Ashes and Swag

DISCLAIMER: With the exception of my original characters, those appearing in this story are not mine, no harm intended, no profit made.


Ashes and Swag

“Are you sure I can’t tempt you to join me?”

Will looked at the pirate and smiled, shaking his head. They were sitting in one of the tavern’s smaller nooks, relatively secluded from the surrounding melee of drunks chasing whores, whores chasing drunks, drunks chasing drunks, whores laughing at the drunks chasing drunks. The pirate had arrived before the young man and had begun drinking without him, but knowing Jack as Will did, he’d most likely started drinking long before his ship had even reached port.

“No, thank you,” Will answered. “You know how Elizabeth feels about rum.”

“Got you under her thumb, does she?” asked Captain Jack Sparrow with a devilish grin, then chuckled, pouring himself another mug from the half empty bottle. “She’s a good woman, that one. How is she?”

“She’s really taken control of things over at Port Royale in an attempt to clean up the city. Her little adventure with you seems to have given her a sense of purpose. I think she’s trying to make sure that she never has to decide the difference between a good man and a pirate ever again.”

“Is that so? Nice to know that I’m always on her mind,” Jack smirked, and Will gave him a dirty look until he saw the laughter in the pirate’s eyes, and he had to join in.

“You’re a hard man to forget,” the blacksmith chuckled.

“I am at that. And you, young Mr. Turner. What on earth possessed you to take me up on my invitation?”

The handsome face grew sober as he gazed on the ruffian sitting across from him, though a fondness lingered in his eyes. “I wanted to see for myself that you were safe. You’re not the most careful man in the world, Jack, and I owe you my entire existence. I needed to know that you weren’t rotting in a jail somewhere or hanging from a rope.”

“Such optimism! Don’t you know by now, lad, that I am Captain Jack Sparrow?”

“That’s why I worry,” Will grinned.

“And that is also why you don’t need to,” he winked.

“If you insist, Captain. But I did have an ulterior motive. I wanted to extend to you an invitation of my own.”

“Indeed?” Jack nodded, his eyes sparking with interest. “And what is the occasion?”

“A wedding. Mine and Elizabeth’s.”

“Finally!” the pirate shouted, throwing back his head and finishing his drink. He poured himself another one and filled the spare cup, placing it in front of Will. “This calls for a toast! To you, and Elizabeth!”

“To Elizabeth,” Will said, raising his cup, but not drinking from it as Jack emptied his own mug.

“So, when’s the happy day?”

The young man watched with amusement as Jack took the mug from in front of him and finished his untouched rum. “Six months.”

“Six months? That’s an awful long time to wait. Are you sure you will last that long?”

“I’d wait forever for her, you know that.”

“But why,” the pirate frowned, “when you don’t need to?”

Will shrugged. He’d argued the same point over with Elizabeth a thousand times, even though he’d known that going up against her was about as easy as trying to kill a cursed pirate. “Her father wanted us to wait a year, for propriety’s sake, but Elizabeth bargained him down to six months.”

“Glad to know she’s learned a thing or two about negotiating--you could take a lesson from her,” Jack said, teasing the young man, who only nodded in agreement.

“She’s become quite the pirate, in her own way,” he said with an adoring smile. “Also, we figured six months would be more than enough time for you get out of whatever trouble you’re in so you’d be able to join us.”

“There’s that show of faith again,” Jack said, not even bothering with the mug this time, but drinking straight from the bottle. “Tell me, lad, just what makes you think I’d be welcome at such a gathering? Your Commodore Norrington will surely see this as a choice opportunity to introduce me to the gallows.”

“You’d be welcome because we invited you. And,” Will added with a grin, “because we’re inviting the entire town to provide you with just the right amount of camouflage. Even you should manage to find a way to blend in.”

“An entire town?” Jack asked, his voice filled with disbelief. “And they say I’m the crazy one.”

“You are, but I guess some of it must have rubbed off. Do you think you’ll be able to make it?”

“I don’t know, lad,” he said with a nonchalant shrug to try and disguise the pleasure he felt in being invited at all. “Six months is a long time in the life of a pirate.”

Will’s eyes took on a predatory glitter. “Then I should have you know that Elizabeth is threatening to hunt you down and drag you there in irons should you choose to decline.”

“She is becoming a pirate!” Jack said with a delighted laugh. “All right, tell your bonny lass I’ll be there to witness the two of you being joined together forever in wedded bliss.”

A huge grin broke across Will’s face, and he reached out to clasp Jack’s hand in his. “I’ll tell her. Thank you, Jack.”

“You’re quite welcome, lad. Now, I have a promise to keep. Since you were considerate enough to make an appearance, I suppose the least I can do is hold up my end of the bargain. What do you want to know about your father?”

Will’s smile vanished, his eyes growing earnest as he prepared to concentrate on Jack’s every word. He’d waited two months before Jack had sent word to meet him, and now he was anxious to hear the entire tale. “I was hoping you could start from the beginning.”

“My beginning, or his?”

“That depends. How much of his life do you know about before he joined your crew?”

“Well, lad, I—”

Before Jack could begin his tale, a shot rang out from a musket, the ball burying itself in the wall between them. Both men fell backwards to avoid the flying plaster and any following shots, but none came. Pushing themselves back up to the table, they turned to the figure towering over them.

“Captain Jack Sparrow. I knew I’d find you eventually, though this rat hole is a little classier than your usual haunts.”

Jack blinked up at the face darkened by shadows, but he didn’t need to see the hidden features to know who they belonged to.

“Angel? My darling Angel, is that you?”

“My darling Jack, you’d better hope not—” She whipped the sword from its sheath and pointed the tip directly at Jack’s nether regions. “—or you’re going to end up losing something you value to me, just as I lost something I valued to you.”

“My dear, lovely Angel,” Jack said with a gracious grin, holding up his hands and trying not to move, “that’s hardly necessary.”

“And unwise,” Will said as he stood up, drawing his own sword and placing it at the woman’s throat.

“Relax, Will. The lady has her reasons.”

“You’re bloody right I do, and you, boy, had better remove that blade or I’ll be forced to take it from you.”

“Angel, luv, I wouldn’t recommend that.”

“Lower your sword,” Will growled, pushing the point harder against her flesh.

“Will, lad, I wouldn’t recommend that.”

“Boy,” she said, her voice dark with threat, “you are within seconds of making your friend a eunuch, and you will be next before you even have time to blink.”

“You’ll be dead before your first stroke,” he countered, his own eyes narrowing.

“Actually, lad, she’s right about that one.” Will gave Jack a startled glance, and the pirate shrugged. “I’ve seen her do it before. A neat trick, but it’s not pretty.”

“I should have done this to you years ago,” Angel said, preparing to castrate the pirate.

“Now, luv, you know you could never do that.” The mischievous pirate batted his eyes at her. “You enjoy that particular part of me far too much to ever see us separated.”

“Things change, Jack.”

“You’re right about that. Things have changed. I’ve run into a bit of luck and can now return the treasure of yours that I had previously misplaced.”

“Not misplaced, stole,” she corrected, staring at him as she tried to decide whether or not to believe the deceitful man. Jack was a sneaky, manipulative bastard of a pirate, but he rarely liked about treasure, and he did look a little less ragged than usual, something only money could accomplish. “All right, Jack, I’m listening. But talk fast.”

She removed her blade, then looked at Will, who reluctantly did the same.

“Excellent!” Jack said, clapping his hands once and gesturing to the bench across from him. “Both of you, sit down, join me for a drink.”

Signaling for another bottle, he emptied what was left of the first into the two mugs, handing one to the lady. Angel removed her hat, revealing her face to the two men for the first time. Will glanced at her, then did a double take, and found he couldn’t look away. Jack noticed his sudden interest, and laughed merrily to himself.

“Will Turner, let me introduce you to Angel, Captain of the Phoenix. Angel, this is Will Turner, blacksmith and sometimes pirate.”

The lady pirate narrowed her gray eyes in greeting at the blacksmith, who gave her a sharp nod in return, then forced himself to focus his gaze on Jack, sneaking glances every few seconds. Her thick, tangled, tawny hair was tied at the base of her neck with a piece of leather, giving him an easy view of her features. He quickly realized she intrigued him. It wasn’t that she was beautiful--Elizabeth had more beauty in her littlest finger than this woman could ever hope for, but still, there was something unusual about her. Her face wasn’t plain, exactly, but strong, with clean lines that he found appealing. Dressed in clothes similar to his own, he could see that she had a lean body, tensed as if ready for flight. Her stormy eyes were at once still and watchful, expecting an attack from all sides--and from Jack in front of her.

Finally, he decided it was the fact that she was a woman, and a pirate, that made her so interesting. It gave her an aura of confidence and danger that he usually only saw in men, who wasn’t nearly as fascinating.

“Where’s my gold, Jack?” she growled.

“Not here, of course,” he answered, giving a cursory glance around the room. “What would be the point of that? Some dirty cur would just steal it right out from under me. But it’s not far, either. Give me a couple of days, and you’ll have all the swag I owe you, plus some extra to sooth over any hard feelings you might have.”

“You actually expect me to trust you, knowing you as I do?”

“I’ve never lied to you.”

“No, but that doesn’t make you an honest man, either.”

“I never claimed to be honest, luv,” Jack said with a wide smile. “I just said I never lied. Directly. I may have to adjust the truth a bit every now and then, but I don’t lie.”

Her eyes flashed with annoyance at the Pirate’s evasiveness. “You’re not doing much to convince me to trust you, Jack. I need the gold. Now.”

“Why?” The pirate’s kohl-lined gaze turned thoughtful. “Angel, luv, what’re you planning? It’s not him, isn’t it?”

She hesitated, then gave a brisk nod. “I’ll be going to Madagascar for a while and I need a bit of funding. I’m hoping that maybe by the time I get back, he’ll have signed me off as dead.”

Jack gave her a searching look, trying to decide if she was hiding something behind her fathomless gray eyes, then shrugged. “I never knew you to run, darlin’, but as a fellow captain, I won’t be questioning your decisions. Therefore, my dearest Angel, I swear to you upon the Black Pearl herself that, in ten days time, I will return to you your treasure.”

The gray eyes narrowed even further. “I thought you only needed a couple of days.”

“I’m just planning for emergencies, luv,” he said, waving away her suspicions. “Freak storms, encounters with greedy pirates, the usual. Do we have an accord?”

The lady pirate stared at the scoundrel, her distrust of him fighting against her desire to see her gold returned. As always with pirates, the gold won. “Ten days, Jack, or I will destroy both you and the Pearl.”

Draining the last of her rum, she stood up and placed her hat back on her head.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for another drink?”

“When my gold has been returned, I shall share with you an entire barrel of rum, but until then, you’ll have to drink alone.”

She turned and left, both men watching her until she’d exited the tavern. Jack gave a somewhat mournful sigh and reached for the fresh bottle of rum.

“Lovely girl. Shame she didn’t stay.”

“I’d think you’d be happy to be rid of her,” Will said, gazing at the pirate with a curious eye. “I know I’m certainly relieved. I don’t trust her any more than I trusted you when we first met.”

“Glad to know your opinion has changed,” Jack said dryly.

“Only a little,” Will teased.

“Angel’s got her reasons to hate me, and I dare say I’ve got enough reasons of me own to hate her, but we’ve always managed to remain friends in spite of all that. She’s had a rough time of it, but is as smart as a whip, which is why I’d hoped she’d stay.”

“My company not enough for you?” Will asked, amused, and Jack shook his head.

“It’s not that, lad. Knowing her, she’s gone off to an opium den to try and make herself forget. She only smokes when she’s in port, but that’s still too much, if you ask me. I prefer something more direct, like rum, but then she’s got more to forget than I do,” he said with a shrug, and took a long drink from the bottle.

Will looked back towards the door, trying to associate the woman who’d threatened them both with an opium user. She’d seemed far too alert--and far too dangerous--to be the type to lose herself in a haze of smoke. “Angel,” he said softly, puzzled by the entire encounter. “Strange name for her, isn’t it?”

“Actually, it’s Evangeline, Evangeline Ashe. When she first told me that, I looked at her and said, ‘Lass, that’s too much time out of my life to be calling you every time we meet, so I’ll be naming you Angel.’ She just laughed, looking at me down the length of her blade, and said, ‘Hate to disappoint you, but seeing as how I’m a pirate, I’m not much of angel.’ It old her she wasn’t much of a pirate, either--not yet, so Angel she’d be called until she can prove me otherwise.”

“And has she proven you otherwise?”

“A thousand times over, but I think the name’s grown on her. She appreciates the irony of it.”

“So what is it she’s trying to forget?”

