So on we go with this tale...
Some Victor in this chapter. I do like writing him... he is a little weird and I love it :)
As always PLEASE review.
Enjoy
Victor watched as his own body was carried from the back of David's truck to be taken into the teepee nearest the lake. He floated solemnly behind the small group of people carrying the stretcher, somehow feeling he needed to show respect even though it was himself being carried in...
Yip this was definitely kinda weird.
His body was placed on a bed and immediately Lark got to work, something that Victor was happy about. It was obvious from just looking at himself that he had a broken arm and probably a dislocated shoulder but no one at the hospital had bothered to do anything with either injury and God only knew what lay hidden beneath his clothing.
Great!
If he ever got back to his body he was gonna be in a whole world of pain.
He stayed back not wanting to effect his friends as they chatted about what had happened at the clinic but Victor wasn't listening to what they were saying, he couldn't take his eyes from the bed where the medicine man was working furiously on his very bruised torso after cutting off his shirt so when David suddenly turned and walked right over to him he didn't really register that he had approached until the sheriff spoke making Victor jump in surprise...
Yeah Victor, you really do make a bad ass shadow... NOT!
"How you doing?" David asked as Victor tried to look like he hadn't just about had a heart attack... or whatever the shadow equivalent was!
All he could do was give a thumbs up in reply which didn't even come close to how he was actually feeling but the Chief seemed to sense the problem and joined them before simply reaching out and sticking his hand straight into Victor's mid section exactly like he had done the day before. Victor knew how this worked now so he just thought his words and the Chief relayed them to David
"Your friend would like you to know that although he is disturbed to be in this situation he has faith in you and your family... he knows that he will be back with you all before too long."
David looked Victor in the eye "You're still with us Doc. You're part of our team now and I for one am happy to have you on board. I'm just sorry I couldn't get you a bed at the hospital but Lark's good at what he does, I promise."
The Chief laughed heartily as Victor let him know his exact feelings on the hospital matter "He is not sorry in the slightest Shilah... he is happy that Lark will be the one tending to his body. He apparently does not trust the... I am not familiar with this term but I assume it is bad! He says that he does not trust the "battle axe" that has been left in charge of his patients and is glad you brought him here instead."
David chuckled and looked back at Victor "Yeah... she wanted to stick you in a meat locker you know"
"I cannot repeat what he thinks of that but I am sure that you can imagine" the Chief laughed as Victor cursed and swore at the revelation.
He really did hate Ratchet and as soon as he was back she was getting sent back down to the basement whether she liked it or not.
He was still quietly seething when David spoke again "Ginny... Nurse Kyle that is, is with Hook. She seems to have rebelled against Ratchet on your behalf Doc."
David chuckled at this revelation but Victor suddenly found himself in shock and didn't find it funny in the slightest. In fact he was touched... he always liked Nurse Kyle but she didn't have to do that for him, Ratchet could be a total bitch to her for this.
David carried on "She brought a load of stuff with her too, snuck it out so Ratchet wouldn't see. Oh and she brought some films of Hook and Junior's CT scans which showed that it is Voodoo magic that is causing their issues not their link so thanks for that, if we hadn't had them we wouldn't have figured it out so quickly"
Victor was grinning inside and found himself giving another thumbs up before sending his wishes for the Chief to pull back, he didn't want to put the man under more stress than he had to and he could see the strain showing on the leader's face as he broke out in a sweat.
The Chief gave a nod before simply pulling his hand free then looking to David "I will return shortly. I must retreat to another area until the effects of our chat fade"
"Talk to Bear" David said quickly looking concerned "I brought a whole load of banana's over, they're in the back of my truck. They'll give you a boost in no time"
"Thank you Shilah, I will do just that. That fruit is quite delicious on a good day so right now I bet it tastes like the nectar of the gods" the Chief replied with a slight smile before heading to the door leaving Victor hovering awkwardly by David's side but the Prince just smiled at his then turned back to look at the bed as Lark yanked on Victor's broken arm. It popped back into it's joint with a resounding clack making David's smile slide from his face as his lip curled in disgust.
