Well it finally ends * insert sad face here *
Worry not, I shall return.
Here is the ribbon to tie up this tale
Enjoy xx
Domus, home
A week passed in no time at all and Killian got stronger everyday. Physically he was healing well and had been pleasantly surprised to find that walking unaided had not been as tricky as he had feared it would be with his leg still in that blasted plaster cast when he had just successfully managed to get himself to and from the washroom in the middle of the night without asking David for help.
He lay back on his pillows and looked to his side to see the Prince himself still sleeping soundly in the other bed. David should have been discharged days ago but here he still was unwilling to leave Killian by himself something that Whale didn't even seem to question anymore and if Killian was being honest with himself he was glad.
While his body was healing quickly mentally he was really struggling, nightmares plagued his dreams as faces he thought he knew would turn on him without warning. He kept lurching awake unable to tell reality form the dream world and it left him confused and embarrassed especially when he flinched when anyone made a sudden movement near him. How could he be the fearsome Captain Hook if he jumped every time someone so much as moved?
He sighed again and looked at the clock on the wall to see it was still the middle of the night. He was finally leaving this place in a few hours and even though he was tired beyond words he couldn't sleep, not now. He had woken from yet another nightmare to find tears streaming down his face, he had dreamt of his Mother for what seemed like the millionth time since that damned God had planted her image back in his head but this time it was very unlike the first time he had experienced her return to his mind, this time she brought nothing but torture as she tormented and shouted at him blaming him for Liam's death. He knew none of it was true but it had left him shaken and nervous to return to the dream world in case she was still there, waiting for him.
He was being stupid, he knew that but here he was none the less lying awake unwilling to risk sleep at silly o'clock in the morning.
His eyes fell onto the table across the bottom of his bed to see a small flat gift tied with a ribbon. Where had that come from? He wondered what was inside but didn't have the energy to pull himself forward to reach it after his trip the the bathroom not that long ago.
He'd just have to open it in the morning.
He tried to distract himself with anything but the silence in the room was horrendous, he didn't even have the beat of his heart rate monitor anymore after he had been taken off of it a few days earlier. Gods, this was going to be a long night.
His eyes fell back on the gift and he knew he wasn't going to be able to relax until he found out what it was so he threw back his blankets and hauled himself forward but the table was still too far away. Damn it, he couldn't reach, he was going to have to shuffle further down the bed.
He looked to the side checking to see if David was still asleep which he was, good, the last thing he needed was the Prince telling him he was being an idiot as he swung his legs over the side of the bed where he paused trying to settle his sore ribs. He looked to his left, the table was still too far away and he now realized that shuffling was not going to be an option, he was going to have to stand then walk, grab the gift, throw it back up the bed then return himself before he would be able to open it.
Was this a good idea?
Probably not, he was already really tired as hell but he was more than half way there now so he wasn't going to stop now. With that thought in mind he pulled himself from the bed to stand on his feet but as soon as he was free from the mattress his legs wobbled seemingly unwilling to hold him up any longer and he found himself toppling unceremoniously to the floor where he landed with an oomph.
Every part of him hurt as he lay on the cold tiles trying to get his pain level back under some sort of control. He was very glad that all his lines had been removed the day before, as bad as it was this could have been so much worse if they had still been in place.
He lay for a few minutes trying to hold back the groans of pain that were trying to escape him and eventually his sore body settled enough for him to gather his thoughts but as if all of this wasn't bad enough worse was still to come when few minutes later he realized that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get himself back up off the floor, he was stuck. He had no strength to pull himself back up and to make things worse he was getting cold now as a shiver passed through him.
He was never going to live this down, he was going to be called an idiot in less than a minute but he had no choice, he couldn't lie here until morning, he would have to wake the sleeping Prince.
"David" he called out as his skin broke out into goosebumps and another shiver gripped him but the Prince slept on, if only he'd just stayed where he was this would not be happening right now.
"DAVID" he yelled louder and that seemed to work as he heard movement on the bed above him
"Hook?!" David mumbled then he must have looked at his bed to see it empty as his panicked voice rang out.
"Hook, where are you?"
"Down here Mate, a little assistance if you please" he managed to grit out as his teeth chattered.
"The hell? What happened?"
