A Pirate's Life For Me

by Magicalwardrobe

The tension could be cut with a knife and when Captain Killian Jones got out his cabin, a small bundle in his arms, the whole crew breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I give now to you my daughter," Killian announced. "Her name is Lillian, Lillian Elizabeth Jones." What if Killian and Milah had a daughter? This is her story.

1. Hoist the colors

So, I was just thinking how most of the time we all forget (even I) how important Milah was to Killian, and the part of me that loves Daddy! Killian thought. What if they had had a child together? How could that have changed him?

Well, that and that I love messing up Henry's family tree more than it is.

I should say now that this is not a Peter Pan x OC story. You have been warned.

I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own anything in this story (I wish).

Hoist the colors.

The ship rocked softly with the sway of the waves. Its Captain guided it easily on the open seas at a constant pace, the sails swelling beneath the wind.

"Don't you think today it's the perfect day for sailing?"

Killian grinned warmly form the wheel at the woman tying knots beside him. She had only been in the ship for seven months, but he was completely and utterly in love with her.

Milah bit her lip. "Well… Killian, there's actually something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh, alright. Say… would you rather this conversation to be kept away from prying eyes? Perhaps in our cabin?"

"Yes, that would be the best."

Killian nodded once, starting to feel unease creping in the deeps of his stomach. "Thompson!" he called his quartermaster. "Take the wheel for a moment, will you?"

Ryan Thompson obliged winking at his captain and throwing a cheeky grin. Killian rolled his eyes and snorted.

"What is it?" he asked once they were below decks.

Milah sighed. "I really don't know how to tell you this… I don't know how it could happen (well, I know how but that's not the point). The point is… I'm with child."

Killian's mind went blank. "What?"

"I-I'm pregnant. And it's yours."

"A-are you certain?"

Milah's eyes flashed. "Of course I'm sure! I've spent the past seven months in this ship and the only time I've been with someone was that night with you. It only can be yours. What do you take me for?"

Killian's ears flushed with red. "That's not- that's not what I meant," he stammered. "Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Oh!" Milah blushed. "Yeah, I am."

Killian nodded. "Alright. We'll figure something out."

"You don't have to b-"

Killian guessed what she was about to say. "Of course I do. And I want to," his eyes flickered to her stomach. "That's my child. Our child. I'm going to love him no matter what."

"Do you mean it?" her eyes shone brightly.

Killian encircled her in his arms. "Although a pirate ship may not be the best place to raise a child."

Milah smiled. "He's going to be a pirate… like his father."

"He?"

"Just a feeling," she fluttered her eyes flirtatiously. "What do you say we reenact this little one conception?"

"I will never say no to that, my dear."

.

.

"How long until land?"

"No more than two days," answered Bob Harvey.

Killian nodded, wringing his hands nervously. "Two days is fine."

Harvey tried to hide his smile. "Yer baby is not gonna be 'ere 'till three weeks."

"Aye, you're right. I just…"

Harvey smiled. "I know."

"Killian!" Milah's piercing scream cut through the deck.

Killian was at her side within seconds. "Milah! Are you alright? What it is?"

Milah gasped, one arm bracing her stomach and her other hand clutching Killian's in a vice grip. "It's the baby. He's coming!"

The young pirate captain paled. "Are you certain? It's too early!"

"Yes!" Milah growled. "Ughhh! Go find Cotton!"

"Aye, Cotton. The doctor. Cotton. The baby."

"Killian GO!"

Fortunately one of the pirates had already gone below decks in the search of the ship's doctor. Pierre Cotton ran through the gangway the crew had made for him, two of the youngest pirates ran beside him their hands full of the doctor's equipment.

Cotton's eyes landed on a patch of water a few paces next to Milah. "She's already in labor," he announced. "Her water broke. I'm going to have to move her to a bed."

"But it's too early!" Killian said taking Milah in his arms and following the doctor through the ship.

"It doesn't matter. It's already on its way. Leave her here, on your bed. And now go fetch me some water! And warm it!"

Killian took off running.

.

.

