Sarah was just finising up with cleaning the main floor. Iris was upstairs soaking in the back, and Ben had shut himself off for the night.
The fire was still going, giving the inn a homey touch, and with the rain outside and sound of thunder it made things all the more cozy.
Sarah sighed, wiping down the last able when a loud knock sounded on the door. She jumped, not expecting anyone at this hour. It was just after nine and if anyone was looking for a room it was well past the time people usually came around.
She cautiously to the door and opened it. A cool wave of air brushed past her and a little bit of rain found its way in.
"May we come in, miss?" The stranger asked. He had mechanical arm and leg.
Sarah stared at him for a moment then looked behind him and saw his friend. She couldn't see his face very well in the dark, and besides that, his hood got in the way. "Uh, yes. Come in." She stood to the side and let the two men pass. "Can I get you two anything?"
The tall brute smiled kindly at her as he took off his heavy, wet coat and hat to hang up. He took a seat and then said, "Could you spare us with something to eat and drink? Leftovers would work."
Sarah nodded once. "O-of course." She ran to the kicthen.

Leland sighed and took a seat across from Silver.
"Take your jacket off. You're getting water everywhere."
Leland stood back up to hang his coat next to Silvers. When he sat back down he kept his head down, ashamed to show his face. "This place has changed so much." He whispered.
Sarah came back soon after two bowls of hot chicken soup and bread on the side and butter to lather it in. "I hope that will be enough." She said to Silver and then glanced over at Leland. She took a double take, her eyes narrowing to try and a get a better look. "I'm sorry." She said to Leland. "Excuse me?"
Silver cleared his throat. "Hey, she's talking to you." He said to Leland.
Leland reluctantly looked up, his blues eyes meeting hers. He said nothing, but his heart was beating fast and he felt his mind losing control.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said again. "You look like someone I used to know." Tears formed in her eyes, but she kept from falling.

At that moment everyone turned their heads as they heard a soft creak. Iris was making her way downstairs and she stopped suddenly half way down. Her hair was still wet from her beth and she looked comfy in her white nightgown and stockings. She gave Silver and Leland a good, long look before walking the rest of the way down. Here eyes became glossy, her confusement turned into a smile and she ran toward them. "Uncle Leland!" Sarah moved to the side just in time for Iris to wrap her arms around Lelands neck. "You're alive!" She was so happy to see him again and cried happy tears. She looked over at Silver and said, "Thank you so much."
"What's going?" Sarah finally said.
Leland sighed and stopped Iris from huging him. He stood up, looking at Sarah now, and said, "I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm home now." As he took a step towards her she took a step back.
"No," she said. "You're not Leland. You're not my husband."
Iris looked over at Silver, confused, but Silver just shook his head and sighed.
"It's me, Sarah." Leland wrapped her in his arms.
Sarah fought with him, trying to free herself. "No, no," She kept saying. "My husband is dead!" She beat at his chest but it was futile. Eventually she stopped struggling and cried in his arms. "Do you know the hell you put me and your son through?"
Son? Thought Iris.
"You broke my heart, Leland. I loved you so much..."
Leland stroked her hair. "Loved," he said in question. "You don't love me anymore?"
Sarah wiped her tears away and shook her head. "No, I still love you."
Leland smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "I never stopped thinking about you." He told her. "I missed you and Jim every single day."
"Where did you go?" She asked him.
Leland looked back at Iris. "I crash landed on Iris's planet. I had no way of fixing my boat. I lived with her in her village and I became a part of them."
Sarah was baffled, and just when she was going to say something the front door shut heavy, scaring everyone.

Jim stood by the door, a look anger and sadness smothered his face. "What the fuck?" he said. His chest was falling and rising quickly with anger. How much had Jim witnessed? How long had he been standing there?
Sarah took a step toward her son. "Jim," she said.
But Jim wouldn't listen. He stormed toward his father, raising his fist and locking his arm back.
"Stop, JIm!" Sarah yelled.
WAP!
Jim punched his father in the face so hard that Leland fell to the floor.
Silver stood up now. "Jimbo," he said.
Jim was going to pick his father up just so he could knock him down again but he stopped as soon as he heard Silver's voice. He turned, looking like a sad, lost little boy. "You," he said. "Where the hell have you been?" Silver didn't have time to answer him before Jim turn pulled his gun out on him.
Sarah gasped and Leland picked himself back, leaning against a table nearby; Iris was in shock.
"You're not going to shoot me." said Silver.
Jim clutched his gun harder. "Oh yeah? You're a fucking pirate. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?"
"Because without him, Iris and I would have died." Leland said.
Without taking his gaze away from Silver, Jim said, "Shut up, old man. I didn't ask you."
"Jim..." Sarah said trying to calm her son down.

