"Casey will you calm down already? They'll be here. You know Sammy wouldn't let you leave without her seeing her," Billy reassured.

"I know. It's just…we're going to Madagascar soon and it's so far away. I might not see her again for a while. And then there's that blasted privateer that's after me. And I miss her…"

He grinned at me. "She's special to you, aye? Will you be telling her how you feel about her?"

I paled. "I don't think it'd be good for anyone to admit he loves Sammy, even a pirate. I feel like the rejection she gives would be worse than having scurvy."

He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "Who said she's reject you? You're the one with the cutlasses," he joked.

I leaned against the hull of the ship. "What woman in their right mind would love a pirate? A criminal. A fugitive from the law?"

"What woman wouldn't?"

"Perhaps the women that value their lives?" I replied bitterly. "I don't want her to get in trouble…"

Billy smirked. "But Sammy lives for trouble."

I rolled my eyes. "In other news, have you heard what happened to Calico?"

"Calico Jack?"

"No, Calico John. Of course, Calico Jack," I joked.

"Did that miscreant finally marry Anne?"

I shook my head and took a swig of my drink. "Poor bastard got caught. Calico Jack Rackham, our dear friend, was hanged."

His eyes widened, "Son of a bitch! What happened to Anne and Mary?"

"Funny thing about that. The entire crew was drunk off their asses and hid while Anne and Mary were the only ones fighting."

"What happened to them?"

"They pled their bellies. And you know how England won't hang a pregnant woman. Anyway, Anne visited Jack before his execution and told him that if he had fought like a man, he wouldn't have been hanged like a dog."

"…harsh," he said.

Danny walked up to me and said, "Cap'n, if the broad ain't coming we should set sail already."

I snarled at him, "Remind me who's in charge, Danny."

He glared at me. "You are."

"We will set sail when I say so. You and the other men can go to the tavern. Find a surgeon for us, while you're at it."

When I said find a surgeon, I meant to kidnap one. Don't give me that look. How else are we supposed to treat any battle wounds?

He nodded and went to tell the other men.

Billy slung an arm around my shoulders. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd swear you were another Edward Teach!"

I laughed. "Careful. Billy. Blackbeard's ghost might not appreciate you using his full name!"

We had spent quite some time as part of Blackbeard's crew. We sailed with Jack for a while as well. Along with Henry Every, Stede Bonnet, Bartholomew Roberts, Edward Low, and Edward England. And Jack was actually the least deadly of them all.

"Awhh, ol' Blackbeard was a giant softie," Billy teased.

"…he would kill one of us off every once in a while just so no one forgot who he was."

"Yeah, but he never killed me off. And he hated me."

"He thought you were mentally disturbed. He wouldn't prove anything by killing you," I explained.

"He thought I was mentally disturbed? HE'S THE ONE WHO PUT LIT FUSES IN HIS BEARD WHEN HE CONDUCTED RAIDS TO LOOK LIKE THE DEVIL. "

"Yeah, but it worked."

He had nothing to say to that except for, "Is that Sammy?"

I looked up swiftly, shouting, "What! Where?" Sammy was running up the docks, stumbling slightly over the long dress she was forced to wear every day. An entire year away from her was the reason why I showed such vulnerability and jumped from the hull of the ship to the boardwalk to grab Sammy around her waist and spin her around playfully.

She squealed, "Casey! Put me down!"

"Tell me you missed me!"

She laced her fingers through my hair and tugged lightly. "Make me," she said defiantly.

"Mm, you're a ferocious little hellcat," I flirted. I set her down and drank the sight of her in. She had matured so much in the past year. And not just mentally…

"How long are you staying this time?" she asked, blushing.

"Uhh…a few hours?" I told her, cringing.

Her face fell immediately and I regretted telling her. "Why?"

"I'm sorry," I stammered. "It's just that we're going to Madagascar and-"

"Can I come with you?"

"What? No!"

She poked me roughly. "And why not?"

"What do you mean why not? Because you're a-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" she snapped. "I am so sick of hearing what I can and cannot do because I'm a woman!"

"Sammy, I meant that until you're married, you are supposed to listen to your parents. And they are not going to let you run off with a bunch of pirates."

"I never thought I'd see the day a pirate is telling me to obey the law."

I frowned. "It wouldn't be safe. Trust me, I would love to kidnap you and take you with me. But I'm not going to put you in danger for my own selfish needs. And I am very selfish." I said that last part loud enough so that the sailor passing by staring at Sammy's ass looked away and fast-walked the opposite way.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "How selfish are you?"

I stroked her cheek with my thumb. "Very."

"What if I told you that my mother arranged a marriage for me?"

"What can you handle better? A cutlass or a pistol?"

"Are you saying I can come?"

"As long as you don't mind bunking with me in my bed. Come with me and I'll give you a tour of the ship."

I don't know what compelled me to agree to let her join me and my crew to Madagascar. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.

The guys loved having her around, with the exception of Danny.

She was fierce enough to survive in a fight.

And maybe the fact that the idea of her getting married to some stuffed shirt was repulsive.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss my temple. "I knew you'd give in. That's why Billy invited Marissa to come along too."

I groaned. "I'm too soft. I'm practically another Calico Jack, letting Anne Bonny and Mary Read onto my ship."