"That is my cue to leave... that was gross"
Victor chuckled to himself as David ducked out of the teepee looking rather green around the gills but when there was another loud cracking noise from the bed Victor cringed and looked up to see Lark holding his very mangled arm in his hands only now it had a bend in a place that it most definitely should not have had one.
"Sorry... I did not realize that your arm was quite as broken as it is. Worry not, I shall fix it now"
Victor shook his head in disbelief. He really didn't want to watch but it was like car crash TV and he couldn't take his eyes away as the medicine man just yanked and pulled his arm back into place before securing it in place using a make shift splint made from sticks and cut up lengths of animal hide.
Lark suddenly looked up and grinned "This is fun... normally my patients are a lot less compliant than this"
Victor had no words... literally!
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Killian gave a stretch as he turned over in bed to lie on his right hand side. He pulled the pillow down a bit and snuggled into it with a sigh, fulling intending on going back to sleep. He felt calm and safe and for a minute or two he genuinely thought that he was in his own bunk on board the Jolly until he heard a noise he didn't recognize. He suddenly became aware of the scarf around his eyes and the slight sting from the IV line in the crook of his left arm and he remembered that he was at the camp.
"Swan?" he mumbled raising his head to try and hear if she was there.
"Hey" she whispered dropping down onto the bed at his side and letting her hand slide onto his left upper arm where she rubbed up and down in a soothing motion "How are you feeling?"
Killian gave a frown beneath his scarf as it suddenly registered that he felt better than he had in a while "Good... I feel much better"
"Great" she replied in surprise and he could practically hear the smile on her face "You think you could eat something? Tala made you some chicken soup."
Again he pondered the question and soon realized that his stomach felt settled enough to try "Aye... I could give it a go at least"
"OK, I'll be back in a minute. You OK by yourself? Hang on, scratch that." he was confused for a second until she added "Your Shilah is here. He'll keep you company while I grab the soup"
Killian felt Swan stand up and seconds later she was replaced by David who instantly dropped his hand onto Killian's arm where Emma's had been seconds before.
"Tala's soup is good... not as good as my famous "Chicken Bird Broth" but it'll do" David laughed and Killian found himself grinning as he thought back to David's poor attempts at cooking when they were in Tink's cave.
"Your broth did have a certain flavor" Killian laughed back
"Hey, it's not my fault that bird had a funky taste" David defended then he laughed "But yeah maybe I'll give Tala the title of best broth maker... just you wait, it tastes amazing"
Killian started trying to move "In that case perhaps I should get myself sitting up. I cannot eat while lying like this"
David stood up and helped him turn over then Killian felt what he assumed were pillows being jammed down his back before David guided him to lean back.
"You want a drink?" David asked from slightly further away
"Thank you Brother" Killian replied licking his dry lips, a drink sounded good about now.
"Here" David said a few seconds later lifting Killian's hand to take the cup which he did raising it quickly to his mouth and drinking deeply.
He had expected apple juice and was surprised when it was just water... not that he was complaining, he found that the juice never fully quenched his thirst. After the initial couple of mouthfuls he chose to sip the water unwilling to gulp anymore down in case he upset his newly settled stomach but he was happy to find that he managed the full cup without any issues. This was good, perhaps he would be home by the weekend after all.
"You look better" David suddenly stated sounding surprised
"I feel better too. Lark is a bloody wonder" Killian replied with a grin before asking "How are my boys?"
"They're good" David replied but he didn't elaborate and Killian got the distinct feeling that he was not saying something.
"Is that the truth?" he asked suspiciously "What are you not saying?"
He heard David sigh "Well I think we both know that Junior would be a lot happier if he could see you but apart from that the last time I saw him he was having the time of his life while drinking a pineapple and banana smoothie at the diner. Ruby's gonna keep them entertained for a while but honestly he's fine in himself, try not to worry"
"That is easier said than done" Killian replied but then he was smirking "Do you have your talking... I mean... your phone? Perhaps I could converse with them... reassure them both that I will be home soon"
"Sure" David replied quickly, again sounding surprised before taking the empty cup from Killian's hand and giving him the phone "I dialed Ruby, it should be ringing"
Killian raised the phone to his ear and smiled widely as Ruby answered expecting David "Sorry to disappoint you Love but do not despair, it is the more handsome Brother that you are currently talking to"
"HOOK" she yelled into his ear making him laugh
"Aye Love, that is one of my names"
He could instantly hear Junior yelling that he wanted to talk to him and when Ruby asked if it was OK he agreed quickly.
