What's In a Name?

Epilogue

Rhia grew quite quickly over the first two years. She was able to crawl at five months, able to walk at eleven and starting to talk at a bit over a year and a few months.

By the time Rhia was a year old, our home was finished and we had moved out of the Turner's home. It was nice to be on my own again, but we frequently visited Will and Elizabeth. I was a bit lonely at first, but it got easier as I grew more accustomed to having a house to myself.

Jack came to visit us twice a year and stayed for a week sometimes two. Fortunately, the Commodore overlooked his presence when Jack came. I was lucky in the fact that I was on relatively good terms with Norrington, I think that if he had known nothing about Jack from his prior interactions, Jack would be swinging at the end of a rope by now.

Always when he was came, he commented on how big Rhia was getting and how beautiful I was. He brought gifts for us and always made sure that we were going to be fine. I always looked forward to Jack's visits and cherished the time that we had together.

On Jack's second visit, we decided that it would be best for Rhia to be older before we even contemplated the idea of going aboard the Pearl.

I had made friends well enough in Port Royale and Victoria and I grew to be just as close again as we had during our school days. Both Rhia and I were adjusted to the way of life that we were living and I was happy in that it was easy enough to be raising a child by myself.

Not that raising her was easy all the time, but she was a good child, exceptionally active and good-tempered most of the time. Although, there were moments, when she threw tantrums or when she was asleep and it was dark, that I wished heartily for someone to confide in.

And as strong as I could make myself seem to all people that I knew and was around, inwardly, there were times when I doubted myself and longed terribly for another. It wasn't often that I got like this, but every ocne in a while, I sunk into a rut of sadness and I hung on my fingernails to my sanity. I did, however, pull myself out and was actually as strong as I made myself seem to be and I moved on with my life.

But, Jack's visits were definitely looked forward to and I felt completely whole with him there. It was as though someone had crushed me up and then when he was back, put me back together carefully.

When Rhia turned three, however, a letter came from an old sailor who made his way to the house slowly. The letter was to inform me that he was in India making repairs on the Pearl, who had received a great deal of damage during a fierce storm and he would not be able to make it back for quite a while. The date on the letter was three months past and Jack gave no hint as to when he would be back to check on me. But just knowing that he was coming and that he was thinking of us, even though matters were out of his control, was helping with my great disappointment.

-A-

"And that is how we came to live here. Elizabeth and Will let me stay with them and when our house was built, we moved here," I told Rhiannon. "Your father helped me to get settled and he's come many times to visit us."

"But, mummy, why haven't I ever met my papa?" Rhia asked in her childish voice from her seat on the floor.

"Oh, you have, darling," I said, reaching down to ruffle my daughter's hair. "Your father was one of the first people you ever met. He held you in his arms and swore that you were the most beautiful baby in the world. Besides, you should remember him. He comes every once in a while to check in on us. Last time he came you were about two."

Rhia studied me for a moment. I could see an important question forming in her mind and I watched as she struggled to find the right words to express her query. "Does he love me?"

In truth, I had been expecting that question but it struck me how her voice trembled when she said it. I reached down and pulled her into my lap. "Listen, Rhia. You have a father who loves you. He just has a heart that belongs to the sea and he doesn't fit well on land. It would hurt him to stay on land. And you don't want your father to be hurt, do you?"

Rhi shook her head. "But I wanna know my papa," she insisted childishly.

"You will, sweet. I promise."

"When?"

"I don't know, sweetie. He just always shows up."

"Is that why you haven't married?" she asked inquisitively.

'She's sharp for being four...' I mused. "No, honey. I haven't married because I want to focus on you. And because I'm still young. And, I just haven't found the right man yet," I said. But mentally I corrected myself, 'I have found the right man. And I still love him. THAT'S why I don't marry.'

"How old are you, Mummy?" Rhia asked.

I smiled faintly. "I'm twenty-five."

"Wow, Mummy. You're young compared to Matthew's mum. She's old. She's all wrinkled but you're pretty."

Stifling a laugh, because Matthew's mother was only about thirty-two, I looked down my nose sternly at her. "Now, what do you want, being all flattering to me?"

