OK, early update, lots of things to do today and I'm not sure if I'll be able to type anything up later so here you go peeps.
For the people "Still not buying Grandpa Gold" I just wanted to say, that it's OK. That is your opinion and if you feel it is too OOC for the story well that is how you feel. I personally have seen stranger things happen on the show so I am happy with what I have written but that is what I like about fan fiction, not everyone will agree with you and you cannot please everyone all of the time BUT it makes me happy to write these tales so write them I shall.
If you do not like what I write... well the answer is simple... you do not need to read it.
So on with the story and I think that it's about time that Hook found out just what has been going on back in Storybrooke, don't you?
As always please review
Enjoy
:)
Killian woke slowly, he could hear the cracking of the fire nearby and the warmth of it seemed to be seeping right inside his sore body. He pulled his blanket up a little higher and tucked it under his chin with a sigh. He felt warm and comfortable as he snuggled down on the furs that he currently lay on when he suddenly remembered that he was not in his own teepee, he had been brought to the main one instead... after they had found the boy in the snow.
His eyes flew open only to find that it was dark and everyone else was sleeping. He looked around the teepee to find David lying opposite him, Bear and a woman Killian assumed was his wife lying on a makeshift bed a short distance away and Lark propped up at the end of a single bed a little further away.
Killian grit his teeth as he pulled himself up into a sitting position so that he could see a bit better, he needed to see Jensen's face, was he really still sleeping? He craned his neck but couldn't make out anything other than the outline of the boys features against the dull light. With a sigh he lay back down supposing that the boy must still be asleep otherwise he would have moved when Killian had made a noise but as he lay there he soon realized that he was going to have to take a trip outside... he needed to pee!
He gingerly pulled himself to his feet, grabbed his blanket and hobbled his way to the entrance only to reach back inside and drop it on the ground when he stepped outside to find that it was mild and dry. Taking care of business quickly he was about to head back into the teepee when his eyes fell on a lone figure sitting by the outside fire.
Robin?
Deciding that he had slept enough for the moment he made his way over to his friend and dropped down next to him on the log. Robin didn't even look up from the flames he just gave a heavy sigh and spoke.
"Do you really believe that we will get to go back?"
"Aye" he chuckled "If I know one thing about the "Charmings" it's that they don't like being separated from their loved ones."
Robin looked at him now with a wry smile "Isn't it funny how you adapt? For about the first six months I was here I spent every waking day hoping and searching for a way back to Regina but in the end I accepted that this was my life now, for myself and Roland but now..." he suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked so lost "Please tell me that you didn't lie to soften the blow, please tell me that Regina has not moved on from my love"
Killian chuckled "Mate, she is not the kind of woman to love lightly. She has eyes for only one person and that is you. We WILL go home but I really do think that you should let her know that you are here... with us. If it was Swan, I would want to know."
Robin gave another huge sigh "Perhaps you are right... I just, I don't know..." he pulled in another breath and let it out slowly "If I talk to her... it will make it real. It will give her hope and if that hope were to be crushed I don't know what it would do to her"
"You're not giving her enough credit Robin" Killian replied turning to look his friend right in the eye "She is a strong woman and she can handle this."
Robin just nodded but from the look on his face Killian couldn't figure out if he had decided to talk to Regina or not. He was just about to try and convince him a bit more when there was a noise behind him, he swung around quickly half expecting an attack only to find David stalking over to where they sat.
"There you are... I woke up and you'd gone"
"Sorry" Killian replied turning back to the flames "I seem to have had enough of sleep for the moment"
"Yeah, I know the feeling" David dropped down on the log opposite them and smirked "What? No marshmallows, no campfire songs? You guys suck at this"
"Please don't sing" Killian threw back "I have heard you and we do not want everyone to be torn from sleep thinking that a Neverbeast has stumbled into camp"
"A Neverbeast?!" David asked in awe as his eyebrows shot up "I'm not that bad"
"Mate, I have heard cats that can sing better" Killian laughed
"Just because you're Mr. I could play a penny whistle by the age of five... I mean that is mental, how do his fingers move so fast"
And suddenly the line between Killian and Junior was blurred again but he didn't mind he just grinned and shrugged.
