told him about her rib, and he himself had seen a lot of her scars. Clearly she had stayed with Daniel for a while after he left. Was it because he hoped he would return? As he thought this, he relaxed his grip on her and she started slipping. Jo whimpered and clung to him. He held her tighter and whispered,
"Shh, it's okay. I've got you." She sighed contentedly and fell back asleep. Crowley sat and held her for the next four hours, watching her peaceful expression. He began to doze off himself, but was awakened when Halt opened the tent flap and ducked inside. He scanned the tent and located Crowley.
"Leander says you need to eat something. You've been in here all night." Crowley shook his head.
"I can't leave her." he said, nodding down at his sleeping sister.
"Let me watch her. I promise I'll take good care of her." Crowley bit his lip. He trusted Halt with his own life, of course, but did he trust him with hers? Crowley shook it off. He was being foolish. Of course he did. But did Jo? As if he sensed what Crowley was thinking, Halt said,
"Look, I saw what she went through. There is absolutely no way I would ever hurt her." Crowley nodded in agreement.
"Here. Hold her. She had a rough night and I don't want it to happen again. As long as she feels safe, she'll sleep fine." Halt looked a bit surprised but held out his arms for the sleeping teenager. Crowley hesitated before handing his sister over to Halt. He leaned over and whispered in her ear,
"Don't worry, Twinkle. I'll be back in a few minutes. Halt will take good care of you." He kissed the top of her head gently, then handed her to Halt, who carefully positioned his arms underneath her, trying not to hurt her.
"Don't touch her right shoulder at all. And avoid her lower right side if possible. And-" Halt cut him off.
"Crowley. Go eat. I've got her." Crowley nodded several times and left the tent. Leander was waiting at the campfire for him. He beckoned for Crowley to join him, and when he did so, placed a full plate on his lap.
"Eat." Crowley began, then stopped.
"What about Jo? What's she going to eat?" Leander sighed.
"She can have some jerky if she wakes up and is hungry. However, I highly doubt she will feel like eating anything anytime soon." Crowley acknowledged this with a nod and went back to eating. He wolfed down the food and stood up.
"Thanks, Le. I really appreciate it." Leander smiled.
"Alright, alright. You can go back." Crowley grinned and bolted back to the tent. Ferrell followed him back, and when they got there, Halt had fallen asleep holding Jo.
"They are so cute!" Crowley cooed. Ferrell just raised an eyebrow.
"Mmhm." he muttered. Crowley poked him.
"Aww you're just being overprotective." Ferrell frowned.
"Of course. That's my little girl. I adopted her and Caitlyn."
Crowley pouted. "I want to be adopted."
Pritchard, who had snuck up behind them unannounced, declared,"What am I, chopped liver?"
Crowley turned, a sheepish smile on his face.
"I was just kidding!" Pritchard put him in a headlock and ruffled his hair. The twenty-two year old squawked and pulled away indignantly. He fixed his messy red hair and sniffed in mock offense. Ferrell burst into laughter, startling both Halt and Jo awake. Jo looked up and her face went white. She rolled away from him awkwardly and stood several feet away. Then she saw Ferrell and Crowley and limped towards them as fast as she could. Ferrell caught the terrified girl by the shoulders.
"Hey. Jo. It's okay, he won't hurt you. I promise." She looked up, unconvinced.
"Right. Just like last time. People like that don't change. It took me eight years to figure that out. I'm not about to make the same mistake again." Crowley' smile faded. Eight years. He'd left after one. She had endured all that for seven more years, on the vague hope that he would come back. Guilt washed over him. Jo saw his expression and her stony features softened slightly.
"I forgive you," she said. Crowley blinked back tears.
"Why? I left you. The same way Dad did." Jo closed her eyes, but before she did, Halt caught a glimpse of pain, anger, and betrayal in her dark eyes. When she's opened them again, all emotion had left.
"No. You had a reason. Whoever he was, Dad just didn't want any a daughter." Egon had been listening with the a thougjful expression on his face. Now he gasped suddenly.
