Alright, lovelies, I'm back with a new chapter! I would like to thank everyone who is still loving and supporting this series. I've decided that just taking my time with writing and producing something I am really proud if is more important than just throwing out anything that I can. You all have been so patient, and for that I am eternally grateful. I have started a full time job, and it does take up a good bit of my time so I write when I can and when I feel like it. It works better that way. As usual, I would like to thank those who has followed/favorited/reviewed the last chapter and this series: The mad wolf, MLGJessica, starrat, hrodenhaver, Copacetically, mindless-minds, Jess, ajwehri, SettingSummerSun, AshleyMarie2010, okaloosa, and b00kw0rm3. Without you guys, I probably would have give up a long time ago.
Enchanted Forest - Past
His stomach growled loudly as he started closing up for lunch. Killian was going to meet his wife at their cabin. She'd grown a bit thanks to the pregnancy, and she was loving it. Killian couldn't complain either. She was always beautiful, but he had to be honest with himself. He did quite enjoy the extra weight on her chest. Not to mention, she'd turned into an even bigger fiend than she normally was when it came to making love. Of course, there was also the fact that she was even more nurturing. Pregnancy agreed with Isabel so it agreed with him as well. He was just happy that she seemed to be herself again. He understood why she felt so depressed before, but it was undeniable the change in her. The whole dynamic changed.
He always took the route home that took him by the docks. He had to admit that he missed piracy. But his family was so much more important to him. Still, he would walk past to see if Harry and the men were in town. He met up with them when he could, just to hear their stories really. They always had the best stories about their bar fights or treasure they'd happened by. They, of course, would ask about his life. There wasn't much to tell but they pretended to be interested.
As he passed the docks, he saw familiar sails and the very ship he once called home. Harry and Starkey stood not far from where it was docked. For a moment, Killian contemplated going over to say hello. His stomach had other ideas. It growled in protest at the thought. He ducked his head down as he started for the path that would lead him to his wife, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see Harry with a huge grin on his face.
"Killian, my boy! Just the man I wanted to see. Come!" Harry bellowed.
"I really cannot," Killian told him. "Isabel is waiting for me, and she'll worry that her father is overworking me if I do not go home for lunch."
"Nonsense. She will understand if you have a meal with your old captain instead." Harry was going to insist. That much Killian knew without a doubt.
No. Isabel probably wouldn't mind if he had lunch with Harry. "The tavern as usual?"
"Of course," Harry nods with a grin. "Come, boy."
Killian followed Harry out of the shop. They are quiet as they walk, but the noise picks up as soon as they are at the tavern. The younger man didn't miss going to those types of places. He much rather would like to be home.
"So how is married life treating you?" Harry asked.
"It's good. Isabel it's pregnant," Killian smiled. He never got tired of telling people that.
"About bloody time." Harry grinned. "You have to want a boy."
"Actually, a girl might be better. She'll get into less trouble. Hopefully won't take after me at all," Killian smirked.
Harry let out a hearty laugh. "Even if the child does take after you, you and Isabel will spoil it rotten." Then Harry's expression grew serious. "I need you to come out one last time."
"I can't," Killian sighed.
"I think I found it," Harry whispered. "We've still kept an ear out for the locket. But you're the only one who even knows what it might look like. You should be there."
Killian's jaw clenched. Isabel's locket. He had given up hope when it came to finding it. After giving up piracy, he thought he might as well move on as she had. It haunted him sometimes, and that unsettled him. Now Harry was saying he had found it, and he wanted Killian to be there when they took it back for Isabel. "How long will the journey be?"
"Not even a month if we leave soon," Harry told him.
"Isabel is not to know what this is about. I will come up with some excuse, but I want this to be a surprise for her. She doesn't even know that I was looking for it," the young man told his old captain.
"I'll keep your secret for you. Don't worry," Harry chuckled. He looked up just in time to see a new girl in the tavern walking up to them with a couple of bowls of stew. She set the bowls in from of Killian and Harry. She bent ever so slightly, enough for Killian to get a good view down her dress. As she walked away, Harry laughed and shook his head. "Still can't blood take you anywhere, can I?"
Killian had kept his gaze down the entire time, and he shrugged as he stirred his stew a little. "She's one of the women who kept talking loads of bollocks when Isabel wasn't getting pregnant. Kept saying she had something wrong with her."