The room sat still for a moment until Iris walked up to Jim. She placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hand. She forced him to lower his gun. "No more." said Iris.
Jim wanted to do it. In some way or another he wanted both Silver and his father to pay. He looked at Iris now, tearing his eyes away from Silver. The hardened look on his face softened when he looked at her.
"No more." She told him again.
Jim sighed, putting his gun away. He took a step back, turning, and started making his way to the stairs.
Leland reached out to grab his son's hand, but Jim pulled away.
"Don't you fucking touch me." And he disappeared upstairs.

Later that night, once everything had calmed down, Iris lay away in bed. The sound of the rain hitting the window was soothing to her, but she was unable to fall asleep. So uncle Leland is Jim's dad, she thought to herself. Now that she thought about it, they did share many similarites when it came to their looks. Finally she sat up and walked to the door. She wanted to speak with Jim, to clear things up with him. It was clear to her that he was hurting.
When she knocked on his door there was no responce. Thinking that he might have fallen asleep she started her way back to her room. Only then did she notice a light shining through the bottom crack of the lounging room. Slowly, but surely, she opened the door. She half expected to see Jim near the fire, but instead she saw him nowhere. She was going to leave but decided to put the fire out since no one was in the room. She closed the door and walked over to the fire, ready to throw some dirt on it when all of a sudden, a voice spoke.
"So he was living with you this entire time?"
Iris jumped from being spooked. It was then she saw Jim standing on the far side of the room. The light of the fire didn't reach that fire; he was looking out the window. It was still storming. Iris made her way over to him, her foot steps silent. "Are you okay, Jim?"
Jim continued to look ou the window. "Do I look okay?" he asked her.
Iris grimaced and shook her head.
"Then no." He said. "I'm not okay."
Iris reached for his hand. "Are you happy to be alive?" She suddenly asked him.
This threw Jim off for a second. He looked at her now and said,"What?"
Iris looked down at his hand as she securely held it in her own. "You once told me that I am lucky to be alive, and you made me say it, even though I'm sure he knew I didn't mean it." Finally, she looked up at him. "Now, I want to hear you say that you are happy to be alive."
Jim lowered one brow. He didn't want to say, but he did anyway to please her. "I'm happy to be alive." He said without emotion.
Iris smiled warmly at him. "I know you don't mean it at this moment, but someday you will. I'm sure of it." And then she added, "And yes, to answer your question, your father did live with me. He crashed his boat on my island, as I said before, and there was no way of him fixing it. He was stuck there." She stopped, thinking maybe Jim would say something, but he stay quiet, so Iris continued. "When I first met him he was hoplessly lost. I convinced my village to let him live among us. In time he became a great deal a part of us. He taught us the language in which you speak." This peaked Jim's interest some. "And in return we taught him our language."
"I didn't think him the teaching type." Jim admitted.
Iris chuckled softly. "He spoke of you and your mother often. He really did miss you, Jim. He loves you and your mother so much."
Jim pulled his hand away from her. "What was it like?" he asked. "Growing up with him? He left when I was still really young."
Understanding the deep meaning behind his question, Iris took a breath, knowing how important it was for him to know this. "He was kind. Uncle Leland taught me many things; he also played with me when I had no one else. He comforted my fears when my papa was gone during hunts and when my mama was sick. He became family." She paused and then said, "To put it simply: I enjoyed his friendship and company. I still do."
"Well, I'm glad someone enjoyed growing up around him." He grumbled.