"PAPA" Junior yelled making him smile so wide his jaw hurt
"Aye... how are you doing Son?"
"Awesome" he cried back before adding seriously "But I miss you. When will you be coming home?"
"Perhaps in a couple days" Killian answered remaining vague, he was not sure if this new found calmness would remain once his IV line was removed so he didn't want to make promises that he could not keep.
"May I come and see you?" Junior asked hopefully
"We shall see" Killian replied before quickly carrying on so that Junior didn't have time to complain "Are you being a good boy for Grandma and Grandpa?"
"Aye and for Ruby too" he shot back "Oh and Gina...She stayed with us last night"
"She did did she?" Killian asked in mock surprise where as in all honesty he would have been more surprised if she hadn't. Regina really had become like part of the family something that he and Swan had realized and discussed at length over the last few weeks.
"Aye and Roland stayed too but Robin did not" Junior suddenly sounded confused before adding "I do not know where he went, he was supposed to stay"
"He was here with me Son" Killian added vaguely remembering that fact
"That's good" Junior replied happily before he suddenly gave a gasp "Did Momma tell you that your Liam is wrong?"
"Aye" Killian replied seriously "Do not worry Junior. I am not listening to Liam's voice anymore but you should know that it is not him... it is someone pretending to be him. Our Brother would never say such things to either of us"
"Oh" Junior practically whispered "Are you sure?"
"As sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow" Killian reassured before adding "I will never leave you Junior. You, Henry and your Momma Swan are my life and I love you all too much to do that, do you hear me?"
"Aye and we love you too Papa" Junior replied although from his tone he still seemed unsure but Killian supposed it was only to be expected, this was a lot for anyone to take in.
For the moment Killian was happy that Junior had accepted what had been said so he wanted to move onto his other Son and make sure that he was alright too.
"I will see you very soon but for now may I speak with your Brother please?"
"Aye" Junior replied before suddenly yelling very loudly "HENRY... YOUR OLD MAN WANTS TO CONVERSE WITH YOU... he's just coming Papa, he is in the kitchen"
Killian grinned widely and laughed "Thank you Son"
"Hey Killian" Henry's voice came into his ear a few seconds later
"Henry I have missed you Lad"
"Me too, how you doing?"
"I am fine Henry do not worry about me. I need you to concentrate on your Brother not this old sea dog. I get the distinct impression that Junior is quite disillusioned by our Brother, you need to reassure him that his memory of Liam is untainted, can you do that for your Old Man?"
"I will, don't worry" Henry agreed before taking the conversation in a different direction "How is Dr Whale doing?"
Killian frowned deeply at the question... he had no clue where the Doctor was never mind how he was fairing but he gave an answer anyway.
"I think that he is fine Henry but I have not seen him so being honest I am not sure"
Suddenly David spoke by his side "He asking about Whale?" Killian nodded then gave a jump of surprise when his Brother suddenly raised his voice and yelled to Henry "Whale's good Kid, I'll tell him you were asking for him"
"Tell Grandpa I said thanks" Henry said back but before Killian had a chance to do just that Henry was asking another question in a whispered tone "Are you definitely coming home in a couple of days? I think Junior might have a melt down if you don't. He really misses you and now Mom's not here either... he's really struggling Killian, he was really upset last night."
Killian thought about it, he certainly felt like he would be well enough but he still needed to see how he faired without the drugs that stopped his sickness.
"I will do my best to be home by Friday evening at the latest. I just need a couple more days to ensure... to uhm..."
"It's OK Old Man... I get it and that's cool. As long as Junior's got a timescale I think he'll be fine"
Killian suddenly wasn't sure if Henry knew the full truth or not but somehow he didn't seem to mind so much anymore, he trusted the lad but before he had a chance to enquire as to what he actually knew Swan returned and David was wrestling the phone from his hand and talking to Henry.