Harry took a bite of his stew before grimacing. "Did they replace the cook or something?"
"Sarah is sick so Penelope is filling in for her," Killian smirked.
"And you didn't warn me?" Harry feigned shock. "Well, I guess I do deserve it. I took you away from your wife and everything. Maybe we should go pay her a visit. She is still an excellent cook, right?"
Killian nodded. "Aye. That she is." He pushed back from the table. "Shall we head that way then?"
"We shall," Harry nodded.
The two men left the tavern and were soon heading towards Killian and Isabel's little cabin. Harry had only been there once or twice, and he had not seen Killian's wife in quite a while. While Killian didn't particularly care, he wondered if Harry still approved of Isabel. He suppose his captain did since he had never heard Harry utter a single negative word about her. As they approached the house, Killian spotted Isabel hanging laundry off to the side. Then he watched as one of their bedsheets fell to the ground. He didn't have to be near her to hear the cursing she was giving the fabric. Her swollen belly made it somewhat impossible for her to bend comfortably. He chuckled as he and Harry both watched her triumphantly snatch the sheet off the ground.
"Ah ha! You little fucker! Thought you were gonna get away from me did you?" She threw it into the basket that she picked up.
Walking up to his wife, Killian kissed her cheek. "Did you just call me a fucker?" Of course, he knew she meant the sheet. He placed his hand on the small of her back. "Darling, I brought company for lunch."
She didn't even greet her husband. Whipping around, her expression went from slightly bewildered too pleased. She smiled at Harry. "Captain! I didn't know you were in town."
"Just arrived today," the man smiled before trying his best to embrace Isabel. Her tummy was in the way.
"We went to the tavern first," Killian told her.
She snorted. "Killian James Jones, you did not expose him to Penny's cooking!"
"He did! Nearly killed me!" Harry pouted.
"Bless her. She really does try. She just isn't very good at it. I tried to offer up some of my time, but both my father and husband told me that a tavern is no place for a pregnant woman." She rolled her eyes.
"Or ladies," Harry added.
Both Killian and Isabel scoffed. "I am far from a lady, Captain. You should know that. Now come on you two. I'll feed you a proper meal before Killian has to return to the slave driver that is my father."
The day had ended for Killian, and he found himself growing anxious to get home to Isabel. He knew he would have to tell Isabel about going off with Harry again. What would he even tell her? It would break her heart if he even insinuated that he missed being a pirate. He did, but he would never tell her that. He was happy in his life with her. The happiest he had ever been, but there were times he would miss going out to sea. The ocean was in his blood. It was not something he could deny easily. While he had promised her that he would find it and get it back for her, he didn't want her to know that's why he would be leaving her. He wanted the locket to be a surprise for her. He knew he would come up with something, but he had limited time to tell her. From the time he left her father's shop to the time he walked through the door of their home. Maybe he wouldn't need to come up with an excuse. Maybe Isabel would just nod and tell him to come back to her in one piece. He wanted it all to run smoothly, but he had told Harry that if Isabel seemed at all upset about any of it, he was not leaving her. He couldn't bear leaving and knowing full well that his wife was upset with him. It was like before they were married. Her being upset with him was the worst thing in the world. Knowing her might have disappointed her or made her sad or angry was the worst feeling. Just as he needed his father's approval or even Harry's approval, Killian needed the same from Isabel.
"Isabel," he called out as he walked through their door.
"I'm wrestling this damned sheet!" She called out from their bedroom.
He followed her voice and smiled when he found her. "Here. Let me." She moved out of the way without argument. Killian took the sheet and put it on the bed. One of the things his mother showed him was how to properly make a bed. "You've been cleaning again."
"I have," she nodded.
"The house was already spotless," he told her.
"I'm doing this thing Penny told me about. Most mothers do it. A few months before the baby comes, they start to prepare the home or what have you without truly realizing it. Honestly, I think they just all get restless being at home all day without much to do, especially if it is their first child. I don't do nearly as much as I used to now, and I just get...well, I lose interest in the things I do to keep me occupied. I have ready every book I own, and father hasn't brought back anything from his deliveries. Cooking takes up a good portion of my day, but even that has a waiting period." She sighed and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm big as this house, and there is only so much I can do now. Forget I said anything."