Jack gave a wary little smile and shook his head. “Sorry, lad, but her story is hers alone. If you want to know, talk to the lady yourself.”

Will took one look towards the door and laughed, shaking his head. “Thanks, Jack, but I’m not that curious.”

“Smart lad,” Jack grinned. “Now, I believe I was about to embark on the tale of your father. Where to begin. . . ?”


It was near dawn when a groggy Will stumbled his way back to the inn, his vision blurred by weariness and the smoke from the tavern. It had been an eventful night and by the time he and Jack had parted company, he’d heard enough stories about his father and Jack and their adventures together, he couldn’t keep them straight. Though Jack claimed to have a thousand more tales hidden in the vast depths of his mind, Will had made him stop for the night. He had been so tired, he could hardly focus his gaze on the pirate or concentrate long enough to hear his words. He’s also wanted to have an excuse to meet with Jack again, so they’d agreed to call it a night.

As he yawned, Will tripped over a loose cobblestone and stumbled forward, just barely missing getting hit with the hilt of a sword. The metal flying through the air over his head and he jumped away, attempting to draw his own blade, but he was too slow. There was a flash of light as pain burst in the back of his skull and his eyes rolling into the back of his head, he slumped onto the ground.

“What shall we do with him now, Captain?”

“Take him to the ship,” a female voice answered. “See that he is secured in the brig for now.” She watched as two men lifted up the unconscious young man and began carrying him down the street, then turned her attention to the man lurking off to the side. “You!”

A slimy individual emerged from where he had been waiting in the shadows and she picked up the hat with the ridiculously large feather that had fallen from Will’s head and slid a piece of parchment into the band.

“Take this to Captain Jack Sparrow. He should still be in the tavern, either drinking, passed out, or with one of the whores. He will pay you the other half of what I owe you.”

“That wasn’t our agreement,” the man objected.

“It’s the only way I can guarantee that you will deliver the message,” she answered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

The man grumbled under his breath, but took the hat and disappeared back into the shadows.

Captain Evangeline Ashe gave the town of Tortuga a final contemptuous glance, then followed the path of her men back to her ship.


Mr. Joshamee Gibbs was jolted awake by a round of hearty swearing and thumping on deck.

“The Captain’s back,” he mumbled, then rolled over in his hammock, ready to fall asleep, when heavy boots came stomping down the stairs, an angry voice shouting everyone awake.

“Get up, you mangy dogs! Do you think I hired you to just lie about and sleep all night! Get on deck and make ready to sail before I decide to chop you up and feed you to the sharks!”

Pirates tumbled out of their hammocks, pulling on their boots and running upstairs, each one muttering grimly under their breaths.

“Something wrong, Cap’n?” Gibbs asked dryly, tugging on his left boot.

“That scurvy bitch!” he snarled, pacing back and forth across the hold. “I should have known better than to trust her.”

“Jack, who are you talking about?”

“Angel!”

Gibbs pulled on his right boot, trying to hide his lack of surprise at the name. “Finally decide to get back at you for stealing her treasure, did she?”

“Aye, but we’d made an agreement! I was going to repay her in ten days’ time, and we would be even, but she went and changed the rules because she’s a woman and they can never keep the rules straight. I don’t know why I bothered to make an agreement with her in the first place! Bloody pirate!”

“Jack, you’re making even less sense than usual. What’d Angel do?”

“She kidnapped Will,” Jack said, shoving the hat into his first mate’s face.

Gibbs took the hat, removing the note that was tucked into the band, and quickly glanced over the words written there. “Now, Jack, relax. You know she’s not going to do the lad any harm. Says here she’s just keeping him as insurance. Once her gold’s returned, she’ll give him back, safe and sound.”

“Aye, that’s what she says, but how can I trust her? You know what she’s like.”

“I do, and she’ll keep to her word, so long as you keep to yours.”

“Which is why we’re setting sail immediately. The sooner we get that gold to her, the sooner I’ll get Will back. Gibbs,” he said, grabbing onto the lapels of his first mate’s jacket, his eyes spinning madly in his head, “do you know what Elizabeth will do to me if that boy comes back missing so much as a hair? Hanging will be too good for me! She’ll make me a eunuch first, don’t you doubt it! I’ve got to protect me goods, Mr. Gibbs!”

Gibbs rolled his eyes, calmly disentangling himself from the Captain’s grip. He knew the Captain’s rant was only half serious as he tried to hide his concern for the boy, but the other half had good reason to be scared of Miss Elizabeth Swann. “We’ll get him back, Jack, don’t worry. Now let’s get topside and get this ship moving.”


It was the throbbing in the back of his skull, accompanied by the nausea in his stomach, which woke him more than anything else. It didn’t take Will long to realize that he was on a ship, and the constant rolling of the wood beneath him told him that the ship was at sea.

His hand on the back of his head, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position as he tried to get a bearing on his surroundings. What happened? He couldn’t remember much of anything beyond his meeting with Jack. Had Jack done this to him? No, Jack wouldn’t do that. He might be a scoundrel, but he’d never take him captive against his will.

“It’s about time you woke up. I was beginning to think they’d hit you a little harder than was necessary.”

The blacksmith made an attempt to focus on the person speaking, but too much concentration made his head swim, and he stopped. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the bars and took deep breaths to calm the precarious situation in his stomach. “Where am I?”

“You’re to be my guest on the Phoenix until such time as I deem it proper to release you.” The woman looked up at him as she added lightly, “Or until Jack gives me back my gold.”

Everything slowly clicked together as Will recognized both voice and blurred face. “Angel.”

“Captain Evangeline Ashe, at your service,” she said, nodding in salute from where she was lounging against the wall opposite him.

“Why am I here?” Will demanded, using the bars he was leaning against to pull himself to his feet. “What do you want with me?”

“Calm yourself, blacksmith and sometimes pirate. You’re not going to end up losing a limb or anything. I’m not here to threaten you. Your presence is simply extra incentive for Jack to return my treasure.”

Will sighed, slumping against his cell. “Why do I always get regulated to being leverage?”

The Captain shrugged, a half-smile twitching at her lips. “It’s in your nature. Most honest men have little other use. Now, would you like out of there?”

The brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

“Well, if you’re comfortable in the brig, you’re more than welcome to stay, but if you give me your word that you won’t try to escape, you’ll be free to roam the ship as you please.”

He definitely wanted out of the brig, but was an extremely generous proposition to be offering a prisoner, so Will couldn’t help being a little confused. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s simple, Mr. Turner,” she said, pushing herself up to stand at her full height. “There’s no place for you to go. We’re leagues away from land, these waters aren’t the safest for swimming, and while my crew has orders to shoot you in an arm or a leg if you try to jump ship, they aren’t exactly the best shots, so if you jump, you could end up dead or worse. This is why I’m willing to let you out of your cell. Savvy?”

He didn’t answer her at first, but after taking a quick look around at his narrow surroundings, he nodded.

“Your word then, Mr. Turner.”

“You have my word.”

“Excellent,” she smiled and pulled open the door to the cell. Will’s eyes widened.

“It was unlocked?”

“I don’t have the key,” she shrugged and made her way up the stairs, expecting Will to follow behind her.

Having few other choices, he slowly climbed the stairs, trying to take in everything around him and see if there was anything he could use to help escape. Though even if he did find something, the pirate had a point. There was nowhere for him to go.

As he emerged onto the top deck, he paused to look around. The pirates gave him one curious glance, then continued on their way. They didn’t look any different from any of the other pirates he’d met--dirty, ugly, foul-mouthed, dim-witted. . . Will gulped as Angel turned to look at him, eyebrow arched, almost as if she was reading his mind.

He looked back at her, eyes filled with innocence. With a shake of her head, she continued towards the helm.

“Mr. Elliot, sir, I’ll be taking the wheel now.”

“Aye, Captain,” said a tall man with a deeply weathered face, stepping aside to make way for Angel.

Now there was a sailor with experience, Will thought as he studied Angel’s first mate. It looked as if he had been around since the oceans were first created. Tattoos covered his arms, most of the ink having leaked over the years so that his skin was a blur of black and brown. Scars marred what parts of him Will could see, and there was a rigid stretch of pale, shiny skin across his neck as if someone had tried to slit his throat. Still, despite his fearsome appearance, his dark eyes appraised Will with an honest neutrality. Deciding the blacksmith could do no harm, he dismissed the young man without a second glance.

Will wondered if he should be offended at being regarded as helpless by the entire crew, then decided it wasn’t worth it. They’d learn eventually.

“So what am I supposed to do now?” Will asked, looking at the Captain. He was surprised to find that in the bright light of the day, she appeared to be little older than he was.

Angel shrugged. “Whatever you like, Mr. Turner. I’m sure our cabin boy could use a hand. Harry!”

A fourteen year old with big blue eyes and messy brown hair came running up to the helm. “Yes, Captain?”

Will almost blushed at the absolute adoration in the boy’s eyes. It was as clear as his own love for Elizabeth that the kid worshipped the woman at the wheel.

“Harry, I’d like you to meet Will Turner. He’s going to be joining us for a few days. I want you to show him around the ship, find him a place to bunk, get him something to eat in the galley, and if you come across anything that needs tending to, have Mr. Turner here tend to it.”

“Anything, Captain?” he asked with an eager grin, and she winked at the boy.

“Anything.”

“Aye, Captain,” Harry said, then gestured to Will. “Come on, then. Let’s get you settled and I’ll put you to work.”

As he followed the boy, Will turned to arch an eyebrow at Angel, who grinned back at him. He had the feeling he had just become one of the Captain’s personal jokes. He and Harry climbed back down to the forecastle and found Will a spare bunk near the boy’s own. They were making their way towards the galley when the younger man stopped him.

“Before we go any further,” Harry said, turning around and pointing a finger at Will’s chest, “I need to know your intentions towards the Captain.”

Will didn’t know whether to laugh or to take the boy seriously. From the look in those blue eyes, he was being completely sincere, so Will swallowed his smile and kept a straight face. “I have no intentions towards your Captain. She kidnapped me, and that’s as far as our relationship goes.”

“Good. Because I’m going to marry her one day, and I would hate to have to kill you.”

Will did smile at this--he couldn’t stop himself, though he did resist laughing out loud. “Well then, should death be avoided and we become friends, I hope that my wife and I will be invited to your wedding.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “You’re married?”

“I will be, in six months time.”

“In that case, if we become friends, I hope I’ll be invited to your wedding.”

“I would like that,” he said, and held out his hand to the young man. “My name’s Will Turner. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And I’m Harry,” the lad said, shaking the proffered hand. Will arched an eyebrow.

“Just Harry?”

“As far as I know,” he shrugged, leading Will down to the galley. “Captain saved me from a bunch of slavers when I was eight. Don’t remember much before that.”

“And in return for her kindness, you’ve asked for her hand in marriage?”

“Have you seen the Captain? A nobody like me would be lucky to win the hand of a woman like that,” the boy said wistfully.

“You’re not a nobody, Harry, any more than I am, and I’ll bet your Captain would agree with me.”

“She does, but it doesn’t make it any less true. But that’s okay. I’m a nobody, and she’s a pirate, so it only makes sense that I marry her.”

“It does make sense indeed,” Will said, smiling at the young man’s cheerful acceptance of what he himself would have considered to be a gloomy prospect in life. Fortunately for him, he’d been found by Elizabeth and had avoided such gloom. Too bad it was the Captain who had found Harry, and not an Elizabeth of his own.


“Oh, bloody hell, Jack! Pick something already!” Gibbs shouted from across the cave to where his Captain was sitting in the middle of a pile of gold and jewels, a half-full chest sitting by his side.

“I am picking something!” Jack shouted back, then held up a string of diamonds and rubies, their sparkle reflecting in his eyes, “but not you, me lovely. I can think of far more graceful necks than Angel’s for you to adorn.”

Tossing the necklace aside, he continued digging through the treasure, muttering to himself as he did so. “No, no, no, maybe, oh, my darling,” he cooed at a small golden statue of a many-breasted goddess, “you are definitely staying with me.”

Joshamee sighed, pacing the cavern but always staying a good distance away from the stone chest holding the Aztec gold. They’d been in the cave for three hours and he was growing increasingly more impatient with his Captain. “Jack, you’ve got enough here to last several lifetimes! Believe me, you won’t miss anything. Fill the chest up, and let’s go!”

“Mr. Gibbs, what you don’t understand is that this is a delicate process. I worked hard to find this treasure in the first place, and then I worked even harder to commandeer it from the undead. Parting with even a single piece of my treasure is worse than losing a limb.”

