"Emily?"
Emily hears her papa's voice coming from somewhere behind her. She turns from where she's been staring out at the sea surrounding them and watches as he walks up and smiles down at her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it."
She nods.
"Especially now with the sun shining."
"More like setting now. You should be getting to bed soon. Did you eat the food I brought you?"
She rolls her eyes and nods again.
"Yes, Papa. I already told you, I'm not seasick like Miss Jade."
"Emily." He chides her. "I'm only trying to be certain. I want to make sure seeing your mother is a happy occasion."
She nods. The sun has nearly disappeared now. It's getting dark.
"If I come to bed now, will you tell me one of the stories?" She asks, hopeful. Her Papa has been spending so much time trying to help Miss Jade, he hasn't told her any of the stories in several nights.
There is nothing she loves more than to hear about her mother. Well, maybe not nothing she loves more. Not now that she has the sea to add on to her list of things that she loves. The sea might even come before her papa's hugs on that list, and she really loves her papa's hugs.
The five year old is staring back out to the water by now, lost in her thoughts, and jumps a little when her papa touches her shoulder, chuckling softly.
"You've not heard a word I've said, have you Emily?"
She turns back to him, sheepish.
"Sorry, Papa."
"It's alright. Yes, I'll tell you a story. Go on down to our cabin. I'm going to check on Miss Jade; I'll only be a minute."
She frowns up at him.
"Humph. Why did Miss Jade have to come with us anyways? All she does is complain about how much she hates the water. I don't think she likes Uncle Jack, either."
"Now, Emily," her papa's tone turns scolding, "Miss Jade has done a lot for us. You'd best be careful what you say about her. She won't be around for much longer, I promise. She's only come with because she wants to see her mother in England."
"Why couldn't she go on her brothers ship, then?" Emily grumbles.
"Emily, that's enough."
She crosses her little arms and nods, then stomps off to their cabin, the frown never leaving her face. Miss Jade seems to follow her papa everywhere now, and Emily doesn't like it. She wishes her Uncle Jack would've said no to Miss Jade coming; after all, they were on his ship. But he hadn't said a word about it.
He had told Emily, though, that she might try destracting her papa from Miss Jade by reminding him of her mother. She wasn't exactly sure what about Miss Jade was so destracting to begin with; she'd asked her Uncle Jack, and he had only laughed.
"Yer far too young for that, lass. Give it another ten years and then ask yer father."
Not knowing why didn't matter that much. She knew exactly how to make her papa think about her mother.
She is lying in her hammock in a corner of the cabin when he joins her a little while later.
"Now, which story would you like me to tell you? How about the battle on the Dutchman?"
That one is usually her favorite, but tonight she has other things on her mind because of Miss Jade.
"I wanna hear the one where you and mother had your first kiss! When you saved Uncle Jack!"
He chuckles.
"I thought you liked it better when Uncle Jack was the one telling that story."
"But he can't tell it like you do! I want to hear about the kiss too!"
"Well, alright then. As you wish. So, there we were, watching as your Uncle Jack was lead up to the gallows. The sun was blazing hot that day…"
"And mother was wearing one of those awful corsets." Emily blanches. Miss Jade has been insisting that Will keep her in nice little dresses, and they are uncomfortable enough without the awful things her papa described.
"Yes, she was. She looked so very beautiful that day." Her papa smiles fondly as he remembers. "And I made my way through the crowd to your mother and her father, because I wanted to tell her…"
"That you loved her!" Emily chimes in again with all her usual five-year-old enthusiasm.
"Would you like to tell the story? You know it just as well as I, it seems." Her papa's eyes shine with his amusement.
She shakes her head.
"Sorry, Papa. I'll be quiet." She gives him a sheepish grin. "Tell me what you said to mother!"
"Alright. 'I should have told you every day from the moment I met you. I love you.' I told her, and…"
Short chapter, just some sort of fluff. I wanted to take a break from all the sword fights and awkward angsty moments.
Thanks to all who reviewed (AngieRosie, xkuroxshinobix, TheOneAndOnlyBellaRiddle). Sorry for not responding properly. I've only just now gotten to writing these chapters. Curse you school and track practice, sucking away all my energy!
Anyways, I'll shut up now. More reveiws are always appreciated. (: