A.N: I'm back! I'm so sorry about leaving for such a long time. I hope this makes up for it; it's yet more drama, but I couldn't get away from this fight. Also, I lost the chapter that this was meant to be, so it's not as good as the original. But please, do enjoy. Thanks for looking! Do feel free to drop me a review if you like : ) please don't flame me, I'm only just getting back into the swing of things.

Thanks for looking!

Chapter 10 - The Most Inappropriate Time For a Conversation

'Why do they all suddenly want a go?' Emmett called from where he was spinning the wheel of the ship frantically. In the distance, we could see the flags of the Denali, the mast glinting in the early morning sunlight.

Bella, who was stood beside me, sharpened the blade of her ruby encrusted cutlass, sparks flying from the metal. She looked almost bored; but there was an excitement shining in her eyes. She was addicted to this life already, and she'd only been with us for a few weeks.

'I want the Captain,' she demanded, yet it was somehow polite.

Carlisle looked her up and down, taking in the casual stance of the only female pirate he'd seen.

'Michael Newton is mine,' Carlisle replied calmly. 'I'm sure you would fight valiantly, but he should be my own kill.'

Bella respected his words and stood down. She twisted the cutlass in her hands, silent.

'We have an advantage,' Carlisle said.

'We've got Bella,' Emmett replied.

'I'd rather finish this fight in the old fashioned way, if you wouldn't mind,' Carlisle replied firmly.

'We've still got Bella,' Emmett muttered.

Bella smirked, and a breeze blew from nowhere, messing her lustrous mahogany curls. I looked away from her, trying to focus.

'Jacob Black is dead,' Carlisle said. 'Embry Call is the second strongest, after Michael Newton. If Newton does happen to take me down in this fight, you must kill him. If I am to die in this battle, it will not be in vain. Is that clear?'

We all made noises of assent, and readied our weapons. I pulled out my cutlass and glanced at the emeralds that Bella had set into the handle of the weapon.

'Masen! Get to the bow,' Carlisle commanded as the Denali ship crew began to attack.

I rushed forwards, narrowly dodging some bullets; the last time we'd seen the Denali crew, they'd have no firearms.

'Edward!' Bella yelled. I looked back, and ducked as I realised that Call had jumped across to the ship. His cutlass was long and thick; it looked heavy. I had an advantage; though I had the smaller blade, I could make quicker attacks.

I quickly deflected Call's attempts at disarming me, and pushed him backwards into the mast. Jasper was there in a second, distracting Call with his two cutlasses.

Shouts were being yelled all around. 'Edward!' I heard Bella shout again. I looked right first, expecting the attacker to come from there, as the Denali had pulled up on the right of the ship.

Something hit my head - but it wasn't very heavy. I shook it off, whirled around and feigning suddenly with my cutlass. I looked at my attacker; it was Carmen, one of the ladies of the ship.

'I heard that female pirates are in fashion,' she said. She wore a bottle green coat with a thin belt that would normally bear her cutlass.

'Only the best,' I replied calmly, deflecting her attack.

'Who says I'm not the best?' Carmen asked, slashing upwards over my defence. I just managed to bring up my cutlass to dodge the swipe; she would've blinded me if I'd been just a moment too slow.

'I do,' another voice said.

Bella. Her voice was darker than I'd ever heard it; was she jealous? For a moment, I wondered if she could be - but then I was distracted as Carmen quickly whirled around, away from me, moving so that she had her back to the wall of the ship. Bella and Carmen locked in combat for a moment, before Bella narrowly managed to avoid a lethal swipe from Carmen and brought down her own cutlass onto Carmen's head.

'Masen!' somebody roared. I whirled around to see Jasper struggling with Call - and hastily jumped in to help. Call had somehow gotten his hands on another cutlass, and he was evenly matched with Jasper. The two slashed against one another, sparks flying up into the air with every attempted hit.

I slashed and caught Call's back - he flinched but his attacks didn't waver from Jasper. Call cleverly manoeuvred himself back against the mast of the ship, and continued fighting us off. I didn't know where to look; there were too many cutlasses. I couldn't get in without distracting Jasper -

Call suddenly swiped away from Jasper, and his cutlass caught my face, just across my cheek.

'Edward!' Bella practically screamed from behind me. I felt her petite hand wrap around my wrist and drag me away. Her hand lightly touched the cut on my face; it was like an anaesthetic.

'It's still there,' Bella warned. 'But I can't fix you up right now,' she ducked out of the way as Carmen flew by, wielding her weapon savagely.

'What did you want to talk to me about?' I yelled as another attacker appeared; in the distance, I could see that Emmett had been wounded, and now Kate and Irina - the two women he had been fighting - were squaring up to us. Jasper was still fully engaged in his fight with Call.

I could see Captain Carlisle ducking from Newton's many blows; nobody was in a fit state to help us.

'Three against two?' Bella asked. 'Easy.'

There was some kind of mad charge. Bella was left handed, so she was on the right, and I was on the left. Our backs were practically touching as we defended and attacked - but it was hard. Apparently the pirates of the Denali had trained the ladies well.

