Dark Tides

Bartimus Weldon was more than a little shocked to open his front door to find a dark haired man holding his daughter in his arms, limp and bleeding. Even stranger was the sight of his allegedly dead ward and the striking young blond beside him. He had ushered them into the house quickly, before any of the neighbors noticed. Then he sent word to his eldest son to come immediately and tend to his sister.

"Benjamin, as good as it is to see you alive, I admit I am a bit perplexed. What in God's name is going on here, and what's happened to my daughter?"

"Daddy, I'm fine," Emily piped up meekly. "It's really not as bad as it looks."

"Emily Weldon, don't try that nonsense with me. You've been stabbed. Good heavens, my dear girl, what are you trying to do to me?"

"Well I didn't mean to get stabbed," Emily protested.

"Well just what did you mean to do, then?"

Emily wrinkled her nose at her father and would've stubbornly crossed her arms, if it didn't hurt so bad to do so.

"I meant to blow up a pirate ship and that's just what I did," she replied. Bartimus pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"This child," he said to no one in particular. Henry Weldon arrived then, looking frazzled. His jaw dropped at the sight before him.

"Gracious Em, what have you done now?" he asked. "I haven't witnessed Father so frantic since you punched that dog when you were five. Ben aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Nice to see you too, Henry."

Henry knelt next to Emily, muttering to himself as he started tending to her wound. Emily was the one to launch into an explanation, quieting only after Henry insisted she stop talking or he'd gag her with one of his socks.

"You can't talk while I'm working," he said sternly. "Save your strength."

Emily sat back with a huff and Ben told the rest of the story, pausing and rolling his eyes whenever Scarlett butted in. Henry seemed stunned but Bartimus listened to everything in pensive silence; from Ben and Emily's original kidnapping, to the revelation of Scarlett's real identity, to the magic island and amulet, to the events that led to her second kidnapping and subsequent stabbing. Emily and Percy omitted all the times she had snuck out to meet him or he had snuck in to see her; though Emily did tell her father what Percy had some to Gregory on her behalf. Finally the story came to an end and Bartimus nodded slowly. Emily was feeling drained by the end, but she struggled to stay awake to see what her father was going to say.

"So, Madeline Triggs became a pirate, kidnapped Ben to obtain a map to a legendary treasure, ceased caring about said treasure because she and Ben fell in love, fought another crew of pirates for the treasure and won, she and Ben are now immortal, my daughter incurred the wrath of another pirate, and has been tinkering around with weapons making. Does that about cover it?"

"Yes, sir," Ben said. Bartimus leaned back in his chair.

"It's nice to see you again, Madeline," he said to Scarlett. "Now I understand why your father's spirits have lifted as of late. We always used to speculate that you and my Benjamin would become an item later."

"Did everyone know this but me?" Ben grumbled. "She was an absolute terror as a child."

Scarlett swatted his arm. "I was an angel," she told him. Bartimus chuckled and then turned his gaze to Percy, who had mostly kept quiet and stayed close to the couch where Emily was lying. He straightened and edged away but Bartimus held up a hand to stop him.

"Percy, is it? I want to thank you for looking out for my daughter."

Percy nodded, looking uncertain. "She's done her fair share of looking out for me too, sir."

"Yes, she does that." Bartimus took Emily's hand and she gave him a wan smile.

"I think you need to get some rest, my dear. You've had quite a day."

"I'm not tired," Emily lied.

"Moonbeam, that didn't work at bedtime when you were a child and it won't work now."

Emily sighed. "Fine. Can I at least walk to my room myself?"

"Permission denied." Bartimus smiled and scooped his daughter up like he did when she was a little girl.

"Daddy stop it you'll hurt yourself," Emily protested.

"Nonsense I'm fit as a fiddle."

Emily rolled her eyes and caught Percy's gaze over her father's shoulder. She gave him as meaningful a look as she could before Bartimus whisked her away and up to her room. She fell asleep before he even reached the top of the stairs, but stirred when she heard Percy come in from the balcony. He knelt beside her bed and she opened her heavy eyelids.

"I just wanted to check on you. I should go and let you get back to sleep," he whispered.

"No," Emily murmured. "Stay with me for a while."

He brushed a lock of hair off her face. "You could have died today, Emily."

"But I didn't. So stop your fussing."

Percy sighed but he was smiling slightly. Emily let her eyes flutter closed again while Percy gently stroked her hair.

"You didn't need to do that, Em," he said.

"It was my fault," Emily murmured. "He never would have come back for us if I hadn't gone to that tavern. You wouldn't have been away from your mother when she needed you, either. I had to make it right somehow."

"Emily it wasn't your-"

"Shh." Emily reached up to try and shush him, mostly succeeding in smooshing his nose with her palm since her eyes were closed and she has half unconscious already.

"It was my fault," she repeated groggily. "But I think I fixed it, mostly. I went back and paid the innkeeper. I don't remember if I told you. He thought we were newly weds. Isn't that funny? There I was trying to keep myself in my own little corner of the bed and he thought we were on a honeymoon. I woke up and I was all tangled up with you and I knew I should move away but I didn't want to so I went back to sleep. You're very handsome Percy I don't know if I ever told you. I think I did once a long time ago but I don't remember."

"Emily, you've lost a lot of blood and you're tired." Percy gently took her hand off his face. "You're rambling nonsense."

"Am not." Her words were growing dreamy and sluggish. "Don't leave till I fall asleep okay?"

"I'll be right here. I promise."



Emily woke up to a dull throbbing in her side. She grimaced and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She cleaned up and went downstairs in search of her father. She found him in the library, with Teddy, Finnigan and Edmund Triggs.

"Em you should still be resting," Teddy chided gently.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Bartimus asked.

