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"Gin!"

She knew that voice. It was so familiar. But she couldn't seem to make out a face.

"Gin!"

Swimming blindly toward consciousness, Gin opened her eyes to find Elizabeth hovering over her. It took her a few moments to register that her friend had a firm grip on her shoulders and had probably been shaking her for some time now.

"Gin, I need you to get up!" she instructed, whispering as forcefully as she could.

"What's going on?" Gin demanded, allowing Elizabeth to drag her to her feet. And then she heard it. The screams. Babies crying. The stamping feet just outside the window to her balcony.

"I need you to stay low," Elizabeth led her to the doorway and began walking quickly and stealthily down the stairs.

Still half asleep and still not sure what was happening or why Elizabeth was making her way outside, Gin followed completely on faith. Once outdoors through the kitchen entrance she was finally able to distinguish some of the cries of the frantic people surrounding them. One immediately stood out.

"Pirates!"

"Pirates?" she practically yelled to Elizabeth when she heard the screech. The young woman didn't turn to clarify Gin's statement, simply gesturing for her to be silent, then to continue to follow her. "Where are we going?" Gin hissed.

"Anywhere but here," Elizabeth said, peeking around a corner to the front lawn of the governor's mansion. "They'll be looking in all the houses. Believe it or not, the back streets are safer." She rose from her crouching position and bolted across the dusty road to the other side, then stopped, attempting to lose herself in the crowd as well as keep Gin in her line of sight. She waved her hands frantically at her friend, indicating that she should cross the street as well.

Gin stood up, preparing to run, but a carriage pulled in front of her, blocking her vision of the opposite side. When the horse eventually managed to continue its journey without running into one of the civilians milling around, it pulled ahead. Leaving Gin staring at the mob which showed no sign of Elizabeth.

She resisted the urge to call out her companion's name. The last thing she needed to do was call attention to herself. Especially considering that the men that everyone seemed to be screaming about were finally making their way up to from the docks to the main streets.

She picked up her skirts and fled in the opposite direction, knowing simply that 'away from the pier' was the only key element in her destination. Where on earth had Elizabeth disappeared to?

She was crossing the yard of another mansion, as stately as Elizabeth's father's when she was pulled roughly behind the side wall and forced to kneel by the iron grip on her waist. She turned, with some difficulty, to face her captor, fully intending to scream for help.

"Don't move," the man holding her insisted, glancing around, she assumed to make sure no danger threatened them. "Unless you want 'em to kill you."

She stared at him appraisingly, rather shocked. "You're a pi-" she began, only to be cut off by his hand covering her mouth.

"Even moving would be better than yelling!" he scolded in a hushed tone. She continued to gaze at him, regardless of whether or not she could speak. Rather attractive, longer dark hair, threaded occasionally with beads including his beard, a bandana, traditional garb of the men attacking Port Royal at that very moment. Why was a pirate helping her from a pirate attack? And why couldn't she stop staring at him?

"Oo armm ou?" she tried to question, her voice muffled by his palm.

Sighing he removed it. "You wanna repeat that, love?"

She wiped her mouth. "Who are you?"

"Introductions later," he said, pulling her to her feet. "Quick escape now."

"Escape to where?" she demanded, gesturing emphatically toward the crowded streets and the torch-carrying barbarians breaking down the doors of every house in the vicinity.

His deep brown eyes darted around the neighborhood. "You from around here?" he asked her.

Gin's nose crinkled in confusion. "Why does that matter?"

"'Cause I could sure as hell use a guide," he said, gripping her wrist and dragging her along behind him as he made his way back across the extensive yard. He looked back at her. "Don't s'pose you know where the blacksmith shop is?"

She hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

"Lead the way then."