This is set two months after the events of SAIL.

Chapter 1: Trouble in Paradise

Los Angeles

His hand is cold in hers as she holds it to her pregnant belly, tears burning in her eyes.

"I said I was going to wait, but I couldn't resist anymore... I found out the gender today."

Her ex-husband's eyes remain closed and Sarah takes a deep, shaky breath, forcing a smile.

"It's a little boy, Woodes. Just like you always wanted. Don't you want to wake up in time to see your son being born?"

She has prayed and pleaded that he comes back from the coma so many times during the past couple of months, and though it never works, she still feels hopeful.

But as usual, the only response she gets is silence.

Mason brings a hand to her shoulder as she sits beside his brother's hospital bed, her tears winning.

This is not how she expected her pregnancy to go. She thought that finding out about their baby would be enough to make her ex-husband forget about that stupid blonde girl and go back to her.

She thought they were going to be a family.

But fate had other plans, and just as she was about to tell Woodes about their son, Mason found him unconscious in front of some shady nightclub, covered in blood, with broken bones and a ghastly cut on his left cheek.

And now here they are, suffering, while the person who did this to Woodes was free out there somewhere.

It's frustrating.

"It's unfair." She says in a quiet voice, feeling the baby move. It seems he's also trying to get his daddy to wake up. "It's so, so unfair."

"I know. But soon, things will change. I promise."

She looks up at Mason's face, eyes darkening with hatred. "Where is Eleanor?"

"Why?"

"She was his fiancée! She didn't come check up on him, not even once, and now she's suddenly gone from the city. Don't you find this strange?"

He considers her for a moment, as if making a decision, before finally sighing heavily. "I will tell you something. But I need you to keep quiet about it, alright? It's police business, and they can't know that I told you about this."

She nods immediately, tears stopping for now.

"A few days before I found my brother in front of the Demeter, he... had the brilliant idea to take Miss Guthrie to our mansion, against her will. Apparently, she was seeing another man, and he was blind with rage. But one night someone sounded the fire alarm. And when my brother ran to the room where he was keeping her, she was gone. Someone busted the window and got her out."

"Her lover."

"It was this man, Sarah. He's the one who put him in a coma. It can't be anyone else."

"And he ran away, with Eleanor."

Mason nods, jaw clenched. "His name is Charles. We were able to... get this information from someone, before all that hell broke loose."

"And what are you waiting for? Why aren't you looking for this monster?"

He looks at his comatose brother, shaking his head. "I don't want to take this away from him. He has to be awake to see this man behind bars. He needs to be there. To see Eleanor's face when we take her precious criminal away from her."

"And what about the little blonde bitch?"

His eyes widen briefly. He never heard Sarah speak like this before.

She was always so docile.

"It will be up to Woodes to decide her fate. I imagine he will be really angry with her, once he wakes up. We will make her pay too. Don't worry."

Sarah stares at his face for a few seconds, eyes still dark. Her surprising, sudden thirst for revenge amazes him.

"Good." She says, still holding his brother's unmoving hand to her baby bump. "Good."

Nassau, Bahamas

Eleanor opens her eyes slowly, morning light filtering in through the cracks in the short curtains that cover the line of windows in their cabin. She hears the commotion on the deck, Jack's voice and a few other unfamiliar ones.

They're here.

And of course, the captain is still sound asleep.

Typical.

She's unable to stop smiling as she watches the naked pirate sleeping by her side, laying on his stomach with his heavy arm draped over her bare belly, red nail marks all over his back, as if replacing those awful scars from the past life.

With a shake of her head, Eleanor moves to kiss his ear shell, bringing her hand to his hair.

He stirs, sea-blue eyes opening lazily.

Her smile widens.

"Morning."

Ignoring the shivers she always gets from this voice, Eleanor glances up at the wooden ceiling.

"Your 'recruits' are here. Jack's taking care of them for now, it seems. But I heard Anne yell at one of them already. She sounded stressed."

A smirk tugs at the right corner of his lips, his arm tightening around her middle.

"They're probably pissed. You were so loud last night, I'm sure they didn't get much sleep."