The birth of the Jolly Roger's newest member was long and hard. It lasted from midday to the early hours of morning of the next day and no one slept one wink. The tension could be cut with a knife and when Captain Killian Jones got out his cabin, a small bundle in his arms, the whole crew breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I give now to you my daughter," Killian announced. "Her name is Lillian, Lillian Elizabeth Jones."

And the crew of merciless pirates gathered around the new father, silly smiles forming in each of their faces.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler Carpenter snuggled in the warm blankets of her bed.

Maybe if I keep ignoring it, it'll go away.

But the alarm clock was nothing but persistent and, groaning, the girl got out her warm, comfortable bed.

I hate Tuesdays.

Tayler dragged herself to the shower. Not knowing the changes transcending in the town since the night before. Not knowing that things were starting to change for the first time in twenty-eight years.

She encountered a closed door and groaned. "Heidi!" she pounded on the door. "Get out of there! Do you always have to hog the bloody bathroom?"

"Clear off!"

Tayler fumed. "Oi! You clear off! It's my turn!" she kicked the door again. "Heidi!"

Her sister appeared not long after that, a towel around her middle and a brush in her hand. "You're such a pain in the arse," she huffed. "Go on, bathroom's yours."

Tayler glared at her and walked into the bathroom. "Oh, why, thank you!" and then she shut the door behind her. Loudly.

.

.

Heidi and their father were already having breakfast and when she came down Marco regarded her with an amused expression on his face.

"Do I have to buy another alarm clock?" he teased.

"How about another bathroom?" Heidi muttered.

Tayler stuck out her tongue. "No, you don't. Hmmm… pancakes!"

Marco smiled as she sat and started attacking her pancakes. "I'd hoped they would put you in a happy mood."

Tayler pouted. "Going to school chucks the happy mood out the window."

He laughed. "At least is not Monday," he reminded her.

Tayler and Heidi groaned. "Thank god," they said at the same time.

"Stop making scenes," he teased them.

They shared a look and then rolled their eyes (Tayler's mouth full of pancakes and syrup) and Marco shook his head at their antics.

"I have to go early today. I hope I can trust you to take the bus?"

"Ppfft! Of course! It's not like we would skive off school or anything," Heidi said.

Marco narrowed his eyes and looked at Tayler. "Please, make sure your sister gets to school."

Tayler sniggered. "Yes, Dad. Why do you have to go now?"

Marco started cleaning up his plate. "I have to go to the Sheriff station."

Both girls gasped and faked scandalized expressions.

"What have you done?"

"Public indecency?"

"You got drunk on the street?"

"Theft?"

"Destruction of propriety!"

Marco shook his head. "None of that. I have to fix something there, your Uncle called me this morning."

They seemed disappointed and Marco had to chuckle to himself. He grabbed his coat and smiled at his girls.

"-shame you won't be able to see Kyle," Tayler was saying.

An alarm thundered in Marco's head. "Kyle? Who is this Kyle? Is he a boy?"

"No! Kyle has always been a girl's name!" Heidi exclaimed while sending Tayler a murdering glare.

"Don't use that tone with me, girl. Tell me, is he your boy? You're too young to have a boy! You're just fifteen! Who is he? Do I know his parents?"

Tayler smirked. "Why are you so interested? It's like you want her to have a boyfriend."

"What? No! No boyfriends! Absolutely forbidden! Zero ragazzos!"

Both sisters snickered when he started talking in Italian, like he always did when his nerves got the best of him. Tayler, then, decided to save her sister. "I was just taking the mickey out of her. Kyle is just Heidi's friend, nothing more."

Marco didn't seem very convinced but he could see it was a lost battle to argue with them. "This is not over," he told them. "but I have to go. See you tonight!"

Heidi waited until their father was out of the house to cuff Tayler across the head.

"Auch!"

"You deserved that, you twit!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Are you hiding around here? No? Then what about here? Umm… Well... Mister Thompson! You haven't happened to see a young lass around here, right?"

"I don't know, Captain. What is she like?"