"Henry, your Old Man is about to eat so you'll have to put up with me for a while"
Killian was distracted after that as Swan sat down next to him and the smell of the soup hit him making his mouth water in anticipation "Smells good Love"
"Tastes good too" she chuckled "I might have tried it on the way over. Come on open your mouth you don't want it getting cold"
He did as he was told and within seconds he was humming in appreciation as the warm soup hit his stomach. Emma laughed at him as she kept spooning the broth down him and he didn't stop... he didn't even think about it until it was all gone and he was left wishing that there was more. That was the best soup he had tasted in a very long time.
"You look like you enjoyed that" David laughed by his side before adding "I told the kids you'd call them tomorrow. Junior wanted to go, he was just about climbing the walls because Ruby had promised him Pizza"
Killian grinned but suddenly Emma didn't sound so amused "What's with that kid today? He's been miserable for days wanting to see Hook and now he's more interested in pizza. Plus earlier he gets hot coffee poured down his front and all he can talk about is his smoothie"
Killian sat up and burst out "He what? He had coffee poured over him... why did no one say?"
"He's fine" Emma soothed pushing him back down against his pillows "By the time I got to him Gold had healed him already. Honestly there's not a mark on him"
Killian let out a sigh of relief "He is truly alright?"
"He's fine" David suddenly said sounding confused as he added "But are you?"
"What do you mean?" Killian asked with a frown, this was so hard when he couldn't see their faces, why would David think that he was not fine?
"Emma just told you that Gold healed Junior and you didn't flip out...in fact you didn't even mention it, what's going on with you?"
Killian frowned deeper as he gave it some thought but he couldn't explain it, he just felt happy and safe... besides it wasn't like the Crocodile had hurt Junior, he had helped him.
"Nothing is going on with me" he replied with a shrug and a chuckle "As long as Junior is fine I am happy and the Crocodile and I have put our differences aside for the sake of the boys remember?"
"Now I'm agreeing with Dad" Emma added taking Killian's hand and sliding her other one onto his forehead "You don't have a temperature, you sure you're feeling OK?"
Killian suddenly grinned and squeezed her hand "I am fine love... In fact I feel better than I have felt in a while. Lark is a miracle worker don't you know? Is there any more soup?"
"I think maybe you've had enough for tonight, we don't want to push our luck" Swan answered "Maybe you should get some sleep instead, you still sound tired"
He found himself just nodding in agreement as she took away some of his pillows and he settled back down into the bed "Are you to join me Love? I have missed our time together"
"I'll be with you soon" she whispered rubbing her fingers down his arm "I just need to check in with Mom, she's talking to Tink. I'll not be long I promise"
"Take your time Swan... I will be just fine" he gave a contented sigh and settled down to sleep already feeling relaxed and calm "I will be here when you return"
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"I'm getting Tala" David whispered as they headed out through the door "Maybe she can see what's going on inside that head of his because something is, I'm sure of it now. Tala told us literally a few hours ago that he could try and kill himself and that he was really struggling with his place here... that there was not a man who was close to doing something stupid and maybe if Junior hadn't been acting weird too I would have just put it down to what she did to take away Devin's spirits but I'm not buying it, this is a Voodoo thing I'd lay money on it"
"I agree" Emma hissed back "I'm going to ask Mom to head back and check on Junior and see if she can talk to him. Maybe he can shed some light on the situation"
"Good idea" David agreed "meet you back at the teepee in five"
Emma nodded "I'll see if Tink wants to come back too, I think we need to ask her a bit more about what went on back at that clinic"
"Oh" David said suddenly remembering the bananas. He jogged over to the back of his truck and reached over grabbing a couple "Make sure Tink eats these, we're pretty sure she'll be feeling the effects of the shadow without knowing about it but these will sort her out in no time"
"Thanks Dad" Emma replied with a smile "Be right back"
They headed in opposite directions but before too long David and Tala were heading back to the teepee. He gave a frown when he saw Snow walking across the clearing towards them without Emma.
"Tink wanted to grab some plant or another that might help Hook. Apparently it grows by the lake so they'll be here in a minute" Snow answered obviously reading his confused expression
"How's Tink doing?" David asked in concern remembering how he'd felt once he had realized how much the Shadow magic had effected him.