His tone is teasing. He does this a lot.

With a raised eyebrow, Eleanor moves closer while he lays on his side. "Oh, I was the loud one?"

She lets him pull her to his chest, one leg moving between her thighs as he kissed her slowly, thumbs caressing her side and back.

The fire soon starts to burn between them, a soft moan leaving her lips when Charles covers her body with his, teeth attacking her sensitive neck.

But just as he begins to nip and lick his way down her chest and stomach, someone knocks on their door.

"Can I expect you to come out anytime today, or do I need to tell all these brutes on deck to come back tomorrow?" Jack's voice reaches their ears and she lets out a brief chuckle, although a bit bummed that they were interrupted.

But she also has stuff to take care of today.

"Just go. We'll have the whole night." Eleanor says, pressing a kiss to his lips as she sits up on their bunk. He rolls his eyes, patting her scarred thigh before getting to his feet.

She watches him get ready, trying not to smile too much. Only after she's alone in their cabin does she get up, walking to her dresser and choosing a plaid, red skirt and a grey blouse.

Now she mostly wears these outfits resembling the ones from the past. It makes her feel better.

And free.

Once ready for the day, Eleanor walks the empty corridors in silence, trying not to feel uncomfortable when she emerges on the deck and all eyes come to her.

Their journey to Somalia is coming. They needed more sailors if they wanted to make it there. It takes more than four people to handle this ship.

And somehow, Charles managed to reunite only the shadiest men in the Island, of course. She suspects none of them has a clean past.

But maybe it's better this way, considering they were going to a place filled with outlaws.

Her own criminal is already shirtless, she notices, displaying the nail marks on his back and shoulders proudly for all these idiots to see.

The urge to roll her eyes is so damn strong.

Men.

She intended to just get out of the ship quietly, but he calls her to his side.

And she goes to him with a raised chin.

"Of all the rules I mentioned, this is the most important one. If any of you touches this woman, you better be prepared to lose your head."

Anne scoffs, leaning against the helm behind them. Meeting Charles' eyes, Eleanor sees something flickering in the blue depths before he faces the men again.

"One more thing. I know many of you may have committed crimes like this before, and I don't give a damn. But while under my command, know that I forbid you from raping a woman. Such an act would be punished with death."

Her heart almost stops.

She knows why he said that.

He was thinking of her. Of Anne.

Of Max.

Glancing over her shoulder, she sees the redhead lowering her eyes, a haunted look on her face while Jack watched her closely. Her eyes return to Charles' face and he meets them briefly, jaw clenched.

He wanted to make sure the past wouldn't repeat itself.

To make sure Anne and her wouldn't have to see this again.

God, she loves him.

With a soft smile, she gives his hand a squeeze and leaves the ship, aware of the few more brave men that stare at her as she walks.

Poor bastards.

They will learn a few lessons soon.

Flint is waiting for her at the pier, eyes filled with concern as he stares at the Ranger, shaking his head, disapproval written all over his face.

"I see his idea of a decent crew is still just as twisted."

She shrugs, greeting him with a brief kiss to the cheek. "Some things never change."

"Will you be safe with all those imbeciles on board?" Her father figure asks as they walk, and she smirks at him.

"He already made it clear that if someone touches me, death will follow."

"Some things definitely never change. At least he's good for something."

Eleanor chuckles at his words, and they walk in silence to the bar near the harbor.

"You okay?" He asks when they pause in front of the establishment, and she takes a deep breath.

"Yeah. Let's go."

It's the second time she sees it. Her beloved tavern is gone, the unfamiliar place making her heart break as they walk to a counter at the back of it, where a bored-looking young man cleans a few glasses.

She wastes no time with pleasantries.

"I heard this place is for sale. And I am interested."

He looks at her from head to toe, unabashedly checking her out, and she thanks God that Charles isn't here. If he was, they would have a dead body to dispose of.

"Well that's too bad. The owner sold it already. It's our last day."

Her heart sinks.

But she forces a smile and walks out the door, not wanting a stranger to see her pain.

"Maybe it's better like this. You can just start fresh."

