Angelica sat in the stuffy darkness, still chained, occasionally shifting some to make sure the cold wall was still behind her. She didn't know where she was or what had happened to get her here. James had been told to go home, and then there was a gunshot and something hit her head. She was bleeding, or at least…she thought she was. Handcuffed and bagged she couldn't feel or see if the red liquid trickled from her temple. She hated being restricted, unable to gauge her surroundings and find an escape. She wanted to know what had happened, where James was…where she was. The shallow breaths that came from her mouth were suffocating with the heavy bag shoved over her head and tied tightly.

On the bright side she was no longer wearing the stifling corset and had returned to her pirating clothes for the moment. Probably the only happy thing about this situation. That, and it briefly explained why she had been caught by who she assumed, to be the infamous Admiral Lawrence.

A harsh key being jutted into the lock and turning caught her attention and she scrambled back as far as she could, hitting the back of her head against the wall and wincing. A brief stream of something warm and wet trickled down the side of her face. Still bleeding alright.

"It's just me."

Angelica exhaled shakily with relief at the familiar, warm British voice. She heard him come closer and kneel down, smooth, expert fingers swiftly undid the knot around the bag before it slipped to her feet. She blinked a couple times, taking in the small, empty room and the faint light coming from underneath the door. It was like some sort of storage room….she glanced up and found James watching her, a apprehensive gaze in his eyes.

She quickly recalled the sound of a pistol being fired and panicked. Her trust issues with him were almost completely gone. "Are you alright?"

He briefly frowned, before his expression cleared. "Yes, yes I'm alright. I'm more concerned about you."

Angelica reached up her cuffed hands to feel the slice in her temple. "Someone got shot. But it wasn't you?"

James shook his head, but he reached up and ran his long fingers back through his hair and Angelica noticed he looked slightly dishevelled.

"What happened?" she murmured quietly.

"You know how I wanted to fix things so badly?" he glanced at her and she nodded. "Turns out I'm the last person you want to help you. I 've just….broken everything."

"No you haven't." Angelica reached out to him, her chained hands jingling as she turned his face back toward her. "You've never broken anything."

"The hurricane?" James reminded quietly, watching her. "Leaving you, getting a job with the East India Trading Company, coming here to run away from everything? Even if you don't think those are breaking things I know you're still angry…hurt that I left you."

Angelica was quiet for a moment. "You chose what was more important to you. You're a naval officer, I knew that it would only be a temporary thing. I'm…I'm everything you hate."

"And pirates adore naval men?" James asked sarcastically. "We both made a choice, Angelica. That none of it mattered." He paused, turning his head to gently kiss her hands that rested against his face. "And I think we've both changed because of it."

Angelica was left speechless for a minute or two, swallowing the desperate urge to bury her face in him once more. "You came to me last night. Why?"

"To warn you about my father sending men to arrest you and Jack." He sighed, glancing over at the door. "Instead he followed me and caught you. I wish I knew what his intentions were exactly…but after last night I don't think I'll be shown any mercy."

"What happened?" Angelica suddenly had a bad feeling about the gunshot, and as James hesitantly glanced back over at her she knew it. "You shot him."

"It was a flash wound, just to stop him from taking you. However it didn't work. This," he softly touched her temple wound, "Is because he dropped you."

And he blamed himself for her getting hurt, Angelica knew that much. She carefully nudged her head underneath his chin, ignoring the throbbing. "What will he do to you?"

"I don't know." James exhaled, both relaxed and tense at the same time. Having her close again calmed him some but there was a forever worry about her protection. "I suppose I will found out after he returns from the doctor."

She was quiet, an unasked question burning in the silence.

"I won't let him hang you…" James whispered, a fierce edge to his words and Angelica knew he felt the same as her. After finding each other, they weren't prepared to let go.

"Tell me everything?" she begged, lifting her head to look at him. "What happened with Elizabeth…everything till I saw you at the ball."

He softened some, but shook his head. "Soon. As soon as I can you'll hear it all."

"You…have to leave?" Angelica didn't want him to. The blackness, being alone….she didn't want him to.

"I must." James' green gaze was filled with regret. "Or you'll get in even more trouble." He bent his head down and kissed her forehead and then nose, his fingers momentarily curling into her hair. "I'll come back when I can." He started to get up but she grabbed his belt. "James." He glanced at her expectantly….as if waiting for something, hoping for something. "I'm….sorry."

"So am I." he smiled faintly, touching her cheek. And before he could get up again Angelica hooked her cuffed hands over his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. It was painful when he slipped up and locked her back up in the dark, and she finally understood what it was like for him when she kept running away.