Hello Lovers! Sorry this update took FOREVER! This chapter may be a bit shorter than the others, but I had to cut it off at a certain point because you guys learn a lot about John's back story in this one.

But, we're finally in the home stretch! I'm thinking maybe 4-6 more chapters then maybe a sequel ;)

Anywho, all characters belong to their respective creators, you know the drill.

Enjoy the show!

"Fine, we'll go out for her birthday. I heard John whisper as I was walking down to the galley.

"What about my birthday?" I asked, making them both whip around to face me.

"Ana!" Jim choked in surprise, "I thought you were gonna go take a nap?"

I tried to, but I'm too hungry to get any sleep." I walked over to give John a quick kiss on the cheek. "What were you guys saying about my birthday?"

"Nothin'," they both blurted.

I crossed my arms and looked squarely at them trying to hide my smile. "You know you both make horrible liars right?"

They shared a knowing look, finally John rolled his eyes and gave in. "T'ere's a bar in t'e Coral Galaxy we were gonna take ya to," he scratched his neck nervously. "Jimbo mentioned yer favorite band would be playin' t'e night we were there so we wanted to surprise ya."

Before I could even think of what to say, Jim jumped to John's defense. "We know how nervous you are about everything, but we just wanted to give you something to look forward to for your birthday."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to be going out to bars?" I asked them both, "What with us being so close to Montressor and all, what if someone recognized me?"

Jim scratched his chin for a moment. "I don't think so, not as long as you're wearing casual street clothes. I highly doubt people would be looking for the future Queen of Montressor in a dive bar."

I thought about it for a moment, trying to see if there was any way it could go wrong. They were right, I did need something positive to look forward to for my birthday and I didn't want to get too excited about my escape plan until I made sure it would work out. "Fine, we can go."

"See Jim I told ya she wasn't-wait, what?" John looked thoroughly shocked.

"I said fine, we can go. Is that a problem?" I giggled, the sight of their jaws dropping to the floor was hilarious.

"N-not at all!" Jim muttered, "We just didn't think that you would want to go to a bar ever again because of your last experience."

I walked up to John and grabbed his mechanical hand, "Yeah, well it would've been fun if John and I weren't mad at each other. Since there isn't anyone standing in our way then it should be a great time!" The smile he beamed at me was infectious, as I broke out in a grin of my own I gripped his hand even tighter.

"Well t'en it's settled. Hope yer ready to have a good time lass, especially once you see Jimbo after half a bottle of gin." he winked.

"Oh like you have any room to talk you ol' scallywag," Jim laughed, "Keep your eye on this one Ana, he can be quite the hellraiser after getting a few drinks in him."

"Oh lord," I rolled my eyes laughing, "As long as there isn't any hell raising like there was last time then I'm good."

John snaked his arm around my waist, pulled me close and growled in my ear. "Trust me lass, t'is time around I'm not gonna focus on anyone but you."

I couldn't stop myself from melting into his touch, but a quick cough from Jim signaled someone was coming. We both jumped away from each other just in time before one of the crew members, a man we called Mason, made their way to the supply closet to grab a rope. As he bounded back up the stairs, John whispered a quick 'I love you' in my ear then set out to get lunch prepared.

I tried my best to focus on helping John, but the lack of sleep was making everything fuzzy. Once lunch was served, I sat next to John and tried to stay tuned in on his conversation with Jim and Matthew. Before I knew it I had fallen asleep and was being carried by John to his stateroom.

"Where are we going?" I whispered, snuggling into his arms.

"To get ya some rest like I asked ya to do a million times today." he grumbled.

I reveled in the vibration of his voice letting the sense of safety wash over me. "Are you going to take a nap with me?" I asked as he kicked his stateroom door open.

"Ya know I can't lass," he whispered in my hair as he laid me gently on his bed. I laid there and watched him walk to his windows and pull the shutters closed, throwing the entire room into darkness. I couldn't help but think back to our fight with the soul screechers, how strong John was and how fiercely he fought. I could easily see why other people would be terrified of him, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

But there was an entirely different side to him that he tried his hardest to hide from the world. This man who could strike fear in your heart, could also turn around and care for you like no one ever would. Maybe it was the exhaustion that made my mind run wild, but I couldn't help but that what could have possibly happened that would make John want to completely hide that caring side of his.

"Whatcha t'inkin' about lass?" he asked me as he sat down on the bed.

