A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been having trouble writing this chapter and, frankly, it wasn't working to well. Thanks for all the reviews and all that jazz that comes with it. I don't have anything to ramble about at the moment, so I'll just let you read.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1


Chapter 7: The Disappearance

(Bella's POV)

The Next Morning…

I woke up the next morning with a nasty headache. I could see the bright sunlight through my eyelids and it only made the pain worse. I tried to stand up, but I was pushed back down. "What the---" I trailed off and opened my eyes finally. Alice was sitting on the stool next to my hammock, obviously waiting for me to get up.

"Take it easy, Captain," she said, her voice softer than usual.

"Why is my head throbbing? What happened last night?" I asked, not able to recall any of the past night's events.

"You decided that downing two tankards of rum would be a good idea and then you passed out. Thankfully Edward was there to bring you back to the ship," she said, much too fast for me to process all at once.

"Wait, Edward was there?" She nodded. And then it all came back to me. The bar. Talking to Edward. Looking into his eyes before everything went black.

"Oh," was all I could say before I blew chunks into the bucket that was next to my hammock (Alice was a smart girl). This was why I didn't drink rum that much. I always got sick. But apparently that fact slipped my mind last night.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Alice said as she rubbed my back. When I was finished, she said, "I'll go get you some water." I nodded pathetically and she disappeared out the door. She came back with some water and I rinsed the bile taste out of my mouth. I felt my eyelids get heavy again and I just let them close me off from the world around me.


Midday…

I opened my eyes to the bright light of the midday sun shining through my window and the sound of the waves crashing against the sides of the ship. I turned my head and yelped and turned, trying to get away, forgetting I was in my hammock, and fell flat on my face.

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled into the floor as Edward chuckled quietly at my not-so graceful moment.

"Apparently I've been put on nurse duty," he said, still chuckling.

"Alright, now what are you really doing here?" I asked again. I wasn't in the mood for his games.

"That was the real reason. Alice told me to come and watch you. I told her it wasn't a very good idea, because I knew you would react this way, but, frankly, Alice is very frightening for someone her size," he explained.

I laughed into the floor (I wasn't in the mood to move). "So you, a full grown man, are afraid of a girl who almost two feet shorter than you?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. If she can make Emmett shake then I have a reason to be scared," he said. Alright, I had to admit that was logical… and hilarious. I burst into laughter. Wow, he's probably thinking that I'm crazy or something along the lines of not being right in the head.

"Isabella, are you alright?" he asked, his tone questioned my sanity. Yep, I was right.

I caught my breath and nodded. "I'm fine," I said as I finally pulled myself off the ground. I was almost up when a massive wave decided to knock the ship to one side. I stumbled forward, I threw my arms out to catch myself, but my hands never touched the floor. I felt a pair of strong arms around my waist. I looked up and saw that Edward had caught me around the waist. I was actually thankful that he was there for once. As much as some people would like to disagree, I didn't actually enjoy falling flat on my face (I had a bit of a clumsy streak when I was younger).

"Are you alright?" Edward asked again as he looked into my eyes with his green ones. His eyes glimmered in the sunlight.

"Yes," I said shaking myself out of the trance that he had put me in. That was something that I would definitely have to avoid. I didn't even like the man that much. Alright, that was lie. I do like him… a bit. I tolerate him. But why do you get a fluttery feeling in your stomach every time he looks at you, a traitorous voice inside my head said. I shook the voice from my thoughts, not wanting to let myself think about those types of things.

Someone knocked on the door and opened the door. Alice walked in and stopped moving when she saw us and smirked. "Well, don't you two look comfy," she said with a hint of humor in her tone. It was then that I realized that Edward's arms were still around my waist. I gasped and jumped out of his arms. I felt my face heat up as I blushed.

"I fell," I said, trying to hold on to the last little bit of dignity I had left.

Alice just raised her eyebrow at me, but dropped the subject and got to the point of her visit. "Well, I heard hysterical laughter and that only happens when the captain over here is either extremely tired or extremely drunk or…" she trailed off when she realized that I was glaring at her. "Anyway, I just came to check on you and you seem to be doing fine, so I'll just leave." And then she was gone.

It was quiet for a moment. "Well, that was interesting. What was that other thing that Alice was about to say? I would really like to know," Edward asked.

"Well, I hope you like disappointment because that's what you're getting," I said, walking towards the door of my cabin. But before I could get any father than a few feet, Edward grabbed my wrist. I turned around to tell him to let go, but I couldn't find the words. I should have known not to look into his eyes. They were mesmerizing, like emeralds glittering in the light of the sun.

"Actually, I don't like disappointment. It's not something I'm used to feeling and I don't plan to start now," he said in a light voice. He started to walk towards me and I backed up with each step until I ran into the wall. He placed his arms on either side of my head. "Now, Isabella, what was Alice about to say?"

I couldn't think straight. There was something about this man that made my head spin and it was making me very uncomfortable. "N-nothing," I finally stuttered out.

"Oh, Isabella. I know that's not true," he said, looking into my eyes.

"I-it is t-to," I stuttered. This stuttering thing had to stop.

He shook his head and started to run his nose along the line of my jaw. My mind clouded over and I forgot what he was saying. "Tell me what she was going to say. Please, Isabella. It won't hurt anything."

"Extremely happy," I sighed out and then I remembered what I was saying. I clamped my mouth shut as he smiled and lifted his arms up. As soon as I could move, I sprinted out of the room and onto the deck.

I can't believe I told him. It's not that it's extremely important, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Well, that's what I kept telling myself. I didn't want him to think that I was even remotely interested in him.

But the truth was, I was way more interested than I should be.

(Edward's POV)

I smiled as she scurried out the door of the cabin. So that's what Alice was saying. Isabella's words drifted through my head. Extremely happy. I made her happy… either that or the effects of the rum were still making her act this way. I preferred the former and she did seem fine when she woke up, aside from the fact that she almost fell on her face twice (wait, no she actually did fall on her face once).

I went out onto the deck, looking for Isabella. I saw that she was standing at the opposite end of the ship, so I went up and stood near the helm where Jasper was steering. "So, Captain, I heard that Isabella and yourself were found in a very compromising position. Is it true?"

I looked over at him. "Who told you that?" He nodded towards the small pixie girl working near Isabella. "Ah, I should have known. And I guess you could say it was true, even if it was unintentional."

"Unintentional how?" he asked.

"She tripped in her cabin and I caught her, that's when Alice walked in, hence the somewhat compromising position," I explained. I didn't mind the fact that it was unintentional. I just liked the fact that I could be near her. She was like no one woman I had ever met in my entire life. And I couldn't bring myself to stay away from her.


Later that night…

It was a relatively calm night and the crew had decided to practice their sword fighting (which meant that the men would be betting against each other). The lanterns were lit and the full moon shone down on the deck. The light reflected off the flashing steel as the blades clashed together.

At the moment, Emmett and Jasper were going at it, sweat dripping down their faces. Their swords clashed together countless times before Jasper flicked his wrist and sent Emmett's sword flying across the deck.

"You cheated! You know you did!" Emmett exclaimed as Jasper laughed.

"I did not. You just lost and you don't want to except that fact. Now give me the money," Jasper said as he slid his sword back in its sheath and waited for Emmett to give him his money.

I laughed and Emmett turned to glare at me. "Well, why don't you try, Oh Mighty Captain?"

"Fine," I said, walking down the steps that led to the helm of the ship. "Who's it to be?"

"Me," I heard a feminine voice say from behind me. I turned around and saw Isabella standing behind me, twirling her sword in her hand.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "This morning you were a little tipsy." I smirked at her, remembering how her eyes glazed over when I talked to her.

She smiled a sickly sweet smile and plucked her dagger out of its sheath faster than I could see and flung it at the mast. It imbedded itself about an inch about above Mike's head. His eyes were wide with shock. I wouldn't be surprised if he passed out. The rest of the crew stared at Isabella in shock. They had never seen a woman throw a dagger like that before. I turned back to Isabella. "I think I'll be alright," she said, the smile still plastered on her face.

I heard a thud from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Mike had indeed just passed out. I shook my head at him. I nodded to two of my men and they moved Mike out of the way. I turned back to Isabella. "Well, after that, I'd say you're just fine."

She nodded and walked past me, smacking my bum with the flat of her sword on the way. I jumped at the contact. She looked over her shoulder and winked. Her crew was laughing out right and mine was whistling. I gave them all indignant looks and walked over to stand across from Isabella. I held my sword up and matched her position.

"Go!" Jasper called and faster than I was expecting she lashed out with her sword. Thankfully, I was prepared for situations like this. I threw my sword up in time to block her attack.

She attacked again with lightening speed. She whipped her sword down and in, aiming low. I dodged and finally got to attack. I brought my sword up and brought it down fast only to be blocked by Isabella's blade.

I attacked again, swinging up instead of down, only to be blocked once again. Where had she learned to fight like this?

We continued this rhythm, neither one of us actually getting a touch on one another, for almost twenty more minutes.

"Let's call it a draw," she said once I blocked her again. I nodded, agreeing. I slid my sword back into its sheath as she did.

"Where did you learn to fight like that? I've only known one other woman who could," I said, moving to the side of the ship. The crews had gone back to battling it out for money and weren't paying attention to us.

She pulled the bandana off her head that was holding her hair out of her face and let her shiny mahogany hair fall all around her face. If I had any air left in my lungs, it would no longer be there. She looked breathtaking (no pun intended).

"My father taught me the basics when I was young and I taught myself the rest," she said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You taught yourself how to fight like that?" I asked, clearly surprised.

"Mhmm. Who was the other woman?" she asked, curious.

"My mother," I told her. "My father taught her. He wanted to make sure that she could protect herself if he wasn't around."

"Your parents sounds like a wonderful people," she said quietly.

"They were," I said, smiling a sad smile. It was hard for me to think about my parents, so I changed the subject. "Can your crew fight like that?"

"Most of them can. Some are better than others. They all have their specialties," she explained. "What abut your crew? Can they fight like their mighty captain?" she asked with a smile.

I laughed. "Most of them can with a few exceptions," I said, looking over at Mike. She turned her gaze to where mine was and she laughed her beautiful laugh.

"Why do you keep him around anyway?" she asked, still laughing.

I opened my mouth to give her a logical reason, but then I closed it. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know."

She laughed again, but was interrupted when one of her crew called down from the crow's nest. "Captain, there's a ship gaining on us."

Isabella rushed over to the starboard side of the ship, pulling out her telescope in the process. She took a quick look and gasped. "What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"Black sails," she breathed, her breath was shaky. "Black sails," she called louder. Her crew sprung into action.

Alice started calling out orders. I was completely confused. "Isabella, what about black sails?" She didn't answer. "Isabella, tell me."

"I'll tell you later, but now we need to get away from that ship," she said. "Don't just stand there. Get your crew to do something useful," she commanded and then ran off to help her crew.

I turned around and saw my crew standing there. "You heard her. Do something useful. Get to it," I commanded and they all went off in different directions.

The sails were all down and the wind, thankfully, was blowing. We were just picking up speed when I heard Rosalie ask, "Where did they go? Captain, they're not behind us anymore."

"What do you mean they're not behind us anymore?" Isabella asked as she pulled out her telescope again. She slammed it closed, cursed, and turned to Rosalie. "You're right. They're not there anymore, but I don't want to take any chances. Keep the sails down and keep us moving at this pace," she told Rosalie.

"Yes, Captain," and with that she went to tell the crews.

"Isabella, what's going on? What do the color of a ship's sails have to do with anything? And where did that ship go?" I asked.

"I don't know where the ship went and if we're dealing with the people on that ship, that isn't a good thing." She sighed. "Come to the cabin. I'll tell you the whole story."

I followed her into the cabin and closed the door behind me. "What's this whole thing about?"

She took a deep breath and started to tell her story. "It all started when my father's ship was attacked…"


A/N: Ooo, a disappearing ship. Creepy, ain't it? LOL. Anyway, I hope you liked that.

Once again, I am so sorry for the long wait. I've been very busy for the past few weeks.

Please review and vote for my poll if you haven't yet. Please and thank you!

I'm keeping this one short. Peace!

Kitti