The cove was gone.
Gone.
Almost like they'd been.
Gone.
She gasps in pain as she gently sets Gil down. Her fingers linger on his face before she looks back over her shoulder at the turbulent sea below the cliff.
She was horrified by the sight of it.
Sea gods only knew if she would have been able to let go if she'd known how bad the damage was.
How complete the devastation of her paradise was.
Dumbfounded?
Was this what dumbfounded felt like?
She turns back to Gil with a frown.
She'd managed to make the climb, but no amount of distance could make her feel safe.
She grimaces at the energy of the sea's anger and rage. Even up here, she knew it was waiting to reach up and take them.
Claim them.
Again.
She could still feel its ire.
It had not wanted to give Gil and her up.
She shivers as she looks up at the storm swirling in the sky.
The violently churning green clouds occasionally backlit by equally eerie green lightning was-
Her eyes widen when the ground trembles again.
It was slight, nothing like before, but she wasn't waiting to see if the cliff was stable.
"I'm sorry." She whispers to Gil as she awkwardly collects him, gritting her teeth through the pain spiking in her shoulder as she tries to hold him carefully.
She grunts as she firmly turns her back on the cliff and starts walking.
They needed to get away.
They needed-
She suddenly stops.
Where should she go?
Where would they be safe until Gil woke up?
She bites her lip as she slowly turns on the spot.
Nothing but greys, browns, and the sickly looking green streaking across the sky as the wind blew her hair, whipping it in her face as she stared helplessly around her.
Where could she take Gil?
She had no idea where T was.
Last she knew, Harry said he was going to check in with Maleficent.
Her mind clamps down on the idea that this could be Maleficent's fault.
And she refused to acknowledge that T could be anything less than okay.
He was T.
And Maleficent was not Frollo.
He was fine.
He had to be.
She couldn't deal with any other option.
Not right now.
She takes a deep breath as she continues to slowly turn in place.
Uma and Harry were on the ship.
And the ship-
Her eyes widen as she chokes back a sob and clutches to Gil in her panic.
Pirates have to know how to navigate waves.
Waves like that?
She shakes her head, closing her eyes tight before she presses her face to Gil's bare chest.
His frigid bare chest.
She forces herself to heat up, frowning at how weary and tired she felt.
How long had she held on in the cave?
She pulls back to look Gil over, frowning at how pale he was. At the bruise on the side of his head that was spreading down to his temple and cheek.
She had to do something to help him first.
Everything would be fine once he was.
She takes another deep breath before she starts walking, heading for one of her favorite hiding spots.
She'd have to make it a little bigger, but at least she'd be able to get Gil out of the rain and warm him up.
She could do that.
Could take care of Gil until he woke up.
Because he would wake up.
And then everything would be okay.
They'd go find the others.
And everything would be okay.
What did Uma do when they were hurt?
She frowns when her mind blanks.
Oh, come on, she fucking knew this.
Bandages!
Stitches when needed.
She didn't have her bag on her for any of those things.
She didn't have anything on her right now. Neither of them did.
Her eyes trail over the bruise again.
Was it cold for bruises?
She really hoped it was.
She shivers as the wind picks up around her, snapping her wet hair back in its ferocity before it swirls and moves on.
She pushes herself to move faster, grunting in pain with every movement of her shoulder.
She needed-
They needed shelter.
Something was off.
She'd never felt the air so-
So charged?
With what, she had no idea.
But she wasn't stupid enough to wait long enough to find out.
The last thing they needed was to be taken off guard.
Again.
She shivers as her eyes close.
Never again.
"It's going to be okay," She whispers as she shifts to change the cloth over the nasty-looking bruise.
"It will be. I got us to a safe place." She explains as she looks around, "But all the supplies T and I had here are gone. And there's not much left of our clothes." She frowns as she swaps out a warm strip of cloth for a freshly drenched one by the entrance.
"But, that's okay. We're okay. I'll take care of you until you wake up."
At least they were drier.
At least now she could hear the beat of his heart.
It was slower than she'd like, but it was there.
The stone lean-to wasn't much, but it was keeping most of the rain off.
It didn't keep the violent wind out, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
At this point, she was just glad it was here. So much else wasn't.
"We're safe here. And I'm going to take care of you. And you'll be fine." She smiles softly as she lays the cold cloth against his head, "And everyone is fine. Because they have to be fine. T is- Well, T is T. Knowing him, he's running around being a hero. And pirates have to know how to sail through waves, right? And storms. And they have Yensid and James. Everyone is okay." She takes a deep breath before she moves back to the opening, "We're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."
