A/N: I DON'T own PoTC.And now I'm going to lock myself in my room and cry.

I stared blankly at my Uncle Matthew before running over and giving him the biggest hug I could muster. His face was clean and shaven and his black hair shined in the candlelight, "Only a year since I last saw you, and already you've changed into a young woman." I sent him a sly grin, "You wish." Uncle Matthew gave a hearty laugh and then told me the news, "We have found another place to live, all of us. And there will be a surprise at the island for you and your brothers and sisters." I looked over at my mom. She already knew the news. Her face was set in a grim line, and her face was blotchy from a few tears. But the thought of seeing my family together again was worth more than anything. Aunt Elease came down the stairs with Robert in her arms. He was only 8 months last time I saw him, now he had more hair and was twisting out of his mother's arms, wanting to explore. Elizabeth came bounding down the stairs and embraced me in a hug. She was always right on the borderline of formal and eccentric. Samuel hid behind his mother's skirt, his cheeks blushing red. I gave him a hug and a giant kiss on his cheek. With a yell of dismay Samuel stuck out his tongue at me and went to tease Mary.

We left the next morning. I held Tara up by her chubby fingers. Her unsteady feet wobbled on the dirt road and I held tight to her hand as she started to lean every which way. On hip I balanced Sarah, who got rather up set about not being held by my mother. Mary carefully cradled Jacob, while my mother held her twin infants in her arms, each one of them wailing. Timothy, Rachel, and Rebecca were closely watched by Elizabeth while Aunt Elease watched Samuel and held Robert tightly in her arms. Uncle Matthew watched people carefully, his eyes daring them to stop us, I not sure why. Elizabeth told me that ever since that attack, her father has been paranoid about everything. In their old house every door, window, and bedroom had to be locked or some how blocked to make sure everyone was safe. But I could tell that no one; not even my other was feeling safe. My mother carried her sword and I could tell by the bulge of her boot that she was hiding a knife.

We must have looked awfully odd going down the streets of Tortuga with two carts of possessions and a parade of children. Nat came out of his bar to see my Ant Ellen walking by. I could tell since the first time Ellen met Nat that they liked each other. Now Ellen was blotting her eyes with a handkerchief and trying to blink back more tears. I slowed down until she passed by and walked with her. Every now and then encouraging her, telling her things would be better, and we could come back every now and then. Ellen smiled at me, "You always know the right things to say, don't you Abby." I smiled back at her and she took Sarah from my arms, so I could rest mine. But as soon as my arms were empty Tara began to fuss and Jacob was slipping from Mary's arms. I let go of Tara's hand and raced over to help Mary. Once Jacob had stopped fussing and whimpering about almost being dropped, I looked around for Tara. I caught a glimpse of her crawling into an alley before I lost sight of her. I walked over to Jason, whose arms were free (he has carrying a pack on his back) and went to find her.

I stopped dead at the alleyway. There was Tara, lying limp n the alley, a bruise forming on her forehead. Stupidly I ran forward and turning just in time to see a stone connect with my head before a wave of pain came over me and I passed out.

*********
There was a wailing. I opened my eyes, and everything was fuzzy for a moment. I saw that my glasses had been removed, and when I looked for them I remembered all the things that had happened before. I sat up at once and looked around. There was a table near by, and on it my glasses were sitting, the glass cracked and broken. I heard the wail once more. I took one uneasy step off the cot that I was lying in, and took a few wobbly steps toward the sound. Then a voice startled me so much I fell, "You shouldn't be standing so soon after hitting your head." Who ever it was had an old, scratchy, but warm and safety-giving type of voice. I turned and saw them standing in a corner. One was short and one was tall. I ignored their words and tried my best to look for Tara. I heard her cry once more and saw her in another cot across the room. I stood up, and leaned against the wall as I walked. I picked her up, and told them, "What time is it?" I nearly fell back over when I heard the shorter one's words, "Nearly three days since we found you."

My heart stopped, and as I started to fall backwards, someone rushed forward and caught Tara and I. "We said not to walk. You can't take it just yet. Why don't you tell me your name?" I took a deep breath before mumbling the words, "Ab-Abigail B-Bar-Bartholomew." They but gave a little gasp and I tried to stand once more. The older man came forward and put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to sit down once more, "You have better stay here, Miss. We'll see if we can find your father." I don't know what made me say it, but it came out, "Y-You won't fi-find him." The man turned to face the other person, "We've been away for too long, nephew." I stood on my feet, and picked Tara up, "I don't care who you are, shoot me if you want, I'm going." They didn't stop me this time. I walked out into the sunny streets and had trouble seeing. I sat down against the wall, and cried. I knew Uncle Matthew wouldn't keep everyone waiting around for me. They had moved on, leaving me here. Winter was coming, and Uncle Matthew wouldn't sail through the chill of winter. He would wait until spring.

As if Mother Nature had heard my words, a strong wind blew. I imagined the sails of Uncle Matthew's ship catching the breeze and sailing off, further and further from Tortuga, putting more ocean between my family and I. Tara started to cry. She was hungry, and so was I. The younger person from inside whatever building came out and saw me sitting down there. "My uncle says that if you need to stay here in his hotel for the winter until you can leave, you are more than welcome to, as long as you help out when you can." I looked up to his face. I could see without my glasses as good as any person. I started to wear them so I could see faraway, and I took them off often, then I wore them everyday. I found myself without them, and oddly out of place. The boy that spoke to me was around my age, maybe a year or so older. His skin was darkened from the sun, and his hand was out stretched to grab mine. I stood up on my own and shook my head. "I'll be fine." I started to walk down the street, with Tara balanced on my hip. Then he called out to me, "Wait, you forgot your glasses!" I stopped and called back, "Keep'em." I continued to walk down the street. And I could feel his eyes on mine all the way.