David was dragging Hook from his bed before the Pirate had really even woken up, he needed to get him out of there. Their teepee was in grave danger of collapsing on them and as a huge rumble rattled it's foundations David gave another huge tug pulling him to his feet but Hook only managed to take two wobbly steps before his leg went out from underneath him and he clattered to the ground in a heap.
"David stop... " he grit out through clenched teeth "Just hang on a second"
"We don't have a second" David yelled over the noise as what seemed to be a rumble of thunder clattered through the air.
He came down into a crouch next to Hook. he just threw the Pirate's arm around his shoulders and hauled him back to his feet. David was all too aware that Hook had been through a lot in the last few days but he couldn't let that stop them so he just half dragged half carried his Brother through the flap only to grind to a halt when there was a howling high pitch scream that seemed to emanate from the very island itself.
David swung around pulling Hook with him. He could see a group of men staggering towards them, in all the chaos it took a few seconds for him to realize that something had changed... the snow that had been falling heavily seconds before stopped in an instant and the sun blinked through the parting clouds.
David set off towards the group pulling Hook with him, he immediately recognized Bear by his huge stature and Robin by his bow.
"What's going on?" David yelled "Where did the Shadow Man go?"
"We do not know" Bear replied looking around anxiously "But we believe that he has taken the boy"
"What? How?" David gasped back as he came to a stand still
Robin spoke up this time "We were trying to protect him but the Shadow Man, he caught us by surprise. He used a storm to hide himself and before we knew what was happening Jensen was free, the lad tried to run but we think that the Shadow Man got to him because this has happened, he must be happy."
Robin pointed to the sky and David's gaze followed until Hook jostled at his side as he got himself steady on his feet.
"What way did the boy go?" Hook asked in a low growl and David could tell by his face that he was in pain but he could also see the determination as he carried on ""We need to go after him, we cannot let the Shadow Man take his shadow. I already failed one Lost One that wanted to change I will not fail another"
"That way" Bear answered immediately pointing into the distance
"Well what are we waiting for?" Hook grit out as he started off, hobbling heavily through the snow
David hurried to catch up with him "Why don't you take half an hour, get some tea in you before we head off, you're in pain, I can tell"
Hook stopped and turned quickly wearing the scowl that David had not seen in a very long time.
"We have no time for that now, the boy may not have half an hour." he seemed to remember himself and gave a heavy sigh "We cannot let his shadow be taken David... if that happens we lose the boy... but it also means that Junior will be in danger again. Please don't fight me on this"
David met his eyes and nodded. He held out his arm "Lead the way then, this is your mission now"
Hook gave a tight smile but before they could even move they heard excited chatter from nearby. David looked up to see what was going on but it was suddenly Bear that was leading them off across the deep snow. He was shouting in his native tongue as three woman hurried towards him.
"What's going on?" David asked Robin
The archer narrowed his eyes and listened hard before speaking "I think the women saw the boy heading down the hill"
"Let us go then" Hook burst out barging past the group and hobbling his way down the hill.
"He's gonna be the death of me" David sighed out looking at Robin
"He is just trying to protect his family David" Robin replied with a wry smile then he too walked off
"Yeah and so am I" David muttered to himself with a sigh before he followed.
For someone who had been having to be half carried five minutes ago Hook was suddenly very spritely on his feet even if he was limping badly so David picked up his pace to catch up. The sun was beaming down now, the snow was melting fast and being honest it was probably a good thing, they had left the teepee in such a hurry that they didn't have their warmer clothes on.
David wanted more than anything to tell Hook to slow down when he stumbled and fell to his knees with a grunt but the Pirate just pulled himself back up and kept going. David was so busy watching Hook's every step that he failed to notice when Bear ground to a halt a few minutes later and he barrelled straight into his back.
"Sorry" he mumbled stepping back to see why he had stopped
"Worry not Shilah" Bear muttered back giving David a quick glance but then he gave a heavy sigh "It would seem that we have found the boy's body"
David stepped around Bear to see Hook heading over to Jensen, he lay in the snow face down and unmoving. David followed, not willing to take the chance that Devin was not as gone as Hook hoped but when he came up to his Brother's side Hook was calm. The Pirate pulled in a breath and let it out slowly before turning his head to look at David.
"Please tell me you have the mirror with you, we need to warm Emma. It would seem that Junior is in danger once more"
David gave a nod of his head before reaching for the bandaging on his right arm, he had tucked the mirror in it's folds purely because he had no pockets and didn't want to be without it for any length of time.
