Vincent smirked. "Darrow. My last name's Darrow. And there is no misses." He turned to her, still smirking, focusing it in her direction now. "At least not yet." But she had asked about his mother... that was an entirely new problem. He had already opened up to her more than anyone else on this ship. They cared more about where they were making port next than the life and times of their captain. As long as the work was good and the pay was steady, they mostly kept to themselves. He commanded a lot of respect aboard the ship, with or without his personal life on display. He wanted to keep it that way.

But Allison wasn't a member of his crew. She was her own special creature, more refined and delicate. She didn't need the same cold shoulder that the rest of his crew received, the same stone-wall treatment. She had been raised around pleasant conversation.

"My mother..." he mused, trying to find the words. "I'd love her if I didn't hate her. Telling me to make a choice is the same as me telling you to not be a princess: royal blood runs thick in your veins, same as the pirate's does in mine. Generation after generation, a proud tradition of murder and thievery." He sat up slightly, relaxing a bit. For the first time since she had joined him in his cabin, he felt even slightly at ease. It was an odd sensation that she seemed to bring out in him, disarming him even a little bit. It was new, and powerful. "She abandoned me. Plain and simple. Gave me a ship and gave me the boot... I'm sure if we met somewhere out there, in the black, she'd probably open fire. But I'd do the same." 

[i]And she’d deserve it[/i],he added silently.