It was a couple of days after the events of Barcelona, the crew was recovering from that event day. Thassilion was on the mend, still bedridden, thanks to the doctor’s orders.
The children were left to their own devices as their parents fulfilled their duties on board. In the nursery, the two toddlers were setting up wooden blocks with great disinterest.
Billie nudged Kit, "Les get cookies!!"
Kit grinned at her, nodding in agreement as she looked up to the older blonde toddler. Billie looked around, smirking,
" Kit, we we got be sneak...." She squeaked with a strange serious tone to her voice.
Billie began toddling nursery out of the nursery. Kit nodded and bounced after her, grinning wildly. She paused, turning to the coppered haired little girl, whining,
"Kit kit, we gotta be real real sneak."
Kit nodded quickly, "I gotcha, real sneak…”
She nodded firm and moved from hiding corner to hiding corner, pretending she was a spy. In Billie’s mind, she was on a top-secret mission, believing herself to be sneaking around the British Government.
She was not at all being subtle about sneaking around the ship.
Kit was following suit, but being a little bit more successfully sneaky
Both toddlers rolled along the floor to the barrel that was 10 feet away. The pair got strange looks from Pip who watched them. Billie’s oldest brother walked over to the barrel and peered around at them,
"What are you doing??" He blinked and furrowed his brows.
Kit hissed, "Sneaking! Shhh!!”
Billie stuck her tongue out and rolled away behind the barrel, Kit scrambled after her.
Pip rolled his eyes and kept going on his way.
Billie panted," That close..."
She wiped imaginary sweat from her brow and looked at Kit.
Kit nodded and squeaked, "Too close!"
She nodded in agreement with the younger girl, looking at the kitchen.
Mrs. Hamilton was busy bustling around in the kitchen. A warm folksy smell emerged from the doorway. She was dicing carrots, cabbage, potatoes for the stew she was making. Her golden blonde hair was tied in a messy bun.
Kit nudged Billie and held a finger to her lips,
"Extra Sneak."
Billie nodded and crept into the kitchen, crawling behind the clothed kitchen bench. She began waving her hand to have Kit follow. Kit nodded and snuck over, almost tripping
Her eyes widened as she held her breath.
Opal turned around, humming to herself, moving to pass the girls into the pantry. Kit covered her mouth and looked to Billie. Meticulously, Kit managed to run to where Billie was hiding.
" Careful." Billie whispered.
The two little bandits managed to shimmy up onto the countertop. Kit was on look-out duty, while Billie began to try and raid the cupboards. Not even 5 minutes into their endeavor, Kit nudged her when Opal started to turn around,
"Billie!!"
Billie looked over and shrieked as Opal caught them.
"Babies! What are you doing?"
The cat-like mother rushed over with the speed of light.
Opal scooped them both up,
" Girls! What in love’s name are you doing?" She rose her brow to the crafty tots.
Billie mewled loudly.
"Mama!"
Kit whined softly,
"N-nothin.."
She looked up to Opal with big milky blue eyes.
Opal looked at both of them and frowned seeing two of the cupboards open. She set them down on the kitchen bench,
" What are you two looking for, sweetheart?'
Billie huffed, "nothin."
"She might know.." Kit whined softly and looked to Billie.
The stubborn Hamilton girl pouted, she begrudgingly took her mother’s help,
"...Cookies!"
The woman looked to the younger girl and smiled warmly, purring,
" Oh, girls, why didn't you tell me?'
Kit blinked up at her with big eyes, offering up an explanation,
"Cause we wanna be sneaky…?"
Her heart melted," Oh I see-" she paused and giggled," I don't see I suppose..."
She bent down to the two,
" I will give you each a cookie if you go get your father for me...he's been working..."
Opal set both onto the ground. She booped Billie's nose and ruffled Kit's hair.
Kit nodded quickly and grabbed Billie's hand, running off with impressive speed for a 2-year-old. Both ran to the other side of the ship, bouncing down the steps into the common room, and down the North hallway. The children stopped at Mr. Hamilton’s study.
Billie lifted Kit to reach the doorknob, fortunately for the pair, the door was unlocked. The girls tumbled in with very little grace.
Leo’s daughter toddled to him and hugged his leg,
" Papa papa!"
Her father looked to the girls,
"What do you want..?”
He held his quill in his rough hand, his glasses pushed down to the tip of his nose. The poor man looked to be in horrid conditions, he clearly had not slept very well or bathed, in 3 days.
Kit looked up to Alexander, "C'mon!!"
Billie whined, tugging at his trousers," Papa! C'mon!" She started yanking at him, causing his trousers to slide down a little bit.
Leo pulled them back up, "Billie! Alright alright...I just need to finish this page.."
