Epilogue

Alaina opened her tired eyes to see her father standing in her doorway with a small bundle in his arms. Immediately her heart began to pound as she saw a tiny face over the sides of the blanket.

"You have a daughter Alaina," Will told her smiling at the baby he held, his granddaughter.

Alaina's eyes began to fill with tears at his words.

"Can I hold her?" She asked hoarsely trying to sit up. Mrs. Bates immediately stopped her however and slowly helped her prop her head against the many pillows.

Will nodded and moved into the room noting the look of fear and curiosity in his daughter's eyes.

Jack and James were behind him and smiled as they learned they had a niece.

"Uncle Jack," James teased holding out his hand to his twin.

"Uncle James," Jack said with a grin taking the hand and shaking it whole- heartedly.

They both stopped their teasing for a moment and watched as Alaina carefully took the baby from their father's arms.

Alaina stared disbelievingly down at the small figure in her arms and hesitantly stroked the palm of her baby's hand. Wanting to touch her daughter, make sure that it wasn't all a dream.

Almost as soon as she touched her skin, all the fingers coiled tightly around Alaina's index finger making a tear slip down her cheek and a smile cross her face.

All of them were quiet, waiting for Alaina's response. Finally she looked up at them all. "She's beautiful," Alaina managed to whisper, but she wasn't beautiful, she was too gorgeous for words.

Will nodded and sank down into the chair next to her bed.

Jack and James watched amazed as Alaina traced their nieces face, they had never seen her so gentle with anything.

"Hello Kathryn," Alaina greeted softly, kissing her daughter's small hand. Kathryn's eyes opened after a few seconds sending another tear down her face. Her daughter's eyes were a light blue with a tint of brown to them.

"Kathryn," Will said sounding out the name. It fit.

"Well I'd just like to say I'm glad to be of the male gender," Jack said speaking up.

"And why's that?" Mrs. Bates asked getting up and making her way to the door.

"I don't have to go through labor or childbirth," He told them making Alaina give a laugh.

"Can I hold her?" James asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

Alaina nodded but reluctantly held Kathryn out to him.

"Alaina I'm going to fix you some soup," Mrs. Bates announced before stepping out of the room.

But Alaina wasn't paying any attention; she was too busy focusing on her brother to notice anything else.

Will smiled as he saw the same wave of protectiveness that Elizabeth had when she'd first handed Alaina over to him. He decided it was a motherly thing and didn't take it personally.

"She's so little," Jack commented sitting next to his brother and seeing Kathryn's miniature fingers.

"No she's not," Alaina disagreed with a scowl. "If she was any bigger I'd have died."

Will shook his head in amusement and decided not to tell her she was a lot bigger when she was born.

Elizabeth watched as Alaina closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, a content smile on her daughters face.

She was envious of Will, that he had been there to help Alaina through it, and wished Kathryn could have memories of her as she was going to of Will and the boys.

Elizabeth wished that she could hold her granddaughter in her arms as Will had done and stroke her daughters cheek as Michael was so privileged to do.

She wished to be there as well, to be visible to them. To be able for her boy's to see her face and hear her voice, to know who she is instead of knowing who she was.

It hurt her to know that Alaina's child was the result of Captain Partuse, the man who took her away from her family. Who was the reason for all that had happened to her children and her beloved husband. But that didn't change the love she had for her family's newest addition.

Elizabeth stood in the corner near the window and surveyed as Michael took Alaina's hand in his. Satisfied that Michael would do no harm she moved out and into Will's room where he was lying already asleep on the bed.

She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed back some of the dark loose hairs from his forehead.

"I love you Will," She said tenderly kissing his cheek. Will groaned and reached for her hand only to have his pass through hers. Elizabeth immediately pulled back and sighed in frustration and sadness.

Jack stretched and frowned as he heard a peal of laughter echo through the house. Standing up he threw aside his lesson book and started for the stairs. He knew Alaina had become extremely giddy the past few days and wondered what set her off again.

Going up the stairs he could hear other voices laughing as well and wondered just who was in her room. But peering through the small crack in the door he saw Jill, Caitlyn and Madeline Holstein, an old friend of Alaina's, sitting around the bed all fussing and laughing about Kathryn.

Jack paused there for a moment and watched his sister as her smile got bigger when Kathryn grabbed onto a piece of her loose hair.

"She's gorgeous Alaina," Jill told her friend sitting in awe as Alaina patiently detangled her daughter's hand from her hair.

"She looks a lot like you too," Madeline piped in with a smile.

"Oh lord, I just hope she doesn't act like me," Alaina told them all honestly sending them all laughing again.

Jack was about to turn away when he noticed something. There was an odd glimmer in his sister's eyes, something that he'd never seen before. The look of sheer joy, it just seemed to make her face glow.

'Thank you God,' He praised silently knowing she'd almost lost her will to live. But now thankfully she had another reason to keep going.

As he started back down the stairs a familiar tune popped into his head and he began to hum and with a last look out the windows that looked to the sea he finished with, "Drink up me hearties yo ho,"

A/N: Really sorry for the dumb ending. I really am. Please believe me.

I WANT ERIN, my editor, to know that you all WORSHIP and THANK and LUV her as much as I do for editing this story ...and giving me the idea...and writing my summary...and making me continue it...and making me not kill Alaina or Will...and most importantly not killing the Cap'n...so all in all...she deserves all the praise!!!

Okay sorry it was drawn out so long. First the disc fried, than I didn't have the internet for a LONG TIME and that slowed down the process a lot, I think someone was trying to tell me something...

Thanks to you all for constantly reviewing and giving me constructive criticism!!!! starts crying It was soo nice of you!!!

I saw that I has 200 REVIEWS!!! TWO HUNDRED!!! HOLY CRAP THAT'S A LOT!!! SO THANK ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!!!