"Mr. Higgs? Mr. Higgs, wake up."

Higgs opened his eyes and looked around for a second. Oh... same place...

"Why are you chained to the bed?" The chains moved a little. "I'm going to have to cut these off... unless there's a key somewhere?"

Higgs heard the person leave but he didn't really care. What was the point of caring? No one was coming for him and Elizabeth made sure that he knew it every single day. Even the glimmer of hope he had given himself landed him in chains and in immense pain, which usually also led to her doing stuff to him mentally, making things worse than before they started. He thought he'd learned to shut up and take whatever was thrown at him but... maybe there was enough stubbornness left in him to keep himself from completely falling apart but it came at the worst times...

"This was all I could find so please don't move. I'm not really good at this..."

Higgs ignored the person as he heard a loud sound like metal against metal. He hoped Elizabeth didn't hear... He thought he heard something break through but he was afraid to look over. Everything was so loud and bombastic that there's no way Elizabeth couldn't have heard it. So it had to be something she was doing to toy with him. She would never not come and see what was going on...

"Come on."

"No."

"Mr. Higgs, you're free..."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"If you're worried about Elizabeth then she's in a deep sleep. She won't be coming."

"She's never just asleep. I don't believe you."

Higgs felt a pair of hands on his cheeks as they moved his head to make him look at whoever they were. Even so, Higgs avoided making eye contact with them. If it was Elizabeth in disguise, he didn't want to know, and if it wasn't, looking at anyone else but her gave him a false sense of hope. Too many times he thought he was going to be freed and he wasn't. He learned that much...

"Mr. Higgs, look at me."

"No."

The person was silent for a moment. "Do you even know who I am?"

"It doesn't matter." He said, closing his eyes to not be tempted.

The person sighed. "Pixus was right..." The person grabbed his face tighter. "Look at me, Mr. Higgs."

"No!" he growled, wrenching away from him. "You're not real! You can't help me! Everyone who's tried is a fake or they aren't strong enough! Leave me alone!"

"I can't do that, Mr. Higgs." He person said angrily. "If it wasn't for me then you wouldn't even be in this position. If I hadn't opened my big mouth earlier this year then you would have never had to endure any of this... You can't make me leave without you."

Higgs opened his eyes, although he still wouldn't look at the person. The voice was starting to sound familiar... the apologetic tone and sadness...

"What makes you think I'll believe you over everyone else? You could be a fake and you're just Elizabeth in disguise."

"Believe me, I'm not. I drugged Elizabeth into a very, very deep sleep that she won't be coming out of for a good while. Besides, I don't think she knows me well enough to try and imitate me."

Higgs swallowed, anticipation and doubt fighting against each other. "That... that doesn't mean anything..."

"I understand why but if you would just look at me then you'd know that I'm real and I'm here to take you home."

"This is my home, don't you get it?" he seethed, so angry that he betrayed himself and looked at who was talking to him. His eyes widened in confusion and that damned hope he thought he squashed. "Ed... gar...?"

Edgar smiled. "Yes, it's me."

Higgs felt immense pain in his shoulder as he lifted his arm up to touch Edgar's face. He traced his features, staring at him in complete shock and confusion. Why would Edgar be here? Did that mean Merida was here as well? It didn't seem like that was the case but... why was he so sure this was Edgar? Every other person didn't mean anything but Edgar... He started shaking, realizing that Edgar's door was never infected. The poisonous fog never touched him. He was pure... he was real.

"You're... real..."

"Of course I am."

"But... but why... how did you..."

"It's a long story that I honestly don't think you want to hear. It doesn't matter anyway. My point was to get you out of here and take you home. So that's what I'm doing."

"I can't do that..." Higgs said so sadly Edgar thought his heart would break. "This is my home. Elizabeth said so and Elizabeth is always right."

"No, she is not." Higgs' eyes widened. "You have a family that's been trying to find you for months; people who love you and have been so sick without you."

