Jan 17th, 2013: Wow! C': I'm glad people still read and like this one-shot! Since I still get guests coming through here I may as well edit the grammar here a bit for better reading! Thanks for the continuous support and please enjoy this better edited version of What Everything Means.

June 11th, 2015: I came back after 2 years to edit this piece once more - again nothing major, just some more fixing up on grammar and bits and bobs here and there. One slightly larger edit would be the scene towards the end as the way Halt lectured Will was a bit OOC in my opinion. That is now tweaked, I hope it's more fitting now! There are still parts I'm still iffy about and will probably continue to come back to this piece to edit it again in the future C; but for now, enjoy!

March 6th, 2016: One more grammar sweep and OOC fixing. Some rather large changes include fixing POVs in the 2nd scene after the prologue (turned it into all Halt POV), and the last scene before the epilogue - this was a hard decision, but I decided to change the last part into an all Will POV, there was a lot of rewriting involved and I added a bit more information but no plot was sacrificed. I appreciate everyone's support and comments! If you spot any mistakes please point them out!

Prologue

A nurse rushed in and out of the small, dimly lit room, carrying trays full of sweat, blood and vomit. A dedicated healer stood over a thrashing patient screaming in pain as two horrified rangers stood in helpless despair, unable to ease their companion's agony.

"Can you save him?" The grim faced ranger growled, sharp eagle eyes narrowed in anguish as he glanced at the healer and back to the young man strapped on the bed.

"Can you?" Desperation crawled into his voice as the patient screamed again.

"I'll try my best, but the poison is strong." The healer muttered grimly as he bent over to hold the thrashing man from injuring himself further while having an attack.

"You have to save him! You must save him!" Halt grabbed the healer's shoulders, wrenching him from the patient until Gilan rushed forwards and pulled the antagonized ranger aside.

"Calm down! He won't be able to concentrate with you breathing down his back!" the younger ranger hissed as he pinned his former mentor to the wall.

The healer gave Gilan a grateful glance before turning back to the pain filled screams of Will Treaty.

"He can't die! He-"

"Will Treaty will not die! Halt get a hold of yourself! He needs us, you can't lose it now! Not when your presence is needed most!" Gilan growled as he fought with Halt's struggles.

All too suddenly, all the fight in the older ranger left, leaving Gilan struggling to hold onto Halt's weight as the ranger slumped slowly down the wall and onto the floor. Halt covered his tear-filled face, shuddering in his palms. The words he muttered were lost to the screams that filled the room."It's my fault, my fault. I wasn't careful enough."

Gilan smashed his fist against the wall as he choked back on a sob.

"No! It was an accident; we'd let our guards down. If Will hadn't leaped in to push me aside, I… who knew the sick bastard had laced his arrow with so much poison!" Gilan choked on his words, smashing his fist against the wall again before he too, fell down on his knees beside Halt. As another scream pierced through the silence, both rangers flinched as if they'd been physically slapped.

"Halt, Will needs us now." The sword bearing ranger whispered, heavy emotions clogging his throat. "He needs us this very minute. You have to believe in the healer, you have to believe in Will's strong spirit and trust that it will bring him past another crisis. Keep it together, Will still needs his former mentor to tell him how stupid he was for taking that arrow for me. He will survive."

The old ranger lifted his head; meeting Gilan's eyes for the first time ever since they arrived in the room and slowly began to collect himself. Gilan wiped away his own tears and snot, reaching out to stand with his mentor.

Blood splattered against them as Will's struggles began to tear the wound wider.

"Hold him down!" The healer yelled over Will's flailing and the two rangers shared a glance, drawing strength from each other and did as told. Halt pinned Will's arms down as Gilan held the other's legs down. Given a chance to operate without the ranger's limbs trying to strangle him, the healer bent down and began working as quickly as he could, trying to save Araluen's young hero.

Halt murmured reassuring words that were lost to the delirious young male as he held him down, biting back his own cries whenever Will's strangled cries of agony fills the air. Because he cared, Halt the ranger will hold on, because Will will definitely survive this.

