Author's Note:
Oh dear, I do suppose that we're finally nearing this tale's end…
"Get yer things prepared, I'll get us teh New Hastings, Rebecca." John's authoritative side bloomed before fear dared to occupy his mind.
"All right." Rebecca nodded, rushing to her quarters to gather her belongings.
John hurried to the helm of the ship, giving orders to crewmembers as he passed by them.
Rebecca hurried to the main deck amongst the rapidly working sailors with her bag of possessions. A look of fear was on her face as she looked around for someone.
"Rebecca!" Scroop called to the young woman, who was watching nervously as the HMS Aurora began to dock at New Hastings. The young arachnid hurried to Rebecca. "John never explain what's going on, he just said that we need to get into port immediately."
"I'm going to have my baby." Rebecca answered, panicked at the words she had spoken and thinking over what was happening. She shook her head. "Scroop," the young woman tried to keep her calm, "I want you to promise me something." She paused at another contraction. She looked into the young arachnid's eyes. "Promise that you'll take care of John for me."
"Rebecca-"
"Promise me," tears threatened to run from Rebecca's eyes. "Please, Scroop."
Scroop sighed and nodded. "I promise, Rebecca."
A smile graced the corners of Rebecca's features and she nodded curtly.
"Rebecca, we need teh leave now!" John called; the ship had fully docked.
"I'll-" Rebecca paused mid-thought, wincing at another contraction, "I'll be right with you, John." She faced Scroop. "Don't forget your promise." She stated.
"I won't." Scroop vowed.
"Excellent." Rebecca smiled genuinely. "Good luck, Scroop." She kissed the young arachnid between his eyes and then turned on her heel to catch up with John.
Had Scroop known for sure that this was the last living moment he would share with Rebecca Clarke, he may have spoken more words. Inwardly he sensed that this was their final parting, yet no words came to him. Perhaps that was as it was supposed to be.
The evening had fallen upon the port town of New Hastings before John and Rebecca could find a house that was willing to help them.
An aged couple offered their house as shelter, seeing the distressful situation that Rebecca was in, and sent for the oldest of their daughters to aid with the birthing.
The master's wife stopped John outside of the birthing room.
"I'm afraid that we haven't enough room for you in the room with us, sir." She stated.
"But I-" John started; his voice fell silent once he glanced at the small guest room Rebecca had been sent into. He nodded and stepped aside, allowing a young woman carry a kettle of boiling water into the room.
The master of the house seated John into a chair down the hallway from the birthing room, handed him a tumbler of brandy and gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.
It was going to be a long night.
Hours passed until –finally- the women of the house left the birthing room, each looking at the young man blankly as they went about their ways. John didn't know what to think.
After hours of hearing Rebecca's petrifying screams and cries of pain and having to restrain himself from barging into the birthing room to rush to her side; John was at his wit's end.
The master's wife finally came out of the birthing room and gave John a reassuring smile.
"She's in there waiting for you, sir." The woman gently stated, gesturing to the door.
John got to his feet and slowly opened the door to the small birthing room.
The young man peered around the room until his eyes met Rebecca's. The young woman –her appearance ragged from what she had just undergone- seemed to light up upon seeing John.
She gave him a gentle smile as she beckoned for him to come to her side. When the young man did so, she held up the bundle of blankets and revealed the visage of their baby daughter.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Rebecca stated, her eyes watering with motherly pride.
John's eyes watered as he looked down at the newborn infant, he shook his head and smiled. He reached forward and gently touched the baby's hand, feeling as her tiny fingers grasped one of his own.
"I'm a father."
Hours passed and it was nearing daybreak. John woke up next to Rebecca and their baby girl to the sound of rain and he got ready to leave. This was what he had been eternally dreading. He pulled on his boots and reached for his coat but stopped when he heard Rebecca's voice.
"Do you want me to tell her about you or at least your name?" The woman's exhausted voice asked with a shaky sigh. "When she's old enough?"
"No…" John Silver turned to face his lover. "I'll come back for her, in a few years, an' I'll tell her then."
"Promise?" The woman asked.
"On me life…" The half-mechanical man swore loyally. "Keep her on this planet an' I'll find her; on me life."
The black-haired woman smiled weakly after a moment's pause. "I guess I should wish you a Happy Birthday, John." She chuckled. "Twenty five years…"
The cyborg smiled back half-heartedly. "Thank yeh…" Silver sighed quietly and his smile grew. "An' thank yeh for givin' me the greatest birthday gift anyone could ever give teh me…" His eyes watered proudly as he gently smoothed his organic hand over his newborn child's soft forehead.
