A/N: Now where we...? Oh yeah! Assassins, and Teague, and Drama, oh my! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

Annabella had hardly known where to begin when she and Tom had returned to the cabin. It seemed wrong to have left Clara in the hands of a potential assassin, but Bella had to comfort herself with the fact that the older woman was not their target. Besides which, if anything were to happen to Clara, it would only arouse suspicion and they would never be able to carry out their plan to kill Tom. All would be well, she was sure, but Bella still struggled to find the words to tell this man that she had come to care for so much that his death was imminent if they did not act quickly.

"Really, Bella, I wish you would stop pacing so and tell me whatever is troubling you" Tom urged her, reaching for her hand as she began another pass and pulling her down to sit beside him on the bed, "I cannot bear to think you are distressed"

"I do not want to distress you" she replied in kind, "but I fear there is no option for me but to tell you the truth of your situation"

"My situation?" he echoed with a puzzled expression.

Tom had been sure they were here to talk about a problem in Bella's life. Of course, whatever was wrong would become their shared problem, because he planned to help her with whatever was troubling her. Tom really had not considered the fact that the trouble or danger might be for himself.

"Tom, I... I overheard two of the men talking yesterday" she explained, "I didn't know who they were, at least not until this moment and... and..."

Annabella's voice quite gave out on her then, tears welling in her eyes that she had not expected. She was so desperate to ensure the safety of this man she had come to feel so much for. To tell him the truth was to hurt and scare him, which she would not do for the world, but to leave him in ignorance had to put in him so much more danger.

"Darling, Bella" said Tom, putting a hand to her cheek and wiping away the one tear that dared to escape down her cheek, "Please tell me what is wrong?" he urged her, "Whatever it is, it can be no worse than the pain we must already face by parting at this journey's end"

"We might part sooner" she sniffed, determined to be stronger than this, to be the hardened pirate she ought to be instead of the soppy girl that love would have her become, "These men mean to kill you, Tom" she said straight out, for fear she would never say it if she did not do so now.

"Kill me?" he echoed in astonishment, but very little fear Bella noticed, "but that is ridiculous"

"It is unbearable" she replied immediately, eyes locked onto his, "I cannot stand the idea of it, and to realise that one of the men I heard discussing such a thing was Timpson... The Captain himself might even be involved in this, Tom. We are not safe here"

Tom looked utterly baffled. He could not conceive as to how he had come to be in such a situation as this. As a royal, he understood there were those that would rather see him dead than alive. He was a target, his whole family were, but out here on the open ocean, he had considered himself oddly safe. For the most part, these people knew nothing of his rank, and those that did would be oblivious to his country or circumstance beyond being a noble blood. They would have no vendetta against him or his family, he was sure, not as some within his own land might, and still he was in danger. Bella had a point, of course, if the Captain's mate was to play assassin, the orders might easily have come from his superior, though Tom dare not let himself believe it.

"Captain Cooper was a particular friend of my mother's brother" he said as he stood up from the bed and walked away as if in a daze, "We none of us know him well, but we supposed him to be loyal to my mother's family and to myself through that connection" he went on, "Should he be involved in this..." he tailed off, feeling quite sick.

"I don't know if he is involved" Bella admitted, "Timpson may be acting alone, or at least without the Captain's knowledge. There is at least one other involved, though I have yet to identify him"

Tom nodded absently at her words, though he barely heard them. His head was spinning, though from the outside he looked shockingly calm for a man with a death sentence hanging over his head.

"To think, my father sent me away to protect me" he laughed though the sound had no depth or humour to it, just a hollow echo from his lips, "He feared an uprising against my uncle, and danger for our whole family, and so he sent me away to the island you found me on, where I might be safe" he smiled painfully, "I lived in one gilded cage instead of another, a poor excuse for an adventure, and now I shall never make it back to where I belong"

"You will" Bella told him with determination, stepping up behind him and putting a hand to his shoulder, "Tom, I will not allow them to do this" she assured him, pulling him around to face her, "Listen to me!" she urged him, "I shall admit to being afraid of losing you from my life when I have only just found you, but that does not mean I will run from those that would hurt you. I will fight at your side, as I am sure you would fight at mine" she told him firmly, with such a fire in his eyes as to quite overwhelm him.

"You cannot risk your life for me, Bella" he assured her.

"I can and I shall" she said with determination, drawing herself up to her full height though it was still inches shorter than his own, "I have been taught to fight for my life, in any way necessary" she reminded him, "As a pirate I am fully adept to do so, and I shall fight for your life as I would fight for my own, showing no mercy to those that would cross either of us"

"You truly would do all this for me" said Tom, a statement, not a question as he was as certain of her now as he was standing here, "You are the most remarkable of women, Annabella Sparrow" he told her, putting a hand to her cheek and drawing her closer.

When he kissed her it was love and gratitude and the passion she would both fight for him and love him with at the same time. Neither knew much of these feelings they possessed in this moment, but they would not let them go so easily. Through such a short acquaintance, they had come to feel so much, and both would give their last breath for the other without a moment's pause.

