Heat

Late 1719

It was hot, to put it bluntly. The days upon the ship began to drag, as the sun beamed down relentlessly on the crew. But soon enough there was land and people. Without a second thought the captain docked.

The land beckoned her, with fresh food, clean baths and fresh clothes. Although she had spent many hours roaming the ships inners when they where at sea, she couldn't tear herself away from the walls of the brig just yet. There was this growing fear that she wouldn't see them again. Although she couldn't find the reason behind such a silly feeling. A frown decorated her features as she stared at the land before her. A small island decorated with bright green foliage and a small cluster of huts. Only a few roamed the beach because the majority of the town folk had bundled into the small bar. The brunette could hear the cheers of the crew from her spot on deck.

"You should be there too," the voice startled the woman making her jump. She turned to see Roberts stood there. She cursed the old man for having the same man as the blasted sage they was after. He was a plump elder man, late forties. Eyes full of wisdom and trust. Grey hair through his beard and upon his balding head. A full smile to match. Clothes covered in dirt and food from the kitchens and fights.

"I should..." she breathed, turning back. The older man sighed and shook his head, standing beside her.

"Four years" He stated out of the blue.

"What?," she looked at him with a small smirk.

"That's how long you've been on this ship. Fours years and the crew accept them as your own." he chuckled shaking his head, "Took them five weeks of being starved before they trusted my bloody food" she couldn't help but chuckle and smile wider, he glanced at her. "Captain trusted me on the spot. Old cook was dead needed a new one-"

"Wait...Five weeks...Wouldn't they have starved?"

"They ate raw potatoes and picked anything uncooked they could find" he grumbled rubbing the bridge of his nose, the irritation of the acts rolling back.

The brunette leaned more his way, "Edward surly wouldn't let that happen?"

"He wasn't in charge of the ship at the time," She looked at him in surprise, "Aye, I knew him before we was attacked. Bumped into his sorry ass back in Kingston. He was one of trusting one's, loved my soup. He even tried to convince the others but they wouldn't listen."He sighed, "Kid was sick from a hangover, the others thought it was my soup" He chuckled and rolled his shoulders. "Once the ship was hit i survived, by the skin of my teeth. Got picked up by a mercenary ship, rest is history" He answered by reading her features, "How he found me again is another story." He smirked noteing the sadness in her features. Oh he'd save it for a free drink at the bar.

"I'd love to hear it one day" she sighed leaning heavily on the barrier.

"Maybe lass," he patted her shoulder, "Like I said you should be down there" he pointed towards the glowing bar.

"And watch Edward get hookers, Im fine thankyou." she grumbled making herself sulk more.

"He'll see eventually lass, He never see's it until its gone"

"See what?" She asked generally confused. A hearty laughed left the older mans lips and he shook it off while she stood staring at him in shock and sadness.

"It's the blind leading the blind," he sighed. She quirked a brow and grumbled small curses under her breath. "You'll understand soon lass-2

"Miss Elizabeth!," a voice shouted. She turned to the source. A small boy waved his arms on the beach. She walked over to the rails. Her fingers gripped the wood.

"What is it?," she didn't need to question how he knew her name by the silver coin that was gripped in his dirty left palm. Roberts sighed, knowing exactly who sent the kid.

"Its the captain ma'am, he's injured"

"ow," he groaned, sending her a glare. He was perched upon a create inside his cabin, shirt torn and face bloody. He had gotten himself into yet another bar fight. Glass shards now sat tucked into his skin of his cheek.

"Oh hush," she snapped surprising the blonde man. She re-heated the tweezers over the flame of a candle, muttering courses to herself. She placed them gently on plate for them to cool and turned to him with a clean cloth.

His blue eyes locked with hers as she began to clean his cheek. The quiet tense atmosphere lingered over them both. Her cold looks not helping, frown set and arms taunt. Hr bit his tongue to stop himself groaning out loud.

"Why so cold love?," he grumbled. She paused cloth now hovering above his swollen skin. She bit her lip and turned away grabbing the tweezers.

"You might want to take a breath, this is going to sting," she muttered, back still facing him. Ignoring his question completely.

"I've had worse," he sighed making her flinch. He eyed her back, she was tense that he could tell by her shoulders.

"I know..." she whispered hands lingering over the candle. She huffed and grabbed the tweezers and turned back to his face. She slowly begun to pluck shards from his skin. They'd clank hitting the small metal bowl under his chin.

"Lass-"

"Don't talk while I'm doing this," she growled. Tugging on a larger shard making him wince. The bloody piece slipped from his skin and into the bowl with a soft click. She had one piece left when he grabbed her wrist.

"Let me speak, Elizabeth" he grumbled breath catching on her face, the smell of alcohol still strong.

"And allow you to say what?, Sorry I've gotten into this state again,-" she pulled away from his grip and stood from her once bent over form. "I'm not gonna hear it." She said dropping the tweezers onto the plate once more.

"I didn't start the fight lass-"

"But you decided to join," she slapped her hand onto the table. Anger that is the fire in her veins now."So you come back here and I fix you up." She turned to look at him, eyes a blaze. The candle light casting an orange shadow across he frown set features. "For what!- a petty bar fight!" She stood breathing heavy, rubbing her hands through her hair.

"You expect me to watch as one of my crew gets beaten to a bloody pulp-"

"No-"

"Then what Elizabeth?," he roared. Twitching his leg, in an evident move to stand. But with the pain and alcohol swirling in his head would mean he'd stumble and fall. The anger radiating off of her bubbled the adrenaline and anger from the earlier fight. He frowned causing the large piece of glass in his cheek to move.

"I don't want to loose you!" She shouted back. Stumbling over her feet in the process. Her eyes held tears threatening to spill over but she kept her ground. "I cant loose you..." she said softly. It was like someone had punched him square in the chest. Knocking the anger and air out of him. He sat staring at her mouth slightly a gape and heart thumping. So this is what Roberts meant she thought bitterly. Her affection for Edward was clear as day to everyone but themselves- herself.

"You're reckless enough as it is. But these fights you can walk from...just..." her words fell from her lips in stumbled stutters. Her lip trembled as her stone mask began to break. She bumped into the table as she backed towards the door. The glass shards filling the silence with soft clinks making the young brunette wince.

"Elizabeth-" he reached out for her in a feeble attempt to stop her.

"Don't...I don't want to hear it," she left with a slam of his door. Leaving him in the of his actions.

AN: Poor Ellie, The two will see eventually. But these things take time. Review and comment if you wish, sorry for the shortness of this chapter.

P.S sorry filler chapter, just something to show that this is something to workfor.