Elizabeth

It had been four months since Thomas had moved in with Elizabeth, and eight months since she had become the Taylor's governess. That meant that she was finally nearing her due date. Soon Elizabeth would be able to hold her and Will's baby.

Over the last few months, Kennedy had continued to warm up to Elizabeth. The girl had grown fond of her stories of dashing pirates, though Elizabeth had not revealed that the stories were true, and they had even gone down to the beach to play a game or two. Of course, much to Kennedy's dismay, they were always accompanied by Thomas.

Thomas was even more interested in pirates then Kennedy, and had declared multiple times that he wished to be one. For a supposed pirate, however he was very protective of Elizabeth. As she had grown increasingly pregnant, Thomas refused to let her go anywhere alone. He escorted her any time she left the house, his red hair flaming in the sun.

As for adjusting, Thomas had done very well. He was beginning to read, and though progress was slow, he continued to try. The one thing he didn't try was to get along with Kennedy. The two fought day and night, over what Elizabeth felt were the most trivial and ridiculous things. And that was exactly what they were doing at the moment.

"ELIZABETH!"

The screech rang out through the house, shaking windows and picture frames. Kennedy was once again upset about something and she wanted everyone to know about. Even Elizabeth, who had been sitting outside in the gardens, had been able to hear her.

Elizabeth sighed, as she looked up at the Taylor's large white house. Both Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were gone for the day, so she had to deal with all the kids herself. At the moment she was holding young Eddie, and had left the other two children occupied in separate areas of the house. She had been hoping for a few moments to rest, but no luck. It was extremely hot today, and no matter what she did, Elizabeth couldn't get comfortable.

Soon, Kennedy came storming out of the house, a furious glare on her face. She stomped over to Elizabeth, her blue dress shining in the sun.

"Look at this!" Kennedy exclaimed, holding out a silver hairbrush.

Elizabeth took the hairbrush in one of her slender hands, and turned it over, inspecting it. To her it seemed perfectly fine.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at," Elizabeth said, frowning at Kennedy.

"Look!" Kennedy cried again, pointing at the bristles of the brush. "Red hair!"

She pulled out a single strand of what looked like it could be red hair, from the bristles and held it up in the sun.

"Is it really that bad that there's hair in the brush?" Elizabeth questioned. "After all, I think that means it's fulfilling its purpose."

"I have blonde hair. My mom has blonde hair. Do you know who has red hair?" Kennedy asked. "Thomas! That's who! He must have snuck into my room and used my brush."

"I don't know why he would do that," Elizabeth said. "And are you sure that's even red hair?"

"Pretty sure," Kennedy sighed. "He needs to be punished for this. I want disciplinary action!"

Elizabeth sighed again. She sometimes wondered how a girl so young, had so much force and attitude. Sadly, she was sure that she wouldn't be able to convince Kennedy to let this go.

"Alright then," she sighed. "Let's go find Thomas."

It turned out that Thomas was easy to find. He was in his favorite place to spend time, since he had moved into the Taylor's house. The kitchens.

"Thomas!" Kennedy yelled, as she marched in past where the cooks usually prepared for dinner. Today the servants all had the day off. "I know you used my hairbrush." She waved it in his face, causing Thomas to duck away.

"No I didn't!" he complained. "Elizabeth, tell her I didn't."

"You two need to work this out yourselves," Elizabeth stated firmly, causing Thomas to sigh.

"Look," he said. "Just give me one reason Miss Kennedy, that I would want to use your stupid girl brush."

"Well you have hair!" Kennedy cried.

"I also have my own brush," Thomas smirked. "So, no reason to use yours."

"Well...uh...you bloody annoying idiot!" she cried, before stomping out of the kitchens.

"Language, Miss Kennedy," Elizabeth reprimanded, but she was already gone.

"Wow, she was mad," Thomas laughed, once it was just him and Elizabeth. "She's gets worked up over the silliest things."

Elizabeth sighed. "Just please tell me you actually didn't use her brush."

"Of course I used it," Thomas smirked. "I knew it would make her mad!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him, but threw an arm around his shoulder. "Why?" she asked. "Why must you make my life so difficult?"

"I'm doing you a favor," Thomas replied. "We both know you're bored out of your mind just staying here with the baby."

"Well that is true," Elizabeth replied, as they strode out of the kitchens. "Ow!"

She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, one that caused her to hunch over in agony. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the pain would go away, but it persisted. Everything else seemed to fade away around her, as she ground her teeth in pain.

"What's wrong!" Thomas cried. "What's happening?"

The pain finally subsided, and Elizabeth took a deep breath before straightening up. She looked down at her swollen stomach, and she knew exactly what was happening.

"The baby," she grinned. "The baby is coming."

Kennedy

Kennedy knew barely anything about birthing children. After all, how could a child of only eight years know such things? What she did know was that, the servants in the house had been given the day off, and Elizabeth was going to give birth. She also knew, that however limited her knowledge may be, she knew a lot more than Thomas.

"She needs a doctor, Thomas!" Kennedy yelled at him. "Go into town and get someone. I don't care if it's the baker's wife, we need some adult help!"

"You go into town," Thomas fired back. "I don't want to leave her."

"I can't go into town, I'm a young lady," Kennedy replied. "It would be completely improper! If you don't do this, she might die!"

Thomas finally relented, and ran into town, leaving Kennedy alone to care for Elizabeth. She walked into Elizabeth's bedroom, where Thomas and her had helped make Elizabeth a comfortable place to wait.

"Elizabeth?" Kennedy asked nervously. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth spat, through gritted teeth. "But I'm having a contraction at the moment."

"I don't really know what I can do to help," Kennedy sighed, as she took a damp cloth and dabbed it on Elizabeth's sweaty forehead. "I've never learned anything about this, but Thomas has gone into town for help."

"That's good," Elizabeth whimpered. "Just...talk about something. Distract me."

"Uh, okay," Kennedy replied, racking her mind for anything she could say. "The baby! Have you picked out any names for it?"

"No, I actually haven't thought about that," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. "How could I have not thought about a name?"

"I can help you pick one out!" Kennedy exclaimed, excitedly. "You'll need one for a boy and a girl. Or maybe two in case you have twins-"

"Let's not even mention twins," Elizabeth interrupted. "I don't think I could handle that."

"If it's a boy you could name him after his father," Kennedy suggested. "Eddie is named after our father."

"I could," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "I could call him Willy or Liam...but no. Will was already named after his father. I don't want this baby to share the same fate as his father or grandfather."

"What do you mean?" Kennedy asked curiously. "Has something bad happened to them?"

"No of course not, I just don't think Will is the right name," Elizabeth replied evenly.

"How about Jack?" Kennedy asked. "I have an uncle named Jack back in England."

"No, absolutely not," Elizabeth replied firmly, as small smile forming on her face. "I really like Henry."

"Henry is wonderful," Kennedy said softly. "And, what if it's a girl?"

Elizabeth looked as if she was thinking for a moment, before she grinned. "Pearl. I'll name her Pearl."

"That's an...interesting choice," Kennedy replied.

She'd never met a girl named Pearl before. She knew what pearls were, she had a necklace of them from her father. She just wasn't sure why Elizabeth would choose such a name.

"Will and I were married on a ship, named the Pearl," Elizabeth said, answering Kennedy's unspoken question.

"Like the Black Pearl?" Kennedy asked curiously. "The ship you're always telling me about in your pirate stories."

"Yes, kind of like that," Elizabeth replied. "I kind of...borrowed the name for my stories."

"Oh, that makes sense," Kennedy replied.

Just then, Thomas ran into the room, with a frantic look on his face.

"I'm back!" he exclaimed. "Is everyone alright? No one is dead?"

"We're all fine Thomas," Elizabeth soothed. "Kennedy has taken very good care of me."

Thomas eyes Kennedy warily, but then nodded at her as if to thank her for keeping Elizabeth safe. He then ran over to Elizabeth, and looked down at her sadly.

"I told anyone I could find," Thomas said. "The doctor is on his way, and someone is trying to fetch Mrs. Taylor as well. In the meanwhile, they gave me a list of things to collect around the house."

"I can help you find whatever is on the list," Kennedy volunteered.

"I can get it all myself," Thomas frowned. "Someone needs to stay with Elizabeth."

"I agree, but you don't know where anything is," Kennedy replied. "I'll get the things and you stay with Elizabeth."

"But-" Thomas started to say.

"You're acting like I'm not even here!" Elizabeth laughed. "I'm still in charge, you know."

"Sorry," they both muttered.

"You'll go and find the supplies together," Elizabeth commanded, and before they could protest she continued. "It will be faster this way, and it would make me happy to see you both peacefully work together."

"Fine," Thomas grumbled, and Kennedy glared at him.

She didn't need his help to find the supplies. She could help Elizabeth all by herself.

"First I want you to get something for me," Elizabeth directed to Thomas.

She first directed Thomas over to a desk where she had him grab a key. She then had him go to her wardrobe and pull out a large brown trunk.

"Open the trunk with the key," Elizabeth directed. "There should be a smaller trunk inside."

Kennedy watched with interest as Thomas pulled out at small metal chest. The key hole had a heart around it, and there were designs of what looked like octopus legs all around the chest.

"What is this?" Thomas asked, as he brought it over.

"Just a family heirloom," Elizabeth replied, as she snatched it out of his hands. "Now off you go. You'll need the supplies before the doctor arrives."

Kennedy took one last look at the unique chest before exiting the room. Thomas followed right behind her.

"So," Kennedy sighed. "What all do we need to get?"

"Warm water," Thomas muttered. "Towels...um, I really should have written this down."

"Except you can't write," Kennedy sneered. "Let's start with the water."

Thomas went outside to her a bucket, and then Kennedy filled it with water. They worked together to heat it up before bringing it to Elizabeth's room. The towels were a slightly bigger issue. First, neither Kennedy nor Thomas had any idea where the towels were located, given that whenever they needed one a maid would fetch it. By the time they finally did locate them in a cupboard upstairs, Thomas spotted the doctor and Mrs. Taylor exiting a carriage outside.

"We must hurry!" Thomas exclaimed. "They're almost here, and we haven't completed the list."

"Well we found the towels," Kennedy said. "They're just too high for us to reach. Maybe if I went downstairs and found a chair to stand on-"

"There's no time!" Thomas interjected.

"Stop being so dramatic," she grumbled.

"Fine," Thomas huffed. "I know a way we can get the towels down."

Without further ado, he squatted down and wrapped his arms around Kennedy's legs, hoisting her into the air. Kennedy shrieked in surprise, as her face turned bright red. She kicked her legs, trying to get down, but Thomas held her firmly in the air.

"Put me down!" she cried. "Thomas, what are you doing? Put me down right now!"

"Not until you grab the towels," Thomas replied calmly.

"This is entirely improper!" Kennedy huffed. She stopped kicking, not wanting Thomas to drop her, but folded her arms refusing to move. "I will not stand for this!"

"What on earth!"

Both Kennedy and Thomas's heads snapped to look at who had spoken. Mrs. Taylor stood staring at them, along with the doctor and some of the servants.

Just then, Thomas lost his balance, and fell to the ground, Kennedy landing on top of him. They both scurried to stand up, faces a matching shade of red.

"We were trying to get the towels," Thomas explained. "They were too high up for us to reach."

Mrs. Taylor frowned at them and went and grabbed the towels herself. "That was quite inappropriate," she berated. "I don't know what's gotten into you two."

Kennedy just stared at her mother, too embarrassed to even speak. She couldn't believe she had been caught in such a situation, and with Thomas of all people! This was entirely his fault. Just imagine what her father would have said!

"Sorry," Thomas whispered to her, and for once, he actually seemed remorseful.

"Thomas, take these to Elizabeth's room," Mrs. Taylor instructed, handing him the towels.

Thomas complied, and gave Kennedy was last remorseful look before exiting the hallway. The doctors and servants followed him, leaving Kennedy alone with her mother.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Kennedy said. "I know that was improper."

"Yes it was," Mrs. Taylor said sharply, in a tone she rarely used. "Kennedy you've been acting less and less like a lady these last few months. I quite like Elizabeth, she's a wonderful friend, but if you need a new governess I would understand. I know you didn't like her at first and now-"

"Oh Mother, you can't fire Elizabeth!" Kennedy begged. "I was being selfish when I said those means things about her. I've changed my mind."

