Chosen Path

In the morning, Elizabeth and Barbossa awoke to find their clothes had been washed and left for them folded neatly in front of the door. Neither commented on the fact that Barbossa’s clothes were left in front of Elizabeth’s door, but both were grateful for it.



“No weapons,” Barbossa lamented. But when they unfolded their clothes, Barbossa found the small knife he kept tucked in his sash had been wrapped in it. Elizabeth frowned as she slipped into her breeches and shirt. He was offered a knife, but all that was hidden in her clothes was a hairbrush and a pair of chopsticks like Ming used to hold her bun in place.



Elizabeth made quick use of the brush. Although she had combed her hair out yesterday, it had gotten rather mussed during the night. But she had no more skill with putting chopsticks in her hair than she had eating with them. Apparently Barbossa did, though, and he twisted her hair into a tight bun and stuck the sticks into it, scratching against her scalp as he did so.



“Why do you get a weapon and I don’t?”



“Those sticks be weapons.”



She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Barbossa moved to stand before her, menacing glint in his eye, and pulled the chopsticks from her hair and pressed the ends against either side of her neck. Wide-eyed, she tried to lift her head up from the pressure. He could choke her, if he wanted. He released her quickly, and glaring, she snatched the sticks from his hands. He had made his point though; she was not unarmed.



The three Captains breakfasted with the crew, some of whom had evidently become rather friendly with some of the bathhouse attendants.



“Captain Barbossa,” Tai Huang asked when they had settled. “Have you made your decision? Will the Pearl be joining us to fight Ching?”



“Aye, the Pearl stands with Captain Swann.”



“Excellent.”



Elizabeth glanced at Barbossa, but his face was unreadable. If Tai Huang really intended to kill her, surely he would want Barbossa out of the way. Barbossa wouldn’t put Elizabeth’s life above his own, she was certain, but she suspected he would not fall very short of doing so in an effort to defend her, if it came to that.



When Ming offered to watch William again, Elizabeth agreed readily. She pulled the woman aside for a moment.



“The attendant girls seem to like the crew. Were they…forced…to keep the men company?” Elizabeth noticed one attractive young woman appeared particularly interested in Mullroy.



Ming shook her head. “Tai Huang might wish for such, but the girls will not have it. If they like the crew, it is genuine.”



Elizabeth nodded, satisfied. “The men of the Pearl…they are good men, all of them.”



“Even the Captain?”



Elizabeth felt her blush creep up again. “Especially him. Thank you, by the way, for the jasmine.”



Ming touched Elizabeth’s arm. “Be careful. He is a dangerous man.”



“Barbossa? I know he is.”



But Ming shook her head. “Tai Huang.”



Elizabeth returned to the other Captains, and together they left to tour the Dragon. Jack the monkey had reappeared during breakfast when she hadn’t been paying attention, and had reclaimed his position on Barbossa’s shoulder. Elizabeth watched in irritation as he affectionately scratched the wretched creature’s head. She supposed it was rather sweet of him, even if the monkey was utterly undeserving of the attention.



The Dragon was smaller than the Empress, but, if Tai Huang was to be believed, swift and well armed. There were certainly enough cannons on board, though Barbossa pointed out a deficiency in that area.



“No gunpowder, cannonballs?”



“Ahh. They will be added before we sail. Too dangerous while repairs being made.”



The hull had been ripped open and was still in the process of being patched. Elizabeth tailed Barbossa as he inspected the repair work. Although her seamanship was good and ever-improving, she still deferred to his experience, and had no doubt he would have plenty to say about the sea-worthiness of the vessel.



They climbed back to the deck of the ship. “When do I meet my crew?”



“Soon. You shall choose from my best warriors for the crew of the Dragon.”



Not sailors, though, Elizabeth noted. But he said he would let her choose them. No doubt from a pre-selected pool, but his wording definitely left her room for evasion. She would just have to find a way to use it.



Tai Huang motioned for Elizabeth to follow him as he opened a door. “The Captain’s cabin.”



She didn’t like his smile, and was glad to feel Barbossa’s hand graze her back as he followed on her heel. She glanced around the ornately decorated cabin. Perhaps Tai Huang expected her feminine sensibilities to be impressed with, or distracted by, the beautiful fabrics and wood carvings, but she ignored the superficial decor and went instead to the writing desk and table, seeking the navigational tools she had come to rely on.



She found extensive charts of the South China Sea, some of which were in English. The sextant, compasses, and markers were safely in a desk drawer, along with several quills and ink. She was disappointed to find the ship’s log was written in Chinese, rendering her unable to ascertain the exact nature of the conflict that had left the Dragon wounded.



