- The Old Brethren Court Mansion -

- Two Weeks Later -

Screaming seemed to echo off the walls and through the halls of the old mansion that night. She groaned slightly as she felt him stir beside her. Will leaned over and kisses her forhead before saying in a tired voice, "I'll go, darling. Go back to sleep."

"You sure?" Lila asked him, opening her eyes, as he pushed a curl ouf of his face. He nodded, before kissing her lightly, and saying, "I'm sure." Lila smiled up at him, before closing her eyes, and rolling back over. Will walked to the other side, and by the time he reached her side of the bed, she was already asleep once more. Will smiled, before carefully opening the door, and padding across the hallway to what had been his old bedroom when their parents had to stay overnight for meetings. He quickly glanced across the hall at Lila's old bedroom. He smiled to himself, before turning the knob.

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He heard the door creak behind her. He smiled, and had already rolled over since he knew that she would be coming in there. The five year old got scared multiple times during the night, and always retreated to Will's room. He felt the bed move just a little when she laid down beside him, and felt the blanket pull slightly when she pulled them over her. He rolled over to see her green eyes were shut tight. He smiled, and fell asleep, feeling his best friend snuggle in beside him.

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"Darling...what's wrong?" Will asked the crying baby in the crib. He walked through his old room, and to the crib that they had brought here. He reached inside it, and picked Annie up, cradling her. She just continued to scream. "Darling, Daddy's here. What is it?" Annie just continued to scream, though now it was getting quieter. It was evident from very early on that Annie was defintley going to be a daddy's girl. Will closed his eyes briefly, and kissed her forhead, gently rocking her back and forth. But now, she continued to scream loudly. He opened his eyes, and said, "You want your Mummy, don't you?" Annie surprisingly stopped crying for a moment. Will smiled down at her, before grabbing her blanket and saying, "Come on, darling." He wrapped her in it, and quietly padded back through the hallway to his and Lila's room.

The only sound Lila could hear inside the room was the the rhythmic beating of Will's heart in the corner. She fiddled with the key as she laid there and stared out the window at the ocean as the moon reflected on it. She closed her eyes for a moment, before she heard the door open and the sound of a baby cooing. She rolled over to see Will walking in with Annie in his hands. Lila smiled as Will made his way back over to the bed. He handed her Annie, and said, "Maybe she's hungry?"

Lila sighed and said, "Darling, if I keep feeding her she's going to get huge." Will smirked at that. Lila stood up, adjusting Annie in her arms and said, "I'll walk her around and see if I can get her to calm down. You on the other hand-" She walked over to Will and pushed him back on the bed and said, "-need to sleep. You never let me handle her at night." Lila smiled at that. Will was loving being there for Annie. He wasn't with William, so Lila let him handle Annie more so than she did most of the times. Now was not one of those times. She kissed Will's head and said, "I think I can be her mother tonight, querido." Will smiled up at her, and as if on cue, he yawned. She laughed and said, "See? Get some rest, Captain."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Lila rolled her emerald eyes, as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Annie yawned as Lila began walking down the stairs. Lila smiled as she made it to the bottom and started towards the kitchen area. As soon as she opened the door, she was met by someone on the other side, "Oh my good-Jack!" Jack chuckled as he walked backwards, allowing Lila to walk in. She smirked when she saw the still rather large bruise on his head that was due to him fainting when she had Annie just over two weeks ago.

As if reading her mind, Jack rubbed it and gave a pout, causing Lila to laugh as she sat on the barstool. Since Jack had apparently been asleep and didn't have his shirt and his 'effect's on, every scar and wound on his chest was visble. Lila found herself looking at them, causing Jack to laugh as he pulled his long dreadlocks back behind his head and saying, "Wha's this, love? Now now, I thought you got over this years ago." Lila raised her gaze up to meet her cousin's smirk. She rolled her eyes, but found herself smiling as well. Jack folded his arms once his jet black dreadlocks were pulled into a ponytail, and leaned against the counter as he asked, "Wha's wrong, darlin'?"

"Why do you ask that?" Lila asked, repostioning Annie in her arms. She was rather fussy tonight. More so than she had been. Neptune kept making points to tell her that that's exactly how Lila acted when she was a baby. But unlike Lila, Annie wouldn't shut up whenever Will was in the room like Lila had done. Jack, who had been tossing an apple up and down, walked over to Lila and picked Annie up. Much to Lila's surprise, Annie shut up the moment Jack put her in his arms.

Jack flashed Lila a cocky grin as he said, "See? The girl obviously 'as good taste, love. Don't you, love?" Jack winced when Annie grabbed a lose curl that was hanging from Jack's ponytail. Jack managed to pull it out of Annie's hand as Lila said, "Well, it seems as if she's taken a liking in Uncle Jackie's hair." Lila smirked as Jack leaned against the wall, still holding Annie. He glanced up at Lila and said, "My intuitive sense of the femal creature tells me tha' you are trouble. Either tha', or the fact tha' it's been rainin' for a few days."

Lila smiled up at him, as she rested her arms on the bar and put her head on them. She stared at Jack for a moment, causing him to smile and ask, "Wha'?" She just shook her head and said, "Nothing, Jack." She looked down at the skin that was exposed since she was wearing her night gown. The Sparrow tattoo seemed a bit more noticable today than it usually was. Jack laughed and said, "I say on Annie's 16th birthday, we give 'er a matchin' one, aye?" Lila shot her green eyes up at him and said, "Funny, Jack. My Dad was furious."

" 'Ell, Lila. So was mine." He said, as Annie grabbed one of his beaded strands of hair than hung freely from his ponytail. "I think you and I caused the biggest riot in Sparrow histroy when we got engaged..." He trailed off, as if he was in thought. The only sounds that could be heard for a while were Annie making noises as she tugged on Jack's hair. Jack had apparently given up now, since he was letting her do it.