What Everything Means

Will survived the operation that night, which came as a relief to Halt, Gilan and the rest of the ranger corps. Halt's room became his make-shift rehabilitation center as he recovered with strict bed rest. Even though the poison's been flushed out of his system, the trial was not over as the young ranger still had to cope with the aftereffects of the drug.

According to Will, they weren't exactly pleasant.

Confined to Halt's living quarters until he's fully recovered, being the ever curious and easily bored ranger he is, Will Treaty couldn't stand staying immobile in Halt's bed for another second. Slowly getting out of bed and careful not to pull on his wound, he quietly slipped out. Right into the living room and a crossed armed, grumpy ranger.

"I thought you'd come out sooner or later." Halt said gruffly, giving Will the evil eye to which his former apprentice shook off easily with a nonchalant shrug.

"You know me too well." The brown haired ranger flashed his former mentor a grin that was returned with a deeper frown from Halt.

"Get back inside, you're still recovering." The older ranger ordered, glaring at Will.

"I'm fine now Halt, really." Despite his attempt at reassuring his former mentor, Halt seemed as displeased as ever, if not a little bit more now. As moments passed with neither party budging, the younger ranger finally gave in to Halt's unwavering scowl.

"Alright. But let me grab a quick meal and stretch my muscles." He offered with a reluctant sigh, silently relieved when Halt didn't rebuke his proposal.

When both rangers were seated at the table, one with his pile of reports and the other with a bowl of porridge (yuck). Will couldn't help but notice the lack of coffee on the table.

"I get deprived of the only thing I drink too?" the ranger groaned as he played with the gruel.

"There's water." Was Halt's reply, his former mentor was obviously prepared for this discussion.

"I've been drinking water for days now." Will murmured through a spoonful of tasteless porridge.

"And water you'll be drinking until you get better."

"But-"

"No."

Will sighed in resignation; there's no winning when Halt's in one of his stubborn moods. Luckily, he could always wait for-

"I already hid the coffee stock somewhere else. Don't even think of searching for it while I'm out."

Will shot Halt a scathing glare as he spooned another disgusting mouthful of slop, spitefully slurping noisily. Life's not fair.

"You can't drink coffee either then." Will shot back, pointing his utensil at the grim faced ranger. After all, Halt knew if he brewed coffee, Will will be watching his every move, trying to deduce where the stash is hidden.

Halt slowly lowered the report he was reading, revealing the cold glare of his eyes.

"And whose fault is that?"

Will seemed to be delighted by the fact he won't be the only one suffering from the lack of caffeine in his system but he was smart enough to compose his expression to hide his amused smirk.

"You know, a cup of coffee won't kill-" whatever the young ranger was about to say was cut off suddenly when all Will could focus on was the foreboding chill that claimed his right hand.

Fear washed over the sick ranger as he recognized the tell tale signs of another attack. His right hand was frozen, numbed without feeling. Unable to hold the utensil, the spoon from his hand clattered uselessly on the floor as the cursed chill began spreading at an alarming rate towards the rest of his body.

"Will?" came the questioning of his former mentor but the query was lost to the ranger- all he could focus on was the overwhelming fear and the cold.

Then came the shivering, a slight buzz that grew violent by the second until the young ranger was lost in the world of shaking, unable to control his own flailing body. He would realise, belatedly, the strangled yelps as his own, faintly registering the crashing of a chair and finally, Halt's arms around him.

While his body twisted in pain, Halt's lips moved quickly, uttering words he couldn't hear. Unable to do anything but choke on his own cries of agony, Will felt the overwhelming pressure of his uselessness and the cruel claws of loneliness crush him from within. Even as his father figure held him close, he couldn't feel him, nor could Halt save him from the utter darkness of unconsciousness and despair dragging him under.

x x x

Halt was by his bed where Will laid. He sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. It was truly terrifying to witness how quickly a seemingly peaceful day could be destroyed so easily. One minute Will was joking at the table like any ordinary day, the next he's writhing on the ground in torturous agony.

