The growing light in the morning sky has become a symbol of the end. With this faint radiance, they are reminded of the responsibility and the never ending chores that accompany this ship. It is in the dark that they find the solitude and peace they so desperately crave.

She is stirred by the tender pressing of his lips to her forehead. Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, are forced open to meet his gaze. Liliana recognizes that look on his face, the one of regret for the day starting mixed with the inevitable awareness of knowing that this bliss has to end.

She smiles as a tentacle reaches forward to swirl around the cerulean amulet that lies softly between her collar bones. It disappears into his grasp. Without a word spoken, they both know what this jewel represents. It is their hope for the future, an understanding of what could have been but will not be.

With what seems like excessive effort, Jones lifts his weathered body from the mattress to dress. He turns with an expression of mild surprise on his face. "I forgot, I have a surprise for ye today."

Knowing that the crew would not have changed watch, Jones leads her out on deck with only her nightshift on. Despite her protests, he was too eager to wait for her to dress. To ward off the early morning chill, he places his coat over her shoulders for warmth.

"So what is this surprise that has you acting like an excited child, Captain?" Liliana shivers as she peers up at him through the growing light. His smile is contagious, so she returns the gesture. "You look very proud of yourself for some reason."

"Look out there, what do you see?" His head tilts leeward.

Liliana squints through the darkness. "A black mass," she pauses as she catches the sight of his furrowing brow with the corner of her eye, "an island?"

"Yes, an island. And it is all yours."

"An entire island just for me? Whatever for?"

Jones notices movement up at the helm and knows that his crew is beginning to stir. He clears his throat and places his attention back on the girl before him. "For putting up with me all these months. For surviving the crew and being reliable in your chores." He checks himself mentally. That was not what he wanted to say at all. While he still does not – and will not - love her, he thinks to himself, he enjoys making her happy. Her smile seems to make life easier to bare.

Unable the temptation to taunt him, Liliana leans in closer. "Do you give gifts to all your well-behaved crew members, Captain?"

"No, I don't reap from them the certain benefits ye give me." He chuckles when she slaps his arm.

"Vulgar sailor." She scoffs. Remembering the power of the amulet now hanging around her neck, she squints to focus on her very large gift. She can make out tall trees and a rocky shoreline, but nothing more. Jones' hand comes down softly on her shoulder to lead her back below deck. As she follows, she leans into his body, "can I go there?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to visit my island."

Jones casually ignores her request. "Not sure how ye will get out there."

"You're going to what?" Davy shouts with a concerned tone that catches the attention of every crew member on deck.

"You heard me. I'm going to swim there. It is only fair I get to play with my gift, is it not? Tell me, are the natives friendly?"

Jones stands there staring down at her with a look of puzzlement on his face. "It is uninhabited…"

"Splendid, then it is all mine!"

Catching the curious gazes of the crew, Jones leans in close to her ear to avoid being heard. "It is a gift in name only, girl."

Liliana leans in closer, almost pressing her cheek to his. "I need off this stinking tub, Captain. My chores are completed for the morning, and because I now can, I would greatly appreciate the feeling of terra firma under my feet at this point." Her russet eyes dart up to meet his, silently telling him she's not going to back down on this matter. "And as we were discussing this morning, you will only continue to reap the benefits of this relationship if I get to appreciate my gift."

Jones jolts back with a snort. Not willing to find out if her threat will become reality, he instead decides to make a show out of her disobedience. He walks around her, arms folded behind his back, examining her carefully with fake scrutiny. "So, Mistress," he announces aloud, "ye be looking to jump ship after all this time aboard? Let it be known that your decision will not come without consequence," he leans in over her shoulder, "and there be sharks down there."

Liliana smirks and glances to her right where the First Mate stands. "There are sharks here as well, Captain."

"Very well, Mistress." He continues his pacing around her. "And how will ye be getting off the ship?"

"I'll dive in."

Jones halts to a stop. His eyes widen as he glares down at her, sending her a silent 'NO'.

Liliana breaks away from his gaze and walks over to the rails. She examines the darkness of the water below and calculates her decision based on all the nautical information the Captain has given her since she came aboard. "The island has a sharp drop off. The ship can cast anchor close to the island so that we are not that far off, I can make it in a few minutes."

