Chapter 45: Love Vows, Animals and Babies
"Will you tell me what's going on inside this mind of yours?" Sarah's voice cuts the silence and she looks at her ex-husband as they lay in her bed.
He sighs, faking a smirk. "What do you mean by that, love?"
"You know what I mean. I can't recognize you sometimes. You look like you're... going crazy. Ever since you met that girl."
The look on his face becomes slightly hostile. "'That girl' is my future wife. What are you so worried about? You know I won't stop seeing you after I marry Eleanor."
"I'm not worried... It's just bugging me, to see you acting like this-"
"I'm not acting any differently. Now drop it, or I swear I'll think again about how easily I forgave you for losing Davina."
She falls silent, clenching her jaw.
"I don't know why you keep coming here, Woodes... Or why I even let you."
"You know why I left you."
Tears burn in her eyes. "Because I can't have children."
He smirks, patting her hand and grabbing his phone to check the hour.
"Correct. You can't give me an heir. If it wasn't for that, I would still be with you, darling, but unfortunately..." The man grimaces, getting to his feet and dressing in silence, causing his ex-wife to frown. She had hoped he would stay for a little while longer.
"Got to run. Or I'll be late." He looks at her full length mirror, fixing his hair and doing his best to smooth any wrinkles on the shirt beneath the suit jacket.
"Where you going?"
"Dance practice with my fiancée. For the wedding. Mason's meeting me there."
She scoffs with a shake of her head while her ex-husband makes his way back to the bed, giving her a quick, meaningless kiss.
"See you later, darling."
When he leaves the room, Sarah lets her head drop back to the pillow with a heavy sigh. "So much for trying to warn this girl."
Mason is watching her closely while Eleanor touches the engagement ring on her finger. She really didn't want to be here.
The blonde can't stop praying for the next couple of hours to pass quickly, for the night to come soon, so she can enjoy being in her pirate's arms again, to let him wash Woodes' touch away from her body.
Fate really works in a funny way.
Looking around the mansion's ballroom, she's once again surprised to see just how foreign her own home feels now. This looks like a strange, unfamiliar place.
Eleanor doesn't feel safe nor comfortable in here.
When exactly did this happen? When did things change so much?
Was it after she started to make amends with Charles, or after the horrible things her father said that night?
"Sorry I'm late. Was taking care of a few problems."
The blonde has to take a deep breath and count to ten in order to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the sound of this insufferable voice.
That's another mystery. When exactly did she begin to loathe Woodes' voice?
The first thing he does is to glance down at her fingers, to make sure she's wearing the engagement ring. Her blood runs cold for a moment. Did she remember to put it on again after Charles left her room this morning?
The fear is short lived.
"I will never get enough of admiring how beautiful you look with this ring on, darling." The arrogant idiot says and she forces a smile.
"Where were you?"
"Just taking care of some stuff. It's boring, you don't want to know."
That sickening smile doesn't leave the man's face for a moment but he's hiding something... she just knows it.
As the song of their choice begins to play, she tries hard not to shudder when his hands touch her body, the expensive cologne making her sick.
Idelle would laugh so hard if she saw this. The two of them dancing to "All I Ask of You".
"I got this, love. Let me guide you." He says when she tries to take the lead and the blonde clenches her jaw, fully aware of her father and Mason watching her every move as they talked near one of the columns.
Suddenly this song seems so damn long.
Looking up at his face, she frowns upon seeing the slightly hostile glint in his eyes.
He's quick to hide it though, forcing a smile.
This is really starting to make her uneasy.
"Lately... You've been acting weird. Almost as if you're angry with me for some reason. What's going on?"
He spins her around smoothly with practiced ease before pulling her to him again, a dark look flickering in his eyes, his little smile vanishing.
"I feel like you have been... hiding something from me, love."
Her heart speeds up. This is getting even more uncomfortable. "Like what?"
"Something big... I don't know."
Shit. There's definitely suspicion in his eyes.
Was Mrs. Hudson still watching her? Did she see her with Charles?
Did she tell Woodes?
A million thoughts run through her mind and Eleanor frowns, trying to look as innocent as she possibly could.
"Must be just your imagination... Maybe because I accepted the proposal after pushing you away for such a long time? And now you can't believe that I'm..." She trails off. This is just so sickening.
The possessive look in his eyes says everything. She doesn't need to know how to read minds to know what he's thinking, almost able to hear him saying the word out loud.
Mine.
Absolutely sickening.
The beautiful song only makes her want to vomit even more, the lyrics conjuring disturbing images in her mind.
"Share each day with me, each night, each morning..."
Why the hell did she agree with this?
At least it's almost over.
But much to her despair, her father insists to see the dance again.
And again, and again.
She's lucky one of her guardian angels is able to come into the mansion during daytime.
Relief washes over Eleanor when she glances at the entrance of the ballroom and sees Max, looking at the dancing couple with a disgusted look on her face, just as the song ends for the fifth time.
"Excuse me." The blonde mutters, stepping away from her fiancée and rushing to meet her savior, ignoring the hard look from Richard.
"What is it?"
Max clears her throat, trying not to look at the three men watching her as if she was an intruder.
"I need to talk to you, something happened." She whispers, not wanting the other people in the room to hear, and Eleanor frowns.
"Just a second."
Making her way back to the three men, she forces an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I have to go. Max and I need to talk about something."