How painful it must be… Halt thought as he smoothed the boy's hair. Every time he had to bear witness to one of Will's attacks, it broke his heart to feel so utterly useless, unable to protect Will from the pain he's forced to go through. If given the choice, Halt would take the shot and poison willingly and he would endure the torture and agony for Will. He would have given up everything in an heartbeat, if it could have prevented this event from ever happening. Will's still too young to be crippled…

Halt shook his head, shaking off the dark thoughts with disdain and disgust. Lamenting on what has passed was the least productive thing he could do and it was still too early to write off Will's bright future. Lucas said Will had a chance of fully recovering from the poison even if it would take some time.

Halt took hold of the boy's cold hand, holding it within his palms as he tried to rub some warmth into it.

"Hang in there, Will." The older ranger murmured softly and was surprised when the hand within his hold twitched ever so slightly.

"Getting sentimental now aren't we?" the young man rasped softly, opening his bloodshot eyes.

If Will didn't look like he'd just died and came back, Halt would've surely cuffed the young man's head for his witty remark. Instead, the ranger chose to ignore Will's quip and stepped back to give room for Will to sit up slowly.

"How are you feeling now?" Halt asked slowly, his grim expression masking the concern he's feeling for his former apprentice.

"Felt like I got thrown off a cliff." The sick ranger muttered, "Twice." Will added as he stretched his aching body.

"Shouldn't be surprised, you went down pretty hard." Halt muttered softly, kneeling beside Will once more. "How does your head feel?"

"What about my head?" Will asked with surprise as he shifted over to face Halt. "Woah." The younger ranger gasped as he swayed dangerously and lost his balance before Halt grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him upright again.

"Thanks." Will murmured quickly, cringing when a new source of pain flashed from his left temple. "Ow."

"You hit the corner of the table as you fell." Halt stated softly.

"…That's nasty." Will whispered. Halt watched silently, swallowing back his guilt as his former apprentice probed at the new bruise on his left temple.

"I'm sorry."

Halt flinched in surprise, eyes widening in shock. Not only was an apology the last thing he'd expected to hear out of Will in this situation, but that it was filled with such sorrow and misery that the experienced ranger was left at a loss for words.

"Don't be." Halt murmured quickly when he recovered, narrowing his eyes and carefully watching for the ranger's reaction. Was Will feeling guilty for the event? Was that self-pity he saw in those brown eyes?

"Am I a bother to you Halt?" Will asked suddenly, another question that stumped and shocked the older ranger as much as the previous statement did. Halt's mouth opened to reply but he quickly clammed it shut, silently cursing Will's sudden directness with delicate topics.

Halt dragged his eyes over the young man, assessing the slumped posture, beaten and tired expression. But perhaps what caused his heart to clench most would be the vulnerable look in Will's eyes. Halt could see that the boy was feeling insecure, afraid and feeling self-pity for his current state.

And he shouldn't be. Halt thought sadly.

"No." Halt replied gently, placing his hand over Will's, earning him a surprised look. "You'll never be a bother to me."

When Will didn't look convinced, the older ranger squeezed his hand gently to physically show Will his support.

"What you did was a courageous thing Will, you saved Gilan's life and mine by warning us. We couldn't have predicted what happened next, but you'll recover. Definitely." He ended on a gruff note and he turned his head turned to the side to hide the sudden slight wetness in his eyes. Squeezing Will's hand one more time, the ranger stood up and walked to the door. He paused by the frame.

"Don't trouble yourself with unnecessary thoughts. Rest now." And Halt the legendary ranger, Will's former mentor and the closest thing to a father Will will ever have, departed from the room, leaving Will somewhat comforted as he slipped into his blankets for a well deserved rest.

x x x

Will woke to the singing of morning birds and for a moment, he thought he'd returned to the world of blissful harmony. Then he remembered where he was and why he was there. His mood soured quickly after that.

Tipping his head to look out the window he watched as an eagle soared past. Freedom. It was within view but not within reach, not here. It was still early in the day, but for rangers he might as well have wasted half the day already. Will found that he felt vaguely disappointed that Halt didn't wake him up and instead, had let him oversleep.

Confined to Halt's quarters without any tools or living beings for entertainment, all Will could do to pass the time was to let his thoughts wander.