"That's a lie!" he yelled, so confused about what was happening. "No one's coming! I've been waiting and waiting for so long and enduring so much and no one has come for me in all this time! NO ONE IS COMING!"

"And who told you that?" Edgar asked calmly.

"Elizabeth."

"And yet here I am, right in front of you. So... doesn't that mean that Elizabeth is wrong?"

Higgs watched him in confusion, his manipulated brain trying to process the inconsistency. Edgar really was right in front of him. In the recesses of his mind, Higgs knew that Elizabeth didn't know Edgar or really acknowledge his existence. He wasn't important to her and she didn't realize how important Edgar was to him. He wasn't tainted... he was pure. So that meant that the boy in front of him was Edgar Northumberly and no one else. And if Edgar was in front of him then that meant that someone came. If no one was coming then how was Edgar here?

"Elizabeth is... wrong?"

"By leaps and bounds." Edgar gently took his hand in his. "Mr. Higgs, I'm real. I'm here to rescue you and get you away from this place. Elizabeth said that no one is coming but how can that be true when I'm right here in front of you? That means she lied." He squeezed his hand tighter. "But I'm really here, which means that someone came. Will you trust me? Will you trust Edgar?"

Higgs was still having a hard time processing that Edgar was really there but he had never had issues trusting him before and the fact that no fog had tainted him confirmed that his memories of Edgar were true.

"You... you promise that Elizabeth won't find us?"

"Elizabeth Hinkley won't hurt you anymore. I promise."

The relief that washed over him was too much and he leaned into Edgar, sobbing. He wasn't too convinced about everyone else Edgar mentioned, but he knew he could trust Edgar. It had been so long but now, he actually felt real hope and the relief of it was just overwhelming.

**************

Edgar held his pseudo-father in his arms, trying to keep his own composure and not get swept up in the emotion. He needed to finish his plan on getting them out of this disgusting place and back home where he could recover. Then again, Edgar wasn't without his own scars and anger. While he waited for Gretchen to help with the serum, he had to endure listening and watching how Elizabeth treated Higgs. He could never tell Merida everything for fear she may actually kill the woman but it was hard enough for him to keep his own anger at bay and no poison Elizabeth with something else instead of making her fall into a deep sleep. The woman was the spawn of Satan but unfortunately, she was with child... The child was innocent and he couldn't do that... He closed his eyes tightly to gain his composure. He had to focus on getting Higgs out of the house and since he trusted him, this was his only chance.

"We need to get out of here." He said softly, pulling away from Higgs.

Higgs nodded and Edgar stood up, holding out his hand. Higgs took it and he helped him stand up but Higgs suddenly yelled and buckled to the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Does it hurt?"

"I hurt everywhere."

"I mean, is it unusually this painful?"

"I'm fine."

Edgar waited for him to get his bearings and then they tried to leave again, but Higgs almost crumbled to the floor when he tried to take a step again, almost causing Edgar to go down with him. Edgar pulled him back up and sat him on the bed to see if he could see what was wrong.

"Did she do something to your leg, I wonder?" he asked, touching his leg slightly.

Higgs yelled, digging his fingers into Edgar's arm from the pain and almost passing out but Edgar shook him a little to keep him from going unconscious.

"Hey, no. You can't do that right now."

"I'm so exhausted and in so much pain..." Higgs breathed.

"I promise that you can rest in a few minutes but I need you to help me get you out of this house. I can't carry you out of here, so I need your help. I promise that once we get to the horse, you can sleep all the way home."

"I am home."

"Not anymore."

"But... Elizabeth said so. She's always right."

"Do you trust Elizabeth?"

"No. She lied to me."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then Edgar says that this is not home and Elizabeth is wrong. If you trust me, then do you believe me?" Higgs still seemed a little conflicted with his emotions but nodded. Edgar sighed, kneeling down to look up at Higgs. "I know it's hard and it's going to take a long time before that demon is completely out of your head, but I will never hurt you and I will never betray you. Do you believe that?"