Who was she really talking to at this point?
Was she assuring him?
Herself?
She sighs when she realizes she doesn't know the answer.
A snort escapes her, making her grimace at the reminder of her useless shoulder.
She sighs as she leans against the cold stone. In the end, the why didn't matter. Talking out loud kept her from going completely in her head.
She desperately wanted to see if she could find the ship, but there was no way in hell she was going to leave him.
Not like this.
Not when she didn't know-
No.
She bites her lip to chase the thought away.
Gil would wake up. He would be okay.
But she wasn't willing to leave him like this.
Not like this.
Not when he never left her.
She couldn't.
Not even for a chance to find Uma.
Which felt stupid because Uma would know what to do.
She always knew what to do.
She'd walk in and take over, and everything really would be fine.
She'd know what to do to help Gil.
But right now, it was just her.
And she couldn't leave him.
Not when he was this pale.
Not when his breaths were so soft.
Shallow.
No!
She shakes her head, whimpering slightly at the reminder that she couldn't move that fast.
No, she couldn't think like that.
He would be okay.
Their whole family would be okay.
She wasn't sure what she was going to do if they weren't.
But, she wouldn't have to find out, because they were fine!
They had to be.
Harry and Uma were together.
And they had James.
Yensid.
The crew.
They were fine!
No matter what the Isle threw at them, they would be fine.
Same for T.
T was somewhere on the Isle.
And T had Faustina.
The town had to be okay.
It was far enough away from the sea to be fine.
Because she was going to pointedly ignore the way the ground was shaking.
It was because of the sea being so angry.
The sea gods getting violent.
The rest of the Isle was fine.
Everything was cool.
"Cool. It's cool, Gil. Coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool-"
She blinks when she hears a low groan.
Was that-
Could it be?
She carefully scrambles to Gil's side.
"Gil?" She calls out softly.
Hopefully.
Gil's eyes open ever so slightly, looking for all the world confused.
"You're okay!" She cries out.
He smiles up at her before his eyes slowly close again.
Tears stream down her face as she takes his hand and laces their fingers together.
It was all she could think.
He was okay.
He woke up.
"It's going to be okay." She nods as she squeezes his hand, "You'll be fine."
His smile lingers even in his sleep.
"It's okay. It's cool! Everything is okay. We're okay."
She slides in closer to him, laying against his side as she heats herself.
"We'll figure it out." She continues, "I'll figure it out for now, but we'll figure the rest out together. Later."
Maybe it helped.
Maybe it even helped her.
No!
The slow prickles of sleep were trying to force her eyes closed again.
She jerks before she hisses.
"Fuck!"
It slips out before she slaps her hand over her shoulder.
Stupid shoulder.
She couldn't figure out why it wasn't healing.
She always healed after being hurt.
Instantly.
So why?
Was it because it felt different under her fingers?
Out of place?
T mentioned that once.
Was that what the popping sounds had been?
She sighs as she drops her hand back to Gil's, lacing their fingers together again before she leans back against the stone and forces herself to heat up.
It was getting harder and harder to find the energy.
How long had they been here?
How long had they been stuck in the cave?
Her eyes close as she lets her head fall back against the stone behind her.
How long since they saw Uma?
Harry?
T?
Tears prick at her eyes.
She just wanted to see them again.
"They're okay." She rolls her head back and forth against the wall behind her.
"They're fine-"
She jumps when Gil squeezes her hand.
"Gil?" She leans forward, grimacing at the flair in her shoulder as it clicks from the shift.
He groans before his eyes slowly open again.
"Gil!" She cries out, tears falling from her eyes to land against his cheek as she stares down at him.
"Deez?" He blinks serenely as a slow smile curves his lips.
Her eyes widen as he pulls her down, pulls her to his chest like it was second nature.
She tries to bite the scream back, but she hadn't been ready for the sudden movement.
"Deez?" Gil asks as his eyes widen in horror.
"It's cool!" She breathes out through her clenched teeth, "It's okay!" She tries to assure him.
The last thing she wanted was for him to freak out over her shoulder.
Not when he was still waking up.
Not when the horrifying reality of the wave hadn't crashed in on him.
She just wanted to freeze time before he realized what happened.
A few more minutes of ignorance wasn't going to kill them.
A few seconds for her to appreciate the fact he was awake.
A moment.
Just one.
He could deal with this after.
"It's not okay." Gil frowns as he tries to sit up, "You're-"
"Stay still." She begs as she presses her good hand to his chest.
