Another early update so I can enjoy the sunshine.
A bit of happy now me thinks as my tale heads towards it's conclusion...
As always please review
Enjoy
:)
"JUNIOR" Emma yelled up the staircase that led to the deck knowing full well that he was more than likely up that damned crows nest again "Get your butt in here, your breakfast is ready"
She gave a chuckle as she headed back to the galley and sat herself down on the bench next to her Mom knowing that Junior would want to sit next to Henry. He wandered through the door a few seconds later only limping slightly and Emma gave him a wide smile but he didn't smile back and when she looked closer she could see that he had been crying.
"Hey" she soothed pulling him up on to her knee when he made his way over to her "What's wrong? You've been crying"
He didn't settle in her lap like she thought he was going to, he pulled himself up to kneel on her and threw his arms around her neck while still clutching onto P.B.. He gave a heavy sigh and said "This hug is from Papa"
"You spoke to Papa?" Emma asked hugging him back
He nodded against her neck and suddenly she could feel his tears "Hey, hey, hey come on, what's wrong?"
She pulled him back and looked at his little sad face, he gave a hard sniff "I just miss him"
She pulled him back in and rubbed his back gently "I know Kid, we all do but you need to be brave remember? And Gina will be here soon, she called and asked if we wanted to have lunch at Granny's later..."
She was just about to ask if he wanted to go to Granny's when he suddenly pulled back with his eyebrows high on his head.
"Gina is coming here?" he gasped
"Yeah? What's with the face kid?"
He lowered his voice and hissed "I must talk to you in private about... "Operation Arrow""
Emma smirked reading between the lines, the Kid knew about Robin so she whispered back "OK, let's go to the hold then"
She put him down and he started towards the door before suddenly turning around and grabbing two bits of toast from the table. He gave a sheepish look but then just jammed the first bit in his mouth chewing quickly. They headed down the corridor and a few minutes later they were settled on the couch.
"So, "Operation Arrow"?" she asked with a smile as he ate his toast
"Momma, Robin has decided that he wants to talk to Gina." he spoke through a mouthful of food which surprised Emma. He normally NEVER talked with his mouth full but he was excited now, his little face was full of joy and who was she kidding, she did it all the time, she didn't care. He swallowed thickly then added "We need to call him back when she gets here"
He dug in his pocket and pulled out the mirror handing it over.
"Well that's good isn't it" she said taking the mirror and holding it in her hand "Everyone is gonna be happy."
"Aye" he replied but the smile didn't stay long
Emma scooted herself fully onto the couch and pulled him into her side "You wanna talk to me about whatever is bugging you?"
He pulled his hand up to his chest and sighed "I miss Papa"
"I know kid, me too" she whispered dropping a kiss on top of his head
"You don't understand Momma, I miss him but not like I miss Liam... well I do miss him like that too but this is different. I miss him in here" he clutched his hand over his heart again and gave another heavy sigh "Papa is gone and I do not know what he is feeling anymore but worse than that I am forgetting what it felt like to have him inside me at all... I don't want to forget Momma, I don't know what Papa is thinking... I got it so wrong about the Crocodile, I thought that Papa would be happy that I was trying to be nice but he was mad... well to begin with he was but we talked about it and he apologized and said that if I wanted the Crocodile to be my Grandpa that he would give it a go but I don't know anymore... I don't know if Papa was just saying that he was happy for me to call the Crocodile Grandpa or if he really meant it"
Emma tried to process what he had just said, she thought about it for a minute then summarized "Sooooo... you don't know if you should call Mr Gold Grandpa or not because you don't know how Papa really feels about it?"
He nodded but didn't say anything.
