Loreli noticed a change in her cousin after months at sea. The man, who used to joke with the crew, the man who almost always had a smile on his face, slowly disappeared into a distant, quiet man who kept to himself. At first she thought it was because supplies were low on the ship. They'd brought along a few hens for meat and eggs, which didn't last long and everyone, including her, had been getting tired of hard tack and turtles for their meals.

But then they began stopping at ports and would bring back bags and armfuls of food, wine, clothing, jewelry and money. A variety of food became plentiful, the men were able to save some money and the morale of the entire crew was light and happy. Except Bootstrap.

"What is the matter with you?" she asked him one night when she was in his cabin. "You were so happy when we boarded and over the past year you've grown miserable."

William sat on his bed carefully cleaning his flintlock, his eyes empty of emotion when he looked at her. "Nothing is the matter," he lied, looking back down at the gun.

"Is it me and Riddick?"

"No."

Loreli thought for a moment. "Did you get in a fight with one of the crew?" she asked. "James maybe?" Even she didn't want to be around James anymore, ending their sword fighting lessons. She knew enough now and was uncomfortable around the man with all his comments and innuendos.

"No."

"Well I don't understand," she continued. "We have more now than we started out with on this ship; more money, more clothes, more food. Why are you so upset? I mean, we have everything we wanted and then some. I don't know how Riddick does it but…"

"You want to know?" William said, anger in his voice. "You want to know how he does it? How he brings all these treasures to the ship?"

"Well he buys them doesn't he?"

William laughed, putting his flintlock away. His cold eyes met hers in a stare as he said, "Oh he buys it all right, with innocent blood."

Loreli didn't pretend to understand. "What?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you seen it?" he continued, standing up. "The stains on the crews' clothes when they come back from port? The fact that we're being shot at when we leave? Can't you see? Don't you understand?"

Loreli hadn't thought about it really since she was usually in her and Riddick's cabin when they went to port. When he returned and gave her beautiful dresses and gold jewelry, it was not her place to question where or how he got it but to be thankful for the gifts.

The blank look in his cousin's eyes confirmed she did not understand. "Pirates Loreli!" he exclaimed, arms in the air. "We're pirates! We steal and pillage and kill! And you're in love with the worst one!"

The words struck her as hard as the main boom on deck could have. "Pirates?" she gasped. "But…I mean when did…I don't…"

William sat down. "That's how we get everything," he continued. "We raid the ports, Loreli. Innocent people have lost their lives because of us." He shook his head. "There's just something wrong with this. There's nothing for me to be happy about."

"And the crew…they have no problem…with this way?" she asked, still fighting to believe her beloved was a pirate.

"The crew loves it," he answered. "Look at what they get."

Both were silent for a few minutes. William struggled with his disappointment of how his adventure at sea was turning out while Loreli struggled with acceptance of this new information.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she asked, visibly upset. "I need to think about what you said. I can't be with him tonight."

"Of course," he said, concerned for her. "What will you tell him?"

"I'll tell him you're feeling ill," she said, leaving his cabin.

The next few days passed as a blur, like the wind over the ocean. As she walked about, eyes meeting with the crews', she saw something different. Or maybe she only noticed now because she knew. There seemed a passion, a hunger, in their eyes she hadn't seen and her feeling of safety aboard the ship was much less than when she arrived. How could they steal from others? How could they take another life? Why didn't they just take the money they had and buy the things they needed? She didn't understand and only grew more upset the longer she thought about it.

Loreli's nerves were shot. She was constantly watching behind her back, always wondering what was really going through the minds of the men around her. Almost every time she ate, it came back up. When Riddick spoke of concern for her, she played it off as being ill. While she was back in his cabin, she had not been with him in days.

As she walked along the deck, watching the water crash into the sides of the ship, Loreli rested her head on the rail. What was she going to do? She thought of talking to Riddick about it but was afraid of what he might say. Sure he loved her but was it enough? If he'd taken innocent lives….she shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly an arm was around her waist and a body pressed against her. "Hello poppet," James said, pressing her forward against the wood. "Ready for a real man yet?"

"Get off me," Loreli yelled, trying to pry the arm off from her waist. "Let me go!"

"You know you want me," he growled, tightening his hold. "I'm more of a man than your boy could ever be."

Both were startled when a gun was fired into the air. Whipping around to see Captain Barbossa on deck a few feet from them, James let go and pushed Loreli down, causing her to fall to her hands.

Anger burned in Riddick's eyes. "What be the meanin' of this?" he roared.

"She said she wanted me, Captain," James immediately lied. "Right here on deck. Said she'd missed our sword fighting lessons, she did."

"That true?"

"Riddick!" Loreli exclaimed, wanting to rush towards him but thinking better of it. "He's lying! You know I love you! I've never wanted this man!"

