OK so I managed to type up another update, it is long but that is to make up for the fact that there will NOT be an update tomorrow. I have family plans and will not be home until late.
Fluff... it's what we needed
With a little more of Rumple's EVIL EVIL plan
*shakes fist at the Dark One *
Damn you Rumplestiltskin, damn you.
Enjoy
As always please review
:)
"Are they alright?" Mary-Margaret asked in concern from the floor as she cleaned up the mess.
David just nodded and closed the door quietly behind himself before dropping down next to his wife and pulling off some of the paper towels to help her.
"Emma's gonna stay in there with them just in case Hook has another nightmare" he said in a hushed tone while they worked "I hope that he doesn't, this is just getting out of control now Mary-Margaret and he's right, it's not fair on Junior, we need to find a way to break that link"
"But how? We don't even really know anything about it" she asked in concern spraying some disinfectant on to the tiles.
David stood up and lifted the bucket in which they had thrown the soiled papers so that Mary-Margaret could wipe under it and sighed "I don't know but first thing tomorrow I am calling Belle, if anyone can help us look into it it's her"
Henry sidled up to him as he stood pondering their problem
"I've been thinking about it Grandpa" the kid said in a thoughtful tone
"Been thinking about what Kid?" David asked, he hadn't realized that Henry had been listening to what he and Mary-Margaret were saying but when he spoke again it became apparent that he had.
"What if we've been thinking about this all wrong?"
"What you thinking?" David asked shifting his feet to look at his Grandson with interest
"What if instead of looking into the gem stone which we pretty much know is of no use to us now, we look into Blackbeard. I mean Hook had thought that the map could have been cursed by him or something. He said that it could have been a trap set by one Pirate Captain to another, what if he was right? Maybe we just missed something"
"THAT is a great idea Henry, you really do like to think outside the box Kid" David agreed, he knew that the map was fake but the gem had been Blackbeard's so it was a good place to start.
He stepped forward and pulled his Grandson into a one armed hug making sure to keep the bucket held out at arms length in the opposite direction before holding it out for Mary-Margaret to drop the last bits of paper towel into as she finished up.
"The best thing about it Grandpa is that I have already talked to Belle and she is going to bring all the books she can find over first thing tomorrow morning." Henry added with a grin before looking at the closed bedroom door "Talking of books, I left mine in there. I was gonna use this room with Junior and put the book in there earlier so that we could read it tonight"
"Sorry Kid, we just went with the nearest one"
"I don't mind Grandpa, the rooms are nearly the same anyway and I can get the book back tomorrow, I mean Junior will probably be too tired tonight to do it anyway." he gave a sad sigh and David couldn't help feeling sorry for the kid.
"Hey, there will be other nights and who knows with that Kid he may very well wake up and be bouncing around here like there's no tomorrow"
Henry gave a little laugh "He does like to bounce doesn't he?"
"Just a bit" David laughed back "Come on, let's go help Regina prepare this meal, she has to have lots needing done"
Henry gave a nod and set off back towards the kitchen. David took hold of Mary-Margaret's hand and followed after him giving her a reassuring smile as they went. Henry's idea was a good one, this would cheer up the Pirate, at least now they had something to focus on and something that Hook could help with. Him and Belle really did make a great research team... yep the Nevengers were definitely getting back on track.
Let Operation Gemini commence
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Rumple raised an eyebrow as he looked around the cave at the Lost Ones who were trying in vain to look like they weren't standing in front of the Dark One
"Where is Devin?" Rumple asked turning slowly to look at each of them "You have barely been free for more than four hours and already I find you NOT doing what you are supposed to be doing"
One of the boys gave a nervous glance towards the tunnels and mumbled "He has gone to retrieve Tootles"
"OK... and that stops YOU from working how?"
"We were just... we didn't want to..."another boy stammered but then the first one stepped forward and spoke again.
"Is it true that a dragon resides in those tunnels?"
Rumple gave a little laugh and again raised his eyebrow "You are scared of a dragon?"