"Meratyn. Samuel Meratyn. I knew your father. He never wanted to give you up, Jo. Your mother died right after Jo's birth and Sam was badly injured in an ambush. He was Seacliff's Battlemaster for a very long time. After Linnet died, he couldn't take care of you two. He placed you in the system because he was very ill, and he didn't have long. He would have kept you longer, but he was afraid of getting Jo, who was a baby, sick. He died not long afterwards. I was with him. His last words were, 'Someday I will see my children, and we will be together again.'" Jo do her hand over her mouth and her eyes were filled with tears. She sank to her knees, and Crowley knelt beside her and put his hand in her uninjured shoulder. She looked up at him and whispered,
"He loved me. Crowley, he actually wanted me." Crowley smiled shakily do embrace her, and Ferrell, Halt, Pritchard, and Egon joined them.
Caitlyn's POV
Caitlyn was awake, but you wouldn't know it looking at her. her eyes were closed, her breaths even. Well, as even as someone who got stabbed. In the gut. With a sharp object. Anyways, she had already identified Jo, who didn't sound great, and Ferrell in the tent with her, along with three other males. Two were younger, about her age, probably a bit older, so around nineteen or twenty, and an older man. Ferrell made it rather difficult to know more about them due to the fact that his massive intakes of air were extraordinarily loud. One of the two younger men was snoring, and the other was humming quietly. His voice was deep and rich, and he was humming a familiar tune. Caitlyn stretched her brain, trying to identify it, when suddenly she remembered. It was a Hibernian lullaby, one her older brother used to sing her. With a pang of sadness, she remembered that he had died six years ago. She distinctly remembered the look of triumph on her other brother's murderous face as he announced his death, faking sadness. She had felt the loss more deeply than anyone in her family, and her grieving was immense. She was now in search of a man calling himself her brother, and she believed this was him. Only a Hibernian would know that song. She opened her eyes, but was not prepared for what she saw. The man was leaning back against a support pole, staring into space. His black hair was ragged, and a scruffy beard covered the lower half of his face. His eyes were dark and menacing, but not the eyes of a killer. He had a look in his eye that reminded her of when Jo had flashbacks. As she thought this, Caitlyn realized she couldn't see Jo. She immediately tried to sit up, carefully of course, and when she had done so, wrapped her right arm around her stomach. She looked around and met the eyes of the Hibernian, who was looking at her with awe on his face. She tilted her head slightly and studied him.
"Caitlyn?" he whispered. Her eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?" He blinked rapidly, emotion clouding his eyes. He tried to answer, but his voice caught in his throat. Instead, he slid his right sleeve up and showed her a jagged scar that ran from his shoulder to his elbow. Caitlyn gasped slightly, and reached out. She placed her hand on his arm for a moment, then rolled her own sleeve up to reveal an identical scar on her left arm. He embraced her, and tears rolled down his face. His voice was gruff and thick with emotion.
"Caitlyn... I am so sorry. I came back, but I couldn't find you, and Ferris, and- and-" he couldn't finish, due to the fact that Caitlyn had whispered,
"Halt, I thought you were dead." She too was crying.
"Ferris- Ferris said you were killed, that you had fallen from a cliff. I didn't believe him at first, I was sure you'd come back, but when you didn't..." He hugged her tighter. They had woken up Crowley, who mumbled sleepily,
"Wha? Who're you?" Caitlyn laughed softly.
"I am Caitlyn Rapaza of Hibernia." Halt snorted.
"Caitlyn Girl? You go by Caitlyn Girl?" She flushed.
"It was all I could think of!" she retorted.
"I will have you know Jo and I were in a life or death situation! They were about to kill her if I didn't answer!"
"They 'bout killed me anyways," Jo muttered from where she was laying on the floor. Apparently awake.
"True." Caitlyn conceded.
"Speaking of which, did you tell Ferrell?" Jo rolled her eyes.
"No. Do you mind? I'm not ready to relive that one yet." Caitlyn nodded and crawled carefully to join Jo, who was a few feet away.
"You don't look so good," she murmured, stroking her adopted sister's hair out of her face.
"You're pale and sweaty." Jo smiled weakly.