Elizabeth unfurled a map across the table. Barbossa had never left her side, and Tai Huang came over to join them. “We’re here. Mistress Ching is where? How will we find her?”



Tai Huang traced his finger along a route between Japan and Singapore. “She follows this route, same every year. She should be about here,” he indicated a point roughly four day’s sail from them, “by next week, when we set sail.”



“The we sail to meet her, she to unknowingly meet us, and two days later we should meet roughly here?” Elizabeth selected a point halfway between the two locations. Tai Huang covered her hand with his own and moved her finger slightly.



“Here is where the battle will occur.”



When Tai Huang turned away, Elizabeth pulled her hand back, wiping it against her breeches, much to Barbossa’s ill-concealed amusement.



“Battle, or parlay? If she will listen to the Pirate King, then there will be no need for gunfire.”



“Of course, Captain Swann.” Tai Huang offered her a small bow and led them from the cabin. “Does the ship please you, Majesty?”



“It would, if she were seaworthy. I shall offer my opinion when the repairs are complete.”



Tai Huang gave her a small laugh. “That is fair. You must be missing your son. Why don’t you look after him while I have words with Captain Barbossa?”



Elizabeth frowned. “Anything you need to say to him can be said in front of me.”



“This be true, Captain Swann,” Barbossa spoke up at last. “But surely ye tire of us, and Miss Ming has been very kind in watching yer lad. Don’t want to abuse her hospitality.” His words were somewhat patronizing, but she read something else in his eyes.



Elizabeth nodded slowly. “Very well. I would like to see William for a time.” Ming. If it had been she who left them their weapons, then there was more to her than Elizabeth had suspected, and it would do them well to find out what it was. Besides, Barbossa would tell her everything that was discussed later, when they were alone again.



* * *





Elizabeth found William, Ming, and her two children feeding some ducks that swam in one of the canals. Elizabeth sat beside Ming, letting her feet dangle as she and the children did.



“Thank you for looking after my son.”



Ming smiled. “He is a delightful boy. He and my Jin get along quite well. Your hair is lovely.”



Elizabeth put a hand up to the bun that Barbossa had made for her. Twice. “The sticks. Did you put them there?”



Ming nodded. “Now you look like a proper Chinese.” All of the women of the bathhouse, Ming included, wore their hair thus.



“Captain Barbossa showed me how to use them. He received your gift, in his sash.”



Ming gathered her small daughter in her arms and took Jin’s hand as she stood. “Come. The other girls wish to meet you.” Elizabeth took William in hand as she followed Ming to the large room in the bathhouse where the female attendants had gathered.



Some of the women occupied the steaming tubs that lined one side of the room, while others sat in pairs or threes on benches along the other side, talking quietly or brushing each other’s hair. At the far end, she noticed a pair sparring with curved swords and a weapon Ming identified as a nunchuck.



When Elizabeth entered, the conversations quieted, the fighting stilled. Elizabeth recognized the woman with the nunchuck as the same one who had fawned over Mullroy at breakfast. She and the others gathered around the newcomers.



“Captain Swann. This is Song Li, leader of our rebel gang.”



Elizabeth’s eyes widened and she looked around her in some surprise. She had suspected that Ming had an agenda beyond tending baths, but this was more than she had ever expected.



“Song Li.” Elizabeth offered the woman a small bow. “A pleasure to meet you, but I’m not sure I understand. Rebel gang? Against whom?”



“Tai Huang and his men,” Ming explained. “They are cruel men, Captain Swann. What they do to us, what they make us do…it is not kind, and no pleasure for us.”



“He said you weren’t forced to do anything.”



Song Li gave a sharp laugh. “The first thing you must believe about Tai Huang is that you must never believe him.”



“Indeed? So when he said the Dragon would be seaworthy and well armed when we leave next week?”



The women exchanged knowing glances. “I see. What would you have me do then?”



Ming spoke up again. “We are fierce warriors, Captain Swann, strong of body and mind. Perhaps we can be of service to you. If you will help us, we will fight, honorably and loyally, beside you.”



“Why do you need me? You are clever, strong, and well-organized. You could have taken over the bathhouse long ago!”



“No, there are more men than there are of us. And even if we could be victorious, what would we do? We need the men to bring the money in. Without them, we would be seen as a brothel, and only attract such customers as would pay for those services. It would be no better than this.”