"OK" Emma said sitting back from him a bit "Forget Papa for a minute. What do YOU think? Do you want Mr Gold to be your Grandpa"
He gave a shrug and she could see the tears forming in his eyes again "I don't know Momma"
"That's OK" she soothed reaching up and brushing the hair from his forehead "You don't need to decide right now, why don't you just keep calling him Mr. Gold for now and see how it goes. Maybe give it a few weeks and THEN make your decision"
He gave a little nod but then sighed again "Everything is so confusing without Papa, he always knew what to do"
"No he didn't Kid" she sighed pulling him back in "He just had to weigh up all the options and hope that he made the right choice... sometimes he got it very wrong but that's what life is about, you learn as you go on... you'll get there kid"
She let him cuddle into her side for a few minutes but she didn't want to let him wallow so after that she gave him a tickle and chuckled "Come on, let's go and see what Henry's up to"
He gave a little giggle and squirmed away from her, he had literally just got his feet on the floor when they both heard Regina shout from the deck. The kid's eyebrows shot straight up on his head and he was grinning. He gave an excited little dance and tried to clap his hands which failed because he still had P.B. clutched in his fist.
"It's Gina..." he squealed while dancing on the spot "she is here, get the mirror Momma, she is here"
Emma laughed at him as she pulled the mirror out of her pocket "I've got the mirror so why don't you go and get Gina? I'll wait here and make sure that Robin is ready."
He took off towards the door hardly even limping at all and she called after him "Don't give the game away kid"
"I won't" he called back.
There was silence for a few seconds as she raised the mirror up then she heard his excited voice crying out "GINA... you are going to be so happy. Follow me, we have a surprise for you"
"Dad, Hook... you guys there?"
"Swan" Hook's face appeared in seconds, he gave her a smile but she could tell by his face that he had been upset too after his talk with Junior
"Hey" she smiled "First off, Junior is fine. We had a talk and he's gonna wait a few weeks to make the decision about calling Gold, Grandpa and second I am so sorry for that whole thing, I... I... shit Hook, I was tired, I'd had a long day and then the whole shadow thing happened. Gold showed up and helped us and I guess I kinda got caught up in the moment... I was half kidding when I said it not thinking that it would actually happen... I just... I am so sorry."
"It's alright Love" he replied with a sigh of his own "I did not make the situation any easier I am afraid"
"Yeah I heard you got pretty mad"
"Aye" Hook chuckled "When it comes to the Crocodile I do tend to have quite a short fuse. Swan, I know you said that Junior is alright but you should know that he is not. He is losing the memory of how it felt for my heart to lay with his"
"I know" she soothed "He told me, I take it you're feeling the same?"
He dropped his head and gave a single nod "Swan... I cannot explain it, it is like nothing else I have ever felt before..."
The hold door flying open and Junior half skipping his way back in silenced her Pirate mid sentence when the kid cried out "GINA IS HERE"
Emma laughed as Regina walked through the door followed by Henry and Mary-Margaret who was holding the newly returned Neal in her arms. Emma looked back at Hook and said "We'll talk later OK but for now is "Operation Arrow" ready to go?"
He gave a chuckle and seemed to pull himself to his feet "Give me a minute Love"
"What's going on Swan?" Regina asked suspiciously walking over and narrowing her eyes
"Just sit down, you're gonna like this... just hang on a sec" Emma grinned
"Come sit next to me" Junior called out pulling himself up onto the couch and patting the space next to him "I want to see too"
"Henry?" Regina asked turning to look at her Son but it was Junior who answered her as Henry only shrugged.
"Henry does not know" he gave a little frown then spoke to his Brother "I am sorry Henry, I was told not to tell anyone"
"That's OK..." Henry started to say with a smile but it was Regina's turn to butt in this time
"Well I'm glad to see at least one member of this family can keep a secret" she said raising an eyebrow at Mary-Margaret.
"You are just never gonna let that go are you" Mary-Margaret cried out in frustration "I was a child Regina"
Regina just smiled at Junior "Yes, but it would seem that some children obviously know how a secret works, don't they Junior?"