Iris touched the crystal that lay beneath her nightgown and said, "You know, before all this happened I had no reason to hate this crystal on my chest. In my village it was normal because everyone was born with one, so I never really thought twice about it. And when Barlow came, threatening us, killing us, my papa included, I found myself cursing it. I hated it. I hated that it was a part of me. It caused me a great deal of pain." She wiped a tear away that had found its way to the surface. "But now," she said. "I have accepted it again." She looked down at her feet, blushing. "Because...because it brought me to you."
Jim stood a little staighter now. He pulled Iris into his arms, one hand on her back while he held the back of her head, bringing her into his chest. "Iris," he said softly.
Iris stood still, taking in his scent. She could feel his heartbeat.
Jim moved his hands to cup her face and looked into her eyes. He brought her face to his; their lips almost touching. He could feel her breath now. And then, lightning flashed in the sky and Jim caught a glance of a shadowy figure on the floor coming from the window.
With swift action Jim pushed Iris to the side, falling over himself to avoid the shattering glass.
Rain forced its way in and so did something else: a giant figured crawled through the window and loomed over them. They stood at nearly eight feet, their body heavily built with claws almost as long as their fingers, and sharper than the sinister glare he gave Iris and Jim. "Hello, hello." He grinned.
Iris froze in fear. Her worst nightmare and invaded her sweet dreams.
Jim moved in haste and grabbed the pike sitting next to the fireplace. "Get up, Iris!" He held the pike out in front of him.
Iris scrambled to her feet and ran behind Jim, shaking with fear.
The brute held his hand out. "It's time to go, little one." He said this Iris.
"Don't talk to her!" Jim yelled.
The brute smiled. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"
Jim narrowed his eyes at the stranger and then they grew wide with fear and anger. "Barlow," he breathed.
Barlow snapped his fingers. "That's right." His yellow and green eyes flashed at him.

Just then, a crashing sound came from below.
"Ah," said Barlow. "Just in time."
The loud noise and the sudden scream of his mother screaming and father yelling turned his attention to the door.
Barlow made his moved and attached Jim, but Jim held his back with the pike. "My business isn't with you, boy. Step aside, unless you want to die."
Jim scoffed, trying desperately to fight of Barlow, but his strength was incredible. "Fuck you!" Jim spat in his face. This threw Barlow off guard, not expecting someone to spit in his face, and Jim seized his moment. With all his might Jim pushed Barlow back and wacked him on the back. He grabbed Iris's hand and ran out of the room.

From there they made their way down the hall seeing all the rooms had been broken into. Jim could hear this mother crying downstairs and he made his way there.
More pirates awaited them there and Jim managed to stick the pike through one. He lost his weapon in the process and was kicked to the floor and held in place.
Silver, Leland and Sarah were all tied up. The pirates had dismantled Silver's arm and leg and beat Leland near death; Sarah was by his side sobbing.
Barlow's heavy footsteps could be heard coming down stairs and he walked in front of the five, looking down at them. He clicked his tongue and picked at his sharp teeth. "What a happy family reunion. Ah, brings a tear to my eye." He laughed and walked up to Jim, grabbing him by the hair. "I gave you the chance to surrender. I don't do that often. And what did you do? You spit in my face." Barlow snorted and returned the favor; a giant spit ball landing on Jim's cheek.
Jim wiped the side of his face on his shoulder and glared at Barlow.
Barlow whistled and his men forced Jim to lean over. He then took the giant axe hanging on his back and raised it, ready to cut Jim's head off.
Sarah screamed; Silver cried out, begging him to stop; and Leland lay helpless on the floor as he watched the scene unfold.
Iris freed herself from one of the pirates grip he held her in and flung herself at Barlow. She put all her weight on his one arm that held the axe. "No!" She cried. "Please don't!"
An evil smile spread across Barlow's face. He was enjoying this. And he put his axe away he grabbed Iris's wrists with one hand. He was huge compared to her.
Iris winced in pain as Barlow squeezed. "Please, don't kill them. I'll do anything, just don't hurt them anymore."
"No, Iris..." Jim said suddenly and then got smacked upside the head for speaking.
Iris looked up at Barlow with earnesty. "I beg you!"
Barlow gave Iris sly grin and said, "Alright," he let her go. "Say your goodbyes then, because you will never see them again. You have ten seconds." He told. "Nine, eight..."
Iris spun around quickly and wrapped her arms around Jim's neck. "I know you'll find me." She whispered in his ear.
Barlow grabbed by the back of her nightgown and pulled her away. "Time's up."

Jim remained kneeling on the floor as he watched Barlow take Iris from him. It was hard for him to because he wanted to fight back so much, but he was out numbered.
When they left Jim picked himself up and ran outside. Barlow and his men were getting into lifeboat and starting flying away. Jim ran after them, the force of the wind from the storm holding him back from running at top spead. He could see Iris sitting at the edge of the boat with Barlow having a strong hold on her. "Iris!" he yelled her name over and over. And then, a shot was fired a few feet ahead of him, warning him to stay back. Jim fell to his knees on the muddy ground. He clentched his fists, feeling enraged. He took a breath, ready to cry out as loud as he could. "IRIIIIS!" But she was too far away to hear him.

Your thoughts are much appreciated.