So after yesterday's silliness which I enjoyed writing sooooo much it's back to trying to find a way home.
As ever please review.
Enjoy
:)
Finally the Pirate was sleeping.
It had taken forever for him to drop off. He had been acting like a child and every time David thought that he had dropped off he was suddenly giggling again and trying to get himself out of the bed something that David was pretty sure he was going to regret later when his "drugs" wore off.
David gave a heavy sigh, he still felt bad about the whole thing but there was nothing he could do about it now and dwelling was not an option. He'd done enough wallowing about their situation earlier... now... well now he had to just get on with it.
A few more days and hopefully Hook would be strong enough so that David could head out on a scouting mission. He had no idea where he was going to go but he knew that the answers to getting home were not in here. He thought about it as he cleared up his mess from earlier and emptied the pots then as he sat at the table and ate some more of his chicken bird he suddenly had an idea.
Skull Rock.
That seemed to be the place where Neverland drew it's magical power from, well apart from the spring on Deadman's Peak of course. The huge hour glass that had been linked to Pan was on that rock... maybe it held some answers.
With a plan in mind he felt a lot better, more positive. He glanced at Hook who was currently drooling over his pillows and shook his head with a wry smile on his face. He figured he may as well go and check the traps while Hook was out of it and was just making his way to the cave entrance when the Pirate muttered in his sleep.
"I want to blow the bubbles" he then made a blowing sound and his hand came up as if he were holding a bubble wand in front of his face
"You really are an idiot" David mumbled with a slight chuckle before stepping closer to the bed and lowering Hook's hand "Come on Leia, it's sleepy time"
Hook gave a contented sigh, snuggled into his pillows and within seconds he was snoring. David gave another chuckle then headed towards the outside world. He had decided to check the weather before seeing if he needed his "Bear" suit and it turned out he was right to do so as he stepped out into the blistering head.
"I'm not even gonna say it... ah, what the hell I may as well... What is going on here?"
He turned on the spot just looking about and this time it was to find the jungle EXACTLY as he remembered it from his first visit here. The heat was back as was the humidity so he pulled off his blanket poncho and threw it near the entrance before quickly adding a few more logs to his fire, he did not want any wildlife wandering in while he was gone.
After a few minutes the flames were roaring again and he headed off down the trail testing his new system for keeping his feet from being torn to pieces. He had simply used a few lengths of sheet and wrapped them tightly around each foot, it didn't help his toes much but it helped his soles getting shredded anymore than they already were.
The first trap had another chicken bird in it to which David grinned widely as the bird eyed him suspiciously. The second trap had some kind of filthy looking rodent that David just curled his lips at.
"Today's your lucky day" he cringed as he opened the trap and tipped the beast out.
It scuttled away into the undergrowth and David gave a slight shudder as it's tail disappeared from view, it was too rat like for his liking and he most definitely wasn't that hungry... yet! The third trap held not one but two rabbits and the fourth held another chicken bird. David beamed to himself, they had food, thank God. He carried each trap back one at a time and stashed them one on top each other inside the entrance tunnel before grabbing the bowl off the table. He tipped the remaining apples out and took the empty bowl back outside fully intending to refill it but on his way to the apple tree his eyes fell on a plant that he recognised. In an instant he was running back to the cave, he grabbed the shovel and quickly headed back out where he promptly dug up a huge bowl full of potatoes. He wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow but couldn't take the smile off his face, they were not going to starve.
His mouth was watering already at the thought of the baked potatoes as he made his way back to the cave but he was once again brought back to reality when he thought he saw movement in the undergrowth. He froze where he was and narrowed his eyes, was that a person he had just seen? He tried to match the outline with the images of the other Lost Ones in his head but nothing matched. He'd had enough of feeling intimidated so he put his bowl down and crept forward towards where the figure still stood. He tiptoed over the rough ground towards the area where he knew the person was but just as he was about to pull back one of the huge leaves to finally get a look he must have disturbed a chicken bird that was nesting on the ground because all of a sudden it was flapping in his face trying to scratch his face off.
"Ahhhhhh" he yelled out flailing his arms about trying to stop the attack.
It worked too as the bird fell back to the ground and scuttled off out of sight leaving David only with his racing heart for company. He suddenly remembered the figure and yanked back the leaf but of course there was no one there. Damn it, had he imagined it? But when he looked down he knew he had been right... there were distinct foot prints on the ground... someone had been watching him.
He looked about anxiously trying to see if there was any sign of where they went and there was. He could see a clear trail through the jungle. David very nearly took off after them but then the image of Hook back in the cave popped into his head and he thought better of it. Hook needed him, he couldn't just run off not knowing what he was going to be facing so with one last glance over his shoulder he headed back to his bowl of potatoes and gathered it up into his arms then grabbed his shovel. He literally took three paces when he was smiling again... ONIONS... he had just found onions!
It looked like Hook was getting his soup after all.
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The next day dawned and Emma woke with a smile on her face. Junior was in the other bed and had slept the whole night without a single nightmare. She gave a contented sigh before looking at her watch to find that it was a little after eight. She lay facing away from the kid and was just about to turn over to check on him when he suddenly whispered.
