With a family like the Sparrows there are a few secrets kept hidden.

A Day With The Sparrows IV

If You Had My Love

Older, more experienced, he paces back and forth. At first the screaming heard from upstairs causes his hands to form fists and his jaw to clench. His expression is tight and whenever he paced into the direction of Nick, he sincerely considered punching the young man out the grand window behind him. Nervously the young man just glanced to his father-in-law, who wore the look of hunger in murder.

Not even the servants dared entering the grand chamber downstairs where the men were. Whenever one did, he would be fast to sneak out before Jack had the chance to snap. The master of the villa was boiling in anger.

Now this idiot Nick had not only married his daughter. But also knocked her up.

That bloody devil deserved to be below soil.

When he turns around for a hundredth time and grows bitter at the sight of Nick, he hesitates for a moment before locking eye with his son-in-law. As if Nick would know, he immediately stands with hands up in surrender, silently praying Jack will not harm him. But the upset Jack is already marching towards him. Harshly he grabs him by the collar and pushes him up the wall, his eyes piercing right through him. By the time he opens his mouth, no idea of what words he will holler at the young man, Maria's wrenching shriek causes him to pause. Instead, turning worried.

His daughter.

She was in pain. In a great pain.

And it was all bloody Nick's fault!

"Who is he?"

Angelica eyes her daughter watchfully. They are sitting in the dining room, ready to dive into the soup when she decides to drop the question. After noticing something different in her daughter lately, she just could not resist popping it.

How late her daughter returns home from friends. How she one more time pauses in front of a mirror to adjust her hair. How she literally snatches her letters away from Angelica's hands as soon as she gets inside, eager to open them secretly in her room - and how she tries to hide her smile away.

Once she popped the question when the teenager was inside her bedroom and Angelica combed her hair. Slowly she had paused, nosily trying to find out. But Maria's lips were sealed.

Right at once, Maria blushes and rolls her eyes. "No one, Mamí."

A mother notices.

And Angelica with her intuition, definitely does.

"Right," she replies, absolutely not buying it at all.

She is about to open her mouth again when an absent-minded Jack suddenly enters the room, plopping down at the table as well. Lately he has had a lot going on, debating whether to invest in another ship or not. In need of a new vessel but not too keen on fumbling up the unnecessary money for it. But his crew wanted it and came with decent proposals, one which he for the past time has considered a bit more on a serious level.

Maria discreetly shoots her mother a warning glare and now Angelica has to roll her eyes. In some way she understands. Jack always overreacts when it comes to Maria. This sort of family life is nothing she really never herself experienced, however she tries her best to balance it well. How to parent. That meaning, she does not have experience from great parenthood, precisely. But she really does her best herself to give her children a good guidance in life.

Switching to Spanish, Angelica decides to push the matter. "¿Quién es él? (Who is he?)"

This is not appreciated by Maria at all. Nervously, she glances to her father that eyes her suspiciously back. He is not a stupid man. And even if Maria knows she is dazzling at manipulating him, smoothly coming up with white lies as she got her will through, she knew as much as her mother did, that she never even could be compared to Angelica's victories. But one thing straight - she needed him not to suspect anything going on with his precious daughter, as much as that, she did know. If he knew anything, hell would for sure break loose.

"Nadie que conozcas. (Nobody you know of)," she responds and keeps stirring her bowl of soup. Jack eyes them suspiciously before grabbing ahold of a spoon and digs into his soup. However his gaze keeps traveling between mother and daughter. He knows they are up to something. For some reason, something bad always occur to him after the duo switch their tongues to Spanish. He loved the language when it came from Angelica, inside their private quarters, but elsewhere, ANYWHERE else - he hated it. It meant nothing but trouble if spoken outside his bedroom, he can assure that.

Knowingly, Angelica smiles almost teasingly. "El hijo del gobernador, ¿verdad? (The governor's son, right?)"

Maria bites her tongue in frustation of her mother not stopping pushing it in front of her father, and thereof in pure reaction tries to kick Angelica under the table, but unfortunately ends up kicking Jack instead. Immediately his spoon drops and he firmly stares Maria down across the table.

"What be ye doin?"

"Forgive me, Papí."

Papí? Angelica peers at Maria. Her girl cannot fool her. She is so not finished yet. "¿Es Nick? (Is it Nick?)"

If only looks could kill? When Jack's attention is on the dinner, Maria's expression gravely warns her mother for continuing the conversation. Would she just stop it and shut her mouth? If it only were possible to just disappear? Melt right through the chair itself and just… leave. Then Maria would.

