A.N I wanted to thank everyone for the many recent favorites and follows! A reviews over on AO3 answered the riddle in the last chapter so they get to pick a character name. The answer was the 'c' Pirates love the C. I apologize for the late update, lots of stress the past few months but I think everything will be going back on track soon. I want to thank VallasRevas again for helping me with this chapter! Thank you everyone and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Great Inagua, June 17th, 1722
Sea blue eyes gaze up curiously at Mary's extended hand. She pulls her little doll closer to her chest and backs up into Edward's knees. Mary frowns, lowering her hand back to her side. Jennifer tugs on Edward's sleeve and he bends down to listen.
Mary tries her hardest not to feel hurt when the child whispers, "What happened to her eye?" Mary touches her scar gently and her chest tightens painfully. Over ten years and the wound is still as fresh as the day she received it.
"Miss Scott!" Mary watches as an auburn haired lad hurries to Jennifer's side.
He pushes the child towards Mary, resting his hands at her shoulders, "That was very rude of you," he then grabs Mary's hands, "I apologize miss, I really should have been keeping a better eye on her." He bows and places a kiss to the top of her hand.
Mary laughs, such pleasantries for just a lowly pirate? She glances at Edward who'd been glaring daggers into the back of the lad's head. She pulls her hand away with a grin, "You two must be exhausted from your travels, we'll get you set up in the guest house. I don't think I caught your name Mister..."
The lad's green eyes sparkle in the afternoon sun and he flashes a bright dimpled smile, "Please call me Nicholas." Edward clears his throat loudly adjusting Sophia at his hip. Mary gestures towards the manor, "Well, let's get going Nicolas."
The trip up to the guest house was a silent one, well between Edward and Mary anyway. Nicholas babbled on about Bristol and how the weather was just so different here and that he'd surely have to go out and buy some lighter clothes. Edward grumbled under his breath mocking the poor kid while Mary laughs quietly to herself, she'd never seen jealous Edward and she was sure having fun with it.
Nicholas clearly took a liking to Mary, his touch lingering a bit longer than necessary when he'd been told to rest up until dinner. Edward grumbled again and stormed ahead, "I'll show Jennifer to her room, find me when you two are finished fooling around Mary."
She rolls her eyes at the sound of the door slamming and Nicholas rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, "Looks as though he's smitten." Mary smirks, "He better be, I ain't going along with this just for Sophia." Green eyes widen and Nicholas' face brightens the color of a tomato, which isn't that hard to do with his light complexion. "I beg your pardon?"
Mary squeezes that lad's shoulder, "You are quite charming but unfortunately Edward and I are already together," she pats him gently on the cheek, "Besides I'm much too old for you." Mary heads back to the manor hoping Edward calmed down at least a little.
Mary leans in the doorway as Edward places Sophia in her bed and asks, "What was that all about?" He pulls the covers up to Sophia's chin and places a kiss to her forehead. She let's out a big yawn and he turns to Mary, eyebrow raised, "I don't know what you're talking about."
She pushes off from the door frame and crosses her arms over her chest, "If I did know any better I'd say you were jealous of the poor kid." Edward's eyes flick from her face to her arms and his frown deepens.
"I'd really not like to talk about this while our child is trying to sleep." Mary sighs and smoothes the wrinkles from her blouse. Their relationship still a bit rocky from the past few months, "Where's Jennifer?"
"Sleeping."
"Ah, well I'll go start supper..." Mary turns on her heel and heads for the door, she can hear Edward's shuffling footsteps behind her. The door clicks seconds after she gets into the hallway and she pushed against the wall.
She spins in his grasp and his lips are immediately at her neck, "Edward," she sighs as his tongue soothes a nip at her collar bone. He lifts her up, her legs immediately wrap around his waist. She can feel his hardness brushing against the warmth of her trousers. "Edward we can't do this here."
His mouth makes a hot path up her neck as her nibbles just under her jaw. She wants to push away so badly but it's been such a long time since they've made love. "Why not?" He asks, voice husky and warm in her ear. She groans as feels the warmth in her belly spreads throughout her body.
She wets her now dry lips. He grinds his hips into her and sucks hard on her neck. She bites her lip to keep her voice steady, "Is this how you want Jennifer to find out about us?" His mouth trails down over her chest, "This isn't a good idea, it can wait."
He grinds into her again and she tightens her legs around his hips. "Have your breasts gotten bigger?" The softest of moans leaves her mouth and he smirks, finally making it to her lips, his tongue finds its way inside her mouth and she clings to his chest, resolve quickly dying at his touch.
