A/N: I am back! Hope you like this chapter! It's longer than I expected!

It was almost dawn when Brianna quietly closed the door behind her. The sun was barely visible beyond the horizon and the sky had a faint glow of pink. As she began making her way to the clearing where she would meet her father, Brianna took a deep breath and sighed. She loved being outside before dawn when her surroundings were so still and quiet. The only sound came from the wind gently blowing between the houses. She passed Corey's house and felt a twinge of guilt. What if her mother happened to cross her friend on her way to the market and learn that she wasn't at the beach with Corey's family? She didn't want to imagine how angry she would be.

The thought of an upcoming reunion between her mother and father soothed her worries. She knew it was coming very quickly. Her father had said, from the beginning, that they would take tiny steps. Today's was a big one. She would be spending the day with her father's crew on the beach in Manxa.

She had already met them, the first they had arrived. In his child's eyes, they had seemed tall, but welcoming. Nevertheless, tiny butterflies still flew restlessly in her stomach. Sinbad had told her about her other uncle, Doubar. Would he like her? Would he accept her as her uncle Dermott had done?

Her father was waiting for her as she stepped into the clearing. After miles underneath the thick branches of trees, Brianna welcomed the brightness of the clearing. Her eyes fell on her father, all thoughts of her mother and Sinbad's crew gone. She ran into his arms and he crushed her into a bear hug.

"I heard you paid a little visit to your uncle Dermott," Sinbad stated as he released his daughter from his arms.

The pair sat down on the dewy grass. Brianna shivered at the cold touch.

"I had to. Mother was going to contact him."

"Did she contact him?"

Brianna nodded.

"But Uncle Dermott lied. He said you were sailing and that you would stop at the next port to ask your way to our island."

Sinbad felt a twinge of guilt. Being reunited with his sister is what had kept Dermott driven to sail for the past decade. If it hadn't been in hopes of finding his long lost sister, the former hawk would have asked to be dropped off at the nearest port and would never have been heard of again. Sinbad would have lost not only a great crewmate (after his transformation, Dermott had managed to keep the acute eyesight he'd had as a hawk), but also a friend and his only connection to Maeve. He also knew how important Dermott had been to his older sister. Sinbad would never forget the day he had seen Maeve in tears after she thought she had lost Dermott for ever to the Vorgon.

"Are you nervous about meeting my crew?"

Brianna shook her head in spite of the butterflies fluttering around.

"I already met them. They seemed nice. I just worry they won't like me."

Sinbad pulled his daughter to him.

"Of course they will!"

The sounds of footsteps reached their ears. Father and daughter pulled away before turning their heads in the direction of the noise. Soon, voices echoed in the empty air around them. Sinbad got to his feet. Brianna did the same.

"I don't understand why we had to be up so early!" Doubar's voice could be heard saying. "It's not like the sea is going to disappear after sunrise."

Sinbad glanced at his daughter and smiled.

"Doubar has never been a morning person," he whispered to Brianna.

"I'm sure Sinbad had a very good reason," Bryn replied.

Soon, the foursome could be seen stepping out into the clearing. Brianna suddenly felt the urge to turn around and head back home, but she stood her ground. After all, she had inherited her mother's courage, as Dim-Dim had often said to her as a young child.

"Seriously, Sinbad, what are we doing here so early?" Doubar demanded, walking towards his brother.

His eyes suddenly shifted to the red-haired child beside his brother.

"And what in the world is that child doing here?"

Sinbad and Brianna exchanged a glance before Sinbad turned to his friends.

"Well, she is the reason why we are here so early. This is my daughter, Brianna."

A stunned silence fell above the crew. No one spoke a word while the announcement was slowly processed.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard correctly," Firouz said. "You said this is your daughter? But how…?"

"Maeve gave birth to her nine years ago. I, myself, only found out shortly after our arrival."

"This is Maeve's daughter?" Doubar replied, pointing at the child. "But Maeve was still with Dim-Dim nine years ago. How…?"

Sinbad then went on telling them about Arianna. He skipped over some details, not wanting his daughter to hear inappropriate things. Brianna followed the story quietly and the conversation that followed afterwards. The adults spoke as though she was invisible and it was only when all of their questions had been that they seem to remember her presence.

Brianna stared shyly back at them as five pair of eyes looked back at her. She wasn't sure what to say. Remembering Sinbad's initial reaction at the discovery of an unknown daughter, she had assumed the rest of his crew would react the same way. It was why she was so surprised when she suddenly felt the ground being swept off from under her feet.