"You don't look phenomenal either. You have blood stains in your tunic." Caitlyn smiled.
"I'll live. I've been in worse situations." Jo's smile faded.
"Most of which were my fault." Caitlyn's expression softened.
"No. They were not your fault. What about that time in Gallica?"
"When I had a panic attack in the middle of a fight?"
"Okay, what about when the Skandians raided?
"You came back to get me because I was caught and they had tied me up and I could barely breathe, and when you cut through the ropes you tried to help me stand up and one hurled you into a wall."
"Oh. I remember that. That hurt."
"I remember too. He threw Jo right after you." Ferrell said.
"What?!"
"Don't worry, I didn't hit the wall as hard. I was mostly fine by the time you woke up."
"Three days later!" Jo smirked.
"Well I wasn't going to say that but okay. I guess there was the time when you passed out and I had to fight those robbers... you almost died that time." Halt finally cut in.
"Whoa whoa whoa! You almost died? You're used to almost dying? She almost dies on a regular basis?" Jo looked offended. Caitlyn laid a hand on her arm reassuringly with a glance that said, he doesn't know.
"Yes, yes and no. She actually doesn't get hurt that often." Ferrell snorted and Caitlyn amended,
"Unless you're Ferrell. In which case you think she should live in a magical protective bubble on a leash and never leave your side." Halt raised an eyebrow and Ferrell flushed. Caitlyn returned to stroking Jo's matted hair. Jo winced unnoticeably to everyone but Caitlyn and whispered softly,
"Do they have anything for pain?" Ferrell instantly stood.
"Yeah. I'll go get Leander, he was waiting for you to wake up." As he left, Jo's eyes followed him out. Halt stooped and walked to join the two girls, with Crowley behind him. Jo frowned at Halt. Caitlyn sighed and stated,
"Jo. He's my brother. And he doesn't completely know, so can we start over maybe? Please?" Jo sighed.
"Alright, I'll give it a try. My name is Jo." Halt reached out and shook her hand carefully.
"Halt. And I'm really sorry." Jo's eyebrows shot up.
"It's fine. And thanks for apologizing." A shy smile grew on her face as he grinned at her. Halt sat down next to Caitlyn and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Caitlyn, how about you go lay down? I'll bring your stuff over here if you want to stay with Jo, but you need rest too." Caitlyn nodded and Halt gently helped her lay down. He kissed the top of her head affectionately and she smiled at her big brother.
"I missed you, Halt." Halt grasped her hand tightly.
"I missed you more." Caitlyn's eyes fluttered closed, a small smile on her face and her hand clasped together with Jo's. Jo watched this exchange curiously. Halt looked up and caught her watching him. He frowned in concern and said,
"Are you okay? You don't look so good." Jo wave for away his worry with her hand feebly.
"Of course I am. I've been in worse situations before." Halt looked at her skeptically.
"Seriously. Ask Ferrell when he gets back. I'm too tired to tell you, but ask him to tell you about when he found me." As she said this, Ferrell and Leander ducked into the tent, with a new face behind them. Leander smiled encouragingly at Jo and said,
"How do you feel? This is my friend Berrigan. He's better with bones than I am, so if it's all right with you I'd like him to check your arm and collarbone." Berrigan grinned cheerfully at Jo, and she found that she instinctively liked him. He stretched out a hand to greet her, and she noticed he used his left hand. Leander must have already explained her injuries. She shook his hand gingerly and smiled slightly. Caitlyn had fallen asleep and Halt gently picked picked her up so she was out of the way. Berrigan nodded gratefully at Halt and knelt by Jo.
"Can you sit up? Ferrell, help her." Ferrell immediately supported Jo as she carefully sat up. When she was stable, he sat back and watched her intently. Berrigan unwrapped the bandages around her shoulder and arm gently and ran his fingers along the breaks. He pushed down slightly in a few certain spots, and nodded in satisfaction.
"They're fine. Leander underestimates himself. However, your skin is really hot. Like feverish. And that's never good, especially when someone is hurt."
Leander frowned in concern and laid a cool hand on Jo's forehead.