Elizabeth surveyed the women. She had seen them fighting; Ming was not bragging when it came to their skill. Tai Huang had said she could choose her crew from his fiercest warriors…



“Can any of you sail?”



A few women raised their hands, tentatively.



“Well, then you’ve a week to learn. I’m sure the crew of the Pearl will be most willing tutors. If you’re willing, I’d like to welcome you to the crew of the Dragon.”



* * *





Barbossa followed Tai Huang into a small steam room, where Huang stripped to his breeches and motioned over two young girls bearing small flasks of oil. One began to rub the oil into Huang’s back, while the other looked expectantly at Barbossa.



With a shrug, he followed suit, making sure to leave his sash, and thus his only weapon, in place. As the girl’s hands began to knead the oil into his back, he gave over to a brief fantasy that it was Elizabeth who stood behind him. It disturbed him mildly that, even when there was a beautiful young thing touching him so pleasantly, he still couldn’t get her out of his mind, nor did he especially want to.



It had been some time since a woman had gotten into his head like that. But then, it had been a long time since he’d had a woman as consistently or exclusively as he’d had Elizabeth these past six months. It was easier, of course, to leave them on shore. A few nights together, then he’d be on his way. Sometimes they’d remember him when he came back; sometimes he never came back. It didn’t much matter. Uncomplicated, that way.



Now, he had grown bloody accustomed to having bloody Miss Swann – nay, Mrs. Turner – in his bed. After six months, he should have tired of her. Tired of her huffing, her teasing, her ordering him about. He should have been itching for someone with a bit more experience, a bit more in the way of hips and bosom.



But Elizabeth had been a quicker study in the bedroom than she’d been with his charts, internalizing his instruction to supplement her already surprisingly good instincts. And he’d grown used to her small breasts and wiry frame. She was nearly as hardened as any sailor, strong, not the porcelain doll she’d first appeared to be. And it turned out she was much more fun this way; he never had to worry he might break her. Besides, she still looked like a woman in a dress, on the rare occasions she deigned to wear one.



So the thought that she might be leaving, taking the Dragon, sending him back to the Caribbean while she roamed the South China Sea…well, it was uncomfortable. He’d grown far too accustomed to having a First Mate, and a bedmate, and there was Billy to think of too. She’d have the boy speaking the King’s bloody English if he weren’t around to school the boy in the proper way of pirate speech. Kid still couldn’t say his damn “Rs.”



“Captain Barbossa.” Tai Huang broke into his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. “You do me honor to fight at my side, for Singapore.”



Barbossa glanced sidelong at the man. The man was a snake, it was clear, but it wouldn’t do to reveal his true feelings, yet. “The honor be mine.”



“I am glad to hear it. Her name is Mei,” he indicated the girl attending him. “She is a fine young woman. Does she please?”



Barbossa cleared his throat. Not the turn of conversation he had hoped for, but still, there could be something to be gleaned from it. “The massage be most pleasing, aye.”



“Ahh. And Captain Swann? Does she please?”



Barbossa’s eyes shot daggers at the man. He was not about to discuss the nature of his relationship with Elizabeth with this man.



“Captain Swann be a Pirate Lord and King, and ye best be remembering that.”



“Naturally. I just cannot help but wonder how a man such as yourself would come to be ordered about by a mere woman. Even one as attractive as Captain Elizabeth Swann.”



“I take orders from no woman, nor any man.”



“Oh, but she is the King, is she not? Does it bother you, as it bothers me, to have a woman in such a position of authority? She is off now playing with children. That is no King.”



“Yeh got a point to make?”



“We are both men of ambition, Captain Barbossa. Perhaps we can come to an agreement.”



Barbossa raised his eyes, and sat back in his chair. The massage moved to his arms, while Tai Huang’s had already moved to his chest. He was going to have to end this conversation soon.



“I’m listening.”



“Captain Swann has a Lordship and a Kingship. You are already a Pirate Lord, but I am not. The title should have been mine! If you would assist me in taking the title from her, then I would make you a King!”



“No good. King’s got to be elected, says so in the code. She won the popular vote.”



“Because all but one pirate voted for himself, as I understand it. At the next convening of the Brethren Court, you can be assured of my vote.”



Barbossa’s eyes closed as he digested this new information. His Majesty the King, Pirate Lord Captain Barbossa. Or perhaps just King Barbossa. Yes, that had a rather nice ring to it. Not, though, at the expense of Elizabeth’s life. “She won’t give up the title. Ye’d have to kill her, and I won’t agree to that.”