Eleanor sighs heavily, eyes glued to the bay. "I should have come as soon as I heard. I didn't want this place just because of the tavern. But because of the location. I can see the Ranger from here. It would be perfect."

Flint considers bringing one reassuring hand to her shoulder, but then she's walking again, walls coming back up. "Let's just go get some breakfast. Can I go to your place after? These men will spend the whole day on the ship, getting familiar with her, and I don't want to see them anymore today."

Her father figure smiles at her, nodding briefly. "I was just about to suggest that."

Somalia

Her big blue eyes shine with excitement while Davina stares at the sea from the window, much to her adoptive mother's amusement.

"Staring at the ocean all day long won't make your brother leave Nassau faster, baby girl."

"When is he leaving, mama?"

Mary sighs, watching as her cousin walked down the stairs. "He's still getting a crew together, sweetie. It will probably take a while."

"I want to see him. And Eleanor, and the Ranger." The child complains, and Billy chuckles at Mary's distress.

"She's so crazy about wooden ships, that I'm almost going to Teach to ask him if he can take her sailing on the Revenge one day."

A gasp comes from Davina. "Can you do that, mama?"

Mary rubs her forehead. "I was kidding, baby. I wouldn't dare to do something like that. Just wait for your brother and the Ranger, alright?"

She huffs adorably and Billy clears his throat. "I need to talk to your mom, little one. Go play in your room."

The nine year old narrows her eyes at him, clearly interested to hear what conversation they were going to have.

"I'll take you to the beach tomorrow. I heard The Revenge will be in the bay."

Her face lights up immediately and she nods, rushing up the stairs.

"No running on the stairs, Davina! And clean your room!" Mary calls out but she's already out of their sight.

Just as incorrigible as her big brother.

Mary shakes her head, facing her cousin and leaning against the wall. "What is it?"

"I overheard a... disturbing conversation last night, while I waited at the door to Teach's office."

Her heart skips a beat. She glances at the staircase, making sure Davina was really gone.

"What conversation?"

"You should warn your former lover. Teach was talking to someone, he said that once the ship arrives, he needs men ready to search every inch of it. He said it's a safety measure, that even though Charles is his long lost nephew, he still needs to ensure the safety of the pirates. So he wants to make sure the newcomers won't bring problems with them. But I know that these are not his only intentions."

"Eleanor." Mary speaks and he nods.

"More than once, he said he hopes his nephew won't bring any... unwanted people with him. And I know he's talking about this woman. So I want you to warn him. I'm sure that, like me, you don't want violence so close to Davina. What we do in the ocean is one thing, it's far. But if Charles brings that woman here, things will get ugly. And Davina will most likely end up seeing or hearing something. We can't take that risk."

Mary sighs heavily, feeling a headache coming on.

Just what they needed.

"What's going on here, what is their past?" Her cousin asks and she shrugs.

"That's what I would like to know. When I went to LA, I was told Charles met Eleanor this year. But it's just so strange. Teach clearly has some sort of grudge against her, and it seems so deep. So old. But how's it possible? I can't help but feel as if there's much we don't know. Like this is merely the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole story here that we're not aware of. I feel that much has happened, but I don't know why Charles and the others keep it from me."

"Whatever it is, they must have a good reason. And it's none of our concern. What we need to focus on right now is our little girl. You have to contact Charles and warn him. We need to do our best to avoid violence near her."

Mary nods at his words, eyeing her cellphone on the table. "And if we have no success?"

Billy glances at the staircase and shrugs briefly. "Then we get Davina and run like hell."

Flint watches Eleanor closely while she clenches her jaw hard, listening to what her lover was saying on the phone.

She glances at her father figure and rolls her eyes before finally snapping. "It's final, Charles. I am not going. I didn't want to before, but after seeing your new crew-"

"It will break Davina's heart if you don't go!"

"Then just bring her here! You could bring her to spend some time here in Nassau with us. She's your sister, you have that right. And if Mary is too opposed to the idea of being away from her, she could come too. There's room on the ship for both of them. It's okay, I wil stay with Flint while you're away."

"Do you ever get tired of being a pain in the ass?"

She ignores his words. "Just go take care of your new dogs, I will be back by nightfall."