Killian mused. "Umm… she's about this height. Dark brown curls. Bright blue eyes. Scrawny."

Ryan shook his head. "No, sir. I haven't seen anything."

Killian sighed dramatically. "I'll keep looking, then."

Neither man made sign of having heard the muffled giggling behind one of the boxes on the stern.

"Come on Flower… I know you're out here somewhere," he let out an exaggerated gasp when his daughter's head loomed from behind the box. "There you are!" he trapped the squirming girl in his arms. "You've fallen prisoner of the nefarious Captain Jones. Surrender or there won't be mercy for you."

Lily giggled. "Never!"

"Alright. No quarter, then!" Killian started tickling her and the girl squealed in his grasp.

Lily howled with laughter. "Noooo!" she shouted. "Stop!"

"Do you surrender?" her father asked still ticking her.

"Yes!" she screamed.

Killian released her and pecked her cheek.

Lily pouted. "That's not fair."

He ruffled her hair. "Life's not fair. Now go find your mother, it's my turn at the helm."

And the four year old ran through the crowded deck, ducking beneath sails and dodging pirates with ease. Once she saw her mother, sewing some breeches Lily had broken early that week, she jumped on her with a joyful cry.

Milah smiled and put the sewing kit away. "What brings you here, love-bug?"

"I lost at hide-and-seek with Papa again," she sighed.

"Well, your Papa has always been really good at finding things," Milah whispered confidentially.

Lily yawned and snuggled into her mother side. "Tell me a story?"

"A story, huh?" Milah smiled lovingly at her daughter. "Well, let's see… Once upon a time there was a princess trapped in a castle…"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Shouldn't you be, I don't know, good at this?" Finn asked.

Tayler scowled. "Oh, shut up!"

"I mean, really, you probably have made things a lot more difficult than this. You are building a boat! How on earth can one small birdhouse resist you this way?"

"I have more professional tools back home."

Finn smirked. "Now why don't I believe you?"

"Guys…" Paige warned keeping an eye on Miss Blanchard. "Now's not the time to discuss Ty's disastrous woodcarving skills."

"Hey!" the alluded girl protested. "Anyway… what are we doing on Halloween?" she asked. "It's only eight days away and we haven't any plans. That's so wrong!"

"I don't think my mum will let me go out," Finn said sadly.

Tayler pouted. "What? Why not? That's bollocks! It's Halloween!"

Finn shrugged. "You know my mum. The less fun for me, the better it is for her."

Needless to say Finn and his mom didn't have a very good relationship.

"We can always have a small party at your house," Paige suggested.

"A sleepover!" Tayler added, getting swept up by the idea.

"Yeah, right. A sleepover with all my brothers."

Finn was the seventh of seven sons, although none of them were his full brothers. Finn was the only son of his mother's drunken tryst which ended her marriage with the father of the rest of hers sons.

Needless to say, either, that Finn didn't have a good relationship with any of his siblings, for they blamed him with their parents' divorce and the disappearance of their father.

Finn made a face. "My mother has already enough with all of us in the house to bring her two of my friends on top of it."

"That's it!" Tayler snapped her fingers. "We can have the sleepover at my house. Marco won't mind; he loves having both of you over and Heidi is going to a party. We can even go trick-or-treating and we'll help Marco decorate the house and the shop."

"That's- that's actually a good idea," conceded Paige.

"Hey! Don't sound so surprised," Tayler faked offence.

Miss Blanchard coughed, getting the attention of every kid in the class and smiled softly. The children's eyes went to the blue bird on her hands and most of them gasped. "As we build our birdhouses, remember," she said walking to the window. "what we're making is a home. Not a cage."

"Ty's looks like neither," Finn sniggered.

"Oh, bugger of," she hissed.

"They're loyal creatures," the teacher extended her arm out of the window and the bird flew from her finger to a blue birdhouse in a near tree.

"Wicked!" Tayler gasped.

Miss Blanchard turned to the class. "If you love them and they love you, they will always find you," and then the bell rang, ending whatever speech the woman had prepared.

"Let's go!" Tayler exclaimed. "We have to get out table before someone steals it again."