“No need for that if she can be persuaded. She is a woman, she is weak. Especially when asked to do something by a man she loves.”



Barbossa felt his body twitch, but he worked to keep his face impassive. There was none of that sort of thing in their relationship. Respect, certainly. Friendship. The sharing of quarters to their mutual satisfaction. But she still loved her husband, and Barbossa had sworn off love ages ago, and had no desire to take his place in her heart.



But it really didn’t matter what Tai Huang thought, so he didn’t bother correcting him.



“So I persuade her to make ye a Lord, ye make me a King, and ye sail under my colors for a year, givin’ me half yer take.”



“I never said anything about sailing under you, Captain Barbossa.”



“No, yeh didn’t. I did. Take it or leave it.”



Tai Huang nodded. “One year only.”



“As I said.”



“We have an accord.”



Barbossa nodded slowly. It didn’t surprise him that Huang was after Elizabeth’s title. It did surprise him that Huang bothered to recruit Barbossa at all; he hadn’t expected to win a new title in the process. “I’m curious, Captain Huang. Where does Mistress Ching come in?”



“Ahh, yes. She is to help me persuade Captain Swann, and if necessary, Captain Barbossa, to see things my way.”



“I’m sure that won’t be necessary.”



“I’m sure you are right.”



* * *





Elizabeth spent most of the day with Ming, Song, and the other women. Billy and Ming’s children got on well, and did their best to cause as much mischief and mayhem as they could get away with. It was a wonderful experience, being surrounded by women after so many years of being surrounded by men.



In fact, she’d spent most of her life surrounded by men. She hadn’t had a female friend since Sarah, the laundry lass a few years her senior who had worked at the Governor’s mansion until she married when Elizabeth was sixteen. Since then, the only women she’d spent much time with were maids, tutors, and Tia Dalma. Even when she’d worked at the tavern, she hadn’t been terribly friendly with the other girls. They seemed to find her aloof.



The truth was she wasn’t sure how to be a woman. She wasn’t like the other women she had known, the girls who giggled and sat in the laps of men. She preferred breeches to corsets, and if she was dancing with a man, there were doubtless swords involved.



But these women she understood. They were fierce warriors; she sparred with a few and learn some new techniques, and successfully relayed some tips of her own. But they were feminine, too. She overheard Song telling another girl in hushed tones about the night she’d spent with Mullroy.



Elizabeth paused, wondering if she would be permitted to join the conversation. Song smiled at her and made room on the bench, and Elizabeth sat.



“You like Mr. Mullroy?”



“Oh, yes. Thomas is kind, and a good lover, once I gave him a few lessons.”



The other girls tittered a bit, and Elizabeth smiled earnestly. “What sort of lessons?”



“Oh, surely you know. You are Captain Barbossa’s lover, are you not?”



Elizabeth chewed her lip as her cheeks flushed. Was it as obvious as that? “I suppose I am. It’s rather new though. I’m still not terribly experienced. At least, comparatively speaking.”



Barbossa had easily as many years experience as she had years alive, even allowing for ten years of forced abstinence, and she’d had all of three “experiences” prior to him, with a man as unsure as she’d been. Not that she hadn’t relished every moment of her day with Will. And not that Barbossa had ever complained. But it might be fun to surprise him, show him something he hadn’t done before, or at least, not with her. “I could use a few lessons myself, I think.”



Song and her friends exchanged excited smiles, before gathering in a knot around Elizabeth. When Song drew out her nunchucks, Elizabeth frowned. She hadn’t meant another fighting lesson. But the way Song drew her hand over the weapon told Elizabeth they wouldn’t be putting it to its intended use.



Some hours later, she found Barbossa lounging against the locked door to her room, sharing a small orange with Jack. “Expecting an invitation?”



His eyes flicked up at her. “Aye.”



Elizabeth stood before him a moment, hands on hips. “The monkey won’t get one.”



Barbossa split his last piece of orange in two and handed one to the monkey, popping the other into his own mouth. “Who’s my good boy?” He scratched the creature’s head, and the monkey nuzzled against him for a moment before scampering into the room intended for Barbossa. “Ye could be nicer to him.”



“Beg pardon?”



“Jack. I’d like it if ye were nicer to him.”



“He’s a monkey.”



“Aye, but he be my monkey, and I’ll not have ye callin’ him ‘vile creature’ and what not. I’ve been good to yer lad, have I not?”



“That’s not the same thing at all.”



“Is to me.”



Was he pouting? Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine. I’ll try to be nicer to the monkey.”



“Has a name.”



