Haha! Little quote from Keira Knightley in this one, its one that all of you Orlando-obsessed *like myself* girls should know! See if you recognize it!

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Chapter Nine

Never Let You Tell

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            A week later, the troublesome cow was acting up again. Serenity sat by her side, trying in vain to get her to stand still. "Come, please, stand still!" Serenity pleaded with the stubborn animal. "Don't make me have to trouble Anise again," she said. The crunching of footsteps on the ground came from outside the barn, and a pair of boots and breeches came into sight. As Serenity's sight was obstructed by the massive bulk in front of her, she assumed that it was Daniel come to bother her, and she remained silent. The feet came closer to the cow, and a face appeared over it.

            "Hello, Serenity," said the face.

            "Hello, Will," said Serenity.

            "I hear your having problems with your cow," said Will, running his hand along the animals spine as he crossed behind it to sit next to Serenity.

            "Yes, the cow," she said, drawing her hands away from the cow in defeat.

            "Maybe I can help," said Will, "animals have always liked me."

            "Humans are animals," Serenity smiled playfully.

            "Yes, especially women," replied Will with a laugh.

            "Oh, come on Will, women like you," said Serenity, knowing that it was all too true.

            "I suppose so," Will had miraculously calmed the cow down and was now milking her successfully, "But they're so confusing!"

            "Maybe I can clear some things up for you, then," Serenity said, running her hand along the velvety soft black and white coat of their cow.

            "Why is it that they- women, that is- always interrupt you when you're in the middle of a sentence?" said Will.

            "I don't interrupt you."

            "Yes, but most do."

            "Well, I guess that's just them- the impatient class of women," said Serenity, "the ones who are pushy and always think only about themselves."

            "Oh," said Will softly. "Can I ask you something else?"

            "Ask anything."

            "Why is it that women always act like they want you and then they never let you tell them how you feel?" His eyes moved from the cow to the floor and then a moment later to Serenity, who had turned towards him. Her lips parted as she pondered his unusual question. Why is it that women always act like they want you and then they never let you tell them how you feel?

            "I suppose…" Serenity began, "I suppose it's because they just can't face the truth in some way." A strange moment of silence followed this, which Serenity tried to remedy with an awkward, "I don't know." Will sighed and turned back towards the cow.

            "Are you alright, Will?" asked Serenity with concern, placing her hand on his arm. "Everything's okay, right?"

            "Yes," said Will, "there are just some things…there's just some things that I don't understand sometimes."  Serenity could feel his strong muscles under the thin material of his shirt, and being so close to him filled her with a kaleidoscope of feelings that she didn't understand.

            "There are some things that I don't understand, either," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears for some strange reason. Will heard the sadness in her voice and turned back towards her. Seeing that she was upset, he put both his arms around her, and she buried her nose in his shoulders and cried for a long time for reasons that she didn't know. His shirt smelled wonderful, like a mixture of sawdust and horses, a smell that made Serenity feel like she was home. She rested her hand on Will's shoulder and awkwardly lifted her head back up.

            "I'm sorry," she laughed, tears still spilling from her eyes.

            "It's okay," said Will, smiling. He reached out to gently wipe the tears from her eyes.

            "Thank you, Will," she said, still laughing and sobbing at the same time. She felt ridiculous, knowing that she would think herself a fool later for showing such emotion in front of him. Will laughed also and shook his head, and then wrapped his arms back around her and rocked her back and forth, with motions so smooth that they were imperceptible.

            "I don't even know why I'm crying," she said.

            "That's okay," he whispered into her hair. "We've all been through a lot lately."

            "I suppose so," she said, pulling back away and cupping his cheek in her hand. "Thank you, Will," she said again. He smiled and took her hand and brushed his lips across it, and then he stood up from the bale of hay that they had been sitting on and put his hat back on his head.

            "Goodbye, Serenity," he said, waving at her as he left the barn. Serenity smiled back at the wooden doors and reached out to finish milking the cow, which remained calm for the rest of the day.

~*~

            "Is that Will Turner that I see again?" said Serenity's mother, peeking out of the curtains and looking at him walking back down the street.

            "Yes, Mother."

            "Did he drop by again?"

            "Yes, Mother."

            "Why does he do that? He just comes by to suit his whim?"

            "I don't know why he comes by Mother, maybe it's because I'm his friend. That might have something to do with it."

            "Ooh, don't you get cheeky with me, Serenity," said her mother, smiling despite her words. "That Turner is a nice boy," she added as an afterthought.

            "Nicest that I know, Mother," answered Serenity, shooting a look at Daniel as he wandered aimlessly into the parlor. He shot a nasty smile back at her in turn and then plopped himself down on the couch and propped his feet on the table. Her mother swatted at his feet with a duster.

            "No feet on the table, Mister Daniel," said her mother, dusting off the spot where his feet had been and then leaving the room to dust somewhere else.

            "So he's the nicest man you know?" asked Daniel mockingly.

            "Yes, the nicest man I know," Serenity verified.

            "I'm nice."

            "No you're not!" Serenity protested, still not able to wipe the idiotic smile of her face.

            "You're smiling like an idiot," said Daniel.

            "I know," Serenity said happily.

            "Did he kiss you?" asked Daniel, leaning forward as if her answer was keeping him on the edge of his seat.

            "I am a lady, Daniel," said Serenity, her smile faltering for a moment, "and I don't kiss and tell."

            "Pity," said Daniel sarcastically. "I bet I could give you a better kiss than that pirate ever could."

            "He's not a pirate," said Serenity. Daniel smirked, but remained silent, and Serenity left the room before he could see the damage that he had done to her heart with those words.