Junior for his part looked really confused so Emma stepped in "Would you two stop it" she scolded then looked at Junior "You did good kid, Papa will be happy"
He gave a little grin at that and lent back on the couch clutching his bear to his front "Is it time Momma?"
"Nearly, Papa's just gone to..." she looked at Junior and winked "find the thing he was looking for"
"Swan" Hook's voice came back over the mirror "Give the mirror to Regina Love"
Emma took two huge strides over and held out the mirror with a huge smile on her face "Here, take it, I promise you're gonna like it"
Regina looked nervous for a second as her hand slowly reached forward to take the mirror but then a determined look crossed her face and she took hold of it quickly.
"Hook, what the hell is going on?" she barked out
Emma scooted around the back of the couch so she could see and the image of Hook's eyebrow high on his head and a smirk on his face was what she got as a reward,
"Patience Majesty" he chuckled, he gave a little look to the side which Emma knew was probably at Robin and then he grinned wider before looking back and sorting himself out "So. You may remember that a while ago myself and Swan travelled back in time to the Enchanted Forest and that when we returned we did not return alone..."
"If you're about to tell me that you've found someone else there that will mess up my life I swear I will strangle you with my own bare hands when you get back" Regina warned in a low growl
"I will let you decide that for yourself" he smirked "Are you ready?"
"Just get on with it you infernal Pirate before I lose the will to li..." Regina trailed off her rant as the mirror suddenly moved and Robin's smiling face appeared in front of her.
"Regina?" Robin practically whispered
"What? How? I don't..." but the words died on her lips as her hand came up to cover her mouth and tears started to tumble down her cheeks. She looked up at Emma and whispered "Please tell me this is not some cruel trick"
Emma sniffed back her own tears "He's there Regina and he's coming home"
"Robin!" Regina cried out looking back to the mirror "Oh my God Robin, I missed you so much"
Junior was moving in a second he pulled himself up and crawled over before throwing his arms around Regina's neck "This is from Robin, he would want to hug you"
Everyone was quite teary-eyed by this point but Hook's voice coming through the mirror had them all laughing
"Mate, I can hug you too if you wish but I sure as hell am not giving you a kiss"
Laugher rang out for a few seconds before Robin spoke again "I have someone else here too that wants to say hello"
"Roland!" Regina cried out before the kid had even appeared and when he stepped into sight it was finally too much and Regina was sobbing "Oh, Roland I have missed you, look at you . You have gotten so big!"
"I miss you too Regina" he smiled back "Me and Papa will be home soon, we promise"
Emma suddenly felt like she was intruding on a private moment so she put her hand on Regina's shoulder "We're gonna go and leave you guys to catch up, we'll be up on deck when you're done"
She took hold of Junior's hand and pulled him up onto his feet then lifted him over the back of the couch. Mary-Margaret and Henry followed but not before Henry hugged Regina tightly.
"You deserve this Mom... hey Robin, Roland it's good to see you guys"
"And you too Henry" Robin's voice said back
When Henry stepped back Regina was fighting back fresh tears ,she burst out "Thank you. I mean it, thank you, all of you. I don't know how I would have got through the last year or so without you all"
"Hey, that's what family is for" Emma replied hitching Junior up a bit higher
"We love you Gina" Junior said with a cheery grin then cried out "Happy "Happy Ending" Gina and Robin"
"Happy "Happy Ending"" the rest of them chorused leaving Regina looking even worse for wear
"See you in a while" Emma said with thin smile "Take your time"
She turned back to head out the door and as she was making her way up to the deck Junior gave a thoughtful look and asked.
"Will they have a party? A Happy Ending party?"
"Maybe" Emma replied "But we'll have to wait until Robin and Roland get home... in fact why don't we just have a HUGE welcome home party for everyone instead"
"Will there be cake?" he asked innocently
"You can bet on it, the biggest cake you have ever seen"
"Well in that case I'm in" he replied with a grin before throwing his arms around her neck, hugging her again and mumbling "This is another Papa hug"
"Thank you" she whispered bringing her hand up to his back "But can I have one from you too?"