Richard rolls his eyes, sighing heavily. "Is that woman more important than your own wedding?"
Far more important.
"It's not just that, I have a terrible headache, and I'm feeling sick... exhausted. Must be stress. Excuse me."
Pretending she didn't see the way Woodes tried to reach for her hand, the blonde quickly makes her way back to Max, letting her grab her hand as they disappear behind the wall, heading back to her room.
"Sickness and exhaustion..." Mason trails off, looking at the other two men.
"Will we need to expedite the wedding? Is there a possibility that my first grandchild is coming sooner than I expected?" Richard asks, glancing at his daughter's fiancée with a half-smile.
But Woodes shakes his head with a clenched jaw. "If there is, it's not my child, Sir."
The little smile instantly drops from the older man's face. "You think the criminal may have..."
"Gotten her pregnant? I hope not. But in case he did, don't worry. I'll find out soon enough for us to... take care of the little pest without endangering Eleanor's life."
Mason smirks at his younger brother's words, clearly proud of him, while Richard sighs with a frown. "What if she doesn't want to have an abortion?"
Woodes simply raises an eyebrow. "As if she would have a say in the matter."
Richard finally smirks too, nodding once. "I like the way you think."
"For a moment, I was worried you might be disapproving of this, Sir."
"I do not want any bastard children in this family. It's already sickening enough to think my daughter has more than likely slept with a... filthy criminal. But to have her carrying his child, no, that is too much."
Mason finally joins in the conversation. "Personally, I think you two are getting too ahead of yourselves. Eleanor was probably just making up excuses to leave with that other woman."
"I know that, brother. And I wish we could say that there are not any possibilities of my fiancée being pregnant with the criminal's child right now. However, unfortunately, we all know that's not the case. And I want to somehow make sure there isn't a filthy little demon growing inside her right now."
"Do whatever you must to find out, you have my permission." Richard says, rubbing his forehead with a haunted look in his eyes. "Any progresses with Low? Did he say anything else about the man my daughter is involved with?"
"Not yet, but... Mason and I are going to see him in two days, and well... We are preparing a few surprises for Low."
"What sort of surprises?"
Woodes lets out a brief chuckle. "Let's just say that... It will make him talk. I assure you, Sir. In two days, I will have the name of this... animal who's been luring your daughter."
"Was it true? Are you feeling sick?" Max asks her with a worried look as they make their way inside Eleanor's bedroom.
The blonde scoffs, shaking her head. "Please. You know me."
Chuckling softly, the other woman follows her to the bed.
"What happened, is it bad?" The Trading Company's heir asks as they sit on the mattress, not sure if she could deal with any more stress and problems.
"Sort of, I don't know... Mary sent me a message last night. A really long one."
Eleanor is instantly alarmed. "Is it Davina? Did something happen to Charles' sister?"
Smiling softly at her concern for the girl, Max shakes her head. "Don't worry. Your little sister in law is perfectly safe." She winks at the blonde, ignoring her eye roll. "It's just... Well, here's my phone, see for yourself."
Eleanor takes the phone from her friend's hand, hesitating for a moment before starting to read the message.
"Max, just letting you know we got back to Somalia safely a few days ago. Everything's fine and Davina misses you all. She sends her love to Eleanor and Charles, but also asks a lot about you, Anne and Jack. We hope to see you all again, soon. But there's something I need to talk to you about. As soon as we arrived, Teach demanded to see us. He asked about the monsters who captured me and Davina, and ended up finding out about her relation to Charles. He asked if his nephew was involved with a blonde woman. I said I didn't think so. Before I left for Somalia, Charles told me not to mention anything about Eleanor, not to let Teach know about her. Do you happen to know why he did this? I just feel like there's something weird going on, Max. Like there's more to this whole story, a lot more... And that's not all. Recently I remembered something about my time with Charles, back when we were lovers. One night he came to me with a gunshot on his shoulder, and after I pulled the bullet out and bandaged his wound, he slept. I watched him during that night. He had a really bad fever, the pain made him delirious and he kept calling out for someone in his sleep. He was so desperate. The name called was Eleanor's. The thing is, Jack told me he only met the stubborn blonde a few a few months ago. So what the hell is going on? I sincerely hope you can answer me, because this is really bugging me. Also, warn Charles about Teach if he plans to bring Eleanor with him when he finally comes to Somalia. Because it doesn't look like the man will be too welcoming, and I honestly fear for her safety if he sees her."
Giving the phone back to her friend, Eleanor leans against the bed's headboard with a heavy sigh, closing her eyes.
"What do you think we should do?" Max asks, watching her closely.
"It's not like we can tell her the truth. She would think we're all crazy. But truly... This is the least of my worries now." The blonde shakes her head, opening her pain-filled eyes. "Fate really does like to make me suffer."
The other woman frowns. "What do you mean?"
"I've been... starting to consider the idea of leaving here. With Charles."
Max's eyes light up, a bright smile coming to her face. "Really?"
Eleanor nods before scoffing and rubbing her forehead.
"But now, how can I? If we leave, he will eventually want to go see Teach. What happens then? What happens to me?"
"Oh, please. Are you seriously worried about this? You know Vane will keep you safe, you know he would never let anyone hurt you!"
"He would try to protect me, I have no doubt of that, but... I don't know if I'm willing to simply rely on trust and faith... To risk my life like this. What if he's unable to keep me safe?"
