Will looked at the boy with wide eyes. He'd never expected him to say anything like that. Will stood and ran his hand through his hair and began to mumble under his breath. The other three in the room sat, waiting, and wondering what he was going to do.

"Your father…he's their father…this is unbelievable…"

Elizabeth saw the boys worried and dawn faces. She stood and quickly went to Will.

"Will listen, they-"

He didn't hear a word she said. "What are we going to do Liz? Its like no one in this word wants us to be happy! … we'll never get away from our past." As he spoke he took her arms with his rough hands.

Her low tone didn't change, but she gave him a sad glance and a sigh. She didn't want Will to get too worked up in front of the boys but she understood his frustration.

"I know you're angry love. And I'm tired of all the running too… but-" she glaced over her shoulder at the young men behind her. Andrew was standing against the far wall with his back to them, and Paul was slouched in the near-by chair with red and watered eyes.

Liz turned back to face him. "But these boys just found out that their father is dead. They need you right now."

Will looked passed her and saw how the awkward silence made their pain worse. He looked down, ashamed he had made that display without thinking of their feelings. He nodded and made his way toward Andrew.

Will laid his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Andrew listen, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk." He replied shortly

"You need to understand a few things.." Will tried to walk in front of him to see his face but Andrew quickly straightened and pushed passed Will toward the backdoor.

"Andrew!" Will called after and followed him.

Elizabeth started to make her way to the back of the house but saw Paul out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and went around the couch and slowly sat next to the boy. His head was down but she could see the silent tears falling from his eyes. Then his shaky hand brushed away some that threatened to fall.

Elizabeth stopped him, she took his hand into her own and made him look at her.

"Paul, I know how hard this is for you, it's alright to cry."

The boy's brow furrowed and the tears swelled as he couldn't contain them any longer. Elizabeth took her in her arms and held him. His body wracked with each sob.

"Why did he lie to us?" he cried, muffled against her

She patted his back "I don't know...I don't know. But he did it out of love Paul. He did love you"

He tried to speak again but his shortness of breath and tears kept him. Elizabeth tried to comfort him the best she could. She had lost her mother when she was very young, but she still remembered all the confusion and anger she felt at the time.

Andrew made it all the way through the garden to the back gate leading to the street when Will called again.

"Andrew just listen to me! Stop!"

He did stop. And straightened his back with a tightened fist.

Andrew turned slowly with red eyes and spoke with a cracking voice.

"Listen? Why should I listen to anything you have to say? You're the man who fought to kill my father – the man that saved our life out on the sea today was the one that shot him dead. And why couldn't you have just left him alone anyway? … You're just a lowly pirate, I don't have to believe a single damn thing you say!"

Will's anger was rising and he shot back at him.

"Boy don't get me started on killing! Barbossa killed my father, he kidnapped Elizabeth and if he had a good shot and the right moment he would have killed me too! Don't start talking about what you don't know… and believe me, you have no idea."

By now Will was three feet away from him with two tightened fists, ready for anything the boy had to say. But instead Andrew stood silently, his shoulders slumped and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked past Will toward the porch and began walking.

Will turned "Where are you going now?"

"Let's talk" he replied as he took a seat on the steps.

&&&

A few minutes later Elizabeth and Paul joined them on the wooden steps. The boys told them that the only way they had communicated with their father for the past twelve years was through letters. Their mother had died a long time ago too, and until recently an elderly next door neighbor had took care of them. As far as they knew their father was a merchant sailor who traveled the world (that's how they assumed all the nice, exspensive foreign antiquities had come to them) and that he had no time to come home – and stay there. So for years, until now that was the Barbossa family, and no one thought to contridict it. For hours the four of them sat on the steps – late into the night. It looked as if Paul and Andrew were finally coming to terms with the shocking news. Finally Will looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was almost twelve o' clock in the morning. Elizabeth had noticed the time as well. she knew that they needed to get home- her especially. but she wanted to make sure that the boys were taking it well enough.

"So are you alright now?" she aked toward Andrew with a warm smile.

He smiled a little "Yes, I think we'll be fine." He threw an arm around Paul's shoulder.

Paul looked back at his brother and spoke in a hushed voice. "Well at least now we know we can go."

"Go? Go where?" Will asked

Andrew sighed. "Well a few months ago we had gotten word that one of our mother's relatives lives in Delaware. She had invited us to come live with her but we put her off- afraid that father might return without knowing we had left… so I suppose now we can take her up on the offer."

Will slapped him on the back. "That's great then, you still have family around here. And there's no hurry, you have time to think about it."

"Actually" he said "We'll leave as soon as possible"

"Oh…" Will looked down. " But just remember boys, you're good people – you're fine men, and you'll always have a family with us" He and Liz gave them a smile and a big hug before returning inside the warm rowhouse.

Andrew and Paul went ahead in the house first. Will made eye contact with Liz's before she could go in.

"Well that was interesting."

She smiled and threw her arms about his neck.

"Yes, and you were wonderful" she kissed him quickly on the lips and took his hand before rejoining the boys.