II. Washed Up

Edward dragged himself onto the shore, feeling lucky that he had not broken any bones. He was lucky he had not drowned. Something about this seemed strange though. What had he been doing? Why was he here on this beach? Where was Miko? He lay on his back, looking about him, watching a seagull fly overhead and something about this seemed very familiar.

He looked at his hand, his arm, his outfit. What? Why wasn't he dressed in his robes? He had worn them to go check on an artifact with Miko. Why wasn't he in France? Why was he on this beach? What had that man done to him?

He heard a sudden grunt and turned to look at a man dragging himself on shore. He stared with wide eyes, as the robed man flopped on the beach, his hand pressed against a bleeding wound on his stomach. He gasped for air and glared at Edward.

"Havana…I must get to Havana…"

"Well I'll just build us another ship, will I?" Edward surprised himself by saying. He had just said it because…because…that was what he had said before.

This man was Duncan Walpole. This was the man he killed, the man who was going to betray the Assassins. This was the man he impersonated. What…was going on?

"I have chosen you to relive, relearn and renew"

The words floated back into his minds. Relive? As in relive his life? But why did he know? Why did he remember? His thoughts were interrupted by Duncan's voice.

"I can pay you. Isn't that the sound you pirates like best?" He hissed in pain as he tried to sit up "One hundred escudos" Edward just stared at him blankly. This was where it all started. This man started this whole horrible chain of events. "Will you or won't you?"

"Go fuck yourself, mate" Edward pulled himself to his feet and moved towards Duncan, intent on…well he didn't know. He was going to kill the bastard and throw his pouch in the ocean. There was no way the Templars were getting it. He would not betray the Assassins a second time. He would not waste their lives.

Duncan moved faster than he thought and was soon on his feet as well, pointing his pistol at Edward. Edward didn't move though, he just stood, daring Duncan to pull the trigger. He did and the gun clicked but never went off.

"Looks like your powder is wet"

"Bloody fucking pirate" He turned to run but Edward was faster, which almost surprised him. He had not been so quick in years, but he was younger now, more flexible. He grabbed Duncan's arm and twisted him around. Duncan engaged his hidden blade and Edward was waiting for that. He took the man's arm and twisted it, shoving his own hidden blade into his throat. He gagged and fell to the ground. His blood stained the beach and he looked down at the man, not feeling sorry for him, even as he thrashed and tried to breath.

Aware that he was still somewhat conscious, he stripped the robe off the man, took the pouch with the glass cube, letter and map off him and threw his naked body into the sea. He watched as it floated for a moment, the tide carrying out to where the ship wreck was. A shark jutted out of the water and pulled Duncan Walpole's body under and Edward turned away, focusing on changing his clothes and rubbing the blood out of the robes. He looked at the hidden blades, noting that they were damaged but not beyond his repair. He strapped them to his wrists, with intent to fix them later.

When he was ready, he stood for a moment looking at the letter, the one that bid him to Havana. He looked at the map as well... He held it out over the water for a moment, ready to toss it into the deep but he thought better of it. No, he would give it to Rhona. He had to go and rescue Stede anyway. And Stede was going to Havana. Better off if he just took the map to the Master Assassin who would make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands.

So he worked his way across the island, swiftly and surely until he heard the gunshots signaling he was close to the far beach. He stood on the cliff and watched as they rolled Stede from his side to his back.

"S-sir, I had nothing to do with this attack! My crew and I had merely anchored to water and r-resupply!"

"Quiet, you bleeding pirate!" The one snapped, shoving his sword near Stede's neck. "You'll hang for the mess you made out there!"

Edward sighed, though…He wondered what would happen if he just killed the soldiers and left Stede here? Not that he would do that. He knew Stede wasn't the…best of survivors. He was more or less a gentleman through and through. He wasn't really meant to turn to piracy.

But he did and he was hung for it.

