Long chapter tonight as I more than likely won't be able to do another one until Monday, busy weekend ahead.
Camp ahoy and some positive steps to help our poor battered Pirate.
As always please review
Enjoy
:)
Killian sat on the log as Bear and Willow readied themselves to get underway again. He had been half tempted to insist that he walk for a while but his pain level was starting to rise again and he didn't want to give David any excuse to dope him up with that damned tea again so he decided to just stay quiet... he did not want to be forced into more sleep.
"Captain needs taught a lesson boys"
Killian shook his head trying to chase the voice away and sighed, why could Devin not just leave him be? The demon was dead and yet he still taunted him and that damned image of Junior kept coming back to his mind too.
"You OK?" Robin suddenly asked dropping down onto the log next to him
"I will be better when we get word from home" Killian replied with a tight smile before looking away to stare at the embers that still glowed in the fire pit.
"You have a Son?" Robin practically whispered
Killian gave a deep sigh, he knew the question would arise sooner or later but he wasn't sure he was ready to answer, not when he didn't know if Junior was still... Gods... this was torture.
He tried to pull in a deep breath but it caught in his chest and he felt the first tremor as Devin's voice invaded his head yet again. Robin's hand slid across his back before rubbing up and down a few times.
"It's OK you can talk to me when you are ready, I can see that, for now, you are not"
"I want to" Killian grit out looking at his friend "I... I just can't"
He took another gulping gasp and dropped his head as he tried to settle his breathing.
"Hey, no pressure" Robin replied
David was suddenly crouching in front of Killian "I can fill him in if that would be easier"
"Aye but please wait until I am out of earshot I cannot listen to this tale again..." He closed his eyes when Devin's voice once again interrupted his thoughts.
"OK no problem" David said putting his hand on Killian's thigh "You ready to get underway again? The quicker we move the sooner you can give the Chief his good news"
Killian gave a little smirk, David was trying to distract him "Aye Mate but perhaps Robin can regale me with a few tales of his time in Sherwood Forest as we go." He looked to Robin "I am interested to know how you came to be the man I see before me today"
"Oh ho I can certainly do that" Robin said with a wide smile standing quickly and holding out his hand to Killian "Let me assist you back to the stretcher and then I will tell you of the time that I first met the Sheriff of Nottingham. That man was a buffoon if I ever did meet one"
It was just the distraction Killian needed and before too long he was gripping his ribs tightly as both Robin and David roared with laughter by his side as they carried on through the jungle.
"Are you trying to kill me Mate?" Killian gasped around a bark of laughter
"Hey do not blame me Pirate, you were the one who wanted to hear this tale" Robin laughed back but then he was suddenly nodding up the track ahead "We are here"
Killian gave a nervous smile then suddenly had a thought.
"Stop, let me down. I want to walk into camp"
They quickly set the stretcher down then David and Robin pulled him to his feet, he once again wrapped his arm around David's shoulder gritting his teeth when it pulled on his ribs and after a few minutes he was being walked into a large clearing in the trees.
A murmur ran through the air as more and more people looked up to see them coming then all of a sudden they were whooping, all out of sync with each other causing the sound to seem never ending.
David turned to look at him and grinned "This is for you Pirate"
Killian couldn't find words to reply he just found himself smiling as he was lead to the centre of the clearing where the Chief was sitting cross legged by a small fire but suddenly the butterflies that he had felt earlier were back when the Chief met his gaze with a very steely gaze.
"Sit" was all the Chief said in a deep booming voice
It was awkward as hell and by the time Killian was sitting on the ground opposite the middle aged native he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to get back up again. He had also broken out into a sweat as a wave of nausea washed over him, all in all he felt pretty terrible as he looked up to face the man sitting opposite him.
The Chief eyed him with a deep frown on his face before suddenly breaking out into a wide smile, throwing his arms in the air and shouting.
"TODAY IS A GOOD DAY, FOR APENIMON HAS RETURNED"
The whole camp burst into loud cheers and all of a sudden Killian was surrounded as everyone seemed to want to lay a hand on him. His heart was instantly thumping in his chest, he tried to keep smiling but the claustrophobic feeling was suddenly all consuming. He tried to lift his arms to get them to back off but more and more people just kept on coming.
"STOP" David's voice cried out as Killian really started to panic "Please just stop. Don't crowd him"
The crowd parted and David was there. Killian focused on his face as he pulled in a few deep breaths while gripping tightly to David's arm to try and help ground himself.
