Amelia got used to her new so-called life. It wasn't easy… but somehow she managed. But, she didn't forgive Silver, or Kitty for that matter, for what they had done to her.
That all changed one day. That morning, she as awoken by a hollow feeling in her stomach, which gurgled rather loudly and insistently.
Time for breakfast, I would say, she told herself silently. She pulled herself up in her crib, and tried to make known her demands to be fed. Amelia frowned at the stream of gibberish that she produced in doing so, and sighed. All right, she thought to herself, when all else fails…
She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and screamed loud and long.
Remarkably, Silver appeared at her crib-side in under five seconds time. "Aw, now, what's the matter, my li'l love?" he asked congenially.
Amelia opened her mouth and pointed to it. I'm hungry, you great oaf! Amelia snapped mentally. Why else do you think I screamed? Really… adults sometimes…
"Hungry, are we?" Silver asked kindly.
Amelia nodded.
"Ah, now… now that's something your Uncle John kin take care of wit ease," Silver told her with a grin. He lifted Amelia up from her crib bed and slipped the pacifer from her mouth. He reached hand out into the air, snapped his fingers, and a bottle of warm milk appeared, seemingly from out from nowhere.
"Now, now, Amelia," he said sweetly, and slipped the bottle into her mouth and began to feed Amelia.
Amelia wasn't pleased with the treatment she got, but she was a baby and what she wanted didn't amount to much, apparently.
As Amelia drank her bottle, Silver talked quietly and gently to her. "We have some guests today, Amelia darlin'… so I´ll be takin' my wee angel down to th' living room for a mite," Silver said. "How does that sound, hmm, sweetie?"
Amelia released her grip on the bottle when she felt full, and sleepy all of the sudden. Silver then gently laid her over his broad shoulder, and gently patted her back. Amelia burped a moment later to Silver's obvious delight. Revolting, Amelia thought to herself, but hey, that's the way of things in a baby's life.
She lay, all of the sudden very satisfied in Silver's arms as they made their way to the living room. Once inside, Silver placed Amelia down in the playpen in the center of the room. Amelia wasted no time, and headed toward the far end where a child's keyboard lay unattended. Silver gently halted her progress by putting one of his enormous hands under her. "Now, now… what be you a-thinkin', angel girl?"
Amelia really wanted that keyboard. She decided to win him over with her charm. She looked up at the ex-pirate with a pleading look, her large green eyes so adorable as she could make them. She then pointed on small hand at the nearby keyboard. Amazingly, Silver smiled down at her and placed her before it willingly.
Amelia put her fingers to the keys and began one of Beethoven's concertos.
"Ah, now… ain't you just a clever child, Amelia lass," Silver said from the chair.
Amelia's response to his comment was to replay the same them at an octave higher.
"All right then. Not ready to like me yet, are you, lass? Well, that's fine, you know. I've got plenty o' time, me darlin'," Silver told her with a smile.
Amelia knew he wasn't joking either. At this rate, Amelia would never be allowed to be an adult again. Well, not before she trusted Silver, at least.
She then heard the doorbell ring, and saw Silver get to his feet to open the door, to show in his guests. She got quite a shock to see her future self, her family, Jim, Sarah, Arrow and Victoria all come inside.
"Ah now… sorry I am for the mess, all, but I'm a bit preoccupied nowadays," Silver proclaimed, pointing a meaningful glance toward where Amelia played in her playpen.
Future Amelia laughed, "Oh, you needn't worry, old boy… we understand, really we do." She paused to watch her present infant self play. "My mother always told me that I was never the most quiet girl when I was growing up."
Future Amelia looked at present infant Amelia and smiled again, then looked up to the four smiling children. "Children, now be nice and play with your, er, mother, while we adults have a conversation," future Amelia said to her children. The adults all got to their feet and headed into the kitchen.
The four of them went over to where Amelia played. She looked up and gave them a stare, then went right back to playing with her keyboard.
"Oh, yeah… that's Mom all right," red-headed Amanda announced.
Benjamin stepped inside the playpen and gave his infant Mom a gentle hug. "Hi, Mom! How are you?" he asked with a grin.
"Benjamin, I'm currently three months old. I am being parented by a pirate. And, I am wearing a diaper. How precisely do you think I feel? Hmm?" Amelia asked.
Benjamin looked abashed a moment, then frowned. "Pretty terrible, I think," Benjamin replied.
Amelia blinked in surprise. "You can actually hear what I'm saying?" she asked quite incredulously.
"Sure! The spell Kitty put on you only works on adults, Mom. All of us kids understand you just fine," Amanda told her mother.
"Thank heavens!" Amelia said in relief.
"So, you don't much like Uncle Silver, do you, Mom?" The blond girl Beth asked.
"Uncle Silver, is it now? I don't recall having raised you four to regard that pirate as your uncle," Amelia remarked gruffly.
"Mother! You shouldn´t talk that way about him," raven-haired Catherine chided her mother. "You owe him big time, I certainly can tell you that!"
"Oh? How so, Catherine?" Amelia replied, casting a wary eye at her dark-haired daughter. "why would I owe that rogue anything, I ask you?"
"Well… I don't know if you realize this or not, Mom… but if Silver and his pirates hadn't forced you down on Treasure Planet, then you and Dad would of never gotten married, and…" Benjamin began to explain.
Amelia put two and two together, and finished for her all-too-smart son. "… and you lot would of never of been born. Yes, I see."
The door opened again, and the adults shuffled back inside.
"I sorry, children, but we simply have to go," Delbert said and smiled down to the infant version of his lovely Amelia.
"Think it over, Mom," red-haired Amanda said, hugging her mother gently. "We all sort of well, miss you a lot, okay?"
After they had left, Amelia stared at the door with a longing that made her heart ache. She found herself starting to think… just as Amanda had asked.
Amelia, what a fool you are being, she told herself. You are hurting your children, your husband, and your friends… all because of your blasted pride. She looked over at Silver, who had lain himself down on a sofa to try to get some much-needed sleep.
Well, I suppose there's nothing but to get on with it, Amelia told herself. She crawled her way over to the end of the playpen, spotted a small plastic toy, and picked it up. She began to work the lever to lower the side of her pen, but it was difficult going, as she couldn't use her fingers, which were covered by her pajamas. But, managed it she did, and she crawled over to Silver. Somehow, she figured out a means to climb up the sofa and then up on to his stomach. Amelia was so exhausted by her efforts, she began to drowse. It was actually quite comfortable on Silver's belly, warm and firm. Before she knew it, she curled up and fell sound asleep.
After ten minutes time, Silver awoke and opened his real eye and spotted the sleeping Amelia on his stomach. Why, who would of thought, he mused with a smile. She finally realizes that I might not be such a bad fellow after all. He gently eased his big---though gentle---hands under the sleeping Amelia, lifted her gently into his arms and took her back and laid her down in her crib. It was fortunate---or maybe not---that Amelia was so sound asleep, as she would have been most surprised by the fond, even adoring, look on Silver's face when he tenderly laid her down to sleep.