Rhia smiled up at me. "Nothing mummy. I just wanted to know when daddy was coming. Because you never tell me," she said whilst playing with my hair.

I smiled at her antics...so much like me...so much like Jack. "Do you ever stare at the ocean, Rhia?"

She nodded her head.

"Does it always come up to meet the shore? No matter what day it is? Always at the right time?"

Again, she nodded.

"Well, your father will come for you when the time is right."

Rhia cocked her head slightly, "Mummy. I want him now!"

I smiled and nestled my face into her shining black locks. "I know, Rhia. So do I. So do I," I felt a tear prickle in my eye as I thought of Jack and quickly wiped it aside. I lifted my daughter off of my lap and set her on the ground. "Now that you've had a nice long story, go play! You've spent too much time indoors, missy," I ordered playfully.

Rhia turned to give me a fleeting hug before scurrying outside dutifully.

I watched from the window as my beautiful daughter played. We lived a ways away from town for her to have too many friends but she found company all the same. Rhia was such an energetic child, she always was moving. I had to chide her constantly for going down to the ocean alone. Because, like myself, she was tied to the ocean in more ways than she could explain, but I couldn't let anything happen to her. I was immensely protective...the last thing I wanted was for her to go missing or drown. Every time that I would chide her, she would smile up at me with an angelic look in her eyes and say that she wouldn't do it again...but she always did, none the less.

I had to give her credit, though. She was a smart child. She always picked up on things that I didn't tell her. Rhia was almost always in a good mood. I thought back to when she was a baby and I remembered that she seldom cried. And when she did, it was to catch my attention and focus solely on her. She looked a lot like Jack, my daughter did. She had his dark shining hair and the mischievous smile on her face. But she had my eyes, my face and my spirit. But there was also pirate in her blood. As I had said earlier, she was drawn to the ocean. I suppose it was partially my fault but I felt the same way. But Rhia was in every way the little sprite that most children are. And in this instance, I was immensely glad that I was still young. I would tear out my hair if I were like some of the other mothers...too fat and old to chase after their children and who needed maids to do it for them.

Rhia had asked why I never married. And every time that she or anyone else had asked this, I would simply say that I was still young and right now was focusing on my daughter. But within all honesty, I had no desire to try and fall in love with someone. I had already fallen in love with Jack. But as I had learned and still was learning, falling in love with Jack is like falling in love with the ocean. There was no containing it. But still, I had no desire to move away. Deep down, I longed for Jack to come and take me away. I still dreamt about seeing new things and meeting all sorts of people. But I knew that I couldn't do that. I had Rhiannon...

Although at first, I had resented Rhiannon...when she was a baby. I was young, scared, and wanted someone to talk to. There were times that I had even contemplated leaving her somewhere and journeying off in search of Jack. He had left a month before and I was terribly lonely. On one occasion Will and Elizabeth were away having a short holiday on a Antigua checking on some business concerning Will's swords. He had started shipping them across the Caribbean and a large order had been placed by local naval fort. And so it happened that one evening I was feeling particularly desperate, so I had bundled Rhia up and walked to a church in a neighboring town. I reached to the church steps and laid my daughter down on the stones before I put a note on the small bundle that was my child. I was about to leave when I heard her laugh. I turned around and saw her waving her tiny fists in the air, her eyes sparkling with laughter and joy. Feeling immensely guilty, I ran back and scooped her up in my arms, holding her tight to my chest as I promised never to let her go again. I had felt so alone in the world and I thought that everyone looked down on me. Those who didn't look down on me assumed that I had been raped by pirates and lost my mind. I never went to great lengths to disprove what people said about me. After what seemed like the longest time, I stopped caring. I decided that the public opinion mattered little as long as I knew the truth.

I still had some hopeful suitors, though. Mostly men who were getting desperate...longing for a person to share the rest of their lives with. But, I turned them down...as politely as possible. The most recent one had been coming nearly every day for the past month to help me and bring me flowers. And while at first, it was decent enough, I didn't like how he treated Rhia. He looked down on her...like she was a disease. So, finally, I lost my temper and told him to leave and never come back other wise I wouldn't be held responsible for my reactions. He left top speed and likely told every person that he came across along the way that I was insane.