"We will not be accommodating that, Mistress…" Jones stifles the urge to lurch forward and grab her as he watches her climb up over the rail and stand there with delicate balance. For the first time ever, she now looks down upon him. With the crew standing around whispering as they watch this scenario, Jones steps forward wanting to impress his authority upon her, but finds himself more concerned about her falling. The knowledge of this makes him feel helpless and his temper flares. "Have ye gone completely mad?"

"I must have, Captain." She lifts one foot and twists it around the other one and elegantly turns around. "But then again, most would assume I went mad long ago for staying aboard this ship for as long as I have!"

A familiar voice blasts from the gathered crowd, a voice she recognizes as Clanker's. "Ye'll be sinkin' with all that clothing on, ye should take it off!"

Completely irate now, Jones spins around to the sound of the voice. His icy stare causes the entire crew to shrink back. When he turns back around, Liliana is nowhere to be seen and then the sound of a loud splash is heard. His aching, old legs carry him swiftly to the side of the ship where he leans over to see only white foam on the surface of the glassy water. "Oh, I am too aged for this nonsense…" He mutters to himself.

What seems like minutes later, Liliana's head pops out of the water and she inhales a deep breath. She smiles to herself. She had no idea if she could swim before she jumped, and now she knows she indeed can. The cool water surrounding her body is refreshing and freeing. She looks up to see a mass of writhing tentacles hanging out over the side of the ship. A few crewmen now gather next to him to see her outcome.

"Just how do ye think ye'll be getting back on board?" Jones yells down to her.

She hadn't thought about that. "You'll have to come and get me!"

"Dammit, woman! I have more important things to do! I'd rather leave ye here!"

"Very well." She yells back and starts heading for shore.

Jones straightens, taken aback by her courage and response. Knowing he has been defeated by this tiny imp of a woman, he takes a deep breath to regain composure, "prepare the longboat for when she returns."

She collapses onto the white sand when she reaches the shore, partly from exhaustion from the long swim, the rest from relief to feel solid ground. As the waves crash into her, she soaks in the warmth of the sand beneath her. She lifts her head to see the form of the Dutchman, now a small figure on the horizon. She can almost feel his gaze on her from this distance.

"I'm not coming back!" She yells with laughter. "This is one soul you cannot control, Old Hob!"

She spends the day wandering and exploring her island. The salty ocean air mingles with the sweet fragrance of blooming exotic flowers. She picks a proud looking, scarlet-hued hibiscus and places it in her hair. The tree branches hang heavy with fruit of all shapes, sizes and colors. As she travels, she enjoys the sight of seeing only her footprints in the sand. For the first time, she is truly alone.

Colorful birds perch in the branches above and sing their territorial love songs to her. She is amazed by their beauty and freedom as their little bodies of greens, yellows and magnificent reds flutter from tree to tree. The occasional butterfly floats by on shimmering wings, too busy on its hunt for nectar to notice her presence. Dragonflies dart about, their large, delicate wings crackling as they go.

'This truly is paradise. I have found the Garden of Eden, she thinks to herself as she bites into an unknown fruit. The sugary fluid causes her taste buds to dance with the flavor. For months now, she has survived off of salty fish, water-logged spices and stale breads. This place seems like a dream.

Through her travels she comes across a bubbling stream that trickles down from a crack in a massive rock in the side of a cliff. The water is cool and shaded by a shroud of palm trees. The clear water pools in the sand before spilling out into the sea, so she sinks down into it to cool off from the heat of the day. She cups her hands and brings the water to her lips. She lets out a soft sigh as she swallows the first drink of fresh water she's had since meeting Davy. No taste of treated wood or algae, just pure, fresh water.

"Time to board."

The sound of a male voice shocks her from her reverie. Maccus stands there on shore next to a longboat, looking less than impressed to be there. The sky is now darkening; she must have fallen asleep while relaxing in the pool.

When she finally boards, she finds herself disappointed by the feel of the weathered deck beneath her feet. She sighs as she looks back to her refuge, her freedom lost. She is informed that the Captain is waiting for her in his quarters.

Expecting an ear full for her earlier behavior, she takes a deep breath as she pushes the door open. His eyes lift from his map to meet hers and then drop to what she has in her hands.