Exasperating, he was. She clenched her teeth. “I will try to be nice to Jack. Happy?”



“It’ll do. Now invite me in.”



“I’m not entirely certain I’m inclined.”



He reached for her, grabbing her boot, and she stumbled a bit closer to him. He slid his hand up her leg, tickling her behind her knee. “Then I’ll be havin’ ye here in the hallway, and I don’t reckon yer inclined to have an audience.”



She tried to think of a suitable retort, but instead fished around her coat pocket and retrieved the key to her room. She didn’t notice Barbossa get to his feet, but as she twisted the key in the lock, he pushed her inside with his body against hers, mouth already attacking her neck.



It wasn’t until she slipped her hands beneath his shirt, helping him to pull it off, that he mentioned her son. “Kid,” he gasped, between kisses. “Where’s the kid?”



“With Ming.”



“All night?”



“No, but long enough.”



He pushed her down onto the bed with a cry of “arrr” that burned her senses as the heat of his desire set her own alight. That was his battle cry, but she was no conquest, and so wriggled out from under him so she could pounce upon him, putting herself into the dominant position. He was impatient, trying to pull her against himself, but she was determined to try some of the things she had learned today.



“Slow down.” She pressed her hands against his chest and kissed him softly. “Hector,” she murmured. “Lie down. Just…let me.” He raised an eyebrow, but obeyed. She wondered idly if he realized just how readily he followed her orders.



Her efforts proved remarkably successful, and she was rewarded with one of his rare smiles, in which all worry and tension drained from his face, as he drew her into a deep, affectionate kiss.



“I confess to bein’ impressed, cariño. Always were a quick study, but it wasn’t me as taught ye that.”



Elizabeth curled against him, twining loose strands of his hair around her fingers. “No you didn’t. Song Li did. And Ming, and Jia-Wen. The women here have many talents.”



He raised an eyebrow. “Wish I could’ve seen those lessons.”



Elizabeth smiled into his neck as his arms squeezed her tighter. It had always surprised her that he seemed to enjoy keeping her close, even after their baser desires were satisfied. “Well, you’ll have to be content with being the benefactor thereof.”



He sighed a kiss into her hair. “That I am.”



Elizabeth let her eyes fall closed for a moment, relishing every sensation. She inhaled the scent of him, exotic oriental spices mingling with sweat and sex and something she had come to recognize as being unequivocally Barbossa. His arms were strong and protective around her, his skin hot and slick with oils and their own sweat. She thought she might be content to lie like this for a frighteningly long time, just listening to his soft breathing and steadily slowing heartbeat.



But there was always work to think of, and plots were afoot. After a few minutes indulgence, she focused her mind on their purpose in Singapore. “What did Tai Huang have to say?”



“I was right not to trust him. Don’t. What about you? Learn anything that doesn’t involved pleasin’ a man? Not that I mind.”



“I did, in fact. Song and the others have many talents, as I said. Among them being fighting.”



“Knew that.”



“Some can sail.”



“What’s in yer head?”



“They’ll be my crew.”



“Huang won’t agree.”



“Well, it’s not up to him, is it? He said I would choose, and I have. They may not be among the ‘finest warriors’ he’s thinking of, but he was rather lax with his wording, and they are without doubt fine warriors. And once your men school them in the finer arts of sailing, they will make a fine crew.”



Barbossa frowned. “That what they were doing today on the Pearl?”



“Yes, what did you think?”



“Thought they had some perverse affinity fer making a bed of her boards.”



“Perverse? You’re one to talk! You tried to take me at the helm, in full view of the entire crew.” She wasn’t sure she liked the mischievous glint in his eyes. “What?”



“Crew’s not there now. What say ye?”



Elizabeth felt her eyes widen. “Out of the question.”



“Wrong answer. Get dressed. Not too dressed.”



“We just finished! And Ming will be along with Billy any moment.”



“Won’t be gone long.” Hector slid out of bed and threw her the silk robe she had worn the day before as he sat to tug his boots on.



She crawled over to his back and slid her arms around him. “Aren’t you tired? I think twice in one night might be a little much.” She let her hands trail down his chest to his sides and felt him wince, hissing a short breath. Elizabeth frowned. “That wound should be healed by now. Does it still bother you?”



He took her hands and guided them to his thighs. “I’m fine. It’s been some time since I’ve tried for twice, aye. But at the helm of the Pearl, I’ve always found strength.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply. “Reckon I can last long enough for you to enjoy a second.”