"He will be... Just trust him. I didn't know you two had made such great advances."
A stubborn little smile comes to Eleanor's lips. "I told him I love him the other day. But I wasn't thinking clearly..."
The other woman can't stop smiling. "Finally... God, I am loving this so much."
"It was a one time thing. Won't happen again."
Max shakes her head, opening her mouth to speak, but the blonde interrupts her. "Copy Mary's message and send it to me, please."
"Why?"
"Because Charles is coming here tonight, and I want him to see it." Eleanor gets to her feet, heading to her closet. "I'm going out for a run... a long one. Need to distract myself. Want to come with me?"
Her friend lets out a heavy sigh, sending Mary's message to her. "Yeah. Of course."
It's close to 10 p.m. and Eleanor is sitting in bed, nervously playing with the hem of her nightgown while staring at the flat screen of her room's TV.
Each minute feels like an eternity, a million thoughts running through her mind.
She's unable to contain her smile when noise comes from the direction of her balcony.
And when the criminal steps inside her room, he barely has time to close the glass door behind him before she throws her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.
Despite his surprise, his hands immediately pull her closer, thumbs caressing her waist through the thin fabric of the nightgown.
He teasingly captures her lower lip between his teeth for a moment before pulling away, eyes filled with desire. "What was that for?"
She shakes her head, unable to stop smiling, all the tension and the stress from the day seeming to vanish in the air now that her Captain was here.
"Just had a really crappy day. I needed it."
A half smirk comes to his lips and he tries kissing her again but she pulls away, struggling to take a few steps backwards. "Not so fast. I want to-"
"Why are you limping?" He cuts her off, the desire in his eyes being replaced by worry as he immediately closes the distance between them, lifting the hem of the nightgown to check her thighs for new cuts.
This makes her heart flutter.
"Went running with Max this afternoon, and I think I pushed my body too hard. My legs hurt like hell, everything feels awfully sore."
His eyes soften, a chuckle escaping his lips while she sits on the mattress, grimacing at the pain in her muscles.
"And what brought this on?"
She sighs heavily, reaching for the TV remote on her bedside table. "Can we just... watch something?"
Charles stares at her face in silent disbelief for a few moments. "You want to watch a movie with me."
"Well, yes... What's so wrong about it?"
He shakes his head with a smirk, kicking off his shoes before getting in bed with her. "Who would've ever known. What do you want to watch?"
This situation suddenly feels surreal even to Eleanor as she thinks about their options. Thunder sounds from outside, a storm beginning to fall and helping her make the decision. "I want a horror movie."
He scoffs. "Seriously?"
"What were you expecting?"
"Something a lot more boring, honestly."
The blonde narrows her eyes at him. "My tastes are not boring."
"Of course not." There's that infuriating little smile again. The one that always makes her want to murder him.
Or kiss him senseless.
Or both.
"What's with this choice? Something tells me this gender is not what you usually watch."
"I don't know, alright? Just felt like doing something different."
His eyes darken, the smile not disappearing as he reaches to brush her hair behind her ear. "If that's the case, then I'm sure we can find plenty of... 'different stuff' to do."
Taking the remote from her hands, he leans in with a predatory look in his eyes, nipping at the skin of her neck before bringing his lips to her ear and speaking in a low tone that makes goosebumps raise on her skin. "Stuff I'd be more than happy to show you."
Closing her eyes with a sigh while the criminal captures her earlobe between his teeth, Eleanor fights to recover her self-control.
"With how sore my whole body feels right now? Not gonna happen." She smirks, pushing him away and reaching for the remote again. "So if that's the only reason you came here tonight, well... maybe you should go back to the hideout. Because I just want to lay here under the covers watching a nice horror movie."
"We'll see about that." He reaches for her left hand, watching the engagement ring in silence.
"So, are you staying?"
Something flickers in his eyes as he looks at her face, but it's such an honest, meaningful look... Neither of them really wants to think too much about it.
They're not really ready to see just how deep their feelings for each other are.
So the criminal masks the look in his eyes with a playful, teasing smirk.
"Of course I'm staying. You need someone to cling to when the movie makes you scared."
She scoffs at his words. "In your dreams."
They end up watching Wrong Turn, and halfway through the movie Eleanor is already disgusted.
But the criminal challenged her to watch the whole thing, so...
"You can quit if you want. We'll find something else." That infuriating smirk refuses to leave his lips and she shakes her head.
"Nice try."
As the minutes pass, she slowly starts moving closer to Charles, hoping maybe he wouldn't notice. But a brief chuckle leaves his lips and he simply pulls her into his arms, getting under the covers with her. If feels like paradise and Eleanor can't contain her smile, bringing her left hand to rest on his chest.
Not taking his eyes off the screen, he slowly removes the engagement ring from her finger and sets it on the bedside table, a soft sigh of relief and satisfaction leaving her lips.
To her utter surprise, he brings his hand back to hers, caressing each one of her fingers softly, slowly, over and over again, his other hand massaging her shoulder and arm.
And even though she will never admit it out loud, the blonde feels better now. The room is dark, and the horror movie was starting to give her that weird, irrational feeling, that any moment something would crawl up into the bed and attack her.
But now, in Charles' embrace, she just feels as if nothing can possibly harm her.
"Want to watch the second one?" The criminal asks when the sickening movie comes to an end and Eleanor scowls.
"There's more?"