It was a dark and foggy night; they were tracking a band of assassins that had become a nuisance in Araluen the past few moons. They were stealthily creeping up to them, darting silently from tree to tree, silent as the breeze that grazed past these plains occasionally. The assassins were good, but the rangers were better.

With a swift hand signal from Halt, all three rangers slipped out from their hiding places and let their arrows lose, darting back under cover to avoid any return shots.

There weren't any.

Now alarmed and under attack from unseen forces, the band of assassins began to diverge separately into their own escape routes. Witnessing the speed and accuracy of their offenders, they decided that splitting apart would be the easiest, if one went down the others would get a chance to escape.

Reacting accordingly, the rangers split, never too far from each other, moving parallel to one or the other. Arrows soared through the air, meeting target after target as the rangers skillfully whittled down the assassins with skill, experience and complete trust in each other.

When the last assassin fell down with a cry, twitching once before slumping into eternal slumber, the three rangers closed in, laughing and patting each other for a good night's work. While they were rejoicing, Will felt a sense of foreboding, something's not right. The numbers weren't adding up, that was not the last assassin…

Highly trained ears veered to a small sound by the east, spotting an arrow knocked and aimed to spear through Gilan's chest. Will's eyes widened as the assassin let fly it's dart, primal instincts took over him as he shouted a warning, lunging towards Gilan and pushing him away when the arrow struck home, lodging itself deep in Will's right arm. Halt's return fire was not expected and the last assassin died a surprised death. Both rangers ran to the struck ranger, at first they assumed it was a normal arrow; in that case, Will would heal up fine. That was until Gilan noticed the sticky residue covering the arrow head that the older rangers began to feel worried.

Will was about to reassure them it was probably nothing - maybe some leftover fletching glue - when fire like pain tore through his arm and began spreading quickly to consume the rest of his body. As the pain got worse the night sky collapsed in on him…

And that's all Will could remember of that night. Recalling bad memories seemed to agitate the young male as he ripped off his top shirt with frustration, glaring at the bandages that covered his wound. If only he'd been a bit faster in noticing the assassin! If only he'd dodged that arrow! There were so many ifs but there's only one truth.

He should be grateful he didn't die that night, he should be proud that he saved Gilan's life, yet, yet… what if, just what if, Lucas was wrong? That perhaps the chance to recover was just a lie to make him feel better? He would be crippled forever! He would never be able to wield a bow, ride Tug or go on missions with Halt and Horace. His fingers dug painfully into the bandages, digging into raw flesh but he couldn't care less about the pain.

Then he began to shake.

No. No! He screamed mentally as he forced his numbed hands away from his wound, preventing them from causing anymore harm to himself. No. Not now! Desperately, the young ranger scrabbled futilely to sit up as control over his body slowly seeped away.

"Halt!" he gasped, sight blurring up as he cried for help.

"Halt!" he wheezed, clutching his chest as pain lashed through his heart and the uncontrollable shaking intensified.

"H-help!" his cry was lost to his agonized scream when realization finally crashed onto him.

He's completely alone.

No! No! He cried silently as tears rushed down his face as he gasped for air that seemed so scarce to him at the moment. His shaking grew worse as his fits turned into wild thrashing. His neck seized suddenly causing the back of his head to hit the bed post. Though he didn't feel the pain of the collision, Will could tell by the darkness seeping in from the corners of his vision that he probably bruised his head badly this time. But before he was lost to the dark, painless world of unconsciousness, Will thought he heard the sound of the cabin door being thrown open.

x x x

The moment Halt stepped into the cabin he knew something had gone horribly wrong. His bow and bags were quickly slipped off and cast away as fear began to gnaw on him.

"Will?" the ranger called out hoarsely, fearing for the worst. He quickly barged into his room and lunged just in time to catch Will's falling body.

"Will!" Halt cried as he tried to steady the shaking boy.

Not again! Halt thought with dread, noticing that the boy had already slipped into unconsciousness, dangerously unaware of his own body's condition.