Kennedy had never told her mother why she didn't like Elizabeth. She had told Elizabeth the one reason, but kept the other to herself. She didn't want anyone to know that hadn't wanted a governess because she craved her mother's attention. It would make her seem selfish.

"Alright if you're sure," Mrs. Taylor sighed. "Now I'll need you to stay in your room all afternoon. The birthing chamber is no place for a young lady."

"But you let Thomas go," Kennedy whined.

"Is Thomas a young lady?" Mrs. Taylor asked, and Kennedy shook her head. "No, I didn't think so."

"Mother please, I promised Elizabeth I would help her through this," Kennedy pleaded.

Not that she would admit it to anyone, but Kennedy had grown extremely fond of her governess. She enjoyed her stories, and the games that they played were so joyful, even if Thomas was always there. Sure, there were other girls her own age, but Kennedy was finding she could relate to them less and less. She'd almost grown to think of Elizabeth as a friend.

"Elizabeth will be fine without you, it's very rare now in days that a women dies in childbirth," Mrs. Taylor commented.

"Dies!" Kennedy shrieked.

"Well yes, it is possible," Mrs. Taylor said.

Kennedy knew she had told Thomas that death was a possibility, but that was only to get him out of the house. And maybe because she knew it would stress him out. She never would have thought it was an actual possibility!

"You can't make me go to my room," Kennedy stomped her foot. "I will be there, until I know she's alright!"

"I was afraid of that," Mrs. Taylor sighed.

A few minutes later, Kennedy found herself locked in her bedroom, with no way out. Her mother had forced her inside, and sadly told her that it was for her own good. Then she had given Kennedy one last cheery smile before locking the door and taking the key.

Kennedy had thought about escaping, but she knew it was no use. Her father had locked her in her room many times before, and she had never found a way out.

Instead, she laid in her bed for hours, trying to distract herself as Elizabeth's screams rang throughout the house. She worried even more once the screams had stopped. She didn't know if that meant Elizabeth was okay or not.

Night time came, after what seemed like hours of waiting, Kennedy changed into her nightgown. She wondered if anyone would bring her dinner, but it seemed she had been forgotten for the night. She climbed into her large bed, laying her head down on her pillow, yet she couldn't fall asleep. She just stared into the darkness around her, waiting for morning.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the room, and the sound of a key turning in door. She contemplated getting up, but she didn't want to talk to her mother right now. Instead she closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

The footsteps crept closer, and then Kennedy felt and arm grab her shoulder and lightly shake her.

"Kennedy," Thomas whispered, and her eyes immediately opened.

"Thomas!" she quickly sat up. "What are you doing in here?"

"I felt bad that I got you in trouble," Thomas mumbled. "And I heard your mother saying that she locked you in here so...I kind of stole the key. Oh, and I brought you some food."

He help out and apple and a bread roll, but Kennedy didn't respond. She just blinked at him in the darkness, looking as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Inside her head, her mind was having a war. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to throw her arms around him for not leaving her to suffer alone, or yell at him for entering her room.

"Thank you," she finally said. "That was very kind of you."

"I figured it was the least I could do," he blushed. "Do you want to come see the baby?"

"Am I allowed to?" Kennedy asked, tentatively. Her worry for Elizabeth had now faded, since Thomas had not mentioned her being sick or worse. But Kennedy still was curious about the child.

"Of course not," Thomas laughed. "But I won't tell if you want."

Kennedy smiled at him, before slipping out of bed. She grabbed her robe, covering her nightgown, before slipping out of her room. Thomas locked the door behind them, so that no one would know she had left.

The crept through the hallways, sneaking past servants and others in the house. Luckily, Elizabeth's room was close to her own, so they didn't have to go very far. They soon made it and quickly opened the door.

The room was dark, except for a candle that was lit by Elizabeth's bed. Kennedy stood by the doorway, not sure if she should go farther or not.

"Thomas," Elizabeth said. "Is that you? I thought I told you to get some rest."

"I'm sorry, but I brought a guest," Thomas replied.