“Let me see if I can think of a way to speed up your selection process, Captain,” he said, coming to a stop next to Jack and glaring down at him. “Think of the difficulty of parting with the treasure, then think of the difficulty of parting with Elizabeth after you’ve explained to her that you didn’t get Will back because you couldn’t decide between a gold statue and a bloody necklace!”

Jack pictured this parting, pictured what part of his body he would be parted from before parting with Elizabeth, and flinched. “Very well,” he sighed, turning the riches surrounding him. “It seems, my pretties, that I’m going to have to make a few sacrifices. Some of you will stay, some of you will be moving on to other adventures, but know this--I will always love each and every one of you.”

Taking a deep breath, Jack closed his eyes and began piling handfuls of treasure into the chest until it was overflowing.

“There. It’s done. Come along, Mr. Gibbs. Let’s get this back to the ship before I change my mind.”


Angel walked out of her cabin and stretched, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. It was always a relief to be back at sea, even if she’d only been away from it for a few hours. Land simply wasn’t secure enough for her. She always felt uneasy surrounded by buildings and people, but here, on her ship, this was where she belonged.

The scratching of bristles against wood caught her attention, and she looked to see Will and Harry scrubbing the deck. Will leaned over to say something to Harry, and the boy splashed water at him as the two started to laugh. Angel smiled at the sound. It was good to hear Harry laugh as he’d had so few opportunities to do so in his short life. However, the sound also acted to remind her of a promise she had made the boy and so far had failed to keep.

“Harry!”

The boy jumped to his feet and came running over to her. “Aye, Captain?”

“I recall promising to teach you how to use a sword.”

Harry’s blue eyes practically popped out of his head with excitement. “Aye, Captain!”

“Mr. Turner!”

Will stood up and sauntered over to them, trying to make the difference between his approach and the boy’s enthusiasm as obvious as possible to demonstrate that though he was far from being a prisoner, he wasn’t happy with the Captain.

“Yes, Angel?”

Harry looked sharply at Will, surprised at his informality, but the Captain didn’t seem to notice.

“When we met in the tavern, I got the impression that Jack seemed to think you something of a swordsman.”

“A little bit more than something,” he said, his voice clear with honesty to show he wasn’t boasting, just speaking the truth.

“Excellent. If it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience, how would you feel about giving Harry here some lessons? Don’t worry, lad,” she said, turning to the boy, whose face had fallen with disappointment. “Should he agree, he’s only going to teach you the basics. Everything you really need to know, I fully plan on showing you myself.” Harry’s face lit up, satisfied by her explanation. “What do you say, Mr. Turner?”

“I’d be honored. And I promise you, Harry, by the time I’m through with you, the Captain here is going to face a challenge she didn’t imagine.”

“I look forward to it,” Angel said, then dismissed them.

Will found an extra sword in the makeshift armory and topped off it, as well as his own blade, with a piece of cork.

“This will keep the tips from doing us any harm, but the blades are still sharp, so be careful,” he said as he handed the extra sword to Harry. “Now, let’s begin with your footwork. . .”

As the day wore on and the sun rose higher in the sky, both young men were too entranced by their swordplay to notice that they were drenched with sweat, or that most of the crew had gathered around the railings in order to watch them. They cheered on whoever happened to be getting injured the most at the moment, for though the cork prevented any true damage from being done, they were thrusting with enough force to be causing bruises.

Harry, having spent six years among pirates and practicing in secret with a sword, was a fast learner, but this had barely taught him the basics of how to defend himself. Will was teaching him not only how to block a blade, but how to fight back, how to strategize and anticipate his opponent’s next move.

Mr. Elliot was watching all this with his usual disengaged stare when the Captain appeared beside him, a smirk on her face.

“He’s better than I thought,” she said, watching the smooth swing of Will’s blade.

Mr. Elliot grunted in response.

“Look at the way he moves,” she continued. “Have you ever seen anything more graceful? It’s like a dance with him. No, it’s more than a dance, he’s like water--he just flows across the deck. Amazing.”

A knowing eye turned to the Captain, and she laughed.

“Relax, Mr. Elliot. I have no wishes to entrap the young man. He’s a bargaining tool, nothing more. Besides, Harry would kill him, and I think he’s a rather good influence for the boy. Mr. Turner!” she shouted, and Will blocked Harry’s blade as he looked up at the Captain.

“No fair trying to distract me, Angel, and give the boy a better chance. He’s doing just fine on his own.”

“That’s not why I called you,” she said, walking down the steps to the main deck. “I want to see if you’re as good as you look.”

Removing her coat and hat, she handed them to Harry while taking the sword he’d been using.

“Think I can beat him?” she asked in a loud whisper, and Harry laughed.

“Absolutely, Captain. He doesn’t have a chance.”

Kissing the boy on the cheek, she turned to Will as she pulled the cork from her blade. “We both know what we’re doing. No point in sparring with toys, is there, Mr. Turner?”

With a wolfish grin, Will removed the cork from his blade. “No point at all, though I’ll have to take your word for it you know what you’re doing.”

“You doubt my abilities?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

They began circling each other, watching for the opening advantage.

“You’ve had the chance to observe me all afternoon, so you know I am not without skills. However, the last time you engaged in a fight with me, you came up behind me and hit me on the back of the head, so yes, I have my doubts.” He thrust at the Captain with his blade, who knocked it aside as if it was a fly.

“Ah, but when I hit you over the head, I wasn’t trying to engage you in a fight. I just wanted your body on my ship. The best way for that to happen was to have you unconscious.”

Their swords began clashing in earnest as they moved in a flurry back and forth over the deck. Clanging metal filled the air with each violent stroke, which only served to excite the two even more.

“You just wanted my body on your ship? Taken in a different context, I should be offended by that,” Will winked. “Or maybe I should consider it an offer?”

Angel’s eyes widened, and she laughed. “Why, Mr. Turner, are you flirting with me?”

“Just trying to test you, find something that will catch you off guard, Angel.”

“Very little falls into that category, William, and certainly not you.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The men of the Phoenix, led by Harry, cheered on their Captain, but even Angel could see they were impressed by the young man’s skill, as was she. He was proving to be a worthy opponent, one she would have enjoyed making a part of her crew, if he’d been so inclined. But somehow, she doubted he would accept her invitation.

Will and the Captain had chased each other over the deck, then up the stairs to the helm. She forced Will against the railing, thinking she’d won, when he jumped onto the wooden barrier and back flipped onto the deck below. This earned him cheers and applause from her crew, and even she nodded in appreciation.

“Very well done, blacksmith and sometimes pirate,” she said, tossing her sword to one of her crew and leaping over the railing onto the deck next to Will. “One would think you’d made a career out of being a fulltime pirate.”

“I’m just a very talented blacksmith,” Will grinned.

“So it would seem. Come, Master Turner, as you are my guest for the next few days, I would appreciate it if you would join me in my cabin for dinner.”

Will tensed, not knowing how to answer, afraid because his first instinct was to accept. Deciding there would be no harm in it, he gave Angel a respectful bow.

“Allow me to get cleaned up first, Captain, and I would be honored to join you.”

“Of course. Harry, please find Mr. Turner a change of clothes and anything else he needs.”

“Yes, Captain,” said the scowling boy.

Will noticed his change of mood, and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll see if I can put in a good word for you, maybe get her to shorten your sentence.”

Harry’s face lit up. “You’d do that?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks, Will. Now, let’s go see if we can find you anything to wear. I think we might have something presentable around here for dinner with the Captain.”


Will paused outside the door to the Captain’s cabin, his hand hesitating in midair, then moved it to adjust the collar at his throat. He’d never worn anything this fancy before and probably wouldn’t again until the wedding, he thought, glancing down at the blue silk waistcoat embroidered with gold, the matching dress coat and breeches. Harry had made it perfectly clear Will did not want to know how a band of pirates acquired such an elegant suit. He looked like he could be the governor, not a blacksmith, and he’d never felt more ridiculous in his life. Jack would have been rolling on the deck laughing at him. He didn’t know what the Phoenix’s Captain would think.

He was surprised to find he was feeling nervous at the thought of eating alone with Angel. He’d found more pleasure in sparring with her than he should have. Watching her face, seeing her alight with the thrill of their play, it had been intoxicating. She had been intoxicating. He couldn’t believe he’d found her to be plain when they’d first met. Now it seemed to him that there were few out there who could rival her beauty.

Not that she’d ever be able to compete with Elizabeth. There was no woman in the world who could approach Elizabeth’s refined features, or match her gentle heart, though Angel did share her strong spirit. No, Elizabeth was the steady flame in his life, but Angel, Angel created flickers of fire in his blood unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.

“Deep breath, Will. Get control of yourself. Elizabeth is the one you love. Angel’s the one who kidnapped you and is holding you hostage to use you as a tool against your friend. Don’t forget that.”

Feeling a little bit more secure, Will knocked on the door.

“Enter!”

He walked inside, closing the door behind him. Angel was standing in front of a mirror, running a brush through her leonine mane. At seeing him, she paused mid-stroke, a smile twitching at her lips.

“Harry did this to you, didn’t he?”

Will gave a glum nod.

“If it’s any consolation, you look quite handsome, if somewhat out of place. Please, sit down, pour yourself some wine,” Angel smiled, nodding to the table as she continued to brush her hair, “and tell me what it was you whispered to my cabin boy to make him smile so.”

Will did as he was asked, filling two of the goblets with wine. “I told Harry that I would make a plea on his behalf for you to shorten his sentence.”

“Mentioned that to you, did he?” she chuckled, quickly braiding her hair. “Well, you can tell him you tried, but that you failed. Ten years he has to wait before I will consider his offer of marriage, and at least two of those have to be spent somewhere other than this ship.”

“You’re not really going to marry the boy, are you?” Will asked, sipping from his goblet.

Angel shrugged as she took her seat at the head of the table and began handing him dishes holding the meal’s simple fare. “That depends on what kind of man he turns out to be. In four years time, he’ll be eighteen, and I’m hoping he’ll have found someone who will dote on him as he deserves.”

“Which is why you’re banishing him from the ship for two years,” he nodded.

“It is my wish that those two years will give him the perspective he needs. He’s a good boy, and he should have a life--a real life, not one like this.”

“So you don’t want him to be a pirate?” Will asked as she passed him a basket of biscuits, and he handed her a dish of vegetables.

“Few people actually grow up wanting to be a pirate, Mr. Turner,” she smiled. “I wanted to join the Navy and become Captain of my own ship, but unfortunately, I was born the wrong sex for that. What options did I have left to me but to become a pirate?”

“Merchant sailor?”

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “If I hadn’t made a few devastating mistakes early on, perhaps I could have captained a merchant ship, but certain actions forced me onto a different path.”

“Jack mentioned something about you having a rough time, and lots to forget. I don’t suppose I could convince you to elaborate, could I?”

“It has been far too pleasant a day for me to darken it with tales of my life,” she smiled. “Perhaps another time.”

“When you’re having a less pleasant day, I will remember to ask you,” Will grinned. Angel looked at him, and laughed, shaking her head.

“You’re becoming quite the surprise, Will Turner, blacksmith and sometimes pirate.”

“A good surprise, I hope,” he said, raising his goblet, “Captain Evangeline Ashe, at your service.”

“A good one, indeed,” she smiled, lifting her goblet to meet his, the metal meeting with a satisfied ‘clink’. “Now, Mr. Turner, tell me, how did an upstanding young man like you ever get involved with a sneaky bastard like Jack?”

“It is not exactly proper dinner conversation, I’m afraid.”

“I’m a pirate, Will. Few topics are.”

Will’s eyes sparkled with amusement and he nodded, leaning forward to begin the tale.


Day five of his captivity was proving to be just as entertaining as day one had been. Will was starting to wonder why it was he disliked pirates so much--the crew of the Phoenix was all extremely friendly towards him, wanting to hear the story of Barbossa and the Aztec gold over and over again. True, they were a little rough around the edges, but were quite amiable overall. He was growing especially fond of Harry. Their lessons in swordplay were becoming the highlight of Will’s days. He was even beginning to dread the time when they would have to part, knowing he would probably never see the boy again.

And then came the reminder of why he’d spent most of his life hating pirates.

“Captain, there’s a ship bearing down hard on us, and she’s closing fast!” a sailor called from the crow’s nest.

The pirates immediately bristled, sensing danger, and Angel rushed to the back of the quarter deck. Pulling out her spyglass, she focused on the vessel approaching the Phoenix, and Will was astonished to see their stalwart Captain flinch and grow pale.

“It’s the Rose,” she said, and wave of dark muttering passed through the crew.

“The Rose?” Will echoed, glancing at Harry, who was also looking grimly at the rival ship.