With some trouble, Halt placed the shaking body back on the bed as he held the two flailing arms down. Though unconscious and possibly unable to feel pain, Will's body arched backwards as another spasm rocked through him, ripping a painful groan from the younger ranger.

"Shhhh…" Halt hushed, fully aware that Will couldn't hear him. "It's alright. I'm here now."

He should've never left. The moment he does, Will was in pain once more. Halt bit down on his lower lip as he tried to steady Will by forcing his shoulders down. He wondered why Will's shirt was cast half way across the room but that was pushed aside when he noticed the slight seeping of red underneath Will's bandages. Cursing silently, Halt climbed on the bed to hold the younger man still, praying that Will's attack would end soon, preventing his injury from reopening.

Another spasm rocked Will's body before finally, with a soft groan, the young man's stiff muscles relaxed, slumping down without resistance. The attack was over.

Halt relaxed in his grip as he wiped away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead while wrestling with Will's unconscious body. Absently he picked up Will's shirt and wiped him down as well.

Tired and exhausted to no ends, the older ranger slumped down by the side of his bed, smoothing Will's hair back. His heart clenched from the sound of Will's labored breathing. Even though the young boy was unable to feel much during an attack (or so Will said), it's obvious that it's a very uncomfortable process seeing that his own body was trying to tear itself apart.

"You're a strong ranger, Will." Halt murmured quietly to the unconscious young male.

The frequency and intensity of the attacks seems to be increasing recently and that terrified Halt. Instead of recovering steadily like predicted, Will's condition seems to worsen through the passing of days.

"Halt, Will needs us now."

He closed his eyes tiredly as Gilan's words passed through his head. Yes, he can't give up hope yet. He needs to keep hope alive to keep Will alive.

With a heavy sigh, the former mentor stood up and walked out his room to get a well-deserved bath.

x x x

It was late at night when Will woke up again. His head felt like it was about to explode from pain and his muscles were feeling sore from the previous attack.

It was a peaceful, cool night but Will's heart and emotions weighed heavily, when all of a sudden, tears began flowing out from his eyes as sorrow and pain overcame him.

Pitiful, useless and alone. Those three words surrounded him, plagued his thoughts and claimed his soul.

It's not fair! Why poison, and why him? His head throbbed with pain as the young man hastily wiped away the tears that betrayed his sorrow, grabbing his chest as his heart throbbed painfully underneath.

He's a burden to everyone, he can't go on missions, he can't fire an arrow… he's a burden to Halt.

That thought stung harsher than he'd expected as more tears formed and threatened to overflow again. He'd always regarded Halt as his best friend and mentor, the father he never knew. If his own father, Daniel, was here would he be disappointed with him?

While his father died a hero's death, his son was reduced to a pile of writhing wreck, living the rest of his life as useless baggage. The ache of loss was like a knife to his heart, digging deeper and twisting harder as self-pity pushed it closer to the core. If he's going to live the rest of his life as a useless cripple… he would rather die.

Consumed by his own emotions, his hand snatched the saxe knife by the side and unsheathed the weapon.

The deadly blade gleamed brightly under the moonlight, reflecting the tear streaked face of the brown haired male.

This is the path of freedom without pain, loneliness and pity. Will gripped the blade tightly as he placed the tip of the knife right above his chest, where his beating heart pounds beneath. Just one stab and he won't be a burden to anyone anymore… the knife hand rose, pausing slowly as it reached its highest point, then without second thought, Will plunged down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Halt's voice boomed from the doorway, shocking the younger man as he glanced up in surprise, a second before his mentor tackled him.

Will screamed in anger and frustration as the knife was wrestled from his hands and thrown aside, his two wrists forced together and pinned under Halt's stronger grip.

"Let me go!" Will thrashed, his voice cracked as his emotions got the better of him. "Give it back!" he cried in desperation as he tried to wriggle out from Halt's unrelenting hold.

"Are you insane?" his mentor yelled, grey eyes flashing with fury. Will had to bite back a cry of pain as the force around his hands tightened even further.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Halt snapped. The greying ranger had changed his grip, digging his fingers into Will's shoulders and shaking as if it would knock some sense into the despairing young man.

