Ch. 48: Good Form
Katherine was back in the cave with them. She took a pillow off and was about to take off a makeshift mattress.
“Need a hand, luv?”
She looked at him.
“Is that a joke?”
“No, I was being serious.”
He helped her take it off.
When it was off a piece of rock, she saw markings. He’d marked how long he was on the island. She saw that he’d stopped counting how long though, and realized why.
“He lost hope.”
“You got all that from scribbles?” Regina asked, coming over.
“I got that because I may have never been trapped on this island, but I was trapped inside a tomb once. Plus, I know what it’s like to give up hope.”
“You think the same thing’s happing to Henry,” Charming assumed.
“Pan said that it would.”
“Hey. We’re going to rescue him,” Charming assured her.
“Yeah, I know that. And you know that. But Henry doesn’t know that. Pan wants him to lose faith.”
“So what? You want to send him a message?” Regina asked. “Because I haven’t seen a Neverland post office. What are you suggesting?”
“We take a page from Pan. And we start being clever. We need to send a simple sign. A sign that we’re coming.”
“With Lost Boys running around trying to kill us all?” Regina questioned.
“Yeah, maybe it’s time we use that to our advantage,” Snow agreed.
“How?” Regina asked.
“Follow me. I’ll show you,” Snow said.
Katherine started to follow, but Hook got in her way.
“Pierce.”
“What? We’re wasting time.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I, too, know what it feels like. To lose hope.”
“I know what this is. This. You, you know, trying to bond with me. So save your breath. I’m not in the mood,” she told him, before walking around him and following Snow out of the cave.
“Let me give you a bit of advice, Hook. She’s never going to like you,” Charming told him.
“Is that so?”
“Well, how could she? You’re nothing but a pirate,” Charming said, before leaving the cave to follow the others out.
While Snow and Katherine made makeshift ropes, Hook sat on a rock, watching, and drinking some rum.
“A trap? That’s your plan?” Regina questioned Snow, as Katherine looked over at Hook.
“The Lost Boys wanna come after us, we need to go after them.”
“You really think a Lost Boy is gonna betray Pan?” Hook asked.
“Thanks for the advice,” Snow said. “David, we need more vine.”
Katherine got up.
“I’ll do it.” As she began to leave, she told Hook to come with her.
“Why’s that?” Hook questioned her, not liking the plan they were creating.
“Because we need more rope,” she replied.
“If the lady insists,” Hook said, and then left with her.
As they walked, Katherine grabbed some more vines for rope, along the way. Despite everything, she’d rather be out here with Hook than anyone else she’d ever known or met in her lifetime. At least he was noble and would never leave her unless she asked him to. Besides, she didn’t want the others to know quite yet that she was dying. Sure, dying sucked, but she’d done it before once as a human. Surely, it wouldn’t be too bad of a death. Plus, she always managed to come back one way or another.
About half way or so away from the camp, Hook saw that she didn’t look well.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, luv, but you’re not looking too good.”
“Well, I am dying,” she replied to him.
Suddenly, everything went black for her.
Hook caught her from hitting the ground and then gently layed her down.
“Katherine. Katherine,” he called. He gently patted her cheek. He pulled out his flask of rum, when she didn’t wake up, and poured some down her throat.
She woke up.
“Thanks. I think I’ll be okay now.”
She began to get up and he helped her.
“No, you’re not going to be okay. I thought you had days left,” Hook said.
She sat against a nearby tree.
“Let me see,” Hook said.
She pulled up her shirt to show him.
“The dreamshade has almost reached your heart,” he informed her. “It’s hours now. You have to tell them.”
“No. Not when I can still help them save Henry,” she stubbornly replied.
“At least take it easy, or what little time you have will be less.”
She saw something on the ground and picked it up.
“What’s that?” Hook asked.
“It’s a military insignia. Jones. You know him?”
She handed it to Hook whom took it.
“Aye. He was my captain. And my brother. We voyaged to this infernal island a long time ago. This was on the strap of his satchel. My brother lost it during a duel with Pan. It must have washed down with the rains from the storm that wrecked the Jolly Roger.”
“From where?” she wanted to know.
“Dead Man’s Peak. I thought it was gone forever.”
“What was gone?”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“What’s too dangerous? If you know something that can help us, don’t hold back.”
“If this insignia survived all these years, then perhaps my brother’s satchel did as well. And inside that satchel is a sextant that can help us decode Neal’s star map that can get us off this island.”
“Then let’s go see if it survived.”
“You’ll die before you can get back,” Hook told her.
“Then come with me and make sure the sextant makes it back to them. Be a hero, for once.”
After agreeing with her, they went back to camp and told them that they were going to go find the sextant and the others could deliver the message.
After leaving, Hook and Katherine had a chat.
“At least you got to say goodbye. Most people don’t get that luxury,” Hook stated to her.
“You lost someone, didn’t you?”
“This is where we ascend,” Hook said, as if she hadn’t asked him a question. “I’ll climb ahead and throw down the rope.”
“It was your brother, right?” Katherine questioned. “I never had a brother, but I know what it’s like to lose someone more than you know.”
Soon enough, they were both on the top, but Pan beat them to the satchel.
When they weren’t far from the dreamshade plant, she collapsed again, though. This time the dreamshade had traveled all the way up to the side of her face.
“Bloody hell.”
Hook went over and, without getting cut by the plant, used his sword to cut through it. He then used his canteen to put the water in it that was special. It was the water that could heal any illness. Once the water was in the canteen, he went over and knelt by her.
“Katherine, wake up,” he called to her.
When she woke up, she saw Hook with a canteen.
“In this canteen is the water that will stop the Dreamshade that will save your life.”
“That’s why you brought me up here,” she realized.
“Yes. There’s something you need to know first. Because its power comes from the island, once you drink this water, you can never leave Neverland.”
“Then I don’t want it. I’m not spending my life on this island. I’d rather die,” she replied. “Let’s just get back to the others, rescue Henry, and then we’ll find a way to save my life or we won’t.”
She used the nearby rock to help herself up. Then she used magic to conceal the dreamshade that was on her face and they headed back to the others.
Once they were with the others, they informed them that Pan got to it first.
When they were alone, Hook said, “Perhaps gratitude is in order now,” and gave her a look.
“Okay. Thanks for everything that you’ve done so far and for attempting to save me.”
“Is that all your life is worth?” he asked, wanting more of a thanks from her.
“You couldn’t handle it.”
“Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it,” he replied.
Since she knew what he was wanting, she went for it and they kissed.
When she pulled away, Hook said, “That was…”
She stepped away.
“A one-time thing.”
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