"I honestly do not know, I was just always able to play it. Liam played too so it was not just something I was good at. I suppose music must just be in my veins"
"Junior can play the penny whistle?" Robin asked in a surprised tone
"Mate" David barked out and Killian smirked at how quickly his Brother had picked up on the word "He can't JUST play the penny whistle, he can PLAY the penny whistle. Just you wait until you hear him, he'll blow your mind"
"Something to look forward to indeed"
"He's learning piano too" David threw in and again Killian smiled, David was acting like a proud Grandfather, it was endearing to see.
"Really?" Robin asked again in a surprised tone
"Yeah" David replied but then looked to Killian "How is that gonna work with him being the short ass that he is? I mean how's he gonna managed to reach all the keys"
"Short ass?!" Killian threw back with just the right amount of indignation
"You know what I mean, he is pretty small for his age"
"He will manage, of this I have no doubt" he mused "I remember once as a child finding myself in an empty bar when a huge fight broke and spilled out onto the street. I was drawn to the piano in the corner of the room and I remember tapping away at the keys to form a tune or two... Junior will have that thing mastered in no time, I am sure of it"
"So what's after that? The guitar? A flute?" David laughed
"Whatever the boy pleases David, if he wishes to learn then so it shall be. If he chooses to put his whistle down and never play another note, well that is his choice, I will not force him to do anything that he does not want too... he has had far too much of that in his life already"
"I can just see it now" David held his hands up in the air like he was writing a huge sign ""Killian Jones Junior, One Man Band" That kid is gonna have a ball"
Killian laughed too "You are probably right, he does have a certain zest for life"
They chatted back and forth for a while and the sun had just started to rise when there was suddenly a little voice coming from David bandaging.
"Papa? Grandpa? Are you there?"
"Quick man, get him out of there" Killian burst out with a huge grin, he looked to Robin "Do you wish to meet my Son"
Robin looked a bit unsure but obviously thought better of it as he let out a laugh "What the hell? Why not?"
David came around the fire and handed the mirror over to him and the minute the lad's face came into view Killian knew where he was.
"Does your Mother know that you are up there?" he asked seriously "It is barely dawn Junior, you should not be climbing the rigging at this early hour with your sore leg"
"I am sorry Papa but I had a bad dream and I... I just..."
"You wanted to feel safe" Killian sighed "It's alright Son, I understand, just be careful"
"Is Momma still sleeping?" David cut in
"Aye" he replied with a nod
Killian suddenly realized that Junior was hugging that infernal pink teddy bear, he tried not to let his smile slide from his face but Junior must have seen the look he gave because he gave a deep frown.
"I am truly sorry Papa, I will go back down if you wish me too"
"Junior, if you want to sit there I will stay with you until you feel safe, I am not angry with you, I was just concerned that you would hurt yourself"
"I am fine, I am safe" he grinned widely then suddenly spun the mirror around so that they could see what he was seeing "Look how beautiful it is Papa, does this not calm you too?"
"Aye Son" Killian sighed as he saw the colors of the sunrise over the ocean and they seemed to settle his very being but then he remembered Robin by his side "Junior, turn the mirror back around Son, I have someone I would like you to meet"
His little smiling face appeared in an instant "Who is it Papa?"
"Now, before you meet him you have to promise to keep it a secret... we can call it "Operation Arrow"" he looked at David and winked knowing that he would appreciate that before looking back at Junior "Can you do that?"
"Aye" Junior cried out giving a little bounce
"OK, I trust you... remember, you cannot tell anyone, not even Henry"
"I promise Papa" he replied honestly and Killian knew that it was true, he knew that as a child he had been trusted with many of his Father's "secrets" many of which he still carried untold
"Junior, I would like you to meet Robin" he swivelled the mirror slightly so that Robin's face could be seen too. He expected Junior just to say hello but he should have known better as the Lad gave a huge gasp and declared very loudly.
"ROBIN HOOD... you are Gina's Robin Hood!"
"Shhhhhhhhhh" all three men hissed at once
"Way to go Junior, you wanna shout that a bit louder I don't think some people in New York heard you?" David laughed
"Sorry" he replied with a giggle clamping his hand over his mouth
"That is quite alright Lad, I can tell by your reaction that you think Regina will be happy to know that I am here"
Junior nodded vigorously and pulled away his hand to whisper in quite a loud voice "Gina loves you... she told me... she said that you were destined to be and that she would find you again one day"
Killian looked at Robin to see him beaming from ear to ear "She said that?"