Usually the three kids would sit in one of the tables of the school patio, taking advantage of the sun to eat their lunch outside, until winter took over. Then only the bravest of souls (the foolhardy- would say Paige) would dare to stay long periods of time on the outside.

They ran into the Mayor, Sheriff Graham and one blond lady neither of them had ever seen before at the door. Tayler smiled and jumped to hug the young man.

"Uncle Graham!" she exclaimed.

Graham Humbert smiled softy. "Hey, Ty, had a nice day in class?"

Tayler shrugged. "It wasn't bad. What are you doing here?"

Graham's eyes wrinkled at her obvious attempt to change the conversation. "We're looking for Henry. You haven't seen him around, have you?"

The three kids shook their heads and the Sherriff sighed.

"We'll have to keep looking, then," he nodded at Regina, who had just stormed out of the classroom. "I'll go back to the station," he said. "Call me if you find anything," he smiled at his niece and ruffled her hair. "Behave."

They watched him leave and then resumed their walk to the patio. Finn cleared his throat. "About Halloween… I'll have to ask. It'll be nice to actually celebrate something for once."

"It's a date then!" Tayler bounced. "I wonder what I'll dress up as," she mused.

"A ghost?" suggested Finn.

Tayler wrinkled her nose. "Nah! Too easy. Just a sheet over your head."

"A princess?" said Paige absentmindedly putting her things in one of the empty tables. The other two followed suit.

"That's not scary at all," huffed Tayler.

"A dead princes?" said Finn. "Princess Death rises from the… well, the dead. It's a zombie princess."

"I think I'll go as just a zombie," she said.

Finn sputtered. "But that's no fun. Just a zombie is so… sad. You have to give it something else. Something interesting. Like a princess zombie, or a doctor zombie, or a pirate zombie."

"A pirate zombie?" Tayler said amused.

"Like in Pirates of the Caribbean?" Paige asked.

Finn's face lightened. "Exactly! We can be a cursed pirate crew! We're recruiting people to help us steer our ship for the rest of all eternity."

"Alright," Tayler accepted, getting excited. "I call being the Captain!" she said raising her hand.

Both Paige and Finn groaned looking defeated.

"Why does she always do that? Why don't we think of it first?" Finn asked glumly.

Tayler sniggered. "Because I'm awesome and you're not. Now, Paige you can be the Quartermaster and Finn, you'll be my First Mate. Savy?"

"Aye, aye Captain," answered the two of them at the same time.

Tayler stood up on the bench. "And our ship will be glorious and it shall be named… The Night Fury!"

Her new crew's faces deadpanned. Paige sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You watched How to Train Your Dragon again last night, didn't you?" she said.

Tayler's ears colored and she sat down once again. "Maybe?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Rise your arms a little. Yes! Like that! Now… left! Good!"

Lily huffed trying to catch her breath and keep her sword up high. Her father waited patiently a few moments before striking suddenly.

Lily sidestepped, the wooden sword missing her by inches. "You didn't warn me," she accused lifting her blade to fend off another hit.

Killian spun, hitting his daughter softly on her knees. "No enemy will give you a warning in a battle. You have to be ready for each strike."

"Killian! What on earth are you doing?"

Both Killian and Lily lowered their swords, panicked expressions crossing their faces. The circle of interested pirates around them dissolved like smoke, leaving them to themselves against the fury of a worried mother.

"Traitors," Killian mumbled to himself.

Milah kneeled in front of Lily, checking for injuries. "What were you thinking? Have you gone insane?"

Killian scratched his ear. "I thought it would be a good idea if Lily learned to defend herself."

"She's five!"

Killian steeled himself. "That doesn't put her out of harm's way. We're pirates, Milah, we live in a pirate ship. There is danger in each port and sea. I can't have my daughter running around without knowing how to fight. I don't intend to put her in danger, but I would be a lot less worried if I knew she can hold her own with a sword."

Milah blinked and considered for a moment her lover's words. He was right, of course, but that didn't mean Milah liked the idea.

