PART II
Sunlight warmed Max's face as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She sighed contently and turned her face into the light, enjoying the warmth for a moment before she rolled over and snuggled against the slim body beside her, pressing a sleepy kiss to the first patch of bare skin her lips found.
"Mornin'."
The voice surprised Max and she tensed for a moment before whispering, "Good morning," to Anne in a voice that was heavy and thick with sleep.
Max brushed her lips against Anne's exposed clavicle again, the gentle touch an apology for the slight Anne wasn't aware Max had just dealt her. It hadn't been an unintentional one of course. Max couldn't have controlled her instinctive reaction to the sound of Anne's voice, but it made her feel guilty because in her drowsy state of half-consciousness she had been expecting to find Eleanor beside her.
Anne had been her nighttime and morning companion for over a month, and Max had grown used to falling asleep beside Anne and waking up in her arms – for as reticent as Anne was to hold her as they fell asleep, she always ended up wrapped around Max by morning. She should not have been surprised to find Anne beside her, even though Anne had not been there when she had gone to sleep. It should have been Anne's voice she expected to hear, but Eleanor was the last person Max had seen before going to bed, Eleanor had been on her mind when she had fallen asleep, and Eleanor had stayed on her mind as she slumbered. Thoughts of Eleanor had consumed Max, and lost in that hazy dreamlike realm between sleep and consciousness, Max's mind had carried Eleanor out of her dreams and placed her in her bed.
"Max did not expect to wake to the sight of you," Max breathed out, pulling back from Anne's body a little bit so that she could see the redhead's face.
Anne's expression twisted into one of discomfort and then she shrugged her shoulders. Max stared at her for a moment, and then she shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly, mimicking Anne.
"That is not a response," Max stated, looking at Anne expectantly.
Anne sighed deeply and frowned at her.
"Weren't that mad," Anne finally muttered, and even as Max rolled her eyes at Anne, a small smile touched her lips.
"Why did you not wake me?" Max asked, her voice gentler now that Anne was actually speaking to her instead of simply grunting responses, which was her default way of communicating.
Anne started to shrug again, but Max's eyes narrowed and her lips parted to issue a warning, so Anne changed tactics.
"You was dead to the world. Figured I'd leave ya be," Anne replied, using her words.
She didn't know how deeply and for how long Max used to sleep before Hammond and the others, but since she had started sharing Max's bed it had been a rare night that Max made it all the way to morning without jerking awake at least once. Max had been sleeping peacefully when Anne had finally deigned to show up in her room, and Anne hadn't wanted to interrupt what might've ended up being the only full night's sleep Max got that week.
"Or maybe you did not want to 'ave to talk to Max," Max said, her tone relatively light though her eyes were focused as she gazed at Anne.
Anne's shoulders rose and fell in response to Max's words. Max glared at her again, but this time Anne would not be moved to speak, because to speak would reveal weakness.
It was true that Max had trouble sleeping, and Anne was not so thoughtless a person that she would disturb Max's sleep on one of the rare occasions when she was sleeping soundly. But Max was also right. Anne had not wanted to talk. She had seen when Max returned to the brothel after her meeting with Eleanor, but she had still been upset with Max so she had not approached her. Half an hour later however, Anne had climbed the stairs intent on finding Max and patching things up between them, but when she reached Max's door she heard voices coming from inside, and one of those voices had been Eleanor's.
Anne had turned and headed back down the stairs then, and headed straight for the brothel's small bar where she'd remained seated until the bar had closed. She'd pondered escaping into the night to find other lodgings, but she had to know if Eleanor was still up there with Max. She had a right to know if Eleanor was still up there with Max, so Anne finally climbed the stairs and went to Max's room.
A large part of Anne had truly expected to find Eleanor and Max wrapped up together on the bed, but she had found Max alone. That Eleanor was not there did not mean that nothing had happened between the two women, but Anne was exhausted physically and emotionally so she decided that she would deal with aftermath of Max's meeting with Eleanor some other time.