"Why are the two of you speaking Spanish?" Jack accuses and raises his finger to point at them both. "You're up to something."

Because he knows. Whenever Angelica planned something behind his back, or was upset with a decision he had made, she would speak Spanish. Of course because he barely understands a word. A few curses were unluckily familiar, and a few sweetening ones she would claim on her opposite mood. Or else, these long sentences make no sense for him. And again, he only had bad experience of the language uttered outside his room. Their room.

Ignoring her husband as if he is air, Angelica even distantly manages to push down his hand, earning a glare that she never notices. "¿Estás enamorado de él? (Are you in love with him?)"

"My Goodness, Mom!" Maria exclaims. Would she just shut it?!

A crush. How sweet. Maybe. Or maybe not. Angelica cannot decide what. Maria is young, and that is a fact. Knowing the dangers of what those sorts of emotions can do to one, a protective side does grow in her as a mother. Even if it would be very sweet if it turned out to be Nick, as he appears to be a gentleman, cute and in general someone Angelica herself favors as a future son in law. But it never neglects that she first of all is a mother that does look out for her daughter's interests. And knowing herself at around that age, encountering Jack. He too appeared a gentleman. Perhaps he was, is, in a way. Unfortunately though she is very aware of hurt too, and that is something she would do anything to avoid letting their daughter go through. Such pain can be awful. And she does not want Maria to feel that.

"¿Quieres que te preguntaré en inglés? (You want me to ask you in English?)"

Angrily, Maria stands up with such force she pushes the chair back. She has had enough. Palms lay flatly as support when she leans over the table, challengingly facing her mother. It is apparent she has inherited the hot-temper of her mom, and truly pushes Angelica to a challenging point at many moments.

A moment like this.

If her dear mother wants to play that game, she shall know young Maria is of her flesh and blood. Just as conniving, dangerously charming and hot tempered as Angelica could be, Maria was it all just as much.

"Si haces eso… Voy a decirle cómo hundiste dos de sus barcos, porque querías que se quedara en casa." (If you do that… I will tell him how you sunk two of his ships, because you wanted him to stay home.)

In shock she played her back, Angelica's mouth hangs open. As the opportunity sets, Maria uses this moment well and storms out of the room. And Angelica does not really know where to go on, completely left out of air. How in the world did Maria know that? She could not believe her own daughter used the same technique back at her? Leaving Angelica on her own to face her now questioning husband. So unfair.

Peering at his wife, Jack is highly skeptical that she will spill the truth. "What be that about?" he wonders in a slightly demanding tone.

"I just..," she swallows the amused chuckle and instead refills her glass with red wine. "Forget in between, that she really, is my daughter."

"Outsmarting ye?" Jack winks.

Biting her tongue, she shakes her head - however in agreement. "Exactly."

Filling his own glass, Jack salutes with her. "And equally manipulative, eh."

Frowning, Angelica swallows with a gulp. "Perhaps." When she puts the glass back down, she leans a bit over her backrest, turned to him, head tilted as she rests on it while examining Jack. "Will you be here for long?"

The underlying question would rather sound 'For how long will you stay?', but she never wants to give him an opportunity of implying an exact number of weeks, or worse - days, before he took a hat on top of his head. That captain hat.

Once when Maria was smaller, she had even bribed the girl to play with it. Anything to let it break or better, get lost, and Jack would maybe reconsider leave for the sea. The balance worked though, and for that matter, Angelica knows what Jack needs. And it is the sea. So she lets him. But it never means that she does not miss him, worries sick for him and just longs for the day when she sees him enter the gates of their estate. And in another way, she remains silent of such matters. Never in need of exposing her touchy side as too longing. He can probably tell anyhow, but she just refuses to confirm it to him in words. And therefore remains silent about it.

"Another one of those bloody mysterious thieves sunk yet another of my ships a week ago," Jack sighs. "Got the letter today. I won't be able to set sail for another three weeks."

It is first when Jack reflects her grin, that she realizes she is smiling.

"If I didn't know better, one could think you'd be the person behind all of those wreckages," he speaks.

"Hmm..," instead of responding, she just nods once in indication for him to lean in. Teasingly, her hand pulls his collar forcefully towards her, a smirk as she sees his gaze on her parted lips.

Taste him, embrace him. Anything to savor the sensation of having him close to her. And she is just about to meet his lips when…

"Mrs Teague."