Kit whined and looked up to him.
"No! Mama wants you now!" The little blonde girl squealed and crawled up onto his lap and grabbed for his quill. He huffed and pulled the quill away,
"Billie, I need to finish this page! I'll be right there"
She growled and squinted at him and then at the page, there were only a few words on the page. Billie wrinkles her nose and hissed,
"C'mon Kit."
Leo blinked, "Billie there aren't many words on a page of a children's book!"
"I leave! And and and you sorry!"
Billie huffed and climbed down from his desk. Mr. Hamilton picked her up again and set her on his lap,
"No no no.."
The little child screeched and kicked around. It was late in the afternoon and she had yet to take her nap. She squirmed in his lap as she tried to climb out,
" Get gammy!!!" She barked at Kit
Kit whined and ran off.
Cin was in the forge, sharpening a sword. The fire in the forge was dying out, it crackled against the splintering wood. The sweat glistened off of Cin’s biceps, her long straight black hair was messily braided.
The little copper-haired girl ran in, "Mama!"
The forge master’s piercing blue eyes looked at the small girl,
"Jä? What?'
“Billie tell me to to get you!"
Cin paused and got up, setting her sword on her workbench. She swooped up the child.
"Where am I going?' She asked, a little annoyed.
Kit nuzzled into Cin, explaining as best as a 2-year-old could,
“uh uh uh Billie’s papa. Billie’s mama wants me and Bille to get him..but he being stinky..”
Cin rubbed her back and growled," I see." She stalked over to Alex's office and shouted,
“LEO!!!”
After a while of kicking and squirming, Billie stopped and huffed, slumping against Leo’s stomach.
Leo jumped and thankfully yanked his quill sway from the paper, "What?!"
"Outside!" She snarled loudly, setting Kit on the ground. The wolf-like woman marched over to the stairs of the common room. Billie bounced off of his stomach and ran out to get Kit.
Leo growled, rubbing his index finger and thumb along the bridge of his nose,
"It is THREE WORDS AND I’LL GO TO OPAL"
The 6'9ft woman with raven black hair growled and threw open the door and went in there.
"Let’s leave!" Billie squealed, tugging Kit along.
The two little girls fled up the steps and to the other side of the ship. They ran across the deck back towards the kitchen, blindly knocking into Toby and Thomas on their way.
Thomas smiled a little, looking down at the girls,
"And where are you two runnin’ off tah?"
Toby frowned as he hopped over a canon, seeing his little sister,
"Kit, what are you doing? The captain doesn't like it when you two-run.”
"We on trip!" Billie squeaked, rubbing her head a little.
"Aye a trip?" Mr. Holmes mused.
Kit looked to Billie and nodded, "a trip yeah!"
The blonde girl nodded, she paused and looked around," Do do you see any cookie?"
Thomas chuckled slightly, shuffling past his son to pick up his daughter and his granddaughter scooped Billie up, "Lookin for cookies are ye?"
"Uh uh uh ye.. Ganpa…” squeaked the 3-year-old.
Thomas nodded gently, "Let's find you both some.."
Billie and Kit squeaked excitedly as Toby pouted.
"Pa, what about the canons?' Toby huffed
Thomas nodded gently, "Aye kno, but tha cannons don' jus walk away, won't take a minute to get these two settle..”
Thomas took the girls to the kitchen, with Toby following behind him and grumbled loudly.
Opal looked at her father and purred,
" Mhm! Father, you're just in time!"
She bounced over and held a spoon of soup to his mouth. Opal’s father was bewildered for a minute with the steaming spoon pushing against his lips. He smiled tiredly and took a sip,
"Mmm! Tat’s real lovel’h Opal."
Opal beamed excitedly," I think it needs a bit of salt- perhaps some parsley....or more carrot."
She looked to the girls and purred,
"Billie, have you gotten your father"
Thomas blinked, "I saw yer mothe’a go over te his study.”
The blonde woman frowned and then panicked,
" Oh... Watch the stew, father!"
He sighed gently and nodded as he set the girls down,
"Ay'll keep an eye on it! Don take too long!"
The greying man looked to Toby with an apologetic smile. The ginger 11-year-old was fuming in the corner, his arms knitted in a pout. He gritted his teeth, huffing deeply. Opal rushed over to Leo's study.
The girls went to work, they began to tear the kitchen apart looking for the cookies. Both worked quickly to keep every nook and inch of the kitchen, they couldn't even find the empty jar of cookies.
"Where the cookie?!?!"
Billie grunted, pushing over a jar of nuts with no regard. The jar shattered as Billie tossed things out, she sat on the counter and huffed. Toby jumped, snapping out of his daze, he growled.
" No! Don't be a brat!!!"