"Aye" Junior replied crossing his finger over his heart "I swear"
"See, will you think on what I said now?" Killian asked a dumbstruck Robin who just nodded his head a little
"Mr Hood?" Junior asked
"Just call me Robin"
"Alright" Junior giggled "Robin... is Roland there too?"
"He is!" Robin replied in surprise "You know of Roland?"
"Gina showed me lots of pictures, she said that we would have been good friends. Are you and Roland coming back to Storybrooke with Papa and Grandpa?"
"You can count on it Junior and you know what? I don't feel like being a secret anymore so why don't you, when your Momma has awoken, ask her to call "Gina" and let her know that someone in Neverland needs to talk to her"
David gave a slight cough and looked nervously at Robin as he spoke to Junior "Kid you can tell your Momma that it is Robin... she already knows that he's here but keep it on the down low until Gina knows, we don't want to ruin the surprise do we"
Junior gave an excited squeal "Today is going to be so much fun. Gina is going to find her Robin, Tiger Lily is going to get to talk to her Mother and Father and perhaps Belle and Grandpa Gold will come to visit me later, Belle said that she would try to pop in"
Killian grabbed the mirror and held it right in front of his face not quite believing what he had just heard "What did you say?"
"I said that today was going to be..."
"No, after that" Killian cut in "You said that someone was going to visit later"
"Aye" he replied with an innocent nod "Belle and Grandpa Gold"
Killian's stomach hit the floor... that's what he thought the lad had said.
"Uhm... surprise!" David said tentatively by his side with a nervous smile
Killian narrowed his eyes... he had known, that absolute... he had known that Junior was calling the bloody Crocodile Grandpa and hadn't said a thing!
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"YOU BLOODY WELL KNEW?"
"Hey, don't get angry at me" David yelled back "It wasn't my idea AND I only just found out last night while you were passed out by the fire. I was gonna wait until we didn't have an audience to tell you"
"It is not happening. I will not allow it" Hook threw back pulling himself to his feet and pacing back and forth by the fire "That... that... Crocodile is not fit to be my Son's Grandfather... hell, he is not fit to be Henry's Grandfather but I have no say in that. How the bloody hell did this come about?"
David knew that Hook was gonna be pissed but he hadn't expected him to erupt the way he had and when he heard crying sounds coming from the mirror his own anger surfaced.
"Why don't you ask the one person that does have a say in this thing Hook? He's still in the mirror listening to every word you are saying."
Hook suddenly looked horrified as the sound of Junior crying reached him, he lifted the mirror and cried out.
"Junior, I am sorry, do not cry. I am not angry at you"
But in the next second the crying stopped and Hook's face paled, he looked up at David with his jaw hanging open.
"What?" David asked jumping up and hurrying over to look only to find the mirror blank
"He left me... he looked me straight in the eye but left me anyway. What have I done David?" he shoved the mirror into David's hands and cried out "Get him back, tell him I am sorry, I will listen to what he has to say... please David... I need to talk to my boy"
David took the mirror with a sigh "OK but would you sit down before you fall over, you're making me nervous by that fire"
Hook shuffled past him and sat back down next to Robin as David stood up, he gave a nervous look then mumbled "I'm just gonna go over there and see if I can calm him down a bit."
Hook nodded as he chewed on his bottom lip but David couldn't take time to comfort him now, he needed to sort out his younger self so he headed across the clearing a bit and lifted the mirror back up fully aware that Hook would still be able to hear in the silence of the morning light.
"Junior" he whispered but the screen stayed dark "Come on Kid, it's just me. I just want to talk to you."
The screen lit up and Junior's tear streaked face appeared, he was talking before the image had time to focus.
"I am sorry Grandpa. I was only trying to be nice to the Crocodile... for Henry."
"Hey, it's not your fault now is it. It was Momma's idea to let Mr Gold be your Grandpa..."
"It's not her fault either" Junior replied indignantly obviously feeling protective of Emma
"Let me finish Kid, I'm not having a go at your Momma, she's had it tough too, I get it. I was about to say that it was your Momma's idea so it couldn't be a bad one now can it? If Momma is willing to give the Crocodile another shot I am too"
"But Papa is so mad" Junior sobbed bringing his bear up to hide the fact that he was clutching at his chest and suddenly David understood the tears.
