Small Twists of Fate

Chapter Twelve

Hook chuckled softly as he leaned on the doorframe of his daughters' room; trying to spend as much time with them as he could as to not make them feel neglected during Milah's pregnancy. But alas he found them in the middle of a spar and he certainly didn't want to interrupt as the two of them went around their room with their wooden swords.

Yes, despite the numerous rooms in the Underworld, his daughters shared a room. It had started as Milah not wanting Lord Hades to think that they and the Smees were taking over the Underworld and then grew into the girls not wanting to be apart.

As Harriet would always say, they were twins and twins deserved to stay together.

Ah lassie, it's amazing how much you love your sister, he thought as he watched the girls spar with their wooden swords. You'll be a good Captain someday, as will Jess if she chooses to be. I know I put the importance of being a Captain out there but that's just because that'll afford you the most security on the Isle. No one messes with a Captain compared to a deck hand after all.

"Hiya papa!" Harriet said as she looked over at the door and grinned when she saw Hook, inadvertently pulling Hook out of his thoughts.

"Pay attention Harri!" Jess said before looking over at her father as well. "Hiya papa!"

"Sorry Jessie!"

Hook chuckled again and shook his head. "Your sister's right lassie, while I'm always happy to see you, you need to pay attention to your surroundings when you're in a spar."

"But I was! If I wasn't, how would I have noticed you?" Harriet asked.

"Not the surroundings I was talking about lassie," Hook told her.

Jess nodded. "Papa says the most important rule in sparring is—."

"Stick 'em with the pointy end?"

"No!" Jess shook her head and shot a look at her sister for interrupting her. "It's know your surroundings."

Hook nodded. "That's right lassie. If you know your surroundings, you know what you can use to trap your enemy or pin them to a wall."

"That's not really nice, papa. When I spar with Sammy, we never do that kind of thing," Harriet said with a small frown and Hook had to admit, he was legitimately impressed with how his daughters were still maintaining the spar while talking with him.

Then again maybe he shouldn't be. After all, they were his daughters and if a Hook kid couldn't maintain a simple conversation while sparring, well could they even call themselves a Hook?

"It's not about being nice lassie, it's about survival," Hook told Harriet as he walked over to her. "Your mama and I would rather you be mean to someone who was trying to hurt you then not have you in our lives, just like Sammy's mom and dad want the same thing. It's nice that you two don't want to hurt each other but not everyone will have that mentality."

Gently taking the wooden sword out of Harriet's hand, he turned to face Jessica. "Harriet, look at your sister. Do you see anywhere I could trap her?"

"...I...I don't want to papa," Harriet said, lightly biting her lip as she'd often do if she thought she was going to get in trouble with either Milah or Hook. "I don't want to hurt Jessie!"

"You're not hurting her lassie," Hook said, looking at his youngest though she wouldn't have that title for long. Soon he would be his middle child even if she and Jess were the same age—and that was still rather bizarre for Hook to think about. Was he happy about the child Milah was carrying? Of course! But he'd just gotten used to having two kids thank you! "If you can tell me how I might be able to trap your sister, you'll be helping her."