The boys all gave nervous laughs and one said "Well they can breathe fire, who wouldn't be scared?"
"Breathe fire?!" Rumple explained, he turned on his heels quickly and roared " MEETING A CREATURE THAT CAN BREATHE FIRE WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES IF YOU DO NOT GET BACK IN THOSE TUNNELS AND FIND MY GEM STONE"
The boys instantly fled and Rumple was left standing breathing heavily in the open cave surrounded by the rubble that had fallen onto the sand "Idiots, I should have just taken their hearts when I had the chance"
"Now there is no need for that" a voice suddenly called out from the passageway and Rumple turned to see Devin dumping an unconscious boy onto the ground.
"The wanderer returns" Rumple proclaimed "and I can only presume that this pathetic excuse is Tootles"
"Useless idiot didn't want to come with me... I had to improvise quickly"
"You ruin my plan Devin and you will regret it. Tell me that you were not seen"
"Not by a single soul" The boy grinned "And now we have another pair of hands to help us. I will refrain from taking Rapha until we are ready to go, I watched him with his "family" and I think that taking him now would only raise suspicion where as this useless piece of trash won't be missed... they're probably just waiting on him running away"
"I like how you think Devin" Rumple said nodding his head slowly "Did you pay our Pirate a visit too?"
"I did" Devin's grin grew wider and he gave an evil little cackle "We have messed him up really well haven't we?"
"I have to say that I didn't realize just how badly until I witnessed something the other day. I am impressed Devin, I took his hand and not even I can elicit a reaction like the one I witness while wearing your face. Just don't over do things and make sure that there is never a witness... he will surely think that he is losing his mind before too much longer and those damned heroes will be so consumed with trying to help him that they will fail to see that it is not Hook that they need to be worrying about but his young counterpart"
Devin smirked and gave another little bow "Do not worry Dark One I am well versed in the art of trickery. Your Father taught me all too well"
Rumple's smile fell from his face in an instant "You always have to lower the tone boy."
And with that he puffed into his red smoke cloud as Devin's laughter rang out around him appearing just outside the shop with a growl.
"I refuse to let Peter Pan foul my mood" he grumbled as he opened the door with a jingle and headed straight through to the back room only to grind to a halt as he came through the bead curtain.
"Belle! What on Earth are you doing?"
"Research" she beamed back around a stack of books that she had placed on the floor next to the table "I spoke to Henry earlier and while you and Blue carry on looking into getting Emma her magic back the Nevengers are going to look into Blackbeard himself"
"The Nevengers?!" he asked but inside he was sighing in relief. They could look into Blackbeard all they liked as long as they avoided the gem
Belle gave a silly grin "Yeah it's what we called ourselves the last time Killian was in hospital after those nasty Lost Ones attacked him. I guess the name just stuck"
"I can see why... so witty" he grumbled but Belle gave a heavy sigh and frowned
"What is wrong with you tonight?" she cried "You left here in such a good mood"
"Yes well I was in a good mood but" thinking on his feet he just blurted out "Progress with the Fairy is proving to be slow going"
"Don't get frustrated Rumple, you'll figure it out I know you will. I believe in you"
He sighed heavily. He knew that it was true, she really did believe in him and a little bit of guilt gnawed at him as he thought of the lies he had spun to get this far but then the thought of what he was working towards took over.
"I know you do Belle, it's what gets me through each day" he replied with a loving smile as he made his way through the chaos to reach her "Now come on, research can wait. Let me take my beautiful wife out for dinner. Maybe we both need a break from the books for one night"
"That" Belle said standing up and knocking the dust from her dress "Sounds like a very good idea but I think I may need to change first, these books are beyond dusty"
She pulled a face as she looked at the grime on her front but Rumple didn't care, it reminded him of the early days, back when he fell head over heals for her as she cleaned and cared for him. He pulled her into his arms and held her lovingly.
"I swear you grow more beautiful every day Belle, how did I ever deserve your love?"
