New York, 15th of June 2013

Edward watched on as Katherine put the last portion of the snack in her mouth. He would be lying if he didn't admit to being slightly distracted by the woman, after all, she was quite fetching in a rather wicked way. Vane. She had said her surname was Vane and he knew that a Vane was equal parts mad and brilliant. What would she have been in his world? A wench he would bed and leave? No, that wasn't possible – he couldn't see her as that. Katherine was strong and intelligent, kind and deadly. Horingold and Rackham alike would kill for a woman like her and wouldn't be alone in doing so. As she tossed the empty packet aside, his attention shifted and he eyed it suspiciously.

"Kit-Kat?" he questioned, placing emphasis on the last word. "Is there a Kit-Edward too?"

Her laughter echoed throughout the kitchen, perhaps even her house. "No, Edward, no. It's a type of chocolate."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Lass, about getting back–"

Katherine yanked a thin cord, a charger as she called it, from a device.

"Yeah, yeah. Go sit on the couch, you'll be much comfier there," he did as he was told without question. Katherine joined him a moment later, sitting beside the man.

"Here," she said as she passed a new device to him. What was it now? A compass? "This is an iPad."

"An Eye Pad?"

She smiled, "Exactly right. It's a small moving picture screen with words and the like."

It was fascinating, such devices could be sold for a great fortune in Nassau but here, Katherine had said everyone had at least one apple. He didn't quite understand what she meant by that but he nodded and continued on. This current device, the Eye Pad, was intriguing. He inspected it in his hands and brought it up to his eye. A flash of light and an animal of sort appeared for a moment but then it went black. He was astounded and confused.

"It doesn't seem to be working, lass."

The look she gave him was a mixture of incredulity and humor. Then she pulled his arm down gently and laughed, "Wow. Okay, let me explain this properly. It's like a book! But much more convenient than a book."

The woman went on about a safari and opening a tab for additional information. Again, it was more than confusing but Edward nodded in response, only understanding half of what she said.

Katherine smiled brightly, "If you need any help, I'll be in my bedroom. You can ask me questions that I can hopefully answer."

With that, she was of and again the device in his hands lit up. He paid close attention it and for a time, he vaguely understood how to use it. Of course, there was the issue of spelling and this strange 'auto-correct' Katherine spoke of which changed 'Pyrate' to both 'By Rates' and 'Pilates'.

It was perhaps a maximum of three minutes that Edward remained on this safari. Before he knew it another adventure had opened and he had ended up on a different page. The words 'Face' and 'Book' were at the top of the screen. He rose, quickly moving towards Katherine's room. He stuck his head into the doorway and peered at Katherine.

"Lass, it's broken," Edward said, holding out the Eye Pad for her to see.

Katherine was sitting at her desk and didn't bother to turn, "Just press the square button Edward and go back to Safari. I need to finish this article so we can get cash to survive."

"What button?"

"There's only one button, Edward. The one below the screen," she said with a huff.

"Ah! Thank you, lass!" Edward said cheerfully, leaving Katherine alone but that fleeting moment of tranquility was short lived.

In mere moments, he popped his head through the doorway again.

"Lass, what's this 'Flappy Bird'?"

And again.

"Eye Tunes? Another shanty machine?"

And again.

"Lass! The magical device turned black!"

He was curious but it appeared the red-headed woman was annoyed. As she rose from her wheeled chair, she narrowed her eyes.

"Right, just press the damn button and slide across with your finger, Edward. Easy?" she muttered angrily.

"Oh, right. Thank you, lass. Again."

Edward sighed and plopped himself on the couch. He was getting frustrated with this magical 'Eye Pad' device. Somehow, the pirate assassin managed to end up on the 'Face Book' again. If he hadn't discovered a whole page dedicated to Katherine, he would've gone mad. There were interesting things on it from what he had gathered and plenty of pretty portraits. Perhaps his favorite discovery was the scantily clad one of herself and other women. They were on a beach, it undoubtedly looked like Nassau but Edward once again was distracted by the red-head. There was an option to 'like' these portraits and thus, he did so – liking as many of her portraits as possible.