He nods. "A few. I watched it with Jack and Anne a while ago. You should have been there. Jack kept saying Anne and I were sick to watch this stuff without even feeling a little weird. He was pale and on edge the entire time."
She laughs. "I would have liked to see this."
"Anne hit him. He complained too much."
She smiles softly, suddenly realizing just how strong the bond between these three people is too.
Would it really be so awful to live with them?
It looks like Anne has given up on the whole murder idea now, from what Max told her during the afternoon, so...
"No more Wrong Turn. I'm with Jack. This is sick, I don't know how you and Anne can watch it, you two animals-"
She immediately stops talking and her eyes widen slightly as a painful memory from the past attacks her. Slowly meeting Charles' eyes, she's relieved to see there's no anger in them.
Just a hint of pain.
"It's okay."
She nods at his words, reaching for the remote.
As the storm gets worse outside, they begin to watch The Conjuring. Surprisingly, she finds the supernatural gender more frightening for some reason.
Every other minute Eleanor jumps slightly in his arms, not realizing how tightly she was holding the fabric of his shirt before it was too late.
The criminal chuckles briefly, causing her to roll her eyes. "Really? You are one of the most rational people I've ever met... How come you're more scared of ghosts and demons than a group of deformed cannibals in a forest?"
"I am not scared."
He's about to say a smart retort when her phone rings suddenly from the bedside table and the blonde frowns, reaching for it. Her jaw clenches as she stares at the screen.
"It's Woodes."
A low growl leaves Charles' lips. "Ignore him."
Eleanor shakes her head, a pleading look in her eyes. "If I do, he'll think there's something wrong and come check-
"Oh, I'm counting on that. Let him come. I'll be waiting for him."
"Charles. I mean it. I will answer the call now, and if you have any consideration for me, you will not do anything that may alarm him of your presence. Please."
Eyes locked with his, she hesitates for a moment before finally answering the call.
"Yes?"
"Darling, sorry about the hour. I was too busy. Just wanted to check up on you, are you feeling any better?"
She frowns, but then remembers her fake headache and sickness from earlier at the ballroom. "Yes, a little. As I said, must be the stress. Thank you for worrying."
She can see the anger in the criminal's eyes. He's close enough to be able to hear what her fiancée was saying on the other side of the line, and it seems he's not liking the conversation very much.
And things only get worse.
"In sickness and in health, my lady. We may not be married yet, but I already take these vows very seriously."
Charles clenches his jaw hard. It's clearly taking him an enormous amount of willpower not to take the phone from her hands and give the other man a piece of his mind.
Eleanor bites her lower lip for a second before pressing a kiss to his birthmark, hoping it will help calm him down a little.
"I see. Well, is there any other reason why you called?"
"Yes, actually. We need to start thinking about your dress. I know the best shop in the city, and I want you to take a look at it soon. You can take that friend of yours if you want. They have amazing dresses, you will love it. Money is not a problem."
Rubbing her forehead, she lays on her back, trying not to snap.
And suddenly the criminal's scowl fades away, a wicked half smirk coming to his lips. She stares at him in warning but it's no use.
Her eyes widen slightly in disbelief when he brings one of his hands to her thigh, flirting with the hem of the nightgown before his fingers venture higher, under the satin, teasingly slow, his eyes not leaving hers.
As the arrogant idiot continued to talk on the other side of the line, Eleanor stares at the man beside her in horror and anticipation, wanting him to stop while at the same time a glint in her eyes begs him to give her more.
And that's exactly what he does.
One of her hands fly up to cover her mouth when those clever fingers reach the apex of her thighs, unceremoniously slipping under her underwear.
As his fingers move against her, inside her, she has to bite her palm and her wrist to keep herself from making noise, but it's just so damn hard.
The criminal leans in to kiss and nip at her neck, and this feels so weird... doing this with Charles while hearing Woodes' voice.
But it's such a rush too. The danger of this situation only fuels her desire, and all she wants is to end the call already.
After almost a minute of this sweet torture, she finally decides to speak, not really paying attention to whatever bullshit her fiancée was talking about.
"Woodes." Her voice comes out a little breathier than she planned and the blonde clears her throat. "I'm really exhausted right now, so... We'll talk later. I'm going to bed."
Barely giving him time to tell her goodnight, she hangs up, letting the phone drop down to the mattress before hitting her pirate's chest.
"You're an idiot." He simply smirks at her distress, fingers not stopping as he leans in to kiss her.
Smiling into the kiss, the blonde lets her hands move under his shirt to feel the hard muscles of his abdomen before she starts to work on unbuttoning his jeans, causing him to pull away with a raised eyebrow. "What happened to 'My whole body feels too sore for this tonight'?"
She shrugs, unable to stop smiling at her pirate. "Guess I'll just have to deal with the fact that I'll be even more sore tomorrow."
"And will it be worth it?"
"Hell, yes."
An hour later, when they're laying under the covers, bodies sated and pressed close together, Charles drops a kiss to her forehead. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist."
Eleanor scoffs, hiding her face in his neck.
"I hate you."
"I hate you too." There's so much amusement and affection in his voice. It makes her heart feel a lot lighter.
Their own twisted love vows.
And it's so much better than all the stupid vows Woodes was planning to say on their wedding day.
A day that will never come.
Never again.
This reassuring thought and their "love" vows make Eleanor fall asleep with a smile.