He held it up to make "the call", Hook was right, Jensen's shadow would probably be on it's way to Neverland already, he had to let Emma know that Junior was in danger.
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Killian felt nothing but regret as he came down next to the boy with a grimace on his face, Gods he was sore, he had well and truly overdone it in the last half an hour or so. Killian had tried to save Jensen yet he had failed... this could easily have been Rapha lying before him if he hadn't helped him all those months ago. Rapha had been ready to accept that he was on the wrong path and it would seem that Jensen had finally realized that too... only now, it was too late, he was gone. Killian reached forward and tugged the boy, pulling him over expecting to find his eyes glassy and unseeing but when the boy flopped over in the snow Killian gave a gasp as the boy's eyelids fluttered open before closing again.
"DAVID" Killian yelled out without looking behind him, he was pulling the boy up into his arms trying to get him out of the cold "HE IS ALIVE"
"What?" David called back and when he thumped down into the snow next to Killian seconds later he could see him holding up the mirror then Emma's voice was calling out.
"What's going on guys?" she shouted "talk to me"
"The kid's still alive Emma, hang on" David called back
Bear was suddenly down in the snow too, Jensen was hauled up and thrown over the man's shoulder like he weighed nothing.
"We must get him to Lark" Bear said immediately turning in the snow and striding off back up the hill followed by Robin.
Killian tried to get himself up only to find that he was stuck, he put his hand down in the snow to try and change his position for better leverage only to give a frown.
"What the hell?" he muttered pulling something out of the snow and holding it up
"What's that?" Swan asked as Killian held up the small object.
He turned it slowly in his hand then gave a chuckle before grinning and looking to David "It's one of those magic fire things like the one Baelfire used to carry"
"You mean a lighter" David corrected reaching forward and taking it from Killian's hand
"Aye, one of them" Killian added dismissively before grinning again "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
David grinned back "I'm thinking that maybe our sneaky ex Lost One might have just managed to use this bad boy on the Shadow Man."
David was suddenly on his feet and pulling Killian up too "Come on, let's get back and see if the Kid has woken up, maybe he can shed some light on things"
"DAD" Emma's voice called out again "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
David suddenly seemed to remember that he was holding the mirror. He cringed, lifted the mirror back up and spoke to Swan
"Sorry Emma, it might be a false alarm. We think that maybe Jensen has managed to set the Shadow Man alight but we won't know until we can talk to him and when Bear carried him out of here he was barely conscious. For now maybe see if Blue has a way of keeping a shadow at bay and I'll call you back when we know what's happening here."
"OK, no problem" she replied back but then added "Dad, if Jensen nearly lost his shadow tell Lark that he may need a potassium boost... if he even knows what that is. I don't know how else to explain it but that's what was wrong with Junior. Worse case scenario ram a banana down the Kid's throat in his lucid moments"
David gave a chuckle before tucking the mirror back into his bandaging. He stepped forward and took hold of Killian's arm slinging it over his shoulders again.
"Come on Peg Leg, let's get you back. I'll make you some tea while Lark works on the Kid. Hopefully he'll be awake soon"
Killian just nodded knowing that he would struggle back by himself, he was seriously regretting not letting someone help him on the way down the hill. He tried to keep his groans to himself but by the time he caught sight of their now slightly wonky looking teepee he was in real danger of being sick and he stumbled for what felt like the millionth time that day.
"Lift your foot higher" David said matter of factly
"Aye, it's that easy" Killian bit back with a growl "If only I had thought of that Mate!"
David just looked to his side meeting Killian's eyes, he raised an eyebrow but said nothing, Killian instantly felt like an ass... again!
"Sorry" he grit out before clamping his jaw and eyes closed grinding to a halt "Just... just hang on a second"
He was leaning forward slightly battling his rolling stomach, David didn't say anything but in the next second the Prince's hand was running up and down his back trying to soothe the nausea away. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Killian heard Robin's voice by his side.
"He OK?"
"He'll be fine in a minute... we'll be right there. Is the kid in the main teepee?" David whispered back like Killian wouldn't hear him.
Robin must have just nodded because when Killian finally managed to open his eyes a few minutes later Robin was gone again. He pulled himself upright but didn't move just yet, he looked at David and gave a heavy sigh.