"We are going to have so much fun you and I"
She frowned and just kept listening, was he talking to her?
"We are going home later and you will get to choose your bunk... yes, you can choose before me, I will allow you... No you can't sleep in Papa's bed... I know, I miss him too but he will be back soon, just you wait and see."
Oh my God, he was talking to Pink Bear and it was just too cute for words. Emma grinned to herself as she lay there listening to the one sided conversation when Junior carried on.
"Perhaps Pongo will come to visit. Would you like that P.B.?"
Emma took a mental note to call Archie later, even if the Cricket couldn't visit maybe she could arrange for Pongo to stay for a while.
"My belly is hungry too but we will just have to wait... I know... but I cannot get you anything right now... it's alright, come here"
That was too much for Emma, she had to see what was going on so she gave a wide yawn like she had just woken up and turned over to find Junior bouncing the bear in his arms and hushing him.
"What's wrong with P.B.?" she asked with a frown of concern
"He will be OK Momma, he is just hungry and I told him he would have to wait, that I was incapable of providing breakfast for him at this time"
OK, so Junior was hungry... she could fix that.
"I've got an idea. Hey, P.B. Do you want me to call Grandma and get her to stop at Granny's on the way over? She could grab chocolate pancakes for you and Junior"
Junior grinned widely and squealed "Pancakes, pancakes... we LOVE pancakes don't we P.B.?"
Well that was easy enough. Emma pulled herself out of bed and made the call. Her Mom promised to be there soon and Emma smiled at Junior as he lay there playing with the pink bear. Hook was going to kill her for giving him that thing but she didn't care, he found comfort in the fact that it had belonged to his Papa and right now that's all that mattered.
"Right young Master Jones. Let's get you up so you can "use the facilities" as you and your Papa like to say then we'll get you washed OK"
"May I have a bath?" he asked as she pulled his blankets back
"Sorry Kid, baths are out for a while. Until your stitches come out you need to keep that leg dry"
"No swimming?!" Junior exclaimed and his eyebrows shot up
Emma shook her head, he deflated on the bed right in front of her and that damned lip was back out again.
"Hey, there's more to life than swimming you know. We will have plenty to do"
"Like what?" he asked looking a little more interested
"Like... checking out the Jolly. Reading LOTS of stories, drawing, playing your penny whistle... in fact I bet we could ask Granny if you could maybe put on a little show at the diner. You know people are a sucker for an injured kid playing a whistle, I bet you could make a small fortune out of it"
He suddenly grinned "I would like that"
"First things first, we get you up and sorted. Then maybe when we leave later we can drop in and talk to Granny about it, alright?"
He nodded his head then held up his arms to be lifted but Emma wasn't going to make it that easy on him.
"Nope, you need to use the crutches" she said raising an eyebrow at him
He let his arms fall but didn't say anything, he just shuffled his way towards the edge of the bed with a slight frown on his face.
"Doctor Whale will be in soon and we'll get your meds sorted, does it hurt?"
"A little" he replied looking up at her with a smile "But I can be brave"
"Good, I'm glad" Emma replied with a nod.
She lifted him down onto the floor and grabbed his crutches. She had barely got them in place when he took off . She gave a laugh when he had to stop half way across the floor to yank his pajama pants up higher, he really was just skin and bones... but she would fix that though.
Half an hour later the kid and the bear along with Henry were tucking into their pancakes, Junior grinned up at her with his chocolatey teeth and she just shook her head with a wry smile.
"I take it those are good?"
"Delicious" he replied back before shovelling another mouthful down his throat.
The morning passed quickly and in no time at all they were heading back to town. As promised they stopped in at the diner to ask Granny about playing the whistle and she insisted that they stay for lunch on the house.
Emma sat watching as Ruby took Junior and Henry behind the counter so that they could help make their own smoothies and she gave a sigh. This town was just the best place ever and she had some true friends here.
"So when do we start our research?" Mary-Margaret suddenly asked in a whispered voice as she bounced Neal in her arms trying to get him to drop off to sleep.
"Once whirl wind Junior is in bed for the night. I want him to be settled and I don't think he'll do that if he knows what we're up to" Emma answered
"Good idea" Mary-Margaret whispered back "I put Neal's portable crib in your room so that Junior wouldn't be disturbed. He usually sleeps right through but just in case"
Emma was confused, had she missed something? Had she agreed to watch her Brother at some point and forgotten? Mary-Margaret must have seen the confusion on her face because she reached over the table and took Emma's hand.
"You don't think I'm going to leave you by yourself do you? I know you Emma you would sit there all night with those books, you need to look after yourself too. Junior needs you to be there for him so you need a decent amount of sleep. With me there... well, you'll do as your Mother says and be happy about it"
Emma gave a chuckle "Yes Mom"
Mary-Margaret was right though, she probably would have just read all night and under normal circumstances that's what she would have wanted to do but this wasn't normal... except now it was... this WAS her life now and she found that she didn't want that to change. She just needed her Dad and Hook back and life could go back to being pretty damned near perfect.