She ends the call before he even has time to reply.

"He will end up getting you killed." Flint tells her as they sit on his couch. She sees the concern flickering in his eyes. And also the anger. "He talked so much about Rogers, about how he put you in harm's way, and now he's about to do the exact same thing."

"No, he's not. Because I'm not going to Somalia."

"You think he will give up so easily?"

Eleanor shrugs, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. "If he fights, I fight back. Just like I always did."

Her father figure can't contain his little smirk. "How in the world are you two managing to spend every night in the same cabin without killing each other?"

"If you ever find out what's the answer to that question, tell me. I want to know too."

His smirk suddenly vanishes, and for a moment he seems reluctant, awkward.

It's a strange sight.

"How are... things going, by the way? Is it too bad?"

Eleanor narrows her eyes at him. "Are you seriously asking me about my relationship?"

He shrugs, deciding to hide behind a smart retort. "Someone needs to occupy Scott's place while he's not around."

His words cause her to laugh, though her heart clenches. She misses Scott so fucking much. This is the longest she's been away from him in this life, and Eleanor doesn't like it one bit.

"It's not as bad as I expected. We fight, of course, but mostly over stupid stuff. The most serious fights we have are because of the Somalia thing. He's adamant that I go." She sighs heavily, rubbing her forehead. Flint sees the way she clenches her jaw briefly.

"Three hundred years later, and Teach is still causing me problems."

"Even if you don't go..." Flint begins, not breaking eye contact. "...how long do you think we can hide your existence from him? This situation is complicated on so many levels, Eleanor. Vane goes to Somalia and sees his uncle, alright, but what happens next? What if Teach eventually decides to come back with him?"

She shakes her head. "From what I heard, he has a huge empire over there. He won't leave everything behind."

He rubs his chin, mind racing, and she scowls at his next words. "Every king needs an heir."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean. And you need to think about this. You and I both know his uncle will try to keep him there. He will offer him tempting possibilities, and once again Vane will find himself face to face with a familiar choice to make."

She lowers her eyes to her lap, a scowl not leaving her face as Flint continues to talk. "The moment will come when he will be forced to choose between you and Teach. It will be inevitable. Do you think the two of you have already shared enough to right the wrongs of the past? It's the only way to assure that Vane will make the same choice from three centuries ago, when the time comes. So tell me... Is the past truly dead and buried? Or is there any bad blood left between the two of you?"

She sighs heavily. "I don't know."

Flint watches her face for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. "Then I suggest you start to take care of this. And soon."

Her heart is still heavy when Eleanor silently walks the pier in the dark of the night, eyes glued to the ship.

A brief smile tugs at her lips. She will miss her.

During the last two months, she's been growing more and more fond of the Ranger, and now she understands Charles' rage when anyone refers to her as "it". She never thought she'd get this weird habit sailors had, to see their ships almost like living, breathing beings.

Now she understands just how deep this connection is.

If only she knew this three centuries ago, she probably would have thought twice before taking such an important thing from Charles.

Or maybe not.

A sigh leaves her lips as she walks the gangplank, greeting Jack with a short nod as he stood near the bow with a smoking Anne. He nods back, only to receive a glare from the little brute while Eleanor climbs down the ladder, not wanting to walk the dark corridors in order to reach the captain's quarters.

"Have you eaten? Maybe we could-" She trails off, the dark look on Charles' face making her shiver.

And not in the good way.

"What happened?"

He's sitting at his desk, his phone in front of him as he silently gestures for her to come closer.

"Mary called me two hours ago." He says, pulling her into his lap.

"Is Davina okay?"

"It wasn't about my sister."

She frowns, her eyes going from concerned to cold.

"Teach?"

His silence is the only confirmation she needs.

"He plans on searching every inch of the ship when we arrive."

"For me."

His eyes remain glued to his phone, one of his hands going to the gun resting just beside it on the desk.

She expected him to tell her that she should just stay behind. But he doesn't, and each second of his silence makes her rage burn even stronger.

"After this, it's clear that I can't go."

He clenches his jaw, meeting her eyes. "You are going."