Two days later
Checking one last time if his robber's mask was safely secured, Charles takes a look around the dark alley, making sure there were no cameras nearby while Jack picked the lock of the store's back door.
Once the door is unlocked, he shares a nod with his accomplice and they carefully go inside. Knowing there was no alarm system nor security cameras, the two criminals take a look around the back area of the store with the help of their flashlights.
The leader points towards a small safe and Jack understands the message, nodding and making his way over to it while Charles silently went to the cash register.
Easily breaking into it and moving the money to his bag, he listens the clicks from the other room echoing through the store as his accomplice tries to find out the combination of the safe.
Charles is about to go meet him again when something suddenly catches his attention.
There's some jewelry on display near the cash register and one piece in particular makes him smile.
It's a silver necklace with a small, delicate bee pendant.
Eleanor's face immediately comes to his mind and he reaches for the necklace, quickly putting it into the pocket of his leather jacket before making his way back to the other room, just as Jack succeeds in unlocking the safe.
As his accomplice puts the loot from the safe inside his own bag, the leader starts to feel uneasy. His instinct is telling them to hurry up so he hits Jack's shoulder, gesturing towards the back door with his head.
And sure enough, just as they make it out of the store, police sirens can be heard in the distance.
The two men immediately realize what their mistake was. The absence of cameras and alarms made them feel too safe and they probably ended up pointing their flashlights to the windows by accident. Someone from the house in front of the store must have noticed this and called the police.
Wasting no time, they take off running towards the car where Anne was waiting.
"Weigh anchor?" The redhead asks immediately as the two men get inside the car, the trio's leader shaking his head.
"Cut and run." Charles says and she nods, starting the engine.
After years of communicating with their secret little codes during their robberies, of course she knew what this meant.
The police is here.
A smirk tugs at Anne's lips as she speeds off, ignoring the curse from Jack at the backseat. This is her favorite part of their "job".
She absolutely loves the emergency getaways.
The chase lasts for only 10 minutes.
This is exactly why Anne is their getaway driver. Besides being great at the wheel, she's never afraid to be audacious, counting on her abilities and luck and doing whatever she needs to escape safely with her partner and her leader.
And this time is no exception.
"I think we lost them!" Charles says and she nods, quickly changing their route and driving back to the hideout.
Jack is silent as they make their way upstairs, his jaw clenched hard and legs slightly unsteady. Anne notices this and scoffs.
"We've been doing this shit for years, when will you stop being such a baby?"
"Well, I'm sorry! You drive like a madwoman!"
The redhead smirks, leaning against the table as the two men leave the bags with their loot of the night on its surface. "I do what I have to do. You should thank me. If it wasn't for me, you two idiots would have already been caught a long time ago."
Jack rolls his eyes as their leader make his way to his room.
"Count the money." He tells the other man, stopping on his tracks to read the text Eleanor had sent him a few minutes ago.
"I know you're busy tonight. And I was going to keep this to myself, but I just had the nightmare. Plus, had dancing practice with Woodes and a really bad fight with my father this afternoon. I don't really feel like staying alone, or at the mansion, so... If you could come pick me up, that would be great."
He frowns, thinking about what to do. The cops saw him and Jack. It wouldn't be wise to leave the safety of the hideout right now.
"Charles. Don't even think about it." Jack tells him while counting the money, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
This wouldn't be wise at all.
But the mere thought of leaving Eleanor to deal with her demons alone...
Mind made up, he grabs the motorcycle keys...
And throws them to Anne.
"Go pick her up." He says as the redhead grabs the keys in the air.
Anne stares at him incredulously, and even Jack stops what he's doing, looking at Charles and then at his partner.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
She scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why me?"
"The cops saw me and Jack. Not our faces, but our bodies. You, on the other hand..." He shrugs, trying to contain his smirk. "They are looking for two men. Not a woman. And Eleanor needs me. Go. It's an order."
When she just stands there looking at him with a clenched jaw, Charles narrows his eyes in warning.
"Now!"
Scoffing again, the redhead grabs her leather jacket and helmet before storming out the front door.
"You better bring her here alive and in one piece, or there will be consequences! I'll tell her you'll pick her up one street away from the mansion!" He calls out, looking down at his phone's screen again to warn Eleanor that Anne was the one going for her, not him.
But at the last second... A wicked thought comes to his mind and the criminal deletes the message he was about to send, sending a new one instead.
"I'm on my way. Meet me one street away from the mansion."
With a half smirk, he puts the phone back into his pocket and looks over at Jack, finding his accomplice smirking as well.
"You didn't warn her that it's Anne who's going to pick her up, did you?"
A brief chuckle escapes Charles' lips. "What would be the fun in that?"
With a shake of his head, Jack laughs and goes back to counting the money. "Oh, how I wish I could be there to see this scene. This is going to be interesting."
Just as she's starting to get cold and anxious, alone out here in the dark street, Eleanor hears the sound of the motorcycle stopping behind her. Turning around with a soft smile, she walks over to it, keeping her head down in an attempt to hide the relief and love in her eyes.
Will she be in trouble if she takes the criminal's helmet off and kisses him right here?
Finally looking up and reaching for him to do just that, her blood runs cold.
This isn't Charles.
The other woman flinches away from her hands, cold eyes narrowing in warning.
"The fuck you doing? Don't touch me more than what's absolutely necessary."
She frowns, looking around in confusion. "Anne?"