David was at his side in seconds and his reply was lost as he gasped in pain when David started pulling him to his feet. The Prince wrestled him back onto the bed and covered him back up with his blankets before disappearing from view for a second. Killian barely had time to wonder where he had gone before he was back with another blanket which he threw over the top of his normal ones. Killian closed his eyes as another shiver ran through him, Gods he was cold.
"Hook, talk to me. What happened?"
"Fell" he said through chattering teeth
"Yes, very informative. I had figured that much out but what were you doing out of bed?"
In that moment Killian couldn't face David mocking his stupidity or the look of disappointment on his face so he lied... well, he embellished the truth.
"Nightmare" was all he said but the look on David's face was enough to know that it had worked and he wasn't going to ask anymore questions.
"You OK now?"
"Aye" was all Killian said but it was true as the extra blanket helped warm him again but the worry on David's face was still there and Killian suddenly felt ashamed of himself for having to wake the man. "Sorry"
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Now why don't you try going back to sleep?"
Killian just shook his head and David seemed to understand as he sighed heavily and sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"You want to talk about these nightmares?"
"Not really" Killian sighed again turning his head to meet David's gaze "Mate, you know more than anyone else what that damned God did to me, I'm sure you already have a pretty realistic idea what my brain is torturing me with every night. I will get over it... eventually."
"Well maybe this will help" David said with a grin as he stood up and reached for the gift at the bottom of the bed "It was Regina's idea but this is from Henry, it used to belong to Neal, you know Baelfire not the baby"
Killian was really confused now, what could it be? David handed the gift over and Killian just held it in his hand for a second trying to figure out what it was.
"Well open it then" David chuckled and it brought him back to himself.
"Aye, right" he chuckled back as he tried to peel back the wrapping. It was tricky but he finally managed to pull back the paper to reveal a beautiful dream catcher inside.
"Regina has put an enchantment on it so that if you hang it near your bed while you sleep it should take away the bad dreams and leave only the good ones. You were already sleeping last night when Regina showed up, it was quite late but maybe we could try it now?"
Killian didn't hesitate, he just handed the dream catcher over and watched as David hung it from the now empty IV pole.
"There. Now there's only one way to find out if this thing works. You need to sleep" David said turning back to him with a smile
"Easier said than done" Killian said with a groan as his ribs flared painfully when he tried to get more comfortable.
"I could get someone, you might have damaged something when you fell" David's worry was back but Killian knew that he hadn't.
"Not necessary, I am fine. It's just that sleep no longer holds the same allure as it once did"
David gently clapped a hand on Killian's arm and headed back to bed "You'll be fine. Trust in Regina Hook, if she thinks that the dream catcher will work it'll work"
"Flypaper for dreams" Killian muttered with a smirk
"What?" David asked in confusion as he settled himself back under his own blankets
"Flypaper for dreams...That's what Baelfire used to call them, Emma told me once. This particular one was hanging in Neal's apartment in New York, Henry must have taken it when they were there" Killian gave another heavy sigh as his gaze moved to the ceiling tiles once more "It's not fair is it? I mean Henry didn't deserve to lose his Father even if he did die a hero. I sometimes wish that it was I who had died and Baelfire who had lived, it would mean Henry would still have his Father. I know how I felt when I lost mine as a Lad and I never wanted that for the boy"
"So, what? Henry would still have his Dad but you'd be dead in Neal's place? You think that is the answer? That's all very noble but then he wouldn't have you and neither would Emma. Hook I think you underestimate what you mean to both of them. As hard as it was to say goodbye to Neal I think it would have killed Emma if she had lost you. She loves you more than she is willing to say, you know that right?"
Killian lay back and stared at the ceiling again, he did know it and a huge grin appeared on his face once more at the very thought of her.
"Aye and I her"
"Well stop being an idiot then and go to sleep" David chuckled as he lay back with a sigh
Killian closed his eyes as sleep tugged at him and he saw her face smiling up at him, for the first time since this whole thing started Killian embraced sleeps tight embrace and let it take him. He was with his Swan, she would keep him safe and no harm would come to either of them.
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It had really worked, he woke feeling refreshed to find the room full of happy faces.
"Killian, you're finally awake!" Henry grinned at him as he blinked his eyes a few times trying to figure out what was going on.
"Kid, give him a minute" Emma laughed as she stepped up next to her Son.
"He's fine Swan. What's going on?" he replied grabbing the bed controls to sit himself up a bit.