Thomas stormed over and tossed her over his shoulder,
"Billie!"
Billie squeaked being held over Thomas's shoulders. "Ganpa!"
Toby sighed and looked to Kit, grabbing her off of the counter.
Thomas sighed as he held Billie over his shoulder.
Kit whined softly. Billie's eyes widen as she saw the Captain standing in the doorway and holding the cookie jar, he had the biggest smirk on his face.
Thomas turned to William, "Captain.."
He raised a brow, "Mmm yes?"
The little blonde girl was fuming really angry, she looked at the captain with such hate as only a little 3 year old could. Captain William was stoned face to Thomas, he set the jar back where it belongs,
"Yes, Cannon Master Thomas..?"
Thomas sighed, "Did ye happen to hear wat was goin on in Leo's office?"
The blonde girl nodded towards the jar to Kit and rose her brows, motioning for her to grab it. Kit whined and shook her head. She gritted her teeth, squirming around,
" Ganpa! Down down!"
Thomas growled and patting her back,
"Billie...yer are in trouble young lady."
Captain William raised a brow and cleared his throat, "Mr. Thomas. Consider having Billie clean the mess she made up."
Billie huffed glaring at the captain as she squirmed down to the ground, running out with Kit. William mused softly, shrugging a little, "No Thomas, I have not seen what went on.”
get back to your cannons I'll watch the stew."
The little blonde toddler panted as she wiped her forehead dramatically," That close."
Little did the small children know, the captain was behind them.
Captain William smirked and cleared his throat,
"Billie, Kit."
Both children jumped about eight feet into the air, scared from the captain’s magical appearance. Kit squeaked and jumped around quickly, "C-captain!"
Captain Holmes chuckled softly, "Mmm Billie. Come with me for a moment.”
"Why boss man...?"
She whined and looked at him, chewing on her lip. He raised a brow,
"Billie come. You are not in trouble."
Little Billie Hamilton toddled over to him and grabbed his hand as gently as she could.
“Boss man....?" She asked as he leaned down to hold her hand.
Captain Holmes didn’t answer, he went on walking to the Captain’s quarters. He opened the door and led the toddler inside. He turns to her with a massive grin on his face.
"Billie...If you're going to be sneaky like that you've got to be better at it'
" W...whaaaaa?” She looked up at him
"Billie, little gremlin. I knew what you were trying to do. Try again if you will but be more careful."
Her eyes widen," You magic..." She gasped with childlike wonder. William winked to her as he set her onto the desk
"Maybe, maybe not. We'll see." He mused.
The young girl’s eyes followed the Captain as he glided about his cabin, looking for something,
“ You magic..." She repeated
William shrugged gently to himself, very amused. He called out from behind a mirror.
"Is that what you think little one?"
"Y....yeah!" She squeaked, looking over his maps and coins. Captain Holmes came back around from the mirror, producing the jar of cookies. He stalked back over towards his desk, jar resting it in his arms,
"And why is that?"
Her eyes were glued on the cookies,
"Cause you you, you Bossman. You gotta be magic."
"Is that so..?"
Billie nodded and yawned, rubbing her eyes as she cuddled into him. William looked to the cookie jar and chuckled to himself, setting it on his desk. The Captain hummed gently and kissed her head,
"Mmm well then let's lie you down for a magical nap "
She whined as she muttered," I don't wanna nap.." her eyelids grew heavier.
The Captain hummed gently and carried her to the nursery. He held her close to his chest as he ducked to walk down the stairs. Billie protested weakly, half-awake as she wiggled a little
" Nooooooo....not sleepy...Bossman..."
"Well you're not in bed are you little one?"
Her eyes shut as she cuddled into his shoulder
" Mhmm..."
Mr. Thomas was already in the nursery laying Kit to sleep. The Welshman kissed her head gently, signing softly to her as he slowly knelt down.
The Captain smiled softly and kissed Billie’s head gently as he laid her down.
Billie curled up in the bunk and cuddled up into her blanket, after being tucked into bed.
Once both girls were fast asleep, Toby looked to Captain Holmes as he walked out.
"Captain! Captain!" He whispered
Mr. Holmes paused and looked to him, "Mmm?”
"ARE you really magic...?" He looked up at the old grey-haired man.
William paused and smiled a little, "Mm what do you think young Toby?"
Toby furrowed his brows, shrugging,' You look like a normal man to me..."
Captain William Holmes knelt to him, "Mm anyone can be magic, you dig deep enough." He winked to Toby and there was almost a literal light behind his eyes for a moment, "Sleep tight little one."
The ginger boy’s eyes widened as he walked the tall lanky Captain walk away. He crawled into bed and smiled to himself," He is magic...."
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