Giving her the extra helmet and getting back on the motorcycle, the redhead rolls her eyes. "Did that Spaniard's blade kill all your neurons too, cunt? What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Hop the fuck on and let's get this over with already."
"I don't understand... Charles said he was the one coming to pick me up."
Anne stares at her in disbelief before shaking her head with a clenched jaw. "He'll fucking pay for this."
Seeing she had no choice, Eleanor sighs and puts on the helmet, hesitating before getting on the motorcycle and holding on to the other woman's waist.
"If you move these hands anywhere else, I will cut them off." She threatens before speeding off without any sort of warning, catching the blonde off guard.
It feels so different than riding with Charles.
Even though her Captain is not exactly careful with the motorcycle either, Anne is being completely reckless, going as fast as she possibly can. Eleanor knows the redhead is probably doing her very best to make her terrified.
And on top of everything else, she doesn't feel safe at all. The thin, lithe body of the woman in front of her is so different than the muscular, bigger one she's used to.
The blonde simply feels as if she has absolutely nothing to hold on to.
And she usually likes riding on the motorcycle with her criminal. There's the rush, the danger, but she always feels safe with him, she trusts him. With Anne, though, there's nothing but horror.
This feels like bungee jumping... without the rope. Leaping off an airplane without a parachute... Or swimming with hungry great white sharks without the cage. Covered in blood.
Few things in the world are able to make Eleanor Guthrie so fucking terrified.
And riding on a motorcycle with Anne Bonny just made it into the list.
Who would've ever known.
The blonde tries squeezing her eyes shut, but it only gets worse, her stomach protesting as she feels more and more dizzy with each passing minute.
And when they finally make it to the garage area of the hideout, Eleanor needs a few seconds to understand she's still alive.
Her legs feel like jelly as they make their way upstairs and all she wants is to stop and sit down on the steps. But she refuses to give Anne this victory. So she stays strong, trying to ignore Jack's smirk as they walk through the front door. He's counting money at the table, and after a moment of clearly trying to contain his laughter, the man points to the door to his leader's room.
"He's in there waiting for you."
She nods, quickly making her way inside the room and closing the door behind her.
The criminal is standing in front of his dresser, and she forgets how to breathe for a moment. He's fresh out of the shower, hair loose and wet, a towel around his hips.
Noticing as she stares, the bastard chuckles. "What happened? You look really pale."
She narrows her eyes at him, finally giving up and going straight into his arms, her shaky legs almost giving out.
Charles is barely able to contain his laughter as he guides her to the bed, sitting on the mattress with her.
"Let me take the damn ring off." He demands and she holds out her left hand.
Her trembling left hand.
Seeing the state she's in, he almost regrets his cruel little game... Almost.
"You could have at least warned me. That wasn't necessary at all." She says with a scowl as he tosses the engagement ring to the floor and he shakes his head before leaning closer, that infuriating half smirk firmly in place.
"But fun nonetheless."
The familiar words catch her off guard and she's instantly taken back to that moment three hundred years ago.
How he had intimidated James Bridge for her...
Always doing everything for her.
The blonde bites her lower lip as she remembers their conversation afterwards. God, how she had wanted him back then. There was just something about him that day, he looked even better than usual, his eyes much more blue, and that fucking coin in his fingers...
It physically hurt to resist him that day.
Now here he is, right in front of her, the same teasing look in his eyes... And now she can have him.
Every time Eleanor remembers this, her heart skips a beat. It just feels too good to be true.
A smirk comes to her lips and she brings one hand to the back of his neck, the other flirting with the loose towel around his hips. "It was terrifying. You better make it up to me."
A wicked glint comes to his eyes and he kisses her, already pushing her down into the mattress as she freed him from the towel.
"Trust me. I intend to."
Clenching his jaw hard, Ned refuses to avert his eyes from Woodes' as the man delivers him yet another shock with the electroshock weapon.
When he stops, the one eyed man is left breathless, trying not to show how painful this whole experienceIs being and masking his growing despair with a weak, tired and hollow laugh.
Mason shakes his head, coming closer to the chair Ned was currently tied to and causing him to cry out in pain when he unceremoniously plucks out his fake right eye.
The younger brother closes his eyes for a moment, finding the sight too disturbing, before regaining his composure.
"You ready to talk?"
The bound man looks up at him. "You ready to let me fuck that lovely little bride of yours?"
Woodes narrows his eyes at him, clenching his jaw before nodding at his brother. Mason wastes no time, shocking Ned with his Taser.
Agony is written all over the tortured man's face as the two brothers watch him. They've been at this for the last three hours and after another two, Ned looks ready to pass out from all the pain.
"We can stay here until dawn. It's your decision, Mr. Low. By now, I think it's clear I won't let you touch my fiancée. So how about you cooperate? Just say his name and we'll leave you alone. Come on. It's not like you're friends with this man, right?"
He lets out a dry, weak laugh, looking up at Woodes' face. "Friend... Even if I can't have Eleanor... Promise me something else."
"And what is it?"
"Promise me you gonna make this couple suffer... The hatred I feel towards these two... Is absurd. I want them to go through hell... Promise you'll make that delicious little bride of yours suffer. Promise me her long haired lover will beg for mercy. And most of all, promise you'll tear them apart and make sure they'll never see each other again."
Sharing a look with Mason, a cruel smirk comes to Woodes face before he shocks Ned one last time.