“The Mourning Rose. It’s captained by a pirate hunter who’s been after our Captain for quite some time.”

“Why?”

“You’ll have to ask the Captain for that answer.”

“And she currently doesn’t have the time to explain,” Angel said, approaching the pair. “For now, Mr. Turner, you’d better get yourself armed and be prepared to fight. The men on the Rose won’t care who you are or how you got here--as far as they’re concerned, you’re on a pirate ship, and that makes you a pirate.”

She turned away, then paused, glancing back at him. “I’m sorry to have involved you in this. If I’d ever thought there was a chance he’d catch up to us, I never would have brought you on board.”

Will’s eyes widened, and he made as if to speak, but the Captain was already running down the stairs to the main deck, overseeing the preparations for the coming fight. With a speed born of much practice, cannons were loaded and readied to be fired, muskets powdered with extra shots close by, cutlasses drawn and sharpened, their edges glistening in the sunlight, and if needed, boarding axes and grappling hooks were placed within easy reach.

The Mourning Rose drew alongside the Phoenix, men on both ships judging the others with menacing eyes, shouting out messages of challenge and defiance, but one voice rose above them all.

“EVANGELINE!”

All eyes on the Phoenix turned to the Captain, who leapt upon one of the shrouds, twisting one hand in the rope, the other holding her sword.

“Gentlemen, do you hear something?” she asked, addressing her crew. “Sounds to me like the squawking of an oversized seagull just waiting to be plucked.”

The men of the Phoenix laughed, and the men of the Rose grumbled menacingly as a man jumped upon the shroud opposite her, a matching blade in his hand. He would have been handsome, if it wasn’t for the hatred twisting his face and darkening his gray eyes.

“A child leading children. Tell me, Eva, when do you plan on growing up?”

“Why, Robert, you know all too well I stopped being a child a long time ago,” she answered with a lascivious wink.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Being a whore is not the same as being an adult.”

Angel’s loyal crew shouted out insults towards the man, brandishing their weapons and waiting only for the word from their Captain to attack the man who’d dared called their leader a whore. Angel, however, simply laughed.

“Maybe you’ve just been visiting the wrong whores.”

“Surrender, pirate, and I’ll let you be the first to die so you don’t have to watch your crew hang!”

“Robert, you bastard son of a seawitch, I’m giving you one warning--leave now, and we’ll only cripple your ship!”

“I’m not leaving till you’re dead!” he shouted.

“Then you’re never leaving! FIRE!”

Will jumped as the world around him erupted into smoke and flame, cannon and musket balls zinging past his ears. He barely had time to register that the battle had begun before he found himself caught in the middle of it as a sailor from the Rose swung over the gap separating the ships and landed right in front of him. Will started, automatically raising the musket Harry had found for him, and fired at the intruder.

The man’s face went blank, and then he slumped to the deck.

The blacksmith and sometimes pirate froze, staring at the dead body lying at his feet, the man’s death creating an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Under different circumstances, it was possible the man he’d just killed would not have been his enemy. Under different circumstances, the man would not have thought Will a pirate.

Will looked at the dead sailor, then gave the body a respectful nod before lifting his sword to join the fight. Circumstances changed, and if he hadn’t killed the man, he would be the one lying lifeless on the deck. It was useless to try and pretend he’d had any other option than to defend himself.

The battle around him increased in fury and he joined in, his blade singing through the air, slicing into the enemy with determined strokes. At one point, he caught sight of the Captain battling the man with the cruel face, both seemingly intent on gutting the other. He would have joined her when a cry of surprise startled him.

“Harry!” he shouted, turning just in time to see a man three times the size of the boy barreling down on him, sword raised and ready to strike.

“NO!” Before he even knew what he was doing, Will dove in between the boy and the sword just as the blade came slashing down on them both.


Pirates throughout Tortuga began scattering with the wind, clearing out of their usual haunts and seeking places of refuge where they were hoping to hide until it was safe to return to their degenerate ways.

Jack, who’d never beheld the tavern so empty, grabbed the arm of a fleeing reprobate and pushed him against the wall.

“What’s going on?”

“The M-m-m-mourning Rose!” he stammered. “She just sailed into harbor!”

Jack’s eyes went wide, his grip on the man slackening enough that the rat was able to escape.

“The Rose,” he whispered. There was no way Angel was going to come anywhere near Tortuga, not while Robert and the Rose were docked there. He punched the wall opposite him. “Blast!”

Deciding to get a better look, and maybe overhear how long the Mourning Rose was planning on staying, Jack lowered his hat over his eyes and began creeping towards the harbor. Slinking along the walls of the buildings and staying close to the shadows, he was able to make his way through the seemingly deserted town. Sticking to the trees, he peered out over the docks to the Rose, and gave a low whistle.

The Mourning Rose looked as if she were barely able to keep afloat. She was listing heavily to her starboard side, and with good reason, as it had been punctured with several cannonball holes. The sails had been shredded and one of the masts was bent at an odd angle--whatever battle she’d been through, she’d only just barely emerged from it in one piece.

But who had she been battling with?

That was the main question on Jack’s mind as he quickly made his way towards the dock. Keeping to the sand, he moved under the wooden planks, trying to listen in on the sailor’s gossip.

“She gave as good as she got,” a man sighed, “but Lord Ashe, I don’t think she’s going to sail again.”

“She is the Mourning Rose. She was once the pride of the British Navy. Make her ready to sail,” ordered a harsh voice. “She has one more battle left to fight, and then she may be granted her well-earned rest. The Phoenix may have escaped, but she had much more damage done to her than the Rose. She cannot run far, not this time.”

“You still intend to go after them?” the other man asked, and Jack chuckled to picture the expression on the speaker’s face. If the man wasn’t careful, he might reveal that he thought Lord Ashe to be mad, and that wouldn’t be wise at all. Jack had learned a long time ago it was always best to keep one’s views on another’s sanity to oneself. The one thought to be insane usually didn’t appreciate being told they were mad.

Though he never could understand why.

People thought he was one of the maddest pirates around, and it had always worked to his advantage. He could say whatever he wanted, usually got away with what some to be considered exceptionally odd behavior, and they all underestimated him--which never failed to amuse him, but it also kept the world from guessing what he was really up to.

On the other hand, he wasn’t Ashe, and Ashe was mad in the worst way, unlike Jack, who was mad in the best way.

“Get her seaworthy as soon as possible,” Ashe commanded. “I will expect a full report at dawn of the damages and your progress.”

The Lord then turned towards the shore and heaved a disgusted sigh. “This town should be put out of its misery. Maybe killing a few pirates will help clean it up a bit.”

Jack winced at the sound boots stomping down the dock. Robert was not a happy man, but at least he’d given Jack what he’d needed to know--the Phoenix was not yet at the bottom of the sea, and her crew might still be alive, which meant Will might still be alive. Jack just had to make sure he found them before Lord Ashe and the Rose did.


The crew of the Phoenix slowly clambered towards the island’s shore, dragging themselves painfully through the water, the scarred hull of their ship flickering behind them with the embers remaining from the fire. They’d managed to save the ship from the blaze, but the Rose’s cannons had torn so many holes through it that, to even the most uneducated eye, it didn’t look salvageable.

“We’ll fix her up, Captain,” one of the men said as he collapsed in the sand. “We’ll make her seaworthy again. You’ll see.”

“Aye!” another called out. “And then we’ll go after the Rose and blast her into splinters!”

An uproarious cheer went up amongst the pirates--as uproarious as they could manage, exhausted and wounded as they were.

Angel just gave a muted laugh as she lay on her back staring up at the stars, and the sound sent chills along Will’s spine. He glanced over at Harry to see if he’d noticed anything unusual about her laugh, but the boy was still out cold. Looking back at the Captain, his eyes filled with worry as she struggled to her feet, one hand clutching her side.

“Captain?” Mr. Elliot questioned, and she waved him away with her free hand.

“I’m going to see what our prison looks like. Tend to the men, salvage what you can from the Phoenix, set up camp. I’ll be back as soon as I’ve decided if this island has anything to offer us.”

Grabbing a lantern, she stumbled along the beach, shooting daggers at any man who offered to accompany her. Will saw that Harry was covered with a blanket and resting comfortably, then waited till Mr. Elliot had the crew distracted with orders before following her along the shore.

Not far from where they’d made land, the island curved so that they were soon beyond the sight of the pirates. He kept looking behind him to see if any of the others had decided to follow her as well, but it seemed they’d all chosen to give the Captain the solitude she wanted. Either that, or they were too afraid to follow her and risk having their heads lopped off. It was a possibility, Will thought as the Captain’s slightly crazed laughter drifted back to him on the wind.

They walked far too long for people who’d just been through a battle and the struggle to find land. Will was about ready to collapse when the Captain turned inland, following a stream that emptied into the ocean. The stream began somewhere up along the side of the small mountain in the center of their island refuge, meaning it had a source other than saltwater. He leaned down to cup his hands in the stream, gratefully moistening his mouth and throat with the fresh water, then continued to follow the lady pirate. It wasn’t long before they came to a pool that had gathered at the base of a small waterfall, the Captain sitting down beside it with a sigh.

Will held back, hesitating in the trees before her voice, roughened by shouting, smoke, and gunpowder, found its way to his ears.

“Are you going to stand there all night, blacksmith and pirate? You may try, but I don’t think your legs will hold you.”

A half smile curling his lips, Will sat down next to her, then groaned with relief as he lay back on the cool grass, giving his entire body a chance to rest.

“And in case you decide to protest, you are a full-fledged pirate now, Mr. Turner. There’s no denying it--I caught a glimpse of you more than once during the fight. You are just as vicious and bloodthirsty as the rest of us, not to mention, a little bit mad,” she said, then clapped a hand over his mouth as he began to object. “Don’t waste your breath, Will. I saw the way you threw yourself between Harry and the sword. No sane man would have done that.”

Will removed the hand from his mouth. “I don’t think it was madness. I saw the sword falling towards him, and I just reacted.”

“And I, for one, am thankful you did. Harry owes you his life.”

“A debt I will never ask him to repay.”

“Most generous of you,” she smirked, “considering that should we ever get off this godforsaken island, you’ll probably never see the boy again.”

“You never know. Our paths may cross sometime in the future. And seeing as how we’re on the subject of crossing paths,” he said, leaning up on his forearms to get a better look at her, “who is Robert and what does he want with you?”

Angel’s eyes narrowed and she dug into her pocket, pulling out a small leather pouch. Will watched with curious eyes as she unwrapped a rectangular substance from a piece of paper and stuck it in a pipe.

“Opium,” he breathed, and she gave him a grim smile.

“Very good, Mr. Turner,” she said, sticking the end of a long, thin stick into the flame of the lamp until the tip was covered in fire. “The story of my life cannot be accompanied by exhaustion alone. I need something to dull the pain.”

She held the flame to the opium gum and as it burned, breathed in deep the smoke it released. Holding her breath for a moment, she slowly let the smoke in her lungs escape.

Will was quiet as he watched this, finding he was having mixed feelings about the pipe in her hand. He wouldn’t even touch rum, for fear it might ravage his senses, but watching the weariness ease from her body, the peaceful expression gliding across her face, he found himself tempted to explore such a release himself.

“Would you like to try?” she asked, her eyes cunning as she discerned his interest, but he shook his head.

“No, thank you,” he answered, but even to his own ears, he didn’t sound convinced.

“So you wanted to know about Robert,” Angel said as she leaned back next to him on the grass. “But my story cannot start with Robert alone. We must begin with my father, the dear old man who doted on me in my mother’s absence. When he was assigned to the Caribbean, she chose to remain in London rather than spend the rest of her life a world away from civilization. Even though I was still a baby at the time, she insisted Father take us with him.”

She glanced at Will, a cruel smile on her face. “She never was much of a mother. It simply wasn’t in her nature, but I suppose that is one attribute of hers I should be thankful for. I wouldn’t make much of a pirate with a handful of whelps running around the ship.”

“No, I suppose not,” Will said, grimacing at the mental image of Angel ordering her men to fire with a cutlass in one hand, and a baby in the other.

“My father had been named Admiral of the Fleet over the British Navy in these parts,” she continued, “and not wanting to leave his children in the hands of strangers, he took us with him wherever he went. It is thanks to him that I learned my love of the sea, as well as how to use a sword and shoot a musket. He thought it was adorable at the time to see a little girl wielding a blade or hitting the center of the target. He was not quite so entertained when, at the time I should have been concerning myself with dresses and parties, I instead harassed him about enlisting in the Navy and demanding to know when I’d be commissioned my own ship.