And then, all of a sudden, it made a noise and a message appeared.

'Hey babe ;) What's going on? When do I get to see your pretty face again?'

He scrunched his nose, who was this man? Edward felt territorial and found great use to the 'Key Board' he had been told of. He began to reply, ever so slowly, to make it clear that Kat wasn't interested in being seen by arse like this fellow.

At the same time Katherine had walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks before him. Jaysus, he thought, she knows what I'm doing. Instead she began to laugh, grabbing a bottle of water and walking away.

"Ed, you type like my mother. My grandmother even!"

He was alone again and free to reply to this muckworm, Frank Tate. It took some time and the meddling of 'auto-correct' but his message was clear.

'Piss off, mayte. TH lad e is not iNTER rest Ed in yOu.'

As instructed, he pressed the button with a square on it and re-opened the safari. This net of inter Katherine had spoken of was supposedly vast and held much knowledge. He wondered if he could find out how to return to the Jackdaw from it or even, about himself and so, he began to type in his name.

It was nonsense about Assassins and Templars and words he didn't understand entirely. There were pictures, portraits and dates but nothing helped him. He wanted to look at more, he wanted to read more but wasn't sure how. The answer, the solution, was surely here! Yet he couldn't access it!

Frustrated and tired, he placed the Eye Pad down. He had down enough today, he didn't need to stress himself out more. I need the Jackdaw and the sea, he said to himself, I need the shores of Nassau and a good ale. He stood up, stretching out his limbs and cracking his back. When he was ready, he would return to the Eye Pad and question it further with the aid of Kat. For the moment, he needed air.

He managed to open the front door as quietly as possible, not wanting to alarm Katherine, and stepped outside. Edward took in a deep breath as the sun shone down on his face. He turned around to face the townhouse and saw a ledge that was easily accessible. He smirked to himself has he began his climb, reaching the roof in a matter of seconds. Edward pulled himself up and found a spot to sit down. He looked at his surroundings and smiled. He had never seen a view quite like this before. It was different but soothing. He laid down, placing his arms beneath his head and stared at the blue sky. His eyes began to close shut and soon soft snores began to fill the air.

It was not uncommon that Katherine found herself with a severe case of writer's block yet as she looked upon a document as blank as her mind, she began to list the prerequisites for such a horrid sensation. There was always a string of odd events, a most interesting male companion and an immense sense of adventure that left her mind wandering. Her current situation certainly met the criteria. There was a time-travelling, world-jumping pirate who happened to be the handsome male accomplice and everywhere he pulled her, adventure and mystery seemed to follow.

How could she possibly write an article when she was too busy thinking about his boat – no, ship and somehow sending him back to his time? It had been ten grievously long days since she had met Edward yet they lived as if dear friends. Perhaps it was the fact that they lived in such close-quarters and their meeting was so traumatic. Either way, it was madness yet incredible and completely unrealistic but also happening? I am actually going mad, Katherine thought, this is it – farewell sanity! So long reality!

"Wait," she said aloud. "It's so quiet. I'm actually alone with my thoughts and nothing is burning in my house. This can't be – no, am I waking up or am I in a hospital? God, who am I talking to?"

She rose from her seat, tucking it in neatly under the desk and left her bedroom. The silence was pleasant but unnatural especially given that Edward often touched everything and anything. In her living room there was no random music playing from her iPod, no blaring sounds from the television or sound of couch springs slowly deteriorating because somebody likes to bounce on it. The kitchen was similarly silent; no clang of utensils being used the wrong way or smell of burning anything. Her little townhouse was silent and empty with the exception of herself.

Katherine huffed, "Edward! Are you here? I hope you're not using those senses of yours to find my jewelry and run because jokes on you, it's fake gold and the diamonds aren't real either!"