"That's not what you said the other night," James said with a grin.

"The other night?" growled Riddick. "Ye said ye were with William because he was ill."

"That was a lie," James said. "She bedded with me."

Loreli turned to face James. "You're a lying bastard!" she screamed, striking his cheek. "I was with my cousin all night."

"Aye she was," William confirmed, joining the group. "She never left the cabin."

Barbossa studied the three before him. "Just because ye be my first mate doesn' mean ye wouldn't lie for yer family," Riddick told William. "And how do I know somethin didn' happen between ye both? Ye haven' bedded with me in days. Ye must be beddin' somewhere."

"No Riddick," Loreli pleaded, rushing to his side. "You know I love you. I've never been with another. James is lying to you. I'd never do that. I've been ill the past few days. You've seen me!"

"Don't matter that I'm family," William said. "I know her person and she's not about to lie. She's a woman of her word, Captain. James, on the other hand, has been caught in many lies. Don't believe this game."

Without another word, Captain Barbossa aimed his flintlock at James and fired, causing a scream from Loreli and gasps from crewmembers that saw James' body fall to the deck dead.

"Throw him overboard," he commanded, as a handful of crew scurried to carry out his request. "Gather what things ye can. We're takin' ye to Port Royal."

Loreli's eyes were filled with tears. "Riddick…please my love…don't do this," she begged following after him when he turned from her to leave the main deck. "I love you! I want to stay with you! You know I've been true to you!

Spinning around, startling Loreli, Captain Barbossa exclaimed, "No I don' know it! What I know is ye haven' been with me in days, ye act like ye don' want to be near me, like ye be hidin' from me and ye did spend a night out of the cabin. Only ye and William know the truth and because ye be family, how can I take ye serious? How can I trust ye?"

"Riddick please," Loreli cried, stomach churning again. "Please don't make me go."

"There be the chest with yer things," he told her. "Pack whatever ye can in there. We'll be in Port Royal by dawn."

"Captain Barbossa you can't do this," William said rushing to his cousin's side as Riddick walked away.

"Stop," Loreli cried, scared Riddick might shoot him. "Let him go. I couldn't stand to see him shoot you. Please."

William held her as she cried, anger building towards his captain. How dare he not believe them? Just because they were family didn't mean anything. But their honor meant nothing to Riddick. No one's honor meant anything to the captain. That was obvious. All he cared about what how much he could get regardless of how many lives had to be sacrificed.

Part of him was relieved she would be off the ship. And since Port Royal was one of the grandest, he felt secure with her being there. Now he wouldn't have to worry what might happen. Hopefully she'd find a young man and become smitten with him as she had with Riddick.

"Come on love," he said, arm around her shoulders. "Let's go through your things."

"I can't believe he wouldn't even see me," Loreli said as the rowboat slowly made its way to shore. "I can't believe any of this, William. What did I do?"

He sighed, channeling his frustration into the oars as he rowed. "You did nothing but love a pirate," he answered. "And not a very nice one. I'm actually glad you won't be on the ship. At least I know you'll be safe."

Once they reached the beach, William pulled the boat up enough to secure it and helped Loreli out. "Make this home," he told her, hugging her close. "It's a strong port with a lot of trading. You shouldn't have any problems here. I will come back to see you."

Loreli was fighting tears. "I love you," she told him. "Please be careful and watch yourself. For me."

"For you," he said, kissed her quickly and began his return to the boat and crew he was beginning to despise with every inch of his being.

Loreli sat on top of the trunk for a while before venturing into the port. Here she was, alone, in a strange port, knowing not one single person. She did have money but how long would it last before she needed more? And what would she do? The only thing she knew anything about was sailing. And she was certain the Navy was not in the business of hiring women for their ships. She dreaded having to fall into the propriety ways of the women that would surround her.

"Better get going," she said out loud, trying to drag the wooden chest as best she could. "Nothing going to happen sitting here worrying about what's going to happen."

Two months later….

"You must be wrong," Loreli told the doctor. "Please tell me it's a mistake."

The elderly man smiled at the young girl. "No I'm afraid not," he said. "You are with child."

"But Doctor Norrington," she said, eyes filling with tears. "I can't be. Not now. The father isn't…" She stopped. "He died."

"I am sorry," Doctor Norrington told her. "But I can give you a woman's name that will be able to help you. She can provide a place for you to stay and is an excellent midwife as well."

Loreli nodded, still dumbfounded with the news. Riddick was a father and would never know it. Her child would never have a father.

"Thank you," she said sadly, taking the paper with the woman's name and address. This was not the adventure she'd hoped for two years ago when she left home with William. Eighteen, alone in a foreign port and soon to be a mother of a bastard child…definitely not the life she envisioned.