She rocks her hips against his and they both groan into the kiss. His hands find her arse and he squeezes, that's all she needs to remind her where they are and how they're lucky they haven't been caught yet.
She wriggles from his grasp and places a soft kiss to his lips, "I need to get supper started or we'll be eating breakfast instead." Mary hurries off towards the kitchen not daring to look back because she knows she'd just be pulling him to the bedroom instead.
Mary never liked the idea of butchering chickens, She could kill a hundred templars without batting an eye but putting down an animal, even one for food, always upset her. Butchering this chicken however upset her for a completely different reason. She places her bloody knife down on the cutting board and leans against the table immediately regretting the decision to cook supper.
A hand brushes up and down her back, a touch she's so grateful to receive. She leans forward and sighs, glance over to see who the hands belonged to. Elizabeth smiles and pulls her up, guiding her to a chair. "Why don't I take over for a bit..." and she places a bucket at Mary's feet.
She groans at the reason with the bucket was there, feeling queasy she pushes it away. You don't need to puke, you'll be alright Mary. Elizabeth cuts into the gut and pulls the intestines through the hole. The squishing sounds are enough to have Mary retching into the very bucket she told herself she didn't need.
She vomits several more times before Elizabeth eventually breaks the silence, "How far along are you?" Mary groans again, holding her head in her hands, eyes shut tight refusing to look at the contents of the bucket. If it's that obvious to her mother it's only a matter of time before Edward figures it out.
"About three months."
Elizabeth hums and begins shelling the peas. "Have you told Edward yet?" Such a simple question and yet Mary feels queasy at the thought. She can't tell him, not yet at least. She shakes her head, "I don't want to tell him." Telling him would mean admitting that she's pregnant and she's not ready to face that reality. "Besides, he's stressed enough with Jennifer."
"I wouldn't wait too long dear, he'll find out sooner rather than later."
Mary taps her fingers nervously against the table and Elizabeth finishes filleting the chicken. "What did you want to do with this dear?" Mary ignores the questions, focusing instead on the sickness. She's stronger than this. I can't lose another child, I just can't.
"I'm not familiar with these spices," continues Elizabeth. "I think you're going to have to finish this up." Mary vomits into the bucket again and she's glad her mother doesn't acknowledge it. She doesn't like to be thought as weak. I'm not going to lose this baby, I'm just not.
Mary rolls her peas around on her plate, ignoring the chatter around her and instead focusing on the odor wafting from the chicken. Her stomach rolls and she bolts up from her chair, "Excuse me..." All eyes are on her as she hurries from the room to find an appropriate place to hurl.
Silverware scraping porcelain is the only sound that fills the room as Mary retakes her seat at the table. She's sure everyone heard her and it's embarrassing. Elizabeth pats Mary's back and she returns to rolling her peas with her fork. "You don't like your food?" Nicholas asks.
Mary's eyes flick up to Jennifer, who sits directly across from her. Her blue eyes are bright and curious, Mary tugs at her shirt feeling as though this young child could see straight through her. She's too young, there's no way that she'd know. Jennifer pouts at her steward and stabs her chicken with her fork, "I can't eat it, it hurts my mouth!"
She should have known better than to use those spices. The poor child grew up in Bristol, she's probably never eaten anything hotter than pepper. "Jennifer don't pick your food up like that it's rude!" Nicholas scolds her and Anne giggles, waving him away, "When you've dealt with dirty old pirates all of your life dining etiquette doesn't seem to matter anymore."
His face burns brightly and Anne giggles again, Jenny asks excitedly, "You're a pirate aren't you, I've always wanted to see a pirate!" The voices all blur into one when all Mary can think is how bad her food smells.
Mary's pulse races with thoughts she shouldn't be thinking, who know what will even happen six months from now? Mary turns back towards her plate, determined to feed her unborn baby. She picks up the fork, bringing the chicken to her mouth. She chews it trying not to remember what happened before it was cooked. And the sounds of the guts as Elizabeth-
The memory makes her stomach do a flip, she pushes the plate away in disgust. She glances over at Sophia who's dropped more than half of her food onto the floor. Schooner is there patiently waiting to clean the rest up for her. Sophia picks up a piece of her chicken and raises it in front of her.
Schooner sits obediently, wagging his tail, she drops the morsel into Schooner's waiting mouth and squeals with joy. Mary frowns, Schooner has grown just as fast as Sophia who will be two in less than two months. She picks up Sophia's spoon and decides it may be easier to feed Sophia than try and gag down her own meal.