He nodded before tightening his grip and whispering in her ear "I love you Momma"
"Love you too kid"
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"You look a bit happier" David mused as they made their way back across the clearing to the main teepee
"Aye" Killian replied with a slight smile "It would seem that Junior listened to your advise and has discussed with Emma how he is feeling"
"And are you gonna listen too?" He asked stopping suddenly "You don't have to keep everything to yourself you know, you should have told me how you were felling"
"David I'm not even sure myself what's going on, it's not as simple as that. I wish it were." Killian sighed "This feeling... Junior being in here... it is fading and there is nothing I can do to stop it BUT I wouldn't change it. He needs to be free from me so that he can be safe, I would happily live the rest of my days here if it meant that he would be safe."
"Well it's just as well you don't need to because your heart may be willing to live here but your face says something different... put a smile on your dial Hook, you just did a great thing. Regina is happy thanks to you and we WILL get home"
He pulled in a deep breath and let it out "You are right. Plus Swan has spoken to Junior and the whole Grandpa Gold issue seems to have been put on hold for the moment, thank the Gods for that. Then we have another family to reunite later on today... things are not as bad as they could be."
"Annnnd" David said striding off and turning to walk backwards so that he could still see him "The sun is shining so that means that the Shadow Man is still not around. Come on, let's go see how Lark got on spoon feeding Jensen with mashed potatoes"
"What?" Killian asked in confusion starting off after David "Mashed potatoes?"
"Potassium" David shrugged "Apparently they're full of it and that's what the kid needs"
They headed back into the teepee and went straight to the bed to be joined by Lark who was still frowning deeply in concern.
"No luck waking him?" David whispered
Lark gave a heavy sigh "He awoke for a short time through the night, I got him to eat some of the nimassii but after that he returned to sleep. His fever is still high... I am concerned"
"Give the nimas...whatever you called the potato, give them a chance to work, this will work I just know it"
Lark didn't look convinced as he gave another heavy sigh but just as he was about to walk back to the fire Jensen stirred on the bed. He groaned and brought his hand up to his head as he peeked open his eyes. He gave a gasp as he focused on Killian's face and immediately dropped his gaze in shame. Killian had the urge to run but as his heart thumped in his chest Devin stayed quiet and the only voice that he could hear was the boy as he finally spoke.
"I am sorry, I am so sorry... I didn't know what I was doing... I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go back... if I have to stay locked up I don't care, it will be better than being here... please, you have to help me"
"Where is the Shadow Man?" Killian asked trying to keep his voice steady even though he was anything but calm, it would seem that his body did not need Devin to be there to react as his legs gave a wobble.
"I... I..." the boy looked confused for a minute then suddenly held up his hand and gasped "I set him on fire... is he gone?"
David sighed out a long breath "Thank God for that... yeah Kid, you did it. He's gone"
Jensen gave an unsure smile then looked back to Killian "I am sorry Captain, I truly am"
Killian's heart was thumping in his chest now, he couldn't do this... he just gave a slight nod before giving David a knowing look then headed for the outside world where he knew he would feel less claustrophobic.
He staggered his way over to the nearest tree bringing his forearm arm up between his head and the trunk and leaning heavily against it while pulling in some deep breaths... but as he stood there with his face buried in the crook of his arm he found a smile coming to his lips
The Shadow Man was gone.
"You OK?" David asked by his side sliding his hand onto Killian's back settling it between his shoulder blades
Killian stood up and looked at his Brother with a HUGE grin on his face "He is gone David, I am more than OK. My family is finally safe..."
David chuckled then scoffed "No bond? You idiot... If you could see your face right now you'd know just how ridiculous you sounded earlier. That kid's got you right where he wants you."
"I believe it is I who have him right where I want him... right here in my heart" Killian replied bringing his hand to his chest as he felt his heart swell with pride, his boy was going to be just fine.