"So, Mr. Pirate King." Lila said a minute later. "What's the plan?"

Jack, who had been looking down at Annie who was now semi-asleep in his arms, glanced back up at Lila and said with a smirk, "Somethin' tha' actually works this time, love." Lila smiled and said, "Darling, we're the two most wanted pirates in the Caribbean. And I'm Queen...we accomplished something by springing my father out of jail and faking my death-"

"-and commandeerin' a naval ship." Jack said, still with that now infamous smirk of his. Lila rolled her eyes at that, and put her hands back in her arms, staring up at Jack as he held Annie. Jack was silent for a moment before saying, "You really think Saphie and Rupert are Triton's children?"

"I do." Lila said, closing her eyes momentarily. "It makes sense. I mean, if Athena did have an affair with Mercer during the time between the founding of Atlantis, Mercer could have very well thought that Saphie was his real daughter. Thats why he was always so harsh with her and not so much Rupert up until he figured out Rupert was heir to Atlantis. Then, I guess...he figured Rupert would find out that he organized the first mutiny against Atlantis and trial him for that. And of course Rupert would have power to punish him for treating Saph like that for all those years."

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"Li...Lila!" Will took off running in the direction that his fiancee was now running. He followed her past the fountains, down to where the naval officers' mansions were located. She knew. She knew...

"Saphie!" Lila fell down beside the sobbing Saphira who was on the ground. Lila picked her up and held on to her. Saphie was still crying as Lila held on to her, trying to calm her. Lila glanced up at Will who had just walked down the hill.

She kissed Saphie's head and said, "Darling, it's alright. We're here, now." Saphie just shook her head and continued to cry on Lila's shoulder. Lila was on the verge of tears herself as she put her head on Saphie's. Will walked over to them, and kneeled down. He put his arms around both of them and whispered to Lila, "We'll take her back to my house, alright?" Lila nodded as she took her arms away from Saphie so Will could pick her up and carry her back to his house. Lila looked back momentarily to see that someone was standing in the window, looking out...

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Jack winced slightly at the mention of that. He must have moved too, because Annie's bright green eyes popped open. She made a fussy noise, causing Jack to smile down at her and shush her. Within moments, Annie was snuggled back into his chest asleep again.

Lila smiled and said, "You're so good with her."

"Tha' surprise you?" Jack asked, not tearing his eyes off of her. Lila nodded, and then said to him, "Actually, yes. I never saw you as father material, being honest. But you'd make a good one, Jack." Jack's face instantly changed as he looked up at Lila and said, "Darlin', if I 'ad tha' much bloody trouble with you, I couldn't 'andle Saphira."

Lila smiled and said, "Funny. Will said something similar to that."

"Well, Will's a eunuch."

"Apparently not, love." Lila said with a laugh, causing Jack to wrinkle his nose. "Let me ask you one thing, Grant." Jack made a face at the sound of his first name, and looked up at Lila as she said, "Will told you to stay with Lizzie when she had William. How did you not faint or anything with her?" Lila was resting her head in her hands, staring at Jack with a look of teasing intrest. Jack smirked down at her and said, "Well, love. 'Tis a simple answer, really. I didn't care to much for tha' woman after she put me in the locker...so, didn't bother me."
Lila smirked and said, "You're awful."

"Sticks and stones, lovie, Sticks and stones." Jack gave her a wink, before looking down at Annie and saying, "Well, darlin', it would see as if your princess 'as fallen asleep." Lila, in amazement, stood up and walked over to where Jack was standing. Sure enough, Annie had fallen asleep in Jack's arms. Lila looked up at Jack in shock, and said, "How did you..."

"Magic, darlin'." He said with a smirk. Lila rolled her eyes, but smiled when Jack leaned down and kissed Annie's forehead. After he did the same to Lila's, he handed Annie back to her and said, " 'Night, Mrs. Turner."

"Goodnight, Jack." Lila said, as he walked back up the stairs. She looked down at the sleeping form of Annie and whispered, "How did your Uncle Jackie do that?" She sighed to herself, and began back up the stairs. Once she got to where the crib was, she laid Annie down. Once she did, Annie opened one of her eyes, and started stirring in the crib. Lila sighed, and picked her up again, as she sang under her breath:

"Speak softly forever. Speak slowly, my dear.

The storm winds are blowing, yet the ne'er draw you near."

Will, who couldn't sleep, heard Lila walk back into Annie's room. He had walked across the hallway, and was now standing behind Lila, quietly at the door. He knew had he had his heart in his chest, it would have fallen when he heard her sing this. He instanly recognized the song that she had sung the night before she had left. He put his hand on the door, and leaned against it.

"I know that you've waited, as I did for you all those years.

Your heart faintly beats..."

Annie's eyes started closing as Lila sang those last few lines. Lila smiled, and kissed her forehead as she laid Annie down and finished in a softer voice:

"...as the rain falls , as do my tears."

"I hate that song." Will mumbled with a smirk as he walked over to Lila and wrapped her arms around her. She smiled and whispered to him, "Only one I could think of on short notice." Will kissed her cheek and said, "No 'drink up me hearties, yo ho' then?" Lila turned to see Will's smirking face and said, "No. Not now, not ever." Will smiled and kissed Lila lightly before saying, "Come on. We best get some sleep. She'll be up in another hour." Lila smiled as Will took her hand and led her back across the hallway.

She'd try to sleep. But when she knew that tomorrow, she'd be facing Triton and his navy, well, that wasn't exactly the key to a good night's sleep.