"She seems fine although she does seem quite confused on a few things... Lark said that she couldn't remember what was in her tea. I thought that was a little odd but then again she probably has been subjected to Shadow magic for the last couple of weeks"
"Did she eat the bananas that Shilah provided?" Tala asked in concern
"She was just starting to as they headed to the lake" Snow replied with a smile before looking to David again and asking "How is Killian doing?"
"Better... a lot better in fact and that's what's worrying me"
"What? I don't understand" Snow replied as they ducked through the flap in the teepee "Isn't that a good thing"
"Not if it's not really how he's feeling. He just seems too happy... and Junior was the same earlier plus the boys were talking to Hook on my cell when his soup arrived. I took the phone fully intending to hand it back once he'd finished eating but Junior didn't want to wait. He was more interested in Ruby calling for a pizza and after last night THAT in itself is not right, something's going on Snow, I just know it"
Snow suddenly looked quite worried "That does sound strange. He's wanted nothing more than to talk to Hook for days"
"Exactly" David agreed "I think it's a Voodoo thing"
"Then I shall see what I can find out" Tala whispered as they approached the bed.
She quickly knelt down but this time instead of just laying a single hand on Hook Tala placed one on either side of his head and furrowed her brow in concentration. David watched as she frowned deeper and tipped her head slightly in concentration before simply letting go and getting to her feet again.
"You were quite correct Shilah" she whispered "This is not his natural state of well being. It would seem someone has instructed him that he should feel happy... I am unsure as to how long this will last so do not be surprised if when he wakes he does not feel the same way"
"Right" Snow suddenly declared "That is my cue to leave. I'm going to check on Junior, I'll see if I can find anything out from him."
"I'll call Ruby and let her know that you're on your way" David replied stepping forward and kissing her cheek quickly "Be careful"
"I will...Tell Emma I'll call her once I get the boys home. I'm pretty sure Regina is staying over again so I'll check in with her too but until then I'll keep Roland with me and I'll swing by Ashley's to pick up Neal, I want us all together."
David nodded then gave a little frown "I'll walk you to the truck then I'll go and find Emma, I don't know what's taking them so long"
A few minutes later he was waving his goodbyes before starting off across the clearing towards the lake. He gave Bear a smile and a wave as he went past the teepee where Whale was being kept but he didn't stop, he just kept going knowing he didn't have time to stop for a chat. He had to tell Emma that they had been right about Hook but minutes later he was coming to an abrupt halt when he heard a loud splash and he looked up to see what looked like an unconscious Tinkerbell lying on the sand and the Shadow Man dragging a struggling Emma out over the water.
He was running in a second completely bypassing Tink to rush straight into the lake to help his daughter "EMMA!"
Emma grit her teeth and struggled harder as she yelled back "I'm fine, I got this... see to Tink"
There was a blinding light and suddenly the Shadow let go. Emma dropped into the water with a splash and David watched as the Shadow circled a couple of times before flying off over the trees. He checked to make sure that his daughter resurfaced and that she was alright before turning back to the shore and wading back towards Tink.
He dropped down onto his knees next to the fairy to pull her over onto her back where she gave a few wide blinks. Something in the way she moved had him giving a frown... she almost didn't look like herself but before he had a chance to even think about it any further he was suddenly letting out a scream of agony as a pain like no other he had EVER felt in his life seared through his entire being.
His back arched and he let out a roar...
What was going on?
He literally felt like he was being torn in two and the pain was only getting worse... he let out another scream for help but when his eyes fell on Tink she hadn't even moved... she was just lying back looking up at him with a smile on her face!
What the hell?
Then the pain went up a notch which he hadn't thought possible and his vision disappeared. In the next instant David finally understood what was happening as he heard a low growl in his ear and he realized that his shadow was being torn away.
"You should have learned to stay out of our business sheriff" The Shadow Man hissed "You keep bringing hope to our Captain and we cannot have that now can we?"
David couldn't reply all he could do was scream harder as the Shadow Man wrenched his shadow a little further from his body.
Another scream was wrenched from David's lungs and he suddenly found himself pitching forward to land face first in the sand when the pressure suddenly stopped. There was more screaming and his vision skewed but just before his world went black he saw a blinding white light that seemed to illuminate everything around him... he tried to squint his eyes to see what was going on but he couldn't quite manage and the darkness won the battle as he finally lost his fight to stay conscious.