So....I am finally back again. I know that I have been neglecting this story for a while, but I have been extremely busy lately. The end of this month will be excruciatingly hectic also, seeing as I have church convention and band camp. July will be pretty crazy too, I have Camp(marching camp). I will try my hardest to get new chapters in regularly, but I can promise nothing. Well... here is the next chapter that you have been waiting for for about a month....

Chapter 6: Where Will Ye' Go?

The silence had never been as loud as it was in that very moment. It was as a shrill screech of the banshee. The silence lingered for a sequence of minutes. Finally, Jackson broke the silence. Would you all mind telling me what exactly is going on here for I find myself, yet again, in the dark without a light to guide me.

Jack shot his son an evil glare of contempt and disapproval. He opened his mouth to speak when Lia decided to take matters into her own hands. Well, Jackson, it seems that I ave just been introduced to me true biological father, seein' as the lil' conversation on the boat served ye' lil' purpose.

Why do ye' always do that? Ye' continually patronize me and won't get off me' back. Ye' are drivin' me up the freakin' wall and I am sick and tired of it! Screamed Jackson protest to her teasing.

Lia turned to him and gave him a death glare that spoke a million different curse words in itself. Back the Bloody hell off bitch... she spoke sadistically in a deep growl, her eyes flaming with anger and frustration.

yelled Anamaria, That is no way to speak to ye' brother. I promised ye' father that I would bring ye' up right and look what ye' are showing him that we have taught ye', NOTHING!!!

She turned to Anamaria, who had her hands on her hips with a disapproving glare on her face. Lia's eyes burned holes through her surrogate mother's protective shield as she spoke anger-filled words, YOU! What in the bloody ell is wrong with ye'? Better question, What in the bloody ell is so wrong with me? Is everythin' that I do an insult to ye' ego, ANAMARIA!?!? What ave I ever done to disgust ye' in such a way as to shun me to a life of ye' shadow. I don't understand ye'. I never ave. There is only so much that I can do to impress ye'. I try and I try, but it seems that everythin' that I do is never enough for ye' standards. Ye' tell me to grow up. It seems that ye' are the one that needs to grow up and mature a bit more. Ye' are the reason that Jack is a tired captn', that Jackson is never satisfied, that the crew is constantly carryin' a vexed persona. Ye' are the reason that I never knew the meanin' of the word family. It was as if I spent my entire life without a mother. she reviled Anamaria.

As she saw the heavy tears forming in Anamaria's eyes she turned to Will and said in disgust, Yes, William, this is what ye' left me with. I vicious hag of a pirate wench. I don't know who to be mad at right now. Anamaria for treatin' me the way that she did for 16 years. Jack for lettin' her treat me this way for 16 years. Or ye' for puttin' me in this position for 16 years. I suppose I can't be mad at ye' seein' s ye' ave had so much hardship in ye' life. So who do I look to now. Ye, Jackson, Jack, Gibbs, myself?

Everyone was stunned into another silence. They never thought that Lia would be capable of anger such as this. Jack looked into her deep eyes as they burned with an age-old fury that could no longer be bottled up. He knew what he would and would not see there. He saw anger, rage, sadness, desperation, confusion, and frustration. He could almost feel the pain that she felt emanating from her adrenaline pumped body. No matter how disgusting and hateful the words that she was using were, there was not an ounce of hate in her body. This was just a desperate attempt to be heard in the only way that she knew. That was to cause a scene.

As he witnessed her body tremors from the adrenaline induced anger, he realized that this was a release of old pain that had been suffocating her for the past 16 years. It was her time to let go, no matter how many people were left broken and dazed in her path, she needed to let go of the anger and pain or she would never heal.

Lia had seen more in her life than any other child, that was for sure. She had seen death from her toddler years. She had pillaged from her elementary years. She had experienced her first kill at age 12. She had been knocked overboard, broken bones, caught many illnesses, not to mention the houndings and beatings she had received from Anamaria, and yet she never cried. She believed that crying was a sign of weakness. She would not give anyone that satisfaction of seeing her cry, not even Jack. No one had seen her cry since she was an infant.