I debated if I should really tell him, but I was never good at holding things from him before. I curled up next to him as he ran his fingers through my hair. Fighting to stay awake, I focused on the wording of my question. "John, why do you sometimes try to hide your sensitive side so hard?"

He stiffened slightly as he thought of a response. "I don't have a sensitive side lass."

"With me you do. You've treated me with such care that I've never seen before."

"Well t'at's 'cause I love you" he whispered, "Am I not supposed to treat ya differently than anyone else?"

"Well yeah, but that's not what I meant." I whispered. My thoughts were starting to melt together as exhaustion took over. John's fingers in my hair was not helping me at all. "I just want to know everything about you…"

John bent down and gave me a tender kiss. "After ya get some rest I'll tell ya anyt'ing ya wanna know about me. Until t'en, please get some sleep."

I knew I didn't have the strength to fight anymore, so I whispered an okay and closed my eyes. Right before my unconsciousness pulled me under, I heard John's deep voice in my ear. "Get some rest lass, I'll be right here when you wake up." That was all the confirmation I needed before finally passing out.

By the time I came to it was late afternoon, and as I laid there letting my mind focus I couldn't help but wrap myself up in John's sheets even tighter. His scent clouded my senses making all of my nerves melt like butter. I was finally able to get some deep sleep, but it was like as soon as I woke up I was a pit of anxiety again.

I heard the door open behind me, judging my the weight of the foot steps I could tell right away it was John. He walked carefully around the bed to check and see if I was sleeping, once he saw I was awake he relaxed and sat down on the bed.

"How'd ya sleep lass?" he whispered rubbing my arm.

"Amazingly," I yawned, scooting closer to him. "So are you going to answer my question?"

His face fell as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What was yer question again?"

"Why are you so determined on denying your soft side?"

"I already told ya, I don't have a soft side." he brushed me off. "Are ya hungry? Dinner's ready and waitin' for ya."

There he was changing the subject again. He's had a stressful few days himself, he'll tell me when he's ready. "Yeah, I guess I am pretty hungry." I mumbled crawling out of bed. As I followed John out to the deck I realized it was much later than I thought. The sun from the nearest galaxy had turned the etherium a vibrant crimson, with streaks of purple and pink running into a deep navy. I assumed the crew had already ate since a majority of them were lazily completing their last minute tasks on deck.

As I walked down into the galley, a delicious aroma washed over me and elicited a growl from my stomach. John left me to join Jim and Matthew, as I was grabbing a plate I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"You can't possibly be thinking of being night watch Cap'n, not with the past couple of days you've had. I can get one of the other men to do it." Jim muttered.

"He's right sir," Matthew agreed, "Either me or one of the others can manage it."

"Nonsense," John cut them off. "I need ya both to make sure t'e men rest enough in time for us to land in Montressor. We're gonna need all t'e manpower we can get if we're gonna make it out alive."

Well I guess he included everyone on his little plan. When I came to sit down they were still arguing between themselves who would carry out the night watch.

"I can do night watch." I offered. All three of them looked at me like I was crazy. "Oh come on, it's not that difficult. Besides, I had a seven hour nap today, if anyone is rested on this ship it's me."

They both sat silently. "Ya know she's got a good point," Matthew agreed.

"Absolutely not." John gritted.

"Oh come on!" I cried, "You let me launch the ship without a problem, but you won't let me do night watch?"

"T'at was different," he growled, "I was wit' ya t'e entire time to make sure everyt'ing was okay."

"And? You'll be a hop and a skip away if I need anything," I reassured.

"No." John answered resolutely. "It's far too dangerous. All it would take is five minutes for someone to sneak on and kidnap ya."

"I think I've proved to everyone that I am pretty capable of taking care of myself." I pouted.

"That she did," Matthew agreed, earning him an angry glare from John.

Seeing that he was outnumbered, John let out a shaky breath. "Alright, fine. Ana, you can take t'e first night watch shift and I can take t'e second." Jim opened his mouth to try and argue, but John held up a hand to cut him off. "T'e rest of t'e crew needs to rest up as much as t'ey can, I'll be good enough to take t'e second night shift."

The other two knew better by the tone of his voice to question him any further, and when they finally answered with an 'Aye sir' he relaxed visibly. "Now off wit' t'e both of ya, we have an early start tomorrow."

The men silently gathered their dishes and headed up the stairs. Once we were alone I threw John a knowing look.

"You can't fool me old man." I deadpanned.