"Ah-ha! I have a niece!" Doubar roared as he crushed her into a hug.

"Doubar, put her down. She doesn't even know who you are," Sinbad told his brother as he chuckled at his sibling's reaction.

"I'm your uncle Doubar," he then introduced himself to the young girl. "You look just like your mother."

Brianna smiled shyly.

"I get told that a lot."

Doubar chuckled once again before pulling his niece into another embrace.

"Where is Dermott?" Sinbad asked, suddenly noticing his friend's absence.

"He stayed in the village," Firouz replied.

"He met a woman," Doubar added, winking Sinbad's way. "He probably wanted to spend a little quality…"

"Okay, I think I know what you mean," Sinbad cut him off once more, hoping his daughter wouldn't ask any questions.

"He said he would be joining us later this morning," Bryn explained, her eyes never leaving Brianna.

When she had embarked on the Nomad more than a decade earlier, she had immediately felt attracted to the ship's captain. Over the years, she had hoped he would have forgotten about his long lost sorceress. Eventually, she had given up. Even with their occasional kisses and nights spent together, looking at the child standing before her and seeing the way Sinbad looked at her, she knew she had never truly belonged to him.

"Where is your mother, Brianna?" Doubar asked his niece. "It's been so long since we have seen her! How come she isn't with us?"

Doubar looked inquisitively at his younger brother. Sinbad simply looked away. At that instant, Doubar knew that Maeve had no idea they were on the same island.

"Can't we just spend some quality time all together? For today, all I want is to spend a relaxing day at the beach. I'll use that time to check up on the Nomad while we're there, just to make sure it's doing okay."

The crew exchanged looks and Sinbad heard some snickering.

"What?" he demanded.

"We just knew you wouldn't last two weeks without visiting your ship," Bryn replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

Sinbad rolled his eyes before setting off towards the trail that would lead them to Manxa and, eventually, to the coast.

"Very funny, guys."

The snickering turned into a loud roar.

The crew set down the path. Brianna hung in front of the group between her father and her uncle. She tried her best to answer all of her uncle's questions. As they made their way to Manxa, she told them about her life in Kwarzax, her magic lessons with her Master, and the days spent at the cave, the clearing or the beach with her friends. She talked about her life with Dim-Dim (what she remembered of it) and how they had come to live on the isle of Brey. Sinbad merely listened to the tales he already knew, only happy to see that his crewmates had immediately accepted his daughter into their group. His mind even began to wander out to the sea that slowly approaching. He tried not to imagine his reunion with Maeve. The mere thought of it made his stomach clench painfully. He knew she wouldn't be happy about the sneaking around behind her back. Yet, the thought of never seeing her again, of not spending the rest of life with her, made his stomach hurt even more.

And there was his desire to keep sailing. He really thought he'd needed a break from the life on the sea, but two weeks into retirement, he already missed it. Would Maeve agree to live on the Nomad? He could show their daughter the world. Maybe they could even extend their family by one or two children.

Soon, the salty scent of the sea reached his nostrils and he immediately felt his entire body relax. It was nearing mid-day. Brianna tugged at her father's hand.

"I'm hungry…"

Sinbad nodded. They entered the town inn. Brianna was immediately recognized as Maeve's daughter and the crew was brought more food than they could afford.

"Seems like our Maeve is famous on the island," Doubar whispered to Firouz as they ate the food piling up in front of them.

Immediately after their meal, they set off towards the coast once again.

The beach was empty. The crew settled down on the warm sand, a few feet away from the waves. A soft breeze blew around them, making the intense heat of the sun more tolerable.

Brianna giggled as she listened to them complain about the heat.

"What?" Bryn asked, unsure why the little girl was laughing.

"It is still the cold season," Brianna informed them.

"This is cold?" Sinbad replied, surprised.

"In the Southern part of Brey, during the cold season, it gets very cold at night, but hot rapidly by mid-day," Brianna explained, using the same words Master Francis had said to teach her about the weather patterns of Brey.

"We did notice it was cold at night. Then, what is considered hot season?" Firouz asked, interestedly.

"It's hot…" Brianna replied, bluntly, as though the scientist's question was absurd. "Night and day."

"How much time until it's the hot season?" Sinbad asked, wondering if he wanted to be there when it came.