“Finally, he grew weary enough of my pestering that he ordered me to remain in the house or on the grounds and told me that I was not allowed to pass beyond the walls without either himself or my brother as an escort.” She turned to Will, a wry smile on her face. “You can imagine how seriously I took such an order.”

“Not well,” he grinned, watching as she again breathed in the opium smoke.

Slowly, she exhaled, and sighed. “Not well at all, so I made it my duty in life to sneak out whenever possible. I had a friend who lived near the docks. From her window, we could see the ships arriving and leaving, as well as keep an eye on those the ships carried. One night, my attention was caught by a man who was unlike the crisp sailors I’d spent my life with. He was beautiful, and wild, and as he passed beneath the window, he glanced up at me and winked. I was sixteen at the time, and a fool, so of course I fell madly in love with him.”

“I think I can guess the rest of the tale,” Will said, a hint of apprehension in his tone, and she gave him a wicked smile.

“You think so?” Inhaling more of the opium, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He was so taken aback by the boldness of her action that he didn’t think not to inhale the smoke that passed between her mouth and his. She continued to kiss him, refusing to let him exhale until several seconds had passed. Sitting back, she watched as he coughed out the smoke, his brown eyes flashing with fury.

“Why did you do that?”

“To remind you of who I am,” she said, then gave him a penetrating glance. “How do you feel, Mr. Turner?”

“The same as I did before.”

“Give it a few minutes. Now, we were discussing my pirate lover, for he was a pirate. He seduced me without a second thought, used me to gain information on where certain ships of the Navy would be sailing and changes in the shipping lanes, and I was too naïve to realize what was going on. At least, not until he was caught sneaking out of my window early one morning.”

She laughed darkly as she shook her head. “I can still hear myself, my cries of protest, my declarations of love, all this in front of my father and brother and the guards who had caught him. And then my pirate started to laugh. Before them all, he declared that he had never loved me, that he was only using me. He proceeded to insult me, my intelligence, my abilities in bed, hurting me in every way he could.

“As a pirate, it was a given that they were going to hang him. I saved them the trouble. I was so enraged by his words that I grabbed the nearest sword and used it to pierce his heart. I never would have imagined that watching him die upon our lawn was only the beginning of my torment.

“Having been faced with the reality of my shame, my father collapsed not long after and was never the same again. My brother refused to speak to me--refused to even look at me--for two days, and then he did so only to tell me I had disgraced the family and he was banishing me to a nunnery.”

“You, a nun?” Will asked, chuckling in spite of himself, appalled that he would find this story the least bit amusing, and amused that he was so appalled.

Angel arched an eyebrow at him, then gave a knowing smile. Inhaling again from her pipe, she pressed the wood to Will’s mouth. “Breathe,” she whispered softly, her lips brushing across Will’s ear and sending shivers through his body. He did as he was bid, drawing on the pipe. “Hold it,” she said, and after a few seconds, nodded. “Let it go.”

He smiled, letting his head rest on the grass. His entire body felt pleasantly warm, the bruises and cuts from the battle fading into nothingness. The night around him had never seemed so peaceful.

“Shall I continue?” she asked, and he nodded. “As you have already guessed, I’m not exactly the kind of woman who is fit for a nunnery and I escaped that very night. I knew where my lover’s ship was, so I stole aboard, declared myself Captain, and have been roaming the seas ever since.”

“The Phoenix belonged to him?”

“It did. I’ve since replaced most of the crew with those I can trust--as much anyone can trust a pirate,” she said, flashing him a knowing wink, “and have made her my home for ten years.”

Will nodded again, finding he liked the way the world moved and the stars blurred as his head went up, and then down, and then up, and then down. And then he stopped. Frowning, he turned to the Captain.

“What about Robert? Why does he hate you?”

Her gray eyes grew murky as she lifted the pipe to her lips. “I was hoping you wouldn’t remember,” she said a few moments later, then held the pipe to his mouth. “Here, you’ll need it.”

The crease in his forehead deepened, but he couldn’t resist inhaling once more. She waited till he’d released his breath, then set the pipe down between them. Sitting up, she unbuttoned her shirt and slid the cloth over her arms.

“Wh—what are you doing?” he asked as his stomach began to flutter, though whether from excitement or panic, he wasn’t sure.

“Just look,” she said, and he did. His eyes fixed on the woman in front of him, watching as she tossed the shirt aside and brushed her long hair over one shoulder.

“My god,” he gasped, his eyes growing wide as the frozen hand of horror chased all warmth from his body.

Angel’s back was covered with crisscrossing lines, the skin shiny and pink with old scar tissue. She had been beaten so severely, there was barely an inch of healthy skin to be found. Whoever had done this had been brutally thorough about it.

Leaning forward, Will lightly traced one of the lines with his fingertips, only to find it intersecting with another, which intersected with another, and another, and another. By the time he’d touched all the scars, he’d managed to touch the entire length and breadth of her back.

“Who did this to you?” he whispered, continuing to explore the maze on her skin, loving how warm it felt to his fingertips, the heat traveling up through his hands, his arms, over his chest, and down between his legs.

“My brother, Robert Ashe, Captain of the Mourning Rose.”

His hand paused. “Your brother?”

Angel stood up and slid the leather trousers down her legs. Will quickly looked away, flushing from the top of his head down to his toes.

Seeing Will’s reaction, she smiled smugly to herself and stepped into the pool, which was only waist deep. She lowered herself below the surface and emerged, smoothing her hair away from her face. Turning around, she stood up and met Will’s unblinking gaze.

He couldn’t help himself. He’d never seen a woman naked before, and standing in front of him, skin glistening with drops of water, was a beautiful woman. With beautiful breasts, he thought, noticing how her dusky nipples pebbled in the cool air. He licked his lips, wondering what it would be like to taste her breasts.

He tried to suppress it, but he couldn’t stop the stirring between his legs.

“My brother,” she nodded as she walked towards the edge of the pool. “He did this to me the night he came to tell me that I was being sent away. Naturally, we argued. I’d never seen him so angry, which only made me angry, and then he completely lost control. I forget who stopped him--a maid, a manservant, it doesn’t matter--I was unconscious by that point. I have no doubt he would have kept going till I was dead.”

“But he’s your brother!”

“And I single-handedly destroyed our family’s honor, sent our father into a state of living death, and ruined all chances of a future for myself. I was a disgrace. In his eyes, I didn’t deserve to live. This is one of the reasons why, despite the destruction of my back and the fever running through my body, I forced myself to leave that very night. If I’d stayed any longer, I would have risked him finishing what he’d started. On the plus side, my determination to seek my lover’s ship in spite of the pain helped earn the respect I needed to take it over. Plus,” she added with a sly look, “I killed the first mate--that’s what truly caught their attention. You should join me, Will,” she said, resting her arms on the side of the pool and leaning towards him. “It feels wonderful to wash away the salt from your skin.”

“I—I don’t think so. Thank you, though.”

“Come on, Will.” She held out her hand to the young man and smiled. “You need to clean all those cuts on your skin before they get infected.”

Will stared at the outstretched hand, fighting with his conscience as he tried to defy the urge to accept her invitation. He knew he shouldn’t do it, but his body was working hard against him and even his mind wasn’t resisting with the force it should have. Some small functioning part of his brain told him it was the opium making even this seem acceptable to his rational self, and that small functioning part of his brain was probably right, but somehow, he couldn’t find the strength to care.

“The cuts do need cleaned,” he nodded and took off his shirt. He reached for his trousers, and stopped.

“Don’t worry, I won’t look, I promise,” she said, facing away from the young man. He quickly finished undressing and slid into the pool, keeping his back to the pirate. “All in?”

He nodded.

“I can’t see you, remember? Are you in?”

“Yes, sorry,” he blushed.

She turned around and moved to stand behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He jumped, trying to move away, but there was nowhere for him to go.

“Shh,” she said, running her hands down the length of his arms, then brought them back up, sweeping the water over his skin. She gently cleaned away the ash remaining from the fire and the blood from his cuts, softly kissing each of the wounds.

Will bit his lower lip to keep from moaning as he grew even harder with each kiss.

“Your hair smells like smoke,” she said, and slowly pressed him down till he was kneeling in the water. “Tilt your head back.”

As he bent his head, he found himself staring up at the underside of her breasts and over the lovely face gazing down at him. Cupping the water in her hands, she carefully washed it over his hair, running her fingers through the dampened strands as she tried to work through the tangles.

There was a twitch between his legs and he quickly clenched his eyes shut. He couldn’t let himself be effected by her, not like this. She was a pirate, a murderer, but most importantly, she wasn’t Elizabeth.

“Your brother,” he croaked. “That’s why he wants you dead?”

Angel smiled at the young man’s attempt to distract him from his obvious suffering, and chose to indulge him for the moment. “It was only after I ran away and became a pirate that he devoted himself to killing me. If I’d just disappeared, he probably would have forgotten about me. But I didn’t disappear. Instead, I flaunted my disgrace, defying everything he and my father stood for by making a point of attacking Navy ships whenever I could, in addition to the usual trading vessels.”

“You’re a true pirate,” he said softly, leaning into the fingers that massaging his temples.

“Yes, I am,” she said, and lowered her head to kiss him.

Will’s eyes flew open and he stood up, whirling around to face here. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, moving forward till her breasts brushed against his bare chest.

He stared at her, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times, then he shook his head. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

“If I asked you to kiss me, Will, would you say no?”

He bit his lip, trying to keep from answering, but it didn’t work. “No,” he heard himself say, and Angel looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“Kiss me, Will?”

“Yes,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her close till their bodies were pressed together. Bending his head, he gently touched his lips to hers. He pulled back to gaze at her, brushing a hand over her damp hair.

“More, Will,” she whispered, and he nodded.

“Yes.”

Their kiss deepened and Angel slid a hand around Will’s neck, opening her mouth to flick the tip of her tongue across his lips. Will was startled into parting them and her tongue delved between his teeth. She caressed the roof of his mouth, his entire body shivering with delight.

“Angel,” he gasped, and she smiled, drawing back, drawing his lower lip between his teeth.

“What is it, Will?” she asked as she began kissing the base of his neck. “Do you want to stop?”

“I don’t know what I want,” he moaned, closing his eyes.

Moving her mouth next to Will’s ear, she licked the length of his lobe. “I do.”

She eased herself onto the edge of the pool and began crawling backwards across the grass, then reached out a hand to him. He took it, using his other hand to push himself out of the water. Angel pulled him swiftly towards her so that he fell between her legs.

Suddenly, he became acutely aware that he was a very naked man lying on top of a very naked woman, and this was all he needed for instinct to kick in.

Will ravaged Angel’s mouth, passing his tongue between her lips and exploring her as she had explored him. She tasted of the sweet smoke of the opium, but also of something darker, and as they writhed against each other, his cock swelled even further.

Lifting his head, he smiled impishly at her, then made a path down the length of her neck with the tip of his tongue. His tongue traveled over her chest to the part between her breasts, and there he stopped. Taking one in each hand, he massaged the mounds of flesh, rubbing his thumb over the stiffened nipples.

Burying her hands in the brown curls, she chuckled softly as she lifted her head to look at him. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Mr. Turner?”

“Considering where I grew up and who I keep company with, do you truly think me so innocent?”

“I never would have called you innocent. Virginal was the word that came to mind.”

“Virginal?” Admittedly, he’d never been with a woman before, but he’d heard enough to have a general idea of what to do. Besides, he’d wanted nothing more than to toy with her breasts ever since he saw those dark circles staring at him from the pool. Will nibbled a ring around her nipple, then took the nub between his teeth, pulling on it lightly. She gasped, her entire body arching against him.

“I amend my previous statement,” she said, her hands twisting in his hair. “I never would have called you talented before, but I certainly do now.”

“Which I heartily approve of,” he grinned, and began suckling at her breast, licking and biting until her cries filled the air.

“Will. . . please. . .stop. . .”

“Okay,” he said, and moved to her other breast.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said through clenched teeth, her fingers tearing at the grass, the heat between her legs causing her blood to boil. “I need you, Will.”

But he wasn’t about to stop now. This was his first time with a woman, and he was enjoying the feel of her soft flesh far too much not to continue his investigation. Will brushed his fingertips over the skin of her flat stomach and she moaned softly as he neared her sex. Smiling, Will brushed against the curls before moving his fingers back up and over her breasts to her neck. He traced her jaw line, then trailed his hands down the length of her body.

“Will, you’re killing me.”

“Shh. . .” he said, raising his brown eyes to meet her gray. “I like touching you.”

Despite her distress, she smiled, amused by the innocent joy in his gaze. It was far too flattering a response for her to argue, though he’d better finish his explorations soon, or she’d be the one to take control.

