Twelve years, William grumbled to himself as he sat in a dark corner of a loud and dirty bar in Tortuga, fighting to silence the demons with spirits. Twelve bloody years I stayed on that god awful ship with those evil men doing the terrible things I did just to get thrown off back here where I started with nothing but a few coins in my pocket.

William loved the sea almost more than life itself. He couldn't imagine staying on land without lengthy trips to sea. It was his life and knew, nor wanted, any other. After recovering from his drunken stupor, he would ask around and sail again with another crew, even if they were pirates. After the killing and stealing he'd already done, a little more didn't seem to matter much.

His thoughts wandered to his cousin, Loreli. As far as he knew she was still in Port Royal, hopefully married with a family. Things had never been the same between him and Riddick after she was thrown off the ship. William began to see the true colors of the captain and they weren't pretty. Captain Barbossa was a cold hearted, ruthless man who would shoot anyone just for the fun of it. He wanted booty and riches and plenty of it and would do whatever it took to get it. While they had started out raiding ports, they soon changed to raiding merchant ships at sea, ravaging the ship and it's spoils, killing some of the men and keeping others.

Port Royal. He would have to go there soon to make sure his dear cousin was safe.

"Bootstrap, love, don't you think you've had enough?" the sweet voice came out of nowhere.

Lifting up his head that felt as heavy as lead, he squinted through the smoke to see one of the bar maids sitting beside him, concern in her eyes.

"No I'm still conshus…consinc…awake," he finally said.

"And I'd like to keep you that way," she said with a small smile. "Come on, off to bed with you. Your room is number three yes?"

William nodded as he allowed himself to be helped up and guided to the stairs. "Come now," the voice was saying. "One step at a time. That's it, Bootstrap."

Next thing he knew his body was falling limp to a small bed and his boots were being pulled off.

"There you go, all tucked in for the night," she said and turned to leave.

"Wait," William barely said as the woman turned to face him. "Could you…stay for a bit…please?"

With a smile, she answered, "Well I suppose I could." She pulled a chair over beside the bed and sat down.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Catherine."

He smiled. "You're beautiful," he said easily.

She blushed but didn't think he noticed. "Why thank you," she said. "What is your real name?" She'd only ever heard him called 'Bootstrap'.

"William," he answered groggily. He lifted his heavy arm and reached for her hand, holding it gently.

Catherine was surprised but didn't remove her hand. "Are you okay?" she asked simply.

"Just…stay until I fall asleep…please?" he muttered, not far from slumber.

Catherine sat quietly holding William's hand until his breathing came in deep and long inhales and exhales. She caressed his hand, rough and calloused with numerous cuts and scars, knowing he was a pirate. Most men in Tortuga were pirates. But this one was different. He looked different, spoke different and acted different. Was it possible to be a pirate and a good man at the same time?

Spirits aside, Catherine thought William handsome. He looked to be in his early thirties but with his personality, she figured he was actually a bit younger, looking older only because of the life he'd chosen. His wavy hair looked the color of sand with dark brown eyes underneath and full lips that formed an intoxicating smile. His body was solid, neither too bulky or too skinny, just right for…

Catherine stopped her thoughts. No need for that, she scolded herself. She gently placed his hand on the thin mattress beside his body, inhaling one last time. Shame he was a pirate. They never stayed around long so why allow herself to be attracted?

Quietly closing the door behind her, she shook her head. She was attracted to him and hated herself for it.

The next morning, William awoke with a mild headache. He sat up slowly and immediately remembered Catherine. She was beautiful. He must see her again.

After taking a few minutes to wake up and splash water on his face, William went downstairs. His eyes scanned the room but didn't see who he was looking for. He did notice a woman behind the bar straightening up from the night before.

"Excuse me," he said. "Have you seen Catherine?"

"Yeah she's off to market 'round the corner," the woman answered, sweeping broken glass onto a tray.

"Thank you," William said, hurrying out of the bar. The streets were much quieter in the morning as most were still passed out from the night before. The market wasn't too far away and it didn't take long before he spotted her, picking up apples, trying to find one she liked.

"Good morning," William said as he walked over to her.

She looked up and smiled, thankful he was himself again. "Good morning to you," she returned. "You slept well?"

"Aye I did," he answered. "Thank you for staying."

"It was my pleasure," she said, moving on to the mangos.

"If I may be so bold," William began. "What are you doing the rest of the day?"