Apologetically a servant knocks on the open door into the dining room. By the married couple's position, he can understand his presence caused an interruption. And that is not just because of their disappointed looks that has to tear from each other.

"Albert," Angelica breathes and immediately smiles.

"I just wanted to announce that the plants you had ordered from Seville are here. They are very beautiful."

When she stands, Jack grabs her wrist and lets her guide him with her. Sensually, he leans into her to whisper.

"I also had an order shipped for ye."

Recognizing his tone, she looks his way, somewhat in awe. After nudging him playfully, she awes over her palm tree plant in an antique molded pot, pompously put in the centre of the entrance room. This is precisely how she imagined it to look like. All neighbors will be jealous of this grand decoration. She barely even realizes that she circles around the plant, greatly amazed by it.

"It's stunning," she eventually lets out.

Albert the servant nods and seems to be checking a list. "We have a detailed plan on how it will be treated, Mrs Teague. It is very fragile for a beginning and must be taken care of with highest prestige. No watering nor any sort of liquid for a beginning."

She just keeps beaming and smiling widely, that Jack almost rolls his eyes. Only his wife would get this excited over a thing like a Spanish plant. Probably because it came from Spain and her pride of the country was something she enjoyed pushing onto anybody anywhere. Her home forming into a typical Spanish hacienda, day by day passing, Jack noticed a little difference each time he returned home.

However just as he is about to leave, another knock on the door causes him to stop. It must be the shipment he had himself ordered? Deviously he shoots his surprised wife a grin and opens the door. A man from the harbor stands there, a great package in his hands. Immediately he hands it over to Albert, and begins to read from an informative paper.

"This is a package for Mr. Jack Teague," he speaks and looks up to examine Jack. "This must be the property belonging to him?"

Jack takes the package from Albert eagerly and nods for the servant to go outside with the delivery man. "Will ye sign for me?"

As Albert goes outside, Jack turns around and holds it for Angelica. "Open it."

It is a dress.

But not precisely one that would be proper for royalty.

Fine fabrics shipped from another continent before reaching the European coastline of Seville. Coming all the way from the middle east's silk, forming thin layers of a perfect color in different shades. Marvelous, is the word for it. Exclusiveness of it must shimmer in any moonlight and Angelica almost gasps as of the overly tight waist and pushy cleavage the chest area must cause.

Not a dress for a conservative queen.

But a flirty and hot one for a night princess. A seductive version of Angelica. Too typical of her husband.

When she lowers the dress and peeps Jack's apologetic shrugging, she winks at him. Vision goes back to the dress as she opens her mouth. "And what will you do to earn having me wearing this?"

She puts it back in the box and Jack's smirk remains. Not expecting another reply, she taps his cheek and shakes her head amused. "It's marvelous."

And for a brief moment as she walks upstairs, looking over her shoulder to watch Jack hand the package over to the servant that returns inside.

And she remembers.

She remembers the invitation letter laid perfectly on their table, handed from the servant all those years aback.

"The governor's annual celebration," Jack had read.

The servant beams proudly in the background. "If I may interfere, Captain Teague."

Jack and Angelica both look over their shoulders to Albert.

"I share your grand excitement," he continues in announcement.

Chuckling, Angelica only shrugs. "What for? It's only an invitation…" And she had not understood until then.

"Oh no, Madame!" Albert seems shocked. "It's the invitation. You are hereby inside their bubble. A bubble you will never want to leave. People from all nearby islands want to get invited to this."

Jack would be wondering. "Is that so?"

Albert nods eagerly. "Oh it does! And it only took you about a few years! Other people had to wait generations before an invitation was handed them."

And months later when this evening came, Jack had surprised her that morning with a gift. Breakfast was over as she rounded the corner past the entrance room to head upstairs when he stopped her.

"Luv," and he grabbed her wrist to swing her around back to him. Ending up in his embrace, she playfully pushed him away from her. "Got a gift for ya."

He showed her the package and let her open it, watching very intently on how she lit up and soon jumped onto him with arms hugging him tightly to her.

"Gracias, mi amor," she would purr, a smile quirky in corner of her lips. She had snatched the package and quickly jumped into the gown. At first Jack had wanted to comment her chest appearing ginormous but kept silent. They in fact had during the past weeks since his arrival home. Instead he could not stop staring.

As the trio had walked a few gardens away, Angelica did her best not to stumble on her dress, her arm crooked in Jack's and little Maria strolled in front of them, protectively under the watch of her parents.