"It's OK" David soothed "I'm here, big breaths, that's right"
"Please accept our apologies Apenimon, we meant no harm." the Chief said with a voice full of regret
"I...I am fine..." Killian grit out as he settled "but please... just call me Hook"
The Chief gave a slight nod "Of course"
The crowd moved away but they all stood in little groups just watching and Killian couldn't help feeling self conscious as he tugged his stump into his lap and hid it from sight while wishing more than anything in the world that he had his hook or at least a pajama top to cover his arm. The Chief seemed to just be sitting waiting so Killian gave David a quick smile.
"I am fine now Brother"
David gave a smile in return then just dropped down next to him sitting crossed legged too obviously not willing to leave Killian's side, something that he was glad about... this was harder than he thought it was going to be.
He cleared his throat and looked to the Chief "I want you to know that I have NEVER laid a hand on any of your people. The Brave that was killed was..."
The Chief lifted his hand and silenced Killian "Pan... it was all Pan and his shadows. We know that now."
"Aye... Pan" Killian sighed out but then he suddenly remembered what he had to say "The Brave was not the only one that Pan used to drive a wedge between my crew and your people"
The Chief dropped his gaze and sighed "My Daughter... Little Eagle told us that you killed her but Tinkerbell told us later that this was not the case... that Pan's shadow in fact took her off to a different land."
"Aye" Killian agreed with a chuckle
"You find this funny?" the Chief suddenly asked letting his features fall into a deep frown
"Not at all Mate" Killian replied with a wince as he tried to get more comfortable "But it seems our paths were destined to cross many times in a life time... I know where Tiger Lily is"
The Chief stood quickly and his eyes went wide as he gasped "You do? Where?"
"In the realm from which we have come" Killian replied with a soft smile "I shall tell you everything I know but first may I perhaps lie down somewhere? Sitting on this hard ground is not something I think I can maintain much longer"
The Chief nodded quickly before turning to a small group not too far away and making a few hand signals. Before he even knew what was happening Killian was helped from the ground and was practically carried into one of the teepees. He was settled on a raised bed and propped up on a pile of furs in no time. David stood off to his side like a bodyguard but when Killian gave him a nod the Prince relaxed a little.
"I will be fine with the Chief David, go get yourself seen too. Your feet must be agony" Killian said in a low voice
"Yeah, they have felt better. I'll just be outside if you need me" David muttered before giving a quick smile and ducking out of the door way.
Killian was suddenly by himself with a man that he had avoided for centuries but he found himself happier than he had in days as he saw the hope on the Chief's face... he needed to find a way home but not just for him, he had another family to reunite too.
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Emma felt numb as she dropped down onto her bed, she just flopped to the side and brought her legs up curling herself into a ball.
And she cried.
The racking sobs tore through her, all the hurt that she had kept shoving down, hiding with hope was suddenly free and it was consuming her whole. She couldn't do this, she couldn't lie here in this bed by herself for another six months until a stupid plant flowered... this wasn't fair.
She lay clutching her pillow for a while as the sun moved across the wall but eventually she heard the door to her cabin open and instantly tried to lie still in the hope that whoever it was would think that she was sleeping but after a few seconds the bed dipped. More than anything she just wanted to be left alone but when she peeked open her eye and it was Henry's face by her side, her heart broke at the sight of him and she was crying again.
"It's OK Mom" he whispered pulling himself onto the bed and lying down next to her.
She reached out to him and pulled him in "I know" she sniffed "I'm just being stupid"
"You're not being stupid" he replied "I get it. You thought they were coming home sooner, you're allowed to be upset"
"When did you get so wise?" Emma chuckled into his hair
"I have a pretty awesome family that have taught me everything I know"
Emma just hugged him in tighter, they lay like that for a while until Emma felt better and she suddenly wondered where Junior was.
"Where's your Brother?" she asked pulling back so she could see him
Henry gave a laugh "Last I saw him he was practically devouring my Math book. I tried to give him the one that the school sent for him but it was too easy, he's currently sitting in the galley with Mom and Grandma"
Emma pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly "Well let's go see how he's getting on, I swear that kid's like a sponge. It does make me wonder just how much more Hook knows than he lets on"
"I know what you mean" Henry chuckled pulling himself up from the bed and flattening his hair "I swear Junior must have a photographic memory, he just seems to be able to read something once and it sticks... I'm kinda jealous"
"I know what you mean" Emma laughed "I sucked at school"
They made their way back to the galley and Emma found herself laughing as she stepped through the doorway to find Junior scribbling madly on some paper with his tongue sticking out.
"You OK Kid?" she asked ruffling his hair
"Aye" he replied quickly "I am trying to figure out the speed which this vessel is travelling by simply calculating the distance and time"
Emma looked at the page to find that the question was in several different parts and that "the vessel" was a train that had numerous stops along the way... her mind was blown in a second.