"Sea shells." She announces proudly as she spills them out of her apron onto the floor where she takes a seat. "I'm hoping to identify what species they are."

Davy shrugs and goes back to his work. "Junk."

"They are not junk! They are beautiful and I like them."

"If ye found it on land, it is land junk!" He grumbles and then takes a deep inhale from his pipe. "Besides, we have plenty of them here."

The smell of his smoke has become familiar to Liliana, a smell she has come to enjoy. She watches it as it curls out of his mouth and billows up to the ceiling. "Not like these, these are beautiful and they will forever remind me of my gift from you." She says while examining the smooth, spotted surface of her favorite shell, hoping that her sentiment may somehow spread to him.

He watches her silently for a few seconds before turning away, "bah!"

"Something troubling you, Captain?"

"Aye! Ye didn't clean them properly; look at the sand on my floor! Ye know I cannot touch sand!"

"Yes, I am well aware. I am planning on spreading it around me to act as a barrier. But that is not what has you troubled, you are merely avoiding my question."

Moments pass with Jones grumbling something to himself before he speaks to her again. "What were ye trying to prove by diving off the side like that?"

"How else was I to get off the ship?"

He frowns down at her. "What if ye had lost the amulet?"

"I didn't." She pulls the jewel from out under her shirt.

"Disobedient pack rat…" he mumbles under his breath.

"I heard that!" Liliana stands and takes her treasures over to the table where she places them carefully for display. "Your concern seems excessive as of late. I can't so much as breathe without you giving your input into it! You are confusing the hell out of me, you cantankerous old goat!"

Jones spins around in his chair to stare her down. "Ye…ye…BITCH!"

Liliana slams her fists on the table and spins around. "That is it!" She storms out of the room, leaving him to sit there puzzled. She slams the door upon returning and slaps two cups and a handful of dice onto the table.

"What's this?"

"I am calling your bluff, sir. You seem to think you can control my every whim. One minute you treat me like I am all you will ever need, the next I am…as you put it, a bitch!" She pokes a finger into his chest. "If I win, you can no longer call me that word and you will stop treating me poorly just because you cannot have your way. If you win, I will obey your every command for an entire week. I will not argue, I will not fight back, and you will have complete control of me."

"Only a week? Not a fair wager, love, considering I have to stop what I'm doing permanently." He leans back in his chair with a smug expression on his face. "Aren't ye being overly confident here?"

"The stakes have been laid out. Choose them or lose them."

He chuckles heartily at her boldness. "Maybe we should make that a week of complete silence for ye then?"

"Very well, but if I have to be silent for a week plus obey you, then you now have to be my slave for a week if I win."

Jones lowers a brow and looks deep into her eyes, when he sees she is not bluffing, his sense of male pride and intrigue are triggered. "I like those odds."

Simultaneously, they slam their cups down onto his desk. Liliana extends her hand to suggest that he goes first.

"Two fours." The Captain announces.

"Three sixes."

"Four threes." He scans her face and waits for her next move. He has played this game for centuries; there is no way she can out smart him. "Who taught ye to play this anyway?"

"Four ones." She says while staring through him. "I have watched plenty a game to know enough to play."

"Five twos." He grins as the odds get higher to beat. "But can ye out play me?"

"Yes, five fives!"

He shakes his head at her boldness. "Liar."

He lifts her cup expecting to see dismal numbers but exposes three fives, a two, and a three. He slaps the cup down with a shocked expression on his face. Liliana reaches over and lifts his cup and find two fives, two threes and a four.

"I win! I win!" She reaches over, grabs his face and kisses him squarely on the lips. Jumping to her feet, she dances around the room in victory.

"There is such thing as a sore winner ye know!"

She walks confidently over to him and sits on his lap. "Now, my little servant man, you shall no longer refer to me in such a negative manner. The word 'bitch' is now stripped from your vocabulary."

He takes a deep breath, fighting to keep his patience while trying to understand how he lost. "Fine, anything else, your Majesty?"

"Hmm, I like that! For the whole week, you shall only refer to me as such. You might as well get used to treating me like royalty, the name will help."

"You're a royal something, I can tell ye that!"