At last, a new chapter for my long neglected "Black Sails"

BTW, two reviewers of another story said "there is no good Vane-O/C stories on here." I beg to differ. I am the author of one, and have the numbers to prove it. Also, there are others who have written good Vane-O/C stories. Give us the credit we deserve.

Cathy knew full well that Vane could not work a miracle, any more than she. Instead she proceeded to sleep around the clock, waking the next evening as the sun was beginning to go down, feeling much better.

She lit a candle, then began to brush her long red hair. As she did, a song came to her from long ago, one that she'd always liked, and she began to sing:

"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising

I heard a maid singing in the valley below

Oh don't deceive me, oh never leave me…"

"How could you use a poor maiden so?" Charles finished for her and held out his arms, waiting or her to come to him.

He wasn't disappointed. She came to him as if the goodbye of the night before had been nothing out of the ordinary. Her hair smelled like the jasmine perfume she liked to wear, and he tightened his hold as his desire grew. She didn't argue with him as he scooped her up and put her on the bed. Her nightgown fell to the floor, as did his clothes, and for a long while they may as well have been the only two people in Nassau.

Hunger became an important concern, and after they dressed, they wandered into the square, eating at the café she had always preferred to Eleanor's inn.

It felt like it had been years since he'd seen her. She wore a blue silk sack gown, and her hair, tied carelessly back in a ribbon, seemed to glow in the candle light. He felt awkward, quiet, until she reached out a slim hand and touched his cheek. The magic between them, somehow was still there.

She let her hand drop. "Charles, what are we going to do about Eleanor? I don't think there's a ship in Nassau fast enough to catch up to her. I know she has distant family in England, but will they help her? All it would take, probably, would be to pay off the right people, and she could come back—unless they insisted she stay, in which case, poor Eleanor! She has family in Boston, would they take what her father did and hold it against her, or would they help? I could go to Boston, you know, no one is after me."

"So in spite of…" but she cut him off

"You mean, in spite of you? Have I ever been the jealous type? Have I ever hesitated to sleep with someone else if you were being unfaithful? Surely, Charles, you know me better than that. Eleanor is my friend, and I want to help her."

"The two of you," he shook his head, "I always wondered what it would be like to have both of you in my bed. You're more alike than sisters. And yes, you've always paid me back with my own coin. When I discovered that Low had been in your bed, I was furious beyond reason."

"And went running back to Eleanor like a puppy. I think you've always loved the two of us because you knew we could do without you. I still can't believe you killed Richard Guthrie, you should have come to me and I would have talked you out of it."

She pushed her plate away, "Let's go to the waterfall and make love in the moonlight. Besides, I don't know who might be listening here. I think there are more British agents about than you'd suppose. They have their eye on Nassau, I expect to ships of the line any day.

"No, we can't do that. I promised your brother I'd bring you to him."

"Hours ago, I'm sure, I'm guessing he's more interested in quizzing me about Rackham and the treasure than he is about Eleanor."

"You may be right," he agreed, and they wandered the waterfront until they found someone who was willing to row them out to the Spaniard."

The hull of the Spaniard loomed like a shadow against the night. Though she didn't want to be held prisoner on one in the days of her Cuban heist, she rather like the lines of the warship. There was something beautiful about a ship, especially a ship under sail.

But a ship at anchor at night could be eerie. Cathy felt her skin crawling as they grew close to the hull, the oars making quiet splashes in the still water. There were ghosts on this ship, men had been killed, both Spanish and English. There were no obvious red stains, but Cathy knew they were there. A part of her would never make peace with her brother and her lover being pirates.

Billy pulled Cathy on board. "Flint's waiting for you," he told her, but he blocked Charles with his long arm, "He wants to speak to Cathy alone." He escorted Cathy to Flint's quarters, casting Vane a dirty look over his shoulder.

Flint's quarters were larger, more spacious than his old ones on the Walrus. Cathy looked around, taking in the library, and the ornate ironwork lamps.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, watching her as she took it all in.

"I think you should have a bed put in, you can bolt it to the floor. There's plenty of room. "The capitan," she used the Spanish pronunciation, "Clearly had a taste for luxury. It would be a shame to waste it."

"And what you would know about captain's cabins with beds/"

"I wouldn't. Most of the captains I slept with spent the night in my room. Or over by the waterfall. If I'm a passenger on a ship, that's exactly what I am, a passenger, not a captain's doxy." She turned and smiled at him, "Not that a few weren't interested, but I always said 'no' and yes, I did have offers."

He laughed and poured a glass of rum for each. "Since you're the only one who will tell me the truth, please tell me what happened after I left Nassau."

"Well, Ned Low came to town while you were gone, and made trouble for Eleanor." She had not yet decided if she wanted to tell him about her encounter with him. "Charles still held Abigail Ashe in the fort, and evidently he decided he wanted to cement his relationship with Eleanor, so he killed Low. Then he became so angry at Eleanor when she released Abigail Ashe and sent her to you, that he killed Richard Guthrie for revenge. That's all I really know. I went to the fort after that and had a look inside, just to see what was left. You all had lit out for places unknown, which turned out to be Charles Town."

"I don't remember much after that. As I said, Charles was gone and so Eleanor had no one to protect her. Unfortunately, there was no one to protect me, either. Eleanor was attempting to exert more control over the consortium, and Hornigold and the rest were not happy. I guess that's when they decided to turn her over to the British."