"Do you want to get me killed?"

"When the hell did you become such a drama queen?"

She scoffs in disbelief, getting off his lap and crossing her arms. "You think I'm being dramatic? Because I don't want to go to a man who's thirsty for my blood, how does that make me a drama queen?"

"Maybe if you put just a little bit of faith in me-"

"You're asking me to trust you with my life without any hesitation, as if we're living some sort of silly fairytale? As if you're a knight in shining armor who will keep me safe no matter what?"

His eyes are dark with hatred while he stares at her. Flint's words from earlier echo in her mind and she struggles to get a hold of her temper.

"Charles, I know you will always do your very best to keep me safe. I know you will always try to protect me. I have no doubt about that. But... What I can't do is act like some irrational teenager, believing you will always succeed." She walks over to sit on their bunk, shaking her head. "Life isn't a movie. There is no guarantee that you will be able to save me if Teach tries anything. No guarantee at all. And I can not take such a risk. I just can't."

He sighs heavily, getting up from his chair and heading to one of the windows. She clings to the hope that he's starting to see reason.

No such luck.

"Just come with us."

Her temper flares. "Did you listen to a word I just said? Why is this so fucking important to you?"

He just clenches his jaw, eyes glued to the window.

How she hates when he does that.

"Just learn to deal with the fact that you won't have anyone to warm your bed during this journey. Because I will stay here with Flint and it's final."

"You think that's what this is about?" He turns around, stalking over to the bunk with an indignant look on his face. She doesn't back down. "You think I'm this upset because I won't have someone to fuck every night?"

"Then why are you acting like this?" Eleanor asks while he makes his way to the desk again. "At least be honest with me so we can try and talk about this, like two civilized people."

He scoffs, muttering something under his breath. It sounds like "civilized my ass".

And Eleanor has had enough.

"Alright. Don't talk to me. Just know that when you and your new men sail away from this Island, I will not be on your ship, but safe and sound at Flint's new house."

He gives her a sharp look.

It's all it takes.

"You once asked me how I could be so smart and so fucking stupid at the same time, well, now I'm asking you the same thing. How can you expect anything good to come out of this? Taking me to see him? Do you have any idea what he would do to me? It's infuriating, you keep thinking that you can play with danger like this, that I won't be harmed by your actions, because you're just so fucking confident!" Her voice is rising with each word she says, anger making her speak without really thinking first. "Can't you see? You are acting just like Woodes!"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Eleanor regrets them deeply.

But it's too late.

He immediately meets her eyes, clearly outraged. But she sees the pain written all over his face too.

Eleanor shakes her head, getting to her feet to close the distance between them. "Shit- Charles, I didn't mean-"

"Of course you didn't." His sarcastic, bitter tone makes her stop on her tracks.

His eyes are cold as he grabs a bottle of rum from their cabinet and storms out of the cabin, slamming the door so hard that for a moment she worries it will fall off its hinges.

Eleanor lets out a shaky breath, clenching her jaw and punching the desk with all the strength she could muster.

Only to cry out in pain.

Holding her aching hand to her chest, she slowly makes her way back to the bunk.

"Fuck, what have I done?"

When seven hours pass and there's still no sign of him, Eleanor finally closes her tired eyes, rolling onto her stomach on the bunk. She actually swallowed her pride and went up on deck a couple hours ago in search of Charles. But he was nowhere to be seen.

So she went to knock on the door of Jack and Anne's cabin to see if they knew anything.

Because she searched the whole ship, and concern was beginning to get the best of her.

Jack told her that Charles left with Anne to go drink God knows where right after their fight.

"You heard us?" She asked, receiving a scoff from the man as a response.

"Eleanor, the whole Island heard you two." He said with a raised eyebrow, and she could see he was worried too.

After that she dragged herself back to the captain's quarters, considering the idea of drinking too.

But it wouldn't be wise. If she was drunk when he came back, another fight could erupt.

So she decided to just read a book, going up the ladder every 10 minutes or so to take a look at the harbor and beach, checking for any signs of the two drunk savages.

And her heart sank every time.

At around 4 in the morning she finally decided to close her book and go to bed.