He and Kennedy walked closer, until they could finally see Elizabeth. But Kennedy's focus was entirely on something else.

There was a small baby in Elizabeth's arms, wrapped in a blue cloth. It's hair was a shade of brown, and it looked even smaller then her brother Eddie had been.

"Kennedy," Elizabeth smiled. "I'm so glad you were allowed to come see him."

"It's a him?" Kennedy asked, slightly dejected. She had kind of been hoping for another girl around the house. "So his name is Henry?"

"Yes," Elizabeth breathed, smiling down at her son. "Henry Turner."

"He's adorable," Kennedy cooed, as she moved closer. "He doesn't look much like you though."

"No, he's got my hair color, but I think he will look just like his father when he's older," Elizabeth said sadly, a tear leaking down her cheek. "I just wish Will was here."

Kennedy felt horrible for Elizabeth and for the new baby. She knew how much she craved her own father's attention, and Henry would grow up with no father at all.

"I think he would be happy," Kennedy whispered. "From the stories you've told me. I think Will would be very happy."

"Yes," Elizabeth murmured. "I believe he would."

Kennedy looked back and noticed that Thomas had the strangest expression on his face. She couldn't quite place it, but as she looked into his green eyes she saw many emotions. He looked happy, yet sorrowful at the same time. And he gazed at the baby with a mix of longing and jealousy.

"I think I better get back to my room," Kennedy spoke. "Will you walk there, Thomas?"

Thomas nodded, and Elizabeth didn't even look up as they left the room. She was too enamored with Henry.

"You should tell her," Kennedy said to Thomas, as they crept back to her room. "You should tell Elizabeth what your feeling."

"And what exactly am I feeling?" Thomas asked, with a note of warning in his voice.

"You're jealous of the baby," Kennedy stated. "You feel like he's going to replace you."

"What would you know about?" Thomas spat, glaring at her. "You're just a spoiled little girl."

Kennedy took a deep breath, trying to control the anger she felt bubbling beneath her. Her face turned red and she clenched her firsts, but she refrained from yelling at Thomas. She felt she owed him one act of kindness, since he'd come for her tonight.

"I do know what it feels like," Kennedy said quietly. "I have a little brother. For seven years, it was just me. Then Eddie showed up, and it was all about him. Father was so happy, because he finally had a son. A child he could actually be proud of."

Thomas looked at her sadly, as his face turned red with shame. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize that you-"

"Had feelings?" Kennedy interjected. "Because a spoiled little girl like me could never understand, right?"

Thomas was quite, and he bowed his head. "I said I was sorry."

They had made it to Kennedy's room by now, and Kennedy stopped before walking inside.

"Look, I don't want to hear your apology," Kennedy said. "I want you to tell Elizabeth how you feel. My parents wouldn't have cared, but she's different. She loves you Thomas."

Without giving him a chance to replied, Kennedy walked through her door, and shut it behind her. Now all she could do, was hope that idiot of a boy would actually follow her directions.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth gazed down at Henry, with complete and utter devotion and love in her eyes. She couldn't believe that anything this beautiful could exist. And her dreams had come true! She had a perfect miniature version of her Will, in her arms.

Her bedroom door creaked open, and Elizabeth reluctantly tore her gaze away from her son. She saw Thomas walk in, with a nervous look on his face.

"Thomas," Elizabeth sighed. "I know you're excited, but it's the middle of the night. The Taylor's have gone to bed, and you need to too."

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Thomas said quietly.

Elizabeth's first thought was to tell him that whatever he wanted to talk about could wait until morning, but then she stopped. Thomas looked beyond nervous, he looked downright petrified. His pale skin, was even more pallid then usual, and his green eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but at her.

"Come here," Elizabeth said, patting the bed next to her.

Thomas approached nervously, and sat down as far away from her as possible.

"Thomas," Elizabeth said gently. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong."

Thomas opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it again. He moved to get up, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I should go to bed," Thomas croaked.

"No, you should tell me what's wrong," Elizabeth replied. "I've learned before that's it's better not to leave things unsaid."