Will’s hands began moving down her legs, then up the inside of her thighs. Angel’s body tensed with anticipation of the expected touch and she was soon rewarded. One finger moved over the part in the soft flesh, then slipped between the folds, inadvertently rubbing the stiff nub there. She gasped, her entire body flushing pink. Will arched an eyebrow, and touched the spot again until she was writhing beneath him.

“That’s interesting,” he grinned, and she opened her eyes to glare at him.

“Are you about finished?”

“Well, I—”

This was as far as he got as she lunged at him, pushing him down onto his back.

“I say you are,” she growled, kissing him hungrily as she reached down to stroke his too-hard cock.

“Oh god,” he whispered, his eyes growing impossibly wide, feeling with each stroke as if he’d just been struck by lightning.

Sensing he was about to burst, Angel straddled Will and quickly lowered herself onto him until he was buried fully inside of her. Will cried out as he was surrounded by her wet, velvety heat, thinking nothing could ever possibly feel this good again--until she began to move. Each motion of her body over him, around him, brought him even deeper into ecstasy, and he grabbed onto her hips, wanting to push deeper into her, to feel her everywhere.

Angel threw her head back, her mouth open with mewling cries, her eyes closed as she absorbed this rare pleasure.

“Angel,” he said softly, reaching up to press a hand to her cheek, wanting to see her face. She looked down at him and smiled, leaning over to capture his mouth with hers, missing the impish glint in his eyes. While she was distracted with a kiss, Will quickly capsized the Captain, switching their positions so that he was now on top.

Her mouth released his, and she looked up at him with an approving smile. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him to her, inviting him to take the lead. Slowly, he began to move, sliding in and out of the silken walls. Awed by the sensations dancing through his skin, he increased the power of his thrusts.

As he plunged into the welcoming body, Will felt his own beginning to tighten, and he moved even faster. Angel suddenly clenched around him and she cried out his name, the muscles within her caressing him with such force that he exploded inside of her.

Will shouted as his entire being was overwhelmed with the most glorious feeling he’d ever known. Stars appeared before his eyes, and he wondered for a moment if he’d been carried up to heaven itself as waves of pleasure washed over him. The world seemed to blur around him, and he found himself lying on his back, Angel curled up at his side. She had placed a hand over his pounding heart and was gently stroking his hair as the trembling in his body slowly subsided.

He wanted to speak, to talk to her, to share with her the joy of what he’d just experienced, but he couldn’t. He just stared up at the night sky with wide eyes, trying to understand what had happened, fighting back the guilt that he hadn’t waited to share this with Elizabeth. The greater guilt, however, came from thinking that this was something he could never share with Elizabeth. His mind simply couldn’t associate this sort of wild abandon with a lady of his beloved’s stature, and he hated himself for feeling overjoyed that he’d had the chance to experience it at least once with the pirate.

Angel, sensing his troubled thoughts, didn’t say anything, and soon drifted off to sleep. Wrapping his arms around her, it wasn’t long before Will, too, fell into the land of dreams. It was only then that the contented smile was allowed to grace his lips, and for the first time since he’d decided to follow the Captain down the beach, he looked happy.


Jack sought out the wayward members of the Mourning Rose, eavesdropping on their conversations to get a general idea of where they’d left the Phoenix, and then he gathered together his crew and set sail.

It didn’t go unnoticed by his men that their Captain seemed unusually quiet as he searched the horizon. They marked it down to his determination to find the Phoenix, but even then, they were somewhat unnerved by his silence. It wasn’t often that Captain Jack Sparrow didn’t have a quip saved up for every situation, even situations like this one with odds that were far from favorable.

Though most traces of the battle would have been scattered by the sea, Jack insisted on posting men on either side of the ship to keep watch for any sort of debris. They circled every island for signs of the Phoenix or her crew, but each time, they found nothing.

As night fell on their third day at sea, Joshamee Gibbs, with a freshly refilled flask, approached their Captain. Jack had practically bound himself to the wheel with his anxiety, and Mr. Gibbs decided it was time their Captain had a rest whether he liked it or not.

“Nice night out, eh Captain?” he asked, casually approaching the helm. “Good moon shining, not a cloud in the sky, and will you look at them stars? Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?”

“Mr. Gibbs, have you come up here to woo me? I’m charmed, but I’m afraid not your type.”

“I’m not here to woo you, Jack. I’m only here as a friend wanting to offer you a drink. Care for a drink?” he asked, handing the pirate his flask.

Jack took it without speaking, and Joshamee watched the bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed half the contents in one breath.

“Thirsty, Captain?”

“Weary, Mr. Gibbs.”

“I can see that. Perhaps it’d be best for you to go catch a few hours sleep. I’ll keep an eye on things up here.”

“Not that type of weary, Mr. Gibbs. My patience is growing tired and is threatening mutiny.” He sighed, his voice becoming frustrated. “We should have found the Phoenix by now! Blast it, Gibbs! What if I heard them wrong? Those bastards from the Rose were so drunk at the time, they couldn’t tell their bullocks from their brains, much less east from west. If I lose Will again. . .”

“You didn’t lose him the first time,” Joshamee interrupted. “He was taken.”

“Because of me.”

“Because Angel can’t do anything without a little drama,” he said, pretending to take a drink from the flask and handing it back to Jack. “Which unfortunately became a lot of drama, but none of that is your fault.”

“I never should have trusted her.”

“You didn’t,” Gibbs grinned, “and she doesn’t trust you, but if we pirates were a trustworthy lot, we wouldn’t be pirates.”

“Cheers to that,” Jack said, finishing off the flask, which he followed with a jaw popping yawn. “Y’know, Mr. Gibbs, I think I may go stretch out for a bit. Wake me if you see anything. You have the wheel.”

“Aye, Captain,” he said, trying to repress his triumph until Jack was out of eyesight. He raised his flask to his lips, then sighed as only two drops of the amber liquid fell to his tongue. Next time, he’d have to find a better way to force the Captain to sleep, a way that didn’t involve his rum.


The first time it happened, Will could blame it on the opium, on the aftermath of the battle, on exhaustion hindering his ability to think clearly. There was no excuse for the second time. The third. The fourth. No excuse at all.

Angel, Will, and the crew spent their days working on repairing the Phoenix and gathering enough food and water from the island to keep everyone alive until they could escape. At night, however, Will and Angel vanished into the darkness, usually returning to the pool where it had first happened. Their barriers lulled by the soft rush of the waterfall, they shared everything with each other. Will told her about his father, how he’d come to the Caribbean seeking the only family he’d had left, and how he still continued to seek the senior Will Turner in words, if not in actual physical form. Angel in turn told him about her childhood, growing up amongst the Navy, the games she and her brother used to play, and how she couldn’t find it in her to regret giving it all up.

Usually, these tales were told with their bare skin pressed against each other, their bodies entwined after a mad bout of lovemaking. They simply couldn’t help themselves. There was a need in both of them that they desperately had to oblige, a need that had nothing to do with their hearts.

Will knew she didn’t love him, and in truth, he didn’t love her. She needed him to help keep her steady, to provide that extra bit of strength necessary to prevent her from giving in and losing herself in an opium dream. In exchange for his support, he got what he needed from her--hope. As long as she kept going, encouraging the crew to keep working with the promise that she would get them out of there, he believed her, and this gave him the hope that he would one day return home and see his Elizabeth again.

He preferred not to think about what he would tell Elizabeth should she ask what happened on the island. He’d mention the repairs to the ship and the difficulty they had finding enough wood acceptable enough to serve their needs. He’d talk about his continuing lessons with Harry, both with the sword and with his work. Will’s blacksmithing skills had sped up the repairs and the lad spent hours watching him work, eager to assist him with anything he needed. As he’d always been the apprentice before and never the master, Will now found himself wondering what it would be like to take on an apprentice himself. Harry was smart, enthusiastic, eager to learn--if only Will could talk him into leaving the Captain, but somehow, that didn’t seem to be a possibility.

He might even talk to Elizabeth about the Captain, how she sought to inspire the crew, how their faith in her never wavered, how he was awed by the seemingly boundless energy she emanated.

Yes, he thought as he pounded nails into shape or repaired links in the rudder chain, all this he would tell the woman he loved, but nothing more.

That night, while the Captain was busy discussing details with Mr. Elliot, Will glanced up from his makeshift anvil and wiped his brow with his arm. Meeting Angel’s eyes, she hinted towards the darkness beyond the firelight, and he nodded. He put aside his tools and saw that Harry was fast asleep before starting down the beach. Will barely made it forty feet through the sand before a hand was clapped over his mouth, an arm around his body, and he was dragged into the tree line.

He struggled, using elbows and legs to strike at his captor, and heard a grunt of pain in result. He was immediately released and Will spun around, ready to attack.

“Blast it, boy, are you trying to kill me?” a voice whispered harshly, and the young man froze. He knew that voice.

“Jack?”

“Yes, Jack, you barmy fool,” the pirate said, bent over double as he tried to catch his breath. “Bloody hell, Will, you fight like a woman!”

The blacksmith’s eyes flashed. “Well, it worked, didn’t it? I got you to let me go.”

“Have Elizabeth teach you a few lessons when we get you back,” Jack scowled, annoyed at the pain in his side from Will’s strong, but pointy, elbow. Will flinched at Elizabeth’s name, a reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by the cunning pirate. Jack stared at the young man, then sighed, his drawling voice filled with amusement.

“Oh, mate, don’t tell me. She’s gotten to you.”

Will refused to meet his eyes, and Jack started to laugh as he flopped down in the sand. “I suppose I should at least be relieved to finally have proof you’re not a eunuch.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Will said, scowling down at the pirate.

“Don’t lie to me, lad. You’re an honest man, and honest men make terrible liars. Though you’d better learn how fast, my boy, or Elizabeth will skin you alive.”

“Jack, what are you doing here?” Will asked, needing to change the subject before he punched his old friend, or gave in to the urge to take a walk in the sea and just keep walking.

“Well, I was here to rescue you, but it seems I was a little presumptuous in the assumption that you did need rescuing.”

“I did, earlier, but not anymore.” Will sat down next to the pirate, his arms around his knees. “I want to leave, but I can’t.”

“If you tell me you love her—”

“No! No,” he said, quickly stopping Jack. “It isn’t that. I love Elizabeth, and Elizabeth alone. They need me to help get the Phoenix patched up, and I refuse to leave without Harry.”

“Harry?” Jack frowned, searching his memory of the Phoenix’s crew, and then his frown deepened. “That blue-eyed boy who thinks he’s in love with the Captain?”

“That’s him,” Will nodded. “Angel asked me to take Harry on as an apprentice for a couple of years. Well, actually, I asked her, and she agreed it would be best for him.”

“Oh, yes,” Jack grinned, “and what an upstanding influence you’ll be for the boy. You do know he’ll kill you once he finds out that you’ve been wooing his Captain.”

“I hadn’t really planned on making that information part of his education.”

“Good choice. All right, lad. How long will it take before they get that old barge seaworthy again?”

“Just another couple of days.”

“With the crew of the Pearl helping, I’ll be able to get you and Harry away even sooner.”

“Why the hurry?” he asked, glancing suspiciously at the pirate.

“For one thing, I need to get you away from Angel before you decide to become a permanent member of her crew.”

“Jack—” Will started to protest, but the pirate didn’t let him finish.

“For another, the Mourning Rose is looking for you.” The Captain of the Pearl gave the young man a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes and caught the look of horror and amazement on Will’s face.

“She still swims? But. . . how? With all that damage, I’d swear we sunk her!”

Jack snorted. “Not quite, mate. Her Captain is too insane to just let her sink, and I’m not talking about insane in a good way, like me,” he said with a sly grin.

“So I’m learning,” Will said, rising to his feet. “Angel’s got to know about this. The crew, they all need to be prepared. Have the Pearl find us early tomorrow morning. We’ll finish the repairs and then leave this place before the Rose returns.”

Looking up at the young man with knowing eyes, Jack’s voice was filled with feigned innocence as he asked, “Why tomorrow? Why not tonight?”

“So we won’t mistake you for the enemy in the dark and shoot you.”

A good answer, and the boy was getting better at lying, Jack noted as he stood up, but he knew the truth. The pirate placed a hand on Will’s shoulder, his eyes, his entire body steady for once. “Will, don’t do it, mate. Just let this be the end of it.”

Will met Jack’s gaze, and shook his head. “I can’t. I need one more night, that’s all, and then I’ll be able to put this entire experience behind me.”

“I know how addictive she can be--I know how addictive all women can be, but Will, you’ve already got a good woman who loves you. Why risk all that for one who would just as soon cut out your heart as share her bed with you?”