She leant into his arms and put her forehead on his then trailed her finger up to his heart "Because deep down inside here Rumple you are beautiful too, I can just see it more clearly than others but recently others are seeing it too. I love you Rumple... and I always will"
With that she kissed him lovingly before stepping back and looking down at herself again and giggling "But I still need to change, you may like the "dirty peasant" look but I am not going to dinner like this. Come on we can stop at home first"
With that she was tugging him towards the front door, he gave a laugh and went with her. Soon enough his heart would be pure, the darkness would be trapped inside the body of a child, a child that would be festering away in Neverland.
Rumple grinned to himself as he thought of the look of horror that would appear on Devin's face when he finally realized that he had been tricked into taking a duplicate copy of the Dark One with him, a younger copy that once he was freed from the temporary effects of the squid ink that Rumple planned to use on him, would probably kill everything on the island.
The boy would have no good in him, only darkness would reign... heaven help any soul that got in his way.
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Killian wasn't quite sure how long he had been sleeping, the light nights made gauging the time quite tricky so he peeked his eyes open and quickly found that there was a clock by the bed. It was nearly eight thirty, had he really been sleeping for a couple of hours already?
He still felt tired and had just closed his eyes again when he felt movement on the bed next to him, he turned his head to find Junior sitting up between himself and a sleeping Emma without a care in the world. The boy had Henry's storybook spread out on the covers and was reading intently. Killian smiled to himself as he watched the boy savoring every word on the pages but soon enough the Lad gave a sideways glance and caught him watching and broke out into a wide smile.
"We feel better" he whispered
"Aye Lad, we do" Killian replied "Are you enjoying the book?"
"Aye" he nodded vigorously "Do you want me to read some to you?"
"That would be nice, thank you Lad" Hook said closing his eyes again briefly, he really was still very tired but he wanted to hear the boy so he blinked his eyes open again and shuffled slightly on the bed getting more comfortable.
Junior started reading the story of Red Riding Hood and after a few minutes Killian couldn't help it, he started to drift off again as the boy's voice soothed him. He could feel the boy's happiness seeping through him and that in turn made him happy and relaxed but before he was fully gone the boy stopped talking. Killian's eyes popped open and he gave a small frown when he found the boy just staring at him.
"Do not stop Lad, I am listening"
But Junior just gave a little giggle and replied "I stopped a while ago, you fell asleep and were snoring"
Killian chuckled himself "Sorry Lad, I did not realize"
"I know that you are tired, it is alright I am fine just reading to myself, you can sleep"
"Thank you Lad" Killian hummed closing his eyes again but a few seconds later the boy had him chuckling again when he spoke
"Killian?" the lad had been around Henry far too long, his name sounded strange on the boy's tongue but he reminded himself that it was better than "Papa Hook".
"Aye Lad?" he replied peeking his eyes open again to see that the boy was still wearing his hook over the end of his cast.
"When will I get my hook?" he asked studying it carefully
"What do you mean Lad?" Killian asked turning himself slowly to lie on his left hand side so that he was facing the boy
"My hook. When will I get it? I still have my hand. Will it hurt to lose it?"
"What?!" Killian suddenly understood what the boy was asking "You will not get a hook Lad, not unless fate has a cruel sense of humor."
"I do not understand. If I am you why would I not get a hook too?"
Killian sighed, this was hard for an adult to understand but he knew how this boy's mind worked and he knew that he had to try and explain.
"We may have once been the same person but we are no longer. You are you and I am me, I know that it's difficult to understand but we are already different you and I. For instance you are now going by the name Junior, I have never been called Junior. Every decision you have made since you arrived in this land had shaped you into who you are. Just because I lost my hand does not mean that you will and just because I am a Pirate does not mean that you have to be one too. Do you understand?"
"I think so" he said furrowing his brow before asking in a mischievous tone "But what if I WANT to be a Pirate?"
Killian chuckled again "Well I would say, if that is what makes you truly happy you should follow your heart. Only you can chose your path now Lad. Myself, Swan and Henry will be there to help you along the way but ultimately the man you become will come from the decisions you choose to make."