"Edward?" She said, doing a once-over and finding herself back within the lounge. "This is not funny!"

It was on the couch that she saw her abandoned iPad. As she drew closer she saw the page it was open on – 'Assassin's Creed' – and instantly she felt a horrible sinking feeling. Snatching the device, she scrolled through the page and then the browser history. To her it was innocent information, nothing that could have led to crisis but she wasn't him – she was real. Surely he had been here and left. This was enough for him to question his existence if he hadn't already. First the history books excluded him and now, he had discovered his fictitious origins whether he realized it or not. Edward already had a large personality but an additional existential crisis on top of that would be sheer chaos. She was not equipped to deal with this, she could barely handle her own problems.

Nonetheless, Katherine immediately exited her house swiftly and found herself standing on a mostly desolate suburban street. there wasn't a mane of blonde hair in sight, there were parked cars and a few pedestrians across the road but no Edward. She didn't have his sense; she wouldn't be able to find him. Katherine felt her throat dry, he was a pirate in his time but he was vulnerable here. There were people who were ten times as worse as him and he was out there wandering the streets.

Then, she heard a voice from above, "A decent view, lass. A decent view indeed."

"He's on the roof," Katherine whispered, slowly looking over her shoulder. She turned around fully and instinctively cursed, "You're on my roof. Of course you're on my bloody roof! Ed, you dickhead, I was worried."

It wasn't a very tall building that she lived in but for the first time in her life, she feared the two stories. It didn't occur to her that Edward was accustomed to scaling structures larger than her townhouse. He was troubled and higher than he should have been which was enough to make her panic.

He laughed, or perhaps it was more of a scoff. "Peace, woman. I am here."

"You should really come down. I'm pretty sure I'm having heart palpitations just looking at you up there. This isn't Nassau, people see other people on roofs here and they call the fire department. Can you just come down? Please," she said.

"Jaysus. I'm not a child, Kat," he said bluntly. "I need time alone."

Katherine sighed, "You can be alone, inside. Where the risk of falling and breaking something is lessened dramatically. I can go out; you can have the house to yourself."

"No."

"Motherf-Edward! I will come up there and I will drag you down myself."

A curious look came across his face; it was as if he was daring her to climb up and to try to bring him down. Not a child, he says, bull-fricking-shit. Katherine marched back into her house and towards the cupboard under the stairs. Out from it came a retractable ladder that she had used when painting. Though it was heavier than she remembered, she picked it up and began to march out again – not without slipping her keys into her pocket, of course.

Edward laughed again, this time it was slightly less mocking. She perched the ladder against the brick wall and daringly ascended it. A look of annoyance was written on her face but she was grateful that her roof was flat instead of pointed.

"Are you happy?" she said, exasperated. "This is very 90's teenage angst-like of you."

He snarled, "I said need time alone. Go back down, Katherine. Before you wound yourself."

"I climbed onto my damn roof for you, I'm not going to leave you alone. Not now," Katherine retorted knowing what was possibly running through his mind.

"Jaysus, woman. You're relentless, you know that? Like a bloody storm," If it had been a few days ago, he would've snapped at her fiercely like a wild dog. Edward was in no way tamed but perchance he was slightly broken.

"Actually, there was a Hurricane Katherine in the 70's," she said seriously and to her surprise, he genuinely laughed. Taking his reaction as a good sign, she gently pushed his shoulder.

"So! Do pirates talk about their feelings?" Katherine asked with a small smile. "Or do I need to turn that ladder into a plank to stir something deep within you?"

He chuckled, "By God, you'll be a pirate yet."

"Aye, mate. Now pass the ale, you muckworm… I could so be a pirate. I mean, I love the booty. Both kinds too!"

Edward raised a brow, "Two kinds?"

"Two kinds. But I'll explain that to you at a later date, let's rewind for a moment. Are you alright, Edward?" She questioned again, gently pushing his arm again as if that would trigger him to tell her his life story.

"There's no rum. Why is the rum always gone?" He said with an odd accent.

Katherine rolled her eyes, "Ha-ha, I see you've been watching a certain pirate movie. Don't hide behind humor, blondie. I see what you're doing. You've picked that up from me."

"Would you rather I was honest, lass? Because I fear you'd not like what I have to say," Edward gave her a look but she nodded fervently. "I'm wondering why we are no closer to the Jackdaw than before. I understand your work, lass. I know you that you do as you must to survive. But I can't help but feel displaced. You tried to teach me that thing – the Eye Pad and I tried to learn but it was difficult. If I don't find a way back to the Jackdaw, I have to discover this world entirely. I don't want to sit idle, Kat, I want my life back."

Although she felt slight relief knowing that Edward hadn't read the page, she was still troubled. Katherine didn't know what to say "Do you like my house? And living with me?"

For a time, he was silent, "Aye. I do, it's a strange place but a merry one with you in it."

She bit down on her lip, "I'm glad because I don't know if I can find a way to get you back. I can try and do everything in my power but… I mean, it's like magic and shit. You were transported between words, through time and space. I don't have a reasonable solution or explanation or anything for that."

"I've realized that. But we'll keep at it, right lass? We'll keep looking for a way back?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course, Edward. I promised you I would help," she smiled softly. "I promised and I'm going to get you home."

It had begun to get dark outside and the residential street was simmering down as families began their dinners. Whatever feelings of worry or anger she harbored quickly disappeared, instead there was warmth and perhaps an emptiness.

Whilst she wanted Edward returned to his world, there was a part of her that wanted him to remain with her.

"If we find a way back, if I can go back… What will happen to you?" Edward furrowed his brow.

"Oh, I'll survive. My standard of living would go up and my life expectancy would probably extend," they both chuckled. "I'd also buy multiple bottles of wine and make a toast to living alone again. God, I've missed it. You are soooo annoying!"

"Oh, you wound me, lass!"

Katherine grinned, "Best past me your sword and pistol, since you're a wounded cripple."

"Come now, lass. I think you'd fire it at your own foot before you hit anything else," he joked.

"Ouch, pirate. Careful, I might push you off!"

Edward leant in and grinned devilishly, "I'm very scared."

"You should be!" She laughed for what felt like the hundredth time. Then, out of nowhere, she subconsciously moved closer to him and rested her head upon his shoulder. With a sigh she continued, "Seriously though, I don't really know what comes next for me. If you leave or if you stay, I can't go back to my normal life. If you stay then I'll be happy, I like having you around. This house feels more like a home with you around so, it would be good… if I don't hate you in a month's time."

"You love me, lass."

She lifted her head up and glared at him even though a playful smile was on her lips, "I really don't."

"Ah, Kit-Kat."

"Pirate."

If there were onlookers on the street, they would surely have called them two smiling fools. Katherine found herself looking at his face; the scars, his eyes, his lips and then his eyes again yet she didn't do a thing. They had already become friends, if anything more were to happen and he found his way back in time then the heartache would be indescribable. It just couldn't happen for more than that burning reason.

"You know; I will miss this when I leave," Edward said, staring directly at her.

"Me too, Ed. Huh, Edward… Ed," she mused on his name. "Edward! You've given me an idea for my article!"

Edward rose a brow but she clapped her hands together and laughed unbelievably. All this time, she had been staring at a screen when the real story was right in front of her. She would write about him, indirectly of course – and about this. People would read this, they were always drawn to mystery and the unknown. She was living evidence of that. The concept of being out of time and in another century, another world itself was thrilling. Even if she merely discussed the possibility of it, people would read it and subsequently, there would those who write in and respond. People who could possibly help them.

Katherine was guided by instinct yet again but this time; she cupped Edward's face and laughed, "I know what to do. Ha! Thank you, I love you, you idiot!"

A/N: Surprise, bet you thought you saw the last of us. Sorry for the really long delay in updates (it's been two years!). We hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave some feedback.