"No, no," he shook his head, making sure the sheet was perfect on the bed. Then he walked up to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "I understand it, love. I really do. Clean as much as you want. Just don't over exert yourself into having the baby sooner than planned. We want a fully gestated child, remember?"
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "I know, and it's not that I don't like being pregnant. I'm...well, you know how it was for me when I couldn't."
"I know. When the baby is here, you won't have so much free time on your hands," he smiled. Every time they talked about after the baby was born, he would picture it. Isabel taking care of the tiny girl or boy, singing them to sleep, playing with them. It filled his heart with joy to think about how drastically their lives would change in an instant. Fatherhood only scared Killian to the extent that he knew he did not have the best examples of it. He tried to pay attention to how William was with Isabel, and he supposed Harry was a good enough father figure. He simply did not want to end up like his father. Even when his father was around, he was aloof. The distance his father put between the two of them was too far in Killian's opinion. And then when he left, it was even farther. Killian would never abandon his child in the way he had been abandoned or at all.
"Are you hungry?" Isabel asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Oh. No. I'm still full from lunch. If you are, I am more than happy to sit and keep you company," he smiled.
"I'm not all that hungry myself. At least, not yet. I've been nibbling here and there all day," she giggled.
"Then perhaps we should just sit and be with one another for a while," he suggested.
"That would be lovely," she nodded holding her hand out for him to take.
Killian pulled her over to the bed before sitting. Leaning against the headboard, he held her close to him; hand absentmindedly running through her hair. "It was nice spending time with Harry today, you know?"
"I bet it was. He misses you something awful. He might not admit it to you directly, but I can tell," she placed her hand over her tummy.
"I think so too honestly," Killian smirked.
"Well, you are like a son to him. It's only right that he would miss you. If he didn't, then I would be very upset with him." She looked up at Killian for a moment. "And you miss him too, don't you? You miss all of it."
Biting his lip, he didn't want to outright admit it to her. He didn't want her to feel like she wasn't enough for him. But he still nodded his head slightly. "From time to time, I do wonder what they are all up to. And if the cabin boy is up to snuff. After all, I am positive that he is not."
Isabel giggled and shook her head. "Well let's hope he is much better at stealing from young girls."
"I have you know, Isabel Jones, that you were an exception!" He feigned offense.
"Sure. Just like I'm the only one to have ever caught up to you and threatened your life," she scoffed.
"The only one to do so and live about it." He smirked. "You can thank your pretty face for that."
She pinched his arm. "You know, sometimes you can be a downright ass." Then she snuggled back into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "But I wouldn't have you any other way. And it is okay if you miss being a pirate. Our life is simple and quiet. Sometimes we need a little noise. It can get boring."
"Oh, sweetheart. Our life is anything but boring. If I'm being perfectly honest, I never thought I would make it this far in life. Harry and his crew are a very special brand. Most pirates have very short life spans. I certainly never thought that I would have a life like this one if I did live, but I have it. I have you, the baby, and this home. To me, everything I have is almost too good to be true. I take none of it for granted." He took a deep breath. "But there is something I've been meaning to ask you about. Harry has invited me on one last adventure. Nothing too dangerous. Just an errand really. I wouldn't even be asking if the share from it wasn't a large one. I know we aren't in too terrible of a need for money, but it would help us build onto the house once we start having more children. And it might actually afford us some livestock as well. That's less trips to the market for you." He knew he was rambling, but these were all things that ran through his head after parting with Harry. Sure the main reason he would be going was to get her locket back, but he was getting a share of the loot. The pirate who supposedly had the locket was one of the richest in all the lands. Harry had been chasing him for years, and finally, the pirate was getting sloppy or ready to retire. If that were the case, he would be looking for someone to bequeath a large sum of his treasures too. Should Harry and the crew get there in time, they would be the recipients of that sum.
Isabel put her hand on his. "You really want to go?"
Killian nodded. "I think it would be very beneficial to us and the baby."
"And your heart is set on it?" she asked.
"Only if you are okay with it. Harry assures me that we will be back before the baby is born, but if you don't think I should go, then I won't," he told her.
She pursed her lips for a second. "And you promise me that you will be safer than safe on this. No coming back to me missing a limb or bruised up."
"Well maybe just the tiniest scratch," he smirked.