"Trying to die, that's what!" Will shot back angrily as he slapped away Halt's arms. He turned to glare his hatred at his mentor and nearly flinched backwards when he was met with enraged eyes. Unable to stand the intensity of Halt's emotions he looked away.

"I can't stand it anymore… I hate it…" He whispered brokenly, choking on the emotions clogged in his throat.

"I'm a damned cripple."

"You'll recover." Halt replied instantly but Will could pick out the note of uncertainty on his mentor's voice.

"That's a lie."

Uncomfortable silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, Will's lips began to stretch into a despairing smile as the silence confirmed the suspicions he had all along. He was never going to recover, everything was just a lie to make him feel better. Just when he was convinced that his life was worthless, a stinging slap whipped his head to the side. Shocked and surprised, the teary eyed young ranger looked up to find his mentor crying.

In all his time around the legendary ranger, Will had never seen his former mentor shed a tear. Halt had always been a man who kept a tight hold on his emotions so it came as a huge shock to Will when he found tears running down Halt's face.

"You disappoint me."

The three words dropped sliced through the silence like a hot knife through butter. Three simple words that couldn't possibly tear a larger hole in his chest at that very moment. He felt his eyes widen at Halt's statement when he realised, slowly, that Halt must have felt this way all this time.

Will laughed, a mirthless sound devoid of emotions and feelings. He felt empty, but he was right, Halt did find him a burden, a disappointment.

"I know." He whispered quietly, defeated.

"No you don't!" The legendary ranger lunged, surprising Will as he was pushed down onto his back, forced to meet the raging emotions in Halt's eyes head on.

"I'm disappointed that you chose to throw away the life many people went through many pains to bring back as if it's nothing of value at all." Halt snapped, his fingers digging painfully into Will's shoulders, as if the tighter he held Will the safer he would be.

"It's no longer valuable now." Will choked, blinking back the tears that threatened to take his vision. Why can't Halt understand?

"You are wrong!" His mentor shook him, the ranger's grip was bruising as he forced Will to face him. "Stop thinking about yourself for a moment! Do you think what you do has no repercussions on anyone else? You thought you'd just," Halt struggled angrily with his words, "-leave and things would go back to normal? That everyone would be fine and just move on? What about your friends? What about Tug? What about Alyss?"

It was a low blow but effective nonetheless as mentions of his closest friends had Will sucking in a tensed breath, brown eyes closing painfully.

"Sto-"

"This life you're living is not something you can dispose of whenever you want!" Halt plowed on ruthlessly, "Many people are bound to it and everyone is praying and waiting for you! Why can't you see that Will!"

"I'm just a burden to you!" Will exploded, pushing back on Halt's shoulders, only to be overpowered by his former mentor again. Unable to physically describe his frustration, the ranger chose to rant instead, breaking down the dam of emotions as words began to tumble out unconsciously.

"I can't go anywhere without falling over and hurting myself! I can't fulfill my duties to the Kingdom! I can't ride, or wield my bow or shoot an arrow, I can't reprehend criminals or protect the innocent, can't explore the wilderness or play in the fields. I can't be a ranger anymore." Will gasped, tears filling the corners of his eyes as the truth of his words dawned on him.

He can't be a ranger anymore.

All his life as a ranger, he had never considered the idea of ever quitting or leaving the ranger corps willingly. Even though he had wanted to be a warrior at first, the ranger's life slowly rubbed off on him and he enjoyed it, a lot. He'd never thought how much it would pain him, if he was denied of his Oakleaf symbol.

The grip around him lessened abruptly and Will looked up to find his mentor's expression suddenly unreadable.

"What does being a ranger mean to you?" Halt asked slowly, his voice barely above a whisper held a chilling tone to it.

"Everything!" Will cried out.

"And what does 'everything' mean?!" Halt roared, shocking his former apprentice to silence.

Everything. He had thrown the word out carelessly when Halt questioned him but was that really it? Did being a ranger really encapsulate 'everything'? Will was suddenly faced with the core of his dilemma; the meaning behind his existence. Had it always revolved around a simple Oakleaf symbol?

