AN: Hey everyone, sorry for the wait. I had a few problems getting my thoughts together on the chapter. Thank you Guin Parris for the help on the chapter. This chapter's a little bigger than some of the others, so I hope that'll make it worth the wait.

The chapter is dedicated to sweetortonlover86, Always and a day Love, rottieluv77, Shadowsammy, and Guin Parris.

A man has two reasons for doing anything – a good reason and the real reason. – J.P. Morgan

Chapter Eleven: Something More

Journal Entry Fifty Two

July 12, 1713

I am going to miss this port. So exciting and strange, pirates as far as the eye can see, although to them they're only people who happen to be pirates; they are free to be whoever or do whoever they want. This time it was easier leaving, we actually have a crew instead of Kaelen and I trying to do everything.

The crew…What can I say about the crew? They are different. We've got a man who is about three feet tall, Leopold, he is very funny. Very lively and charismatic. He stays in the crow's nest for the most part. And then there's the giant, he is the tallest man I've ever seen and his name is Tiny. They are my favorites so far of the crew.

I stay in the Galley most of the time. Kaelen has it in his head that since I've watched people cook, I can cook…Hopefully no one gets poisoned from this first meal...

-Caribbean 1713-

Eva's POV

"Kaelen, what are you expecting me to do in here?" I asked him a little annoyed and confused, "I cannot cook."

The galley door was shut we could talk freely.

"You'll get a handle on it eventually." He laughed, "We didn't starve while we were on our own."

"There was food on the ship to feed the two of us." I argued, "What do you expect me to do with this stuff? I don't know any recipes or how to use any of it." I looked at the dead chicken. It was still feathered, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with that."

"You cook it, love." He replied, "Where do you think your food comes from?"

"Farmer's markets and butcher shops?" I guessed sheepishly.

"And before that they were alive." He replied, "This is the safest place for you to be."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, "You didn't worry about my safety when we were-"

"Didn't have to, you never left my sight."

"Yes I-" I started to argue, but then realized he was right, I didn't, "What is being in here supposed to keep me safe from?"

"We're going to find Captain Hornigold, my brother is part of his crew. He has agreed to take us on as part of his crew."

"Is there something about the captain that I need to be weary of?"

"No, his crew is though. With the exception of my brother, that specific crew is nothing to be trifled with." He answered, "Do as I say, when I tell you and how I tell you to, especially when we get to Hornigold. For right now I need you to stay here, try to make something, anything, edible, and don't do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes, "Go be captain while you still can."

"Try not to poison us, Bernard." He left. I looked around the galley trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do.

-Washington D.C. 2013-

Riley's POV

"So has she written anything about the treasure yet?" Abigail asked me. I looked up from the journal I was reading. We had brought the rest of them down to the main level. I was reading the fourth one out of her collection. I was half way through it. I was a little surprised she never restarted the journal entry count when she changed journals, but she never did.

"No, they just caught up with Hornigold. Its 1713, so I have a feeling she might be about to meet Blackbeard sometime around the end of this or beginning of the next journal."

"Why does that mean she's going to meet Blackbeard?" Alyssa asked confused.

"Blackbeard joined Hornigold's crew in 1713, he was the one who basically gave Blackbeard his start in piracy."

"What does she write about in those journals?" Alyssa asked, "Wouldn't she just update it when exciting things happen to her?"

"She writes about Kaelen mostly." I replied not really digging into detail. If she really wanted to know, she would read it herself. "How's the research on Blackbeard going?"

"Not much, anything about treasure is legend according to scholars." Abigail replied, "Our best guess is there might be a chest in North Carolina."

"Well, I've got around four or five years before I get to the chest." I told her.

"If there even is one." She replied skeptically.

"There better be." I retorted.

"There is. Ian's after it, he has to know something we don't." Alyssa commented, "Think about it, he's a consulting criminal as you call it, he doesn't like getting his hands dirty and pays people to do his dirty work for him. We aren't being paid with a sum of money of course, our payment would be the-" She stopped before she finished the sentence, realizing it wasn't the best thing to say.

"Alyssa, let's see what Ben's got on the legends about the treasure." They both left and I went back to reading.

Abigail's POV

Alyssa and I went into the dining room to see how Ben was doing with the legends.

"You have anything?" I asked him.

"No, there's no facts or a real basis for any of these." Ben replied, "As far as we know, all of these are just stories." He sighed, "Ian's has to know something we don't."

"Riley's reading the journals, are they going to help?" Alyssa asked.

"Possibly, I don't remember enough of them to tell you." Ben replied.

"Where did Emily and Patrick go?" I asked.

"To find John." He replied.

"Does he know-" Alyssa started.

"He knows about Eva." Ben replied, "He studied her journals for years. Don't ask, I don't know why; I guess he had a fascination with her. That and Eva Gates isn't a family secret, just the black sheep."

"How did she become the black sheep?" I asked.

"She murdered her groom on their wedding night." Ben replied.

"She killed the pirate?" Alyssa asked.

Ben shook his head, "She killed Jasper Howe."

Ian's POV:

"So why this treasure? Why Blackbeard's treasure?" Ellie asked, "Any ties or do you just like the story?"

