As the weeks turned to months, and Charlotte had begun to fall into a routine, the farther she actually became from her goal of sailing to Havana. As she started to settle into Nassau, becoming less easily irritated by the Pirates that hung about the tavern, and more accustomed to their drunken habits, the more she wished to stay in Nassau.

It was like a breath of fresh air, Nassau. Even if it was a haven for Pirates, their women of leisure and countless bottles of rum, it was freeing. And it was a feeling Charlotte had never truly felt before. She had never really felt free to make her own path in the world, especially back in London.

Her mother, God rest her soul, worked tirelessly to make sure Charlotte kept up a proper reputation. Her mother had high hopes that Charlotte would catch the eye of a wealthy businessman, a marriage between them bringing much needed wealth.

Charlotte knew she wouldn't be happy in a marriage of convenience. She also knew her mother would tell her that a marriage built purely on love was a fairytale. And eventually she would come to love her husband, in a marriage for wealth.

Still, as much as Charlotte had missed her mother and wished she had not passed, she couldn't lie and say she wasn't relieved that a convenient marriage was out the window. With her father estranged, and her home currently in the heart of pirate land, Charlotte was free.

She was free to do as she wished and love who she wished. She was free to experience life without the expectations of English society. She was free to drink as much rum as she pleased and hear the blood chilling stories of the Pirates that frequented Nassau.

"Free..." Charlotte spoke the word under her breath. It was a word with such a strong meaning to her. It made Charlotte think of the various people she had met in her time in Nassau, though none affected her more than Captain James Kidd.

The bastard son of the late Captain William Kidd, James' reputation was said to be of a man twice the devil his father was. Though Charlotte had seen nothing but respect from him.

"Aye. The man is as mean as they come." Charlotte had asked Matthew about the captain and his reputation one morning while the air was still crisp.

"Though none is as bad as the devil himself, Blackbeard. The man has earned his reputation, it was not just given to him." She had heard and spoke with Blackbeard a few times, Charlotte didn't doubt his reputation. But she enjoyed his stories and all he had to offer when it comes to tales of the sea.

"Rum! Need another rum!" Charlotte was pulled out of her midday dreams and focused back on her usual task, bringing rum to the Pirates that needed it.

When she carried the wooden tray with 5 bottles of rum to the table expecting her, Charlotte found a few familiar faces. Captain Edward Kenway, still one of her favourites other than James, Blackbeard and Vane, though there were two others she either had not seen before, or had hardly recognized.

"Rum for you all." She set the tray down and then bottles of rum, eyes moving from Kenway to the new pirates.

"Captain Hornigold and Captain Rackham." Edward must've seen her puzzled face, as he quickly introduced Charlotte to the two of them.

"'Magine You've seen Hornigold before. The other bastard is a new face, I reckon." When she looked over Rackham and his wandering gaze, Charlotte felt a few warning bells ringing in her head.

She didn't get a good feeling about Rackham, though it may have purely been the way he was looking at her like she was his next meal. Regardless of how she felt, Charlotte forced a smile and stood back and grabbed her wooden tray from the table.

Before she left, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. When she looked down at the hand grabbing her, she felt relieved to see it was Edward and not Vane or the new seedy one.

"Ye still looking to go to Havana? Or have he made enough to pay for passage?" She held the tray tightly in front of her, the thought of Havana now bringing anxiety instead of hope.

"I-" she hesitated and licked her lips. "I have enough. Almost. Another few weeks." God, when she thought of Havana she felt sick. She had made such a big fuss about going to Havana, especially to James, she felt like if she hadn't gone now, it would weigh on her.

"Have ye told, Kidd?" At the mention of James' name, Charlotte felt like she had been burned.

It had been weeks, nearing a month since she had seen the man. The last time she seen him, the captain had been none too shy about his smirk and his secret touches. The way he grasped her wrist and looked at her reminded her of the kisses they shared on the ship.

Then he left. He up and left without speaking to her and she hadn't heard from him since. Still, she felt his affect. The very mention of his name had brought a warmth to her belly and a shiver down her spine.

"I haven't seen Captain Kidd in nearly a month. If I choose to go to Havana it is of my own free will. I owe captain Kidd my thanks in bringing me here, but frankly that is it. I owe him nothing more." Charlotte yanked her wrist from Edward's grip and turned on her heel, walking away from the Pirates, in a considerably worsened mood.

Mary Read couldn't believe the damned luck she was having. After tracking and stalking her targets for weeks, following their every move, plotting their kills down the last detail, she was interrupted by Kenway.

Not only was she interrupted by Kenway, her hand was forced and she had to reveal her secret to him. 'James' was her ruse and she was truly a woman. After his mild shock came the berating. His disbelief that she was a woman, and then his amusement.

Following his shock, disbelief and amusement, came the questions. Why was 'he' really a she? Because women didn't have the freedom men did. Had she told anyone else? Very few.

"Jaysus, man. Ye had me fooled." Mary grit her teeth and stepped closer to Edward, her hidden blade pressing every so slightly against his crotch.

"I warned ye Kenway. Tell anyone about this, and ye'll find yerself becoming a eunuch." When Mary had removed her hidden blade from his crotch, she turned and expected that to be the end of it.

"Have you told Charlotte?" Mary froze on the spot, her muscles taught and rigid.

"Jaysus, Kidd! Ye haven't even told her? The poor lass thinks yer a man and is pining for ye! Ye haven't even told her-" Mary turned and once again, for the third time, threaten Kenway.

"Yer gonna keep my secret a secret. Especially from her. It is my responsibility to tell her. And I will. In time." Mary had thought about Charlotte every night since she had left.

Charlotte had plagued her thoughts, warping her dreams. Every time she closed her eyes at the end of the day, she saw Charlotte. She thought of Charlotte's skin against her own, bare flesh against bare flesh. She thought about what it would feel like to take Charlotte into her bed and spend hours kissing every inch of her skin.

"She thinks yer a man, lass." Mary felt saw Edward step up beside her, a small smirk on his face.

"Imagine her surprise when she finds out the man she wants is really a woman." While Edward was getting a laugh out of this, Mary's mood had turned sour.

She didn't want Edward to know her secret. She wanted to keep up the ruse, and hoped Edward would keep his mouth shut.

"The lass isn't happy with ye, Kidd. She's right pissed. Got 'erself all worked up over ye lesbing and not saying nothing." Mary couldn't exactly tell Charlotte where she was going, and it wasn't any of the lass's business, though the fact that Charlotte was pissed, meant she still held affection for Mary.

"Still plans on leaving to Havana. Told her she should speak with you. Since you were the one to save her and all." Mary strode down the path toward her ship, stopping short of the beach to pull her hair back.

"'M going to Nassau next before going you Tulum." Mary tied her bandana around her forehead and sized Edward up, lips curling into a small smile.

"Don't expect to find a happy lass waiting for ye." Honestly, Mary wouldn't expect anything different.