OK peeps early update today as I am off out to have fun in the sun.
A couple of people were concerned that I split Hook and David up... all will become clear.
As always please review
Enjoy
:)
Emma sat back in her chair with a huge sigh, she had just carried a sleeping Junior up from her Bug and put him on the couch. It was trickier than she had thought it was going to be as she tried not to bash his feet off of the narrow corridor walls while making her way to the hold. He had stirred briefly with a little cry as she had put him down when she had laid him on his left hand side without thinking. She had quickly pulled him on to his back, snuggled P.B. into his side and rubbed his chest until he settled back to sleep again before practically crawling to the chair where she now sat.
She was exhausted and could easily have had a nap herself but when her eyes fell on the books that she had left on the table earlier she couldn't resist and reached forward plucking one from the pile and settling back with it.
She had only been reading for a few minutes when Henry walked in carrying drinks for her and himself.
"Grandma says that she's gonna have a lie down with Neal, see if she can get him to have a nap too after he refused to give it up at Granny's"
She put her book face down on her lap as he handed her her drink "Thanks kid"
"What you reading?" he asked with a frown as he sat down in the other chair
"Books from the library, I need to see if we can find a way to open a portal"
Henry smiled at her and lent forward grabbing another book off the table, she watched as he curled his legs up and just opened the book and started reading.
"You don't have to do that Kid, I can manage"
"I know but I want to help, I want Grandpa and Killian back too so the quicker we get through these the quicker that will happen"
Emma gave him a genuine smile "Thanks Henry, you're the best Kid"
"Welcome" he replied returning her smile but then he was back to the book.
She took a sip of her drink, turned her book back over and in no time at all had got sucked into the pages. She read for over an hour before Junior gave a mumble in his sleep and she looked up to see him blinking widely with a confused look on his face. She put her book down and was up in an instant.
"Hey kid, did you have a good sleep?"
He nodded and gave a little yawn "Are we on the Jolly Momma?"
"We sure are" she answered with a smile "Do you like her?"
He looked around with wide eyes "Where are we?"
Emma was confused, what did he mean? She had just told him that they were on the Jolly but Henry seemed to understand what the kid was talking about and supplied the answer as he slid from his chair.
"It's the hold... pretty cool huh?"
Junior's eyebrows shot up and he looked about again "The hold? But it is so... different to any hold that I have seen"
"Yeah well that's because we didn't want to be sitting on crates" Emma threw in with a laugh
Junior gave a giggle and pulled himself up a bit to see further into the room, he frowned and pointed "What is that?"
Again Henry answered "That's the TV... just wait until you see it, it's so cool"
"But I can see it" Junior said back innocently "It is there"
Henry laughed and shook his head "Just you wait, you'll see what I mean but first we have to sort you and P.B. out with a bunk."
Junior gasped and his eyes went wide "Will you help me up Brother? I do not know where my crutches are"
Emma got up and grabbed them, Henry had brought them in earlier and by the time she turned around Junior was practically hopping on the spot.
"Calm down Kid" she chuckled crouching down to help him and again the minute the crutches were in place he was off and out the door.
"Come on Henry, you need to show me where the bunk room is" he yelled from the corridor
"You better go before he wakes Neal" Emma laughed and Henry grinned running after Junior.
She followed at a slower pace carrying P.B. in her hands and when she reached the doorway she just lent there watching as Junior babbled excitedly.
"I love it Henry, I have never seen a bunk room in these colors. Did you choose them?"
"Yep" Henry replied sitting down on one of the beds "Pretty cool huh? Now where do you want to sleep?"
"I do not care" Junior beamed "but P.B. wants to sleep in this one"
He hobbled forward and patted one of the lower bunks, Emma took her cue and walked forward towards him "OK, so this is P.B.'s bed but why don't you share with him for a while. I mean he's going to be pretty scared in this bed bed all by himself and you being with him would help with that"
She really wanted him to agree, it was the best bed for him with his sore leg, if once his leg had healed he wanted to use one of the higher ones well, to hell with it, he could but right now he needed to be able to get in and out by himself, she looked at him as he looked back at the bed and when he turned back and nodded she was relieved.
