All Alone

Summary: After the series finale, Dr. Hook and Antubis talk
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the whole series of Kingdom Hospital; AU; references to death, in particular children
Pairing: Dr. Hook/Antubis (Anubis)

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Sally was right. Dr. Hook couldn't help reflecting on that as he walked the corridors of the hospital. He could feel how different the atmosphere was; and every time he passed by Mary's portrait, it made him happy. Knowing Mary and the other children had been saved, even if they weren't alive in the present day, made up for all of the patients he couldn't save in the hospital.

It was still somewhat disconcerting to see all of the things that had changed. Some of those were minor and easy to deal with (an extra wing in the hospital); others were more major (another patient he hadn't expected and had to familiarise himself with). It helped he wasn't the only one experiencing those kinds of changes, even though Sally had left the hospital, saying she'd only be back if they really needed her; but otherwise, she was going to seek out other places and people who needed her skills.

Right now, Dr. Hook was experiencing a rare few moments of peace. He could have joined the rest of the doctors and nurses in the break room, but he'd been over-thinking everything that happened. He needed a bit of space to work things out in his mind, so he walked into one of the empty private rooms.

He stood in the empty room, staring at the clean, well-made bed. It was all neat and tidy; exactly like the hospital after they'd moved back in time and saved all the children. The hospital now was worlds away from the hospital of before.

But something was troubling him. And it had been since they'd returned from their excursion and realised just how much had changed.

“Aren't you alone now?” His voice seemed to echo in the silence. He flinched at how loud it sounded.

There was silence for so long, Dr. Hook thought perhaps he wasn't going to get a response. That maybe Anubis wasn't at the hospital anymore. If he had originally been stuck there, he might have been freed by now.

“I'm used to it.”

The voice came from one corner of the room and as Dr. Hook watched, he saw the form of a young man appear in the corner of the room.

Anubis looked completely different to the anteater-like creature they'd seen through Mary's eyes. He looked younger than Dr. Hook; perhaps twenty at a push. If Sally hadn't indicated that Anubis was an ancient timekeeper (whatever that meant), Dr. Hook would have only seen him as a normal young man. Or was he only seeing Anubis through his own interpretation of the guardian? That thought was far too deep for him right now and he shook his head to clear it.

“Why did you call to me?” Anubis asked, breaking into Dr. Hook's thoughts.

“Why are you still here?” Dr. Hook winced at the question that escaped his lips. He hadn't meant to sound accusatory. “It's not that I'm asking you to leave.” He hurried to explain. “But I figured you'd be gone. Now that you've done what you were here for.”

“Every place...every area...has its own guardian,” Anubis answered. “This is my responsibility. And until Mary died, I was only the watcher. Escorting souls to the afterlife.”

“Did you break the rules when you saved Mary and the others?” Dr. Hook asked softly.

Anubis was quiet for a few moments before saying, “There's no one to enforce the rules any longer.” He leaned back against the wall, keeping eye contact with Dr. Hook. “At least not anymore,” he added.

Dr. Hook frowned, picking up on the phrasing. “If there's no one around to enforce the rules, what was there to stop you from being completely honest with us? You sent us back in time without even an explanation of what we were doing. What if we'd messed up because you wouldn't tell us everything? What if we'd failed? Would there have been a second chance?”

Anubis looked down, letting his foot scuff gently across the floor. “There wouldn't have been a second chance.”

Once again, the guardian was giving off the vibe of a younger man; one who knew he'd screwed up and made a mistake. Dr. Hook felt a wave of protectiveness towards the guardian, but more than that. He felt a sense of responsibility. Maybe Anubis had been on his own for too long, without any kind of guidance or direction. Maybe Dr. Hook wasn't seeing Anubis through his own eyes; perhaps this was actually how Anubis saw himself.

“So there was no reason for you not to be honest with us?”

Anubis' head jerked up sharply and he stared at Dr. Hook. “Do you realise how old I am compared to you right now?”

“Far older than me, I'm sure,” Dr. Hook agreed. “But right now, you don't look any older than twenty. And you hid things from us. Information that we needed to know. You said there wouldn't be a second chance. And that there's no one to enforce the rules. Mary and the other children might never have stood a chance.”