'Duck!' Bella snapped at me. I did as she said, without even thinking, and heard a cry of pain and a sickening slicing sound as Carmen died.

I swiped from where I was on the ground, cutting Irina's legs.

'That's how you do it!' Bella said enthusiastically. 'I needed to tell you something,' she added, dodging Kate's attacks.

'What?' I replied, feinting to the left and then moving to the right. I managed to get my cutlass under Irina's wrist - forcing her to drop her cutlass. It clattered to the deck.

I pressed the blade of my knife to Irina's throat, holding her in a headlock. Some part of my mind said that I could use her to prompt a surrender - I wasn't quite sure where the merciful idea had come from.

But no - Irina's elbow lashed backwards with surprising vigour, and I doubled over instinctively.

A second later, Irina had slashed at my side - and it was a deep wound, I could tell. I ignored the feeling of pain that burned in my side, instead feeling determined to end the fight.

I slashed upwards, surprising Irina that I had left all of my main body parts open for attack. As she readied herself to stab me in the heart, I brought down my cutlass onto hers - and it fell to the ground for the second time. Then, rather than attempting to use her as a bargaining chip for surrender, I brought the weapon straight into her heart, killing her instantly.

'Masen! Siren!' Carlisle bellowed. Newton and Carlisle were evenly matched; it was incredible. I couldn't even see their cutlasses - just streaks of silver light as they attacked.

'They've got another woman on their ship! Stop her from using the cannons!'

'Right!' I called in response. 'Bella?' I asked her. She was winning the fight with Kate, who was tiring easily.

'Okay,' she agreed - and then, a second later, she'd managed to stick her cutlass straight through the lady's stomach. It was a hideous image, even for a pirate. Kate's eyes bulged out in surprise, before she fell to the ground with a low thud. Bella pulled her cutlass out of Kate's stomach, looking at the bloodied blade in quiet disgust.

'Come on!' Bella told me, rushing off towards the Denali. She jumped up and grabbed onto a rope that hung from our mast, swinging skilfully across to the ship. I looked warily at the large gap in between the ships.

'Come on, we don't have time!' Bella yelled.

I nodded, making a running leap, before grabbing onto the rope as Bella had done. Her hand was there, seeming to appear out of nowhere, and she pulled me across to the Denali.

'This way,' she commanded, dragging me with her.

We moved across the ship, crouching behind the compartment that led down to the private quarters of the crew. The ship was so large, it felt as if everything was silent - I couldn't even hear the battle across on Twilight.

No, it wasn't silent. I could hear something; heavy breathing, almost hysterical sobs and the sound of physical exertion.

'Shh,' Bella mouthed to me as we bent down, hiding. We crouched behind some barrels of gunpowder, silent.

Tanya Denali, the weakest lady of the ship, was stood there. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty - there was sweat pouring from her forehead. Her dress was ripped, and I could see scars along her arms. She looked like she'd been tortured; which was quite possible.

'I can't do this anymore,' she whispered.

There were quite a lot of barrels filled with gunpowder, considering that this was where the cannons were fired. I wondered whose idea this was; whoever it was, was clearly an idiot.

'I know you're there,' Tanya said, her voice louder, and incredibly shaky.

Bella and I stayed hidden, waiting.

'Face me,' Tanya said. Bella nodded for us to stand, and so we did. There were about four metres in between us - enough to be ready if she suddenly attacked.

'Do you see what my crew have done to me?' Tanya asked us. Her voice was broken, shaky. Tears poured from her eyes. She was more than a mess. 'How they treat one of their own? They think I'm worthless,' she said. 'But I'll show them.'

'Tanya,' Bella said, her voice quietly soothing, somehow. I could detect urgency in her tone though - I didn't understand why. 'What are you doing with this gunpowder?'

Shit.

'I need to prove to them that I am useful,' Tanya told us. 'And now I can... by killing everybody on Twilight.'

'Tanya, you'll also kill yourself and your crew,' Bella cautioned her.

'I don't care,' Tanya said, her voice much weaker. 'I want it to stop.'

'It will stop, Tanya,' Bella said. 'You don't have to do this.'

Tanya smiled. A match burned in her hand.

'Edward, step back,' Bella said. 'Slowly. With me.'

I did so, and somehow Bella's hand found mine.

We backed into the side of the ship. In the distance, I could see Twilight; they'd moved. There was enough distance to ensure that they wouldn't be injured by the explosion; I knew Jasper would notice our predicament.

It was good of him to try and help us, though, I thought sarcastically.

Bella turned to face me. One of her hands wrapped around my neck. Her eyes burned into mine.

'Do you trust me?' she asked.

'What?' I asked, confused.

'Do you trust me?' she asked, sounding more urgent. From the corner of my eye, Tanya was closing her eyes and muttering a prayer to herself.

'Yes, of course,' I said.

'We need to jump.'

'Bella, it's thirty feet!' I exclaimed.

'Trust me,' Bella said again. Her eyes burned into mine.

Something inside me snapped as I looked at her.

'Always,' I replied.

'I love you,' she whispered suddenly. I didn't have the chance to reply.

Her arms were tight around my neck as we fell from the side of the ship - together.