I interrupted my thoughts to continue to watch her. She seemed oddly still for a moment. And then I heard she called out to someone far away. It wasn't me...and it wasn't calling for help. Then she ran down the hill and out of my sight.

Fearing for my daughter's safety, I dropped the plate that I had been drying, giving no heed to it as it shattered and ran as fast as I could, calling out, "Rhia! Rhiannon! Where are you?! Rhiannon!"

I reached the top of the hill and froze, staring down at the image below.

My daughter was walking up the hill hand in hand with a man.

A man with a braided goatee and dreadlocks.

A man that looked surprisingly like my daughter.

Jack.

Jack was back!

Noticing me, Rhia dropped Jack's hand and ran pell-mell back up towards me, calling out, "Mummy! He's here! He's here!"

I smiled broadly and before she could reach me, ran to Jack. He caught me and swung me up and spun me around in circles as I laughed and cried and laughed more. 'He was back!'

Once Jack had set me down, I leaned up and kissed him with all the restrained love that I'd been saving for him the last year.

For a long time, we stood, intertwined in each other's arms, lost in each other's eyes before Rhia tugged on my sleeve.

Regretfully, I pulled out of Jack's grasp and knelt down beside our daughter. "Yes, baby?" I asked lovingly.

"Is this my papa?" Rhia asked inquisitively, as though to make sure that she had the right man beside her, not some imposter, sucking on her first two fingers.

I smiled broadly, shielded my eyes from the sun and looked up at Jack. I studied him for a moment and said, seriously to my daughter, "Yes, Rhiannon. This is your father."

Rhia squealed in delight and grabbed onto both my hand and Jack's and tugged us up towards our house.

"Run along, Rhia. We'll be right there, alright?"

"Yes, mummy." And with that, Rhia went skipping happily up the hill.

Jack grabbed onto my now empty hand and we stood silently for a moment. "She's beautiful, Christy."

I smiled broadly, once more. "She takes after you."

"And that's a bad thing?" Jack asked playfully.

"Depends," I answered floppishly.

"You're beautiful, Christina," Jack murmured as he pulled me close to him.

I leaned my head into his chest and said, "So are you."

"Ye know, pirates aren't supposed to be beautiful. We're supposed to be frightenin'," Jack said to my hair.

I tilted my head back, lifted off the same tri-corner hat that he had when I saw him last, "Well, this one is," I said conclusively before I kissed him once more. When we broke apart, I leaned up and whispered in his ear, "I missed you."

Jack didn't answer but kissed me lightly on the forehead and began to lead me up to the house.

"Do you want to stay a while?" I asked, heart in throat. I waited a moment but no response came so I blundered on, "I haven't made dinner yet and if you just wanted to stay for that..."

I stopped when Jack laid a finger on my lips. "I've got plenty of time and no where else more important to be. Don't worry so much, love."

I grinned foolishly and led Jack through the house and into the kitchen.

FIN

For now...

-A-

Author's Notes -

Well...It's over. I can't believe that I just wrote that sentence. It feels unbelievably odd to be finishing the story. When you spend six months writing a story it becomes a part of your mind, ingrained in your thoughts and a part of your soul, almost. I am rather sad to be finishing it, but its not the end. Its only another beginning, as everything is. My sequel "Beyond the Horizon," will be posted in either late July or early August. I hope that it will get as positive of a response as WIaN did and am anxious to write more.

I'd also like to give huge thanks to all my reviewers and readers and say that I couldn't have done it without you. (And I don't mean that in the way that everybody says it, but I actually mean it.) Without my reviewers, I would not have had the confidence to post the story in the first place, let alone write a sequel. Even those of you who don't review (I know you're out there) are greatly appreciated. Anyone who has me on their favourites list or author alert lists gets even bigger hugs and thanks. I really appreciate your appreciation of my story.

I hope that you all will stay safe and have an enjoyable July.

May your days be filled with beauty and your nights with many stars.

Mange Klemmar,

CrazyCanoeingGIT