John tried his best to feign ignorance, "What in t'e Etherium are ya talkin' about lass?"

"You aren't gonna pull an all nighter," I mumbled around a mouthful of bonzabeast stew. Pointing my spoon at him I continued, "You've been through worse than me the past couple of days remember?"

He sat back and leaned against the wall lazily. As he lit his pipe he glanced at me sideways, "I'm used to not gettin' much sleep. Besides you and I both know t'at I'll be too busy worryin' about ya to get any rest."

I rolled my eyes because I knew he was right. If I was him I wouldn't be able to get any sleep either. "Fine," I sighed, "But I don't want to hear any complaining tomorrow about being too tired."

His voice suddenly took on a seductive tone. "Oh I can t'ink of a few ways I can stay awake tomorrow," he growled. I damn near choked at his sudden change in demeanor, he only busted out laughing at me trying to get my dinner down.

"Stop it." I glared, trying to hide my grin. I stood up suddenly, gathered my dishes and headed off to the sink to start washing.

"Oh come on lass I was just messin', I didn't mean for ya to get up." he whined.

"I know," I reassured him, "If I want to get started on night watch on time then I have to get an early start on dishes."

As I fell into a rhythm washing the pots, John came up behind me and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll be in t'e crow's nest waitin for ya."

"Okay," I whispered, and set off to work. It only took me about forty five minutes, but by the time I made it up to the deck our side of the Etherium was already shrouded in darkness. My breath clouded in the air as the temperature quickly cooled, wrapping my coat tighter around me I made my way to the crow's nest.

As I climbed my way up the mast I couldn't help but marvel at the galaxies around me. The night sky was chilly and clear and the stars from nearby galaxies cast everything in an ethereal glow. I finally threw my leg over the side of the crows nest and rewrapped my coat around me. I didn't think it was supposed to be THIS cold tonight.

John saw how I visibly shivered, so he came and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my own arms around him on the inside of his coat. "Hmm, you're so warm." I whispered into his chest.

"T'ats what happens when you dress for t'e weather." he mumbled back.

"Hey, I didn't think it would be THIS cold up here."

We stood there in silence for a while just enjoying each other's company. All of a sudden I felt John starting to sway, leaning back to look him in the face I could tell he had hoped I didn't notice his lack of balance. "John, if you're that tired then you need to get some sleep. I promise, I'll be fine."

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and straightened his back. "After t'e way these last few days went I'm not lettin ya out of me sight." He leaned against the railing looking out into the night sky. "Talk to me lass, that'll help me stay awake."

I turned around in his arms still completely covered by his coat, leaning against his strong chest I looked out into the etherium with him. "What am I supposed to talk about?"

"Anyt'ing ya want," he rumbled, "Ya mentioned earlier how ya wanted to get to know me better. Ask me anyt'ing yer little heart desires."

Once he said that a list of questions instantly filled my head. "Tell me about your family, you mentioned you had two sisters?"

"Aye," he answered, "I had an older brother named Boomer, and I have two younger sisters, t'eir names are Sienna and Ailani."

I noticed how he used a past tense when talking about his brother. Assuming something happened to him I made sure not to mention it right away and let John continue telling me about them.

"We used to have the best times when we were younger, I can't even remember a time t'at any of us fought like normal sibling's would've." he chuckled. "My sister sienna though would constantly pull pranks on everyone, even my parents. I remember one time, my father had sat down to have his mornin' coffee like he usually did. We had an old bowl of sugar t'at he always used, and one mornin' before anyone was up, Sienna suck into t'e kitchen and switched t'e sugar out wit' salt." His chuckle turned into a laugh at the memory. "I don't t'ink my father wasted a cup of coffee, but he sure threw that cup out t'at mornin."

I couldn't help but giggle along. "It sounds like you and your siblings kept your parents on their toes."

"Oh we did," he sighed, staring out into the night thoughtfully.

"When's the last time you visited your family?"

"Let me t'ink," he whispered in my ear, "My trip on t'e legacy was about three years ago, I snuck off a year before t'at to see 'em so four, almost five years."

"Really?" I gasped. "Five years without seeing or talking to them at all?"

"Well my sisters and I would write back and forth checkin' in, but t'ats only every few months or so."

"Do you miss them?" I asked looking back at him.

"Everyday lass," he glanced down at me, "I was plannin' on takin' you to meet 'em once t'is whole fiasco is done and over wit',"

Excitement fluttered in my stomach at the thought of meeting John's family. "Were you really?" I grinned, "How far away do they live?"