Then John Silver turned away and pulled on his leather overcoat; the right sleeve had been torn off to accommodate his mechanical arm.
The woman sighed sadly. "So… you're leaving already?" Her voice broke slightly, as she tried to force back her inevitable tears.
"Aye…" Silver sighed, feeling a harsh sadness well up in himself. "Crew's waitin'." He looked towards the door, unable to meet the light green eyes of his lover.
"Aren't you at least going to name your daughter?"
There was another unnerving pause between them as John Silver stopped in the door frame with his mechanical hand on the brass doorknob.
"Ariah…" Silver stated clearly. "Her name's Ariah."
The door slammed shut behind John, echoing and leaving Rebecca feeling empty.
Her eyes watered until her vision blurred and she let loose the tears. Rebecca looked down at the sleepy child in her arms, swathed in blankets. The infant gently opened her eyes. They were the warmest copper-brown, and instantly reminded Rebecca of her fallen family members. More tears followed, Rebecca gently cradled the baby against herself and kissed her daughter's forehead.
She wanted more than anything to bolt out of the room after John, knock some sense into him and beg him to stay with her, but she knew that that wasn't going to happen.
The sailing life was something that John was never going to give up, the thrills, adventures, and the spoils. Now that he had clues to the greatest treasure of them all, nothing would stop him on his path to it.
She knew that if she joined John on his journey that it would be too risky for their child to be with them. Rebecca knew that she would never give up her child nor would John ever want to put Rebecca and their newborn daughter in the path of such peril.
If John wasn't going to be there to catch Rebecca when she fell, then she'd just have to pick herself back up onto her two feet and keep living life.
Rebecca resolved something as she held her daughter against her, watching as the infant fell into a calm slumber. She was going to live life raising her daughter the way she wanted. She would provide for herself and her daughter and teach the young girl right from wrong. Rebecca wouldn't force Ariah to do anything against her will and would guide and support Ariah in all of her choices. The young mother smiled at her thoughts; she already wanted the best for her little angel.
The young mother gently smoothed her hand across her daughter's forehead as she looked upon the face of her baby. Ariah wouldn't know her father's name. It was probably for the best if Rebecca kept to John's vow and left him nameless to their daughter until she was prepared to learn the truth.
Rebecca would be left in the dark as to what was going on with John Silver, whether he was alive and well, and how much closer he had come to his treasure. She wondered when he'd be back or if he'd be back… how long she'd be left waiting for him and missing him.
The young woman looked out the window of the room, knowing that somewhere out there, John was getting ready to leave port, if he hadn't already left.
The master's youngest daughter timidly peeked into the birthing room. She curiously looked at the black-haired woman with the tiny baby in her arms.
The woman's body was shaking slightly. From closer observation, the girl could see that the woman was silently laughing.
After all, sometimes laughing is the only thing you can do.
John spent the entire walk through the drenching rain fighting the undying urge to rush back to Rebecca and discard his race for revenge. He could feel a disconcerting emptiness settle within his system. He was leaving the most important piece of him behind and he knew it.
'I 'ave teh avenge everyone that we've lost.' John continued walking. 'For Jimbo, for Giles, for everyone Rebecca lost… an' her home.'
John ascended the gangplank of his heirloom ship, looking only forwards as dawn began to break on the horizon through the pouring rain.
"Captain." One of the young sailors from Romano met John. "The lady?"
"She's all right, lad." John reassured. "She won't be accompanying us. Prepare the ship for immediate launch."
"Aye, aye sir." The young man nodded, darting off to his station as the crew prepared the ship for its launch.
John Silver he looked down at the pendant dangling from a chain around his neck. He grasped it half-heartedly before tucking it under his shirt and walking towards the bow of the ship. Scroop stood at the railing of the ship as the ship began to rise out of the port in preparation for the launch off of the planet.
"Will we ever come back?" Scroop asked, watching as the port town began to shrink beneath the keel of the HMS Aurora.
"Of course we will." Silver stated. "Sooner than yeh think."
The captain adjusting his hat and looking down upon the port city as the thrusters of his ship began to power up for the final jolt.
"We'll be back for Ariah… yeh'll just 'ave teh wait an' see, Scroop."
Author's Note:
Much thanks goes out to my lovely beta, Whisperwings, whose help and encouragement has made this story much more epic than it was originally thought out to be.
Another big thank you goes out to my loyal readers (that's right, you guys!) for your helpful reviews and undying support. Thank you so much!
Special thanks go out to the readers who've been standing by this story from beginning to end (including its previous instalment) and for providing their very helpful reviews.
MG#6