"Apparently we need to make a good impression," Angelica speaks and curses as she almost stumbles.

"Mierda," Maria mimics and Angelica curses again.

Jack pulls his wife closer to his side. "Now, what could possibly go wrong, luv?"

Aye, what could possibly go wrong?

And so it begins.

How they barely manage to get past introduction in a group of people before their angelic Maria utters.

"But Papá, I thought you were a pirate?"

At first, everyone in the group had silenced, frozen in posture and just stared at the young lady frowning at her father. Nervously Jack chuckled, shaken his head and Angelica placed herself behind Maria to cover their darling traitor's mouth with her hand.

"Oh, no, she must refer to the bedtime stories," Jack tried to save the situation.

And the group of fancy dressed folks began to smile again, regaining color in their faces as they were about to speak again.

"No, Papí is the pirate captain of the Pearl!" Maria gets free from her mother's grasp, truly with the greatest intention of bragging about her dear father.

Again, having everyone stunned, eying Jack and Angelica who struggle with keeping their daughter's big fat mouth shut.

"Maria, you know your father is a commodore getting pirates caught," Angelica pretends speaking informatively to Maria but really in a higher tone to convince everyone else. Against Angelica's hand, she can feel how Maria is trying to bite it and speak into it.

"No, Papá is a pirate! You told me!"

"Would you excuse me?" Angelica drowns Maria's voice as she pulls her away from the group, only to hear Jack further try to save the event.

"Anyone knows The Pearl is a wonderful fairytale story to tell a child," the Teague amusingly speaks.

And everyone in the group laughs along with Jack, completely on the same page.

"Is not!" Maria fights but Angelica lifts the struggling child.

"Maria, ¡Silencio!" She warns her daughter. She holds her a bit from her face and they stare challengingly to one another.

"Pero, Mamí, es verdad, ¿no?"

What is she about to say? If she agreed, she risked Maria spreading the word because of her great pride. And if she did not agree to Maria's saying, and with their daughter already knowing the truth - she also risked Marie spreading the word again because of her great pride. Mierda that her child had to be proud of Jack's piracy.

"Es nuestro secreto, (It's our secret)" she eventually sighs. This is her only hope.

And she is surprised by Maria's firm nod. "Alright, Mamí. Es nuestro secreto. I won't tell."

Much calmer now, Angelica puts her daughter back to the ground.

Now this was not so hard right? They still had a good chance of making a good impression. And she is just about to rejoin the group of people where Jack is, when she senses this grand odor. This awful smell as if a rat lays rotten nearby, and is served on a tray.

A servant comes around the corner with oysters and Angelica gets pale, bends over, emptying herself into a pot, missing the fine flower planted in it.

So… Jack was a pirate captain. And his wife was a bloody drunk.

What would the people think of them?

She did not even dare looking up from the dirt in the pot, feeling the looks burning on her.

Deciding to tell the truth, and aim to save their reputation, she decides to go for the truth.

"I need fresh air," she faces the staring group, including Jack. He looks worriedly over her but tries to sooth over the event.

"Come on, luv. You were fine at home. Not bringing on the flue, are you?" He winks at her, trying to continue playing the game with her.

Angelica brushes her dress and apologetically looks at the new friends staring at her as if she was a scandalous lady.

"I am pregnant."

And with those words, all expressions softened. All except for Jack's.

Jack that beforehand had looked content, looked like he was having a grander shock than when when he found out they had forgotten to bring along rum on a longer holiday to Spain's coast many years ago.

But any other person inside the room seemed to beam over the news.

"I am with child," Angelica repeated as she got drowned in congratulations and cheerful hugs from the new friends.

Jack quickly approached her and pulled her aside with him. "She need fresh air!" In panic shouting her words repeatingly.

First outside on a terrace, he manages shutting the doors behind him. "Tell me yer -."

"I'm serious, Jack," she cuts him off.

And for the first time since her pregnancy announcement of Maria, she witnessed Jack's fainting. Perhaps for a good cause. At first that night she had been worried their antics would lead them to a very bad rumor.

She means…

For starters: the tantrum of Maria and Jack's rumor of being involved in piracy.

Secondly, the lady pukes.

And thirdly, Jack faints.

What could more go wrong?

But it worked like a charm. Everyone caring and only happy it lived up the party. For the greatest shock, and a part where Jack would change faith if he could travel back - it was definitely the moment the governor and his wife approached the Teagues.

"You must be Maria's parents," the governor spoke cheerily.