"Mary are you sick?" Jenny asks almost out of the blue, all eyes land on the small child and the room goes silent. Mary slowly lowers her fork. Schooner barks and Mary tosses him another piece of chicken to keep him quiet. Her heartbeat pounds loudly in her ears, This child is too damn observant. "No why do you ask?"
Mary's eyes dart around the room, Elizabeth avoids eye contact, Thatch is too caught up with Elizabeth to be listening, Anne is busy feeding Jacob who refused to feed himself after watching Sophia, Nicholas looks like he's about to scold Jennifer again and when she looks at Edward her breath catches in her throat.
Edward is worried; she can see it in his eyes. She glances back at Jennifer and frowns. "You sure have been throwing up a lot," Jennifer says as she picks at her food again, Mary returns to feeding Sophia, hoping Jennifer was satisfied enough to drop the subject.
"Miss Rose was sick a lot, she said it was the baby. Are you having a baby Mary?"
Mary's eyes widen but she continues feeding Sophia, ignoring the question, Christ this child is relentless, there's no denying her parentage. Nicholas scolds her again, "Jenny, you shouldn't ask things like that, it's not polite." Mary sighs and places the fork to the plate. What better time to do this than now? "Yes."
The room grows silent for the third time, Thatch's bite of food hovers just outside his mouth and all eyes are on her again. Edward's brows furrow and Jenny's eyes sparkle. "What?" The room asks in unison. Their eyes meet and Mary's throat is too dry, she wets her lips and her voice cracks as she whispers, "Yes, I'm pregnant."
Jenny cheers and the adults all shift uncomfortably in their chairs. Well, all except Nicholas who is completely oblivious and simply congratulates the expecting mother. Edward's face goes pale as he sits dumbstruck and she repeats it again, "I am having a baby."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Mary sighs and closes her book. "I thought you'd be with Jennifer a little longer."
He's at the desk before she even has time to look up. His eyes are cold, but she can still see excitement sparkling beneath their blue surface. Her heart skips a beat and now she's worried about him if she's unable to carry this child to term. It's hard enough for her, but to go and disappoint him again?
"Don't change the subject Mary."
She slips from the chair and hooks her arms around his neck. "I was going to tell you soon but Jennifer beat me to it." She seals the statement with a kiss and he places a palm over her belly, the warmth soothing her upset stomach.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asks, breaking their embrace, she places her hand over his. "I was scared. I still am... What will happen when I can't carry her to term again."
Edward shakes his head. "Don't talk like you've already lost her." He touches her stomach so gently she almost doesn't feel it, "I have a good feeling about this one, she's strong, I can feel it." Mary smiles, "You're taking this surprisingly well with all this stress between Jennifer and finding the fountain of youth-"
"You're not going on anymore missions."
She cocks an eyebrow, "Excuse me?" He pulls her head to his chest. If she can't see him she can't argue, right? Mary stands awkwardly, head pressed to his chest, "Edward let go." He holds her tighter and she has to pry herself from his arms. "You can't control me Edward-"
"You're not going on anymore contracts until she's born."
Mary blinks, Edward is stubborn, yes, but he's never told her she couldn't do something. "I know you're worried, but this is important-"
"There are plenty of others who can go in your place."
She rolls her eyes and hooks her arms around his neck. "We'll see Edward."
Great Inagua, June 25th, 1722
"But Menor-"
"Edward is right. It is dangerous for you to be out in your condition."
Ah Tabai leans back in his chair, Mary crosses her arms seething at Edward. The big baby reported her! She's been through this before, she's not some fragile flower!
"Don't be stubborn, that child is relying on you to protect it and yet you want to go out there and put your life in danger? Why?" Edward taps his foot on the floor waiting for an answer that Mary could not give. Why did she want to put herself in harm's way?
Mary chews on her lip and shrugs, Edward's about to say something bitter, but Ah Tabai cuts him off, "I guess now would be the best time to start training." Mary's arms fall to her sides and she cocks her eyebrow. "Training? But I'm already a Master Assassin." What was he playing at?
Ah Tabai rises and guides her to his desk. She follows his lead and take a seat as he asks, confused. She frowns as her fingers nervously brush against the hard wood of the desk. Ah Tabai hands her a leather book with a worn cover, the title Assassin's Creed written in bold on the cover. "Mary, I would like you to become a mentor."