And Edward was the one who encouraged him to go to Nassau, to find his "freedom". He didn't realize how guilty he felt over this fact until he had actually thought it over. He had more than the Assassins' blood on his hands. It made him sick to think how many innocents he had sacrificed for his selfish ways. Not this time. If he must walk this path again, he would do it the right way. He would find a better path.

He found his way down the cliff and killed the soldiers. That was easy. He drew his cutlass and took out their throats. They had tried to fight him with their guns. Those guns were great for scaring native women and children, but not so great for close quarters. Shaking the blood from his sword, he turned and cut Stede's ropes.

Stede gave him a wary look but seemed to relax as Edward sheathed his sword.

"Are you alright?" He asked the rather portly gentleman.

"By God's grace, sir, you saved me!" He held out his hand and Edward shook it with a smile, "A profusion of thanks! My name is Stede Bonnet"

"Well met Mister Bonnet…You can call me…" He had a slight pause. Should he tell him his real name or give him the fake one again? "Edward. Edward Kenway" He said. He looked around them, at the dead bodies around them. There were three, not counting the men Edward had just slain.

"Ah no…That poor chap would be the captain of my vessel. And with him dead, I have no art for sailing myself…"

"If you'll allow me, Mister Bonnet, I'll pilot her." Edward offered.

"Ah, you're a sailor Mister Kenway? Well, you don't strike me as one. Apart from your rather odd outfit, if you excuse me for saying that, you seem rather the gentleman."

"Aye, I suppose I do, but I have quiet the experience sailing." He smiled a little. "Where would your destination be, Bonnet?"

"Havana. And yours?"

"Havana as well! Happily our ways lie together!" He smiled more brightly at Stede who laughed, ever the kind gentleman.

"Well then, we're natural allies! Let us be off!" He began walking towards the ship but paused. "Ah, those men punched a hole in my rowboat though. We'll have to swim" He grimaced at the prospect.

"No matter, it's not a long swim" And without waiting for Bonnet, he jumped into the warm, refreshing water. He swam swiftly to the boat and climbed up the Jacob's ladder. He saw a few crew members looking at him warily until Bonnet joined him. He looked at the small vessel with a small bit of wistfulness.

He wondered how he'd meet Ade now and acquire his Jackdaw. Or if he would mess up he future entirely… Would he ever meet his son again? His second wife? Even now, their faces were blurring in his memory. He took a deep breath as he took hold of the wheel. He could do this. It was only a few years right? Devil curse him, but he didn't know if he could live through all that heartbreak once more.

Edward looked at Havana as they pulled into port. It was exactly as he remembered it. They were a few days late as Edward had wanted to make a seemingly random stop in the ocean. In truth it was where the treasure fleet would crash in a few days' time. Bonnet didn't know that and he wouldn't expain it to the man. Bonnet was talking about…something, as he had most of their journey here. He had forgotten how talkative the fellow was. He stepped off the ship, waiting for Bonnet to be ready and soon they were heading off, towards a tavern for him to conduct a business deal. He followed along, as he knew Bonnet might run into trouble without him.

Sure enough, memory served and a man tried to slit his purse on their way there. Edward gave him a good kick in the haunches and took Bonnet's purse back with minimal effort. He flipped his hood up as they came into the tavern and looked to the left where a man was slouched alone with his drink. There was another patron with a whore in his lap and Edward shook his head, mainly at himself.

Instead of doing the obvious, he leaned up against the wall near Bonne, acting more like a bodyguard. He could have a drink but he had long ago learned that drinking was not a cure; it was the problem. He listened as Bonnet talked over prices and relaxed. Maybe this could be different. Maybe he could do better. He knew what was going to happen so he could save people he cared for, do it all different. After he finished helping Bonnet here, he was going to go straight to Rhona and give her the map and the glass cube and then he was going to…well he didn't know what he was going to do. Not yet, but he would figure it out. Probably go and steal his brig, find his crew.