"We're just getting everything ready to go and making plans for this afternoon" she said with a grin
"Aye? So what is the plan for later?" he asked craning his neck to see what the others were doing. David was already dressed and looked more than ready to leave as he spoke animatedly to Mary-Margaret.
"That's for us to know" Emma teased.
David looked up at that point and grinned at him.
"Sleep well?"
"Aye and I believe I have you to thank for that Lad?" Killian replied turning back to Henry "Thank you"
"That's OK, I'm just glad it worked. " Henry grinned back "You ready to go home?"
"More than" Killian agreed with a chuckle
An few hours later he found himself being wheeled down the corridor by Emma after his discharge papers were finally signed. David and Mary-Margaret had left a while ago but Henry had stayed and as they finally walked out into the parking lot and the bright warm sunshine hit his skin Killian beamed from ear to ear as Henry chattered excitedly by his side.
"This is going to be so awesome, I can't wait until we get home." Henry burst out as Emma wheeled Killian up to her bug.
"Kid you need to calm down, Hook is going to need a lot of rest, you realize that you're probably going to have to be quiet for a lot of the time. He's gonna need a lot of sleep"
But Henry didn't even miss a beat, he just continued to smile.
"I know but the bits where he is awake are gonna be epic. I can't wait"
"I fear your expectations may be running away from you Lad, I am not that exciting" Killian chuckled
"Are you kidding me? You are Captain Hook... for a kid you don't get much more exciting than that, everyone at school is talking about it"
Killian just shook his head as Henry climbed into the back seat of Swan's vessel and settled himself in. Next it was his turn. It took a lot of maneuvering but he was finally sitting in his seat breathing heavily and clutching at his ribs as they pulsed in pain once more.
"You OK?" Emma asked as she slid into the seat next to him.
"I'm good." he replied with a tired smile "Now can we leave before someone changes their mind and makes me go back inside"
Swan started the engine and they were moving in no time, Killian closed his eyes and lent back in his seat just listening to the song on the radio as they traveled towards town. He must have dozed off because before he knew it they were pulling up to a stop but when he looked outside it wasn't to see the loft. He furrowed his brow in confusion, why were they in the woods?
"Swan?"
"Just wait and see. We don't have to stay long but my Dad wanted to do something and this was his idea of fun for some reason" she gave a shrug as she got out of the car and was followed seconds later by Henry.
A few minutes later he stood by the bug staring in awe at all the people who had gathered in the clearing. The sun was shining brightly and there were balloons and flags tied everywhere.
"Welcome home Killian" Henry yelled and the crowd of people all cheered and rushed forward to greet him.
There were so many people it was a bit of a blur but eventually Killian found himself being lowered into a very comfortable lounger chair. He had literally just sat down when a small table was placed within easy reaching distance and he was supplied with a drink and some snack food by a grinning David.
"Welcome home Hook" he beamed
"Technically we are not home" Killian replied with a chuckle as he lifted the drink and peered inside the cup "Beer? Is this allowed?"
"I won't tell if you don't" David said quietly giving him a wink "One won't kill you Hook, relax and enjoy yourself. I'm about to start the fire then you are about to experience the best barbecue food in this realm and you know what that means don't you?"
"Nope" Killian smacked his lips as he swallowed down a mouthful of the delicious amber liquid "No idea Mate"
David sighed and rolled his eyes "Do you listen to anything I say at all? It means that once the food is done and we've all eaten our fill we can kick back, relax and FINALLY you can experience toasted marshmallows"
Killian chuckled as David grinned wider dropping down on to his knees to try and light the fire, he knew that the Prince needed this more than he did, while this whole thing had been hard on him it had been hard on David too and if this made him feel better who was he to complain.
"Looking forward to it"
The look on David's face was enough as he happily added some more kindling to the prepared wood. Killian looked about him, everyone was happy, the sun was shining. They had won another battle and everyone had lived to tell the tale.
He chuckled to himself, he had been in some tight spots in his life but since coming to live here he had really been through it, this town should really come with a health warning but as his eyes fell on Emma's smiling face he knew that he would never leave, not as long as she stayed here. His place was by her side and if that meant staying in Storybrooke where winters were hard and summers were short and danger lurked around every corner well so be it.
He had told her more than once that he was a survivor but what he hadn't told her was that she was his very own personal savior, she had saved him from himself and for that he would love her for the rest of his life and wherever she went he would be right there with her... living happily ever after.
