"Have you completely lost your mind?" Nom queried stressing the completely implying that he thought that Hook was already half way gone. "My name is Nom, not Nathanial." He heard a deep chuckle coming from the pirate.

"That's what you are known as now but you were once the son of a Navy captain named James Hook. You were lost at sea when you were only two years of age and now unbelievably, I've found you." Nom's eyes narrowed in anger,

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but there is no way I could be the child you're looking for. I was born here and even if I wasn't how could you possibly recognize me?" he argued refusing to accept someone who he saw as an enemy as a father.

"Please I would recognize those eyes, the perfect blend of Briar's and mine, anywhere and this," Hook gestured to a hardly noticeable birthmark underneath Nom's chin, "is a bit of a giveaway. Nathanial, Nom whatever you call yourself you're my son. Mine and Briar's." Nom sat in silence, contemplating what he had heard. A minute passed. Then ten. Finally he spoke up. Reaching deep into his robes he pulled out an old navy medal, that was scratched, but still shining.

"Then I suppose this belongs to you." Hook took the medal turning it over in his hands seeming to caress an old friend. His mouth fell open in an almost comical display of disbelief.

"Where did you get that?"

"I was told it was around my neck when they found me." Nom answered as taciturn as ever, turning away from his father now that his duty was done. Hook smiled. The first real smile in what seemed like forever. He had found his son, it didn't matter that said son hated him or that it would take years to repair the damage, he had found him and that was all that mattered.

"Nathanial this is getting to be ridiculous." Fatima stated, some anger putting an edge to her voice.

"Stop calling me that my name's Nom and it always has been." Nom replied irritated that she wouldn't just allow him to wallow.

"Fine Nom then, you still have to accept him as your father. He is your father and he is giving his all to try and make up the missed years to you, but you, you won't even give him a chance." Fatima pulled the bandaging a bit tighter than was strictly necessary.

"Fatima I've told you time and time again, I can't it's his fault that I grew up being hated, not for something I had done but for my blood. His fault that I never had a mother, a father, or even really a home. His fault that you're family was taken away from you. Fatima, how can you forgive him for that?" Fatima clenched her teeth, stupid, you knew that he would throw that back in your face. Why did you even bring it up? Despite her anger at herself Fatima was able to stay calm and argued back in a controlled, cool tone,

"I have forgiven him because there is no purpose to holding grudges, what's done is done and staying angry won't change that. Also he wasn't directly responsible for what happened to me and my family, sure the soldiers were searching for him, but he didn't tell them to burn down the village and slaughter the people. As I recall they did that all on their own. And don't you think that I would love to hurt them for that? Don't you think that if I could rid the earth of them I would love to? But I wouldn't; all that would accomplish is the spread of more hatred and vengeance. Don't be hateful Nom, don't spread the horror of violence and anger further. Don't let it consume your soul." Fatima pleaded with him earnestly, trying to soothe the dark turmoil in his heart.

"But Fatima how? How can you ask me to forgive him, why should I?" he muttered bitterly consigning himself to hate his father for all eternity.

"Because he's your father. If I could speak to my father, even for a short time, no matter what he did I'd forgive him for it. But I will never have that chance. You do. You do and you're wasting it." She spat standing abruptly, tears streaming down her face. She set down the bowl of water she had been bathing his scrapes in and left, not even bothering to glance back.

"Fatima! Fatima wait! Don't go. FATIMA!!" Nom yelled to her, but she didn't respond. And as much as he loathed the prospect of it, he knew what he had to do to win her back. Forgive his father.

Weeks passed and he gradually earned back the strength he had lost with his illness. Hook was moved to another tent to finish healing and clear space in the infirmary. Finally one day when Nom was strong enough to walk he slowly made his way over to the tent where he knew his father to be. He took a deep breath steeling himself for his greatest challenge yet and entered. "Don't think that this means that I care for you, because I don't but, I am ready to forgive you…. Father." and with that the great Captain and later pirate Hook broke down. Tears fell down his face. Not tears of shock or pain, but tears of joy at his son's return, not only to life in general but to his life.

They spent the next few hours talking, filling each other in on all of the time they had missed. Hook telling Nom stories of his mother who he remembered only in fuzzy images of curtains of orange hair falling over his crib and a soft voice talking to him in soothing tones. Nom telling his father of his life here in the village and what he had learned from the elders who had raised him. And when they parted they had gained, if not a companionship, at least some understanding between father and son.

Later that day Fatima came to check Nom's wounds and change the bandages. He was about to tell her the good news when he noticed her lifeless eyes and morose expression. "Fatima, what's wrong." She turned her face away still, apparently, angry with him.

"It's not like you'd care, it's about your father." Nom's eyes widened with fear, based on her expression whatever this was it wasn't good.

"Fatima, I do care. What is it about my father?"

"The Elders have figured out that he's perfectly healthy and as he is no longer wounded they see no point in keeping him here any longer." Nom didn't quite understand but he definitely didn't like the direction this was headed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked praying she would say they were going to have him join a hunting party or something.

"They're going to send him out into the desert, and as Nymla's finished her training I'm to go with him." By this time the tears were falling freely from both of them. No one survived in the desert for long. No one.

A/N Dun dun dun. Once again thank you for reading my story and I apologize for the crappiness of this chapter. But I do have a bone to pick with you guys. On the stats it says that I have 361 hits on this story but only 2 of you have reviewed thus far. Reviews are like food for authors and my muse is starving! So please review and to those of you who have, you guys rock!!

Reviewers I'd like to thank

LadyLioness yes I do like to throw twists in my stories that no one can see coming, keeps things interesting. I mean personally I hate reading stories where you know exactly what is going to happen next, I mean if you already know why bother reading? Anyway thank you so much for your continued support.