"Deez-"
"Please." She begs as she closes her eyes and leans over him, pressing her forehead to his chest, "Please. You're awake. That's all that matters right now. Please let it be all that matters for just a minute. Please."
"Deez…" He breathes her name like Harry breathed Uma's.
She wouldn't have been able to stop herself from sitting up to look at him even if she wanted to.
He said her name like no one else ever had.
"What's wrong?" He places a hand over hers gently, "Show me? Please?"
His plea was so soft if she'd been anyone else she wouldn't have heard it.
His other hand caresses her jaw as he softly wipes away her tears with a stroke of his thumb. "What's going on?"
She blinks as she takes a deep breath.
It was too much to ask for, wanting to just let things be.
Everything was so-
"Deez," He frowns as he slowly adjusts her before he sits up.
"The wave-" She shivers.
Fuck, she hadn't even thought about how to talk about this yet.
She'd been too scared to think about the future.
"Wave?" His eyes narrow before they widen.
Just as suddenly, she finds herself pressed to his chest, one arm wrapped around her waist protectively as he loolooksks around the lean too in confusion.
She holds her breath as the earth rumbles beneath them.
"Deez!?" He ducks his head as he curls around her. "What's going on?"
"I don't know." She chokes out around the burning in her throat and the sting in her eyes.
The wave.
The ground shaking.
The storm.
The passing of time-
How the fuck was she supposed to explain it all when she still had no clue what was going on?
"Uma?" He asks hesitantly, sounding as lost as she felt.
"I don't know."
"Harry?"
"I don't know."
"T?"
"I don't know."
She feels him swallow as he presses her to him tighter.
"I'm sorry." She bites back a sob, "I- I just- I couldn't leave you."
"Don't be-" He slowly shakes his head. "You-" He tilts his head to the side, "saved us?"
"I held on, and then got us out of the cave."
Saved us sounded brave.
And that was the last word she'd used to describe herself right now.
He presses a kiss to the top of her head, "Thank you." He breathes into her hair. He pulls back as he looks her over. "You-" he blinks, "what- what's wrong with your arm?" He asks, clearly struggling with the desire to touch her and being afraid of what he was seeing.
She couldn't blame him. The sight had been terrifying-
Was still terrifying, every time she looked at it.
And worse.
Deep down, in a place she'd been trying to ignore, she knew what it meant.
That she was broken.
Useless.
"I don't- It just-" She frowns as she bites her lip, "I held on. It- I couldn't think of anything else. I just held on until I was too afraid I wasn't going to be able to anymore."
His brow furrows as he continues to stare at her shoulder before his eyes widen.
He gingerly shakes his head as he holds her closer and pushes the wall of their meager shelter until it crumbles around them.
"Gil!" She struggles against him before she hisses and relents, "Wait. You just woke up-"
He kisses the top of her head as he stands, "Uma'll know what to do." He explains with a frown as he walks. He glances down at her again, "Or Yensid."
"But, can't we just-"
"No." He kisses her crown again. "We can't. I'm hurt, and you're hurt, and we need to get home to our family. They'll know what to do."
"But, but we're naked." She says in desperation.
They all had a problem with public nudity.
And all she wanted was a second to think.
He'd been out for days.
Or at least it felt like days.
The side of his face was purple and blue, and the colors had only just stopped spreading.
He looks down and blinks, "Ah."
She holds her breath as his brows knit together and he looks around.
Please.
Just a moment.
Just a moment to let this sink in.
"I-" He shrugs, "We'll find clothes on the way. It's not like we've got much choice. We need to get home. They're going to be worried about us." He squeezes her. "'Sides I'm covering you, an' you're coverin' me, an' it don't look like anyone's gonna be payin' us attention with-" he tilts his head, "Whatever is goin' on."
She tilts her head back and stares up at the strange swirling clouds above them before the stinging rain forces her to drop her gaze again.
He looks around with a frown. "We just- need to get back to 'em before they do somethin' stupid."
"Ship or T first?" She asks, resigned to the fact he was not going to listen to her.
"Whichever comes first?" He shrugs.
"Can we try a few other spots T and I have? See if anything survived?"
"Sounds like a good place ta start."
She bites her lip as she stares up into his brown eyes.
She'd been so scared he was never going to wake up.
Scared to let herself think beyond keeping him safe.
Tears fall down her cheeks as she wraps her good arm around him and squeezes, "I'm just- I'm so glad you woke up. I- I thought. Head injuries are bad. I remember T saying that. And, and you- and the cove-"
Her chest constricts as she presses her forehead to him.
He was okay.
He was okay, a little wobbly on his feet, but okay.
And they were going to find the others.