Brianna pondered the question for a few moments before answering. Master Francis had her study astronomy and weather patterns. From what she had learned from her astronomy lessons, constellations changed throughout the year. The stars she had seen a few nights earlier had been those of cold season as it neared the hot season. She tried to remember what her Master had said about the transition between the two seasons but she couldn't remember.

"I can't remember. Master Francis told me, but I forgot."

"Well, it doesn't matter. For now, it is still cold season and I am not going to swim in frozen water," Firouz said as he lay down on the warm sand.

"Well, I want to!" Doubar replied. "And children do as well!"

Without warning, he picked up his niece and flung her over his shoulder.

"Uncle Doubar?!" Brianna cried, surprised and a little nervous about what was to come.

Doubar felt a tug at his heart at being called "uncle". He smiled.

"Yes, lass?"

"What are you doing?"

Doubar simply chuckled as an answer. Seconds later, Brianna felt the cold contact of the water underneath her as she was dropped into the sea under the amused stares of Sinbad and Doubar.

Maeve woke up to find her home quiet. Brianna had informed her the previous night that she would be leaving early to spend the day at the beach in Manxa with Corey and her family. At first, Maeve had found the information bizarre. Corey's family took a yearly trip to Manxa but it wasn't until later in the hot season. But Maeve had dismissed the thought pretty quickly. She would take advantage of alone time to fulfill an important mission.

She had gotten the idea after talking to Master Francis many years ago. He had informed her of an oracle, locked into a cave, not far from the village. The oracle had the power to show anyone, anywhere, as long as the event had already happened or was taking place in the present.

At first, she had made the decision to stay clear from it. Brianna was still quite young and she wanted her to grow up on solid land, away from the deadly waves, and get a magical education before setting off to adventure. For the past year, though, Maeve had had to fight the urge to use it. Brianna had become much more independent, going off on her own with Corey and Laura, leaving Maeve plenty of time to think. She wanted to know what her brother looked like today; the last time she had seen him, he had been a young boy. She wanted to see Sinbad's face. Maybe it would give her the courage to go back to him and confess what she had done.

On this sunny day, Maeve had decided that she had been passive long enough. She had lost her sense of adventure, settling into a life that she despised. She longed to be back on the sea with the man she loved, her daughter by her side, travelling the world and discovering new lands. She glanced over at her vegetable garden with great disdain. How could she have let herself live that kind of domestic for so long?

She set off immediately after getting dressed. She would eat later. She wasn't expecting her daughter before sundown, giving her plenty of time to go to the oracle and back, and prepare her next move. The oracle wouldn't give her the exact location of her friends but, at least, she would know what they looked like, 12 years later.

Life was slowly starting to rise in the quiet streets. Down the road, a woman was already hanging out some wet clothes. The sky showed no signs of clouds which meant it would be a perfect day to hang some clothes. She would do some laundry herself when she got back.

She reached the cave easily enough and magically pushed the stone aside. She stepped inside the musky, humid cave. Gravel crunched under her feet and she had to lower her head to prevent it from hitting the rocky ceiling. Ahead, a large stone bowl on a pedestal casted a faint glow against the walls of the cave.

The water in the bowl was still and clear. Waving her hand once over it, she spoke the incantation Master Francis had given to her.

"Show me Dermott," she added.

Tiny waves formed in the basin and images spun out of control. Several seconds later, it settled on the face of her sleeping brother. Maeve couldn't help the smile that stretched across her lips. Her brother had turned into a handsome man, she thought, proudly. A woman turned on her side in the image to face her brother. Maeve was surprised. She hadn't expected Dermott to be accompanied in his bed. For some reason, she had never thought of her brother. To her, he was still the little boy who followed her around their parents' farm.

Not wanting to see more than she ought to, she swept her hand above the wave and said "Enough". The image hadn't given her much information except that Dermott had seemed like the spitting image of their father. Whilst she had inherited her mother's red hair, Dermott had taken on his father's appearance with his golden brown hair.

She repeated the same steps for Sinbad. This time, her heart skipped more than just one beat as she laid her eyes on the man she loved for the first time in almost ten years. His hair was still long, though tiny streaks of gray now colored his dark brown hair. He was staring ahead at something, a smile on his lips that reached his eyes.

Seeing the happiness in his eyes, Maeve wondered for the first time in years if he had married. She couldn't quite seeing him settling down in one place and being married, but so many years had passed since the last time she had seen him. She immediately pushed the thought away and simply enjoyed her first glimpse of him in a decade.