"If we must end here aboard this vessel" said Tom as they parted, "let it be together" he sighed, "For without you in this world, Bella dear, I should not know how to be myself"

"Nor I" she breathed, "And I am certain we are fools to feel so much so quickly, but it is true. I could survive without you at my side if it must be so, but I must know you are safe and well in the world. I cannot bear to know you are gone forever"

She pushed herself further into his embrace, initiating another kiss that went on even longer than the last. They were drowning in a sea of fear with only each other to cling to, and so must make the most of the time they had before everything became the nightmare they were expecting. A plan must be made, an escape perhaps, if such a thing could be done, but that would come later. For this moment Bella and Tom knew nothing but each other, and wanted things no other way.

"How can you know of all this?" asked Elizabeth with genuine astonishment, as she and Jack sat across the table from Captain Teague, in the privacy of their cabin.

"Keeper of the Code, my dear" her father-in-law reminded her, easily lounged back in his seat with a bottle of rum in his hand, just as Jack would usually, "Not much happens on these Seven Seas that I don't get to know about" he reminded her.

She should have known that, of course. Whenever they visited Shipwreck Cove to see Jack's father, he always seemed to know of their adventures before they ever got a chance to tell. He was aware of ships lost, and new ships embarking on quests and adventures. He was aware of where any major hauls of treasure were and who had them. It stood to reason he would know of a prince being transported upon a nearby vessel, though the Mary Sue was no pirate ship.

"At least our Bella should be safe enough" Jack noted, "Transport of a royal, 's going to have more security than anyone else"

"Have I taught you nothing, Jackie boy?" his father shook his head, "Security can't be bought, and loyalty? Definitely not" he said with a knowing look.

Though Jack's mind worked quickly, it was Elizabeth who caught on first and voiced the concern that immediately brewed up inside her.

"The men aboard the ship, they are not loyal to the Prince" she realised, "They mean him harm"

Teague smiled a slow smile despite the circumstances.

"Always said you married above you, Jackie" he told his son easily, "Best of beauty and brains there, just like your dear old Mum, God rest her soul" he sighed.

Jack wasn't sure what to think, which was not to say he didn't entirely agree with his father's sentiment about Elizabeth. The trouble was his mind was focused elsewhere, which was as it should be given the very real danger his daughter might be caught up in. She was aboard a vessel with possible kidnappers, or worse assassins. Though she would not be their target and was well adept with a sword and such, thanks to her parents teaching, she was still but a little girl in her father's eyes.

"But even so" said Elizabeth then, "Though I feel for this Prince and his family, it is comfort to think that Annabella will have no part to play in this. The entire crew cannot be so very bad"

"Can't they?" asked Teague, with an eyebrow raised, "She who sails with a shipful of pirates, and has met a great many leaders who easily sway a man's will - Barbossa, Jones, Turner" he listed easily, "Jackie here himself can be quite the inspirational speaker" he pointed out, "Wouldn't take much to have a crew on-side with one or two men of... ill repute?" he suggested.

Now more than ever Jack was determined to catch up to the Mary Sue, and it showed in the way he jumped up from his seat so fast. He was out on deck barking orders to the crew, before Elizabeth could hardly react herself.

"I can lend a few men to the cause" said Teague as he stood at last, "Can't have any granddaughter of mine fall into the wrong hands if she be discovered" he said as he walked out through the door.

Elizabeth smiled in spite of the danger Bella may be in and the crisis they may yet face. Captain Teague was so hard and fierce to others, but he did love his family, just as Jack did. They made the most unlikely father and grandfather to anyone who saw them from the outside. From the centre of this family, she knew they were so different, but Elizabeth would never tell a soul.

"Are you sure we must not tell Clara of our plans?" asked Tom as he and Bella whispered together in the darkness of the cabin.

"It is safer if we do not until the last" Bella assured him, looking across at the chaperone who was fast asleep to the point of snoring, "The Captain advised that we would dock tomorrow to collect supplies, it is our best chance to make an escape"

Tom nodded his agreement, and though she could barely see such movement in the dark, Annabella felt it as they were so close, wrapped in each others arms.

Tom knew she was right, that Bella knew better than him when it came to such plans. Still, it bothered him to think how life might be, running for his life in places unknown. An adventure would be a wonderful thing, he was sure, but he worried for their safety, for dear Clara who might not cope well without her comforts. She was already suffering enough on this voyage, and was so looking forward to returning to the safety of court in Alamantza's capital. If they escaped, they would have their lives, but they must suffer for their freedom.

"Bella, you do know that I trust you" he told her, hugging her close, "With my life, as it seems is necessary"

She smiled at that, loving the sound of such words, especially from him. It was as special to her as 'I love you', and yet somewhat daunting to think he had put his entire life and Clara's too into her amateur hands. Bella was proud to be a pirate and sure of herself with a sword and in making plans. However, her confidence might waver somewhat if anything went wrong. Without her father or even her mother here to back her up, without even her little brother for support, it was certainly a worry. If not for Tom's complete confidence in her, Bella was sure she would have given up all hope by now.

"You can trust me, as I trust you" she told him softly, "and we shall get out of this" she promised him, "I am a Sparrow, and we are never caught... well, not for long" she clarified, recalling some of her father's tales, complete with her mother's amendments.

"The blood of a prince and a pirate combined" Tom smiled into her hair, "We ought to be unstoppable"

"And so we shall be" Bella confirmed, leaning into him, entwining her fingers with his own, "Yes, we shall"

To Be Continued...