Nodding between each other, Angelica had a slight worry the girl had slipped information she should not have.

"Lovely to meet you," the wife had her hand out welcomingly. "Our Nick seems to love playing with Maria. They have such a marvelous time together."

"Appears so," Jack comments. Obviously still no idea this devil child one day will capture his daughter's heart.

Now the following was a joke, it was. But no sentence, utterance nor suggestion has ever freaked Jack out more than this. Even back then.

"How fun wouldn't it be if Nick asked for her hand in marriage when they grow older?"

It was a joke, and all laughed. Or in correction: all except for Jack.

Before any drama would occur, Angelica tried hitting Jack's chest loosely with the back of her hand, leaning into him sideways to hiss. "She doesn't mean it, Jack."

And she had truly believed that would not happen. But how wrong his wife had been. And grumpily he had pointed it out too many times. How many times he wished they never went to that infernal party. However it brings great memories too. Most of all when Angelica finally could get Jack help her rip the tight dress off her. It had been an expensive one-time dress, that is for sure.

Just as the dress she now got from Jack. All these years later. She moves to the box and opens it, ready to take the dress on. Everyone asleep in the house, except for her and Jack.

She can feel his close presence behind her as she removes the lock of the box.

It is empty.

He stops kissing her shoulder but keeps his fingers pulling in the fabric of the skirt she has on.

"Where be the dress?" He wonders.

Angelica frowns. "You didn't take it?"

It earns a chuckle from Jack. He had definitely not taken it. But Angelica is slightly upset.

"Someone stole my dress."

It is a tragic, aye, it be. But by now he has no time to hunt down whomever among the maids that could not resist stealing it. Not when he has a moment alone with his wife.

"Ye don't need it now anyway."

And that was true.

He touchily leans down to meet her lips and get her back to the sensual mood as they get interrupted by a knock on the door.

What the bloody damn would be so hard to just leave him and his wife ALONE? She aims to go for the door but Jack holds her back to continue making out with her, believing them ignoring the knocking door will cause the person to eventually give up.

But it does not stop knocking.

Angrily he throws the door open.

"WHAT?"

Albert almost jumps.

"Miss Genevieve Williams is downstairs, informing she has an urgent message for you, My Lord."

Angelica frowns from behind Jack. "Why would Maria's best friend want to speak with Jack?"

Albert only shrugs. "I have no clue, My Lady. Perhaps she does not wish to awake Miss Maria?"

That could be.

Grabbing a proper sort of pullover, Jack joins Albert downstairs but gets left alone in private with Miss Genevieve. She looks worriedly at Jack and clasps her hands desperately together.

"Oh, you must forgive me, Lord Teague!" She pleads.

Jack frowns. What is this? What is she doing? This is not her alike. Surely Maria and her friends act all dramatic, but this is just too…

"You must forgive us all, Lord Teague!" She continues.

Jack crosses his arms. "Tell now, Genevieve?"

She gulps before gaining enough strength to spill. "Maria got drunk, and needs help to come home."

At first he thinks he heard her wrongly. That cannot just be. He even chuckles but while frowning. "No, Genny. That cannot be. Maria is asleep upstairs."

He can read Genevieve's expression and just must say it as if it would convince them both. "Inside her room!"

Genevieve bites her tongue. "Nick has a party. He turned sixteen."

Slowly realizing this is no prank, Jack grows mad. "Are ye implying my daughter is at Nick's house, now? And drunk?!"

"Oh, Lord Teague! You must forgive her!" Miss Genevieve continues to plead. "You know us girls, we take care of her. Nick lets her sleep in his room and we all bring her water."

Jack storms out with Genevieve running beside him. "That imbecile backward drip."

Suddenly Jack stops. So, HIS daughter has sneaked out of the house. Gotten to a secret PARTY. LIED to him about this, and worse, gotten DRUNK, and worser than worst - all of this at the idiot called NICK?!

"How did you get the alcohol?" He demands to know.

Again, Genevieve bites her tongue. "She took your rum."

Oh dear...

"MY RUM?"

Now Jack marches towards Nick's house, boiling in anger. He looks like a ticking bomb, fragile for explosion. It is the grand house he has spent too many late nights at, celebrating with the governor and friends during different cheerful occasions, together with Angelica. If he could rewind time to that first moment when they decided upon attending the annual event, he would have avoided it right from start. That way Nick and Maria never really would have grown to friends, or whatever.