“I don’t want her heart, and she doesn’t want mine. My feelings haven’t changed, Jack. I’ve known Elizabeth all my life, and will be with her till the end of my days. She’s all I ever wanted, and all I ever will want. She is good, and pure, and perfect in every way. I worship the very ground she walks on, and thank god every day for bringing her into my life.”

The pirate nodded, pursing his lip thoughtfully, then shook his head, blinking in confusion at Will. “So. . . why?”

“Because Angel is none of those things, and you have no idea how good it feels to be with someone I don’t have to adore.”

“Elizabeth never asked you to adore her.”

“She doesn’t have to. It’s like breathing with me. I simply do.”

“So what happens once you’re married to your goddess? Will you be content with worshipping her forever?”

“Of course,” Will answered somewhat impatiently. “Once I’m married to Elizabeth and all of this is behind me, I will only look forward to a long, happy life with her.”

Jack sighed and gave a little shrug. “If you say so, mate. I guess I’d better get back to the Pearl, tell her about the change in plans. You’ll be all right until then?”

“I’ll be fine, Jack.” He gave the pirate a quick hug, then hurried back to the beach and started towards the pool. When he arrived, Angel was already sitting there, staring at the rippling water.

“You should have gone with him,” she said softly.

“What?”

“Jack--you should have gone with him.”

“How did you know?”

“That old goat’s been lurking in the shadows for the past couple of hours. He’s not as subtle as he thinks he is.”

“Subtle is never a word I’d use to describe Jack,” Will joked as he sat down next to her. “Now, why are you trying to get rid of me so quickly? Tired of me already?”

“Will, it’s not that,” she said with a little half-smile. “You know how much I’ve enjoyed having you around, but you don’t belong here. This isn’t your life, and this isn’t your fight. Take Harry, find Jack, and go home.”

“I’m not leaving you to fight your brother alone.”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll have the whole crew of the Phoenix to help me.”

“But it will be a much quicker battle if the Pearl is there.”

“Jack will never let the Pearl get involved unless she is attacked. He has the sense to stay out of it, why don’t you?”

Will shrugged as he plucked at the grass in front of him. “I have a habit of doing things that some would consider stupid and I rarely take advantage of an opportune moment. Just ask Jack. He’ll tell you, and he’ll go into great detail about it. It’s one of his favorite subjects.”

“Will—” she began, but he stopped her, taking her hands in his.

“Angel, listen to me. I may not love you, and I know you don’t love me, but I will admit I’ve grown rather fond of you, and I’d rather not see you dead. If my participation can in any way help keep you alive, then I’m not leaving, and that’s the last I want to hear about it.”

The pirate gazed into his sincere brown eyes, and nodded. “All right. Not another word, but if you end up getting hurt or killed, I’m holding you responsible.”

“That’s only fair,” Will grinned, then leaned forward and kissed her, pushing her to the ground.

“I should have known this was the real reason you stayed,” she said as he began removing her clothes.

“Do you really want to waste this last night talking?” he asked, looking up at her, and she laughed.

“I don’t know what Jack’s complaining about--you seem to know everything about choosing the opportune moment.”

“I’m a quick learner,” he said, then proceeded to prevent any further conversation.


The crew of the Phoenix and the crew of the Black Pearl were a little wary of each other at first, as pirates tended to be, but it wasn’t long before hours of hard labor helped them get over their suspicions. By the time the sun had set, the cooperation of the joint crews had made the Phoenix seaworthy again.

“Men, what do you say we get off this godforsaken island and back in the water where we belong?” Angel shouted to her crew, and her question was met with an enthusiastic cheer.

“Not yet, you don’t,” a voice behind her said, and she turned to find Captain Jack Sparrow standing in front of her.

“Did you want something, Jack?”

“I believe we have an exchange to make,” he said, nodding to two of his crew, who approached carrying a chest between them. “Your gold, milady.”

Angel’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face. “Why, Jack, you remembered!”

“Don’t give me that, lass. Just hand over the blacksmith, and let’s be done with it.”

“I gave you my word,” she nodded, then glanced at Will. “Mr. Turner, you’re free to go. Mr. Elliot, see to it that this reaches my cabin.”

“And what about our agreement?” Will asked as the Phoenix’s first mate and a couple of her crew carried the chest to a boat.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. Harry!” she shouted, and the boy came running up to her side.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Do you remember the arrangement we made when you first came on board?”

“Of course, Captain.”

“Then you won’t object to spending the next two years under the care of Mr. Turner.”

The boy frowned, his eyes filling with pain and confusion. “Captain?”

Angel smiled fondly at the boy, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want to let you go, Harry, but I’d rather see you spend two years with someone I can trust than have you wandering around on your own getting into god knows what kind of trouble. Besides, I think you could learn a lot from Will.”

“I know, but—”

“Harry, I’m not asking if you want to go,” she said, her voice growing stern. “This is an order. You’re going to spend the next two years as an apprentice to Mr. Turner, and I expect you to behave.”

The boy sighed, looking at the ground and kicking at the sand. “Aye, Captain.”

“Good. Now run along and gather your things. You’ll be leaving with the Black Pearl. Oh, and Harry?” The boy looked up at her, and she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. “Make me proud.”

The blue eyes widened with delight, and he was grinning as he ran to grab his things, Will following behind to give him some instructions.

“I’m going to miss that boy,” she sighed, watching him go. Jack wrapped an arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“He’ll be all right, luv. You’re leaving him in good hands.”

“Don’t I know it,” she said with an even more mournful sigh, and Jack cackled, kissing the top of her head.

“You’re an evil wench, you know this, don’t you?”

“Not wench, luv. Pirate. Not quite the status of Captain Jack Sparrow, not yet, at least, but I’m getting there.”

“Sorry, me darlin’, but you’ll never have what it takes to reach those heights.”

“Oh, really?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him. “And just what is it I’m missing?”

“It’s not what you’re missing,” Will answered, rejoining them. “It’s what you have--the second half of your brain. Jack seems to be missing half of his.”

“Just for that, you get to swim back to Port Royale,” Jack growled, then gave Angel a final squeeze. “I guess I’ll leave you two to say your goodbyes. Angel, you take care of yourself, and if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks, Jack,” she smiled, fondly kissing the scoundrel. “I’ll look you up when I get back from Madagascar, assuming you’re still alive that is.”

“Course I will be,” he said with a crooked grin, then bowed low to her. “After all, I am Captain Jack Sparrow.”

The Pearl’s Captain made his way to the waiting boat, giving Will and Angel a moment to themselves.

“Take care of Harry, and of Jack, when you have the time. He may be Captain Jack Sparrow, but that just means he’s more trouble than even he can handle.”

“Don’t worry,” Will said, smiling gently at her, “I’ll look after them.”

“Look after yourself, too,” she said, reaching up caress his cheek. “You’re a good man, Will Turner, blacksmith and sometimes pirate.”

“And you have a good heart, Captain Evangeline Ashe,” he said, bending his head to kiss her, then met her eyes with a smile. “Whether you admit it or not.”

“Preferably not,” she grinned, “or I’ll lose all respect as a pirate.”

“William!” came a mockingly irritated shout from the water. “I’d appreciate leaving before the tide turns!”

Will gave Jack a scathing look, then chuckled, turning back to Angel. “I guess I’d better go before he leaves me behind.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“No,” he smiled, “which is why I should go. Good bye, Angel.”

“Good bye, Will.”

They kissed one last time, then Will jogged down to the waiting boat while Angel rejoined her crew in loading the last of their things onto the Phoenix.

Harry was leaning on the railing, watching as the members of the Phoenix piled into the rowboats and began making their way back to the ship when Will climbed on board the Pearl. Seeing the somewhat dejected look in his blue eyes, Will moved to lean next to him.

“You’ll see her again in a couple of years,” Will said, hoping to reassure him, but the boy just sighed.

“I doubt it. Who knows where she’ll be in two months, much less two years?”

“I’m sure she’ll find a way to keep in touch. She wouldn’t just abandon you, not like that, not after all the trouble she took to keep you in the first place. And if we do hear word of her in the area, I promise, I’ll see if we can find her and pay her a visit.”

“Do you mean it?” Harry asked, looking up at him, and Will smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks, Will.”

As the Pearl began to make her way towards the open sea, the two men kept their eyes glued to the Phoenix until she had disappeared beyond the horizon.


Two weeks after Will’s return to Port Royale, rumors began to spread amongst the city’s less reputable denizens of a battle between three ships: the Phoenix, the Mourning Rose, and the Black Pearl. Despite Will’s admonitions that either Jack or Angel would send word if such a battle had occurred, Harry insisted on running down to the harbor to meet every new arrival, hoping to hear the truth or get an eyewitness account of one of the three ships. All he received, however, were tales even more wild than the last.

Some claimed the fight lasted for a week, till all three ships had been sunk and the men forced to battle each other on driftwood. Others heard that the Phoenix had been on the verge of sinking when the Black Pearl swooped in, surrounded by a sea of fog, and used it as cover to destroy the Mourning Rose until not even a splinter of the ship remained. Others claimed it was the Pearl in trouble, and that the Phoenix had come to her rescue. One of the most bizarre rumors was that Captain Jack Sparrow had called a hundred sea turtles to their rescue and carried the pirates to shore, a man hanging onto each of their shells. What every story agreed on, however, was that Lord Robert Ashe, Captain of the Mourning Rose, was dead.

“Do you think she killed him?” Harry asked, and Will just shrugged as he pounded a piece of steel into shape.

“I don’t know. It’s quite possible.”

Harry was silent for a moment, then asked in a tiny voice, “Do you think he killed her?”

Will looked at him, and smiled, shaking his head. “No. We’d know if that had happened.”

“We would?”

“Of course. We’d have felt it.”

Harry bit his lower lip, then gave a thoughtful nod. “You’re right. We’d have felt it.”

“Now, how are those horseshoes coming?”

The boy sighed. “Boring.”

“I know they are,” Will chuckled, “but they’re good practice. Keep working on them for another hour, and then we’ll see if we can’t put some of these swords to use. After that, we’ll be closing the shop early tonight. Elizabeth and her father have invited us to dinner.”

Harry’s eyes lit up and he began pounding on the horseshoes with renewed enthusiasm. The boy and the future Mrs. Turner had liked each other right from the start, and now spending time with Elizabeth was Harry’s second favorite pastime after his lessons with the sword.

Grateful that the boy was so easily distracted, Will turned back to the sword he was working on, the dim light of the room disguising the shadow on his face.

He was worried. If there had been a battle, he’d have thought to have heard from Jack by now, but each day passed without so much of a whisper from the Captain of the Black Pearl. He hoped that both Captains had survived the fight, but the longer he went without word, the more he feared the worst.


Another week passed, and then two, until eight weeks had come and gone with no news from either Angel or Jack. Harry had fallen into a dark mood that neither Elizabeth nor Will could rouse him from, no matter how hard they tried.

“He’s lost the only family he’s ever known,” Elizabeth sighed, leaning on Will’s arm as they walked along the beach. Harry was ahead of them, his head hung with despair, his hands behind his back. “He needs time to mourn.”

“But we don’t know if they’re dead yet,” Will protested, and Elizabeth looked at him with sorrowful eyes. He sighed, kissing her forehead. “I know. It’s just so hard to accept. He’s Captain Jack Sparrow! He’s gotten out of worse scrapes than that! I just can’t imagine the Pearl lying at the bottom of the sea with Jack tied to her wheel, because after all he went through to get her back, I don’t see him letting her go, even in death.”

“Right you are, my boy. The Pearl and I are inseparable, and I sincerely hope that when the time comes, we’ll be buried together at sea. But why all this talk about death? Depressing subject, hardly fitting for a fine night such as this.”

Elizabeth and Will whirled around to see Captain Jack Sparrow leaning against a palm tree, regarding them with laughing eyes.

“Jack!” Elizabeth cried, and both she and Will rushed to embrace the pirate.

“Come now, luvs,” he said, disentangling himself from their grasp. “You act as if you never expected to see me again.”

“We were beginning to wonder,” Will said, and was suddenly knocked aside by Harry.

“Where is she?” he demanded, and the pirate looked at him with a deliberately blank expression on his face.

“Where is who?”

“My Captain!” Harry bellowed, his hands curling into fists and Will stepped in, taking hold of the boy’s shoulders while shooting Jack a reproachful glance. The scoundrel laughed and leaned over to look in Harry’s eyes.

“She’s fine, lad. Perfectly safe. Can’t say the same for the Phoenix, though. She’s at the bottom of the ocean, may she rest in peace.”