"Now, I wasn't sure that was coming, but it was pretty well known that there was a lot of friction between them. You don't mess with Hornigold anymore than you mess with Eleanor. I don't know if they summoned the Royal Navy from Harbor Island, or if they were just in the neighborhood anyway. All I know is that I was drinking at the inn, and someone spiked my drink with almost enough opium to kill me. I'd like to find out who did this to me. Max knows a lot about what goes on here these days and even she doesn't know. She and Ruby nursed me back to health. Now I'm ready to go to war."

"Cathy, I don't like this, none of this, but I especially don't like the fact that someone tried to harm you. Now, I do not know that it was him, but from what you've told me, I'm beginning to suspect that Hornigold has gone over to the British."

"Which would work to his advantage if the British actually do take over the island. Hornigold would be in their good graces because he turned over a traitor. I would not be surprised if he became a turncoat and started hunting pirates. I used to like the man, now I can't remember why." She rested her chin on her fists. "Don't trust him, big brother, I still think he tried to kill me to keep me from warning Eleanor."

"And if he did, Cathy, he will pay for it, don't worry, but I'm concerned for Eleanor, how many days ago did they..?"

"I don't know," she wailed, frustrated that he asked her again, "If you want to know, ask Max. I wasn't there, I was fighting for my life. The first day I was up was the day I saw your ship in the harbor. My guess is that Hornigold knows, and is holed up in his fort, trying to repair it. Max and Ruby say I was unconscious for almost three days, the next day I woke and came to you. I didn't know what had happened to Eleanor until they told me. And even if I was awake, if they hadn't drugged me, what could I have done? You have a Spanish man o'war, isn't she fast enough to catch up to her? "

"Maybe, the Spanish built good ships, but I don't think we could catch her with the head start she has. Most likely Eleanor will be held in a military prison, I don't suppose you think a band of pirates could penetrate a military prison?"

"No, and then there's the gold, isn't there? I don't want to see that slip through your fingers. You need to find out where Rackham's got it hidden. I think Max knows, she slipped and told me that she's seen it. Rackham won't do any favors for you or me, and definitely not Vane. Now that I'm back on my feel I'd like to a little reconnaissance to find out just where it might be. He's either got it on his ship, or warehoused somewhere. Either way, if you don't get to it soon, it will be gone for good."

"I'm quite aware of that Cathy, you don't need to remind me I've got two impossible tasks facing me. Now I'd like for you to stay on ship so I can keep an eye on you, I want to make sure you're safe."

"That's not necessary, and I don't care to deal with the men giving me the evil eye because I'm a woman on ship. I've got to keep an eye on my treasure now that Eleanor can no longer keep it safe for me. I have rooms here, and rooms at the Pearl. I'm good at eluding people, remember? If I'm back and forth enough, no one will know where to find me. I'm going to go find Charles, I'm tired and I want to go to bed," she said with meaning.

"When are you going to get away from that bastard? Cathy, you know he doesn't deserve you." Flint wore his "I'm your brother, and I'm concerned for you" look.

"Someday, honestly Flint, I will leave him some day. I know he's not good for me, but I can't say that I'm unhappy with the time we spent together. I never had a Miranda Barlowe or a Thomas Hamilton, but I've enjoyed my scoundrels. But I'm growing up, and one day I will leave this all behind. I've never forgotten how Father wanted to marry me off so young, and so I've made sure that I enjoyed my freedom. No husband, no children, just a life I lead the way I want."

Flint put his arms around her, holding her tightly, then released her. "In your own way, you're as much of a pirate as me." He smiled at the look she gave him, "All right, you're a bit of a pirate. Just make sure Vane doesn't beat you again, because this time I will kill him."

The sea was as smooth as glass as Vane rowed them back to shore. It was quiet, peaceful. She looked up and saw the Southern Cross, the only place she ever saw it was here. She was almost resentful when Vane spoke, breaking the silence.

"I suppose Flint neglected to tell you that I saved his life?" He took another pull on the oars.

"You know very well he wouldn't have told me unless I asked. Isn't it enough that he knows?" She stared out over the water at the shadows of the ships. She could name every one she was familiar with, could now determine the brigantine, the sloops, the schooners, and who owned them. Nassau had become that ingrained in her.

Then she saw something, something vaguely familiar perhaps. She knew that ship, even in the dark, even though she had been patched and repaired to make her sea worth. She knew that ship, even in her dreams.

"Charles, look, can you see it. No," she said as he looked the wrong way, "Starboard, starboard. See that ship, see her outlines? She's been through some hard times, but what does she look like?" Then, as he looked at her blankly, "Row over there, I want a closer look."

"Cathy, why? What is going on?"

"It's the Walrus, you fool, the Walrus. Even in the shape she's in I'd recognize her anywhere. She's supposed to be sitting on the sands off the coast of Florida, but look, see how low she's riding in the water? Fucking Jack Rackham repaired her and got her seaworthy enough to make the trip back to Nassau to haul gold. The damn ship is right under our noses, Max never intended to tell me because she knew I'd find out anyway. We've got to go tell Flint, turn the boat around."

"Oh no, chances are the Walrus will still be here tomorrow. You need to get some rest."

"Fine," she said, and kicked off her shoes, "I'll swim over to him, and you can take the damn boat back to shore."

He grabbed hold of her dress, "I said 'tomorrow', Cathy, it can wait. And don't sulk, you can talk to your brother tomorrow."

She glared at him as he sat and rowed, but did not argue. "You're damn right I'm talking to him tomorrow, first thing." She settled back in the prow and folded her arms.

So, it was going to be the gold first, and somehow, she didn't really mind.