"You can do that?" she asked raising her eyebrows
He just nodded and went back to his paper "It is fun"
"Whatever makes you happy Kid" she chuckled "But don't ask me to help if you get stuck, I can barely count to ten some days"
He gave a little snort and she cried out with a laugh "Hey, you're not supposed to mock me"
He just grinned at her for a second before going back to Henry's book.
"I think we may need something a bit more advanced than I first thought" Mary-Margaret whispered before giving Emma a loving look "You OK?"
Emma gave a definite nod "I am fine, I just had to get my head round it. They ARE coming home that is the main thing, six months will pass in no time. We may just need to delay Christmas until Hook gets back, he will not be happy is he misses it"
"What is Christmas?" Junior asked cocking his head and looking at Emma
"The most fun you'll ever have" Emma said sitting down next to him and giving him a tickle "Papa LOVES Christmas so we can't do it without him, agreed?"
"Agreed" Junior said with a smile
Suddenly a bubble of worry gathered in Emma's stomach as she looked at him, was he about to have a melt down when he realized that Hook wasn't coming home for months.
"Hey" she said getting his attention "You know how Gina was studying her book?"
He nodded "To find a way to bring Papa and Grandpa home"
"Yeah" she pulled in a breath and was about to explain when he gave her a smile
"They will be home in a few short months Momma... do not look so worried. We can be patient" his eyes went to Henry, she saw him give a little nod and suddenly Emma was fighting back tears again. Henry had already explained everything to Junior and the Kid was trying to be brave for her...
She had the best kids in the world.
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David sat down with a sigh, his feet were now killing him and it would seem that Robin knew that as he approached with a young man in tow.
"David this is Lark, Lark this is David" both men gave a nod and shook hands as Robin carried on "Lark is the best Medicine Man you could ever hope for, he has agreed to attend to your feet and once he is done I have some soft shoes that should fit you"
"He should see to Hook first, I can wait" David said immediately, the Pirate was in a much worse state than he was.
"No one must enter the Chief's teepee unless invited. Do not worry I will attend to Apenimon soon enough but for now let me help soothe your feet, they look painful" Lark spoke in a deep voice that caught David off guard, the voice seemed too deep for such a young man
David gave the teepee a nervous look, was Hook OK in there by himself? The last thing David wanted was for the Pirate to have a panic attack and him not be there, why had he not insisted on staying with him?
"Your friend will be just fine, let me help you"
"My Brother" David automatically corrected without thought as he still stared at the teepee but he let out a long sigh seconds later and moved his gaze to Lark "Alright but if they finish before you do, you help Hook OK?"
Lark gave a nod "Agreed"
David was squirming in pain within seconds of Lark touching his feet but suddenly Robin was sitting by his side.
"Do you want to tell me of Hook's Son while Lark works, it may help distract you"
"Sure" David said then hissed in a breath as the first makeshift bandage shoe was peeled back from his mangled toes
He told the story as Lark worked and Robin never once interrupted. David found himself fighting back his own emotion as he told of how they didn't know if the kid was even still alive or if he had simply blinked out of existence when the Jewel had exploded.
"I have no words" Robin finally said sitting back and blinking widely "I can't even begin to imagine what you must be feeling never mind what Hook is going through, he must be devastated"
"That's an understatement but it's more than that, it's physical too... he can no longer feel Junior's heartbeat and... I don't know, he just seems lost without it. Watch, you'll see what I mean, his hand keeps coming up to his chest. He may be smiling and joking on the outside but inside he's just hurting so much"
Robin sighed "Well we'll just need to hope that the mermaid brings back good news"
"God, I hope so... bad news may just kill him"
Suddenly Lark spoke drawing their attention "Fate has a strange way of steering us down the right path in life, I have a feeling that Apenimon has not seen the last of his boy, I can feel it deep within my soul"
"Yeah?" David asked as a bubble of hope grew in his belly
"There you go" Robin said with a smile "If Lark thinks he's still alive that's good enough for me, I have yet to see him be wrong"
David gave a thin smile but didn't say a word, he didn't want to jinx Lark's prediction. He was just about to change the subject when Lark suddenly smeared a cooling balm over his left foot and instead of speaking he let out a moan of appreciation instead.
"I will leave you with a pot of this ointment that you can use at will" Lark said with a chuckle as he moved on to David's other foot "The pain should recede quite quickly and walking should not be a problem"
"Thanks" David said with genuine gratitude as his feet were once again wrapped "They feel much better already"
"I am glad" Lark said standing up and nodding his head towards the Chief's teepee "The Chief seems to be finished."
David was up and moving on his now very bandaged feet before anyone could tell him that he couldn't. He headed straight to the Chief who gave him a wide smile as he approached.