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Killian woke slowly. Gods he felt sore, what on earth had he been doing? He was caught up in his blankets and when he tried to extract himself it tore a cry from his lungs as a shooting pain streaked across his chest.
"You need a hand?" David suddenly asked grinning like a fool and then Killian remembered... the damned tea had made him more than a little.. loopy, shall we say.
He had told David he loved him!
He groaned as memory after memory came back into his head and David laughed again as he came over and helped free him from the pit of Carkoon... He looked up at David trying to hide his embarrassment behind a slight cough "Uhm... sorry about earlier"
"You mean sorry about yesterday" David corrected
"Yesterday?!" Hook cried out "Bloody hell, how did that happen?"
"And you snored like a pig all night by the way..." David chuckled walking away towards the cave entrance to return with the pee pot.
"Sorry" Killian cringed again "Swan always told me I snored, I thought she was lying"
"Nope, definitely not lying" David smirked holding up the pot "Forget it, I shouldn't have left the stewed tea near the bed but please, if there is anything else I should know about the damned stuff like, only stir it clockwise or never drink it under a full moon would you warn me now, I don't think I can handle you in that state again... what is in that stuff anyway?"
"Berries... a root that is grown near by... oh and poppy seeds" Killian replied with a slight wince
"Great, you got high on opium... I swear if you start going cold turkey on me I am leaving your behind here until you're done"
"Cold turkey?! I don't... what are you talking about?" Killian was very confused, there were no turkeys here in Neverland
David just chuckled and lifted the pot again, Killian felt a bit better once his bladder was empty and he found himself sniffing the air and licking his lips as the smells in the air suddenly registered with his brain.
"Something smells good" he said hopefully
"That would be my world famous "Chicken Bird Broth", I made a batch up this morning. I was going to make it yesterday but you wouldn't wake up"
"You got more bird?" Killian asked in surprise
"I got bird and rabbit but better than that, I found potatoes AND onions. If you manage the soup well enough I'll maybe do you a roast potato later, it will help keep your belly full."
A few minutes later David was bringing a bowl over and Killian peered hopefully inside as the Prince sat himself on the edge of the bed. He should have been annoyed that David was feeding him like a child but he was just too damn hungry to care and being honest he probably would have just dropped it all down his front.
The soup was a little bland but that couldn't be helped, David obviously hadn't had any seasoning but it felt good as the warmth sat in his belly. All too quickly it was finished and Killian was once again lying back on his pillows. He watched as David cleaned up but then suddenly remembered about the strange goings on in the outside world.
"How deep is the snow out there?" he suddenly asked trying to crane his neck to look outside
"It's gone. Last time I went out it was REALLY hot."
"I don't understand David, what's going on?"
"I wish I knew" David replied over his shoulder "But I thought that I would go to Skull rock in a few days, once you're up and about. Maybe there's answers there about how to get home"
"Perhaps" Killian agreed "I think that you may be on to something, that place was always off limits in Pan's time, I think it may just hold some answers... but David you should go now, do not wait for me. I will be just fine. We NEED to find a way home, I need to know if the boy is... if he is... I need to make sure that he is alright"
David looked like he was about to argue so Killian hauled himself upright and threw back his blankets. David made to come over but Killian held up his hand to stop him.
"I can do this Mate" he grit out
David to his credit stopped but he didn't stay too far away, Killian knew that he was within reach so that if he fell David could get to him quickly but he wasn't going to fall... he'd make sure of it.
He pulled himself up using the back of the chair to steady himself, his hip and ribs were screaming at him and the pain coming from his shoulder almost took his breath away but he smiled and took a shuffling step towards the table.
"Be careful" David hissed when he gave a little wobble
Killian didn't answer he was too busy trying to reach his goal so when his ass hit the seat a few seconds later he was suddenly beaming from ear to ear.
"See..." he said between breaths "I can... manage... just fine."
"Oh yeah, you're the picture of health" David sighed back "That display did not fill me with confidence, what if you fall and I'm not here?"
"WELL THEN I'LL BLOODY WELL GET MYSELF BACK UP AGAIN" Killian suddenly roared slamming his fist on the table. The shock on David's face was all too clear and instantly Killian felt like an ass and he pleaded "I am sorry Brother but I NEED you to do this. I cannot go myself so I need you to find a way home... please"
David gave a nod of his head before suddenly going back to the fire, he pulled the kettle off the flames and quickly made up some tea before heading back.
"Unstewed, not made under a full moon and I only stirred it clockwise... will this make you turn back in to a babbling idiot?"
Killian chuckled "This is fine, thank you"
He swigged down a couple of mouthfuls before shoving the cup away and looking back to David, he didn't say anything but David nodded his head knowing that he needed to go.
"There's more soup in the pot if you can manage to get to it, if not I'll make you those potatoes when I get back."
With a nod of his head David was gone, rushing through the entrance and out of sight.
Suddenly the silence in the cave was deafening.