Emma voice suddenly joined in their conversation when she inhaled deeply and opened her eyes "And I would say "over my dead body." You are not becoming a Pirate Kid. One Pirate in this family is enough for anyone"
Junior giggled "That is alright I do not think I want to be a Pirate anyway"
"You've got plenty of time to decide, why not just have fun being a kid for a while" Emma said stretching out on the bed
Junior grinned again and suddenly he was up on his feet, he gave one little bounce before suddenly remembering that he was not allowed. He cringed a little and froze with his eyes clamped shut.
"I am sorry Swan I forgot that I was forbidden from bouncing, do not be angry with me"
he cried out peeking one eye open at her.
Emma glared at him for a second and Killian was about jump in to stop the Lad getting a telling off, he had simply forgotten that he was not allowed to bounce but Emma's face suddenly split into a wide smile and she pulled herself up onto her feet taking hold of the boy's hands as they both stood on the bed.
"What the hell kid, bounce all you like. Just hold onto me so you don't bounce on to Sir Bruise-a-lot and don't tell the others... it's our secret"
Killian rolled back onto his back to watch them and gave a laugh as Swan looked down at him lovingly throwing him a wink, this was almost perfect but they were just missing one person.
"Stop" he called out waving his hand to get their attention
"Did I hurt you Killian?" Junior asked with a look of horror on his face
"No Lad but we are missing an important person to our secret party." He replied with a grin "Swan, go get the boy but be quiet about it, we do not want anyone stopping the fun"
Emma nodded and leapt off the bed leaving an excited Junior standing with his little hands clamped over his mouth trying to contain his giggles. Killian watched as he gave a little happy dance when a bewildered Henry was lead into the room.
"What's going on guys?" Henry asked with a frown but Killian just raised a finger to his mouth
"Shhhh Lad, hang on a second"
The minute the door was closed Emma jumped back on the bed and Junior started bouncing again. Killian watched as Henry started laughing and his eyes danced with joy.
"We were missing my trusty First Mate, we could not have a bed bouncing party without you lad. Come on"
Killian thought that Henry would have jumped up to join in with Junior, the bed was huge and there was plenty of space but instead he scrambled up towards Killian and tucked himself into his side where he lay watching as his Mother and Brother made a good attempt at ruining the mattress.
"I missed you Killian" he whispered without looking up
"I know Lad and I you" Killian said around that bloody lump in his throat "But how many opportunities do you get in life to jump on the bed with your family? Get up Lad, go join your Brother."
With that Henry sat up and gave him a wide smile "Mom will go mad if she finds out, I was never allowed to jump on the bed"
"Well Lad just hope she never does then" Killian laughed
Henry clawed his way to his feet and started bouncing in earnest, Killian was being bounced a little but it was a good mattress and it wasn't hurting him in the slightest. The boys were laughing and squealing so much that no one heard the door open until their was a sudden yell in the room.
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" Regina stood with her arms folded across her chest and in an instant Henry was scrabbling to the floor leaving Swan and Junior standing on the bed breathing heavily with looks of horror on their faces.
"Mom... we were... we uhm"
"I know exactly what you were doing young man" she said marching forward to the bed with a scowl on her face "You were all bouncing on the bed yet not one of you thought..." she paused and stared at each of them in turn before breaking into a wide smile of her own "to invite me"
With that she too jumped up onto the bed "My Mother never let me bounce on the bed as a child but I used to do it in secret anyway, that was half the fun and if you are all doing it now I want in on the action." with that she gave a whoop of joy.
Killian clutched his side as laughter tore from him, his ribs were throbbing but he couldn't hide his grin as he notice Mary-Margaret and David standing in the doorway laughing at the sight before them. David met his gaze and gave him a smirk of approval
The day may have been long and it may have been one of his toughest but right now Killian Jones Senior was the happiest he had ever been in his life.
He looked back to his crazy family as they bounced around him... aye, life was good.