"Like I want to know what the four of you are up to."

"I was just telling them all about your fascinating inventions," Bartimus said. "It seems you're even more talented than we had originally thought, and that's really saying something. I have a proposal for you. Well, we all do, actually. You were never meant for an ordinary life, my precious Emily. We all knew it the day you were born. Edmund has taken an interest in investing in Teddy's inventions, expanding the enterprise if you will. But we'll be needing a second lab, and therefore another lead inventor."

Emily stared at them all, taking in their eager, beaming smiles. It still took several moments for her father's words to sink in.

"You want...me? To be an inventor?"

"Mr. Triggs has requested you specifically, in fact. You can assemble your own small staff with whomever you see fit, and you'll head your own lab with plenty of resources. If you're interested in the job, of course."

Emily was so ecstatic she couldn't speak for a moment. Then she threw herself at her father, hugging him tightly.

"Easy, you'll rip your stitches," he said, hugging her back gently around her shoulders. She hugged Edmund, Teddy and even Finnigan, planting kisses on all their cheeks.

"Does that mean you want the job?" Teddy asked.

"Of course I want the job!" she exclaimed. She was smiling so hard her face hurt. She would not spend her life trying to find an upstanding husband whose shadow she could stand in. She would make her own name for herself, and do something worthwhile with her life.

"Thank you," she said, wiping tears from her face. "I can't possibly thank you all enough."

"I'll see you at your celebration dinner tonight, Em." Teddy planted a kiss on the top of her head and Finnigan gave her a warm smile as they left.

"Ben and Scarlett are still in town," her father said. "They wanted to be sure you were really all right before leaving. They've been spending some time catching up with their parents."

Edmund Triggs grimaced slightly. "Mary Griffith certainly gave me an earful," he said. "I thank you for stepping in, Bartimus."

"She's half Irish. I wasn't going to get in the way. You got yourself into this."

Emily giggled. "She gave Ben a rather righteous beating when she saw him."

"Serves him right," Bartimus said with a nod. "He should have known better. Men's judgement tends to be very clouded when pretty girls are involved."

He and Edmund exchanged knowing looks and Emily bit back another giggle.

"Come along, my dear. I want to speak with you." Bartimus rose and linked his arm with hers. They went to the garden and sat beside the fountain.

"You've had quite the wild adventures this past year," Bartimus said.

"It's been amazing, Daddy. I've seen places I never even dreamed of and met some of the most wonderful people."

"Like that Percy fellow?"

Emily flushed and pretended to be fascinated by the birds hopping along the edge of the fountain. "He's my friend," she said casually.

"Indeed. He's an interesting sort; a bit rough around the edges perhaps but he seems like he has a good head on his shoulders."

"He's wonderful," Emily agreed.

"Emily my darling, you are the heart and soul of this family. You are my only daughter and while I wish you could forever remain the child you once were, I know that you must grow up. And I wish nothing but a lifetime of happiness for you now that you're ready to strike out on your own."

"Daddy, what are you talking about?"

"Emily did you really think I wouldn't notice? From the first moment you glanced at that boy when you came home yesterday I knew." Bartimus chuckled quietly. "You young people. Always thinking we old timers aren't sharp enough to catch on. I know that look in your eyes."

"He's the only man besides you and my brothers that hasn't looked at me like there was something wrong with me," Emily admitted.

"Then he definitely has a good head on his shoulders."

Emily took that to mean her father gave his blessing, though she wasn't sure what to do with it. She had no idea if Percy wanted to spend his entire life with her. He had more or less told Nathaniel that he loved her back on the ship, but she didn't know how to broach the subject with him. She continued to dwell on it as she prepared to join her family for dinner that night. Bartimus, ever the one to choose the most unorthodox method of doing anything, whisked them all off to the park in their finery and had the food laid out like a picnic. Mary Griffith and Edmund Triggs joined them, as well as Finnigan and Simon.

Simon, Emily noticed, kept a safe distance from Mary and she supposed Mary had let him have it too. The idea made her snicker. She sprawled in the grass in her blush colored satin gown and told stories to her nieces and nephews. She was overseeing a game of tag when she saw the Harrington family approaching. She shooed the children away and strode forward to meet them while her gathered family watched. There were other people out for a summer evening stroll, and they too stopped to watch with interest.

"Glad to see you're doing well, Miss Weldon," Gregory said, voice saccharine and louder than necessary. "We were terribly worried when we heard that you'd been injured. We called upon you at your home, but your housekeeper said you'd be here."

"So I am," Emily said stiffly. "What can I do for you, Mr. Harrington? My family and I are having dinner."

"I just need a moment. As you know, I've fancied you for quite some time now. I'm afraid I simply cannot wait any longer. I wanted to ask you, Emily Weldon, to be my wife." He beamed at her while his mother and father stood looking on with pride. They thought this was a sure thing. They believed she'd say yes. Other people gathered in the park began to murmur and stare.

"I may remind you, Emily, that you'll likely never receive another proposal so its in your best interest to accept mine," Gregory added in a lower voice. Emily gave him a brittle smile.

"I may remind you, Gregory, that you are a disgrace. You're a coward and a spoiled bully. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth. I'd rather die alone than spend another moment in your company. The sight of you makes me physically sick. I like myself the way I am, and so does my family. If anything, you need to be molded into suitable husband material. I do know my place, Mr. Harrington, and it is most certainly not beside you. But I do owe you one thing."

Continuing to smile sweetly, Emily struck him so hard across the face that his head snapped to the side.

"Don't worry; the bruise fades in a few days. Good evening, Harringtons." She curtsied deeply and then spun on her heel and marched away from the stunned Harrington family to the sound of her family applauding.