Author's Note:This is a one shot with Hercules. Alcmene decides to teach Iolaus a new skill.
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hercules the Legendary Journey, I make no money and boy does that make it hard to keep the computer with power… No permanent harm will come to Iolaus but a bit of Alcmene's attention and a big bowl of chicken soup might not be amiss at the end of it…
A Close-Knit Skill
Alcmene sighed softly to herself as she glanced at the young man who sat beside her, wondering once more just what to do with him. Iolaus was not in a very good mood and she didn't really blame him. He simply couldn't deal with the inactivity of being ill and she was well aware of it. It had been the same ever since he was just a little boy. She had gotten to know him when he was only two years old and he had been the same way already then. He was miserable when sick, more so than any other child she had ever known. A child who was always in motion, running around, he simply couldn't deal with being forced to be still.
It never seemed to have gotten easier for him either as he grew but back then there had been ways to deal with it. Hercules could usually distract him and that was something that still worked if Hercules was home. Sometimes unless the illness had caused him to lose his appetite you could bribe him with some of his most favourite food but it only worked for a short time. It did not work for a longer period like this.
He was trying to keep his bad mood in check but it only made him quiet and sullen, not inclined to talk with her even when she tried to draw him into conversation. The night before when she entered his room late in the evening to give him a mug of healing tea she even found him feigning sleep which was quite rare. Even when he just wanted to be left alone he never used to ignore her like that and she didn't like it at all. Still she knew that if he was doing it he certainly wouldn't be in the mood to be scolded about it. She left the tea on the chair beside the bed and said nothing about it though she shook her head as she closed the door.
Hoping to make him feel better she had allowed him up to sit beside the fire with her, but it hadn't worked. It only drove home to him how far he still had to go before he was fully healed. Even with a crutch the short distance between his bed and the fire had nearly been too much for his injured leg.
She tried not to think about how Hercules had come kicking the door open, carrying Iolaus in his arms, and that was part of the problem she knew. She couldn't forget it and that affected the way she treated him.
They had been on their way back home when they encountered one of Hera's creatures and from what Hercules told her it had been a close call. Her son had suffered a few minor cuts and injuries but Iolaus had taken the brunt of it. When Hercules stormed inside the blond hunter was unconscious and bleeding in his arms. His leg was so badly mangled that Alcmene feared they'd have to call the healer to take it off. No matter how many hours they spent bathing his body with cold water the fever only seemed to burn hotter and he cried out in pain any time he even moved.
She had struggled against the despair she felt, her heart breaking to see one she thought of as her own suffering so.
Even after his fever broke and his leg started to heal she found it hard not to hover over him and Iolaus hated it.
She had hoped that letting him up for a short time now would make him feel better, but it had only driven home to him how far he still had to go before he was healed. The fact that Hercules had been called away hadn't helped matters any. Iolaus understood why he had to go, had insisted that Hercules went in fact. It was just that without Hercules to distract him there was nothing to stop him from sinking into a feeling of hopelessness and uselessness.
Shifting his leg he groaned and clenched his fist, muttering a curse under his breath.
"Iolaus, would you like some of the pie that's left over from supper?" she asked, sighing again when there was no reply. She had tried to focus on her knitting but it was hard when he was so obviously miserable.
"You know, sitting like this really won't help you to get well any faster," she pointed out in a stern tone of voice and he looked up.
"I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it."
"I know dear, I don't blame you," she smiled. "But you really must try and put your mind to something else or you'll only make yourself worse. You are well on the mend so please try to cheer up a little."
"Yeah," he rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think about something other than his aching leg. The only thing was what she was doing. He didn't know what she was knitting, he certainly couldn't tell from looking at it.
"I don't see how you can do that," he stated.
"Do what?" she was used to him just blurting out what was on his mind, but even so it didn't make much sense.
"That," he gestured to the knitting in her lap. "You got a couple of sticks, and some yarn, and you just move the sticks back and forth and still wind up with a scarf or something, I don't get it, how is it even possible?" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice she mused, but only a small hint mixed in with honest curiosity.
"It really isn't all that hard Iolaus," she put the knitting aside and reached for her work basket. Taking a pair of slightly thicker knitting needles and some blue yarn she quickly put some loops on the needle. "See here, all I do is I keep the loops on one needle, slide the other into the first loop and hook it around the yarn. When I pull it out, I have a new loop on the other needle. It's really rather simple."
"It doesn't look simple to me," he shook his head.