"You have my word."
Recovering from the last wave of pain, the one-eyed man looks up at the two brothers again.
"Charles." He spits out the name as if it's poison on his tongue, watching as Woodes' smirk widens. "The man's name... is Charles."
He wakes up to the sound of the rain falling heavily outside, two hours before dawn.
The only thought in Charles' sleep muddled brain is holding Eleanor firmly in his arms and falling asleep again, but as he realizes he's alone in bed, the criminal wakes up completely and looks around the room, starting to sit up in bed.
Eleanor was at the window, wearing nothing but one of his shirts and watching the storm fall with her arms wrapped around herself. He notices she's shivering from the cold.
"Eleanor?" He asks, voice rough from sleep.
She looks at him, her eyes filled with pain and tears, and the sight makes his heart sink. He soon realizes her guilt and self-hatred are attacking again.
Sighing, the criminal lifts the blankets and offers her a half smile.
"It's freezing, Eleanor. Come back to bed."
The blonde swallows hard, fresh tears filling her eyes as she nods, walking back to the bed before getting under the covers, immediately burying her face in the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath.
"Thats it. Come here." The criminal whispers as his arms wrap around her waist, holding her close, one of his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. "It's okay." He continues to whisper as she begins to shake slightly.
Eventually she pulls away slightly and looks at him, a tear running down her cheek. He gently wipes it away, his worried eyes searching her troubled ones.
"Sorry I woke you up."
"You didn't. It was the storm."
"Oh." She breaks eye contact, lowering her head.
He gently lifts her chin to look in her eyes again. "Don't try hiding from me. You know it never worked."
She smiles. "You're right."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shakes her head, the smile fading. "I just woke up and the guilt was too strong. I... wanted to find something I could use to cut myself but I held back."
"I'm glad. Wouldn't want you bleeding all over my sheets." He jokes and she laughs quietly, smacking his shoulder.
"Idiot."
He smiles, his fingers continuing to draw nonsense on her back as he leans in and kisses her shoulder. She shivers.
"You cold?" Charles whispers, pulling away slightly to look at her face.
"I'm okay." Eleanor snuggles even closer to his warm body, her hand going to his chest to feel his heartbeat.
"There's something on your mind."
"I... want to tell you something. But I think it will make you really angry."
"Unless you tell me that you're about to betray me again and go back to Rogers, I don't think there's anything you can say that will anger me too much."
She lets out a dry laugh. "Yes. Believe me. There is."
"Did your little guilt crisis have something to do with it?"
The blonde nods, running her fingers through his hair. "Actually, yes. I just... There's just one more important thing left for me to tell you... about the past. And I was going to try keeping it to myself, but... I don't know, it looks like now I can't stand the idea of keeping stuff from you, of having secrets between the two of us. I want to be open."
The criminal sighs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. As much as her honesty pleases him, things are just so calm and peaceful between them right now. He's not sure if he wants to know whatever it is she has to say.
He doesn't want to be angry with her.
But of course, Charles can never deny this woman anything.
"Whenever you're ready."
Silence stretches as she gathers the courage, and just as he thinks she fell asleep...
"I was pregnant." Her words cut the peaceful silence like a knife, and he looks at her, not sure what to say... Or what to feel.
"His?"
She nods, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.
"I know that... Maybe I should feel bad about it... About not having my baby. And I did, at first, I actually still do, a little... But for some reason I just can't bring myself to feel the same way I did three centuries ago..." Looking up at his face, she frowns. "You think that makes me a bad person?"
He sighs. "No."
Eleanor nods, her arm moving up to his chest as she snuggles closer.
"Unless you want to go back to that idiot so you can pick up where you left off, make another baby and all that shit."
His words send a shudder through her body, the mere thought of going back to Rogers was enough to make her anxious and afraid. "I'll never be that person again. The docile wife. Never again. No matter what happens."
"It doesn't suit you." He says simply, his hand caressing her exposed back.
"It was killing me."
Tears come to her eyes as she remembers the way her life was.
"Honestly, I was already dead before that blade slashed me, before Flint held me as the life left my body. Part of me died during my time with Woodes."
He frowns. "And the other part?"
She sighs, averting his eyes. "The other part died with you. As I watched your body go still after the hanging." Her voice breaks at the last word and he looks down at her face, pulling her hair to make her meet his eyes.
"It's in the past. I'm here. We're here. And unless you fuck things up again, we'll stay like this."
She nods. "I won't. I'll die before I repeat the same mistakes."
There's silence again. Instead of peaceful and comfortable, it's heavy and tense, though Charles' hand is still caressing her shoulder.
"What's on your mind?"
"Just thinking... about your baby."
Eleanor frowns, his words catching her by surprise. "What about it?"
"How did you feel? How much did you want that child?"
"More than anything... At first, I was so scared... But from the moment I found out, I already loved him or her so damn much... The child's well-being became my priority. I know it may be hard to believe this, but it's the truth."
He nods, staring up at the ceiling, a scowl refusing to leave his face.
"Does it make you angry? To know that I loved the baby I made with... him?" The blonde asks carefully, afraid any wrong word would cause him to snap.
He frowns. "You really think I'm gonna be angry with you because you loved your unborn baby? Because you were a mother wanting to protect your child?"
"Then why do I see rage and hate in your eyes right now? And... disgust?"
"I'm not angry because of this... What makes me sick is to think about how this baby was created."