"But she's just so young. Even Bae was older when I left."

Killian sighed. "Lily is in more danger just being here than Bae ever was. Remember last year? When we get your lad I'll teach him to fight, too."

Milah gnawed at her lip. "And what if she doesn't have a sword?"

Killian frowned and then his mouth opened in surprise when he understood the meaning behind her words. "Are you suggesting…?"

"Jamie knows how to fight hand to hand, doesn't he?"

"Aye."

Milah nodded. "He will train with her, then. Just ask him to be careful. I'll teach her to read and write."

Killians eyebrows went up. "You know how to write? Why is now the first time I hear of this?"

"You're not the only one with an honorable past, lieutenant," she winked. "My mother came from a good family. She taught me."

Lily tugged on her father's coat. "Does that mean we don't have to sneak up in the middle of the night to train anymore?"

"Killian!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Thank you for dropping me off, Mister Carpenter," Paige said politely.

Marco smiled. "You don't have to be so polite. Call me Marco. Just Marco. And it's nothing. I was already getting Tayler."

Paige smiled gratefully and looked at her friend sitting with her in the backseat. Tayler was tapping her foot at the song coming from the radio and mouthing the words along.

"Did you know Henry's birthmother came to town yesterday?" Paige asked trying to break the sudden silence in the car.

"She did?" Tayler asked surprised.

Marco nodded form the front. "Yes. I've seen her this morning, actually. She seems really nice. Is really pretty too. But she already was behind bars …"

Both girls shared a look. "Wow, what happened? What's she like?"

"Paige here has a special interest in everything related to Hern- Auch! Did you just pinch me?"

Paige, blushing to the roots of her hair, glared at her. "Shut up!"

Marco decided to break in before things got too complicated. "How was school today?"

Tayler shrugged. "It was alright. Oh! By the way, I wanted to ask you if we could have a sleepover on Halloween."

"I imagine that by we you refer to Finn, Paige and you, right?"

"You're invited to come too if you want," she teased.

Marco smiled. "Oh, don't bother. I wouldn't want to interrupt and make you uncomfortable."

"We could sleep in the woodshop!" Tayler exclaimed.

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not going to let three children running around in a room full of dangerous tools."

"That's alright," Paige said. "Tayler's room will be fine."

Tayler smirked. "Unless you don't want Finn to come because he's a boy."

"Here you are, Paige!" Marco exclaimed a little too happily.

Paige got out the truck with a little smile on her face. "Thank you again!" and she watched Marco's Handyman & Woodwork Truck Services drive away.

"I'm imagining I have to drop you off at the beach, no?"

Tayler smiled. "Well… my surfboard and wetsuit are already here."

"I swear you were a mermaid in your past life," the old man chuckled.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Look, Papa! I can do a backward roll!"

"I can see that, Flower. Are you certain you don't want to come aboard the ship? The air is getting rather cold and I do not want you to become ill. And your mother will positively murder me if you come having even a little bit of temperature."

Lily stuck out her tongue. "I'm fine, Papa. Swim with me!"

Killian sighed but slowly made his descend from the Jolly and into the cold waters of the white beach where they had made port that afternoon.

Lily swam towards him and went underwater at the last moment. The pirate captain felt small hands at his ankles and then a tug. Suddenly his whole body was submerged and his daughter sent him a smile and an underwater kiss.

Killian lunged, picking her up in his arms, and resurfaced. Lily didn't have much time to scream before she was launched through the air and splashing away.

Sputtering the five year old emerged, she glared at her father and that ensured a playful game of tag among the waves.

At last Killian caught her in his arms and kissed her cheek, ending the game. "You are half mermaid," he assured.

Lily splashed with both legs together, like a mermaid tail. "Maybe I was one in another life."

Killian caught her and nuzzled her hair. "Perhaps. But now you are not and I'll be fish food if we don't run to get you dry."

"Mama will probably kill you, huh?"

Killian nodded. "Most certainly."

.

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What did you think? Did you like Lily? Do you know who she is? (I bet you do) Should I keep going? Burn this?

Don't forget to review.

MW.