A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for having such short chapters lately! Just getting work sorted, and today was party prep and tomorrow is the party - so I'm kinda swamped. We most likely won't get an update tomorrow (my apologies), but I'll try my best for Sunday.

On the good side, it's a countdown of 12 days until my 18th birthday! Yay!

Again, almost about to fall asleep at my computer, so this has to be quick!

Scorpiongirl92: All caps? I FEEL YOUR EXCITEMENT!
Aureaborealis: I'm glad! Killy has a place on my desktop wallpaper, I feel he deserves a place in all our hearts. AND OH MY GOSH! You call me that again, and I might just purposefully fly overseas to give you a ginourmous hug!
ElektraMackenzie: That just sounds...really...hot...
Nellee: I swear, I am not trying to drown you! But yeah, defs Ash. She's de only baby we need to be thinking about. =P

Aight. Onwards!

Enjoy! xx

Talks

"So, do Snow and David know?"

"Know what?" Emma replied to Evie from beside her as Evie tried to feed Ash. The little girl was being more compliant than usual and she was extremely grateful.

"That you're alive? That you're safe?"

Emma shrugged, another bite of bread making its way into her mouth.

"You should probably tell them, you know," Evie continued as Ash's mouth swallowed the porridge on her spoon before giving Evie a proud grin that Evie returned.

"And have them send out search parties again? Trying to haul me back to the palace to keep me safe. They'd probably give me to some foreign king in order to keep me…shit Evie. I'm sorry."

Evie waved her hand, "All in the past." All haunting the past.

"I heard rumours that you were dead," Emma said, with a furrowed brow. "They were never substantial though; Hintar's pretty private."

"They'd have to be to keep their Prince's travelling pants under wraps."

Evie and Emma shared a conspiratory laugh then as they glanced at each other. Evie felt a pang go through her when she thought of all the laughs they used to share back when they were close. But now, side by side, it was as though nothing had changed. And the smile didn't leave her face for a while.

Until Killian came down from the end of the hall, his eyes bleary-eyes from sleep as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Morning," he yawned, as he sat down beside Emma, reaching for a piece of bread and some jam. Emma watched him intently as he held the bread down with his hook as he spread the pink spread over the surface. Evie rolled her eyes; she'd seen it a thousand times before.

"We need to redo the rosters for next week, Killian," Evie reminded him, completely ignoring everything that had happened last night. Although…the direction he'd come into the hall did bring forth questions of where he'd been…

"You can put me on it," Emma said, with a grin. Evie nodded appreciatively. She was staying then. Her… her sister was staying.e turned back to continue feeding Ash, but the little girl had caught sight of Killian and her green eyes had gone wide.

"Dada! Dada!" Ash was saying, her hands opening and closing as she reached for Killian with an adorable pout on her small face.

"I really am sorry, Evie," he apologised, not seeing the way Emma's face was growing confused and fearful in those few moments.

"Do you mind helping Sarah and Alessia wash up, Emma?" Evie asked gently, forgetting for a moment that Emma had spent the last eight months working in a tavern.

"Sure thing," she answered with a grin.

"We need to talk," Evie said quickly, turning back to Killian with a small sigh, before standing up and strolling back to Ash's room with him hot on her heels.

xxx

Eight Months Ago

After yelling at Smee to draw up a bath, Killian carried Evie into his cabin where he laid her down upon his bed. Quickly lighting the candles about the room, he came back to where she was lying, breathing raggedly and twitching every time she tried to move.

"Evie," Killian murmured when he saw the cuts that were bleeding through her torn dress. "Evie, you're bleeding."

She gave a non-committal groan in response and tried to turn away from him but she merely hurt herself again and shifted into stillness.

"Doesn't matter," she finally muttered.

"It fucking well does matter, Evie!" Killian said, "Shit, your wounds could be infected; they could be making you worse! I need to clean them."

Evie's muscles tensed as she heard what he was saying. Holding back her sigh, she resignedly brought her hurting up to her dress weakly and began to loosen the buttons, holding it together. Eyes widening, Killian realised she'd misconstrued what he meant.