“The Phoenix is gone?” Harry asked, his eyes filling with tears at the news that the only home he’d never known had been destroyed.

“I’m sorry, mate. The Rose blew her clean out of the water, but most of her crew made it to the Pearl alive, Captain included. In fact, I just left her two weeks ago after helping set her up in her new abode.”

“Jack,” Elizabeth said in her most disapproving voice, and the pirate winked at her.

“Don’t worry, luvvie, we only broke a few of the more minor laws, I promise. No harm done.”

“That depends on which of the laws you consider to be minor,” Will said, but the pirate only grinned.

“Where is she?” Harry asked. “Can we see her?”

“‘Fraid not. She said she’d cut out my tongue if I even considered telling you where to find her. Now, before you go getting all upset,” Jack said at seeing the betrayal in the boy’s face, “she asked me to keep her secret because she doesn’t want you running off before your time here is up.”

Harry’s face turned pink, and Will knew the boy had been thinking of doing exactly that.

“Just be happy to know she’s alive and well,” Jack nodded.

“But what about Robert?” Harry asked, and the pirate grinned.

“Be even more happy to know that he’s shark fodder and won’t be bothering your Captain ever again.”

“So she really did kill him?” Will asked. Jack met his eyes, then shook his head.

“No, lad, she didn’t. I did.”

“You?” Elizabeth gasped. “But why?”

“She didn’t need to have her family’s blood on her hands in addition to everything else, so I killed him for her. She wasn’t happy about it, but she thanked me, in the end.”

“You’re a good man,” Will smiled.

“I know,” the pirate grimaced. “It’s killing my reputation.”

“Don’t worry, Jack,” Elizabeth said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “We’ll always think of you as a blackguard and a rogue.”

“Thanks, luv. That means a lot to me,” he said, lifting the hand from his arm and raising it to his lips. “Now, seeing as how my duty here is done, I think it’s time for me to be on my way. No use in wearing out my welcome.”

“But you just got here!” Harry protested.

“If I want to make it back in time for the wedding, I have things I need to take care of first.”

“And you’d better make it back for the wedding,” Elizabeth said, her voice lined with steel, “or I’ll send the Navy to find you.”

“So I’ve heard,” he said with a quick grin at Will, “and I will be here, I promise, or my name isn’t Captain Jack Sparrow.”

The pirate bowed before the three, then vanished into the trees.

“Do you really think he’ll be back?” Harry asked, looking doubtfully at the spot where Jack had been standing.

“Of course he will,” Will said, offering Elizabeth his arm as they started back down the beach, then threw a smile back at the boy. “He’s Captain Jack Sparrow.”


Five years later, a young man walked with hesitant steps along a street in Fort Nassau, a rucksack over his back, his face tired, but determined. His eyes searched the signs hanging over the doorways until he came across one bearing two crossed swords. He stopped, staring at the wooden board swinging in the breeze, then took a deep breath and walked through the door.

The sound of clashing swords could be heard from a room in the back and he slowly made his way down the hall. Standing in the doorway, he watched two men about his own age thrust and parry each other’s blows while ten other men leaned against the wall and watched. Suddenly, one of the swordsmen gave a triumphant shout, his stunted blade against the heart of his opponent.

“Richard, excellent work!”

The new arrival glanced to his right to see a woman walking towards the pair, and his breath caught in his throat. It was her--the same long, tawny hair, the same lithe figure, and he had no doubt that if she turned around, he’d see the same gray eyes he’d been dreaming about for the past five years.

“Christian, once again he was able to outmaneuver you--do you know why?”

“I was using my arm and not my wrist.”

“Precisely. He was able to determine each and every one of your moves. Just because you’re taller than Richard and have longer arms doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Use your wrist to move your blade, and he won’t be able to see you coming. All right, everyone, that’s enough for today. I’ll see you next week, and remember, practice!”

The newcomer hid back in the shadows, waiting for the students to leave, then stepped into the room.

“I was wondering how much longer you were going to lurk out there,” she said without turning around.

“Forgive me. I didn’t want to interrupt your class.”

“Quite all right,” she said, turning around to smile at him, then paused as she looked into his blue eyes. Frowning, she studied his features, as if searching for something that was supposed to be there, but wasn’t. “Do I know you?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Now I owe that blasted pirate a new sword.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“When he told me I’d find you here and not on some ship somewhere, I bet him a new sword that he was lying. You’d think I’d have learned by now that Captain Jack Sparrow doesn’t lie.”

“He simply adjusts the truth,” she said, and her eyes slowly widened. “Harry?”

The young man smiled. “So you do remember me, Captain.”

“Of course I remember you!” she said, throwing her arms around her long-lost cabin boy. “Oh, I’ve missed you! Jack’s tales simply weren’t enough.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he said, holding his Captain as he blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall.

“Harry, my god! Look at you!” Angel grinned as she pulled back, her eyes glancing over the young man. “You’ve grown so much--you’re practically a man now! And a handsome one, too, I do admit. The women at Port Royale must swoon every time you walk by.”

“So I’m told, but I don’t really notice.”

“How are you? How’s Will? Are they treating you well? Have you learned a lot? Are you a proper blacksmith now?”

“One question at a time, Captain,” Harry laughed. “Yes, Will and Elizabeth have treated me more than fair. After they were married, they adopted me as their own, so I have a last name now. I’m officially Harry Turner.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you finally found a family.”

“You know you and the crew of the Phoenix are the only family I ever wanted,” he said, smiling down at her, “but I am glad to be part of theirs as well. If you hadn’t made me go with Will, I don’t know what my life would have been like.”

“Nonsense, Harry,” she said, blushing slightly away. “You’d have done well, no matter what.”

“But what about you? What are you doing here? Where’s your ship?”

“Surely you’ve heard the fate of the Phoenix,” she said, looking at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Yes, but what about the one after her?”

“There was no other ship after the Phoenix. I’ve been here the whole time.”

Harry shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. This was his Captain, who loved the sea more than anything. How could she have spent the past five years on land? “I don’t understand,” he frowned, staring at her.

Angel took a deep breath, and as she was about to speak, the door to the back of the salon flew open. A small figure rushed inside, followed by a woman who was breathless from running.

“I’m sorry, madam,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “But he was so excited, he couldn’t wait to see you.”

“It’s all right, Eleanor,” Angel said, bending down to pick up the little boy wrapped around her legs. “So, Captain, what is it you’re so excited about?”

“We went to the beach today!”

“You go to the beach every day,” she said with an indulgent smile.

“But mummy, there was this huge ship in the harbor, just like the one I’m going to sail one day!”

“Was there now? Well, then, I’m definitely going to have to take a look at this ship, see if it’s truly worthy of you. We’ll go right after supper, but right now, I want you to meet an old friend of mine.”

Angel carried the little boy over to Harry, and as he looked into the smiling face, Harry felt his heart stop.

The tawny hair was clearly Angel’s, but the child’s eyes and smile were all too familiar to him, as he’d seen them every day for the past five years in the face of his master, his adopted brother, his friend.

“Harry Turner, I’d like you to meet William Ashe. William, this is Harry.”

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Harry smiled at the boy. “How do you do?”

The child looked at him, then grinned eagerly at the young man. “Are you a pirate?”

“William!” Eleanor scolded, but Angel just laughed.

“No, luv, he’s not a pirate. He’s a blacksmith, but he used to sail with me, a long time ago.

“I’m going to be the Captain of my own ship one day. Will you sail with me?” William asked, and Harry found he couldn’t resist the earnest brown eyes.

“It would be an honor.”

“That’s enough out of you, Captain,” Angel said, setting the boy on the ground. “Go with Eleanor and get cleaned up. Also, tell Edward to set another place at the table. You will be joining us, won’t you?” she asked, glancing at Harry, who gave a shaky nod. “Wonderful.”

Kissing her son’s rosy cheek, she sent him off with Eleanor, keeping her back to her guest. Once the room was empty again but for the two of them, she dared to look Harry in the eye.

“Spit it out now, lad. I don’t want you erupting in front of William.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?”

“Oh, Harry,” she laughed, “you’re not serious, are you? You’ve spent the past five years with the happy couple. Do you really think I’d want to ruin all that? No, they deserve their peace.”

“And Will deserves to know he has a son.”

“I might tell him, one day,” she said as she prepared to close the salon for the day, “but this isn’t the time.”

“When would be the right time?”

“When I’m ready to share him, which I’m not.”

“What about William? Doesn’t he deserve to know his father?”

The Captain’s eyes narrowed. “William is happy with me. He doesn’t need anyone else.”

“Angel—”

“Harry, enough,” she said, turning to face him. “I’ve made my decision, and any argument you might have, I’ve heard from Jack a thousand times over. Besides, do you really want to spend your time here arguing with me? I’d rather spend it hearing about you, your life, your plans for the future.”

“Actually, that’s what I came here to talk to you about.”

An eyebrow arched over a gray eye, and Harry’s palms instantly broke into a sweat. He had known that she wasn’t going to make this easy for him, but he wasn’t going to give up, not now, not after waiting so long.

“If this is about that agreement we made eleven years ago—”

“It is,” Harry answered, his voice far more steady than his stomach.

“Harry, we’re two different people now. You have a life--a good one. Why would you want to throw that away?”

“I do have a good life, and I don’t see how including you would change that.”

“And William?”

Admittedly, the discovery of William had come as a shock. He didn’t approve of her keeping the boy a secret, and was dismayed that Will would betray Elizabeth like that, but this was his Captain, his Angel. He’d waited so long to be with her and he found that even discovering she had a son did nothing to lessen his love for her. Besides, remembering the boy’s enthusiasm and beautiful smile, he knew it wouldn’t be difficult to love the child. “William, of course, would be essential.”

Angel looked at him, looked into those big blue eyes, then sighed. “You don’t even know me anymore, Harry, and I don’t know you. Why do you think you’d still want to marry me?”

“Angel, I’ve loved you since I was eight. I don’t care how much you’ve changed, or how much I’ve changed, or how many children you have, or even who their fathers are. I will always love you, and I will love them.”

“Him--I just have William.”

“Good,” Harry said with a relieved smile. “I admit, I was a little nervous for a minute there.”

She started to laugh, shaking her head. “You’re mad, you know this, don’t you?”

“What do you expect?” he grinned, stepping towards her. “I was raised by pirates.”

“Yes, I know. I raised you.”

“Only a little bit,” he said, and when he was standing directly in front of his Captain, he knelt down on one knee. Taking her hand in his, he looked up into the gray eyes. “Angel, will you marry me?”

Angel bit her lip, wanting to say no, fully believing they would one day both regret this moment, but found herself smiling down at the blue-eyed blacksmith, unable to resist. “Yes.”

Harry laughed and jumped to his feet, taking Angel into his arms. “Thank you.”

“But not for a year,” she said, stopping the lips that were inches away from hers. “Just in case one of us decides to change our mind.”

“We won’t,” he grinned.

“And you’ll not say a word to Will about William?”

“Not without your permission.”

She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “All right, then. I guess this will work.”

“It will. I promise. May I kiss you now?”

Angel smiled. “You may.”

“I’ve been waiting too long for this,” Harry said, and pressed his mouth to hers, softly at first, then with growing passion. When he finally released her, Angel found that she needed Harry’s strong arms to keep her standing.

“Remind me to thank Jack next time I see him. I don’t know where he took you to teach you that, but it was very well done.”

Harry smirked. “What makes you think Jack had a hand in teaching me how to kiss?”

“Because the people Will associates with wouldn’t know where to begin a kiss like that, whereas the people Jack knows. . . well. . . it is how they make their living,” Angel grinned, and Harry chuckled, resting his forehead against hers.

“Just, please, don’t tell Will. He made Jack promise to take me only to respectable establishments. Fortunately for me, Jack’s definition of ‘respectable’ is based on the quality of rum they serve, not on the company.”

“It’ll be our little secret, but if you do want to marry me, you’d better narrow your own definition of ‘respectable’.”

“Don’t worry. Now that I have you, I don’t need anyone else.”

“Beautifully said,” she smiled, kissing him again before taking his hand. “Come on, they’ll be waiting for us, and William will be anxious to return to the docks and show me his ship.”

“He truly does belong to the sea,” Harry said as she began leading him through the salon to the door in the back.

“He has the blood of pirates in his veins,” Angel said, looking back at him. “The sea will always call to him. He won’t be able to resist it.”

“And you? Will you be able to resist its call?”

“I’ll return to the sea, one day, but right now, I have everything I want. Including you,” she smiled, and Harry grinned, stealing one more kiss before they disappeared upstairs, happy with the knowledge that he, too, finally had everything he’d ever wanted.

[Completed 7/22/03]