She thought back to when Will had caught her kissing Jack, and they spent months in a silent fight. She was so stupid back then, and if she had known what was coming, she would have spent every last moment in Will's arms. She wouldn't let lack of communication create a rift between her and Thomas.

"I think I should leave," Thomas finally said.

"Thomas I just told you, you're not going to bed until we sort this out-"

"No I mean leave leave," he interjected. "I was okay living on the streets, and I can definitely do it again. Miss Kennedy doesn't like me, and Mrs. Taylor is only just polite, so I think it's for the best."

Elizabeth looked up at him, wondering what on earth had caused him to think of this. She knew him and Kennedy hadn't been getting along, but she didn't realize it had gotten this bad. If he really felt like he couldn't belong here, then she had to do what was best for him.

"Alright then," Elizabeth replied, and Thomas looked at her in shock. "But give me a week before we leave. I'll need to find a replacement to be Kennedy's governess, and then we'll need to figure out where we're going to live-"

"What are you talking about?" Thomas interrupted again.

"Well if you're going to leave, then Henry and I will be coming with you," Elizabeth stated simply.

"But..but that just defeats the purpose of me leaving," Henry sputtered.

"Does it?" Elizabeth asked, with a small smirk. "Because I thought you wanted to leave because of Miss Kennedy and Mrs. Taylor. Unless there's something you forgot to mention."

Thomas blushed, as he realized he had been caught. "I don't want to leave because of Kennedy," he sighed. "I just think it would be better...you know with the new baby and all, if you didn't have to worry about me as well."

Elizabeth thought carefully about his words, and finally her face lit up with understanding. Thomas thought that she didn't want him! She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this before.

"Have you ever thought, that it might me terribly sad if you left," Elizabeth said. "That I would be very lonely without you."

"But you already have a son, you don't need me!" Thomas protested. "Henry is yours and I'm not!"

"You're right," Elizabeth said, as she pursed her lips. "You're not my son. You don't have my blood or my husband's. But that does not mean you don't have my love. And I've already told you, you can have my name if you wish."

"I don't need you to give me a last name out of pity!" Thomas cried. "I just want to leave! I don't want to be second best now that the baby is here. You don't need me! Nobody does."

"I do need you," Elizabeth whispered. "And not in the same way I need Henry. I can't talk to Henry the way I talk to you. I can't laugh with him, or make him listen to stories about my past. He won't cheer me up, when I'm sad. I love him so much already, but he can't do those things."

"He will be able to," Thomas replied. "Eventually. And then you won't need me anymore. I'd rather leave now. It would be easier to leave now."

"Maybe for you it would be," Elizabeth said. "But whether you like it or not, Thomas, I consider you my son. And if you leave, you will be hurting me."

Elizabeth watched as tears began to slip down Thomas's cheeks. She hadn't wanted to make him cry, but he needed to understand. She had been so alone, her first few months until finally he had come along. Sure, she and Mrs. Taylor had become friends, and Kennedy was warming up to her, but neither of them understood what it was like to be lonely. To be truly alone. But Thomas had, and over the last few months he had become a part of her family.

"I just," Thomas sniffled. "I just wish you were my real mother."

"Come here" Elizabeth said, holding out her arm, and Thomas ran over into it. She laid in bed, holding each of her boys in her arms. "I would like to be your real mother. I would like to give you the last name of Turner, and say you are my son. But Thomas, you have to let me. I can only do so much without you letting me in."

Thomas sniffled again, tears still running down his cheeks, but this time they weren't all from sadness.

"Okay," he whispered, as he leaned into Elizabeth's warmth. "I'll stay...Mother."

Elizabeth smiled as she squeezed Thomas tighter. This morning, she hadn't realized that she would gain two sons in one day. She wondered what Will would think when he showed up in ten years, to not one child but two. But Thomas wouldn't be a child by then. He'd be a man.

At breakfast the next morning, when Thomas called Elizabeth mother again, Kennedy seemed to be the only one not surprised. She had smiled at Thomas, and he had grinned back at her. And a week later when Elizabeth had ventured down to the courthouse and demanded that Thomas be named a Turner, Kennedy was even happier. She had been the first one to congratulate Thomas, before whacking him on the head for using her hairbrush again.