"I should call you Calico Casey."

"Noooo…"

"Calico Casey, can I wear your clothes? I refuse to wear a dress if I am not under the ward of my mother anymore."

Before I could answer, Danny interrupted with, "What the bloody hell are women doing on this blasted ship?"

The rest of the crew were scattered around the ship, a bit tipsy, smiling nonetheless.

"Sammy," one of them called. "You're coming with us, aye?"

"Aye," she called back, smiling.

More of the men started calling out randomly.

"So our deah cap'n has finally given in, haha!"

"Now our crew is complete what with us havin' the most fierce women since Bonny and Read!"

"Pay up, Raymond! I told ye he would give in this time!"

"By the bloody King, I will not allow a woman to embark with us!" That was Danny.

I glared at him. "And why not?"

"What does a woman know our way of life? She can't handle a weapon or tie knots or fight. She will only weigh us down."

Sammy stared at him and walked over to the spare ropes we kept on deck. "Sailor's knot, clove hitch, or sheepshank knots?" she asked.

He looked at her suspiciously before saying, "Sheepshank knot. And try not to mess up the ropes, aye?"

She rolled her eyes while her fingers nimbly worked on the ropes in her hands. In a matter of seconds, she had a knot done with the ropes and she literally threw it in Danny's face, making the rest of us laugh hysterically.

"As for not being able to handle a weapon," she said, "I'm the one that helped Casey with the proper technique on how to deliver a deadly blow with the cutlass. My aim with a pistol isn't as good as his though."

The men laughed heartily while I shrugged good-naturedly. She really did help me learn to use the cutlass properly. "Either Sammy stays or you go, Danny. It's as simple as that."

He grumbled and then went below the deck to blow off steam.

"Billy," I called. "Tis time to cast off!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!"

I grabbed Sammy's hand and led her to my quarters so that we could catch up before it was time to get some sleep.

We sat down on my bed, which was the only one on the ship. Considering I am the captain, I am the only one that has a proper bed on the ship along with my first mate, while the other men sleep on hammocks.

Sammy is just sitting next to me, smiling at me, but not saying anything. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking. I remember when you were fifteen and those pirates came into town and that you were just so starstruck at how free they were and how much excitement was in their lives and it's just… You looked so happy. You vowed to become captain of pirates and you promised I could come along too. You don't remember, but I do. And when you were eighteen you started hopping ships and joining pirate crews, only coming to town every once in a while." Her smile faded slightly. "I barely saw you anymore. You even missed your birthday a few times." She looked up at me, smiling again. "But now I can come with you." She wrapped me up in a warm hug, the first one from her in over a year and I realized suddenly that I was so whipped.

"I…I never meant to leave you behind, Sammy."

"I don't blame you, Case. You wanted to live your dream and I could never blame you for that. Now get out."

I raised my eyebrow. "Are you legitimately kicking me out of my own room?"

"Mm yes. I'm gonna steal your clothes, okay? I refuse to wear this."

"You don't need to wear anything for me," I said suggestively.

"You'd rather I walk around naked for the rest of the men too?" she asked. I couldn't tell if she was serious or playing.

But then she pushed her dress down her shoulders, past her hips, so that it pooled around her ankles. She wasn't naked though, she had a corset on underneath her dress.

Of course, my parents raised me to respect a woman and I was only teasing her when I said she didn't have to wear anything for me.

I had looked away as soon as her dress had hit the floor, which was probably what she was expecting.

"I'll be outside," I mumbled and walked out as fast as I could, with my face burning up.

I needed to find Billy.

I found him walking out from the room he was sharing with Marissa and grabbed him. "Sammy is going to be the death of me." I eyed the drink in his hand. "What is that?"

"Rum," he replied simply.

I snatched it up and took a swig before giving it back to him. "Sorry. I needed that."

He grinned at me. "Did Sammy pull the same stunt Marissa just pulled on me?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. I mean I do, but…that rum tasted a bit off."

"Aye, sir. I squeezed lemon and limes into all the drinks on board like you asked to prevent any of the crew from getting scurvy."

"…did you really have to do it to the rum? Blast it all, it doesn't matter. As long as no one gets scurvy, no one better fucking complain or I swear, I'm building a flipping plank for them to walk off into the mouths of the sharks."

A/N: I came up with this idea when I was way more stupid and actually thought it was a good idea and now I am beginning to regret it.

It will most likely be really awkward at times…like there is a reason that 99% of my stories are rated T for Totally High On Candy Canes When I Wrote This.

WHERE IS THAT GUY THAT LOVES SAMMY KEYES LIKE SERIOUSLY CAN YOU COME TO NEW YORK SO I CAN HUG YOU BECAUSE I SWEAR I DID NOT KNOW YOU GUYS EXISTED

In other news, I said I was obliged to update at least once a week and I end up updating like once a day practically am I sane or something?

GUYS THERES A NEW POLL ON MY PROFILE SO YOU CAN VOTE FOR WHAT YOU WANT ME TO UPDATE NEXT OKAY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

IF YOU HAVE TUMBLR OR INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER TELLLL MEEEEEE ILL FOLLOW YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND PLEASE REVIEW OR ILL CRY kaythanksbye