"Probably about three weeks of sailin' t'at way." he pointed in front of us.

"Let's leave now." I joked, "Everyone's asleep, we can pack up a change of clothes, jump on a long boat and be long gone by the time the crew gets up."

He turned me around and placed his hands on my shoulders. "As much as I would love to do just t'at, you and I both know it's not t'e right t'ing to do. We're too close to Montressor now, they'd hunt us down before we knew it."

Deep down I knew he was right, but I still had a seed of doubt in the pit of my stomach that things were going to go wrong. "Fine," I snuggled back into his arms. "Tell me more about your family and your home planet."

"Well, it's called Pacifica" he whispered, leaning us back up against the railing. "It's pretty small compared to yer planet, but just a tad bigger t'an Montressor. It's what folks call an island planet, t'ere's more water t'an actual land, but I've never seen a more beautiful sunset t'an on t'e beaches of Pacifica. T'e fishin' is great, t'e weather is almost always warm and t'e people are some of t'e nicest you'll ever meet."

"Sounds like heaven."

"It sure is," he wrapped his arms around me tighter, "I can't wait till yer able to see it."

I stood there in silence for a moment until a sudden worry washed over me. "So, you said you were going to introduce me to your family?" I asked

"Mmhm," he mumbled, "Me mother and two sisters. Why do ya ask?"

I looked up into his eyes and chewed my lip nervously, "What if they don't like me?"

He leaned down and kissed me deeply. "They'll love ya lass, trust me."

John continued to tell me stories about his sisters Ailani and Sienna, he told me about his time on the legacy with Jim, and how he started the hunt for Flint's treasure in the first place. This finally made the subject of his dad and brother come up.

"I remember it all like it was yesterday," he started. "My dad had just came home from a council meetin'. I could tell right away t'ings weren't right by t'e way he yelled for all of us to get in t'e house."

He paused, took a shaky breath and tried to steady himself. "John, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

What little emotion there was in his eyes washed away with a smile. "It's okay lass. I want you to know everyt'ing about me, good and bad." After a few moments he continued.

"My dad had come home to tell us we were to get ready for war. Cap'n Flint had been harrasin' our merchant ships for some time, and he was growin' more violent by t'e day. T'e breakin' point came when he bombarded an unarmed passenger ship that was comin into port and killed every man, woman, and child onboard in cold blood. Right away Boomer and I wanted to join t'e fight, but my dad said I was too young to join t'e Pacifica army. I was to stay behind and protect my mother and sisters."

He heaved a deep sigh in frustration. "I was only fourteen, Boomer was eighteen so he was able to convince my dad to let him go. T'at night, before we had a chance to prepare, Flint launched a surprise attack on t'e village"

As John stopped to collect his thoughts, I turned to wrap my arms around him. Carefully I leaned up to nuzzle in the crook of his neck, showing him in my own way that I was here for him. He finally began his story again.

"Of course since my dad was chief, we were t'e first house t'ey came to. We also lived in t'e heart of town square so it was easy for 'em to branch out from there." His voice had taken on an emotionless, direct tone. "My brother and I got woken up by t'e sound of our sisters screamin' for us. Right away we found 'em but couldn't find our parents."

By now I was trying my best to keep my tears at bay. I had enough clues now to know what happened to Boomer and John's dad, but still he continued.

"Boomer told me to take my sisters to t'e elders, said t'at they had a bunker t'at we could take cover in. Me bein' t'e idiot I was actually listened to him. I knew in my gut I should've stayed and helped him, but I also knew my dad would've wanted his daughters protected. My sisters and I finally made it to t'e bunker, where I tried to help t'e elders protect t'e other women and children. After what felt like an eternity, I was gettin' ready to sneak out to look for Boomer when my mother was carried in on a stretcher."

"I knew right away t'at if she'd made it t'ere alone, t'at my dad and brother didn't make it. Turns out I was right, dad was killed as soon as t'e attack started, Boomer died soon after fightin' Cap'n Flint to save my mom." John let out a final breath, almost as if the weight of the world was finally lifted off of his shoulders. "There isn't a day t'at goes by t'at I don't blame myself for what happened to t'em."

"John," The pain in his eyes nearly took my breath away. "John, look at me. What happened to your dad and Boomer wasn't your fault. You know both of them wouldn't want you to be carrying this weight around with you every day."