Jack gave her a reassuring look that almost softened her barriors. What happened next was probably for a good cause and probably for the better. Lia looked around the shop one last time at her , unshed tears burning in the back of her eyes, and dashed at full speed out of the blacksmith's shop.

Almost instantly, Jackson took off after her.

She was fast. She was very fast. She didn't seem to be tiring any time soon. Jackson plunged ahead and managed to come up three feet behind her. As they came to the water's edge on the secluded side of Port Royal where no sentries were posted, she began to show her first signs of tiring. She began to stumble a bit.

Jackson seized the opportunity and as they hit the ankle-deep water, he grabbed her left arm. She struggled against him, causing water to fly in every direction, soaking the both of them to the bone. She continued to stuggle until he swiftly jerked her toward him, crushing her to his chest. She continued pounding her fists on his chest in a last desperate attempt to free her self, proving it futile. She finally collapsed against him, gripping his cotton shirt until her knuckles turned white.

He held her close to him, trying to transfer some of his heat to her now frigid body. The salty ocean water was freezing like ice water in the midnight hour. He rubbed a hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe the tension that he felt in her nerves. He grabbed the back of her neck with his other hand and massaged it gently. He spoke words of comfort that she had never heard phrased in the same way before. If she had, she never would have expected to hear them from Jackson, her rival.

Even if no one else in this world loves ye' Lia, I want y'e to know that I do. I don't even think that Jack could love ye' as much as I do. I grew up with ye' Lia, ye' may not be me sister by blood, but by God ye might as well be! I could never feel for some one as I feel for you. I have protected ye', taught ye', instructed ye', and put up with ye' for 16 years. No one could do that but me. It was and is still me task to accomplish. God, I love ye' Lia. Don't ever doubt that I do, not even for a second. Jackson said sincerely.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and whispered softly, We are gonna get throught this together. I promise...

She looked up at him with wet brown orbs and replied, We can't. I don't want to hurt ye' anymore. I am so tired of hurtin' people. I just need to go off somewhere alone, where no one can find me and be hurt again.

And Where will ye' go. There will be no one there to save you from ye'self. Ye' can't escape the truth. There are other people in this world that love ye'. I realize ye' are afraid, but ye can't abandon everyone. Ye' can't reject the whole world Lia, ye' just can't. I ave tried it. Trust me. It doesn't work. Ye' just ave to ave faith. That's all ye' can do. Faith and trust that ye' are wanted in this world. Forget about them. Forget about anger and malice. Forget about the world. But remeber that I am here for ye'. In two years we can run away if ye' would like. I don't suggest it, but we could. I just want ye' to be happy. I want to see ye' smile again. It has been so long since ave seen ye' smile.

He paused for a short moment. Long enough to feel the warm spot appear on his shirt. She was crying. She was finally letting go. He tightened his grip on her as he felt her arms snake there way around his waist. She was accepting him. it was in this moment that he allowed hi own tears to drip their way down his cheeks.

Her eyes rose to meet his, locking in a gaze of mixed emotions. In exhaustion, she allowed her forehead to rest on his collar bone. He closed his eyes and took it all in for a moment. As he opened them he soaked in the scene.

He looked at the midnight sky, dotted with billions of countless stars. He observed the soft ocean waves as they splashed onto the two embraced figures, soaking them furthur. But they didn't care. It didn't matter. As the soft ocean wind blew onto their tear stained faces, nothing else in the world mattered but those moments in the clear blue ocean, at the end of the shore.

( I am so mushy aren't I. This isn't supposed to sound all lovey dovey. it is supposed to sound like a touching moment in the story where emotions are released and energy is spent in a positive way. Anyhoo... I am sorry I kept ya'll waiting for so long, but as I said, I have been extremely busy lately. I'll write back as soon as I can. R&R, I need more input on where ya'll want me to go with this. Praise would be much appreciated considering the major mental constipation that I was experiencing. Well, gotta run. Tootles!!!)