The question caught Catherine by surprise. "Not much I guess," she answered. "Market this morning and then I work later tonight, you know when the drunks come in." She winked noticing a blush in his cheeks. "Why? Are you planning to kidnap me?"

Pushing away his boyish reactions, William grinned and answered, "Only if I have your permission to."

Catherine smiled and thought for a moment. "Okay," she answered against her better judgment. "Permission granted."

Much of the day was spent along the shoreline, talking and sharing stories. William eagerly told her of how he joined with Captain Barbossa and what happened with Loreli. Catherine couldn't believe a man could be that cruel.

"Just dropped her off?" she asked in disbelief. "The woman he loved?"

"Aye but not his true love," William told her. "Being a pirate was his true love and nothing was going to stand in the way of that. Especially not a woman." He played with a shell in the sand where they sat looking out over the water. "I hated him for it but thanked him at the same time. The crew and conditions on the ship were becoming more dangerous every day. I was glad she was someplace safe like Port Royal."

"Have you been back to see her?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No and I should," he answered. "I have no excuse except I was busy being a pirate." He chuckled. "And that's not much of an excuse."

"Why do you have to be a pirate?" she asked curiously. "I mean, I know the reason why men become pirates but those reasons don't seem to apply to you."

His dark eyes met hers in a look that said he really didn't want to answer her question. Quickly looking away, he said, "Don't think I don't enjoy the spoils. There's something exciting, something exhilarating about attacking another ship and ravaging their supplies and taking whatever we wanted." He sighed. "But the killing of men and sinking of ships was never in my heart."

"So you're a nice pirate then?"

William laughed. "Yeah you could call it that," he said. "Doesn't make much sense though does it?"

"It doesn't have to make sense," she said simply.

"And what about you? How did you end up in Tortuga as a barmaid?" he asked, ready to change the subject.

"I'm afraid it's not a very interesting story," she said sadly. "It's pretty typical really." Her blue eyes met his. " My mother worked at one of the brothels and my father was a client and nine months later I was born." She shrugged. "That story is a dime a dozen around here."

"Do you know who your father is?"

"No because my mother said it didn't matter who he was," she answered. "She said he was not family and I was not to worry about it."

"Do you ever wonder though?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "When I see older men stagger in the bar, I often wonder 'so could that be him?'. I finally just stopped thinking about it. If he's a bad man, I don't want to know him anyway. And if he's a good man, well he probably wouldn't have been at the brothel that night you know?"

William blushed. "Good men visit brothels too," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I know," she agreed. "But they also take precautions."

"Aye, true," he said, knowing he always had with the women he'd been with. "Can I ask you something?"

She smiled, knowing his question. "There's only been one," she answered.

He blushed. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Its all right," she said. "I was thirteen. My mother encouraged me to actually, saying it wasn't that big of a thing and I might as well get it out of the way. He was fourteen so neither of us knew what we were doing. It went pretty fast."

"And you're how old now?"

"Just turned twenty."

"And there's been no others?"

"No."

Silence passed between them for a moment before Catherine spoke again. "There's been no other because I'm not like my mother. To me it is a big deal. I need to have feelings for the man I bed with, not just because I feel the want."

William smiled, his heart turning somersaults for the woman before him. "It's been two years since my last," he confided. "For the same reason you just said. I found nothing in the emptiness."

Knowing she should change the subject, Catherine asked, "You're leaving again aren't you?" She knew his answer without having to ask.

After a heavy sigh, he answered, "Yes."

"How soon?"

"A week or two maybe," he said. "I've got to ask around and see who either has a ship or knows of one coming in."

Catherine hated the feelings stirring inside her. She stood up, facing the ocean water, listening as it crashed into the shoreline. "I see," she said simply.

William stood up then and faced her. "Catherine, I…" he began. "I really enjoy your company. You…stir up…feelings for me…that I've never felt."

"But it's not enough," she stated with little emotion. "Not enough to make you stay."

He shook his head slowly. "No, love," he said, torn between the beckoning sea and the beautiful woman before him. "I won't lie to you."

She faced him then. "Will you come back to stay with me?" she asked. She'd never met a man like William and if she could only have a piece of him while the sea claimed the rest, she would take it as long as he was willing to give it. "And only me?"