"He is asking for you law man" he said in a low voice
"Is he OK?" David asked suddenly worried
"He is tired and from what I can see he is also in some pain... I was just coming out to summon Lark. The Medicine Man will have him feeling better in no time at all. Why do you not go inside too, I will have a bed brought in for you, I do believe that you could use some sleep as well"
"Thanks, that would be... that would actually be amazing. I've been so worried about Hook that I've not really slept in days"
"Well you need not worry anymore, he will be in good hands"
"Yeah, Lark certainly knows what he's doing"
The Chief clapped a hand on David's shoulder before walking off towards Lark and David ducked through the flap into the teepee to find Hook looking very tired but calm and happy.
"How did you get on?" David asked quietly
"Good" was all Hook replied before letting his eyes fall closed then he added "I am so tired David, I feel like a could sleep for a week"
"Well, there's nothing stopping you now. We're safe here, you can relax but I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait for about another half an hour or so before you pass out"
Hook gave a frown "Why is that?"
"Because a Medicine Man MUCH better than Whale is gonna have a look at you and believe me when I say it, he can work miracles, my feet feel amazing"
Seconds later both Lark and two women pushed through the entrance carrying a bed between them. Once the bed was down the two women gave Hook an appraising look and left while giggling furiously. David looked at the Pirate who was now grinning with an eyebrow high on his head.
"You, Pirate are taken... no eyeing up the ladies"
Hook waggled his eyebrow "I think you'll find that it was they who were doing the eyeing up not I, I am strictly a one woman man"
"Glad to hear it" David chuckled
He made his way over to the bed and lay down with a groan of utter bliss. Sleeping on that cave floor had done nothing for his back and as he now lay on the soft mattress he could already feel sleep tugging at him but he wanted to wait until Lark was done with Hook before settling down. He turned onto his side and watched as Lark carefully checked out all of Hook's injuries, the man frowned deeply when his hands fell on the Pirate's hip.
"What is this magic? You have metal in here?"
"Aye and in here too" Hook chuckled lifting his right arm a bit "Believe me when I say I needed it, it is fine Mate, do not worry about it"
Lark gave a very deep frown and mumbled a bit as he worked before suddenly clapping his hands together and rubbing them furiously then he placed them firmly on Hook's hip. The Pirate gave a grunt and his eyes clamped shut. David was half way up from his bed when Hook suddenly opened his eyes with a surprised look on his face.
"Bloody hell" he proclaimed "What did you do?"
"As much as I can with that thing in there" Lark replied still frowning deeply "If I ever meet the monster that did this too you I will have some choice words to say"
David chuckled as he lay back down "Strange that you should call him a "monster". Funnily enough in our realm he was known more for creating a monster instead of being one himself"
Lark turned quickly and looked back at Hook and the Pirate laughed "Not me Mate and whatever you managed to do I am grateful for, my hip has not felt this good in a long time so thank you"
"I am just glad that I can help, now what do you say about me looking at that shoulder?"
Hook gave a nod. David lay and watched as Lark worked swiftly stripping the sticky bandaging from Hook's chest. He hummed and frowned deeply again before moving to his bag of tricks and pulling out a few things. He gingerly cleaned the wounds front and back as Hook grit his teeth against the pain but in no time at all Lark was smearing a deep purple paste over the still slightly swollen skin before re-wrapping the Pirate with a fresh bandage.
Hook looked close to passing out by the time Lark finally stood back and wiped his hands on a cloth but he wasn't done, he suddenly stooped and pulled something else from his bag. David frowned as he tried to see what it was and he was even more confused when Lark didn't go back to Hook he walked to the head of the bed and hung something up from one of the supports.
"What's that?" David asked with a frown
"It's an ancient traditional item known as a spider's web but some may know it as ..."
"A dream catcher" David finished "We have them in our realm but I don't really know anything about them, what does it do?"
"This particular one helps to guide the sleeper, it doesn't stop bad dreams, it just helps the person to view them from a different perspective so that they can deal with whatever is playing out instead of feeling like they are not in control." Lark turned and looked at Hook and chuckled "And it looks like it's going to be put to work sooner rather than later"
David looked at the bed to find Hook sleeping soundly.
"You don't even know what you've done for him" David said suddenly fighting a lump in his throat "He has been plagued with nightmares for MONTHS... Thank you, I mean that, really. Thank you so much"
"It is my pleasure. He has done so much more for our Tribe and hopefully now he can lead us to a new land."
David gave a nervous smile "We will do our best, all of us together MUST be able to find a way"
"I hope so" Lark agreed with a nod of his head "and now I will leave the two of you to rest."
"Thanks" David replied with a smile and suddenly he was alone with only a sleeping Pirate for company but he didn't care, for the first time since arriving back in Neverland he felt like he could relax and sure enough once he closed his eyes he was asleep in minutes and his dreams were ones full of hope and happy faces, they WERE going to get home, he just knew it.