Truth be told, it now makes her sick too. "Then just... stop thinking about it."
"Easier said than done."
"It's in the past..." She tries and he scoffs, anger finally filling his eyes.
"But it happened. You were carrying his baby. Just to think that Rogers touched you, that he..." The criminal lets go of her, putting some space between them and averting his eyes, suddenly unable to look at her. "This is sickening. It's so fucking sickening."
Tears burn in her eyes as Eleanor scowls at him. "Well, I'm sorry if I was performing my duties as a wife-"
He laughs and a confused frown comes to her face. "What's so funny?"
Charles looks over at her again, a mix of emotions in his eyes. Anger, pure indignation, and... was that pity?
"Your 'duties as a wife'? Seriously? Jesus. It was worse than I thought."
"What exactly do you mean?"
He sighs heavily, laying on his side, closer to her. But as much as she wants to, Eleanor doesn't dare to try touching him just yet.
"You know exactly what I mean. That life really wasn't made for you, isn't that right?"
She shakes her head, tears glinting in her eyes. And surprise takes her over when Charles glances down at her stomach, bringing his hand to touch the skin under the shirt. Her eyes fall closed as he caresses it softly for a moment, as if there was a baby in there again...
"How far along were you?" He asks and she opens her eyes, letting him see the love shining in them.
"First trimester."
Another silent moment passes as his hand slowly goes still. But he still keeps it on her stomach. "Did the governor know?"
With a shuddering breath, Eleanor simply shakes her head, not failing to see the relief in his eyes. "You seem happy to know that."
"I am."
"Why?"
The criminal sighs heavily, thumb rubbing her birthmark lovingly. "I just feel better, knowing that... something like this didn't happen. Just to think about that idiot caressing your stomach in the silence of the night before you two fell asleep... It's too much for me."
His hand starts to move again as if to emphasize his point. And Eleanor is utterly amazed.
Something about this moment... She just feels so warm and loved.
All her fears from a few minutes ago, of a fight erupting between them, seem so stupid now.
But there's still darkness in his eyes.
"Does my baby make you feel disgusted?"
"It wasn't the child's fault."
"I thought that... You would hate him or her."
"Hate an unborn child? Who was killed before even having the chance to fully develop a brain?"
Eleanor sigh, drawing patterns on his chest, right where that mark used to be three centuries ago. "Considering who the father was..."
"Eleanor, I already told you. What sickens me is to think about the governor with you, touching you... But as I said, it wasn't the child's fault. And honestly... You're a fool if you think I'm capable of truly and completely hating something, someone... who's a part of you."
If she was already surprised and amazed before, now the blonde has to blink hard to make sure she's not dreaming. This is the last thing she expected...
And he only continues to amaze her. "Were I alive back then, I guess it would be too much to ask for me to... love this child and raise it as my own. Every time I looked at him or her and saw your features mixed with the governor's... It would make me want to vomit. But... I wouldn't actually hate him or her. At least not completely."
She shakes her head, wanting to understand why he was acting like this. "What-"
"You're being honest lately. That's just me wanting to do the same. It's a nice change, I guess."
A soft, unguarded smile comes to her face as they stare deep in each other's eyes.
It feels strange for them both, seeing nothing but honesty, no walls, no games... But this is just so good.
Bringing her hand to rest on top of his on her stomach, the blonde sighs. "Why did we wait so long to do this?"
"Why did you wait so long?" He asks, locking their fingers together while a brief laugh escaped her lips.
"I don't know... But I'm glad I'm finally doing it."
The criminal nods in agreement, watching her face closely.
They stay like this for a while the storm rages outside. And then Charles seems to remember something.
"I have something for you." Removing his hand from her stomach, he gets to his feet and walks over to the dresser, searching the pockets of his leather jacket while she admired the sight of his naked body.
Once he finds whatever it is he was looking for, the criminal returns to the bed, taking one of her hands in his and depositing the necklace on her palm.
Her breath catches.
"It caught my eye. And I couldn't help but think of you."
"I... This looks so similar to a necklace I owned three centuries ago." She says in a quiet voice, fingers touching the bee pendant.
"You had a bee necklace?"
She nods, looking up at his face. "It... reminded me of you. Because of the nickname."
A smile comes to his lips and her eyes light up as she hands the necklace to him, turning around and pulling her messy blonde hair out of the way.
Unable to stop smiling as he clasps the gift around her neck, Eleanor thinks about how easy things are right now. She was expecting a huge fight after this conversation. But somehow... their bond just feels even deeper and stronger now.
Charles drops a kiss to her shoulder and she faces him again before glancing down at the beautiful, delicate pendant. "I love it."
As the criminal pulls her into his arms again, both of them feel so much lighter.
There are no big secrets left.
No betrayals.
No extreme hate.
No ulterior motives
For the first time ever, they are completely at peace.
And no matter what comes their way, both of them know they will stand their ground and fight.
Together.
The way it should have always been.
As Eleanor drifts off to sleep again, in the safety of her Captain's arms, a single thought runs to her mind.
"I will never, ever leave you."
I love you.
Notes:
Oh, the fluff. This is so much better than writing Rogers/Eleanor. So much better.
Next chapter teaser:
Breaking free from Mason's grasp, she runs to the desk and grabs a hold of Richard's arms, a pleading look in her wide eyes. "Father, please! Don't let them do this, don't let them take me!"