With extremely gently hands, he stilled hers. She flinched at his touch.

"You know me, Evie," he said, tenderly, blue eyes shining. "I'm still the same person."

"You're a pirate," she said, her voice sounding dry. "I know what you expect."

"For the sake of our sanity, Princess, let's pretend that tonight I'm not."

But Evie was still wary as he slid his hand around her back and helped her to her feet. Smee was just walking in at that point carrying a bucket of boiling water and a bucket of cold water. Leaving them on Killian's desk, he exited quickly, knowing better than to pester his Captain when Killian had that troubled look in his eye.

"Can you stand?" he murmured to Evie who nodded, barely. Leaning her on the desk, Killian reached for the buckets and began to pour them into the tub until the water was the right temperature. However, he couldn't just dump Evie in the bath…

"Can you undress yourself if I turn around, Evie?"

There was a moments silence before she muttered pathetically, avoiding eye contact, "No. I…I need help."

Killian tried to get it over and done with quickly. She stared blankly at a wall and Killian felt an intense rage fill him when he thought of how many men had violated her. He gently pulled her clothes from her until she was in her underpants and breast bindings and began to take in the full extent of what had harmed her.

There were scratches and bite marks across her skin, what even looked like a festering wound on her right hip from a knife. Her body was thin and sickly was malnutrition, a bare glimpse of what it once was.

"Evie," he breathed in horror.

"Are you going to just stand there looking at me or are you going to help me?" she said harshly, seeing the pity in his eyes and wanting none of it. She hated admitting she needed help so this was bad enough. She didn't want it to last for any longer.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll just…" She leant back on his desk wearily as Killian opened a cupboard and grabbed a washcloth. Dipping it into the warm water, he began to dab at the dried blood of her wounds, wiping away the dirt until they were clean. When they were cleared of grime, Killian helped Evie to lower herself into the bath, making sure to keep well away from touching too much of her skin.

She hissed as she hit the water, but sinking down, Killian thought he heard her groan in relief. When was the last time she'd had a bath? When was the last time she'd eaten?!

"I'll be back in a minute," Killian promised before heading down to the galley to try and find something edible. They were going to replenish food tomorrow so the most he could find was some stale bread and what looked like salmon from dinner last night. It would have to do.

"Evie, I got some food…what are you doing?" She was sitting on his bed completely naked, and it only gave highlight to her mistreatment. Killian walked across the room and placed his food at his desk. Pointedly, he walked to his closet and found an old shirt that would cover her decently. Wordlessly, he threw it at her.

"I don't know what you hope to achieve by bringing me here, Killian but I –"

"I want to help you!" he said adamantly as he spun around, glad that she was now covered. "Look at you! You can barely walk, barely move. I'm not going to take advantage of you! I don't know what you've gone through…"

Yes you do. It's painted all over her skin.

"…but I am going to help you. You are never going back there again, okay?"

Evie was looking at him strangely. It was a look he'd never seen in her eyes…

Distrust.

"What do I have to do to make you believe me?" he asked, still remaining a safe distance away from her.

"Get me Natasha back," Evie said without a moment's hesitation. She was looking up at Killian challengingly, as though she didn't believe he would do it.

"Done."

"Are you serious?" Evie scoffed, before something caught in her throat and she was overtaken by a coughing fit. Killian ran to get her a mug of water which she gulped down greedily. "Thanks," she breathed finally.

"But really," Evie continued, looking over at him, "The royal family kept it amongst themselves that they cast me out. To the rest of Hintar, I'm dead. My baby is still the heir. How are you intending to get into the castle and take back my baby?"

"Wait…" Killian frowned, "Natasha isn't Prince Fiyori's?"

"Nope," Evie said, but didn't offer anything more and Killian knew better than to push it.

"I'm a pirate, love," he finally grinned. "Stealing things is my speciality."

"First though," Killian continued with a soft smile, grabbing a piece of bread and holding it out, "You're going to eat."

And the hint of a grin that played on Evie's lips felt strange.

But it felt nice.