Everything was going to be okay.
"Family don't leave family Treasure, ya should know that by now." He kisses her nose. "It's gonna be okay." He promises her with a conviction she finds hard to believe. "I promise."
"I know family doesn't leave family." She frowns as she looks up at him.
"Good." He beams down at her. "So, let's not leave the rest of ours waiting. Uma an' Harry can be a bit dramatic."
She really couldn't argue that.
So she sighs instead.
"I can walk-"
"I know."
"You're hurt."
"I know."
"Gil-"
"You hate when I have blue lips."
"I-" She blinks up at him.
How?
How did he wake up and suddenly know exactly what to say and do?
How did it go from her taking care of him to him taking care of her?
While pretending to let her take care of him?
She groans as she lets her head fall back to his chest.
"That's my Treasure." He kisses her hair in approval. "Now, let's get home."
"You're so stubborn." She grumbles as she forces herself to heat up.
"I know." He grins down at her.
He bites his lip as he waits for Deez to come back out.
T and Deez and their damned burrows.
He carefully shakes his head before he tentatively touches the knot.
Yep.
Nope.
He grimaces as he drops his hand away from the throbbing stab.
He still couldn't remember everything.
But he didn't need to.
He knew the parts that mattered.
The Isle was fighting them.
The sea had turned on them.
And somehow, Deez saved them.
Now it was his turn.
They needed to get home.
Even if Uma didn't know what to do to help Deez, Yensid would.
He still didn't know what to make of it.
Deez actually being hurt.
Hurt so badly he couldn't help her.
It just was a testament to the dire straits they'd been in.
Showed how desperate she'd been to live-
For them to live.
His Treasure.
He grins.
His savior.
Was he thrilled she had to save him?
All alone.
And while hurt?
No.
But he could appreciate the effort.
The stubbornness.
The pure determination.
And from the looks of it, he frowns with a sigh.
He was going to have plenty of opportunities to return the favor.
The Isle was in ruins right now.
Complete and utter ruin.
It was-
Creepy didn't really cover the shivers constantly running up and down his spine.
The fact they hadn't crossed anyone yet was concerning.
They needed to find T.
Find T and get home.
Fuck knows he was off running around somewhere avoiding everything.
Which, under the circumstances, he couldn't really blame them.
The odds weren't good.
But he knew, just knew, that their family had made it.
Maybe lost the ship.
But that wasn't where home really was.
There was no way Uma could've drowned. So there was no way Harry could be dead either.
And T?
T was a stubborn little asshole at the best of times. But at the worst?
He was a fucking force to be reckoned with in every way imaginable.
He'd lived through Deez's fire to the face.
On purpose.
He could live through this.
It was fine.
They were all going to be a mess when they found them.
But they were going to be okay.
Deez had called him stubborn-
She hadn't been wrong, but seriously, who in their family wasn't?
"I found a couple of T's shirts," Deez says as she pushes dark bundles of fabric out of the entrance ahead of her. "Huh, I guess we're lucky he likes them huge." She smiles tightly up at him before she sighs.
He drops a hand to her head, "We'll find 'em, Deez. Might take a while with everything-" He looks around again, "bein' everything."
"Being fucked up?" She offers as she starts flapping the shirts out with her good arm.
He nods, "But, we'll find them and set them straight." He looks down at her in disapproval. "Give me that, I can do it." He takes them and finishes the job before he guides her to the ground and rips a strip of one of them.
"I have to keep busy." Deez frowns before she bites back a yawn.
"Or, what? You might get the rest you need?" He sighs.
She glares up at him, "I'll sleep when we find them, or when you take a break."
He bites his lip. "Mal's hang out is in the city, right?"
"Oh. Yes." She nods, "It's not far from Dragon Hall."
"Then, we'll take a break there. Get some rest, and figure out what to do when we wake up." He nods, "but 'til then," He looks her over, "Press your arm to your chest like this," He shows her how to protect her arm to keep it from getting worse, "Kay?"
Deez takes a deep breath before she gingerly moves her arm, biting her lip as she closes her eyes.
"I know, Baby Girl." He takes a deep breath before he lets it out slowly and ties the strip in a makeshift sling, and secures it.
He looks it over before he nods, "It'll have to do for now," He sighs, "Lift up your other arm for me?"
"It doesn't hurt so bad, if that helps." She smiles as she does as he asked.
"Lil' liar." He shakes his head. "But that's okay." He kisses her. "This time." He adds as he slips one of the shirts over her head. "There." He nods. "Be careful if you have to light up, but I think it would be best to be prepared for anything."