Anubis stared at Dr. Hook, his mouth slightly open. He cleared his throat, his lips parting as if he was going to say something. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, shaking his head. “I can't believe I'm getting scolded like a naughty child,” he muttered.

“I'm going to be doing a lot more than scolding.” Dr. Hook walked over to Anubis and closed his hand around the guardian's wrist. A bit surprised that he could touch Anubis and the guardian didn't pull away, he nevertheless completed the movement; using his grip on Anubis' wrist to lead the guardian over to the bed. He took a seat and pulled Anubis round to one side, giving a gentle tug.

Taking another deep breath, Anubis leaned forward, positioning himself over Dr. Hook's lap. He shifted position slightly before crossing his hands over behind his back.

Dr. Hook let his hand rest gently on Anubis' backside, giving it a few gentle rubs before he lifted his hand, bringing it down in a firm smack at the crest of the guardian's backside. When he delivered a second, matching swat on the opposite cheek, Anubis let out his breath in a sharp gasp, but otherwise didn't react.

Delivering firm smacks down to Anubis' thighs, Dr. Hook felt the guardian squirm in response as the more sensitive spots were swatted. He wrapped his free arm around Anubis' waist, tugging him in close against his stomach, and began a new circuit of swats from the top.

By the time his thighs were swatted again, Anubis was squirming more frantically. Still half-expecting to get blasted for doing this, Dr. Hook slowed the swats a fraction, but not the force. “I know I couldn't do this if you didn't feel like you deserve punishment on some level. I guess you're used to handling everything on your own, but you didn't need to this time. If you wanted to save Mary and the rest of the children, you could have trusted me and the others enough to give us all the relevant information so we could help you and them.”

“You're right.” Anubis' voice was strained. His hands gripped tighter, turning his knuckles white. “I should have been more open and honest with you all. I knew I could trust you. I was just so used to being alone. And then only having Mary to talk to....”

“You're not going to be alone anymore.” Dr. Hook let his hand rest gently on Anubis' backside, rubbing a bit, before he tugged the guardian's pants down.

Apart from a soft whimper, Anubis didn't protest being bared. He did reach his hand down to grasp Dr. Hook's ankle, tightening his grip as the first smack landed on bare skin. “You can't tell me I won't be alone.” His voice hitched.

“Keeping Mary with you wasn't the right thing to do. She was too young for that responsibility,” Dr. Hook commented. “But I'm not too young. I'm not a child. And I can make the decision to accompany you in the work you have to do. So you won't be on your own.”

Anubis slumped over Dr. Hook's knees, a quiet sob escaping him as his backside was reddened. “Okay.” The word came out through sobs. “You'll stay with me....”

“I will.” Dr. Hook delivered one more circuit of swats and then pulled Anubis' underwear and pants back into place. He settled the guardian on his lap and wrapped his arms around Anubis, holding him tight. “I don't have anything I need to stay here for,” he whispered. “I can leave with you as soon as I tell the others where I'm going.”

Anubis slowly lifted his head from Dr. Hook's shoulder, staring into his eyes as if looking for something in particular. Finally, he nodded. “It's a decision you can make. If that's really what you want after you talk to the others.”

“I'm not going to change my mind.” Dr. Hook leaned forward and pressed his lips against Anubis'.

The guardian sat frozen for a few moments and then closed his eyes, leaning forward and returning the kiss; pressing a bit deeper and sliding his arms around Dr. Hook.

Dr. Hook slid his hand behind Anubis' head, holding the guardian steady as he explored his mouth, letting his tongue slip inside.

The kiss seemed at once to last an age and be over too fast as Anubis pulled back. He stared into Dr. Hook's eyes and then slowly moved off his lap. “I won't be alone again?”

“Never again.” Dr. Hook reached out to touch Anubis' cheek. “I only need to say goodbye. And then I'll come back. I promise.” He stood up.

“I’ll wait for you.” Anubis plopped down on the bed, in Dr. Hook's spot, with barely a wince. For the first time since Dr. Hook had seen him...he was smiling.

The End