Usual disclaimers. pah!

***

Early April still

Jean Claude looked around the sandstone cave happily, his alterations making it quite habitable. He had realised that they would need somewhere more secure to shelter when the hurricane season had started and for the last two months he had been secretly enlarging the cave, using coconut shells and seashells to dig into the soft rock. He had built a fireplace and had made a door from woven palm leaves and branches to keep out the weather.

He couldn't wait to see Anamaria's face when he showed it to her. He had been keeping out of her way following the birth of Edan, still feeling responsible for the death of her man and the loss of her ship and crew. Even though she had assured him that she did not blame him for what had happened it did not lessen his guilt. He hoped she would approve of their new home. He admired how she had coped with their months together, never really complaining and getting on with what had to be done despite their limited tools.

Jean Claude headed back to their current camp, whistling happily, surprised not to see her. "Ana?" he shouted.

"Keep out!" Anamaria called from within the shelter.

"You know Ana, we are going to have to get over this sometime..." he chuckled. Teasing Anamaria had become his favourite pastime.

"I've been a pirate for over fifteen years and I've never shown my body to anyone but my lovers!" she snapped.

"You shock me Ana!" he teased. "And there was I thinking you had just escaped the nunnery!" He sighed deeply, sitting patiently in the sand. "Perhaps I should become your lover then..." He winced, waiting for the explosion he knew was coming.

"In your dreams Jean Claude!" she spat.

"And what dreams they would be..." he teased.

"Believe me, you're not my type!" she responded huffily, but he could hear an edge of laughter creeping into her tone.

"Are you sure?" He poked his head into the shelter, laughing when she squealed indignantly.

"Get out!" she shouted, throwing one of the coconut shell cups at him.

Chuckling he retreated, dodging a second cup, and stretched out on the sandy beach, staring at the clouds above. "Well when you are done my dear I have a surprise for you..."

"I'm not your dear!"

"Whatever you say Ana," he smiled. It was such fun to tease her.

Eventually she had finished and swept out of the shelter angrily, standing before him holding Edan with her free hand on her hip. "I am not your dear!"

"Of course..." He grinned. "If you've finished screeching do you want to see the surprise?"

"Screeching!" Her voice rose sharply.

Jean Claude laughed loudly. "Peace woman! Peace!" He scrambled to his feet, dodging her slap and still laughing. "Come on - let me show you!" He smiled, looking at Edan in her arms. "The two of you, I mean."

Anamaria followed him, carrying Edan carefully along the narrow trail which rapidly became quite steep. She stopped, looking out through the trees to the bay where there camp was before continuing to follow Jean Claude. Suddenly he stopped and disappeared from her view.

"Jean Claude?" She walked forward a few paces, finally seeing the cave.

"Come in Ana," he smiled. "This should see us safe in the hurricane season..."

She walked slowly into the cave, her hand touching the walls as she noticed the scooped sides. "So this is where you've been hiding," she smiled, pleasantly surprised by his perseverance at enlarging the cave.

"Well," he sighed, "we've been here what, nearly four months now? Who knows when we will be rescued... and I don't think our current shelter will survive much of a storm..."

"We should move up here today," Anamaria suggested. "Better to move now when it is dry than to try struggling up in a storm... and the hurricane season will be here in a few months too!"

Jean Claude nodded. "I'll start now then." He ducked out of the cave, leaving Anamaria to have a proper look around whilst he dismantled their beach camp. He made several trips up to the cave, carrying up everything from the goat skins to the basic utensils they had made from coconut shells. He left the fishing baskets that Anamaria had woven safely hidden under some bushes - her childhood in a fishing village had come in handy.. Although their food was limited, they had not starved, nor would they, but he swore if he ever got off this island he was never eating fish or goat again.

***

Mid April

Luc Narbonne sailed cautiously into the bay. It had taken him a while to find a small boat that was not only large enough to handle the distance to the island but also to be small enough to be easily sailed by one man. He had been sailing for nearly ten days just to get here but eagerly pulled the boat up onto the beach. "Captain?" he called. "Captain Lact!" But there was silence.

Luc explored the beach, finding the abandoned camp a short distance into the trees. He looked around - the fire had been out for a long time and the camp was clearly abandoned. He shrugged - perhaps Jean Claude and the woman had already made their way off the island? He quickly harvested a few coconuts before heading back to his boat, sailing from the bay towards Tortuga. If he had not reached there already then he would wait... for however long.

***

Jean Claude led the way triumphantly back along the beach leading the indignant bleating goat. It had been a fluke catching the nanny but it had refused to leave its dead kid. If he could build a pen then they would have fresh milk - a welcome addition to their diet. He would have to go back to get the kid later for he had been unable to carry the carcass home as well as struggle with its mother.

He stopped dead.

"Jean Claude?" Anamaria cursed, stopping suddenly behind him to avoid crashing into the goat. "What the..."

Jean Claude turned, looking around the beach cautiously. "Somebody has been here today... a boat was pulled up on the beach..."

"What?" she shouted in disbelief.

"Look!" He pointed to the tracks. "Looks like just one man..."

"Could have been a fisherman..." Anamaria suggested.

Jean Claude shook his head. "No... we are too far from any inhabited island." He kicked the sand in frustration. "It was either somebody lost... or somebody looking for us..."

"Is that good or bad?" Anamaria queried. Even though she was heart-sick at missing the chance of escaping the island, she was cautious about strangers - especially since she now had Edan to care for and protect.

Jean Claude looked at her miserably. "I believe it was somebody looking for us..." he sighed deeply. "And the only person who knew and would come back is my Quartermaster - Luc Narbonne."

Anamaria nodded. "Well, there is still hope... we have to believe it."

"But if that was Luc, then the next boat may be pirates..." His words hung ominously in the air, neither of them wanting to meet other pirates when they had nothing to barter with, and there were very few pirates that would take them on a mere promise of payment. Even Jack Sparrow had insisted on an accord. Jean Claude smiled, knowing what the Black Pearl would have done when they did not turn up to pay the levy and glad that at least he was not on the Catalyntie. Louis had better watch his back.

***