Junior reached forward and plucked P.B. from her hands and sat him on the bed "What do you think P.B.? Do you like it? Shall I share with you?" Emma watched as he seemed to listen to the bear then he turned back towards her and smiled "He says that he would like that very much"
"Good" Emma said with a nod, that was one less worry for her
Suddenly a bark from the deck had Junior gasping in a huge breath and he squealed "PONGO... MOMMA, PONGO IS HERE" he grabbed his bear and jammed it's arm in his mouth before taking off out the door.
Emma laughed, that poor bear was going to be in tatters before the week was out.
ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME
Killian gripped his ribs tightly as he hobbled his way across the small room. He was using one of the chairs as a crutch taking one step at a time then dragging the chair forward a bit, it was slow going but it was effective plus it also meant that when he reached the fire he could sit down to work.
He managed to lean forward and ladle some soup out of the pot into the bowl that he had set down on the small stool. It was a bit awkward but he managed in the end and was glad to see that he hadn't spilled very much. Twisting on the chair he picked up the bowl and managed to push it over the edge of the table before pulling himself back to his feet.
He had had a good rummage in Tink's pantry before he had set about his task and found a small salt cellar with the crest from the Jewel of the Realms on it... it would seem that Tink had helped herself to more than just his bedding while she has been on his ship tending to his wounds.
He grabbed a pinch of the salt and sprinkled it into his soup before picking up his spoon, he hummed in appreciation when the taste hit his tongue, the salt had improved it no end. He quickly ate the whole bowl then sat back with a contented sigh. But his peace did not last, he was back on his feet in minutes determined to do something to help. It would be tricky without his hook but he wanted to prepare a stew for when David got back so he headed towards the cave entrance ditching his chair and using the wall to make his way out to the traps.
It was awkward as hell bending down and even more awkward first getting hold of one of the rabbits without the other escaping then wringing it's neck but a short while later he threw the dead animal across the room to land on the table as he again took up his chair and made his way back across the floor at a snails pace.
Skinning the rabbit was not as hard as you would think as long as you don't mind a bit of fur in your teeth, something Killian had got used to centuries ago. He worked quickly removing all the bits that he didn't need for eating before heading off to the fire again to put the bones and other remnants in a smaller pot to make a stock, adding some of the salt to add flavor. He left this to simmer for a good while as he made his rustic vegetables again only this time the onions kept scooting away when he tried to cut into them. The damn things were strong too and in no time at all tears were streaming down his face and he was sniffing madly trying to stop his nose running but he grinned to himself when he was finally done and he had a good pile of potato and onion in front of him.
Next he grabbed what he assumed Tink had used as a frying pan and tipped in some kind of the oil that he had sniffed earlier hoping that it wasn't lamp oil. It had smelled vaguely of olives so he figured that it should be safe to eat. He fried the rabbit briefly before transferring it to another pot. He managed to tip the stock over his rabbit without any of the bones falling in then he headed back to the table. He shoved the vegetables into one of David's apple squares, gathered up the edges of the fabric and stuck them in his mouth so that he could carry them to the pot quickly. Once they went in with a plop he was done... both literally and figuratively.
He had mostly cleared up his mess as he went although there was still a few things lying about but he was too tired to care now. He headed back to his bed and managed to lie himself down with a groan as his body reminded him of his injuries. His ribs were pulsing again and his hip felt like someone had kicked him but again it was the sharp pain from his shoulder that was the worst. Suddenly he wished he'd made himself some more tea before lying down but he hadn't and now he was just too damn tired to move.
With a sigh he just closed his eyes and settled down for a nap, David would probably be tired when he got back and Killian was more than a little happy to know that at least now the Prince wouldn't have to cook, he could just eat and hopefully deliver the good news that Killian was waiting for.
Swan's face came into his head, he gave a smile and mumbled "I'm not giving up Love, tell those boys of ours that their Papa is coming home... I will never give up. I need you all too much."
ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME
David scrambled his way down the embankment coming to an abrupt stop when he realized his mistake.
"Damn it" he cried out in frustration as he looked out over the expanse of sea separating him from Skull Rock.
How could he have forgotten about that? He internally cursed himself, he must have spent a good part of two hours practically running here, his feet hurt and he was in desperate need of a drink and now to top it all off he wasn't going to be be able to find out anything.
Hook was going to be so disappointed.