He glanced over at Bonnet, seeing he was talking quite joyfully with the other merchants. Edward took a seat and began to pick and look at his hidden blades. Ah, there was what was wrong with them. He could see the springs were twisted in the one and in the other, the blade had slipped from the holder a little, disabling it. With a twist for the one and a simple snap back to place for the other, he had them fixed. He tested them silently and looked up as he saw Bonnet glancing in his direction. He smiled as he placed the blades on his arms, hidden under his sleeves, as was proper for a Assassin.

Not that he was one anymore.

He about dropped his head into his hands at that though. Why, if he had to relive this life, did he have to keep the memories? The faces of his friends flashed through his mind, their faces when they died. The fear on Thatch's face, the anger on Hornigold's, the desperation on Mary's…He would see them all again soon and he didn't know how his heart would take that. He would greet them all with the upmost happiness, he knew that. He would not allow the past to repeat itself. Thatch would not retire, Hornigold would not become a traitor and Mary would not go to jail. He would find a way to stop it all.

"Are you well, Edward?" It was Bonnet speaking and he looked up at the portly gentleman, a frown on his face.

"No, but I will be." He answered honestly. He felt his heart hurting yet but he focused on the fact that he would see them soon. He would change fate's design. Starting with Bonnet. "So, has your business concluded?"

"Yes and very well I think. I've made a good profit here today" He smiled. "What will you do now, Edward?"

"Well as the hour is getting late, I will rest the night and then tomorrow I have a meeting to go to" A very different meeting. The Governor could expect him all he liked, but Duncan Walpole was dead and there would be no replacement this time.

"Very good. I know of a wonderful inn to stay at here in Havana if you'd like me to show you." Bonnet was so kind. How could a man like that ever turn to piracy, no matter how bad he was at it? Edward knew his encouraging had set the man up. But he didn't know that so Edward merely smiled and motioned for Bonnet to lead the way.

The next day was beautiful and warm. Edward stood outside, looking up at the sun, feeling it touch his face and warm his bones. He walked through Havana, feeling a little more positive. He would fix this, starting with the maps and the cube. He checked to make sure he had everything in his pouch and then he started off towards where he would find Rhona. His thoughts were muddled and distracted. He couldn't help but feel like something was going to go wrong.

But what?

Perhaps there would be another traitor or perhaps they would find a way to find the camps anyway…He didn't want to let that happen. He thought of the Assassins he had befriended in his time here. He thought of the lives he didn't want to waste, the lives he didn't want to lose…

And that was how he ran directly into someone, so hard he actually stumbled to the ground. He pulled himself up and was about to pull the other person up when he realized who they were. He froze where he was, not knowing what to do or say.

"Watch where you're going - !" The other person started but they stopped upon seeing who they had run into. "Ah, those robes…You aren't…Duncan Walpole are you?"

He couldn't work his jaw, just staring at this man with anger and hate. Yes, hate. Woodes Rodgers. His most vivid memories of this man were him talking to Hornigold and him threatening Caroline at Mary and Anne's trial. How good would it feel to sink his blades into this man now? How many problems would it solve?

"Rodgers why do you stop?" Another voice washed over him and he looked to see du Casse and the governor himself along with several guards and…

"Roberts" He hissed the name without thinking it. The man was in chains but not looking meek or weak in the least. He smiled, as if he had heard Edward and maybe he had. Edward wanted nothing more than to beat the man into submission now. How many problems would killing him solve? After all, Edward already knew where the Observatory was. It was…

It was…now where was it? He could see the location in his mind's eye. He could see himself there, more than once. He knew where it was but…his mind refused to allow him to remember. He probably would later, for now he had to focus on what was going on around him. He looked at Rodgers, Du Casse, Torres…He had to make a choice. Now.

"Are you Duncan Walpole?" Rodgers' voice was demanding. Edward looked at him, knowing just what to say.

A/N: So here is chapter two, though its a few days later than I thought it would be. Anyway, here is my exercise in cliffhangers. It's not a good one but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Read and review and all that good stuff. See you next chapter.