As he marches, Genevieve is hurrying beside him to keep up with the pace. She is pleadingly letting out kind words, audibly praying for her friend Maria but also realizes that her friend's angry father seems to not hear a word.

A few teenagers step aside and hide their drinks as Jack storms through the house, hot on Miss Genevieve's heels upstairs. He has many times been in the mansion and knows pretty much all corners of it but grows nevertheless more frustrated for each moment he understands they are approaching Nick's room. Surely as he did not want, he enters NIck's room and sees Maria bending over. Another friend has a bucket below the bed to which his daughter throws up. He can tell they are all intoxicated. This party had definitely gone wrong.

There is this urge in him to demand answers for such a behavior of the children. Tell them all off, even his own daughter. Wonder what the hell they were doing, ruining their lives like that. But as soon as he lays his eyes on Maria, everything changes and instead he wants nothing but to carry her home and lovingly tuck her into bed.

Suddenly Nick enters the room with a cup of water. "I think we ought to help Maria with this!"

Jack does not know what is worse. Perhaps that he truly sees the genuine worry for his daughter's wellbeing displayed in Nick's face, that he cares for Maria or that the boy seems to be infatuated with her. That he as a parent appears to have no sort of control or idea of what his daughter is up to or the fact that she lied to him. That his own best friend lied to him.

As Nick notices Jack's presence, he tenses and immediately stop his actions, clearly understanding the risk of receiving a good punch from Jack. However Jack even surprises himself when he just storms past Nick and aims for Maria. Swiftly he lifts her up. Tomorrow he will tell her off for stealing his rum, sneaking out like this, drinking at this age, partying like this and specifically being around the Nick-drip. And a little consequence for her stealing the dress Angelica was supposed to wear.

He takes a note of it. Angelica would definitely kill her.

This was certainly not a dress he wanted his daughter to wear.

He is fuming in irritation of her, but right now, he wants nothing else but to just bring her home.

"Sorry, Dad," Maria slurry manages to get out before she pukes air. Jack rolls his eyes.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, savvy?" he mutters under his breath.

Maria groans with her heavy eyelids and almost falls asleep in his arms as he walks them home. When they approach the front door, he sets her down with a steady hold around her to assist her balance while trying to open the door. As soon as he opens it, Maria stumbles inside and before Jack has an opportunity to stop the coming event, she has grabbed ahold of the pot with the palm tree and throws up in Angelica's newest baby creature.

Alright. Now Angelica definitely would kill her too.

He goes for her aid and helps her out. "I'm going to die," Maria lets out and Jack does not know whether he shall laugh or cry at his dramatic daughter.

"Ye're not," he speaks the following under his breath. "Because Angelica'll take care of that."

And he would be right. If he were mad, aye he was. But it was nothing compared as to how Angelica reacted in the morning. Fortunately for Jack, he understood no Spanish getting yelled. However when he heard the name Nick mentioned, he would chip in and force grounding her.

But no matter how angry the parents would be, upset, of their daughter's continuous mischief, they would always stand by her side in the end. As she, Angelica does. Holding Maria's hand and lovingly caressing her forehead whenever moment allows her. They barely say anything to each other, just Angelica's soothing and comforting words spoken as she tries to help Maria as best she can.

And when the doctor finally helps Maria, the screaming of the child taken care of assistants, Angelica is the one who is handed the child. A tiny girl. And when Maria has rest needed ahead of her, Angelica has to stop tracks outside the bedroom, tiny baby in her hands as she realizes she has become a grandmother. When the doors open to the chamber, she sees Jack's angry finger pointing threateningly at Nick. And she must sigh at the vision.

When would he ever accept Nick fully? When would he understand what a great man Nick was?

She must clear her throat to gain their attention. And as soon as they booth see her, their upset faces disappear, immediately turning into a loving curiosity. And it was the first time they laid their eyes upon the baby girl, but also a first time Jack announced distantly, "I forgive ye."

As if everything just washed away. All years of Jack hating Nick. All years of Jack trying to sneakily kill off the young man. Everything just... gone.

And he did forgive Nick from there on. For taking his daughter and all mischief he had caused his beloved Maria to do.

But most of all, he forgave him for everything.

When he sees the baby girl in Angelica's arms, he just knows that... he will not be able to hate Nick ever again.

A/N: Like it/Hate it? :-) (This was a request). Until next time!

I have never really (well, obviously haha) seen Jack and Angelica as parents. Let alone grandparents, so I try to do my best when thinking of how they would be in parenthood. :-)