Damn it, he'd only agreed to come here to please the Pirate. Hook had looked so lost when he had pleaded with him to find a way home that David hadn't had the heart to say no... something that now he couldn't get to Skull Rock maybe he was regretting a little. He shook his head and sighed knowing that Hook would not have given up on the idea and would have just kept badgering him until he had agreed anyway. David would much rather have waited until both of them could have made the journey but being honest a few more days probably wouldn't have helped... Hook would never have made it this far in his condition.
He tipped his head back staring up into the sky, why could nothing ever just be simple?
Deciding to do something about his thirst before heading back he headed off his trail a little towards the sound of a trickling stream. Finding it quite quickly he stooped down and scooped a handful of water up into his mouth. His eyes followed the stream down towards the shore but he couldn't really see anything due to the trees on either side, he took another few mouthfuls and was JUST about to retreat with his tail between his legs when his eyes fell on what looked like a length of rope.
He could use that...
So with that thought in mind he started to scramble forward. The ground dipped again and he actually found himself standing on the edge of the soft sand as he reached up to tug the rope free.
It was tied.
He huffed out a heavy sigh, of course it would be tied!
Struggling a bit he reached further up and yanked on the knot but the minute it came loose the rope tugged in his hand... what the hell?
He found himself scrambling through the branches to come fully out on to the sand to find... a very small and very rickety looking rowing boat attached to the other end of his rope.
He shook his head and chuckled "You just like to keep me on my toes don't you island?"
He was in the boat and rowing across the water in no time at all. The water was harder to negotiate than he first thought it was going to be and within minutes he was feeling the strain in all his sore places but he just grit his teeth and got on with it unwilling to fail now.
Finally he was pulling himself out of the boat, he wedged it on the shore and tied it to a huge rock so that it definitely would not float away before practically running up the stones steps.
He came to a halt at the top of the stair way just looking around... the last time they had been here Pan had tricked Henry. That thought hit David right in the gut when he thought back to what had happened, they thought that they had lost him.
David shook his head, he couldn't get caught up in this right now.
Henry was fine, it was Junior that was causing his worry now but he couldn't think about that either. He shook his head and started off across the floor but as he was approaching the huge hour glass his jaw fell open.
"The hell?" he gasped as he looked up
It would seem that Neverland's magic was not exactly working properly, David stood and watched as the sand flowed upwards from the bottom to the top in a steady stream. What did this mean?
He stood and watched for a few minutes but a noise behind him had him swivelling round... but he was too late. A brown sack coming up towards his face was the only thing he saw, he tried to back off but as he stepped back it was to find someone behind him and the sack was pulled down over his head.
"GET OFF OF ME" he yelled as his arms were pulled behind his back.
But his attackers said nothing in return and suddenly his knees were kicked out from under him and he fell forward. The only reason he didn't hit the ground was because of the grip the person behind him had on his wrists and he was instantly trying to struggle his way out of there grasp but in seconds his hands were tied in place. A punch to the gut had him frozen instantly as he sagged forward, he tried to get his lungs to work and just as he managed to start dragging some much needed oxygen back into his lungs he heard voices.
He stilled just listening to the sound as he rasped in some breaths, this was NOT the Lost Ones. For one they spoke in deep men's voices and secondly they seemed to be speaking in a different language...
What the hell was going on?
He was just about to speak, to try and reason with his captures when he was shoved face first into the ground. Unable to use his hands to cushion his fall he landed hard on his chin and instantly saw stars when his temple smashed into the ground straight after when he slumped bonelessly to the side. As he lay there he heard more men arriving, they spoke in hushed tones then suddenly there were hands on him. He tried to get free, tried to make his foggy brain form words but his mouth felt thick and refused to work until something snapped inside him and he managed to grit out.
"Please... I just need to get home, I am no threat to you... I just want to find a way to go home"
There was one harsh whisper and suddenly the hands were gone. His mind was retreating fast and even inside the bag his vision was greying around the edges. He let his head rest on the floor as he tried to calm himself. The next thing his foggy brain registered was the bag being pulled from his head then a blurry face appearing above him, he tried to lift his head to focus his eyes but it was no use and he slumped back with a moan.
He lay for a few seconds and just as he thought that he would be left to fall into unconsciousness someone shook him vigorously, his eyes flew open when he finally registered that the person above him was talking to him in English and what's more they seemed to know who he was.
"David, what the hell are you doing here?"