I carefully reached up and caressed his cheek. He then covered my hand with his metal one, leaned into my palm and sighed. "That's why you were so determined about getting Flint's treasure, you wanted vengeance for your dad and brother."

He silently nodded his head. "T'at bastard took everyt'ing, I just wanted to return what belonged to my family and t'e families of our village. It got to t'e point where I was so clouded by t'e thought of revenge t'at I didn't care who I had to hurt along t'e way. When I met Jim he reminded me of Boomer, so much so t'at when he nearly died my mind finally cleared and I could see what was really important."

"And what is that?" I asked carefully.

He held me tighter than he's ever done before. "People are more valuable t'an any amount of diamonds or gold."

The sincerity of his words surprised me. And to think, you thought the only reason he wanted to make sure you stayed safe was so he could get paid. Without thinking, I leaned up to give John a much needed kiss. Right away, he kissed me back with as much passion and desperation as I was giving, and before long we were clinging to each other breathless.

"I love you." I muttered against his lips.

He turned us around where I was against the railing, then picked me up and sat me on the ledge. "I love you more," he whispered into my neck, his five o'clock shadow tickled, sending shivers up my spine. John chuckled at seeing me tremble, then continued to kiss from my neck to my shoulder.

"So are you finally gonna answer my original question?" I moaned.

He growled playfully before finally giving me my answer. "When ya run wit' t'e crowds t'at I do, showin' any kind of compassion or affection can get ya killed."

"You seem to be okay with showing a bit of compassion in front of this crew." I muttered.

"Yeah," he rubbed his neck, "T'is crew is a bit different t'an t'e others I've dealt wit'. But I still gotta be careful around 'em."

Now I get it, he was just trying to survive. "So what's the plan if everything works out?"

He lifted my chin and made me look at him. "When, not if. And we'll do whatever yer heart desires. We can sail around t'e universe, or settle down somewhere. It's totally up to you."

The longer we stood there, the more we started to plan our future together. Once we had a decent list of places we wanted to go, I noticed John getting quieter and quieter behind me. Finally he was silent, his breathing deep and steady as he started to fall asleep leaning against the rail.

"John?" I whispered.

"Hm" he grumbled sleepily.

"Go get some sleep," I turned in his arms to face him, "Please?"

"No," he stretched trying to wake himself up, "I promise I'm fine lass."

"You're such a liar!" I cried. Untangling myself from his arms, I sat on the floor of the crows nest opposite of him and leaned against the wall. "Come here," I motioned to my lap, "Lay your head down."

"Ana, I told ya I'm-"

"Just shut up and get down here already." I cut him off, "You can get a few hours of sleep before sunrise."

He started to protest, but I just snapped my fingers at him. "The sooner you get down here the sooner you can get some sleep."

He just stood there with his mouth hanging open, surprised that I practically commanded him, then finally rolling his eyes he gave in and joined me on the floor of the crow's nest.

"You know t'is is a bad idea lass." he grumbled while getting comfortable.

"You say that a lot," I giggled, "It'll be fine. I'll keep an eye out and wake you up in a few hours."

When he finally settled into my lap, he let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. As I ran my fingers over his bandana he hummed with satisfaction. Before long he reached up and took his bandana completely off so I could run my fingers through his hair. A few minutes of head scratching was all it took before he passed out.

Leaning my head back I stared out into the etherium and finally turned my thoughts to the days ahead. For the first time since planning my escape, I let the tiniest sliver of hope creep into my bones. What would it be like sailing the Etherium with John for the rest of my life?

"Mrrm," John grumbled in his sleep, wrapping his arms tighter around my thigh.

What did he say-? He cut off my thoughts with another mumble that I could barely hear. I bent down as close as I could to try and make out his words. What I heard next was absolutely unbelievable.

"Marry me," he whispered.

Panic immediately set in. What?! Marry him?! My pulse all of a sudden skyrocketed and my chest felt a thousand pounds heavier. There's no way that's what he said, there is no way that he wants to be tied down to a person that he just met a week and a half ago. Feeling an anxiety attack set in, I tried to calm my nerves. Looking down at John, I started playing with his hair again, the serene look on his face helped me calm down.

Calm down idiot. It's not like he outright asked you, who knows who he's even dreaming about anyway. I knew I was kidding myself, I knew exactly who he was dreaming about. The rest of that night was spent me watching over John and for potential attackers. Before long, my mind started to daydream of all the possibilities of a future I could have with John by my side.