"Yes." he said so fervently that it almost brought life back into his eyes.

Edgar smiled. "Then I need you to be strong for just a few more minutes and I promise that when we get to the horse, you will be able to rest everything and you will be free. Once you set foot outside of this house, Elizabeth cannot hurt you anymore. You will be free. Do you understand?" Higgs nodded. "Alright... let's take this slow."

He put Higgs' arm around his neck and they made their way outside.

********************

Merida was sitting on her balcony, watching a storm brew over the hills. It made her think of the Highlands a lot... She suddenly heard a noise and jumped as a large piercing golden eye came up beside her.

"Laird, ye gave me a fright!" She looked over the edge of the balcony and made a face. "Oi, yer stepping on the flowers yer father just planted."

The large pale gold dragon (Kans) made a noise, moving from the flower bed and then sniffed hard, turning to look out at the hills. Merida turned in the same direction as his gaze and could just see a horse slowly coming up the hill and looked like it was making its way to the manor. Merida's eyes widened.

"Is that... could that be Higgs?"

Kans answered her by spreading his leathery wings and took flight into the air. Merida took her own flight as she started running full force out of her room and down the stairs, making a bunch of noise. In response, Baldorian came out of the kitchen with his sleeves up.

"Merida?"

"HIGGS!" she yelled, running past him to go out the door.

She slung open the door and could see Kans circling over the horse that was getting closer. She picked up her skirts and took to a run.

It felt like years as the distance between the horse and her closed and they were finally in front of each other. Merida stopped as Edgar stopped the horse as well. Merida was leaning on her knees to try and catch her breath and she looked up, seeing Edgar watching her.

"Ye daft boy! What in the bloody hell were ye thinking when ye took off like that?!"

"It was my fault that all this happened so..."

"Ye foolish idjet! Do ye really ken I give a rat's ass about such a silly thing?!" She finally straightened and put her hand over her heart. "Ye are going to make my poor heart give out from yer shenanigans, ye numpty!"

"I just figured..."

"Shut up! Ye go to a crazy woman's house and risk yer life over a silly little thing that has nothing to do with ye, whether ye believe it or not?! Ye ken I never felt that way about ye! Ever! Why would ye try and get yerself caught up in that woman's craziness just to prove something?!"

"If you really didn't feel that way about me then you would have never brought it back up!" Edgar argued. "It was still on your mind!"

"Ye're a damned fool an ye believe that!" she snarled, glaring at him. Edgar stared at her and her face relaxed. "Ye silly child..."

"I got him..." he said with a small smile. "He... he's home now."

"Aye, that ye did. Unorthodox and stupid, but ye brought him home when no one else did. I'm verra proud of ye, Edgar." Edgar beamed as she looked at Higgs sleeping against Edgar's chest looking like he had walked through Hell and back and then went again. His body looked like it was too exhausted to eve breathe and she looked at Edgar. "Let's get this poor lad inside for a proper rest."

"He's really messed up, inside and out. It'll take a long time to fix him, Ma."

"Aye, that may be so but for right now, let him have his peace. Man looks like he hasnae slept in ages. We'll deal with the aftermath when the time comes. Let's go home."

She held out her hands and Edgar gave her the reigns of the horse to lead it back to the manor.

***************

As she walked, Merida knew that when Higgs woke up, things would never be the same. Whatever happened in Elizabeth Hinkley's home would forever change them and although she knew it wouldn't be easy, she also knew that come what may, she would never take her family for granted again.

++++++++++++++++++++

and that's the end of Book 2!

thanks to everyone to has kept up with this story and all it's twists and turns and misunderstandings. higgs is finally back, but what will the future entail for his family and for him now that he has such a heavy burden to bear? well, we'll find out in the third installment of Mr. Higgs and Merida's tumultuous relationship MR. HIGGS AND CLAN.

stay tuned for when I put that up and thanks for reading!