He sighed out a long breath "It's confusing isn't it? You want to please your Papa but you can't feel what he's feeling anymore. You thought that because Papa put aside his differences with Mr Gold for Henry that he would do the same with you"
"I am forgetting..." he cut himself off with a fresh sob and as a tear tumbled down his cheek his bottom lip gave a hard wobble.
"You can't remember what Papa felt like inside can you? You forgot how much he disliked Gold didn't you?"
Junior descended into hysterics before his very eyes, his face crumpled and he flopped over onto his side clutching his bear to his chest. David found himself fighting back tears too as he realized that the kid was still trying to please Hook but he no longer had his feeling to go by, he must feel so lost. He headed back over to the fire and stood next to the Pirate.
"Junior" David whispered with a sniff "Remember what Archie said. If you don't tell people what you are feeling they won't know, I think that you and your Papa need to talk don't you?"
He watched as the Kid pulled himself upright and wiped his tears on the top of his bear's head but he was happy to see Junior give a little nod. He handed the mirror to Hook and gave Robin a nod, they both started to walk from the fire to leave Father and Son to alone but Hook suddenly turned and spoke.
"Stay Brother" he pleaded through his own tears "I could do with a calming head near by... I too am a bit lost when it comes to how I feel about things. The hollowness that I feel inside seems to grow with each passing day but my memory of how it felt to have him with me is fading, I do not want to mess this up, please stay"
"You won't mess it up" David replied with confidence but he sat back down anyway, if Hook needed him who was he to refuse "Just talk to one another, be honest and open. Mistakes will be made... maybe no more as big as "Grandpa Gold" but that is life, we will be fine, everyone will be fine"
"I am sorry Papa" Junior sniffed
"As am I" Hooked replied with a smile
"It is all very confusing" Junior carried on with a deep frown "When the Crocodile visited my dream I felt what he was feeling for a short time. He truly is sorry Papa, for his part in this. I thought that I could help everyone by forgiving him but perhaps I was wrong."
"You were not wrong Junior" Hook replied with a sigh "It is I who encouraged you to put aside my feelings for the greater good so I think that maybe now I should do the same BUT if the Crocodile does one little thing wrong, I will end it. Are we clear?"
Junior gave a nod then a little smirk appeared on his face "Momma and Henry both said the same"
"Well that is good" Hook replied "It means that we are all of the same opinion then doesn't it"
"I miss you" Junior suddenly said clutching at his chest again
"I miss you too Lad but you know that even when I do get back that this hollowness will probably never truly go. We are different now, you and I. The Jewel is gone and cannot return. This is a good thing so we should not be sad. It means that you and I are no longer linked, you will no longer be plagued by my pain and when the time comes you will carry on with your life when mine has ended... it is how it should be for any Father and Son"
Junior gave another little sniff and nodded "I wish I could hug you"
"Well why don't we just save them all up until I get back?" Hook replied trying to fight back tears "and in the meantime you can give your bear a hug for me instead"
Junior pulled the bear in tightly but then suddenly looked over the side of the crows nest "I have to go, I can hear Momma calling me. I love you"
"I love you too Junior, with all of my heart. Be careful getting down and give your Mother the biggest hug you can from me"
"I will" he smiled "Bye Grandpa, love you too"
"Me too Kid" David smiled back and then he was gone.
David had barely had a chance to draw in a breath when Hook descended into tears next to him.
"Hey, it's alright, he's fine" He soothed throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a hug
"He's not alright David... I know... because I am not alright either." he howled against David's neck "I miss him so much that I feel physically sick inside. I tried to ignore the fading feeling thinking that I was just being silly but he is feeling it too... what if I don't feel the same way about him when I get back? What if I have no bond with him? I could not bear it"
"The very fact that you are worried about that happening is enough to let me know that it never will. Killian, he is your boy and you love him. NOTHING can change that, do you hear me? NOTHING"
He felt Hook give a nod against his neck as another stuttering breath left him but David didn't let go, he just held his Brother tight. Hook needed to feel something right now and David was damned sure that he was gonna make sure that the Pirate knew he wasn't going anywhere.