No. It was never something as shallow as holding a title, being a ranger meant a lot to him but it was not 'everything', it was not what he really feared losing. It was never about his duty to the Kingdom or even the achievements he made as a ranger. It was never about the glory or the pride.

It was as if a fog has been lifted from his mind, everything became painfully clear.

"It means you."

It was never about being a ranger. Will shuddered in his position, crumbling into himself as he sobbed into his knees. It had always been...

"It means Horace, Gilan, Crowley, Erik, Evanlyn, George, Jenny, Alyss, Tug... It means staying with everyone." Will choked on his tears as he curled inwardly.

"I'm scared, Halt. I'm scared of being alone." He whispered. It was the friends and connections he made through being a ranger that made him strong. It was the fear that once he loses his Oakleaf emblem, his connections with everyone would shatter as well. It had always been the fear of being alone.

Suddenly, the boy found himself encased in a strong embrace, his mentor pulling him into a protective hug. This simple action was the last key to Will's inner conflicts as the boy finally broke down and gave in to his weakness, sobbing quietly into Halt's shoulder.

"I..I'm.. sorry.. Halt." Will hiccupped in between his crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He apologized again and again as Halt stayed silent, gently rubbing his back.

"I'm afraid Halt, that everyone will leave me. I'm so scared of being alone by myself, everyone will leave me because I'm so weak." Will whispered as he buried his face in Halt's shirt, concealing the tears running down his face.

"Shhh…." His mentor hushed gently, "We're not going anywhere Will."

"No, not yet." Will hiccupped as he continued, "But..but.. maybe.."

"Will." Halt said firmly, moving slowly as he held his former apprentice by the shoulders gently. "We're here, always by your side, regardless of whether you're a ranger or not. We will never leave or abandon you for as long as we're alive no matter what happens or changes."

The grizzly ranger's eyes were gentle as he caught Will's chin, lifting him to meet his eyes. "You're like a son to me Will," Halt paused, letting the words sink in. "and you'll never be a burden to me or anyone else."

Will sucked in a shaky breath, his eyes rapidly blinking to clear the tears from his vision. He searched, blindly, desperately, trying to find the lies within his mentor's words and finding none. Though they've never talked about it, deep down Will had always subconsciously known their relationship had long transcended past being simple mentor and apprentice but he had always been afraid to ask the question.

Drawing in another rattling breath, Will slumped forwards and Halt was ready to catch him, holding him close, giving him the comfort he needed. He clung onto his former mentor and dear friend as he sobbed freely, letting loose the rest of his fears and doubts. All the while, Halt was there, rubbing his back gently until Will had finally exhausted all his tears.

"Thank you." Came the whisper from Will, muffled by the warm coat he's snuggled against.

The slight tightening of the embrace around him was Halt's reply.

Halt probably didn't know, but hearing the words his mentor said, relieved him of his worries of being a burden. Drowsiness began to creep in from the corners of his consciousness, his body still weak from the previous attack and now exhausted from his emotional ordeal was slowly shutting down. He tried to fight it back, to stay longer in the world of wakefulness within Halt's protective hold and slow rocking. For a moment the irrational fear that everything he'd learned and been through would disappear once he closes his eyes, but when the strong arms around him tightened lightly, Will relaxed.

He shouldn't have to worry, because Halt would never leave him. He had long treated Will as his own son and Will himself, had always looked up to Halt as his

Father… Will thought silently before he slipped into the first dreamless sleep he had in months.

Epilogue

This was the second time in his life, Will had seen this part of the forest so lively; the first being the ceremony where he received his silver Oakleaf.

It was his recovering party, a party held just to celebrate his recovery process from the poison. The attacks rarely came to visit now and he's once more fit enough to resume some light shooting practices and slow riding with Tug. All in all, it was great news for all of Araluen to hear.

Nearly all of his best friends were here to celebrate and Will felt touched by it. His eyes widened when beautiful Alyss swayed over elegantly, capturing his eyes with her every movement until she tapped him lightly on the shoulders to remind him not to stare.

"Oh hi, Alyss." Will stumbled, grinning awkwardly to which his beautiful friend replied with a genuine smile.