"Blackbeard's treasure holds a tie between the Gates family and mine. If you go far enough down the line, I have an ancestor by the name of Commodore Jasper Howe. I'm directly related to him through his brother, Dr. James Howe. There has been a story passed down for centuries about these two brothers. Jasper was killed by the only woman he ever loved, Eva Gates, who killed him on their wedding night. James, vowing to avenge his older brother, went after her, finding her with the pirate who kidnapped her in the first place, in love and talking about treasure, Blackbeard's treasure."

"Wow, sounds like she had a pretty good case of Stockholm syndrome." Ellie commented.

"Most likely, anyway they had planned to steal the treasure and keep it for themselves and their descendants. The pirates relative or friend or other had died for it to keep it safe, and to avenge him they were going to take it back and put it into a trove or a cave with the rest of the treasure that they had found over the years."

"Smart plan for a couple of pirates."

"Yes, well, Jasper followed them while they enacted their plan all the way to the trove. He killed Kaelen to get to Eva, and then killed her. He died on the voyage back from an incurable ailment at the time."

"So this treasure is revenge, not only on Ben and his family, but Eva Gates and a random pirate?" She asked, "What is it with your family and Gates women?"

I didn't quite know the answer to that, or if there even was answer I could give her.

"I'm not sure." I told her hoping that would suffice, knowing I would most likely hear about it at some point later. She knows and she's not threatened by Bianca, but knowing that I was not the first Howe to fall for a Gates woman could tempt that.

Riley's POV

Journal Entry Fifty Six

July 15, 1713

It didn't take very long to catch up with Hornigold surprisingly. He was off the coast St. Thomas. I will never say it aloud, but Kaelen was right by keeping me in the galley. Hornigold was just an old man, he didn't look very intimidating, but his crew did...

-Caribbean 1713-

Eva's POV

"Bernard?" Someone asked coming into the galley.

"Oui?" I asked, noticing that it wasn't Kalean, I lowered my voice to sound more like a man's. It sounded like a boy's but it was close enough. After I got the name Bernard, to try to be more French, I decided to put my French lessons good use and mix some French in with my English, like my maids had from time to time. "Leopald, good to see you out of your nest. Que puis-je faire pour vous?"

"We're coming up on Hornigold's ship."

"C'était rapide." I replied surprised.

"Yeah, we're surprised too." He replied, "I have orders from the captain to inform you that you are to remain in the galley and he will come and get you if there is a need."

I rolled my eyes and nodded, "Merci, Leopald."

"I don't get why you're not up on the deck with the rest of us." Leopald commented.

I shrugged, "Needed here, I guess."

Leopald nodded and left. It wasn't for another several hours that another person came into my galley.

"That's just the galley. There's nothing interesting in there. Just the food, cooking supplies, and our cook, Bernard, he's a French chef. I found him wasted off of Côte Rôtie in Tortuga, barely speaks a lick of English." Kaelen said loud enough for me to hear him through the door.

"Drunk on French wine?" I quietly asked myself, pensively. I rolled my eyes and went along with his shenanigans and got myself a bottle of French wine from his private supply. If Bernard's gonna be plastered and barley speak a lick of English, Bernard's gonna drink good wine.

I took a swig of the wine from the bottle, "Hmm…Cranberries." I remarked about the taste and took another swig.

The door opened to Kaelen, an older man, and a very intimidating looking bearded man.

"Bonjour Capitaine," I greeted Kaelen, "Que puis-je faire pour vous?"

Kaelen looked at me oddly, "Um, everything's fine, Bernard. Captain Hornigold wanted to see the kitchen; with him is one of his crew, Edward Teach."

I nodded, "Enchanté de faire votre connaissance."

"What's for dinner, Bernard?" Kaelen asked conversationally.

"Poulet." I replied.

"What?"

I held up the decapitated chicken, "Poulet."

"Oh well you better get a move on it then." He replied, it was obvious that he was scared of them, well Teach at least. "As I said, great cook, doesn't speak a bit of English"

"Fine, you may keep the ship as long as you follow the rules of my ship. I want your man Tiny however, for your brother Alexander. You may have the rest of your crew." Hornigold and Kaelen left talking. Teach gave me one last look over and followed them. A terrified shiver ran down my spine.

"Bernard?" Kaelen asked as he came in, after Hornigold and his crew left. I had a little too much to drink when he had come back. I was sitting next to the counter on my second bottle of wine. The door shut behind him. "Eva?"

I looked up at him, "Teach knows."

"It's possible." Kaelen commented, coming around the counter when he found me he laughed, "I've been there a time or two. Now you're a pirate." He sat down next to me, "So, someone possibly finding out the reason why you went on this binge?"

"Your wine tastes like cranberries." I replied, smiling.

"Blimey, you're pissed, aren't you?"

"I'm not angry."

"Drunk, love." He laughed, taking away the bottle.

"You have a nice laugh." I told him, not really noticing the loss of the bottle. He raised an eyebrow at me took a swig of the wine.

"Not falling for me, are you, love?" He asked.

I snorted, "No."

-Washington D.C. 2013-

Riley's POV

...We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves. – Galileo Galilei