She's so fucking tired, and concern is taking her over, a million thoughts running through her mind.

What if something happens?

These two are as unstable and unpredictable as the sea during a storm, and it's even worse when they're together.

And drunk.

To make things even worse, Jack told her they took the motorcycle.

What if they suffer an accident?

Hell, what if they kill someone?

She and Jack could receive a call in the morning, the person on the other side of the line telling them that Charles and Anne were in jail.

Or in the hospital.

Or even the morgue.

Her blood runs cold and she tries to banish the macabre thoughts from her mind. It's not the first time these two go drinking together. If something was supposed to happen, it would have already, a long time ago.

Right?

After letting out a heavy sigh, she tries breathing softly, wanting, needing some sleep desperately.

But shortly after she finally slips into unconsiousness, a familiar, dreadful scenario begins to play right in front of her eyes. One she has not seen in a while.

Eleanor is crying in her sleep, trembling as the man she loves steps off that cart, that damn rope strangling him mercilessly.

And as his body spasms, the door to the cabin slamming shut makes her wake up with a start.

Coming back from the horrible nightmare, she doesn't move, listening to his heavy, somewhat clumsy footsteps as her heart beats frantically in her chest.

But she's also filled with relief.

He's back, and just in time to save her from her horror without even knowing it.

Maybe he is a knight in shining armor, after all.

And he's alive.

He's okay.

She's laying on her right side, facing the wooden wall that touches her side of the bunk, and he probably thinks she's asleep.

After she hears him discard his clothes, the footsteps begin to sound closer and closer until she feels the mattress dip under his weight. For some time, he just sits there. And though she's not looking at him, she can feel his eyes on her.

Eleanor holds her breath as he brings one hand to her head, caressing her hair softly before his fingers linger on her cheek.

Her heart flutters and Charles sighs heavily, finally laying down by her side.

After a few moments she rolls onto her left side, watching as he laid on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling.

He doesn't meet her eyes.

But he doesn't try to move away either, when she snuggles into his chest.

"I'm sorry." She speaks in a quiet tone, fingers tracing invisible patterns on his abdomen. "You're not him. You will never be him. I just let my anger get the best of me-"

"Stay."

She frowns at his slurred voice, glancing at his face.

"You mean..."

He nods, still refusing to meet her eyes. "You were right. It's too dangerous. Just wait here with Flint."

A soft smile tugs at her lips.

She doesn't say anything.

"I have something to show you. In the city."

Eleanor barely understands what he's saying.

"Just get some sleep for now, okay? It can wait until you're sober."

He gives her a grunt of annoyance. But all signs of hostility fade away as she presses a kiss to his chest, then other to his birthmark, before meeting his eyes.

"You always tell Jack and Anne that I'm second in command whenever you are in no condition to take care of stuff yourself. Well, this moment clearly matches that description." He rolls his eyes, holding her closer. "So now, I am giving you an order. Go. To. Sleep."

He stares at her face in clear indignation, but soon a wicked glint comes to his eyes. "Will you punish me if I don't?"

Eleanor scoffs in disbelief.

He's impossible.

She breaks eye contact, burying her face in his neck. "I really hope you will have the most horrible hangover."

He grumbles a "why?", and soon after that she notices he's out like a light.

Slowly, she looks at his face again, admiring the now peaceful features, fingers reaching to caress his left cheek.

"For making me worry so fucking much about you..." Eleanor says quietly before pressing a soft kiss to his dry lips and hiding her face in his chest. "...you bastard."

She's asleep in a matter of seconds.

And now that Charles' arms are safely around her, there are no signs of the nightmare.

Notes:

I know. First chapter and they're already fighting?

Yep, some things never change.

For those who think it's strange that Charles was insisting on taking her to Somalia despite the obvious danger, his hidden motives will be explained in the next chapter.

And I'm not sure yet if this is the definitive title. I may change it later... But if it stays this way, later on you will understand why I chose to call the sequel "Empires" ;)

Next chapter teaser:

"Why did you bring me here, Charles?"

Her voice is strained and his eyes soften, reaching to brush her hair behind her ear.