Excitement quickly turned to dread, as doubts run through her mind. Everything from the inability to gain respect from her peers to the loss of their newest addition. Mary is a whirlwind of uncertainty that is sure to come crashing down. She locked herself in her room after they returned, reminding Edward of the dark times shortly after Sophia was born.
But Mary's strong. She would conquer this fear like she's done before.
She lies on the bed, stroking her swelling belly, begging to feel something from inside for the thousandth time that day. If she asked enough time it would coax the child into moving, right? She can remember the first time Sophia kicked, it was the first time she'd seen Edward in a month, maybe some isolation will do her some good.
Mary knows something is wrong because she's four months into her pregnancy and she still hasn't felt anything. She should be moving, why isn't she moving yet? "Come on baby, move." She pats her belly biting her lip refusing to break into tears. She's in control of her humors, completely in control.
Jenny knocks on the door, asking through the wood, "Mary are you awake?" She feels the first tear slip down, She sounds so worried. I can't believe I'm doing this to her.
"Shh Jenny, let her sleep," Edward says in response. Why does Edward have to be so good to me? I've done nothing to deserve this.
"But it's almost supper, why is she sleeping?" Mary gives up on holding her tears back. She hates being pregnant. She hates crying, she hates being worried, and most of all she hates the looks she gets. Not the looks from the strangers or the congratulations. No, she hates the looks from her family. The looks that say I'm so sorry you've lost a child and I'm so sorry you might loose your next one. She hates the constant reminder that one wrong move-
"She's tired, making a baby is hard work, Jenny. Now, go play with Sophia and Jacob."
The door opens and Mary rolls over to face the wall, she wants to cry alone. She doesn't want anyone worrying about her. The bed dips and he tucks a beaded strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you hungry?"
Mary rolls over and tucks her face into his lap. "I think something is wrong Edward." She rolls onto her back, lifting her shirt up. Her belly is not quite large enough to be seen through the shirt but isn't small enough to deny the child growing inside. He rubs his palms over her bump and she sighs, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
"Why?" he asks, he's so happy, this is the first time he'd been able to watch his child grow. She was so used to the changes her body would make but this would a first for him. His hands rub in circles below her bellybutton and she rests her eyes.
"I haven't felt them move yet, Sophia moved by now." She feels guilty she didn't tell him sooner, she feels guilty he didn't tell him sooner about Sophia. If she had told him about Sophia, neither of them would have been imprisoned. If she had told him about Sophia, they might not have conceived their second child so early. Maybe their angel would be here instead if buried in the forest. Edward frowns and his touch nearly puts her to sleep.
"I think it's too early, you haven't even hit four months yet. Give them a little more time to grow, there's no use worrying over something that probably won't happen." She releases a soft hum of pleasure before drifting off to sleep. He's right. No use worrying over something that won't happen.
Great Inagua, July 7th, 1722
Mary wakes to the pattering sound of rain against glass. A low roll of thunder echoes in the distance and she sighs. A rainy day means she can just spend another day in bed. She rolls over pulling the sheet over her head blocking the sunlight from the window... wait...
There's pounding on the door now and her eyes pop wide open. She hops from the bed,getting dressed as quickly as she can and rips the door open revealing a panicked Nicholas. "Sorry to disturb you Mary but Edward has sent me-"
Another boom loud enough that it nearly rocks the manor from its foundation. Schooner barking and growling in the background, Mary shoves him and shouts, "Let's go!" Without another word, they scramble to Edward's office. Anne is already there holding Sophia and Jacob, both screaming and crying in her arms. Jennifer looks more curious than scared, which is good, don't want to scare the poor girl back to Bristol.
Mary grabs Sophia and rocks her gently, wiping her tears away. "Where's Edward?" They hurry down the steps, ducking as another cannon goes off sending plaster to the floor behind them. "He went to get your mother, he said he'll meet us there." Anne replies. Schooner leads the path ahead, determined to protect his family.
They eventually make it down the steps, Mary's pregnancy slowing everyone down. She stops to catch her breath but Schooner tugs at her coat, telling her that there's time to rest later. Nicholas' head moves left to right and back again. If this was only a drill Mary probably would have laughed at his confusion. "Which way do we go?"
Mary tugs on his sleeve, pulling him to the left, it's been so long since she and Edward had searched this island. Long before they made it their home and long before Sophia. This place has so many memories, good and bad, she's not ready to leave the west.
They pass the Stella's where Mary had tested his use of the sight. She remembers what he said about her color. He said she was purple; was she be the same color now that she was pregnant again? She'd have to ask him this later.