Her body was already springing back to life. Before she knew it, she was slipping out of the bathhouse behind him, fingers threaded through his as they ducked between the shadows on the way to the docks where the Pearl sat bobbing in the waves.



* * *





The week in Singapore passed all too quickly, amidst days of plotting with Tai Huang, training with her new crew, playing with Billy and Jin, and nights of passion and careful plotting with Barbossa. When Tai Huang announced that it was time for her to meet her crew, she followed him to a room where nearly two dozen men stood, proud warriors all. The attendant girls flanked the men in the center, standing meekly at the sides.



“Well, Captain Swann? Who will you have for your crew?”



“Song Li. Captain Huang wishes to meet the crew of the Dragon.”



The women straightened as one, no longer docile attendant girls, but warriors in their own right. Procuring assorted weapons from beneath their robes, the girls filed in front of the men and assumed a fighting stance.



“This is who you would choose?”



“It is.”



“They are all women.”



“As am I. As is Mistress Ching. I thought it fitting.”



“Very well. The Dragon is ready to sail on the morning tide. I suggest you be as well.”



Before setting sail, Elizabeth indulged in one last hot bath before heading up to bed, where she indulged in one last night with Hector. She had grown very accustomed to lying in his arms in a very short period of time. When he slipped from her embrace to ensure the door was locked, pull his breeches back on, and quickly look in on Billy, she felt the loss. Her heart swelled, though, to see him checking on her son.



He returned to bed and drew her against him. She marveled at how well she fit in his arms, and at how much she enjoyed being there. Despite her early insistence on business before pleasure, they found themselves discussing more business while curled in bed together than they did fully clothed.



“Ming offered to stay and watch Billy while we go.”



“That would be wise. Battle’s no place for a child.”



Elizabeth sighed. “I know. I just don’t really want to leave him. And I still hope there won’t be a battle.”



“He’ll be fine. We’ll only be a few days. And ye best be prepared for a battle.”



“I am. As is my crew.”



Barbossa’s hand on her arm stilled. “Take Mullroy and Murtogg.”



“Why? Won’t you need them?”



“Ye need more hands that can sail. Give me two of yers. Call it even.”



Elizabeth shrugged. “Very well.”



A blanket of silence fell over them for a time. She had grown far to used to lying in this man’s arms, too used to being on his ship. After they defeated Ching (and they would defeat Ching), and returned to Singapore for Billy, she would have to maintain a presence here, in the South China Sea. She would have to keep her own ship.



The thought thrilled her; she was a Captain, after all, it was high time she had her own ship to command. And as free as she had been on the Pearl, she would be more so on the Dragon, setting her own courses without Barbossa to question her, fight her, or correct her. Free to sail as wherever she pleased, to act on selfish impulse, to do what she wanted, simply because she wanted it.



Lying alone every night in her cabin, without Will, without Hector, was not something she particularly wanted. Elizabeth sighed. She supposed it was part of being a pirate, this insatiable need to have company in her bed. After all, every pirate she’d ever met had made advances towards her to that end. So really, it was only logical that Captain Swann would want to keep a lover as long as possible.



“Hector?”



“Cariño.”



“Will we do this again, once we leave here?”



“If ye like.”



“I would, I think.”



“As would I.” Good. She wasn’t sure how it would work, if they sailed on different ships. Perhaps they could sail together. It was a conversation for another night, but if he was inclined to continue their relationship, then they’d find a way to continue it.



Elizabeth was just starting to drift off into sleep when he spoke again. “’Lizbeth?”



“Mmm?”



“I’m not sure what’s in yer head, so I thought it best to be tellin’ ye. I don’t love yeh. Not now, and I’m not going to.”



“I know,” Elizabeth yawned. “I love Will. For now, you’re welcome in my bed. But that’s all this is. That’s all this ever was.”



“Just makin’ sure.”



Elizabeth kissed his cheek before rolling over so she could just feel the slightest pressure of his body next to hers. “Goodnight, Hector.”



She felt his lips in her hair before the bed bounced a bit as he shifted his weight, finding a comfortable position. It was familiar now, the way he would flop a bit before settling in, then run a hand over her body, kissing some part of her and falling back against the pillows. He would start snoring in a few minutes, but if she fell asleep first it wouldn’t bother her. And in the morning, he would kiss her awake, lingering in bed until Billy pounced on them and made them rise.



Tomorrow they would leave behind Hector and Elizabeth, and set sail as Captain Barbossa and Captain Swann again. And they might find pleasure in one another’s arms again, but first, there was work to be done. Tomorrow, they would defend her title.