"I'm not too worried about catching anything on fire right now." She admits, "I don't-" She sighs before she looks away.
"Fair." He pulls on one of the shirts. "I love you too." He kisses her head again before he stands and lets out a sigh. "But if anyone says anything about this, please burn them."
Her brow furrows as she turns back to him and looks him over.
He sighs as he wraps the rest of the ripped shirt around his hips. "It's a toga if anyone asks."
"Duh." She rolls her eyes, "I love togas, everyone else seems to have problems with them."
He grins. "Evie had problems with them. We had a problem with people staring at you in them. There's a difference."
"Mal did say something like that." She admits as he helps her stand, "But you look good in a toga," Her lips turn up in the smallest of smiles, "very god-like."
He chuckles, "Good to know." He picks her up again before he starts walking. "Gonna need your arrow, Compass." He smiles as he heads towards the town.
"Hopefully just to get to Mal's." She frowns as she lays her head against his shoulder.
"Me too." He presses her to his chest tighter.
It was overwhelming.
He didn't want to keep thinking about things, but he wasn't sure Deez knew how to stop thinking.
"You'll stop if you get dizzy, though," Her fingers tighten in the fabric over his chest, "right?"
"I'll stop if I get dizzy." He promises. "Can't get us to the family if I get myself killed."
Deez nods absently before she wraps her arm around his neck. "Thank you."
He chuckles, "Silly Treasure, I should be the one thanking you." He kisses her head again. "Next time though-"
"Can there just- Not be a next time?"
He nods, "Yeah. That one."
"You waking up saved me." He smiles as she stops short, her brow furrowing as she frowns thoughtfully, "actually, your heartbeat in the cave saved me."
He believed her.
He'd have been terrified if positions had been switched. "I guess we saved each other then."
She nods, "I knew you'd say everything was okay."
"Because it is."
"So I-" She shivers, "I believed you. It's how I got us out."
"You should. It'll save you from worrying about more important things."
"Family is the most important thing."
He shakes his head, "Our family isn't what I'm worried about."
"It's all I could think about." She frowns as she looks up at him, "What are you worried about?"
He grimaces as he looks down at her, "how to fix your arm."
Ha!
I wasn't a liar this time! Fuck yeah!
Like we'd have the balls to kill two of our mains this early in the story. Who the fuck are we? George R.R. Martin?
Please.
Besides, we'd miss them too much.
And fuck, we hope you guys would too.
What the fuck would this story be with no writer? (ba dum tsh ← sad attempt at a drum punchline noise) And seriously? The fam's anchor, the angriest level headed artist you'll ever meet?
We couldn't do that to you guys.
Not when there's so many worse things we could do.
For instance, how does one actually fix a demi-goddesses dislocated shoulder?
Any guesses?
Certainly none that anyone is going to be happy with that's for damn sure.
Gil.
He's always been a struggle for me to write. So it's a surprise when anyone talks about how they like my version. I mean sure, the movie certainly didn't do him any justice in the character department, but I didn't want to do an entire rehaul of him either. Not sure if we met in the middle or not but, it's good enough to know most of you reading like him.
That being said, the time we wrote this book he had a completely different reaction to finding out D had saved their lives.
So, any of you scratching your heads going 'wait, Gil, son of Gaston, is okay with a girl saving him?' I get it. That's how the other story played out.
But, after a lot of thought I was like, yes our Gil is still very much a Gaston in the fact he'd never wittingly hurt a girl. Or disrespect one for that matter. But, he's also been all but washed of most of the toxic male masculinity due to Uma.
He knows girls can be right there with the guys, he just doesn't want them to have to be. (That being said, Gil would still knock someone the fuck out if they called his current outfit a dress. The toxicity isn't all gone, and his PTSD is still alive and well. )
So, in this version, the god I fucking hope better version or Dark'll kill me-
This is what I went with.
Gil respects woman and their strength.
He's not going to feel like less of a man just because Deez saved him.
Not really sure if any of you had the thought or not, just wanted to circumvent it by offering you that lil' insight.
What do you guys think now that it's been presented?
Do you like how this played out? Or do you wish we kept it the other way where he was upset about needing to be saved?
Asking for me and my insecurities making us do a complete rewrite- Be prepared, guaranteed a plethora of these questions will be coming your way.
Moving on from my existential crisis-
Think the hangout's still standing?
Or is heading there as a place to hunker down a pipe dream?
Better question, think they'll make it there unscathed?
Cause gotta say, they're pretty easy targets right now.
Thoughts?
Concerns?
Feedback?
Much love and appreciation
-Twisted