"You're right. Does any particular spot on your back hurt more than the others?"
Jo contemplated this, then nodded slowly.
"On the edge of my left shoulder blade it hurts a lot worse. I thought it was just the way I was sleeping or something." Leander cleared the bandages from that particular area, and inhaled sharply. Berrigan's eyes widened in shock, and Jo tried to twist around to see what they were doing. Ferrell snapped loudly and she looked at him.
"Don't twist like that. Just look at me, okay?" Jo nodded slightly and stayed facing her father. A muscle in Ferrell's jaw jumped as he watched his two friends talk in low voices, but he reached for Jo's hands and smiled encouragingly.
"You'll be okay. Remember when I found you? That was worse."
Jo smiled. "Tell Halt that story. He doesn't believe me." The massive man turned to Halt.
"Five years ago, in the middle of winter, I stumbled upon a little girl who looked about nine years old while I was hunting. She was running through a forest, and kept looking back. At one point, I caught a glimpse of a cut on the side of her face. When she reached a little clearing, she paused to catch her breath. I took a closer look at her and realized she was bruised and cut all over." Ferrell's voice grew tight as he continued, "Her thin clothes hung loose on her clearly malnourished frame and she was extremely pale. She stumbled over to a tree and sat down against it. Her eyes closed and she curled up, shivering. It was extremely cold outside and all this girl had was an old, ragged, patched up dress that didn't fit her well. It probably hadn't been a good dress in it's better days. A moment after she sat, a voice rang out, yelling 'GIRL!' Her eyes flew open and she shot up and started running. Something must have happened when she stood, because she began coughing painfully as she ran. She turned to look behind her and tripped. Her head struck a rock and she blacked out. I went out and impulsively picked her up and carried her to my cabin. When she woke up, she tried to convince me that she was fine, but I discovered she had a deep wound that stretched from the top of her right shoulder to her lower left back. And that wasn't it. I rode and got Leander's apprentice. She was an excellent healer and I thought that the little girl would be more comfortable with a female close to her age. Evelyn was fifteen at the time." At Evelyn's name, Leander bit his lip and tears filled his eyes.
"Leander? You have an apprentice?" Crowley cried in shock. Leander slowly shook his head, and when he answered, his voice trembled.
"Had. Morgaroth kidnapped her. He hated her, there's no way she's alive. Evelyn was a good fighter, but she was crippled, and..." Jo wiped an escaped tear from her face. Ferrell bowed his head in sorrow, and Crowley reached out and clasped his friend's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." Leander nodded gratitude, then said,
"Ferrell, continue your story."
Ferrell cleared his threat and said, "Evelyn helped the girl, and afterward told me that she had three broken ribs, a deep cut running from her right shoulder to lower left back, a fairly deep cut on her left cheekbone, numerous small cuts that she had been told were from barbed wire, and severe bruises almost everywhere. The girl was actually twelve years old, and her name is Jo." During this, Halt had been listening intently. When Ferrell described her injuries, he sat back in shock.
"Well that is worse that this," he finally managed to say, a new respect for the younger girl growing. Jo smiled weakly at him.
"Told you so." She said sassily. Leander scooted around to where Jo could see him and said,
"So apparently that man poisoned you. I can give you something to slow the effects and help the pain until we figure out what it is." Jo looked at Ferrell for guidance and he nodded.
"Okay." She said. Leander handed her a small bundle of what looked like mashed leaves and Jo stuck it in her mouth. She gagged, but swallowed it. "That was disgusting." She muttered. Leander rolled his eyes.
"Has to be good for you then." Stated Crowley cheerfully. Jo scowled. "Stupid optimism."
Halt nodded and said, "Amen." Ferrell, Leander, and Berrigan laughed heartily at Crowley's oblivious expression. Jo yawned, and Ferrell helped her lay so she wasn't putting pressure on any of her wounds. Right before she fell asleep, Jo's searching hand found Caitlyn's still one and grasped it tightly. An expression of peace settled on the girls' faces, and the men filtered out until only the man who adopted them and raised them as his own remained.