"I am sorry Brother, I did not mean to snap at you, you were only trying to help"
"It's OK" was all David replied before nodding towards the main teepee "You ready to get going? I'll drop you off then head back and grab your tea. Our teepee is gonna need a bit of fixing from the look of it. I'm gonna have to talk to Lark later too, we're running low on that tea. I hope he has some or something similar, you're gonna need it again before too long"
Killian didn't say anything, he just nodded. His stomach was rolling again and all he wanted to do was lie down but when David took his arm he just grit his teeth and got on with it. Luckily he managed to keep hold of the contents of his stomach and a few minutes later he was being helped to lie down next to the huge fire in the centre of the teepee. He gave a groan and curled over onto his side when his stomach rolled again but the next thing he knew someone had their hands on him, one hand settled on his forehead and one settled on his stomach then the person was chanting. Killian tried to open his eyes but they seemed to be glued shut. His stomach settled quite quickly and the headache that had been building seemed to ebb away. When he finally managed to peek open his eyes it was to find Tala by his side, where had she come from?
"Sleep Apenimon" she whispered placing her hand back onto his forehead as he turned over onto his back "The boy is in no fit state to talk at the moment. I will come back to you if he wakes but for the moment please, just sleep. Yet again you have saved another boy, he surely would have died if not for your insistence that you look for him, you truly are a hero."
Killian couldn't answer, he could already feel sleep pulling at him again. He frowned deeply, what had Tala done to him? His eyes closed against his will and the room started to fade, he suddenly found himself trying to fight the sleep but then what seemed like a pulse of warmth ran through him from head to toe and his fight left him. He gave a sigh and just let sleep take him, Tala obviously wanted him to sleep so sleep he would.
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"Come on Kid" Emma said pulling back Junior's blankets "We're going home"
"What's wrong Momma?" he asked with a frown "I thought I was to stay another night"
"What? You want to stay?" she asked with a laugh, she was trying to keep things light in the hope that he wouldn't panic.
"No" he replied but he tipped his head and gave her a scrutinizing look "Something has happened in Neverland hasn't it?"
Henry took that moment to step in "It's nothing that Killian and Grandpa can't fix, I kept you safe once before and I promise I will do it again if I need to. Do you trust me Brother?"
"Always" Junior replied without hesitation then he was moving on the bed shuffling his way towards the edge
"I've got you" Emma said pulling him up into her arms before quickly grabbing P.B. and Duck Face from the bedding, the kid hadn't let that damned duck go since he got it. "Here you hold onto these guys and I'll hold onto you, OK?"
"OK" he replied with a nod.
Her Mom grabbed the last of Junior's things and turned with a smile on her face "I have sent Victor a text message explaining why we have gone, if there's paperwork to be signed I'll come back later for now lets just go. Belle says that she'll meet us at the Jolly with Gold and Blue."
"Cool, right, we're set" Emma hitched Junior up a bit on her hip then headed to the door "Hold tight Kid, we're running for the car"
Junior snuggled in closer as she brought her hand around his back but nothing happened and in minutes they were headed towards town. They pulled up at the harbor a few minutes later to find the others waiting. The minute they were out of the car Belle was by their side.
"Rumple and Blue have cast a new protection spell, one that includes shadows this time. We are going to go around town and do the same with all the places you protected before"
Emma met Gold's eyes, he gave a brief smile before nervously looking away "Miss Swan... the boy will be safe. You should go inside"
She gave a quick nod and was going to do just that when she had a sudden thought, she stopped right by Gold's side
"Thank you" she said with a sigh "And not just for this, you know what else I'm talking about. Junior wanted us all to forgive you and move on... so for him and for Henry I'm willing to move past everything that has happened BUT if you EVER mess with my family again, magic or no magic I will find a way to destroy you."
Gold gave a little laugh "Understood Miss Swan." he met her eyes again and gave a sincere look "I give you my word that I will never do anything to harm your boys in fact I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to keep them safe. They are very lucky to have a family like yours"
"Yeah they are" Emma agreed moving off "You know, it's entirely up to you but this Kid here, he could always use another Grandpa in his life"
She looked at Junior as she started up the gangplank and nearly burst out laughing when he tucked P.B. between himself and Emma's front, he lifted his hand and waved.
"Goodnight Belle, Goodnight Grandpa Croc... I mean Grandpa Gold" he gave a wide smile then looked to P.B. and whispered "If he is to be our new Grandpa, I really should remember not to call him the Crocodile!"