When it became clear to Max that Anne would not be sway by her looks of displeasure, she sighed – loudly and irritably – and slipped out of the bed.
"So, what'd she say?" Anne asked, propping herself up against the headboard as Max crankily walked through the room, going about her morning routine.
"She will 'elp," Max replied, not turning to look at Anne as she poured some water into a bowl and then bent over it to splash some on her face.
"Course she will," Anne muttered darkly, grumpily tugging at a loose thread on the dark green shirt she was wearing.
Max might have doubted the depth of Eleanor's feelings for her, but Anne didn't. She had seen just how much Eleanor was willing to risk for Max and how far she was willing to go for her. She knew how Eleanor felt about Max, and she had never doubted that Max would come out of the meeting with Eleanor with everything she wanted.
"You say that like you 'ad no doubt," Max commented, turning towards Anne once her face was dry. "You used to call 'er 'cunt' and 'bitch', you 'ad no use for uppity 'Mistress Guthrie', but now you do not doubt that she would risk precious gold to 'elp Max. Why?" Her eyes were focused intently on Anne. "And do not dare shrug!" she added, pointing a finger at Anne when she saw the redhead's shoulders begin to shift up.
"Cuz you're you and she's 'er," Anne bit out testily, glaring right back at Max. "She ain't never been able to deny you nothin'," Anne pronounced, daring Max to disagree with her, as she always did.
Max stared at Anne for a moment, her old feelings of hurt and abandonment making her want to vehemently protest Anne's words – as she always had when Anne commented on the strength of Eleanor's feelings for her – but after what Eleanor had told her the night before, the words of protest would not come.
Anne studied Max carefully as Max stared her, and Anne's eyes followed Max suspiciously as Max opened the terrace doors and stood in the sunlight looking out on the town beyond.
"Motherfucker!" Anne exclaimed a short while later, angrily ripping the blanket that had been covering her legs off of her before getting out of the bed.
"What?" Max asked turning, surprised and a little alarmed by Anne's outburst. "Anne?"
"She told ya, didn't she?" Anne asked, dropping her pants which she'd just picked up. "Is that why she come up 'ere last night?" Anne continued, stalking across the room to where Max was standing. "She make me out to be a liar? Cuz I wanted to say what we done, right away. She's the one that said to tell ya nothin'."
"You could 'ave told Max anyway," Max replied, stepping back into the room. "Eleanor is not your master."
Anne scoffed.
"What good would it a done? We killed those bastards for ya, but once ya come 'ome she didn't 'ave a goddamn to say, did she? She's got a mouth. Whole islands 'eard it use it plenty. Weren't my place to speak fer 'er. Weren't my place to say nothin'."
"And after I took you to my bed?" Max asked, stepping closer to Anne, eradicating what little space that had been left between them. "Did you still think you 'ad no responsibility to be honest with Max then?"
Anne's eyes went wide for a moment, and then she blinked a few times before lowering her head, hiding her eyes from Max.
"Look at me," Max stated firmly. "You look at me, Anne Bonny."
Anne looked up.
"Why did you not tell me what the two of you 'ad done?"
"Cuz what's done is done," Anne declared, holding Max's eyes intensely for a moment before she turned away and began to pace. "It was in the past. If she'd wanted to make it part a the present, she 'ad plenty a fucking time to bring it up, but she didn't."
"Max knows what Eleanor didn't do, and know she knows why. Max is asking why you chose not to speak."
"Cuz I been 'ere!" Anne replied. "You kissed me, and…" Anne paused for a second as her eyes drifted over Max and drank in the sight of her. So beautiful. So fucking beautiful. How could she has resisted? The sound of Max's voice, her soft skin, that playful and challenging smile, the gentle press of Max's fingers on her skin. How could she have resisted? "And like a fuckin' idiot I gave in," Anne continued, tearing her eyes away from Max. "I chose you. Jack'll barely talk to me now, and if I'd told you 'bout … if I'd … you woulda…" Anne stopped talking abruptly when she realized what was about to fall from her lips, but even as she halted the stream of words flowing from her mouth, she knew it was too late, she knew she'd said too much.