He was sitting outside. The sky above him was blue and wind blew in his hair. She squinted and deciphered some sand around him. Nothing else could help her figure out where he was. Instead, she simply stared at him. She wondered how she would explain Brianna to him when they finally met again. Would he be happy? Or would he be angry with her for keeping it a secret all those years? After all, not only had she lied and used a cover to meet him one night ten years earlier, but she had kept secret their child. She knew she would be mad if something similar had happened to her.

Letting out a long sigh, she ran her hand above the water. The word "Enough" caught in her throat and the water remained the same. She knew she couldn't stay here indefinitely. She needed to get back home and plan out her next move. She would contact Dermott. Of course, she would give me an hour or two to wake up (she chuckled at the thought of her brother having a woman in his life) before attempting any kind of communication. She would ask him where they were and tell them to wait there. She would go to them. But for that to happen, she needed to head back home. Yet, she couldn't tear her gaze away from her former captain.

A movement in the water caught her attention. Sinbad was getting to his feet, his eyes never leaving whatever he was looking at. A sense of foreboding crept upon her spine. The area seemed familiar. The tall grass behind him swayed in the wind. On his right was a large rock she hadn't seen previously. A large rock she was familiar with; a large rock that seemed to welcome any travelers who docked their ship in the port of Manxa.

Her heart began racing quickly. Was Sinbad already in Brey? Had he been here when she had contacted Dermott or had they just happened to dock in the port a few days ago?

Suddenly, her thoughts shifted to Brianna. If Sinbad was on the beach, it meant he was around Corey's family. They loved that part of the coast and usually settled down near that same rock on their annual trip. Would she notice to similarities between Brianna and her? After all, her daughter was her spitting image at the same age.

Okay, calm down, Maeve. You don't even know for sure they are here. Plenty of beaches have rocks, sand, and grass. It doesn't mean he is here in Brey.

Yet, she couldn't shake away the feeling that the father of her child was nearby but she wasn't going to barge in on Corey's family to check up on that fact. She would wait for Brianna's return and ask her about her day. She'd ask if anyone else was there and she would then know.

She walked out of the cave. The wind had picked up and, after the humid temperature of the cave, she gladly accepted it. Her heart was still beating from what she had seen in the oracle. She tried to push the thought aside but the image kept coming back to her.

The walk back seemed to take forever. She simply wanted to get on with her day and forget what she had seen in the water. She was turning onto her street when she stopped dead in her tracks. A few feet ahead, Corey was running towards the market. Frowning, she called out after her daughter's friends. What was Corey doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be at the beach?

Corey whipped around at the sound of her name.

"Oh, hi Miss Maeve" the child replied, hurriedly. "Sorry I don't have time to talk. I am late for my lesson with Master Francis."

Maeve's eyebrows shot upwards. Then, suddenly, Corey seemed to realize her mistake and a small "oh" escaped her lips. Maeve quickly walked up to the little girl.

"Care to explain," Maeve demanded.

Corey looked away. She knew her friend would now be in trouble. She had promised to keep the secret, but not if it meant Maeve would be angry with her. The young sorceress looked around her. There was nowhere to run. And, even if she did run away, Maeve had the power over the elements. She would simply use the windy weather to create a wind barrier that would prevent from going anywhere.

"Where is Brianna?" Maeve asked, when Corey still didn't answer. "She said she was going with you to the beach."

"What is going on here?"

A man's voice behind them made them turn around. Corey's father was rapidly approaching. Maeve could tell he was angry.

"Corey is late for her lesson. If you will please leave her alone, she needs to go!"

Maeve felt the anger rising inside of her.

"I am not going anywhere until she explains herself!"

"What are you talking about, woman?"

"You tell me! My daughter tells me she is spending the day with your family at the beach and yet, I find you and your daughter here, at home. Where is my daughter?"

The man's eyes shifted from his neighbor to his daughter.

"Corey?" he simply said, expectantly. "Anything you want to tell us?"

Corey knew she was betraying her friend's trust but there was no way around it.

"She didn't want you to know," she explained, turning her gaze towards Maeve. "Not right away, anyway. She was going to tell you. Soon."

"What do you mean she didn't want me to know?" Maeve asked, though she already knew the answer. "Where is she?"

Corey simply lowered her head.

"Speak, Corey!" her father ordered her, raising his voice.

"She really is at the beach, Miss Maeve. Just not with us."

"With who, then?"

Though Maeve already knew the answer, the words that came out of the child's mouth caught her off guard.

Uh oh! I smell trouble! Poor Maeve, I feel bad for her.