"Just look for a moment," she smiled. Going through the motion slowly she allowed him to see what he was doing. How the yarn ran over one finger and how she hooked the needle through the loop.
"There you go, now you know how it's done," she put it in his lap. "You can give it a try now."
"I can't do that," he frowned. "I'd never get it right."
"You certainly won't if you won't even try," she snorted. "It's not very hard Iolaus, and I don't expect you to start knitting scarves and baby clothes, but do go on, try."
"I'm gonna make a mess of it," he muttered as he picked the needles up, clutching them in his fists.
"Relax your hold a little," she urged. "You're not going to stab anything to death with it." She shifted his hands on the needles and urged him to try. He was a little clumsy and had a little trouble at first, but then his stubborn determination kicked in and he managed to hook the needle around the yarn. His first success was marked by a delighted cry. After the first few it got easier and he grinned at her.
"Ha, this is easy," he declared, but then he came to the end of the row and paused confused. "What do I do now?" he frowned. He tried to figure out how to continue but wasn't having any greater success with it.
"Now you turn it over and start from that side," she smiled. "You're doing quite well for your first time."
"Whoever figured this out?" he wanted to know as he turned it over, fumbling for a moment before he managed to hold it the same way.
"I really couldn't say," she mused. "But it is rather practical. I'd like to make some warmer clothes for you and Hercules, but I don't know how to get you to use them."
"We just like to travel light," he grinned. "Can't take too much along then."
"No, I suppose not," she agreed.
Iolaus grinned and continued what he was doing, it was a bit uneven as far as he could tell, but he thought he was managing fairly well so he decided to continue.
"Wait, Alcmene, it looks all funny now," he suddenly frowned.
"You dropped a stitch," she nodded. "Wait a moment, I'll fix it for you." She took the knitting from him and slipped the stitch back in place with practiced ease. "Have you decided what you want to do?" she asked
"Can I make you a scarf?" he asked. It was what he wanted to do, something for her.
"Don't you want to make something for yourself?" Alcmene bent to pick up another yarn, mostly because she needed a few seconds to compose herself. It was the look on his face, the wide eyed hopeful luck of a child. Just so had Aelus, his oldest always looked before he presented her with some odd trinket. She remembered it from when Iolaus was young as well, the tiny golden haired boy who'd bring pretty stones and such to her. There was just a hint of something in his eyes that had never been in Aelus' though she knew. The slightest hint of fear that he would be rejected. Aelus had never learned to fear rejection as Iolaus had. It was one of the reasons why she had always treasured those pebbles so much, because she knew how scared he was to offer them.
"Nah," he shrugged now. "Why would I? But I don't have too, I mean if you'd rather I'd not. I'm likely to just be wasting your yarn anyway," he added with a sight.
"No Iolaus, you won't be wasting it," there it was, that flash of insecurity when he thought it wouldn't be good enough. "I'd love it if you did, and it's quite relaxing. You might feel better for it."
"Alright," he bent his head over the knitting again.
"That yarn won't be enough," she told him. "But I have a lot of odd bits that has been leftover. They'll do nicely."
"Okay," he nodded, intent on what he was doing. She resumed her own knitting and watched as he struggled on. Again he was mostly silent, but this time with concentration. At times the tip of his tongue showed at the corner of his mouth, and at times she had to help him when he made one mistake or another. She showed him how to change the yarn and excitedly he switched over and over to make dozens of thin strips in different colours.
He wasn't able to finish that evening, but continued the next night and Alcmene was thrilled. It did wonders for his mood to have something to do.
When he presented it to her there was a flash of uncertainty over his face again, but she quickly soothed it away when she praised his work and kissed his cheek.
"Don't know if it's all that good, it's all crooked and stuff," he mumbled, a little embarrassed.
"Funny that, it looks just perfect to me," she smiled.
Hercules got back just then, storming in like a whirlwind to check on his friend and Iolaus gave Alcmene a worried look. She only smiled softly, afraid of being laughed at Iolaus didn't want her son to know and she respected it though she knew there was no danger of it. She had taught Hercules to sew, and to knit when he was a child. He could crochet too, though she was fairly certain he hadn't told Iolaus. Well, one day they might just surprise each other, when they both discovered they could do it. Until then she'd treasure the scarf, and the knowledge that the next time she was forced to keep him in bed she'd know a way to distract him.
The End
No stitches were dropped during the writing of this fanfic, but one scarf was knitted.
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