"I would 'ave what?" Max asked softly.
"You'd a gone back to her," Anne muttered as she stared down at the floor. "I ain't stupid," she continued accusingly, glancing up at Max. "I see 'ow you look at 'er," Anne declared, glaring at Max for a moment, her expression a mixture of anger and pain. "You're not over 'er, wasn't never over 'er, you just been with me to not feel so alone. Fucked up thing is I always knew it too. First time we fucked on that bed I knew you'd leave me, but unlike 'er, I cared enough to stay and fight fer you."
The room fell into silence for a few seconds after the last of Anne's words, and then Max slowly began to walk towards Anne.
"Anne," she began softly, gently.
"Forget it," Anne muttered, turning from Max and heading back over to her discarded pants.
She knew how this was going to go.
Max followed Anne and reached out, placing her hand on Anne's arm.
Anne pulled away from her and began to hurriedly tug on her trousers.
"Max 'asn't been using you," Max breathed out as Anne sat down on the bed and began to tug on her boots.
Anne made a gruff sound of disagreement in response but did not say anything.
Max sat down on the bed beside her, but Anne did not look over at her as she started to pull on her other boot.
"I care about you," Max said, reaching out to take Anne's hand, but that too Anne pulled away from her. "Do you think Max a liar?" Max asked softly as Anne bent at the waist again to finish pulling on her boot.
"No," Anne muttered gruffly as she rose to her feet and began to shove her shirt into the waistband of her pants. "But that don't change the fact it's 'er you really want, not me."
Max's lips parted to speak, but no words fell from them as she gazed at Anne, silent and pleading. She wanted to reassure Anne that she had not entered into a relationship with her under false pretenses. Anne made her feel safe, and though their different temperaments often led to them fighting, Max did enjoy Anne's company. She always knew where she stood with Anne, Anne was honest, and honest people were a rare thing in Max's life. She had not been planning a future reunion with Eleanor when she took Anne to bed. She had not been with Anne to pass time until Eleanor got her act together. She did truly care for Anne, but she could not deny Anne's words. She did love Eleanor, and she always had, despite the hurt and anger she had felt, she had never truly fallen out of love with Eleanor.
"I never meant to 'urt you," Max finally breathed out as she stood, though she stopped herself from reaching out for Anne again.
Anne made no response, not even a grunt.
The night before Max had angrily told Eleanor to speak to her. With her voice raised, she begged Eleanor to finally tell her what she was thinking and feeling after months of Eleanor holding her tongue. Max hadn't understood why Eleanor had so often refused to talk, and even after Eleanor had explained her reasons the night before, Max still hadn't truly understood. However, standing there before Anne, Max finally comprehended the invisible forces that had kept Eleanor quiet for so long. She understood how guilt, and shame and sorrow could rob a person of words. She wanted desperately to try and comfort Anne, for Anne in her gruff and stoic way, had been good to her, so very good to her. But Max knew she could not change how she felt, she could not change that her heart yearned for Eleanor or that her body burned with desire for her. Her feelings for Eleanor were hurting Anne, but Max could not change them, and she didn't know what to say or do to make things better, so as Eleanor so often had, Max lapsed into silence.
Helplessly, Max watched as Anne stalked over to the chair she had draped her jacket over and picked it up, pulling it on roughly before she snatched up her hat and placed it on her head.
"Anne," Max tried again when the woman began to walk towards the door. "The room at the end of the hall is unoccupied. You can-" she continued weakly, wanting to say so much more and do so much more, but having only this.
"Can find my own place to stay," Anne muttered, cutting Max off. She was silent for a moment, and then she looked at Max and said, "Don't take no more of 'er shit," before she opened the door and was gone.
"Baise," Max breathed out, collapsing onto her mattress dejectedly.
She felt like shit.
To be continued...