Mary stops at the edge of the cliff, yanking Nicholas back at the last second before her falls to his death. "How will we get down?"he gasps, teetering over the edge. Mary unites her belt and straps Sophia to her chest the way she did when she was an infant. "We climb."
Mary is already halfway down the cliff before Nicholas shouts, "What?!" Anne follows Mary's lead, tying Jacob to her chest with her own sash. "You heard her get a move on!" Nicholas sputters for a bit until Jennifer makes her own descent down the broken drawbridge, "Come on Nicky let's go!"
His face flushes again and he starts a very slow decent down. "Nicky don't forget Schooner!" Jenny flails her arms and he sighs, struggling to carry the dog under his arm as he makes his way down.
An hour goes by and still no sign of Edward. Mary paces with a sleeping Sophia and Jenny rubs her eyes, the days excitement finally wearing on her. She stifles a yawn and Anne brushes a hand through her hair, "Jenny, why don't you take a nap?"
"What about father?"
Anne picks through a chest and pulls out a few blankets, "Edward will be fine. We'll wake you when he gets here." Jenny nods and Anne tucks her in, Schooner already asleep at the edge of the bed. If the dog is asleep that must mean they're safe. Mary tries again to lay Sophia down but she clings to her mom, whimpering softly.
Mary sighs, rocking Sophia silently, her growing belly the perfect seat for the sleeping child. She glances around their shelter, dug into the cliff face nearly two years ago. Edward had deemed it unnecessary, insisting that the cove's natural defenses would be enough to protect them from any invaders.
"Besides who would attack a small fisherman's village anyway?" Mary sent him off with a shovel only minutes after the words left his mouth. He had really done a wonderful job though, wooden floors and brick walls give the illusion of being back in the manor. Tables, chairs, and even a bed allow them to wait comfortably for the end of any attack.
Mary frowns. She doesn't like hiding, but there's little else to do when the battle comes home with her. She can't go off fighting when she's got plenty more to protect. She glances over at Jenny who's already asleep and chuckles, "She sure fell asleep fast for someone who wasn't tired." Her laughter dies off when a horrifying thought emerges; What if Edward has been killed.
The sounds of footsteps approaching pulls Mary from her thoughts and the small group turns toward the entrance. Everyone tense and waiting to strike, Nicholas is in the front, holding an axe awkwardly near the top of the hatchet. He's obviously never been soldier.
The unmistakable heavy footfalls of Edward Kenway start down the stairs. Mary hurries over and pulls him against her, relief spreading over her like a fresh water spring. "What took you so long?" She asks and as she pulls away she notices the bleeding cut above his eyebrow.
She dabs at it with the cuff of her sleeve and scolds him, "I thought we were in agreement that you wouldn't fight?" He brushes her hand away. "It's not like I went out of my way to be ambushed," he says, smirk glowing on his face, "but they picked a fight with the wrong person." Thatch pats him on the back, proud of his skills despite his impairment.
"You should have run away!" She growled and Thatch takes a step back. She was scary before getting pregnant, but now she was downright terrifying. He's glad she's holding Sophia because he may have needed to pull her off of Edward this time.
"I can't just run away, Mary. I'm no coward!"
She shakes her head and gestures towards his two sleeping daughters, "Jenny already grew up without her father, do you want Sophia to as well?" Hurt flashes across his face and she knows she shouldn't have said it. "You and I both know that with that leg you're no use in battle." They stare at each other, willing the other to back down.
Elizabeth places a hand to Edward's shoulder, forcing him out of the wordless battle. It's amazing how children change people. Before, they would have bickered no matter who was present; now, she simply squeezes his shoulder softly and he knows he lost. He plops down into a chair and he leans down to rub his tired calf. "I've worked hard for all this, I can't just stand idly by while they destroy our home!"
Mary pulls his head against her belly, she brushes through his hair. "Everything will be alright, Ah Tabai will be su-"
She stops mid sentence. Edward looks up and she looks down, their eyes lock and both of their mouths drop open. Tears begin falling from Mary's eyes and Edward can't keep the grin from his face. He places his hands against her stomach, hoping to confirm what he thinks he felt.
"Mary what's wrong?" Anne asks cautiously, never knowing what to expect with Mary's moodswings.
Edward rubs her belly and laughs. "Nothing's wrong other than the fact our baby just kicked me in the face." The room lights up with smiles, the tension in the air now replaced with excitement.
Edward places a kiss to her lips. "You're right Mary, there are some treasures more precious than gold."