William smiled, amazed at her words. "You mean…you and me?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"I've never met a man such as you," she admitted. "I've watched when you've entered the bar before. I asked about you. I knew your reputation before I knew your name. And then I made the mistake of talking to you. I kept telling myself I wouldn't but I had to." She reached up to touch his cheek. "I will share you with the sea but I won't share you with another woman."

"There is no other woman I want," he answered truthfully. "Except the one standing before me."

"Then take her," Catherine said with a smile. "She's yours."

Seeing happiness dance in her eyes, William stood closer, cupping her cheeks in his large hands and leaning in for a soft kiss. "And I'm hers," he whispered before his mouth closed over hers again.

William stayed with Catherine three weeks before finding another crew to sail with. The voyage was to last around six months as they were pirating in the Spanish Main.

"Please be careful," she said as William packed the last couple things in his bag. "I expect you to be back."

He pulled Catherine to him in a lasting hug. "I will return, love," he assured her. "I have reason now." After one last kiss, he closed the door behind him, leaving Catherine alone with her tears.

It was almost a year before William returned, the voyage lasting much longer than planned. This pirate crew was much different than Captain Barbossa's. The captain was fairer, dividing up the spoils for everyone and making sure no one was left without. They still killed some men but somehow he just didn't think it as bad as his first experience.

He couldn't wait to see her. He rushed through the bar, nearly jumping over the drunken bodies in his path, and running up the stairs to their room. Knowing she'd be asleep as it was nearly four in the morning, he opened the door quietly, gently putting his bag down on the floor. He stripped his filthy sea clothes off and cleaned himself as best he could with the bath water in the small bowl on the table.

Slowly, he crawled into bed beside Catherine, who stirred slightly. He lay beside her, sliding the covers down to their feet, hardly able to keep his hands to himself. "Catherine," he whispered, touching her cheek gently. "I'm home, love."

Opening her eyes, Catherine thought it was a dream. "William?" she whispered. "Are you real?" If it was a dream, she didn't want to wake.

"I'm home," he told her again. "I'm here."

"William!" she exclaimed, realizing she was awake and he was beside her. "Oh god you're here! You're safe!" She pulled him to her, not wanting to let go. "I was so worried. You said six months. I thought…"

"Shh," he soothed, holding her tight. "I'm okay. Things just took longer than we thought." He looked at her, the moon providing little light through the window. "What am I going to do? When I'm at sea, I want you. When I'm with you, I want the sea."

Catherine pulled him on top of her as she lay back down. "Just love me," she said. "I've missed you so much."

It had been almost three years since meeting Catherine and William was returning from another pirate voyage, this one lasting a year and a half. He returned with more money than he'd ever had and couldn't wait to tell Catherine. He had also made a huge decision and was ready to share it with her.

It was the middle of the afternoon when William entered the bar. Catherine saw him, nearly dropping her tray of glasses before she was able to set them down, running over to him. "My love!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're back safe." She clung to him as he picked her up and spun her around.

Setting her down, William couldn't wait. He'd dreamed of this moment for months. He took out a rather large diamond ring from his pocket and dropped to one knee. "Catherine Deel," he said, as everyone around watched with wide eyes. "Be my wife."

Covering her mouth with her hands, Catherine was shocked, tears instantly filling her eyes. All she could do was nod her head as William took her in his arms again.

"You've just made me happier than the sea ever could," he whispered while those around clapped their hands.

Later that evening when they were undressing for bed, Catherine was admiring the beautiful ring. "I have to ask one question," she said. "Please don't be mad."

Sitting beside her on the bed, William said, "Ask away."

"Did you buy this ring?"

He smiled. "That's why I love you," he told her. "Yes I did buy it. You deserve the best."

"Okay," she said, feeling silly that she asked to begin with. "You know, the pirate thing."

He laughed. "I know, love," he agreed. "Speaking of the pirate thing, I've been thinking. I think I'll be landlocked for a while. And I thought of possibly moving to Port Royal."

Catherine's mouth dropped. "Port Royal?" she asked. "I've heard it's wonderful. We could find your cousin maybe."

"You want to go?" He thought she might not want to leave Tortuga as it was her home.

"Of course," she said. "You don't think I want to stay in this pirate trap forever do you? Let's go. Let's start packing. We'll need to find a ship and…"

"Love," William said. "I'll take care of everything. You sure you want to be the wife of a pirate?"

She kissed his lips and said, "I'll be the wife of an incredible man and that's all I care about."