"Congratulations on your recovery Will!" her smile was sincere as she leaned in and gave him a hug. "It won't be long until you're out there chasing bandits again." Alyss mused, her hands instinctively seeking the younger man's larger ones.

"It'll be hard to sit and chat so peacefully without you running off mid-sentence. Honestly, I think I prefer you strapped on your bed." Alyss winked, causing Will to blush ten shades of red, fidgeting nervously.

"Alyss.." he started before the courier pecked him quickly on the cheeks.

"It's a joke Will." Alyss laughed, noticing the red hue that had settled over the ranger's face.

"..of course." Will stuttered, fully aware of the heat gathering on his face.

"Everyone, it's time to eat cake!" the loud boisterous voice of Jenny echoed across the clearing.

Smiling, Alyss held Will's hand and together they advanced to the long table placed in the middle of the clearing where everyone seated themselves.

Alyss took the seat next to his left while Horace and Evanlyn conveniently placed themselves to his right. Gilan gave him a wave before seating himself right next to Jenny (after he'd convinced George away) and Halt took the seat opposite of him, giving him a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Attention please!" Jenny stood up as she cleared her throat to pull everyone's attention to herself.

"We're gathered here today to celebrate Will overcoming another trial! We're here today not only to congratulate but also to give thanks to all who helped and supported him in his time of need. So thank you." Jenny winked at a particularly flushed ranger who disliked the extra attention drawn to him.

"Now without further ado, let us feast!" Jenny ended her announcement as everyone cheered and began to dig in.

"Jenny's good." Will noted with amusement as he spooned cake in his mouth.

"She likes attention." Alyss replied with a chuckle, "Especially, his attention." She smiled glancing towards their ward mate who was currently having a great time joking around with Gilan.

"I'm glad everyone came." The young ranger whispered, hiding a small grin.

"Will, no one would miss this party, even if it costs them their lives." Horace burped from his right, drawing a raised eyebrow from Alyss. Horace just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm a warrior with no manners." He chuckled, emphasizing his statement with another small burp and earned a hearty punch from Evanlyn.

Laughing at his friend's antics, Will whispered a grateful "Thank you." before turning back to his food.

A shudder ran up his arm and his fork dropped from his hand.

Will knew what would come next and he felt uncomfortable that it had to come at such an untimely manner. But it's not something he could control, not ever.

None of his friends had noticed the strange action except Halt, who was always on alert. Their eyes met and a message was conveyed. Even before the shaking began, Halt was already over by his side, holding him tightly and pulling him aside to prevent him from knocking the table over.

Will could hear the surprised gasps of his friends and worried questions. But it didn't matter, as Halt held him close, protecting him, his friends sending him reassuring looks as he groaned in pain, he felt oddly at ease.

And before the darkness dragged him under, he felt no fear for he knew he was in safe hands.

END

Phew! C:

Quite a long one-shot, but I'm glad I'm finished with it xD!

This idea came to me suddenly and it won't stop bothering me, so I had to put it down before I can continue on my other written work.

Will Will ever recover? Anyways yea, that's up for you to dream up and me to leave it at as an open-ended question :B

Originally, it was going to be a bit longer, with a section more and stuff, but then it was becoming quite a long one-shot, so I had to shorten it a bit.

Right now, it feels like the whole story is all about Will having attacks, which was not my original intention.. (I do secretly enjoy writing the angst.)

Please drop a review or two to help me improve? C': thank you!

March 6th, 2016: thank you for everyone's continuous support! I have been coming back to WEM from time to time to fix grammatical mistakes and OOCness - of course, I probably didn't catch them all and WEM is quite an old Fanfic... Welp, I'd appreciate any help if anyone spots any glaring mistakes feel free to point them out! I'd also love to hear what you guys would like to read next? ;) I'm always open for suggestions.

And before anyone asks. No. I will not be writing a second part to this one-shot. :P

Suicide is never the answer. It does not stop the grief but only makes sure the grief continues in another person. If you have suicidal thoughts please contact your local suicide help centres. There are a lot of people out there willing to help you! Be strong!